A/N:

So here is a much needed update! Some new people are joining our motley crew down in New Orleans. Hope you enjoy!

-Erin

Chapter 43: Visitors Unexpected

Caroline POV

I heard and saw everything that was happening in Marcel's office. It was some sort of astral projection that Davina had sent me. She had explained the situation to me telepathically, and had given me the details on who this Correntine, or Corrie, woman was.

Her and Marcel's conversation was revealing to a point. They mentioned something about sending a spy to infiltrate the innermost workings of Klaus's allies. If we could detect the spy before they revealed any secrets to Marcel, we could use it to give false information.

Davina projected the entire length of the meeting with me, and when it was done, Davina released me from the vision. That's when I awoke.

"Huh." I made a sharp intel as I sat up in the bed I was now lying in. All I remembered was what Davina had projected to me, and how I had collapsed in the stables.

"Finally. Are you alright?" Klaus was immediately at my side, like I had expected him to be.

"I'm fine." I muttered as I attempted to sit up, and just felt woozy. Carefully, I leaned myself back into the headboard of my bed.

"You have to stop getting yourself into trouble, love. Having you collapse randomly is not something I enjoy witnessing." Klaus gently stroked my mushed curls as we both sat quietly.

"Davina projected something to me through a telepathic mind link. It was Marcel, and some which named Correntine. I believe Davina was spying on them." I spoke, and the name Correntine immediately caught Klaus's attention.

"I can't believe he would turn to her, of all people. I thought Marcellus had more common sense and dignity than that." Klaus huffed under his breath, and I gave him a confused glance. He looked at me, then sighed, and began to explain his outburst.

"Once, long ago, Correntine was a very powerful voodoo witch. She ran the French Quarter with an iron grip, and if one of her coven members ever set one foot out of line, she made them have hell to pay." Klaus started the story.

"How did you come in contact with her?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"It was 1868. New Orleans was still recovering from the Civil War. Many people wanted to contact their loved ones that they had lost in the war. So Correntine decided to make a profit on those who were still in mourning. So she started a business of sorts. It was a cruel rogue, but it made her cash quickly. She would pretend to contact the innocent individual's deceased loved ones, and take their money in turn. Correntine bled them dry, and took everything that these people were worth. And my shame in it all is that I profited from it as well." Klaus's face held a look of shame as he admitted his guilt in Correntine's plans.

"How did you profit from such a horrible scheme?" I asked Klaus, a bit unnerved. I knew that he had been involved with sketchy operations in his past, but this one was a special kind of awful.

"Since I knew the hierarchy of New Orleans of the time, I referred the richer clients who had lost loved ones to Correntine. In exchange, when they lost their fortune to Correntine, I gained their bankrupt property. At one point, I owned twenty-three percent of New Orleans' real estate that was available at the time. It was terrible, but true. All Correntine wanted was the money." Klaus finished, and I absorbed the information. Stealing property was bad, but not as unforgivable as murder.

"Why does Corrie hold a grudge against you? She seemed pretty content on making sure the Mikaelson family met it's end."

"When Correntine had drained majority of the New Orleans elite, I realized how childish her little plan was. I returned all the land to their honorable owners after my realization, but Correntine refused to refund the money she had schemed off the poor people. Elijah tried working some of his noble charm on her, but it rebutted. So I killed her lover at the time, Jorge Rubio. He was a slimeball anyway. A real vampire nuisance, killing on his whim among other things. I promptly put a much needed end to his belligerent actions." Klaus responded soundly. At least he killed a murderer instead of an innocent human.

"What's her connection with Marcel? They seemed pretty cozy in the vision that Davina sent me."

"Marcel and Correntine were lovers back in the 1890s. He used her as a rebound from Rebekah, and she used him as a rebound from Jorge. It was a mutual relationship. Once I found out that they had been using one another, I finally banned her from returning to New Orleans. And she stayed away, until now." Klaus spoke.

"We will figure out what they're doing and stop them. Now, they said something about sending a spy into the ranks of our allies. You would be able to tell an imposter, wouldn't you?" I asked Klaus, and he nodded in confirmation.

