Chances

Chapter Five: An Unexpected Event

Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

Throne - Bring Me The Horizon

The streets of New Orleans were crowded as she made her to Rousseau's to get a drink. She was craving something strong; and maybe a hot guy whose neck she could rip open to quench here hunger for human blood.

Her hand found the door, and she stepped inside the crowded pub, looking around for someone to entertain her while she was here and rolled her eyes after they had landed on a certain blonde waitress. God, that walking, talking blood bag radiated boredom. Seriously, how was she not dead by now?

Luckily, she saw some college boys and waltzed over to them.

"Hi, boys!" She greeted with a huge smile and a little wave that was supposed to make her look cute and innocent.

Of course, they silenced immediately, checking her out quite blatantly before grinning. And why wouldn't they? She looked absolutely hot in her tiny red top that barely covered her breast, leather jacket, tight leather pants and unnecessarily high heels.

"Hello to you, too, babe." One of them said with a grin. "Wanna sit with us?"

She giggled but nodded and sat down next to him, their legs touching. The guy couldn't believe his luck, obviously, as he shot his pals an excited look.

"Wanna tell me your name, sugar?" He asked, and she felt the urge to vomit straight into his lap.

"How about you get me something strong first?" She said, batting her lashes at him.

"'Course, what do ya want?"

"Tequila. Loads of it!" She answered seriously at first but interrupted into giggles again.

The guys nodded at each other before one of them set of to the bar.

Not disappointing, Camille returned shortly with shot glasses and a bottle of the liquor. Unfortunately, she recognized her immediately.

"Caroline? What are you doing here? You look different."

"None of your business, blondie." Caroline answered, using the nickname Damon had given her. "How about you do your job and keep your mouth shut around me? I'm sure you are not looking for trouble, right?"

Camille looked confused but did what Caroline suggested and scurried away.

"You're feisty, Caroline, right?" The guy next to her commented.

"I can be whatever you want, sugar." Caroline replied with a grin, causing the guy to shift around in his seat.

Before he could make another remark, however, they were disturbed once more.

"Leave. I have some business with that little lady friend of yours." The man said. They must have known him, for they hurried away instantly.

He took a seat opposite her, grabbing two shot glasses and pouring in the liquor.

Together, they downed the drink.

"So, you are the famous Caroline Forbes?" He inquired.

"Famous? Me? Stop, you're making me blush!" She said in a flirty voice. It hadn't taken long for one of them to find her.

"Stop the games. I won't be fooled by you. Though I must admit, you're quite brave. Showing up her all by yourself. No backup in sight." He said.

"I don't need back-up, honey." She answered confidently.

"Oh, you will change that tune of yours soon enough. Let's go."

"I will need more tequila if you want to take me home with me. Like, a lot more. No offence, you're just not my type." She quipped.

"Do you even know who I am?" He asked, slightly amused at her bravery.

"Nope. And I won't if you don't tell me any time soon." She took the bottle and started drinking straight from it, not regarding the glasses any longer.

"My name is Lucien." He introduced himself. "And you, Caroline Forbes, are our number one target."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, pretty boy." She answered with a smirk. "But coincidentally, I was looking for you."

"You must be crazy, then. But what else did I expect from the woman that gave birth to Klaus' child. Speaking of which, where is it? You're obviously not pregnant any more." He checked her body out quite obviously.

"The devil's spawn? Don't know. Left the body with the siblings from hell before I ran off. You don't know how happy I am to finally be rid of that family." Caroline sighed.

"The body? As in dead body?" Lucien asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yep. There won't be any baby Mikaelsons running around any time soon. Thank god!"

"And why were you looking for me?"

"I heard about the white oak. I want in." Caroline looked him straight in the eyes.

Lucien looked her straight in the eyes and started laughing like a maniac.

"What? You think that's funny?" She asked, letting the annoyance drip through.

"Hilarious!" He affirmed. "I was confused in the beginning but now I know what's up! You turned it off, didn't you?"

"So what?"

"What made you turn it off? The death of your child? Knowing his father was nowhere near to help you through the pain?"

"They killed my mother." Caroline sated, not a hint of emotion on her face. "When they realised their precious nephew was born a corpse, they freaked. And frankly, I would rather kill them before they get the chance to do what they did to my mother."

"Interesting. Weren't you heartbroken over the death of your child?" He inquired.

"Please! It was a blessing, honestly. With that child, the Mikaelson's wouldn't have let me go. Ever. And eternity is way too long to spent with a family like that."

"I came here to lead you to your slaughter, but I think a change of plans might be in order." Lucien said and got up.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

"I hate to have to repeat myself, but I really don't think you're my type." Caroline said.

