"Soon comes the cold, and the night that never ends."
― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
All around her people were passing her by much faster than the unmoving days that did not seem to pass at all.
Caroline waited for her espresso and watched the street violinist that played a sweet melody at the end of the street just some meters away from the outdoors café she was sitting at. People cheered and smiled and Caroline just sat there feeling detached from the world. In her table there were already three empty espresso cups. Every day ever since she got trapped in New Orleans the same pattern repeated itself.
She would go and check to see if the barrier would still be up and once she would realize that she was still trapped in this city she would return to the French Quarter feeling sad, angry and disillusioned.
Klaus had offered her his home and she accepted the invitation with the hopes that maybe the Mikaelsons would help her get out New Orleans and maybe if she stayed close she could find a solution on her own too. But she was stuck. She barely interacted with anyone. She was leaving the house before dawn and if she would return would be after nightfall. She could barely sleep because of the nightmares and that place did not feel home no matter how much Klaus would try to make it so. She had not seen Elijah or Hayley for weeks and she barely even saw Kol. She could always feel Klaus' presence close by though. She had tried to reach out to witches but they seemed to be a rare breed in New Orleans and everyone was extremely secretive. She tried to walk around the streets of New Orleans and to get to know the city better but every time she would quit and then she walk aimlessly around. Klaus had offered to show her around but she had declined his offer and even though she hated the sad look in his eyes she remained isolated.
If she did not know herself any better she would think that she was depressed. Surely people around her would likely think that but the problem for her was not the sadness or the frustration she was feeling. It was the opposite. She was not apathetic or unenergetic. Inside her a fire was burning. She was feeling so much rage that if she let it out she was afraid of what it would to her and to everyone around her. She had missed her old life and yet she did not want to return there either. It would have been so simple to pick up the phone and call home. But she could not. She did not feel as if she had returned from Purgatory yet. She was still trapped. And she was getting angrier and angrier. She had never felt like this before. Not even when she had first transitioned her feelings were this heightened. This felt different. It was building up inside her like a storm and she could barely contain it. It was darkening her from the inside out making her mind go crazy and her body turn to stone in a world that kept moving.
She felt as if she hated everything and everyone and she was tempted to let go and do some major damage. And the more she thought about it the more she could hear every human beating heart around her drumming, beating, quaking. It was maddening. She could hear the rush of blood under the thin blue veins of every human body that passed her by. She could smell the adrenaline and she could breathe in the scent that was only a bite away. The hearts kept thrumming and fluttering and their rhythm was coming closer and closer and….closer and-
"That glum face does not fit you."
The mocking voice that came from behind her made her press her lips but she said nothing as the box of beignets landed next to the empty coffee cups.
Caroline looked up while Kol took a seat and leaned back to his chair looking straight at her with a very annoying grin.
"Oh bite me," Caroline snipped and Kol laughed.
"You are not a morning person are you darling?" he taunted and Caroline glowered at him.
Kol's lips formed a charming smile and he pushed the box closer to her and opened the lid allowing the pastry scent to fill her nostrils.
"Have you tried the beignets? They are really tasty," he encouraged her but Caroline pushed the box back and glared at him.
"I do not remember inviting you here. What do you want Kol?" she immediately asked and Kol sighed.
"Of course you did not. You keep avoiding me along with everyone here for the past three weeks," he shrugged as he dug in into the box, "the air of New Orleans would suit you better if you were to give it a chance you know," he suggested as he chewed the first bite enjoying the flavor that erupted in his mouth.
Caroline gave him a bitter smile as the waiter brought her espresso.
"It is not as if I have a choice in this matter is it?" she grumbled without hiding the acid from her tone. Kol's shoulders rose in silent amusement.
"You do. You can either sit here and sulk or do what you do best," he simply said and Caroline scrunched up her nose in a grimace of irony.
"Which is?"
Kol leaned forward on the table giving her an intense stare.
"Survive."
Caroline narrowed her eyes at him and looked around for a moment inspecting their surroundings. She then bit her lip and then turned her attention back to Kol.
"Did the Julien coven knew of Esther's possession?" she asked him and saw the gleam of appraisal in his eyes.
Kol gave her an innocent look as he shook the beignet removing the powdered sugar from its surface before taking another bite.
"According to Elijah no," he chimed in and Caroline gave him a pointed look.
"They had amulets in the gates," Caroline remembered knowing all too well that Kol had done his research as had she, "I have seen more of those hidden around the city. To keep intruders out and to shield their magic. Why is that?" she questioned and Kol shrugged.
It was a calculated reaction and Caroline realized he probably knew more from what he was about to tell her.
"The witches practice their magic in hiding. In our days magic thrived in New Orleans and now it is lurking in the shadows," he informed her as his gaze roamed over the streets that expanded around them. At the shops. At the traffic. At the buildings. At the people. And Caroline noticed the nostalgia that lingered in his gaze.
"Has your family banned witchcraft?"
"Marcel Gerard did," Kol bit out and Caroline remained impassive. However she did not fail to notice the dislike Kol had towards Marcel.
"The King?" she provoked Kol with a sarcastic smirk and he glared at her.
"Former King. Klaus' adopted son," he said and animosity burst through his words.
Caroline raised an eyebrow looking impressed as she sipped her coffee.
"Klaus as a fatherly figure. No wonder dictatorship was born," she mumbled and Kol laughed. Then he squared his shoulders and became serious.
"It seems that my brothers kept the prohibition now. The witches are hunted. Mostly by werewolves," he noticed and Hayley's name immediately popped in Caroline's mind but she did not voice her thought.
"From what I have seen before the veil fell Elijah had tried to bring the factions together again. Witches included and now they are persecuted and on the run again. Quite peculiar really," Kol mused and Caroline tapped her nails on the table slowly.
"People speak of the tragic demise of Klaus' daughter," she said and tried to keep her tone steady. Klaus never talked about his daughter or her death. And yet he seemed different from the last time she had seen him in Mystic Falls and Caroline did not want to admit that she was affected by this, "witches were probably involved," she presumed with an indifferent gesture and Kol snorted.
"I guess that is why then," he played along and Caroline gave him a challenging look.
"You guess?" she pressed and Kol beamed at her.
"What do you think darling?" he drawled and Caroline opened her mouth to say something but then closed it.
"I think I'd rather to not get involved," she unemotionally shut Kol down and a scoff escaped his lips.
"You already are."
Caroline exhaled looking upset and shook her head. Just as she was about to stand up and leave and Kol grabbed her hand on the table and gripped it firmly. Caroline gave him a warning look but his eyes turned dark and he did not let go.
"Caroline Forbes I taught you better than that. You can win only if you play," he lectured with a solemn whisper and Caroline yanked her hand away. If this was game then it was a deadly one and she was not going to become a disposable pawn in it.
"I am not going to play your games Kol. I am not an Original," she angrily hissed and Kol nodded.
"And yet this city has devoured you from the moment you stepped in. Funny thing about New Orleans. It is the most mystical and most beautiful place of them all," he cooed and then his sly chuckle made Caroline stiffen, "but it would not be any of that if it was not powerful…and it would not be all that powerful without being dark. For each garden there is always a snake and this is a pit love," he warned and Caroline cast her eyes downwards. Her expression thoughtful full of apprehension and caution.
"For now your identity is well under wraps but let us make a count shall we? You ..a young vampire from a small town drew my brother's attention. You made my mother, the Original witch, target you and you managed to kill her. Albeit her demise is not permanent but still that says a lot about who you are. You got me as your mentor and you brought us back from Purgatory. And you know tales of resurrection can create legends in this corner of the earth," he reiterated in mocking exasperation and Caroline raised her gaze. She felt the anger coming to the surface again. Bubbling just underneath the skin and turning to blazing steel. But that did not hinder Kol.
