A/N- So this is the final chapter and I want to thank everyone who has read this work and put up with how long it took me to get this thing finished.
I know it took much longer than I planned and there was often quite a while between updates and I do apologize for that. I originally had plans for this to be much more intense and with a lot more focus on secondary characters with multiple story lines but it didn't turn out that way (thankfully!)
One Year Later.
It wasn't until the car had started moving that Caroline thought to consider whether she'd given the driver the right address.
Screw it, she decides, she was too tired to give a damn.
As it turned out, not only could vampires suffer from jetlag, but for some reason that had to do with being so far off the ground or travelling at several thousand miles per hour, it could hit them harder than a human.
So, quite frankly, she could not care less if she arrived home to an empty house.
In fact, it would be quite nice.
She's so deep in her fantasy of falling into a luxuriously comfortable but empty bed that she can almost feel the silk of the sheets against her arms instead of the woolen dress she had on instead.
But her dreams were not to be.
There's a festival taking place along Bourbon St and as the car rolls to a stop, she climbs out with a weary sigh, making sure her Prada heels are on firm ground before standing.
"Can you deliver my luggage after you find a park." she asks the chauffeur, adding a quick 'Please' after he closes her car door.
"Of course, ma'm." he nods stiffly and she remembers a time when that title would have freaked her out.
Ma'm.
She wasn't even twenty-five yet for crying out loud.
But she knows it's intended as a sign of respect, so she doesn't let it faze her even as she pretends not to see the shadowed spark in the eye of its speaker.
She made a mental note to tell Annabelle that she had been right, the Gemini coven was spying on her.
Not that she blamed them really, after all, they were just trying to figure out what kind of person she really was before making any decisions about ceding to the laws of the Order.
She's actually glad they were willing to take this step considering that her reputation as the killer of Abigail Bennett's old coven had reached them before she'd even landed in their home state.
Fortunately, the order she'd given the mercenaries to fire indiscriminately into the Cauldron during that night of the attempted Guerrera take-over hadn't become common knowledge yet.
Or, as it was referred to in the South, the Last Stand of the Tremaine Witches.
Because, after that night, not one witch native to New Orleans had been allowed to remain in the city boundaries. It had been one time too many for the Original family to consider showing mercy and since the Guerrera's had been wiped from existence and slowly from memory, only the witches remained to take the blame.
She knew that many of them had fled to Salem but she also knew- courtesy of Order spies- that the covens in that area had fallen to infighting, that Bonnie had finally woken up to the realization that she was on the wrong path, which had been a massive blow to the Bennett family, and had left for New York where Jeremy was attending art school.
Caroline was still waiting to hear from her old friend before she decided whether she believed in this turnaround or whether it was likely another trap.
With all her heart, she was ready for it to be true.
Elena and the Salvatore brothers were still in Alaska, where they'd taken a quick vacation after a run-in in Yucatan, Mexico where Elena had been mistaken for Katherine. And they were firmly staying put under Damon's orders until he was certain that the Order wasn't a dictatorship in the making.
Caroline had had a few choice words for him, conveyed over every form of social media that would let her use those terms without flagging them as a crime or threat but, in a move that had got him into a lot of trouble, Klaus had pointed out that every system needed some form of opposition, to keep them honest if nothing else.
That idea of his had coincidentally coincided with her decision that he could remain in New Orleans while she went on her latest trip to London.
It had only been a week and a half but Caroline had missed him, especially because he'd been too busy sulking to answer her calls.
So, she picked up her step, weaving her way around the tourists and party-goers as she makes her way to the arch that led into the mansion. There's a bouncer at the door and a line of people dressed to the nines waiting impatiently, which means that the Mikaelsons' were throwing some kind of party. She walks right past the bouncer- a werewolf- who notes her grey wool dress, black stockings and pale gold heels, which while all couture are hardly suited for partying and opens his mouth as if to stop her but pales and steps back when he realizes who she is.
The courtyard had an ice-blue bar and neon lights set up on one side, cleared of any seats and a jazz band in the gallery.
Some hired servants are performing last minute preparations which, if she'd been in charge, they would have finished an hour ago, but she doesn't issue any instructions, even if they are being tardy, instead she strides right to the front door, pushing it closed behind her as she listens for signs of life.
