New AN: Okay, so I decided while I was writing this chapter that I am tweaking a few things that happened just before my story starts in canon time. A, Sabine/Celeste is not a thing. It's just Sabine, because that side plot is way too far off track for me and I want my story to focus where it should be: on Klaus and Caroline. B, that means that Celeste never messed up the Harvest ritual, but instead of bringing all of the girls back, it only brought Davina back. This is due to the magic of the other three witches flowing into her when she escaped the ritual, then living with it inside of her for so long. Ergo, Davina's magic is still just as powerful as it was before she completed the ritual, but her death balanced it enough that she has much more control over it. C, because I have no idea how to work that in, Kol's staying dead. I'm sad, Davina's sad, we're all sad. But whatever. He'll probably just be resurrected off page or something later on. XD That's all I'm planning on changing for now, but who knows?

The first thing that Caroline noticed walking up to her house was that the front door was wide open. She shared a glance with Liv, immediately knowing that Rebekah was either still inside or had just left.

"Rebekah."

Caroline barely spoke above normal volume, but she knew that with Rebekah's elevated hearing, if she was still inside the house, she would hear. Sure enough, the Original vampire stood in the front doorway only seconds later, eyebrow raised.

"Great. You're up and about. I'll tell my brother that you're fine now, then."

Rebekah used her vampiric speed to run away, but Caroline caught her arm on her way past, stopping her in her tracks.

"Except I'm not."

Scoffing, Rebekah turned her head to look at Caroline, eyes narrowed.

"You act as if I actually care. As long as you're up and walking, that's good enough for me, and I'm guessing it'll be good enough for Nik, too. Now if you'll excuse me."

Rebekah ripped her arm from Caroline's grip, but before she could run again, Caroline blurted out, "You're still gonna be an aunt, Rebekah."

The older vampire froze, slowly turning back to Caroline. Her expression was calm, but there was an intensity in her eyes that Caroline had never seen before. She looked like she was on the border of either ripping Caroline's head off or threatening her for information. Neither of which Caroline wanted to be a part of.

"What?"

"The coven didn't want to save Hayley. They never had any intention of saving Hayley. They only wanted to save your niece."

Despite her obvious efforts to stay impassive, a helpless squeak sounded from Rebekah's throat. She raised her hands to her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes. Caroline had never seen Rebekah this vulnerable, and she wasn't sure that she ever would again.

"She's still alive? How?"

It was at this point that Liv cleared her throat, and both vampires turned to look at her. Rebekah's eyes narrowed in recognition. It would've been more threatening if there weren't tears sliding down her face. Or maybe that made it more so.

"You. You were one of the witches in that coven."

"Yes. My name is Olivia, and the coven tasked me with protecting Klaus's child. The spell that the coven used to save her requires that she be moved into a surrogate, someone close to either the father or mother. My coven chose Caroline, and veiled the pregnancy with a cloaking spell. But the cloaking spell wasn't strong enough to hide the existence of a tribrid, hence Caroline's symptoms. She's even more powerful than we ever could've imagined."

Rebekah's eyes slid to Caroline, who nodded silently. Rebekah let out a long breath, her eyes flitting down to Caroline's stomach.

"You're... carrying my niece?"

"Yeah. I thought you should know before you left for New Orleans again. If it were me, I'd want to know."

Stammering, Rebekah shook her head. Out of nowhere, she enveloped Caroline in a hug. Startled, Caroline froze as Rebekah cried into her shoulder, shaking.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

As if realizing how weird this was for both of them, Rebekah stilled and pulled away from Caroline, wiping her eyes. She cleared her throat and turned back around, walking down the sidewalk.

"Well, if you're coming with, then let's go. I have a tight schedule."

Caroline shook her head, waving her hands in the air.

"Woah, woah, woah. Who said I'm coming with? No offense, but you and your family aren't exactly that fond of me. And from what I've heard from Liv, New Orleans isn't the ideal place to be right now. Not with Hayley's unidentified killer on the loose."

Sighing, Rebekah popped open the trunk of the car parked along the curb, a middle-aged man sitting behind the wheel. She shuffled some things around, then glanced up at Liv.

"Witch, go get Caroline's luggage from her bedroom. It's still all packed from when she was leaving for Whitmore. Double time, please."

Liv scoffed, but started briskly walking up to the house anyway. Caroline just raised her eyebrows.

