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.]

12. S01E12: Dance Back From the Grave

A/N: IMPORTANT! For those of you who did not watch TO or do not remember, episode 12 is the one immediately after the crossover with The Vampire Diaries, when Klaus and Rebekah go back to Mystic Falls and we all know what happens. I've shaken things up a bit and I hope you guys enjoy my twist on that crossover.

Because of that, there are lots of TVD info in this chapter, things that have happened while Caroline was away. I googled, I watched some YT videos and I read lots of entries on Vampire Wiki, but I did not go back to rewatch tons of TVD episodes just to write a couple of paragraphs here. So if there are any mistakes (and there might be), I ask you to please forgive me. It's been YEARS since I last watched season 5 and my memory sucks.

As always, I have to thank coveredinthecolors for taking some time to read over this monster chapter (it's the longest one so far). Took me a while to update cause I was busy with life and KCAUWeek - I wrote drabbles, btw! It's all upon AO3 or , in case you're interested. :)

Big thank you to everyone who kept reminding me they were eagerly expecting an update! This makes me more excited about getting quicker updates out. Your feedback is life!

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A phone call from Mystic Falls wakes Caroline up.

She stares at her phone for a long time, trying to make sense of it and not entirely sure it's not a dream. Stefan's name is flashing on the screen.

Stefan never calls.

He hasn't called her once since she came to New Orleans — which, honestly, Caroline doesn't hold against him. He never called back when she was still in Mystic Falls either and they were sort of best friends. Granted, they used to see each other every other day, but phones are just not his thing. He barely talks to people in person, let alone calls them. She'd more easily expect a wax-sealed letter delivered by pigeons before a phone call.

Panic licks at her belly all of a sudden. If Stefan's calling her, it must be urgent. And if it's urgent enough for Stefan to try and reach her — not Elena, not Bonnie, not her mom, not even Matt; Stefan —then...

Oh, God. Oh nonononono...

With the worst possible scenarios already flashing through her mind, she fumbles to take the call, her heart beating in her throat.

"What is it?" she splutters, words tumbling over one another.

"Caroline?"

"Yeah. What happened?"

"Woah. Are you ok?"

"Am I ok? You just woke me up! With a phone call!"

"Oh. Did I freak you out a little bit there?"

"Of course you did," she snaps, sitting up in bed. "You never call. It's..." She checks the hour on her phone. "Not even eight in the morning. What? Did someone die?"

"All right, calm down. No one died." He pauses. "Yet."

"What?!"

"It's no one you care about."

"Stefan!"

"It's Katherine. Katherine is dying."

Caroline is quiet for a long time, her still sleep-muddled brain trying to process the information. "What?"

"Katherine took the cure, then Silas drained it out of her, and now she's dying of old age and -"

"All right, let me stop you right there," she cuts in, feeling a little dizzy at the sheer amount of information to unpack in such a small sentence. "Katherine took the cure?"

She spends the next thirty minutes on the phone getting up to speed in Mystic Falls drama. A lot has happened since she left, way more than her mother or her friends had been sharing. They always made it sound like everything was fine, boringly so. Regular crimes only for the town sheriff; finals and frat parties for her two college student best friends. Caroline became convinced that she was the disaster magnet after all; as soon as she left, all the apocalyptic stuff followed her right out of Virginia and into the swamps of Louisiana.

Apparently, not exactly.

Stefan spent weeks drowning at the bottom of the quarry lake and — surprise — he's also a doppelganger! Silas' doppelganger, nonetheless.

It takes Caroline two whole minutes just to recover from that.

"You're a doppelganger? Like… A real freaking… doppelganger?"

"Yep."

"Does that mean there could be other Stefans out there?"

"That's exactly what it means."

"Holy shit, Stefan."

"You have no idea."

How the fucking hell did no one think that was worthy of a mention? Elena spent ten minutes describing her new freaking haircut. Surely she could've mentioned all the months Stefan went missing. Or that Bonnie spent a while there strolling across the Other Side. Or that she wasted the cure everyone had been fighting over like lunatics into Katherine, only for Silas to drain the whole thing out of her. So now 500 years of wickedness are catching up in record time, and she probably won't last much longer.

Oh, yeah. She also has a daughter called Nadia who's part of some creepy cult-like thing called The Travelers that has been causing all sorts of trouble all over Mystic Falls.

By the time Caroline gets off the phone, her head is pounding and her heart hangs heavy — and it is definitely not because of Katherine.

Hearing about all the things she's missed out on for the last few months made Caroline realize how fast life moved on without her back in Mystic Falls. One of her best friends was officially declared dead for a while and nobody bothered telling her. It could be a side effect of Rebekah's compulsion; maybe her choice of words made everyone think they should spare her of the gory details, just so she wouldn't feel like going home at the first sign of trouble, which... She probably would have. Nobody would've kept her from attending Bonnie's funeral and Klaus would've never let her go on her own. She would've had to show up with an Original in tow and maybe a horde of enemies trying to put her down while she mourned her friend and a strange round belly, which would've prompted questions she's not ready to answer. So... Not ideal.

Still. It's the principle of the thing. They've kept their secrets from her, she's kept hers from them, and the world didn't stop turning on either side. The painful realization that her life and that of her friends are no longer directly intertwined settles with a heavy weight inside of her. She's known some of them since before she could walk. They were her whole universe, and now... They're as good as nothing to each other.

Caroline's never felt more far removed from home.

She takes a minute to recover after she hangs up the phone, and then there's a brief moment of puzzlement when she realizes she's not in her own room, before she remembers she'd climbed into bed with Rebekah the night before. Yet another proof of just how estranged she's grown from her old life. She has no idea what's going on with her best friends, but she's sharing beds with Rebekah Mikaelson. And being glad for having her by her side. Caroline was way too messed up to be on her own after the emotional rollercoaster of the previous night, and Rebekah was kind enough not to kick her out or make too many uncomfortable questions. The Original sister is nowhere to be found now, though.

Caroline drags herself out of bed, goes back to her room to splash some water on her face, brush her teeth and maybe feel a little bit like a human being again, and then she goes padding across the compound after the Mikaelsons. She can't imagine they wouldn't want to hear about Katherine. She never meant much to Caroline — just another name on an ever-growing list of nasty bitches who have tried to kill her — but she definitely means something to her Original house mates. Katherine was a part of their lives in one way or another for 500 years, and maybe it's the pregnancy hormones or the phone call from Stefan making her sentimental, but Caroline can't imagine having someone you've known for that long dying and not feeling anything. Even she feels like this is the end of an era, and she's known Katherine for little over three years — and hated her pretty much the whole time.

She finds Klaus is in his studio, doing something that only faintly resembles painting. It's more like sparring. He is viciously attacking the canvas with a brush.

It's hard to miss the stench of alcohol.

She sighs. Barely eight in the morning and already he's started drinking. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say he's still drinking. Given everything that happened last night and how sour his mood obviously seems to be, Klaus probably hasn't seen his bed in a while. Things might've gotten uglier than she thought possible with Marcel.

"What has that painting ever done to you?" she asks jokingly, trying to clear up the air.

Klaus falters for just a second at the sound of her voice, the muscles on his back visibly tensing the only sign that he's acknowledged her presence.

"Wow," she says, stepping into the studio. "Last night must've been fun."

"For some of us, I'm sure," he grumbles.

Caroline's brow crinkles in confusion at his cryptic comment. "Ok. I was being sarcastic, actually."

"I wasn't."

"Well, I just got off the phone with Stefan," she continues, deciding to ignore the snap in his voice. Klaus is hard enough to read when he's acting like a normal person, when he's in one of his moods it's just impossible to try and get on the same wavelength of that complicated head of his. It's like he is the pregnant hormonal person in the room, not her. "You're never gonna believe what -"

"Katerina took the cure and lies on the brink of death," he cuts her off, curtly.

Caroline blinks. "You know?"

"Damon called."

"Oh." So that's why Stefan reached out, after all... Katherine's impending death isn't something they deem important, just a fact they're spreading around to any interested parties. It makes her feel a little sad, actually. "Well. What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing."

"Don't you want to -"

"No."

"Wow, you're being a dick." Klaus glowers while he pours himself a glass of scotch, downs the whole thing at once and then goes back to his painting. "All right, then. Forgive me for trying to strike up conversation, your majesty. I'll leave you to your... Whatever this is. Where's Elijah? Does he know about Katherine?"

At the mention of his brother's name, Klaus stops, his entire body going stiff, his grip on the brush so strong it snaps in two. Caroline' frown deepens.

"Elijah left."

Caroline's heart gives a violent lurch in her chest, cold fear spreading all through her guts. "Wha-what? What do you mean... Elijah left?"

Elijah can't have left. Not so fast, not without telling her. But if he was going to leave, this is exactly how he would do, isn't it? Oh, God... She should've followed him last night instead of having a break down and weeping all over Rebekah's pillows. She should've forced him to talk to her, reason with him until he was demoted of this stupid idea of leaving. This is exactly what she was afraid of, exactly why she hesitated so much to talk to him. He said she'd never lose his friendship, and then he leaves without saying anything? Not even a goodbye?

It explains Klaus' mood, at least. His brother left.

Oh, God...

She wants to get her phone and yell at Elijah until he turns back around and comes home, and she's not afraid to use the pregnancy card. He can't just do that to her. To his family. It's not fair that he'll make her feel guilty when he's the one who -

"Worried, love?" Klaus asks, turning around with an ugly smirk plastered on his face and a dark glint in his eyes. "Afraid he's abandoned you?" Before Caroline can school her face to express just how lost she is at the sour twist in his voice, he continues. "Don't worry. He went to Mystic Falls with Rebekah. I suppose he wanted to say goodbye to Katerina. He was in love with her once, after all. Did he ever tell you that? In fact, he was engrossed in some kind of romantic foolery with her right before the witches summoned me here and he decided it was in his best interest to mind my business. Perhaps he regrets it now. Perhaps he just realized he still has very deep feelings for her."

Caroline watches him quietly for a moment, her anxiety receding at the revelation Elijah's just gone to see Katherine. That's better. It means he's coming back. Probably. Hopefully. Although... She doesn't think he would do that without telling her first if things weren't weird. "Ok... Well, that's... Sad. I guess."

"Yes... Very sad, indeed. But I'm certain my valiant brother will be back soon with a broken heart in need of mending. And you'll be right here waiting, won't you?"

She blinks at him, somewhat incredulous. "What? Why would I -"

Klaus doesn't stay to finish the conversation, just takes the half-finished bottle of scotch, his eyes searching her briefly, and then he marches past her, leaving Caroline to fill in the blanks of his raging silence herself.

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

If Elijah believed in divine provisions, that is how he would describe that phone call from Mystic Falls.

It's perhaps a tad cruel to think that way when Katerina lay on her deathbed at the Salvatores' home. Elijah was far from happy with the news, quite the opposite. He never wished her any harm, did his very best for 500 years to keep her off his brother's radar. Not that she needed his aid; Katerina is as sly and resourceful as it gets. She had to be, to escape Niklaus' vengeful wrath for as long as she did. But as saddened as he was by the news, Elijah was glad to have a good reason to leave the compound for a couple of days.

Anything to avoid Caroline.

How is he ever supposed to look her in the eye again after that… unfortunate incident?

