A/N: Hey, I'm back with some more.
Sorry for the small delay. I would have updated sooner, but after 4x20 I briefly lost my inspiration to write. Plus the early part of this story is depressing and I already had enough depressing disappointment with 4x20, lol.
You are all amazing. The last chapter has 84 reviews as I type this author's note! I don't think I've ever received that many reviews for a single chapter before (perhaps the final chapter of Love Interruption). Anyways, thank you so much and I hope you all are still enthused. Please continue to share with me your thoughts, opinions, hopes, dreams, and everything you want in life! Aha
Thanks as always to my lovely beta, livingdeadblondegirl. She keeps me focused and my imagination turning...and of course, corrects all my silly errors.
Enjoy.
The car rental company at the airport had stuck him with some piece of shit sedan that barely exceeded sixty-five miles an hour.
He had made the drive from Mystic Falls to Richmond before and it had never taken as long as it did this time.
In reality he had beat the estimated time of two hours, but the road to Mystic Falls had seemed to stretch on forever.
When he drove into Mystic Falls, he headed straight for the hospital.
Whether or not his brother would make it through the night, Elijah needed him there; his brother needed him there.
Elijah was always there for him.
He thought back briefly to the time at their house just outside of London when he was about four or five and he sprained his ankle trying to play football with Elijah and Finn.
While Finn laughed and taunted him, Elijah rushed into the house to alert their mother and came back out with ice.
Elijah had stayed by his side the entire time while they were at the hospital, even though the children's waiting room was equipped with toys and video games.
Thinking back, he wasn't even sure how his mother had been able to drive them there since she was never without a glass of wine or vodka in her hand. Perhaps it was their nanny who had driven them, he couldn't remember.
What he did remember though was the fact that Elijah was there with him through it all.
In hindsight, he supposed it wasn't inconceivable that Elijah would go into the medical profession. It always seemed to be Elijah who had been there to tend to everyone's cuts and scrapes as children.
Now the roles were reversed.
He wasn't a doctor; he wouldn't be able to fix Elijah's injuries, but at the very least, he owed it to his brother to be by his side to reassure him.
He needed to be by Elijah's side to reassure himself.
Elijah had always been his rock.
The fact that he could lose his brother at any moment terrified the hell out of him.
Who would he turn to then? Who would Grayson have?
Grayson would be an orphan.
It was unnerving to think that what had happened to Elena would happen to Grayson.
If there was one thing he could be certain of at the moment, was that Grayson had lost his mother and Elijah had lost his wife.
He dreaded having to tell his brother that Elena was dead.
While he didn't even pretend to grasp the love of a woman, or understand the kind of bond between a husband and wife who loved one another, he knew that losing Elena would destroy Elijah.
Once he arrived at the hospital, he parked in the closest lot he could find, which was probably a staff parking lot that required a permit. If he was ticketed at nearly two in the morning then so be it.
An earlier text from Stefan had said that he and Caroline were waiting in Elijah's office for word on Elijah's status. Stefan included the room and floor number.
He texted Stefan and let him know he was here.
Despite the late hour, the emergency waiting room was bustling with people waiting to be seen by a doctor for whatever ailed them.
"Can I help you sir?" an older woman, who he assumed to be a triage nurse, asked him suspiciously.
She had obviously noted the brisk way he walked into the hospital as if he had some less than admirable intention.
He was simply determined to get to his brother as soon as he could.
"Visiting hours are over," she stated.
"I'm here to see a patient, Elijah Mikaelson. He's my brother," he explained.
The woman seemed familiar with the name. She nodded knowingly and stepped aside.
"Other relatives are waiting in his office," she said.
"I know," he replied, already stepping past her.
"Elevators are to your right and down the hall," she informed him.
He already knew where the elevators were. This hospital was not an unfamiliar place to him.
After what seemed like a two hour elevator ride to the fourth floor, he tore down the hallway, following the ascending numbers to Elijah's office.
The hall was dimly lit at this hour and most of the rooms were darkened, so he quickly noticed the faint glow of light seeping out from one of the rooms.
Assuming it to be Elijah's office, he slowed his pace and approached the doorway apprehensively.
Peering around the corner to look inside, he noticed a baby carrier on the floor.
