A/N: Just updating you all real quick. Thank you so much for the reviews! :) The next 3 chapters are going to be from Nik's POV, so bear with me! For those wondering, I have 18 chapters planned for this fic, so the end is near. This is by far the shortest chapter but quality over quantity, right?

Chapter 14: Aftermath

"You knew this was going to happen!" My voice roars accusingly as I pin Elijah against the wall. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The street was nearly vacant as everyone who had attended the opening of the exhibit had already left. My mother and Tatia had been smart enough to keep themselves occupied with friends to avoid any confrontations with me. The whole night was now a blur. I seemed to have made quite the impression on the museum owner from New York but aside from that I can't recall specifics.

"I promise you, I was unaware of their scheme." He remains calm and collected, eyeing a passerby who does his best not to pay attention to what's going on.

Kol remains standing to the side, watching us with narrowed eyes. He too seem to be doubting Elijah's words but I knew my brothers well and Elijah was no liar. If anything, he was terrible at it.

"He's telling the truth." Kol chimed in, echoing my thoughts. "This must all be mother and Tatia's work. They make quite the pair."

I let go of Elijah's collar and he straightens out his suit before running a hand through his hair. I look at both of them, neither of them has an explanation, neither of them knew what was going to happen tonight.

"Well," Kol pauses for a while, thinking his words thru before continuing, "At least the exhibit opening was a success." He mutters quietly.

I roll my eyes, at this point my priorities are somewhere else. I shake my head, thinking of what might have happened if Caroline had been sitting at that table.

"Did either of you see Rebekah or Caroline?"

"They never came back to the table." Elijah replies, a serious demeanor plastered on his face.

"Nik," Kol's voice is disconcerting, "The announcement was pretty loud and clear, it's quite possible they heard it, wherever they were."

"I'm sure they left right after. I didn't see them all evening." Elijah agrees.

My jaw clenches, the two women I care about the most in this world were probably detesting me at the moment. I look down at my watch. Past midnight. "I have to talk to her."

"Maybe it's better if you let her sleep on it." Elijah's suggestion, although reasonable, has no effect on me.

"I can't wait until morning. I have to talk to her now." I reply stubbornly, heading over to valet to wait for my car.

"Good Luck!" Kol shouts and I nod in acknowledgement.

I pull up to their driveway close to 1 a.m., some of the lights in the house are still on and my heart races at the thought of seeing her beautiful face. My mind runs wild with thoughts of what I'm going to say and how I'm going to explain everything. All I want to do is hold her close, kiss her and reassure her that she's the only one I want.

The porch light flickers as the wind outside intensifies and I ring the doorbell a couple times, placing my hands in my pockets nervously. I look over at the darkness around me, waiting for an answer. I'm about to ring the doorbell one more time, when I see a silhouette approaching me from behind the textured glass. There's a slight hesitation before the door begins to open slowly.

I see Rebekah's pin straight, blonde hair make an appearance as she comes between the narrowly opened space. She treats me like a stranger, barely opening the door for me to see her. I crinkle my forehead. She knows.

"What are you doing here?" Her tone is cold.

"Rebekah, I need to see her." I reply with begging eyes.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She counters, as if the problem here is the time of day and nothing else.

I ignore her response. "Can I come in?"

She scoffs, "You really fucked this one up, Nik." She looks at me with dagger eyes and it makes me sick to think that Caroline must be feeling a million times worse than her. "She cried so much to the point of exhaustion. There were still tears running down her face when she fell asleep." Rebekah looks down, "How could you do this to her, Nik?"

"They're all lies, Rebekah. What mother said tonight wasn't true. You have to believe me."

"Really? And the ring? Tatia was wearing an engagement ring, Nik." Her voice while reprimanding is slightly hushed.

"She must have bought it. I wouldn't be surprised if mother bought it for her. I don't know. All I know is that I did not give her that ring because I'm not marrying her." I lean my face closer to the opening on the door as if closing the distance will make her understand. "I swear to you, I have an explanation for everything. If I can't talk to Caroline, then at least let me talk to you." I plead, "Please."

She contemplates my words until finally she opens the door wide enough for me to come inside. I make my way to the living room and she follows close behind without saying a single word, until we're both seated on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

"You better have a good explanation for this." She mutters.

I look down at my hands, ashamed for not taking action sooner. I had a chance to defend myself and contradict my mother but I chose to keep quiet instead and now I had to deal with the consequences.

"The problem with the company..." I begin, "They suggested marrying Tatia in order to save it." She looks at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for me to continue. "I declined. I thought it was over at that point. I didn't know they were going to take it a step further."

"When did this happen?"

"When both you and Caroline were out of town." I look at her face, studying her reaction.

"This happened a few weeks ago and you're just now telling me?" She asks, offended.

