I own nothing but the plot...

"I am here to see my daughter," Klaus said.

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked.

"Do you think me a fool, love?" Klaus replied, "Did you honestly think I would not find out?"

"I...I..." Carolie stammered not sure what to say. Klaus moved past her and into the apartment.

"I assume she is not here?" He said looking around.

"No," Caroline managed to say.

"Probably best that we speak first," Klaus said. "As I said I would like some visitation with her, and I will also need to set up some sort of trust."

"Trust?" Caroline said confused.

"Trust fund," Klaus clarified.

"Trust fund?" Caroline repeated.

"Yes, I have a great deal of money and as my child Ella is entitled to some of it," Klaus said his tone very formal and straightforward. "I will have the papers gathered together for you to sign because I assume that the father's name was left blank on the birth certificate? Although I think a paternity test will have to be issued, of course, as a necessary precaution. Like I said before, I am not fool."

"Wait a second..." Caroline said holding her hands up, "You can't come here and..."

"I don't want this to get ugly," Klaus said cutting her off.

"Ugly?" Caroline said.

"I would hate to have to bring this to court, but I will if you keep her from me," Klaus said his face blank of any emotion.

"You would take me to court to get visitation?" Caroline said baffled.

"If we cannot figure this out on our own, then yes, you give me no choice," Klaus said, "I will give you time to decide, but understand this Caroline, I want to see my daughter, and I won't stop till I do. I'll be in touch. Have a good rest of your day."

Klaus was gone as quickly as he had come leaving Caroline standing in the middle of her living room with her mouth open.

WHAT?

K&C

"What do I do Stefan?" Caroline asked. After Klaus' sudden appearance and demands to be in Ella's life Caroline had called up her good friend lawyer Stefan for help. She picked up Ella from art class on the way and now Ella was playing with Elena in the living room while Stefan and Caroline discussed things in his office.

"He does have rights as the father," Stefan said much to Caroline's dissatisfaction. "If this does go to court a paternity test will be needed. I know you are telling the truth, but when it comes to cases like these everything has to be just so."

"Okay," Caroline said taking everything in.

"I think the thing you want the most is to keep it out of court, so would it be so bad for him to send time with Ella?" Stefan said tentatively.

"What happens when he gets bored and leaves?" Caroline asked. "I don't want him to break her heart. Ella is such a loving girl, and if Klaus comes into her life she will love him instantly. I know it. She sees the good in everyone. So when suddenly he is suddenly gone one day Ella will be crushed. He is a love them and leave them type of guy, Stefan."

"A daughter is different then a woman Caroline," Stefan reasoned. "You don't know until you try."

"I just don't want her to get hurt," Caroline said.

"Think about this Caroline," Stefan began, "Someone who was planning to love them and leave them wouldn't be trying to hard to see his daughter."

K&C

"You are about the last person I expected to see come here wanting to sue a poor girl for visitation rights to a kid," Damon Salvatore said to the man in front of him.

"I have no intention of suing her," Klaus said to his friend, "I only want to scare her into letting me into Ella's life."

"Yes because that is the way to go about this, threaten the mother of your kid," Damon said sarcastically.

"How else am I supposed to do it?" Klaus asked.

"How about being nice to her? Friendly? Polite? Not threaten to take her to court," Damon said listing off different ways.

"This is the way I have always done things, and it has always worked," Klaus argued.

"Yes, when it comes to getting a better profit on a painting, or a gallery that charges too much, not for custody cases," Damon said. "Custody cases are delicate. You have to prove a fit parent, and this is not a good start."

"I just want to know her, that's all," Klaus said and Damon sighed.

"Fine, I will scare the girl," Damon said giving in. "But I would suggest trying a different rout."

"Thanks mate," Klaus said getting up.

"That sister of yours still dating the bartender?" Damon asked.

"They are getting married apparently," Klaus replied, "Missed your shot."

"Well it has been six years since I have seen her," Damon said, "We did have some fun times didn't we?"

