A/N- A voila!
Thank-you to everyone who took the time to review, it means a lot to me!
For the first time in a week, there was quiet in Le Coeur Du Jardin.
No parties were being thrown, no balls were being held.
The garden wasn't lit up with multi-coloured lanterns so the beautiful people could drink and dine underneath the stars.
The ball room wasn't filled with the sound of swishing skirts and string quartets.
The ground floor parlour didn't have numerous rose filled vases vying for space amongst silver trays filled with hors d'oeuvres and endless cups of tea and coffee.
The dining room was empty of celebrities and witty banter.
It was three o'clock on a Thursday morning and most of the inhabitants of the Garden District mansion were in bed.
Although that didn't necessarily mean that they were asleep.
Caroline had been tossing and turning for the better part of two hours now and after a fitful doze, wakes up at five am, sees the tendrils of light sneaking past the heavy curtains and gives up with an irritated huff.
She rolls over, determined not to suffer through her insomnia alone to belatedly realise that the other side of the gargantuan bed was empty.
She reaches over and drops her hand on the thick doona and amazingly soft sheets, enjoying the sensation of the silk on her palm, but deciding she would much prefer to feel the rough cotton of the shirt Klaus slept in.
Because she has grown used to sleeping beside the Original Hybrid.
It was strange for the first few days, getting accustomed to sharing the space with another person but it gave her insight into the man who loved her.
Klaus never slept naked, which could be quite irritating if she woke up in the middle of the night wanting sex and had to get him undressed, he slept in track pants and a white cotton shirt that he seemed to have owned since at least 1942. He didn't immediately throw on his clothes after sex but once he figured that she was done for the night he'd slip into the comfortable outfit.
She had packed some sexy nightgowns for the trip but now she wore her regular boxers and old t-shirt.
It was very relaxed between the two of them, comfortable.
Well, emotionally anyway.
Physically…
Caroline suspected Klaus might be a stage one hoarder.
The first night she'd been stretching her hands under her pillow, enjoying the luxurious softness and her fingers had collided with a sketch book that he'd apparently forgotten about.
The morning they'd come home from the impromptu Monopoly game in Bourbon St, they'd been having lazy hangover sex when Caroline's knee had been impaled with a pencil.
She'd given the sheets a good shake-out after that and rid the bed of any artistic material and an eighteenth century copy of Dunn's poetry that Klaus didn't even remember owning in the first place and could now sleep without immediate fear of death.
Fear of disturbance on the other hand...
Klaus tended to sleep on his stomach and was an exceptionally quiet, peaceful sleeper, although occasionally he would tense and stop breathing for a few minutes which had panicked her at first, now she just waited patiently for him to inhale again. If she was feeling cuddly he would wrap an arm around her and draw her close but otherwise left her undisturbed while he slept. But if he was feeling horny all bets were off, she could wake up to the lightest touch across her stomach or halfway through an orgasm with his head under the sheets.
As she had yesterday morning.
She sighs and rubs her thighs together. Wonderful, she was hot for the missing hybrid.
With a frustrated sigh she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed shakes her hair back, uncovering her ears so that she could listen to the sounds of the night.
There were three steady heartbeats in the house. Katherine, Baby Erik and his nanny were all asleep.
There were two slower heartbeats, the dull thud of hearts pumped with stolen blood.
Elijah in his bedroom upstairs and Rebekah in hers at the other end of the house.
There was one final heartbeat accompanied by the slither of paint on canvass.
Bingo.
Klaus had an art studio at the front of the house, on the second floor so he could catch the sunrise.
That wasn't to say that he didn't have easels scattered around the house and the tools of the trade in several different rooms, but this was his official studio where entry was strictly invitation only and where Caroline assumed he retreated when he needed to think.
She barely brushes her knuckles on the door, waiting breathlessly, still terrified of rejection but the response came barely a second later,
"Come in love"
She slips into the room, noting the golden hour was upon them and Klaus stood with his back to the window, holding the brush between two fingers as he looked up at her.
