"Look around. Vampires rule this city now. We don't have to live in the shadows like rats. The locals know their place. They look the other way. I got rid of the werewolves. I even found a way to shut down the witches. The blood never stops flowing and the party never ends. You wanna pass on through? You wanna stay a while? Great. What's mine is yours, but it is mine. My home, my family, my rules."

Bourbon Street is teeming with people by the time they get out of the garage on Canal Street and start their track up the famous strip. The growing crowd of locals and tourists alike fills the sidewalks and flows over into the street. It's a little early for the bar-hoppers, but there is plenty of entertainment in the form of all types of performers on both sides of the street.

Caroline catches herself staring open mouthed at a half naked guy juggling burning torches before Rebekah grabs her arm and pulls her away.

Rebekah keeps a firm grip on Caroline as she pulls her further down the street. "Unless you brought plenty of spare cash, I suggest you don't look too closely for too long or you'll be broke before we reach the Cat's Meow."

"What?" Caroline hurries to catch up before Rebekah rips out her arm, casting one last longing look over her shoulder. "Is that where Klaus's studio is?"

Rebekah rolls her eyes. "No, but it is one of his favorite watering holes and we have to start somewhere."

Caroline quickly pulls her arm out of Rebekah's grip and stops in the middle of the street. "Then why don't we start at his place?"

Rebekah stops and whirls around. "Take a look around, Caroline." She spreads her arms to indicate their surroundings. "This is the Big Easy, not some boring backwater town in Virginia."

Caroline can't help but look around her at the musicians, artists and acrobats.

Rebekah sighs and drops her arms. "With everything going on around here, do you really think my brother would spend the night tucked away in some dingy studio apartment?"

Caroline bites her lip as she avoids looking Rebekah in the eyes. She can almost see Klaus, leaning casually against the street sign at the corner, telling her that he is standing in one of his favorite places in the world.

"No," Caroline says as her shoulders sag. "He wouldn't." She buries her face in her hands, giving in to the feeling of resignation.

It could take days to find Klaus, even if he doesn't venture out of the French Quarter, and by the time they find him it might be too late. Silas could drop the veil at any moment. Bonnie might be his hostage or his accomplice and neither Caroline nor Rebekah stand a chance against Silas alone. Caroline stops her train of thought right there before it can derail any further.

She wipes the desolation off her face and pulls her hair back then straightens her shoulders and starts walking. "Okay, let's go find your wayward brother. We don't have any time to waste."

The Cat's Meow is a let down. The patrons are mostly in their early twenties to mid-thirties, and from all walks of life but a quick scan of the quickly growing crowd reveals that Klaus isn't among them.

Caroline is ready to leave right away and continue to the next place, but a well-manicured hand around her arm stops her in mid-turn. "You know, you really have to stop doing that." Caroline looks pointedly at Rebekah's hand.

Rebekah ignores the waspish comment and pulls her towards a booth in the back that has a semi-clear view to the stage. "Let's stay a while and have a drink."

"What's going on?" Caroline forcefully pulls her arm out of Rebekah's grip, but follows her to the booth anyway.

She's definitely interested in whatever put the spooked and suspicious look on the female Original's face.

Rebekah shifts close to her as soon as they're seated and keeps her voice so low only a vampire would be able to hear it through the din of music and patrons. "That guy getting on stage? Marcel. Klaus's last real protege, pre-Stefan." She stops talking abruptly.

The crowd quiets down almost immediately as the handsome stranger begins to sing a sultry blues number.

Now that everything has slowed down a bit, Caroline notices for the first time that a good chunk of the crowd is actually made up of vampires. Even more disturbingly, all of them are wearing rather prominent silver rings on their fingers. Caroline gently nudges Rebekah with her elbow, drawing her attention to the daylight rings.

Rebekah nods. "Yeah, I noticed." She shifts out of her seat and gets up, not taking her eyes off the vampire singing on the stage. "You know what? I changed my mind. Let's get out of here."

The singer looks pretty oblivious to their presence. His eyes are closed and he's absorbed in the show he's putting on for the crowd.

Caroline takes her cue from Rebekah, getting up quickly and catching up to the other girl. They make their way through the riveted crowd shoulder to shoulder as the song winds to a close.

They've almost made it to the door when a booming male voice stops them. "Rebekah Mikaelson!"

Rebekah closes her eyes and drops her head.

Caroline tenses up, ready to take her cue from the older girl again, wondering if it'll be fight or flight.

Rebekah sucks in a breath, straightens her shoulders and turns around with a brilliant smile on her face. "Marcel!"

Marcel grabs Rebekah by the hands, unabashedly invading her personal space to press a kiss to her left and then her right cheek. "I knew I recognized that beautiful derriere walking away from me."

He smiles charmingly at her for a moment before turning his attention to Caroline. "And who is your belle amie?"

Caroline introduces herself before Rebekah can do it for her. "I'm Caroline." She holds out her hand to shake his.

Marcel's smile widens as he lets go of one of Rebekah's hands to take Caroline's. "Ah, what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." His lips barely brush over the back of her hand.

Caroline suppresses a cold shiver and her smile freezes as she pulls her hand out of his grip. "Do you always lay it on so thick?"

