Guest - I haven't written it yet, but I can imagine the reactions to Henrik's runaway destination would be pretty priceless. Except for Kol who would be all 'good on you, mate' lol I definitely will have some Katherine/Caroline action. As for Caroline, I kind of try to balance the amount of the hostile sassy Caroline we've seen her be with him on the show with the soft mother hen she can also be in other aspects and with other people in her life.

livingdeadblondequeen - Awww Miranda you didn't have to go back and do that (but I'm highkey ecstatic that you did!). I think everyone kind of underestimates Henrik just a little, due to his age. Maybe Klaus should have realized but at the same time I think the overall worry of him being gone took precedent to logic.

roses0002 - Yay! Thank you! I love to know that I'm doing a good job keeping them true to form.

Snowyarbo - Calm down in what way?

TwilightHybrid - Thank you so much!

Orange-Coyote - Shhh! I brought you more! :P

If I didn't respond to you, it does not mean I love you less. It means it's about 11p.m. here and I'm fading fast.
But I love you all the same, you beautiful beautiful creatures! Thanks for filling my heart with your reviews and follows and favorites!

I hope you all had lovely holidays! Here's to an awesome 2018, which it already will be because it's the year of Klaroline. Boo-yah to the haters. ;)


PART 7

He was trapped in a staring contest and never had he seen eyes more determined than his own. Up until now he'd been a master escape artist, invulnerable to inquisitions and manipulations, but looking back at him was the heart of an angel through the eyes of a saint. And he had barely a moment's time to figure out what he couldn't avoid and what he could strategically omit. As fate would have it, Caroline's mother returned, breaking the intensity with a heavy sigh and buying him some time.

"He's asleep." Liz glanced to the foreign man on her daughter's couch and her police posture kicked in. "Klaus, I take it."

He stood immediately, bracing himself for a certain onslaught, every nerve in his body on edge. He always hated meeting the parents but it was even worse given the current circumstances.

"I don't know what's going on," she continued, "or why he decided to run away to my daughter, but if this is where he feels safe right now, I think we should let him be."

He nodded once, obligingly. "I agree. And thank you. I appreciate everything you've done for us."

"I didn't do it for you," she told him, serving up a serious dose of side-eye. Not that he was surprised.

Caroline stood too, clearing her throat. "It's getting pretty late. You should probably get going." Liz opened her mouth to object but Caroline stopped her. "I've got everything under control here."

"Are you sure?"

"If I need you, I will call you. I promise."

Liz pressed her lips thin. "Call me in the morning anyway."

"Yes, mother."

"I mean it, Caroline."

"I will," she stressed, ushering her mother toward the door faster. "On my way to work."

Liz turned around, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I don't like leaving you alone. I don't trust him."

"Then trust me," she whispered pleadingly. "I've got this, okay?"

Her mother frowned, searching her face for a reason to stay but Caroline knew she had cornered her. The bridge of trust between them had been a longstanding battle for years, but now that they had finally started to acclimate and understand one another she knew her mother wouldn't want to jeopardize their progress. Liz finally nodded in surrender but not before pulling her down to plant a kiss on her forehead. Caroline smiled reassuringly as her mother held her face.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too."

She held the door open for her. "Call you in the morning."

"You'd better."

Caroline rolled her eyes and watched her go then closed the door, locking it behind her and lingering with her back to Klaus. She pressed her eyes shut, fighting off the humiliation of her mother before collecting herself and turning face him again, bearing a small wince.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She has every reason not to trust a man she doesn't know."

"I know. It's just...sometimes she can be a little over the top."

"Not unlike her daughter," he teased with a light smile.

She shook her head with a grin as she meandered his way once again, sighing deeply. "Getting back to our current situation..."

"Are you sure you want to get into this? It's late, as you said, and it's a very long story."

With a cool raise of her brow, she brushed past him and retook her seat on the couch, crossing her legs and folding her hands on her lap, giving him a look that told him she would have none of his deviation and very little patience. "I've got nothing but time."