"Elijah is intrigued by you and wants to use you as leverage and you are one of the few that knew Hayley Marshall before she stepped in New Orleans as the mother of Klaus' miracle child that Esther wanted dead on an altar even as a spirit from the far beyond. Rebekah has been your frenemy too from what I gather and you were the best friend of the doppelganger that turned Klaus Mikaelson to the Hybrid everyone fears. A unique species at that. And not to mention your close connection to the Bennett bloodline," Kol hummed and Caroline held her breath but did not react at all. She detected his veiled threat when he mentioned her loved ones from her past life but she did not take the bite.
"Your point?" she bit out and Kol stood up.
"Such a precious little snowflake you are," Kol chuckled and Caroline gave him a dirty look that would have made anyone else cower in front of her.
Kol's laugh seized and with it his irony was gone. Austere resolve glimmered in his eyes.
"You might not be an Original. You might want to play it safe but make no mistake you are already part of the game now."
His counsel felt like a death warrant to her ears. Kol was enticing her in a game she did not want any part in but he was right. She was already in.
"Your move Caroline."
He left and Caroline grimaced as she allowed her breath to finally leave her lungs. She slumped back in her chair and looked at the sunny sky. She sighed and looked at the direction Kol had left. She knew he was trying to manipulate her but none the less he was not wrong.
Her anger turned to determination. He was right.
Before she died she called her will to live and endure perseverance and after her death she called her will to outlast Purgatory and to return to the land of the living survival. In any case she would not be able to survive this game without fighting back and by quitting and standing idle when her whole life was like a tape stuck on pause.
She took one of the beignets and brought it to her lips.
She would have to get through this. She had no other options left. She had to take it step by step; so she had to make the first step.
Regroup.
Hayley was sitting on a log of wood watching the wolves training from afar amidst clamor and shouting. She was drawing patterns on the dirt on her feet with a thin stick and she barely noticed the approaching sound of steps.
Hayley felt Elijah' shadow merging with her own as he came and stood next to her. She looked up at him and then turned her attention back at the packs that fought in the clearing.
"Ever since Miss Forbes came to live with us you have taken refuge in the bayou," Elijah noticed and Hayley shrugged.
"So it would seem."
"You do not like the girl," Elijah stated and Hayley's lips carved into a half smile dripping with sarcasm.
"Trust me the feelings are mutual," she mumbled and Elijah frowned.
He took a step closer and stared at the brunette with sharp eyes.
"Is there something I should know Hayley?"
Hayley remained silent and kept swinging the stick she was using right and left.
"Caroline Forbes has a hold on both of my brothers. Is she to be trusted?" Elijah asked seriously with a low voice and Hayley sighed.
"She is a vampire," Hayley simply said, "what do you think?" she groused and pushed the end of the stick so hard into the ground that it broke in half. She huffed and threw the pieces away.
Elijah blinked at the condemnation he heard in her voice. He knew that Hayley was going through a very difficult transition and the loss of her daughter made everything harder for her but this kind of aversion towards their nature was not normal. Not in this degree.
"Is this what you believe of your nature too?" he uttered in disbelief and saw how Hayley's shoulders tensed and how she pressed her lips.
Elijah walked in front of her and crouched down in order to face her.
"Do you consider me a man of honor Hayley?"
Hayley looked startled at the question she did not expect.
"Of course," she simply nodded and Elijah smiled.
"And yet I am a vampire also. An Original at that," he reminded her and Hayley looked at him for a long moment before she got up looking frustrated. Her fingers threaded her hair as Elijah stood up too.
"I did not mean to offend you Elijah," she apologized honestly and Elijah felt some of the weight he carried in his shoulders lift. She was still the girl he remembered. She just needed someone to hold her through the storm.
"You did not," he assured her and Hayley dipped her head in thought. He came closer and his hand gently squeezed her upper arm. Her eyes followed his touch before she looked at him. "I am not harboring any illusions over what vampirism is and means Hayley. Along with the greatness also comes wretchedness. All parts of the human nature. Good and bad. However being a vampire does not make you a monster," he reasoned with her. His tone warm and alluring but most of all understanding. Hayley took a deep breath and stepped back. Elijah's hand fell to the side. "Doesn't it?" she asked and Elijah did not miss the gravity of her question or how much Hayley seemed to believe that being turned into a Hybrid sentenced her into becoming a monster. An abomination. He felt his heart clench at her sight. Niklaus carried the same demons but this girl did not have to carry their sins and their pain. She was not meant for this kind of pain. "Only you can do that to yourself," Elijah noted with a grave expression. A thousand memories rushing in. Memories of all the choices his family had made. Choices he had made. Esther had turned them into vampires but they turned themselves into monsters and yet there was another way. He was sure of that. Hope's existence was the proof of that. Nothing so pure could come of out of an evil heart. And if his brother could still create innocence then hope was not lost. Not for them and surely not for Hayley that was just in her beginning. "Hating yourself for what you are will only stop you from following your dreams. Those are still not lost," Elijah persisted and Hayley looked up at the sky for a moment before she pushed her foot against the dirt underneath them. She looked defeated. "My dreams," she whispered, "the dreams I used to have seem so far away now. As if they belonged to another woman," she confessed and Elijah shook his head.
"I have walked in this earth for more than a thousand years and yet I still dream," Elijah said, "Of better days to come. Your dreams have not ended. Maybe you perceive them differently now but you can still dream," he insisted trying to make her see how the world was still in her grasp. A world that still contained her dreams in. Dreams she could still see coming to life. As long as she would not quit from them.
"I used to dream of having a home. Of being part of a pack," Hayley told him and Elijah approached her. His palm caressed the side of her face making her breath still.
"You found your roots; and my family might be dysfunctional but you are one of us now. You do have a home and a family… and as far as your pack is concerned. What's stopping you?" Elijah pointed towards the wolves.
Hayley followed his gaze and then her eyes hardened.
"Klaus wanted the pack to see me as their Queen," she bitterly laughed as she walked and leaned over a tree watching at the wolves yelling and supporting Jackson that now faced another wolf in the field. He was teaching his betas how to fight and how to train.
"They are all embracing Jackson as their leader. He is uniting them," Hayley mumbled annoyed and then glared down, "I am a hybrid they do not trust me."
Elijah stood behind her.
"Trust and respect need to be earned Hayley. No matter how my brother has the distorted idea of imposing his will through fear in the end loyalty comes from the heart. Show them your heart and you will gain their trust," Elijah advised and Hayley chewed her bottom lip.
"Or their rejection. Their hate," she whispered and Elijah's frowned in confusion.
"Why would you think this?"
Hayley whirled around and Elijah saw how her eyes were filled with tears and how those tears reflected gold shade in them.
"You do not know my heart Elijah. It is not even beating anymore as a wolf's should," she hissed as she took his hand and aggressively placed it over her heart.
"Maybe not. But it still beats. It endures," Elijah countered passionately and Hayley leaned to his touch, "And as long as that happens there is always...Hope."
Hayley smiled with teary eyes.
"Hope," she said and the color of her eyes changed back to its natural shade. She breathed in deeply letting Elijah's warmth cover her but then she heard the cheering from the distance as Jackson won another round and the coldness returned.
"However Klaus is not always wrong. Sometimes all ends in war and blood," she said with no emotion and Elijah almost grunted.
"Hayley-"
"It is in our blood," Hayley said not allowing him to reach her anymore, "part of being a wolf means being a fighter. We can't turn our backs from our nature. Klaus never could," she provoked Elijah and he looked at her as if she had gone crazy. He could hardly recognize the woman that stood in front of him and a part of him worried more than he could even admit to himself. Changing into a vampire did not erase a person's personality. Hayley must have already be harboring this kind of darkness long before she was turned. Long before she came to New Orleans. But Elijah had seen another girl. A girl of strength and of a certain code of honor he admired. Those should still exist inside Hayley. The bloodshed and the hunger for power could not be the only thing that was left in her. He would not allow this to happen. Not to her.
