Hello Klarophants!
Wow, so I know it's been two weeks, and I am sincerely sorry. I've just been hella busy with school and work (as always). It's just been kind of crazy in my life. I've literally been trying to find time to write this chapter in between my classes and before I go to bed... Anyways, so I'm back to update, but I must warn you my next update probably won't be for another two weeks either because of this play I have to write for my class. But I swear, I have not forgotten about this story. It's not done yet, there's still so much stuff to cover, and Klaus and Caroline haven't even reunited yet.
Anyways, this chapter aligns with Chapter 6 when Caroline gets the cure.
Enough yammering, have at it.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter 10: However Long It Takes
Klaus carried his sister up the stairs to her bedroom, careful not to stir her from her slumber. As he entered her room, he took a glimpse around. Even after she had gone to live the life she wanted, he had kept her room exactly the way she had left it. The bed still had the same intricately designed mauve covers with the matching pillow set, the walls were still covered with framed paintings, the curtains still partially open so the last light of day could seep through the windows, and her unworn clothes still slung over a chair across from her dresser. He feared if he had altered the room in any way, it would lose her presence, something he'd grown so accustomed to throughout the years.
Setting her down on the bed, he lifted the covers and gently wrapped them around her so that they rested under her chin. He sighed.
For centuries they had been together. Fighting their way against the odds, steering far from danger, and having each other's backs. What was the phrase again? Always and forever. And for as long as he could remember, after every tiring battle they survived and after every long journey they endured, Klaus would always find himself tucking his little sister to sleep.
It was something simple, really. When they were younger, they would sleep in the same room together. Some nights, the weather would be mercilessly banging at their door making little Rebekah desperately try to block out the thunderous roars of the storms underneath the refuge of her blankets. He remembered always coming to her side when she cried, calmly rubbing her shoulder until she finally came to rest, or how sometimes she wouldn't allow him to leave until she had fallen asleep, so he'd have sit by her side while she held his hand.
He looked down at the unfamiliar face that now rested in her place. He couldn't recognize the messy curls, nor the dark skin. But surely enough, Rebekah was in there, somewhere, trapped in this body. His little sister all worn out from a long day. He left the room, slowly closing the door. He paused with his hand still on the door knob before letting go and going downstairs to the commotion that awaited him.
As he rejoined Damon, Stefan, and Marcel in the compound, he watched them bicker. Damon and Marcel were at each other's throats while Stefan was the mediator.
"You told us that after we retrieved Rebekah, we could see Klaus," Damon snapped. "And now that we're here, I think that it's only fair that we get to ask him for what we need!"
"There are more pressing matters that we need to attend to right now, your request can wait," Marcel retorted. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here!"
"HAH, last time I checked, we didn't need your lousy help to find him," the dark-haired Salvatore snarled.
"Yeah, but you're going to need all the help you can get to keep me from killing you."
Marcel rushed forward, but Stefan stepped in, resting an arm firmly on his chest keeping them from tearing each other's throats.
"Stop it, guys. You're being ridiculous," he said.
The two looked at each other in disgust, still tempted to kill each other. Klaus broke the silence with a slow clap.
"Brava."
The three of them looked at Klaus sitting in his chair.
"Now, if the three of you are through with acting like buffoons," he motioned his arms to the empty seats at the elegant table. "Why don't we talk like civilized men, hm?"
Damon grunted as he walked away, taking a seat on one side of Klaus, while Marcel took the other, leaving Stefan to sit in front of him. Klaus was pleased that the three didn't question his authority, giving him so much pleasure that they were vying for his attention.
"Alright, so why don't we start off with what the bloody hell happened in the Fauline House?"
"Well, like I told you earlier," Marcel started. "I told them I wouldn't bring them to you, unless they helped me get Rebekah." Damon glared at him from across the table, but he continued, "So we went in to find her, I called Davina to come so she could lift the spell to bring Rebekah out."
Stefan jumped in, "But just as we were about to leave, we were attacked by a group of witches and even after we killed them all, we were still unable to escape."
"That's because only a descendant of the witch that placed the curse, can lift the spell," Klaus explained. "And seeing that one of the witches locked in there was a Claire witch, it makes sense why Davina was unable to lift the spell."
"Wait-what?" Marcel looked at him surprised. "One of the witches was an ancestor of Davina's. Why wasn't I told this?"
"I didn't think it was necessary, you wouldn't have known Davina until decades later anyways," Klaus replied bluntly.
If he had known that bit of information, Marcel never would've asked her to come. He never would've put her in danger. She could've been trapped in that house forever, or even worse, dead. Marcel turned away.
"And what of Rebekah, do we know what they did to her?"
"We're not sure," Stefan answered. "When we found her, she was in a daze and when we asked her while we were held hostage, she didn't seem to remember anything."
