OK! Soooo this chapter was a pita for some reason and I wrote and rewrote it a couple of times. Hard lesson to learn that sometimes you just have to toss crap out if it sucks.

This first scene is the fight scene from a previous chapter but from Klaus' POV this time. It's definitely inspired by the big Marcel/Klaus showdown from early on in TO. We are fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinaaallly catching the timelines up and next chapter will finish that so that everyone's in the same time, if not the same world :) Also, looking back on this, I was VERY heavily influenced by cbk1000, particularly for the moment where Klaus claims his acting prowess. If you haven't read cbk1000 i'd be shocked and then tell you that you should not be reading this fic, but reading hers instead.

Points to anyone who spots the Hamilton reference. I'm so obsessed with that brilliant musical I couldn't help myself. Also, the mythology referenced here is a hodgepodge of Eastern/Sumerian/Macedonian/I don't even know.

Let me know what you think, and thank you to everyone that is reading. It means a lot to me and I truly hope you are enjoying.

NEW ORLEANS, LA

He hears them approach for a solid thirty minutes, listening to the whispered calls for position, the footfalls increasing in number as the sun's rays disappear. There's some shockingly incompetent rooftop scrabbling that has him a bit disappointed, truth be told. Klaus sets his scotch down with a clink of ice and prepares to put up some token resistance; he figures five is a good number to kill before he lets himself be subdued. After all, would he be a true mentor if he didn't teach Marcel that sense of crushing defeat that only comes from losing to someone you think you have beaten?

Sending a quick text, Klaus locks his phone and pauses in the doorway to the courtyard, considering. 'Ten. Ten including that incredibly irritating Diego character.' Klaus corrects his estimate, letting a cocky grin dimple a cheek before he jumps over the railing, landing in the center of the courtyard with arms clasped behind his back and brows raised in inquiry.

"I apologize for my lack of hospitality, but I must admit I wasn't expecting anyone this evening."

Marcel emerges from the shadows in response, demeanor composed and cool. He stops a few paces away from Klaus and inclines his head in greeting.

"Klaus." The tension gathers in the air as the two vampires stare, gazes unbreaking, before Marcel speaks anew.

"Some folks and I've been talking. That maybe it's time for your rule to draw to a close. That maybe a revolution is the idea for the times. And me?" Marcel slaps his chest with both hands, then extends his arms wide. "Maybe I'm the man for the same." Ever the showman, Marcel pauses for applause from the crowd that has steadily grown around the two vampires.

Klaus remains relaxed, his tone unconcerned. "You wish for a revolution, well then, permit me a revelation, Marcel. How do you propose to defeat me?"

Marcel's teeth flash in a grin before he begins circling Klaus, whose lips curl up at the corners as he watches his once-protégé. "Where you've made your mistake, Klaus, is in assuming that everything I know I've learned from you. Pretty arrogant, actually, but unsurprising." Marcel darts a glance to test Klaus' reaction and meets a sullen stare.

"So, there's a couple things I've learned outside the Klaus Boy Scout pledge of murder, intimidation, and threats." Marcel holds up two fingers in a mockery of the scout tradition, then lowers a finger to start ticking off points. "One - making friends with your community, instead of ruling by fear, is a much more effective way to gain loyalty." At this, the gathered host lets out a few catcalls and one very enthusiastic "Mar-CEL!" that's met with grins all around. A hand squeezes Marcel's shoulder in support.

A finger raises to match the first. "Two - finding out who needs support and giving it to them is a good way to gain said friends." The crowd surges, space clearing as a group of werewolves draws to the front, arms crossed and gazes menacing. "You've met the Crescent Wolf Clan, right?" Marcel brow furrows as he purses his lips in exaggerated thought, snapping his fingers. "Oh, yes, of course you've met. You killed one of them last week." Marcel's hand comes down sharply, restraining a werewolf who had jumped at these words, clearly hell-bent on tearing Klaus apart.

