Caroline showed her stolen credentials at the employee gate, the cart behind her laden with baked goods she'd bought off of Matt's daily delivery at The Grill. She felt calm, as she always did when she was playing the game. She freaked out over the planning, let anxiety keep her up at night as she imagined everything playing out, but when she was in the moment? It was like ice ran through her veins.
The guard waved her through and began checking out the cart, licking his lips at the pastries on display.
She teased him with an "I can hear your stomach grumbling from here" and he smiled shyly at her, the grin softening the hard features of his face. She looked exaggeratedly both ways before sliding him a cherry danish across the top of the cart and he laughed as she moved on, tugging the baked goods behind her.
Distraction wins again, she thought, the iron baking sheets inside the cart resting atop a few things that most decidedly wouldn't have made it through a full search. She pulled the cart into a hallway idle with disuse and slid the communicator in her ear.
"I'm in."
"Caroline, we agreed." Josh's voice was almost a whine in her ear.
She shook her head, laughing. "My bad." She deepened her voice and whispered, "The eagle lands at dawn."
"Thank you, so much, for realizing a life's dream."
"Totally here for you. But that's it."
Klaus' voice sounded droll in her ear. "I'm glad we're past that. I'm approaching the entrance."
"Has Marcel spotted you yet?"
"You can be sure of it," Klaus replied. "There's cameras everywhere, both tech and spell. He's not leaving anything up to chance." A note of pride entered his voice. "I taught him well, after all."
"OK, well I need to stop talking to myself in the hallway and get ready. See you upstairs."
Caroline pulled out the gown Klaus had gifted her despite her protests. "You need to dress the part, love. It is a gala after all." She had to admit it was beautiful, the blue tulle swirling out from the waist like a gown made for a ballerina. She changed in the washroom, swirling her hair up into a loose chignon and letting a few curls free to frame her face. She stared in the mirror for a moment more than she actually had, finally nodding firmly at her own reflection before heading back to the cart and slipping the phone and Bonnie's small charms into her bag.
The ballroom upstairs was a marvel, witchlights magicked in golden and copper hues, charmed to flicker softly like candles in the dim light - some so tiny as to resemble stars in the night sky of the floor's vaulted ceiling. A balcony circled the ballroom, french doors opened wide, and despite the early hour Caroline could hear a cacophony of voices from outside, a thundering of heartbeats from all around. She clutched her purse and glanced at her surroundings, noting the exits and the guards, the tense set of their shoulders giving them away.
She spotted Klaus out of the corner of her eye and turned towards him. He was perfect in his tuxedo, and he was staring at her, lips parted, the heat in his expression almost wrecking her composure. He turned away with visible effort and she willed her heart to slow. The smallest moments are sometimes one's undoing, and she thought this might be hers.
A voice at her elbow was a welcome distraction and she turned at her name.
"Caroline Forbes. Of all the peop- what are you doing here?" The young, dark-haired man said with a strange mix of suspicion and warmth.
"Tyler! You look great. Wow, it's really good to see you!" Part of her wasn't lying. He'd filled out over the past year since they'd broken up, and she could see the bulk of solid muscle that lay beneath the tailored suit. She willed herself from comparing Tyler to Klaus' lean form.
"I haven't seen you since -" Tyler waved his arm awkwardly. The breakup had been his choice - well, with his mom's full support - but Caroline found she no longer held a grudge. Tyler had been her first love. "How's your mom?" he asked. There was an unspoken question there, and Caroline knew it. He'd never approved of her grifting.
"Still -" she motioned at her leg with a pained expression.
"And are you...still...?" He trailed off.
God, this was the most stilted conversation she'd had in ages. It would make her sad if she wasn't here to do a job. "Tyler, don't."
"Care, look, what are you doing here, really?" He looked pained. "Because if you're trying to pull one over on our guests…"
"Oh screw you," she replied, whipping her skirt around in a furious turn, ignoring the half-hearted apology, only glancing back to catch Tyler turning away and heading up the stairs. She saw his uncertain worry as he tapped on a vampire's shoulder and leaned over to speak close. She threw a panicked expression on her face as the dark-skinned vampire turned to watch her, his eyes glittering in a way she knew meant trouble.
The plan was coming along nicely, if she said so herself.
Klaus strode into the ballroom just as the gala was getting into full swing. A pity that he could not share a dance with Caroline, he thought. The dress fit her perfectly, accentuating her regal carriage, that graceful neck he itched to capture on canvas. He spotted her out of the corner of his eye, near one of the buffet tables, talking to a clearly besotted idiot dressed in reenactment wizard robes. Klaus held back a sneer.
