"We couldn't delay our great mission to nap, but we can for this?" Caroline asked, tapping her foot. She stood next to a large screen taller than her and the men in front of her. At the top it said World's Largest Pac-Man. She watched as her… well, she wasn't sure what to call him at the moment. She watched as Klaus and his brother stood in front of the 9-foot screen, aggressively moving their joysticks as their characters evaded ghosts and ate dots and fruit.
"Few things trump a thirty-year feud, love. Besides, we're in wolf territory. There are no vampires for miles. Surely you can take on a wolf," Klaus teased, not prying his eyes from the screen.
"You fool," Elijah smirked when Klaus took a bold turn.
"Klaus! I'm starving," Caroline snapped, impatient after a full day of travel and the minimal sleep she got on their multiple flights.
"There's a diner over there. Just stay in sight and take Katerina. I have money in my wallet if you insist on paying for it," he said, maneuvering his way out of a corner on the screen. Caroline wasn't a big proponent of the "compulsion as currency" system her new friends had adopted.
"Like you'd notice if I left your sight," she grumbled, approaching him. She realized his wallet was in his front pocket. She hid her nerves as she slowly reached her hand in the front of his jeans to grab his wallet. Why did men's pants have such deep pockets?
"I thought the time for embarrassment was over, love," he whispered. She rolled her eyes.
"Gross. I'm about to eat," Katherine said. Caroline pulled the wallet out and looked at the diner down the hallway of the basement of the casino, assessing the distance between Klaus and the restaurant.
"Too far?" Katherine asked.
"Oh, go, Caroline. If Niklaus starts coughing up blood, I can get an edge," Elijah said with his eyes narrowed at the game.
"You need every advantage, brother," Klaus retorted. Caroline rolled her eyes and pulled cash from the wallet and handed it to Katherine.
"Be right back," Katherine said, heading over to the restaurant. Caroline leaned against the token machine and took in the sight around her. They were in the basement of the Bally's casino in some kid-friendly arcade area between a candy store and glow-in-the-dark Twilight Zone mini golf. She'd barely had time for a fast shower before they left to find Ben. The last time Elijah checked a couple of years ago, their nephew was a blackjack dealer at the Paris casino, the attached building next door.
When they had landed, the Las Vegas strip glowed in the sunset. Even the airport was filled with slot machines and giant glittering advertisements for casinos, shows, and liquors. Klaus had taken her hand in his when they walked through the casino floor of their hotel. The loud ringing of the slot machines and shouting of their players filled her ears and the bright lights and gorgeous neon colors surrounded her. It was sensory overload (why was there a life-sized purple Zebra statue? Was thundering music necessary in every bar they walked past?), having experienced little louder than a few live bands at the Mystic Grill. Klaus, however, seemed somehow more at peace amidst the chaotic sounds and images. She wondered how long you would have to be alive before your attention could only be captured by a hodgepodge of stimulation. It sparked her to wonder why, after 150 years, Stefan and Damon wanted to call Mystic Falls their home when they knew placed like the ones which she'd seen in the past month existed.
Elijah shouted loudly, bringing her thoughts back to the present. He reigned victorious over Klaus in the giant arcade game.
"Cheater," Klaus said bitterly.
"Oh, I cheated? What did I do? Compel the machine?" Elijah asked. Katherine walked back holding curly fries and two cups. She handed one to Caroline, who took a fry from the top of the pile. She sipped from the cup.
"Oh my God," she exclaimed as warm blood coated her tongue. She looked at Katherine suspiciously. "What did you do?"
"I just told them to fill a cup each," Katherine said.
"Fill a cup!?"
"What? I got kid sizes," she said, shrugging. Caroline looked back to see the employees seated weakly at one of the tables, Klaus's cash set between them. Well, at least they were conscious. She turned to find Klaus eyeing the machine, itching for a rematch. She stepped between him and the game.
"Can I tempt you back on task with some blood?" she asked, offering him the cup. Klaus shook his head and pulled Caroline closer to him by the belt loops of her jeans.
"You can tempt me in other ways," he said. Caroline tried to keep her expression coy, but the link gave her away. Klaus could feel the butterflies in her stomach. He brushed his lips across her jawline, and she smiled, gently placing her hands on his chest.
"Come on, lovebirds," Katherine called behind her as stepped onto the escalator going up to the casino floor.
Caroline downed the blood and ran over to her friend, giddy with excitement as the current of the city around her flowed through her. She threw her arm around Katherine's shoulder while the brothers trailed behind them. Katherine returned the gesture, and they walked through the casino toward Paris.
Elijah and Klaus talked about old times in the city and how they planned to approach their nephew. They didn't want to drag him to Mystic Falls. Klaus spoke about it under the guise of convenience, but the truth was- he wanted to know Ben, his first blood relative he'd met in over a thousand years.
As they crossed the threshold into the Paris side of the building, they passed a frozen Margarita stand. Caroline froze suddenly, holding Katherine in place. They walked backwards in sync as they eyed the drinks. They quickly approached the counter.
"What do you recommend?" Caroline asked the bartender.
"Well, the blueberry-,"
"What are you doing?" Klaus cut him off suddenly, grabbing Caroline's arm. Katherine ordered a drink, compelling the bartender to waive the ID requirement.
