Yes, I'm back! Your eyes aren't deceiving you. I've had a few requests to update especially from the awesome accidental-rambler and katieb373 so thought it was the least I could do. It's also pretty timely with the looming American and Australian elections at the moment.

Southern Comfort

Chapter 11: Justice and Independence

4 July 2016 - 127 Days until the US General Election

"I never thought when I loaned you my car yesterday morning things would be so eventful," Lexi whistled. "Nothing ever happens in Jefferson."

"Well, I'd hardly call that eventful," Katherine commented, dipping her finger in the cake batter Lexi was mixing. "A car breakdown and one medical emergency would barely garner attention in L.A."

"Hey, if you keep doing that we'll never have a cake, Katherine," Lexi chided, slapping her hand away. "You're worse than Emma."

"Well, you did wake me up at the crack of dawn, the least you could do is provide me with some sort of sustenance, Lexi."

"Is she always this charming?" She asked, turning to Caroline who was staring into space at the kitchen bench. "Hello, Caroline?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," she apologised. "What were you saying?"

"Forget it, looks like yesterday's events didn't just affect Elijah."

"Yeah, I think if anything the poison made him slightly more subdued and human for a while," Katherine muttered. "After they administered the anti venom he was back to his usual, cheerful self."

"He did thank you afterwards.

"Barely."

"I think if anything he was just a little bit embarrassed about what happened."

"Well, he needs to get over it, Care," she drawled. "People get sick all the time, trust me I know all about that."

"I'm starting to see the family resemblance between the brothers now," Lexi observed. "Emotionally inept…"

"Proud," Katherine offered.

"Arrogant," Caroline agreed. "Although surprisingly Nik is possibly not a complete write off."

"Excuse me?" Lexi baulked. "Have I missed something?"

"While Elijah was battling a snake and I was attempting to change a tire those two were bonding in the car."

"We weren't bonding."

"Well, from what I could tell at the hospital, the atmosphere had defrosted since your last meeting."

"We talked."

"And?" Katherine and Lexi both asked. Caroline thought having one nosy person interrogating her was bad enough.

"We've reached a truce, I guess you could say."

"What does that mean?" They both asked, again in unison, causing her to reel backwards in her chair. Gee this was a tough crowd.

"He admitted he liked me, kind of apologized for being an arrogant ass and then Katherine decided to call and interrupt the moment."

"How could you, Katherine?"

"Next time I'll remember that budding romance comes before medical emergencies," she quipped. "So, what now? Are you going on a date?"

"We didn't really get chance to make plans, hospital waiting rooms aren't the best place for that kind of thing."

"Someone's making excuses I think," Lexi suggested, looking to Katherine.

"Oh definitely."

"What happened to you yelling at Kat for eating your cake batter earlier? Now suddenly you two are ganging up on me."

"We are just looking out for your best interests."

"Okay, you two are starting to freak me out with this whole talking in unison thing. How about we focus on this chocolate cake for the picnic this afternoon, as long as Katherine stops eating the mixture."

"It's not my fault I've never experienced proper home cooking," she grumbled.

"I cook…"

"No Caroline, you burn toast and I overcook frozen meals. Which is why we spend the majority of our time eating out in L.A."

"I think I have a few things to teach you," Lexi replied, raising her eyebrows judgmentally at them.

"Oh I see, the way to a a man's heart is through his stomach, right?"

"Not at all, Caroline, but burning toast is inexcusable, I'd be more than happy to give you a first-hand tutorial about the different levels of toasting. You'd be surprised; all it takes is the turn of a dial."

"Oh really?" She asked, her sarcasm thick. "I'll have you know our dial must have been broken."

"Yeah, sure it was," Katherine joked, sending Lexi a wink just as Emma appeared, the little girl was always one to make an entrance, this time in a red and white striped outfit. "Well, hello there Miss Emma. You look very pretty for the pageant." Her pouty expression was telling them she didn't quite feel the same.

"That's a bit of a sore subject," Lexi murmured. "Someone wanted to be a star and not a stripe."

"A pink star," she huffed. Of course she wanted to be dressed in pink, Caroline should have known.

"But you are one of the stripes that represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the very first states in the USA." Caroline explained but the little, five-year-old seemed unmoved, go figure.

"Yes, because I'm sure that argument will change her mind," Katherine added. "How about we go and find an outfit for after the pageant, Emma? I'm thinking very pink and very sparkly." Emma's little face lit up, nodding excitedly.

"Can I lick the bowl first though?"

"Next time honey, Katherine's already taken care of this one," Lexi teased. After they'd retired to Emma's room, Caroline had returned to her thoughts. Specifically, those concerning dark blonde curls, crimson lips and dimples.

"I'd know that face anywhere," Lexi observed, pouring the remnants of the cake batter into the baking tin. "You really like him."

"I don't," she hissed. "I'm just willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and realise that maybe he can be a proper, functioning human being."

