To get to Vincent's home, they had to travel through the back streets of the city.

"So as to avoid any further trouble," he'd said.

He lived in a small, modest cottage and he didn't seem to have any neighbours in the surrounding area.

"Doesn't anyone else live around here?" Caroline asked as Vincent unlocked the front door.

"Nope. It's just me out here. But I like it that way, I prefer the quiet," he replied.

"Please excuse the mess, bachelor lifestyle and all that," he said apologetically.

He gestured toward the living room and Caroline entered and took a seat. Vincent sat down on a chair opposite to her.

"So," he began. "Why are you looking for Klaus Mikaelson?"

Caroline frowned and tilted her head.

"That's funny, I thought you dragged me all the way over here so you could start doing some explaining," she said irritably.

Vincent nodded.

"Alright, alright. That's fair,"

He got up and headed toward the door.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked

"No thank you," Caroline declined politely.

He nodded again and left the room.

While he was out Caroline took the time to survey her surroundings.

The wallpaper was a pale shade of blue but it may have been brighter before and had faded slightly. The arm chairs matched the wallpaper and the carpet was navy. A bowl of Pou-puri sat in a bowl on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Vincent returned holding a glass of coke and placed it on the table.

"You sure I can't get you anything?" Vincent implored her.

"I'm good thanks," Caroline waved him off.

"Well alright then," he said and picked up his own glass to take a sip. When he'd had enough he began to speak.

"The witches you encountered in the marketplace. Aren't big fans of Vampires. The coven in this city's always had a problem with them, some would call us natural enemies,"

He paused and looked at her for a moment before taking another sip of his drink then setting it aside and reclining in his chair.

"Recently two very old and powerful Vampires, two of the first descendants of the original vampire sirelines, have taken control of this city. According to them, everything on this side of Louisiana is under their jurisdiction. All the vampires here have either descended from their bloodline; pledged their allegiance to 'em or died attempting to rebel,"

Caroline forced herself not to interrupt Vincent as he spoke, she was itching to ask him questions about the information he had given so far. And she wanted to know what any of this had to do with Klaus.

"Since you don't seem to know what sireline you descend from and nobody else around here has any means of finding out. Any vampire you encounter in this city will perceive you as a threat. This city has been teetering on the brink of descending into chaos for a long time now and if and when it does, you can bet your ass dozens of innocent witches will be caught in the crossfire,"

"So with that being said, you can see why things were the way they were when you got here," he finished.

"But I don't understand, who exactly is they? And if they're original descendants, then what happened to Klaus and the rest of his family?" Caroline questioned.

Vincent gave her calculating look.

"You know, 'ya still haven't told me how you know him," he stated.

Caroline shifted slightly in her chair and swallowed.

"He's an old friend- I'm an old friend of his, I mean. I'm just visiting to see how he is," she supplied.

He looked her over for a second before answering.

"Alright, well, the whereabouts of Klaus Mikaelson is not something I can help you with. All I know is that he's not here. I really wish there was more I could do for you," he said standing up.

"Now are you sure there isn't anything I can get you to drink before you leave?"

Caroline opened her mouth to protest when she heard some footsteps outside of the door. Suddenly there was a loud slamming noise and a male voice rang through the house.

"Vincent!?"

The man in question entered the room. He looked as if he was about to say something to Vincent when he noticed Caroline sitting on the other side of the room.

He was tall - around 6 foot - and strikingly handsome. He was well built and one could clearly see his muscular form through the thin material of his hoodie. He had the kind of rich, brown eyes that always looked as they were smiling even when he wasn't.

"Who's your friend?" he murmured, without taking his eyes off of Caroline.

"She claims to be an old friend of Klaus," Vincent said slowly as if he was conscience of the reaction his words might get.

Sure enough, Marcel whipped around to look at Vincent cocking his eyebrow in surprise.

Vincent only gave a tilt of his head in reply and had another sip of his drink.

Caroline hadn't realised before but Vincent's coke was laced with alcohol.

"An old friend huh?" Marcel asked turning back to face her "I wasn't aware Klaus Mikaelson had any of those,"

Caroline didn't answer but met his eyes as he examined her.

"She's a vampire," he said to Vincent.

"Yes, she certainly is," Vincent replied emptying his glass.

Caroline cleared her throat abruptly.

"She has a name," she said defensively.

"Do tell," Marcel answered leaning up against the door frame.

"Caroline. Caroline Forbes," she said rising to her feet and extending her hand.

Marcel's face changed as if he'd realised something.

"Well I'll be damned," he said looking her over "The Caroline Forbes in the flesh,"

"How do you-" she started.

"-Klaus may have mentioned you... once or twice," he shrugged.

He had a wry smile on his lips as if he knew something that he shouldn't. Caroline flushed under his gaze wondering what exactly Klaus had mentioned to this man.

"So you know him then," she asked crossing her arms.

"You could say that," he replied "He and I are... old acquaintances," he said flashing her his pearly whites.

He nodded over at Vincent.

