Köszönöm szépen, Hungary! :)

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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

If she had thought that Klaus might put on a turtleneck, a scarf or a high-collared shirt in order to elude comments for at least a little while when they met everyone for breakfast, she had been deluding herself. When they sat at the table, Elijah smiled at Caroline and nodded at Klaus, not giving them much more than a cursory glance over his newspaper. A split second later, he put his coffee cup back in the saucer with an audible clatter, dropping his paper and zeroing in on Klaus' neck which was prominently displayed over his trademark Henley. His eyes widened and Caroline thought it was the first time she had really seen him completely dumbfounded. His gaze flashed to Caroline's neck and his eyebrows lifted another couple of inches. She flushed crimson, but Klaus was totally unperturbed, pouring Caroline some coffee before helping himself to a croissant.

The whole scene had not gone unnoticed, as both Kol and Damon had looked up when Elijah had noisily replaced his cup, and they had of course not missed his stare.

"Nik! Are you serious?" Kol exclaimed, his face a display of utter incredulity.

"What?" Damon asked, now wildly curious as to what everyone was seeing that he was apparently missing out on.

"Oh, right," Kol sneered, "I keep forgetting you're just vampire plebs and take a little longer to gather the obvious. Have a closer look at his neck," he gestured towards Klaus, "but don't say I didn't warn you!"

Now everyone was staring at Klaus. "Thanks, Kol," Caroline muttered under her breath, feeling Klaus' soothing hand on her back.

"Holy fuck, Freddie Krueger! A freaking Signum? On you?" Damon shook his head as if he was trying to shake off a daze. "I'd never thought I'd see you of all people that whipped!"

Stefan had silently risen from his seat and walked over to Caroline. He crouched in front of her chair, examining her neck. Looking up at her, he smiled, relief in his eyes, and squeezed her hand. Then he got up and looked at Klaus who was watching him closely. "I'm impressed. I didn't think I'd ever say that of you again, and even less would I ever have expected a commitment like this from you, Klaus," he said with the faintest hint of a smile. Klaus nodded and they looked at each other for a long moment, before Stefan briefly put a hand on Caroline's shoulder and returned to his seat.

"Okay, would anyone care to explain to me what's going on? And what is a Signum?" Elena demanded of no one in particular, confusion in her eyes.

Damon answered before anyone could say anything. "See the two red marks on Pinhead's neck?" Elena eyed Klaus closely and nodded. "That means he is now Blondie's little lapdog."

"What?" Elena demanded, and Klaus cocked an eyebrow at Damon, who was sitting next to his younger brother. "Kol?" he just said without looking away from Damon. Before anyone could even blink, Kol had stapled Damon's hand to the table with his fork, nonchalantly sipping his coffee. Klaus gave an appreciative nod while Elijah hissed, "Enough now! I do not feel like compelling the entire hotel staff!"

With a grunt, Damon pulled the bloodied fork out of his hand and rammed it into Kol's croissant. "Enjoy, Chucky," he snickered.

With an indignant sigh, Elijah turned towards Elena. "The mark on Niklaus' neck is called a Signum." He gazed at Klaus and there was the silent communication again. "You have probably not heard of it yet due to the fact that it is so very rare. It is the sign of one vampire's claim on another. It can only be offered voluntarily, is solely possible between vampires and will not fade unless the claimer dies. With this sign, every vampire will know that Niklaus has found his eternal mate and is taken for good. You could probably call it a supernatural wedding ring, with the difference that you can no longer take it off."

Caroline stared at Klaus. He seemed to have left that little detail out last night. A wedding ring? Not able to tear her gaze from him, she felt the familiar clenching in her gut as his hand softly stroked her back. He didn't look at her.

Elena was stunned into silence. Eventually, she looked at Caroline, scanning her neck. "So you don't have that mark on you?"

"No," Klaus said determinedly, "and it will stay that way." He had lifted his eyes to Caroline's while he spoke, challenging her to defy him. Whatever Caroline had planned to say was interrupted by Rebekah's arrival.

"Silv has a problem."

