Here's the actual next chapter. It does take place after interlude two/8.19, so at this point, it's only Klaus who isn't in the loop.

Two things: one, this chapter did not want to come out at all, and two, I realized this story is like extremely white so I'm endeavoring to fix that. Therefore, please picture Fred as Nam Joo-hyuk (a South Korean model/actor). Fred and his brother Lee were adopted like Rebekah was.

Also, this is rapidly devolving into a Klaus and Kol fic, which I hope to remedy. They're the fan faves, but this is a fic about all of the Mikaelsons, and I can't forget that for angsty hot guys. In that same vein, there is A LOT of Klaroline here that I think you'll all love.

Disclaimer: idk what the inside of Caroline's house is like, so just go along with it, please and thank you.

WARNINGS: Anxiety! So much anxiety!, pregnancy, several illusions to sex (oops?) that include minor graphic talk of the aftermath (you'll see), mentions and discussions of child abuse, discussion of what life was like for our favorite siblings, internalized family drama, a slur, and self-hatred.

If there was a rating between T and M, this chapter would be that. Also, some time has passed between this chapter and the last one.

6.5

Rebekah thinks it over for a good few days. Talking to Henrik - Henry; damn, that's going to be hard to get used to - only bolsters her decision to go to New York.

The problem is, she wants Fred with her. Their school isn't going to just let them leave - or at least, she doesn't think so; it's not like she's asked - which means she'll be stuck in Denver until the semester is over/winter break comes, or she'll have to ditch and then inevitably face the wrath of the school board.

She doesn't bother to tell Fred any of this, incorrectly believing that she can handle it all on her own.

That's why Fred finds her sitting on the kitchen floor on Friday night/Saturday morning, eating Hostess cupcakes and having an anxiety attack. He sits with her, and listens as she tells him her dilemma through tears.

"I just want to see my siblings again," she wails, clutching his shirt. "And I can't because of the stupid school!"

He rubs her back, and asks, "have you asked to get time off? They know you're pregnant, and they've been good about giving you sick days. And you heard what Elijah said. His college let him go to New York and are accommodating him, just because he's part of the Manhunt."

She's quiet, thinking it over. Elijah had said that, and Elijah never lied - at least not to her.

"Do you think they'll do it for me, too?" She asks, looking up at his face from his chest.

He nods earnestly. "They'll probably let me go with you, if you ask."

She breathes for a moment, calming herself down. She was shaking, but Fred's like a balm, and she feels so much better.

"Will you go with me?"

"Of course. But let's wait until Monday, then we can, okay? I think all three of us want to go to bed."

The baby takes that moment to kick, and the way they're sitting allows Fred to feel it. They grin at each other, and Fred lifts her like a princess. She leans up to kiss him, loving him more and more as the days pass. That night, they do very little sleeping.

Her lucky streak continues when, on Monday, her bosses allow her to go to New York with Fred. She also scores cheap tickets.

When she tells Kol, he squawks about how his tickets weren't cheap at all. She laughs until she cries when he says he's going to fistfight the CEO of 'airplanes or whatever'.

8.20 Late 2007

Liz stared at them both, overtly suspicious. With a finger in the air pointing at both of them, she said, "you better be in your separate rooms when I get back."

Caroline huffed, "duh, mom.

Klaus, much nicer, replied, "of course, Ms. Fo-ah, Liz, I mean."

She nodded with approval of his use of her name - he'd been with them long enough that it only made sense - and left them sitting at the table, eating their breakfast.

The second she was out the door, Caroline leaned across the table and kissed her boyfriend soundly on the lips.

"Hi."

He smiled indulgently. "Hey."

"Mom won't be back until tonight. You wanna?"

With a smirk and a nod, he stood and pulled her towards his room, where Ms. Forbes never dared to go.

0.9

It's decided the second Rebekah calls that only the "blood relations", as Kol calls them, will be welcoming her. It doesn't ending up mattering, since the children have to go back to school. Only the youngest ones, Christine, Matthew, and Justin are still there. The others plan to be back soon, though, since break is almost upon them.

