I'm baaaack!

I don't know what to tell you guys, I worked like crazy to make this chapter shorter than the last - and somehow it turned out longer? Even after I took out SO much content too... Ugh!

There's so much happening in this chapter that your heads just might explode. Which is why I'm so excited to publish it! *evil drumming of my fingers together Mr. Burns style* But I promise to hurry and get the next one out ASAP. Because things are getting jucier by the minute and I'm just loving it. Oh! And you can expect some more NSFW content from now on, so consider this a little pre-warning.

As I'm moving along with my prepared material and also adding to (as well as editing) the fic continuously; I have started to get a picture of just when the fic will end. But I do have a habit of overdoing things so I probably shouldn't give you more than a ballpark really. So here we go: If you imagine the chapters 0-10 as part one and chapters 11-20 as part two, it would make sense to consider this current part the third. And I gotta give you the truth here, the fourth or rather the final part is shorter than the others, and it's coming like crazy fast too (or am I the only one who feels that way?)

Oh! One last note, and it's an important one:
The subjects of anxiety, depression, substance abuse/addiction, trauma and mental illness have all been mentioned or touched on so far. In this chapter I hint at a little "mechanism" that I myself have learned to use for anxiety attacks. I have the understanding, however, that mental health issues differ from person to person and therefore the methods for dealing with them do too. Which is why I'm trying to not go into far too many details through the fic about Caroline's mental state - because I kind of want to leave it open for interpretation. Anyway, my point is that we all live different lives and we all have different factors that affects our ability to deal with whatever life throws at us. If you too have been through or are going through something similar in your lives - I hope you can still feel understood in the fic despite my one-sided writing. I hope it will make you feel less alone. I really try to cover the subject as carefully as I can, but I still want to shine awareness on the important issue of mental health.

So, lastly. I see you, I'm here for you. I think you're brave and strong and incredible for still going, for still living, for still trying despite everything. So, if you would like - feel free to share your story in the reviews or send me PMs. I promise not to judge, I just want to allow for a safe place where you can open up.

To quote a motto from a fandom that has been incredibly supportive on the matter:
Always Keep Fighting.

Okay, enough of my ramblings now! Thank you for taking the time to read it though. Please review, write, tell me what you think etc etc etc because I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it's literally the fuel to my writing right now! And hats off to any fellow Mumford fans who caught the referenced song in the title right away. If not, look it up cause I gotta tell you; I think that song actually sounds the way that depression and despair and anxiety and overall dealing with inner demons feels like... I.e. it's brilliant.

Thanks for all the support, I send it all back to you tenfolds. Stay strong. xx.


Chapter 23: Nowhere to stand, nowhere to hide

Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

"How is it that you were the one to upset him, yet I ended up with a broken neck?" Caroline sighed in response, having busied herself with exploring Marcel's extensive liquor cabinet until he finally woke up.

He lied in the large leather couch, a blanket over him since she'd thought he looked cold in his sweatpants. "You do know I'm a vampire, right?" he snickered as he removed the blanket.

"It's a habit, I guess." she muttered into her glass as she finished her drink and refilled it. "Could you explain something to me; why are all men idiots?"

"Yeah, I'm not getting into any of that until I've had at least three shots." he scoffed before studying her as she came to sit in the sofa with him. "What are you drinking?"

"Rum." she replied with a shrug, earning a chuckle from him.

"Well, why don't I introduce you to the finest bottle of whiskey I own, and then we can start digging into that mind of yours together."

"Deal."

He smiled at her before getting up and walking over to the cabinet again, picking the bottle and bringing a pair of fresh glasses to the table. "Now put that down." he ordered while filling up their drinks. "And try this instead."

She pouted skeptically before accepting the glass he held up to her. Sipping it shortly, she hummed in content at the way it burned down her throat. "That's… smooth." she crooned while he took a seat next to her again.

"35 years old, oak barrel. Notes of honey." he informed her proudly as he sipped his own and leaned back. "Alright, go on. I assume this has to do with the alleged prostitutes?"

Her whole body shivered in disgust at the reminder. "Ugh…! Like I said, idiots." she muttered bitterly. "It's just... Sometimes I think that Klaus has changed. That he isn't just some million-year-old vampire who doesn't care about how his actions hurt others. And then, I show up at Lucien's and the two of them are in the middle of some gross sex-party thing with these young girls and... I just don't get it."

"Ok, to be fair..." he said and sighed. "Klaus is often a little different around Lucien. I guess he kind of–"

"Regresses?" she scoffed.

"Well, no. More like... He uses it to his advantage since it makes Lucien drop his guard with him. And sometimes he lets things slip…"

"You're telling me that Klaus was faking being a sleezy jackass for Lucien's sake?"

"Possibly." he said with a shrug. "But the bigger question is why it bothered you so much."

"Ugh. Let's not get into that." she sighed and returned to her drink.

"Come on, you're the one who brought it up!" he whined and nudged her shoulder playfully. "Well? How long were you two together?"

She nearly spat out her drink at that, shaking her head profusely. "Oh, no. No, no. You've gravely misread the situation."

"Well, why don't you explain it to me, then?" he probed, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a pointed look.

She sighed into her glass, trying to find a good way to explain it to him. "I had this boyfriend." she began, deciding that she should take it from the start. "Great guy, kind of temperamental. Also, a werewolf."

"Why am I not surprised?" he mocked, making her punch at his bare chest defiantly.

"Are you going to be all judgey the entire time? Because I'm not telling you anything if you are." she challenged. He raised his palms in retreat and nodded for her to continue. "Anyway… So Tyler and I-"

"Wait, Tyler Lockwood?" he cut her off, earning a groan from her as she was already struggling with retelling their history without his interjections.

"Do you wanna tell the story instead?"

He chuckled at that, shaking his head and brought the glass to his drink. "Sorry, sorry. Go on."

"So… Tyler and I." she drawled, eyeing him closely before determining that he wouldn't interrupt again. "We had just started dating and I think at first, we were drawn to each other because of the whole 'him turning into a werewolf' and 'me being a vampire' thing. That's when Klaus came into town, and he decided to start creating his little hybrid army…" she explained with a sigh. "And Tyler was the first to survive the transition."

She felt some traces of sadness within her reminiscing as she thought back to the time when she was young and eager… And just different. "We found out about the sire-thing pretty soon after that. And I think Klaus wanted to test its limits or something… So, he told Tyler to bite me." she went on, stopping shortly as she remembered how terrified she had been then. How betrayed and utterly alone she had felt… "And well, he did. Which was when Klaus, for some reason that I still don't know about, healed me."

The thought made her snicker lightly to herself as she wondered if she ever would get him to explain why he had saved her at the time. "After that, Klaus started to open up to me. I guess he sort of thought that we were a lot alike and maybe he recognized something in me that… I don't know, intrigued him, maybe?" she mused, shaking her head then as she continued. "I just assumed he wanted to torture Tyler or whatever; use me to get to him. But I realized quickly that it was more to it. He pursued me, and invited me to balls and gave me gifts and… And I think I caught some glimpses of his real self, something that no one else got to see. Which made me feel special, I guess."

Marcel leaned forward and took the empty glass out of her hands. Without interrupting her, he poured another drink and offered it to her friendly. "I had a hard time with that actually. Since he had been nothing but horrible and selfish and caused so much pain in all of our lives, most of all to Tyler. He hurt him in so many ways that his hate for Klaus consumed him until it was all he could think about. And he wasn't alone in it either, I mean, everyone around me hated him." she sighed, frowning as she glanced to Marcel with a shaking head. "I tried to hate Klaus. I had hundreds of reasons for doing it. But even when he was his most awful self – I couldn't. Because I understood him. I understood his reasoning and why he did the things he did. And I couldn't help but wonder what kind of horrible things I would do myself if I lived for a thousand years, or just how much of my humanity I would have left by then."

"What do you mean?" he asked softly, earning a shrug from her.

"I don't know… Like I said, I understood him. I could relate to feeling alone in the world and to feel like you don't have anybody on your side. To having parents that turned their backs on you a long time ago, or who simply forgot you existed most of the time. To constantly being overlooked and dismissed before people even tried to get to know me." she admitted, feeling her throat close up slightly at the words. "I was the shallow, insecure girl who never got to be anyone's first choice. Until I turned, that's when things became clearer and just… right. I became someone that I never thought I could be. Someone I was proud of, someone who was strong and confident and better in every single way."

"So…" she sighed out as she decided to start rounding it up. "When Klaus became a hybrid, I think he felt like that too; like he was finally becoming his real self. Which made for this odd connection between us. And it took a long, long long, time for me to even begin to look past all the awful things he had done. Not only to me but to my friends and to Tyler… And it took even longer for me to stop acting like I hated him and instead accept that I didn't."

Memories flashed before her then, memories of the times they had talked about travels, life, art... Memories of all the times he'd showed up to save her, to heal her, to help her. Memories of how he always managed to come through for her, even after years apart… He took her calls, he helped her when she needed him to… Somehow, even when he wasn't physically there, Klaus was always there forher.

She realized she had dozed off and cleared her throat quickly. "He was always open with how he felt about me, and I did nothing but deny and ignore and resent it over and over again. Because I didn't want it to be true. I didn't want to believe that–"

"He was in love with you." Marcel concluded, as he studied her close. "Did you feel the same about him?" he asked gently, making her glance away with a shake of her head.

"I guess it doesn't really matter now. Whatever I thought-" she sighed, trying to form the cold feeling inside into words. Turning to face him with a determined expression, she nodded and spoke again. "Klaus and I may have a past, but there's nothing else to it. Not anymore." she concluded firmly.


Three years ago
New Orleans, Louisiana

The old abattoir hadn't changed one bit in the past two years, at least not in Camille's opinion. She and Davina entered the house cautiously, both feeling somewhat out of place in the home of the Mikaelson's. Perhaps because they had one thing in common, their respective bonds with the family had been cut a long time ago.

In Davina's case, it had happened after the loss of the man she loved. She became desperate to get back what had been taken from her, only for her to find out that they weren't going to help. Camille had in turn learned that she had misguidedly placed all of her faith and trust in the wrong people, having been blinded by her affections towards the one person whom ended up hurting her the most. Both of the women's heartaches had been caused by the Originals' habit of taking matters into their own hands and making decisions in accordance with their own priorities, regardless of whose lives were affected in result.

Cami felt awfully on edge as they passed the familiar courtyard in the center of the building, her gaze sweeping over some scattered children's toys and toddler-safe furniture. She fought hard to avoid listening for the various residents who could be wandering around in the house, because she was terrified of him being there.

"I have this insane impulse to pinch myself." the voice of Hayley turned both women to her as she stood watching them in clear disbelief. "Because either I'm dreaming, or Camille O'Connell is really back in New Orleans."

The blonde chuckled lightly at that before smiling at the young hybrid. "Well, only temporarily. I was visiting Davina and she somehow managed to convince me to come here."

"I'm glad she did." Hayley replied as they walked towards each other and shared a hug. "It's really good to see you, Cami." she chimed, leaning back to study the vampire with a warm smile before squeezing Davina's shoulder attentively. "Even if you didn't have a say in the matter."

The women shared a laugh at that. "Yeah, I didn't really have to fight all that hard." the witch countered, nodding in greeting as Freya walked up to meet them then.

"It really is nice to see you, Camille." she said friendly, turning to Davina then with a nod. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"I don't know how much help I will be though." the young witch replied with a timid smile.

"Which is why I decided to bring something." the blonde vampire chimed in as she pulled a book out of her handbag and held it out to the Original witch. "My uncle's registry. If there's anything in his collection of cursed objects that can help you find Aya – it's all yours."

"That is very generous. Thank you, Cami." Freya smiled, blinking in surprise as she accepted the leather covered journal.

"Why don't we sit down for a minute before you get started with all that magic stuff?" Hayley proposed, earning a round of nods.

"Excellent plan." the Mikaelson grinned in agreement. "And perfect timing too, we'll be having the house all to ourselves."

The words made Camille stiffen slightly. "Oh?" she asked. "So, your brothers aren't here?"

Hayley frowned a little as she studied her phone quickly. "Elijah was supposed to be back by know actually, but I guess something held him up."

"And Niklaus is occupied with Marcel for the rest of the evening." Freya assured her and gestured to one of the larger living areas with a polite grin. "Come on, I'm dying to catch up."