"If you will excuse me," Elijah murmured, getting up and flashing off at top speed. Klaus rose and ran a hand over Caroline's hair while looking at Stefan.

"Compel them, will you?" he said briskly, pointing at the other three occupied tables and the two waiters who were staring after Elijah openmouthed. "I don't trust the other two here." With a quick warning glance at Damon and Kol and a deep look for Caroline, he and Rebekah followed Elijah at human speed until they were out of sight.

Entering Silv's room after a short knock, he saw the witch on the couch, her face very pale and obviously weakened by something. A couple of sheets were wrapped around her and she was holding a glass of water in her shaking hands. Elijah was standing in front of her, for once looking at a complete loss. The corners of Silv's mouth lifted fractionally when Klaus and Rebekah entered.

"Medical rounds, Doctores Mikaelson?" she asked of the congregation now gathered in her room. Klaus and Rebekah looked at Elijah, but their brother seemed to be utterly out of his depth. Now that was a first indeed.

"What is going on, Silv?" Klaus asked, stepping closer and scanning her appearance. She looked like her life was gradually fading away. He had never seen anything like it in a witch. Her eyes seemed to be coating over with some dull glaze and she gave the impression of graying out somehow. With another ghostly smile, she took a sip of water.

"Well, it would seem that the witches on the other side are not very pleased with my involvement in the destruction of the original oak. They know the balance of nature has been compromised by Prelati and the Bennett witch, but they think I overbalanced it completely by unspelling and burning the tree, for it does leave the world with no means to kill you and your family, Klaus." The short speech seemed to exhaust her, but she steadied herself and continued. "So I am being stripped of my powers. Not at once, that's not how it works. With every spell I do, I will lose some more of my magic, and at the same time, my natural life will be gradually coming to an end. However, if I am able to rest enough beforehand, my strength will suffice to do what needs to be done and help you bring down Mikael and Prelati."

Elijah shook his head and Klaus could see a hint of panic in his eyes. "No. I will not allow this. You will immediately stop doing any spells until we find a way to reverse that process."

"Elijah. It will have to happen. I betrayed the witches in the worst way they could possibly fathom, and I am no longer one of them. I was cast out. The codex commands them to punish me and they have decided to follow the slow, torturous path." She looked up at him, and Klaus saw her eyes brighten the faintest little bit. "You must not attempt to interfere."

"Silv." Elijah sank to his knees beside the couch, his voice strained. He did not touch her, but Klaus sensed the unbreakable bond that still connected his brother and the witch after all these years. "You are utterly deluded if you honestly believe I will sit around and watch you die. I committed the unforgivable mistake of letting you walk out of my life many years ago, and I never make the same mistake twice."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Klaus noticed Rebekah's face split into a huge grin, and he felt a sudden surge of genuine happiness for Elijah, but he quickly sobered. There had to be a way to keep her from dying. The simplest thing would be to turn her, but she had made it abundantly clear in the past that a vampire's life was not what she wanted. Silv's face softened and she touched her fingers to Elijah's cheek.

"It was my mistake as much as yours. I was being a coward. I was young, foolish, and I thought I had to prove my point." Elijah stared at her like a man who was seeing the sun for the first time. Then he covered her hand with his. She smiled weakly and went on. "I, too, am not someone to repeat my mistakes. Right after I cast my last spell, I will be human for a couple of minutes before I die. That is the precise moment you will have to turn me, Elijah. I must not die the witches' death for I cannot be turned if I do. You will need to kill me, and it will have to be right after my last spell."

All three Originals stared at Silv in amazement. As Elijah was apparently rendered speechless, Klaus cleared his throat. "How will we know when your last spell is cast? And how many spells will you have left before that?"

Silv nodded. "No more than three now. There will be a strong rush in the air, and it will feel very unnatural to you. Like a small tornado. It is supposed to be symbolic for the remnants of my witch life being scattered to the four winds. You feel the wind rush, see my face grow the palest shade of white, and you know you have a window of a couple minutes max."

"How do you know all that?" Rebekah asked.

