A/N: Thank you all so much for reading. I know I was horrible and left it on a bit of a cliffhanger last chapter but I hope the Klaroline interaction in this chapter makes up for that. :)
No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. -C. S. Lewis
Caroline twisted in Klaus' grip, trying to get him to let her go. It was useless, he had her practically crushed to his chest and no matter how she struggled he wouldn't release his hold. It was suffocating to be so close to him, almost as if his presence was trying to overpower her, to overwhelm her and suck her into the darkness that she had come to associate with him. But Caroline refused to be pulled into it, wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of her pleading for her friend's life, for the tears that were threatening to spill forth because of her frustration and worry over everything that was happening.
She meant to show him exactly how strong she was, that she would never bow to his whims, and so she narrowed her eyes, glaring up at him as she pushed against his chest, still trying to break free. "You can't kill Bonnie," she protested, her voice eerily calm, trying not to betray that immense worry she felt for her friend. Hadn't Caroline learned by then that Klaus pretty much did whatever he wanted and really, who would stop him? He'd escaped death; he'd escaped containment so many times that she wouldn't be surprised if it had become child's play to him.
"Not only can I but I will if I need to," Klaus told her, voice colder than she'd ever heard it and she didn't like the way it twisted down her spine, paralyzing her with the finality of it. Nor did she like the way his one hand dug into her back, fingers biting into the fabric of her dress, bruising her skin underneath. She realized what he was doing, just like he had with his grip on her chin only a day or so ago. This was a mark and she didn't like the thought of him possessing her.
"No," she shrieked, emotions entirely too heightened and her finely tuned control slipping away as she bared her fangs at him, wanting so badly to make him hurt in that moment. Could she rip open his throat before he had a chance to stop her? Kol would probably end up staking her in response for it, but Caroline had a feeling it'd be worth it for the shock on Klaus' face the second after her fangs sunk into his neck.
Except she was wary of how Klaus' fangs descended as he looked down at her, his grip tightening on her, those fingers that had only been bruising now leaving holes in the fabric and tearing into her skin. She could smell her own blood and her eyes widened because that coupled with the dark, primal look in his eyes, the yellow beginning to show in the irises, was throwing her down a path she had no intention of ever venturing. She forced her face to return to normal, fangs once again going back above the gum line and looked away from Klaus, unable to handle how he regarded her in that moment.
"If it wasn't for her you'd have been in that damn coffin and Alaric would have killed you. You'd be dead now," Caroline pointed out, trying to find a reason for him to not want Bonnie dead. Even she found her reasoning to be flawed on that one though.
"As would you," Klaus reminded, loosening his grip on her and she stepped back and away from him, the skin on her hip already knitting itself back together, but she felt like his fingerprints were seared there anyway. "As would your precious Tyler."
Caroline glared at him, but held her tongue, jutting her chin out as she sat back down on the couch. She would not rise to that bait, instead she would sit still and hope her time with the Originals was about to come to an end. Get the information she needed and be on her merry way. Something told her that wasn't about to happen, but a girl could dream, right?
"Wasn't their lover's spat adorable?" Kol drawled, and Caroline wanted to fly at him as well, to bash his head into the desk and stop the annoying lilt of his voice from echoing in the air. His cheerfulness was so damn grating, reminding her of a psychotic clown, supposed to be something happy, friendly to kids but really all it wanted to do was lure them away and gobble them whole. She really wouldn't be surprised if horror writers had been inspired by the youngest Mikaelson brother for that particular trope. "I have to say, brother, little Miss Forbes has quite the tongue on her. I'm sure you'll find a number of uses for it."
Klaus was across the room before Caroline could blink, pinning Kol to the wall. Zelda let out a heavy sigh and Caroline could see the woman's entire body tremble with fear. "Did you forget what I said I would do if you continued to speak of her in such a way?" Klaus demanded, hand wrapping around Kol's neck.
There was no fear from his brother though, only an amused laugh, high and free as though he wasn't afraid of anything. "Oh come now, Nik, we're all friends here." Kol glanced over at Caroline. "Isn't that right, Caroline, darling?"
Caroline didn't bother to reply to that, biting back a comment about kidnappers not being friend material and instead looked away from the scene. Let them kill one another for all she cared. Not that they could even do so without the white oak stake.
"Forbes?" Zelda asked, drawing Caroline's attention to her. "Caroline Forbes of Mystic Falls?"
Caroline's brow furrowed in confusion, wondering how the woman knew where she was from. "Your father is Bill Forbes," Zelda continued, and Caroline really didn't like that the woman seemed to know that either.
"How do you know that?" she asked, sensing that the dispute between the brothers had ended and their focus was once again on the witch.
"You won't need to use what I gave you to find Sanai and her Coven," Zelda replied, glancing over at Kol. "Her father can bring you to them. He traveled with them for some time."
"Been holding back on us, have you?" Kol asked, tsking at Caroline who shook her head.
"He can't. He's dead," she muttered, refusing to look at any of them for a long moment. "And what do you mean he was traveling with them?" That was definitely news to her.
