Sorry for the wait. I'm a med student, so please be patient with me. Sorry for any mistake, this is not beta-ed. This chapter is a filler, but the Klaroline is coming! Thanks to those who reviewed and followed.

Another dawn, another day.

Life was weird for her. Or maybe it wasn't. She couldn't recall how life was before, so she couldn't actually know if the way she was feeling was different than what she usually felt. Everything was strange and foreign. She felt lost, but excited at the same time. And that worried her, because she was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to feel excited.

Her room was nice. Comforting. It was a bit anonymous, but that peculiarity was actually the only thing that fit with her. She was anonymous. She was no one.

She thought of the three men she saw the day before. They seemed friendly and she felt comfortable with them. She half expected them to pop up into her room, she anticipated it. She looked around. She was alone.

Finally alone. Calm and peace. All by herself, alone with her thoughts. There was so much to think about, so many unanswered questions, so much she wanted to know, so much she didn't know and probably will never know. Where was she? How did she get there? Who were those men and what was her connection with them? They clearly weren't friends nor family, so how came she was in their home? Who was she? Who did she want to be? What was she going to do with her life? So many deep, hard and significant questions, and so much time to think about them.

She looked out the window. The sun was shining so bright, part of her still thought it unnatural, scorching the dunes, its morning rays lashing at the red sand, the ever changing downs strained under its incessant suffocating warmth. She sighed. Ah, the peacefulness, the silence of it all. The perfect way she could hear her thoughts as if she was talking out loud…

She got up and almost ran to the door. She threw it open and found herself walking briskly down the hall aimlessly. The walls were painted a deep gray, the floor was covered in a blood red carpet, soft and warm against her bare feet, muffling the noise of her walking, the doors were white, a stark contrast to the charcoal of the walls and the burgundy of the floor, but it all seemed to fit harmoniously together. On the walls were hanging some medium sized paintings and some black and white pictures, neither portraying people, but beautiful, impersonal landscapes. But then, maybe they liked to keep the more personal and familial ones in their bedrooms, or somewhere not so exposed, she mused. At the end of the hall there was a large window, without curtains, from which she could see the garden below her. She didn't know there was a garden. It was probably artificial, given their environment, but it was still magnificent, lush and so green, with palms and flowers, adorned by four massive white fountains placed symmetrically through the garden, spilling crystalline water incessantly. It was luxuriant.

She noticed Niklaus walking through the green grass, in the shadows of the thick plants that run along what she imagined to be the borders of the garden, although she wasn't really sure. He was intent, focused almost, dressed in the same dark jeans her wore the day before and wearing a white V-neck shirt. Wasn't it too hot to wear long sleeves? She mused. He didn't even appear to be sweating. He was walking incredibly slowly, a hand reaching out from his side to brush the trunks of the plants, caressing them, his eyes far away, is face serious, almost murderous, oblivious to the antithesis he was creating with the happy, flourishing garden he was in.

Maybe he felt he was being watched, his animalistic part, his ancestral instincts kicking in, but is eyes ran to her, his head turning up quickly but with purpose, as if he knew exactly where to watch, were to stop, to her direction, and he stared at her.

He was not that handsome. His ears were sticking out a bit, his nose was little and feminine, as his lips, so incredibly full and pink, his cheekbones were so high and jutted out you could clearly make out his skull. His eyes were hooded, their shape making his gaze seem sad. He wasn't what most people would probably call attractive by standard canons.

But she couldn't look away. His eyes were simply magnetic. She simply stared into them, even from a distance, and she focused on him, completely unaware of anything else but his face. There was no more garden, no more sun, no more warmth, no more noises. She was in a sort of trance, and for the first time in what she could only guess was a long time, she felt relaxed. Looking at him was relaxing. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, every single muscle of her body relaxing, melting. Then, something caught his attention, probably someone calling him, and he looked away and walked out of her sight.

