A/N: Sorry for the amount of time it took to update this. End of the school year shenanigans and stomach flu had me down and out. But I'm halfway through writing the next chapter and it is now summer break so I'll try to be better about updating. So many thanks as always to my lovely beta Miranda (livingdeadblondequeen on tumblr) and to everyone who's read, liked, and everything with this.
I will also get back into responding to reviews now, I swear!
Enjoy :)
We look up at the same stars, and see such different things—George R. R. Martin
Caroline breathed in the chocolately aroma as she held the Styrofoam cup up toward her face, following alongside Klaus as he led her down the pathway beside the canal. She knew Amsterdam was famous for its canals and its drug scene, not to mention the Red Light district, which really wasn't all that intriguing to her. But the history of the canals, of the buildings surrounding it, was becoming pretty damn fascinating. It wasn't something she ever really thought she'd take so much of an interest in, but seeing these buildings that had been standing for longer than she'd been alive, most for hundreds of years, was enlightening.
She wondered if they would still be around when she was as old as they were now. Would the stories hold the same meaning for future generations and how many new ones would crop up between then and now? Would she become part of the legends somehow, leaving her mark on history as she moved through the ages? Was that possible? And how exactly did she even want to leave her mark? She wasn't too certain what any of the answers were but she did notice that Klaus was watching her with that damn all-encompassing look again. The one he seemed to use often on her as if he was trying to learn every tiny detail about her.
Caroline didn't think she'd ever had anyone look at her like that, as if she was a puzzle and an answer all at once. She didn't know how to deal with it, how to react to it, and so she sipped her hot cocoa and stopped once she realized people were actually skating on the canal. She'd been ice skating before, but only in the makeshift rink that usually came out for the Winter Holiday Celebration.
She hadn't done that this year.
Nothing about the one this year had gone at all how she thought it might. If anything it had all become one gigantic mess that she didn't think any of them would walk away from the same again. Not even the Hybrid standing beside her.
"It's tradition that once the canal begins to freeze over that no one is allowed to sail on it any longer. The ice is allowed to build up, to become thick enough that ice skating can occur. There is even a race that happens here once a year but I'm afraid we missed that," Klaus informed her as he leaned against the railing of the bridge they were on, looking out at the skaters below. "Perhaps next time."
Caroline pursed her lips at that; not wanting to make a snide remark about how there wouldn't be a next time. This wasn't the start of some world adventure with him. That was never going to happen. They weren't even in the country now to sightsee and have a good time. Except she was tired of punishing herself by denying him his apparent need to show her around while they were stuck in the country, waiting to hear from Lucy.
What was the harm in letting Klaus show her around? He knew about the city, probably knew some of the more interesting places to visit, and Caroline also figured that if he was with her then there weren't any innocent bystanders being killed. Well, except by Kol's hands but she couldn't really do much about that Mikaelson.
"Do you come here often?" she finally asked, knowing she couldn't keep silent forever. It was kind of killing her to not speak anyway. "Because you own a house." And that had to mean he liked the area, right?
"I own a great many houses around the world, Caroline," Klaus informed her, motioning for her to continue on down the bridge. "It's far nicer to have a place that I have already molded into the way I wish it to be for a night or two than staying in countless hotels. I could never truly appreciate my time in any one of them for a good deal of time though." After all, he'd been on the run and staying anywhere too long, especially once videos and the internet were so readily available, was never a good idea. "A few of my residences have someone who lives in them though to keep Mikael from being able enter. Though that's no longer needed."
"So like is it in their name?" Because she was pretty sure it was supposed to be in the person's name in order for vampire's not to be able to enter without permission.
"Oh yes. And upon death will fall back into my hands." He'd only ever done so for the residences he liked to frequent with some regularity though. Most simply stood as they always had, locked up and waiting for him to return. "You'd enjoy the villa in Tuscany. Vineyards. The food. And of course the horses." Or at least there had been some there when he'd left it last. He really should check in on that one and a few others at some point.
"I do like horses," she murmured, dropping her empty cup into the nearest trashcan. "You didn't really answer my question though. Do you come to Amsterdam often?"
"No. I hadn't been here in years and even then I was only passing through. Rebekah was fonder of this city than I," Klaus replied, offering Caroline his arm as he turned to cross the street.
She shook her head, stuffing her hands into her coat's pockets as they crossed. She was definitely not taking hold of his arm. She knew how that might look and so maybe she shouldn't care what random strangers might think of the two of them, but she did care and she wasn't going to project that image of a happy couple walking through the streets. Not with him. Caroline also knew that she didn't want to provoke the beast that was just there under the surface waiting to come out and play.
"When do you think we'll hear from Lucy?" she asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.
"Your guess is as good as mine for that happening," Klaus replied, not expanding or offering up any insights as they continued to walk, and she knew her refusal of his arm had probably annoyed him. Had he seriously expected her to take it? Just because she'd asked him to show her around didn't equal friendship or anything. Maybe she'd done it back at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant but things had changed since then.
"I was thinking of trying to call Bonnie," Caroline started, hoping another angle would get more of a reaction from him.
And it did. Just not one she had expected or really wanted.
Klaus stopped in his tracks, whirling around to face her and Caroline took a step back at the fury in his eyes, caught off guard by it. "Are you mad?" he demanded, and it took her a minute to realize he wasn't asking if she was angry. "Calling the Bennett witch who we know has been dabbling in expression, who no doubt has been snapped up in all that is happening and is playing on the other team—who at this point, Caroline, if you'll remember correctly, is not the one you want to win—might not be the best idea in the world."
