Author's note: Thank you guys for sending me such great comments! Also, special thanks to KawaiiKitsune13 for the great idea about Caroline being on a first-name basis with the cops at Klaus' precinct (unbeknownst to Klaus). I took your idea and ran with it — I really hope you like what I created!
He'd purposely put the handcuffs on too tight. Dimpled bastard. Caroline had worn handcuffs a few times in her life (sometimes for fun reasons, and maybe once or twice for irritating situations like this), and she realized that Klaus was going out of his way to try to intimidate her with the tight cuffs, angry scowls, and hostile comments about how he'd 'sent for a patrol car to pick her up' and 'she'd be booked at the station.'
It had been a surprise to learn that 'brooding artist' was just a hobby for Klaus and that he was actually a New Orleans police detective. Despite her irritation at this narrow-minded asshat, she couldn't help but admire the powerful lines of his body. And that face. So much barely controlled rage hidden behind such a beautiful face.
Caroline could feel her own temper flare at his smug grin when the blue and white patrol car arrived. He gave a short nod to the officer and said, "Officer Donovan, right on time. This shameless grifter needs to be taken down to the station. I'll be along shortly to give my statement."
She did her best to tuck in her small grin as she saw the way the officer's innocent blue eyes lit up excitedly as he recognized her. "Hi Matty," she said cheerfully.
"Caroline? I didn't realize when I answered the call that it would be you," Officer Donovan said with a sheepish smile. He frowned when he noticed her cuffs. "Those look too tight. Let me get that for you."
He adjusted the cuffs with a few small clicks, and then turned to Klaus with a disproving frown. "Is this really necessary, Detective Mikaelson? I've known Caroline for a while now — surely this is some misunderstanding?"
Klaus looked completely flabbergasted, and Caroline enjoyed watching his jaw tighten as he impatiently rubbed at his temple. "I didn't realize you were involved with the suspect, Officer Donovan. My sincerest apologies for inadvertently creating a conflict of interest for you."
Caroline snorted, "It's not like that, you presumptuous jackass. Matty's sister found me a few years ago and I facilitated a few important conversations."
"Bollocks!" Klaus exploded, glaring at the young man. "Don't tell me you fell for a few tacky ghost stories."
There was an angry flush to Officer Donovan's cheeks as he answered sharply. "My sister, Vicki, OD'd. Caroline helped us say good-bye."
Caroline shook her head, angry at Klaus for mocking things he didn't understand. Underneath Matt's outburst, she could hear his pain, and she quickly interrupted before Klaus could do more harm. "Can we just get this over with, Klaus? Take me to the station and book me or whatever it is you need to do to feel like a big man, ok?"
Matt threw Caroline a sympathetic look as he placed her in the back of the car, pointedly ignoring Klaus, who had climbed into the passenger seat. After that, the ride to the station was filled with so much awkward tension, she couldn't even properly enjoy Klaus' aggravation that the officer he'd called thought so highly of her. Just wait until we get to the station, she thought with a smug grin.
While Klaus hauled her into the station with a swagger in his step, the smirk fell off of his face the instant Anna excitedly waved at Caroline. She nodded her head, recalling with a smile the bittersweet moment she was able to reunite the deceptively tiny but incredibly strong officer with her mother's long-lost spirit.
Klaus had just finished grumbling under his breath when another officer poked his head out of his cubical to frown worriedly at Caroline. "Gorgeous, got yourself in a bind there, eh?"
She smiled, pleased to see another friendly face given the fact that Klaus was pushing her into an interrogation room. "It's fine, Enzo. Just one of my usual misunderstandings with an inconsiderate asshat." She sent a glare in Klaus' direction, whose neck was an angry red at the attention she was receiving among his colleagues. She felt a warmth flow over her as she saw how well Enzo was doing these days. He'd been in a dark, angry place over the loss of his beloved Maggie when Caroline found him. His downward spiral of alcohol abuse and violent bar fights had led him to a suspension from the force that was starting to look permanent before she came along.
Maggie was one of the most persistent ghosts she'd ever come across, and her pleas that she seek out Enzo before he completely destroyed himself over her death were too heartbreaking to ignore. It had been one of the most emotionally draining spiritual encounters she'd ever experienced, but once Enzo had gotten over his skepticism and suspicions about her motives, he was able to connect with Maggie in a beautiful way that allowed her spirit to finally move on and bring him the closure he needed to start putting his life back in order.
Enzo suddenly stood in front of Klaus, blocking his path as he peered around to look at Caroline. His tone was laced with concern as he asked her, "You want me to call over to the Salvatores'? Lily's my best mate and she'll make sure to set you up with the best."
"Bloody hell, get back to work, Officer St. John," Klaus snapped at him, stepping around him as he pulled Caroline along.
Caroline smiled gratefully at Enzo, murmuring, "No thanks, Enzo. I have a feeling this won't take long." She was impressed by Enzo's offer — the Salvatores ran the largest legal firm in the state, and Lily Salvatore was the founder, commanding a powerhouse of lawyers who made even the most well-insulated CEO or politician tremble in fear.
