JuseaPeterson - Honestly, I don't feel like Finn is going to be a bad guy in this. Just grossly misunderstood.
rebbecca1 - Oh something is definitely up with Katherine and Elijah. I'll be getting to that soon-ish. What you said about Tyler having it coming but not at the expense of Klaus/Henrik is mighty interesting... ;)
QueenOfAllShips14 - Good gracious let me love you! Thank you for reading and reviewing throughout, it means a lot! You're a doll! I did love Stebekah a lot, and I know I mentioned Enzo in this but I'm not 100% sure where that's going just yet. There is a lot of hilarity surrounding that, actually. No Freya, NO Elena, and not sure about Sage yet. Tatia and Katherine are not related, and I will be going into that backstory as well. I think Tyler's wife will come to light at some point too, but no relations to Klaus or Elijah whatsoever. Hope I answered all your questions!
xxx
Heeeeey guys, I'm back! I know it's been a long wait, and I feel terrible about that, but reality is forever my mistress.
In that respect, I fully admit to some laziness in this chapter but I think you guys will like it anyway.
As always, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your love and continuous support, reading, reviewing, and all that jazz.
A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you!
I hope you get to be with the ones you love and/or do the things you love to do!
I'll see you in the new year!
PART 13
Mystic Elementary – Friday, 3:17 p.m.
"Miss Caroline, did you ever be married?"
Caroline looked up from her desk in surprise. Across the way Henrik was turned backwards in his chair, his tiny fingers gripping the edge of the plastic blue seat in anticipation.
"Uhm," she blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear, "no. Not technically. Why do you ask?"
"Would you say yes if somebody asked you?"
"Well it would depend who that somebody is. And if I loved them. And if they loved me."
He pursed his lips in contemplation. "Only if they loved you and you loved them?"
"Well, yeah. You can't just marry someone without loving them. There are exceptions, for reasons I can't tell you right now, but most of the time marriage is about celebrating the love you have for each other."
"Celebrate? Like a party?"
She nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Do you remember when we read Cinderella last week? A wedding is like a ball. You invite all the people who matter to you, and everyone dresses up. There's music, dancing, a big fancy dinner and a cake – "
"Cake?" His eyes grew wide and she laughed.
"A huge cake. Some even as big as you." She smiled dreamily. "You get to go to a beautiful venue with pretty flowers all around and twinkling lights. The bride wears a big white dress, like a princess, and the groom wears a suit or a tux, just like a prince."
"Elijah wears suits. And Finn, sometimes. To work."
"It's a different kind of suit."
"So if somebody loved you, and you loved them, and they asked you to be married to them, you would say yes?"
She nodded, deliberating. "Yes."
He turned back to sit in his seat, seemingly satisfied, and picked up his pencil like nothing had ever happened. She tried to shake it off and glanced up at the clock with a half-frown. It was 3:17.
It was another twenty minutes before Klaus finally showed up to retrieve Henrik, and fifteen more while he and Caroline chatted idly. His demeanor was still off and with Henrik on his heels, it would be impossible to get to the heart of the matter that was bothering her. Instead, they talked about the traffic he'd hit, and the weather.
Henrik watched thoughtfully from his place between them, his head swiveling back and forth like a tennis match. Nik wasn't smiling as much and Miss Caroline was playing with her fingers a lot. It was forever before they finally noticed him again and Nik said they had to go.
"I'll call you later?" he'd asked and she nodded, but the worry in her eyes made Henrik afraid that she might not love Nik after all. He was sure of it before. She always smiled and poked him, and got real close, close enough that Nik would always look real scared before he smiled.
They left shortly after in silence which lasted until the school disappeared from Henrik's view out the window and he set his sights on his mission. He cocked his head at his brother, studying his expression.
"Do you love Miss Caroline?"
Klaus stiffened and shifted uncomfortably at the seemingly random question. "Did she ask you that?"
"No."
"Did you ask her?"
"No."
His fingers tapped the steering wheel. "So you're asking purely to satisfy your own, genuine curiosity?" Henrik nodded his head vehemently. "Then my answer would be ambiguous."
"What's that?"
"It means I don't know."
"Why don't you know?"
"Why the sudden interest in my love life?"
Henrik slumped in his seat, mumbling, "I don't know…"
Klaus glanced sideways with a smirk. "Do you love her?"
His face screwed up into a little grimace. "That's gross. You can't love a teacher."
"You just insinuated that I could love her. What makes that any different?"