"She's my best friend. She wouldn't hurt me," Caroline protested, shaking her head at his paranoia. Which, okay, she could understand it to a degree, but it was Bonnie. She'd known Bonnie since they were knee high.
"Perhaps she was but we have no way of knowing right now if she still is, or if any of the Bonnie Bennett you know is still inside of her," Klaus replied, and she didn't like the sense that he was making. "Dark magic can twist a witch, can kill any of the person she used to be and turn her into something quite useful but also dangerous and eventually they need to be put down. Expression seems to be even worse than simple dark magic, Caroline. You will not be calling her."
If he had just left it off without the whole 'you will not' statement it might have gone over better, but as soon as those words left his mouth there was just no way Caroline was going to back down. "Excuse me?" He could not be serious. "You seriously do not get a say in who I do and do not talk to. Maybe what she needs is her friends reaching out to her to remind her who she is and what's she doing. Maybe she's not caught up in anything and is like looking for me. And Elena." Probably looking for Elena since no one seemed to know much about the doppelganger's whereabouts. "She's stronger than you think she is."
"I'm aware of how strong Bonnie Bennett is," Klaus replied, and Caroline didn't know what to think of him not saying anything about the rest of what she'd said. Of course she had no clue how to actually call Bonnie long distance and would need Klaus' help to do that. Oooooh. From the smirk on his face as he turned, motioning for her to walk again, she knew she'd been right in her thought pattern. Jerk. "Tell me, Caroline, do you know what is going on with Rebekah and Stefan?"
Huh? Caroline scrunched her nose as she tried to even comprehend what he was asking. "What are you talking about?" And how had he managed to so successfully throw her off what they'd been discussing?
He stopped walking for a moment, staring at her long and hard as if he was trying to read her and Caroline stared back, wondering what he was seeing. Klaus nodded once and then started walking again and Caroline scoffed, throwing her arms open. "You need to expand on that! You don't get to just say things like that and then drop it!"
"Why don't we go get you that blood you need," Klaus replied, clasping his hands behind his back, and she just knew he looked smug. Ugh.
"Don't think this conversation is over," Caroline grumbled, but she really did need that blood and wasn't about to turn down finally getting some.
"I'm sure we'll have a similar one many times over the centuries," Klaus mused and Caroline rolled her eyes at the implication. He was just full of those today, always dropping little hints of spending a vast amount of time with her, of always being in her life. It was aggravating.
She wasn't going to play into though. She was simply going to ignore it. Giving it any attention only seemed to egg him on. "Are we going to the hospital?" she asked, trying to steer the conversation back to something she would discuss with him.
"You'll find that outside of Mystic Falls that the larger hospitals are harder to break into without gaining unwanted attention. The security cameras around every corner and security personnel that roam the hallways make it difficult and not worth your while," Klaus told her, still pleased with himself as he steered their direction down another alley. "Smaller clinics or blood drives would be your best bet. Of course, simply picking someone turning into an alley or later at night on the dance floor of a club or in a darkened bar would be even easier and much more satisfying."
"Clinic it is!" She wondered if he'd ever stop trying to get her to drink from the vein. She kind of doubted it.
"They'll have cameras as well, but less staff so you'll be able to compel your way in and out with ease. Also you can erase the tapes or compel that to be done as well. I suggest taking a few extra and we'll be on our way home to put them away. I don't know when we'll next have a chance to stop for more," Klaus continued, leading her to one of the smaller clinics. The sun was setting and she noted Klaus turned the Open sign to Close as they walked inside.
He headed over to the receptionist at the counter and Caroline heard him speak in what she assumed was Dutch. No one else was in the waiting area which was a definite plus. "Caroline," Klaus called, getting her attention and she headed over to the two of them. "Just as I suspected Shirley here speaks English so I think now is as good a time as any for you to practice obtaining your own blood."
Caroline was startled for a moment, not having expected to be the one to do it, but one look at Klaus and she had a feeling he wasn't going to back down on this. And there wasn't any harm here. She would just compel the woman, get the blood, do a little more compelling and they could leave. No big deal.
"Hi, Shirley," Caroline greeted the redhead and leaned forward, eyes dilating as her compulsion started to take hold. "You're going to do everything that I say for the next couple of minutes. But don't worry; nothing bad is going to happen. I swear." She offered up a brilliant smile with that part. "I need access to your stock of blood bags and I'm going to need you to lead me to it. Also a container to carry some out of here in. Got all that?"
"Right this way," Shirley replied, and there was a buzzing sound a moment later near the doorway that headed back into the clinic.
"I'll wait right out here," Klaus told Caroline, sitting down on one of the couches.
She nodded and headed to follow Shirley down the hallway. It didn't take long to get back to where the blood bags were stored and Caroline filled a small transportation cooler with eight bags. She didn't want to take more than that because the stash the clinic had might drop dangerously low then. Eight should last her for a bit and hopefully they'd be another city by then and she could get some from another clinic.
As they headed back out toward the front, Caroline stopped Shirley again. "I need you to erase the footage of the last few minutes and then go back to work. You will not remember me or Klaus having been in here or anything that just happened as soon as we walk out the door."
Shirley nodded; heading into what Caroline guessed was the room that held the security feed while Caroline headed out to where Klaus was waiting. She wanted to knock the smug smile off his face, that look of pride that he was bestowing upon her had her stomach doing little flips and she really didn't like that at all.
