Blueberrygold - All will be revealed in time.

TwilightHybrid - I wouldn't bet on Tyler being a happy camper with things at all in this fic, but Liz has the potential to come around.

BeccaSco - Aww, thank you!

Guest - Your in depth review gave me so much life. Thank you for that. Tatia was not a lawyer, no. It was more of a strangeness with being open with this person kind of feeling for him. I'm not the best at conveying those kinds of subtleties but it's something for me to work on! Yes! I'm so glad you picked up on the little Henrik spying things. That's mildly important to the grand scheme. :)

MagsSky - Thank you, sweetheart!

As always, thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your love and support!

I swear all your pleas for updates didn't fall on deaf ears. I didn't mean to take this long to update, especially since this chapter has been mostly done for months. I got deeply invested in trying to finish the first draft for my novel series and it's coming close, guys! I hope you'll bear with me as I try to divide my attention, but never worry that I'll leave this story unfinished. I have plans. ;)

Now all the real life stuff aside... OMG WHO SAW THE EPIC KLAROLINE REUNION THE OTHER NIGHT!?
I'm so alive and still riding the high from it. It totally brought me back to this fic too and hopefully will help me get another update out sooner.

That said, enjoy!


PART 8

The Mikaelson Mansion 3:43 p.m.

Henrik's excited chatter about the prospect of his brother having dinner with Miss Caroline was all that filled the foyer as they walked in. His voice carried through the mansion far enough to reach the lone occupant who waltzed out just as Klaus had shut the door. Henrik's sudden silence told Klaus who would be behind him when he turned around.

"You're home early," he spoke before facing the wide-eyed monster that was Finn. Henrik moved to hide behind his leg, shamefaced.

Finn's jaw set as he swallowed carefully. "I don't suppose you want to explain where you found our brother. Or that you lost him at all," he add as an afterthought.

"How like you to jump straight to blaming me."

"I don't see anyone else to blame. Especially when you're the one he's cowering behind."

He felt Henrik's head lower against his leg and put a hand on it protectively. "Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere. Somewhere not within earshot."

Finn sighed through his nose. "Henrik, go to your room."

Henrik peeked his head around, sucking in his lower lip. "Is Nik in trouble?"

"I'd worry less about him and more about the consequences of your own actions, if I were you."

Henrik's eyes widened and he scampered to the staircase. Just then, the door opened again to filter in two more bickering siblings.

"All I said was that his leather jacket was pretentious," Kol was saying, following a very annoyed Rebekah in. "He dresses like we live in the 1950s."

"If it bothers you so much, then get your own life and stop invading mine," she argued.

"Where's the fun in that?" He stopped when she did, realizing she'd quieted for a reason. He smiled when he saw Henrik lingering by the railing. "Welcome back, buddy."

Rebekah spied the tension between her brothers with a worried crease between her brows. "Finn, why aren't you at work?"

"Rebekah, take Henrik up to his room and stay there. I need to have a word with Niklaus."

Kol rolled his eyes, sauntering toward the staircase. "Oh come on, Finn. Don't get all high and mighty, making a scene." He gestured to the littlest.

"We were all responsible for Henrik's fleeing," Rebekah added.

Kol crouched to his level. "Where did you get off to anyway, bud?"

"Miss Caroline's," Henrik said meekly.

Rebekah looked stunned. "Why on earth would you go there?"

"Good on you, mate." Kol grinned cheekily, patting him on the back. "If I were to run away, I'd find a pretty girl to stay with too."

Rebekah scoffed. "That's appropriate."

"What?"

"He's five!"

"He's a man. It's instinctual."

"Now, Rebekah." Finn's voiced thundered with force from the echo of the foyer, scaring them all into silence.

She frowned and walked over to her little brother and held her hand out, whispering, "Come on, sweet pea."

Henrik looked back at Klaus sadly. He gave him a small, reassuring nod to go with his sister.

"I've got him," Kol said then swiftly lifted him over his shoulder like a rag doll, a little giggle echoing as they ascended the stairs. Klaus let the sound ease his heart, silently thanking Kol's rarity. Rebekah followed after them, quietly teasing Henrik's upside-down appearance.

