AN: Wow, thank you all for all the awesome and encouraging reviews! This story has hit more than 100 reviews! You guys are the best! Also, did anyone notice the new cover done by the amazing jomosfamilyjewels? I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. I know some of you will be disappointed because Damon, Enzo and Stefan do not show up yet. Next one, I promise! :) I hope you all enjoy! And if you live anywhere like I do, I hope you are staying warm!
Caroline and Lizzie spend all morning and part of the afternoon at the Mikaelson Mansion. Caroline finally pulls Lizzie away from her two uncles so they could go back to the apartment so Caroline can get ready for her date with Klaus. Caroline takes a shower, while Lizzie plays on her iPad. "What are you doing on your date with Klaus?" Lizzie asks, once she hears her mom out of the shower.
Caroline pokes her dripping wet head out of the bathroom door. "I'm not really sure. I think dinner. Then maybe a movie or dancing or something." Caroline continues to get ready, leaving the door open a crack so she can hear Lizzie.
"Have you guys ever gone on a date before?" Lizzie questions, wondering what type of relationship her mom and her birth father have.
After some hesitation, Caroline answers. "Yeah, a couple of times."
Lizzie shuts off her iPad and hops down the hallway. She settles down, cross legged on the floor, leaning against one of the walls. "Where did you go? What did you do?"
Caroline giggles at her daughter's curiosity. "We went to a ball."
"Like Cinderella's ball?" Lizzie's eyes widen to the size of saucers.
Caroline ducks her head to hide her amusement. "Kind of, yes. We also went to a pageant together and we met for drinks or just hung out a couple of times."
Lizzie sits with her eyes closed for a minute thinking. When she opens her eyes, her mom was standing in front of her wearing a dark green dress and silver heels. "Have you ever kissed him?"
Caroline coughs to hide her surprise at the question. Caroline hates lying to Lizzie, but she is not sure if her seven year old is ready to know just how complicated her relationship is with Klaus. "Once." Caroline offers, but with a look on her face that Lizzie recognizes as an end to the conversation, and she disappears into her bedroom to fix her hair and make-up.
Caroline is vamping all around the apartment, trying to straighten things up and do a quick clean up. A knock at the door makes her stop suddenly. Caroline looks at Lizzie, who looks a little uneasy. "Do you really have to leave to have your date?" Lizzie asks quietly.
Caroline wraps her arms around her daughter in a comforting hug. "This will be good for you. You can get to know Hayley and she can see for herself what a great girl you are."
"But I'm scared." Lizzie buries her face into her mom's shirt. "What if she tries to take me while you are gone?"
Caroline forces Lizzie to look up at her. "Elizabeth, she won't take you. I promise. She knows that she will have no place to run if she does. I won't let her take you and neither will Klaus. Just try to give Hayley a chance. I think even if you decide to go back to Texas, Hayley and Klaus will still want to be a part of your life. Because you are just the best little girl ever!" Lizzie slowly nods and Caroline offers her daughter an encouraging smile as they walk to answer the door together. Klaus and Hayley are both standing there, looking almost as uneasy as Lizzie had a minute ago, having heard the conversation between Caroline and Lizzie. "Hey." Caroline opens the door wider to allow both hybrids in.
"Hello Caroline. Hello Lizzie." Klaus smiles at the two ladies and enters his apartment with ease.
Hayley offers Caroline a small smile, but her faces brightens into a full smile when her eyes land on Lizzie. "Hi Lizzie."
Lizzie gives Hayley a small wave before entering back into the apartment. "Ok." Caroline says awkwardly. "Lizzie has not eaten yet. But she can choose what she wants." Hayley nods at Caroline, her eyes focused on her birth daughter. "Her options are a sandwich, cereal or mac and cheese. She can watch no more than one hour or TV or one movie. She loves to draw, so there are some crayons and markers and paper in her room." Caroline switched her focus to Lizzie. "Her bed time is at 9:00. She needs to take a quick shower before bed." Lizzie sheepishly nods. "Call me if you need anything. Lizzie, be good and try to have fun." Caroline kissed her daughter on the forehead and gave her one last hug, while whispering in Lizzie's ear. "I love you."
Klaus gave Lizzie a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Good night Lizzie." Klaus gives Hayley a small wave and escorts Caroline out of the apartment. "She is going to be fine, Love." He tries to reassure Caroline. He wants her to enjoy their night and knows she won't if she is worried about Lizzie all night.
"I know. I actually kind of trust Hayley. I'm just worried about Lizzie. She just met Hayley and though Hayley has been working on it, her first impression wasn't exactly ideal."
