A/N: It's been a while. Real life as usual – but this chapter turned out longer than I expected! I apologize for any errors, and I hope you enjoy!
Before she could say anything more, Klaus stormed past her towards the front entrance, where Mikael and Esther were attempting to make their departure unnoticed.
"Klaus!" she called after him, but it was no use. She could tell by his rigid posture that he was furious. He was not going to listen to her.
Marcel had made his way through the groups of people towards her.
"Hey, what's going on? What was that about?" he asked concerned. "Where did Klaus go?"
There was no time to explain the custody application if she wanted Marcel's help intervening between Klaus and his parents before it was too late. She didn't want Klaus to do anything he might regret.
"Mikael and Esther are here," was all she managed to get out before Marcel was darting after Klaus, clearly sharing the same concern as she did.
Completely forgetting about Bonnie and Kol, she followed after Marcel as quickly as she could in the heels she had borrowed from Rebekah.
"You son of a bitch!" he growled angrily, grabbing Mikael by the shoulder, turning him around forcibly and pinning him against the back door of the town car he was about to enter with Esther.
He could hear Esther shrieking as she exited the vehicle from the driver's side.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, pushing his forearm harder against Mikael's chest as he stared into his cold steel eyes.
For a split moment, he recalled an incident when he was younger, when he had knocked over one of his mother's expensive glass vases running through the house after Elijah. That triggered his father's fury and he had found himself pinned up against the wall by him – much like he had his father at the moment.
"Klaus!" He could hear Caroline's shocked voice echoing in the distance behind him as he felt the fabric of his suit jacket tighten around his shoulders, pulling him backwards.
"Hey Hey!" Marcel said firmly but calmly, releasing him from his hold once he had broken up the physical contact between him and Mikael.
Mikael was staring at him with an amused grin on his face as Esther skirted around the vehicle to ensure he was okay. Her loyalty to Mikael disgusted him. Truth be told, it saddened and disappointed him. Sure, she wasn't entirely to blame for her circumstance, given the abuse and manipulation she had endured throughout her relationship with him – but she and Mikael were two peas in a pod. The abuse and manipulation had always gone both ways..
"Take it easy, man," Marcel urged him patting his back supportively. "You don't need to deal with this."
"Listen to your bodyguard here Niklaus, take it easy, boy," Mikael spat as Esther backed up to the front of the vehicle reluctantly.
"Klaus, please," Caroline pleaded. "It's not worth it."
"You're a coward," he said flatly, throwing the manila envelope to the ground at Mikael's feet. "You are both cowards," he added, exchanging eye contact with his mother.
Mikael shrugged indifferently.
"While I would have derived great pleasure from serving you in person, it's against the rules of procedure for Applicants to serve the initiating documents themselves. However, I still had to see it for myself. When Carol Lockwood told us you were going to be in New York, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity," Mikael chuckled.
Yet another reason to loathe Carol Lockwood, he thought internally to himself, even if she had no idea as to the relationship dynamics at play behind the scenes.
"Grayson is not yours," he said steadfastly, "Elijah and Elena never wanted him with you."
"Grayson is not yours either," Mikael replied flatly, "regardless of what Elijah and Elena may have wanted. A judge gets to make that decision."
He knew that Mikael had a point. He and Caroline were at the mercy of some judge to grant them custody. It's why they had been walking on egg shells in their efforts to impress the court and the CPS workers.
"How are you going to support a child? Elijah and Elena's money is not going to last forever. You're a starving artist entirely reliant upon commissioned work and Ms. Forbes has a meagre income as a dressmaker. Mystic Falls will never provide much of an income. Not to mention that the two of you are too preoccupied with your own little love affair to even consider what's in the best interests of Grayson. What happens when that inevitably falls apart? Do you really think a judge is going to award you custody?" Mikael pressed.
His fists and jaw clenched in anger as he tried to suppress his urge to launch himself at Mikael once more and wipe the smug grin off of his face.
"Klaus, don't let him get to you," Marcel warned, placing his hand on his shoulder.
He hated that Mikael was still so successful at getting under his skin.
"Like you would know what's in Grayson's best interests?" Caroline piped up, speaking to Mikael and Esther as she stepped forward, appearing beside him. "Grayson needs a home with people who love him."
"We love Grayson," Esther retorted.
