Baby Mikaelson

Chapter Four: Happy New Year!

Caroline Forbes

After hiding the painting at the top of my closet and completely out of sight, I called Elena to tell her about my invitation to the party and the news of Kol Mikaelson's return to Mystic Falls. As it turned out, she, Stefan, and Damon had all received invitations to the party; they had been waiting for them when they arrived home that day. Damon didn't want to attend, no matter how hard Elena and Stefan tried to convince him otherwise. Damon had attended their last party, so I didn't understand what the problem was. I thought he would have attended if only to protect Elena; she was still a new vampire, and she was going to be in a room surrounded by people. Accidents happen at parties, and all it took was one broken glass for her to sniff a single droplet of blood in the air.

I wasn't about to waste my time trying to convince him to come; Elena had assured me she felt strong enough within herself to attend. Besides, she would have Stefan and I by her side all night for reassurance. I was worried she was taking this risk; I still remember how out of control I was after I first turned; sometimes just walking down a hallway at school was enough to set me off. But Elena's intentions were good; I thought all she and Stefan wanted was to attend the party to make sure the people of Mystic Falls were safe from harm. If it got too much for her, she could leave, and Stefan and I would stay on. Still, I couldn't help but worry. Elena had explained on the phone that before I called her, she had called Bonnie to ask if she had received an invitation, but Bonnie had not and neither had Matt. The Mikaelsons had chosen only a few of us, which shouldn't have surprised us; they just didn't want us spoiling their fun.

Since when did we become the bad guys?

Before hanging up, I asked Elena if she'd been thinking about what we talked about today, and she told me she had, but she didn't know how to feel about it yet. I didn't want to go any deeper into conversation about it, considering the people who may have been listening in over at the boarding house. I doubted she had gone home and told Damon about what we had talked about. Elena wasn't going to make a decision overnight about this; after all, it was a life-changing decision, not just for her but for Damon too. It was normal; it was human, even not to tell Damon about it until she knew how she felt about it. After all, Elena may have already come to terms with the idea that motherhood was off the table for her.

Maybe even the idea of trying and failing was enough for her to not want to even try. I understood that, because unlike Bonnie, I was in fact in the same shoes, on the same boat, and on the same page as Elena. The only difference was that Elena had been living with this new reality of what was gone from her human life for weeks; I've been dealing with this reality for years now. I was suddenly filled with rage for Bonnie once more. Didn't she see me just as miserable as Elena was? I had to see women pushing their strollers and nursing their babies, just like Elena did. I had to live with the reality that my body couldn't make a baby anymore and that no matter how strong I was now as a vampire, my body wasn't capable of doing what I desperately wanted it to. I couldn't nurse; I couldn't produce milk.

Yet Bonnie had ignored me. I was in so much pain this morning that I didn't want to be near her, and yet she had smiled so lovingly at Elena that it made me want to burst into tears at the sight. It wasn't all due to the fact that she hadn't included me in our efforts and research. It was having to suddenly accept the reality that, since I became a vampire, Bonnie didn't love me anymore. I knew our relationship had changed, of course. I wasn't blind, and I could still catch her looking at me sometimes the way she'd looked at me the night of the festival, and yet I had kept my mouth shut.

She didn't like me anymore. She didn't love me anymore.

I wasn't going to confront her about this; I wasn't going to cause a scene and bring my friends into this. It wouldn't help anything if I did. I wouldn't change Bonnie's feelings by telling her my thoughts; all that would do is send her into a bad mood, and I'd be the bad guy. No doubt, she'd tell Elena, and within an hour, I'd get a phone call that started.

"What's going on with you and Bonnie?" "She's really upset."

I would then have to apologise and make out that I was having a bad day and I had taken it out on her and it wasn't her fault, and the idea of it was exhausting.

It had been a very long and difficult day, and it wasn't even close to being over.

As horrible as it sounded, I was glad Bonnie wasn't going to be at the party tonight. I knew even if she had been there, she and Elena wouldn't risk talking about the subject in a house full of originals, but if I had looked across the room and seen the two of them smiling at each other, I would have seen in their eyes that they were both thinking about it.

There wouldn't be any words to describe how hurt I would have been.

How could I have been so blind for so long?