Klaus studied the Salvatore.
This worried him, without any knowledge of what occurred during that week Rebekah was away, he couldn't determine her current health. After all the witchy hexes that've been cursed on his family and Elijah still suffering the aftermath of his mother's magic, one could never be too weary. He needed to know what the witches had done to his sister in order to protect her.
"And one more thing," Stefan reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crinkled map. "I found this while we were searching the house for her."
Klaus took the map and carefully opened its flaps to discern what the brown-haired Salvatore had found. It was a map of Louisiana, though a little outdated, it still held the major locations of the state. But that wasn't the first thing he noticed, in equally spaced marks, there were three locations dotted with red sharpie. Klaus looked back at Stefan, fearing the worst.
"There are three locations marked on that map," Stefan said returning his glance.
"I can see that, one marked on the statue of Simon Bolivar on Bourbon Street, another on the Fauline house, and then the last on the docks of Algiers."
Damon saw where this was going. "You don't suppose it's–"
"An expression triangle," Stefan finished.
Marcel looked between them confused.
"What's an expression triangle?" he asked.
"It's an ancient ritual that can only be done with three sacrifices, so that a witch who practices expression magic can channel an immense amount of power," Klaus explained.
Stefan started to count on his fingers.
Damon looked at him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just trying to remember how many of those witches we killed back at the house."
Damon's eyes grew wide. "Oh please, God, please tell me you didn't kill twelve witches again."
"Wait, what's wrong if we killed twelve witches?" Marcel pushed.
Klaus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Each sacrifice requires twelve victims. Twelve 'beasts', twelve humans, and twelve witches."
Stefan rested his elbows on the table as he ran his hands frustratingly through his hair.
"So how many was it?"
"I don't know," he muttered. "It could've been eleven or thirteen, but I'm just going to assume it was probably twelve."
"Meaning?"
"One sacrifice has been completed," Klaus stated.
"Who the hell would've known we would be there to kill twelve witches?" Damon asked irritably.
"I don't know," the hybrid admitted. "But it seems like someone's trying to get a hold of a lot of magic."
"But why?" Stefan set his hands down. "Why would someone need all that magic? Bonnie only needed it so she could drop the veil for Silas, but there is no veil anymore. The Other Side is completely gone!"
"Maybe it was Esther," Marcel offered. "It makes sense, she was trying to turn you all into witches."
"No, that can't be it. She would never allow the killing of her own kind," Klaus replied.
"What about that Davina, chick? It didn't look like she minded killing off a couple witches back at the house," Damon added.
"No," Marcel snapped, Damon raised his hands defensively. "It's not Davina. She doesn't even know what expression magic is! It's probably Finn."
"Maybe," Klaus pondered. "It might be Finn, but we're not completely sure. As of now, we have to assume that any and every witch in New Orleans is trying to complete an expression triangle."
"So what do we do?" Stefan stepped in. "Just let them carry out all the sacrifices."
"No, but we've got the map," Klaus held it up. "We know where the remaining two sacrifices will occur, so if they're sticking with this plan, we can easily stop them. We just have to make sure no one gets killed in these specific locations."
Damon looked at Stefan, then back at Klaus.
"We? There is no 'we'. We," he motioned to him and his brother. "need to go back to Mystic Falls."
"Oh, so you rather have an all-powerful witch on the loose while you return back to your precious Elena," Klaus angrily snapped at him.
Damon snarled.
"No, someone's waiting for us to return," Stefan paused for a moment, and then continued. "And they need your blood."
Of course, of course, that's what they needed. That's what they always needed. His blood. His blood was the cure, the most prized possession, the Holy Grail of all elixirs on earth.
"So that's it," Klaus laughed. "You travelled all the way from Mystic Falls just for my blood. Well, don't leave me hanging, who is it this time?"
Neither of them answered.
"Seeing that Damon's present, I presume it's not him. What was it? Two times you needed my blood," he mocked. "I'm going to make a wild guess it was Elena, I mean, why else would the two Salvatore brothers come knocking at my door begging for my blood if not for their beloved doppelganger?"
The older Salvatore was seething by now.
"IT'S FOR CAROLINE, DAMN IT!"
The room grew silent.
Klaus stared at the two Salvatores mixed with astonishment and fear.
"What did you say…"
Stefan let out a sigh. "We need your blood for Caroline."
A rage began to grow in Klaus. He tried to contain his anger as he spoke in a low voice, "Who did it."
Stefan hesitantly answered, "There was this pack of wolves–"
"Where."
"Three hours away from New Orleans, in the bayou."
"What were you doing there?"
"We were hunting," Stefan began. "We were running low on blood bags from our journey, so we decided to hunt."
A pang of jealousy hit Klaus. He always imagined that he'd be the one to show her the world the moment she stepped outside of Mystic Falls.