"If they were to send someone to spy, we would use their immature strategy against them. False information can do a world of good when it comes to the art of war." Klaus reassured me, and a wicked grin spread across his stubble covered face.

"If we do intercept a spy, promise me that we won't kill them in vengeance." I told Klaus. Death was inevitable in war, but I was trying to avoid killing individuals as much as possible.

"I promise that I will not harm whoever they send, unless they are a danger to us or a danger to the people fighting for us. That's my final decision." Klaus spoke, and I nodded in agreement.

We sat quietly in my bedroom for a few minutes. Klaus gently held my hand, and we just whispered about scattered things. For a first time in a while it was peaceful, until a knock sounded at my door.

"Come in." I called, and my bedroom door opened to reveal a crisply dressed Elijah Mikaelson. Donning his signature suit, he entered my bedroom before closing the door with a click.

"Good afternoon, Caroline. I am glad to see that you have recovered from your fall this afternoon." Elijah acknowledged me first, before turning to his brother.

"Niklaus, it seems that another individual and her love interest has decided to join our cause." Elijah addressed his brother with a straight face. I looked to Klaus, wondering if it was the spy who Corrie and Marcel had agreed on sending.

"What are their names, Elijah?" Klaus asked his older brother.

"Rebekah and Mr. Donovan. They have returned from the villa in Italy, and Rebekah is determined to destroy Marcel once and for all. It seems our sister had finally come to her senses and remembered where her loyalties lie. She wishes to have dinner with the entire family tonight." Elijah walked across my room to the window seat, where he promptly sat down.

"The last time I spoke to our sister, I was threatening to dagger her. I do not wish to sit across a table and dine with her, and I can speak for Caroline when I say she would not appreciate it either."

"Klaus, if Matt is here, I want to talk to him. I don't care about Rebekah, but I need to tell Matt about Tyler and the mess he's caused. Please." I pleaded with Klaus. Matt was my friend, and he needed to know the truth about Tyler.

"Alright. We shall have one meal, but Rebekah better behave. Her past childish actions have annoyed me enough." Klaus told Elijah our compromise, and he nodded.

"Brother, I believe that we should leave Miss Forbes alone so that she might change into something more appropriate." Elijah motioned to my robe clad body, and Klaus nodded.

"If you need me, I'll be just downstairs. Call and I will come." Klaus kissed the crown of my head, and exited my bedroom in cohesion with Elijah.

Sighing, I wiggled out of the blanket cocoon Klaus had wrapped me in. Placing my feet on the stained wood floor, I got up and headed towards the bathroom. Turning on the water in the shower, I ditched the dirty clothes I was wearing and stepped into the steaming stream of water. Lathering my body in my favorite lavender soap, I quickly scrubbed myself down and then rinsed off. Once my hair was thoroughly wet, I shampooed and conditioned it.

With a turn of the knob, I shut off the water and then stepped out. I wrapped a towel around my body and my hair, and went to the bathroom vanity to blow-dry and style my mess of blonde curls. It took about twenty minutes, but I finally finished curling my hair to my liking.

Going to my dresser, I selected a pair of white lace underwear and a matching strapless bra. Changing into them, I then went on a search for something to actually wear. After looking through my closet for a few minutes, I selected a cream colored silk Valentino blouse that went off the shoulders, a pair of wine colored paper bag shorts, and a pair of short wine colored velvet booties.

For jewelry, I went for a simple pair of Chanel dangling pearl earrings. I left my makeup neutral, and grabbed my cellphone before exiting my room. I decided to stop at my mom's room before heading downstairs. Knocking quietly, she opened the door within a second.

"Hey, sweetheart." My mom smiled at me.

"Hey. I don't know if anyone told you, but we're having a big dinner downstairs with Rebekah and Matt. They've just returned from Italy. Do you want to join us?" I asked my mother, who contemplated the offer a moment.

"I think I'll pass on this one, Care. But tell Matt to come give me a hug when he can." She declined, and I nodded.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Caroline. Have a good dinner." My mom spoke before closing her bedroom door.

