Merry Christmas everyone!
Chapter Two:
With butterflies in her stomach, Caroline went down with Elijah to join Klaus and Liam in the garden. The beautiful vampire felt out of place and would have liked to have hidden in a hole. Once they reached the terrace she saw Klaus playing football with his son. It was touching because it was just a father and son together and not a hybrid vampire. Klaus was really bringing out his humanity; it reminded Caroline of how he was with her. Others could not see his humanity because he only showed it to a small few. She lingered a little at Liam, he really was the spitting image of his father there was no doubt about it. He had the same blond curls, the same blue-grey eyes, even the same dimples! Even in his attitude you could see similarities between them. Liam was basically a mini Klaus. Caroline laughed at the idea; she didn't think it possible to ever see Klaus with a child. Klaus turned to Caroline when he heard her laughter. He looked at her intensely which was also accompanied by his faithful smile. He approached her but was beaten by Liam, who had run to see Caroline.
"Caroline you're awake! Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you! Liam isn't it?"
"Yes, Liam Mikaelson. Delighted to meet you!" he said, taking her hand to kiss it just as his elders did. Elijah and Klaus laughed.
"Caroline Forbes!" she replied, amused.
"Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Klaus finally asked.
"Much better! Thank you both for saving me."
"Yes! I carried you on my back right up to the house and after…"
"Liam, can you come with me for two minutes to leave Caroline and your father alone?"
"But I want to be with Caroline" complained Liam.
"Go with your uncle, we'll see each other later" Caroline told him with a wink of her eye.
"OK"
Liam and Elijah then left and Klaus internally thanked his brother for giving him this intimate moment alone with Caroline. They sat down on the sofa outside on the terrace.
"Sorry, my son is rather energetic!" said Klaus.
"It's nothing, don't worry. He's quite adorable"
"Thank you. But I'm warning you now, he is very inquisitive and he will bombard you with questions!"
"I can't blame him. I am also curious about him" she laughed.
"How are you though?" he asked seriously.
"I'm doing alright. I've just returned to the States."
"You left Mystic Falls?" he asked surprised.
"Yes, I was done with all of the problems I had there. There were too many bad memories."
"I heard about Bonnie's death, I'm so sorry love. I know that you two were close."
"Thank you" she said with a smile.
"So where did you go then? Did you travel much?" asked Klaus trying to make the conversation a little less serious.
"I settled down in London but I didn't travel much no. I lived my little life there."
"Alone?"
"Yes why?"
"Well I thought Tyler would have accompanied you"
"Nope"
"What happened?"
Caroline didn't know if she should really tell Klaus everything. Tell him that Tyler just threw her about. Admit to him that Tyler wasn't 'the one'. Recognise that from the beginning he was right, Tyler would never be enough for her. Despite all of her doubts, she began to tell her story, knowing that she trusted Klaus and that he wouldn't think any less of her.
"Well after you gave him back his freedom, I called him and he said he was coming home. But after several days he still hadn't turned up. He finally admitted that he wasn't coming home, that he didn't want to, and that his new life was wherever he was with his pack." She explained in a quiet voice.
"But you were in Mystic Falls, he should have come home to see you!" said Klaus, completely scandalised.
"Well that's been and gone now. I think I had turned the page for quite some time on our relationship but I just wasn't aware."
"I'm so sorry for you love"
"You couldn't have done anything. He didn't even know what to expect. Anyway, what about you?" she asked, not wanting to talk about her failed relationships.
"Well I've been in New Orleans for all these years. I've been staying here with Elijah and Liam and Rebekah drops in from time to time."
"You came here to reclaim your title that Marcel took from you right?"
"Yes I did, but after that I realised that there was a much greater threat here"
"What?"
"The werewolves! There is war between the vampires and the werewolves over territory. The vampires have the upper hand at the moment but the wolves are growing in strength."
"Quite a programme then!"
"You'll never get bored with me sweetheart!" he said with a wink of his eye.
"And what about Liam? I don't understand, what he is, a wolf, a hybrid?"
"Liam was born a hybrid; the witches told me that he will stop growing on the day of his twentieth birthday. But for now he grows like a normal child but has all the extra abilities a hybrid has: speed, compulsion, hearing, strength, and the ability to turn when he wants."
"But it doesn't hurt him when he turns? I mean when you turn, all the bones in your body break"
"It is a distinctive characteristic of Liam, his transformation is not like mine or that of the other werewolves, and it's more a kind of metamorphosis where he can turn instantly without pain."
"Wow, that's pretty impressive!"
"I'll tell you now; you couldn't have imagined my reaction when I went to see his cot one morning to find a little wolf asleep instead of a human baby!"
"So young and already managing to change!"
"Yes, he didn't do it consciously; when he was older I had to teach him to stay human rather than wolf. But he loves to turn and go out into the woods even though I'm constantly telling him not to given the current situation."
"Like father, like son, you two just can't follow the rules" she teased.
Klaus laughed "Yes, you're right!"
"And uh ... I just wanted to know something."
"Anything love"
"Where is Hayley?"
"She's gone. She left when Liam was just a year old"
"She, she abandoned him?!"
"Yes, she said it wasn't the life she wanted" replied Klaus bitterly.
"But how can you abandon a child? Your child?"
"I know sweetheart. Anyway, Elijah convinced me to let her go and not to kill her. But when my son started asking questions about his mum, I told him she was dead.
"Why?!"
"I knew that when Liam is older, he would want to find her and would inevitably be disappointed. I was disappointed by my mother and Mikael throughout my childhood and I don't want Liam to experience that too."