"I'll have what you're having,"

Vincent got up from his chair and grabbed his glass.

"What's this all about Marcel?"

Marcel made himself comfortable in one of the chairs near to where Caroline had been sitting.

"Some of my guys caught some of your witch friends vandalising one of the de Martel's buildings today. Now under my instructions they weren't harmed but you're damn lucky, it was my people and not somebody else who caught em'," said Marcel.

Vincent returned the room with two glasses and handed one to Marcel. He sat down and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know I do my best to try to control them. But they're tired Marcel. Last week a fifteen-year-old girl was found dead near the cemetery. Large bite marks in her neck. So you can understand their frustration," Vincent explained.

"You don't think I know? You think I enjoy the idea of dead bodies littered around the city? But there's nothing I can do about it and there only so many times I can stick my neck out for you. Talk to your guys, make sure it doesn't happen again is all I'm saying," Marcel contended.

Vincent didn't say anything in response but he gave Marcel a slightly reproachful look as he drank.

"Sorry to interrupt," Caroline said grabbing the attention of both men.

"But you wouldn't happen to know where Klaus is would you?" she said turning toward Marcel.

Marcel looked as if he were trying to keep his expression neutral but there was a slight flicker in his eyes before he spoke.

"Sorry," He said rising from his chair "Can't help you,"

He emptied his glass and then raised it at Vincent before placing it on the table.

"Thanks for the drink man," he said giving Vincent a nod before turning to leave.

Unsatisfied with that answer, Caroline got up and followed him into the hallway.

"I don't believe you," she stated bluntly, placing her hands on her hips.

Marcel raised his eyebrows.

"Come again?"

"Everyone in this town has been acting super suspiciously every time I've mentioned Klaus' name. Now I know something must have happened; I know you know Klaus and I know you probably know where I can find him too. You just don't want to tell me for some reason. Why is that?" she demanded.

Marcel looked momentarily taken aback and then he laughed softly stepping forward to stand closer to her.

"Well I can see why he liked you so much," he smirked.

Caroline blushed once again but held her chin in the air and refused to look away from him.

"You want the truth? Well, the truth is Klaus Mikaelson's a ghost and he has been for a very long time now. I really can't help you. I sorry, I am. But that's just the way it is. Now I don't know if Vincent's briefed you on what's going on around here but it really isn't safe for baby vampires to be roaming around New Orleans all willy-nilly,"

Caroline glared defiantly at him.

"So I guess the question is: For your own protection, which one of us would you like to escort you out of the city?"

Caroline sat in a bar nursing a brandy. The bar was relatively empty and no one had really paid much attention to her when she walked in.

The bartender, a blonde woman in her thirties, came toward her as she finished her drink.

"Can I top that up for you?" she asked cheerfully.

"That would be great actually," Caroline said handing her her glass.

"You're new around here," the woman remarked glancing at Caroline.

"I'm a tourist," Caroline replied, hoping the other woman wouldn't attempt to strike up a conversation.

The bartender only nodded and slid her drink toward her.

"Well enjoy your stay," she smiled.

Caroline nodded and she moved along to serve some other patrons.

Caroline put her drink to her lips and continued brooding over the events of the day. What really bugged her was this; why exactly did she care so much? So what if Klaus wasn't around, he was probably on the other side of the world; enjoying the great cities and great art, like he was always talking about. He had probably forgotten all about her.

She should finish her drink, get the heck out of this town and forget all about him.

"One rum and coke please Cami," came a familiar voice.

Caroline looked to her left only to see Vincent take a seat adjacent to her at the bar.

"Unbelievable," she huffed downing her drink and getting ready to leave.

"Well look who it is," Vincent said spotting her as she tried to walk past him.

"You got a death wish or something kid?" he asked

"Marcel wasn't playing around when he said what he said. It's dangerous around these parts,"

"I can handle myself, thanks," she said giving him a saccharine smile.

"Oh yeah?" he laughed. "Mm mm mm typical vampire," he hummed taking a swig of his drink.

Caroline whipped around.

"What does that mean?" she challenged.

"It means your kind only look out for themselves. Everybody else's safety be damned!" he snapped.

"Didn't you hear a word of what I said earlier? You simply being here could cause this entire city to break out in an out and out war. But here you are leisurely sittin' here drinking away like you ain't got a care in the world," he said shaking his head.

Caroline sighed deeply and slid back down into a seat next to Vincent.

"Look I'm not trying to cause any trouble okay? I just wanna find out what happened to Klaus. He's-" she struggled slightly "-He's my friend, and I just need to know he's okay,"

Vincent gave her a hard look, his eyes meeting Caroline's large blue ones. He sighed defeatedly.

"Fine. I will tell you what you want to know okay and hopefully, then you will understand the magnitude of the situation,"

Caroline nodded eagerly and leant forward. Vincent downed his rum and coke.