"You said it yourself, Klaus, we're in…" she remembered the bartender watching, "…dog territory. There are no… snakes around for miles! Nobody knows about your nephew but us, hence, likely no… dogsnake hybrids, AND you said it yourself!" She put on a British accent to mimic him, "Surely you can take on a dog!" Klaus raised his eyebrows, trying not to smile.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Your accent," she replied.
"Ouch. You also know that wolves are an actual animal?"
"Yes," she snapped.
"I'm just checking."
"Besides, you're the big bad wolf. You could take on a whole pack of dogs with one arm tied behind your back," she said, batting her eyelashes.
"Typically, flattery would get you everywhere, but-," he began.
"How about we split it?" she pleaded. Katherine laughed out loud.
"How does that even work? Isn't it like you both drank the whole thing?" she asked. Caroline turned to her and glared.
"Not helping!" she hissed.
"One," Klaus said, caving. Caroline grinned. She turned to the bartender and ordered. The bartender had been watching the conversation, moving his eyes between the two like a tennis match.
"Look, we have a strict policy not to overserve…" he said, convinced she was plastered. Elijah let out an involuntary howling laugh.
"Just give me the damn drink," Caroline compelled him.
The four walked through the faux cobblestone pathways throughout the casino. Elijah and Katherine walked several feet in front, chatting about all of the places they would spend Katherine's soon to be freedom. The ceiling was designed so it resembled a partly cloudy blue sky, and the smell of crepes and French food filled the air. Caroline held her drink in one hand and Klaus's hand in the other. She craned her neck to take in the elaborate French decorations.
"Do you miss Europe already?" Klaus asked. He watched her as she gazed at their surroundings.
"Yes and no. There's so much we talked about that we didn't get to see, but I am excited to go home," she said.
Klaus bowed his head, the crushing weight of reality overwhelming him. He didn't fit into her life in Mystic Falls. Caroline was beloved there, but she didn't call the shots for who was permitted forgiveness and who wasn't: that was all Elena. Frankly, he didn't particularly care about or want the forgiveness of the Salvatore brothers, the doppelganger, or the Bennet witch. Her life in her home, though, was grounded in drinks at the Mystic Grill and small-town events. He didn't hate Mystic Falls, truth be told. He found something about the community's firm commitment to preserving its history oddly charming. He even respected Caroline's determination to care for it. He wanted to show her the world; he always had, albeit possibly because he knew he never had a chance with her where she was. Even if he did, more or less, have her affections now, they would never last. Not there, where everyone would turn their backs on her for it.
Hoping they would return to Budapest was a fantasy he felt stupid for indulging in. She probably meant it in the moment, but she did not know she would cease to mean it. She and Stefan were on a strange team of sorts: a team who defined morality in their little town. Since Stefan and the doppelganger broke up, the two of them had been a two-man operation, sitting in Caroline's house determining which causes were more valuable: the cure or Tyler's revolution against him; who was irredeemable and who wasn't; and who was worth saving. Rebekah seemed to get a pass lately, but he was certain he made none of the lists. When Caroline returned home and looked in her friends' eyes, she would lose her will to defend him. Saving one man from falling off a cliff and changing his feeding habits would not be enough.
Klaus glanced at her and watched the wonder in his eyes as she took in a city she'd only ever seen in movies. He decided that a smarter man than him would let her go now. He would back away and prepare for the fast torpedo of their connection the second they returned home and lost the link. As he felt her hand in his, though, he knew he was not smart enough for that course of action. He would, instead, hold on for dear life until the brutal moment it all came undone.
"You're lucky you can't get wrinkles from all that thinking," Caroline said, gently touching the bridge of his nose. "I know you're anxious about meeting Ben, but I'm sure he'll come with us," she misinterpreted his dread. Klaus caught her hand as she pulled it away from his face, brought it to his lips, and gently kissed her knuckles.
"You're right," he smiled. Elijah and Katherine stopped in front of them as Elijah scanned the casino floor. He looked at all of the dealers but didn't find Ben.
"It's been a few years…" Katherine said.
"I would recognize him. I'll ask him," he said, nodding to an official-looking manager standing in the middle of the tables.
"Be sure to compel him, Elijah, we don't want the runaround," Klaus said after him. Elijah nodded and walked up to him. The others listened into the conversation, trying to tune out the noise of the machines and the patrons.
"Hello, I'm looking for Benjamin Scott," he said, holding eye contact with the manager.
"That fuck up? He was fired six months ago."
"Do you have any idea where he might be?"
"I've seen him at the card tables in the Flamingo a few times. Don't bother looking for him at any MGM properties; he's banned from all of them."
"For what?"
"Card counting? General drunken assholery? I didn't exactly ask. Just heard about it from a friend of mine at New York New York."
"Thank you," Elijah said curtly and returned to the group.
"Well, that inspires confidence. An unemployed, drunk werewolf less than a year out of a horrible tragedy. He won't be volatile at all," Katherine said. The realization this could be more complicated than they realized settled on the group as they headed toward the Flamingo.
"Did you know studies show that the brain chemistry of gambling addicts is different from other people? That 'rush' your average person gets when they win a hand is a surge to the pleasure centers in your brain. The trick is, though, that those same rushes are triggered in gambling addicts every time they play. Win or lose- doesn't matter. Being a werewolf is kinda like that. The moon, like, calls to me, begging me to come outside. It's weird because there's this part of me, some freaky wolfy part, that can't fucking wait. Every month I just… long for it. But the second it comes, boom. Agonizing pain for just hours. Like, what the fuck was I buzzing for?
