Hello, my lovely readers. There are parts of this chapter that are dark in nature. On with the show…

Chapter 4: Our World is Crumbling Around Us

Five Months and Fifteen Days Ago:

Elijah

One day off. One glorious day off work. Elijah loved his job. He loved everything about his job. Except for Aurora's reappearance. Losing Hayley. The two things together felt like a combustible mixture that Niklaus used to mix in the basement that greatly unsettled Elijah. Of course, his younger brother had grown out of his destructive tendencies—or so Elijah told himself when he was not reliving certain nightmares.

"Elijah, are you in, brother?" Kol's voice startled Elijah and he set his drink down on his study table.

Kol's head popped into his office. His home office. He'd almost forgotten allowing his siblings keys to his home. It had turned out to be one more lamentable choice. "There you are. Didn't you hear me calling?" Kol inquired. He walked over, plopped down in a chair across from Elijah, picked up his bottle of choice and poured himself a drink. "What are we celebrating?"

Shaking his head, Elijah got to his feet. "We are doing nothing, Kol. I need a day," he murmured, going to the door and standing beside it.

Kol turned sideways to look up at Elijah. "A day? From what, pray tell? Me?" His brother's eyes widened and a hurt expression appeared before he set his drink down. "Does this have to do with Rory? Elijah, I was just a kid. I swore to you then and I swear to you now, I did not have sex with her… It was just a bit of –"

Elijah held up a hand. "Spare me the details, Kol. I saw what you two were up to and I know why it is that you did not have sex with my wife. I do not need a long, drawn out explanation. If you wish for me to forgive you, you will give me the space I ask for."

Kol rose from his seat and walked to the door. "As you wish, brother." Walking through the door, Kol began to walk down the hallway when he stopped and turned on his heel. "I do have a bit of information about your little mistress that you might find interesting but since you do not want me around; I will keep it to myself." A smirk appeared on Kol's face and then he turned to go.

"What are you talking about?" Elijah felt a knot form in his stomach. Was Hayley alright? If something happened to her, he would come to her whether she wanted him there or not.

Kol turned on his heel. His eyes glowed with mischief and he looked just like he did at the age of seven when he placed a frog on Bekah's pillow. Their sister screamed so loud that their father came running in his boxers and armed with a baseball bat, looking for an intruder who meant his child harm. Needless to say, Kol was grounded for a month with no TV, phone or game privileges.

"It seems that Hayley has more family than we know of," Kol informed Elijah. Elijah could see just how much pleasure that Kol was deriving from having knowledge that others did not and Elijah wanted to shake it out of him but he wouldn't. Klaus would have but Elijah tried to keep his temper under control.

"What does that mean, Kol, precisely?" Elijah turned around and went back into his office as he spoke, refilling his glass.

Kol picked up his glass, drained it and held it out to Elijah who poured him another drink. "Hayley Marshall has a long-lost, little sister."

"She… Oh," Elijah sat down on the edge of his desk and stared at the wall across from him. After a moment he looked back at Kol. "And how is it that you know this? Did one of your little spies tell you?"

Letting out a mocking laugh; Kol rolled his eyes. "No, brother, I met the wee bit of a girl." A wide smile appeared on his face. "Less of a girl and more of a woman. A feisty, fiery little woman. I sincerely look forward to teaching her."

"Teaching her?" Elijah's brows rose. "You mean she's coming to work at the hospital?"

"Yes. She begins her first, formal rotation in two weeks." Kol's smile widened.

"And you plan on pursuing her, romantically?" Elijah watched Kol closely.

Kol shrugged. "I'm not sure that I plan on having more than a passing dalliance with her but she is quite intriguing. Beautiful. Funny. Sassy. I think either it will be a brief fling or she's the one that I'm meant to marry. Time will tell."

"Kol, please, for the love of God, leave the girl be. Don't you have enough women at the hospital to entertain yourself with as it is?" Elijah snapped, feeling annoyed. If he ever stood a chance of regaining Hayley's trust, he could not have Kol treating her new family member as a toy.

"Yes. There are many delectable ladies that work at NOGH but none that have sparked my interest such as Davina Claire has," Kol shot back, grabbing Elijah's bottle and pouring himself another drink.

"Davina Claire? Why does that name sound familiar?" Elijah waited for Kol's reply.

"She was a patient, lost her adoptive parents died in a car crash. She's a lucky girl and needs to feel as if she made it for a reason. Perhaps I'm the reason." Kol stood up. "It has been a lovely catching up but I am running late for a coffee date."

"With whom?" Elijah called after Kol.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Kol called over his shoulder, waving good-bye.

Inhaling sharply, Elijah got to his feet and moved to sit behind his desk. He could not change how things had ended between him and Hayley or her feelings for him right now, but that did not mean that he would not try to protect her sister even if it meant foiling his brother's plans. He owed Hayley that much.

Five Months and Twelve Days Ago:

Jackson

"Oh, my God!" Jackson cried out as Freya Mikaelson's back arched and she let out a cry. She was on top of him, in the front seat of his car, just outside of her house. His biggest fear would be that one of her many, over-protective brothers, like Klaus, would open the door, haul Jackson out and beat the shit out of him.

