Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter and two things before I start...

First off: I can't believe this story has over 500 followers! Thank you, you have no idea how much it means to me to see people enjoying this story. Every time I get a mail from fanfiction, whether it's because of a favorite, a follower or a review, I get a huge smile on my face. I love writing and I would always continue but seeing people enjoy reading it means a lot. So thank you! Not only to those that followed, but also to everyone that puts up with me :)

Secondly this chapter is experimental in a way because I changed my writing habit a bit. I tried to make the chapter longer and instead of having 3-5 chapters to describe one day, make it one long one. Well that failed but now this one is only two chapters, we call that progress! No seriously this is the longest chapter I've written thus far but I want to continue this way, make chapters a bit longer. (I hope you guys don't mind :P)

Chapter 10

Waking up in another room, another bed, always threw her off for a moment. The moment that she wakened she needed a moment to realize where she was and then it all came back. This was her room, for now at least, until they fixed her.

When she and Elena entered the house again Klaus had left, she had no idea where he had run off to and she hadn't asked. Why should she have? It wasn't like she cared… Okay maybe she had wanted to know but that was just healthy curiosity, nothing wrong with that. Still, before he had left he had informed Elijah of their sleeping arrangements. Elena and her wouldn't need to share a room which she didn't mind, after sharing a room with Elena and Bonnie for a few months she really appreciated the privacy of an own room.

But when Elijah showed them their rooms she realized she wasn't even close to Elena's, the girl slept on the other side of the house, opposite to Elijah's room. From the belongings that were still in the room, she assumed it had been Hayley's room before she had run off. Why her room would be close to Elijah's instead of Klaus' she didn't understand but then again, Klaus did say he never cared for the girl and she believed him.

The room that she had gotten was large with a beautiful wooden queen sized bed, the bed frame was carved with a flower pattern at the side and she was sure it was as old as it looked. The room was more beautiful than the one that Elena had gotten and it was noticeably in the differences even Elena had pointed it out when she saw her room. Elena's room looked like a guest bedroom, while hers… it looked like a place to stay.

Her stomach growled and she knew she needed some food and blood in her system, she could only hope that Elena hadn't forgotten to pack the blood bags in her hurry, somehow she doubted the Mikaelsons had some lying around.

"No really she didn't want to go so I had to snap her neck just to get her in the car," Katherine explained and laughed at the memory, five hundred years of experience and she hadn't been able to convince a nineteen year old girl to go to New Orleans to save her own life. Stubborn little wench.

"Why was it she refused?" Elijah asked, it's what he had been doing ever since Elena had entered the room, he had inquired about her life and how she had been doing since her humanity had returned but soon after had moved on to asking about Caroline. Katherine would have been jealous if she wasn't thankful that at least he wasn't asking about Elena anymore. She didn't know everything that Elena had been up to, neither what Caroline had been up to with the Originals but most of that had apparently been secretive even to Elena.

"Isn't it obvious? She didn't want to see your brother. She was mad at him for compelling Tyler and she's nothing if not stubborn."

"What is it exactly between my brother and her?" he finally asked.

"Don't we all want to know," Katherine told him and let out a chuckle, "Caroline doesn't talk much about it, at least nothing concrete. All that I know is that she's not as unaffected with him as she wants to be."

"She cares for him?" Elijah asked and a cough interrupted him. A glowering blonde was leaning against the door, shooting daggers at her friend.

"Gossiping about me?" Caroline said and walked past them, grabbing some crackers that lay on the counter. She had heard the final part of their conversation and she couldn't believe that now, she had another Original brother asking around about her. She understood Elijah's desire to know more about their houseguest, especially after the spectacle between her and Klaus yesterday, but what she couldn't understand was Elena telling him everything she knew.

She took a bite of her cracker and turned back to Elijah, "If there's something you want to ask, you can do that to me. What I confide in Elena is between us," she emphasized and glanced at her friend who didn't look that guilty.

