I was receiving so many follows and reviews that I figured it was time to go ahead and update. Hope you are all still with me and that you enjoy this chapter.

Thank you to my beta queens, melanoradrood, livingdeadblondegirl and my Angel (klausshummingbird/ilovebrendanurie).

Reviews are always the best way to get me to update!

Chapter 13: The Sisters Brothers

Mystic Haven - Many Years Ago

Klaus laid sprawled out in front of the fire with his sketch book in front of him. His most secretive and prized possession. He saved for months all the pennies that his mother gave him for doing chores, in hopes that one day he would have enough to afford it. He still remembers tearing away the brown paper and string and gazing at it for the first time.

It was a simple sketch book, bound in leather with leather straps to enclose it and he tingled with anticipation as he ran his hand over the front of it, feeling its smooth exterior. He flipped to the first page, which lay waiting and empty for him to sketch and draw his dreams and ideas, causing them to become a formidable reality to the otherwise nightmare that he was living.

The first thing he drew still graced the front page; a heart-shaped face with two almond shaped eyes, long eyelashes, a small mouth and button nose, and long, curly hair cascading down. It was far better than he thought he could ever do, as he stared at the irrefutable face of Caroline Forbes. Since that day it had been filled with similar sketches, each one getting closer to her likeness.

Klaus typically sketched in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep and he was away from prying eyes. He knew he would never hear the end of it from his siblings, and God forbid his father found it. It was hard to imagine Mikael being upset over a few sketches, but if history had taught him anything it was to never underestimate the cruelty of his father.

Today was an exception. Mikael and the rest of his family were in town running errands and he had the house to himself and so he took advantage of what little alone time he had and brought out his sketchbook. He had been working on a sketch for Caroline. The Forbes' mare had just given birth to a colt and it had taken a liking to Caroline immediately. She named him Angel, and Klaus thought it would be fun to draw the newborn colt with wings, like one of those flying horses in the picture books in the town library. After months of practice he had perfected her face. He could draw every expression that she made, but his favorite was the smile she wore when she talked about something that made her truly happy, and Angel was one of those things. He was putting the finishing touches on Angel's wings, making them look feathery and soft, when a small voice interrupted.

"Whatcha got there?" He heard the intruder say. "Oh, is that Caroline?"

"None of your business, Kol!"

"Lemme see!" Kol lunged for the book and snatched it before Klaus could tuck it away. He stood up and with full force knocked the younger Mikaelson back.

"Kol! So help me God, you better give that back before I give you a whooping," he threatened.

Kol began to thumb through the pages, all the while playing keep away from Klaus. He would move from one side of the couch to the other and Klaus would follow, turning the game into a torturous dance.

"Oooh, look at all these pictures of Caroline! I bet she would love to see these!" he taunted.

"Kol! When I get my hands on you, you're dead!" " he screamed and lunged across the couch.

Kol dodged him once more, Klaus' fingertips just brushing the back of his shirt. "I saw Caroline in town today. Helped get something off the shelf at Fell's for her," he continued. "She was real grateful. Even got a kiss on the cheek for it."

If Klaus was seeing red before, he was now blinded with a crimson fury that propelled him forward. Kol's face deadpanned, realizing he may have gone too far with his taunts and he turned around to make his escape from the room. Klaus, in his rage, rammed into the end table and crashed forward into Kol. On his way down to the ground he grabbed him by the ankles, tripping his younger brother and causing a domino effect with a disastrous outcome. Klaus hit the ground first, then came Kol who toppled forward and smacked his face across the floor. The sketchbook flung out of Kol's hands, hitting the ground and sliding to a stop.

The two boys stared at the large boots in front of them, swallowing hard as they watched the owner of the boots crouch forward and grab hold of the item in his large hands. Klaus' eyeline never left his sketchbook, as it travelled up and stopped in front of Mikael's observing face. He and Kol scrambled to their feet, brushing themselves off in an attempt to make themselves more presentable for their father.

"What is going on in here?" Mikael asked. His voice was calm but always carried a tone of indignation.

"Just a little scuffle, Pa, nothing to worry about." Kol said, attempting to calm the storm before it even began.

"Doesn't look that way to me," he said and cocked his head to the side, urging the boys to continue with their explanation.

"Really, we were just having some fun," Kol tried again.

