Chapter 36:

Organised Chaos Part 1

Mystic Falls,

Niklaus Mikaelson

It had been over twenty-four hours since Klaus had – for lack of a better word – interrogated Damon and Elena. They were useless. And this is from the people who had managed to almost kill him. Him!

But he was Niklaus Mikaelson.

So naturally he had a plan B. And what was plan B? Do NOT use the disloyal hybrids who have been rendered useless because of Tyler Lockwood. Use the group of compelled vampires you ordered to stay in Mystic Falls and spy on all the citizens. Klaus began wracking his brain to remember their locations. Hm. One resident in a house half a mile away from the Salvatore Boarding House. Two people in the university Elena Gilbert was attending – including two of her classes. One new person working their way through the Founders' Counsel. And... Oh. Four people working at the Mystic Grill as waiters, busboys, bar tenders, and not-so drunk customers.

Klaus smirked to himself at his own well planned genius as he started swaggering into the Mystic Grill, looking brilliant and rather British, as always.

He glanced up at the Grill's clock on the wall: 5.00.

Klaus went straight over to the bar where a vaguely muscular guy was pouring some random a soda. He didn't hesitate when he stood as close to him as possible to make eye contact with him. He cocked a brow and the mindless drone of a bartender looked into his stone cold eyes as his pupils dilated, being completely hypnotized. "I need you to tell me everything involving Katherine," he ordered with the faintness of a smile and impatience. "Have you seen her? Who with? And if so, where is she now?"

The guy stared at him blankly for no more than a millisecond before responding to every question he asked; all with the same answer. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know."

Klaus gritted his teeth. "Very well," he sighed, still through those gritted teeth. "Do you have anything useful to say that will impend my decapitating of your head?"

"Uh..."

Klaus's gaze darkened. Because, to be honest, he didn't have a plan C. He always had a plan C, but now that Caroline was in the mix, he was a little... distracted. And now all his hopes of resurrecting Kol relied heavily on this good-for-nothing vampire. Lovely.

Then the bartender, whose name Klaus suspected started with a Q... or an S, clicked his fingers. "I did see Elena, though! It was weird... She was dressed exactly like Katherine... And she sorta talked the same..."

Klaus glared at him, slowly rolling his eyes to the back of his head with disappointment for the American Education System – which must suck if it brought up this genius.

"The reason 'Elena' sounded like Katherine," Klaus said slowly and clearly, trying to contain his annoyance, "And looked like Katherine, and acted like Katherine, my dear boy, was because she was Katherine," he snapped.

The bartender naturally flinched in fear of the short tempered original hybrid. God, did everybody have to be afraid of him?

"Now," Klaus said, sounding calmer than before, "Tell me everything you observed, you unobservant muttonhead, you." Klaus patted him twice on the shoulder before reaching behind the bar and picking up a bottle of scotch.

New Orleans,

Elijah Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes and that other blonde-headed bitch

Caroline stared open mouthed at the phone. She couldn't believe it. "He hung up on me."

"Still observant as always, I see," Rebekah mocked. Elijah placed a hand on his sister's shoulder as a way to get her to stop.

Caroline scoffed down at her phone before looking up at them with a constant shaking of her head. "No," she said, "You don't understand. No one hangs up on me," she scoffed in denial. "No one hangs up on Caroline Forbes. Not even a stupid 'original hybrid'," Caroline mocked with an exaggerated voice at Klaus's known title. She started dialing his number again. "I'm calling that obnoxious idiot back."

Elijah stood in front of her again. "Caroline, dear, perhaps you should take a moment to think before making any rash decisions."

Caroline looked at him, taking a few moments to let the message sink in. "I'm calling him." She started dialling again, ignoring Elijah's words of wisdom.

"Oh, please do," Rebekah said with a grin of pleasure. Elijah only glanced at his shoes momentarily and remained silent. He decided not to intervene between the children.

Caroline held the ringing phone to her ear, tapping her finger against it impatiently.