"You are not like Klaus Hayley. You are better!" Elijah protested and was taken aback from the black gaze he encountered in her eyes.
"I am a wolf Elijah. And in the end there can by only one Alpha," she declared as she reached from for a sharp branch and ran towards Jackson challenging him into a fight.
Elijah watched the scene unfold in front of his eyes as Jackson and Hayley circled each other ready to attack and destroy. The wolves in the bayou yelled excited but Elijah knew that this kind of cheering was a prelude of dark days to come and he could not help but having a bad feeling over this.
Caroline entered Rousseau's and looked around before she went and sat in the bar. She liked the style of the bar and its atmosphere and even though it was still day they were open. She tapped her fingers on the wooden surface of the old surface and absently bit her lip as the sound of a heartbeat caught her attention. She turned her head to the side and saw a man sitting a few seats to the right. Caroline focused on the tempo of his heart. It was pumping blood to the blue veins that throbbed on his skin. She looked the vein in his neck that pulsated with every breath the man took and she felt her mouth salivating.
She became transfixed and her senses tuned in to the sound of that heartbeat that blocked out everything else. Her chest heaved up and down and she felt the edge of her fangs tempting to pierce her gums. She felt hunger and she could swear she could hear the sound of the blood rushing to the human's bloodstream and she did not even realize how the drumming of her fingers on the bar got in sync with the heartbeat that was inviting her closer and closer. All it would take would be a moment. Just a second to push her fangs to that throat and sink them to the carotid artery and-
"Hello. What can I get you?"
The sweet voice took her out of her reverie and Caroline blinked as she realized she had totally phased out. She took in a sharp breath and abruptly forced her fingers to still and stop their tapping. She looked up and saw the woman that was trying to get her order. Her face was familiar.
Caroline realized that the blond bartender was actually observing her with a frown. She was also trying to remember from where she had seen her before too and then recognition filled her eyes.
"Oh hey," the blonde mumbled as she finally recognized her and Caroline smiled politely at her. The last time they had seen each other she covered in dirt and she looked like she had been through the wringer.
"Hi, you remember me right?" Caroline asked and the bartender nodded.
Flashback
Caroline went to the bar and leaned over it.
"Can I help you with something?" the blond bartender asked as she eyed her with curiosity.
"I don't know… I am looking for someone, I…I..don't know where to find.. him," she whispered as she took the glass of water the girl gave her and gulped down in one go. She was so thirsty and she moaned as she tried to keep her eyes human looking. The glass broke in her hands and she stumbled back as the shards broke the skin of her palm.
The bartender tried to reach for her and to help her with her hand wound but Caroline just stepped back and almost growled. Even the smell of her own blood tempted her and all she could hear was the blood that was rushing inside the blond girl's veins. Her human heartbeat was drumming in her ears; a sound so alluring that almost made her jump the bar and attack the woman but she controlled her urges. Barely.
"Who are you looking for?" the woman asked as she stood still and eyed her suspiciously now.
"Klaus, Klaus Mikaelson," she said with a broken voice and she almost collapsed before two strong hands supported her.
She noticed a black man staring her back and she tried to move but she felt the world turning before she fainted into his arms.
Camille hurriedly got next to them and looked down at Marcel. People were looking at them so she kept her voice low.
"Is she a-"
"Vampire," Marcel whispered.
"Yes. You came in the bar a week ago, you were-"
"In a really bad shape," Caroline finished for her detecting her awkward tone. "I wanted to thank you for helping me that day. I am not sure I would have made if you didn't get me to Klaus in time," Caroline thanked the girl with gratitude and the blonde behind the bar gave her a kind smile that sort of reminded her of Elena and made her smile in return.
However Caroline could also see caution in the woman's eyes. And understanding. She knew of the supernatural. She knew Klaus after all. Her memories from the day she arrived in New Orleans were a bit fuzzy since she was in a really bad state but she remembered Marcel Gerard and this bar and the blonde bartender.
The blonde that was now eyeing her up and down intently in an effort of assessing her and Caroline stood still not pointing out that her gawking was a bit funny. After a few long seconds of silence the woman looked around making sure that no one would hear them and then her voice came out in lower decibels.
"You are a friend of Klaus right?" she asked her carefully with a guarded tone and Caroline felt her body going stiff before she inclined her head in apprehension.
"Uhm…yeah you can say that," she admitted unsure if this was how her relationship with Klaus could be described and saw how the woman gave her a tight smile.
"You know… the Mikaelsons," Caroline posed the rhetorical question avoiding to mention Klaus name and noticed how the woman tensed for a moment before she relaxed and her expression turned into a more serene one. One that was adorned by the hint of a wistful hidden smile and Caroline could not help but wonder if that smile was intended for Elijah Mikaelson or…Klaus…even though she could already tell.
"I do," she said with a knowing glance and Caroline hummed feeling awkward and tense for a reason she could not explain.
"I am glad I could help," the woman then said and Caroline managed a smile.
"I am Caroline Forbes by the way," Caroline introduced herself and extended her hand towards the blonde that stared at it carefully obviously considering if it was a good idea to be cordial with a vampire but then she took Caroline's hand and shook it.
"Camille O'Connell…but please call me Cami," Camille said keeping a firm handshake.
Caroline was impressed to see how Camille's handshake did not falter or tremble and noticed that her heartbeat was also steady. There was no fear in Camille. She was obviously accustomed at being around Vampires.
Caroline could not help but acknowledge more and more the similarities between Cami and Elena. Both of them had a clear, kind and compassionate look. Both of them were obviously smart and both of them were brave at the presence of vampires. This kind of attitude reminded her more and more the awareness that existed in Mystic Falls too.
Caroline could not help but feel nostalgic and tried to push back those thoughts. Missing Mystic Falls and her old life was counterproductive and it was not as if she could get out of NOLA to begin with and even if she could she would not go back to her small deadly town no matter how much there were times that she missed her friends and her…mom.
Caroline exhaled her sadness and focused on the present.
"Nice to meet you Cami," Caroline said jovially and Cami dipped her head in assent.
"Is there anything I can get you?" Cami asked Caroline in a more friendly tone now and Caroline's forehead crease became more apparent as her expression turned pensive.
"Actually," she began and pointed towards the entrance doors of the bar, "I saw the sign outside saying you're hiring. Is the position still open?" Caroline questioned and Cami frowned curiously.
"You are interested?"
"Yes!" Caroline exclaimed enthusiastically making her curly locks bounce up and down at the way her body hopped on the stool and Cami chuckled at her eagerness.
"A waitress? You want to become a bloody waitress?"
Caroline folded her arms in front of her chest and tossed her hair back.
"What's wrong with that?" she challenged him offended and Klaus opened his mouth to say something two times before he closed it twice.
"Nothing…I mean…It is just-" he stammered and tried to find the right words as a way to deflect Caroline's aggressive glare. "There is no need for you to work sweetheart," he finally exhaled with a sigh.
Caroline's head flew back in surprise.
"Come again?" she asked with narrowed eyes and Klaus' wet his lip with the edge of his tongue.
"You wanted to go to college back in Mystic Falls. Tulane is one of the very best. Why not attend to it?" he suggested and Caroline's eyes widened before she shook her head.
"I am not going to stay here for that long and even if I was I would still want to make my own living. I do not want to compel my way for everything Klaus," she protested and Klaus looked at her seriously.
