A/N: Here's the next part.
I hope reading this helps my stressed out college anon.
Once you lose someone it is never exactly the same person who comes back.
Sharon Olds
Moonlight shone through the window, casting shadows along the floor as Klaus laid there with Caroline in his arms. She had barely moved since closing her eyes, only shifting once or twice closer to him, the tension that had her body tight dissipating and leaving her practically boneless against him. He had spun her dreams to lead to only soothing memories, to play out events that would only help ease her fragile mind before disappearing. Though he did check in every so often to ensure his manipulations stayed the course.
If he listened for it, Klaus could hear Stefan's screams as well as the other conversations happening throughout the house. But he'd blocked all of those out, his focus on watching Caroline breathe in and out for the moment, on the feel of her tucked against him as she was currently. It had been centuries since he'd let anyone linger in bed with him, the vulnerability of the situation something he couldn't afford. But memories of doing so with Persephone had always lingered, reminding him of a time he'd allowed for that exposure, had that level of trust in another.
And now there she was, curled up against him, and showing him a level of trust that Klaus wasn't entirely sure Caroline even realized she was giving him. He stroked her hair, the repetitive motion relaxing him as well even as his mind was lit with reminders of various things that needed to be accomplished.
The Sheriff would need to be dealt with, the rest of the town looked in on to ensure they were still under his family's compulsion, but it was all doable. Klaus mentally cursed for not having compelled Liz Forbes. But he'd foolishly thought doing so would hinder getting Caroline to his side, creating a bigger thorn than Demeter had proven to be and that was something he hadn't wanted to create. Having the rest of Mystic Falls under his thumb should have ensured a level of control over the woman's ability to truly do any harm though.
He was going to need to have a chat with her about Caroline though.
As much as Klaus would love to let the rift linger between the two, to allow it to grow until Liz was dead and no longer an issue, Klaus could see the damage that was being done to Caroline with her mother hating her. He didn't want to see that damage take root, to grow and twist her in the ways he'd seen happen to others of their kind.
"Isn't this a cozy little picture," Rebekah commented from the doorway, turning his attention toward it.
Elijah was there as well, waiting in the threshold of the room for admission, while Rebekah simply walked in and sat down on the sofa Klaus and Caroline had been on earlier. "I heard her breathing even out over half an hour ago and when you still hadn't bothered to come out figured you probably weren't going to anytime soon," Rebekah told him as Klaus nodded at Elijah to enter. "What are we doing about the Sheriff? She's the one you didn't bother to compel, right? Ridiculous."
"The deputies have already detained her," Elijah informed him as he glanced at Caroline tucked in against Klaus. His expression was nearly unreadable, but Klaus noted the hope that seemed to flicker in his brother's eyes. "It will take a day or two for the vervain to be out of her system before we can compel her but she'll be unable to do any damage from the cell."
"At least you remembered to compel the rest of them. I don't see why she was any different," Rebekah muttered, shaking her head. "We always compel the entire town, especially the ones involved with any damn councils. They're the most dangerous."
"I don't need to justify my decisions to you, sister," Klaus reminded, voice hardening as he looked over at her. Caroline shifted on him, causing the conversation to pause until they were assured that she was still sleeping. "There is no reason that our compulsion on the others won't hold. Liz Forbes isn't an issue for you to worry about. I'll deal with her personally tomorrow."
"We'll be leaving now though, won't we?" Rebekah prodded as she motioned toward Caroline. "The only reason you even bothered to stay in this damn place is because of her anyway. I can't see her wanting to stick around after everything." It might have been their home once, but the memories that were tied with the place weren't exactly happy.
Klaus hoped that would be the case, but he couldn't say for certain what Caroline would want to do once she woke. For all of his knowing her in a past life, she was an enigma he was still unraveling. Plus, a part of him wanted to see her enjoy the house he'd built for them there. This one had touches of the young woman he had only begun to learn strewn through it while the others were mere echoes of who she'd once been.
"From what I've seen of Caroline, I'm not sure running away from her problems is something the girl would do," Elijah stated from where he stood. "The town is compelled, dealing with one outlier shouldn't be an issue."
