Chapter 10: Being Fine.
The house was ruined. Though none of them seemed to care too much for the burning home, there was always another after all.
"Really, I find you in the middle of a stupid fight protecting her. Of all people Nick…" Rebekah continued to rant, brushing her blonde hair over her shoulder with a glare in Caroline's direction.
Caroline ignored her, her attention fixed on Klaus as he pulled a bullet from her stomach with a blank look on his bloodied face. Anger seeped through his steady fingers as he glared at her healing wounds, anger that Caroline knew was aimed at himself more than her.
Gently, unsure, she stroked his head: her fingers lingering longer than was needed. She needed to comfort him, and this was the best way she knew how. Comfort was Elena's speciality, not hers.
"I'm fine." She whispered softly and glanced down at herself with a casual eye. This was nothing compared to some of the encounters she has had over the years. She was alive, as alive as a vampire could be, and that's all that should matter. Pain and wounds would heal.
Klaus sighed and stood from his crouched position at her feet, a place he would never allow himself to be for another. Only Caroline. Only Caroline could he fall to his knees for and seethe at his own weakness.
Nothing was fine. Klaus could feel everything he has been striving for beginning to falter, to fail. All his plans for Sophie and Marcel. Ruined, foiled, by a coven of unknown witches and an immortal so unspeakable he rivals The Big Bad himself.
No. There was one thing he could fall back on.
His eyes searched Caroline's blood stained face and allowed some of his anger to ebb away, she was fine. He allowed for that at least.
Rebekah was still talking, her voice beginning to grate on his thinning nerves.
"Sister, it has been less that ten minutes and I am one step from daggering you again. So heed my warning and shut up." Klaus barked turning to glare fiercely at his sibling.
He watched as Rebekah's eyes narrowed and her fingers twitched to rebuke him.
Elijah bit back a sigh and straightened out his suit, delicately straightening a crease that had formed at the cuff. Time to play diplomat.
"Rebekah, we were ambushed. Thank you for stepping in when you did. Nicklaus, is right. We must return home and discuss everything that has happened. Now is no time to be petty. Nicklaus, you really should thank our sister." He said in his smooth voice, a note of finality in his tone.
Rebekah opened her mouth, almost to retort, to object, but something stopped her. Her eyes narrowed and her face scrunched into a frown. How she wished she could just walk away from all of this, but it was too late now.
"I want one thing to be known Klaus, I am only here for Matt. Nothing else." She said looking directly at her half-brother with a steely look of defiance.
Caroline was impressed, Rebekah was finally standing up to him. Matt must really have made an impression on her.
"Fine. You can run away with your bus boy when this is all over sister. For now, we must leave this place. Marcel will be hearing of this soon." Klaus said with a malicious glint that Caroline realised was aimed at Rebekah for flinching at the mention of Marcel.
She tried not to feel curious about it, but it wasn't within her not to be. Another thing to add to the never ending list of strange.
"And what of her Nik?" Rebekah asked glaring at Caroline once more, she had been caught staring at her.
When Klaus turned to look at Caroline she tried not to show any emotion, to show lack of interest, to hide her need to continue with this till the end
"I'm going to help. Matt is my friend." Caroline said holding her chin high. She met each of the Originals eyes with her own look of confidence. She was doing this. They would not stop her. She would do everything within herself to help Sophie and Matt. She owed it to what she used to be to put up a fight and try. Fear tried to overcome her when she thought of Silas, but she squashed it down, locked it away. Fear was not needed here.
Her resolve was made.
"If you thought you were leaving my side love; you were sorely mistaken." Klaus said smirking and smugly reaching out to hold her up by the elbow. She was swaying, the exhaustion beginning to show. She still hadn't fully recovered from the witches attack, no matter how tough she may act.
"The witches know of you Miss Forbes. It would be unwise of us to allow you to wonder free." Elijah said calmly, trying to make reason for his brothers need to have the youngling with them. However, he knew this wasn't the full truth, that his brother simply wanted her to be with them. With him. She was something that Elijah had never thought was possible in Klaus's life. Light. Elijah could not refuse her. Which was too baffling and new for him to fully word.
Rebekah watched the exchange with narrowed eyes and scoffed. Her brother always was weak for the cheerleader.
"Great." She mumbled turning her back on all of them to scowl to herself.
Elijah sighed at her childish reaction but didn't comment, instead he turned to his brother expectantly.
"Now that everything is sorted, I believe we should be heading." Klaus said too happily for the situation.
Caroline continued to allow him to hold her elbow, but she would not meet his eyes. Could not.
"Where are we going?" She asked still looking anywhere but him.
"Our home of course love, the compound." Klaus replied grinning down at her, his breath skinning her neck and causing goose bumps to appear on the naked skin.
"Oh great, Damon is going to love this."