Caroline was standing in front of the fireplace, facing the Originals as she told them about the plan she had conducted. She had glanced at Elijah for a second and saw something change in his posture. He turned his head lightly to the side as if he was listening for something and without meaning to, Caroline widened her senses to listen for the sound, Elijah was apparently hearing.
"… your help. Can you come up here?" Hayley's voice rang in her ears and once again Caroline felt a stone fall to the pit of her stomach. Elijah met her eyes instantly and he knew that she had heard what he had. The others quickly noticed the weird tension between the two but before anyone could say anything, Caroline beat them to it.
"So Hayley is here." she said with a voice that didn't sound like her own. She could clearly hear how her attempt to be cheerful and curious failed and it instead sounded like she was out of breath. Klaus' eyes shifted from Elijah and back to her and she saw how the whole of his body stiffened.
"I believe that is our cue to leave." Elijah said in a calm voice as he stood up from the sofa and started walking out of the room. He turned around in the doorway, when he realised that his sister hadn't moved. Rebekah was still sitting in the sofa, her eyes shifting between Caroline and Klaus, with a devilish smile on her face.
"Rebekah." Elijah warned her with a firm voice that made his sister sigh loudly before she got up and followed her brother. They closed the doors behind them as they left and Klaus and Caroline were suddenly alone. Caroline couldn't get herself to look at him and an awkward silence covered the room.
"Caroline…" Klaus started with a voice that sounded… sad? He moved from the fireplace, where he had been standing behind her to stand in front of her and the only thing Caroline could do, was smile at him.
"I already knew, actually. How long has she been here?" Caroline said and heard how her attempt to sound cheerful failed. For some reason, she couldn't get herself to ask how long they had been together.
"Who told you?" Klaus asked with a low voice without answering her question. There was something in his eyes that looked angry. Why was it important who told her?
"Uhm… Tyler did. Hayley called him and said she was here." Caroline said and immediately regretted it when she saw the look in his eyes. Why was he so angry?
"I told her not to…"Klaus said through his teeth, cutting his sentence in half. He was staring at the ceiling and Caroline realised that he was angry with Hayley.
This doesn't make any sense.
"I'm sorry, love." Klaus continued and now it was Caroline's turn to feel angry. Was he really going to apologize for being with Hayley? Perhaps it was the phone call he was apologizing for, which was just as ludicrous.
"It's not your fault that she called him, is it? Besides, you don't owe me any explanation. So you and Hayley are together? Didn't see that coming but you are free to do as you please, Klaus. Really." Caroline said and did her best to sound okay with it all. She even managed to send him and smile that told him that exact thing but something in his eyes confused her.
He was looking at her, seemingly confused by her words. Then a small smile appeared on his lips as soon as he understood what she was talking about. The second after the smile disappeared and instead he sent her a look full of regret.
What the hell is going on?
"What did Tyler tell you, love?"
"That Hayley was with you. But we didn't really talk about it. Other… things got in the way." Caroline said with hesitation as she thought of the fight they had had afterwards. She wasn't going to tell Klaus about that.
"Caroline, love, I am not with Hayley. I've been with her once, when we were both very drunk." Klaus told and once again Caroline saw the regret in his eyes. She really didn't need to know about his one night stands, though. She knew he wasn't living in celibacy but that didn't mean that she wanted to hear about his nightly escapades. They weren't that good friends.
"Klaus, you really don't have to explain anything. Actually, I'd be glad if you didn't." Caroline said with a forced smile on her lips. She noticed how Klaus took a deep breath and suddenly realised that he was nervous. What the hell was going on?
"She became with child, Caroline." he said slowly, looking into her eyes to see if she understood him. Suddenly Caroline's world was spinning. Her first reaction was to laugh but when she saw how serious he was, her smile disappeared.
"But… that's… Vampires can't… we can't procreate. That's impossible." Caroline said and turned her back on Klaus. She placed her hand on her forehead and then spun around when it hit her seconds later.
"But you're a werewolf too. And werewolves can procreate, can't they? Oh my God. I can't believe this. You're a dad?" Caroline said, her voice full of disbelief and yet Klaus' face told her that she was right.