"Grayson is a pawn in your manipulative game," Caroline scoffed, becoming angrier by the second. He could hear it in her voice.
"Grayson is our grandson. You're not even related to him," Mikael said to Caroline with a cold indifferent shrug.
Caroline appeared stunned and hurt by Mikael's remark. Her face was red and her lips were tightly closed, as if she was fighting back tears or stopping herself from saying something she would later regret.
"Caroline has been there for Grayson since the day he was born," he said quickly, coming to Caroline's defence. "Where were you? Grayson needs parents and we both know neither of you were very good at parenthood," he said resentfully.
Esther was avoiding eye contact with him, while Mikael was staring him down unfalteringly.
"And you were never much of a son," Mikael retorted bitingly, making a discreet but obvious reference to his illegitimacy. "Tell me something, Niklaus, where were you since Grayson was born? No doubt I imagine you were too busy indulging your self-pity at the bottom of a bottle and between the thighs of desperate women," Mikael suggested with indifferent disgust.
"Okay, Okay, we're going to walk away," Marcel cut in. "And the two of you need to leave now," he said sharply to both Mikael and Esther.
Marcel knew him better than he knew himself at times, and before he could react to what Mikael had said to him, Marcel was grabbing his shoulder turning him back towards the venue.
He expected to hear Caroline's heels clicking against the ground following behind. When he didn't hear her following, he stopped with Marcel, now a few feet away.
"Do not let yourself be fooled, Ms. Forbes; Niklaus will always be that same pathetic boy," Mikael warned sternly.
He growled under his breath and fought against Marcel's grasp to turn around and confront Mikael once more.
"The only pathetic person I see here is you," he heard Caroline shoot back in his defence, before turning her back and standing alongside him and Marcel.
Caroline put her hand on his arm to guide him back towards the venue.
"Just ignore him Klaus," she urged him under her breath. "Just ignore him."
Rebekah hopped up from the couch when she entered Klaus's apartment.
"I can't believe they would do something this horrible," Rebekah said immediately with a low angry voice, obviously referring to her parents and the custody Application they had served her and Klaus with earlier that evening. "Both of my parents are insensitive and selfish but I didn't think they would take it this far. Elijah and Elena would have never wanted them to interfere like this," she said, clearly as surprised by their latest actions as she was.
She responded with a simple sigh, but remained silent otherwise as she desperately removed the heels Rebekah had lent her.
"Where is everyone else?" Rebekah questioned, as she helped her put her purse and the manila envelope package that had been burning her hand since she had received it on the kitchen countertop.
"Bonnie and Kol went back to their apartment. Klaus and Marcel had to stay behind to collect their work and take it back to the studio. It'll be a late night. They will probably just crash there. They may have more to do in the morning," she explained, feeling terrible that Klaus had to stay behind with the implication of his parents' appearance looming over him.
"Well, knowing how Nik is, maybe it will take his mind off of things," Rebekah said in an effort to ease her concern as she began rummaging through Klaus's cupboards.
She had a point. It likely explained why Klaus almost seemed relieved at the prospect of staying back with Marcel to pack up their artwork.
"It's probably better he's there instead of worrying about it," she agreed with Rebekah. "There's nothing we can do about it right now."
Rebekah nodded.
"I should try and go to sleep," she yawned. "But I know I won't be able to sleep."
"Coffee or wine?" Rebekah turned to ask her, pointing to the coffee maker to her right, and holding up a bottle of wine in her left hand.
Laughing lightly, she shook her head to neither. She had drank enough earlier and now that Mikael and Esther had ruined her buzz, she was only left with a gross sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. If she drank coffee she would definitely not be getting any sleep for the rest of the night.
"Tea it is then. Let's hope my brother hasn't forgotten his English roots," Rebekah chuckled to herself as she peered into another cupboard. "I'll boil the water while you change and wash up. We can talk," she offered.
It was hard to think back to a time when she perceived Klaus's sister to be a stuck up bitch. She actually enjoyed Rebekah's company.
Grayson was sound asleep in the bedroom, so she quietly removed a tank top and shorts for bed and changed in the bathroom.
Rebekah was waiting at the kitchen island with two cups of tea when she emerged.
She smiled appreciatively and soaked in the feeling of the hot cup in her hands. Sure, it was summer, but she took comfort it in it nonetheless.