New Orleans,

Katherine Pierce – A.K.A Katerina Petrova, Matt Donovan and Jeremy Gilbert

Matt and Jeremy lagged behind the slightly drunk-seeming girl as they roamed the darkening streets of the French Quarter. "Where are we going, Katherine?" Matt asked and Katherine smiled at the adorable sense of whining in his deep broken voice.

"You'd think by now, you'd stop underestimating me, boys..."

"Yeah," Jeremy said with a sarcastic tone. "God forbid we overestimate you back into that tomb like last time," he jeered.

Katherine glared at him over her shoulder. "Watch it, Gilbert," she warned with a point of her petite finger, then she turned back ahead and continued to walk at a slow pace with an unintentional sway.

Jeremy sighed alongside Matt and the two continued to slump after her, both with miserable expressions.

After about a minute of excruciatingly slow walking and silence, Matt spoke up again. "Do you even know where we're going, Katherine?"

"The French Quarter," she said with a grin and a short laugh. "A lot of memories happened in this place... And even more happened a few blocks from here. And you know what's right around the corner?"

"What?" Jeremy asked, "A place with even more memories?" He continued to glare at the back of her head and his hand subconsciously gripped the vervain grenade he had tucked in his pocket.

Katherine twirled her swaying body around on her black heeled boots and stared directly at the boy. "Nope," she said, "Just the oldest, most expensive hotel with absolutely no memories..." She stopped. "At least... None of their memories."

"Whose?" Matt asked with a frown. Dumb Question.

"Wow, there really is nothing behind those beautiful blue eyes and sexy arms, is there?"

Matt shrugged and continued to stare blankly ahead. "There's a heart," he suggested with that completely sincere tone.

Katherine stopped dead. "Okay," she said in a surprisingly careless tone, "No more calling me 'heartless' or 'psychopathic' or anything along those lines..." She raised her brow warningly. "Got it?" Her daring look switched between Blue Eyes and the little Gilbert boy. When the two boys stared back show clear hesitation, Katherine stomped her foot to the ground and placed her bony hands on her hips waiting for an answer. "Got it?"

New Orleans,

Elijah Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes and that other blonde-headed bitch

Caroline let out a loud exaggerated moan with another stomp of her ballet flatted foot against the floor. "Ugh, he's not answering his stupid phone!"

Rebekah cocked a brow. "You mean he looked at the caller I.D, saw your name and didn't answer the phone?" She smiled wryly. "Huh. Funny."

Caroline smiled back bitchily, folding her arms over her chest. "Actually he saw Elijah's caller I.D." She raised a mocking brow. "God knows what he would have done if he saw your name..."

"Hm." Rebekah's forced bitchy smile remained.

As did Caroline's. "Hm."

Elijah stared ahead blankly. "Hm," he mimicked, but with less sass and with more contemplation.

New Orleans,

Katherine Pierce – A.K.A Katerina Petrova, Matt Donovan and Jeremy Gilbert

Jeremy sighed. "Alright, where the hell are we, now?"

"Come on!" Katherine said, now standing in between the two boys, "Turn that frown upside down," she said with a smirk, then turned to look at him with a serious face. "I'm not good at the whole Miss Positivity act, so that's the best you're gonna get," she said with a final sigh, pressing her full lips together.

Matt didn't say anything; just stared at his surroundings. As the sun began to set, the festive colourful lights began turning on. He smiled – it looked sad, but it wasn't really. And then it became a grin. As they continued to walk down the path, the faint music grew louder. The sound of a real jazz band filled his ears. It was happiness. That's how he described it to himself.

Jeremy noticed and reached his arm above Katherine's head and punched him gently on his arm. "Dude," he said with a quizzical frown. "What's up with you?"

"Huh?" Matt pulled his eyes away from the crowd of people dancing in the middle of the colourful streets and looked over at him. "It's just..." He sighed quietly. "I've never been anywhere outside Mystic Falls, before..." He looked back at the street lights and grinned again.

"Aw," Katherine said said sarcastically with a fake flash of a smile, "How sweet..." Then she steered them around the corner. "Hate to breakup this bromance, but we're here."

"And where is here?"

"The Mikaelson's hotel where absolutely nothing has happened..." Then she smiled wryly. "Yet."