He glanced up and saw Marcel watching him, turned his gaze away idly from Caroline. Time to focus on the game and serve as the perfect distraction. He smiled cheekily at Marcel, raising a glass in toast, and turned his back.
He didn't have to wait long, knew his protege wouldn't be able to resist the chance to try to figure out his motives while delivering some barbed comments meant to rile him up. Certainly, on another day Marcel might succeed, but today Klaus was as laser-focused as he knew Caroline to be. They were much the same, and the amount of times he thought that was both alarming and comforting in the oddest of ways.
"Klaus."
"Marcellus." They sized each other up, Marcel giving an easy smile, teeth gleaming amidst the low light of the ballroom.
The younger vampire opened his arms wide, as if to show the room off. "So what do you think?"
"I think the wizard robes are horribly gauche, if I'm being honest."
"You never really understood playing the crowd, Klaus." Marcel turned to point at one of the party-goers cloaked in the long robes. "It connects people. Gives them a sense of control over the past. And - " he raised his drink, the dark liquid swirling with an amber glow - he'd even magicked the alcohol - "sales have been incredibly lucrative."
"Ah yes, more money to bribe others into liking you," Klaus responded, his eyes on the wizard.
"You're one to talk. Oh, I guess the difference is you threaten others into fearing you. And how's that working for you?"
Klaus ground his teeth, his irritation real despite his intentions. Marcel was too casual with him, he clearly felt he had the upper hand and it rankled. His mind flashed to Caroline again and he felt the smile creep back on his face. In this town of thousands he'd found the one person alongside him who was brilliant enough to plan a caper like this. He couldn't wait to see Marcel's face when he realized.
The smile threw Marcel off, he could tell, so he let it grow on his face to unnerve Marcel further. He only had to give her a few minutes more, might as well make it entertaining.
She really needed to have a talk with Klaus after this. The dungeon he'd so extolled the virtues of was creepy as hell. Not veilwrath creepy, she shuddered in remembrance, but creepy nonetheless despite Marcel's attempts at re-purposing the space. Dark red witchlights lined the hall, illuminating the waist-high railing lining the walls that appeared to be made from human bone. The floors were dark and lustrous, granite she thought, and they reflected the lights so that the halls seemed lined in blood. One of Bonnie's charms sat in the hollow of her throat, awakened from dormancy with a few words, rendering Caroline's footsteps silent despite the hard floor and her heels.
She moved like a spectre through the halls, ducking into the side passages to avoid the regular patrols. It was one of the negatives to infiltrating the tower on gala night - guards were double if not triple the norm. That's where spells came in handy, she thought, watching a guard walk a foot in front of her, her back against the rusted iron of a centuries-old cell. It was a ridiculous thought, considering, but she still spared a moment of mourning for her dress.
She slipped her earpiece back in her ear as she reached the end of the hall, two guards standing watch, their eyes passing right through her. It was easy work to break the first one's neck, but it made her visible, so she had to act fast. Running up the side of the wall, she kicked off of it with her back leg, using the momentum to launch herself across the hall and latching her arm around the neck of the guard who had his mouth open to scream.
He let out a choked sigh instead just before she snapped his neck too, gently lowering the body to the floor. She had four minutes until the next patrol. Thank goodness Klaus had made the dungeon big enough to hold such a maze of cells. Did….did she really just have that thought? She pulled out the phone from her clutch as she studied the keypad on the door. Her vision spotted the wear on the pads, confirming the code she'd coerced earlier today out of a disgruntled tech specialist in Marcel's employ. God, that girl had been annoying.
Her fingers flew across the keypad, one light flashing green on the lock panel of the door, and she played Tom's voice code next, hearing the low click of the second lock. She went to tug the door open, stopping just as she noticed one red light still holding fast. What the hell? This wasn't in the plans. She looked behind her, willing the spike of panic down. She still had three minutes. She'd be fine, just needed to figure out what was going on. She scanned the door, eyes tracking across the lintel back down to the handle, and her heart almost stopped. A second panel, eye level.
A retina scanner.