"How was Grayson tonight?" she wondered, hoping he hadn't been too much trouble for Rebekah to manage on her own.
Rebekah shrugged with a smirk. "He was a little fussy on the cab ride back to the apartment. I think he was a little upset to leave you and Nik. He settled down after I changed him into some comfier clothes and gave him a bottle," she explained. "We both did," she joked, nodding her head down towards her pyjamas and the nearly empty glass of wine on the counter.
She laughed alongside Rebekah, thankful for her attempts to take her mind off of things. It made her happy that she and Rebekah were able to connect like this. While she never expected to be accepted by Mikael and Esther – hell, they barely accepted Elena or their own children for that matter – it was nice to feel that she was liked by both Rebekah and Kol.
"Did you speak to Stefan about the Application?" Rebekah wondered, changing the topic back to Mikael and Esther.
She didn't mind. The subject was weighing on her and she needed to talk about it with someone to ease her anxiety about it.
"I haven't been able to reach him. It's late. He and Meredith are probably asleep. I sent him an e-mail with screenshots of the document. Klaus and I have thirty days to respond," she explained before blowing the hot beverage to cool it down so she could take a sip.
Rebekah sighed, clearly bothered by what had transpired.
"I swear I told my parents nothing about my trip to New York," Rebekah said. "I told them I was going on a summer trip to Barcelona with some girlfriends," she added for emphasis.
"They didn't find out from you," she assured Rebekah. "They found out from Carol Lockwood."
Rebekah's eyes widened in surprise.
"On purpose?" Rebekah questioned.
She shrugged, uncertain about Carol Lockwood's motives. "I don't think Carol really understands the tension that exists between your parents and all of you. She probably mentioned our trip to New York in passing to them thinking they knew about it because it had to do with Klaus's work," she assumed.
"It's still unfortunate," Rebekah concluded.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed, knowing it would be awkward to return to Mystic Falls and work alongside Carol again on projects like Miss Mystic Falls. "But, I guess if it didn't happen in New York, they would have served it on us in Mystic Falls. I just hope this didn't have a negative impact on the success of tonight for Klaus," she sighed.
Rebekah shook her head.
"The place was packed full of people. I'm sure no one even realized what was happening," Rebekah tried to reassure her.
At the time she and Klaus were being served with the court documents she had felt like a million eyes were watching them. It was humiliating. She hoped Rebekah was right.
"Everything is going to be fine, though," Rebekah said confidently. "Just because my parents put forward this Application doesn't mean they are going to be successful," she reminded her. "They have a lot of hurdles to overcome. They're not named in Elijah and Elena's Wills, they live across the Atlantic, they haven't had a significant relationship with Grayson to this point, they're much older than you and Klaus, they're not suitable people to raise Grayson," Rebekah pointed out.
Hearing these arguments from Rebekah – arguments she had already repeated to herself numerous times – made her feel more confident about her and Klaus's positions as Grayson's guardians.
She took a quick sip of her tea to avoid burning her tongue with the hot liquid.
"They have a lot of money and influence, though," she thought aloud. "They're married, they have a stable relationship on the outside, they have lots of time to devote to a child," she listed, slowly dissuading her from the previous arguments she and Rebekah had made in her and Klaus's favour. These were all facts that had been highlighted in Mikael and Esther's Application.
"You and Nik are devoted to Grayson. You both have made so many sacrifices to be there for him. Love matters more than money. Elijah and Elena wanted you to be the ones who took their place if they couldn't be here. That's huge," Rebekah pointed out, switching tactics to show her what she and Klaus had going for them in their case against Mikael and Esther.
"Sure," she conceded. "But, I'm sure the judge is going to wonder about the nature of my relationship with Klaus and how suddenly it came about," she thought, knowing Mikael and Esther had alluded to it in their court documents.
Rebekah shrugged, seemingly unfazed by her concerns.
"You and my brother are head over heels for one another, any judge will see that. What more could they ask for in guardians for Grayson?" Rebekah said, growing annoyed by her constant uncertainty and questioning.
She was still filled with anxiety despite Rebekah's attempts to cheer her up.
"You do love my brother, right?" Rebekah pushed curiously, a small smile waiting to emerge on her face in anticipation of her reply.
She paused and considered Rebekah's question. She knew the answer. She had told herself the answer quite often. However, she hesitated to respond out of fear. Admitting it out loud, to someone else, especially those connected to Klaus, made her vulnerable.
