The Wolf

by yokan87

When Caroline wakes up shackled, powerless and very far away from Mystic Falls, she knows she's in serious trouble. But when a woman named Sophie Deveraux reveals the reason why she's been kidnapped and taken to New Orleans, she realizes things are far worse than she could've ever imagined. [It's The Originals Season 1, but Caroline is a witch and she's pregnant with Klaus' child.]

9. S01E09: Reining Pain in New Orleans

A/N: As promised, because your response to the last chapter was absolutely amazing, here's an earlier update! :) Thank you so much for all your kind comments and messages letting me know you are enjoying the story and wanted me to release a new chapter sooner! It got me working on this asap. Hope you guys enjoy it!

As always, I have to ask you to please excuse all the many mistakes you'll certainly find. They're all mine! But coveredinthecolors did whatever she could to help make this better.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone reading this! And please remember to review or drop me a note wherever if you do enjoy it! It really makes my day and helps me find my muse to try ad get this story out quicker.

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The one positive thing about having nothing to do — and no one to escape from, which is a welcome change — is that Caroline finally has some much needed time to get her pregnancy reading up to date. It's ridiculous that she's already twenty two weeks along and only now starting on the material that she should've had committed to memory four months ago.

It doesn't take long for her to realize that she is a mess. Didn't take any of the nutrition supplements recommended for the first trimester, didn't do any of the exams that could diagnose possible complications early on, is still in the process of understanding what kinds of classes she should attend before birth... Lamaze, Bradley or Alexander? What are the best maternity hospitals in New Orleans and how long exactly will it take her to reach them, so she can be prepared and perfectly timed once the contractions start? What is the best, most comfortable milk pump that money can buy? Best strollers? Car seats? Bottles? Jesus. There is so much to learn and to research and to think about and it is all highlighting how utterly not ready for motherhood she is.

She spent five months focusing exclusively on surviving and keeping the baby alive and not beating the crap out of the baby's father that she didn't even stop to acknowledge that there is an actual tiny person on the way, and that this demands certain arrangements, all of which she's extremely behind on.

It's overwhelming, to say the least. So overwhelming, in fact, that she hasn't even taken the time to get to know the French Quarter. But at least she can see it from her balcony now, which she guesses is an improvement.

She likes to seat at the balcony with a cup of coffee and a book and just enjoy the city air in the morning. The view from her window at the plantation house was nice, but it got old pretty fast. Here at least she can hear the uproar of life around her; people down on the street, the musicians, the vendors, the tourists. Every day is different. She read all there was to read about the Crescent City back at the plantation and would very much like to take a stroll across the Quarter one of these days. Maybe go to Café du Monde for some beignets, and stop by Rousseau's to glare at Sophie until she gives her some of that delicious gumbo she makes. For now, thought, taking a second to breathe without imminent death breathing down her neck is more than enough. Caroline's taking some time off of fearing for her life. And anyway, all the homework she accumulated over the months has been occupying pretty much all of her time.

"You do realize these books are all written by charlatans after the honest money of desperate mothers-to-be, right?"

Caroline lifts her head from her book to see Klaus leaning against the doorframe of her room, eyebrows arched at her.

Becoming obsessed with pregnancy reading and preparing for the baby's arrival also provided her with the perfect excuse to avoid Klaus. He talks to her, invites her for breakfast and dinner and even asks her opinion on stuff, like pictures he wants to hang on the walls and what furniture goes well with which room. Which she guesses is his way of waving a white flag, because since when does Klaus need anyone's opinions but his own? He even shares some of his plans with her, like how he's discussing with Marcel to have Davina moved into the compound, which... Caroline doesn't really know what to think of that. She has a strong feeling that this girl is being treated like a prisoner and Klaus makes no attempt to hide that he sees her as a spoil of war he now gets to collect along with the compound and the vampire army. The witches have all gone radio silent since Agnes' death and the vampires now all answer to him. They should, theoretically, be living a period of peace, but Klaus still acts as though they're suiting up for combat.

What he doesn't ever mention, however, is the big elephant in the room. He hasn't spoken of Elijah or Rebekah once, and whenever Caroline tries to bring up the subject, his face crumples up into a grimace and then the conversation is over. Elijah's texted her a couple of times to ask how she was doing, but she obviously hasn't told Klaus anything about it. Last thing she needs is him flipping out because she's stayed in touch with his brother.

The baby is another point that's been solemnly ignored in their mild, meaningless conversations, but, to be perfectly fair, it's not just his fault. He obviously doesn't make any efforts to contribute, but Caroline has no idea how to talk to him about it. It's just so weird. She can't imagine sitting down with Klaus to pick baby names or telling him that she might need a trip to the mall because her boobs are starting to get way too big for her bras.

Nope. Too awkward.

As much as she wishes he would participate more, something keeps her from taking the first step, and, since he apparently won't do it on his own either, that just leaves them at a stalemate. Rebekah's the one who's been hearing all about her sore boobs or the amazing benefits of slings through long texts. To her credit, she never tells Caroline to shut up, although she could tone down on the snarky remarks a bit.

Klaus addressing her pregnancy books is definitely a first.

Caroline smiles ironically at him. "Because you're obviously such an expert on babies. How many have you had again?" He grins, opening his mouth to retort but snapping it back shut when he can't think of anything. "Didn't think so. This is very interesting, actually. You should read it. There are lots of scientific facts here. For instance, did you know that a baby can hear you at 20 weeks? Your baby has been hearing all your crap for two whole weeks, so I'd be careful with the things I say if I were you. You wouldn't happen to know what your rhesus is, would you?"

"My rhesus?"

"I'm Rh negative, so it could be dangerous if you're a positive and the baby inherits it from you."

"Well, I haven't been known to be a positive anything, so," he says with a shrug. Caroline simply rolls her eyes at him. "Your absence was keenly felt during our dinner party tonight," he continues, finally entering the room. "I wish you'd been there."

Oh, yes. The dinner party. Klaus had been babbling non-stop about it all week, insisted that she should be there. He invited Marcel and some of his vampires into the compound to prove some stupid point on how he means no harm to them and intends to be a kind and fair ruler or whatever. He wanted to officially introduce Caroline to them as a good-faith gesture, so they wouldn't think he's hiding her from them on purpose. It's a mystery how she could possibly not get excited over the prospect of being displayed around like a prize horse.

"Vampires are so welcoming to witches in this city. I'm sure they missed me greatly," she counters crisply .

"They wanted to meet you. I told them to make it their life's mission to protect you, but most of them have never even seen you."

"I saw your full course meal ready to slit their wrists open in the kitchen, Klaus. No, thank you. I like to keep my food in when I'm dining. Besides, I thought we agreed you wouldn't do this anymore?"

"You have to understand that I need blood, love. I may not crave it as much as the ordinary vampire, for obvious reasons, but if I go on an extremely restrictive diet, I'll still desiccate."

"There are millions of ways for you to get blood that do not involve feeding off of compelled, innocent people."

He snorts dismissively. "You can't possibly mean for me to feed off of innocent bunnies like your friend Stefan. That's for the riffraff. Besides, fresh blood is exquisite. Nothing compares to it."

She points down to her belly. "Your kid is listening to this, father of the year."

Klaus rolls his eyes. "Tonight was a special occasion. I had to gain their trust, please their taste buds in order to placate their moods."

"And fresh blood was all it took to win their allegiance? Oh, geez. Why didn't we think of that before they tried to murder me?"

"I might have offered a little something else on the side."

"Such as?"

"Well, nothing much, really. Just something to assure them I have no intention whatsoever to use my child to sire new hybrids. They're going on a hunt in the Bayou."

Caroline puts down her book, blinking at Klaus. Did he just say what she thinks he just said? "You did what?"

"If there are no werewolves to be turned, then they have nothing to fear. You and my child are safe."

"You gave the vampires permission to go slaughter the werewolves in the Bayou? The ones that were expelled from the city by Marcel and forced to live in squalor in makeshift camps in the middle of the bog? The same ones that saved my life? Saved your child? Those werewolves?"

Caroline's voice escalates as she goes, and by the time she's done talking, Klaus' expression has gone from carefree to sheer irritation, like a child that has just been caught doing something naughty but won't accept a reprimand.

Except the something naughty involves the lives of people Caroline has a debt of gratitude towards.

"It's a necessity," he replies flippantly.

"No, it's not! These people are suffering, Klaus. They've got nothing left because vampires took everything from them. And now you want them to give their lives so you can make friends with a bunch of people who clearly hate your guts and tried to rip you to shreds not long ago?"

"I'm doing this for you," he speaks in a clipped tone.

Caroline feels something burst inside of her as the heat turns into anger. "Don't put this on me," she says, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I am not gonna be responsible for the murder of innocent people, people who helped me when they had no reason to do it. It takes a monster to issue that kind of order and not feel even the smallest hint of regret and I am not that." A snarl flashes across Klaus' face, but if Caroline allows this argument to continue, she's afraid she might want to actually punch him in the face, so she points to the door and says, "I want to sleep now. Please."

He looks like he's going to say something for about two seconds, but then turns on his feet and stomps his way out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

How can he not freaking care? Those wolves saved his daughter's life.

Caroline's stomach tightens, her mind racing. She's gonna have to give the werewolves a heads up and stop this massacre.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"What the hell, Klaus?"

He lets out a weary sigh, putting down his brush and wiping his hands with a cloth. He takes a step back to admire his work. It's still missing a dash of white, he thinks.

