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Chapter 10

Sophie sat beside Lucy's body rocking back and forth in grief. The rest of Marcel's vampires ran when they saw Klaus had arrived. Caroline was standing behind Klaus but saw Lucy's body when he moved. She covered her mouth in shock and looked around as she searched for any more victims. Davina and Justine were on the floor holding each other as they cried. Ebony was sitting by Lucy with her head in her hands as Jasmine and Mary stood over them, helpless.

"Elijah, we need to get them to a safer place." Klaus said, taking in the scene.

"I made arrangements this morning. We should go." Elijah hesitated as he approached Sophie on the floor. "I'm sorry, but it's not safe here anymore."

"I can't just leave her." Sophie said with tears as she glanced back at Davina, conflicted by wanting to protect her sister.

"I'll take care of her." Rebekah softly answered.

Sophie looked at Rebekah with tears streaming. "Her family lives outside the city. I'll call to let them know."

Jasmine, looking down at Lucy with regret, grabbed Ebony's arm to pull her to her feet while Mary rushed to the teens who were still in shock. Sophie pushed everyone to the door and they followed Elijah as they looked back at Lucy. Elijah turned to Klaus before leaving. "I'll call you when we reach the new place. Marcel will be following, so we should split up. You come with Caroline while I take them. Rebekah, call when you finish here." Klaus nodded.

Caroline was standing by the window looking at Lucy when Klaus touched her arm to get her attention. "Grab what you need so we can go." Caroline walked quickly out of the living room to escape the tragedy and ran upstairs. She looked around in a daze to realize she didn't have much but the clothes Rebekah had bought. She grabbed the bag and rushed back downstairs to see Rebekah on the phone and Klaus was throwing vampire body parts in the backyard before setting a match to them. She gave one last look back at Lucy as Klaus pulled her out of the house. They walked a couple of blocks before coming to a car that Klaus had parked. They got in and rode in silence. Caroline hadn't seen how Lucy was killed but she had seen what Klaus had done to Kate and she could figure out the rest. She turned to Klaus and could see that he was livid as he drove out of the city.

"Kate was working for Marcel?" Caroline asked. "Why would she kill Lucy?

"She was aiming for Ebony and Lucy stepped in the way. Marcel wanted to get rid of the most powerful one, which was Ebony." Klaus said without looking away from the road. "The vampires were there as a distraction."

"We shouldn't have left this morning." Caroline said, still in a daze.

"They would have come regardless if we were there." Klaus was so angry, he could barely speak. "I want you to go back to Mystic Falls today. I don't want you in the middle of this anymore."

Caroline turned with surprise. "I can't, not until Bonnie says it's okay." As soon as the words came out, Caroline closed her eyes. "I won't hear from Bonnie anymore." Her eyes filled with tears as she realized her connection to Bonnie was gone. Klaus hesitated and then laid a hand over her hand for a minute.

"Where are we going?" Caroline turned to look out the window.

"I have a place outside of the city we can stay until I hear from Elijah."

"And then what?" Caroline asked, not really sure she wanted to hear.

"I'm getting my home back. Elijah will stand with me and I might have to beg for Rebekah's help-"

"What about Sophie and the others?"

"I don't know which ones I can trust, maybe the Deveraux witch." Klaus was sure of the Deveraux witch. Marcel had done great damage to her family and revenge was a strong motivator.

Caroline was silent, thinking about the witches. "Marcel just tried to kill Ebony, it's pretty safe to say she would help. Mary and Sophie are pretty close but I'm not sure about Jasmine, she's hard to judge."

"I need to find a place to keep you safe while I take care of this." Klaus was thinking ahead of what needed to be done.

Caroline was already shaking her head, she knew that was coming. "I'm staying with you."

Klaus eyes tightened at the thought. "You won't be safe with me."

"I trust you to protect me, Klaus." Their eyes met and held before Klaus looked away.

Caroline was silent, thinking she wanted to help in some way. If not for Klaus, then for Davina. Caroline knew what it was like to be used and she wasn't going to let that happen to Davina anymore.

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After driving in circles for an hour, Elijah Mikealson headed out of the city. They arrived an hour later at a house surrounded by swamps. Elijah had the house stocked with all the necessities, planning ahead in the event something would happen. Jasmine put a boundary spell around the house to protect them from any unwelcome visitors as they settled in. Davina and Justine sat on the couch together, quiet while looking emotionally drained. Sophie told Elijah where they were keeping Haley so he could go check on her as she called Lucy's parents.

Sophie stepped outside on the porch afterwards, wiping fresh tears away. The task of telling Lucy's parents that their daughter was gone was one of the hardest things she had ever done. There was only one thought that kept running through her mind now that she had time on her hands. It was her fault that Lucy had been killed. She had suspected someone in her coven was working for Marcel but she hadn't known which one. As each rescue attempt to free Davina had failed, she knew Marcel was getting information from someone close to her. Jane Anne had met Kate in college and brought her into their fold. Sophie had felt obligated to give Kate the benefit of the doubt and Lucy had paid the price.

