Hola guys! This chapter is pretty long, so bear with me! By the way, I don't think I say this enough but thank you all for your reviews and favorites and follows, it means a lot :) I'm hoping to get this story pretty popular by the end of it, like I did with my HOA story I have since deleted.
Some twists and turns in this chapter, but we find out what Kalijah is having, and we wrap up this chapter with a sweet (and shocking) Klaroline moment, so be prepared! Enjoy the chapter :)
BTW: I don't know much about OBGYN equipment so excuse the inaccuracy there. Also, the quote from the Klaroline scene is from a show I have recently become obsessed with; One Tree Hill, so no credit to me for that. Oh, and again excuse any grammar errors, my computer is having problems and I'm too lazy to read this over more than once.
Disclaimer: You guys know the drill.
Katherine lay on the hospital bed staring up at the ceiling. It was covered in glow-in-the-dark star stickers, and she didn't know whether to laugh because it's stupid or to smile and find it cute.
She was at the hospital because it was her ultrasound, as she was twenty weeks pregnant. Her and Elijah decided to find out whether they were having a boy or a girl today since they were able to. Katherine couldn't help but feel like something was wrong, because she was extra moody and plus she looked way bigger than Sage, Elena and Bonnie did when they were pregnant. No matter how many times her husband told her she looked like an angel, she still felt fat.
"Of course you look bigger, you're carrying our child," Elijah would tell her.
"That doesn't mean I have to look like a cow!"
"You do not!"
"Sage, Elena, and Bonnie were never this big," she complained.
"Stop comparing yourself to them. Every woman has a different pregnancy. Elena and Bonnie were younger than you, and Tate was a small baby. He was six weeks premature."
"That still doesn't make me feel better."
"Listen to me," he would say as he'd caress her face. "You are carrying my child, and that makes you the most beautiful woman in the world to me. And even if you weren't pregnant, you'd still be the most stunning creature I'd ever laid eyes on."
"I have a twin sister," she would scoff.
He would sigh and successfully resist the urge to roll his eyes. "You and Elena may look alike, but there are significant differences-"
"Like what, the hair?"
"The eyes. Your eyes are strong, fierce, and independent. The two of you.. You have different personalities, and it shows in your eyes. Its the way the two of you hold yourselves. Elena is gentle and careful, but you're carefree and not afraid to speak your mind even if you know it might hurt someone's feelings. I admire your sister's kindness, but I admire even more how you're not afraid to, excuse me for saying this, be a bitch when needed. I like how you are, how you act, and although sometimes your instincts are childish, you've been trying to change for our child, and I think your sudden maternal instinct makes you even more elegant."
"Oh shut up," she would hit his shoulder and complain how much of a sap he is. But he would see the tears in her eyes from her hormones, (or maybe he's just so good with words even he can break her shell).
Accepting that he'll never progress, Elijah has since given up on trying to convince his wife she looked beautiful just the way she was.
Katherine started laughing at the stars on the ceiling. Elijah looked at her from his spot on the chair next to the bed and smiled.
"What are you laughing at?" He reached over to hold her hand. His thumb rubbed soothing circles on her palm, which has become a habit of his.
"The stars! They just.. Look really funny. It's like they think it's the kid looking at this crap."
He chuckled. "Well, you never know. Maybe the little one can sense the stars from inside their mother's stomach."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." She rolled her eyes.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelson, I'm Dr. Powers and I'll be assisting you during the rest of your pregnancy," the doctor announced as he walked into the small room. "What will we be doing today?" He asked as he picked up the clipboard to look at Katherine's files. "It says here that you are twenty weeks along. Are we finding out the gender today?"
"Yes, that would be great," Elijah answered with a huge smile on his face.
Katherine, on the other hand, was staring at her doctor with a disturbed look on her face. She hated how he talked. How he was referring to them as "we." Like stop, you just met them and you don't get to talk like you've been friends forever.
While she was too busy judging him in her mind, Dr. Powers already had the cold gel spread on her stomach. She yelped,
"Ow, that's cold!"
Dr. Powers chuckled. "So I've been told." He moved the wand around her swollen stomach until the fetus was visible on the monitor. He pointed at the screen and told the soon-to-be parents, "There is your baby."
Elijah and Katherine both stared in awe. This wasn't the first time they've seen their child, but it still melted their hearts every time. They made that.
"Oh, and we can detect a heartbeat now," the doctor said.
