AN: Sorry it's been so long. I got distracted with one shots. If you haven't read any of them, you should. I like to believe they're a fun read. Also my Avenger's Crossover. You should read that as well.
Eight. Alliance
Klaus is painting when someone bangs on his door.
He scowls, wishing his siblings were around to answer the call, but Rebekah has been spending all her time with the quarterback at the grill and Elijah has been trying to discover what he can about the horsepeople. Klaus allows himself a brief moment to hope that it is Caroline on the other side of the door, returned to have another round of their earlier enjoyable activities, but then he shakes his head at the thought. She is once again surrounded by her friends and ensconced in the little world, in which he is a villain an the world revolves around Elena Gilbert. He wonders if she even realizes that she's falling back into old bad habits, and decides that, once his father and her comrades are taken care of, he will take her far, far away from this little town and show her what living truly is.
The banging resumes, and Klaus sets down his palette and wanders over to open it.
He knew it wouldn't be Caroline, but he also wasn't expecting Alice.
"I come bearing gifts," she says without preamble, pushing past him into the room. Two… beasts follow her, their cheeks hollow and eyes red, their forms seeming to almost rot and they smell horrid. These must be the wendigos of which Caroline spoke, and Klaus feels his spine stiffen and he watches the triad with wary eyes. The two wendigo carry a covered form between them which they drop on the floor. Alice grasps the cover and pulls it away, revealing a burned, blackened form with the remains of a stake shoved into its chest.
"A corpse," Klaus says dryly, looking at the body with distaste. "Lovely. I prefer to kill my own victims, however."
"Your father's corpse," Alice replies, taking a seat on the couch. She crosses her legs and her arms and looks at him with green eyes and a raised brow. "Consider it a peace offering, since I stole your coffins."
The words gain an immediate reaction. Klaus' fangs are out and his blackened and he leaps at her, pulling up short as the wendigo get in his way, their jaws dripping with yellow venom and their eyes glowing with hunger.
"Attack me, and you'll become just like Damon Salvatore. And your father, before I killed him. Only Mikael wasn't your father, was he? Bastard boy of a whore mother." Alice leans forward, her eyes glinting with vindictive glee as she spits out the words that will always and forever be an arrow to Klaus' heart. "Only the bastard surpassed the natural children, became the most powerful immortal. Victor and Marik both want you dead."
"Marik knows that to kill me is to kill Caroline," Klaus responds. "He won't touch me."
"Perhaps not, but I think you underestimate him. Or perhaps overestimate his loyalty to my sister. Marik will always put himself first, and Caroline isn't being particularly cooperative to him. Even should he leave you be, Victor still remains. You need allies, Niklaus."
"Are you offering yourself?" Klaus responds incredulously, taking a seat on the love seat across from her. The wendigo are still watching him hungrily, and he could swear one licks its lips as it watches him sit. "Even though you stole my family?"
"Much as you stole mine," Alice surveys her nails with faux boredom, and it occurs to Klaus that this, her being there, has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with Caroline.
"She's not here," he comments, motioning around with a hand. "She is once again at Elena's beck and call."
"Don't you mean the Gilbert girl is at her beck and call? Caroline made her Caroline can end her, or force her to her will. Just as Marik can control the vampires, and Victor the werewolves… only neither can control you." Alice leans forward and one of her hands comes out to stroke down the back of a wendigo almost absent-mindedly. "I'm here for you, Klaus. Because you offer up a unique opportunity; immunity from control. And because of that, they will want you dead. I want you on my side."
"What game are you playing, Alice?" Klaus demands, not understanding her presence. She had called Marik to declare war on Caroline, yet since their return to Mystic Falls she has been doing a delicate dance around her sister, as though she can't decide if she wishes to hug or kill her. "What is your endgame? Do you want your sister destroyed, or do you want her at your side?"
"What should it matter to you? I want you at my side. I thought you were the type for self-preservation. Why the worry for Caroline… unless…" Alice leans forward, a wicked smirk quirking her lips. "Don't tell me, you finally managed it. Got into her pants, did you? Was it everything you ever imagined, Niklaus? Did she rock your world?"
"According to the gossip around town, you allowed Marik to rock yours. You say he wants to kill me, so why would I trust the woman who so willingly warms his bed?"
Alice leans back again with a laugh and rolled eyes.
"It was sex," she replies, resting a foot on the coffee table in front of her. "If I gave my loyalty to every man I slept with, there would be nothing left of me for myself."
Klaus wasn't use to such blasé attitudes about sex, and it sets him back for a moment. He had been born in a time when virginity was a woman's most valuable commodity, and though his sister had many lovers over the years, she had always given them her heart. Alice's cold dismissal of her time with Marik is different from what Klaus expects, so he decides to take on a different method of attack.
"What will it take to get my family back?"
"I'm surprised you even want them back. Family is a weakness, Klaus. They are hidden away where your true enemies cannot find them. That should really be enough."