Mary walked out to join her and wrapped her arms around Sophie. "You can't blame yourself, Sophie. Lucy wouldn't want that, actually she'd be pissed off about it."

Sophie shook her head. "I should have-"

"What? What would you have done differently? Jane Anne trusted Kate, we all did. There's no use second guessing yourself, it won't change anything. The only thing we can do is learn from it. We got Davina back, Sophie."

"At what cost?" Sophie asked, wiping her face.

"You would have paid any price to get her back."

Sophie nodded, agreeing. "Except Lucy was the one who did." Mary was silent, not having a counter to Sophie's words. "I need to start working with Davina. She has to learn how to protect herself. How's Ebony?"

"She's blaming herself, like you are." Mary said as she looked over her shoulder to see Ebony walking away from the house, wanting to be alone.

"I need you to promise me something. If something happens to me, you'll take care of Davina."

"Of course. As long as you promise the same with Justine. Family first, remember?"

"Family first."

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Caroline hung up the phone after talking with Elena so she could get an update from home. Stefan was still missing but Elena felt they were getting close to finding him. Silas was still playing evil Stefan, but everyone was pretending to be clueless. It was still frustrating that she couldn't be there to help. She also told Elena about Lucy so Jeremy could pass the message to Bonnie. Caroline grabbed a blood bag from the refrigerator as she thought of the rest of the conversation. Caroline had asked about Tyler but he hadn't called. She sighed as she finished the blood bag, thinking it would be nice if her boyfriend would call and check on her. Technically, he wasn't her boyfriend, she wasn't quite sure what they were. They had mostly ended things before he left but it was pretty hard to move on without closure. She shook her head to clear it, thinking that was another problem for another day.

The place, an hour and an half outside of New Orleans had been built right on top of a lake. It was a two story home that was raised another level to avoid flooding. Klaus was standing in the yard staring out into the water with his arms crossed behind his back. His mood hadn't improved since they left the city. His head turned as she approached, sensing her presence as she walked to stand beside him.

"It's pretty here." The sun was reflecting off the lake, which had a small current. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.

"I just heard from Elijah and they're safe." Klaus turned to face her. "I thought you said the wolf-boy was home?"

Damn his vampire hearing. "I never said he was home, I said he was fine. I haven't heard from him." Caroline said the last words while avoiding his gaze.

"Then he's a fool"

"That subject is off-limits, kind of like how you don't want to talk about Haley."

Klaus stared at Caroline, contemplating. "I was with Haley out of anger. I was drunk and pissed off and I didn't think I would ever have a chance with you. Believe me when I say, if I could take that night back, I would."

"So, Haley's pregnant?" Caroline was still having a hard time coming to grips with that.

Klaus was now avoiding her gaze. "Unfortunately."

"But is it? Granted, Haley isn't my favorite person but you're going to experience something that no vampire will ever get a chance to. You've always wanted a family, right?"

Klaus scoffed. "That's not the kind of family I was talking about. You're starting to sound like Elijah."

Caroline snickered as an image suddenly came to her.

"I'm glad you're amused by my misery." Klaus scowled as he threw her words back to her.

"I was just imaging you pushing a stroller down Bourbon Street." Caroline couldn't keep the smile off as Klaus scowl grew deeper. Caroline sobered as pressing matters took center stage. With Lucy gone, she didn't know how to communicate with Bonnie unless Sophie knew a way.

"I want you to stay here while I finish this." Klaus was determined to make her see reason. The thought of Marcel getting his hands on Caroline sent shivers down his spine. He had never had to worry about someone so much as he did with Caroline. She could be hurt, unlike him and his siblings.

"Sophie and the others will be there. I'll stay close to them." Caroline was equally determined to go back with him.

"I would never put your life in their hands. I don't trust all of them. If I'm going to focus on taking down Marcel, I need to know you're safe."

"I can protect myself." As she finished talking, Klaus flashed behind her to wrap his arm around her neck.

"Really?" Klaus asked softly in her ear. He slowly pulled his arm back after making his point. Caroline turned to face him with a scowl of her own.

"I wasn't ready."

"Always be ready. Never let your defenses down with anyone. You're not strong enough to go for the heart, so don't bother." Klaus accepted that she would go back with him, but he was going to find a way to keep her safe. "Most women are at a disadvantage because of a man's strength unless she's an older vampire but a man has weak areas, too."

"I can guess one." Caroline smiled.

Klaus grew angry as she made light of the situation. "This isn't a joke, Caroline. It's about your survival." Klaus shook off the dark memories of Mikael as he focused on the present. "The weak places are the eyes, the throat, and between the legs. Be aware of your surroundings as anything can be used as a weapon."

