Welcome back and thanks for sticking with me! This chapter is nearly double the last one so I hope it was worth your wait.

Enjoy :-)


"Oh Rebekah love. Where are you?" Klaus sang his words knowing well that his sister was somewhere in the house.

It didn't take long for his supernatural hearing to pick up the sound of two voices across the mansion and Rebekah's voice muttering that she wasn't going to jump when called for. But that was perfectly acceptable to Klaus, it only gave him more time to prepare his sister's dagger. The familiar steel dagger rested lightly in the Hybrid's palm and twirled it once in his hand just before resting it back on the desk to his left. In Klaus' opposite hands was a small glass jar that held the last remaining white oak ash. The secret ingredient to putting an Original down. The cork squeaked against the glass as Klaus removed the top and plunged the dagger into the ash, a villainous smirk spread across his face as he swirled the dagger to ensure it was properly coated.

The sound of Rebekah and Enzo's mindless chattering got louder as the sitting room downstairs got closer. Klaus rounded the last corner and paused in the doorway to inspect the couple who sat on the couch, Enzo's arm wrapped around the back of the couch as Rebekah rambled about the next city she wanted to visit. It was almost a shame to split the two vampires up, Enzo at least had enough nerve to stand up for himself and didn't cower as most people did. It was more than the rest of Rebekah's previous suitors had going for them. In another fifty years or so we'll see how dedicated he will be .

"What a happy couple." Klaus' voice rang out with fake kindness and took a few more steps into the room, his hands placed behind his back with the silver dagger positioned between his fingers.

"What do you want Nik?" Rebekah didn't spare her brother a glance as she continued flipping the pages of the magazine in her lap. "I have no desire to speak with you after your rudeness last night. The rudeness I never received an apology for of course."

"Well you know me sister, " Klaus spoke playfully as he flipped his eyes to the ceiling and back while Enzo's eyes never left his. "I can get a bit moody, certainly when betrayals are concerned. Perhaps I am not the one to apologize. "

Rebekah scoffed and finally looked up at Klaus, "And what exactly am I apologizing for Niklaus? You didn't exactly tell what my crime was last night while you kicked me out of Caroline's room."

"There is the small matter of you and Marcellus sending Mikeal to murder me last time we lived in New Orleans." Klaus' calm facade almost cracked at the mention of Mikeal. "Perhaps in the twenties it was really you who sent Mikeal after us in Chicago. It was awful convenient he found us so quickly."

A flash of fear went through Rebekah's eyes as they widen and her frame went ridged. She slowly stood from the couch and Enzo rose along side her. That tiny bit of fear was all Klaus needed to confirm Marcel's statements from the night before were true.

"That's what I thought." Klaus' eyes were cold and dead as he removed his hands from behind his back to reveal the dagger. Rebekah flinched at the familiar sight and her eyes searched the tip of it for the faint gray coating of ash. Klaus raised his empty hand not holding the dagger and placed his pointer finger to the tip to give it a spin back and forth. "Let's get on with it then."

"You don't believe I wanted you dead. " Rebekah was in awe that he would actually consider Marcel's words to be true and that she could sentence her own flesh to death. "You're my brother.."

"Should that mean something to me?" Klaus' facade evaporated and the timbre of his voice elevated as the anger flowed from him. The sudden vocal changed caused Rebekah to scan the empty space just behind Klaus' back as if she was waiting for someone to come to her rescue. What a foolish girl his sister still was. "As you know Elijah and Kol are off tending to the compounds new conditions among other things. They won't be coming to your rescue."

The emotions were clear on Rebekah's face and she swallowed thickly at the realization that she would once again be put down.

"Come now sister... Did you think I would really dagger you with our brothers waiting in the wings to stop me?" Klaus' eyebrows rose at the rhetorical question. "Its been a thousand years Bekah, I do know how to properly you."

