A/N: Hey there! Sorry for the update delay. Writer's block, new ideas, and the length are responsible.
Thanks to my amazing beta for putting up with me and this chapter.
Thank you so much for enjoying the last two chapters. I'm happy that most of you don't hate me for how chapter 9 ended. Most of you have been very understanding.
I'm going to take some time to clear up some concerns just in case you didn't notice my post on tumblr...
For any of you who are still concerned about Klaus's behaviour, this is very much a Klaroline story. Keep that in mind.
Klaus is not going to knock up Vicki.
I know you don't like Camille now, but she might surprise you eventually. Please trust me on this.
Lastly, I was pleased and overwhelmed to see that the majority of you want Caroline to give Klaus a taste of his own medicine and that you want her to have some fun too. She will. I promise. That said, she isn't Klaus. It would be out of character of her to go down to the bar this second and hook up with a guy. Especially now that she has Grayson to consider and Klaus's behaviour to make up for. She may have hooked up with Klaus, in HSG but that was not her typical behaviour. Caroline's 'revenge' (she won't intentionally be seeking revenge on Klaus for the record) will be more discreet and gradual.
Anyways, I know this chapter is long, but if you can find it in your hearts to review when your finish, I'll love you forever.
She wasn't quite sure what time she had managed to fall asleep the previous night, but she knew it was late judging by how exhausted she felt when Grayson's cries woke her up.
Stretching and whimpering discontentedly, she reached for her phone on the nightstand to check the time.
It was nearly six thirty in the morning. It was still dark outside.
She was unsurprised to find her inbox void of new messages.
Climbing out of bed, she released an annoyed yawn.
With her eyes partially closed, she stopped off at the bathroom first to relieve herself and splash some water in her face to wake up.
Grayson was sobbing furiously when she entered his nursery.
She winced at the sound.
"What's the matter?" she sighed, trying her best to sound concerned as opposed to resentful.
All she really wanted to do was crawl back into bed.
His cries persisted when she picked him up.
Even though she knew he was either angling for a diaper change or a bottle, she couldn't help but wonder if he was noticing Elena and Elijah's absence.
She changed his diaper and dressed him in a white onesie with an assortment of colourful zoo animals on it.
Still, he cried.
She bounced him in her arms and whispered reassuring words as she took him downstairs, but she felt like that only made it worse.
Using the under cabinet lights in the kitchen as her guide, she made her way down the darkened hall with Grayson.
Klaus had obviously not returned home from the night before, she concluded; he would have shut the lights off if he had.
The couch in the family room was empty. The blankets and pillow he had used were still folded and piled neatly in the corner from when they had the open house yesterday afternoon.
She cursed him silently as she placed a still screaming Grayson into his highchair.
Hurriedly, she started prepping his bottle in hopes that would calm him down. She didn't want Bonnie and Kol to wake up from the noise. They were leaving later today and would need to be well rested for their trip - especially Kol.
They were now onto the frozen reserves of Elena's milk. She would need to make a trip to the grocery store to pick up formula to start supplementing; she would need to go to the grocery store for basic necessities for herself.
Once the bottle was prepared she handed it to Grayson with bated breath. He took it readily. His cries were stifled by the bottle.
She smiled thankfully.
Confident that he was content with the bottle for now, she headed desperately for the coffee pot.
She sat with Grayson at the table for a while, drinking her coffee as he sucked eagerly at his bottle.
All she wanted to do was put her head down on the table and try for sleep, but with Kol and Bonnie still asleep and Klaus god knows where, she couldn't as long as Grayson was awake.
She had to stop pretending that she didn't know where Klaus was. She was confident that he did not leave the bar with Damon. If memory served her correctly, Klaus wasn't a big fan of Damon's. She also doubted that he ended up at Stefan's since Stefan and Meredith had left the Grill before they had.
He was with the bartender, either sleeping in or having another round.
She scowled resentfully.
While Klaus was off tending to his needs without a care in the world, she was here awake with Grayson before the sun even was even up.
They needed to have a talk about priorities and responsibilities.
She had to confront him about this. She couldn't let him walk all over her. She couldn't let him treat Grayson as though he was a negligible commitment. How would he handle Grayson on his own in New York six months from now?
He couldn't behave this way if they were going to share responsibility of Grayson, and he certainly couldn't behave this way if he was serious about proving to his parents that he was capable of raising him.
She rested her head against her palm and watched Grayson drink.
Klaus's actions infuriated her.
Granted, he had just lost his brother, but she had lost Elena - who was like a sister to her - and she wasn't drinking at a bar and hooking up with a random guy.
She couldn't comprehend his reasoning when their responsibilities seemed so cut and dry to her.
He told her they weren't going to screw up with Grayson, and yet, he was doing exactly that.
Thinking about it only made her angrier.
She wasn't sure she'd be able to hold her composure when she confronted him once he decided to return. She wasn't sure he deserved her composure in the first place.
With just under half the milk in his bottle remaining, Grayson tossed it aside, startling her as the bottle hit the floor.
She picked up the no-spill bottle from the floor and set it on the table, eyeing Grayson curiously as he started to grow fussy again.
"What's the matter, bud?" she wondered.
Grayson had a decent appetite. If there was one thing she learned about his habits, it was that he could polish off his morning bottle with no issue.
He whined a little and his face began to contort, as though he was warning her about his impending break down.
Before long, he erupted into a full on cry.
She removed him from his highchair, feeling discouraged.
"I woke up with you, I changed your diaper, changed your clothes, I fed you; what could possibly be wrong? She wondered as she wiped his face clean from dribbled milk and drool.
He thrust his hands against her and kicked his feet against her stomach in protest.
She wasn't sure what to try next to calm him down.
Perhaps this was a mood of his that Elijah and Elena had forewarned her about before they left. Maybe he really wasn't the angelic baby she had thought he was.
She hated that he couldn't speak to her to tell her what was wrong. It was frustrating.
After walking with him around the kitchen in an effort to console him to no avail, she brought him into the family room and sat him down beside his toy box.
She removed some of the toys, hoping they would at least provide a distraction to stifle his loud cries.
If Bonnie and Kol weren't already awake, they probably were now.
"Look, Grayson," she said, holding up various toys to capture his attention.
She purposely located the ones she knew lit up or made noise, desperate to make him forget about whatever was causing him distress.
Nothing kept him occupied for long, and once they had gone through every toy in the box, Grayson was crying again, pacified only slightly by various toys he opted to curl his lips around.
She huffed guiltily when she heard footsteps upstairs.
Grayson's vocal complaints had obviously woken someone.
A few minutes later, a drowsy Kol and Bonnie both appeared in the kitchen; Kol in sweatpants and a Batman t-shirt, Bonnie in sweatpants and one of Kol's school t-shirts.
She smiled inwardly at Bonnie's choice of bedtime attire, recalling a time when Bonnie declared that a girl wearing their significant other's clothing was stupid and sexist.
Kol yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes before glancing around the kitchen and the family room.
Bonnie headed promptly for the coffee pot.
"Where's Nik?" Kol wondered.
She knew that question was coming and for some reason she dreaded it. Perhaps she felt second-hand embarrassment or maybe she was expecting a barrage of 'I told you so' comments to be thrown her way.
"I don't know," she attempted to say indifferently as she tried to rub Grayson's back soothingly. "I don't think he came home last night."
Kol frowned and scoffed, not at her, but at Klaus's behaviour.
She noticed Bonnie glaring at her from behind the kitchen counter.
"I knew leaving him at the bar last night was a bad idea," Kol groaned.
Both she and Bonnie shrugged.
"What else were we supposed to do?" Bonnie asked him. "It's not like we could drag him out of there. He needs to learn to take responsibility on his own."
"I know that," Kol said disappointedly.
"Has he called or texted you?" Bonnie asked her.
She shook her head and Bonnie rolled her eyes as though all her concerns about Klaus were being confirmed.
"Well if he's not here, then where is he?" Bonnie wondered.
"He's probably with Damon..." Kol hesitated.
She sighed in annoyance, frustrated that Kol felt the need to censor her from the other option.
"Or he's with the bartender," she suggested, filling in the space Kol had left purposely blank.