Shit shit shit shit shit. She couldn't believe they'd missed it in the schematics, but honestly it looked to be a new addition, the panel jutting out from the wall instead of flush like the keypad. Her hands fluttered wildly as she spun around and knelt by one of the guards, turning her face away and closing her eyes as she curled her fingers into an eye and pulled. It popped out with an obscene noise and she shook her head, hard, standing up and running to the scanner, praying to whomever would listen, her arm reaching out with the guard's eye clutched in her hand -
Another hand wrapping firmly at her wrist stilled her movements. She grabbed at the hand and spun quickly, thankful again for that martial arts class Elena had forced her to take back in high school. She pulled the arm over her shoulder and tugged down. With her vampire strength, it should have been enough to break an arm. It wasn't, her assailant pulling out of the grip just in time, wrapping arms around her from behind, his mouth at her ear whispering furiously.
"Shhh It's ok, it's me."
She resisted the urge to scream with the greatest showing of willpower she'd ever managed in her life. "I'm going to kill you when we get out of here."
He spun her to face him, reached into his suit pocket, and pulled out an eyeball still trailing ocular tissue. "No, you're not. The guard's eye wouldn't have worked. Marcel wouldn't ever trust someone to guard that could get in to the vault. But this one," he flourished the eye like a trophy, "is Tom Avery's."
"It's not here," Caroline said, disappointed though she'd known the vault was a longshot.
"We had to check, love," Klaus said, and she wondered at the comfort of it, at him saying those words with that intent. Paired with his apologetic look in the ruddy light of the vault, she felt her confused heart jump.
"We've got to go. One minute until the next patrol, and then they'll find the bodies-
"Giving just the distraction we need,' Caroline finished with a smile, tossing Klaus an extra charm and whispering the latin phrase into her own. She lost Klaus in the dimmed blood-red of the dungeon's light, but felt his presence at her side as they raced back to the ground floor and merged into the crowd, Klaus plucking two champagne flutes off the nearest tray and offering her one with a flourish. She couldn't keep the laugh back, the adrenaline coursing through her veins, Klaus' expression was so...pleased with himself, like he'd just won a prize. She wondered when he'd gone back to Tom's house, how he even knew, and most of all, why she hadn't thought about it herself.
A voice at her ear, crackling. "HellOOO? if you've got time to laugh, you've got time to report. What is going on?" Josh's anxiety was palpable, and she felt bad for honestly forgetting both him and Bonnie in the moment.
"The eagle has landed?" Caroline responded questioningly. "Well, actually,the eagle flew around the nest and then realized it was the wrong one."
Josh huffed a laugh. "I'm so glad we met."
"What are you guys even talking about?" Bonnie asked.
"We've got to do it the hard way," Caroline summed up, distracted as Klaus hand touched the small of her back before he pulled away. His eyes were fierce as he faded back into the crowd, and Caroline found herself watching until he did.
She sipped her champagne, feeling the bubbles tickle her throat. Her eyes tracked the guards as she headed back towards the ballroom, watching the wave of alarm hit them as they held fingers to earpieces, listening intently to reports. Guards began peeling off from the crowds, heading towards the dungeon casually enough to not cause a scene, but noticeable if you were watching. Which she was. She stepped into the ballroom to see Marcel speaking urgently to Tyler and a bruiser of a guard, his suit tight across huge shoulders. Werewolf, she thought idly, setting down her still-full glass on a nearby table and smiling at a guy seated there. She could use the cover of a dance, and of course he asked, almost tripping over his wizard robes in his haste. God, those things were hideous, she thought.
The turns of the formal dance gave her a great vantage to what was going on, her eyes continuing to watch the reactions of the staff to the clearly alarming occurrence of two dead guards and a breached vault below. By now Klaus would be upstairs, heading towards Marcel's quarters. Tyler hadn't left Marcel's side, and she caught the suspicious looks he kept shooting her. She'd almost be offended if he wasn't right.
"Excuse me, miss." The huge werewolf guard broke into her dance, her partner's eyes widening and letting her go without complaint when he caught a glimpse of their interruption. "Marcel would like to speak with you."
Her heart raced, that same rush as the thrill of the hunt that she still guiltily remembered from her first night as a vampire. She smiled her best festival queen smile and the werewolf grinned a gap-toothed one of his own, taking her hand in the clutch of his arm in a gallant gesture that made Caroline giggle.
Marcel watched as she approached, and she saw that same calculation she'd seen on Klaus when she first met him, assessing the threat, taking her measure. Tyler looked at her with a disbelieving gaze, his brow furrowed.
"Miss Caroline Forbes," Marcel greeted her. He had one of those smiles that shone over his whole face, and Caroline steeled herself against the charm of it. "Won't you come this way, would like to talk to you in private, if you don't mind." He turned before she answered and she followed, the guard leading her now with an arm hovering behind her, his palm not quite touching her back. She gave silent thanks for giant werewolves with manners.
