Tack så mycket, Sverige! ;)
Hello dearies, hope you're all having a lovely Sunday! A big hug to everyone for the lovely reviews! :) Just to quickly clarify - it was really Henrik who was tortured and killed, not a projection or a vision. The spell that Prelati put on Klaus was meant to have him suffer through all the pain his baby brother went through.
Please do keep reviewing, it is so very important to me (am just deciding whether to write something new) and I just adore your wonderful comments! Thank you, guys! :)
xx
CHAPTER THIRTY
HIS GREATEST WEAKNESS
Caroline walked to the window and looked over the green fields. She had to admit the plan was good, safe for one little detail. Klaus would have to go through hell again, and she could not allow that. She closed her eyes and started racking her brain for alternatives. The only thing she could think of was to offer herself as bait, and she was more than ready to do that. Everything would be preferable to Klaus having to face that kind of ordeal again. The only problem was that he would not play along.
She sensed him behind her just before his arms came around her waist and he pulled her into his chest.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Without a warning, she whirled around and gave him a little shove.
"I'm not having this! Klaus, you carried this around with you for six hundred years, managed to first speak about it only last night, and now you want to go for round two of the scenic tour through hell?"
He sighed, leaning against the window as he gazed at her agitated features. "Caroline, this time will be different. I know what I am getting myself into, I know why I am doing it, and… I will not be alone. The hardest part of all, my darling, will be to see you staked. If there would be any way at all to avoid that, I would not even consider having you near the castle. But Mikael has to believe you are dead, otherwise the plan will never work."
Caroline threw her hands in the air. "I don't give a damn about being staked! I give a damn about you having to go through hell again! What if Prelati resuscitates Henrik once more and makes him go through all of that another time?"
Klaus gave a small shudder, but he shook his head. "No. The witch I sought out in Northern Italy before coming here had some very specific knowledge about the spell in question. Apparently she has been resuscitating people rather often, so she is sort of a specialist. It turns out that someone who died human can only be resuscitated once, whereas supernatural beings of any kind can return more often. There is no danger whatsoever of Henrik being exposed to this again."
She closed her eyes in relief. One less worry, but still… "What do you think he will be doing to you, then?"
"That is the one variable in the equation. With you presumably dead, he will have to improvise on how to make things worse for me, as I am very certain he is counting on making you suffer in front of my eyes. I would suspect him to have Prelati conjure up visions of what de Rais did to Henrik, or… of someone brutalizing you, but they would need to be some sort of projections, as he can't plant any visions in my head. I suspect they will be going for the easy option of inflicting physical pain on me." He looked at her very intently, and his voice was steady when he spoke again.
"Whatever it may be, Caroline, I need to be able to focus. I absolutely can't be worried about your safety, so for once in your life, could you please just do as I tell you and leave once you are unstaked?"
When she didn't answer, he grabbed her arms and shook her lightly. "It goes against my every instinct to allow you to even set foot in the dungeons once Mikael is near, but after much deliberation, I can see it is the only way. I will not, however, tolerate your going on some sort of heroic suicide mission because you believe you are helping me or keeping me from suffering. Do you understand?"
Caroline felt tears welling up. How could she leave him alone in there? But he won't be alone this time. Elijah will be with him, and so will everyone else. He can do this.
"Give me a minute," she sniffed, turning her back to him and staring unseeingly at the connecting door to what was now their room. It sounded like he had thought of almost everything, but what if there was something he had not considered? She was not a strategist and she had never fought in a war, therefore she needed someone who had. Closing her eyes, she thought about the plan. Everything inside her screamed for her to be there with him, to remain at his side. But it was his nightmare, and he had to end it. Not alone, though. Turning around, she faced him, seeing the anxiety in his eyes.
"All right, Klaus," she said firmly, "I will do as you ask. I will leave." He said nothing about not coming back. So technically, I won't be breaking my word. "On one condition."
He eyed her suspiciously. "This is not a negotiation."
Caroline's chin came up and her jaw set. "You are right. This is more of a 'Take it or leave it'. You either fulfill the condition or I will put myself up as bait."