"When is she…?" Caroline couldn't continue the sentence but she knew that Klaus understood her.
"Two days ago." Klaus replied dryly.
"So this is why you were out of town?! Wow… Wait. If she has just given birth… Was this why you went to New Orleans in the first place? You already knew at my graduation, didn't you? I can't believe this. Why didn't you tell me?" Caroline could hear the rambling but didn't care. This was overwhelming and impossible. Caroline realised that she was actually happy that this was why Hayley was here.
"I was afraid you were going to hate me more than you already do." Klaus said and Caroline could hear anger in his voice. But there was something behind his rage, a fragility that he tried to hide from her. The smile that had somehow appeared on her face faded and Caroline took a step closer to Klaus, who was looking away from her and out of the windows.
"I don't hate you." Caroline told him in a low voice, making him look at her with a spark in his eyes. Caroline had no idea how she felt about Klaus but she knew she didn't hate him anymore. She had meant what she said about forgiving him even though she could never forget what he had done. But Caroline had decided to stop punishing him for it.
"Look, I've have no right to get mad at you for this and you have to stop thinking like that. We aren't… I mean, this isn't… Just stop, okay?" Caroline continued as she started walking back and forth between him and the coffee table between the sofas. In the end, Caroline sat down on the low coffee table and looked at him. His face was completely blank and Caroline had no idea what he was thinking.
A heavy silence fell over the room and Caroline sighed as Klaus remained silent, just staring at something behind her. "Boy or girl?" Caroline asked curiously to break the silence. Klaus eyes quickly shifted from whatever he was looking at to her and Caroline saw how uncomfortable he suddenly became.
Like it or not, you're going to talk about this with me.
"Boy. Henrik Mikaelson." Klaus said and crossed his arms in front of him. There was something almost cute about this not-in-control-Klaus and Caroline had to stop herself from smiling.
"You named him after your brother. That's nice." Caroline didn't quite know how to react to this information. She didn't know that Klaus could that sentimental to name his son after his dead brother.
Klaus could clearly see what she was thinking and a small smile appeared on his lips as he interrupted her thoughts. "I haven't changed that much, love. Rebekah insisted very loudly."
"But you have changed?" Caroline asked and sent him a curious look. His arms shifted from being in front of him to their normal position behind his back as their conversation moved away from the baby drama. For some reason he would rather talk about whether or not he was still a psychopathic mass murderer than about his own child.
His old charming smile was on his lips again as he leaned his body towards her and said with a low voice: "I'll let you be the judge of that."
"Your son. That is why you agreed to help the witches. He and Hayley was the leverage. How many times did you threaten to kill Hayley before you gave in?" Caroline asked with a smirk on her face. If he wanted her to be the judge, she certainly would.
Klaus' body posture once again showed his discomfort and the smile was gone. Instead of answering, he just repeated a question he had asked her a long time ago: "You really think that low of me, love?"
"How many times?" Caroline repeated as she crossed her legs and sent him a waiting look. When he finally answered, he wasn't looking at her and a little hope spurred inside Caroline. Maybe he even regretted doing it.
"Once, when I found out about the child. I told the witches that they could kill her. I wasn't going to let them force me into doing anything. I am the hybrid, love. Nobody…"
"… forces your hand. Yeah, I haven't forgotten the time you screamed that at me." Caroline interrupted and a dark expression appeared on Klaus' face. Before he managed to say anything, Caroline stood up and clapped her hands together. "So where is the puppy?"
"Pardon me, love?" Klaus said with a confused look in his eyes as the darkness in his eyes slipped away.
"Your son. I want to see him." Caroline stated and smiled at Klaus. By the look he gave her, it was clear he didn't like the idea but Caroline was stubborn. "Caroline…" Klaus started but Caroline just stood up and opened the doors to the hall. She walked to the foot of the stairs but stopped when Klaus suddenly was standing right in front of her.
Caroline duck around him and sped to the second floor, where Hayley's voice had come from. She wasn't exactly thrilled about meeting the werewolf slut but it was Hayley's son too so she probably couldn't avoid it. Caroline found a long hall with doors on both sides of it and stopped to listen after the sound of Hayley or the baby.
