AN: I like Bonnie, but she is really judgemental sometimes. Also, with the spell I thought it'd be a little more realistic that it wouldn't be perfect. All magic comes with a price, as they say on Once Upon a Time. Caroline focused chap.
Breakfast is arranged by Caroline, she knows the humans best. Klaus tells her he's off to work on something, and she asks him if he's seen Elijah lately. Klaus suggests Elena's room, or his study. He wishes Caroline luck and she just kisses him on the cheek and tells him to call if he needs anything. He tells her he will. She drinks some blood and focuses on making breakfast.
It's about ten minutes after that when Alaric makes his way downstairs. Caroline hands him a cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepts. They don't talk until he finishes the cup of coffee, and he yawns and asks her for another. She messes with the coffee machine that's too complicated for Alaric's taste, and he gets another cup of energy. Jeremy makes it down twenty minutes later, with messy hair and contagious yawns.
Alaric has managed to eat three muffins and a large scoop of scrambled eggs. Jeremy's eyes widen after he wakes up fully, and considers asking Caroline when the army her breakfast could feed will arrive, but decides against it. Kol comes down after Caroline fixes Jeremy a plate.
She gave him too much food, but he couldn't decide what he wanted. She hands Kol a mug of warm blood and he smiles at her. She heard him making his way downstairs and she knew thought he'd be 's the last down, and Caroline fixes her a cup of coffee and a plate of what she thinks the sleepy Bennett witch would want. She tells them she's going to check on Elijah.
She calls him, unsure if he'll answer or not. The ringing comes from Elena's room. Of course.
Elijah is in Elena's head. She tells them that Elijah should probably leave Elena's mind. She waits for a few minutes and hears Bonnie move downstairs. Nothing. She tells them a few more times, she's pretty sure Alaric and Jeremy would like to talk to her again.
Nothing.
When everyone's done with breakfast, Caroline checks on Elijah once more. She tells him he should leave Elena's mind. She doesn't know what would happen if she enters Elena's mind while Elijah's in there, so she decides not to.
She plays tour guide while Kol stays home. Bonnie is still irritated about the Mikaelsons, and the fact that Caroline and Elena somehow managed to fall in love with two of them but stays silent.
New Orleans is beautiful, and Caroline is recognized as someone who associates with the Mikaelsons. It's safe. Jeremy asks about Elena and how she's doing, but Caroline tells him that his sister is occupied.
She tries to keep them completely occupied with sightseeing, and eventually caves and asks Klaus for another set of places to go. She doesn't know the city as well as she thought she did.
Ric and Jeremy are occupied in a bookstore for a while, and Bonnie is deep in conversation with a few witches from the Quarter. Caroline keeps an eye on them. There's no time limit for how long they can look around, but Caroline is a little worried about what Bonnie's saying to those witches.
By the end of the night, she's ordered pizza for dinner, Rebekah is in another city for the rest of the week, and Elijah is still in Elena's head.
Five more days, she thinks before she closes her eyes to sleep.
Elijah blinks a few times. Elena yawns, curses and apologizes within a minute. She didn't meant to fall asleep, and the spell took a lot out of her. He tells her it took a lot out of Bonnie and Jeremy too. She blinks and he updates her on what he can. She talks, like she needed to. She asks if there's something between Bonnie and Jeremy and he confirms it.
If she was awake, she'd be able to see it too. She admits that after the week is over, she's going to sleep for a day or two. Four people in her head in one day was insanely tiring. He doesn't blame her.
They hear noise, and she hesitantly focuses on it. She almost just wants some space from everyone else, and pretending like the outside world doesn't exist would be useful in helping that. But they focus and they both hear Caroline say that Elijah needed to leave her mind, and that he'd been there for a little over a day. Elijah swears quietly, and she gives him a brief hug before sending him out.
When Elijah blinks, Caroline tells him it's been a day. She doesn't meant to press, but Elijah tells her anyway. Elena was so tired after he entered her mind that she fell asleep. He didn't wake up until she did.
One person with the spell was the limit for each day. He and Caroline were fine, he explains as he stands up. The spell drained Elena and the person entering her mind.
Caroline nods and Elijah excuses himself.
Ric moves a chair to sit by Elena, and Bonnie performs the spell again.
It's good to see Ric. It's really nice to see Ric again. She can't keep the tears that come out. They talk for a few hours. She feels better, about everything after that. If nothing else, Ric would keep a good eye on Jeremy. Alaric makes promises he plans to keep and Elena warns that she plans to hold him to them.
The rest of the week is divided up by who gets to talk to Elena. Caroline is a good tour guide, and she keeps everyone happy and entertained for the most part. She isn't alone in a room with Bonnie until the last day, when they're planning to leave. Elijah has a drink with Klaus in his study on the sixth day. Elijah hasn't been able to talk to Elena in three days, and Klaus is going to miss Caroline. He doesn't say that of course, and Elijah knows his brother well enough to read between the lines. At least Rebekah will be home soon enough, and he'll be able to spend time with Elena. It sounds selfish, but Elena seems to feel the same way, so he doesn't care.
The night they're leaving, Caroline has everything packed for the week, and is about to close the trunk when familiar arms wrap around her waist. Klaus hold her close, and kisses her. She kisses him back, because they've been talking and she decides she doesn't care.
She really doesn't care, actually, if she has anyone's approval or not. She's an adult, who is making adult decisions. She doesn't care anymore if Bonnie doesn't like who she's dating. She dumped guys for her friend before, and Bonnie had done the same. But they're not in high school anymore, and she really likes Klaus. So if Bonnie is going to stay on her high horse and judge her, it's fine. Because she doesn't care anymore and real friends wouldn't do that.
When they break apart, she tells him that she'll call. He lets go, and everyone else has said their goodbyes. She's not saying goodbye, it's just a week. She'll be back.
He still pours himself a drink, and as Elijah and Kol walk into the living room, he pours two more.