Rebekah shoots a warning glare at Caroline as she gently takes her hand out of Marcel's and lays it on his arm instead. "You have to forgive her. She's a small town girl on her first big trip. She's not used to the many charms of the Big Easy."

Marcel nods. "So is that what brings you here? Educating the next generation on the charms of my city?" He looks pointedly between the two of them, noting their similarities. "I never thought you were the type."

Rebekah looks offended for a moment before she composes herself. "Not really. I have some business to take care of and just thought that we should enjoy a bit of culture while the opportunity presents itself."

Marcel's smile widens as he raises a brow in curiosity. "And would your 'business' have anything to do with your illustrious brother's recent return?"

Rebekah smiles icily. "Not necessarily. But, I guess, while we're here we might as well pay him a visit. I don't suppose you've seen Klaus?"

Marcel shakes his head slowly. "Not since yesterday. He was kind enough to help out one of my friends who unexpectedly got bitten by a werewolf."

Caroline can't take the cat and mouse game anymore. "And do you know where we can find him?"

"Maybe." Marcel is completely unperturbed by Caroline's acerbic attitude, obviously enjoying her frustration. He cocks his head to the side. "Maybe I'll even tell you, if you let me buy you a drink. What do you say?" His look trails slowly over her body, clearly undressing her in his imagination.

Caroline snaps as the filter between her brain and mouth spontaneously combusts. "Sure, and maybe Klaus will even give you a chance to explain why you didn't tell me where to find him before he rips out your liver for hitting on me."

Something flashes through Marcel's eyes as he unconsciously falls back before he takes a conscious step forward with a predatory grin on his face. "Is that so?"

Rebekah closes her eyes in exasperation, her whole posture perfectly rigid for a moment before she opens her eyes again and looks at Caroline with nothing but distain. "Your delusional obsession with my brother clearly makes you overestimate your importance to him."

Caroline opens her mouth to protest, but she doesn't get the chance to say anything.

Rebekah glares sharply at her, raising her brows to signal a warning as she speaks. "If he actually cared about you, he would have let you know his new whereabouts before he left, don't you think?"

Caroline's spine stiffens as she catches on and realizes her mistake. She just hopes there is still a chance to mitigate the damage that she's already done.

She blinks quickly and pushes her bottom lip out in a convincing pout, pretending to be hurt by Rebekah's comment. "Even if we're not technically exclusive that doesn't mean I have to let just anybody flirt with me."

Caroline summons the most asinine expression from her pre-vampiric arsenal and flicks her hair over her shoulder as she looks down her nose at Marcel. "I'm sorry. You're just not my type."

Marcel's expression is guarded as he looks back and forth between the two girls, but he can't completely hide the fact that he's taken aback by the similarities between them.

"Apology accepted," he finally says gallantly. "After all, there is no accounting for taste." After a beat, he nods to himself and his charming smile returns. "So, if you want to make it up to me, how about you buy me a drink?"

Caroline's smile is as fake as the one she wore for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant years ago. "We really should be..." She jumps slightly at the painful pressure of Rebekah's nails pinching her back. "Sure, why not."

Hours later, Caroline and and Rebekah are finally on their way back to the parking garage on Canal Street. They ended up bar-hopping with Marcel and his gang for the rest of the night until they finally were able to bid their goodbyes on the other end of Bourbon Street near Esplanade Ave. Three pubs, twelve bars and a half-dozen clubs and they hadn't bumped into Klaus anywhere. The only thing they managed to do was to convince Marcel that any feelings between her and Klaus were purely one-sided on Caroline's part.

"This was a complete bust," Caroline says loudly, throwing her hands up. "I don't think Marcel even knows where Klaus is."

Rebekah hums thoughtfully as she slows down her gait. "No, but I think he intends for us to find out for him."

Caroline slows down as well and turns her head to look at Rebekah with one eyebrow raised in question. "You think so?"

Rebekah nods and inhales deeply, subtly jerking her head in the direction they came from. "Ah, the sweet, scented air of New Orleans."

Caroline sucks in a deep breath through her nose and smells something else entirely. The stench of beer and blood coming from the same direction that Rebekah just pointed out. They're being followed by two of Marcel's cronies.

"Yeah, I think I could get used to this," Caroline says casually then mouths silently 'Fight or run?' as they continue to walk along the rows of parked cards.

Rebekah slowly smiles, her face lighting up with relief. 'Fight,' she mouths back.

Caroline nods in understanding and keeps watching Rebekah for her next cue. She doesn't even question why she's willing to follow the original's lead.

"Now," Rebekah says out loud as they step around a large pillar before she blurs into motion.

Caroline bursts into vampiric speed as well and goes after Rebekah, appearing behind one of their stalkers a split second later. She snaps his neck from behind just in time to spare him the sight of Rebekah ripping his buddy's heart out and dropping it to the floor.

"You know what I hate most about being a vampire?" Rebekah says casually as she wipes her hands on the dead vampire's t-shirt.

Caroline looks from the unconscious vampire in her arms to the other one already desiccated on the ground. "Let me guess: clean-up."