Darkest Temptations Chapter 23, a vampire diaries fanfic

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Darkest Temptations
Chapter Twenty Three: Mystic Falls Part I

Elena Mikaelson
At first I could hear this ringing in my ears; it was masking whatever Stefan was saying beside me as everything else around me slowly began to become clearer to me. What was happening? One second we were standing in Caroline and Klaus's kitchen, and the next I was here. My fear overtook me confusion as more pressing matters rushed through my mind. Where were Caroline, April, and Klaus? I was standing right beside the person I thought I was going to be in love with forever, and instead of delighting or even marveling at seeing him again, my priority was my sister wives and my husband.

Beside me, Stefan continued to talk as we walked further from the church and amongst the crowds of people, those I'd known my entire life, those I hadn't given a second thought about since I packed my life into a few bags and took off in the middle of the night. I hadn't even registered my hand was clasped in Stefan's until I felt his thumb slide across my knuckles. I had to stop my first instinct, which was to remove my hand immediately. I wasn't Elena Gilbert anymore; I wasn't who he thought I was, and I certainly didn't belong here with him.

Where was Klaus? What the hell had happened?

While Stefan spoke, I nodded along as we came a stop beside his car. I couldn't even bring myself to look at him and know what I had done these past six months. Over Stefan's shoulder, my heart leaped in relief at a seemingly just as confused Caroline standing by her car, staring right back at me. She hadn't heard what Stefan was saying; she was just looking straight at me, her eyes asking the same unanswered questions that were swirling through my mind.

"Are you okay?" Caroline mouthed, and my immediate response was no.

"Did you say something?" Stefan asked

I finally met his gaze. "I said, I really hope April is okay." I answered, trying to be in this bizarre moment with him.

Where the hell were Klaus and April? Had whatever happened only affected me and Caroline? I was relieved to see her though; we'd been arguing only minutes ago, and yet all I wanted to do right now was be with her figuring this whole thing out.

"You should go and find Damon," I suggested. "Make sure he's not causing any more trouble for us."

Stefan sighed in response; he'd been doing that more and more at the mere mention of Damon. Well, before I left anyway. Either Stefan was completely out of the loop on what was happening right now or he was very convincing because he just seemed like his typical self. It had been six months for me, but he was holding my hand and was looking at me the way he always had, with gentleness and love. This was Stefan; this was not the Stefan who had gone without me for six months.

Something had happened; something had been done to bring us to this place again. I doubted time travel, but then again, could I seriously doubt anything anymore? I was a vampire and a polygamist; there wasn't anything normal about my life, so why would I doubt time travel?

"I didn't even see which direction he headed." Stefan replied.

"Well, I wanna check on April," I said, looking over his shoulder to Caroline. "Plus, I think I should go to the hospital with Caroline and check on Tyler."

I'd remember this day for the rest of my life, but for different reasons. If this was time travel, then I had, no scratch, that we had a very short amount of time to get this sorted out and get out of town. I couldn't be here; none of us could; we didn't belong here anymore; our futures were together in Utah. I dropped my hand from Stefan's; my attraction for Klaus was still very much within me; holding onto Stefan's hand felt like betrayal. I wasn't repulsed by his touch; I simply didn't need it the way I used to. Stefan had felt like a lifeline to me for so long, but standing here with him, it felt like I was in a prequel to my own life, and I didn't like it.

"Are you okay to be here alone?" Stefan asked.

His tone was softer than normal, and his attention was fixed upon me like I was the only person in his world. That's right, he believes only seconds ago I'd almost fallen apart at the memorial and allowed my hunger to get the better of me. I hated the idea of lying to him, even though I'd done worse than lie to him these past few months, but still he was a good person, and lying to him felt awful.

"I think so." I said

"Hey," Stefan brushed his hand up my arm. "You were trying to help; do you know how proud I am of you for that?"

I smiled in response and nodded.

"You have no idea how far you've come already, and I know today wasn't easy." Stefan's arm circled me, bringing me into his firm chest, the familiarity of him, and I inhaled his comforting scent. "Go check on April." Stefan continued, "Afterwards I'll pick you up from your house, then I can take care of you." He pressed a kiss to my forehead before finally leaving my side.

I immediately shifted my attention to Caroline, who tucked her hair behind her ear and began making her way towards me at a slow and steady pace, which I did myself try to match. If Stefan didn't know about the last six months, that meant no one around us right now did either; we had to watch everything we said and every move we made. Off to the right by the gates to the church grounds, the lights were still turning from the paramedic's van, and two EMTs were checking on a seemingly injured Tyler, while Carol Lockwood stood guard, ensuring no one came close enough to see her son.

That's right, six months ago Tyler had been one of the victims of the hunter during the memorial. Even from the distance, the way Tyler was staring down the EMT in front of him, I knew the compelling had already begun. Tyler couldn't go to the hospital with a bullet wound because there wasn't any wound to fix. Which meant he would be over at Caroline's side before we knew it; we needed a plan before he could do that.

"Voice's low," Caroline said as they met. "Low enough no one can hear us."

Tyler was a hybrid, Stefan and Damon were vampires, and we needed to be careful with them around us.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

I watched Caroline's eyes shift at something behind me before she tucked her hair down and brushed down her dress as she spoke, "I can see April."

"Thank God, where?" I said

"Just off the main building of the church, she's looking over at us right now." Caroline confirmed.

"Is she alone?" I asked, looking away from Caroline as I did in a different direction from where April stood.

"No, she's with Jeremy and Matt."

I almost spun around hearing the mere mention of Jeremy's name. Caroline had no idea I'd only seen Jeremy hours earlier, and I was planning to keep it that way.

"Don't," Caroline hissed.

I gulped and ran my hand down the back of my head. "What do we do? What is she doing?"

I watched Caroline look over my shoulder again. "Remember, she was attacked by the hunter," she paused. "That's right, I saw her today. I mean, you know what I mean, Jeremy and Matt took her home."

I pressed my lips together. "Yeah, that's sounding familiar; um, I don't know. Give her a nod or something, just something that assures her."

"Right."

I checked around us, looking out for anyone watching us, but the truth was, everything was exactly the way it had been before. People were wanting to get away from the church following the attack in the church. No one was paying attention to us, which was a gift to us now. With so many people around us, we had to take advantage of the opportunity to slip away.

"We should follow them all the way to her house." Caroline said I was linking my arm with hers as we turned in the direction of her car.

"She doesn't live that far," I added. "But what do we tell the guys?"

"We just wait until they drop her off; the second they're gone, we get her," Caroline paused.

"I know." I cut in.

We couldn't risk mentioning Klaus even with the crowds of others masking our conversation from supernatural ears. Caroline and I had been at odds on a lot of issues, but in this we were united. We had the same priorities and same goal today. The only thing more pressing than us getting to April and ensuring she was alright was finding Klaus and praying that he was in the same position as us. The idea that he might still be in Utah alone or he might be here but with no memory of the last six months was enough to almost break my heart.

I'd thought my attraction for him was merely physical, but right now, that wasn't the case at all; in fact, if it were true the six-month hiatus had helped with that, in truth, there wasn't a single thing I missed from Mystic Falls except Stefan, and even that didn't hurt the way it used to. We'd been here for almost five minutes, and I hadn't even registered the idea that Damon was here somewhere or that I was back in my home town. Nothing else mattered, nothing at all but life in Utah, a life I was determined to get back to.