The man hurried to lock up the worn-down building behind him, the windows were boarded up and the doors were all spelled. Now he needed to make the witch forget that she had helped him in the first place.

"Sir?" she called for him silently as she stood waiting by the gates. Her face partially covered by the black hood of her coat, but the pale features still visible to him. Enough for him to know that she had understood what her purpose would lead to.

"Is it time?" she asked, as he straightened up his collar and dried off his hands.

"Yes." he told her as he neared the witch with slow and steady steps. "I believe it is." She nodded in response, a sniffle bringing him to notice tears falling down her cheeks. "Are you frightened of me?" he asked curiously, listening to the fast beating of her heart as she all but shivered before him.

"No." she replied as she pulled the hood down and met his dark gaze. "I knew you would not leave me to walk away."

He furrowed his brows as he watched her cold grin and tired eyes. "I must admit, it surprises me to see you so… unnerved."

She let out a sob and nodded her head. "You wouldn't be if you knew the truth about your friend." she muttered, sighing as she looked up at him again. "If you knew what they did to her… I have wished for death ever since."

"Yes…" he nodded in recognition. "She aided me in many ways in the past, I was sorry to hear about the nature of her passing."

"She helped a lot of people." the young witched whispered silently. "She didn't deserve..."

He studied the girl as she sobbed shortly, running her hands over her face to dry the tears that insisted on coming. "I could grant you one last wish, if you would like?" he told her, surprising both of them with his sudden sympathy. "In honor of your mother."

"Don't kill me right away." she pleaded, her watery eyes watching him with such intense emotions in them that he could nearly feel it himself. "Let me take my last breath next to her, that is all I ask."

He nodded slowly, accepting the terms. "You have my word." he promised her, smiling shortly as she dried her eyes. "It is time."

"Will you say it? Th-the words, do you know them?" she asked weakly.

"I will." he promised before placing his hands on her shoulders. "It has been a long time… But I believe I still remember them."

The man studied her trembling lip as she blinked up at him with such dark sadness in her eyes, he wasn't sure he had ever seen it away from the mirror until now. It brought the question of what kind of people he was fighting to protect, what kind of sins they would cause him to commit next… But he also knew that it was far too late for remorse and second-guesses now. What was done, was done.

Clearing his throat, he thought back to the short speech he hadn't needed to say for ages. Centuries even. "Olivia, you have served the Strix honorably."

The girl's tears began again at the mention, smiling as she took deep breaths and closed her eyes. Awaiting the end. "You are now to leave your sisters. You are now to be free." he continued, his hands slowly wrapping around her neck, his face near hers as he murmured the final words. "Olivia Gardiner, I now release you."

He dug into her throat then, biting hard and eliciting a sharp breath from the witch. Quickly, he held her up and brought a vial to fill with her blood. When finished, he stored the vial away and lifted the witch's body. Carrying her as he flashed through the city and towards her requested final resting grounds. Carefully, he lied her down next to her mother's grave in the Lafayette Cemetery.

Her eyes stared up at him as her body convulsed and shook. "Thank you." she coughed out, her wheezing breath informing him that it wouldn't be long now. "For honoring your word."

"I hope you will find your peace." he told her with a short nod, watching as she grew weaker with every passing second. When she slowly succumbed to her fatal injury, his eyes went to the grave beside her.

He brushed his fingers across the name on the headstone. "You should have known better, Leila." he whispered, a grim frown on his lips before he reached for the young witch and lifted her in his arms again. "I told you what the prize would be for your betrayal. This is all on your conscious now."

He eyed the dead girl with a shaking head before turning to the gravestone again. "At least your daughter proved more loyal than you ever were." he scoffed as he considered the irony. Of how Leila Gardiner had fought to keep the witches of the Quarter safe from him, only for her descendant to aid him in his plan in the end.

With that, he left to fulfill the next part of the plan, heading to drop the body off in the outlined place. Where she would be found by the right pair of eyes in the morning. Arranged to ignite the necessary spark that would inevitably be the beginning of the end for all factions of New Orleans. And with that, he would finally have everything he had worked the last years for. What he had wished for ever since becoming a vampire.

He would be free.


Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

The expensive bottle of whiskey turned out to have a much stronger effect on Caroline than the older vampire. She and Marcel spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything and nothing. The sky slowly began to turn dark outside as they sat together in a comfortable laughter. Things were very easy with Marcel; he was charming, social and relaxed. Which was why she protested and groaned when he decided that she needed a nap to sober up.

"This is ridiculous." she whined as he pulled her from the couch and carried her to the bedroom. "I'm gonna be fine in an hour, two tops!"

"Until then, you will sleep it off." he chuckled amusedly before sitting her down on the bed. Kneeling before her as he helped take off her shoes, his hands moving carefully over her skin as he did. "Do you need something to sleep in?" he asked, earning a sigh from her in response.

"Yeah, probably." she admitted before slumping down on her back. "I didn't realize how much of a lightweight I was until now."

"Well, you're probably stressed about your friend. Vampire or not, things like that affect our tolerance to alcohol." he told her with a shrug before walking over to a dresser and pulling out a shirt for her to wear. "Another big factor? Sleep deprivation." he noted, making her roll her eyes.

A phone rang through the apartment, making him glance back shortly. "I'm going to get that. An you, you are going ton change and get some rest. I'll check on you later." he ordered as she accepted the offered clothing, a long-sleeved t-shirt in gray cotton.

"Yeah, yeah." she groaned while beginning to undo her pants. He turned the lights off and left to answer his call, the door still open and lights from the kitchen stretching over the floor near her. Making it easy for her to navigate around the room until she was wearing his shirt and crawled in under his luxurious duvet blanket.

She listened to him shuffling some things and clearing out their glasses as he spoke on the phone. The conversation sounding boring to her as he was being filled in on some issues among the vampires in the Quarter. Apparently, they were planning for some big Jazz Fest next month and needed to take some precautions beforehand.

Soon, he came in as he had promised and placed a glass of water on the nightstand near her. "Marcel?" she called out softly, stopping him before he could leave. "Do you ever feel like everyone in the world are doing what they're supposed to do with their lives – except for you?"

He chuckled shortly before sitting down on the edge of the bed, she scooted over then and made room for him beside her instead. "Not really." he shrugged while sitting back against the headboard and turning his head over to her.

She chuckled while mimicking his position next to her. "What, you always knew you'd be the king of a city?"

"Something like that." he chimed, laughing deeply when she hit his arm in response. "Why do you ask?" he countered, his voice soft and non-judging.

"Well…" she shrugged before resting her head against his shoulder, his bare chest warm and welcoming beside her. "I really like my life back home in Chicago. I do. But I guess I've started to realize just how much work I put into acting human and keeping a whole part of myself secret from everyone around me… But here, I've been able to just… be myself for a while."

"I can understand that." he sighed out before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his side comfortingly. "That's the thing about New Orleans… We are privileged in that we're able to live openly around each other."

"So, if some tourists catch you using your vamp-speed or feeding on someone – no one would bat an eye?"

"Not exactly, but more often than not they explain it away on their own. I suppose humans don't really want to know about all the things that go bump in the dark. So they deny what they've seen, blame it on various different things and move on. Then there are those who, once they've seen the reality of what kind of world we live in, they can't let it go. Which is when we compel then to forget or look the other way instead."

She furrowed her eyebrows slowly as she listened to him speak, his hand stroking her arm softly. "And the humans who know about you guys, they don't care about these people getting fed on or bitten and compelled?"

"No, they do." he shrugged. "But there are politics involved. A long-lived tradition exists between us where we have agreed to stay away from the locals. And so far, it's been enough for the human faction. The few tourists that do go missing because of one of my men, are rarely enough to draw any attention to the Quarter. So, we go undetected, and the tourists keep flooding. No locals get hurt. And barely any humans get killed."

"Do you ever feel guilty?" she asked silently as she turned to look up at his face. "About using human beings like that? Drinking their blood, messing with their minds…"

"Sometimes." he said, his eyes taking her in closely. "Enough to do my best to keep my men from killing anyone, at least. The rules are very clear; We feed, heal, compel, and leave."

"What about blood bags?" she pressed, slowly noticing that they were very close to each other. "Isn't that enough for you guys to keep healthy? Or do you have to feed on the humans?"

"In my opinion, that blood is meant for more important things." he told her with another shrug. "And besides…" he drawled quietly, moving a hand to trace her jawline with his fingertips. "It's just not nearly as satisfying as the taste of fresh blood from the vein."

His hand felt warm and nice against her skin, but it was his low voice that struck her as he spoke again. "That rush of adrenaline and the feeling of pure ecstasy… Something tells me that you're not someone who makes a habit of experiencing that though." he murmured softly, his breath fanning her lips.

"Not really." she admitted, looking up at him through her lashes before glancing down at his mouth as he continued.

"Let me tell you something, Caroline. With time, comes control. And the more control you have over your cravings, the easier it becomes to trust yourself. To enjoy yourself, without worrying about going too far."

"Yeah?" she breathed out with a scoff as his nose brushed against hers and his lips hovered close. "I think I have excellent control as is." she teased.

"I don't doubt it." he smirked before leaning in the final distance.

His mouth met hers in a heated kiss, time suddenly stopping as she was brought back to that night when she first met him. Remembering how great it had felt to kiss him then and enjoying how comforting it felt now. She moved closer until she straddled him, his hands held onto her hair and thighs as hers traveled over his exposed muscles. Soft sighs escaping her as their tongues danced against each other, making her rock her hips against his.

He moved his hands to her bare legs and slowly pushed the shirt higher, stroking her skin and exploring her body. It made her curse herself inwardly for insisting to keeping her underwear earlier as they suddenly felt like irritating obstacles now. His lips traveled down her throat, drawing out gentle moans from her as his hands traced her back slowly. She brought his face to hers again and kissed him hard, her fingernails scratching at his shoulders and neck as she longed to be closer to him. To feel more of him.

With a swift move, he had spun them around and pulled the shirt off her. Continuing to explore her body with his mouth, he kissed his way over her chest and stomach. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling, her breath hitching as he stroked her thighs and nipped at her neck. Confusing her when he suddenly froze up and pulled back.

His eyes were focused on her neck with a frown on his face. "What happened?" he breathed out sharply.

"What?" she whispered before realizing what he was talking about. The bite. "Oh, that's nothing." she snickered before reaching up to kiss him again, frowning as he held her back and directed a hard expression towards her.

"It's not nothing." he insisted firmly before he pulled back further, his eyes scanning the rest of her body. She gulped hard as his hands found the marks on her arm and below her ribs. "Who did this to you?" he hissed. "And why haven't you shown these to Klaus?"

"He knows about that already. Seriously, Marcel, it's fine. They're healed." she insisted with a shrug.

"Wait, did... Did Klaus...?" he scoffed out grimly. His hand reached the scar on her thigh and his eyes narrowed at the sight. "Why would you let him do this to you?" he pressed with an uncharacteristically cold voice, making her back away from him with folded arms.

"I didn't let him do anything, I asked him to." she corrected with a furrowed face.

"You asked him." he echoed, sounding absolutely horrified as he stared down at the mark again. "This is the plan, isn't it? This was your in with Lucien?"

"Yes." she replied firmly, moving further away from him as she started to get annoyed with his accusatory and judging tone. "He gave me his artificial cure and took me in. So, I'd say it's a pretty successful one so far."

"This is a very intimate placement for a bite, Caroline. Plan or no plan." he countered seriously.

"Well, we needed it to look believable." she shrugged, rolling off the bed then as she began reaching for her clothes.

"Where are you going?" he asked in surprise, making her scoff with a cold smile.

"Back to the hotel, where else?" she countered sharply. Shaking her head in disbelief as she continued getting dressed. "You're being very judgmental and irritating so I figured it would be better for our friendship if I leave." she pointed out, zipping up her pants and grabbing her blouse then.

Sighing deeply in response, he jumped out of bed and looked over at her with strange eyes. "Caroline… Do you really not understand what this means?"

"What what means?" she spat back incredulously. "It's not exactly the first time I've been bitten. I know how this works. You get a bite, you get the cure, you heal. You're the one who's acting all weird about it." He winced at that and looked over at her with sympathetic eyes. Enough sadness in them to make her want to scream.

"Save me your pity, Marcel." she huffed and quickly brushed through her hair with her hands.