He could just barely see Grayson sound asleep, but the sight was the only brief reprieve he could grant himself in this situation.
As he stepped into the entryway fully, that's when he noticed Caroline with her back turned to him, looking out the window.
Stefan's absence made him nervous, and Caroline's pained expression reflected to him through the window didn't help ease his mind.
She noticed him there quickly, having seen his reflection in the glass.
Tears came pouring from her cheeks as she turned almost reluctantly to face him.
She was looking at him with a sombre and regretful expression and he tightened his immediately to brace himself for what he felt was about to come.
"Klaus," she said shakily, but quietly.
She sounded relieved and devastated all at once.
Despite the questionable way he had left things between them last, he felt the same when he saw her.
His body tensed completely as she started towards him before wrapping one arm around his waist and the other around his neck.
Late to respond, his own hands slowly curled around her back as she broke down against his chest.
Her cries were stifled by his coat, but the raw and desperate quality only seemed to affirm his suspicions further.
"Elijah's gone, isn't he?" he sighed, eyeing the baby carrier over Caroline's shoulder.
She whimpered a little harder as her fists griped his coat.
Letting him go, she pried herself away from him, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her blue sweater as she sniffled.
Dropping her arms from her face, she looked at him straight and nodded, giving him the answer he feared but expected as her eyes went glassy with more tears.
He jerked his attention away, staring absently at one Elijah's diplomas hanging proudly on the wall.
"I'm sorry," Caroline whispered apprehensively.
Her words went over his head as he lost himself in his own thoughts.
He rubbed his palm roughly over his lips as he tried to contain the overwhelming emotion that he felt.
His entire life with Elijah began to playback in his mind. The good times, the bad times, the terrible times were all represented.
Those memories were what he was left with; nothing more, nothing less.
The nothing more part was what stung the most.
His jaw clenched and his eyes burned as he thought about those lost memories that would never get the chance to be made.
Elijah and Elena were supposed to visit New York with Grayson in the spring. He and Elijah had plans to take Grayson camping in the mountains when he was a bit older. They had plans and now they were ruined.
He would never have these memories with his brother.
No longer was his brother ever-present. He couldn't just pick up his phone and give his brother a call when he needed to.
They wouldn't have their random midnight phone calls. His phone would never sound again with a phone call from Elijah in need of his opinion or with exciting news about Grayson. He could never call Elijah for his advice, and no one else would listen as intently to him as Elijah did when he rambled on about his latest painting or sketch.
His next thoughts were spurred by Grayson.
He had honestly never heard Elijah so ecstatic than the day that Grayson was born.
Both Elijah and Elena had been a ball of nerves in the months leading up to the culmination of a pregnancy that had been very unexpected.
Any hesitation from Elijah, however, was very quickly subdued on the early morning of the seventh of September when, after a lengthy labour, Elena gave birth to Grayson.
The jubilant phone call he received at two in the morning to inform him of the news was testament to that fact.
Elijah had always wanted to be a father.
He wanted to be a better father than the one they had growing up as children.
Elijah had been more of a father to Grayson in the first six months of his life than their father ever was to them.
He did everything he could to be a part of taking care of Grayson short of breastfeeding, he mused.
Elijah often spent much of their conversations as of late reciting all the firsts with Grayson he couldn't wait to experience.
Now, he would never get the chance to.
He bit his lip as the significance of that set in.
Elijah had been the best brother to him and he was sure that Elijah would be a great father. Unfortunately, Grayson would never get the opportunity to know that.
In an instant, Grayson had lost both his father and mother and everything they had wanted to share with him.
He could barely begin to process the fact that the two people who had created a baby that had just been born a few months ago were now gone.
Grayson was now the most tangible evidence of Elijah and Elena's existence.
He sucked in a breath and ran his hands through his hair as he moved forwards to get a closer look at his nephew, who was fast asleep.
The light was dim so he could barely see Grayson's face, but everything about him was Elijah and Elena. His resemblance to them was both comforting and unnerving.
This was real, he repeated to himself.
Grayson was here in front of him; alone without his parents.
As that realization dawned on him further, he could no longer restrain the pain he felt.
He exhaled sharply as he felt a hot tear streak his skin.