"Firstly, it doesn't matter whether or not we like you. You're carrying a member of our family, so like it or not, you're coming with. Secondly, I don't give a damn about who killed the baby mama if the baby's still alive, and I'm guessing Nik won't, either. Will Elijah still want to hunt them down to the ends of the earth when he finds out that Nik won't anymore? Probably. But if it does end up turning sour, you can just hide out in our house. Nik and I will protect you, no matter what it takes. I refuse to lose my niece again. Besides, us girls have to stick together, right?"

Making a noise of agreement, Caroline turned to watch as Liv exited the front of the house, Caroline's luggage in hand. Caroline rushed over to help her, whooshing back over to the car to load her belongings in the trunk. She slammed it shut once everything was loaded in, then glanced over at Rebekah.

"We're seriously driving? 14 hours?"

Rebekah slid into the back seat on the driver's side, scoffing.

"Trust me, I'm not to keen to spend 14 hours trapped in here with you, either. You might be my favorite out of your friends-well, besides Matt, that is-but that doesn't mean you're my first choice of people to carpool with. But I guess we'll both just have to suffer."

"I'm your favorite? Like I'll believe that. Do you not recall the Decade Dance?"

Rebekah threw her hands up in the air. Evidently, that rather valid question tested her patience.

"I have control issues. So do you. Of course we'd butt heads. But in this case, we have a mutual interest, and not very much to argue about. Except for you to get in the bloody car."

Caroline reluctantly opened the back passenger door, but Liv grabbed her hand before she could get in.

"I can't come with you, but I'm sure the Mikaelson's will protect you with their lives. Well, most of them, at least. Just please stay safe. The coven will have my head if you don't."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. Of course Liv was only concerned about herself. Smirking, Caroline patted her hand.

"I'll stay perfectly safe, Liv. No worries. Just... Don't tell the others where I've gone, okay? I'll text them every day and call them as often as I can. You don't need to worry about making up a story, that'll be my part."

Liv nodded, then placed her hands on Caroline's stomach.

"Since I'm not going, I should take the cloaking spell down. This might be a bit uncomfortable for a while, but not too painful. Just do try to keep in mind that your body is trying to adjust itself to stretch to four months pregnant in a few hours."

Nodding, Caroline rested her hand on the top of the car, steadying herself. Liv closed her eyes, then started chanting in Latin. After about a minute, she stopped, opening her eyes again. They were wider than before, and her eyebrows were raised in surprise. Caroline frowned.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Liv didn't respond, opting instead to simply stare at Caroline's stomach. The vampire waved her hand in front of Liv's face, which seemed to finally stir her from her shock.

"Twins. It's not one child... it's two."

"What?"

Both Rebekah and Caroline spoke at the same time, and Caroline glanced back to look at the other vampire. Rebekah's mouth was open as far as her jaw would allow, her eyes demanding answers from Liv. Caroline turned back, wanting those same answers for herself.

"I-I don't understand. I thought Hayley was only pregnant with one child. Unless..."

Liv's eyes flitted up to Caroline's, and her previously shocked expression mellowed out again.

"Unless what?"

Caroline was practically hysterical at this point. Now she was carrying a baby that no one thought existed, too?

"Nothing. Nothing important, anyway. I was just thinking that maybe the New Orleans witch who performed the spell to identify Hayley's pregnancy shouldn't have. Maybe she was too inexperienced. Maybe there have always been two babies and they were just wrong."

"But then I should've heard a second heartbeat!"

Liv flinched at Rebekah's snapping, and glanced back at the Original vampire.

"I can't explain it. Magic and the supernatural in general is weird sometimes. Even just the one child was a miracle; the second one is just more proof that the impossible exists."

"So is it another girl?"

Liv nodded, her eyes narrowing as she returned to staring at Caroline's stomach. It made Caroline a little bit uncomfortable, but she wasn't going to ask her to stop. Not after that bombshell she'd just dropped on her.

"Yes, I believe so. I can't be sure, but when I sensed the second presence, that's what it felt like. The two genders have a slightly different... aura, for lack of a better word, and this one seems to be very similar to the other. So most likely a girl."

"When will my body start growing, then?"

"Any moment, probably. You'll feel it."

Sure enough, only a moment after Liv said it, Caroline's stomach ached slightly. Her hand flew to flatten against it, and she could feel her skin almost... rippling underneath the fabric of her dress.

