Chapter 2

"So, anything, dear sister?" Klaus asked his sister just when she had gotten off the phone. They were alone in the study.

"Ok, the missing ingredient is a rare herb that is found in a jungle somewhere in India. You could find someone to bring it here or there's another option."

"We don't have time to get it from freaking India. What's the other option?"

"My sources tell me that Tristan and Aurora de Martel are in possession of that herb." Freya looked on as her brother was about to have a another temper tantrum.

"You are kidding, right? Tell me Freya that you are kidding?" he yelled.

"Yeah, Klaus I would make a joke when your friend's life is in danger. I think I value my life more."

"Bloody hell!" and he stormed off and then came back for a second. "I'm gonna set up a meeting with the Martels. In the meantime, make yourself useful and look after Caroline and Camille. Caroline knows better then to leave the compound. But Camille…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't worry, Niklaus. I'll look after them."

Klaus had a meeting with the Martel siblings in an abandoned factory.

"Yes, we know of the herb. What do you want with it?" Tristan asked Klaus.

"That's for me to know and for you to dot dot dot…" Klaus answered with a crooked smile on his face.

"Oh, Niklaus, if you want the herb, first you have to tell us what you need it for." Aurora chimed in.

Klaus sighed, "A friend of mine is in trouble and needs it to survive Rayna Cruz."

"Rayna Cruz`?" Tristan laughed, "Well, good luck with that. There's not a herb in the world to save your friend from Rayna Cruz."

Klaus felt how he was getting nowhere and started to get pissed off, but he knew he had to keep his cool.

"Tristan, what do you want for it?"

"Actually, Niklaus, you have to negotiate with me as I know where it is. My brother doesn't"

"Okay, Aurora, what do you want?"

"One. Break up with your girlfriend. Compel her to go to Nepal or wherever far side of the world or you have another option."

"Which is?" Klaus hissed, trying his very best to not kill them right then and there.

"Turn her."

Before the siblings knew what was happening, Aurora was pinned against the wall by Klaus with his hands around her neck.

"You are insane," Klaus hissed at her.
"Klaus, if you kill her, you'll never get what you want." Tristan tried to reason with him.

"Why, Aurora? Why are you giving me these impossible choices." Klaus asked, now with a calmer voice after releasing her.

"I didn't know that they were so impossible. I know you love me deep in your heart and it shouldn't be that difficult. The question is how much do you care for that friend of yours. We are talking about a female friend, right?" Aurora asked. "Judging by your face, I'm right. Well, that's quite the predicament you are in."

Aurora then continued to smile wickedly. "Very curious choice indeed. Can't wait for the result."

With that the siblings left the building, leaving Klaus to think about the impossible choice.

Yes, Caroline wasn't her problem anymore and it wasn't his fault that she was in that situation. But he couldn't just turn his back on her. He considered her to be a close friend of his. But Camille was his girlfriend now and the thought of leaving her was unbearable. The third option wasn't even an option, he could never do that to her.

When Klaus got home later that night, he was completely wasted. A rare thing for a vampire hybrid that old but he had somehow managed to get to a stage where the situation didn't seem so painful.

Lying down on the couch of his study, he heard Freya coming in to the room.

"I take it that your meeting didn't go so well."

"The woman is insane. She's INSANE," he yelled at Freya.

"Oh, you must be talking about Aurora. What did she want?"

Klaus told her everything. With Klaus' senses numbed he didn't hear that Caroline was close by listening to his every word.

"Klaus, it isn't that difficult of a choice. I know you loved Caroline at one time or the other, but right now, your priority should be Camille"

"So I should let Caroline fend for herself just because I want to be with someone I love."

"It's harsh, but yes, Niklaus."

"Please, leave Freya, before I'll say or I'll do something I'll regret in the morning"

With that Freya left the room without saying another word. Klaus fell asleep and woke up a couple of hours later, feeling much more sober. Vampire perks.

He decided to check up on Camille and Caroline. Camille was sleeping soundly in his bed. But Caroline's room was oddly empty. Then he found a note on the bedside table.

Dear Klaus,

I thank you for your hospitality. I know the challenge you are facing because of me and I just can't let myself be a liability for you. I don't want you to be unhappy because of my carelessness. Rayna Cruz is my problem, please don't come after me.

Forgive me and be happy.

Caroline

'That damn vampire hearing' he muttered to himself when he left the room searching for Freya.

"Freya, I need you to locate Caroline for me!"

Freya had just woken up and yawned, "She left the compound. Why would she do that?"

"It doesn't matter. Just find her, please."

"Klaus, maybe you should let her go. She isn't your problem."

"ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE LOCATOR SPELL OR NOT?" he screamed at his sister at the top of his lungs which woke the entire household, including Camille who came to see what was going on.

"Who's missing?"

"Caroline," Klaus hissed, not looking at her but staring at his sister.

"Okay, I'll need something of hers. Hairbrush or something like that."