"And where were you two planning to go on this little journey."
"We were coming to see you."
Klaus' eyebrows scrunched together.
"So you needed something else before my blood."
Stefan nodded, "We needed you to come back with us."
"Why?" he asked. "I would think you'd be happy I had left. No more terrorizing poor Mystic Falls."
"We needed you to compel Elena's memories back," Damon finally said.
Klaus looked at him confused.
"Look, the Other Side collapsed and a bunch of us died to get rid of the Traveler's," Damon started. "But a lot of us came back to life before the Other Side collapsed. Me, I wasn't so lucky. I got stuck in some retro-hell with Bonnie for four months and during that time Elena asked Alaric to compel her memories of me away."
Klaus still stared at the older Salvatore questionably. There was so much information being thrown at him, that he had to take a moment to comprehend everything.
"But I came back to life only to find out that my girlfriend erased all her memories of me just so she could move on, and the rest is history."
There were so many questions that racked at Klaus' mind like where did everyone else in the Other Side end up, and how did Damon escape, and how did Alaric come back to life? There were so many unanswered questions, but none of them mattered as much as this one.
"What pack attacked you," he turned to Stefan with a serious tone.
"I don't know."
"Where exactly were you in the bayou when you were attacked."
"Just alongside the wetlands."
Klaus looked back at the map that was in his hands, searching for the location that Stefan had described. His eyes skimmed through the many streets and names that flooded the map, until he finally came to the bayou. Small lakes littered the area, but it mattered not. He'd be able to catch their scent easily.
"Why?" Stefan cautiously asked. "Why do you need to know?"
He glanced back at Stefan, the face of murder painted all over his face.
"I'm going to kill them, I'm going to kill them all."
It was just an hour before sunset, the sky was glowing gold through the window panes. Elijah sat in the living room, holding on to baby Hope. He laughed as Hope poked at his scruff, trying to grasp his chin. Pulling her away, he propped Hope on his knees, resting her tiny bare feet on his kneecaps as he held her under her arms. Hope flailed her arms around as if trying to find balance, but Elijah held her still. Hope giggled making Elijah smile.
He couldn't quite explain it. The overwhelming feeling to protect her, to hold her close, and make sure no monster would hurt her. But how could he protect her when he, himself, was one of those monsters?
His hands began to be unsteady, shaky under his grip. He set Hope down next to him on the couch, and stared down at his hands.
These hands had caused so much bloodshed, had taken the life of many over the centuries. These hands ripped, and tore, and slashed, and cut through many lives. All that death was on his hands, and no amount of honor and righteous deeds could wash away his sins.
He began to rub his hands, pressing his thumbs deep into the skin. He pressed harder and harder, feeling the bone beneath. These were the hands of a monster, because he was a monster.
Then he felt someone place their hand on his.
He glanced down at the hand that rested on his as it slowly caressed him. The smooth hands brushed against him, pulling their tight grip apart, interlacing their fingers between his.
"You're not a monster, Elijah."
He looked up to see the curly tresses of a brunette, with golden skin, and deep brown eyes stare up at him. He could never forget the soft smile that blessed her lips, nor the soothing tone of her sweet voice.
"Katerina," he said breathlessly.
She smiled.
Elijah pulled his hand away from hers and gently touched her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her perfect skin.
"Is this real?" he hesitantly asked.
She rested her hand on his, pressing his hand against her cheek as she closed her eyes and hummed.
"I wish it was," she replied.
He looked at her sadly. He hadn't seen her since he had left for New Orleans, hadn't heard anything about her whereabouts since leaving Mystic Falls. Although he had vowed to part ways from her, he never meant to cut all ties.
She turned her face and lightly kissed his palm. He stiffened at her gentleness.
"Katerina," he started, "These hands, they're-"
She ignored him and continued to leave kisses on his hand as she whispered, "These are not the hands of a monster, Elijah."
He shuddered as she kissed down to his wrist. Taking his other hand, he held her face, pulling her closer to him. He brushed her hair aside, staring deep into her brown eyes sadly.
"Elijah?"
Elijah broke from his trance and looked up to see Hayley standing up in front of him.
"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.
He looked back at his hands to see no one holding them, and then back at Hayley. "Uh, yes."
She looked at him quizzically for a moment, then said, "Alright. Well, I was just going to say that I'm going to go out for a walk. I'm really not digging this whole being 'cooped-up-in-a-house-till-its-safe' thing. So I was wondering if you could watch over Hope a little longer."
He glanced down at Hope who was tugging at his neatly tucked blouse.
He smiled. "Of course."
"Alright, I won't be far," she said as she turned and headed towards the door. "I'll be back in a few!"
