Baby Mikaelson

Chapter Five: Flickering Lights

Klaus Mikaelson

Like every Mikaelson family party, the celebrations had continued into the wee hours of the morning. Outside, my staff was assisting the last of our guests into their taxi cabs, wishing each of them a happy new year. Overnight, the party had continued, lovers had found one another at the stroke of midnight, and promises of a brighter future had been made. While the party had continued, I had found myself walking the grounds of my estate, clasping a glass of scotch, until night turned to day. The sky was a soft, delicate blue, the type of colour you'd see in a painting of a winter morning off the coast of Scotland. I looked at the sky and felt the promise of the New Year in the air.

It was a rather cold morning, and I was edging closer to the house now. Looking at the back of the house, I found the only lights that remained on upstairs were from what I believed to be Kol's bedroom. I doubted he was still awake, and I also doubted very much that he was in fact alone in his room. Last I saw him, he had his arm around a rather attractive brunette. I had walked around, hoping the night air might silence my mind and allow me some desperately desired solitude. In a rare moment of weakness, I had shown total vulnerability in the way of candles, hoping this might bring Caroline some level of joy in her sadness. I wasn't sure just who had gone and upset her; she'd been at the party a little over ten minutes, and yet she'd practically run out the door. I reviewed the surveillance footage after I returned home; there wasn't a single room that wasn't covered and under my watch. The only person besides the bar staff that she had spoken to was Elena Gilbert. It was impossible, even by my standards, to hear what was said between them, but I replayed the footage four times to take in that look.

I watched again and again as something Elena said to Caroline seemed to break her heart. I watched carefully as Elena's attention fell back to the dancers as Caroline stood behind her, clearly fighting off tears. Whatever the seemingly perfect Elena had said hadn't sat well with Caroline, who seemed to have the last word, much to my delight. Elena watched her friend leave but didn't follow her, and on another screen, I watch Caroline walk out the front door with me following her soon after. Elena is joined by Stefan in the dance hall; she quickly begins to cry and brings her head down upon his shoulder.

Why was she suddenly so upset?

I cross my arms and watch as the evening unravels. Stefan returns to Elena with a drink for her, and, watching the timestamp on the footage, I watch Elena and Stefan slow dancing a mere ten minutes after Caroline left. They're laughing together and dancing despite Stefan's obvious desire to be somewhere other than on the dance floor. I shut off the monitors and made my way down the hall to my study, immediately crashing into the nearest couch and adjusting just one of the pillows behind my bed before shutting my eyes.

I needed to rest.

Caroline Forbes

When I woke up the next morning, I immediately reached across my bed for my phone, retrieving it from my nightstand and sitting myself up in bed to check it. I turned it on, expecting a missed call or text from at least one of my friends, but there was nothing. There wasn't even a text from any of them wishing me happy New Year. I checked the time and it was already nine thirty; at least one of them had to be awake by now. I decided to take a shower, and then I'd head over to the boarding house, talk to Elena, and get everything sorted out. I got out of bed, made a little breakfast, and headed for the shower. After I had washed up and dried off, I got dressed in a hurry, wearing just a simple pair of skinny jeans and an ivory tank top under the first black jacket I came across in my closet. I made up my bed and again checked my phone before heading out the door. It wasn't until I made it down to my car that my phone finally binged.

Retrieving it from my pocket, I found it was from Bonnie asking me to come over to the boarding house. I replied that I was on my way and climbed into my car. So, Bonnie now knew about what happened at the party. I had prepared for this being an issue; of course Elena would turn to someone for backup. What I said last night wasn't completely out of line, but I should have gone about it differently. Everything looked different in the light of day, and there had been a lot going on yesterday. Actually, more than a lot. I wasn't about to pretend I wasn't still upset that my friends had cut me out of this life-changing opportunity. I couldn't handle something as big as that.

