Just a small little filler chapter, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4

Niklaus was awake, sitting in the chair by the window, his newborn daughter in his arms, sleeping peacefully. She had small freckles across her nose, just like Caroline, her hair was blonde atop her head, and she had wonderful pale skin. She was a beautiful child and perfectly healthy. Rebekah appeared from the back of the house, her hair was down, her eyes watery. She looked up and spotted him.

"Good Morning." She said gently. Nik stared at her. He had nothing left but his child, he was a broken shell of a man, empty without his wife. She had been his soul, everything he ever needed. He stood slowly, carefully cradling Anna in his arms.

"I am going to my home to help them remove Caroline. Will you watch Anna?" he asked. Rebekah nodded enthusiastically, she stretched her arms out and Nik placed the small child in her arms. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her small forehead before he turned to walk out. He could hear Rebekah as he walked away.

"Hello angel. You are so beautiful, like your mother." She said softly. Nik closed his eyes, the pain all too real as he entered his home. He could smell the blood, lingering. He clenched his fists by his sides as he walked into their bedroom. He froze, she was gone. The bed was empty, all that was left was the large stain of blood across it. No Caroline, she was not here.

"Who has taken my wife?" he asked shaking his head. Did they take her before he came? She was gone, not here, where could he find her, he needed to find her. He stomped out of the bedroom, towards the front door, his hand poised to jerk the door back when he heard a noise. It was very small, a slide of something, but he heard it. He turned and sniffed the air, he smelled something, someone, a scent so familiar he thought he was dreaming. The noise rang out again, through his ears, all around him. He hurried toward the very small room where they kept their tools. He wrapped his hand around the door and slowly eased it open. He was met with the brightest of blue eyes and the loveliest blonde hair.

"Caroline." He whispered. Her name fell out before he could stop himself. It was his wife, she was alive. She was curled in the back of the closet, her lower body covered in dried blood, she looked terrified, her eyes met his with such fear, he was horrified that that fear might be of him.

"Niklaus?" she asked softly. He dropped to his knees in front of her. He was overwhelmed, she was alive.

"Yes." He nodded quickly.

"Am I dead?" she asked as she stole a glance down at the floor. He moved toward her quickly and she shrunk back.

"I am so thirsty. I can smell you." She said softly.

"I know love. Just stay here ok, I will be right back." he said standing quickly. He was not sure if she was like him now, if she was a vampire or not. He needed his mother. She nodded and uncurled slightly as he closed the door. He raced out of the house and back to his home.

"Mother! Mother!" he shouted as soon as he entered the home. She came around the corner, her eyes wide.

"What, has something happened to Anna?" she asked.

"No, it is Caroline. She is alive." He said hurriedly.

"Alive?" his mother asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, she is alive, she is thirsty, is she like us?" he asked. She seemed to pause briefly before she nodded.

"Yes, she is. But she needs blood, like you all did, find her someone. Compel them afterwards. Make them forget. Let her drink, and I will provide her with a stone to walk in the daylight." She said waving him off. He nodded, listening to her every word, as soon as she turned he ran from the house, Rebekah stood outside, water in hand, Nik stopped.

"Where is Anna?" he asked.

"Elijah has her, he went to show her the river, he said he would be back quickly. Is something wrong?" she asked cocking her head to the side.

"Caroline is alive. My blood worked, it saved her, but I need someone to feed her." he said. Rebekah's face lit up with joy.

"I will help." She said sitting down the water.

"No, watch Anna." He said.

"Elijah has her, I am helping you." She said. He frowned, he wanted to refuse his sister, but he did not have time. He waved his hand and they hurried away from the house.

"Her." Rebekah said nodding to a girl a little older than she. Nik looked at her and frowned.

"I've fed off her before, she is easily compelled, you go to Caroline, I will bring her." Rebekah said. Nik nodded and rushed away, he was in his home within seconds. He pulled the door open and Caroline looked up. She came towards him quickly, rushing him with her supernatural speed. He wasn't expecting it and he stumbled slightly but caught her in his arms. They leaned into the sunlight and he knew what would happen. She jerked away from him quickly and retreated back into the closet. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

"What am I?" she asked slowly. Nik leaned forward into the closet and eased himself down next to her.

