Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did.

AN: Sooo, this took longer than expected, but due to the disaster that was the pregnancy plot in 4x20. I just didn't have the motivation to write.

I do not like to make long ANs, so here's a link to some headcanon of mine about how the Originals and Tatia ended up in the New World. Perhaps some relevance for the plot

saltycrow . /post/49381454112/my-headcanon-concerning-the-orig inals-as-reference

(just take away the spaces)

Thank you all for the reviews! You're awesome.

xoxo, saltyrcrow

Chapter Twelve – Why did you choose to lean on a man you knew was falling

Klaus grabbed everything he could. The glasses crashed against the walls. The sofa was in a million pieces. The copy of Wuthering Heights collided with the window, the speed of the impact shattering the glass. He felt like screaming, like breaking everything, loosing himself in his anger. He wanted to kill, to get rid of his feelings. In the midst of his anger his eyes found the painting. Caroline was so scared. Right now she was angry. But he had promised himself he would not hurt her again. And now he had failed. Her words slashed him like a whip. Do you realize that I feared you more than I feared my father? Her voice kept echoing in his mind.

He wanted to lash out. To go on a binge. To do anything to get rid of this feeling. This feeling that he was a disappointment. This feeling that he could bring Caroline nothing more than pain.

He wanted to drink himself into oblivion. Wanted to forget all about Caroline, the hurt in her eyes. But all he could think was her back turned to him, walking away. That sight made him stop in his tracks. To think twice. Most of his life he had avoided to feel anything for anyone. Now he had just stumbled into this human who made him want to feel. Watching her walk away hurt. Hurt more than Elijah's betrayal. The moment when Caroline had opened her mouth after he had lashed out on her made him regret his actions. And Klaus did not do regret.

He wanted to resent her, to be hurt that she walked out on him. And he was hurt, but for the first time in his life he looked into the mirror and saw that it was his fault. He made her walk away. And now he could hear her crying in her room. He knew what he had to do. He had to go and apologize. Klaus did not move, it was as if he had grown roots.

He looked around the study. He had destroyed most of it. Klaus walked to the broken window and gazed down on the street, the book lying on the sidewalk. A wave of regret washed over him as he thought of Caroline sitting on the couch, enjoying the book. She had looked so happy. But now the accusing stare had imprinted on his eyes and no matter how hard he tried, he could not forget the way she had looked.

He needed to make it up to her. But nine hundred years of deeply rooted habits were starting to take over. He summoned a maid, sat her down on his lap while he sat on the one unbroken chair left in the study, lifted her hair and sunk his fangs into her.

Why did she have to feel something for him? It was crazy. It made no sense. But every time she looked at him, saw those grey eyes smiling at her, her heart fluttered and she never wanted to turn her eyes away from him. She wasn't supposed to feel anything for him. He was so wrong. Caroline wished she had ran. That she had never come to him that night. She didn't want to feel like this.

But that wasn't entirely true. She was just fooling herself. The past weeks with him might have been a rollercoaster ride, but the days she had spent with him had been the best days of her entire life. Caroline had felt more alive than ever.

Caroline didn't really know how long she stayed in her room. She never even had lunch. Her stomach was protesting due to the lack of nourishment, but she ignored it. He was the one who should be apologizing to her. He should have come looking for her. Caroline stayed near the door, listening, but she heard nothing. She wanted him to say sorry, to make it all up to her. And she would have forgiven him, hugged him and told him that she cared, and she didn't side with Elijah to spite him, but to bring him and his brother closer.

But he never came. Hours rolled by. Nothing. Caroline tried to distract herself by going through her aunt's journals, but she could not concentrate. Her mind was filled with images of Nik's venomous eyes when he told her that she knew nothing about him. And yes, perhaps he was right. Caroline wanted to know more, wanted to become a part of his life, but he wouldn't let her.

There was a knock on the door. Caroline jumped. Nik, she thought.

"Caroline, it's Rebekah. May I please come in?" Caroline's heart sank.

"Of course, come in!" The beautiful blonde girl appeared to her room, dressed for the night out. She smiled meekly at Rebekah who looked at her with concern written across her face.

"Are you alright, Caroline?" Caroline nodded and tried on a more genuine smile. "I know you had an argument with Nik."

"Indeed, I had a fight with him," she murmured, glancing at her reflection, disgusted to see her eyes red and dried tears all across her face.

"Caroline, I know you feel like crap right now, but you can't let him bring you down. He's an ass, has been ever since he was born. He's been changing a lot since he met you, but he's still the same jackass he was when we first turned. And he's probably never going to get completely rid of that. He hurt you, but that doesn't mean you need to keep dwelling on it here. Come with me and Stefan. Let's have some fun," she smiled.

"I don't really feel like having fun."

"If you're waiting for him to apologize, you may have to keep sulking for days. Being here alone is no good. You can still be angry with him. Hell, you need to be angry with him.

You know, I never had any sisters. Just five brothers. I wanted a sister so badly. I love all my brothers dearly, but I longed for female company near my own age. The village we lived in was so small, and I didn't really have any friends. I prayed the gods to give me a sister, but they never did. You can imagine my disappointment when Henrik was born. I wanted him to be a girl so badly. But, the gods only graced me with brothers.