"I love him so much," she revealed, feeling both a sense of comfort and trepidation in opening up to Rebekah about her feelings for Klaus.
"But…" Rebekah suggested, clearly sensing her reluctance.
She glanced down at her cup and took another sip of her tea. Rebekah did the same as she waited for her to fill the silence she had left.
"But…" she repeated Rebekah's words, trying to figure out how to explain her feelings.
"My stupid brother hasn't said the magic words yet, has he?" Rebekah concluded, scoffing and rolling her eyes at the conclusion she was able to draw on her own. "I'm sorry, Caroline. Nik can be so thick-skulled sometimes. He does love you. It's disgustingly obvious," she said with a laugh in a genuine effort to reassure her and calm her anxieties. "He's never been in a serious relationship like this before, and it doesn't help that he has never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve," she continued.
She nodded, acknowledging Rebekah's insight. Rebekah knew him better than she did.
"You think it's obvious?" she queried, referring to Rebekah's observation about Klaus's love for her. She wanted reassurance.
Rebekah nodded readily as she took another sip of her tea.
"The way he looks at you, and the way he's always thinking of you. Whenever Nik does spare a moment to chat with me, you always manage to pop up into the conversation," Rebekah explained with a smirk.
She smiled thankfully, appreciating Rebekah's words.
"Nik will come around. If not, I'll knock some sense into him if I have to," Rebekah mused.
Her eyes widened.
"I'm allowed to as his sister," Rebekah shrugged indifferently.
"You don't need to say anything," she urged Rebekah, not wanting to put her in the middle or place any pressure on Klaus. "I should have the conversation with him myself," she thought aloud.
Rebekah shook her head in protest.
"I would never tell Nik about what we talked about. He may be my brother, but us girls have to stick together," Rebekah assured her. "Sometimes he just needs a nudge in the right direction," she explained, suggesting that she could be the one to do it. "I'm sure if Elijah was here he would have said something to Nik already," Rebekah sighed.
"Elena may have beaten Elijah to it," she surmised, thinking about how Elena had stood up for her in past situations.
With Rebekah's help, she had spent the next morning packing for the return flight to Mystic Falls later that evening. The later flight was cheaper and she hoped Grayson would be tired enough at that point and sleep for the duration of the trip.
Klaus had not returned to the apartment the night before. While she had hoped he would return purely for selfish reasons as his presence comforted her and eased her anxiety about his parents' latest appearance. His absence was not unexpected. He had been considerate enough to text her before she and Rebekah called it a night and let her know that he would be crashing at the studio so that he and Marcel could get an early start and collect the remainder of their work from the event venue.
She hadn't heard much from him since. It was a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, she was grateful that Klaus was distracted by his work with Marcel. On the other, she was dreadfully worried about Klaus's parents and she suspected he was too.
Her own mind was kept occupied by packing and cleaning up Klaus's apartment with Rebekah while they both took turns juggling Grayson. Truthfully, Rebekah spent more time with Grayson, but she didn't mind. She knew Rebekah's time with Grayson was limited.
Any gaps of time in between were filled by small talk with Rebekah, which she had grown to enjoy and appreciate.
Stefan had received her e-mail with the screenshots of the documents she and Klaus had been served with. He had replied to her e-mail just after 6:00 a.m. that morning. As she anticipated, it was a legitimate Application for custody of Grayson and it could not be ignored. It would add another layer to their own efforts to obtain permanent custody of Grayson and could delay things significantly. She responded to Stefan's e-mail and confirmed that she and Klaus would meet with Stefan when they returned so that they could sign off on a response to submit. Klaus had been copied on the e-mail chain but had not responded. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she assumed that he had not had the opportunity to check his e-mail.
Before she and Klaus returned to Mystic Falls with Grayson, Bonnie had made reservations for everyone to have a late lunch / early dinner at a family-friendly pub style restaurant a few blocks away from Klaus's apartment to say goodbye.
Given the short distance, she and Rebekah walked to the restaurant with Grayson in his covered stroller.
Bonnie and Kol were waiting outside for them when they arrived.
"Please tell me this place has air conditioning," Rebekah lamented, sweating from the heat.
Though the humidity had eased somewhat, it was still hot nonetheless.
"It's not that bad," Kol scoffed at his sister.
