A/N: Hey there! I'm updating from my motel room because I love you all so much. I've loved reading all your lovely comments.
This quick update is also brought to you in part by my amazing beta livingdeadblondegirl!
I think a guest reviewer asked me how long this story would be. I intend for it to be shorter than Love Interruption, but I can't say a specific number.
Also, I applaud you all for sticking with the story despite the doom and gloom. Klaus and Caroline aren't going to be jumping into bed anytime soon (unlike HSG) so please bear with me, it's going to be a slow build this time. That said, prepare yourself for some serious sexual tension as the slow build progresses.
Anyways, here's the next part. I think you'll like the shift that happens.
"Come on little mister, let's go upstairs and get you cleaned up. Maybe we'll play for a bit and then you'll be tired enough for me to nap too," she sighed as she removed him from the highchair and took him upstairs.
It was a relief to be in Grayson's room and away from Klaus.
The tension she had partly created was unbearable. It was the last thing she needed amidst everything else she was dealing with.
She had a variety of Grayson's toys spread out on the large rug in his room.
Sitting against the crib, she left him alone just beside her lap for a few minutes to play on his own. She was curious to see what toys he would go for and how he would play.
He shifted on his bum and examined the toys in front of him.
She could feel a few bittersweet tears filling her eyes. She was so tired of crying.
Watching Grayson had that bittersweet effect on her. From now on, everything that Grayson did, Elena and Elijah would never get the chance to see it or be a part of it. They would never get to hear him say his first word or take his first steps on his own. They would never see him graduate, get married, or have children of his own.
She would though. She would see it all, and a part of her would always be thinking about Elena and Elijah.
Taking responsibility for Grayson was one of the few decisions she had made in her life without much hesitation.
It's what Elena and Elijah wanted, and it's what she wanted to do for them.
Only now was she realizing the weight of her decision and its implications.
Technically she had become a parent overnight with little preparation.
Grayson was hers now, and to anyone who wasn't familiar with her, Grayson was her son.
They would be a part of each other's lives forever.
She would teach him how to walk, how to read, how to spell his name, how to ride a bike. She would get to plan his birthdays and spoil him with presents, but she knew it would not be all fun and games.
She would have to have all those awkward conversations with him about where babies come from and girls. She would have to discipline him for not doing his homework or sneaking out. She would have to figure out a way to explain to him who his real parents were and keep their memory alive. It was a difficult task, and there was little room for error.
Though she suspected Klaus's concerns were selfishly motivated, she knew he had a point.
Having Grayson would change things for her.
Reluctant dreams of returning to New York would be put on the backburner. Her focus now would be to secure enough business here to support Grayson and supplement his inheritance.
Grayson would now be her first thought whenever she met a new guy to date. She would have to be even more discriminate than she ever had been before. It was inevitable that being a single mother would probably reduce her options even further, but that wasn't her concern. Her concern was Grayson, and if she found a guy who respected that, then great, if not, then she and Grayson were better off alone.
Grayson fell back against her legs with a stuffed puppy in his hands.
She looked down at his head in her lap and laughed at his upside down expression.
With the dog still in his hands, she pressed its tummy so that it barked.
Grayson's ears perked up at the noise as a smile formed on his face.
She pressed it again and he giggled out loud.
"That's a puppy," she said to him. "Puppies go 'ruff ruff,'" she mused as she pressed the button again.
She pulled him into her lap and held the stuffed puppy out in front of him.
"Maybe when you're older we can get a real puppy," she thought.
It sounded like Grayson replied with a 'yes' but she knew it was just his baby blabber.
She stroked his hair and kissed the top of his head.
"We're gonna be okay," she said to him. "Auntie Caroline is gonna take care of you now."
He reached up for her hair and mumbled more of his baby talk.
"I love you, Grayson," she smiled, trying hard to contain her glassy eyes.
Though his back was turned towards her from the family room as he pretended to watch some show about famous stolen paintings, he listened as she talked to Grayson and removed him from his highchair and he listened as she took him upstairs.
He leaned his head back over the couch and stared up at the ceiling with a loud sigh.
The sound of her voice startled him again, but as he looked behind the couch, he noticed the baby monitor immediately.
He stood and moved towards the tiny speaker.
Listening, he heard everything she said. He heard her play with Grayson, he heard her tell him that she loved him; he heard it all. He listened until she eventually put Grayson in his crib and announced to him her exhaustion.
By the end of it, he found a small smile on his lips.
He leaned against the counter and tightened his expression as he glanced around the house.
Their earlier confrontation was on repeat in his mind as he thought about what she said to him.
The guilt he felt was overwhelming.
She had every right to be pissed at him. He had been a dick.
In the past day she had looked after him just as much as she had Grayson and how had he responded in return?
He ignored her, he offered her no gratitude, he took advantage, and then he left her here to deal with all of the things he didn't want to face.
