Chances
Chapter Eight: Taken Over by Darkness
Love of my life, don't leave me
You've stolen my love, you now desert me
Love of my life, can't you see?
Bring it back, bring it back (back)
Don't take it away from me
Because you don't know
What it means to me
Love Of My Life - Queen
Somehow, the group had managed to get Klaus back to New Orleans. While he had refused to return to the cemetery, Klaus had agreed to go to the compound.
Henrik and Davina were holed up in the library, trying to find a way to do the impossible: return Caroline from the other side. Kol had joined them, not only because of his knowledge concerning witchcraft, but to be by his little brother's side. Every now and then, a tear slid down the young boy's face before he wiped it away stubbornly.
Like Klaus, Henrik refused to believe that his blonde friend was gone for good. He knew that he would do everything he could. This time, he would help bring her back. Just like she did for him.
Marcel had left, retrieving Tristan, for he knew that as soon as Klaus would stop mourning, he would try to cover his pain up with pain with cruelty. And Marcel hoped his sire and mentor would make them suffer more than anyone else.
While on his way to the cemetery, he instructed some of his vampires to search every corner of New Orleans until they found Aurora and Lucien. There was not a single spot in the entire town where those two could hide from him and his vampires.
Meanwhile, two figures were in the master bedroom of the compound; one holding the other tight against his own body. Klaus Mikaelson was refusing to let either her body, or the hope he had for her to return to him go. He kept talking to her, willing her dead body to react.
"I'm so sorry, Caroline." He whispered into her ear. "I should have never let you get close to me."
She would still be alive if it wasn't for his existence. But he had been selfish. He had wanted her for himself. For the first time in a thousand years, he had felt emotions he swore never to feel again and now he was left with the pain Caroline's death had left him with.
"I should have never left you out of my sight." He regretted.
"I can't let you leave me now, sweetheart. Not when you told my dead heart how to love again. You hear that, Caroline? I need you. Please open your eyes." His pleas didn't help, for Caroline remained lifeless in his arms.
The cruel reality started to sink in to Klaus' mind. Caroline was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. She was gone, never to return to him again.
He felt the darkness that had consumed his life prior to Caroline's glorious entrance, before she had flooded his life in blinding, warm light, overtake him once more.
The abyss was calling him back into its dark, cold depths and in this moment, he truly did not care whether it swallowed him whole or not. He felt hopeless and broken beyond repair.
As he was about to let go, to let the darkness consume his soul for good, thoughts about his siblings, memories and promises, flooded his mind. And then, a glimpse of what he had hoped for, what he had clung to since Marcel had told him about the miracle. The thought of being a father. Could he really let himself fall back into his cruel ways when somewhere his child had lost his mother?
Not able to help himself, Klaus thought back to the day he had joined Caroline at her doctor's appointment; he felt the awe and wonder, the happiness he had experienced with her once again and was reminded of the promise he had made to her and their son.
Caroline's death cannot go unpunished; he owed that to her and his son. He would paint the world red if necessary. In the end, no one would ever dare to make a move against him or his family ever again as every being will once again cower as they heard the name Klaus Mikaelson.
He would let his inner monster take over his body one last time to avenge what has been taken from him.
"I will make them suffer, my love. And when I'm done with them, I will make sure that our son grows up knowing exactly how breathtaking, kind and brave his mother was. I will make sure that he will be reminded every day of how much he is loved and wanted in this world." Klaus vowed, cradling Caroline's lifeless body for the last time.
Carefully, he laid her body down in the middle of the soft king-sized bed and left the room.
He could hear Henrik and Kol talk in the library while Davina was mumbling chants in the dungeon. He opted for the dungeon, knowing he'd find Aurora's brother.
"There's no need for that spell, Davina." Klaus said as he entered.
Marcel and Davina looked at him carefully, expecting him to freak out any second. Instead, Klaus remained calm and collected; on the outside, at least.
He walked past the vampire and witch and crouched down next to Tristan, before relieving the vampire from the hallucinatory state the blade had put him in.
Klaus straightened himself again, waiting patiently for Tristan's eyes to focus again.
When they did, Klaus urged the vampire to stand, which he did immediately.