"Language, love," he says absentmindedly to Caroline, whose burning eyes he can feel boring holes onto his back. "The baby is listening."

He smirks when she huffs out in annoyance.

She walks around, stopping next to his canvas, right in front of the window, blocking the perfect natural light he was making great use of. Klaus arches his eyebrows at her, just waiting for her to shoot what horrible deed he's being accused of this time.

"Why did your sentinels by the door just stop me from going outside?" she asks, folding her arms across her chest.

"Because I told them to," he replies matter-of-factly.

"Am I on house arrest now?"

"Not now. You've been on house arrest since the day you arrived here. You just hadn't tried to leave yet, I assume."

Caroline's face twists into a scowl. "You do realize I can take them down and leave anyway, right?"

"It's for your protection, Caroline. Don't be difficult."

"Oh my God! Stop doing awful things and saying you're doing them for me! You keeping me here as a prisoner is not for my protection, it's for your own goddamn ego. You control the city now. Marcel answers to you, so that witch girl in the tower can't do anything about me anymore. Why can't I leave?"

Klaus throws down his cloth, starting to get miffed. And he was having such a pleasant morning... "Have you forgotten what brought us here in the first place? The witches are still out to get Davina, and I bet they're dying to put their hands on you, too."

"I can defend myself, Klaus."

"You, against an entire coven? Forgive me if I don't want to take a risk."

"It's not your choice!"

"But it is my bloody decision!" he barks, his patience finally reaching its end. Everything with Caroline is a negotiation, an argument. He wishes she would, just for once, believe that he knows what he's doing. So far, going against his instincts to be polite has brought them nothing but trouble. So he's doing things differently now. At least until it's safe.

Caroline doesn't even flinch at his near yell, though. Quite the opposite. She swells in anger, her blue eyes simmering with indignation, and she takes a step closer to him, making it impossible for him to avert her gaze.

"I always knew you were paranoid, but I could actually see some redeeming qualities in you before," she says, her voice low and grave. "But I was either crazy or completely blind, because you're someone else entirely now. I guess I really didn't know you then."

With that, she storms out, stomping all the way back to her room. He hears the door slamming, and knows he won't be seeing Caroline for a while.

He grabs the first thing he sees — the glass with water where he'd been keeping his brushes — and hurls it across the room. It smashes against the wall, shattering the glass into a hundred little pieces and scattering his brushes all around.

The bitter words sting. Klaus really has been losing his mind with unprecedented frequency ever since his return to New Orleans. He won't deny that the disposition towards blowing things out of proportion has been a close companion for many centuries now, but he's normally a lot more controlled than this. Now it's as though he's barely rational most of the time, always letting his temper take the best of him. Not that he's wrong, mind you; the situation is dire and Caroline is being extremely naive, to say the least, in thinking that the streets of New Orleans are safe for her just because Klaus has bested Marcel. She's way too accustomed to the juvenile arrangements of Mystic Falls to understand the nuance and complexity of the Crescent City's politics. This place is run by factions, not hormonal high school students, and Klaus will be damned if he'll let her get attacked when he's not looking again. She can hate him all she wants. He'd rather have her shooting daggers at him all day than getting hurt — or worse.

But what she said wouldn't hurt so much if there wasn't any truth in it. And yet, it just can't be helped. Every time he thinks about the dangers lurking, about the enemies just waiting for an opening to get to her, of what those witches would do to Caroline if they ever had a chance to ambush her again... It drives him insane.

New Orleans' penchant for vicious faction wars is nothing new to him. It wasn't that different back in his day. The difference now, he realizes, lies in what he has to lose. Two hundred years ago the worst that could happen was someone taking down Marcel in order to get to him. He was Klaus' weakest spot, and he was an old vampire himself, strong and well trained, not to mention extremely well versed in the ways of the city. The charm he used to run the city in his family's absence was already a weapon back then: people liked Marcel more than they ever liked him, even before. He had all of Klaus' knack for getting what he wants, without his terrible temper. The chances of anyone ever wanting to attack Marcel, and in doing so, succeeding, were slim to none. His siblings, of course, hardly needed protection. They had each other's backs, as always, but Rebekah and Elijah are nearly as strong as him. Other than that... Klaus didn't care about anything or anyone else to the point they could've been used against him. He had his favorites, of course. But that's all they ever were. Fun distraction.

Caroline, on the other hand...

He would do anything to keep her safe. And that's precisely what scares him so much. Not knowing how far he'd be willing to go, how much he'd be willing to compromise just to save her. And if anything happens to her... Losing control won't even begin to describe it. He no longer has a humanity switch to turn on and off at will, but he's certain it would be as though he did.

In fact, Klaus wishes he had a switch right now, just so he'd stop caring so much. He's become the very thing he's always despised the most. Overwhelmed by feelings, completely taken by ideas that do nothing but curb his instincts, cloud his judgement — make him weak. He thought Elijah was the love fool in the family. Now look at him. Desperate for Caroline's approval. Hopelessly trying to please her. Placate her. Make her happy. Yet nothing he does ever seem right to her.

Can't she see he's just trying to protect her? That all he wants is for her and the baby to be safe?

A thought crosses his mind, one that only serves to dampen his mood further. Elijah would know what to do. He'd know exactly what to say. He'd understand why Caroline is so unhappy with him. His perfect brother always knows better. So sound, so noble. Everyone loves Elijah. Even the mother of his child.

Well, now his morning truly is ruined.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Caroline is plotting.

Klaus left about an hour ago to do God knows what. He looked aggravated, but she doesn't know if that's because something happened somewhere that he has to go and deal with, or if he was still moping after their little morning row. She hopes it's the latter. He fully deserved it.

There is one vampire keeping the back door and two guarding the front entrance to the compound, plus a couple of others roaming around. At least one seems to go wherever she goes, though he probably thinks he's being subtle. Klaus made sure to pick all the toughest looking vampires, apparently, because they're all huge dudes. What the hell is up with that, actually? Does he think if they're big she's less likely to try and stand up to them?

Although — truth be told, he probably wasn't thinking about her when he chose his guards. He was thinking about the huge ass witches that attacked her in the Bayou. The last thing he expects is for Caroline to try and break through his live supernatural barrier.

Well, clearly he doesn't know what a hormonal witch is capable of.

Admittedly, she doesn't really want to have to knock them down to get past them. It's best if they don't know she's gone, this way they can't alert Klaus or send a whole troop chasing after her. But before she can outline a plan of action, she needs to know exactly what she's going to do.

She sent a couple of texts to Elijah, telling him she needs to speak to him, but he hasn't replied yet. Calling him is a no-no with all these freaky hearings surrounding her. They've probably been warned by Klaus to keep their eyes and ears out. If they learn she wants to put an end to their Bayou hunting party, they'll certainly try to stop her. So she needs to be clever about this. Werewolf lives are at stake.

She's pacing around the courtyard, biting her nails and trying to come up with a plan when she hears someone talking to the vampires at the front door.

It's Cami.

What in freaking hell is she doing here?

Caroline had no idea Klaus was still seeing her. So she isn't allowed to go out, but clearly the douchebags were instructed to allow Cami in.

The prick of jealousy she gets only makes her all the more irritated.

"Hi," Cami says, a huge smile on her annoyingly pretty face when she sees Caroline. "I'm Camille, Klaus Mikaelson's stenographer? Do you know where I can find him?"

"Not here," Caroline replies dryly.

Cami blinks. "Oh? He's not home?"

"He left. Some urgent business somewhere," Caroline says, gesticulating vaguely. "I'm not sure when he's coming back." Because he obviously never bothers telling me these things, even though he expects to know what I'm doing and who I'm with at all freaking times, she adds mentally.

Cami looks almost dejected. "Oh. Well. We had an appointment. Do you mind if I wait here for a bit, see if he shows up?"

Caroline shrugs. "Knock yourself out."

Caroline stares as Cami takes a seat on one of the garden chairs, and keeps staring after. Cami smiles awkwardly at her. What could Klaus still possibly want with her, now that Marcel is not an obstacle anymore? You know exactly what he wants, a little voice in Caroline's mind says. What do guys ever want with girls as pretty as Cami? Klaus may be a thousand years old, but he's still a dude. And if there's one thing Caroline's learned in her years of running with the likes of him is that, deep down, they're all the same, just slightly more prone to violence than your ordinary douchebag - and sometimes not even that.

Maybe he got tired of the pregnant girl always inconveniently pointing fingers at him and decided to give it a shot with the one he can compel to forget in case things go sour.

"What's with all the security?" Cami asks, breaking Caroline out of her bitter thoughts.

She rolls her eyes and says, "Klaus," like that explains everything. It does, actually. She just doubts Cami gets it.

The other woman nods, making a silent 'oh' with her mouth. "I don't think we've met."

Yes, we did, she wants to say. But then she remembers Klaus compelled her to forget their previous encounter. "I'm Caroline."

"Caroline," Cami says, as though tasting the name on her tongue, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "That name is so familiar. I can't pinpoint where I heard it before."

Of course Klaus is still compelling her to not remember anything as soon as he's out of her sight. What a jerk.

"It's a very common name here in the south," she says, making a mental note to research if there's a way to slip Cami some vervain so she can at least keep Klaus from further compelling her.

"Yes, that's true," she smiles again. "So you live here?"

"I suppose that's what you'd call it."

"Are you and Klaus...?"

