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I realize this update is a few days late, and I must apologize or that; I just wanted to make sure this chapter was really good for you guys ;)

Disclaimer: Don't own TVD.

Chapter 18

In My Veins

Mystic Falls, 2010

"Uncle Richard?"

He smiled at her, red eyes fading to familiar brown.

"Hello sunshine."

Caroline only gaped for a moment, her mouth opening and closing, shock rendering her speechless. And then her uncle opened his arms and without another thought Caroline rushed forward and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as they embraced. Richard lifted her off her feet, hugging her fiercely.

Oh my God. This is really happening, Caroline thought as she felt Richard press a kiss to her hair. A sob built up in Caroline's throat, and she pressed her face closer in his neck.

But he was dead… just like everyone. My entire family… dead, dead and long gone… but, he's here… Caroline couldn't think, her mind on overload. But there was thing she knew, Uncle Richard was here and he was real.

Despite the fact that the man was her uncle, Richard was only twelve years older than her, having been born of her grandfather's second marriage. When she was young, she hadn't really known him for very long when she was young, but when she went to complete her ten-year, they had grown closer. Her uncle had always been there for her, and, if she was honest, was really more like a second brother or father to her.

And here he was again. He'd saved her skin.

Finally Caroline pulled back, tears in her eyes, she took a step back, but took one of Richard's hands, wanting to make sure that he was really there, that this wasn't just an illusion.

"How did this happen? How are you here?" She whispered as she searched his eyes, remembering the red that had filled them only moments before. "You're a vampire!" She exclaimed, the realization hitting her hard.

"Do not worry, sunshine, all will be explained." He replied with a soft smile, squeezing her hand once. "But first, I daresay that you must warn the others." He made a pointed glance to Finn, who was laid unceremoniously on the floor, neck bent at an odd angle.

That reminded her…

"Oh my God. Klaus!" She panicked, what if she was too late? What if Esther already hurt them? I knew she was up to something! I should've done something before. Damn it!

If he's hurt… Caroline swallowed harshly, her feelings wanting to choke her as she thought about the possibility. She pulled herself away from her uncle, intent on going to find out, heart beating rapidly in her chest.

She didn't get far, however, when Uncle Richard reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She tensed for a moment, thinking back to Finn, who had refused to let her go. She forced herself to relax, however; this was Uncle Richard, he would never hurt her. Caroline could be sure of this, even five hundred years later.

"Slow down, Caroline." He said, in that calm way of his that she had missed so much. I still can't believe this is happening.

"What? Why?" She questioned, incredulously. They need my help! If I don't go, he might… he might…

"Think for a minute, your foe is powerful witch, is she not? You cannot simply go barging inside and expect her to step aside once she knows that you know of her plans. You'll have to be quieter than that. " Richard's word struck a chord in her.

Esther would know I'm coming, and she go through with whatever she had planned anyway.

Caroline took a deep breath to calm herself, knowing she needed to think.

"How do you know all of this?" She asked after a moment.

"I have been around a few days now." Uncle Richard replied.

A few days? But why didn't he…?

"Why didn't you come and talk to me?" She asked, a betrayed look on her face. I could have used here. Where were you all these years?

Richard hesitated, a pained look crossing his features.

"I wasn't sure how to reveal myself." He admitted. "You have to understand, Caroline, I thought you…" He stopped, taking a breath, and for the smallest second, Caroline could have sworn she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. In the next instant it was gone, replaced with a strained smile. "It does not matter now, sunshine, you must make sure the others know. "

"Me? Aren't you going to come with me?" Caroline questioned.

"Not yet." He shook his head.

"But, Uncle Richard!" She protested, reaching out and grabbing his forearm. Please! You just got here!

"I will see you later, I promise you." Her last family member said, holding her by both her shoulders. "But first you must know this; Esther is planning on linking her children together – what happens to one will happen to all."

Suddenly everything made sense.

"So if one of them dies, all of them will?" She asked, eyes widening.

"Yes."

"But how will that do anything, there is nothing that could kill them…" Caroline was mumbling, confused.

"There is. Your friends have found it." Richard interrupted, a sad look in his eyes. My friends… but… I told them. I told them that I wouldn't let anything happen to him, that I need him…. That I love him and they still…

Caroline shook herself out of it, knowing this was not the time for this.