"I mean, obviously the difference is that I literally can't physically stop myself from turning. But, let's be honest, coming back here is just as inevitable as my bones snaping in my skin every month. My dad used to say (like all the fucking time he was such a prick), 'Ben, you have no idea how good you have it'," Ben broke out into a wry smile.
"If only he could see me now, right? Like, dude, I have no idea what good feels like," he laughed. He took a sip of his drink: yet another abusive act toward his brain's understanding of short-term pleasure and long-term misery.
"Anyway, what'd you say?" he asked the dealer in front of him. The dealer cleared his throat.
"Um, hit or stand?" he asked.
"Oh, right! Uh, I'll stand; I'll stand." The dealer nodded and gave a near undetectable gesture toward another employee manning the floor. Suddenly, a manager walked up to him.
"Mr. Scott, we told you one more chance-,"
"God dammit. Really? Okay, okay, ix nay on the olf-way alk-tay; I get it, but-,"
"Mr. Scott."
Suddenly, Ben felt pins and needles on the back of his neck. He shivered as it spread through his body. It felt like when you fall asleep on your arm, but everywhere. A handsome man in a suit walked up to them and put his hand on the manager's shoulder.
"There is nothing to see here. Ben is just going to cash out now, thank you," he said politely. The manager nodded and walked away as if that explanation alone was good enough for him. Ben glanced up into the man's eyes with his own. They were serious, but warm. There was a hint of affection even.
"Do I know you?" Ben asked the stranger. He grabbed his far too small pile of chips from in front of him. Despite being grateful to the man for having spared him being booted from his favorite casino, every part of his body was screaming at him to run. The man began to walk from the table, out of the earshot of the curious players. He gestured for Ben to follow. Curiosity killed the wolf, Ben thought, as he took a few tentative steps to follow him.
"My name is Elijah. Over there is my family," the man said, gesturing to two women and a man who were all stupidly gorgeous. "We have no intention to harm you in any way. We were hoping you would accompany us to dinner to discuss a few things."
"Well, telling me you have 'no intention to harm me' really inspires confidence," Ben replied. He looked over at the group again. They were watching him carefully. The blonde girl smiled and waved at him like they were friends who spotted each other at the grocery store. The tingling feeling intensified at the sight of the three of them. He remembered something his roommate told him. You can sense them. It's weird, but your body reacts in overdrive. If you meet any, get the hell away from them right away.
He froze in his tracks and looked up at Elijah.
"Are you vampires?" he asked. Elijah looked contemplative for only a moment.
"Yes," he said.
"My roommate told me to stay away from you guys," he said. Elijah held his gaze.
"He gave you good advice. I assure you, however, this is an exception." Ben thought for a second.
"He's a dick anyway," he said, shrugging. Elijah raised his eyebrows in surprise but nodded. They walked toward the strange group.
Ben feasted on half of the Hell's Kitchen menu after listening to Elijah explain his family history. He sat in silence, taking it all in. On one hand, it was pretty cool—original vampires and all. On the other hand, who cared? How many people in their early 20s are pining to know about their ancestors? He spotted Caroline looking longingly at his drink.
"Want to try it?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Gotta keep my wits about me. Wolf territory and all," she said.
"Oh, don't worry about that. My roommate has the whole pack meditate in the mountains every weekend. Campfire. Smores. All 'getting in the peaceful headspace'. No booze just being, I dunno, one with the wolf or whatever. He's controlling. You turn into a wolf, bro. It's not that deep," he grumbled. Caroline had an amused smirk on her face. Relief hit all of them that they could relax and enjoy themselves. She rose her hand to summon the waiter.
"Well, you're a Mikaelson. You weren't born to follow," Klaus said somewhat proudly.
"Believe me, Scotts are born to follow. My dad was a miserable drunk with no backbone. Not till he got home from work anyway. Regardless, I'm not interested in the alpha crap. Or the pack at all, really. I just do my monthly visit to the mountains. Here, Utah, sometimes Colorado. Wait for it to happen and deal with it," he said, shrugging.
"How has it been? I know the first few times are… rough," Caroline said. Klaus tried not to think about her coaxing Tyler through his transitions. He caught her hand in his under the table.
"I mean, it's not a walk in the park, but I've adjusted. Lots of weed, CBD. I did shrooms last time—waited till I was just on the cusp of full transition so that part wouldn't be drawn out. You ever trip while turned? It's sick," he said, looking at Klaus. The hybrid raised both eyebrows at the question.
Katherine glanced at Elijah out of the corner of her eye. He caught her eye and returned her unspoken sentiment. This guy is a mess.
"I can't say I have," Klaus replied. Ben shrugged and took another bite of his risotto.
"Your loss. Alright, tell me more about this deal. I go to Bumfuck, Virginia with you, give you a couple drops of my blood, Bailey does a little chant, we break the spell you won't tell me about, and I get back on my merry way?" he asked.
"Well, that settles it. I'm only calling her Bailey from now on," Katherine said, taking a sip from her drink.
"Yes. That's what we're asking," Elijah said.
"What do I get out of it? The chance to get to know my new vamp family?" Ben asked.