The room was filled with a thump, thump. Thump, thump.
Katherine felt her husband squeeze her hand and she looked up at him. She was sure that when she was giving birth, he would be the one crushing her hand. Instead of making fun of him, she just sent him a smile. But he was too busy staring at his daughter or son on the screen to see her smile.
She turned her head and admired their baby too. She couldn't him blame for being drawn in to the picture. It was beautiful.
"Are we able to find out the sex?" The almost-father asked.
Dr. Power nodded. "If you two are ready?" The parents looked at each other and nodded. "Okay then.." He moved the wand a little more until he could detect what he was looking for. His eyes widened when a second heart beat was detected. "Oh.. Wait.."
Both Katherine and Elijah's smiles faltered. "What's wrong?" Katherine asked, petrified there was actually something wrong like she had feared.
"Nothing is wrong." They both let out a sigh of relief. "I've just detected a second heartbeat."
Katherine froze. A second heartbeat?
Elijah's smile grew even bigger when he processed what their doctor was actually saying. "Wait.. Are you saying.. We're having twins?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying." He gestured to the screen. "A girl and a boy. You get one of each, congratulations."
"Thank y-"
"Twins?" Katherine asked. "W-what, h-how is that possible?"
"Mrs. Mikaelson, you're a twin correct?"
"Well, yes.."
"Sometimes, it can be genetic. This usually doesn't happen within back-to-back generations, but the human anatomy is a wonderful thing."
"But.. I just.. I.." Katherine was speechless. She wasn't able to comprehend that she was carrying twins. A boy and a girl. A son and daughter.
"I will leave you two love birds alone. Congratulations, once again." Dr. Powers smiled once again and then headed out the door.
"Elijah, what are we going to do?" Katherine wasted no time.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his smile dropped. "This is great news, Katerina!"
She sat up, wiping the gross gel off her stomach before yanking her tank top down. "I-I know.. I mean.. I wasn't expecting.."
"No one could have predicted this, Katerina. But this makes me incredibly happy. I'm starting a family with you. Ever since I met you.. It's all I ever wanted. And you love me back, which is something I never thought would happen-"
"Please, don't go into another one of your speeches," she pleaded. "Not that I don't love them," she laughed lightly. "I just don't need to burst into tears right now."
He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I love you, you know that?"
She rolled her eyes and pushed him away jokingly. "I've only heard it a thousand million times." As he helped her stand up, she had a thought. She gasped and grabbed his arm, "Now we know why I'm fat!"
He internally groaned. "Katerina, how many times do I have to tell you?"
...
Stefan and Damon were outside the boarding house tossing a football to one another. Neither knew exactly how they got to there, but they continued tossing the ball anyway. It was a nice, quiet thing to do. Something no one in this town has had in a while.
"You know, I've missed this," Stefan suddenly said, distracting the conversation from his brother teasing him about Lexi.
"Miss what? Your big brother teasing you?" Damon smirked as he threw the ball over Stefan's head purposely.
Stefan looked behind him, where the ball landed in the tree. He sighed and turned back to his brother and gave a look. "Now you did that on purpose."
"So what if I did?" Damon laughed. "Go climb it!"
The green-eyed brother rolled his eyes. "Nah, I think I'm good. I'm going inside and gonna attempt to kidnap my nephew."
"Hey, fine with me!" Damon called as he followed his little brother into their- his house. "Chris has been on a rampage lately."
The younger Salvatore laughed, "How so?"
"He keeps asking questions like he's trying to get into everyone's business. Elena says he might be trying to write a book just like her, and similar to Elena, he needs inspiration from the lives of the people around him."
"Wow, that's so deep and he's only three. How much damage can he do?"
"Ask him yourself," Damon nodded when he saw his son hop down the stairs. When Christian saw his dad and uncle, his eyes sparkled and he ran over to Stefan.
"Uncle Stefan!" The kid exclaimed as the man he was excited to see picked him up and hugged him.
"Hey, buddy! How you've been?" He smiled at his nephew.
"I'm good! I was at daycare the other day and we talked about our mothers, and I said how my mommy was the smartest, most beautiful, bestest mommy in the world!"
Stefan laughed, and Damon wanted to melt from his spot on the other side of the kitchen. Elena, Damon, and Chris were such a close-knit family, and as much as Stefan was happy for his brother, his heart ached because he didn't have that. Not the fact that he doesn't have Elena, but that he doesn't have someone who loves him as much as Elena and Damon love each other. But he admires that Damon really turned his life around for his family, and is surprisingly an adoring father. He kissed his nephew's dark brown hair before letting him stand on the floor.
