To start, thank you again for all who have shown interest in my story! It really touches me that you enjoy this so much. Again, I feel as though I'm spoiling you with updates, but I can't seem to help myself. I'm on a roll. Chapter 3 for your reading pleasure. And as always, please review and enjoy!

Chapter 3

Caroline whipped her head up at the sound of Klaus's voice so forcibly she almost cracked three of the vertebrae in her neck. He was standing in the doorway of the restaurant, legs apart and hands clasped behind his back, almost as if five year hadn't passed since the last time they saw one another. His usual smirk was on his face, showcasing his dimples in a way that made Caroline feel as though she were thirteen years old again and discovering that boys weren't so bad after all. She noticed he hadn't changed a bit with regard to his clothing choices in the past five years either. Klaus still wore his black leather jacket over a Henley t-shirt and neutral colored pants; Caroline thought to herself that he could walk around in the most feminine clothing possible and still look good. She shook her head at her internal thoughts and refocused on the situation at hand.

"A little help here?"

Caroline was still on top of the day walker who'd tried to grab her and the other was standing by the bar, looking dumbfounded at the recent play of events. Klaus took his time looking over Caroline, smiling to himself as he went along. She hadn't changed physically (she was forever seventeen), but he could see there was more confidence in her movement and aura. She knew who she was in high school, but the past five years had really allowed Caroline to become herself and he could see that in every facet of her being.

"Hello! Earth to Klaus! I could hold this guy all day but there's still the problem of the fact he knows I'm vampire now and I'd really appreciate some help with that."

Klaus chuckled to himself at her tone. She was still fiery Caroline alright. At the sound of Klaus's chuckle the second day walker seemed to slip out of his daze and tried to escape via the back door, but Klaus anticipated his reaction and caught him before he was able to get halfway across the room. "You will go back to Marcel and forget you ever came here. You will also forget that Caroline is a vampire and make no mention of it to anyone."

Klaus's pupils dilated as he compelled the day walker and released him. The day walker exited the building with a confused look on his face and walked away. Klaus made his way over to where Caroline still had the first day walker trapped under her. He knelt down beside her and, trying to ignore the scent wafting from her skin, bent over to look directly into the day walker's eyes. He gave the first the same instructions as the second and straightened up after he finished. Klaus held his hand out to Caroline to help her from the floor, but she pointedly looked away and picked herself up, brushing the dirt off her jeans as she stood. They watched silently as the first day walker finally left the building. Klaus turned to Caroline and watched her compose herself before she finally turned to face him.

The last time they'd been alone together had been five years ago in the woods outside of Mystic Falls. Klaus remembered very clearly the conversation (if you could call it that) that occurred and winced inwardly at the memory. Looking back he wished the situation could have been handled differently, but who was he to complain now? Caroline was finally in New Orleans and that was all that mattered. Klaus wasn't quite sure what the call the emotion coursing through him at the sight of her physically here, but he was pretty sure it could be described as pure happiness. During the past five years, Klaus would catch glimpses of blonde hair in the crowd and he'd anxiously look to see if the face matched the one in his memory. Every time he was disappointed and with each year that passed, Klaus continued to hold onto his conviction that one day she would find him. It seemed that year had finally come.

"What brings you to the delightful city of New Orleans, love?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at the term of endearment, some things never change, but her heart thrilled to hear it from him again. "Oh, you know. Just passing through. I've heard it's quite the epicenter for vampires these days. I wanted to see what all the hype was about."

Her tone was casual, nothing to imply that she was really here to see someone specifically. Klaus raised his eyebrow and his smirk grew at her tone. He could see she wasn't going to give in so easily and he grew excited at the thought of bickering with Caroline once more. Of all the things he missed about her, her ability to spar with him verbally was at the top of that list. She alone, outside of his immediate family, could cut him down with a single word or look at him as if she were bored with the conversation. No one had ever been able to keep him on his toes like Caroline. "I promise you won't leave disappointed. How are you finding your lodgings at Miss Deveraux's?"

Caroline's eyes widened in shock at that. "How do you know where I'm staying? Have you known all week that I've been here?"