Caroline stepped forward and brushed her hand against his forearm, but he pulled back.
He hated being vulnerable and emotional like this, and he didn't like his weaknesses exposed for others to see.
So, he turned and walked out into the hallway, hoping it would be less stifling than Elijah's office.
It wasn't.
Even in the open space, he still found it difficult to breathe.
More tears stained his cheeks now that he was alone.
In his frustration, he slammed his fist against the cinderblock wall, hoping the pain from the hit would quell the internal desolation he felt.
While it distracted him briefly, once the initial agonizing pain in his hand turned to a dull ache, his internal affliction quickly reasserted itself.
He rubbed his hands over his eyes as he fell back against the wall in defeat.
Letting his head fall to the side, his eyes rested upon the open door to Elijah's office. Elijah's nameplate on the door was glaring back at him.
Sighing, his head turned in the other direction when he heard the elevator doors rumble from down the hall as they opened.
Both Stefan and Meredith stepped off and started towards him anxiously.
He peeled himself away from the wall and brushed his arm over his face in a last ditch effort to compose himself.
"Hey," Stefan said reservedly. "Did you talk to Caroline?"
He nodded.
"Elijah's dead, too," he said, affirming that he heard the news as Stefan pulled him into a hug that he was reluctant to reciprocate.
"I'm so sorry," Stefan said genuinely.
He broke his friend's attempt to console him rather quickly.
Meredith gave him an apologetic look.
"We tried everything," she said desperately. "There was just too much blood loss. His body couldn't handle the emergency surgeries he needed in order to survive."
He swallowed his desire to lash out at her. He was looking for someone to blame and she seemed like an easy target, being that at one point she had held Elijah's life in her hands. However, he knew she was not responsible for Elijah's death.
Caroline appeared in the open doorway, glancing at him cautiously before turning her attention towards Stefan and Meredith.
"Grayson is awake again," she said, "I think we should head back to the house soon."
"All right," Stefan agreed before looking at him. "I drove Caroline and Grayson here in Elena's car," he explained.
"Do we need to stay here for anything else? Is there paperwork or anything?" Caroline asked Meredith.
Meredith shook her head.
"It'll be taken care of. We have all of Elijah and Elena's insurance information here at the hospital. Once funeral plans have been set their bodies will be released to the funeral home," Meredith informed them.
"I want to see Elijah," he stated simply.
The other three gave him unsure looks.
"I want to see Elijah's body before I leave," he clarified.
Meredith hesitated.
"His body has already been taken to the morgue. I'm not sure it's a good idea," she advised.
"I need to see my brother," he pressed sternly.
He needed to see Elijah's body. He needed that final confirmation that his brother was truly gone.
Stefan and Meredith exchanged conflicted glances with one another before Meredith gave in to his request.
"Okay," Meredith relented. "I'll take you," she offered.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Stefan asked him.
He shrugged.
"We can wait," Caroline said to Stefan.
Meredith stepped ahead and he followed with Stefan.
The journey down to the hospital morgue was a silent one.
It's not like he could catch up casually with Stefan as though he was just stopping by Mystic Falls for a visit.
If this was another time, he or Stefan would have cracked a dozen jokes by now, or they would be talking about more mundane things. None of that seemed to matter now.
At the same time, he almost wished Stefan would talk about something normal - perhaps about the house he and Meredith had recently purchased. He hadn't seen it since they moved.
It could be a distraction from the new reality he was facing.
He could pretend for a few minutes that he wasn't here in Mystic Falls because his brother and his sister-in-law had just been killed in a tragic accident.
It wasn't something he wanted to deal with.
Perhaps if he could forget about it for awhile, he could pretend for awhile that it hadn't happened.
He knew it was wishful thinking. That became more obvious as Meredith led them down a wide corridor in the basement of the hospital, passing signs directing them to the morgue.
In a few moments he would be face to face with his brother's dead body and then it would become even more apparent why he had returned to the town he grew up in.
This was only the beginning. He couldn't even begin to think about the aftermath of the tragedy and everything that would need to be dealt with.
Meredith stopped in front of two large doors.
She regarded both him and Stefan with apprehension.
"I just want to warn you that your brother's injuries were serious. He sustained lacerations and bruises to his face. It might be difficult for you to see," she explained. "The rest of his body will be covered."