He could hear the lock on the door unlatch, and the door hinges creak as it opened. Suddenly there was a scream. Rushing over to her, Hayley dug her face into his chest. She pulled at his blouse, desperately trying to cover her face.
"THE BABY, ELIJAH, THE BABY!" she screamed.
Elijah immediately looked back at Hope to see if she was in danger, but the baby just mindlessly chewed on the couch cushions.
"I don't understand, Hayley. Hope is fine."
"NO, THE BABY, THE BABY! THE BABY, IT'S DEAD! THE BABY'S DEAD!"
Without pulling her face away from his chest, she pointed down at the shoe box that sat at the foot of the porch.
Prying her off, Hayley turned away and covered her eyes as Elijah knelt down to the shoe box. Lifting up the cover, he saw the baby. Its skin was sickly grey, dark veins protruding from its flesh, its body frozen in a twisted stance. Dried up black liquid oozed from its open mouth. A single note sat on its chest. Picking up the note, he opened the nicely folded paper. Elegant calligraphy stained the page as it read:
I know about the baby.
Give me mother, or the same fate will come to the child.
Meet me at the Lafayette Cemetery.
You have until tomorrow night.
–Finn
He crumpled the note in his hand, angrily kicking the lid over the baby's corpse. Pulling out his phone, he furiously dialed Klaus' number. He'd want to know about this.
Everything was dark when Rebekah woke up, the dim light from the moon shined from above as the shadows towered over her. She stood in a forest. Pine trees loomed over her, while the moist bark pressed under her body. Woozily she sat up and studied the surrounding area, propping herself up on her elbows.
Where was she?
Pulling herself up, she dusted away the dirt on her clothes, then paused. She looked down at her hands astonished. She could see her pale skin peaking from under her sleeves. She tugged at her blonde hair and groped at her face. She was in her own body.
But how?
"Rebekah Mikaelson," a voice called.
Jumping in surprise, she backed up against a tree and looked to her side. A strange lady stood before her garbed in a blue robe. She had dark black wavy hair pulled back with a pin, high cheekbones, and dark eyes that bore into her. She had a serious face, her lips in a thin line.
"How do you know who I am?" Rebekah asked hesitantly.
The woman took a step towards her and smiled mysteriously.
"I've been watching over you for centuries."
Rebekah stared at her puzzled.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the lady took another step forward, "My name is Dahlia, I am your aunt."
Klaus angrily hung up the phone, seething as he glared at the screen. Elijah had just informed him of the threat Finn had sent them. Damon, Stefan, and Marcel looked at him in understanding. They had eavesdropped on the conversation.
"So what's the plan?" Marcel asked.
What was the plan? Rebekah had yet to awaken from her slumber, and he wanted to be there when she did. He still had to find shelter and protection for Jackson's wolves to prepare for the wedding. And now that Hope's location had been compromised, Elijah, Hayley, and Hope were no longer safe in Arkansas. They had to return immediately, while Klaus dealt with Finn. Not to mention Kol was still on the loose and needed to be punished for his betrayal. But on top of that, there was still the issue that Damon and Stefan needed his blood to save Caroline and compel Elena's memories back. But could he really set aside one day to travel back to Mystic Falls to save her life when his was falling apart?
Klaus abruptly got up from his seat, their eyes following him.
"I need to think," he bluntly said.
Klaus exited the room and headed upstairs to his study where he stood in front of the fireplace thinking. He had to stay in New Orleans, he knew he had to. He had to worry about Rebekah, and Elijah, and Hope, and Finn, and the wolves, and Kol, and Mikael, and whoever the hell was trying to complete an expression triangle. There were just so many things that were tying him down to New Orleans. So many things he needed to figure out. That's what he needed to do. He needed to make a plan. He was Klaus Mikaelson, the master of plans. He always had a backup plan from B to Z. But this time, he was caught off guard. Somehow amidst all the possible scenarios that could've gone down, he never thought this would happen: Caroline getting bitten.
Of course, he knew when he left her, he wouldn't be able to protect her anymore. He knew she'd probably face more danger even after he left. But even so, he knew Caroline was perfectly capable of fending for herself. She was strong and brave, and smart. She didn't need his help, she was fully capable of doing whatever she wished, something that Klaus had always loved about her. But if there was one thing that could inhibit the feisty blonde vampire, it was a nasty werewolf bite, something that had come to haunt her on several occasions.
He cringed at the thought of her last encounter with the poisonous venom. He had bitten her out of anger. Her friends had just murdered his brother and had trapped him in the living room of Elena's house. It angered him to watch Tyler smugly grin at him as he was left helpless, and to see Caroline side with him only fed his fury. So he bit her. He bit her to prove a point, that he was stronger and he'd always be stronger. He was the original hybrid after all, the strongest being on the planet, and no one could take him down. So as Caroline lay helplessly before him in her weakened state, he was almost convinced that he could just let her die. So as he tried to block out her heavy, uneven breaths, and her dying stare, he could feel her life slipping away has time pressed on.