We got into Caroline's car together, and despite everything going on, Caroline managed to keep it together. She didn't roar the engine to life or give a hard time to the other drivers on the path leaving the church; she even managed to force a soft smile on other mourners who passed us along the grounds.

"Nice and steady." Caroline whispered to me as we edged closer to the church gates.

I didn't reply; in fact, neither of us said a word until we were a block away from the church and fully out of earshot. I unclasped my seatbelt and activated the air conditioning as Caroline kept one hand on the wheel and used the other to reach into her clutch to retrieve her phone. Her phone was connected to her car's Bluetooth, and so I was able to see her caller ID as she began to call Klaus.

"Wait, wait! What if he doesn't remember?" I asked

Caroline gripped the steering wheel with both hands. She was terrified, the ever calm and cool Caroline Forbes looked like a frightened child; her beautiful face drained and replaced with the fear of the unknown. She clicked a button on her steering wheel that disconnected the call before it could even ring.

"What do we do?" Caroline asked calmly.

"I don't know, I don't know." I repeated and held my head in my hands.

"I don't," Caroline said, and I looked over at her. "I don't feel my shield."

I immediately closed my eyes in search of that comforting sensation of our protective shield, the thing that had originally brought us together, the thing that kept a block between them and us, and it was gone.

"Someone is responsible for this." Caroline said, and I opened my eyes.

"We were fighting."

"We've had worse arguments then that, and it wouldn't explain us pulling back to this precise day."

She was right; this was the day we technically went missing, so someone was responsible for whatever power it was that yanked us back six months in time.

"Caroline, what if he doesn't remember Utah?" I asked because she didn't have the strength to.

She began to shake her head. "We can't think like that; let's just get April and-"

"And what? Go to his house? The three of us?"

She knew we couldn't do that; we couldn't call him, and he hadn't called us, which was only adding to my anxiety.

Caroline parked just down the road from April's house; she managed to get herself between two other cars so hers wouldn't stand out when Matt and Jeremy dropped her off. We didn't talk; there was no discussion of a plan or even our next step; we just sat in silence, waiting for Matt's truck to pull up. I wasn't the type to bite my nails, but today was different; I couldn't call anyone. The only two people I knew I could rely on right now were Caroline and April, and until we were all together, there was nothing to say.

Well, almost nothing.

I sighed "Klaus wasn't in meetings today," I admitted before looking over at her. "We've been trying to talk more," I shrugged. "I should have just been honest with you."

I couldn't tell Caroline about us going to New York; missing my brother was one thing, but missing a parent had to be ten times worse when they were still alive. I would give anything to see mine again; I couldn't imagine Caroline's heartache over not seeing her mom every day and knowing she was out there living a life she'd never be a part of again.

Caroline looked out the window before she said, "I already knew."

"So April saw us leave this morning; I figured that."

"Not just April," Caroline shook her head before she looked my way. "When you came home tonight, you smelt like his cologne."

She'd known the truth, and she hadn't told April about it; she'd kept my secret to herself. Why did she do that?

"I'm not sleeping with him."

Caroline drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "I know that, well, I didn't for sure because," she stopped to sigh. "I've seen him looking at you the way I think I sometimes see him look at April."

I looked ahead of us. I couldn't look her in the eye and ask, "Does it bother you?"

Caroline chewed her bottom lip before sighing again and dropping her hands into her lap.

"Yeah." She answered honestly.

I stared at the dash and admitted to her and myself, "I'm not in love with him." I paused, "But you are, aren't you?"

I watched her long slender neck quiver as she tried to contain herself. "Yes," she said. "I do love him," she answered, and this time her voice cracked a little. "But that doesn't change anything."

I shook my head. "I don't know if I will ever adjust to the idea of what." I paused, checking we were alone, looking over both shoulders before I said,

"What polygamy demands from us."

"I don't think in our case it demands anything; we weren't forced into this; we can all walk away from it at anytime,"

"We chose to be together." I admitted and truly believed in my heart to be the sacred truth of my being.

Caroline nodded.

I cleared my throat and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Do you think he and April are sleeping together?"

Caroline didn't answer at first, almost as if the question was enough to make her consider the possibility that it may be true.

"Not yet."

I looked down at my left hand, tears pricking my eyes, and I tried to say, "Our wedding rings are gone." I said.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Caroline lift her left hand up, staring at it. "He never told me where he got them."

I pressed my lips together hard and finally admitted, "I took a picture of mine." I said and felt her turn to look my way. "When we got back to the hotel," I said and wiped a fallen tear quickly from my cheek. "We were about to get April ready for her wedding, and I was in the bathroom alone." I paused, recalling it in my mind. "I was still in my gown, and I held up my hand to the mirror, and I took a picture of it."

I heard Caroline sniffle beside me, and without looking at her, I offered her my hand above the hand brake, which she happily took and held tightly, lacing our fingers together.

"That was a beautiful night." I admitted

Caroline sniffled "You and I had done so much for our ceremonies, but Klaus and April," she paused and sniffled. "They were happy, so content on being married on the hotel roof under the stars."

"You still had the best dress." I told her, making her laugh through her tears.

"While you had the best flowers."

"You mean that?" I asked, looking down at our hands.

Caroline nodded "April said so too, funnily enough, right around the same time you were having a selfie party in the bathroom."

We both laughed despite our reddening cheeks and trembling chins; we embraced and held on tight before pulling apart to wipe our eyes.

Within a few minutes, we held our breath as Matt's truck pulled up outside April's house. Caroline looked my way as Jeremy stepped out from the trunk. I was able to see him, but only as he came into view as he walked a seemingly shaken April up onto her front porch. April handed him back his suit jacket, and he waited until she went inside before he left her side. He was the gentleman he was always meant to be.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked beside me.

"Yeah, I think so," I said.

"You could call him and-"

"I'm okay," I said before looking her way. "But thanks."

Matt pulled away from April's house, but we didn't move—not until we were sure it was safe. Caroline turned on the engine and began to ease down the street towards April's house. To our relief, the front door opened and out stepped April, keeping her head down as she made her way towards us. She was still wearing the dress the hunter had attacked her in; there was a noticeable rip where he had stabbed her, which was healed over. April had no idea she'd been attacked; we'd told her the truth the night we left for Utah. She knew what she'd endured today, what she had survived, and even that memory wasn't enough to slow her down.

She got into the backseat of Caroline's car without a moment's hesitation; her memories of Utah and of everything were still very much intact.

The only question that remained was, Did Klaus remember us?

Caroline Mikaelson
"It's freezing; it's so cold." April said through chittering teeth as we drove off from her house.

Beside me, Elena quickly switched off the air conditioning, replacing it with hot air instead.

"I think I have a sweater in the trunk, but I don't think it's wise to—"

"No, don't pull over; let's just get out of here." April said, Buckling her seatbelt. "Where is Klaus meeting us?" She asked

I gulped down the anxiety rising from my churning gut as I pulled the car back onto the main road and towards the town center. Beside me, I could feel Elena looking my way too; she didn't want to tell April the truth either.

