Hey guys! Thank you to all of my followers, everyone who has reviewed, and everyone who has added this story to your favorites! I know my last couple of chapters have been kind of short, but I hope this one makes up for it. I think it's the longest one so far, so I hope you enjoy it. If you do, let me know in the reviews :)
Let's get to the chapter, shall we? Happy reading…
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD, The Originals, or any of their characters…
To say Caroline was shocked would have been an understatement. Her gaze shifted from the massive wooden staircase to the mile high ceilings. She admired what could only be family antiques passed on from generation to generation. The intricate detail in every little object amazed her. It just proved how much money the Mikaelson family had.
As she continued to take in her first impression of the place, she heard Klaus close the front door behind her. "This place is amazing," she commented.
Klaus was standing beside her before he replied. He shrugged. "It's nothing too unique for me. I grew up here, so I didn't realize that every other person's house didn't look the same until I was older."
Caroline turned to him. "This place has to be special to you, Nik. It was your home."
"It was my home. It's not anymore, and I like my new home much better." He smirked as he finished his last statement, to which Caroline rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile herself.
Her attention turned back to the details of the mansion. She was in awe as she continued to make her way further and further inside. "I don't know how," she finally replied to his confession. "I can't believe it was possible for me to ever forget this place."
Klaus was just about to explain to her how cold and large this place was. How it held so many bad memories for him. But before he could begin, another voice interrupted.
Rebekah appeared in the entryway, but by that point Caroline had wandered into the living room. Rebekah had no idea that her brother wasn't alone.
"Ah, Niklaus. I didn't expect you to stop by today. Are you here to yell at me for sending you home last night? Because I can explain." The only girl in the Mikaleson family looked like she was nervous. She started to defend herself when Klaus held up a hand to stop her.
"It's quite alright, Rebekah," he assured her.
Rebekah was shocked. She had been preparing herself for the wrath of Klaus. She had no idea why Caroline had wanted her to send Klaus home, but she guessed that it wasn't for a good reason since her brother was already back at the mansion.
"What happened, Nik?" Her expression grew concerned. "Why did Caroline want you to go home?"
Caroline was looking at a painted portrait that hung on the wall in the living room. If she had to guess, she would think that it was an ancestor of the Mikaelson's, but she couldn't be sure. "Nik, who is this?" Caroline's eyes were still glued to the painting until she didn't receive a reply. "Nik?" She looked around the room and realized he wasn't anywhere in sight. She made her way back to the entry way. "Nik?" She called again.
"Right here, love," Klaus replied.
"I was wondering where I had lost you." She nearly stopped in her tracks when she saw Rebekah.
She and Rebekah didn't have the best relationship when they were in high school, or at least in the part that Caroline could remember of it. Rebekah was always jealous that Caroline was cheer captain, crowned Miss Mystic Falls, and just all around popular. No matter how hard she seemed to try, Rebekah could never be better, for lack of a better word, than Caroline. Caroline had a bubbly, friendly personality that drew everyone in, where Rebekah was more like her older brother. Rebekah was only nice to the people that she wanted to be nice to. To other people, she came off as rude and snobby. So when Caroline saw the other blonde, she didn't know how to react. She hoped that when she and Klaus had become serious, that Rebekah had wanted to build a relationship with her. After all, they were sister-in-laws even if Caroline didn't remember everything. But she had only talked to Rebekah on the phone since the accident, so she just waited for Rebekah to make the first move.
The blonde's eyes were wide with shock. "Caroline?"
Caroline flashed her a shy smile. "Hi Rebekah."
Rebekah looked from Caroline to Klaus, who smiled and nodded. Then, her gaze went back to Caroline before she walked over and squeezed the other blonde with a hug. "It's so good to see you, Care."
Caroline was shocked by the affection. That was the last greeting she had ever expected from Rebekah. It took her a minute to get over the initial surprise, and she looked at Klaus who looked like he was fighting a laugh. She narrowed her eyes at him before awkwardly hugging Rebekah back. "Uh, yeah, you too," she murmured.
Rebekah pulled away quickly after that, and Caroline could see that she was trying to regain her nonchalant attitude. "Sorry, I'm not usually the affectionate type. I was just so surprised to see you after... Well after everything."