"I know that you're in love with me…"
Those words had caught him off guard, but he made no effort to deny it. Was it true? Was Klaus Mikaelson in love? Impossible.
For years he avoided it, he knew what came with love. Heartbreak, pain, and weakness, and Klaus Mikaelson was not weak. But as he finally glanced down at Caroline, and he saw that she was dying before his eyes he swore he could feel his heart stop.
"...and anybody capable of love is capable of being saved."
As much as he didn't want to admit it, those words hit him. They hit him like the waves that crash onto the sand, like a nail being pounded by a hammer. He knew what those words meant, what they meant to him because while everyone else was busy trying to find his redemption, trying to find his salvation, none of them ever thought to think that maybe, just maybe, he already had some good in him. That maybe centuries of running, of being afraid, and of feeling weak made him become the person he was today, the murderous hybrid. But what if there was good still in him? What if it was just deep down under all his selfishness, greed, and pride? What if for years it had been buried under his pain and suffering? What if he was just waiting for someone, anyone to stop seeing him as the villainous sociopath sent to wreak havoc? But what if he was just waiting for someone to see that the good was already there?
And as he sat there watching her die, watching her take her last breaths, he felt a fear grow within him when she didn't respond to him. And in those last few moments, as he watched her die, he knew he had to make a decision.
And it was in that moment he knew he was, in fact, in love with Caroline Forbes.
She had bested him. She had proved him wrong. His love for her was too strong, stronger than his desire to hurt Tyler. For years he had lived without knowing her, and yet now he couldn't picture another day without her.
So as he stood before the fire place, watching the flames of his worries burn in his mind, he thought. He thought deeply and intensely. He had to make a plan. He had to make a plan now before his light faded away.
Rebekah was in shock as she stared back at the woman that called herself, Dahlia.
She stuttered, "Y-You're my–"
"Aunt," Dahlia finished. "I am your mother's older sister."
She didn't know what to think, her mother had never talked about her older sister, hell, she didn't even know her mother had an older sister.
Rebekah struggled to find her words. "Why… What… Where am I?"
Dahlia smiled her mysterious smile. "You are dreaming, Rebekah."
"Okay, but why am I here? Why are you in my dream?"
"Because I am a part of you."
Rebekah looked at her horrified. "What do you mean?"
"I had my witches resurrect my essence into your host body."
"So you're possessing me? Why?"
"Because I need you to do something for me."
"And if I choose not to comply."
Dahlia chuckled, "You don't have a choice, Rebekah. I'm possessing your body."
"Then what's the point of asking me?" Rebekah exclaimed. "If you're just going to possess my body, then why bother asking?"
"Because I'm here to offer you a deal."
Rebekah cautiously looked back at her, uncertain whether to advance. She didn't know what to think. She couldn't trust Dahlia, but she was also curious.
She took a step forward, "What kind of deal?"
He remembered receiving a letter in the mail. It was rather peculiar seeing that he trusted no one with his address. So when Elijah came into his room carrying an envelope, he immediately started thinking of all the possible scenarios of why he might have received a letter. Could it be another message regarding those conspiring against him, maybe it's from Marcel or a death threat? Yes, a death threat was more probable.
As Elijah carefully handed him the folded letter, Klaus read the inscribed words in ink. In girly handwriting, his name was written on the center of the envelope with his address and at the very top left was a name that never failed to make him smile.
Caroline Forbes.
Elijah looked at him questionably noticing the small smile on his lips, but Klaus immediately returned back to his serious expression.
"Thank you, Elijah."
Elijah watched him carefully even as Klaus turned from him and proceeded to open the letter. He didn't know who the letter was from, just that it was sent from Mystic Falls. He began to walk away as Klaus pulled out the slip of paper. It was only when Elijah had slipped out the door and into the hallway that Klaus began to read the note.
It was a graduation announcement.
The thick paper was white and red, with gold lining the border and a timber wolf on the side. Big words headed the top with "You are invited!" It included the date, location, and time of the graduation. And at the very bottom under her signature was a small note, hand-written saying:
Just an FYI, I got your address from your sister when I came to drop off the dress. I expect an extravagant gift as always, so don't disappoint!
He chuckled as he tucked the invitation away.
After all the chaos that was going on in New Orleans, a short break to visit Caroline didn't seem so bad. So the decision was simple, he would leave his worries away for one day just to see her and he'd deal with them later. It's not like they were going anywhere anyway.
