"What can I get you?" The blonde girl behind the bar asked Caroline.
She knew that the girl who had walked in wasn't from New Orleans because she hadn't seen her before. As a bartender Camille O'Connell met people every day, familiar ones and unfamiliar ones. She found that being a bartender as well as a psychology-student gave her the ability to "know" people just by looking at them; she could easily sense their personality.
The "new" girl looked upset, she had thrown herself down at the bar-stool and put her elbows on the bar-desk, her hands supported her head and her eyes were glued to the wooden surface of the counter the entire time. When Camille asked her what she wanted she hadn't look up, she just kept on looking down and answered quietly;
"Bourbon please!"
Camille wasn't sure on whether she should try to make conversation with the distressed girl or just leave her alone. Some people were reluctant when it came to talking, but this girl didn't strike her as the "suffer-in-silence" type, so she decided to open up for a little chat – she served the bourbon while asking;
"Are you new here? I'm Camille by the way, but you can call me Cami."
"Yeah, my name is Caroline." The girl answered while pouring the drink down and slammed the glass down on the counter; suggesting that she wanted another one.
"So what brings you to New Orleans?" Cami asked as she served the girl a second round.
"Um, I came to help a friend sort some things out." Caroline sighed; the bourbon went down just as fast as the first one.
"Aha, well when someone comes into a bar alone to get hammered… it usually means that something is bothering them. Sooo, my guess is that your helping-mission isn't going very well?" Cami suggested while leaning down on the bar, giving herself a more relaxed posture.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Caroline replied and brushed some strands of hair behind her ear while letting her eyes drift up to the friendly bartender.
"Well, this probably won't help you, but let's just say that I know what you mean... I'm kinda in the same situation." The bartender said with a kind and caring voice; wanting to help someone was the one thing she could relate to the most.
"So, Cami…what do you do? Besides being a bartender obviously." Caroline asked with a smile, it felt good to have a normal person to talk to.
"Actually, I'm a psychology major." she answered with a smile as she turned around to towel-dry some glasses.
"Oh really? That's interesting, seeing as I know a good handful of people who could use some therapy."
"I figured that much." Camille laughed. She felt connected to the new girl because it seemed that they had much in common. She poured Caroline a new drink and said;
"Here, this one's on the house"…
Klaus felt relief when he saw the plantation house – Hayley's reluctant stomping behind him the entire walk from down town New Orleans to the mansion was beginning to get on his nerves; at one point he had turned around to ask her what the problem was, but he already knew the answer to that – so he just gave her an irritated look letting her know that enough was enough, Hayley though, as stubborn as she was couldn't care less, his look only made her stomp harder.
Klaus pushed the double front-door open and entered the house to find Elijah and Rebekah walking worriedly from side to side, they both stopped at the sight of Klaus and Hayley.
"Thank God… You're back!" Elijah blurted out immediately; words could not describe how happy he was to see Hayley standing there even though she looked somewhat displeased.
Klaus let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, why did they all seem so surprised that he had actually returned with the pregnant wolf in one piece?
"Yes brother… and I assure you the little wolf along with the littlest wolf are unharmed." Klaus answered and walked into the living room; serving himself a glass of bourbon.
"See Elijah, I told you they would be fine." Klaus heard his sister whisper as he poured the bourbon down… he turned around with the empty glass in his hand and answered; "Oh… and here I thought that Elijah was the one who had all of his faith in me."
Elijah looked at his brother and sent him a friendly smile; finally he had proven that there was hope after all even though he had been unsure sometimes. His eyes went from Klaus to Hayley and he couldn't deny the fact that she was beautiful, being pregnant suited her; she was glowing. When he turned to look at Klaus again he noticed an expression in Klaus' face that he hadn't seen for a very long time; admiration…and something else, something he couldn't quite get a read on, it looked like he was on guard, almost acting like a protector, even though he obviously tried to hide it; the expression on his face while gazing upon the brown-haired girl was not to be mistaken, something about her had soften Klaus.
