A/N:I love Klaus, there I said it :) Enjoy!

Chapter One

Klaus stopped in his tracks suddenly. A warm night breeze flew through the abandoned street and brought whispers with it.

"She looks delicious and all alone…"

"Let's get her!"

Klaus sighed, he really hated doing this – babysitting, but someone had to do it. One would think, that after nearly five centuries, they would have learned, but then again, the night crawlers had never been the brightest, most likely due to the lack of sunlight.

Ever since the New Orleans war in 2013-2015, Klaus, Elijah and Marcel had made it a habit of keeping a close eye on the Supernatural coming and goings in their city, in order for everyone to live peacefully together; vampires, werewolves, hybrids, witches and humans alike. New Orleans had become a supernatural Tortuga, a safe haven for any race, who wanted to live in peace. It had been a messy and bloody showdown, but necessary none the less, and it was the first step in Klaus' mission to better himself and make things right. Fortunately, by now, time had healed many of the wounds and only a few of the remaining vampires remembered the dark period of the city's history. Klaus and Elijah worked closely with the city's mayor, council and the local police; as partners in protecting the city and its citizens, they trusted each other, which was one of the reasons for the success. The Supernatural did not prey on the local humans and gave a certain amount of protection and security, given the city officials provided blood in return. The agreement had lasted for centuries by now and had proven to be handy in the great world war of 2365-2372, where the Supernatural had stepped up and New Orleans had been one of the safest places during a raging war.

But of cause, despite all the efforts, when it came to individual creatures living together, utopia was impossible and there would always be one or two left unsatisfied, so like everything else, peace needed maintenance, hence the babysitting.

Locating the two crawlers in a matter of seconds, Klaus approached them from behind. A little further ahead from the two, Klaus saw the back of their selected prey. A woman in a tight red cocktail dress, high heels and a shadowed red hat. Long blond hair, seeming slightly familiar, draped down her back. It really was no wonder why the two had gone after her, she practically begged for it. Klaus suspected a tourist; no local woman would wander the streets, alone at night, like that. Shaking off the nagging familiarity about the woman, Klaus graphed the two vampires by the neck and pulled them back.

"And what are the two of you up to, mh?" he whispered through his teeth and tightened his grip. The two gasped and looked back at him, their eyes widened in fear realizing who had caught them.

"Klaus?!" one of them said, his voice shaking, "It's… we… nothing, just, just enjoying the quiet night…" he stammered.

"Is that so? Because to me it looks like you were on a hunt," Klaus said, raising an eyebrow. The two night crawlers looked at each other, before laughing nervously.

"A hunt?! No, no, why… why would we do that? It's against the law, right?"

"Right you are, mate," Klaus said smirking and patted the vampire, "Right you are."

"Excuse me, but I seem to be a little lost, could you gents maybe help me?" A smooth female voice interrupted the three. Klaus froze. He most defiantly recognized that voice, granted he had not heard it in decades, but there was no mistaking it. The woman looked up and the moonlight illuminated her face. Klaus met bright eyes, pale skin and long blond hair - a face unmistakeable.

"Caroline…" he whispered, not really believing what he saw. The woman in red smiled sweetly.

"Hello Klaus, long time no see."

For a moment, Klaus felt unable to move a muscle as their eyes locked, then he suddenly started laughing. The two night crawlers looked at him confused and Caroline just smiled knowingly.

"It looks like I just saved you two mates, from getting your heart ripped out," Klaus said in between laughs and urged them to leave.

"Care for a drink, love?" Klaus asked, as they were left alone on the street. Caroline looked at him, calculating for a moment, before nodding; accepting the offer. They walked to Bourbon street in silence, both feeling slightly awkward. Entering the crowded bar, Klaus led Caroline to the bar stools and waved for the bartender.

"What can I get you, on this lovely night Klaus?" Asked the dark-haired bartender and blinked at him. Klaus crooked a smile.

"I'll have the usual, Nicole," He told her and sat down as he looked at Caroline questioning.

"And bourbon for me," She said and sat down beside him. The bartender nodded and left them to get their orders.

"Bourbon? Such a classic drink," Klaus commented as the drinks were served.

"I'm a classic girl," Caroline replied with a grin and took a sip of the strong liquor, "Besides, this is Bourbon street, yes?"

"Sorry, but you're hardly a girl anymore, love," he said with a smirk and looked her up and down. Caroline pushed him playfully.

