A/N: Hello! Long time no upload. I've been busy with a class I'm doing at the moment which is why it's been a few weeks. But here is chapter 4! If couldn't already tell by the chapter title/lyrics below, this chapter is where things start to really happen.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. If you do, please leave a comment/review! If you have an account and leave a comment I'll be sending you a sneak peak of what to expect in the next chapter!

CHAPTER FOUR:

'You wanna do some livin' before you die

Do it down in New Orleans.'

Down in New Orleans from Princess and the Frog.

CAROLINE P.O.V.

Staying in the chair, I watched as both Nadia and Katherine disappeared out of the house, knowing that they needed their privacy to work through the issues they had.

Leaning forward I picked up the cup of tea that Kida had brought in for me, taking a long scolding gulp of the earthy-tasting drink. My mind was still playing over my conversation from earlier with Klaus. I knew it was irresponsible to tell him everything, but I couldn't help it, it was like everything just spilled out of my body the moment he asked me what was wrong.

Obviously I understood why Katherine was upset with me, if I was her I would be too, but it was over and done with now and there was no going back.

Vvvvvrrr…vvvrrrrr…vvvvvrrrr…vvvrrrrrr…

I looked up at the vibrating noise that filled the silence to see Katherine's phone wiggling across the arm of the chair. Sitting still I waiting for Katherine to come running back into the room to answer it. But she didn't. Standing up from my chair, I walked slowly across the room and picked the phone up.

It wasn't surprising to see that it was Elijah's initials lighting up the phone screen. I contemplated going outside and giving the phone to Katherine, but I didn't necessarily want to interrupt whatever was happening between her and Nadia. For all I knew, Katherine could be spilling her entire life story to Nadia in some emotional outburst.

Staring down at the vibrating phone I sighed and tapped 'answer'.

"Hello, this is Katherine's phone. Caroline speaking." I felt blush rise on my cheeks as I mentally slapped myself for sounding so stupid. Of course he knew whose phone it was…he was calling it.

"Oh, hello Miss Forbes. Where, may I ask, is Katherine?" He sounded just as formal as me, and I smiled in relief that I hadn't just made a massive fool of myself.

"She's currently in the middle of an important conversation. She left her phone with me. I can give her a message if you'd like."

He paused. "Yes, that would be okay. I spoke to my brother and he agreed with Katherine's terms. Of course, he has his own conditions for her while she's in New Orleans."

I laughed, of course he did. "I figured he probably would. What are they? Anything too ridiculous?"

"No, he's actually being rather reasonable at the moment. Which, I'm assuming has something to do with your involvement. If it was just Katherine he was dealing with he'd deal out a few death threats, growl, and then call it a day."

Both of us laughed and I'm sure he was picturing Klaus in the same way that I was. "We've all been at the tail end of one of those threats, I think. What does he want Katherine to do?"

"It's fairly straight forward. He wants assurance from Katherine that she won't stir up any trouble while she's here. He also said that if she conspires against him he won't hesitate to torture her before 'killing her slowly and painfully in more ways than she can imagine'. He went into more graphic detail after that, but I think you have an understanding of where it was going."

"Yeah."

"He also requests that you move in here with us, but I told him that that wasn't going to happen. I doubt you'd want to be kept under lock and key for the duration of your time here."

I rolled my eyes and placed a hand on my hip. "You would be correct. I'm perfectly fine where I am. No one is going to hurt me, mainly because no one knows where I am. I'd probably be in more danger if I did live with your family."

"That's what I thought too, but Klaus wanted you to know that the offer stands."

"Thank you, Elijah. I'll keep that in mind."

"What the hell are you doing?" Katherine's voce echoed through the room. Her eyes narrowed as she saw that I was holding her phone in my hand. She stormed over and snatched it from me, lifting it to her ear. "Hello, Elijah."

Nadia looked at me over Katherine's shoulder and shook her head. I just rolled my eyes and moved past Katherine, sitting back in my chair.

Katherine's face was scrunched up as she listened to whatever Elijah was saying. Nadia, who came to sit on the arm of my seat, looked at her, and amused smirk on her face.

"He's scolding her for being rude and snatching the phone from you." She whispered to me, leaning in closer to my ear and smirking widely. "He wants her to apologise to you."

"Sorry for interrupting your conversation with Caroline, but considering that she was on my phone, I believe it was me you were calling to speak to." Her voice was tight and she glared down at me. I picked up my cup from the table and finished off the tea as I waited for Katherine to finish. "I don't care if she was being nice by picking up my phone before you hung up, she shouldn't have been touching my hone. Now, what did Klaus say?"

She placed on hand on her hip and tapped her foot on the ground as she listened intently. Then with a loud huff she pulled the phone away from her ear and pointed an accusatorial finger at me.