"Can we just go now?" Because she was hungry and she also did not want to deal with any praise that might come out of his mouth.
Klaus simply opened the door, turning the sign back to open, and they headed back toward his house. He might not have said a word on the way back in regards to how she'd done, but Caroline could swear she could feel his pride in her actions flowing off of him. And that was just as annoying as him speaking it. Or possibly everything he did was able to aggravate her at times and that worried her because if she was aggravated that meant he could get under her skin. And once that happened how difficult would it be to keep him away from her heart?
Not that she worried too much about having Klaus anywhere near that. Her heart was for Tyler, for the boy that Klaus had condemned to a life on the run and would someday maybe kill. Just like he had killed Matt and Jeremy. Jenna and so many others. What possible hope could he ever have of actually getting anywhere near her heart after all of that? The good he did for her didn't simply erase all the bad.
Klaus caught her arm as they neared the front door, stopping her movement, and Caroline opened her mouth to say something about her 'no touching policy' when she spotted the note taped to the door as well. "Stay here," Klaus ordered and she rolled her eyes at him.
"Is the note going to suddenly set us on fire or something?" There was paranoid and then there was Klaus.
His only response was a narrowing of his eyes as he headed up the stairs and she followed after, letting him remove the note as she opened the front door. She could hear Kol and Rebekah squabbling inside. It almost reminded her of Jeremy and Elena except there were stabbing threats being doled out between the current siblings.
She left Klaus on the porch with his note and headed toward the kitchen to put her bags in the fridge and grab one of them to drink. "And how was the lovebirds little stroll?" Kol called out, temporarily distracted from Rebekah, as Caroline headed past them.
Flipping him off would probably be a bad idea so Caroline rolled her eyes at him instead and continued on her way, hopeful that he'd stick to tormenting his sister and leave her to her own task. Of course her prayers were very rarely answered. "I see he caved and got you some more blood bags," Kol remarked, following her into the kitchen.
"Actually, I got them. Klaus just showed me where to go." Caroline shut the fridge door and sat down on one of the kitchen stools as she began to drink one of the blood bags.
"It's like drinking something flat though. How can you possibly stand it?" Kol asked, making a face at her as she drank. "From the vein its fresh, it's tantalizing. Nothing quite compares to that rush as you devour them."
Caroline shrugged, not really wanting to answer his questions or think about how delicious fresh blood did taste. "Oh come now, Caroline. Don't you remember when you first transitioned, that delightful first human you drank to help you fully change?" Kol continued.
"I actually transitioned with a blood bag," Caroline replied, remembering it all like it was yesterday. "Didn't know what was going on, smelled the blood and really wanted it, so I kind of took it and devoured that. So nope, I'm all good right now."
Klaus ventured into the room before Kol could comment, note still in his hand. "Nik. Did you know that your girl here transitioned with a blood bag? No wonder she's so hung up on them."
Caroline glared at the younger Mikaelson for the 'your girl' comment. "It seems Lucy is ready to meet with us," Klaus stated, ignoring Kol, his entire focus on Caroline again.
"Are you sure that says us or does it just say Caroline, because I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one who she wants to see?" Because Caroline doubted that Lucy wanted to see any of the rest of them again and she couldn't really blame the girl after what had happened in the club the other day.
"We'll be going together, Caroline," Klaus replied, already out of the kitchen with the note that had any of the details that she might need to go alone. "Be ready in an hour." Apparently it wasn't up for discussion. Just great.
"So tell me more about this transition of yours. Bagged blood? You poor thing. Don't worry we'll make a real vampire out of you yet," Kol continued as soon as Klaus had left the room and Caroline sighed, finishing off her bag and wondering how the hell she'd gone from one Mikaelson brother bugging her to two of them?
It had taken Damon some time to locate Elena. Mostly because he had no idea what her motivation was so trying to track her had been a lot of loose ends and false starts. Until he started finding out through the supernatural grapevine about a lot of dead witches cropping up in different areas and some of those witches turning into vampires. Which he'd found interesting upon hearing. Most witches wouldn't complete the transition, preferring to die as witches because it meant they'd cross over unaltered. And these weren't newbie witches; these were Covens who'd been practicing for centuries so he had known something was up.
But it hadn't meant much to him at first, just an interesting tale told while he was trying to locate Elena, to see if anyone had caught sight of her.
And then came the rumors of the one who was killing and turning the witches and the description matched her. Damon hadn't believed it at first, wondered if maybe Katherine had found a new game to take part in, but he couldn't pass up the chance that it might be Elena.
Watching her from his spot in the woods as she stalked a witch home was disconcerting. At one point he might have loved this, been captivated by the ideas of what he and Elena could accomplish together, of how much fun they could have. But he'd been watching her for the last half hour and nothing about her movements screamed anything about the girl he knew. Everything was off, but not in the way it was when Katherine was impersonating her. No, this was just a shell of the girl he was in love with. This was a puppet walking around with her face and her body and for a moment he wasn't sure if Elena was even in there any longer.
He wasn't sure he wanted her to be after he saw Elena tear open the throats of two little kids. Elena Gilbert would never forgive herself if she knew she'd done that. Was this the switch flipped because of Jeremy? It didn't seem like that. There might not have been any emotion exhibited but it just seemed different than that. Worse.
Damon headed after her as she was leaving, easily stepping into her path and blocking her immediate exit from the backyard. The lack of recognition in her eyes as she looked at him was a blow to the gut, but he'd figure out how to fix that later. First he needed to get her to come with him and then he needed to find a witch that she hadn't managed to kill and get them to fix whatever was broken inside.