"The French Quarter is a small part of New Orleans, love, and when change occurs, word spreads fast. Now in my defense, I don't know when exactly you got here, but I have known since Tuesday that you've been living and working here. A couple of nightwalkers were talking about the new blonde, delectable waitress at Deveraux's, their words not mine, and imagine my intrigue when they said her name was Caroline. I thought to myself, what are the odds? And so naturally, I had to find out myself. Imagine my surprise when I looked in on Wednesday and saw you waltzing through your duties as if you'd been born for the role.

"I figured there was a reason you hadn't sought me ought upon your immediate arrival, so I decided to let you have your space. I happened to be walking by when I heard your friends drop in and I decided now would be as good of time as any to pop in."

"Figures you would know exactly what's going on at all times," Caroline sarcastically replied, "I didn't seek you out initially because I didn't know where to look when I first got here. Then Sophie took me under her wing and subtly encouraged to me to keep a low profile. I knew you would find me sooner or later."

"I'm touched by your confidence. Now, do you really mean to continue working here?"

"Yes. I like it here. I have a room of my own and Sophie's been nothing but wonderful to me. I also think with the low profile thing I got going on, it'd be better to stay here."

Klaus raised his hands up as if in defeat, "Far be it from me to argue with you, love. I learned long ago once you put your mind to something, you see it through to completion. However, given that you are here now, I wouldn't mind seeing you, whether it be a social or intimate setting. I want to be sure you're settling in nicely."

A smirk of her own grew on Caroline's face at his words. "I think I could make that happen. We did agree to be friends once. And friends casually meet up with one another."

Klaus laughed out loud. It was one of the first genuine laughs from him in a long while and it felt good to express that emotion.

"Distracting my waitresses again, Klaus?" came a voice from the kitchen.

Caroline and Klaus turned to see that Sophie had arrived back from her errand. "More like helping out a friend in need. How come you failed to mention her arrival to me, Sophie?" Klaus's voiced was light, but there was a slight steel edge to it.

Sophie stared back without so much a twitch in her eyes. "She asked me not to. I don't make a habit of doing things people have asked me not to do."

"I'll forgive you this time. But from now on, I want you to come to me if anything happens. Do I make myself clear?"

"I won't let anything happen to her. But if I need your help, I'll ask."

Klaus pressed his lips together tightly and stared at Sophie long and hard. He finally conceded with a tiny nod of his head and turned back to Caroline. With a low bow and a grin, he said, "Caroline, I'm very glad to see you again. Let me know when you can spare time away from your slave driver and I'll show you the city."

She chuckled and shook her head, "I'll be in touch soon."

And with another grin, he was gone.

"Well that was certainly a surprise, although I expected to see him sooner," came Sophie's voice, breaking through Caroline's thoughts, "What did he mean by helping out a friend?"

"Oh, two day walkers came in and tried to cause some trouble. I reacted on instinct and they sorta saw that side of me we're trying to keep quiet."

"Please tell me by help you mean Klaus compelled them to forget what they say."

"Yes."

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief at that, "I know it will come out sooner or later within Marcel's circle, but I'd rather have you established here and feigning innocence when that happens. It just looks better for all of us."

"I know. I feel better about it too. I just realized I haven't met or seen Marcel since my arrival."

"Don't worry. You will soon enough. Now, finish up down here and you can have some time back this afternoon to rest if you wish. You look tired."

"That would be fantastic. Thanks, Sophie."

Sophie gave the blonde vampire a small smile before turning back into the kitchen to finish her prep for dinner that night. She had witnessed a little bit of Caroline's interactions with the hybrid and from it, she was even more assured of her decision to keep Caroline on as a waitress in her restaurant. Klaus's aura had changed since the blonde's arrival in town; Sophie had never seen the hybrid more relaxed in her life. There was still a tension in him, Sophie supposed that had come with his years spent on Earth, but Caroline's presence brought forth a subtle calm to Klaus. She started slicing up peppers for her gumbo, lost in her train of thought of what Caroline's presence in New Orleans could mean for Klaus.