"Marcel was the one that wanted you dead. All I wanted was to get you out of the way so we could be together but I would never kill you Niklaus." Rebekah saw no shift in Klaus' hold on the dagger that now hung at her brother's side. "I thought we could find a powerful witch and have them desiccate you for a few centuries and I even looked into the dagger Kol wanted to make from his dark objects but I couldn't go through with it."

Klaus' jaw was clenched so hard you could hear his teeth cracking in the silence of the room.

"Marcel still found Mikeal somehow and sent him to New Orleans to kill you. I told Marcel I couldn't go through with any of his crazy schemes but the damage was done and I couldn't stop it. Even after all the awful things you've done to me, I still couldn't remove you from my life Niklaus. Not even to put you in a coffin." Rebekah softened her stance and poured every ounce of care she had for Klaus into her words. It was all she had left. "Always and forever still means something to me Nik. Don't do this and all will be forgotten. We can once and for all move on from our childish ways."

Klaus absorbed every word his sister spoke as his hand clinched tighter around the dagger. A part buried deep within him wanted to see the truth. The lost human part wanted to throw the dagger in the burning fire and watch it disintegrate for the last time but it wouldn't happen.

"And it's as simple as that." Klaus' eyes were wide with fury and he tipped his chin a bit at his sister. "You say a few sentiments and I am supposed to believe every word that follows."

"Yes." Enzo voice broke the siblings from their stare off and all attentions were on him. "I won't allow you to box Rebekah, your sister, up and store her in the attic as if she means nothing."

Klaus couldn't stop the laugh that fell from his lips and pointed the dagger at Enzo as he spoke.

"And you will be the one to put me down? My apologizes but I feel that statement is a bit laughable but let me guess... You're going to pull the Caroline card once more? How many times do you think you can use Caroline against me before it fails to do any good?"

Enzo nostrils flared and he closed the last few steps to stand less than a foot away from Klaus. His body was now positioned firmly between the two siblings.

"Do not for one moment insinuate I am using Caroline for my own selfish gains. You know as well as I do that Rebekah is family to her and would never condone this sort of treatment. I am merely saving the women I love from wasting away in a box for sins she did not commit. I am saving you another wasted argument with the women you supposedly care deeply for."

If Klaus was being honest, the young vampire did have a point to his rambling. Caroline was the one hitch in his daggering plan but she would have to agree to his side of the argument. The only reason Rebekah's head wasn't mounted on his wall was because she was his sister and needed to be punished. A white oak stake to the heart was too easy of a punishment. There was one fact Klaus knew to be true for all of his siblings and it was that the dagger was the only thing they all feared. A fear of being put to sleep for a unforeseen amount of time while civilization kept evolving. Finn was a prime example of what could happen if Klaus daggered a sibling and never saw fit to wake them.

"It warms my dead heart that you care for my well being Lorenzo but I am afraid it is a wasted effort. I am not so easily manipulated." Klaus flashed his hand out to Enzo's neck and snapped it was the flick of his wrist. Rebekah vamp sped over to his fallen body and lightly touched his cheek. "You should have picked a suitor that doesn't talk so much."

"You destroy everything you touch Niklaus." The love and tenderness Rebekah express from earlier was gone and replaced with hate and resentment. "After a thousand years paranoia still guides you and the love of your family will never be enough. Your talk of wanting to rebuild this broken family was nothing more than a speech to get us to follow along with you to New Orleans so you could have us do your bidding for you once more." Rebekah shook her head as she rose to her feet and clenched her fists together. "I hate to think what will happen to Caroline in a century from now. How long will it take for you to douse her light? Perhaps instead you will simply drive her away because you can't handle any form of happiness."

"How long do you think it will take this one to get over you?" Klaus tipped his head towards Enzo, not a hint of sympathy in his voice. "It only took a few centuries for the Ripper to move on and forget all about you with the Doppelganger. Even once his memory of you were back, you still held no effect on him. Plus lets not forget Marcel had no issue with shoving you in a box so he could become a vampire. We'll see how loyal he will be in a few centuries."

