.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being such amazing readers and leaving the best reviews ever. I know its gotten harder with updates coming slower right now, but I truly appreciate your patience and support as I dodge some of life's curveballs. You all left such wonderful reviews in the last chapter, my heart is lifted! That said, I want to give a special shoutout to guest user "C" for the amazing plethora of reviews and staying up past 2AM to read this!


So a little note before I let you guys run amok. I originally wanted the beginning segment of this chapter to be included somewhere in the last chapter, but when all was said and done with PART 11, I couldn't find a place for it and I felt like if I forced it, it would take away from the impact of what happened with Caroline and the way Klaus responded. That said, I didn't want to totally exclude it because it is kind of integral. I just hope its positioning here – like a quick step back to last night before moving forward to today – doesn't entirely throw things off.

This one's a little Mikaelson heavy, but the Klaroline should be making a comeback in the next chapter. ;)


PART 12

Prior that evening – Mikaelson Residence – 5:37 p.m.

Home, as they say, is where the hearth is. And where the heart finds its comfort. For the past three years, "home" had just been a residence, so when his siblings chose to take a stand this time, Klaus should have been more prepared. His clouded judgement had a lot to answer for. Most of what had happened could have been prevented had he stayed put with Henrik, and with his family, instead of running like the coward that he was.

The first step was accepting the inevitable confrontation that was about to ensue upon Finn's return from his work day.

The eldest Mikaelson did a double take on his way down the hall, nearly missing the sight of his three brothers waiting in the Great Room. Henrik was kneeling on the floor in front of them, hovering over the coffee table as he pondered the pictures inside the copy of The Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm. Elijah and Klaus were less oblivious. The loud echoing boom that Finn's briefcase made when he dropped it didn't startle them, but Henrik looked up, gaping. He sat back on his heels slowly as Finn walked down the two steps into the room and stopped, standing stoically. His gaze passed over each of them, resting on Henrik's doe eyes.

"I'm glad to see you've talked some sense into our brother, Elijah," he said, finally relieving the five-year-old from his penetrating stare.

Klaus started to rise but Elijah grabbed his wrist to halt him, standing up in his stead. "Henrik, why don't you take that up to your room?"

Henrik crawled over to Klaus, hugging his brother's calves. "I wanna stay with Nik," he said quietly.

Klaus' eyes dropped briefly to the five-year-old appendage. He petted his head as his attention re-fixated on Finn heatedly as he spoke. "Everything's fine, monkey. Go upstairs."

The five year old reluctantly released his hold and clambered to his feet, picking up and clutching the heavy book to his chest as he trudged past them all and exited the room. Finn's eyes narrowed tiredly.

"I wish you would stop referring to him as an animal. He's a child."

"I'll stop when he tells me to stop."

"You may have noticed we removed Esther from our household," Elijah interjected before the tension levels could get any higher. "Permanently," he added. "The police have been notified and if she steps foot on our property again, she will find herself behind bars once more."

Finn let out a little huff, eyeing him narrowly. "You're no better than he is, Elijah."

"She held Rebekah and Kol prisoner in their own home. Would you subject Henrik to the same fate?"

"They were never her prisoners. They could have come and gone as they pleased."

"You and I both know that isn't true," Klaus argued.

"You have no grounds to stand on, Niklaus. You kidnapped our brother."

"I was protecting him. The same cannot be said of you."

"Protecting him? By keeping him away from his home? Away from his family?"

"He was with his family!" He rose to his feet in anger. "You were the one playing house with a murderer!"

"Again with the accusations."

"Did you or did you not invite our mother into our home?"

"Yes. She had nowhere else to stay. I was being a good son."

"And a traitorous brother."

"Do you honestly think I would have allowed her here if I thought she would put any of us in harm's way?" He shook his head. "Your relationship with her may be marred but that doesn't mean it has to extend to the rest of us."

"Oh but it does."

"Try to see things from his point of view, Finn," Elijah pleaded.

"And what point of view is that? He hasn't had the capacity to think clearly since Tatia's passing."

Klaus started towards him and Elijah held him back with an outstretched arm. "Weaponizing the pains of the past is our mother's specialty." He glared at Finn in disappointment. "I expected better from you."