Elena moved to step around him but he stepped with her, matching her every move as he continued to block her. Anger flashed in her eyes at that. "You need to move," she told him, and while it was her voice coming out of her mouth, there was something off about it. Something sinister that crept over him like a cold breeze, chilling him to the core.
"I can't do that, Elena." He placed his hands on her shoulders, offering up one of his patented smiles. "Don't worry. You'll be just fine." He meant to snap her neck then, to give him time to get her to someone who could fix it all, but she shoved him back with a strength Damon knew she shouldn't possess.
His body smashed through the fence and he groaned as he impacted the ground, thankful that the wooden shard that rammed through his body had decided to hit his leg instead of his heart. Elena had already headed off and Damon yanked the wood out, tossing it to the side as he forced himself to stand, cracking his neck as he tried to ignore the pain. His leg would stitch itself back together soon enough and he didn't want to lose her, not when he'd finally located her, so he headed off after her.
He didn't expect to see Abby Bennett trying to shove another woman into a car as Elena flashed toward them. Damon headed her off, knocking Elena to the side before she could reach her target. He saw Abby watching him from the corner of his eyes, saw her take a step forward as though she was going to help, and he wondered exactly why she even thought he'd need it. He had over a hundred years on Elena, she should be easy enough for him to subdue. That burst of energy was probably nothing more than because he hadn't been expecting it, like when Caroline had managed to hurt him in the hallway after her transition.
Abby stopped though, sneering at him and got into the car instead, peeling out of the driveway with the other woman, not bother to glance back at him. He couldn't really blame her. He had killed her, was the reason she'd become a vampire. Though he thought she should be a little more grateful that he'd chosen to do it to her instead of her daughter. She might have been harder to manage than Bonnie had been though and more vengeful. Not that witchy didn't have her own vengeful streak that ran a mile long; he'd just gotten lucky and Elena usually put a stop to Bonnie ever carrying through.
Damon pushed himself up off the ground, holding his hands up as he arched a brow at Elena who was also rising. "Now, Elena," he started and never got to finish the sentence; she'd flashed forward and snapped his neck, something he hadn't expected her to do.
Elena watched him fall, annoyed that he had stopped her from continuing her mission. It was no matter. She'd figure out where the lone witch and vampire had gone and finish her task. Stepping over the body she headed off down the road, humming along to the sounds of sirens in the distance as she headed off toward her next destination. Somewhere deep inside she was screaming out for her body to turn around, to help Damon, but the voice was quickly squashed, her orders repeating on a loop instead.
Rebekah stared out of the window, down toward the street and watched Klaus head out with Caroline. Always with Caroline. For one thousand years she had more or less been by his side, only ever parted because of his own decisions—usually taking away her own ability to make any by daggering her—and she'd dealt with being second to so many things before. Running from Mikael, the need to break his curse, the search for the doppelganger, revenge on Katherine, leaving her behind to run off to make hybrids, but this—to have her brother finally break the curse, to be the Hybrid he had craved to be and still be shoved to the side and over some baby vampire—it was beyond aggravating.
After the initial scuffle upon everyone waking, the bonding they did once they realized their mother was out to kill them all, and the blow of Finn's death, Rebekah had been willing to put behind her all of the secrets and lies and for them to be a family again. She'd thought that would be what would happen and when Klaus had been ripped away from them, when she thought he was dead, killed by Alaric with the white oak stake, only to find him alive—that he'd saved Caroline over her and the wedge had been shoved into place.
Her foolish dreams of them ever being united as they had been once upon a time were shattered, scattered at her feet and for once she had no desire to sweep them all up and try to put them back together. But did he have to continue to pick her over everyone else? To worry for Caroline above all of them, including his own blood? If she didn't fear Klaus shoving the last white oak stake through her heart for it, Rebekah might have torn the baby vampire's from her chest days ago.
Rebekah didn't like being slighted, didn't like being pushed aside, especially by her brothers. They were hers. Especially Nik—after everything they had endured together, after countless lifetimes of only having each other—and she felt him slipping further from her with each passing day.
It drove her need for the cure, to have it, to take it, and create her own family. To not be strapped to her brothers' lives any longer, but to have her own. To take back the life that had been stolen when her mother had tried to protect them.
"She doesn't want to be with him any more than you want her to be, Rebekah," Stefan commented from the table where he was going through some of the books they'd taken with them from the library.
"He'll eat her up and spit out her soon enough," Rebekah muttered, even if she wasn't entirely certain that was what would happen.
There was silence for a moment, and Rebekah turned, watching Stefan carefully choose his next words. That was another thing she couldn't stand, the closeness between him and Caroline. It only riled her further, had Rebekah wondering why he could get along so easily with the other girl and not want a thing to do with her. The twenties were still fresh in her mind and she couldn't help but wonder if it had all been a lie, the feelings she thought they shared, that so easily developed between the two of them.
The what if game wanted to start again in her head, that constant wondering of what might have happened if Nik hadn't compelled him and daggered her. Would Elena have been an obstacle then if she and Stefan had been together for so long? It was a nasty game, one that she could never win, and Rebekah was tired of playing it.
"Are you sure we should be doing this with Kol still here?" Stefan settled on and Rebekah wasn't sure if she was grateful or annoyed for the neutrality of it.
"His delivery just arrived so I'm sure he'll be entertained by the delivery boy for a while," Rebekah replied, waving off the concern. No doubt her brother would be occupied for a bit. Long enough for them to get a bit more research done before he wandered to where they were.