"Pity? Care, do I really have to spell it out to you?"

"What?" she chuckled out coldly. "That you've successfully killed the mood, along with my previous whiskey buzz, and that I no longer have any interest in this conversation?"

He reached forward and held onto her arm then before she could leave. "Caroline… Did Klaus tell you anything about the meaning of that bite?"

"Meaning?" she echoed with a shaking head.

"Yes, did he tell you what it means for a vampire to feed from the femoral vein?"

She blinked a few times at that, studying him closely as she tried to decide whether she really wanted an answer or not. "Femoral vein? As in my leg?" she drawled slowly, seeking clarification.

"Yes."

Shaking her head slowly at that, she pulled out of his grip and mulled it over. "No." she finally said. "He didn't tell me about some 'meaning'. Why do you ask?"

He scratched at the back of his neck and turned away from her shortly, leaning against the dresser as he let out a deep sigh. "I should have seen this coming. He has all but marked you since day one."

"Marked?" she repeated nervously then. "Okay, you need to explain this right now because you are seriously starting to freak me out."

He straightened up and turned towards her with a nod. "Vampires don't normally feed on each other, at least not for… nutrition." he began with a grimace.

"I know about blood-sharing, Marcel." she sighed out as she rolled her eyes at him. "This was nothing like that."

"That's not all." he interjected, letting out a deep sigh before speaking again. "Okay, so… there are many places for a vampire to feed on someone and usually they don't mean anything. It's nothing more than a necessity, really." he began, making her raise an eyebrow as she wondered where he was going with it all. "And sure, it can even be enjoyable, depending on the placement and the relationship between the two… But the femoral vein, that's different. It's much more personal and intimate, especially between two vampires. And if Lucien saw this..."

He shook his head before finishing his thought with a frown. "Let's just say, I would be surprised if he didn't suspect you of sleeping with the person who gave you those bites."

Her face fell at that, her chest suddenly constricting with panic as she took in his words. "What?" she began hoarsely. Unsure of just which end to start from. "You mean that Lucien probably thinks I was bitten on purpose?" she squeaked out with a nervous laugh. "And what, he now thinks I'm sleeping with a werewolf?"

"Well, that's the thing." he said slowly, frowning as he looked over at her. "Werewolves have no urge to feed on others, least of all their romantic or sexual partners… Only a vampire would do something like that. But the bites were obviously not from a vampire, which would indicate that the person who bit you was a–"

"A hybrid." she finished and gaped as she tried to make herself speak and found her brain short-circuiting. "He knew all along?" she breathed out, shaking her head in desbelief. "He suspected Klaus from the start?"

"It would explain why Lucien invited you to crash their… what did you call it? – gross sex-party."

"Wait... So, that was all just some test?" she stammered. "Lucien was testing me, or us or whatever because he thought Klaus had bitten me. And if he thought that then of course he would wonder why Klaus didn't just heal me himself. And then he would second-guess how I didn't know about the cure before and how I suddenly showed up by his feet, hurt and needing of his help and…" she bent down to support herself against her thighs, her brain racing as she felt the early signs of an upcoming anxiety attack.

"He was testing me…" she hissed out, taking deep breaths as she focused on calming herself. "How am I supposed to know if I failed?"

"I don't know, it's probably still somewhat of a cointoss. I mean, Klaus is undeniably the most logical suspect… But considering what you told me about him acting all cold towards you…" he said with a shrug. "All I know is that Lucien will definitely test you again. As many times as it takes until he can finally rule Klaus out."

Klaus.

Her stomach turned into knots again and her breathing ran on full speed. Because she realized in that moment that Klaus had protected her, he had fought to make it look like they had never met and that he certainly couldn't have been the one who bit her… He had been trying to keep her cover, to keep her safe from Lucien's suspicions and distrust. To make him look in another direction instead or to finally believe that she hadn't been bitten on purpose after all… Because if Klaus hadn't been the one to bite her, then it would confirm her story of being attacked by werewolves. Meaning, Lucien could trust that she was telling him the truth.

Klaus did it all for her. And she had yelled at him, called him awful things and forced him away. Pushed his buttons and provoked him and all but written him off once and for all.

Only to end up in bed with Marcel shortly afterwards, and for what? Rebound sex?

"Oh god, I'm gonna be sick…" she muttered as she slowly sat down on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed frame. Marcel kneeled beside her with concerned eyes as she tried to focus on her breathing again.

"This… this happened that night when we first met." he mused slowly. "Are you having a panic attack? Is that what this is?"

She chuckled humorlessly as she looked up at him then. "Ironic, isn't it? A vampire with anxiety issues… I should be the quirky side-kick on a TV show for teens or something."

"Caroline…" he sighed out, clearly not finding it funny at all. "What can I do? What helps?"

"Breathing." she said, nodding her head as she fought to find a steady rhythm.

He nodded in response and held her hands in his. "Okay. Let's breathe." he told her warmly before inhaling deeply. "In…" She followed, taking in as much air as she possibly could. Letting it all out quickly as he gave her a reassuring smile. "Good. Again." he told her, earning another nod as she focused on his instructions. "In… Out. In… and out."

Relief washed over her as she actually began to feel it working. He mimicked her breaths and squeezed her hands. Making it easier to find other things to focus on as she remembered the checklist for dealing with an anxiety attack.

Something you see – Marcel.

Something you feel – His tight grip around her hands.

Something you hear – Breathing, slow and steady.

She leaned back against the bed in a long sigh as her heartbeat returned to normal. Holding his hands tightly and looking at him with grateful eyes. "Thank you." she whispered. "I haven't been able to get past it nearly as fast on my own… at least not since coming here."

"Does this happen often?" he asked her softly, making her nod in response.

"Even more so, lately. Back home, I have Ric to help me."

"Ric. Your roommate, right?"

"Yeah." she answered with a soft smile. The reality much easier to handle now, she thought back to Lucien and let out a sigh. "Marcel… what am I supposed to do?"

He smiled at her and brought a hand to cup her cheek, stroking it softly as he looked her over. "We'll figure something out." he promised, gaining another smile from her before he pulled her in for a hug. Rubbing her back soothingly as she returned the embrace and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"One thing's for sure though." he murmured, making her pull back and study him as he spoke. "We need to get Lucien off the scent as soon as possible. Make him believe that Klaus didn't bite you and that you really were attacked. Or things will start to get real ugly real fast."

She nodded in agreement, recognizing that something had to be done in order to secure her cover. Or else, she would lose Lucien's trust for good, and everything would have been for nothing. And their best lead for finding Bonnie would be lost. "You don't happen to have any ideas, do you?" she asked with a chuckle, earning a smile from him in response.

"Honestly?" he chuckled and shook his head. "Caroline, you need a fake boyfriend. Or girlfriend, whatever. Just anything to make it clear that you do not have any kind of intimate relationship with Klaus."

"Yeah, right." she scoffed, smiling with amusement before meeting his eyes. Her face falling as she realized he wasn't entirely joking. "You can't be serious."

He raised his palms quickly at her words. "Hey, it was just a suggestion. Let me know if you think of a better one."

She let out a nervous laugh as she closed her eyes and focused on keeping her breathing calm again. "Seriously…" she whined. "How did I end up here when the whole point of all this was to find a way to save Bonnie?" she asked desperately, realizing there wasn't an answer to her question.

A phone rang in the living-room then, surprising the both of them. Caroline recognized the ringtone and let out a sigh. "Let's hope it's my lesbian lover coming to save me." she muttered as she got up and headed to find her phone. Earning a deep laugh from the vampire as she left the room. Finding it in the sofa and quickly bringing it to her ear as she picked up. "Hello?"

"Alice, what happened to dinner and drinks, dear?" The voice made her bite back a loud groan as she couldn't help but feel like someone was playing a sick joke on her. Because the last possible person she wanted to hear from right now was undeniably Lucien Castle.

"Lucien, hi." she drawled, clearing her throat shortly before continuing. "Sorry, I got really tired, so I took a nap and I guess I must've overslept."

"That's alright. I can have a driver pick you up from your hotel." he suggested, his overwhelming helpfulness working her last nerve.

"Well, I'm… I'm not there, actually." she said quickly, turning around to see Marcel studying her as she hurried to think of an explanation.

"Then, where are you, dear?" Lucien pressed, making her tap her foot nervously against the floor. Until Marcel caught her eye and waved towards himself.

She shook her head at him and turned away as she tried to think of a believable answer. "Well, I-" she began when Marcel cut her off.

"I found the bottle!" he called out, loud enough for even a human to hear through the line and making her rush to cover the phone. "Oh, sorry. I'll pour us those drinks and wait for you." he continued, making her grit her teeth violently. Glaring at the vampire as she mime-fought with him. Asking what the hell he was thinking and earning a shrug in response.

"Alice?" Lucien pulled at her focus again as she fought to think things through.

"Sorry, I'm just…" she began with a flustered stutter. "I'm… kind of still at Marcel's. I guess I fell asleep."

"I see." he replied, amusement audible in his voice as he clearly caught some hidden meaning in her words. "I reckon your conversation went well, then?"

"Oh, yeah. Totally. He was so supportive. Really understanding." she stammered with a nervous chuckle. "He promised to get to the bottom of what happened that night and he is even going to have some meeting with the werewolves too."

"That's such a relief, dear."

"Yeah, so... I'm sorry about our plans. Maybe we could do a raincheck for some other night?" she suggested, hoping it would grant her the time to figure out how to move forward now. Especially if he thought that she and Marcel were together.

"I suppose that is alright. What of the day after tomorrow?" he mused. "I could have you over here at seven."

"That's perfect, I'll see you then." she agreed, nodding her head as she glanced back at Marcel shortly.

"Splendid! Enjoy the rest of your night then, Alice. Oh, and do tell Marcel I said hello."

She gulped hard at that. "I will. Bye." she quickly said as she hurried to hang up the phone. Turning to the vampire before her then with raised arms. "What the hell do we do now!?"


"I didn't realize you had returned." his brother's voice filled the vast room, bringing a sigh from the hybrid in response.

He hadn't reacted very well when he got back to the manor after his fight with Caroline, but he considered the third floor a better target for his anger than his family. Once his rage had subsided however, all that had been left was emptiness. Which was when he turned to hide away for the rest of the night, fade into the shadows within the least visited room of their wine cellar. Instead, Elijah had managed to find him far too quickly for his preference.

"What gave me away?" he muttered bitterly before opening another wine bottle from their extensive selection.

"I simply followed the scent of paint and wallowing."

Klaus smirked a little at that, turning around and looking up at his brother from his seat on the stone floor. "How prolific of you."

"And of you. Throwing tantrums and running from the world like some injudicious child." he snickered, walking over to study some of the empty bottles surrounding him and looking at the labels. "I see you've chosen to focus your melancholy on the more expensive shelves. Would it have been too much to ask of you to burn through the younger bottles first?"

"That happens to be the core to my ever-prevailing problems, brother." Klaus mocked with a dark smirk. "The younger ones. Always so frivolous and awfully unforgiving. As captivating as they may be, they just never seem to last for long. Do they?"

"Well, in this case, you are de facto the one hiding in our cellars and drinking your weight in wine. I'd say that speaks volumes of your own age and maturity, does it not?"

He chuckled at that before drinking from the bottle in his hands again, his sibling surprising him by taking a seat against the opposite wall. Despite the undeniable consequences the hard floor would have on his pressed suit.

Grabbing one of the unopened bottles by his seat, he offered it to him and gained a smile from the vampire as he accepted it. The dark-haired vampire opened it up and sipped it shortly before turning to Klaus again. "I suppose there is a point to be had in opting for the more superior spirits – if one is to drown one's sorrow in anything at all." he sighed out.

"I knew you would understand." the hybrid teased, receiving a chuckle in response. He sighed to himself and leaned his head back against the concrete wall, his eyes meeting Elijah's patient ones. "Apparently, I am an obnoxious, self-centered and impossibly moronic jerk." he cited, grinning coldly as he did.

"Sounds about right."

The older brother's retort surprised him, drawing a deep chuckle from within Klaus' chest in response. "Yes, I reckon she has me pegged rather well."

"Such intelligent perception." Elijah snickered, shaking his head with a sigh. "It would be a shame having to stand back and watch you let her go."