She made sure he ate, she talked to Kol, she dealt with his parents, she contacted the funeral home, she took care of the house, and she looked after Grayson. She did all of it.
While he was retreating into himself and wallowing in his misery, she was facing reality and dealing with what needed to be done.
She probably didn't want to do it anymore than he did. Judging by how emotional she appeared, she was in just as much pain as he was. Yet, she was pushing through it, and he was dwelling on it.
What choice did she have though? It's not like he had given her one.
If they both decided to let their pain consume them then who would take care of Grayson or handle the funeral arrangements?
She couldn't take the time to grieve and wallow because he hadn't given her the luxury. She was responsible by default.
He thought about Elijah and he hung his head shamefully. If Elijah could see what he was doing, he knew Elijah would be scolding him for letting Caroline pick up all the slack.
They had listed both him and Caroline in their will as executors and guardians for a reason. They were supposed to do this together, not alone. That was the point.
Caroline had been right about everything.
If they weren't going to step up and take responsibility for everything - Grayson included - then who would? Who would raise Elijah and Elena's son?
The prospect of Grayson being a ward of the State or given to family who barely knew him unsettled him. The thought of his parents receiving custody of Grayson infuriated him.
There was no way in hell he would ever let that happen.
Elijah wanted to be the father they never had growing up.
He couldn't fathom Grayson being placed in the care of the very person Elijah was referring to.
His parents were certainly not what was best for Grayson.
As much as he had his reservations about it all, deep down he knew that at the end of the day, he and Caroline were what was best for Grayson, despite their inexperience.
Only they loved him nearly as much as Elena and Elijah loved him.
For the sake of what was best for Grayson given the circumstances, he had to be here for Grayson.
He knew his concerns about taking responsibility for Grayson were nothing compared to the torture he would know if his parents received custody, the guilt he would feel for leaving Caroline to her own devices, and the pain he would feel in the future having not honoured the wishes of his brother.
Though he was terrified he would be a horrible parent, he knew he would be letting his brother down right from the start if he didn't even make an effort.
He didn't want to let his brother down. He didn't want to let Grayson or Caroline down, but most of all he didn't want to let himself down.
Children may not have been something he saw in his future, but he shared the same sentiments as Elijah. If he were to be a father, he didn't want to be his father, and he was on the verge of a self-fulfilling prophecy if he abandoned Grayson now.
As long as he did the opposite of what his father did in every situation then perhaps that would be an initial sufficient guide into parenting.
He just had to go into it feet first. This was too complicated of a situation to have all the possibilities figured out before you experienced it. There were too many variables for him to have complete control. He had to have confidence that things would work themselves out.
Maybe stepping up would distract him from the loss he felt.
Regardless, he had to act on his decision. He had to prove to Caroline and Grayson that he wanted to be here in spite of how scared he was.
And so he acted.
He put away the liquor bottle and called the funeral home to confirm an appointment for tomorrow.
After that, he finished cleaning the floor as Caroline had started earlier, tried to put away clutter where he thought it went, and he washed some of Grayson's bottles thoroughly after looking up the proper way on his phone.
That's when his real test came.
Grayson began to whimper through the monitor.
He considered waiting to see if Caroline would respond, but he knew she was probably sleeping upstairs. If he was going to do this, he couldn't always leave Grayson up to her. She wouldn't always be around. Besides, she had let him sleep in earlier, he owed this to her; he owed this to himself.
This would be a good time to start with Grayson anyways. With Caroline asleep, the pressure was off. He didn't have to worry about her looming over his shoulder and judging him. That said, the thought of handling Grayson by himself was nerve racking.
He had never been on his own with him before.
Giving himself a brief internal pep talk, he moved down the hallway and climbed the stairs quietly.
The door to Grayson's bedroom was partially open, so he slipped through. The room was darkened due to the blinds being drawn.
He found Grayson crying discontentedly on his back in the crib.
For a few split seconds he swore he could see Elijah's brown eyes staring back at him.
"Hey little guy," he whispered.
Grayson continued to whimper as he extended his hands towards him. He wanted to be picked up.
His trepidation about all of this prompted him to hesitate for a moment as he looked down at Grayson.
He was worried that he would pick him up or hold him wrong.
More than that though, he knew once he did this there would probably be no going back. He wouldn't be able to.
Anxiously, he reached down into the crib, tucking one of his hands underneath Grayson's neck and the other under his bottom.
Lifting Grayson from the crib, he brought him to his chest and breathed a small sigh of relief.
He fully anticipated Grayson to start balling now that he was holding him.
However, he could feel Grayson's small body relax as his whimpers slowly began to quiet.
They eyed each other cautiously for a few moments.
He bounced Grayson lightly in his arms as he walked on eggshells hoping Grayson would stay content.
"Hey," he repeated in the friendliest tone he could muster.
