Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Vampire Diaries or any of it's characters...Oh the amount of trouble I would get in if I did...
Chapter 5: A quick walk.
"Barbie and the Big Bad go way back," Damon said into his cup a sly smile on his lips. Elena shushed him and drank from her glass again sending Caroline a small smile as apology.
"And that's all there is to it, we knew each other once, a long time ago." Caroline said taking her glass from Anne and pulling it to her lips in the same motion.
Anne laughed and shook her head.
"If that's what you want to believe then go on a head child." She then walked away to serve a human two seats down from Caroline.
"Well, now we know why everyone is staring at you Care." Stefan said and even he couldn't hide his amused smile and knowing look.
Caroline didn't answer only drank some more from her glass trying to ignore the bitter taste that removed once she swallowed each mouthful. She traced the pattern the grains of wood made on the top of the bar, her mind wandering back to her times in Mystic falls.
She could remember her fist meeting with Klaus, though they didn't speak; not until he was feeding her his blood on her birthday, he was her mortal enemy back then. The devil himself. He still was, but now it was all different. She didn't have time to have one enemy; she had the whole world to deal with now. Even in this safe heaven she couldn't feel at ease: not fully.
Her last days in Mystic Falls had been chaotic, Bonnie dying only to return not fully herself and on a mission by the spirits to destroy Silas, her Mom dying to give them all a head start, Matt leaving with Rebekah and Klaus gone. Mystic Falls wasn't the same place anymore; it was full of all the evil in the world wanting to crush the humans beneath their feet only to be used when they are hungry or bored.
Nothing was the same anymore.
"What are you doing here?"
Caroline raised her head from looking down at the bar top to Klaus who was making his way to her an emotionless mask on his face. She felt herself bristle at the sight of him, it was like he wanted people to stare at her even more with the way he singled her out.
"Drinking, y'know what you usually do at a bar." She replied taking a sip from her glass to prove her point. His eyes narrowed at the glass in her hands and sat in the stool beside her. Caroline looked over to the door that he had come through, Adam was still there glaring, but now another man was talking to him casting furtive glances at Klaus.
"The usual?" Anne asked interrupting whatever reply Klaus was about to bite back with.
Klaus allowed his eyes to slip away from Caroline for a minute to shake his head and order water, Anne looked completely surprised at his order but went about to make it appear without question.
"Who's the guy talking to Adam?" Caroline asked swirling her brandy in her glass not looking away from the vortex she was creating. Klaus leaned an elbow onto the bar and cupped his neck.
"He's none of your concern, now why are you all here?" He decided to ask the group this time instead of Caroline alone knowing he wouldn't get a straight answer from her. Especially when she never gets one from him.
The thought made Caroline's lips twitch, the Big Bad Hybrid beaten by a baby vampire.
"Damon wanted to come for a drink and not spend all day playing tourist." It was Stefan who answered, still looking amused. He turned in his stool to look at Klaus a smile playing at his lips.
Anne put Klaus's water onto the bar and Klaus pulled the glass from Caroline's hands and slid her the water instead.
"Hey!" She complained making to grab the glass back but Klaus had already drained what was left of it.
"Drink, it's too early for you to get drunk." Klaus pushed the glass of water closer to Caroline.
He was completely serious, Caroline could see it in the evil glint that crossed his eyes. But she refused to be pushed around just because he deemed it so. Damon laughed and also turned to watch the show, Elena was torn between amusement and anger for her friend.
"Klaus, I am going to say this once and once only. Bite me." Caroline quirked an eyebrow and pushed the glass further away from her again. Klaus smiled still sitting in the same casual position his eyes never leaving hers. Caroline knew it was a cheesy line but she felt it fit the mood perfectly.
"Been there, done that love." Klaus murmured in reply completely at ease with her defiance and the many growing looks they were getting.
Caroline sucked in a sharp breath her eyes darting up to Anne who was laughing abashedly at the exchange further catching the attention of the people around.
"One of these days I swear..." Caroline was cut off by the man from before appearing at Klaus side.
He was a tall, thin, man with a dark black suit and grey eyes. He looked battle worn and old. He was a Vampire, Caroline realised scanning him over briefly. And he didn't seem to like her if that glare was anything to go by.
"Klaus." The man said his voice deep and gravely. Klaus sat up properly and turned to look at the Vampire his emotionless mask back into place.
"Henry, I assume Adam gave you all the information you required?" Of course he had, Caroline thought, you would have heard if he hadn't.
The man, Henry, nodded briskly holding his hand out for Klaus to shake, which he did, before looking down his nose at Caroline: waiting for an introduction.
Klaus's eyes flickered to Caroline's questioning look a small smirk breaking through his mask and he shook his head slightly. It seems he didn't want to share her at the moment.
"Well you had better be getting on with it then." Klaus smiled and pointed to the door all the while laughing on the inside.
The man narrowed his eyes at the obvious ignorance, looked back down at Caroline and then her friends before flashing through the front door and out of their sight.
Caroline watched with curious eyes as she wondered what 'it' was exactly. He just smiled his all knowing smile in return and gestured to the water once more.
