"Nik!" Rebekah called out, her voice echoing throughout the courtyard, bouncing off the stone pillars of the interior gallery. The nightwalkers, who were scattered about the courtyard playing cards or drinking for the hell of it, did not dare even dare look at the Original blonde. They knew better than to approach her when she was having a fit about Klaus. So they watched her stomp through the open area out of the sides of their eyes in an effort to find Klaus. In his study, Klaus internally flinched every time her stilettos nearly speared the marble floors. "Nik!" she belted, her voice reaching a pitch of annoyance Klaus knew she reserved for him and him only.
She found him nursing scotch laced with blood, no doubt scheming. "If I find another one of your imbecilic hybrids following me again under your orders, I swear Nik I will rip out their hearts and rejoice."
Rolling his eyes, Klaus turned to face his clearly irritated sister. When he met her steely gaze, he smiled. Nothing bothered Rebekah more than not acknowledging, or simply writing off, her annoyance. "You will do no such thing, little sister," he replied, slowly stepping closer to her and watching as she stood up straighter. Little Rebekah, Klaus mused, never going down without a fight. "I'm not quite sure if you remember why you are here, but let me remind you. We are taking back our home. And as Elijah likes to put it, we are attempting to be a family again by resurrecting Kol. If you wish to see the outcome of our plans in person I suggest you never lay so much as a finger on my hybrids."
"I will not be spied on Nik!" Rebekah screech. "I am here because Elijah insisted, not for some silly war!"
"It is not a war. I've already won," Klaus smirked, raising his glass of scotch as if to drink to it. "I have the witches' allegiance, the pesky wolves are out of sight, my hybrids stand by me, and New Orleans can be restored to its former glory. Only Marcel needs to be dealt with."
"Marcel is gone now; you can stop your scheming and focus on bringing Kol back!" Rebekah snapped, not wanting to hear another word of her brother's victory.
A flip switched in Klaus, the one that wanted blood. Leaning forward, Klaus growled. "This is the man who single handedly took everything that we built right from under our noses. The man who let us continue our lives believing him to be dead while we ran from Mikael in our misery." As he finished his face turned upwards in curiosity. "He used you Bekah; to get to me. You loved him and he used you. You should want this revenge. I dare say more so than I."
Indignantly, Rebekah crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "I want his head on a stick for breaking my heart Nik. And I want our home back. But I will not be followed or spied on." Because honestly, Rebekah didn't know if this was Klaus being overprotective or his way of saying he didn't trust her.
The glare that fell on her was not deadly but firm. "They are not spying, merely protecting," Klaus amended. "It is not unreasonable, nor unpredictable, than our family should be highly protected in these times. Marcel is still out there. We don't know who we can trust outside of ourselves."
"And why doesn't Elijah have one?"
"Because I don't need to worry about Elijah getting hurt or being a target."
"I can take care of myself Nik!" she glowered at her big brother.
"I have no doubt of that Rebekah but-" Klaus cut himself off from mentioning Rebekah's weak heart and instead shifting his attention to his hypersensitive hearing. People were approaching the house. One of his hybrids. A stranger with the tell tale heartbeat of a vampire. And a third, whose blood assaulted his nostrils so strongly the glass he was holding cracked. Her blood smelled absolutely divine but it was laced with anxiety. No one else would pick up on it but him, having been well acquainted with her scent and her blood. There was a sliver of pride in him that she had mastered hiding her emotions from others so well.
The stranger on the other hand was aloof. Caroline could not be here by choice, he decided. Not now. He knew she'd come, but not this soon. Not with a strange, male, vampire. And not while he was in the middle of finally making this town his home. Trouble always arose when the Originals settled anywhere, it never went smoothly. Caroline was supposed to come when Marcel was dead and New Orleans teeming with that life, culture, music, and art he promised, not when charred bodies kept popping up everywhere and the local government were delusional in their conviction they had a crime problem.
Klaus couldn't put a finger on this stranger she was with. It was a man. That he could easily identify. He was old. Old enough to train himself to keep calm and keep the element of surprise, but not old enough to entail much a threat to himself or his siblings. To Caroline, on the other hand, was another story. She must be danger. That's the only answer the question of this stranger held. The hairs on the back of Klaus' neck stood at the mere thought of Caroline being in danger. The possibility of it occurring now had his blood boiling. He found solace in knowing she was accompanied by one of his hybrids. Elliot. He was not an idiot, a wonderful leader actually. She was safe. Temporarily.