"Or that," Kol confirmed reluctantly as he and Bonnie eyed her with concern.
This wasn't a topic that required kid gloves with her and she hated that they thought it did.
"What?" she asked defensively.
Kol shrugged and Bonnie shook her head dismissively.
"I feel like you're expecting a reaction from me. I couldn't care less where Klaus is, or who he's with. My concern right now is that I'm running on little sleep, I can't get Grayson to settle down, and the person who's supposed to be helping me with him most is nowhere to be found. Those are my concerns," she stated firmly.
"Nik probably didn't stay out all night purposely to spite you," Kol told her. "He's just not used to putting someone else before himself, and this is just what he does when he's feeling overwhelmed."
Bonnie glared at Kol, handing him a coffee mug as she passed him, heading towards her and Grayson.
"That's not an excuse," Bonnie said critically.
Kol shook his head readily.
"I'm not trying to make any for him. I'm just trying to explain his behaviour," Kol clarified.
There was a small part of her who wanted to sympathize with Klaus, but she refrained. Klaus was an adult, as was she. They were adults with responsibilities. They didn't have the luxury of tuning out when they felt overwhelmed.
Bonnie disregarded Kol and looked down at Grayson with concern.
"What do you think has Grayson so worked up?" Bonnie inquired, thankfully changing the subject.
"I don't know," she replied. "I've fed him, I've changed him, I've tried to play with him; none of it is working."
Bonnie kneeled down on the floor beside them, placing her cup on the coffee table.
"Maybe he's sick?" Bonnie proposed, reaching out to feel Grayson's forehead.
She looked at Grayson worriedly.
"His temperature feels okay," Bonnie confirmed as she set Grayson in her lap.
"He was a little fussy when he ate, but he still has an appetite," she said. "His diaper didn't look any different when I changed it earlier," she added.
Bonnie cuddled Grayson who was still whimpering in discomfort.
"Maybe he misses them?" Bonnie suggested.
She hated to think that he might be suffering from Elijah and Elena's absence. It wasn't something that could be remedied easily.
"Do you think he can sense that they're gone?" she wondered, looking both at Bonnie and Kol.
They exchanged silent glances of concern.
She sat back against the couch feeling overwhelmed by a sudden sadness for Grayson and frustrated that there might be nothing she could do for him.
"Or maybe he just isn't feeling good," Kol restated, obviously trying to take their minds off the other possibility.
"Why don't you go upstairs and try and get some more sleep? Kol and I can take care of Grayson for a while," Bonnie offered.
She hesitated.
"You two should be the ones trying to get some more sleep. You have a flight to catch later on," she reasoned.
Bonnie shook her head.
"And then you won't have us to rely on at all," Bonnie said, implying backhandedly that she wouldn't be able to rely on Klaus either.
It was unsettling to think that later tonight Bonnie and Kol would be gone. She had grown used to them being here. They had been a huge help and a welcomed distraction. She didn't want to see them go.
"Take advantage of us while you can," Kol chuckled.
"Okay," she nodded appreciatively.
Kol frowned.
"How come when I ask Bonnie to take advantage of me, it never works that easily?" Kol mused. "I'm a limited time offer."
Bonnie shot Kol a glare of disapproval.
She smirked.
"Thanks guys. I don't know how much sleep I'll get if Grayson is down here crying up a storm, but I'll try," she decided.
He had barely slept at all that night. The alcohol and sexual relief were not even enough to sedate him. He lay uncomfortably on one side of the small double bed facing away from the bartender who had opted to take him home for the entire night. He never once faced her.
This was precisely why he never spent the night with a woman. It was awkward and cramped.
She had tried to lie next to him several times in the night, but he only moved further away until he was practically on the edge of the mattress.
It's not like he had anywhere else to go, though. Hell, had it been summer, he would have chose to crash outside somewhere.
He considered getting up and making the long walk back to the house, banging on the door until someone let him in, but he didn't feel like being chastised.
So, he stayed here instead. Awake in the darkness, his mind raced for hours, mostly between thoughts of Elijah and Grayson.
He still couldn't comprehend the fact that his brother was gone. He didn't want to comprehend it. Seeing Grayson in the cemetery in between his parents' caskets was probably the most horrific thing he had ever seen.
Compared to Elijah and Elena, he and Caroline were poor substitutes for Grayson; well at least he was, anyways.
Last night had proven as much. He had decided to stay at the bar, rather than leave with Grayson and Caroline. Mind you, by the time he made that decision his judgement was impaired by alcohol.
Yesterday had gotten the better of him; it was too much for him to handle. By the time he got to the Grill, he was already burnt out from the stress of the morning and his parents.
He didn't even want to think about his parents. He had to keep himself from worrying about them and what they were up to until they actually made a move. Thinking about them only made him feel worse; it only made him feel guiltier for his actions.
Caroline would be pissed with him; he fully expected it.
He had lapsed back into his old behaviour that she had called him out on only a few days ago, despite the fact that afterwards he had been so keen to prove her and everyone else wrong.
He fucked up. Of course she was going to be upset.
It was already a fact last night when she had confronted him at the Grill about leaving. He supposed her overhearing him refer to their hook-up being a mistake hadn't helped his cause either. He wasn't even sure what he meant by the comment when he said it. He wasn't even sure he agreed with that harsh assessment in hindsight, but he felt compelled to get Damon off his back. Regardless, she heard what he said and what girl wouldn't be offended by being referred to as a mistake?
He looked briefly over at Vicki.
And so he had dug his hole a little deeper, and he could have redeemed himself a little by deciding to go with Caroline, but he had chosen to stay behind with Damon and then go home with Vicki.
From what he could remember, the sex wasn't even that great to be worth the scolding he'd receive when he returned back to the house.
That's not to say Vicki wasn't attractive, because in most respects she was. But the sex was routine and mechanical. There was nothing exciting about it. It was lacking - what, he wasn't entirely sure. It was uninspired to say the least, but it served its purpose.
After a bout of whiskey dick, they made out awhile and she gave him a mediocre blow job in the kitchen. When her knees got too sore, she brought him to her bedroom where they clumsily stripped each other of their clothes. He fucked her from behind over the edge of her bed until he finally came to thoughts of other women; one particular blonde woman, if he cared to be unbearably honest with himself.
Once the thoughts started, they were relentless. He couldn't help himself from imagining that it was her on her knees beneath him rather than Vicki.
He cringed with shame and embarrassment, hating that he still thought about her that way. Now, even more so, being that he was back in Mystic Falls raising a child with her and not some relative stranger to her in New York.
It annoyed him that she had seemed to have left such an impassioned impression upon him.
He preferred to chalk his most recent thoughts up to the fact that they had been in close proximity to one another in the last few days. Of course, she would be on his mind.
That line of reasoning seemed to work well for him and put his concerns at ease.
He didn't want to fall into the trap of Kol's warnings. He didn't want to fulfill Damon's inappropriate premonitions.
There was no real threat of this happening anyways he assured himself, in spite of the impure thoughts he sometimes had of her. Caroline loathing him was the best kind of insurance he had.
His personal history with Caroline was in the past. Grayson was the only thing they shared between them now.
Even that was on thin ice, he knew; not just because of his parents, but because he was his own worst enemy.
He could hear his cell phone vibrating in his pants somewhere on the floor.
Sitting up, he rolled off the mattress and reached for his pants and took out the phone.
Upright, his hangover began to hit him instantly.
He made note of the time; it was after ten in the morning. It was later than he thought it was.
Initially, he expected the text to be from Caroline, but it was Kol.
'Where the fuck r u?' the message read.
So he wasn't wrong in assuming the entire house would have it out for him today.
He promptly texted Kol and asked if he would come pick him up.
Kol responded, surprisingly agreeing to his request.
Vicki was shuffling on the bed behind him, obviously having heard his phone go off.
Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed her sitting up on her elbows, half-awake.
"What time is it?" she croaked.
"After ten," he replied casually, as he put on his pants.
He proceeded to locate his socks and his shirt.
"Do you want to stay for breakfast?" she asked, sitting up, her naked upper-half exposed as the blanket fell to her waist.
The sight of her bare torso did nothing to convince him.