"I will deal with the Sheriff," Klaus reminded. He didn't doubt that his siblings could stop the woman from causing trouble, a quick compelled order would do that trick, but he needed to deal with Liz Forbes' on his terms in a way that wouldn't hurt Caroline anymore than she already was.
Elijah nodded and after a pointed look from Klaus Rebekah did as well. "And then we can leave this waste of space?" she asked.
Klaus waved that off, not willing to commit to that just yet. "Perhaps."
Rebekah sighed, clearly not liking that answer. "The nearest decent clothing store is over an hour away. And backwater Virginian blood doesn't taste the same as a decent socialite in the city." She'd need to convince Caroline that there were far better cities for them to reside in. Rebekah might not know the girl very well yet, but she thought the other girl looked like one who'd enjoy the beauty of Greece.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to manage," Klaus replied before nodding toward the doorway, considering the conversation finished.
"If we're to stay here then I want us to be introduced correctly. Not just your and Elijah's manipulations behind the scenes," Rebekah told him as she rose. She never could hold back from showing off their power. Elijah couldn't help but grin at that, not surprised by their sister's requests. "It'll need to be extra special since it'll be her unveiling."
"As long as it isn't anytime soon," Klaus told her, knowing Rebekah wouldn't rest on the idea until she was allowed to carry it out. But there were things that needed to happen before Caroline could be thrust into that spotlight in their world.
"Oh please, Nik. You know I'll want at least a month to ensure all the details are to my liking," Rebekah replied before leaving the room, not giving him a chance to respond.
"I need the Bennett witch at her full potential," Klaus reminded Elijah. Bonnie Bennett was a crucial piece to what he needed for Caroline to become as invulnerable as he was and the witch was no where near ready to complete the tasks he'd need of her.
"Kol's working on it and considering you've now found Caroline I think you'll prefer he does the seducing this time around," Elijah ensured him before taking his leave as well.
Caroline shifted against Klaus again, her body tensing a little too much for his liking. He delved back into her dreams, smoothing out the landscape and helping her to relax as he pushed out the shadows that were threatening to take over.
He'd promised her that she'd be safe and Klaus meant to keep his word, whether in her dreams or while awake, he'd do whatever it might take to ensure her safety.
Caroline woke, enjoying the feeling of peace that had settled through her. There had been no nightmares, no remembering all of the awful events of the last twenty-four hours as she slept, and she knew she had Klaus to thank for that. She didn't dare open her eyes, not wanting to give away that she was awake just yet, knowing that if she did the awkwardness of the situation would start to bubble inside of her.
For now she wanted to lay there in his arms, to feel his one hand absently brushing through her hair while the other held her tightly to him. She wanted to breathe in his scent, to let it continue to soothe her aching soul, and not give a damn about the reality of her situation for a little while longer. She'd remembered what it was like to be in Hades' arms, the love and security she'd felt as Persephone to wake up with her husband, but actually experiencing it without pushing Klaus away, without the fear and uncertainty of the onslaught of her memories was different.
It was everything.
Caroline pushed away her inner murmurings about Elena or her worries about her mother, not wanting the moment to end just yet as she curled a little tighter against him. Her fingers tightened on his shirt, thumb brushing against the fabric as his hand stilled for a moment before continuing its course through her hair. Klaus didn't speak and Caroline wondered if he was as hesitant as she was to break the moment between them, just as uncertain as she was of what would happen next.
Because her mind wouldn't let her forget that he'd killed Elena. That fact kept pulsating in her head, a constant reminder of how ruthless Klaus could be, how he was a monster. And yet, she remembered her mother not lifting a finger to save her from Stefan and her mother was good, was human, and yet Klaus had been the one to save her, to help her.
Her view of the world had been shattered, the pieces scattered to the wind, and Caroline didn't think she'd ever be able to put it back to how it once had been. Good and evil weren't so easily defined. It made her heart clench, her fingers tightening further as she tried to reconcile the events of the last day. Her life hadn't made sense in ages but she'd been able to hold onto certain ideals, but those ideals were all broken, twisted beyond repair and she could feel her control slipping through her fingers.