"I've seen it happen once, to a fellow witch who had dared to defy the codex by trying to combine white and black magic."

There was a brief moment of silence before Elijah whispered, "You want to be turned?"

"Everything in life comes with a price, even being with Elijah Mikaelson. Especially being with Elijah Mikaelson."

Klaus looked at Rebekah and jerked his head towards the door. They left in silence, and before closing the door behind him, Klaus heard his brother's murmur.

"Can you ever forgive me for being an unmitigated fool for such a long time?"

There was a faint chuckle. "I wish to God I could make you start paying right now, Elijah, but I'm afraid it will have to wait until after I am turned."

"Rest assured, my lovely, that I will pay my dues. Each and every single one of them. With interest."

Silence fell on the room, and to Silv's subdued sigh, Klaus finally closed the door.

"Forget it. I can hear your footsteps on the grass from a mile out, even over the water. You could just as well waltz up to me with a marching band in tow!"

With a frustrated cry, Caroline kicked the nearest tree. "Why do we have to do this outside? Everything makes noises, even the damn air!"

Klaus was sitting on a rock next to the small stream, about a hundred yards away from her, snickering. He was very obviously enjoying himself. "We are doing this outside, my darling, because you need to learn to focus your senses on everything that could give you away. Indoors stealth is for amateurs."

"I am an amateur!"

"Not with me teaching you."

"Ugh! You can be so… so…"

"Dynamic? Sexy? Virile? Manly?"

Caroline suppressed a giggle. "Obnoxious, haughty, irritating is more like it!"

"One does not necessarily rule out the other."

She snorted. "You wish!"

"No," he shot back with a superior grin, "I know." So do I, Mr. Sexypants. "Now, do it again. Remember to balance your weight and run only on the balls of your feet, touching the ground as little as possible. No breathing, no moving your head. Come on."

Caroline sprinted back to the edge of the field. They were alone, with Damon and Elena having gone off to the small hospital to steal some blood bags, Stefan on bunny hunting mission and Rebekah and Kol on a regular hunting trip. Klaus had instructed everyone to remain within a five-mile radius so as not to attract attention should Mikael and Prelati be up in the Tiffauges area yet, which was about fifteen miles away. Elijah had not emerged from Silv's room ever since he had gone up, which made Caroline smile. Klaus had told her what had happened, and she felt terrible for Silv having to give up what had been her life until now. She wondered how the witches on the other side could tolerate someone like Prelati to be resuscitated but at the same time punish Silv so severely for what she had done. That so-called balance seemed to be a rather peculiar thing and she was not sure she understood what it was actually supposed to keep leveled. Those witches seemed to be nothing but a bunch of Original haters.

Klaus had turned his back to her, waiting. Caroline stopped breathing and started to race down the field. She kept her body as tense as she could, trying to only move her legs and feet, in turns scanning the ground for twigs and focusing on the way ahead. Klaus did not move nor did he give any indication that he heard her approaching. Was she actually doing it? Was she finally sneaking up to him? The instant she was about to reach him, he whirled around like a snake and was suddenly behind her, pinning her arms to her sides and biting her neck with his human teeth.

"Nice try, my love."

Caroline groaned in exasperation. "What gave me away this time? I ran on the balls of my feet only, I didn't breathe, I didn't step on any twigs!"

His hands came around her waist and he kissed her temple. "You were putting more weight on your left foot. Whenever the ground is not level from left to right, the normal bodily reaction is to put your weight on the foot that is on the more elevated side. When you run downhill, you automatically put more weight on the foot that is ahead. That makes your step uneven. It is barely audible, but a trained ear can hear that. So you will need to remember that whenever there is the slightest bump in the ground, whenever you jump or land, you have to keep the exact same amount of weight on both feet. It will feel very unnatural to you at first, but that is how it works."

"But I can't even think that quickly," she complained. "The moment I step on a bump, I'm already gone again!"

"No one said it was going to be easy. It will take a considerable amount of practice, and you will need to allow some time to let this way of running become second nature to you when trying to stalk another vampire."