"The myths about an immortal stretch back centuries before you were created," Stefan said, picking up a few books in various languages. The Latin ones he was able to struggle through because of his own education but the other texts he had to pass off to her, not able to decipher the languages. Thankfully Latin had been common for a lot of the older texts because they had originated in a number of churches over the years, dug up and eventually sent to the library as churches fell into ruin or were closed for other reasons. "But nothing about the Five or a cure."
"I wouldn't expect the Five to be mentioned for a good while," Rebekah murmured. After all, they hadn't come into existence until after she'd become a vampire. "The cure is the part we need clarification on." How much was there? What precisely were the side effects that the witch who created it placed upon it? Magic always came with a price and Rebekah was determined to learn what exactly it was for the cure.
"What do you remember of the story from when you were a child?" Stefan looked up at her from across the table and Rebekah sat down, frowning as she tried to remember the story.
"Not much. I rarely paid attention to it. More interested in trying to secretly wield a sword without father seeing than listening to Ayana's tales," Rebekah sighed. Perhaps if she had there would be more for them to go on.
"I listened," Kol stated from the doorway, eyes narrowed as he observed the two of them. Fresh blood stained his shirt, mouth and hands. "I took them to heart and when I learned they weren't simply stories to scare us into obeying our parents I helped to ensure the first cult of our time was destroyed." Rebekah shut the book she had been looking at, silently berating herself for not having heard him approach. "So what are you up to, little sister?"
"It's none of your concern," Rebekah replied, purposefully not catching his gaze.
Kol sat down on the table; picking up the books and tossing them back down with ease. "Still on about the cure, aren't you?" he asked, and glanced back at Stefan. "She honestly thinks she'd be able to live as a human again." He laughed at the absurdity of the idea. "You haven't been human in a thousand years, Bekah."
"I could do it," Rebekah snatched the book from her brother's hands, baring her teeth at him.
"Compulsion is second nature to you," Kol pointed out, and Rebekah frowned at that. So what if she had used it earlier in the day to obtain a meal. Once she was human she wouldn't need to drink blood so that wouldn't be an issue. "You forget the pains that come with it, the aches, and the limit in your power."
"I don't need power," Rebekah muttered, not entirely certain about that point, but she did believe she could learn to live without the kind of power she had now. There would be no need for it once she was human.
Kol tapped his fingers on the books. "Even if you could get it—which you can't because getting the cure means wakening Silas and I won't let you do that, Rebekah—Nik will never allow it."
"Nik has a new toy to spend his attention on," Rebekah pointed out, jealousy lacing her tone and Kol grinned, leaning forward into her personal space.
"So that's why you want the cure? Because Nik finally found one he doesn't want to fuck and kill but wants to keep?" Kol mused, and Rebekah shoved him away, though her annoyance only grew as he laughed while tumbling to the ground. "Jealousy really doesn't look good on you."
Rebekah picked up the book she had been looking at and headed out of the room, leaving Stefan do deal with her psychotic brother. She headed straight to her chosen room and slammed the door, picked up the vase on the vanity and was ready to throw it, wanted to do so, but stopped herself. She had a feeling that doing so would only prove Kol right in his assessment and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
She placed the vase back down and put the book beside it before sitting down on the bed. It took her a few moments to get her temper under control and the knock at her door nearly ruined all of that as she waited for Kol's voice to start taunting again. "Can I come in?" Stefan's voice asked instead and Rebekah didn't answer for a moment, unsure if she wanted to speak to him.
"Yes." After all, he was her ally in this, wasn't he?
"You know he was trying to rile you up?" Stefan started as he closed the door behind him.
"I'm quite aware of my brother's M.O., Stefan." She'd been dealing with it for over a thousand years. "Is there something else that you need? Because I'm quite spent on discussing my family at the moment."
Stefan tossed a book onto the bed. "I think this one mentions the cure," he told her, nodding toward the book and she picked it up, turning to the page he had marked. "But it's just in passing. I think what we need is a grimoire. Those have history and I think Bonnie's might have more details on it since she was apparently a descendant of Qetsiyah. Or so Shane told her."
Whether or not that was true was anyone's guess, but Stefan had a feeling it was. Could explain why Shane was so interested in Bonnie being the one to teach expression to. "A grimoire that just happens to be back in Mystic Falls," Rebekah grumbled, setting the book back on the table. "I'm sure you see the difficulty for us being able to get there without Nik getting suspicious." Especially with Kol learning what they were doing. She had no clue if he'd let Klaus know or not. He was always a wild card.
"Maybe not right away," Stefan agreed. "I'm sure an opportunity will present itself for us to head back to the States and when it does we make a side trip there." Easy enough.
Rebekah nodded, thinking over the idea in her head. Waiting for an opportunity would probably drive her crazy but it was better than ending up daggered in a coffin again. Then she'd never get what she wanted. "Thank you, Stefan."
"Why don't we get out of here for a bit? I doubt Klaus and Caroline will be back any time soon and I don't want to hang out with Kol's dead delivery boy or girl," Stefan started, and Rebekah looked up at him, surprised he wanted to be around her without them looking into the cure. "You've been here before so I figure you know some places we could look at."
"I do." Rebekah smiled as she rose, pleased when Stefan reciprocated it. "Though it's been a number of decades since I was here."
"We'll make do," Stefan replied, opening up the door for her.