"You would not dare!" he snarled.
"Watch me!" she shouted back.
They scowled at each other. Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, and Klaus gripped the windowsill so tightly it started to crumble underneath his fingers. Neither of them noticed. After minutes of charged silence, Klaus gritted his teeth and hissed, "Just out of curiosity, before I chain you to the room – what is the condition?"
Caroline exhaled silently. "I want you to speak to Elijah. I want you to tell him."
Klaus closed his eyes and shook his head. "Out of all things, Caroline."
"Give your brother some credit. He loves you very much, and he would never, never¸ blame you for what happened. Somewhere deep down, you know that, don't you?" she said softly.
"Why?" he whispered. "Why are you making me do this?"
She crossed the distance and stood before him, close enough to know he would feel her warmth, just as she could feel his. "Because, my beautiful Klaus, if I have to leave you in there, I want to at least make sure you get out with your heart and soul intact. Not to mention that pretty face of yours. And for that, your brother needs to know everything, so he can come up with any aspects you might not have considered. Besides – hearing from him that he does not blame you is so way beyond more important than hearing it from me! You need to start forgiving yourself, Klaus, please, or your stepfather will win after all, even when you defeat him down in the dungeons."
Klaus stared down at her. Then his hands were at her shoulders, running slowly towards her collarbones. Very gently, his lips touched hers, making her sigh into the tender kiss. "I accept the condition."
Relief washed through her. "I expected no less of you, General Kenobi." He chuckled, lightening the mood and pressing her body to his, softly kissing her hair.
"Whatever happened to 'Caligula'? I much preferred that. It is almost as fitting as 'Chucky' is for Kol. That was hilarious, by the way."
"Got it, Caligula. I just thought I let you be the good guy for a couple of hours, but who am I kidding?" she teased.
"I do believe the bad guy is indeed about to make an appearance , my darling, for if memory serves, he still needs to make you pay for something," he reminded her with a sardonic smile, and her breath caught at the sudden fire in his eyes. How did he do that? One look and she was reduced to a quivering sex kitten!
"Mercy, great Emperor," she giggled, trying to ignore just how aroused she was growing under his illegally sexy gaze.
"Not likely," he growled playfully, scooping her up and carrying her across the room towards their suite. When they had reached the door, he put her down, trapping her against the wall with his body, crushing his lips to hers. Her hands slipped beneath his Henley, and she knew she would never stop marveling at the feel of his skin under her touch. When he released her lips, she was shivering.
"Promise me something, Klaus," she murmured huskily, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small smirk. He lifted a quizzical brow. "Promise me that whatever happens – you will never stop shagging the hell out of me."
He laughed out loud, then cupped her butt with both hands and pressed her against the bulge in his pants, making them both groan. "Does this feel like I ever could, even if I wanted to?" he chuckled.
"Just wanted to make sure," she grinned before turning around to open the door. After a couple of steps, she realized he was not following and turned around again. He stood in the doorframe, watching her intently, an unfathomable expression on his face. Her brows rose, and she looked at him questioningly.
"Caroline," he suddenly whispered, "my breathtaking, glorious, amazing girl. Do you have any idea at all of how desperately I am in love with you?"
The floor seemed to drop from underneath her. She stood in the middle of the room, thunderstruck. Not in a million years had she ever expected him to say it, and she would have lived with that. The instant he had announced in front of everyone that he would be ready to die for her, Caroline had suspected that was as far as his verbal love declarations would ever go. She thought she could never be happier than at that very moment, even though she still found it hard to believe. She hadn't assumed she would actually hear him say those three very big little words. But a small part of her had hoped for it so fervently! And nothing had prepared her for how infinitely much it meant to her.
"Look at you," she murmured, flushed, breathless, her heart filling her throat… filling her entire being, "the man who couldn't love."
"Someone taught him to," he said, crossing the distance in two big strides and taking her in his arms.