She turned around in his arms. "You have the keenest sense of hearing on the planet. I will never be able to sneak up on you!"

With a smile, he wrapped one of her curls around his finger. "Of course you will. It is just a matter of time and training." He tilted her chin up and let his lips move over hers very softly, making her melt. "Come on. Another hour and I will buy you a very big drink, provided my younger brother and Salvatore the Elder have not dried out the bar."

Caroline grinned. "Finally! The lack of alcohol was starting to make me nervous!"

"And there I hoped I was making you nervous," he chuckled with mock chagrin.

She pulled him close and took his face in her hands. "You are making me happy," she murmured, kissed him passionately and raced off towards the end of the field, leaving Klaus to stare after her.

It happened on the afternoon of the following day.

Everyone had been spending the previous day in a rather relaxed manner, seemingly aware of it being the calm before the storm. Elijah and Silv had joined them again in the early afternoon after spending all day together. She was apparently feeling slightly better after plenty of rest and no magic, but Caroline suspected her temporary recovery was more owed to Elijah than anything else. Elena had intercepted Caroline after she and Klaus returned from the field, mercilessly pulling her into her room and quizzing her about how the whole Signum thing had happened. She had been rather thoughtful after that, and Caroline caught her looking in Damon's direction more than once. He, too, had been unusually quiet ever since breakfast, not even bothering to further rib Klaus or threaten Kol.

Now they were all sitting in Elijah's suite, drinks in hand, when Elijah suddenly put his glass down.

"Niklaus."

Klaus looked up and frowned when his brother held up his little finger. It was bleeding. Caroline started to feel nauseous. Everyone was stirring now, gazing at Elijah's hand. With unshaken calm, Klaus asked, "Silv?"

The witch held up her finger. Blood. Klaus nodded.

"All right then, they have arrived somewhat sooner than expected, no need for any disquietude. We will be waiting until nightfall." Caroline saw his eyes focus. His whole demeanour changed when he got up.

"Now, logistics. Elena, you will take my rental car, the black Mercedes. It is quiet, fast and its windows are tinted. Lights off at all times, is that clear?" The brunette nodded. Talk about the voice of authority. "You will park the car right here." Klaus pulled out a small map and pointed at a junction of what looked like two very small roads, about half a mile from the ruins. "There is a group of large trees. You will hide the car in there and you will not get out under any circumstances. No music, no phones, no lights. Stay focused. The moment you see Caroline, you will immediately start the car, and the two of you will go back to the hotel and wait for us to return. Drive out of Tiffauges slowly. Both of you will need to be completely concentrated on anyone following you. Should that be the case, shake them off. Race them, drive them off the road, drive them into the river. I don't care how you do it, just make sure you are clear before you come back here. Understood?" Elena nodded again.

"Slight change of plans from here. Kol, you will go with Damon and Stefan." Kol started to say something, but Klaus just held up a hand. Apparently Kol knew that any objections were futile with Klaus in General of the Army mode. "Given our… strained relationship, brother, it will be much more credible for you not to have come when Elijah, Bekah and Caroline dragged me here. You hate all things emotional, you hate me, and Mikael would immediately grow suspicious if you had joined the party. Therefore, you will be our surprise guest. The three of you will go on foot. Kol, you will need to be carrying Silv, so you might want to leave a couple of minutes early. Once you arrive, you will stay hidden behind the Eastern walls of the ruins. They cast an ample shadow and from there, Kol will be able to at least faintly hear us in the dungeons. There will be absolutely no talking, none whatsoever, do you hear me? Damon?"

Damon scoffed and gave a mock salute. "Ten-four!"

Klaus huffed impatiently. "Next. Family drama. Caroline, Bekah, Elijah and I will take Elijah's car and drive right up to the ruins. We will start to audibly snap at each other about half a mile out, just in case. No meaningful looks, no smiles, no nothing. Just follow my lead. Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, we will go into a full-fledged fight. Caroline," he said, his voice softening infinitesimally, "you will be defending me, and you need to be at your most rude and insulting towards Bekah. I mean it. They have to be really low blows. Once the two of you reach the pinnacle of your fight, Bekah will pin you against the wall and stake you." He paused to look at his sister. There was a rasp to his voice when he spoke.

