Author's Note: Oh god, it's been so long. Starting journalism school has been an amazing experience, but the learning curve was steep and time consuming. For anyone who's still with me, thank you for reading and I hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine, and soon it's all ending.

We know the halls you walk are unforgiving
It's not the kind of place to find your place among the living
We have a plan, we've got the means for your liberation
You'll only have to blur the lines on a few occasions

Heels clicked on pavement, a staccato familiar to most, and a source of great comfort to the woman currently wearing the Louboutin pumps. Say what you will about confidence, a good pair of heels made all the difference in the world. Her current traveling partner had recently abandoned her to follow his own interests, but with every click of heel on pavement, his presence became less and less necessary.

There was nothing a woman couldn't do on her own with a good pair of shoes.

"Hey baby, looking for company?"

The pathetic excuse for a flirt came out of the shadows, stumbling slightly. He was clearly drunk, so much so that when he leered, his pupils dilated and veins raised just enough to show that he was after more than a quick back alley fuck.

Any other woman would have scoffed and strode by faster, but the Louboutin shoes paused, turning in his direction. Red lips curved into a sly smile and if the drunk slob had even the slightest bit of sense, he would've run.

But he didn't, and was rewarded by manicured nails scratching at his eyes a second later.

"You BITCH!" he screamed, trying to push her off, but the woman's nails simply moved away from his eyes and wrapped around his throat, throwing him into a brick wall effortlessly.

The heels clicked slowly towards his crumpled body. "Now, now, don't fight," a soft voice purred. "I'm new in town — think you can answer a few questions?"

"Fuck off," he spat, but the hand around his throat was back.

"You know, I hear vampire eyeballs grow back, though I hear it hurts like a bitch. But if you don't want that to happen, all you have to do is answer one teeny, tiny, little question. What do you say?"

The vampire weighed his options, his throat constricted, the nails at his jugular sharp and unrelenting. "Wh - what do you want to know?"

The smirk was back, her eyes glinted. "What can you tell me about the Mikaelson family's new weapon?"

In hindsight, Caroline should've hired caterers.

It's not like she thought this would be a big thing, all they really planned to do was get the rest of the Mikaelson family up to speed on what they had planned. But what was supposed to be immediate family somehow grew to include a small werewolf contingent led by Hayley, a handful of vampires that Caroline gathered Klaus deemed competent, and a few more serious faced humans that Elijah apparently had compelled to act as eyes and ears throughout the Quarter.

They all looked incredibly bored. Caroline definitely should've gotten this meeting catered.

"Why do I feel like I need to have a Powerpoint ready?" Caroline muttered to Kol, who was standing next to her as the last of the troops filed in. Elijah already looked like he disapproved of what she was going to say, and Caroline had that uncomfortable feeling of facing a firing squad made up of every teacher who'd ever underestimated her for being a blonde cheerleader.

Well, she'd proved them wrong. This was the same thing, and this victory was going to feel ten times better.

"Right, can we can this started?" Kol asked with a grin, rubbing his hands together. He waited a few beats until he had their full attention, relishing that they had no choice but to listen to his every word. Caroline watched his obvious glee, remembering a dance where his older brother had taken center stage in a very familiar fashion. She wondered if they even realized how similar they were.

"So, you're all aware that Sweet Caroline and myself went on a little road trip this past year?" Nods all around, though Klaus watched Caroline with a clenched jaw, while she glanced his way briefly. Their stupid, stupid spat from last night still rang in her ears, but she didn't know when or if they'd be able to fix things. For now, Kol was still grandstanding.

"We traveled the country, caused some mayhem, tragically never gave into the sexual tension—"

"Kol!"

"Sorry Sweets, just trying to paint a picture. As I was saying, while we were trying to hunt down some answers about the people who brought me back, it turns out they were stalking us."

"Exhibit A," Caroline said with some flourish, holding up a surveillance picture of them taken in Seattle. "They tracked us everywhere. And that hideout in the bayou was their center of operations."

"And is there a reason both of you didn't realize you were being tailed for a year?" asked Rebekah, one perfect eyebrow arched in amusement and condescension.

"The same reason you can never keep a boyfriend Bekah," Kol bantered, ignoring his sister's growl.