"What is it Nik?" Rebekah asked, bewildered at the cracked glass he held. She'd remember to berate him later for destroying yet another glass from their good crystal set, but right now his shoulders were tense and his ears were clearly elsewhere. Rebekah vaguely registered people approaching the house but thought nothing of it. Their home was the center of Klaus' "regime," as he liked to call it; people were always walking in and out of it; mostly from his inner circle, vampires and hybrids that he trusted. And suddenly she realized two of the people approaching were strangers.
"She shouldn't be here," Klaus growled, discarding the broken glass on his desk to be dealt with later. His palm had already healed; the blood was not an issue of import.
This "she" threw Rebekah for a loop. Who could Klaus possibly be talking about? "Well I didn't know we were expecting company," she snapped, not liking how little he shared with her.
Klaus simply brushed past her. Of course she didn't understand. She wouldn't recognize Caroline. Rebekah hadn't quite cared for the blonde in question. Making his way towards the courtyard, he murmured darkly, "Caroline is here."
"The cheerleader?" Rebekah asked incredulously, following her brother. "From Mystic Falls? What in the bloody hell would she be doing here Nik?"
"I don't know dear Bekah and that is exactly what I intend to find out," he replied, his voice curt and uncaring. Rebekah saw his battle armor slip on and wondered how a cheerleader could work her brother up so much. It was near pathetic, but she knew better than to say anything.
Upon entering the courtyard, everyone stood. Klaus held back his smile at such respect, there were more important things to worry about than bask in his new found loyalty. "Apparently we are expecting visitors," Klaus greeted, a devious smile on his face, but it fell the moment his next words passed his lips. Clasping his hands together, he attempted to appear as calm as possible. "No one is to touch even a hair on the girls head. Surround the other one." No one asked questions, simply obeyed. Oh what'd he had been missing in Mystic Falls.
Elijah, who'd been strolling the upper gallery, looked down at all the nightwalkers, shoulders tense and intent on carrying out Klaus' orders. "Are we under attack?" Elijah asked, setting down his book before flashing down the stairs. "Again," he added in a bored tone while adjusting the cuffs of his suit.
"Hardly," Klaus replied, smirking as he focused on Caroline's steady heartbeat. "This should be easy. Don't work yourself up brother." The stranger she was with may have at most a hundred years on her, but he wasn't a match for any of the Originals or Klaus' hybrids.
And suddenly the gates opened, revealing Elliot leading a wary Caroline and an entirely too curious stranger. "Caroline," Klaus greeted, meeting her gaze and watching in delight at the way her blue eyes widened.
He didn't know what to call the feeling that had rushed through him at knowing she was alive, uninjured, and well, aside from looking like she needed blood and sleep. Despite all of that, she still looked so full of light. When she noticed the number of people standing at attention in the courtyard, the Originals standing together as if waiting for battle, he watched her stand a little taller and listened to her heart beat increase for a second before slowing, hardly noticeable to anyone else. There was a calculated look in her eyes as she surveyed the situation and Klaus smiled. She was so much like himself, she just needed to realize it.
"Wait, you know Klaus?" Elliot asked Caroline, breaking Klaus of his reverie as the gates shut behind them. "You didn't say anything." And before either she or Klaus could get a word in, Elliot had Caroline by the neck, pressed against the once open gates. "What are you planning? Are you working for Marcel?" he asked firmly, loosening his grip on her neck only enough for her to gasp for air.
"I-" she choked before Klaus finally sprung into action. Caroline did not need the oxygen, but he will not have her hurt. One of the benefits of hybrids is that they still had a pack mentality. Klaus was their alpha. And Elliot was not doing as Klaus wanted.
"ELLIOT!" he roared, golden eyes and fangs emerging. Elliot stopped immediately, dropping Caroline and stepping back like an admonished pup. Caroline could breathe again; Klaus could hear the harsh breaths pushing through her lungs
"He is your concern, not her," Klaus amended, his voice a low growl as his gaze flicked to the brunette vampire that accompanied Caroline.