Or, rather, signs of habitation.
There's a slight movement of air which denotes a vampire moving almost silently and she's got a smile on her face, ready for Elijah to appear at the top of the stairs.
Except it isn't him.
"Finn?!" Caroline blurts out, staring with horror at the previously dead Original standing in her home.
"Hello, Caroline Forbes," he greets in his condescending tone, "Forgive me if I do not utter pleasantries about how it is nice to see you, considering that the last time I laid eyes on you, your friends preceded to put a stake through my heart."
Caroline is already reaching behind her for the door knob when a familiar voice and clatter of heels sounds across the tiled floor,
"Finn, you're gorgeous but so uptight," Katherine snarks, weaving into sight with an almost empty cocktail glass in her hand,
"Take that chiseled jaw of yours back upstairs before I kiss it."
What the…
Caroline almost has to catch her friend as she stumbles into her arms,
"Hey…you," she pats her shoulder clumsily, "How was London town?"
"Cold and busy," Caroline answers, automatically as she stands her back on her eight inch heels, "Why is Finn alive?"
Katherine smirks, "Knew he hadn't told you. Walk me to the kitchen."
Caroline links an arm through hers but the doppelganger wasn't anywhere close to the neighborhood of sober and blinks in surprise when they set foot in the kitchen, so she sets her down at the island and turns on the coffee maker.
"Ah, dear Caroline."
Elijah glides into the room, holding out his arms to draw her into a hug and press a kiss to her cheek, "Welcome home, how was London?"
She raises her eyebrows and gives a little headshake, "Screw London, why is your older brother walking around the house and why is Katherine hitting on him?"
Elijah draws back and looks to Katherine who giggles, "What? He's hot and fun to mess with."
He rolls his eyes, "I presume Niklaus failed to inform you about the uh…events that have transpired since your departure?"
"My departure?" Caroline echoed, "I was gone ten days Elijah, seriously?! You guys couldn't keep the city in one piece for ten freaking days!"
"Elijah, is this her?"
A statuesque woman Caroline had never seen before makes her way into the kitchen, leaning against the island and examining her curiously but not in an unwelcoming way.
Elijah turns to the woman with a smile that he usually only reserved for his fiancée.
"Yes," he answers before slipping a hand to Caroline's back and repositioning her so that they both faced the woman,
"Caroline, this is my older sister Freya, the firstborn and it was her that returned Finn to us..."
He mentions something else but Caroline's mind had stopped right after the noun prior to the name, "Seriously?! There's more of you? Because six wasn't enough?"
Freya blinks slowly, putting more into that expression that most could in a sentence and definitely showing the connection between her and Elijah.
"I'm sure it will be a pleasure to meet you," she says, "Once you've spoken to Niklaus."
With that she turns on her heel and saunters off and Caroline looks to Elijah,
"Where is he?"
The elder Original opens his mouth but closes it when he sees the fury in her eyes, "I'll take you to him right away."
He keeps his hand on her back and she's about to point out that she knows her way around the damn manor but she senses he has something to say with her so she remains quiet, and he pretends to ignore Katherine leaning over to smack his arse on the way out, although she sees the quick smile flitter across his face.
Once they're out of human earshot he starts speaking again, "I was hoping you would be willing to host an afternoon tea party for Katerina, myself and her daughter Nadia." He requests and she feels a stab of sympathy for the poor guy.
It had taken two months before he and Katherine had got back together after their break-up courtesy of the curse placed upon him by a jealous witch-ex-lover. But the two of them had seemed happy ever since, unfortunately, not everyone was happy for them.
Namely, Nadia, Katherine's long-lost daughter who seemed to hate Elijah with a passion and every time Caroline had come home, Katherine had to bitch to her about the latest fight between her fiancé and daughter.
Caroline thought it was impressive that these two could fight at all considering they hadn't actually been in the same part of town as each other since their first meeting and in no way contacted each other, but she could also see how it annoyed Katherine.
So, perhaps an afternoon tea party would be a good thing for everyone.