Grayson smiled at him.
His body tensed in response as goose bumps rose on his skin. He smiled back despite the overwhelming urge to cry.
One of Grayson's hands felt the stubble on his jaw as the other griped his shirt.
Grayson laughed.
He held him tighter.
There would be no going back. He knew that undoubtedly.
He couldn't let him go now.
When she opened her eyes she felt disoriented and confused.
She had been dreaming about Elena and Elijah. Even in her dreams it seemed she couldn't escape crying. Her eyes even felt sore and she wondered if she had been crying in her sleep or if it was just from before.
Elena's old bedroom was completely dark, which meant was dark outside.
The last thing she remembered was lying down for a nap after she put Grayson down for a nap.
She shot up in bed and looked around the darkened room as her eyes adjusted.
Climbing off the bed, she grabbed her phone to check the time.
It was just after six.
Her stomach dropped and she burst through the jack and jill bathroom towards Grayson's nursery.
His room was black too.
Maybe he slept in too? She panicked.
Finding the lamp in the darkness, she was surprised to find the crib empty.
He obviously couldn't get out on his own she tried to reassure herself.
"Klaus?" she called warily.
With a breath stuck in her throat, she rushed out into the hall and barrelled down the stairs.
She noticed two suitcases by the front door and could hear laughter as she descended.
Bonnie and Kol were on the floor of the living room with Grayson in between.
Covering her chest, she let out the air she had been holding in.
Bonnie's smile quickly turned to concern as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked.
She shook her head.
"Nothing," she breathed with a faint smile. "I just...I put Grayson down for a nap and I went to sleep myself. When I woke up almost four hours later I panicked about Grayson...and he wasn't in his crib," she stammered as she entered the room.
"Awe, well he's right here playing with me and his uncle Kol," Bonnie assured her, bringing her into a hug. "How are you?" Bonnie asked.
She shrugged and stifled her desire to cry upon seeing Bonnie.
Bonnie instantly triggered memories they shared with Elena.
"I'm okay. Tired, obviously," she mused as she pulled away. "How are you?"
Bonnie frowned.
"I'm just in shock. I still can't believe it," Bonnie admitted. "It's even harder to believe now that we're here with Grayson," she added.
"I know what you mean," she agreed.
She moved around the sofa to greet Kol.
Kol stood up and hugged her.
There were no 'sorry for your loses' or sympathetic comments. They were all going through the same thing. It didn't need to be said.
"How was your flight over?" she asked him.
"Long," he groaned. "I'm still on London time. I feel like I should be going to bed soon," he said casually.
She nodded.
"When did you guys get here?" she inquired.
Bonnie sat back down on the rug with Grayson.
"Only a half hour ago," Kol said.
"Where is Klaus?" she wondered, annoyed by the fact he had seemingly passed Grayson off onto his brother and Bonnie.
If he went out again she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. What did she expect? He seemed set against this whole thing this afternoon. Maybe she didn't get to him like she thought she had. It was his choice, she reminded herself. If he didn't want to be here, she couldn't make him.
"He's in the kitchen getting Grayson a bottle and ordering us pizza," Kol informed her as Bonnie gave her a curious look.
"He's getting Grayson a bottle?" she confirmed dumbfounded.
Before Bonnie or Kol could reply, Klaus appeared from the family room with a bottle in hand.
She made suspicious eye contact with him.
"Give me the bottle, mate, I want to feed him," Kol said, grabbing the bottle from Klaus.
"He's six months old, Kol," Bonnie laughed, "he can hold his own bottle now."
Kol rolled his eyes as he sat back down on the floor beside Grayson who was eyeing the bottle in his hand with great interest.
"He must be hungry," Kol laughed as Grayson reached out for the bottle.
She sat down on the sofa behind the three of them on the floor.
"How long has he been up for?" she asked Klaus awkwardly.
"A couple hours," Klaus replied, leaning against the entryway between the living room and family room.
Confused, she looked back down at Grayson.
Kol and Bonnie had only just arrived. Klaus had been the one to tend to Grayson while she had been sleeping.
She looked over at him questioningly as Bonnie and Kol were preoccupied with Grayson.
Why was he helping her now all of a sudden? He seemed to have wanted nothing to do with this a few hours ago.
He glanced back at her with an expression she could only describe as apologetic or guilt ridden.
Now she would have to wait until they got a moment alone to confront him.
She wasn't going to call him out in front of his brother and Bonnie.
"Who would have thought breast milk would taste so good?" Kol chuckled. "The kid is almost half done the bottle."
All four of them shared a small chorus of laughter, though it quickly faded as the main reason they had all been brought together in this living room bubbled back to the surface.
Kol sighed and leaned back against the sofa.
"It feels weird being here like this in Elijah and Elena's house," Kol said, "without them."
