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"Something's wrong with Caroline." Elena said in a hushed voice, turning on the tap so Caroline wouldn't be able to hear them. The two cast a look in the direction of the blonde who was sitting on a chair deep in thought.
"We have bigger issues." Damon replied unconcerned, "Blondie's moral quandary is the least of our problems."
"Damon she's my friend!" Elena replied, absentmindedly thinking about how much more empathic Stefan would be in this situation - unlike Damon who only seemed to care for himself (and Elena of course).
Damon clenched his jaw, "Klaus and the others are bigger threats, we can sort Caroline out when we're done with them."
"Unless Caroline kills Klaus, and then you all die." Elena retorted,
"If Klaus is even our sire-"
"Even if Klaus isn't your sire," Elena interrupted angrily, "Who's to say Caroline won't go after the other Mikaelsons as well. Besides, Klaus is Tyler's sire, and I'm not losing anybody else."
Damon sighed, resting an hand on Elena's arm comfortingly, "It'll be okay." He reassured her, "We'll figure it out."
"We have a problem." Stefan came over, breaking any sense of reassurance Elena had just gotten,
"What now?" Damon groaned - as though they didn't already have enough problems.
"Caroline's gone... and a stake is missing. Look, I'm not one to gamble but if I was..." He trailed off again,
"She's going to kill Klaus."
"You seriously think Caroline could kill Klaus?" Damon scoffed, "No. That's not going to be the problem."
Elena's eyes widened in realisation, "Klaus is going to kill Caroline."
"Caroline!" Rebekah greeted, "It's been a while since you've come over." Caroline glared at Rebekah, pushing past her to get into the house - well, more of a mansion.
"Where's Klaus?" She asked angrily, her hand clenched around the white oak stake hidden in her pocket. The two walked further into the house (i.e. Caroline stormed ahead whilst Rebekah followed with a very puzzled expression on her face), reaching the living room.
"Trouble in paradise?" Rebekah asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Caroline turned abruptly glaring at Rebekah, who suddenly understood the phrase 'if looks could kill'. "Okay, sorry, no jokes. I think Nik went out with Elijah but I'm not really sure - I only just got back from out of town. What did Nik do this time anyway?" Rebekah asked confused - and intrigued (who doesn't like a piece of gossip).
"Existed." Caroline snarled.
"Woah okay. That bad huh?" Rebekah replied, pouring herself a glass of blood, "Want some?" She asked as she took a sip. Caroline cast a disgusted look in her direction, shaking her head. "Look, Nik can be a right pain in the ass - you know that - but the past thousand years he didn't stop loving you for a second. I mean," Rebekah rambled on, "Sure, he had some one night stands, which sometimes were more than one night, but it was a thousand years and a man has needs. Not that women don't have needs - I don't like that sexist view that women can't want sex, god how did I survive in the old days." Caroline raised an eyebrow in her direction, "Right, sorry, I got a bit off track. But look, Caroline, he loves you, and whatever he did - and I'm sure you're in the right because he is a complete idiot most of the time, and an asshole who daggered me for a century. Multiple times. Right, getting off topic again," Rebekah apologised after Caroline shot another look in her direction, "He loves you - and you love him." Rebekah smiled softly, a smile which completely disappeared as Caroline scoffed.
"How could I love a monster like your brother."
"Oh his ravishingly handsome face, amazing body, charm and charisma, plus I've been told I'm a great kisser," Came a voice from the doorway, "by multiple people." The man smirked at Caroline, "Including you." Klaus added before stepping further into the house, revealing a confusing scene. Elijah stood behind Klaus, a man over his shoulder, - a man quickly identified as their eldest brother, Finn Mikaelson."
"What on earth happened?" Rebekah asked, choosing to temporarily ignore Caroline's accusation of Klaus being a monster in favour of one of her brothers holding the dead (well theoretically they were both dead, but still) body of her other brother.
"Well Rebekah, when you were off on vacation in god knows where, we had a little meeting with our brother, who's been up to some things." Klaus snarked, his light tone hiding his anger at his brother's actions.
"What happened?" Rebekah asked concerned,
"Well, our brother here, most likely under the persuasion of our dear mother, decided to compel the lovely Caroline into hating vampires," Elijah replied, setting Finn down on the coach which Rebekah had just vacated, with no pretence of gentleness in his actions - clearly the 'noble' Mikaelson also felt anger at Finn's actions.