"You shouldn't have any symptoms from the first three months, so don't worry about that. Just relax, take care of yourself, and don't let the Mikaelson's give you too much crap."

Laughing, Caroline squeezed Liv's shoulder lightly and dropped into the car, shutting the door behind her. They pulled away from the curb, and Rebekah immediately turned to Caroline.

"First rule: don't wander off anywhere without being accompanied by me or one of my siblings. Second rule: keep a balanced diet, not just animal blood. Third rule: don't you dare let any harm come to my nieces. Fourth rule: speak up if there is anything at all that you need. I may not be your biggest fan, but right now, I care more about you than I do myself. Understand?"

Frowning slightly, Caroline nodded. Her hand was still on her stomach, and she wasn't sure she would move it for a while. The feeling was weird, but intriguing. As with most of the things about the situation.

"Before Liv told me the truth about my condition, she hinted at me to consume both blood and a regular human diet. That seemed to help, so since I'm assuming there's no human food at the Mikaelson residence, we'll need to go grocery shopping."

Rebekah waved her off, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"I'll text the head of staff and tell her to send someone out. We had some food for Hayley, but I think that Nik already got rid of that. Besides, there's no point in taking time to do something we don't have to. Besides, we should tell my siblings as soon as possible. They still think Hayley's child is dead."

A frown settled on Rebekah's face, and she stopped typing for a moment.

"We really should have heard two heartbeats. Why did we only hear one, if there are two babies?"

She looked over at Caroline, as if she expected the younger vampire to have an answer. Caroline only shrugged, shaking her head.

"I have no idea. I don't know how this works. I think you're forgetting that, since becoming a vampire, I've been around, oh, zero pregnant women?"

Rebekah pressed her lips together, considering that thought as she finished texting the head of staff. Caroline settled into a more comfortable position in the seat, crossing her legs and resting her head against the chilled window. Rebekah slid her phone back into her pocket, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. It only took a few minutes for Caroline's eyes to drift closed, her hand relaxing on her stomach.

It wasn't the road noise, her own inner timer, or Rebekah that woke Caroline after just shy of half of the car ride. No, it was the sensation of a light tap against her stomach. Her eyes shot open, her hand tensing on her now well-swollen midsection. She glanced down at it with awe in her expression, her breathing shallow.

Rebekah glanced over at her, having been staring out of the window. Her brow furrowed at Caroline's body language.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I think... one of them just kicked."

Rebekah's concerned expression quickly turned to one of utter joy, and she reached her hand out without thinking. Then she flinched back, unsure.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the Original vampire's hesitant actions, grabbing her hand herself and placing it on her stomach. It was another few minutes of patient silence before Rebekah gasped quietly, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh my God. I felt it. I didn't think other people were supposed to be able to feel babies kick for a few more weeks."

A disbelieving laugh pushed past Rebekah's lips, and she drew her hand away from Caroline's stomach, staring at her palm in wonder before looking back up at Caroline. The younger blonde raised her eyebrows, humor dancing across her expression. Apparently Rebekah had done her research.

"...Is it weird if I say I don't think I've ever been this happy? And don't you dare tell anyone I said that, or you'll have hell to pay."

Caroline shook her head, her fingers drifting absentmindedly over her stomach.

"No, I get it. I'm not related to them in any way, and yet... there's this mixture of elation and pride."

The girls fell silent again for a moment before Rebekah spoke again, a sly grin on her face.

"You know, this is a perfect reason for Nik to keep you around. Hayley's dead. These girls are going to need a mother, and you're the closest thing they've got. I mean, I'm not going to force you to stay in New Orleans, but... I think we all would appreciate it. Myself, the girls, and Nik especially. You make him... better."

Rebekah sighed, threading her fingers together on her lap. She refused to meet Caroline's eyes, even though Caroline was sure she could feel her staring.

"I thought my brother had lost the last shred of his humanity until he met you. Then he suddenly wouldn't shut up about you. Caroline this and Caroline that, showering you in gifts and adoration I never found myself on the receiving end of. At first, I envied you. My brother never loved me enough to give me any of that. But then I realized that, if you stayed around, Nik could, no, would change. He started to become selfless, and even if that was only for you, it was more than I'd seen in the last thousand years."