"You guys never talk about your mother," Christian's tiny voice pointed out. Both the Salvatore brothers were shocked at the young boy's sudden words. They shared a look.
"There's nothing to talk about, buddy." Damon said in a sad voice as he ruffled his son's hair.
"I love my mommy!" Chris cheered. "I will talk about her everyday for the rest of my life!" Damon and Stefan chuckled at the youngest Salvatore.
"He's a cute kid," Stefan smiled. "One of the only things you've done right, Damon."
Damon shot his younger brother a smile. "Thanks, little bro."
"Yeah, bro!" Chris lightly punched Stefan's knee. "Uncle Stefan, what was your mom's name?"
Stefan looked at Damon. "He's not going to give up, is he?"
"Just tell him her name. That's all he wants."
Stefan turned to his nephew and lifted him up so he was sitting on the counter. "Since you want to know so badly.. My mother's name was Lily."
Damon raised his eyebrow. "No.. It wasn't.. It was Maria."
Stefan shook his head and gave his brother a weird look. "It was Lily. That's what's on my birth certificate. Yours too. I needed to look at them when I was in medical school."
"But I distinctly remember our father calling her Maria."
"Who the hell is Maria?"
"Our mom!"
"No, her name was Lily."
Christian looked back and force between the two older men in confusion. He wondered how they could forget their mother's name.
"How would you know, you were a year old when she left!" Damon retorted.
Stefan's face faltered. He looked as if he was a wounded puppy. "Thanks a lot," his voice sounded small.
Damon instantly regretted his choice of words. "I didn't mean it like that." He rested his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Yes, you did."
"Stef.. It doesn't even matter.. Because she didn't even act like our mother-"
"After I was born?" The dark blonde continued to look distressed.
"No. I mean, she did seem different but-"
"There's no buts Damon. She left because I was born."
"No, come on. Don't think like that. I don't remember much about her either. I had a concussion the day you were born, and-"
Before Damon could finish his sentence, Christian spoke up. "Why don't you guys actually look up your mom's name?" He didn't really understand the other stuff they were talking about besides that they couldn't agree on their mother's name.
Damon nodded. "There's still that box of mom's things that dad had. I could never bring myself to look through it, but I could also never bring myself to throw it out. It's in the basement."
He shared a look with his brother and they both agreed to go look at it. Was it the right time to dig up ugly hatchets? Probably not. But they took one look at Christian and knew they were doing it for him.
"Okay, you guys figure that out, I'm going to go play video games with Uncle Jeremy!" Chris announced before running out of the room.
"But Jeremy's not here.." Stefan pointed out.
Damon led them to the basement. "It's through the internet. They play every Friday at this time, it's like a ritual."
"You mean a tradition?" Stefan clarified as he turned the basement light on.
"Yeah, whatever," Damon scoffed. He located the box that held their mother's things, and with Stefan's help, they lowered it off the shelf and onto the floor.
"So.. You want to look through it?" Stefan asked.
Damon sighed. "Not really. But it can't hurt. I think."
Stefan laughed. The two brothers then sat on the floor and opened the box. But there was more in the box than they thought.
The first things they saw were copies of their birth certificates, and just like Stefan had said, their mom's name was Lily. There were pictures of a raven haired woman with bright blue eyes holding a baby Damon up to when he was a toddler. There was a picture of the same woman pregnant with Stefan. The picture of their parents on their wedding day. But then there was a picture of the mother they remember.. And it was not Lily. No, this woman was blonde and had green eyes, just like Stefan but now that they looked closer, she looked nothing like Stefan.
"What is this?" Damon asked as he looked at the two different women.
Stefan pulled out sonogram photos, baby books, a teacup, ribbons, a outdated copy of Call of the Wild, a Miss Mystic Falls sash, and a few other items that belonged to their mother. Which one, he didn't know.
"I know these sonogram photos belong to Lily.. But these other items, I don't know who they belong to."
"I guess Maria did exist after all," Damon said as he held up a picture of the two young boys with their father and the blonde lady. "We were both right then."
Stefan shook his head. "But this doesn't make sense.."
"Hey, I'm just as confused as you, brother."
"Wait, what's this?" Stefan asked as he found one last thing in the box. A letter.