Klaus' eyes narrow. He had spoken to the pack last week and had known they had not received the news of the Labonair girl's death well, but he is honestly surprised they had the guts to team up with Marcel. He really has been distracted lately. Shoving the thought aside for later, Klaus bends in an elegant bow worthy of a courtier, arms spread exaggeratedly wide in mockery of welcome. He hears a low growl as he straightens, and knifes a hand through a werewolf's chest who has gotten too close. The sound of the lifeless body crumpling to the floor is loud in the suddenly quiet space. Klaus casually tosses the heart a few times, the room tracking the rise and fall with morbid fascination, before he throws the heart at Marcel's face.

Marcel snatches the organ out of the air before it strikes, unfazed. "Three - well, I did learn this from you, to be fair. But it's a good lesson. Always have backup." Marcel twirls his fingers in the air and a hissing chant fills the air.

'Witches hiding in the back' Klaus has the time to think before he falls to one knee, pain spearing through his head, the blood rushing to his brain and screaming in his ears. He regains his balance, pushing through the hot poker stab of pain to gather his thoughts. It is difficult to think through the agony, but not impossible. He's had years to practice, after all.

His vision is a red haze of blood vessels bursting and reforming as he reaches out. Tearing, pulling, punching, kicking, a roar echoing in his throat like a promise. The bodies begin to pile like sandbags below him, slowing the flow of attackers. He sees the experienced fighters taking his measure, sees faces new to battle flushed with uncertainty, the hard glint of Marcel's eyes, the surge of bodies that take him to the floor. He feels the cold iron snap around his wrists, the tearing of clothes and scratching of skin, the cheap shots from those whose bravado only comes with imminent victory. He marks their scents for later. His arms are pulled taut, secured to a heavy iron beam; he tests and feels the snap of magic strengthening the links. Snarling, he lets Marcel have a moment to feel like he's won, allowing a note of frustration and defeat to enter his eyes.

Marcel smiles, eager to showboat, opening his arms wide. "Now Klaus, I know I can't kill you. But, I can lock you away. I hear the Garden is lovely this time of forever." His quip is met with muted laughter from the much smaller crowd - humor is typically in short supply when you're surrounded by your friends' lifeless eyes. "Maybe you can take that time to think about the lessons you should have learned from me, eh?"

Klaus surges against the chains, pulling up short as the links pull taut. He sags against the cuffs, letting them hold his weight as he paints the picture of helplessness. He is an artist, allow him a bit of performance, would you? Slowly raising his head, Klaus levels his eyes at Marcel and, with diction to rival the stage greats, speaks a single word.

"Rubicon."

A commotion in the crowd. Hands raised just a moment ago to applaud Marcel's victory now turn to grasp witch's throats. The chanting stutters and stops, replaced by surprised shouts and confusion. A female werewolf looks pleadingly at a member of her own pack before she snaps his neck, tears rolling down her face, the compulsion impossible to fight.

Klaus lets the hybrid take over, snapping the chains with ease now that they're no longer strengthened by magic, and letting a low growl rise in his throat. He turns and his eyes skitter over the crowd and back, pausing for a fraction of a moment on a familiar blonde. She is here, in all her transparent glory. Watching him, with shock and revulsion warring on her face.

'Well then', he thinks darkly, 'I should really earn that look, shouldn't I?' Snapping the chains against the floor Klaus lets a laugh bubble up from his chest as he eyes his next victim.

DELHI, INDIA

Caroline was glad to be headed back to the relative calm of Abhi's neighborhood after the chaos of Chandni Chowk. The shopping district was sheer bedlam, all raised voices and horns and smoke; telephone and cable lines criss-crossing overhead in an urban tree canopy. The afternoon sunlight that managed to fight its way through the smog seemed exhausted by the effort, a frail grey light illuminating the scene. She was glad that Abhi had been close by when she flashed in; while a part of her reveled in the life of the city, it was a bit of a culture shock from the small town pace of Mystic Falls. It was nice to have Abhi's calmness to ground her, she thought, sucking in a breath as an electric rickshaw careened by, inches away.