"Stay on topic," Caroline hissed. Kol winked at her before continuing.

"Point being, they had evidence of every single place we'd been over the past year and we thought that was that…until we found this."

"Exhibit B." Caroline produced the photo taken last week, and the room stilled at the sight of something familiar.

"What does that even mean? You know they were watching you!" drawled Hayley, watching from the back of the room.

Caroline fought a snippy retort, knowing it wouldn't do anything. "It means, that if they left that place to rub it in our faces that they were one step ahead, then there should've been more pictures of us coming into the city."

"This one was missed," Kol added, much more seriously now. "They left in a hurry, but they took the evidence that they were tracking us even here. Which means—"

"They're still watching you. They're still in my city," Klaus growled. The grip on his glass was white knuckled, and Caroline winced at the slight crack in the fine crystal.

"Give the man a prize," Kol muttered darkly.

They lapsed into tense silence, broken finally by Elijah. "Well, something has to be done then."

"Obviously," Caroline muttered, before she could help herself. Petty perhaps, but it had taken Elijah long enough to realize that this was a legitimate problem. The eldest Original narrowed his eyes at her but made no further comment, and Caroline was glad he spared her a lecture with an audience.

He kept his narrow gaze on her though. And out of the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Klaus observing his big brother.

"So, what do you intend to do about this?" Rebekah asked, fidgeting in her seat.

"A party."

Dead silence.

Kol couldn't be sure, but there might've been actual crickets chirping somewhere in the compound. He glanced at Caroline and she tried to look encouraging, but it fell flat. They both knew this wouldn't be received well, but they needed to get everybody in this room on board with their plan if they wanted a chance of it working.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard — did you say you want to throw a party?" Rebekah asked disbelievingly.

Kol and Caroline nodded in tandem as everyone just stared, unimpressed. Klaus scrubbed a hand over his face. "Humour me, how the bloody hell is a party going to help this situation?"

"Glad you asked brother! Really we have your paranoid tendencies to thank."

"What Kol means," Caroline interjected, "is that we're going to put out the word that the Mikaelsons are looking for a witch to replace Genevieve's position."

"'Position'?" Elijah asked.

"A witch for the family," Kol explained. "One to help us whenever we need a spell or two."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure the witches hate you guys," Hayley pointed out.

Kol rolled his eyes. "Thank you, I'm well aware. But members of a coven not native to the city don't play by local politics."

"And if they still think they have the upper hand, then this is too good an opportunity to pass up," Caroline pointed out. "A chance to be confidant to the Mikaelson family?"

"Not to mention the easy access to offing the two of us," Kol added as an afterthought.

"You want to draw them out," Elijah stated, settling back in his armchair. He didn't sound particularly encouraging, and as Caroline scanned the room, she could see he wasn't alone.

Kol heaved an irritated sigh. "Look, this is the plan, get on board or get out of our way."

There was an a ripple of unease through the room, none daring to outright defy Kol but watching his siblings for their reactions. Caroline eyed their audience nervously, watching the skepticism on their faces. Kol would go through with this no matter what, she knew that. But she was also smart enough to know that this would be so much easier with all the Mikaelsons on board. The way the family bickered, any hint of discontent would spread through the Quarter like wildfire, and no scam of theirs would ever work.

The lightbulb went off over her head, "This would be great for your image!" she blurted out.

"Our…image?" asked Rebekah.

"You need this city to remember who's in charge, right? What better way to make a point?" The words should affect Klaus but Caroline was careful to direct the question towards Elijah. Almost imperceptibly, the Original lifted an eyebrow in consideration of what she was saying, finally settling on a decision.

"Miss Forbes has a point," he pointed out towards his brother. "This plan might have merit."

"I came up with it," Kol pointed out sardonically, grimacing when Caroline elbowed him in the ribs. "Watch it Sweets," he bit out, darting out his fingers to pinch her hard in retaliation.

Caroline scowled, rubbing the red mark on her arm, as she watched Klaus and Elijah carefully. Elijah was on their side but it was Klaus's turn to consider and she honestly didn't know which way he'd go. He looked at her for a moment, expression unreadable, before darting a quick glance at his brother.

