This was supposed to be a one-shot but thanks to some kind reviews and wanting to continue my ideal TVD/Originals crossover story I'm going to make it around five shorter chapters. I also wanted to make sure I got the rest of my favourite VD characters out of Mystic Falls and into my story as well : ) Let me know what you think and suggestions are always welcome.
Chapter 2: The Green-Eyed Monster
Charlotte, North Carolina
"When I agreed to accompany you brother I didn't think I'd have to endure a shopping trip." Elijah groaned as they sat on the couch outside the change room of the clothes store.
"Last time I checked it isn't just my girl in the change-room." He said raising his eyebrows.
"You wanted to bring her if you recall Niklaus."
"Yes I thought it might be good for you to have a distraction." He smiled. "You're far less annoying when you have something to keep you occupied."
"Always looking out for me aren't you brother." He mumbled sarcastically. "Anyway she's barely talking to me if you hadn't noticed."
"You know just because I'm not a vampire anymore doesn't mean I can't hear you Elijah." Katherine snapped.
"Elijah I need a smaller size in this top." Rebekah yelled from the other change room waving it over the top of the door. He gave his brother a look of absolute despair.
"Hey she wasn't my fault." Klaus cried gesturing to Rebekah's door. "I can't believe we have to put up with her on top of everything else."
"You realise if the human can hear you then the rest of us can too." Rebekah said tartly throwing her top in Elijah's direction.
"Can you get me this dress in yellow while you're doing that Elijah?" Caroline chirped. Elijah shook his head wondering how he had become their personal shop assistant. He paused near Katherine's door surprised she hadn't asked him for anything yet.
"Is there anything you need Katerina?" Elijah murmured waiting in anticipation.
"Not from you." She shot back. Elijah stormed off realising he had a long way to go with the brazen brunette. Klaus laughed unable to hold it in any longer he could always count on Elijah for some entertainment even during this somewhat stressful time.
His eyes lingered on the middle change room which housed the girl he'd come all this way to save. Klaus had been so caught up in getting to her before Marcel he hadn't thought any further about what they were going to do next. Going back to New Orleans wasn't an option right now with Marcel probably lying in wait and returning to Mystic Falls would be too obvious.
They had risen early and driven the four hours to Charlotte in North Carolina figuring it was somewhere Marcel wouldn't be looking for them. Klaus couldn't have driven any further anyway having to deal with Katherine, Rebekah, Caroline and their incessant squabbling in the back seat.
As the girls only had one change of clothing that had lead them here to the Uptown area and the main shopping drag. Buying one outfit had turned into a full on shopping spree and his patience was wearing thin. Elijah returned with the clothes, he impatiently passed them over to the girls and sat down crossing his arms over his chest.
"For someone who likes to pretend he's badass you're looking pretty whipped to me." Stefan chuckled earning a dirty look from Klaus.
"I don't need to explain myself to you Stefan." He drawled watching the youngest Salvatore approach. If Stefan could find them Marcel wouldn't have any problems doing the same thing. "What are you doing here mate?"
"Stefan you came." Caroline cried excitedly stepping out of the change room. In her yellow dress she looked stunning although she could have worn a hessian sack and Klaus would have thought the same thing. She rushed over enveloping him in a hug, Klaus felt strangely unsettled by their close contact.
"You called him?" Klaus growled in disbelief.
"Yes of course I called him Klaus." She said rolling her eyes. "I couldn't disappear without telling my bestie first."
"Your bestie?" Elijah asked obviously confused by her terminology.
"You know as in BFF." Stefan replied earning a blank stare from both Originals. "Best friend forever."
"I think someone has been single far too long." Rebekah said emerging from the change room looking immaculate as usual. "Speaking of, how is the lovely Elena?"
"Funny." He quipped. "Who invited the loud, bossy one?"
"No one." Elijah and Klaus chorused in unison.
"Nice dress Care, although not as beautiful as that cream prom dress."
"How could you know that?" She murmured deep in thought. "Unless you finally have your memory back?"He nodded earning another embrace from her which only annoyed Klaus more.
"You lost your memory?"
"Long story short this crazy witch fried my brain to torment my doppelganger which, and you'll love this part, happens to be Silas."
"Wow it's been a busy few months in Mystic Falls." Rebekah mumbled shaking her head in disbelief.
"You're forgetting the part where your crazy doppelganger hunted me down so he could feed off me." Katherine moaned throwing open the door to face him."Stefan please tell me you've come to save me from this nightmare."
"Well looks like the gang's all here." Stefan joked. "I'm kind of upset I didn't score an invite on this little road trip." Klaus rolled his eyes.
"You weren't supposed to know about it in the first place." He glared at Caroline. "We are on the run last time I checked and that doesn't involve you."
"It's not like you to be so scared Klaus." Stefan asked curiously.
"I'm not scared." He shot back. "You don't know Marcel and what he's capable of Stefan."
"Maybe not but I do know that somehow you've embroiled my best friend in your mess and to be honest I think she'd be much safer with me." Klaus jumped up from the couch suddenly not feeling so hospitable anymore.
"I will be the one to protect Caroline." He bristled. Since when had Stefan become so protective of his Caroline? Klaus felt the jealousy stirring inside him wondering what exactly had been happening since he left town.
Caroline jumped in between them before Klaus could advance any further. "Now just calm down both of you, there's plenty of me to go around."
"Oh p-uh-lease." Rebekah said rolling her eyes at the unfolding drama. That's when she spied a familiar blonde coming their way. "Matt?" She said in barely a whisper.
"Now the damn quarterback is here too?" Klaus groaned. "So much for being discreet."
"Matt." Caroline cried throwing her arms around his broad shoulders. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to keep Stefan company and was just parking the car. Do you know the fines are massive around here."