A humorless chuckle left his lips and he nodded, running a hand through his curls before begrudgingly joining her. She waited him out as he searched the floor for a way to begin.

"Do you have something to drink?" He gave a little shrug of his shoulder. "Might ease the process."

She repressed her smile and nodded. "Two glasses of liquid courage coming right up."

Her heart was pounding on her path to the kitchen. He was so nervous, which was honestly to be expected, but it was, in turn, making her nervous too. Having murderous parents wasn't really something anyone would want to advertise, and she got that, but was there something more, something her mother had failed to mention or uncover? She hoped not.

In minutes she had fixed them each a glass of wine, and for good measure brought the bottle with her when she walked back out. She handed him his drink which he quietly thanked her for before taking a swig that emptied half of his glass. She settled in beside him, tucking her legs under her and sipping demurely for her own burst of bravery.

"So," she started for him.

He hesitated before bringing his eyes to hers. "We could talk about something else. We could talk about you."

"Okay, look. I know this is hard, and I'm not asking you to tell me every deep dark secret, but you have to give me something. I'm involved now. Whether you like it or not."

"I don't."

"Well, you can take that up with Henrik." It won her a little smile. She shifted and straightened up, taking another sip with a little hum. "Let's start with the obvious. How did you find out your mom was released?"

Klaus opened his mouth and wavered briefly before sighing in defeat. "Elijah received a phone call at work after the precinct was unable to get in touch with Finn. The charges were dropped after my father made a written confession that exonerated my mother from her crimes." He shook his head. "Some kind of loophole concerning spousal privilege."

"What were her crimes?" She saw the trepidation in his eyes just before he looked away so she grabbed his hand to bring his attention back, softening her gaze. "You're not going to scare me away."

"Accessory to attempted murder."

She swallowed slowly and tried to mask her expression, feigning a mild shock to the previously learned information. "That must have been some confession."

"The confession alone wouldn't have been enough. My mother had to agree to testify against him."

"Does he know she's turned on him?"

"They've always been martyrs for one another. The fact that their shared goal was getting her out is what concerns me."

Caroline hummed in agreement. She clasped her hands together with a resolute nod. "Okay, so she got out. She's still been cut off from resources. She would need a ride, money for that ride, a place to stay."

"It's only a matter of time before she finds us and appears."

"Which is why you want to move on." He averted his gaze. "It just – it doesn't make sense. Even if she got off scot free, it still happened. It's on her record. She can't just get custody back like that."

"You don't know my mother. She will go to the ends of the earth to ensure she wins."

"Guess that's where you get your stubborn determination." He smiled mildly. She studied him quietly for a minute, carefully deciding whether to venture her next question. "Do you think she's really innocent?"

He inhaled slow and deep, as if preparing for some long-winded answer. "No," was all that came out.

There was a short lull as they both contemplated their drinks. Klaus was hunched over now, elbows resting on his knees, his eyes trained on the floor. She could only imagine what was going through his head. Too many things were going through hers.

"You said she was an accessory to attempted murder. Was your father..."

"My father is not a good man." He held his drink with both hands, turning the glass with his palms and watching the liquid in it dance. "Temperamental, at best. Violently cruel, at worst. Life was never really easy for our family, growing up. He believed in a tough love sentiment, and punishment was almost regimental. Some had it harder than others," he told her, and his voice lowered a notch in volume and elevated in bitterness which made her question whether he was being self-indulgent or overprotective. He took another sip from his glass. "After he'd learned of my mother's infidelity, things got complicated. Rationale went out the window along with lenience. Punishments became crueler, drawn out longer, almost as if he were reigning over us the control that he didn't have over her."

"That's awful," she whispered.