"He happens to be Enzo," he clarified, calling attention to himself while eyeing the hybrids that had practically surrounded him. "These are the hybrids you were speaking of?" he asked Caroline, not chancing a glance back at her, afraid one of them might snap his neck. Pathetic, Klaus thought to himself. If he was her lover he'd have difficulty refraining from remarking on her poor choice in men. He didn't dwell on the implication he himself had in that statement because he should have been her only choice.
"Yes," Caroline grumbled, rubbing her neck as it apparently healed. "Enzo's not a threat," she finally called once she realized Klaus' hybrids really were surrounding Enzo, ready to attack. "He's," Caroline paused, searching for the right word. Klaus unconsciously held his breath. "An acquaintance."
"Well love, here I was thinking we were actually becoming friends," Enzo smirked.
While he was pleased to know they were hardly friends, Klaus' blood boiled at that term. He didn't like anyone else calling her 'love', especially not this brunette with a shared accent. Jaw grounding together, Klaus said nothing of it. Finding out why Caroline was here and who this Enzo character was, was his top priority. Especially now that it has been revealed they are not friends and by Caroline's tone of voice, hardly acquaintances. She must know that all she had to do was say the word and Enzo would be dead before he could pronounce his short, silly name.
"Just stop talking Enzo and let me handle this," she ground out, clearly frustrated.
"And you've determined this yourself? About Enzo, that is?" Klaus asked skeptically, honing in on her erratic heartbeat and Enzo's entire lack of fear. It was beginning to frustrate the Original how little this stranger was affected by the gravity of the situation he'd found himself in. He was surrounded by Hybrids whose singular bite would send him into hallucinations so vivid he wouldn't know when he'd died.
"Yes, I have," Caroline answered defiantly, clearly not liking the implication. And that defiance sent Klaus into a whirlwind of questions, wondering if Caroline's anxiety actually had nothing to do with Enzo, but everything to do with seeing him again? He didn't know how to feel about that. That emotional indecision frustrated him. A glare set into his eyes, not directed at anyone in particular.
"Then pray tell Miss Forbes," Elijah finally interjected, "what brings you to New Orleans?"
Hesitation. That is what they were met with. If Klaus knew anything, he knew Caroline planned. She liked her plans and had backup plans for her backup plans. This led Klaus to believe she hadn't been expecting this at all. Had she assumed she'd stroll through New Orleans, completely avoiding him? Had she planned on avoiding him? He watched her eyes roam quickly, assessing the gaze of his siblings as they all fell on her, expectantly.
"I uh-well we need your help," she finally mustered up. 'We' struck a chord. Whoever Enzo was, Klaus wasn't finding him necessary.
"What, is Elena's life hanging in the balance again?" Rebekah asked, suddenly sounding very bored. "Cause if that's the case, need I remind you lot we left Mystic Falls to get away from your silly doppelganger drama."
And while Klaus would help Caroline, he couldn't help but agree with his sister's sentiment. Mystic Falls seemed to revolve around that silly girl. "In a rare instance," Klaus sighed, "my sister is right." Rebekah snarled at him at that while Klaus felt Elijah rolling his eyes.
"Our apologies, but we can't help you. Our hands are currently tied," Elijah finally stated in finality.
That's not true, Klaus nearly shot out. How dare Elijah makes decisions about Caroline without consulting him? Before he could say anything on the matter, Caroline herself was already speaking. "It's Stefan."
That was definitely not Elena drama.
"Stefan?" Rebekah asked, her interested finally piqued. "What's wrong?"
"The Travelers, they have him. They'll kill him unless we give them his doppelganger, Tom."
Klaus's fingers clenched at his sides. She knew. Of course she did. How silly of him to think the tables were turning in his favor. If there was anything Caroline held in disdain more than Klaus himself, it was his hybrids. And Stefan, dear old Stefan. He liked him, held him in esteem like a brother at one point. Maybe this could still work out in his favor. He dearly hoped so.
Elijah sighed, taking the lead once again. "I see this conversation should be held in a bit more privacy. Please, join us for a drink and tell us everything you know."
