Hello, my lovely readers. I am becoming really, really horrible at updating but I'm trying to get better. Enough of that. On with the show…

Chapter 2: Home?

Klaus felt like his head was on fire. 'What in the bloody hell?' was his first thought as he attempted to adjust to his surroundings. Something was terribly wrong. But that thing was exactly what he had yet to figure out. Shifting his weight on the bed that did not feel like his own, he let out a moan. Where was he? Was this some trick of Elijah's? He knew his brother was angry with him. However, he believed his brother would find a better punishment then leaving him… who knew where with this infernal headache…

Moaning again. Klaus sat up and looked around him, blinking at his surroundings. Something about this place seemed so familiar and entirely at odds with any place he set foot inside. Opening his mouth, he was about to call for his brother when the door swung open and a jubilant Caroline Forbes entered with a tray. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" she called with a wide grin. "I know after last night you must be worn out, but we've still got more Heretics where those came from. Oh, and Damon says that if you don't come downstairs in the next five minutes for his little meeting, he's going to feed you to one."

Klaus could only stare at Caroline as she continued to prattle on about these so-called Heretics and Damon's plan to eradicate the town of them, even if they had to burn it to the ground. "You know, I think once Elena's back… Which would mean we loose Bonnie…" Caroline paused staring at the tray she had set beside Klaus. Glancing at a pancake, her eyes brimming with tears before she forced herself to go on, "Once Elena is back, I think that Damon will be okay. Again. Not that Damon is ever okay. I mean, Damon is Damon and he'll always be like that… But he'll be better. I mean happier. I think. I mean he'll not be like grrrrr all the time," she curled her hands into claws and showed Klaus her fangs before stopping in mid-sentence to stare at him. "Stefan, are you even listening to me?"

Staring at Caroline for a long time, Klaus let out a chuckle. "That is rich, Caroline," he said. Then he realized that his voice was not his own. "Wait… That can not be," he uttered. Before Caroline could ask him what the hell he was talking about, Klaus had leapt from the bed and was standing in front of the window, staring at the face of Stefan Salvatore. "Oh…" Klaus sighed warily.

"Stefan, are you okay?" Caroline asked, coming to stand by his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked up at him with wide concerned eyes. Klaus could remember Caroline looking at him with many expressions: disgust, fury, lust but never tenderness. What exactly had happened between her and the Ripper since he had been gone? Klaus was about to find out when Damon, with his unfortunate aptitude to interrupt, entered the room with his eyebrows scrunched.

"What about our having a meeting in ten minutes says to you two that hanging out in your room takes priority over killing our mother and her merry band of psychos?" Damon inquired, his voice laced with sarcasm as he stood in the doorway, widening his eyes at them.

Klaus' first instinct was to break off a leg of Stefan's bed and to ram it into Damon's left lung till he shut his bloody mouth. Thinking better of it until he found how it was that he had landed inside Stefan's body, Klaus turned to Damon. "You're right, brother, we should get right on the killing," he remarked with a smile. Heading over to the bed, he picked up the tray of food. Placing a piece of bacon in his mouth, he smiled at Damon and Caroline, who were staring at him. They did not utter a word as he sauntered over to Caroline and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear before heading out the door past Damon.

"What's up with him?" Damon questioned Caroline on their way down the stairs. Klaus was not enjoying the fact his hearing was not as good as it used to be. Yes, he could hear every word they said but would he be able to hear them from three blocks away? He sincerely doubted it, unless they were shouting.

"He's been like that all morning," Caroline replied. "Maybe he's feeling better. He's been a wreck since your mom tried to stake him last weekend."

"Yeah. Leave it to Mom to find the best ways to say 'I love you,'" Damon retorted and Klaus wondered when the two had buried the hatchet. The last time he had been around the two they weren't particularly friendly. Perhaps this had something to do with whatever Caroline was trying to tell him about Elena Gilbert. And what did it have to do with the Bennett witch? He would have to find out later. And he would have to find a way to contact Freya to make sure that Hope was being taken care of. In his current state he would be more likely to cause his daughter harm than good.

"Hey!" Matt Donovan greeted him.