The troops returned two hours later. Caroline was amazed at how she and Klaus had managed to squeeze three rounds of extensive, overwhelming lovemaking into such a short amount of time. With a small smile, she remembered how Klaus had never once softened, not even after he had come for the third time. Mmmh, the shower… Just thinking about it made her crave him again. With every time he made love to her, Caroline seemed to be wanting him more. He let her be in charge whenever she desired, but even in his most uncontrolled moments, writhing in ecstasy underneath her hands and tongue, it was somehow always him who took her, and Caroline plain adored it.
She positively dreaded the thought of having to share her man with the others for the rest of the day, not willing to leave her little cocoon of happiness. Her man. She really liked the sound and feel of that.
How desperately I am in love with you.
She repeated the words in her mind over and over again. He loved her. Niklaus Big Bad Original Hybrid Mikaelson loved her, small town baby vampire Caroline Forbes. She was his first choice. His only choice. Closing her eyes, she started to hum some Lana del Rey as she dried her hair.
Every now and then the stars align,
Boy and girl meet by the great design.
Could it be that you and me
Are the lucky ones this time?
She heard his light chuckle outside and had to grin. A couple of minutes later, they returned to the other room. Apart from Elijah, Elena and Silv, no one was to be seen and Caroline could hear two showers running in different rooms on the opposite side of the hall.
"How did it go?" Klaus asked, looking at Elijah and Silv who were standing next to each other at the window.
"The spell is done," Silv informed him, "as soon as they arrive, both my and Elijah's little fingers will bleed for a couple of minutes. I also verified whether they have already been here, just to make sure they haven't been watching us, but there was no detectable supernatural presence other than yours, Caroline's and Elijah's. I erased all traces of our entire group the minute we left. They won't know we're here."
Elijah nodded. "Silv has also spelled the tunnel's doors on both ends so they won't make any more noise when being opened. We have stowed the pile of oak wood at the riverside end next to the door, as there is a small hole where no one will be accidentally tumbling over it. As for the family feud scene, I would suggest we either use the foot of the stairs to the dungeons or the leftovers of the dining room. For the sake of drama authenticity, we should opt for the former. It will make things more realistic if we manage to drag you down to the entrance of the dungeon, but you refuse to go any further at the first sight of the cells. Subsequently, the fight over your would-be cowardice breaks out."
"I agree. Good call, Elijah, as always." Klaus hesitated. "May I have a word with you now, brother?"
"Certainly. Ladies, I hope you do not mind our leaving you to yourselves for a while?"
"You go ahead," Caroline smiled. "I believe we, too, have some catching up to do."
Klaus turned to her, cupping her face and kissing her softly. Her arms sneaked around his waist, unwilling to let him go, enjoying his kiss as if it was the first of the day. When she had almost forgotten where she was, Elena cleared her throat. With a sigh, Caroline released Klaus and gave him a wistful look.
"I will see you later, my love," and with one last squeeze of her hand, he was gone, followed by Elijah.
Elena crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, Care, I know this is kind of a stupid question, as the answer is pretty obvious, but I'd still like to hear it – what has happened between you and Klaus since you left?"
Caroline hesitated. "Ahm… Silv, do you think you could sound proof this room? I really wouldn't want Damon to laugh in my face all day."
"Sure," Silv answered, her voice still drained. "I will do the spell and leave you to it, then."
"No, please, stay. I mean, if you don't mind."
A genuine smile graced Silv's features. "I would love to." She got up and quickly started to murmur, doing a complete turn of the room. It took only a couple of minutes. "Okay, done."
"I'll get us some drinks, that is, if the alcoholics left us any," Elena offered, sauntering to the mini bar and pulling out a couple of bottles of white wine, pouring three glasses. They gathered around the small couch table and Caroline began to tell them rather generically what had happened between her and Klaus ever since they had left Mystic Falls. It felt beyond good to finally be able to talk to someone about everything.
"Well, judging by the way Big Bad declared to be ready to die for you, his feelings are rather clear. Not that they haven't been back at home," Elena mused.
"You think?" Caroline asked, nonplussed.
"Oh please! As if you hadn't noticed how he looked at you from the very beginning!"
"Yeah, but I always thought it was about getting me into his bed, not about actual feelings," Caroline muttered, earning a snort from Silv.