Before Caroline could move down the hall and find Hayley, she was pinned against the wall by Klaus, who was looking at her with a distressed look in his eyes. He was grabbing her shoulders, pushing her against the wall and Caroline felt the irritation spread inside her.
"Seriously?! What is wrong with you? Why won't you let me see him?" Caroline asked with a high voice. This was just plain weird. It was not like she was going to eat the baby. Klaus didn't answer her and slowly he let go of her and followed her down the hall.
Without knocking, Caroline opened the second door on left and entered what probably was the nursery. On the white walls someone had painted lots of flying birds in all sorts of colours and the shadow of a boy was sitting, leaning against the doorframe, looking at the birds.
Did Klaus do all this? Well, probably not. He hasn't changed that much.
The thought of Klaus painting the nursery like a normal parent made Caroline smile more than it should and she quickly placed her focus elsewhere. There was a big window at the opposite wall of the door, facing Royal Street like the ones in the living room. A beautiful light blue cradle was placed by the right wall and not far from it was a one-man bed with unmade covers.
Hayley was sitting in an armchair placed in the left corner, next to the window, of the small room with a child in her arms. She looked at them, surprised by their entry and her look told Caroline that she was more surprised to see Klaus than Caroline.
"Caroline." was all Hayley said as she sent Caroline a not-happy-to-see-you smile. Caroline tilted her head and returned the smile.
"Hayley. You look like crap." Caroline said with a sweet voice and crossed her arms in front of her. In meantime Klaus had moved around her and was standing in front of the window, looking out.
"Well, I just popped out a baby. What's your excuse?" Hayley replied with the same voice and a nauseating smile. Caroline rolled her eyes before fixing them on the child. The boy looked peaceful in Hayley's arm and his eyes were wide open as he stared at the ceiling.
"How's Tyler?" Hayley asked with a voice that sounded both genuinely curious and slight mocking. Caroline knew that even though it all had been an act, Hayley had had feelings for Tyler. Caroline had felt in the air every time they were near each other. And it was clear that Tyler was attracted to the wolf girl but then again, who wouldn't be?
Klaus must be attracted to her too… But who cares?
Caroline glanced at Klaus' back and saw how his muscles tensed underneath his shirt. After all these months, he still hated Tyler and Caroline couldn't help but roll her eyes of his stubbornness. Then Caroline looked back at Hayley, took a step closer and leaned towards her with a smile and her lips.
"I thought you already knew?" Caroline said with an innocent voice and she saw how Hayley's eyes quickly moved from Caroline to Klaus and then back again to Caroline. A barely visible sign of fear crossed Hayley's face for a moment and Caroline suddenly regretted telling Klaus about her conversation with Tyler.
"Didn't I tell you not to talk about this to anyone?!" Klaus growled from his corner of the room with all the muscles in his body tensed. It was clear to see that he didn't want to come any closer to Hayley and she knew that.
"I didn't tell him about the baby thing, okay? Geez, relax. Besides, I only have Elijah to talk to and a couple of the witches. I'm an outgoing girl. I like people! And people actually like me!" Hayley replied with a hushed voice in order to not disturb the silent boy in her arms. Caroline heard her words from the night of the Mikaelson's ball repeated and suddenly felt like running out of the room as fast as she could. She felt Klaus' eyes on her but she didn't meet them.
"Tyler says hi, by the way." Caroline said in an attempt to get them to calm down. She didn't really like saying it in front of Klaus but she had promised Tyler and she wasn't sure whether or not she was going to see Hayley again in the nearest future. "I promised him that I would say it, so there. It's done."
"Thank you." Hayley said and she clearly meant it. This time she sent Caroline a genuine smile before turning her focus to her son momentarily. Klaus was looking away again, out of the window, but the tension in his muscles wasn't letting go.
"So can I come closer or are you going to snap my neck like the last time we saw each other?" Caroline asked with her head tilted to the side. A strange sound escaped Klaus but he didn't move or look at them so Caroline turned her attention back to Hayley.