This had been Freya's idea so it's not like they would have a right to beat him up but Jackson knew that the Mikaelsons didn't always think in terms of "right" and "wrong." The worst possibility would have been if Mikael had found them. Then Jackson figured he would be out of a job.

Freya grinned down at him, pulling the thin strap of her tank top up over her sweat covered shoulder. "Thanks," she said, dismounting and opening the car door.

"Umm…" Jackson jerked the zipper of his pants up and fixed his belt before climbing out of the car. "Freya!" he called after her.

Turning on her heel, Freya tucked her short curly hair behind her ear. "Yeah," she called back in that husky voice that left him lying in bed at night lonely as hell. Her eyes glittered, a slight smirk making her lips move up. "Did you want to come in?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Jackson said before his brain could process what that word meant. Freya Mikaelson had that effect on him. His body moved towards hers without his putting any intelligent thought into it. Animal instinct took over. Pure, raw desire. And when she looked up at him with those wide eyes, his heart would begin to pound in his chest and the stupidest smile possible would appear on his face.

"Okay," Freya held out a hand and he took it. She led the way to her front door, hips swaying in her tight skirt and he thought that he'd never be able to work with her again and keep his composure.

Freya slipped the key into the lock and pushed the door open. Dropping her keys just inside the entrance way, along with her purse, she turned to him and pulled her tank top off. Jackson groaned and grabbed her, jerking her up his body, letting out a low moan as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. "Where's the bedroom?" he asked her.

"Back that way," Freya inclined her head and Jackson moved very quickly in that direction. She let out a gasp as he dropped her onto the bed and then jerked his own shirt off. Not once did Jackson think of Hayley as Freya undid his pants and pulled him closer. All the feelings that he had been having for his friend seemed like a school kid's crush as Freya moved underneath him and he looked her in the eye.

"Morning," Freya said.

Peering out from under his hair which had fallen over his left eye, Jackson looked up at Freya who smirked down at him. "How did you sleep?" she asked him, leaning down and kissing his back.

"Pretty damned good. Thank you," Jackson said, rolling onto his side and leaning on his elbow.

Freya smirked as she sat down beside him. She was wearing his T-shirt and he could smell the orange and lime mixture from her soap. "You want to get some breakfast with me this morning? Or did you have a shift?" Lying down beside him, she ran her fingers through his hair. "We were so busy trying to get out away from the hospital last night that I forgot to check." Now, her fingers moved down to his chest, hand sliding down, down, down until she made him lose track of the conversation.

"Sex. Shower. Food," Jackson detailed their itinerary for the day, rolling her on top of him.

"Sounds good to me," Freya said, pressing kisses from his lips downward and he wished that she'd shown up in New Orleans earlier.

When they were in the shower, the phone rang and Freya groaned when it kept ringing. "I've got to go get that," she told Jackson as he kissed her shoulder blade.

"Let it ring," he whispered into her ear.

Freya shook her wet locks. "I want to but I have responsibilities to my patients. You'll understand in the next year or two when you're an attendee." Kissing him on the lips, Freya gave him a sweet smile before she slipped out of the shower and out of the bathroom.

Sighing, Jackson smiled as he washed his hair and then climbed out of the shower. He had started something with a great girl. Work was going well. His friends were a little crazy but he loved them all the same. Things were going really well in his life right now and he intended on enjoying the high.

"Keenlin," Freya said quietly as Jackson came out of the bathroom. She sat on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry. Okay. Yeah. I… Okay. Yeah. Umm… I'm with someone right now… I'll call you later. Okay. Bye."

Jackson noticed the hoarseness of Freya's voice and the way that her shoulders quivered. Rounding the bed, he saw the pinkness of her cheeks and the tiny gulp as she swallowed down something he suspected was a sob. "Hey, everything okay?" he asked her.

"Yes," Freya said, her smile too cheerful. Forced.

"Hey. You can tell me anything," Jackson said.

"I have to get to work. Is it okay if I just give you some money for a cab?" Freya asked, getting up and looking for her purse. A tear began to trickle down her cheek.

"Freya," Jackson called after her.

"I really need to find my purse," Freya cried out, another tear running down her cheek. Her hand went to her hair and she shook her head. "Damn," she muttered, leaving the bedroom.

Following her, Jackson walked down the hallway to find Freya, tears running down both her cheeks. She set down beside her purse and held her hands clamped together in front of her face. "Freya?" Jackson sat down beside her and pulled her to him.

"Jackson, I can't talk to you about it. Alright. I'm sorry. I just can't talk about it with you," Freya cried, sobbing against his chest.

Nodding, Jackson wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back and forth. "It's okay. We're still getting to know each other. You can tell me when you're ready. Or not."

Freya pulled back and looked up at him. Pulling his face to hers, she kissed him deeply and Jackson didn't argue when she climbed on top of him, silencing whatever crisis she was dealing with and putting an end to their conversation.