Klaus chuckles as he thinks back to how he and Hayley scared poor Lizzie when they first met her. "You just said that Hayley has been working on it. And Lizzie warmed up to me so nicely." Klaus adds with a smirk.
Caroline rolls her eyes at Klaus' ego. "She could sense that I trusted you."
Klaus' eyes jerk down to look at Caroline and register the honesty on her face. "Come on, let's go get some dinner." Klaus gently takes Caroline's hand and leads her to a hole in the wall type of restaurant. The restaurant has elegant décor, but there are barely any tables.
"Where are we?" Caroline continues to look around, trying to see if she can find a sign anywhere.
"This is Mama Louise's. This little restaurant has been around for many, many decades. They have the most authentic New Orleans food you will find outside of a home kitchen." Klaus leads Caroline to a table and pulls out the chair for her. Caroline blushes slightly at his gentlemanly behavior. Klaus sends a nod to the kitchen and takes a seat across from Caroline. Klaus spends a minute just gazing at Caroline until the silence eats at her.
"So did you know the original owners of his place?" Caroline continues to look around, purposely avoiding Klaus' gaze.
Klaus laughs and his dimples come out to play. "Did and still do." He rises from his chair.
A tall, slender, black woman elegantly walks out of the kitchen and winks at Klaus. "Mr. Mikaelson, it has been years since you graced my door." She drawls in a thick southern accent.
"Mama Louise, I would like for you to meet Caroline Forbes. Caroline, this is the one and only Mama Louise." Klaus gives Louise a small peck on the cheek and sits back down.
Caroline shakes her head at the situation. "A vampire." Mama Louise nods proudly. "Did you turn her?"
"Kol did." Mama Louise offers.
"He really loved her cooking and wanted to make sure he could eat it for all eternity." Klaus shrugs.
Caroline raises her eyebrows, but lets it go. "What would y'all like for dinner?" Mama Louise asks.
"There's no menu?" Caroline asks as she surveys the table for a menu of some sort.
"My only customers are regulars, darling. They don't need a menu." Mama Louise drawls and turns her attention to Klaus.
"Just bring out a little bit of everything. I want to show dear Caroline all that New Orleans has to offer."
Mama Louise offers Klaus a sweet smile as she walks back into the kitchen. "Wow, you are really pulling out all the stops to impress me tonight." Caroline observes.
Klaus only smiles back, while returning his eyes to Caroline. "Is it working?" He asks softly.
"I guess you will just have to wait to find out." Caroline teases. The conversation flows easily as they wait for their food. Mama Louise brings out a variety of her finest dishes and Caroline gushes over the presentation and flavor of it all. A few other customers come into the restaurant, but Caroline is completely taken by the food and ignores everything besides it and Klaus. After saying their good byes to Mama Louise, Klaus leads Caroline down the streets of New Orleans.
"So, where to next?" Caroline asks, excited to see more of this beautiful city.
"Who said there was something else?" Klaus replies, pulling Caroline a little closer to his body.
"Then, lead me home." Caroline challenges.
Klaus firmly wraps his arm around Caroline's waist and pulls her body flush with his own. "Our night is not over yet, love." Klaus whispers in her ear. Caroline tries her best to suppress her shiver, but it doesn't go unnoticed by Klaus. Klaus turns his face away from Caroline so she can't see him smirk at her response.
Caroline composes herself and looks over at Klaus. "So, then where to next?" She repeats her question.
"We're going to this bar I know. I have showed you the fantastic cultural side of New Orleans. Now I want to show you the part that is the supernatural playground."
Caroline gulps, a little nervous to see this side of the city. "I'm not sure I am interested in seeing that side of the city." She admits and tries to pull away a bit. Caroline only succeeds to pull away a fraction, before she feels Klaus' grip on her waist tighten.
"I know." Klaus says lowly. "But if you are to stay here, you need to know what New Orleans offers. If for no other reason than to keep Lizzie safe from it." Klaus gives Caroline an honest look and a small smile.
Caroline nods in agreement and Klaus loosens his hold on her a little. Caroline is thankful for the extra space, but is still nervous about the bar they will be going to.
They come across a warehouse like building. Klaus and Caroline bypass the line of vampires and hybrids and walk right in. Caroline is stunned at the sight of vampires feeding freely off of humans and walking around drinking glasses of blood, unashamed. "This is where vampires can go to just indulge and be vampires. All the humans knew what they were getting into and are paid handsomely." Klaus murmurs in Caroline's ear. He can see that she is still shocked and a little appalled. "Come this way." Klaus tugs on Caroline's hand and pulls her attention to himself. Klaus makes note to keep Caroline close to him. No one will dare touch her if they know she is in the presence of the king. Klaus and Caroline settle in a small booth in the back corner. Klaus makes sure to allow Caroline to sit where she can't easily view all the feeding. "We opened this place to try to discourage the vampire population from feeding off the locals and tourists. It has reduced the amount of human deaths greatly." Klaus looks around the bar, proud.