"Mister Niklaus Mikaelson, don't you know it's very rude to address a woman's age?"

They both laughed, enjoying the relaxed and light atmosphere between them and ignoring the crowd in the bar. Klaus felt the warmth and happiness; he had not felt in years and knew that, despite the years being apart, nothing in him had changed. The feelings, this woman had awakened in him, centuries ago, where the same.

"So, should I take your coming here, as an acceptance of my offer?" Klaus asked hesitantly, curious about the sudden appearance of his love. Caroline finished her bourbon and ordered another one, before meeting Klaus' gaze.

"If you're talking about you showing me the world," Caroline said, "I've already been there, twice. By the way, Tokyo - so much fun! "

"Is that so?" Klaus asked and rose a brow and could not help a small grin. After all, she remembered.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed and shook her drink a bit, before looking back at him, with a serious look, "Truth is, I've been everywhere, except here…"

"Because chances where, I was here?" Klaus concluded by the hesitant look she gave him, "You've been avoiding me," Caroline bit her lip and nodded, "So, what made you decide to finally give New Orleans a chance? I am still here, as you can see," The question was still nagging Klaus and he needed to know. Caroline bit her lip again, a sign of uncertainty, very unlike the very confident woman from earlier.

"I, I don't know. I…"

"Father!"

Klaus sighed as a loud female voice interrupted them. He broke away from Caroline and turned towards his daughter, who was approaching them in a fast pace.

"Lucia darling, how can I help you?"

Lucia Mikaelson; the youngest generation of the original family, born from the hybrid and a werewolf. The first to be born a hybrid. She had lived a safe and normal life with her mother Hayley and her uncle Elijah. Klaus had visited every now and then, for her to build a relationship with her biological father. Klaus had insisted on this, taking the fatherhood very serious. He did not want to repeat his own fathers mistakes and allow Lucia to go through, what he had. When she stopped aging in her early twenties, with the hybrid gene kicking in, she moved to live with Klaus in New Orleans, to learn and live the way of a true hybrid. She had inherited Klaus' hybrid gene, but Hayley's looks. Brown eyes and hair dominated her figure, something that had caught the attention of several people and thus caused Klaus quite the headache. He would never admit it, but Klaus felt very protective of his daughter, which was not easy, since Lucia represented her parents, in more ways. She was very mischievous, selfish and enjoyed to manipulate and play with people. Of all the hybrids she had sired, her caretakers had convinced her to break the bond of most of them, but Lucia had kept a few, to be her personal slaves and bodyguards. Klaus had let her have as much, since it was in her nature as a Mikaelson and she would be taking over for him one day.

Lucia stopped in her tracks, as her eyes fell on Caroline. She looked questioning at her father, who in return did everything to avoid her glance. Caroline looked confused from Lucia, to Klaus and back and a knowing grin spread across Lucia's face as she walked up to them.

"You're Caroline," she said. It was not a question, but a statement, which seemed to have Caroline even more confused. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not creepy or anything like that," Lucia said with a reassuring smile, "I know who you are, because my Father here has a painting of you in his estate. Growing up, I always wondered who you were; it is great to finally meet you Caroline." Lucia finished and held out her hand towards Caroline, who accepted the greeting a little hesitant at first, but then a mischievous smile spread across her face.

"A painting, really?" she said and side glanced at Klaus, who felt just a little embarrassed, he had totally forgotten about that, "Nice meeting you too, Lucia."

The warmth from the fire filled his cold body, as he sat relaxed in the old couch with a half drink of blood, dangling lazily from his hand. Caroline's words kept playing in his mind.

"My being here doesn't change anything, it doesn't mean anything. Too smart, remember?"

It would be a lie, if he said; he had not hoped for some changes in her opinion about him, not that he would ever admit it to anyone. Caring about things like that, were a sign of weakness, something Klaus had never been keen on showing. He glanced up at the painting, placed above the fireplace. The same painting Lucia had been referring to earlier. The pencil strokes were gentle, much like the person portrayed. His mind had been full of her, as he had painted it exactly the way he remembered her and she had not changed since, still as beautiful as ever. Klaus drew a sigh as he felt a presence behind him.

"I knew I'd find you here," Lucia's voice broke through the silence, "You tend to go here when something's on your mind and I'm just wild guessing now, but is this Caroline, by any chance the reason for your remising now?"