"I am sorry for your loss," Zelda told her, and the woman sounded sincere so Caroline looked over at her, nodding at the genuine feel to the woman's expression. "He was making it his life's work to learn more about the supernatural world. He wanted to do more to guard against what he saw to be the evil that supernaturals could do. Something of a family legacy. The Forbes have been the guardians of Mystic Falls for some time now—usually in the form of the Sheriff."
Caroline had known that much about her family history. The ancestor her father was named after had been the Sheriff of the town back in the 1860's as had the rest of the firstborn males all the way down the line to her grandfather. But instead of her father taking on the mantle it had been her mother, while her father had left the town. He'd returned with ways to try and torture the bloodlust out of her, unable to be compelled, and had ideas of how to successfully break the Sire bond. Really it wasn't all that farfetched that he'd been living his life away to learn more about the supernatural world.
Even if it did shatter the illusions she'd have of him and Steven living a perfectly normal life together in their small townhouse in Virginia. "Not going to do us any good if he's dead, Zelda," Kol drawled, and Caroline's nails dug into her knees, refusing to reply to Kol's inconsideration.
"He had a partner, didn't he?" Klaus asked and Caroline inwardly cringed, not at all surprised he would know about that considering he seemed to have looked into her life some. "Samuel? Seth?"
"Steven," Zelda supplied, and Caroline pressed her lips together, thoroughly annoyed that the witch had given them more information. "He accompanied Bill on his travels."
"Not a complete loss then," Kol chirped, sitting down beside Caroline. "And I'm sure you can bring us to him so we can get whatever we need out of little Steven."
"Go to hell," Caroline bit out, narrowing her eyes. Like hell she was going to give them his location. Not with Klaus so easily killing people and she was pretty sure Kol would find doing so even easier.
Just like that the room seemed to grow colder, Kol's features darkening significantly and she had a feeling she would have been shoved against a wall, some piece of furniture driven into her stomach in a second if Klaus hadn't wrenched her off of the couch and behind him in one easy swoop. "Same rules apply," Klaus reminded, his tone hard and unweilding.
"You better get her to talk then," Kol demanded, already rising from the couch and glaring at her. His temper disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, doling out a mocking smile once again. "I'm sure you'll enjoy being all sorts of persuasive, Nik. You always did enjoy breaking pretty little things to your will."
Caroline shuddered at the implications in his tone. There was a time when she would have strongly protested Klaus doing that to her, but that had been before twelve dead hybrids and his harsh promises to her. Now she really didn't know what he was capable of doing to her any longer. She realized she'd been holding onto Klaus' jacket when he'd pushed her behind him, out of Kol's reach, and she immediately let go, reacting as though the material scorched her hands.
"I'm famished," Kol continued, flashing over to Zelda, and pressing a kiss to the witch's cheek. She stiffened for a moment but when he made no move to end her life, gently patted his cheek. "Until we meet again, darling."
He glanced over at Klaus and Caroline, winking. "I'll meet up with you two later."
Silence reigned for a few moments, Caroline and Zelda trying to comprehend what had just happened while Klaus ruminated over what to do next. Caroline glanced at the witch and Klaus before looking toward the exit. She wondered how far she could make it before Klaus caught her. Probably not that far, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it? She might not get another opportunity again. She knew that they weren't letting her go, not if she could bring them to someone who could lead them to the Coven that would help save the world.
It wasn't like Caroline wanted the world to end, she wanted to save it as well, but with her friends, not with two homicidal Originals that might turn on her at any moment. She wanted to be with people she actually trusted.
Klaus seemed to have assessed her thought process and grabbed her arm. At least his grip wasn't painful that time, though she knew she wouldn't be able to break free from it. "Seeing Steven could potentially help, Caroline," Zelda told her, and Caroline glanced at the witch again, noting the streaks of grey that had appeared in the woman's hair, the increase of wrinkles of the woman's face. "The sacrifice of one can benefit the many."
"I'd rather not sacrifice anyone," Caroline muttered, blanching at the idea of sacrificing the man she had known for so many years. The man her father had loved. So not allowed to happen.
"We don't always get what we want," Klaus bit out, grip tightening on her arm before he flashed the two of them out of the building.
Caroline didn't know where they were going or what would happen next. All she did know was that she didn't like those words and she would figure out a way to ensure that Steven didn't die by any Originals' hands.
Somewhere deep inside Bonnie was screaming for Jeremy and Matt's death, cursing at the unfairness of it all for them to lose more people. Hadn't they lost enough already? Why did two more have to die? And why specifically did have to be those two—one a friend since childhood and the other the boy she loved, who she had sacrificed parts of herself to save on more than one occasion. Deep inside she was grieving for their loss, wanting to lash out at the world for this significant blow so soon after Shane's death.
Outwardly though, her expression was like stone, unfeeling and unwavering as she tore apart Shane's office, trying to find anything that would tell her more about his mission. There was movement outside in the hallway, the sounds of people coming and going and she felt the sun on her back through the window indicating that the day had started.
