A/N: This chapter has not been beta'ed and, as you all know, English is not my first language. I apologize for all the mistakes you will certainly find.
Just want to thank everyone who left me a comment on the last chapter. You guys are amazing and I was so relieved with your response. You have no idea how worried I was about last chapter, freaking out months in advance. lol So thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤
There are more notes at the bottom. Please make sure you read them once you're done with the chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Something strange is happening in the Bayou.
The place seems to have come alive since the Crescents broke their curse, the whole pack now returned to their human forms. The squalid, ramshackle camp site, reeking of misery and decay, is but a thing of the past. It is bustling with movement and people, the sounds of laughter and cheerful conversation filling what had once been a haunting silence. It's nothing compared to the chaos of the French Quarter, of course, but the swift transformation from an abandoned encampment to a real, flourishing community is astonishing, indeed.
No wonder the werewolves are so fond of Caroline. It all started with her. But that brings Elijah very little comfort.
Every time he comes around, he is surprised by the arrival of new packs. He knew the Crescents were a distinguished and old clan, going back to the origins of the werewolf species, but he certainly underestimated their hierarchical relevance. Now that they are paving the way back to their former glory, other werewolf packs are flocking over to the Bayou in heaps, desperate to pledge their allegiance. Where vampires would waste no time plotting coups and diving up foul alliances to ensure that the young Crescent leader would never have the chance to reclaim the power his clan lost during the years they spent under Marcel's curse, werewolves, it seems, are delighted to bend the knee to their new alpha. It's in their nature to put the pack before the individuals, respecting hierarchy and traditions. It's hard to believe these people are related to Niklaus, however distantly.
Elijah was prepared to find yet more wolves surrounding the Crescents' cabins today, as that has been the norm lately, but he was definitely not prepared for... This. The Bayou is absolutely crowded, as though every werewolf in the country decided to make a trip down south.
He lingers back for a moment, trying to understand what exactly he's walking into. This many werewolves all gathered around one place makes him restless. For a vampire, even one as old and as himself, this is like walking into a minefield. He may be immortal, but he's not immune to pain. And to think not too long ago there were rumors that werewolves had gone extinct. Whoever spread the information had clearly never been to Louisiana.
Careful not to draw too much attention to himself - difficult, considering he's wearing a nine thousand dollars Italian suit in the middle of a flannel parade - he searches for Caroline and finds her standing right outside her cabin, next to Eve. There's a line in front of her door, the end of which Elijah cannot see. She looks every bit as bothered and uncomfortable by the agglomeration as he feels.
"Is this a bad time?" he asks as he approaches her. He can feel the werewolves glowering at him.
"More like a weird time," Caroline replies, speaking very low and hiding her mouth behind the hem of her mug. "I have no idea who all these people are and why they're standing out here all weird and lurky."
"They've come from all over," Eve answers, a proud, dreamy smile tugging at her lips. "All the packs."
Personally, Elijah thinks they look more like a cult.
"Why? To see a baby that's not even born yet?" Caroline quips.
"Forget the baby," Oliver says snippily as he comes out of the cabin. "They're here to see you. The witch who broke the curse, brought hope back to the Bayou, yadda, yadda, yadda. Considering how high in hierarchy your daughter's blood line was, they think you'll be the mother of some long lost werewolf messiah or some shit."
Elijah does not care for his tone of voice. Maybe he should've broken a couple of teeth before releasing him the other night.
Caroline snorts. "Great. No pressure or anything." She turns to Elijah, visibly relaxing when their eyes meet. However at ease she may be around the werewolves these days, they're not Caroline's people. She's just as stubborn as Niklaus when it comes to admitting that she wants to come home, to the French Quarter. Hopefully sooner rather than later, she'll become convinced that this environment is far from appropriate for a newborn. If they're acting this eccentrically before the child is even here, Elijah can only imagine the kind of insanity that'll take over once she is.
"So, what brings you out here on this lovely creepy morning?" she asks, smiling warmly.
"I actually have an invitation. I'd like a word with you, if I may."
"Of course."
"And you," he says to Oliver, who quirks him an eyebrow. "And Jackson. All three of you."
"Ok..." Caroline drawls. "This morning is getting weirder and weirder." She puts down her mug. "I'll go get Jack."
Caroline scurries away rather quickly, probably glad for the excuse to hide from all the lurkers, and returns a few minutes later with Jackson. The four of them walk a little further down the river, away from the camp and the hordes of miracle baby worshippers.
"Caroline said you had an invitation?" Jackson prompts. "What do you wanna talk about?"
Elijah takes a breath. This is not gonna be an easy sell. Where to begin...
Elijah's day started rather poorly, with an early visit from Genevieve. Naturally, he thought she was after Niklaus, so he informed her that his brother had been locked away in his own quarters like a hermit for days now. Given the strong scent of alcohol Elijah picked up in the air as he passed by, it was safe to say he was in one of his glorious moods. Best to be left alone.
The witch looked rather prickly, but, much to his surprise, said Klaus was not the one she wanted to speak to. His brother has been remarkably short-tempered and surly lately and, when Elijah stopped to consider it, he hadn't seen Genevieve parading around his home since the night of the party, when the peace treaty was signed. He assumes either Niklaus ended things with her once and for all, or he simply stopped answering her incessant calls, wounding her delicate pride. Either way, Elijah can't say he disapproves of it, despite Klaus' obvious tardiness in putting an end to that nonsense. Perhaps seeing Caroline in all her glory as she slammed them all down at the party made him realize how much of a fool he was being, wasting his time with that snake while the mother of his child gains admirers every day all around New Orleans. Starting with the Crescents' alpha, with whom she now lives.
What Genevieve wanted, after all, was to have a word with the person in charge, as she put it herself. She had a favor to ask. One which Elijah wasn't all that congenial about initially. It takes a considerable nerve for someone who tortured both his siblings and caused a major rupture in his family's life to come and ask for a favor. But once he was able to put his acrimony aside and give the matter a proper thought... He had to agree that it was, actually, not such a bad idea.
The problem lay in convincing the rest of the factions to agree with his vision. Particularly the werewolves. Which is why Elijah's left them for last.
The vampires offered no resistance. Not because they were glad to oblige, but because Diego is wisely terrified of him. All Elijah had to do was remind him that he is perfectly replaceable if he ever finds it difficult to honor his newfound position as the head of the vampire faction - a position Elijah had kindly bestowed upon him, believing him to be reasonable and fully capable of keeping his peers under a tight leash. But he could always change his mind, of course. Elijah doesn't expect to be loved by the vampires, they just have to respect his authority, both as the man currently wearing the makeshift crown of New Orleans, and as one of their makers.
Francesca Correa was far more persuadable. The situation offers her an interesting opportunity for personal gains as the owner of the city's most famous casino. But she made sure to mention that she would consider it a favor that she'd be looking to collect in the future. That woman is... Way too sly for a human. Elijah needs to keep his eyes open around her.
With the werewolves, however... He expects negotiations to be slightly more complicated. They have nothing to gain and a lot of attitude. And it's not like he can just flaunt his authority about the way he does with the vampires. Especially not with Caroline there. She's... Harder to deny, so to speak. And after the party at the compound, it is more than obvious that she has more of an influence than even she seems to realize. And not only with the wolves.
