At The Originals

Caroline was hoping it wouldn't take too long to finish her task that night. I t was a full moon and she still had to make it to the clearing for the full moon ritual with Stefan and Damon. She figured she wouldn't make it home until almost dawn, but hoped otherwise. She and Katherine found a two-seat table near the side exit that Caroline refused to walk away from, so they sat there. The music that night was a mixture of genres, so it wasn't too much on Caroline's nerves as she pulled her books out and started reading. Katherine saw what she was doing and told her she had to go talk to someone and that it might be a while before she made her way back. Caroline nodded and Katherine went to find Elijah. Matt stopped by Caroline's table to see how she was doing since he heard about what had happened. He threatened to never serve her again, but she just rolled her eyes. Seeing only minimal reactions to him, he told her goodnight and went back to the bar. Rebekah did as she said she would and went to say hi to Caroline, but she didn't get much of a response, so Rebekah left to find her brother.

"Nik, I need your help."

"Not now sister, I'm not in the mood for any more problems tonight."

"It's not a problem. Caroline won't talk to me. I keep asking her questions but she doesn't give me a vocal answer. She just moves her head and won't look up from her book. I'm trying to get to know her, but she told me earlier to just ignore her."

"Well do as the bloody girl says and ignore her then Rebekah. I'm not in the mood tonight for friendly conversations either, so I don't see why you have to be pushy. Give her time to know you. You can't just become friends with someone overnight."

"She doesn't want to be friends. She wants to be alone. I don't think she should be."

"Leave her be Rebekah. The world doesn't revolve around what you want when you want it."

"I know that Nik, but she looked tense; like she was waiting for something. She kept glancing at her watch."

"Maybe she is just waiting on Katherine to be done here so she can go home. If she wants to be alone, it's a little difficult when she's in a club that's filled with people."

"Where did she go?"

"What?"

"She was right there." Rebekah replied as she pointed to the table where all of Caroline's stuff was still at, but Caroline couldn't be seen. Klaus glanced at his phone to check the time as he saw the side door closing. It was almost the time that Caroline had told him to keep everyone inside. He couldn't see Stefan or Damon anywhere, so he knew what was getting ready to happen. "Why would she leave her stuff inside if she needed it?" he thought, but didn't say anything. They made their way over to the table and looked around.

"Bekah, stay inside and don't let anybody leave. I'm going to take her bag outside with me and have a look around for her. She may have had a problem and took it outside."

"But she hasn't drunk anything except water and nobody has started anything with her. I've watched her almost the entire time she's been here; until I came to find you."

"It could have been something else then. Either way, stay inside and I'll find her."

"What about Tatia? What if she asks me where you are?"

"She better stay far away from me. If you want to know why that is, go ask Elijah."

"Nik, what happened?"

"Go ask Elijah."

"Fine." She replied as she walked off looking for her other brother. Klaus picked up Caroline's bag and exited the side door. Tatia saw him exit with a woman's purse and decided to follow him. When Klaus made it outside, he stood still to listen for any sounds of fighting, before he was rammed into by Tatia.

"What the bloody hell are you doing following me?"

"Where are you going, and why do you have a woman's purse?"

"Stefan's friend came outside and left her stuff. I was trying to find them."

"Why do you care?"

"Why are you following me? We're over Tatia. You slept with my brother behind my back for months. Just leave me alone."

"I love you and I'm not giving up until you take me back. It's only a matter of time until you do anyway."

"No way in hell. Just leave me alone, or better yet go chase down Elijah."

"Elijah didn't even want me to begin with. He isn't going to talk to me now. He's got Katherine hanging all over him now. She disgusts me. I chose you. I want you. Come on, you know you want me back."

"I said no." He replied with gritted teeth as he pushed her off of him. He turned to go towards the back alley. If he was in a fight and didn't want seen, he knew he would have went that way. Tatia kept following him. Oh well, if she saw something, at least he knew that her memory could be erased. Maybe they could even get her to leave him alone. All of a sudden, he heard the noise and saw Stefan's eyes land on him. He motioned for him to join them so he ran. Stefan grabbed him and pulled him into the circle. Tatia came up on the circle, but couldn't enter it. Stefan jumped out long enough to put a barrier around her so she couldn't leave and nothing could get to her before he jumped back in the circle. Then they were all watching Caroline.