"I get what you did, and that's great. It's a great idea." Caroline's voice shakes just a bit as she speaks. "It's just not my kind of place." She says, tensely.
"I know, Caroline. I know." Klaus soothingly rubs the back of Caroline's hand. "Just stay here with me for a little. Let's talk. We can talk freely." Caroline gives Klaus a confused look. "The music you hear is being played on a specific frequency. It dulls vampire hearing. Conversations are much more private here that almost anywhere else in the quarter."
"Almost?" Caroline is a mix between proud of Klaus, intrigued by this bar and repulsed by the open feeding concept.
"My mansion. We had Davina spell the bedrooms. It makes night time more bearable and mornings less awkward." Klaus chuckles and Caroline blushes at his implications.
"You do realize that if Lizzie decides to stay here, your lifestyle will need to undergo some, uh, tweaking." Caroline tries to approach this topic carefully, knowing just how volatile Klaus' temper can be.
Klaus tries his hardest not to growl, but his words still come out with a hint of anger. "Meaning what, exactly?"
"I was successfully able to hide my vampirism from Lizzie for five years. I only told her the truth because she had questions about things after you and Hayley showed up. She's a child, and heir to the supernatural throne of New Orleans or not, she can't be exposed to this type of behavior." Klaus narrows his eyes at Caroline, struggling to hold in his temper. "At least not yet. She's not ready." Caroline pleads. "She has a soft heart and she cries when someone dies in a Disney movie. She would be terrified of a place like this." Caroline points out quickly.
Some of Klaus' anger vanishes as he remembers that Lizzie is only seven and Caroline would know what the young girl can handle. Caroline has raised Lizzie for five years. Albeit, Caroline was not grooming Lizzie to be his heir, but that would be dealt with later. "I would never bring her here. At least not until I felt she was ready." Klaus admits.
"But feeding in your home. Lizzie would be scarred to walk in on you feeding from some woman." Klaus nods in understanding.
"Perhaps you have some valid points." He agrees.
"Also, I would suggest you either living in the apartment with Lizzie or making your siblings keep their dalliances to a minimum." Klaus gives this suggestion a full on belly laugh. "It's not funny, Klaus. Lizzie has been quiet sheltered and she doesn't need a free show because Kol can't keep it in his pants or get his own place."
Klaus stops laughing and studies Caroline. "You never brought any of your," Klaus pauses for a minute to decide on the proper word. "Suitors around?"
It's Caroline's turn to laugh. "Do you know how much time and energy it takes to raise a child?" Klaus shakes his head because for all of his years on Earth and all the things he knows and can do, he has never raised a child. "It's time consuming and draining. But it's fun and rewarding, too. Don't get me wrong. They were the hardest yet most enjoyable years of my life. But I did it mostly by myself."
"Mostly?" Klaus leans back and just enjoys listening to Caroline. Having her in his city, spending time with him was like a dream come true.
"Stefan helped a little. He loves Lizzie like a niece. He would stop by every month or so and stay with us. He was a life saver." Caroline pauses and thinks back to Klaus' previous question. "He was the only guy I really allowed around Lizzie. I mean, Matt, Damon and Enzo know who she is, but they never really met her. I-"
"Who's Enzo?" Klaus interrupts. He doesn't like the idea of some male vampire he doesn't know hanging around Caroline or Lizzie. As he considers it more, he doesn't like the idea of Damon Salvatore hanging around them either. The quarterback was of no threat to him or his daughter, especially if he was still human.
Caroline sighs. "Enzo is a friend of Damon's. He's kind of like Damon, but kind of different. He's become a friend of mine."
"But not one you trust enough with Lizzie? Not like the Ripper?" Klaus inquires, leaning forward against the table.
Caroline smiles. "I don't know if there are too many people I trust more than Stefan." Caroline makes sure to emphasize Stefan's name to Klaus. "Enzo's a friend, but we are nowhere as close as I am with Stefan."
Klaus nods and is about to speak, when Marcel vamps over to them. "I'm so sorry, Klaus." Marcel gives Caroline an apologetic smile.
"What, Marcel?" Klaus growls out, fists clenching the table.
"We have a situation. A vampire situation." Marcel whispers. It's loud enough that Klaus and Caroline can hear, but soft enough the rest of the bar can't.