At first, Leif and Aerona had been unsure, but now, sitting in the airport again, they're glad it's only them, and Mikaelson children. Torunn offered to come, but Rebekah had asked it was just them for this first time.

Kol is tapping his foot nervously. Freya is reading, Finn is once again on the family tree, and Elijah is people watching.

Like last time, Leif and Aerona busy themselves with talk of their children, other grandchildren, and their lives back in Tromsø. All of them were keeping themselves updated on the situation, and the news of Rebekah making her way out had excited them.

Already, Finn was endearing himself to them. Many of them also found themselves roped into movie nights playing only Kol's films.

"I'm glad they are all welcoming Mikael's children. I never said, but I was a little worried," Leif tells Aerona, hushed so no one can hear them.

"I was, too. Mikael left when some of them were very young, and over a quarter of a century goes by before they hear anything about him again. And what they do hear is that he'd killed his wife, and mistreated his children horribly." She shakes her head, still having a hard time reconciling her baby boy with the man who gave his children haunted looks and odd quirks. "I think that's why they started out so welcoming. They wanted these kids to feel like they were family."

"Yes, I believe that as well. Now, however, I think they've genuinely let the Mikaelson children into their image of family."

"I hope so. Eventually, we'll have to go home, and leave them, unless they come with."

"The only one I know who might is Niklaus, but that's a stretch. Kol will visit us, though, I'm sure of that."

They both look at Kol, the youngest of the Mikaelson siblings that they've met in person so far. He tells stories of his adopted sister all the time, and his parents, but he's latched onto them like a child on it's first day of school. Freya, Finn, and Elijah have also become close, though it's obvious they're bracing themselves for when it's time to return to reality.

Rebekah will be a handful - the few times they've spoken, she's made it clear, not through words but through actions, that she has pregnancy brain. She'll react badly, they've predicted to each other. Henrik already is a handful - not wanting to come out, according to Kol, and feeling so awkward it resonated through the computer screen.

After that Skype session, Leif had observed, "interesting that the youngest is the most guarded."

That was leaving out Niklaus, though. While Kol visiting them is a sure thing, Niklaus ever even talking to them is uncertain. He hasn't spoken to any of his siblings though. And from what Kol reports from Davina, he's ignoring the whole Manhunt so he won't have to deal with it.

They've been married for so long, they know they're thinking about mostly the same thing by just looking at each other. Aerona comments, banking on that history of theirs, "the ones we have yet to met are going to be difficult, aren't they?"

He smiles, a touch sad, and nods. He can't answer though, before a loud squeal sounds, and there's suddenly two more people in their group.

The blonde girl from the pictures, all grown up now, is running ahead of a cute young man with looks a model would be envious of. Privately, Aerona compares him to Katherine, Sage, and Graham, and wonders how it is that all of Mikael's children end up with stunning people. Probably because of what he put them through, she thinks a little sourly.

She forces the thoughts from her mind, and watches as Kol hugs her, then swings her around. They're both chattering like Freya had told stories about. Since Henrik couldn't talk when they were separated, and Niklaus was often glued to Elijah's side, they spent a lot of time together. This led to a bond none of the others could get close to with either sibling.

When Kol releases her, she's sobbing, one hand over her mouth and the other on her stomach. The young man, Fred, gives a concerned look that endears him to Leif and Aerona immediately, but allows her to fling herself at Elijah, then Freya, then Finn without his interference.

It's clear they won't be introduced to Rebekah any time soon, not when they all stand in a circle and catch up (hushed so the paparazzi and passer-by's won't hear). Watching Rebekah come back into the fold - Kol's words - is interesting, but there's someone they need to meet.

They move closer to Fred, who they've heard is a teacher like Rebekah, and is very protective. Once they're close enough, Leif sticks his hand out, and introduces, "hello, we're Rebekah's grandparents, Leif and Aerona Trulsson."

