Hello, my lovely readers. Welcome back. There have a lot of things that prevented me from continuing my fics, but I'm trying to get back into the writing thing. On with the show...

Chapter 23: These Lies You Built Your House Upon

It started with ten drinks. Or maybe it was twenty-five. At some point, Klaus Mikaelson lost count. He felt more relaxed than he had in some time. Caroline had passed her test. His family were reunited, except for Kol, but after he was done with his tantrum of the century, he, too, would return. Even Hayley Marshall slid down Klaus' list of threats, for the time being. Poor girl was nursing a broken heart, and was as clueless to Caroline's secret, as far as Klaus knew. However, he could be patient and would find out what his wife kept from him, in time.

Swirling the empty shot glass in his hand, Klaus admired the prism of colors that no human eye could detect. Then his gaze slid to his drinking partner, Kai Parker, who turned out to be more interesting than Klaus first suspected. "You said you're a demonology expert?"

With a smirk, Klaus swiveled on his stool in the Mystic Falls Grill. His partner-in-drinking-the-bar, for the night, gazed back at him with a wide grin. "Yes!" Kai clapped Klaus on the shoulder. "You would not believe how many vampires think I'm kidding about that. Of course, you're no ordinary vampire. The one! The only! Klaus Mikaelson!" Holding up his hands, Kai seemed to be highlighting Klaus' name. Or maybe he wanted to fall off the barstool. Either seemed possible.

Hand shooting outward, Klaus steadied Kai before the witch could tumble off the stool and onto the bar floor. Falling against the side of the bar top; Kai waved to the bartender. "One more round for me and my new bestie!"

The bartender shook his head. "You're cut off, man."

Kai leaned over the bar. His index finger pointed at the bartender. The witch looked quite serious, now. Feeling a mild sense of foreboding, Klaus reached in his pants pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Will this do?" He held up a hundred dollar bill between two fingers.

For a moment, the bartender seemed to mulling it over. Then he pushed off with one foot, coming to collect the bribe. "Cause you're a regular. Here." He pulled out a bottle of bourbon. "Get him," he nodded at Kai, "out of here."

Klaus smiled, slapping the money on the bar top and took the bottle. "Come, my friend, we shall take our celebration elsewhere." He grabbed Kai by the collar of his jacket and spun the younger man towards the door. He'd intended on getting Kai alone anyway. This made it easier.

As they walked through town, to the casual observer, two drunken men out for a stroll, Klaus propelled them towards a specific spot: An alley where he dumped a victim, or two, along the way. Although Klaus also favored it for a place to have a private conversation with an informant, which Kai might be.

With a sigh, Kai fell against the wall. "Caroline's great. Isn't she?"

Feeling a bit confused, and a tad bit possessive; Klaus forced himself to keep smiling. "Yes. She is." In spite of his intentions, an edge entered his voice.

Kai, apparently, was not as drunk as Klaus had first thought. He straightened up. Smoothing his collar. "I don't mean it like that. I mean she's incredible. An incredible find. An intellectual discovery. Of sorts." His blue eyes searched the stars above. "I never thought I'd meet someone like her. In regard to her existence, within our species."

Now, Klaus wondered if he had drunk too much. Somehow, he'd lost the thread. "Species?"

Kai's eyes moved to Klaus. They held a spark. Knowing that spark all too well, Klaus leaned closer. He offered Kai an open smile of his own, "What species are we speaking of, pray tell?"

Unable to contain himself, Kai blurted, "Caroline's created a whole new chapter in my studies of demonology. Imagine, the first Demon Slayer?" He let out a quiet laugh. "No one would believe me if I told them. Well, except for Freya, and Hayley. But Freya is one of the only beings who understands any of it. And Hayley, I was pleased with her interest. I never get to talk about this with anyone outside my field." He paused and then shrugged. "Just kind of shocked Caroline told Hayley. Thought Caroline wanted to keep it a secret." He shook his head. "Guess not..."