Elijah never meant to kiss her. He made a promise he would never, ever dare to act upon his feelings, but it seems the only person he can't keep his word to is himself. Something possessed him in that moment and, before he knew it, she was turning her face away, proclaiming her love for Niklaus. Which is exactly what he wanted, isn't it? He should be relieved. Instead, he feels... Blue. Out of sorts. In need of a break from all this to gather his bearings again. In addition to being mortally embarrassed, of course. It was one of the most awkward moments of his life. One thousand years and Elijah never had a woman he was smitten with and about to kiss profess her love for someone else, much less one of his brothers. Then again, he never tried to kiss a woman pregnant with his brother's child. There truly is a first time for everything.

He's not entirely sure he shouldn't be leaving for good, but Caroline's pleas have resonated with him. He would never forgive himself if something was to happen to her or to his brother because he wasn't there. And in any case, he gave her his word that he would stay, keep her safe, help his brother make a home for their family out of New Orleans again. So at least until the baby is born, Elijah should uphold his promise. Afterward… It's a whole other story. Let them cross that bridge once they get to it.

Either way, he's certain he'll be fine, he just... Needs a moment.

The tempestuous mood that afflicted Niklaus the morning they got the call was the final push he needed to decide to go on a road trip. Rebekah volunteered to join him, and so the two of them jumped in the car and left towards Mystic Falls.

In many ways, that little town in the middle of Virginia is home to them. It never felt as such because they always knew they were bound to leave it, even before they were turned. They couldn't live under the influence of Mikael's inexhaustible hatred for long. Niklaus would certainly take off sooner or later, probably would've done it much earlier than the rest of them if he hadn't fallen in love with Tatia, hoping to marry her. Elijah stayed for the same reason. But that sacred ground is where they were born and where they died. Those woods are all they ever knew in their human lives. It's where they were made into monsters, changing the destinies of thousands and thousands throughout history. Like Caroline Forbes'. And Katerina Petrova's.

Elijah cared very deeply for her once. Was instantly charmed by her charisma, her easy smile, her light. Anyone who's only ever met her as Katherine Pierce would find it hard to believe, but she once had a soul as bright and pure as the sun. Her enthusiasm was captivating. He even foolishly imagined they could've spent a lifetime together. How, if she was the one thing his brother had been seeking for centuries? Niklaus would've gone to hell and back to get her; the prophecy said the doppelganger had to die, and so he would've never allowed her to live.

Elijah worked tirelessly towards finding a way to preserve Katerina after the ritual, which eventually saved Elena Gilbert, but was useless for the purpose it was meant to serve. He was too late. And too blind. It was but a foolish dream. And in many ways, a mercy. Had Katerina survived, Niklaus would soon realize that her blood was the secret to building an army, and her life would be filled with misery. She would've been but a slave at the hands of Niklaus and he would've sucked all the liveliness and the joy out of her. She would've withered away, and Elijah would've never forgiven himself for condemning her to such a fate. To a free spirit like her, it would be far worse than death.

Katerina's passion for life was so great that she did the only thing she could in order to survive: killed herself, vanishing into the unknown world for the next 500 years. He was heartbroken to see her go, but so very proud as well. She was every bit the gem he believed her to be.

There were many times when Elijah found himself wondering about the paths her life must've taken, whether he could find her again, and how it would be if he did. Every now and then someone would approach Niklaus with invaluable information of her whereabouts, trying to get in his good graces. Once she was no longer of use, she stopped being a priority, but Elijah had no doubt that, were she ever to cross his brother's path again, she was as good as dead. So as much as he wanted to see her, he hoped he never would.

It was during the civil war time when a vampire they'd sent to negotiate trade in another state came back with a story about a woman named Katherine Pierce, perfectly matching the descriptions of Katerina, who had been seen in Virginia as a guest at the house of an important land owner by the name of Giuseppe Salvatore. Elijah asked to see proof and the man showed a small portrait of her. His heart warmed at the sight of Katerina. Beautiful, regal, still alive and kicking after so many years. The sunshine smile remained, but her eyes were different, older and darker. Elijah inquired the man about whether anyone else knew of his tale, and when he denied, he ripped the vampire's heart out and burned the portrait, guaranteeing Katerina at least a few more years of peace. Niklaus was distracted in New Orleans, but he wouldn't bet against his brother's willingness to take a trip to Virginia to satisfy four hundred years of grudge. Especially since he was yet to find another doppelganger.

Elijah considered going to her himself, but... It didn't make sense anymore. New Orleans was his home and for the first time in centuries he was truly invested in what he and Niklaus were building there. Besides, Katerina had clearly made a life for herself escaping them. It was for the best that they stayed away from each other. It had kept her alive.

Eventually, when their paths became once more intertwined through the advent of Elena Gilbert, they found their way back to each other. And Elijah appreciated the brief time they had together. It felt like closure. Katerina was by no means the same person she'd been all those centuries before, but then so wasn't he. She reminded him of easier times, of when he used to see the world through less cynical and more hopeful lenses. And perhaps it was precisely because of her that Elijah decided to embark on a trip to New Orleans once he learned of the witches plotting against his brother. And then why he decided to stay. She made him remember what it was like to live with a purpose, to expect something greater from life than just to survive for another millennium. The miracle pregnancy offered exactly just that, a chance to find redemption for his brother and to put his family back on the right track. The three remaining Mikaelson siblings could come together to give that child everything they never had: loving parents, the unconditional support of a family and protection from the evils of the world. It wasn't just a way to save Klaus, it was a way to save them all.

Perhaps, if he hadn't spent those months with Katerina, he wouldn't have believed it was still possible.

Their romance was never going to last, anyway. Over the years, she'd become a restless soul, never stopping anywhere for too long. Soon enough she'd be going somewhere else, wherever her fearless heart took her. Besides, he had the clear impression that she'd found the love of her life in the form of the youngest Salvatore, the one she never quite got over.

Elijah's affections for her resisted the test of time, she remained very much dear to him, but not in the same way as before. Centuries of abuse and loss and Niklaus hardened his heart. He was no longer in love, and after Celeste, he doubted he ever would be. Katerina did awake a softer side in him, though. One that had been dormant for so long he didn't quite remember what it was like to see the world with hope anymore. It was the most curious thing, though, how ruthless and brutal she became, yet still preserving a wide-eyed ardor to pursue happiness. After everything, Katerina still believed it was out there to be found, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A bit naive, perhaps, but undoubtedly refreshing, somewhat restoring Elijah's faith in his brother and their future together, as a family.

So even though he knew they were never meant to be, and even though he did not feel sorry for having chosen Niklaus and New Orleans, he felt he owed it to her to say goodbye. Thank her for reminding him of what it was like to believe in something greater than your own, and tell her how deeply sorry he was that she was dying. He'd hoped she'd be finally free to live life to the fullest, not fearing her own shadow any longer, now that Niklaus has finally given her an official pardon. Such a tragic twist of fate...

"Elijah," Katerina breathed out, her voice scratchy and airy, her whole face lighting up at the sight of him. "You came."

He smiled, taking her hand in his as he sat beside her and placing a warm kiss. "Of course I did, Katerina," he said. Even as a dying old woman with wrinkles on her forehead and the corner of her eyes, she was still beautiful. Her frail body was small in that bed, but her soul remained larger than life itself. The fact she was human again sent his mind reeling back to the 1400s; it was ironic that, with her looking older than ever, Elijah felt younger, 600 years lighter.

Elijah sat by her side, holding her hand and reminiscing of old times until she fell asleep, exhausted. He would've stayed longer, but Tyler Lockwood chose that moment to finally make his return to Mystic Falls. As much as Elijah would've loved to have a private chat with that boy about his time in New Orleans, it hardly seemed like a smart idea. If Tyler saw him there, he would immediately start asking about Caroline and then everyone would know. Besides, he can't imagine Caroline would be happy if she knew he'd beaten the Lockwood kid to a pulp, however deserving it might have been. Instead, Elijah sneaked out before Tyler could see him, telling Stefan to give his love to Katerina. He then collected Rebekah from the Grill, where his sister had gone to play darts with that insipid football player she fancies so much for reasons that are beyond comprehension, and they hit the road back home.

All in all, Elijah was gone for less than two whole days, but the trip down memory lane certainly made it feel like much longer.

"I should've never left Mystic Falls," Rebekah confessed as he drove. "I was happier there."

"With that colorless boy? Rebekah, please. You can do better than that."

"That colorless boy actually liked me, and we had a lot of fun together. I could've gone to college."

"Why would you do that?"

"That's called living, Elijah. It's the problem with you and Nik. You think war and conquest is the only way to do it. Your list of mortal enemies becomes longer and longer and yet none of you are happier for it. Maybe I just want something else. Something... Simpler. Easier. To pretend that I'm a normal person for a change, which is what I do when I'm with Matt. He doesn't treat me like an Original, he treats me like the spoiled girl I wish I was, and I'm very grateful for it."

Rebekah's words reinforced in Elijah the certainty of his sister's unhappiness. She will leave them, it's only a matter of time, and the harder Niklaus makes their lives, the closer to walking out the door she'll be. Elijah feels guilty for not giving her the attention she deserves, but he hardly thinks that would suffice. Rebekah wants more than just two overprotective brothers; she wants a story of her own, a life she can fully dictate.

As the youngest, she's always been subjected to their wills and whims, especially Niklaus'. His love for her surpasses anything he feels for the rest of them, Elijah's always known that. Perhaps because they were the closest in appearance. Mikael always made Niklaus feel excluded and outlandish, but he found comfort is his little sister with his same blonde hair and blue eyes. Rebekah has been his favorite since he was a boy, the darling of his eyes. He was so protective of her, so considerate. But that love has gained grim contours since they were turned. It was amplified, along with Niklaus' paranoia. What was sweet before grew to verge on sickness. And the more they were hunted by Mikael, the worse he got. His overprotectiveness became jealousy whenever he thought their sister might leave them for one of her suitors, always believing that everyone was trying to take advantage of her power, to use her to their own selfish benefits. And, to be fair... He wasn't always wrong. Rebekah remained as easy to fall in love as she had been in life, and that led her to some quite dubious companies. But as her brothers, it was their job to advise her, not to forbid her, and Niklaus never quite grasped the difference between the two. As he shed his humanity over the years, he grew more and more controlling, tyrannical at times, and Rebekah was the greatest victim of his disease. And all because he cared for her more than he did for anyone else in the world, even Elijah, who loves both of them equally and with all his heart.

Niklaus' love can be as sharp as a knife.

It'll be sad to see her leave them just as Elijah's trying to build the family home he's always wished for them, now with Caroline and the baby. He's noticed how close the two of them have become, always walking around together, giggling, sharing secrets, asking for each other's opinions — and bickering, of course, because Rebekah may be more amenable than Niklaus, but only just. She's still a Mikaelson, after all, and Caroline has only so much patience for their nonsense.

He just hopes that, when it's time for his sister to go, she doesn't do it by picking a fight with Klaus. It'll only make things harder.

Especially if she finds him in one of his famously foul moods, such as right now.

Two days did absolutely nothing to soothe his temper. The way he was when Elijah left is the way he is as he returns to the compound. He thought running off to Mystic Falls would spare him of the worst of it, but he was wrong. Apparently Niklaus has been harboring it to last. Elijah cannot remember the last time he saw his brother like this, and when it comes to Klaus, who nurtures his own rage with the careful devotion of one who takes care of a pet, that is saying a lot.

As soon as he sees Elijah, his face twists into a grimace so terrible that Elijah thinks he's either going to bite him or have a stroke.

"What is it, brother?" he asks, fearing for a moment that something happened while they were gone.

Niklaus comes up to his face, so close Elijah can smell the alcohol on his breath. "Back so soon? Couldn't stay away for long, could you? Such a family man... Brother." He practically spits out the last word, coated in pure venom, before stalking away.