"Yes, it has air conditioning," Bonnie affirmed, as she frantically waved a flyer in front of her face, signalling that she disagreed with Kol's observation.
"Thank god," Rebekah sighed as she led the way into the restaurant.
Bonnie stayed back with her to hold the door open for Grayson's stroller.
"Hi handsome!" Bonnie grinned down at Grayson and waved to him. "Are Klaus and Marcel on their way?" she asked as she reached down to pick Grayson up.
She nodded.
"They should be here any minute," she confirmed, having received a brief text to that effect from Klaus.
When they entered the restaurant, a hostess was already leading Rebekah and Kol to a table towards the back of the room.
Given the small confines of the restaurant, she decided to leave Grayson's stroller at the front reception area.
As they made their way towards the back table, she could see the hostess bringing out a high chair for Grayson. She took a seat at the end of the table beside the high chair.
Kol pulled out a chair for Bonnie on the other side of Grayson's chair. "Wow, what a gentleman," Bonnie noted sarcastically with a grin as she sat down with Grayson on her lap.
"I'm just starved. Hurry up and sit down so we can order," Kol urged impatiently as he took a seat beside Bonnie. His comment earned him a nudge in the ribs from Bonnie.
"I need a cold drink," Rebekah sighed, sitting down beside her.
"Margaritas are on special today," the hostess chimed in as she passed around menus.
"Perfect, I'll have one of those," Rebekah replied.
Kol's nose wrinkled at the mention of the sweet drink, garnering a smirk from Bonnie, who began to pat his back.
"I think Kol is still feeling a little hungover from yesterday," Bonnie chuckled.
"So, make that three margaritas with alcohol, and one virgin," Rebekah requested of the hostess, while sneering at Kol.
She should have also joined Kol in a non-alcoholic beverage, but she supposed one drink wouldn't hurt. Bonnie appeared to be in agreement as well.
"I will let your waitress know. Are you still expecting others?" the hostess asked the group of them, motioning towards the two empty place settings she had provided with menus.
"They're…" Bonnie began before being interrupted.
- "We're here," Marcel announced from behind Bonnie cheerfully, with Klaus following behind in similar high spirits. "Let's get a bottle of sparkling wine. We have some celebrating to do!" Marcel continued excitedly.
Her eyebrows raised curiously, as did those of Rebekah, Bonnie, and Kol as Marcel and Klaus rounded the table.
Klaus patted Grayson lightly on the head as he greeted her with a slight nod of his head and a smile.
She hadn't expected this gathering to be a celebration, more of a sombre goodbye given what had transpired last night. She was confused.
Marcel helped himself to the seat beside Rebekah. Klaus sat down at the end of the table opposite her.
As the hostess disappeared to find their waitress, they waited expectantly for Klaus or Marcel to inform them about what they were celebrating.
"Well, what exactly are we celebrating?" Rebekah demanded impatiently of Klaus, clearly irritated by Marcel's efforts to keep them all in suspense.
She was thankful that Rebekah was better at speaking her mind than she was.
"Let me guess, our mother and father have woken up and have miraculously become good parents," Kol mused sarcastically, subtly referring to Mikael and Esther's latest behaviour.
"I wish I could say that were true," Marcel replied, glancing at Klaus, seeking his permission to elaborate upon their good moods.
"Get on with it!" Rebekah bemoaned irritably, growing more tired by the secrecy by the second.
Marcel's face erupted with a grin.
"Klaus and I have been getting e-mails and phone calls nonstop today about last night…people curious about our work, local media from the art scene wanting to do interviews, buyers interested in pieces that were on display, others wanting commissioned work!" Marcel revealed excitedly.
She sucked in a surprised breath and smiled, thankful that Mikael and Esther had not completely ruined Klaus and Marcel's big night.
"Wow!" Bonnie commented.
"That's great news," she agreed, making eye contact with Klaus from across the table. He looked happy and she felt relieved that last night had appeared to be a success.
"I can tell you the money that Klaus and I have made today alone from tentative sales feels pretty damn great," Marcel bragged proudly.
"Sounds like you and Niklaus will be picking up the tab then," Kol concluded cheekily.
"If we're taking it off of Klaus's share, why the hell not?" Marcel laughed with an indifferent shrug.
"I think Stefan is probably expecting a retainer check from my share," Klaus said half-jokingly, alluding to their impending legal battle with his parents.