Elijah looked at the blonde, surprised at her demanding voice. He hadn't meant to talk about her behind her back, he had only wanted to collect more information and with Caroline still asleep, Elena had been the closest source of information available. "Okay then maybe you could explain to me what the state of your relationship with my brother is."

Caroline looked dumbfounded at the direct question, "I- I'm not in a relationship with your brother," she sputtered.

"You know I think denial kinda became pointless after you two bickered like an old married couple," Elena pointed out to her and Caroline rolled her eyes in return.

"We did not-"

"Yes you did, but don't worry, I learn quickly. There is no use trying to convince you when you're stuck in denial," Katherine told her and walked out of the room.

"I'm not-"

"Denial!" Katherine singsonged before she walked back to her room. Elijah's eyes followed her until she was out of sight and when she was he turned back towards Caroline.

"So you and my brother-"

"Why are you so interested in Klaus and me?" Caroline asked and leaned forwards over the table.

"I just want to help my family get united again," Elijah explained and she could hear something wishful about his town. As if he did no longer believe it was actually possible but didn't want to lose hope either. She couldn't imagine what happened in New Orleans to make a thousand year old goal crumble but she feared it wasn't good.

"That's admirable but what makes you think that they want your help? Klaus isn't the most trustful person and Rebekah just wants to live her life her own way."

"You seem to know a lot about my siblings," Elijah observed and he wondered why he hadn't heard more about the girl in front of him.

"I don't, I just pay attention from time to time. It's not like Rebekah hasn't been making her wishes abundantly clear when she searched for the cure, or when she left to travel with Matt," she has been practically screaming her wishes and her brothers hadn't listened to her… but still she had end up with them in New Orleans. They might be dysfunctional as hell but they were still a family, and then there was Klaus… "And Klaus being distrustful isn't really a well kept secret either. I doubt there is anyone he really trusts."

"He trusts you?" Elijah asked, the way the girl had been talking to his brother the day before made him suspect it but he had little to go off. For now at least.

Caroline thought about the question for a moment, she doubted Klaus trusted her but he wasn't as suspicious about her as he treated others either. Besides he seemed to know exactly when she was around to distract him, he just let her. It was almost like he didn't care why she spend time with him, just that she was there, "Sometimes, I think he trusts me sometimes," she finally answered.

"And you, do you trust my brother?" Elijah asked and Caroline blanked at the question. When she had entered and called out Elena for talking about her she hadn't expected to answer Elijah's questions. She had to give him that, he knew exactly which questions to ask, the ones she didn't even knew how to answer…

"I don't know," she honestly answered, "I think I do, I know he would never purposely hurt me but then again I'm also aware of everything he has done in his past and will keep doing in his future. You can't change something like that… So I don't know," she said lost in thought. Did she trust Klaus? She was here for his help and she couldn't even answer the question completely. But she knew that wasn't true, she did trust him. But what kind of person did it make her for trusting a person that had hurt so many of her friends?

She thought back to Elijah's reason for questioning her, uniting his family. "Why are you telling me any of this? I mean your plans for your family."

"Because I believe you could help me."

She scoffed at that, "Haven't you heard your sister, I'm of no use. I'm not important."

"You bring out something in my brother I haven't seen in centuries. He cares for you and that makes you very important."

"Like Katherine was to you?" Caroline retorted, hoping to get out of the questions, "I mean you did love her right? But when she died, your siblings returned but you, the one that was supposed to care was absent. Why was that?"

Elijah looked down at the memory of Katerina's death. He hadn't heard about it until his siblings had already left the state and he had been unable to leave Hayley in the witches' custody. At the same time he could have visited if he had wanted to, but seeing her again, after the way they broke it off… "It's very hard to have lost someone, to get it back, only to witness losing her again. Seeing someone you care for die isn't something I wanted to go through again."

"So you let her die alone? She was in the presence of people that all had their reasons to hate her, it seems like a cruel way to let her go."