Staying longer, even just for breakfast, was last thing he wanted to do, aside from returning to Elijah and Elena's to be lambasted.
There was no point in delaying the inevitable, however.
He slipped into his shirt and shook his head.
"Actually, I have to run," he said vaguely.
He felt no inclination to elaborate. He didn't owe her an explanation.
She nodded passively.
He finished buttoning up his shirt and putting on his socks.
"I had fun last night," she commented, with a small smile.
"Yeah," he said apathetically.
His one-word reply didn't seem to discourage her.
"Well, I'm sure I'll see you around the Grill, so let's do it again sometime," she suggested.
He gave her a pensive look, but did not give her the enthusiastic response she was clearly fishing for from him.
"My ride should be here soon," he stated.
Vicki went to climb out of bed.
He held a hand out to stop her.
"Just stay in bed," he told her. "I can see myself out."
At some point, she managed to fall back to sleep.
It was more of a nap than anything.
She woke up two hours later.
Unable to stay asleep, even though she wanted to, she climbed out of bed.
She couldn't hear Grayson downstairs, though she could hear the faint sounds of the television.
Maybe Bonnie and Kol had managed to occupy Grayson with that. Elena wasn't a big fan of Grayson watching it at such a young age, but she had confessed to using it on occasion to get him to calm down.
She felt guilty leaving Grayson with Kol and Bonnie, but her desire to take a shower convinced her that a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. Come tomorrow, she might not have this time to herself.
After her shower, she dressed, straightened her hair, and applied some makeup to hide how heavy her eyes still appeared.
Downstairs, she found Bonnie by herself dusting in the family room.
"Bonnie Bennett, stop cleaning," she ordered. "You don't have to do that."
Bonnie shrugged innocently.
"It's the least I can do. I wish I lived closer so I could help you out more," Bonnie admitted.
She sighed at Bonnie's stubbornness. They were too much alike sometimes.
"Where's Grayson?" she asked. "Where's Kol?" she wondered, noticing his absence as well.
"Grayson's upstairs napping, for now," Bonnie revealed. "We got him to settle down finally."
She smiled thankfully, relieved that she hadn't woke him while she was in the bathroom.
"And Kol? Let me guess, he's napping too?" she concluded bemusedly.
"Actually, he's gone to pick up Klaus," Bonnie informed her.
She hesitated and looked at Bonnie questioningly.
"He texted Klaus; Klaus asked him to pick him up," Bonnie explained, "from the bartender's house."
Though she expected it, she still found herself slightly surprised. She also felt furious and anxiously sick to her stomach. Was this how he intended to take responsibility for Grayson?
"It's okay to be angry," Bonnie assured her. "You have every right to be."
She nodded and sat down on the sofa.
"Klaus can't just come and go as he pleases while you stay behind to raise Grayson," Bonnie supported her. "It isn't fair."
"I know," she agreed.
"It isn't fair to you, and it isn't fair to Grayson," Bonnie continued, almost repeating exactly what she had said to herself the night before. "Klaus can't keep acting like this, especially once Grayson gets older and becomes more aware."
She sighed discontentedly knowing what Bonnie was getting at before she even said it.
"Maybe Klaus being involved isn't such a good idea?" Bonnie suggested as she sat down beside her. "Klaus being here is supposed to help you and be positive for Grayson. Instead, he only seems to be hurting you both."
"I'm not hurt, Bonnie," she said defensively. "I'm just angry."
Bonnie glowered at her in disbelief.
"Okay, so maybe there isn't a small part of you that's hurt over Klaus hooking up with the bartender," Bonnie conceded reluctantly, "but you are hurt that Klaus is betraying his commitment to Grayson, and ultimately to you."
She tried not to let Bonnie's words get to her.
"Bonnie, it's only been a weekend. This is a huge adjustment. We all need time," she said, stunned that she actually found herself making excuses for Klaus.
"How much time is enough? You can't just put things on pause until Klaus is ready. Grayson is here, he's growing, he needs you now," Bonnie countered.
"I know that, Bonnie, okay? I know that," she said. "But I also know that Grayson and Klaus can be good for one another. I've seen it. I just don't want to overreact and sabotage that for either of them," she reasoned.
Bonnie narrowed her expression.
"Don't get me wrong, Kol and I really want this to work out for the three of you, but you also need to acknowledge that with the good there comes bad. You need to determine if the good is worth it. You also need to do what's good for you. You can't just let this slide," Bonnie warned.
"I'm not going to. I plan to talk to Klaus once he gets back with Kol," she explained.
Bonnie seemed satisfied with this and she relaxed.
"Kol and I are in your corner. Kol might be Klaus's brother, but he knows Klaus is in the wrong on this," Bonnie informed her.
She supposed it was reassuring to know that Kol agreed with her perspective. She hadn't really considered how awkward it would be to call Klaus out on his bullshit while his brother was in the other room.
"I guess Kol isn't as bad as I thought he was," she said to Bonnie.
Bonnie laughed lightly and nodded in agreement.
"No, he's not," Bonnie confirmed. "He can be really sweet when he wants to be."
"More like he can be sweet with a particular girl named Bonnie," she said.
She noticed Bonnie blush a little.
"You must be so excited that he'll be in New York with you for the summer," she commented, realizing they hadn't had much of a chance to discuss it given everything that had happened.
"It'll be interesting," Bonnie said hesitantly. "We've gotten used to living an ocean apart, so being in the same place will take some getting used to. I've never lived with the opposite sex before, well except for my father," Bonnie laughed.
"Neither have I," she affirmed. "I guess we'll kind of be going through the same thing together," she pointed out.
Bonnie nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, but at least you won't have to share your bed with Klaus," Bonnie snorted, clearly referring to her own relationship with Kol without much thought about the past. "At least you better not be," Bonnie warned as she realized the implications of her last comment.
Ignoring Bonnie's remarks about her and Klaus, she arched an eyebrow at her.
"You don't like sleeping with Kol?" she wondered.
"Don't get me wrong, I am more than ready to share a bed with him when we're awake," Bonnie winked suggestively, "but Kol is a notorious bed and blanket hog."
She laughed.
"Well he doesn't seem to mind sharing his clothes with you," she said, directing her focus on Bonnie's t-shirt.
Bonnie blushed with embarrassment again as she looked down at the baggy shirt.
"Remember when you said you would never wear your significant other's clothes because you didn't want to feel like his property?" she teased.
Scoffing, Bonnie shrugged her off with a playful smirk.
"I like this shirt," Bonnie explained innocently. "I like that it smells like him," she gushed.
Bonnie's admission made her smile. It was no easy task getting Bonnie Bennett to own up to her feelings.
"What?" Bonnie said, clearly annoyed by her amused grin.
"It's just cute," she answered, sighing longingly as she recalled a time when she would traipse around in Tyler's clothes when his parents were out of town or he snuck her upstairs to his bedroom.
Bonnie gave her a sympathetic smile.
"One day after things with Grayson settle down and Klaus returns to New York, you'll find someone who is going to fall in love with you and Grayson, Caroline," Bonnie reassured her.
She shrugged indifferently, though the truth of the matter was that it was something she desperately wanted. She craved the companionship and intimacy Bonnie and Kol seemed to have...that Elena and Elijah had. After being alone for so long, she was starting to feel lonely; now, even more so.
"Maybe you should try going to another one of those singles mixers at the Grill?" Bonnie suggested.
Her nose scrunched up at that idea.
"You know how well that went over the last time. I'm not looking for a one night stand," she said. "Plus, I know every single guy in town. It's a small place. I'm not interested."
"Maybe you should try online dating?" Bonnie recommended.
She scrunched up her nose even further at that idea.
"Sorry, but I don't feel like being raped and murdered by some creep off the internet either," she scoffed.
"I know a lot of people who've met their significant others through online dating. It's not as sketchy as you think. At least if you use the more reputable sites that you have to pay for," Bonnie clarified.
She shook her head.
"I'm not that concerned about it, Bonnie," she told her friend. "If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't," she resigned. "I'm not desperate."
"No one said you were," Bonnie assured her. "I just want you to be happy."
"I am," she said quickly. "Well, as happy as I can be, in lieu of the circumstances," she added, glancing around Elena and Elijah's family room.