She resumed her wandering in the house. House…palace was the only word that could describe the building she was staying in at the moment. It was all white marble and luxurious carpets, dark wooden furniture and large windows. They must have been billionaires, if they were the owners of the house, as she suspected. But then again, she didn't really know anything about them, not even their last name. But then again, she didn't even know hers so…

Just when sadness and dejection were about to wash over her, she heard music, faint but distinct, coming from upstairs. She reached the stair and walked up the flight, standing in the middle of another hallway, this one painted in soft beiges and earth tones, the doors a warm wood. She followed the sound, wondering how high the volume must be for it to be heard all the way downstairs. She stopped in front of a large, massive wooden door. She pondered knocking, but then decided it would have been useless since no one would have heard it above the music. She grasped the gold colored knob (she really wished for it to be just the color of the precious metal and not actual gold), turned it and opened the door. Thankfully it wasn't a bedroom, but seemingly a study. It was very dark inside, despite it being the middle of a sunny day, thanks to the closed curtains, she noticed. Everything was made of mahogany, the carpets were burgundy with gold designs embroiled and the curtains were a rich brown. It looked very…ancient. Yes, ancient was exactly how it looked. The burning fire crackling in the fireplace in front of her drew her attention (Seriously? A fireplace in the middle of the freaking desert?) and she took in the library stacked with books at her left, and the two large empty deep green velvet armchairs and the long black leather sofa beside them. The music was coming from her right, from one of (she supposed) the most technological and expensive stereo she had ever seen.

She entered the room and approached the stereo, staring at the spinning CD and wondering how it was possible for her eardrums to still be intact at that boisterous volume. Must have been the carpets or the curtains or maybe the room was planned so to have the best acoustic.

"May I help you?" came a voice out of nowhere, just as the music stopped abruptly. She gasped, her hand went to her chest and she felt the adrenaline rush through her limbs. Okay, so maybe the room wasn't as empty as she thought.

She looked at the dark haired man, nestled in the armchair, a glass of some amber liquid in his right hand amd a controller in his left one, that was staring at her pensively, his thoughts and emotions unintelligible behind that static mask.

"Elijah, right?" she asked tentatively.

"Right" he responded in the same foreign language she used, "Is there anything you need?".

She shook her head, a tight smile on her face "Oh no, thanks. I just heard the music and was curios. Sorry, you wanted to be alone and I just, sort of, barged in" she motioned with her hands the opening of a door, and chuckled awkwardly. He kept looking at her enigmatically. God, why was he looking at her like that?

As if reading her thoughts ( or maybe he just picked up on her obvious discomfort), her gave her a tiny smile, "You didn't barge in. I probably wouldn't have heard you knocking. In fact" he added, sighing "I didn't heard you at all. Had I not seen you, I would have never guessed we were sharing a room".

Wow, what a wonderful voice. So calm, so suave…it could lull you to sleep. And that accent… she thought. It was weird how just a sound, in this case the sound of his voice, could relax her and put her at ease, even if not completely. She didn't think someone could truly feel at ease around someone as authoritative and collected as Elijah.

"The first prelude and fugue of the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier" he said after a brief pause.

"What?" she furrowed her brows, confused by what he had just said.

"That's the music I was listening to. The Prelude and Fugue in C Major, by Johann Sebastian Bach" he said the last part of the name pronouncing the -ch aspirate, true to the original and correct German pronounce, "Although many know it as the Ave Maria, since Charles Gounod used it as a setting to that melody", he concluded.

"Wow", was the only (lame, by the way) thing she managed to say. Yes, it would be impossible to feel at ease around him. "Well, it's very nice", Oh God lamer and lamer.

He chuckled, amused by her choice of words "Yes, very nice indeed", he agreed. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, his eyes never leaving her.

"Uhm, no thanks" she said, standing there. She probably should leave, but it felt almost rude to just leave him there. Although he was there, alone, when she entered, so maybe he was just waiting to be able to be alone yet again and wouldn't consider it rude if she just excused herself and left the room. But it kind of seemed to send the message "I feel home, this is my place and I come and go as I please", and maybe it was stupid to think that but- "Would you like a drink?" he asked, interrupting her irrational flow of thoughts. A much appreciated interruption.

"Yes, thank you", she sighed, smiling.

He walked toward what must have been the bar, and took out a crystal glass, his eyes gliding over the various bottles "What would you like?" he asked, out of instinct.

