Summary: After learning that her mother has cancer, Caroline insists on accompanying her to the hospital, where she meets Klaus Mikaelson: a loving father and a concerned brother with a similar diagnosis.
A: I don't own TVDU or any character. I'm sorry for my bad english. I'm so sorry if I portrayed anything wrong.
Her mother had cancer. Despite Liz's insistence that she cannot come with her, Caroline still accompanied her to her first chemotherapy session.
"Okay, so I brought blankets, snacks, and ten of your favorite books. Do you need anything else?" Caroline said excitedly as the nurse started her mother's IV. The doctor, Elena Gilbert, was sitting next to Caroline.
"A cup of tea would be nice..." her mother said softly.
"Sure, right away." Caroline replied, walking worried out of the door.
After about 10 minutes of searching for a vending machine, Caroline finally managed to get her mother a cup of tea. However, as she walked back into the hospital lounge, she saw a small candy vending machine, and remembering the few but precious moments she had with her mother from her childhood, she reached out with a coin to get her one. However, another hand reached out to the car at the same time.
"I was here first." Caroline said immediately.
"You don't own the vending machine, love." a British accent came from behind her.
Caroline then looked behind her to see an absolutely gorgeous blond man with eyes bluer than the sea, pale, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a cherry henley that showed off the tattoo on his shoulder. No, no, Caroline, the colored candy was more important than a random annoying man, than a random very handsome annoying man...
"Maybe not, but I need it more!"
"No, I do!" the man screamed, which annoyed Caroline even more. She had to get back to her mother, she didn't have time to argue with this man.
"I don't have time for this, I'm buying the candy."
"No, I saw it first."
"I need to return to my mom, she has her first chemo session today. What are you doing here anyway?"
"I'm...I'm here with a f-friend..." the man said hesitantly. He paused, then added, as if his whole face suddenly changed: "I'm Klaus, it's a pleasure to meet you, love. And your name is..." he says with a grin.
"I'm telling you only if you stop annoying me and let me take the candy."
Klaus nodded so Caroline put the coin in the machine and said:
"I'm Caroline."
Suddenly, Elena appeared from behind a wall. He approached the two and, addressing Caroline, said:
"Hey Caroline, your mom didn't know why you were gone for so long, she's a little worried."
"Oh, I just had some trouble finding the vending machine, but I got her tea. I'm ready."
Elena nodded, then, turning her head to Klaus, said in a sweet tone:
"Klaus, go back to your room, you shouldn't be standing too long."
"Sure, doc. See you later, love." he replied, grinning.
"Oh, I thought he was visiting someone," Caroline said, as soon as Klaus had disappeared around the corner.
"Oh no, Mr. Mikaelson is hospitalized here." Elena answered.
"What...?"
"Lung cancer."
Walking past the patient rooms a few hours later, Caroline was a little surprised to hear Klaus' voice again. Looking through the wide open door of the hospital room, she saw a little red-haired girl in Klaus' arms, sitting in front of an easel in the room set up to look as comfortable and normal as possible. The blond man tickled the little girl and she giggled, then showed her how to move the brush to get the perfect shadows.
"Caroline?" came Elena's voice from behind her.
"Yes...?"
"Are you ok? Today was a little tough for you."
"Yes...I'm alright..."
Elena laughed, noticing where Caroline was standing, then whispered:
"Are you spying on Mr. Mikaelson or something?"
"No, no, God, no. I'm just...is that his daughter?" Caroline said lovingly.
"yes"
"So her mother..."
"They're not together. A one night stand, I believe."
Over the months, Caroline began to enjoy Klaus's company more and more, coming to not completely hate him (despite his huge ego), as her mother's condition got better and his just got worse.
The next time Caroline stopped by the hospital with her mother for a final checkup, all of Klaus' hair was already gone. He said he asked his brother Kol to come with a clipper to the hospital and shave him..."After all, his hair was the only part of his old self that wasn't forcibly taken from him."
"Klaus, are you okay?" Caroline asked, watching the brunette woman leave the building with the little red-haired girl by the hand.
"Yes, it's just...it's really hard for me when Hope leaves...but I'll be alright. Hayley will bring her along in a few weeks...everything will be alright."
"Oh, child." Liz said, caressing Klaus' face in a motherly way that Esther never did. "It's okay not to be okay. Your daughter loves you, and, even if sometimes you don't think you're doing enough, you actually are, because every moment with your daughter, no matter how short it is, can make a hundred." Liz paused a little, seeing Klaus' waterly eyes, then said: "I think you two need to talk a little alone, excuse me."
By the time Liz left the room, Klaus was already crying out loud.
"It's alright…" Caroline told him, taking his hand.
"It's just... Hope...Hope still doesn't understand why I have to live here, why can't she spend every five days at my house like before, why I can't see her as often... she's my littlest wolf...and soon, I will be gone, and she will be all alone. It...it hurts as hell, more than the chemo's side effects." Klaus smiled fake, but with fiery tears.
"Klaus, there's always a change, there will always be..."
The blond man just laughed sadly, more tears falling from his eyes.
"You know, you sound like my brother Elijah when I first told him about the cancer..."
"Elijah...? I've never seen him at the hospital..." Caroline said, remembering some of the conversations she had with Klaus' sisters where that brother was also mentioned.
"No...he pays for most of my treatment and has made sure our company can function without me so I don't have to stress about work, but he never visited."
Klaus paused briefly, then continued:
"Shortly after I was diagnosed, I found out that he was messing with my then-girlfriend, Tatia. I stopped talking with Elijah in the night I told him about my diagnosis." Klaus said tearfully but his face spoke a thousand languages.