Five Months and Ten Days Ago:

Caroline

Curled up in a ball on her childhood bed; Caroline lay, sleeping. She'd been subscribed a sleep aid as if she was not pre-med and did not know the downsides of these drugs. Nightmares being one she did not relish. Her nights had been filled with dreams of the night that she and Josh had gone out for food and she'd ended up being skewered by a run-away stop sign.

"Caroline?" a faint tapping on her door made Caroline moan and bury her face inside her pillow. "Caroline, honey, your friends are here," her mother called.

All the way from New Orleans, Caroline thought drily. She rolled her eyes and sat up. "Okay," she said quietly.

The door opened and Elena came in with the brothers Salvatore. "Hey, Blondie," Damon called to her with a wide grin.

"Hey," Caroline replied, trying to force herself to show genuine happiness that they were there. Somehow she'd expected that it would be Josh, Bekah, Hales and Jack that greeted her, not her friends from high school and college. That life felt like a—literal—million miles away.

"How are you feeling?" Stefan asked, sitting down on the side of her bed and patting her knee beneath the comforter.

"Okay. I guess," Caroline said, glancing down at her middle. She could feel a scar. She wondered if it would ever heal. She knew she would always feel it. It would be like her shadow. The scar would be part of her. She might not always see it, but she would know it was there, to remind her of the life she'd lost.

Tears slowly filled her eyes and she inhaled sharply. "I…" she began and then she just couldn't. "I'm not okay. I'm not okay. I. Am. Not. Okay!" she cried out, her hands balling into fists and she began to beat her bed, her entire face squeezing up, her lips pulling back from her face as she let out a cry of pain.

Her mother came into the room. "Caroline?" she gasped. "I'm sorry. I think that she probably needs more time."

"I. Am. Not. Okay!" Caroline wailed and when her mother moved to console her, Caroline crawled out of her bed and ran out of the room, past Elena and Damon and into the bathroom. She locked the door and walked over to the bathtub, climbing inside. "I. Am. Not. Okay! I. Am. Not. Okay. I. Am. Not. I. Am. Not. I…I….UhHHHHHH!" Caroline let out a scream.

A loud bang sounded through the bathroom and Caroline's head spun; taking in Stefan who had just kicked the door in. "Caroline," he said, dropping to his knees and cupping her face. "You cannot lock the door like that. You just scared the hell out your mother."

Caroline looked blankly at Stefan. "Caroline?" He gave her a shake. "Caroline? Caroline!" He looked up at her mother. "She's non-responsive. We have to take her in." He looked at Elena.

The world went black as Caroline's eyelids fluttered shut. Then they fluttered open again. She looked at her friends, registering that Stefan was carrying her out of her house. Black. Then they were in the back of Damon's car. Her mother sat beside her while Stefan held her. Black. Entrance of Salvatore Memorial Hospital.

Black. "Caroline?" A nurse Caroline knew back when she first started talking about being a nurse after spraining her ankle during a cheer rally called to her. "Caroline?" She watched Caroline and Caroline watched her but did not feel the urge to reply. She was not sure she ever wanted to speak again.

"She wasn't like this when she first came home. She slept a lot but she wasn't this bad." Liz sat, her head in her hands. "Maybe I should call some of her friends from New Orleans."

"We're her friends," Elena cried, looking hurt.

Caroline wanted to say. "No, mom, that's okay. Let them get on with their own stuff. They have work and their own problems. They don't need me holding them back. They don't need to worry about poor, screwed up Caroline. They didn't even need to know that Caroline was screwed up. No one needed to know. Hell, Caroline didn't need to know how screwed up she felt right now.

Not talking. It actually felt good. It felt safe because words. Words could be dangerous. Like death. That was a big no-no. Babies, also a big no-no. Niklaus Mikaelson, please, never, ever again say that name in my presence. Words. They could only ruin this nice, calm, warm feeling she was beginning to feel. Like floating. Caroline was floating away from all of the words and everything that they made people feel. And feelings.

Feelings no longer needed to mean anything to Caroline anymore. All feelings have done for Caroline was death and pain. More words. Why did we have to think in words? Even images were connected to them. Symbols that helped us make sense of the things that we looked at because, of course, we had to maintain control over everything.

Caroline no longer cared about being in control. Control. Words. Feelings. None of it helped her in the end. It didn't save her and the bab—. Nope. Not going to think it.

Black and the elevators opened. A doctor came over and spoke to her mother. Black and a nurse stood by her side. Black and she stood in the middle of a room. Black and she laid down on the bed and stared at the stark white ceiling. Black and then white. White. Padded. Room. Insane. A word. A bad, bad, bad word when Caroline was a doctor. But she wasn't a doctor anymore. Was she? No. A doctor cared about words and feelings and did not sit in a bathtub screaming until her mother and friends had to take her to a room and throw away the little key.

Tears ran down her cheeks and Caroline rolled over to face the white wall. She closed her eyes and then everything was black again.

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reading.

Guest: Thank you! Yes, Bekah is pissed at Marcel and it might take some time for them to get it together. We will see… We will finally see Mama Marshall in action in Ch. 5.

Peace,

Jessica