CHAPTER 17: TRUTH.
Caroline didn't know what the heck was happening. All of a sudden, strange things started happening, actually, strange didn't even begin to cover it!
First were the strange stares she got whenever she went out with Ellie a few days after she turned three months old, then there was the creepy gathering of black cats, then black crows outside their house, then the black Dahlias started appearing out of nowhere around her baby!
Caroline didn't know what the heck was going on and it was scaring her. Somewhere deep within her, she knew something was about to happen, something big and it scared her because she could feel that whatever it was, it had something to do with her daughter.
As Caroline finished strapping little Ellie in her car seat, she heard Bonnie before she saw her.
"Care." Bonnie said, Caroline turned to look at her.
"Yep?" she said as she who Bonnie was with. "Marcel? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Somethings come up." Marcel said as he looked at Bonnie who nudged him, "You need to return to New Orleans, now."
"Why?" Caroline asked, instinctly, she could tell that this was it. Dread and fear suddenly filled her, "Did he find out?"
"Yes. But there's more. You and your daughter is in danger." Marcel said as he looked around. "It's not safe to talk here. Get inside and I'll drive." Marcel said as he took the keys from Caroline's loose, trembling hands and started the car.
"Come on, I've texted the others, they'll follow." Bonnie said as she led Caroline inside the car.
"Where are we again?" Caroline asked as she entered what seemed like a warehouse that was converted to an apartment.
"We are at my apartment. I own this whole warehouse, its just outside of town, just enough so that the witches can't use their powers too much." Marcel said as he led the others in.
"Why are we staying here? I thought Klaus was meeting us." Caroline asked, she didn't really want to see Klaus but she was under the impression that that was why Marcel had picked them up in the first place.
"Somethings come up in the quarters again. He'll drop by later, or I'll take you to the compound later but right now, its not safe to enter the city." Marcel said as he took hold of his phone to read a text.
"When is it ever safe in New Orleans exactly? We got here it wasn't safe and now you're saying that we can't go in because its not safe but that we have to be here because we're still not safe!" Caroline said. She was annoyed. When she was pregnant, she got stuck in New Orleans for most of her pregnancy cause it wasn't safe for her to get out, and now they were back because something bad is apparently going to happen to her daughter and that they weren't safe in Texas and now apparently New Orleans still is not safe for them still!
"Look, there's a lot of issues going on in the Quarter right now. everyone is at war and with what's about to happen, its still safer that you are with us." With 'us' Marcel meant with the Original family and him, "I have to go and see what's happening. There's food in the kitchen and wife, the guest bedrooms are upstairs and all the doors on the left. I also had someone prepare your baby's room." Marcel said as he pointed where the kitchens and the way to the rooms were. "Now I have some of my men here to stay and watch you, if you need anything, just ask them. But please, do not leave this warehouse. At least until I or Klaus get back." he said as he made his way out of the warehouse and instructed his men to enter.
"Am I supposed to feel like a prisoner? I am getting so confused here." Caroline muttered to herself as she adjusted Ellie in her arms. "Let's get you settled, my little one." she said as she headed to where the rooms were along with Bonnie.
Caroline rocked her daughter as she hummed the lullaby, when she was sure that her daughter was finally asleep, she lay her down on her crib and stared at her daughter's sleeping form.
Marcel had been gone for almost the whole day and, while she and Bonnie had arrived with Marcel, Liv, Luke, Damon and Enzo, Liz and Jeremy arrived at the warehouse.
Once Caroline was sure that Ellie would not be waking up, she went and sat on the rocking chair beside her daughter's crib. She had no idea how long she sat there just staring at her daughter but she was soon brought out of her stupor when she heard her mother's voice.
"Honey" Liz said as she entered the room with a plate on her hand and a glass of water on the other, "You didn't join us for dinner. I thought you might like to eat here instead." she said as she offered Caroline the plate and placed the glass of water on the table near her.
Caroline smiled and gratefully took the plate of food from her mom, "Thanks mom. I hadn't realized I missed dinner." she said as she began to take a forkful of pasta.
"Things are pretty crazy huh sweetheart." Liz said as she looked from her daughter to her beautiful little granddaughter. Ellie looked so much like Caroline when she was a baby and Liz couldn't help but reminisce about the times when Caroline was but an infant in her arms.
"Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it." Caroline said as she placed the plate on the table and took the glass of water.
"What am I doing mom, was it crazy of me to think that I might have a simple, normal life with my daughter? Now I'm in a place where I have to tell Klaus, who is the most dramatic vampire I know, that we have a child together and that I might have to share custody of Ellie with him. What if I screw up and he screws up? Ellie would be screwed! How am I going to give Ellie the life she deserves if everything around us is so not normal? She's just turned three months and she's already in danger." Caroline said, she'd been too scared and preoccupied the last few hours that it was only now that she finally let her thoughts run rampant.
"Oh Caroline, that will always be a worry of every parent. You won't screw up Caroline, you're going to be a great mom to Ellie and as for Klaus, well, I'm sure you two will be able to come up with something that is agreeable, I don't know much about him, other than what happened back home, but I'm sure with the right push, you two will be able to come up with something." Liz knew that despite everything that went down in Mystic Falls with Klaus and his family, Klaus had had a soft spot, a crush on her daughter.
At first she'd notice him watching her daughter's moves whenever she was out and about and then her thoughts began to form a solid opinion on him when he'd sought out her home and willingly given Caroline his blood, along with his 'birthday' gift of a diamond bracelet and (yes, she'd seen that too, she still did her daughter's laundry and Caroline always thought keeping things in her drawers would keep her secrets safe) the beautiful blue gown she'd kept in a box at the very end of her closet, then she also found out that Klaus had rescued her daughter and helped her friends because Caroline was in danger and even letting her and her friends live whenever they made his own life and his family's life hell. She knew then that despite Klaus' infamous nature, he cared for her daughter.