Not wanting to alert Klaus on what he had noticed, Elijah said; "I assure you that hasn't changed Niklaus, but I couldn't help but feel a little cautious considering you were the one who let Hayley leave in the first place."
Hayley grew tired of everyone talking like she wasn't there. God how much she wanted to just swallow every last drop that floated inside the bottle of bourbon standing right next to Klaus, of course she would never do that, but what normal person wouldn't need alcohol to get through this fucked up situation? She threw herself down on the couch and said; "I'm right here you know and I can hear you. Oh, just to be clear about something; I can leave if I want. Just because I'm carrying the big bad hybrid's child doesn't mean you own me. I'm a person not a walking incubator."
Klaus couldn't help but laugh, he had to give it to her; being in a house full of Original Vampires and yet not showing any sign of fear; amazing. He shook his head and joked; "Oops, and here I thought you were. My bad."
Did he just say that? Hayley thought to herself, she grabbed a pillow and sent it flying across the room; aiming for Klaus, of course he foresaw her move and moved with inhuman speed the few inches he needed to to avoid not being hit.
"You're a dick" Hayley spat
"And yet you still slept with me, I see my charms really are irresistible." Klaus replied with a smirk
"Enough! Will you two stop; you are fighting like an old married couple. We don't have time for your bickering, we need to focus on how to keep you safe" Rebekah interrupted while pointing at Hayley, she had had enough drama for one night. Everyone needed to keep their head cold and think about the ramifications of this situation; Hayley was not safe, that was a fact and it was only a matter of time before someone found out, and when they did all hell would break loose.
"He started it." Silently came out of Hayley's mouth as she sat up in a more appropriate position and looked at Rebekah, who was standing right next to Elijah.
Elijah patted his sister softly on her shoulder, he agreed with her; "Rebekah is right, but Hayley needs to get some sleep… you are exhausted." Elijah paused to look at Hayley, then added; "Could you please go to your room and rest so that me and my siblings can debate about what we are going to do from now on?"
The commandments coming from every corner was beyond annoying and if Elijah hadn't been right, because yes, she was exhausted, she would've put on a fight: why wasn't she allowed to discuss her own future? Hayley rose from the couch and walked towards the stairs while saying: "Sure… right away, dad."
As soon as the three originals heard Hayley close the bedroom door they turned to each other.
"What is it you want to talk about now brother?" Klaus questioned, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was another lecture about the wonder-child.
Elijah took a deep breath and told the father-to-be his concerns: "Rebekah ran into Marcel earlier and he said for her to tell you that he needs to speak with you."
"He did what? Need to speak with me? He doesn't need anything until I tell him that he needs something" Klaus growled, that Marcel had clearly mistaken his place in this town.
"Niklaus, calm down. I don't think the best idea is to alert Marcel, and trust me if he sees that you are worked up about something he will be more than curious as to what it is we are doing over here. Our top priority must be to keep Marcel in the dark about Hayley and the baby, if you understand what it is I am trying to tell you?" Elijah asked, it was very important that everyone had their story straight if someone came snooping around, he was not going to lose this chance for a new start.
Klaus' shoulders went up and down a few times to straighten his jacket, one of his hands glided through his hair and the other one grabbed the last glass of bourbon; it was gone in mere seconds, then he started to walk towards the front door, just when he was about to open it and leave he said;
" Oooh, don't you worry brother; my lips are sealed, my hands however are not, If I so much as see that guy lurking around where he's not supposed to, I'll end him"
"Oh, for heaven's sake Nik…would you stop that? There will be no ending of any one, this is going to work out just fine, you'll see….as long as you don't show him that look you have on your face right now, we'll be good. Rebekah yelled; she was so sick of Klaus' constant hunt for trouble; it was like he wanted to find it. Klaus sent them both a grin before whooshing into the night. The siblings remaining looked at each other, they knew what Klaus was up to, and their only hope now was that he did it without drawing too much attention.