"Nik, don't let mother and father bring you down again," Rebekah cautioned Klaus.
Marcel nodded in agreement.
"We all know Grayson isn't going anywhere. Let's just enjoy this moment. Reality can wait," Marcel explained.
She didn't share the same level of confidence that Marcel had about Grayson, but she did agree that reality could wait.
"So what does all this mean?" Bonnie wondered, injecting her preference for rationality into the conversation.
She had been so caught up in the excitement of the news that she hadn't paused to give it serious consideration. Bonnie's question suddenly made her feel apprehensive.
"Well, it means that Klaus and I are going to be busy at the studio over the next few weeks," Marcel said simply.
Her chest tightened and her stomach turned, uncertain as to what Marcel had meant by that.
"So, you're not going back to Mystic Falls tonight?" Bonnie wondered, asking Klaus the very question that had sprung to the forefront of her own mind.
Bonnie glared over at her as if to silently ask if she had known anything about this.
The guilty and apologetic look on Marcel's face as he exchanged glances with Klaus told her that this wasn't a part of the surprise news that he was supposed to reveal and he had realized as much.
She stared at Klaus expectantly, waiting for his answer to Bonnie's question, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden and confusing array of emotions hitting her from every direction.
"Apparently not," Rebekah concluded, filling in the silence, appearing just as perplexed as she was.
"I intended to discuss that with Caroline," Klaus noted, as if that would make her feel better.
Right now, she felt like the last person to be brought into the loop. She should have been the first to know, even if this change of plans had just arisen today. He should have talked to her before now.
Finding out this way, in front of everyone, was embarrassing. A part of her wanted to storm out in anger, and another part of her wanted to disappear under the table in humiliation.
"Yeah, you probably should have already done that," Bonnie murmured sarcastically, still loud enough for everyone at the table to hear her. She was not afraid to speak her mind.
"I haven't yet had the opportunity," Klaus said in his defence.
He should have made the opportunity, she thought. Instead, they were left having this awkward conversation in front of everyone.
"What about Grayson and the custody Application?" Rebekah questioned him.
At least with Bonnie and Rebekah on her side, she didn't have to be the one asking Klaus all of the difficult questions. They were doing it for her.
"Things are what they are, Rebekah," Klaus said simply. "We will figure it out," he reassured her, the agitation in his voice becoming more apparent. "Stefan is the lawyer, he's going to help us," he added.
Neither Rebekah nor Bonnie appeared convinced.
"Grayson should be the priority right now," Bonnie commented critically as she looked down at Grayson who she was bouncing in her lap. Her words themselves targeted no one in particular, but it was obvious they were directed to Klaus.
While she agreed with Bonnie, she cringed at the tension that Bonnie and Rebekah were intensifying. She did not want to have this conversation here in public, and she certainly did not want Klaus's family, Bonnie, or Marcel as spectators and commentators.
"Niklaus isn't going to let Mother or Father take Grayson," Kol interjected, coming to Klaus's defence to dull the sting of Bonnie's words. "Everything will fall into place and work itself out. Let's just enjoy each other's company and celebrate Niklaus and Marcel's success this weekend," he continued, in an effort to lighten the mood and salvage the afternoon.
Bonnie and Rebekah sighed, falling back against their seats, relenting for the sake of maintaining the peace and not making a scene in the restaurant.
She would also try to comply with Kol's suggestion for the same reason, but she fully intended to confront Klaus once they returned to his apartment.
The rest of their time at the restaurant was awkward at times, but it helped that she and Klaus were seated across the table from one another.
For the most part, she reserved her conversations to Rebekah and Bonnie as they were seated closest to her. Rather than dwell on what would follow their meal, she tried to make the most of her remaining time with them, and take advantage of the extra bodies to tend to Grayson and keep him occupied. She hoped the excitement would tire him out for the flight later.
Surprisingly, it was Klaus who suggested they head back to his apartment as they finished their meal. Though it was still a bit early, she knew they had to have a serious conversation before the flight and she wanted to get it over with.
Bonnie and Kol suggested that the rest of them stick around for another round of drinks, Marcel included, much to Rebekah's chagrin. No doubt, they made the suggestion because they knew that she and Klaus needed some privacy and did not want to leave Rebekah by herself while she waited for them to finish talking so she could return to the apartment. Rebekah was scheduled to return to the U.K. the following day and would be staying at Klaus's apartment until then.