"No. God, no," she shakes her head for emphasis. "We're not together. We're just... Responsible for this." Caroline points to her swollen belly.

The look on Cami's face is kind of priceless.

"Klaus is having a baby?" she asks, slack-jawed and wide-eyed.

Caroline wishes she could snap a photo to show Klaus later.

"Technically, I'm the one having the baby, but yes. He's the father."

"Oh. Wow. I don't think he ever mentioned that. It seems like such an important thing for him to leave out."

Oh, I'm sure he's babbled nonstop about it. You're probably lucky you can't remember.

"It does, doesn't it? That's Klaus for you. Ouch," Caroline whines, her face scrunching up in pain as she gets a twinge on her lower back.

Cami rushes to her side, all concern. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing," she says, a hand on her back as she makes it to the bench. Cami takes her arm, helps her sit, even though it wasn't really necessary. Nothing quite like a pregnant woman in pain to bring out the kindness in strangers. "Thanks. It's just my back. It's been killing me."

"Have you seen a doctor about it?"

Caroline pauses. "I've read a few books. It's perfectly normal at this stage, because of the growing weight. And it'll get worse, too."

"So you haven't seen a doctor?" Caroline blinks at her, feeling oddly like she's being judged. "Ever?" Cami asks, a little too astounded to Caroline's taste. But she shakes her head anyway.

"I know what it sounds like, ok? I'm not some negligent mother or anything. I just... Haven't had very good experiences with doctors. The one I saw early on in the pregnancy was... Well, let's just say it wasn't very stimulating. But I'm very well informed."

"I didn't mean to judge, sorry," Cami rushes to add. "It's just... It's so important. How far along are you?"

"Twenty two weeks."

"You really should see one. Even if just for your back pains — it's normal, but there are things that can be done to lessen your discomfort."

"Are you a doctor?"

"No, but I used to hang out with a lot of them back in college. Actually." Cami starts rummaging through her purse for something, making an a-ha sound when she finds a little card she hands over to Caroline. Dr. Lisa Preston, it says. "She's a good friend and a very good obgyn. I could schedule an appointment for you and Klaus."

Caroline lets out a huffed laugh. "Klaus. Good joke."

"Is it?"

"Klaus is... Averse to technology," she says by means of explanation. "He's all about the old days. The really old days."

"I see," Cami nods. "Well, I could come with you if you like."

"Really? You would do that?"

"Sure. We can even go now. I'm sure she can fit us in. And Klaus is not here, anyway, so he can't complain about me missing our appointment."

Caroline snaps her mouth shut, memories of a horrible night in the deep Bayou suddenly flooding her mind. She trusted Agnes wanted nothing but to help her then, and look how that went. But Cami seems so genuine, so kind offering a helping hand to a pregnant woman with horrible back aches...

Klaus really likes her, she can tell. If he's still seeing her, there must be a reason. And if he likes her... Well, she can't be that bad, right? At least not a threat. Not to her and the baby, anyway. As annoying and patronizing as Klaus may be, Caroline does believe his good, however terribly misguided, intentions.

She bites on her lower lip, taking a quick glance at the two dumbasses at the door.

Well, screw caution. This will kill two birds with one stone.

"Ok," she says, getting up on her feet, scrunching up her nose as the pang shoots right through her again. "Just give me a minute."

"Of course."

Caroline pretends to be heading to one of the rooms on the first floor and when Cami turns around, she rushes to the door.

"Hey, assholes," she hisses, catching the attention of the two sentinels. With a flick of her wrist, their necks snap and they both drop to the ground. Caroline grabs them by the ankles and, making full use of her werewolf strength, drags both of them out of sight, only groaning lowly when her back screams at the strain.

Once they're well hidden, she wipes her hands on her jeans. "Camille! We're all set!"

"Great!" the girl says, joining her by the entrance. "Wait. Where are the guards?"

"Oh, I think they went to the bathroom."

"Together?"

"They're not very good guards. Never mind that. Let's just go before they come back to annoy us."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Elijah finds Caroline pacing anxiously around the alley on the back of a building at the French Quarter.

Everything about it rubs him the wrong way. The fact she seems to be nervous. The fact she seems to be hiding. The fact she is alone in the French Quarter. But what had Elijah most unsettled was her phone call.

They've kept in touch since her move to the compound with Klaus, but Caroline has been keeping communications brief and vague, which he's understood as her way of trying not to rattle his brother. The mere fact they've been speaking would be enough for him to throw a tantrum, for certain. She never gets into details about how things are, especially about Klaus. Elijah is not naive to think that a change in venues was all it took for his brother to suddenly develop a conscience and become a better all-around person and a more present father figure. But Caroline deliberately keeping things from him speaks of difficulties she's not willing to share for fear he or Rebekah might try to intervene.

Truth be told, Elijah's considered making surprise appearances several times, but Rebekah talked him out of it, claiming he'd only make Niklaus angrier. She's not wrong, Elijah just doesn't care all that much. What's kept him away so far were both Caroline's guarantees that she was well and the fact Niklaus is not his only sibling in need of some guidance. Rebekah's hardly at the top of her wits either.

When Elijah learned of what she did — joining forces with Marcel to try and take Klaus down — he finally understood why their brother snapped the way he did, deciding to cut all ties to the rest of the family. It wasn't just jealousy. He actually did have some genuine cause for distress in Rebekah's antics.

How could she be so daft in thinking that a bunch of recently turned, half-starved vampires could take down their hybrid brother? Klaus' werewolf gene meant he was always the strongest of them all, but since the curse was lifted he has become something else. Far more dangerous and completely unprecedented. Just because he doesn't go out advertising the extent of his powers, it doesn't mean he's bluffing. That Marcellus would underestimate him is understandable, even expected; Marcellus had always been too arrogant, in Elijah's opinion, holding himself with the confidence of an Original, and he hadn't seen Klaus in almost a century. He didn't know how corrupted and brutal he'd become ever since he left New Orleans, not to mention strong. But Rebekah? There are no excuses for what she did. Not for stupidly challenging Niklaus, and not for turning on her own blood either.

So Niklaus is not the most charitable or considerate sibling. No novelty there. He's done horrible things to his own family, subjected them to arbitrary punishments and never seems to hesitate before lashing out. And yet he's still oddly sensitive when the situation is reverse. The smallest thing is capable of upsetting him, hurting his feelings, which in turn makes him irate. Niklaus is terrible at handling his own emotions. It's nothing they haven't known for hundreds of years.

Does he deserve to get defied and held accountable for his actions, even forced to pay for some of the things he does so freely? Yes, of course. But is taking a page out of his own book the answer? Elijah doesn't think so. Not when he spends so much time trying to educate his brother and make him see the errors of his way.

Rebekah thinks he never learns his lesson; Elijah disagrees. He does learn, and he regrets and repents. He just has an awfully short memory. The only pain that registers is the one he feels himself; what he does to others just escapes his mind with inconvenient haste.

Still, if they ever want Niklaus to change, they can't just take him down and lock him up, especially when they should know better. No bars are ever gonna be enough to hold him for long. Even attempting to do so will only anger him further, push him away from their control.

Rebekah needed Elijah by her side to calm her nerves and help her find a way to forgive Niklaus for yet another wrongdoing. It's exhausting, but being the middle-man between their brother and sensibility has always been Elijah's self-appointed job. Rebekah is much easier. But his poor sister was in desperate need of familial attention. He enjoys spending time with her, to be honest. And he'd be lying if he said it hasn't been far simpler and quieter days away from Niklaus and the whole baby madness. But it does not mean he's less worried about Caroline's well-being.

However prone to bouts of insanity Niklaus may be, however, Elijah does think that if there's anyone who can keep his brother moderately level-headed is Caroline. She also has no qualms with berating him and calling him out on his misbehaviors. And, well, Niklaus will suck it up and let her do it, whereas if it was anyone else he'd just show his teeth and be done with it.

He spent most of the day helping Rebekah sort through some old family heirlooms before Klaus' moving man could take everything to their brother's new home. Their walk down memory lane kept both of them distracted. Elijah didn't see the texts and missed the first few calls from Caroline. So when he finally did pick up, it was quite obvious that something urgent was happening.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you all day!" she grumbled into the phone.

"Forgive me, I wasn't paying attention to my phone. What is it?"

"I need you to come to the Quarter."

"Whatever for? Has Niklaus done something?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. But I don't have much time."

"Caroline–"

"Elijah, please. Just come and meet me here. It's important."

Well, that was all he needed to hear. Caroline hasn't pegged him as the overreacting type, and she'd kept quite civil even through the most trying situation. So if she says it's important, it must be.

Elijah thought she wanted to see him at the compound, but she texted him an address, said she'd wait for him at the back alley. Now, why would she be hiding like this? Unless she was trying to escape Niklaus himself...

Oh, what in hell's name has his brother done now?

"Caroline," he says, stepping into the alley.

She startles, turning to him with her hands out like she's ready to strike. "Jesus, Elijah. Do you always have to be so stealthy?"

"Apologies. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok, never mind," she says, gesticulating vaguely. "I don't have much time. I have a doctor appointment in five minutes."

"Doctor?" he says, concerned. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just a routine checkup. That's not why I called."

"Does Niklaus know you're here?"

"Niklaus is not the lord and owner of my life," she says with a snap in her voice. "I called you here because your dear brother has seen fit to give the vampires free rein to go into the Bayou and slaughter every single werewolf they find."