He couldn't be doing this for Klaus. She supposed Kol could have talked him into it but it wasn't really Kol's MO to screw with her in this way. He enjoyed doing any annoying or manipulating all on his own, not needing to use others as pawns in his game. Perhaps Stefan truly did want to spend some time with her or at least get out of the house and she was the only company to take along with him since Caroline was occupied.
What could it hurt to try and have a little bit of fun for a few hours before all of the craziness of their lives caught up with them all over again?
"I'm well aware that the witch won't appreciate my coming along, Caroline. I simply do not care," Klaus pointed out, unable to help but smile as the young woman beside him started grumbling under her breath again. She had put in a valiant effort to try and list all of the reasons going alone to see Lucy would benefit them in their stop Silas' rise mission but he'd easily knocked each one down, enjoying the rise in her temper with each failed attempt. It was a cliché thought, thinking that Caroline was beautiful in her anger, but it was one he couldn't seem to shake.
The narrowing of her eyes, the clenched fists and little curl of her mouth as she practically snarled at him were glimpses of the passion, the yearning of the beast within to be released and allowed free reign and Klaus loved those glimpses, enjoyed pulling them out of her as much as her smile. Even if that seemed harder for him to get from her these days. Considering all that had transpired in the last few weeks it shouldn't have been a surprise that she was less able to do so around him, but he couldn't help how much he desired seeing that smile directed at him again. Having it be for him again.
"You will not be seeing her without me. Not when we've already had at least one witch—though we know it was most likely more because of the power it entailed—try to destroy your mind, to threaten your life. Forgive me for not wanting to let you walk into the den of another who could do the same," Klaus continued, trying to catch her eye, but she was purposefully not looking at him then, and he knew he'd struck a chord with her. Caroline had no desire to endure the torture she'd gone through in New Orleans any more than he wanted that for her.
The ring should protect her but until he knew that Lucy could be trusted Klaus wasn't allowing her to be alone with Caroline, and even then he highly doubted that he'd allow that to happen. It had nothing to do with not trusting Caroline nor thinking she wasn't capable of taking care of herself—though he did think she needed to learn more about doing that—but everything to do with his own protective streak. He couldn't dagger Caroline and tuck her away for safekeeping until the danger had passed, no matter how tempting that idea might have been. So Klaus had every intention of staying at her side to make certain she was fine, whether she appreciated it or not.
"You're so annoying," Caroline muttered, and Klaus grinned, amusement rising as they neared the house Lucy's note had directed them to. "I'd say try not to be all 'growly, I have to show everyone I'm the Alpha' but that'd be like asking you to not breathe or you know something that's impossible not to do or whatever. Just try and remember that we actually want her help so intimidation might so not be the best angle to play."
"I fail to see why it wouldn't be. It's worked well for me through the ages," Klaus reminded, mentally going over his own victories over the past thousand years.
"Hasn't worked out all that well in your little crusade to get me," Caroline countered with a smirk, though it quickly vanished when she realized he wasn't thrown off by her comment, but seemed to be intrigued by it. "Ugh. Just try and not be a jerk."
Klaus stopped her before they reached the door. "Just so we're clear before we go inside. You will not be leaving my side. I do not care if she wishes to get you into a room alone to speak about anything. I am not parting from you and while I will not use compulsion on you—" He watched her breath hitch at that, smelled her fear at the word, and Klaus paused, letting his words sink in and waited for the fear to dissipate. She nodded, watching him and Klaus smiled, hand sliding down her arm in an almost soothing gesture. "I have no problem snapping your neck if need be, Caroline, and getting you the hell out of this house. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," she hissed, angry again and he enjoyed that scent on her, wondered what it would taste like as he motioned for her to knock.
The door opened revealing an older gentleman who quietly regarded the two. "There should only be the girl," he started in Dutch and Klaus gripped Caroline's arm tightly, knowing she was unable to understand what the man was saying, but wasn't about to allow her to step indoors without him.
"Either it is both of us or none will be entering," Klaus replied in the same language, feeling Caroline's annoyance spike at not knowing what they were saying.
"Let them both in," Lucy's voice came from further inside and Klaus could almost feel the barrier that kept them from entering drop at her words.
Klaus kept his hold on Caroline's arm as they entered, focus turning from her radiating anger to sensing how many were inside the building. Entering a witch's household wasn't always the smartest move and while it took quite a bit of power to subdue him, he wasn't foolish enough to think that they wouldn't be able to if they truly desired to do so. He'd simply need to know where each person in the house was located and calculate how long it might take to pry their hearts from their chests before they were able to cripple him in any capacity.
The man shut the door behind them and headed off into a room that had another in it. Two more were located upstairs and of course there was Lucy standing a few feet away, watching them closely. He didn't detect any fear from her, though it drifted through the house from the other occupants. Lucy gave off anger, annoyance, and something akin to acceptance.
"Considering the protectiveness you displayed toward Caroline during our brief meeting earlier I doubted that you would let her come alone," Lucy informed them as she turned and headed back toward a room, leaving them to follow. "Even if I would have preferred it." They entered the room and Lucy waved her hand, causing the door to shut behind them.
Klaus grimaced at the display of power, knowing she was trying to set him on edge, to showcase what she was capable of if pushed to a point she didn't want to be. He wondered what her head would look like on a spike. Perhaps attached to one of the ones outside that acted as a fence around the side of the house. Such a fitting end for a witch of her pedigree.
"Let's cut to the chase, I don't want you here. I don't want anything to do with vampires. Haven't since I ended my relationship with Katherine," Lucy continued as she sat down on one of the chairs, motioning for them to do the same.