"We don't know." I replied

"What do you mean? Where's your phone? Call him." April said before I could even glance at her in the rear mirror.

"April, just because we have our memories doesn't mean he does."

"Of course he does; he'll know what to do. He'll know who has done this to us."

"April, he was with us in Utah half an hour ago. He won't know."

"He will; he got us to Utah; he gets things done."

I fought to keep the tears that were burning my throat and chest as April spoke.

"What are you saying?"

Saying it out loud was breaking my own heart all over again, but it had to be done; April had to be brought into the loop.

"April, look," Elena began to my surprise, her voice shaky. "We don't know if Klaus is going to remember Utah."

Silence quickly followed, and I immediately looked over to the rear mirror. April's once calm blue eyes looked wild as they darted around the car; her mouth dropped open.

"How can that?" she paused and gulped. "That can't happen."

I frowned as the familiar surroundings passed us. Mystic Falls would never feel the same way; everything felt like we were all outsiders, and no one and nothing would be the same. When we stopped at the traffic lights outside the grill, I held my breath at the sight of Stefan stepping out of his car and seeing us together.

"Oh god," I whispered as he smiled and gave me a nod. "Elena."

"Pull in; if we don't, he'll know something is wrong." Elena was quick to point it out.

I pulled into the first free spot near the grill, and as Stefan cut across the road to meet us, I got out of the car and hurried around to the trunk, collecting my black zipper, which I handed to April as she got out next. April remained glued to me as she slipped it on over her ruined dress, and I tossed her hair up to make it appear brushed as Elena spoke with Stefan on the other side of the car.

"There's no time for this." April mouthed to me.

"Pretend, please."

We all but forced a smile to Stefan as he stood watching us, seeing April with us. Stefan shifted his attention to her quickly and lost the smile, replaced instead with compassion.

"April, I'm Stefan; I'm Elena's boyfriend." He said before reaching his hand out for hers.

April shook his hand. "Nice to meet you; I wish it was under different circumstances."

Stefan nodded. "I'm so sorry about your father," he paused to look at Elena, who forced herself to look his way. "From what Elena tells me, he was a decent man, and a lot of people are so saddened by his passing."

April had never seen Stefan and Elena as a couple; she'd only known Klaus and Elena together, and she was doing a better job than me of keeping it together now.

"Yeah, he had the faulty gas line," April blurted before closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, I've done that twice now, and it's not normal," she mumbled.

"You don't have to apologize," Elena jumped in. "You're shaken up after the memorial, I mean today." she finished.

I looked Stefan's way, but he wasn't the slightest bit fazed by her mistake to our collective relief.

"Did you find Damon?" Elena asked him.

Stefan smiled, but his lips were tight and his jaw clenched before he answered her, "I did, and he said he's not interested in hearing from me because." Stefan stopped dead and shook his head.

"What?" I asked him

Stefan smiled at me before looking down at Elena. "He said he was looking for you."

It was like a sucker punch right between my ribs.

"H-How come?" Elena asked cautiously

Stefan shook his head before answering her. "I have no idea, but he's inside," he said, looking over in the direction of the grill.

"We're not going inside." April blurted yet again.

Elena was quick to say to him, "April's pretty tired, and we wanted to spend some time together."

Everyone's attention shifted to me as my phone began to ring inside my clutch, though my first response was to grab it and pray it was Klaus I held strong.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Elena asked

"It could be Tyler, calling about," Stefan now blurted, stopping as he glanced at April and then back to me, "about how he's getting on at the hospital."

Stefan thought April was still April Young, the pastor's daughter, has long returned from boarding school. He had no idea this incredible woman was indeed April Mikaelson, the proud third wife of the original hybrid and sister wife of both Elena and I. April knew it all—all about this little town's secrets and her father's efforts to hide them from her. April might not always be reliable; she might make a hell of a lot of mistakes to the point where you almost want to scream, but she is also fearless, creative, outspoken, selfless, and above all of that, she loved with her entire heart and soul.

"I don't think Tyler would be calling me so quickly." I shook my head and scrunched my nose in response.

"But it could be important," April said beside me. "You should just answer it."

"No, it's probably just something silly." I said

Neither April nor Elena had realized it, but I had. If I answered this call and it was Klaus, Stefan would hear every word of our conversation, and all hopes of us getting out of here without problems were dashed.

"Let's head inside," Stefan said, turning Elena and April towards the grill before we could argue the subject further. "It's cold; aren't you all cold?" he asked.

"No, but I sense a storm coming." I said as I followed behind them.

Klaus Mikaelson
Something was wrong; something was indeed very wrong and would be amended.

All I did was blink. One moment I was standing in my house in Utah, freshly showered after my flight back from New York, and the next second I was sitting in my old study. I had returned to the home I had constructed for my family to be reunited as one, where I had hoped to send a message out to all our enemies that my family would always be together and would remain the figurehead of power within the supernatural world. But this wasn't my home anymore; I'd been gone six months—almost seven now—and had even considered selling this property.

My first instinct was to find Caroline, Elena, and April. I needed to know which one of my enemies was responsible for bringing me back here to this shell, to this hollowed-out existence where there were only bitter memories and teen drama. Whoever was responsible for this was going to endure the full extent of my wrath, and I would take great joy in tearing them limb from limb. I never imagined anything could break that spell; whoever was responsible for bringing me here thought me as weaker than them, but now that I was back, they would see the yellow eyes of the beast within before I robbed them of their last miserable breath.

Utah was real; everything about these past few months was real, and I was going to get back to them. As I reached into the pocket of my jeans, I quickly retrieved my old car keys. I'd taken my Bentley to meet Caroline that night, and so it was the set I had on me today. I'd remember this day clearer than most; I'd been reading the town's newspaper and all about the death of Pastor Young; the newspaper was still here on my desk. My staff were still working around my house, cleaning a house with any empty bedrooms, while the staff remained in complete ignorance over who they worked for and what he could do to them if they dared to steal anything from the convinces of this house.

Everything swelling within my gut told me that the last few months hadn't just been in mind, that I had lived them, slaved for those moments and had plans of what my future would be there if the time and dedication were given. I made my way from my study, stepping out into the hall as one of the maids made their way past me carrying a stack of towels without looking my way. Nothing was out of sorts; all my paintings remained in place as I made my way down the hall; there was no dust, and the house was farm from the fires going in every other room I passed by. This house hadn't been empty for six months, so it was true, something or someone was responsible for pulling me back through time and they would die because of it.

I collected my black coat, the coat I had gone without in Utah, the one that I had worn when I was nothing beyond the original hybrid. I put it on now purely for thermal reasons, but it still felt like a shield, a layer of protection between me and the world that I had been born into. I hated this coat, this house, and this town with every shred of hatred left in my heart, but I wouldn't run; I wasn't going anywhere until I knew what had happened. I didn't want to know; I needed to know what had become of the girls—were they here with me trapped in the same parallel universe or were they still in Utah wandering what had become of me?

I made my way outside onto the grounds; if there hadn't been staff working around me, I would have shaken my head in utter disbelief at the sight of the manicured lawns, fountains, and garages of cars that had all seemed so important, so essential, when they had done nothing but project an image. Everything in Utah had been so raw; the houses were brand new, there were rooms still filled with boxes even after six months, and I didn't care; I hadn't loved every single moment. At times the mess and chaos had been too much.

