Author's Note: Here's another chapter (On time!) Make sure to review and let me know how good or shit-terrible the story is :)


Chapter 4

Kol groaned as his hand shot up in attempt to massage the pain out of his neck, "What the hell happened?" He hadn't realized he said that out loud until a taunting voice spoke from somewhere in the room.

"You successfully ruined Mother's party, because you got beat up by Damon Salvatore. Well done, brother." Nik clapped, mocking him.

Now he remembered. Him and Rebekah had planned to murder that boring human until he gave her five seconds of his attention and she chose to spare him. He should have suspected nothing less from his sister. Which is why he took matters into his own hands by crushing Matt's. He would have succeeded if it wasn't for that bloody Salvatore.

"As if the party was actually interesting. At least you had a little distraction to play with. Caroline was it? When you get bored of her, do you mind if I take her for a spin?" He said, trying to rile up his brother. He was still itching for a fight and if he had to fight his hybrid brother then so be it.

To his surprise, Nik just laughed, "I applaud your efforts, but I am in no mood to fight with you as of right now. But go ahead and sit around. I'm sure the urge will come back shortly."

Why wasn't he surprised that Nik saw right through him? He's lived for a millennium for God's sake, of course he realized his true motive.

Backing off, Kol got up from the couch and walked away, ignoring his brother's laughter behind him.

He went up stairs and went straight for Rebekah's room only to find it empty. She must have left while he was out cold. Hoping she'd be back soon, Kol shot her a text that she'd probably read in the morning if she was where he thought she was.

After choosing to throw around some of Rebekah's stuff from her room, Kol headed back to his to shower. It took him no more than ten minutes until he was on his bed with nothing other than black sweatpants on while he tried to figure out how the television worked.

As he did that, his mind wondered back to the children he met today, Noah and Adriana. Because he was alone, he allowed himself to admit how he truly felt. That he had extreme protective instincts towards Adriana. Not only was it that, but he could see himself caring for her which truth be told kind of scared him. He was Kol Mikaelson. He didn't care for children, and he especially didn't protect them. So why did he care for the small blonde? Was it because she seemed different than most children? He admired her strength and knowledge though he didn't know much about her besides she was a young witch. Still, there was something about her that drew him in.

Did it worry him that he knew if she asked that he would bend to her will? Yes, but what worried him even more was the fact that not only Adriana but Noah as well resembled his brother. It was mostly in the eyes. Although Noah's eyes, from where he was standing, appeared to be a shade lighter than Adriana's. Nonetheless it was eerie looking into the girl's eyes and feel like he was looking back at his brother.

Something was going on. It was impossible for vampires to procreate so why would it be different for hybrids? Even though he's been daggered for the past century or so, Kol has heard about what has been going on around here. With breaking the curse, trying and failing then succeeding to create hybrids, killing Mikael, chasing after Caroline, and trying to defend himself from the Salvatore's multiple plans to kill him, Kol doubt that Klaus had time to have a moment of pleasure with any woman and knock her up. Besides, Noah looked to be about sixteen or so which meant even if Nik did have kids he would have done it that long ago. But it absolutely was not possible. No chance in hell. Right?


"Adriana, stop. We're going back to Caroline's whether you'd like to or not." Noah tried again as he dragged Adriana behind him.

"No! Damon hurt Kol!" She screamed again, trying her best to fight against his grip and stop him from moving any further. Her feet were dragging against the ground as she tried to use the friction to slow down or even stop her brother.

"I know he hurt Kol, Adriana," he replied, not at all affected by her efforts, "but if we go back there, people will see us and they will ask questions that we can't answer."

"Let me go!" She yelled through gritted teeth.

Noah sighed, but kept walking, "Ree, Kol is a vampire and I know you sensed it so don't even try to deny it. He will be fine, but as of right now it is my job to protect you rather it be in this universe or the last. We are not going back there so get over it!"

Adriana growled again except this time she sounded much angrier. When Noah turned around to glare at her, he was taken back by her eyes glowing yellow, "Go to hell, Noah!" she sneered, taking his distraction to her advantage by kicking him hard enough for him to wince and drop to clutch at his leg. With that, Adriana ran the opposite direction towards the mansion. Noah watched as she ran faster than any seven year old, or human for that matter, ever could down the street. In seconds, the bruise on his ankle healed and Noah took off after his sister.

In a way, he knew he couldn't blame her being protective over her family. It was in their blood and their werewolf instinct to protect the ones they love from those who would do them harm. It was why Noah was so hard on Adriana. He would never want her to get hurt and if she went back to the Mikaelson mansion, they would be caught and hell only knows what would happen then.

Adriana screeched as Noah caught her by the arm and swung her around to face him. He held her by both arms as she struggled to free herself, "STOP!"