"I agree," he said finally. "Let the plans go ahead."

Rebekah hung her head back in silent resignation, before standing swiftly. "Do whatever you want, but I hope you don't expect me to help," she declared loftily before turning on her heel and striding out rather dramatically.

The other vampires and wolves in the room didn't have the luxury and muttered darkly amongst themselves before Caroline clapped her hands, smiling brightly.

"Alright people! This isn't going to plan itself!"

"No no no, don't set up the bar over here. It's supposed to be near the back wall!" Caroline gripped the clipboard in her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white, not even caring that she could hear Kol snickering at her from across the courtyard. "Seriously, I drew up a plan!"

"I don't think the poor denizens of New Orleans are quite up to Mystic Falls standards," Kol said, flashing over to her side, easily dodging the hand she swept out to hit his shoulder.

"You're not really helping," Caroline grumbled, scanning the courtyard for any more mistakes.

"You're not planning pageants anymore," Kol shot back easily. "Consider that this isn't in your repertoire."

Caroline turned on him, eyes blazing. "Excuse me?! I think I can manage—"

"Easy pet. I just meant that you might want to avail yourself of some help." Smirking in a way that made Caroline very uncomfortable, he nodded up and to the left.

Following his direction, she looked up to see Klaus standing on one of the balconies, watching her intently. Upon being caught staring, he didn't even bother looking abashed, simply disappearing and reappearing in front of her a second later.

"How goes the planning?" he asked a little stiffly, too awkward for Caroline's liking. Normally he'd rib her about her neuroses, but the weight of everything said and unsaid hung in the air between them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kol looking between them, familiar grin on his face.

"Well, I'll be off then!" Kol announced cheerfully, wincing at the high-pitched shriek Caroline gave.

"Seriously?! This was your crazy idea!"

"I think you've got this," he said with a careless shrug, before flashing off.

Caroline gaped at the spot where he'd just been standing, too frustrated to form the obscenities that were running through her head. She gritted her teeth before noticing Klaus watching her, lips pressed tight to keep from laughing out loud.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this."

"Or course not, love." He barely made an effort to sound convincing.

Counting back from ten in her head, Caroline resolved to just power through but before she could march over and do the job herself, a warm hand closed around her wrist.

"Ignore my brother, he's an arse."

"Figured that out about twenty minutes into being stuck in a car with him."

He didn't let go of her wrist and Caroline glanced down at his arm, slammed suddenly with the memory of it pressed against her lips, vein opened, and her desperate for his blood. She ducked her head to hide the blush that spread on her cheeks, but nothing escaped Klaus's notice, she knew that.

Thankfully he didn't choose to comment, instead casting an eye back towards the courtyard. "You're quite the commander, sweetheart. Brings back memories."

Caroline smiled, managing to meet his eyes and liking the fondness she saw there. "Yeah, well. Practice."

Klaus nodded silently, before adding "You might want to rethink the layout though."

If her eye twitched, just a little, no one had to know. "Pretty sure it's fine," Caroline said, trying very hard not to sound too defensive.

"I've done this before too," Klaus added with a quick wink and Caroline couldn't deny that. As much as it irritated her, this wasn't a school dance.

"Do you want to help me?" The question tumbled out before she could take it back but Caroline stood by it. She wanted to bury the hatchet with him, and she didn't want to think too hard about the fact that it was suddenly very important to her that she and Klaus get along. "This is your house and your…minions," she admitted, noticing a few disgruntled looks thrown her way from some passing vampires.

A sharp glare from Klaus had them scurrying away before he turned back to Caroline who was waiting for an answer. He didn't bother to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Of course, love."

Caroline exhaled heavily, a weight lifting from her shoulders. It was easier to paint a smile on her face, meet Klaus in the eye and square her shoulders, ready to get things done. It was strangely empowering, this feeling of her and Klaus working side by side, like they could get anything done. It wasn't as exhilarating as fighting monsters back to back, it was slower and she was so much more aware of him.

But it was a feeling she could totally get used to.

They got to work, effortlessly directing the help, the plan for the night coming together until they'd gone over every possibility thrice.

"This is gonna be good," Caroline muttered, mostly to herself, but Klaus didn't miss it.

