A/N - So I was out for Halloween and missed TVD. I caught up with it today and for my fellow Klaroline fans, it does look like all hope for our favorite couple on the show is not lost. Meanwhile, let's head back to the Big Easy. Thank you to CMT1992, readytotravel, Teamvampirebarbie22, kasraya, karmen238, jessnicole, firstgreenisgold, EyesLikeLiquidFire, MelodiousVengeance, sandiw1875, Razorbackgal0225, HotHybridSex, Susl, SONY, Hopelessromanticatheart26, Le26199, lateVMlover, obsessedWithTVD, Trich and guest - my gosh, your reviews are so wonderful and I appreciate all of them. Thank you! Thank you for all the follows and favorites too!
The next morning I woke up early, looking forward to the day. Getting out of the mansion, shopping. A day with Rebekah and Klaus.
And I had kissed Klaus last night. How exactly was I going to handle that today?
As I got dressed in a baby blue sundress and my most comfy sandals, August was a lot hotter here than back in Virginia, I mentally went over every moment of last night. Maybe the champagne was to blame for me telling him my secrets, admitting to my insecurities.
I started on my hair, shaking my head at myself. Klaus should be the last person I'd want to confess anything to, right? If he ever turned on me, he'd use everything he knew about me to exact cruel revenge. It was his specialty.
I stopped, running my fingers along my lower lip, remembering that kiss. I'd initiated it, sitting there hanging on every word he said about how he would have pursued me in the days he'd been human. What had I been thinking? The only thing I knew for certain was that I hadn't been kissed like that in my entire life. It had been a gentle, romantic kiss and the sheer emotion he poured into it had devastated me. Did he kiss like because he'd been around for a thousand years? Or was it just for me?
Most of the guys I'd kissed in my life? Kiss meant sex. Last night? The kiss had been all he expected. It wasn't a preamble for sex… At least I didn't think it had.
I was clearly out of my league here. And I'd be spending the day with Klaus and his sister in Baton Rouge.
Well, it would be interesting.
I finished getting ready and made my way down the stairs. Elijah waited for me at the bottom of the stairs, smiling.
"Good morning, Caroline."
"Good morning." I told him. "Are you going with us after all?"
"No, I have something else to attend to. May I have a word with you outside?" he asked, extending an arm to me. It was an old-fashioned gesture that Klaus also used sometimes. I took his arm and he led me through the house and out into a beautiful garden. We came to stand beneath a wrought iron archway. Morning glories wound around it on either side, twisting with ropes of ivy. It was a peaceful place.
"My brother is in an extraordinarily good mood this morning, Caroline," Elijah began. "Knowing him as I do, I have every reason to believe you are the source of his happiness."
My mouth dropped open but he held up a hand before I can say anything. "I have no idea what transpired between you. I wasn't trying to listen."
"Okay," I said, feeling relieved.
"Have you given any thought to what we discussed?" he asked me.
I nodded. "Yes."
Elijah seemed surprised at my monosyllabic answer. He was about to say something else, when I shook my head.
"Yes. Yes I've thought about it and I'm more confused than ever," I told him, feeling my frustration grow by the second. "You know, I've been with Tyler for a while now. We've been through a lot together. And while I love him, there've been times that he asked me to understand while he put something else – or someone else – first. I let it go when I found out about his relationship with Haley. He couldn't stay with me when I found out about Bonnie because he was on some mission with Stefan to bring her back. And on top of everything, he'd stayed away all summer, even though I told him that Klaus had allowed him to come back to Mystic Falls. But no, he's not crawling back because Klaus allowed it. He's going to show him. He didn't even think about how I felt about any of it. I don't even have a way of finding out what's going on right with him. Them."
Elijah listened calmly. "I see."
"And then there's your brother who just drives me insane! He comes into town to kill everybody to break the curse so he can create some freaky hybrid army. He turns Tyler into a hybrid, making Tyler leave town so he can find a way to break the sire bond Klaus used to control him. While he's gone, he picks up Haley. He comes back, helps the other hybrids to break their bond, pisses Klaus off. His mother ends up dead, all the other hybrids end up dead, and he's forced out of town again."
Elijah's expression was thoughtful. "Obviously, my loyalty lies with my brother, Caroline. And I can't begin to justify some of his actions. But one thing stands out. Each of them had an agenda. Tyler seems to have made choices that left you out of his life. Klaus made decisions that I know are hard to reconcile because often the people you cared about where threatened. But in all of that, my brother found time to come to your aid whenever he was needed. He's even allowed you certain concessions, allowing Tyler to return to Mystic Falls being the most obvious. I've never known him to do anything like that for anyone else outside of his family. Sometimes not even then, trust me."