Then there were times, small and no doubt insignificant moments, where I felt the same happiness I hadn't felt since I was a boy. The first time I'd kissed Elena on the cheek, the way her skin smelt and felt like the first sunset that ever was. When I'd seen Caroline walking down the aisle towards me wearing her white dress, her eyes had filled with tears, and she'd smiled and looked as beautiful as any bride had ever looked at their wedding. Then April and the first night I'd slept beside her, she'd stirred in her sleep awakening me, and for almost twenty minutes in the dead of night I'd soothed her; she had no idea that I'd brushed my hand up and down her back until she settled in her dreams again.

I'd gone to Utah to escape a life that was slowly breaking apart here in Mystic Falls, but I'd done it primarily in the hopes of sleeping with all three of these incredible women. None of them knew; I'd never told them that all it took was a week—just a single week—for me to become certain of what we had done. I remember the precise moment I knew that we were all supposed to be together. I'd been walking past the kitchen window of my house with Caroline. I looked inside; the lights were on inside, and the three of them were making something to eat together. It was just starting to get dark, and I stood out in the backyard for five minutes just watching them. I never listened to their conversation; I just watched them talking and laughing together as they made some sort of microwave rice meal. They were each so content and so centered in that moment, and I knew none of them were thinking of home in that moment because they were exactly where they needed to be, and that was the same place I needed to be now.
If I had gone over to the Salvatore's home, then a reason would be necessary for my being there. I decided to first head into town to go to their local hot spot, or should I say the only pub in this sleepy little town.

If I had gone over to the Salvatore's home, then a reason would be necessary for my being there. I decided to first head into town to go to their local hot spot, or should I say the only pub in this sleepy little town. Nothing about this place felt right, like there was a fog surrounding every corner and it wanted you here in it's web forever. I sped my Bentley across town with perfect ease and parked up outside the Grill. It was early in the evening, but it was full inside already. I noted all the additional cars parked around the town square, then I recalled the announcement for the memorial services for the lives lost in the gas explosion. If Caroline, Elena, and April were here, then they would be right inside. The only question was, would they have their memories?

I had nothing beyond my memories, even my wedding band, the same one April had told me that the three of them had purchased together was gone now. If they were in there, they might be the girls they were before, or they would be my wives, and they would hopefully be in need of answers as I was. I pulled up my collar as I crossed the road; the gentle hum of the street lights seemed like an ominous reminder of what I was walking back into.

I pulled open the door to the grill, and within seconds I saw the clothes of mourning; the entire place was packed, but it didn't take long for my eyes to fall upon the girls at the bar.

Caroline Mikaelson

We were all standing by the bar at the grill; the entire place was packed with those who had been brave enough to come following the attack at the memorial. Elena, April, and I hadn't had a moment alone—not a single second; in fact, we hadn't even seen a window of opportunity to sneak away to the bathroom together. Damon had been waiting for our arrival; it seemed he was hell bent for some unknown reason on seeing Elena. When we'd arrived he'd even gone so far as to hug her the second the two of them were alone together, thankfully Stefan hadn't witnessed it. Elena had looked over at me the second he pulled her into his arms, and I had been quick to arrive at her side, eager for an explanation for his sudden gentleness. He hadn't been this way six months ago, especially today of all days. The hunter had tried to trap us in the church to reveal our nature; Damon had been hell bent on revenge, and yet now all he wanted was to know Elena was alright.

While Stefan was thanking Matt for what he had done for Elena today during her moment of desperation and April was thanking those she hadn't gotten a chance to for coming to her father's memorial, Elena and I had gotten the information we needed from Damon.

"You've been gone; you've both been missing for six months."

It was him; he did this; of course it was him. Elena and I turned to each other, our brows furrowing, and I even mustered a forced laugh.

"We were here today, yesterday, and the day before that." I told him.

Damon shook his head, his eyes never leaving Elena. "You were both taken six months ago to this precise night." He said.

Elena sighed "Damon, I don't know what you're even talking about," she looked to me, and I shrugged. "Yesterday I was here; I woke up in my bed."

"No, Elena, you didn't." He said and placed his hand over hers on the countertop of the bar, which she quickly pulled away from.

"So where did we go then?" I asked

"We don't know."

"What do you mean we?" Elena asked before I could finish my own question.

Damon nodded. "We, as in all of us."

"But Stefan never said anything about this."

"Have you been drinking?" I asked to try and add more flue to the fire.

We had to keep him convinced that we had no memories; he was responsible for whatever this time jump was about, and we needed to extract information from him. It would be like pulling teeth, but it would have to be done for the answers we deserved. But we have to play naive all at the same time.

"Probably not half the amount you have, Blondie," Damon snapped at me before he looked back to Elena. "Look, I can prove it to you."

"How?" I asked.

"Like I said, we can prove it to you. I'm not the only one who knows you were gone."

"Then who does know?" I asked.

"Tyler." Damon answered with a smirk.

"Tyler?" Elena asked, and I couldn't help but glance her way; her eyes were filled with disbelief.

I shouldn't have been surprised the two of them had come up with a way to work together; they had the same black hearts and the same one-sided mind. All the two of them ever did was think about how things would affect them in the long run and no one else. It's what Elena and I had spent the past few months escaping from, opening ourselves up to people and new ideas and pushing beyond everything we felt had been our whole worlds here in this town.

"We weren't gone." I repeated

Damon took a sip of his drink before his eyes searched the bar; he pointed his finger in April's direction. "That one, what was her name again?"

"Which one?" Elena asked, knowing full well which one he was pointing to.

Elena was doing incredibly well keeping it together like this; she and I would have him and Tyler fooled soon enough.

"The one with the dark hair and the black zipper."

"That's April Young," Elena said before turning to face him. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "She's Pastor Young's daughter; she's the girl the hunter attacked today who he used to-"

"She died six months ago." Damon blurted out.

Elena blinked and looked over at me for help, but all I could do was look his way and shake my head before looking back to April. So they had believed our story; April had faked her own suicide before we left town, and apparently it had worked.

"What are you talking about, Damon? You're scaring me." Elena said.

"I'm not lying." He said as he leaned forward to close the gap between them.

I scoffed at him, "So let me get this straight: you and Tyler saw us being abducted?" I asked, playing along.

Damon didn't answer me; his eyes were on Elena. "No, but we were the only ones who were fixed on finding you both."

"What does that even mean?"

Damon watched the bartender pour him another drink before he took another sip and answered us, "Six months ago, the pair of you." Damon paused to glance at me but looked back at her. "You didn't show up for school, so we came around to your houses, and you were both gone. And after we got the cops involved—"

"You involved the cops too?" I sniggered; I had to come across as not believing a word of it.

"Yes, and there were signs of a struggle."

Elena ran her hands through her hair. "I have to hear this from Stefan," she told him.

Yes! Elena was truly driving this thing forward; this couldn't be just about him telling us and us laughing it off. She had to react like the way she would have reacted to such news when she was still the Elena Gilbert he knew.

"He doesn't know."

