Caroline slowly tilted her head up when she felt the vampires freeze. The shadow that was cast over her head had disappeared, and once she turned her head to the top of the brick wall behind her, she knew why.
His skin had turned to dark cement color while his lifeless body was splayed out in front of everyone in the formation of a cross. His lifeless eyes stared down at the crowd below him and a thick, chestnut tree branch protruded from his chest, just where his heart should be. Blood dripped down his body, staining the wall in crimson streaks.
She could see every vampire and human on the property suspended from shock, their faces agape from the death staring back at them.
Her eyes shifted over to the vampire who called himself Marcel. His countenance made no effort to hide the pain and anger that was boiling inside. He had tried to kill her, but she knew that look all too well; she wouldn't have wished it on anyone.
Everyone was quickly pulled out of their stupor when they suddenly heard footsteps that demanded an audience. Their eyes rested on the notorious man holding a large, freshly sharpened wooden stake covered in blood. Drops of blood slipped down his face and came together in a large pool of blood on the front of his black Henley that clung to his sculpted torso.
The crowd parted into two factions, creating a path leading the hybrid directly towards a grieving Marcel.
Klaus's face remained stoic, as if he hadn't just killed every viable creature outside, meaning he was at his most dangerous.
He honestly wasn't planning on slaughtering anyone tonight as long as Marcel cooperated and relinquished Rebekah without a fuss, but he couldn't help it if Marcel's lackeys weren't the brightest. Despite Rebekah's accusations, he did care about her and he knew that just because Marcel loved her once didn't mean he still did.
He met his protégé's eyes, letting a wide smirk cross his face when he saw the abhorred look on Marcel's face. "Evening, Marcel. Please, don't let me interrupt your fun. Just dropped by to pick up my sister." Klaus appeared in front of the blonde Original, wrapping his hand around her arm with an iron grip.
Rebekah gasped when she felt Klaus's impenetrable grasp encase her arm. "If this is your idea of an apology, Nik, then I suggest you go back to the drawing board."
"Actually, Elijah is desperate to have you back and he won't stop irritating me until I return you," Klaus harshly informed her.
"Is it really that difficult for you to say that you missed me?" Rebekah quipped.
Caroline felt her breath hitch when she saw him again in the flesh after months. He stood there, with those same hard blue eyes, his deceivingly cute dimples, and those dirty blonde curls she was certain concealed his horns. She let out a sigh of relief, yet at the same time she felt regret clamp down onto her heart. She hadn't anticipated that his presence would affect her so much; her feelings towards Klaus have always been anything but transparent, and with everything that's happened with Tyler, it felt like her head would explode.
Unsurprisingly, he was covered in blood from head to toe, but there was something different about him. Maybe it was the coldness towards Rebekah she'd never seen him show or the lack of light in his eyes that would always seem to ignite during their witty banters in Mystic Falls.
Everyone back in Mystic Falls had always found the Mikaelsons' petty bickering beyond annoying, but what she was watching now was just painful to watch. If Caroline hadn't known any better, she would have thought that the two Originals at the center of attention were ready to watch each other burn.
She cautiously took a few steps forward, not that she needed to since everyone was hypnotized by the Original face off.
"Caroline!" Katherine whispered. She tried to get to her feet, but the injuries Rebekah left her with were too severe for her to move.
Caroline turned back to the doppelganger, signally that she would be fine before stepping around Marcel, stopping in front of the Original siblings.
Klaus gritted his teeth, trying to think of his next course of action to get his sister to leave with him, but all his thoughts were swept under the rug when his nose sensed the sweetest scent he was certain he would ever encounter. His face relaxed and images of champagne, blonde curls, and light raced through his mind.
Turning his head, his undead heart began to race at the sight of the beautiful blonde who could make his head spin with just one glance. She was standing there, right in front of him, her hair disheveled and liquid red stained the front of her attire.
"Caroline?"
"Klaus." Her body went rigid as his piercing stare landed on her. She held her breath, trying to ignore the intense look in the hybrid's eyes.
Klaus felt his heart clenched and dropped the wooden stake in his hand.
Caroline gasped when she saw the hybrid appear in front of her, scanning her face with wonder. She couldn't help but be amused by the fascinated look in his eye like her existence was the most interesting thing in the world to him.
Klaus's expression quickly turned from intrigue to feral as his eyes fell to her tempting pink lips that were only inches from his own. It would be so easy for him to just capture them in his own and never let them go. He'd imagined the sweet taste of her lips, how she would put up a fight before his tongue would dominate hers, and explore every soaking inch of her mouth.
