A/N: Well, it's been a while. My apologies. I've been busy adulting. I'm still here and so is my beta livingdeadblondequeen! Hope you like! Let me know what you think :)

"Rebekah? What are you doing here? How did you even get in my apartment?" Klaus questioned with surprise as he dropped their things in the doorway.

Rebekah scoffed as she tossed a fashion magazine she had been reading on the couch beside her and stood up.

"I flew over a thousand miles to see you, and that's the greeting I get?!" Rebekah demanded.

She stood there quietly with Grayson kicking her side excitedly at the commotion as she waited for the exchange between Klaus and his sister to play out.

"Well it is when you've been staying in my apartment without my knowledge," Klaus retorted sarcastically.

It wasn't hard to tell that they were brother and sister.

"The tiny couch in Bonnie's flat is horribly uncomfortable," Rebekah noted. "Kol got your key for me from your mate…Marcus, is it?" she explained.

"Marcel, Rebekah, his name is Marcel," Klaus groaned. "It's nice to know that I can count on Kol and Marcel to look out for me," he lamented with bitter sarcasm.

Rebekah glared at him.

"I'm your baby sister. Would you really make me go to a hotel?!" she cried.

"You should have asked first," Klaus pointed out. "Where are Caroline and I going to stay?"

"I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise!" Rebekah shot back.

Rebekah was eyeing her pleadingly, as if urging her to side with her. She felt put in an awkward position. Being Klaus's girlfriend, she wanted Rebekah to like her, but she didn't want to make Klaus feel like she was betraying him. She decided to take a chance. She would try to make it up to Klaus later if he was that upset about it.

It was her turn to glare at Klaus.

"Klaus, it's okay. We can make it work," she told him, trying to resolve things.

A satisfied smile formed on Rebekah's lips as Klaus grumbled with annoyance at her intervention.

"Nik, we both know you and Caroline are sharing a bed now," Rebekah smirked, glancing at her suggestively, "and your couch is a sofa bed. I can sleep there."

It was impossible to conceal the rouge of her cheeks as she blushed at Rebekah's comment.

"Are you sure you want to stay in that case?" Klaus said with a suggestive expression, referring to Rebekah's comment about them sharing a bed.

Rebekah scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"It can't be any worse than overhearing Kol with Bonnie," Rebekah added with a scowl.

She laughed under her breath, making a mental note to tease Bonnie about that when she saw her. Klaus appeared to be doing the same thing with respect to Kol.

"Grayson's wailing at 2 a.m. might sound worse," Klaus remarked with amusement.

"Doubtful," Rebekah snorted, causing both her and Klaus to laugh. "Are you going to let me stay here or not?" Rebekah persisted with folded arms.

She touched the middle of Klaus's back gently, silently encouraging him to allow his sister to stay instead of stringing her along on purpose and being stubborn about the situation because he was annoyed that she had taken it upon herself to stay in his apartment without telling him.

"She can stay," she piped up once more, hoping Klaus would relent. "Can't she?" she asked, pushing Klaus to answer. "It's only for a few days," she added convincingly.

"Fine," Klaus sighed, giving in with a defeated shrug as he brought their things further into the apartment and shut the door.

"Great, well now that Caroline has talked some sense into you and that's settled, I wanna see my nephew," Rebekah cooed approaching them eagerly.

Grayson began to babble happily, as if on cue, at Rebekah's mention of him.

She smiled and handed Grayson to Rebekah.

"Can you say 'hi' to Auntie Bekah? Remember me? We Skype all the time, don't we?" Rebekah said to him with an enthusiastic but sweet voice as she held him up to look in his eyes.

While Klaus took their things into what she assumed was his bedroom, she was left to stand there awkwardly, kind of unsure of her place.

Though she and Rebekah had gotten along well enough, they were not best friends by any means. Moreover, she was now dating her brother, and she wasn't entirely sure how Rebekah truly felt about that development, though Klaus had assured her Rebekah was pleased.

Luckily, Grayson was quite the ice-breaker and Rebekah seemed completely enamored with him.

It gave her a moment to glance around the apartment curiously.

Like any New York apartment, it was very modest in size, but it was not the shoebox Klaus had made it out to be.

The décor appeared to be an eclectic mix of modern and antique styles and she noted how the blank canvas-like walls accentuated the artwork that Klaus had displayed.

"You're getting so big, aren't you?" Rebekah cooed to Grayson. "And looking more and more like Elijah every day," she sighed solemnly.