So on the day, he departed to leave, he set his problems aside and boarded a plane to Mystic Falls, Virginia. His brother didn't question his sudden need to leave. So as he boarded the plane, he put his cell on airplane mode and for two hours he anticipated his arrival. Nervously fiddling with his fingers, he stared out the plane window wondering what he'd say, what he'd do. Should he tell her about his soon-to-be child or the predicament he's been dragged into? Should he tell her why he had left so suddenly, why he never got the chance to say goodbye? These were the questions that bombarded his heavy mind. But as he reached into his coat pocket, he pulled out two plane tickets for New Orleans and stroked its edges with his fingers. It was his graduation gift to her.
He wanted her to come back with him.
It had only been a short period of time since he had left the small town, but every day without her felt like an eternity. Not being able to see her bright smile shining back at him, not being able to hear the ring of her voice echo in his ear, not being able to bicker and banter and argue and fight was almost unbearable. He had grown so accustomed to knowing that she was always nearby, only a couple blocks away that a thousand miles seemed to eat at him on a daily basis. And with all the turmoil going on in his life, he could use a little light.
So as he exited the plane, in suit and tie, he grabbed a taxi cab and headed down to her high school. The plane had arrived a few minutes late and he got stuck in traffic, so as he sat in the car he turned on his phone. He had received several voicemails from Caroline. Pressing the home button, he lifted the phone up to his ear.
"First unheard message… Klaus, you have to get here now, Damon needs your blood because he got shot with werewolf laced bullets, so call me when you get here!"
He pressed the next button.
"Message skipped, next unheard message… Hello? Klaus? Answer your phone! We really need you here, like, now. Call me back as soon as possible!"
Next message.
"Message skipped, next unheard message… Seriously, Klaus! Answer your damn phone! Damon's going to die and it's going to be your fault! … Not that you care… but I do. So get over here now!"
Next message.
"Message skipped, next unheard message… If you're not here in twenty minutes, I swear, I'm going to go to New Orleans myself and drag your original ass down here. So hurry up, Klaus."
Next message.
"Message skipped, last unheard message… Klaus now is not the time to decide that you are over me. I'm gonna call you every ten minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life."
He laughed to himself after listening to every message. He didn't bother to delete them because he knew he'd probably want to listen to them again later. He looked down at his watch. Three o'clock. The graduation should be starting now and yet he was still on his way there. Grabbing the shoulder of the driver, he looked into his eyes and compelled him.
"Drive as fast as you can, mate, I have a girl waiting for me."
The driver nodded and slammed his foot on the pedal, and the car zoomed off.
Klaus rejoined the three vampires, walking briskly down the stairs to where they sat on the table. They all stood up when he arrived, awaiting his response.
"So what's it going to be?" Stefan asked.
Klaus tossed him a glass vial. Lifting it up, Stefan saw it contained his blood.
"There, you have my blood. That should be enough to save her, now leave."
"What," Damon looked down at the vial, then back at Klaus. "You're not coming with us?"
Klaus frowned at him, "No, I am not. I have more pressing matters here."
"I don't understand," Stefan stared at him baffled.
"I've given you my blood, that's what you came for right? And now you have all you need. Consider it a parting gift for helping me find my sister. Now please see yourself to the gate."
Damon stepped forward.
"Damon," Stefan tried to stop him.
Damon swatted him away. "No, I did not travel all this way just so he can hand us a measly bottle of his blood. You need to come back with us to Mystic Falls to compel Elena's memories back."
"I cannot do that."
Damon threw his arms in the air. "And why not!? It's just for one day, it'll literally only take a few seconds to compe–"
"I said no," Klaus declared. "I am not leaving with you."
The Salvatores looked at him shocked.
In a low voice, he said, "So I suggest you leave the premises before I change my mind."
The two brothers looked at each other, while Klaus kept a cold-hard stare until they finally nodded.
"Fine."
They began to exit the compound, leaving only Marcel and Klaus left. As the metal clank of the gate shut and their footsteps disappeared into the noisy streets, Marcel walked up to Klaus.
"Why didn't you go with them?"
At first, Klaus didn't answer. He stood in silence staring blankly at the floor, before turning back to Marcel.
"Like I said," his cold stare meeting Marcel's. "I have more pressing matters right now."
Marcel nodded acknowledging that Klaus didn't want to further elaborate on his explanation. Taking a seat back at the table, he sighed.
"Alright," he thrummed his fingers on the table. "So what's the plan then?"
The sound of cheers filled the air, applause clapping in the wind. The sun shined brightly down on the field, glints shimmering in the freshly cut grass. Klaus walked through the stands, finding an open seat amongst the crowd of people. As he scanned the ceremony, he could see the flowing red gowns of the graduates. As each name was called, he searched until he found the familiar blonde locks and bright smile that he had been looking for.
Caroline Forbes.
He smiled as he spotted her standing at the bottom of the steps awaiting her chance to get up on stage. She smiled as she overlooked the masses of people who had gathered. Her smiled beamed even more when she spotted her mom sitting in front of the stands in normal attire. She waved and giggled as Liz smiled back.
