I apologize for taking so long, but it's at the end of the semester at college, and I'm entering finals weeks, so I've been a little preoccupied. Anyway, today, you get a special treat. I'll be uploading the next chapter of this one by the end of the day, so look for it!
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! ESPECIALLY: EMILY AND GUEST, WHO SENT ME CONITNUOUS REVIEWS TO LET ME NOT FORGET ABOUT THIS STORY! THANK YOU!
Please remember to review at the end! :)
Caroline walked quickly down the walkway towards the house she knew so well the past few months since Klaus' incarceration. No one knew about, except for Katherine, Bonnie, and Rebekah, even Klaus' brothers didn't know about it, and she was going to keep it that way.
It wasn't that she didn't trust them, in fact she did, and they were her family. It's just that the fewer people who knew about this house, the best it would be.
It was a quiet place, just on the outskirts of the city, close to the swamps, with a semi-long driveway, perfectly defendable if the need ever came. The house was a small cottage home, one floor with two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and a laundry room. It was quaint, and perfect.
She paused before she made it to the door, and turned around. Satisfied that no one was around; she shifted the brown bags in her arms, and unlocked the door. Entering the house quickly, she closed and locked the door, only to turn around and feel small arms wrap around her waist.
"Mom, you made it!"
Caroline smiled, and shifted the bags, to squeeze Joey's shoulders lightly. "Yeah, and I missed you." She replied, smiling down at him, when he pulled back.
"How's dad?" He asked, seriously.
Caroline sighed, and handed him the smallest bag, and walked towards the kitchen. "He's fine." She replied, telling a small lie.
Joey shook his head, and set the bag on the counter. "Mom, you promised." He scolded, glaring at her with his blue eyes.
She sighed. "You're too much like your dad." She remarked, wagging her finger at him, placing some milk in the fridge.
Joey shrugged, but continued to glare at her. "Mom…" He dragged out, smiling when she sent him a glare.
She turned back to him, and sighed once more. "He's miserable." She finally answered, digging out some bananas.
Joey sighed. "Can I go see him?" He asked, hopefully, and with a maturity above his eleven year old self.
She pulled out a box of cereal and shook her head. "You know that you can't, Joey." She answered, sending him a look.
"But why not? He needs to know that we're supporting him." He stated, in small frustration.
"He knows that, Joey." She stated, leaning forward to his eye level. "He knows, and that's what's keeping him going." She remarked, smiling.
Joey sighed, and shook his head. "But mom…"
"No." She began, straightening up. "No, 'but mom'." She continued, unpacking a pint of chocolate ice cream. "He wouldn't want to risk your safety by going, and neither do I." She stated turning to see him, pout.
Since taking him in a year ago, Caroline had become attached to the blonde haired boy, and thought of him as her own son, and so did Klaus. It had only taken a month after Joey completely moved in, for him to ask if he could call them mom and dad. He didn't remember his real mom, and he thought of Caroline as his mom, and loved her like he would his real one, and loved Klaus as his true dad. They had been a happy family when Klaus had decided to turn himself in, or when Caroline arrested him.
It had taken an hour to explain everything to Joey the night before the plan went into action, and even then, they had left out details.
Details that an eleven year old did not need to know.
Joey sighed, and bowed his head. "Are you going to see him again?" He asked, lifting his head.
Caroline smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow." She answered, firmly.
"Will you give him something from me?" He asked, quietly.
She tilted her head to the side, and smiled. "You know I will." She remarked, in her motherly tone.
He smiled, and turned on his heel and ran out the kitchen. He returned two minutes later, as Caroline put some hot dogs on the stove. She turned to see him holding a piece of paper.
Bending down to his level, she took the paper from his hands. Tears filled her eyes when she gazed at the picture of him and Klaus. Both were smiling, and had been laughing when she took that picture, before the chaos happened.
"Will you make sure he gets it, mom?" Joey asked, in a childlike voice.
Caroline smiled, and nodded through her tears. "I will." She replied, opening her arms up and waited for him to fall into them. "I definitely will." She added in a whisper.
After settling him down for the night, she leaned against his bedroom door and gazed at her sleeping son. She never dreamed this was how her life would turn out, a woman in love with a criminal, a mother to a child from a broken home, and a Marshal who bent the law in cases, especially this one.
Turning from the doorframe, she gently closed the door, and walked towards the living room. It was moments like this she really missed Klaus. Of course, she missed him anyway, but tonight, she really wanted him there.
Lifting her right hand, she reached up and grasped the necklace around her neck. Along with her mother's locket was another trinket. One Klaus had given her a few weeks before he had been caught. It was a promise, a large promise not only to her, but to him.