"And I don't want you to be alone," Bonnie said.
She smiled at Bonnie, trying to be appreciative.
"I'm not alone. I have Grayson," she told her.
Bonnie scowled a little.
"You know what I mean," Bonnie said.
She nodded.
"It sounds like Kol wants to share more than his clothes with you," she said hurriedly, eager to take the spotlight off her romantic life - or lack thereof.
Bonnie eyed her curiously.
"Kol alluded to marriage the other night at dinner," she elaborated.
"He was just saying that to rile his parents up," Bonnie claimed, despite the undeniable twinkle in her eye at her mention of marriage.
She glared at Bonnie incredulously.
"I believe he said 'maybe someday'" she reminded Bonnie.
Bonnie shrugged her shoulders in defeat.
"Okay, so we've talked about it," Bonnie admitted. "But it's not like he's proposed or anything. If we did get married, it wouldn't be until we were finished school and could afford it."
She smirked at Bonnie's admission before giving her a small excited squeal.
"If I ever get married, I think I'll elope," she concluded, getting lost in the fantasy of it all.
"What happened to the Caroline Forbes who wanted the big wedding with all the attention on her?" Bonnie teased with wide eyes.
"I still like that idea," she revealed. "But I also appreciate the romance and intimacy of something more low key. Plus it's cheap."
Her last point seemed to resonate with Bonnie.
"I don't know how we're ever going to pay for a wedding even once Kol and I are done school," Bonnie sighed.
"Maybe you should ask Kol's parents to pay for it?" she joked with a laugh.
It felt good to laugh, and she continued especially after the unimpressed look Bonnie flashed her in response to her suggestion.
"I'm sure they would love to," Bonnie said sarcastically.
"You and Kol should elope. Then you won't have to worry so much about cost and you wouldn't have to invite Mikael and Esther," she encouraged.
Bonnie quickly shook her head.
"As tempting as that sounds, my Grams and my parents would kill me if I did that," Bonnie laughed. "Plus, you already promised me awhile back that you would make me a dress like you did for Elena," Bonnie recalled.
The conversation she had with Bonnie around the time she was making Elena's wedding dress came to mind.
"I could still make you a dr..." -
She was cut off by the ring of the doorbell.
Both she and Bonnie looked through to the living room towards the front hall.
"I wonder who that is," she said curiously, climbing off the couch for the door.
Bonnie followed behind her.
Opening the door cautiously, she made no effort to hold back the obvious frown that appeared on her lips.
Mikael and Esther stood on the porch expectantly with Rebekah behind them.
Speak of the devil, she thought to herself.
"Caroline," Esther greeted with a forced smile.
She stepped aside slightly and Mikael and Esther took this as tacit permission to enter, pushing the door open and moving passed her inside.
Neither of them acknowledged Bonnie.
"Hi," she said reluctantly.
Mikael's eyes dug into hers while Rebekah offered her a small apologetic smile.
"I hope we're not intruding?" Mikael wondered indifferently.
She attempted to stammer out a response.
"Good," Mikael said before she could muster a reply.
Esther dropped a large blue and yellow gift bag by the foot of the stairs as she began to unbutton her coat.
"Where are Kol and Nik?" Rebekah inquired as she looked around.
She panicked as both Mikael and Esther stared at her expectantly.
What would she say? Would she tell them Kol had gone to pick Klaus up at the house of his latest one-night stand? How would that look? It would be incriminating.
"Kol and Klaus are out...running errands," Bonnie said quickly, covering for her hesitation.
She nodded as confirmation.
Mikael and Esther looked at her and Bonnie suspiciously.
"They really are domesticated, aren't they?" Mikael chuckled to himself. "I thought Niklaus would still be in bed considering his time spent at the bar last night."
Her stomach curled into knots. Obviously, Finn and Sage had told them about Klaus's behaviour that they had seen before they left the Grill yesterday night.
Well at least they didn't know about where he ended up afterwards, she supposed.
"That's unfortunate they aren't here. We're in a rush, but we wanted to stop by before we left to catch our flight," Esther explained.
Esther nodded down towards the large gift bag.
"We wanted to see Grayson before we left to give him the gifts we got. Some are from Finn and Sage, but they had to depart earlier this morning," Esther clarified.
She really wasn't enthused to accept any gifts from them, but she didn't want to refuse Rebekah.
"Is Grayson awake?" Rebekah asked hopefully.
"He just went down for his morning nap a half hour ago," Bonnie answered, having been the one to successfully get him to sleep.
Esther frowned disappointedly while Rebekah seemed more understanding.
"We can just leave the gifts here. Nik and Grayson can Skype with me later and open them," Rebekah suggested.
As she began to nod in appreciation, Mikael interrupted her.
"You can wake Grayson up a little early from his nap, can't you? What's one nap in the scheme of things? He can sleep later. We're here all the way from London," Mikael argued. "While I'm confident Grayson will be joining us there soon, you know how quickly babies grow."
It was all she could do to hold back her jaw from falling open in shock. She couldn't believe what he just said. She wanted to wipe the pretentious smirk off of his face.
"Well he's been a little fussy this morning," she revealed. "It's probably best if he's not disturbed."
Mikael scowled.
"If you let him nap too long, he won't sleep later," Esther pointed out. "Surely, it won't harm him to wake him now? We won't keep him long. Just a few minutes," she pushed.
Normally around anyone else - friends, relatives, clients, or strangers - she could hold her ground, but the pressure she felt from Mikael and Esther was unbearable. And for some reason she felt the need to accommodate them and give them what they wanted, though she was supposed to be the one with the final say.
"Fine, I'll go wake him up for you," she said, making little effort to hold back the bitter tone in her voice.
"You don't have to," Rebekah offered quickly, clearly feeling guilty for her parents' insistence.
Mikael and Esther glared at their only daughter.
"Caroline offered," Mikael reasoned.
Now, according to Mikael, she had offered to wake Grayson up from his nap.
She groaned under her breath.
"It's all right," she sighed, talking to Rebekah.
It wasn't Rebekah's fault.
Rebekah relented with a frown.
As she ascended the stairs to Grayson's nursery, Rebekah followed behind.
She silently cursed Klaus for his absence.
He should be here to deal with his parents. Instead, she and Bonnie were left to fend for themselves.
If she had been smart, she wouldn't have answered the door in the first place.
She opened the door to the nursery quietly.
"I'm sorry for my parents," Rebekah whispered. "You really don't have to do this."
"Don't apologize," she urged Rebekah as they peered over the crib to find Grayson stirring.
"He's such a sweetheart," Rebekah cooed.
She picked up a half-asleep Grayson from his crib.
"He wasn't such a sweetheart this morning," she mused. "He's been so grumpy."
"I assume Nik was the same way this morning after the way he was knocking back drinks at the bar yesterday night," Rebekah commented.
She opted not to fill in Rebekah on the full reason behind Klaus's absence as she laid Grayson down on the changing table to check his diaper.
"He can't spend his days hungover on the couch anymore. He has a baby to take care of. He'll learn eventually," Rebekah sighed.
She nodded outwardly, inwardly hoping that Rebekah was right.
As she suspected, Grayson needed to be changed. She quickly began to ready the supplies while Rebekah watched.
"I can't stand Nik when he drinks. Moreover, I can't stand Damon Salvatore. That's why I didn't bother going over there even to say goodbye last night before I left. It wasn't right of Nik to spend the entire time at the bar while you were left with Grayson."
She shrugged uncomfortably.
"It wasn't such a big deal. You, Bonnie, and Kol had him most of the time anyways," she pointed out.
"Still," Rebekah started. "I hope you gave him a proper scolding."
She bit back a laugh at Rebekah's encouragement.
"Seriously, Caroline," Rebekah urged, "he can't be acting like this; especially if Mother and Father decide to pursue the ridiculous notion of contesting your guardianship of Grayson."
"I know," she murmured as the mood turned serious.
With Rebekah acting as a perfect distraction for Grayson, she finished changing his diaper and they returned downstairs.
Mikael, Esther, and Bonnie were still standing in the front hall by the door.
She caught the tail end of Mikael criticizing Kol's decision to move to New York for the summer.
Bonnie had never looked more relieved to see her in her life.