"Caroline?" Klaus asked, breaking the silence between them. She clenched her eyes closed a little tighter at her name, the reality hitting her like a ton of bricks all over again.
Stefan had tried to kill her.
Her mother hadn't done a thing to stop him.
She hated her.
It suddenly hurt to breathe again, the world spinning around her even though she was laying down and her eyes were shut. Klaus was saying something but she couldn't make it out over the erratic pounding of her heart. The hot, metallic taste of blood hit her tongue, Klaus' grip on her unweilding and Caroline gave into her need for blood, let the draw of it down her throat soothe her in ways she'd never imagined it could do before.
"You're safe," Klaus murmured as he fitted her against him, feeling her body calm down. Her fangs receded, her grip on his shirt loosened significantly as she pressed her face into his shoulder while coming down from her high.
Klaus tilted her chin so he could get a good look at her, pleased to see the wildness gone from her eyes. The sight of blood staining her mouth-his blood-was intoxicating and he swept his thumb over her lips as she looked at him. The need to kiss her was overwhelming, every fibre of his being focused on her mouth, on how easy it would be to close the distance between them.
But he felt her trembling under his touch, saw the lingering confusion in her eyes and forced the urgency to do so down. "I believe Bonnie has been waiting to talk to you," Klaus reluctantly informed her. He could hear the Bennett witch a few doors down, pacing the room she was in and muttering to herself. "You may want to clean up and change. Not that I mind you in my shirt, I quite enjoy the look, but I doubt you'll want her to see you in it."
Caroline nodded as she pulled away from him. There was no snappy retort, her tongue didn't seem to want to work at all for the moment and so she simply stared at him for a long moment as she tried to get her vocal chords to cooperate. "Thank you," she managed eventually before slipping off the bed and heading out of the room before he could respond. There was more to be said but it was all she could manage, still needing time to wrap her head around everything.
Klaus licked his lips as he watched her go before rising as well. He'd let Caroline have her much needed talk with the witch. It'd allow him time to fine tune a few details with Kol and remind his brother of how important it was for the Bennett witch to be at her full potential sooner rather than later.
Bonnie had barely slept, between Kol's remark about knowing her mother and the worry she felt for Caroline she had tossed and turned through most of the night. She'd woken early, the sun barely breaking over the horizon, and had been forced to wait, wondering when she'd finally see her friend. At least she had gotten a glimpse of Caroline last night as Klaus had brought her up the stairs, but that brief look wasn't enough to assuage all of her fears.
If anything it added to her concerns, had her mind running rampant over why Klaus had been cradling her best friend so close as he carried her away. Was there another part of the ritual that they didn't know about? Did he need to use Caroline to complete something else? Bonnie couldn't think of why it would be Caroline that Klaus would need though. At least with Elena the fact that the girl was part of a doppelganger line made her blood special, potent, and needed for the ritual.
But Caroline was a vampire and they were easy enough to make. There shouldn't be any reason for Klaus to want her specifically. Maybe it was because Katherine turned her? But that didn't really explain the tenderness she'd seen in the way he'd held her best friend.
Nothing added up and that was driving her mad.
Throw in her mother knowing Kol. Her mother, who just happened to show up after Elena's death, wanting to help her with her magic and Bonnie's paranoia was at an all time high.
There was a knock at the door to the bedroom she was in, and she turned toward it, tensing at the intrusion to her thoughts. "Bonnie?" Caroline asked, and Bonnie could feel herself relax some at her friend's voice.
Caroline might have been the vampire, but Bonnie was pretty sure she gave her friend a run for her money in the speed department with how fast she moved to hug Caroline when she entered the room. She could feel Caroline's tension ease a bit as they embraced, relief seeming to sweep through both of them at being in the room with one another. There was still a tightness to Caroline that Bonnie didn't like though, a strain that always seemed to accompany the blonde when she was worrying over something.
"Are you…" Okay didn't really seem like the best thing to ask. Bonnie didn't really think her friend could really be okay. Not with a former friend torturing her and her mother...she couldn't even imagine how badly Caroline was reacting to Liz's failure to help her.