"Caroline, you must have been blind. So was he himself, I presume, but the way he was around you all the time in Norway – he could just as well have rented a zeppelin and written 'I love you Caroline' on it, in big sparkling letters!" The three of them giggled, the wine starting to take its effect. "By the way, what happened when he raced off with you like that the first night at the North Cape? You looked a bit… flushed when you returned," Silv snickered.
"Oh, well… I… he…" Caroline stuttered.
"Come on, Care! What happened?" Elena squealed.
"I… ah… kind of told him that I would have liked him to give me a dream about… well, the two of us."
"And? Care, the suspense is painful!" Both Elena and Silv grinned from ear to ear.
"He… oh, okay, you pest! He described the dream he would have given me, and very graphically so. Including some real-life special effects, okay? Happy?" The other two looked at each other and burst into laughter. Silv was starting to look a little more lively for a second, and Caroline hoped there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Her whole demeanour had been a little too sedate ever since she had arrived.
"You are telling me," Elena panted, "that you had fantasy sex with special effects in the middle of nowhere in the Polar Region? With Klaus? Oh my God!" She went into another round of hysterics, and Caroline couldn't help but join in. At some point, they recovered from their laughing fit, and Elena asked, "I suppose I don't have to ask if the real thing has happened by now?"
Caroline nodded.
"I admit that I'm beyond curious. He is the oldest, most powerful etc. etc. So how was it?"
"Well, since you're asking, he is the most powerful…" Caroline giggled teasingly, but then she turned serious. "It was Earth shattering, Lena. I didn't know sex could be like that, so absolute, if you know what I mean. Klaus is like a force of nature, but so gentle at the same time. He is… unbelievable." She flushed, but she looked straight at the other two. "Sorry, I know it sounds a bit dramatic."
Both Elena and Silv smiled. "Not necessarily," Silv answered, a deep longing in her eyes. Geez, Elijah, will you get over yourself already?
"Do you love him, Care?" Elena asked slowly.
Caroline looked at her best friend for a long time, hoping to God she would understand and not despise her for her choice. Then again, it hadn't been a choice, not really. She nodded. "Yes. I love him. I don't know how it happened, but Klaus is… he is my epic love, Lena."
Elena nodded thoughtfully. "To be honest, I'm still a bit shocked, but who am I to talk? We've had this conversation, Care. But I believe I will need a little more time to get used to this." Caroline looked at her friend with a smile while Silv squeezed her hand.
"I am very happy for you, Caroline. And for Klaus. Although he might not be able to come around and say it, you should never doubt his feelings. I've never seen him remotely like this."
"Actually," Caroline murmured, biting her lip, "he did say it. Just earlier today, after you all left."
Silv's eyes widened in astonishment. "What? I lived to hear that a male Original says that? Holy cricket! There is hope for world peace after all!"
"Did…" Caroline started to say, then remembering that Elena didn't know about Silv and Elijah.
"It's okay," the witch nodded sadly. "No, Elijah never said it. I knew how he felt, though."
"Oh," Elena said softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. You and Elijah?"
"It was a very long time ago. So, Elena, I admit to be curious, too. I have seen you with Stefan and Damon over the past few days, but I am quite honestly not one hundred percent sure about your relationship with them. It looks a bit complicated."
"Yes, Lena, any news on the love triangle front?" Caroline chipped in.
"Are you sure this is sound-proof?" Elena looked at Silv, slightly panic-stricken. "Oh please," the witch grinned in mock offense. "All right then. I kissed Damon."
"That's all? I thought you would have jumped his bones by now! The tension between you is still so thick it could be cut with a knife!"
"So you're actually with Stefan? I'm confused," Silv chuckled. Caroline gave her a quick summary of the Salvatore/Gilbert history, culminating in Elena kissing Damon in Denver, but choosing Stefan shortly before her death.
Elena sighed. "So we kissed in Norway, on a little bench next to a trail a few hundred yards…" She stopped at the sight of Caroline suddenly doubling over with laughter. "What's so funny?" she asked, torn between anger and laughter herself.