"All right, what did you do?" Rebekah asks, folding her arms over her chest.

"I..." For a moment, Elijah considers the possibility that he knows about the almost kiss. Perhaps Caroline shared it with him in his absence. That would explain his behavior. But he's been like this since before Elijah left, and he hardly thinks Caroline would tell him anything without at least informing Elijah of it. Besides, if he'd known about it, he would also know that they didn't kiss, that Caroline stopped Elijah by saying she's in love with him. Why would he be so sour over something that is technically good? Makes no sense. "I have no idea," he replies.

The strangest part is that Klaus was in such an atypically good mood before this. While everyone panicked under the threat of impending doom and the possible repercussions of the Harvest ritual, even Elijah, overflown with emotions as he was because of Celeste, Klaus kept his wits. Elijah was actually proud of his display of maturity. But it lasted nothing. He's not just back to his normal self, he's worse, and for no discernible reason.

"Gather around, gather around!" They follow Klaus' voice to the courtyard, where he's beckoning all his vampire minions to join him. Marcel informed them he called everyone in for an emergency meeting.

"What about?" Elijah inquired.

"If you don't know, how the hell should I?" Marcel replied, with a nonchalant shrug. He still looks distraught, not quite recovered from that awfulness at the cemetery. Clearly he'd rather be anywhere else but here.

"Dearest brethren, your attention, please," Niklaus continues once everyone is listening. "As you all know, the witch Davina is no longer with us. Without her we can no longer monitor the activity of our witch neighbors."

"Hey." Elijah was paying such attention to his brother's speech he didn't notice Caroline's approach. She came to stand next to him, a coy smile on her face, like she's testing the waters. She seems sleepy still, her hair a little rumpled and tied in a loose bun on the top of her head. Elijah thinks she looks lovely, and then he turns away. "What is going on here?"

"Niklaus called an emergency meeting."

"What for?"

"That's what I'm hoping to find out." He pauses, and then turns to her again. "Did you two... Were there any arguments or disagreements...?"

Caroline snorts derisively. "The better question would be, was there anything other than arguments?"

"How so?"

"He barely spoke to me since you and Rebekah left, and the few times he did, it either ended with him yelling and stalking off, or me yelling and stalking off."

"So he's been like this for days."

"Yup. Very long days."

"That means they've just become a lot more dangerous to us," Klaus continues. "I say we keep them on their toes."

"Keep who on their toes?" Caroline asks.

Elijah sighs. "The witches."

"Diego, I wonder if you might lead a rousting in the cauldron."

"Yeah, man! Let's do this!"

He feels Caroline bristling next to him, but before Elijah can advise her against it, she's already stomping her way down the stairs to confront Klaus.

Elijah sees the exact moment he turns around to face her. There's a whole set of extremely complex emotions flashing through his eyes, none of which Elijah can identify. But the way his lips purse is quite clear.

"What are you doing?" Caroline demands as the vampires start filing out one after the other, talking excitedly about vandalizing the witches' corner of the French Quarter. It's like they live for these little moments of violence that Klaus or Marcel will allow them from time to time. So small-minded.

"This is vampire business, sweetheart," his brother replies in such a condescending tone Elijah can see it gets Caroline's hackles up from the second floor. "Stay out of it."

"Excuse me?" Her hands close into tight fists next to her body. "You just ordered them to do a rousting in the cauldron. That's witch business."

"Oh? Are you so familiar with the city that you're regarding yourself as one of them now?"

"I don't have to regard myself as one of them to know this is bullshit. After what happened with Davina -"

"I can't control the witches anymore. Can't have them getting too comfortable now, can I? You know witches. Can't trust any of them."

Caroline's face falls. "What? Why are you -"

"Spare me of your whining, Caroline. I don't have time for this. There's a kingdom to be run."

"Niklaus," he draws his brother's name out like a warning.

"Ah. There he is. My noble brother," he sneers. "I was wondering when you'd show up to defend the honor of the witches. Perhaps your proximity has made you feel like one of them yourself?"

Caroline looks at him, completely lost, and then shakes her head. "Klaus, whatever bit you, don't take it out on other people. We just got out of a major crisis and you're gonna start another one? We don't know what happens now that the Harvest ritual has been completed," Caroline says, rather reasonably.

"I am done playing nice," he snaps, giving both of them a glare that could set paper on fire. "Witches are treacherous and I will not sit back and wait to find out what happened to the power that was hijacked off that ritual. But, please. Don't let me get in the way of you two having a lovely day."

He turns on his heels and marches off the compound, leaving both of them dumbfounded and speechless.

"Damn," Marcel, who remained seated exactly where he was, calmly having a drink, remarks. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Caroline protests, gesticulating frantically. "What the hell is wrong with him? What did you do?" she turns the question over to Marcel.

"I stole a couple of bourbons from his cellar, but I don't think that's what's got him like that."

"I don't get it. He lost his mind. Did you see how he was talking about the witches? He meant me, right?"

Elijah opens his mouth to reply and then snaps it back shut when he realizes he's got nothing good to offer. His brother is obviously mad about something and taking it out on them, and the only obvious way to explain it is to address the not-quite-kiss, which, frankly, he doesn't really feel like doing at this precise moment. Or ever, for that matter. Moreover, he still thinks it has to be something else. If Klaus had seen them, he would've known they never kissed.

So what in hell's name is wrong with his brother now?

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Caroline doesn't even bother telling anyone before she leaves the compound. When the two sentinels Klaus has following her everywhere try to stop her, she just snaps their necks with a flick of her wrist and continues on her way without skipping a single step. She also doesn't waste her time trying to hide the bodies. Let Klaus deal with the mess.

She just had to get the hell out of that place for a moment, clear her head. For days now she's been trying to figure out what exactly caused Klaus' temperpalooza, but try as she might, she can't come up with an answer. And it's obviously asking too much to expect him to offer one himself. He's been either completely avoiding her or acting in such an infuriating manner that she would rather smack his head than talk to him. Every time she even so much as attempts to ask what's wrong with him, he just cuts her off and stalks off with a pout.

It's ironic to say the least that someone who enjoys the sound of his own voice as much as Klaus and is so eloquent when it comes to concocting colorful death threats would have such a hard time using his freaking words when it is most needed.

Of course, there was the whole thing with Elijah, but... Nobody saw them. And nobody told him about it. And nobody kissed, goddamnit. If Klaus had somehow been there to witness it, he would've seen that she stopped Elijah, would've heard what she said. Even if he were still mad at Elijah, he wouldn't be lashing out on her like this.

Caroline didn't do anything wrong. She never asked Elijah to try and kiss her, if that's really why Klaus has been seeing red for days now. She has no reason to feel guilty or to apologize; if anything, he should be the one asking for forgiveness for how he's been treating her. At this point, Caroline just refuses to be the one who'll make a move. If something's bothering him, then Klaus should stop acting like a rebellious teenager and start talking. She may be a witch, but she's not psychic.

Caroline was so on edge on the night of the Harvest ritual, so close to losing it, afraid of the world ending, upset about Elijah and the part she played in how everything turned out, about Davina's death... And all through it, Klaus was a surprisingly comforting presence. He was a rock when she needed him the most, and so incredibly mindful of Marcel's feelings. Caroline believed he was genuinely upset about the girl's death, if not for his own sake, then for the sake of others, which showed some emotional growth for a change, some much required empathy. And then, all of sudden... Nothing. He just snaps again and it's back to square one.

It just doesn't make any sense.

Caroline is so confused that she can't even muster the ire to feel as offended and hurt as this morning's altercation deserves. If Klaus keeps this up, though, she will certainly get there.

After walking around aimlessly for a while, she finds herself at Rousseau's. It's a little after noon, but the front door looks open, so she steps in.

"Hello?"

Cami stands up from behind the counter. "Caroline!" she greets, beaming. "What a surprise! I don't think I've ever seen you here before. I was just getting all set to open."

"Oh. I can come back -"

"No way! Please!" Cami motions for her to take a seat by the counter.

"Thanks," she says, smiling gratefully at Cami. Only then she notices the place looks like a bit of a mess, and not in the cool-hipster, don't-really-care vibe. An actual mess. "What happened here?"

Cami rolls her eyes. "Sophie. She's our cook. I heard she was here last night after we closed."

"Oh." Caroline looks down at her hands, splayed on the counter. She hadn't stopped to think about Sophie in all of this. Suddenly, she feels a wave of sympathy for the witch. She looked completely broken after the ritual, when her niece didn't come back to life as she was supposed to, and while Caroline and Marcel had friends to be there for them, Sophie had no one. She burned all the bridges with her coven as she devoted herself blindly to bringing Monique back to life, even lost her sister. Caroline has no warm feelings for the witch, but she did lose everything to the Harvest. Becoming pregnant has given her a whole new perspective on desperate people willing to go to extreme measures for their loved ones. It was easier to judge before. It was painful to watch Sophie weeping over her niece's dead body, begging the ancestors to resurrect her. No wonder she's gone haywire.

"How's your back?" Cami asks, picking up empty bottles from the counter and the floor.

"I'm surprised you remember that," she mutters. She thought Klaus would have compelled those memories away by now.

"Ouch!" Cami says, her face morphing into a scowl. "Just because I told you about my forgetfulness, doesn't mean I have Alzheimer's, you know."

"I'm sorry. I know, I didn't mean to - I'm... Sorry."

Cami sighs, smiling shortly. "It's ok. You're pregnant, I can cut you some slack."

"Thanks. My head is all over the place this morning. Klaus was being a jackass and I just took it out on you."

"What did he do?"

She shrugs. "Oh, you know. Klaus. Grumpy. Rude. Lashing out for no reason."

"You know, you're not the first person I've heard talking about him like that. It's so weird, he's always been so nice to me. I haven't spent that much time with him, but still. I never got that vibe off him, and I'm usually pretty good at reading people."

Caroline feels a twist of anger in her chest. That he would not only compel Cami to forget everything he's told her when she's not in his presence, but to also alter her very opinions on him, make her think he's nice rather than the dick who's been playing with her mind and stealing away her agency, is just — Ugh. It's so unnerving.

She expects that kind of awful behavior from vampires in general. They are, as a rule, cocky bastards with a superiority complex and no regard whatsoever for normal people's lives. Like the whole world is their freaking playground. Cami was just an ordinary girl, living her life, working at a bar to help pay for her studies, until a dickhead walked in and decided he wanted to have her. That was all it took for her life to change completely — and she doesn't even know that! She never got to have a choice over whether she wanted to be a part of this world or not, if she wanted to listen to Klaus' ramblings or not. He just made her. If it had been anyone else, Caroline would be disgusted and annoyed, but that's vampires for you. But it's not just any vampire, it's the man she's having a child with. He's supposed to be a role model for their daughter; instead he's out there acting in the exact same way the man who abused and traumatized her for life did. It's unacceptable.

Her blazing indignation must show on her face, because Cami lifts her hand for Caroline to wait a minute and says, "I have something to cheer you up."

She goes to the kitchen on the back and returns some five minutes later with a proud smile on her face and a beautiful margarita, which she puts down right in front of Caroline.

"Ta-da!"

"Uhm... It looks great, Cami, but aren't you forgetting something?" Caroline raises her eyebrows and points a finger to her stomach.

"Non-alcoholic," she replies, sounding really excited. "Since we talked the other day and you mentioned how gruesome it was to go through all that stress without a single drop of alcohol, I felt your pain. I can hardly imagine going through finals without getting drunk, let alone pregnancy. So I got some recipes off the internet and I've been experimenting. That is my absolute favorite so far. Go on! You'll be my guinea pig."

