A/N: New chapter woo! As always a big, huge thanks to Miranda for betaing this beast and to all of you for reading it.
The 2014 Klaroline Awards are currently happening. There are some fantastic authors, artists, and just general Klaroline fans nominated for a great many categories. I've been lucky enough to be nominated in a few so thank you readers who nominated me. It really means a lot.
And now on with the story! :)
I sit in the dark. And it would be hard to figure out
which is worse; the dark inside, or the darkness out.—by Joseph Brodsky
Klaus had come to know the nuances of Caroline Forbes over his time in Mystic Falls. She had intrigued him ever since he'd stepped foot into the biology lab and found the girl trying to comfort Tyler. She had been beautiful but it was hardly what caught his eye. He'd met countless beautiful women over the centuries and while he had come to find her beauty to be memorizing later on, it was the compassion she'd shown Tyler that had peeked his interest.
He'd known as soon as he entered that she was a vampire and yet there she was openly trying to comfort the young werewolf, no fear at all in regards to her proximity to Tyler. No, her fear had only come into play when he'd offered Tyler the vial of blood. Even then she had tried to fight for the boy, struggling in Rebekah's grasp, trying to be there for him. Klaus had taken note of her inner strength then, of her loyalty, a trait he coveted more than any other, something he still craved to obtain from her.
He had put her out of his head after that for a bit, wanting to create more hybrids once he had obtained the key ingredient, but it had been difficult to drive her completely from it. He overheard far too many conversations between the two young lovers while Tyler chatted to her on his cell or about her from Rebekah whenever he called back to check in on how everything was going in Mystic Falls.
Klaus had watched and waited for an opportunity to meet Caroline face to face with no interruptions and had eagerly taken it once Stefan's vendetta had grown beyond his patience. One fateful conversation in her bedroom and Klaus's fascination had grown into something he couldn't dismiss.
He knew her mannerisms for anger, happiness, sadness, joy, worry, the entire gamut and while a great deal of them tried his patience, he enjoyed the fact that he could pick out the turning of her moods with them. Though the fact that she could surprise him, react the opposite of how he was used to women responding, was both a thrill and an annoyance.
She was currently angry with him, trying to exert her independence, to prove that he didn't get a say in what she did and he couldn't quite blame her for that, knew he was probably pushing her a little too far a little too quickly, but she didn't have the luxury of the timetable she no doubt had established in her head for coming into her vampirism. She had probably expected to take the next decade masquerading as a human, holding onto those trivialities for the sake of her mother and her friends, but considering what they were up against, Klaus knew she wouldn't be able to do that.
Caroline Forbes had mastered certain aspects of being a vampire fairly quickly. Her control was something he'd never seen before in one so young, but she failed at it in a very big way. She needed to realize that she was a vampire and all that entailed.
No, it didn't mean she had to go out massacring entire villages, or compelling every person in sight, but it did mean accepting that she was no longer human, that her new basic instincts were not evil but necessary for her survival, and that her moral compass was going to become skewed. Klaus knew she was already starting to see that, calling herself a monster, killing the witches to protect her mother, but he also saw each and every time she pulled back from it. When she fought off her urges instead of giving into them time and again, not quite ready to fully commit. She needed to embrace them so she could master them because no matter how finely tuned her control might have been it would matter little if she went without blood long enough to snap.
And she was a baby vampire, not even two years old, so Klaus knew that snapping was inevitable. He simply meant to be there when it happened if he couldn't get her to understand that he was truly trying to help her.
He'd seen countless young vampires go crazy, unable to handle what they had become, and while he usually found those ones to be amusing for a time, riling them up and watching them crash and burn before they met a swift end, he meant for Caroline to live for an eternity. It would be difficult for that to happen if she was unable to truly accept what she had become.
Klaus knew she could cope with the harsh circumstances life threw at everyone, had seen firsthand how strong the girl's inner will was, heard enough about the tortures she'd endured prior to Alaric to know she could bounce back if she wanted to, but this stifling of who she had become would do her no favors in the long run.
If she was to be at his side—which she would be, he'd make certain of it—then she couldn't be weak. She needed to be able to defend against attacks, to hold her own, and Klaus would do everything in his power to ensure that she would be able to do so. He knew she'd be magnificent once she gave in, once she allowed herself to truly let go, realized what she had become and embraced her vampirism. He would not stop until Caroline did so.
"I believe this one was built in the 1300s," Klaus told her as they strode through the fortified church, watching Caroline look around.
As angry as Caroline was with him, as much as she was trying to ignore him and everything about him, he saw her glimpses of interest. A gaze lingering a bit longer here or there, fingers nearly reaching out to touch the altar in front of them before she forced her hands at her sides, trying to maintain an air of indifference. Her fingers flexed and he watched from the corner of his eye as she pressed her lips together, trying to stifle the need to speak, to simply let the silence continue on between them.
Klaus knew he didn't need to say anything more. Caroline could only allow silence for so long before she had to fill it up, even if it was to offer a clipped statement about her displeasure. There was nothing for her to find fault with in the church though, aside from his company, but she seemed like she was itching to ask him something about where they were.
That biting of her lip, the glance at the intricately painted details of the church that surrounded them before looking at him and then back at the work, sighing heavily and Klaus tried not to grin, waiting for her to speak.
She looked absolutely delectable with her put upon expression and the swing of her curls as she glanced his way.