"Don't play innocent, Elijah. You knew what he was doing, where he was keeping him. You're just as guilty as he is."

"You want to talk guilt?" Klaus threatened, Elijah's arm thrusting harder to keep him restrained. "Why do you put your faith in a woman who you know has done unimaginable things?"

"What I know is that no child should grow up without their mother."

"Oh, I don't know. I think we turned out fairly well." Finn gave him a flat look.

Elijah finally lowered his arm with a sigh. "The point remains. For better or worse, we are all Henrik's legal guardians. Regardless of our beliefs, it is our responsibility to have Henrik's best interest at heart. Arguing with one another completely defeats that purpose."

Finn succumbed with a nod. "You're right. Hard as it may be for you to understand, I do not want a war. I just want our family whole and at peace."

Klaus scoffed. "We already were whole. And we had peace until you let her in."

"She went after Niklaus yesterday," Elijah told him. "In front of Henrik's school, where Henrik could witness." At last there was some surprise, even regret. "The police were involved. Henrik had to watch as his brother was taken away in handcuffs because of our mother's instigation."

Finn swallowed, his eyes shifting to Klaus who looked away in shame. "Why wasn't I called?"

"The incident was traumatizing enough. Since Henrik had put his faith wholly into his teacher for the time being, I permitted her to look after him," Elijah explained. "We thought it best to expedite the process of Klaus' release rather than be delayed with a potentially negative interference."

He laughed bitterly. "You thought? Meaning the two of you?" He gestured between them. "Well therein lies your problem."

"The problem is our mother," Klaus reiterated with agitation.

"And she's gone now," Finn emphasized.

"Don't sound so disappointed."

"If I am disappointed, it is because there is such a distinct lack of trust that it causes the two of you to be foolishly reckless. If her distance is what you wanted, if it is to be maintained, then it should be a joint effort." Elijah and Klaus both gaped incredulously. "Perhaps the next time the two of you are conspiring, you might think of coming to me before passing judgement and making such rash decisions." He glanced to Klaus. "Am I not also your brother?"

"Are you not also her son?" he shot back.

"I know that you cannot understand this, but I don't have the cold-hearted capacity that you do to turn my back on my mother. Nor does that mean that I will turn my back on you," he added loudly as Klaus started to protest. "So long as I have your word that you will refrain from harboring Henrik as your own personal fugitive." Klaus' brows twitched. "His whereabouts should be a shared knowledge between the three of us."

Elijah stroked his chin, glancing to Klaus. "That's more than reasonable."

"I have a condition, then." Klaus stepped forward, well beyond Finn's comfort zone. "We make the decisions. As they pertain to everyone in this household. Who is brought in or out of this house must be cleared by everyone. And if you do try to go behind our back, I swear my vengeance will not be merciful."

Finn narrowed his eyes but shook his brother's offered hand in agreement, holding it a moment longer. "You should really learn to control your temperament, Niklaus. It might get you into trouble one day."

Their hands unlinked and Finn turned away. Klaus glared at his back as he exited, picking his briefcase up along the way and disappearing from view. Elijah pursed his lips as he came up behind him, smoothing his tie.

"That went better than expected." He moved up to stand shoulder to shoulder, glancing sideways at him. "Do you believe him?"

Klaus' eyes slid with a sardonic monotone "Do you?"


Thursday – Mystic Elementary 3:01 p.m.

Teabags, lipstick and a good concealer were a girl's best friends on days like these. At this point, hiding the evidence had become almost an artistry for Caroline. Unfortunately she'd been through enough bumps and bruises to know the drill. Bacitracin for the scrapes, aspirin for the headaches, and alcohol at night to numb her sore heart. She'd gone through half a bottle of wine by the time Klaus had gotten there. He happened to be a better medicine than any of it, though she would never have wanted him to see her like that. She was strong, damnit. Not just some desperate, emotionally wrecked little girl trying to make it in a man's world. And yet, in his arms, she could do nothing but crumble. And she hated it.

More so, she hated that he was gone. He stayed late into the night. They lay together in her bed, saying nothing and speaking volumes in their silence. He held her with an unspoken promise that everything would be all right and that he was there for her. Until he wasn't.