He had a streak of purple across his forehead and Caroline would wager her tuition that he hadn't so much as mixed red and blue together since he'd started painting.
She'd learnt pretty quickly that the colours that ended up on Klaus' skin or clothes and the ones he actually used that day never coincided.
"I didn't wake you?" he queried as she leant against the door, she shook her head,
"I can't sleep" she whispered, enjoying the quiet of the house, the sensation that the world beyond the door didn't really exist at this hour.
It was just the two of them.
She nodded at the canvass, "What are you painting?"
He frowned, "I'm not sure yet, hopefully not another snowflake"
She giggles and moves forward, feeling mischievously sexy,
"You could paint me" she suggests as she lifts her t-shirt over her head and drops it on the floor, baring her breasts to him with confidence that she had never felt before starting college and realising her self-worth and value.
Confidence that only grows when she sees the effect she has on the powerful hybrid.
He eyes her hungrily, stepping out from behind the easel and closing the distance between them, his hand comes up to cup her right breast, squeezing and pinching the nipple, smirking when she gasps and pushes onto her toes to give him better access.
He lowers his head and kisses both her nipples, running his tongue over them before stepping backward.
"Oh I could never paint you nude sweetheart, I'm far too greedy to share…but if you wouldn't mind posing so I could commit you to memory?"
Caroline laughs and curls up on an armchair where she can see the canvas.
At first glance she sees a forest lit up by a breath-taking sunset.
At second glance she sees the outline for a village built beside a wide river.
She sees the tents and even with only a basic middle-school education about Native Americans she can recognise the wattle and daub houses that would have been used on the land that would eventually become Mystic Falls.
It really was a shame that Alaric had died before they had managed to call truce with the Originals, the history buff in him would have loved the chance to question the tenth century Vikings about every aspect of their human lives.
"So why can't you sleep my love?" Klaus asks as he squats to rummage through his paint shelves where the pigments that cost more than Katherine's shoe collection were housed.
She shrugs, "I don't know I just feel restless…weird you know, like I've forgotten something or I have to be somewhere"
He frowns and tilts his head curiously, "Why on earth would you have to be somewhere at this hour? Unless you've booked an international flight and neglected to tell me"
"Damn, that's it" she deadpans, "I booked a one way flight to New Zealand, have a nice life"
He grins, "I've never been to New Zealand but I have heard lovely things about it" he shrugs,
"Send me a postcard then"
Caroline had been partially expecting declarations that he would follow her to the ends of the earth but they had moved past that intense stage of their courtship.
And she likes this stage.
She enjoys feeling like an adult when she wakes up next to him in the morning, the casual way they'll go for coffee or stroll around the town while he shows her his favourite haunts and the famous sites. They aren't going on dates anymore it's more intimate and somehow more relaxed than that.
Her heart flutters when she sees him dressed up and she loves how his jaw drops when she wears something beautiful but any nervousness she might have felt- okay, that she did feel when she was driving to NOLA- is gone.
But she does notice how easily she's fitting into life in New Orleans and every time she checks the large calendar Katherine stuck on the kitchen wall to try and coordinate the Mikaelson siblings and sees an event she would love to attend that takes place after her two week holiday is due to end, there's a part of her brain that teases her with the idea of a deferred semester.
Nope.
That won't be happening.
She's going to enjoy the rest of the week and then drive on back to Virginia thank-you very much.
So why does she feel so…
"Caroline!"
She nearly jumps out of her skin and sits up as Klaus takes her by the shoulders and gives her a gentle shake, "What?!"
His eyes are bright with worry, "I've been talking to you for the last five minutes love and you haven't uttered a word, I thought you were asleep but your eyes have been wide open"
She blinks, finally noticing how dry her eyes felt, "I…" she swallows and wraps her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very exposed,
"Something's wrong Klaus" she murmurs, "I don't know what but something…"
The doorknob creaks as it's opened and Klaus flashes across the room to grab her t-shirt, throwing it to her and blocking her from view as she hurriedly puts it on.