He looked down, his voice growing distant as he spoke. "When the affair came to light, when the child learned of their paternal distinction, so did my father. The first thing he did was seek the man out, hell bent on revenge for what he had done to this family. You see, he never blamed my mother for cheating, only her lover. They hold each other up on these incredible pedestals." His jaw clenched and his eyes turned cold. "He eventually found the man he was searching for and there was an altercation but nothing consequential. Years passed and my mother had started to believe that my father attained the closure he needed and had gotten past her indiscretion." He looked up then and there was something cold, something ensnaring in his eyes. "My father isn't one to take things lightly. If he wasn't being impulsive, he was plotting. And so, three years ago, my father's plan came to fruition and he sought the man out again. This time to put an end to him. He was drowning in his own paranoia that this man had still harbored a love for her, that she would be coaxed into continuing their affair behind his back despite the many times she reassured him of the opposite."

"He tried to kill him."

"He didn't succeed but my mother nearly did. In all the commotion of trying to put an end to the brawl, she knocked her lover unconscious. He suffered a nearly fatal head injury which rendered him comatose for some time. Her prints were on the weapon but Mikael – my father – refused to let her go down alone."

"So it was an accident."

"Or so she said in court. The only ones who know what happened are my parents and the man who can no longer speak because of his injury."

She gasped a soft breath of disbelief initially, but as the information processed, a bitter anger rose to the surface. "How convenient."

He glanced at her, one corner of his lips turning up slightly. "I thought so too."

"If she's as guilty as he is, why would her testimony make any difference? Or be enough to let her off the hook?"

"I'm not sure yet. Elijah's looking into it."

"Can he do that?" She rolled her eyes at herself. "I mean, he knows about this kind of stuff?"

"I would think so." He smirked lightly. "Or his many years of law school were pointless."

"…Oh."

"He and Finn work at the same firm, in different sectors."

"Well. It's good to have lawyers in the family. Definitely an advantage."

Something changed in his expression then. All of his anger and resentment had vanished and his eyes now held an inexplicable sadness. She only saw it for the split second that he let her and then he looked away again, like he was still hiding something.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"I'm not." He looked up at that and she felt a small wave of butterflies. "I'm glad you told me. And I want to help."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Why?"

"You don't know my mother. The things she's capable of."

"Like brain damage?" She smiled lightly but he wasn't amused. "Well I'm not going anywhere." She took his hand and squeezed, drawing his attention to it. "I mean it."

He swallowed and his heart picked up with a beat of fear. The last person who'd said that to him...No. He couldn't compare, and he wouldn't let the past ruin this moment, though it lingered hauntingly in the back of his mind.

"If it's all right, I'd like to stay. I'll take Henrik home in the morning."

"Of course."

"In the interim, you should get some sleep." She shot him a sardonic look. "Lest you want your students to get the better of you, tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes and licked her lips in a smile. "You don't always have to be right, you know."

He smiled gently. "I don't, but I find I often am."

She scoffed playfully and got up to collect their glasses while Klaus stood and grabbed the bottle. He followed her to the kitchen and set it down on the table. As she busied herself rinsing the glasses and putting the bottle back in the fridge, he stood at the doorway watching, but not really seeing her. His mind worried at so many things – the weight of her promises; the potential consequence of allowing her involvement; and how much longer could he keep the rest of his secrets? Or, more importantly, Henrik.

When her bustling had stopped he blinked himself back to orientation and watched her slowly drift back towards him, her arms crossed over her chest. He pushed everything back, focusing on the here and now.

"Thank you. For looking after my brother."

She looked down and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "You know," she looked up, timid, "he's not the only one that doesn't want you to leave."

He smiled softly, the back of his hand gently grazing her arm. "You wouldn't say that if you knew me better."

"If you stick around, maybe I could." She moved in closer, flirting with her eyes. "You might be surprised."

Slowly a smile spread across his face, dimples and all. "Is this your way of seducing me into staying?"

"Oh no." She moved closer still, closing the distance between them. "If I wanted to that..." She leaned up on her tiptoes so their lips were inches apart, her voice soft and sultry, "I'd do this."

Gently her lips brushed against his and were met with the soft caress of his kiss. His hand cupped her face as they tentatively tasted one another. Her hands slid up his chest and his found her waist, her little sighs of content filling a void in his heart. He drew back, just barely, letting his lips whisper against hers, playfully.

"Good form."

She smiled, teasingly keeping her lips away every time he tried to recapture them. "Is it working?"