I had left a voicemail on my mom's phone; she was working a double shift and wouldn't be home until tomorrow evening. I wanted to let her know what was going on; she'd probably put a few more of her officers on patrol that night to make sure people got home safe. They weren't a taxi service, but my mom always said to help out those who didn't have the strength or awareness to look out for themselves. I remember when I was human, I'd watch her come in from her shift, take off her gun belt, and hang up her jacket. She'd always have the same expression on her face, and I just ignore it, telling myself that whatever it was, she'd get over it on her own. But I was different now; I didn't know that girl anymore.

Now I understand.

It was the look that said, "Did I do enough today?"

She had no idea how insanely proud I was of her. She wanted to see bad people brought to justice, but most of all, she just wanted the people of Mystic Falls to be safe. to be able to sleep in their beds at night and not worry about who was trying to come in. If she could do all of that, then I could at least do this in return. Returning to my bedroom, I headed over to my closet and began selecting my clothes for the party. I searched from one hanger to the next, a few ideas coming together as I continued. In the end, I selected a new taupe sequin wrap blouse still featuring its price tag and a pair of black skinny jeans, a pair of black peep-toe stilettos, and a soft pink satin shell clutch with gold threaded trim.

For jewellery, I decided to keep it very simple: a thin gold chain and a pair of diamond stud earrings.

Before I could change, though, I had to shower; I had napped, and I needed a shower now to help wake up a little. It was getting a little darker now, making me aware of my countdown. Elena had offered to pick me up, but I told her I'd manage fine on my own. As childish as it sounded, I didn't want her help because I was still mad at her.

In fact, it wasn't childish at all.

I decided that until I was at the party and had to force a smile on my face, I wasn't going to hide my feelings.

I could call Bonnie many things right now, but the truth is that Elena was just as bad. It had been hours since Bonnie brought up the subject. I had forced myself to calm down; I had gone home, taken a nap, and expected to wake up to a text from one of her apologising for not realising I had been completely ignored. They didn't even stop and think of the risks I had been taking with Tyler all these months; he had been a hybrid.

I'll bet if I had fallen pregnant before Shane and Bonnie had made this wonderful discovery, then all of my friends would have a lot to say about it. I'm sure at least one of them would think it was a dangerous thing, that something had gone horribly wrong, and that if it was a baby, it would only cause trouble.

While shampooing my hair in the shower, I kept seeing Bonnie and Elena holding hands and smiling. Neither of them even asked what I thought about it, and it was because they didn't care what I thought about it. I thought that with everything that had happened to us these last few years, after everything we'd been forced to endure and the people that we lost along the way, the three of us were at least beyond our teenage ways. But it appeared that Bonnie and Elena had not. I didn't even know if they even realised what they were doing; maybe they didn't, and maybe it was all in my head. I really hoped it was, but something told me, deep within my heart, that I couldn't put myself out there and get knocked back again when I was confronted by the reality that the two of them managed just fine without me. We were growing up and going our separate ways, but Elena kept reminding us that we needed each other, and I believed her.

I had believed her.

Now I'm not so sure.

After conditioning my hair and getting washed up, I stepped out wrapped myself in a soft yellow towel, and began to towel off my hair. At the sink counter, I brushed my teeth and began to add product to my hair to help me with curling and styling it later. I grabbed my make-up from under the sink and headed back to my room. I put on some tunes in the background but kept them low; I just needed a little background to help escape my own thoughts. I had let myself have my meltdown in the shower, and for tonight, that would have to be enough. I was tired and could again just be imagining things, so now was the time to focus on just about anything else. Even though I couldn't believe I was thinking such things, the party was actually a rather welcome distraction. I just hoped I didn't eat my own words later if the hosts tried to eat their guests. Of course, the party would be ideal; something out of a magazine that would take my mind off things. I started on my hair first; the room was a little cold, and damp hair didn't help. I cranked up my hairdryer and began to clip, smooth, and style. Hair always takes longer than you think it will, and if your arms aren't tired by the time you've finished it, let's face it, you're not really happy with the results. After drying it off, I immediately went to work on curling. I was keeping my hair down this evening, so I made a little extra effort with the curls than I normally would. I was happy with the bounce I had achieved.