"We have money," Elijah replied. "We can set you up. A house, savings account, whatever you want." Ben tried to keep his expression blank, but he screamed on the inside. He was swimming in debt and cards weren't exactly in his favor lately.
"One more thing. You can do that thing, right? You know, that—" he squinted his eyes intensely.
"We don't squint like that," Katherine said.
"Well, I can't make my pupils dilate on command."
"So squinting was your alternative?"
"You knew what I meant, didn't you?" he asked. Katherine thought for a moment, before shrugging slightly. Fair enough.
"And what do you want us to squint for you?" Klaus asked. Ben grinned.
The size of the club was great enough to swallow the one in Amsterdam five times over. Klaus kept a careful eye on Ben as he tried to elbow his way through the line for the bar.
"Remember, stay on him, don't get too distracted. We're just gaining his trust," Klaus commanded.
"And here I thought we were bonding with your nephew," Katherine rolled her eyes.
Caroline put her chin on Klaus's shoulder and looked up at him with innocent eyes.
"Remember when this link was a happy excuse to go places just like this with me? Now, work work, work," she said, blinking teasingly up at him.
"That was before I knew you might die if we don't get this thing done soon," he said coolly.
"He'll stay, Niklaus. Relax," Elijah said. Katherine left the group to head to the bar.
"Get me something!" Caroline called after her.
"Uh-huh," Katherine yelled over the booming music. She wasn't going for drinks. She saw Ben talking with the bartender, a desperate pleading look on his face. She walked close enough to listen in with her magnified hearing.
"How did you even get in here?" the bartender asked.
"It's not important. Look, Noah, please-," Ben said.
"I'm working, Ben."
"I just—I need you to give me another chance."
"It's been a year. You can't just show up like this."
"I thought it'd be romantic. You know, a couple drinks, we can talk about how much we've missed each other…"
"You were going to tell them that night," Noah said firmly. Ben's mouth closed and he stared in silence for a few seconds.
"What difference does that make?"
"Don't lie to me. Look, I liked you-,"
"More than liked."
"More than liked. But you have some serious shit to work through. I'm sorry. Stay, enjoy the music… but don't talk to me again, okay?"
Katherine stopped eavesdropping and took in a long breath. She pushed strongly through the line, walking up next to Ben.
"Can I get a vodka cranberry and a screwdriver?" she asked Noah. He smiled and nodded, quickly bustling around the bar. He has a gorgeous, kind face. She could see why Ben wanted to come here.
"Refined palate," Ben remarked.
"Caroline brings out the basic in me," she smirked. The woman on Ben's other side tapped his shoulder.
"Do either of you have a cigarette?" she asked. Katherine shook her head.
"You know those things will kill you," Ben said before breaking out into a fit of giggles. The woman glared and walked away. Noah put her drinks in front of her and she gave him cash. He took it and quickly shuffled to the other side of the bar, far from Ben. She turned to face the wolf.
"You know, your packs are like families," she remarked. "Live and die for each other thing. So primal, you wolves. Even if your alpha is controlling, I'd think you'd be with them right now. There has to be one decent person in it, right?" she asked.
"Maybe I don't do the whole family thing," he replied.
"Maybe you don't think you deserve it," she said.
"Excuse me?" he asked. Katherine brought her hand up and counted the points on her fingers.
"Crappy dad. Rolls over for his crappier boss then comes home and takes it out on you. Mom lets it happen. Aggressive wolf gene. Accidental house fire the day you tell them about your good pal, Noah. It doesn't take a genius," she said before taking a sip of her drink.
"Is that an accusation you want to be throwing at someone who is doing your friends a favor?" Ben asked coldly.
"I'm not trying to accuse you. I'm trying to talk to you. Your uncles and I have taken more lives than you can ever dream of. Even sweet Caroline has spilled some blood," she said.
"Really inspiring confidence for my safety palling around with you guys," he said dryly.
"You're not getting it. Sort of accidentally-on-purpose killing your parents after they reject you? In the Mikaelson family that's… Tuesday. You've stumbled into a family of people who fall down and get back up again more times than you can count over the centuries. But… they love each other. I know they want to love you," she said.
"So, you're saying I should request my specially braided vampire friendship bracelet?" he asked.
"I'm saying you should get out of here. You're not human anymore. Get a fresh start away from the booze and the cards and the ghosts of your parents and your relationship and come dance the night away with people who get fucking up more than you know," she said.
"Is 'just get over it and drink with morally dubious vampires' standard Katherine advice for everyone who killed their parents?" he asked, a small smile creeping up on his face.
"Well, I didn't kill my parents, but… the plan is working for me," she said, so quickly like maybe the embarrassment of saying it would die if she rushed out the sentence. He felt a rush of affection for the woman in front of him. He turned to the other bartender nearby.
"One vodka cranberry," he ordered. Katherine smiled and looked back at Elijah. Klaus, Caroline, and he were walking upstairs. He gestured to her to follow and she nodded.
Ben and Katherine ascended the staircase, looking around for the others to no avail. Katherine scanned the large room and spotted a couple approach a tall bouncer in front of a black door.
"Are you Katherine and Ben?" the bouncer asked robotically.
"Uh, no, but we reserved-,"
"This area is only for Katherine and Ben, thank you," he replied, dismissing them. They fumed and left. Katherine shook her head incredulously and grinned. She tapped Ben on the arm and walked over to the bouncer.