The noise of the gala receded behind them as they headed through a staff-only door, Tyler giving her a searching look just on the edge of apologetic, staying on the other side as the door clanged shut. A magic-powered elevator hovered in the small vestibule and Marcel motioned her in.
"Are...are we headed up to your office?" She asked nervously, more to alert Klaus and let Bonnie and Josh know where she was than out of any real fear.
Marcel smiled wryly at her but changed the subject instead of answering. "Enjoying the party?"
"It's lovely," she replied. Really? Did she really need to have small talk on an elevator with the man she was trying to steal the only thing in the world that could stop an immortal? She couldn't keep the incredulous laughter in, used it to color her next words with a smile. "The fountain is easily the best part. You must have paid a lot of money for that witchwork." The entrance hall held a giant fountain, ensorcelled so the water appeared as gently falling leaves. Even amidst the thrill of the game she'd paused at the majesty of it.
Marcel smiled at the praise as the elevator coasted to a stop, motioning for her to exit, and they walked through a series of halls with progressively tighter security. She felt a frisson of doubt that Klaus could have made it up here and past all these guards, but quelled it. Not only was he Klaus but he had Bonnie's magic to aid him. This would be so much easier if he'd just find the cure on his own and escape, but she guessed it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Have a seat," Marcel said casually, and she realized this bullshit small talk was designed to unnerve her, draw out the fear a bit. This must be a tactic he'd come up with on his own, as it totally wasn't Klaus' style.
"Can I ask why I'm here?" She said, trying to push through the bs.
"I'd like you to tell me about the two dead guards stationed in front of my vault." He said it almost cheerily, settling into a dark leather couch and crossing a foot over his knee. Gap-toothed werewolf stood next to the couch, his hands crossed in front of his chest and muscles straining at his suit's seams. She looked around, buying time and taking in her surroundings. There were around ten other vampires here, all of them staring at her with idle interest. It looked to be a break room rather than Marcel's office, a bumper pool table sat in the corner, cues made out of formed magic resting up against the wall, glowing softly. A small kitchenette where a witch was rummaging through the refrigerator took up another corner, the rest of the walls floor-to-ceiling windows. Mystic Falls shined below them, the bridge arching tall to east. She picked out Fell's Church by the glimmering of magic at the old wizard's house and wondered if her mom was ok.
Marcel seemed to be content with her delay in response, motioning to one of the vampires who poured him a glass of something dark and strong. Caroline wasn't up on her liquors. She debated lying, decided it would just slow things down.
"Oh that was me."
Marcel's smile burst across his face, amused by the unexpected admission. "A girl who owns it, I like it." He shifted in his chair, studying her over the rim of his glass. "Tyler said you're a con artist. So what's the con?"
"That's like a magician revealing her secrets," she scoffed.
Marcel set his tumbler down with a click on the glass-topped coffee table and spread his hands. "Look, you seem like a smart girl, so let me spell it out for you. I'd much rather be downstairs enjoying my gala -"
"It's not yours, it's the city's," she couldn't help but retort.
He rolled his eyes and she clenched her jaw to keep from punching him. "Enjoying my gala," he repeated, "than stretching this out any more. Here. I'll help. I know Klaus hired you." Caroline's eyes widened the slightest bit in alarm. They'd been careful, but it wasn't a complete surprise. "And I assume he's after this." Marcel pulled out a small vial from beneath his shirt. It hung from a leather thong strung around his neck, the leather threaded through holes in the top of the sealed vial.
It looked so tiny, this thing that could end immortal lives.
Marcel saw the thought on her face and smiled, letting the vial drop back to his chest. "A bit too valuable to keep in the vault, Miss Forbes. So, here's what I'm thinking." He uncrossed his leg, leaning forward so that his reflection shone in the glass of the coffee table. "Klaus only works with the best, so that makes you the best."
She tried but failed to keep the pleased smile off her face. She was pretty damn good, if she was being honest.
"So how much it would take for you to come work for me, instead?"
Caroline shook her head. "I won't be a bid in a pissing contest between you two. If you want to punish me, that's fine, but I'm not switching sides. Klaus has earned my loyalty."
Marcel's eyes widened at that, his head jerking back in surprise. "Wait a second. Do you actually like working for Klaus? Wait a second…." He launched up from the chair and pulled open a drawer, the sound of metal clattering as he pawed through the contents. "Knew I still had it." He held what looked like a cross between a fireplace lighter and a wand in his hand and scanned it over her. She felt the sharp tingle of magic and hoped it wouldn't interfere with Bonnie's charm.