She nodded in agreement.

"How was he on the flight?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"Oh, he was great until he threw up on Klaus," she mused.

Rebekah snorted.

"I'm sure Nik reacted splendidly to that," Rebekah laughed. "Did you throw up on Nik?" she asked Grayson playfully, holding out the palm of her hand as if to request a high five from him.

"For fucks sakes Rebekah, my bedroom is not your personal closet," Klaus fumed with annoyance once he emerged from his bedroom, holding several articles of Rebekah's clothing in his hands.

"Mind your tongue, Nik! I'll clean it up!" Rebekah rolled her eyes, grabbing one of the tank tops from him. "Are you sure you and Father aren't actually related? You're beginning to sound like him more and more every day!" she continued, purposely trying to incite Klaus – as siblings tend to do – and she could tell it was working.

While it was only playful behaviour, the tension was palpable and she could tell Grayson sensed it too by the way he was beginning to fuss in Rebekah's arms.

"I could use some air," she piped up, attempting to intervene once more. "How about Rebekah and I go out to pick up a few groceries? You can stay here with Grayson and get things organized since you know your place better than the two of us?" she suggested to Klaus.

Klaus's frustrated facial features seemed to relax with her suggestion.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Rebekah agreed.

"There's a market a couple blocks down the street if you head left from the apartment," Klaus informed them, tacitly accepting her proposal as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"It's okay," she told him, noticing him reach for his wallet. "I'll grab the groceries, don't worry about it!"

"Perfect," Rebekah chimed in. "Let's get out of here and leave Niklaus to unpack and tidy up," she continued with an entertained expression as she tossed Klaus her shirt he had found in his bedroom.

Klaus mirrored Rebekah's devilish grin and attempted to throw Rebekah's shirt into the wastepaper basket by the small desk across the room.

"UGH!" Rebekah scowled.

She attempted to hide the look of amusement on her face as she watched the banter between the two siblings unfold.

Rebekah handed Grayson to her before stomping over to the desk to retrieve her shirt.

"Caroline, let's get out of here before I regret my decision to come here for the weekend," Rebekah commented in an effort to rile Klaus up even more.

He would never admit it to Rebekah, but he was happy to see her. They had gone longer without seeing each other, but since Elijah had passed he had become acutely aware of how little time they all really had together. Her presence in his apartment was a pleasant surprise despite how annoying she could be at times.

Their playful bickering was all in jest. It was never serious. It had been his job since Rebekah and Kol were born to torment them and they saw to it that he was repaid in kind. He supposed they learned from the best.

He and Elijah had shared a similar relationship, though he had been the one in Rebekah and Kol's shoes. He supposed that's why he had such a fondness for driving Rebekah and Kol crazy – even more so now that Elijah was gone. Though, he did sympathize with Rebekah most since she was the youngest and bore the brunt of the teasing from her older brothers.

As he stood in the small apartment, he took a minute to reacquaint himself with the space. It was strange being back in his apartment after being gone for a few months. It almost felt foreign to him.

He had Grayson set up on a blanket in the living room with a few toys Caroline had packed while he moved Rebekah's luggage from his bedroom into the living room.

Keeping his bedroom door open so he could keep an eye on Grayson, he began unpacking his own things. He decided to leave Grayson and Caroline's clothing bags as they were as he knew Caroline had them organized just so and would not appreciate them interfered with. He set both bags on the ottoman at the foot of his bed.

He had barely unpacked his things before the apartment buzzer sounded.

Assuming Caroline and Rebekah were already back or had forgotten something, he unlocked the door to allow them up without a second thought.

He was surprised when Marcel barreled through the door.

"Bro, don't you ever use your apartment intercom? Some help would be nice!" Marcel chided amusedly as he dumped several baby items by the front door of his apartment. "The playpen is still downstairs. I told the homeless guy out front he could have it to sell if you didn't come down and grab it," he said, attempting a serious tone, but the grin on his face said it all.

"Nice to see you too, mate," he greeted Marcel, approaching him to give him a brotherly hug.

"Glad to see you back in the city!" Marcel exclaimed as he embraced him.

Baby babble caught their attention and they looked down to see Grayson tugging on Marcel's jeans.

"Hey little man!" Marcel acknowledged Grayson enthusiastically as he kneeled down to pick him up. "You must be Grayson?" He asked with a knowing look as Grayson studied him intently.

"That would be Grayson," he confirmed, as he sorted through the things that Marcel had brought over.

