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Chapter 21
Caroline pushed the door open to the painting room. Niklaus was downstairs pacing, and she wanted to give him his space. She walked into the room and smiled at the painting of herself on the wall. She continued forward and walked around the room, running her hands over the drawings and different canvases. She stopped suddenly when she spotted something. Her hand moved quickly as she shoved some other things out of the way and she lifted up the drawing.
"Anna." She breathed out. It was a picture of her daughter. She'd forgotten how beautiful she was. She sat the drawing down as a canvas caught her eye. It was sitting behind two others, propped up on the wall. She pushed the others aside and she beamed.
"Oh my Anna." She said softly as she ran her fingers over the soft lines of the painting. Her blonde hair shone, her bright blue eyes standing out. She was just as she remembered her, her smile beaming off the picture, a beautiful angel. Caroline's head whipped around as she heard feet running toward the house. She paused and listened, when she heard the wood of the door being kicked down, she dropped the picture and ran forward out of the room just as a gunshot went off. Caroline froze, her heart shooting to her throat, another gunshot ran out and Caroline jerked into action. Caroline rushed to the stairs and grabbed the railing, propelling herself over the edge. Her feet landed on the floor, the front door was wide open, she rushed toward the gathering room, where she heard noises. She was in the room in a heartbeat. Klaus was lying on the floor, blood, everywhere. She tried to move forward but she could only come within inches of him. She tried again and banged into something.
"Niklaus!" she yelled, shoving hard against the invisible field that contained her.
"Like that?" a stern voice said. Caroline turned quickly. Patrick was standing in the corner of the room, shot gun in hand. Next to him on both sides where girls, one was holding Maggie by her hair, a blade pressed firmly against her throat, Caroline could see a small trail of blood running down her neck.
"I'm so sorry, he said if I didn't invite him in he'd kill me. I'm so sorry." Maggie said. Caroline waved her hand and her eyes looked at Klaus briefly as he started to move slightly.
"What did you do?" Caroline asked.
"My girls here are stronger than you all think. Two boxes, one for each animal. And that inside him dear is buckshot." He lifted the barrel and tapped the first side of the shotgun.
"Silver on this side." he said, "White oak on this side." he smirked. Caroline paled, how did he know about that.
"Sorry Caroline, he had Fallynn. I gave you all up to get her." Said a voice. Caroline whirled and saw Koda walking in.
"You son of a bitch!" Caroline said as she lunged forward, she hit the invisible wall again and growled. Where were the others? Where had they gone?
"He'll die slowly. I'll let you live long enough to watch it, but I'll come for you sweetie, don't you worry." Patrick said. A groan escaped Klaus's lips and Caroline looked down.
"We should get going, before the others return." The one holding Maggie said.
"Finish her." he said nodding to Maggie.
"No! Leave her alone! Please!" Caroline screamed. The girl smirked and drove the blade into Maggie's abdomen.
"No!" Caroline screamed and slammed her hands into the wall that kept her contained. Patrick smirked and waved his hands. They turned to leave.
"You won't get away with this, I'll get out of here and I swear to everything in the whole world, I will kill you the way I killed your piece of shit son!" Caroline growled. Patrick turned and glared, Caroline could tell she'd hit a nerve by the way his eyebrow twitched. But he quickly recovered and smirked.
"You won't get to me Caroline sweetie." He said before he turned on his heel and left. Caroline listened as he left before she dropped to her knees. She was so very close to Klaus, so close, but she couldn't touch him, her hand stopped right where his arm lay, she couldn't touch him.
"Niklaus, come on, wake up, come on." She said softly. His head moved a little and she looked up to Maggie. She was gasping on the floor, blood pouring from the wound.
"Maggie, Maggie hang on ok?" Caroline called. Maggie nodded and coughed, Caroline's eyes searched frantically.
"Maggie, grab that shirt, put it over the wound and press down hard. It will hurt, but it will stop the bleeding." She said. Maggie reached a shaky hand up for the spare shirt sitting on the edge of the couch. She grabbed it and jerked it down, pressing it over the wound. She groaned loudly but nodded.
"Is he ok?" she asked nodding toward Klaus.
"I can't touch him, I don't know. The silver and the white oak together, I don't know what it will do to him." she said looking down at him. His eyes were blinking and Caroline watched as blood slowly pooled on the floor.
"Niklaus, Niklaus." She said lowering herself. His head turned to face her and he blinked.
"Caroline." He said softly, with a tight lipped smile.