She said her goodbyes to everyone, focusing mostly on Bonnie, who she wouldn't get to see in person for a while. During their long hug goodbye, Bonnie took the opportunity to quietly urge her to text or call her after her talk with Klaus if she needed to.
Of course, everyone spent an extended amount of time saying their goodbyes to Grayson, who seemed to soak in all of the attention.
It was a quiet walk back to Klaus's apartment. She and Klaus made some small talk about Klaus's siblings, Bonnie, and Marcel, and how Grayson had been that day, but there was an obvious distance between them and it distressed her.
When they returned to the apartment Klaus attempted to avoid the inevitable a little while longer by joining Grayson on the floor with a few of Grayson's toys she had left out to keep him busy until they were ready to leave.
She walked past the pair for Klaus's bedroom to ensure she hadn't left anything unpacked or forgotten. As she stood in the doorway to Klaus's bedroom, it occurred to her that she had already packed most of Klaus's things and she wasn't even sure if he would be joining her on the flight back to Mystic Falls.
With her back still turned to him, she released a drawn out sigh.
"So are you coming back to Mystic Falls, or not?" she asked finally. Someone had to start the conversation, she thought.
Waiting for his answer, she could hear him stand up from the floor where he was sitting with Grayson.
"Marcel and I were bombarded with phone calls and e-mails today," Klaus began. "People looking to buy completed work or inquiring about having work commissioned. We weren't expecting so much interest from last night so suddenly. It took us by surprise," he remarked.
While she was happy for him, she wanted him to get to the point.
"What does that mean?" she asked, pressing for a straight answer as she turned around to face him.
Klaus hesitated.
"I think I should stay here for a while," Klaus started.
She sucked in a disappointed and worried breath and waited for him to elaborate.
- "at least until things cool down. It will give me time to sell off some of my work and do some consultations for commissioned work. I can help Marcel deal with all the inquiries that have been coming in," he elaborated and explained.
"Isn't that the benefit of technology?" She wondered. "You could do most of that stuff from Mystic Falls," she pointed out, though she knew her argument was tenuous at best.
Klaus appeared unconvinced.
"This is my job, Caroline. I can't just leave Marcel on the front lines to deal with all the face to face work by himself," Klaus said in his defence.
She bit her lip, frustrated by Klaus's self-centred response. She didn't want her anger to get the better of her, but she could feel it boiling inside of her.
"What about my job, Klaus?! What about Grayson?!," she wondered, her tone of voice becoming more stern as she began to panic. "I'll be back in Mystic Falls left to juggle my work while taking care of Grayson for the foreseeable future. I'll be left to deal with the Court Application your parents served on us and wrapping up Elijah and Elena's estate," she sighed, her anxiety growing by the second. "Did you think about any of that?" she asked bitterly as she crossed her arms.
Her words appeared to strike a nerve with Klaus. He didn't look happy with her interrogation, but she wasn't going to dance around the subject to avoid conflict. She felt that her concerns were legitimate and deserved to be heard by him. She was happy for the success that he was experiencing, but it seemed that he hadn't even considered things from her perspective – or Grayson's perspective for that matter.
"Grayson may still be young, but he's getting bigger each day. You can't just walk in and out of his life when it's most convenient for you. He needs you," she added.
He couldn't just walk in and out of her life when it was most convenient for him either. She needed him too.
"Of course I've thought about all that, Caroline!" Klaus replied, his voice raised. "That's all I've thought about! The strength of my parents' claim comes from the fact that they have the money to provide Grayson with a 'secure' lifestyle, Stefan said it himself. So, what do you think I am trying to do? I need to take advantage of the exposure my work received last night as long as I can to get us to a more secure place," Klaus continued, becoming increasingly agitated. "You make it seem like I would prefer to be here instead of with you and Grayson," Klaus said accusatorily.
She could feel her face growing hot and her eyes beginning to sting from the tears she wanted to shed.
"Well, it certainly seems that way considering how quickly you made the decision to stay behind here without even discussing it with me before Marcel announced it to everyone," she retorted with a simple shrug.
Klaus was not pleased by her response. She could tell by the way his expression narrowed and he huffed under his breath.