When I finally pulled up at the boarding house, I was surprised to find a few cars in the driveway. I knew exactly who they belonged to, obviously; I was just a little surprised everyone was here considering it was still so early. I rushed out of the car and across the driveway, letting myself in, only to discover that all eyes were on me. In the parlour room, Stefan stood with his back to me, one hand bracing the fireplace and the other in his pocket as he stared down at the flames. Damon stood leaning on the large archway to the room, while Bonnie and Elena sat side by side, not a hairline between them as they stared back at me. Matt stood across from him, his eyes on me as he folded and unfolded his arms, apparently unsure how to be.

"What's going on?" I asked them.

Bonnie stood up as I made my way towards them, who were standing beneath the archway with Damon now across from me. Bonnie clasped her hands together, her eyes on mine but completely unreadable. I wasn't sure what to make of her, but not being able to read her made me nervous.

Not being able to read any of them made me nervous.

"We've been talking,"

"Caroline," Elena said then

Bonnie looked down at Elena and shook her head slowly. Elena fell silent and gave Bonnie a nod in return.

"What's going on?" I asked them

"Elena told us about last night," Matt said then.

"Well I was upset and-"

"You know what she's going through right now, what she has been forced to deal with." "How could you do that to her?"

"Do that to her?"

"She went to that party to make sure nothing happened to anyone."

"Just like I did."

"This isn't about you."

No, it is never about me; what I thought would happen has happened, and I am the bad guy for speaking my mind. I was the bad guy because I hadn't swallowed my thoughts and feelings just to spare my friend's feelings. I had been doing that for so long that I snapped. I snapped, and I was certain I would do it again if I had to because Elena had to hear those words last night. She had to know that the way she spoke to me was not okay.

I looked at Elena, who looked away, refusing to meet my eyes; she had actually made herself the victim. I couldn't believe what was happening; this had to be some sort of nightmare.

I brought my attention back to Bonnie, who was some sort of ringleader in this. I was surprised Damon wasn't saying more, considering how much he was supposed to be in love with the girl that apparently I verbally attacked.

"I was defending myself."

"No, you were cruel," Elena said, keeping her eyes on the ground. "You have no idea how badly you hurt me."

"You didn't hear a word I said last night, did you?"

She didn't reply.

"This has been going on for too long, Caroline," Bonnie said.

Our eyes met.

"You've changed; we've all seen it."

"Yet you're the one doing all the talking," I said.

"We agreed I would be the one to do it."

"Do what?"

"You've been changing and moving further away from all of us." "We've been trying so hard to reach out to you, and you've just pushed us further away."

"If you could only hear yourself right now," I said faintly, suddenly very tired and aware of my own feet.

This was a nightmare; I was back on the playground.

"It's true" Bonnie said, "You've been getting too close with the Mikaelsons."

"What?"

Bonnie crossed her arms and said, "There's no point in denying it now." We've all seen it."

"You have no idea."

"I saw you with Klaus in the town square the other day," Matt said.

I looked towards him.

"Matt"

"Why were you even talking to him?"

I knew I couldn't say the reason, so I said nothing.

"Then last night at the party, Stefan saw him follow you outside."

Stefan kept his back to me, being a coward for refusing to meet me in the eye.

"You saw I was upset when I left the party; why didn't you follow me?" I asked him

"Don't bring him into this," Elena told me.

"Doesn't everyone have a say?" I asked her, "They're all here for a reason, Elena."

"We're here because we care," Bonnie said.

"About Elena or me?"

No one answered; the silence was my answer.

I locked eyes with Bonnie.

"It wasn't an easy decision, but-" Bonnie paused - "we don't feel we can trust you anymore, and we can't trust you to be there for Elena."

"Elena," I said softly, still looking at Bonnie and refusing to look anywhere else in that moment.

"You have no idea what she is going through."

I stepped forward then and looked around the room at each of them before looking back at her.

"I have no idea?" Elena was made a vampire against her will. So was I. She didn't want to be a vampire. Neither did I. She didn't want to die. Neither did I. She doesn't have control of our actions. "Neither did I."

I stepped closer to Bonnie then, and when I did, I saw Stefan finally turn around and look my way in the back.

