A/N: I need to thank you all for your reviews and support as always. This fic would not be where it is without you!
My quick update might come as a surprise to you. Unfortunately it is not with the full chapter you were expecting. I felt I needed to split the chapter up between this part and the next part.
Nonetheless, enjoy!
The first thing he did upon arriving home, back in his own body, was take a shower. Hours ago his body had been rotting charred flesh, and although Bonnie had rejuvenated it, he was almost compelled to cleanse himself.
To be perfectly honest, he knew his brother and sister had been close behind him when he departed from the Founder's Hall. Holding himself up in the bathroom for a few minutes would allow him to avoid their interrogation; and although he had a few words for them too – mainly concerning the bargain they had made with Elena – they were not the people he wanted to confront at this moment in time.
There was, however, a certain someone he was anxiously expecting in a short while. She looked magnificent tonight, he thought, and he fully anticipated the moment when he would get to undress her as she alluded to earlier. She knew just how to press his buttons; she was such a tease sometimes, he mused.
He would not even entertain the possibility that she might not show tonight. Tyler and everyone else knew about them. She no longer had anything to hide. Things were clearly finished between her and Tyler. He could only hope that she would not let her pesky guilty conscience get the better of her. He could only hope that her friends would not push her to second guess her decisions.
It was the chance he took by leaving her alone with them. He would have preferred to stay and watch it all unfold, but Caroline had been right – he would never tell her that – playing hide and seek with the Council was not a wise move; he had let his impulsiveness get the better of him. If he had stayed, he risked being found alive by the Council. He and Bonnie had successfully reclaimed his body without detection, leaving the coffin behind (with another body inside to take his place) to fool them into believing he was still safely contained inside. He didn't want to ruin what they had accomplished by being discovered.
He left too because he could tell Caroline was uncomfortable confronting Tyler and her friends with him standing there behind her. She wanted to tell Tyler on her own, and although that prospect had made him uneasy, he had relented. He relented a lot with her.
Although Tyler had been angry with him and Bonnie initially for the body swap – before realizing the act had saved those he cared for, including Caroline – he could tell that Tyler was decidedly angrier with him for much more than possessing his body. Tyler had never confronted him, but he could tell it had something to do with Caroline.
Admittedly, he revelled in the fact that Tyler had found them together at such a revealing moment. Surely, it was Caroline's worst nightmare, but to him, it was ideal. Of course, he had not planned for it to happen, but he was glad it did. There was no longer any doubt about their affair; it was there for Tyler to see. Moreover, it gave Caroline the push she needed to finally acknowledge the truth to her friends – something he was beginning to think would never happen. Truth be told, while he had been there she really didn't acknowledge much of anything aside from apologize. It offended him a little; why couldn't she tell them everything she had told him?
Just thinking about her words made him feel...different. He couldn't explain it. It was terrifying and comforting to him all at once. The way she had confronted him with so much concern; the way she professed her love. In all these centuries, he had never experienced that before.
A little voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him of how silly it all was; how weak she was making him; but her voice was so much louder. When her voice was louder he wanted nothing more than to give her everything she's ever wanted. When the other voice was louder he couldn't help but question the legitimacy and intelligence of that desire. Could he even give her everything she's ever wanted? While she was more than satisfied with him physically, pleased with the gifts he had bought for her and the promise of Paris, she ultimately wanted love. How could he give her something he couldn't even bring himself to say to her? How could he give her love when he barely knew what it consisted of? Could he make himself weak for her?
Although he hoped when she came to him they could avoid the subject, she would want it addressed sooner or later. He knew it was what had been bugging her ever since she had confessed her feelings to him as Tyler and he had been unable to respond in kind; it was what was bothering her when he couldn't tell her in detail what would become of them once he was returned to his body; it was what was bothering her when he had completely avoided the issue before earlier this evening.
He would lose her if he could not love her.
He stepped out of the shower, drying himself off before changing into the comfort of his own clothes. He listened intently. Rebekah was in her room, and Elijah was in the kitchen pouring a glass of blood. To be honest, he was actually surprised his siblings were not in his room waiting to confront him.
Glancing at the clock, he noted the time that had passed since he left Caroline at the Founder's Hall. He felt anxious, but quickly disregarded it. It hadn't been that long.
He took the back staircase to avoid his siblings; he had another matter to attend to. Locked in a secret safe in a secret room he had built behind the walls, was the remainder of the doppelganger blood. He removed the case from the small refrigerator, bringing it to the sitting room to inspect. This would be the blood that would help ensure their protection; Caroline's protection.