All of his words rang true.
"As I told you before, I'll support you in your decision. I'd be a terrible brother if I didn't at least try to point out his virtues. There's not a lot work with, granted."
I had to laugh at that.
Elijah grabbed my hand in both of his. "Niklaus is in love with you. Consider carefully before you go any further with him, Caroline. Once he's decided you're his, you'll never be free of him."
What could I say to that? No pressure.
"I understand," I told him.
"Good." Releasing my hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. It was an old-fashioned flip phone. He pressed it into my hand. "Take this. It's a disposable phone. It's never been used and only one number is programmed into it and that's mine. Do not use this phone to call anyone else. Do you understand?"
"Yes, but…"
"The more time you spend with my family, Caroline, the more you'll come to realize that we have more enemies than allies. I want you to enjoy your day with my siblings but I also want you to be mindful of your surroundings, no matter where you are. If a situation arises that concerns you, even with my siblings there, call me immediately. I'll trust that you have the judgment to know what sorts of situations I mean."
I nodded.
"You must remain with my siblings at all times. Do you understand? You will not wander away from them at any time. When Klaus leaves you to take care of his business, you won't leave Rebekah's side."
"Okay, I promise," I told him.
"Now, we're going to the library to have a chat," he explained.
He didn't offer me his arm this time but I walked with him to the library where we found Klaus waiting. No sign of Rebekah yet.
"Where is our sister?" Elijah asked. "We need to get started with our day."
"She'll be along," Klaus answered, grinning at me. His gaze swept over me slowly. "Good morning, love."
"Morning," I said, not knowing what to expect here.
"I'll see if I can find our sister." Elijah was uncharacteristically impatient. I watched him leave the room, not sure if I wanted to be left alone with his brother or not.
"Are you excited about our outing today?" Klaus asked casually.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Going to play shy this morning, Caroline?"
I didn't have to look at him to know that he was still grinning at me. But I wasn't a coward. I tried not to smile back at him when I met his gaze but he looked so pleased with himself I really couldn't help it.
"I want to have a good day today so I'm not having this conversation with you right now," I told him, sounding a little playful. "Deal?"
"Agreed But we will be having that conversation," he said meaningfully.
"It's a day of shopping, Elijah," Rebekah complained as she walked in with her brother. "Why do we have to have a military debriefing for that?"
Rebekah had thought along the same lines I did. She wore a summer white dress with pastel flowers printed on it, sandals, and a small clutch purse. And she looked ready to go.
"All right, what are we talking about?" she grumbled.
Elijah closed the library door, then he approached us looking like the distinguished CEO of a major corporation about to talk to his stock holders. Only what he had to say was actually of great interest to me.
"News from Mystic Falls," he began. "Silas is seeking Katerina because apparently Elena used the cure on her during an altercation they had."
"Katherine was trying to kill her," I explained.
Rebekah snorted. "Can't blame Katherine for that."
I frowned at the other blonde. "Elena didn't really have a choice."
"Your friends, Caroline, had Katerina but she was taken from them by another vampire named Nadia," he went on. "Silas is seeking her because now her blood is the cure. He'll want the cure to become mortal and then he will seek to die to be with his lover."
"And the veil?" Klaus asked, walking around to stand next to me. I could feel the tension coming off him. "He still needs to bring it down to reach his goal?"
"Yes," Elijah answered. "The Other Side is secured by an anchor. Silas will seek to destroy it. Qetsiyah, or Tessa as she's calling herself now, will seek to protect it. Once Silas has taken the cure, he will be restored as a living warlock. He might have the power to bring down the veil although it's unclear if the anchor to The Other Side is his only obstacle."
"Wait, Qetsiyah is here?" Rebekah asked.
"Apparently," Elijah told us. "We've learned that Damon has been in contact with Qetsiyah."
"Well, that's a bad sign," I said with no small amount of sarcasm.
"Surely, brother, you don't mean to suggest that we just wait and see what the elder Salvatore's latest reckless plan in dealing with this is?" Klaus asked.
"Of course not," Elijah said, smiling.
"So Qetsiyah doesn't know where the anchor is? Didn't she create The Other Side?" Rebekah's question was a good one.
"Yes, she did. But she only returned from The Other Side herself recently. It's been hidden all this time to keep its location safe."