Klaus and Finn's eyes traveled back to one another almost simultaneously.

"You had no right to keep this from me."

"You're right," Klaus confessed. He spread his arms. "I should have told you."

"Don't patronize me."

"You're not the sole guardian, Finn. It's a combined effort between the three of us. That was the court ruling."

"And yet you constantly take it upon yourself to do with him as you see fit, never mind taking me or Elijah into consideration."

"I didn't tell him to run away to his teacher!"

"You didn't stop him, either!"

"What would you have of me? Punishment? Suffering? You stepped into our father's shoes quick enough, why not make yourself more comfortable and fill his role entirely?"

"I am trying to keep this family together! Meanwhile, you're doing a bloody good job at tearing it apart!"

"And there we are again with the blame." Klaus nodded. "Always the self-righteous brother."

"This isn't about me."

"No. This is about Henrik."

"That's right." He nodded. "And if you had been keeping a better look after him this might never have happened. I could petition the courts to remove you from the custodial contract." His eyes narrowed as he looked down his nose at his younger brother. "You were never in your right mind to care for a child. Not after Tatia."

"Don't you dare bring her into this."

"Further proving my point." He gestured. He held his gaze hotly, then nodded in affirmation. "You won't be picking him up from school anymore."

"That's not for you to decide."

"I just did."

He walked down the two steps into the Great Room and, after a beat, Klaus was quickly on his tail.

"Did you have anything to do with her release?"

Finn turned around, wide-eyed and appalled. "How could you think that of me?"

"Spare me the pretenses. We all know you're mother's favorite."

"My jurisdiction is family law, not criminal defense. Despite the fact, it would be a conflict of interest."

Klaus lifted his chin, glowering. "That wasn't a no."

Finn's eyes turned cold. "Don't undermine my investment in Henrik's well-being, Niklaus."

"I'm not undermining. I'm flat out questioning it."

"I had – nothing – to do – with our mother's – release – from prison."

"So help me if I find out you did."

"What would you do besides spew idle threats?" Klaus glared, jaw clenching and unclenching as he clawed through his mind for a response. Finn nodded, his smirk a mockery. "That's what I thought."

He watched his brother walk out with an arrogant straightening to his spine. The bloody bastard was proud of himself, proud of belittling his flesh and blood. They always wanted to make him out to be their father's heir but right now, Finn was becoming a bigger contender.


Caroline's Apartment 7:28 p.m.

Why was it when you were waiting for something, or someone, the ticking clock became annoyingly apparent? Each stroke of the second hand was like a taunt. She glanced up at it for the millionth time and only a minute had passed. It felt like a billion. She and Klaus had agreed to seven o'clock, and, really, she should have anticipated his tardiness. For some reason she was on edge about it this time, and with every damn tick tock of that clock she chopped into the head of lettuce more angrily. Tick. Chop. Tick. Chop.

Stupid men and their stupid tics...

It was actually a blessing that he was late. Because of her unanticipated run-in with Tyler, her cooking time had been intercepted by a trip the police station. How did he even know when the document had expired and how could she have not? Was he just waiting for that moment? It sure as hell seemed like it! It had been almost two years since she'd had to deal with him face to face and they had been such a blissful two years. Now she would have to go through the process all over again, have another hearing, take time off work and deal with this just to ensure that he would never again be in a twenty foot radius of her. At least.

But it wasn't just Tyler's appearance that had her off balance. It was what he'd said. Their father is an abuser. She might have guessed that from Klaus' context, but it still wasn't the easiest thing to stomach. She grabbed the cucumber and chopped. 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? What if he was right? Was their mother's freedom just a gateway into getting their father freed, as well? What did he do to the kids, and which ones? Damn him! Why did he have to show up and shake her world up?