Caroline smiled. "It's alright." She joined Klaus and entwined her fingers with his, still feeling a bit uncomfortable. His thumb began to stroke the back of her hand as his subtle way of comforting her.
"Let's go have a seat, shall we?" Rebekah suggested, and the couple agreed.
Klaus and Caroline took seats beside each other on one of the empty couches, and Rebekah sat across from them in a large arm chair.
"So, fill me in. Why did I have to send my brother back to your home yesterday?" Rebekah broke the silence quickly.
Instead of making Caroline answer, Klaus began to explain what happened the night before with as few details as possible. He had always been a private man, and that would never change.
"So you're back?" Rebekah's eyebrows shot up. "Back at home, I mean."
Caroline nodded. "Yeah." She turned to look at Klaus and smiled. He squeezed her hand that he had never let go of before lightly placing a kiss to her temple.
The doorbell rang and Rebekah stood to answer it. "Ugh," she groaned. "You two are barely back together and you're already head over heels for one another." She disappeared from the room.
Caroline's cheeks flushed at the other blonde's comment. Klaus smiled at her reaction, the same reaction that had never gone away since they had started dating. He kissed her cheek, and then tucked her curls behind her ear.
"Don't listen to her, sweetheart. She's just trying to embarrass you," he whispered.
His breath was hot as his lips gently brushed up against her earlobe. She felt a shiver go down her spine. It took everything in her not to consume those lips with her own. They weren't alone. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the blush from taking over again. Her eyes locked with Klaus', and she could tell that he was fighting the same feelings.
"Look who stopped by," Rebekah interrupted with someone in tow.
Caroline's and Klaus' heads shot towards the doorway. Matt was standing behind his girlfriend with a goofy grin on his face.
Rebekah took her seat again, but not before letting the couple know that she had seen their moment. "I swear, you two need to get a room."
Klaus' focus switched to his sister. "That's enough, Rebekah," he snapped, knowing that it was just embarrassing Caroline. "Since when have you taken Kol's place as being the annoying sibling?"
Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in the chair pouting. Caroline wanted to laugh because she had never seen anyone put Rebekah in her place like that. Well, not that she remembered. But she also felt sorry for the girl. Klaus could say harsh things at times.
Caroline turned to the man beside her and gave him a look. The look that said, "was that really necessary?," before she tried to take the attention off his sibling.
"Matt, it's good to see you. How are you?" Caroline hugged her childhood friend.
The conversation turned light from then on. Caroline wondered if that was how it used to be before she and Klaus got married. For a split second, she became disappointed that she hadn't remembered anything by being there. She experienced those types of feelings a lot, and had to be careful to not let them take over. Especially when she was with other people because she needed to be strong.
Klaus and Rebekah left the room to get the group some drinks, so Caroline had some alone time with Matt.
"Care, I just want you to know that I had no idea that Tyler was going with us to The Grill the other night, and I really had no idea he was going to try to get back together with you." Matt started explaining the minute the siblings were out of earshot.
Caroline shook her head. "It's alright, Matt. Elena told me that he wasn't supposed to be going with us. I hope this hasn't been bothering you." However, she figured it had or he wouldn't have brought it up so quickly.
"It's just that I wouldn't do that to you," he went on. "Or Klaus."
Caroline smiled reassuringly. "I know that, Matt, and I can't speak for Nik, but he probably knows that too."
"I don't know. I think he told Rebekah what happened, and she wasn't happy with me."
"It's over. Let's just move on, okay?" She waited for his reply, which happened to be a nod, before continuing. "So you and Rebekah, huh?" She almost had a disapproving tone, still only remembering Rebekah from the past.
Matt laughed. "You married Klaus," he fired back.
"Touché'," Caroline laughed with him.
"You know, they've changed quite a bit, which I'm sure you can see with Klaus now. I think Klaus needed the most work though, but you made sure to take care of that." He smiled again before turning serious. "They went through a lot to make them the way they were. It just took someone that cared to help them overcome their past."
Caroline's brow furrowed. "Their past? What happened in their past?"
"I don't think it's my place to tell you. Besides, I only know bits and pieces about Klaus. I mainly only know about Bekah."
Before Caroline could push Matt on the subject any more, the siblings reentered the room. Caroline forced herself to smile, but her mind was still wondering what had made the Mikaelson siblings so angry at the world.
