Previously: Bonnie and Damon had a moment together at the hospital, both struggling with intense feelings of guilt. Enzo pretty much walked out on Caroline after he reflexively hit her. Liz is off investigating. Stefan learned that Lexi died. Elena is processing her brother's death. And the Mikaelsons are on their way back to Mystic Falls.


...

[Now]

...

The car door on the driver side slammed loudly shut, and Niklaus Mikaelson slid out on the other side, swaggering over to Elijah with a half scowl. His older brother was already on his way however, racing after a slow figure making their way down the street. Sighing, Klaus flicked his hand, then looked over to where Rebekah was peeling herself out of her seat.

"You have to stop him," she said urgently, her hands grabbing the lapels of his jacket once she was out and standing before him. He looked at her, raising his chin as if to prove a point. "Why would I? Didn't you just say that bloke was there too?"

"I said he was with us," she said, sounding angry, upset, and like she was starting to panic.

"Yeah. One of the douchebags endangering you."

"Screw you, Nik! If you want to single out a "douchebag endangering" me, choose Kol!" And with that, she suddenly started running after their older brother herself, calling out his name as she went. By then, the eldest Mikaelson had already reached the person his anger was directed toward and had tackled him to the ground, his fist connecting with the side of the man's face.

Enzo's face.

"Stop! You're going to kill him!" Rebekah yelled, just as another shadowy figure came racing down a nearby driveway, yelling the exact same thing.

Klaus did a double take. If that wasn't Caroline Forbes. With a bored sigh, he eventually jumped into action, whether for his sister's sake or Caroline's, he couldn't even quite say. There was just such an urgency to both their despair that he thought it best to intervene.

With a few quick sprints he was at his brother's side, pulling him away from his victim, Elijah violently thrashing against his younger brother.

"Acting a little out of character there, brother," Klaus told him calmly, not letting go, and pulled Elijah onto his feet.

"Let me go."

"Elijah, I think our dear sister changed her mind. Or maybe we just weren't listening properly, but she's clearly upset and doesn't want this bloke beaten to a pulp. Besides." He looked down to where a panting Enzo was scrambling up, cradling one arm awkwardly as he wiped blood from his face. "I think he's already had it."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Caroline screamed just then into Elijah's face before kneeling down next to her… friend? And Klaus felt a small shock of disappointment at her completely ignoring him.

Rebekah, too, was laying into their older brother, spit flying from her mouth as she did. Something had changed in her behavior so suddenly that Klaus let go of Elijah and grabbed her by the arms.

"Let go," she whined, "don't freaking touch me! You… you can't just run out there and attack people, especially not him," she pointed at Enzo, who stared up at her dazed or in shock, or like maybe one of Elijah's hits had gotten him a little too hard. "Not them! They are the ones that helped me, for heaven's sake! They helped me! Were you not listening at all?! Were… were you not. . ." She sobbed so hard now that she couldn't even talk anymore, still fighting against Klaus for a little moment longer before all fight went out of her and she slumped against Klaus, allowing him to hold her and stroke her hair like one would with a small child.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, looking over her head at Elijah, who was wiping his mouth and doing a little pirouette of despair, taking in the obvious damage he had done.

Klaus felt unusually helpless. He wasn't used to others but him going all over board with their emotions and tempers. Maybe Kol. Not Rebekah; certainly not Elijah. Elijah was the collected one, the smart one, the defense lawyer that always kept his temper in check, even when dealing with the most unruly clients. Which was why he was so good, why all the real douchebags of the world seeked him out to defend them, even if it cost a fortune. Rebekah and Kol's demise had gotten to him more than he had let on before, then. Klaus realized that his brother did still have a heart after all.

Feeling his sister's fluttering heartbeat against his body, he tightened his grip a little more. His gaze caught Caroline's, who was looking up at him briefly, appalled, shocked, upset, before she returned her attention to the man on the ground. Only then did he realize he had seen him before. Wasn't that Damon Salvatore's friend? Of course. He rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Elijah was stepping back into his usual role. A hand running through his hair, he stood hovering over the two people sitting on the ground. Taking a few deep breaths, clearly still riled, still working on his calmness, he asked, "Does he need an ambulance?" He sounded so distant as if he wasn't the one who had slammed into Enzo.

Caroline glared up at him with fire in her eyes. Klaus suppressed a small smirk. He almost felt sorry for his brother.

"Does he need an ambulance?!" Caroline repeated the words back to him, scoffing. "What the hell was that?! I think you need the freaking police, and maybe an ambulance to check your head because clearly, something is wrong with you."