She sighed and finally laid the knife down to check on the rest of the meal to distract herself from her thoughts. The water for the pasta was bubbling and the sauce was near flavored perfection. The bread was cut. The wine was chilling. The table was set – to a tee, she might add, as her compulsive tendencies demand that everything have a place, be in it, and look House and Garden magazine ready. She even redid her hair and makeup, put on lipstick for the idiot, and here he was just about to be a half hour late. Could today get any worse?

As if answering her prayers, the doorbell to her apartment rang and she finally let out the breath she'd been holding. She gave her hair one last fluff as she walked through her living room before pulling the door open to greet him.

He had his hands behind his back and a secretive smile as he stood about a foot from the door. She smiled thinly.

"You're late."

"As promised." His goading smile was irritating. He finally stepped into the threshold and his arms freed themselves to present her with a stunning bouquet. Calla lilies, pink tulips and roses. "These are for you."

Her heart warmed at the sight of them and she took them gingerly, almost regretting her greeting. "Thank you." She smiled again, small but genuine this time.

"You're welcome." His lips were pursed and his eyes stayed trained on hers as he sauntered past her. She rolled her eyes at his back when he was fully inside and closed the door, taking a deep breath before heading into the kitchen to put the flowers in water.

Klaus followed her lead, shedding his coat and setting it on the back of one of the chairs as he admired her set up. Pristine and precise and completely Caroline.

"It smells like you've been hard at work."

"Uh huh." She kept her focus on arranging the flowers, trying to remain neutral, but transparency was her middle name.

"Are you all right, love? You seem a bit tense."

She stopped and sighed, raising a hand to her head. "Yeah. Sorry. It's just been a really bad day."

"I can relate." She looked over with a frown. "Finn found out about Henrik."

"Guessing he wasn't happy?"

"That's putting it lightly."

"It's so hard to imagine him mad. He always seems so calm."

"There's always a calm before the storm." He nodded to her. "What about you? Did the five-year-olds plan a siege? A little kindergarten rebellion?"

She laughed. "I wish it was that simple." She fussed with the tulips, shaking her head. "I had a run-in with my ex today."

"Aah…" It was then he took it upon himself to seize the bottle of wine from the bucket on the table and fumble through her drawers for a corkscrew. She watched him out of the corner of her eye with endeared amusement.

"He has the amazing ability to put me in a really bad mood."

"Most encounters of that nature tend to do that."

"Most exes aren't Tyler."

"I take it things didn't end well."

The cork popped and her arms dropped. "Things didn't even end badly. They blew up. And then the little bits and pieces of that blew up into a million more bits and pieces."

His brows raised and he began filling her glass. "You're going to have to elaborate on that."

"What, now?" He lifted a brow. "Seriously?"

"I believe it is your turn to divulge, sweetheart." He smiled as he sat, gesturing for her to join him as he took up his own glass. She put her hands on her hips. Someone was smug tonight.

"Fine." She sat with him and grabbed her glass, holding it idly as her eyes searched anywhere but his face.

"You're going to have to start sometime, love."

Her eyes flicked to his in warning and he hung his head with an apologetic grin. Caroline looked down at the red wine in her glass and took a courage bolstering breath before she began.

"We were high school sweethearts," she said plainly. "I mean, we've known each other our whole lives but the dating part happened in high school. We were that on again off again relationship until junior year of college, when it got serious. We graduated and then he went away to law school so we did the long distance thing, saw each other over breaks and on holidays. It seemed to work out fine because when all was said and done he proposed." She took a pause to down some of her wine. "I said yes."

Klaus swallowed, taking in the new knowledge with as much neutrality as he could.

"While he finished up school I started planning the wedding. Picked a venue, flowers, a dress, the whole shebang." She was blinking a lot but her eyes were cast downward. She finished her wine before going on. "He, um, wound up cheating on me. With a stripper at his bachelor party. One of his friends who's known us both since elementary school came and told me the next day. Apparently it wasn't the first time, either."

He stared in hot disbelief, unable to distinguish whether the possessive fire igniting in his chest was vengeful or protective. Or both.

"I mean, at least it was before we were supposed to spend the rest of our lives together. Oh, and the real kicker? The girl got pregnant." She shook her head with a humorless laugh. "Of course she kept it. They've been together ever since. And, in the most screwed up turn of events...said child is now my student."