"Ich bin is German isn't it?" she asked, nodding toward the calligraphy on the wall to the side of them.
Klaus glanced over at it. "Siehe ich bin bei euch alle tage bis an der well ende," he read off, unable to hide his amusement at the rolling of her eyes at his perfected German accent. "Behold, I am with you always, to the very end. I believe this portion of the countryside was under Saxon control for many years."
"Saxons got big after Rome was losing its luster, right?" Caroline frowned, lips twisting as she no doubt considered her next question, not giving him a chance to answer the first one. "Does it ever all bleed into one? All of that history. Everything ever that you've experienced, just one thing to the next, never really ending, always changing. Even like this—" She swept a hand toward the altar. "It's all pieces of different things, brought about by conquest and change. Is anything here from the actual beginnings? Or has it all been altered too much to really see what was once there?"
"I've found it often depends on the memories I hold of a place. There are some that I can revisit and see what was once their transposed on what is there now." Mystic Falls had been such a place. So much had happened to him and his family that it had been difficult not to see certain images of the past.
Especially the spot where Henrik had died. That one would always be burned into his mind, no matter what might be built on top of it.
"But a dwelling here or there. A building that I glimpsed at one point while traveling through the country has little meaning to me," he continued, motioning around the room. "I've been in a great number just like this one with different languages on the walls, scattered throughout Europe."
He could see the worry in her eyes, noted the way she bit her lower lip, and couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside of her head, what was causing her such great concern. "Change is part of life, Caroline. Adapting, expanding, altering is all part of the world. Humans remain the same at their very core, striving for betterment of themselves and those they deem worthy enough—"
"Or for those they love. Or their family," she butted in, and he arched a brow at that.
"I believe those would often be encompassed in the phrase 'worthy enough', love," he countered, and she shrugged before nodding for him to continue. "They often want better than the last generation and so everything is continuously evolving. Visit one place and come back a decade later and you might see a great many changes but then there will be places like here, like the village we are staying in where change is more gradual."
She nodded, glancing back at the altar again, still looking entirely too troubled for his tastes. "You are correct though that it is often difficult to see the true beginnings of any one place. Usually they are buried beneath whatever came after them. You can often glimpse pieces if you know where to look."
"If I come back here in a century…it could all be gone. All of it. A new city sprouting up in its place like this was never here before. The people just distant memories or not even memories at all. Just gone," Caroline replied and Klaus did not like the sadness he heard in her voice, realization slowly dawning on him as to what she was really talking about.
"There are certain places and people you will never forget, Caroline. No matter how much time has passed they will be ingrained into your head. It won't happen for everyone. There will be many that will easily fall to the wayside, never to be thought of again, but there are those who are irrevocably seared into your mind," Klaus told her, and she looked at him again.
He did not like speaking like this, opening himself in ways that he hadn't done to anyone in the last thousand years. Not quite as he was now. "I don't mean like Mikael," she murmured, sighing a little as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Nor do I," Klaus replied, and that seemed to give her pause, for her to look at him and Klaus wondered how someone so young could seem to be looking into the very heart of him with such ease.
Experience told him to lash out, to draw back and hide the weakness so plainly exposed to her, but he could not bring himself to do so. He knew who Caroline was thinking of and had little doubt that the Salvatores and even the doppelganger were nowhere on her mind in that moment. This was all about her mother and her worry that she would forget the woman. He had never forgotten his youngest sibling, no matter how many times he had tried to over the years. He had never been able to let go of the guilt for Henrik's death, to forget that boy's laughter, or how his breath had come out in harsh wheezes as he died in his arms.
"You won't forget your mother, Caroline," Klaus told her, watching her inhale a shaky breath, hands trembling before she forced her body to get a grip. "You won't think of her every waking moment." Or even every year, but perhaps that was a bit too much to tell her then and there. "But you will not forget her."
He saw her open her mouth to speak, but he also saw another head into the church, the same man he'd seen a few times already during their stay in the Transylvanian country side. Twice was a coincidence, more than that and he knew they were being followed. Most likely by one of Vincent's people but Klaus thought it was about time to let his old friend know that his patience was wearing thin.
"One moment, sweetheart," he murmured to Caroline, bemused by her confusion for a moment before he was upon the other man, slamming him back against the old church wall, feet trying to reach the ground. "I don't appreciate being followed."
"Front. Pocket," the man wheezed out in Romanian, words barely understandable, and the fear coming off of him in waves. He wondered how it would taste in the man's blood, how much sweeter it would be, and Klaus flashed him a toothy grin, pleased as the fear spiked.
"Klaus," Caroline admonished from behind him but all that did was widen his grin. He could picture her crossed arms, that glare of annoyance, and it only spurned him on.
"Vincent," the man continued, and Klaus sighed, reaching into the man's jacket, arching a brow as he pulled out an envelope.
Klaus released his hold on the man, letting him fall to the ground, barely registering the man's mutterings as he turned the envelope over in his hands, smiling at the sight of Vincent's insignia stamped on the back before turning it back over to trace his fingers along the elegantly scripted Klaus. There was something soothing about seeing the old ways still in use.
"What? No dead body as our invitation?" Caroline asked, glancing at the envelope, and Klaus smirked, looking up at her and found that her attempt to look completely disinterested in the envelope in his hands rather amusing. She didn't last long though and was at his side in seconds, nodding toward it. "It's not going to open itself!"