"I never said that I was perfect," Elijah apologized and Caroline nodded.

"I never said you were, Katherine just deserved a better way to die. She had just found her daughter… or well she found her and I believe she was changing. Being human at all it did change her."

"I thought you said she was surrounded by people that hated her, still you don't sound like you did," Elijah said unsure, the way the blonde spoke almost seemed sad but after what Katherine had put them through he couldn't blame them for not being sad by her departure.

"I said we all had a reason to, that doesn't mean I enjoyed watching her die or that she deserved to die like that. I mean even Klaus came to gloat over her death, sure he let her die in peace but the intent was there. Dying is bad enough as it is, no need to rub it in," she repeated the words she had told Klaus.

"Klaus didn't end up seeing Katerina die? I thought he had, he came back in a very good mood…"

Caroline turned red at his words, she knew exactly why Klaus would be in a good mood and that wasn't something she was going to discuss with his brother. She coughed up the bite of cracker she had taken and quickly took a sip of water.

Elijah looked at her in suspicious but let it go as he didn't see the blonde as a threat, she was too innocent.

"You don't happen to know if there are any blood bags do you?" she asked, changing the subject, "I'm getting a bit thirsty and I'm not sure if Elena thought about packing them in her hurry."

Elijah opened the fridge and tossed her a bag, Elena had stored them earlier already. It had been weird seeing the girl again with her humanity restored, there was something different about her but that was to be expected. No one returned to their former self after the loss of humanity. It had been hard seeing her again the face that resembled his lost love, a love that would never be returned to him.

Katherine had needed to get out of the house, to be this close to Elijah without him realizing it… it was hurting her more than she could let on. She was supposed to have no reason to be hurt and she had found herself craving an escape. Luckily if there was one thing that New Orleans was a great place for, it was shopping. Well it was a great hunting place as well but unfortunately little Elena Gilbert was still very stuck on her refrigerated meals. That meant no hunting for her either unless she wanted Caroline to plan an intervention for her blood bag eating friend.

Caroline… Elijah had been so interested in her which was a positive turn of events, it gave her a reason to talk to him but they were busted by the little blonde herself and she was sure that telling each other's secrets wasn't something friends were supposed to do. She hadn't cared though, she had an opportunity to talk to Elijah, to catch his interest and she had to exploit whatever she had.

But no she was running again, not far, but still too far from Elijah. She just had to get air, the house felt restricting. The whole night she had been highly aware that her former lover was only a door away and worse than that she had discovered that the room she slept in was Hayley's. Apparently something had been going on between her and Elijah as well and she was regretting sending the girl to New Orleans more with every minute.

Still, she had friends here, if it was needed she could play both sides but she didn't want to play that card until it was getting heated for her. She had a good thing going on, no Klaus hunting her down, no witches or old enemies and she could have a fresh start with Elijah, all she needed to do was to keep her head down.

Shopping was a great outlet at times but unfortunately her style differed a lot with the one of Elena. She noticed a pair of black killer heels that she would kill for but knew that Elena would never wear them. Still that didn't stop her from buying them, styles changed and she wasn't going to stop Elena from letting her be who she wanted to be.

She glanced over at the mirror and could see the girl turn around and look through a rack of clothes. This was the third store she had followed her in and Katherine knew when she was being tracked. But why? And more importantly, by who? No one should have a reason to follow Elena Gilbert.

She sneaked out the store and waited behind the door until the girl exited. She grabbed her by the throat and flashed to the alley next to the store, "Why are you following me," she hissed at the girl, and released her to answer.

"I saw you yesterday with Klaus, I need you to give him a warning," the girl quickly told her, she looked around to make sure there where no witnesses.

"Do I look like a messenger to you?" Katherine shot out glaring at the girl. Now that the girl mentioned she did remember seeing her leave when she and Caroline got into the house but that didn't answer why she was following her just to pass a message along.

