I met Klaus at his place, meeting Klaus had become a regular thing, and I was becoming a fixture at the Mikealson place, so that we could comb through the things that were stored in Izzy's room. I was excited and scared all the same. Izzy was like a giant mystery that I was about to solve. Only I had no idea what the mystery was and why I was the one to solve it.
"Hello sweetheart." Klaus answered the door before I had a chance to knock. He was leaning with one arm on the frame, and his signature smirk a crossed his face. "I thought that we would go on up to the attic. Thats where everything is."
On the way to the attic Klaus filled me in on some of the basics of my family's history. He explained that my mother sold the property and it's contents not long after her parents died. As their only living child she got everything. She never even bothered to return to Mystic Falls to close up the house. She simply contacted a local realtor and told them to sell the house and the contents. The house remained empty for many years, until the Mikealsons bought it.
"When we moved all the personal items were already packed, and all the furniture was draped in white sheets. My mother couldn't be bothered to go through everything so everything was put in the attics." Klaus explained.
Stepping into the attic was stepping into a time capsule. A window into my mother's past. Klaus had already spent sometime up here; boxes were open and photo albums were everywhere. Klaus talked I looked at the pictures. My mother was beautiful as was her sister. I looked like her, eerily like her; like Izzy.
"Your mother never spoke of this?" Klaus asked as he handed me another album.
"Honestly my mother wasn't big on extended family. We had each other and that was all we needed." I answered.
Later that night I questioned my father about my mother and her her past. It's funny, moving back to her hometown made me realize I never really knew the women that gave birth to me and I spent sixteen years of my life with.
"I find that very peculiar." Klaus rubbed the stubble on his chin. "What about your father?"
I had to laugh. "My father doesn't want me to have anything that has to do with Izzy. I can try to talk to him again." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. I highly doubted that he would be forth coming, but I had questions and he was the only one who could provide answers.
"Dad, " I approached him while him and Steven were watching TV. I had made she that Anna had already been put to bed. "I got some questions about mom." My question must have startled the both of them because the both winced as if this was going to be painful. This only made me all the more intrigued.
My dad and Steven detangled themselves from each other and turned off the TV. "Sure sweetheart. What do you to know?" My dad had given me a sympathetic smile.
Steven stood up to leave before my voice called out stopping him. "You don't have to go." Both Steven and my dad looked surprised, but Steven sat back down and held onto m y father's hand. "What was she like? I know nothing about her life here." I voiced my question catching my dad off guard.
I saw as a smile grew on his face. "She was so much like you. Spunky, is what I described her as. She also knew her own mind, and I loved that about her. She was an individual and that got her noticed."
I cringed at the next question that was going to come next. "How did you two...you know?" I blushed at the implication of my next question
Both my dad and Steven laughed at my discomfort. I was glad I was amusing them, note the sacrasm. My dad's voice took a serious tone, and let got of Steven's hand so that he could lean closer to me. "You have to understand the time. It was the eighties and everyone was convinced that being gay meant aids, and this town as you can imagine was not that open minded. I tried to connivence myself that I was straight. So I did what every boy my age was doing, and I got a girlfriend. Your mother and I had been friends since we were babies so when we started dating it was like a natural progression. As you can imagine my parents were thrilled. She was from a founding family after all. I loved your mother as much as I was able to, and I am certain that if I was attracted to women, I would have chosen her. Then you were born and my whole world changed. I realized that as long as I lived a lie I could never be a parent. How could I teach my child not lie when I was the biggest liar of them all."
"But you left, you just didn't leave mom you left me too." I don't know where I got the courage to say that to my father. Maybe it was his honesty; his willingness to open up gave me the encouragement I needed.
Bill winced, he daughter wasn't lying. He did leave, and what was worse, he didn't give thought to the child he left behind. "And I live with that guilt everyday, but for the first time in my life I was free. Was I selfish? Yes. Caroline, you need to understand when I came out it was like blinders had come off my eyes and for the first time I was seeing the world. So was I immature and reckless, yes, and I had no right to be. I had a little girl who need a father. I am so sorry that I wasn't. The way you are, how you turned out I know that I cannot take credit for. Your mother raised you, and she did a amazing job. I want you to hear this because it is very important. Living a lie is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. The lie causes more pain and disappear then any physical wound ever could. "
Caroline took a deep breath and then braced herself for what she was about to do. "Dad I want to talk about mom when she was my age. Specifically I want to know about Izzy."
Bill recoiled back into the sofa. It was like the mere mention of the name threw him. Steven was surprised when Bill withdrew his hand from his and crossed his arms over his chest. "Caroline we talked about this."
"I know, but Dad she is everywhere. At Rebkah's, at school, and at the Gilbert lake house. She is following me, or at least her legend is. I need to know so that I can shake her." I ran my hands threw my hair to release some frustration.
Bill was seething with anger. "At school, and the Gilbert's, what did Ric and John say to you? Tell me Caroline what did they say?" Bills tone scared both Steven and Caroline.
Ric, and John what did they have to do with Izzy? The question came to Caroline's mind. "They didn't tell me anything. Why would they?" Caroline was weary of her father, and her posture was reading just that.
Bill cursed at himself. After all his attempts to discourage her inquiry, and he was the one to unwittingly give her more information. "Nothing, just forget about them. I want you to go be a teenager. This is morbid stuff and I don't think it is healthy for you to look into with everything that happened to your mom. Now go to bed, Caroline, its late."
I knew when to shut my mouth and leave. I went to the sanctuary of my room and pulled the photo albums out of my bag. I smiled as I saw my mother smiling back at me. Then I got angry - angry that she left me alone with this, and angry that she kept a part of herself hidden.
"Bill, what the hell was that? And do not try to give me the brush off. Every time you hear that name you lose it, and I swear to God if you aren't honest with me I will go up there and help Caroline." Steven threatened. The way he saw they were suppose to be partners, and that meant being open and honest.
"Steven, I swear I will tell you everything explain it all, but right now I have to go out. Please, baby, trust me." Bill kissed Steven and then rushed out the door.
The bar was nothing like the Grill. It was the type of place where people went to disappear and people knew how to mind their business. The lighting was dark, smokey, and noisy; noise that was coming from the balls clacking on the pool table, noise from the conversations that were happening all around, and noise from the crappy out-dated juke box.
When Bill walked into the bar he scanned the room until he found exactly what he was looking for; John and Ric. He motioned with his chin for the three of them to go to the empty table before walking over and joining them
"This seems like old times doesn't it?" John cracked as he motioned for the waitress to bring them each a beer.
"This is not time for jokes. I don't want either of you talking to my daughter about Izzy." Bill got right to the point.
"Bill," Ric began was quickly cut off.
"Izzy is ancient history. One I think we all would like to stay buried. " The other two men couldn't argue with him. Bill was right they all had secrets that they didn't want anyone else to know.
All of a sudden it clicked for Caroline and she pulled out her phone and called Klaus. "Hello." He answered sleepily.
"Hey did you say that there were year books up in the attic?" Caroline asked with excitement in her voice.
"Yes, why?" Klaus sat up a little straighter in his bed. Where was Caroline going with this.
"Good do me a favor and see if John Gilbert and Alaric Saltzman were in her class." Caroline was giddy, she was certain that they would have been in the same class.
Klaus rummaged through his night stand looking for a piece of paper and a pen to write the name down. "Why?"
"Because tonight my father told me not talk to them about Izzy. Only I never said their names, he did." Caroline was proud of herself. She felt like this was there big break.