Marcel bounced Grayson gently, tickling his tummy with his free hand.

"It's crazy how much he looks like Elijah, man," Marcel observed somberly.

"Yeah," he sighed. "It's bittersweet," he commented as he attempted to pull apart a portable stroller that Marcel had brought over.

"Well the good news is," Marcel started, "Klaus Mikaelson has kept a baby healthy for the past few months," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Elijah would be proud," Marcel added, attempting to get Grayson to do a fist pump with his tiny hand, but Grayson was a little timid.

He hoped Marcel was right about Elijah, he thought as he watched Marcel try to get Grayson to cooperate.

"He can be a little shy around new people sometimes," he informed Marcel. "He'll come around."

Marcel smiled at Grayson and brushed his hand over his hair.

"Come to party in the city buddy? Uncle Marcel knows all the hot spots. NYC has the best toy stores for you to meet some girls your age. That's how Ki met his first girlfriend," he joked with Grayson, the playful tone of his voice prompting a small smirk to form on Grayson's lips. "Hell, there's lots of single moms there for Uncle Marcel too," Marcel added amusedly.

He rolled his eyes at Marcel's comments.

"Don't give him any ideas. He already has plenty of girlfriends at daycare and his swimming lessons," he laughed.

"Speaking of ladies, I saw the two hottest blondes on my way here," Marcel remarked, pursing his lips in recollection. "You've really been missing out since you've been gone," he added, despite being aware of his relationship with Caroline.

"I'm sure Caroline is more than okay with that," he thought aloud, peering into a grocery bag of old baby toys for Grayson.

"And how about you? Are you okay with that?" Marcel questioned curiously as he began to lift Grayson up and down like he was lifting weights at the gym.

Grayson was giggling happily and it had appeared Marcel had won him over, he noted before pausing to consider Marcel's question.

"I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything at all," he concluded honestly, garnering a wide grin from Marcel who seemed to enjoy bothering him about Caroline.

"Speaking of…where is Caroline? I thought your sister would be here too?" Marcel inquired.

"They just left before you got here to pick up some groceries," he informed Marcel.

A look of realization emerged on Marcel's face and he thought back to Marcel's comment about the hot blondes he had passed on the street on his way here.

He narrowed his expression at Marcel and reached into the bag of toys and chucked a stuffed animal at his head.

"Fuck off, mate," he grumbled as Marcel attempted to dodge the toy with Grayson as it flew by them. "Oh and thanks for giving Kol the key to my apartment for my sister."

"Watch your language," Marcel said, pointing to Grayson.

"You're the one who just used my kid to shield yourself from a stuffed toy," he pointed out.

Marcel laughed and Grayson began to mimic him.

"One, those girls I saw probably weren't even your sister or Caroline. Two, I didn't think you'd mind if your bro let your sister stay at your place for a few days," Marcel said defensively through his laughter.

"That key was for emergencies. My sister wanting a place to stay is not an emergency… it's more like a nightmare. I have a phone Marcel, you could have checked in with me first," he told him.

Marcel shrugged.

"I didn't want to ask because Kol told me your sister wanted her visit to be a surprise," Marcel reasoned. "I didn't want to spoil it."

He groaned in defeat, feigning how annoyed he was.

"Thanks for bringing this stuff by," he said to Marcel, taking some more toys out of the bag as Marcel sat Grayson on the floor so he could play with them.

"No problem. It's not like Jade or Ki need it," Marcel replied. "Freed up some space in my apartment too," he added.

"Mine seems smaller," he observed in reference to all of Grayson's things, Rebekah's, Caroline's, and his own.

"Kids will do that," Marcel remarked. "And speaking of kids, I need to go pick mine up from school. Shay's working a bit late and needs me to get them and drop them off after she's done," he explained.

"Yeah you better get going," he urged Marcel, noting the time.

"Oh! Don't forget to grab that playpen downstairs!" Marcel reminded him.

"I'll grab it. Thanks again for bringing it by," he acknowledged.

"Will you be heading to the studio later? I know you said you had some last minute things to work on before the gala," Marcel inquired.

He nodded.

"Once Caroline and Rebekah get back I was gonna head over," he informed Marcel.

"Cool. Kol and I will be around later to grab you. You can't work all night. We're gonna grab a bite to eat and some drinks," Marcel told him as he opened the apartment door to leave. "And don't worry about your girl, because Bonnie and Rebekah are taking care of her tonight," Marcel smirked proudly, as if he had thought of every possible excuse he might have for declining.