Klaus opened the door to his family's Burgundy Street home in the French Quarter with a grin on his face. The world seemed full of possibilities now that Caroline was back in his life, even if she was going to make life slightly difficult again. He made his way through the marble foyer of the house to the den where he kept his scotch. He pour himself a glass and went to stand in the doorframe leading to the private courtyard on the side. It was late afternoon and the sun was no longer shining on the brick patio, but Klaus was happy for the shade. The shadows had always appealed to him and it was where he felt most comfortable. He leaned against the doorframe, lost in his thoughts, occasionally sipping from the crystal cut glass.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the front door open or Rebekah come in with a load of shopping bags. It was only when a shouted "Nik!" coming from the front hall did Klaus pull himself back to Earth. He sighed and put his glass down on the sideboard before walking to the foyer to see his younger sister.

Rebekah hadn't changed much in the five years since they left Mystic Falls, the only noticeable difference were in her clothes, which she altered to match the tastes and styles of New Orleans. She had matured a little since the birth of Klaus's son; seeing to his welfare had become one of her main focuses in life and she wasn't so quick to rash actions as much. Much of it Klaus attributed to the fact that Rebekah felt a deep sense of obligation to her nephew and felt that any action could potentially have a small or big consequence to him, and as such, she was more careful about the things she said and did. She wouldn't be happy to hear that Caroline was in town; it would be one more person to worry about with regards to little Kol's safety. But Klaus had to tell her, Rebekah would eventually run into her at some point and Klaus didn't want to have to deal with the possible after effects of that encounter. He stepped into the foyer, noticed the stream of shopping bags along the wall and found his little sister shutting the front door. "Have you run through the shops of New Orleans once again, little sister?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes at her older brother. "Yes, and if you had a problem with it, you would have cut me off long ago. Or daggered me, depending on your mood."

Klaus smirked at the offhand comment about the dagger. It'd been almost six years since the last time he daggered his youngest sibling and though there had been times he seriously considered it, Klaus knew he was stronger with his family surrounding him than in a box. "You look happy. What's happened now? Wait, don't tell me. Marcel's gone and made you king after realizing you are a much better candidate for the job."

"No, although that would make my life less complicated. But it's much simpler than that. An old friend has decided to come visit us in New Orleans finally."

"Stefan?" Rebekah perked up instantly at the thought of Stefan returning.

"No, not Stefan I'm afraid. Although it would be nice to have the Ripper by my side during a time like this. It is a member of the Mystic Falls crowd and I'm very pleased she's decided to join us."

"She?" Rebekah's forehead scrunched in confusion, until... "Caroline?!"

"The one and only."

"Ugh... Nik. That's the last person we need in this city. She doesn't care about any of us. Who knows what'll happen now? And after everything we've gone through?"

"She's working for and living with Sophie Deveraux. I'd say we have every reason to trust her. Sophie wouldn't have allowed her to stay if she'd seen something she didn't like in Caroline. You know that as well as anyone."

Klaus looked at his sister pointedly at this remark. Rebekah knew firsthand that Sophie Deveraux disliked and distrusted most vampires in New Orleans, she'd seen the witch throw enough of them out of her restaurant. But she'd seen something in Rebekah when they first met, perhaps she could sense Rebekah would put little Kol's life before her own if it came to it, and a quiet friendship had existed between the witch and the blonde Original since then.

"Well, what's Caroline in New Orleans got to do with me?"

"She's been keeping herself under the radar since her arrival this past week, with Sophie's help. I wanted to ask you to keep yourself in check if you see her on the streets. I don't want it known we know her from outside of New Orleans and I want it to seem natural that she assimilates herself in our fold."

"Why? It's not like anyone around here cares."

"I would rather not have Marcel know her relation to us."

Rebekah raised her eyebrow at this comment from Klaus. It was unlike him to put obvious measures forward to protect anyone other than himself. But, then again, Rebekah had never seen her brother so affected by anyone in his life, and that included members of his own family. And if Sophie could see something in her, then Rebekah would also try to look for the positive in her as well.