"No," I stepped forward. "You said you were all involved in finding us."

"I said Tyler and I were the only ones fixed on finding you both."

"What does that mean?"

Damon didn't respond; this was it; we'd finally arrived at the motherload, the sweet spot, the jackpot.

"It means we did what had to be done."

"Damon, what did you do?" Elena asked.

We were both staring at him now, and for the first time since we got here, he couldn't look at her anymore.

"We did what had to be done."

"Like what?" I asked, "You killed people? Is that it?"

Damon locked eyes with me, and instantly Elena and I took a hard step backward. I felt everything inside of me turn cold at the sight of the man before us. The cold and ruthless vampire, the souless, heartless creature I knew him to be, was staring back at me.

Damon looked away from us, beyond us, and his eyes tightened. "What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I could ask you the same question," Klaus responded behind me, and Elena and I turned around to see him, but his attention remained on Damon.

"Something about fresh killing," Klaus smirked, but it was forced. I knew that in my heart, "I'm all ears when it comes to such delicious conversation."

Klaus lowered his gaze from Damon and looked toward Elena and me. "But it seems your small talk needs some work, especially given your somewhat," Klaus paused to smile. "Shall we say delicate company?"

I decided to chance my luck, and I spun around to Damon, "So if we were missing all this time, I suppose you explored every avenge of help?" I asked him before turning to Klaus, "So what do you have to say?"

"That I have no idea what you're talking about, love."

Don't just say love; give me some sort of sign that you're my husband and that you're not the Klaus you were all those months ago.

"I mean," Klaus took a sip of a drink and raised a brow. "Not that I'm not curious; what have you gone and done to upset these ladies, mate?"

Elena chanced her luck. "Do you remember yesterday?" she asked Klaus.

Klaus smirked in response. "Indeed I do," he said before looking over at Damon. "Not all of us drink the afternoon away."

It was then that I looked down at the glass in Klaus's hand and noted the orange juice within it—no brown liquid, nothing clear. He hadn't drank these last few weeks in Utah after April informed him that she had also decided not to drink going forward. Beside me, I gently grazed my knuckles against Elena's to get her attention, and she followed my gaze down to his glass before she locked eyes with Klaus; he was our Klaus; he knew exactly what was going on.

The relief that came over me at that moment was beyond words. I wanted to grab his face and kiss him, hug him, and never let him go. I wasn't alone in this; none of us were.

"If you're going to ask if I had anything to do with the little gas explosion, then the answer is no." Klaus told Elena.

"It does seem like you're sort of thing." Elena said.

"No," Klaus shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, darling. But I've had more pressing matters."

There was our second clue—another habit of Klaus's had been offered up as proof to us. Klaus always called me 'Love' back in Utah; when he didn't call her by her name, he called Elena 'Darling' and April 'Sweetheart.' Elena, upon hearing his response, pushed her hair back with her left hand. I wondered if she was trying to show him that she was aware her wedding ring, like mine, was gone.

"Pressing matters like what?" I asked him.

Damon stepped forward. "What are you planning now?"

Klaus smirked at him. "Just a small trip to New Orleans," he said before looking my way. "Fancy joining me there?"

"Not even she's that desperate." Damon said behind me, but I didn't care.

"You're leaving town?" I asked him.

"First chance I get, why will you miss me?" He challenged.

"Yes, I don't know what we'll do without you." I replied before rolling my eyes at Elena, who also shook her head.

"So we'll finally get what, a few days or weeks without you causing trouble for us?" Elena asked Klaus.

"Don't worry, I always come back."

"Don't we know it." I said.

"Do you guys think you could give me a ride home?" April asked as she approached us; she kept her eyes firmly on Elena.

Klaus glanced at April but instead took a sip of his drink; he couldn't look at her; he couldn't risk anything, just like April wasn't risking anything by looking his way. We needed to let her know; she needed some sign from us in this second that Klaus had his memories.

"Sure we can, April; it's been an exhausting day for you." Elena nodded.

I glanced at Klaus, and his eyes met mine briefly before he looked down at April.

"And who exactly is this little sweetheart? I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

"Don't answer him," I told April and shrugged. "He's, um, just leaving." I said.

April kept it together well. She glanced up at Klaus and nodded her head. "Hi," she said softly before looking back to Elena and me. "I'm just really wanting to get out of here," she said.

"They're all in a rush to escape your company mate." Klaus said to Damon before looking back at April, "It was nice to meet you."

I took Elena's arm and looked down at April. "Let's get out of here."

"If she really is your little friend, you might not want to leave her alone tonight," Damon said as we took a step forward. "She'll use the train tracks."

Klaus's brow furrowed. "I'd slow down a bit, mate; show your brother the shame of carrying you out," he told him.

We began to walk one way while Klaus went in another—the complete opposite, actually. As we walked April out the front door, Klaus disappeared through the back door.

I was walking side by side with Elena, and I glanced over at Stefan, who was speaking with Jeremy, and Elena looked over at them briefly before looking back at me and shaking her head; she didn't want to say goodbye, it seemed. I wasn't sticking around another second to come face to face with Tyler; hearing the lengths he'd gone to in order to rip us back here was enough to turn my stomach. I couldn't stand being in this place for one second longer than I needed to be; we needed to find Klaus.

The three of us made our way across the street towards my car; we couldn't look at each other and couldn't risk saying a word without fear of being followed. We knew now that this was all down to the wants of Damon and Tyler. I'm sure they truly did believe that we had been abducted and needed the help. But Damon had killed people in order to create this time jump; I didn't even want to begin to imagine the extent of the numbers he had killed in order to bring all of this together. Who had they gone to in order to do this? He never mentioned Bonnie being involved, and she was the only witch in Mystic Falls, to our knowledge.

When we got into my car, we buckled our seatbelts, and I switched on the engine. Within just mere seconds, Klaus's Bentley drove past us slowly, and I pulled out onto the street and followed behind him at a distance. Once again, we didn't talk until we were sure it was safe.

"Where are we going?" April asked.

"I can't believe this is happening." Elena replied.

"We just need to keep it together, no matter what; that's the focus, because it has to be."

"Are we just leaving now for Utah?" April asked.

"We can't; they'll know if we disappear tonight something is wrong, plus." I paused and glanced over at them as I drove. "They figured out how to pull us back; they could do it again."

As the realization of what I was saying settled in on them, the car fell silent. I explained to April what we had learned, and silence followed yet again. The three of us were aware of the lengths Damon would go to in order to bring us back here, and who knows who else was on his side?

"Keep a distance between us," Elena said, watching Klaus two car lengths away from us. "Just to be sure."

"I hate this place," April said, glancing out the windows.

"I don't even know where he is taking us." I said.

Elena turned around in her seat to look at April. "Are you okay?" she asked her.

April nodded. "I think so," she paused. "But this feels different this time; I thought it was all over when I faked my own death."

"They believed it; that's all that matters."

"But now, we're going to need an even more extravagant plan to escape this time." I said.

"Klaus has to be in on this; we need to do this together this time." April said.

We followed Klaus just a few miles to the junk yard; there were countless machines working around us as we pulled in further to the yard and parked our vehicles side by side, despite it being after five. When we did this six months ago, we already had a plan in place, so whatever tonight was, we were already behind schedule for any plan we could muster together.