"Bekah." The blonde smiled at Caroline, then at Klaus and nodded. "Don't worry, Nik. I know what I'm doing."

Caroline looked at Klaus. He swallowed, but then he went on. "I will be raging like a wounded lion. Elijah, you will be on Bekah's side, calmly and quietly, but still going up against me. That will send me over the edge. Once the two of you are daggered, I will need to improvise until Mikael shows up, although I do not doubt he will be listening closely and will want to rub my shortcomings in my face immediately. Silv, Kol, Stefan, Damon – as soon as Mikael has pulled me into the cell, you will need to be there. Before you boys make any move, Silv will do the sound proofing spell. Once she is done, Kol will immediately take her to the tunnel while Stefan unstakes Caroline. You will then run her out and send her on her way before you join the others in the tunnel as well." He turned towards Caroline again.

"You will leave, my love. You gave me your word."

"I…"

"Caroline. Not again." His voice was very tense now. She looked away and nodded. "Okay, I will leave." Wild horses couldn't keep me from coming back though.

"In the meantime, Damon will undagger Bekah and Elijah. As soon as they are back to normal, you will all leave for the tunnel and wait there. Now, this is vital. Whatever you hear, all of you, do not come to my rescue on your own initiative. Under no circumstances. There is something that needs to be done, and I need to have Mikael lower his guard for that, which will only work if he is completely convinced that I have either gone insane, don't give a damn about anything anymore or am entirely broken by grief and do no longer represent a threat. He never thought I was, anyway, and that misconception will work to my advantage. No earlier than the moment I desperately call out for Elijah will any of you enter the room, is that clear?"

Caroline eyed him suspiciously. "What is it that you need to do, Klaus?" she demanded.

"It has something to do with visions, my love. I'll explain later. All right. Silv, you will be standing by in the tunnel should the need for any spells arise. Will you manage?"

"Yes," Silv replied. Her voice was low but firm. Klaus looked at her encouragingly. "I am certain of it. All of you – they will have stakes, they will have dark magic. There might be surprises. Try not to improvise too much, will you? Stefan, Damon, remember that Mikael is an Original, too, so he is faster and stronger than you are. You have all been spelled against magic headaches already, therefore you will not need to worry about that." He looked around the silent room. "We will leave in two hours."

"What do you need to do with Mikael?" Caroline demanded as soon as they were behind closed doors in their room. Klaus sighed.

"I have a score to settle."

"Klaus, this is about getting rid of Mikael once and for all. There was never any mention of playing games!"

"And for good reason," Klaus hissed. "This is my business with him and I will be the one taking care of it."

Caroline was fuming now. How could he expose himself to risk more than absolutely necessary? Mikael was beyond dangerous and he hated his stepson with an undying passion. He would stop at nothing to make him go through hell again. She shook her head violently. "You no longer have any business that doesn't include me," she snapped.

His gaze softened. "I know that. But this is the one exception, Caroline. He will pay for what he ordered to be done to Henrik. He will pay for what he did to my family and to me. And he will pay for what he would have done to you had he ever got the chance."

"And if I begged you?"

Klaus shook his head. "I am sorry, my love. I need to do this, otherwise I will never truly be free of it all. It is the only way I know, for as you are well aware, I am not the type to forgive or turn the other cheek. Believe me, I do not want to cause you further anxiety or hurt, but this is something I have to do for myself."

Hot tears started to trickle down her cheek. "What if you're wrong? What if it doesn't work out the way you've planned?"

He drew her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. "It will, my darling. I give you my word."

"Klaus, I…"

"Shh. Everything will be fine." He took her face in his hands and kissed the tears from her cheeks. She could see the dark fire in his eyes and knew that for once, it was not only burning out of his passion for her. His lips touched hers and his hands moved to her neck.

"I need you now, Caroline. Love me. Please."