"She was totally checking you out!" Caroline craned her neck to look back at the woman they had just passed. Abhi ducked his head in embarrassment and muttered a denial which only served to fan the flames. "What? You're a nice looking man, Abhi! Of course women look at you on the street! Look at those manly caterpillar brows! And your soulful eyes!"

Abhi was waving his hands frantically as if to fan away the words, his expression pained. "I know you mean well, my dear. But I am a married man. And...I am not sure how caterpillars are manly," he finished wonderingly.

"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't...well I did mean to embarrass you. In a loving way. But I didn't...Wait, you're married? Why haven't I met your wife?!"

Abhi stared straight ahead as he responded, his voice stiff. "She died. But I still honor our vows."

Caroline looked up and caught the glassy sheen in his eyes. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave a squeeze, kissing him on the cheek before stepping away. They walked in companionable silence as he collected himself. His voice was gruff when he spoke again.

"I am worried the creatures from the stepwell-" Abhi caught Caroline's eye and gave a small nod, "pishachas, my aunt's book tells me. I'm worried they will be able to trace me back to you somehow whenever I leave the house."

Caroline felt her stomach twist with dread, her words accelerating as her panic grew. "No. Nope. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Nope! I...you don't know what your help has meant to me, Abhi. Nothing can happen to you," she finished fiercely.

"Do not worry, my dear. My aunt protected this house when she lived here years ago. No one can enter unless I wish it. I will be safe here," Abhi raised his voice above the jangle of keys as he unlocked his front door. Caroline followed him through the entryway as they moved to the middle of the house and the courtyard she had grown rather fond of.

"Right, but you need to be able to leave your house and live your life. This is not cool." Caroline sighed and looked down, tracing a pattern in the tile idly with her foot. "So... when I broke open that wall, I didn't see much, but I KNOW the cure is there. It's...like I felt it, if that makes any sense. I need to go back and finish this. I need you to be safe. I need my mom to be safe." Caroline's eyes were fierce as she met Abhi's gaze, his eyes crinkling in the corners with his forlorn smile.

"You can't go back to Agarsen ki Baoli without a plan. You can't kill the demons, and you don't know how many there are and what else is in there." Abhi's face was apologetic but firm. "Come, sit down. We will do this together. I wish to see this through."

Caroline was unconvinced but let it go for the moment, plopping down on a cushion and blowing her hair out of her face with a huff of frustration. "I'm still talking to Myrna when I go back. Maybe she can make some kind of amulet to hide you from them or something."

Abhi gave a short nod of acknowledgement before turning his attention to a book on the table. Caroline recognized the gilt edges, it was the same one that Abhi had read from before. "Did you find something?"

Humming in acknowledgment, Abhi flipped a few pages before his brows knit together in what Caroline liked to call his 'lecturer face'. "The creatures are called pishachas. They are flesh eating demons -"

Caroline clapped her hands. "Oooh yay! Sounds like fun!"

With a pointed glare at the interruption, Abhi began again. "A-hem. Flesh eating DEE-mons, pishachas feed off of human energy and can change shape at will. According to this, the first sighting of these creatures was…" Abhi paused, drawing his head back in confusion. Caroline raised her brows, intrigued, and motioned for him to continue. "Well...this is odd. They are mentioned in Hindu mythology, but didn't appear until mid-7th century CE. Which is very, very young for Hindu mythology." He nodded his head in a considering gesture. "Certainly not as young as vampires, but still."

"Oh, that reminds me! You had asked about vampirism in my world. Honestly? Nobody seems to know for sure, but Myrna sent me some stuff about some crazy demoness, Lamashtu, and I'm totally betting on her from what I read." Caroline shuddered in recollected horror.

Abhi had looked up at the name before turning back to the book and frantically turning pages, speaking quickly. "Vampires here have a far different origin story. As I said, they are younger than the pishachas, and aren't even from this area - they're Nordic in descent." Abhi found the passage he was looking for and continued. "Turned by their mother, a very powerful witch in the 10th century."

"Ooook, so our origination story is different." Caroline tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "What aren't you telling me, Abhi? What does all this mean? Seriously, I can take it, whatever it is. I need to know what I'm dealing with." Her eyes had softened, pleading, and Abhi couldn't seem to look away.