"Yes drinking our way across Europe and almost getting kicked out of Oxford," Klaus said and Damon grinned.

"Those were the days," Damon said, "Good luck. You are going to need it."

Klaus left the law office of his old collage friend and started the walk back to his hotel. Friendly? Nice? Two things that had not ever been used to describe him. Klaus had never really been handed anything in life. Not when it counted. If he wanted something he always had to take it. He didn't know how to do it another way.

K&C

"Custody cases, annoying little things." Damon said to his brother as he looked over his new case files. Stefan had been working from home today, but had come into the office to check in.

"Tell me about it," Stefan said rubbing his temples. "I got a new one where the father is demanding visitation rights even though he knew nothing about the child until a few days ago."

Damon looked up from the file he was going over.

"What is the guy's name?" Damon asked.

"Niklaus Mikaelson," Stefan answered, "Did some research on him, apparently he is a really big deal in the art world over in Europe. One of his paintings sold for over half a million dollars."

"Small world," Damon said, "That is the name of my client who I was asked to represent in a custody case involving a child he just found out the existence of a few days ago."

"You are going to be the one that is suing Caroline!" Stefan said.

"It's Caroline's kid? Ella?" Damon said surprised and Stefan nodded, "The world is getting even smaller."

"Yeah," Stefan said with a groan. This complicated case just got more complicated.

"At the risk of adding more wrinkles to your forehead you should know Nik doesn't have any plans to sue, he wants to scare the girl, Caroline, into letting him see his daughter," Damon informed him.

"Scare her?" Stefan said, "Why would he do that?"

"It is just who Nik is," Damon told him, "He is the tortured artist type, and can be a bit ruthless. If you ask me I don't know why he is trying to hard to see Ella. Nik is not a "Daddy" type of guy."

"Wait, isn't Nik the friend you met at Oxford?" Stefan asked, "The one that you drank and partied with all during collage?"

"That's him," Damon answered.

"And Caroline is my wife's best friend," Stefan said clearing everything up.

"Yep," Damon said a smirk forming on his face.

"Shit." Stefan said, "I need a drink."

"Already got it covered, brother," Damon said and got a bottle out from his desk drawer.

K&C

Klaus opened the door of his hotel room and saw Kol on the other side.

"Really?" Kol said pushing his way into the room. "Are you seriously going to sue Caroline?"

"If she does not let me see my daughter I have no choice," Klaus said closing the door behind him, "And shouldn't I be the one pissed at you for not telling me your girlfriend's child was mine as well? I am your brother. What happened to "Always and Forever," hmm?"

"First, Caroline isn't my girlfriend," Kol said, "I just said that to please mother and make it seem like I was settling down. She is my best friend though, and she is the one freaking out that her baby daddy is going to take her to court. Right now she is currently pacing around the living room mumbling rubbish. Although I think I heard, "English asshole" more than once. Second, yes you are my brother, a crappy brother sometimes, but my brother none the less. It was not my secret to tell, and I only just found out too."

"So she isn't your girlfriend?" Klaus asked and Kol groaned.

"That is all you got from that?" Kol said, "No she is not, but she is my best friend and I am not going to let you come in a mess up her life," Kol sighed. Since when was he the voice of reason? "You are a reckless person, like me, it is a family trait. So I want you to think about it. This isn't a new shiny boat or a car you want to get and then just sell it when you don't want it anymore. This is a kid. A kid, by the way, you know nothing about."

"Ella Elizabeth Forbes, four years old, promising art talent, something she inherited from me. Her first word was "no" and she weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces when she was born," Klaus said starting his list. "She recently started an art class for gifted young students and was the youngest ever to be accepted." Kol looked at him with his mouth open. "Mother filled me in."

"You actually had a conversation with mother long enough to get all that?" Kol asked shocked. "How did you know how much Ella weighed at birth?"

"Called in a favor to view her medical records," Klaus said, "We share the same blood type as well."

"Brother, you are going about this all the wrong way," Kol said and Klaus frowned.