"The witches are having a festival of sorts," he starts, and already Caroline is rolling her eyes. "One of their old traditions that Marcel banned and that they are now seeking to reestablish under the new peace treaty. The Fête de Benedictions, Feast of the Blessings."
"And what exactly is that?" Ollie enquiries.
"Members of the community offer witches gifts in exchange for blessings. They'd like to use it as a forum to introduce their recently returned Harvest girls to New Orleans' society, and they would like everyone to attend. Your people are uniquely poised to set an example for the rest of the French Quarter, so it's of utmost importance that the wolves send a representative."
Instantly, all heads swivel towards Caroline, three sets of expectant eyes waiting for her reaction.
She frowns lightly. "What are you all looking at? I'm not a werewolf."
Elijah arches his eyebrows at her. "It's not what that line outside your cabin says."
"I'm not," she repeats, more emphatically. "But if you want my opinion, the witches are the ones who cursed your pack. I wouldn't go. But it's your choice, not mine. I'm staying put."
"Caroline, please," Elijah beseeches.
"Are you serious? Those witches have tried to kill me. I will certainly not be offering any gifts to freaking Genevieve."
"The gifts are not for her, it's for the young girls. You can gift Davina."
"It's a new day in the Quarter, Caroline," Jackson says in a pacifying tone. "If we're going to coexist we have to play ball." He turns to Elijah then. "We'll send a representative, with a gift."
"There, you have your werewolf," Caroline says drily, turning on her back and walking away.
Elijah waits until she's moved a little further ahead and flashes towards her, eyeing Oliver and Jackson suspiciously.
"That was too easy," he says, lowly.
"I thought it was exactly what you wanted."
"Yes. But I expected to have to use a lot more persuasion to get it. I thought I'd have to convince you first."
If he had more time, he'd stick around longer, sniffing around. Something doesn't feel right. Even the vampires were harder to crack than the wolves. This can't be them just playing ball. Something's happening, and he intends to figure out exactly what. More than ever, he's not comfortable with Caroline being around them. Unfortunately, though, his presence is required back in the Quarter.
He looks her dead in the eye, then, before blurring away. "Don't trust them. Don't trust any of them."
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She's fine suspecting Oliver; she never trusted him anyway. But doubting Jackson makes her feel a little disconcerted. He's been superb to her since his return to the camp, a good friend and a great leader, making sure that Caroline never felt left out or ostracized for not being one of them, strictly speaking. Not to mention, he's the one who saved her life all those months ago in the woods. She hasn't forgotten. She also knows Elijah has some petty rivalry grievances against him, but... She has to say, something about that conversation didn't sit right with her either. It really was too easy.
She had to practically beg Jackson to go to the party at the compound, and it was way more in his interests to go to that one than to some witchy tribute celebration. And after the altercation with the vampires, she thought it'd be at least twice as hard to convince him to go to another event like that. Instead, it was as smooth as spreading butter. Not even Oliver, who prides himself in being a jackass whenever possible, had an objection to make.
So when she finds the two of them with their heads bent together, whispering all conspiratorially to each other, and they stop the second she comes out of the cabin, she knows Elijah wasn't just being petty. There's definitely something going on.
"What is this, high school?"
"Why don't you take the hint and mind your own business?" Ollie snaps.
And, oh, he shouldn't have...
Caroline grabs his arm and twists it around his back, slamming him against the door. "I don't like your tone of voice," she grits out. "If you're going to be using me to fight on your corner when it convenes you and then whispering behind my back, it is my business."
"No need to get all riled up," Jackson says, rather calmly considering she's a spark away from kicking his buddy's ass. She's been holding back against Ollie for ages now. Just give her one reason and she'll put him to sleep for a good week. "It's not good for you, Caroline."
Oliver tries to get away, so she twists his arm a bit further and pushes him hard against the door once more. "The last month of pregnancy is all hormones and mood swings and I'm dying for an excuse to enjoy my inhuman strength before I have to give it up, so unless you'd like me to snap your arm like a twig, I suggest you tell me exactly what's going on."
"You can go to hell," Ollie spits back.
"Knock it off," Jackson says. "There's no reason to keep it from her."
"Keep what from me?"
"I can think of a reason," Oliver hisses out. "Tall, immortal, wears a pocket scarf." Caroline pushes his head hard against the wall.
"Caroline, we think of you as one of us," Jackson says. "You deserve to know. Go on."
He makes a pleading face and she finally releases Ollie, turning to Jackson with her brows pitched together and her arms folded across her chest. "Talk."
"We made an alliance that's going to change everything for the wolves."
She narrows her eyes at him. So they are going behind Elijah's back, even though she yelled at him to give them a sit on their peace treaty table. "An alliance with whom?" she demands.
Oliver and Jackson exchange a glance. "Klaus."
"What?!"
Jackson motions for her to be cool. She's gonna snap his arm too if he keeps acting this condescending. "It's a good thing," he says.
She pulls a chair closer and sits down to make herself comfortable. This conversation is going to be longer than she thought.
"Tell me everything."
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To make sure no one will misunderstand just how much he expects them all to behave tonight, Elijah donates a lot of money to the Fête de Benedictions and decides to stay right next to the gate as the guests begin to arrive for the after-party once the public parade is over. This way he can remind each and every one of them of their commitments to the peace cause with a good show of his sharp fangs, just in case it happens to slip anyone's minds.
Despite being mostly there to indiscriminately intimidate, and also to keep tabs on who each faction has sent as a representative, there is one person he's genuinely happy to see: Davina Claire.
He hadn't had a chance to speak to her since she was returned to life, following Celeste's death. Genevieve told Niklaus that she was struggling, which to him translates as being punished by her beloved ancestors for having postponed the Harvest ritual for as long as she did.
But based on what he saw during the parade, she's doing much better now. The people crowding the streets to watch what they deemed to be a performance were impressed with her trick. Each girl represented one of the elements - minus one, since one of the Harvest girls will remain buried in Lafayette Cemetery as long as Genevieve sports her unpleasantness across the streets of New Orleans. Davina was fire. As such, she lit up the panel behind them and started a fireworks spectacle. Quite remarkable, indeed - for the ordinary mortal, anyway.
The scorching look of reproach on Monique Deveraux's face did not escape Elijah's attention. She's just a child, but something about that girl rubs him very wrong. She's got the eyes of a fanatic. Might be even worse than her aunt, may she rest in peace.
Davina's walking right by him, blissfully ignoring his presence, when he calls to her. She stops, whirls around and gives him a hard look that isn't unlike the ones he gets from Caroline from time to time. He can't help the smile that creeps onto his face, glad to see that death doesn't seem to have affected her strong personality.
"It's lovely to see you," he says, earnestly. "And under far better circumstances."
"Is it? I never saw Tim again and your brother is still breathing," she retorts curtly.
"Davina, that's enough," Genevieve scolds her, approaching them with her façade of cordiality. "Elijah's been a patron to us this evening and we will show him respect."