"You were dying last night. Bleeding to death, there was nothing we could do to stop it. Mother instructed me to give you my blood so I did. Vera confirmed you dead, I was heartbroken." He said shaking his head.

"I remember talking to you after our daughter was born, she is ok right?" she asked softly. Nik nodded happily.

"She is perfect. Vera checked her from head to toe. We call her Anna." He said with a smile. Caroline beamed and carefully laid her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me what I am. I know I'm not normal, I'm not human Nik, I just know I'm not." She said in barely a whisper. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"After Henrik was killed, mother said that she could not bear to lose another child. She had to do something to make sure we would not suffer the same fate. So she made us immortal, but the price we pay is a heavy one. We cannot go into the sun without it burning our skin, we cannot enter the homes of our neighbors without being invited, but the biggest price is the blood. We have to drink it to survive. We have to hunt and feed on blood in order to live. If we don't drink it we die. I am so sorry I did this to you Caroline, but it was the only way. I could not lose you." He said. Caroline had moved away from him, but not too far that he would be fearful she would run, she was looking at him oddly, her moods shifting quickly, from confused, to fear, to sadness, to happiness, to confused again.

"Please, say something." He said.

"I have to drink blood to live? I cannot go into the sun? How do you walk in the sun? I cannot do this Nik. I cannot drink from a human, how will people not know?" she was asking so many questions so fast. The front door opened and Rebekah came through, the young girl on her arm. She was out of it, clearly compelled. Rebekah was all smiles as she spotted Caroline, she loved having another girl amongst all the men, she had been equally devastated when Caroline had passed last night. Rebekah led the girl to the closet, she pressed her shoulders and the girl went to her knees, she moved her hair back away from her neck and she tugged her dress down, exposing her throat. Caroline leaned forward, her mouth opening slightly, her eyes focusing on her throat. She was so close, but then she jerked her head away, turning quickly. She gasped and coughed as if she were in pain.

"Caroline, you must drink or you will die." Nik said taking her hand. She pulled away, not hard, she didn't jerk, she just eased her hand out of his.

"I can't. It's blood Nik, it is a human, she will remember and tell people." Caroline said. Nik turned to her and took her face in his hands, turning her eyes to his.

"Listen to me, if you do not drink you will die. She will not remember, I swear. You are only 20 years old, you will never age a day, you will continue to look like this for hundreds of years, thousands of years. Anna will never lose her mother again, we will be together forever. I love you Caroline, and I swear to you, I would never do anything to harm you." He said as calmly as he could. Caroline looked at him and closed her eyes briefly before she nodded slowly.

"I will do it." she said opening her eyes again. Nik let her go and she turned to the girl. Rebekah carefully pulled a small dagger from her waist, she pressed it against the girl's throat and cut a small line upward. Caroline eased forward, her hand slowly wrapped around the back of the girl's neck and she pulled her forward. Nik watched in awe as his beautiful wife dropped her mouth over the girl's throat and closed her lips over the cut. She pulled back quickly and closed her eyes, her mouth open wide, revealing blood covered fangs. Her tongue ran out and she licked over the blood on her mouth before she dropped back down and sank her fangs into the girl's neck. Nik's eyes ran up and down her body as she leaned over the girl, holding her close, drinking down her blood. He gave her a few more moments but he did not want her to kill the girl, that would bring attention to them.

"Caroline." He said carefully. She paused, her mouth slowing its pulls.

"Caroline that is enough, you are killing her." he said. She pulled back then, as quick as she'd sank her teeth in, they were removed from her neck and she released her. She dropped back against the wall, and covered her mouth.

"I am so sorry." She said shaking her head.

"Rebekah, get her out of here." he said pointing to the girl. Rebekah scooped her up and hurried from the room. Nik could see the pain in her face as he slid close to her. He took her face in his hands once again and lifted her blood stained lips to his. He kissed her gently and slowly, circling his tongue over her lips, tasting the blood on her tongue. When they parted he looked deep into her eyes.

"We will do this together, I will let nothing harm you." He said.

"I trust you." She said leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you." She returned.