I'm sorry that it's been a while. Thank you to Sophie and Kaitlyn for beta work.

Chicago, Illinois - Present

As soon as Caroline left to tail Stefan, Klaus went back to City Hall to look at more files, compelling the security guard to let him in. Knowing that he most likely had only an hour or so, he decided to abandon his previous plan of taking pictures and simply made copies of all of the files, stuffing the large stack of paper into a box and carrying it under his arm back to the hotel.

He sat on the bed and locked the door, going through everything he'd found, setting the papers aside that he knew weren't relevant, but not throwing it out in case he'd been wrong.

He smirked when he finally found the papers he'd been looking for. The dates of death and birth matched perfectly, and though he'd go through the rest just to make sure, he had almost no doubt that this was the information he'd wanted about Caroline's biological family. There wasn't much, but it was enough to confirm what he'd suspected about the line of work they were involved in.

He knew that Elijah must have the information (he would have been stupid not to find out everything he could about Caroline's origins), but he doubted that his brother had relayed it to Caroline, especially since it seemed that she was determined not to know.

He found it odd, her obvious devotion to his brother. Yes, he'd raised her, and it was clear from the tabs he'd kept on them that Elijah doted on her, but there was something off about it. He felt her blind loyalty tapering away slowly though, and he knew that this was the first time she'd been out on her own without Elijah around. Perhaps she was just seeing the world with new eyes.

Still though, he thought as he slipped the relevant papers into a manilla folder and put the rest back in the box to throw out, he'd offer to show Caroline what the file contained. The girl seemed naturally curious, and dangling the information in front of her with no apparent catch would no doubt be tempting to her, though he knew that she was smart enough to know that there was always a catch with him.

He heard Caroline's voice as she walked down the hallway, clearly talking to Stefan.

"...so reckless and stupid! I'm going to have to tell him, Stefan."

"Please don't-"

"Tell me what, love?" Klaus asked, walking into the hallway, his hands in his pockets, his eyes raking up and down Caroline's form, appreciating his good taste in clothes (and women).

She bristled as he looked at her, a pretty blush staining her cheeks as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I want to talk to you alone."

"Oh?"

"Caroline, don't."

"Yeah," she said, talking over Stefan and avoiding his eyes, and he could tell that there was more to the story, but resolved to get it once Stefan left in the hopes that she'd crack more easily.

"Ripper, go sit in your hotel room and brood about the doppelgangers or whatever it is you do when you're alone. I'd like to have a word with Caroline."

Caroline remained silent as Stefan went back to his hotel room, and Klaus held the door to his open for her, gesturing for her to precede him.

She walked by him, and he caught the familiar scent of the doppelganger lingering on her clothes. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what that could mean, and he watched her as she stood in the center of the room, looking uncharacteristically nervous. He shut the door behind him and tried to fight down a smile as she looked around the room, clearly considering her choices for where to sitting before opting to stand. "So, love. Tell me what's on your mind."

She was quiet for a few seconds, the inner debate obvious by the twist of her lips. "I want a deal."

"A deal?" Klaus asked, feeling a smile spread across his face. "What kind of deal could you possibly offer me?"

"I have information that you want," she said quietly. "If I tell you, you have to promise me that you'll undagger Elijah as soon as we get back."

"That's not happening, sweetheart. Not until I get my army."

"Then I won't tell you."

"Well, judging by the timing of it, as well as what I overheard in the hallway, you caught Stefan about to do something incredibly stupid when you were on your walk. Is that right?"

Caroline remained silent, and Klaus smirked.

"Now, love, if you don't tell me, I'll just have to guess."

She was stubborn, and he coveted the loyalty she had to Elijah. She stared at him silently, her eyes narrowed as she stared him down.

"Considering the scent clinging to your dress, I'm going to hazard a guess that the lovely Elena is still alive somehow, and that she managed to find the Ripper while you were out on your walk. Am I on the right track?"

She remained silent, though he caught the twitch of her eye and knew that he was close. He decided to continue, hoping to glean additional information from her body language.

"Considering the Ripper's insistence that you not tell me whatever you saw, I would theorize at first glance that your information is that Elena lives. Unfortunately, that doesn't quite add up now, does it love? I wouldn't have any reason to go after Elena, unless it was for petty revenge that she somehow lived through my ritual. However, I'd prefer to keep that leverage alive now that I know it's there, and you're smart enough to know that, isn't that right, sweetheart?"

She shrugged, still not answering, but that only made the game all the more fun.