"The witches can't see me talking to any of them or they'll grow suspicious but tell Klaus I've overheard Celeste talking about a girl that arrived in New Orleans. She's essential to her plans," Lyanna explained and looked around the alley, she got nervous talking in the open about their business. "Tell him that I will keep in listening and look for the books but he needs to give me the time and space to get closer to Celeste. She isn't going to drop her guards overnight."

"You're on our side," Katherine took in the girl with a newfound interest, why would a witch betray her kind, to the Originals from all people.

"I'm on the side that can keep my brother and me alive. Now can you pass along the message to Klaus?"

"I'll tell him but I doubt Celeste is his priority right now, he has different problems to worry about."

"I don't care, as long as he stays away from my little brother," Lyanna said and walked away, before she left the alley she turned around, "Thank you," she said before she ran off.

Katherine looked at the young girl leaving, the one willing to betray her kind to save her brother and her own life. It reminded her of who she had once been, the life that had brought her nothing but misery. This girl was different, she didn't do it to save her own life alone, also the one of a sibling… how different would her own life had been if she had managed to save her little sister, or have Nadia with her while she was on the run. Anyone, just to have a family on her own…

She needed to speak to Nadia, leaving her behind in Mystic Falls like that… she might think she had changed but underneath it all she hadn't. She still looked out for her own interest first, hadn't even considered taking her daughter, calling her to say goodbye. Too focused on the chance to go to New Orleans and see Elijah and everything had been forgotten. She couldn't keep doing that. Her own interest mattered yes, but so did her daughter's and New Orleans might not be a safe place for Nadia to be, being a Petrova and all, the least she could do was call and explain.

Caroline had locked herself up in one of the studies and had grown accustomed to the sound of the printer. Her mother had mailed her the files of all the animal attacks that she had given her earlier. She had been surprised by her daughter's request until Caroline explained that she had joined Elena on an unexpected trip and had forgotten all the files and information.

She couldn't really explain to her mother where she had gone or why but in the end she had chalked it all up to searching for Tyler. As a sheriff, Liz could understand how the situation with Tyler couldn't be solved by human authorities and she appreciated Caroline's concern for the boy. She did try to convince her to stay in college but Caroline pointed out how she would have a lifetime for it, what were a few lost months?

In the end it was better to lie than having to explain that she might only have a few months left. If she got sick again that is and if they didn't find the cause…It wasn't like she could stay with Klaus forever…

She glanced over at the stack of papers she had already collected. In the end her mother hadn't only send her the reports that she had already read, but also new ones she had collected over the day. Caroline wasn't sure what had possessed her to ask, she was already quite certain that the one in Alabama was where Tyler had been. She had a feeling about it that she couldn't shake and she hated how she couldn't search for him. It wasn't like she could let Matt do it alone either… He was human and it could get dangerous. It was bad enough that she had send him off questioning werewolf packs; she didn't want to risk his life any further.

She could hear the door creek but ignored the sound. Over the day multiple vampires had come 'checking' if she was okay, she figured they could care less if she was but Klaus had given them an order and they just had to comply because: "King". She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that that was still a thing but with Klaus Mikaelson she shouldn't be surprised. If anyone would want to be king, it would be him. And really, who could challenge him to do otherwise?

Either way the minions had been checking up on her, opening a door every now and then, glancing inside if she was still breathing and leaving right away again. She wasn't sure about their precise orders; it felt more like they were checking if she was still there… She wouldn't be surprised if that had been Klaus' order though: Make sure she stays in the house. Well it wasn't like she had a choice in the matter, she couldn't leave.

She bowed back over the map and looked at her system. Right now she had colored all area's that had a sighting or attack of a wolf last night yellow. Only the area in Alabama had been colored red, for Tyler. She looked back at the map and she hated how so much of it was yellow, it wasn't like the whole map was painted in it, but still. There had been at least thirteen attacks last night; eight of those had cost lives. One of those had been on Tyler, but the other ones… other werewolves, actual wolves? She didn't know but she wanted to find out.