Klaus pulled his car over, and I pulled in directly behind him as he got out of the car. Elena and April quickly opened their doors, and I opened mine while Klaus walked around his car and leaned against the hood of his Bentley waiting for us. April ran into his arms, and he caught her as she almost flung herself at him. His hands gripped her forearms, and he stepped forward to make sure she didn't fall backwards. She kissed his neck over and over before he finally brought his lips down on hers and kissed her passionately. I felt Elena's hand slip into my hand, and she squeezed it tightly as we watched our husband greet April like this.

Klaus kept April against his chest for a moment, holding her before he looked over at me, and I eagerly made my way towards him, opening up my arms. He released April, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms slipped around me and pulled me tight against his chest.

"I was so scared." I whispered into his ear; his grip tightened around me as his hand slid down the back of my head.

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked Elena as he let me go.

Elena crossed her arms and nodded. "Yeah, I think so," she said before she stood next to April. "We weren't sure if you'd remember like we did."

"I don't know what happened." He confessed.

"We do." Elena and I said in sync.

April glanced around us, but Klaus kept his eyes on me. "Tell me."

"Damon and Tyler," I said.

Klaus nodded. "I thought as much."

"Do you think they know that we have our memories?" April asked.

"No, because Damon wouldn't have been that confident; he was too smug when he told us everything." I said.

"Did he say how they managed it?" Klaus asked as he slid his arm over April's shoulder but kept his attention on me.

"No, we didn't get that far, not after he said." I stopped myself from saying the words; the memory was enough on its own.

"Said what?" April asked.

Elena turned to her and said, "That he killed people in order to bring us back here."

"They both did, or at least that's what he made it sound like." I said.

April leaned into Klaus. "This isn't going to work, not if they're going to kill innocent people. How can anything be the same again?"

Klaus whispered something into her ear before he kissed her forehead and looked over at Elena.

"Did he tell you anything about who they spoke with? To make this happen." Klaus asked.

"No, and I really don't think they used Bonnie to-"

"I already know that your little witch was a powerful creature, but," Klaus shook his head, looking at our surroundings. "This is old magic, older than I've ever known."

"What does that mean?"

"That we'll need something stronger to keep it from pulling us back here again."

"We had our shield; our shield was supposed to be enough." April argued.

"I need a minute." Elena said, and I looked her way, watching as she walked away from us. She leaned against the side of my car and buried her face in her hands.

"I'll go-" April took a step forward, but Klaus's arm tightened around her waist.

"No, I will." He told her before he glanced at me.

"Maybe I should instead you two."

"She's my wife." Klaus said without looking my way as he made his way towards her.

April sighed, and I took her hand in mine. "We're going to figure this out, April; we're not going to let them ruin everything we've built in Utah."

April shook her head "We've time travelled; our homes are gone; the deeds, we don't even own them yet."

I squeezed her hand. "That doesn't matter; we'll do it all again."

"So they can bring us right back here?"

"We'll figure this out."

I glanced over at Elena and Klaus as he spoke with her, and she wiped her eyes and shook her head. He took another step forward and wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face into his shoulder and gripped the back of his jacket tightly.

"He'll take care of her," April nodded beside me. "He's good for her; he's good for us."

"I know," I sighed and looked around us. "The machines will mask our voices; that's why he picked this place to talk."

Across from us, I watched as Klaus cupped Elena's face and brushed away a tear; his eyes were narrowed, and it looked like he was pleading with her; his lips moved, but I couldn't make out what he was saying to her.

"He doesn't realize it yet, does he?"

"What?"

April smiled, looking over at them together, "That he's in love with her."

I looked over at them, watching as Elena spoke, how she wrapped both her hands around his wrists as he held her face in his hands.

"What makes you think that?" I asked

April leaned against my side. "That's the same way he was looking at you the night I first met him; I knew he felt something for you then, but nothing compares to the way he loves you now." I felt her look my way. "And you know you love him too."

I smiled and shook my head. "You're very confident in that, believe you?"

"No one's ever watching me enough to know how much I pay attention, but I see all the little things; I think that's why I was always supposed to have the house in the middle," she sighed happily. "So I'm right in the center, where I can make the difference between a good day and a bad."

I looked her way and asked, "Do you like him?"

April nodded. "Yeah, I like him, but there's a difference between my relationship with him and you guys."

"And what's that?"

April met my eyes, and for the first time I saw the hint of tears she was trying to fight.

"He doesn't know what to do with mine."

Her smile began to fade, and I watched the sparkle begin to leave her face. She'd never been so open before, so brutally honest about anything to do with herself, much less her marriage.

"April-"

"It's okay." She said without looking my way.

Since when have the two of them become so emotionally close? Klaus never went to her rescue in Utah; he always insisted April and I check in on her whenever she was having a difficult time. Now he was holding her like she was his entire universe—the way he was looking at her, the way she was looking right back at him. April was so suddenly convinced he was falling in love with her; she never once mentioned or hinted at this before. She'd joked that they might secretly be hot for each other beneath their obvious tension, but now everything was actually different, and I'd missed it all somehow.

I stood by April watching as Klaus leaned down and whispered something into Elena's ear, his hand cupping the back of her neck as he did so. He leaned away from her, meeting her gaze before he placed a quick kiss on her forehead, and his attention shifted back to us. They returned to us, not hand in hand to my surprise. April smiled at them while I kept my arms crossed against the biting cold.

"So what do we do now?" April asked.

"They bought our story last time," I told Klaus. "Damon said April had committed suicide, and all they found at mine and Elena's place were signs of some form of struggle."

"But you said we had to do it differently this time; we had to do it better." April said.

Klaus shook his head "Not better, it has to be perfect," he sighed. "We need to piece this thing together within the next few hours, and it has to ensure this will never occur again," he said.

Klaus crossed his arms then, and we all fell silent around, exchanging glances of worry and dread as we wondered how this was going to pan out, what was going to be involved, who would be involved in what, and how far we were prepared to go to make this work.

"There's something you should know," Klaus said. "Something that I should have told you all when we returned to Utah."

"What?"

"Yeah, Klaus. What's going on because—"

"The night we were in Vegas, the night," He paused to look at each of us one by one. "The night I married each of you," he lowered his gaze for a moment, focusing on the wet ground below our feet. "When we were leaving that morning," Klaus shook his head. "You were exhausted," he said, looking at April. "And we were trying to get to the airport."

"What happened?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"I saw Damon," Klaus said, his eyes locked on Elena's before looking at mine. "And Tyler."

"Wait what?!"

"They were in Las Vegas?" April crossed her arms. "They were there on the night of our wedding?"

"That's why you started moving so fast," I said, recalling the event. "We were all in such a rush to get our luggage ready; you didn't tell us why; you just kept insisting we needed to catch our flight."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Elena asked.

"Because it wouldn't have made any difference, just like they can't anymore."

"They brought us back in freaking time." April hissed "So why not this?"

"It doesn't matter now; what's done is done."

"I can't believe you didn't tell us about this; are you sure they didn't see you?"

Klaus rolled his eyes "I'm sure I didn't exactly stick around to get caught; I got us out of there. Just like I will get us all out of this place tonight."