Since it was the New Year, no matter where I was spending it, I decided to make the effort with my make-up too. For my eye shadow, I chose a soft brown glitter and added a few false eyelashes to give my lashes a little bit more volume. I filled in my brows and did a little contour around my forehead and cheekbones before selecting a soft pink lipstick. I was happy with the results and suddenly desperate to pair my look with my selected outfit. I had chosen well and completed the whole thing with a little bit of perfume on my neck and wrists. I placed my car keys and phone into my clutch before I put on my jewellery. I was ten minutes late, but I doubted anyone would notice. I just hoped Elena and Stefan hadn't arrived early and were looking for me. I left a couple of lights on inside before heading out the door.

As I drove across town, New Year's celebrations were already under way. All over town, there were lines outside every bar and restaurant, and the town square was hosting its annual new year's celebration. There was a lot of traffic heading out of town, which wasn't surprising, and it continued all the way towards the Mikaelson estate. I remembered how to find the house easy enough; it was the only house I knew that had a one-mile private road leading up to it. Tonight, however, it was different than I remembered. I didn't know who was in charge of the party plans the last time, but whoever was in charge this time had gone all out for the New Year's celebrations. As soon as I turned off the main road and entered through the gates leading to the road to their house, my jaw dropped. The white blossom trees leading to their house were decorated in soft twinkling lights, all up the trunks and even throughout the branches; the small fountains that stood between each individual tree had floating candles in each of them; and walking casually across the manicured lawns on either side of the road were swans.

"Oh my god," I whispered, just trying to take it all in.

There must have been bubble machines somewhere, because suddenly there was a tasteful amount of bubbles floating across my car. Yet none of it seemed too much; somewhere they found that elegance every host prays for. This party would make the town newspaper for the entry road alone. I knew when I saw my friends I'd have to hide the smile I had from ear to ear right now, but for now I was just a girl at a beautiful party about to celebrate a brand new year. As I got closer to the house, I pulled in, finding that this time valet parking had been arranged. The last time people had just parked in the back, there was enough room for every person in town back there. I pulled in, and immediately one of the event workers began to head over to my car, wearing their padded black jackets with "Valet" written on the side pocket.

"Good evening, Miss."

"Hi, how are you?" I greeted

"Great, can I take your name for the ticket?"

"Oh, sure, it's Caroline Forbes."

With that, the valet reached into his pocket and retrieved a folded sheet of paper. Scanning his eyes across it, he started to nod.

"I thought so, you're in the VIP reserved parking."

Of course I was.

The valet slipped the paper back into his jacket pocket before giving me unnecessary instructions on parking in front of the house. Never the less, I thanked him for his help and wished him a happy new year in return.

I began to drive up the hill towards the house, shaking my head.

"Klaus," I whispered.

He'd probably put me in VIP parking instead of my friends. This was just another power move of his to remind me that he pulled all the strings.

But I wasn't his puppet, and neither were my friends.

When I pulled into one of the few remaining spots, I found my little car was the odd girl out. Parked on one side was a freaking Bentley, and on the other side was a brand new Rolls-Royce. I'd never stopped to think just how much money the original family had acquired throughout the years, but it had to be in the billions. None of them were ever caught wearing just anything in town. Besides, I'd been in their house already, and they weren't exactly sharing bathrooms; they weren't even sharing the same wings. Was I jealous? Sure, I was. Anyone who said otherwise was either lying or having such fantastic sex at the moment that they didn't care about anything else. That was the truth, even if I was just preaching it to myself.

After a quick glance at my hair and makeup, I stepped out of my car. There was a brand-new feature on the large grassy area in front of their house: a large white gazebo, beautifully decorated with candles around the banister. There were lines of fairy lights stretching from one side of the estate to the other, giving all the grounds a soft cream glow. As I headed for the front door, I knew Klaus was the host for the evening. He never settled for anything less than perfection, and tonight was really up there. The doors were opened for me, and I thanked the men responsible as I stepped into the house listening to the music playing across the speakers at that moment.

It was one of my favourite songs, with Charlie Puth singing Marvin Gaye.

"This king size is all ours; we don't have to share it with anyone else." played exactly as I stepped through the door and took my first look at the party.

"Wow," I mouthed.