Waving a hand, she sent one of the chairs sailing across the room and up against the door, effectively blocking it should anyone try to get inside. A twist of her wrist pulled the fire alarm and she heard everyone start exiting the building, murmurs of drills or real scenario filling the air and she flicked her hand, causing the sprinklers to go off as well. That seemed to hurry the people out of the building and away from her.
The sprinklers in Shane's office didn't go off and she started up the computer, gaze roaming around the room again as she tried to think of where else to look. There was a photo on the desk of Shane, his wife and their son. She had heard a little about his family, knew that the other two had died in a car crash and that was what had sent him on his own sabbatical over the last year. She wondered if he had any idea where that solo retreat would have led him back then. Had he sought this out? Hoping that the myths he taught about were real?
Most wouldn't have though, even if the myths were tempting to follow, to believe in, most people nowadays wouldn't give much credence to the stories of the past. Most wouldn't believe in witches, in vampires. Not outside of the movie screens and novels meant to satisfy their own need for darkness.
Bonnie figured that meant Shane had already had an encounter with something supernatural, had already known that at least some of it was real for him to actively pursue the myths for as long as he had. Perhaps her grandmother because he had known Sheila but she wasn't one hundred percent certain that was the case.
The computer turned on and after typing in the password he'd given her ages ago, she blinked at the tiny button on the desktop with her name on it. Clicking it opened up a document and she carefully read over it twice.
Bonnie.
If you're reading this it means I'm dead. It means you're going to need to carry on what I failed to accomplish. The cure is with Silas, Bonnie. It's your only chance to save your friends from their existence.
But there's more. You can do so much more than simply cure them. You need to bring Silas Back, Bonnie. It's the only way to bring back everyone else.
Your Grams. Me. My wife and son. They can all return. Every single one of them that was taken before their time. Call Valerie. Her number is below. She'll know
how to help you complete everything.
Shane.
She couldn't discount that bringing people back was tempting—her Grams, Jeremy and Matt. Maybe Jenna. Elena's parents. Alaric. Everyone who had been killed in this damn war that wasn't theirs to fight. Wouldn't that be something? But even if she didn't do that she needed the cure. That was what mattered the most to her. The cure would help Elena and Caroline be human again. It could make the other vampires human and she could end Klaus and all the rest like him. He would never be able to hurt any of them ever again.
Bonnie picked up her cell, ignoring the missed calls from Stefan, Damon, even Elena. She dialed the number and waited for someone to answer. "Who is this?" a woman's voice demanded, and Bonnie arched a brow at the wariness it contained.
"Bonnie Bennett. Is this Valerie? Shane said I should contact you," Bonnie told her, hearing the woman's breath catch and she knew the woman had deduced what had become of the professor. Not the exact circumstances, but no doubt she wasn't expecting Bonnie's call unless he was dead.
"I told him he was a fool for trusting the vampires with what he knew," Valerie hissed, and there was a loud sound on her end. "But he found you and that was what mattered."
"I don't see how finding me mattered," Bonnie muttered. It certainly hadn't done Shane any favors.
"You're a Bennett. Already coming from a powerful witch line. Adding in expression to your natural capacity for power only intensifies what you'll be able to do once you're trained properly," Valerie informed her. "And I can do that for you. I practice it as well, though never to the degree you'll be able to handle."
"Is it true?" Bonnie asked, glancing over at the photograph of Shane family. "The cure is with Silas?"
"Yes," Valerie replied. "It is there."
"Then where is he? I'll go now and get the thing," Bonnie told her. Surely the woman knew where the cure was. Shane must have told her. He had to have because they no longer had access to the map with Jeremy dead.
"You could get to the location but not to where he is. You'll need to hone your powers before you can do that and we'll need your friend, the one with the mark," Valerie informed her and just like that Bonnie's stomach flopped.
"He's dead. Jeremy. The one with the Hunter's mark. He's dead," Bonnie replied, and stared hard at the door, willing the emotions just below the surface to stay there. She couldn't afford to cry right now, to lose it over him being dead. Not yet. Not if there was a chance she could get him back.
"No matter," the witch muttered, her voice harsh for a moment before turning gentle. "I am sorry for his death." She snapped something at someone else and Bonnie couldn't quite make out what she was saying. "We'll find another Hunter. There are four more out there. Dozens of potentials waiting to for their destiny to arise."
Bonnie didn't have an answer for that. She'd never heard of Hunters before this year, hadn't read about them in any of the grimoires or her own studies into the supernatural world, so she didn't see how they could be that easy to find. But she had to hope they would be so that she could get the cure and maybe get the others back as well.
"I'm going to give you the address of a friend who's near Whitmore," Valerie continued. "She'll get you here to us and we'll help you reach your potential so that you can complete the needed tasks and get the cure, save the world from all of the injustices of vampires."
"Just let me know where to go," Bonnie murmured, jotting down the address that Valerie rattled off before she hung up.
She stared down at her phone, taking in the photo of Caroline, Elena and her from their sophmore year. Back before Caroline had been a vampire. Back before Elena had met the Salvatores. When things had been normal. She hadn't known of her witch ancestry yet, known of her own abilities, and she wouldn't give those up for anything, but that wasn't the same as what had happened to them. Being a witch was natural, being a vampire wasn't. And they could go back to what they had been, they could be happy again. Have actual lives that didn't revolve around death and destruction.