They could see her fighting with her physical strength to get the guy where she wanted him. With one final push, she managed to get him inside a barrier of her own. Klaus watched every move she made. She was stretching one hand out in front of her, with her eyes focused on the guy. The other hand, she did a circular motion and let her other hand drop. The guy stood and tried to beat down the barrier, but he couldn't get out. She held both of her hands out in front of her and filled the barrier full of light. She saw the guy drop with the shadow figure looming over him. She pulled the guy out and Stefan came to get him while she focused on the figure. She started speaking a language that Klaus didn't recognize when the figure started screeching. Everyone had to cover their ears, but Caroline. She kept making the light brighter before the figure burst into ashes that fell to the ground. She dropped to her knees and removed the barrier before stretching her hand out and motioning the ashes up towards the sky. She leaned back and focused on sending them upwards beyond sight. She leaned forward to rest her hands on the ground in front of her and sent a silent thank you to the gods before trying to stand up. She managed to stand before she fell again. Klaus could see that her nose was bleeding and her eyes couldn't focus in on anything, but he couldn't find his voice until he heard her muffled scream.

"It's starting again, isn't it?" Klaus asked Stefan.

"Yes, but she'll be okay. This is her normal episodes. Why didn't you listen to us? Why did you come outside?" Stefan replied as Damon went to help Caroline, while Klaus and Stefan hung back.

"I saw that she left her purse and I figured she would need her med kit. I guess I was right." Klaus replied and glanced Caroline's way.

"We had the spare. Do you have any idea what you've just done to yourself?" Stefan asked in a serious tone. Klaus knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it this time.

"You can tell me later. We have another problem. Tatia followed me out here. I need you all to erase this memory from her and maybe get her to leave me alone."

"Why would you want her to leave you alone?"

"Because we broke up. She slept with Elijah and now she won't leave either of us alone. With everything going on, please do this to make it a little easier."

"You'll have to wait until Caroline can do it. I can take the incident away, but I can't influence her that well. I was barely able to get the doctor to let Caroline leave the hospital today. I won't be able to get her to leave BOTH you and Elijah alone. She'll have to do that."

"Go ahead and erase this incident then. When will she be able to do the rest?"

"Give her a few minutes. It's cake for her, so let her rest a minute. Looks like her pain is subsiding if you want to go tell her. She's going to be a little pissed that you didn't listen, so don't make it worse."

"Wouldn't dream of it mate. I saw what she did to that thing. I'm not an idiot."

"Go. I'll deal with the first part." Stefan instructed looking tired. Klaus gave him a nod before heading over to Caroline and Damon. Damon had propped her up against the wall and was sitting next to her. She had her head leaned back with a tissue under her nose. Klaus couldn't help but feel bad for having to disturb her. She looked absolutely drained.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Caroline asked as she opened her eyes and looked at him. Damon could tell this was going to be a long talk, so he got up to join his brother.

"Well love, I saw your bag and though you might need your kit. I didn't know they carried your spare with them. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. What are you still doing out here?"

"Well I hate to ask, but I need a favor. Tatia followed me out here. Stefan is erasing her memory of this, but I need you to get her to leave me and Elijah alone. Neither of us want anything to do with her anymore, so will you do it?"

"If I do that, I'll have to rework parts of her thinking scope. I'll see her memories, or at least parts of them. Do you really want me to do that?"

"What types of memories?"

"Nothing too graphic. I just have to make her think that she doesn't want to be around you guys. But, I may get information that only she knows. Anything specific you want to know while I'm in there?"

"Not particularly. Just get her to leave my family and I alone."

"Fine. Go on over there and I'll be there when I can get up."

"Let me help you."

"No, I'm fine. Just go and I'll be right behind you." She replied quickly before he could reach her. He looked like he wasn't going to listen, but she moved to the side and her eyes started shifting colors. He nodded and moved away from her. Her eyes shifted back to blue and he left her there. Caroline made sure her nose had stopped bleeding before pushing herself off the ground and making her way towards the others. When she was standing in front of the woman, she noticed that she had her own barrier. "Stefan, do you mind telling me why she's in a barrier and was not put in the circle?"

"She couldn't step in."

"That means she is responsible for the loss of a life and she feels no remorse for it. Anything else she has done in this life would have let her pass through it. Tatia, who's life did you take?"

"I didn't kill anybody. Why would I?"

"I don't know why you would, but I will find out."

"Caroline, I couldn't remove the memory of tonight. You'll have to do that too."

"Fine. Damon, anchor me." Caroline instructed as her eyes changed colors to purple. Klaus kept his eyes on her and Stefan was watching Klaus' reactions. Caroline closed her eyes and started searching through the woman's memories. After she got her answer, she opened her eyes back up. "You had an abortion."

"How did you know that? Have you been spying on me?"

"I don't have to spy on anyone. Who was the father?"

"That's none of your business."