Caroline takes the margarita glass and inspects it closer. "Are you sure there's no alcohol? It looks legit."

"Just try it."

Caroline sips from the drink and her eyes immediately bulge. "Holy crap!" She drinks again. "Cami! This is amazing!" She takes another sip, a longer one this time.

Cami laughs. "I knew you'd like it. It's very close to the real thing, right?"

"Are you kidding me? It's perfect! Where were you for the past six months of my life? God." Caroline drinks again, making a delightful rumbly noise in her throat. "I could so kiss you right now."

"Ask me again after my shift and a couple of tequila shots and I might take you up on that," Cami says, winking.

"Oh, don't tempt me. I have hormonal horniness all the freaking time."

Cami frowns. "Really?"

"What? You don't think pregnant women get horny?"

"I know they do, I just - I mean, you live with Klaus. You've slept with him, obviously."

"Once."

Cami's big eyes bulge in such a cartoonish way that it gets a snort out of Caroline. "Just once? Really?"

"Well, technically it was more like three times, but I only count it as one because it was just one night. And the morning after. It's part of the same pack."

"And then you got pregnant."

"Yup."

"And you guys never...?"

"Nope."

"Nothing?"

"Why is this so hard to believe?"

"Because you live together and he's the father of your child and he looks like that and you're horny. It sounds like the easiest problem to solve in the world. Was it terrible the first time?"

Caroline's mind reels back to six months ago, to that one hot night in Mystic Falls that changed everything. It's stayed with her in torturing richness of detail, as though it was just yesterday. The way Klaus' hands had roamed all over her body, possessive and reverently. How he explored every inch of her skin with his lips. How his soft tongue felt against her own, then down her neck, doing little circles around her nipples, on her belly button... God, he was really unfairly good with his tongue. Everywhere he touched exploded with sensation and heat. It was electric.

She senses a slow shudder going up her spine, and focuses her eyes back on Cami, hiding the flush on her cheeks behind her glass. "It was good," she says meekly, and then clears her throat, shifting a little on her seat.

"Just good?"

"Pretty good." Cami cocks her an eyebrow. "All right, it was great," she blurts out. "Best freaking sex I've ever had. There. Happy?" No wonder that woman is a psych major. She just stares at you with her big eyes and stuff starts flowing out. It's like she's got natural compulsion skills or something.

Cami chuckles. "And you haven't felt like revisiting it?"

Caroline sighs, putting the margarita down. Yes, she wants to say. All the goddamn time. It's ridiculous how attracted to Klaus she still is, even after all this time. He's admittedly done some things that not even those dimples could fix, but she's caught herself admiring him from afar on more than one occasion. The way he talks, the way he sounds, the way he gesticulates when he gets antsy, the way he smirks... Klaus has the confidence and the faultless grace of a wild thing paired up with the looks of a movie star, and when he walks around in his tight jeans and those Henley's, it's impossible for Caroline not to get ideas. He's as wicked as it gets and he comes in a ridiculously alluring package, which is a combination that God has ordained to drive her out of her mind. It's hard to tell sometimes what she wants to do the most; slap him across the face or shut him up with her mouth.

Despite all their fights and differences, there have been moments, really intense ones, where Caroline thinks she wouldn't have resisted him if he'd reached out. Pregnancy has left her more vulnerable than ever — at times, hornier than ever as well — and Klaus has always had a weird effect on her, even before she was willing to acknowledge it, so she can't even blame hormones for it. But the thing is, Klaus walks around like he wants to eyefuck everything, but for all his flirtatious and blunt ways, he hasn't made a single move on her. Which — well, technically, he didn't make any moves on her before either. He made his interest known, but never took any steps beyond that, even when he had the chance. The ball was always on Caroline's court. That was probably his way of being respectful of her wishes, which is strangely endearing, actually. For someone like Klaus, anyway. He curbed all his aggressiveness and alpha male instincts when it came to her — a couple of situations aside, when he'd been trying to annoy Tyler more than anything else. It could be that he's adopting the same tactics now, letting her decide when she's ready. But sometimes all a girl wants is to be swept off her feet and not have to overthink. The more chance he gives her to ponder over their rare circumstances, the more hesitant she becomes… and the crazier he acts, the further away from ever going there she gets. Caroline's not going to play the desperate, horny lady, begging for attention. Especially when he's doing things such as his little tantrum this morning. It completely kills any mood.

"It's complicated," she says simply.

Cami hums in understanding. "And with a baby... It must be tough to find balance."

"Exactly. I have to think of the baby first. Whatever thing we had in the past, we're gonna have to find a way to coexist peacefully for the sake of our daughter. I don't know if sex would help much." Although it would definitely help me.

Cami disappears around the back for a moment and returns with a mixer to refill Caroline's glass. "I think you really need a respite."

"You have no idea." She drinks again, shutting her eyes and pretending for a second that she's getting drunk on it. It does wonders to calm her down. "I will be eternally in your debt for this."

"What are friends for, right?" Cami winks at her again and goes back to her chores.

An idea flickers through Caroline's mind. A bold one. Even risky, maybe. She's never done it before, and she knows it takes an absurd amount of power, which she just might have thanks to the little extra battery growing inside of her. She's pretty certain she saw something in one of Klaus' grimoires, and it didn't seem impossible, just... long and arduous. And painful, probably. But it's worth a try.

"Listen, Cami," she starts. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"My shift ends at eight and then I'm totally free. Why?"

"How do you feel about coming over to the compound?"

"You want me to talk to Klaus for you?"

"Oh, God, no. No Klaus. In fact, don't even tell him. Let's make it a secret girls' night."

Cami grins. "I like the sound of that. Count me in."

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"Wait. You're telling me he let Thierry Vanchure out of the garden? On his own orders, not Marcel's?" Elijah asks as he walks with Rebekah. She had a sudden craving for gumbo and he agreed to meet her for lunch. It's not every day vampires sit down for a proper family meal, and after their conversation on the road, he thinks these tiny moments might be exactly what Rebekah needs to feel more connected to their family. Besides, it was a good excuse to stay away from the torment that is their brother's mood.

"Yes. I just helped him out myself."

"I'm surprised," Elijah says. It was very unexpected, indeed, especially since Klaus orchestrated Thierry's imprisonment — and killed his girlfriend, which is not to be forgotten. Thierry was once Marcel's right hand man, and Klaus usually has a very hard time trusting people whose allegiances has already been claimed by others. "I didn't think it was like Niklaus to show mercy to an enemy, especially not in a day like today. Maybe that's progress."

Rebekah scoffs. "Please, Elijah. Who do you think convinced Klaus to let Thierry out?"

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"Because despite Klaus' reprieve, Thierry despises him. I like that about Thierry, it's good to have an ally who's not all but ready to come crawling whenever our brother snaps his fingers. I also like that Thierry used to date a witch, so he knows all about French Quarter covens. Maybe he can lead me to whoever stole off with the Harvest magic."

"Rebekah, we are all devastated by the outcome of this ritual -"

"That's just it, there was no outcome," his sister cuts him off with a bite in her voice. "We both know power like that doesn't just vanish. Caroline brought it to my attention, and she's absolutely right. Someone stole it, I'd like to know who, and then I'd like to make an ally out of them."

Elijah stops walking. "To what end, exactly?"

Rebekah turns back to face him. "I'm tired of being threatened and controlled by our tyrant brother. If you want to stop a bully, you need the power to stand up to them."

Elijah sighs. "I expect such behavior from Niklaus. It is so very disappointing when it comes from you, Rebekah."

"Why are you defending him still?"

"Do you not see that, in his way, he's making an effort here? He's invited us back into our family home. He yearns for our family to be reunited."

"For how long?" she quips with indignation. "It's his trick, Elijah. He lulls you into a false sense of camaraderie and kinship and then he turns on you like a snake. I fall for it every time and wind up with a dagger in my chest for my trouble, and so do you. He's already starting to change back. You saw him this morning. He was impossible. Who knows what madness he's got cooking up in that head of his? No more."

"He was indeed a little out of himself this morning -"

"Out of himself? You mean a little too into himself."

"- but I think he's approaching some semblance of peace here. Leadership may, in fact, be a good thing for him." Rebekah shakes her head and turns around to leave. "Now, sister, please," he adds quickly, prompting her to stop. "I ask you, if you cannot support him, then at least do nothing to provoke him."

Rebekah gives him a look that says she's 100% against Elijah's non-aggression approach to Niklaus and then stalks away. It's hard enough to control Niklaus' impulsiveness, if he has to deal with Rebekah as well, they're as good as doomed.

He continues his walk back to the compound by himself, all the while thinking about what Rebekah could possibly levy against their brother with this Thierry man. She should know better than to try and pick on him when he's already in the mood for a fight. Niklaus doesn't usually measure his response to being provoked, and if he puts Rebekah back in a coffin for treason, Elijah will have very little to use in her defense if she is, indeed, colluding with the enemy. Again.

Just when they finally appeared to be reaching a plateau, after months and months of an arduous climb up a steep hill...

Elijah's determined to understand what's behind Klaus' awful mood of late, but he finds something much more worrisome waiting for him than Niklaus' fangs when he arrives back at the compound.

"What is happening here?" he inquires, and Diego and Klaus both step aside so he can get a good look at what they were discussing over. Two vampires lay dead on the floor. Elijah crouches down beside the bodies. There are no signs of injuries or attacks - except for a distinctive mark carved on each of their foreheads. Marks Elijah knows only too well, and that he hasn't seen in almost a century.

"Who did this?"

"We don't know yet," Diego says.

"Whoever did it, they will die for this," Klaus adds.

"Remarkably, I don't disagree," Elijah replies. "However I would like to know where they learned such dark magic. I had hoped never to see that symbol again." Elijah stands up to his feet and exchanges a concerned look with his brother. At least on that regard they seem to be on the same page.

"I recall it is the signature of a fool who once stood against us. Clearly some upstart witch is salvaging old tricks. I'll do for him, as I did the other. Diego, when night falls I want you to gather every vampire in the Quarter. Get me the head of whoever did this and put it on a stick."

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," Diego says, taking a clever step back from Niklaus. "Everyone is freaked out, man. We haven't had witches killing vampires in a long time. Marcel made sure of that."

"Marcel has run off like a scared child. You lot are left with me," his brother hisses back at his minion in what sounds a lot more like a threat than the pep talk the scared vampires clearly need.

"Have you asked Caroline?" Elijah cuts in.

"Now why would I do that?"

"She's a witch."

"Not a very useful one."

Elijah's brow furrows into a scowl. "I don't know where this is coming from, brother, but I'm sure it's just one of those awful things you sometimes say without really meaning, so I'll let it pass as a slip. You have a witch you can trust right under your roof and you do not consult with her when one of your men shows up with marks of dark magic carved into his flesh?"

A shadow crosses his brother's eyes. "She's not a French Quarter witch, knows nearly nothing about them, as she's remarked herself in many occasions."

"Perhaps you should -"

"I don't want her opinion!" he snarls. "If you're also a coward like this lot here, brother, then by all means. Stay back consulting with your witch. I'll handle this myself."

Elijah watches as his brother storms off — alone, since none of the other vampires are apparently willing to follow.

"Diego, do you have any idea why he's been acting like that?"

The vampire shrugs. "Isn't he always like that?"

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"There you are."

Caroline lifts her head from the drawings she's been analyzing and smiles at Elijah.

"The vampires said you escaped?"

