New day, new language - muchísimas gracias a todos/todas!

I just love you for your wonderful reviews, for reading, following and favouriting, and I am utterly humbled at how kind you are to me (please don't stop though! ;))!

Guys, I know the build is slow... and I'm sorry if you think it's too gradual... but we will get there! I hope you'll stay with me. Let me just tell you this - once those two get into the really smutty stuff, they will have a hard time stopping. Hope this helps with the patience, and please don't hate me if it will still be a little while! A little smut will be up in Chapter 20 though. ;)

Once more... thank youuuuu!

xx

CHAPTER NINETEEN

IN ALL GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS

The white oak was a myth. It was supposed to be almost three thousand years old, and the legends said its wood had very special healing powers. That was what they learned from the tree specialist at the botanic garden, who gave a mild smile at their inquiry. He probably took them for a bunch of esoteric weirdos or something of the kind, Caroline thought amusedly. Yes, he had explained, he had heard about it, and during one summer a few years ago, he had actually been curious enough to undertake a trip into the region of the North Cape where, according to the legends, the tree was located. There had been no sign of it, and after a three weeks' search, the biologist had finally given up. He said he would be happy to give them a map, outlining the area he had covered.

"You know," he said to them when he had walked them to the door, "I don't really believe in any legends, and I am certain there is no such thing as a magic tree. But any search will always bring a result, even though it might not be directly related to the object you want to find. So go ahead and look for the tree. Should you find it, please let me know."

They walked by the fjord when Elijah spoke. "What is it with humanity that nobody believes in legends anymore? So much truth hidden in them after all. Well, to the North Cape it is, then. What do you think it will be, Niklaus? Another invisibility spell?"

"Possibly," Klaus replied. He was walking very close by her side, and Caroline enjoyed his proximity. Hell, how could that have changed so much in such a short time? It has been like that for quite a while, Caroline. Be honest with yourself!

"So will we be leaving today then?" Kol asked, casually kicking a pebble into the fjord. It flew about a hundred yards before it hit the water.

"We'll need a witch or a warlock to help us in case the oak is indeed spelled," Elijah commented. "It would not make sense to leave without one. Shall I speak to Anna in Kaliningrad? She could be here in a day."

"I've got it covered, do not worry. Besides, Anna hates me. I have already spoken to a witch, and I do believe she will be willing to accompany us. She is working on finding a loophole in Prelati's spell on Caroline's mind, which I do hope she will accomplish by today. So we will need to wait for a few more hours."

Caroline frowned. Why did he not mention that Silv was actually related to Prelati and could help them with that as well? She was about to say something when she felt Klaus' hand fleetingly squeeze hers. It felt like he was saying, 'Trust me'. She sighed and decided to keep her mouth shut, wondering what he was up to. Giving a small nod, she saw him smile out of the corner of her eye. Niklaus Mikaelson, International Man of Mystery.

After dinner that evening, they were all seated in a comfortable corner of the hotel bar, having drinks. Klaus looked a little more like himself again after Caroline had spent the afternoon quizzing him about the North Cape, the polar regions and everything she could think of. Elijah had smiled and retired to his room to make some phone calls, and Rebekah and Kol had joined their conversation, which eventually turned into a round of good-natured bickering. Relatively good-natured. It could only ever be so peaceful with Klaus and Kol in one room.

They were just enjoying their second round of drinks, making plans for the trip to the North Cape, when Klaus looked up and flashed his dimples. Caroline followed his gaze and saw Silv at the entrance to the bar, staring at the gathering of Originals. Frozen. Rebekah jumped up from her chair, squealing with delight.

"Silv! By all the Gods! What are you doing here?" she shrieked and danced over to the witch, pulling her into a tight hug. Silv tried to force a smile, hugging Rebekah back, but she remained glued to the spot. Caroline frowned. Then she looked at Elijah and almost choked on her drink. He hadn't turned around, but he was white as a sheet, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair. His eyes were burning with some deep fire she had never seen there before, and they were on Klaus.

"Why?" he whispered, his voice a mere hiss. Caroline saw that Silv was also staring at Klaus, who grinned nonchalantly and raised his glass.

"Oops," was his only comment.