Klaus's brother sure had a way of putting things out in the open. It was true though. It's exactly how all of them felt.
She noticed Bonnie staring off at a few framed pictures on the fireplace mantel.
There were photos of Elena's parents, Jeremy, Grayson, Elijah and Elena when they first started dating.
She had tried to ignore them all earlier today, but they were everywhere in the house and completely unavoidable.
"What did Stefan have to say when you talked to him today?" Kol wondered, cocking his head towards Klaus.
Kol knew they had talked to Stefan when she spoke with him on the phone earlier.
Biting her lip, she turned to Klaus hesitantly, unsure if he wanted her to answer.
"Klaus and I were listed as executors of the will," she told them.
"Elena and Elijah had most of their funeral arrangements taken care of, but we have an appointment with the director tomorrow morning at ten," Klaus added.
Her brows furrowed in Klaus's direction.
"You called him?" she asked, suddenly realizing she had forgotten to call the funeral director back.
He shrugged and nodded.
She turned away and refocused on Grayson who had now discarded his bottle in favour of Bonnie's lap.
"What did he say about Grayson? Did Elena and Elijah have any custody arrangements in place?" Bonnie questioned as she played with Grayson's hair.
Now she was even more anxious as she avoided Klaus's general direction as she prepared herself to answer.
"They listed Caroline and me," Klaus said, interrupting her before she had a chance to respond.
Bonnie and Kol's faces instantly contorted with confused and sour expressions as they looked between her and Klaus.
"What?" Bonnie asked. "They listed you both?"
"They listed you at all?" Kol said staring towards Klaus.
Klaus grimaced in Kol's direction.
"They listed both of us," she reiterated.
"So they want you to raise Grayson together?" Bonnie continued.
She shrugged.
"But you're not together," Kol interjected knowingly, with a semi-amused glare, obviously having thought about their history together.
"No, we're not together..." she started, but the doorbell rang.
"That must be the pizza," Kol said, quickly losing interest in their conversation as he stood up and headed for the front door with Klaus.
Bonnie was shooting her one of her infamous Bennett glares and her eyes widened helplessly in response.
Ignoring Bonnie's critical look, she turned to see Klaus and Kol both chip in for the pizza that had been delivered. There were two large boxes and what appeared to be some additional items in a separate bag.
The arrival of the food had seemed to distract from Elena and Elijah's guardianship wishes for Grayson as they all gathered in the kitchen.
Bonnie put a sluggish Grayson into his highchair so they could all eat.
She grabbed for the necessary dishes, glasses and utensils while Kol and Klaus readied the food for serving.
Taking her usual seat beside Grayson, Bonnie sat on her other side. Kol and Klaus sat across from them.
The tension was too thick to be ignored and she knew it was only a matter of time as they ate before their last conversation was picked up from where it was left off.
"Maybe Elijah and Elena just put your names down as an 'either or' preference?" Kol suggested. "I mean, how could you take care of Grayson together?" he asked, still confused.
"I think there was an 'and' specified, not an 'or,'" she pointed out.
"But technically one of you could assume custody on your own," Bonnie noted. "It probably doesn't have to be both of you or none of you."
She sighed as her appetite began to wane.
"And that one person would be Caroline," Kol said automatically. "What was Elijah thinking listing you as a guardian?" Kol mused to Klaus.
Klaus was visibly annoyed by Kol's lack of confidence.
Admittedly, she was too a little, although she could not refute Klaus's earlier irresponsibility.
"We don't have to make any final decisions yet," she explained in an effort to diffuse the situation. "Elena and Elijah listed both our names as guardians, so we should probably see if we can honour that," she stated.
Bonnie seemed more receptive to this line of reasoning.
"How would that work though? You and Grayson are in Mystic Falls...Nik, you're in New York," Kol reminded them of something they were all aware of.
"I've decided to stay here for a little while," Klaus told Kol.
She swallowed a chunk of her pizza prematurely upon hearing his revelation. That was the first she heard of his decision to stay awhile in Mystic Falls. The last time she checked, Grayson wasn't high on his list of priorities.
"It will give us time to work out an arrangement that works," Klaus reasoned, staring at her from across the table.
Nodding, she tried her best to look as agreeable as possible as though she and Klaus had already discussed everything.
"What about work?" Kol continued.
"I have savings," Klaus countered, "and I'm self-employed. The beauty of painting is that I can do it anywhere."
Kol seemed unconvinced.
"So when is everyone else arriving?" Klaus asked, quickly changing the subject to something more agreeable.
"There weren't enough seats on a given flight for everyone to come together. Mother, Father, and Rebekah should be here tomorrow afternoon. Sage, Finn, and the kids should be here late tomorrow night," Kol revealed.
They talked some more about general arrangements and plans for tomorrow. Klaus was mostly quiet and there was no more talk about guardianship of Grayson.
