A/N: I am so sorry for the lack of updates. My head was firmly planted in AUAH Klaroline and switching back to this was really hard to do. But I missed writing hybridKlaus and vampireCaroline so badly and then I was at a loss for where I'd stopped with this one. But I reread what all I'd written and inspiration struck again!
So I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thanks for sticking around those who are still reading this!
"That painting doesn't go in this room."
Caroline didn't bother turning around. She knew who was talking, that air of superiority along with the disdain in her decorating ability alone would have screamed Rebekah Mikaelson if Caroline hadn't already been more than aware of what the only Mikaelson girl sounded like. With Kol showing up it was only a matter of days before the others would follow along. After all from the various phone calls she'd heard Klaus on with them Caroline knew that he was supposed to have met up with them right after he'd left Mystic Falls.
Out of all the Originals, Rebekah was definitely the one who would have an issue with her presence. While Caroline might have thought that the other girl should take that up with her brother and leave her the hell alone, she was already well aware that wasn't how Rebekah operated. She enjoyed trying to take things over, to have the spotlight, and considering she'd gotten her way for the past millennium Caroline had a feeling that wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
"It does now." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Rebekah before turning her attention back to the hybrids, nodding for them to continue hanging the painting on the wall.
"Do you think because Nik is letting you play your hand at decorating that you actually mean something to him, Caroline?" Rebekah asked as she rounded around to stand in front of her, though she didn't actually look at Caroline, assessing the placement of the furniture instead. "He let...oh what was her name? Amelia?" She shrugged, obviously the name didn't matter. "He let her do that for a few weeks, wined and dined her, and then tore out her pretty little heart and tossed her out the window for the dogs to finish her."
Caroline ignored her, trying to get the hybrids to hang the painting exactly how she wanted. Besides it wasn't the whole decorating that had Caroline thinking she might actually mean something to Klaus. It was the way his hands, his mouth, his very gaze when he looked at her screamed mine that did. The fact that her body was trying to scream it back at him, even if she was working hard to stifle that urge.
"Then I don't really see what the issue is, Rebekah," Caroline finally answered, turning her attention to the Original. "If you're right I'll be dead in a matter of weeks or maybe months and you can gloat over my dead body." She should have let her comments end there, but Caroline had never been good at keeping her mouth shut when she wanted to say something. "Or is the problem that you're not all that sure that he'll actually discard me like he did all of the others?"
Rebekah narrowed her eyes for a brief moment before sitting down on one of the chairs, laughing. "You're not that special, Caroline. Small town girl with insecurities a mile long. What could you possibly offer Nik to be worth hanging onto?"
A few weeks ago and Caroline wouldn't have been able to answer that. She probably would have stuck steadfast to the whole one-year agreement spiel, but now… She thought back on what she knew of Klaus, what she'd seen of him during the last few months when they'd been alone. She remembered their talks about the hybrids, his words about his siblings, conversations about how all of them eventually wandered away.
She remembered the flashes of anger when she'd made sure he knew she was with him for only a year, how he'd tried to seer himself into her skin earlier that morning. His look had been possessive, but it was the adoration, the...love that she saw there that had her heart hammering away in her chest.
"I'm sure you're adventurous enough in bed, but you're hardly on par with who he's had before," Rebekah continued, amused by Caroline's silence, thinking that she had the upperhand. "You're smart enough, but no where near the intellectual capacity that he really needs. You're highly uncultured; I doubt you even know more than one language. Really, I'd say run away while you can, but he'd simply kill you for running anyway. Either way you'll meet a fitting end."
It was on the tip of Caroline's tongue to tell Rebekah that Klaus wouldn't hurt her, but that would be a lie. He would, unintentionally and probably intentionally at times as well, just as he did his siblings who he obviously loved and yet daggered and carted around in boxes for centuries.
She also wasn't about to tell the girl that Klaus wouldn't get rid of her because it was obvious that he loved her, that he wanted her to remain at his side, a constant companion. Maybe it hadn't started out that way, Caroline was certain she had just been someone he'd wanted to seduce before when their journey had started, but that had changed somewhere along the way. She wasn't even sure when it had happened; it was like she was in the middle of the story before she even knew what was going on.
But she couldn't actually say that. It was one thing to think about it all, another entirely to speak the words. Once they were out of her mouth and heard by another they were real and Caroline wasn't ready yet for those words to be real.
"Like i said, Rebekah, if you're right then I don't see what the problem is for you. I'll be dead and you'll go on doing whatever it is that you do," Caroline shrugged before directing where she wanted a few more pieces to be moved around the room. "I guess there's only really a problem if you're wrong, but I need to go and get ready for lunch."
Caroline offered up another smile to the girl, enjoying Rebekah's narrowed eyes and the sound of furniture breaking as she headed down the hallway and up to her room, her assigned hybrids trailing after her.
Klaus had been outside with the remainder of hybrids, working through their training, when he heard the telltale smashing of furniture that signaled one of his sister's fits. He tilted his head, pinpointing where Caroline was in the house, thankful that she seemed to be away from Rebekah's line of fire for the moment.