"How do I stop this? How does the spell work?" She asked, her voice edged in desperation.

"It has something to do with the blood of the doppelgänger. Other than that, I do not know." Uncle Richard shrugged almost helplessly as he stared down at her with those kind brown eyes of his.

They both snapped there heads up when they heard telltale footsteps nearby. Caroline smiled, already feeling who it was.

"Klaus…" She whispered with relief. It seemed that, in her distraction, she had let go of her uncle, and, when she turned around, she'd found he disappeared. "Uncle?" She whisper-shouted, looking around. Where is he? "Damn it!" She cursed after only a moment, knowing that he wasn't anywhere nearby.

She didn't have much time to think on that matter, however, when she glanced down at Finn, the footsteps approaching closer.

Why couldn't I just have a happy, uncomplicated night with the man I love?

Klaus was smiling as he headed back outside to where Caroline was waiting for him, one hand in the pocket of his waistcoat, touching the ring that he had put there. For the first time in a long time, Klaus found himself experiencing nervousness. But, no matter, he could hide it well enough.

His nerves turned to a feeling of foreboding, however, when he finally got outside and saw that no one was there. He glanced around, wondering where Caroline might have gone. He decided to go farther into the gardens, knowing her love for them.

His feeling of foreboding only increased as he continued looking.

Finally, he saw a glimpse of blue, and knew he had found her.

"There you are, love…" Klaus said with a smile. Only, when he finally reached her, he stopped in his tracks and his smile died on his face. "What happened here?" He almost growled looking away from his incapacitated brother to a worried and panicking Caroline.

"Um, Finn h-he attacked me and I-I snapped his neck." She stuttered out, her hands rubbing her arms, a telltale sign that she was nervous.

"He did what?" This time Klaus did growl, immediately angry. No one could touch Caroline, no one. When he saw Caroline's still wide eyes, he calmed himself a little, knowing that that was not what she needed right now. He approached her slowly and lifted his hands to cup her face, putting his forehead against hers. His system flooded with relief to know that she was alright. "Why would he do this." He muttered as Caroline turned her face and placed a kiss to his palm.

When her eyes met his, he saw they were full of sadness and anger. "He said that Esther needed me out of the way… She's planning on killing you all, Klaus."

Mother… I thought… He frowned, suddenly furious, with Esther, and with himself for letting his guard down and believing her. Fool! Haven't you learned your lesson about love?

It is not always like that, you love Caroline, don't you? Another, smaller voice whispered to him.

"How…? Now, that is untrue, it must be." He muttered, still trying to deny it, not ready for yet another betrayal. Why can't my family just see that all I want is to have them at my side?

"Why else would she try to take me out, Klaus? Please! Believe me!" Caroline exclaimed desperately, her hands clutching his at the side of her face.

He searched her eyes for a moment, eyes that he knew better than his own, and saw no sign of deception. It saddened him, but in a way also lifted him up; at least he knew that Caroline would never betray him. He didn't often doubt his standing with her, but he was a creature of caution when it came to trust, always looking for signs of deception and lies.

Finally, Klaus nodded.

"I do. We have to stop her." He told Caroline, holding her gaze firmly. She sighed in obvious relief, glancing away for a second, before returning her burning eyes to his.

"I think I know just the person to go ask." She said, anger in her voice.

He let go of her and gestured for her to lead the way.

"What did you do?" Caroline hissed, slamming Elena into a wall, though not hard enough to truly damage her. She'd told Klaus her suspicions on the way back to the house and had asked him to let her take care of this. Surprisingly, he had agreed and told her he would back her up.

As soon they'd taken care of Finn and put him where no one would see, they reentered the mansion. She went looking for her friend right away and found her with Elijah in an isolated hallway. She had originally planned to talk to the brunette calmly, but seeing her made her anger rise up again.

Elena and her had been friends for a long time now, and she still didn't trust Caroline enough to leave the man she loved alone. It hurt Caroline more than she let on.

"Caroline, let the girl go." Elijah commanded, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. In the next instant, Klaus was at her side and had Elijah pinned on an adjacent wall.