"Drama queens," she replies, rolling her eyes. "I just snapped a few necks and went for a walk. They'll be fine," she says, going back to flipping through the pile of papers stacked on Davina's bed. She occupied this room for such a little time, but it's hard to think about it as anything but hers. Turns out she had many more sketches than the ones Elijah put together to form Celeste's face. But all appear to be about the same thing: a portent of something evil.

"How was Mystic Falls?" she asks, trying not to sound too eager.

"Same as I remember," he replies, smiling.

"Is everyone ok?"

"I believe so."

Caroline nods. "And Katherine?"

"Dead. She wasn't when I left, but I got a text from Stefan saying she died not long after."

"Didn't you want to stay for the funeral? Or did they just dump her in an unmarked grave in the middle of the woods or something?"

"They promised me they'd give her a decent burial. But I thought it would be better if I didn't stay long."

"Why not?"

Elijah regards her thoughtfully for a moment. "It just didn't seem appropriate. They weren't very comfortable with my presence, clearly."

Caroline hums. "Well, for what is worth, I'm sorry. I was not a fan of Katherine's, but... Klaus said you two... Had a thing or something."

"Or something," he says, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. "You're going through Davina's drawings?"

"Yeah. A little morbid, I know. I was just thinking we never figured out why she drew those pictures of Celeste. It just felt like it was important and now she's gone..." she trails off, leaves it at that.

"Did you hear anything about the vampires found dead near the cauldron?"

"I heard something, though it wasn't very coherent. Your brother yelled at me for leaving unsupervised like I'm a six year-old and then grumbled about a vampire lockdown. I assumed something happened, but I don't know what and, frankly, I didn't feel like prolonging the conversation to find out."

"Two vampires were found with marks carved into their foreheads."

"What kind of marks?"

"Very old symbols once used by a witch who had a few problems with our family, many years ago."

"Oh? Is it possible that it's the same person?"

"No, Niklaus killed him. I think we're dealing with a copycat here, but one with clear intentions, if he's sending that kind of message. Anyway, you have nothing to be worried about. Whoever did this, we will deal with them. It won't be long."

Caroline shrugs. "I'm not worried. Not about this, anyway."

"He'll calm down," Elijah offers, almost like he can read her mind. "Niklaus is like that sometimes. Something happens, he acts up and then he regrets it terribly."

"Yeah, well. I'm only sorry that it's taken your brother acting like a jackass for us to talk like normal people again."

"Perhaps we shouldn't. You'll recall that even our slightest interactions seem to infuriate him. Maybe that's why."

"So? Because he's a dick we can't hang out?"

"Not because of him, Caroline." Elijah gazes at her with undisguised affection and Caroline gets that feeling in her throat again.

This is what she was so afraid of. That the elephant in the room would ruin everything once it was no longer possible to ignore it. Caroline can't imagine how she'll ever survive in New Orleans with Klaus acting up the way he is and Elijah not speaking to her — or worse, leaving town altogether. But she also feels incredibly selfish demanding anything from him. They should've talked sooner, things should've been clearer from the start, now it's too late to undo the damage. And if Elijah would be better off staying away from her... Then there's nothing she can do but let him go.

"So we can't be friends anymore," she says, but it winds up sounding more like a question.

"That's not what I meant. I just... Might need a minute."

She nods. "I can give you a minute."

Elijah smiles, and she finds herself smiling back. Not yet relieved, but... It's a start. If only it were so simple to sort things out with the other brother.

"I actually came to find you with a purpose," Elijah says, sounding as glad as she feels for the change of subject. "I was wondering if you could take a look at the vampires. Perhaps you've seen something like those marks before."

"Yes, please. Get me out of this room." She stands to her feet, motioning her arms towards the door. "Show me the way."

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"My verdict is that this is creepy as hell," Caroline says after a closer inspection of the symbol on the dead vampires. As she tries to stand to her feet, she nearly falls back, but Elijah manages to catch her. "Thanks," she says. "The watermelon here has been tipping me out of balance"

"So you don't recognize those marks?"

"Not really. But I have a good guess."

"Please."

"Well, I've seen something similar once, a very long time ago, when I stole one of my father's grimoires to try and teach myself some magic. Enough to say it was the wrong grimoire to steal. Very old-school magic, rooted in sacrificial stuff. But I did learn a few things. Some runes are attached to certain effects. You can use a symbol to tie a sacrifice to what you want. I don't know what this does, but... Vampires are extremely powerful sources of supernatural energy. My guess is, if you're sacrificing a vampire, you want their power. And the more you kill, the more powerful you get."

Elijah looks back at the two dead vampires. He remembers the witch who used that symbol back in the day, Papa Tunde. Showed up late to the party and decided he wanted his share of the money and the power in the city. It took them years to find a balance, establish agreements with all the factions. New Orleans was in perfect harmony, with both him and Niklaus at the helm of the ship and everyone else getting their fair share. Then in walked this witch, mad with greed, demanding a slice of something he'd never participated in. They don't even know where he came from, only that one day he stormed one of their meetings, followed closely by two twin boys with this same symbol carved on their foreheads.

Papa Tunde didn't spare anyone is his thirst for control. He slaughtered humans, werewolves, vampires, even witches, and promised he'd do the same to the Mikaelsons. Except they weren't as easy to kill as the rest of them, and Niklaus wasn't as forgiving. Elijah suggested they should negotiate, hear his terms, try to reach a bottom line they could work with before the city spiraled out of control once more. He even offered Papa Tunde a truce. But Klaus, being Klaus, had none of it. His brother would not tolerate to have his hand forced into a deal. And, as many before him, Papa Tunde clearly underestimated Niklaus' disposition for power-plays.

The day Klaus killed him, he started by beheading the two boys. It made the witch considerably weaker. Their guess at the time had been somewhat close to Caroline's: that Papa Tunde had been using the twins to channel their power in order to strengthen himself. Except then he'd kept the boys alive.

If she is right, and it sounds like she could very well be, this copycat could be using the same principle, but with a different intent. He strengthens himself by killing the vampires and absorbing all of their power at once. So far, those are the only ones that have been reported missing, at least among Marcel's men — now Niklaus'.

But the ritual, however it is performed, clearly kills them. This means they only offer a limited source of power. In order to achieve unlimited energy, he'd have to find something greater than a vampire.

Like an Original.

He hasn't seen Rebekah since she left him on the street on their way back to the compound.

Elijah fishes his phone out of his pocket and dials his sister. It goes straight into voicemail.

"Rebekah's not answering her calls."

"You're worried about whoever killed those daywalkers still being out there, looking for more victims?"

"Frankly, I'm afraid she might have something to do with this."

Caroline blinks at him. "What?"

"She is very displeased with Niklaus, perhaps even conspiring with others."

Elijah's eyes roam around the courtyard. It's mostly empty, now that Niklaus threatened all the vampires who refused to follow him. The ones that aren't still working for him have disappeared from sight, accurately afraid of retaliation. But his gaze quickly finds the one he's looking for, calmly having a drink by himself.

There's absolutely nothing about Thierry Vanchure that strikes the eye; mediocre in every way. Even the clothes he's wearing seem dull. Elijah cannot imagine why his sister would ever choose to form an alliance with someone like him. Then again, she went all the way to Virginia just to see that quarterback; perhaps she's developed a taste for the inconspicuous in their years of separation.

"Thierry, is it?" he asks, approaching the man.

"Yeah, that's right," he says, not without some hesitation.

"You know, my sister is rather fond of you. Strange; she's not typically drawn to unremarkable men. Would you care to explain your sudden magnetism?"

"I don't know what you're -"

Before he can finish what is certain to be an appalling excuse, Elijah has his hand around his throat, pinning him against a wall.

"You can either tell me what you know or I can distribute tiny pieces of you throughout the Quarter."

"Elijah!" Caroline calls out reprovingly. He lets out a sigh and slackens his grip around Thierry's neck enough for him to breathe, but not to escape.

"She asked me to keep an eye out on witch stuff," Thierry answers in a shaky tone. "I found something and when I showed it to her we were jumped by some guy. He desiccated her with his touch."

Elijah smashes his head against the wall. "And like a coward, you left her," he hisses.

"What was I supposed to do?! Fight some warlock that took out an Original?!"

"Where was this, exactly?" Caroline asks — no longer reprehending Elijah for his treatment of Thierry, he notices.

"The docks. Warehouse 57. I was just doing what she asked. You cannot tell Klaus about this," he pleads, looking at Caroline. Even this riffraff who spent months walled in knows of his brother's soft spot for her.

Elijah lifts him off the floor and throws him across the room as though he were a bag of trash. Thierry lets out a low whimper as his body hits the wall and then falls unconscious to the floor.

"I shall take that under consideration," Elijah remarks drily before starting for the door.

"I'm coming with you."

"No. Stay here. The compound is safe."

"Rebekah's in trouble. I'm going."

Caroline tries to walk past him, but Elijah holds her arm and pulls her back. Before he can tell her all the ways it is a terrible idea to subject herself to an unknown threat that is likely drunk on Original energy right now, Niklaus materializes beside them.

"I'll go," he says, simply, his face a mask of impassiveness.

Caroline shakes Elijah's hand off. "What I told him serves you, too. Rebekah is in trouble. I am going," she repeats, in a low measured tone.

Elijah exchanges a look with his brother. Clearly vexed, but knowing when he's been defeated, he says, "Do not leave my sight. Understand?"

Caroline gives him a firm nod, and then they leave.

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

On the bright side, they're very quick to find Rebekah. She's exactly where Thierry said he last saw her, warehouse 57.

And that's about where the good news end.

Her heart skips a couple of essential beats at the sight of Rebekah — her friend — dead at the center of a sacrificial spell. It's not every day something manages to take down an Original vampire, and the sheer amount of black magic in the air makes Caroline shudder. She can feel it in her bones, a cold shiver rushing up her spine and making every hair on her body stand to attention. It takes a huge amount of power for magic to become almost tangible like this and it seems like the power in question is coming straight from Rebekah.

She's lying on the ground, in the middle of a circle made out of rock salt and candles. At first sight, it looks like a regular boundary spell, but it isn't. Caroline immediately notices the blood on the floor and the drawings underneath Rebekah's body. She's the sacrifice in a dark magic ritual, but because she can't really die, the magic just keeps on draining all of her life energy and supernatural power, feeding whoever's behind the ritual through the mark carved on her forehead.

Pure evil, but quite smart. This person knows what they're doing.

Klaus rushes to his sister, but the magic holds him out of the circle. "I can't get through!" he snarls.

"It's a boundary spell," she says, her voice deceptively calm as she combs through her memory after everything she's ever seen about this kind of magic. Granted, it's not a lot. No decent witch dabbles with this stuff, and back in Mystic Falls she didn't even have anyone to properly teach her. Her dad did own a bunch of books on it, though, which says a lot about the kind of person he was. But she was ten when she used to sneak into his study room to peruse through his grimoires in the middle of the night. Being a strictly natural magic witch is suddenly making her very frustrated. "Someone's channeling her," she continues as she walks around the circle, looking for a weak link. "This would be lethal to anyone, but because she's an Original, she can't die."

"How do we get her out?"

"This is a convoluted spell," she says, an idea sparking to life in her brain. "Everything in the circle is connected, added in perfect measures to make the barrier impenetrable at the same time it keeps her down. But... I can spoil the balance by adding something more potent to break the effect."

"Like what?"

"Like a mystical binding agent. I don't know, like... Volcanic ash, crystals, eye of newt."

"We're unfortunately a little short on that at the moment, love," Klaus grunts impatiently.

Caroline stops, chewing on her lower lip. Come on, Caroline. Think, think...