"You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, Miss Caroline. I have no doubt you can shoulder the burden. I was simply unsure if you would have to." Abhi sighed, rubbing his eyes before standing up abruptly. "Come! We spend all our time in this courtyard and my back grows weary of these chairs."

Caroline responded with a pout, kicking the table leg before getting up to follow. "But I like the courtyard. It's so pretty!"

NEW ORLEANS

A solid week and Klaus had only seen his blonde spectre as a pale reflection on canvas. The fireplace crackled, flames licking his latest attempt at her likeness, the acrid scent of burnt linseed oil filling the air. Rebekah had tried to pretend she wasn't interested in whatever it was he was burning, but Klaus saw right through her and thwarted her attempts to pull the canvas from the fire.

The week had been a whirlwind of activity, with Klaus shoring up his position fresh from his brutal victory. Hard eyes and clenched jaws hiding words unspoken had met most of his efforts, and sabotaging the vervain supply for convenient compulsions would be much more difficult now, but there was no doubt that his reputation as the most powerful creature in New Orleans had only been re-established by the battle with his erstwhile protégé.

Simply put? Marcel had shown his hand and had almost lost it. Klaus grinned at his own wit for a moment before the curve of his mouth sloped down again. His thoughts kept returning to her. He wasn't used to caring about someone's reaction, yet the look in her eyes as she huddled against the wall, that way she looked at him? He was confused and angered by the hot flush of shame, the low pang deep in his belly of what suspiciously felt like guilt.

It was enraging - he knew nothing about this girl other than that she was beautiful, feisty, under the influence of a mysterious spell, and that his wolf was rather insistent that she play a part in his life. It didn't make sense that his thoughts were dominated by her and her alone. Snarling in frustration, he left the fireplace to burn its offering and sought out Bonnie. Perhaps she had made progress with finding the girl.

DELHI

Caroline and Abhi sat at barstools in the kitchen, drinking chai Abhi had warmed on the stove.

"Oh my gooooooooodd Abhi, this is delicious! This is nothing like that Oprah chai tea thing at Starbucks!"

Abhi shuddered, holding his hand up as if to ward Caroline's words away. "No, no. Promise me you will never drink that again. Please. If you learn anything from me, anything at all, let it be how to make real chai."

Caroline gave a laugh and nudged him with a shoulder. "I promise. So, delicious tea aside, what's the story, Abhi? Why did you want to know about Lamashtu? How does this all tie to my mom and the cure?

"Well, I think the cure is just the vehicle that has carried you across worlds. What I'm worried about, though, is that passage I read to you about crossing between worlds. I think it was about your demon goddess. The wording of it - felt very specific to a vampire." Abhi ineffectually rubbed at a spot on the laminate as he spoke.

"I said before I do not believe in coincidences, and I have been pondering over why you came to me, and why I happened to know that particular story. And now learning about Lamashtu? I feel my aunt guiding me from the higher worlds. It is hard to explain." Abhi paused and drummed his fingers on the counter in thought until Caroline poked his arm.

"Sorry. As I was saying, someone - the ancients referred to in the passage - came to this world to gather strength and find a weapon against a dark force. Lamashtu," he nodded his head at Caroline. "Obviously they succeeded, but, the way the passage reads, something escaped, came back here. I think it was the pishachas, the crimson tide of their eyes." Abhi shuddered.

Caroline held a hand up. "Ok. Wow. Wait. So you think the grey dudes are actually from my world and that's why they appeared so suddenly in yours back in the day. Gotcha, I'm following you so far, but what does this have to do with the first vampires in this world?"

"They are nothing more than proof that Lamashtu isn't a part of this world." He spat the words out as if they were poison, Caroline drawing back in alarm. She watched as something dark flashed behind his eyes and a thick silence sank over the room before settling into awkwardness. Abhi stood abruptly and picked up Caroline's empty chai cup, walking to the sink. Over the sound of the faucet Abhi spoke again.

