Caroline turned on the bar stool to face the entrance and the original vampire, who was standing right in front of it. The original gentleman: Elijah Mikaelson. Not quite the original she was hoping to find but still better than Rebekah.
Elijah was looking at her with surprise in his eyes but there was also a glimpse that told her he wasn't exactly thrilled to see her. Well, they had never really spoken to each other before and Caroline had rejected his brother on regular basis while he lived in Mystic Falls so Caroline couldn't really blame him.
Camille broke the weird silence that had followed Elijah's entrance and said to Caroline:
"Well, I don't really know where Klaus is but ta-da! His brother is here… who you already seem to know…" Camille trailed off, not knowing what to say and quickly shifted topic: "Elijah, what can I get you?"
"I'll just take whatever she's having, thank you." He said as he placed himself besides Caroline without sitting down. Camille looked at him with doubt for a second, speculating whether she should warn him about the blonde's drink or not and then decided he could handle it.
While she poured him a glass, she took a closer look at the blond that now had Elijah's full attention. She looked quite young and Camille knew she probably wasn't twenty-one but the girl had looked like she could use a drink so Camille had thought what-the-hell.
The girl was genuinely beautiful and had this weird almost hypnotizing light coming from her. There was something in her eyes that made her look a lot older than she was but then something would quickly shift and make her look like a little girl in a big world. She seemed complex, as if there were a thousand things pulling her in different directions but none of them seemed quite strong enough to pull her off course.
The bartender placed the glass in front of Elijah and Caroline watched his face grimace slightly at the taste of the drink. Caroline saw how Camille tried to hide her smile and felt the corner of her mouth twitch.
"Elijah." Caroline said, realising she hadn't said a word since he entered the bar.
"You're here." he simply stated and sent her a smile. His statement confused Caroline and made her wonder if he'd known she was there all along.
"I'm here" Caroline confirmed with hesitation in her voice and threw her hands in the air in an awkward gesture.
"I believe I've lost a bet then." he stated once more, talking as if they knew what he meant. Caroline stared at him for a moment until she with fear realised what he was thinking. With wide eyes and barely hidden desperation in her voice, Caroline tried to explain:
"No, no, no, no, no… I'm not here. I'm just here… I, we, need your help, as in all of you. That's why I'm here, the only reason." she rambled on in an attempt to convince the original vampire of her intentions. Elijah looked at her and his dark eyes showed his amusement.
"I see." he said slowly as if he was making sure she understood that he understood. "You need our help? I thought you were glad that we left." he continued with his calm and dark voice. Caroline didn't know what to answer without insulting him so she decided to try another angle.
"Is Klaus here?" she asked, making a small smile appear on Elijah's lips.
"Niklaus is… otherwise engaged at the time. Why do you need our help, Caroline?" Elijah said with a firm voice. Caroline sensed his impatience even though it didn't show and decided to get right to the point.
"Silas is back. And we can't kill him. We've tried everything but we aren't strong enough. We need your strength. I know this is a lot to ask but I promise you; as soon he is done with us, he's coming for you."
Elijah looked at her for a moment, deciding whether or not he should help the blond vampire. He didn't quite understand this infatuation his brother had with her as she seemed almost silly at times in his eyes. She was young, too young. Admittedly, she was beautiful and Elijah found especially her loyalty amiable.
"Caroline, go home and tell your friends that we are not your personal bodyguards. We have more important things to take off right here. We will deal with Silas when needed but for now it isn't. Leave Caroline, tonight. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Elijah told her, making Caroline feel like a child being set in its place. Then he nodded at Camille and before Caroline could say anymore, he had left.
"Wow… Tough love." Camille said and took Elijah's glass from the bar. Caroline studied her for a moment, wondering how much she had heard and understood of their conversation. There was something about that told Caroline she knew more than she led on. Caroline quickly downed her drink, feeling how the blood rushed to her head and making her dizzy for a second. She wasn't just about to give up.
"And you wouldn't know where to find Klaus, would you?" Caroline asked with a pleading voice. Camille shook her head after looking at the entrance door for a second. Was there something Camille wasn't telling her?
"Fabulous! Well, then… Nice to meet you, Camille" Caroline said as she got up and left.