"And what is this?" Mikael looked down at the book in his hand and back toward the boys.

"That...that's mine, Pa," Klaus finally spoke up.

"And why exactly are you attacking your brother and making a mess of our living area?"

"Oh, it wasn't his fault-" Kol started, but Mikael held up his hand.

"I was talking to your brother, Kol." Kol turned his head to Klaus and he could see his fear race to the surface. He was scared for Klaus. He tried to fix it but it wasn't enough. "Well?" Mikael nodded at Klaus to continue.

"I was sketching and then Kol took it from me and wouldn't give it back, so I-"

"So you thought you would just attack your younger and smaller brother?"

"No-"

"And you thought you would just wrestle him to the ground because he wouldn't give you back your silly book?"

"It's not silly!" Klaus shouted at him, and immediately regretted it. Before Klaus could make a move the back of Mikael's hand was striking him across the face. It was only a warning, Klaus was all too familiar with Mikael's forms of punishment. The next time he spoke out of line, it would be a fist crashing across his cheek.

"Father, please, we were only just-" Kol interjected again.

"Get out of here, Son, or you'll be next!" He yelled at Kol. Mikael would never follow through with his threat, he only spewed words at his other children, and only Klaus felt the physical violence behind those words.

Kol scampered out of the room, but turned to look at his older brother one more time. He pleaded for forgiveness with his eyes, and Klaus could see a glistening of tears begin to form. He gave Kol a halfhearted smile of reassurance before the boy raced from the room and out of sight.

As soon as Kol was gone, Mikael laid into him again. "So you think you're a tough guy? You think you can just bully your siblings because you don't get your way?"

Klaus didn't respond. He just kept his chin high and held back the tears that wanted to rush out due to the injustice of the situation.

"Well..." he looked down at his bastard. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly. "It won't happen again."

It was best to agree with the irrational man in front of him. It was best to just let him say what he needed to say and keep the peace. Klaus glanced down at his book, wanting nothing more than for his father to relinquish his possession and go along with his day. But, it wouldn't be that easy. It's never that easy. It was as though it was Mikael's lifelong mission to invoke as much pain and suffering on the child as he possible could.

"You're right," Mikael agreed. "It won't happen again."

It happened in a blur and there was nothing Klaus could do to stop it. Mikael took three large steps toward the fire and tossed his sketchbook into the flames.

"NO!" Klaus bellowed. "No, no, no!" He raced to the fire, not caring about burning himself or the consequences of going against his father's actions, and reached out to grab the burning book. Mikael held out his hand, and yanked the boy back, keeping him from thrusting his hand into the fire and retrieving the item.

"Lemme go!" Klaus screamed and fought against Mikael's strong grip. He didn't falter from his stance and held Klaus in place. Tears began to stream down his face, and he fought and clawed at his father's hold. Mikael didn't move, he just held him there as Klaus watched his sketches slowly burn. The leather singing at the corners, the paper curling up and disintegrating before his eyes. When the book was barely recognizable Mikael let go of Klaus and the boy barrelled forward, and without another word Mikael left the room.

Klaus curled into a ball and rocked himself in front of the fire. Silent tears spilled out of him as he watched his manifested dreams burn to smoke and ash.

(***)

Back at the Camp

Many memories came rushing back as Klaus glared across the field and watched Kol and Caroline race in the opposite direction. Her smile reflecting pure joy as she giggled and played chase with his younger brother. It was an odd feeling to want to rip his brother's heart out and at the same time laugh at his brother's youthful display of contentment.

After years of Kol hardening his heart, killing men without a second thought and living this lifestyle that Klaus thrusted upon him, he had to admit that it was nice seeing his brother so carefree. He only ever wanted them to be a family again. To live peacefully without the burden of their father weighing over their heads. But watching Kol so happy, having Rebekah alive and safely wrapped in Stefan's arms, and knowing that Elijah had found love no matter how strange it came to him, made Klaus realize that perhaps their vendetta wasn't as important as he had thought. That after years of struggling to get the upper hand, maybe it was time to just let it go.

He would like to think that he came to this conclusion on his own, but he knew it wasn't true. Fate had intervened and brought Caroline back into their lives, reminding them of one of the only happy memories they shared in Mystic Haven. And it was enough for Klaus to take a step back and reexamine his priorities. It didn't mean though, he wasn't still going to beat the tar out of his brother, he needed to show Kol that he didn't appreciate him moving in on his girl.

