Caroline goes to New Orleans to look for Klaus but meets Marcel first. -Please don't attack me for the dialogue. I grew up in the south. I however did not grow up in New Orleans and if I made it sound to 'bama let me know.

The building didn't seem like anything much, just melting into the multitude of colorful Creole townhomes along the crowded street. Caroline shrugged her shoulders, just desperate to be out of the humidity and leave the pungent stench of human sweat to the streets of the sweltering summer night. Stepping inside she quickly eyed the dark bar searching for him, but he wasn't there. Huffing in frustration she decided she might as well get a drink out of the trip and sauntered over to the bar with her chin in the air.

Hot gazes her thrown her way by the varying men at their tables, beady eyes boring into the back of Caroline's head as she popped up onto a bar stool. The bartender gave a short smile of surprise at seeing the beautiful young girl sitting in front of him, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Wha'it gonna be missy?" his drawled voice hanging thick with a heavy accent.

Caroline twisted a curl for a minute, "Scotch please."

A man came up and casually leaned against the bar next to Caroline. "Now isn't yer momma gonna be wonderin' where her pretty little girl gone off and run to?" he slurred out with a cocky grin.

Caroline meant to eye the man with a disdainful scowl but the minute she turned her head to look at him all scornful thoughts stopped. The man screamed sex from his sun tanned skin to the layers of dark hair framing his stubbled face and deep dark eyes. He was old New Orleans with the Spanish and French blood in him. The stupid cocky grin reminded her of Klaus; it was same damn assuming manner. The man's eyes were twinkling with mischief as he tipped back his beer to his lips.

"A young lady such as yourself shouldn't be around here. You'd best run on home before ya getcha into trouble," he went on arrogantly.

The old bartender stiffened at his place behind the bar, holding Caroline's drink in his hand. He looked from the man to Caroline with a slight nervous tick. It was clear the bartender wanted to say something but his voice was caught in his throat. Caroline instantly hated the man next her for scaring off the bartender. Why was it that all good looking men she met could be such jerks?

Sweetly smiling at the attractive man then snapping into a frown she spat out, "I'm much older than you think, in fact too old for you. Now go away, please."

The mischief dropped from the man's eyes into a cold stare and he leaned dangerously close into Caroline's face, his hot breath tickling her skin. The bar had gone dead silent watching the interaction between the two and Caroline held her face in the harsh scowl not afraid of him. His brown eyes narrowed but Caroline wasn't having it. She did not handle men who thought they could walk all over her and felt her fangs itch to break loose and show the guy a thing or two.

"This is my place honey and when I say leave, I mean it. There are rules around my city and if ya ain't gonna follow them then ya best be goin'."

He voice was a deadly whisper and all Caroline wanted to do was punch him in the face. But she breathed in the faint smell unique to vampires and shot her eyes down to the man's chest and heard no heartbeat. The man winked up at Caroline at her dawning realization that she just pissed off some vampire who was probably years older than her.

"Marcel."

Caroline spun in her chair in surprise at the familiar voice to see Klaus standing against the pillar by the pool table. She had never been so relieved in all her life to see him. Klaus' demeanor was casual but Caroline recognized the dark threat in his eyes. He shrugged off the pillar with lazy ease, striding up to them with such authority that even Marcel sunk in for a moment. Klaus came to the other side of Caroline resting one hand possessively on the small of her back pulling her into him.

"Love, what my uncouth friend here failed to do was introduce himself. May I present Marcel Jamet my protégé and self-proclaimed king of the French Quarter," Klaus icily stated. He raised his fingers to the bartender, the man finally giving Caroline her drink.

Marcel bent forward in a mock bow, "Welcome to Nor'lins. You must be Miss Caroline Forbes."

He moved to kiss her hand but between the searing looks from both Klaus and her he backed off and went back to sipping his beer as if nothing happened. Throwing money down on the bar for Caroline's drink, Klaus quickly ushered her back outside into the sticky humid night.

Caroline hooked her hand around his arm, not sure what to do. It was the first time she had seen Klaus is seven years and this was not the reunion she envisioned. She had wanted to met him at the bar, flirt a little and then race off to some dark corner to have her way with him. Instead he was stiff and seething and she was pretty sure he was trying not to go back into the bar and rip out Marcel's heart.

She rolled her eyes unwilling to deal with his drama. Pulling him away from the sea of people on the brightly lit streets into a cramped dark alley she asked, "What's wrong?"

Klaus' face finally stopped clenching, the rigidness melting into a relaxed grin. The soft glow of the street lights filtered through highlighting his strong features as he reached out a hand to Caroline's cheek. "I almost thought you wouldn't come love," he paused for a minute before continuing, "Marcel knew who you were the minute you walked into the bar, he was testing you."

Caroline scoffed, "Testing me? What on earth for, he has no right to judge me?"

She hated when people did that, especially vampires because that usually meant getting kicked out of town. Klaus smirked, "He needed to see if you survive around here and you passed with flying colors."

Caroline smirked before dazzling him with a smile, "Of course I did, and this is me we're talking about."

Klaus gave her another smug grin before offering his arm again, "Come now, and let me show you New Orleans properly. I have so many plans for you."

The heat in his eyes as he said the last bit melted Caroline's insides with the hidden promise for later, something she really wanted. Taking his arm and letting him lead her back out into the crowd, Caroline knew meeting Marcel was not going to ruin her night.