"He hung up on me." She said, her voice shrill.

"It's not my fault he hung up. Maybe if you had asked for your phone, instead of snatched it, then he would have stayed on the line longer."

"That's twice in one day he's hung up on me." She growled. "And do you know what he said? He scalded me for being rude. Like I'm a child. Then he told me that he didn't have anything to say, and HUNG UP."

"You are being way too over dramatic, Katherine." I smiled up at her softly. "I didn't want to interrupt whatever you and Nadia were doing, so I answered your phone. It's not that big of a deal. I let him know it wasn't you as soon as I answered the phone, so it's not like I heard anything that was meant for you. And besides," I added, crossing my legs. "I took a message."

#

"I don't understand why we need to go today, why not just wait until tomorrow," I said, rummaging through the set of drawers for a decent change of clothes.

Katherine was in the doorway, watching me as I frantically pulled clothes out all over the place. After I had relayed my conversation with Elijah to Katherine she had gone off to call him back and I had come straight to my room to read. Then, a few minutes ago, she had stormed into my room announcing that we would be driving to the city to visit Klaus. Today.

"We're going today so that Klaus can see that I'm capable of being civil and cooperative." She leant against the door frame and played with her nails while she spoke. "It's not like we have anything else to do this afternoon. We can drive down there, see Klaus, and then we can go out for dinner or something."

"I would have appreciated a little bit of warning. I have nothing to wear." I muttered, pulling a pale yellow sundress out of the pile of clothes I had already dumped on the bed. It would do.

"I didn't realise you needed warning. And what you're wearing is going to be fine. I doubt he's expecting you to be dressed up."

I turned to face her, straightening out the now-crumpled dress before laying out on the bed and then searching for a matching cardigan. I managed to find a plain white one before heading over to the corner of the room where I had dumped the measly amount of shoes that had been packed for me. Continuing to ignore Katherine as I looked for any other bits and pieces I would need in New Orleans.

"I'll leave you to get ready. We leave in ten." I curled my lip up at her as she spun around and strode right into her bedroom across the hall.

I made quick work of getting myself ready, getting dressed, doing my hair, and then adding a little bit of makeup to hide how horrible I looked. I rushed down the stairs once I was ready, ignoring the ache of my back and legs, and met Katherine in the main hall as she was saying goodbye to Nadia.

Katherine looked up at me and smiled. "I see you've gussied yourself up for the big bad wolf."

"Shut up." I hissed as I said goodbye to Nadia and followed Katherine down the front steps of the house to her car. "Don't think I didn't notice that you curled your hair and put more makeup on. Who are you trying to look good for?"

#

I was mesmerised by the beautiful scenic drive to New Orleans. I enjoyed looking out the window and seeing a whole new world of things I had never seen before. It was vastly different compared to what I had seen in Mystic Falls.

Katherine played some more of her quiet, foreign music and didn't speak during the drive, which I figured meant that she was just as anxious as me.

Once we reached the part of the city that contained actual stores I had made Katherine stop at a Target so that I could quickly grab something. She wasn't very happy, but complied anyway, even when I refused to tell her what I was getting.

I made quick work of running into the store and getting exactly what I wanted, not wanting Katherine to be any more annoyed with me than she already was.

One thing I remembered clearly from the night of my graduation, was Klaus telling me why he was staying in New Orleans, besides wanting to return to the one place his family had been truly happy together.

Hayley and the baby.

Of course, when he had told me I felt instant annoyance at the fact he had slept with the backstabbing she-wolf, but the fact that he was going to stick around for the baby and her, rather than killing her and the child, out shadowed my anger towards her.

I could still picture the look on his face as he told me he was going to be a father. And that the fact that Hayley was the mother, he had no feelings towards her whatsoever. I was touched that he had cared enough about my opinion to share a secret like that with me.

I looked across the shelves, trying to find anything that would be a suitable gift to give a pregnant woman who I had a strong dislike for. I ended up finding a small baby grow suit that was a nice shade of purple, and a little toy that looked like a wolf. Grabbing a congratulations card before heading back out to the car.

When I climbed back into the car with the bag Katherine just rolled her eyes at me. "You're seriously buying Hayley Marshall a present? Didn't she sleep with your boyfriend and then break your neck?"

"Yes, she did. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to congratulate her." I said, buckling my seatbelt back up and shoving the presents into the gift bag I had bought. "Besides, it isn't the baby's fault that both of its parents are idiots."

She laughed before pulling back onto the road, going quiet again as we drew closer and closer to the other side of the city. I could tell that we were getting closer because of Katherine's aggressiveness in turning the radio off and then tapping her hands nervously on the steering wheel.