"Because she's not your teacher. She's my teacher." Klaus made a silent little "oh" shape with his mouth. "Besides, I'm only five."
"Soon to be six. One year older, one year closer to becoming an adult."
"Nik."
He was giving him the eye, the startling look of daggers that no five year old should be able to achieve. Klaus swallowed. "All right. I apologize."
"If you love her, you should tell her."
"And why is that?"
"Because."
"Because why?" he taunted.
"Because."
Klaus frowned with a skeptical pause. "Have you been chatting with Rebekah again?" Henrik's head thudded against his seat with a dramatic huff. "I thought we discussed that when it comes to our sister, she has a penchant for romanticizing even the most mundane of things. It's not healthy," he warned. "Nor is it realistic. Not to mention she fancies herself trips to detention. Not the most ideal role model for you to be looking up to."
Henrik was staring at the roof of the car with impatience.
"I'll tell you what. If you agree to drop the subject, I'll take you to that fast food place you like."
"That's a baby trick, Nik."
"Oh? So you don't want to go play in that bacterial infested ball pit?"
Henrik pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Can I get the icy blue drink that Finn always says 'no'?"
Klaus hung his head with a chuckle. "You drive a hard bargain, monkey." He glanced again and Henrik was sitting up with a hopeful little smile that was his kryptonite. "It'll be our secret."
Caroline's Apartment – Saturday 8:07 p.m.
All their talk of weddings and marriage stirred up latent emotions that Caroline thought she had tucked away tightly, never to resurface. Combined with recent events, it was hard to push them back down to the depths of her insecurity and that only made her more anxious when it came to Klaus. He was consistent with his word, his promised phone call turning into an invitation to dinner the next evening which resulted in his expectedly tardy arrival to pick her up. But she couldn't help baiting him a little. Her ulterior motives kicked in as soon as she invited him in.
"Just have to switch bags," she told him, leaving him at the door.
"I hope you'll forgive my behavior the past few days," he said to the empty living space, meandering mindlessly as his eyes wandered.
"I'll forgive you when you tell me why you left," she called back from her room.
His eyes flicked in the direction of her voice and his heart thudded in dread. He'd never get used to her directness, and vulnerability wasn't his strong suit. "I had a lapse in judgement." It was a cop out and he knew it.
"I'll say," her voice carried as she came back up the hall and into view. She had her clutch in her hand and a determined face on. "Ready?"
If that wasn't a loaded question, he thought. His eyes softened as he approached, closing the distance and gingerly raising the slant of hair at her forehead to touch the reddish-purple smear she was concealing. She winced, only slightly, as did his heart.
"I'm sorry," he told her when he met her eyes. He let her hair drop and his lips wavered in hesitation before continuing, "I thought I could handle it."
Caroline swallowed and felt her chest tighten. "It's okay," she half-whispered, clearing her throat with resolve. "For the record, I don't expect you to always do or say the right thing. No one's perfect. I just...need you to be there."
"I wanted to be." He looked down with a heavy nasal exhale. "There are…things you don't know. Things that night brought up."
"Well, in the spirit of open communication..." Her own gaze dropped as she swallowed back a wave of nerves. "There's something I have to ask you. And you're probably not going to like it."
He set his shoulders, eyeing her skeptically and overtly cautious. He licked his lips decidedly and nodded, but the worry remained in his eyes. She bolstered her courage with a breath, but as soon as she exhaled she felt her heart rate soar.
"Thursday, after school, Henrik saw my head and asked me how it happened."
Klaus shook his head. "He's overly inquisitive. He hasn't fully grasped boundaries yet. I'll have a talk with him."
"No, it's totally understandable. It's not like it's not noticeable or anything, especially to a five-year-old. I'm actually kind of surprised none of my other students mentioned it." She caught his look of waning and pressed her lips closed to end her babble. She averted her gaze to the floor and tucked her hair behind her ear. "The thing is…after he asked me what happened, and I told him it was nothing, just an accident...but...he asked me if my daddy did it."
His furrowed brows parted and his eyes slowly widened, and she noticed his Adam's apple jump.
"I don't want to overstep any boundaries myself, but was he – I mean, did your father…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question, her heart thumping too loudly in her ears.
He turned away, clenching his jaw. "Kids have broad imaginations."
She frowned at his back. "Kids don't just imagine their parents hurting them, Klaus."
He whipped around angrily. "What do you want me to say, Caroline? I can't account for everything that comes out of his mouth."