Fred smiles at them kindly - Katherine's smile had been downright clinically interested, but Aerona reminds herself she shouldn't be comparing anyone - and says,"Fred Dawson. It's nice to meet you both. Rebekah has been really looking forward to meeting you..." He looks off at his wife, and continues, "even though she isn't acting like it."

Aerona waves a hand before offering it to him. "Oh, it's fine. They've been apart so long, it's no surprise we aren't her first priority."

"Yeah, you're right. Um, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

He gives an awkward smile. "Are she and Kol always so…." He shakes his head, unable to find the word he's looking for.

"Well, from what we hear from their siblings, they were very close as siblings." Leif answers, "however, their personalities don't mesh very well at times. Both too snappy, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I think I do."

They talk for a little while longer before Rebekah can separate herself and come over to meet them. Jokingly, Leif thinks, Fred might be my new favorite.

8.21 Later (continuation of 8.20)

Caroline knew her mom knew that they were having sex. For god's sake, she was 18, so it's not like she wasn't allowed to have it.

Her mom knew that Caroline knew that she's uncomfortable with them flaunting it, though. So even though Caroline felt a little teenage-indignation, she respected that she lived under her mom's roof, and made sure to only have sex with Klaus when she wasn't home. She also made sure to leave no evidence.

Klaus had the guest bathroom, and he didn't have to share like Caroline and her mom did. It made disposing of the condom easy, plus it gave her somewhere to hide on the off chance her mom interrupted them.

That was what he was doing right then, throwing out the evidence. God, that makes it sound like a crime scene.

It almost was, she couldn't help but think. She'd had a pregnancy scare a few months before. She'd been honest with her mom, saying she wasn't sure and that she hadn't told Klaus, because everyone knew he would go into lock down mode the second both family and emotions were brought up. Damon said stupid shit about how much he loved Stefan all the time, just to annoy him. It was honestly a wonder Klaus hadn't punched him yet.

But that was beside the point. Her mom had taken her to the doctor after giving Klaus the okay to hang out with Matt and Stefan (he was twenty then and now, but he still lived under her roof, and obeyed her rules, one of which was 'I have to know where you're going and okay it'). The doctor had confirmed there was no baby, just school stressing her out and unhealthy eating habits coming together to make her late.

She was newly eighteen, so it was easy to say she'd had a scare at eighteen and not seventeen. The doctor had been judgy, and she knew her friends would be, too.

Eighteen sounded so much better than seventeen. (Her mom had said, "twenty-five and settled down sounds so much better than seventeen and fooling around.")

Klaus had no idea. He probably never would. Well, maybe if she actually did get pregnant, then she would tell him. But she wasn't interested in children any time soon, so she'd didn't dwell on it.

Klaus wouldn't let it go though. He'd exited the bathroom while she was mid thought. He was wearing his pajama bottoms from breakfast, and nothing else except the twinkle in his eye he always got after a round or two.

Klaus at twenty was a whole different beast than he was at seventeen. Back then, he'd been skinny, not in a good way, and what few times she'd seen him even partially naked had shown her he was not all that fit. His ribs stuck out after being starved - unintentionally by his foster parents, definitely intentionally from his foster siblings. He was bruised from the other foster kids, and, she'd learned from a hushed conversation with her mom, a truck driver he'd had to fight off after a ride. Now, though, he had abs, his ribs didn't stick out, and he was toned in an adult way she found insanely hot. There were no bruises on him now except the ones she'd made.

Klaus asked, "I know I'm beautiful, but that wasn't what you were in deep thought about, was it?"

She stretched out on the bed, gleefully noting that his eyes were glued to her. "No, it wasn't. I was thinking about your modesty, actually."

"Well, it's not like I can help I'm the sexiest person to ever live." She snorted, so he added, "after you, of course."

"Right."