Klaus had been silent the entire time. "Who else knows?"

Lips pursing, Kai tapped his fingers against the brick wall. "Eh. Well, me. Freya. I think. Hayley. And you." Freezing, Kai said, "You don't think Hayley will tell The Council?" His entire body straightened. "I need to go home and move the books... My on-going research. If The Council got ahold of it-"

Slapping a hand on Kai's shoulder, Klaus nodded. "Yes. Do. Go home. And see to it that you do not speak of Caroline's...ancestry, to anyone else. Will you?"

"No problem. My lips are sealed." Pressing his fingertips together, Kai made a show of zipping his lips and tossing away the key. Then he took off.

Eyes boring into Kai's back, Klaus held back his seething rage. Ordinarily, he would have killed Kai where he stood, but the fact was that he was the only expert that they knew. Caroline might need him, one day. And his stupidity would have to overlooked, this time.

With a growl, Klaus took a long gulp from the bottle of bourbon. Freya, Klaus knew he could trust with Caroline's secret. Hayley. Never. Now, he had a slayer to kill. But he had to form a plan in order to achieve his goal, while the others were occupied. Which meant there would need to be a distraction and nothing said distraction like a little drama.

With a humorless smile, Klaus tossed the bottle into the street. The spray of glass shards gave him some satisfaction. However, feeling Hayley's bones crunch under his own hands would provide even more. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, she would pay for her curiosity.

~0~

The morning started early. If Klaus could go back one day, he would happily be sleeping beside Caroline. Instead, he rose early to roam about their home, with eager anticipation. Thankfully, there were other matters to guard his feelings from Caroline whose thoughts he'd taken a quick peek at while she relaxed and unguarded.

So, his beloved was as an empath demon, which could work in his favor; if he understood her powers correctly. However, he did not want her anywhere near today's events.

Phone buzzing in his pocket; Klaus withdrew it. His brows rose. A small smile twisted at the corners of his mouth before he slid it back into his pocket. And, so, it had begun.

~0~

"So, you still have no bloody clue what any of this means?" Rebekah fell down on a chair in their brother's study.

Elijah's brows rose. "Not a clue. Yet." His gaze drifted across the room. "Freya, do you have anything of use?"

Bonnie and Freya sat on a sofa, opposite Elijah's desk, and were hovering over a book on Egyptian hieroglyphics. Eyes rising, Freya shoot Elijah a smirk. "Nothing, yet." Then she traced her finger down the page, muttering something to Bonnie, who made a note on a pad in her lap.

Finding all of this tedious, Klaus tried to keep his annoyance to himself. The only person who would be more uncomfortable was Tyler Lockwood. The boy stood, pressed against a wall, close to the door. He was only there because Klaus had summoned him. Unfortunately, the reason for his summons had yet to unveil itself.

"Hayley, did they teach you ancient Sumerian?" Elijah inquired, his attention moving to the slayer, who came to hop on top of the vampire's antique desk. Anyone else would receive a severe lecture concerning the respect due to others belongings from Elijah, but the girl escaped this, for some reason.

Hayley leaned over, her eyes studying the page with intent. After a long moment, she offered a reply, "Yes. Between The Art of Meditation, and Intermediate French Kissing."

Elijah took a moment before reclining into his seat. He steepled his fingers in front of his lips before saying: "Hayley, you may not take this seriously, but your life, and Caroline's, may depend upon what is in this text." He sat forward, and tapped the page. "So, please, be a dear, and try to learn something."

Scoffing, Hayley hopped off the desk. "All I want to learn is where I can get rid of some of this pent-up anger. I'm like a ball of energy. I could go for hours." She stretched her arms upward, revealing her bare stomach to Elijah, who coughed and looked away. "Care, sparring?" The baby slayer called to her elder.

Caroline looked up. She had joined Bonnie and Freya, peering over her best friend's shoulder at Bonnie's and Freya's efforts. "Sorry? What?" Brows drawing together, Caroline's expression showed her lack of compression.