However, she knew she was in for an earful when she decided to get Grayson ready for bed and Bonnie offered to help.
At about the same time, Klaus went outside for a cigarette and Kol followed him.
If Klaus was planning to stay the smoking habit would have to stop, but she supposed nagging him about it now would only alienate him. At least he had the decency to go outside.
She took Grayson upstairs to his nursery while Bonnie followed.
The first thing Bonnie did was check to ensure the baby monitor was off.
"What were Elena and Elijah thinking?" Bonnie gasped. "What are you thinking?" she demanded.
She placed Grayson on the change table and unbuttoned the sleeper she had put him in for his afternoon nap.
"I don't know what Elena and Elijah were thinking, Bonnie. They never informed me of their guardian wishes for Grayson. The first I heard of it was today when Stefan went over the will with us," she said defensively.
She grabbed for all the necessary diaper supplies.
"So you're actually going to try and raise Grayson with Klaus?" Bonnie asked.
A feeling of relief washed over her when she found that Grayson's diaper was only wet.
"I'm going to do it with or without his help," she stated, still unsure what Klaus's change in behaviour meant.
"Have you even thought about this?" Bonnie questioned.
She glared incredulously at Bonnie over her shoulder.
"Of course I have. I know it's a big deal, but Elena and Elijah wanted me to do it. Who am I to say no to them now? Who would raise Grayson otherwise?" she pointed out. "Do you really think Elena and Elijah want Klaus's parents to have custody of Grayson?"
Bonnie stood beside her at the change table and eyed Grayson pensively as she went over other possible alternatives and came up blank.
"What if Klaus wants joint guardianship of Grayson? What will happen then?" Bonnie inquired.
She shrugged as she tossed Grayson's old diaper away and readied the new one.
"I don't know. We only just found out about this today. I guess when he decides to go back to New York will work out some shared arrangement," she proposed. "We don't have to make any permanent decisions right now."
Bonnie frowned.
"So in the meantime you're just going to live with him here, taking care of Grayson together?" Bonnie wondered.
"I guess. I mean, that would probably be easier than moving Grayson into my apartment. This is his environment. He's used to it here. I could rent out my apartment until we figure out something permanent," she thought aloud.
Bonnie scowled under her breath.
"I wasn't really referring to the logistics of it all, as I was referring to the fact that you would be living with Klaus under the same roof," Bonnie clarified.
She fixed the new diaper in place and began to button Grayson's sleeper back up.
"It's not that big of a deal," she lied. "We're both here for Grayson. He is our mutual number one concern," she said casually.
Bonnie arched an eyebrow at her.
She picked Grayson up and snuggled him in her arms.
"So you can just live with Klaus as though it's no big deal; as though that weekend with him never happened?" Bonnie wondered.
"It's not like it hasn't been a little awkward, Bonnie, but my feelings about that don't matter. Grayson is what matters. Besides, I was over that weekend the minute it ended," she stated as confidently as she could.
Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"Don't pretend like you weren't a little wrecked that Sunday morning when you found out he left. I know you were. He was an asshole to you. You can't resent the person you're going to co-parent Grayson with, Caroline," Bonnie told her.
"I don't," she said, knowing she was telling a half-truth.
"You can't fall in love with him either," Bonnie added. "You know firsthand how he can be. I just don't want to see you get hurt even worse than before. If he hurts you now, then he hurts Grayson, too," she reminded her.
She sighed and nodded as she rubbed Grayson's back.
"I've learned my lesson, Bonnie. Regardless, he deserves a chance with Grayson if he wants it, and he seems to want it. I can't let my petty concerns get in the way of that," she argued. "Grayson needs us both. He needs a male figure in his life."
Bonnie conceded her point
"Let's just hope Klaus has learnt his lesson," Bonnie retorted.
She brought Grayson over to his crib and placed him there on his back.
Both she and Bonnie stood there for awhile as they waited for Grayson's eyes to finally close.
"I can't believe they're gone," Bonnie whispered.
"I still can't believe it either," she seconded. "I just saw them yesterday. I talked to both of them. Now it's like they've just vanished."
"It's just hard to comprehend how two people can exist one day, and then be gone the next," Bonnie murmured. "It's like they were never here."
"But they were," she reminded Bonnie as she pointed down at Grayson. "Grayson, this house, the photographs are all evidence that they were here. Now they're not," she frowned as she caught a few tears with her index fingers.
Bonnie nodded as she wiped her own eyes.
"Everything with Klaus will work itself out," she reassured them both, "but I know that no matter what, I have to be here for Grayson."
He lit a cigarette for himself and handled Kol one even though he knew he only smoked occasionally.
Kol took it acceptingly and placed in between his lips as he waited for him to hand over the lighter.
It was a cold night, but the fresh air felt good.
"You're probably gonna have to quit now that you have a baby to take care of," Kol mused.