"Pity, but not what I had in mind. But please, do tell me when you change your mind." He winked.

"Where are we going, then?"

"First, I'm famished. How about a snack?"

"Now we're talking!" Caroline grinned widely at him.

A few minutes later, they had lured a couple into a dark alleyway and latched onto their necks.

Lucien had stopped drinking, eyeing Caroline curiously.

"Hey, darling, you should stop. We don't kill'em here. Want the tourists to keep returning, so we don't run low on blood."

Caroline dropped the guy to the ground unceremoniously. "Whatever."

"Don't worry, there is a lot of blood waiting for us where we're going." He promised.

"Blood suits you, pretty boy." Caroline leaned her head to the side.

"Of course, blood makes you notice my beauty." Lucien laughed.

Caroline shrugged and walked over to him, crossing her arms.

"Lead the way?"

"Of course, darling."

Caroline had barely stepped into the abattoir before something red attacked her. Before she could react, Lucien had put himself between her and a very angry looking woman.

"Step aside Lucien." She ordered.

"No. I have plans for her yet, Aurora." He said.

Caroline erupted into laughter. So this was Aurora. The woman that was dumb enough to believe she was Klaus' true love. Well, she definitely looked the part. Cute, but bat shit crazy!

"What are you laughing at, bitch?" She growled.

"Sorry, it's just..." He giggled again. "God, you really look like I imagined you would. A crazy lady that actually believes Klaus would be able to feel any kind of emotion!"

"Lucien, I swear, if you don't step aside and let me kill her I will kill you both."

"What's that racked about?" A man in a suit appeared and Caroline couldn't help but notice the similarities he beard with Elijah. Must be Tristan.

"Brother, Lucien is protecting Nik's slut!" Aurora exclaimed like a little girl to her father.

"Only because she is of more use to us alive than dead!" Lucien exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Jeez, thanks. And here I thought you liked me for my company. And my body, of course." Caroline quipped.

"I don't see how she would be of any relevance to us alive." Tristan said, eyeing her curiously.

"She turned it of. Actually came to find me just to say she wants a part in our plans to extinct the Mikaelsons." Lucien said proudly.

"And you trusted her?" Tristan seemed mad.

"Barely. But remember the information we have on her? Doesn't feed from the vein and never kills? Had to stop her from draining a tourist a few minutes ago."

"Interesting. And the child."

"Dead." Caroline was busy cleaning her nails, informing him of her child's death with no hint of emotion whatsoever.

"I think we should let her kill Rebekah in front of him. That'll tear him apart. Seeing the woman he obviously had some kind of feelings for kill his baby sister." Lucien said.

Tristan contemplated for a few seconds while Aurora was busy complaining.

"You know, I understand why Klaus left you behind. You're annoying as hell!" Caroline baited the red-head.

"Aurora, leave us. Oh, and do not tell Niklaus about these new circumstances yet. I want to see his eyes when he learns of his child's death. Actually, why don't we got tell him after a nice cup of tea, Miss Forbes?"

He had no idea how much time had passed. Not since the pain had first started and the hallucinations had kicked in. It was hard to tell reality from the things that actually happened around him. But he got better control of it the more time passed. He could vaguely make out Aurora visiting him, telling him how she would wait for him to come back to his senses. How they would lead a long and happy life and that she would convince her brother not to kill him.

But the hallucinations were hunting him still. They were hard to control. It started with Henrik, dying in his arms over and over again. Memories hunted him day and night. Except the times she came to visit him. Not Aurora, no. It was Caroline that convinced him not to give up. No matter how agonising it felt to cling to his existence and not let his mind fade away.

"You should see him." She said. "He looks so much like you."

"Maybe he's better off without me." He muttered.

"Seriously? How many times do we have to have this conversation, Nik?"

"As long as it takes for you to understand that no child should be cursed with a father like me."

"Well, I'm not real, am I? Just a projection of your imagination. So it would be more realistic to say that you need to understand that you would be a great father. You're not him." Caroline pointed out.

"I failed you. How am I supposed to look into his eyes, knowing that I have failed him before he was even born?"

"You didn't fail any of us. You keep us safe, Nik. You're the reason we're still alive. He'll think you're a hero or something."

"All the more reason to stay here. He'd be so disappointed to find out who his father really is." He led his head down, feeling the guilt of his past actions creep up.

"You're wrong. We need you, Nik. Come back to us." Caroline pleaded.

"How? I'm stuck here, in case you didn't notice."

"Please! You're Klaus Mikaelson! There's no way you wouldn't be able to pull that little old dagger out of your chest all by yourself!"