He wondered if she had ripped open the invitation he'd left with her dress in front of her door for the ball. Or if she'd let her fingers linger over her name, arched a brow at the insignia stamped on the back, as she was currently doing to the one he held. Klaus slowly unfurled the envelope, noting the anticipation that seemed to come off Caroline in waves.
Her reaction once she saw what was inside was particularly priceless. She snatched the invitation out of his hands, reading what he knew the contents would say and then offered up her most annoyed look for him. Meanwhile Klaus simply grinned at her, admiring the fire she held within. "Okay, so you went out and killed a whole bunch of people—" she started.
"Three," Klaus countered. Perhaps it had been four. Oh well. That was hardly a bunch.
"Whatever. And all we get in return is an invite to dinner?" she demanded, reading over the invite again. "Was that seriously necessary?"
"Vincent is not a very trusting for particularly good reasons. I doubt he knows of Mikael's death yet and considering Mikael had tried to kill him before, he's apt to be even more careful if word gets out that I'm in the area," Klaus informed her, and looked toward the man who was still waiting around, no doubt expecting an answer to the invitation. "I had to leave him my signature."
"I do not even want to know what that means," Caroline muttered, and glanced over at the man as well. "Uh…you don't have to leave it on him as well, do you?"
"No," Klaus replied, though he did enjoy the man's spike in fear. Seemed the messenger understood at least some English. "Let Vincent know it'll be me and a guest this evening."
The man simply nodded and then hurried away as fast as his legs could carry him. "I think we've had enough of churches for the day. We need to get you a dress for the evening," Klaus informed her, watching as her eyes lit up at the prospect of shopping before she suddenly shut it away, her guard rising again.
He wondered if they would ever stop this damn tug of war that was constantly happening between them, uncertain if he ever wanted it to happen. "Or we could go get a bite to eat," he suggested, hands clasped behind his back as he laid out her options.
"Fine," Caroline muttered, that delightful anger flashing again, and he arched a brow, wondering which she was picking. Either worked in his favor. "Guess we're going shopping."
Klaus watched her head out of the church, admiring the bounce of her hair as she strode past him, air of defiance drifting off of her. No, he definitely didn't mind the tug of war with Caroline, though he wouldn't mind getting to the point where she finally succumbed to him. He didn't expect it'd be too much longer. The girl was practically fraying at the seams, a few more well placed tugs, and she'd come apart, ready to be molded into the fierce vampire he knew she could be.
Waiting for the two groups he'd sent out to come back with any news was nerve-racking. He'd sent them out, knowing full well that they might come up against vampires, that they might run across the Originals. That would always be a possibility until he was able to end Klaus' life, maybe end the rest of that damn family's as well. But it was a necessary chance to take. There would be no cure if they didn't find a Hunter and without the cure Klaus couldn't be as easily killed. One white oak stake still left in the world and the chances of actually being able to find that weren't that great. Chances of shoving a cure down Klaus' throat weren't good either but if Tyler could get the cure then he could at least save himself and Caroline, fix it so the two of them wouldn't die if Klaus was staked.
Tyler didn't show how tense he was around the others though. He knew they were looking to him for guidance, that they saw him as their new alpha. He hadn't expected it but maybe he should have considering how everything had gone down with the other hybrids before their deaths. Whatever unease they might have held for his vampire state had quickly dissipated though, especially once he explained how he would be taking the cure as well, how he didn't want the supposed gift that Klaus had forced down his throat.
He wanted what he saw happening around him. The camaraderie between the wolves, the bond of the pack that had them sticking together above all. He wanted this family, he needed it. His mother and father were dead and the wolves were all he had left.
And Caroline.
He still had her and he'd get her the cure as well. Then the two of them could live their lifetime, make their own family, and another generation of Lockwoods would be able to roam the earth. He could almost picture her swollen with their child, happily smiling as she painted the nursery. She'd be human but that would be okay, there were other humans around the camp now, people who were family to the wolves—lovers, husbands, wives, children. She wouldn't be a wolf but she would belong. He'd make certain of that.
Tyler strode through the camp, making note of the meager supplies, of how they all lived out of tents or RVs. He'd done it with Jules for a few months but he wanted more than that for his people. Why did they need to live like this when the Salvatores and the Mikaelsons lives in mansions? When he'd lived in one?
When all was said and done he'd make certain to work on building them an actual community. Somewhere up north with plenty of land where they could build homes and stop a life of endless wandering. The sun and moon curse was a lie and if all went as planned, vampires wouldn't be a threat anymore. It'd be them and the witches, two groups who hadn't really bothered one another if what the others told him was correct.
"They've found him," Jules told him, breaking Tyler out of his thoughts and he tensed, not liking when her and Mason showed up when he was around the others.
He couldn't reply back to them. No one else was able to see them and the last thing Tyler wanted was for the wolves to question his sanity, even if he had begun to do so. "A Hunter. They've found one and they're on their way back here," Jules continued and Tyler simply stretched his neck, listening to her speak. "You'll need to help him find more vampires to kill in order to complete the mark, Tyler. I'm sure you and your wolves will be able to sniff out some in the nearby cities."
Tyler couldn't help but frown at that, remembering how he'd almost died at the hands of Connor because of being a hybrid. Could he really condemn people he didn't even know to such a fate?