"Yeah." Caroline shrugged, not entirely sure what to say either as she pulled away from Bonnie, offering as much of a smile as she could muster. "We need to talk. Ugh." She groaned, clearly hating her word choice. "That makes it sound so dramatic." And okay it kind of was. "Like its so the 'we're so breaking up now' starter but we're not breaking up." At least she hoped they weren't breaking up their friendship. "There's just so much to tell you and I don't even know where to start."
Bonnie smiled at that, thankful that with all she'd been through that Caroline was still able to ramble. It was normal, at least for her friend. "I'm guessing suggesting you start from the beginning won't help much?"
Caroline sighed, blowing hair off her face. "Um, yeah, not really." She wasn't even sure when the beginning was anymore. "But maybe if you just hear me out? Just let me get it all out without interrupting? No matter how crazy it might all sound?"
Bonnie nodded at that before moving to sit down on the bed. She'd learned long ago that it was best to take a seat when Caroline had a story to tell. "I'll try."
Caroline took a deep breath before opening her mouth, intent on getting the words out, but nothing happened at first. Figuring out where to start on the onslaught of crazy was difficult, not quite sure what to go with first that wouldn't have Bonnie thinking she'd lost her mind. Caroline still thought she'd lost it every so often. That made a lot more sense than being Persephone reincarnated.
"This is going to sound insane. I know it does. It took me a while to come to grips with it. I'm still coming to grips with it. But the memories…" She couldn't discount those. There was no way a lie could be that intricate, could make her feel that loved and that terrified all at once depending on the memory she remembered. "So the sun and moon curse was fake. Werewolves will always turn on the full moon and vampires can't walk in the sun without a daylight ring. That's never what it was about. Which is seriously cruel because so many people got their hopes up for nothing. But the actual curse to break was one that was put on Klaus. He's part werewolf and part vampire and his wolf part was locked away or whatever and so the ritual unlocked the wolf part. He's now a hybrid."
She watched Bonnie process that and shifted on her feet for a few seconds before needing to actually move. "But it wasn't just that he unlocked. Because apparently-and this is going to sound so freaking unbelievable Bonnie-but he's Hades reborn. Like the Hades, god of the Underworld, and when his wolf side was bound it also bound his ability to awaken Persephone. And his curse needed to be broken so that he could do that because her memories of being Persephone were completely locked away. And remember when I got bit? Well, when he gave me his blood, that unlocked the memories. Which is why I was completely freaking out because all of these pictures were in my head and nothing made sense and it still doesn't always make sense."
Caroline threaded her fingers through her hair as she continued to pace, not quite able to look at her friend after all she'd said. "But I remember, Bonnie. I remember the Underworld, I remember walking the fields with my mother, playing with the nymphs as they tried to keep away from other gods. I remember creating flowers, how they'd call to me from the ground, so desperate to greet the day. They're as real as my memories of winning that hopscotch competition or watching my dad leave."
Bonnie stared at her, unblinking for a long moment as she tried to process what Caroline had just said. None of it made sense. Reincarnated gods? That couldn't be a thing. Even if vampires, werewolves, and witches were real, actual gods from a whole other pantheon was crazy. Right?
It was clear that Caroline believed everything she was saying. Bonnie could tell from her friend's nervous energy, the worried looks she kept giving her. Caroline's emotions had been on overdrive for a while now and they were shining through in this moment.
Obviously Klaus had done something, manipulated her friend somehow, though she still couldn't figure out the reason. What could he possibly gain from convincing Caroline that she was Persephone and he was Hades? A companion? Surely there were other women out there whose towns he hadn't terrorized that he could win over. Why did it have to be Caroline that he was screwing with?
"Caroline," she started and then stopped, not even sure what to say aside from her friend's name. Bonnie figured that blurting out 'what the hell has he done to you?' probably wouldn't go over all that well. She worried that something like that might cause Caroline to retreat from her and that was the last thing that needed to happen.