If it were werewolves they could be new to this, inexperienced and unaware how to lock themselves up. She wasn't sure if she could do anything but the least she could do was continue her research. That's what she told herself when she messaged her mother to request files of any wolf attacks over the past two months and any upcoming. Who knew, maybe some of those could be chalked up to actual rabid animals and others would proof to only happen once in a full moon. She wasn't sure what she could do about it, or if she would, but she needed to check it out. Those people hadn't deserved to die last night.

She folded the map back up and threw it in the box; she looked back up and stumbled back a step when she found Klaus leaning in the doorway, taking in her actions. "What are you doing here," she whispered.

"I was looking for you; my men told me that you were locked in this room all day. I was wondering if I could help you with anything," he explained. He was amused that she hadn't noticed him sooner. She had been so engrossed in that map, that little project of hers, that she hadn't even noticed him entering. For a few moments he had been able to observe her in her element. Completely focused, tucking those beautiful strands of hair behind her ear because they kept clouding her sight. He was sure she hadn't even noticed herself doing it, but he had.

He noticed everything about her, the distressed look on her face when she typed a message on her phone, the clenched fist while she looked back at her map and the way she hesitated a second before putting it all away. Whatever she had been up to, it was something that was haunting her. She wanted to stay busy with it and he was curious what kept her beautiful mind occupied.

"It's nothing you would be interested in," she bit at him and for a moment her was taken aback by her brisk tone but then he remembered. They had a little spat the day before and while he may be over it, Caroline wasn't that quick to forget. She clung to anything that could be an excuse to be hostile to him, only because it was better to admit to the truth. They had been there before. He knew she was doing it and she knew she was doing it. Now how could he get her to stop doing it…?

"You could try me? You never know if you don't ask."

"Okay fine," she turned around and faced him again, "I'm trying to find Tyler, so right now I'm looking through all the coroner reports of animal attacks that have transpired in the last 48 hours," she noticed how his jaw clenched when she mentioned finding Tyler, her ex would always be a tense subject between them. His first hybrid and the man he saw as his competition. She could explain that it wasn't like that, that she only wanted to stop him from shedding anymore innocent blood but what was the point, "And that's why I didn't tell you. You wouldn't have helped me. You're the reason I'm doing this in the first place."
"You're not going to search for Tyler Lockwood, I've been fair to him. I could have killed him and instead he will have to live through some pain once a month. I've been more than fair, I've been kinder than he deserved," he growled. How couldn't Caroline understand that? Why would she still search for a man that had almost taken her life? "Or do you just want your boyfriend back? Is that what it's all about, still Tyler?"

"This isn't about me and Tyler! You compelled him to kill innocent people and he will keep doing that for the rest of his life. They don't deserve that! That's why I'm looking for him, because I need to find a way to stop him from doing that!" she threw the Alabama report at him. The ripped apart arm, the clawed corpse, that man wasn't supposed to die, he was only at the wrong place, wrong time…

He glanced at the photo of the mutilated corpse and wondered how Caroline had found pictures of this in the first place. The wounds definitely seemed wolf or hybrid inflicted but he had seen worse, "If Tyler wants to stop himself from killing people he should have found a better hiding place. He knew he would kill if he encountered anyone, it's not my fault he got sloppy."

"Sloppy? He's a hybrid! As you love to point out, you guys aren't that easy to chain down!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Let Tyler deal with his problems, you have your own set to worry about," Klaus reminded her, it wouldn't be another full moon for weeks. Her private investigation could wait, or stopped if he had it his way.

"Yeah… I noticed how your little minions kept checking on me. If I'm staying here, they have to go. I'm not some little kid that they have to babysit! Besides don't they have more pressing threats to look out for?"

"You're more important," he told her and she scoffed at him. Why was it that whatever he said, it was the wrong thing? He couldn't understand why he couldn't get it right with her.