Caroline couldn't believe her eyes. And ears. 'Oops'?

Elijah stared daggers at Klaus for another moment, then he rose and turned around very slowly. The instant his eyes met Silv's, Caroline understood. She nudged Klaus and glared at him. 'How could you?' she mouthed, outraged. Klaus just smiled and winked. 'You'll see,' Then he got up, taking Caroline's hand and patting Kol's shoulder.

"Why don't we go for a walk? It is such a beautiful evening, and we should enjoy some night air." When Kol didn't react, he pulled him from his chair rather rudely. "Come on, brother, fresh air is supposed to be healthy." He looked at Rebekah and jerked his head towards the exit. To Caroline's eternal surprise, Rebekah beamed at him and nodded. Klaus looked at Elijah and murmured, "We'll be back later."

When they left the bar, Elijah and Silv were still staring at each other, completely oblivious to the world around them.

"Oh Nik, that was absolutely brilliant!" Rebekah exclaimed once they had reached the deserted street, jumping up and down like a child under the Christmas tree. Klaus grinned at her, but said nothing.

"Rebekah, did you see their faces?" Caroline demanded. She was furious with Klaus. How could he have done that to Elijah and Silv without even the slightest warning? Had she known about his plan, she could at least have warned Elijah.

"Caroline, you don't know the history behind this," Rebekah answered, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Silv told me a bit about it yesterday, though I didn't realize it was Elijah she was talking about."

Klaus frowned. "What did she tell you?"

Caroline whirled around to face him. "I think I've got the whole picture," she snapped, not being able to help the new bout of jealousy that gripped her at the thought of Silv in Klaus' arms. Despite what she had just witnessed between Elijah and Silv, it still drove her mad. And then there was that pain in his beautiful dark eyes again, this time mixed with tenderness and even the slightest hint of pleasure at her reaction. Rebekah, completely unaware of their silent exchange, began to explain.

"Elijah was madly in love with Silv. It started in the Twenties. She is not an immortal, but she is a witch, so she ages a lot more slowly than a human. Her life span is considerably longer. Anyway, back to Elijah. Ever since Katerina, he had not let anyone near him. That was, until he met Silv. She just stole his heart in a flash." Caroline felt Klaus' eyes on her face, and her old friends the butterflies seemed to have fallen victim to the rabies, the way they were assaulting her now. "She was everything he had always wanted in a woman. Beautiful, intelligent, cultured, warm, adventurous, funny. They were perfect for each other, and I have never seen two people so much in love." She smiled. "I know, it's hard to believe, seeing the ever-controlled Elijah now."

Caroline smiled back at her. She would really like to see Elijah in love.

"So they were together for a few months, and I can safely say it was the happiest time in Elijah's life. Wouldn't you agree, Nik?" Klaus nodded, and a shadow crossed his face. Caroline thought it political not to say anything. "We all loved her, too. You've met her, she is very easy to be around, and she fit into the family like a glove. However, after a while, Elijah wanted to take things to the next level. He wanted an absolute commitment, and he wanted to turn her. She seriously considered it, but she just couldn't. She wasn't ready to give up everything and stay with us forever. For some reason I can't understand to this day, Elijah did not want to leave the family for good." There was the shadow on Klaus' face again. It looked suspiciously like… guilt.

"It broke Elijah's heart when she left. Just as much as I believe it broke hers, which is why I was never really mad at her for hurting my brother. Seeing her now, I think I was right. She suffered as much as he did, if not more."

"I think so too," Caroline murmured, avoiding Klaus' eyes. "And I am not sure it was the right thing to do to steamroll them like that."

"Elijah would never have come had he known she was here. He never wanted to see her again. The minute she was gone for good, he turned off his humanity and stopped living. He just functioned. It took me years to persuade him to turn it back on, and the first weeks after that were pure agony for him," Klaus explained.

"All the more reason not to catch him off guard like that!"

"Trust me, Caroline," Rebekah interjected excitedly, "those two needed a push. Elijah especially. They are meant for each other, even though we will probably have hell to endure until they finally come around to admitting it. By the by, Nik, how did you know she was here?"

"I kept in touch over the years," he replied evenly.