"Now, the question is, what information could possibly be important enough regarding the doppelganger that you think it would be worth undaggering my brother?" Klaus asked, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced, giving Caroline a small smirk. "Considering that I'm desperately seeking information on my sister's necklace, I'm going to assume that you think that's the leverage you can use to get Elijah back. It's logical to think that Stefan may have gotten ahold of Rebekah's necklace somehow. Perhaps she gave it to him as a token to remember her by, though I find that unlikely. A more reasonable assumption is that he took it or found it somehow. Now, I have no doubt that he would discover its unique power of protection from compulsion, and would give that necklace to his sweet Elena. So, judging by that line of thought, your information would be that Elena has the necklace that I need to contact the Original Witch to learn how to make my hybrids. Am I warm?"

He could tell by the furrow of her brow that she was inwardly debating the pros and cons of lying to his face. He knew that his theory was correct just based on her non-verbal reactions, and the information was now completely useless as leverage. Caroline had apparently realized that, judging by her indecision.

He was proven right when she spoke.

"Sizzling," she said through gritted teeth.

"Excellent," he said with a grin, reaching to tug a curl of her hair between his fingers. She didn't flinch, simply glowering at him as he invaded her personal space, almost nose to nose with her, letting go of her hair to cup her cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart. You've been most helpful."

She jerked away with a growl, and he let her move, his lips curling into a smirk at her resistance. "I do have another thing to discuss, sweetheart."

"I don't want to discuss anything."

"You might once I tell you what it is."

"Is it about my father?"

"Your biological one, yes."

"He's not my father," she muttered, though he could see the glimmer of curiosity in her eyes even as she tried to keep her face neutral. Klaus stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at her as she held his gaze determinedly. "I don't care about anything you could tell me."

"Is that so, sweetheart? Not interested in any information about Elizabeth and William Forbes?"

"How did you know their names?" Caroline asked quietly, her voice cold.

"When I take an interest in something, I learn as much about it as I am able."

"I'm not a thing. Or an it."

"You're not," he agreed. "But let's not lie to me about your lack of interest. I don't like it."

"I don't care what you like, and I don't care about my biological parents, and I don't care what you want from me. I'm here to get my real father back, okay? That's it."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Klaus whispered, his voice low and cajoling, and he watched her grit her teeth as she clenched her fists, a flush beginning to build in her cheeks. He knew it was probably from shame rather than anger, judging the scent of her reluctant arousal blooming in the air.

"Of course I don't care. Elizabeth died when I was four after William left us. I don't know much about either of them. I took my father to her house after he found me and he found cocaine. Lots of it. For the time period, anyway. We don't know what it was for, but he thinks that they were dealers. They weren't good people."

"Ah, but that's not all your history."

Caroline froze. "What do you mean?"

"Did you never wonder where your father went?"

"My father is alive," Caroline said harshly.

"Your biological father, then."

"He died when he left."

"And whose word do you have for that?"

"My real father. Not that it's any of your business. No matter how interested you are in me, I'm not at all interested in my past, or what you know about it."

"Now, Caroline, I think you might be being a bit dishonest with yourself about both of those claims."

She glared at him, her lips pressed together tightly. "Again, if I am anything at all, it's honest. And honestly, you need to stop," she growled, turning around and stomping off to the door. He watched her go, a small smile on his face.

"Do tell my sister and the Ripper that they should be ready to leave for Mystic Falls within the hour," he called after her.

Mystic Falls, Virginia - Present

"Katherine."

Katherine smirked, turning around to face her shadow self, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. "Elena. What an unpleasant surprise."

Elena grimaced, shifting on both feet, her hands twisting together. "I need your help," she said quietly.

Katherine tried to hold back her laugh. She really did. Elena looked at her reproachfully as Katherine stifled her cruel smile. "What could you possibly want from me?"

She knew very well what Elena wanted, and her suspicions were confirmed as Elena jutted her chin out, taking a deep breath. "I want to know about the Travelers. Our family."

"Okay," Katherine said slowly, inspecting her nails boredly. "I'll tell you anything you want to know. For a price, of course."

"What do you want?"

"Well, first of all, for you to get better at negotiating. That's a terrible question to ask. Second, your help getting Elijah back."

"Elijah?" Elena asked, her brow furrowing, and Katherine nodded. "Why do you want to undagger Elijah? Klaus isn't after you anymore, right?"

"I have my reasons," she said vaguely, and Elena cocked her head to the side.

"What would that involve?"

"Your magic."