"Forgive me, brother, but it seems like your little doppelgänger here has been planning to kill us all." Klaus growled.

Caroline barely heard him, focusing only on Elena. "How could you? I'm your friend! How could you do this to me?" She yelled, tears filling her eyes furiously.

"I'm sorry, Caroline, it wasn't about you, it was about him." Elena looked genuine in her apology but her eyes hardened when she looked over to the hybrid.

"I love him; of course it was about me! And you weren't just going to kill him, but the rest too!" She exclaimed, anger coursing through her. "Klaus, Rebekah, Kol… even Elijah! I thought you cared about him!"

By this time, Klaus had let go of his older brother, who had a harsh look in his eye, realizing his mistake. They both stood silent as Caroline continued to confront Elena.

"I do!" Elena insisted. "But it was the only way!"

"No, it wasn't! You could've trusted me!" Caroline yelled out, causing Elena to fall in silence. For a moment, it looked like the brunette was about to say something, but it seemed like Caroline had finally managed to get through to her. Elena's expression changed from righteous to ashamed. "If you don't tell me what you did, I will never forgive you." Caroline whispered.

Elena glanced at the Original brother hesitantly before looking back to her friend. She nodded. "Ok."

Caroline pulled away from Elena, allowing her stand properly on her own.

"I gave Esther my blood, she's planning to link you and your siblings together." She said this to Klaus, looking him straight in the eyes, unafraid. "She was planning on lacing it in the champagne." Elena admitted.

"Then we don't drink it." Elijah said, voice quiet with anger as he stared at Elena.

"But that will not stop Esther from continuing to come after us." Klaus intoned emotionlessly, though his eyes were burning with so many of them.

"We have to stop her." Caroline agreed, looking over at the Originals.

"Niklaus, you go find our dear sister and brother." Elijah said, walking towards Elena. "I will keep an eye on the girl, make sure Mother can no longer use her against us."

"Very well, 'Lijah." Klaus held out his hand to Caroline, and she gladly took it, needing to feel him by her side. It had been an exhausting night so far, and it wasn't over yet.

"And, brother…" Klaus turned back to look at the older Mikaelson. "… be sure to stop her, will you?"

"Of course."

Klaus and Caroline were away in the next instant.

"You're lying." Rebekah crossed her arms haughtily, but there was doubt in her eyes, anger. Kol was standing by her side, oddly silent for once. Neither seemed to be taking the news that their mother was planning their deaths well. Of course they aren't! Don't be an idiot, Caroline. Just because you didn't like her doesn't make her any less their mother.

"Afraid not, little sister." Klaus said bitingly, taking out his anger on his sibling.

"No, you are! You have always wanted to take away my happiness and now you're at it again!" Rebekah exclaimed with a wounded expression.

"I wouldn't lie about this, Rebekah!" Klaus growled, temper snapping and grabbing his sister by the shoulders.

"Oh you wouldn't? You lied for centuries about the fact that is was you that killed Mother!"

Caroline could practically see the fury boiling under Klaus' skin, and moved forward to stand beside them. They were both too emotionally invested in this to think rationally; Caroline would have to be the voice of reason.

"Look, Rebekah, Klaus is telling the truth; Finn attacked me earlier, said he needed to get me out of the way for Esther." She said, appearing more calm than she was.

"Then you're both liars!" Rebekah glared at the other blonde and Caroline felt herself wither a bit, her own doubts building up again. Why can't my friends believe me?

What happened next would forever surprise her. She felt a strangely gentle hand on her shoulder and Kol stepped up behind her.

"Little sister, I'm inclined to believe Nik and the lovely Miss Forbes." He said, his voice unnaturally still, eyes on the youngest Mikaelson.

"You do?" Caroline blurted out shocked.

It seemed she wasn't the only who was utterly surprised by this turn of events.

"But Kol…" Rebekah trailed off, her eyes wide as she stared at her brother. Klaus too stared, and his hands dropped away from his sister.

"Mother and Father were never the forgiving type; I had doubts from the moment she came back to life." Kol admitted, completely straight-faced. "Even you have admit this, Rebekah." Everyone saw the guilty sort of look in the Original's eyes.