Katherine Pierce sweeps into the room wearing a silk nightgown that could easily double as a dress for a red carpet event. Despite having been asleep when Caroline last checked, she manages to look like she's just finished being made up for a photo shoot, her hair is deliciously rumpled and she carries the faint hint of roses into the studio.
She holds out a black phone that Caroline immediately recognises as hers,
"You left this charging in the parlour last night" she explains, looking pale in the morning light, "It's been buzzing incessantly for the last ten minutes"
Caroline grabs the phone just as Elijah comes into the room and drapes a dressing gown over Katherine's shoulders, "Do cover yourself my darling"
She quirks an eyebrow, the gown is decadent and seductive but no less suggestive than the clothes she wears during the day, still she ties the robe around her frame as Caroline checks the number with Klaus looking over her shoulder.
When she doesn't recognise it immediately she frowns and returns the call.
Three rings and then a chirpy voice of a stranger, "Mystic Falls Hospital, this is Victoria speaking"
Her blood went cold, "Um hi…this is Caroline F-Forbes, I'm returning a call?"
A pause then, "Oh yes, hello Caroline. I'm afraid I have some bad news, a Ms Elizabeth Forbes was in a car accident and gravely injured, she was brought in and you are listed as her emergency contact"
The plastic backing on the phone cracked as all air left Caroline's body, she began to shake violently as she struggled to breathe.
The device is pulled from her hand and she hears a British accent asking several questions and repeating the words 'Yes' or 'and' intermittently.
A glass of water is pressed to her lips and she splutters before sipping the cool liquid.
"I could slap her if you like" a distant voice offers before the familiar tones of one of the doppelgangers colourfully tells that person to go away.
A blonde man with bright blue eyes is standing in front of her and they are suddenly alone as her sleeping gear is removed and her limbs lifted and lowered as new clothes are put on her. Glancing down she sees him slipping ballet flats onto her feet, adjusting the black harem pants at her ankles and tucking her bra strap under her green t-shirt,
"Caroline" he cups her face in his hands, "Look at me…I know you've had a shock sweetheart but I need you to listen"
Klaus kisses her lips quickly, "Elijah is going to drive you to the airport, he has connections there, he will have the very first plane rerouted to Virginia and there will be a car ready and waiting to take you straight through any and all obstacles to the hospital. I will ring them and send through any updates, I'll also get whichever of your friends answers their phone first to stand by your mother's side until you get there. Nod if you understand me"
Tears flood her eyes and blur her vision but she does manage to nod causing him to sigh in relief and take her hand as he led her downstairs, out the front door where the morning light was growing brighter by the minute to the car idling in the driveway.
He tucks her into the front passenger seat and brushes the hair from her face, "Be well sweetheart"
She opens her mouth a few times before finding her words, "Um…my stuff…"
"Katerina will pack it up for you" Elijah tells her from the driver's seat, "She's already put the necessities in your handbag"
She sees the bag in question is sitting on the floor mat at her feet, "Thank her for me" she turns to Klaus, he nods and closes her door,
"I love you" she blurts out through the open window as the car begins reversing quickly.
She catches a glimpse of shock on his face.
She's too consumed with worry for her mother to fully realise what she had just said.
"Here"
True to Klaus' word, Elijah has half the staff at the airport rushing to fill his orders.
A flight that was intended for Bahrain is now making an unscheduled stop for Virginia and he guides her to the waiting area outside the gate as the plane is readied.
She is jiggling her knees nervously and glancing at her phone when the attendant marches over to inform them that they are able to board.
She climbs to her feet shakily and Elijah takes her arm, "I am sure that everything will be alright Caroline"
On impulse she hugs him, desperate for any form of comfort and he woodenly pats her on the back,
"Thank Klaus for me" she says, giggling with a touch of hysteria when she realises she has nearly echoed her request from earlier,
"But I don't love you I'm sorry"
Elijah's smirk is so much like his brother's, "Katerina will be glad to hear that at least"
He guides her right into her first class seat and the plane is rolling down the runway with only a third of its passengers on board ten minutes later.