She smiled at him, and he flopped onto the bed next to her, snuggling up instantly. It was the only part of his room he'd decorated. The sheets were dark blue, while the comforter was a lighter shade that almost matched his eyes. The rest was the same guest-bedroom-decorations they'd always been. He'd said he didn't change anything because he liked the way it looked, but she didn't think floral was his style. Truthfully, she thought it was because he was worried he'd get kicked out. But it had been almost three years. It was December 2007, and they'd met in April of 2005; he'd moved in days after she found him in the woods. He was here to stay, he just was so unsure of his footing, he'd made it so he had no real attachment to the room.

God, he broke her heart just by existing. Every time his birthday came around, he seemed surprised to get a cake and presents. When his father's friend, one of Virginia's auditors Klaus called Mr. Perverted, had come after him claiming that watching Mikael abuse his children had emotionally damaged him, Klaus had been surprised when everyone rallied behind him and not the older man. And even in tender moments, Klaus was so awkward about his feelings that it was clear to her he'd never learned to truly express them. He refused to go to counseling, though. Something about it all being a waste of money that made you actually think about your problems. She'd laughed, then, but the words sounded so much like Mikael had the only time she'd ever seen him that she didn't think it was funny anymore.

"Seriously, though, what were you thinking about?"

Caroline eyed his genuinely curious face, and decided to risk it.

"The future. What life is going to be like after college." He wasn't going, and they both knew that.

He shrugged. "Nothing will really change for me. But you, you'll be some big shot party planner. You'll probably bathe in money from all of the clients who will just throw it at you while begging that you make their event better than everyone else's."

She laughed. "You'll be right there with me. The 1% will beg you for your art. The art critics all over the world will cry at the beauty of your paintings."

He smiled, pleased. "I can just imagine an art critic needing a party planned, and going to us, hoping we'll agree to it."

"He'll want to use your canvases. Are we going to go for it?" She teased.

"Do you have a theme in mind?"

"Hmm...how about family?" A little girl with your dimples? A little boy with your laugh?

His smile turned strained the second she said it. He wasn't stupid, though, and he knew exactly what she meant.

"Caroline…."

"Klaus."

"You know I don't...I'm not…."

"We're discussing. We aren't making plans, Klaus," she nearly pleaded, pushing him onto his back so she could straddle his waist. "Please, just...tell me what you think about it. We aren't going to set anything into stone unless you want to."

He looked frustrated, but relented after a long moment. "I don't want children. But if we did have one…." He whispered, "I wouldn't want it to be alone. I've seen what having siblings is like, and I've seen what being an only child is like."

Her throat closed all of a sudden, and she swallowed, trying to get past it. "I would like that. Being an only child sucks."

He smiled fondly at her. "Yeah. But sometimes, it seemed like the better option."

"Really? When?" She gave him an interested look, and propped her self up on his chest. His hands rested on her thighs comfortably. She knew what he was doing, but she figured it was all she was going to get out of him. Frankly, it was more than enough to sate her curiosity.

"When Finn got all uptight about things. And when Rebekah insisted on tea parties with her stuffed animals."

"Aww. Did you have to put on a tutu?" She pictured that in her mind, and couldn't help but laugh.

"No, thank god. She only owned two, and one of them was only for Kol's use." He smirked, and even though it was a little too show-man-Klaus for her, she accepted it.

"Darn." She leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You would look great in one. I think I kept my old one?"

He flipped them over, and playfully growled, "I don't do drag, love."

"Unless I want you to," she batted her eyelashes.

He shook his head, for once denying her request.

With an evil smile, she started to tickle him.

He eventually wore the "damn tutu".

7.5

Henry had watched the video of his siblings reuniting in the same area of the same airport as the last few times. Now all he wants is to call them again. The few calls he'd made hadn't sated his curiosity about them at all.

Emily says he needs to start calling every day, talk to each of them separately, and form relationships. His mom and dad feel the same way, while Jason thinks he's making it harder than it really is, and Theresa is just saying she's glad her parents didn't want her and that's why she's there, not because she was taken.

None of them are really helping him all that much. The only thing that helps is going over the situation.