I headed downstairs with a plastered smile on my face. It did not thrill me to be dining with Rebekah after she had placed a love spell on me. But Matt was here, and it was nice to see him again. I reached Klaus, who was seated in the kitchen on a barstool, sipping a glass of bourbon.

"Hey." I spoke, pecking him on the cheek.

"Hello, love." Klaus returned my affection my placing a kiss on my lips.

"Are you ready to eat?" I asked Klaus. He looked down, but then got up from the barstool and took my hand.

"Let's get through with this before I change my mind." Klaus said gruffly, placing his half-full glass of bourbon on the kitchen counter.

We exited the kitchen and went into the living room, where Rebekah and Matt stood waiting with Elijah. When Matt saw me, he smiled. Elijah was the first to speak when we were all gathered.

"Good evening, brother. Miss Caroline, you look well." Elijah complimented me. I bowed my head in acceptance of his compliment.

"Shall we go to dinner?" Rebekah finally piped up. I directed my attention to her, my eyes scanning her in scrutiny.

"Of course." Elijah replied, and motioned for us to go into the dining room.

I lagged behind as the Original siblings gathered in conversation. Matt was next to me, and he spoke to me first.

"So how has living in New Orleans been?" Matt asked me.

"It's been nice. I haven't gone sightseeing yet, but maybe someday. Klaus has been wonderful." I replied with a gleaming smile.

"Have you heard from Tyler?" Matt asked me, and suddenly a feeling of guilt swathed me inside.

"Yes, I have heard from Tyler. He's changed Matt. He isn't the Tyler we knew back in Mystic Falls. He had become aggressive and possesive. With the help of Marcel he kidnapped me, then proceeded to bit me when I refused to do what he said. Klaus rescued me. For once, he wasn't the bad guy." I told Matt the shortened version of the story. His face filled with horror.

"Caroline, Matt, come on." Rebekah called, and I shrugged my shoulders before joining Klaus at one side of the table. The table sat sixteen in total, but we only occupied five of those.

"What's for dinner?" I whispered to Klaus.

"New Orleans cuisine. Jambalaya and red beans and rice. We also are having some cornbread for carbohydrates. It was Rebekah's choice."

"What was my choice?" Rebekah interrupted.

"The cuisine of the meal." Klaus replied, sounding a bit irritated.

"I just thought that maybe Caroline would enjoy having some authentic Cajun and New Orleans food. Elijah tells me that because of the war between you and Marcellus that Caroline has not been able to experience the culture and sights of New Orleans. It's a shame really." Rebekah had what seemed to be a genuinely sweet smile on her face.

"Once Marcellus and his accomplice Correntine have been defeated, Caroline will be free to explore the city all she likes. Until then, she can enjoy the amenities that the plantation has to offer. She has especially liked spending time with Sheriff Forbes in the garden." Klaus replied to Rebekah's quip. But it was Matt who interrupted next.

"Your mom is here? In New Orleans?" Matt asked me accusingly.

"Yes, she is. Right now she is upstairs. When Tyler contacted her with my real whereabouts, she came down here like a bat out of Hades. So when she got here and determined that I was fine, she decided to stay for a few weeks so that she and I could have some time together. That's all." I explained the situation to Matt.

"I hope she knows she's crazy for coming down here."

"Trust me, I think she does. The supernatural world isn't really her taste. She's going home soon anyway. Mystic Falls needs their Sheriff." I agreed with Matt.

The house staff began to bring out the meals, and the dining room was suddenly filled with spicy smells. Aromatic dishes soon filled the table, and everyone dug in.

Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah spent majority of the meal talking about war strategies, while Matt and I made conversation on our own. Dinner was actually civil and quiet, which was completely against my expectations. When the meal was done, Klaus escorted me back to my bedroom.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Klaus kissed me sweetly before heading towards the master bedroom. But I stopped him mid-step.

"Klaus, can you sleep in my room tonight?" The words were out of my mouth before I had completely thought it through.

"Are you sure, Caroline? You mother is just down the hall." Klaus reminded me.

"Just come in and hold me. I don't want to be alone tonight."

And that's what he did.