A/N: Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and everything with the last chapter. I'm glad so many enjoyed Kol's arrival. Hopefully you'll enjoy what he causes to happen with his lovely personality.
"So I see that Bekah was right. You've been avoiding all of us so that you can have a bit of a go with the cheerleader." Kol glanced over at Caroline. "I've seen a few movies now and I think I'd love to see you in that uniform."
Klaus' hand was wrapped around his brother's neck before he finished the sentence, slamming him into the nearest wall. "Ah, yes, tear out my liver and all that," Kol continued, annoying grin on his face that Klaus didn't think ever really disappeared. Except when he was locked away in a box and the idea of that was sorely tempting. Kol seemed to realize what he was thinking, his smile widening as he continued. "Ah ah ah! Rebekah's already on her way. You might want to have me around to irritate her or she'll try to sink her claws into the lovely Caroline over there when she realizes that she's not the center of attention."
He had a point. Something that Klaus was reluctant to acknowledge but he released his brother and stepped back. "Why are you here?"
Klaus already knew the answer to that, but Klaus had hoped to have more time without his family around to cement things with Caroline. Having them there would add layers that he couldn't always work around in the precise way he wanted. Rebekah was easy enough. He knew how she'd react and how to temper her tantrums. But Kol was practically chaos incarnate. There was no telling what his younger brother might do for his own amusement.
"Weren't we supposed to be meeting up? I could swear that was on the agenda at some point," Kol stepped around him, walking around the foyer and looking over where everything had been placed. "Doesn't quite seem how you'd arrange everything here." He glanced over at Caroline who wasn't watching him but looking just beyond. "Letting the misses play, are we?"
"You didn't have to kill them!" she spat out as she pushed past Kol and headed into the sitting room just off the entrance. Klaus had been so focused on Kol's appearance that he hadn't noticed the smell of blood in the air.
The last of the human workers were lying in various positions all around the room, necks torn into. Only one remained, crying as she worked to clean up the blood that was seeping onto the floor from a few of them.
"I've got the cleanup under control, darling," Kol nodded toward the girl. "You're free to have her after she's finished. Figured we wouldn't want any stains."
Caroline looked back at him, the disgust clear in her features before heading over to the remaining woman. "Go home. Clean yourself up. Everyone here went away on vacation and you'll never remember seeing them like this. You've been cleaning all day and you're going to get a really nice sum of money later tonight and head off on the vacation of your dreams too," she compelled the woman, helping her to stand and head out of the house.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Kol dropped down onto the sofa beside one of the dead men. "Perfectly good meal sent away."
Klaus heard Caroline heading up the stairs toward the room that he had said was hers, the door slamming shut once she reached it. "She's not one of those baggers, is she?" Kol asked, shaking his head as he laughed at the idea of it. Klaus simply glared at him, certain that dinner plans were now off the table. "She is? Now that's a riot. I thought our dear sister was pulling my leg when she told me about those nifty devices. Fine for travel I suppose but to have it as a diet…"
Klaus had heard enough, the headache that was his brother reaching a breaking point. He headed over to him before Kol could react and snapped his neck. Daggering him was out of the question for now. Not with Alaric on the loose. Finn's death was one thing; that brother had been a waste of space, but for all Kol's faults, Klaus didn't want him vulnerable to a permanent death. Not hearing his voice for a few hours so he could figure out how to deal with him was another matter entirely.
He heard the hybrids approaching and turned toward them. "Sam, deposit Kol in the blue bedroom at the end of the hall. The rest of you deal with this."
Klaus didn't wait for them to acknowledge his orders, heading up the stairs towards Caroline's room instead. He could hear the hybrids moving about to do as he'd said, but his focus was on figuring out how to ensure that all the progress he'd made with Caroline hadn't been extinguished by his brother's antics.
He knocked on the door before waiting for her to open it. She was fury personified, her eyes narrowed and lips pressed so tightly together he wasn't sure where one ended and the other began. "I'm never going to be like that," Caroline started, her hands balled into fists as her sides. "I will never see humans as something to do with as I please and end their lives as if they mean nothing."
"I do not want you to," Klaus replied, though, well, he wouldn't particularly mind if she didn't give them as much merit as she seemed to, but her humanity was one of the initial things that had him gravitating toward her in the first place.
"You want me to feed from humans," she pointed out and he gestured to be allowed inside of her room. She let out an annoyed breath before stepping aside so he could enter. "Pretty sure that's what your brother was doing."
"No, he was sending a message. He just happened to have a bite to eat while doing it," Klaus replied as he glanced around the room. He noted that she had unpacked her suitcases, could see some of the dresses he'd bought her hanging in the closet.
"And what message was that?" She crossed her arms, still aggravated, but he could see her calming down a little. Her shoulders were not as tense as they were before.