As we began to get further away from the main part of the city I felt my stomach drop and the bubbling of nausea filled my throat. I didn't think it would be this nerve-wracking seeing Klaus again. But, it was different now. I wasn't the same person anymore. Now I was just another human in the world. Someone who could easily blend into the background.

I looked down at my outfit and straightened out my dress some more, picking at a loose thread along the hem. My head shot up as the car started to slow down as it turned up a long, dirt driveway.

It was getting later in the afternoon now and the sun was at a point in the sky that it hit the house in just a way that took my breath away. I gasped at how beautiful it was, knowing that even if I hadn't already known that this belonged to the Mikaelson's, I would have guessed that it was theirs.

Katherine came to a stop next to an over-the-top bright red convertible and turned the ignition off. We both looked up to the front of the house to see the front door open, with Klaus walking out. He looked over at the car and I felt my heart speed up. Katherine groaned as Elijah and Hayley followed Klaus out the door.

She was the first to open her car door and land gracefully on the ground. Taking another deep breath I opened my door, winding as I climbed down from the high car. My muscles pulled and stretched as I landed a little less gracefully on the ground.

"Ouch." I muttered, shutting my eyes and stretching my back to try and stop the pain shooting up my back. I turned back to the car and got my handbag, as well as the gift for Hayley, my stomach twisting in knots.

Closing the door I plastered a smile on my face, walking around the front of the car, following Katherine up the front steps.

Katherine reached the tip before I had even fully passed the row of cars, standing at the top with her hands on her hips. "Long time no see, Klaus." She said, her voice filled with hate I knew to be false confidence.

"It's always such a pleasure, Katherine." He sounded annoyed as he greeted her in return.

I felt his eyes on me I slowly made my way up the steps. I tried to keep the smile on my face as my legs continued to protest my movements. When I reached the top, coming to a stop next to Katherine, I looked up to meet his eyes. A shockwave ran through my body and I had to stop myself from gasping at the feeling that spread through my body. He looked at me with wide eyes for a second and then smirked his trademark smirk.

"Hello, Sweetheart."

"Hello, Klaus." I said cheerfully. Then I pulled my eyes from him and looked at the others on the porch. "Hello Elijah, it's nice to see you again."

He stepped forward, holding out his hand for me to shake. "Likewise, Miss Forbes."

Then I turned to Hayley, who was standing back eying me carefully. I held out the gift bag to her, ignoring the indignant look she gave me. "I got this for you. I thought that considering our past, a little gift would be a nice way to clear the air."

She smiled as she looked down into the bag "Thank you. I haven't been able to get anything for the baby yet, so this means a lot."

Klaus invited us inside the house, leading us to a little lounge area that side to the side of the large entrance. It was awkward as I sat down on the couch next to Katherine, my body relaxing into the soft cushion of the couch.

"So, when's the pup due?" Katherine asked. I groaned, rubbing at my forehead. Of course she make a dog joke. Klaus let out a small growl and a smile pulled at the corner of Hayley's mouth, which surprised me. I elbowed Katherine in the ribs, making her let out a small laugh. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

"We don't know." Hayley said, eying Klaus angrily out of the corner of her eye. "Someone won't let me go and see a doctor. I obviously know the rough timeline of when the nine months is up, but there's no date."

"Nice."

Everything fell into silence and I bit back a giggle at how awkward the tension was in the room. We had driven all the way here to meet with them and now no one was speaking. While I waited for someone to speak up, I looked around the room and took in all the antique furniture and decorations. This house was probably just as old as Nadia's, if not older.

"So," Klaus started from his place against the wall. "How are you feeling now that you're human?"

I turned my head to look at him, trying to decide how I could explain how I felt. He was dressed in his usual Henley shirt and jeans, not having changed one bit since I last saw him.

"I'm doing okay. I mean, it's weird not having the strength, or speed, the amazing hearing, but I'll get used to it. It would have been harder to adjust had I been a vampire for a long time, but I'll be fine." I said, turning my hands over in my lap, wiggling so that I could sink lower into the chair. "The only problem I've had is the muscle pain, but that's probably normal. There's really nothing to compare this situation to."

"You were also unconscious for two weeks." Katherine added, crossing her legs.

Hayley and Elijah's eyes both widened. Klaus obviously hadn't explained the full details of what happened to me. Hayley rested a hand on her small baby bump and leant forward. "How strange. Unconscious for two weeks."

"Yeah, the last thing I remember before waking up halfway to New Orleans in Katherine's car was saying goodbye to Klaus after my graduation." I tried to make it sound as if I was saying something normal, even though this could be one of the strangest conversations I'd ever had. Hayley looked at me, her eyes still wide.

I shot a look to Klaus and found that he was still staring at me from his place next to the window, now having moved since I had last looked up at him.