Caroline wasn't one to back down, must have been all her political training and she certainly hadn't fully forgiven Nik for being an arrogant ass. His admission on the roadside was certainly welcome though. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt towards him was intense and if Katherine hadn't called who knows what would have happened? Of course they'd sprung into action to save Elijah and their conversation had been shelved for good reason. Even at the hospital though, they'd kept their distance.

"Oh okay," she drawled. "You realise denial isn't just a river in Egypt, right?"

"You and Matt even have the same lame jokes. Now enough about this, how can I help?"

"Please don't touch my cake," she said hurriedly, shielding her from it. "Don't you want to work on your outfit?"

"I'm not five or Katherine, for that matter," she joked, before looking at her casual jeans and white t-shirt combination self consciously. "Why is there something wrong with this? Do you want me to pull out my best Chanel for the occassion?"

"No, I just thought you might like to add some extra pink to your outfit and maybe that tiara Nik won for you."

"Haha," Caroline muttered. "So how exactly does Jefferson celebrate the 4th of July?"

"Well, you know about the parade and the picnic but the best part is the fireworks in town square."

"So town will be busy? I'm figuring this is the perfect opportunity to distribute those Matt Donovan shopping bags and I think that small business flyer would make a perfect accompaniment inside."

"Always electioneering."

"I prefer to refer to it as soft campaigning."

"Do you ever think about anything else but work?"

"Not when I have an election to win, Lexi," she replied, busily. "I might change my top though in the meantime."

"Something lower cut maybe?"

"Funny. I was thinking about my blue Matt Donovan t-shirt. It fits in with the colour scheme, at least."

"As much as I love you shamelessly promoting my husband, I'm not sure that's what I had in mind."

xxxxxxx

The parade was vibrant, fun and full of colour. Emma did her absolute best to outshine all the other children and pretty much did with that toothy grin of hers. Caroline was starting to think she was the politician in the family and not Matt. She loved it all though and was beginning to see just what life in a country town had to offer.

She hadn't seen Nik yet but given the sheer volume of people in this small area it was hardly surprising. The doctor had discharged Elijah after a few hours of observation, so she knew he was back in town already. Whereabouts, she had no idea.

They had spread out on a picnic rug in the grassy town square, and feasted on the amazing fare Lexi had prepared. Katherine was stretched out, determined to get every spare ray of sunshine to enrich her tan. Emma, of course, was in the identical position. Caroline figured her reign as Barbie in Emma's eyes had now officially ended with Katherine's presence in town. She had to admit she kind of missed the adoration, although those early morning wake-up calls she wouldn't. She smiled deviously wondering just how Katherine would cope with that.

"I need some ice cream," Katherine sighed, after stirring from her late afternoon sunbake.

"Me too." Emma agreed by her side, unsurprisingly.

"You just had cake, Emmy, you can't still be hungry."

"It's okay, I'll take her."

"Great, I'll let you deal with the resulting sugar high then," she called out, as they walked away. "How about I give her Max and James and we can have the night to ourselves, Matt?"

"Not sure you'd get too much of a rest," Caroline chuckled. "Katherine on a sugar high can be worse than any child."

"I certainly admire your commitment to the cause in that t-shirt," Matt remarked.

"This is what I do, boss," she grinned. "Wear completely unfashionable clothing in honour of your election to Congress. At least blue is my colour."

xxxx

"I want chocolate though," Emma complained, her bottom lip sticking out as they perused the choices from afar.

"But strawberry is so delicious, Emma, and don't forget it's pink."

"Well, my vote is definitely for vanilla," another familiar voice interrupted, startling Katherine slightly. She looked over at the annoyingly attractive guy that had stepped into view.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Are you critiquing my choice of ice cream flavor?"

"Pretty much," she replied, handing the little girl some money. "How about you order us both an ice cream, Emma?"

"You realise you're going to end up with some weird flavor now?" He asked as she skipped happily towards the van.

"Well unlike Mr Vanilla, I'm pretty open to surprises. In fact I feel kind of bored if there's no excitement. "

"I think someone is misjudging me."

"Oh that sounds familiar, like you did the same thing to me?" She scoffed. "I'm really tired of your double standards."

"Maybe I did, although I'm blaming that Daisy Duke outfit. It sort of threw me at first. I wasn't quite sure how to take you."

"No one is ever going to let me forget that," she muttered. "I hadn't been to the country before and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway I'll be leaving town soon, so there's really no need for any more fake pleasantries."

"You're leaving? When?" He asked, his brown eyes staring into hers intently, making her falter momentarily.

"The day after tomorrow."

"Me too actually, maybe we'll end up on the same plane again?"

"Hopefully not next to each other given the last trip," she joked. His face softened and she could tell he was beginning to thaw, albeit slightly.

"Look, I just wanted to say that I really did appreciate your assistance yesterday, Miss Pierce, even if I didn't show it outwardly," he stumbled slightly and she noticed his cheeks reddening slightly. Was he actually trying to be nice for a change?

"I didn't do anything; it wasn't like I could provide any assistance on the roadside without anti venom."