"Okay, wait," I broke in. "Is everyone in Mystic Falls, okay? My Mom and –"
"Your mother is fine and back at work actually." Elijah met my gaze. "Your other friends are safe."
"Matt?" Rebekah asked.
"He wasn't mentioned so I'm assuming he's fine," Elijah told her.
"Stefan and –" I hesitated and decided not to say Tyler, knowing it might upset Klaus.
"Ah, I forgot one very crucial detail in all of this," Elijah told them. "It seems we've learned of Silas' true face. It turns out he is an ancestor to the Salvatores."
Oh, no. This couldn't be good.
"It seems that Stefan is a doppelganger to Silas, just as Katherine and Elena are doppelgangers to Tatia," Elijah explained.
"Are you kidding me?" It came out before I could stop it.
"Unfortunately, I'm not," Elijah assured me. "The real Stefan, however, has returned but Qetsiyah found him first. She bound him to Silas."
"Meaning?" Rebekah asked.
"Meaning she was able to deprive Silas of his psychic abilities," he answered.
Oh, but I know how all the witchy stuff works. How many times had I seen it?
"What was the consequence?" I asked.
Elijah quirked an eyebrow at me. "Clever girl. The consequence was that Stefan's memories were all erased."
Yeah, it sucked. Just like always. Poor Stefan. Had he not been through enough in the last year?
"Tyler disappeared shortly after we last saw him at your mother's home, Caroline. His whereabouts, at the moment, are unknown."
Stefan was Silas' doppelganger and Tyler said he was helping "Stefan" find a way to bring Bonnie back. The murders back home that my mother had mentioned? Possible werewolf attacks. Had Silas used Tyler to kill people in finding the witch he sought? Had he killed Tyler?
No. No, I wasn't even going to try to think that way.
I watched Klaus' jaw tighten. He didn't glance my way.
"Our plan is simple," Elijah explained. "We've located Lucy in Baton Rouge. Either she's strong enough to help us ensure that Silas never brings down the veil to The Other Side or she will point us in the direction of a witch who can."
"So, she's just conveniently here?" I had to ask.
"There's an extensive community of witches here, love," Klaus said to me, his emotions concealed by a mask of calm. "She likely came here for their support. Who else could better hide her? I'm sure after her last episode with Katerina she's in no hurry to trust vampires again."
I knew that was right.
"So we're really going to Baton Rouge so you can pay Lucy a visit," I stated. "If she's mistrustful of vampires, don't you think she's really going to be wary of you?"
Klaus smirked at that. "Undoubtedly, but she'll tell me what I need to know."
Oh, I knew that look. When Klaus wanted something, he pursued it with a single-minded ruthlessness. It made me glad I wouldn't be on the receiving end of his attention today. Not that sort of attention anyway.
"Then where are you going?" I had to ask Elijah.
My question surprised him and at first I thought I'd made a mistake in asking. But then he said, "I have another lead to pursue."
"We'll do whatever we must to keep this family safe, Caroline," Klaus told me.
His gaze was intent on me and my breath caught, remembering Elijah's words. Did he already consider me part of his family? Was he starting to consider me his? And what would I do if he did?
My friends and my mother were safe. Tyler? I just didn't know. Was I still with Tyler? Was he even alive?
"That's everything for now," Elijah said. "I'll be on my way."
Elijah left with Rebekah on his heels. "I'm still going to enjoy a shopping trip today," Rebekah announced.
That was probably a good approach, I thought. Things were quite a mess back home. But then, what else was new? I felt sorry for Stefan, worried for my friends in dealing with beings even older than the Mikaelsons, and I had no idea about Tyler.
"Something wrong, Caroline?" Klaus asked.
I was just standing there lost in thought and it was just him and I again in the library. At this point, Elijah's plan was our best hope. If we found a witch powerful enough to stop Silas, that would help my friends too, right? What if she could bring Bonnie back?
I looked up into Klaus' face, his expression was guarded.
"When you go and talk to Lucy today?"
"Yes?"
"Be charming. I mean it. This is important," I told him.
"I'm not making any promises," he told me, a smile forming on his lips.
"I'm serious, Klaus."
"Believe me, I know."
He directed me out of the library with a hand at my lower back. I swung my hand behind me to gently nudge his away. But he captured my hand instead in a hesitant grip.
Holding hands with Klaus. If my mind hadn't been such a nervous, confused mess of thoughts and worries, I might have pulled away. As it was, I laced my fingers with his, finding comfort in the simple gesture.