"Why would he do that?"

"He says it's to placate their tempers or something. If there are no werewolves, they have no reason to fear the apocalyptic premonitions about the baby, which makes absolutely no freaking sense because if he really wants hybrids, he'll find the damn wolves. But those werewolves saved my life. I can't just let the vampires kill the lot of them for sport."

Oh, Niklaus... Always finding new, scandalous ways to incense those closest to him.

Elijah sighs. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, something. Go to the Bayou and warn them, fend off the vampires if you can. I would do it myself, but I'm afraid it would only make things worse with your brother. He might decide to finish the wolves with his own two hands just out of spite. Please, Elijah, I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important."

Elijah has no love for werewolves, never did, never will. But when he hears the edges of despair in Caroline's voice and sees the pleading look on her face, how genuinely afflicted she is... He just doesn't have it in him to tell her that he's still a vampire, and it's in his very nature not to get along with the wolves.

"I'll see what I can do," he says instead, making no promises. The hatred those werewolves have for his kind... They might as well jump him the second he sets foot in their territory.

Caroline breathes out in relief. "Thank you."

"How are you, Caroline?"

She pauses, looking away from him and distracting herself with pulling a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm... ok. Kind of excited for my appointment at the moment." A smile finally breaks onto her lips as she meets his gaze again. "I'm about to see my baby for the first time."

Elijah can't help the tiny grin curling his own lips. She looked tormented a second before, and now, just mentioning her baby, she's... radiant. It's infectious, almost. How can Niklaus not be here for this?

"I have to go," she continues. "The doctor fit me in last minute, she won't be happy if I'm late. Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"No problem."

He watches as she walks around the building and goes back inside. The last time she went to one of those appointments, she ended up almost killed by rabid witches — and saved by the werewolves his brother has ordered murdered now. It makes Elijah slightly uncomfortable, but nothing looks out of place here. There are other pregnant women inside, he can hear them talking. It seems authentic, at least, not the sight of an ambush.

He sticks around for a little while longer, trying to spot any of Niklaus' newly acquired lackeys, or even the man himself, but if he's noticed Caroline's gone, he hasn't found her yet, and neither have his minions. She should be safe for the time being.

Rebekah will be outraged when he goes back home to pick her up, but he'll need reinforcements if they are to save those wolves from annihilation. His sister better have some comfortable shoes to wear.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Wow, these wolves really travel in style, don't they?"

Rebekah sighs wearily as Elijah hops onto a motorhome parked in the middle of the Bayou. It's the fourth werewolf camp they've found today — and, like the three before, it's completely deserted. She would've liked to go home hours ago, but her brother is restless.

They came across their first camp as it was being thrashed by a mob led by Marcel's loose-lipped friend, Diego. They were yet to come across any wolves, but apparently found it just as entertaining to destroy the little those people had. Pathetic.

Elijah gave them a clear warning that they were not to harm any wolves and, should he see them again in the Bayou, their heads would be put on spikes to decorate the encampment they'd just destroyed. But Elijah knew, as well as Rebekah, that they were not going to give up. Nik gave them permission, of course they now feel entitled to their hunt. Their brother fancies himself as the new king of New Orleans and those poor bastards are only too eager to follow his lead. Nik really did leave a mark on them after kicking their sorry arses.

"Can we go now?" she asked Elijah. "They've been warned. If any werewolves die, we can just find the vampires and kill them."

"They're still out there, Rebekah."

"Yes, and some of them are trapped in wolf form, which means those poor sods would do well to stay away, if they know what's good for them."

"Niklaus would heal them."

Rebekah scoffed. "Right. Our egotistical brother, feeding the scum with his precious blood? Not likely."

Elijah was nearly convinced to leave when they finally found their first actual werewolf. A woman named Eve.

"Caroline sent you here, didn't she? To protect us," she said, like she and Caroline were old pals. "We thank you for your disposition, but we're fine."

"What about this looks fine to you?" Rebekah asked, pointing towards the torn down encampment. Tents had been ripped apart. Personal objects scattered about. Food made completely useless.

"That's just things," Eve said with a smile that was way too gentle for Rebekah's taste. She had kind eyes and a soft voice that made Rebekah think of Matt Donovan, for some reason. Someone with a genuinely good heart. The type that is hard to come across around these areas. Eve looked like she was maybe in her early thirties, and Rebekah could tell she was a werewolf, but only faintly, which meant she hadn't triggered her curse yet. Not many wolves manage to get to that age without snapping and killing someone. They have beastly terrible tempers, like their very natures work to get them to activate the curse. For Eve to have made it... She must be a saint. "We're fine," she continued. "All of us. We know the Bayou like the back of our hands. We only get found if we want to."

"Well, we found you, so," Rebekah said.

Eve just smiled. "Like I said." She pulled a map from inside the shabby cape she was wearing. "I have something to show you."

"Are you the only one of them who's not in wolf form?" Elijah asked.

"No, there are others. Mainly the younger ones, who hadn't triggered the wolf gene yet when Marcel cursed us, and some who came from other parts of the state, later on."

"Then how come we haven't met any of you?"

"Like I said, we don't wanna be found. Especially not by vampires. No offense."

"Offense taken," Rebekah quipped "What is it that you want to show us?"

Eve opened the map and pointed to three other areas around the Bayou. "There are wolves camping out in these areas, and they're not from here. Some belong to our lines, but some are from completely different packs."

"What are they doing here?"

"They've all heard about the baby."

"Are you kidding me?" Rebekah asked with a snap in her voice. "Now werewolves are coming after the baby as well?"

"They're not after the baby. They want to see it. To see Caroline. Her baby is important to us."

"Why?" Elijah demanded.

"Because it's part of our pack. A branch we thought had been lost to us forever. So everyone wants to see it. They're coming from all over the place, not just Louisiana. And they'll keep coming. But they don't know the Bayou and we can't help them if we have to protect ourselves. But you can."

"You want us to go on a tour of the Bayou to save your distant cousins?" Rebekah asked.

"You're the ones who came here saying that you wanted to help. If that's really what you wanna do, this is how. And trust me... I think you'll want them alive."

There was no dissuading Elijah after that.

They marched through the bog for hours, and by the time they reached the other encampments, the werewolves were already gone. There were no signs of struggle or bodies lying around either, so the vampires hadn't found them, which Rebekah guesses is a good thing, but doesn't exactly make her feel any better about the appalling state of her boots or the perfect day she wasted chasing ghosts that clearly don't want to be found and are way better than them at hide and seek.

Elijah pops his head out of the motorhome and arches his eyebrows at her. "Empty."

"Wow. That's a surprise," she replies, her voice devoid of any humor.

"Shall we proceed, then?" Elijah steps out of the car, shutting the door behind him like the gentleman that he is.

"Here's an idea. Let's not, and tell Caroline that we did. Then you get to impress the girl and I can go home," she pleads with a saccharine smile. "You know how hovel depresses me and that's all we've seen all day. Well, that and the bog."

"I'm not trying to impress the girl."

"I should bloody hope you are. Why else are we out here?"

Elijah looks away from her, trying to keep the silly smile from creeping onto his face, but he's always been a lousy liar, her big brother. The way his eyes lit up just now — it's actually not very different from what Nik looked like back in Mystic Falls whenever someone mentioned Caroline near him. It was the easiest way to get him out of the house. Rebekah even got him to dress up and attend her school dance just because she said the blonde witch would be there. Elijah and Nik look more alike than they probably realize.

"Come on, Elijah", she presses. "You've fallen for her. Admit it. May do wonders for the stick that's lodged up your enduringly stoic ass if you did."

He grins almost sheepishly, fixing the collar of his jacket. "If I admit to you that it's complicated, would that suffice, or are you determined to torment me throughout this endeavor?"

"Well, I don't know. Would you rather I torment you now or Nik torments you later?"

At the mention of their brother, the handsome smile completely vanishes from her brother's face. "You can't tell Niklaus about this, Rebekah."

"Like I have to. Why do you think he's taken Caroline to a crystal tower in the middle of the city, guarded by vampires on all sides?"

"Still. We don't mention any of this to him. Ever."

"So you're just not gonna do anything about it?"

"What would you have me do?"

"I don't know. Talk to her."

"Caroline's carrying our brother's child, Rebekah, or have you forgotten?"

"So what? Just because she slept with Nik once, doesn't mean they're married. This is the 21st century, Elijah. Families have more alternative outlines now."

"Not this family. Caroline cares for Niklaus and I do not intend to get in the way of that."

"Even if you know it's not the best thing for her?"

"I don't know that."

"Well, I do. There isn't a world where being with Nik is better for anyone than being with you. Just look at us now. You came all the way here to save werewolves you don't even know because Nik has ordered them killed when he knows they're important to the girl he allegedly cares about. Maybe it's time for us to admit that... There's nothing we can do for Nik anymore. He's too far gone."

"Rebekah–"

What would certainly be a lecture from Elijah on how Niklaus' immortal soul depends on Caroline's golden locks to survive is interrupted by screams. They turn to find a man and a woman running from the vampires. They don't stand a chance, obviously, and are quickly surrounded. Diego sinks his teeth into the man's neck, and he lets out a terrible yelp.

In a blink, Elijah's on them, grabbing Diego by his hair and pulling him away from the guy, who falls to the ground clutching the puncture wounds in his neck. Rebekah has to say that the scent of fresh blood sends a wave across her body. They've been out here for way too long. She could sure use a snack.