He shrugged.
"You know how Elijah felt about smoking," Kol said.
Internally, he couldn't help but wince at Kol's past tense reference to Elijah.
He knew Kol had a point about his habit, but he could only make so many drastic and stressful life changes at a time.
"One thing at a time," he told Kol, taking a long drag from his smoke.
"So you're really gonna do this?" Kol asked him.
He nodded, still feeling a little reluctant and anxious about the whole thing. Kol's lack of confidence didn't exactly help. He wasn't even going to tell Kol about his earlier argument with Caroline.
"What's the alternative?" he wondered. "Either Caroline takes care of him alone, or someone else takes him, and the someone else would probably be our parents," he said. "Do you really think Elijah or Elena would have wanted Grayson being raised by them?"
Kol shook his head in response.
"Of course not, although I expect that Mother and Father will be in for a shock when they discover that Elijah and Elena chose you and Caroline instead," Kol predicted.
"Well they're delusional if they thought they would even be considered," he concluded.
"You know how they are," Kol reminded him. "You just better be prepared to handle them tomorrow."
They stood there quietly for a few moments.
"This is a really big decision to make, Nik," Kol observed. "This is Elijah's son."
"I know," he acknowledged.
"If you do this, you're entire life is going to change," Kol warned. "You're going to have someone else to support. If Caroline is involved you'll have to always consider her opinions. You won't be able to go out whenever you want. Can you handle that? You're not one for kids."
He shrugged.
"This isn't just any kid, Kol. You said it yourself; this is Elijah's son. Grayson is our nephew and Elijah wants me to be one of his guardians. After everything Elijah has done for me, how can I not even try to fulfill his wishes?" he asked.
"All I'm saying is that you need to know what you're getting yourself into. If you're not ready to change, then don't do it. You'll only hurt yourself and Grayson in the end. Caroline seems perfectly capable of taking care of him on her own if she needed to," Kol said.
He glowered at Kol.
"I'm not just going to put this all on her shoulders and abandon her," he refused.
Kol scoffed.
"It's not like you knocked her up or something," Kol countered.
"Well technically speaking we're both now responsible for him," he reasoned.
"You're not still hung up on her are you?
He stepped forward on the porch and leaned over the rail.
"I was never hung up on her to begin with," he muttered.
Kol snorted in disbelief behind him.
"So that's why you bailed on her that weekend?" Kol retorted.
He winced and took another drag of his cigarette.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Kol," he shot back.
"Maybe I don't, but hypothetically let's say you're still hung up on her or could be again, how are you going to live platonically in the same house as her and raise a baby together?" Kol wondered.
"The living arrangement is only temporary," he pointed out. "I don't think it will be an issue."
Kol laughed incredulously.
"Whatever you say, brother," Kol groaned leaning over the rail beside him. "I don't know why Elena and Elijah listed you together given your history, but if you let history repeat itself and it blows up in your face, Grayson will be the one who will suffer," Kol warned.
"Don't worry Kol, I think I effectively shut the door on any possibility of history repeating itself a year ago," he mused.
They finished their smokes and put them out in the same empty flower pot he had earlier.
"You're sure about this?" Kol asked.
He shook his head.
"No, I'm not sure about this. After last night, I'm not sure about anything anymore, really," he paused. "I am sure though that I don't want our parents taking care of Grayson. I am sure I don't want him placed in foster care. I am sure that I don't want to leave everything up to Caroline. I know that I will regret it if I walk away. I need to try and do this for Elijah and Elena, and for Grayson," he concluded. "They wanted me in Grayson's life. I don't think I can turn my back on that."
Kol stared pensively into the yard as he considered what he said.
"If you were in my shoes could you just say no?" he asked Kol.
"If it was you or Elijah, I don't suppose I could," Kol said understandingly. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't be having second thoughts about how everything would work, especially if a past hook-up was also listed as a joint-guardian," he added.
He exhaled as he tried to understand his brother's concerns.
"What is most important right now is Grayson," he told Kol, "everything else...the logistics...Caroline...all of that will work out gradually."
Kol still seemed a little reluctant to believe him.
Looking at Kol from the corner of his eye, he swore he could see Elijah; they looked so much alike sometimes.
Kol put his hand on his back.
"For Grayson's sake, you have to make it work, Nik," Kol told him.
He nodded.
Kol's hand dropped from his back.
"You are right though. Even if you and Caroline raising Grayson together makes almost no sense, it makes the most sense compared to every other alternative," Kol relented, "and it's what Elijah and Elena wanted," he shrugged.
The fact that Kol was coming around to the idea reassured him a little more.
He dug his hands into his pockets and sighed at another mention of them in the past tense. He supposed he would have to get used to that.
They stood there silently in each other's company for awhile as he lit another cigarette.
"What do we do without Elijah?" Kol murmured.