"Are you Katherine and Ben?" he asked.
"That's us, big guy," she replied. He let them through, and Katherine opened the surprisingly heavy door. They walked out to a gorgeous terrace with a color-changing rooftop pool and hot tub. A small fire pit sat in the middle of comfortable couches. They saw empty cups everywhere. It looked like a wave of one hundred people just suddenly left. In their wake were Elijah, Caroline, and Klaus, playing a loud game of volleyball in the water. Their shouts of victory and defeat mixed with the loud club music.
"This is so fucking cool," Ben gaped at the empty terrace. He looked out over the city and the mountains coating the skyline behind it.
"They're teaming up against me! Come help," Elijah yelled over at them, bringing Ben back to the moment. He looked at his uncles beaming as they sipped scotch from the bottle. They all seemed so happy together.
"I just bought this bra in Paris!" Katherine complained next to him as they walked over to the pool.
"Well, you don't have to wear-," Elijah began.
"Please don't," Klaus interrupted, grimacing. Caroline grinned. She couldn't help the jealous side of her that felt proud whenever he showed his eyes were for her and her only. Klaus returned her soft smile and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into him.
"You better not get my hair wet," she warned, leaning her cheek on his shoulder.
"What was that?" he asked, pretending not have heard her. She looked up at him suspiciously.
"I said you better not get my hair wet," she threatened.
"Right, okay," he said, nodding dramatically. She glared at him, wary of his innocent eyes.
An hour later, Caroline's suspicions came to fruition when she and Klaus lost miserably to Katherine and Elijah in a chicken fight. It took twenty minutes to calm her down and remind her how much stronger Katherine was than her. Only then did she let go of her conspiracy theory that the brothers were in on a scheme the whole time.
Klaus took her over to the couches around a modern firepit under the guise of calming her down her omnipresent sore loser side. Truthfully, Caroline wanted some alone time with him. It was funny. Time together was all they had for a while now, but she wanted more.
Caroline lazily leaned back into his chest when she felt a lump in his jacket.
"Sorry, love," he said, feeling the discomfort in her back. He gently leaned her forward and pulled a small sketchbook and pen from his pocket and placed them next to him. Caroline leaned back again, and Klaus wrapped his arms around her waist. She placed her hand on the small book.
"Can I look?" she asked. A flicker of nerves crossed his face, but he nodded. Caroline opened the book and was taken through a series of memories. On the first few pages were drawings of Caroline in Elena's living room that first night they were linked. On the first couple of pages, she was eating popcorn, trying not to smile. Then, she was asleep on Elena's couch. She smiled thinking about that first night. Why had she let herself fall asleep there again? She tried to recall whatever excuse she made. As she flipped through the book, she saw sketches from their travels. Some included her and some didn't. She saw drawings of herself across a table in the Irish pub they drank in and sketches of the Cliffs of Moher when they sat on the edge together. She saw drawings all over Paris: Caroline wearing his jacket in the Catacombs (she smiled recalling they were in a fight that night, but he drew it anyway) and her with her eyes covered, anticipating the first bite of escargot.
"You just draw these from memory? How do you remember so many details?" she asked, gently touching the page where her nose scrunched up in a nervous grin.
"Practice," he whispered, brushing his thumb over her stomach.
Caroline smiled when she saw Katherine and Elijah make an appearance in the drawings suddenly. Their friends graced nearly every page: Elijah and Klaus giving Katherine and her piggyback rides home from the club in Amsterdam, the four walking along the river in Budapest. They were the only drawings Klaus had included himself in.
"This is what you wanted when you made the hybrids, isn't it? You didn't know they'd be sired to you," she said.
"I wanted an army," Klaus said dismissively.
"You wanted a family," she whispered. She flipped the page to the next sketch: Katherine, Elijah, and the two of them, drinking in their living room in Prague. The next was a photo of her, sleeping peacefully in their bed, wrapped in only a sheet, her wet hair framing her face. He must have drawn them on the plane while she slept in his lap.
Caroline grabbed the pen and his hand.
"What are you doing, sweetheart?" he asked, leaning his face into her blonde curls.
"I don't want to fuck up your sketch book with my complete lack of drawing skills," she said. She brought the tip of the pen to his palm and drew two stick figures, one slightly taller than the other, and a shotty sketch of the Eiffel Tower behind them. She filled out her curls around the figure's face and gave them both pointy vampire teeth in their smiles. She drew their arms such that they held hands. Klaus grinned.
"Please mar my sketchbook with that," he said. Caroline laughed lightly and replicated the drawing in the book. In the bottom right corner, she signed, "Love, Caroline. 2013."
"What's that one fancy museum one of your paintings is in? Tell them to make room," she smiled. Klaus felt his heart twist with affection and anxiety. If she kept this up, it'd be impossible to prepare himself for the inevitable: for her to leave him when they got home. He lifted her gently, so she sat next to him and he looked in her eyes. He put his hand on her cheek and spoke intensely.
"I hope you know that when we get back to Mystic Falls, no matter what happens-" he began.
"Caroline Forbes, if I have to drag you back out on the dance floor by your hair, I will," Katherine said. Klaus and Caroline tore their eyes from each other to find Katherine, Ben, and Elijah standing in their little seating area.