"You know you have a vampire with you who could compel a few measley parking inspectors right?" Katherine rolled her eyes. "So now the cavalry has arrived I'm calling shotgun."
"You can't just leave Katerina." Elijah blurted out thinking he'd only just found her again and wasn't ready to lose her yet.
"Oh I can and I will. Come on boys let's blow this joint." She called out walking towards the exit not bothering to look back at Elijah, afraid she'd lose herself in his brown eyes again.
"Slight problem Katherine." Matt said. "We've come to look out for Caroline so we're not leaving until she's at least safe."
"Since when did Caroline become the centre of the bloody universe?" Rebekah cried miffed that Matt hadn't even bothered to greet her properly after their summer together.
"I told you that's all under control." Klaus seethed. "You realise that by coming along for the ride you are just attracting more attention to Caroline?"
"Well we're not going anywhere yet so get used to it Klaus." Stefan said raising his eyebrows. Klaus stormed out of the shop tired of having to justify himself to a bunch of imbeciles. This is why he always liked to work alone.
As if Klaus didn't feel bad enough as it was given he was the reason she was in danger. He wanted to do everything in his power to protect her and Stefan had to come swooping in like a knight in shining armour. He realised he had no idea what had gone on since he'd left for New Orleans and the thought of Stefan comforting Caroline instead of him was driving him crazy.
"Klaus?" She asked joining him on the curb outside the shop. He didn't look up afraid she'd see the jealousy flashing in his eyes. "He's just looking out for me."
"I got that Caroline you don't need to explain it to me again." He muttered.
"You know Stefan was there for me during…"
"I know he was there for you Caroline while I was off starting a war in New Orleans."
"Yes that's true, Stefan has been the only constant in my life and I'm so lucky to have him but that doesn't mean you haven't meant a lot to me in different ways." She murmured. Klaus continued to gaze fixatedly on the ground.
"I don't see why, I mean Stefan is right you're in this mess because of me."
"The fact he's after me is not because you've put me in danger it's because you care about me and last time I checked that was a good thing." He looked up now sensing a slight glimmer of hope in his envious haze.
"I do, more than you know." He whispered his voice thick with emotion.
"Oh I think I have a fairly good idea." She grinned. "Every time I've been in trouble you've dropped everything to come and save me, just like you're doing now." Klaus smiled slightly realising just why he loved her. Caroline was the only person who would give him a chance and here she was doing it yet again.
"My only problem..." She started making him look at her with interest. "Is that you're not being yourself."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"The Klaus I know is fearless and faces danger head-on. He doesn't cower in the corner."
"I am not cowering." He baulked at her insinuation.
"Well what do you call this sorry excuse for a road trip?" She asked curiously. "I have never known you to run from a fight and I don't want to see you start doing that now." Klaus knew what she was talking about. He would have gone back to face Marcel but his fears for Caroline's safety had made him run in the opposite direction.
"I won't put you in danger Caroline." He growled knowing this was the only way.
"Well too bad." She replied. "I don't want to be a fugitive for the rest of my life and I know you don't either after everything that happened with Mikael."
"Even so you don't know how powerful Marcel is in New Orleans and the number of people he has behind him." He said trying to reason with her.
"I don't care Klaus." She said gently touching his arm and making his skin tingle. "I figure with you, some original siblings, a vampire and a couple of humans thrown in I'm willing to take that risk."
"Well that's a hell of a risk." He muttered shaking his head.
"Yeah well it's either that or I kill myself from having to sit between Katherine and Rebekah and their constant bickering."
"Do you think we can make Stefan and Matt take them to New Orleans in their car?" He smiled devilishly.
"Well we can only try." She teased. "Now come on let's get going and kick some New Orleans butt." They made their way back into the shop noticing the curious glances their way.
"Come on we're going back to New Orleans." Klaus instructed. They all looked at him too shocked to speak. "We can't keep running we need to face this threat head-on." He said smiling at Caroline for her wise words.
"Great you're sending us on a death mission." Katherine groaned.
"I won't let anything happen to you Katerina, even if you are being overly dramatic as usual." Elijah said getting a little tired of her childish attitude.
"I'm being dramatic?" She cried stalking off towards the exit. "Just for that I'm definitely not riding in the same car with you."
"Well given a choice between her and my annoying brothers I'm going to pick Stefan and Matt." Rebekah agreed following her through the door.
'Why do I feel like we got the worst end of this deal?" Matt asked quizzically.
"Because we did." Stefan groaned. "Trust you to turn this around to your to your own benefit Mikaelson."
"What? I did nothing." He said feigning innocence happy to not only be rid of his sister but the annoying doppelganger too. "I'm just a little upset that my own sister doesn't love me." Caroline shook her head at his sarcasm then put her arms around Stefan and Matt and walked them out.
"While it's very brave of you to stand up to Marcel brother there's the issue of a certain werewolf carrying your child in New Orleans." Elijah said.
"Gee thanks for the reminder big brother. Let's just deal with one thing at a time." He growled already dreading that particular conversation. "Anyway you can hardly talk Elijah."
"Last time I checked I didn't impregnate anyone." He muttered.
"No but that hasn't stopped you two from growing closer lately."
"I was only looking out for her Niklaus, anyone would have done the same thing. Well except maybe you."
"Sorry I've been slightly busy lately; you know trying to take down Marcel." He shot back sarcastically. "Anyway I'm not sure if Hayley thinks it's entirely platonic Elijah."
He suddenly felt his mouth go dry dreading their meeting if that was the case. Elijah never had any women and now suddenly he had two. A pregnant, hormonal werewolf and a newly human ex-vampire with a seriously bad attitude. This was certainly going to be interesting.