"I'm not magical," Elena insisted, and Katherine resisted the urge to punch her shadow self in the face. She was human, and it could get messy. "Isabelle told me I am, but I've never done magic."

"Well, I promise that you are. Your magic is just bound, but that's easily fixed. I called in a friend to help."

Well, Caroline called in a friend, but Elena didn't need to know that.

"I don't want to be unbound. I don't want training. I'm so tired of being the one everyone wants to use for everything," Elena complained, and Katherine lost her patience.

"I don't care what you're trying to do or what you want. Not everything's about you," she said firmly. "Lara's coming her to help you unbind your powers and to teach you how to use them. That way, Elijah will get undaggered and it'll be easier for you to stay alive when you make dumb decisions. Everyone wins."

"They're not dumb! I'm just trying to help my friends. Everything that happens is my fault, and I just want to keep everyone alive. Everything's going wrong, and it's just so hard-"

"New rule: no whining," Katherine interrupted.

"I'm not whining. I'm just telling you how I feel."

"How did you come from my gene pool?" Katherine asked rhetorically. "Now, do you agree to my terms?"

"Yeah. I'll help you undagger Elijah," Elena said, and Katherine let herself smile.

"Excellent. Now, sit down and ask me anything you like."

Elena immediately jumped in with questions about what kind of magic she'd be able to do, who her family was, and how their magic got bound. Katherine practically counted down the minutes until it was time to leave, and when her phone alarm went off, she grabbed the other girl's wrist, tearing off the necklace (they could just get a new chain for it and no one would know the difference). "Stay on the couch and wait for us to come back."

"I'll stay on the couch and wait for you to come back," Elena repeated, glaring daggers at Katherine as she got up to leave.

"On the bright side for you, and unfortunately for me, unbinding your magic will make you non-compellable," Katherine said grumpily. "I'll be back with Lara in a bit."

Elena didn't answer, just sitting petulantly on the couch while determinedly looking at the carpet, shuffling her feet.

Chicago, Illinois - Present

Caroline tried to resist the urge to grumble to herself as she packed her suitcase, knowing that the two Originals nearby would hear her. She was angry at herself for spilling the beans, knew that Elijah would have a few choice words for her when he was undaggered, but she honestly couldn't bring herself to care.

Saving her father was the most important thing at the moment, and she had to make some calculated sacrifices. She doubted that Klaus would actually kill Elena. Doppelganger blood was precious, had many more uses than just breaking his specific curse, and he wouldn't give up that sort of power. Sure, Elena would most likely be a walking blood bank for the rest of her life, but she'd be alive.

She checked her phone for the fifth time in as many minutes. She'd texted Katherine that Lara was coming back to Mystic Falls to help train the girls (but mostly to keep them in town so that they wouldn't run off and do anything stupid). However, Lara hadn't called yet to say that she'd landed safely, and it made Caroline worry. It was possible that she'd had a long layover and was still in the air, though.

Just as she looked away, her phone vibrated, and she picked it up and checked her texts.

[Katherine]: Your witch is here. She can't text because her phone plan doesn't cover international

[Katherine]: I bought her a burger on the way home from the airport so we're BFFs now

[Caroline]: k.

[Katherine]: Don't be passive aggressive. We're on the same team, remember?

[Katherine]: Speaking of, I need you to make a deal with Klaus.

[Caroline]: What kind of deal?

[Katherine]: I may or may not have told Jules to relocate her pack.

[Katherine]: I also may or may not know where they went.

[Katherine]: Tell Klaus I'll give him the info in exchange for Elijah.

Caroline snorted. She was not stupid enough to try to make that deal. She liked the small amount of trust she'd developed with him for coming to him about Elena. Even if she hadn't directly said anything, it had shown that she would pick him over Stefan. She did know that if she managed to get the location out of Katherine she'd get leverage though, and that could be valuable.

[Caroline]: Where are they?

[Katherine]: Why should I tell you?

[Caroline]: We're on the same team, remember?

Honestly, Caroline was planning on telling Klaus as soon as Katherine told her. She knew that Klaus could have a hundred different ways of finding the pack, and it would build more trust between them, which she desperately needed.

[Caroline]: You need to show me that I can trust you.

It took a full minute for Katherine to text back, the chat bubble that showed that she was typing disappearing and reappearing twice before she sent a single word.

[Katherine]: Glasco.

[Caroline]: ?

[Katherine]: It's in Kansas

[Caroline]: okay

[Caroline]: I'll ask him to make the deal.