"That nothing I ever plan is allowed to go smoothly while he's around," Klaus muttered, turning his attention fully back to her. Caroline was always a vision but there was something extra appealing about her when she was angered. Perhaps it was the predator he could see wanting to come out to play just below the surface. "Now, are we letting him deter your need for a civilized dinner?"
"What about the bodies?" Caroline glanced back at the door, no doubt picturing the image of them all in that room.
"My hybrids are already dealing with them," Klaus assured her. He could practically see what was happening inside of her head. The wondering about what would happen to their families. How they would never know the fate of their disappeared loved one. "I believe we need to drop off money to the one that got away anyway. Might as well enjoy dinner while we're out."
She was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and he could see the indecision in her eyes. "There's nothing you can do for the dead, Caroline," Klaus continued, not entirely sure if that would help or not.
"I want to know who they were. I want to know who they're leaving behind," she protested, confirming his suspicions.
"You can't help everyone," Klaus pointed out, stepping forward to invade her personal space. She didn't back away, didn't move when he brushed his hand along her cheek, but her eyes narrowed, showing how much she didn't like that sentiment.
"But I can help them. Maybe it isn't enough, maybe it'll never be enough, but it's something," she told him, and he wondered how she was able to hold so tightly to her humanity. He'd never encountered one as young as her to do that. Klaus wondered what the centuries would do to piece of her, how it'd twist her as time seemed to do to all of them in one way or another.
All that mattered to him in that moment though was that she wasn't pushing away, that she let him touch her. It seemed that his brother hadn't screwed things up at all for him.
"Then let's head out into town and find out." If they happened to have dinner as well then that was an added bonus.
"What about Kol? He could wake up and torment your hybrids or something," Caroline replied, glancing toward the doorway. They could hear the hybrids chatting away as they cleaned up the mess Kol had made.
She wasn't that far off what his brother might do. "I'll deal with him. Just focus on getting yourself ready and meet me downstairs in an hour."
It took a moment but she nodded her head before motioning for him to leave. Klaus smiled, pleased that things were still going his way as he left her and headed toward the room that Sam had placed his brother inside. Kol was already coming to, cracking his neck as he sat up in the bed, and Klaus closed to the door behind him as he entered.
"A broken neck? Really Nik? I expect far better from you," Kol tsked him and Klaus sat down on one of the chairs with a grimace. "Not going soft in your old age, are you? Or because of certain blonde that's not our sister?"
He refused to rise to the bait, no matter how skilled Kol seemed to be at fraying his nerves. "Caroline and I are going out. I do not care what you do to this town but remember we're trying to stay off the radar. And you will keep it away from her eyes from now on," Klaus informed him. "Or I will happily dagger you and have my new hybrids cart you over to the nearest body of water and dump you in it." He couldn't be killed if he couldn't be found.
"You wouldn't," Kol shrugged, but Klaus could see the doubt in his brother's eyes.
"Push me and find out," Klaus replied and rose from the chair. "I don't care if you kill humans, Kol. Kill the entire lot of them if you want. But you will not do so in front of her or leave them around for her to find. And leave my hybrids alone as well."
It was a toss-up for how Kol would react but Klaus hadn't expected his brother to fall back laughing. "Oh, Rebekah is going to love this." Kol shook his head and looked back at Klaus. "She'll actually hate it. Despise it once she realizes you're not going to just kill the girl."
Klaus showed no emotions, simply stared at his brother, wondering what he was going on about. "Never thought I'd see you smitten, Nik," Kol continued, still laughing. "Don't worry, brother. I won't do anything to disturb sweet Caroline. I'm sure you'll screw it up all by yourself. I can't wait to see you do it."
If looks could kill Kol would have been dead ten times over at that point. Klaus left the room without a word, clenching his fists as he heard Kol's laughter echoing behind him, setting his teeth on edge. He needed to tear into something, to kill something, to lash out all of the anger he was feeling on someone else, to make them feel the pain he was currently enduring.
Klaus stopped when he picked up on the sound of someone singing, realizing seconds later that it was coming from Caroline's room. He could hear the shower running as well, knew she was getting ready for their dinner, and pushed all of his rage down to be dealt with later when she was safely tucked away in bed.
He wouldn't ruin the potential for this evening. No matter how much Kol might have riled him up. Nothing was allowed to stand in his way in regards to her. Not even himself.
Five families later and Klaus was certain they were never going to actually make it to dinner. Caroline's French was far too inadequate for conversation with the family members who all seemed to not even have a very basic understanding of English. He'd been forced to play translator for something he didn't care about in the least, but the sooner they got this out of the way, the sooner he could attempt to steer her in a different direction.
She was as stubborn as he was at times and that thrilled and annoyed him all at once. Her compassion for others was something that part of him wanted to try and curtail because of how it could take time away from more enjoyable endeavors, time away from him, but that would be like trying to take a part of Caroline away and Klaus couldn't stomach doing that. He just needed to find a balance for it somehow.