"Now where were we?"
She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"We were ten seconds from me pouring that water over you for being a domineering asshole." Caroline said smiling sweetly.
"Okay break it up children," Stefan suddenly intervened laughing slightly. It had been a while since Caroline heard Stefan really laugh.
Klaus laughed quietly and leaned around Caroline to look at Stefan to give him a wicked smirk.
"She is the child, yes, but I don't believe I quite pass for a child anymore, mate."
Caroline elbowed him in the ribs without any thought, it obviously done no damage as Klaus only rolled his eyes and leaned back again. Anne came to stand in front or the group once more a mischievous glint in her eyes as she watched Caroline and Klaus like a parent watched their children.
"Klaus, Jay said there was some trouble with Graham and Luke earlier. Maybe you should go and check it out: you know how things get with those two." She smiled sweetly and gave him this all knowing look, Caroline swore both of their eyes flickered to Caroline for a moment before Klaus nodded and stood; a smirk firmly on his lips.
"Sorry love but duty calls and all that," he paid Anne for the water and the Brandy then began to leave. But at the last moment he changed his mind and turned back to the group his eyes landing on Caroline instantly.
She could already hear what he was about to say.
"Unless you want to come with me?"
Bingo.
Caroline shook her head and looked down the line at Elena who had her eyebrows raised and a smile that could only be translated as: 'what now?' Damon was laughing into his drink as if the whole thing amused him while Stefan was rolling his eyes.
"Just go with him, it will give us all peace." Stefan finally muttered shoving Caroline from her stool and nudging her to the door where Klaus waited.
"Ugh, why, just why am I always the one to distract him?" She grumbled walked to Klaus who was fighting a victory smile.
"Oh come on, you know why: the bar knows why. You're just too stubborn to acknowledge it." Damon said taking a sip from his glass and raising it in a mock toast to Caroline.
She glared and stormed past Klaus to get out onto the empty street outside.
"Wait up love; you're going to get lost." Klaus jogged to her side and began leading the down the road and out of the sleazy street.
Caroline huffed but followed him nonetheless. They emerged onto a busier street, mainly humans but sometimes they would pass a witch or a Werewolf. Never a Vampire.
"So what's the deal? Why are we going to sort out this don't you have…Like minions or something to do that?" Caroline finally asked dodging the crowd without much effort.
Klaus laughed and looked down at her quickly a hint of a smirk at his lips.
"They are my minions."
Caroline furrowed her eyebrows and was about to ask him what was with the mysterious answer but there was a shrill scream and someone came flying through a café window landing smack dab in the middle of the busy road. Cars stopped and backed into each other, horns flared and people yelled. All the while the man laughed like an escaped loon.
Klaus sighed and began making his way to the man in the middle of the road, Caroline followed her confusion boiling.
The man was clearly a Werewolf, his eyes flashing yellow dangerously as he stood back up and glared, all laughter gone, at the broken café window where another man stood laughing his ass off. A Vampire Caroline dully registered just as Klaus flashed beside the man on the road and grabbed the back of his neck a serene smile on his lips.
The man stiffened instantly.
"I didn't turn you into a Hybrid to start fights in the middle of the street Luke." Caroline heard Klaus murmur into the man's, Luke's, ear dangerously. Caroline appraised Luke with raised eyebrows before approaching the scene, breaking out of the humans spectating circle.
"Quite the scene," she murmured stepping over a broken window pain and arriving next to Klaus who gave her a warning look and turned back to Luke.
"Graham would you please come out." Klaus never broke eye contact with Luke as Graham sighed and jumped out of the broken window and flashed to the gathering.
He eyed Caroline wearily but never said anything only glared at Luke at nodded at Klaus.
"Boss, the Hybrid dared to insult me, I was only defending myself." Graham tried defending himself. Caroline only caught a fraction of that sentence.
Hybrid?
"Oh you have been busy." Caroline muttered not able to keep the distaste from her voice.
"Caroline, love, I beg of you: shut up." Klaus snapped smiling at her with acute fierceness. Caroline narrowed her eyes and waved her hand for him to continue.
Graham now stared at Caroline more carefully his eyebrows knitted together.
For some reason he felt this woman was very dangerous. And rightly so.
Caroline looked him over briefly her mind elsewhere, he was tall, about Damon's height, with long-ish blonde hair. He reminded Caroline of a typical surfer. But she couldn't focus much on the Vampire as the Hybrid grabbed most of her attention.
He was small, but very built with long brown hair that hit his shoulders in waves and although the clothes he was wearing were ripped and torn from being flung through a window; he looked remarkably well dressed.
He was hot, to put things simply.
"Let's get off of the streets before we deal with this." Klaus finally said grabbing both men by their necks and dragging them down a deserted alley leaving the whispering humans behind.
Caroline followed behind watching the scene unfold in front of her a small frown on her face.
"Okay, so what happened this time?" Klaus demanded pushing the two men away from him before folding his arms across his chest.
"He drank from my…Woman," Graham said glaring at Luke who grinned cheekily at him in return.
"She was begging for it." He simply replied shrugging and throwing a wink at Caroline who raised his eyebrow in a question mark but said nothing still.