"But first, I'm gonna need another drink and you're going to need to compel just about everyone in this bar to forget anything they might hear once they walk out of here,"

"Klaus Mikaelson and his family came to New Orleans about three years ago. He thought of himself as a king and while certainly feared, it was Marcel who really pulled ranks around the city. One day an old acquaintance of Klaus'; a man named Lucien, his first sired, came to New Orleans, talking about some prophecy threatening to wipe out him and his family. One by friend, one by foe, and one by family. At first, everyone thought he was crazy, but then Rebekah and Elijah's sired popped out of the woodwork preaching about the same looming threat."

"Turns out they were the threat. Lucien turned out to be a solid ally. But the other two members of the Trinity were bad apples. Twin brother and sister Aurora and Tristan de Martel,"

"But I don't get it, Originals can't be killed so what's the threat?" Caroline frowned.

"Let me finish," Vincent said "Between the two of them, their goal was to protect their sires and eradicate anyone else that got in the way. They had a weapon, a pendant that could lock the originals up until the time passed when the prophecy was no longer a threat. But of course, the Original family were never gonna let themselves be locked away willingly,"

"So the de Martels had to become more powerful than the originals in order have the upper hand. How you ask? They created something, a serum something that gave them the ability to make their bite contain venom strong enough to kill even an original. So strong that not even the blood of a hybrid could cure it,"

"But that's impossible," Caroline said.

Vincent took another sip.

"Oh, I assure you it isn't. See, I helped to make it,"

Caroline looked up at him incredulously.

"Now, now before you get all judgemental, you should know that I wasn't in full control of my own mind. Us witches, we have a thing called ancestors. The spirit of dead witches who protect our community and supply us with magic. Well turns out they've got a real axe to grind with the Mikaelson's. As regent, I hold the most power out of all the city's witches, so the ancestors used me as the vessel, in order for the spell to make the serum, to be completed. You followin' so far?"

"I think so," Caroline nodded rubbing her temples.

"To get at the youngest Mikaelson, Kol-"

"-Wait, Kol's still alive!?" Caroline asked astonished distinctively remembering Elena describing Kol's body burning in her living room.

"-Yes," Vincent said impatiently "The ancestors turned him against a girl he was seeing, a young witch named Davina. She was a good friend of mine... and Marcel's," he added.

"Was?"

"The witches possessed Kol's spirit so that his blood lust was out of control, Davina tried everything she could to cure him, he even suggested she dagger him. But before she could, he ended up killing her. Eventually, his family managed to put him down. Just out of spite they bit Finn-"

"Finn!? Finn's alive too!?"

"Yes try to keep up," Vincent said rolling his eyes.

"Finn got bitten by Aurora once she took the serum but Freya harvested his soul and is currently looking for a way to cure his body; Rebekah got cursed by some kind of wack, magical stake so she had to be daggered too. Last I heard they used the pendant to lock away Elijah and the de Martel's got both of them locked away somewhere,"

"Who the hell is Freya?"

"Long lost older sister, long story," he said waving his hand.

"And Klaus?" she implored.

"For some reason, they wanted to keep the big bad hybrid alive. There's this special blade, made by a witch a long time ago. When you stick it in someone it leaves them in unspeakable pain and unable to move for however long you keep it in them," he replied.

"Klaus..." Caroline whispered, realisation dawning on her.

"They've got him locked away too,"

"So Marcel. Is he on their side?" Caroline asked.

Vincent shook his head.

"Marcel is an ally, Klaus is his sire. He joined the group of Vampires that Tristan commands; the strix, to be an inside man. Right now we're working on a plan to get Klaus and the rest of his family free; so now you see why it's imperative that nothing goes wrong to jeopardise things. Marcel has managed kept the other members of Klaus' sireline at bay until Freya can find a way to cure the rest of the Mikaelson's and we find the right time to attack"

"And what's in it for you?" Caroline asked, "I thought you hated vampires,"

Vincent shrugged.

"I'm not the Mikaelson's biggest fan, but anything they may have done, the de Martel's have done things that are ten times worse. Too many people I care about have died because of them. Whatever I have to do to take em' out, I'll do," Vincent answered.

"So now you know," he said "Take my advice; leave while you still can,"

With that, he downed the rest of his drink and took his leave from the bar without looking back.

Caroline sat for a moment, trying to process what she'd just heard.

Then the voices of two people, a well-dressed couple, floating into the bar stole her attention. Using her amplified hearing she listened in on their conversation

"It's happening tonight," the woman said.

"Are you sure?" the man asked.

"Positive, you know there's no official invitation to these things but anyone who's anyone will be there,"

"And tonight's the officiation ceremony correct?"

"Yep, some debutante vampire will have to compete to get into one of the most elite vampire societies in the world, should be fun to watch,"

"Will it be at the plaza as usual?"

"Mhmm, black tie, and a masquerade from what I've heard..."

Caroline allowed their conversation to fade out of her hearing as the couple walked further into the bar.

Vincent was right. She should leave. She should get out of New Orleans and never look back.

Then again. She was Caroline Forbes. She'd never been one to back down from a challenge.