He would need to smooth things over with Rebekah though. The last thing he needed was her in a volatile state, ripping apart his carefully laid plans. She could decide to wipe out this batch of hybrids, might try to stake Caroline for the hell of it, and neither of those were options that he was about to allow. It was best to get a handle on Rebekah now before she did anything stupid.
"We're done for the day," Klaus started, amused by the hybrids groans of disappointment. He did so enjoy that they liked learning, that they were so eager to please him, none of these ones seeming to want to break the bond that ran between them. "Feel free to enjoy the town and be back here by morning." What they did between then and now was up to them. They knew the rule to not bring any mayhem around Caroline.
With that Klaus spun on his heel and headed into the house, straight to the room Rebekah was tearing apart. Thankfully Kol was already gone for the day to look into the witch situation, otherwise Klaus would need to deal with his brother goading on their sister's behavior. It was always infinitely harder to calm her down when that happened. "Is there a reason you're taking your frustration out on the furniture? I thought was your favorite armoire."
"Why is she here?" Rebekah demanded as she whirled around to face him. "It's bad enough that you're making more of your little experiment. They'll never be family, Nik."
"Of course not, Rebekah," Klaus grinned at her as he walked into the room and righted the sofa before dropping down onto it. "But they do make excellent soldiers, an army that will be at our disposal." Well, his disposal. "Mikael's death doesn't mean there aren't others who'd like to see us dead."
Like their mother, even when she was on the Other Side, or Alaric with his unbreakable white oak stake. Countless witches that were out there, waiting for an opportunity to attack and actually manage some damage. Plus a number of vampires who wanted their revenge. Was it really that horrible of him to want a way to handle those situations? They'd already lost Finn; Klaus would rather the rest of his siblings remain alive or at least not boxed up unless it was his own doing.
"That doesn't explain her presence," Rebekah muttered, arms crossed against her chest as she glared at him. "You put us off for her. Let me constantly worry that Alaric was right on your heels because you were off playing house."
"I've never been one to play house, sister," Klaus pointed out, unable to hide his amusement at the thought of that. "And you've hardly been in a constant state of worry. How was the shopping in Paris?"
He easily caught the vase she threw at his head. "She's not even that pretty," Rebekah grumbled. "I doubt you'll even keep her around for all that long. Another month at the most before you tire of her. I want her heart when you're done with it."
Klaus laughed as he rose and headed over to her, cupping her chin as he smiled. "Your jealousy is showing." She scoffed at that, ready to say something but Klaus tightened his grip, fingers digging into her skin. "If you do anything to hurt her, Rebekah, your last time in the coffin will seem like mere child's play. I might never let you out if you try to take her away from me."
"Elijah and Kol would never allow it," Rebekah pushed at him, breaking his grip on her.
"I have a feeling the Bennett witch would be more than happy to seal you inside, to spell the dagger to only be removed by my hand if you're at all responsible for Caroline's death." Bonnie Bennett might not care at all for him, but he could see her helping with revenge in the name of her friend. "But it won't come to that, now will it?"
Rebekah simply glared at him before huffing, a sign that she wouldn't make a move against him. At least not yet. "I'm heading into town with Caroline for a few hours. Is there anything you'd like us to get you while we're out?" Klaus asked as he walked backward toward the door. "No? I'll have to surprise you then."
She watched him go, glaring at the empty space he'd been standing in moments before once he was gone. Apparently Caroline Forbes was going to be a much bigger problem than she'd initially thought. Rebekah didn't doubt for a minute that Klaus would make good on his threat, put her into a never ending stasis that no one else could break her out of. That meant killing the girl was out of the question. Didn't mean she couldn't ensure that Caroline saw all of the parts to her brother though. Surely that would ensure whatever twisted little dream Klaus was currently engaged in would come crashing down around him. The girl would leave and they'd go back to it only being them, just as it should be. Just as they'd promised all those centuries ago.
Though...if Klaus was occupied by Caroline then perhaps it meant he wouldn't have time to meddle in her own affairs. Perhaps it would limit the number of lovers killed because he deemed them unworthy and give her a chance to actually hold onto someone she loved for more than a few weeks at a time.
Rebekah sank down onto the sofa and pursed her lips. It seemed that she had quite a bit to think about.
The town was different in the daylight, when she was able to look at it all without the haze of deaths in the back of her mind. There was no mission to try and make things right with people who would never see their loved ones again, no agenda aside from enjoying the day.
Caroline strolled with Klaus down the main street of the town, enjoying the sights and sounds, the smells that wafted in from the bakeries that were opened. It reminded her of Mystic Falls in some ways and yet it was vastly different in others. There was an age to this place that she didn't feel with her hometown, a mystical element that seemed to wrap around her wherever she stepped in Europe. It was frightening and intriguing all at once. Much like the hybrid who walked beside her, telling her bits of history about the place.