"Bus boy," Klaus muttered and Rebekah's former lover simply blinked at him before going to stand by Bonnie. The witch was sitting on a couch with her arms folded over her chest. Scanning the room, Klaus took in the sight of Alaric Saltzman, the not-so-recently resurrected history teacher who was sporting a beard and looked rather worse for wear. The last of their little company was a man that Klaus was unfamiliar with.

"Gorgeous," the man greeted Caroline with a smile and a wink. Caroline smiled back and Klaus felt his hands tighten into fists. How many suitors had she found herself with since his departure?' he wondered sourly, glaring at the man, correction, vampire, who seemed to feel his gaze on him. "Aw. Stefan, woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" the vampire quipped.

"Enzo, not now," Bonnie snapped. She jutted her chin out at the vampire who held up his hands with a smirk. "Last night Caroline and Stefan took out two of the six Heretics on the loose. But we still have the other four. They're older, stronger and from last reports from Damon," she nodded at the elder Salvatore, whose mouth lifted in a half-smile, half grimace. She continued, looking around the room. "We also have Lilly Salvatore to deal with."

"Yes, and killing Mommy Dearest is at the top our list of things to do. Call it an early Christmas present to ourselves," Damon said, nodding at Klaus who nodded back. He was used to trying to kill his mother so that would not trouble him in the slightest. The only thing that shocked him was that he had always been under the impression that Stefan's mother was dead. Oh, well, it looked like he and his old friend now had yet another thing in common, mothers that would not stay dead. Glancing at Caroline, Klaus felt a pang. And she seemed to be in another…

"Tonight, Enzo is going to lure Lilly to the Grill under the pretext that they're to slaughter half the town who will be gathered after The Miss Mystic Falls ceremony. Lots of teens, lots of parents and lots of people who have drunk vervain but since the Heretics performed a spell that rendered it useless we could be looking at a massacre," Bonnie announced soberly. "I've been working on a spell to counteract the spell's effects but so far I haven't found the right ingredients."

"Then work harder, Bonnie," Damon interrupted and Klaus entertained the thought of what his head would look like mounted in his dining room.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "I am, Damon," she snarled before shaking her head and moving on. Damon shook his head before going over to pour out a glass of bourbon. He handed one to Alaric who had been quiet thus far, choosing to stare at his hands instead of offering anything useful. Klaus wondered what his story was but there were more pressing issues to attend to. After all, he had to play the part of the hero, one he was unaccustomed to.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Bonnie began. Pausing, she glared at Damon who was rolling his eyes and mimicking her. "Damon, shut up," she chastened the vampire who rolled his eyes again. "All of you are going to be needed at the Grill. That means you, too, Ric," she said quietly.

Alaric looked up from his drink beneath bloodshot eyes. For a moment, Klaus felt an odd emotion that he couldn't quite put a name to, tug at him before he shoved it back down and sat the tray he had forgotten he was holding, down on a couch. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Bonnie," Alaric protested as he looked around at the others.

Bonnie leaned forward as the Enzo person replied for her. "At some point you're going to have to accept that she's dead, mate. You can't bury yourself with her. It's not what she would have wanted."

"What do you know about what she wanted? You didn't even know her," Alaric yelled and the room quieted. The former history teacher was on his feet and in front of the vampire when Damon stepped between them.

"Hey. Hey! There will be no former Original Vampire Hunter turned human again versus former science project, half-crazed vampire under my roof. If you have to kill each other, take it outside," Damon told the two.

When they started to leave the Boarding House, Caroline shoved her elbow, hard, into Klaus', no Stefan's, ribcage. Klaus peered at her with a look of amusement. Personally, he was looking forward to a bit of entertainment. So far this merry little gang was boring him to tears, but this fight might lighten things up a bit. Caroline huffed when he didn't move. "Stefan," she said under her breath, darting her eyes between Enzo and Alaric and Klaus who stifled a sigh.

'What a pity,' he was thinking when he came to block the doorway. He was trying to think of what Stefan would say to defuse the situation when Caroline came to stand beside him. "If you two don't stop, I will kick both your asses," she promised them with a frown. Glancing at Caroline, Klaus could not hide the smile that her comment elicited. She was growing up and he was loving her more than ever.