"Darling," Elijah says to Diego. "We have to stop meeting like this."

He pushes Diego away, and the boy looks at them with murder in his eyes as he joins the rest of the riffraffs. She really needs to have a word with Marcel about the men he entrusts with commanding his army. This is shameful.

"You can go now," Elijah tells them, a smirk on his face. Rebekah snorts. Maybe Caroline isn't the whole reason her brother was so keen to come out here after all. He's having fun tormenting the vampires — which, in turn, means tormenting Niklaus.

Diego curses under his breath, but none of them move.

"Perhaps I'm not making myself clear here," Elijah speaks. "This is a threat. In precisely three minutes time, your little hunting party will become the prey. Now, based on your recent failure to subdue my baby brother, this despite a better than 100 to 1 advantage, I recommend you heed my warning."

Diego glances at Rebekah, who cocks an eyebrow at him. Finally deciding that a couple of werewolves is not worth risking his life for, he spits on the floor and turns around, followed by the rest of his group.

"Impressive," she tells Elijah. "I liked the part about the baby brother."

Elijah smiles all proud of himself. "Well, I thought the situation demanded something a little dramatic."

They turn to the man, still whimpering on the floor. Werewolf, for sure.

When he catches them looking, he quickly jumps to his feet, taking a few safe steps away, a terrified expression on his face.

"Who are you people?" he asks.

"Your fairy godmothers. This is your lucky day."

She glances at Elijah, expecting to find an amused smirk on his face, but what she sees is a deep frown.

He takes a step closer to the man, who flinches but doesn't try to run. And then Rebekah realizes Elijah's got his eyes fixed on a necklace the man has around his neck. More precisely on the pendant hanging on it.

Elijah takes it in his hands, lifting it close to his face, and Rebekah is able to get a better look at it. The second she does, her entire body goes cold.

It's not a pendant, it's a ring. And one both her and Elijah have seen before, many, many years ago.

On their mother's finger.

"I would say the better question," Elijah says, looking up at the werewolf. "is who are you?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Klaus hears the car approaching. Voices talking excitedly. Laughter.

Apparently his siblings had a fantastic day out in the Bayou defying his express orders and tormenting his vampires.

"I stink of the bog," Rebekah is saying as they finally make it inside. She's not lying.

"Serves you right for your pathetic attempt to undermine my rule," he says from the piano, watching as the two swivel around towards him.

He was getting tired of waiting. As soon as he got Diego's angry call, he headed out to the plantation, even though he still has business to sort out with Marcel. His day has been nothing short of complicated and he was not in a good mood to start. The news of Rebekah and Elijah's little stroll across the countryside left him fuming.

Is there anyone in this world who isn't out to get him? It's like the entire bloody universe has come together to make him lose him sodden mind, as if he's not halfway there already.

"Nik, listen–"

"When I order werewolves to be hunted to extinction," he starts, cutting off what was surely to be one of Rebekah's deplorable excuses. "I expect you to stand aside and let the blood flow."

"How delightfully democratic of you," Elijah says, a shadow crossing his brother's eyes. He puts his hand inside his jacket and then throws something at him. A ring, old and worn-off; what was probably once some intricate carvings now mostly faded. "Do you recognize it?" Elijah questions. "Perhaps you don't. It has been a thousand years since you last saw it grace the hand of our mother." Klaus frowns at him, looking down at the object again. Now that he's mentioned it... It's true. He remembers it. Esther didn't have much jewelry, no one did back then. But he does remember the ring she used to carry around wherever she went. "It was in possession of one of the very wolves whose extinction you just ordered." Klaus' eyes snap back up at his brother. "So naturally, I questioned him. He spoke of a legend wherein long ago, a chief of theirs had fathered a child to a very powerful witch. The mythology further states this child, a son, was later transformed into something this clan had never before seen. Something werewolf and vampire."

Klaus' heart skips a beat, then another. If what Elijah is saying is true... If this is indeed their mother's ring... Then the werewolves in the Bayou are distant descendants of his father's pack. His real father. They may even be related.

"Nik, we're trying to make amends," Rebekah speaks, approaching him. "We found remnants of your family, the bloodline of your true father," she says in a hopeful tune. "That means Caroline was right about them. They were protecting your child because your daughter is part of their pack. And we saved them of being slaughtered at the hands of the vampires you command."

"Niklaus, your personal ambitions have come before this family for far too long," Elijah says, an earnest glint in his gaze. "I beseech you, brother. Please, come home."

Klaus looks down at the ring again, evidence of something he thought long lost to him. He feels a twinge in his chest. Caroline asked him not to issue the attack and he ignored her, thinking that the easiest way to keep her safe would be to win the vampires' trust. And all the while, the werewolves had been safe-guarding her because of something much more powerful than politics.

Family.

He lifts his gaze back to his two expectant siblings. The one who thinks he's out to hurt his own child. And the one who would've staked him herself if she thought it would've ended him.

Suddenly, he wishes so badly that he could trust them again. But alas, his heart still stings with their betrayal.

"What home? This pathetic substitute?" he asks, motioning his hand towards the room. "You see, despite all your doubts, all your attempts to thwart me, I've reclaimed our true home. I took back the entire city."

"You have the audacity to boast of your victory when the mother of your child remains a prisoner?"

Klaus' insides twist with anger, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Elijah. "It all comes down to Caroline, doesn't it, brother?"

"Stop it, both of you," Rebekah says, stepping in.

"Even if this is what you say it is," he continues, putting the ring on top of the piano and standing to his feet. "I've had enough of family to last me a lifetime. Why could I possibly want more?"

Even though that ring is calling to him, begging to be taken and inspected and investigated, Klaus leaves it behind and stalks out of the house, ignoring the disappointment he can feel radiating off of his siblings.

Family has brought him nothing but misery for a thousand years. Maybe it's time he leaves it behind for good.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Caroline arrives at the compound with aching feet and a happy tummy.

She felt on cloud nine after leaving the doctor's office, despite the nagging concern for what may or may not have been happening in the Bayou. She'd done what she could about that, all there was left to do was hope that Elijah would keep his word. She left it in the hands of fate and focused her attention on what was actually within her reach, like her appointment.

Seeing her baby for the first time made her heart swell, become so impossibly huge it's a mystery it didn't explode out of her chest. Her little girl, all perfect and healthy, totally oblivious to the horrors she's already escaped in her short life.

It was the injection of good Caroline needed to renew her spirits.

The conversation with the doctor was long. She had a million questions after all the books and the mommy blogs she read online, and Dr. Lisa answered everything with the patience of a monk. It was a good thing it was a slow day and she didn't have that many patients waiting. She wrote down prescriptions for a few vitamins and other things, taught Caroline a few exercises to help alleviate her back pains, inquired about her routine, diet, about why she hadn't been to see a doctor yet. It got a little embarrassing when she asked about the father. "Uhm... Yeah, he's present. We just... have different opinions on a lot of things regarding the baby."

Lisa said she'd like to do more tests and see Caroline again in a few weeks just to make sure everything was in order, but, at first sight at least, she was blessed with a great pregnancy.

Caroline laughed. It was ironic, to say the least.

When she finally left the office, Cami was still there, waiting for her.

"Oh my God, Camille. I'm so sorry. I got carried away inside, totally forgot that you were here. You shouldn't have waited."

"I don't mind. I had nothing better to do, and I was curious. How was it?"

"Great. The doctor -"

"Wait. Tell you what. Why don't we go grab some beignets and you can tell me everything?"

Caroline hesitated for a second. She was playing with fire just by being there at all. But if Klaus knew she was gone, he would've bombarded her with phone calls already. The fact he hadn't meant the vampires probably felt too embarrassed to alert him, and he was otherwise busy playing king.

"Sounds awesome!"

She spent the rest of the afternoon having the most delicious beignets she ever tasted at a tiny little corner café, which Cami claimed had better beignets than the famous Café du Monde — "Their beignet is great, but it's a tourist trap. So much more expensive and they start giving you the eye when you take too long to leave".

They talked about her appointment, about the pregnancy in general, about Cami's master's degree, her work at Rousseau's and, well, Klaus. It couldn't be helped.

The stroll around the city was fantastic, but it left her feet sore and her lower back screaming. All worth it, though. It was the finest, lightest day she'd had in a very long time. Caroline didn't think about werewolves or witches or assassination attempts. She finally got to see the city and feel like a normal person for a change.

She'd forgotten that she wasn't even supposed to leave the compound and that she'd likely find herself in a lot of trouble until she walks in and hears Klaus' voice.

Caroline sucks the air in and glues herself to the wall, hiding while she tries to get a sense of what exactly awaits her, just to be prepared.

But, surprisingly enough, he doesn't sound like he's mad at all.

"To a united front," he's saying. "This act of yours, the imitation of friendship... Don't get me wrong, you played the part well enough. I should know, having played it myself, but there was a time when the affinity between us was quite real."

Caroline's eyebrows snap together at the nearly tender tune to his voice. She leans forward a little, straining to take a peek at whoever he's talking to.

"Sure, and then you got it in your head to take what I created," comes Marcel's voice.

It's bit of a shock. She hadn't heard Klaus talk in this manner about Marcel yet. For the first time, she's getting a real feeling of the deep bonds Elijah spoke of.

"When I picked up that coin I swore loyalty, Klaus, not friendship. And I'm holding up my end. The other one has to be earned."