"Hey, call me Cami! Goodnight Caroline!" Camille called as Caroline exited the bar and the door closed behind her.
Out on the street, Elijah was nowhere to be seen and Caroline felt completely hopeless for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, deciding within herself that she at least had to find Klaus before she went home. Elijah might not like her but she hoped his brother still did. Klaus wanted to be her friend. Friends helped each other.
Caroline stopped outside the door and looked around, not sure what to do with herself. Elijah wasn't going to help her apparently and she wouldn't count on Rebekah either so now it was up to Klaus. If she could find Klaus. She still wasn't sure how the people around here felt about Klaus so she didn't feel like going around just asking whoever was there.
At least it seemed she had found the Originals' favourite bar. And it seemed like the bartender knew more than she told Caroline so maybe she could compel it out of her. At least Camille could tell her what category the Originals fit into here; good or bad.
After a few seconds, Caroline decided to get something to eat as in food and moved towards the river to kill two birds with one stone. She turn back by St Louis Street and as she came nearer the river, the street narrowed, leaving Caroline with a feeling of being trapped. She might be a vampire but she definitely wasn't the only one. She had no idea what kind of psychos lived in this quarter but with no one to help her, she wasn't willing to find out that night.
Caroline turned around before she reached the river to go back to a more populated street and walked right into someone. A tall man with broad shoulders, dark skin and hair and very white smile stood in front of her. Caroline took a step back and looked into the man's dark eyes. Caroline did her best to not show any emotion as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Could you move, please? I kinda have to go that way." She said while trying to sound impatient. The man in front of her lifted his eyebrows as if he was impressed and showed her a wide smile.
"Should you be out here all alone? This night isn't always safe around here." he warned her without a single sign of concern in his face or voice. Caroline knew what he was but she had a feeling he hadn't figured out her. Slowly she made her eyes darken and as the veins appeared under her eyes, she showed him her fangs before she made it all disappear once more.
"I think I'll do just fine." she said with a condescending smile and stepped around him. Before she could take more than two steps, he was in front of her again, still smiling that creepy smile. Caroline dropped her arms in annoyance and was about to speed the hell out of there, when he grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"We haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Marcel." Marcel said, looking at her as if it should mean something to her. When Caroline didn't react to his name, another smile appeared on his face and Caroline suddenly felt as a new shinning toy.
"Caroline." she answered as she pulled back her hand from his grip. As charming as he was, she had this weird feeling that she should stay the hell away from him. She tried to pass him again but this time his stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. She could feel his strength even though she didn't fight him and knew that he was much older than her.
He looked at her intensely for a moment before letting her go and Caroline couldn't stop herself from shivering a little. As he let her go, his eyes shifted to look at her hand with her daylight ring. Caroline suddenly saw that Marcel was wearing one as well, leaving her with a weird feeling she couldn't explain.
Marcel broke the silence, making Caroline's eyes return to his face: "Weren't you going the other way?" he gestured with his right arm, pointing the way she had been going.
"Not anymore." Caroline simply said. She began walking away from the river, waiting for Marcel to catch up with her again. But he didn't. Caroline turned her head to glance back but the street was empty once again. As she stood on Royal street once again, Caroline realised she still hadn't eaten anything and she sat down at an empty table outside a café.
She looked at the other guests, realising they all probably were vampires. It was too cold to sit outside on a November evening for humans but Caroline barely felt it. She ordered club sandwich from the waiter and then leaned back in her chair. Caroline remembered she hadn't answered Elena's text and pulled out her phone.
"Found Elijah but he told me to go home. No luck finding Klaus yet. U?" she wrote back and placed her phone on the table in front of her. Caroline flinched when she realised Elijah was sitting right in front of her.
"Did I not tell you to go home, Caroline?" he said politely, having a hard time hiding his impatience. He was sitting in the chair across from her with his legs crossed, leaning against the backrest. His face was composed as if they were just having a friendly chat and he smiled at the waiter as she brought Caroline her food.
"So now I'm not even allowed to do some sightseeing?" Caroline answered with a question, knowing that she was pushing the Original to the edge of his patience. She took a bite of her food and chewed as long as possible while looking back at him.