"Thanks mom." Caroline said as she stood up and hugged her mom, "I'm so glad you're here with me."
"I'm glad too sweetheart." Liz said, "Now, I bought some ice cream with Jeremy before heading over, let's go get some… Unless Jer already ate it." Liz said as she held her daughter's hand to lead her out of the nursery.
Caroline sat at the kitchen stool alone as she munched on the left over ice cream she and her mother had enjoyed earlier. It was much later in the evening and everyone had gone to bed but for some reason, Caroline could not fall asleep.
"Hello, Love." she heard a voice say, causing her insides to squirm, her heart to beat faster and her entire being to freeze for a moment.
"Klaus." she said as she turned around to face him, ice cream forgotten.
There was a long silence that filled them. Neither one didn't know what to say to the other. 'What do you say to your once enemy turned one time lover turned your baby daddy?' Caroline thought to herself.
"So. What's going on?" Caroline asked. Might as well get this over with she said to herself. She still didn't fully understand the situation, all Marcel had told her was that someone was after her and Ellie. "Marcel just appeared on our doorstep and dragged us back here without a very thorough explanation of why." she added.
"Ah, yes, Marcel. How is it you know him by the way?" Klaus asked.
Sighing, Caroline placed her spoon on the sink and returned the ice cream in the freezer. "It's a long story." she said as she faced him again. "One that can wait. Right now, I need to know, why is my daughter in danger?"
Klaus slowly walked toward her, "Don't you mean, our daughter?" he whispered to her once he was as close as he could be.
Caroline couldn't move, she felt that she ought to butsome part of her didnt want to. She could feel him so close to her, itsent her brain in over drive, forcing the memories of the last time they saw each other. the realization of what her brain was doing immediately made her move away from Klaus so fast it would seem as if she had her vamp speed back.
"Why didn't you tell me, Caroline? I know you hate me but I didn't think you'd hate me that much as to keep the knowledge of my daughter from me." Klaus said as he followed Caroline who had than moved away from him all the way across the kitchen.
"It's not that easy Klaus. I'm a vampire! I was never supposed to have gotten pregnant! and, can you blame me? After everything that's happened between us in Mystic Falls? We weren't supposed to see each other again, that last time we saw each other? It was supposed to be the last." Caroline said as she tried to come up with a reason on as to why she didn't want him to know.
When she and her friends had decided to not tell him, it felt like it was the right thing to do. She was still coping with the knowledge that she was pregnant. However as the months passed, she began to doubt whether or not it was right to keep her pregnancy from him. Of course he had a right to know, but things than were so complicated! She also knew that if their roles were reversed, she'd want to know.
"How is it not easy? I'm her father, I should have been told! Out of all people, Caroline, I trusted you to be honest with me at all times." Klaus said.
"Tell me Klaus, what would you have done? What would you have done if you found out early on? Tyler told me you kept Hayley cooped up in one of your houses here." Caroline said calmly, she needed to keep calm and to keep her thoughts organized. "With all the craziness that had been happening in Mystic Falls and, here apparently, tell me you wouldn't have done the same to me." she said. She knew, that Klaus still 'fancied' her, it had always been there, but she wasn't ready to face that fact before.
"What about Ellie? Would she have been able to live a normal life? Away from vampires and werewolves taht would want to hurt her?" Caroline asked, "Your child with Hayley hadn't even been born when witches started to end his life. You had to fake his death just so he could be safe." Caroline knew this because Marcel told her earlier while they were on the way to New Orleans about what had happened to Hayley and her baby.
Caroline kept her eye contact, she couldn't help but think that she was looking at her daughter's eyes, "I know, you deserved to know, I felt guilty not telling you, but.. It wasn't just about you or me. Our lives are crazy. Mine is crazy enough as it is. Could you imagine what that would be like for my daughter to grow up in? I want Ellie to have a normal life for as long as possible. She's the only chance I have to become a mother and I don't want to screw up. I can't protect her from all this supernatural stuff because apparently, its in our blood. But if I can give her a life that is free from all this for as long as possible I would. We were all thrust into this world without a choice, Klaus. I want Ellie to have a choice, I want her to be able to decide if she want s to be a part of this or if she would rather continue living her life away from all of this. Can you honestly tell me, that if I told you all of this before, would you have been able to accept that I did what was best for her?" she asked.
"I would have done everything to protect you and our child!" Klaus said. He'd done everything to protect Hayley out of duty to his unborn child with her. But he'd have done everything to protect Caroline and their child out of his….. feelings, for her.
"I know that. But you know that I did what was best for me and my daughter too." Caroline said. "I need to know what's happening Klaus. All Marcel said is that my daughter is in danger. What is going on?"
"My aunt is coming for her." Klaus said as she watched Caroline's expression turn from shock then confusion and then fear.
AN: OMG OMG OMG! Have any of you watched tonight's TVD episode?! Seriously! It's finally happening! Klaroline is meeting up again! WAAA!
Also, I don't know how I feel about them naming the twins Josine and Elizabeth, I mean I knew they'd do it but I'm more annoyed cause I've been working on another Klaroline fic where Caroline did name the twins Josine and Elizabeth and now I feel like I'm gonna have to change it cause they already did it in the series! :( I mean, I'm not even sure if I'd want to post the story but its still a bit annoying lol.
And, because of tonight's episode, here's the first Klaroline encounter after x number of chapters! I hope I didn't disappoint!
I'm going to stop now, I'm getting too chatty cause I'm too happy with tonight's episode!
xx
Unamedhpauthor
Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or TO.