Once again, the jealousy was strangling her. She needed a subject change. "So how often have you turned it off, Klaus?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Not once," Rebekah answered for him.

What?

"You mean…"

"She means that I have not turned off my humanity in over a thousand years, not a single time," Klaus supplied, smiling tightly at her dumbfounded expression. "Surprised?"

Shocked is more like it.

"Klaus…" she began, only to be interrupted by Kol who yawned ostentatiously. "If there is going to be more of this emotional bullshit, I'll be going off to have a drink somewhere. Bekah?"

"Why not? How much time shall we give them, Nik?"

"Let's not overdo it. An hour."

"Are you coming?"

"No," he said, "you go ahead. Caroline has a question she would like to ask me."

She glared at him. "Do I, Mister Mister I-know-everything-and-The-Force-is-with-me?"

He chuckled. "We'll see you in an hour, back at the bar." Kol rolled his eyes at them, but Rebekah pulled him along. "Come on, brother. Buy me a big drink. Celebration's in order."

"Ugh," Kol groaned but let her drag him off.

Caroline turned towards Klaus. "What do I want to ask you?"

He smiled, leaning on a railing next to the bank of the fjord. "You want to ask me whether Elijah knows I slept with Silv," he said softly, his eyes sinking into hers.

"No," she murmured, "that was not what I wanted to ask, wise-ass. I already figured he doesn't."

Now he looked a little puzzled. "Then what was it?" he encouraged her gently.

She swallowed. Don't be a coward, Caroline. "Did it mean anything to you?" At that, his eyes went so soft that her knees threatened to give out.

"I will answer your question under one condition," he said with a light grin.

"What condition?"

"That you will let me hold you while I do." Her eyes closed and her heart felt like it was about to burst. Then she looked at him again.

"Open your jacket," she whispered. He gazed at her questioningly but did as she asked, and she moved into him, slipping her arms around his waist inside the jacket. They both sighed in unison as he wrapped the jacket securely around her. She felt his lips on her hair and closed her eyes. God, how she loved it when he did that!

"The answer to your question, sweetheart, is no. It did not mean anything to me. Nor did it to Silv. I like her, I truly do, and that is something that cannot be said of very many people, as you well know. But our fleeting affair was strictly about sex, and about numbing feelings that otherwise would have been too painful to bear. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes. Would it be like that for us, too?" she asked, for some reason wildly afraid of the answer. Everything inside her braced for the impact of his words.

He tilted her chin, locking his eyes with hers. "Look at us, love. You are wrapped inside my jacket, your arms around me. I'm holding you as tightly as I possibly could without breaking you. We've slept in each other's embrace, more than once. Can you seriously be asking me if whatever happens between us is nothing? I do not know what it means, and I do not know where we are going from here, but I do know one thing: It most definitely is not nothing."

"No," she whispered, "it sure as hell is not." And then his lips were on hers, and she no longer cared about anything.

Time lost all meaning. They couldn't stop kissing. Caroline was still safely ensconced in Klaus' jacket, wondering how she was ever supposed to let go of his lips again. He pressed the entire length of her body to his, and she could feel him hard and more than ready against her. She tentatively moved her hips, pulling a deep growl from him. His hand slid to her backside, giving it a light squeeze which had her moan ever so softly. The dance of their tongues grew more heated, and Caroline's hand sneaked under his shirt again, yearning for the velvety feel of his skin. They both sighed when her fingers touched his bare back, and their kissing intensified even more. It went on forever. None of them tried to take it any further, but none of them seemed to be able to gather the strength to pull away either. Caroline was light-headed, and she wasn't sure her legs would carry her once he released her from his arms. Which she hoped would never happen. Why would I need to eat or drink or sleep… or breathe… when I can have Klaus kissing me into oblivion instead?

"For the love of all that's unholy, please tell me you haven't been making out for the entire hour! Get a room!" a snarky voice pulled them both from their kissing haze.

We have been kissing for an hour? It felt like a few minutes!

"Kol," Klaus murmured against Caroline's lips, not letting her move so much as an inch, "go away before I make you."

"You are the one who always goes spare when we are ten seconds late. So get a grip now and stop snogging!"