"No, we can't leave here tonight; it's too risky."

"Caroline, we could lose our houses," April said.

"She's right," Klaus agreed. "I have to get the deeds in my name, but I can't do that until we have everything else taken care of. Otherwise we're completely-"

"Screwed?" A voice called out to us.

We all broke apart from each other, looking around at our surroundings; no cars had drawn up; I hadn't heard any footsteps approaching, and Klaus would have heard anything coming a mile away anyway, so what was happening? Panic gripped me as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end. Elena took a step forward, and Klaus's hand shot out, grabbing her arm and yanking her back towards him.

"Klaus, what's going on?" April asked as he tucked her behind him.

Around the corner of multiple stacked and completely crushed cars, a slender, dark figure finally appeared, walking towards us slowly and with the kind of arrogance that only a vampire could possess. My eyes widened as she drew closer. When had she gotten here? Where did she even come from? How had she gotten into the junk yard without any of us noticing, without Klaus noticing her? The glow from the large, cold white lights around the yard cast long shadows against her olive skin, and as her eyes met mine, my blood ran cold.

"Vicki ?"

"Surprise," Vicki replied with a smirk.

"Who is she?" April asked

"She's not here; she's dead. She died years ago." I responded.

Vicki slowed down her pace to a steady, taunting walk as she approached us; she stopped when she was just a few feet away from us and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked right at Klaus. Her hair was curled; it was the way it had been when she was still alive, still human anyway. She was even wearing make-up—a soft brown eye shadow with a nude lip. As for her clothes, she was different—the tightest jeans you've ever seen, practically painted onto her toned and freakingly long legs, her heels only adding extra elegance, and as for her jacket, she must have been freezing in that tiny scrap of material. She wasn't letting it show, though.

"What is this?" I questioned, "You're dead; how are we all seeing you?"

Vicki raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm a woman, Caroline, and we all have our ways."

"She's got to be a ghost, right?" Elena whispered to Klaus.

He slowly shook his head, a gesture of disbelief and resignation evident in his eyes. "She's here; she's a vampire, but she's here; I can hear her heartbeat."

"So," Vicki said, smiling. "Which one of you is the lucky girl?"

"Lucky girl?" April questioned.

Vicki glanced over at her before looking at each of us one by one. "The one who married," she paused to smirk. "Oh, that's right, I already know who the lucky girl is." Her dark eyes fell upon us. "Each and every one of you."

"What do you want?" I asked.

What was happening? After all this time, she had been dead—truly gone, never once haunting our lives or casting a shadow over our path. And yet, inexplicably, she stood before us now, her presence both a mystery and a revelation. It was as if fate had orchestrated this encounter at the very moment when the four of us were desperate to flee from Mystic Falls. She'd been on the other side; she or someone else had been watching us in Utah; she knew we were married to Klaus. The shield—meant to protect us from prying eyes beyond this realm—seemed ineffective against her gaze. Did Vicki possess an ally, someone capable of piercing through the shield's power? Or was her knowledge derived from a source we had yet to comprehend? As these questions swirled in our minds, we were left to grapple with the unsettling truth that her return was not merely a coincidence but a twist of fate that could alter the course of our lives forever.

"To make a deal, that's all anyone wants to do these days; make a deal and reap the reward," she said.

"A deal?" Klaus questioned, "What sort of deal?"

Vicki gazed intently at him, her eyes searching his face for a reaction. "I met Esther," she began softly. "I met your mother on the other side." She paused, observing the way Klaus's jaw tightened at the mention of his mother. "She's the one who managed to catch brief glimpses of each of you behind the barrier you created," Vicki continued, her voice steady as she turned her gaze to us.

"She revealed something intriguing," Vicki said, her words hanging in the air. "She mentioned that your only true happiness was found in Utah, of all places." Her eyes locked with Klaus's once more, holding his gaze with a mix of curiosity and concern. "And she said that you, Klaus, were the happiest you had ever been there, but that you were slowly imprisoning it," she added, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

Vicki hesitated, biting her lower lip as she searched for the right words. "What was it she called it again?" She mused aloud, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "Ah, yes. The inner demon?"

Klaus moved to step forward, and April placed her hand on his abdomen to stop him from moving any closer towards her.

"She said you're not allowed to be happy; she said you were supposed to serve the rest of your life with a reminder of what you had done. So she sent me through to accomplish that." Vicki 's tone was nonchalant, but there was a flicker of emotion in her eyes—a flicker that hinted at an inner struggle between duty and something else I couldn't put my finger on.

"She sent you to watch us?" I grilled.

Vicki cast a warm smile in my direction, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. As she shifted her gaze back to Klaus, I sensed his attention pivot toward me, creating an invisible thread of connection between us.

"No, she didn't send me here to watch you; that would be pathetic and a waste of my time."

"Then what exactly are you here for?" Klaus asked.

Vicki 's voice dripped with a chilling charm as she leaned closer to Klaus, her presence casting an ominous shadow over the dimly lit room. "As I mentioned," she began, her tone smooth yet threatening, "Esther insists that you carry a constant reminder of the consequences should you ever unleash that inner demon again."

With calculated grace, she closed the distance between them, her eyes fixed intently on his. "This means," she continued, gesturing to encompass the two of them in her insidious plan, "I will accompany you every single step of the way." Her lips curled into a twisted smile, a sinister promise lurking behind her words.

"When the moment comes for you to seal your blood oath," she paused deliberately, letting the weight of her intention sink into the silence. "You will pledge me to you forever and make me your fourth wife." Her gaze locked onto Klaus, her expression leaving no room for refusal, a wicked satisfaction in her eyes. Vicki had woven her web, and Klaus was caught, ensnared by her relentless determination and dark allure.

The four of us glanced at each other in stunned silence, each of our minds racing as we struggled to process this unexpected revelation. As my thoughts drifted to the consequences of her proposal, I could feel the tension radiating from Klaus, his body taut with frustration and anger. His jaw clenched, his muscles tense as he struggled to maintain his composure, a barely controlled fury simmering beneath the surface.

"If you think I will agree to your proposal," he said in a low voice. "You're sorely mistaken."

Vicki cocked her head to one side, amusement flickering in her eyes as she studied him. "Oh, Klaus, I think you'll find that you don't have much choice in the matter." She leaned in closer, her breath hot against his ear.

Behind him Klaus used his right hand to push April back slowly until she was nearer to me and safe.

"Do you know what the definition of insanity is, Klaus?" She questioned, "It's doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results." She locked eyes with him. "This time it's not three wives on their way to Utah; it's going to be four."

"No, no," Elena shook her head. "You can't just show up here and expect us to accept your offer."

Vicki smirked, "I'm sorry, what did you say? Offer? This isn't an offer. This is what is happening, and if it doesn't—"

"I could just break your neck right now and be done with it." Klaus cut in.

Vicki narrowed her eyes at him before smiling, "Yes, you could, but you won't, because..."

"Because what?" He hissed.

Vicki leaned in with a grace that seemed almost predatory, her movements fluid and deliberate. The dim light of the room cast a subtle glow on her features, highlighting the mischievous glint in her eyes. With the stealth of a serpent, she closed the already minimal distance between them, her body pressing intimately against his.