They were lucky the streets of Mystic Falls were just about empty at this time or Adriana's screaming would have gathered a crowd, "Adriana, listen. Listen to me!" She stopped shouting, but didn't relent with her thrashing about, "I want to help Kol too, I do, but we can't! I want to get revenge on Damon Salvatore for everything he's done, but we can't! Do you hear me? We can't!"

"WHY?!" She paused in her attempts to run away, but resorted back to screaming, "Why can we not go back there and tear out the throat of that bastard?!"

"Because it's dangerous!" He yelled back, but she didn't flinch away.

"Everything we do is dangerous, Noah! You're a freaking hybrid for God's sake!"

"And YOU'RE a tribrid! Do you know how rare that is?! Do you understand what could happen if people knew? Do you?!"

Adriana shoved his arms away, but didn't run, "Yes! And news flash, I don't care!"

Noah could hardly hold back his anger at this point. This wasn't the first time him and his sister had fought and screamed at each other before. However, it never got the chance to escalate because someone always ran in to break it up. Never once had Noah laid a hand on his sister, but that didn't stop her from trying to attack him. Once their dad had to pull Adriana off of him when she tried to bite him. Her venom wasn't lethal to him nor would it do much damage, but it would hurt like hell. If anyone had a temper that rivaled their dad's it was Adriana. And if Noah didn't take responsibility and put an end to this fight, then it would grow back to that point. It was a lot harder when he felt the heat behind his eyes, knowing they were glowing yellow with anger.

Adriana glared at her brother with a look that should've had him six feet under by now.

"Adriana," He growled in a dangerously low voice, "I understand why you want to help Kol...but we are NOT going back!" His sister exhaled furiously threw her nose before, for the third time tonight, she growled.

Once she saw his eyes change back to normal, hers immediately mirrored them but that did nothing to calm her rage.

"UGH!" She roughly pushed at his chest, but he hardly budged, "You don't get it!" She pushed him again, "Don't you remember what Aunt Bonnie told us before we came here? Always and forever, Noah! And by leaving Kol behind, we turned our backs on him. On family!" She hit him furiously, "What does that make of us?! Fools? Traitors?" By the time she finished her rant, Adriana was full on beating his chest in frustration. Her hits hardly affected him despite the power behind each punch.

Noah gaped and his eyes softened as it finally clicked for him.

He knew Adriana would want to go back for Kol or even to tear apart the elder Salvatore, but he didn't expect her to feel like she did. Family was extremely important to them ever since day one. And because they left Kol behind after he was beat up then got his neck snapped, Adriana felt like she was betraying her family. He dragged her away from danger and in return, Adriana fought with everything in her to do right by the ones she loved. He couldn't be angry with her for that.

He sighed, "Ree...we're not traitors for walking away."

"Yes we are, Noah." She cried, her voice cracking at the end. She gave him one last push before her arms returned to her sides.

He grabbed onto her arms once more, "No, Adriana, we're not. Would Uncle Kol do anything to put you in harms way, even in the slightest?"

She hesitated, shifting on her feet, "No."

"Exactly. Would Dad want you to run into a situation that wasn't safe, even if it seemed like the right thing?"

"No."

Noah nodded, glad to see her anger melting away, "Good. I know you're angry that Damon hurt Kol, because I am too. But I won't let you walk into a situation that is fine. Kol will wake up with a sore neck and possibly an axe to grind, but he is okay, Adriana."

Adriana stared at him knowing he was right, but not wanting to accept it.

"Fine," She reluctantly backed down, "But if that Salvatore finds himself in my line of sight, he will find himself with a splitting headache." With a flip of her curls, Adriana walked passed.

Noah scoffed, but a smile graced his lips as he stood up straight to head to Caroline's house as well. Looking around at the empty streets, Noah looked down at Adriana with a look he knew she'd read. Just as he thought, she ran ahead of him at human speed then turned back to him, "Race you there!" In the next second, she was out of sight with Noah hot on her heels.


Kol hurried down the stairs, not wanting to miss much of his tv show that he had found. The commercials were short so he had only a few minutes until he had to be back in his room.

He passed by the few guests that remained from the ball, not at all uncomfortable with the fact that he wasn't even wearing a shirt.

He passed by Elijah who was still in his suit that he wore at the party, not that there was a difference from his usual attire. Kol hoped to just make it to the kitchen without having to speak with him, but a question suddenly occurred to him, "Where's our dear sister?" He asked without stopping in his mission to get to the kitchen.

Elijah soon followed after him, "I believe she went after Matthew Donovan. Niklaus, however, I have no idea where he has disappeared to."

"Nik left?" Elijah nodded, "Hmm. Perhaps he was hoping to find that delicious blonde of his."

"Ms. Forbes has already left. If he has done so, then he would have had to go to her home."

Kol didn't care where Nik went. He was a big boy- or a big bad wolf. He could take care of himself.

