Caroline's eyelids fluttered. There was a dark shape bending over her—instinctively her body shot forward and she snarled, barely conscious.
Alaric raised his hands. "It's all right, Caroline. You're safe in here."
She shivered at his voice. It didn't feel that long ago that Alaric had died—and even less time since he'd murdered her father. And now they were at the same house? She supposed it made sense that Alaric was in the spirit world—he wasn't a mortal any longer—but it was nevertheless disconcerting.
"Daddy," Caroline croaked. "Are—"
"I'm here, baby," Bill Forbes said soothingly. "It's all right."
He was next to Alaric. She seemed to be in a living room or parlor. Everything seemed off-color, like a faded photograph. A sepia tone overlay her surroundings.
She rubbed her eyes, slowly coming to. "Where—what is this place?"
"It's a little hard to explain," Alaric said gently. "I think the short version would be to say that the underworld is a shifting dimension—there are pockets, kind of valleys where things can't affect you. Your furies can't reach you."
"Furies?" Caroline blinked.
"Tormenters," Bill crossed his arms. "The supernatural live in a sort of purgatory, they…I guess pay for any evil they committed against others. Especially humans."
"I see," She said slowly. "So my furies…they're the witches. Among other things…" Given that line of logic, she might have quite the list of furies.
Her eyes widened. "Wait—if an Original is here—" His furies would be overwhelmingly cruel and unrelenting. Her stomach curled in fear for Klaus.
Alaric sighed while her father's expression hardened. "I'm surprised you're so concerned about Klaus."
She shifted as she tried to think of a response. Her heart was hammering, thinking about Klaus alone in this place…how many "furies" could he have accumulated by now? Her heart lurched as she tried to think of how to respond to her father.
"I don't like unpaid debts," Caroline finally said, carefully. "He's done a lot of terrible things. But he's also saved my life. And I can't forget that."
Bill opened his mouth to argue the point but Alaric cut him off.
"Regardless," He cleared his throat. "We need to get you out of here. And quickly, before the door closes."
"Trust me, I do not want to be here," Caroline said firmly. "But I can't leave without Klaus!"
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Bill's teeth gritted and he nodded curtly towards Alaric, who sighed upon approaching the door.
He opened the door and Klaus glared at him with a frightening sort of pleasantry.
"Hello," He said through bared teeth. "It appears that mortal rules work in this godforsaken place. I would greatly appreciate it if you would invite me in."
"Klaus," Caroline elbowed her way past Alaric, a wave of relief washing over her. "Good. Come in—the witches didn't get you?"
"I actually came across some other enemies," Klaus stepped across the threshold, assessing Caroline quickly. "But never fear, love. Here I am, safe and sound."
She exhaled impatiently. "We need to get out of here. Alaric says the doors are closing soon."
"Right," Klaus nodded. "Not to mention, Lalaurie has had ample time to marshal her forces. New Orleans won't be quite as charming once we've returned…"
"Both of you, come with me," Alaric ordered. "I know a way out."
Caroline turned towards her father. "Daddy? Are you coming?"
He shook his head. "I'm going to provide a distraction. Be safe, Care Bear."
Her eyes widened. "Daddy…what are you—"
"Don't worry about me," He hugged her tenderly, gruffly kissing her forehead. "I love you, baby. You'll be okay."
Klaus watched this exchange with an inscrutable expression. Alaric cleared his throat politely.
Caroline wiped her eyes. "Let's go."
XXXX
Alaric led them out of the house. The false air was oddly still and Caroline immediately felt nauseous. She dug her fingers into her palms, breathing deeply. She would not faint.
"What about the others?" Caroline asked suddenly. "Elijah and Rebekah? And Kylie…"
"If we're lucky," Klaus growled, his hand tightening around her palm—he was holding her hand, she suddenly realized—"Kyle has been torn to pieces for her betrayal. But that may be wishful thinking. As for my siblings…"
His expression darkened and Caroline impulsively squeezed his hand. His eyes met hers and she shivered a little. If they continued like this…how long could she hold off? Their connection washed over her in waves and she knew eventually, it would rip her away from her senses.
"Here," Alaric stopped and Caroline broke her gaze from Klaus. They were surrounded by raised graves of stone, all of varying shapes and sizes. She licked her lips uncertainly, trying to place it.
"St. Louis Cemetery," Klaus hummed a little. "Well done, Alaric. The veil is thin here—we'll be able to return."
Alaric nodded. "Notice how these graves look like doorways?" He asked grimly. "There's a reason for that."
Caroline blinked. "You're saying…if we crawl through these graves, we'll wake up on the other side? Any one of them?"
"I'm afraid so," Alaric exhaled slowly. "And there is a lot coming into your world right now…spirits, gods, monsters…you better hurry."
Caroline turned to Klaus. "What about Rebekah and Elijah?"
"I can lead them here," Alaric said quickly. "But they may already be over. Like I said…things are passing through as we speak."
His face went stony and he raised his hand, pointing past Caroline and Klaus. The two turned and Klaus staggered in shock. Kol Mikaelson was grinning at them.
XXXX
"Rebekah!" Elijah shouted. "Rebekah! Caroline! Niklaus!"
There was no answer. Growling in frustration, he concentrated, trying to hone his senses. He thought he sensed Rebekah, calling out to him, but he couldn't be sure. The spirit world was sure to have phantom calls, meant to lead the unwary astray...
He would have to trust that they could get out on their own. Caroline and Klaus had been linked; they had their mating bond to fall back on—Elijah was sure that Klaus would be able to track her down wherever she winded up. He could only pray that Rebekah could find her way out as well…
Something brushed against his skin. He roared, turning around, snarling and froze.
Katerina Petrova smiled at him.