"A letter?"
"From our father..."
Damon's heart leapt at the mention of Giuseppe Salvatore. He was very close with his father, and to say the least, his death took a bad turn of the eldest son.
"Well are you going to read it?" Damon asked. Stefan had been holding the letter in his hands for several minutes, not moving.
"I'm just scared of what it says.." The blonde admitted. "Our dad always favored you, and apparently both of our moms left us and I can't help but think it's my fault."
"Stef.." Damon spoke softly. "I don't care about any of that. I don't care about them. You're my brother, and you're one of the best people I have ever met. Lily and Maria, or whoever, missed out on a great son. And our father loved you very much, I at least can tell you that."
Stefan gave his brother a smile. "Okay.. Let's read it."
Damon ripped open the letter and in the dusty paper and messy handwriting, the two brothers got answers to questions they never thought to ask. The whole situation with Lily and Maria was explained right in this letter. Neither of them wanted to believe what they were reading, but all the evidence they found in the box proved their father's written words to be true.
"Wow." Stefan was speechless. He did not know what to say. This changed everything.
Damon, on the other hand, had to say the words out loud for them to be clear. "Our father had a mistress when our mom was pregnant with you.. Our mom, Lily, died giving birth to you. Our father took home his mistress because he didn't want us to grow up without a mother."
"But she couldn't handle raising another woman's child so she left."
"And dear daddy never told us the truth."
"You couldn't tell the difference because you fell off your bike the day I was born and had a concussion. The doctors said you could remember certain memories, but not distinct faces. Our father claimed you, obviously, but instead of breaking to you that our mother died, he introduced you to Maria and said she was your mother. Being so young, you didn't understand you were being lied to."
"Wow. That changes a lot of things, doesn't it?" Damon chuckled. He still couldn't believe that he spent his whole life believing some lie. He did have a mother. One who loved him very much, one who would have loved his brother. In the letter, it said that Lily was excited to have a second baby despite the complications in the pregnancy. She knew that something could have happened to her, but she took the risk because she wanted Stefan to have a chance at life. It wasn't until the last minute did she find out about her husband's affair, and the stress threw her into labor. She never wanted to leave without saying goodbye to Damon, but her son was in the emergency room, and she had died before saying goodbye. She died before meeting her second son. The doctors had to perform surgery to get Stefan out safely. It was a tragic day, and Giuseppe had blamed himself for his wife's death. But he wasn't going to allow his sons to grow up without a mother, so he conned his mistress into pretending to be their mother. She, of course, wasn't able to handle it, so she left. His sons grew up without a mother either way.
Stefan nodded but tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "I killed her, Damon. Why don't you hate me?" His voice was cracking with guilt.
"You did not kill her. Our father did."
"No. She had complications because of me. I can't.."
"She risked her life so that she could give you your best chance. She wanted you to live, even if it meant her dying... Stefan, I don't hate you for anything. Sure, you annoy me sometimes, but you're still my brother. Don't beat yourself up about this. We spent our whole lives believing one thing, and now we learn another, but it doesn't change the fact that we're a family and I wouldn't trade any moments with you for a moment with either of our parents."
"Really?"
Damon nodded. He stood up and held out his hand to help his brother up. Stefan took it.
...
"You did what?!" Sage yelled at her husband.
Finn had been carrying a secret around with him since he got back from his mother's, and it was killing him. He knew he had to tell his wife, and that she would help him figure out what to do about his siblings. But he didn't expect her to get angry. She wasn't just angry, she was furious.
The two stood in their kitchen, which overlooked their backyard and pool, where Freya was playing with Tate. Finn wanted to spend some time with his sister, and his son wanted a playing buddy, so he invited her over to swim while Katherine and Elijah found out the sex of their baby. After seeing how good Freya was with his son, Finn asked his wife if he could speak with her in the house. They trusted the teen to watch their son, and told her they'd be right inside if she needed anything.
But they didn't expect all hell to break loose.
"It was the only way to get her to leave!" Finn tried to defend himself.
"You're such an idiot! You can't keep those promises! I forbid you!"
"You can't make me do anything!"
"What about your siblings? There is no way in hell any of them are going to agree to that!"
He took a deep breath. He knew he shouldn't have promised any of that stuff, but he wasn't thinking. He just wanted her to leave Mystic Falls, and he accomplished that. Sort of.
"I cannot believe you," Sage huffed. "You sold out your own family. Yourself."