"Fair enough. Then you should probably know the whole story. My decision was not entirely my own. If I didn't agree to usurp your power, the witches swore to kill my unborn child. And her mother along with it," Klaus says, sounding apologetic.

Caroline swallows, her heart rate picking up a bit. As curious as she is to hear more, to see this other side of Klaus, the one that apparently still has some genuine feelings for Marcel, not to mention the part that concerns her, she is starting to think she shouldn't. This is straight-out intruding a personal moment. Just because Klaus won't talk to her, it doesn't mean she should go eavesdropping on every conversation he has with other people. Well. Not all the time, anyway.

"At first the promise of an offspring meant little to me," he continues, and Caroline's attention is piqued once more. "But I couldn't let them hurt Caroline. Who should probably try to breathe quietly if she wants to sneak around listening to other people's conversations."

Damn it.

She scrunches her eyes shut for a moment, waiting for the burning on her cheeks to subside before she comes out of hiding.

When she does, she finds Klaus looking at her with a presumptuous smirk on his face, next to Marcel, who seems very surprised.

"Good evening, gentlemen," she says, trying to act as nonplussed as possible.

"Would you care to enlighten me of your whereabouts tonight, love?"

"Actually, I would." She smiles sweetly at him. His eyes flash, but the smirk doesn't drop from his lips.

"And you wouldn't happen to know why two of my men woke up with terrible headaches, would you?"

"Oh. That would be because I snapped their necks and dumped their bodies out of sight. I might not have been very gentle while I was dragging them."

"Ah," he arches his eyebrows at her. "That's lovely. And here I was thinking I'd been clear that you were not supposed to leave."

"Funny you should say that, because I thought I'd been clear that I don't care."

"All right, I'm outta here," Marcel says, lifting his hands in the air as though in surrender. "Clearly you two have some things to work out. Caroline."

"Welcome back to the family, Marcel. Looks like you missed nothing."

Marcel snorts in amusement. As soon as they're left on their own, Klaus comes closer. And then Caroline realizes he looks... Awful.

His clothes are all ripped off and bloodied. There are red stains all over his neck. Clearly he's had a much worse day than she did.

"What happened?" she asks, real concern written on the lines on her forehead.

"Nothing that should concern you," he says, simply. "Do you want to tell me where you've been?"

"Does it matter? I went out, nobody tried to jump me. Still in one piece, see?" she stretches out her arms, letting them fall beside her body.

"Were you with Elijah, by any chance?"

She senses the trick in his question, the deceptiveness of his calm. If he's asking her that, it means he probably knows what Elijah was up to today. And he's likely traced it back to her. That's an argument they'll need to have. But she's not looking forward to it, at least not until she can speak to Elijah and learn how it went.

"No. I was with Camille, if you must know."

Klaus narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Camille?"

"Yes. She stopped by and you weren't here for your appointment. Seriously? Still doing that to her?"

"She's my stenographer."

"Oh, please. Cut the crap, Klaus. If you like her, then just ask her out, for God's sake. Buy her a drink, take her out to dinner. She's actually really nice and she knows a great café."

He frowns, wearing a slightly puzzled expression. "Are you telling me to ask Camille out on a date?"

"I'm telling you to stop compelling her to hang out with you. That's level A douchebag attitude and no girl would ever fall for a guy who does that to them."

Caroline doesn't wait to hear his explanation, if he even has one to offer, anyway. Her back is killing her, she needs to lie down for a moment. So she just flies up the stairs and goes straight to her room.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Klaus is left speechless for a good minute after Caroline leaves.

What the bloody hell was that?

He shakes his head, trying to clear his mind, and goes to fetch himself a drink. After the day he's had, he could use a couple of bottles to usher him to sleep. If he can even manage to put his head down tonight, that is. Lately, he's had more sleepless nights than the opposite. It's not exactly something he needs in order to function, but the effects are starting to show. His muscles feel tight, his head is foggier and his mood swings have become more frequent —although that last part has more to do with the swarm of incompetents surrounding him than with his insomnia.

Every time he tries to shut his eyes, his head is immediately flooded with a myriad of disasters that could happen right under his roof while he sleeps. The first night they moved into the compound, Klaus put a chair in the room next to Caroline's and barely even blinked while she slept, listening to her heart beating and the sound of her sheets rustling as she tossed and turned. She didn't have a good night either, he could tell.

Did she really just tell him she became friends with Camille?

Klaus knocks back the rest of his drink and follows her to the second floor.

He finds her rubbing the plant of her foot, a bunch of pillows thrown haphazardly behind her back as she sits against the headboard of her bed, her eyes closed and a pained expression on her face.

"Are you all right?"

She sighs, slowly opening her eyes to peer at him as though she were already expecting him to follow at some point.

"I'm not the one who looks like I just stepped out of a war zone. Are you all right?" she turns the question around, her eyes following the blood stains on his shirt.

"I was in a bit of a kerfuffle."

"Looks more like at the end of a firing squad." She pauses. "Did you get hurt?"

"Barely. It's mostly not my blood."

"Did anyone die?"

Klaus hesitates.

He's not deliberately trying to keep these things a secret from her, he just... Doesn't really think she'd be very understanding. Some might think his methods a tad unorthodox, but they're highly effective, and certain extreme situations demand extreme measures. He prefers to avoid the judgement, if he can. Not to mention, it would only annoy her further. She finds enough reasons to berate him as it is.

Right now, however, being dismissive or straight out lying to her would probably only make her more suspicious, angrier. Not sharing will vex her far more than any well-intentioned omission.

He should've changed his clothes as soon as he got home.

"Yes," he replies, finally. "Some of the nightwalkers. There was an attack to the place where they go to hide during the day. They blew up the shutters. They burned."

Caroline's brow furrows, her mouth drawing into a displeased move. "God. Who did that?"

"The humans."

"Humans?" she parrots, surprised. "Why would they do that?"

He shrugs. "They thought I'd be as accommodating to their corrupt ways as Marcel was for the past so many decades, and when they realized their mistake, they tried to demonstrate their power. I guess they didn't know who they were dealing with. I took care of rectifying that by making the appropriate introductions."

"Should I be worried?"

"Why would that worry you?"

"Are they gonna come for me as well? Should I add humans to my list of potential enemies? It keeps growing by the day."

"They won't come for you. The new man in charge of the human faction is trustworthy. I believe he will do the right thing by his community, unlike his predecessors."

"Wow. For you to say someone is trustworthy, the guy must be a saint."

"Almost. He's a priest."

Caroline snorts, amused. "Are you serious? Did you threaten a man of God into taking that job and bowing down to you?"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

Caroline throws her head back, laughing. Something fragile inside Klaus' chest thrums with the sound.

"I don't even know why I find that so absurd," she says, in-between chuckles.

"Enough talking about me. Now," he prods, cocking his eyebrows to indicate it's her turn to speak.

"My day was not as thrilling as yours," she says, rolling her eyes. "I had a doctor's appointment, that was it."

"Doctor?" Klaus blinks, suddenly all serious as he approaches her bed with purposeful steps. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I don't know if you're aware of this, but in the 21st century pregnant women make regular visits to the doctor. It's routine."

"Why was Camille with you?"

"Because she suggested it when I complained about some back pains — which is fine, by the way, it's perfectly normal," she adds, raising her voice slightly to stop him as he opens his mouth to start issuing more concern. "The doctor was a friend of hers, she made us a favor by fitting me in last minute. But don't go getting mad at Cami. I'm sure she wouldn't have said anything if she could remember your conversations."

After a spell of silence, Klaus asks, "Did you mean what you said downstairs?"

"What part?"

"That you think I should pursue a romantic relationship with Camille."

Caroline gives him a hard look. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think, Caroline."

"Well, neither do I. You say you're not interested in her like that, that she's a spy, but she hasn't been with Marcel for a while now, and you still see her. What am I supposed to think? All I know is that she's actually really nice. I wish she was a bitch, because that way I could just be mean to her, but she's not. She's funny and thoughtful and really smart, and what you're doing to her is not cool. You're messing with her head. She has all these blank spaces in her mind, hours and hours of her day that are a complete mystery. She really thinks she's going crazy, Klaus. So no, I don't want you to ask her out, but if you are into her, than just be honest about it and stop acting like a jerk to a nice girl. And stop lying to me, too. I deserve to know."

"I assure you I have no interest in Camille that way, Caroline. I just... Appreciate the company. She's a good listener. Even if her advice is at times unasked for."

"So you compel her to listen to you? That's it? You just want someone to talk to?"

He smiles wanly. "Camille's professional assessment is that I'm a lonely man with trust issues who wishes to be understood. The architect of my own unhappiness, I believe were her words."

Caroline is quiet for a long moment, her eyes dark and considering as she watches him. "What am I to you, Klaus?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"It's a simple question. Am I anything to you other than the mother of your child?"

For long, agonizing seconds, Klaus' mind goes completely blank as he stares into Caroline's piercing blue eyes. His thoughts are scattered. His mouth opens and closes several times as successive answers rise to his lips, only to fall immediately after.

Caroline thinks it's a simple question, but her assessment couldn't be further away from the truth. What is she to him? There's so much packed into those five little words. Klaus has never thought of things that way. He's never tried to shape his complicated, abstract feelings into something concrete, definite. It's always remained unnamed.