He gaped at her stupidly. Was it…truly her? Her smile sparkled in the fading light and he could not seem to stop himself from reaching out to touch her cheek. She closed her eyes at his touch.
"Elijah," She purred. "I've missed you so."
"Can it truly be you?"
"Of course!" She stepped nearer to him and rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I've longed for you…waited for you in this awful place. But now that you're here…we can leave together."
The urge to take her into his arms was overwhelming. He wanted to so badly it ached. But her words revealed the truth.
"There's nothing I'd like more," Elijah said softly. "But you…are not my Katerina."
Her pretty smile faltered. The longer he looked at her, the more her edges blurred. Katerina was all sharp angles and pretty blades; this…illusion…was a cheap and colorless imitation. The fact was, if Katerina were somewhere in this world and she sensed the door open…she would not waste time trying to find him. She would be first out the door.
"A fury…the fury set to torment me. How very…apropos."
The false Katerina blinked at him in brief confusion. Then her blurred features hardened.
"Does it matter, Elijah?" She stroked his upper arm intimately and he flinched at her warmth.
"Of course it matters," He spat and jerked away from her. She chuckled in a low and husky voice. She circled him like a vulture.
"I sense your exhaustion, Elijah. You tire of the mortal world…it's palpable. Why not stay? Stay with me and forget the trials you endured on the mortal plane. Allow yourself to slip into sweet oblivion, wrapped in my arms…"
There was a brief and shining moment where Elijah hesitated. He was shamed by the intense temptation that swarmed around him, how a part of him badly wanted to rest eternally with this false Katerina. But before he could rebuff her a final time, Katerina stiffened. Her neck twisted unpleasantly and she crumpled to the ground. Rebecca stood behind her, looking bored and petulant.
"I've wanted to do that for a while," She remarked. "Elijah. I'm bored of this place. Shall we go home?"
Elijah was only too happy to agree.
XXXX
"Gods," Klaus swore. "Please tell me the whole damn family isn't at your heels."
Kol laughed uproariously. "My heels? Oh, big brother…I lingered, simply for the sweet pleasure of seeing your face again. And seeing your face as I cross the borders back into the mortal world…"
"Oh, no you don't," Caroline snarled. "You're staying right where you are."
"Caroline!" Kol seemed genuinely pleased to see her. "Hand in hand with Klaus. I always thought you two were meant for each other. And really, sweet Caroline, what on earth do you intend to do stop me? There are openings to the mortal world everywhere."
"And what?" Klaus bared his teeth. "You intend to stop us from crossing over?"
"Now, what would the fun in that be?" Kol wondered aloud. "I came to give you a warning, big brother. The whole family is not at my heels but they will be at yours. They have all crossed over to the mortal realm. Father, mother, Freya, Finn…"
Klaus stared at him stone-faced.
"Anyway, that's all I had to say," Kol mockingly checked his wrist for an imaginary watch. "See you on the other side, brother."
He turned away from them and stepped through the grave. Klaus stared after him, seemingly immobile, until Caroline tugged at his arm.
"Klaus," She sighed and closed her eyes. "One thing at a time, okay?"
"They'll come after us," Klaus muttered. "They'll come after me."
"Then we'll face them together. But we need to get on the other side before the door closes. Quickly!"
His face shifted when she said the word 'together'. Caroline almost wished she hadn't said it. She had promised herself a long time ago she would never again entangle herself up in the Mikaelson family. They didn't even know what family meant, too busy on killing and avenging each other every century or so.
But who was she kidding? The moment she'd said yes to Rebekah, she was inveigling herself again. And as long as she shared this connection to Klaus—this bond, this relationship, this mating—she was involved among them.
She squeezed his hand and they stepped through the doorway to the mortal world.
XXXX
New Orleans was dark as pitch.
It was wrong. Even at 3:00AM, New Orleans was a city of color, lights and parties illuminated every street, music on every corner, bars open until the dawn peeked over the Mississippi. But the city was deadly silent as Caroline and Klaus walked out of the cemetery, still hand in hand.
"Where are Elijah and Rebekah?" Caroline whispered.
"We'll find them," Klaus inhaled deeply. "I can smell them. They're not far."
"Thank God they made it out," Caroline said in relief. She blinked suddenly and turned towards Klaus.
"I never thanked you," She cleared her throat. "For coming after me."
He looked at her in surprise. "Did you think I wouldn't?"
She smiled suddenly. "No. I knew you would."
There was a terrible howling cry in the distance. Caroline did not recognize it; it was neither vampire nor werewolf, something more evil and more ancient. She could smell the darkness of the underworld cloaking the city. It was crawling with monsters and spirits. And it was very likely they would not make it out of this one alive.
She wished Elena was with them. Her friend had such a way of comforting her, calming her down, assuring her that everything would be all right. But…this wasn't Elena's story. This was Caroline's. Caroline's and Klaus'.
"Caroline," Klaus said quietly. She looked up at him and his eyes met her gaze intently.
"You don't have to be here," He told her.
She shook her head. "Don't start that crap, Klaus. No noble 'protecting me for my own good' crap. None of that Salvatore nonsense. I'm here with you and I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together."
"Together…" Klaus mused. He lifted her palm to his lips and kissed it. She felt butterflies dance against her chest.
"I rather…like the sound of that," He murmured. "But this may be the end of our time together. Are you ready?"
Caroline thought for a moment. Impulsively, she dropped his hand and raised herself on her tiptoes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
She could taste his surprise. But she didn't care. It felt good to kiss him, and it had been far too long. God, she loved the feel of him, the way his hands traced her back, how he tasted of cloves and woodsmoke.
She broke away from him before she could get to lost in the sensations. "Now I am. Let's find your siblings."
She took his hand again and they disappeared into the night.