"I'm not asking you to account for it."
"Then what do you want from me?"
"Right now? For you to not act like a crazy angry person."
That was it. His patience cracked. He turned his back on her and hastened to the door.
"Where are you going?!"
"Home."
And he wasn't stopping. She went after him, trying to beckon him back, but he'd already gotten the door open. She followed out onto the stoop and he'd made it halfway down the path when she called out, "Why are you running?"
It stopped him dead in his tracks. There it was again. The sheer honest truth just staring him in the face. And why was he running? You're nothing but a coward, his father's voice echoed in his head. He felt like a child again, the phantom taste of salty metal in his mouth. Turn around and face me like a man! He was on all fours, kicked down and gripping the earth as if begging the grass and soil for some kind of mercy as the man at his back barked with insult. He spat blood and pushed himself to his feet, angrily turning to face him in defiance. Wham! went his father's striking force, knocking him back to the ground on his stomach. You think you're man enough to face me, boy?
His fists began to clench, his breaths coming faster with the recurring daydreams. He hadn't meant to scare her when she touched his shoulder.
Caroline drew her hand back with a jump when he flinched. It made her think of Henrik. She slowly edged around until she was facing him. His expression was wrought but he wouldn't look at her. His fists were still curled. Her brows creased with determination and she asked quietly, "What did your father do to him?"
His breathing shook heavily until he forced himself steady and slowly raised his sullen eyes to hers. "Nothing," he told her, his voice emotionless. "He never laid a hand on Henrik."
His eyes were penetrating but it was that tiny lilt that gave her chills. He never laid a hand on Henrik.
When he saw the realization dawn on her, the shame set in and his eyes averted. "I never imagined he'd retain any memory of that," he remarked softly.
Caroline was blinking hard, this news struggling to register in her brain. Everything started to fall into place now. The way he acted, the reason he left. And then she remembered the day Klaus brought Henrik over. When she had slapped him. And what Henrik had said about seeing his brother get hit. The cold wash of regret nauseated her.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't do that." He shook his head with a look of warning.
She gave him a knowing look. "You're not to blame for your father's actions."
"I deserved it."
Oh god, he was going to be one of those, she realized.
"I was rebellious, for a time."
Maybe not?
"And I wanted my mother to wake up and see him for the monster he truly was." He shook his head, lips pressed together. "It made no difference to her."
"How could anyone just stand by while their child is being abused?"
He didn't answer her, instead meandered over to the stoop and sat down on the top step, his hands clasping in the gap between his legs. She frowned and sat beside him, leaving space so they didn't touch. She could look nowhere but the ground, the cracks in the concrete almost mocking her.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories and completely ruin our night."
"You didn't." He turned his head with a grim smile. "I told you dating me would be complicated."
She mirrored his smile. "I didn't tell you dating me would be."
He hummed a small chuckling sound. "What are the chances either of us makes it out of this unscathed?"
She stood up from the stoop then. "Let's just make it through dinner," she said, smoothing out her skirt. "We can go from there."
She held her hand out in offering to help him up, and he took it.
Mystic Elementary – Friday 3:25 P.M.
Being back on good terms after dinner that evening made time begin to fly by again. Without the stresses weighing her down, Caroline could enjoy her time with Klaus again and soon enough another week was coming to an end. Most days, closing in on the half hour past pickup mark was taking advantage of Caroline's hospitality. Luckily, Klaus had preemptively warned her about a meeting he'd had with the custody lawyer. On top of his usual tardiness, she wasn't holding her breath for him to show up before 4 o'clock. Not that she minded the extra time hanging with her favorite pupil. He was sitting on the reading carpet with a book in his lap, thoughtfully watching her as she tidied up the shelf.
"Okay, that should do it. We now have an alphabetized reading corner." She turned around with her hands on her hips, expecting a smile but noticed him staring at the same page he was looking at before she had started. Her brows creased as she frowned.
"Hey..." She moved to kneel down beside him. "Why'd you stop?"
He looked up, reticent. "It's my birthday next week."
Her brows shot up in surprise. "It is…"
"It's on Friday. Last year, I turned five on April five."
She giggled. "That must have been fun. Are you going to do something special with your family?"
He shrugged. "We always go out for fancy dinner on birthdays."
"Well that's fun. You get to eat yummy food. And have the waiters sing to you."
"Yeah..."
She spied his lack of enthusiasm and smiled coyly as she positioned herself to sit Indian style. "What would you want to do, if you could do anything in the world for your birthday?"