Her bed was unnervingly empty in the morning and when she walked out to the kitchen, half expecting him to be there, he was nowhere to be found. She couldn't understand why he would leave, and why skulk in the middle of the night like some kind of lurking shadow? Had the ordeal scared him off that badly?

She tried to tell herself that he had to go home for Henrik, but even that didn't seem like a good enough reason. What was worse? He was completely ignoring her texts. It was the end of the day and, given the circumstance, she was sure he was going to be making an appearance in her classroom any minute. She stared at her iPhone screen at the pathetic amount of texts she'd sent him throughout the day – five was pathetic by her standards, okay? – the lack of grey response bubbles blurring her vision with irritation.

"Miss, Caroline?"

She looked up and blinked until she saw Henrik standing timidly at the opposite side of her desk. Her smile was automatic.

"Yes?"

He held up the worksheet she'd given him and she took it from him, nodding with her head to gesture him around the desk. He walked over and stood by her side to watch her grade it.

"Very good," she told him. "You got almost all of them right. See, this one here is kind of tricky because it looks like something else." He was looking up at her curiously and she sat back a little. "Do you know what a bat is?" He shook his head. "It's kind of like a bird but it only comes out at night." He nodded quietly. "Did you finish the second worksheet?" He shook his head. "Your brother should be here soon, anyway." She leaned over her desk again, glancing at the clock. "I hope."

Henrik stood by idly as she began to thumb through her lesson plans. "Miss Caroline?" She hummed in response. "What happened to your head?"

She looked up, alerted, instinctually covering the bandaid covered patch with her hand. "Oh. It's nothing. It was an accident."

Something strange registered in his face and he looked down. When he looked up again, his frown was hard but his voice was barely audible, "Did your daddy do it?"

Her heart stopped, breath catching at the sudden turn. "What?" Her brows shot up, her lips wavering in shock. "Wh...Why would you think that?"

There was fear in his expression then. He quickly shrugged before decidedly turning and running back to his table. She was having palpitations suddenly, her stomach knotting with dread. She didn't want to jump to conclusions but the history of their family's abuse resurfaced and Tyler's words rang in her ears. Klaus' story about their mother's adultery suddenly came to mind. He'd said the child in question felt isolated, guilty even. How could a child so young feel such adult emotions? It stood to reason that he was probably made to feel them by someone else.

Still, the thought of Henrik enduring that abuse, and at such an incredibly young age? He was two when they were convicted, she reminded herself. Two! How could a person harm a toddler? Enough that he could even remember it now?

She'd had a hunch before but something it was finally clicking, and his behavior now only confirmed it in her head. It was why he had adverse responses to affection; why he flinched whenever a hand reached out to him; why he refrained from socialization; why he was such an important commodity to his siblings. Henrik was the unwanted son of Esther's affair.

She got up and walked over to him, pulling the chair beside him out to sit with him. He watched her thoughtfully as she moved closer and slid the paper she'd given him from under his palm so she could command his attention. His confused eyes were focused on her. Maybe it was crossing a boundary, and her stomach was in her throat, but...she had to know.

"Henrik..." she started softly. "Did your daddy ever hurt you?"

His little brows creased and he stared at her quietly for a time until he reached for the paper again and slid it back in front of him with an annoyed huff. "No," he said defiantly.

Caroline swallowed and sat back slowly, her heart aching as she watched the five-year-old determinedly work on tracing the letters on the paper. His grip on his pencil turned his knuckles white and she noticed the lines of his letters wobbling. A chord was struck, she just wasn't sure which. She leaned forward, ready to question him again when...

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said gruffly from behind. Katherine waltzed into the classroom, looking around with a half-smirk. "Cute place you've got here."

Caroline frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up the pipsqueak."

She stood. "Where's Klaus?"

"Not here." She crouched down beside Henrik. "Time to go, kiddo. Your brother's waiting."

He dropped the pencil on the table and got up without a word. She rose as he put his jacket on and didn't button it, and grabbed his backpack by the top loop, dragging it across the floor as he walked to the door.