Klaus' eyes dart to Caroline's face. She is sitting there stoic, with a hint of trepidation in her eyes. "Caroline, it seems I have a wayward vampire to deal with. I hope you don't mind me running out for just a bit."
Caroline anxiously looks around the bar. She quickly tries to decide which the lesser evil is, sitting around an open concept vampire feeding bar or watching Klaus torture some vampire. "Can you just walk me home first?" Caroline offers up her own idea.
"I am not prepared for our night to end just yet." Klaus almost whines. "I would prefer for you to either stay here or come join me. I can show you what exactly I do, being the king and all." Klaus tries to entice the blonde vampire.
Caroline sighs. She looks at the hand that Klaus is holding out to her. Timidly, she places her hand in his and allows him to pull her up from the booth. Klaus links his fingers through hers and leads Caroline through the throngs of vampires gorging on fresh blood. Caroline focuses on repressing her vampire urges until they exit the bar. Klaus pulls Caroline quickly down the road, to an empty street. There is a group of men and women surrounding one man, who is sitting awkwardly on the ground. Caroline correctly assumes they are all vampires or hybrids. As Klaus approaches, the circle of vampires, smoothly parts, allowing for Klaus to come face to face with the vampire in the middle. Caroline moves to follow Klaus, but Marcel loosely grasps her forearm. "I wouldn't." He says in a hushed and gentle voice. Caroline stands back and watches Klaus.
"What's your name?" Klaus' authoritative voice booms and echoes off the building on the empty street.
"D-d-dom." The vampire stutters.
"Dom. You have been caught killing a vampire." Klaus glared at Dom, who looked rather small and timid at the moment. To Caroline, he also looked pale and feverish. Not typical for a vampire. "Do you deny it?"
"N-no." Dom winced in pain. "B-but, I-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses. You killed one of mine. The punishment is your life." Klaus stands firm, even as Caroline rushes past Marcel and pulls on Klaus' shoulder.
"Klaus." She whispers in his ear. "Give him a chance to explain himself." She pleads.
Klaus narrows his eyes at Caroline, and cannot believe she is trying to undermine him. "No." Klaus says without conviction. "I will however do him the favor of making it a quick death." Klaus turns to Dom. "Any last words?"
"Were-" Klaus cuts Dom off by swiftly pulling out the vampire's heart. Klaus then makes a show of tossing the bloody heart on top of the crumbled and ashy vampire body.
The crowd disperses and Caroline bends down to look at Dom. Klaus sends Marcel off and curiously turns to Caroline, while wiping the blood off his hand. Caroline looks closely at Dom's arm and shakes her head. "Werewolf. He was going to say 'werewolf'. He was bit by a werewolf and that's why Dom killed one of your vampires. He was hallucinating." Caroline explains.
"Then he would have died anyways. I saved him some torment. I'm merciful." Klaus replies with an almost joyful tone.
"No." Caroline whispers. "Merciful would have been letting him explain, healing him and sending him away. You are not merciful." Caroline's voice is quiet, but strong.
"I am not weak either. Nor do I ever intend to be weak. If the vampires do not believe I will protect them and have their backs, they will riot. I will not lose my kingdom." Klaus' voice is equally strong, but decibels louder.
"I want to go back to the apartment, now." Caroline says meekly, turning away from Klaus.
Klaus quickly comes crashing down from the high of killing. He swallows thickly as he realizes that he should have taken Caroline home first. Before taking care of Dom. "Ok, let's go." Klaus moves to take Caroline's hand.
Caroline quickly jerks her hand away. "No. Go celebrate the death of an unfortunate vampire with your minions. I can find my own way back."
With that, Caroline vamps off, not even caring if she is even heading in the right direction.
Caroline easily finds the apartment and quietly enters to see Hayley sitting on the couch watching a movie. "Hey Caroline." Hayley whispers. "She's sleeping." Hayley tips her head towards Lizzie's bedroom.
"Was she good for you?" Caroline asks, trying to forget about Klaus and his desire for bloodshed and his kingdom.
"Yeah. I think we had fun. After an hour or so, she really started talking. Kind of like she was opening up to me." A genuine smile appears on Hayley's face.
Caroline smiles in return. "I'm glad." Hayley's face morphs into a look of suspicion. "I mean it. You deserve to know her and she deserves to know you." Caroline clarifies.
"Thank you, Caroline." Hayley says as she walks out of the apartment.
Caroline collapses on the couch. She is so tired from all the emotions she has dealt with today. Her thoughts turn towards Klaus and his kingdom. And how it suits him, but it could never suit her. All the bloodshed and tyranny. She could never be with him, not like this. Caroline passes out on the couch, as a lonely tear runs down her cheek.