Hello dear readers! Thank you so very much for all the follows and reviews. I'm glad everyone is still excited about this fic!
Some of you asked about the title but I'm not going to say a word about it. You'll find out eventually. Heehee
Anyway, this chapter doesn't have much Klaroline but it's heavy in dialigue. It was necessary but I promise the pace will pick up after this and the rating will change eventually.
Happy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to TVD; I just love its characters.
"Well this looks boring."
Caroline was half expecting Rebekah to join them but instead waltzed in a leggy dark brunette.
"So tell me, what's on the menu?" she asked with a smirk on her face as she took a seat.
"Valentina, I wasn't aware you planned on joining us," Elijah acknowledged.
Caroline peered over at Klaus who had his eyes on the Latin beauty. When she turned her attention back to the new guest, she was confronted with hazel eyes looking back at her.
"So, you must be Caroline, the stunning blonde from the small town of Mystic Falls. The one who managed to capture the heart of the great Niklaus Mikaelson." She smiled at Caroline warmly and then shot a nasty look at Klaus. "I have to agree you are beautiful, Caroline."
It took a second for Caroline to gather her wits before she replied. "Thank you. Who—"
"If you'll excuse us, brother," Klaus interrupted, "We're finished." Klaus stood up and grabbed Caroline's hand, effectively taking her with him out of the room.
Before they ascended the stairs Caroline heard Valentina purr to her. "We'll hang out later, Caroline. I'm dying to get to know you."
:
"So who was that?" Caroline asked.
They were now in his room and he was looking out a window, his back towards her. He seemed to be in deep thought and she just realized it was the first time she was in his room.
She looked around and concluded that it was very dark but still inviting. His massive bed looked extremely comfortable and despite his mood, she was tempted to try out just how comfortable it really was.
"Her name is Valentina Milagros." Klaus finally said, "She's known my family for the past six hundred years."
"Oh. So she's a vampire?"
"Yes."
Suddenly Caroline had a list of questions for him, one in particular. "Is she your ex?"
Klaus turned to face her and eyed her as if annoyed. "No. Technically it was Kol who sired her."
"Technically?"
"My blood may or may not have been involved. We were competitive," he stated and judging by his expression she could tell he was remembering.
Kol. The mention of his brother brought her back to when they were in the Gilbert house. She never got to know the younger brother but she could tell that his death effected Klaus greatly.
"We were in Venezuela when we met her," he continued. "Kol was enamored with her."
"Were they in love?"
"Yes."
"Why are you upset?"
"Because," he sighed, "it's complicated." He waved the matter away and closed the distance between them. "She won't hurt you." He ran his knuckles down the side of her cheek tenderly. "Now, what would you like to do?"
"Well I was eating lunch," she joked.
He rolled his eyes. "If you're still hungry I can take you somewhere."
"You know, I didn't die and then come back as a vampire to hang out with a grump."
At her reminder, Klaus yanked her to him, holding her hips to him tightly. "Don't remind of me of that day," he said, borderline growled. "I died that day too," he finished whispering.
Caroline frowned and raised her hand to his cheek to which he leaned into. For a moment they just watched each other. She had so many questions for him and she wondered if he would put up a wall like he so obviously did when Elijah was telling her the story of the opera. Even now he still refrained from explaining everything. Downstairs, to her, Elijah was dining with a complete stranger.
Klaus could tell she was curious about the story after his brother had finished. She was eager to know, to learn. It was one of the reasons why he fell in love with her. She was someone who would appreciate what the world had to offer because she was willing to look at it without judgment. Still, he was having trouble getting over his own self-judgment. What he thought of himself was something he never spoke of.
"Why do I have my own room?" she asked suddenly.
He slid his hands to rest on the small of her back and gave her a teasing smile. "Is it not to your liking, sweetheart?"
"No, I like it, I just thought—"
"You'd be sharing mine?" he finished for her. When she nodded he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "It's the history of the house. During the era it was built it was customary for married couples to have their own room. Consider it just personal space. Maids would assist the wife with whatever she needed and the husband would have his own servants that would attend to him." Without warning he grasped the backs of her thighs and lifted her, urging her to wrap her legs around him. She giggled as he walked over to his bed. "You, however, are more than welcome to stay in my room forever."