She's been so many things over the years. His initial assessment of Caroline was as clichéd as it goes; pretty, but dull. The only thing he remembers clearly from their first encounter is the sound of her screams as he snapped Tyler's neck. It had been music to his ears then. Now he cannot fathom a more horrifying sound. His interest was sparked when he realized he could use her to spite Tyler, punish him for his insubordination.

She was so brave when he showed up to heal her after Tyler's attack. She was dying, bleeding out fast. "Are you here to kill me?" she asked, but she wasn't afraid. Caroline looked him right in the eye, didn't even flinch. There was a spark in her eyes as she said, "I don't want to die." It wasn't a plea, it was a simply stated fact. He felt genuinely sorry for having ordered Tyler to bite her. The birthday gift he left for her in the middle of the night was meant as an apology, though he doubts she understood it. None of that stopped her from hating him, of course. Regardless of how polite or thoughtful he tried to be, she always shut him down with spite, twisting the blade in whenever the opportunity arose. Caroline's alluring exterior hides a strong personality, and she can be vicious when she wants to. Klaus doesn't necessarily see that as a bad thing, except when she turns her thorns to him.

He branded her as difficult and not worthwhile, utterly unapproachable, and vowed to never attempt anything ever again. But all it took for him to change his mind were two agreeable words from her. At some point, he isn't sure when, Klaus came to the realization that Caroline was dangerous. Not because she posed a threat herself, but because there was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for her. Anything she wanted was hers, anything she asked, he would do it. She was a vulnerability made flesh, and one he couldn't put down with a dagger and keep locked away in a box.

He knows he became many things to her as well. A disruption. A skewed moral compass. A source of comfort, even. But he does not know what to be now. Does not now know how to be what she needs.

He can see the disappointment in her eyes at his failure to produce an answer. She looks away from him, down at her own lap. It feels like a punch to his face.

"Back in Mystic Falls, I thought we had... Something," she says. "A connection. I don't know. It drove me crazy at first, to feel like you understood me better than everyone else. Despite the fact that we were obviously completely different, it seemed like we had this... Bond. Like people sometimes do, I guess. But ever since I got here..." She lifts her face, her gaze filled with an exhausted kind of frustration. "I don't feel that connection anymore. I mean, there are moments... But it never lasts. Most of the time, I barely know you at all, Klaus. I don't know if I was misreading the signals before or–"

"You weren't," he rushes to retort.

"Then what happened? I know this kind of changed the stakes," she points to her swollen stomach. "But you were the only person who would actually always listen to me before, and now I feel like I'm screaming at the walls. You treat me like all I am is a baby who's not even born yet."

"That's not true, I don't see you that way."

"But it's what it feels like to me. You keep me at bay, Klaus. To the point I didn't even want to tell I'd like to see a doctor. I told this to Elijah once and I will tell you, too. I'm not some ornamental thing for you to keep in your house like one of your paintings. I'm a person. A mother-to-be is not everything I am. Even if I mean nothing to you anymore, you have to remember that. You owe me at least this much."

"Caroline, you are..." Beautiful. Bright. Strong. Full of life and fire. The most fascinating, compelling person I've met in a very long time and the very reason behind everything I do these days. "More. So much more. That's the whole problem, in fact."

"That I'm more?"

"I can't risk losing you. I can't fathom the idea, won't even entertain the thought. And I know that you're strong, and brilliant, and you can take care of yourself, of my —our child. But I simply cannot risk it. If anything were to ever happen to you–"

"There you go again. I'm not a passive bystander, Klaus."

"That's not what I mean. I have too many enemies, and the things that brought me, that brought us, to this city are still out there, biding their time, waiting for a chance to charge at us. With witches having premonitions about the baby all over the country, perhaps even the whole world, who's to say more outsiders won't come, seeking to end our child's life, and yours along with it? Even Tyler Lockwood attempted to have you murdered. I knew revenge ate at him, but I never thought he'd do anything to harm you."

Caroline's gaze flickers from his eyes, away, then back again. The memory of Tyler's attack seems to sadden her still. "I never thought he would either."

"So you see? Call it paranoia if you like, but I have never wanted to protect anything as much as... You."

"Then talk to me. I'm right here. All this time, all I've wanted was for you to come to me. To at least try to be friends. But for every step forward, you take ten back right after. Tell me how you feel, Klaus. What you're thinking. Why you do the things that you do. And maybe we can discuss and decide things together, instead of you acting like a tyrant with power of attorney over my entire life. And if the only reason you're keeping Cami around really is so that you'll have someone to listen to your side of the story, then don't use her. Use me."

Klaus lets out a sharp breath that is the ghost of a laugh. "You have no idea how hard that is," he says dismally.

Talking to Camille and talking to Caroline — or to Elijah, or Rebekah, or even Marcel, for that matter — isn't the same. How could it be? Camille is easy. She doesn't know him. The only bits of his story she's aware of are the parts he's shared with her himself. His side of history. And still she finds cause for criticism, remarking on all the flaws in his logic, which he'll concede are many. If he gets particularly annoyed by something she says, he just compels her to forget and sends her on her way. She only keeps the parts he allows her to keep, even in his presence. And acid though Camille might get on her commentary, Klaus doesn't care what she thinks. Not really. It's nice to be understood, but it's not a necessity when it comes to Camille. Whether she'll like him more or less for the stories he shares with her, it's not important. Not the point of their sessions, either. Whereas Caroline...

She cannot be compelled. Moreover, Klaus wouldn't want to compel her. He's always admired her honesty, a trait, in fact, which she shares with Camille — perhaps that's why he's kept the bartender around, after all. Why would he ever want to erase something that's always been a cornerstone of their relationship? When he won Caroline's affections, it was by being true to her. For better or for worse, he never lied. Still doesn't. He just... Has been toeing the fine line between lie and omission, trying to preserve whatever's left of their fragile connection.

What she thinks, how she sees him, matters. Her accusations and judgment strike him in ways Camille's never could.

"It's not the same, speaking with you and with Camille."

"Do you trust her more than you trust me?"

"Of course not."

"Then you have to at least try, Klaus. Otherwise... What are we even doing here? I'll just go back to Mystic Falls and we'll split the holidays and you can visit on the weekends."

Unable to give the answer he knows Caroline wants from him, Klaus turns his face away from her unyielding stare, fixing his gaze on the windows, cringing inwardly at his own inadequacy.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Klaus goes silent, something Caroline knows it's hardly ever a good sign. She saw a little light at the end of the tunnel, like Klaus was finally going to open up to her and be honest about... Well, something. But then a shield slid down in his eyes and the window was closed.

She feels the bite of frustration tear at her again.

She wants to hold his head and physically shake him, yell at his face and see if it'll bring some clarity to that warped and confused mind of his. If this is how every interaction with Klaus is going to be like every time they have a problem to sort through or a decision to make regarding the baby, then may the Lord have her soul, because she's not going to take it.

She chews on her lip thoughtfully, and then, making a decision, stands up and goes to where she dropped her purse. She fishes out the little piece of paper she brought from her appointment, handing it over to Klaus, who looks at her with his eyebrows knit together.

"What is this?" he asks, looking down at the photograph not really understanding what he's seeing. Caroline wishes she was in a better mood so she could laugh at this.

"It's your daughter."

His face snaps up at her, wide-eyed and clearly speechless.

Caroline grins. As rocked as this boat is, she can't help but find his reaction endearing. She moves a little closer, pointing to a tiny point in the middle of the image. "The tiny thing that looks like a big-headed alien. That's her." Klaus looks back down at the ultrasound image, mesmerized. "She's strong and healthy, by the way. It's just the mom who's a little stressed out."

He lifts his face again, eyeing Caroline questioningly. "Are you ok?"

"Everything's fine. I just have to take some vitamins, eat my beets and do some yoga for my back. The baby may be magical, but my body is still very much human."

Something in Klaus' expression softens again, the hard shield in his eyes dissipating as he traces the contour of the baby on the image with the tip of his index finger.

"I counted all her fingers and toes, three times. No horns, no tails or wings either. I was half-expecting to see a unicorn when the doctor turned on the ultrasound, was already making up excuses for any strange features she might see, but... She's perfectly normal." Caroline pauses, eyes flickering away from him for a moment, down to the picture in his hand, then back. "You know, when I saw her on the screen and listened to her little heart beating... All I could think about is that I wanted you to be there. I am so mad at you, Klaus, you have no idea. But you're not the only one with a sad father story. Mine left me when I was ten. He was a witch, a powerful one, and I was the biggest disappointment of his life. I had no obvious talent for magic and wasn't all that interested either. I botched everything he tried to teach me. I remember hearing him say This family is killing me when he packed up his things and left."

She stops, swallowing past a lump in her throat, her mind reeling to a moment almost ten years before. It feels like yesterday. Caroline places a protective hand on her belly; now that she's about to have her own child, those wounds feel brand new again.

"He disappeared for years and then one day he showed up on our door again. I thought he'd had a change of heart and realized the errors of his way, that maybe he missed me, wanted to make amends. But actually he was just there to hunt vampires. Word got out that our supernatural population was starting to grow. He used me to get to them and then said he was ashamed his own daughter had become a vampire lover when I tried to help my friends. He... Tortured me for a little while there. I couldn't even fight back, so shocked that I was. It was like... Being in a bad dream. There was a part of me that refused to believe that my dad would do that to me. There had to be an explanation or a reason. But there wasn't. He just really... Really hated vampires more than he ever loved me. I knew it wasn't my fault, that I'd never done anything to warrant that kind of hatred, but it still... Broke me."