"You should ask your friend Myrna for help for you, not for me. You need spellwork to keep you safe so that you can retrieve the cure." Abhi finished rinsing the cup and shut off the faucet, turning away from Caroline and speaking to the floor. His dark mood was a visible weight, sinking into the lines around his eyes and deepening the folds of his mouth. "I cannot be of much help here. My aunt was the one with power, though it was limited."

Caroline stood and walked over to Abhi, turning him to face her and moving her head down to meet his eyes when he stubbornly refused to look at her. "Hey. I...I don't know what's wrong or what changed in the last few minutes, but I... You've been a rock for me since this whole thing started. Look, you chose to believe in me, a vampire Barbie who appeared in thin air in the middle of your house while you were eating breakfast. I mean, at this point you could stab me in the leg and I'd still be like 'Abhi's the best ever!'" Caroline waved her arms in a cheer. "So, sorry, Abhi, but you're stuck with me. I'm not gonna just drop you and you're gonna have to learn to deal with it. OK? Ok." Caroline nodded her head firmly and then did a doubletake as she spotted the saucepan steaming on the stove. "Wait there's more chai? Why didn't you tell me?!"

NEW ORLEANS

"Damn it, my fries are gonna get col-" Caroline stopped mid-sentence, turning slowly in the room she had just appeared in, taking in the dark paneling, the beveled glass doors of an expensive-looking bookcase, the blond curls, the week-old scruff. "Oh. Oh no. Not here. Not you. I was supposed to be done with you."

Klaus recovered from his shock quickly, setting down the book of poetry he had been reading and rising to his feet. "Not quite the reaction I hope for, but I'm willing to overlook, due to this surprising opportunity to hear your voice so clearly." His wolf clawed inside, insistent, and Caroline seemed to feel it, taking an involuntary step back before standing her ground with flashing eyes.

"Just tell me why I keep coming to you here in," Caroline squinted, cocking her head, "New Orleans, right? Ooh! Are we on Bourbon Street?" Caroline headed to the window of the study, craning her neck to look past the yard. "Never mind, it doesn't matter." Caroline shook her head with a sigh. "What do you have to do with curing my mom?"

Klaus hid his bewilderment well. A thousand years had taught him that a good poker face lent a huge advantage over your opponent. And everyone was an opponent. "I can't say I know for sure. You'd have to tell me more. What spell you used, who cast it, what your plans are, your hopes, your dreams," he finished with an impish grin.

Caroline looked at him like he was crazy. "OK look, let's get things straight. I saw you, covered in blood, surrounded by bodies, and in the process of killing more. We're not friends. Just..." Her face shifted, turning fierce. "I will do anything to help my mom, and it seems like you're a part of", she waved her hand in a circle to illustrate, "whatever this is. So I'm telling you the deets but just know that I really don't want to and as soon as we're done with whatever you're out of my life. Got it?" Caroline looked up to see Klaus struggling to hold in his laughter. "Are you kidding me? If you're not going to take this seriously…" Caroline turned away, prepared to stomp off and figure this out on her own, spell or no spell.

"Wait!" Klaus' voice was more plea than order and it surprised him, so much so that it took a moment to register that his hand had reached out and caught her wrist in its grip. He looked down to where they touched, then back up again to meet her eyes. Something in his gaze made her breath catch, the tension building like an ocean's swell until the wave of it broke with Caroline's tentative question:

"Do I... feel like cheese?" Caroline squeezed her eyes shut tight and grimaced. Really? Did she really just say that?

Klaus' face underwent a series of contortions as he tried to process her words. He drew in a breath, appearing to consider what to say; his lips parted, closed. "Well, love, I can't say I have ever heard that question in all of my years."

"How many years is that? You talk like you're ninety." Caroline wasn't beneath seizing the opportunity to deflect her own embarrassment.

Klaus' smile dimpled his cheeks and Caroline cursed internally. Apparently, dimples were her weakness. Well, along with nachos. And color coding.

"I'm an Original, sweetheart. My family has been around for a thousand years." Klaus saw her eyes widen in response. "You seem rather young, yourself."