"Stefan saw me leaving here and he figured out that I meant something to Klaus," Caroline continued, twisting her hands as she looked over at her. "Kind of like how you've been wondering what's going. I didn't know how to tell you because it sounds crazy. And at first I didn't believe it. It couldn't be possible. And then even after I started to believe it I didn't know how to tell you because…" Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to gather her words again. "Elena. I didn't. You have to know that I didn't know. I didn't want her to die. I didn't know. I swear, Bonnie, you need to believe that."
Her control was slipping again as she pleaded for Bonnie to understand, to not hate her for Elena's death. She couldn't handle Bonnie turning her back on her as well. Not after having watched her mother look at her with such hate.
It would have been so easy to blame Caroline as well, but that would have meant that Bonnie bought into any of what Caroline was saying. Not that she didn't think her friend believed it all, it was obvious that Caroline did, but even if it was real, Caroline had been trying to help save Elena the whole time. They'd been working together to find anything that could aid their friend. Plus Caroline's fears were clearly written on her face, in the way she wrung her hands together as she looked at her.
Bonnie got off the bed and took hold of Caroline's hands, squeezing them tightly. "I know you didn't," she promised her friend, before wrapping her in another tight hug. The rest...well, that she didn't trust, it couldn't be true. Gods were not real and they definitely weren't reborn into monsters like Klaus.
All that Bonnie did know was that Klaus had his sights set on Caroline, for whatever reason, and she was going to figure out how to protect her friend. She'd already lost one to him. She wasn't about to lose another.
Though it seemed he was intent on keeping Caroline safe as well. He had saved her from Stefan and Bonnie had seen how gently he held her friend as he carried her up the stairs. It didn't mesh well with what she knew of Klaus, maybe gave a little credence to what Caroline was saying, but it didn't alleviate any of Bonnie's suspicions. If anything Klaus' apparent protectiveness made her feel more protective of her friend.
She needed to get a better control on her magic, to figure out how to wield it like her Grams had been able to. Maybe she could unlock the compulsion Klaus had used on Caroline, break whatever hold he seemed to have on her friend and get the two of them as far away from him as possible. She needed to look at her family's grimoire again, research this new angle and see what Klaus could gain from the absurd Hades reincarnated story. And then, hopefully, she could get him out of their lives forever.
"We'll figure this out," Bonnie promised her as she tightened her grip on Caroline.
She could feel the tension her friend had been holding ease a little even if it wasn't completely gone. She had a feeling that Caroline must have been worried she'd turn her back on her like the Sheriff had done. Considering how she'd reacted to Caroline's transition it wasn't that far off of a fear. But she wouldn't abandon her this time. She couldn't. "You're stuck with me."
"Good," Caroline murmured, squeezing her as tightly as she dared.
"And here I thought you'd be spending the next few days in your room with your little flower, not wanting to talk to me," Kol commented as he entered the sun room. "Or is there already trouble in paradise?" He couldn't help but prod at his older brother, to try and get any kind of reaction he could out of him. They might have lived for a thousand years, watched empires rise and fall around them, helped push various factions into control to better suit their own needs, but Kol Mikaelson could never pass up a chance to rile Klaus.
Hades or not, Klaus was still his older brother, and it was his job as the younger one to be a constant pain in his ass while Rebekah got to be the spoiled brat and Elijah and Finn had their roles to perform as well. Otherwise what was the point of being a family if they didn't act like one. Or at least, their own twisted making of one that would live for eternity.
Klaus was in the sunroom, standing in front of one of the windows, but Kol could tell that his brother's attention wasn't on the garden that lay in front of him. His gaze might have been that way, but his head was tilted slightly, barely noticeable if one wasn't looking for it, and Kol focused his hearing, picking up on Bonnie and Caroline's voices from the floor above.
"Eavesdropping already?" Kol tsked as he dropped down on one of the couches. "It's almost as if you don't trust her."
"I don't trust the witch," Klaus replied as he turned to face Kol. Though at least it seemed that Bonnie wasn't turning her back on Caroline. Such a blow would have been devastating for Caroline to endure and with Bonnie being integral to securing Caroline's everlasting future at his side, the girl hating Caroline would have made it that much harder to get her to do what would be needed.