"You don't have to. I will just-"
Caroline interrupted him by pointing a warning finger at his direction.
"Do not dare to finish that sentence!" she exclaimed defiantly and Klaus sighed.
"Why are you being difficult Caroline?" he grumbled and Caroline gestured wildly with her hands feeling the increasing need to find something to smash on his head. Was he being obtuse on purpose or what?
"Why are you being….you?!" she accused him unable to find a more eloquent argument to express her frustration and Klaus' eyebrows quirked up and he cast her an amused gaze.
"Me?" he chuckled and Caroline seethed more.
"Yes you! You know! Absurd, controlling, entitled, arrogant, a condescending snob, elitist, an ass!" she blabbered angrily and Klaus pressed his lips to keep himself from laughing. Caroline huffed furiously; her eyes throwing daggers at him.
"Nice to see that you hold me in such high esteem sweetheart," he jabbed and Caroline grunted.
"Do I look to you of being in the need of a sugar daddy or something?" she bit out offended.
Klaus has been very attentive lately and always tried to help her through everything but she also felt as if he was being a major control freak with her and she could not take it any longer. She had to set some boundaries ASAP! She had been focusing so much on her entrapment in this city and everything seemed so clouded after Purgatory that she had unintentionally allowed Klaus to take over but she could not allow this to go on any longer. She had to become productive again. To work. To meet new people. To detach herself from the Originals. To find her own place. She had to find a new life again and since she could not get out of NOLA she had to do it here and that meant that she could not run away and she had to find a way to communicate with Klaus too but no way in hell would she allow to Klaus to use what was happening as an excuse to be all possessive with her as if he owned her or something.
She looked up at him and raised her hand when he tried to argue.
"I just need to stand on my own feet again. And I can't stay here for much longer!" she complained and all amusement was lost from Klaus' face.
"Why the hell not?!" he growled and Caroline huffed.
"You seriously need to even ask?" she threw back at him annoyed.
"Obviously I am not following sweetheart," he bitterly provoked her and Caroline gave him an incredulous look before she breathed in and tried to compose herself. What was it with Klaus that always set her on fire?
"Look," she tried again, "thank you for your help and your generosity but I am not a charity case for you to-"
"I never saw you as one!" Klaus aggressively refused and Caroline gave him a disbelieving look.
"So what is your problem?" she pushed with a challenging tone.
"You are still trapped and you know that my parents are out there. My mother is trying to use you against me," he reasoned with her but Caroline was having none of that.
"I am not part of your family!" she yelled glowering at him making Klaus give her a mocking glare as he came closer invading her personal space.
"Don't pretend to be dense love," he sardonically retorted and Caroline pressed her lips trying to ignore how much he was influencing her senses by being so close to her. Stupid vampire hormones! She felt horny all the time ever since she returned from Purgatory and this was not helping. He was not helping.
"You are already tied with my family now," he said sounding like Kol, "and with me," Klaus explained for what seemed to be the thousandth time as he twirled a tendril of her hair in his fingers, "I have enemies Caroline and like it or not you are already caught in the crossfire."
Caroline dared to stare up at him and her breath hitched at the intensity she saw in his eyes.
"That's not-"
Klaus' fingers enjoyed the silky texture of her hair as he lowered his head towards her allowing their scents to mix and dance in the air around them locking them in an electrified bubble of tension and temptation.
"Are you going to deny our connection sweetheart?" he whispered and Caroline gulped as she grabbed his hand and detached her hair from his fingers taking a step back.
"We are friends," she unsurely mumbled and Klaus smirked.
"Of course we are," he mocked, "and my mother is ready to take advantage of our…friendship… and unless you remain by my side I can't protect you!" he exploded. His frustration came out in waves that triggered Caroline's anger even more. A way to shield herself from everything she felt right now because she was not ready to face the storm. She could not deal with Klaus' protectiveness and care. She could not deal with everything she kept under the surface ever since she returned from Hell. It was too much.
"I can protect myself!" she shouted and Klaus glowered at her. Gold flashed in his irises and Caroline's fingers flexed at her sides as she tried to control her own vampirism that seemed to want to be let out of the cage.
Caroline started counting backwards from ten and tried to move past Klaus but his body moved and created a tower in front of her. An unmoving tower of tense muscles and heat.
Caroline fixed her most insolent glare at Klaus and tried to walk away but every step she was making was coming to a halt by Klaus. He was an obstacle she could not avoid.
"Get out of my way," Caroline hissed and Klaus lowered his eyes at her tense jaw and at the way her chest heaved up and down in anger.
His smile was hollow and the darkness that was pouring out of Caroline was like a narcotic that was feeding the darkest parts of him again. Parts he wanted to leave behind. For the sake of all those he cared for. For her.
"I am not above keeping you here against your will. If this is the only way to make you see reason," he threatened without blocking his shimmering anger out of his whisper.
He watched almost mesmerized Caroline's features turn to stone. Blood swirled into the whiteness of her eyes twirling around her green orbs.
"Just try," she warned him. Her voice barely audible and Klaus pressed his lips into a thin line.
For all the time she had been dead he had dreamed of her. He had dreamed and he had missed her stubbornness and her spirit but right now the things he had missed the most were fueling the beast inside him and he remembered all too well how Caroline's blood felt under his tongue. He had to breathe in as he pushed his tongue over his aching gums behind his sealed lips.
What he would not give to sink his teeth into her throat and make her submit to him. To feel her lips latch on to his neck and her teeth skin his flesh as she had done a long time ago. A memory so distant and yet so intense. The way she had wrapped herself around him. The way she had let go of all pretenses and gave into their desire. He missed that Caroline the most and right now the woman that was standing in front of him was testing his control in ways he could not explain. In ways that made him feel alive again. Without her in his life he seemed to live in an endless lethargy and now he was pumping with energy again.
He took a threatening step but Caroline did not back down. His chest touched hers and not even air passed through them.
Caroline felt heat in her eyes. She felt the need to scream and shout. She felt her fangs descend and she growled. She pushed Klaus away but he was anticipating her move and caught her wrists. She gave him a warning glare and Klaus relented but still blocked her way.
Caroline threw her head back and yelled angrily.
"Oh God stop being so full of your usual possessive crap for just a moment, can you?" she lashed out gesturing wildly with her hands and stepping back from him, "try for once to think of someone else's needs aside your own. I am about to go nuts! I need to get back on track. To get out to the world again. I need to work, to get my own space," she tried to reason with him and make him understand and saw the genuine confusion in his eyes.
"You have that. Here," he uttered the last word almost vulnerably and Caroline's eyes widened in disbelief and frustration. Her vexation was rising so high that even surpassed her vampire instincts. The green in her eyes became clear again.
"I do not think that the guest room in your house qualifies as such Klaus," she groused irritated.
Klaus wet his lower lip with the edge of his tongue and Caroline subconsciously followed this move with her eyes.
"It is not a guest room. It is your room," Klaus muttered and Caroline snorted.
"Which is the guest room you gave to me because-"
"No!" Klaus interrupted her with a desperate tone that made Caroline still and look at him confused.
"No what?"
Klaus gulped down and seemed almost awkward. His previous bravado gone. He almost seemed vulnerable for some reason and that threw Caroline out of the loop.
"It was never a guest room. It was always yours," Klaus mumbled looking embarrassed for some reason and Caroline blinked without understanding what he was talking about.
She threw her hands in the air.
"You lost me there!" she admitted feeling lost.
Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose and Caroline furrowed and her curiosity peaked.
"I- well," Klaus cleared his throat making Caroline squint her eyes curiously. Klaus seemed…bashful? What was going on?
"Yeah?" she pushed and Klaus tried to clear his voice. He then fixed his intense gaze on her and Caroline felt the air in the room becoming thicker. Tension rose.