Hayley bounced on the balls of her feet. "Little punching. Little kicking. What do you say?" Her fists flew and she kicked the wall. Elijah gave Hayley a stern look and the girl spun to offer Caroline an eyeroll.

Caroline shook her head. "Sorry. I need to help them figure this out." She barely looked at Hayley.

"I can help." Tyler volunteered. He pushed off the wall with his foot.

Hayley folded her arms over her chest. "You want to be my punching bag?"

Now, Caroline looked up. "Um. No! Not a good idea." Her eyes held panic.

Grinning, Hayley said, "Come on, Care. He wants me to kick his ass."

Elijah looked up, again. His gaze went from Hayley to Tyler. His mouth opened and then closed when Tyler's phone went off.

"What is it, Tyler?" Caroline stared at Tyler with a frown.

"Matt said there was an attack outside The Grill."

"Yes!" Hayley cheered. Everyone looked at her. "I mean: Not: Yay! Someone got hurt! Just: Yay! Something to slay! Go, team!" She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Care."

"Caroline, you should stay here. I will help them." Klaus stood up.

Eyes narrowing, Caroline gave Klaus a long look. "You want to help with something that might be a mugging?"

Klaus shrugged. "Nothing is getting done here, and, I, like Hayley, would relish a good fight."

Caroline did not look entirely convinced. "Right. Don't kill anyone. And don't be late for dinner."

"I won't be." Klaus smiled and followed Hayley and Tyler out the door.

~0~

Caroline could not put her finger on what felt strange. But something wasn't right. She just knew it. "Here. Have a cup of tea. It will help you relax." Freya handed Caroline a cup of steaming tea.

"Thank you," Caroline felt grateful. Ever since Klaus, Hayley, and Tyler left, a mere fifteen minutes ago, she had a bad feeling. "I'm going to go take a quick nap. I didn't sleep well last night." That wasn't true. In fact, Caroline had woken up after her alarm clock went off. But she did feel drained. Too much worry. Even demon vampire slayers could get worn. She got up, yawning, before she headed out of the office.

Taking a sip of the tea, Caroline tried to place her finger on what was bothering her. Hayley had been looking at her, in a way Caroline didn't like, since Jo's baby shower, the night before. Then Klaus came home drunk and fell asleep seconds after coming to bed.

Eyes closing, Caroline felt her entire body slide underneath her. The tea cup making no noise as it tumbled to the carpeted floor beside her.

For a moment, Caroline felt confused. She was no longer in the Mikaelson family home. She was standing on a sidewalk, six blocks from The Mystic Grill. Headed away from the town proper. A familiar voice made her turn.

"This way. They must have gone this way!" Klaus called out.

"Which way?" Tyler called out.

"No!" Hayley shouted. She pointed at something on the sidewalk. "There's a blood trail, headed down here." She hurried forward.

"Tyler, go that way!" Klaus ordered. "They might have the girl there. I smell fresh blood."

Tyler looked torn, but followed Klaus' order. Of course, he did. He had to. Stomach sinking, Caroline watched Klaus follow Hayley. He wasn't with her. He was tracking her. His gait slower. His hands poised to grab. Then Hayley spun on her heel. Some Slayer sense must have made her turn.

"What are you doing, Klaus?" Hayley's hands curled into fists.

With a smile, Klaus sped forward. "What I should have finished, long ago." His hands another forward to wrap around Hayley's neck in a vise grip.

Hayley placed her hands on his chest for stability before swinging her upper body back and her legs forward, kicking him in the chest. This bit of acrobatics would have broken the grip of an ordinary vampire. But Klaus Mikaelson was no run-of-the-mill vamp, ans he did not let go of her neck. She clawed at him and he did not budge. "Care...won't...fore...give...you..." she chocked out.