"Yeah, come on, Uncle Klaus, I gotta see if my sick dance moves are genetic because, between you and me," Ben continued in a stage whisper, "I didn't get them from Elijah!" Katherine laughed out loud. The young wolf was growing on her. Elijah rolled his eyes, a small, amused smile planted on his face.
"Later?" Caroline asked Klaus. He gave a tight smile and nodded, though she could feel his tight knot of fear. They stood up to walk toward the dance floor when she grabbed his arm and pulled him to face her. She wanted to reassure him but didn't know how or for what.
"Later, love, it's okay," he said. He took her hand and lifted it above her head, spinning her around. She smiled as he pulled her back in.
"So romantic," she remarked, wrapping her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders, and they walked to follow the others.
"Just for you," he whispered.
"Just for me," she smiled, gazing up into his eyes. Katherine made a faux gagging gesture to Elijah, who stifled a laugh.
"Caroline?" they heard a voice say. Caroline looked up, following the voice to its source. Just a few feet from them stood Tyler Lockwood.
"Oh, you know my roommate?" Ben asked casually, unaware of the sudden tension.
Caroline dropped her arm from Klaus's waist, flushed with embarrassment and a wave of shame. Hurt flickered in Klaus's eyes, but he kept his arm firmly around her shoulders.
"Tyler, mate, nice of you to join us," he said, his voice thick with victory.
"What are you doing here, bro?" Ben asked.
"I came to drag you to the campsite with the rest of the pack. What are you doing here with them?" he asked, his eyes lingering on where Klaus's arm touched Caroline's shoulder. Katherine cut Ben off before he could reveal too much to Tyler.
"Long story; we won't bore you with the details," she said quickly, flashing a warning look to Ben.
Tyler looked at the group, assessing what he was seeing. He realized, given his heart was still in his chest, Klaus seemed to not be killing him right this second. He swallowed back rage seeing Caroline with them. Matt left him voicemails telling him that Katherine had killed Jeremy. Now, Caroline was here with her, palling around Las Vegas nightclubs, canoodling with the man who killed his mom.
"Can I talk to you alone?" he asked her stiffly. Caroline swallowed back her guilt and nodded.
"No," Klaus growled. He wasn't letting the man who had more interest in his death than anyone in the world in a room alone with Caroline.
"Klaus, he won't—" Caroline whispered.
"I'll go with them," Katherine interrupted. It was too risky to leave her alone with the wolf, but she took pity on her friend. This would be awkward enough without Klaus nosing his way into their conversation. Klaus looked at Katherine for a couple of seconds. The possibility of her ripping Caroline's heart out of her chest and putting an end to her 500 years on the run in one swoop flashed across his mind. Then again, she had every opportunity to do exactly that since she joined them. Besides, he felt certain that Katherine Pierce loved Caroline almost as much as he did, in a different way, but just as truly.
"I'm trusting you, Katerina," he said. With my life didn't need to be said. She nodded at him with hard resolve on her face. Klaus dropped his arm from Caroline's shoulder and let her go.
"I'll be back," she promised. She gestured for Tyler to follow her into the quiet bathroom nearby. Katherine followed closely on their heels.
Klaus, Elijah, and Ben sat slowly on the couches, a serious quiet falling over them. Suddenly, Ben let out a long, "Oooooooh! Dude, you're that Klaus? You know, Tyler told me some guy killed his mom, but I thought it might be like Ken or Kyle or something."
The hybrid flashed a warning glare up at him, silencing him.
Klaus stared down at his feet. The club was too loud to hear their conversation, but he felt the flurry of emotions in Caroline. She was anxious, ashamed, nervous, and guilty. He felt sick.
Katherine crossed her arms and leaned against the bathroom door, keeping a careful and curious eye on Tyler. He paced through the bathroom while Caroline stood in place bowing her head in shame. He suddenly came to a stop, glowering at her.
"Are you fucking?" he asked. Caroline's breath hitched.
"Yes," she whispered. Tyler stood still for a moment before letting out a terrifying low chuckle. He laughed harder and harder until he was in hysterics. Caroline watched, deeply unsettled.
"I'm so stupid! Oh, my God! You kept that drawing! You agreed to go on a date with him while we were together! You know, when you told Stefan about my plan to take out Klaus, I thought, 'Wow. I can't believe Caroline cares about Elena getting the cure so much that she would be willing to sacrifice my revolution.' I couldn't believe you'd compromise us taking him out: the guy who killed thousands of people and enslaved me and my friends, all for Elena! You know, I was stupid enough to think maybe you were feeling Stefan! Maybe what he wanted trumped what I wanted. But you know what? It wasn't for Elena or Stefan. You said fuck my plan to save him, didn't you?"
"No, Tyler, it was… complicated," she replied.
"Then tell me, what was complicated about him killing my mom, Caroline?" he asked, tears in his eyes. Caroline opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She knew all of the things she'd thought over their travels as she warmed to Klaus. He was raised by an abusive psycho who made him feel so broken and unworthy of love that he was terrified to lean on his real family. The second he made a new one, they broke their bones hundreds of times just to get away from him. She knew Klaus and the good things he was capable of. As she ran through excuses, she found that none of them came close to sounding good enough to say: not to the man whose mother he killed.
"I don't know what to say to you," she admitted.
"He has killed thousands of people, Caroline! Thousands of other mothers! What were you thinking?" he asked.