"Matt Donavan," the mayor announced, his voice booming into the microphone.
The blue-eyed quarterback walked up the steps and shook the mayor's hand with a smile.
"William Duncan."
Klaus watched another graduate walk through the stage.
"Caroline Forbes."
Caroline confidently walked up the steps, and excitedly strode over to the mayor to receive her diploma while still flashing a smile to the crowd. Klaus thought she would've seen him by then, but she had turned her face to shake the mayor's hand before she could spot him.
Though he had never attended a graduation, or ever thought much of one, he felt proud of Caroline as she took her seat amidst her classmates. Although he believed this was just another trivial human thing that would come to pass in her memories, he could see why she wanted it so bad. Why she wanted to hold on to her humanity for a little longer.
As he sat at the stands and continued to sit through the rest of the ceremony, he continued to fidget with the plane tickets that sat in his pocket. Patiently he listened to every name get called and every person gets their moment of applause while he flipped the pieces of paper between his fingers. He was growing impatient. He wanted to see her.
Suddenly, he saw Stefan, Elena, and Caroline get up from their seats and head to the back of the bleachers. A worried look was on her face.
What could be wrong?
He then spotted a group of familiar-looking people go to the other side of the bleachers, constantly looking back towards the direction Caroline and her friends had disappeared. Something wasn't right. Getting up from his seat, he hurriedly followed after them, hoping to warn Caroline.
His phone began to vibrate in his pocket as he continued to walk. Pulling it out from his pocket, he checked the caller ID. It was Caroline. Something was definitely wrong. He canceled the call and walked faster. Over the sound of the mayor's voice still calling names, he began to hear Stefan's voice behind the stands.
"Okay, just hang on a little longer," Stefan said wearily. "Caroline's calling Klaus again."
The three of them came into view, he could see them huddled together. When suddenly the group of people he saw earlier came up from behind them extending their hands. Stefan, Elena, and Caroline immediately fell to the floor grasping their heads.
"Remember us, Caroline!" a black woman stepped forward.
It finally clicked. They were the witches that Caroline killed to save Bonnie. But weren't they dead? Klaus didn't have much time to think. He'd worry about those questions later. Yanking a graduation cap from a student he rushed to them and threw it towards the leader, beheading her.
Shocked, everyone turned to look at him.
"There are plenty more of these to go around," he fiddled with another red cap. "Who's next?"
The other witches looked at him frightened, slowly backing away.
"I can do this all day," he challenged.
The witches fled, and once they were finally free from their pain, Stefan, Elena, and Caroline stood up. He looked only at Caroline, a smile playing on his lips. She smiled back at him in gratitude, and it was something about that smile that made him feel like he was invincible.
She brushed herself off and walked over to him.
"Took you long enough," she teased.
"Well, you do know how I like to make an entrance."
She laughed at that as she pulled him into a hug. As she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, and his around her waist she said, "Thank you."
He smiled. "Of course, love."
Stefan cleared his throat, as they pulled away from each other. Caroline looked at him questionably, and then jumped when she remembered.
"Oh my gosh," she slapped Klaus' chest. "You need to go save Damon now!"
She turned to Stefan. "Do you think Alaric can bring Damon back to the boarding house to meet him?"
Stefan nodded. "Yeah, I'll go ahead and tell Alaric to meet Klaus there."
"Alright," Caroline said as she looked back at Klaus. "You better get going."
Klaus nodded, a little annoyed that a Salvatore was bossing him around and cutting his reunion short. But in the interests of giving Caroline the graduation night of her dreams, he said nothing and vamped away leaving the three alone.
It was two hours later that he finally saw her again. After picking up a few things from his old house and saving the damned Salvatore, he finally met back up with her at the high school.
It was dark now, the heat of the sun diminished under the horizon, but the moon illuminated the sky along with the twinkling stars above. He stepped away from behind the stands and saw Caroline tucking her graduation gown in a pile with the others. She wore a sundress with white and black heels. He smiled.
Beautiful as always.
He was almost satisfied with just watching her from afar and contemplated whether he should just leave without a good-bye. But he could still feel the burning desire that ate at him to go be her. His pocket felt heavy with the plane tickets that sat within them.
He wanted her to come with him. To be with him. But something stopped him. After seeing her so happy alongside her mother and friends, it didn't feel right.
This was the life she wanted.