"Oh." Rebekah said in realisation, Caroline's behaviour now seemed to make a lot more sense. "So what are you going to do?" She asked as she poured herself a new glass - but of something much stronger and containing much more alcohol this time.
"Kill him." Klaus replied shortly, walking past Rebekah and snatching the glass from her amidst her protests, before Rebekah stopped suddenly, realising what Klaus had said.
"You don't mean," She hesitated, her hand shaking almost unnoticeably as she poured herself a new drink. "You don't mean killing him permanently do you?"
"Well Rebekah," Elijah said, grabbing the glass from Rebekah, who raised her hands irritated, before taking a sip, "Thank you." He commented raising the glass in Rebekah's direction and smirking at the offended expression on her face as her - much needed - drink was stolen from her yet again. "What we are going to do, is dagger Finn, put him back to sleep." Rebekah let out a relieved sigh - maybe because she just found out that her brothers weren't planning on committing fratricide, or maybe because she'd finally managed to drink some bourbon. "However," Elijah halted her relief, "If that fails to work, we may have to resort to more," Elijah paused, trying to find the right word, "serious, and more final solutions."
"You aren't seriously suggesting we kill Finn?" She retorted incredulously, "He - whilst a pain - is our brother for gods sake!" But Elijah did not reply and alleviate Rebekah's concerns, instead holding up a hand as if to stop the conversation causing Rebekah to look around confused,
"It appears we have company." Elijah stated.
"Great." Klaus drawled sarcastically as he tuned his hearing into the sounds coming from outside. "Another visit from Elena and her little crew. What joy."
"You aren't seriously just going to knock on the door and ask them to return the murderous Caroline are you?" Damon said, his hand gripping Elena's wrist tightly, stopping her in her motions as she was about to knock. "This is the most dangerous, and most murderous family in the entire world, and in the entirety of history."
"Thank you, that's nice." Klaus said, opening the door and smirking at the bemused expressions on their faces. "However, we are quite busy at the moment, so if you would kindly leave before I start to feel... how did you put it?" He asked looking at Elena, before raising his finger as though pretending to have just remembered, "Ah, that's right, dangerous and murderous." Klaus snarked before trying to close the door, only to be prevented by Damon shoving his hand in the door in an attempt to force it open. "What?" Klaus asked, now sounding more angry, "I've tried doing this the right way, but as I said, we are busy right now and if I were you I would not test my patience - you know how I get when somebody pisses me off." He added with a pointed look in Elena's direction.
Elena flinched slightly at the reference to Jenna's death, "Don't talk about her." She demanded thrusting an angry finger in Klaus' direction.
"Oh no, I'm so scared." Klaus deadpanned.
"Brother, what is the commotion." Elijah interrupted walking towards the group congregated on the doorstep.
"They won't leave our property, Elijah."
"That sounds like trespassing to me, Niklaus." Elijah replied with a small smile on his face as he looked towards his brother.
"Indeed."
"Look." Elena said disrupting the brothers' dialogue, "We just came here for Caroline?"
"Who?" Elijah replied, a mask of confusion set on his face.
"The blonde one." Klaus replied, as if informing his brother.
"Ah, yes."
"We know she's here." Stefan said, "We don't mean no harm, we just came to get here before she does anything stupid."
"Now why would she do anything stupid?" Elijah asked,
"Because she's blonde." Damon snarked, unwilling to offer the real truth that Caroline was here to kill them - in Mikaelson language that was almost certainly a death sentence.
"Hey! That's rude." Rebekah yelled, protesting from the living room, amidst Klaus' light chuckles.
"And why do you think she's here?" Klaus asked,
"I did a locator spell." Bonnie replied, joining in the conversation for the first time. "And if you don't let us in, I will give you an aneurism."
Elijah and Klaus looked at each other in faux-concern before laughing, Elijah gave a restrained smile as Klaus laughed louder,
"She is kidding? You are kidding, right?" He replied, amusement still evident in his tone. "You're a baby witch, and we are the Original family. If you truly think you and your merry little band here stand a change against even just me, you are in for a shock."