He rested his head against hers, his fingers crawling along her sides to tease back. "You tell me." He felt her body give a little shiver and he held her against him with a little chuckle. "Is that a yes?"

She bit her lip and hummed, moving to wrap her arms around his neck. "You haven't left yet, so I'd say I'm winning." His dimpled grin melted her heart and finally she let him kiss her again.

He wrapped his arms around her completely, holding her tightly against him as the kiss deepened, as their tongues played and teeth tugged. She smiled against his lips when his hands slid down to her ass, and had to break away. He watched her with lusty eyes and she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips.

"Sorry, but not happening." His puzzled look was even more endearing but she stood her ground, taking a step back and letting her hands slide down from his shoulders and back to his chest. "I should really get to bed." She let her hands slide off and stepped back, turning away from him and squeezing her eyes shut, damning her hormones.

"You're right." He cleared his throat quietly. "My apologies."

"No, it's not – I'm not – it's just with Henrik in the other room..."

"Truth be told, he's an exceptionally heavy sleeper. He once slept through Fourth of July fireworks, which were twenty feet away."

Caroline laughed. "Nice try, but no." She gave him a playful little shove then let her hands drop and brushed past him back into the living room. "You're welcome to sleep on the couch. It's pretty comfortable. Or you can stay with Henrik in the guest room. I have extra blankets and pillows."

He followed her out and towards the hallway. "I'll stay with Henrik. See to it that he doesn't try to run off again in the night."

She nodded and turned around once they were both through the archway at the entrance to the hall.

"It's the second door on the left."

He looked past her arm to where she was pointing. His eyes flicked to hers with a tiny smirk. "And which one is your room again?"

She raised her finger at him, trying to repress her own grin. "Don't even."

With that she turned and started down the hall. He stayed behind and watched her go, smiling at her back.

"Goodnight, Caroline."

"Goodnight," she called dully before disappearing into her room.

The door shut shortly after and he was alone.


Caroline's Apartment 6:23 a.m.

Henrik awoke that morning before the sun had fully risen, with the instinct to scream. Nothing about the room was familiar and the plush penguin beside him stared with unsettling beady eyes that reflected his own face back to him. He sat up and pulled his knees to his chest, looking around in confusion. The pink walls and floral blanket over him were constricting and almost eerie. He realized was not at home, and that made it worse.

His eyes drifted to the floor and he saw the back of a familiar head of blond curls laid over an outstretched arm. A small decorative pillow rest beneath his head and a throw blanket was covering him, barely reaching his feet.

Now he remembered. He was at Miss Caroline's. They had hot chocolate. And her mom had given him the penguin. Henrik let his legs drop and turned onto his stomach, gripping the edge of the mattress as he inched over it.

"Nik," he whispered. When his brother didn't respond, he reached down and poked his little index finger into Klaus' arm. "Nik, wake up," he whispered again, to no avail. He began to poke harder and more consistently, speaking out loud this time, worried, "Nik!"

Klaus twitched with a start, rolling over to face him, wide-eyed and panicked. "What's wrong?"

Henrik shrank back, hugging the stuffed penguin Caroline's mom had lent him. "Sorry..."

Klaus blinked, briefly disoriented, then closed his eyes and exhaled a long sigh through his nose. He let his shoulders drop and rubbed half of his face tiredly. "It's all right." He cleared his throat and looked over at his brother with a little sigh, reaching to touch his hand. "You and I need to have a little chat about last night."

Henrik's eyes widened and he immediately pulled away, hurrying to hide himself under the blanket.

Klaus got up to sit on the bed next to the blanketed lump with a sigh. "You know little monkeys don't run away from their families." No response. "I know you don't want to go, Henrik, but think of it as another adventure."

"I don't want any more a'ventures," his muffled voice grumbled.

"Oh you don't, do you? Because I thought you wanted to see all the wild things in the world. Fly on airplanes. Swim in the ocean. Climb to the very top of a mountain." He tilted his head when he got no response. "What about Neverland?"

"I'm not going."