As Kol raided their fridge for something to snack on out of pure boredom, it dawned on him. The Forbes' house. Noah and Adriana were staying there. If Nik went there...

In a flash, Kol was standing in his bedroom searching for his phone. When he finally found it underneath his blankets, he saw he had a missed call and a text message, both from Rebekah.

'I saw them at the party tonight just as you were attacked. Talk later.'

"Fuck."


All night, Klaus has thought about what Caroline told him.

"I get it. Your father didn't loved you, so you assume that no one else will either. And that's why you compel people or you sire them or you try to buy them off. But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them."

Her words had upset him, because they were true. She easily saw right through him and that only heightened his attraction to her. She wasn't just a beautiful girl. There was so much more to her that he wanted to know about. But after their little spat, how could he redeem himself? He pondered over it for awhile, thinking of something simple to let her know that he still cared.

Which brought him to the Forbes' home. The Sheriff was on duty and Caroline had just called for a cab when he vamp sped towards her house. No one would be home for a while. Since he had already been invited in, Klaus walked straight through the threshold, partly surprised that the door was left unlocked. He didn't spend much time downstairs and made his way straight to Caroline's room. The first thing he did was set the gift he sketched for her in the center of her bed where she wouldn't miss it. It was a quickly drawn compared to most of his work, but hopefully she'd like it in spite of that.

Knowing Caroline would be furious with him if he lingered in the privacy of her room, he went back downstairs. On his way down, he took careful notice of each picture that hung on the walls. Most were from Caroline's childhood with her parents or with her friends. A small smile graced his lips. She looked so happy. Like nothing bad could ever happen to her.

The front door suddenly opened and Klaus flashed back upstairs, not willing to be caught by an angry blonde. He was about to find a window to jump out of when he realized it wasn't Caroline who had come home.

"You lost again, little sister." A boy laughed.

"That's not fair! You're faster than me!" A girl whined.

"Yes, but I gave you a fair head start. Oh don't pout, Adriana. With age, you'll grow faster. You should be proud that you are already much faster than any human will ever be."

Any human? Determined to get information, he peaked around the corner to find a teenage boy with his back to him and a little girl spinning in circles, purposely trying to get herself dizzy. Klaus was taken back by the girl's resemblance to Caroline. They almost looked like they were related. Perhaps they were distant cousins he didn't know about. He didn't bother looking into Caroline's family tree to find out how many living relatives she had.

Klaus turned his head to see a photo of Caroline with Elena and Bonnie as children and picked it up. He compared Adriana to Caroline only to find very few differences.

"Are you hungry?" The boy asked Adriana, the sister.

"Hungry for food or a rematch? Because I could go for both." She smirked. A familiar smirk that brought out her dimples. The features he knew all too well.

"Is that a challenge?"

"At its finest, brother."

The boy stared at her for a moment before breaking out into laughter, "Alright, alright. Tomorrow then," he promised, "Here, pass me the card Caroline wrote those numbers on and I'll order a pizza, if they even deliver at this hour."

"Fine. Catch." The card went flying through the air without anyone touching it. Just as the card was a foot away from hitting and most likely scratching the boy, he turned around and caught the card between his fingers. His reflexes were almost supernatural.

Klaus got his first look at the boy then. The air was almost knocked out of his lungs as he came to an impossible truth. This boy looked so much like him it was eerie. And very impossible. This had to be some odd coincidence.

And the girl, Adriana, she was a witch yet both children smelt to be wolves.

So many questions and theories came to Klaus' mind as he tried to take in all the new information.

"Nice try, Adriana. You know if this had hurt me I would have healed in seconds."

"Who said that was my intention?" She faked innocence, "Now hurry up with that pizza, Noah. I am starved."

Klaus' interest in the children grew with each second that he watched them. Young witches were powerful

"While I do this, go and find some pajamas. We wouldn't want Caroline to know that we left the house."

With that the girl headed for the stairs, her blonde curls bouncing in the process.

Klaus had many options coursing through his mind as Adriana neared him. Caroline would be home shortly if she didn't stop anywhere, so that didn't leave much room for him to do anything drastic. Regardless of what he now knows or thinks he knows, he still wants to get back in her good graces. But then again, he is Klaus Mikaelson.

As Adriana turned the corner, Klaus stood in her path so she ran right into him. Just as she gasped, Klaus put a hand over her mouth and silencing her.


While waiting for her cab to pick her up, Caroline talked with Elena and Stefan about the most popular topic of the night. Damon.

Apparently Elena had upset him and that's most likely why he lashed out, not that Kol hadn't deserved what he got. He went after Matt and did some damage to his hand. But no matter what Kol did, it wasn't a smart idea to poke an Original's nest. Then again, Damon didn't care much for consequences unless they involved Elena or Stefan getting hurt.