He sucked in a breath to prepare himself.
"I understand," he assured her.
She nodded before swiping her employee ID against a keypad to the right of the doors.
The doors unlocked and she pushed them open.
He had never been in a morgue before, but it really didn't differ from how he imagined one might look.
It was a sterile, dark, and cold room.
A wall of stainless steel doors lined the left wall, and he assumed that both Elena and Elijah's bodies were contained behind two of them.
His breathing quickened anxiously and his hands grew clammy at the prospect of viewing his brother in this state.
He had seen dead bodies before in his lifetime, but never in a gloomy environment quite like this. None of those bodies had belonged to Elijah, either.
Meredith looked over some paperwork on one of the counters as he stood there warily with Stefan behind him.
After locating the information she was looking for, she moved in front of one of the doors.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked skeptically.
Of course he knew the sight of his dead brother could do him more harm than good, but he needed physical confirmation that his brother was indeed gone. That he was sure of.
He nodded his head towards where she was standing expectantly.
He stepped closer as she swung open the door and began to slide the body out.
There was a tag attached to the male foot and there was a sheet covering the torso.
When the body was pulled out all the way, Meredith moved aside so that he could examine the upper body for himself.
"I'll wait outside," she informed him.
She disappeared behind him and he heard one of the doors click open and closed.
"I'll give you some time alone," Stefan said to him, following Meredith.
He watched Stefan leave before he approached the body carefully.
As he inched nearer, Elijah's facial features became instantly recognizable.
He faltered a little, biting his tongue as he stopped immediately beside his brother's body.
Elijah's face was badly marred but it was him.
His eyes glazed over with tears that he was now unapologetic about shedding.
"Elijah," he breathed shakily.
He rubbed his hands over his face and then raked them through his hair as he stared down at the surreal sight of his brother.
His face was pale and littered with a variety of cuts and scrapes.
With Elijah's eyes closed it almost seemed as though he was just unconscious or asleep; if only that were the case.
He would give anything for that to be the case. He could even forgive everyone if this all turned out to be some very morbid joke; anything to have his brother back.
"Christ," he murmured under his breath as his tears continued.
He couldn't help but chuckle slightly through his sadness. Elijah would be scolding him amusedly for uttering such a curse at a time like this.
Suddenly, every memory he shared with Elijah was flashing before him vividly in rapid succession.
He could see everything so clear in his mind; him trying to race Elijah with his bike, Elijah reading him his comic books, Elijah teaching him how to drive. He could remember all the times Elijah had defended him, or took the blame for something that wasn't his fault only to spare him from their father's anger.
A throbbing pain engulfed his body as it hit him for the hundredth time that the person in his memories - whom he loved more than anything - was gone.
"Brother," he whimpered pathetically.
He shook his head repeatedly.
"I'm so sorry, Elijah," he said, even though he wasn't quite sure what he was apologizing for.
Maybe he was apologizing for not stopping this from happening. Maybe he was apologizing for all their brotherly feuds over the years, or for letting Elijah take the fall with their father when he was younger and weaker. He didn't know, exactly.
"You can't be gone," he said. "You can't," he denied. "You have a baby; a son who needs you," he sighed, thinking once more about what this would mean for Grayson. "He can't grow up without you."
He wiped a few wayward tears from his jaw.
"What am I going to do without you?" he asked. "What should I do?" he wondered aimlessly.
There was nothing but silence and he laughed at himself for even asking questions he knew would never be answered.
"I always came to you for advice," he shrugged. "Now, in the darkest hour, when I need you the most, you're no longer here. How ironic," he muttered.
He looked up at the ceiling and then back down at Elijah.
His mind travelled to his younger brother Henrik.
"I thought watching Henrik die would be the hardest thing I'd ever have to go through," he said under his breath, as he thought about the painful memories he believed to be long since repressed. "I thought wrong, I suppose," he sighed. "I had you then; we had each other. Now, I have no one."
Sure, there were lots of people around, but he didn't have the same relationship with them as he did Elijah.
More tears fell and he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his coat.
This room was suffocating him.
He couldn't stand to look at his brother like this anymore. He didn't want to risk tainting the images he had in his head of Elijah as he was when he was alive.