"Tristan, I'm afraid your sister has crossed a line." Klaus began. "I was willing to show each of you mercy, kill you fast. But your sister, she had to go and anger me. As you know, I do have a rather nasty temper." A bone chilling smirk appeared on Klaus' face and Tristan knew better than to speak.
"Your sister has taken something from me. I think I should begin her torture with taking something from her as well."
With that, Klaus grabbed Tristan's head and started ripping it slowly from his shoulders, ignoring Tristan's screams until they stopped all together.
"Here, I want that wrapped up nicely." Klaus instructed and handed Tristan's head to Marcel.
Marcel nodded, wide-eyed. He had expected a raging hybrid, but the calm version he saw in front of him scared him so much more. Mentally, he thanked whatever power was in control for the blessing that was the companionship he had with the Mikaelson. Having this man as an enemy never ends good for anyone.
Klaus then left the compound. He would leave everyone to their respectable tasks for a moment while he would indulge in the one thing that would give his heart a temporary release from the pain. Blood and alcohol. He needed to let out some of the tension he felt before he could think straight and come up with a plan to take out Aurora and Lucien in most horrific way he could come up with.
Kol and Henrik sat in the library, surrounded by grimoires. Kol's mind couldn't block out the image of his brother carrying the one person he had let in in a thousand years out however. How very much it reminded him of the little boy across from him. The desperation in Klaus' eyes and the pleading in his voice were so very much like the day that had changed their lives for good.
The universe has a very cruel way of repeating the past.
"Kol?" Henrik's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry, I black out for a second there." Kol apologised.
"Do you think we could do it? Maybe Bonnie can help us create enough energy." Henrik mused.
"I don't know. But we have to try." Kol answered as he heard something crashing in the kitchen.
His head whipped to the side. He had heard Marcel and Davina leave shortly after Klaus had. Maybe his brother had come back already. Or someone else had forced their way into the compound.
"Henrik, I need you to stay here for a moment. Don't make a sound." Kol instructed before he left the room and Henrik behind.
While he walked towards the kitchen, he could make out that it was not Klaus inside. The movements were different. The person had to be smaller and moved differently than his brother. Or Marcel for that matter.
Next, his nose detected the sweet smell of blood. Someone was raiding their fridge from the blood bags it seems. That naturally meant that it couldn't be the witch.
Kol prepared himself to take down the intruder as he slowly opened the door to the kitchen. He looked around and saw a glimpse of blonde hair crouched in a corner near the fridge.
He got closer and could finally make out the face desperately draining the bag. His mouth opened slightly in shock as their eyes met.
"Kol, you're here. Why are you here?" She asked slightly panicked.
"What?" He asked, confused.
"You're not supposed to be dead!" She got up and looked at him with teary eyes.
"I'm not dead, darling." He said softly.
"But.." She trailed off. "Aurora stabbed me."
Instead of answering, Kol stepped closer and embraced the blonde in a tight hug.
"I know. God, we all believed you were dead!" He answered.
Caroline clung to Kol desperately for what seemed like ages.
Soft and cautious footsteps broke their embrace as they both faced the door leading to the kitchen only to find Henrik standing there, his mouth wide open before he too tackled Caroline, throwing her arms around her slim body.
"Not to break the mood or anything, but you probably want to take a shower." Kol interjected.
Henrik glared at his brother while Caroline gave him a weak smile.
"Now that we have gathered that I'm not actually on the other side, I think you're right." She said.
"Go ahead, then. I'll go fetch your stuff from the tomb in the meantime." Kol announced.
Klaus walked the streets of New Orleans aimlessly with a bottle of bourbon clutched in his hand. He had taken three lives so far, but neither the alcohol, nor the blood would do anything to fill that void in his chest.
For what he believed was the millionth time, his phone went off inside his jacket. And for what was probably the millionth time, he ignored it. He did not have the desire to interact with anyone any time soon.
So he kept walking and drinking until he realised that his steps had brought him back to the cemetery, right in front of the tomb Caroline and the others had used as a hide out. He knew that everything she had brought to New Orleans with her was still inside there somewhere. And a torturous little thought crept inside his head. Her clothes probably still smelt like her.