When Klaus kept watching the fire silently, Lucia sighed in surrender and threw herself in the couch, resting her head in her father's lap. He brought his free hand to her hair and started caressing her absentminded. Lucia played with some carpet strands for a while before looking up at her father. The light from the fire reflected in his eyes, which seemed distant. Lucia knew, Klaus had been around for a very long time and how much those eyes must have seen and she caught herself wondering what was replaying now.

"You know, "Lucia whispered, but felt Klaus' caress stopping momentarily and knew he heard her, "You never really told me about her, about what happened back then?"

Klaus silently took a sip of the blood, before answering.

"That's because nothing really happened…"he answered regrettable, "She was dating someone else, my first successful hybrid at that…"

Lucia turned to lie on her stomach, facing her father.

"Why didn't you just whisk her of her feet and away? Steal her with some of that infamous Mikaelson charm," she wanted to know. This made Klaus laugh, his daughter made it sound so easy.

"I wish it was that simple sweetheart," he replied between chuckles, "But I am afraid it was a bit more complicated than that. Don't think I did not try it, though."

"Why wasn't it that simple? Love doesn't really have to be so complicated, it's the ones involved, who makes it complicated," Lucia said looking up. Klaus cracked a smile.

"Either, you're young and naïve or you're very wise," he said and drank the last of the blood, "But truth be told, I don't really blame her, I wasn't exactly perfect, far from…"

"Ah, pish posh!" Lucia exclaimed, "I know you say, you've done a lot of terrible things, but you should get over yourself, that was a long time ago. I haven't seen those terrible things, which you speak of, and I'm almost 500!"

"God, you're already that old…" Klaus mumbled, but Lucia heard it anyway and pretended to be offended, giving him a playful slap.

"Well, I do believe it's time for me to hit the sack," Lucia announced, after giving her father a few more nudges, and yawned, "I bid you goodnight dad, uncle," she said and rose from the couch. Klaus looked behind him and saw Elijah in the door. He poured another glass of blood as Lucia left the room and Elijah joined him. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the fire, each in their own thoughts. Despite everything that went down, when they first got back to New Orleans, the repeated betrayals and backstabbing, the two brothers had managed to move past it all and had been very close for several years by now.

"So, it seems Miss Caroline is in town," Elijah noted, without looking at his brother.

"It would seem so…" Klaus said nonchalant.

"And how are you handling that?" Elijah knew all about his brother's affection, towards the younger vampire and had come to appreciate her; after all, she had had a major part in his brother's change for the better, and from what he knew about her, she could be good for him. While a final rejection from her, could ruin everything he had worked for, the past millennium. Elijah looked at his brother, when he did not, get an immediate answer, and was met with a side-glance and nodded. Klaus was not ready to talk about it and Elijah understood, so he moved on, to another pressing matter. Caroline was not the only supernatural, who had been spotted in the area.

"Tyler Lockwood has been spotted, in the outer quarters," Elijah reported. This caught Klaus' full attention as he turned fully towards his brother.

"Tyler Lockwood? You sure?" Elijah nodded, confirming it. Klaus cursed.

"That blasted hybrid, I thought he was rotting in the garden*."

"He was, for centuries, but somehow he is out now, and quite vengeful, I imagine," Elijah said and leaned forward, starring absentmindly into the fire.

"Then we should inform Marcel and Rebekah, after all, they did put him in there, if I remember correctly," Klaus said. He could not believe he was hearing this; a vengeful hybrid was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now.

"We should, but you be alert too, he is not really too fond of you either," Elijah said pointed out. Klaus sighed and rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of the headache, threatening to explode in his head. How was it that it had been so peaceful for years and all of a sudden, both Caroline and Lockwood was in town? Were they plotting something together? What evil scheme did Fate have in store for him, this time?

Elijah noticed his brother's troubled features and patted his shoulder in comfort.

"Look, you concentrate on Miss Caroline and I'll look into the Lockwood matter with Marcel, how does that sound?" Elijah suggested. Klaus looked up at his brother and gave him a thankful smile before nodding.

A/N: *'The Originals' reference. A sort of vampire graveyard, where they're usually buried alive and left to desiccate, much like the tomb in Mystic falls. It's something Marcel created in which Tyler were actually left in.

Hope you liked it, please tell me what you think and I'll continue posting :)