I wish I knew, she thought, but instead said "Whatever you decide it's fine for me", and she sat on the armchair, while he sat on the one he was previously occupying, handing her the drink. She took it with a smile and sipped it. And almost chocked. It burnt. And it smelled nice, but it didn't taste good. It was bitter. Bleah. She made a face, and it didn't escape Elijah, who smirked. "What is it?" she asked, still trying not to cough.

"Whiskey" he simply replied, smirk in place. How embarrassing, she should appreciate what he had offered and not be a baby about it and making faces. "One of the finest actually. But, as it seems, you are not a whiskey girl" he decided. Leave it to her to have the opportunity to taste something rare and good and not be able to recognize and appreciate its quality. How embarrassing, again.

"Yeah, it seems so. Sorry" she said offering a small smile as an apology, putting the still quite full glass on the coffee table in front of them.

"Do not be. De gustibus non disputandum est, after all".

She didn't have to voice her confusion this time, her expression was telling enough, "It's latin. It means: you cannot judge other people's tastes. Not just about food or drinks, Horace was referring to opinions and beliefs too" he explained.

"Are you a teacher or something?" she asked, genuinely curios.

He let out a small laugh "No, no, nothing of the sort. I work for the family business" he said.

"What kind of business?", she wanted to get to know those people who were providing for her and had been so kind to her.

"Telecommunications. Expression Inc. is the name of the corporation. Our father founded it and we all work there. We deal with mobile phones, Gps, we develop software… things like that".

She nodded, not really grasping the meaning of his words "Things like that..".

He looked at her, observing "We are using our software to search through databases for you. We often work for governments-"

"Governments?" she asked, confused by the plural.

"Yes, governments" he stated and the continued "So we have some connections and access to some of thei databases. We think we'll be quicker than local authorities. It could take months before your case is taken care of and they actively start searching for you with the proper resources".

She nodded, not sure what to make of it. Should she be worried they were not going through authorities? Should she feel grateful? Relieved? She hadn't really thought much about what to actually do in order to gain some answers, the thought of going to the police never once crossing her mind. Elijah's speech, however, seemed logical and made sense. It sounded like a good course of action, so she didn't complain. Even if she did, what would she complain about? And what would her alternative be? She didn't have an alternative. May as well go with the flow.

"Thank you Elijah." she said, her voice a whisper, small and full of emotions that she couldn't decipher. "I know I am a problem, and I am so sorry to bother you and your family. You are being so kind to me, providing for me, spending I don't even want to know how many money on me, and you don't have to. But you're doing it anyway. And I know that's not a common behavior , so" she looked him square in the eyes, nailing him down on the spot "thank you".

"You're welcome" he replied.

She stood up, taking her leave, and just when she was about to close the door behind her she sadi "You are not a bother".

She smiled.

So, maybe I could tear out his liver first…no, no, no you don't live without a liver, he would die too soon and not live enough to suffer properly from torture. But (there's always a but) if he's dead, he can't talk and if he can't talk there's silence. Ooooh silence, I miss you my dear. Yes, screw torture and revenge, who cares about that stuff anyway. Silence is the top priority. So, back to business: I tear out his liver and then I could rip out his heart…maybe that's too messy. And then he would shout. No, no, no too much unnecessary noise. Ah! The throat. Yes, that would do, a simple and clean cut to the throat. No more functioning vocal cords… the definition of heaven.

Klaus was past the point of feeling guilty for his murdering thoughts. After spending most of you childhood and, unfortunately, your adult life, with Kol, you either find a way to deal with his constant blabbering, or you act on the only two options available: kill him, or kill yourself.

Hence the murdering thoughts, which, part of him says longingly, will stay just that, thoughts.

Kol has interrupted his walk in the garden. Klaus has never been an outdoors lover, but the garden has the power of calming him and reconcile him with the world and himself (not an easy task) that excels and surpass every therapy and psychologist he had ever paid. And he paid them lots of money, by the way. And that morning he needed it. He didn't sleep well, tossing and turning in his bed the whole night, turning off his phone so to avoid acknowledging all the text messages and missed calls from Hayley and Bekah and probably his mother. He felt restless. Something was bothering him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. And he didn't want to. So he settled with walking through the garden and, as it always did, helped him greatly. The help was only enhanced when he looked up to the house and found himself staring at her. The girl. She wasn't really his type, not at all. But she was obviously pretty, and there was something about her that moved him. He felt an ache in his chest when he looked at her.