The blondes were enjoying each other's company, they had talked and laughed for about two hours when a guy Caroline had never seen before entered the bar. It looked like he was the owner or something, he had this superior look – that put aside he was cute. She was about to ask Camille who he was but Camille beat her to it; "There is that guy Marcel."
"Does he own the place? He's cute; you two got something going on? Looks like he's seeking your attention" Caroline stated
"Nope, just act like he does and it's not just here, but all around town! Yeah... Totally hot but I'm trying to focus on school and work for now " Camille answered, she had to go in the back to get more glasses; she stopped midway in the back-door and added; "By the way, it's not me he's looking at…"
Caroline turned around and right there behind her stood Marcel, he startled her with being so quiet and close; "You scared me." Caroline said softly…
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that you were sitting here all alone and looking very beautiful, so I had to say hi. I'm Marcel." He offered her his hand and she took it…
"Caroline, nice to meet you." She said and her eyes drifted from Marcel to the back-door; desperately hoping that Cami would come back soon, this was very uncomfortable.
"You must be new here? I'm sure I would've recognized that pretty face of yours if I'd seen you before" His words made Caroline turn to look at him, the interest in his eyes made Caroline cautious; whoever this guy was, human, vampire, werewolf, or witch it was imperative that she didn't reveal anything.
"Yep, I'm just visiting some old friends." Caroline answered light and cheery, not sharing too much information.
There was something about this girl that peeked his interest more than normally; it was like she was hiding something. Marcel needed to find out what it was, who was she? What was her agenda in New Orleans? And most importantly, who was these old friends of hers? Marcel Gerrard was vampire-king of New Orleans; he was in charge and ran the town on his own terms, he had many followers and an army of vampires standing behind him. When new faces appeared in town, he needed to know who they were, because nothing or anyone was allowed to threaten his kingdom and ever since The Originals had reappeared, Marcel was extra careful…
"Really? Well I've been around for… let's just say… a while… so maybe I know who your friends are." Marcel said.
"Um, I don't think so, they recently moved here… so…" Caroline replied, why was he so curious?
"Hmm, alright then... Caroline… would you would be willing to make some new friends?" He decided that it was smart not to seem too interested in her personal affairs, so he changed topics hoping she would fall for it.
"Oh, wow… yeah… um... My life is pretty hectic right now, no offense." Caroline confessed, the last thing she wanted was to bring anyone else into all the drama.
"None taken, but hey… when your life gets less hectic, let me know. But since we're already here, why not grab a drink together? My treat" Marcel asked the young girl, what would the harm in that be? Surly it would only be a bonus if she loosened up with a little alcohol in her system.
"Um, sure…I guess we could do that" In reality she didn't want to, but she felt like she didn't have any other choice, the guy was clearly already guarded.
The glasses clinked together and were led to their mouths when the entrance-door flung open;
"I heard you wanted to speak with me." Klaus yelled.
Klaus walked inside the bar with fury burning on his face when he saw that the girl Marcel was sitting next to was Caroline, what the hell was going on here? Did she have a death-wish?
Klaus approached Caroline, pulled her aside and said; "How is that you manage to locate trouble wherever you go?"
This was going to let Marcel know that he and Caroline knew each other, but Klaus didn't care, his anger clouded his better judgment. Caroline became intimidated by Klaus, she'd seen him angry before but not in this way, it was as if he was about to explode - she didn't know what to say… Klaus backed her up in a corner, one of his hands brushed over her chin and he was about to apologize when the silence was broken by Marcel;
"I see, things are beginning to make sense. Let's talk about that later, I have a question for you; I checked out the Palace Royale and noticed you were no longer staying there. Where did you move to?" he asked with an inquisitive face
"It was a little too boring for my taste. I decided to take up residence at the old plantation house. I hope you don't mind." Klaus answered and turned around, he stood in front of Caroline; shielding her.