"I'm sure it's not what it looks like," Rebekah said, interrupting Klaus' thoughts.

"It doesn't matter," Klaus said and kicked his heels to spur his horse forward.

The three left behind looked at each other with worried expressions. Stefan and Rebekah knew all too well the hidden darkness that laid beneath an indifferent Klaus.

Elena was the first to dismount when they reached the other side of the field. Elijah stood waiting for them as they approached. She did not race and throw herself into his arms, but moved swiftly to stand in front of him, where he simply cupped her face and brought his lips to hers.

"I missed you, Shi'aad", Elijah whispered, greeting his wife.

"And I you, Shikaa," Elena responded, and brought her lips back to his.

Elijah left her only for a moment to help her sister down from her horse and to give her a hug and a kiss. He grabbed her head and cradled her against him. "You are not allowed to leave this earth before me, do you hear me?" he told her, touching her chin and lifting her eyes up to see the seriousness in his.

She nodded and smiled up at him, "I hear you, Elijah."

"Good." Elijah shook Stefan's hand and nodded at Klaus. "You should go see Kol, and Caroline will want to see you as well." Elijah linked his hand with Elena's and escorted her into the village.

Klaus stared at the back of Elijah's head, the anger surfacing once more at the mention of their names. He dismounted and threw the reins at Stefan. "Take care of this, will ya?" and headed, with purpose, in the direction of Kol's tent.

(***)

When they reached the tent, Caroline had won again, leaving Kol in a twitter over the injustice of it all. "Caroline, how in the world do you run that fast with a skirt on?"

"Practice," she simply stated.

"Hmm," Kol said and leaned forward on his knees to catch his breath.

Caroline couldn't help noticing that the village seemed all a buzz. Men and women raced by her, rambling quickly in their Apache language. She thought she heard the name Elena and so she peered in the direction of where they were all headed. Sure enough, there was Elijah, hand in hand with his wife. The natives surrounded Elena greeting her in their customary ways.

"They're back," she spoke, frozen in place and too nervous to move.

"Who?" Kol asked and flipped his head around to see who Caroline was talking about. "Oh, Elena. That must mean my brother and sister are here as well."

"Mmhmm," she swallowed hard. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? Where was he? Did he return with Elena? Too many questions flooded her mind.

Kol stepped in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You okay there, Darlin'?" Kol asked in all honesty.

"What?" she asked distracted and continued to peer past Kol.

"Caroline, look at me?" he said and moved his face into her line of vision. When she made eye contact with him, he let out a chuckle and shook his head. She slumped her shoulders and rolled her eyes, attempting to play off the ball of nerves that had settled in her stomach.

Kol reached up and discarded a piece of straw that was dangling in her hair. "There, much better. Wouldn't want you seeing Klaus looking like a wild animal."

"Well, he's spent enough time with you, I thought he'd prefer it."

"There's the little spit fire I've come to admire."

She jabs him with her elbow and let's out a soft giggle only to be frozen and caught off guard again when her eye catches sight of him. "He's here."

"Klaus?" Kol turned back around to see Klaus strolling quickly toward them. Kol greeted him with a wide grin and extended his good arm for a shake. Instead, Kol, once again was peering at his feet as they lifted over his head and he came crashing down on his back. Klaus had socked him. What for? The answer was lost on him.

"What in tarnation do you think you're doin'?" Caroline screeched and raced to Kol's aid. She crouched down behind him and cradled his head in her lap to inspect his face, "You alright?" she asked him.

"I think so," Kol said weakly, giving Klaus a devilish smile when Caroline wasn't looking. "Ouch," he hissed through his teeth when she barely touched the small abrasion above his eyebrow. He was torturing Klaus; milking sympathy from her just to keep him riled up.

"What is wrong with you, Klaus Mikaelson?" Caroline looked up at him with disdain.

He didn't answer. He just stood there with balled fists and a furrowed brow. He wanted to kick the living tar out of Kol. He saw the way he looked at her. How he touched her face. How she reciprocated with her longing looks and sweet smile. It was infuriating.