She is watching the window and drumming her fingers impatiently, absolutely certain that the plane is going far too slow.
Her mother needs her dammit.
Deciding that air safety regulations could go to hell she is rummaging through her handbag she belatedly realises that she left her phone on the seat in the airport terminal.
Hopefully Elijah picked it up.
"Stefan it's me. If you do not pick up your phone and call me back in the next two minutes I will kill you and everyone you've ever met"
"Elena. Sheriff Forbes has been in an accident, get yourself and your whores to Mystic Falls General immediately if you wish to live"
"Jeremy. Yes I have your number, I also have the impatience of a homicidal psychopath. Sheriff Forbes has been in an accident, tell the vampire closest to you that they needed to be at her bedside thirty seconds ago"
Klaus stands glaring at the three cell phones sitting on the dining room tables.
His, Katherine's and Rebekah's. Elijah, ever the calm and collected gentleman had managed to leave for the airport not only dressed in a three piece suit but with the full assortment of keys, wallet and phone.
He had called every supernatural in Mystic Falls and had not yet received a single response. His frustration was mounting, Caroline was frantic with fear for her mother and he was unable to help her.
He knew the terror she was feeling, he had felt it when Hayley and his son had been kidnapped.
Katherine is sitting across from him, her arms leaning on the table in a decidedly ungraceful posture as she watches him worriedly,
"Something is wrong" she tells him and he resists the urge to rip her throat out in frustration,
"Really, you don't say!" he snaps but she doesn't take the bait,
"Something feels wrong" she continues, "It doesn't add up, why the hell is no-one answering their phones? It's early but if Caroline's mom has been injured…Damon adores Liz, he at least should be answering"
Klaus waves a hand impatiently, he doesn't have time for her stupidity, he demands the number for the hospital and she reels it off automatically,
"Mystic Falls General Hospital, Front desk this is Claire speaking"
He sighs in relief, "Hello Claire, this is Klaus I'm enquiring about a patient who was brought in this morning. Sheriff Forbes"
"Um…okay, one second"
He's not placed on hold, instead the fleshy sound of a hand being placed over the receiver reaches his ears as the woman tries to mute the hum of conversation,
"Okay I'm back" she tells him unnecessarily, "I'm afraid there's been some miscommunication, Liz…Sheriff Forbes hasn't been brought in this morning, no-one has…May I ask who's calling?"
Someone with the ability to burn that one horse town to the ground if he doesn't get the information he requires.
"You're mistaken" he tells her through gritted teeth, "Check your records this time, not the underpaid co-worker sitting next to you. I want an update on her condition and to speak to whichever surgeon is handling her case or so help me I will…"
"Hang on" the woman interrupts him before his wondrous eloquence in describing violent torture could strike fear into her heart. He hears the phone being handed over and then a familiar tone filters down the line,
"This is Sheriff Forbes, how can I help?"
Katherine sits up in confusion which Klaus is sure mirrors his own,
"Sheriff?" he blurts the word in disbelief, "You sound remarkably well for a woman who was grievously injured in a car accident"
"Klaus?!" There it is, the disapproval and barely veiled hate, definitely Caroline's mother,
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Caroline…she received a call this morning from the hospital stating that you were there as a…patient"
The last word falls dead from his lips as the spiel from one hour earlier plays back through his head,
Mystic Falls Hospital, this is Victoria speaking…
A Ms Elizabeth Forbes…
You are listed as her emergency contact…
The proper title, the title Claire had given him was Mystic Falls General Hospital.
Everyone in the small town knew who Sheriff Forbes was and called her by her position or by her nickname, and Caroline would have been listed as her next of kin, not her emergency contact, not when she lived several hours away at Whitmore.
"Listen to me" he orders as chills run down his spine, "Caroline is headed back to Mystic Falls but I think she's being led into a…"
His sentence is cut off as the sound of an explosion roars down the line separating him from the mother of the woman he loved. It is followed by the sound of screams but then…
The line goes dead.
A/N- So this progressed faster than I thought it would, I apologise for any incorrections regarding hospital procedure in this chapter.