"You're putting a fair amount of work into this, I'm fairly sure the witches would've come, preparations or not."

"Yeah well, it's all about image," Caroline said, a cloud coming over her features. Before Klaus could question her, she'd caught the sight of someone going off plan and marched over to berate them, leaving the hybrid to puzzle over the odd statement.

Image. There is was again, the issue of the Mikaelson's public perception and how tenuous it was apparently becoming. And for the second time in less than a day, Klaus was left wondering why Caroline would care so much.

The answer danced at the edge of his mind, threatening an unpleasant confrontation that would be had sooner or later. Klaus let himself drift backwards towards the fringe of the activity, scanning the edges of the courtyard searching unconsciously for someone in particular.

And there he was, suit pristine, a grim look on his face.

Elijah's attention wasn't on the preparations at large but solely focused on Caroline herself, so much so, he didn't notice Klaus's gaze narrowing, recognize the signs of the hybrid's temper growing.

For the sake of Caroline, he'd keep himself in check at the moment. But soon, very soon, the storm would come.

He wondered if there would be a filled coffin at the end of it.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

JULY 2014

"I don't know why you couldn't have just done this sooner," Caroline groused as she looked over the vampire who had been thoroughly compelled. Walsh could barely take a step without Kol's direct order, and Caroline felt just a little too much vindictive satisfaction. Maybe she'd feel worse if the club owner hadn't just tried to win sex with her in a card game.

As far as she was concerned, Kol could compel the asshole to walk straight into the sun.

"Subtlety is our friend, darling," Kol reminded her. "Unless you feel like ripping apart every single one of his friends?" She squirmed under the thought of another massacre at her hands, and Kol knew he had her.

"Can't wait for the day when I get to tell people Kol Mikaelson decided to go for tact instead of just killing everybody he could," Caroline muttered, kicking at the floor petulantly.

"Save it for pillow talk with my brother, can we proceed?" He cut off her ready denial and turned back to the vampire who was waiting like a dog for a bone.

"Walsh, tell us about the witches in your club."

"Couple of them hang out here most nights," he replied, eyes dazed. "Came in a few weeks ago, looking to practice dark magic without anyone stopping them."

Kol shared a glance with Caroline who was watching the scene with wide eyes. "Dark magic like 'we want to raise Silas magic'?" she asked worriedly.

"It's a spectrum," Kol explained, lips pressed into a thin line. "Not everything is as extreme as Silas's followers would have it, but it's not exactly growing herbs in the garden." He turned back to Walsh, pupils dilating. "Take us out there, get rid of any of your cronies, and find those witches."

Walsh nodded robotically, leading them out and down towards the crowded dance floor. The dim lights and heavy crowds hid them well as they shoved their way to a dark corner booth where two girls sat close to each other, watching the crowd with sharp gazes.

"What do you want, Walsh?" one of them asked snappishly. Clearly not his biggest fan. Caroline could probably guess why.

Walsh remained quiet of course, and Kol slid into the booth, all charm. "We just have some questions for you loves," he said, leaning forward and widening his eyes. "I happen to know the witches in this city are well informed in fringe magic."

"What's it to you?" the second witch asked, tossing her dark red hair.

"Look, there's a coven doing some bad things, we just want to know if you've heard anything about them."

The two shared a glance before looking back at Kol with narrowed eyes. "Are you from out East?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"We've heard rumours," the first witch said in a hiss. "A coven dabbling in Expression magic, bending the laws of death."

Caroline felt a chill break out, and she shuffled from foot to foot at the edge of the booth. Kol just leant in further,. "What more have you heard?"

They shrugged simultaneously, inspecting the table, bored. "Death. Destruction. A wraith killing everything in its path."

"The cult?" Caroline asked quietly.

Kol looked over his shoulder, almost pitying. "I think they're actually talking about you."

She flinched visibly and the witches now watched her carefully, as if she'd start ripping people apart then and there.

"All of this is old news," Kol said. "We need something recent."

They shrugged again, this time clearly much more closed off. It was clear they weren't going to be giving up any more information, so Kol dropped all pleasantries and slid out, not sparing them another glance.