"I didn't sell out anybody! Don't make this sound worse than it is."
"But this is bad, Finn! Can't you see that?"
"I only promised her I'd visit once in a while to let her know how things were going with everyone."
"Yeah," Sage rolled her eyes. "And you said you'd let her see Tate-"
"She only wants to say goodbye to him!"
"I don't trust her with my son."
"He's my son, too!"
"Yeah, and she's your mother, you should know how bad this would be."
"I don't want him to go either-"
"Then don't let him!"
"It's not that simple, Sage."
"Yes, it is." She glance out the window at Tate splashing Freya. "You also promised her she could meet your new sister. That's low that she would even ask that."
"I said I couldn't make any promises on anything, and if you would let me explain I would've told you that."
"But that's the thing; she's not going to take no for an answer."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't say that to me. Say that Rebekah and Elijah."
"She wants to be there when Elijah's baby is born. And she wants a seat at Rebekah's wedding..."
"Like that would ever happen! Your siblings trusted you to go see her, and everyone was worried about what would have happened. And I guess you proved them right."
He just stared at her. The words that came out of her mouth hurt him. He knew he disappointed everyone, but there was nothing he could have done better. He did his best. And it broke his heart knowing his wife was upset with him.
"That is not fair. I didn't know what else to say to her."
She was leaning over the counter, looking out the window at the kids playing in the pool. She turned around to face him. "How about no? Or was that too difficult? I know you used to be close with her, but-"
"She's manipulative, I know that now!"
"Then why did promise her stuff you can't give to her! I'm not letting you take our son to her, and I'm not letting that poor girl," she pointed to Freya through the window, "meet that psycho. And I'm sure as hell not going to let her anywhere near Katherine and Elijah's baby. And as much as I hate your sister, your mother is not ruining that wedding."
"It was negotiation deal, I had no choice," he sighed.
"There's always a choice."
He looked in her blue eyes and knew she was angry. He held his breath as he told her the next bit of news that would make her angrier.
"She wants money."
Her eyes widened. "How much money?" There was low growl in the back of her voice. She was prepared to do more yelling if she had to.
"It was either the money, or the promises, and she's expecting one or the other-" He tried explain but she just cut him off.
"How much money, Finn?"
He looked out the window, then at the floor, then back at the fiery redhead standing before him. "2 million dollars."
She dropped her head in her hands on the counter. She wanted to scream, but she didn't have the energy anymore.
"We don't have 2 million dollars," she finally said.
"Exactly."
"But we can't give her those promises either."
"I know."
"So, what do we do?"
"Hey!" Freya's voice interrupted their conversation. She popped her head in the slider door. "I really have to pee, and I know I'm supposed to be watching Tate, but it's an emergency so if you guys could keep an eye on him for like two minutes, I'll be right back out, I promise," she spoke really fast and Finn just wanted to laugh because she was adorable.
Sage nodded. "Yeah, sweetie. The bathroom is the second on your right."
"Thank you!" She grinned and ran to the bathroom. After she was out of earshot, the couple turned back to one another.
"We need to do something," Finn said as he quickly checked out the window to make sure Tate was okay. Freya must have told him to get out of the pool until she came back, and he thought that was very mature of her. He was mostly surprised that his son actually listened. After making sure the little fireball was okay playing with his toys by the chair, he turned back to his wife.
"I think you need to tell your siblings," Sage admitted.
His eyes opened, "No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes! They need to know!" She eyes the cell phone sitting on the counter. "And I'm calling one right now!"
"Sage!" He begged. She already beat him to the phone, but he tried to reach around her to grab it out of her hands. "Please, give me back the phone!"
"No!" She started laughing at how ridiculous they were being.
Taking advantage of her distraction, he knocked the phone out of her hands.
"Hey, that phone cost $300," she pouted.
"I'm sorry," he apologized and picked up the phone. "Listen to me. I don't want to tell Elijah, or Rebekah, or Kol or Klaus yet. I want to handle this on my own. I don't want to worry them. They've all been busy lately, and I don't want to take them away from their lives."
"You have a life, too."
"I know, but I think I can fix this."
"We don't have any money to give her. You and I barely make enough as it is."
"I know that. And I also don't want to 'sell' out my family."
"I don't want that either.." Sage thought for a minute. "Okay.. I do not want you to visit her regularly. But.. I think we can compromise."
"How so?" He raised an eyebrow.