"I'll get it. Just start the damn spell"

Camille followed him to Caroline's temporary room.

"Why would she leave the compound?" She asked Klaus.

"I don't know," he lied. He couldn't tell her the truth. Not yet. "I guess he wanted to free me of her problems. You know she's quite the saint. You two have that in common."

"That's not all we have in common."
"What's that suppose to mean`?" he asked, confused.

"Just that you clearly have a type and I don't know. Am I just some kind of substitute for you cause you couldn't have the real thing?"

Klaus stared at her, completely taken aback.

"I don't have time for this," Klaus said as he took Caroline's make up bag and went to look for Freya.

"Does this help?" he asked his sister, handing over the bag.

Freya looked inside, found what she was looking for and in a matter of seconds they knew that Caroline was on the way back to Mystic Falls.

Ok, I have to go, before Rayna Cruz eats her for breakfast.

"Isn't she a vampire, doesn't she know how to protect herself."

Klaus tried to remain calm, "She's a baby vampire, few years old, she doesn't stand a chance against her." That was the last thing he said before storming off.

"Ok, I'm out of here," Camille declared before everything went to black.

"Freya, what did you do?" Hayley asked, coming in and tending to Camille who was lying on the floor.

"It's just a sleeping spell. Niklaus has enough problems. Can't have her wandering off too. Let's put her to bed. She's gonna sleep the whole day."

Caroline was in her SUV, driving on the road when suddenly one of the tires broke and the car veered off the road. When it stopped, she was beginning to run away from the car, when she was hit by an arrow and then another one. Close to her heart but not quite. Still she fell down and she saw Rayna Cruz coming towards her.

And then she wasn't.

What the hell?

Next thing she knew, Klaus was by her side, pulling the arrows out of her chest.

"Where do you think you are going, love?"

"Is she dead`?"

"For the time being, yes. We have to go, Caroline."

"I'm not coming with you. I heard the choice that woman, your ex I assume, gave you and I don't want to put you in that situation."

"I'm already involved. You came to me for help cause you had nowhere to go and I won't turn my back on you."

"Why do you even care`? You have clearly moved on!"

"Caroline, please, let's go. This is the not the time or the place for that."

"Okay, let's go have that conversation in front of your girlfriend, I'm sure she'll love it."

Klaus just sighed as they got in to his car and he drove off.

"Okay, what's the plan?"

"I don't know. We'll go home, we'll get together, put our heads together and think of something. But I'm beginning to think that the ointment isn't worth the trouble anyway. Freya says that for it to be a permanent solution you'd basically have to live with us but I know you want to return to your babies. So we need to figure out how to deal with Rayna Cruz once and for all. And we may need to work together with your friends back at Mystic Falls."

"Wow, Klaus Mikealson is ready to work with his enemies from Mystic Falls. What the world has come to"

"You know, you haven't been around for three years. Maybe I have changed."

"I see that you have." Caroline said so seriously that it didn't leave room for doubt that she had meant every word.

Klaus entered his premises along with Caroline and they all gathered in the study. Klaus, Caroline, Freya, Elijah. Only one's missing was Hayley who had gone to the bayou with Jackson to visit Mary.

Hope had been introduced to Caroline and she was holding her for the time being as she really missed her twins.

"Before we start, where's Camille?"

"She's um sleeping," Freya answered.

"In the middle of the day?" Klaus asked, confused.

"I had to put her under sleeping spell, Niklaus. I didn't have choice, she wanted to run off."

"Okay, maybe it's for the better." Klaus sighed.

"So, Niklaus, you killed her?" Elijah asked, talking about Rayna Cruz.

"Yes, but she regenerates and quickly. Anyway, I talked to Damon Salvatore. There have been some developments regarding her. As it turns out, the wench has limited number of lives. But the problem is that when she finally dies for good, all she has marked die with her." Klaus said with turning to look at Caroline holding Hope and she was staring back at him with an unreadable face. "Obviously, we are not going do that and our friends at Mystic Falls agree. There's an option two."

"Which is…?" Caroline asked.

"We'll have to transfer her last life to somebody else."

"Oh, yes!" Freya almost screamed. "Why didn't I think of it? It's perfect!"

"And who is the lucky one who is going to take that on?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know yet. But it's not important. There's a solution, the problem is fixable and you can soon return to your family." Klaus smiled at Caroline, hoping that it would make her happy.

"So, I can go pack my bags?"

"Not yet, love. The transfer needs to happen, they have to get Rayna imprisoned for that."

"They?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, they as your friends in Mystic Falls. With that the meeting is over."

"Niklaus, we still haven't figured out what to do with the Martels. Especially Aurora who is dangerous to…your women" Elijah stated.

Caroline scoffed, "Very subtle. Who is this Aurora de Martel and why hasn't Klaus killed her already?"

"Martels can fuck off, for all I care" Klaus ignored her.

"Niklaus, I urge you to be rational when dealing with them."

Their conversation was cut short by Camille screaming.