Day 3 - Because Magic!

Set after the latest seasons of both shows, this is a game of Hide and Seek gone wrong. Klaus is free and sulking in New Orleans, and Caroline is busy with her daughters in Mystic Falls.

"...eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

Caroline opened her eyes to look around the supposedly empty living room. She figured a game of hide and seek would be a good way for the girls to get used to her childhood home, especially when she knew they couldn't get too far. Case in point, a very familiar pair of purple tennis shoes were poking out of the curtains.

Sneaking over, she crouched down to tickle where her daughter's tummy would be behind the fabric. "Got you!"

"Mommy," Lizzie giggled, squirming until she could free herself from her hiding place. "You found me!"

Laughing, Caroline tousled her hair. "Let's go find your sister."

Lizzie raced from the room, letting her mother follow at her own pace. "Aha," she called from the kitchen.

"Cheater," Josie mumbled once Caroline arrived. She pulled herself from a mostly empty cabinet, pouting. "Mommy was supposed to find me."

Sensing a fight about to break out, Caroline opted for a distraction. "And now it's Lizzie's turn to seek," she announced. Reaching for Josie's hand, she left her other daughter in the kitchen. "Let's go hide."

With a mischievous look on her face, Josie pulled them toward her old bedroom. "Under the bed," the toddler ordered, and Caroline rolled her eyes before obeying. "Mommy, your legs don't fit!"

"Josie, it's fine- ow!" Caroline's veins burned as Josie's hand glowed red around her arm, trying to pull her further into the cramped space. "Are you siphoning me?"

"I'm sorry," the little girl apologized in exasperation. "You're not hiding enough."

"Really, it's oka-"

"Hide!" Josie's eyes scrunched up tight, and Caroline felt the oddest squeezing sensation before-

POOF!

Klaus was miserable. Finally released from his tomb, all of his efforts to reunite his family were for naught. He had turned to drinking his loneliness away, but still too paranoid to leave New Orleans in case new information came to light.

Sitting at the bar, he was contemplating a switch to brandy when his phone buzzed. He checked the caller ID, but the name was less than tempting in his melancholy state. Bored out of his mind, however, at least he would have someone to torment if he answered the call. "Ripper. Running from another of your brother's consequences?"

"I need your help," Stefan said, sounding pained.

"What else is new," Klaus taunted. "And what did Damon do this time?"

"Caroline's missing." Nothing but silence filled the connection. "Klaus?"

Only a moment had passed, though it felt like an eternity to him. "What happened?"

"She was playing hide and seek with the girls, and Josie accidentally sent her somewhere to hide. With magic."

Klaus felt the strangest urge to laugh, but Stefan wouldn't have called him if the situation weren't dire. It may have been an accident, however Caroline was missing all the same. "A locator spell should be simple enough," he said, feigning calm. Silently, he wondered if any of the witches who had failed at finding his family would manage to do something right for once.

"The girls are too freaked out, and Bonnie has no magic," Stefan sighed. "We tried tracking her phone, but it was just upstairs. I'm running out of options, Klaus."

"You must be," he acknowledged smugly. An idea had struck him at the mention of Caroline's daughters, and a plan was forming. "Good luck, Ripper."

"Wait, Klaus-"

He hung up, already dialing the number for his private jet service as he dropped some cash on the bar. "Yes, this is Klaus Mikaelson, and I'd like a flight plan set departing for Dallas as soon as possible."

Some well-placed compulsion allowed him the be in the air in three hours. Klaus vaguely noted that it was Caroline to push him out of the city when he had been so resistant, though it didn't surprise him. She always managed to bring out the oddest reactions in him. He only hoped his theory was correct.

Hope's magic had been unpredictable in the short time he'd lived with her. Caroline's children didn't even have the benefit of an active witch to help train them; they must be working purely on instinct, and Klaus would bet anything that Josie sent her mother to their Dallas home.

He forced himself to ignore the pain of missing his own daughter, but finding Caroline was an achievable end. It would take much more time to track down Hope, though it likely meant she was well protected. It was really all he could ask, if he couldn't be the one to protect her.

Caroline, however, would likely be vulnerable wherever she landed. With no phone or wallet, at least Klaus could take comfort in the fact she was a competent vampire. Still, most witches don't use transport magic because of the inherent dangers associated with making something disappear and reappear somewhere else.

With the witch in question so young, Klaus desperately hoped Caroline would be in one piece.

Pulling up to the suburban home, Klaus tried to picture the life Caroline chose to live there. While he had no doubt she was a devoted mother, something about the upscale neighborhood still seemed...small to him. The Caroline Forbes he once knew could only be content in such a world for so long.