"When I returned to New Orleans and decided to settle back in the city I had certain dreams. For the city. For my future here," Klaus confessed and Caroline frowned when she saw Klaus fidgeting.
"So?" she softly asked him and Klaus flinched.
"Those always included you sweetheart," he came clean and Caroline took a step back feeling the need to put up her walls again. That look he was giving her. That was the same look Klaus had whenever he was about to drop his epic declarations of want and devotion at her feet. The promises of eternity that always astonished her and made her crave of things she refused to admit even to herself.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she cautiously let out the burning question and only hoped that Klaus would not turn the flame to a blazing fire again. She was not ready. And if she was honest she doubted that she would ever be ready for such commitment because she knew that Klaus would not let go. His forever meant…forever.
"I knew that you did not want to come with me," Klaus started in a tone that resembled the one whisperers used to tame wild horses, "and I never wanted to pressure you but a part of me wanted to hope. To dream," he revealed with a gaze full of hope that made Caroline's heartbeat come to an abrupt stop.
"To dream what?" she tentatively asked feeling her jumbled nerves becoming a rope around her neck. She could not breathe.
"Of the day you would come at my door."
Caroline swallowed down slowly and then it happened. Her heart started beating again. As if it was revived with a single beat and then blood rushed into her pumping veins. The tempo was rising. It was hitting tones she had forgot existed inside her. The ice was melting and the pieces were piercing her and it hurt. God it hurt! It made her feel alive again. It brought forth colors and strange sensations and reminded her of who she used to be once upon a time.
She had been loved. She had been cherished. She had been deserving of a promise and of warmth. The monsters were leaving their hideout once more and she had to face them. She had to fight them. She had to remember. Klaus was making her wake up from her stupor and feel all the things she was trying to push down.
Her eyes burned. Her skin burned. She could not move. She could not speak. Emotion was born again. Anew.
Klaus titled his head to the side and took in Caroline's bewildered expression and saw it again. Her light. Coming back to the surface again. Her eyes shining once more.
He was afraid to move and scare her away. He was afraid to say the wrong thing but his lips could not stop their confession.
"I wanted you to always know that there is a place by my side. For you. Always. With no strings attached but always with open arms," he vowed and Caroline's astonishment vibrated between them. His lungs bloomed in his chest and oxygen filled him. It was more than a breath. It was hope.
"So that room was-" Caroline stuttered and Klaus nodded.
"For you," he whispered, "ever since I moved in here I had it made for you. It was always waiting for you. No one else stayed there or was going to stay there. No one but you," he gently told her the truth and Caroline's lips quivered.
And for the first time she returned from Purgatory Klaus could finally see her true face again. The one expression of hers that was unique. That was coming from a place within. A place full of strength and courage and beauty. He wanted to fall to his knees and scream halleluiah but he knew the price for those feelings that were coming once more to the surface. Hope always came with pain. Walls never fell in one strike and always left ruins behind and Caroline was left in ruins. He was terrified of what was happening. She was strong but he feared that this was too much for her. Coming back to the world was more than anyone could take. And he was afraid that Caroline would be tempted to turn it off because the hurt in her eyes was a shade she could not hide but he could tell that she was trying too. So hard.
"Caroline," he tried to reach her and Caroline shook her head refusing to look at him now.
It was cruel what he was doing. So cruel and she felt stunned. Realization was crashing down at her.
"The room," she uttered and her eyes filled with longing and…horror.
Flashback
Caroline took a deep breath as she entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Klaus was kind enough to lead her to the room but he didn't enter. He ensured her that if she needed anything all she had to do was call him and he would be there and then he simply slightly bowed his head, in his cheesy half suave half gentleman way, and once she thanked him and got in the room he left; but not before casting her a heated gaze full of longing. Obviously some things never changed.
She slowly took some uncertain steps and then closed her eyes. When she opened them back she took a deep breath realizing that this was true. She was back. This was not a dream or an illusion.
She looked around and gasped. The room was so beautiful. The light ivory and yellow walls painted with beautiful pastel shades. Those were actually her favorite colors.
She admired the old furniture made from dark rosewood and even darker cherry wood. She actually admired every detail of the room. The dark hardwood that covered the floor beneath her feet. The sheer curtains that were flowing down. She looked at the canopy bed with the deep mattress, the many pillows and cushions, and the decadent beige damask duvet luxury bedding. Obviously the Mikaelsons did love the extravagant lifestyle.
Floor to ceiling Victorian styled French doors led to the stone balcony with the old iron railings. The temperature was warm even though crisp breezes of air invaded the room through the half open balcony doors. That was probably due to the small fire that was roaming inside the massive fireplace that was placed on the far end of the room. But what truly awakened her senses was the jasmine. The room smelled like jasmine. So different from the stench of blood and smoke she had gotten used to in purgatory. She looked around and noticed that on the old round table in the center of the room there was a vase full of fresh jasmine and amaranth flowers.
It seemed weird to her. Elijah had said that they had plenty of guest rooms, that obviously no one used, and yet this one seemed to be not only functional but also every detail seemed to be diligently organized.
Caroline eyelids fluttered and she felt a tight sensation in her chest. That room was indeed painted in her favorite colors and already had fresh flowers and the fire was roaring. Klaus said no one ever lived in that room before. And it was the first place that welcomed her after her return from Purgatory. She felt safe in there but so disoriented and lost.
Caroline replayed the day she came back moment by moment. Klaus was surprised when she went to him for help and everything after that happened too fast. He didn't have time to prepare the room. And before that he knew she was dead. For more than a year she had been dead in his plane of existence. And Klaus knew it. He had told her that he knew.
And yet he kept the room. In her memory. Like a…shrine, she thought and the shock became a battle inside her.
She felt the walls closing in. It was a mixture of fear and awe. She was caught off guard and she realized that this was the first time she was genuinely surprised ever since her return from Purgatory. She had learned to always be prepared and on edge but no one could predict Klaus. It was insane. He was insane. And butterflies fluttered their wings now in her stomach. She felt nauseous and her knees felt rubbery.
She hugged herself and did what she had learned to do. She defended herself by attacking. By putting her shield to the front.
"Okay...I need a moment to process. There is romantic and there is plain creepy," Caroline grumbled accusing him bitterly trying to shake away the shivers that kept attacking her skin.
"I prefer the romantic part," Klaus stammered and scratched the back of his head awkwardly not knowing what to do or say. Caroline was the only woman that had such an effect on him.
"I am sure you do," Caroline glared at him and felt as if she was trapped in a war with herself. All her emotions were raging on right now. She was completely out of sync and her bloodlust was starting to come to the surface again. Damn him! If this was not the road to hell she didn't know what it was. And Klaus was the devil himself. And there she thought she knew what hell was. But this was too much. And so surreal. How could it be that out of everything that had happened to her this was what she could not handle?
No, no, no! She had to compartmentalize. She could not do this. Not right now.
"I- I can't do this! This is just too much! I-"
Klaus tried to reach her but Caroline forbidding gaze made him wince.
"Caroline sweetheart-"
"Do not follow me! I mean it!" she warned him and this time her tone was resolute in ways that Klaus could not fight. He only watch Caroline storm out of the house and heard her mumbling about obsessed psycho stalkers and twisted Cinderella fetiches in her way out.
An old Norse curse that had not graced his lips for almost ten centuries was spat out and resonated in the empty walls as Klaus ran his hand through his hair and then he clenched his eyes when he felt a presence behind him. He knew the sound of these footsteps.
"Well done Niklaus."
The mirth Klaus heard in Elijah's voice made his blood boil. He turned around and saw Elijah's eyes sparkle with amusement as he pressed his lips trying to keep his smile at bay. His brother had the unique gift of being able to hide his presence even by him. His stealth had no equal. He only revealed his presence to others at will.