"Well this was a waste of goddamn time," Kol snarled, pushing his way past the crowd. Caroline struggled to match his furious pace, glad for the break in people as they spilled outside. Drunk clubgoers stumbled around, the smell of vomit permeating the air.

Caroline couldn't think of a better setting for how fucking awful she felt.

Walsh had followed them like an attentive puppy, and Caroline was in the middle of wondering what they were going to do with him when a body exiting the club jostled her from the side.

"What the hell?!" she snapped, too irritated for this, but she found a lanky young man hiding his features under a dark hoodie, watching her and Kol with interest.

"Can we help?" Kol drawled, fangs already dropping.

The guy grinned, raising his head. "Heard you're tracking a cult."

She had to give it to the Originals. They knew how to draw a crowd.

Bodies pulsed throughout the compound, and in the courtyard there was hardly room to stand, not that anybody minded. Liquor flowed freely, music blared, and although witches were the guests of honour, it looked to Caroline that anyone with even the barest connection to the supernatural were there, too afraid of missing out to stay away. Caroline couldn't help but feed off their high, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she moved through the crowd, looking at the flashes of new faces around her. Each one could be a potential threat, could be one of them.

No one stopped long enough to look at her properly but whenever one of them looked her in the eye, Caroline waited for a brief flash of recognition. Maybe they'd seen her around the Quarter, heard the rumours. Or maybe they'd stood across a street, taken a picture to add to that heinous little hideaway, watched her when she thought she was safe.

She'd be so much more afraid, but the energy of the party was giving her a newfound confidence. And with that, she held her head high and elbowed her way through the crowd until she saw Klaus and Rebekah standing on the edge, observing the party, equally aloof. Caroline kept her momentum going, plucking a glass of blood-spiked booze off the tray of a passing waiter and striding right up to them.

"Enjoying yourselves?" she asked brightly.

"It's passable," Rebekah said with a sniff.

"For some more than others," Klaus added with a smirk. Caroline turned her head to see Kol laughing loudly, each arm slung around a beautiful witch who seemed to be hanging onto his every word.

Caroline held in a smile, "Well, he's having a good time."

"He doesn't have to worry about riff-raff crawling all over the house," Rebekah grumbled. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure no one's broken any antiques."

She flashed off, leaving Klaus to roll his eyes in her wake. "She once burned a tapestry from the court of King Louis XIV," he confided in Caroline, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Threw a tantrum because I wouldn't let her run off with the Dauphin."

Caroline smiled, cheeks flushed from the alcohol and the warm night. "Well I think we did a great job," she said, sidling over to stand right next to him. "Everyone's having a great time."

"We make a good team," Klaus replied, leaning down so that his breath washed over her ear. It didn't matter how loud the party got, he knew full well Caroline could hear him fine, but she didn't move away and he wasn't passing this up. "You're quite the planner."

"Well, I had a great partner." Caroline felt her heart pounding, sure that Klaus could hear it, but she stood her ground and smiled up at him through her eyelashes, a move that almost always worked.

And it definitely worked this time.

Klaus skimmed his knuckles down the sensitive skin of her arms, curling his hand around her elbow gently. He was ready to to flash them somewhere vastly more private, could practically taste the memory of her skin— unfortunately, fate had other plans.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!"

Klaus swore that Kol wouldn't have any internal organs at the end of the night. The crowd turned their attention to the Original now standing on a table in the middle of the courtyard, taking a generous swig from a bottle of vodka.

"Thank you for attending our little soiree!" Kol shouted drunkenly. "And a special welcome to the fine servants of nature who answered our summons."

Whispers rippled through the crowd, and Kol grinned darkly, reveling in the power he held over them. Klaus barely contained his irritation at his brother's theatrics, but out of consideration for the fact that this had been part Caroline's plan, he stayed where he was.

Speaking of whom, he felt a slight tug and looked to his side to see her stepping away, looking apologetic.

"I'm supposed to be on one of the balconies, looking out for anybody who looks 'too' interested. Or tries to kill me." She tried to play it off, but looked genuinely regretful, and it was the only reason Klaus let her slip away, resolving to find her as soon as his brother's little charade ended.