"Do you think he'll hurt anyone else tonight?" Elena directed her question towards Stefan.

He only shrugged, "Well let's hope not. My guess is that he's drowning in alcohol by now."

Caroline did not like this version of Stefan. She missed the caring, selfless Stefan that was always there for his friends. She was just glad that he seemed to be on the brink of becoming himself again. He had his humanity back, but all he focused on was revenge against Klaus. He's gotten his fill by taking and hid his family then trying to drive Elena over Wickery Bridge if he didn't send away his hybrids, but he still wasn't the Stefan they all knew. But he was close. So close.

"Yeah, don't worry, Elena. Stefan's probably right. Maybe he went straight to the closet bar and is nursing a glass of their strongest bourbon." Caroline tried to reassure her friend with a smile.

Elena nodded, but the guilt was still written on her face. Caroline wasn't trying defend Damon by any means. She just didn't want her friend to blame any missing people on herself.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride home, Care? It's really no problem." Elena asked again.

"No, really, I'll be fine. Besides, I already called a cab." With one last hug, Elena left with Stefan.

Caroline turned her attention back to the mansion, only to see the youngest Mikaelson brother walking in her direction adjusting his shirt like he had just thrown it on. She turned around, not thinking he was walking over here for her.

"Caroline!" He called to her. Oh no. I stand corrected. What did he want with her? She already had one Original brother pestering her, did she honestly need another.

"Hi. Kol, right?" She asked, making sure she had his name right.

"Yes, but that's not important," he waved a hand through the air as if to erase the topic away, "Have you seen Nik?"

"Not since the party, no," She remembered their little fight when she threw the bracelet Adriana had admired so much at him. She regretted it the second it hit the the floor, but there was nothing she could do now, "Why?" Her eyes scanned his face, seeing how worked up he was.

"Dammit," He cursed under his breath, "We need to leave. Now."

"We?" She choked out.

Kol used vamp speed to wrap his arm around her waist and flashed away before she could protest.


Klaus pulled Adriana to stand in front of him by the beginning of the stairs, his hand still covering her mouth to keep her silent, not that that was working very well. She was mumbling incoherently despite no one being able to understand her.

The girl was a witch, yet she made no move to use her magic against him to free herself. Odd. He grimaced when he felt her lick his hand in attempt to get him to let her go.

It didn't take long until Noah's attention was on them. He put the phone down, much to the man on the other line's dismay.

"Let her go." He demanded, but didn't come any closer. Smart boy.

Klaus smirked, seeing the small recognition on the boy's face. He knew him. Fantastic.

"I have no intention of harming her, so long as you cooperate." Noah eyed him carefully, before nodding in agreement, "Good lad. Now I'd introduce myself, but judging by the look on your face you already know who I am. So humor me. How do you know who I am?"

Noah swallowed anxiously, "I've heard the stories. You're Klaus Mikaelson, the hybrid. An occurrence like that travels quickly through the supernatural community."

Klaus studied his face. He showed no sign of a lie, nor did his heartbeat skip a beat or race more than it already was from his fear for his sister. There was almost no trace of a lie on his face, but for some reason Klaus didn't believe him. Deciding to let it slide, he continued asking questions.

"Alright. You know who I am, yet I know so little about you. I believe introductions are in order, don't you agree, little Adriana?" He tilted his head a bit to see the girl's face. She only glared at him, "I'll take that as a yes. Noah, would you do the honors by starting us off?"

The boy hesitated, knowing he didn't have much of an option. For his sister's sake at least.

He didn't care who they were in the slightest and he knew that Noah could sense that, but he should be grateful that he was at least giving him a chance to tell him anything that might interest him. Just by overhearing one conversation, he was intrigued and he wanted to know more.

"I'm Noah. Noah Parker. I'm sixteen, almost seventeen and..." he paused, looking at his sister, "and I'm a werewolf."

Klaus' smirk widened at the new information. Judging by his speed and the mention of healing abilities, he had already activated the curse. He was telling the truth, this Klaus knew.

"How about you, Adriana? Would you like to share with the rest of the class?" He released his hand so she could speak and be heard this time. When she didn't say anything, his grip tightened on her arm.

She bit back a wince, but reluctantly began to talk, "Adriana Parker. I'm seven, far past pissed and I'm a Pisces. Anything else?" She snapped with a bitter smile.

Klaus laughed at her attitude while Noah shot his sister a glare. Adriana was lucky she was a child that he was curious about. He has killed people for far less, but her little comment amused him immensely.

"Oh, sweetheart. You should watch your tongue with me. It could get you into trouble," His warning did nothing to calm the fire brewing behind her eyes, "I do know you are a witch, however a person can never be both witch and werewolf. That leads me to believe you two aren't full blooded siblings, are you?"

"No."