"We have to stop her, sister." Klaus came to stand beside Caroline as he said this, backing up both his brother and herself.

Rebekah glanced at all three of them before they saw the slump of defeat in her shoulders.

"Fine, I'll go with you, and I will prove you wrong." She hissed, pushing roughly past them. Kol followed close behind her, not wasting any opportunity to annoy his little sister.

Caroline met Klaus' and they shared an exasperated look.

Caroline followed right behind Klaus and his younger siblings as they went upstairs to where Esther was. Elijah was in the ballroom, getting rid of the guests, whilst simultaneously keeping an eye on Elena. He had decided it should be him, despite his wishes to remain with his younger siblings, seeing as he was the most calm of all of them and wouldn't resort to violence to get their guests outside the house.

They entered the room silently, though Caroline could feel their intent, the power that rolled off of them in waves. Despite the fact that they bickered like little kids, Caroline knew just how old and how incredibly strong each of them were. And when they were united… well, no one could get in their way.

"Mother." Klaus greeted as he walked in, Caroline close behind. Kol and Rebekah already standing across from Esther. She looked to them cautiously, before walking forward, arms out.

"My children, I thought you would be enjoying the party." She told them with what could have been a warm smile, if it weren't for the coldness in her eyes. She didn't even glance Caroline's way, though she easily noticed the way the Original witch stiffened when she entered. It's over, Esther.

"I would enjoy it more if I didn't know you were planning on killing us all." Klaus said, his voice deceptively calm, almost bored.

"What are talking about, Niklaus?"

"Do not lie to me!" Klaus bellowed, his anger lashing out as he blurred towards the woman who gave birth to him, wanting to hurt her like she had hurt him for so long. "AH!" In the next instant he had fallen to his knees, face contorted in pain as he clutched his head between his hands.

"Klaus!" Caroline yelled, dropping by his side, her arms around his shoulders. Her heart ached to see him in so much pain.

"Nik!" Rebekah gasped, before looking to her mother, finally realizing that she really was out to hurt them.

Caroline put her head against Klaus' trying in vain to ease some of his pain, he was trembling against her, making anguished sounds every few seconds.

"I suppose that this is your fault?" Caroline looked up at Esther, who looked at her coldly, without another expression. "I should have gotten rid of you myself. What did you do with Finn?"

"Finn is fine, but far from your reach. Your plan is ruined and your children will live, just like they deserve to." Caroline replied, proud that he voice stayed steady, despite the panic that was inside.

"Deserve to live?" The older woman wore a look of incredulity. "They are monsters, all of them a curse on this earth. They are killers and I must correct the mistake I made a thousand years ago."

"I won't let you." I will fight you to my last breath, you bitch.

Caroline stood but Esther immediately knew her intent and she was sent crashing back to her knees, waves of pain, agony, washing over her.

"You think you can stop me?" Caroline vaguely heard her ask.

Footsteps. Caroline managed to look over to her side and was surprised to see not only her savior from earlier that night but Elijah and an unfamiliar woman as well.

"She can't… but I can." Her uncle said, standing tall and strong.

"Richard." She heard Rebekah breath, surprise lacing her voice.

In the next moment both Elijah and Richard forward, the eldest Mikaelson to where Klaus lay and her uncle to her. They pulled both of them away and to Kol and Rebekah, who were outside the threshold of the room. As soon as they had also crossed it, her uncle turned back to the unfamiliar woman.

"Now, Lilah!" He commanded the woman with a yell.

Lilah held out her arms and, closing her eyes slowly, began to chant. A witch, Caroline thought vaguely as she lay limp in Richard's arms, the pain having exhausted her. A wind picked up around them and the blonde vampire noticed Esther fighting back through her blurry eyes. It was to no avail, however, Esther already having used much of her power bringing down Klaus. Soon enough, the Original witch's magic suddenly stopped and Esther, looking angry, moved forward to go after them only to be stopped by something invisible.

"You trapped me." Esther said, with a cold glare, anger still emanating off her.

"That's right, you and your magic can't reach outside the barrier." Lilah said crossing her arms, breathing hard, but sounding triumphant.

"This isn't the end of this. I have the power of thousands of dead witches on my side." Esther hissed furiously.

