Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. If I did, The Originals would never have happened, Kol would be alive and happily causing mayhem somewhere, and Klaus and Caroline would be travelling the world and sexing it up.

When she'd been travelling to New Orleans on her own, after her mother had died and everything else in her life had gone to shit, she would wile away the long hours by imagining what Klaus' reaction would be to her finally turning up on his doorstep.

Would he surprised, or would he take her hand with that knowing smile, leading her up to his bedroom and undressing her slowly. Maybe it would have been quick and dirty, a release that both of them had been craving for years now.

Or maybe they would have met out on the street, the crowds parting for them, every nerve ending on her body knowing intrinsically that he was there.

None of it matters now of course.

The room had gone completely and utterly silent after Gloria's confident pronouncement, the only sound being that of Klaus storming out of the space, a look of fury writ plain across his features.

Elijah had turned a calculating gaze on her, as if she was a piece of a puzzle that had just fallen into place for him, even if he's not quite sure what to do with the situation.

Rebekah just looked scared, and that was probably the most unsettling thing of all. She had never seen Rebekah display any sort of fear, as long as the older vampire had been around her.

She hadn't waited around for Gloria to elaborate, because whatever it was couldn't be good for her. Things involving witches never did turn out well for her.

She'd explored the mansion almost absentmindedly, meandering through rooms, running her fingers along fine wooden side tables, taking in the stunning artwork hung on the wall. The whole mansion, or at least what she saw of it was a testament to the Mikaelson's good taste. There was nothing tacky to be found here.

A lace curtain billowing in the gentle breeze catches her eye, and she crosses the room, pushing on the glass door next to it. She steps out onto a wrap around porch overlooking a courtyard, and the sight is achingly familiar.

Klaus had probably stood here a dozen times, looking out over the world that he'd built for himself and for his siblings, watching carefully for anyone who overstepped their bounds and overstayed their welcomes. It was the perfect place to survey a kingdom.

She drops to the ground with a sigh, threading her legs through the balcony, face pressing against cool metal.

"Well this is an odd way to take in the view I must say." Kol sounds amused, but doesn't comment further, instead seating himself beside her on the ground.

He looks pale and tired and in desperate need of blood, but he's got that permanently bemused expression on his face that is so characteristic of him.

"Are you feeling better?" She asks politely, still not quite sure where she stood with the youngest Mikaelson brother.

Kol had saved her life, but he'd also snapped her neck and had been infuriatingly smug about it since.

"Much." Kol answers immediately. "Thanks for you know, not running away when things got heated." He adds reluctantly, like every word had been painful for him to say and admit out loud to her.

"I would never leave you to die if i could do anything to stop it."

Kol looks troubled, pressing his face against the metal, eyes casting out into the dark courtyard below.

"It's strange, to hear a vampire say that. Most would have run as fast and as far as they can."

"Maybe it's the human still in me. I am still young after all."

Kol turns his gaze towards her, a strange expression on his face.

"No I think it's something more than that. Have you ever heard of the term Marchande du Mort before today?" Kol's French accent is perfect, his r's perfectly rolled. She shakes her head in amazement at the sound. Of course Kol would be fluent in French.

"Never. Baby vampire remember? Anything to do with vampire mythology and I'm lost."

Kol's lips twist into an amused smile, arms threading through the bars that make up the balcony, hands curling around the twists and turns of metal.

"Marchande du Mort is an old term, one as old as we are." Kol begins neutrally, even as she turns to glance at him. "As Gloria mentioned back inside, it means dealer of death, but not in the literal sense. I think that was more to warn anyone off than anything else."

"You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject." She points out, even as rain begins to fall on the tin roof, raindrops spattering on the ground far below them, thunder and lightning rumbling overhead.

"I liked books once I was turned. It was something that I never had access to when I was human. I was intrigued by the name and wanted to find out as much about it as I could." Kol replies with an errant shrug, hair falling messily into his eyes. "That was how I became fluent in French."

"But what does it even mean? Dealer of death? I'm not the Grim Reaper or anything am I?" Caroline tries not to let the panic overwhelm her, because she was so not here for supernatural bullshit.

Kol chuckles.

"No definitely not. From what I've read of the du mort you're certainly you're stronger than the average vampire. Perhaps it was why you were so easily able to deal with the solider that was trying to kill me." Kol remarks thoughtfully. "But I think the source of your power is L'arbiter."