"I love you, brother," he whispered faintly, before pulling himself away.
In the hall he found Stefan and Meredith waiting for him on opposite walls.
He nodded towards Meredith to signal that he was done.
"We should probably get Grayson home," Stefan suggested.
"I'm gonna call Kol first. It's nearly seven in London now," he said.
She was sitting on the floor with Grayson now, trying to distract them both with a small stuffed bear she had thought to bring for him as they waited for Klaus and Stefan to return.
The thought of returning to Elena and Elijah's house was both a welcoming and dreadful thought.
Her body felt completely exhausted so she wanted to rest, even though she knew sleep would probably escape her. The anxious and sick feeling she had in her stomach would not let her sleep. There was too much to think about, and too much to worry about.
All she could think about at the moment was how devastated Klaus had looked when she confirmed Elijah's death.
As much as she her own pain hurt, she was more concerned about everyone else; particularly Klaus.
She knew Klaus and Elijah were very close. She sensed that there was a deep bond there. She had gathered as much from the weekend of Elijah and Elena's wedding.
Now Elijah was gone.
Klaus had lost two brothers, she thought, as she recalled Henrik.
A knock on the open door startled her from her mind. Dropping the bear, she jerked around to see a professionally dressed woman, likely in her thirties, standing beside an unfamiliar female police officer, similar in age.
She picked Grayson up as she stood.
"Can I help you?" she asked, wondering if perhaps this had something to do with the investigation into Elena and Elijah's car accident.
"I'm Andrea Laine, I'm with Child Protective Services," the first woman said cordially.
Her body tensed instantly and she held Grayson closer.
"I am sorry for your loss," the woman continued.
She nodded cautiously.
The woman directed her attention upon Grayson.
"As a part of routine protocol, authorities informed us that the unfortunate accident orphaned a minor child. Is that Grayson James Mikaelson?" The woman asked.
She looked at the woman and the officer suspiciously.
"Yes, this is Grayson," she answered reluctantly.
"And you are?" the woman asked casually.
"Caroline Forbes," she replied, feeling somewhat defensive.
The woman seemed annoyed.
"Are you a relative of the Mikaelson's?" the woman inquired.
She shook her head.
"No," she hesitated, "Elena - Grayson's mom - is...was my best friend. I was taking care of Grayson for them this weekend," she said, feeling the need to explain or justify herself.
The woman gave her a contrite smile.
"I don't want to alarm you, Ms. Forbes, but in an event such as this it's part of the State's protocol to take into custody any orphaned child who is not under the care of a family member until one steps forward or custody arrangements as outlined by a formal will are presented," the woman informed her methodically.
Her face contorted in frustration.
"I would politely ask that you surrender the child to CPS, where he will be placed in the best care until one of the aforementioned conditions can be met. If you fail to comply, you will be charged with obstruction of justice for failing to surrender a minor," the police officer said.
She shook her head as she began to panic.
Child Protective Services wasn't going to take Grayson away based upon some stupid technicality.
She was perfectly capable of taking care of Grayson until all the formalities were settled.
"I can assure you that Grayson will be well looked after," the woman urged. "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"Is there a problem?" Klaus asked curiously as he stepped in the doorway with Stefan behind him. "What's going on, Caroline?" he wondered further as he moved into the room past the officer and the CPS worker.
He stood close, immediately in front of her and Grayson.
She exhaled and gave a relieved smile though she was still on the verge of tears.
In her panic and confusion she hadn't even thought of Klaus.
Stefan remained in the entryway.
"Child Protective Services," she replied to Klaus, looking to the woman to clarify.
Klaus's face looked as annoyed as hers.
"I'm Andrea Laine from Child Protective Services. I was just explaining that because Grayson is an orphaned minor, it's procedure for the State to take custody of him until a relative comes forward or a will detailing a custody arrangement can be presented," the woman explained. "That's why I'm here."
She heard Klaus growl under his breath.
"That won't be necessary," he stated firmly. "I am Niklaus Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson's brother. Their lawyer," he nodded towards Stefan, "can confirm that. Grayson is staying with us. You're not taking him," he finished determinedly as he folded his arms.
Both the CPS worker and the police officer looked to Stefan for confirmation of Klaus's story.