Davina looks from Genevieve to him, gives a light shrug and turns away from them, heading towards the entrance.
"Thank you for all of this," Genevieve says.
"This isn't for you," he replies, sounding far tarter than he did a moment before. "You know as well as I do that your people would never accept a truce unless we showed them some respect. So be it." He motions towards the entrance, giving her a look that he hopes makes it crystal clear there are limits to how friendly he's willing to be towards her. "Enjoy your party."
Genevieve grins, that cynical expression that makes him want to peel it off her face with his hands, and saunters away.
It's a mystery how his brother tolerates that woman.
The smile Elijah shows to the next person who arrives, however, is entirely sincere.
As always, Caroline looks lovely.
"Strange," he drawls. "I seem to recall you saying you wouldn't come."
"Well, if you don't want me here -"
"I never said that. Where are your colorful friends?"
"I don't know," she shrugs. "I don't represent any factions in this city, I only represent myself."
"Well, that's a shame."
Klaus materializes next to them, hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. He wasn't at the parade, and Elijah wasn't sure if he'd come tonight at all. He's been avoiding Genevieve like the plague since the event at the compound.
"I'm sure their plights are far more palatable when they come from you," he adds.
Caroline rolls her eyes at him, but when she turns to Elijah and notices the ghost of amusement on his face - well, he doesn't disagree -, she glares at both of them.
"If I stay outside making any more small talk I might change my mind about attending this... Whatever this is," she says, drily.
"Well, then. Shall we?" Elijah offers her his arm. She hesitates, looking a little disconcerted. She turns to Klaus, his brother's eyes flashing before he positions himself on her other side and, mirroring Elijah's movement, holds out his own arm for her to take.
Caroline looks from one to the other and huffs out a disbelieving laugh. "Oh, what the hell," she mutters, wrapping a hand around each of their elbows as they walk together towards the mansion.
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As far as grand entrances go, Caroline thinks hers ranks pretty high.
Klaus and Elijah arriving together anywhere in this city, especially at an event where every single guest happens to be a part of the supernatural underworld in one way or another, would turn heads. When they arrive with a pregnant girl between them, it turns heads and raises eyebrows.
Considering her idea here was to call as little attention as possible to herself and act as a mere observer, maybe she should've thought this through.
Caroline feels terribly self-conscious. Like carrying Klaus' magical mystery baby didn't make her the topic of enough conversations already. Now she feels she might have given the not-so-good folks of the Big Easy reason to speculate on slightly juicier affairs. Just what she needed, then.
What would her friends back in Mystic Falls think if they could see her now? What would her mother? All those times Caroline derided Elena for parading across town with a Salvatore on each arm, and now look at her. Well, at least she's had an upgrade, she guesses.
As much as she hates Damon and would like to drown him in a bag, part of her always felt a little envious of Elena, of the kind of attention she got from the brothers, what they were willing to do for her. There was Stefan, who was a real life prince charming - if you disregard the whole ripper thing, which Caroline does because he was one of her best friends and a good person at heart, no matter what anybody said - and then there was Damon, who was as rotten on the inside as he was alluring on the surface. Despite all the terrible things he did to Caroline, he was something of a stone age gentleman to Elena. Considerate, attentive, even sweet if he was in the right frame of mind. One thing no one doubted was that Damon would do literally anything for Elena, except maybe getting the hell out of her life. And while Elena somehow managed to get two epic loves almost at once, not breaking a single drop of sweat, Caroline had to go up on stages and sing love ballads to get Matt to stop thinking about his ex for five seconds. It always made her feel so cheap. An attention-seeker, screaming to be noticed by the guys she loved.
And now... Again, look at her.
Suddenly she feels a lot more respect for Elena. Her friend's love life was far from the walk in the park Caroline used to think it was. She's very much aware that in her Elena analogy, Klaus would be Damon, as far as the rest of humanity is concerned. And Caroline can't really say she disagrees. She tries her best to hold Klaus accountable for all the crap he pulls, but being involved with him takes a certain level of abstraction, not to mention humongous amounts of patience and blind faith. The way Caroline sees it, there's a world of difference between her situation with Klaus and Damon and Elena - for starters, Klaus didn't kill her last living relative before he knew about the existence of resurrecting rings - but still…
Caroline realizes now it must not have been easy for Elena to juggle the affections of two ancient vampires. Not all the time, anyway. Especially when on the other end of that triangle is Stefan, who's great and caring and understanding and respectful. A bit too respectful, maybe, to the point he'd let the girl he loves leave him for his douchebag of a brother without putting up a fight. Then again, if Elena could see her now, she'd probably think the exact same thing. Caroline remembers only too well how she used to wax poetic about the noble Original. Elena liked Elijah. Everyone does. He's the likable Mikaelson. He's every bit a snob as the rest of his siblings and can be just as ruthless and scary, but he's polite and reasonable and - who would've guessed? - that actually makes a difference to the public eye.
But Elijah isn't Stefan. Caroline doesn't have romantic feelings for him. She cares about him, of course, deeply, like he's family, but... He's not the third side of the triangle because there's never been any. Not in any practical terms, anyway. She's done her best not to stomp all over Elijah's feelings, even though she knew he could've been misinterpreting things, not just because she didn't want to lose him, but mostly because she didn't want Klaus to lose his brother. In this crazy place that they've elected to call a home, Elijah's support was what kept Caroline from freaking out a lot of the time. But Klaus needs him even more than she does, even if he refuses to acknowledge it. How they parted all those years ago was heartbreaking and unfair and it took them forever to finally find the way back to each other. She'd hate to be the thing that stands between the two of them as they work on rebuilding their relationship.
At the same time, her being here is what brought them together in the first place, so it's a very fine balance to keep. And maybe not her responsibility at all; she's got enough on her plate as it is to play matchmaker to two billion years old men with family issues. Still... Caroline just likes them. Both of them. In different ways. And they're better together than they are apart, that much is obvious. Especially Klaus.
This is part of the reason why she's here tonight. Because Klaus is doing business behind his brother's back while Elijah runs around the city trying to negotiate peace treaties and keep everyone's moods in check. Why Klaus would be a jerk to the one person who hasn't defected him yet is just beyond her. Maybe that's exactly what he wants, though, to take Elijah to the breaking point until it'll be just him all alone in that house. Klaus is the kind of guy who would unleash all the horrors in the world just to prove a goddamn point. Caroline has to agree with Elijah on that matter; his self-destructive tendencies are unrivaled. And he is about to destroy his last remnants of a family.
As mad as she is with him, and as not her business as his relationship with his brother might be, she doesn't want Klaus to throw himself head-first into the abyss. If he continues down that road, there will be no turning back and Caroline... Well, she doesn't want Klaus to lose himself for good. Whatever happens between them in the future, he'll always be the father of her child. She'd rather her daughter has a moderately sane person in her life than an unhinged maniac or no one at all.
But for that, he'll need Elijah. And if that means she'll have to walk through a party with two handsome men shooting daggers at one another on each side of her, then so be it. If she disregards the weird looks they're getting and the tiny voice in her head saying she owes Elena at least half an apology, it's not really that horrible. She can think of worse situations to be in.
