CHAPTER 2
May 23rd of 2019
Caroline was at her new small house in Phoenix and she nervously watched as men that she later had to compel, carried in her furniture and other necessities like beddings and clothes and kitchen inventory. Everything Klaus had ordered for her.
When they were done and left her alone, there was a woman at the door and at first she was afraid to open the door but as soon as the woman told her that Klaus sent her, she relaxed a bit.
"Caroline Forbes? I have a delivery for you. Here, this is the package." And the woman gave her a little envelope.
Caroline wondered about what he could have sent so small, but first she had to compel the woman and after closing the door, she sat down and opened the envelope. Inside there were passports and credit cards and even a blank check.
Caroline couldn't help but smile, Klaus really had thought of everything. As she couldn't continue working, she had to get by somehow.
She looked at her clock, 48 hours, The Reaper's deadline was about to reach and she nervously waited for something to happen. But nothing did. No messages, no calls, no one was at the door, nothing out of ordinary happened. So she relaxed and poured herself some wine.
May 25th of 2019
Klaus was right, by the fourth day, Hope had somehow managed to coax the twins to play with barbies with her. The happiness lasted only for a half an hour, before something reminded them of their mom and dad and they started sobbing again.
Klaus couldn't take it anymore, so he got to his iPad and dialled Caroline on Skype as she seemed online currently.
"Klaus, what are you doing, you're not suppose to do that yet." Caroline asked Klaus as he got connected to her.
"Caroline, the twins are inconsolable, they should not only be able to have a long chat with you, but also see you."
"Oh my god, of course, let me talk to them. I know what to say."
"That's good, because I honestly don't."
"I'm going to tell them the truth."
"Whoa, wait, what?"
"I think that the truth lets them calm down and trust you to take care of them."
"Okay, I trust that you know what's best for them."
He took the iPad and carried it to the twins bed room where they were currently hiding in.
"Girls, your mom wants to talk to you."
"Mom!"
Klaus gave them the iPad.
"Mom, when are you coming to get us. We are in a strange place, with strange people and we just want to go home" Lizzie cried.
"You can't, we can't, someone really bad is after you right now and uncle Klaus is the only one who can protect you."
"Where's dad? We wanna talk to him too," Josie asked.
"Girls, listen to me…Something happened to your dad and… he has gone to heaven. He's gone."
The twins started crying hysterically, Josie saying, "Dad!, He can't be gone, he can't."
Klaus and Caroline let them cry and collect themselves for a few minutes.
"I know that it's hard, I know how much it hurts to lose someone like that. But he will always be watching over you. Always. And maybe he can come to you in your dreams." Caroline told them.
Lizzie perked up, "Really? He will be with us all the time?"
"Yes, of course."
"Okay, then. I think he's here right now. He wants us to go to bed." Lizzie said.
Both Klaus and Caroline held back a laugh.
Lizzie turned to Klaus, "Uncle Klaus, will you take us to bed and read us a story."
"Yes of course. I'll do whatever you want me to."
"They love Disney fairy tales, If you could get that for them." Caroline chimed in.
"I think Hope has several books about them."
"Girls say goodbye now and let uncle Klaus and I talk for a minute."
After they had said their goodbye, Klaus moved to his studio with the computer and continued to talk with Caroline.
"So did anything happen after the 48 hour window passed?" Klaus asked her.
"Fortunately nothing happened. But Klaus thank you so much for everything you had delivered to me. Especially for that little envelope. Blank check again, Klaus? Guess, I have been a good girl." Caroline managed a little smile.
Klaus smiled back. "You always are and no need to thank me. I was happy to. And it's not like you can go back to work. The less attention you draw to yourself, the better."
"So what am I suppose to do with all of my time, Klaus?"
"I don't know, you'll figure something out. You have to get a new car too, that's what the blank check is for. And please take care of yourself, don't let boredom make you do things you might regret."
"Of course I will. You know me, the best at control over here. Klaus, to be on the safe side, I think we must end this call."
"I know. Caroline, love, everything is going to be fine. Don't worry so much."
"I'll try. Bye, Klaus."
"Goodbye, sweetheart."
And then Klaus went to make good on his promise to read all the girls a Disney fairy tale.
1st of June 2019
It was a beautiful day outside, the twins took a lot of convincing but by now they were playing with Hope in the garden, running around and playing a game Hope had invented herself.
Marcel had joined them there, he and Rebekah had salvaged their relationship and were happily watching the kids while sitting on the porch. The others soon joined them.
"Nik," Rebekah started and continued when Klaus turned to her, "the twins shouldn't wear clothes that Hope has outgrown of and they should get some of their own toys."
"Okay, what are you suggesting I do about it?" Klaus asked confused.
"Just give me your credit card and I'll take care the rest."
"Going shopping in town?" Hayley asked.
"That was the idea."
"Can I join you, I also need to buy some stuff."
"Okay, then I'll come too, It could be the perfect girls day out." Freya said.
Klaus didn't want the twins treated differently than Hope so he gladly gave Rebekah his new VISA.
"Go buy them everything they could possibly need and want." Klaus said while doing it.
Rebekah clapped her hands and went to change for the outing. Freya and Hayley went to do the same.
"So brothers and Marcel, while the girls are out, what fun should we have?"