Not taking the time to even think about it, Klaus entered the tomb in search for her belongings. To his utter annoyance, there was no trace of them.
Deciding it was time to check his phone, Klaus unlocked the little device.
It showed 56 missed calls from Kol and several texts from him.
Klaus, fearing the worst, opened the messages first, praying that no one else had fallen victim to his incapability to deal with a threat properly.
They all said basically the same, a plea for him to return to the compound. The last one, received only minutes ago, however, differed from the rest.
I know you're probably out there sulking, or whatever. But you need to come back right now, Nik. It's Caroline.
Klaus pressed the dial button in order to find out what else could have happened to her already dead form.
"How very gracious of you to finally return my call, brother." Kol answered.
"What happened?" Klaus snapped.
"Cool it down, ok? Come home. I don't think that's something I should be telling you over the phone." Kol explained.
"I swear, if you let someone steal her body in my absence..." Klaus threatened but was cut of by a beeping sound that indicated that could have possessed the audacity to hang up on him.
Now rather furious, Klaus flashed through the streets of New Orleans. This way, it only took him minutes until he arrived at the compound.
"Kol!" Klaus yelled for his brother.
"Seriously, I just got Henrik to go to sleep and you march in here yelling like crazy?" A female voice spoke from the top of the stairs.
Klaus looked up immediately, not believing his eyes. It couldn't be. The alcohol and adrenaline he still felt from taking lives clouded his mind. There was no way she would be there, right in front of him, casting away the darkness all around him once more.
"You're not real." He stated quietly, but she heard him.
He turned to leave again, not ready to deal with this kind of torture, when the blonde flashed in front of him, effectively blocking his way.
"You are so not walking away from me again!" She proclaimed.
"I will do whatever I please. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." Klaus said calmly.
"Oh, yeah? Watch me!" Caroline put her hands on her hips.
"What do you want from me? I cannot bring you back! What use is hounding me when there is nothing I can do for you any more?" Klaus asked.
"I'm right here, Klaus!" Caroline said a little softer now.
"No, you are dead! And it's my fault!" Klaus yelled, throwing the almost empty bottle of bourbon against the nearest wall.
Caroline decided that talking to him would do no good and closed the distance between them instead. She wrapped her arms around his torso and snuggled her head into the crook of his neck.
Klaus felt immobilised from the shock he felt when her body touched his. It felt real, too real. Even the scent he remembered filled his nostrils one again. He inhaled deeply, hoping to memorise it.
"I'm here, Nik. And I'm not leaving." She assured him.
Finally, he returned her embrace, moving his arms around her waist, until he grabbed her shoulders and separated her from him.
"Why did you have to get involved in this? Why didn't you stay in the safe house like I asked you to?" He demanded to know suddenly.
"What?" Caroline gasped, confused.
"You heard me, Caroline. How could you be so foolish to put yourself in such great danger?" He asked again.
"Excuse me? I helped you! Plus I knew exactly what I put myself into. It was a conscious decision." Caroline replied.
"So, you didn't care at all what you had to lose? What our son could lose were anything to happen to you?" He got mad now.
"I knew what I could loose, Klaus! But I decided that I what I had to gain outdid all the possible risks." She shot back.
"How could anything outdo watching your child grow up?" He asked angrily.
"Watching him grow up with his father by his side." Caroline shut him up effectively. "And if you would get your head out of your ass and stopped yelling, we could come up with a plan that will bring us back to him as soon as possible."
"Us? Absolutely not." Klaus rejected her words and Caroline's heart sank in her chest. "No, you and Henrik will go back to the safe house right now. You've put yourself in quite enough danger already."
"And let you handle this alone again? I don't think so. We will fight with you, whether you like it, or not." She claimed.
"Absolutely not." Klaus denied, yet again.
"What's your problem?" Caroline threw her hands in the air in exasperation.
"My problem is that I have carried both of your dead bodies once and I do not intend to do so ever again!" Caroline could make out several emotions in his voice and remembered what Kol and Henrik told her while they waited for Klaus to come back home.
He carried you to us, begged Henrik and Davina to help you. I only saw him hurt as much once in my life. It killed me to see him like this again.