"Why do you care?"

They answered at the same time.

"Genuine curiosity," he answered Adriana's question honestly, "You must be mighty powerful if you have access to your magic at such a young age."

"Yep. If I wanted to, I could take off your head without lifting a finger."

Klaus glared at her, her temper was fueling his.

"Careful, witch. I have very little patience-"

"Wow. I'm shocked. The werewolf gene will do that to you. Or maybe that's just personality." She interrupted him, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Someone should teach you some manners."

"Someone should teach you family loyalty." She snapped much to his surprise. How would she know anything about his family?

"Adriana. Be quiet." Her brother warned, but she was having none of it.

"No, brother. I don't care who this guy thinks he is. I know who I am...and that is a fearless tribrid." Suddenly a pain shot through Klaus' arm as Adriana sunk her teeth well into his flesh. He groaned in pain before roughly pulling her away from him by her curls. Before he could recover from that, the bones in his legs snapped and he fell to the ground, releasing her hair in the process.

Adriana ran for the stairs, but at the last second Klaus grabbed her leg causing her to trip. Seeing Noah running towards the scene, he flashed so he was holding Adriana against the wall by her throat so they were at eye level.

"Another step, Noah, and I'll snap her little neck." Instantly Noah froze.

"Don't hurt her!" He yelled, desperately.

"I didn't want to. But she didn't leave me much of a choice. Tell me, sweetheart, have you ever been punished." He growled, dodging her fiery kicks.

"Fuck you!" She screamed, not very affected by the grip he had on her throat.

Whoever this child was, she certainly had a temper that rivaled his own. When she was backed into a corner she fought. She didn't succumb to anyone's will but her own. Perhaps if she hadn't just attacked him, he would have admired that strength. However, right now his only urge was to teach this little girl a lesson she wouldn't soon forget.

Klaus dropped her to the ground, ready to throw her over his lap and show her how irked he was, when suddenly he was pinned to the opposite wall by a small hand around his throat. He smirked at the woman in front of him, "Hello, love."

"Keep your hands off of her, Klaus." Caroline snarled in his face. He held his hands up in surrender, relishing in the feel of her body pressed up against his before they had to get back to the matter at hand.

"Kol!" Adriana yelled in relief, running straight for his brother.


Noah watched in horror as his sister ran towards Kol. At the last fleeting second, he scooped her up.

"Wh- Noah!" She yelled in protest, about to start her kicking to be released. Kol was a semi-good guy in her opinion. He even looked relieved to have caught them in time before Klaus did God knows what in retaliation for attacking him. The look on his face when he saw her running towards him was unmistakable joy. A small grin even graced his lips. But before she could get there, her brother had grabbed and dammit she was pissed.

"Not on my watch, little sister." He warned, his voice sounding a bit threatening even to his own ears. His words were laced with his anger and a promise that he would act on it if he had to. It seemed to work as most of the fight left Adriana and she stilled in his arms.

He was pissed that she had provoked Klaus, though they did catch a glimpse of how he was like in this world. Needless to say, his father was very different than this man. However, that would not excuse Adriana's actions. She was put in a dangerous situation and all she did was increase her danger by fighting with Klaus. Had she lost her mind?!

Trusting she wouldn't dare run away this time, Noah set Adriana to her feet in front of him.

Adriana stared up at the couple still upstairs. Caroline held Klaus by his throat, yet all he did was smirk in amusement like some smug bastard. That man was a psycho. Turning her attention back to the man trapped outside, a thought came to mind.

She might have been from another universe, but in her blood she was still a Forbes. Taking a careful step to her left, Noah's hand landed on her shoulder, silently warning her not to take another step. She didn't need to anyways, because from where she stood, she had a well enough view of Kol.

With every bit of courage she had, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Klaus upstairs who gladly glared back. Revenge was a bitch.

"Kol. Please, do come in."

Much to everyone's surprise but Adriana's, the Original brother stepped through the threshold, effectively entering the house.

Caroline's hand left Klaus' throat as she stumbled forward, "How d-did you- how did you just do that?"

Everyone's attention was on her now, but that did nothing to waver her proud smirk, "Did I forget to mention that I was a Forbes..." Noah gasped behind her, flabbergasted that she'd admit that to the group of vampires in the room. Still she continued, "...and a Mikaelson."

"Oh my god." Caroline gasped breathlessly.

"What did you just do?" Noah whispered, but Adriana was too riled up to focus on anything but the scene she just caused. Her smirk only grew when Klaus' fell. He was truly taken back by this news and she couldn't have been more thrilled about having the upper hand over him.

Yes, this man wore the face of her father, but there was one thing that separated them. Her dad would never lay a hand on her. This man that had held her by her throat and threatened her was a completely different person who's only goal was to piss her off. Two could play at that game.