Caroline felt her cheeks turn hot when she saw the starved look in his darkened blue eyes.
She took a step back, feeling slightly disheartened when she couldn't feel his hot breath warm her skin anymore, not that she wanted his breath on her skin anyway. Taking in a deep breath, she had to avert her gaze from the others to avoid further embarrassment when she realized that their moment had been put on display for the supernatural residents of New Orleans.
Klaus's smug look remained on his face when Caroline bit her lip to try to hide the sheepish smile that was threatening to appear on her own.
Now that Klaus had taken in the vampire's appearance, his deep blue eyes began to cloud with a golden color, and the intensity rolled off his shoulders indicated that a tempest would show more mercy than Klaus.
Caroline was covered in blood, her curls disheveled, and there were several slashes through the black jacket she wore. Someone hurt Caroline, which meant there would be hell to pay.
"Who did this to you?" Klaus drew his fangs. He berated himself at the thought of anyone putting their hands on Caroline and he wasn't there to stop them. He could feel steam begin to rise from his stomach, preparing to inflict atrocities that were twisted even for him.
Caroline's eyes darted to Rebekah's for a fraction of a second before returning to Klaus's rage-filled ones. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, but I wanted to talk to you in private."
Klaus nodded and then turned his head toward Marcel. "Just tell me one thing. Did he hurt you?" He pointed his finger at the younger vampire.
Caroline's eyes fell to the ground. "Yes- or at least he tried to."
Klaus sneered at his former friend and snapped his head over to Rebekah. "What about you? Marcel tried to kill Caroline, surely his lover would blithely advocate his decision."
Rebekah's body went rigid when Klaus nearly crushed her bones as he gripped her arms. She scanned his face, seeing nothing but blood dance across his eyes.
"She threw the branch," another familiar voice called.
Everyone sharply turned their heads to see Katherine holding onto her abdomen, her hands stained in blood.
"You," Klaus fumed.
"What?" Caroline asked.
"I saw Rebekah throw the branch that killed the vampire," Katherine admitted.
Klaus looked up to see the trail of blood on the wall lead up to a vampire with a giant tree branch lodged into his chest. Klaus and Caroline simultaneously looked to Rebekah, along with the rest of the New Orleans residents.
Caroline felt the urge to question Katherine further, but knowing Katherine, she wouldn't compliment Rebekah's hair without a knife pressed against her neck, so she doubted she would make this up.
"It was you?" Caroline looked at the blonde with disbelief.
"Believe it or not, I do have a heart, Caroline," Rebekah responded, offended.
Caroline offered her an apologetic, but grateful smile.
"You saved her." Klaus didn't say it, but Rebekah knew him long enough to know that there was an unspoken 'thank you' in those three words.
Marcel used his vampire speed to approach the blonde Original, seething as betrayal was etched on his handsome face. "How could you? I thought that we were in this together."
"And I thought that we were equals," Rebekah spat. "I told you to hold your attack, but you did it anyway. It seems that you don't need my approval before you act, so I don't need yours."
"That's it, then? You're choosing him?" Marcel gestured to a smug Klaus.
"I'm choosing me."
Marcel narrowed his eyes at her. "You broke my rules." His tone was threatening and stoic, as if he were ready to perform the consequences himself without a second thought.
"And you broke mine." Klaus reached into Marcel's chest, with a jovial grin on his face at the fear in Marcel's wide eyes. He tightly clenched his fist around the younger vampire's heart before he ripped it from his body, waving the organ above his head for the crowd to see and dropping the dead weight to the ground.
Marcel's limp body slumped over, his skin turning a pale, gray color with every passing second.
The entire room gasped from the abrupt murder that unfolded before their eyes. Marcel's vampires had been too stunned to even move, tears slowly welling in their eyes.
Rebekah covered her mouth. She couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks even as she shut them. She betrayed him and he had returned the favor, but she still cared for him, nonetheless.
Caroline's breathing turned heavy once Marcel's corpse laid motionless on the ground. A wave of relief washed over her at the sight of the previous threat being eliminated by Klaus, but she couldn't help but feel pity for Rebekah who had indeed cared for the guy.
She looked up to see the vampires switch gears from mourning Marcel to hunger for vengeance.