"Things… changed between us," she said. Caroline thought about every tender moment she'd experienced with Klaus since they were linked. She thought of every good thing he'd done, every small gesture, and every time he was protective of her and their little family. In a sea of anxiety and shame, a pocket of warmth flooded her chest. She stood in front of the person Klaus hurt most in the world, a living embodiment of the worst things he was capable of, and yet, she knew who he really was. She thought of his smile, when he thanked Katherine, and when he spared Eva. He wasn't a hero or a redeemed man, but he was different.
Tyler's words stung because they were true. Klaus was just different enough for her to love. But damn, did she love him. The rest of Tyler's words were dull in her ears. She was sorry for him. She always would be. She would even try to convince Klaus to let him go and get to visit home and Matt. It would be a well-deserved kindness.
"Oh, don't give me the 'things changed' bullshit, Caroline. You never bought that for Damon! And Klaus is way worse! Did he change or did you change? The Caroline I knew would never be able to ignore what he's done," he glared.
"Nothing I say is going to satisfy you, Tyler," Caroline said.
"Oh, but he satisfied you, didn't he? Did the fact that his hands have been around so many throats make it better somehow?" Tyler asked, stepping closer to her. Caroline took an involuntary step backward.
"Do you know the rumors circulating about him right now? They're saying he's linked to a vampire, Caroline. It took everything in me not to hunt his ass down," he said, taking another step. Katherine sprinted between them and pushed him backwards.
"That's close enough, Wolf Boy," she said.
"I wonder which one of you it is. I mean, I didn't think I'd see the day Katherine Pierce would be hanging out with him. But maybe it's you, Caroline. It looks like you've got vampire protection," he commented. Katherine held firm in front of Caroline, balling her hands into fists at her sides.
"I'll kill you where you stand," Katherine whispered.
"A hybrid? For Jeremy, I'd like to see you try," he retorted before lunging at her. Katherine caught his arms.
"Stay back, Care," she said before the two of them fell to the ground. Caroline ran to the door and screamed Elijah's name. When she turned back, Tyler had Katherine pinned on the ground. He took a bite out of her neck. Without thinking, Caroline ran at them before she collided with something hard. Klaus was in the room suddenly, holding her back from the fight. Katherine managed to get out from beneath Tyler only for Elijah to snap his neck in a flash. Elijah raised his hand to dig it into Tyler's chest.
"Don't kill him!" Caroline shouted. Klaus let go of her suddenly and the four stood quietly in the bathroom.
"Is life always so hectic with you guys?" Ben asked from the doorway. He looked shaken by the sight of his roommate on the ground, but he swallowed it back behind his mask of jokes.
"Just lately," Katherine grunted from the floor. She tried to remain calm, but her neck bled profusely. Elijah helped her to her feet, and she swayed where she stood. He held her steady and looked desperately to his brother. The eerie silence of the empty bathroom crept on the group as Klaus's steps echoed. He walked slowly up to Katherine, who held his gaze.
"This is your chance," she whispered. Klaus looked down at her. For 500 years, he waited for exactly this moment: a dying Katerina Petrova on a silver platter for him to gloat over. He had longed for this moment; to watch her die slowly in front of him after she spent centuries evading him since ruining his chance at siring a family. Now, he looked at her and saw the woman he'd made an orphan because she refused to die on his command. More than that, he saw somebody who had, at every turn, risked her life for his. He could never know if she had done everything until now solely to obtain her freedom. He could never be sure that, the second she had it, she wouldn't run with Elijah and never think of or do anything for him or Caroline ever again.
All Klaus could do was offer to love her as his own family and hope she returned it. He blinked back watery eyes as he considered how different his life might be right now if he'd done that with his hybrids. he suddenly walked over to Ben, took a cup from his hand, empty but the ice at the bottom, and bit into his own wrist. He filled the cup with the blood from his wrist as he walked back over to Katherine. He handed her the cup silently and she took a long drink from it. The wound on her neck healed before their eyes. Klaus opened his mouth to speak words he never anticipated speaking in five centuries.
"You are free, Katerina. You have more than earned it," he said. Katherine's mouth dropped open as her eyes moved between Klaus and Caroline. The blonde looked as surprised as she felt.
"What about the link—" she began.
"We can bring young Ben to Mystic Falls and break the link ourselves," he said.
"What if the hybrids—" she started again.
"We'll handle it. We'll have the Salvatores," he said, not entirely sure they would actually have their allegiance. Katherine took a long breath as she considered running out of this bathroom and never looking back. She looked at the two of them for a long beat before she crossed her arms and shook her head.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"What?" Klaus asked, blinking back his surprise.
"I'm not leaving you and Caroline. You would be lost without me," she added, trying to make light of the decision. Klaus felt a tear fall down his cheek. She wasn't leaving. How weighted a single gesture could feel. He drew in a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. Katherine cleared her throat and dropped her arms to her sides.
"For what?" she asked. Klaus felt his eyes flicker anywhere but at her. He forced himself to look in her eyes.
"For five centuries," he said. He didn't need to elaborate. He was sorry for making her an orphan, for forcing her to run, for pushing her into a place where she had two options: turn or die, for kidnapping her, and for making her drive a knife into her legs.