"Kol. You. Are. Trying. My. Patience."

"As if you had any," Kol snickered, and Caroline noticed Rebekah pulling him away before Klaus could really go berserk. She looked like it was Christmas and Thanksgiving on the same day. "We'll be inside," she grinned at them and pushed Kol towards the entrance.

With an unhappy sigh at the interruption, Klaus looked down at her. "It seems we got a bit carried away, love," he whispered, brushing her cheek with his knuckle.

"I have no explanation other than compulsion," she smiled playfully. He raised an eyebrow, trying to look stern. "Is that so?" he asked with a growl, but she could see the gleam of laughter in his eyes.

"Well," she conceded, moving closer to him again and feeling his arms tighten around her, "it might be also be remotely related to the fact that you are the single most magnificent kisser on the face of the Earth."

He gave her a radiant smile that had the butterflies do somersaults inside her. "You know, love, a man can only ever be as good a kisser as the woman he happens to be kissing."

She rolled her eyes. Charmer. "Wow, then I must be nothing short of a genius!"

He laughed and kissed her once more, briefly but hard, making her knees tremble and her heart flutter. Again. "You can safely say that, lovely Caroline."

Kissing her hand, he led her back towards the hotel.

Klaus was dazed from their extensive kissing. He had never kissed anyone like that, nor had he ever been kissed this way. It had been beyond fantastic, and as he looked at Caroline now, his heart couldn't help but swell with pride and joy at the fact that he had been the one to put the bewitchingly dreamy look on her beautiful face. Her lips were swollen, her eyes were shining so brightly it almost hurt, and her skin was glowing. She simply was the loveliest creature he had ever beheld.

The atmosphere at the table was palpably tense when they returned to the bar. He could see Silv had been crying. Elijah's face was undecipherable, but Klaus knew his brother as well as Elijah knew him. He was everything but calm. Klaus sighed. It was going to be a piece of work and they were all going to have a tough time, but the end justified the means. He needed Silv on their side, completely and absolutely. He needed a witch who would put everything into her spells out of the sheer desire to help and her loathing for Prelati. But that was only part of why he had done this. It was his own deranged way of thanking Elijah like he never could with words. His brother would be very upset, but in the grand scheme of things, Klaus knew it had been the right thing to do.

The minute they sat, Elijah rose, murmured something about getting some air and left the table. There was a brief moment of silence before Silv said coolly, "Shall we get to it then? I found out a couple of things, and I have also found the loophole to Caroline's visions. I can do the spell later, it is actually quite easy. Witches and warlocks from the same line are usually faster in finding loopholes to each others' spells." She cleared her throat. "But first things first. The witches on the other side are outraged as the balance has been compromised by Prelati and the Bennett witch."

Caroline was hit by a sudden wave of sadness at the thought of Bonnie. A small part of her had still hoped against her better judgment that Klaus had lied to her about that. But if Bonnie had really helped Prelati…

"I know you have been inquiring about the white oak," Silv continued, only to be interrupted by Rebekah.

"Why have we never heard about this second white oak in a thousand years?" she asked, frowning.

"It is not the second one. It is the original white oak. The one you burned in America was grown from a sprig of the original tree. And you have never heard of it because this tree is the one thing that can keep the balance of life and death in check. Its ashes can bring anyone back from the dead for a limited amount of time. But it is also the only thing that can really, truly kill Original vampires and witches in a way that makes it impossible for them to ever return from the other side. An invisibility spell has been cast on it ever since your family was turned, and only a handful of times in history has the tree actually been found by a witch or warlock. That is why you have never heard of it."

"For how long can people return from the dead?" Klaus demanded, his voice now remote and all business. The soldier.

Silv turned to Rebekah and said, "Will you please inform your brother that I am presently not speaking to him." Rebekah rolled her eyes and huffed, while Klaus was clearly not in the mood to play games.

"For how long, Silv?" he asked impatiently.

"It depends on the strength of the blood."

"What blood?"

"To complete the spell, you need blood from a relative of the person in question, however distant the relation. If you can provide blood from two different relatives, the spell becomes stronger and the person can stay longer. A few months, maybe a year. Join the blood with the ashes from the original oak, and you have what you need to resuscitate anyone."