Klaus pointed a warning finger at his brother.
"Not one word Elijah!" Klaus seethed looking ready to explode and Elijah simply raised his eyebrow.
"It is not my intention to intrude to your personal life brother," Elijah said and the levity in his tone made Klaus cast him his most wolfish glare.
This day could not get any worse Klaus thought. Everything saw slipping out of his control and it was driving him crazy. He wanted to give some time to Caroline to readjust but it was as if he was making no progress with her. For each step forward he was ending up taking ten steps back. And now he could not believe that out of a whole city Caroline found a job at Rousseau's! Out of all places! The universe was mocking him. There was no other explanation.
"Where is Kol?" he angrily mumbled trying to divert his attention to something else and to change the subject. Most of all he wanted to wipe out that smug expression Elijah had on.
"My best guess would be-"
"Cavorting with witches, spreading mayhem and havoc once more," Klaus finished for Elijah exhaling his anger out in a huff and noticing the somber look that appeared in Elijah's eyes.
"Speaking of which," Elijah casually played with the pun as he went to fix himself a drink. Klaus rolled his eyes but he did not miss the tension that started coming out of his brother in waves.
"Our mother used shaman power," Elijah mentioned and Klaus could tell that Elijah's mind was trying to solve the same mystery. To give an answer to the enigma. Both of them were wondering how could Esther draw so much power to begin with. It made no sense and unfortunately the only one of their family that was an expert to witchcraft was their brother Kol but he could not be trusted.
"Maybe this is what we should use too," Elijah concluded. He took a swig from his drink and then took out of his jacket an old torn piece from a map. The crumbled paper had turned yellow and it showed directions for a place deep inside the bayou.
Klaus took the paper from Elijah's extended hand and scrutinized it with curious eyes.
"There are rumors of a shaman witch in the bayou. Her power is part of an old werewolf lineage. A heritance that drives most of them crazy since it prevails over their wolf gene. However they deal with old magic," Elijah said as Klaus kept examining the paper with the directions looking hesitant.
"I have heard of them Elijah. There is only one left in New Orleans," Klaus remembered as he raised his eyes from the paper. He gave his elder brother an intense stare and Elijah nodded.
"She deals with unstable magic," Elijah said and Klaus frowned.
"With unpredictable consequences," Klaus mumbled and wrapped the paper and pushed into the back pocket of his trousers.
"We could always rely to our brother's good will and knowledge of magic but ever since his return Kol has turned even more volatile. I am not sure which path holds the less risk," Elijah sighed voicing his doubts and Klaus shook his head.
"Kol is unreliable," Klaus fumed and Elijah titled his head in inclination. But Klaus knew that his motives and his trust issues when it came to Kol and his intentions were differentiating from Elijah's perspective. He hated the bond his younger brother was sharing with Caroline. He had to make sure that Kol would not influence Caroline. In a sense Caroline was in recovery. Kol might have been in Purgatory too but he was an Original. He could handle it but Caroline was different. She had gone through something very traumatic and Klaus could not allow to his little brother to take advantage of that. He had to protect Caroline from his brother and he knew that Kol hated him and their family with so much menace that he would not hesitate to use Caroline as a pawn in order to hurt him.
"You need to make up your mind Niklaus. We cannot stall anymore. We need answers. Our moth-…Esther is still out there and she has trapped Miss Forbes in our city for a reason. The longer we stay in the dark the longer we give time to our enemies to regroup and plan our demise," Elijah advised putting a halt to Klaus' agitation where Kol was concerned and creating a new dilemma for him.
Even though Klaus could recognize that Elijah was being the voice of reason he hated to admit that one of the reasons he was not so fond of breaking the barrier that kept Caroline in New Orleans was that he did not want to lose her again. The last time he had left her behind she had died. He didn't know if he could stand to the sidelines and allow this to happen again.
Reasonably he knew that getting to know Esther's plans was the best course of action but he had just gotten Caroline back and she was in ten different kinds of pain. He needed to keep her close. To make sure she would be okay and he could not be driven to madness by his worry for her. He knew that the moment the entrapment in the city's borders would dissolve Caroline would leave. She would leave him. He was being selfish he knew that. But a part of him was having second thoughts about letting Caroline leave. Maybe sending her away would be safer but the reach of his enemies and most importantly of his mother extended far beyond New Orleans. Caroline had managed to found herself in the middle of the battlefield and the war was raging. She was part of this madness now… but why? Why did Esther want her? And what would he do if the answer to that question would place Caroline in more jeopardy?
On the other hand Caroline had changed. She was emotionally imbalanced. She was fluctuating between agony and coldness. Her darkness was rising and he could not stop it but somehow he hoped he could contain it. Somehow. But Caroline was stubborn and head strong. Her willfulness was an opponent he was never able to defeat and should she leave New Orleans it would be that same willfulness that would never permit her to return to him. She did not want a normal life anymore. She did not want to follow her dreams. A part of her wanted oblivion. But there were times that her light shone through the haze like it did earlier on. He only had to coax it out of her slowly. To reignite her light and let it fill her and burst out once more but how would he do that if she would go away?
His hesitation was overwhelming. He did not want to take Caroline's choices away but she was tearing him apart.
"You won't be able to keep her by your side like this brother," Elijah suddenly said with a soft voice and Klaus' eyes widened. Was he so transparent? It was as if Elijah could literally hear his thoughts.
Klaus gulped and then nodded, his body shaking. Elijah was right. As usual. He could not put his ego and his fears above Caroline's wellbeing. Despite what would happen the next they needed answers. They needed to build up a better defense. It would be the only way to protect his family. His daughter. And Caroline.
Klaus managed to regain his composure.
"Caroline doesn't need to know. I don't want to get her hopes up only to have them crashed in case the witch has no answers or is simply unable to take down the spell," he finally decided and Elijah hummed thoughtfully.
"What if she needs Caroline for breaking it?"
"Let us get there first," Klaus said, "I do not want the covens or any witch here to have any involvement with Caroline unless it is absolutely necessary," Klaus countered. He was not trusting the witches here and unfortunately the Bennett witch was dead. Bonnie Bennett would be very convenient just about now. She would never help his family but he was certain that she would do anything for Caroline.
Klaus did not want to burden Caroline more and so he had avoided talking to her about Mystic Falls. He did not know if she knew about the death of her best friend. Caroline did not seem to want to have any connection with Mystic Falls and her old life anymore.
"Do you want me to come with you?" his brother asked him seriously but Klaus shook his head. One of them should always stay back just in case. He would deal with the witch.
"Brother we must also talk about Hayley," Elijah asked Klaus. Worry evident on his face.
"Not now Elijah," Klaus dismissed him and quickly wore his leather jacket. He had a witch to find in the bayou.
"She also needs your help Niklaus. She is lost," Elijah argued. His tone pleading and stern and Klaus laughed making Elijah angry.
"If she was ever found to begin with," Klaus said enigmatically before he ran away leaving a puzzled Elijah behind.
Kol Mikaelson leaned back to the Victorian armchair with a glass of wine at hand. Outside the window of the over prized room of the Hotel Monteleone he compelled for the night the lights of the midnight hour shone in New Orleans but even though he had missed the hours of night in Purgatory where the abyss on the empty sky knew no day or night right now the only thing he felt was the demanding bloodlust that clouded everything else.
His chest heaved and he screamed in rage. He wanted more. His eyes rose and he saw his reflection to the mirror at the opposite wall. Blood was dripping from his fangs. It had covered his face and stained his coat and shirt. His hands were bathed in red and so was his hair. His eyes were drowned in black and blood.