Klaus Mikaelson

When you host a party, it seems everyone wants to shake your hand, or perhaps that was just my experience this evening. The party had only been going for about a half hour, but the house was already packed. I hadn't seen Kol once since the party kicked off, but I didn't have to worry he was using my room to entertain one of his little friends because I had one of my hybrids standing by to ensure Kol didn't make that mistake.

I made my way downstairs, thanking guests for coming and seeing a few familiar faces too. It had been a number of years since I held a New Year's party. The last one was in Brazil, almost twelve years ago. Rebekah and I were hungover for days; I wasn't sure what exactly had been put into our drinks back then or how many drinks we had taken, but the party had lasted two days. I had been meaning to have my people go in and clean my villa in Brazil for a while now. I wanted to go back and enjoy the sun and art, but I had been rather busy. Despite the years my brother never learned to control his thirst or his anger, I wouldn't be going anywhere for a while now that Kol was back.

With our siblings gone for now, I would have to keep a close eye on him. I made my way across the lobby and over to the bar, ordering myself a large scotch. Inside my suit pocket, my phone vibrated against my chest, and I retrieved it. I was smirking as I read a message from one of my hybrids who went without caller ID. She just arrived. After reading the message, I felt an arm come over my shoulder and found Kol beside me, who almost helped himself to my drink before I took it from him.

"It seems we have fleas."

Despite myself, I let Kol turn me and walk me towards the lobby, his arm falling from over my shoulder as Stefan Salvatore entered with Elena following behind him.

Kol turned to me.

"I don't recall seeing them on the guest list."

"You didn't see the guest list."

"Perhaps I trusted you not to bring in the town trash." Kol looked back at them as they made their way out of sight.

"Why Nik?"

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," I reminded him.

I left Kol behind, who was quickly joined by some girl he wouldn't remember by morning, and returned to the party.

Caroline Forbes

I had gotten myself a glass of lemonade at the bar, and the bartender had gone all out with every drink being served up beside me. The glass came out of the mini-fridge, freshly chilled, and I had the choice of which type of ice I wanted: cubed, crushed, flaked, or gourmet. Then they poured in freshly squeezed lemons, adding zest to the rim, adding a clear straw, and adding a small lemon slice inside. To me, there was nothing better than crushed ice; it took you back to feeling like a kid again. After being angry all day, I just wanted to have some fun, and it was starting with this drink. I couldn't drink; I had to drive home, plus I didn't want to be pulled over by my own mother on the way home tonight.

I found Elena first watching the dancing; it seemed only a second ago we were in gowns dancing in this same room. Now that we were getting ready to toast a brand new year, who knows what was around the corner for us?

"Having fun?" As I approached her, I inquired.

Elena half smiled and shrugged, bringing her attention back to those dancing.

"I thought Stefan was coming."

"He's upstairs; he wanted to make sure nothing was happening to any of the guests upstairs."

"Hopefully he doesn't open the wrong door; it's still a party after all."

"Come on, you know we can't take any chances with them," Elena said, her tone loose.

I hated when she did that. No, I mean, I really hated when she did that, and she did it a lot more since Klaus and his family came into our lives.

I would make a small remark to lighten the mood, and Elena would somehow jump down my throat about it without making anyone else around me blink. Just like right now, she hadn't jumped down my throat, but she had spoken to me like I was a child. Like I hadn't been here with her through all the hell this family had put us through.

I really wanted to control myself. But some small part of me just gave up. For that one small moment, I didn't care what would become of it. I didn't care about the outcome of tomorrow; I just knew it was time to remind her. She might be Elena Gilbert, but she wasn't the only one who mattered or who had a say. Unlike the Salvatore brothers, she was not the centre of my universe. Without her noticing, I set my glass on a small table behind her.

"You know what?"

Elena looked over her shoulder at me.

"I don't like the way you speak to me sometimes."

With that, she turned around to face me fully.

"I'm not a child, Elena."

I turned around on my heels and walked off, despite Elena calling my name behind me.

As I reached the stairs, Stefan caught my eye beside me as I stepped off the last step, concerned as I walked by him without a word. When I got outside, I finally felt like I could breathe again; the house wasn't stuffy, and they had the air conditioning set right on the stepping outside and away from Elena was like stepping out of prison. You didn't want to go back inside, and you worried about what would happen to you now. I retrieved my keys from my purse and disarmed my car; yanking the handle towards me, I found the door slammed shut.