[Katherine]: Good.

Caroline texted back a quick goodbye before putting her phone in her pocket and getting up, stretching. She knew her suitcase was only half-packed, but if they were going to make a stop in Kansas, it was better that Klaus knew sooner rather than later.

She walked out of the hotel room and knocked on Klaus's hotel room door, despite knowing that he would be able to hear her through the wall. He opened it, leaning against the doorway and staring at her. She was taken aback by the lack of the normal playful glint in his eye, the hard line of his mouth. It gave her a gut feeling that something was very, very wrong.

Hopefully this would cheer him up?

"I have something to tell you," she said in a rush, and Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

His voice was silky and dangerous, sending a shiver down Caroline's spine, but she stood up straight, keeping calm. "Katherine convinced Jules' pack to relocate to Glasco, Kansas. If we're going to make more hybrids after we contact the Original witch, they'd probably be a good choice."

"Why would they be such a good choice, love?"

She frowned at him, confused that he didn't seem surprised at the information (but hey, at least that meant that she could give Katherine a legitimate excuse for him knowing). "Um...Because they're warned, I guess. They know about the hybrid curse, so it's better to get them now before any of the other packs find out."

The corners of his lips tipped up ever so slightly, and Caroline could tell that she'd passed some sort of test. "Good girl," he said softly, reaching to tuck a curl behind her ear.

She flinched, wrinkling her nose. "I'm not a dog."

"I wasn't implying it," he said with an amused smile. "Can you blame a man for praising the loyalty of a treasured ally?"

She wanted to punch him in the face and tell him in no uncertain terms that her loyalty ended when the dagger was out of her father's chest, that she wasn't his ally, and if this was what it was like to be treasured by him, she honestly kind of understood why his family all wanted to leave him.

Instead, she gave him her best stink eye, forcing herself to remain calm. "How did you know, anyway?"

"I set up text forwarding on your phone," he said calmly, still playing absently with her hair. "Did you think I'd allow you to have any privacy when it's so clear that you're itching to betray me?"

Caroline gritted her teeth, the unwelcome feeling of helplessness surging through her. God, she hated him. He dropped the curl from between his fingers, stepping back. "I'm glad you told me, sweetheart. It would be a shame for my brother to come back to his lover and his daughter dead from their insolence."

"You wouldn't," she said quietly. "Elijah would hate you, and deep down you care about him and his happiness."

Klaus cocked his head to the side, his lips twitching. "Love is a weakness, Caroline. It's a poison that numbs you to the dangers of the world around you. I highly suggest you learn to live without it."

"God, it must be so depressing to be you," she said before she could stop herself. "What's the point, then?"

"Power."

"And the hybrids? Wanting to have a community where you belong?" she asked, sensing that she was treading on thin ice, sort of wanting to see how far she could push him.

"Shut your pretty mouth sweetheart or I might decide you belong in a fire with a stake in your heart."

"Hit a nerve, did I?" she asked, and Klaus's teeth gritted, his hands clenching and unclenching as his entire body tensed. "Maybe if you didn't go out of your way to pretend to hate everyone so much, you wouldn't have to lock your family in-"

"Enough," he hissed, and she knew she'd put a toe over the line and needed to pull back immediately. "Perhaps I've been too lenient with you, hmm? Do you need a reminder of the deal you made?"

"No," she said firmly. "I told you where the pack was. I proved my loyalty."

For now.

"Perhaps," he said softly. "In any case, I suppose we'll have to take a detour to Glasco. Please inform Rebekah that we'll be subduing an entire pack of werewolves when we arrive. She'll want to wear some sensible shoes."

Mystic Falls, Virginia - Present

Bonnie wasn't too sure about the witch that Katherine had brought. She seemed nice, but there was something about her that made her nervous. She'd watched with sharp eyes as Lara unbound Elena's magic, and nothing bad seemed to happen. Once that was done, Lara told them that she had to go unpack, but she'd be back soon, and Bonnie was free to try to help Elena with some basic spells.

So, now she was sitting with Elena on the living room floor attempting to teach her how to levitate feathers, and she was getting frustrated.

The key word in that sentence was 'attempting'.

She'd been friends with Elena since Kindergarten, and loved the girl like a sister, but she just wasn't listening.

"Close your eyes," Bonnie said again. "Take a deep breath, and feel the air around you."

"What do you mean 'feel the air'? It's air," Elena said exasperatedly. "It's not like it's doing anything special."

"There's magic in it," Bonnie said, trying to be patient. "Don't you feel any different after being unbound?"