"He is who he says he is. Elijah Mikaelson is his brother. You have no legal authority to take Grayson into the State's custody," Stefan told them.
"I can show you identification to prove it, if you're that concerned," Klaus offered bitterly.
The CPS worker shook her head apologetically, clearly embarrassed by the situation.
"My sincerest apologizes," the woman said, "Child Protective Services has nothing but the best of intentions. Ms. Forbes, you should have told us your spouse was a brother to the deceased."
She tensed and distanced herself a little from Klaus.
"He's not my spouse," she clarified quickly, adding to the woman's humiliation. "I just wasn't thinking," she said, "given what has happened."
"I am sorry for the misunderstandings and the unnecessary intrusion," the woman apologized.
She nodded.
"Are we done here then?" Klaus asked sternly.
"We are done here," the officer replied. "Sorry for any inconvenience. Our condolences," she said curtly, heading out into the hall.
The CPS worker stopped in front of Stefan.
"As the lawyer to the deceased, a custody hearing will have to be arranged to grant whoever is listed in the will temporary custody," she told him.
Stefan looked perturbed by the woman who was seemingly telling him how to do his job.
"I'm aware of that. As their lawyer, I'll be going over the details of their will tomorrow. Right now, as a friend of the family, I'm still trying to process the loss," Stefan said coldly.
Put in her place, the woman forced a smile and left with the officer.
With that potential crisis averted and Grayson still firmly in her arms, she released another relieved breath.
"Oh my god," she sighed.
She couldn't even fathom if Klaus hadn't been here and they had taken Grayson away from her. She would have been completely frantic.
"You should have called me," Klaus said critically.
"Well I probably would have once I processed what was going on," she said defensively. "They literally got here five minutes before you did."
Klaus glowered at her and turned his back as Stefan entered the room, cutting the tension thankfully.
"Let's not worry about it tonight," Stefan said. "Grayson is still here. That's what matters. Tomorrow I'll come by and we'll look over the details of the will," he said reassuringly.
She nodded at him with an appreciative smile.
"Are you ready to go?" Stefan asked her.
"Yeah, just let me get Grayson back in his onesie and into his carrier," she said.
She had to fight with Grayson a little on the floor to get him back into the winter onesie, but after that he seemed to settle into his carrier.
Stefan picked up the teddy bear off the ground and handed it to her as she packed up the bag she brought for Grayson and put her own coat back on.
He took the bag from her as she put her purse on her shoulder and picked Grayson up.
"Thanks," she said.
"No problem," Stefan replied, as she turned her attention towards Klaus.
He was standing at Elijah's desk with his back to them, seemingly in his own world.
"Are you coming?" she asked him.
He turned slightly. One of the picture frames was in his hand.
Setting the photo down, he turned and followed them out.
She and Stefan arrived back at the house first and she was in the process of unbuckling Grayson from his car seat when Klaus pulled into the driveway in his rental car.
With Grayson freed and in one of her arms, she swung her purse and the baby bag she took from Stefan over her other shoulder.
"Do you need any help? You have your hands full," Stefan offered as Klaus climbed out of his car.
She really did have her hands full and not just in the literal sense.
"No, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow," she said as he handed her the keys.
Walking past Stefan, she left him in the driveway with Klaus, and entered the house through the backdoor.
She dropped her things on the floor in the kitchen and was instantly confronted by the sight of the bouquet of roses on the counter.
Clear as day, she could picture Elena, only hours ago, filling the vase with water at the sink.
The bag of goodies that Elijah had picked up for her was still sitting there too.
How could she ever eat any of that junk food again and not think back to this terrible night?
Her chest began to swell with emotion.
A tug on her ponytail from Grayson made her disregard it.
She hoped that despite all the disturbances tonight she would be able to get him back to sleep soon.
It was with the hope that she could try and get some sleep before she would have to deal with tomorrow.
"Let's get you out of this onesie and grab you a bottle," she said to him.
After his outdoor onesie was removed along with her own coat, she placed him in his highchair so she could prepare him a bottle.
It was then that she realized they would have to do something about his feedings. Elena had only left so much breast milk to last them the weekend. She knew Elena also had some frozen, but after that there was no more.