"What then? I cannot break through the barrier the witches created. I wouldn't be able even if I was at the top of my strength." He raised his head, looking at her then and seeing her smiling back at him encouragingly.

"Think of something. I know you can."

The doors to the dungeon opened and Caroline disappeared , much to Klaus' disappointment. Instead, Aurora walked in and sat down on the chair she had brought down. It was stood as close to him as the barrier allowed.

"Hi, Nik." She greeted sweetly.

He didn't respond. No, not to her. She was an accomplice to the plot that had gotten him here in the first place. She wanted to harm the ones he cared about the most. He didn't want to know what she'd do to Caroline if she ever met her in the flesh.

"I had the worst day so far, but seeing you helps. I just wish I could touch you." She said.

Klaus closed his eyes, hoping he could produce a clear picture of Caroline in his imagination. He wished it was her who seeked him out after a bad day. That she was the one who didn't give up on him.

Aurora kept rambling on but Klaus didn't listen to a word she said. He let her voice fade away, let his mind drift.

"I don't know who is more pathetic. You or the woman that is foolishly obsessed with a bastard like you." Klaus opened his eyes and found Mikael staring back at him.

"Go away." He wasn't sure whether he had said it out loud or not.

"I'm rather enjoying the view. The hybrid bastard, finally in chains." Mikael grinned.

"Enjoy it quietly, then."

"Why? Don't want me to disturb your thoughts about the blonde baby vampire?"

"So I don't have to hear your voice."

"Do you think she will wait for you, boy? Elijah is with her now. If she is half as intelligent as you make her out to be, she will run straight into his arms. Elijah always had potential. Pity that he was obsessed with your redemption."

"No. They wouldn't betray me like this."

"Yes, they would. And you know it. Just like Tatia, Caroline will realise which brother is worth her attention and which one isn't."

"Shut up."

"Don't want to hear the truth, boy?"

"You're wrong."

Klaus closed his eyes, trying very hard to take his mind off Mikael. To his luck, the doors burst open again, this time with a loud crash. His head snapped up, and he knew he must be hallucinating still.

"Caroline." He whispered, looking up at the blonde that had walked in with Tristan and Lucien. She looked different.

"I see you are having one of your clearer moments, Niklaus." Tristan stated.

"Get her away from my man!" Aurora roared and Klaus didn't know what to believe. Was she really there? But why was she with his enemies? And why didn't they let Aurora do what she obviously longed for.

"Trust me, I don't plan to stick around for long." Caroline rolled her eyes. She focused hard to not let her eyes meet his until she had to.

"Caroline, darling, I believe you wanted to say something to our dear prisoner?" Lucien said and flung an arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

Caroline wanted to rip his arm from her body and use it to slap that smirk off his face. Instead, she inhaled sharply and smiled hugely at Lucien before averting her gaze to meet Klaus'. He looked up at her in confusion.

"He's dead." She said, not elaborating further. Klaus' didn't need her to. He could feel his heart breaking. It couldn't be true.

"Oh, and your siblings killed poor Caroline's mother in retaliation. Can you believe that?" Lucien faked and outraged look.

"I will enjoy watching you rot in that little prison of yours." Caroline said with a sinister smile. "Probably just as much as I will enjoy killing your siblings."

Lucien laughed and Aurora huffed at Caroline's audacity.

Klaus was slowly moving his head from side to side. There is no way this blonde in front of him was Caroline.

"Oh, and something else. Just between the two of us, Klaus." Lucien added. "This is payback for what you have done to me."

He pulled Caroline close and pressed his lips to hers. Caroline stiffened for a second, surprised at his bolt and totally uncalled action. But she figured that going along with whatever he had in mind would be the best thing to do. So she flung her arms around Lucien's neck and kissed him back passionately.

Klaus watched in absolute horror. This definitely wasn't the Caroline he remembered. Just how long has he been locked up inside this prison and his mind? Seeing her in the arms of another felt worse than the dagger inside his chest. It was as if someone repeatedly tore out his heart.

"Care!"

"Don't. I have to go sanitize my mouth first!" Caroline groaned, disgusted at how far she had to go to get Lucien's trust.

"Got yourself a new boyfriend?" Kol asked, his eyebrows wiggling.

"A new nightmare, to be honest!" Caroline answered as she got out of the bathroom.

"What happened?" Henrik asked.

"Well, I got this Lucien wrapped right around m little finger, that's for sure." She slumped onto the sofa next to the youngest Mikaelson.

"I saw him. Klaus." Caroline winced.

"Tell us everything." Kol got serious and sat down next to Marcel.