Katherine blinked back the tears rising in her eyes as she felt processed an apology by the man who ruined her long, long life. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, patting his back gently. He returned the hug, carefully draping his arms over her shoulders. They stood that way for a moment, feeling a weight of resentment leave their shoulders: a weight which had calcified over five hundred years. They let each other go and hastily wiped their eyes, stepping apart.
"We need to go. He'll tell his pack we're here," Katherine said. They all nodded in agreement and walked out of the bathroom in the nightclub, leaving Tyler's unconscious body on the tile floor.
It would take Tyler at least a couple of hours to wake up and retrieve his pack from the mountains, so they didn't rush to their hotel to gather their things. As they walked through the casino, a sadness fell over the group. They'd hope to have at least one proper night in the city.
Caroline could tell Klaus was upset with her because he opted to walk with Ben and listen to his nonstop chatter instead of with her. She felt how rejected and heartbroken he was since she'd talked to Tyler. She resented it. If he couldn't handle the fact she didn't want him dead at least, then that was his problem. She fell into step on the other side of Elijah, who held Katherine close at his side since she was bitten. Elijah whispered under his breath so Caroline could hear, but Ben could not.
"Does he ever stop talking?" he asked. Caroline smiled.
"One of us will have to stay with him. We can't leave him down here alone," she replied under her breath. She held her fist out in front of her. Elijah raised his eyebrows with amusement then mirrored the action. Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot. Caroline prevailed with scissors. She elbowed him lightly, victorious.
When they approached the elevators up to the rooms, Elijah distracted Ben from his flickering eyes to the card tables (maybe I can just play one while they get their stuff) under the guise of needing his help with the bags. It was transparent, but Ben went anyway. He couldn't remember the last time somebody wanted his company.
Klaus was silent on the elevator ride up to their floor. As they entered their room, Caroline could barely breathe under Klaus's sorrow. She tried to reach out to him, but he shrugged her off, crossing the room and gathering their belongings.
"Klaus—" she tried.
"Remember earlier in our trip, when we would at least pretend we can't feel each other to respect any semblance of privacy we still had? Would you go back to that right now?" he asked, looking anywhere but at her. She crossed her arms, stung by the words.
"I know you can't be happy that I asked Elijah not to kill him, but I've known him my whole life and he was fairly upset—"
"Caroline, I don't care that you didn't want Elijah to kill Tyler. I know you; you would never let him kill Tyler. But I need to not hear you defending him right now," he said, tossing her her phone charger and placing his sketchbook in his bag. Caroline let out an angry breath but stopped talking. She shivered from the cold hotel room and shrugged on his jacket he gave her in Ireland. She looked up to find Klaus staring at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked. His voice was pleading.
"Well, I know we're vampires so I'm not exactly at frostbite risk, but when someone is a bit chilly, they—" she started, biting.
"Not that, Caroline! I felt—when you were in the room with… him. You're in love with him. I didn't expect this to be… just, stop acting like this if you're just going to run back to him. Please," he said. She watched him look away from her as he grabbed the last few items they'd laid out on the nightstands. Her confusion gave way to understanding. He felt the moment she realized she was in love with him.
"Wait, you—letting Katherine go. You thought I was in love with Tyler and I was going to leave you and you let Katherine go. That had nothing to do with our deal, nothing to do with white paint, you just let her go?" she asked. Klaus squinted in confusion.
"Caroline, Katerina has been a good friend and Elijah loves her, so yes, I let her go, and it had nothing to do with you. Not everything needs to be about you," he snapped.
Caroline felt her heart pounding. Klaus wasn't just changing for her only. He was simply changing. She thought about the first night they were linked: out on the porch of the Gilbert house before any of this began. I've done more than enough. I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity because of you Caroline. It was all for you. That night, though, he looked to her to be rewarded. He gave Tyler a head start hoping she would fall into his arms and be grateful for it. Tonight, he showed kindness and mercy to someone who evaded him for five-hundred years and had been in multiple plots to kill him.
Klaus held her eyes with a bewildered expression, trying to rationalize the feelings in her chest: feelings he only ever got when he looked at her. She slowly walked up to him.
"What you felt—it wasn't for Tyler. I love you, Klaus. You. You have to know that. Please know that," she said. Before she could plead for him to believe her any further, he sprinted toward her and crashed his warm lips on hers. He held her face in his hands as he processed the words he'd wanted to come from her mouth since the second he laid eyes on her. Caroline returned the kiss passionately, bringing her hands to his chest and knotting her fingers in his shirt.
Klaus broke the kiss and laid brought his lips softly to her forehead. Caroline's eyes fluttered closed and he placed two gentle kisses to her eyelids.
"I loved you before I knew you, Caroline," he said. She smiled softly at the words. Klaus let out a deep breath.
"We'll be back in Mystic Falls soon," he said.
"I know," she replied.
"It won't be easy."
"I know. I don't want to look back and think about the time we could have had if I didn't care. We may be immortal, but… well, people have a tendency to die anyway," she whispered. She opened her eyes and met his gaze beneath thick eyelashes.
"I would rip apart anybody who tried to hurt you," he assured her. Caroline nuzzled his neck and kissed his jawline in response.
"They can wait a little longer, don't you think?" he whispered in her ear. Caroline smiled and moved her lips down his neck.
"Well, we have a lot to pack…" she said between kisses.
"So much," he replied, unbuttoning her blouse.
"Tons."