"I tried to tell you, Rebekah, but since you practically vanish into thin air whenever you have a performance–"

"Oh, don't even dare pin this on me!" She counters. "You could've gotten a hold of me somehow, and you know it! Why didn't you call the hotel and leave a message?"

I shut my eyes, regretting my decision to not tell her. "I didn't want to bother you. Besides, like I already told you, I thought that had been taken care of. I didn't know mother would take it this far." And that was the truth, I was naive enough to think that they would just give up that easily.

Rebekah comes to her feet, walking over to the mini bar and pouring us both a drink. There's a silence in the room as she thinks my words over. She hands me a small glass of whiskey and she takes a seat once again.

Her voice is much softer and relaxed now, "Why didn't you tell Caroline?"

Why didn't I tell Caroline? Because I'm an idiot. Because I didn't think it would be a problem.

"Why didn't you explain things to her so she would be prepared for this bullshit?" She takes a sip of her drink.

"I didn't want to worry her. I was stupid enough to think I could shield her from this. Now I know how big of a mistake that was." I say before gulping down my whole drink. "Everything that was said tonight, the announcement, the ring, it was all a lie. I had no idea it was going to happen."

Rebekah looks at me with kind eyes but after a few seconds her expression changes and her gaze takes an accusing turn. "Why did you wait until now to come talk to her? We've been home for hours."

I furrow my eyebrows. I might not be guilty of tonight's events, however I am guilty of not responding immediately. "I'm an idiot Rebekah. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Obviously!" She counters, again in a hushed voice as to not wake Caroline up, "What is your problem? Is your stupid art show and keeping up appearances more important to you than her?"

I shake my head vigorously, "No. Of course not. You know I love her. It pains me to know I've cause her any heartbreak."

"She needed you, Nik. She needed you right then and you chose to stay behind and play their little game." Her words were full of disappointment.

"I know I messed up. They both knew how important this event was for me and they chose the timing perfectly. They knew I wouldn't cause a scene." I concede. "And I know it's useless to say this now, but if I could go back and change things, I would. I would drop everything and run after her."

Rebekah's gaze is fixed on me and the corner of her mouth twitches as my words sink in. She nods, "I know you love her and I believe you, Nik. I know you're saying the truth."

I finally smile, relief washing over me as I realize what this means for me and Caroline. "Thank you... for listening... and for understanding."

"I still think you should give her time, at least a couple days. Let me talk to her first, she'll be more willing to listen to you afterwards. I promise I'll help."

I nod and take a deep breath. Our heads snap up at the same time when we both hear the same footsteps coming down the stairs. My heart begins pounding at an exhilarated pace, knowing there's only one other person in the house. I come to my feet and Rebekah shakes her, trying to hinder me from going to her.

"Rebekah?" Her sweet tender voice calls out to her from the other room. She sounds drained.

I ignore my sister's words about giving her time, I need to see her this instant. My feet move before my head finishes a coherent thought. I step outside of the living room and she freezes in place. Her eyes widen at my sight, red and swollen from crying so much. My chest tightens, knowing that I'm responsible for her pain.

Neither of us say a word, we share glances in silence. Her blonde hair is tied up in a ponytail and she's wrapped in a blanket, her bare feet planted on the wooden floor. I think twice about moving closer, she's like a defenseless little animal and I'm afraid she'll run off as soon as I make a move.

I swallow hard and take a deep breath before taking a step towards her. She doesn't move. I'm halfway across when she finally let's out her first words.

"You need to leave." She says coldly.

"Caroline, I'm sorry." My reply is weak, far less than what I want to say.

She looks down at the floor. "No, Nik. I'm sorry." Her eyes once again make contact with mine, "I'm sorry that I let myself be taken for a fool once again. And I'm sorry that I believed your lies."

"It's not like that. None of it is true, sweetheart." I continue walking to her until I have her close enough to touch. "You have to believe me. What happened tonight was all a lie. I was just as surprised as you."

Her eyes show confusion. "If it was all a lie, why didn't you say anything?"

"I know there's no excuse for that. And I wish there was a way for me to rectify it." I mutter. "I love you Caroline." I hesitate before bringing my hand to her cheek, but before I even make contact she pulls away.

"Where's Rebekah?" She asks.

I don't have to answer, my sister does it for me. "I'm right here, Care." Rebekah comes out of the living room, slowly making her way to her.

"Nik, I think it's best if you leave. It's late, we need to sleep." She say, placing her arm around Caroline's back.

"Rebekah–"

"I promised, remember? It's going to be okay." She gives me a hug.

I make an abrupt decision after she lets go and wrap my arms around Caroline, holding her in a tight embrace. Her sweet smell envelops me immediately. "You're the only one for me, love. Don't you forget that." I whisper against her ear.

She looks at me with downcast eyes, and I make no other effort to continue with my explanation. I trust that Rebekah will help me, after all, she's never let me down.

A/N: My plan is to update again, mid-next week! Hope you guys have a great weekend and I appreciate the comments ;)