"I saw two goblets in the vision," Caroline interjected. "Blood was spilling from them. Could that have been the one memory Prelati wasn't able to manipulate?"

"Almost certainly yes. So this means he could have performed this spell before, probably back in his lifetime." Silv paused. "Klaus?" she asked pointedly.

"What?"

"Is there anything you feel you need to add at this point?" Silv snapped. Caroline smiled. She was really starting to like the witch.

"If I see the necessity to contribute any information I deem significant, I will do so, please rest assured," Klaus shot back. "Pray continue." Caroline was sure Silv would have loved nothing more than to put a bullet right between Klaus' eyes, and she suppressed a chuckle. Rebekah was very deliberately glancing in another direction, but Caroline could see her lips twitch. Kol grinned from ear to ear.

"Very well," Silv fumed. "Have it your way then. So it would seem that the person who helped on the other side is actually the one behind everything that's been going on. Together with the Bennett witch, he provided information to Prelati and guided him in the right direction. His price was to be resuscitated as well."

Caroline saw Klaus close his eyes. He knew who Silv was talking about, that much was obvious. She turned her gaze back to the witch and whispered, "Who?"

"Mikael Mikaelson. Our friends' dearly beloved daddy is back."

Kol dropped his glass and Rebekah froze. "What?" she breathed, her voice barely audible.

"I'm sorry," Silv said, more warmly now. "But that's the situation. From what I gathered, his one and only purpose is to destroy you, Klaus, to bring you to your knees." He nodded. This wasn't really news to him, Caroline gathered. "The witches say he is not after your life, at least not for now. He wants you to suffer. So he will be after your siblings. And Caroline."

Oh great. Another dozen rounds of torture ahead? Seriously. I'm getting tired of this! And not that I ever thought I'd think this but – could everyone just give Klaus a break? He's going to turn into Caligula after all if they don't stop coming at him from all sides.

Klaus was no longer moving. Or breathing. He just sat there, quietly concentrating. She could almost hear his brain at work. The protector-soldier. Yeah, if we ever needed badass Klaus, now's the time!

Silv went on. "So the very first thing we need to do now is to find that oak. The witches refuse to reveal its exact whereabouts, and there is the invisibility spell, but I will be able to locate it once I am within a hundred-foot radius. Then we need to track down Mikael and Prelati. Mikael will have to be staked with original oak. Once that is done, Prelati will have to be burned on a pile of original oak wood. They will both have to be killed the way they died their last deaths, otherwise it will not work properly. They would die, but they could still return from the other side. So we have a bit of work ahead of us, I would suspect."

"We?" a melodious voice asked. Caroline looked from Elijah, who was standing right behind Silv's chair, back to the witch who had visibly stiffened at the sound of his voice.

"Did you really think I'd leave you to face this alone?" Silv whispered.

"Yes," Elijah said simply.

"You never knew me at all, did you? Caroline, let's go to your room and do the spell. You should have no trouble sleeping from now on."

Caroline rose and looked at Klaus. He nodded. "We'll be right up."

She left the bar with Silv. Both of them were silent until the elevator doors had closed. Caroline looked at Silv, and the witch returned her gaze. "Will you be ready to stand with them, Caroline?" she asked. "This could get very ugly, particularly if Mikael is involved."

"No one deserves this kind of hatred from their own father. Or stepfather, in this case. And that swine Prelati should die twenty times over. I'm in. They've kind of grown on me, to be perfectly honest. I can't even believe that they were my sworn enemies only a couple of months ago!"

"Yes, they do that to you. They are completely deranged, but they have… something."

"Will you stand with them, Silv? With him?"

Silv was holding back the tears, but Caroline could see a faint shimmer in her eyes. "I know he doesn't want me anymore. But I love him. It's as simple as that. Of course I will stand with him."

Caroline swallowed. This is what I want. It's she smiled. "Ah, Silv…?"

"Yes?"

"I wouldn't be quite so sure about the 'He doesn't want me anymore' part."

Silv gave her a faint smile, and a tear slipped out of her eye after all. "Let's get you spelled, shall we?"