"Would you like a quick tour?" Klaus held out his hand to her.
Caroline nodded and took his hand, allowing him to lead her away from the living area. He showed her the extravagant dining area, the library filled with more books than she had ever seen, the office with the large antique wooden desk that had a laptop sitting on top that looked extremely out of place. He told her little facts about each room as they went. As they climbed the stairs, she wondered how he felt about having to show her the house as if it was her first time seeing it. Instead of asking, she tried to shove the thought away. She didn't want to make the situation any harder for him.
He opened a door on the second floor and gestured for her to enter as he stated, "This was my room."
The bed was the first thing she saw, the blankets in a mess from the fact that he had been staying there attempting to get some sleep. All of a sudden, she felt like she had been hit by a train. Her knees buckled, and she waited for her body to hit the floor, but it never did.
Flashback~ Caroline's memory
Caroline had entered the mansion without knocking, just as she had been doing for months. They hadn't been dating even a year, but they had both fallen for each other so fast.
"Nik?" She called out as she began searching for him downstairs. When she didn't get an answer, she tried again. "Nik?"
A different Mikaelson appeared. "Today might not be a good day for you to visit, darling." Elijah had a worried look on his face.
Caroline immediately became panicked. "Why? What's wrong?"
Elijah laid his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down, Caroline. Nothing is wrong."
Caroline let out a sigh of relief. "Then why shouldn't I be here? Where's Nik?"
"Today is...was... our father's birthday." Elijah began. "I don't know how much Niklaus has told you, but I think it would be best if you came back tomorrow. Niklaus doesn't do well on this day." Caroline could tell the older Mikaelson brother was trying to choose his words carefully.
"I'm sorry, Elijah, but I can't just leave knowing he's hurting." Caroline stepped around him. "I'm going to check on him." She took the stairs two at a time.
"I warned you," Elijah mumbled to himself.
Caroline knocked on Klaus' bedroom door.
"Go away!" He growled from inside.
"Nik, it's me. It's Caroline." She said quietly.
"I said go away!" This time, the anger was still present in his voice, but it was toned down.
"I'm coming in, Nik." She didn't wait for him to respond.
She opened the door, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed. His head was in his hands. His blankets were twisted as if he tossed and turned all night. He looked tired and angry, but most of all, he looked hurt.
"I don't want any company," he snapped at her. But instead of her turning away, she shut the door behind her. At that point, he didn't scare her anymore.
"I want to be here." She was determined.
"I don't want you here." His tone would have scared away anyone else.
Caroline knew he was hurting. He lashed out at whoever was around, that's what he did. But she also knew that he really didn't mean what he said to her. She would have been lying if she said it didn't hurt to hear him say some of those things, but she knew that it was in times like those that he needed her most. So she tried to help him deal with the pain instead of taking it out on those around him.
Caroline walked over and took a seat beside him on the bed. "Well that's too bad, because I'm not going anywhere." She waited for him to speak again, but he never did. "I know what today is, Nik."
"And what day might that be?" He replied mockingly. He kept his focus on his hands that were now in his lap.
"I know that it's your father's birthday." She whispered. It was as if she flipped a switch in him. She didn't expect his reaction.
Klaus jumped from the bed, his anger obviously boiling over. "You don't know anything!" He yelled. "He was not my father!" He began to knock things off his dressers, throw the pillows off the bed, basically destroy anything that he could get his hands on. "He liked to remind me of that every day of my life!"
Caroline's heart was breaking at the sight of him so upset, but she didn't want to get in his way. Not yet. He needed to let it out.
The door busted open and Elijah appeared. "What is going on in here?" His eyes were wide and searching until they landed on Caroline. "Caroline, are you alright?"
Caroline stopped him from entering the room any further. "We are fine. Just go." She pushed Elijah out of the doorway, but he was reluctant. "Please," she pleaded before closing the door.
She was leaning on the door when the loud noises stopped. She turned to see that Klaus had slid down his footboard and was sitting on the floor. He had a single tear rolling down his cheek, and Caroline felt the knot appear in her throat at the sight in front of her. She hurried over and knelt down in front of him, placing her hands on his forearms.
"Please go," he whispered, broken.
Caroline shook her head. "Never." She felt her own tears start to fall.