He winced upon hearing the question. He had asked himself the same thing.
"I don't know," he said back.
"Elijah was always the one who kept us in line," Kol noted. "Remember when we always used to fight over the PlayStation? Elijah came into the den one time and just ripped the plug out of the wall. We were so pissed at him because we didn't get a chance to save the game that we stopped being mad at each other," Kol chuckled.
He laughed a little.
"I don't even remember what game it was," Kol said.
"Tony Hawk, I think, or maybe Final Fantasy or Resident Evil," he recalled.
"I wish we still had that console," Kol mused.
"I think it was Elijah's in the first place," he said.
Kol nodded in agreement.
"I'm gonna miss him," Kol admitted, his voice faltering as he became emotional.
"You and me both," he breathed.
"I guess he's with Henrik now. He's with Elena. Elena's with her family," Kol pointed out. "At least they're together."
He swallowed a painful lump in his throat.
"I suppose you're right," he said flatly as he struggled to hold back more of his anguish.
"Look, I know you and Elijah had a closer relationship with each other than any of us, but I just want you to know that I'm here," Kol said sympathetically.
"I know," he replied.
She lied awake in the darkness of Elena's old bedroom unable to sleep, though it was nearly one o'clock in the morning.
It probably had something to do with the extended nap she had taken earlier and all the thoughts running through her head.
She was thinking about what Bonnie and Kol had said. She was thinking about the plans for tomorrow and the arrival of Klaus's parents. Mostly she was thinking about Klaus's unexplained change in behaviour and attitude.
They hadn't had a chance to talk privately yet since their blow up in the kitchen.
When she and Bonnie were done with Grayson, Bonnie helped her sort out some of the details of the will.
Klaus and Kol came inside with the intent of searching Elijah and Elena's basement for a video game.
She was inclined to feel annoyed at first, because it seemed so trivial, but she couldn't help but notice the enthusiasm on both Klaus and Kol's faces. It prompted her to hold back. This obviously had some meaning to them and it was good to see them positive about something. She hadn't realized just how infectious Klaus's smile was until then.
Their search had been futile by the time they returned upstairs from the basement, but they had barely scratched the surface of what was down there.
Eventually, she would have the daunting task of going through all of that stuff and deciding what was to be kept, given away, and thrown out.
At that point, even though it was still fairly early, they all decided to go to bed.
Kol was exhausted with jet lag and Bonnie had barely slept the night before having been up trying to make travel arrangements.
She herself hadn't been tired at that point, but knew trying for sleep - however impossible it was - would be best if Grayson was planning on waking up early again.
Klaus gave up the bed in Elijah's office to Kol and Bonnie, deciding to stay downstairs on the couch in the family room.
That was her current dilemma. She desperately wanted a drink of warm milk, or a snack to induce sleep, but she didn't want to risk another confrontation with Klaus at this hour.
She laid there for another hour or so, falling in and out of sleep, when she was fully awakened by the sound of Grayson's piercing cries into the monitor.
Sighing, she got out of bed quickly, eager not to wake Bonnie or Kol.
Grayson was sitting up in his crib balling.
She thought Elena said Grayson was sleeping through the night.
Coming into his room every time he cried probably wasn't encouraging any good habits for the future, but her heart wouldn't let him try to self soothe and she was sure Bonnie and Kol didn't want to be disturbed.
She shut the door to his nursery to block out the noise as she rubbed his back and tried calm him down, but he still cried - and loudly too.
When she felt around his diaper and lifted him up higher to smell, the tell tale signs of a dirty diaper were there.
She supposed she would be freaking out too if the roles were reversed.
Turning for the change table, Klaus's presence in the doorway to the nursery surprised her.
"Oh my god," she said as she sucked in a startled breath and clenched Grayson tighter. "You scared me," she said as she set Grayson on the table.
"Sorry," he said. "I heard Grayson screaming."
"Well if he woke you up downstairs, then he's probably woken Bonnie and Kol, too," she observed casually as she removed Grayson's yellow sleeper with monkeys on it.
Klaus stepped into the room and partially shut the door behind him.
She tried not to tense.
Grayson's cries seemed to dull as though he knew what she was about to do.
"I wasn't sleeping," he revealed.
"Oh," she replied as she prepared the arsenal of supplies she had come to rely on.
A few awkward seconds passed before she decided to speak up and test how certain he was about helping with Grayson.
"Do you want to change him?" she suggested.
She noted the reluctant expression on his face and she was ready to be disappointed.
"I don't know how," he admitted. "I guess I got lucky this afternoon," he said, referring to the fact that he hadn't had to change a diaper yet.
"I'll show you," she offered, waiting quietly for his reply.
He stepped beside her and looked down at Grayson anxiously.
She handed him a wipe and instructed him to clean and dry his hands.