Pity, it must be pity. Compassion at most (though he wasn't really sure, he might have to look the meaning up in the dictionary just to be sure he got the right adjective to describe what he felt). Yes, it has to be that. He doesn't even know her. And she's so lost and scared and weak. And he likes strong and independent women. So yes, it must be the savior complex or something like that. If such thing as the savior complex exists. Oh, psychiatrist have a complex for almost everything. There must be a savior complex somewhere, he's sure of it.

And just as he was starting to feel completely at peace and perfectly balanced with the world…Kol called him. And he was fool enough to answer that call.

He spent the next three hours hearing him going on and one about…well, he didn't know. After the complaint about dromedaries, and the weather, and briefing him of his social life back home, he just shut him off and began entertain himself with murdering scenarios. Until now, however.

"Do you think we should name her?" Kol asked as the went in one of the salons.

"Who?" Klaus' interest was piqued, because of course he knew who Kol was referring to.

"The girl obviously Nik!" he exclaimed exasperated, huffing loudly "I mean, it's a necessity to name objects and people so to be able to address them and eventually interact. What are we going to ask her in the morning? 'Good morning, how are you feeling today Girl?' " he used a different tone , deeper than his usual, boyish one, though Klaus didn't understand who he was trying to impress "No, I don't think so brother!" he said with finality. And then he stalked off up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Klaus asked behind him, clearly annoyed with his younger brother.

"Asking her her name" he answered as if it was obvious, not turning back to look at Klaus.

"And what exactly do you expect to hear, eh?" Klaus inquired self-righteously, smirking "She doesn't remember. Or do you suffer too from memory loss now?" he chuckled mockingly.

"No dear brother, my memory is as good as an elephant's, however" he turned to look at him, stopping in front of her door "we could always ask her how she wish to be addressed at. It is only polite" he smiled innocently. Smart ass, Klaus thought.

"I still don't get with it has to be now. You are going to bother her. Leave her be".

Kol's eyebrows arched slowly but visibly, his forehead creasing "Well, well aren't you the perfect gentleman? Why are you suddenly so thoughtful and caring toward someone who is not yourself Nik?".

Klaus' face became serious, his eyes glaring deadly at his brother "It is only polite" he threw his words back at him, "Don't see or read too much into it Kol. You are just going to embarrass yourself with your wrong assumptions. As you always do, might I add."

"Ouch, so harsh. That's more like you Nik. You scared me for a moment there, behaving like a normal human being. Almost. Don't do that again" he smirked, "Anyway, I'm sure I'm not bothering her, it's not as if she has that much to do" and he knocked on the white door.

They waited a few seconds. Kol knocked again. No noise came from the other side of the door. Before Kol could knock a third time Klaus stopped him with his exasperated words "It is quite obvious she's not in there. Knocking won't make her magically appear" and he turned to leave.

Just as he was taking the stairs to the main floor, he heard a thudding sound and looked up to see the source. As it was, the source were the feet of a very blonde and very blue eyed girl, coming down from the upper level of the house. She stopped when she spotted him, looking startled.

"Oh" she started "Uhm, hi" she waved her hand.

"Hello", he replied.

"How are you?" she asked while her eyes moved everywhere, carefully avoiding his figure.

"I'm fine thank you" he said, bowing slightly. Bowing? Really? He was starting to wonder if there was something seriously wrong in him. Like a brain tumor, or an alien taking residence in his body… "What about you?" he inquired.

"Good, thank you…Niklaus, right?" she asked tentatively, squinting her eyes, as if his name was written on his face and she had problems reading it.

He gave her a small smile "Yes, that's right". Just as he was about to ask her what he had in mind, he stopped. It was a reflex, but his instinct had been to ask her for her name. It was the normal thing to do in a social environment, but he remembered the singularity of this situation, of this girl. Damn Kol ,he hated when his brother was right.

"Oh hello sunshine", as if summoned, Kol appeared behind Klaus, smiling brightly at the girl standing on the steps above them.

"Hello!" she waved again, smiling easily.