Caroline stayed silent, even after Rebekah finished talking. For the longest time, she didn't want to believe that Klaus could change, even for her. She didn't believe he loved her enough. But then she started noticing changes in his behavior. He was still vicious and evil, but when he was around her, when she asked him for a favor, he was... different.

Maybe she really did make him better, like Rebekah thought.

"Regardless, I'm sure Nik will be more than happy to see you. He's been moody ever since Hayley died. Not that I've talked to him in person. Just over the phone. But I can tell when my brother sounds moody."

Caroline laughed through her nose, nodding. Now that she could understand.

Out of nowhere, Caroline's vision went hazy. She snapped her eyes closed, recognizing the dizziness from the last couple of days. Taking deep breaths, Caroline spoke up.

"Rebekah? I think they're hungry again. Human food, I mean. At least I think so."

Caroline opened her eyes, still feeling a little bit woozy. Rebekah nodded once, then tapped the driver on the shoulder.

"Pull over in the next town, Liam. We're going to stop for some food for Caroline."

The driver nodded, then pulled off on the next exit. They drove through a rather small town, stopping downtown in front of a tiny, very obviously family-owned restaurant. Rebekah got out of the car first, Caroline opening the door to step out herself. The second that she did, thought, her head swam, and she swayed in place. Rebekah was at her side in an instant, steadying her.

"Easy, Caroline. Let me help you."

Rebekah placed her hand on Caroline's side farthest from her, then held Caroline's arm closest to her in her hand, guiding her up to the restaurant.

"I'm fine, Rebekah. You don't need to act like I'm going to collapse out of nowhere."

Rebekah gave Caroline a brief glare before opening the door and leading her inside, only letting go of her for a brief second.

"That is actually a serious possibility. Now shut up and let me help you."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline let Rebekah guide her to a booth right next to the door. The Original made sure that Caroline was well situated before sitting down herself and flagging down a waitress. Caroline wasn't sure whether or not she liked the sudden 'mother hen' aspect Rebekah had to her.

"Welcome! My name is Penny, and I'll be your server this evening."

The redhead placed a glass of water in front of each of the girls before handing them each a menu.

"Can I get you anything other than water to start off with?"

Before Caroline could even open her mouth, Rebekah was already responding with, "A glass of milk for her, please." Caroline frowned at Rebekah, who didn't even blink under her stare.

"I want my nieces to be as healthy as possible. So you are drinking it whether you want to or not."

Penny smiled softly at the pair before rushing off to help another table. Caroline opened her menu, tapping her foot on the ground absentmindedly. She was a lot more fidgety now than she was before.

Penny returned with a glass of milk and an expectant look before Caroline had even begun to decide what she wanted. However, Rebekah snatched the menu out of her hand and handed them both back to the waitress with a smirk.

"I'll take a steak, extra rare, with a side garden salad. She'll have spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and a slice of cheesecake. Oh, and one more thing."

Rebekah grabbed Penny's wrist, pulling her in closer. Caroline sighed, resting her arms on the table. Rebekah and her compulsion...

"Tell whoever you need to what our orders are, then go into a secluded place with one of those red opaque glasses, cut your wrist, and fill that glass until you feel weak. Then bring it back to us without a word to anyone else, and forget you ever did it. Go."

Rebekah let go of Penny's wrist, and she stumbled slightly before nodding, a faraway look in her eyes. She walked away, and Caroline took a sip of her milk, frowning heavily at Rebekah.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Please. You're hardly in any shape to be hunting right now, and I want you well fed. This was the best option. Now drink your milk and wait patiently."

Caroline didn't like it, but she supposed there was nothing to fight against anymore. So she just sat silently, drinking her milk and staring at the tabletop. She polished off the entire glass by the time Penny returned with the glass of fresh blood, garden salad, and garlic bread. She set them on the table, then blinked a few times before smiling at them and heading off to another table.

"See? No harm done, and now you'll be in better condition. So drink up."

Rolling her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Caroline took a gulp of the blood, licking her lips before lowering the glass from her mouth. The last thing she needed was someone noticing her weirdly colored beverage.

"We're just over halfway to New Orleans, so we should get there around 8 tomorrow morning. I haven't told any of them I'm bringing you with, so you'll have to figure out what you're telling them, truth or not. Truth would be preferable, though."

"I was planning on telling them the truth, Rebekah. I don't have any reason to hide it, and I don't really think that I could even if I wanted to."