Klaus did not falter at the slightest. "My name is Klaus Mikaelson and by my order, anyone who even thinks about harming Caroline Forbes will be punished through, and only through, execution, but not without proper torture first. There will be no exiles, no asylums, and no mercy." He snarled at the vampires foolish enough to challenge him.
Several vampires with puffy eyes lunged at him, fangs bared.
Klaus deflected their attack, using one vampire to knock them all back without even breaking a sweat. "Rebekah, be a dear and take Caroline to safety. Now!"
"Klaus-"
"Nik..."
Klaus could tell by both blondes' faces that neither one wanted him to fight this battle on his own with all these vampires out for his blood.
"I'm immortal, remember?" Klaus flashed them that cocky grin that drove them insane.
Caroline grabbed onto his wrist and thrust her finger into his chest. "You better be in one piece when we find you."
Klaus smirked as he brought his hand up to the one she had stabbed into his chest, giving it a firm squeeze. "I promise."
Caroline felt a jolt of electricity shoot up her arm at the touch of his callous hand. She tried to steady her breathing when she turned to Rebekah. "Katherine. Rebekah, please-"
"No."
Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "How would you like to have leverage over an all-powerful 2,000 year old immortal being who can read your mind and make you involuntarily do whatever he wants?"
Rebekah growled before grabbing the wooden stake that Klaus had dropped before to chop off several heads at a time, allowing Caroline access to an injured Katherine.
Caroline looped Katherine's arm over her shoulder and dashed out of there with vampire speed while Rebekah fought off the vampires that dared to stand in their way.
Caroline gently dropped Katherine to the ground. Biting into her wrist until blood began rushing out of the two wounds, she shoved her wrist to Katherine's mouth until the human drank greedily from her. As Katherine's wounds began to heal, she released Caroline's wrist from her mouth.
"Thanks." Katherine wiped the excess blood from her lips.
Caroline nodded and turned back to Rebekah. "We have to go back."
"We? I'm going to go back," Rebekah informed her.
"Seriously? Are you kidding me?"
"I can't die. You can. And someone needs to look after that one." Rebekah pointed to Katherine who was sitting cross-legged, watching them argue.
"I don't need a baby sitter." Katherine rolled her eyes. "I'm Katherine Pierce."
"A very human Katherine Pierce," Rebekah corrected.
"What about something in the house that could help take out more vampires faster? A weapon? Any explosives?" Caroline pressed.
"Well, aren't you getting creative." Rebekah raised a brow.
"Rebekah," Caroline entreated.
Rebekah furrowed her brows as she searched her memory for anything that could be of use. "Fireworks... Marcel forgot to use the fireworks from the Fourth of July."
All three girls exchanged devious grins.
Klaus had decapitated, removed hearts, left fatal bites, and threw limbs left and right. If one didn't know the definition of a bloodbath, Marcel's property would be the dictionary definition, along with other atrocities.
The humans were ruthlessly shoving and trampling over each other to squeeze through the exit. Half the vampires were trying to escape with their lives while others might as well have laid their necks on an axe.
Klaus removed a vampire's vertebrae and removed his brown leather belt before tossing him to the side. Five more vampires launched themselves at him and he used the belt he acquired to slice off their heads in one fierce whip of the accessory. Blood coated the belt and the excess warm fluid painted the already crimson walls a deeper shade of red.
He almost pitied these vampires' blind loyalty to a dead man who was not even worth their allegiance. Marcel was a snake who was only capable of stealing something that was already built and claiming it for himself.
He flexed his arm, prepping for the next line of vampires to assault him, but the sound of gun shots filled the room, followed with several flashes of neon lights. He had to shield his eyes from the blinding bright lights and when it had died down, he either saw vampires lying on the floor half dead and half undead with their skin scorching hot, or they were stampeding over the humans for the exit.
Klaus looked up to find fireworks exploding above them and was stupefied as to where they emitted from. That is, until his eyes landed on a bubbly blonde who was flashing him a mischievous look from the balcony she occupied with Rebekah and Katerina.
Appearing in front of the trio, Klaus tilted his head down to stare at Caroline, bewildered. "You came back."
Caroline's eyes darted off to the side to avoid his burning gaze. "Yeah… well, I didn't exactly sit in a car with Katherine Pierce for 9 hours just to spend the next 24, putting your body back together."
Although, it wasn't the response Klaus wanted to hear, he smiled knowing that she hadn't changed one bit since he last saw her.