"Brother," he heard Elijah say from behind him.
"Nik...why didn't you tell us you were alive?!" Rebekah demanded.
He smirked as he tallied the number of blood bags.
"Hello brother, thought you were dead, so pleased you're not," he said mockingly.
"Indeed," Elijah replied curiously as he stepped into the room to see what had his attention.
Rebekah scoffed.
"We thought you were dead. We mourned you!" Rebekah complained. "You could have told us you possessed Tyler Lockwood's body!" she exclaimed.
"It would have been a small courtesy, brother," Elijah remarked, calmer than Rebekah.
He growled under his breath.
"Why? So you could retrieve my body before I could. So you could hold it over my head for a few decades before giving it back? Kind of like what you were going to do in your little deal with Elena, hmm?" he retorted.
"Elijah made that deal, Nik," Rebekah tattled, resting blame entirely upon Elijah's shoulders.
He glared at Elijah who was now leaning against the fireplace mantle sipping at his glass of blood.
Elijah shrugged.
"Under the circumstances, it was the best deal we could make. They had your body. If they wanted to they could have set it aflame or buried it at the bottom of the ocean if we were not accommodating," Elijah reasoned.
He shook his head.
"The both of you, along with Kol, are centuries stronger than those naive little vampires; surely your strength alone could have been persuasive," he replied.
"We had no idea where Damon had your body. Playing chicken with them would not have been wise," Elijah explained. "Besides, I thought it was time you received a taste of your own medicine, Niklaus," Elijah said defiantly.
He hissed under his breath and lunged angrily at his brother, causing him to drop the now empty glass of blood he had been drinking from. It shattered against the wood floor instantly.
"I could snap your neck and dagger you again right now if I wanted to," he spat. "For your convenient little deal, for your betrayal, for taking up residence in my home and using my money to buy yourself protection," he growled.
"But you won't," Rebekah threatened from behind him as one of his precious blood bags splattered against the wall beside the fireplace.
He let go of Elijah instantly, turning his attention towards Rebekah who had the remaining blood bags clenched tightly in her hands.
"Drop them, sister," he demanded, trying to remain calm.
"We were looking out for you, Nik. When I thought you were dead, I was heartbroken. Now, after everything, after almost dying, all you can do is threaten us and favour your doppelganger blood over your siblings?" she cried. "We're your family, Nik. How many times do I have to say that?" she asked.
"Drop them!" he shouted.
She didn't listen. The bags of blood burst under her grip, squirting blood everywhere.
"Niklaus," Elijah urged.
Elijah's call did nothing to stop him. He grabbed her by the neck. She needed to be taught a lesson.
"How dare you cross me, Rebekah," he told her. "You know, I was prepared to forgive your transgressions; the deal with Elena, the fact that you killed her so wastefully, but this..." he paused to gaze down at the splattered blood on the area rug. "This is another matter," he hissed.
He went to snap her neck, but Elijah caught him off guard by grabbing him from behind, giving Rebekah the opportunity to free herself from his grasp.
"Rebekah, go!" Elijah commanded her.
She hesitated as she scanned the room, crying helplessly. Her eyes looked at him darkly before speeding out of the room and out of the house entirely.
He broke free from Elijah's hold at just that moment, but gave up the idea of going after his sister. She would be long gone by now, and he was expecting Caroline to arrive at any minute.
Turning back to Elijah, he eyed him with severe discontent.
"I should snap your neck for interfering, Elijah," he revealed.
Elijah shrugged nonchalantly as if challenging him to try.
He couldn't help but smirk at his brother's tenacity.
"Now is not the time for frivolous quarreling and finger-pointing that you will only regret in the long-run, brother," Elijah said flatly as he gathered up some of the remaining doppelganger blood onto a small antique glass serving platter that had been on display.
Elijah set it down on the table that now stood in between them, almost as a peace offering.
"If it really means that much to you..." Elijah said, pushing the plate towards him.
He scowled; first he was down to the blood he could drain from Elena; then he was down to the two blood bags his sister destroyed; and now he was down to this; a small platter of blood, probably only capable of creating a handful of hybrids.
"Again Niklaus, I apologize for upsetting you. That deal with Elena was the best that I could do. That is over and done with now. Thankfully, it would seem that Ms. Bennett took matters into her own hands as far as you're concerned. We now have more pressing matters to discuss," Elijah stated.