"The arbiter?" Caroline asks hesitantly, Kol nodding in confirmation. "Like a judge?"

"Back in the 1400's, what was widely believed to be the first marchande du mort set up a vampire court in London. From there they established a rule over what was then known as England, dividing the counties up into vampire areas, installing vampires and werewolves to rule over each one."

"Like a kingdom?" She asks incredulously, because this is exactly the sort of thing that is right up Klaus' alley. "It wasn't Klaus was it?"

Kol's laughter is genuine this time, like he honestly believes the idea is incredulous.

"Good god of course not. The power vested in Marchande du mort is an ancient one, and one that we never really did understand. It seems to manifest in those that are worthy, rather than being passed to the oldest, the wisest, or the strongest. It happens in unexplained patterns, in vampires and werewolves. There's never more than one at a time. At the heart of their power, was the ability to pass judgement on members of the vampire and werewolf races that had broken the code."

She furrows her brow in confusion.

"The code? Like a set of laws or rules?"

"Correct. At it's most basic, the most essential rule was to never expose what we were to the humans. Beyond that there were rules about inflicting no more harm than was necessary on the humans. The Marchande was quite civilised." Kol recalls with a faint smile.

"But why was Klaus so mad about me being a marchande du mort? It's not like I'm exactly in a position to proclaim myself ruler of the vampiric and werewolf race. Nor do I want to, if it means that people are going to try and tear me to pieces." She points out to Kol.

There's a piece of the puzzle here, something that isn't quite fitting in to the story that Kol is weaving for her. As intriguing as it is, he's holding something back.

"Because he hunted them. He kept it quiet of course, only the closest of him knew of his vendetta against the marchande du mort. If it ever spread any further than his innermost circle it would have been enough to get him killed. Lover of chaos, destroyer of lives. That's what those around him used to say about him, worried that it would consume him."

"Because it would interfere with the power he held. That was why, wasn't it?"

Kol screws up his face, perhaps not wanting to reveal any more about his brother than he already had.

"Yes." Kol confirms, even as she crosses her arms over her chest, the rain increasing in it's steadiness beyond their little bubble.

Kol's body language is odd, and she's not really picking up what she's putting down. So she takes a stab in the dark, hoping that Kol will trust her enough to answer.

"I have to wonder though, why you seem so invested in." She begins quietly, crossing her legs, ready to make a quick getaway if needed. "Was there a woman? Someone that you loved?"

"Her name was Alexandria, named after The Great Library of Egypt. She was du mort for some time."

"But Klaus killed her."

"Yes." Kol confirms, voice soft and lilting. "And then he daggered me before I could raise a hand against him."

"But he's your brother. And you loved her." Caroline turns to him, taking note of the neutral expression on his face, betraying no hint of emotion positive or otherwise. "How do you not hate him?"

"Because he's my brother. And love…" Kol's lips twist unpleasantly. "Even love begins to lose meaning when you've been alive for as long as I have."

"I don't know if I could ever forgive him, if I were in your shoes." She remarks tentatively.

Kol just shrugs.

"He's my brother. That doesn't mean that I have to love him."

"Why are you telling me this? I thought you hated me." Caroline asks, voice dry from overuse, from the intensity of this conversation, from the information overload.

She didn't even know where to start, where to seek information about the marchande du mort, what it might mean for her, what it might mean for cooperation with the humans.

"No." Kol replies immediately, shaking his head as if to drive his point home. "I don't think I hate you. I don't like you much, but you helped save my life, and that's not something that I can easily forget."

Caroline sucks in a breath, startled by Kol's honestly, as blunt as it was. While she was under no illusions that she and Kol would ever be the best of friends, she had at least hoped they'd be able to get along with each other, even if it was for the sake of everyone else involved in this mess.

"For better or for worse Nik has always been like a hurricane. And somehow you've managed to temper him. I would rather not see you meet the same fate as Alexandria."

"Thanks I guess." She finally replies, even as Kol shoots her another bemused look before getting to his feet.

"Make sure you get some sleep. We'll be on the move soon, before they figure out we're here."

"Caroline."

The sound of her name, the voice that haunted her deepest desires and the worst of her nightmares floats out of the darkness behind her.

She twists her body, Klaus standing patiently before her with a hand held out towards her. She can only see his face, the rest of his body wreathed in shadow. How appropriate, given what she'd just learned.

Lover of chaos, destroyer of lives.