"They are my brothers," Klaus shoots back. "My brothers and…"
"And what?" Alice leans forward, her gaze hungry as Klaus trails off. "I couldn't break into the third. For all my arcane magicks, it remains locked. Who do you have hidden away that is so important? Don't tell me it's a lover… planning to break big sister's heart?"
"Who is in the coffin doesn't matter. All that matters is that you return it, and the others, to me. So let's stop with the foolish back and forth, and get to the heart of the matter," Klaus leans forward, clasping his hands together. "You wish for an ally? Then convince me."
(CWM)
They've set up a time to meet later in the afternoon, but Caroline needs something more to do than cool her heels until they can discuss their next plan of action. Her first instinct was Marik; to hunt him down and…
That's where she runs a blank. Because Marik is Death, and what can be done to Death? All she knows is that he can't be trusted, not when Caroline's end goals do not mesh with his own. She could find Alice, but their conversations run in circles, and endless tug-of-war of love and hate, and Caroline doesn't know which way that battle will end up falling, and the thought of dealing with it is simply exhausting. That leaves only one.
Victor.
As if her thoughts summon him, he appears next to her on the park bench she had been using as a brooding zone. Brooding isn't something she does often, but given time she thinks she might become a champion.
"Caroline," Victor greeted, his dark eyes watching her with a shrewdness that sends an uneasy shiver down her spin. Greasy has always been the best word to describe him, from his fake smile, down to the feeling his powers inspire in her. She can feel them, even now, creeping against her own and searching for weakness.
"Victor," she replies. "I thought I would have to come to you."
"Normally you would, but I wasn't sure your pride would allow it. Mortality doesn't suit you, Caroline. You should really get rid of it."
"Is that what you were doing when you tried to kill my mother? Getting rid of my mortality for me?" Caroline retorts, crossing her legs. "And we both know better, Victor. Mortality means human, and humans can be every bit as evil as they would claim we are."
"Oh, so the little warrior does remember. I didn't think you did, as you followed the humans in this town like a puppy. It was sad really."
Caroline is getting a harsh reminder of why she had never liked Victor. He's a dick, even more so than Marik, and considering her last interaction with him, that's saying something.
"Are you here to insult me, or did you have a purpose?"
"You are bound to Niklaus Mikaelson. That is unfortunate, for you see I wish the Hybrid dead."
Caroline sighs and stretches her legs out in front of her. Victor was a master of subterfuge, and she thinks it's probably insulting, that he's being so open with her. It means he doesn't view her as a threat, and that makes her grit her teeth.
"That's nice. I won't let you. I enjoy life. I find it suits me." She doesn't want to look at him, because she doesn't like that he is there. At the same time, it's somewhat comforting, though, to know that her feelings for Victor, at the very least, haven't changed. Alice and Marik are complicated, and she is getting sick of complications. Hating Victor is easy, it feels natural. "I thought you wanted to defeat Marik."
"Can I not want both?"
"Well, one puts us on opposite sides. The other? I find that being Marik's lapdog isn't my style."
Victor is silent, and Caroline can see him watching her from the corner of her eye. His gaze is shrewd, and she can see him recalculating his approach to her, reconsidering his options.
"I find that I don't believe you," he says at last. "You hate me. Even now you recoil from me. And you would have me believe that we could be allies?"
"The devil you know, Victor. I don't trust you, I don't like you. Given half a chance, I'm pretty sure you would have me banished again and then laugh. But I know all that about you. I've never known Marik when he didn't have my loyalty. I don't know how he'll react, what he'll do. And I need allies."
It galls her, to admit to needing his help. To even think about allying herself with Pestilence makes her want to throw up. He almost killed her mother, he did kill Elena. And now she's sitting next to him talking alliances.
Perhaps they have all been wrong about her. Perhaps she is more like the War of old than any of them realized. Because Caroline Forbes? She would never make a deal with this man.
Then again, neither would War.
So who does that make her, that she is?
"Your offer is tempting," Victor admits after a while. "But I will have to turn it down. You see, I dislike loose ends. And your Hybrid is a loose end. He will die, and you will die with him. I wonder what happens, when a Horseman dies?"
"Pity you won't find out," Caroline purrs in reply, and she can admit to some relief. She has spoken to Victor, tried to make an alliance, and he has turned her down. She won't have to be haunted by what-ifs, and she won't have to work with Victor, either.
"We'll see," Victor replies, and he leaves the bench.
"Victor!" Caroline calls after him, and he pauses. He doesn't turn around, but he remains still, waiting for whatever it is she has to say. "Where is Alice?"
"I am not keeper," Victor replies tensely, and the tone makes Caroline smile smugly to herself, because if she is chewing at Marik's bit, then Alice is doing the same to Victor's.
"Have you ever wondered, what would happen? If she and I put our difference aside?"
"It hasn't happened in all of time. I find it unlikely to happen now."