Bonnie glared at him, even though she was aware that he was right - after all she couldn't even beat Katherine, and she wasn't nearly as powerful as the Mikaelsons.
"Klaus, please, let us in." Stefan implored, "You call me old friend, then prove it. We used to be brothers, so prove it."
"You lost the right to ask for favours when you stole my family from me." Klaus responded harshly, ignoring the confused looks being exchanged between the group as Stefan and Klaus' history was in part revealed.
"Right, as though you didn't compel me and force me to help you with your hybrid issue." Stefan responded bitterly,
"I believe that we had made a deal, and that you had offered your life in exchange for your brother's - that was a completely different circumstance."
"You tried to make me kill Elena!" Stefan yelled at Klaus angrily, "That wasn't part of the deal."
Klaus laughed again, "Fair enough," He paused before adding sarcastically, "Old friend." Stefan glared at him. "But what do you think you can do to help Caroline right now, you don't even know what's wrong with her do you?"
"You're saying you are helping Caroline?" Elena asked confused.
"I believe I was talking to Stefan." Klaus replied with a piercing glare in the brunette's direction, causing her to flinch and involuntarily take a step back as he eyes glowed yellow. "But yes. We are."
"Why?" Stefan asked confused.
"Out of the goodness of our hearts." Elijah butted in with a forced smile.
"Why?" Stefan repeated.
"We're helping her. I give you my word." Elijah promised. "The reason, well you'll just have to accept that you will not receive that."
"You said you know what's wrong with her?" Stefan asked after a long pause, allowing the Mikaelsons to have their secrets - for now - and choosing to trust Elijah, because he really didn't have another option (it wasn't like they could over power him).
"Yes." Elijah replied shortly.
Stefan sent him an exasperated look as it became clear that Elijah wasn't going to elaborate without further prompting. "What is wrong with her?"
"My dearest mother," Elijah began, his voice thick with sarcasm as he drawled over the words, "and my brother." Elijah looked towards Klaus, as if offering him the choice to tell them or not,
Klaus paused, hesitating slightly, "Finn compelled Caroline to hate vampires."
"Why?" Elena immediately responded, this time not caring about Klaus' odd desire to only talking with Stefan, but the answer was interrupted by the sound of a neck cracking.
"What the hell was that?" Damon asked angrily, as Elijah disappeared to the living room. The group barged into the house, any semblance of trust having evaporated with the sound of someone being killed, Klaus too concerned with what had happened, sped ahead into the room.
"Rebekah?" He heard Elijah ask, his voice less restrained with anger then usual.
"She tried to attack me." Rebekah said, gesturing with her head towards a white oak stake. "I guess she lost her patience in waiting to kill Nik." She explained. Damon sped over to the stake picking it up and going over to Finn, the surrounding Mikaelsons too unbothered to stop him - aware that if there was any need it would be easy to disarm the young vampire.
"So I kill him and Caroline goes back to normal." Damon all but stated.
"Yes," Klaus said with a small shrug. "But that's not going to happen, whilst Finn and I might have our differences," He clenched his jaw, still angry at what his brother did to his love, "He is still family, and family is always and forever. Finn will not die today." Klaus continued, speeding over to Damon quicker than the Salvatore brother could flinch, and suddenly Klaus appeared on the other side of the room throwing the stake into the fire as Damon shot a confused look around - unsure of how he was disarmed so easily, and of how Klaus could move so quickly.
"Caroline will wake soon, Nik." Rebekah reminded him causing Klaus to hesitantly reach into a small nook in the mantelpiece, hidden with the marble he pulled out a small box.
Elijah rolled his eyes, "Always ready?" He asked, slightly angry at his brother's daggering habits. Klaus smirked slightly (ignoring how those words filled his stomach with guilt) and pulled out a dagger, before coating it in the white ash created by the burnt stake. He walked over to his eldest brother, and gently pierced his heart with the dagger. He stood over his body, his sadness hidden by the façade of arrogance on his face - despite popular belief he never enjoyed daggering his siblings, but it was a necessity - watching as grey veins covered Finn's body as he quickly desiccated.
Klaus moved to sit on the armchair. "And now we wait." Klaus said quietly, his eyes fixed on Caroline's (for now) dead body.
"Wait for what?" Elena asked.
"To see if it worked." He replied shortly.