"Kol, we still have to look after the little ones."
"I know, I know, but we can still drink some good booze and play some poker, right."
"Right," Marcel agreed, "Klaus?"
"Elijah's right, I have to take my job of taking care of them seriously, can't drink myself to stupor while watching them."
"So it's just Marcel and me then?"
"Actually, if Niklaus deals with the kids, I can handle some card games and day drinking."
"That's what I like to hear." Kol said "So, I'll get the bourbon and the cards and we'll gather at the dining room."
12th of June 2019
Caroline was currently eating dinner, pasta salad, when she received a text message from Klaus on Skype.
It was coordinates to their meeting place at a small town in Arizona with date and time: 15th of June, 11 am.
No other information was necessary as she knew that it was for meeting with him and her girls.
15th of June 2019
Caroline had taken a room in a bed&breakfast in a little town in Arizona, exactly where Klaus instructed them to meet. She was gonna spend the whole day with the twins and she had prepared some toys for that, although she was sure that Klaus would bring some too.
She was getting things ready just as she heard them, they basically ran upstairs to her room and opened the door themselves. Then Caroline knelt down to catch them as they ran to hug her.
"Oh, it's so good to have you here with me at last. I missed you so much," Caroline sobbed as she tightly hugged her girls.
"We missed you too, mommy," Lizzy and Josie said in unison.
Klaus had also come into the room and looked at the three of them, moved by the sight in front of him.
After 5 minutes of tight hugging they broke apart and Lizzie was the first to ask, "Mom, where are we and can we come with you now?"
"Can we go home already?" Josie asked impatiently.
Caroline exchanged a look with Klaus and said, "Girls, listen to me, I know it's strange to be living with the people you haven't met before, but they are good friends with mommy and they'll will take good care of you. I just can't live with you right now, someone very bad is after you and the best thing I can do for you, is stay away. Do you understand?"
"Mom, I understand," Josie said and hugged her mom again.
"I don't. Mom, you always say that your place is by our side," Lizzy pouted.
"Girls look behind you," Caroline said and they did to find Klaus there, looking sad.
"That man over there is the strongest and the most powerful creature on this planet. There's no one else…more suitable to protect you. I wouldn't leave you with someone I didn't think was better suited to protect you then myself. You understand?"
The girls turned to look at Caroline and Lizzie said, "Yes, mom. But how long?"
Caroline started crying then and Klaus decided to take over.
"Girls, girls, I will do everything in power to…defeat the bad monster that is after you, and then you can go back home with your mom. Okay?"
"Okay," Josie said.
"For now, you can spend the whole day with your mother."
"Yes, sweethearts, I will spend the day with you. What would you like to do now. Play some game?" Caroline tried to smile through tears.
"Silly Street!" Josie and Lizzie said in unison.
Klaus looked at Caroline quizzically.
"It's a board game they love."
"Ok, I'll let you play then and come back later," Klaus told her but she stopped him, saying, "Actually we need you for this. Could you stay?"
"Sure. I have nothing better to do in this little town anyway." Klaus smiled.
"Good." Caroline smiled back.
Klaus and Caroline played that game with the twins for a few hours and then they let the twins play alone, coloring pictures with felt-tip pens.
"So how is everything?" Klaus asked Caroline while they were sitting on the edge of the bed as the twins were coloring at the table.
"Fine, everything is fine, I haven't seen or heard anything suspicious yet."
"Okay, that's great, but I meant more, how are doing alone without them."
And then Caroline held back tears that threatened to come out, "It's so hard, every day is like pulling your teeth out one by one. The time doesn't move along at all and I have cleaned and organized everything and I don't know what I'm suppose to do with my time when I don't have them with me. I just miss them so much you know."
"Well, I thought about it and I think that it's a big city, maybe you should get a job or get some hobby."
"I thought it was too dangerous to do that?" She sobbed, trying to collect herself.
"If you don't do anything flashy, like broadcast journalism, I think we should be okay." He nudged her. "It's not like you are on the most wanted list in the world. The Reaper, he has his way of finding people and he will find you eventually, but until then, just relax and do what you want with your life." He tried to calm her.
"How should I relax when you just said that he will find me?"
"Eventually he will and we'll be prepared for that. He's not gonna find them, there's no reason why he should. And he will not kill you as long as you are the only one who knows where they are."
"But he can torture me?"
Klaus fell silent and just stared down at his hands.
"Klaus?" She panicked.
"Caroline, sweetheart, I'll do my best to find and kill him before that happens. I'll take care of everything, I promise" He took her left hand in his right one and started doing circles on the back of her hand to calm her.
She did calm down and hugged him, "Thank you, for everything."
"You're welcome." He said hugging her back, "Now go and play some more with them as we should soon leave."
Caroline went and did just that.
The sun was setting when Caroline finally had to depart with them.
"Be good girls to uncle Klaus and his family, okay? I love you so much!" Caroline said as she hugged them for the final time.
"We love you too, mom." Lizzie told her.
"We adore you mom." Josie told her.
Caroline smiled as Klaus who had gathered all their things and taken them to the car, came back and gave Caroline a quick kiss on the cheek and then took the twins' hands in each of his own as off they went as the girls waved their mother goodbye at the door.