His let his tongue lap the warm blood on his lips. He moaned. He was starving.
His jaw clenched and he closed his eyes as his ears picked up the faint sound. He slowly opened his eyes and titled his head to the side. He looked at the ravaged bodies that were sprawled on the bed and the floor drained from blood and torn apart. His hunger had taken over. Once he and his company entered the room his control slipped away and he gave in to his lust for blood that ever since his return from Purgatory raged stronger than ever. Unrelenting and demanding. Even before screams could be heard he had attacked and eaten the humans he brought with him in the room.
The four girls he had picked up from the carousel bar were now dead except…one. He inhaled the smell of the blood and threw the glass he was holding to the carpet. He walked slowly towards the sweet smell and the inviting sound stepping over shards of glass and the body of a redhead.
Electricity ran through him and he kneeled down. He pushed one of the corpses that covered the half dead woman that still had a heartbeat. A soft tempting heartbeat that called him closer. He pulled the brunette on his lap and let his tongue lick the bloody wound on her open throat. She did not open her eyes but she whimpered and Kol threw his head back and opened his mouth wide allowing his fangs to painfully elongate before he snapped back to the clammy flesh biting down hard. He slurped the blood and sucked and drank it all in until the heartbeat faded away.
He kept trying to pull more blood from the empty veins and he carelessly threw the drained corpse to the side screaming as the hunger burned him more. He lied down on the floor and his scream turned to laughter. Maniacal laughter. And the more he laughed the more alone he felt and then he knew only of one thing. He needed blood.
He needed more. Much more.
"A magic so old targeting one so young. Protecting her won't be easy."
Klaus remained impassive even though these words were not what he wanted to hear and it took all the self-control he had mastered in the last thousand years to show no emotion despite the fear that gripped his heart. The witch had already seen that he wanted to protect Caroline and the danger that surrounded her. He would not let the witch live after having such knowledge she could use against him; and how much more when she could not even lower the barrier that kept Caroline trapped in his city.
Elijah's map was accurate. He had walked far into the bayou into grounds unknown even to the wolves and feared even to covens of New Orleans. But despite the dreadful reputation there was still no result much to his disappointment and unspoken satisfaction. The thoughts and emotions that raged inside him right now were a contradiction.
A part of him had feared that the witch could set Caroline free and he would not be able to be near her anymore and protect her from his enemies that had already marked her for death and another part of him had hoped beyond hope that the entrapment could be broken and Caroline could be free. His mother wanted Caroline captured in New Orleans for a reason. Albeit it was unknown to him but it could not be for anything good. Esther and Caroline had already confronted each other and it could not be a coincidence that his mother let Caroline live. His rational side screamed to him to find a way to get Caroline out of New Orleans now. To hide her away and to make sure that she would find peace because he could see in how much pain she was. Being trapped in another place after escaping Purgatory was slowly killing Caroline's spirit and he could not allow this to keep happening and yet he was divided by two dreams. One to be the man that could let Caroline go and in doing so making himself the best version of the man that could one day deserve to win her heart and the other to keep her by his side consequences be damned. His selfishness and his selflessness were clashing against each other and no matter which one would win in the end he would lose.
Klaus now stood amidst animal carcasses and amulets of magic before the all-powerful shaman witch that was nothing but a pitiful sight of scorched flesh, wrinkled skin and fragile bones and yet her power could not be disputed. Not even by him. He could feel it pouring out of her pores, targeting him and leaving him on shaky ground. At first he tried to coax and threaten the old crown but it was of no use. The woman lingered between madness and glimpses of sanity and did not care for any worldly rewards or punishments. She did not even value that pitiful excuse of her existence despite the power she yielded.
She had accepted to help him only when he agreed to allow her to drink his blood and share his memories. She wanted to feed on the energy of his long life and to have leverage over him.
Should the witch had not been so eager for a taste of life and death she should have seen that he willingly gave in to her demands; so easily that she should have been alarmed but she craved his blood above everyone else's. The call of the old. The werewolf and vampire line that clashed in his blood called her but Klaus blocked the memories he cherished the most, his fears and everything his heart wanted to protect the most but most importantly he buried the one voice in his head he did not want the witch to hear. His daughter's name along with the one whisper that called for the witch's death.
When Klaus offered the old hag his bloody wrist she drank sloppily and she looked as if she was in a high which amused and irritated Klaus all at the same time as the witch started cackling and mumbling incoherent sounds. He felt violated as she sensed her magic accessing his most private memories and feeding on them along with his blood but he kept the menace out of his veins as the witch drank his dreams and remembrances.
Once she was done he felt weak but despite the tangy vile taste of rage in his mouth he gave the witch the ashes from the ground Esther died inside Synnove's body and dirt from the border and the spell Esther had cast to keep Caroline trapped and the witch especially after he fed her his blood was powerful enough that not only was able to link herself with fragments of his mother's magic but she also managed to connect with Caroline through the traces they shared since she belonged to his bloodline. An impressive task that made Klaus more set in his desire to kill the shaman. Elijah would not approve but there was no other alternative here.
The witch then worked her spells and chants as she filled a bowl with animal blood and the ashes and dirt he gave her. She pushed her fingers into the liquid and twirled them slowly until she found what she was looking for.
Klaus adjusted his gaze to the darkness inside the hut as the toothless witch threw the snake bones inside the cup of the blood she had in front of her. Smoke rose and soon the darkest of nightly shadows prevailed.
Klaus watched with keen eyes as the witch kept inhaling the smoke that kept rising and she reminded him some of the old spells Ayanna was casting in one of the witch caves the witches were keeping to the far ends of the village deep into the woods where during his childhood only Ayanna and his mother were allowed to enter much to Rebekah's dismay.
Klaus had memorized every detail back then as he did now and furrowed when the amulets with the beads that hung in the hut swayed in the wind that rose from the ground. He heard the snakes in their cages hiss. He nudged the hot mud on the dirt with his foot as the witch rocked back and forth mumbling jumbled words.
Suddenly the woman stilled and cracked her neck before heaving in more smoke.
"Old magic. The blood who birthed you; the lullaby of the Old Gods in your dreams. Very old magic. Hovering in the bones of the dead."
Klaus's body tensed and the muscles of his jaw flexed in anger. The memory of his mother singing to him Nordic tunes and chants of magic to put him to sleep came to his mind but he exiled the memory with menace as the witch continued to inhale the smoke and speak with a shrill voice.
"She wants her. The one tied in our lands. The one you protect. She won't let her go."
"Why does she want her?" Klaus anxiously asked feeling the winds beneath his legs rising.
"For power," the shaman revealed and Klaus frowned at that. What power did Caroline have?
"Is there something about this girl you hid from me?" the witch questioned him as she tried to go through the memories he shared with her.
"No." Klaus effortlessly lied.
No one could learn that Caroline was a resurrected vampire. Was this why his mother wanted her? For what power? He wanted to ask the witch many things but he did not dare. He could not have later on an angry spirit with too much knowledge despite the memories he shared with her. The veil might have fallen but he did not want to take any risks. Not with all the magic that lurked all around them.
The witch laughed then easily detecting his lie.
"Your mother waits in the dark waters. She wants your blood. Your city. Your death. Your family. Your seed. The woman you want… everything you love."
Klaus face twisted in agony and hatred before his features changed once more into a blank expression. The witch had seen it all in his memories. She knew his weakness. The names and the faces of those that he feared and cared for and those that could bring him in his knees and now in the shadows she also saw his mother's desire for retribution and vengeance. Esther's vowed to destroy them all. To destroy him. To take everything from him.
Klaus touched one of his necklaces. An old gift from the witch Gloria back from when he bedded her in Chicago. A gift to drown all magic. To break all bones. To eat one's soul. But his hand stilled on the leather string at the next words that slipped from the witch's mouth.