~flashback~
"It was just a kiss, Niklaus!" Elijah Mikaelson said, hours after his little brother had found him kissing his girlfriend in the park.
"Don't lie, Elijah, you're smarter than that."
"I love her."
"You love her?! You love her, Elijah?! She's MY girlfriend!" Klaus screamed, angry tears falling from his eyes.
"Yes, I love her! And...and she loves me." the brunette said, turning to leave, only to be stopped by his brother's next words:
"I have cancer."
"W-what…?" Elijah turned around, his eyes filled with tears.
"Lung cancer. I'm dying, Elijah, see why I'm so angry with this situation? I'm dying."
"N-no...no...there's always a change, there will always be...there is treatment..." Elijah trembled.
"I'm not doing chemotherapy, Elijah... It... it will make me weak."
They were just two simple sentences, but they hit harder than a punch.
~end of flashback~
Klaus closed his eyes, not wanting to remember a past that was far too troubled. He sat down on the bed, pulling Caroline into a loving kiss.
The last month had been...horrible. The chemotherapy had been extremely hard, it had taken it's toll, and everyone was starting to notice: Klaus wasn't joking anymore, he wasn't even smiling.
"Alright, come on, Nik, that's enough." Kol said, picking up a net and starting to fill it with pills and random items.
"What...?" Klaus replied, confused.
"I'm taking you to a bar. You've been hiding in sadness enough, it's time to live what's left of your life."
"Kol, I have cancer."
Kol rolled his eyes.
"You need this, and you will do this. Let's make something crazy, Nik, we're yoooung!"
And they did. Kol managed to get Klaus out of the hospital, then they went to Kol's favorite bar. The music was too loud, and there were too many drunk teenagers, but at one point, as tired as he was, Klaus actually...kind of enjoyed it?
"Uhu, Nik! Look what I've got from that beautiful bartender over there!" Kol said excitedly, dancing as he placed five shots of tequila on the table.
"Kol, you're already very drunk, how do you think you could drink another five shots of tequila...?" Klaus said tiredly, quickly wiping his forehead and better positioning his favorite hat from the collection of hats Rebekah got him.
He was sweating. He hadn't gotten up from the table, but he was sweating.
"Nik...are you okay?"
"Y-yes." he answered quickly, standing up as straight as he could.
"Alright...ah, I have an idea! Do you want me to make you some water shots?"
Kol was already jumping up and down with delight, so Klaus just shrugged, resting his aching head in his palm and pretending it was just a position of convenience.
Kol laughed, which made Klaus smile as well. Sitting in a corner and watching his brother fool around and make fun of himself, then dance with every girl he saw was quite a fun evening.
"Ouch! Ouch!" Klaus coughed heavily.
But when he removed his hand from his mouth, he froze. There was blood on her.
"K-Kol? Kol!"
Klaus stood up fidgeting from the table, trying to make his way through the crowd of dancing people as he searched for his brother. The music was getting louder and louder and the air was getting darker and darker...he couldn't breathe. The room was spinning, he couldn't breathe. Klaus stumbled, falling to the floor unconscious.
"Nik! Nik!" Kol's voice came muffled from above him.
The ambulance sirens rang loudly in his head. He had something on his face, an oxygen mask, probably. He couldn't see anything clearly, everything was foggy, his eyes were so heavy...for a second, he had the impression that a dark-haired man in a suit was standing in front of him.
"Mr. Mikaelson? Mr. Mikaelson, can you hear me? I just entered the hospital." a doctor said.
"Is he going to be okay? I'm so sorry!" Kol's agitated cry came from somewhere behind him, causing Klaus to go on alert. Kol was just a kid...
What had happened? When the gurney finally stopped, Klaus managed to say something with trembling lips as his oxygen mask was changed:
"Please...please...tell him...tell him it's not his fault..."
When Klaus had first woken up and remained conscious for more than ten minutes, Caroline was there, right next to his bed.
"Ah, look who's awake. Good Morning" Caroline said, stroking Klaus' forehead.
"Morning, love. How long...?"
"It's only been two days since the accident. You slept most of the time."
"Where's Kol...? I need to talk to him, I need to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he didn't~"
"I know." a voice came from the doorway. Kol sat there grinning. "I'm glad you're okay, Nik. Look, Caroline had an idea and, well...we've got someone who wants to talk to you..."
Kol walked fully into the hospital room, leaving a full view of the other person in the hall...Klaus was speechless, it was Elijah.
"Hello, Niklaus..."
"Elijah..."
"You really scared us back there, didn't you?" Elijah said with teary eyes. "I apologize, I apologize, Niklaus...for everything. I'm the oldest, I should have been the mature one, I should have put my family first, but instead I failed you and I know it. Holding a grudge for so many years, not being there for you physically when you needed me, Niklaus, only showed me the mistake I made by putting something, anything, over you, over the family."
"I've missed you." Klaus said after a moment, nestling into Elijah's embrace like he was a kid again.
As he buried his head deeper into Elijah's shoulder, Klaus whispered a "Thank you" to Caroline.
"How is his condition? I know you talked to Elena." Caroline asked Kol, holding Klaus' hand.
"It's going to be an hand road, but they do believe he will make a full recovery. It's going to be alright." Kol said.
And it was. It wasn't easy...actually, it was an nightmare, but Klaus recovered, with his now-fiancée and all of his siblings by his side. Soon, the cancer was 100% gone as well.
A: Have you heard about the next The Vampire Diaries spin-off, "Eternity"?