"What's with him?" Katherine frowned then glanced to Caroline. "Scratch that. What happened to you?"

"Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing."

She rolled her eyes with a weary sigh and walked over to where Henrik was waiting by the door. He looked down instantly and it made her heart hurt so she knelt in front of him, keeping her hands in her lap. "Hey. I'm sorry if I upset you," she murmured, hoping Katherine didn't hear as she approached. "Are we still friends?"

It took a moment of consideration but he finally lifted his head and nodded feebly. She huffed a tiny sigh of relief through her nose before easing herself back onto her feet. She folded her arms, rubbing them as her eyes darted from Katherine's questioning ones.

"Is everything okay with Klaus?"

"Why would I know?"

"Do you think you can you tell him to call me? Or at least answer my texts?"

Katherine shrugged. "I can tell him. But it doesn't mean he'll listen."

"Just...tell him it's important."

She nodded and started to lead Henrik out the door when something stopped her. She looked back over her shoulder, eyes narrowed.

"Give him time." Her eyes drifted up to the bandaged corner of her head. "He's not as immune as he pretends to be."

Caroline frowned, even more confused, but Katherine only offered a tiny smile of reassurance and then she and Henrik were gone.


Mikaelson Mansion – 6:37 p.m.

A full day and a half had come and gone with no disturbances or sightings. By the afternoon, Klaus felt at ease enough to reach out to Kol and beckon his siblings back home. His message to Kol was, of course, returned with a snarky response and an insufferable amount of emojis – Kol knew he hated them – but the two were en route. With Elijah occupying Henrik and Finn in his study, Klaus was left in his own company.

Generally he could withstand himself, but some days, days like today, he basked in the loathsome creature he was, regurgitating his past and combing over each and every moment that he might have changed, what could and should have happened. There was so much he had to answer for.

He was to blame for Kol and Rebekah's imprisonment.
He was to blame for the trauma Henrik endured upon his arrest.
He was to blame for Caroline now being involved.
He was to blame for his father's irrational behavior.
He was to blame for all the times he was struck.

...For the argument that caused Tatia to leave. For not taking the keys. For letting her drive off, knowing full well she had had too much to drink. He was to blame for her death.

He was to blame for the havoc wreaked upon this family, for being born at all. His existence created the domino effect that was their life, being subject to things no person should be subjected to, and having to relocate and rebuild. It was no wonder none of them could create lasting relationships outside of their familial circle. Finn had had Sage, the woman who brought something lively out of the otherwise monotonous creature of habit. Until she tired of coming second. Elijah and Katherine were forever fighting a lasting battle that even Elijah wasn't sure he would win. Kol feigned indifference but his commitment issues were gaining strength each day. Rebekah was afraid. And then there were his own mishaps. He craved the companionship, the safety of another's arms, and for a short time with Tatia he'd thought he'd had everything he needed. Their story was so easy at the beginning, almost picturesque. He should have known better than to have expected a happy ending.

Which brought him to Caroline. There were so many layers to his connection with her. He'd never intended any kind of commitment with her when he first approached her. She was beautiful and had an appreciation for art. It was all he would need to build on and easily ensnare her in one of his imitative flings, until he tired of the pretense of it all and sent her back out to pasture. He hadn't counted on her catching him in his game, calling him on it, being so brutally honest and rejecting him in probably one of the most cruelest manners he'd endured. It changed everything, and the way they blossomed from that moment forth put him in a continually flustered position of complete and utter disarray.

As things kept progressing, as secrets became harder to keep, his fears climbed closer and closer to the surface. It was why he ran. He was still trying to come to terms with the realities of last night. Seeing Caroline in such a state brought forth too many emotions. His heart couldn't bear her tears, the way she looked so ashamed and blamed herself for her appearance; how she kept reiterating if only she hadn't gone to see him. He had to keep telling her that the choice to hurt her was Tyler's and Tyler's alone. She knew that, but it was the coming to terms with her past crashing into their present that was harder.

It was too close too home.

What she didn't know were the triggering feelings he had just sitting there with her. He knew very well the sting she was feeling in her heart and how those aches and pains weren't just skin deep. He also knew that if Tyler Lockwood ever dared to cross his path again, there would be Hell to pay. And more.