Enzo was the first to capitulate. "Caroline is right. We're fighting the wrong adversary. And we'll need all our strength for tonight. And, if it'll make you feel better, while you're getting the shit kicked out of you by one of the Heretics, you can pretend it's me when you get in a shot or two."

Alaric did not seemed as pleased with Enzo's remark as Enzo seemed with it. He strode back into the great room and took the second drink that Damon offered him. "Do you think that getting Ric drunk right now is a great idea?" Matt asked and Damon's eyebrows rose.

"Don't you have a job to do? Go out and drive around town in your little toy cop car and pretend that you're doing this town any good at all?" Damon snapped back before taking a gulp from his glass of bourbon.

Matt scoffed and walked past Klaus and Caroline. "I'll see you guys tonight. And I'll let you know if anything happens."

"Yeah, we're looking forward with eager hearts and minds to news from Mystic Falls' finest," Damon called after Matt. "Oh, wait. No, she's gone, too. To Liz. May you never have to know what it's like to have a Matt Donavon keeping your streets safe." Damon cried with a smile.

Damon was no longer smiling when he hit the opposite wall. Klaus watched as Caroline grabbed Damon by the shirt collar and punched him in the face again. "Don't you ever talk about my mom like that," she snarled as Damon looked up at her with a dazed expression.

"Caroline!" Bonnie called but Caroline was raising her fist again.

Feeling amused but worried about Caroline, Klaus waited to see if he needed to interfere when Damon caught the blonde vampire's hand in his fist. Closing his fingers around her closed fist, Damon pulled Caroline into a hug. "I miss her, too," he said, as Caroline sucked in a deep, shaky breath.

"We've all been through too much," Bonnie said, her shoulders dropping as she sat down on the edge of the couch. "Your mom. Jo and the twins," she said, looking at Ric whose face was flushed as he stared down into his empty glass which he crushed in his hand. "Even Damon and Stefan are losing their mom again."

"You died. And came back," Caroline added as she helped Damon to his feet.

"Yeah. I did," Bonnie let out a chuckle. "But we've survived all that. And we're going to survive this, too. We're going to stop this and anything else we have to because we survive."

While Bonnie had been speaking Enzo had disappeared and reappeared with a First Aid Kit. Klaus' nose was leading him toward Alaric's hand and before he could stop himself, he was knocking the younger vampire out of the way, trying to get at Alaric's blood. "Stefan?" Ric yelled as Klaus bit into him, not being able to control this sudden desire for blood. The human was screaming in pain when Klaus felt something slam into his chest cavity.

"Let go. Now, mate," Enzo growled and Klaus looked down to find that Enzo's hand was inside Stefan's chest, wrapped around his heart. One sudden jerk and it would be curtains for both Klaus and the younger Salvatore brother.

"Enzo!" Caroline shouted. "Stop it! Please!" she cried as she took ahold of Enzo's arm and Klaus could tell by the smirk on the vampire's lips that he would like nothing better than to go ahead and rip his heart out. There was some bad blood between these two. Klaus wondered what exactly he had wandered into.

"For you, Caroline," Enzo said, releasing Stefan's heart and then backing away.

Klaus heaved a sigh before he turned. He was about to attack the younger vampire. He may not be in his own body but he had all his old knowledge of how to kill, rather ruthlessly and this child had made a mistake. Before he could move an inch, Caroline was standing before him checking him over. "Okay. You're okay," she breathed with a relieved sigh and then she turned on Enzo. "What the hell was that? We're all supposed to be on the same team here and now you pick not one, but two fights? Seriously? Whose side are you on?"

"I'm sorry. But was it not Stefan who was taking a bite out of the group pet here?" Enzo asked, pointing at Alaric who was drinking Damon's blood with a confused expression. "And I'm not going to suddenly don a white hat and pretend that I'm a hero here. That's not who I am and you know it."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Caroline fired back.

Coughing, Klaus gained their attention. "I guess maybe I should stay behind and help Bonnie with this spell of hers since I seem to be having a problem with blood today." He gave a shrug and hoped it seemed Stefan like enough for this lot.