Caroline tried to move forward to comply, but Klaus wouldn't release his grip and he wasn't ready to sit down yet either. "But the spirits believe that working together is the only way we'll truly get anywhere with all that's going on in the world. That the rise of Silas is too enormous a risk to let past grudges stand in the way of partnering up for his downfall." Lucy didn't look happy at the prospect of the partnership and Klaus couldn't blame the woman, especially if she'd had the misfortune of working for Katherine.
"I still find it surprising that the spirits don't believe they have enough power to allow you and your little Coven to do what must be done," Klaus commented, enjoying the narrowing of Lucy's eyes at the jab.
"Way to not listen to anything I say," Caroline grumbled, shaking her head at him.
"I listen to everything you say, Caroline," Klaus replied, glancing over at her. "I simply don't always adhere to it." He released his grip on her and motioned for her to take a seat, though he remained standing. "So what brought about the change? What is allowing for this partnership between the children of the Earth and abominations such as myself?"
Lucy leaned back, head held high as he watched her and Klaus knew there was more to it than all she had said. The spirits wouldn't want the team up unless certain circumstances were forcing it to occur and he meant to learn what those particular circumstances were. "Someone or something, perhaps a group, is killing witches and turning them before they die."
Ah. Well then, that certainly made things more interesting.
"Why would they bother turning them?" Caroline asked, and Klaus looked down at her, waiting for her mind to work out the answer to that particular question. "They don't have access to their magic, do they? If they turn into a vampire that's all lost."
"Yes," Lucy sigh. "Whole Covens have been killed this way. All that potential snuffed out and lost forever." There would be no carrying on of those family lines, no way for the magic to pass down to the next generation. It was lost in the wind, possibly never to be picked up again, and definitely unable to be utilized in the near future. It'd take decades if not centuries for the lost magic to right itself. "Whoever is doing it knows quite a bit about witches as well. They're targeting the oldest lines, the deepest rooted magic."
It was an ingenious plan, one that Klaus would have found amusing during another time and place, but even with how aggravating witches could be they did have their uses. "And so you need our help," Klaus replied, grinning.
That only seemed to make Lucy's scowl deepen which he found highly amusing and he curled his hands around the back of Caroline's chair, thoroughly pleased with the outcome. "As you need ours," Lucy bit back. "Or else everyone you want trapped on the Other Side will come back and considering you just spent one thousand years on the run from Mikael I doubt you want him on your tail again." She paused, head tilting to the side as if she was hearing something. "Or so the spirits say."
Klaus motioned at her to continue, ready to get to the point now that they were aware of the need for a partnership. "They also say a number of other things that are vital to what we'll be doing. Another Hunter has awoken, meaning we now have five in the world again. They need to be found and brought into the fold," Lucy told them, and Caroline clenched her hands in her lap at that fact. He had a feeling she was thinking of the Gilbert boy.
Seems his death hadn't quite done what Klaus had hoped it would.
"But aren't they wired to kill us?" Caroline asked, glancing up at him and back at Lucy.
"Their main task is to bring an end to Silas with the cure. Wanting to kill every other immortal in the world was a side effect of the spell," Lucy shrugged, obviously not caring too much about that point. "I am not saying they would be traveling with us, but we do need to know where they are and to make sure they do not fall into the wrong hands. Their mark is a map to where Silas is and while it cannot be seen by our own eyes at the moment, once one of them completes it then it'll spread to all of them for any to see. If they are with those who practice Expression then Silas will be awoken and hell will reign on Earth."
"So we find them and kill them," Klaus replied, though he wouldn't sully his hands with the act; simply compel another to do the deed as he had for Jeremy. He sensed Caroline tense up before him, no doubt thinking of that boy again.
"Do that and another potential will pop up elsewhere, just waiting to be activated and again fall into the wrong hands," Lucy pointed out, and Klaus pressed his lips together at the idea. "We find them, we fill them in on what they are if they don't know, and we keep them away from those who would use them."
"All while using them ourselves," Caroline grumbled. "So we'll just be giving them random vampires to kill to get the mark to complete? Or are we not trying to create the map? Because how are we supposed to stop Silas' rise if we don't actually know where he is?"
"We do what needs to be done," Lucy replied, a haunting lilt to her voice and Caroline shuddered at that, not liking the implication of all that might happen. "But before that can even happen we need the items that will help us actually destroy Silas. Not just keep him entombed, but will bring about an end so this won't happen again in another five hundred years."
"And what might we need?" Because Klaus had no intention of dealing with this mess in another year let alone in a number of centuries.
"Silas's tombstone, which was in Professor Shane's possession," Lucy replied, and Caroline nodded.
"It's probably still in Mystic Falls. It was being used at an exhibit at the High School. It should still be there," Caroline informed them.
"The sword of one of the original members of the Five," Lucy added, and Klaus nodded. He was fully aware of where Alexander's sword was currently resting, having already hidden it for safe keeping.
"We also need Qestiyah's bones which considering how valuable they are in magic have been scattered throughout the centuries," Lucy continued, and then looked at Klaus. "The location of an arm is known though. Collected by someone I'm sure you know. Goes by the name Vincent."
Klaus arched a brow at the name. Oh yes. He knew that particular collector rather well, even if he hadn't seen him in over a century. "Do you think you can get it?" Lucy asked, and Klaus smiled.
"Easily." Once he located Vincent at least. That particular vampire liked to move himself and his collection every few decades to prevent thievery.