A familiar sound of bickering echoing from the foyer allayed all of his angry thoughts.

"Everyone stay calm!" Kol waltzed into the house, arms spread, wide grin. "The prodigal son and strumpet have returned." Rebekah thwacked his shoulder and he rubbed it. "Ow."

"I am not a strumpet."

Rapid steps gave way to Klaus who appeared at the railing of the balcony.

"Oi," Kol greeted him. "Well don't just stand there."

His lips twisted in a grin and Klaus made his way down to them where Rebekah met him at the base in relieved hug.

"I'm so sorry she did that to you, Nik."

"It's all right," he told her, stroking her hair absently, just glad to have her home. He pulled back and looked at her seriously. "Are you all right?"

"Better now," she assured him.

He glanced to Kol and, when she released him, walked over to his brother and held his shoulders. "Thank you," he told him. Kol nodded as a look of understanding passed through them and Klaus pulled him in for a hug, clapping him on the back. "I'm glad you're home."

"Prison's made a sap out of you," Kol teased and they parted.

"Where's Henrik?" Rebekah asked.

"Upstairs. Elijah's running him a bath."

"I can't imagine what it must have been like to see you taken away."

"She'll pay for that," Kol swore.

"Indeed she will," Finn's voice came before his approach from the hall. He stopped once all three of them had turned. "Rebekah. Kol. I'd like to extend an apology. I'm sorry if you felt trapped while our mother was residing here. I should have taken better care to look after you."
"Don't apologize to me," Kol said not hiding his bitterness. His thumb pointed backward at Rebekah. "Apologize to her. She's the one you two trapped."

"Kol," Rebekah urged softly and pushed his hand down. "It's fine, Finn."

"No," Kol shook his head defiantly. "It's not. You put all of us in danger bringing her here. Don't waste an apology if it's only to ease your own conscience."

Klaus held a hand up and walked between his brothers, giving Kol a look. "That's enough."

"Not nearly."

"We have an agreement."

Both Rebekah and Kol looked at him in disbelief. "What do you mean an agreement?" Rebekah asked.

"All of us share a common goal," Finn assured them. "To ensure that Henrik has a good home and a happy life."

"Bloody good job you've done so far."

"Kol," Klaus warned him.

"I never intended for things to escalate," Finn continued, "and I apologize for my part in that. Niklaus, Elijah, and I have agreed to make communal decisions from now on, in regards to our family. Our whole family."

Rebekah glanced worriedly to Klaus. "What does that mean, Nik?"

"It means you have nothing to fear, little sister. Esther won't be returning."

Kol huffed through his nose. "And why don't I believe you?" He shook his head. "You weren't here the past few days. You didn't have her hovering over your shoulder at every turn, making demands in our own home!"

"I wasn't. And I apologize for my actions and the effects they had on the two of you. I should have stayed. She would never have gotten past the door."

"Do you want to know what our darling mother did while you were off gallivanting with your precious teacher and favored brother? She interrogated us. Our own mother did a bloody cross examination on her children, Nik. Took our phones, car keys, any means of an easy out and locked them away, trying to make us tell her what we knew."

Klaus' eyes slid to Finn. "You failed to mention that."

"It's been three years, Kol," Finn argued. "Can you blame her for being out of touch with how to be a mother?"

"That's just it!" He laughed bitterly. "She's never been in touch with her maternal instincts! Look at what she allowed Nik to endure!"

Klaus tensed, jaw clenching. "That's enough, Kol."

"And now poor Caroline has become a part of this mess. I shudder to think what kind of use our mother will find for her."

"I said enough!"

"Stop it!" Rebekah cried suddenly. "All of you, stop it! This is what she wants! For us to tear each other apart, limb from bloody limb. Well, I, for one, refuse to play along with her schemes!"

"Rebekah's right," Finn agreed. "Family is about unity. Especially in times of hardship. I had forgotten that." He glanced to Kol, earnestly. "I am sorry."

Kol stared at him, hard, crossing his arms with a slow stream of breath. "So what do we do now? Are we to be sitting ducks?"