"I swear I'll save us all," Bonnie promised before pocketing her phone.
Someone was at the door, trying to get in, yelling at someone else that it was locked. Thankfully they couldn't see her through it and she grabbed her things and opened the window, climbing out of it and heading out to find the friend Valerie had spoken of. One step closer to making everything right and getting them their lives back.
Klaus kept a firm grip on Caroline as he flashed them away from Zelda's establishment. He was trying to decide where precisely to take her and keep her occupied while he set out to do a few of his own errands. While he did own a place in the city, he hadn't been to it in years and wasn't sure of how it had endured the years since he'd bothered with upkeep. A hotel would probably be more agreeable to her twenty-first century tastes and give him leverage over her not running off if he played his cards right.
He stopped outside of Omni Royal hotel, their sudden appearance startling a few of those walking along the street, but just as with most supernatural occurrences the humans around them shook their heads and walked on. No doubt thinking it was a trick of the light or that they hadn't been paying all that much attention. No two people just appeared out of thin air like that. There was always a logical explanation.
"Unless you'd like me to eat the entire lobby full of people, keep your mouth shut and do as I say," Klaus bit out to her, eyes narrowing as he looked down at Caroline.
Her attention had been on the building in front of them, eyes wide as she took in the wrought iron balconies and hanging lanterns on the outside of the building. The awe in her expression had him smiling briefly, seeing the wanderlust in her eyes that was so quickly dashed as she took in what he had said. Klaus hated that he had snuffed it out, her enthusiasm quickly replaced with a scowl, gaze venomous as she looked at him.
"Like I could stop you if you really wanted to hurt anyone," she told him, and while that fury, that drive that Caroline Forbes seemed to always have within her was still as tempting as ever, Klaus wanted the sparkle back. That interest in the world around her.
Seemed he'd get an opportunity to tempt her with all he could offer much sooner than he'd imagined. He let go of her arm and went to open the door instead, motioning for her to step through. He saw her hesitation, could almost hear the thoughts in her head trying to decide if she could flash away in time but a flash of yellow in his eyes had her walking inside. Klaus followed after her, catching her arm as he walked beside her and linked it with his own, keeping her beside him.
He felt her stiffen, no doubt not wanting the invasion to her personal space, but he saw her gaze flicker around the lobby as well. Watched as her mouth made a perfect O as she looked over the statues adorning the walk way, the chandelier that hung above them in greeting, before he pulled her toward the stairs and up to where the concierge was located. Klaus released his hold of her as he stood at in front of the desk, smiling pleasantly at the man. Caroline didn't leave his side, her attention on the details of the lobby. Small glances at the people walking by, either to their own rooms or out to explore the city, and then back at him, knowing he'd make good on his earlier threat.
"Sir, mademoiselle, how might I be of service?" the man asked, his accent native to Louisiana and Klaus leaned forward, pupils dilating as he let his compulsion take hold.
"You'll find that I have a reservation for the penthouse suite. Block it out on the calendar and make note that we do not wish to be disturbed," Klaus told the man, pleased when the man repeated the words and then set about typing onto the computer in front of him.
Caroline scoffed at his side and Klaus arched a brow at her. "Do you use compulsion to get everything that you want?" she asked, fixing him with a look that expressed her disgust.
"Not everything," Klaus replied, purposefully looking her over. He watched her swallow, the faint reddening of her cheeks, before she let out another derogatory noise and looked away from him, arms crossing against her chest. Perhaps he should point out that doing so only gave him ample view of her breasts.
Klaus smirked and looked back at the man, taking the keycards from him. "Would you like me to have someone bring your bags to your room?" the concierge asked, and Klaus shook his head.
"Won't be necessary. Go on with your day as normal," Klaus told him, taking Caroline's arm again and leading her toward the elevator.
"I don't know what you think is going to happen right now," Caroline started, dragging her feet as they neared the elevator. "But I am not getting into a bed with you."
"While I do quite enjoy the way your mind was working there, love," Klaus told her as he pushed the button and turned back toward her, leaning in far too close for comfort again. "I have matters to take care of and figured you would like to shower, perhaps get some new clothes to wear and rest after the debacle with Kol."
"Or I could just go home," Caroline suggested, even as she followed him into the elevator.
"You're a smart girl, Caroline. I'm sure by now that you know that's not going to happen," Klaus replied, hitting the button for the penthouse suite.
"Are you going to threaten to kill my mom too if I run?" Caroline asked, leaning back against the cool elevator wall and away from him. Her gaze was fixed on his though, unweilding, though he could see the slight tremor in her body, could smell the fear that he would.
"No," Klaus told her, watching as she let out a breath, looking a little relieved at that fact. "I think what Zelda revealed about Silas being freed and taking down the Other Side will be enough for you to stay. After all, if he successfully does so your mother will be dead and you will never see her again."
She looked away then, not willing to answer him, yet Klaus knew he'd won that particular argument. Caroline Forbes would do anything to save that mother of hers. The elevator stopped, door opening for them and they exited together.