Caroline gestured to her swollen stomach. Rebekah nodded her head in agreement, then started in on her salad. Caroline took a bite of the garlic bread, relishing the crunchy-yet-buttery taste in her mouth.

"How did the others react to Hayley being pregnant?"

Rebekah frowned slightly, swallowing her bite of salad before she spoke.

"Elijah was happy about it, though not quite as much as myself. We both have always wanted to extend our family, and this was a blessing in disguise for us. Nik... well, he was indifferent at first, too. He told the New Orleans witches that told him about the pregnancy to kill Hayley if they wanted. But over the months, I think he'd grown to care for the idea of being a parent. Not that he would show it outwardly, of course. But there were the little things I noticed: the way he would look at Hayley when she told us something new and exciting about her pregnancy, the way he would get lost in thought whenever the child was brought up in conversation, the way his eyes would catch on her stomach every time she walked into the room..."

Rebekah trailed off, her expression clouding over. She took a sip of water, shaking her head.

"The way he reacted when Hayley died. The way that I could feel his rage at the witches who failed to save her, even through the phone. The witches who never really cared to save her, I suppose. I'm not sure about much after that. Nik went back to New Orleans, and I haven't heard from Elijah. I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Caroline didn't say anything, just continued to munch away on her garlic bread until it was gone, alternating with small sips of blood. Penny came and left with their main courses and dessert, then dropped their bill off on her way past. The girls finished eating in silence, and Rebekah set a few 20s on top of the bill before standing up to leave. Caroline didn't argue this time when she helped her out of the restaurant, Penny bidding them farewell on their way out.

Rebekah helped Caroline into the car, got in herself, and they were off for New Orleans once again. Caroline stared out of the window for a few moments before starting up a new conversation.

"Rebekah?"

"Yes?"

"It's maybe a little bit redundant-after all, I don't plan on staying after these twins are born-but if I did stay, do you think I'd be good at it? Being a parent, I mean."

There was a moment of silence before Rebekah responded.

"Yes."

Her answer was more firm than Caroline was expecting, and she turned to look at the older girl, who was already looking over at her.

"I think you'd be great at it. Certainly better than my brother, at the least. Although that isn't saying much."

Rebekah laughed quietly, shaking her head slightly.

"You'll probably have to foot both parent roles, mother and father. Heaven knows Nik will be a fairly shitty father. He'll try, try to be better than Mikael, but he won't get far. It isn't in his blood. And if he manages to be good at it, it'll only be because of you. Keep that in mind."

Nodding, Caroline stared out of the window, watching next town pass by just off of the highway. She knew all too well that the only good things Klaus ever did were for her, no one else.

"...I love Nik more than anyone else in this world, despite all that he has done to hurt me. And I know that he has hurt you, too. But I am begging you, Caroline, please don't hurt him. I am trusting him to you, and I don't want to regret that trust. Don't make me regret it."

Caroline looked back at Rebekah, who was looking at her with steady determination. Hesitating, Caroline played with the hem of her shirt, looking down at her hands.

"I... can't promise that, Rebekah. But I do promise that no matter what happens, I will try my hardest not to make you regret your trust in me. That's all I can give you, though."

Out of the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Rebekah nod slowly, then pull out her phone and direct her attention to that.

"They've returned with the groceries. A fully stocked fridge of both food and blood bags, since I know you prefer those, for whatever asinine reason, and a fully stocked pantry. They had to go out of town for the blood bags so that Marcel wouldn't find out, since he and Nik are still in a bit of a power play over the city. I'll dagger him myself if you end up caught up in that in any way..."

Caroline nodded absentmindedly, drawing invisible shapes across the window with her finger. From the little amount she had heard about Marcel, she figured that him being dethroned from New Orleans would be a good thing, even if that did mean that the throne went to Klaus.

After all, better the devil you know...

AN: Heeeyyyy…. So, remember how I said I would watch The Originals? Yeah, that never happened. I didn't have time. Whoops. I barely had time to just publish this. There are a million school things I should be doing right now, but whatever. I swore I would publish every other Sunday (skipping holidays, which is why I didn't publish last weekend), and I'm sticking to that.

Thanks for reading and favoriting and following! I never thought that I would get this many followers. This is crazy! Heaps of gratitude~

I don't think there's anything else I need to say, so…

Bye~!