"They're not human, Tyler," Jules reminded him, and his frown only deepened as he wondered if she was able to see inside his head, to hear his thoughts. She was gone though when he turned around to look at her, seeing only the nearby wolves hanging up clothes to dry.
Tyler knew she was right. Vampires weren't human. They needed human blood to survive and hadn't Damon easily killed Mason? Who even knew how many that guy had killed over the years? And what about Stefan? He'd heard vague murmurings about that one's past. Even Caroline had killed once. He'd nearly done it himself while hanging out with Rebekah in the early days.
Killing vampires meant they'd get the cure and he'd prevent Klaus from destroying anymore families and that was the important part. If a good chunk of the vampire population died in the process Tyler would live with that. At least it meant they weren't going around feeding and potentially killing more families all by themselves. They weren't innocent victims, not in the end.
Why else would there have even been a Founder's Council in Mystic Falls? Why would they have worked so hard to protect the town from vampires, sharing the secret of those creatures for generations even if it had been years since a vampire had been seen in the town? Maybe there were a few good ones, like Caroline was, but in the end at the heart of them they were still killing machines who needed to hurt others in order to survive.
He wouldn't mourn any of their deaths. It was a necessary evil. One that he could live with for the rest of his days.
Tyler looked around, spotting those who had become his right hands in the last few weeks. These were the ones he trusted not to be too hotheaded, who would use reason while performing tasks, who wouldn't let their hatred of vampires blind them to everything else that was happening.
"The Hunter is on his way," Tyler informed them as he headed over to where the group was, watching them all rise from their seats.
"What do you need us to do?"
"We need to locate where the vampires are in a hundred mile radius. Don't touch them. Don't alert them to our presence. We're just finding them and when the Hunter gets here we'll let him kill them. And then we'll be one step closer to eliminating their kind from the world," Tyler informed them, smiling right along with them at the idea.
It would be a breath of fresh air to live in a world without the threat of Klaus Mikaelson forever over his shoulder, where he'd never have to worry about that monster destroying more lives. No sacrifice was too great to make that happen in Tyler's mind. Any lives lost meant more would live in the long run and that was what he would cling to in order to do everything he needed in order to destroy Klaus.
Caroline glanced around the foyer to the large estate they had eventually headed to in the early evening hours. Klaus had told her that at one point it had been a fortified church as well, but that Vincent had acquired it years ago and altered it to his own tastes. There was a mix of the old and new, something she was beginning to see happened a lot with older supernaturals. They seemed to take comfort in the old world things they'd collected, to enjoy memories from them all the while relishing in the modern day conveniences they also used. Not that she could blame them. Going without Wi-Fi or a hot shower would have been a pretty big deal breaker for her too.
There was a painting hanging up in the entryway that she was certain she'd seen in one of her history books and was supposed to be in a museum. Wouldn't surprise her at all if it was the original, especially since Klaus seemed to take paintings from museums for his own amusement as well. Like sire like son? Was that even a thing?
Caroline was the furthest thing from Damon who had accidentally sired her, but maybe others were more similar to the vampire who created them. "One day I will know what goes on inside of this head of yours," Klaus murmured against the shell of her ear and Caroline nearly jumped out of her own skin, not having realized he was even that close. His hand on her hip to steady her wasn't helping either, especially because she could feel his arm vibrating slightly from his silent laughter.
"You wish," she muttered, stepping away from him and toward the display, needing distance.
"I do," Klaus replied, and she glanced back at him, swallowing at the honesty she saw there.
Thankfully Vincent chose to make his appearance then. He was young, older than she'd been when she'd turned, but younger than Klaus. Well, they were all younger than Klaus, but in regular old human years she'd wager he was younger than the Hybrid had been when turned. He smiled when he spotted Klaus and headed over to him, clasping Klaus' hands as he knelt in front of him, head bowing which caused his bangs to fall in front of his face.
"My lord," Vincent murmured, and Caroline was taken aback by the reverence in his tone, and by the entire display.
She'd seen the hybrids with their loyalty to Klaus but most people she'd seen interact with him had never behaved in this way toward him, as though he was some kind of king or god. It was unsettling and Caroline didn't know how to react to it, wondered if this was common for those who actually knew what he looked like.
"It's good to see you again, old friend," Klaus told him, waving for the man to rise. "I'd like to introduce my companion—" Oh he was so lucky she didn't scoff at that though she did narrow her eyes a little before putting on a bright smile. "—Caroline Forbes. I expect her to be extended the same honor that I would be."
Vincent turned to her, bowing slightly to her as well though she was thankful he didn't try to kiss her hand or anything else. "It's nice to meet you," she told him, and glanced toward the painting. "I see you take after Klaus with the procuring items that interest you for your own pleasure."
"Considering I was there when Rembrandt painted it I feel he would rather I enjoy it instead of letting it hang around a museum," Vincent replied, and she arched a brow at that.
"Where it could be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people instead? I dunno," she quirked her lips, filing away that piece of information about him knowing the painter.
Vincent laughed, and it reminded her for a moment of Matt, of that carefree laugh he could have when he'd really been enjoying something. A sound she was never going to hear again. "Come, I've had dinner prepared and we can discuss what it is that you need from me," Vincent told them, gesturing for them to follow him.