She took a deep breath. "As long as Freya wants to.. This is all on her decision.. If she says no then we find a plan B, okay?" He nodded. "You, me, Freya, and Tate take a trip up to her home next weekend with a couple hundred dollars to give her. She sees Tate, meets Freya, half of your promises are fulfilled, and she gets some of the money. But while we're there, we tell her you're never coming back, she's not getting the rest of her money, and we're done with her. We have to be done with her, Finn. Tell her that she got something, and if she wants the rest of her kids to come around, then it's going to take time, and we all know she doesn't have much of it left. I know that sounds horrible, but we have to let her go. Tell her that bad things will happen if we don't."
Finn nodded. "I think that's good. But you really want Tate to go see her?"
"No. But I'll be there, and I won't let her do anything to you or him. Or your sister. And the best part is, the rest of your siblings never have to know."
"Know what?" Freya asked as she entered the kitchen.
Sage and Finn shared a look. Finn opened his mouth to explain to the blonde their plan when she looked out the window and screamed.
"Where's Tate?" She asked.
The three of them raced out the door and into the backyard, where they saw Tate lying face down in the pool.
"Oh my god!" Sage screamed as tears clouded her eyes. "Tate!" She cried.
Finn was in shock, he couldn't move. His son was dying, why couldn't he move.
But thankfully, Freya immediately jumped into the pool and got him out.
"Is he breathing?!" Sage kept on crying as she took her son in her arms. Finn snapped out of his trance and leaned beside his wife and son.
"Tate! Come on, buddy! Wake up!" Finn started crying as Sage patted Tate's cheek, trying to get the water out.
"Come on, Tate! Open your eyes," Sage pleaded.
Tate's eyes flew open and he started coughing up water, trying to breathe in air.
"Oh thank god," Finn breathed in relief.
Sage started crying even more and held her son closer. She caressed his head and kissed his damp hair over and over. "You're okay, you're okay," she whispered.
Finn rubbed his son's back comfortingly. "It's all my fault. I wasn't paying attention-"
"We both weren't paying attention," Sage shook her head. She held her son even closer if that was possible. "Oh my god.. We're such horrible parents.. I.." She looked over at the blonde angel sitting on the edge of the pool looking worriedly at the small family. "You.." She breathed. Freya looked up from her nephew to her sister-in-law. "You're a guardian angel. You saved my son's life. Thank you."
Finn noticed his sister sitting there and recalled how he couldn't move. He was supposed to save his son. But he couldn't. His sister did. He could never repay her for that. He nodded at her, "Thank you so much. I don't how we can repay you." He kissed his son's head. "You're a hero."
Freya didn't know what to say. Her brother and his family were in gratitude of her, and it just made her heart swell. She just looked at how happy those parents were to see their son okay, and she knew that the only thing they could do to repay her was to stay a family. She sent them a smile and said, "I'm just happy he's alright."
Finn and Sage just continued fussing over Tate, hugging him close and kissing him. The young boy, being so young, didn't understand what actually happened, but he was just glad his parents were paying him attention.
"You're alright, honey," Sage whispered.
"We're gonna be alright," Finn added. Sage and him shared a look. They had to go through with this plan. But they weren't taking Tate. Or Freya. They were both too important to see Esther. They would dig up more money if they have to. They just have to get her to back off. They know they're going to be alright. They have to be.
They're going to be alright.
...
"Oh my god, that's insane," Lexi breathed as Tyler finished telling her the story Liv had told him about her brother. "Kai is a psychopath. I'm surprised they didn't send him to a mental institution, let alone only let him have five years in prison. I mean, the guy killed four of his siblings. Four people, Tyler. He gutted his twin sister, he did all of this stuff to Elena, Bonnie and Damon.. He's guilty of selling and abusing drugs, attempt at date rape, he kidnaped and tortured someone, and he held a cop and a pregnant woman at gun point! How could they just let him go?!"
Tyler shook his head. "The police up in Portland suck. The worst part is: Kai's main targets are Liv and Luke. They always have been. Everyone else was just collateral damage, and our friends got caught in a crossfire. What he's doing back in Mystic Falls makes me wonder.. Did he come back for the twins? Or our friends? They are the reason he got caught."
"Well if he does anything, we can just tell Sheriff Forbes and they'll arrest him again," Lexi said.