Before following his brother, Klaus needed to deal with his hybrids first and their behavior to Caroline. "Yes, but Elliot," Klaus called, flashing in front of the hybrid. Reaching forward, he stuck his hand into Elliot's chest and gripped his heart. "Touch so much as a strand of hair on her head again and I'll have your heart for dinner." With that said, he released the grip he had on Elliot's still beating heart and pushed him away. He smiled at Caroline despite her very vocal protests. "That goes for all of you," Klaus reiterated before making to leave the courtyard, followed by a surprised Elijah who had remained to watch the show and an annoyed Rebekah.
"I saw Marcel!" Elliot called after them, halting Klaus in his steps. Turning slowly, Klaus' gaze fell on Elliot, demanding he explain. "He was talking to these two at the bar I found them at," he added, pointing his thumb at Caroline and Enzo. And that must be why Elliot attacked, Klaus deduced. While his intentions were good, Klaus would still make do on his promise to have his heart on a plate if he ever hurt Caroline again.
"Charming fellow, that Marcel was," Enzo piped up.
"He was trying to welcome us when Elliot approached us," Caroline stated.
Klaus drew a deep breath. No doubt he would have preferred to keep Caroline far under the radar and away from Marcel, but she didn't exactly tell him she was heading into town for him to take any precautions. "We'll talk more on the matter later," he finally said, turning around and heading back inside.
Enzo, from behind him, spoke to Caroline as they followed. "You may have wanted to mention he's in love with you." He heard Caroline scoff and quicken her pace. Though he still wanted to rip Enzo's throat out, he couldn't help but smile. Caroline was in New Orleans. Of course, under all the wrong circumstances, but she was here. And if he couldn't get her to stay, he'd give her reason to return one day.
Any and all of Caroline's plans had gone up in flames the moment she saw Klaus. And it mostly had to do with the way Klaus was staring at her now in his study as Caroline explained everything she knew and fibbed about the doppelganger all over the place. He hadn't changed, not that vampires really do change. There was still that air of danger that surrounded him, that confidence that seemed to be a permanent resident in his blood, but she still saw the good in him. Tyler had once implied that seeing the good in everyone was a flaw, but she'd be damned if anyone let her think that again. There was good in Klaus, she just didn't think he saw it, but it was there. Some days she wondered if he could show it to everyone, not just her, if it would change anything.
While answering their questions, she decided Klaus didn't need to know the Travelers wanted Tom dead, and Enzo knew better than to mention anything, sensing Caroline had some inkling of plan formulating. The one sure fire way to not get Klaus' help was to outright say their intentions were to kill his incubator for more hybrids. Enzo had picked up on that much.
She needed Klaus and the rest of the Originals to trust her. And she prayed Enzo would play along. As long as they thought she wanted to do a simple exchange however they wanted to go about it, she couldn't see anything going horribly wrong. Just let them think they have control. By the smirk on Enzo's face, he was probably thinking the same thing.
"How did the Travelers even end up in Mystic Falls?" Rebekah asked, her eyes trained on Caroline. She didn't quite like the blonde, and would never understand Nik's fascination with her, but if Stefan's life was at stake, she'd help her. In any way that she could without ending up in a box.
"I do believe the name Travelers is quite fitting, love," Enzo quipped, raising his eye brows at her. "They travel."
"Nik why is he even here?" Rebekah growled.
"I was just about to ask that myself," Klaus replied. "Care to explain Enzo."
"I owe the Travelers a favor. This is me fulfilling it."
"This whole situation brings up the question, how did Stefan manage to get himself captured by the Travelers?" Elijah asked, swirling scotch around in his glass.
"Caroline," Enzo said, turning the room's attention to her and prompting her to explain what mess her friends had ended up in.
Huffing out a breath of air, Caroline knew this was going to sound ridiculous. "There was some psycho scientist trying to get vampires to crave vampire blood so we can kill ourselves and he succeeded with Damon and Elena and the Travelers had the cure. So Stefan, being the great guy that he is, turned himself over to help the Travelers in exchange for the cure."
"And you know Tom to be here because?" Klaus finally asked. And Caroline saw the way his lips upturned and would not give him any satisfaction of thinking she was here for him. She was here for Stefan and that's it.
"The Travelers were doing this mind meld thing to Stefan's brain, which essentially fried it, and we went to Atlanta looking for him and found ourselves here," she answered, skirting over the process of realizing they needed to get to New Orleans.
"Yes, but how did you come to find that Tom was here, in New Orleans?" Elijah inquired, his eyes narrowing. "We have witches casting every protection and anti-location spell ever known to keep him hidden."