When I got older, I longed for the day my brothers would get married and I would get five sisters. Finn found Sage, but she never had any interest in me. Henrik would never have a wife, and Nik and Elijah ended up fighting over Tatia. After she died it took years and years to patch things up between my brothers. Nik never showed any romantic interest after her, not until you came along. Then Elijah ripped everything apart because of Katerina. And Kol… he met Nasya. And you know how that ended up," Rebekah said, and all Caroline could think was girls with their hearts ripped out of their chests.

She wanted to ask about this Nasya, but this didn't seem to be the time.

"What I'm trying to say that I haven't really had that many female companions during these last 900 years, and I like you Caroline. I know Nik adores you. You are fast becoming something he won't be able to live without. And if you two won't be able to live without one other, I'm guessing these arguments will occur more often than not. And I want you to be able to come to me. I know you chose to become a vampire, but it can be very lonely to do so alone. And Nik might not always be there. I want to be there for you. I am confident that you will be my sister."

Rebekah smiled so widely, but the only thing Caroline could do was to stare at her openmouthed

"I just had a fight with your brother and I have been crying my eyes out for hours, and then you come in and tell me that you are certain I will be your sister. Okay," Caroline murmured. Bekah laughed happily and clasped Caroline's hand.

"Nik is an idiot. I saw his study. It's completely destroyed. He's mad at himself. But he doesn't know how to suck up his pride and beg for your forgiveness. Believe me; you will be in for a hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride if you decide to stay with Nik. But in the meanwhile, how about some drinks at the Inn?"

Rebekah smirked, and Caroline couldn't help but to smirk back.

"Deal."

Drinks were flowing. Everything was funny. Everyone was beautiful. Rebekah's laughter filled the room, and Stefan's teeth were so white it almost felt like they could blind Caroline.

"And then I broke his arms and told him to go fuck himself!" Rebekah said and lifted her champagne glass to clink it with Caroline's. She howled with laughter.

"I'm so glad you made me come here!" Caroline almost yelled, the alcohol robbing her of control. But she was loving it. Like flinging yourself of the edge, giving up all control.

"You need to forget my pathetic excuse of a brother for a day. We need to dance!"

"But I don't have anyone to dance with!" Rebekah laughed and grabbed the first good looking young man.

"My friend would like a dance," she said. The man was handsome, but then again, everyone seemed handsome to Caroline at the moment.

"With pleasure," he said and led her to the dance floor. Caroline stumbled in her heels and grabbed the man harder than was necessary. But he just smiled and danced her around the room. She was too drunk to care about anything. Too drunk to really notice that she was now dancing with Stefan instead of that stranger.

"You're so charming that sometimes I forget all about your homicidal tendencies," she slurred at him. Stefan let out a merry laugh. She laughed with him, even though she didn't really know why she was laughing.

"You seem to forget that the man you are currently living with has these same homicidal tendencies." Caroline shook her head.

"No, you're not the same. You're scarier. I was so scared of you the first time I met you. You're so cold."

"You're either brave or dumb saying those things to a hungry vampire with his emotions turned off." She laughed.

"You would never lay a hand on me, Stefan. You know it, and I know it. You'd lose your head."

"You are awfully confident that he cares for you."

"I can feel it," she whispered and then found herself sitting back at their table.

"I'm glad I'll be able to get drunk even when I turn. This is too much fun to give up," Caroline said and downed another drink. Rebekah and Stefan laughed together.

"It's a lot harder for a vampire, though. Are you going to be turned soon?" Caroline shrugged.

"Nik told me to take a month to consider it. But right now it doesn't seem likely he will want to do it."

"If he won't do it, then I will," Rebekah promised.

"Thank you."

"He would not take it well, but I've taken a liking of you, Caroline. You're too good to be left to die in half a century."

She was just about to thank her for her kind words, when suddenly a figure was hovering over her, and boy did he look angry.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed. Rebekah was about to protest, but Caroline got there first.

"Why, Nik, we're having fun," she smiled, making him frown even more.

"Bekah, you know it's not safe," he barked at his sister.

"You know what, Nik? I wanted to come, so here I am," Caroline hissed, her happiness fading. He finally looked at her. He was angry, and he smelt of alcohol and blood.

"Come on, Caroline. Let's get you to bed." Now she was seeing red.

"Don't talk to me like I am a child! I had a horrible day, thanks to you, and then your sister kindly offered to take me out to take my mind off it, and now you come barging in. You are not the boss of me Niklaus Mikaelson. I do whatever the fuck I want, and you may not like it, but I will do it anyway. Because that's what I need to do, that's what I want to do."

"I -", he started, but she was having none of it.

"No, you listen to me. I've been denied fun all my life. Now I am actually free from my father, and I won't be bossed around by another man! If I want to have fun, I will have fun. This is my life, Nik! You make me feel like a worthless piece of crap and now you try to tell me what I can and cannot do. I don't think so. If I put myself in danger, that is my choice. And you won't take away my choice. No."

He placed his hand on hers and squeezed. She couldn't quite read the emotion in his eyes, probably because of all the drinking.