"No, I think he's counting on that. We need to be smart about this. We can't just walk up to Damon or Enzo or the Sheriff and be like, hey this psychopath we all hate got let out of jail and we're scared he's after everyone. He knows we're waiting to catch him doing something, so he'll be extra careful with what he's doing. We need to find out a way around him. Try to figure out what he's doing. What his plans are."
Lexi scoffed and leaned back in her seat. The two were at The Grill trying to figure out what to do with Kai.
"You make it sound like it's easy. We can't get through to him. No one can. Like you said, he'll be careful. Around everybody."
"We just have to dig a little more. What did he actually go to jail for? Do they know the whole story? Did he not pay time for something he's done? Has he done anything else since he got out? It's a long way from Portland to Mystic Falls. He had to screw up somewhere."
"We can't do this, Tyler. This is going to be hard."
He reached over the table to touch her hand. "Hey, we'll be doing a good thing if we can get this guy locked up for good."
Lexi nodded in agreement, but immediately shoved his hand away. She hated how his hand felt on hers. She did not want to feel something for him. He likes Liv, her roommate, her friend. She knows he's doing this to hurt Kai, because he hurt Elena and Bonnie, and wants to hurt Liv. He's actually doing something selfless. He wants to protect people he cares about, and she finds the whole hero-thing endearing. Spending all this time with him, planning their next move, and along the way he's made her laugh a few times, she realized that maybe he's not this big of a jerk she's thought. All she has heard for the past few years is about how he broke Caroline's heart and was a complete asshole. Maybe his time down in Florida changed him. Maybe he's always been this way.
Maybe you're falling for him, a voice in her head told her.
No, I'm not, she shot back. He has a crush on Liv.
Well, does Liv like him back?
"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked her. "If you don't want to do super-spy-sleuthing 'cause you're scared and all, feel free to chicken out now." He sent her a flirty smile and her heart jumped a million feet in the air. He's just naturally flirty, it doesn't mean anything. Does it?
No, he likes Liv!
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm so in. And by the way.." He raised his eyebrow. "I'm totally a better spy than you."
...
"Caroline!" Klaus grinned he saw his girlfriend enter his studio. "You are amazing." He stood and walked over to her.
She smiled at him and gave him a kiss. "I know I'm pretty great," she laughed. "But what for?"
He gave her another quick kiss before leaning over her shoulder to grab the letter on his desk. He waved it in her face and said, "Someone sent my art to a seller behind my back."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied.
He nodded sarcastically. "Of course you don't. You know, normally, I'd be mad that you did something like this behind my back. You know how I don't like other people seeing my work.."
"But?" She asked hopefully.
"Read the letter yourself." He handed it to her.
Caroline took the letter and read the first couple of sentences before a huge smile broke out on her face. "Oh my god, baby, this is amazing!" She jumped up and hugged him, and he spun her around. The seller she sent his art to loved it and wanted to buy more of it. He even said something about putting Klaus's art in a few galleries across the country to get him known, and perhaps getting him an agent and get signed on to a company.
"I couldn't have done it if it wasn't for you," he smiled down at her.
"I would do anything for you, you know that."
He grinned. "I do. Which is why I started painting this." He took her hand and led her over to his canvas where he was painting his latest masterpiece. "Further down the letter, it says that they want a new piece to show the art agent to get me signed, so I decided to paint this. It's not done yet, but I think it's coming along nicely."
The canvas was colored darkly at the top except for this one line of light.
"I'm painting people at a party on the bottom later, but the top of the painting is the real hero. The lights-"
"The comet." She noticed what the light was. "The boy saw the comet."
"What?"
"The boy saw the comet and suddenly his life had meaning." She grinned and looked up at him. "That is one of my favorite quotes, and that's what you're painting isn't it? The night we met, the party... You're going to paint us meeting, with a comet soaring above us, right?"
He rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. "How'd you figure it out?"
She playfully punched his shoulder. "'Cause I know you so well, doofus."
He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she locked her hands behind his neck.
"Well," he breathed in her ear. "If you know me so well.. Tell me the quote." He kissed the hollow under her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He then kissed her jaw, her neck, and then the curve of her shoulder.
She breathed heavily. "First; how does me reciting the quote mean I know you so well, and second; I'll never get to reciting it if you don't stop doing that."
He lifted his lips from where they were wondrous things on her body and looked in her eyes. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay."