"Bloody hell."

"Yeah. So not only does he still live and work in the same town, so I still have like an 80% chance of running into him, but I also have to see his five-year-old clone every day. As if I needed a reminder."

"Does he ever come to the school?"

"No. He's not allowed while the restraining order is active."

"Restraining order?"

She winced a little, lowering her voice shyly. "I told you it got bad."

"What did he do that warranted your taking a restraining order out on him?"

"You know what, I totally forgot to pour the pasta." She got up and went to the stove, pouring the dried noodles into the boiling water and compulsively checking the rest. "I'm not the best cook but I think this might actually be good."

Klaus sat back, eyeing her skeptically all the while. "I told you my story."

She pursed her lips, chewing the lower one as she stilled the spoon. Her heart was fluttering with nerves and she could feel a lump starting to form in her throat. She told herself she wouldn't get worked up over it again but Klaus' insistence reminded her of what she'd gone through. She inhaled shakily, hoping he couldn't hear the imbalance in her breath, and reluctantly let the spoon go. Grabbing the dishtowel from the oven handle, she turned to face him and gripped the cloth in her hands, wringing tightly.

"He was...controlling. After we broke up he started following me. Keeping tabs, you know? It was annoying." She stopped wringing and let the cloth hang loose with a sigh. "I got sick of his stalking so I went to the police."

Without waiting for his reaction, she turned around again. Her eyes darted until she spotted a tiny old grease stain on the counter and began scrubbing at it. He watched the muscles in her body tense as she fought her demons with a washcloth, decidedly finished with her tale. He stayed silent, wondering what she wasn't telling him, but he was never one to push.

"He says he's just looking out for me because he still cares but he doesn't. He's getting back at me for dumping him. His precious ego can't take being the dump-ee instead of the dump-er."

"You don't think he still has feelings for you?"

She scoffed, scrubbing harder. "Honestly? I don't care."

"What was he trying to warn you against?"

Her motions stopped and she quickly realized her slip. She let go of the cloth once and for all and turned around, letting out a nervous laugh. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that 'look out for you' implies that there's something to fear."

"No. There's not." She settled back against the counter crossing her arms. "He just has this warped mentality that I can't take care of myself. Kind of like my mom."

His eyes narrowed playfully. "I think his concern is a bit different from your mother's."

"Yeah." She smiled a little. "She means well, you know? She just spent so many years taking her work home with her. It's ingrained in her."

"What type of work did she do?"

"She used to be the town Sheriff."

Klaus blanched. "You don't say..."

"Hey." She smiled. "I never asked you what you do for a living."

He hummed as he swallowed the sip he'd taken. "Architecture. Mostly freelance since the case has been going on."

Her head jerked, impressed. "Wow."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just didn't take you for an architect."

"I designed our mansion. Inside and out."

"So you're an interior designer too."

He laughed. "Not exactly. I hired someone to do that part. Though, I think Rebekah has a knack for it."

"Girls and fashion. It's like peanut butter and Nutella."

"I don't think I've ever heard that comparison before." She shrugged with a smile. "And what about you? Did you always want to be a Kindergarten teacher?"

"Not always." She looked down as she meandered over to join him at the table again, taking up her glass to refill it. The daydream shone through her eyes when she looked up at him again. "I always wanted to get into something more dramatic, like television or, I don't know, broadcast journalism. The whole lights, camera, action thing."

"Why didn't you?"

"I was afraid." She looked down again and he was beginning to notice how often the mannerism appeared when she spoke about herself. "I didn't think I had the guts to do it. And I was with Tyler who..." She breathed deeply, shoulders rising and falling. "Who didn't make me feel any better about it." She shook her head, fingertip circling her glass. "Anyway, I got into teaching because it was something I was comfortable with. I used to help run the after school programs with the little kids. They loved me and I loved them. It just worked out that way."

"I'm glad it did." He quickly retracted, "For the fact that it allowed us to meet. Not...obviously, not for the other reasons."