"Fantasy sex with special effects? Ring a bell?"
"Ugh, gross! You made out with Klaus on that bench?" Elena shrieked while Silv almost choked on her wine.
"God, I'm having a seizure! They should put an NC-17 sign on that thing!"
All three of them howled with laughter. "Anyway," Elena gasped after a while, "Stefan had gone polar fox hunting and I went for a walk with Damon, otherwise he and Kol would probably have killed each other, and we ended up sitting on that bench, when Damon suddenly kissed me, without a warning. It was one of those kisses that make you forget your own name… I know this is not supposed to be important, but with Stefan… it didn't really feel like that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the way Stefan kisses me, but Damon is just so different. Good different. And I can't help but thinking that it is important, somehow," she added unhappily.
"And it is," Silv said. "People keep telling you the physical part of a relationship is less important than the rest, but that is quite simply not true. It is as vital as everything else."
Caroline could not have agreed with her more. Stop thinking about his hands on you this instant!
Elena sighed. "He is being so gentlemanly, somehow. I know how he wants me, and quite honestly, had he taken it further that night, there wouldn't have been just fantasy sex on that bench. But he is always trying to do the right thing when it comes to me… ugh! I no longer know if the right thing wouldn't just be to grab him and drag him off to the nearest…"
"Bench?" Caroline supplied helpfully, making Silv finally choke on her wine in earnest. "You know, alternatively, there is a very lovely tree next to the little river down there…"
"I am not listening! Please spare me the details!" Elena snickered. "Then again – weren't you about to do him against a tree while he was in Tyler's body? It seems that somehow, the trees had it coming!"
"Very nicely put," Silv muttered with a big grin, making Elena blush scarlet. "I have to stop drinking! I have to stop talking about sex! I have to…"
"Have sex instead?" Caroline offered again, sending them into more laughter.
"Seriously, I need to make a decision, and soon. Stefan is unhappy, Damon is unhappy, and so am I. It is just… the thought of losing one of them for good…" She shuddered.
There was a knock on the door. "Is anyone in there? Lena?" It was Damon.
Caroline turned to Silv. "This is brilliant! He can't hear a thing! Would you mind terribly spelling my room, too?"
With a giggle at Silv's grimace, she jumped up to open the door.
Klaus stared across the fields, waiting for his sentence. He had told Elijah everything, not leaving out any detail, and now the fear was creeping up inside him, paralyzing him almost like a spell. He had no idea how he would do without Elijah – not that this was something he would ever care to tell his brother. Maybe he would tell Caroline, some day. In the very distant future. Now he was busy fighting down the panic at the long silence that was following his story.
"Niklaus." Elijah's voice was unrevealing, and Klaus did not move. "Niklaus, would you mind looking at me when I am talking to you?"
Klaus slowly turned to look at his older brother. "Why have you never told me this?"
He just shrugged. "As I said before, it was too painful for me to relive."
"No, Niklaus, that was not the only reason. May I venture a guess? You believed that I would put the blame for this on you. You thought I would hate you for what you perceive as not fulfilling your duty as an older brother."
Klaus stood and started to pace back and forth in front of the little stone ledge they had been sitting on, in the middle of a field. Elijah had always known him too well. "And?" he snapped. "Now you are going to tell me it is not so?"
"That is exactly what I am telling you. For the love of the Gods, Niklaus, how could you even begin to think I would hate you for this? Especially when it was I who failed you back then, like so many other times?"
Klaus stopped dead in his tracks, sure to have misheard. "Excuse me?"
Elijah looked at the field that stretched out in front of him, running a hand through his hair.
"Niklaus, ever since the beginning of time, you have protected this family. You would have given your life for each single one of us. You thrive on leadership, and you are a natural at it, which has made it very easy for me to just sit back and let you take over. But I should have at least shared the burden with you instead of letting you carry the weight on your own and focus all my energy on accumulating riches and avoiding the true responsibility of taking care of this family. I am your older brother, Niklaus, and it would have been my duty to protect you. And I failed you so often, but this was my worst mistake. I should never have let you go to Tiffauges by yourself, whatever protestations you might have brought up. I had a very bad feeling about it and still I let you leave alone because it was easier than going over twelve rounds with you. If anyone is to blame for what happened, it is me, Niklaus, and I do hope you will find it in you to forgive me, in time, for making the wrong choice."