Grayson was already starting to get antsy at the mere sight of his grandparents.
"There he is!" Esther said in a bubbly voice, reaching for Grayson as soon as she stepped from the last stair.
She handed Grayson to Esther anxiously, expecting what Grayson's reaction would be.
He wasn't even in Esther's arms for a minute before he erupted into a fit.
She tensed, and offered to take Grayson back, but Esther held Grayson closer and tried to reassure him with words.
He cried harder.
She stepped back reluctantly, watching Esther with Grayson anxiously.
When Rebekah finally took Grayson from Esther, she let out the breath she had been holding.
Grayson still whimpered uncomfortably, but nothing compared to the shrill cries he had let out moments ago.
Rebekah sat on the stairs with Grayson in her lap as she pulled Grayson's gift bag beside them.
They watched as Rebekah encouraged Grayson to look inside the bag, but he wanted nothing to do with it.
"Look at this, Grayson," Rebekah said sweetly, opting to reach into the bag herself.
She pulled out a green plush dinosaur.
Grayson eyed it interestedly for a few moments, before pushing it away with his fists and squirming under Rebekah's hold.
After a second unsuccessful attempt to occupy him with another gift - a colourful rattle - Rebekah gave up.
"I don't think he's interested right now," Rebekah conceded disappointedly.
"He sure is a whiny baby," Mikael observed negatively.
"No, he's just tired," she interjected.
She noticed Bonnie try to hide a smirk as Rebekah handed Grayson back to her.
Rebekah placed the items back in the bag and stood up from the stairs in defeat.
"You'll have to try Skyping with Klaus," she suggested to Rebekah. "I'll keep everything in the bag so you can watch him open it then," she offered.
"Thanks," Rebekah said, leaning in to give Grayson a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you for the gifts," she told Rebekah.
There was no way she was going to be directing any courtesies to Mikael and Esther.
Rebekah smiled.
"We should probably be going anyways," Mikael said flatly. "The plane won't wait for us."
He turned for the door without another glance. He hadn't even bothered to acknowledge Grayson though he had been so insistent that she wake him up.
Esther tried to reach for him to offer him a kiss and a soothing caress, but he shirked away from her.
"I hope you like your gifts," Esther said to him affectionately, disregarding Grayson's protests.
She scoffed under her breath as Esther shot her a cold stare.
"I'm sure we'll be seeing you both soon," Esther commented, referring to her and Grayson, "once you and Niklaus have grown tired of playing house."
It was all she could do not to mutter something spiteful back. She didn't want to incite them though. It would make things worse than they already were.
Kill them with kindness, she supposed.
"Thanks for stopping by," she said, feigning politeness. "I'll let Klaus and Kol know that you were here. I'm sure they'll be sorry they missed you," she said with a subtle dash of sarcasm.
Esther mirrored her fake smile as she followed Mikael to the door.
"Goodbye, Bonnie," Esther said coldly as she walked by.
Bonnie nodded indifferently before turning to her and Rebekah.
"Keep in touch," Rebekah said to them encouragingly. "And keep my brothers in check," she added, looking at her in particular.
She saw Mikael and Esther scowl.
"We will," Bonnie answered for her as she gave Rebekah a hug.
With Grayson in her arms, she hugged Rebekah next.
"Hopefully, I'll be able to come visit again soon," Rebekah said.
"Without them, please," she whispered, referring to Mikael and Esther.
Rebekah smiled knowingly as they pulled away from the embrace.
"Bye bye, sweetie," Rebekah said to Grayson. "Auntie Bekah loves you."
She gave him another quick kiss before joining her parents at the door.
Rebekah exchanged a final set of solemn goodbyes with them as Mikael and Esther left the house readily.
Once the door was shut, she felt the urge to gasp for air.
He stood out in the driveway, despite the cool air, cigarette in hand, as he waited impatiently for Kol to arrive. He didn't want to be here any longer.
A cigarette and a half later, Kol finally pulled up in the car he and Bonnie had rented at the airport.
Dropping the cigarette on the pavement, he snuffed it out with his foot and approached the car reservedly.
"Hey," he said timidly, climbing in the passenger side.
"How was your night out?" Kol asked both suggestively and sarcastically as he sped off down the side road.
He cringed and shook his head.
"Unmemorable," he said flatly.
"Well you did drink a lot," Kol pointed out.
He glared at Kol purposefully to convey that it wasn't just the alcohol.
"Are you really surprised that drunken sex with a bartender wasn't everything you thought it would be?" Kol laughed.
He shrugged begrudgingly.
"Well I hope you had a good sleep, because Grayson is miserable. He had us all up at the crack of dawn," Kol complained.
He sighed under his breath both from guilt and concern over what he was about to walk into when they got back to the house.
"Thanks for coming to get me," he said as they continued the drive through town.
Kol snorted.
"Well it was either I come to get you, or you would have made us pay for your taxi since you probably have no cash on you after your tasteless escapade at the bar last night," Kol remarked snidely.
He deserved this. He expected this hostility. There was no use in being surprised or defensive.
"I would have just walked," he sighed, forgetting briefly that Damon had paid off his bar tab and that he actually did have money.
Kol laughed.
"Of course you would have, because you wouldn't have the balls to dare call Caroline to come pick you up," Kol retorted.
He slouched back in the seat guiltily.
"She's pissed?" he murmured to his brother.
"Obviously," Kol scowled. "And why shouldn't she be? You are a complete ass, Nik."
He raised his eyebrows and nodded accordingly.
"I guess you weren't lying when you said you had effectively closed the door on that history book," Kol concluded. "If ever you were ever angling for a second chance with her, this is definitely not the way to go about it," Kol muttered.
"Who said I was?" he retorted.
Kol shot him an incredulous glare before looking back on the road ahead of them.
"Why do you care? You're the one who discouraged me in the first place," he pointed out.
"I didn't discourage you. I warned you of the consequences if you fucked it up," Kol corrected him.
They were quiet for a moment as he tried to figure out what Kol was implying.
"Regardless of all that drama, you fucked up last night," Kol restated. "Did you not listen to a damn thing I said to you the other night?" he chastised. "Technically speaking, you and Caroline have a child together now. You can't just go out whenever you feel like it. You need to consider Grayson and her first," Kol lamented. "You need to get your shit together or it's going to blowback on you if Mother and Father decide to contest your guardianship."
"I know," he sighed.
"Clearly, you don't," Kol replied. "Look, I get that you didn't want to be around a bunch of sympathetic strangers yesterday, but you should have at least left with us. Don't even get me started on the fact that you decided to get shit-faced and hook-up at what was essentially Elijah and Elena's funeral," Kol continued.
He winced.
"I don't need to be lectured," he stated simply, rubbing his temples as the onset of a hangover headache began.
Kol shook his head in agreement.
"No, you probably don't considering you'll get your fill from Caroline when we get back," Kol said amusedly as he turned into the grocery store parking lot.
"Why are we here?" he wondered, desperate to return to the house so he could get his confrontation with Caroline over before he showered and napped.
Kol parked the car abruptly and removed the keys from the ignition.
"You and Caroline need groceries, and Grayson's getting low on diapers and on frozen boob juice, so he needs formula," Kol informed him.
He looked at his brother, surprised by his initiative.
"It was Bonnie's idea. She made a list. We figured it's probably good way for you to start working your way back into Caroline's good graces," Kol grimaced.
Kol and Bonnie's efforts to ease the wrath of Caroline he would experience when he returned home were unexpected.
He looked at Kol questioningly as he got out of the car.
"Bonnie and I want this to work for Grayson's sake," Kol reasoned.
He nodded.
Once in the grocery store, they stood aimlessly by the entrance trying to determine what department to start in first.
The lights in the store were blinding and the noise was deafening. He was cursing himself for drinking as much as he did the night before.
"I think we should hit the cosmetics aisle first," Kol decided.
His face contorted in confusion.
"Cosmetics?" he inquired.
Kol arched an eyebrow at him and laughed in disbelief.
"Were you so wasted that you didn't feel the bartender try to tear skin from your neck?" Kol chuckled. "Those hickeys are insane."
He felt his neck with his hands self-consciously, oblivious to the marks - the evidence - that had been left behind on his skin.