"You don't have to answer me; I can find it out myself." Caroline replied as she closed her eyes and searched for the correct memory. When she found it, she opened her eyes again. "I'm going to erase your memory of what you saw out here tonight and then I'm going to make sure you leave that family alone. You've done enough damage and any further involvement will only hurt them more." She said as she closed her eyes again and removed the memory of what occurred outside and implanted another. Then she proceeded to change how she viewed Klaus and his family. She implanted the thought of moving away really soon to get her gone. She knew that if Tatia stayed, things could go bad quickly. When she opened her eyes, she removed the barrier and Tatia moved robotically towards the parking lot.

"What did you do? And did you find the answer?" Klaus asked.

"I did find the answer, but it won't help anyone now. I implanted the thoughts of leaving you and your family alone and moving away. She won't stay in town long and she won't bother you again." She replied as she made a move to leave. Klaus reached out and grabbed her arm, but fell on his knees with images going through his head. She shut her mind off and removed his hand from her arm.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"I had a lot going through my head and skin contact when I'm like that can transfer to another person. I wouldn't suggest doing that again."

"Tell me who it was!"

"Elijah. She conceived when you were gone for 3 weeks on a trip. When she figured it out and found her conception date, she knew it wasn't yours and didn't want to be caught. The rest she did right under your nose. I'm sorry, but with all of the damage she has done, it's best to let it go and move on."

"Thank you for your help. I won't mention anything to Elijah. You look like you're about to pass out. Maybe you should go home."

"I just have to grab Kat. We brought her car."

"She's been with Elijah all night. Maybe Stefan or Damon? They look like they're almost done clearing everything"

"I have to let them know that tonight is postponed until tomorrow. I'm too tired to do the ritual tonight. I just want to go home. I'm going to grab a cab. I'll see you around."

"See you around love." He replied as he walked back towards the door. Caroline went and informed the guys about the ritual and went to grab a cab as Damon went to grab the rest of her stuff from inside for her. Stefan stayed with her until the cab and his brother came.

"Caroline is there something you want to tell me?"

"Like what? I tell you everything."

"What did Klaus see when he grabbed your arm?"

"I don't know Stefan; ask him."

"I just think it's a little weird that every time he touches you, something happens to one of you."

"He's new around me Stefan. You know that happens sometimes."

"Yes, but not like that. There's something else going on."

"Stefan it's nothing. I think it's because of what he saw tonight and us revealing ourselves. It opened up what he could see."

"Yes, I know that, but there's something else isn't there?"

"Nope, now can we stop arguing? My head feels like someone hit me with a hammer and my chest is still hurting."

"We didn't have to give you a shot tonight. That's good news."

"Damon had it ready, but I doubled up my meds before I left the house. It's nothing big."

"Caroline… is Klaus…"

"Stefan don't even ask me that." She replied with a glare. He knew to shut up, but his gut was telling him something was up between the two. Caroline was hoping he would drop it. She had already figured out what the link was. She made it a priority to avoid Klaus at all costs. It would be difficult with all of their connections, but not impossible. She would just have to disappear more frequently.

"Damon's coming. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Stefan."

"Here ya go Blondie. See you tomorrow?"

"Yea, see you tomorrow Damon." She replied as she sat into the cab. Stefan went inside to tell Katherine that Caroline went home, but found Klaus talking to her and Elijah. He walked on over to them.

"Hey Katherine; Caroline wasn't feeling good so she went home. She said you had the keys. Do you need a ride or are you okay to drive?" Stefan asked.

"I haven't drunk anything, so I can drive. Thank you Stefan."

"No problem. Klaus, have you seen Rebekah?"

"Yes, she's upstairs in the office. Did Caroline make it to her cab okay?"

"Yes, she did, but I wouldn't worry about her if I were you. She doesn't like socializing, or dating, so she should be off your radar."

"Come on mate; things just ended with Tatia. I'm not really looking anyway. I was just being your friend by asking about your other friend."

"Sure you were. You know what's she's been through, and she's not too happy with strangers knowing her business, so just leave her alone."

"Now who's being the protective older brother?"

"I'm serious Klaus. Leave her alone."

"He's right; leave her alone." Katherine chimed in.

"I'm not doing anything to her."

"Niklaus, I know you wish to not speak with me, but let me request that you abide their wishes for this girl. Katherine has told me some pieces of this girl's life and I don't think it is wise to add any stress to her life."

"Elijah, I said I wasn't doing or planning anything. And you're right; I do not wish to speak to you right now except to tell you that Tatia will no longer be a problem in our lives. It seems she'll be moving soon, so let's just let the dust settle in her wake."

"As you wish brother. I hope to redeem myself in your eyes one day, but until then I will stay out of your way."

"Elijah, you are my brother. Give me a week or two and I may feel like talking to you again. Until then, just stop telling me what to do."