"I get it. Caroline, but won't you come with me to some place more quiet to discuss this?"

"Fine, I need a cigarette anyway." And so he led her to the alley. Where he had killed the girl, where he had kissed her, taken her blood. Both memories made Caroline shudder, but in two distinctly different ways.

"Caroline, I- I am sorry. For everything. It's so hard not to fall back into the same patterns. And when you tried to make me understand Elijah's side, I felt like you were siding with him, not me, and I just felt like you had slapped me across the face. I'm so sorry I made you cry. I'm sorry that I made you fear me more than your father. Not a day goes by without me regretting the fact that I made you so scared, that I hurt you so much. I want you to be able to trust me."

Caroline sighed and inhaled the smoke from her cigarette. He was being sincere, she knew it. She could now see it clearly in his face.

"Trust needs to be earned, Nik. How will I ever be able to trust you if you lash out on me like that every time I say something you don't like?" Nik rubbed his forehead. His anxiety was clearly visible in his face. She wanted to touch it, but she didn't. She needed him to think this through. Her anger had faded. She did not feel the hatred towards herself like she had earlier. She knew he cared. She saw it. She felt it, in every touch, in every look he gave her.

"I know. I know, Caroline. It's hard. You deserve better, better than what I can give you." She sighed and dropped the cigarette.

"It's not about what I deserve. You have this crazy notion in your head that I deserve someone else, someone better than you. But it's about what I want. I don't need or deserve anything else. This is my choice. I choose who I want to be with. And it seems that I have for some absurd reason chosen to be with you. But I need to trust you. I need to know that you won't just go off on me."

"I know I need to change for you," Nik said, but Caroline shook her head.

"No, You can't change for me. You will only grow to resent me for it. You need to do it for you." He was quiet for a while. Then he lifted his grey eyes to catch her blue ones. They were filled with pain, understanding, even acceptance.

"You're right. But you do bring out the good in me, the human in me."

"See, that's not changing for me. That's who you've always been, Nik. Maybe meeting me just brought up those feelings in you, but if you wish to get over your insecurities, do it for yourself. I need to do that too, so that I will be the person I want me to be."

"I'm sorry I didn't come and apologize sooner. I knew I needed to. I hate seeing you sad." She smiled at him. He did care. Now he just needed to show it.

"And I'm sorry I walked away from the situation."

"And I'm sorry that I threw your copy of Wuthering Heights out of the window."

"Nik, that was your copy," she laughed.

"It was more yours than mine. I never read that copy, I didn't even like the book. But don't worry, I'll get you a new one," he promised. He smiled, but didn't dare to touch her.

"You don't need to give me anything, Nik. All I want is you, for an eternity," she whispered and took a step closer to him. So close she could feel his breath on her. He finally raised his hand and cupped her cheek.

"But I want to give you everything, Caroline."

"And you will, just by being there for me." He reached in and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.

"If I ever leave you, I shall resent myself for the rest of the eternity."

"Then don't ever leave me," she murmured, pulling himself closer by his collar. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Caroline's knees felt weak, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"I won't."

Katherine Pierce had not been born yesterday. In fact she had been born on June Fifth, 1473 and her name had been Katerina Petrova. She had never had an easy life. Not that she would ever complain. But being chased by and Original Vampire for the last four hundred years took its toll.

As said, she was not born yesterday, and she knew a thing or two about staying alive. It was what she did best; Klaus had made sure of that. So when the opportunity to get free of him represented itself, she didn't hesitate. Daggering Elijah was a small price to pay for her freedom. She was sure he would understand it. Right now he might feel hurt, but as soon as he got her back in his arms, all would be forgotten.

Katherine had been living in the shadows so long, and tonight was no exception. If she didn't wish to be seen, she certainly wouldn't be seen. Right now she was witnessing an event she had not thought to see in her lifetime.

Niklaus Mikaelson, practically professing his love for a human.

"If I ever leave you, I shall resent myself for the rest of the eternity," he said, making the blonde girls face light up like the freaking sun itself. As much as this scene unraveling right before her made her want to puke, she knew it was good. Something she could use.

Humans were always a liability and it had been a long time since Klaus had had a weakness. Katherine's plan A was already in motion, but she would have never survived thins long if she didn't also have plans B, C, D and E. And this girl would conveniently prove to be her plan F.

Now all she had to do was wait.

Klaus couldn't sleep. He knew he should be happy, Caroline had forgiven him. Had blatantly told him that she wanted to be with him forever. But he couldn't shake the feeling that all too soon all this would come crumbling down. First Rebekah letting Kol out, then all this business with Elijah and Katerina. He knew all this would not end well.

He should be fleeing. But he just couldn't part with this city. Couldn't ask Caroline to forget her friends and mother already. She would have to do it sooner or later, but he wanted her to be happy, and he was sure that 'later' would make her happy. And right now, Caroline's happiness was a priority. He was willing to make sacrifices to see a smile on her face. So he dialed.

"Elijah? It's time to bury the hatchet. Family dinner on Friday evening. Looking forward to it, brother."

AN: What did you think? Please leave a review! They always cheer me up and make me write faster.