Klaus raised a brow at that. "I thought you found her stubborn and overly outspoken?" he quipped, remembering Elijah's comments after his first meeting with the young vampire.

"Which is undoubtedly what makes you two so compatible." he noted, leaning forward and handing the bottle back to him then. "So, brother. What is the next step?"

"I am tired of taking steps, Elijah." he scoffed darkly then. "For the better part of a decade, that is all I've done."

"It should go without saying that a decade is nothing compared to a millennium."

"I'll have you know that ten years is considered quite the eternity to a child." he countered. "At least that is what my daughter tells me."

"That is a particularly adept girl you have there, Niklaus. Despite her young age." he snickered at that. "Perhaps the same bodes for Caroline and her limited vampire one?"

"Perhaps." he said with a shrug. "However, I'm afraid it simply isn't enough."

"How come? Because she insulted you, called you names?"

"No." Klaus chuckled then, shaking his head with a cold smile. "She has done plenty of that in the past, it is hardly any different now."

"Then what changed?"

He watched his brother's expectant eyes for a moment, wondering just how to explain why this time had been far more hurtful than any other of their spats before.

"When you climb a mountain in head-wind, it is far easier to stumble back and fall down than it is to reach the top." Klaus began, tilting his head back and studying the ceiling for a moment. "One must work hard at continuing upwards. At proving themselves better, stronger and more resilient than the mountain. Or the wind and whatever else which threatens to keep you from prevailing. You must fight with your every breath, while each step forward proves just as challenging as the next."

Sighing deeply, he looked back at Elijah before he continued. "Yet, the tiniest misstep is enough to bring one back all the way down again." he explained, frowning as he fought to admit the next part. "Every time I hit the ground, it becomes far more difficult to get back up and keep on trying."

The older Original studied him quietly for a moment as he took it all in. He looked like he wanted to help, but simply didn't know how. "Don't fret, brother." Klaus murmured. "There is no answer to my solution. I blame the ancestors or karma or any other cosmic force. Evidently, Caroline Forbes was put on this earth to punish me for my past misdeeds, over and over again."

"Unfortunately, there might be some truth to that." Elijah admitted with a frown. "Especially if our dearest mother has any say in the matter."

Klaus chuckled then. "I don't doubt it." he scoffed, reaching to the shelf near him and starting off another bottle. As he took a few gulps of it, he put it down on the floor and met the vampire's curious face.

"Perhaps Esther would have liked Caroline – back before we were turned into vampires, I mean." he mused.

"Well, she would have surely made for a better match than Tatia." he told her with a snicker.

"Not to mention that she certainly would manage to entrance every man and delight every woman in our village."

"Naturally." Klaus crooned, a little smirk on his lips as he toyed with the idea shortly.

"Although, she does have a peculiar habit of acting of her own volition. If she were unfortunate enough to meet him, her wits would likely have caused her to fall at father's sword." Elijah said solemnly, thinking it over with a sad sigh.

The hybrid considered it then, envisioning the fierce and stubborn girl standing up to Mikael. With her strength and cleverness… A wide smile spread on Klaus' lips at that. "No." he said finally. "She would have survived him too. In fact, she would have likely outlived us all."

The sound of a bottle crashing to the floor brought them both to freeze up shortly. They stared at the shattered glass as it appeared as though the bottle had flown off its shelf on its own. The brothers shared a glance as they seemed to share similar conclusions on the matter.

Klaus chuckled lightly and shook his head. "I suppose that is our brother's way of saying that he too disapproves."

"I reckon it's the opposite actually." Elijah mused with a shrug, earning a smile from his younger brother in response before they settled into a comfortable silence.


Three years ago
New Orleans, Louisiana

Two witches, a vampire and a hybrid stood gathered around the oval coffee table. A large map splayed in the middle as they studied the red marks over it, each one representing a failed lead in Freya's search.

She had read through Camille's list of objects, leaving tiny notes within the pages that seemed relevant to her issue. Davina helped her collect a few spells and ingredients from the Strix as well, and overall, the Mikaelson witch had begun to feel cautiously optimistic about their odds.

"Did you get the journal with addresses as well?" she asked the dark-haired witch while Hayley and Camille helped gather everything for them. The young vampire grabbed some candles while Hayley put out sage and incense.

"Yeah, but Marcel has already searched every one of them." Davina said with a frown. "I think we have a better chance at this if we stop thinking like Aya and instead start thinking like one of the Sisters."

The thought brought a confused pout to Freya's lips. "How do you mean?"

"Well…" Davina drawled, breathing out deeply before she explained. "There are a total of forty-two witches within the Sisterhood. Fifteen are accounted for and another five were found already." she began, grabbing another book and flipping through the pages before showing the blonde a passage within it. "Elijah and Klaus found those five in Mexico because they were all pretty close to each other."

"Right, they were all near the city Leon." Hayley concluded with an agreeing nod. "Would it be possible that more witches are hiding there as well?" she pressed, earning a shaking head from the young witch then.

"I doubt it, they wouldn't risk hiding in plain sight and if there were any other Sisters in Leon – we would have found them." Davina concluded.

"Wait… La Tapona – I recognize that name." the hybrid noted as she studied the map, pointing towards a dirt road outside of Leon. "I remember Elijah telling me about some strange weather on their way through it."

"Strange how?" Freya asked.

"Thunderstorms in the middle of the day and strong winds that nearly flipped their car over." she explained, bringing out her phone then and zooming in as she examined the different names near the road. "San Juanico, that's where they found the first of the five witches." she read aloud.

"And the second witch was hiding with some farmers up by these mountains…" Freya pointed out as she gestured to another spot on the map. "La Cruz."

"How long is it between those two places?" Davina mused thoughtfully.

Hayley looked it up on her phone quickly before answering. "That depends on how you get there…" she said. "But if you were to draw a straight line between the places; they would be about thirty miles apart."

Davina looked up at Freya then, the two shared a nod before the blonde grabbed a piece of string and twirled it around her finger. She pointed at La Cruz and drew the string out until it reached San Juanico. "Next witch." she demanded as Davina turned to her notes then.

"Some place just outside of La Quinta Chilla." she replied, making Freya draw the same length of her string between there and La Cruz. "Let me guess, also about thirty miles?" Davina snickered before glancing at Hayley as she looked it up.

"Twenty-six." she confirmed with furrowed brows.

"The fourth?" Freya urged, getting the answer from Hayley then.

"Silao de la Victoria. Also thirty miles from La Cruz."

"You see it, don't you?" Freya asked the young witch, earning a nod in response as she exchanged her string with a pen. Drawing lines between the locations before she filled the others in. "If you ignore the last of the five, who was found near San Fransico del Rincon…"

"It's a star." Camille concluded, earning a smile from the blonde witch.

"Which, to a witch, would be a pentagram." she chimed.

"So, they were using a pentagram to figure out where to hide?" Hayley pressed.

"Maybe." Davina mused. "Either that or they were doing a ritual or spell or something."

"You're right." Freya chimed in then. "There are an abundance of magical rituals or spells that require pentagrams, but I've never seen one of that size before."

"Which means that whatever they were doing in Mexico…" the young witch breathed out as she shook her head in disbelief.

"It was something big." Hayley finished as they all looked down at the drawn-up star-like shape with wide eyes. "Question is, what?"


Vincent was speaking with a pair of witches whom Elijah recognized to be within different covens. That was what had caught his eye at first. The vampire was surprised to overhear some of the conversation, of how the covens had hoped that Vincent's return would be permanent. And that he would finally take his rightful place as regent.

"I'm flattered Marie, but it's just not in the cards for me right now." the male witch said, protesting yet again as the women shook their heads in response.

"You don't understand, Vincent. We cannot keep abiding by Davina Claire's rules any longer." the second witch, Justice, pleaded. "Marcel has far too big of an influence on the girl, it makes her weak and unpredictable. She's so invested in the Sisterhood that she constantly neglects the covens."

"It has been hard ever since The Strix was included within the factions." Marie agreed. "We can't allow them to corrupt our ancestral magic with those dark forces of theirs."

"I don't understand, I thought Davina had planned to keep the Sisterhood and the covens separate?" Vincent mused slowly, earning a snicker from both witches then.

"The girl has lost her focus. She's drowning in powers she couldn't begin to understand at her age, and without our covens running interference – the ancestors will punish her for her treachery."

"Treachery?" he echoed in disbelief. "Has Davina done any actual harm to the covens so far?"

Marie shook her head at that. "No, but–"

"Has the Sisterhood tried to take over the covens in any way?" he interrupted, making the witches pout in reply. "You can't possibly expect me to come here and change the entire infrastructure of the witch faction, simply because you feel overlooked by your leader."

"That is a very astute answer, Mr. Griffin." Elijah chimed as he decided to make his presence known to them. They turned their heads to stare at him with wide eyes. "I hoped you would have some advice for me as well?"

Vincent studied the vampire shortly before turning to the women again. "Please, speak with Davina. She is not an unreasonable girl. She will listen to your concerns, as long as you bring them to her attention." he told them with a sigh. "And do spread the message that I won't be claiming the role of regent in any future. So, your covens may as well accept the leader they have as of now and work to make the best of it."

The girls nodded at him slowly in acceptance. "Very well." Marie sighed out, glancing over at Justice as she spoke again. "Let us hope you haven't sent us all to our deaths simply due to some ill placed loyalty to the vampire-sympathizing teenager."

Elijah flashed over and gripped her throat at that, narrowing his eyes as he studied the woman's terrified expression. "I suggest you keep your volatile opinions to yourself from now on, Ms. Picard."

Marie coughed and squirmed in his hold. "Sorry." she croaked out, earning a pleased nod from him then.

"That'll be all." he concluded, letting go of her before turning to the other witch with another nod. "Mrs. Cadieux." he said with finality, causing them to quickly scurry away without another word.

"You know, if that is how you vamps deal with all conflicts between the factions, I'm not surprised the witches have begun to crave some change." Vincent said to the vampire with a frown.

"I thought she had run her mouth for long enough." he replied with a shrug. "Now, I need to speak with you about an issue of mine."

"What would that be?"

Elijah sighed shortly as he felt the sorrow tug at his heart. "I made a promise to my sister, but I will need your help to keep it."

Vincent furrowed his brows at that, walking closer and scanning the vampire's face slowly. "Why would you come to me for something like that?"

"Because I aim to forget what I have done in order to keep her safe." he replied grimly. "And I need a powerful witch for it to work."


Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

Caroline got back to her hotel first thing the next morning after having spent the rest of the night thinking through a plan with Marcel. They decided that it would be far safer for Lucien to suspect her of sleeping with the King of New Orleans rather than the Original Hybrid. And that was how she went from helping organize the Strix ball, to being Marcel's date and apparently the event's guest of honor. Which turned out to be a very serious role as it came with several responsibilities.

According to him, the Strix hadn't ever chosen a leader from a different bloodline before and inviting another 'outsider' into the organization would be a pretty big deal. So, as guest of honor, she was expected to join the Strix and pledge her allegiance to them and their leader, Marcel.

He thought it would be easier to explain her role in all of this if they kept the ruse of their 'relationship' before the Strix as well. Since, apparently, spouses were sometimes welcomed into the fold. Usually, it had worked as a way of recruiting new members into the sire-line, by inviting human spouses with the promise of them turning in the nearest future. That way, they managed to keep the society selective and closed.

Her head had begun to hurt with the politics of it all. To the point where she gave up on trying to understand the weird and restrictive rules of the Strix and instead asked Marcel to just give her a list on the day of the ball. That way she would know what to do and not do, as well as how.

Having planned on showering and then take a nap, she was surprised to find a clothing bag hanging on her bathroom door. A note attached to it with a short message.

Only you could do it justice,

Klaus

She turned the paper over and found a drawing on the back. It embodied a moment from their date, when they stood surrounded by twinkle lights and street musicians and danced together. She was looking up and away from the artist and instead enjoyed the sweet ambience. The blurry shadows around her made for a reminiscent perspective, as if she was looking at a daydream.

The smile she wore in the picture made her sigh with a sad lump in her throat. It already felt like years had passed since that night, because nothing was easy or serene or wonderful about her environments anymore.

As she moved to pull the zipper down and open the bag, she already knew what to expect. She just didn't think that he would find a dress for her so quickly, and she wondered just when he had done so… Had he gotten it right after their fight? Did he come in and drop it off himself or did he send someone to do it for him? Was this his way of turning a new page? Or one last gesture before everything changed?