"Alright guys, let's not start a fight. Katherine, let me or Damon know when you get home and check on Caroline. I'm going to talk to Rebekah. Elijah, Klaus, I wish you both a good night." Stefan interrupted and took his leave.

"I should probably go home and check on Caroline. How did she look when she left?"

"Like she was going to hit the ground any minute. She'll probably be asleep as soon as she hits the bed."

"I doubt it. I told you she hardly sits still. She's probably sleeping in the cab, but when she gets home, she'll be cleaning or something. I better go stop her. The last time she got a hold of the house, she didn't stop for 3 whole days and nothing was where it originally was. Then she didn't passed out for about 4 or 5 hours and went running for a few hours. Like I said earlier, I'm going to have to get in shape to keep up with her."

"Miss Katherine, would you like some help with your friend? I could give you some ideas to help you increase your metabolism to help keep up with her."

"If I don't make any progress over the next few days I'll consider it. And Klaus don't even think about showing up trying to help. I can see the gears turning in your head and I don't like it. She's not a challenge, she's an impossibility."

"Keep talking Katherine and we'll show up every morning at your house and store. You won't tell me what to do. I said I wasn't going to bother her, so don't make me do otherwise."

"Better not. Elijah, I wish you a goodnight. Klaus, bye."

"Brother, I seem to find myself in agreement with Katherine. You look like you are planning something."

"I'm not planning anything, but I am curious about her."

"How did she gain your curiosity in a day's time?"

"Different things, but the main thing was she doesn't break a staring contest. I'm talking about a full glare; she doesn't back down or waver in the slightest. It's like she feels nothing when she looks at a person."

"Perhaps she doesn't. She's a widow with no interest in dating again, very few friends, and health problems. Perhaps she cuts herself off from feeling so she can cope with her losses."

"Every one of her friends says she used to be one of the happiest people they knew; that even after losing her parents she would still smile through everything. I guess losing her husband and unborn child broke her."

"What child?"

"She revealed to Stefan that she was pregnant during the accident she was in with her husband. I don't think she meant to reveal it in front of me, but I think she just snapped. The crash caused her to miscarry and she watched her husband die before she lost consciousness."

"That's a very deep pain for a woman; losing a child. It has only been a couple years since the incident, but my opinion is it will take a while longer before she opens herself back up."

"Not every woman feels pain with losing a child."

"What is that supposed to mean, brother?"

"Don't ask me how I found out, but I was doing some digging and found something out about Tatia. When I was gone on that trip a few months ago, she was messing around with you,"

"Yes, what is this about?"

"She got pregnant Elijah."

"But she isn't pregnant now. Did something happen? Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"Because she had an abortion Elijah. That is what happened. She willingly went down there and got rid of your child. I say we do not speak to her ever again. She will just deny my claims anyway because she doesn't know I know."

"I have no wish to speak to her. She made a decision without consulting either of us about our opinions. It may have been my child, but we were both seeing her. If she was seeing both of us, chances are she was seeing more men and the child could have been someone else's. It no matter now; we cannot change the past. I'm looking forward into the future. Katherine has been trying to help me with letting you know about my misdeeds with Tatia and help me cope with what I've done to our relationship. I have found that I actually enjoy spending time with her. When everything is smoothed over, I hope she may allow me to take her out sometime."

"Good for you. I don't think I'm going out for a while. There really aren't a lot of options around here anyway."

"I think you'll find out differently. The only woman I've really seen you take an interest in other than Tatia is Caroline, but she may be out of your reach for some time."

"Okay, yes, she does spark my interest, but it won't happen Elijah. She has made it perfectly clear to everyone that she wants to be alone; that includes relationships. I just met her anyway."

"Well with all of our connections, maybe it would be best to take things slowly and get to know her a little better before you decide. She seems like she is a good person. Katherine was telling me of some of the times she spent with her growing up, since Katherine is Elena's sister. I can find things she likes to do if you want me to. Katherine tells me all of the time what they do together. She also has been telling me that Miss Forbes will likely be participating in ice-skating, running, going to the gym, and doing some gymnastics in her spare time. For the health problems she has, it seems like she isn't letting them hold her back from what she likes to do."

"From what I've been told Elijah, she was always energetic, so it doesn't surprise me. And she has already asked Rebekah and me to ignore her if we run into each other, so don't look for it to happen. Besides I'm not really up for more follies at the moment, but indulge yourself. I'll be seeing you brother."

"Niklaus don't let this come between us as brothers and don't let it close you off from future possibilities."

"Goodnight brother."

"Goodnight." Elijah replied as Klaus walked away. After the day he had, all he wanted was to go home and sleep, so he left the club.