"Blood," she blurts out all of a sudden. "Blood is a mystical agent."

Klaus barely waits for her to finish talking before he's pulling his sleeves up, ready to sink his teeth into his own arm. "No," Caroline stops him. "It has to be the blood of a witch." She stretches her arm out in front of him and Klaus hesitates, giving her a dubious look. "We don't have a knife, Klaus. Just bite," she presses.

He keeps his eyes on her the whole time as he holds her arm and touches his mouth to the inside of her wrist. Caroline gets a rush of electricity when his lips touch her skin, but then she grimaces and makes a little noise at the back of her throat as his fangs cut into her flesh. The pain lasts but a second, though, just long enough for Klaus to puncture her skin and the blood to start flowing. She pulls her hand away and turns to the circle, squeezing her arm around the bite mark for the blood to fall exactly on top of the salt line. It sizzles as though it were burning, a strong smell of sulfur filling the air, and then it stops.

"It's done," she announces. Klaus darts into the circle, putting his arms under his sister and lifting her off the floor to remove her from the spell. As soon as she's out, the mark carved on her forehead begins to disappear, healing, and some color returns to her cheeks.

A flicker passes across Klaus' face, something Caroline can't really understand, but the way his shoulders sag in relief needs no translation. She feels exactly the same way, not having realized just how tense she was until she finally let go. Their eyes meet for just a heartbeat, comfort and understanding and maybe even gratefulness passing between them, then Klaus turns away and walks back to the car.

Caroline takes one last look at the circle drawn on the floor. Human sacrifice is the darkest part of magic. There are consequences to performing these types of rituals, and the price is usually high. Magic has a life of its own; it's an energy that flows through the person wielding it, and the darker the magic, the more damage it makes. It consumes the witch, suffocating the soul, bit by bit. The stronger the person gets, the more power they crave, the more the magic controls them, like an addiction. Very few witches who dare cross that line are able to come back from the abyss. Caroline's father never did. Once they get there, there's absolutely nothing they wouldn't do to get what they want. Even torturing their own children.

Marcel's vampires, Sophie Deveraux, even Agnes... Caroline has a feeling they were nothing compared to this new threat they are yet to face.

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

Caroline insists on getting Rebekah a blood bag when they return to the compound, but Klaus knows that's not really what his sister would want. For the sake of not hurting Caroline's delicate sensibilities, he allows her to feed Rebekah with that cold, dull liquid, already planning on going out for a snack later on. Truth be told, he could use some hunting to take the edge off. Klaus has been dying to sink his teeth into something warm and horrified since this morning. It's a wonder he's managed to satiate his rage with just the aid of alcohol so far.

The mystery surrounding the two dead vampires and Rebekah's kidnapping has kept him properly occupied as well. As soon as his sister has recovered, he'd like to have a word. Whoever is playing these games will be stopped and made an example of. They chose the wrong time to provoke Klaus. He's definitely not in the mood to be merciful.

He goes into his study to have a drink while he waits for Rebekah to reestablish herself and finds a little war council already waiting for him there. Elijah, Marcel and the witch Sophie, all looking sour and grim.

"Who died now?" he asks, moving to the desk to pour himself a glass of bourbon. He definitely cannot handle the inquisition court dry.

"The more appropriate question would be, who didn't?" Elijah retorts.

Just listening to his brother's voice sets Klaus' teeth on edge. He's been holding himself back since Elijah's return not to destroy his traitorous pretty face with his bare hands. He didn't have to stay to see what happened between him and Caroline after all; the colorful imagery appears unbidden in his mind. His brother's lips touching Caroline's, her hands winding through his hair, those little pleasure moans Klaus knows so well, Elijah's hands on her skin — it's usually when he reaches that part he starts to either break things or drink more furiously. It's been like that for days.

How could they dare to look him in the eye after that? How could Caroline act so nonplussed and insulted at his rightful acrimony? Perhaps nothing happened, his mind offers. How desperately he wants to believe it... But even if nothing happened — even if, by some joyful twist of fate, they ended up not kissing — Elijah at the very least tried to.

His noble brother... Klaus knew he'd regret inviting his siblings back into their family home, he just hoped it wouldn't be for this reason. Anything else he might've been able to forgive. But not this. Not Caroline. And Klaus knows his brother. If Elijah felt even the flimsiest weight of guilt in his conscience, he'd confess and beg for forgiveness. If he hasn't, it's because he either doesn't regret it, or Caroline reciprocates his feelings.

So Klaus either loses his brother, or he loses them both.

It's the only reason why he's held back on revenge, why he hasn't yet allowed for the venom that's lodged in his throat to come spilling out. There's a new threat hovering above their home, and, as apocalyptically angry as he is, the last thing Klaus wants is for Caroline to leave. He's too scared to find out that the truth is as he suspects, that she has fallen for the other Mikaelson — the better Mikaelson — and so if keeping her safe and under his protection means keeping Elijah's wretched presence as well, so be it.

For now, at least.

Retribution will come in due time. And it will be as terrible as the ache in Klaus' heart. Not even his brother will be spared.

Klaus knocks back his drink tastelessly, puts the glass down with a thud, and whirls around to face the three glum looking faces in his study. "What is this about?"

"Marcel was attacked by our witch," Elijah starts. "Nearly killed, too. If I hadn't made it there on time -"

"Who was it?" Klaus cuts him off, turning to Marcel. He only now notices how shaken the man seems to be.

"Papa Tunde," Marcel replies, his voice low and grave.

"That's impossible. I killed him with my own hands."

"He's back. With a vengeance."

"And quite strong, as well. A lot more than I recalled. He managed to take me on rather easily — Marcellus barely had any fighting chance. But just as he was about to finish me off, something harmed him. He lost his power, and I was able to strike him down. Correct me if I'm wrong, brother, but you just rescued Rebekah from a witch trap, did you not?"

"Yes," Klaus agrees, knowing where Elijah's going. Freeing Rebekah from the magic circle didn't just save his sister; it cut Tunde's access to the magic and saved Marcel and Elijah as well. He was lucky to have Caroline there with him. Suddenly he regrets calling her a useless witch. Not that he ever meant it, but she just proved her cunning and worth yet again by saving the lives of his entire family at once.

He might thank her for it, if only she hadn't been snogging his brother.

"Perfect timing, I would say," Elijah adds.

"Anyone cares to explain why a witch I killed a hundred years ago has come back for revenge? Sophie?"

"Oh, come on," Sophie says. "You haven't figured it out yet? Resurrected witches with vast powers? It's the Harvest. Four girls were meant to die and be reborn. I don't know how, but someone jacked that power and they used it to bring back four witches. Just not the right ones."

"So there's still a chance," Marcel cuts in with a hopeful tune. "If we can get that power back, we can still save Davina."

"Let's concentrate on the immediate problem, shall we?" Klaus shuts him down. "Papa Tunde wants revenge. He'll continue to attack us, channeling power from the vampires he sacrifices. He kills, he grows more dangerous, and if he ever manages to get his hands on another one of us, I have a feeling he'll be more careful as to not let us escape. So the question is... How do I end him?"

"He needs sacrifices to gain power. You keep him from killing any more nightwalkers, that's a start," Sophie says, simply.

"Unless," Klaus says, as a vile thought occurs to him, glancing at Marcel. "He finds the one place with a load of helpless vampires ready to be sacrificed."

Marcel's eyes fill with horror as he realizes what Klaus means.

The infamous garden, where Marcel has buried dozens of vampires over the decades, left there to slowly starve and desiccate. All of them alive, but too weak to even attempt to escape. And right under their feet.

The three of them flash away to the dungeons under the compound and, just as Klaus suspected, someone else made it there before them. Every single one of the vampires has been killed — all of them marked with Tunde's symbol.

He won't even need to risk himself by trying to subdue an Original now. He has the power of dozens and dozens of vampires.

"I know Papa Tunde is the most pressing issue at the moment," Elijah starts. "But four witches were supposed to be resurrected. Tunde is one of them. Where are the other three?"

Just when he thought he was finally rid of his witch problem...

"Bloody witches," Klaus mutters.

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

With everything that happened, Caroline almost forgets that she invited Cami over to the compound. She considers taking a rain check, but the busy day might actually work in their favor.

As soon as Rebekah was able to stand on her feet, she was out of the house like a thunder. Caroline expected her to be at least a little shaken by what happened, maybe even concerned, but she was angry out of her mind, asking where the hell was that coward. Thierry, probably. She wouldn't want to be in that guy's shoes when Rebekah finds him. It serves him right, though, for leaving her alone and not even warning anybody. If Elijah hadn't pressed him, he would've let Rebekah wither away forever at the warehouse, and then god knows what would've happened to Elijah and Marcel.

The oldest Original came to find her to ask how it'd been with Klaus. He also wanted to speak to his sister, but she was nowhere to be found. Caroline told him everything, and then Elijah shared the news about the copycat, which turned out not to be a copycat at all, but the very same witch Klaus killed one hundred years ago, now back from the underworld to haunt them. Papa Tunde, he said. Apparently he uses a blade which is infused with some kind of dark magic to mark his victims. Sophie Deveraux was politely invited over to help elucidate the mystery and she was emphatic: it was the Harvest. As Caroline already knew, the ritual worked exactly as it should, except someone hijacked the spell to bring back the wrong witches instead of the four girls who were sacrificed. Which means Papa Tunde is not the only all-powerful witch who's risen from the depths of hell and, so far, no one knows what they want for sure, just that they came back with a vengeance.

There's never a boring day in New Orleans, that's for certain.

She'll have plenty of time to worry about resurrected witches from hell, though. It'll likely be the talk of the house for the next so many weeks, even months maybe. For now, there's nothing she can do about any of it and Klaus and Elijah are all up in arms trying to figure out what Papa Tunde could possibly want — besides revenge, obviously. Klaus didn't just kill him, he also killed his twin sons, which makes Caroline and the baby a perfect target.

Nobody makes enemies quite like Klaus; his talent for pissing people off is unrivaled.

Caroline promised she wouldn't be going anywhere and Elijah seemed satisfied. So he left to find Rebekah while Klaus disappeared with Marcel. When Cami called, Caroline went to the back door to let her in. This time, she didn't even have to snap the necks of the guys watching the entrance, just distract them by pretending to know nothing about what happened with the murdered vampires while Cami slipped in, totally unnoticed. She really needs to have a conversation with Klaus about his sentinels. They're awful. With people like Papa Tunde going around murdering vampires and Originals alike, they might want to look into increasing the efficacy of the security systems in place.

"What -" Cami tries to speak, but Caroline shuts her up with a gesture and motions for her to follow.

They walk in silence all the way to her bedroom, paying attention not to be seen by anyone.

As soon as they're in, Caroline locks the door, lights up all the candles she left spread around the room and burns the sage she'd prepared, murmuring a few words as she does it. She has the Original mother to thank for this spell. She and Bonnie spent an entire afternoon trying to replicate this enchantment after Elena told them about it, when she had her secret meeting with Esther during her homecoming ball from hell. It's simple, but very clever. To think of all the amazing tricks she could've learned from Esther if only she wasn't a psychopath... Oh, well. Sooner or later she'll convince Klaus to let her borrow the old witch's grimoire. For now, this incredibly useful privacy spell will do.

"Ok, we can speak now," she says, finally turning to a very confused looking Cami.

"Are we doing anything illegal? Cause I'm all in, I'd just like to get a little heads up."

"Nothing illegal."

"What's with all the secrecy, then? And the... burning leaves, I guess? Is that pot?"

"I wish," she says, shaking her head. "Ok. What I'm about to tell you is gonna sound completely crazy, but I need you to bear with me."