A moment later, Genevieve starts talking, and Caroline's mood immediately sours. She lets go of both her escorts, taking a deliberate step further away from Klaus. For a second there she almost forgot the woman currently screwing him is their host for tonight.
"Caroline -" he starts, leaning closer.
She folds her arms over her chest in a clearly defensive posture and keeps her eyes angrily focused on the red-haired woman. "Shhhh. Your girlfriend is talking," she grits out.
Klaus lets out a loud, expressive sigh, but realizes he'll get nothing less hostile out of her and drops it.
"Welcome!" the witch says, drawing everyone's attention to her. The conversation dwindles to a stop. She's standing by the central staircase, surrounded by the three young resurrected girls, each dressed as an element. Davina looks beautiful in red, representing fire. Caroline smiles to herself. The last memory she has of Davina is... Well, awful doesn't even begin to describe it. She's glad to see her back, even if it is to have that snake as a mentor.
"As is our time-honored tradition, you are all welcome to deliver your offerings," Genevieve says, motioning towards the girls. "It is our custom that no one should be turned away, no blessings denied. So please. Step forward."
The girls each take a seat on a throne-like chair and Genevieve steps away. A ripple of uncertainty runs through the crowd, mostly formed by humans and vampires. Caroline waves to Jackson, who smiles back at her from the other side of the semi-circle formed around the thrones.
There's a long awkward moment during which no one moves, everyone waiting to see who'll be the first to go.
"Did you threaten all these people into being here?" she asks Elijah.
"Not at all," he replies, a wolfish grin on his face. "I strongly insisted."
Caroline scoffs, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose I'll just get this over with."
She cuts a line straight to Davina, smiling at the girl. The gift she brought was thought for her. It's a hairpin that matches her blue-green eyes. Since Caroline decided to come, she might as well do something nice for someone who actually deserves it. But a witch pulls her away and indicates Monique.
Caroline grins apologetically at Davina and deposits her gift in front of Monique Deveraux, thinking that there might be some kind of order to this stupid ceremony. Sophie's niece is beautiful, and she actually reminds Caroline a lot of her aunt. They have the same eyes. But something about her just creeps Caroline out. Monique nods at her in appreciation and then she's moved out of the line so another person can come forward.
She goes back to where she was standing, and finds only Elijah there. "Where did he go?" she asks. Elijah merely shrugs. Caroline searches around for Klaus, dreading to see him by Genevieve's side, but the witch is still standing on her own, close to her pupils, overseeing the blessings.
One by one, all of the guests take their gifts up to the girls. Diego, Jackson, that Francesca woman... And one after the other, the witch coordinating the line directs the people towards either Monique or the other Harvest girl, never allowing anybody to offer their gifts to Davina.
"Those bitches," Caroline mutters bitterly, shaking her head. They're doing it on purpose, just to punish her. That girl went through hell because her own coven lied to her about a ritual, making her believe she was being groomed towards greatness when in reality she was being prepared for a slaughter. Now the very people who were supposed to welcome her back after such a traumatic event are out to embarrass her in front of the entire supernatural community.
As if Caroline needed any more reasons to dislike Genevieve.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please!"
They all turn to see Klaus dragging Josh up the stairs by the scruff of his neck. Elijah noticeably stiffens next to her. Caroline watches in disbelief. He must have lost his mind for good.
The minute she sees Josh, Davina jumps from her throne and rushes to her friend's side.
"What the hell is he doing?" Caroline asks.
"I haven't the slightest idea," Elijah replies through grit teeth.
"We are gathered here today to pay homage to our beloved witches. But one very special witch has been utterly ignored," Klaus speaks with mock sympathy. "That seems a little unfair to me." He takes a tiny little box from his pocket and offers it to Davina.
"No," she shakes her head, her face scrunched up with aversion. "I don't want your gift."
"I understand why you would reject me, given our past. In truth, many of us here today have been wronged in the conflict which my brother's treaty ended." He casts his eyes towards Elijah, and Caroline bristles. How can he say that with such a straight face when he's negotiating behind his brother's back to sabotage his efforts? "Your friend Josh here was involved in a plot to kill me. It would be well within my right to execute him here and now."
"Oh, for God's sake," Caroline snaps, taking a step forward as she prepares to intervene in case Klaus attempts anything against Josh. The poor boy shudders, terrified. Davina gasps, her eyes going wide in despair. She may not be as powerful as she once was, but she's still a witch, and one who remembers very well what Klaus almost did to her a few months back. What the hell exactly does he think he's doing? She'll fry his brain in a second.
"But," he continues in silky tone, smiling. "In the spirit of solidarity, and for your favor, Davina, I hereby pardon him. Josh," he turns to his former minion. "From this day forward, you have nothing to fear from me. Please, Davina. Accept my gift." He offers her the box again. She hesitates, exchanging a glance with Josh, and then takes the box.
A self-satisfied smirk spreads across Klaus' lips, his eyes glinting with mischief, and Caroline realizes he's looking at someone in the crowd. She follows his gaze to find a fuming Genevieve, her mouth pressed into a tight line, eyebrows slashed together in the most unbecoming expression she's seen on that woman's face. Then she spins on her heels and stalks off, followed closely by the other two Harvest girls.
Caroline has no idea what Klaus' angle here is, but he wouldn't do something like that without a very good reason. And it seems he was especially trying to piss off Genevieve - which, taking by her reaction, he succeeded at with flying colors by openly defying her. So there must've been a fight there.
All sorts of muscles in Caroline relax. Whether it's because, for once, Klaus seems to have done something decent and corrected an injustice without anybody having to make him or because it particularly annoyed Genevieve, she doesn't know.
Elijah excuses himself to go talk to some other people and Caroline takes the opportunity to circulate as the festivity goes on, now without its host, which just makes it suddenly a lot more tolerable. Her eyes linger sadly on the people nursing their drinks, wishing yet again that she could ease her discomfort with a bit of alcohol. Just as she's starting to feel sorry for herself and wondering how much longer she's expected to stick around, someone hooks a hand around her arm, pulling her near, a warm breath way too close to her neck. It sends a spark running through her body, prickling the hair on the back of her neck.
"I hear you've made quite an impression with the wolves," Klaus speaks, his voice pitched low so the hordes of vampires around them won't take notice of their conversation. "My arrangement with them was supposed to be a secret and yet your forced it out of them. It was very bold. As was your decision to come today, on your own." His voice is even and mild, but Caroline feels the edge of his reproach.
She pulls slightly away to look at him, though she doesn't shake off the gentle hold he keeps of her arm. "Why?" she asks, arching her eyebrows to feign surprise. "Didn't want me crashing your lover's party? Or... Was that trouble in paradise I sensed just now?"
"Genevieve did something that deeply vexed me," he explains simply.
"What, you mean worse than what she did to Rebekah? Don't tell me you think you caught her making out with Elijah. Because, from experience, it might not be true."
Klaus' impassiveness wavers. "She tried to steal something very precious and very personal. When everybody left to attend the parade, she sent one of her minions to the compound, thinking it'd be unguarded."