Klaus whipped the blanket off him with a scowl. "Since when?"

Henrik yanked the blanket back with a "harrumph" and hid again. "Now!"

"Then what do you want to do?"

Slowly the blanket moved up until it hooded his head and only his little face peeked out with big, puppy-like eyes. "I wanna stay with Miss Caroline..."

"I see. Well as much as I'd like to let you stay, I can't."

"Why not?"

"For one thing, it isn't up to me." Henrik pouted and hid his face once again and Klaus sighed a weary sigh.

Out in the hall, Caroline was walking past with her morning coffee. Her alarm had gone off just after six but she didn't dare disturb them. When she heard the muffled voices, she stopped and almost started to knock but what she heard made her pause...

"I can't just tell you it's all right to stay in someone else's home, Henrik."

The blanket moved again and Henrik's face popped up again. "If Miss Caroline says yes, then can I stay?"

"And what about me? Don't I count for anything?" Henrik looked down. "Rebekah and Kol would miss their little brother. And Elijah. And Finn. But then they could all get on with each other. I'm the one who would be a complete wreck without you."

"You're just using 'verse psychology."

"I am not. I'm being honest. You're very very important to me. You make me strong. And you make me want to be good." Henrik was engaged, keeping eye contact thoughtfully. "I know our family dynamic is a little different than others, but I want you to know Henrik, I will never do anything to harm you. Nor will I let any harm come your way, if it's within my power. You know that, don't you?" Henrik nodded.

Caroline's heart swelled with mixed emotions. The softness of Klaus and the sadness of their situation hit her simultaneously. She began to understand the difficulties with more clarity, and how hard it would be for him to come to terms with being, at best, a love child, and at worst, the byproduct of an affair. She could only imagine what Henrik was going through, and what he would still have to go through, and how it would affect him in the long run to learn that his mother had nearly killed his real father. With a heavy heart she left them alone and went back to her room to get ready for the day.

"Tell you what," Klaus offered. "If I consider staying put, will you at least consider coming home with me?"

Henrik thought about it and shrugged. "I guess so."

Klaus pulled him in for a hug and Henrik settled into his lap, blanket and all. His brother smiled down at him, knowingly. "So you like Miss Caroline, do you?"

"So do you."

"Are you making accusations?"

"What's a ack-zation?"

"An accusation is saying something you think without knowing for sure. For example, when you say I like your teacher are you saying it because you think I do or because you know for a fact?"

Henrik paused, thinking carefully before selecting his words. "I think I know."

"Now see that is what we call a contradiction," he said, tapping his nose. It scrunched in response and Henrik rolled his eyes.

"You do too. You just don't wanna say."

"And why would that be?"

"Because you're stubborn."

"Who told you that?"

"No one..."

"Is that right?" He began tickling him and Henrik rolled around in a fit of giggles. Klaus grinned, his heart lightened by his brother's laughter. "Confess and I'll show mercy..."

"Bekah! It was Bekah!"

Klaus relented and a few more laughs trailed out of Henrik. "Well I'll be having a little talk with our sister about what she tells you about your big brother."

Henrik rolled onto his back with a sigh, catching his breath before he asked, "What's stubborn mean?"

Klaus sighed and lay back with him. "It means I am a very complicated grown up."

"That's okay." Henrik turned on his side, tucking his hand beneath his head. "I love you anyway."

Klaus smiled and turned on his side as well. "I love you too, little monkey."

"And Miss Caroline?" His smile turned mischievous.

"Bloody hell. It's like I'm talking to Rebekah and looking at Kol."

Henrik touched his brother's lips with his tiny index finger and smiled. "Bad word."

"You're right," he said against his finger. Henrik withdrew it. "My apologies."

"It's okay. I won't tell Finn." Klaus chuckled. "Do you wanna know how come I like Miss Caroline so much?"

Klaus' brows raised. "Go on."

"I like her 'cause she helped me read. And she reads the Rumpus story really good." He paused and his lips pursed in a coy smile. "And she makes a smile on your face."

"On my face?"