"Yeah, I would say that I'm sorry about that, but I'm not. And you don't seem to be either." Hayley said with a mischievous look in her eyes. Caroline knew what she meant but wasn't going to give her any satisfaction by reacting. If Hayley hadn't snapped Caroline's neck and told him about the hybrids, Klaus might have been laying in a coffin, trapped in Rebekah's body.
Everything would have been so different.
Caroline was about to say something about the twelve hybrids that Hayley had lured in a trap, just to be killed when she remembered her own murder of the twelve witches. It was Caroline who had made it possible for Silas to remove the veil to the other side by creating the last hotspot.
Well, that is something I have in common with Klaus. How nice. We both killed twelve persons within minutes.
"We all go a little mad sometimes." Caroline just said, giving Klaus a sideway look as she moved closer to Hayley and the child. She could sense Klaus' confusion but ignored it and put all her attention on the boy in Hayley's arms. Caroline bent her knees to level with Hayley and slowly, she reached out to touch the boy.
His skin was softer than anything Caroline ever had touched and she realised that she hadn't touched a baby since she became a vampire. With just one stroke of his cheek, she could almost feel how everything inside the boy was slowly growing and evolving. She looked at Hayley with lights in her eyes.
"He's beautiful." Caroline stated and she received a smile from Hayley. The wolf girl probably wasn't mother material but she clearly loved her son and Caroline felt how her disdain for Hayley disappeared a little.
"If you want to hold him, please take him. My arms are getting heavy." Hayley said, not seeming to think about that she was handing over her baby to a predatory vampire. Not that Caroline would ever hurt Henrik, but she wasn't sure she would have done the same if she was Hayley.
If I were Hayley... That's a weird thought. Then I would be the mother to Klaus' child. That's just freaky.
Caroline glanced at Klaus for a moment to see how he would react to her carrying the child but he just kept staring out of the window, like he was forcing himself not to look at her.
Slowly, Caroline reached out for the boy and with a hand behind his head, she cradled him in her arms. The child was looking at her with what looked as surprise in his green eyes and Caroline smiled as she realised why those eyes were so familiar. But before she could stop herself, Caroline looked at Klaus and said:
"He has your eyes."
Klaus turned around to look at her with a bleak expression on his face but it seemed to change as soon as he laid his eyes on her. Caroline had no idea what was going on inside the hybrid's head but something in his eyes almost seemed… moved.
"What a lucky guy." Hayley said sarcastically as she rose from the armchair. Caroline turned to look at Hayley that was now moving towards the door but she could feel Klaus' eyes on her. Before closing the door after her, Hayley looked at them and said:
"Excuse me but I will go find Elijah down in the kitchen and get something to eat because I'm hungry as hell. And now that daddy's here, I'm sure you can handle him yourself." She nodded towards the baby and sent Klaus a teasing smile as she left. Caroline turned away from the door to face Klaus but she was interrupted by her phone that started buzzing loudly in her pocket.
She quickly moved towards Klaus to give him the child but it was written all over his face that it was a bad idea. Caroline sent him are-you-kidding-me look before turning her pocket with the phone towards him.
"Can you take it?" Caroline asked and Klaus quickly moved behind her and ducked his hand down the pocket of her jacket. Caroline couldn't help but bless herself for not placing it in the pocket of her jeans. She prepared to answer the phone, thinking that Klaus would hold to her ear but instead the Original answered for her.
"Jeremy. Welcome back from the dead, mate." Klaus said as he answered Caroline's phone with a condescending look on his face. He was clearly still mad at Jeremy for killing his brother, Kol, and she couldn't really blame Klaus even though Jeremy and Elena had had no choice.
"Klaus? Where is Caroline?" Jeremy answered in the other end with a cautious voice. Klaus smirked at Caroline and then answered Jeremy's question with a relaxed voice:
"I've killed her. She talks too much."
Caroline immediately stepped closer to Klaus, who was just smiling at her as they both sensed Jeremy's panic through the phone. "Don't be such a douche! Jeremy, I'm right here." Caroline spoke into the phone that Klaus was still holding towards his ear.
"Why didn't you pick up yourself?" Jeremy asked Caroline confused. Caroline looked at Klaus and suddenly realised how close they were to each other. The only thing between them was the boy in Caroline's arm who seemed to be staring at his father. Klaus' eyes were fixed on the child for a second before looking at Caroline, who quickly took a step back.