Caroline regards him thoughtfully, trying to figure out what she could possibly want from Klaus. It takes only a few seconds to hit. The one thing he never left out in the open. "Your mother's spell book," she says, and Klaus merely looks away. A smile breaks onto her face almost unwittingly. "Wow. She was using you. How does it feel to be played like that?"
"I wasn't played, love. I knew exactly what she was after, which is how I managed to put a stop to her ploy."
"Is that why you publicly undermined her authority by offering Davina a gift?"
"I was going to gift her that anyway. I just felt like correcting a terrible unfairness."
"What did you give her?"
"A spell I imagine she'll find very useful and that I know the rest of her coven has been keeping from her and the other girls."
"What spell?"
Klaus' lips tug upwards into a grin full of mischief. "Her dear friend Joshua still can't walk outside during the day, poor lad."
Caroline blinks slowly. "You gave her the spell to make daylight rings?"
"And a ring with a beautiful lapis lazuli stone to go with it, yes."
Caroline's brow furrows. She's very confused right now; technically, what Klaus did is genuinely nice. But good deeds rarely ever come free with him.
And then, suddenly, everything makes sense. The moonlight rings, of course.
He was planning on using Genevieve to forge the rings, but now that their relationship is strained, or maybe even finished, Klaus has started to work on Plan B by buttering up - and training - Davina. So she's his second option.
Caroline feels a stab of irritation, and it must show on her face, because Klaus holds her gaze and says, in a slow, measured tone, "I trust you'll do nothing to harm the cause of the werewolves. It's our daughter's cause, too."
"Do you really think it's the right thing to do to go behind Elijah's back? He's been fighting real hard to establish peace here," she grits out, the beginning of real heat on her voice.
"What difference does it make to you as long as it benefits your friends?"
"That was what you wanted from Genevieve, wasn't it? You wanted her to do you that little favor."
Klaus shrugs. "I had a use for her, yes."
Caroline releases her arm from his grip. "Why not ask me?"
"I imagined that would be obvious. I don't want you to get involved."
"I'm already involved. I live with them, remember? And you wouldn't even have to have sex with me to get what you wanted," she points out crossly, striving to keep her tone even but not quite hiding the bitterness. Klaus glares. "But maybe you were looking forward to the little extra on the side when you opted for her, someone who's betrayed your trust every single chance she had."
"Careful, love," he says. "I might start to think you're jealous." His dark expression doesn't match the sarcasm in his voice.
Caroline knows he's teasing her, but the anger still flares hot under her skin. Her expression barely changes, though, and she decides not to give him the pleasure, ignoring his remark in favor of a thinly veiled threat. "If I find out that you're playing some game with those people, Klaus, manipulating them into taking part in one of your schemes -"
"How quick you are to judge my intentions. Some things never change."
"Funny you should say that when you were so very quick to judge when you thought I was cavorting with your brother. Now here you are, this paragon of correctness, sleeping with the enemy," she spits out with impressive spite.
"I made a mistake," Klaus retorts, a hint of exasperation in his voice and a strange combination of regret and fury in his eyes. "I jumped to conclusions when I saw you and Elijah and I was wrong in thinking I could benefit from getting closer to Genevieve. I have since corrected that mistake. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't. Happy now?"
"No." Caroline shakes her head. "None of that makes me happy, Klaus."
"Then what does? Tell me, Caroline."
There's a shift in his expression, a plea in his eyes that makes her uncomfortable all of a sudden. There are a million different answers to that question. But, at this point, he shouldn't even have to ask. If he does, it means he's not ready to hear an honest answer.
"Right now, I just want you to think twice before you decide to sacrifice anyone else for your own personal gain. If what you're trying to do here is just to get yourself a new army to fight your war, then don't. Because if you hurt them, Klaus, I will not forgive you. If I mean anything to you at all, then don't."
Klaus inches closer, his face a hair's breadth away from hers, and speaks almost reverently. "You've come a long way, Caroline, from your days as Miss Mystic Falls. I knew you were tough, I knew you were cunning, I even knew you were very comfortable leading others." He pauses, a tiny smile dancing on the corner of his mouth. "But I never knew you were a queen."
He pulls back and walks away, disappearing from sight. Caroline lets out a sharp breath, trying to compose her thoughts.
Queen, he says.
With no kingdom. No subjects. No influence. And no king. Some queen, she is...
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Elijah has almost convinced himself that allowing the Fête the Benedictions to happen - and threatening everyone into showing up - was a good idea when all hell breaks loose.
Aside from the ridiculous play Genevieve pulled on Davina, which Niklaus, in a rare bout of generosity, managed to somewhat correct, it all went remarkably well. His brother is already regarded as some kind of eccentric by the supernatural community, so a strange, theatrical behavior was almost expected. People were mostly entertained, rather than annoyed - well, Genevieve and her minions aside, of course.
The vampires behaved. The witches seemed all very satisfied to be honored by the rest of the factions. Even the few werewolves who came appeared to be relaxed. It was a good show of civility and camaraderie that spoke volumes for the continuity of the peace treaty.
Until a group of men, all dressed in white, enter the saloon drumming away on tambours in perfect synch. Everyone stops to enjoy the performance, including Elijah, thinking it is yet another part of the witches' traditions. Suddenly, the men all stop, pulling knives from their pockets, and slit their wrists open.
Elijah doesn't have to feel the stench of fresh blood filling the air to know the effect it will cause on the younger vampires. There are horrified gasps all around, and the distinct sound of roars coming from the enticed beasts. He tries to cut his way through the crowd to keep everyone from jumping the men when the lights go down.
And then what had been a civilized social gathering becomes a slaughter.
People scream, run, tumble to the floor in desperate heaps as vampires jump anything that moves, sinking their teeth into wrists and necks alike.
The only thing Elijah can think of is Caroline. She was right there, dangerously close to Diego. He starts calling out to her, but it's impossible to distinguish anything amidst the howls and painful groans. He grinds his teeth together furiously as he searches around, tripping over bodies, when the light comes back on.
"Klaus!" he hears her voice, shaky and scared, and finds her on the floor across the room, trying to pull herself up, a tread of blood running down the side of her head.
In a second, his brother is by her side, his eyes wild with rage as he helps her up, holding her by the elbows as she searches the room. Her expression morphs into one of horror, and when Elijah follows her gaze, he realizes why. He'd been so concerned with finding Caroline he failed to notice the amount of corpses on the floor. It was a massacre.
Elijah's heart sinks. They won't ever stop fighting each other. Niklaus told him, didn't he? He said no one would abide by the rules of the treaty, they wouldn't play fair. Peace was never an option.
He relaxes somewhat when he sees his brother drape a protective arm around Caroline and lead her away from there. When he turns around, checking for any injured people in need of help, he sees a message was painted on the wall while the lights were out. In bright, blood red.
THERE WILL BE NO PEACE.
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Caroline walks through the French Quarter only vaguely registering her surroundings. The desperate screams of the people running from the party get mixed with the uproar of the streets, still packed with tourists and locals celebrating the Fête de Benediction, completely unaware of what just happened at the private party. Some blessing...