The content was as incredible as she could have ever imagined. A gorgeous floor-length silver gown, decorated with pearls and beads in a flattering mermaid fit. She brushed her hand over the delicate material with an amazed smile as she could already picture how great it would look on her. The blonde hair against the silver, a red lip for a pop of color… The outfit was already appearing before her as she ran with the thought.

Soon, she closed the bag up again and sighed. Guilt filled her stomach with gravel and tugged at her heart. Leaning against the door, she slowly slumped down until she sat on the floor. Realizing that she needed to talk to him, to finally let him explain the past morning in his own words. To apologize for a lot of things that she herself had done and said – some of which he had no knowledge of. Like what had happened with Marcel the past night – or the night long before that.

But while she reached for her phone inside her purse, she remembered that she never did get his number again and that she now had no way of contacting him. Meeting him would be risky, especially since Lucien already questioned her relationship with the hybrid. She couldn't afford to lose any more of his trust, but she also couldn't bear the thought of not clearing things up with Klaus.

Staring at the phone in her hands, she tried to make it tell her what to do since her mind was such a confusing mess… She let out a long sigh before finally making a decision. Getting up and changing into some new clothes quickly, a red and white dotted blouse with wide sleeves and a black denim skirt just long enough to cover the little bite mark on her thigh.

Some dry-shampoo and deodorant later, she had grabbed her purse and was hurrying out the door. She walked with determined steps through the bustling streets and lively squares until she eventually reached the Mikaelson manor. For a moment, she simply stood by the entrance with a nervous stomach and studied the building before her. Taking a few deep breaths to steel herself. Because there was a rather big risk of Klaus not wanting to see her and she wouldn't blame him for it.

Straightening her back, squaring her shoulders and nodding towards herself, she walked into the house. Her cautious steps matched her observing eyes as she scanned her surroundings. She heard people moving around, far too many for it to only be the homeowners. There were sounds of drills and chatter, making her wonder if they were having renovations made. Then a pair of construction workers wearing hardhats passed her and confirmed her guess.

Feeling suddenly awkward for just letting herself in, she bit her lip and followed the sounds of Elijah and Freya across the courtyard. The Original vampire must have heard her coming, because he stood with his face towards her the second she walked into the room.

Freya sat in a sofa opposite him, a little smile on her face as she looked over to meet their guest with a nod. "Hello, Caroline." she said, her eyes giving away her confusion of her surprise arrival.

"Yes, welcome back." the brother added. "What brings you here?"

The young blonde shrugged and chuckled nervously. "I thought I would… Well, I was looking for…"

Freya saved her from rambling on as she cut her off smoothly. "Niklaus isn't here, I'm afraid."

"Oh." she said, grimacing shortly before meeting the other Mikaelson's observing eyes. "Do you know where he might be?"

"He doesn't really keep us updated on his comings and goings." Elijah replied with a sigh. "But you are free to make yourself at home as you wait for him."

"Thank you, but no. I was just passing by and thought I would try to catch him. Mission failed, obviously." she stammered on, cringing inwardly at her awkwardness and sighing deeply. "Is Enzo still here?"

"I believe he left for his hotel." Elijah replied friendly. "He opted to stay there for the next few nights."

"Okay, thanks." she murmured sheepishly, glancing back at some constructers in hardhats walking past her. "So… are you guys rebuilding or something?"

"Yes, apparently our brother thought it was time for something new." Freya chuckled amusedly, glancing up at Elijah pointedly.

"Okay, well..." Caroline chimed slowly. "Since Klaus isn't here… Could you tell him to drop by when he can?" she asked with a nervous chuckle. "I wouldn't normally show up like this, but I actually don't have his number anymore."

"It's no problem." the vampire told her with a kind smile. "I could try calling him again but I'm afraid that hasn't proved to be successful thus far."

"No, that's okay." she interjected with a timid smile as she suddenly felt like she had overstayed her welcome. "I should get going, but if you could just let Klaus know I was here?" she asked, shaking her head slowly with a nervous smile. "Actually don't. I'll just… I'll go."

She quickly turned away, cursing inwardly at herself as she hurried to leave. Getting as far as to the middle of the courtyard when a voice called on her then. She spun around and met Elijah's apologetic eyes as he walked towards her slowly. "Is everything alright?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she stuttered with a weak smile.

"I ask because…" he drawled with a fascinated look in his eye. "My brother was in quite some mood when returning home last night. After having been gone the entire night prior to that."

"Right." she chuckled breathily. "So, the uhm 'renovations' – that was him, then?"

"Unfortunately, yes." he replied with a smirk. "My point is that you incite some rather odd behavior within Niklaus, and I suppose I was curious as to why?"

"Why?" she echoed.

"Yes." he confirmed with a nod as he moved closer to her, his dark eyes intimidating as they analyzed hers. "I still haven't quite gotten a proper understanding of the nature of your relationship. And frankly, it seems to escape me even further with each passing day."

"What do you mean?" she asked with furrowed brows.

"With the risk of overstepping…" he mused cautiously, nearing her further as he watched her with a tilted head. "I have been by my brother's side for most of my existence, spent centuries with him in practically every country to date. Not to mention the years growing up as humans, where I had a quite literal first-hand experience to that hereditary temper and short patience of his." he explained with hints of something sweet and nostalgic in his eyes. "Yet, the times that I have seen him the most torn up, tormented or in agony – they are now quickly being overshadowed by his reactions towards you."

"Right…" she sighed, nodding a little as she looked away with a frown. "Yeah, I guess he isn't the best fan of mine right now."

"No, Caroline. You misunderstand." he countered while shaking his head. "What I mean to say is that he has been more different and ambivalent during the past few days, than all of the last centuries combined. Which seems to all be in direct correlation to you re-entering his life."

"So, maybe should I apologize then, huh?" she chuckled nervously, earning a short laugh from him in return. "I never set out to hurt him, Elijah." she said softly, shrugging as she met his eyes again. "That's the exact thing I was trying desperately to avoid. I deliberately kept out of his way because I didn't want to stir up any old feelings again."

"And what exactly are those feelings?" he crooned with soft eyes. "Please, if you don't mind my asking. I would just like to better understand what it is that you two have."

She bit her lip at that, glancing away as she thought it over for a moment. "I think…" she began, meeting his eyes then with a sad smile. "Honestly, I think it could be something really incredible. Maybe even epic." she chuckled before shaking her head grimly. "But the sad part is that neither of us are willing to work that out. And me being here, is just clearly not helping."

He nodded in reply, seemingly accepting her answer, as vague as it may have been. She cleared her throat and nodded politely at him then. "I'm going to leave now." she declared. "But if you do see Klaus, would you tell him that I really need to talk to him?"

A sadness seemed to flash over his face but disappearing just as quickly as his proper smile returned then. "I will relay your message." he told her friendly with a final nod, reaching his hand out to her then.

She shook it politely as he smirked a little before letting go. "Goodbye for now, Caroline." he told her, turning away from her then and leaving her. However, not emptyhanded. As it turns out, he had slipped her something. She turned away and left the manor before she inspected the piece of paper in her hand. It was a business card for some luxury apartments in a part of the city that she didn't recognize.

Quickly, she grabbed her phone and dialed Marcel's number as she looked down at the paper with furrowed brows. "Hey, did you get to the hotel safe?" his warm voice comforting and friendly as she nodded in reply.

"Yeah." she said, turning the paper over in her hands as she studied it closer. "Um, I have a question: what do you know about some place called The Lumiere Apartments?"

"Lumiere?" he repeated with a confused chuckle. "Where on earth did you hear that name?"

"I don't know, I just… did." she said with a shrug. "So… what is it?"

"Well, me and a very few others use an apartment at the Lumiere when we need to have private conversations. You know, away from eyes and ears, outside of the Quarter."

"Oh…" she drawled. "So, it's a place for secret meetings?"

"Something like that. I haven't really used it in the last few years though." he mused. "Care, why are you asking–?"

She cut him off before he could ask her any further on the subject. "So, if I wanted to have a meeting, in private and in secret, this would be the place to do it?"

"Yes." he said slowly. "Who do you want a secret meeting with?" Her silence was apparently enough of an answer as he snickered amusedly and spoke again. "Right. Yeah, that would be the best option."

"And do you think you could help me get him there? Just kind of discreetly tell him to meet with me?"

"I think so."

"Really?" she beamed and grinned widely. "Thank you, Marcel. I appreciate the help."

"No problem." he sighed out. "I'll send you some information for getting you inside the building. It's probably a mess though, since it's been vacated for months. So, I'll need to call ahead and have the staff prepare it for you."

"That's totally fine! What time would it be ready?"

"I'd say… Five. Five thirty at the latest."

She checked the time on her phone and smiled as she had about three hours until the meet. Which meant that she could take a shower, maybe even call Enzo for a check-in too and still have time for a snack. "That's perfect." she chimed with a relieved sigh. "Thank you again."

"Don't mention it, Care." he chuckled lightly. "I'll talk to you later." he told her warmly before hanging up. The information came in right after that.

The Lumiere Apartments

3301 West Esplanade Avenue N, Metairie, LA

Tell them Claude Matisse sent you –


Three years ago
New Orleans, Louisiana

The news of Olivia Gardiner's death spread quickly through the witch faction of the city. Causing panic and stirring old fears into the covens as they were reminded of their less than favorable time living in the Quarter the last few decades.

"You need to do something, Davina." The voice was one of Lynette Pascal, Davina's closest ally within the congregation of ancestral covens. She had been the one to discover the body of the witch and immediately informed Davina of it. However, now there was an uncertainty as the witches of New Orleans waited for their leader to make a statement. To react. To take a stand.

"What can I do?" she sighed, running her hands over her face as she fought the urge to scream. Why the hell would a vampire kill a Strix witch out of the blue!? And how the hell had they gone unnoticed by an entire city?

Leaning forward against the mausoleum walls, Davina closed her eyes and sighed. Gritting her teeth as she heard the whispers of the witches waiting in the Lafayette Cemetery. Waiting for answers. For guidance. The problem being that she herself was waiting for the same.

"We need to respect the laws of the Sisterhood and cleanse her properly." she decided then, nodding to herself before looking back at the blonde witch. Noticing a wandering look and strange frown on her freckled face, Davina narrowed her eyes and turned to her fully. "What?"

Lynette fidgeted with her hands before letting out a sigh. "I think that would be a mistake."

"Mistake?" she echoed.

"Yes." the younger witch insisted with an apologetic frown. "Davina, it doesn't look good if your first action after the news is to honor the Strix's traditions – before our own."

"It isn't the Strix's tradition. It's the Sisters'." the dark-haired witch defended, earning a shaking head in response from her friend.

"That doesn't matter to them. All they're going to see is that a vampire attacked a witch and got away with it. And your first instinct is to stand by an organization led by vampires instead of condemning them."

"I can't condemn them, Lynette. It would turn the factions against one another."

"Maybe that's what we need in order to strengthen the covens' trusts in you as a leader." she protested. "Maybe then they will finally stop seeing you as nothing more than a…"

Davina gulped hard as she could hear the rest of the sentence in her head. "A vampire-sympathizer." she finished, earning a sad frown from the blonde then. She ran her fingers through her hair, sitting down on one of the stone benches within the mausoleum that had lately worked as kind of an office for witch-business. However, these kinds of decisions weren't something that she'd expected to be included in such.

"We've already passed noon, Davina." Lynette reminded her. "We can't wait much longer if we intend to go through with our traditions."

"I know." the witch replied in a sigh. Her mind racing as she fought to figure out what she should do, and how.

Either she honored the treaty between the factions of the Quarter and overlooked the transgression from the vampires. Instead offering peace in an attempt to fight for their fragile structure. But that would give the message that vampires were free to do whatever they wanted, and Davina Claire wouldn't even think to retaliate.

Or, she could request that Marcel punishes the responsible vampire for their crimes – thereby sending the covens a message that she wasn't going to put the vampires before them. That the covens' lives were far more important than the politics of the factions. Which would also result in the expulsion of the Strix fully as a punishment – including the Sisterhood.

Either she condemned the witches that elected her in the first place, or she condemned the Strix, the vampires and even Olivia herself.

She looked up at Lynette's worried eyes with a try at a reassuring smile. "Okay." she said with a determined nod. "Call for their attention and tell them that I have made a decision."