"It will give us enough time to stop you." Caroline had never heard her uncle so angry; it was unfamiliar to her, Richard being the gentlest man she had ever known. She didn't think on it much, though, as she continued to look around lethargically, her pain finally completely gone.

She was lifted from the ground, her body still weak from the blow she'd received from Esther. She noticed Elijah helping Klaus to his feet, the younger brother's arm around the elder's shoulders.

Her uncle walked forward with her in his arms.

"Richard." A soft female voice stopped him in his tracks.

"M'lady Rebekah." Caroline heard him reply, almost nervously.

"You- you did it in the end." The other blonde stuttered out.

For a moment, all was silent.

"Yes, but here is not the place to discuss it. Come." Her uncle said steadily.

"How did this happen? How did we miss this? And how the hell is he here?" Kol exclaimed as they all entered the now empty living room, Elijah having managed to get all the guests out, including Elena.

"Now isn't the time for that, Kol." Rebekah hissed angrily.

They were all silent as Richard placed a weakened Caroline on one of the couches. Klaus, already back to almost full strength, crouched down in front of her, a hand gently pushing the curls away from her forehead. She was still whimpering a little, weak from being attacked twice tonight. Being only have his age, it would take her much longer to regenerate, especially considering she had not had a proper feed since the day before.

Klaus, decision made, lifted his wrist to his mouth and ripped into it, before holding it in front of Caroline's mouth, his other hand on the back of her head. She hesitated for only a moment before she dug her fangs into his skin. Klaus was acutely aware of his siblings' eyes on his back, each of them surprised by this display of affection; they all knew Klaus was the elitist of the group, unwilling to give his blood to just anyone.

Yet here he was.

"Sh, Caroline, that's it." He whispered encouragingly, already seeing the strength returning to her form.

Soon enough she was sitting up and pulling away from his wrist, her fangs retracting. "I'm good. Thank you…" She said softly. Klaus nodded briefly before moving to sit next to her, wearing his classic brooding face; she knew today's events must be weighing heavily on him.

It grew awkwardly silent as no one said anything, the rest of the Original siblings simply standing around, each of them with a hundred different emotions playing in their eyes. The witch-stranger, Lilah, was awkwardly by Richard's side, who was stood beside Caroline, keeping watch of her, as if she needed his protection.

"Uncle… you came back." She finally said, causing everyone to look at her.

"Did you doubt I would?" Richard asked her with a smile. It has been nearly five centuries, five centuries of pain and misery and loneliness, of course I would feel doubt, not matter how much I didn't want to. Caroline didn't get to voice her thoughts however, when Klaus interrupted them, a suspicious tone in his voice.

"You knew he was here?" He asked, eyes solely on her.

Caroline hesitated, feeling slightly guilty for neglecting to tell him before that her uncle had returned. But, in her defense, she wasn't even sure if it had really happened, a part of her believing it was all just some sort of sick dream.

"Yes, he was the one who saved me from Finn." She replied, keeping her voice carefully steady.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Klaus asked, and Caroline could see the betrayal building up in his eyes. No, no… it wasn't like that.

"I wanted to, but… I wasn't sure how. I wasn't even sure if it was real or not, I mean, I could have been going crazy for all I knew." She desperately tried to explain herself.

"I could have helped you." He insisted in return.

"I know, Nik, I know but…" She trailed off and they both fell into silence again.

"Sorry to intrude." Lilah said suddenly, looking pointedly at them all. "But I'm afraid you must rush if you want to stop the Original witch; that barrier will not last for long, a day or two at most." She stood abruptly from where she perched on the arm of one of the couches. The young witch approached her uncle, arms crossed of her chest. "I have to be going now; my debt to you is paid, old friend." She told him, her eyes daring him to challenge her decision; Lilah knew of the dangers with intervening in things that were not her business.

Richard sighed dejectedly, knowing he could not stop her from leaving, despite the fact that they could use an ally witch nearby these next few days. "Goodbye Lilah. I wish you well."

"Be careful, Esther is not to be underestimated." She told him in return, before leaving the room with a final nod his way.

"So, tell us, Richard, how are you here with us today?" Klaus asked as soon as she was gone, not even glancing towards Caroline, his jaw clenched tightly.