Rebekah couldn't suppress a growl at her brother's shameful insults.

"You want to dagger me, go ahead and do it." Rebekah extended her arms to the side and dropped them loosely. "But aren't you forgetting about that linking spell of ours? You dagger me and Kol and Elijah will also fall. How pleased do you think they will be once we are all awaken and they were put down for no reason?"

Rebekah's face was smug but it faltered slightly at seeing Klaus' own smirk. A thousand years and he was still being underestimated.

"Where do you think our brothers have taken off too?" Klaus stepped closer to his sister and never broke his gaze. "They are not only playing clean up at the compound but also witch duty. It's quite handy having a Devereaux witch on speed dial and only a ten minute walk across the Quarter."

Not letting her respond, Klaus flashed a hand to her left shoulder and plunged the dagger to her heart with the right. A gasp left Rebekah's lips and Klaus could feel the power leave her. Rebekah's weak hand gripped Klaus' forearm and she locked her pained eyes with her brother's. Any strength she had to speak or fight back was eliminated as her skin grayed and the black veins crept up her neck until that was the only thing visible on her once flawless complexion. Klaus gave one solemn look before slowly letting Rebekah's limp body slip from his fingers and fall to the ground next to Enzo's still unconscious state.

This same scenario had played itself out multiple times over the centuries but it never became easier to watch. He never wanted this for his family but time and time again they gave him no other choice.

The sound of boots stomping along hardwood floors let Klaus know that another vampire had entered his house. The feet stopped beside the Hybrid and the man turned his head sideways to inspect Rebekah.

"At least I can be glad it wasn't me this time." Kol looked over at his brother with a smirk but Klaus could tell the humor was a mask. "You really believe she wanted you dead?"

"I have no other excuses to believe." Klaus' voice was monotone but his eyes were full of emotions as he turned back to his brother. "Put her some place safe and away from the house. When Elijah finds out he wont be happy. "

"Elijah will accept whatever punishment you dole out and won't try to stop you. At least that's what I pictured my siblings doing while I was daggered." Kol gave his brother a small sneer before motioning his hand towards the other vampire on the floor. "And him?"

"Keep him out of the way for a few days until I can talk with Caroline and have her listen to reason. I don't need any outside influences to get to her before I can explain myself. I'm not sure what Caroline will do once she finds out but I'm sure it will be quite the conversation."


"Caroline."

The vampire standing behind Caroline made her blood run cold and she very nearly kept walking but curiosity kept her in place. With a heavy sigh Caroline turn to face the brown eyed vampire, the last person she wanted to see.

"I didn't know you would still be here." Elena fiddled with the bag of beignets and coffee in her hands. "I came to check on Bonnie. You can come up if you want? We really should talk about last night and having a referee there might be..."

"I was just leaving." Caroline went to turn but Elena stopped her again.

"You can't just leave like this. it's going to be really awkward for us to all work together if we can't even be in the same room together."

Caroline scoffed, turning back to face her former friend and crossed her arms to her chest.

"WE aren't doing anything together anymore." Caroline motioned between them with her hands. "You and Damon are free to leave New Orleans when you like but preferable before sunset. Your obligation to me has been more than fulfilled and your services are no longer needed."

"We came all this way to help you and your just going to send us packing? You won't even give me a chance to apologize?" Elena let her mouth hang open in disbelief at what she was hearing.

"Would you even mean it if you did apologized to me?" Caroline searched Elena face and her mouth snapped shut. "That's what I thought."

"Look some of the things I said were out of line but I can't help the way I feel. Maybe we can start fresh and work on getting to know one another again."

Caroline turned her head towards the sky and let a humorless laugh fall from her lips. This conversation was really needing to end.

"I guess that will be the closest I will ever get to Elena Gilbert admitting she was wrong." Caroline sighed and let her arms fall loosely to her sides.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The shock was clear across Elena's face.