The entrance to the rooftop pool was to the right, the walkway to their suite to the left, but he watched Caroline freeze in the hallway. Her fists were bunched at her sides, gaze fixed on the window that overlooked the pool. He spotted what she was seeing then. A little girl had fallen and scraped her knee, nasty little gash oozing out blood. He looked back at Caroline who had her eyes closed, the veins around them puffing out, bloodlust trying to take over.
"How long has it been since you ate?" Klaus asked, grabbing onto her arm and directing her toward the suit. Part of him wanted to let her go, to watch her make quick work of the people at the pool who were merrily going about their day, clueless to the monsters in their midst. He knew that she would never forgive him if he allowed her to do so, had a feeling her control wouldn't allow it to happen either.
"A day? Two? Not since the morning of the winter carnival," she muttered, still taking deep breaths and he noted that the veins around her eyes were back to normal as he opened the door to the suite.
"Change of plans then." He had intended to have her rest while he took care of some matters, but it looked as though they were going to need to go and feed first and then he'd deposit her back at the hotel and take care of the rest of it.
"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, smoothing down her curls and he had to hand it to her for how quickly she had overcome the urge to feed considering how young she was. He'd seen vampires decades older than her snap quicker.
"We're going to go get a bite to eat," Klaus told her, fishing out his phone to send a text to let Kol know of where they would be staying. He'd leave one of the cards downstairs for his brother to pick up when he was done enjoying the city.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just order myself a steak that's like nearly raw, get some alcohol, some Cheetos. I'm good." Caroline shook her head, walking away from him and into the sitting room of the suite.
"That will hardly sustain you," Klaus pointed out, annoyance starting to form at her lack of caring over her own well-being. "You need to feed."
"I am not going out there and eating someone. I don't do that. I'm not going to do that. I don't need your help," Caroline spat out, glaring at him as she turned around. "Your help equals freaking killing people."
"Kol would have killed you," Klaus reminded and from her shudder, he knew she believed that to be true, but still she wouldn't accept what he had done as the correct outcome.
"Jeremy was a friend," Caroline cried out, shaking her head at him. "And I know that even now you're thinking of killing Bonnie. You could have come up with a way to do it all without killing anyone. You just didn't want to. You like it."
Klaus flashed in front of her, eyes narrowing. "I do. I love it. Having their life in my hands, watching it slip away because I deem their life over," Klaus started, smirking at her as he reached out, fondling a curl. She shivered at the contact, swatting his hand away, and he grinned, enjoying her hiss. He caught her wrist, first one and then the other when she swung them at him, trapping them against his chest with one hand. She may have vampire strength at her disposal, but his thousand years and Hybrid nature made her no match for him in that department.
With his free hand he stroked the curve of her neck. "Having that control at my fingertips, them at my mercy. It's a high you almost never come down from. That very few others can beat. Don't tell me you've never felt it, Caroline."
There was no fear coming off from her then, only anger and a hint of arousal at what he had said. She may have impeccable control, but there was no way she hadn't killed before and from the way she licked her lips, he knew his assessment was correct.
Caroline whipped her head back, trying to get his fingers off of her. "Like I said. I'm not eating with you," she told him and he released his hold on her, letting her step back.
"You'll only make the cravings worse until you do. Wouldn't want to lose that precious control and snack on the next child with a skinned knee," Klaus arched a brow at her, seeing the internal war inside of her over what to do.
"It's a delightful feeling, blood directly from the vein. Nothing quite as satisfying as it. Your bags only go so far and make you nowhere near as powerful as you could be if you opted for the fresher diet, the one you're supposed to be enjoying," he continued, urging her to give in, to come out and live a little. While her control was admirable, she was also forgoing part of her nature and at some point that would catch up with her if she didn't learn to allow the monster inside out once and a while. "And New Orleans is a town ripe for the picking."
She didn't look at him for a long moment and Klaus grinned as she took a long breath, hopes rising that she would join him and he could share a little of the world with her. But her gaze was hard as she looked at him, a picture perfect example of her inner strength in the way she stood, openly defying him. "I'd rather die than feed with you."
"Just like you'd rather have died of thirst than drink with me?" he asked, smirking at her. "And look how often we've done that now, Caroline. After all, champagne is one of our things."
"We don't have a thing," she groused, none of the playfulness of the other day in her voice, and he could see her nails biting in her palm as she tried to reel in her emotions.
Klaus simply grinned and turned around, heading for the door. "Feel free to order what you need, but do not leave the hotel." He glanced back at her. "I can find you anywhere, Caroline. Try not to forget that."
"Just like you could find Katherine?" Caroline snapped back and he could hear the slight victory in her tone, thinking she'd brought up something to counter his own beliefs.
"I always knew roundabouts where she was, sweetheart. It became a game to see how much I could make her suffer as she ran, how long she thought she could go without hearing wind of me being near. Watching her safety net be destroyed over and over again. As for you," Klaus told her, gaze traveling up and down her curves. "I'd know where you were for far more pleasurable reasons."
He was gone before she could come up with a witty response.