Walking over to the front window, she stared out into the dark, and smiled as she thought back to their first night together. It had been on a night like this with a full moon above them. It had been perfect, and so right.
Bowing her head, she closed her eyes, and sighed. "Keep him safe tonight." She whispered, to whoever was listening above.
Tears poured out from behind her closed lids, as the fear and loneliness crept into her heart. This plan had to work. It had too. If not, then…
She didn't want to think about that. It would work. She had to have faith. She had to, and not just for her sake, but for his and Joey's.
It had too.
~XXX~
In the city of Baton Rouge, in the jail cell, Klaus sat against the stone wall, and peered out of the window, just above his eyesight. From his position, he could see the moon rising high in the sky.
His thoughts drifted to the night he had given in, and let a blonde Marshal enter his heart and soul. The night they had made love until they had passed out from the passion they held. He smiled as he remembered it so well, as if it were yesterday.
She had let him in, and in return, he had let her in. It was a simple gesture, but in the end, it was the best thing that could have happened to either of them.
He lifted his left hand and looked down at the simple mark on his third finger. No one knew, and it was perfect.
He dropped his hand, and smiled. Tomorrow the trial would begin. He hated the fact that he was away from his beloved New Orleans, but trials like these were usually set in the state capital, for he was being tried for smuggling weapons, and that was a federal charge.
If everything went as planned, then he wouldn't make it to the federal courts.
Leaning his head back against the wall once more, he sighed. He missed his family. He missed her. Sure he got to see her this morning, but it wasn't enough. He wanted her all the time. She was his life. He didn't know when or how she came to be that important, but it happened, and now he couldn't live without her or him. Joey, the son he never knew he could have, had quickly become the son he never had. With Joey and Caroline, Klaus felt his life to be complete.
It was crazy, especially since he had lived his entire life alone, except for his brothers and sister, and now he had Caroline and Joey. Two people who depended on him and loved him.
Looking back out to the moon, he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. He needed the plan to work. It had too.
He needed to be with his family. He wanted to be there when Joey started school, and when Caroline woke up in the morning.
"Let it work." He whispered, in the silence. "Please let it work.
~XXX~
Caroline didn't even move from the window when she heard the front door open. She didn't have to. She knew who it was.
"You two shouldn't be here." She remarked, finally turning her head.
Katherine and Bonnie entered the house, and smiled. Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there are a lot of things we shouldn't do, but that doesn't mean we'll don't do them." She remarked, lifting her right hand to show off a bottle of wine. "We figured you could use some good friends and a glass of wine." She added, smirking.
Caroline shook her head, but couldn't help the smile on her face. "What makes you think I need it?" She asked, turning her body to face them.
Bonnie smiled, and stepped forward. "The man you love is going on trial tomorrow, and even though you have a plan in motion," She paused, glancing at Katherine. "We thought you needed this night to unwind." She finished with a small smile.
Caroline bowed her head, and laughed silently. "You know where the glasses are." She replied, watching the two nod, and head off towards the kitchen, with her following close behind them.
Katherine grasped three glasses from the cupboard, and placed them on the small island as Caroline sat down on one of the stools, and Bonnie sat on another. "How are you holding up?" Katherine asked, uncorking the bottle, and poured some of the red wine into the glass.
Caroline sighed, and grasped the glass with her right hand. "I'm holding." She answered, softly, taking a sip of the wine.
Bonnie nodded towards Katherine, and waited until she had some wine in her glass before drinking. "How was he?" She asked, glancing at Caroline.
Caroline shook her head. "Miserable." She answered, twirling the liquid in the glass.
"Well, that makes two of you." Katherine muttered, draining the wine from her glass.
Caroline smiled and nodded. "I hate that he's in there." She stated, with a shrug, keeping her eyes focused on the wine.
"Caroline, it was his idea." Bonnie confirmed, carefully.
"I know." Caroline returned, sighing. "And I didn't approve of it." She added, firmly.
Katherine poured her another glass of wine, and shook her head. "You got to admit, though, for Klaus to come up with a plan like this, he does love you." She stated, watching her friend smile.
Bonnie placed her right hand on Caroline's back, and smiled. "Kat's right." She whispered, causing Caroline to look at her. "If he didn't then you would have gotten into trouble, and you know it." She added, strongly.
Caroline nodded, and closed her eyes. "He's always trying to protect me." She replied, distantly.
"That's because he loves you." Bonnie remarked, nodding. "Klaus always protects those he loves, though I've never seen him go to these great lengths before." She added, with a light laugh.
Caroline smiled, sadly. "Sometimes I think it would have best if I had just left when I realized how deep I was getting." She whispered, downing the contents in her glass.