"Hey, let her go!" Tyler shouted, and then he plunged forward, barreling into Klaus' mid-section and sent all three flying forward from the momentum. They fell onto a nearby lawn and Hayley was temporarily knocked free of Klaus' grasp. "Run!" The wolf shouted at the teen slayer.

Hayley's eyes were glazed and her knees were bleeding, but she scrambled, to her feet. The girl began to run while Tyler tried, and failed, to keep ahold on Klaus. With a solid kick to the solar plexus, Klaus sent Tyler airborne, and across the street. The werewolf landed atop a car and the horn began to wail in fury. As for Tyler, his body laid on top of the hood, a trail of blood dripping from his open mouth.

"Caroline!" A voice called. "Caroline, wake up!"

On instinct, Caroline swung upward. Her fist connected with a jaw, and the person who had woken her hit the wall, hard.

"What the bloody hell?" Rebekah came into the room. "Caroline, what did you blasted well do to Elijah?"

Elijah leaned against a wall, a dazed look on his face before he snapped out of it. His hand went to his jaw. "She has a splendid right hook." He did not look happy as he stated this fact.

"We've got to go!" Caroline leapt to her feet and ran down the hallway.

"What are you on about?" Rebekah sped after Caroline.

Caroline jerked the door open. "Klaus is going to kill Hayley," Caroline growled, fury setting in. She knew running through the streets of Mystic Falls would be too much of a risk, but cars were slower. Her mind kept sorting through possibilities Hayley might already be dead. And why was Klaus doing this? Caroline thought that his desire to kill the new slayer had dispelled. Apparently, something renewed his murderous instinct, and Caroline needed to know why. Now.

Focusing, Caroline found that Elijah stood in front of her. "How do you know this?"

Caroline felt confused. "I saw it."

"In a prophecy?"

"No, Elijah. It was like I could see what was happening, right now." Still trying to think straight, Caroline's hands went into her hair.

"Where are they?" Rebekah and Elijah were trying to ask her things, but Caroline couldn't focus on their words. Closing her eyes, she inhaled. "The school. They're headed-Hayley is headed to the school."

"How do you know?" Elijah pressed, already pulling out his car keys, and Rebekah snatched them up. "You drive like a maniac!" Her brother protested.

Rebekah let out a dry chuckle. "Exactly. Coming?" She slid into the driver's side of Elijah's car. Caroline took the passenger side.

"That's where he killed her in one of my prophecies." Caroline looked ahead as Elijah took a seat in the back and Rebekah took off.

Elijah was quiet, and then he said, "Caroline, how many times has Niklaus killed Hayley in your prophecies?"

Caroline's silence seemed to answer his question, and the rest of the ride was quiet.

~0~

There were no more questions from the Mikaelson siblings about whether Caroline's dream was correct once they entered the school. All three of them could smell the fear and blood. Speeding along the corridors, Caroline felt a sense of dread. And as soon as she found them; Caroline also found that she was paralyzed.

Hayley's fear came off of her in waves. Klaus' rage slammed into Caroline so that she stumbled along. "Klaus," Caroline cried, barely able to hear herself, her fingers were digging into her temples. She had never felt emotions this strong. Hayley's fear of death. Klaus' rage. It was like being pulled into an undertow.

"Klaus, let her go!" Elijah sped forward, his hand went out to grab Klaus' shoulder.

Spinning, Klaus slammed Hayley's arm into Elijah's chest. Eyes wide, Elijah slumped to the floor. A broken piece of broom handle now stuck through Elijah's shirt, a large pool of crimson turning the blue a sickly purple-ish hue. He dropped to the floor. Then the sickening snap as Hayley let out a howl of pain. The broom handle fell to the floor, so did Hayley's wrist, which now hung uselessly from her body, looking as if she had twisted it inside out.

With a growl, Hayley headbutted Klaus. He grinned, blood pouring down from his nose before he took a fistful of her hair and slammed her head into the bay of lockers behind them.

"Nik, what is the matter with you, you wanker?" Rebekah strode over and punched Klaus in the face.