There was something about the city that excited her. It made her feel energized, youthful and optimistic. She had forgotten that feeling until now, walking the busy streets of Brooklyn with Rebekah on a warm sunny afternoon.

Sure, Brooklyn wasn't Manhattan, but it had the same effect on her.

She took in the city sights, sounds, and smells and reveled in the natural high it provided.

Though Mystic Falls had its small town charm and was picturesque in its own right, it did not compare to the city.

She would never forget the culture shock she endured when she first moved to the city for school. She had been severely homesick initially and missing Tyler, but she truly loved every minute of the new adventure she encountered in the city.

It felt good to be back. She was glad she had been able to come with Klaus.

"Ugh, I should have worn flats," Rebekah complained as they walked, the heels of her designer sandals clicking against the cement.

"We can take a taxi back?" she suggested, given that they were only a short distance to the market according to Klaus's directions.

"Yeah. We should have made Nik get the groceries," Rebekah said regretfully. "I hear he's become quite good at it," she said teasingly, referring to the domestic role Klaus had taken on as part of being Grayson's guardian.

She gave Rebekah a knowing nod, not wanting to offend her by agreeing with her remark too strongly.

"How has my brother been treating you?" Rebekah questioned boldly with a sly smile. "I hope he treats you better than he does me," she scoffed jokingly.

"Shouldn't you be asking me how I've been treating your brother?" she asked curiously.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"It's not my brother I'm worried about, Caroline," Rebekah mused. "Nik can be a bit of an ass. I just want to make sure he's behaving. He's never had a girl like you before."

She tried her best to contain her smile, not wanting to reveal to Rebekah how important her apparent approval meant.

"He's been really great," she answered, without revealing too many details.

"It's beyond me what you see in him," Rebekah laughed.

She laughed it off with Rebekah, preferring not to get into the intimate details of her feelings for Rebekah's brother and what exactly she saw in him. She decided she would leave that for another time – perhaps when there was alcohol involved.

"Rebekah?"

"Hmm?" Rebekah replied as they entered the store.

"What do you mean a girl like me?" she asked curiously.

Rebekah smirked.

"Not a trollop," Rebekah said simply.

"Trollop?" she inquired, unsure about the slang term.

"A slut," Rebekah snorted with amusement.

"Oh!" she realized.

"And you actually seem interested in him. You've put up with him this long," Rebekah said with a congratulatory tone, though it had barely been a few months. "Nik can be such a nuisance sometimes," she complained lightheartedly.

She laughed.

"He has his moments, but like I said he's been really great," she told Rebekah.

"You and Grayson have had quite the effect on him," Rebekah observed as they began to explore the narrow aisles of the small grocery store.

Rebekah's words made her happy and she had to contain her smile so she wasn't standing in front of a shelf of diapers grinning like a fool.

"And this is going to have quite the effect on us," Rebekah said from behind her, startling her, not realizing Rebekah had disappeared for a moment as she tried to decide which diapers to get Grayson as they didn't have his usual brand.

Rebekah was holding up a bottle of red wine.

"Oh?" she asked, curious to know when Rebekah was planning to drink that.

"Yeah it's for tonight!" Rebekah said enthusiastically.

She was a little confused. She wasn't aware of anything going on for later. In fact, she had anticipated a quiet evening with Grayson while Klaus was at the studio putting some finishing touches on his work for the gala on Saturday. She hadn't expected to see Bonnie until tomorrow.

"I thought Bonnie would have texted you about it," Rebekah sighed.

It was only then that she had realized she had forgotten to text Bonnie about their arrival despite Rebekah's previous mention of her, and Bonnie's insistence that she text her as soon as they landed.

"Kol said he was gonna get together with Klaus and Marcel later after Klaus finished up at the studio," Rebekah explained. "Bonnie suggested we have a girl's night with Grayson," she continued. "The wine will be for after Grayson goes to bed," she added with a grin.

While she found herself a little concerned about Klaus and disappointed that they wouldn't get to spend the night together after he was done at the studio as she thought they would, she was excited about the change of plans. It would be nice to spend some quality time catching up with Bonnie, and getting to know Rebekah a little more.

A/N: Sorry it took forever to update. I'm also sorry the chapter was shorter than usual. I'm trying to keep the chapters short so it's less overwhelming for me to write and so I can update sooner since I take forever to update as it is!

Up next: Guys night/Girls night! And maybe a lil Klaroline on the side. Haven't decided yet! Stay tuned!