"Promising start."

Caroline takes a deep breath, bracing herself for what's about to happen. She motions for Cami to sit down on the bed and pulls a chair for herself, facing the other woman.

"Your forgetfulness? Missing entire chunks of your days? All those whims to do weird things that seem to come out of nowhere?"

"Yeah, my craziness."

"You're not crazy, Cami. And I can help fix it."

"You can?"

"Yes. Cami... You're being compelled."

Cami's brow bunches. "Compelled?"

"Yes," she says. "By Klaus."

Cami peers at her like she's waiting for the other shoe to drop and then starts laughing. "Look, Klaus is a good looking guy, the accent is definitely charming, but... Not that compelling. No offense."

"No, not like that. Compulsion is a vampire trick. They use it to control people, normal people. They can tell you what to think, what to do - and what to remember."

"I'm sorry - Did you just say vampire?" Caroline nods. "As in... Klaus is a vampire?"

"Actually, he's a hybrid."

"A hybrid? Like a Prius?"

"A supernatural Prius. Half vampire, half werewolf. The first of his kind."

Cami bursts into laughter again. People spend their entire lives desperate to believe that there is something more to this world and to life itself than it meets the eye, but they always laugh when you try to tell them the truth. Their first impulse is to remain skeptical. Having always been a part of it, growing up in a city like Mystic Falls, where the town council is trained on vampire hunting techniques, Caroline can't really understand how the supernatural might seem so impossible. Weird, inexplicable things happen all the time, if only you're paying attention. She thought maybe Cami would be easier to convince, considering she's been around abnormal behavior for months now. Apparently, though, not so much.

"I told you it was going to sound crazy," she says.

"Wow, you're really serious," Cami says, reigning herself in. "Ok, I'm sorry." She pulls herself together, clears her throat and looks straight into Caroline's eyes, making a stupendous effort to keep a straight face. "Assuming what you're saying is... somewhat... true -"

"It is 100% true."

"Why would Klaus want to compel me?"

"Honestly? I don't know. He says it's because he's been telling you things he doesn't want you to remember afterward. Personal things."

"Well, yes. He hired me as his stenographer. It's assumed that he's going to tell me personal things."

"Name one thing he's told you."

Cami opens her mouth like the answer is at the tip of her tongue, but then her brow furrows and she snaps her mouth back shut. "I... can't." Caroline arches an eyebrow. "Oh my God, I can't remember anything."

"Exactly. Because he compels you to forget everything when you're not with him. If he were to walk in right now, you'd instantly remember." Caroline pauses, licking her lower lip. "And also... He was kind of using you as a spy."

"Spy? Who am I supposed to be spying on?"

"Marcel." Cami's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. "Klaus and Marcel... They have history. And it's very complicated. Right now, they're kind of at war. Sometimes with each other, sometimes with other people. So Klaus compelled you to go out with Marcel so you'd bring him sensitive information."

Cami's face drops, and Caroline realizes she's finally starting to look concerned. As impossible as the story sounds, it makes sense.

"Is Marcel a hybrid too?" she asks after a moment.

"No, he's a vampire."

Cami laughs again, but this time it's a nervous laughter. "I'm sorry, I can't. This is too..." she trails off, waving a hand in front of her face.

"I can break the compulsion, and you'll remember everything. All the bits you've been missing, everything Klaus has ever said to you, all the things he made you forget — you'll remember."

"How? Are you... Are you one, too?"

"I'm a witch."

"A... witch?"

Caroline shuts her eyes, concentrating, and a second later all the candles in the room are spitting fire like a flamethrower. Cami gasps, flinching, and when Caroline opens her eyes again, the candles go back to normal.

Cami stares at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Did you... Were you...?" She nods. Cami swallows. "Oh God. You're telling the truth, aren't you? Everything... It's real." Caroline gives her an apologetic smile, but she can sense Cami's starting to get freaked out, just as she was that day, several months ago, when Klaus dared to tell her about vampires. It makes her wonder whether Caroline's doing the right thing, helping her remember. Perhaps the compulsion, in her case, was for the best, after all. Maybe the reason why Klaus had been keeping her under compulsion is because he knew she couldn't handle knowing the truth.

No. There is no circumstance where compelling someone against their will is a good thing. Unless they're under threat, there is no excuse. It should be Cami's decision whether she wants to keep those memories or not.

"You said you can... lift the compulsion?" Cami asks, tentatively.

"Yes. But I have to warn you... It's going to hurt."

"How bad?"

"Pretty bad. Klaus is incredibly powerful, so his compulsion runs very deep, and he's been doing this to you for months. Not gonna lie to you, Cami, it's probably gonna hurt like a bitch. It's why I'm using the sage — the burning leaves. It's a privacy spell. No one will be able to hear us outside this room."

"You mean like I'll be screaming?"

Caroline makes a face, giving a light shrug of her shoulders. "Look, I understand this is a lot. If you need some time to think about it, it's ok. We can do this another time, whenever you're ready."

"No," Cami says, clenching her jaw as her voice wavers. "If what you're saying is true... I want to know. I wanna do this. Let's do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Where do you want me?"

Caroline cracks her neck, takes a deep breath. "All right. Just close your eyes." And then she starts chanting.

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

Rebekah waits until the very last second, when Thierry rounds a corner and walks into a deserted street, to sneak up on him. She grabs him by his collar and smashes him back against the wall. Following his traitorous arse for an hour and holding back on ending him there and then was a torment.

"I should rip out your coward heart!" she spits at his face as he whimpers. How could she ever think that she could count on such a weak, weak man? How could Marcel ever trust him? He's not a vampire, he's a mouse.

"What, Rebekah? We made a deal to take out your brother, but at the end of the day it's every man for himself."

She grunts, feeling her blood boiling in her veins. If she hadn't just fed, she'd bleed him dry right here. Rebekah pushes him away and he tumbles, fighting to regain his balance.

"I am so sick of self-serving narcissists! Are men simply incapable of committing to an alliance?"

Thierry's neck snaps with a loud crack, and then Elijah is standing in front of her, a curl on his lips saying she's about to get lectured.

"I asked you to cease these petty moves against our family and yet you conspire with this fool. Is this what it's come to? Making moves against your own blood?"

"Don't you try to shame me," she retorts with fire in her voice. "Nik grows more powerful by the day, and you do nothing but encourage him."

"I offer him my counsel because it's clear to me that he needs to make the city our home. Perhaps leading some of these derelicts," he says, nearly spitting out the word as he motions vaguely towards Thierry's body. "Will curb some of these impulses, grant him some degree of happiness -"

"You always talk of Nik's happiness," Rebekah cuts in. "But for a thousand years he has robbed me of any chance at my own. What about me, Elijah? Am I not a concern for you?" her voice cracks around the edges, her eyes burning with tears threatening to come.

Rebekah's known for a very long time that, perhaps out of guilt for having stood by in fear for years while their father abused and tortured Nik, Klaus has always been the all and all in Elijah's life. There were very brief moments throughout the centuries where the two of them were apart, or when Elijah dared to find a life for himself. And it all ended the exact same way: with Nik acting up to draw their brother back. It works like a charm.

Rebekah understands Elijah's sense of responsibility; it's who he is, a family man and a caretaker. She even understands why he'd be more concerned over Nik than the rest of them. But it still stings to know that Nik's well-being is all he cares about, even if his happiness comes at the expense of others'. And it's especially thorny knowing that the feeling is not mutual; Nik cares about no one but himself, and he wouldn't bat an eyelid before putting them both back in coffins for centuries if he sees fit.

She's so tired of living the life other people want for her. She hasn't been a 17 years old for a thousand years, but her brothers have a really hard time understanding that. It never occurred to Elijah that being back in New Orleans was never what Rebekah wanted, even though she's told him that time and time again. He insists on this insane idea that a baby will magically cure their brother's putrid heart and help him see the light. But Caroline's now over six months along and absolutely nothing has changed. Nik is still the same egotistical tyrant he's always been, New Orleans is still ruled by arrogant, self-serving men and Rebekah is sicker than ever of this never ending cycle. She cannot take another thousand years of this.

"Is this still about that silly cure business?"

"No, Elijah! It's not about the cure, it's about Nik never letting me live my life the way I choose to, and it's about you always siding with him and buying into his mania. You never learn, and you expect me to be as stubborn as you."

"We all make sacrifices in the name of this family, Rebekah. But know this: I will never stand against you or Niklaus."

"What about Caroline?"

The second she speaks the name of the witch, the expression on Elijah's face changes. His haughtiness is suddenly gone, replaced by unease.

"Nothing I conspire to do, none of my treachery will harm this family as much as your feelings for her." She expects him to reply, to say he would never dare to make a move on her, but all he does is look away. "You're a hypocrite, Elijah. You would choose love over family and then condemn me for doing the same."

Rebekah wipes away her tears and storms away from there.

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

Cami is on the floor, leaning back against the bed, with her head down. She's still shaking, her fingers twitching every few seconds. She looks so small like that, so fragile… It makes Caroline feel terribly guilty.

She had to step out for a moment to breathe some fresh air instead of the stuffy thing inside her room after hours of what can only be described as a torture session. Her ears are still ringing with Cami's screams. They stopped the process several times, but, despite all the pain she was obviously enduring, Cami pushed her on. "Keep going, I can take it," she said, her voice barely a scratch.

She goes back to the room with a large glass of cool water and a cup of tea.

"Cami?"

The girl lifts her head, her green eyes still gleaming with tears, her cheeks flushed from all the effort. She looks like she just ran a marathon, which, Caroline guesses, is probably not that far off.

"Here," she says, handing her the water. Cami takes it with trembly fingers, gulping down quickly.

Caroline puts the cup down on her nightstand and slides down to sit on the floor next to the other woman.

"How do you feel?" she asks.

"Like I was just run over by three trucks. Maybe four."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize," Cami says, finishing her water. "I can't believe... All these months... I thought I was losing my mind." Her eyes become distant for a second, and Caroline knows it's the memories still trickling in. Her thoughts must be all scrambled and out of place, and it's probably gonna be a few days before she can make sense of everything in some semblance of order. Compulsion is a nasty thing.

"I watched Marcel beat up a guy," she says all of a sudden. "At the masquerade. Did he kill him?"

"Oh. You mean Thierry. No, he's not dead. Well, technically he is, since he's also a vampire, but... Still alive. Marcel didn't kill that guy, but... They kill people, Cami. All of them. And... Well, I do too." Cami turns to her, alarmed. "Sometimes. Bad guys, obviously. But still. It's... Not something I'm proud of. Vampires, on the other hand... It's kind of their thing. Marcel is a really old one, and so is Klaus, as you obviously know now. They're better at controlling their hunger and predator instincts than the newbies. But the thing is... They've been doing this for so long that killing people for them is not the same that it is for us. Even Elijah, who's so moral and a master at self-control, snaps necks without even blinking. So it'll be good for you to stay alert for vampires. Although I think you're pretty much on Klaus' hands-off list, so. They'll stay away from you if they know what's good for them."

"Am I supposed to feel flattered?"

"Honestly, I go back and forth on that." She pauses. "But... Do you? Feel flattered, I mean."

"I... I don't know. There's... a lot to process."

Caroline nods, looking away. "I know this is not the most appropriate time, but I have to ask you something. Have you and Klaus... Did you two... Uhm... Have you ever... Slept together?"

Cami blinks at her. "Is that why you wanted to break the compulsion? Because you were jealous?"