Leaving Elena alone with Damon wasn't really what he'd wanted to do. Not after how his brother had handled Elena's breakdown. He'd seen her afterward once she'd finished resting and Elena had looked as though she was at war with herself, unsure how to react to anything. It tore him apart inside to see her like that but when he'd approached her she had reared back as though she'd been stung. Stefan knew then that she hadn't forgiven him for keeping her in the dark about the cure, for all that had happened, and had a feeling from the anger in her gaze that she blamed him for Jeremy and Matt's death. It didn't make any sense for that to be the way it was, but Stefan had learned long ago that the thought processes while grieving usually didn't.
But the bodies needed to be dealt with. Taking them from the scene probably hadn't done any of them any favors and they were only going to decompose laying in the back of Matt's truck with a tarp thrown over them. Matt and Jeremy deserved better than simply being buried in the woods, bodies eventually dug up and torn apart by the wildlife.
He stared at the truck trying to figure out the next step when he heard a car pulling up the driveway. Turning, he spotted Liz' police cruiser and pushed himself away from the truck, heading over to her.
"I heard from Caroline," Liz informed him as she got out of the car, the relief evident in her voice and he felt a great weight lift off his shoulders as well. "Klaus and Kol have her but she's okay. For now." The worry was back and no doubt the Sheriff was wondering how her daughter could be okay in the hands of the Hybrid who had not only killed his own hybrids, but the Mayor, and was looking pretty good for a few more murders all in less than twenty-four hours.
"I don't think he'll hurt her," Stefan told her, trying to sound like he meant those words. He didn't think Klaus would kill Caroline, but hurt…he really didn't know any more. "But why does he have her?"
That's what didn't make any sense. Why kill Shane? While he wasn't one hundred percent certain that was what happened, it made more sense than some random stranger having killed the Professor. He just couldn't figure out the reasoning behind it. Klaus needed Shane and Jeremy alive for the damn cure. What the hell could have happened for the Original to destroy his means of getting it?
"Kol kidnapped her on the way to the house. She was his leverage against Klaus to get some things done," Liz glanced at the truck, shaking her head. She had the same suspicions that Jeremy and Matt had been part of those 'things'. "I don't understand why she would make good leverage and she wasn't very forthcoming about that either. So I suggest you start talking, Stefan. What the hell has my daughter gotten herself involved in?"
Stefan sighed. How was he supposed to explain to Liz that they'd used Klaus' emotions against him? That they had gotten Caroline to step into the role to distract the Hybrid over and over again? That by doing so it'd only seemed to increase his obsession with the blonde vampire.
"He wants her," Stefan replied after a long moment, not surprised at the widening of Liz' eyes, the shaking of her head. "I'm not sure if the fact he hasn't resorted to compulsion to get what he wants is a good thing or not in this case. If he'd used compulsion he'd have got what he wanted already and it'd be over." Though Caroline would probably also be dead and how horrible were all of them for willingly putting her in a situation where she could have died multiple times by now? "But he hasn't. He seems to want her to be willing. He's not opposed to using threats though."
Liz looked horrified and he couldn't blame her for any of that. "Why? Why does he want Caroline?" Hadn't she been doing so good? Keeping her grades up? Applying to colleges and going on with her life as if nothing had truly changed? How was she supposed to live anything close to a normal life if Klaus wasn't going to willingly leave it? "What got him so fixated on her?"
"I don't know," Stefan answered, and that was the truth. There were plenty of great aspects to her daughter, but he had no idea what it was exactly that had pulled Klaus in.
Liz's hands were shaking as she grabbed onto the back of the truck, but he couldn't be sure if it was because of fear or anger. Probably a bit of both. "I should have listened to her father," Liz muttered, pressing her forehead against the cool metal. "Let him take her when he left town, but I knew with his life, with his travels he couldn't give her something stable." She pushed away from the truck, the shaking ceasing and Stefan wondered if that emotional control was a trait she shared with her daughter. "At least she would have been away from all of this."
She looked back at the truck, focusing on the tarp covering two dead boys she had known all her life. "Let's deal with this and then we can figure out how we're getting my daughter out of their clutches."
Before Stefan could respond he felt someone come up on them using vampire speed. He went to turn, to protect the Sheriff, but his neck was snapped and he was falling to the ground before he could move a muscle. "Sorry, Sheriff, but Stefan and I need to have a chat, so you'll have to deal with whatever mess this is all by yourself," Rebekah informed her, before picking up the Salvatore and flashing away.
Liz stared at the spot they had been a second ago and then headed to the house. "Get your ass out here, Damon," she shouted as she opened the door and then turned around, knowing the older Salvatore would follow.
She'd deal with the two dead boys and then figure out how in the world to help her daughter.
It had been easy enough for Kol to find the tiny little herb shop in New Orleans that belonged to the witch. He also knew that enough time had passed that Zelda might have tipped her off to his coming. He liked the element of surprise and knew it probably wouldn't be one he could use. Pity. He'd have to get rough with the witch from the start.
He waited across the street, up on the rooftop of one of the buildings and watched the shadows in the store, listened to the conversations, for the heartbeats. There were two women inside and one man. The shop belonged to Nandi and theoretically she should be the last one to leave, but he had learned some time ago that people would leave others to the wolves if it mean their own survival.