"How else am I supposed to go about it?" Klaus said getting really sick of everyone telling him that.

"Well stop threatening to sue Caroline for visitation and maybe have a real conversation," Kol advised. "I can arrange it if you promise to be civil."

"I am always civil," Klaus said and Kol rolled his eyes.

K&C

Ella was of course oblivious to what was going on. Her mother was acting strange. She also called Uncle Kol as soon as they got home from Uncle Stefan and Aunt Elena's house. Her Mom asked Ella to go into her room and play. They obviously wanted to have a grown up conversation and didn't want Ella to listen.

Ella did hear one word though, father.

She did wonder who her father was. In Ella's dreams she imagined he was a prince from a fairy tale or a superhero. In her dreams he would pick her up and spin her around and tell her how much he missed her. He would say sorry for being gone for so long, but was never going to leave again. Ella's father would hold her tight and never want to let go. Ella loved her mother more than anything, but she did wish she had a father. She wished he would show up at the door and say how happy he was to see her and how pretty she was.

Maybe he finally came home.

K&C

"I don't know how to go about it any other way!" Klaus said frustratingly into the phone. He was talking to Rebekah who was just another person telling him lawyers and threats were not how he should go about this. "Besides I am still furious she did not tell me I had fathered a child."

"I know you are still angry, I am too that she didn't tell me," Rebekah said calmly, "But we need to get over it because it isn't about us Nik."

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked.

"It isn't about how we feel or how angry we are, the only thing that matters is that little girl," Rebekah replied, "You and Caroline need to put Ella first before any feelings you might have about everything. Or feelings you have about each other." Klaus was surprised at his sister's wise words, but then it all made sense.

"You have been talking to Elijah about it, haven't you?" Klaus said.

"Well since you won't talk to him about it I had to be the one," Rebekah said, "He told me he has called you 3 times and you have refused to answer."

"I have had a lot going on, I don't have to time to have a heart to heart with my big brother," Klaus said or more growled.

"But yet you made time to talk to mother?" Rebekah pointed out. "You and Elijah need to get over this feud you have. Besides you were the one sleeping with Tatia even when they got engaged."

"Well that is over now that they are married," Klaus said, "I have more important things to deal with."

"Tatia isn't going to be happy to hear that," Rebekah said, "You know how much she likes the attention you give her."

"I don't give a lick about what Tatia likes or doesn't like," Klaus snapped, "Now if you will excuse me I have a dinner to get ready for." Klaus hung up before Rebekah could say anything else.

Klaus made his way to the bar and was about to pour himself a drink when he stopped. It would probably be best not to start the night off tossered. That can come later. Probably best to be sober for this dinner meeting with Caroline. Instead Klaus went to his suitcase to try and find something appropriate to wear for dinner tonight. As he dressed he caught his reflection in the mirror and the ugly faded scar on his back. The one his father gave him. A lot of people were asking him why he was doing this. The truth was he didn't want Ella to grow up the way he did. If it turns out that Ella is indeed his daughter, he would never want her to feel unwanted or cast aside. Klaus put his shirt on quickly, and the scar was covered up once more.

…...

What did you think? This is probably my favorite chapter so far. It was really fun to write.

Poor Klaus. He just doesn't have any idea what to do. Well it is a good thing he and Caroline will have a nice chat over dinner. It should all go smoothly...maybe. Depends on my mood. You also got a bit of an insight why he wants to be in Ella's life and I will go into more detail about that later.

I know some of you were expecting more of a reaction from Kol and Rebekah, but they are thinking more in terms on how this will affect Ella. Kol knows both Caroline and Klaus and he is stuck being the voice of reason stuck in the middle. Poor guy.

I am pushing nearly 50 reviews per chapter. WHAT! HOLY SMOKES! I AM FLABBERGASTED! Thank you so much. I mean really you all rock and I am so glad you like this story. I really like it too! Keep them coming they make my day!

C, you know who you are, thank you for all your help!