Freya and Elijah like to talk to him about anything, and they put him at ease. Finn feels awkward, but he's trying, usually by making small talk about school. Kol feels very awkward, and overcompensates. Leif and Aerona are grounded, calm, and kind, and he loves talking to them.

Rebekah is the only one other than Leif and Aerona who calls him Henry. The rest forget all the time, so he's given up on them ever calling him his preferred name.

He's told himself before that's one of the reasons he isn't making the drive up to New York City. But really, it doesn't bother him as much as he makes it out to.

Really, he's just scared.

Seeing Rebekah do it, though - and she'd told him she was scared, too - makes him realize he can't let this fear control him. He has to see his siblings, he can't let this pass him by.

He starts planning immediately, thinking about the next three day weekend he has and how he'll get there.

5.9

Fred is just now getting questioned about his intentions - hadn't passed muster, apparently - and Kol is flipping out.

He doesn't really know why. Fred is super nice, Rebekah is just the same as he remembers, and everything is fine. There's no Radley to talk at until he unwinds, though, but there's also no more Nina and Lacey to screech in his ear anymore. Still, he's been feeling anxious all day, like something's about to happen.

Logically, he knows he's feeling like this because of Rebekah. Not in the sense it used to be - god, how many times had he blamed the wasted makeup that he smeared on every surface on his sister? - but in the sense that he's worried she's not the same. Or doesn't like him. Or the fact that she's an adult and he doesn't know how to deal with it. Or any other nonsensical thing.

He just knows that he has to get the hell away, maybe call Hailie again, but she'll just berate him about his sleeping schedule again. That's a bust.

They're all crammed into the penthouse, where Freya, Graham, Justin, Elijah, Katherine, and Matt sleep. Fred's at the table, being stared at by all the adults except his grandparents who find the practice both silly and unnecessary. He heads towards them without realizing it, stumbling a little in his haste to get away.

It feels a little too much like that shoot he did once where his character was questioned by the police, and they'd said something about bringing in a friend who would make him talk and he'd stopped breathing in front of the whole crew.

He pushes the thought away, hating it as much as he hated the memories of being Pizza-Face (at least Maid Service was creative; Maid Service was a joke about how he made messes, and it's funny, whereas Pizza-Face is just stupid). He sits heavily on the couch, and rests his head in his hands. Aerona asks him if he's alright, but he barely hears her.

He can't help but think that this was a bad day to do this. Rebekah would try to take the attention back, just like she always did.

He loves her, he loves seeing her, and even though the belly kinda freaks him out, he's ready to become an uncle again. It's just...she was the attention whore of them all. Henrik screamed and cried, but he was a baby. Freya and Finn were Mother and Father's favorites, Elijah was not someone you ignored, and even Nik got attention, bad as it was. Kol was...just there, a mouth to feed, a faggot who would grow up to be a drama queen and nothing more.

Father was dead - Kol hasn't spoken to him since before May 10th, 1996 - and his words still ring in Kol's head.

Rebekah, Father knew, would be someone when she grew up. Kol, not so much. And it isn't all that true - Rebekah is not yet a teacher, and Kol is a movie star with awards under his belt - but he can't help but feel like Rebekah is here to take the attention away from him. God, he feels like such a child, but he can't stop thinking about the fact that Rebekah is making something of herself - she's married, she has a kid on the way - and he isn't - he hasn't dated anyone since he fake-dated April Young.

He doesn't realize he's hyperventilating until Elijah and Graham try to coach him into even breaths.

He manages it slowly, and it calms him down even though it isn't his usual game of counting things. When he looks up through teary eyes, he sees everyone staring at him, concerned. Rebekah is right in front of him, crouched down and petting his arm comfortingly.

She looks so scared for him that he instantly feels like an asshat.

Shakily, he stands, steps around his sister, pushes past Katherine and Freya and Finn and goes to his room here in the hotel. He locks the door, and moves the bag of clothes he's been living out of in front of it so no one can strong arm their way in.

He sits on the bed and just stares at the wall. God, he really hates himself sometimes.