"Yeah. I mean, I guess."

"Okay, and you feel that different kind of energy?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so match it with the energy in the air."

Elena pressed her lips together in annoyance, but obligingly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Okay, so find the magic inside of you and try to match the sensation to the air," Bonnie said. "I feel a sort of a light pulling sensation, like something is gently tugging my skin away from my body. Do you feel that?"

"Yeah," Elena said, her eyes still closed.

"Good, so try to find that sensation in the air. Feel the air moving with itself."

She watched Elena as she frowned, her eyes tightly shut, before she smiled. "I did it!" she said, her eyes flying open, and Bonnie nodded.

"Great! So now, do it again, but try to sense the objects around you and how the magic surrounds them. Once you find the feathers, push them with your magic."

Elena nodded excitedly, shutting her eyes and biting her lip as she concentrated. Soon, the feathers were floating around the room, and Bonnie got up when Lara came back to let her in, Elena still levitating the feathers.

"Okay, let them down or you'll drain yourself," she said, her tone businesslike. She sat down and rifled through her purse before pulling out what looked like a plastic bag full of dead flowers. She took one out and handed it to Bonnie. "Let's see where you are."

Bonnie frowned at it for a second, frowning and looking back up at the other witch. "What do you want me to do."

"Bring it back," Lara said, as though it was the easiest thing in the world.

"What? Like, bring it back to life?"

"Have you not done that before?" Lara asked slowly.

"No. My family's dead, so I'm sorry if my magical education was lacking," Bonnie said, knowing she sounded a little bit defensive.

Lara grimaced. "Right. Okay. We have some work to do, then. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, and we'll get started."

Topeka, Kansas - Present

Klaus pressed his hand gently against the small of Caroline's back as he led her through the private jet terminal in the airport, his new werewolves trailing behind them. Rebekah and Stefan walked behind the group to make sure that none of them tried to escape. Caroline seemed to have given up on shaking him off, smart enough to recognize that it was his way to constantly remind her who she belonged to.

He did enjoy the chase though, and was slightly disappointed that she'd stopped giving him the satisfaction, though he was sure that her sudden compliance was because she'd figured that out too. Caroline was clearly the passive-aggressive type, and it was rather amusing.

Once he knew how to make hybrids, Caroline would expect to be free (along with Elijah, alive and undaggered). He'd spent a few weeks trying to find a loophole in their deal. She was useful, at least so far, and she'd make a valuable ally. Her loyalty to Elijah seemed to be powerful and unwavering however, almost to a point of unnaturalness. He wanted her loyalty, her mind, and her body all to himself, and that would be an impossible task should Elijah return.

He'd noticed Rebekah trying to suppress her curiosity as soon as they'd entered the airport. He wondered if he could use that to influence her to bond with Caroline. The girl seemed to be rather attached to the idea of family, and if she and Rebekah got on well, then Rebekah would be able to convince her to stay on their side of things.

Caroline didn't hide her scowl as he offered her his arm to assist her up the steps to the jet though, tearing her arm away to grip the railing.

"No need to be testy, love," Klaus said, his hands in his pockets as he followed her into the plane. "Just trying to help."

"I don't need your help," she said, clearly trying not to sound too irritable.

"My apologies," he said unapologetically, his lips twisting into a smile. "I was simply attempting to be a gentleman."

She scoffed, stomping the rest of the way up, and Klaus did a quick headcount as the werewolves filed in after her, Stefan bringing up the rear. "Rebekah," he said softly, and his sister turned to him, her eyes still burning with rage at his behavior.

"What?" she snapped.

"Perhaps you'd like to get to know Caroline a bit better?"

"Why would I do that, Nik?"

"She could be useful. In addition, it would keep Elijah content after we undagger him," Klaus said, knowing the use of 'we' would sway her a bit.

Rebekah did like being included in matters that weren't really her business.

"How would I go about doing that?" Rebekah asked slowly, and Klaus gave her a dimpled smile, pulling a phone out of his pocket that he'd had Caroline pick out at the store earlier, handing it to his sister. She frowned at it, blinking once before cautiously pressing the button on the front, looking faintly surprised when it lit up. "What's this?"

"That's a telephone, sweetheart," he said, trying not to speak too condescendingly. "I'm sure Caroline would be thrilled to show you how to use it."

Rebekah nodded absently, pressing a finger to the front and frowning as she experimentally swiped left and right a few times. "Move in to the aeroplane. I don't have all day, Rebekah."