"Stay right here Kol. I'm gonna go fetch the medical kit from your tent. Perhaps you can talk some sense into your no good brother." She shook her head and glared at him again, then stood up, brushed her skirt off and walked curtly to Kol's tent.

As soon as Caroline was out of sight, Klaus went for Kol again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kol interjected and flew to his feet to scurry away. "You got the wrong idea, brother!"

"Shut up, and hold still. Let me beat the snot out of you!"

"Why? So Caroline can just get angrier with you?" Kol began to laugh when he should've been scared shitless, which in turn, continued to make his volcano of emotions erupt all the more. "You're such an idjit," he said, adding insult to injury.

"You got a death wish, don't you little brother?" He took another step toward him.

"Would you just hold it, Klaus. For once in your life, think before you react, you baboon! I don't know what you thought you saw, but you got it all wrong."

"I know what I saw."

"Do you?"

"I know what I saw, Kol!" he repeated. "I've seen you doin' the same thing with other women and Caroline isn't one of your whores!"

"No, she isn't. She's something else entirely," Kol laughs, as if he and Caroline are in on a joke that he's too daft to understand. "Too much for me to handle, that's for sure," he added and winked at Klaus.

Klaus unclenched his fists, the extent of Kol's admiration finally dawning on him. Kol shook his head at him and patted him on the shoulder. "You should probably go talk to her. I think you'll be surprised with what kind of woman she really is."

(***)

Klaus entered the tepee and saw her across the way, flustered and mumbling to herself.

"Stupid man...what's gotten into him...what an idjit..."

"Don't forget hard headed," he added.

She whipped her head around to acknowledge her intruder and let out an exasperated sigh. She knew she was supposed to be furious with him, but seeing him again caused the knots in her stomach to quickly return. So instead of insulting him, she took another approach, "What in the world was that all about?" she asked.

Klaus just shrugged, and took a step toward her. "I've just seen the way Kol has treated women in the past, and I didn't want you-"

He was cut off by an uproar of laughter. Caroline could hardly contain herself, as she doubled over and sat on the bed. "You thought...Kol and I..." her sentences were broken with laughter. "That's the most ridiculous thing...no...never!"

Klaus wasn't a fan of being ridiculed, and Caroline was skirting in the danger zone. "Enough!" he bellowed. "I don't need to stand here and be made a fool!" he raged.

"Why are you yellin' again?" she screamed back, her laughter gone. "There are other ways of communicating besides screamin' at the top of your lungs!" The irony of this comment was not lost on her.

"Well, excuse me, if I ain't the best communicator!"

"You are not excused until you stop shouting," she said in a much calmer and contained voice.

"I-" he started but his doubts crept back in.

"You what?" she urged but he didn't continue, he just stood there like a frightened animal. She shook her head and looked up, pleading with the heavens for a much needed amount of patience for the man in front of her. "I don't have time for this, Klaus, when you have something else to say to me you can come find me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go tend to your brother." She started toward the exit, brushing quickly past him when her hand was caught in his.

The room became a blur as it rushed past her and she was spun around and flung into his arms. His mouth collided with hers and her eyes shot open wide in shock, before she settled into his embrace. She closed her eyes, and wrapping her arms around his neck she pushed forward and kissed him back.

Klaus grabbed ahold of her back, bundling her blouse in his hands and holding on for dear life. He never wanted to let go. He never wanted to feel anything else besides her body pressed up against his, her arms clinging to his neck and her lips hot and fierce against his. Her lips parted, and he pressed through with his tongue. She let out a soft moan when his tongue touched hers, and his mind went blank outside of the way she felt, the way she smelled and the way she matched each movement of his with one of her own.

Caroline wasn't sure what life she was living after Klaus left her when they were small and when they finally reunited again years later, but it wasn't a life, it was only existing. They were meant for each other from the beginning and the way he held her now, the passion that flamed between them was proof of their forever bond. Her head was spinning when he finally pulled away.

She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him softly again before he stood up straight and swallowed hard. He would not be able to continue without taking her to bed and ravishing her completely, and that was meant for another day. Instead, he held her gaze, grabbed hold of her hand, and lead her out of the tent and out of temptations way.

Well, they finally kissed! Yay! Let me know what you thought of the chapter. Once again, I'm a review whore, so the more I get the more excited I'll be to update.

Thanks for continuing to read!