Kol focused on the heartbeats instead, noting which one seemed to be beating the fastest, smiling when it's rate increased as the woman left the shop. The other two still inside had slightly elevated rates but nothing like this one. She was trying to get away, fearful for her life. The others were most likely worried about her, not themselves.
Kol waited until she was past the shop and veering down a street, easily jumping between rooftops before dropping down onto the street in front of the woman. "I must say, did no one ever tell you that the whole running thing only serves to give us a rush?" he asked, thoroughly amused by the fear mixed with power that rose from the woman. "Nandi, I presume? I'm simply here to talk."
He raised his hands, palms outward, trying to look nonthreatening. "Zelda's an old friend, said you might know a few things."
"Then why did she warn me of you coming?" Nandi spit, watching him warily and looking ready to bolt.
"I can't really come up with a good answer for that one," Kol admitted and rushed her, pushing her back against the nearest wall. Her head hit the brick, not enough to kill her, but enough to ruin her focus. The only one who would have a nasty headache that night would be her.
"What do you want?" she asked, hand pressed to her head as she let out a small moan.
"I want to know all about your mother," Kol replied, smiling pleasantly at her.
"Because of expression," Nandi closed her eyes, and Kol found the level of disgust in her voice for that kind of magic to be rather amusing. "She tapped into it back in the late forties. Has been repeatedly taping into since then with the rest of her Coven."
"Why?" Kol didn't like the fact that the woman had a Coven. That level of power linked with twelve others could be devastating.
"I thought at first that she was simply mad with power," Nandi sighed, still not opening her eyes. "And she was but what she got from twelve kills wasn't enough. She wanted more. She wants it all."
"Who were her twelve? Were they human?" Perhaps that would shed some more light on the situation.
"No idea who, but yes, they were human. I was young when it happened. But the vampire who did it for her was here a week or so ago. Damon Salvatore. He wanted to break a sire bond," Nandi informed him, and Kol shook his head. Of course it was that one. Seemed he'd need to be paying a visit to the Salvatore house at some point.
"And where might I find her?" Kol asked.
"No idea. I haven't seen her in nearly twenty years. All I know is she's alive," Nandi told him, finally opening her eyes again. She still looked disoriented.
"How do you know that?" Kol inquired, watching for any signs of lying.
"She tied my life to hers. I don't die until she does," Nandi replied, before shutting her mouth tight, realizing what she'd just told him.
"I wonder, does it work in reverse?" Kol mused, snapping her neck before she could speak. "I suppose only time will tell." If it did then that was one less witch using expression roaming around and if didn't then oh well. At least he had stopped the witch from tapping into her daughter's powers.
Mission accomplished as far as Kol was concerned.
After leaving Caroline, Klaus had ventured off into the city. It hadn't taken him long to check in with a few acquaintances, making sure agreements of the past were still fully in place before he sought out a bite to eat. There were establishments that quietly catered to his kind, run by either witches or other vampires who had put down roots in the city. In the hustle and bustle that was New Orleans the fact that someone didn't age like everyone else wasn't as noticeable. Not with the superstitions that ran rampant, that the city thrived on and helped make it flourish. The locals who noticed either benefited in some way from the witch or vampire's existence or they simply didn't speak of it, not wanting to antagonize the spirits that had a hold on the city.
He hadn't wanted a nicely catered meal though. After his discussion with Caroline Klaus had been on high alert, the tension running ripe through his body and he needed to release it before heading back to the hotel. He also knew he couldn't stay away for too long, not wanting Kol to have any more time alone with the girl.
He spotted a group of college students heading back from a bar and one of them waved goodbye to his friends, venturing off in a different direction. He was heading away from the hustle and bustle of the busier streets and Klaus grinned at his stroke of luck, steering towards the young man.
He had always been one for the thrill of the chase, even back when he was human. Of course, back then he had been stalking animals and doing everything after the kill to appease the gods for their bounty. It had been about survival back then and while he did need blood to survive even now, there was no reason to stalk his current prey, to flash in and out behind the young man, thrilled at the rise in his fear level.
Klaus waited until the man's heart rate seemed to drop back to nearly normal, saw that gleam of hope in his eyes as he neared the door to the building, could almost see the young man berating himself for an overactive imagination. Hand just ghosting the doorknob, nearly free, and Klaus pounced, grabbing the young man before he could make the threshold and smiled in greeting. The man's eyes widened in terror, all hope gone as he stared up at Klaus' full on hybrid face.
The man was dead in a matter of minutes, blood drained and Klaus dropped him to the ground, wiping his mouth clean as he headed away and back towards the hotel. He passed by a clinic and stopped, pondering how much favor he might win from Caroline if he was able to procure her a few blood bags for their travel. Keeping her on edge, especially if the girl refused to feed, had its benefits as well, but he had killed two of her friends, had it in his mind to kill another, and it couldn't hurt to try and cater a little to her needs.
The clinic was open and the woman behind the front counter rose as soon as she saw him. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked, staring at his shirt.