"Now why do you think I'm here for something? Can't I just be checking in on one of my favorites?" Klaus inquired no malice in his teasing tone. He was simply having a joke with the other vampire and Caroline smiled at that, liking the playfulness. She hadn't really seen him like that with anyone aside from her.
"You wouldn't risk Mikael finding me again," Vincent pointed out as he stopped in front of a doorway, a darkness clouding his eyes for a moment and Caroline had a feeling that he was remembering a previous encounter.
Klaus stepped forward, clapping the vampire's shoulders. "Ah, I see word hasn't quite reached this far east. Mikael is dead by my own hand," Klaus informed him, the joy in that statement seeming to reverberate around them. "It was quite the party, wouldn't you say, Caroline?"
"Wouldn't know. I was vervained and tucked away so I wouldn't get hurt," she reminded, remembering when Tyler had knocked her out.
"Ah yes," Klaus murmured, all smiles and charm and she really wanted to smack him. "It would have been a shame if that dress you were wearing had been ruined."
She pursed her lips, not having realized Klaus had even noticed her back then before glancing over at Vincent who was looking at her again. It was different than the cursory glance from before. He was assessing her now, and she could almost see the questions in his head, no doubt wondering how she'd caught the Hybrid's eye. Though he'd done it at some point as well, so maybe he was trying to see any similarities there might have been in them. Hair color was out of the question considering the other vampire was a brunette, but Caroline really didn't want the question answered any way.
Vincent's smile wasn't pleasant like it had been before; it was twisted and dark and reminded Caroline of how dangerous someone so much older than her could be. But there was joy in it, a corrupted joy that worried her. Would her smiles become like that in a few centuries? Did everything become so much darker and more violent than it had once been?
"Then I believe a celebration is in order," Vincent replied, before clapping his hands.
A handful of men and women were in the hallway almost immediately, all looking to Vincent for orders. "Are you in the mood for any type in particular tonight? I am running low on brunettes," Vincent continued and Caroline felt like the wind had been knocked out of her as she realized what he was asking Klaus.
She took a step back, not wanting any further part in what was going to happen. Surely Klaus didn't expect her to watch them feed from others, he seriously better not have expected her to join in. Klaus caught her arm before she could get further than a step away. His grip wasn't painful, he even brushed his thumb against her arm and Caroline could have sworn he was trying to soothe her fears.
"Not necessary for now, mate," Klaus told him, ignoring the arched brow at that statement but Caroline eased up a bit when Vincent waved the help off before nodding for them to enter the dining room. She felt even more tension leave her when she found that there was actual food on the table to be eaten.
Klaus released his hold on her once it seemed she would no longer try to bolt and Caroline shivered as his hand ran up her bare arm and over her shoulder before settling on the small her back as he led her into the room and held out a chair for her. She wasn't surprised at all that she was being seated at his side. Vincent sat at the other end of the table watching the two of them.
"I am curious, how did you come to meet Klaus, Caroline?" Vincent asked as a woman entered and poured wine into their glasses.
"Officially met would be after he nearly had me killed," she replied, not really caring how Klaus tensed at her choice in their meeting. "Though technically we were in the same room together during one of his little experiments." And of course there was the whole she'd been the vampire initially chosen for the sacrifice but she hadn't actually met him face to face at that point.
"Nearly? I don't think I've ever known Klaus to ever nearly do anything," Vincent replied, swirling the wine in his glass. "If he'd wanted you dead then you would've been dead."
"It helped him get what he wanted to save my life instead," she murmured, vaguely remembering her mother saying she'd stand with him or something before he'd been invited in. She'd been in so much pain and the hallucinations had really started to take hold that she could never be sure if she'd heard that part correctly.
"Hardly," Klaus stated, and she glanced over at him, trying not to react to the intensity in his gaze as he looked at her. "I'm still working hard to get what I want."
She rolled her eyes at that, needing to distance herself from his words and gaze, and turned her attention toward Vincent again. "So why'd he turn you?"
Vincent grinned, and Caroline was thankful to see it was a nice one again, one that could almost lead her into a false sense of security if she didn't know any better. "I was in Venice at the time," Klaus told her, and Caroline nodded, still not looking his way as plates with bowls of soup in the middle were set down in front of them. "Compelling his father who was a wealthy merchant and this one liked to trade for various objects from some of the local trade ships. Objects that his family and others believed to be useless but Vincent could see certain supernatural qualities in them that no one else seemed to realize were even there."
She didn't have a clue what that meant and her expression must have given that away. "I'm talking about pieces of jewelry, scraps of paper, books, and other materials that had spells or enchantments placed on them. It's a rare gift but a good one to cultivate properly when found," Klaus continued, and she had a feeling Klaus meant cultivate for his use. "Quite useful in the long run as well. And something that didn't go away when I turned him after his entire household fell ill, dropping like flies in their rooms."
Caroline glanced over at Vincent, wanting to see the reaction to his family's apparent deaths, but there was no emotion there, only the other vampire drinking some wine. "Witches need a number of objects for certain spells," Klaus told her and she looked back at him. "Family heirlooms or objects that have been spelled by another witch and therefore hold some of her energy inside that they can utilize to boost their own power. Vincent is able to sense that power. It's a rare gift. I've only met a handful of humans through the ages who could do so—usually of a witch line though not burdened with actual witchcraft. It's not magic so it's not severed once they die and are reborn as something infinitely better, stronger."
