.

VIII

Time was supposed to heal all wounds, especially if you had an eternity ahead of yourself to work on that, but that wasn't what happened with Caroline. The witches haunted her in her dreams and the fact that she had helped to complete Silas' triangle only made it worse. She did it to save her best friend, but Bonnie only got more lost than ever. And because Bonnie, as well as Elena and Stefan needed her she ended up staying in Mystic Falls longer than she planned.

They were all supposed to go off somewhere to pursue their dreams, but the only one who left was Tyler. she knew she couldn't continue to fool herself into believing there wasn't something absolutely wrong in their relationship. Klaus' letter had been the last straw, and just before he left, completely resigned about their breakup she called him, and he looked back at her. She had to confess the kiss. She couldn't let him go without knowing it happened. And she did what she had to do and much to her surprise he didn't say anything. Pain quickly flashed in his features, especially his eyes, but he only nodded, before turning around again and leaving. She hadn't heard of him since then. No one had. He left Mystic Falls the same day. Looking back now it seemed like he even seemed slightly relieved. She knew she was.

And just when she thought things couldn't get worse, they went completely downhill.

She's dead, Caroline. Stefan's voice still resonated in her mind more than twenty-four hours later.

Her best friend was dead. Yet another fatality in her inner circle. Another casualty of a battle she didn't ask to be part of. Bonnie died to bring Jeremy back and while she was happy for Elena, both vampires were completely inconsolable when Jeremy told them the truth just a week before the summer was supposed to end.

And that has been really the last straw.

Caroline was dealing with the guilt of killing twelve innocent people, of giving Silas even more power, and it hadn't been even worth it. Bonnie was gone forever and now the blond felt empty, lost, broken, hopeless.

And in moments like this his face seemed perpetually imprinted in her mind. The way he had been there for her in that terrible night. The way he held her hand, the way he explained so calmly and softly about her nature, about her natural light, about how it all worked. And she believed him. She didn't doubt his words for one minute. He was after all a thousand years old. He had seen it all. He was wise and experienced. He knew what he was talking about and she wondered if he would know now the words to comfort her just as he did a few weeks ago.

She needed him, she wanted to go to him, she wanted him to be around, but she couldn't leave.

There was a knock in the door, interrupting her thoughts and tears. She had no idea who could it be and splashing some water on her face – every time she entered the bathroom her thoughts were him – she walked to the front door.

She didn't recognize the dark skinned man on the other side. Probably someone from Bonnie's family, she thought before opening the door.

"Good morning, Caroline," the stranger greeted.

"Do I know you?" she asked confused.

"I'm afraid not, my name is Marcel," he extended his hand, although it was blocked by the invisible barrier.

"Klaus," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes again.

"He's been informed about what happened to your friend," Marcel offered, finding himself more uncomfortable than he had been in many years. Doing missions for Klaus was always dangerous, but also thrilling. Searching werewolves, witches, slaughtering vampires' communities, tracking down the hardest people to find in the world. Most of the things Klaus trusted him had put his life in danger, but none of them had been harder than the one he had been presented at the moment. He could kill, torture, haunt, risk his own life, but he couldn't comfort someone and looking at how broken Caroline Forbes was in front of him he knew she needed comfort more than anything else.

"I can't invite you in, it's my mother's house," she changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about losing Bonnie for good. She had avoided talking about it to everyone, even Stefan and she wasn't about to do it with a stranger.

"I understand," he answered solemnly.

"Thank you. I know you've been… around. Somehow it made me feel slightly safer and I know you were the one to throw Silas away when he pretended to be Klaus," she offered remembering that particular day not even two weeks ago.

"We didn't know what could kill him then, I didn't know what he was going to do to you,"

She nodded, and feeling awkward about their position she walked outside the house. She completely trusted Klaus and she didn't fear the threatening looking man in front of her because Klaus had sent the person he trusted the most to take care of her. She didn't know when she started to feel like that about Klaus. When he became this person she trusted would keep her safe and protected. He had tried against her life at least twice, but it felt like an old memory. Something from a past life even. A fading reminder of who he was. But that wasn't how she saw him anymore. In her frail emotional state she had stopped fighting against how she felt about Klaus long ago. She didn't have the endurance anymore. She didn't have the energy. And in the end she knew it wasn't worthy it. She knew she would lose that battle sooner or later.

It was almost incredible how she had grown fond of his company in his absence. She had missed him when she thought she would be happy to have him away. Maybe at some point she had wanted him to go, but that was yet another distant memory. Only when she lost him she realized how much he had helped her while he was still around and how he did even more after he left.