Katherine shook her head. "Bull shit." She remarked, glaring at her. "Though I admit there was a time I thought that was best, but Caroline, Klaus is the best thing that has ever happened to you, and you know it." She stated, sternly.
Caroline lifted her head and stared at her friend. "Is this the same woman who said that Klaus was the worst of the Mikaelsons and that he was not to be trusted?" She stated, lifting her brows in question.
Katherine rolled her eyes, and glanced at Bonnie. "Yes, I did say that, but that was before I knew how strong you got from your love." She stated, though her brow furrowed in small disgust. "Please don't make me say that again." She whispered, drinking her wine.
Caroline chuckled, and shook her head. Bonnie smiled, and sipped her wine. "What are you planning to do tomorrow?" She asked, after a moment.
Caroline sighed, and tilted her head back for a moment before glancing at her. "I'm going to the trial." She answered, with a wan smile.
Bonnie smiled. "Would you care if I went with you, since Katherine is not allowed to go?" She remarked, nodding towards the brunette.
Caroline smiled, and shook her head. "I wouldn't mind. Actually, I think that would be great to have some support." She remarked, touching Bonnie's hands on the counter. "But why can't Kat go?" She asked, turning to Katherine, who had a deep frown on her face.
"Elijah won't let her go." Bonnie remarked with a smile. "He thinks that someone in the law enforcement would recognize her." She stated, with a small laugh.
Caroline lifted her brows, and felt a smile playing on her lips. "Elijah, huh?" She asked, watching Katherine roll her eyes.
"That damn man thinks it's too dangerous for me." Katherine stated, flipping her curly brown hair.
"I didn't think you would ever let a man tell you what to do." Caroline stated, shaking her head.
Katherine shook her head, downing the wine in her glass once more. She didn't say a word, for her face said it all. She hated being told what to do, but for the safety of the plan and for Elijah's piece of mind she would listen to him. Just this once.
Bonnie and Caroline laughed at her expression, and sipped their wine quietly for a moment.
"Where's Rebekah?" Caroline asked, glancing at her friends.
Bonnie smiled, and dipped her head. "She sends her regards, but she had some things to take care of for tomorrow." She answered, sending a secret glance towards Katherine.
Caroline glanced between them, and knew there was something they were not telling her. "What?" She asked, in small annoyance.
Katherine smirked, and sipped her wine. "It's best that you don't know that part of the plan, Care." She replied, firmly.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "It was my plan." She stated, straightening her back.
Katherine rolled her eyes. "Yes, dear, it was, but this is something different, and frankly, you don't need to know about it." She stated, in a motherly tone.
Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Care. It's nothing illegal." She stated, smiling.
Caroline shook her head. "Fine." She whispered, sipping her wine.
Bonnie and Katherine exchanged glances as their friend sat in silence and turned her head. Well, it wasn't too illegal.
"How's Joey?" Bonnie asked, after a moment.
Caroline bowed her head. "He's holding up." She answered, keeping her head turned away. "He misses Klaus just about as much as I do." She added, sadly.
Bonnie sighed. "He told me this morning that he wants to see him." She replied, softly.
Caroline nodded. "Yeah, and I told him that he couldn't." She remarked, fiddling with the empty glass in her hands.
"How did he take it?" Bonnie asked, tenderly.
Caroline smiled. "He wanted me to give Klaus something when I go and see him." She answered, lowering her eyes towards the picture still resting beside her purse.
Bonnie followed her gaze, and slowly lifted it up, tears springing to her eyes. "Are you going to give it to him?" She asked, glancing at Caroline, before handing the picture to Katherine.
Caroline nodded. "I will, but Klaus will probably want me to hold onto it. He doesn't want Joey in any kind of danger, and neither do I." She remarked, quietly. "If the ones after Klaus find out about Joey…" She trailed off, feeling tears fill her eyes.
Katherine set her glass down, and walked around to wrap her arms around her friend. "They won't, Caroline. We've taken every precaution to make sure that they don't." She replied, stroking her friend's shoulders.
Caroline nodded. "I know." She whispered, bowing her head.
Bonnie smiled, faintly, and grasped Caroline's hands in hers. "Then believe that everything will be alright, Caroline." She paused, capturing Caroline's eyes. "The plan will work, and you, Klaus, and Joey will be free to live your lives as a family." She whispered, watching her friend smile.
Caroline nodded, and bowed her head. Bonnie was right. The plan would work, and she would have her family back.
She just had to believe.
Please be kind!
A lot of you asked for a Caroline/Joey moment, so I hope you approve, but expect more in the next chapter!
As mentioned in the note above, I've started the next chapter, and hope to have it up later today!
Until Next Time...