"Caroline's hands are full at the moment." Klaus answered for her and once again looked down at the baby.
"Put in on speaker." Caroline said to Klaus, who pressed the speaker icon on the screen and placed the phone in the window.
"Hey Jeremy, you're on speaker. What's up?" Caroline said and moved closer to the phone and Klaus, who was standing next to it.
"Is Klaus still there?" Jeremy asked, again sounding cautious. It was like Jeremy was a bit scared that Klaus would actually be able to kill him through the phone.
"Yes." Caroline sighed and Klaus looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Is that a good idea?" Jeremy asked, making Klaus smile. The hybrid was clearly scaring Elena's brother and he enjoyed it.
"Don't worry. We're like one big family here." Caroline said and sent Klaus a smile that made his disappear. His jaw clenched slightly and he sent a warning look. Caroline just rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to the phone in the window.
"Okay… We've been trying to find another Bennett witch to do the spell and channel the Bennett blood-line and then Bonnie remembered that her cousin Lucy might be able to help. You remember the witch that Katherine brought with her to the masquerade ball that time we tried to kill her? Well, we think we found Lucy in Seville in Spain but we haven't been able to contact her. Bonnie says that she is a powerful witch and that we need her help to take out Silas." Jeremy told and Caroline couldn't help but exchange a look with Klaus, who could see the worry in her eyes.
It was clear that ghost-Bonnie had helped Jeremy, who could talk to her but Jeremy almost spoke as if Caroline's former best friend was still alive and Caroline knew how unhealthy that was. She hoped that Bonnie realised that too and let Jeremy live his life with the living.
"How is Bonnie?" Caroline asked with a caring voice. She missed her best friend more than she could say with words and the only person, who could comfort her, was missing too. Klaus answered before Jeremy could and received a mad look from Caroline:
"She's dead, love. You shouldn't even be able to ask such a question." he told her with a careful voice. Caroline saw how he slowly lifted his one arm before letting it drop again. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment before Jeremy interrupted them.
"Uhm… Kol is here too. He's annoying the crap out of me." Jeremy said with hesitation in his voice. Klaus' look quickly snapped back to the phone and a devilish smile appeared on his lips.
"Then perhaps I won't have to kill you myself. Kol will probably take care of that. Your own little Hunter's curse. How ironic." Klaus said and ignored the second mad look he received from Caroline.
"It actually isn't that bad. Bonnie keeps him in check. It's like they've bonded, somehow. Seriously freaky." Jeremy said through the phone, startling both Caroline and Klaus. Bonnie and Kol? What the hell was her dead ass thinking?
You're the one to talk? You're standing in a nursery alone with Klaus, holding his son in your arms, and you haven't yelled at each other for like ten minutes…
Caroline could almost hear Bonnie inside her head and unconsciously, she looked behind her as if she expected her friend to be standing in the room.
Both Caroline and Klaus were speechless as they tried to understand what Jeremy had said. Before they were able to talk again, Jeremy continued:
"I have a message from Kol by the way. He wanted me to tell Klaus that he finds his new situation very amusing. He said that you would know what he meant." Jeremy sounded confused and Caroline knew that he was probably waiting for an explanation he wasn't going to get. Klaus was now staring at the phone with a wild look in his eyes. Even in his dead, Kol really understood how to poke to his brother the right places.
Henrik had a tight grip of her index finger but Caroline slowly and very carefully loosened his small hand to place a hand on Klaus' arm. He looked like he was about to break the phone and Caroline needed him to calm down. His eyes immediately moved from the phone to her hand and Caroline removed it as soon as felt that he was calming down.
"It's nothing, Jeremy. Have you told Elena and Damon about Lucy?" Caroline said before changing the topic back to Bonnie's cousin.
"Yes. But they can't leave to find her because of Silas. I think he know that we're up to something. I think he noticed that you're gone so he's started haunting Damon again." Jeremy said with a worried voice. Caroline knew that Jeremy felt the same way about his sister's relationship to Damon as Caroline did but Damon had a habit of growing on you and Jeremy was beginning to care for the vampire.