"Hmm, no compulsion." He sat back down, magic device tossed aside and his attention firmly on her. "So you are loyal to Klaus, huh. You know what, I bet he likes you back."
"I didn't say anything about liking Klaus," she defended lamely, but her heart wasn't in something she didn't believe, and she was confused by the almost juvenile turn in the conversation. Perhaps they'd discuss cooties next. She wondered where Klaus actually was, wondered if he'd realized the cure was on Marcel and not hidden away somewhere.
"Well, either way, don't say I didn't ask you nicely first." He pulled out his phone, his fingers speeding over the touchscreen as he sent a text. The door she'd noticed next to the pool table slid open and a reluctant Tyler walked in, his hand firm at the elbow of one Elizabeth Forbes.
She thought Tyler might have mouthed an "I'm sorry Care" but she was too busy staring at her mom, trying to communicate wordlessly. She turned back to Marcel, daggers in her eyes.
"So if someone doesn't agree with you, you resort to kidnapping their mother? How is this an effective bargaining technique?"
"I've been pretty relaxed about you snapping the necks of two of my men, Caroline," Marcel said. Caroline caught her mom's flinch out of the corner of her eye at his words. "So quit with the attitude. I'm offering you a business proposition, and Sheriff Forbes is just here to ensure you make an informed decision."
"How thoughtful of you," Klaus' voice sounded in the room and Caroline almost clapped her hands in glee as Marcel launched himself backwards off the couch, crouching in a defensive posture and whirling his head around trying to spot the intruder. Still, this wasn't in the plan, so the other half of her wanted to stab Klaus with one of her heels.
Klaus appeared out of thin air, Bonnie's charm bright in the palm of his hand before he slipped it into his pocket, and two of the guards launched themselves at him. In the span of a breath he held both of their hearts in his dripping hands and the assailants dropped, their bodies appearing almost dejected as they sagged inward and fell. Caroline looked over at the sound of her mom's shaky breath.
This Klaus was the one her mom had warned her about. She found she wasn't much concerned.
Marcel waved an arm back, holding off anyone else approaching Klaus. From the kitchenette came the sound of chanting and Klaus squeezed his eyes shut, knees buckling briefly. Served him right for messing with the plan, Caroline thought.
"How'd you sneak magic in here?" He asked, and Klaus' eyes darted to Caroline. That tiny admission was enough for Marcel to regain confidence. "She's quite something. Can't believe she's escaped my attention this long. You know what I find interesting though?" Marcel asked, walking past the couch with a casual swagger, grabbing Liz by the nape of her neck. Her mom winced and Caroline saw red.
"Pray tell," Klaus responded through gritted teeth.
"That the man who told me that feelings were what made vampires weak is standing here in my tower trying to rescue his girl."
"She's not 'my girl'," Klaus said. "She's a valuable employee."
"Ah then, so you don't care about her, right? Don't care about how she'd feel if I killed her mom right here?" Marcel led with his questions, giving an almost sad wave of apology at the sheriff as if rueing the need to involve her in such sordid plans.
Caroline thought her heart might explode, but she held on to her dad's voice in her head. Always make them think they've pulled one over on you. The confidence is what lets you continue the game.
She paused for the briefest of seconds, closing her eyes and muttering "Thanks Dad" under her breath, and nodded at her mom.
Liz Forbes smiled almost beatifically and said a single word. Bonnie's spell, hidden behind Liz's injury's dark magic, surged from her, a bright flash of light that Klaus and Caroline both blocked with the secondary magic lingering in Bonnie's charms. The air crackled, and Caroline felt the heat of it surge around her like the blast from an explosion.
A witch and ten vampires, including Marcel, dropped to meet the two bodies on the floor, Klaus moving before the phosphor spell even began to dim, standing now over Marcel. He snapped the vial's cord from Marcel's neck, gazing down at his once-protege. Caroline knew what he was thinking.
"Do you have to kill him?" she asked softly, and he turned to her, his eyes losing some of the wildness in them as he looked at her.
"No, love. I don't. But what I do have to do," Klaus hauled Marcel up, watching as his eyes began to focus anew, his own dilating as Marcel's sight returned. "Is compel Marcel to never come after you or your mother again."
Caroline swallowed over the sudden lump in her throat, deflecting. "See, I told you tampering with the vervain supply was a good idea!"
Klaus smiled, and even Caroline couldn't ignore the adoration in his gaze or in his tone as he replied. "Of course it was, love."