"It's what I've done through the centuries. I'm always finding various objects that can be useful in one way or the other. Reading grimoires and histories that different covens have left behind when they've fled one place or another," Vincent informed them. He turned his attention to Caroline. "It puts me in a perfect position with a number of witches. I'm sure by now you know that they're not usually big fans of ours." He glanced at her hands. "Though you've managed to get two to provide you with powerful spells in your rings for someone so young."
"I'm just lucky like that," she murmured, taking a sip of her wine as she tried not to show how vulnerable she was feeling under his gaze. Caroline knew Klaus wouldn't allow anything to happen to her and neither would she allow it. She was so done with being the victim.
"Witches or I suppose I should say those drawn to dark magic, usually end up finding me for one reason or another. After they complete a service for me—usually in up keeping the boundary spell around my house for a few years—I allow them to take what it is that they want from my collection. Within reason," Vincent continued, and Caroline frowned at that, wondering how much damage such an arrangement would have caused throughout the years. "There are always a few who try to simply take without giving but entering my vault without a proper invitation results in death. Had a witch who fancied me centuries back put that into place on the cavern where I hold all that I've acquired."
"I always did like that spell," Klaus stated, raising his glass. "Their screams as they burst into flames were always highly amusing."
Caroline didn't laugh along with the two, focusing her attention on eating some of the soup instead.
"I have a number of witches currently in my employ if you need to satisfy a craving or two," Vincent offered before taking a drink of his wine. "There's one in particular that I think you'd like. Fairly submissive and extremely flexible."
Caroline tried to ignore the annoying ball of jealousy she could feel stirring inside of her stomach, tried to squash it into a bug and realized that instead she was mangling her spoon. She tucked it underneath the bowl, hoping neither of them had noticed saw Klaus watching her and she focused on pushing her hair back, on the half-eaten soup, anything so she could avoid seeing whatever emotion was on his face.
"That won't be necessary," Klaus told him, his tone sounding entirely too bemused for her taste and she looked over at him, so ready to tell him to go ahead because he wasn't satisfying any cravings any other way, but her voice caught in her throat at the almost tender look he was directing at her before he offered up his soup spoon for her to use.
Caroline shook her head and focused her attention back on Vincent who was curiously watching the two of them. "I apologize," Vincent started. "I did not realize…" He let his voice trail off and raised his glass to her, bowing his head like he did when addressing Klaus and Caroline didn't like that. She didn't want to be treated in the same manner as he treated Klaus. She wasn't with Klaus.
"But to continue on with what I was saying, the witch who fancied me was actually the one that led me to the witch line I turned Kol toward. The one he followed for nearly two centuries all those years back. I guided him in the right way," Vincent nodded toward the woman standing in the shadows who headed over to him, refilling his glass. "Toward the ones who knew of the Silas myth and would help him see the horrors that could arise if Silas was allowed to awaken."
Caroline froze at that. They hadn't even mentioned Silas or Kol. For all Vincent knew Kol should have been still daggered in a box. She could feel Klaus tense beside her as well. "That is why you're here," Vincent told them, setting down his glass. "To finally put a stop to Silas. I wondered how long it would take for all of the variables to be put into place."
"Explain, Vincent. I would so hate to hate to leave you on this table with your entrails spread out for your help to find," Klaus replied, the fury in his voice startling even Caroline. "You know I hate not being informed."
"It was not time for you to know," Vincent replied, seemingly unshaken by Klaus' threat. Though Caroline did notice the slight tremble of the vampire's hands as he leaned back in his chair. "Mikael needed to be dead, you needed to have broken your curse—which I am guessing has happened? A Bennett witch to rival Qestiyah needed to be born and there hadn't been one of those in centuries. I had thought it was going to happen when you found the first doppelganger but we both know how well that one went."
Caroline bit her lip, wondering if Vincent knew how little he was helping his situation as he continued to speak. She swore that she could feel Klaus' anger rising, that any second he would be leaping across the table to rip out the man's tongue and they needed him alive so they could get the bones. She reached over and placed a hand on Klaus' arm, squeezing gently. She hadn't been sure it would do any good, that he wouldn't rip his arm away and turn his anger onto her, but she had to try something to calm him down. It didn't sound like Vincent was going against them, just that he hadn't been as forthcoming as Klaus would have liked over the years.
Thankfully Klaus simply placed his hand on top of hers and Caroline could sense the anger receding a little, even if the Hybrid was still glaring at the other vampire. "I did not mean any disrespect, my lord," Vincent finally said, realizing the bind he was in, and bowed his head. "I have what you need. I also have a Bennett grimoire. There are very few of them in existence but this one went with the part of the family that headed toward Haiti instead of north into Salem. I believe you may need it as well."
"How is it that I am only now learning of Silas being such a threat? Why did you not keep me in the loop over the years when obviously you've known of this for some time?" Klaus demanded, that rage rising again, and Caroline squeezed his arm as she tried to decipher the best move to make.
"I did not think much of what all I was reading at first. I thought it a mere children's tale, one that had been passed around and altered, just as Cinderella is nowadays. But it was in every grimoire I found, told in a number of ways, but the basics were always there. At first I said nothing because there was nothing to say. Only scraps that I picked up through the years," Vincent explained. "Eventually I put it all together and have waited for all the factors to come into play."