Marcel observed her quietly. She had stepped outside, but she was yet to say something. Her eyes were lost somewhere behind him and there was no life in them. She looked as broken as the friend he had left in New Orleans and he wondered for a moment what they were to each other. He had done his research since he arrived in Mystic Falls and from what he had learned Klaus did nothing but bring misery to the small group of supernatural creatures and their beloved human friends. He had learned about the many unsuccessful times the group had tried to kill Klaus and he wondered why the Salvatores, the Gilberts, the Forbes and even the Lockwood boy – despite absent – were all still alive. He learned about Jenna and Carol and even Elena. Klaus had been ruthless when he attacked, but still it didn't make sense to Marcel that most of his mentor's former enemies were standing. He knew he was missing some parts. There was so much a willing Stefan Salvatore could say. He approached a doctor, some Meredith Fell that had provided him a little bit more information and he even approached the sheriff once to introduce himself and let her know who he was and why he was in Mystic Falls. But there were too many pieces missing in the puzzle. But his main focus was to fulfill his task.

And he did it. He and the day-walkers he took with himself had helped everyone in Klaus' list when the veil dropped. Caroline was at home that day and didn't even realize the witches that were killed once again in their feeble attempt to try to approach the Forbes girl and take revenge. They had saved Stefan, Elena and Damon as well, even from Kol – Klaus' brother, but no one could have predicted – or prevented – what Bonnie did. At first Klaus was infuriated. Marcel had never heard the hybrid so furious like when he informed the Bennett witch had died. He insulted Marcel and called him names they never said to each other. It was then that Marcel started to wonder what was the mystery about Mystic Falls involving the King of New Orleans.

He had a feeling there was something special about the blond vampire standing in front of him. She and her mother were top priorities in the list followed by the witch and the other baby vampire and then the Salvatore brothers and Matt Donovan. Those people should be kept alive at all costs, but if choices had to be made Caroline topped the list along with her mother. The only case he was not to choose Elizabeth Forbes to live was if it meant her daughter would die instead.

And observing the group closely while protecting them, Marcel even suspected he had figured out the main reason behind Klaus' concern. The blond was clearly the group's glue. She held them together, she put on a brave face, ignored her own pain and tried to make everyone else optimistic, not to give up hope and to keep fighting. But Marcel was the one that personally guarded her house and he had seen the many times she had broken down when she was sure nobody was around. When she knew her mother wouldn't come from work any soon and that Stefan and her other friends were unlikely to come. Normally it was during the sleepless nights that happened too often since he had been veiling the Forbes household. He never informed his mentor of those nights. He had a feeling that it would make Klaus even more uneasy and, dared him say, hurt.

So Marcel simply said the girl was struggling and hurting, but also that she was incredibly strong and determined. He wasn't sure how much of it Klaus actually believed, but he wouldn't go through the details of the nightmares she had while she screamed as if someone was sucking the life of her. Maybe that was why the golden beauty rarely slept. Those nightmares seemed torturous, painful and haunting, but even though he wanted to make them stop, to invade her mind and send her demons away he couldn't. And maybe it was better that way.

And now as he stood closely to her, just a couple of feet away, he could see how much those weeks had taken their toll on Caroline. There was no life on her, only pain, despair and hopelessness. It was a shocking contrast to the Miss Mystic Falls pictures he had seen while investigating the lives he was supposed to protect. He had even come across a video from their graduation and although some of the spark he noticed in other pictures was lost, it was still like seeing someone else. He wondered if Klaus would recognize the shell of the woman that once was Caroline Forbes if he were to see her at this exact moment.

"I have something for you," he finally broke the long silence between them, while she looked at nowhere, a few tears falling from her eyes sporadically.

His words seemed to bring her back from her trance, although she didn't register them at first. It was only when she noticed he had one of his hands extended that she saw the white envelope.

Caroline looked at his eyes and hand and tentatively reached the light object, knowing too well what it held inside. Another letter, another way he found to take care of her even if he wasn't around, even if he couldn't do the one thing she needed him to do. Just be there.

"Thank you," her voice was weak, and even though there were few things that could be lighter than the envelope she felt like she didn't have the strength to keep holding it.

"If you ever need me, just call me, I'm always near," he informed her before nodding his head briefly, and walking away towards a car parked across the street.

"Marcel," her voice still far from strong or loud.

The vampire was in front of her again in a blink of eye.

"How is he?" she asked, another batch of tears bathing her pale skin.

He thought for a moment if he should lie to her the same way he had been omitting the truth from her real condition to Klaus. The truth was they were two broken souls at the moment and Marcel wondered if their reasons were the same. He wasn't around Klaus to see him with his own eyes, and the few times he talked to Elijah and Rebekah they were reticent about how Klaus was handling the situation. But he had been with Klaus for two centuries. He had known Klaus better than anyone saved the other two Mikaelsons. He knew his old friend was only slightly better than Caroline and that alone was frightening. Elijah had informed him of recent developments, although he knew the older Original was still keeping a lot of information from him. But Sophie couldn't hold as much, as he had a hold on the witch himself, even stronger than the one Elijah had and she had told him what Elijah chose to keep to himself. It was shocking and disturbing even, but Marcel had a feeling that the most recent threat to Klaus wasn't what made him so unstable and reckless. No, he knew Niklaus Mikaelson better than that. Klaus was hurt and because of that he reacted the way he did to the threats that presented themselves. That was why he was even more impulsive, ruthless and cruel the past few weeks. That was why he did the unthinkable. And while Marcel suspected the main reason to his mentor's turmoil was the blue-eyed golden haired girl, he couldn't still wonder how.