Holding his phone up to his face in hopes he'd see his reflection from the glare, he noticed a missed text message from Rebekah and an earlier one from Marcel that he had missed when Kol had texted him.
He sighed disappointedly as he read the one from Rebekah.
"What is it?" Kol asked. "Do the hickeys look worse than you thought?" he joked.
"I missed a text from Bekah just before you picked me up. She said that she, Mother, and Father were going to stop by while they were in town before their flight," he revealed.
"They're likely already there now," Kol frowned, removing his own phone from his pocket to inspect it for messages. "Bekah texted me, too," Kol confirmed as he shook his head.
As if he wasn't already expecting to be confronted by Caroline when he arrived home, it would probably be even worse now with his parents showing up in his absence.
Ignoring the text from Marcel, he put his phone in his pocket.
"We'll probably miss them by the time we get back," Kol said.
While the prospect of missing his parents altogether was something he didn't mind, he also didn't want Caroline to have to face them on her own. He trusted Rebekah, he knew they had her support, but he wouldn't put it past his parents to have ulterior motives with the visit.
If he didn't already feel guilty enough, this only added to it.
"Bonnie isn't going to be happy," Kol said glumly.
"Bonnie isn't going to be happy? Caroline is going to be furious," he shuddered as his head pounded a little harder.
"Touché," Kol agreed.
"Let's just find what we need and get the hell out of here," he urged.
He could have sworn he saw their parents and Rebekah drive by them on the way back to the house.
Though he would have liked to have said goodbye to his sister, he was relieved they had missed them even if it meant Caroline would probably be even angrier.
He'd rather that than a lecture from both Caroline and his parents.
After responding to Marcel's concerned inquiry into when his return to New York would be, he texted Rebekah an apology and wished her a safe trip back to the U.K. For a moment, he almost forgot what they were all doing back in Mystic Falls in the first place.
He ditched his last cigarette - he had chain smoked the entire ride home - out the window as they neared the house.
It seemed the closer they got, the more apprehensive he became.
Kol parked the car around back so they could unload their purchases - well his purchases.
He had never spent so much in one go at a grocery store before in his entire life. His credit card had been put to good use. Fruit, vegetables, meat, and dry goods were all well represented on the bill. Bonnie's list had been extensive and he wondered if she forgot that there would only be two people in addition to Grayson living at the house. Perhaps she had purposely over done it to spite him.
The most expensive items were those for Grayson. The formula was over a hundred dollars. The diapers were nearly fifty. That was in addition to the stockpile of baby food and baby wipes he had purchased.
They needed to get Elijah and Elena's accounts sorted out quickly because there was no way he could afford to drop this amount of cash every week for the next six months when he had no assurance of income during that time. He wouldn't be broke, but he would be teetering pretty close by the end of it.
"You're about to walk into the lion's den," Kol mused, patting him on the back.
He gave Kol an anxious glare as they both collected the grocery bags from the trunk of the car.
Kol led the way to the back door, tapping it with his foot, his hands too full to twist the knob or knock.
An unimpressed Bonnie opened the door for them and instantly his ears were greeted by the sound of Grayson's piercing cries.
His head throbbed harder.
He stepped inside behind Kol.
Looking into the family room, he noticed Caroline attempting to bounce Grayson soothingly in her arms as he screamed.
"Look who decided to come back, Grayson," he overheard Caroline say to Grayson sweetly, though he could taste the venom in her words.
They made brief eye contact before he entered the kitchen with the heavy grocery bags.
"Your parents were here. You missed it," Bonnie said flatly, giving him a sour expression. "They actually made Caroline wake Grayson up just so they could see him before they left. Can you believe that?" she said bitterly, as she took a few of Kol's bags.
"Hence, why he's screaming at the top of his lungs?" Kol winced as he set the rest of his bags down and removed his coat.
Bonnie nodded.
The screaming got louder as he noticed Caroline make her way into the kitchen from the corner of his eye.
"What's all this?" Caroline wondered curiously, talking to no one in particular - especially not him.
"Klaus thought it would be a good idea to stop at the grocery store on our way back," Kol explained quickly over Grayson's cries. "We picked up some food, diapers, formula..." Kol listed.
He glared at Kol's attempt to give him the credit for this idea. This was not his idea whatsoever.
Caroline looked at him both with intrigue and disdain at his apparent obvious attempt to return to her good graces.
"I was going to go out this afternoon and do this," she said absently, trying to juggle Grayson in her arms as she attempted to peer into some of the bags on the floor.
He shrugged.
"Here, let me take him," Bonnie offered.
Caroline placed Grayson in Bonnie's arms thankfully before kneeling down to inspect the groceries.
"Chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream," Caroline observed interestedly as she took the tub out of one of the bags. "Bonnie and I just finished one of these last night," she added, looking at Bonnie curiously as she put the ice cream in the freezer.
He glared at Kol in annoyance before turning his back to find a place in the cupboards for some of the other items he had purchased.
The situation was awkward to say the least. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife, and Bonnie and Kol standing there eyeing him expectantly as Grayson continued to sob made things no better.
"I think Grayson might need to be changed," he heard Kol concluded randomly.
"I just changed him..." Caroline started.
"Yeah, Caroline just changed him," Bonnie confirmed.
- "Can't you smell that?" Kol interrupted. "It's probably why he's so grumpy."
When he shut the cupboard and turned around, he saw Kol striding out of the kitchen, practically pushing Bonnie into the hall.
Leave it to Kol to make an uncomfortable situation more unpleasant.
While the pressure of having Kol and Bonnie present was momentarily relieved, and he could hear himself think now that Grayson was gone, he wasn't convinced that being alone in the kitchen with Caroline was preferable.
Caroline emptied another bag silently, as though purposely trying to ignore him.
He was unsure if he should opt for the passive aggressive silent treatment or a verbal confrontation. Neither had any appeal.
They were both walking on eggshells as he himself emptied another bag and she practically hid in the fridge to put the fruit and vegetables away.
When the fridge door shut a little harder than he expected, he looked up to find Caroline staring at him, arms crossed, and a threatening look in her eye.
"So how was your night?" she asked critically. "Judging by the marks all over your neck, I'd say it was fantastic," she hissed.
He sighed, deciding he might as well incite her and get this over with. He didn't want to play this drawn out game with her.
"You can skip the false pleasantries, love. You and I both know that you really don't care about how my night was," he said.
She huffed bitterly, standing directly opposite him with the kitchen island in between them.
"You're right. I don't care about your night anymore than you care about mine or Grayson's," she seethed.
He winced a little at her accusation.
"That's not true," he protested.
She arched an eyebrow at him and scoffed sarcastically.
He knew the evidence was stacked against him.
"Isn't it?" she countered, "because I'm pretty sure you're utter lack of concern for anyone but yourself was made painfully clear last night and this morning," she added shakily.
He shook his head in firm denial.
"We just buried Elijah and Elena. I was upset. I needed to escape. I made a mistake," he said, even though he knew his excuse and his acknowledgement would do nothing to help his case.
"I was upset, too!" she snapped. "I wanted to escape too!" she said. "But I couldn't do that because I have responsibilities, and unlike you, I have no one to depend on to bear the weight of them when I can't or don't feel like it," she cried. "While I was busy taking care of our responsibilities, you were busy making sure your dick was taken care of. While I was busy looking out for Grayson, you were busy looking out for you. The least you could have done was texted me to let me know where you were so I didn't spend half the night worrying," she hesitated.
So she was worried about him. He looked at her curiously.
"Elijah and Elena were just killed in a tragic accident, and you're gone the entire night without a word. What kind of conclusions do you think my mind is going to reach for?" she demanded.
He scoffed defensively. He knew he was in the wrong, but he didn't like being called out on it.
"Relax, Caroline. It was just one night," he argued.
"I don't care if it was one night, or ten," she said sternly. "That's not the point," she muttered. "The point is that you agreed to do this with me together. We agreed to share this responsibility. Sharing responsibility means that you don't get to come and go as you please. We need to be able to rely on each other and respect one another. Grayson needs to know that he can rely on us. He needs stability from you, not an occasional father figure, Klaus," Caroline quipped.
Her final words struck a chord with him.