"Will you walk with me?" Klaus asks quietly, even as she nods silently, accepting his hand and pulling herself to her feet.

Klaus doesn't let go of her hand, and she sends a silent prayer up above that he doesn't notice how sweaty her palm is, doesn't notice how her pulse is practically leaping through her skin, heartbeat thundering in her ears. Such a human reaction, and one that he would look on with disdain.

Klaus leads her over to an alcove sheltered from the rest of the porch, practically invisible unless you walked right past it. The outdoor lounge was comfortable, practically swallowing her up as she sank down into it with a sigh. It felt so good to rest, to be safe.

Klaus drops his hand and turns his gaze away from her.

"Are you alright?" He asks quietly, even as she nods silently, wrapping her arms around her middle. It was a hard revelation to swallow, that she was supposedly the born again leader of the supernatural world, the one destined to bring everyone together, to unite them all against the humans that would destroy her.

Not Klaus, the King of New Orleans. Not Elijah, the Original almost as old as time itself. Her. Little Caroline Forbes, the baby vampire, the cheerleader from Mystic Falls.

"It's a lot to take in." She replies finally, angling away from him, even as he turns to stare at her.

"You're afraid of me." Klaus remarks dully eyes flicking over her, over her tense body language, the way she's protecting her abdomen from him.

"Do you blame me?" She asks, tongue darting out to lick her lips, voice whisper quiet. "Your brother just told me that you actively hunted every marchande du mort before me, because they interfered with your power trip."

"I would never hurt you." Klaus promises, voice dipping low. The fact that he doesn't apologise tells her everything that she needs to know about the second part of her previous statement.

"You did once, a long time ago. When you were angry at me." She points out quietly, Klaus' face going dark at the memory.

He says nothing, makes no excuses for his past behaviour, knowing that nothing he says would be enough to make it right.

She'd almost forgotten about it actually, but it was good to tell him just how much he'd hurt her, both physically and emotionally.

"I came to New Orleans once." She blurts out suddenly, voice as harsh as a whip in the silence. Klaus' gaze snaps to her, eyes pinning her down as an incredulous look comes over his face.

"When?" He finally chokes out, tone laced with disbelief.

She closes her eyes briefly, knowing that she can't take those words back now that she's said them.

"It was after my mom died of cancer. And after I turned my humanity switch back on." She finally bites out, watching as Klaus' entire face transforms.

It's not pity, but it's something else. It scares her in a different way.

"You were with a woman. I thought it was your sister at first, but she was so unmistakably human." She continues recounting her short time in New Orleans quietly. "She was blonde, just like me. And I realised that even if I was ready to see what you could offer me, perhaps you weren't ready for me."

Klaus buries his face in his hands, shoulders heaving as he sucks in a breath.

"Who was she Klaus?" She continues her line of questioning softly, intentionally keeping her tone gentle, telling him that she wasn't angry.

"Her name was Camille O'Connell. She was a human, a bartender at one of the drinking holes in the Quarter. She became entangled with my family, and I found myself wanting to protect her."

"Why?" She asks, her voice like steel.

"Because she reminded me of you." Klaus admits frankly, turning to face her once more. "Because every time I looked at her, all I could see was you, and the life that I imagined that we might have together."

This was uncharacteristically honest, even for someone like Klaus, and it's enough to catch her off guard, not sure how much further she should push, if he'll even admit anymore about this mysterious Camille.

"Did you love her?"

"No." Klaus answers immediately, staring off into the distance. "I think she wanted me to, but I wasn't capable of it. There was too much going on."

"And what happened to her?"

"She died. She was killed by a rival faction some years ago, shortly after she was turned into a vampire."

"I'm sorry." She apologises immediately, even as Klaus shoots her an amused glance.

"I've always found it strange that humans are so quick to apologise for a death that was beyond their control, or not their fault."

"Not a human." She points towards herself, giving him a quick smile despite the heavy topic of their conversation. "It seems like the polite thing to do." She adds softly.

The silence stretches out between them, and she can tell that he's deep in thought, just like she is, her mind pondering all of this new information that she's been given, wondering what he wants her to do with it.

"What would it have been like, if you'd seen me that day?" Caroline asks quietly, twisting her hands together, not quite willing to meet his gaze.

"It would have been like nothing else mattered." Klaus replies immediately, totally confident in what he was saying. "I would have treated you like…"

"Like a Queen?" She replies teasingly, tone light, making fun of his self styled title.