Elijah leaned forward and caught her eyes. She knew what he was about to do and let him do it. She stared back into his gaze and felt he compulsion as he told her to leave. She didn't say anything and took another bite of her food when he let her go. She could see the slight confusion in his eyes as Caroline didn't do what he had told her to.
"Sorry. I'm on vervain. You know, because of the whole Silas thing, we take our security measures." She said, shrugging her shoulders. He looked at her with a stone face, showing no emotion as he tried to decide what to do next. Caroline took another bite of her food and waited. She was much more terrified than she let on and he probably knew that but she wasn't going to show him.
"You forget that I am not my brother. You might have been his humanity once but things have changed and I will not hesitate to kill you if you do not leave. Niklaus has more important things to take care of here than going on a rescue mission with you that does not concern him. He has moved on Caroline and you should do the same." Elijah told her in a calm voice that was even scarier than Klaus' yelling. He was calculating and cold.
Caroline looked at him, seeing him for what he really was. People might think he was the moral one and the gentleman but the truth was different. He was just as sociopathic as the rest of them and didn't think twice about killing anyone who stood in his way, no matter who it was. She knew he was capable of love and he was still "the good one" but that wasn't saying much.
"I know you guys have some sort of motto. "Family above all", is it? But so do I. I'm not going home until I know I've tried every opportunity. I'm here to save my family and trust me, I'm really stubborn. And if you're really that sure Klaus have moved on, you have nothing to worry about so what's the problem in me talking to him? One last thing; if you kill me, you'll never hear the information I have about Katherine." Caroline answered his threat without hesitating. She knew it was a bad move to challenge him but if she left now, she was dead anyway.
The whole of Elijah's body language shifted from calm and in control to alert and tense. The mention of Katherine made him uncross his legs and move as closed to Caroline as he could. She looked into his eyes and knew that this was his humanity. His love for Katherine and his family was what kept him from becoming the same monster his brother could be.
"Caroline, I will advise you not to poke me like this. Tell me what you know about Katherine and I will try not to kill you." he said with an ill hidden desperation in his voice. His threat sounded tame and Caroline felt sorry for him. She knew that Elijah had been looking for Katherine but he hadn't been able to find her.
After Katherine had turned human, Caroline had taken care of her. Katherine was no longer the raging bitch she had been as a vampire but a confused and quiet girl, who had no idea who she was or had been. Caroline had convinced the others to hide her away from Klaus as she was once again was a doppelgänger. Katherine had freaked out as soon as she had seen Elena and Caroline had explained to her why they looked so much alike.
It was funny how Katherine and Caroline almost had become friends in the process of creating a new life for the girl who had once suffocated her with a pillow. They had given her a new name; Michaela Petersen and found her an apartment in New York. Caroline had warned to stay away from anything that could call the public's attention to her and had gotten her a job as an assistant in a law firm in upper Manhattan.
Michaela knew about Klaus and how important it was to stay away from him but Caroline had never told her about Elijah and Michaela never knew about all the lost calls from him. Caroline knew that it was wrong of her to use Michaela as leverage now but something told her that Elijah would keep her secret. Despite of everything Elijah was just as invested in keeping Klaus' humanity as Caroline was and if he got the chance to create more hybrids, is could go right out the window again.
Why is it I care about Klaus humanity? Well, if he isn't all monster there's a better chance that he'll help me.
Caroline had a small internal discussion about Klaus and then returned to the Original in front of her. His impatience was screaming at her and she decided to explain everything to him. After a few minutes with his intense staring, she finished her story about Katherine and told him about Michaela:
"She lives in New York, has a job, no boyfriend and I think she's happy. I've told her about Klaus and warned her to stay away from the spotlight. I'm sorry, but she doesn't know a thing about you." Caroline finished and sent the vampire an apologetic look. He hadn't said a word the whole time and his only answer was to give her a small nod.
"Elijah, Klaus can't know about this. Maybe he thinks he done with his hybrids but we both know that he'll never pass the chance to gain more power. Just promise me that you'll do this for her. She deserves it after all your brother put her through." Caroline stressed, not sure if her words made it through to him.
Elijah looked her in the eyes for a moment and Caroline saw a little sign of gratitude in them. Then he simply got up and left. Caroline looked after him as he continued down Royal Street in the direction of Jackson Square. Where was he going? For a moment she thought of following him but she decided against it, thinking it was better not to push her luck and instead went back to her sandwich.