She smiled. "Me too."

He grinned, rewarding her with his melt-worthy dimples and a butterfly inducing twinkle in his eyes. She inhaled shakily, trying to ignore the flutters and the heat in her cheeks.

"So, did you decide what you're going to do?"

"About my mother?" She nodded. "Most of my family is bent on staying put."

"Would that be so bad?"

"For most of us, no. For Henrik, I'm not sure."

Caroline pursed her lips. "Have you tried asking him what he wants?"

"The last time I tried that he wound up here." Their eyes met and she couldn't help but blush.

She looked back at the stove as a short silence befell them. "We should probably eat," she suggested. "Before it gets cold." She rose to tend to it, but her wrist was seized, holding her back. She started to look back as he stood too and his fingers slid down to hold her hand.

"Before that, I think we should start over."

"Start over?"

"I didn't properly greet you at the door." Just as she started to question his meaning, his hand slid against her cheek. It was magic the way he made her feel things with just a single look.

"No," she nodded, taking a step forward, "you didn't."

He smiled, thumb caressing her cheek with the gentlest of swipes as he leaned in, lingering just shy of her lips. "Hello, love."

She smiled broadly, her heart lifted worlds from the depths of her woes, and she leaned up on her tiptoes to meet his kiss.


Monday 4:18 p.m. – Mikaelson Mansion

Mondays were, by no means, anyone's favorite, but this one had a disconcerting vibe to it that nagged at Caroline all day. When Henrik wasn't in class, she texted Klaus on her first break to make sure everything was okay. His reply eased her mind, but only a little. Apparently Elijah had kept him home sick after he woke up with a fever. Lamenting his absence, she decided to go and surprise him with a sweet treat – she'd heard he loved brownies – and some reading materials to make up for his illness. If she so happened to see Klaus in the process, well, that was a bonus.

The house always amazed her when she came across it. Now that she knew it was all Klaus' design, she appreciated its appearance more as she walked up the path to the front door, finding all the little nuances that screamed his aesthetic. Or at least what she knew of it so far. She knocked thrice and waited, her smile irrepressible as she anticipated his surprise at seeing her.

The door swung open and her smile faltered when she was met with a woman she had never seen, though she looked...vaguely familiar. She stood tall and indignant, her honey colored hair pulled back from her perfectly structured face in an effortless looking updo. There was an air of superiority to her, and it wasn't just the power suit. In looking at her, Caroline realized something. The boys all had their mother's eyes. Except for Klaus.

"Can I help you?"

It was almost a bark and her impatience brought Caroline back into focus. "Uh, hi. I was looking for...My name is – "

"Caroline?" Rebekah peeked from behind the door. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes seemed to be urging her away, almost warning. The woman's brows knit before she turned over her shoulder.

"You know this woman?"

Rebekah looked as though she was cowering away, her eyes worry filled. "She's Henrik's teacher. We met briefly once when I picked him up from school."

"Right. Sorry. We haven't met..." her voice trailed abruptly with a questioning lilt as she put her hand out in offering, but the woman refused an introduction, her eyes briefly flicking to the hand with insult. Caroline let it drop.

"Is there a reason you're here, Caroline?"

"Oh. Well..." She looked at the little paper bag and let out a nervous laugh. "I wanted to give him a little something. To help him feel better. If...it's not a good time, I can give it to him tomorrow. When he comes back." She held the woman's gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Is he coming back tomorrow?"

Her face remained straight. "We'll see."

Caroline swallowed, her smile faltering. "Well, I hope he feels better soon."

"I'll pass on the message." The door closed before Caroline could even nod.

Crap, crap, crap!

Her heart was pounding as she hurried down the walkway and back to her car. If Rebekah's desperation was any indication, this could not be good. Their mother had found them and she had Henrik and Rebekah, at the very least. Her hand shook as she fumbled her keys out of her bag and unlocked the door, getting into the safety of her car. She dug her cell phone out, scrolling hastily to find his name and hit "call."

Come on. Pick up. Pick up...

"Hello?"

"Klaus, she's here."