"I know," he breathed.
"Well if you know that, then why are you acting like this?" she countered angrily. "Seriously, Klaus, if you don't want to be here, don't be here," she hesitated. "Just stop pretending that you do, if you don't. It's not fair to me or Grayson," Caroline sighed, rubbing her hands over her face.
He looked up at her.
"I want to be here," he said genuinely.
"Then start acting like it!" she barked. "We're supposed to be co-parents. I'm not a babysitter or a doormat. You need to share the responsibility with me."
"I'm trying!" he defended.
She glared at him.
"Well you need to try harder then, because completely disregarding me and staying out all night is not how you share responsibility," she stated.
"So I'm not allowed to go out anymore?" he retorted, raising his hands questioningly.
She rolled her eyes.
"That's not what I'm saying!" she lamented. "I'm saying that we need to both agree to our free time in advance. You can't dump Grayson in my arms whenever you have something else to do," she reasoned. "You can't expect me to pick up your slack all the time."
He went to speak, but she continued to talk over him.
"And your responsibility doesn't just end when you leave the house and go out to have fun," she warned. "You need to be thinking about Grayson all the time. He always needs to come first. You may think that last night was innocent fun, but every choice you make affects him."
He eyed her incredulously.
"Don't you think you're being a tad bit dramatic now?" he said. "I went out last night, I had too much to drink, and as you're already aware, I went home with someone. Aside from disregarding you, I don't think it was that big of a deal," he groaned.
Her eyes widened sharply.
"I'm being dramatic? Really?" she said. "When you fucked the bartender last night did you use contraception?" she inquired viciously.
He glowered at her intrusive question.
"Are you seriously asking me that question?" he wondered. "What does that have to do with anything? This sounds more like a question for your own curiosity," he countered.
She scowled irately.
"Well when the bartender gets knocked up with your kid because you didn't want to use a condom and you have two babies to take care of, I doubt you'll think that I was being dramatic then," she snapped. "Every choice you make affects Grayson," she reiterated.
He rubbed a hand over his face in annoyed distress.
Truthfully though, he hadn't even thought of the consequences she was forewarning him of.
"Oh for fuck's sake, I wrapped it all right? You of all people should know I don't fuck around when it comes to that," he bemoaned. "Satisfied?"
The fact that he had even made reference to their sexual history hadn't even dawned on him until the words were already out of his mouth.
Caroline appeared hostile and horrified all at once.
"No actually, I'm not, because that's only part of it," she spat. "Finn and Sage were at the Grill last night. You know that because you walked in with them. They saw you pound back drink after drink at the bar before they left with Rebekah. Did you really think they weren't going to tell your parents about that? Because they did; and your parents couldn't resist bringing it up when they dropped by earlier. Something you also weren't here for. Bonnie had to cover for you," she seethed bitingly. "All night drinking binges and one-night stands aren't exactly the types of behaviour the courts are going to look favourably upon if your parents go ahead and contest our guardianship," she berated.
"It was one time!" he repeated. "Surely the courts will grant me some leniency considering the circumstances," he snarled, "unlike some."
Caroline's hands flung to her hips defensively.
"One time is all your parents need! You know damn well they'll twist your behaviour to make it as incriminating as possible. The courts could side with your parents as it stands right now. We can't exacerbate things and weaken our case," she deplored as her voice quieted. "We could lose Grayson," her voice cracked as she started to become emotional.
She rubbed her hands under her eyes in an attempt to fight back tears.
He looked down shamefully. He didn't want to see her cry.
"You promised me, Klaus! You promised you weren't going to let them take Grayson. You told me we weren't going to screw this up," she reminded him. "You're breaking your promise already, and screwing up is exactly what you're doing!"
"Caroline, I..."
- "No, Klaus, I don't want to hear your excuses right now. Save your breath. I'm tired of them. I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of being sad and angry. I'm tired, period. Grayson's screams have been ringing in my ears all day. Now that you're home, it's my turn to escape. Your needs, be damned. I hope your hangover enjoys a crying baby," she declared hotly, turning on her heel.
She grabbed her purse off counter and stormed out of the kitchen for the front door.
He didn't follow her. He felt frozen in place, hearing the jingle of her car keys as she grabbed her coat from the front hall closet.
Pushing himself to stop her, he headed for the hall, but it was too late.
The front door slammed shut as she ran out.
She sat in her car and sobbed for a good five minutes as it slowly warmed up.
Her confrontation with Klaus played over and over again in her mind.
She considered going back inside to talk to him.
A part of her felt guilty for getting so angry with him, but then another part of her felt an undeniable sense of catharsis and vindication.
He deserved her words, no matter how much they might have stung. He needed to hear them. He needed to understand how she felt and how his actions affected those around him.
Bonnie was right, she couldn't just let this slide. She needed to stand up for herself.
Still, she couldn't help but feel like she had alienated him and that was never her intention. She didn't want to scare him away.
This wasn't an ideal situation for either of them. It had been dropped in their laps as the result of a tragic circumstance, and while she was confident she could manage Grayson on her own, she genuinely wanted to make this work with Klaus.
They had already agreed that Grayson needed both of them.
She really didn't want to do this without him.
Deciding that they both needed time apart to cool down, she put her car into drive and headed for her store and apartment.
She hoped when she returned, and after Kol and Bonnie left to catch their flight home, leveler heads would prevail so she and Klaus could resolve their issues.
This was just a bump in the road they would have to get over. They would have to learn to deal with one another since she was certain it wouldn't be the last time they would fight in the next eighteen years or so.
Both of them were stubborn though, and she worried that Klaus would be feeling even more hostile and impulsive when she returned.
She needed to be prepared to stand her ground.
If Klaus wasn't ready to make a genuine effort for Grayson, then she didn't want him here; then she and Grayson were better off alone.
When she got downtown, she made sure to wipe her eyes and clean up her face a little so that Camille and April wouldn't be suspicious.
She checked in on the store first.
April gave her personal condolences, but after that, the topic of Elena and Elijah didn't come up again, which she was grateful for. Camille had probably filled April in on all the details anyways. She didn't really mind; it saved her from doing it herself.
She had thought for sure Camille would have mentioned something about Klaus and the bartender, but she had seemed to have forgotten about it. Perhaps Camille's interest in him had waned after that. Camille could be fickle at times. She wasn't about to go out of her way to bring it up again though. Moreover, she didn't feel like revealing what Klaus had done after she left. Camille's second guesses, in addition to Bonnie's and her own, were the last thing she needed right now.
After their initial personal conversation, she jumped right into going over the work that needed to be completed. While Camille largely maintained the business side of things for her, April was very savvy with a sewing machine. Together, the two of them could handle the store and the simple to moderate alterations that had to be done.
However, there was a pile of custom work waiting in the back for her that she had dropped on Friday when she left early for Elena and Elijah's as their babysitter for the weekend. She intended to get back at it yesterday had circumstances not drastically changed. Now, she was a day behind.
No matter what, she'd have to at least attempt some of this work tomorrow. It couldn't be put off any longer. Klaus would have to take Grayson for the day while she got some work done. The sooner she got this work done, the sooner she would be paid for it.
She probably could have stayed at the store for a couple of hours and got started now, but she also needed to clean up her apartment and retrieve more of her things.
Taking some empty boxes from her workspace downstairs, they, along with her travel luggage, would work well in transporting what things she would need if she was going to reside at Elijah and Elena's for an indefinite period of time.
She decided to clean first, paying extra attention to the kitchen fridge and cupboards - tossing any opened food, and keeping the sealed items for Elijah and Elena's. Certainly Klaus had not picked up everything on his impromptu and suspicious shopping trip.
When the apartment was clean, she made a mental list of everything else she needed to take with her. She filled the first box and her luggage with clothing items: winter and spring outfits, exercise clothing, pyjamas, bras, socks, panties, stockings, etc. A second box was filled with all her beauty supplies she was sure she would need.
After that, she took advantage of her spotless space by capturing a few flattering photos. If she wanted to help cover costs, she would have to rent this place out to someone.
Once all that was finished, she hadn't realized how much time had actually passed since she left the house to come here.
As if perfectly timed with her realization, she could hear her phone sounding inside her purse by the front door.