Eyes turning golden, Klaus let out a hiss, his hand swung out to grip Rebekah's arm, biting her. She let out a shocked cry, falling several steps backwards. "You bit me, you animal!" Then she turned to look at Caroline. "You have to stop him."

"Klaus..." Caroline ground out as Klaus placed a hand over Hayley's mouth as she struggled to fight him off. "Klaus, why are you doing this?"

Klaus shook his head. "I have to. You'll understand. She is a threat." He nodded as if to agree with his own logic.

Great. Her husband lost his mind, again. With an eyeroll, Caroline got up. "You're not going to kill her. She is my family. Which means she's your family. And this isn't dagger dead."

Klaus inhaled. For a moment, Caroline thought she'd gotten through to him, but then he looked into Hayley's terrified eyes, and his suddenly threw her down the hallway. Her body flew, before crashing through a set of double doors.

Before Caroline could react, Klaus stalked to the doors, and grabbed Hayley by the throat. The girl could not fight. Caroline had heard the bones breaking like dry twigs. Now, Klaus hauled her through the doors like a rag doll. Hayley stared at Caroline through the slit of one blackened eye.

"N-O!" Caroline screamed. She got to her feet and ran. She no longer felt Hayley's overwhelming fear, because Hayley barely had feelings left. Her life draining out of her as well as her blood.

Careening into the pool area, Caroline stood in horror as Klaus held Hayley's head under the water. "No! No, Klaus! Whatever you think she did-or whatever you think she will do-this isn't right! Let her go!" Diving into the pool, Caroline swam along its length. She surfaced to throw her arms around Klaus from behind, her legs went around his waist, and she jerked him away from Hayley, who sank beneath the water.

Klaus spun, and for a moment, Caroline thought he would attack her, too. But he simply took her head and buried it against his shoulder. "I had to, Caroline. Kai told her about you. I had to!" He pulled back and Caroline now saw and felt his genuine terror. "The Council would never stop until you were dead. I couldn't allow that to happen. I couldn't!"

"I know." Caroline rested her forehead against Klaus.'

"Niklaus?" Elijah's voice startled them. He dove into the pool, which under normal circumstances Caroline would find funny. There he went-in one of his best suits- chlorinated water of the high school pool. He stopped and dove down to collect Hayley.

Caroline felt like someone punched her in the gut as Elijah laid Hayley's limp body on the concrete surrounding the pool. He pushed himself up and out. "Bonnie! Freya!" Elijah shouted, his voice no longer calm and controlled, pure panic in his tone, as cupped Hayley's face.

Klaus looked at Caroline. He looked oddly vulnerable. Like a lost child, who did not know where to go. "Heal Rebekah. Then go." Caroline did not say anything else before swimming toward Elijah. Elijah gave her a look that made her pause. His body was halfway over Hayley's, as if he meant to shield her from anyone who meant her harm.

Bonnie came running in with Freya. "Oh, my God!" The Bennett witch cried, her hand going to her mouth. "Oh, no," but she kept running. Kneeling beside Hayley, she placed her face against Hayley's chest. "She isn't breathing."

"I know!" Elijah snapped. His hand went through his hair. "Do something!"

"She's dead, Elijah." Caroline said, still in the pool.

The doors opened and Tyler came in with Rebekah. His arms were wrapped around the vampire, keeping her on her feet, but at the sight of Hayley's prone body, Tyler could not seem to stand up. They both fell to their knees. "No!" Tyler sobbed. "No."

With a feeling of dread, Caroline inhaled. Then she looked at Freya and Bonnie, "There has to be a way to bring her back."

"It wouldn't be her." Freya said dully.

Bonnie opened Hayley's mouth. "She hasn't been down long," she muttered, and then began CPR. "There's still hope. There's always hope."

There's always hope, rang in Caroline's ears as Hayley's lifeless body moved up and down with each new attempt to breathe life back into her. Because without hope...we're doomed...

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reblogging.

-J