"She didn't have to call you," Kol pointed out as he looked up at the ceiling, noting the carved suns. This house was different than their others, much more cheerful, with touches that he was still trying to figure out.
It was true, Bonnie Bennett didn't have to make that call to him, and it rankled Klaus that he felt almost in debt to the girl for having done so. By the time any of the others who were supposed to be watching Caroline had contacted him Stefan might have already ripped out her heart. "Her power levels are nowhere close to where they need to be," Klaus replied, not wanting to dwell on his thoughts.
"She's got the potential and from what I've gathered from a few different sources has already showed she's got quite a bit of power at her disposal," Kol told him with a wave of his hand. If his calculations were correct Bonnie would be more powerful than Sheila had been, possibly rivaling Ayanna for the most powerful witch of the Bennett line. He couldn't wait to wield it.
"I need her at that level in a week." The sooner Caroline was made to be impenetrable the better in his opinion. He'd nearly lost her in a town that was compelled to protect her. And to a vampire who was barely a blip on his radar.
His family had enemies in the world, those who'd managed to escape as they'd crushed others under their heels while creating their empire. They were hidden, killed whenever they were found, but Klaus was well aware that there were still a few out there, watching and waiting for a weakness that they could use use against him. It was only a matter of time before they learned of Caroline's existence and tried to kill her.
Katherine had thrown a wrench in his original plan to replicate the spell his mother had used on his family but with the Bennett line at his disposal there would be other ways to ensure Caroline would be truly immortal. But Bonnie Bennett would need to be able to use the full capacity of her magic and he'd seen her, she was barely tapping into what she could do. It was maddening.
"That would kill her," Kol replied as he looked over at Klaus, easily seeing that his brother obviously didn't care about that. "I don't think Caroline would appreciate one more of her friends being sacrificed. Especially not when she doesn't have to be."
"If you have the witch where she needs to be then that won't be an issue, now will it?" Klaus snapped, glaring down at Kol.
Kol cracked his neck, ignoring the death glare. It would have been stranger if he didn't receive at least three of them that day. "It won't happen overnight, Nik. To get her to that power level will take a couple of weeks if not longer."
It wasn't at all what Klaus wanted to hear, but his lips curled into a slow smile as he listened to the tail end of the girls' conversation. "I think you'll find that the little witch is highly motivated to learn all she can about her craft at the moment. Exploit her love for Caroline, her need to be a protector for her friends, to get her to push herself." It might take more than a week but he had a feeling a motivated Bonnie Bennett would learn pretty quickly.
Perhaps he should explain the stakes to the girl, let her know the dangers that Caroline would face if she wasn't made to be truly immortal soon. Fear for a loved one always seemed to get people to do what he wanted rather quickly.
Kol knew better than to try and reason with Klaus when he was in this mindset, even if his brother needed to be smacked for his single mindedness. He'd do as Klaus asked, push the Bennett girl to her full potential, but it would be Klaus who would get to deal with Caroline's wrath if things turned sour.
And Kol had heard enough stories about Persephone's thirst for vengeance to know better than to get on her bad side. Baby vampire or not, he had a feeling that Caroline Forbes could be vicious when she wanted to be. "You're playing with fire, Nik."
Klaus didn't reply, simply turned his back on Kol again to look out at the garden while replaying Caroline's words about believing herself to be Persephone over in his head. It would all be worth it in the end.
The conversation with Bonnie had gone better than Caroline thought it would, helped ease away her fears that her friend would turn her back on her as well. But she wasn't stupid, she knew that Bonnie didn't really believe anything that she had told her. She could see the worry in her friend's eyes, the distrust that seemed to creep up whenever Klaus' name had been mentioned. It wasn't so much that Bonnie didn't believe her, more that her friend seemed to be convinced that Klaus was manipulating the situation somehow.
And part of Caroline thought that too, though not in the way that Bonnie was thinking.
Her head hurt after their talk, the walls of the house feeling like they were closing in on her. So Caroline had headed downstairs and away from the voices she could hear in the mansion. Klaus was talking to someone but she wasn't sure who, the male's voice vaguely familiar but not Kol's. Someone who had been there when Stefan had kidnapped her though, she was sure of that.