She giggled and played with his hair. "It was a comet. The boy saw the comet and he felt as though his life had meaning. And when it went away, he waited his entire life for it to come back to him. It was more than just a comet because of what it brought to his life: direction, beauty, meaning. There are many who couldn't understand, and sometimes he walked among them. But even in his darkest hours, he knew in his heart that someday it would return to him, and his world would be whole again. And his belief in God and love and art would be re-awakened in his heart. The boy saw the comet and suddenly his life had meeting."
As he watched her recite the quote, he knew that the quote described his feelings for her painfully well. The day he met her, it was a turning point for him. His life has only seemed to go upwards since the day she walked into his life. He started painting again, he believed in love again, he believed that there was a reason for him to be on this planet. No matter where he was born, how he was born, who he grew up with, no matter what Mikael had told him, he was born for the sole purpose of meeting Caroline Elizabeth Forbes. He was born to love her. He was born to know her, and to know that there is good in this world. That he meant something.
"I don't think you know how much I love you," he whispered. The two looked into each others eyes and felt like they would break if they looked away.
She smiled. "Maybe not.. But I do know how much I love you. And.. I'm not saying we're not going to last, because I hope to god that we will, but if for some twisted version of fate, we don't.. 20 years from now, if I look back to this day, to these past four years with you, and I remember how I feel right now, I think I'll be okay with that."
"Really?"
She nodded. "You make me feel like I can fly. You make me feel like I'm.. Worth something."
"You're worth more than I deserve."
She leaned her forehead against his. "Hey, want to hear a crazy idea?"
"Hmm.." He played with the stands of her hair at the end of her braid.
"We should get matching tattoos!"
He chuckled and looked at her. "What?"
"Tattoos! You have one on your back and your chest, and I think it's incredibly sexy, but I don't have any and I really want one. And I want to have one with you."
"Why?"
"You know how I was saying 20 years from now, if we're not together and blah blah blah, well I want a reminder of us. On my body. Forever. I'm positive that you're the love of my life, so why not brand it on myself? When I was younger, I always wanted a tattoo but my mom always said no, wait until you're eighteen, but when I turned eighteen I didn't know what I wanted. I always said that when I got tattoo, I'd get one that means something. I never understood what I wanted until now. You're what I want. And not just as my tattoo, but as the love of my life. I know it's weird that I'm saying this now, but I've felt this way for a really long time. And to be honest, as much as I've loved you the past four years, I never thought this- what we have, could last forever. I was just living in the moment. But a couple of weeks ago.. I don't know where the turning point was, but I just know I've reached it. I want to spend forever with you. You are the love of my life. I know this now. And I'm not afraid to let the world know. Which is also why I sent out your art. I sent out a few of me because those are what speaks about us the most, but I sent out one you made about the anger you had about your father. And the one you painted about your family.. I just.. You deserve the world, and your art is incredibly good and I wanted the world to know that my boyfriend is the most talented, sexiest man on that planet."
Klaus was speechless. Well.. "God, Caroline. This sounds like a proposal. Are you asking me to marry you?" He joked.
She broke out laughing. "No, silly. I mean.. I'm proposing to love you forever. And I used to think that I needed a big white wedding to live happily ever after, but if you never want to go down that road, I'm happy just knowing we're us and we will be loving each other until we die."
"I think you already wrote your vows, love."
She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "Wait, are you saying..?"
"I do want to marry you, Caroline. I love you. I've known you were the one since the moment I met you. The boy saw the comet and he felt as though his life had meaning. You're the comet, Caroline. You're my comet."
"And now, I think you've just written your vow," she teased.
"I'm serious," he told her.
She nodded and tried to speak but he continued.
"Marry me."
Ooh cliff hanger! Will Caroline say yes to Klaus? Will the two of them get matching tattoos? What should the tattoo be? Did you guys like me including that OTH quote?
Are you guys liking Tyler and Lexi teaming up? Don't worry, Parkwood is endgame, but what do you guys think about Lexi falling for Tyler?
What will Finn and Sage do about Esther? And thank god Freya saved Tate! What do you guys think of Freya?
What did you guys think of Damon and Stefan's mom? That was just a random scene I wanted to include, and I'll have you know that I wrote this scene before their mom came back on TVD, lol I didn't take the idea from the show, I actually thought of it like last month.
And finally, Katherine and Elijah are having twins! How excited are you Kalijah shippers?
So.. Please review with thoughts on this chapter, thoughts on what you think will happen next.. Just review! Until next time :)