She was seized by a bolt of panic the moment the lights went off. Before there was even a chance to react, someone knocked her down, and it was all she could do to try and not get tramped. Caroline curled up into a fetal position to protect her belly, getting tripped over and hit by something hard on the head, and all around she could hear the bodies dropping like flies. Somebody tried to pull her up, none too gently, and she doesn't know if it was someone trying to help or one of the vampires smelling food with the blood that was running down her forehead; Caroline just hit them square on the face with her elbow until she heard a crack and they let her go.
When the lights came back, the first thing that came to her mouth - after a horrified gasp at the terrible scene surrounding her - was Klaus' name. He was there in a blink, putting his arms protectively around her, asking if she was ok and ushering her outside.
The next few minutes go by in a daze. The only sound she can hear is that of her own heart, hammering away against her ribcage as though it's trying to escape. Her mind only returns to focus once they're out of the streets, somewhere quiet and calm. And that's when she realizes Klaus took her back to the compound.
She takes a deep, shuddery breath that feels like coming up for air, shaking her head against the nausea threatening to overtake her.
Klaus' hold on her arm is firm, and he's trying to pull her up the stairs, but Caroline halts. He turns around and when she meets his gaze, she finally feels grounded again. The lines on his face have deepened, an unlikely blend of concern and anger written all over. His eyes are as dark as the night but she can see right through it, to the storm brewing inside of him.
"What was that?" she asks in s small voice.
"I don't know," he replies gravely. "But I don't think the witches were expecting it."
"Who would do that?" He presses his mouth into a furious line, his nostrils flaring, but doesn't reply. He knows, or has a pretty good idea at least, but the mere thought makes him beside himself in rage. That can only mean one thing.
Marcel.
Caroline looks away, down to her own feet, a sense of hopelessness falling over her. "It won't ever stop, will it?" she whispers, more to herself than to him. "I have to go."
"Go where?"
"Home."
Klaus steps up to her. "This is your home, Caroline. Our daughter's home," he says solemnly, but his voice is laden with worry and exhaustion, and Caroline thinks his eyes seem a thousand years old right then.
She shakes her head. "No. I don't even know what happened to them. Jackson was there. I need to make sure -"
"After what just happened, you can't possibly -"
"I very much want to understand what exactly just happened, but for once I don't think it was about me."
Klaus reaches out to graze the cut on her forehead, or where the cut should be, his touch sending a rush through her. She feels it again, that flutter in her chest. Gray, battered, but still there. Still alive.
Caroline swallows and steps away from him. "I'm fine," she says. "The baby heals me."
Klaus' dark eyes rake over her, searching. "It's been long enough, Caroline. You've spent a season in the swamp with your wolf friends, now it's time to come home."
"And why would I do that?" she asks bitterly.
"Because you have to!" he snaps, anger flaring behind his eyes. "You don't belong there."
"And you think here is where I belong?"
Klaus huffs out in irritation. "If this is about Genevieve -"
"It is about Genevieve," she cuts him off, her voice sharp and harsh. "But it's also about you, Klaus. You never trusted me."
"That's absurd!"
"You had vampires following my every step, breathing down my neck every second, of every goddamn day."
"It was for your protection!" he blasts, gesticulating frantically.
"I'm a witch, Klaus! A witch with super strength and quick healing abilities, with the compliments of your child. Yes, despite all of that, I have been caught off guard, but so has everyone else. So have you. You kept me in the dark about everything that happened in this house like I'm some dead weight, and you would rather enlist the help of an enemy than come to me. Were you afraid I'd tell Elijah?" Klaus opens his mouth, and then shuts it back up with a loud snap, the expression on his face wavering. Caroline shakes her head. "You don't trust me," she repeats, slowly. "The werewolves took me in as though I'm one of their own, helped me when I needed the most. I would do anything to return their friendship. But you wouldn't even ask."
"This isn't a matter of trust, Caroline. I trust you more than you even know, but I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to put a target on your back because of something I've done, again. Did you not see what happened today? Werewolves' heads are coveted commodities in the French Quarter and they will do anything to ensure they'll either stay out or stay dead, including kill anybody who dares to take their side. I don't care what happens to Genevieve, or anyone else for that matter, but I will not let them hurt you! Everything I do is for you, for our child! I want her to grow up in a safe city, surrounded by people who would give their lives to protect her."
"No one should have to give their lives for her! That's our job, mine and yours, no one else's. If anyone else is willing to do it, it's out of the goodness of their hearts, and we should appreciate it, not make anybody feel like they're obligated. The more you try to turn this entire city into an army, the riskier it gets - how can you not have understood this yet?! Fear doesn't conquer all, Klaus. You might think that you have everything under control, but if all your subjects feel for you is fear, they won't hesitate to turn against you as soon as there's an opportunity. The more you terrorize them, the more brittle their loyalty becomes. You of all people should've learned that by now, after your hybrid fiasco in Mystic Falls." Caroline stops, quieting down her exasperation before continuing. "Love, Klaus. Respect. That is what gets you loyalty. Love... And trust."
Caroline turns on her heels with a dull ache in her chest, like a fist wrapped around her heart, and walks out. She's truly concerned for Jackson and the others, and they need to have a serious word about their alliance with Klaus. She was against it initially because it undermined everything Elijah was trying to build. But now she sees there is no other way. If the werewolves are to have any chance at finding their place back into their city, they'll need to fight for it, and Klaus' plan is their best hope, but they'll need to discuss the details of this arrangement. For starters, Genevieve can't get her hands anywhere near those rings.
As ironclad as her resolve might be, however, walking away from Klaus always feels like leaving a part of herself behind. If he would only learn, if he would only understand... It's not about belonging and it's not about Genevieve, either. It's about how he refuses to see the error of his ways. Why would she come back if everything will stay exactly the same? Their relationship is a never-ending array of frustrations; for each step forward they take, there are ten steps back. And while Caroline may have friends in the Bayou and Elijah, what Klaus fails to realize is that what he does matters more. It affects her in ways that no one else can. His words, his anger, his mistrust - it hurts. And Caroline is simply tired of that.
She's tired of this lack of definition, tired of Klaus always holding all the cards. Her whole life is up in the air right now. She doesn't have a home, a plan, a future, nothing. She doesn't even know where her daughter will be born, where she'll sleep, what her freaking name will be. And anyone who knows anything at all about Caroline can understand how much panic this whole situation instills in her. She's on the verge of a full-on breakdown, and the last thing she needs right now is one more complication to add to the chaos.
Klaus can either figure out what he wants and be ready to commit to it with everything that it entails, or they're better off staying away from each other.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Klaus feels the coppery scent of blood before Elijah walks in.
He's sitting by himself in the dark, nursing a drink. The sense of deja vu is unavoidable. This has been his life for the past month or so. Sad, pathetic and so very lonely.
He didn't realize how quickly he got used to not being alone. Between Caroline, Elijah and Rebekah, coming home to familiar faces every single day was a novelty. He spent decades on his own, carrying his family in coffins wherever he went, to the point he convinced himself he didn't need anyone.