She promises that she will and Elijah smiles, before making a sharp left down a connecting hallway and she realizes that he hadn't been leading her directly to Klaus but taking the longest route through the manor to grant him extra time.
She makes a mental note not to serve any of his favorite teas or foods at the tea party.
He's leading her to Klaus' art studio and she picks up the pace before a hand comes out of nowhere and grabs the front of her dress.
Instinctively, she reaches up to break the grip but it's connected to a tanned arm that in turn led up to a familiar blonde head,
"Ah, Caroline," Rebekah grinned, "I was hoping to speak to you."
Well, this Mikaelson had been alive when she'd left town at least.
"You know Matt," she began and Caroline ran a hand through her hair, trying not to yawn,
"Matteo, Matteus…which Matt?" she asks, before noting the raised eyebrows on the other girl's face,
"Wait, my Matt?" she clarifies but Rebekah's expression turns stony.
"He's not your bloody property," she snaps, "He's a free person, and you have no special claim on…"
A throat clears and a man sticks his head out of the bedroom door, behind the female Original, "Hey Care."
Caroline beams, "Matt? Oh My God, hi! Wait, what are you doing here?"
She then sees his bare chest and the fact that he only has boxers on.
So, she guessed the answer to her question was Rebekah.
She should never have left New Orleans.
"Okay," she puts her hands up in the air and closes her eyes, "I'll have a response for this…" she gestures to encompass the new couple, "Tomorrow."
She barely takes a step before Rebekah protests, "Hang on, all Matt wants is your bloody blessing, which frankly I don't think is necessary considering you've been shagging my brother for the last…"
Matt reaches past his new girlfriend and closes the bedroom door on her, cutting off her speech and Caroline tries to fight her exhaustion.
"If the next person I speak to isn't your younger brother," she warns Elijah, ominously,
"I'm going to lose it."
With a quick nod, he takes her arm and begins steering her faster towards the studio.
From which comes a loud crash and a body goes flying through the door to hit the floor and skid several feet, sliding to a stop right before it gets blood on Caroline's shoes.
Kol tilts his head back and looks up her dress before meeting her eyes,
"Hello, Caroline," he grins, "Finally let Nik buy you that drink I see."
He flashes to his feet and takes a threatening step towards her before Elijah puts his hand on his chest, stopping him in his path,
"You know why this would be a monumentally foolish idea."
He shrugs violently, jabbing his finger at her, "Her friends killed me and she wrapped me up in a garbage bag like I was old fish."
He shifts forward but Elijah keeps his place and pushes him back on his heels,
"The past is the past, little brother," he chides gently, "We must let it lie so we can move forward."
Kol scowls but holds up his hands to show that he was backing off, when Elijah lowered his own hand, he pushed past them both, muttering darkly under his breath as he stalked off.
Meanwhile, Caroline was pinching the bridge of her nose and fighting the tension headache she could feel throbbing in her frontal lobe.
Elijah straightens his cuffs, "Technically," he began, "You didn't specify which of my younger brothers you wished to speak to."
She inhales sharply and glares, "Okay, is there any other resurrected Mikaelsons I need to know about?"
He shakes his head, "No?" she clarifies, "Great. You all have three minutes to get the hell out of the manor and move that party of yours someplace else."
He opens his mouth to object but she holds up her hand, "I don't want to hear it, 'Lijah, you know I love and respect you but I want everyone who isn't my boyfriend off the property. You have two minutes and thirty seconds."
She crosses the final six feet to the art studio alone and slams what was left of the broken door closed, spinning around until she finds her boyfriend picking himself up from the shards of an easel.
"Sweetheart," he grins, "Welcome home."
She stomps forward and slaps him across the face, "That is for not calling me and warning me about your weird family reunion," she snapped, "Now, where is Erik?"
Klaus rubs his cheek with a pout, "With Raina at the mansion."
She exhales, "Good, we're going to our bedroom."
He scampers after her eagerly but she pushes his hand away when it lands on her hip,
"I'm going to take a nap," she tells him and his face falls but she rolls her eyes,
"And if I'm in the mood when I wake up well…" she grins, "We can see if you can remember how to kneel to your queen."
A/N- Thanks again for going on this long journey with me!