"It doesn't always mean killing," Klaus started as they left the last house, watching her nose scrunch in confusion as to what he was talking about. "Feeding from the vein." It was the fun part, the aspect of it that helped ingrain how powerful a vampire was compared to a human, but it wasn't necessary.
"I know that." Caroline shrugged, clearly not wanting to have this conversation again.
"So then why are you so adverse to it? You're not at risk of becoming a Ripper like dear old Stefan," Klaus continued, watching as she tensed beside him. He didn't like that, how it seemed she was reliving something that had cemented her dislike of such a basic need.
"Because I am," she snapped, speeding up her step.
"There will come a time when you won't have blood bags at your disposal," Klaus pointed out, trying not to show his amusement when she whirled around, stopping before him. Her narrowed eyes and the hint of darkening irises quickly stifled that amusement though, bringing about a much more carnal reaction to her anger.
"Haven't we had this conversation before? Because it's not going to spur a different outcome than the last time," Caroline bit out, all fiery anger and Klaus wondered if she even realized that the blood was rushing to her face, veins bulging slightly as the monster in her wanted to come out.
"What will you do then? Starve yourself?" Klaus continued, spurred on by her fury. He stepped toward her, letting one hand smooth down along her covered arm. She still wasn't moving away and while before her scoff would have earned his scorn, he now realized it was a defense mechanism of hers, a way to try and keep him away. It wouldn't work anymore. "Then you risk attacking someone and killing them or a whole slew of them."
Caroline whirled around, practically stomping off in the direction of his house and Klaus grinned, enjoying this manner of lashing out as opposed to her usual verbal onslaught. "You did just fine when you fed from me," he called out after her as he followed.
"Maybe I'll just stick to feeding from you then," she shouted back, nearly stumbling over her own feet when she realized what she had just said. "That's not what I meant."
He was in front of her before she could make another step causing her to halt right in front of him. "Oh no, I think you were being very honest right there. No point in trying to cover it up, Caroline," Klaus ran a finger along her throat, watching as she swallowed at the movement. He remembered her dream, how she'd come undone when he'd sunk his fangs into her.
She hissed at him and his smile broadened as he let his own fangs out to play, deliberately biting his lower lip. He saw her gaze dart to the blood, noted how her breathing stopped at the sight of it, hands nearly grabbing for him before tightening into fists at her side. He leaned closer, barely a breath away from her face. "What are you so afraid of?"
"You! I'm afraid of you." Caroline pushed him away before side stepping around him and continuing on toward the house.
"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say you're afraid of yourself?" Klaus called out, enjoying the way her defenses were trying to come back up. He was in front of her again before she could take another step, watching as she stepped back from him. He didn't smell fear though, just arousal that spurred him on. "Of all your desires? Those pieces of you that you try and push down, to hide away from and never allow to see the light of day?"
"That's not," she started, raking a hand through her blonde curls.
"What is it that you want, Caroline?" Klaus continued, following her every step. They were off the path now, hidden among the trees of the forest. "And be honest, sweetheart. Is it still that small town life you were living? The one that was keeping you locked away, never quite reaching your potential." The one she hadn't talked about in weeks. She might have called Bonnie, kept in touch with her mother, but there were no longing looks for what she had left behind anymore.
Her back hit a tree, causing her to stop. "Klaus," she breathed out, looking for an exit, her eyes widening as he stopped in front of her again.
Perhaps he was pushing too fast, too soon, but his plans needed to change with Kol here and Rebekah on the way. No doubt Elijah would follow soon after and Klaus needed Caroline more securely tied to him before that happened. He couldn't risk any of his family running her off.
"You're worth so much more than all of that, love," Klaus told her, fingers brushing along her cheek. "You deserve everything that you desire."
"And what? That's supposed to be you?" she bit out, and he simply looked her over, knowing she was lashing out, trying to get him to do the same.
"If that's what you want," Klaus replied, arching a brow at her. Her eyes closed as he shifted closer, his mouth brushing against her ear. He could feel how tense she was and smiled as her hands caught onto the lapel of his coat, trying to steady herself. "Is it?"
A branch broke behind them and Klaus was intent on ignoring if not for his brother's damn voice following it. "A moonlight rendezvous? How romantic," Kol commented and Klaus wondered again about the merits of daggering him.
Caroline slipped out from him and flashed off to the house, no doubt to her room. "Oh dear. Did I interrupt something?" Kol smirked, leaning against another tree.
Klaus whirled around, shoving a branch into Kol's gut before his brother could move. Kol's responding laughter did nothing to help stifle Klaus' anger but he forced himself to walk away, knowing further engaging with his brother would only cause him to do something stupid.
Klaus headed for his room, ready to try and sketch away his fury for a bit. If that didn't work then he'd head out into town and get the release he needed. He didn't expect to find Caroline waiting for him at his bedroom door.
"I'm tired of fighting what I want," she told him before her lips were pressed against his, demanding attention, and easily erasing all of his anger.
Perhaps his brother's arrival wasn't as horrible as Klaus had first thought.