He supposed that was why she ended up back in Mystic Falls. A small step toward accepting her supernatural status as more than a bonus, but still a far cry from reaping the benefits of an immortal life. At least, the life he hoped to share with her one day.

His hand rubbed over his face, and Klaus just stopped thinking about that altogether. He had bigger problems with his family at the moment to consider wooing Caroline away from yet another disappointing boyfriend. Klaus would have his chance, and he could be very patient when the spoils were worthy. The pressing need was to find Caroline and to deliver her home safely.

Focusing his senses, he strained to find any sign of Caroline within the house. He had employed several private investigators over the years, two of them alone devoted to keeping tabs on the blonde in question. Figuring quickly she would notice any vampires in her vicinity, he was forced to use more mundane tactics. But, they worked, and luckily one of his contacts assured him Caroline had kept the title to the house in her name even after the move. Though he was sure it was a decision of nostalgia, it did make the current situation more convenient. Not only would he be able to avoid any new occupants, Klaus wouldn't need an invitation to enter.

He flashed inside, quickly ascertaining that she wasn't on the main floor. Just about to head up the stairs, a rattling breath shook in his ears. Caroline's scent still permeated the house, but he followed the noise to where the floral perfume and vanilla shampoo were concentrated heaviest.

Her bedroom wasn't what he expected at all of an engaged mother of two. It was entirely hers, no sign of that sham fiancé. There was a desk and a bulletin board, both tidily covered with articles and notes. Photos lined the walls, mostly of the little girls who caused this mess to begin with. While he could tell how much love went into this home, something about this room felt empty to him.

This wasn't the Caroline he knew.

"Klaus."

The voice was barely a croak, so quiet that he was sure only his enhanced senses allowed him to hear it. It was still enough to let him know exactly where she was. He flipped the bed entirely, exposing the nearly desiccated vampire underneath. "Sweetheart."

Caroline struggled to raise her head, but that was all it took for Klaus to snap out of his horror so he could cradle her in his lap. "Here, drink," he said, offering his wrist.

It took longer than he liked for her fangs to descend into his flesh, but she finally began to pull at his veins. The relief washed over him as he held her close, letting her take all that she needed. "That's it, love," he encouraged.

He felt her lips curl into a smile against his skin. She released his wrist, the color flushing back to her face. "We really need to stop meeting like this," she whispered.

"What can I say?" he smirked. "You're the one who insists on finding yourself in these situations."

Groaning, Caroline sat up fully to take in the room around her. "I get the feeling you enjoy coming to my rescue," she pointed out, "and apparently destroying my furniture." She glared toward the flipped bed.

"Apologies, sweetheart," he replied, completely unapologetic. His hands stroked lightly down her back the whole time. "You know I can be positively murderous toward obstacles in my way to something I want."

Caroline rolled her eyes at the obvious flirt. "Yeah, yeah, you're the big, bad hybrid," she teased, standing up. "Thanks for the rescue, but I've got to get home. The girls must be terrified."

Sighing, Klaus stood as well. "Indeed they are," he answered, leading her out to his vehicle. "Stefan was the one to alert me to the circumstances of your disappearance. I'm curious as to how a mere child managed to transport you safely across state lines."

"They siphon their magic, and Josie pulled enough from me to almost desiccate me," Caroline explained. "It doesn't seem like much, but it really packs a punch when they want it to."

Klaus smiled as he handed her into the SUV. "As much as I enjoy these encounters of ours, perhaps you should get those daughters of yours a real teacher," he suggested. "The next accident might not be so simple to rectify."

"What, is there a baby witch boot camp in New Orleans I don't know about?"

Thinking about Hope and finally bringing his family home, Klaus grew pensive. "Perhaps one day," he answered seriously. "Raising our children to protect themselves certainly seems like a good idea."

Before he could shut her door, though, Caroline reached for his hand. "Seriously, Klaus," she implored. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, love," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. She rolled her eyes again, though there was no heat in the gesture. "Now, I'm sure you'd put up quite the fuss if I didn't take you straight home."

"You would be correct," she answered primly.

Smirking, Klaus flashed into the driver's seat. "But my jet won't be ready to fly another couple of hours," he admitted. "I don't suppose you would mind sharing a meal in the meantime?"

Eyes wide, Caroline nodded. "I'm starving."

"I figured as much," Klaus said with a genuine smile, pulling away from the house.

The Caroline he knew was always hungry for more.