Elijah huffed, made a face. Looking to Klaus, who shrugged at him, he rolled his eyes.

"Let it go, Caroline," Enzo said, finally moving to stand up, backing away whenever the girl tried touching him. Klaus noticed that he wasn't wearing any shoes, or a jacket for that matter.

"A bit underdressed for a morning stroll, aren't you?"

Enzo's eyes flickered dangerously at him, and Klaus smirked.

"Care to tell us what your role was in all of this?" he then asked, aware of Rebekah stirring against him.

"Leave him be, Nik. I mean it."

"Yeah, Nik, leave him be." Caroline shot him another glare that he answered with a smile.

It was Elijah's turn to exasperatedly pipe up again. "What do you want us to do, Rebekah? You told us he was there. Right now in the car you told us he was one of—"

"One of the ones with me. In the pit. I told you not to threaten them. Nothing we did in there was because we wanted to. It's not his fault. It's not Damon's or Bonnie's fault either. It's not even Kol's fault," she added, anger and grief making her start crying again. Her hands turned into fists as she pulled away from Klaus a little, but he kept an arm around her shoulders, trying to give her some comfort, some support. Just anything to not feel so helpless and useless. "Leave them alone, or I'm packing my things and going straight back to New Orleans," Rebekah continued, "I didn't even want to come back here in the first place!"

"Fine." Elijah sounded anything but fine.

Klaus felt like a spectator. Focusing on Caroline, then Enzo instead of his siblings, he jerked his head a little upward. "So, mate, ride to the hospital?" he inquired chirpily, pointing toward their car invitingly, already knowing that Elijah's victim might have needed a visit there but wasn't ever going to accept the offer.

To his surprise, Enzo didn't even acknowledge him or his words, instead looking straight at Rebekah. "You okay?" he asked quietly, the sincere concern in his tone confusing Klaus somehow.

"Not by a long shot." Rebekah smiled. She actually smiled. "I'm sorry. About this." She waved a hand, and Enzo nodded briefly, wiping at his temple again as if to underscore her point. "It's alright."

"No, it's not. But we both know that, too. - I'm sure I'll see you around, Lorenzo."

He grimaced a little in reply.

"And thank you," she added with a sad smile, before she went back to the car and got in, staring out the window, in the opposite direction, away from them all. Klaus followed her with his gaze. Thank him for what, he wondered. What had she not told them?

"Get in the car, Elijah," he then ordered, returning his attention to the scene in front of him. Ignoring his brother's angry glare, he gave the older one a light pat on the shoulder. "Go."

With a last look back at Caroline, he smiled at her, tapping his head. "Caroline..."

His gaze fell on Enzo right beside her. The guy's lip was cracked, too. But that wasn't what caught Klaus' eye. It was the blood running down the man's arm.

"Mate. You really need to get that seen," he told him, pointing, earning himself another glare that he shrugged off. Then he, too, got into the car, and off they drove.

Hello Mystic Falls, he thought, I really didn't miss your drama. Although, technically, his family had brought it. Once again. Hadn't they?


...

"What the hell?! Are you okay?"

Caroline had to force herself to keep some distance between Enzo and herself because he clearly didn't have the best of experiences with physical touch lately, and she didn't want him lashing out at her again, either.

Just a minute ago, she had been leaning against the door, struggling with herself. Let Enzo have his wish and get away, or force him to confront whatever he clearly didn't want to confront. Making up her mind, she had quickly pulled the door open and rushed out, ready to call out to him, fully expecting him to have vanished out of sight already, although she remembered how labored his walking had been before.

When she had spotted him, he had indeed not made it all that far, and she had felt bad for him again. He clearly wasn't thinking very straight, rushing out like that, without shoes, his arm still bleeding…

He had hit her, too. The thought had made her gingerly touch her face again where his hand had connected. Shaking her head, she had broken into a slow run.

That's when things had suddenly gotten out of hand. She had seen Elijah appear out of nowhere, Klaus. Rebekah… Elijah slamming Enzo down, hitting him pretty hard, and Enzo hadn't even really put up a fight, hadn't even really moved to defend himself.

He had just kind of given up somehow.

So her question wasn't even necessarily about all the glaringly obvious things: what secret he shared with Rebekah. What she had meant with her cryptic words. What the hell Damon and Bonnie had to do with any of it. No. Those questions would need to be asked, and soon. But she wanted to know why he hadn't done anything to protect himself, to fight back. What the hell had been done to him?!