Her voice breaks down at the end, warm tears pricking her eyes. Klaus shifts closer, and for a second Caroline thinks he's going to touch her, or hug her, or just pull her into him. Despite their differences and the fact they're clearly not in a good place at the moment, she wouldn't mind him doing so. But his hand stills mid-air, and he hesitates. Instead, Klaus pulls a lock of hair behind her ear, the tips of his fingers grazing her skin lightly, lingering for just a second too long. A rush travels through her at his touch. Caroline doesn't breathe until he pulls his hand away.

He seems to struggle for a moment, unsure of what to say, finally settling upon, "I had no idea."

She nods, wiping away the tears with the back of her hands.

"No, you didn't. Because we don't talk. Remember that time you said you wanted to know all about my hopes and dreams and things that I want in life? Feels like a million years ago."

"I still do. I just... I'm scared all the time, Caroline. For you. For the child. This city is out to get my family and everything that I care for."

"I'm scared too. I'm freaking out, Klaus. As I was there today at the doctor, the whole thing with my dad came back to me. All the nights I spent awake, crying, blaming myself, thinking that it was my fault he left. And I realized... I don't want my daughter to go through the same thing that I did. So you're gonna have to do better."

There's a light shrug, and Klaus looks down almost sheepishly. "I'll admit that I wasn't that thrilled by the idea of having a child at first."

"Yeah, I know." He frowns at her. "I heard you talking to Marcel. Apparently you're fine confiding these things to everyone else, even your mortal enemies."

"That's not– How was I supposed to tell you that?"

"The same way you told him. I don't hold that against you. I was far from excited about this pregnancy myself. It would've been nice to have someone to talk to who wasn't, actually. Your siblings are great, but they were way too on board right off the bat. It was a little… Intimidating."

"You keep saying that, but why didn't you try to talk to me? Why was I the only one supposed to start conversation?"

"Because you snapping at everyone all the time does not invite conversation, Klaus."

He opens his mouth to protest some more, but then snaps it back shut with an exhale.

"What I was saying," he continues after a moment. "Is that I wasn't excited at first, and I'm still... Working on it. But I recalled my own father. How he held me in contempt from the moment I was born, as yours did with you. And rest assured, Caroline, whatever doubts and inadequacies I might have over fatherhood, I won't do to my child what was done to me. To us," he vows with steel in his eyes.

Caroline hears the promise in his voice, and then she takes in the dreadful state he's in. His blood-soaked clothes, the red stains on the skin of his neck and hands, the bullet-sized holes on his jacket.

There is more than one way to torture a child. Klaus isn't the only one guilty of this kind of behavior, and she's been around long enough to know that, in their world, engaging in violence is inevitable. Sometimes, it's survival. But to Klaus... That's a normal Wednesday.

She smiles shortly, refusing to meet his eyes. "Good. You can keep that, by the way," she nods towards the picture still in his hand.

He nods. "I'll let you rest, then."

"Thanks."

He stops by the door before leaving, looks back at her with a question on his eyes. But then his gaze falls and he shuts the door gently behind him as he leaves.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Elijah is deliberately noisy in his arrival as to not startle her again.

He waited until she came outside to go up on her balcony. Somehow, barging into her room felt like too much of an intrusion. And if Niklaus finds him there... Well. It's best if they try to keep the animosities to a low, if they can help it.

Caroline seems distracted, watching the movement outside as loud groups of tourists rejoice in their evening strolls across the French Quarter. But when she hears him landing, she turns around, an expectant look in her eyes.

"How did it go?" she asks, her grip on the bannister tightening nervously.

Elijah smiles, genuinely satisfied to be the bearer of good news, for a change. "They're safe. All of them."

Caroline draws a relieved breath, her whole face lighting up. She rushes to Elijah, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Thank you," she mumbles. "Thank you so much, Elijah."

He swallows down hard, shutting his eyes against the roar of need that flares up inside of him. Every ounce of his will commands him to hold her, to bury his face in her golden locks, to pull her closer, flush against him. The sweet scent of her fills his nostrils, overwhelming his senses, and it's all Elijah can do to remain very still.

She pulls away, smiling like sunshine at him. "I know it wasn't easy for you, going against your brother to protect werewolves. I hope you know how much I appreciate it."

He grins nervously, trying not to meet her gaze, putting some space between them. "How was your appointment with the doctor?"

She shrugs. "Fine. Everything's good."

"Has Niklaus...?"

Caroline sighs wearily, her expression becoming immediately clouded as she turns back to the street. "You know him. He wasn't too pleased, as you can imagine, especially since I had to knock out a few of his sentinels to escape."

So he's keeping her a prisoner again. His brother is the very definition of insane, attempting the same things over and over, expecting different outcomes.

"I'm sorry," Elijah says.

"It's ok. Well, no, it isn't. It's far from ok. But... I'll be fine. At least the view is better here."

The view is perfect, Elijah thinks, feeling a sting of guilt almost immediately.

There isn't a world where being with Nik is better for anyone than being with you.

Rebekah's voice thunders in his head. She is so close... He wouldn't even have to take a full step to reach her. A violent chill runs down his spine as he imagines himself being bold, obstinate, and putting his hands on the curve of her waist and the small of her back. He wonders what it would be like to kiss her, whether she'd yield in his arms, surrender to his ministrations. He wants to taste her, to find out what's so intoxicating about Caroline Forbes that had his unflappable brother bent at her will.

Maybe Niklaus deserves to lose her. He is neither emotionally mature nor sensible enough to appreciate just how lucky he is. And if that's the case, if his brother is too blind or too proud to honor the once-in-a-million-lifetimes opportunity he's been given, then it is his own fault if Caroline decides she no longer wants to wait around for him to grow a conscience.

No.

He faces away from her, taking two large steps back. He cannot allow himself these fantasies. Cannot entertain these thoughts. Not after Tatia and Aurora. As crazy as it is, he actually owes it to his brother to stay out of this.

It would be one thing if Caroline were to reciprocate his feelings, but so far he's had no evidence whatsoever of that. She treats him like a friend — a dear one, perhaps, someone she trusts, but nothing more.

"Elijah?" she questions, and he realizes his sudden distance might have seemed odd.

"I should go," he says.

She nods. "Okay. Thank you again."

"Don't hesitate to contact me or Rebekah if you ever need anything. Anything at all."

Caroline smiles again. "I know I can count on you," she says.

Elijah feels a twist in his chest, but keeps it off his expression. "Good night, Caroline." And then he's gone.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Klaus stops halfway on the stairs, sighing.

He feels bone-weary, mentally spent and just had to go down to the cellar himself to fetch a new bottle of bourbon because apparently Marcel excused the vampires from service tonight, which makes him also terribly annoyed. He is in no mood for lectures and chidings; his quota for the day has been gloriously filled by Caroline, who never fails to find fault in his actions. Although... Not everything about their conversation was terrible. She confided in him about her father. Confessed she'd wanted him to be with her as she went on her doctor appointment. And gave him a picture of the ultrasound. Silver linings and all. He was only beginning to feel a little better, and then...

Elijah did always have a terrible sense of timing.

"Haven't you had your fill of telling me all the ways I have disappointed you, Elijah?" he asks, not turning around to meet his big brother's always unforgiving stare.

"There is something important we neglected to discuss," he says. Bracing himself, Klaus finally whirls around to face him, who looks up from the bottom of the staircase. "I accused you of having motives regarding your child. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Klaus' brow bunches in confusion for a second. He did not see that coming. He remains silent for a moment, waiting for Elijah to add something — I'm sorry, but you brought this on yourself. But your child would be better without you anyway. But you're a disappointment to your family. Elijah says nothing, though. He merely waits, his eyes unreadable, but not hard.

He would never say those things, anyway. Elijah is far too kind for that. Far too loyal. With a pang, Klaus realizes that a large portion of the resentment he's been fostering in the last few of weeks comes from how his head fills in the blanks he imagines in his brother's speech. No one has to say anything; Klaus provides his own narrative. And perhaps he's right; but perhaps he isn't.

The only truth is... He remains absolutely no good without his big brother.

"I imagine that must have been hard for you to say."

Elijah's lips curl into a sad smile. "You don't make it easy to love you, brother."

"And yet you're obstinate in your desire to do so." Klaus' gaze flickers away from his brother, down to the bottle of bourbon in his hand, than back. "When you're ready, should you be so inclined, both you and Rebekah are welcome to join Caroline and myself here. It is, after all, our family home."

Elijah doesn't quite hide the bewilderment, his lips parting but no sound coming out. He was obviously not expecting a formal invitation to move in. Truth be told, it wasn't in Klaus' plans either.

The thing about keeping your enemies closer than your friends is that, one day, you might wake up to realize enemies is all you've got. Aside from Caroline, and perhaps Marcel, Klaus has been awfully lonely at the French Quarter. Coming back home has been nothing like he thought it would be. This compound — it is too big, too full of memories, for just two people. Strength in numbers, they say. Strength in loyalty, he thinks. He can count on one hand how many people he'd trust Caroline's life with. And Elijah and Rebekah are definitely amongst those.

Also... He just really misses his siblings.

He leaves Elijah to stew in his thoughts and retires into his studio, only sending a quick glance towards the closed door of Caroline's bedroom.

Some days feel far lonelier than others.

TBC

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So... thoughts?! There's a lot to unpack here and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you guys think! :)