The blonde let out a relieved sigh before hurrying outside then, leaving Davina to take a few calming breaths and straighten out her clothes. They won't like this, she thought to herself as she wished that there was another option. One that didn't force her to throw people she cared about under the bus.

And just as she turned to exit the crypt then, the answer came to her in a familiar voice. Telling her that there was another way. That she just might be able to stay true to her friends and the witches at the same time.

Her chest swelled as she closed her eyes and fought back tears, nodding to herself as she decided to take his advice. "You're right." she whispered, smiling as she imagined him cheering for her on the Other Side. The thought giving her strength as she felt like someone actually had her back in this.

"Just so you know, I haven't forgotten about you, Kol." she murmured firmly, glancing to her side as she sensed his presence close to her. "After I help your sister, we are getting you back."

No reply came, but she still felt better as she turned to the mausoleum gates with a final nod. "Alright, here I go." she sighed out to herself, almost actually hearing a familiar phrase in the air as she went to face the music then.

"Give them hell, Davina Claire."


The two men entered the apartment together, one of them carrying a bag of objects necessary for their plans. The other carried a dark frown as he had begun to accept what he was about to do.

"Who's Claude Matisse?" Vincent asked, bringing Elijah out of his thoughts then as he watched him go through the mail in the hall.

"I would prefer if we were to focus on our mission, Mr. Griffin." he chimed, nodding to the living area then and leading the witch towards the large divan sofa in the middle. "How will we go about this, exactly?"

"We'll need to figure out the key to your subconscious first." the man replied as he opened his bag and spread out its contents on the coffee table. "Explain this Red Door to me again, I'm still not grasping how much of it was based on magic and how much was simply a psychological defense on your part."

"It was likely a little of both." the vampire replied, sitting down and studying the objects before him. "Esther seemed to think of it as blueprints which she had laid out in my mind, and that I was the one that built on it beyond that."

Vincent nodded to himself as he thought it over. "I think this might be much more of the psychological angle in that case. She placed a seed within you, and your mind simply helped it grow." he mused thoughtfully. "There are some possible spells that could do the same, but clearly this won't work unless you allow it to."

The Original nodded in acceptance as the witch began lighting sage and flipping through a little book. "What do you suggest?" he asked, earning a sigh from the witch in response.

"You won't like it... But I'm considering hypnotherapy." Vincent said with a frown. "It will grant me access into your mind so that I can place the seed in the right place. However, it will require you to guide me through the memories that you wish to repress. In other words, you first have to break your promise to Rebekah before you can keep it."

The words brought a frown to Elijah's face as he gulped shortly, having expected the solution to be along those lines when he asked for the witch's help. But just because he had seen it coming, didn't mean that he was prepared for it. "I will need to remember again in the future, will it be possible to leave some sort of path for my memory to follow?"

"A path?"

"Yes, for example, with compulsion I can place a thought or an order inside your mind and then lock it away. Make you forget what I have demanded you to do. However, it will still be there, latent in wait for the right time. Perhaps until I say a certain phrase, or a specific event transpires, or you meet someone that unlocks the compulsion. You wouldn't even realize that you were compelled until you finished what I had made you do."

Vincent pouted shortly as he considered the words, nodding after a while then. "Maybe." he said. "It could be possible to leave something similar, like a word that activates the hidden memories again."

"It will need to be more than a word." Elijah interjected. "There could be two different scenarios where I would need to remember again. Either I recognize that keeping the secret hidden will at that point do more harm than good. Or, the danger will have passed and it is finally safe to tell my family the truth."

"I will try." he told him with a short smile. "Sit back and relax."

The Original clasped his hands together in his lap, shrugging as he studied Vincent with cautious eyes. "What next?"

A flicker of humor passed the witch's face before he nodded and lit a candle on the table before him. "I need you to study the flame. Block everything else out." he instructed, earning a determined nod from the vampire as he pointed a narrowed gaze on the candle. "All you see is the light. All you smell is the sage. And all you hear is my voice."

Elijah focused as he murmured a short chant, causing his mind to feel hazy as the magic surrounded him. His eyes were still on the light, but he did not see it anymore. Instead, he saw darkness.

"Tell me about Rebekah." Vincent guided him, the words suddenly creating an image before him. Her hair was long and braided, she wore a sweet and carefree smile as she ran through the woods with him.

"Come on, 'Lijah!" she called out, her giggles flowing through the air as he hurried to chase after her. "We need to hurry if we wish to see the sunset."

"Are you certain of disobeying mother this way, Bekah?" he asked her, causing her to shake her head in a laughter before reaching for his hands.

"It will be our secret." she chimed, pulling at him to follow then.

"Where are you going?" Vincent's voice called out, confusing him slowly as he tried to focus on his sister's warm smile.

"Niklaus discovered a clearing in the woods." he explained as he watched Rebekah reach the sunlit meadow then. "He told me of it and Rebekah begged me take her there."

The vision continued as he and Rebekah walked forward and reached some cliffs near a river. The sound hit him before he saw their goal. "She always loved waterfalls." he explained, smiling as he went on.

"Do not tell me you have frozen in place, brother!" she teased as she saw him standing back. "You promised to lead me towards the top."

Elijah looked up at the cliffs as the water gushed violently beside them. Hesitating as he tried to remember what had happened next.

"Focus on Rebekah." Vincent's voice directed him, making him frown shortly before meeting his sister's blue eyes again.

"You gave me your word." she reminded him, bringing a smile from him in response.

"And I always keep my word." he said, nodding for her to continue.

They quickly made it to the top of the waterfall, but the image changed before him. Rebekah was older now and her face was no longer shining with the previous glee. It was dark, and her eyes were filled with pain. Heavy rain fell over them, but they somehow stayed dry despite it.

"Do it, Elijah." she told him, bringing his attention to her hands as she held out the silver dagger to him.

"No." he breathed out, his chest constricting as he wanted to go back to the former memory instead.

"Follow her." the male witch told him, reminding him to push through. "What happened next, Elijah?"

He gulped hard as he looked down at his hands again, the dagger suddenly plunged into her heart as she fell into him. Her words echoed through the darkness around him. "Hide my body. Tell no soul."

"You don't want to run." he had said as he realized what she asked him.

"You know I always hated it." she reminded him.

"I can't." he whispered, begging her not to make him.

"Do it!" she yelled out, his hand having moved as if on her command. And in the blink of an eye, she was dead.

"I have to hide her." he said, his voice breaking slightly. He was holding her up as he fought to accept what he had done.

"Where did you hide her?" Vincent asked, causing the scene to change once more as she lied in her coffin next.

He watched her dark skin and closed eyes, shaking his head as he reached for her. "She wasn't safe." he told him, turning away to watch the people he had compelled to move her as they worked beside him. They had been discreet, no one had seen them when they entered the house.

"What house, Elijah?"

The dark stairs appeared before him as he followed the others, his sister's coffin being. carried to the cellar. He placed a hand over the wood as her words agonized him further. "This is our burden to bear, yours and mine."

Her voice kept ringing in his ears as he exited the house, turning back and glancing at the exterior shortly. "I rented it under an alias. The neighborhood was quiet and the house sensible. Nothing that would bring too much attention." he explained, his eyes going towards the numbers on the mailbox. "1107 Oakland Drive, in Pearl River."

"Then where did you go?"

He looked towards the street where the people he had hired stood awaiting further instructions. "I compelled them to forget." he said. "Afterwards, I left one of the men to think that he lived there. Compelled him to guard the house with his life."

"Did anything else happen?" Vincent asked, earning a slow shake of the Original's head.

"No." he replied. "I left her there and returned home."

"Remember the waterfall, Elijah." the witch told him as he suddenly looked back at Rebekah's smiling face. They ran through the woods, her giggles floated in the air.

"Come on, 'Lijah!" she called out to him, making him chuckle in disbelief.

"She told you to keep it secret." Vincent's voice broke through, the vision melting into the darker one. Her beaming smile interchanging with her frightened scowl.

"Do it, Elijah!" He heard the words again, but this time there was no dagger. No darkness. No rain. Instead, she stood on the edge of the waterfall with him. Her hand reached out to his as she urged him on.

"Are you certain of disobeying mother this way, Bekah?" he challenged, eyeing the river beneath them and studying the fall that awaited.

"What did she say?" Vincent probed, her face suddenly turning to him again.

"Tell no one." she said the words but her voice had changed. It was no longer pleading, it wasn't filled with pain and dread. She was happy. "It will be our secret." she whispered, her smile wide and her eyes sparkling with youthful joy.

"I can't." he sighed out, making her giggle as she pushed him closer to the edge.

"You promised me." she said. "You gave me your word."

He glanced over at her with a nod. "And I always keep my word." he told her, squeezing her hand tightly as they looked down at the river again.

"You were nervous. Scared even." Vincent said, placing strange butterflies in his stomach in response. "But you promised your sister. You gave her your word."

Elijah nodded to himself, smiling as he pulled at her hand. They both took a step forward into the open air, and for a short moment – they were flying.

"The water was wonderful." the witch reminded him. Their fall created a wide splash when landing in the river. They quickly emerged from the water and looked over at each other with equal awe in their eyes. Happy laughs echoing and bouncing off the rocks around them as Vincent's voice continued. "You had kept your promise."

Rebekah grinned as she looked over at him, the waterfall covered them as they swam around in the river together. "Klaus was there." the man told him, causing the siblings to see their brother on the land. "He came to fetch you both. Your mother was waiting, and you needed to get back."

Klaus waved at them, his hair strangely short and his clothes far more modern than usual. "You knew that you had done the right choice. You gave Rebekah what she wanted." the words guided him as he slowly walked towards his brother. "Klaus reminded you that it was time."

"Niklaus, is it time?" Elijah asked him.

"He told you to look back at Rebekah as she rushed towards you. Her face was bright and full of life, but it was time to leave."

Elijah nodded to himself, reaching for his sister with a smile. "It is time."

"You needed to take Rebekah home." the witch told him.

"I need to take you home." the vampire echoed, turning to Klaus again as he urged them to follow.

"It was finally safe for Rebekah to come back." the low voice continued, washing over the three as they slowly headed back from their little adventure. "Your brother was there to help you. He told you that it was safe to return. He told you she would be safe."

"Is mother angered by our absence?" Elijah asked Niklaus, earning a chuckle from him in response.

"No." his brother told him. "You are both safe to come home now. Rebekah will be safe. Our family will be reunited again."

"She's safe." Elijah uttered the reoccurring mantra in his mind. "It's safe for her to come home."

"You are safe, Elijah." Vincent told him, his voice becoming clearer and sharper in his head. "You can come back now."

Slowly, the Original recognized the lit candle on the table again. The smell of sage brought him to the couch once more. Vincent's dark eyes met his as he raised the candle to his lips. A short chant rolling off his tongue before the flame blew out.

Elijah blinked shortly before realizing that they were finished. The witch opposite him packed away his objects and put out the burning sage. "Thank you, Mr. Griffin." he said smoothly as he looked up and met the man's eyes. "You will not remember what I have said. You have no knowledge of my memories. You do not know where Rebekah is."

The witch nodded slowly as the vampire's compulsion sunk in. Soon, Vincent stood up and walked out the door. In silence and without turning back. Leaving Elijah to take a deep breath of relief, his heart suddenly much lighter as he locked up behind himself. Leaving to continue his life, to return to his home and meet his family again. Fully and finally at ease.


Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

She had waited for half an hour, filling and refilling her glass of wine as she stared over at the door in the luxurious, modernly furnished three-bedroom apartment. Maybe he won't come, she thought defeatedly to herself. Getting up from the couch, she walked a few laps around the apartment to focus on something else. Finding some mail with that weird name, Claude Matisse, that Caroline assumed was an alias.

Marcel had told her that the apartment was empty since several months back – yet, the kitchen was fully stocked when she got there. She imagined that 'having the staff prepare the apartment' possibly included filling the kitchen up as well as cleaning and placing vases of fresh flowers in every room.

He's not coming, the words echoed in her head as she groaned at the realization. She put her glass down and began to search the cabinets for the stronger stuff, suddenly needing to dull the ache she felt in her chest. Finding the liquor on the fourth try, she quickly grabbed the first bottle she saw and opened it up. Drinking straight from it and sighing as the alcohol made her shiver pleasantly. Turning her eyes to the label, she read the description of the tequila in her hands and how it originated from some tiny village in Mexico.