"No." Klaus replies reaching out to grip her hand.

She stiffens, surprised by his answer. And then Klaus speaks again, and her heart skips a beat.

"Like an equal."

Lightning splits the sky outside her window, her world turning white for an instant before it plunges back into darkness. The balcony doors are thrown wide open, secured with a metal fastening to let in the cool air.

With the curtains billowing into the room, it almost seems like a scene from a movie, even as she lies on her back and stares at the ceiling, trying to reconcile her conversation with Klaus compared to her one with Kol.

It was something that she always struggled with, trying to forget all of the awful things that Klaus had done, even in the short time that she knew him. But really, what was half a year compared to a thousand?

There were so many things that she didn't know about him, that she probably would never find out about him unless she demanded he tell her. And even then, she wouldn't know if he was lying or if he would tell her the truth.

She closes her eyes, trying to feel any sort of hint of the power thrumming through her veins, of the spark that would tell her that she was different, that she was powerful.

Nothing.

Maybe the witch had been wrong, maybe it was someone else in the room that had the power instead.

But then again, the witch had looked right at her, seen right through her with eyes that spoke of horrors seen and lifetimes lived over again.

This power was hers, and no one else's, as long as she was deemed worthy.

Lightning flashes again, and she spots a silhouette sitting in the chair next to her bed. Watching her.

She opens her mouth to scream, but the shadow reaches her, clapping a well manicured hand over her mouth before she can make a sound. Lightning splits the sky again, and she falls silent when she recognises the familiar features.

At first glance it looks like Elena, but that can't be possible. Elena would never go anywhere without at least one of the Salvatore brother's by her side for protection. And Elena would never have the balls to sneak into a compound full of sleeping Original vampires, most of whom would shove a stake through her heart.

Elena didn't even know that she was in New Orleans.

Katherine Pierce backs away, placing a finger over her lips and motioning for her to be silent.

"Don't scream Caroline. No one will hear you, not as long as I carry this." Katherine waves a strange stone held in her hand, black as night. "I'm not here to hurt you." Katherine adds, perhaps sensing her distress, the way she's scrambled back away from the brunette vampire, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Why are you here then?" She asks hoarsely, heart thundering in her ears even as Katherine cocks her head to the side, staring at her curiously.

"I'm here to help you Caroline."

AN: Aaand here is Chapter 4! Sorry it's taken so long.

For those of you that don't follow me on Tumblr, or don't have a Tumblr, earlier this week I announced the status of several of my stories. Please don't worry, none of them are being abandoned. They will all be completed, but some stories will be taking priority over others at this point in time in terms of regular updates.

This one will be first priority. In terms of the others…

Up All Night Til The Sun (Spies AU)- Is currently on hold, until this story is mostly completed. The last chapter only got 8 or so reviews when the last chapter on this story got almost 20. I'm going to write what's more popular, and what you guys want, and at the moment this one seems to be it.

Growing Strong (GOT AU)- Will take second priority in terms of updates. I'm not intending it to be a super long story in terms of chapter count, so am hoping that i can wrap up the story fairly quickly and focus on another.

Miles to Go Before We Sleep (Marvel AU)- is also on hold, until I can get this and Growing Strong pretty much done

If you have any questions about any of this at all, please don't hesitate to ask. As mentioned, all of the stories I write will always be completed. I don't abandon things halfway through, and don't plan on it.

I hope you enjoyed Kol's backstory in this chapter! I really love Kol as you all know, and I adore writing him as much as i can. I was a little worried when mapping this out that he wouldn't have as big a part as i wanted him to, but it's turned out alright. I was always curious in canon as to why Klaus was so afraid of Kol. This is my take on it, the ultimate betrayal by Klaus and the reason why he kept Kol daggered for so long.

What do you all think of the marchande du mort concept? Are you sufficiently intrigued? I know it might not make a whole lot of sense now, but I will endeavour to explain it more in the next chapter as well.

Katherine makes an appearance- any ideas or theories as to why she might be there or what part she might play in the story? Would love to hear your thoughts and see if anyone picks it.

Sorry for the super long authors note! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone by putting my other stories on hold, i want to make sure that you guys are getting regular updates from me rather than them being sporadic. Again, hope you all understand.

See you for chapter 5, and keep an eye out for my two Klaroline smutmas dribbles coming your way on Tumblr! I'm xxafterthestormxx over there if you'd like to come and say hi.

xx