She lingered in the sunroom for a few moments, breathing in Klaus' lingering scent before making her way outside into the garden. Before being there had overwhelmed her, brought on an onslaught of memories she hadn't wanted to acknowledge. Now though she longed for the peace she remembered feeling when she had been surrounded by flowers.
Flower names had never been Caroline's strong suit. She'd known the ones she liked but as she walked along the cobblestones of the pathway that led further into the sanctuary words she hadn't known before sprung into her mind, the flowers old names rolling off her tongue as she whispered them.
It was a welcomed respite to walk outside, the feeling of stone and grass beneath her feet as she traveled to the heart of the garden. There was a beautifully carved stone bench at the side, a small pond that had a waterfall built into it. Caroline sat at the edge, watching the fish swim around, listened to the sounds of nature that surrounded her, pushing out the rest of the noise that lay just beyond it.
She lay down on the ground and stared up at the cloudless sky, taking in the different hues of blue that she could see as the earth seemed to settle around her. Her fingers drew along the damp soil that lay close to the water's edge, body practically screaming to feel the roots that would be underneath. But that familiar feeling was gone, leaving an emptiness that she couldn't quite shake as she stilled her hand.
Caroline closed her eyes, not wanting anymore sadness to seep into her bones. There was already enough there because of everything with her mother. She wouldn't let the peace she'd found in this garden be tainted because she couldn't do what she was once capable of, even if she couldn't help but long for that ability.
"It takes time," Klaus started, and she looked up, surprised to find the hybrid standing beside her. Though he wasn't looking at her yet, staring off into the distance instead. "To move on from not being able to do certain things. Though I have a feeling it'll be a bit harder for you with this world so full of life." The world he'd never been able to share with her before when they'd been forced to live apart for a few months every year. "I lucked out and was able to carve out my own kingdom above ground this time." One made through force and manipulation, blood sealing it to him and his family. "The flowers may not talk to you anymore, Caroline, but you'll find beauty in other places in this world."
She couldn't stop looking at him, not even when he sat down beside her, breath catching as his fingers brushed along her arm. "There are cities that I think you'll love. Art and music that you've yet to experience in this small town that's been holding you back for far too long, love," Klaus continued, enjoying the way she reacted to his touch, the glimpse of wonder and longing he could see in her face as she watched him. "There is so much for you to discover and learn. Languages and foods for you to try out, to let roll around your tongue and decide which you like best. The world is ours for the taking. "
Caroline froze at that last part, the pretty picture Klaus had been painting for her turning dark and smattered with blood. How had he carved out a kingdom? How many had died in his conquest to unlock his werewolf side, to unlock her memories. "Ours for the taking no matter who might get screwed over in the end?" she asked as she pushed herself up, swatting away his touch. Her body protested that, missing his caress as soon as it was gone.
His lips twisted into a smirk at that, though there was no mirth to it. "Your perception will shift in time, Caroline. We're not human. Your mindset is still entrenched in their line of thinking, the rights and wrongs that belong to their society."
"Our society," Caroline protested, not understanding how he could see a difference between them. "You were human once, weren't you?" At least Klaus had been. Not so much Hades.
"We evolved," Klaus replied with a careless shrug. "They're nothing more than food, sweetheart. A cattleman might take care of his cows, ensure that they have the appropriate food, water and shelter, ensure that they're happy. But in the end he'll still send them to the slaughter."
Caroline didn't think she could feel more disgusted than she was in that moment, shifting away when he reached out to touch her hair. That was definitely not allowed to happen after what he'd just said. "Seriously?" How could he show such little regard for life after having just told her about how beautiful and captivating the world was? "I cannot even begin to list how many things are completely wrong with what you just said because I am pretty sure if I start that I will never stop."
She pushed herself up from the ground, shuddering at the list that was already forming in her mind. "Feel free to talk to me again once you've figured out why what you said is completely and utterly ridiculous," she told him before quickly walking away.
So much for enjoying the garden.