Elijah sat in the big armchair in their living room, looking into the fire and pondering on what to do next. An hour ago Elijah had been almost determined to kill Caroline, sure that she wasn't going to leave before Niklaus returned. He hadn't promised not to do so but it suddenly felt wrong.
While Caroline had told him of Katerina, Elijah had seen something in her and he had realised that the girl in front of him was his brother's humanity or she would be. He had hoped that the baby would awaken something in Niklaus but he also knew it was a far stretch. Niklaus would maybe care for the child but it was Caroline he loved.
Elijah didn't quite know what to do with the news of Katerina and the first thing he had done was to google her. It was one of those modern inventions that baffled him. In an instant he had gotten thousands of hits about Michaela Petersen but not a single one was Katerina. Caroline had done a good job to protect her and Elijah felt his gratitude towards Caroline grow.
He knew how easy it would have been for them to just give her to Niklaus but Caroline knew what it would do to him and she didn't want Katerina to become Niklaus' new source of hybrids. For a moment, Elijah thought of taking the first flight to New York and find her, but it wasn't the time.
Elijah thought of what he had seen earlier and as he rose from the chair he took a decision. First he had to find the blond vampire.
Caroline paid for her dinner and was again at loss to what she should do. She had no idea what Elijah was thinking and for all she knew, this could be her last meal. Caroline sat for a moment, looking at her surroundings as if she never should see them again and then got up and left. She decided to go back to her room and maybe have another chat with Marie. Perhaps the old lady knew something.
As Caroline entered the lobby, she began wondering if the small hotel was one of those grey zones that Stefan had talked about, when he'd told about the stupid concept of being invited in or if it really was owned by a vampire. In this town, it wouldn't surprise her.
Marie came through a door behind the desk as Caroline walked towards the stairs and Caroline were able to spot a small apartment on the other side of the door. Marie smiled at her and asked her how she liked New Orleans so far. Caroline had a hard time answering as she hadn't had time to think about:
"Well… I guess it's nice. I don't exactly feel welcome yet but maybe it'll change soon." Caroline said, hoping that Elijah had changed his mind since she saw him last. Marie nodded at her and asked Caroline another question:
"And did you find who you were looking for, dear?" she said with a secretive smile. Caroline gave a suspicious look as she answered Marie's question: "Sort of… Not the exact person I was looking for but I hope he'll do" Caroline said, giving her host a smile.
"You do mean Elijah Mikaelson right, dear?" Marie said, making Caroline's heart pound a little faster. "You know Elijah?" Caroline said, not knowing why she was surprised.
"You should take a closer look on those photos one day, dear, but not now because he is waiting upstairs for you." Marie said without answering Caroline's question. Marie pointed towards the ceiling and Caroline's eyes followed. "Thank you, Marie." Caroline said and swallowed before she went up the stairs. This time she took the stairs in human speed, not knowing what was waiting for her in her room.
Elijah was standing on her balcony, looking down at all the humans and vampires that went by in the street. Caroline stood in the middle of her room for a second and then went out to stand beside him. She had her front turned towards him but almost a minute went by before Elijah turned towards her too. She looked at him with her head slightly tilted to the right, making the corner of his mouth turn up.
"You know if you throw me over the balcony, I'm just gonna land on my feet. I was the cheerleader captain for two years." Caroline said in a stupid attempt to break the silence.
"I am not here to kill you, Caroline." Elijah said placing his hands in the pockets of his suit. "I'm here to make a deal with you."
Caroline sent him a confused look, part relieved that she was going to live, part unsecure of what on earth she could do for him. She nodded at him to show she understood rather than voicing the doubt she felt.
"Niklaus will not return to New Orleans within the next couple of days so while you wait, you are going to do something for me. When Niklaus returns, I will help you talk to him. That is, if you manage to succeed the task I give you. But first, I need you to prove to me that what you have said about Katerina is true." Elijah explained slowly, making sure Caroline understood what he was saying.
Caroline nodded and found her cell phone. She found Michaela's number on speed dial and called her up. As she gave Elijah the phone, she warned him not to tell her who he was. Elijah nodded and turned his back on Caroline with the phone to his ear.