Caroline could hear the sincerity in Klaus' voice. He was a father wanting to protect his child no matter what.
"I understand. I just never imagined that Hayley could do that."
"You never held Hayley close to your heart did you?"
"God no, I hated her. I just thought that with her history, you know, with her biological parents that she never knew, I thought that she wouldn't make the same mistake with her son."
"Yes well Hayley is a manipulator and very egocentric. She never had any maternal love towards Liam and I hate her for that."
"Yeah well that didn't stop you from sleeping with her"
Klaus was surprised by her words, but he knew that he deserved them. He had always thought that if Caroline discovered the truth about his time with Hayley she would hate him and that he would lose her.
"Caroline I never loved Hayley. You have my word. I immediately regretted my actions"
"Don't pay attention to what I said, it was stupid. I have no right to you"
Klaus wanted to reply but Elijah interrupted them.
"Niklaus, Marcel has just called me. There is a problem on the eastern side of the town. The wolves are destroying everything they come across and they have grown in number. He needs some reinforcement!"
"Let's go then!"
"I'll wait for you in the car."
His brother left and he turned to Caroline.
"Love, could you stay here with Liam? I would be very reassured knowing you two were inside together"
"Of course, of you go!"
"Thank you sweetheart."
They were gone within a blink of an eye.
Caroline found herself alone in the house and she decided to join Liam. She used her vampire hearing to find where he was in the massive Mikaelson residence. He was upstairs so she followed the noise. She stopped outside his door and knocked.
"Yeah?"
Caroline entered Liam's bedroom. It was very big and had a large bed which was totally disproportionate to the size of the little boy, a bookcase which was full of books and a desk where Liam was currently sat.
"Hey sweet, your father and uncle have left so it is just us two now."
"Yeah, I heard them leave. Come in!"
Caroline walked over and she leaned over his desk to see what he was doing. She found a sketch beginning to taking shape and a bunch of pencil and charcoal scattered around.
"Do you draw?"
"Yep, dad who taught me, but I'm much less talented than him."
"Your father has a lot of experience, you know. He has trained for years and years to reach his level!" she said reassuringly.
"Has dad already shown you his drawings?"
"Yes, a few times." replied Caroline remembering the evening of the ball where he showed her his work.
"How did you two meet?"
"Uh, well ..."
Caroline didn't know what to say, she didn't want to go into details either. Well, you see, your daddy came to my town with the intention of sacrificing my best friend, and then he turned my best friend and my boyfriend into a hybrid, and then there was the sire-bond, my friends tried to kill him as well because he bit me. No, you can't tell him that Care, she thought.
Seeing the hesitation of the beautiful blonde Liam stood up from his chair and took her hand to guide her onto the bed where they sat more comfortably. He hoped that she would tell him her story now.
"Well?"
"You are very curious!" Caroline noticed.
"Yeah I know! He answered.
"Well I lived in Mystic Falls. It's a small town with not very much to do. I've always lived there and I had my friends there too. One day your father came to town as he had some business to do."
"And you become friends?"
"Not really, at first it was a little complicated, but after taking the time to get to know each other, you could say that a friendship was born I guess."
Caroline thought about what she was saying. She remembered the time he lent her a dress for prom, or the time he came to save them during graduation and when he was allowed to Tyler to return to town. She considered him her friend.
"Was it a long time ago?"
"No, it was about a year before you were born."
"Oh ok, did you know my dad is over 1000 years old!" he said proudly.
"Yes I know, he's the oldest vampire on earth!"
"And he's the strongest and he's a hybrid!"
"That's right" laughed Caroline. She was pleased to watch the admiration that Liam had for his dad.
"However, I don't really know that much about my mum" said the boy sadly.
"I didn't really know her so I'm afraid I can't really tell you anything about her."
"Dad said she was a werewolf but I don't remember her."
"Do you have any photos of her?"
"No but when I asked dad he gave me this."
Liam leant over to open a drawer of his desk and pulled out a sheet and showed it to Caroline. Klaus had drawn Hayley's face; he had an incredible talent as you could say that the sketch looked like a photo! Although Caroline hated Hayley she couldn't help but admire the drawing.
"That's her. Does it actually look like her?"
"Yes very much so. Your father is very talented."
"He paints as well, he has a studio, do you want to see?"
Liam jumped off his bed and ran down the corridor pulling Caroline along with him. They reached the door but Caroline stopped.
"Are you sure we're allowed in?"
"Dad doesn't like me doing it but he's not here so he'll never know!" he answered with a glint of mischievousness in his eye. He looks so much like his dad when he does that Caroline thought to herself.
She followed him and walked into the room. The windows were small so as not to damage the paintings with the light. Several paintings were propped up against the wall and the room had the smell of fresh paint.
"All that is what dad has painted" he said showing her.
"Wow, that's a lot!"
She followed him as he opened the draws of a desk full of drawings.
"Oh look Caroline, it's you!" he said handing her the paper.
She took it and it was definitely her. True to himself Klaus had drawn her with this angelic look that she didn't see in herself. The design was beautiful and well done. Klaus had this habit of always dating his works on the back, so she turned the drawing over and was able to read the date: 06-03-2021. This sketch was done only two months ago! She thought it was something that Klaus had done after he left. Could it be that he hadn't forgotten her? Was he still waiting for her?
"You're very pretty here."
"Thank you Liam."
After their little finding, they put everything away carefully and they left and went to the living room to wait for Klaus and Elijah. Liam read whilst Caroline watched him lost in her thoughts. The door opened and Liam let go of his book, the person approached and he shouted out:
"Aunt Bekah!"