"Yeah. You didn't smile so much before. You always maked this face." He put on a frowny face, his brows lowered deeply. A moment later it vanished. "Except when you come to pick me up. Then you smile all the time."

"And you think that's because of Caroline?" Henrik nodded. Klaus let out a breath of a laugh and hung his head, nodding. He glanced to Henrik who was watching him thoughtfully. With a little smirk, he leaned in close, lowering his voice. "I'll let you in on a little secret...you're right."

Henrik's face broke out into a huge grin. "Good. Then we're staying."

Klaus laughed. "And you call me stubborn."

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"You don't need my permission."

He sat up and looked around. "I don't know where it is."

Klaus blinked. Neither did he. They were still at Caroline's, he realized. "Hold that thought." He pushed himself up with a small grunt and padded out to the hallway, looking both ways for a hint or inclination. He looked at her door, briefly contemplating waking her to ask but the folly of it seemed unnecessary.

He started to walk down the hall in the direction he thought when a door opened and a pajama-clad Caroline bumped clumsily into him. Her hands hit his chest and he caught her arms with a grunt to her gasp and they were staring at each other, dumbfounded. She laughed.

"Hi."

He smiled slowly softening his grip to a caress. "Good morning."

"Um." She slowly drew her hands back and tucked a messy curl behind her ear once he let her go. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Well enough." He was trying not to be obvious as he observed her choice in sleepwear – a slightly too short t-shirt and loosely fitted shorts that inadvertently accentuated her legs, legs he'd started to grow fonder of seeing. More compelling was the way her curls had gone awry while she slept, an absolutely endearing affect that made him smile.

"What?"

His brows raised and his heart gave a little start at being caught. "I was just admiring your lovely bedhead."

She rolled her eyes with a scoff. "You're one to talk."

He watched her disappear behind the adjacent wall which the sound of the faucet would tell him was the bathroom, reaching a hand up with a frown to touch his own curls.


Almost an hour later she had magically transformed from a sleepy twenty-something into a Kindergarten teacher. Henrik was sitting on the couch watching cartoons again while Caroline fixed Klaus a cup of coffee, and herself a second.

"So how bad is Finn going to take it when you get home?"

"If I can work out a way that he doesn't find out, we'll all be better off."

"Has he always been like that?" She swallowed a sip of coffee and added, "All patriarchal and uptight?"

"Finn's never had a large capacity for imagination. His favorite thing to do growing up was homework." Caroline laughed. "He leads a rather mundane life."

"I guess someone had to take on the responsibility when..." She stopped, eyes widening as she caught herself. "I'm sorry. That was totally insensitive."

"No, you're right. He actually seemed glad to step into the role." He shrugged with a hint of a grin. "Gave him a purpose."

She hummed a laugh. He gestured her toward the doorway and followed her through to the living room. Henrik was engrossed in Spongebob Squarepants.

"Eventually we will have to leave, Henrik," Klaus told him. "You still have school today."

"I can take him in," Caroline offered. She went over to sit on the couch with him, smiling. "You want to come early with me? Help me set up the classroom?"

He looked up to his brother excitedly. "Can I Nik?"

"You can't go to school in your PJs. You need a fresh set of clothes, perhaps a bath after wandering all night."

Henrik pouted and looked down, exuding as much sadness as he could. It didn't faze Klaus but Caroline was always a sucker for the puppy eyes.

"Well actually..." She got up again and strolled in Klaus' direction. "We have an emergency change of clothes in the classroom. I put it on the supply list at the beginning of the year for the parents, this way if someone has an accident, they have clean clothes to change into."

"That doesn't account for his cleanliness, however."

"I can take a bath here!" Henrik offered, hopes raising again.

Klaus glanced at Henrik then narrowed his eyes at her. "It's endearing, this little tag team thing you two are doing."

Caroline grinned, folding her arms. "What? Afraid he might like me better than you?"

"Not that I could blame him." Her smile widened and she let out a little laugh, ducking her head as her cheeks tinged pink. He found himself smiling too. "All right. Why don't I draw you a bath, help you clean up and then we'll go to school together?"