He started to smile. "Anything?"
"Anything."
He hummed and his head turned sideways as he contemplated the possibilities. "I would have a big, big birthday party," he said suddenly, his arms thrust in the air. "With cake and presents and games and goodie bags, too."
She giggled. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Yeah." He let his arms drop and his smile faded. "But we never do parties."
"Why not?"
He shrugged again. "Finn says no parties. But Nik lets me stay in his room until everyone goes to sleep, and then we sneak very quiet downstairs where he hided a cake in the 'fridgerator. And we eat the whole thing." Caroline laughed. "It's not a big cake. It's a little one 'cause I'm little."
"You know, I don't want to brag, but we have had some pretty awesome birthday parties here in school."
His eyes were huge. "None of my schools ever did birthday parties before."
"Well I happen to think that birthdays are very important and should definitely be celebrated."
"How do you celebrate?"
"We still have to do our lessons, but – instead of snack, I bring in cupcakes or donut holes. Your choice. We all sing "Happy Birthday to You." And you'll get to wear a birthday crown all day."
His eyes lit up and his smile melted her heart. His bashful nature quickly returned and he ducked his head, his fingertip tracing a word on the page. "...Can I have green cupcakes?"
Caroline beamed. "Green cupcakes it is."
Mikaleson Mansion – 7:37 p.m.
Klaus hadn't shown up to retrieve Henrik until after 4:30, much to Caroline's dismay. In an effort to make up for his excessive lateness, he invited her to join them that evening for their weekly family dinner with promises of a decadent dessert. Whether he was being literal or not, she was weakened with temptation and accepted. Henrik was more ecstatic than he was.
After their meal – just as boisterous as the first she'd attended – they retired to the living room while Finn cleaned everything up. Elijah had taken Henrik upstairs for his bath as a blatant diversion tactic. Katherine had chosen not to join them this evening and the stress on his face throughout dinner was unmissable. Caroline hoped whatever was going on with them would end soon. She had just started to take a liking to Katherine.
Together, Caroline and Klaus lounged on the couch where she watched him sketch while Kol was engrossed in a video game, and Rebekah in her phone. Kol's sudden cry of excitement jostled them all out of the comfortable silence.
"Let the record show that, on this night, I have just unlocked the highest achievement in this game which – "
"No one cares," Rebekah tiredly assured him without looking up.
"You should. It normally takes up to twelve consecutive hours of gameplay. Most players take weeks to do it."
"Probably because they have lives."
He paused the game to glare at her but she wasn't paying him any attention. To spite her, he plucked her phone from her hands and she gasped.
"Hey! Give that back!"
He quickly jumped up with a laugh when she lunged, dodging her in a backwards stumble as he scrolled along her screen. "Dinner was nice, but I'd much rather have been with you," he read aloud, his voice crooning with a pitch.
"Kol!"
"I feel like I can talk to you about anything," he continued, running around the couch in the opposite direction of her. "Awww, he feels the same way. Isn't that nice? What a nice boy," he taunted, jumping back just before she tackled him to the ground. His head landed next to Klaus' feet. "Nik, catch!"
The phone landed in his lap and Rebekah clambered to her feet in record speed, snatching it back up before he could even move. By the time he looked up at her, her sights were back on Kol.
"That was private, you idiot!"
Kol raised up on his elbows with a cheeky grin. "Does he also know what a stubborn brat you are?"
"He knows how big of an arse YOUare."
"Ooh, you two talk about me, do you?"
"Yes, we discuss the many ways we're going to maim and murder you!"
"Should I be flattered or disgusted that you have to use me as as means of foreplay?"
"I'm going to murder you myself right now," she threatened, taking a step toward him.
"You will not." Finn was in the doorway wearing his no-nonsense expression. "If the two of you cannot behave while in the same vicinity, then you can go up to your respective rooms."
Neither of the two said a word but shared dirty looks before ignoring one another and returning to their sources of entertainment. Pleased, Finn took up the empty armchair and the air was suddenly tense, the room quiet. Adding to the awkwardness, Elijah entered without a word. Caroline shifted uncomfortably.
"Where's Henrik?" she asked.
"In his room," was all he offered. No sooner did he make his way to the liquor cart and start fixing himself a glass of bourbon. No one moved, no one said a thing. Even Klaus.
"He told me his birthday is next week," she tried. Her smile turned to worry when their faces went blank.