Marcel laughed, he could see that the girl meant something to Klaus, and that was exactly what he needed, at some point he would need leverage against the hybrid and now he'd found it, he just needed to find out how important she really was;
"Of course not man. Although I have to admit that I am curious… Caroline?"
"She's just an old friend. Nobody important." Klaus lied
"Where did the two of you meet?" Marcel questioned while tilting his head, searching for Caroline's eyes; the question was for her.
Klaus took a few steps closer towards Marcel and said; "We met in a town I was recently living in, Mystic Falls."
"I see, and what is she doing here?"
"That doesn't concern you."
"If she's not anyone special then why are you acting like a dog with a bone?"
"Marcel, Marcel… like I said, this doesn't concern you" His eyes darkened before the final word came out; warning Marcel that this was trespassing.
The last thing Marcel wanted was for this to develop into a physical confrontation in public, so he decided to let it go, there would come a time when he would get to the bottom of it; "Sure it doesn't… I guess it's time for me to leave… see you around." he said sarcastically and left.
As soon as Marcel was out of sight Klaus dragged Caroline out of the bar in vamp-speed, when they reached safe grounds to talk he stopped, his hands went up to his face in frustration…
"Wonderful, why couldn't you just stay at the house? Do you have any idea what you have done? Marcel won't stop at nothing… to find out who you are, who Hayley is… the lengths I have to go to to protect the two of you are exhausting."
Caroline started to boil up inside, she had come to New Orleans to help, to help the people who didn't deserve it, and this was how she was thanked? This wasn't what she signed up for and it wouldn't take her even one calorie to leave…
"Well, I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience for you… I'll leave!" Caroline shouted and whooshed away.
She had only run for a few seconds when Klaus appeared in front of her, blocking her path;
"Caroline… I didn't mean it like that, come now... let's go… don't be angry." His voice was soft and apologizing.
She just looked at him with an empty expression; there was nothing more to say, Klaus' complexity tore her up. They walked back to the plantation house in complete silence, no word was spoken. Darkness filled every room inside, everyone had gone to bed. Caroline found peace in the couch and laid her head to rest on one of the fluffy soft pillows. She could see Klaus standing at the entrance to the living room, leaning against the wall, quietness was still present - he began to move slowly towards the couch and when he reached it he sat down next to her and put one of his hands modestly on her thigh, he started to say something sounding like another apology; she slapped his hand away and said;
"Ugh… don't touch me!"
Why was it so hard for her to understand that this wasn't easy for him? Everyone expected something from him and they just kept on pushing and pushing, indeed he was a powerful creature but he was not capable of giving everyone what they wanted. Wasn't it enough that he at least tried?
Klaus took a deep breath; trying very hard not to unleash his frustration on Caroline, after all it wasn't her fault that he was in this situation, but he had to admit that she being here certainly didn't make it any easier; it was hard for him to be around her. His feelings for her put him in a vulnerable position because all he wanted to do was to rip her clothes off and he knew that she wanted to do the same thing, she was nervous in his presence.
"Last time I checked, you were the one who couldn't keep your hands off me and declared the feelings that you've been shacking up inside that pretty little head of yours." Klaus said and sent the silence between them on its way. It was time to find out the real reason as to why she was in New Orleans; was it only because of the whole baby-thing?
"Yeah, I... I don't really remember. It's probably all in your head." Caroline mumbled.
"Oh really, love? Perhaps I could refresh your memory... Deep in the woods, I promised never to come back to Mystic Falls... oh, and there was a tree. Please let me know if I should be more detailed."
Discretion wasn't exactly one of Klaus' strongest points; it was like he didn't think before speaking sometimes, had he forgotten that vampires had extremely good hearing? Last time she checked there were two other vampires present and one wolf who certainly didn't suffer from any hearing-disorder;
"Will you shut up? I don't want everybody to know about that ok?" Caroline growled quietly as she tried to keep Klaus at least two feet away.