"So..." Katherine broke the silence. "As much as I would love to stand here and watch you two flirt with each other by not flirting with each other, I'm kind of on a clock."
Klaus slowly tore his eyes away from Caroline and let them settle on the brunette, his smile faltering. "Ah, yes. That reminds me." Wrapping his steel, bloody grip around Katherine's throat, he pinned her against the wall, cutting off her oxygen. "Thank you for delivering yourself to me, Katerina. Quite thoughtful of you."
"Klaus, she's human!" Caroline warned, rushing to Katherine's aid.
Klaus raised his eyebrows in delight, quickly examining her pulse. "So it seems. Must've been quite the epiphany you had to suddenly give up running to become a human, Katerina."
Katherine dug her nails into his hand in response, but it did nothing to assuage his hold.
"Klaus, let her go! Please," Caroline implored as she placed a hand on his shoulder and the other on the arm that held Katherine captive.
Klaus furrowed his brows in confusion. "Don't tell me she's joined your little group of friends."
"No." Caroline licked her lips in frustration. "Silas can bring Bonnie back, but he also wants Katherine, so I need her as leverage. Klaus, I'm asking you, please spare her."
Klaus bowed his head, ruminating over his choices. He wanted to give Caroline the world, but his hatred for Katerina burned down to the wraths of hell. "Caroline, I've been waiting over 500 years to seek revenge against Katerina. I have a reputation to uphold-"
"Klaus, you just killed a gazillion vampires in front of a thousand witnesses," the blonde reasoned. "I don't think you have to worry about anyone not pissing themselves when they see your face in a picture frame." Klaus grinned at Caroline's explanation. "We can use her to kill Silas and I know how much you want that son of a bitch dead."
Klaus looked back at the doppelganger and back at Caroline. He rolled his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh. "For you, Katerina lives for now." He released his grip and let Katherine drop to the floor, clutching her sore neck and gasping for air.
"Bastard," Katherine said under her breath.
Caroline knelt down beside Katherine, checking for any fatal injuries. "Are you okay?"
"I could've gone without being choked to death, but I'll survive." Katherine rubbed her now red neck.
Caroline pulled her to her feet and turned to Klaus. "Thank you. You won't regret it!"
Klaus doubted that, but he knew he would never regret being the cause of Caroline Forbes's smile.
"So are we just going to stand here and wait for Marcel's vampires to show up or are we going to tell Elijah about the mess Nik's made?" Rebekah pulled everyone back to reality.
Katherine painfully swallowed a large gulp; partially from Klaus's crushing hand and partially from the name that's caused her more heartbreak than she'd ever admit.
Klaus nodded. "Caroline, you'll come with me and Katerina will ride with Rebekah."
"Fine, but I'm driving," Caroline declared.
Klaus raised a brow. "Why would I let you do that? You don't even know where I live."
Or does she...?
Caroline's eyes raked up and down his body, shooting him a challenging look. At first he thought she was casting him a look of approval, but he looked down to see her eyes had been eying his still slick, bloodied hands. Though he was disappointed, he was certain he could ensure she would be thinking of his hands in an entirely different way...
"Alright, love." Klaus reached into his pockets and tossed her the keys to his SUV.
Katherine pointed to Rebekah. "I'm not riding with the Original princess."
"Oh, yes you are." Rebekah wrapped her arm around Katherine's. "It'll give us plenty of time to chat."
"Rebekah..." Caroline started.
"Relax, Caroline. I'm not stupid enough to kill her. Besides, I'm sure you and Nik have a lot of catching up to do."
Caroline stared back at Klaus for a moment before he placed a moist, bloody hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards the car. Her jacket was already ruined, might as well leave his hand print on the back.
Note: Hey, guys, so you should know that I'm made/making changes to this story. I don't know if you remember the exact conversation in the first scene of the last chapter, but the changes I made in that chapter kinda make it clear (or at least I think so). But I've decided that there will be NO Hayley in this story and you can thank the klarogang chat for helping me come to my senses.
Also, I don't know if you guys know, but somehow I got nominated in the Klaroline awards for:
Best Comedy Author and Best Klaus URL (Niklausswagger)
So thank you so much to anyone who nominated me!
And if you wanted to vote for me that would be awesome and if you don't that's cool too.
Anyways, thank you to Annie (DarkDickens) for betaing this before you went on vacation/holiday
The next chapter will be posted in about a week. (Also, it's clear that there's going to be 37474958584 kc moments in the next chapter, right?)
And let me know what you think?
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