"I'll make a little breakfast," Caroline agreed. "Do you like pancakes?"

Henrik nodded. "With chocolate chips."

"Henrik, don't push." The little boy frowned, abashed.

Caroline laughed. "I think I can manage that."

His smile lit up her heart. So did Klaus' tired one. He nodded and gestured to the door, leading Henrik out and winking back at Caroline before the two disappeared. She shook her head, smiling to herself as she marveled at how such an emotionally exhausting night could make for the sweetest morning after.


4:31 p.m.

She had spent the better part of her free time at school looking up any information she could that would help his case and keep Henrik and the rest of his family safe. Her mother's help was always an option, and it was usually the best one, but a.) she didn't want to have to go running to mommy for help because damn it, she was a grown, independent woman, and b.) it was way, way beyond the boundaries of her relationship with the Mikaelsons to involve more people. Especially former police sheriffs.

After the school day had ended, Caroline made plans to meet with Klaus back at her apartment. When he picked Henrik up he told her he was going to drop him off with Rebekah and meet with Elijah before making it just in time to be late for dinner at her place. She wasn't the best cook, admittedly, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve from lonely nights when her mom had been out on duty. Plus the alone time would do both of them some good.

As she walked with the bag of groceries in one hand and texting Klaus in the other, she almost didn't hear her name being called.

"Hey. Caroline. Wait up."

She turned around and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She clutched the plastic bag handles tighter, her nails digging into her palm. "I swear I will call the cops."

"I just wanna talk."

"I have a restraining order."

"Actually it expired a month ago."

"Which I will be reinstating today."

"I'm not here to hurt you."

"Because you've done enough of that already."

"How many times do I have to apologize? I'm working on it, okay? Give me a break."

She huffed, tossing her hair with a cool jerk of her head. "What do you want, Tyler?"

"It's about that family you've been hanging around. The Mikaelsons?"

"This is so not your place."

"Hear me out. There are things about them you need to know."

"Not from you." She turned and kept walking but he was quickly on her tail.

"Then who?"

"Literally anyone else." She shook her head and opened the rear passenger door to set the groceries on the seat, fighting to keep her calm. "By the way, I already know the tragic backstory, and guess what? They're still better people than you are. So just get it through your thick head that we are over. And that will never change. Ever." She slammed the door and pulled her own door open to get in. Tyler moved so she couldn't close it.

"So you know that their father is an abuser? That their mother enabled him and went down for his crimes and is now out of jail trying to get her family back?" She stared at him, brows knit. "What do you think will happen when their father gets out and their mother has paved the way for him to go back to doing what it is he did to those kids?"

She searched his eyes carefully. "How do you know all that?"

He tilted his head giving her a knowing look. "How do you think?"

"I have to go." She started to pull the door closed but he pulled back on it and the handle slipped out of her grasp.

"I'm already breaking the law by telling you, can't you just give me a little bit of credit?"

"Credit for what? Being a creeper ex-boyfriend who snoops on everyone that comes into my life?"

"That's not what this is."

"Unless they're your clients which makes it ten times worse."

He paused for a long time, his stare hard. "They're not. But, Care - "

"No. Do not "but Care" me. You are not my boyfriend anymore and you have no right to invade my personal life! And stop talking to my mom! That is just beyond low, even for you!"

"I only went to her because I know she'll listen!"

"And, what, you think you can get to me through her?"

He shrugged, too arrogant for her liking. "Maybe."

"You're disgusting."

"Why? Because I care? Because I'm still looking out for you even after you dumped me?"

"I dumped you because you cheated on me!"

She shook her head and started to reach for the door again but he grabbed her arm this time. The death glare she gave him could start fires.

"If I can give you some legal advice, stay away from them."

She ripped her arm away and grabbed the door handle one more time, ignoring that she nearly slammed it on his fingertips. She started the car up and rolled the window halfway as she shifted into gear.

"Do us both a favor, Tyler, and take your own advice." She backed out of her spot without a second glance, leaving him standing in the empty parking spot.