:
Klaus walked through the halls of the estate with his hands clasped behind his back. It had been centuries since he had lived in New Orleans but Elijah always managed to maintain a property. He remembered his brother proclaiming it as their house, a place for their family.
Family. It was almost a joke to him and yet he had returned to the city because of a problem he was now obligated to resolve.
Walking down another flight of stairs he made his way toward the gardens. As he predicted, he found Elijah looking over the terrace's stone balcony.
"Niklaus."
"Elijah."
They both greeted each other without so much of an eye glance but stood, side by side looking out over their property and beyond where they could see the beginning night lights of the Quarter.
"May I ask where Caroline is this evening?"
"She's asleep." An image of Caroline in ecstasy went to the forefront of his mind. For the past several hours Klaus had brought her to peak after peak and then afterwards they talked, getting to know one another, until she drifted into sleep.
He planned on taking her to the Quarter for dinner but he refrained because he wanted to know the exact situation, or the problem that involved his prodigy, Marcel.
Caroline was now his priority and he refused to let her be exposed to any kind of situation he wouldn't be able to handle.
"You once said that Love is a vampire's greatest weakness," Elijah quoted, interrupting the hybrid's thoughts. "Tell me, Niklaus. Are you really in love with her?"
At his brother's question Klaus turned and faced him, glaring at him because the question reminded him of Elijah's forward attitude toward Caroline. "Yes," he bit out, "and if that entails her being my weakness then so be it. But hear this, brother. Weakness she may be but she is mine. I do not appreciate your familiarity toward her lest you want history to repeat itself."
Elijah smiled at his brother's threat. "Niklaus. Rest assured I have no interest in Miss Forbes. My charm was only to test if you genuinely cared for her and I am glad to hear your feelings for her are true. I've not seen this side of you in centuries, brother. She brings out your humanity."
Klaus scoffed. "Bloody hell, Elijah. The Tales of Hoffmann are fictitious. Enough."
Elijah merely chuckled. "You cannot deny the similarities you share with both Hoffmann and Nicklausse."
"Enough!" Klaus shook his head and turned to go back inside.
"Niklaus wait." Elijah stifled his laugh. Most people who knew his younger brother feared his temper but Elijah could find it humorous. "You cannot walk away or shut away your emotions every time I upset you."
"Spare me the paternal guidance or I'll just leave the Quarter's problems to rest on you alone."
Elijah sighed. "You know that you cannot walk away from this, brother."
"And where is Rebekah?"
"She returned to Mystic Falls when she heard you were returning. Valentina will assist us for the time being."
"Oh, so our sister is just excused from this problem," Klaus said with a mock wave of his hand. He strode over to the balcony again and grasped the edge of it while he stared off into the distance. "She knew that Caroline had been turned human and she didn't tell me."
"She's angry with you." Elijah supplied.
"For what?" Klaus growled.
"For what?" Elijah shook his head as he stared at the back of Klaus' head. "For everything you've put her through. From what she's told me, you have constantly taken her for granted, telling her that no one would ever love her. And then when you chose Caroline over her you now wonder why she is angry with you. So yes," Elijah said forcefully, "our sister is excused from this mess, at least for now. She told me that there was a chance she could be happy in Mystic Falls so leave her be."
Klaus whipped around, raging inside. "You always side with her."
Elijah uncharacteristically rolled his eyes. "Grow up, Niklaus. This is not about sides. I am still your older brother and it falls on me to try to keep some peace between us. If I have to separate you two for the time being then so be it. Honestly, the way you two complain about each other is beyond irritating."
Klaus opened his mouth retort but then a butler stepped outside and interrupted him. "My lords, the witch, Sophie Deveraux has arrived. She is in the first library."
"Thank you, Carlson," Elijah acknowledged. He then turned to his brother again, "Shall we attend to business or do you want to continue scowling at me?"
:
"Thank you," Sophie said to Elijah after he handed her a drink. The solemn witch took a seat across from Klaus and her eyes met with the hybrid's.