"We resume our lives," Klaus told him. "As best as we possibly can."

Upstairs, in the land of soap and bubbles, far from the stresses on the first floor, another set of brothers were bonding. Bath time had become one of their daily rituals, a favored quality time moment of Elijah's and a nice relief from what was otherwise a more monotonous day of work.

"Eyes closed," Elijah instructed the five-year-old, before pouring the cup of water over his head. "Very good."

Henrik rubbed the water droplets from around his eyes and continued to sort through the floating foam letters and numbers that had amassed in the tub.

"Tell me something you learned at school today."

Henrik picked up the letters H and E and stuck them to the wall, answering distractedly, "Squares have four sides."

"That's right, they do."

He picked up a U, mistaking it for a lower case N, and put it back. "Circles have no sides."

"What about triangles?"

He stuck his tongue out, scanning the numbers until he dunked the 3 under and brandished it in the air with a splash. "Three!"

Elijah jerked at ricochets of water that hit his face and wiped them away carefully. "Indeed."

"That's why it's a tri-angle." He shot his other hand up out of the water and the splash hit Elijah's tie.

"Perhaps we can try to keep the water inside the bathtub."

Henrik smiled sheepishly and lay the number back down on the surface carefully and instead started to quietly pile up the bubbles in a mountain of suds.

"Would you like to know what I did today?" Elijah asked him.

"What?"

"I helped a distressed merchandiser with a failing company come to an agreement with his loan officer. We mediated a settlement in which they would finance their stocks which prevented the business owner from going completely bankrupt." Henrik tilted his head with a confused look, his eyes wandering back to his bubbles. Elijah chuckled. "You're right. I suppose it's not as interesting as circles and squares."

Henrik patted the bubble mountain down into a mass of foam again and began squishing it thoughtfully between his fingers.

"Are you ready to wash your hair?" Henrik nodded and Elijah picked up the bottle of shampoo, popping the tab to open it. "Hands out, please."

Henrik dunked his foamy fingers under the water to rinse them, then cupped them patiently. His brother squeezed a quarter sized glob out and Henrik grinned at the gooey substance, pushing at it with his fingertip.

"Now scrub it in," he instructed. "Make sure you get your whole head."

Henrik rubbed his hands together and began to rub the shampoo into his hair, mushing it around his head. Elijah helped him with the lather then rinsed his hands in the bath water, proceeding to roll his sleeves up after.

"You're getting very good at that," Elijah told him, picking up the cup again to fill it. "Soon you won't need my help."

Henrik frowned at the cup, instinctively covering his face with his hands. "Don't get it in my eyes," he told him with an edge of worry.

"I promise." He used his hand against his forehead to shield from the water as he poured and refilled to rinse the soap from his hair. "All done."

Henrik's shoulders slumped, glad the worst was over. He watched Elijah thoughtfully as his big brother had grabbed a hand towel to dry off.

"Where's Kaffrine?"

"Hmm?"

"She didn't stay. She always stays."

Elijah's gaze flicked to his only briefly before he began to unroll his sleeves. "She had to work."

"At night?"

"It would seem so."

Henrik frowned and looked over at the H and E he had put on the wall. He tore the H off and picked at one of its stems. "Are you still being married to her?"

Elijah's brows shot up at the randomly innocent question. "Yes, of course. Although there is a question of when."

Henrik tilted his head, thinking again. "What does married mean?"

"Well, it can mean a lot of things. It can be a societal standard of contractual agreement. It can be nothing more than a financial amalgamation. Or it can be two people who are very much in love wanting to declare that love to the world, and hold onto it for as long as they can make it work."

"Like, forever?"

"In some cases. Though, statistically, the divorce rate has been increasing." His eyes slid to the five-year-old staring at him blankly. "What is it that you want to know about marriage, exactly?"

"Can Nik and Miss Caroline be married?"

Elijah chuckled. "That, I'm afraid, is entirely up to them. He would have to ask her. And she would have to say yes."

Henrik took that note to heart and began searching his bath letters again while Elijah began to wipe up the water on the floor. He grabbed the Y and the S from the water and placed them on either side of the E he had put up on the wall, smiling at his handiwork.