"What are we going to do then?" Caroline said with hopelessness in her voice. She looked at Klaus and saw to her surprise that he was smiling.
"Don't worry, mate. I will secure the witch's help. Just sent all information you have on the Bennett witch to Caroline and then we'll take care of it." Klaus told Jeremy as he looked at Caroline, still smiling. Caroline was confused and based on Klaus' amusement; it was present in her face.
"Okay… I'll send it to your phone, Caroline." Jeremy said with hesitation in his voice. It was clear that he didn't trust Klaus but Caroline hadn't objected and he chose to trust her.
"Thank you, Jeremy. Can you tell your sister?" Caroline said and turned her eyes from a still smiling Klaus to the phone.
"Of course… By the way, I've talked to Tyler." Jeremy said and Caroline wondered if he had forgotten all about Klaus being in the room. Caroline looked at the Original and saw how his smile disappeared as he turned to look out of the window once more. Caroline shook her head and answered Jeremy.
"How is he? Nothing has happened to him, right?" Caroline worried. She still loved Tyler even though they weren't together and she was afraid that Silas had gotten to him in order to find out what they were up to.
"He is fine, Caroline. He told me what happened between you. I'm sorry." Jeremy said and it was clear that he meant it. Tyler and Jeremy had had their issue with all the fighting over Vicky but after Tyler had lost his father, they'd started becoming friends. Tyler probably didn't have anyone else to talk with about their break-up and Caroline was glad Jeremy was there.
Caroline noticed the change in Klaus' body as soon as he realised something bad had happened between them. She kept her eyes on the phone but she could feel his stare as she answered Jeremy.
"I probably overreacted a bit. But that wasn't why we broke up. It just didn't work anymore." Caroline told Jeremy, not knowing why she was talking to Elena's baby brother about her boy troubles.
"He told me you tried to squeeze his head off? I would've paid money to see that, you know." Jeremy said while laughing. A weird noise escaped Klaus and looking at him, it was clear that he trying hard not to laugh. Caroline sent him an angry look that only seemed to make it worse.
"Yeah, but I didn't so let's just leave it at that. Say hi to your sister for me, okay? Bye, Jeremy." Caroline hurried in an attempt to end the conversation so she could kick Klaus' ass.
"Bye, Care."
As soon as he hang up, Klaus started laughing and Caroline moved closer to him while pointing at him with angry look on her face.
"You don't get to laugh at this! Don't laugh!" Caroline said with a firm voice as she watched Klaus' trying to control himself. It was just like prom night, where he had laughed at her problems with Elena, who stole her dress.
"No. I'm sorry, love." Klaus said but he was still not able to control his laughter.
"Stop laughing! I swear I will throw you out of that window if you don't stop right now." Caroline threatened and the hybrid finally managed to compose himself enough to just smile at her. Caroline rolled her eyes and moved away from him as she looked down at the boy in her arms. She was a bit surprised to see that he had fallen asleep amidst it all and smiled at the sight of his chest moving heavily up and down.
"I am sorry, Caroline." Klaus said behind her with seriousness in his voice. Caroline turned to face him and saw that his smile had disappeared. She knew that he wasn't sorry about their break-up, more about the emotional distress it might had caused her. Caroline just looked at him and nodded. She decided to switch topic.
"So what exactly are we going to do about Lucy?" she asked and narrowed her eyes while looking at him. The smile once again appeared on his lips and he stepped as close as he could to Caroline. She realised that Klaus had forgotten all about the boy in her arms but she wasn't going to remind him. He needed to learn how to be around his own son without being all stiff and angry.
"Vamos a España, mi amor." Klaus whispered to her in perfect Spanish and Caroline felt her heart fill with excitement.
A/N: Hope the long chapter wasn't too much at once;)
So the infamous baby has arrived. And I know it might be a girl in TO, but remember that this story is not canon!
If you're one of those who hate the baby plot (I don't know what to feel about it myself - I think it could be brilliant or go horribly wrong), not to worry because this is not a story about Klaroline parenting and the baby will not be important for the plot.
Tell me what you think! Your reviews make my day, every single one of them!