"Such as?" he asked curiously.
"Well for starters, the Council and your dramatics at the Founder's Hall this evening and then perhaps Ms. Forbes," Elijah listed.
It was the mention of Caroline that sparked his attention. Indeed, he was curious about his brother's relationship with her. It appeared as though Elijah knew much more than he thought about Caroline.
"Go on then, Elijah, I know you won't be satisfied until you do," he said dismissively in an attempt to hide his intrigue.
"Do we have any reason to be concerned about the Council now that you're back in your body? Was there any issue?" Elijah wondered.
He smiled as he took a few moments to bask in his success with the witch.
"Not at all, brother. The witch and I were very successful. As you can see," he said, outlining his body with his hands. "For all the Council knows, I am still safe and sound in that claustrophobic coffin. Everyone was too distracted by the event to notice Bonnie and I. With a little compulsion and witch magic, here I am," he said proudly.
"Here you are," Elijah confirmed. "And you're sure nobody noticed you after that little stunt you pulled during the auction?" Elijah wondered.
He rolled his eyes.
"You're starting to sound like Caroline now, brother," he commented.
Elijah's eyes seemed to light up at his mention of Caroline.
"Ah, Caroline; she scolded you too I presume?" Elijah asked.
He nodded.
"Well she was right too. Without that coincidental power failure, the entire Council would know you're alive," Elijah warned.
"Believe me I'm aware of that, brother. I acted impetuously. I had other things on my mind," he replied.
"Caroline?" Elijah guessed.
He glared at his brother's uncanny ability to read his mind.
"I'm sure she was delighted to see you. She was devastated when she thought you had perished," Elijah explained.
"She spoke to you..." he trailed off, curious to hear what his brother would say.
Elijah nodded.
"She was the one who told me of your desiccation. The nature of her feelings for you quickly became apparent soon thereafter," Elijah revealed. "Knowing that the Council was after her and Tyler, I offered her my protection in the interim while we fulfilled the terms of the deal with Elena," Elijah went further.
"Why would you do that?" he asked, surprised by his brother's thoughtfulness.
Elijah shrugged.
"Rebekah told me you were quite taken with her; that you had even invited her to come with you when you planned to leave Mystic Falls. That's not something typical of you, Niklaus. She was obviously important to you. I wanted to ensure she would be here for you when we woke you," Elijah said.
"Why? So you could blackmail me into not killing you after you woke me?" he asked.
"Of course not," Elijah denied flatly.
He sighed as he skeptically accepted his brother's denial, drifting back to his brother's prior words about Caroline waiting for him while he was desiccated.
"She could never wait that long..." he sighed.
"She was fully prepared to brother, I assure you," Elijah argued. "When we thought that you had been killed, she was inconsolable. That's when I gave her back the bracelet you had given her. I thought you would want her to have it. I offered her my protection again, even in lieu of your death but she refused at the time, believing that I had a part in killing Elena. Was I wrong to have done those things, brother?" Elijah asked.
He was still furious at Elijah for plotting behind his back; making a deal with Elena that would have seen him desiccated for decades if not centuries, but that deal had never came to fruition. In the meanwhile, Elijah had looked out for something – someone – most important to him. How could he fault his brother for that?
He shook his head.
Elijah exhaled in relief.
"So her feelings for you then...they are reciprocal?" Elijah inquired.
He hesitated.
"I suppose you could say that," he replied, surprised he had been so honest with Elijah.
He had barely said as much to Caroline.
Elijah smiled, quickly hiding it when he scowled at him.
"She loves you, Niklaus," Elijah said.
"She told me," he told him.
"And tonight, Tyler discovered the truth..." Elijah pieced together.
A vengeful smirk crossed his lips as he thought about it.
"Where is Caroline now?" Elijah asked.
Now he was growing annoyed with Elijah's inquisition.
He shrugged.
"I would assume still confronting Tyler and her friends. She was to meet me here when she was finished," he told Elijah.
"She was dreading that confrontation," Elijah told him.
"Perhaps she got cold feet," he thought aloud pessimistically. "She could barely tell Tyler and her friends how she felt about me aside from apologies," he complained.
Elijah frowned and looked disapprovingly at him.
"Niklaus, you must be patient and give her time to be honest with her friends. You know their opinion of you. Imagine how intimidating it would be for her to stand up against that," Elijah persuaded. "She could very well lose all of her friends. She's probably terrified," he added. "Have you offered her any reassurance?" Elijah questioned.
