Caroline knocked on Hayley's door, needing to talk after her conversation with Klaus.
"Just a sec!" Hayley called, "I'm changing."
"You've seen me with the gross jelly on my stomach; I think I can handle seeing your underwear." Caroline called back, laughing. "Just let me in."
The door opened and Hayley stepped out, quickly closing the door behind her, her sweatpants were on inside out and her tank top was backwards. Her hair was a mess and she was flushed, Caroline looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Busy… or just getting busy?" Caroline asked, with a small smirk.
Hayley opened her mouth, probably to deny the accusation, but it was negated by the fact that the door opened before her, revealing Kol, smirking and shirtless. Hayley shot him a look of unadulterated loathing.
"Scram before I bite you," She warned.
"Promise?" Kol teased, but he sauntered off.
Caroline watched Hayley, her eyebrow raised, but Hayley didn't look at her immediately. She opened her bedroom door and left it wide for Caroline to follow her in. The state of the bed removed any last doubts.
"Well…" Caroline said, her OCD coming out as she smoothed out the covers. "This is an unexpected development."
Hayley ran her hand though her hair, "Yeah… well it just sort of happened."
"I'm the last person who should be judging you, but Kol? Really?" Caroline made a face. Elijah, she could have understood. Klaus, well given her current situation she could quite clearly understand. But Kol… He was weasely and untrustworthy.
"I have horrible taste in men," What the only explanation Hayley offered and it made Caroline laugh loudly.
"Another thing we have in common." Caroline said, taking a seat on the foot of Hayley's bed, she made a slightly face when she thought of the most recent activities it's been privy to, but then she put it from her head.
"So what brings you here, Care?" Hayley asked, apparently just as eager to be off the topic of her and Kol's little torrid rendezvous.
"I saw Klaus… He came to see me." Caroline confessed.
"So?" Hayley pressed.
"So what?" Caroline asked, pretending not to know what Hayley was getting at.
"Are you still in love with him?" Hayley asked.
Caroline frowned and let out a small sigh, "I don't want to be." It was the closest thing to the truth that she was ready to admit to.
Stefan walked Cami to her door after drinks. Cami stopped and leaned against the door, looking up at Stefan. Her head buzzed pleasantly but she wouldn't go so far as to say that she was drunk, but she was rather relaxed. She smiled softly up at him.
"I'd invite you in…" She teased, "But seeing as you're a vampire."
Stefan laughed, "Yes… you are probably making the wise choice."
Cami bit her lip, enjoying the way his eyes traveled over her. She didn't know what they were playing at, she was hung up on Klaus and has something confusing going on with Marcel, and Stefan was all tied up in knots over his best friend. They were obviously not ready for more than friendship, but she wanted more. She wanted to forget about the confusing things in her life in favor of something straightforward and wonderful.
"Would you like to come in?" She asked, deciding to forgo wisdom as she opened her door.
Stefan looked at her, looking a little surprised, but then he smiled at her and nodded, "I'd like that."
He followed her in and as she flipped on the lights, she realized that yesterday was laundry day and she hadn't gotten around to putting things up yet. She saw a bra on the arm of the couch and hurriedly placed herself between Stefan and the undergarment.
"Can you do me a favor?" She asked?
Stefan chuckled, "And what would that be?"
"Just close your eye for like five minutes." She requested.
Stefan gave her a bemused look, but he obeyed. Once Cami was sure that he wasn't looking, she tore around the living room, throwing her clothes into the laundry basket, she glanced at Stefan who was waiting patiently.
"Just another minute!" She said as she snagged the bra from the couch. She stuffed the basket in her closet before coming back to Stefan. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Stefan didn't bother looking around the hurriedly tidied apartment. He just leaned in and kissed her passionately. Cami was startled, but she melted into his kiss.
Kol was sitting in the kitchen eating cereal out of boredom more than anything else. Hayley stormed in and when he looked up he could see that she was quite pissed off, which made him smirk.
"Well hello, darling."
Hayley rolled her eyes, glaring at him, "Don't 'hello, darling' me. You're such an ass."
Kol chuckled as he took another bite of cereal, "I've still been called worse, lover."
Hayley gave him a scathing look, which was rather amusing considering recently she'd been unable to keep her hands off of him. "We're not lovers."
"Actually… We're the precise definition of lovers." Kol pointed out. She was absolutely lovely, quick-tempered, and difficult to charm, and he found the combination rather intoxicating.
"That's never happening again." Hayley snapped.
Kol got up and looked at her, his eyes trailing over her exquisite figure, "Is that so?"
"Never." She said in a low growl, obviously sore about the whole 'outing her for their torrid affair in front of Caroline' thing.
He smirked and took a step toward her. Her eyes darted to his lips unconsciously, despite her efforts to hide her attraction to him. He took it as encouragement and moved closer, resting his hand on her slim waist.
"I don't believe you." He murmured seductively in her ear.
Klaus heard Elijah approaching before he acknowledges him. He had Marcel's men out searching for any whispers of Esther's location of plans. They'd found nothing yet, but he knew they'd keep looking as long as they had to. They were all afraid of him, and rightfully so. There had been a power struggle between Marcel and Klaus when Klaus first returned to the Quarter, but they'd negotiated a tenuous peace and the vamps took Klaus's orders as law just as much as they would Marcel's.
Klaus looked back at his brother and jerked his head in a reluctant greeting.
"You went to see Caroline." Elijah said without the pretense of a greeting.
Klaus frowned and looked at his brother. He didn't bother trying to deny it. Either Caroline had told him or he had overheard their conversation.
"She is pregnant with my children." Klaus pointed out, returning to his task of cleaning his paintbrushes.
"Yes, Niklaus." Elijah said sharply, "She is pregnant. She is in a delicate state and the last thing she needs is to be further upset."
Klaus frowned, he didn't like the suggestion that he would do anything to harm Caroline, although he was well aware that prior history was working against him.
"She's pregnant, not an invalid." Klaus snapped. "Caroline is just as capable as she has ever been."
Elijah frowned, Klaus knew that he was just protecting someone he now saw as family, but he didn't like the suggestion that he was not good for her, even though Klaus knew it was true.
"What do you want, Niklaus?" Elijah asked. "She is human. Eventually she will grow old and die. Do your really wish to involve yourself when you know that it will inevitably bring you pain?"
Klaus glared at his brother, annoyed that he could so easily see to the heart of the problem. Klaus wanted Caroline and he was well aware that he would always want her, but he could only have her temporarily and he wasn't sure which was worse to have her and lose her or to never have her at all.
"We both know that with time you could attain her forgiveness," Elijah pressed on. "But unless you intend to deserve it, to change, she is better off without you. She is learning how to be human again, how to be content, don't strip her of the progress she's made if you know that you will eventually let her down again."
"You think I will fail her." Klaus said bitterly.
"I didn't say that, brother." Elijah said, "I am quite certain that you could be the man she deserves, I've always believed that you could be that man. But no one can make you be something you don't want to be. So it's up to you, Niklaus. Are you content with this hollow, loveless existence or are you ready to open yourself up to something more, something meaningful."
Klaus looked at his brother, surprised by the compliment. They had their ups and downs through the centuries. No one could spend eternity with another person without having conflict, but despite it all, Elijah still believed in him and he didn't know why. He was well aware that he didn't deserve his brother's good opinion, but he was grateful he had it, because if Elijah believed that he could be something more than the monster he had been, then perhaps he could be.
Sorry for the week break, life has been hectic! Hope you enjoy this this chapter!
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