The life of spending time with her school friends, planning big events, and being with her mother. And she'd want to live this life for as long as she could. And how dare he think he could just take that all away from her, how dare he think he could just whisk her away and they'd just live happily ever after. It was selfish, it was all selfish, and he knew he was selfish. And he could do all those things, he could stay true to his role and kidnap her away to live with him and compel her to spend the rest of eternity with him. He had the power to do that, he had the power to have the one thing he wanted the most. But, he couldn't. He wouldn't. He couldn't be selfish with Caroline. Not with her, not ever. He knew if he took her freedom away, if he took her control away, he'd lose the Caroline he fell in love with. She'd cease to be the light of his life. She'd be no better than any other indiscretion he's had in the past and he didn't want that. He didn't want that for her. He loved her, and it's because he loved her, he could never put his needs before hers. If they were ever going to be together, he'd have to be patient. She still needed to grow up a little, she still needed to finish everything she wanted to do as a human. She had her life, and he had his. She was going off to college and living her dream, while he had a baby on the way and a city to take over. They were going their separate ways. And though they were walking their separate paths, that wasn't to say their journeys might not one day intertwine.
Reaching into his coat pocket, he looked back down at the plane tickets. Taking one of them, he ripped it and threw it in the trash. It wasn't the right time, not yet at least.
He walked past the rows of folding chairs until he approached her from behind. She heard his footsteps and turned to face him.
"How'd you get here so fast?" she asked.
"I was already on my way," he replied as he walked towards her.
Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise as she took a step towards him.
"I received your graduation announcement," he said as he pulled the invitation out from inside his coat and looked over it again. "It was… very subtle."
Caroline smiled to herself.
"I assume you're expecting cash?" he teased.
She laughed. "That, or a mini fridge."
"Well, I had considered offering you a first-class ticket to join me in New Orleans…"
Caroline looked away from him sadly, confirming his suspicions.
"But I knew what your answer would be," he continued. "So I opted for something I knew you would accept."
Caroline looked at him questionably.
He sighed.
"Tyler is now free to return to Mystic Falls."
She was silent for a moment, her face in shock. She continued to stare back at him, eyes wide and mouth agape.
"What?" she said breathlessly.
"He's your first love," Klaus said in a soft voice. "I intend to be your last; however long it takes."
He leaned forward and left a kiss on her cheek.
When he pulled back, only inches away from her face, he said, "Congratulations, Caroline."
He nervously searched her eyes for a reaction after his bold move. He half-expected her to shove him away or slap him across the face, but a smile broke on her lips as she stared back at him, the stars gleaming in her eyes. He smiled back.
Lifting up his arm so she could wrap hers around his they began to walk away from the stage.
"Let's get out of here," he said. "Before twelve angry hybrids decide to pick a fight."
She laughed as they continued to stroll down the aisle way of chairs and into the night.
Klaus' arms rested over the railing of the balcony as he overlooked the night skyline. The bustling of the streets filled his ears, as he stood in silence. By now Damon and Stefan were probably back in Mystic Falls and Caroline safe once more.
He imagined that she'd probably just go back to living on with her life not giving a second thought about him, besides the gratitude she felt for saving her again. His heart ached to be with her, but he knew it would be foolish to leave. So instead, knowing she was still alive would have to suffice for now.
He thought back to that night again, the night of her graduation. Though it pained him to leave her again, he knew he'd see her again eventually. After all, he had declared his love for her. A declaration that he'd wait for her for an eternity, a promise that he'd love her, and only her, forever.
Tatia was his first love, but Caroline, Caroline would be his last.
I think this might be one of my longest chapters. It might just be because I wrote smaller sections.
So I've been watching all the recent episodes of TVD and TO because yes, I am an avid viewer (not that I'm enjoying any bit of it nowadays). Both seasons had so much potential, it's just sad how everything turned out. So many opportunities for crossovers or mentions, but JP & Co just brushed it off and look where their ratings are now. TVD received it's lowest rating this season on its last episode like lower than TO. I really just want Kevin Williamson to come back and revive what's left of what he created because let's face it, TVD seasons 1-3 were the best.
I've been thinking about making my fanfic a hard copy when I finish. Not to sell or anything, just a way to have a physical copy of what I've written. Who knows, maybe I'll print two others to maybe one day ship to Candice or Joseph, or present to them at Comic-Con. A girl can dream.
Back to the story: Now that we know what happened in both MF and NOLA, now its time to watch things unfold together. I won't separate my chapters by location anymore. I'm going to mesh MF and NOLA now that everything's occurring within the same timeline. I don't want to give too much away but we'll see what going on with Bonnie and Kai, how Caroline finds out Liz has cancer, what Stefan's REAL secret is, what Dahlia's deal is, and what Matt is up to. A lot of stuff to cover, so trust me when I say this story is far from over.
This will always be my all-time favorite Klaroline scene. My heart melts every time I rewatch this episode because the words Klaus says is literally the most romantic thing I've ever heard. *sobs*
Chapter Question: How do you think Bonnie and Kai will escape?
As always, thanks for reading! Please share and review!