"Coping the way Niklaus Mikaelson cope with things when he feels threatened," he decided to cryptically answer.

"What threats?" she asked concerned. Was he referring to the things going on in Mystic Falls or there were tragedies of their own in New Orleans as well?

"Nothing you have to worry and that Elijah hasn't fixed for his brother,"

"Are both Elijah and Rebekah with him?" she asked and for a moment there was a hint of hope in her features that didn't escape Marcel's always attentive eyes.

"Yes, in ways they haven't been in a very long time,"

"Good," she offered with a small smile, that held so much honest and thankfulness that actually touched Marcel's heart.

And that was how Caroline felt, in addition to being happy, relieved and comforted to know he wasn't alone. But soon her mind wondered if he needed her as much as she needed him. She had always read people well and although Marcel tried to cover his reaction to her question, she saw the uneasiness he clearly felt at the moment and he couldn't cover the brief moment of hesitation. He was hiding something, softening the truth probably and just as quickly as her relief came it vanished. He may have his siblings with him right now, but maybe just like she had her friends, it wasn't enough. There was a connection between them and they didn't have to mutually comfort themselves about the same things. He didn't care for Bonnie at all, but her friends did and while it was her pain, it was also theirs. He could try to understand how she felt about killing those witches, but he couldn't really grasp the feeling of it because he didn't felt any remorse when he took lives away. She had no idea of what problems he was facing, but she knew they didn't involve people she loved, or things she could discern. And that was why they could maybe comfort each other better than anyone else around them. Their pain was different, they were too different, but yet the same. Tortured souls troubled by pain and loss, loneliness and resignation, misery and deep tribulation.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Caroline?" Marcel asked, after seeing the little bit of life leaving her eyes again.

She about to say no, just like she did every day to her mother, Stefan, Elena and even Damon. But maybe there was something Marcel could do for her after all.

"Come by later, maybe by night, after my mother is sleeping," she asked softly, and he nodded, before once again walking away. This time she didn't stop and watched as he entered the car, but didn't turn the engine on.

Dear Caroline, she read, as she sat on her bed, long minutes after she finally managed to get inside.

Words can't say how sorry I am for your loss. It seems like selflessness and compassion runs in the water of Mystic Falls. I could never understand the sacrifices Stefan, Elena, and now Bonnie had done for those they love. I tried to make up my mind around it, but it's beyond my comprehension. I guess I became too foreign to human nature to have a grasp of what it entails. But I can admit to my mistake when it comes to humanity's power. I've always said love – and to extension humanity – as a vampire's biggest weakness because whatever makes you expose yourself makes you weak. I could only laugh at the foolishness of my brother and sister and every other human that allowed vulnerability to freely enter their lives. There's no sensibility in that.

But I've come to understand that when controlled, such emotions can empower someone instead of weakening them. I saw that strength in you, engulfed by an almost blinding light. And that makes you invincible because nothing can break your spirit. I've seen glimpses of the same in your friends in the rare occasions I really looked at them. I can see it in Rebekah's and Elijah's eyes in the they look at me every day and I finally realized how miserable I am, how superior all of you are, but especially you. I may be the most powerful, feared, strong creature in the world, but I have nothing on you when it comes to a strength that doesn't involve an indestructible body, but an unbreakable spirit.

And that's why I know that even if you're going through hell now and nothing makes sense, or the feeling that nothing is worth anymore, that nothing else exists except pain, misery and despair, that you'll only come stronger, that one day you will open your eyes and you'll feel different even if all those things remain there just the same. Because every day that passes your spirit let your heart and soul know that nothing will bring you down in a way that you won't be able to stand again.

And because I'm not sure if you still remember it, I'm sharing with you what I've been contemplating since I met you. And I can assure at the top of my thousand years that there's nothing more fascinating, nor empowering.

May this fateful morning come soon, sweetheart.

Hopefully,

Klaus.

AN.: No KC in this chapter and I'm not sure there will be in the next either. But I'll try to write things from Klaus' perspective - and not only Marcel's perception of it.

There are a few hints in the chapters about future developments, about Klaus' compulsion a few other things that with time will make sense.

Thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed it! Keep them coming!

Have a nice weekend!

Anonymous reviews:

guest 1: I don't see fluffy and confessions in the next few updates, but who knows. I don't have any chapters written ahead.

guest 2: thanks for the GoT explanation ;) I can see some similarities in the way Klaus loves Caroline, the thing is Klaus is much more damaged and darker than Robert.

justine: unfortunately Bonnie is no more and we didn't see it from her pov, but it was addressed she was in a very bad place before dying