"Yes, but you calmed me down considerably and I'm thankful for that."

"Well, you're welcome," she conceded. "I uh, better check that Emma isn't getting into any trouble. Oh, speak of the little devil."

"I ordered vanilla," she came up to them excitedly. "You're having bubblegum, Katherine."

"What was I just saying about vanilla?" Elijah asked, a sly smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.

"I'm curious about your thoughts on bubblegum," Katherine's unimpressed expression said it all. "I'm on a roll."

"Don't get too cocky, Mikaelson. You know I bet I could pick you a new and different flavor and you'd actually like it."

"That sounds like a challenge to me, so please lead the way, Daisy," Katherine rolled her eyes at his nickname, but deep down she quite liked it and the fact the formalities had ceased.

xxxxxx

Caroline walked around the square, aiming to get Matt's T-shirt maximum exposure. She had a few strange looks but that wasn't unusual wherever she want. She noticed Katherine and Elijah chatting away animatedly, happy they'd finally sorted things out. Although she wouldn't admit it, it was clear that Katherine liked him. It was just a shame they didn't live closer to explore the possibilities.

Then it hit her. Why was she putting so much effort into something that wasn't going anywhere? It would be different if Nik was just a fling, but Caroline's feelings ran a bit deeper than that and it scared the hell out of her. Once the election was over, Caroline would be heading back to Los Angeles and Nik would stay in Jefferson on the farm.

"Blue is definitely your colour, not sure about Matt's ugly mugg though," Nik chuckled, interrupting her thoughts. It was like he could sense she was thinking about him.

"I'm sad to hear that given I have one sitting at home with your name on it," she replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Blue's not my colour." Oh it really was his colour she thought, thinking about their first meeting and the way his checked shirt brought out his dark blue eyes.

"That's not going to get you out of it, Mikaelson," she chided.

"I notice Elijah and Katherine seem to be playing nice," he commented, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

"There's nothing like a medical emergency to bring people together."

"So, I hope that means we are playing nice now too," he asked, pointedly. "You know given the medical emergency."

"Last time I checked a snake didn't bite you," she drawled.

"No, but we did almost have a car accident when you attempted to jump out of a moving vehicle."

"That's the kind of effect your charming personality has on me."

"Way to hurt a guy, love. Last time I checked, I thought we declared a sort of truce, unless I imagined our talk by the roadside."

"You didn't imagine it," she admitted. "I suppose I could try and play nice but I'll tell you right now, if that arrogant idiot comes out again that's the end of our ceasefire. Got me?"

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I object," he said, flashing her those dimples, damn him. She felt her chest constrict slightly, a feeling she was experiencing regularly thanks to this cowboy. "So, would playing nice include some sort of an outing?"

"An outing?"

"Or if you'd prefer it, a date," Nik said, his voice shaking slightly and she could sense his nerves. Caroline liked that she had that effect on him. "I happen to know this amazing chef who would be more than happy to cook you some of his delicious food." Arrogant yes, but she decided to let him get away with that one.

"Of course you do. Wow, he cooks and can ride a horse, is there anything you can't do Mikaelson?"

"Well, apparently my social skills leave a bit to be desired," he replied cheekily.

"So, your farm…" She faltered, thinking just how intimate that would be and whether she would be able to keep her hands to herself if it was just the two of them.

"Or we can go out," Nik suggested, obviously sensing her hesitation. "I can't promise you a variety of options but…"

"No, your house is fine. I'll have to taste this cooking for myself and see just how delicious it actually is, I hope you've got a good vegetarian cookbook on hand."

"I may be a proud carnivore but I know a thing or two about vegetables," he scoffed in an attempt to assure her but Caroline wasn't so confident. "Elijah is leaving in two days, so how about the 7th? Does that fit in with your campaigning schedule?"

"Well, I'd have to check my diary," she teased. "No, that sounds good; do you need me to bring anything?"

"From what I've heard about your cooking skills, I think yourself will suffice."

"I'm going to kill Lexi."

"Actually Emma was the one who ratted you out," he admitted.

"Have I mentioned how much I love small towns? I'm actually glad we'll be at your house to ward off the gossip mongers, including my five-year-old roommate."

"I actually better get going if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my spot for the fireworks."

"You have your own spot?"

"No one knows about it, which is why I like it so much," he explained. "I'm not a huge fan of crowds and town square is always packed to capacity as you can see."

"So, where is this spot?"

"If I told you Caroline, it wouldn't be just my spot anymore, would it?"

"I'm an out-of-towner; I promise I won't tell anyone," she pleaded.

"Well, how about I show you instead? Unless you already have plans, of course." She was supposed to be entertaining Katherine but by the looks of it Elijah and Emma were doing that quite well already.

"Maybe I could sneak away for a little bit. You know just because I'm incredibly curious to see it," she murmured, trying to justify her interest.

"I'm sure that's the reason," he smirked, bastard. "I'll send you a text with the details, but I'll need your number."

"Smooth, Mikaelson," she smiled, reciting her cell number.