"You're bluffing." Klaus muttered, "This is just some petty little fib, isn't it? Well crafted, sweetheart. However I do suggest, for you and your brother's sake, that you don't lie to me."

"Believe what you want, Klaus. But unlike you, I am no liar. Except...we did lie about our last names, although I'm sure you can put two and two together." She smiled.

Her amusement only seemed to anger Klaus, but she hardly cared enough to bite down on her tongue now.

When Klaus took an angry step forward, both Caroline and Kol stood in his path. Caroline had a hand on Klaus' chest while Kol stood protectively in front of her. Out of everyone they have seen or met here, Kol and Caroline were the most alike to their real family. That thought alone made her smile genuinely.

"Don't. Klaus, she's only a child." Caroline pleaded.

Noah and Adriana weren't surprised when his posture relaxed at her pleads. In any universe, Klaus Mikaelson always bent to the will of Caroline Forbes. At least that didn't change.

"Very well," he shoved his way past Caroline, storming the rest of his way downstairs. Noah shifted anxiously behind her, but she held her head high. She wouldn't cower in fear just because he wanted her to. Klaus stopped right in front of Kol, glaring at him for a moment before his gaze fell to her, "You will tell me everything, witch."

"If we're talking specifics, I'm also a werewolf and part vampire, but there aren't really any side effects to that-"

"Adriana!" Noah cut her off with a stern yell, "You've said enough."

"I beg to differ. I think we're just getting started," Klaus smirked, giving her a dark look, "Don't think I'm above harming a child. So if I were you, I wouldn't leave anything out." Caroline and Kol eyed Klaus carefully, coming closer just in case he snapped. Instead he clapped his hands together and smiled, "Shall we?"


After making Klaus give his word that he wouldn't harm Adriana or Noah, and sharing a look with Kol that asked him to make sure he wouldn't, Caroline went upstairs to change out of her dress.

Adriana and Noah agreed to explain things after Adriana's little confession, but they said they had to contact the rest of the Mikaelson siblings if they wanted to hear a word.

To hear their story.

Was she actually prepared to hear this? What she was about to hear would most likely change everything for her. How could it be the same when the children she almost ran over were...they were...oh my god.

Caroline put her head into her hands as she tried to compose herself.

Shaking herself out of it, Caroline took her hair down from the intricate hairstyle she had done. As she sat at her mirror, she noticed her phone lying right in front of her. She had planned to call Tyler, but now that urge was gone. He was gone. He'd come home soon, but until then she had to continue on with her life, as crazy as it was about to get.

Looking back into the mirror as the last curl fell free, something on her bed caught her eye. Turning around, she noticed a little box that resembled the one she woke up to a few days ago. She knew who it was from. A little reluctantly, she walked over and picked up the box, "I swear if this is a bracelet..." she mumbled to herself. But when she opened it, she notice a rolled up piece of paper. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Taking one last look around, she unrolled the paper and saw a beautifully sketched drawing staring back at her.

'Thank you for your honesty, Klaus.'

"I hadn't anticipated on seeing you again tonight. Otherwise, I would have given the gift to you properly." A deeply accented voice came from her doorway.

Caroline scoffed, masking how impressed she had been with the sketch.

"I like the pjs. How adorable." He gestured to her shorts that had three little paws at the corner, one much bigger than the others, "Fitting, considering there are currently three wolves in your home at the moment."

Caroline wanted to roll her eyes at the irony, "Yeah, well not all of us have hybrids at our beck and call to bring us silks to sleep in." She snapped, bringing up the hybrid fiasco again.

Klaus chuckled humorlessly, "One thousand years change people, Caroline." He walked around her room, admiring every little knick knack or photo unlike he had the first time he was in here.

"Are you implying that you weren't this charming as a human?" She raised her eyebrows, teasing him.

He smiled, "Oh, I assure you, my charm eternally remains intact." Caroline rolled her eyes, carefully setting aside her drawing. She sat down at the edge of her bed and took a deep breath, closing her eyes, "Are you alright, love?" He asked, surprisingly sounding genuinely concerned.

She laughed, but it came out more of a gasp, "No," she answered honestly, "I mean, I let two children into my home yesterday only to find out that in some twisted way they're actually...mine," she said hesitantly, as if tasting the word first, "I don't know."

Klaus paused in his little inspection of her room before seeming to decide to sit next to her on the bed, leaving enough room between them so she was still comfortable, "We are yet to hear the story. For all we know, Adriana could've been implying that you were sisters." He tried to ease the mood.

Caroline nudged his arm, "That's not funny." She protested, failing to hide her smile.

"Of course not, love." He smiled, fawning innocence.

She looked back into his blue eyes before breaking out into laughter, "Shut up."


It was well into the night by the time everyone was settled into the Forbes' living room. Caroline assured them that her mom was working and shouldn't be back well until morning.