On the one hand, not having to answer to anybody, meet expectations other than his own, get frowned upon and judged, was rather liberating. Klaus didn't have to limit himself anymore for the sake of other people's delicate sensibilities, consider whether or not his actions would bear consequences. On the other hand, however...
He did get so very lonely.
Maybe that's the problem. He forgot what it was like to have a family, to be surrounded by people who would stick around, no matter what. Even when he got angry, murderous, terribly jealous, when his temper got out of hand as it often did, he'd still have to live with them. And he never did learn quite how to apologize for his own failings, how to acquit himself. He's always been far more accomplished in the arts of destruction, after all.
But even at the worst of times, it was good to have... people. People he cared for - people he trusted, despite what Caroline might think. He'd trust her with his life. With everything he owns. With his child. What he doesn't trust is himself.
He's kept away from her all this time for so many reasons, but it strikes him now that at the root of everything is fear. Klaus is afraid to break her beyond repair. To fail her. Fail their daughter. Above all, he is afraid he won't be there to protect them when they need him to, which has been the case on so many occasions in the last few months. Even during the fire at the plantation house. It was a set-up, an artfully constructed plan, but why did it work in the first place? Because Klaus was out there challenging witches while he should have stayed close to his family. Because he felt better sending her off to the plantation house like a defenseless damsel than keeping her next to him. Because even his volatile moods are so very predictable to his enemies.
The house feels so much like an extension of himself these days. Empty and forlorn. A dark and damp environment that no longer feels like home.
Loneliness is so much harder to go back to after a respite.
Elijah persists. Sometimes Klaus wishes he wouldn't. The weight of his judgment hangs heavy over his head. His noble brother is one more reminder of all the ways in which Klaus is a disappointment. Elijah would've never allowed Caroline to leave. He would know exactly what to say to bring her back. Knowing that his brother is the better man only sours Klaus' mood further. He's not altruistic and magnanimous as Elijah; he would never remove himself from the race in order to allow his incompetent, lesser sibling to fumble around while he tries, helplessly, to win the girl. And tonight, while the world dissolved into chaos and carnage took over at the Fête de Benediction, he heard Elijah's desperate screams for Caroline.
It's good to know his brother cares so deeply for her that he would do anything to protect her and the baby. But Klaus couldn't help the stab of jealousy. If Caroline ever decides she wants to give Elijah a chance, if she ever realizes how much time she's wasted putting her faith in the wrong Mikaelson, he doesn't think he'll be able to forgive Elijah. Even if it is all his fault, after all. That will be the thing that will break their famously unshakable bond apart.
Caroline is not Tatia. She's more.
He's not surprised to see his brother's hands covered in blood. Elijah hides behind his façade of chivalry, but he's ruthless, especially when someone he cares about gets hurt. While Klaus took care of removing Caroline from the tumult, he went after the culprits, the ones who dared to defy his explicit orders and stir chaos in what should've been a peaceful evening.
But Klaus can see it on his face that he's not yet satisfied.
"I see you've already taken care of avenging the dead," he says, chugging back his drink. "But judging by your look, you're still out for blood."
Elijah sighs, looking at his own red-stained hands. "If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results, then surely my quest for your salvation ranks me as one of the maddest of men."
Klaus snorts mirthlessly. "Come on, then. What horrible deed has the bastard done this time?"
Elijah's eyes glint with rage. "It was Marcel."
Klaus looks down at his glass, lips compressed into a distasteful line. He knew it had to have been him. It still hurts to get confirmation. "Is he dead?"
"Out of some disarranged consideration for Rebekah and for you, I spared his life. But I killed his co-conspirator, the man you released from the garden. Thierry Vanchure." Elijah prowls towards him. "But do you know why he did it? He got word of a certain deal you were cooking with the werewolves. A promise to offer them weapons to take over the Quarter."
Klaus ignores the twinge in his gut, his eyes unflinching.
"Do you know," Elijah continues. "In the past, I actually appreciated the methods to your manipulations. However, here we are, poised on the brink of a new era, which would benefit not only you and your home, but your child, and you go behind my back to conspire with wolves," Elijah bites out sharply, his words coated in spite.
Klaus puts his glass down and pushes himself up from his armchair to look at his brother levelly. "Conspire is hardly a word I would use for a family council. Lest you forget, Elijah, they are my family, as much as any Mikaelson - a name, in truth, I cannot call my own."
Bitter hurt flickers through Elijah's eyes. "How casually you disavow a thousand years of allegiance towards you."
"Now that I've found the remnants of my other family, am I to ignore their plight? I would've thought you'd support my desire to help them, when in doing so I help Caroline and the child."
Elijah flashes to his face, pointing an accusatory finger at him, dark eyes boring holes into his. "Do not question my allegiance to that child," he grits out.
"I suppose your affection for Caroline has nothing to do with your tireless dedication, then." Klaus' eyes glint with malice. "You don't think I heard the way you called for her tonight? Screaming her name in the dark."
In a blur, Elijah grabs him by the lapel of his jacket and smashes him back against the wall, bright, simmering fury burning beneath his voice. "I have denied every single impulse I have ever had for that woman out of some misbegotten respect for intentions I don't even know that you have. While you conspire with witches and werewolves, she remains forsaken in the Bayou when, in reality, she should've never left this house. She did so because of you. And yet it's your name she calls. It's in your arms she seeks refuge and comfort. And you throw it all out with your petty, disgusting behavior."
Klaus grunts, hissing angrily at his brother. "I am warning you, Elijah -"
"No," he cuts in, an edge in his voice, pushing Klaus back against the wall. "I'm warning you. I've forgiven you, Niklaus. I have stood by you. I've forsaken every single one of my desires in the name of your ridiculous redemption. I swear to you, by everything holy and sacred, if you don't fix the mess you have made... I will no longer restrain myself. If I want something, I will take it. And I'll let nothing stand in my way. Not even you."
His brother stares him down, then snatches his half-empty bottle of bourbon and storms out.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
After everything that happened, Klaus wasn't planning on leaving the meek comfort of his bedroom tonight, favoring the company of a bottle of bourbon over human interaction. He's had enough of that for one evening. But after Elijah's open threat, he sobers up fairly quickly. So he takes his car and does what he's done tirelessly almost every single night for over a month now.
He drives all the way to the Bayou.
He ditches the car by the dirt road so no one will see him coming, then flashes his way across the woods to the Crescents' camp. It keeps getting more and more crowded. Klaus has gotten word that packs from all over the state are flocking over to see the miracle baby. His miracle baby. Elijah's said Caroline's terribly uncomfortable with the savior of the species label that seems to have been stamped over their daughter. Klaus honestly doesn't know what to think. He realizes this is intrinsically about him as well, since he is the werewolf half of their child, but he feels so far removed from those clans, those people... Objectively, he knows they're a part of him, descendants of a father whom he spent a good many decades of his early vampire life mourning, wishing he could've known him, wondering what his life would have been like if he'd been raised by the werewolves instead of Mikael. In a way, this whole situation has awakened a certain feeling of kinship in him. But he doesn't think he could ever share this pack mentality they have. Klaus is a lone wolf. Mikael always made sure to instill that in him, making him feel apart from his family even before he knew he had wolf blood running in his veins.