Enzo shot Caroline another look with a smirk. He'd come to find out Klaus was in love with Caroline and she apparently didn't reciprocate the feelings. How uncomfortable that must be. This is why he answered for her when it seemed she wasn't going to speak for herself. "Apparently Caroline has an affinity for identifying Klaus's stale, four month old blood."
At that, Klaus couldn't help but smile. It was not his genuine smile, no, it was his smug, 'let's celebrate the little victories', smile that had Caroline's blood boiling, at Klaus for being Klaus and at Enzo for being the most annoying person she'd probably ever come across.
"Oh this is pathetic, can we move on please?" Rebekah interrupted, not wanting nor caring to know what had her brother so giddy. "The Travelers will let Stefan go if we give them Tom?"
"Not so quick, sister," Klaus insisted. "Lucky for you lot, I have use for the Travelers."
"Niklaus, the witches are already-" Elijah spoke up but was interrupted.
"The witches are taking too long. The Travelers use magic than can be far more powerful. If anyone can do what we want, it's them."
Caroline watched the exchange in curiosity. They were planning something, apparently something big to warrant the need of the Travelers magic. "And what you want is?" Caroline asked, trailing off at the end of her question. He's already taken over New Orleans, what else does he want? All of Louisiana?
"To bring Kol back," Rebekah replied with a smile, obviously excited at the notion.
"So what? You're going to negotiate Stefan's life?" Caroline asked incredulously. She wanted to ask if that was possible, bringing back someone from the dead, but she knew from firsthand experience it was possible. But it came with a cost. Nature needed a balance. And she wondered briefly if they knew that, or if that was information the witches had withheld. It wouldn't be the first time witches tried to sabotage any vampire's plans.
"I'm going to get what I want and give you lot Stefan back. Let me speak to their leader. I'll have it sorted."
Caroline scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Why do I get the feeling you have no intention of giving up Tom?"
"Now why would I compromise my army of hybrids because a deranged group of witches want him for whatever purposes they deem necessary?"
"He's still a person Klaus!" Caroline exclaimed. This is exactly how she expected him to behave. She didn't know why she even bothered. But she still did. "You know, a human who had a life!"
"Caroline," Klaus growled lowly. "Now is not the time to-"
"Yes, Niklaus is right, now is not the right time," Elijah interrupted, his tone firm and controlled. "Our guests look rather travel weary. Shall I have rooms drawn for?"
"We have a motel," Caroline answered curtly. "But thanks." Klaus' eyes narrowed and darkened at that, clearly not liking the idea of Caroline sleeping anywhere near the stranger he'd been glaring at all this time. And that was all the more reason for her to head straight back to that motel with Enzo.
"Nonsense," Enzo replied. "We'd love to stay. She's not exactly the best company."
"Well good, I've already sent out a nightwalker to discover where you're staying and retrieve your bags," Klaus affirmed, throwing back the rest of his scotch before pouring himself more.
"Wonderful, someone will show you to your rooms and we can discuss our course of action tomorrow," Elijah said with finality.
Caroline wanted to protest, to tell Klaus he couldn't just send out one of his servants to retrieve her bags and keep her here. But she had a plan forming. Staying close and finding out what Klaus had done to Tom, where he was, was better than observing from far away. Enzo's initial response at staying was correct. Better to stay close to everything now that they'd been invited. It was easier, even if she didn't want to stay under the same roof as the Originals.
So they all went their separate ways in hopes of better discussing everything tomorrow. Someone came to show Caroline and Enzo their rooms. Before settling in, or even glancing around the guest room, Caroline pulled her phone out once the door shut and she had an inkling of privacy. She shot a quick text to the last person on earth she thought she'd ever be texting. Because if she did have a plan, she needed to set it into action now.
To Klaus: We need to talk. Without ears, especially not Enzo's.
A/N: I hope this initial meeting lived up to your expectations? If not, feel free to yell at me. And please do tell me if there's anything you want to see happen, I'm always open to ideas. That been said, I'm so super excited for what I have planned so far.
Again, you guys have blown me away with the response I've been getting. Thank you all so much. Your reviews and favorites are what's pushing me to post this now instead of next weekend even though I have midterms and research papers I haven't even started on due this week. So please, tell me what you guys think!