Klaus had called Elijah and Rebekah, but only one of the two siblings answered. Elijah had come as quickly as he could, but Klaus and Kol seemed to agree that Finn wouldn't be joining them. Adriana wanted to wait for Rebekah to get here because she didn't want to tell this story twice, but if she couldn't answer then she couldn't come. Simple as that.

Noah had Adriana sitting close next to him on the sofa with Kol just as close on her right. It was odd to see how much the vampire cared for Adriana when he had hardly met her once in the universe, but sure enough he did care.

Klaus sat in the lounge chair, the only spot in the room where he could sit alone while facing everyone else. Adriana tried to bite back any snappy remarks against him, but some managed to slip before she could stop them. Noah usually looked at her with a look that told her to shut up which she tried to do, but it wasn't so easy when her body was still coursing with anger. Anger at Klaus and his stupid threats, anger at Damon Salvatore for hurting Kol, and anger at the world for having her sent to this messed up place. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be at home where her mom should be so she could scold her dad for giving in to Adriana's every wish. She shouldn't be in some alternate universe where her 'parents' were dancing circles around each other. Where the man who was a mirror image of her dad attacked her for information. She wanted the man who'd hug her when she was scared and tell her stories about him and her mom. Not the man that tried to make her afraid.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Adriana jumped to answer it, but Noah stopped her almost instantly.

Turning around on the couch, she could see the familiar man in a suit standing at the door. He politely greeted Caroline who had opened the door for him before his eyes finally scanned the room. Adriana didn't miss his curious look when he saw her and her brother.

"Niklaus, what is going on here?" He didn't even try to step passed the threshold, knowing he couldn't.

"Ah, Elijah. I'm glad you could make it. By any chance, have you seen our darling little sister? What we need to discuss is a family matter."

"No, I believe she followed Matthew Donovan after the ball. What's going on?" He asked again, eyeing the rooms occupants. Adriana only smiled, masking the rampage behind her eyes.

"Well then, I suppose that we will have to continue without her. That's her loss. Adriana," he addressed her, "be a dear and invite the nice man in, would you."

Adriana stared blankly at Klaus like he had spoken a language she has never heard before. She heard Noah sigh beside her, probably rolling his eyes at her antics, but she didn't care much. He was the one who thought she had 'said enough.'

"Adriana," his smile turned into a much darker one and she knew she was running out of free passes to get away with her behavior, "Invite him in. Now."

"So now I can talk?" She asked innocently, not at all fazed by the glare Klaus was giving her, "Fine then. Elijah Mikaelson, the noble steed, I hereby invite you into this home." She said dramatically, even extending a bow from where she sat on her knees on the couch.

Elijah glanced from Adriana to his brother before stepping through the threshold.

"Ms. Forbes, I was unaware that you had such young guests- relatives at that."

Adriana looked at Elijah, impressed by how quickly he came to the conclusion that they were relatives.

"Neither did I."

"It's complicated," Noah jumped in before some comment could roll off Adriana's tongue, "Which is why we had Klaus call you."

"You might want to stand for this," Adriana advised, "Lord knows how much you enjoy your pacing. Also that little jacket-hip thing you do where you push your jacket back and put your hand on your hip?" She demonstrated the motion as she described it.

"You've noticed that too? Glad I'm not the only bloody one!" Kol laughed making Adriana smile brightly.

"Niklaus..." Elijah started skeptically.

"Trust me, brother, I am just as lost as you are. Which is why I would like to get to the explaining bit of the night." He waved a hand, taking his seat in the armchair he silencing claimed as his.

Adriana bit her lip so she'd stay silent and give Noah a chance to explain things his way first, but she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to resist the urge to blurt out whatever came to her mind.

"Where to start..." Noah chuckled nervously.

From the beginning, she desperately wanted to say.

"How about from the beginning, mate," Kol practically spoke her thoughts.

"Will we be safe?" Everyone looked at Noah as if they didn't grasp at what he meant, "If we tell you what we know, will we be safe?" He elaborated.

Everyone agreed almost instantly, except the obvious one...Klaus. Caroline eyed him, clearly waiting for him to agree, "Klaus?"

His eyes were on Adriana while he spoke, "What do you want me to say, love? The little blonde took a nice bite into my arm."

"Yeah, because you threatened me!"

"Actually, sweetheart, if we're on the topic of threatening then not to be immature or anything but you did start it."

Damn bastard.

"Enough!" Elijah broke them up. Always the mediator, "If we are to have a proper discussion, we need to keep this pointless banter to a minimum."

"Fine," Klaus snapped, "Brother, meet these two darling children. Noah Mikaelson, sixteen and a werewolf," He gestured towards Noah then to her, "And Adriana Mikaelson, seven and a Pisces. Bit of a warning, she can be quite temperamental."