"I was just looking for you, you know? I have a matter of the utmost importance to discuss with you" he told her.

She furrowed her brows and looked at Niklaus "Oh, really? What is it?" she asked, just as Kol grabbed her hand "Thinking about it" he added, not paying her attentions and dragging her across the hallway.

"First, we need to find Elijah" he announced, still dragging her like a baby.

"Actually" she said, trying to keep up with him (Does he have to run? It's not a marathon) "he's upstairs" she indicated with her finger. Kol stopped and turned around, following with his eyes where she was pointing, looking at the ceiling, and started dragging her back where they came from, almost running straight into Klaus who had trailed silently behind them.

After briskly walking up the stairs (more like jogging) and down the hallway, Kol barged in what was the study she had left Elijah in. he surely enough was seated in the chair he was on before, sipping his whiskey. When he saw their little group he sighed, visibly annoyed by the interruption. "Hello brother. Respectful as always I see" he commented.

"Oh come on Elijah! What it is today that has you and Nik so concerned with manners? You're ancient" Kol said, somewhat annoyed. "Anyway, I was here to discuss a very important matter with you" he started, sitting down on the large sofa, dragging her along with him, while Klaus took a seat on the armchair, looking bored.

"And what would that be?" Elijah asked tiredly, rolling his eyes. She didn't knew him, at all, but she was pretty sure that it wasn't common for Elijah to roll his eyes. It look wrong on him, it was not something someone as dignified as him would do, like hearing a nun curse. It was just…wrong.

"We need to name her", Kol stated simply.

She whipped her head to the side, looking at him with wide eyes "What?!" she screeched.

Kol looked at her, calm and comfortable as if discussing the weather "Sunshine, we need to find you a name. It is a necessity. Don't you want a name?" he asked her as if talking to a child.

"Well, yes, I mean, I suppose I sho-" she stammered, trying to express her thoughts.

Of course it was the logical thing to do. And of course it was the most practical thing to do. There was a reason the human genre has named things, plants, animals and people over the history. It is a natural inclination to name things. But she didn't knew her name. she wanted desperately a name, but she wanted her name, not just a name. She wanted her name, a name that fitted her and that was hers, that was her. But thanks to her amnesia she couldn't have her name. So what? Picking a name casually (or choosing one) and then, hopefully, some day (soon, she prayed) discover her real one, or have no name at all, and feel even more of an outcast and lost than she already felt? Maybe a name was the starting point to gather back some appearance of normality.

"Exactly sunshine. So, come on!" he got up and sauntered to the library, looking over some books for a minute, before taking one and giving it to her "Pick one!" he told her. It was a book where there were all the various names and their meanings, the kind of books that expecting parents bought to decide the name of their newborn.

She stared at it, dumfounded. "Uhm…alright. Thanks".

"I know they're not Italian but English of course, but still better than nothing right?" he said more gently.

She shrugged, "I supposed" and smiled. Then an idea came to her mind "Do you want to pick it with me?" she asked, looking at the three of them "I mean since you found me and took me in with you, like a lost puppy…kind of. Besides I really wouldn't know what to choose, you could help me" she proposed brightly. Actually she rather liked the idea of doing this with someone. Of course it shouldn't have sounded appealing. A name is something so intimate. Your parents are the ones supposed to name you, not some strangers, but she found out she didn't mind at all. It actually gave her the illusion of family and being part of something.

"Wouldn't you want to choose it yourself?" Elijah asked quietly, looking curiously at her.

She shook her head "No really. And then you probably know more about it than I do, so really it's not a problem".

He nodded "Okay then. What do you say, Niklaus?" he asked to his sulking brother, who sat perched on the armchair as if it was a throne, still as a statue.

"I personally think it's ridiculous. But do as you wish" he said, gesturing with his hand. She noticed than he had a light lisp. And she noticed that she like that. It made his voice all the more enchanting. She also noticed that he never once looked at her, and that saddened her.

"Okay! Let's get started then" Kol said, as Elijah came to sit next to her.