"al-A'raf," she mumbled scared as she withdrew herself back as if she was burned by the smoke and Klaus frowned. He had heard that before. He had heard that word before.
"The land of the undead," the witch muttered with so much panic in her voice that made Klaus squint his eyes as he tried to remember. That word was in one of the old religion scripts he had read a long time ago.
That word. 'al-A'raf'. He had not heard it. He had read it.
The barrier between Paradise and the Fire; a wall that has a gate. The place where no one belonged to the Paradise or the Fire.
Purgatory.
His eyes widened. The woman was talking about Purgatory. And it was enough to make even an insane woman like her feel the absolute terror. Only the mention of that place was enough to make the witch panic and his heart constricted as he realized that Caroline and his brother had been stranded there.
"Sacrilege!" the witch spat into the bowl and then screamed "NO" with all of her might before she involuntarily drank the blood and gulped down the snake bones. She seemed to be resisting the urge to drink but she kept gulping down the contents of the magic in the cup almost choking herself to death. Klaus watched carefully as she fell on the floor and her body twisted until she wailed and her eyes shot open. A grey color had eaten her orbs as she looked at the void with vacant eyes.
He inclined his head and his eyes scanned over the witch only she was not in there was she? The witch's mouth opened and Klaus's watched in fascination and awe as scorpions poured out her lips.
"Your blood's prodigy walks in death and in death she will return. There is no saving her now," the old shaman now spoke but her voice was not feminine anymore. It was a brute crude sound that made him flinch as it was a shrill echo in his ears. It was as if someone or …something was possessing the witch.
'Caroline,' Klaus thought fearfully and the witch's head snapped up as if she had heard the name his mind screamed and stared at him with her smoky eyes. Blood started coming out of her eyes. He did not move but he was ready to strike if the need arose.
"The abyss is calling her back," the creature in front of him cackled and that was what Klaus needed in order to take the first step. He stepped on the scorpions squashing them. He tried to keep his stance non-threatening but his fingers urged him to kill the creature that was crawling down at his feet. The temperature in the hut kept dropping but he felt fire in his bloodstream.
"How can I stop it?" he grit out demanding answers.
"There is no stopping it."
The demented laughter that came next was inhuman and Klaus stepped closer, his fangs dropping.
"Lies," he growled as the lines around his eyes turned hard and gave the golden glow of his orbs a dangerous glint.
"She will return to us."
Klaus's eyes slit angrily at these words that thing in front of him laughed out as he slowly took out Gloria's necklace and prowled closer to the old crone.
"What are you?" he demanded in a low voice as he crouched down next to the possessed body that blinked at the presence of the necklace he was holding. Its head snapped right and left in supernatural speed and Klaus screamed to get the answers he wanted but it was of no use. The scorpions turned to blood on the ground. The witch's blood high finally disappeared and whomever possessed her left her body and her eyes turned to normal but just before she could react and try to use her magic against him Klaus had wrapped the cord around her neck letting it swallow all the witch's power that coughed her last words with difficulty.
"The shadows are in her now. They are calling her home."
"Caroline won't die," he grit out his whisper as he slowly and so very painfully choked the life out of the witch that left him with more questions than answers. He still could not believe what he had just witnessed but it made no difference. He had no intentions to let the witch live but now he would not grand her a merciful death after giving him such a spectacle and such a disturbing premonition. One that could not be true. One that would not come true even if he had to bring Heaven and Hell down on Earth and have them shutter.
Too bad that this witch was not powerful enough to predict her own death.
Klaus didn't stop twisting the necklace around the witch's throat until it dag into the skin and sliced her head off. Then his temper got the best out of him and destroyed everything at sight letting the steam of his rage ignite into savage destruction.
Whatever that thing inside the witch was it should fear him. No Hell could hide it from his wrath should it dare claw its way out of Purgatory to harm Caroline.
Caroline would not die again. His mother would not get her and nothing else would either. He would made sure of that but his anger was the purest emotion he felt now and it was not shimmering down. A millennia battling with his enemies and the war had not ended. It only became crueler and its reach extended even to the ends of Hell.
But it did not matter. He would feed from the desperation and the fury as he always did and he would come out stronger. They would not destroy him. They would never take him down even if he had to burn this world and every other and turn his rivals to embers and cinders under his heel. If there was no other solution then annihilation would be the only remedy.
He tore the witch's body apart feeling the same agonizing rage he had felt centuries ago when Esther cursed him and when Mikael was hunting him down threating to turn him and his world to ash but there would be no hiding for those that aimed to take away from him what he kept close to his heart. No God or Hell, Fire or Gate, Retribution or Purgatory would hide them from him. He would tear them apart and would let their wretched souls rot in never ending anguish for all eternity.
When he stepped out of the burning hut, covered in blood and magic, he wrapped the bloody necklace back to his neck. It did not have any more mystical power but it would make a nice keepsake and a reminder of what happened to those that wanted to destroy him.
This was war.
Caroline felt a chill passing through her and she was amazed to realize that she was cold. She frowned as she walked through the crowded streets of the French Quarter. The only times she could feel the cold was when she had not fed properly and yet now she felt as if she was starving even though she had gotten her fair share of blood bags for the day. More so she had indulged in far more bags than she usually did.
She looked up at the nightly sky and sighed. The turmoil she was in was unrelenting. Ever since she escaped her coffin her hunger had been constant and would not go away. At first she thought it was part of her readjustment to the world of the living but as the days passed she came to realize that something was terribly wrong. She had missed blood in Purgatory and even though she had spent her time in that Hell starving she had not realized how much she craved to feed until Klaus' blood touched her tongue and flowed down her throat after she resurrected Kol. But it was more than that. It was not just the hunger for blood. She missed feeding from the vein. She missed sinking her teeth to warm flesh and suck pulsing veins with hot sublime blood. She missed blood as much as she missed killing.
She was so lost in her dreams of blood that she jumped up when stumbled over a man that walked in the opposite direction and she almost snapped at him. Her eyes widened and she felt her mouth itching. Her fangs were about to pierce her gums in public. It hurt and she realized that the world became more intense. Every sound and every whisper and every color and every shade. It all became overwhelming and she felt her eyes turning as the drums from the other side of the street kept playing their fast jazz sounds that made her feel restless and more hungry. People were clapping and dancing and the world was spinning.
She fastened her pace and she clenched her eyes shut as she turned to the side and ran towards the first alley she found. Darkness swept her away as she hid herself from the traffic and she almost cried out as the fire inside her rose and claimed her. She gripped her forearm and she felt the burn. The skin itched and her gums dropped down as she glided against the bricks falling down. She pulled her knees up and pushed her head over them. She tried to breathe and make the bloodlust subside; to somehow hold on from something and reign over the helplessness she felt as all her instincts when to overdrive and then she heard it. She had been so disoriented that somehow in her delirium she had missed it.
It was a slight whimper. A moan of passion and Caroline picked up her head slowly and looked at the side. Her vampire eyes having a clear vision in the dark. She sniffed in the sticky arousal that travelled through the air and it made her shiver. A couple was making out deeper into the corner of the alley. Caroline clenched her eyes shut trying to get up and wanting to run away but her neck constricted violently. The veins danced under her eyes.
She was perched. She was hungry. The bloods that ran through the veins that were so close to her was a siren's song calling her closer. The scars in her heart opened and bled and she could not resist the temptation.
She got up as if she was in a trance and titled her head to the side. Flashes from Purgatory passed through her eyes and she ran her tongue around her lips hungrily and she stepped deeper into the dark alley. The world shifted and… so did she.
Red splatted on the bricks but it mattered not.
There was only one thing that mattered.
Blood.