"And once you had figured it out, why did you not inform me?" Klaus asked his voice hard and demanding.
"Would you have cared at that point about any of it? When you were staying two steps ahead of Mikael and searching for a way to break your curse? Was that not your priority?" Vincent swallowed, head bowed again.
Klaus pressed his lips together, unable to deny the truth to those words and Caroline knew it as well. He wouldn't have paid attention to some myth when his focus was so singularly cut. "Let us eat and you can start your penance by telling us every little detail that you've learned over the years about our current predicament," Klaus released his hold on Caroline's hand and picked up his wine glass. "But know this, Vincent; if you ever keep me in the dark again I will make your death last years."
Caroline shivered at that, the adamant nature of his voice leading her to believe every word of it. He'd chased Katherine for centuries, she didn't doubt for a second Klaus would draw out a death to last for a while as well. It made her think of Tyler and what life he was going to live, always looking over his shoulder.
She couldn't think of him now though, she needed to listen to what Vincent had to say so she'd be just as informed as Klaus, because he couldn't hold all of the cards. She wouldn't let him.
The entire drive to the airport, during the flight, and even while heading to the hotel that Elijah and Katherine were currently staying at, Stefan had tried to calm Rebekah down. It had been a valiant effort, he even thought he'd succeeded a time or two, but something always seemed to set her off on a tirade about her brother and he could swear that he was going to have the world's worst headache before it was all over.
It was a nice respite from the constant worrying he was doing though. Focusing on keeping Rebekah calm meant he didn't wonder why his brother wasn't answering any of his phone calls, it stopped him from worrying about Elena and where she was, or Caroline…he was worried the most about her. She was with Klaus and Stefan knew the Hybrid would use the time alone with her to try and…he wasn't even sure what to call it? Win her over? Seduce her? All Stefan knew was that Klaus wanted Caroline and considering the Hybrid hadn't given up in a thousand years at breaking his curse, he had a feeling Klaus wasn't going to give up on having his friend.
How was he supposed to protect her from that? He hadn't even been able to protect her from his brother back at the start, but he'd made a vow to himself when she'd transitioned that he would help her and while he'd faltered on that on more than one occasion he did care for Caroline. He didn't want her caught up in the insanity that was Klaus Mikaelson. Stefan didn't have a clue either how to set her free from the Hybrid either, had a feeling that was going to be entirely up to Caroline somehow.
But his worries didn't matter at the moment and he wished he'd been paying a little more attention to Rebekah's mood swing as they entered the hotel lobby. Thankfully she didn't use her speed when she spotted Elijah, but her fury was easily recognized as she headed straight toward him and Katherine.
Stefan tried not to grin at the sight of a scared Katherine Pierce. After all the chaos and destruction that woman had infused in his life he couldn't help but be a little amused to see her take a step behind Elijah, even if she did have on a rather good stoic game face.
Stefan strode over to them, shaking his head as he came to stand beside Rebekah. "Where is it?" she demanded, sounding and looking every inch like a petulant child who had been denied some favorite toy.
It was amazing how she could be this strong, independent woman away from her brothers, but once there with them seemed to become switch to the role of the spoiled younger sibling they all deemed her to be. One thousand years and each of the Mikaelsons were clearly locked into the role they had taken up centuries before. "It's perfectly safe, Rebekah," Elijah started, stoic as ever, but Rebekah didn't seem to be having any of it.
"That's not what I asked. Where is it?" she demanded, and Stefan arched a brow, wondering if she'd start stamping her foot soon. "Why do you even want it?"
"I want Katerina's freedom," Elijah started, and Stefan inwardly groaned at that as he looked over at the woman in question. She was practically preening at the words and Stefan knew this wouldn't end well. "She's been on the run long enough and it is time for Niklaus to let her go. We will get the cure and trade it in for her life."
"He doesn't want the cure, you idiot," Rebekah replied, her venomous tone taking even Stefan by surprise. "It's far bigger than that and perhaps if you'd bothered speaking with your family instead of entertaining that harlot in your bed you'd know what is really happening."
Katherine looked ready to say something in reply but Elijah held up a hand, silencing her. "Perhaps if you stopped with the theatrics and explained it to us we would be better informed, sister."
Stefan knew that reply wasn't going to help, not when Rebekah was already tightly wound. He didn't expect her to huff and storm off, leaving him alone with her brother and Katherine. He probably should have expected it considering her current state of mind. He knew she was having doubts, had seen them a few times in her expression and body language when the word cure was spoken.
"She'll be back," Stefan stated before looking back at the other two. "I can fill you in on all of the details while she…cools off."
"By all means, we can speak out on the back patio," Elijah motioned toward the doors that led outside and Stefan nodded, letting the two of them go first.
He grimaced at Katherine who looked over her shoulder at him, her expression a mix of amusement and danger. He knew that look. It was her 'don't screw this up for me' look. Never a good one because in the end Katherine Pierce was always a survivor and Stefan knew she would have no issue ruining everything if it meant she got her way. No matter who got hurt in the crossfire.
The remainder of dinner with Vincent didn't reveal any further surprise information and Klaus wondered if the other vampire knew how grateful he should be for Caroline's presence. Without her there he wasn't sure he wouldn't have already spilled blood, ripped out the boy's tongue and killed every other living being in the household. Vincent had always been loyal, more so than any of the others he had personally turned over the centuries, and the mere thought of him having withheld information, of betraying him even if he did understand why the vampire had done so, was enough to set Klaus on edge.