"That might be for the best," Bonnie added with a frown directed at Klaus who smiled back at her.

Now Damon was frowning. "No, Stef, we need all hands on board on this one. Bonnie can handle herself."

"Sure," Bonnie replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Right," Klaus muttered. He had been hoping that he could avoided playing at being a hero. Besides he needed an opportunity to be able to compel the Bennett witch into figuring out what in the hell had happened to him. This could not be an ordinary spell. And whoever had done it to him would pay most severely for it. He just hoped that Stefan was doing his part to not expose himself as an imposter; otherwise the whole family and countless others would be in danger.

"Is there anything else?" Bonnie asked and everyone looked at each other. "Fine. I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me." She got up and left the room. Moments later Damon headed out of the room grumbling about the company that he kept. Alaric mumbled something and left. This left Klaus, Caroline and Enzo to sit around the room and stare at each other.

When Klaus became wary of the staring contest that he had gotten himself into with the younger vampire, he got to his feet. "I fancy a walk in a woods. Caroline, would you like to join me since we have nothing else to do until our appointed time."

Looking from Stefan to Enzo, Caroline got to her feet. "Try to not kill anyone while we're gone," she ordered Enzo with a long look.

"Can't make any promises I don't intend on keeping," Enzo shot back as he got to his feet and emptied Damon's bourbon supply.

Klaus could not get out of the Boarding House fast enough. It brought back too many memories of less than pleasant circumstances for him. But moving closer to the wooded area near the house brought back memories that he never intended on forgetting. When he was close to a tree he was particularly fond of, he came to a stop and turned to Caroline.

To Klaus' surprise, Caroline shoved up against the tree and kissed him passionately. As much as he wanted to enjoy this embrace, she had just confirmed all of his worst fears and he gently pushed her away. "Caroline, I…" he tried and failed to find the right words as his heart broke.

When he finally looked her in the eye, all he saw was rage and irritation when her hand flew and his cheek smarted from her palm smacking Stefan's cheek. "I knew it. How? Why? Oh, my God. Seriously?!" she shouted, beginning to walk in small circles.

"Caroline, you're not making sense," Klaus began when she turned on him, holding up a shaking finger.

"Do not even start with me, Klaus. How in the hell? Why in the hell would you jump into Stefan's body? Of all times…" Caroline trailed off and let out an angry growl.

"I don't know," Klaus told her sincerely. "I was in New Orleans. I went to bed and I woke here. This was not my doing."

Caroline's jaw worked up and down before her shoulders sagged. "Really?"

"Truly, love. I don't know who did this. But we have to keep it a secret," Klaus told Caroline whose eyebrow furrowed.

"And why would we do that?" Caroline demanded. "Because this is, in fact, part of one of your twisted plots?"

"No, because I have a child that needs to be protected," Klaus said soberly.

Caroline's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "What?"

Okay, so I'm thinking that this story will going in a fairly AU way from the end of S6 of TVD and S2 of TO not to mention who wants to read a series of reruns? Seriously! I hope you enjoy the story and let me know in that little box below if you have time.

Thank for reading, faving, following and reviewing (they make my day)!

Answers:

AnnaTom23: I hope you enjoyed the Klaroline part. I think they would, too, and so another crack ship sails.

Marion: Thank you.

Hellzz-on-Earth: Freya is pretty cool; she's like a female Klaus. They are and they will continue to be. You're welcome.

Bjames238: Yes, I liked the idea, too. I was considering them the end game for Stef in "Summer of '15" because I really like the idea of Freya and Stefan.

arbo: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed Klaus' side of the equation.

hela7smite: I will. More and more and more.

meruhime: I'm following from S6 of TVD and, yes, this means that Stefan and Caroline were working through some feelings that had developed but now things are slowly returning to how they used to be. Stefan and Freya will be a slow burn especially because Freya is like Klaus and tends to hide her emotions or to bury them.

atsalvatore: I can't quite say when the updates will be due to having quite a few stories that I'm working on and one that has to be published so that I can eat, pay rent, etc. We will definitely see more of Stefan and Freya next time.

skratin: Merci.

Peace,

Jessica