Caroline explained everything to the small group around her. From how easy it was for her to fool them, to what happened in the dungeons. Her heart ached for Klaus and how she wished she could've just grabbed him and dragged him out of there. She would probably never forget the pain she had seen in his eyes. But it was necessary. After all, he and Elijah had achieved close to nothing in all the months they had worked on taking down the DeMartells and Lucien. And when Caroline had heard what Elijah had said once he joined them, she knew she had to do something.

She had given birth to her son and left as soon as her body was back to full strength. She hated being away from him, but she couldn't look into his eyes, seeing Klaus look back at her any longer. And she knew that as the others would take care of him. Her mom and Rebekah, even Stefan, were all over the moon and in love with her son. That made leaving him alone just a tiny bit easier for her.

She and Henrik had come up with a plan of themselves. She knew that Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah would throw a real fit if they knew of Henrik's involvement. But she trusted his abilities. And the surprise effect he would bring when they took them down.

When Caroline and Henrik snuck out in the middle of the night, leaving a letter to explain where they had gone, Kol stopped them. In the beginning, they feared he would try to stop them, but he simply told them that he wanted in. So, the three of them headed to New Orleans and joined Davina on the cemetery.

Of course, she and Marcel were absolutely shocked to see them. Most of all Henrik. The Mikaelson that had defied death. But they agreed to helping them realise their plans and safe Klaus. Tristan had approached Davina a few weeks before they arrived, asking for her help to break the sire lines. Much like Marcel, Davina turned into a double agent, pretending to try and find a way to break the sire line. Instead, she and Marcel had finally found the location and number of stakes in existence. Kol and Marcel spent an entire week on finding and destroying them. But when they were done, it was time for Caroline to step into the picture and gain the trust of their enemies. Because, no matter how hard she tried, Davina couldn't make out Klaus' exact location.

Tristan wouldn't tell anyone but two witches, sadly none of those witches was Davina, his sister and Lucien where Klaus was being held. Caroline certainly didn't think it would take her only one day to find him, but she did. Now it was time to come up with a plan to get him out of there.

"I think it's safe to say that Nik will freak out on us first thing. Good thing the daggers are far away." Kol said.

"Won't stop him from taking his anger out on us, though." Marcel mused.

"Trust me, he'll be busy hating me." Caroline looked down sadly.

"Oh, come on. You told him his little pup died, vowed to kill us and snogged Lucien in front of him. I'd say you guys are even now." Kol shrugged.

"You can even use the same excuse he did." Marcel agreed.

Caroline however didn't think it'd be as easy. She had seen the look in his eyes, the pain they held.

"What I don't understand is what Lucien meant. Payback for what?" Caroline asked.

"Lucien was in love with Aurora. Nik promised to help him be with her but ended shagging her himself." Kol sniggered.

"Wow. I feel horrible." Caroline put her head in her hands, ashamed of the lengths she had to go to find Klaus.

"I told you, boy. She would never stay with a bastard like you." Mikael laughed.

Klaus hoped ignoring him would make him disappear, so he looked the other way, only to have Mikael appear in front of his face.

"You won't get rid of me so easily. Not when there is nowhere for you to run." He grinned.

"Leave. Me. Alone!" Klaus roared and to his surprise, Mikael was gone.

His relief lasted only so long, however, as Caroline appeared. But not that version he had seen with Lucien. No, this was his Caroline.

"Nik." She started, but he cut her off.

"Why? Why would you betray me like that?" He asked, his voice cracking.

"I wish I could tell you. But don't give up yet." She looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"We had this conversation already, love." He dismissed her.

"Then you know what I want." Caroline insisted.

"I can't!"

Caroline crouched down in front of him.

"That's not true and you know it. You have to do something. And quick."

Klaus moved his hand over his chest.

"Pull it out, Nik." She nodded her head.

"What good would my escape do now? He's dead. I couldn't keep him safe."

"Your family needs you. I need you."

"What would you need me for?" He asked, the hurt still evident in his voice.

"Didn't you pay any attention at all? Do you really think I would walk around, letting guys like Lucien touch me?"

"You let Lockwood touch you. And Damon." Klaus stated angrily.

"So not the point!" She threw her hands in the air dramatically.

"Fine. There was something about you. Something that was different." He thought and then it clicked. "You turned it off."

"We have a winner!"

"What happened, Caroline?"

"Why don't you get out of here and find out?"

"Help me." He pleaded.

"I can't."

Klaus inhaled sharply and pushed his hand in his chest. The pain was immense but he kept going. Caroline was right. They needed him. He couldn't stay locked away forever. He had to do something before the real Caroline, the one he knew, was gone forever.

A/N: So, this time the wait wasn't as long!

I hope you like this chapter and constructive critisism and feedback is always welcome!

Thank you for reading and have nice day, you wonderful people! :)