She looked at her phone again, forty minutes now. He's really not coming. Flashing over to the couch, she reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned the TV on. Deciding to at least wait a full hour before leaving. There were news about an upcoming local election but aside from that, and the large amount of reality shows, there was nothing of substance to watch. Sighing, she turned the tv off and lied back in her seat.

The hour passed devastatingly quick, and her awaited guest still hadn't shown up. She gulped down some more of the tequila and grabbed a throw-pillow, hugging it close to her chest. Fighting the urge to call Marcel and complain, or Enzo for advice or even Lucien for distraction. Anything to avoid the crushing truth that Klaus Mikaelson finally stopped caring about her. And that it was all her fault.

Well, screw him! She yelled at herself internally and jumped out of the couch then. Deciding to stop moping around and instead remember that she deserved better. That if he didn't want to talk to her, she would just have to find something else to do. After all, she did have an awesome apartment all to herself for the afternoon and she would be damned if she didn't put it to good use.

So, she pulled out some snacks from one of the shelves, turned on some loud music and danced. Singing along to every song and screaming at the top of her lungs as she flew back and forth through the rooms. Jumping up at the kitchen island, opening the balcony doors and yelling out to the street… Emptying all vases of their flowers, she plucked the petals off and threw them around like confetti.

Dancing through the kitchen, she took out some limes and salt and stacked up shots for herself, cheering and whistling at the stinging sensation as she downed them one by one. An old Beyoncé song came on and she smiled at the ever-relatable lyrics, before singing along to it. "If I were a boy, even just for a day. I'd roll outta bed in the morning and throw on what I wanted, then go…" she sang along, spinning around in the kitchen and using a ladle as a microphone.

"Drink beer with the guys, and chase after girls. I'd kick it with who I wanted and I'd never get confronted for it. Cause they'd stick up for me… If I were–"

The words got stuck in her throat as she turned in time to find Klaus standing in the hall. His arms folded as he leaned against the door, raised brows and hints of a smirk on his face. Glancing back at the counter where her phone was, she noticed the time and looked back over at him with a frown.

"You're late." she pointed out, her breathing lightly winded as she went to turn down the music. Refilled her shot glass with more tequila as she avoided his gaze.

"I wasn't planning on showing up at all." he said, causing her to close her eyes in a sigh. She nodded, a cold smile on her face as she raised the shot to her lips.

"Guess I deserve that." she muttered bitterly before swiftly throwing back her drink. "So…" she drawled as she forced herself to look at him then. "Did you just come to crash my 'dancing my ass off while wallowing in pity'-party and tell me to stop stalking you? I mean, it really must be considered stalking at this point, right?"

"You and I clearly have different definitions of a party, sweetheart." he chimed, the smirk returning to his lips again as he moved over to the kitchen slowly. His eyes roaming over the trashed state of the apartment, with flowers on the floor, pillows thrown around, glasses and empty bottles on every table.

"Well, the strippers left like an hour ago. Which you would have known, had you been here on time." she retorted, earning a grin from him in response.

He picked up her previous glass and held it to his nose, smelling it shortly and shaking his head. "This won't do." he snickered disapprovingly before walking past her and immediately finding the right cabinet where the other liquor bottles were. She raised a brow at that, finding it strange that he was so familiar with Marcel's secret-meeting's apartment but deciding to ask about that later.

"I happen to have extensive knowledge on pity parties myself, believe it or not." he told her with a little smirk. She sat up on the kitchen island and watched as he grabbed a fresh glass and sliced a few limes. He added sugar, some ice and poured a liquor she didn't recognize in it.

Turning towards her afterwards, he served the drink with a little glass straw. "What is it?" she asked as he cleaned off the counter.

"An unfortunately poor version of a caipirinha, but it was the best I could do with the limited selection of whiskey… Usually it is made with pinga." he told her nonchalantly, as if everyone threw around complex mixology terms like that all the time.

He rolled his eyes at her unconvinced pout as he dried his hands with a towel. "Try it." he urged her, making her bite her lip slowly before complying. She sipped the drink, resisting to hum a pleasant sound at the perfect blend of acidity and sweetness… "Well?" he asked over his shoulder as he poured himself a drink too, not nearly as festive as her own as he opted for a scotch.

"It's... good." she confessed.

"Well, don't sound so chocked." he teased as he turned towards her and sipped his drink. "I may be many things, Caroline, but I certainly don't consider myself a man with poor taste."

The words reminded her of their last conversation - or rather, blowout. She gulped hard and stared down at her drink for a moment as she mustered up all her strength before meeting his eyes again. "Klaus, last night... I was very unfair to you. I said a lot of things I shouldn't have, and I want you to know that I'm sorry about all of it."

His entertained face softened as he nodded a little. "You are not the only one to regret the events of last night, love." he said with a sad smile. "Is that why you had Marcel arrange this rendezvous? You wished to reconcile?"

"Well, yes, and…" she drawled slowly. "There have been some developments with Lucien. I wanted to talk to you about them but couldn't risk him finding out." she explained before putting her drink down and drumming her fingers against her knees shortly. She glanced up at him as he stood leaning back on the counter opposite her with a patient look in his eyes. "I need to ask you some questions, and you can't ask follow-ups until after I've gone through them all, got it?"

"Very well." he shrugged before nodding towards her to continue.

"When you agreed to my plan, you chose strategic placements for your bites. Right?"

He furrowed his eyebrows shortly, clearly already fighting the impulse to explore her words further. "Right." he drawled in reply.

She nodded at that, accepting the answer before moving on. "Did you realize then that Lucien might see them?"

"I considered that possibility, yes." he answered, his eyes sweeping over her body shortly.

Her fingers drummed against the counter then as she took in his reply. "Okay..." she began, wanting to ask about it more but deciding to put a pin in it for now. "Next question." she announced, hopping off the island and crossing her arms over her chest as she walked over to him. Taking him in carefully as he remained in place, trying to spot any lies or hidden truths as she spoke again. "The morning at my hotel when you suddenly had to leave, was it Lucien who texted you?"

"No."

She raised a brow at that. "No?"

"No, Marcel did. He discovered that Lucien was moving back into the Quarter and asked if I had any knowledge of it."

"Did you?" she pressed then. "Know anything about it, I mean?"

"No more than you. Which was why I left to speak with Lucien, to find out more about the reasons for his sudden return." he explained. "And I needed to do so without you present."

"Which brings us to the following question." she said with a tilted head as she waited to study his next reaction. "Why didn't you tell Lucien that we knew each other already?"

He lowered his eyes at that, looking like he was ashamed to admit the truth. "Because it would have made you a target." he replied, glancing up at her with a sigh. "Lucien wouldn't be first to use someone close to me in order to gain leverage towards me or my family."

She nodded slowly at that, frowning as she felt like there was more to it. However, she had far more urgent questions to get through first. "Next question, that whole… scene at the penthouse. Was that all just for Lucien's benefit?"

"That… depends." he sighed, earning a raised brow from her.

"Okay, let me put it this way instead..." she mused before trying again. "Did you feed on those girls?"

"Yes." he shrugged, sipping his drink again.

"Did you feed on them because you wanted to or because you thought you had to?"

"Why would I feel like I had to?" he countered then, his eyes studying her with something hidden behind the green irises.

"Well, was it part of some cover or an attempt at getting on Lucien's good side in order to find out more about his return?"

"Partially, yes."

She noticed something flicker in his eyes again and moved closer. "Was there any other reason too?"

"This must be a trick-question, love." he chuckled and shook his head. "I realize that we don't exactly share the same values on feeding from humans. Is that what you're hinting at?"

"Partially." she mimicked with a shrug, realizing she wouldn't get much more out of him if she continued to press on this one question. But there was just one more thing she needed to know. "Did you sleep with any of the women?"

"No."

The firm answer was convincing, but she pushed on anyway. "Did you do anything more than feed on them?"

"No." he replied, making her tilt her head slightly as she looked for any signs of him lying.

"Where did you feed on them?"

He looked away shortly and sighed. "Wrists… Necks..." he pouted thoughtfully.

"That's it?" she asked, gaining a little nod from him then.

"Yes."

"So, all you did was feed. And it was all platonic. But they still had to get undressed for your little party?"

"I suppose that might have appeared… peculiar to you." he admitted with a sigh but before he started explaining himself, she cut him off.

"Did any of you consider healing those girls or at least help them patch up or something?" she probed, turning his face furrowed and confused. It only made her want to yell at him again, but she bit her tongue and took a deep breath.

His eyes turned somber as he watched her. "Is that what upset you yesterday? You felt as though I was hurting them?" he asked. "Or using them against their will?"

"No, follow-ups." she reminded him shortly. He raised his eyebrows at that before nodding in acceptance. "Next, question." she announced as she decided to move along before she lost her temper. "Did you worry about Lucien not believing my story? Or consider that he might even think that I had gotten bitten on purpose?"

"Yes." he responded.

"Did you also think he might come to suspect you?"

"For being the one who bit you?" he asked, earning a nod from her as he let out a short sigh. "It… crossed my mind."

"And what would that mean in Lucien's eyes?" she pushed on, walking even closer to him until her folded arms brushed up against his chest. "If he thought you bit me, knowing what he knew about my bites and how they looked... And where they were placed. What would Lucien think about that?"

He frowned then, looking away from her with a sigh before speaking again. "What did Marcel tell you?"

"Answer the question." she demanded, seeing him shake his head in frustration.

"I've been compliant so far, humor me this once." he requested, his eyes looked troubled and sad as he waited for her to speak.

"He told me that there are certain places a vampire wouldn't normally bite another vampire. Unless..." she drawled, sighing as she forced herself to say it. "Unless they were in an intimate relationship. And even then, it's apparently a pretty big deal... Is that true?"

"Yes." he replied shortly.

It made her relieved and confused at the same time. "What makes it into such a big deal? Why is it unusual? What does it mean exactly?" she asked, wanting to hear his own explanation as she only had Marcel's side of it.

He shook his head slowly in a snicker. "Those are a lot of questions to answer at once, Caroline. Pick one."

She pressed her lips together firmly, struggling to keep herself from shaking his shoulders and scream at him to tell her everything. Choosing her words carefully, she lowered her arms from her chest and rester her hands on her hips. Watching him with determined eyes as she tried to figure out which answer she wanted to hear first. "Did you know about this whole 'being a vampire and feeding from the femoral vein' -thing?"

"Yes."

"But you did that on me." she noted, causing him to raise a brow.

"Is that a question?"

She cleared her throat and decided that the best approach would be a straightforward one. "Why did you feed on me in this apparently intimate way?" she asked, taking in his observing gaze as he seemed to think it over for a moment.

"That's… complicated." he finally said, making her raise her eyebrows in disbelief as her patience suddenly ran out with that reply.

"What does that even mean?" she yelped out with a flustered voice. "Was it supposed to be some kind of possessive thing? Were you marking me or something to make sure no one else would get too close? Were you trying to send a message? Was it all just some weird power-play? Did you even think about how it would affect me or how it would make me feel to hear about this special significance from Marcel?"

"Caroline-"

"What!?" she snickered in defiance. "Don't tell me you didn't consider any of this, because I know you. Of course, you did. We just proved it up until now; You never forget to consider anything."

He shook his head with a scowl before turning to her with serious eyes. "It wasn't my intention to deceit you. I was not trying to mark you nor send some hidden message." he interjected.

"Then what?" she challenged in frustration. "What made you do it?"

The question made him close his for a moment, his jaw ticking from his clenched teeth. "You." he said firmly, his gaze meeting hers with something honest and sad filling her intense eyes.

"Me?" she echoed in disbelief, stuttering shortly as she stared at him. "What does that mean? That doesn't even make any sense."

He put his glass away on the counter and ran a hand over his face shortly. Taking a deep breath as he seemed to genuinely try to think of a way to explain it all. Finally he looked back at her with a determined face. "My turn to ask the questions now." he demanded, earning a protesting scoff before he spoke again. "It will help you understand, I promise."

"Fine, what?"

"When you fed on my blood, what did you feel?" he asked, his eyes raking over her features slowly.

"Feel?" she repeated.

"Yes. What did you feel?"

She shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. I mean it was blood, it was nice. I guess. What does this have to do-"

"It was far more than that." he protested, a little smirk playing on his face as he watched her closely. "It's more than just blood when vampires feed on each other. However, it's clear to me that you already knew that."

"Yes" she confessed with a shrug. "But I've had your blood before, it wasn't like that."

"No, this was not the same as when I've healed you in the past." he insisted, taking a step closer to her and causing her to step back. "I promise to explain, to answer all other questions. To tell you whatever you want to know… if you answer mine in return." he mused slowly as he continued to move towards her.

"So, I ask again." he murmured, making her gulp hard as her back suddenly hit the island. Finding herself now caged in between his arms as he rested his hands on the counter and leaned close. "What did you feel?" he purred slowly.

She thought back to it, to their date, to their moment in the alley. To how he had let her feed as long as she wanted to, and how incredibly euphoric it had felt. But she realized that wasn't what he was asking about. Because there had been more to it, to the taste and the experience of it all. She had felt much more. She just hadn't quite known how to put it into words until now.

"You." she said. "I felt you. I felt what you felt. And thought what you thought." she admitted, finding herself getting flustered by his intense eyes. "It was like... For a moment… I were you."

A pleased smile formed his lips as he seemed happy with her answer. "And knowing this, what do you suspect I felt when feeding on you?"

The same, the reply was obvious to her, but she was worried about voicing it. She shook her head and looked away from him as she suddenly needed a second to think. Finally, she met his eyes again and took a deep breath before speaking up. "You're saying..." she whispered as she tried to understand his reasoning. "You mean I wanted you to... to bite me in this apparently deeply intimate and personal way?"

"On some level, yes." he agreed. "I felt it."

"But I didn't know, I mean how would I-?"

"You may not have understood the implications of it." he shrugged, his eyes glancing down at her lips shortly. "But you can't say that I claimed you against your will or selfishly marked you as mine..." he told her with a set jaw. "I know what I felt. What you felt. What you wanted. Because, as you explained it… In that moment, I were you."

He raised a hand to move her hair back over her shoulder, his fingers finding the scar from his bite against her neck. "This is why blood-sharing is considered so private." he continued, his other hand reaching for the bite by her ribs. Pressing against it softly before tracing her body with his fingers and moving both hands to her hips.

"It opens your mind..." he murmured. Suddenly drawing sharp gasp from her lips as he swiftly pulled her up to sit on the counter. "It reveals your thoughts." he added, his hands spreading her knees slowly as he moved to stand between them. "Displays your feelings." he chimed.

She held onto the last tiny bit of restraint she could muster up as he tempted her further, running his hands down her legs and circling them around his waist. "Blood-sharing at the same time, however? It makes for an even stronger connection." he crooned, his body pressed against hers as his hands kept her in place. "It connects your dreams, your fears and insecurities..." he whispered with hooded eyes as his lips brushed against hers softly. "Your wants and your desires."

Her heart felt like it was trying to leave her chest as it pounded violently against her ribcage. She took a deep breath to try and gain some clarity, but it proved difficult as she melted under his gaze. Attempting to push him back and gain some space, her hands moving towards his chest but froze up along the way. Instead, she rested them against his abdomen as she couldn't find the will to force him back.

"I must admit, I didn't believe it myself at first either." he whispered, her fingers digging into the sides of his shirt and holding onto it tightly. "But then... I fed on you."

"Me?" she breathed out slowly, blinking as she tried to make sense of his words.

"I never made it a habit of sharing blood with vampires, mainly because I simply didn't buy into the hubris of it all." he explained. "Evidently, I was wrong. I never imagined the stories of blood-sharing to not only be true, but even diminished. Or rather spectacularly underrated." he let out a breathy chuckle before speaking again. "It wasn't longing or lust… It was much, much more. It was a connection on such a profound level, I can't find the right word for it."

It was love, she added in her thoughts as she remembered having felt it in the ally. She realized he had pulled her in with his words. Her legs circled tighter around his waist, her chin tilted up towards him and her hands crumbled his shirt in hard fists as if absolutely terrified of letting him go.

"That's what I felt." he told her softly. "I felt you." She couldn't tear her eyes away from his as they seemed to sparkle like crystals suddenly. His face was so close to hers that their breaths mixed between their parted lips. Captivated and entranced, she hung on every single one of his words.

"My only regret is that it happened merely due to this plan of yours." he breathed out softly, a little frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You needed me. Just not in the way I had hoped. Not in the way I have waited for."

"What way is that?" she murmured, wanting to understand, wanting to hear more.

He brushed a thumb slowly over her lips as he smiled at her. "For you to crave me, the way I crave you." he whispered, tracing her jawline as he spoke. "For you to covet me, as I covet you."

His touch created electricity in its path, his fingers drew lines down her neck and slowly followed the curve of her shoulder. "For you to care for me…" he continued as his fingers traveled down her arm. "The way I have always cared for you."

"Always?" she echoed, blinking as she mulled the word over to herself. He wrapped his hand around one of hers and moved it. Placing it flat against his chest, over his heart. She felt amazed by the thundering under his skin, and how it mimicked hers. The steady rhythm filled her ears as she focused closer, her hand moving in a slow caress as he tilted her chin up to meet his eyes again.

"Always." he assured her. His hand traced its way back down her arm again, slowly brushing over her collarbone and upwards her neck. Making her fight to resist closing her eyes and lean into his touch as his fingernails scratching lightly over her ear and down her jaw.

She was almost convinced that she had passed out and that all of this was nothing but a dream. It just couldn't be real. Her hands traveled over his chest, reaching his shirt collar and grabbing onto the undone buttons as she ran her fingers over the exposed skin. Continuing her exploration, she stroked his jawline slowly, as if trying to determine whether he was an illusion or not. Her nails scratched against his stubble and grazed the sides of his face.

The tension made her lose her breath as she leaned in closer, her lips meeting his in a sweet and chaste kiss. Just a soft peck, as if simply having a taste, or just dipping her toe in the pool. She welcomed the feeling that washed over her from the tenderness of their close embrace, wanting to swim in it as she looked up to take him in. Her heart stopped shortly then as she was met with a breathtaking visage of liquid amber and gold. And just like that, she dove into the water completely as she crashed her lips to his wildly. He responded immediately, his hands dug into her hips and pulled her swiftly towards him by her ass. Her back arched as she fought to press against him harder, to hold him tighter, to feel him closer.

Whatever doubts she'd had before about the next time being different from their fever-kiss were all squashed in that moment. She felt like every cell, every fiber, even her blood, was screaming for him. For his arms to hold her tighter. For his lips to kiss her harder. It was deep, passionate, intense. It took her breath away and stopped the world from turning. She held the back of his head, braiding her fingers in his hair and tugging lightly.

He let out a low groan from deep within his chest and gripped her thighs tighter, making her breathe out a soft moan against his lips. Surprising her as he lift her up and flashed them away, pinning her against a wall as he pressed closer into her body. His lips moving down her throat, leaving deep kisses in a hot trail over her skin. She breathed heavily and clung to him tighter, her nails raking over his shoulders, his neck, his scalp. Her blouse was pushed off slightly as his hands grazed her exposed abdomen and back, sending sparks and tingles in their wake.

A smile etched on her lips as she sighed contently, enjoying the feeling of his touch. Of his body against hers, firm, warm and enticing. Of his expert lips and tongue as they danced with hers. His scent, his taste, even the tiny sounds he brought out of her. He held her up by her thighs as his teeth gently nibbled at a sensitive spot near her clavicle and caused her to gasp sharply. Smiling against her skin, he thrust his hips into her body and drew breathless noises from her lips. Pressing his hard bulge against her center and moaning lowly as she dug her fingers into his toned upper arms.

She needed more, more of his lips and his skin and his hands. Just more. Quickly undoing the buttons of his shirt as she left open-mouthed kisses down the side of his neck. Which was when a loud buzzing sounded through the apartment and made them both freeze to the spot. She stared over at the front door, panting heavily as she tried to focus her foggy mind on whoever was ringing it.

Her chest heaved and brushed against his in panted breaths as she looked back at him again. His eyes were hooded and dark, his lips parted and inviting as he waited for her next move. For a second, she decided not to care about anything else and instead leaned in again, just barely meeting his lips before another round of buzzing stopped her short. It made her accept the reality, a deep sigh escaping her as she fought to tear her eyes away from him. Finally, she gulped and glanced up at his eyes with a pointed look. Earning her a deep sigh from the hybrid before he put her down on the floor again and freed her from his arms.

She hurried over to the door, her running her hands through her hair and straightening her clothes before opening it. Revealing a short man in a black suit and little chauffeur's hat on the other side that made her blink bewildered for a long second. "Can I help you?" she asked with a winded breath, glancing over his shoulder to see if there were anyone else with him.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. You don't happen to be Ms. Forbes by any chance, do you?" the man asked in a thick southern accent.

"Yeah, why?" she countered skeptically, studying him close as he reached for his jacket pocket and presented a note.

"This is for you." he told her, offering the piece of paper and nodding in a pointed gesture. The message on it made her hazy mind suddenly sharp and focused.

We have a problem.

Come alone -

M.

She flipped the paper over as if expecting some further explanation on the other side. "I don't understand." she stammered and looked up at the man with a quizzical look. "Who are you?"

"Mr. Gerard's driver. He instructed me to pick you up."

"For what?"

He smiled timidly at that. "That's not for me to know, ma'am."

She shook her head in a sigh a that and gritted her teeth shortly. "Fine, just... Wait here, please. Thanks." she said and closed the door again. A dark feeling building in her gut as she walked to the kitchen in search for her phone. Finding it on the floor, she quickly picked it up and noticed a ton of missed messages.

"Why is Marcel summoning you?" Klaus asked, showing up to study her with squinting eyes as he buttoned up his shirt again.

"I don't know." she huffed honestly, just barely meeting his eyes before returning to read through the messages. Apparently, there were some new developments on the search for the Candle of Hades, and he needed to tell her about it asap. "I have to go." she whispered out and quickly grabbed her purse before turning towards the door again. Stopping when Klaus stood in her way.

"Where?" he asked.

"To Marcel's." she replied with a shrug.

"Why?"

"He says he needs to talk about the candle."

He raised a brow at that. "Talk?"

"Yes." she sighed and circled him as she headed to the door again, but he held onto her arm and forced her to turn around and meet his eyes.

"Don't you find it a bit curious that he has such an urgent matter just as you are meeting with me?"

"No, I don't." she drawled, shaking her head at him. Watching his hardened expression, she realized just how big of a mess she had suddenly made. What was she thinking, kissing him like that?!

She brought a hand to her forehead as she considered how she had forgotten about everything, and how she couldn't afford to do so again. "I'm sorry, I didn't… I don't know what I was... I just… I shouldn't have…" she stammered nervously as she pulled out of his grip.

Realization flashed across his face in a cold frown as he understood that they were no longer talking about Marcel. Her heart nearly broke at the passing flicker of pain that filled his eyes when she spoke again. "Klaus. I seriously need to leave. Right now."

"And then what?" he asked with a tone that made her stomach fill with guilt. He wore a cold and set face, clearly upset with her for brushing him aside like nothing. Something she never intended to do. Hell, she had worked so hard to try and keep that from happening. From hurting him. From confusing things between them…

"There are some things that you don't know about. And what just happened complicates that – a lot." she told him, desperately trying to make him understand. "And I just can't… I'm sorry but I don't have time to explain this to you."

"Make time." he demanded, stepping closer to her with his lips pressed into a firm line. She studied him silently as she wished he would understand. Because she didn't really know what to tell him. Her delayed silence made him sigh, he moved closer and cupped her face softly with his hands. "Don't leave like this, Caroline." he pleaded, causing her chest to tighten.

"Come with me." she whispered before she knew what she was saying. Surprising him with a somber look as she held onto his hands and tugged him along. "We'll have this conversation in the car." she said as they hurried out of the apartment and faced the waiting driver's patient smile. One that quickly turned into confusion when he saw the pair coming out together.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." he stammered uncomfortably as he started to protest her plus one. "Mr. Gerard was very specific–"

"He's coming." she cut him off, her eyes focused deeply on his as she compelled him to obey.

"Of course." he replied with another smile, nodding towards Klaus then. "Nice meeting you, sir." he said before gesturing towards the hall. "Follow me, please."