She found herself laughing, genuinely interested in what he had to say, enjoying the way his dimples became more pronounced when he smiled or laughed as well. How many others did he allow to see this side of him? The ease with which he talked to her, the hand that glided down her arm or slid across her back was something that had her gravitating toward him even more. But it was the way she caught him looking at her whenever she was laughing or excitedly going on about something that they were looking at that truly had Caroline collecting her breath.
The possessiveness was still there, that need he seemed to have her all for himself, but there was something softer in there as well. Something that was slipping closer toward looking like love with each passing moment. She didn't really remember that look between her parents nor did she remember it with Tyler, but it was seared in her mind whenever she remembered her grandparents and the love they had for one another.
That look frightened her to the very core and Caroline found herself looking away, striking up the conversation to flow in a different direction as she attempted to erase the look from her mind. Except it still lingered, following her as they continued on, her earlier conversation with Rebekah echoing in her head.
It was the beginnings of a Christmas display in one store that stopped Caroline in her tracks, the sudden realization that she probably wouldn't be home for Christmas dawning on her.
It would be her first Christmas away from Mystic Falls, away from her mother...who would be all alone.
That thought really didn't sit well with her, leaving a pit to form in her stomach as she thought about her mom and how much she missed her.
Klaus sensed the shift in Caroline's mood as soon as it happened and it didn't take long to figure out what the culprit was. He'd never been one to give much stock in the holidays. Plenty had come and gone in his long life, but it seemed that Christmas was one that mattered to Caroline. That fact didn't surprise him really and he tucked that bit of knowledge away, mulling over a few ways to make sure it was everything she deserved when the day finally came in little over a month.
But there was nothing to do about that now and he didn't want her mood to stay like this for long.
"I have something to show you." Klaus took hold of her hand, pleased when she didn't try and pull away from him, her curiosity shining through as he steered the two of them down a path that led away from the town.
There was a stretch of woods to walk through, but the path was well worn, obviously used by many people from day to day considering the branches of the trees were snapped away and there was hardly any underbrush or weeds to be found. She smelled the salty air of the ocean before she ever laid eyes on it, her eyes widening in excitement.
He squeezed her hand, delighted in her energy, in the way she seemed to light up like the sun as her senses picked up on where they were headed.
"We went to Virginia beach once when I was like three. I don't remember it at all," Caroline told him as she slipped her shoes off. She didn't care that it should have been too cold to do so. She needed to feel the sand between her toes as they walked out onto the shore. "Or no...I think the only thing I really remember is that was when the arguing started."
Or maybe it was her first real memory of her parents' angry with one another. She wasn't sure, but that's what stuck out most to her whenever she looked at the shells in the jar that was on the mantle in the living room.
"Do you remember much about when you were little?" she asked him, startling Klaus some. It wasn't a question he'd expected nor one that he really wanted to go into.
"Yes and no." Some memories were clear as day while others had faded into nearly nothing. The emotions behind events seemed to stick with him more. The fear and betrayal he'd felt whenever Mikael's fists hit his skin, the terror at seeing Henrik torn apart in front of him. But he couldn't remember the color of his youngest brother's eyes, the exact shade that they had been. Perhaps that was best though. "The way situations made you feel will stick out more than anything else."
Caroline nodded at that. It hadn't been that long since she'd buried her father and it was already getting hard to remember some of the little things that hadn't been all that important to hold onto when he'd been alive. She didn't want to imagine what it'd be like in a hundred years and how little she might remember about him.
About her mom.
"People's faces will fade, but there will always be reminders of them, Caroline," Klaus explained as they continued to walk down the beach, her shoes dangling from her hands. "You'll see bits of them in others. Smell certain scents that will remind you of them in an instant. The ones who left their mark will always linger." Even when one didn't particularly want them to.
He knew she was thinking of her mother and perhaps a few others and while offering her comfort would have been nice, Klaus wasn't fond of lying to her. That would only come back to haunt him a hundred years from now when Caroline would be able to throw his platitudes back at him. While he was confident her tantrum wouldn't last long, he didn't relish the idea of being parted from her for any reason.
Caroline sighed at that before pushing away all the depressing thoughts that wanted to cling to her. She was in France and on a beach. Now was so not the time for a pity party. "Thank you for showing me this."
She kissed him then, soft and sweet, enjoying the way her body seemed to melt against his as she let her shoes drop to the ground. Neither of them tried to deepen the kiss, simply let it linger against their lips as she pulled away with a soft sigh to look back at the ocean. "Can we just stay here for a while? I'm so not ready to head back yet."
Definitely not ready to deal with Rebekah and Kol again anytime soon.
"We can stay as long as you'd like, Caroline," he breathed against her neck, pleased that she wasn't shying away from his touch, that she was happily wanting to spend more time with just him.
It seemed that the roots had truly begun to sink into her as well now, not just him like he'd believed earlier. Now it was just a matter of getting them to grow, to bloom and thrive. That wouldn't be easy with the darkening clouds of his siblings in tow, with the reminders of Caroline's past life and what all she'd left behind lingering around every corner, but Klaus was more than up for the challenge if it meant he got to keep her at his side.