Klaus frowned then closed his eyes in damnation. It was Rebekah who said, "Bloody hell, we forgot Henrik's birthday!"
"I didn't forget," Klaus argued. "I've just been too preoccupied to make any arrangements."
"Preoccupied with snogging?" Kol teased. "Not that I blame you. She is a pretty little snack."
Both Caroline and Rebekah made sounds of revulsion and Klaus' eyes cut to his brother's back. "Another word and I will let Rebekah murder you."
"Why is this family always fixated on murder?" Finn muttered from his corner.
"Shall I make reservations at that Italian bistro we went to last month?" Elijah suggested.
"We always do Italian," Kol griped. "Let's mix it up a bit."
"Mediterranean would be nice," Rebekah offered.
"Or Thai," Kol offered.
She grimaced. "Thai's too spicy."
"Don't be such a girl, Bekah."
She punched his shoulder and he shoved her back which made her gasp. Finn's eyes slid to them warningly.
Caroline looked around at them, gaping. "You guys do realize it's his birthday. What about what he wants?"
"Henrik is a child," Finn disputed. "He doesn't know what he wants."
"Kol is an adult and the same could be said for him," Rebekah teased with a boastful smile.
He scoffed, crossing his arms. "If that's not the pot calling the kettle."
Elijah was the only one giving her any consideration. "What do you propose?"
"He's a kid. Why not throw him a little party?"
Klaus' head shook immediately. "Not a good idea."
"Oh come on. I could help! I'm a party planning expert. I've hosted tons of themed events."
"I don't doubt your abilities, love, but, considering our situation, it's better to remain inconspicuous."
"Yes, I can see that by the enormous mansion you erected." He gave her a look of reprimand and she rolled her eyes with a grin. "Fine. Then at least take him somewhere age appropriate, then. Like Chuck E. Cheese. Or let him have an ice cream feast at Friendly's." He sighed heavily and she leaned in while the rest of the room was lost in discussion. "He's a kid, Klaus. He deserves to have a little fun, at least on his birthday."
Mystic Elementary – Monday 3:02 p.m.
In the past month and a half, Henrik and Caroline had begun to develop an after-school routine. The control freak in her was content to walk him back in to the classroom, sit him down with the worksheets she had printed offline the night before, and begin to prep her lessons for the following day. Only on Fridays did they sit by the reading corner and pick out a book to read together. They had it down pat, like clockwork, so when Henrik chose to run from her to the closet the second they got to the classroom door, her whole system was thrown off.
"Henrik?" she called after him, but he didn't answer. She heard him bustling and the sound of a zipper unzipping before deciding to wait him out at her desk. She took up the stack of penmanship practice sheets she'd collected and began to grade them.
A moment later he walked up to her desk and put a tiny green envelope on top of the paper she was correcting. She glanced to him with a wry smile.
"What's this?"
He said nothing and ducked his chin to her desk, bashfully. She picked it up delicately and opened the flap with a careful slide of her fingertip, already spying the trees and monsters hiding inside. She pulled the little card out and her smile widened as she read:
LET THE RUMPUS START!
The KING of all Wild Things
HENRIK
is turning SIX
Saturday April 6th at 3:00 p.m.
Please RSVP to Rebekah Mikaelson
(Details on reverse)
Her brows shot up. "A birthday party?"
"It was Nik's idea."
She turned the card over with an endeared smile. "Imagine that."
"Will you come?"
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world."
He righted himself and jumped straight into her arms, hugging her waist. She laughed, her arms flailing slightly before she wrapped them around him to hug him back. He let go quickly after and returned to the corner of his desk where he'd started. Her hands clasped over the papers.
"So. Who else are you inviting?"
"Nik, and Bekah, and Lijah, and Kol, and Finn, and Kaffrine."
"What about your friends?"
He shrugged. "I don't have any friends."
"Sure you do! You have a whole class of friends." He shook his head adamantly. "I bet if you invite them to your party, you'll have so much fun you'll become friends."
Henrik thought about it but his frown was determined. "What if they don't like it?"
"Who doesn't like cake and goodie bags?"
His frown quickly turned upwards in a shy smile. "Okay. I'll try." She nodded confidently and slid the worksheets she'd printed him from under her papers and handed them to him. With that he started toward his usual seat but stopped halfway and looked back. "Miss Caroline? You can go to my party with Nik if you want to."
She smiled slowly as he turned back and took up his seat. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow she had just gotten a five-year-old's permission to date his brother.