Grayson had already expressed his distaste for baby food. They would obviously have to supplement with formula.
With the bottle made, she decided to take him upstairs to the nursery to feed him.
She heard Stefan's car start out front as she picked Grayson up.
It was then that Klaus came through the backdoor with his suitcase in hand.
He smelled like a cigarette.
She didn't know what to say to him.
It was a different dynamic now that Stefan was gone.
Given that Klaus was Elijah's brother - and thus somewhat closer to the tragedy than she was - she almost felt like she was overstepping by being here.
Who would take care of Grayson if she wasn't here though? Did Klaus know how to change a diaper or prepare a bottle?
She knew the awkward silence between them was mostly due to the gravity of the situation they were in, but she knew it had a little to do with their past.
The last time they were together the mood between them had been very different to say the least, and afterwards, they were - he was expecting - never to see her again.
Now here they were, over a year later, face to face, standing in Elijah and Elena's kitchen with their son in the wake of their deaths.
She supposed the awkwardness and uncertainty was justified.
"I'm going to take Grayson upstairs for his bottle and then put him to bed, hopefully," she spoke up, trying to get past her discomfort.
Klaus gave her a faint smile as he glanced at Grayson.
She could see the pain in his eyes.
He watched Caroline disappear down the hall with Grayson as he dropped his luggage and removed his jacket, draping it over the chair.
Standing there aimlessly as he tried to process this surreal reality, he looked around the kitchen.
He had only been in this house on two separate occasions, but he knew the liquor was kept in the hutch in the corner.
Upon opening the cabinet, his search was rewarded. Inside were various spirits for him to choose from. He had a feeling he would be relying on this cabinet a lot this weekend.
He selected the Scotch and began searching the main cabinets for the glasses.
With a glass located, he poured himself a drink at the kitchen island and took an eager sip.
The alcohol burned his throat a little but it warmed his body.
It was then that he noticed the bouquet of roses in front of him.
The card sticking out was written in Elijah's hand. It read: 'For my darling, Elena.'
His stomach turned with pain and amusement all at once.
Tears were in his eyes as a laugh escaped his lips.
Elijah had always been sentimental like that. It's how he wooed girls back during his single days. It's how he wooed Elena into marrying him, he thought. It's something he always taunted Elijah for. Elijah had always retorted nonchalantly with a simple: 'It's working for me, isn't it?' Indeed, he supposed it had.
He took another long drink from his glass before investigating the brown paper bag.
Inside was an assortment of junk food, and if he had any inkling of an appetite he probably would have pursued it further.
Beside that was a piece of paper.
It was a note from Elena outlining Grayson's typical routine from naps and bedtime to feedings. On the back was a long list of emergency numbers.
Both his and Kol's numbers were provided.
He shuddered as he thought back to how Kol reacted when he had called him at the hospital and told him the news.
Kol didn't believe it at first. He thought it was a hoax. When he realized it wasn't, he went from speechless, to angry, to devastated within a few minutes.
It wasn't a phone call he wanted to make.
He knew exactly how it felt to receive that particular kind of news.
Kol agreed to tell the others, his parents included, thankfully removing the burden from his shoulders.
He dreaded the thought of having to see them again, especially under circumstances like these. It was a disaster in the making.
By the time he arrived back to Elena and Elijah's house, Kol was already working on getting to the airport to try and catch a flight.
He stood there absentmindedly for awhile, sipping on his drink.
This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go. He was supposed to have picked up that blonde from the pub. He'd be back at his apartment by now showering off her scent or working on some paintings. This Friday night was supposed to be like any other, but it wasn't.
He sighed as he glanced around and became lost in the memories of the last time he had been in this kitchen.
It was sometime just after Grayson was born. He had decided to visit Elijah and Elena one weekend on a whim to come see his nephew in person for the first time.
While both of the new parents were quite obviously overtired, they were both elated.
He and Elijah had spent the better part of the night and early morning knocking back drinks in this kitchen, reminiscing about the good childhood memories they had together and talking about Grayson.
Sure, he wasn't exactly a baby person, and that was made painfully clear by the awkward way he held Grayson for the first time, but there was something special about Grayson and he realized it then. There was an instant sort of familial affection he had for his nephew. It offered him a small glimpse into the excitement and love Elijah had for Grayson as is son.