He looked quizzically at his brother; confused by what he meant.
"Reassurance?" he asked.
Elijah smirked making him feel like he was the butt of a joke.
"Yes Niklaus, reassurance. Does she know that her sacrifice will be worth it?"
"I...um..."
Elijah frowned.
"You know how she feels about you, but have you told her how you feel about her?" he pressed.
"I tried..." he said meekly, almost ready to end this conversation for how uncomfortable it was making him.
Elijah shook his head.
"How can you expect her to risk everything for you by being honest with her friends, when you have not been completely truthful with her?" Elijah asked. "She needs to know from you that she is not making a mistake."
He acknowledged his brother's words with a look of contemplation.
"If you cannot offer her unconditional love Niklaus, you will lose her forever," Elijah said, warning him with almost the same words he had warned himself with. "Your charm and expensive gifts can only hold their appeal for so long," he added.
He knew as much; she had basically told him that straight away.
"You must think me to be a total hypocrite, brother," he said hanging his head. "I once told you that love was a vampire's greatest weakness..." he recalled.
"You're not a hypocrite, Niklaus," Elijah assured him. "Ignorant then about love, but not a hypocrite," he added.
He scoffed.
"I still am ignorant of love," he mused.
"I beg to differ, brother," Elijah replied with a grin. "Perhaps you'll come to find that quite the opposite is true..."
He looked at Elijah curiously.
"...love could be a vampire's greatest strength," Elijah finished.
He laughed to himself as he recalled Caroline's words at the bar that first night.
"What's so funny?" Elijah asked.
He shook his head.
"Caroline once told me something similar," he admitted.
Elijah chuckled.
"Then she is wise beyond her years," Elijah replied. "For all one knows, you could stand to learn a thing or two from the young vampire; if you already haven't," he said.
He laughed dismissively at the thought of her being able to teach him anything.
"What as she taught me?" he challenged.
Elijah rolled his eyes at him.
"How to love, Niklaus," Elijah said bluntly. "Don't act so dense," he warned jokingly.
He went to the cabinet of liquor and poured himself the glass of scotch that he had not been able to indulge in as Tyler.
He offered Elijah a glass but he declined.
Downing the glass of liquor he paced the room considering Elijah's words.
"Perhaps I should go to her," he wondered aloud.
Elijah smirked.
"I don't think that will be necessary," Elijah advised.
Before he could question his brother, he could hear the front doors of the house open and close slowly.
Her watered-down perfume flooded his nose as soon as she stepped in the door.
They both listened as her heels clicked self-consciously against the marble floor of the foyer, getting louder as she approached.
He set his glass down and sucked in a breath as he anticipated her appearance.
She emerged in the entranceway to the sitting room apprehensively.
Her dress was sodden and the curls from her pony tail had fallen from the rain.
She looked helplessly at the both of them; the confrontation with her friends had obviously taken a toll on her.
"Caroline," Elijah greeted her with a friendly tone.
She smiled faintly at Elijah before looking to him.
He could see her eyes glaze over with tears as her bottom lip began to quiver.
Disregarding Elijah she stumbled down the steps into the sitting room and collapsed against his chest.
He brought her into his arms insecurely as Elijah looked on.
"I'll excuse myself," Elijah said.
Elijah gave him a knowing look before he left, as if to remind him of everything he had said.
A/N: So I hope the Klaus/Elijah brotherly bonding sort of made up for the lack of Klaroline. As I wrote, I decided that the Klaus/Elijah stuff should be separate from the Klaroline stuff. I promise you 100% that will be the next chapter. Please hang tight for the Klaroline goodness.
I hope this chapter seemed realistic in the context of my story. I thought it was time for Elijah to knock some sense into his brother with regards to Caroline and his feelings for her. Yes, Klaus has feelings in my story. He is not a one-dimensional villain. So, if for some reason you weren't expecting that after reading all these chapters that's that, lol.
That being said, I'm still trying to figure out how Klaus can confront these feelings in a way that is both satisfying to Caroline while remaining somewhat true to Klaus's character, if that makes sense? I want it to be at least sort of realistic. Feel free to share your thoughts on this issue...
Oh yeah and a shout out to the show for the whole Rebekah/Klaus confrontation. I needed a way to get her out of the house...and a way to get rid of (most of) the remaining doppelganger blood and then I watched 4x01. Things didn't get as intense between them in my fic as they did on the show, but that's because Elijah was there to save the day. I long for the day when Elijah returns to the show. :D