It was a text from Bonnie wondering where she was and informing her that they had to leave in a while. There was also a missed call from Klaus.
They still had a few hours before their flight, but she had failed to factor in the time it would take to drive to the airport and get through security. Once she played that scenario out in her mind, she realized Kol and Bonnie would have to leave shortly after she returned.
She scolded herself for not thinking, and quickly made a few trips downstairs to load her car with the things she had packed.
Though her fight with Klaus made her reluctant to return, she wasn't going to miss saying goodbye to Bonnie. She wasn't sure when they would see each other again.
When she arrived back at the house, she took with her only what she could carry in one trip. She would get the other stuff after Bonnie and Kol had left.
She entered through the back door and dropped her box in the corner beside Bonnie and Kol's waiting luggage.
"Hey," Bonnie greeted her carefully, standing up from the couch in the family room.
Kol was with her.
"We thought we were gonna miss you," Bonnie said curiously, clearly trying to avoid being confrontational.
"Sorry, I had to get out of the house for a bit," she explained as she removed her coat.
Bonnie nodded sympathetically as she walked around the dining table and noticed the box.
"I stopped at my store and then decided to clean up my apartment and pack a few more things. Time ran away on me," she informed them. "I hope you guys didn't wait for me. I don't want to make you late," she said guiltily.
Kol shook his head as he stood up from the couch and turned off the television.
"We won't be late, but we should probably head out now," he said to both her and Bonnie.
She couldn't help but feel like Kol was hesitating for some reason.
"Where's Grayson?" she wondered, as Kol and Bonnie started to put on their outerwear.
"We got him to take his afternoon nap," Bonnie said.
"The little guy put up a fight," Kol laughed.
"Klaus is just putting him down now," Bonnie revealed. "We wanted to say our goodbyes first."
She frowned at the prospect of their departure.
"I'm sorry. I should have returned sooner. I hate that you have to leave already," she sighed to Bonnie.
"Its fine, Caroline," Bonnie assured her. "I wish we didn't have to go either," she agreed.
Her eyes began to go glassy as tears began to fill them. She had said goodbye to Bonnie many times before and she had never been this emotional over it. The circumstances were never quite like these though. They had both just lost their best friend and were now acutely sensitive to how fragile life could be. A part of her couldn't help but worry that this might be the last time she would see or talk to Bonnie. Another part of her was just terrified to be alone in this house with Klaus and Grayson without Bonnie and Kol as mediators.
"Come here," Bonnie cried, extending her arms and bringing her into a hug. "Everything's gonna be fine, okay? We'll all get through this," she assured her as she rubbed her back comfortingly. "I'll call you as soon as I'm back in New York, and every day after that if you want me to," Bonnie said with a chuckle.
"Okay," she agreed, pulling away from the hug.
"You're gonna be fine with Grayson," Bonnie added, as though she knew what was worrying her most. "Keep an eye on him though. He still doesn't seem like himself."
She nodded.
As she was about to say goodbye to Kol, Klaus appeared in the kitchen from the hall.
The first thing she noticed was the black and tan suitcase in his hand; his suitcase.
Her entire body went rigid and her stomach coiled into the tightest of knots.
Suddenly she felt numb.
Bonnie and Kol were looking at her worriedly, as Klaus stepped cautiously around the dining table with his luggage.
"We'll wait out in the car," Kol offered quietly, leaning in to give her a small hug that her body could barely react to. "Take care of my nephew...and yourself. Don't ever hesitate to call me or Bonnie if you need anything," Kol told her.
"I will," she whispered, almost in a daze as a hot tear rushed down her cheek.
Bonnie and Kol exchanged a final sympathetic look with her before departing through the back door with their luggage in hand.
She stood there, completely immobilized, her back to Klaus as she heard him set his bag down.
"Caroline..." he said cautiously.
She heard him get closer and she backed away, spinning around on her feet to face him.
"Don't," she hissed, holding her hands up defensively. "So this is it? One fucking weekend and you decide you can't handle the pressure so you're just gonna hop on the next flight back to New York like it's that simple?!" she shouted resentfully through her tears. "You're just going to pack up and leave as though Grayson means nothing to you?!" she snapped.
"Caroline, let me explain," he urged, reaching out.
She swatted his hand away from her.
"No! I think you've made yourself perfectly clear. You don't need to explain anything. I understand this all too well," she cried. "You're fucking pathetic!" she sobbed.
"Caroline, calm down," he said, grabbing both of her upper arms in an attempt to steady her.
She protested viciously, flailing her fists against his chest.
"How could you do this?!" she deplored. "How could you do this to him?!"
"Listen to me," he said as she tried to pry his hands off her.
"No," she fought.
"I'm coming back," he said.
She slowly stopped struggling as she eyed him questioningly.
"I have to go back to New York for a couple of days, but I'll be back," he clarified.
The muscles in her body started to relax.
"You stormed out earlier before I could bring up the possibility," he continued. "I talked to Marcel after you left. Listen, I know its bad timing, but he really needs me to go back. There are loose ends I need to tie up; work I need to finish up. I managed to get on the same flight as Bonnie and Kol," he elaborated.
She stood there almost in shock as she began to process what he was saying.
"I know what this looks like, but I'm not running. You have to trust me," he urged her. "You wanted me to start taking responsibility well that's what I'm trying to do. I need to settle my responsibilities in New York before I can take on new ones here," he explained.
There was a part of her who wanted to fight him on this; who wanted to second guess every single word he said to her, but she was tired of fighting. Regardless if he was being truthful or not about returning, she couldn't stop him from leaving permanently if that's what he wanted to anyways.
"I was an asshole last night," he began, "I didn't mean to hurt you or Grayson, but I was only thinking about myself at the time."
She nodded.
"I feel like an even bigger asshole now that I'm essentially leaving Grayson with you for a few days without much warning," he sighed guiltily. "I can try and postpone if you want me to, but I have deadlines."
She looked away pensively for a moment and considered his words and what her response would be.
"This is different," she finally spoke up. "You need to go to New York for work. I understand," she breathed, feeling a weight slip off her shoulders unexpectedly. "You're doing this for Grayson."
A look of relief crossed Klaus's features as he nodded and exhaled sharply.
"Thanks," he said with a half-smile. "I definitely owe you," he concluded. "You can have all the free time you want when I get back. I'll even change diapers for a week," he offered.
She tried her best to bite back a small laugh. She didn't want him to think the key to her forgiveness was petty bribes.
"I mean it," he said seriously. "I don't want to be an occasional father figure to Grayson, and I want you to be able to depend on me. I really do want to be here; for Grayson...and for you," he said anxiously.
She closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to catch her residual tears.
"I want you to be here," she admitted.
"I'm not going to screw this up for us," he said. "I intend to keep my promise to you."
He was staring at her intensely.
Having been so caught up in their conversation, she only now felt his hands lingering on her bare forearms.
She looked down and his eyes followed.
Before he could notice the goose bumps that had rose on her skin, she slipped her arms out of his grasp.
"You should probably go. You don't want to keep Bonnie and Kol waiting," she murmured, stepping back.
"You're probably right," he sighed.
He took his jacket off of one of the dining chairs and put it on.
"I talked to Stefan this afternoon. Our court date to formalize temporary guardianship is Friday. I'll be back before then," he assured her. "Stefan said he would call you with more details."
She nodded, surprised by the news of their court date but oddly comforted by his continued reassurance.
"Lock the door when I leave," Klaus said as he leaned down to pick up his bag. "Maybe find out what the password is for the security system so you can turn it on."
The feminist in her was scowling, but she appreciated his concern nonetheless. It was probably a good idea to figure out how to work the security system anyways. Elena had turned it off so she wouldn't have to deal with it while they were away.
"Okay," she agreed.
He stepped by her for the back door.
"Klaus?" she said, prompting him to stop in the doorway.
He looked back questioningly.
"Will you text me?" she asked anxiously, suddenly feeling a sense of vulnerability.
"I will," he told her.
A/N: You know what they say about absences, hearts, and fondness... What did you guys think? I need to know!
*Spoiler Alert*
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Next Up: a trip to New York, dinner with the Salvatores, and long distance phone calls...