She sat down in a hard metal chair inside the small room, rattling the chain between her wrists in annoyance as she told Klaus, "These handcuffs are starting to chafe, you know."
"But I thought your best mate Matty helped you out with those earlier? Or perhaps Anna or Enzo might lend you a hand," he retorted. "Tell me, sweetheart, is there anyone at this station who hasn't fallen for your pathetic ghost stories?"
Ugh. This again. She rolled her eyes. "Look, just because you're emotionally closed off from the spiritual plane doesn't mean everyone is. We don't all have to believe in the same things to have a fully functioning society."
With an aggravated sigh, Klaus finally unlocked her handcuffs, telling her, "Right, well, sit here while I go determine what you really believe in."
Before he could shut the door on his way out, she called after him, "And you still owe me that painting I picked out!"
Caroline huffed in annoyance, glancing at the one-way mirror where she was sure she was being watched by the ungrateful detective on his way to no doubt run an extensive background check on her.
She inwardly cringed as she wondered what he'd think about that time she was arrested for dancing naked among the jazz statues in Louis Armstrong Park. In her defense, she never backed down from a dare, and also, jazz musician spirits were hard to resist when they begged her to dance to their music.
When Klaus finally returned, his voice was mocking as he commented, "You've quite the colorful past, Caroline. Public nudity, grave robbing, disturbing the peace — in all your brushes with the law, it didn't occur to you what poor judgement it shows to try to con a police officer?"
Caroline groaned, "That charge was total bullshit! The bokor wouldn't leave me alone until I broke into his crypt to find his talisman and give it to his daughter. Voodoo shamans are insistent fuckers — especially after they're dead," she confessed.
Klaus snorted in derision. "Despite the utter nonsense of your so-called profession, you mark an impressive list of influential clients from local celebrities to politicians."
He had no idea, Caroline smirked inwardly. Since word had gotten around about her, she'd advised three different Oscar winners and a foreign prince. She didn't have to prove she was real — it was already known. She could feel Henrik's presence in the room, the inevitable chill a spirit brought was something she'd never fully get used to, but she was angry enough at his stubborn asshat of a brother that she stayed warm.
"Look, I get that you refuse to believe in things you can't see, but I've given you details about your family life that no one else could have known. Surely that makes you want to open your mind to alternative possibilities," she entreated, trying to keep her tone even and matter-of-fact. "Henrik told me how all of you were terrified of your abusive father, Mikael. How you'd hide him in the treehouse you built at the edge of the woods whenever your father's temper would get so bad that you all feared for your lives."
"Bloody useless considering I failed to keep him safe," Klaus muttered, a faraway look in his eye. Shaking himself, he glared at her once more. "This proves nothing. You're a fake, Caroline. Admit that you're only doing this to sabotage Elijah's mayoral campaign. This is just the type of dirty, underhanded tactics the Lockwoods would stoop to!"
Caroline sighed loudly, throwing her blonde head back as she stared hopelessly at the stained tile ceiling. They were getting nowhere. "Henrik wants me to give you a message and I'm not going away until you listen to what your brother has to say, damn it."
"Well, then, what's the bloody message," he asked in exasperation, running his fingers tiredly through his dirty blonde curls.
She bit her lip, looking down at her hands as though they might have the answer. "I'm not exactly sure," she confessed in a small voice. "He's been a little vague on the exact details of the message so far. Just that it's important you listen to him." She shivered suddenly as she felt Henrik's presence a bit more strongly than before. "There's a feeling I get off of him that's more unsettled than many of the spirits I deal with. He's clearly a frightened child with a horrific past, but there's something else. Whatever's going on, it's incredibly dark and the poor kid is still afraid even after all of these years."
Caroline hated how her words seemed to cause Klaus more pain. Clearly the loss of his little brother, despite the passage of time, still weighed heavily on him. She told him softly, "Maybe his message is more about helping you find peace? He knows you feel guilty for being away from home the night he was killed. I'm sure he knows that it wasn't your fault. Mikael was a truly evil soul and if he wasn't already dead, I would be happy to call in a few favors on Henrik's behalf."
He started to say something, but was interrupted when a perfectly coiffed, dark-headed man opened the door. His suit was impeccably tailored, and Caroline immediately felt the need to straighten her posture and stop chewing gum in his no-nonsense presence. "Niklaus," the man said impatiently, "we do not need to encourage such ridiculous drivel. Release this riffraff back to the streets where she belongs."
Frowning, Klaus addressed the man with an impatient wave of his hand. "Elijah, this is my precinct and I will conduct this investigation as I see fit."
Henrik's spirit suddenly flooded her mind, his terror making her heart race as she processed what he was trying to tell her. When she finally was coherent enough to speak, she leveled her icy gaze to Elijah and said, "All this time, I assumed it was Mikael. But it was you, wasn't it, Elijah?"