It was in this kitchen that Elijah had told him that he had never been happier - despite the lack of sleep and the messy diapers.
This whole house was a burning reminder of them. They were everywhere.
He poured himself another drink when the first was finished.
Caroline's unexpected appearance in the kitchen startled him.
She was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, clearly intent upon sleep, something he knew he wouldn't be able to do tonight.
The uncomfortable silence continued between them as she crossed the kitchen towards him and picked up the half-empty bottle he had been drinking from.
Cradling it in her hand, she leaned against the counter at a safe distance across from him before indulging in a sip.
She was looking away from him, but he could tell that she had been crying recently; her eyes were watery and red.
He heard her release a long sigh of relief as the alcohol entered her system.
There was a tension between them, one he couldn't fully explain.
He attributed it to the fact that there was not much two grieving people could say to one another to make the other feel better. It seemed hypocritical and intrusive.
Like with Stefan, it also seemed insensitive to bring up casual topics of conversation.
Despite all this, he knew it had a lot to do with how he had left her last. He assumed they would cross paths in the future at some event related to their mutual interests - Elijah, Elena, and Grayson - he just never expected it would be alone like this where he would be so obviously confronted by her.
There were things that had been left unsaid by them; unresolved. He had tried to assure himself that his absence that morning would be met with her indifference, but the expectation she had in her eyes when she told him she wanted him to stay suggested that his absence probably wasn't met with indifference, but disappointment.
While he had convinced himself he had done the right thing for himself that night, he knew he had not done right by her. He felt guilty, but he wasn't sure if it was genuine or if it was due to the fact that she was now standing across from him.
It almost felt strange that she was here in the first place, but then he couldn't imagine her not here. Elijah may have been his brother, making him most responsible by default for dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy, but Caroline had been present in Elena and Elijah's lives more than he had recently by nature of the fact that she lived so close. He fully acknowledged that Caroline and Elena were like sisters in every way but blood. She should be here.
If anything, he almost felt like he was the one who shouldn't be here. Of what use was he? She had been the one who was taking care of Grayson in lieu of his parents' absence. He had really done nothing except brood.
He needed her here for that fact. Grayson needed her here.
Admittedly, he also knew he wanted her here for the simple fact that he didn't want to be in this museum of memories alone.
"Is Grayson asleep?" he attempted.
She looked at him almost surprised to hear him talk.
"For now," she replied.
He nodded.
Grayson seemed to be a safe neutral topic they could discuss without being insensitive or invasive.
"Who knows how long he'll sleep for," she sighed, before taking another sip from the bottle.
"Elijah..." he paused as he thought about his brother, "Elijah said he was sleeping through the night."
She shook her head.
"He's been disturbed so many times tonight though," she observed regretfully.
They stood there quietly for a few minutes, as he pondered what to say to her as she took a third and final sip from the bottle before handing it to him.
"It's good you were here...for Grayson," he offered.
She shrugged.
"This is where I'm supposed to be," she concluded effortlessly.
Her comments made him a little uneasy and insecure, prompting him to question the need for his own presence.
He watched her as she went to pick up the baby monitor from the dining table.
"I'll have the monitor. I'm staying in Elena's old bedroom. I made up the sofa bed in Elijah's office upstairs for you. I didn't think you would want to stay in their room," she informed him.
He acknowledged her point. Of course he didn't want to stay in Elena and Elijah's bedroom.
She stood there in the middle of the kitchen for a moment, her eyes wandering around the kitchen, as though she was suddenly confronted by a memory as he had been earlier.
With drawn exhale, she stepped towards the hall, but stopped just shy of it.
"Klaus?" she said, getting his attention.
He looked over at her.
"This is where you're supposed to be, too," she told him.
A/N: Soooo what did you think?
Next chapter preview: Caroline will be trying to return to her bubbly self who gets things done as a way of coping with her pain and we'll see how Klaus reacts to that. Stefan will be making an appearance to go over the will and detail the sort of unorthodox custody preferences of Elena and Elijah. Expect some interesting reactions from Klaus and Caroline and lots of tension. Some characters from HSG will also be making an appearance. Stay tuned!