"Like graduation caps?" Caroline kept the amusement out of voice this time as she took in his point.

He nodded as he stood in front of her. Klaus flashed to her, but Caroline was ready this time as she moved to the side to avoid him. He came at her again only to catch her as she moved. Caroline gritted her teeth in frustration, wishing she had trained more when she was turned. She waited for him to catch her again but she twisted her body to flip him using all her strength. She was stunned momentarily. "I did it." As she gloried in her success, Klaus flashed from his knees to crash into her, taking her to the ground. He laid on top of her with his hand around her throat. "Never let down your defenses." Caroline nodded, swallowing as she became aware of his body weight. He stared, absorbing her beauty and scent and forgot what he was doing for a moment. Caroline edged back on her elbows as Klaus crouched like a tiger after his prey.

They stared at each other for another minute before Caroline got to her feet, breaking the connection. Klaus tested her reactions again before beginning to teach her basic moves to protect herself. He taught her how to break out of a hold and what quick hits were needed to take down a vampire. As he caught her in another hold, Caroline became aware of Klaus's scent and the warmth of his body. There were times when it would consume her. She shook her head to focus, she couldn't think of him in that way. She felt like it was a betrayal to Tyler after everything Klaus had done to him.

Klaus shook his head. "You're not ready for this. Please, you'll be safe here."

"No, I'm staying with you."

Klaus started to argue, when Caroline spoke up again. "I'll just follow you back if you leave me here. And I will never forgive you if you compel me to stay." Klaus stared at her for a long minute in frustration before turning and walking away.

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When it's something one is dreading, time seems to go by quicker. Klaus was definitely not ready to drive anywhere close to New Orleans. He had taken Caroline to a safe location only for her stubbornness to rear its head. As he was trying to teach her to protect herself, the only thing he wanted to do was lock her up in the house where she would be safe. Klaus took a sneak peak to see Caroline staring out the window with strands of hair blowing against the wind. Earlier, when she said that she trusted him to keep her safe, he couldn't help reacting to her words. The gift of Caroline's faith and trust was a blessing and a curse. It was a miracle in itself, given everything that he had done to her. It was the one thing he never thought he would have. The burden was that if something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. He would have to live in endless time knowing he didn't protect her. The two mixed emotions created a battle within.

Klaus pulled over as they came to the house that Elijah had secured for protection. As Klaus and Caroline walked to the corner, they took a scan around noting that the road lead to a house with a swamp behind it. They took a step forward and walked right into an invisible wall.

"We're now staying in squalor." Klaus said in disgust as he pulled out his phone to call Elijah, only to put it back when he saw Jasmine step out onto the porch. He didn't notice any difference as she walked towards them but when she motioned forward, they were able to step through. He still didn't trust the red-haired spitfire and from the look on her face, the feeling was mutual. As they stepped past the yard, he noticed the Deveraux sisters were having some sort of mediation lesson outside. Davina and Sophie were sitting across from each other in the grass while Sophie was giving instruction. Klaus entered the house to see his siblings waiting in the living room for his arrival. Elijah rose to greet Caroline while Rebekah sat in the chair doing her nails.

"We need to talk." Klaus motioned for Caroline to join them as they followed Elijah into another room. He crossed over to a bar and offered Caroline a drink, which she declined as she settled into a chair. Klaus wondered if Rebekah would support him as he turned to face his siblings. He wished Kol was here, he always loved a good fight.

"Marcel is becoming a problem and he needs to be dealt with. I want to take our home back and I need your support to do it." Klaus started as he sipped on his drink.

Rebekah begin blowing on her nails to dry them. "Why would I help you?" Klaus rolled his eyes as Elijah took a deep breath.

"If you weren't going to help, then why are you here?" Klaus, already angered by her stubbornness. He knew she was going to be a problem.

Rebekah continued drying her nails as she considered her next words. "After the way you've treated me, I ask myself that every day."

Elijah moved closer to Rebekah to get his point in. "This was our home and this is a chance to have that back. Your family needs you, Rebekah."

"We don't have time for one of your tantrums, Rebekah." Klaus spat out as Caroline cleared her throat while looking at him with raised eyebrows. He took a breath to calm himself. "Are you going to help your family or not?"

"What family, Nik? The family that betrays and deceives to get what they want? Or the family that daggers each other because they don't trust them? Is that the family you're referring to?"

"Things have never been perfect between us and it probably never will, but we have always protected each other, Rebekah. That never changes." Elijah said with confidence. Klaus sat down to allow Elijah to handle it, he was better at dealing with her at times.

"We made a promise many years ago to each other. And while that promise has been broken again and again, we have always understood that for our survival, we stand together. Are you going to stand with us?" Elijah asked Rebekah.

Rebekah was quiet for a moment before she sighed with resignation. "Together as one."