Caroline's reaction only pulled him more in; it was so obvious that she was struggling to resist him. He invaded her personal space and said; "Interesting, because most ladies jump at the chance to brag about it, I hear I am quite charming." Klaus let a silence fall before continuing; "You have to admit, you obviously felt something that day... or should I say day and night- after all, it did last pretty long."
His accent, his scent, the sound of his heart beating, the warmth pulsing from his body…it was just too much; he was too close. The flashback of his hands ripping her clothes off that day in the woods was on replay inside Caroline's head, she couldn't shake them off. The only thing she could do was to try to avoid this from turning into something, was to leave, so she hurried past him; heading for the stairs but she stumbled into the table, making her tumble forward. In mere seconds Klaus had her in his arms; Caroline couldn't help but stare into his piercing blue eyes, they were hypnotizing – impossible to break free of. She tried to resist him once more by adding humor and sarcasm; "Well I see your ego got bigger, if that's even possible." The words were difficult to get out, her voice was breaking.
It felt so good to have her in his arms, he could feel her heart pounding away and right then and there he knew, he just knew that she had surrendered: "Don't try to deny it any longer sweetheart." Klaus whispered hoarsely as he leaned in to kiss her.
Klaus' arms held her captive, there was no escaping him, he was everywhere and his lips, his lips were dangerously close. He removed the last bit of distance that lingered between them and pressed his lips against hers, at first she didn't move a single muscle but her hesitation and doubts quickly transformed into deep passion; she reciprocated...
Hayley woke up feeling sick, Morning sickness? Whoever said that it was only in the morning had seriously mistaken because she was sick all day and all night, it was unbearable. She couldn't lie in bed any longer, so she climbed out of it and tried to walk around in the room - if anything it only made it worse and that's when she remembered reading an article online about ginger being very effective against pregnancy sickness, maybe there was something in the kitchen? She had to go downstairs to check. Hayley opened the bedroom door quietly and tiptoed out of the room, if someone heard her go anywhere they would probably freak out, so she paused for every step she took – making sure that no one woke up.
The living-room was pitch black, she couldn't see anything; what happened to flawless wolfy night-vision? Damn it, probably another infuriating pregnancy side-effect – the first trimester would surely be her downfall. She had to admit defeat and turn on the light…
It hurt more than she thought it would; the sight of Klaus kissing Caroline. Of course she had expected it to happen at some point but secretly she'd hoped it wouldn't because every time she saw the two of them together jealousy swirled like a tidal-wave within her. Could she pin that too on the baby, the jealousy she was feeling…maybe the baby laid claim on its father? "My God, get a grip Hayley… That's the stupidest assumption you've ever made" Hayley thought to herself, but she didn't want to feel what she was feeling…why did it bother her so much? Klaus wasn't supposed to mean anything to her, but the battle she fought inside not to scream proved otherwise...
A sigh of disappointment escaped Klaus' lungs when Caroline broke the kiss; someone had walked in on them…probably Elijah; ruining every blissful moment as always. Klaus turned around to ask his brother if he had lost his manners but the person standing there wasn't Elijah…
"Hayley!" Klaus blurted out while brushing his fingers over his lips as an attempt to wipe the kiss off - why he did it he didn't know, the whole thing was just very embarrassing and in addition to that he could see that Hayley reacted strongly to what she had walked in on, he wondered why…
A/N:
Hey everybody. I am truly sorry for the long wait but me and vampireSusieQ (Who is writing this story with me) have been very busy. She had gone on vacation and I just went back to school so we didn't have time. We are grateful for all the wonderful reviews. If you have anything you want to see in the story then let us know, also if you have any tips for us then please tell us. Thank you for reading and please, please, please review! :)
Spoiler for season 2: For all you Klayley shippers, I just saw the new stills for 2x01 the other day and my feels have exploded. Let me know what you think of the season 2 trailers and pictures. Also if you ever want to talk about the show then PM me and we can fangirl... or if you're a guy that can work too.