"You don't remember taking the cure?"

I stopped, looking at Katherine. She shrugged as if to say 'I'm not explaining this one'. I sighed and prepared myself to tell the full story of what happened.

"Elena forced the cure down my throat. Or, well, she tried to force the cure down Katherine's throat, I just got in the way. That's what Katherine told me anyway."

Elijah steeped his fingers in his lap as he let his eyes fall on Katherine for the first time since we had arrived. I felt her tense beside me under his gaze.

"Got in the way?" He asked.

"Katherine and Elena were having an argument…things got physical." Katherine scoffed at my words. "I must have heard them fighting, and I went to break it up. By the time that I reached them Katherine was about to, well that isn't important. I pulled them apart just as Elena was shoving the cure towards Katherine. Then Katherine, who was the only one who was still conscious after everything, took me home to my mum. And that's where I stayed while I was out of it."

They all digested the information in silence, except for Klaus, who kept shooting murderous looks Katherine's way. Unlike the others, I had already told him what had happened in full detail. But Katherine was already in a bad place with Elijah, and I knew that she would probably be angry if I announced she was going to rip Elena's heart out.

Elijah flexed his hands, straightening the cuffs of his suit jacket. "How did you end up travelling with Katherine, if she took you to your mother?"

"The sheriff came to me for help. Caroline had been unconscious for two weeks and she didn't know what to do. She had told everyone Caroline was on a holiday, and she was scared that something had gone wrong in the curing process. I don't know why she came to me, but she appealed to my curiosity of the unknown. And I happen to know a witch that has amazing talents in magical diagnostics."

Klaus stepped forward while Katherine was speaking, moving so that he stood near the arm of the couch where I was sitting. I ignored his continued stares and watched Katherine, who was staring over at Elijah. Only addressing him as she spoke, her eyes never wavering.

"And this witch lives in New Orleans," Klaus said, not asking a question.

"Yes. I was close with her mother, and I'm old friends with her current guardian. All I have to do is make a couple of phone calls and I should be able to go and see her. She'll be able to tell me what the cure did, why Caroline was unconscious, and anything else that happened. I mean, it would suck if someone bit into her and found themselves human. Or, what if the cure didn't completely change her back, she might be some other creature we've never seen before. We don't know what Quetsiah intended when she created the cure for Silas."

"And you're helping because your frozen heart has somehow thawed?" He said, sitting down on the arm of the chair, so close that his arm was brushing mine. I struggled to stop myself from looking up to meet his eyes again, trying to avoid the same feeling that had spread through my body when we were standing out on the porch.

"Very funny. Like I said, Caroline's mum appealed to my curiosity. Not to mention, if Caroline hadn't been there I would be human now instead of her. And who knows where I'd be. Living in a villa in France? Locked up in the Salvatore basement being tortured by the lovely Elena Gilbert? Who knows."

I visibly flinched at Katherine's words. Not because of how harsh her words sounded, but because there was more truth in them than I'd like to admit. The only reason Elena would use the cure as defence rather than fight with her strength was in order to punish Katherine. And that punishment would probably include some sort of torture. That, or they would have handed her to Klaus on a silver platter.

"Anyway, I've never completely hated Caroline. She can be decent when she wants to be. And she's not as dull as the other residents of Mystic Falls."

"Thanks Katherine," I muttered, rubbing my hand on my forehead in frustration. "That means a lot."

"So, what are your plans now that you're here? I know that you obviously want to go and visit this witch, but when can you arrange for that to happen?"

Katherine uncrossed her legs and pulled herself up from the chair, walking past me and Klaus to the window that Klaus had just occupied, overlooking the city. "Well here's the thing. The witch I need to see is under heavy protection at the moment. And it might take a little bit of womanly persuasion to get me in. My problem, before you knew that we were here, was getting in and out without you knowing. But now that you know I'm here there's going to be some…questions about why you haven't killed me yet."

"Marcel's witch." Klaus bit out, moving so that he could now face Katherine more head-on, brushing his arm against me as he went.

"Davina, yes. And I was friends with her mother long before Marcel killed her." Katherine kept facing the window, staring out at the city as she spoke. "Davina was going to be used in a ritualistic sacrifice performed by the coven she was a part of. Marcel stopped it by killing all the witches. And as I said, I can go and see Marcel no problem. But being in the city without Klaus trying to kill me is going to draw some major attention from Marcel. And from what I've heard about your relationship with Marcel at the moment, it's not going to well. So, I was thinking that if you came with me it would show him that you can be somewhat…docile. If he's sees us acting relaxed and civil when you hate my guts, he might lower his guard against you."

"Okay." He said, standing up and holding his hands up in a weird welcoming type of gesture. "When do we go?"