Enzo had gotten up again, not looking at her, not saying a damn word. He was already starting to move away from her, but she wouldn't let him, not this time, not again.

"Okay, you know what?" she quipped, changing tactics once again. "I'm gonna drive your stupid ass over to the hospital now. Come with me." She grabbed his hand a little harshly, surprised when he actually allowed the gesture and even reluctantly followed her back to the driveway. "And then," she continued, shooting him a cautious glance, her tone turning softer at seeing his lost expression, his moving jaw muscles giving away his tension, "then you'll tell me what happened to you. Who did this to you. - But first..." She sighed, making a face as she wondered how best to bring it up, then went for the direct way. "I know you don't want to talk about this, but I need to know this now so you'll just have to… to suck it up and deal with it, because I need to know whether my best friend is okay. Is Bonnie alright? Is Damon?"

They had stopped in the middle of the driveway, the car right behind them. Her voice had started shaking, her hands too. Looking at him with growing fear, she saw his throat working as he was looking anywhere but at her. Gently, but insistently, she raised a hand and touched his cheek, turned his head until he faced her.

"Enzo. This is important. Are they okay, do they need help?"

He shook his head, making a jolt of sheer panic shoot through her body.

"Please," she begged, her free hand clutching at his shirt (Stefan's shirt…). Bonnie had to be fine. She had to be. She was just supposed to be having fun with Jeremy. Oh god. Jeremy. She needed to talk to Elena. If Damon and Jeremy… if anything had happened to any of them…

"She got out. Damon, too. That's all I know." Enzo spoke quietly, but Caroline heard him clearly.

"That's all you know?!" she queried, disbelieving, confused, growing more and more upset. Did he just not care? She had so many questions and he wasn't forthcoming at all. "Were… were they hurt? Did you guys get out of wherever it was you were together? And where was that, anyway? Some... some kind of prison? Do you know where they went? I mean, you could have made sure they were alright, couldn't you? What… what if they're bleeding like you and and and you just left them to die?! We need to go look for them, we need to—"

"Shut up!" The yelled words came as a shock to both her and him, going by his lost and embarrassed expression. But Caroline was visibly taken aback. Letting go of him, she crossed her arms in front of her, nodding as if to herself. He was standing there with the palm of his hand pressed against his temple, and while she couldn't see his face anymore, she knew he was in turmoil.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, she forced herself to calm down. "Okay," she then hissed, "okay. I get it. You've been through something bad. But that does not give you the right to treat me like shit. Do I have to remind you that you came to me?"

"No…" His voice was so small she was almost ready to let it go. But she couldn't.

"Then pull yourself together and step up," she ordered him. "We'll go to the ER first, but I'll call my mom now. She's the sheriff and she needs to know. I don't care whether you want to talk to her or not. You'll have to. She can meet us at the hospital and send someone out to look for the others. And you better come clean right now about who else could possibly be involved in this mess. I'm not losing another minute."

She stared at him where he stood before her, palm of his hand still pressed against his head as if he had the mother of all headaches (which, granted, he probably did…), snorting at her words as if he was about to start laughing. She put her fists into her waist, shooting him a challenging glare. Because by all that was holy, if he did, if he did start laughing at all this right now, she would . . .

But he didn't. Raising his chin high, he took a few heaving breaths, breaths that sounded like they were not reaching deep enough into his lungs, were not doing what he seemed to hope they would; and before she knew it, he slumped against the car, sliding down its side until he came to sit on the still wet ground, and still his breaths came out in too short bursts.

Caroline frowned, fidgeting. She didn't know what to do. It was like her brain was refusing to work, and wasn't she usually so good at logistics? She could deal with the most intricate party plans, yet she couldn't deal with…

A half stranger breaking down in her driveway after an ordeal that somehow involved her friends, too? A half stranger whose eyes were blurry with tears before she couldn't see them anymore because he hid his face behind his arm?

Her hand went to her phone as she sank down next to him, one side of her body touching his. This time, he didn't flinch or move away from her, and when she gently reached to touch him, he finally began crying for real, and shocked, she moved to wrap her arm around him, pulling him against her. He didn't struggle, didn't fight or try to run.

"Shh," she made, "it's alright. I'm... I'm sorry. We'll figure this out, okay? Okay?"

Then, holding him tight, she called her mom. Again. Hoping this time Liz wasn't too busy to listen to her, because if she was, Caroline would have to call 911.

This couldn't wait anymore. Something really really bad had happened to her friends.

...