"It is rather a long story." Her uncle hedged.

"We have the time, eons of it, in fact." The hybrid replied with sarcasm, leaning back into the couch, through his arm over the back of it.

"Very well. I suppose I should start with the beginning." Richard sighed.

"Yes, that would be preferred." The youngest Original brother said mockingly.

"Oh keep your mouth shut Kol." Rebekah replied, rolling her eyes, before gesturing for Richard to continue.

He began. "Well, it started when the Petrova girl decided to kill my entire family, after which you allowed me to care for Robb's daughter."

"My niece…" Caroline interrupted, swallowing loudly. "What happened to her?" She asked hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to know. Her uncle kept his eyes on her as he spoke his next words.

"She lived a long, happy life. A human life. I… I named her Caroline… It was all I could give her of the rest of her family."

Caroline? He did that? I… I… The blonde vampire was surprised to find tears had filled her eyes. She reached out and held her uncle's hand in hers, squeezing it once reassuringly.

"Then how did… how did you turn into a vampire? You look exactly like the last time I saw you, well, minus the jeans, that is." She tried teasing; wanting to make the mood lighter, but it was to no avail.

"Little Caroline and I were the last surviving members of our family, and I wanted nothing more than for the Forbes name and line to continue… And m'L-Rebekah knew this." The former manservant was quick to correct himself. "So, before she and her brothers left the two of us, she came to me in secret with a vial of her blood and told me to use it if I should so desire."

Caroline looked up to Rebekah, and immediately believed her uncle's words. It was in the Original's blues eyes, the way she looked at the ground in sad contemplation.

"I wasn't going to. I wasn't." Richard insisted, causing Caroline to look back at him. "But, only a few months after you all left, I was nearly killed by a newborn vampire. The only way I managed to survive is because I knew what he was and staked him. I would have been dead if it weren't for my family heritage."

Her uncle withdrew his hand from Caroline's and moved back a bit, that unrecognizable angry look in his expression again. Looks the years haven't just changed me…

"As it turns out, this wasn't just a random attack, he had been sent by Katerina, to finish off her work…" He voice was dark and full of fury as he said this.

Katherine. She just couldn't stop, could she? Wasn't killing the rest of my family already enough? Why did she have to go after Uncle Richard and my niece? The blonde vampire was about to voice her anger when Richard continued.

I knew from then on that little Caroline and myself would never be safe, not without added protection… so I took the blood and I made the transition." He said steadily, as if it were another's story and not his own. "I stayed with Robb's daughter… my daughter until the end of her days. I have watched and protected all of the generations that have come afterwards." He took a deep breath, a profoundly sad look in his brown eyes. "I have also scoured the earth for Katerina Petrova, and I will bring my family justice."

No one said anything, everyone still processing his story.

But, Caroline already knew one thing, because she recognized in him what she had felt for centuries. She stood up and approached him, feeling his curious eyes on her. As soon as she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and embraced him tightly. Uncle Richard seemed surprised but returned her embrace after only a second.

"Uncle Richard…. I am so sorry, you must have been alone… for so long." Caroline told him, her voice breaking with emotion.

"Sh, sh, it's alright sunshine. We are here now, together." Uncle Richard whispered, though she could hear the emotions in his voice as well. After a long moment, Caroline pulled back a bit to look her last living (well sort of living) family member in the eye.

"You're not leaving again, are you?" She asked, sounding much like a child as she did so. Her uncle looked down at her, a single tear making its way down his cheek.

"I won't, that I can promise you."

Caroline smiled brightly, truly happy. She knew that their problems were far from over, that there were still many questions to be asked, but at least she had her own family back, along with Klaus and his siblings.

Klaus watched as the two Forbes' stood together, locked in an embrace. His previous anger faded a bit at seeing Caroline's beautiful smile, her happiness lighting the room. His hand went to his pocket, briefly touching the ring that was hiding there.

"What now, brother?" Elijah asked gravely at his side, his eyes also on the younger vampires.

Klaus turned to his older brother, smirking darkly.

"Now, we fight back."

That's it until next time! I just want to say thank you for your patience in waiting for this chapter, I hope it met everyone's expectations! Just two more chapters to go! (and the epilogue of course)

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

RW