"Well, love," Klaus began, "now that I've given you the grimoires that were in my possession and now that you're comfortable, I suggest you enlighten me on this problem that you have obviously convinced my brother is dire."
Despite Klaus's threatening tone, Sophie didn't blink. "You know us witches have bedtime stories of you. The great Niklaus Mikaelson. The most feared Original."
Klaus only smirked at her comment.
"And after you achieved your goal of becoming a hybrid, the stories of your life are whispered even more frequently." She sighed and took a sip from her glass. "Only now there is someone more feared, worse than you," she declared.
"And I'm assuming that that worse person is Marcel," he drawled.
"Yes."
Klaus shook his head at the nonsense of it. "It's not my fault that your coven has fallen prey to Marcel."
"Niklaus," Elijah urged. "Listen."
"Not just mine, but any coven that lives in or near the Quarter," she clarified.
"Get to the point."
"Marcel has been attempting to create his own hybrid family," she said levelly.
Klaus's eyes widened momentarily in disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"A century ago, Marcel discovered that his human family were descendants of witches. Specifically the Bennett line. Only few know."
Klaus turned his head slightly to a sound he heard from one of the staircases but he didn't address it.
"Somehow he found a way to be both a vampire and a witch," she explained.
"That's impossible. A witch has no power if turned," Klaus growled out.
"And yet the Rules of Nature have been bent." Elijah commented. "Surely you can relate to this, Niklaus."
Ignoring his brother's comment, Klaus looked at Sophie to continue.
"Because of this, he can attempt procreate. But only with a witch and he can only try to conceive a child during the first full moon of every year. However, every witch he has been able to impregnate has died within their first months of pregnancy."
"How has he discovered this?"
"Does it matter?" Her voice raised slightly. "If he manages to start a line of Vampire-Witch hybrids what do you think could happen? He's more powerful than a normal witch and he craves to have more power."
"A vampire-werewolf hybrid is far stronger," Klaus stated.
"You don't know that for sure. None of us do. And your secret is out. Everyone knows you're a hybrid and therefore they can try to guess potential weaknesses. Marcel however—"
"Has an ace up his sleeve," Valentina interjected as she strutted into the room.
"You know about all of this?" Klaus said through his irritation.
"Vampires talk and I've been living here for the past few years," she retorted. She poured herself her own glass and took a seat next to Elijah.
"As I was saying, Marcel has the advantage that only few know of his hybrid nature. His vampire followers, the ones who can walk in the daylight, his family as he calls them. They are the ones that help maintain his rule toward the witches."
"And what is his rule?"
"No spells, no magic without his consent. It's his way of cutting off our communication to each other since he already splits are covens apart. He's also convinced his followers that if he is able to conceive a hybrid child then he could also find a way to give them their own heirs."
"Are his followers completely delusional?" Klaus asked sarcastically.
"No. They're just loyal." Klaus shared a look with Elijah and then scoffed. "And how is it you know of all this?"
"Because of my sister, Jane." For the first time during their conversation, Sophie's hard exterior cracked and her lip trembled. "She was the last witch to become pregnant by him and she was the closest to reaching the nine month period. Marcel kept a close eye on her so I wasn't able to see her. But she figured out a way to give me letters in secret and she divulged any information she found out." She picked up her glass and downed the rest of the drink. "A month before the child was due she took her own life. It was her sacrifice to maintain the balance." After a beat she added, "I think I'm next on his list since it was obvious my sister could carry his child."
Klaus regarded her silently, not giving any of his emotions away. In truth, the news of Marcel was the most surprising news he had encountered in a long while. In only a short span of time, Marcel had attained everything he himself wanted. His own prodigy had loyalty, power, and followers that acted as a family. He had hoped to bring Caroline to New Orleans as her first sight of the world and now he would have to worry about her safety.
He was also sure she would begin to worry since he knew for a fact she was sitting on the stairs, listening intently.
**Okay! Well that's it for this chapter. Who thought I was going to bring in Rebekah? Haha You'll be seeing more Valentina in the future.
Thoughts on my Marcel hybrid dilemma? I had to get rid of the Hayley storyline somehow right?
Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this. :]