Caroline doesn't reply, and Victor continues to walk away once more, but Caroline can't help but feel a little smug. For all that they comment on her changing, neither Victor nor Marik seem able to consider the true ramifications of that change.
She knows she can no longer be Marik's little lapdog. Her loyalties lie elsewhere, and Marik will never accept that. He wants all of her, and she is torn in far too many directions to give anyone that. Victor is… Victor, and he is not willing to be her ally, nor does she want him to. Victor wants to rule over all, won't accept anything less than everyone at his feet.
It's time, she decides. It's time for her to stop letting old grievances rule her life. Alice is her sister, the only Horseperson she can trust. For all that Allie might hate her, may want to see her hurt, she also loves her.
And more than that, Alice doesn't want to be a lapdog anymore, either.
Eons spent on opposite sides of an endless battle. Caroline thinks it's time they end it.
(CWM)
"I need you to help me find Al…ice, hello."
Klaus and Alice look up from their conversation when Caroline bursts into the apartment. The Wendigo, who have curled on the floor, perk their heads up and growl. Caroline looks at them and growls back, her eyes flashing silver.
"Must you antagonize them, Sister?" Alice asks in a resigned tone that says this is not the first incarnation in which Caroline has been less than fond of her sister's creations.
"You had them attack me. It hurt. I'm sorry if I'm less than fond of the. Although I suppose I shouldn't be angry with them. They were just following orders." Caroline crosses her arms and looks between Alice and Klaus. "What are you two plotting?"
"None of your business," Alice replies, and for a moment she looks and sounds so petulant that Klaus could almost believe Caroline is the elder of the two.
"Bullshit," Caroline shoots back. "You're making an alliance. With Klaus. Really, Allie? You'll make an alliance with Klaus, but all you'll do is snap at me and tell me I was an awful sister?"
"Niklaus can't be controlled. It makes him valuable," Alice replies, running her finger along the edge of the teacup she's been drinking out of. "And in case you've forgotten, I don't like you."
"Maybe not, but you do love me" – Caroline sits on the arm of Klaus' chair, and he finds himself tensing. This is the first time they've seen each other since they slept together, and Klaus has no idea what to expect from her. He had imagined when they encountered each other again they would be alone and able to discuss how to proceed – "so we're going to talk this shit out. Because right now there are Four Horsepeople, each on their own side, and the only way anyone can win is if we form an alliance." Caroline leans forward and looks straight into Alice's eyes. "I want to seal them away."
"What?" Alice replies, her claws digging into the upholstery, and Klaus feels a jolt of surprise run through his own body at Caroline's words. "You want to seal them away. As in both of them."
"Yes," Caroline replies simply. "So get your witch, and don't deny that you have a witch, because you do. This has been your plan all along, hasn't it? Well, you don't have to use Klaus or my mom or anyone else that I love to get me on board. I want them gone, Allie."
"And when they're gone?" Alice replied stiffly, her chin tilting. "What then?"
"Then we go our separate ways," Caroline replies, but Klaus notices her gaze is focused on Alice, Alice who gulps noticeably, a flicker in her eyes that Klaus can't read, but that makes Caroline continue to speak, "or we can try to be sisters. I… in this life, I'm an only child. I'm not sure if I'd be a good sister. But I think I might like to try. But you can't hurt anyone else, Alice. Not here. Mystic Falls will be off limits."
"This won't be easy," Alice says, leaning forward. "And once we start? There's no going back. They won't forgive us, not for this."
"I know," Caroline replies.
"If we're caught, they will kill everyone you love, Caroline. What Victor and I did when we arrived? It will be like child's play."
"You have a witch," Caroline replies, leaning forward. "Someone strong enough to lock them both away?"
"Her name is Jane Anne Deveraux. She's from New Orleans. The witches down there… they're a dying breed, and they're being targeted by vampires. Vampires your boy toy there is familiar with. Marcel?" Klaus stiffens at the name of his one-time protégé, and Alice smiles a catlike smile, always enjoying surprising those. "I was going to get around to that part of our deal when my sister interrupted us. Jane Anne will perform the spell. In return, we are to ensure her family line continues. She has a daughter and a sister. She wants them safe from Marcel, no matter the cost."
"Can she lock them both away?" Caroline asks with a frown. "The Morgan witch… she died after sealing me away. And that was just one Horseperson."
"Well, that's where things get interesting," Alice replies, leaning forward, her green eyes glowing with enthusiasm at the thought that they may actually succeed. "How good an actress are you?"
AN: And there it is. Alice and Caroline are going to team up and lock away the boys. At least that's the basic plan… but there's more to it. Yes, I'm including the Deveraux witches and Marcel being king of NO, but that's all I'm including from the spinoff. Because I don't watch it anymore.
Next chapter we'll finally get Klaroline again! They have to deal with the aftermath of their smexy times. Also, Marik will likely be back. Alice/Caroline have a plan… but how do you keep secrets from Death? Wait and see!
Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you'll keep on doing so.