"And we need my cousin," Lucy sighed, looking back at Caroline, no doubt trying to connect with Caroline. "Bonnie is a direct descendant of the Bennett line. She's the most powerful witch of this age and she will be needed to actually do the spell to bring Silas down. Even with the full backing of this Coven I can't meet what she'll be able to do with the right tools."
"She's already been lost," Klaus started, wanting nothing to do with a rescue mission for the Bennett girl.
"She's not lost," Caroline glared at him, and he watched that loyalty he coveted shine through her, wanting it for him, not for her to dole it out to another of her friends. "She was just vulnerable and none of us even knew expression was bad. I don't even think Bonnie knew anything about the whole sacrificing part." She couldn't have. Bonnie Bennett wasn't going to go around killing people for power. That just wasn't who she was. "It was more just the power within. That's what Shane told her, that's how he pulled her into it. I'm not giving up on her."
Of course she wasn't, even if Klaus thought it'd be for the best if Caroline did so. Less heartache in the end when the girl died, whether that was in the immediate future or a number of years down the road, Bonnie Bennett was mortal and it would happen. Better to cut the pain off before it could start.
"Let me see if I got all of this straight. We need the tombstone, to round up the lot of Hunters, an arm, a sword, and a lost little witch who may already be too far gone for help. Am I leaving anything out?" Klaus asked, going through the list of all that they had talked about. "All things that I can easily obtain without your help. So I'm failing to see why I should keep you or your Coven around."
"Klaus," Caroline hissed, obviously not liking his threat.
Lucy smiled at him, and that alone was unnerving, the fact that she didn't try any power out on him only doubled that feeling. "Because you need the spell that Bonnie must say and only I have that knowledge in my head. But also because Silas' followers will be doing everything they can to stop you from reaching your goals." Lucy nodded toward Caroline's hand where the new ring sat. "They already got into her head once and as their power grows they'll attempt to do so again, and they might be able to override that protection. They'll go after others who also hate you and help them rise up, build armies to bring you down, and how will you complete your tasks if you're also fighting them off? We need you to help us locate what is needed, for added strength, just as you need us to stop others from getting in your way."
Lucy rose from the chair and Klaus watched her carefully, shifting so that he stood between her and Caroline. "There's talk among the spirits of another hybrid building an army in the US. One of werewolves and their goal is to find the cure and take you down, Klaus," Lucy continued, heading over to a side door. "So you think it over if you want my help or not."
Klaus clenched his fists, knowing full well who that other hybrid must be, and from Caroline's gasp he knew she'd figured it out too. Tyler Lockwood was on borrowed time. There was a lot to go over and while Klaus would prefer to continue on without the witches, he also knew that having them around—not trusting, only using—would be beneficial in the long run. He could always dispose of them later when they ceased being useful to him.
"It seems we have nothing to do but work with one another," Klaus replied, letting his distaste for the situation shine through in his tone. There was little point in pleasantries when it was already obvious how little he cared for Lucy and her lot. He knew the feeling was mutual.
"You can't kill Tyler," Caroline whispered, her voice only audible to his ears. He didn't respond. Not only could he, but he'd enjoy taking that boy's last breath from him.
"I have someone here who's been dying to see you. Well, dying to see Caroline. I doubt she cares much about seeing you," Lucy informed them and opened the door.
Klaus stiffened, ready to tear apart whoever was behind the door when he realized it was Sheriff Forbes. He certainly hadn't been expecting to see her there and from Caroline's choked sob as she pushed past him and headed straight into her mother's arm, Klaus doubted she'd expected to see her mother either.
"Why don't we continue to discuss logistics while letting them have their reunion?" Lucy suggested motioning for Klaus to stay as Liz started to pull Caroline from the room.
No. Klaus was upon the two in a moment, nearly wrenching Caroline from her mother's arms, when Caroline took a step back, one hand on her mother's arm still as she twisted so she could see Klaus, other hand pressing against his chest. His mind was a whirlwind; the only thought blinking through was he would not be separated from her, unsure of what game the witch was playing.
"I think we need to go back to the house and let the others in on what's happening before we get into logistics," Caroline murmured, and Klaus could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
If she had stepped out of the room with her mother there was no telling how he might have reacted and Caroline knew it. The tentative partnership that had just been orchestrated could all crumble to dust in seconds and she was not about to let that happen. Not if she could save Bonnie. Not if her mother could get hurt in the crossfire.
"We'll be going now," Klaus agreed his gaze locked on the Sheriff. "You're more than welcome to come with us, Sheriff Forbes." He doubted that Caroline would appreciate leaving the woman behind.
"I'm not leaving my daughter again," Liz replied, grip tightening for a moment on Caroline before she looked over at Lucy. "Thank you for all of your help."
Lucy simply nodded. "I expect to hear from you all soon. The longer we wait the stronger Silas' followers and Silas become."
Klaus didn't reply, motioning for Caroline and Liz to head toward the front door. The Sheriff turning up was an obstacle he hadn't thought he'd need to deal with. Getting any alone time with Caroline was going to become infinitely harder with her presence. Though he knew he couldn't get rid of her in his usual ways.
With time Caroline might forgive Matt and Jeremy's death, might come to understand that he had been trying to protect her, to protect the world, and himself. But if he were to harm Liz Forbes…that was something he instinctively knew Caroline would never forgive him for. He would just need to figure out how to work around her presence while continuing to try and break down Caroline's walls as well as deal with the rest of everything that was happening.
Not a big deal. He did enjoy a challenge.