Her lips, a mere breath away from his ear, parted in a whisper—a secret cloaked in intimacy, veiled from the world around them. The rhythmic hum of the nearby machines served as a perfect cloak, drowning out any hope of eavesdropping. Neither Elena nor I could discern the words she breathed, but the intent was palpable, hanging in the air like a tantalizing mystery.

"What did she say?" I questioned him as she leaned away.

Klaus's face was impassive, revealing no hint of emotion as he stared straight ahead, his expression unreadable.

"You wouldn't." Klaus said to her.

Vicki simply smiled in return, her eyes filled with a dark satisfaction. "Oh, Klaus," she drawled. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

The weight of her words settled over the room like a shadow, filling us with dread.

"I didn't get a chance to witness your quaint lives in Utah," she murmured, her words like velvet and poison. Her eyes, dark pools of mystery and mischief, roamed over him with an almost predatory hunger.

"But from what I've heard from the others on the other side," she continued, her lips curving into a dangerous smile as she bit her lower lip. The gesture was both innocent and primal, a tantalizing contradiction. Her eyes locked onto his, a silent challenge, a beckoning darkness.

"I've got a lot to look forward to when I get there." She finished, her voice a siren's call that promised both ecstasy and ruin.

"You're not coming with us," Elena stepped forward. "Look, Vicki , I really, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for the part I played in."

"Oh no, she's talking again." Vicki cut her off and stepped closer to Klaus, their faces only inches apart. "I'm going where ever he goes, and he knows it; that's why he's not looking at any of you."

Klaus gritted his teeth, his body a coiled spring of barely contained rage, each muscle taut with the effort of restraint. The air around him was suffocating, laden with the oppressive weight of Vicki 's proposal—a dark offer that threatened to unravel him. Elena took a cautious step forward, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and concern. Her hand trembled as she reached out, the warmth of her touch a stark contrast to the cold fury radiating from him.

"Klaus, you can't do this." She whispered, her voice a desperate plea that trembled in the silence.

But Klaus's eyes were locked onto Vicki , their icy depths betraying nothing but an unyielding resolve. His gaze was a storm, unrelenting and fierce, as if daring her to challenge the tempest within him.

In that moment, the world narrowed to a singular focus—Vicki 's proposal and the abyss it threatened to open. Elena's presence, her touch, was a fragile lifeline, a tether to the humanity he fought to conceal beneath layers of shadow. The decision lay before him—a crossroads where love and darkness intertwined, and the path he chose would forever alter the course of their lives.

"What did you say to him?" Elena demanded of Vicki .

"None of your business," she replied coolly.

"You're making a mistake," Elena warned.

"No, you all made a mistake by not escaping right the first time," Vicki huffed. "Yeah, I heard about that too, the bleach, the handful of clothes, and the stolen car. Talk about Yawn."

"What do you think you know about us?" I challenged.

"Before I died, I thought you'd be dead or pregnant by now," Vicki said to me. "Just one, betting with his self-control, it won't be long until the other part becomes true."

Vicki stepped away from Klaus, and April came out from behind him to face her like the rest of us.

"Whatever you think is going to happen," April said.

"Oh no, that's cute. You actually think I'm going to negotiate this with any of you." Vicki laughed, "I don't care what set up you had before, what little promises you made or pots you bought; it's done. A new chapter and a new character. Get on board."

I made my way over to Klaus, putting myself between him and her and not wasting a second before holding his head in my hands.

"Look at me, right at me." I pleaded.

His eyes met mine, the gaze fierce, with a tempest brewing just beneath the exterior.

"Whatever she said, she's bluffing. We hold the cards here."

"Caroline-"

"We can leave right now; we can just go and-"

"Oh, like you'd get to the town border before I told everyone exactly where you were heading." Vicki cut in.

"This isn't a game; you can't just..."

"Oh no, this is definitely a game," Vicki interrupted. "A game of who will give up the most, and I've got everything to gain here. So what about you, Caroline? Are you ready to lose?"

"This is my family you're talking about." I snapped.

Vicki 's eyes narrowed. "Your family or your marriage, where exactly is that line of no return for you, Caroline?"

I stepped back as though I'd been slapped, the words stinging like a bitter accusation.

"You are not coming with us," April said.

Vicki tilted her head to the side. "Well, isn't she a cutie? What is she, Klaus? Number three?"

"If you think he's going to make you one of us, you're crazy." Elena cut in.

"Oh, come on, Elena, you have to know by now how these things work; no one ever gets their happily ever after."

Vicki locked eyes with Klaus. "He's made his choice."

I turned to look at Klaus but found his eyes were locked on hers; I had no choice. I gripped him by his jacket and spun him around on his feet at full vampire speed until all he could see was us—see what he needed to focus on.

"Klaus whatever she said."

"She's coming with us." He cut me off.

"No, we can't let her do this," Elena argued. "You don't know her; I remember her."

"The decision is made." He cut her off again.

"What did she say to you?" I asked, "Klaus, what did she say to you?"

He looked away, his jaw clenched as he stared into the distance. His silence, heavy with the weight of unspoken words, hung in the air like a dark portent—a warning of impending disaster.

Elena shook her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the choice he had made. Her hand trembled as she reached out, her fingertips grazing his arm before she pulled back, the gesture a painful reminder of what they had lost.

Klaus turned his back on us to face her; she was smiling back at us, of course. Content in the knowledge that she'd won whatever sick game she believed this to be.

"We have a deal?" She asked him.

"We do," he confirmed.

Vicki 's smile widened, her eyes twinkling with dark delight.

Klaus turned back to us.

"I think my heart just stopped," April whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"He didn't just agree to this," I said, looking at Vicki . "You forced him into it, and none of us agreed."

"My deal is with him, and as Esther would say, 'Each marriage is private'"

"He is not your husband." April said through gritted teeth.

"Not yet."

Klaus brought my hand up to his chest and held it there as he seemingly racked his mind for solutions, his eyes closing tight for a few seconds. I watched his face and could see the cogs turning. He wasn't one to be defeated; no matter how many times the enemy managed to gain an advantage over him, he always found a way to come back.

"There's no getting out of this, is there?" Elena asked him.

Klaus kept his eyes shut as he shook his head slowly.

"What do we do now?" April asked.

Klaus locked eyes with her. "I'm sorry, baby," he said to her before opening his eyes to look at us. "But this is happening."

"What do we do?" I asked him.

Klaus just stared back at me unable to come up with a solution for the first time since I'd known him.

April stepped towards us and looked over at Elena, who joined Klaus's side.

"We have to get to Utah," Klaus said. "Now."

Klaus Mikaelson

The girl didn't stop until her body was lined up with mine, I could feel her hard nipples pressing against my chest as she brought her lips to my ear.

"If you don't make this happen, Esther will ensure none of them are capable of having children."

She pulled back to look me in the eye, a wicked smile tugging at her lips. I could feel Caroline, Elena and April staring at me, they'd want to know and I couldn't tell them.

The girl, whatever her name was lined in again "Don't worry I won't be begging for your sperm like these three, but I am gonna want your cock inside of me the first night in Utah. And you know you want this ass."

How could I tell my wives what she had said?

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