Silence filled the air, and she looked away from him. Disengaging by staring off absently into his bedroom from the doorway where she stood.
"What if you could stay here too…eventually…" he suggested.
Her eyebrows furrowed, annoyed that he seemed to be diverting the subject.
"What do you mean?" she asked, turning to look at him once more.
"Does the name Ariella Monroe mean anything to you?" he asked.
Still confused about where this conversation was going, she nodded.
"She's a pretty high profile dress designer... Why?" she wondered, eager for Klaus to elaborate.
"She also happens to be the niece that Marie was speaking about last night. I spoke with Marie today. She and Jean are interested in some of my work. She also asked about you, and I showed her some of your online portfolio. She said that she could connect you with her niece," Klaus revealed.
Her mouth was agape as she glanced at Klaus with a dumfounded expression. This was a completely unexpected twist. She felt overwhelmed and she didn't know what to say.
"You could stay here," Klaus continued. "You, me, Grayson…we could all stay here in New York."
She took a deep breath and tried to focus on what Klaus was saying. She was confused. His suggestion was beyond her comprehension.
"How would that even work, Klaus?" she sighed, brushing a hand over her face worriedly. "We still have so much to do in Mystic Falls, and the custody Application is in Virginia. We can't just take off to New York without resolving that first," she listed, feeling panicked by Klaus's spontaneous and unexpected proposal.
Her frantic reaction was not what Klaus had been anticipating.
"Not to mention my business Klaus!" she mentioned as she grew even more stressed, frustrated by Klaus's apparent lack of forethought. "I can't just abandon it and those who have helped me."
"Connecting with Ariella could be an amazing opportunity for you," Klaus pointed out.
She sighed.
"Klaus, my work is in Mystic Falls. My life is in Mystic Falls," she tried to explain, feeling as though Klaus was not hearing her.
"Once upon a time, before you returned to Mystic Falls to take care of your mom, your life was here too," Klaus reminded her
While she knew deep down that he had a point, she didn't like the pressure he was putting on her to make a decision.
"And then I rebuilt my life in Mystic Falls," she finished for him.
Klaus frowned disappointedly.
"I thought you would be excited," he said. "I did this for you," he pointed out bitterly.
"I didn't ask you to," she retorted.
He scowled.
"You loved it here. You said it yourself. New York has so much more to offer your career than Mystic Falls ever could," he encouraged her.
While a part of her felt that Klaus was speaking from a place of sincere concern for her career, she also felt like he was speaking down to her. It felt a little patronizing.
"I love Mystic Falls, too," she added. "And nothing about New York is certain Klaus. Marie's connection to Ariella may lead me nowhere, and then what?" she wondered. "As you said before, we have to show the Court that we can support Grayson financially. We can't be making irresponsible decisions right now. We need to focus on Grayson."
She looked down at Grayson who looked up from his toys at the mention of his name. They shouldn't have been having this conversation in front of him. Even if he couldn't understand everything that was being said, it was the tone of the conversation that he would be able sense.
"I could support the three of us until you got back on your feet here," Klaus responded quickly. "We could make it work with the Court. I am sure there is a way. We could talk to Stefan about it," he suggested.
She felt like she was talking to a wall. More frustrated tears began to slide down her cheeks.
"Do you actually want this for me, or do you want it for yourself, Klaus?" she questioned, feeling like this opportunity was merely an afterthought and a way for Klaus to feel less guilty about wanting to remain in New York. Increasingly, she felt like she was being backed into a corner.
Her accusatory remark did not sit well with him.
"I want this for us, Caroline!" he erupted, clearly displeased by how the confrontation between them had unfolded. "I want this because I want us to have a life together. I want this because I love you!"
She froze with Klaus's admission. This was never how she imagined he would tell her that he loved her. The words that she had been waiting to hear from him suddenly felt painfully bittersweet. He sounded sincere, but she couldn't help but wonder if those words were a last ditch effort to convince her of the plan he had laid out for them without involving her.
"Take a chance, Caroline," Klaus encouraged.
Wiping her eyes, she looked away from Klaus, focusing instead on Grayson who was still looking up at the two of them from the floor with a concerned expression on his little face.
She felt herself shaking and she slid her hands over her face in an effort to compose herself in order to respond.
"I can't Klaus, I just can't," she sighed.
A/N: I warned you that things would get worse before they got better - at least I think I did. Hang in there!