"Well, I mean I'm forever seventeen. Which honestly I wonder about because I was reading this article about how your brain doesn't fully form until you're like 25. So -"

Klaus' grin twitched as he listened to her ramble. He let go of her wrist and reached up to touch her hair, fingering a blond curl. Caroline's voice faltered for a moment before she reared back, fixing him with an offended look.

"Um...boundaries much? We're not friends, weird spell connection thing or not."

Klaus' stare was unnerving in response. She had never felt anything like it - there was something more than the expected heat of attraction, something...special. An intensity of focus, like he couldn't stop looking at her and had no desire to even try. She watched as a small smile played on those perfect lips on his stupid, perfect face. Nope nope nope. Her thoughts were totally not going there, she had totally meant what she said earlier.

Klaus watched her internal struggle and wet his lips, saw her eyes drift to his mouth. "Well, perhaps we can work up to friends. My name is Klaus." He gave a small bow that sent Caroline's eyes skyward before she sighed a response.

"Caroline. I'd say nice to meet you but...yeah." She played with a button on her cardigan while trying to decide what to say next, but it seemed the spell had other ideas. Honestly, she was a bit relieved to see the floor through her hands, the transparency signalling a jump back to Mystic Falls. "Glad we got the name thing over -"

"-with. Caroline appeared at her desk in front of her mom, who jumped back in alarm, hand scrabbling at her hip where her holster customarily sat.

"Caroline?! Oh my god, honey, if I'd been armed I would have shot you." Liz's eyes narrowed as the shock wore. "You weren't there a second ago, and I didn't feel a breeze.…" Kneeling down, Liz brought her eyes level with Caroline, laying a hand on her shoulder, searching Caroline's face for answers before she drew in breath to speak.

In a panic, Caroline deflected. "Mom? What were you doing in my room?"

At this, Liz had the grace to appear sheepish, rubbing the back of her neck with a grimace. "I was snooping. I'm sorry, I trust you, you know that. But Matt called and said he hadn't seen you for over a month and he's worried about you, and now I'm worried about you. I thought you had been hanging out with him and Elena all this time." Liz's voice shifted from concerned to demanding in a heartbeat. "You're either holed up here in your room or who-knows-where and you're going to tell me where that is right now Caroline Elizabeth Forbes." Her mom's face had adopted the 'questioning a suspect' look and Caroline knew she'd have to come clean.

Rolling her eyes in the time-honored tradition of daughters annoyed by their moms, Caroline poked at her plate of now-lukewarm fries and began talking. To be honest, it was a huge relief to not have to hide all this stuff anymore, and even if her mom lectured her for twenty minutes about not taking matters into her own hands, she had that sappy look on her face while doing it. Which meant she wasn't really mad. Caroline felt a bit of the weight she carried uncurling from around her shoulders, lifting up and spreading its wings, fluttering off with a soft sigh. She even told her mom about Klaus, pointedly ignoring when her mom gave her a searching look. "It's just frustrating. I was really hoping this finding a cure thing would go faster. I...I don't know." Caroline trailed off. It was one thing to talk about crazy charcoal-skinned demons and vampires and magic spells, another to face that fear, lodged deep in her gut, that she wouldn't find the cure in time.

Liz sensed the change in mood and reached out to rub Caroline's back and all of a sudden Caroline was six years old again; muscle memory was a powerful force. Caroline leaned against her mom for a moment, letting go to bask in the comfort. Wiping away a tear that was threatening to escape, Caroline sniffled and abruptly straightened in alarm.

"Mom, what's burning?"

"Oh my god, the brownies."

"Brownies? You never cook. You really were worried about me," Caroline crowed, racing down the stairs. She opened the oven door to billowing black smoke, grabbing the pan with a pot holder and flinging open the back door to toss the smoking mass on the patio.

Her mom joined her at the door, lips tight and shoulders shaking until Caroline broke the silence with a burst of laughter.

And so the two Forbes women stood, watching the almost forlorn brownie pan smoke in the crisp winter air, sobbing with laughter until their stomachs ached with the effort.