Klaus watched her go, not entirely certain what he'd said to spark such annoyance from her. He'd simply been stating facts, giving her a glimpse into the vampire mindset. Clearly Mystic Falls hadn't helped her at all with anything related to what she had become. It was aggravating how in some ways she seemed to know so little about their kind. Especially when the Salvatores had over a hundred years to their name. What had they been teaching her?
His eyes narrowed at her easy dismissal of him, the serenity of being able to watch her in the light of day, among the flowers she'd once loved so brightly dissipating quickly. Anger filled him, a rage he couldn't take out on her, and yet one he'd never been able to quell all that well. When he hurt he wanted others to feel his pain and the small town was as good a place as any to start. He'd burn the place to the ground to appease the rage that was burning inside of him if he didn't know that it would only further annoy Caroline.
The sound of laughter coming from behind him only increased his anger and he was standing in a flash, ready to behead whoever dared make fun of him when he spotted his sister. She was shaking her head as she approached him and he grimaced, standing a little taller as he looked at her with unbridled disgust.
"A thousand years and that's how you're going to woo her over, Nik?" Rebekah asked, not even bothering to hide her amusement as she ignored his pointed look. "She's a baby, or have you forgotten that? Not even a year since she's been turned if all Kol told me is correct. Her mindset is still vastly human and considering how sheltered this travesty of a town is I doubt she's had much to push her into seeing too far beyond it." Which was a pity. Hopefully the girl wouldn't balk at the list of fashion tips she had ready to share with her. Caroline's style was decent, for a girl from a small Virginian town, but it was hardly on par with the aristocracy she was joining. "And here you are likening the people she loves to cattle?"
It was a riot and sadly not at all off base for her brother to do. All of the Mikaelsons had a superiority complex; it was hard not to when you were the top of the food chain, having watched numerous empires become nothing but dust in their years on earth. Add in the whole god reborn thing and the newly awakened werewolf side and Klaus' arrogance would only be heightened.
"She needs to learn, Rebekah. The sooner the better. You know precisely what happens to those who hold on to the misguided belief that humans are anything but food and entertainment," Klaus reminded, not at all liking the lecture from his sister. He'd seen countless vampires buckle under the guilt of a kill in those first few years or burn themselves out in all of the chaos. Neither was allowed to happen with Caroline.
"How many of the stories that you used to share about Persephone portrayed her as ridiculously stubborn? Do you think Caroline is any different?" Rebekah might have only glimpsed the girl, heard a few new tidbits from Kol, but she could tell that trait had definitely continued on. "Force our beliefs on her and she'll only push back, creating even more distance between you two." And while that could be amusing to watch for awhile it'd become a nuisance soon enough.
Klaus pressed his lips together at that, hating that Rebekah was right. The harder he tried to make Caroline see things his way the more she'd stubbornly refuse to do so, holding onto beliefs that no longer fit into her world. He needed to coax it out of her, slowly show her the decadence and beauty of her new life, get her to relish in what she'd become. But that would take patience and time and his ability to give either of those things was beginning to wane.
A thousand years he'd waited and now that he had her there in his sights she was still out of reach. It was maddening.
"And what do you suggest, sister?" Klaus asked, even as the wheels started turning in his head, hundreds of different scenarios spreading out before him.
"I suppose it's a good thing that you want me to befriend her." Rebekah grinned as she walked forward, stopping briefly to touch his shoulder. She'd steer Caroline in the right direction. It'd help that the girl hadn't seen her monster just yet, it'd be easier to manipulate her into partaking in the various activities she'd slowly drag her into that way. "Tell me I'm your favorite."
Klaus pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, knowing that Rebekah would do her part and he'd work on seducing Caroline into their way of thinking in his own way as well. "I'm taking her shopping. Poor girl needs clothes that she at least thinks she's had some say in. Not whatever you procured for her," Rebekah continued as she walked away.
He waved her off, feeling a little more cheerful as he looked out at the garden again. The sound of Bonnie and Kol in the distance talking about her magical potential had his lips curling into a smirk. His plans might be shifting a bit, but it would all work out in the end. He finally found Caroline again, nothing would stop Klaus from keeping her.