Caroline certainly seems a lot more at home among them than Klaus ever could.
They're sitting around a bonfire, Jackson, Oliver and that other woman that went with them to the festival. So they all made it out of there alive and unharmed. Caroline sits next to the alpha, a stiffening across her that Klaus can read from afar showing she is still a little shaken. But she seems... well. Talking. Laughing. Happy. No shadow of the anger and the disappointment she displayed at the compound.
Every night, Klaus comes here telling himself he will approach her, apologize and ask her to go back with him. Every night he finds her like this, utterly at ease, more comfortable than she's ever looked at their home. And every night he changes his mind.
It's not that he doesn't want her back. It's just that he wants it to be right. Klaus doesn't normally concern himself with that kind of thing, but when it comes to Caroline, he can't help it. He loves her too much to condemn her to a life of misery for the sake of his own ego.
Love. His mind still snags at that word. That is what he feels for her. There is no other word. Love. It's as unfamiliar a feeling as it could ever be to someone like him. Took Klaus a long time to come to terms with it, understand that this feeling that brings him as much joy as it brings him pain, that takes him to the absolute highest and the lowest of lows, is love. It is both a gift and a curse. It can bring the best out of him, but it can also, as it's often been the case, bring out the worst.
Being without Caroline is torture. He drives himself insane with worry, guilt punching holes in his chest each day that goes by and she remains in the Bayou. He loses a little bit more of his soul every time he comes out here only to go back empty-handed. But love makes Klaus do crazy things. It makes him care about her well-being more than about his own self interests. It makes him think of what is easy versus what is right. He could throw her over his shoulder and drag her back home kicking and screaming, hold her there until she gives up fighting. He would certainly not have any qualms doing so was it any other woman carrying his child. But Caroline… She's not just any woman, and by force is not how he wants to have her.
Klaus is used to simply taking the things that he wants. When it comes to people, they normally want him back almost instantly. It's certainly not common that he has to work to have anyone's attention. With Caroline, he was forced to rethink everything, even his actions. All to please her. He desired her, yes, but not just that. It became clear quite soon that it wouldn't be enough just to have her. That would've been easy. The attraction was undeniably there right from the start; if all he'd wanted was to possess Caroline's body, he could've made that happen in a blink. She would've surrendered, beautifully. And then she would've hated herself for doing it.
What he wanted was for her to smile at him the way she smiled at Tyler. To look at him with the same kind of affection she directed at that fickle boy, to hug him with the same desperate need she hugged Tyler when she thought he was dying. Like she couldn't breathe without him. And that... Isn't something that can be taken. It has to be earned.
Back then, he allowed her the freedom to follow her heart and be with whoever she wanted to be, even if it wasn't him. If Tyler Lockwood was what made her happy, then he would protect it as best as he could - until, of course, that mongrel broke her heart. Klaus told her once that he would've never let Tyler hurt her if he'd stayed sired to him, and he meant it. Now look at him... Hurting her himself with every breath he takes.
If what Caroline truly wants now is to be here in the Bayou, if that is what brings peace and happiness to her heart, he'll grant her that wish as well. Doesn't matter if he has to keep coming back every night just to put his spirit to rest, to assure himself that she is fine, well cared for and protected. He'll do it. Even if it kills him in the end. He loves her too much to walk away, but he also loves her so much that he'll even let her go.
Perhaps this is his divine punishment for all the evil he's caused, all the pain he's inflicted upon others, for all the times he daggered Rebekah to keep her from pursuing her feelings and abandoning him, for having forced Elijah to forsake lovers and friends in order to follow him blindly into the darkness. His very own curse, born out of the rotten at his heart: to only ever know love through torment. The purest and most selfless of feelings causes him nothing but agony.
Klaus can't change who he is, no matter how hard he tries. Ancient dogs can't learn new tricks. For a thousand years, he's pleasured himself in taking these beautiful things, luminous and innocent, and smearing himself all over it, bringing it to ruin before it ever had a chance to influence him. But somehow Caroline has left a mark. Not even having a piece of Klaus growing inside of her was enough to dim her light, it hasn't quenched her spirit or crushed her soul. She persists, refuses to lose her essence, to let go of who she is, even if her life would be made so much easier if she just relented, and Klaus loves her all the more for it. She's a fighter, Caroline. Stronger than even she knows.
Klaus hasn't had any dreams of a family since before his mother turned him into a monster. In a way, it was a relief to know he could never generate another life, pass on his cursed nature to an offspring. It goes without saying he's never been fond of children. But he cannot think of anyone else he'd rather have one of his own with. Not because he's suddenly looking forward to being a father, a thought that still very much terrifies him, but because Caroline is everything Klaus would ever want his own child to be. He doesn't care if the werewolf gene is everything his own daughter inherits from him; if she turns out to be a spitting image of her mother in every other aspect, she'll be perfect and he'll be proud.
He won't force Caroline to come to him, not when he knows she would hate him for it. If he knew she was in danger, if he thought for even a second that these people wouldn't keep her safe, he would snatch her away. But he believes they care for her, the same way she cares for them. All he can hope for is that, despite everything he's done, there's at least a little part of her that still feels for him, still wants him, and one of these mornings she'll wake up missing him with the same excruciating fervor he misses her every single day. She'll find it in her heart to at least listen to what he has to say, to give him a second chance, and she will come back home. To him.
For her, he can be patient. He'll wait whatever he has to for this woman. However long it takes.
"You don't have to keep coming out."
Klaus doesn't have to turn to know it's that wolf woman, Eve. She's one of the closest ones to Caroline. Elijah's mentioned her a lot. She's quite stealthy; he didn't even hear her approaching, although he sensed her watching him ages ago.
"I see you, every time," she continues, softly, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Unlike the rest of the werewolves, she doesn't feel hostile towards him, for whatever reason. "I'd tell you if something was wrong. But she's doing ok. That girl is something special. She surprised everyone."
Klaus smiles sadly. "Not everyone."
"She's very loved here. We'll take care of her. You don't have to worry."
"That is all I do."
Eve is quiet for a moment. "Would you like me to call her here, so you can talk? I would invite you to join us, but..." she trails off. She doesn't have to say it, really. His presence would start an uprising at the camp.
"What I want..." he starts, watching as Caroline throws her head back in merry-eyed laughter at something Jackson says. "What I want is for that girl to be happy." He finally turns to Eve, who peers at him with sympathetic eyes. "Don't tell her I was here," he says, and then blurs away into the night.
TBC
A/N: This chapter felt really filler-y to me and I'm so worried about so many things. lol I considered skipping this episode altogether, but I realize there are some important developments here for future events. You guys don't know how many times I read this part. I can recite the whole thing from memory. So I'm really looking forward to your comments and opinions. :)
But because this chapter feels filler-y and also it isn't one of the longest chapters, I am open to negotiating a quicker update. But you guys have to let me know how interested you are. If not enough people care, I'll just keep my schedule and you probably won't get another update until closer to the end of the year. I am totally motivated by your reactions. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. lol So let me know how you feel. ;)