"Sorry, Nik," she mumbled, speeding up the steps and into the jet before sitting down next to Caroline and showing her the device. "What does this do?"

Klaus watched as Caroline looked faintly surprised, covering it quickly and taking the phone from Rebekah's hand and unlocking it. "It's an iPhone. It lets you talk to people over long distances-"

"No, I know what a telephone is," Rebekah snapped, and Caroline looked a bit hurt. Rebekah seemed to gather herself quickly at the look on Caroline's face. "I meant to ask how to call people. That can't be all it does either. I've seen you on yours before and you weren't talking."

"It can write messages to other people, and you can download games and go on the internet."

"What's an internet?" Rebekah asked quickly, the curiosity obvious in her voice.

Klaus idly wondered when he'd started looking forward to seeing Caroline's bright smile.

Minneapolis, Minnesota - 1932

"Father, what's this word?"

"Sound it out, my dear," Elijah said, not looking up from his book.

"I did sound it out," Caroline said exasperatedly. "What's a cholera?"

He tried not to wince at the 'ch' sound that passed through her teeth, looking up and setting his book down, moving over to sit beside her on the couch. "Cholera is a disease."

"So Mary's parents died from being sick," she said quietly, her words statement rather than a question.

"If they died of cholera, then yes."

"Why didn't they have the special soup?"

"Because it's a secret recipe," Elijah said calmly, the white lie justifiable for now.

Caroline had gotten quite sick after they'd moved for the first time, and after a bit of waffling over whether it would be safe, Elijah had made her soup with a bit of his blood mixed in, telling her to drink all of it. She had without question and immediately felt completely better, but had never probed deeper to ask how.

"Why don't you give the recipe to other people? Everyone could stop being sick," she asked with wide, confused eyes.

"The special ingredient could be dangerous if used incorrectly."

"Oh," she said slowly, turning back to her book and frowning. "Will you teach me to make it?"

"Perhaps when you're older."

"How much longer is reading time?" she asked abruptly, her eyes moving to glance at the clock.

As soon as he'd found her, Elijah had attempted to teach her basic maths and how to read, and it had become clear that she'd been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information he was trying to give her at once. After the initial near breakdown, he'd began to integrate the lessons into everyday life instead, including making an hour of reading time every night.

In the beginning, Caroline had been less than enthused. Sitting still for a whole hour was torture, as far as she was concerned, and she had no interest in any of the books he brought for her (mostly because he hadn't had a clue what was age appropriate at that point).

Once he'd acquired some picture books, she was much more willing to learn (Winnie-the-Pooh was a particular favorite), and she'd caught on fast. She was seven now, and though The Secret Garden was most likely for children just a bit older, she'd insisted on trying it once he told her no.

Reading time was just before bed, and at this point it was difficult to tear her away from the sitting room once she'd started reading. 'May I finish this chapter' often turned into 'I forgot I was supposed to stop, may I finish this chapter', and he'd started to hint that she might like to start earlier if she was going to insist on reading past bedtime.

"Forty-five minutes."

"How did my old parents die?"

He blinked, a bit taken aback by the subject jump, and she stared at him expectantly. He'd looked into her parents, of course. He couldn't just take a child without knowing her history. After finding her records, he'd debated when the right time to tell her would be. It was definitely a complicated subject to breach with a seven year old, and it might be easier to fill in as she got older.

For now, though, he would give her a basic answer.

"Your mother died because she had some business associates who believed that she lied to them."

"And my old father?" she asked.

"His body was never found," Elijah said slowly. "However, I had a friend of mine keep an eye on your old home, and he never returned."

"Oh," she said, and he saw her deflate, her lip trembling.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he said, trying to comfort her, and she sniffled, snuggling closer to him. He put an arm around her slowly, accepting the touch, and she wiped her nose with the back of her hand, making him wince.

"It's all right," she said quietly. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're my daughter. Why would I not?"

"You found me in an alley," she said, the unspoken truth that he'd just taken her in on a whim hanging between them.

"I love you as though you were my blood, Caroline. I'll always take care of you," he said quietly, and the big, surprised eyes she gave him made his heart break, as though she'd been spending the last three years waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to send her away.

"Promise?"

"Always and forever."

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry for the very long wait! Do you think the Klaroline interaction works? How do you feel about Caroline's character and whether it matches up to who she is in the shows? Do you have a favorite part or line of the chapter? Do you like the little glimpses into her and Elijah's life?

Let me know what you think in a review! It's the only way I'll know ;)