"Hi Care" Katerina said as she answered the phone. Elijah didn't answer and wasn't sure he would have been able to if he should. "Care? Helloooo? Did you pocket dial me again? Caroline? Okay, I'm hanging up now. I'll call you tomorrow!" Katerina continued and then she hang up. Elijah stood for a moment, the phone still held against his ear before he handed Caroline back her phone.
"She sounds different. She sounds like her old self. Her human self." Elijah trailed off and looked at something behind Caroline that probably wasn't there. Caroline nodded, not knowing if he was right. She hadn't known Katherine back when she was Katerina but there was a clear difference between Katherine and Michaela. Then Elijah seemed to snap out of it and returned to look at Caroline.
"You have met Marcel." He simply said, confusing Caroline. What on earth had he to do with anything? Hoping he would explain she just nodded as she leaned against the black railing. "Do you know who Marcel is?" he asked her, remembering Caroline of the bad feeling she had gotten of him. She shook her head in response.
"Marcel is Niklaus old protégé and he runs this town. We do not know how but he has found a way to control the witches so he knows every time someone practices magic. He has driven the werewolves away and found a way to make the humans look the other way while his vampires roam the city at night. He calls himself King." Elijah told her while he again looked down on the people under him.
"But I thought Klaus…" Caroline started, remembering what Damon had told her. He had said that Klaus and the Originals practically build this part of New Orleans and that they lived here for years until Michael found them.
"Yes." Elijah interrupted her. "But Niklaus has been gone for a hundred years and Marcel has taken over in the meantime. We have made a deal with the witches to help them get rid of Marcel so we can take back our city. The witches have a plan but it is moving slow and I believe that we are running out of time."
"Wait… You've made a deal with the witches? How did that happen? Or to be more precise: How did you get Klaus to agree?" Caroline asked, thinking of how unlike Klaus this sounded. What did the withes have on him that would make him help them? Caroline remembered him screaming at her that he wouldn't have his hand forced by anyone. She refused to believe he had changed that much since she last saw him.
Elijah looked at her with closed off face. Caroline definitely knew his brother better than he thought. He quickly made the decision of not telling her about the child that was Niklaus' and told her she would know soon enough. He could see how irritated she became by hearing such a vague answer but she just rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.
"And this has to do with me how?" Caroline asked, growing a bit impatient.
"I will need you to become close to Marcel. Niklaus is already in his inner circle but they had what you can call a bad start, so Marcel remains suspicious of Niklaus. You on the other hand, have intrigued him. You just have to make him take an interest you over the next couples of days and then I will help you." Elijah explained with his dark voice.
Caroline couldn't believe it. She was going to be the distraction again. Was that all she was good for? Flirting with the Devil? Caroline knew she probably had no other choice than to take Elijah's deal but that didn't mean she wasn't mad. She crossed her arms and sent the Original vampire a look that clearly showed her dissatisfaction.
"You want me to date him? How do we know if I'm even his type?" Caroline protested. That Marcel guy was definitely not her type. Perhaps it was better that way. She would just have to act. Caroline thought of Marie's words about her face being an open book and Caroline felt how she was losing the battle before it even had begun.
"I am sure that you will be able to adapt to his likings. But first of all you will have to dress differently. Wear a little less clothes perhaps." Elijah said, making Caroline feel uncomfortable. She knew exactly what he meant but wasn't going to say it out loud.
But it definitely means that I can't wear jeans and a jacket…
"And how do I know he won't kill me? What if he figures out what I'm doing?" she asked, trying to switch the topic.
"I assure you that no harm will come to you till Niklaus returns and decides what to do. You should probably go buy some new clothes tomorrow and then you will meet me at the bar where we met earlier at nine pm. Understood?" Elijah said, sounding like he didn't care much for her safety but she knew that that was just the way he sounded. She nodded and then he was gone. She leaned against the railing on her elbows to watch the people passing by under her, wondering what the hell she had gotten herself into.
A/N: Hope I didn't disappoint you too much, when it wasn't the Original hottie/hybrid that showed up... But not to worry, he will ake his appearance!
By the way, I don't know if you lovely readers have noticed, but this story isn't following neither TVD season five or TO season one.. But I hope you like it ayway;) Please tell me what you think! Both good things and bad things!:)