"She drowned." "I'd suffocated."I said, "You remember what happened after that, Bonnie?" When you reached out and touched my arm that night, you saw me as a vampire and felt nothing but darkness within me. You looked at me as if I were a criminal, as if I were an animal, as if I should be shot dead just so you wouldn't have to look at me. I've thought about that night a lot lately. "I even dreamt about last night."

I looked to Elena, then to Bonnie, knowing that if I didn't say it now, I wouldn't be able to say it later.

"Do you know why I dreamt about that?" I was upset and stressed, and it caused me to relive a horrible nightmare. "You and Elena are responsible for that."

"What?" Elena said.

I stepped away so I could look at them both.

"Do you remember yesterday?" I went looking for Bonnie."You told me about your research with Shane in the store. Then later, you told Elena at the grill the same thing."

"What about it?"

I began shaking my head, "Wow." Even now, neither of you have realised it.

"Realized what, Caroline?" Elena stood up then.

"You sat there and told Elena you had found a way for her to get pregnant."

"What?" Matt said, and Stefan stepped forward.

Across from me, Damon didn't move; clearly, Elena had told him already.

"You told Elena you had this miracle and you were going to do everything you could to make sure it would happen if she wanted it." I paused. "Neither one of you asked what I thought about it all; neither of you even thought that I might just want this too."

"How can you be so selfish right now?" Bonnie asked

Elena turned her back on me.

"Me?"

"Elena is the priority right now. If we don't find the cure, then we need to figure out some way for her to live as normal a life as possible.

I looked away from all of them as Elena turned back around. Damon walked over to the fireplace beside Stefan then.

I looked around the room at all of them and finally settled on Elena.

"Katherine Pierce murdered me. She came into my hospital bed. I was helpless, and all it took was a pillow. She's a monster, and yet I have to agree with her on something. You"

Tears formed in Elena's eyes, and for the first time in my life, I didn't care. I am too far gone now.

"You have somehow managed to make every single person in this room pause their lives and hide their feelings because it might affect you." I'm no better because I've been doing it too and for too long."

"Caroline," Elena almost sobbed.

"Why do we do it?" because you've lost people? We've all lost people, because you fell in love with the wrong person? Everyone in this room has done that. I don't know why I've kept my mouth shut and worked so hard to keep our friendship together. Last night, I told you to stop talking to me like a child. I ran out of a party upset, and you didn't even follow me to try and patch things up. Instead, you've told everyone we both care about to come to you, like a popular girl wanting to freeze out someone who might take the spotlight away."

"That's enough," Stefan said, but I didn't.

"I've been silent for so long, and for what?" I continued to speak softly, almost tired.

"For a friendship with a girl who doesn't ask about me until I ask about her first." "Who directs her life, what she must face next, rather than simply living her life? Even when someone asks you what you want, you say you don't know. Someone asks you how you feel, and you tell them you don't know. Why all of us have worked so hard to protect you from yourself, I don't know. There is nothing to protect because all you do is cling to your survivor title. God forbid you try to be anything else in life."

"That's enough, Barbie," Damon said.

I turned from all of them and walked up the steps to the hall before turning to face them.

"I know what happens now. None of you talk to me anymore. Maybe one of you will feel sorry for me in a few days and attempt to strike up a conversation, reminding me that Elena is going through a lot and didn't deserve what I did to her. Maybe you think something bad will happen and I'll come rushing to help and we'll pretend all can be forgiven because we've been through so much together and we can't let anything get in the way of our friendship. I shook my head. "That's not happening." Let me make this clear: when I walk out that door, I'm done. I won't come running, and I mean it. Bringing me over here and taking sides is childish. You are all children. I'm through; I'm going to start living my life. If any of you have any brain cells or self-worth left, I would suggest doing the same thing."

I turned around and headed for the door, feeling lighter than air.

I returned home with a small smile on my lips. I found my mom in her room reading case notes at her desk. I wrapped my arms around her.

I had lost all of my friends, but I was going to be alright.