Klaus stood at my side.

Our eyes locked, and I immediately turned my back on him. I was trying to make a mad dash, and he wasn't helping; he was slowing me down. But that wasn't the worst of it; just locking eyes with him had brought tears to my eyes. I let out a small sniffle but managed to choke back the rest.

"I'll drive you home."

I shook my head, refusing to turn around for him or let him have his way. Even if it was just for that small moment, his intentions were pure; he was simply being a human being and trying to help me without any hidden agenda. Klaus didn't ask again, and I was relieved when I heard him walk away. He didn't stomp away; he wasn't going to go make a scene; he was giving me the space I wanted. I wasted no time getting into my car; I drove off, not letting my tears fall until I got to the main road. There was no stopping them then.

Klaus Mikaelson

In a stolen car she wouldn't recognize, I followed Caroline Forbes all the way home, staying two cars behind her and keeping enough distance. She hadn't been drinking at the party, but the girl was upset; she didn't seem the type to cry over just anything, and by the way she tried to keep herself together, I could tell I was beyond helping her. When we finally pulled into her street, I parked the car at the end of the road and watched from a distance as she got out of her car. My mouth opened slightly as I watched her walk the pathway to her house, wiping her hand across her cheek as she climbed the porch steps.

She was crying.

Caroline headed inside, shutting off whatever light was on in the hallway, then all the remaining lights, leaving the house in darkness. I opened the car door and made my way down the street in the middle of the road until I crossed her front lawn and went up the steps to the front door.

I brought my hand up to the doorbell but stopped myself. Inside, I could hear her on the phone. Listening in, I heard the voice of Sheriff Forbes. The pair were making arrangements to sit down together and watch a film; her mom was coming home early so they'd be together for New Year's.

Caroline Forbes

After I hung up with my mom, I immediately turned off my phone; I didn't want any other phone calls that night. I just wanted a night in with my mom, and I'd deal with everything else tomorrow. Despite being freshly cleaned, I had run myself a bath and taken off all my make-up and the evidence of my tears. I didn't want to talk it out with my mom, even though deep down I knew it would help if I did. I got into my most comfortable set of pjs and began to prepare the sofa for us. I brought all of my bed blankets and pillows to the sitting room, making it picture perfect for a night in. I even poured us some glasses of cola since my mom was picking us up some chicken on the way home. I turned on a few lights but kept them all on low. As I began to search for a film for us, my mom came with bags in hand.

"It's me," she called.

"Right here," I told her, joining her and taking the bags.

"Happy New Year!"

My mom kissed my cheek, and I brought the food into the sitting room, resting it on the coffee table.

"You've got everything looking so lovely."

"I was hoping you'd like it." "I plan on taking all the hot sauce."

"I have extra."The porch is great. "I would never have thought of doing something like that," my mom called from the kitchen.

The porch?

I stopped unpacking the food and headed outside. I came to abrupt halt on the doormat in my slippers, speechless and stunned by what I saw. On the wooden railing of my porch were a row of lotus glass candle holders with white candles in the centres of them, the candles dancing in the delicate night air.

"Happy New Year," I whispered.

I headed back, closing the door behind me softly, saying goodbye to the night, to the year, and to the life I thought I knew, looking forward to whatever comes next.

Klaus Mikaelson

Kol and I sat on the deck chairs at the pool out of the way of our guests, watching the two swans that had found their way all the way to the back of the property, past our tennis courts and pool house, to the water. The pool area was covered in candles in their chrome lanterns. The sounds of partying continued behind us as people celebrated the New Year, and we found our own joy in the distant silence. We were both holding cigars and a bottle of scotch on the small table between us.

"Good party, Nik."

I looked over at him; he'd completely untied his tie, leaving his top two buttons undone like mine, although my neck did not feature any hickeys.

Behind us, we heard the sounds of the countdown starting, and we both raised our glasses for each other and toasted them as the New Year was celebrated.

Above us, the fireworks I had arranged lit up the night sky.

I blew out the smoke from my mouth and downed what remained in my glass.

"Happy New Year, brothers."

Kol and I both turned around in perfect sync.

"Elijah"