Klaus glanced down, noting that he'd been a little messy with his earlier snack. "You won't remember this meeting," Klaus easily compelled, smiling at the woman and making note of the security camera behind him. He'd need to make sure she erased his time in the clinic. "Be a dear and go get me a few blood bags from the back. Preferably B+." If he remembered that was Caroline's favorite.
A few minutes later and he was on his way back to the hotel with four blood bags tucked into a container meant to help keep them chilled. He entered the hotel to find that Kol hadn't yet returned and heard the shower running in one of the suites bathrooms. There was a cart with empty plates and from the smell he knew Caroline had ordered herself a rare steak and eaten the entire thing. From the other discarded plates and bowls, it looked as though fries and ice cream had been added to the order. Klaus placed the blood in the fridge located in the kitchen and slipped out of the suite again, heading down to the shops at the lower level.
Not even a half hour later he was back with a few sets of clothes for his brother, himself and Caroline from one of the boutiques. The shower was off and he heard Caroline moving about in one of the rooms. "I have something you might want," Klaus informed her from the other side of the door.
He smiled at her snort. "Doubt it," she replied.
Klaus looked down at the doorknob and then back at the door. "A lock will hardly keep me out if I want to come inside, Caroline," he reminded her and heard her annoyed grunt before she opened the door.
"What do you want? I personally want to go to bed so this better be good," she snapped, tightening the hotel robe around her body.
He held out the bag that clothes in it for her. She looked suspiciously at the bag. "What could I possibly be giving you in a bag that might hurt you, Caroline?" Klaus asked, unsure whether he was amused or annoyed.
"I'm sure you could think of something," Caroline murmured but took the bag, hesitantly looking into it. She relaxed a little at seeing the clothes before looking back up at him. "Thank you. Even if it is kind of weird that you know like all of my measurements."
"I make it a point to know all I can about what I find captivating," Klaus informed her, arching a brow at the little inhale of breath, the way she held the bag closer to her chest, trying to keep herself contained from him. "There are also a few blood bags in the fridge. You might want to have two tonight and the others in the morning to get your strength back up."
Her expression was conflicted, the uncertainty of whether she should be appreciative or annoyed warring in her face. "Thank you," she told him, the softness of her voice reminding him of that night in the Mystic Falls high school hallways and how she had said it back then. It had amazed Klaus how two words could strike him so hard with their genuineness.
"Did I miss the makeup sex?" Kol asked, causing Klaus to press his lips together in annoyance and Caroline to slam the door to her room shut in Klaus' face. "Must not have been that great. I'm a little disappointed, Nik."
Klaus turned around; his anger over having the moment interrupted only exacerbated by Kol's wagging of his eyebrows. "I looked up to you in that regard at one point," Kol continued, sighing dramatically. "How the mighty fall."
The vase flew at his head, shattering on the wall behind Kol who had easily sidestepped it. "That was a two hundred year old vase. Where is your art appreciation now?" Kol tsked, clearly enjoying the opportunity to rile him up.
"It's about to be jammed down your throat," Klaus replied, his voice much too quiet and Kol knew he shouldn't keep pushing from the malicious gleam in his brother's eyes, but he was never one to stop when he was supposed to.
"I'd think you'd rather be jamming something down hers," Kol told him, flashing to the other side of the room before Klaus could grab onto him. "You really should find an outlet for all that tension. It must be driving you two crazy."
Kol's phone began to ring and he fished it out of his pocket, still quietly laughing at his brother's rage. "Hello, sister," he greeted, pleased at finally seeing her name on the tiny screen. "Fancy telling me where you've been?"
Klaus frowned, knowing whatever Rebekah said would not be in his favor. "He's actually right here, Rebekah dear," Kol continued, all the mirth in his voice gone. "We're currently in New Orleans. Omni Royal. I'm sure we have enough room for you to tag along."
Kol hung up, gaze locked on Klaus who stared back at him. Klaus hated the accusatory look, the disappointment he saw in his brother's expression. "I did what had to be done," Klaus told him.
Kol simply shook his head. "Don't you always," he replied before heading off to one of the rooms, slamming the door shut behind him.
Klaus threw the bag of clothes he'd gotten for his brother, tossed a chair and then a lamp as well, needing to let out some of the anger that was threatening to take over again. Rebekah had to be neutralized. If he hadn't done so they wouldn't have gotten the sword, she would have interfered just as she always did. Something would have gone wrong. Her mind had been too twisted with anger against him that he didn't trust her to destroy the cure just as she had Elena's blood. He would have woken her once his plans had succeeded.
Klaus sank down onto the couch in the sitting room and stared out the window. He heard Caroline's door open, the soft patter of her feet across the floor as she got the bags from the fridge. "Thanks," she whispered, before heading back to her room, locking the door behind her.
Frowning he closed his eyes, other senses still alert to the world around him, and started to think of a few plans for what would happen next, how to manipulate the pieces he knew were in play, and alternatives for when any surprised were thrust upon him. He had no intention of losing out on anything else, not after he'd been forced to destroy his makeshift family. Silas was not allowed to rise and he would do whatever was needed to make sure that didn't happen.