Klaus stared at his brother, petrified.
"Elijah," he said, "why are you saying this? First of all, it was you who took me away from there. You came, and you put an end to it. Secondly, it was me who let Henrik die, and twice at that! I did! It had nothing whatsoever to do with you!"
"I beg to differ. Pray recall the day you took Henrik into the woods to watch the wolves. Think closely. Who was supposed to go with him in the first place? And who preferred to send his younger brother in order to spend some time with a certain Tatia instead?"
Klaus shook his head. "That does not change anything. It was me who let him get killed by that wolf, not you."
"Do you honestly think it would have made a difference had I gone with him? I was as human as you were, and I could have protected him even less than you could as you were the better fighter, Niklaus. Then." Both brothers smiled a little. "No, he would have been killed just the same, and the only difference would have been that it would now weigh on my conscience instead of yours. It should have been my conscience! Do you want to know about the highly praised nobility of your older brother, Niklaus? At times, I was even grateful for the fact that you were the one, not me. That is how noble I am!" Elijah took a breath and went on. "Howbeit, the second time around, you were immobilized. There was nothing you could have done. Mikael had his own son, his innocent young son who had never even lived to become a vampire, slaughtered just to live out his undying hatred for you. How could you have foreseen something like that?"
Klaus' voice was a mere whisper. "I underestimated them. As I have always said, miscalculation is the root of all failure. I was so convinced of my own invincibility that the thought anyone could actually take me down never even crossed my mind. And I closed my eyes, Elijah. I sat through everything with the other boy, but I was unable to be strong for my own brother! I let him down, I left him alone!"
"Niklaus, for crying out loud. You are not a machine, and despite of what everyone thinks, you are not a soulless robot! So you closed your eyes. You closed them because someone you loved with all your heart, a member of your family, was brutalized beyond anyone's wildest imagination, and you could not stand your own overwhelming feeling of guilt at having to witness it without being able to move so much as a finger. Let me spell it out for you. It was not your fault! Either time around!"
"You mean you do not hate me?" Klaus asked slowly, still not sure how to believe what he had just heard.
"Niklaus, I already told you back in Mystic Falls all those weeks ago – you are my brother, and I could never, ever hate you. Notwithstanding my affections for you, however, you can be the greatest cretin to walk this Earth."
Klaus took a deep, shaky breath. Talking to Caroline the night before had lifted an incredible weight off him, but this was even more important. He would never have hoped for Elijah not to condemn him. Maybe his beautiful girl had been right after all. Maybe it was time for him to at least try and begin to forgive himself. He was well aware that part of him would never be able to; he had hated himself for too long a time to ever heal completely, but there could be a way to reduce this part bit by bit.
He looked at Elijah. "Look who is talking about being a cretin, brother. When will you finally give up your stubbornness and grovel for Silv's forgiveness?"
Elijah shook his head. "It has nothing to do with being stubborn. It is too late. She will never take me back, I hurt her too much. I did not have an ounce of patience to wait for her, which is particularly unforgivable when you have eternity at your hands. So I will keep my distance and once this is over, we will part ways and carry on with our lives."
"Brother, do stop playing me for a fool. And yourself, for that matter. I may only very recently have become an expert on love," Klaus replied sarcastically, making Elijah give a huff, "but I am most definitely not blind. Go and grovel. She is waiting for you."
Elijah looked at him thoughtfully. "How about you? Have you told Caroline yet?"
A smile played across Klaus' face. "So I have. Obtaining exceedingly pleasant reactions."
Elijah smiled back at him. "Do me a favour though, young'un. Have your bloody room sound proofed."
Klaus laughed. "I shall make it a particular priority." He took his seat on the ledge again, doing what he did best - switching into soldier mode in the blink of an eye.
"Now, about Daddy dearest…"