She shook her head, she shouldn't let him affect her like that but he still did. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Stop saying things that make me want to…" stop pretend that I hate you. Being around him was going to be difficult, more difficult than she had anticipated. When she had given in, she wasn't supposed to see him again and now… denying was getting difficult.

"Make you want to do what?" he asked and leaned closer to her. He grabbed her hands in his and she quickly jumped out of his reach. She had to get out, before she did something she would regret. Or worse, something she wouldn't.

"I'm just going to go to my room…" she turned her back to him and exited the room, "Don't follow me!" she hissed when she felt his presence behind her.

"I'm not, I'm just going to my room," he said with a chuckle. She couldn't understand his amusement until she reached her door and he entered the room next to her. She should have known he would have given her the room closest to him. "Ugh!" she threw herself on her bed and could hear a chuckle coming from the other room.

She knew he couldn't understand why she wanted to help Tyler and he wouldn't help her either with it but didn't he see how it was her fault. If she hadn't come closer to Tyler, he wouldn't have bitten her and Klaus wouldn't have felt the need to protect her. That man would still have been alive. Klaus was wrong, those deaths weren't on Tyler; they were on her.

…

"Caroline I come bearing gifts!" Elena's voice called from behind her door; before she could open it her friend had already barged in the room with a few shopping bags in hand.

She looked at the bags in surprise, "Where have you been?"

"Exploring the city! I figured if we would stay here a little longer I would need more clothes and I figured Stefan just grabbed the first things he saw lying in your closet so I bought us some outfits!" she giggled and threw Caroline one of the bags.

She skimmed through it and noticed a few tops and dresses but one dress stood out. "Elena!" she exclaimed when she grabbed the black lace dress. It was short and strapless and it looked like it would cling to her body, "Why would you buy me this?"

"What you don't like it?" she said defensively, Katherine had eyed the dress herself but wanted to see Caroline in something more daring. There was someone that held great power beneath those bright colors and flower patterned shirts, what better than a daring dress to bring it out?

"It's gorgeous but not something I normally wear," she looked through the bags her friend held and noticed the black leather dress, "And that's not something you would normally wear either!"

"Well," Katherine hesitated for a moment, she should have known that Caroline knew exactly what Elena would and wouldn't buy, "We're in a new place and I wanted to go out, have fun. What better way to do that by not being us for a night," she noticed hesitation on Caroline's face and quickly continued, "Come on Care! We deserve some fun and I just… don't want to be Elena Gilbert for one night."

Caroline wavered for a moment but grabbed the dress, "Okay fine," she could see Elena's point. After everything that had happened to the girl, who was she to deny her some fun. "There's just one problem…"

"And that is?" Katherine raised her eyebrow, what could be stopping her night out?

"I'm kinda not supposed to leave…"

"And that's stopping you?"

"No but the vampires that are supposed to look out for me might!"

"So then we break out! Are you really going to let that little thing disrupt us from having fun?"

Caroline laughed and pushed her friend away, "Absolutely not, let me get ready and then we'll go!"

I think I promised more about the witches last time... yeah sorry about that, clearly I didn't deliver. Well unless you count Lyanna's short visit, which you should because she did say something important ;) Either way, witches or not, the next chapter will feature more Klaus and of course Caroline and Katherine during their night out. Will they get caught? Will they even manage to break out? Your guess is as good as mine.

Please tell me what you think! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions!

Okay before I wave you guys off until the next chapter I should warn that I will have a lot of midterms in the upcoming weeks so I will be swamped. My other story Work For It should be updated next and between that and trying to study and work I'm not sure when the next update will be. It might take me a few weeks this time. You can always send me a message if you want to know more or if you want to tell me to speed along, motivation always works but unfortunately with midterms and work, I think it will take about two weeks... I'll try to post a sneak peek on tumblr somewhere between. (dreamsarefleeting)