"Please, stay with me ok, please." Caroline said. He gritted his teeth and his eyes closed tightly as he tried to move his arms. A loud groan seeped through his lips and he coughed.
"Be still, they will be back soon. Just hold still." She said. He head was turned toward her and his eyes opened again. Caroline laid down in the floor, reaching her hand out and pressing it against the wall as his eyes closed again and stayed closed.
"Hey, hey come on, tell me about those pictures upstairs, the ones of Anna." She said. He smirked and shook his head as his eyes opened back up.
"You found those?" he asked. Caroline nodded and smiled, her eyes tearing up.
"You captured her so well. She is just as I remember." Caroline said.
"Maggie are you still with me!?" Caroline called.
"I'm here." Maggie grunted.
"What's happened to Maggie?" Klaus asked.
"Patrick's witch stabbed her." Caroline said. Klaus moved his head and moaned again.
"Be still." Caroline said again. Caroline heard footsteps, slow at first, then rushing, all feet running forward.
"Caroline, Niklaus, Maggie!" their voices all mingled together as they rushed into the room. Caroline turned to them.
"Someone grab Maggie, get her to the hospital!" Caroline pointed. Elena ran forward and lifted Maggie quickly.
"I got her." Elena said rushing from the room. Rebekah tried to reach her brother but was hit with the barrier.
"Patrick was here, his witches too. He put up these barriers, we can't get out, I can't touch him. Bonnie, please do something, it's silver and white oak." Caroline said.
"Where did he get white oak?" Rebekah asked pushing hard against the barrier.
"I don't know. But Koda gave us up to get Fallynn." Caroline said.
"I'll kill that bastard." Damon growled. Klaus coughed and blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Not right now, just please, do something." Caroline said as she laid back down, facing him.
"Hey, come on look at me ok." Caroline said. Klaus's head turned and he smiled at her. Caroline felt tears running from her eyes.
"I need to tell you something." He said weakly.
"No, no you can tell me after, not right now, don't do that, don't say anything." She said shaking her head. He smiled and his eyes blinked slowly.
"I don't think I'm coming out of this one Caroline. You'll be fine though." He said. Caroline shook her head and a sob racked her chest as tears fell faster.
"You're going to be fine, just fine. You have to be ok." She said.
"I'm sorry for sending you away. I should have fought harder for you. We should have been together all this time." He said.
"Stop it Niklaus, stop talking that way, you're not going to die." Caroline said.
"Damon will take care of you, he has an ok heart, he won't hurt you." Klaus said with a small smile.
"You sired all of us, we'll all die with you." Stefan said hurriedly. Klaus coughed and laughed at the same time, more blood ran down his lips.
"My sires will live, I was never a full vampire, I was the first hybrid, my bloodline will not die because they are different than other vampires, my blood is different. I cannot explain it, but you all will be fine." He said.
"None of that matters at all if you're not here." Caroline said.
"Take care of her Damon." He said.
"That's not my job Klaus, you're going to stay and take care of her, she needs you." Damon said. Caroline looked up at him, his eyes were clouded with sadness but he nodded at her and Caroline turned back to Klaus.
"You have to stay, you know why?" she asked. His eyes blinked and he looked at her as she pressed her hand to the barrier again.
"Why?" he asked, another groan pushed out of his lips.
"Because I love you." Caroline whispered. His eyes widened and his mouth opened a little.
"I love you so much Niklaus. I've never loved another in the same way. You're my heart and soul, the very reason I exist, and if you die you might as well take me along because I cannot live without you. I love you more than the moon loved the sun. Please, please don't leave me." Caroline said. Klaus smiled and closed his eyes. Caroline could hear Rebekah's sobs breaking through the silence.
"Tell me about the moon." he said. Caroline wept and more tears rolled.
"The moon didn't use to be that high in the sky, it used to float close to the sun, both of them were together. The moon and the sun loved each other very much. Then the sun had to leave, it had to go far far away to help light other people's worlds. The moon was devastated, he cried for days. The sun cried too, she was heartbroken that she had to leave her one true love. But because the sun and the moon gave up their love for each other to help others, the earth promised that she would bring them back together, and every once in a while the earth keeps her promise and the sun and the moon meet again, they play, laugh, love, and when they have to part they always say to each other," Caroline paused.
"True love never dies." Klaus whispered the words and breathed out. Caroline waited for his chest to move.
"Niklaus…" she said getting to her knees.
"NIKLAUS! PLEASE!" She sobbed and slammed her hands against the barrier. He didn't move, his eyes stayed closed and Caroline's heart came crashing down.
"NIKLAUS!"