"Then let us help. If we're by your side, you can make sure we are okay. Besides, they still have no clue about Henrik or what he is capable of! And they think I'm dead. We can use that to our advantage!" Caroline tried to convince him.
"How did they bring you back anyway?" Klaus asked, changing the topic.
"They didn't." Caroline answered. "I woke up. I thought I was on the other side. But then Kol showed up and Henrik did some kind of spell using my blood. Remember that the spell that bound us was never really broken? Only some of the effects were cut off. Turns out my body adapted to yours and I can't be killed by regular wood. Not really."
"Like an original." Klaus summarised.
"Exactly." Caroline agreed. "And that'S exactly why you don't need to worry about me. All of the white oak stakes have been destroyed. We can end this together."
"You do what I say, when I say so. When I tell you to run, you run." Klaus said and Caroline grinned.
"Ok. In turn, I don't want you to do anything stupid like letting yourself be daggered by a blade that puts oyu into a hallucinatory state."
Klaus nodded and then looked at her curiously. The fact that she actually was right there, alive and well finally setting in.
"I'm happy you're okay, love." He finally said.
"Yeah, me too." She smiled at him. "How about we sit down and talk for a while before planning Aurora's demise? I have something I want to show you."
"Of course." Klaus agreed and Caroline left, fetching something.
They mat again in the living room, Klaus already sitting on the sofa, glass of champagne in hand.
"Alcohol? Don't you think you've had enough already?" Caroline asked.
"Well, it is our thing, isn't it?" He replied with a smirk and Caroline rolled her eyes, a big smile across her features.
She grabbed the other glass and sat down next to him.
"So, what did you want to show me?" Klaus asked, eager to know.
Caroline bit her lip and handed him a photo.
Klaus took it in his hand, heart thumping heavily against his chest. It was a photo of her cradling a tiny baby in her arms while smiling brightly at the bundle in her arms.
"I wish I could introduce you properly, but this will have to do for now." Caroline said.
"He's beautiful." Klaus said in a whisper.
"I hope you're not mad, but I gave him a name already." Caroline looked at him nervously. "Josef Nikolas Mikaelson. Nikolas in honour of his father and the uncle that took great care of me and every one else when you were out here, fighting for our safety."
Klaus smiled at her and took one of her hands in his.
"Thank you, Caroline."
They sat there in silence, just gazing into each others eyes.
Slowly, they lent in, lips touching carefully.
Caroline pulled back suddenly, creating space between them much to Klaus' dismay.
"I'm sorry, but I this is seriously the wrong time."
"I thought I'd lost you today. I will never waste another second. When I held your dead body in my arms, I hated myself for leaving you. For not spending enough time with you. For saying these awful words to you. I hated myself for letting you get hurt, unable to prevent it." Klaus confessed.
"It wasn't your fault." Caroline tried to stop him from blaming himself for what had happened with Aurora.
"But it was. All of this is because of me. But I will never let anyone touch you ever again. I will always protect you." He vowed, making Caroline's heart flutter. "And will never make you feel any less precious ever again. When this is over, I will never leave your side again, Caroline."
"Klaus..."
"When I came back to Mystic Falls and talked to you in your mother's kitchen, you told me that I had no idea how hard it was to get over the father of your child. Well, sweetheart, you have no idea how hard it is to not be able to be with the only one who ever made me feel like this. How hard it was for me to walk away. I will make sure that you won't have the opportunity to fully get over me. No, I will do anything it takes for you to give me that second chance."
So, you guys knew, of course, that Caroline couldn't stay dead for long. I mean, come on! It's a Klaroline fic and I seriously ship those two. No way in hell one of them could actually die! Right?
However, I wanna thank you all for the kind reviews. All of them filled me with happiness! I was really scared that some of you would be mad for the way the last chapter ended and I expected some of you to show this through your reviews. BUT none of that happened which makes me love you all so much more!
How are we all liking little Josef's name? I know some of you proposed names and I really like those ideas! But I had this one in mind for far too long to change to something else.
Also, I hope you enjoyed the Klaroline interaction. I mean, so far, the story is lacking those. For a good reason, obviously, but still.
Much love and a big fat thank you! :)