"Last night was just a drop in the bucket Elena and I don't feel any amount of apologies could fix things. If we're going to be completely honest here... I don't even want to try."

"So the friendship we have had since we were kids means nothing to you but you can try with Bonnie?" Elena scoffed. "I don't even know what to say to that. I am willing to put aside any harsh feelings I have towards you and I'm only asking if you could do the same. Any other person would be furious with you for turning them against their will but I let that go. I accepted what my life is now."

"That's very honorable of you Elena but it doesn't change the fact that you betrayed my trust nearly three decades ago and started the train wreck that became my life. Heck still is."

"I did what I thought was best for your mother Caroline. You were a new vampire.."

"I know the story already Elena. What you don't understand is that you betrayed me and your not even sorry for it." Caroline spoke through clenched teeth. "I told you I was a vampire and I told you my biggest secret about my abilities.. My parents were vampire hunters and you thought it would be a good idea to tell them their only daughter was a vampire? You knew what my father wanted out of me. It was why i left Mystic Falls the first time."

"That was never my intention... You have to believe me."

"I've accepted so much from you over the course of our friendship and never thought twice about it. Your boyfriend used me and manipulated me just to get to you and I was meant to just move on from it like the whole thing never happened because it would be too awkward for the group otherwise." A heavy sigh left her lips as she stared back at the tears in Elena's eyes, unaffected by the sight of them. "It's a matter of whether I feel you're worth believing in anymore and you aren't."

"But Bonnie and Stefan are worth it? You will give them another chance but not me?"

"I considered letting our past go and start fresh but at the party you told me exactly what you thought about me. When we all thought Bonnie was still dead and I saw you crying on the floor my first instinct was to comfort you. As soon as you heard my voice your first thought was to attack me verbally and physically."

Caroline could tell that Elena was defeated but she couldn't delay the inevitable anymore. Caroline could just skip town again and pretend that none of these people even existed or that the words that were spoken never happened but she was tired. So tired of pretending like everything was fine when it really wasn't.

"I haven't completely forgiven Stefan or Bonnie for how they have treated me but the difference is I want to change things with them. I feel that their sincere but I can't say the same for you." She took a few seconds to inspect her former friends features before stepping away. "Goodbye Elena."

Caroline turned to walk away and this time Elena didn't stop her. Every step she made towards the Mikealson mansion was like having weight lifted off her shoulders. This felt like it was the first time in decades Caroline could let go of the past and move forward. Ending a twenty year friendship wasn't easy to do but it was possible knowing that Caroline was better off without it in her life. She could focus on what she came here to do and focus on the people she had remaining.

Caroline was lost in reflection and before she realized it the steps of the white mansion were at her feet. With one twist of the knob the door was open and she let it swing closed behind her. It took only a few steps before one of the people that was worth having in her life flashed in front of her.

"Klaus." Caroline smiled softly as his sudden appearance.

"Hello Caroline." Klaus smiled as he walked forward but she could tell it didn't quite meet his eyes. The sight made her eyebrows scrunch together in worry.

"What happened? You were much more pleased this morning when I left." Caroline playfully ran her hand down his chest to play with the edge of his white Henley.

"Nothing to concern yourself with at the moment Love." Klaus ran a hand along her jawline and kissed her opposite cheek lightly, leaving his face flush with hers. "How about you?"

"Oh you know just kicking a Doppelganger out the French Quarter."

"Preferably both.." Klaus' sentence was cut off by Caroline mutter for him to shut up and he chuckled against her skin while his thumb stroked her other cheek. They both took a moment to enjoy the embrace before coming back to reality.

"But you will tell me whats wrong with you at some point." Caroline's tone clearly said it wasn't a request.

"I promise." Klaus' voice was soft against her cheek and it was clear that he was still upset but his promise of the truth was enough for now.


Author's Note:

So next chapter we should be hitting the road to see some wolves.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. As always, thanks to all the follows/favs/reviews/guests.

Cassondra :-)