"Undo the tabs, but don't remove the diaper yet and make sure that the tabs don't stick to his skin," she said and Klaus followed her words.
Klaus's face contorted at the smell.
She smirked.
"When you go to remove the diaper, try to take as much poop with it," she said.
He started to pull back the diaper and she promptly covered Grayson's penis with a cloth.
"I have one of my own, you don't need to cover it," he chuckled.
She blushed and laughed lightly.
"I'm covering it for sanitary reasons, but mostly so you don't get sprayed," she clarified.
A horrified look of realization crossed Klaus's features.
"When you do it on your own, you'll have to do both things at once," she told him. "Now lift him up by the ankles and fold the diaper underneath him."
She felt bad for Klaus because this was the messiest she had seen Grayson's diaper this weekend, but he managed to do as she asked him.
He was still holding Grayson's bottom up by his ankles awkwardly as he awaited her next instruction.
"You can let him back down now," she mused.
She handed him a few wipes.
"Clean his front first," she instructed as she lifted the cloth up a little for him to gain access.
Klaus hesitated at first, but he was soon following her instruction, wiping his front gently.
"Now lift his legs again to clean his bottom," she continued.
The disgusted look on Klaus's face amused her as he tried to hold onto a fussy Grayson while he wiped away the remainder of the poop.
"Remove the folded diaper and swap in the new one," she told him as he tossed the soiled wipes into the trash.
She showed him what end of the diaper went where and he quickly put it into position.
"Good," she encouraged. "Now all you have to do is fasten it," she concluded as she re-taped the old diaper and put it in the garbage.
He sighed in relief upon completion, and she was sure she heard Grayson do the same.
Without even having to ask him to, he took it upon himself to try and button back together the sleeper she had unbuttoned Grayson's lower half out of.
"There," she stated. "All done," she announced to Grayson in particular. "Let's hope that was all that was making him grumpy."
She picked him up and rocked him gently, hoping that maybe she could lull him back to sleep without another feeding until morning.
A smile crossed her features when Grayson nestled his face into the crock of her neck.
"You really know what you're doing," Klaus observed as he leaned against the change table.
His comment made her flustered.
"I spent a lot of time with Elena and Grayson," she shrugged.
He nodded.
"You seemed to know what you were doing earlier this evening," she said, alluding to his recent and unexpected efforts with Grayson.
He offered no reply initially.
Their argument earlier and everything that had happened since was waiting to be addressed.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
She arched an eyebrow at him in response to his unexpected apology.
"I was a prick...er..." he scrambled to find an appropriate word in front of Grayson. "I was a prick," he gave up. "I took out my raw emotions on you and I shouldn't have. You didn't deserve it. I should have been helping you, but instead I was avoiding it all," he admitted.
Remaining quiet, she waited for him to gather his thoughts and continue.
"Everything you said earlier was right. There is really no one but us to look out for Grayson. There is no one else Elijah and Elena wanted, or they would have stated it so," he carried on. "I see that now."
She considered his words intently.
"I was a little hard on you," she relented guiltily.
He shook his head in denial.
"I lashed out because I was afraid and I didn't want to acknowledge that you were right," he said.
"You don't think I'm afraid?" she countered empathetically.
He shrugged.
"I'm just as scared as you are. Babysitting Grayson here and there is a lot different than being his full-time parent," she said. "I think our fear is entirely acceptable. It would be stranger if we weren't scared on some level."
"I think that's partly why Elijah and Elena picked both of us," he said. "They didn't want one of us doing this alone."
She agreed.
"I don't want you to have to do this alone," he informed her. "We're all he has, and if I didn't try to honour Elijah and Elena's wishes, I know I would regret it."
"What are you saying?" she wondered, eyeing him curiously.
"I think we should try to raise Grayson together," he stated. "I think us both being in his life is what's best for him."
She smiled cautiously.
"What about everything else?" she inquired, referring to things like his job, her job, New York, and perhaps their brief history with one another.
"We'll deal with it all as it comes," he suggested, "as they become priorities."
She gave him an uncertain look.
"Save for some loose ends that I will need to tie up, I think I can manage to stay here until we're granted permanent custody," he reassured her. "That gives us time to settle the estate and decide what we want to do."
She stared thoughtfully down at the floor as she mulled over what he had said.
There were still many questions and details to be considered.
Notably, she was worried that Klaus's commitment would be fleeting.
While trying to raise Grayson was ideal, she wanted no part of it if his words were empty.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked slowly.
He paused and focused his attention on Grayson.
"I'm sure that Grayson needs us," he said.
Sensing and sharing both his insecurity and confidence, she nodded.
"Me too," she replied.
A/N: So? What did you think of Klaus and Caroline in this chapter? Review me, maybe?
I haven't begun the next chapter yet, so the next update will take a little while.
In the next chapter expect more confrontations. Esther and Mikael are arriving.