Hours passed, and with them, many names. Kol told her that the most common names in the U.S. were Sophia (absolutely not! She exclaimed) and Emma, along with Madison, Abigail and Emily (No, no and no, she didn't want a name that three quarter of the female population sported, no matter how noble the meaning of it was). Elijah went to Biblical names, such as Esther (Really 'Lijah? Mom's name? You can't name her after her, she's not your daughter!, Kol interjected), Ruth (I doubt she's Jew brother, and really, it sounds the name of an old cat lady, Kol said) and Hannah (Not bad, she would consider it, she said before Kol could said anything about that name, reminding him that it was her choice after all). Katherine and Elizabeth sounded appealing, especially Elizabeth, both noble and traditional, and she wrote down on the list of the possible names Elizabeth. Yes, Elizabeth was nice, and it had many possible meanings: 'God is perfection" and "God is fortune". She went through improbable names, most of them from a Tv show Kol very much enjoyed (Oh don't you like Khaleesi? Or maybe Cersei? You would be a wonderful Khaleesi sunshine!, Kol said excitedly. Klaus got up from his chair and smacked him on the head, silently sitting down), and other such ad London, Amani, Sephora (the smacking this time was Elijah's doing) and Portia (Why not Ophelia or Desdemona, Kol? Niklaus muttered), she had a few choices.

Elizabeth, Hannah (It means 'gracious') and Scarlett (Oh aren't you the perfect little Belle, sunshine? Kol cooed mockingly) were her favorite ones. But still…something was off. She huffed and was turning absentmindedly the pages of the book quickly, trying to either find something better or to make a decision, when she stumbled upon a name that she had skipped before because Kol had brushed it off has a 'granny name': Caroline. She brought the book closer to her and read aloud " From the masculine name Carolus which is Latin for Charles (English). Caroline generally means 'free woman' or 'freeholder' but can also mean 'song of happiness or joy' from a French origin". Free woman…she liked that. She smiled to herself. Yep, she definitely liked it. It was a strong, tough name, and something she aspired to be. And she felt as if it was hers. It was weird feeling, she could not really explain it.

"Oh no sunshine" Kol grimaced "Caroline? That's not hot at all!" he countered.

"Because Sephora is so sexy and irresistible, isn't it?" she replied, brow arched.

"Well, at least it is linked with the idea of beauty" he said arrogantly, as if he was explaining the most philosophical notion ever expressed by man.

Her eyebrow was still arched. He huffed "Okay, okay" he said defeated.

"What do you think?" she asked Elijah.

He shrugged, "Whatever you wish. I like that it means 'free woman'. It suits you".

"What about you Niklaus?" she asked looking at him, still sitting there even if it was barely noticeable as he had kept silent for most of the time. He just nodded.

Kol clapped his hands "So it's decided!" he jumped up, jogging to the door "Let's go eat something Caroline! I'm famished" he winked at her and then he was gone. She chuckled as Elijah got up and followed his brother, but not before shaking her hand "Nice to meet you Caroline" he said, smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back, "Nice to meet you too". And then she was alone with Niklaus. She got up from the couch and went to put the book back where she saw Kol taking it, and then heading to the door. She was hungry. She turned and looked at Niklaus, who hadn't moved an inch. How does he manage to be so still? "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

He looked at her , "I'm not that much hungry yet. I'll probably eat later" he said.

She nodded and then asked a completely silly and senseless question, because really, who cares? " Do you like it?" she asked, wriggling her hands.

"Yes." He said simply. Not much of a talker.

She nodded and turned the knob when he said, in that accented velvety voice that made her feel warmth spreading all over her "Song of happiness and joy" he looked deep in thought, and then his eyes were on her "I think it suits you" he mimicked his brother's words.

She smiled "Thanks".

He gave her a tight lipped smile "Enjoy your dinner, Caroline" he said, and averted his eyes, looking once again focus on something that she couldn't see.

God, the way he said her name…

Yes, she had definitely picked just the perfect name.

Wow. Longest chapter ever! I hope I didn't offend anyone with the name thing (even though I have bad history with Sophias...but still). I think she would feel a conncetion with the name Elizabeth since it was her mother's name.

I know...it was kind of boring, but I think necessary.

And I know...her picking the name Caroline is kind of forced, but I can't spend the rest of this story calling her another name, it would be confusing and I would certainly slip at some point so...bear with me.

Reviews make me happy!