"You know the rules Luke, even if she was 'begging' for it that human belongs to Graham." Klaus said smirking slightly. Caroline wrinkled her face in disgust at the way they talked about the girl: like she was an object of possession, not a living being.
"Then you agree he must be punished?" Graham asked excitedly his eyes eager.
"You know I need him on guard mate, but he will be banned from feeding for the next week." Klaus then looked at Luke his pupils dilating as he repeated his punishment.
Caroline shivered, that was the kind of punishments the Vampire were given here? To be compelled into not feeding? Then what? To drive a stake through your own heart? She really hated compulsion, it was foul.
Luke rubbed a hand over his face before grinning at Graham. He got off lightly and they both knew it.
"Well I'll go take over the guard duty for Chris," he began making his way past Caroline smiling brightly when their eyes met. Carline shook her head, he was just sentenced to the longest week of his life but he acts as if it is nothing.
Strange Hybrid.
"What are you guarding?" She asked as he past. Luke stopped and looked over his shoulder at Klaus, asking for permission. Klaus nodded slightly watching the blonde carefully.
"The city limits mostly, but we also look out for rebels and such. The human are constantly trying to get in here somehow, mainly the ones under Silas's influence."
Caroline flinched at the mention of Silas but pressed on nonetheless.
"Rebels?"
"Yeah, Marcel and his band of merry witches and Vampires. They are a small group but a real pain in the neck when they want to be. Okay, I really need to go now, it was nice meeting you Caroline." Luke said flashing another easy smile and flashing out of the alley way.
Caroline spun around to look back at Klaus and Graham, who was still eyeing her like she could stake him at any moment.
"Even here has its problems huh?" She murmured looking at Klaus who shrugged casually.
"I told you that you would be safest here, I wasn't lying." Klaus replied taking a small step towards her.
Caroline couldn't disagree with him, though there was a nagging part of her that wanted to.
"Now what boss?" Graham said interrupting whatever Klaus was about to say next.
"Now? I suggest you keep a firmer hold on your human and help clean up the mess you made in the middle of my street mate," Klaus replied not taking his eyes from Caroline.
Graham nodded, gave Caroline one last distrustful look and flashed out of sight.
"Can we go now?" Caroline asked already heading out of the dark alley not waiting for a reply.
"Go where, love?" Klaus asked appearing by her side sending her a small smirk that almost had her melting at the knees.
"Back to the bar?" She said shrugging, she didn't know where else to go.
"Yes, I need to have a word with a few people there so that would be best." He didn't sound like that was where he wanted to be going.
On the walk back Caroline glanced at Klaus now and then, looking away when he felt her curios stare, there was something different about him she finally concluded when the bar loomed into sight. He seemed happier than the last time she had seen him.
"Have you heard from Rebekah?" She asked sick of the silence. Klaus, who was surprised by the random question, shook his head and sighed.
"She would rather live on the run than in a city that I rule and with that bus boy nonetheless." He answered carefully his emotionless mask back in the fray. Caroline tried to ignore the distasteful comment about Matt.
"Matt sometimes contacts me, not often, every few years, to say they are still alive and enjoying every moment of it. You have no idea how jealous I am of them," she murmured almost sadly.
The two were having the time of their eternal lives never getting caught and living life like each day was their last: exploring a world our kind have been rejected from. They really are amazing.
Klaus didn't reply only sighed and pushed the bar door open allowing her to walk in first. Caroline wasn't surprised to find her friends still sitting at the bar laughing loudly and downing some shots, even Stefan looked happy.
She immediately began walking towards them only to be caught at the elbow by Klaus and pulled to stop.
"You have no reason to be jealous of my sister love, I promise." He whispered into her ear making sure the six vampire in the vampire wouldn't be able to hear, only her.
Caroline held her breath as his breath tickled her ear; she forced herself to nod blindly and make her legs take her to the bar. She suddenly really needed a drink.
Klaus chuckled lowly and followed swiftly behind her feeling very proud of himself.
"Care!" Elena cried joyously laughing and patting the bar.
"Anne get a drink for Caroline!" She shouted enthusiastically laughing again.
Caroline laughed lightly and jumped up onto the stool beside Stefan with effortless grace. Anne appeared in front of her smiling wickedly.
"If I ordered some form of alcohol will you take it from me again?" Caroline asked Klaus accusingly.
"Probably," he replied shamelessly with a shrug.
"Fine, orange juice, please, Anne." Caroline sighed ignoring the smug grin on Klaus's face.
"So what were you two up to? Nothing too naughty I hope?" Damon suddenly said brandishing his scotch wildly.
Caroline glared in his direction taking her glass from Anne who snickered then quickly turned away to answer her phone hiding her smile.
"Just a bit of law keeping mate," Klaus answered smiling leaning on the bar.
Damon never got to ask what the hell kind of kinky games they were into because Anne ended her phone call her features grave.
"Marcel has a bunch of humans in the plaza as hostage and refuses to move until you come to him."
The bar went deadly quiet and Caroline sighed.
She was never going to finish her drink in peace around here.