"No!" Caroline objects. "No, of course not. I'd never put you through something like that because I'm jealous. Which, for the record... I was. A little bit." Cami barely raises a brow, as though she's not even surprised. "Most of all, I was pissed at Klaus for doing that to you. It's awful."

"Has it ever happened to you?"

Caroline snorts, a sad smile breaking way onto her face. "Witches can't be compelled. Although… I sometimes wish that we could."

"You do?" Cami asks, nonplussed.

All night, she's had Damon Salvatore at the forefront of her mind. Every time she felt like stopping the process, or when it seemed like Cami couldn't take it anymore, she'd remember him. The sheer strength of her hatred, the pain that those memories still bring, was enough to muster the energy to keep going. In a way, helping Cami felt a little like breaking free of that trauma. But the fear of finding out that Klaus had been using Camille the exact same way Damon used her remains.

"I met my first vampire when I was 16," she starts, drawing in a sharp breath. "I knew about vampires because my father was very big on hating them. Basically, where I come from, vampires are not such a well-kept secret. The entire city council is aware of their existence, has been so for generations, and both my parents were in the council. My father was an extremely powerful witch and my mom is the town's sheriff. So I grew up hearing nightmarish vampire bedtimes stories. As far as we all knew, there hadn't been any vampires in town for many, many years. It didn't keep me from being terrified of them, though. So when I met this guy, I didn't know what he was, even though I noticed something off about him. I was young and dumb and having a handsome older guy making eyes at me felt like winning the lottery, so I didn't care about instincts I didn't even know I had. When I saw what he was — his teeth, the eyes... I froze. I was paralyzed with fear. Couldn't do anything. Couldn't scream, couldn't run... It was the monster of my father's stories, a real one. He didn't know I was a witch, that I couldn't be compelled, so he tried. He told me to stay still, not to scream, and then he fed on me. For hours and hours. He'd heal me right before I passed out, then he'd start again. And then..." She pauses, her voice quivering. "When he started... To take advantage of me in other ways... I didn't resist either."

"Caroline..." Cami puts a hand on her arm, giving her a gentle, but firm squeeze.

"Anyway," she continues quickly. "He compelled me to forget everything. Well, he thought he did. I thought if he knew what I was and that he couldn't compel me, that he'd just kill me, so I pretended. And then he left like nothing happened. But I remember every horrifying second of it."

"But... If you're a witch... couldn't you have... I don't know... Stopped him, somehow? Done the flame thing you did to the candles?"

"I wasn't a very good witch back then. My father left when I was 10 and he was... Very disappointed with my lack of talent and passion for witchcraft. Every time he tried to teach me, I'd screw up and he'd get mad. He was ashamed of me, said that I had to be a bastard because there was no way he'd ever father such an incompetent girl. So I stopped trying after that, didn't see the point. It was only after that thing with the vampire happened that I started practicing. I swore to myself that I would never let it happen again. Ever. Not to me and not to anyone else if I could help it."

"I'm so, so sorry this happened to you, Caroline," Cami says, earnestly.

She smiles shortly. "It messed me up for a while, but I'm ok now. I've kicked his ass every chance I got, so. That helped. But you understand why I had to ask, right? If Klaus has been using compulsion to -"

"No, never," Cami cuts her off. "It was never like that. My head is a bit foggy still, but... We just talked. Well, he did most of the talking, when I started talking back he'd usually get irritated and send me away."

"That's pretty much how every conversation with Klaus goes."

The two girls exchange a knowing look, and then burst into a fit of giggles. Caroline has no idea why exactly, it's not even that funny. But if Cami can still laugh after what she just went through, and if Caroline can still find a smile in her after sharing that awful story, then maybe that means things haven't turned out so terrible, after all. Maybe they'll be all right.

"I haven't seen Klaus in weeks," Cami says once they both stop laughing. "He showed up at Rousseau's a few times and I poured him a few drinks, even though I'm pretty sure I wanted to hit him with the bottle, but then I remembered he tips very well, so... That was pretty much it. No sessions."

"Good. I mean, it's good to know he stopped it."

"You know..." Cami starts, pensively. "Now that I remember it... He talked about you a lot. Very... affectionately. For Klaus, anyway. There's a clear difference between how he spoke of you and of everyone else, even his siblings. You're really not together?"

"Nope."

"And he's been keeping you here as a prisoner?"

"Not exactly. He never offered me a choice, but we both know that I could walk out any time I wanted and there's nothing he could do to stop me."

"So why don't you?"

Caroline points to her own belly with both her hands. "Where am I gonna go, almost seven months pregnant with the world's first tribrid baby?"

"Home?" Cami suggests.

"With a new psycho out to get me every day? Wherever I go, death follows. I disagree with Klaus on many, many things, but I think he's right that staying here is for the best, at least for now. I can't take this kind of danger back home with me. They have enough shit to deal with there and I'd be risking everyone's lives, including my mom's. She'd have a target on her back. Besides — Klaus doesn't exactly have a lot of fans back in Mystic Falls. If he was honest with you about his stint there instead of giving you the delusional psycho's cut version, then you know no one was really sorry to see him gone. I don't know how I'm going to explain this."

"They don't know you're pregnant?"

"They think I'm in California. No one even knows I've been with Klaus, let alone that I'm pregnant."

"Not even your mother?" Caroline shakes her head. "Wow. That will be a shocker."

"I know I'll have to tell them at some point, and I want to. I want my mom to be a part of her granddaughter's life. But I need to prepare myself first. As it is, I barely have time to prepare to give birth, so... One incredibly painful thing at a time."

"And I used to think I was good at compartmentalizing."

Caroline smiles again. "Listen, Cami. I didn't break the compulsion just so you could remember everything. I broke the compulsion so you would have a choice. If you would rather not know, then we can ask Rebekah to compel you to forget everything again and it'll be like it never happened."

"Why would I want that?"

"Some people prefer not to know," Caroline shrugs. "It can be a lot. And the last thing I want is for you to get hurt in this mess. You'll never see things the same way again. Life is going to be different. I understand if this isn't something that you want for yourself, and you have a right to stay out."

Cami takes Caroline's hands between her palms, looking deep into her eyes. "I can't thank you enough for opening my eyes, Caroline. Even if the world is a terrible place, I would rather know."

"I had a feeling you would say that," says Caroline, softly. "So you're going to need this." Caroline takes the cup of tea, not so steamy anymore, and gives it to Cami. She looks down at the liquid, takes it up to her face for a sniff, and then looks at Caroline with a question. "It's a vervain infusion. I added a little bit of sugar so it would taste better. It's a little bitter, so you might wanna spice it up. It goes well with hibiscus or chamomile."

Cami blinks. "Vervain?"

"It keeps you from being compelled. I have some for you to take with you. It takes about three days to leave your system completely, but I would take it every day, just to be sure. As long as you're on it, no vampire will be able to compel you again."

Camille takes a sip of her tea, wrinkling up her nose at the taste. "Yeah, a little bitter doesn't even begin to describe it. But that's nothing for someone who just got punched on the brain for three hours."

"Good point."

"I owe you big time, Caroline."

"Rebekah once told me that us girls have to stick together. She was right."

She takes another sip and then puts the cup down. "Can I ask for another favor, then?"

"Shoot."

"Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit? I'm feeling completely out of sorts."

"I wouldn't have let you leave even if you wanted to. I'd like to keep an eye on you, and I can give you something to help you sleep. Nightmares are probably gonna be a side effect for a while, with all the memories coming back."

Cami sighs. "Great. What other collaterals should I expect?"

"I have no idea. I've never done this before."

Cami's face drops. "I was your guinea pig?"

"I tried something similar, once, a while ago. It was to break a sire bond, which isn't exactly like compulsion, but the principle is the same. It didn't work. So you're technically my first successful case."

"That's comforting," she mumbles.

Caroline tries to stand to her feet, only to realize she's really entering that stage where crouching down and getting up becomes a challenge. Noticing her struggle, Cami stands up and offers her a hand. "Magic is not an exact science," she says. "It's not about practice, it's about understanding the flows of magic and how to connect to it and bend it to your will. And I do. I may not be the most experienced, but I'm an extremely diligent and resourceful student. Plus, I'm a fast learner. So you were in good hands."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just... A little freaked out."

"It's ok. I just tortured you for hours, I can cut you some slack. Now, lie down."

"What, on the bed?"

"Where else?"

"I was raised catholic, Caroline. I'm pretty sure stealing the bed off a pregnant woman is a fast-track to hell."

Caroline shakes her head. "That couch over there is perfectly comfortable. I've taken wonderful afternoon naps there."

"So I'll take the couch."

"Cami -"

"This is not a discussion."

"Fine. We can share, then. The bed is big enough for a soccer team, anyway. Left side is mine."

Cami walks around to climb on the right side of the bed, pulling down the covers and fluffing up the pillows before lying down with a loud, exhausted groan. Caroline walks over to her side and puts her hands out over Cami. "Close your eyes."

"Before you do your thing," Cami interrupts her. "Can I just say something?"

"Sure."

"Klaus," Cami starts. "He's delusional. Paranoid. Prone to violent outbursts. Definitely dangerous."

"I'm well aware."

"But. I really think he cares about you. It's a little unethical of me to say this, considering I was technically his therapist, but since he insisted on calling me a stenographer - and since he was an ass compelling me — I don't feel bad at all breaking the doctor-patient confidentiality. I think impending fatherhood scares him to death, even though he always refused to admit it. But. You being happy is very important to him."

Caroline snorts. "He has a weird way of showing it."

"He has a weird way of trying to make friends who'll listen to him when he needs to vent. I think weird is pretty much default for him."

Well... Caroline can't exactly disagree with that. But that's not to say she agrees with Klaus' methods. And in case, today has been too exhausting for her to be thinking about Klaus, who, by the way, is still apparently mad at her for some unknown reason. So unless he starts using his words, Caroline will just focus on the issues she can actually help with. Like giving her extremely tired friend a good night of sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Cami. Or - no dreams."

Cami smiles, and then closes her eyes. "Good night, Caroline."

TBC

---

I know some of you were really anxious about this chapter, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how you guys feel! Also a little scared lol This is my first attempt at writing Kalijah, which I know is a very popular pairing, so I hope no one gets mad at me for my depiction of them. If you are upset, I'M SORRY! I tried to make it respectfully, but I still need my Elijah with his head back in New Orleans. In a way, I did do more than the show, didn't I? lol

I'm also really looking forward to seeing what you guys think of Cami's moment in this chapter! I told you I would bring her back and she'd get more involved with the story. Despite the fact Davina does break Cami's compulsion (a few episodes back, actually), these scenes were 100% original and addressed things I think are really important my Caroline here. I know some people have asked me if Klaus will be going back to MF to kick Damon's ass and the answer unfortunately is no. Not in this story, anyway. I can't fit that in. The time to take Klaus back to MF would be in this chapter and I chose to do something different with it. I hope no one's too disappointed and that you enjoy the way the matter was handled here. I felt Caroline needed a friend to confide in and, Rebekah aside, she also has one in Cami now.

Also, I have to say this is not the end of repercussions for the near-kiss, so you can expect more to come, though I'm still struggling with how to post the next three chapters. I can be easily persuaded to launch them faster by comments lol I don't play hard to get, folks. I'm just that easy.

Lastly, this episode wraps up with an AWESOME song. The final scene on the show is the with Klaus, Marcel and Sophie (and Elijah in my version), and the song that plays is UpUpUp by The Mast. If anyone would like to play it to ~~set the mood~~ while reading, go right ahead!

Thanks so much for reading, I hope I didn't make anybody angry, please bear with me, I love you, cheers!