It hadn't been that long ago that he had killed all but one of his hybrids, slaughtered the lot of them because they thought they could take him down, because they had thoughtlessly spat at the gift he had so graciously given them. He still had half a mind to come back later in the night when Caroline was asleep and give Vincent a lesson he'd never forget about keeping things from him ever again. Not kill him, but ensure he learned from his mistakes.
Dessert was being served, some chocolate concoction that he barely paid attention to but Caroline seemed quite intent to try out. Klaus continued to play the part of being relaxed, of having already forgiven the other vampire, but he could tell from Vincent's glances at him, that nervous tension that ran through him causing the boy to shiver every so often that Vincent did not buy into it. He'd always been rather observant.
"How much longer will you and Caroline be in Romania?" Vincent asked, trying to change the subject to something that might lessen the tension between the two of them. It was a noble effort. "Will you be taking her to the false location of Dracula's castle?"
"False location?" Caroline asked, frowning slightly at that as she ate her dessert. "Why would anyone go to it if it's not the actual place?"
"Tourists are thirsty for vampires and it resides in Transylvania. It looks enough like their own imaginings of what Bram Stoker put out that they go along with it for the photo opportunities," Vincent replied, and she nodded before looking over at Klaus.
"We don't have to see that," she assured him, and Klaus arched a brow at that. "The real thing is enough for me."
Klaus was about to reply, to make a comment about how she was far superior to Mina anyway, when a woman entered the room. Her presence had him on alert as she didn't quietly come inside like all of the servants. No this one burst in and he found himself unable to move before he could even react. The spelled rings should be working if she was trying to get inside of his mind like the last set of witches had, but it seemed that Vincent was still able to move as he was rose as soon as the woman entered and Caroline had placed her spoon down, looking bewildered.
"Why are you here, Gertrude?" Vincent demanded, narrowing his eyes at her before looking at Klaus. He seemed to get the hint by Klaus' narrowed eyes that something was wrong. "These are my guests, they are not to be harmed."
The witch's response was to wave her arm at him and send the vampire flying across the room, slamming into the wall. Caroline rose and the witch turned toward her, waving again except nothing happened to her. Seemed that her ring was working just fine. Curious how his wasn't.
"What are you doing?" Caroline demanded, and Klaus was impressed as he watched her vampire features come into play, the veins around her eyes appearing as her gaze darkened.
"Our lord will rise and his rule will reign," the woman replied and the door opened again, more witches piling in and chanting.
Oh how Klaus despised the chanting. He was going to rip out all of their vocal chords first just to stop that incessant noise.
"Ugh. Seriously? You'd think witches would be harder to corrupt. Power is so not all it's cracked up to be," Caroline muttered, trying to figure out who to attack first. Or should she just grab Klaus and make a run for it.
She opted for choice two, grabbing hold of him but she couldn't move him even with all of her added strength. It was like he was bolted into the floor and she groaned at that, offering him a sigh which had him grin before nodding toward the witches. She never got a chance to head that way though, her focus returning to him as he began to twitch.
Klaus muscle ached as if they'd been through quite the workout and then ever so slowly he felt his bones begin to break and shift. Something he hadn't experienced in months since he'd deliberately shifted into his wolf. He felt no pain with it but fear registered in his head as he looked at Caroline who seemed to also be realizing what was happening as his shoulders twisted and the cracking sound reverberated through the room.
"Oh god," she murmured, running a soothing hand down his back and he wondered if she'd done this before for that annoying pup Tyler.
"You were warned off doing this and now your fears will come true," the woman told him and Klaus narrowed his eyes at that, trying to fight the transformation.
He knew what she spoke of, remembered the nightmares vividly in his mind. Caroline dying as his wolf attacked her, tearing into her flesh with him unable to reel in the beast. He couldn't allow that to happen.
"Once you've lost her to this," the woman continued and he wanted nothing more than to tear out her throat, to rip her and the others limb from limb. "You'll only ever be able to get her back by helping Silas lower the veil."
Caroline's eyes widened further at that and Klaus saw the fear in her eyes at the woman's words, could smell her terror and needed it to go away. The beast inside craved that fear, wanted more of it and he needed her out of there and far away until he could force himself back to normal.
Klaus felt the push he'd felt all those nights ago when his dreams had been invaded, felt whoever was in there trying to twist his thoughts and desires, to change his mindset from protecting the baby vampire to destroying her. He tried to fight it, but fighting that and the transformation was too much to handle. He was going to need to pick one or the other and wasn't sure he could fight the voice in his mind once he was a wolf even.
The witches were so focused on forcing his transformation that they didn't notice Vincent rise. Klaus worried that the vampire would make a bad move and try to attack the witches. He might get one of them but there were too many at this moment and all it would do was delay the inevitable for a few moments. He watched as Vincent grabbed Caroline and flashed them out of the house. For a moment she was safe, but he felt the madness trying to take hold of his mind as he completed the transformation, telling him to locate them and to do what was needed, to tear the little girl into pieces.
Caroline.
Klaus let out a deep howl before he set off in the direction the two had gone, easily locking onto her scent, determined to find her, but unsure which instinct would win out once he did.