He surprised her again when he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him as well, placing her ear over his rapidly beating heart, and they sat there. She didn't know how long she was sitting with him, but she could see that the sun had begun to set. She probably would have stayed like that for a lot longer if there hadn't been a knock at his door.
"I'll get it," she told him, but he wouldn't let her go. "If I don't see who it is, they are going to come in." He reluctantly let her leave, immediately feeling her absence.
When she opened the door, she made sure to only crack it so the person couldn't see in. She didn't think Klaus would want anyone seeing him so defeated. On the other side of the door stood Elijah.
"Is everything alright in there?" He asked, his face still expressing his worry.
Caroline nodded. "We are fine." And without letting him ask any more questions, Caroline shut the door. She had her own questions.
"Did you sleep at all last night, Nik?" She crouched down in front of him again. His blue eyes met hers as he shook his head. "I didn't think so."
She really looked around the room for the first time. It was a disaster. It looked as if a tornado literally went down the middle of it. She sighed before picking up the pillows, blankets, and sheets and making the bed. When she finished, she stood in front of Klaus and held out her hands to help him get up.
He let her help him up and lead him to the bed. He sat down on the side again, but that was as far as he went. "I don't want to go to bed. I just want to sit here with you."
Caroline smiled, happy that he had decided that he would rather have her stay with him than leave. "Lay down," she told him, but he opened his mouth to protest. "Please." He saw the concern in her eyes, so he did as she asked. When he was in his spot, she crawled up beside him and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her as close as he could.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Most people would have walked away. Especially after I lost it."
"I will never leave you, Nik," she promised. "But can I ask what you meant when you said that Mikael wasn't your father?" She didn't know if she had just crossed a line, and she was worried that she did when she didn't get an answer. She looked up to see that Klaus was staring at the ceiling. "You don't have to tell me if you aren't ready."
He looked down at the girl in his arms, amazed at her patience. "Not yet, love. But I will someday. I promise." Then he leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
They lay there quietly until Klaus had finally fallen asleep. Caroline looked up to see his face so peaceful. She was glad that at least for now, his anger was gone. She decided to clean up his room a bit, so she attempted to pull away, but his grip on her tightened and he began to stir. She quickly gave up on her plan, placed a kiss lightly on his jawline, and then laid her head down on his chest once again. She fell asleep soon after.
Present day
"Caroline, love, are you alright?" Klaus' voice was filled with worry.
Caroline realized that she was cradled in his arms, which explained the reason she never hit the floor.
"Caroline?" He repeated, only growing more concerned,
Caroline snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, I'm fine." She saw relief flood over Klaus' face. "I just had a memory come back." When he set her back on her feet, her legs were unsteady. The only thing she could guess was that she had been straining so hard all day to remember something, that this memory just pushed her over the edge. She felt exhausted.
When he saw that she was shaky, Klaus swept Caroline up in his arms again and carried her over to his old bed. "What was the memory?" He asked as he brushed her hair from her face.
She hesitated, not wanting the memory to make him angry. But then again, everyone had said he had changed, so she chanced it. "I came to see you here, but it was your..." She caught herself, even though she didn't know the whole story. "It was Mikael's birthday. You were really angry, but we got through it." She smiled.
Klaus looked upset that that was the memory she gained. "I'm sorry that it wasn't a better memory."
Caroline sat up and took his face between her hands. "Don't say that. Any memory with you is a good memory."
He shook his head. "You're amazing, sweetheart. Did you know that?"
She smiled. "You're not so bad yourself."
He crushed her lips with his in a heated, passionate kiss. "Let's go home," he told her before kissing her again.
"Sounds wonderful," she agreed. As he helped her down the stairs, she couldn't help but go back to the memory. "Nik?"
"Hmm?" He was trying to concentrate on keeping them both from falling.
"What did you mean when you said Mikael wasn't your father?"
Klaus didn't answer for a bit, allowing silence to set in. Then, finally he came up with an excuse to not talk about that man for now. "Let's talk about it another time when you aren't so tired. You've had a long day, love."
Just hearing him say it reminded her of how tired she was, so instead of arguing in true Caroline fashion, she nodded. "Okay, later." But just because she was tired, didn't mean she wouldn't hold him to that conversation. It would happen.
They said their goodbyes, and then headed out so Caroline could get some rest. Unfortunately, neither knew that Caroline was in for a long night as well.