Elijah's widened slightly before returning back to normal so quickly Adriana was wondering if it had actually happened.

"Pisces and a tribrid." She added.

"Right. Let's start with that."

Adriana looked up to Noah, because she wasn't too sure about this part herself. She hadn't really asked about how she was a tribrid when Noah was only a hybrid and most children her age were either one or the other, never both.

Noah took a deep breath, "I could tell you about our genetics, but that'll lead into more questions that need to be answered. So why don't I start with how we are here and where we came from."

"This should be good." Adriana scoffed, masking the pain that began to surface as she remembered the night she was sent here. One of the worst nights of her life. She leaned back into the couch and crossed her arms, preparing to revisit that night,

"It was the night we came to Mystic Falls. Our whole family was gathered around the large table waiting for the Mikaelson dinner to begin. All of us together as one, minus two of the most important people in our lives. Our parents. Klaus and Caroline Mikaelson...

"Where is Nik? He is late, as always." Rebekah whined, picking up her glass of champagne with one hand, greedily drinking every last drop.

Fingers laced with hers, instantly bringing a small smile to her face as she leaned into her lover's shoulders. She toyed with her wedding ring out of habit, "Ah, you know Nik. He loves to make an entrance. I'm sure he will be down here any second."

"I'll hold you to that, Salvatore." Kol walked in, ruffling Adriana's hair and playfully slapping Stefan on the shoulder, "Say, mate. Do you think tonight that you and my sister could make it your car before jumping each others bones? I'm still scarred from last time."

"Kol, behave yourself." Elijah chastised, thanking the servant that brought him a glass of blood mixed with wine, "Niklaus will arrive shortly. Until then, try not to commence any trouble before dessert."

"Oh, Elijah," Katherine purred, linking her arm with his, "You should let him have his fun. If we're lucky, Rebekah will convince Bonnie not to have sex with him for another week again." She snickered.

Kol glared at Katherine and walked over to Adriana's chair to cover her ears, "I bet you won't be saying the same thing when Elijah leaves tomorrow, horn-dog." Katherine glared at Kol, "Shh. Children ears." With that he released Adriana who was looking up at her aunt from across the table.

"Kol...how I love your humor." She smiled even though she wanted to throw him through a window.

"Oh, Kol," Bonnie wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, instantly tearing his attention away from everyone, "You know I love you...and we are so not doing that again." She whispered the last part even though everyone could hear her.

Kol grinned at Rebekah and Katherine, and turned around so he could wrap his arms around his girlfriend, "Mmm..." He hummed, pressing a longing kiss to her lips.

"Ugh. Get a room, you two!" Rebekah groaned.

"Like any of you lot are any better." Noah teased, walking into the room. His grin fell when he didn't spot his sister plotting anything destructive with either of their troublesome uncles, "Where's Adriana?" He asked no one in particular.

Others looked around as well, "She was just sitting in her chair." Katherine frowned at Adriana's now empty seat.

Noah glanced at everyone standing in the room. Uncle Elijah and Aunt Katherine were sitting at the table with Uncle Stefan and Aunt Rebekah. Uncle Kol and Aunt Bonnie were standing off to the side, leaving him wondering where everyone else was. Just then his Uncle Finn entered with arm linked to his Aunt Sage. Only four people who were supposed to be attending were absent.

"What about Dad and Uncle Em-"

"Noah! Noah! Uncle Kol! Somebody!" Adriana's emotional voice screamed from upstairs. Within seconds, Noah was running into his parents' room, the rest of his family right behind him.

"Ree, what is it? What happened?" He dropped to his knees in front of her, eyeing her carefully as she cradled a piece of paper to her chest.

"Adriana," Uncle Kol put a hand on her shoulder and suddenly she snapped out it, "Tell me what happened, my littlest witch."

Tears of anger and betrayal welled up in her eyes and she threw the paper at Noah before throwing her arms around her favorite uncle, "He's gone!" she cried, "Dad left. He promised he wouldn't leave me and he did!"

Noah read the paper in his hands.

'Elijah,

I'm nearly certain you must have suspected this of me and when I failed to show at dinner, you went in search for me. I understand why you have pestered me to stay at home, but I have to find her. Someone took her and I refuse to come home until she is found. I not only owe that to her but to my children as well. Take care of Adriana for me. She will be the most torn with my departure.

I brought along back-up so do not fret. I only ask that you protect everyone. Protect Katherine as I have no doubt that you will. She may be a pain in my ass, but that is my niece or nephew she is carrying.

Until I return,

Klaus'

The note was written for Elijah, but Noah was sure his dad didn't intend for Adriana to find it first or ever, "That's not all..." He trailed off, all eyes on him. He read over one sentence, understanding why so many people were missing from dinner, "He took Aunt Freya and Uncle Emmett with him."