"I've always had a special interest in the affairs of witches," Kol was saying, so ridiculously full of himself. "And now I'm pleased to say my family is looking to work with one of you, as a aide to our affairs. With the promise of protection and our full support in all your endeavours, of course."

Hayley's words from earlier were true, most witches muttered in anger or disgust at Kol's proposal. But even Klaus could see a few here and there who looked like they were seriously considering the offer. No matter how ludicrous this plan was, for the first time, Klaus was forced to admit that it might actually work.

A flash of panic hit him, if anybody here was seriously part of the cult that had stalked Caroline, any one of them might risk breaking their cover if it meant killing her. He was off in a second, knowing he'd only be content if he could see that she was safe.

He found her standing on the balcony just like she said, perfectly fine. But she wasn't alone.

"Are you going to lecture me again?"

"As it happens, I had wondered if you'd changed your mind."

Klaus forced himself to stay still, standing well hidden in the hallway where he could hear out onto the balcony where Elijah now stood next to Caroline. He'd had his suspicions of course — but now, he waited for confirmation.

"What, about trying to manipulate one of your brothers and putting the other one in a box?" Caroline spat back. Klaus smiled at her fire.

"You presume a lot about my family for someone who has the barest idea of what we've been through," Elijah responded coldly. "But to your credit, you mentioned wanting to improve our image with this gathering. May I presume you've finally come around?"

"I'm not helping you."

"No, simply causing more problems."

Klaus willed Caroline to respond with a sharp barb, but silence stretched for a moment and he almost revealed himself before he heard her speak.

"Anything else you want to blame me for? Because I have to get back downstairs."

"By all means," Elijah muttered.

Caroline must have been more bothered by what Elijah said than she let on, because she flashed right past the corner where Klaus hid without noticing a thing. He nearly went after her, but there was a much more pressing conversation to be had.

He stepped out to the balcony just as Elijah turned to leave, stopping short when he realized who was facing him. Surprise flashed across his face, followed quickly by resignation, a defense already half formed, stopped in its tracks by the dark look in Klaus's eyes.

"Niklaus —"

"Don't." Klaus watched his ever noble brother, the pillar of familial loyalty, squirm under his gaze. For a long moment neither said anything, the sounds of the party downstairs raging on. Klaus kept Elijah in suspense before his anger finally demanded to be heard.

"What have you been saying to her?"

To his credit, Elijah didn't attempt to ask what he meant. "Nothing that's not true," he replied carefully. "You can't deny what's been happening in your city, Klaus, you can't deny she isn't a liability."

Elijah kept his composure, but Klaus knew his brother well enough to catch the irritation in his eyes, see the briefest hint of displeasure in the neutral facade. "By all means, speak your mind," Klaus spat.

"If you insist," Elijah said sardonically, not even bothering to stay pleasant. "A girl from Mystic Falls comes into this town and you abandon your ambitions, turn a blind eye to your responsibilities and ignore the counsel of your own family."

"Is this your defense?"

"I shouldn't even have to defend myself!" Elijah shouted, not even caring who might overhear. "Not to you."

Klaus barely restrained himself from throwing his brother off the balcony, but kept still, tranquility belying white hot rage. Before violence, he still needed answers. "Tell me precisely, Elijah, every word you've said to her."

It was a tone that brokered no argument. Elijah rankled under the order, the injustice of having to stand trial for trying to put his brother's interests first. "I explained to her that her presence, the deaths she caused, are causing consequences throughout the Quarter," he said stiffly. "When Marcel publicly broke from you, it proved my point." He kept the part where he'd threatened to expel her from the city to himself, but as Klaus considered him with a terrifying stillness, he suspected that his brother knew anyway.

Klaus could see every moment in his head, every single second where Caroline had behaved oddly, spoken words that weren't hers, been unusually concerned with the image he held in his city. He remembered the panicked state he found her in, half buried into the earth and resistant to his help because she felt it shouldn't be his priority.

It all made so much sense, in hindsight.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't leave you daggered for a century," Klaus whispered, his irises flashing gold.

"Marcel," Elijah said grimly. "He's ready to take the city back because she's caused enough discord to give him followers. You know that."

Klaus roared, not even bothering to keep his rage in check anymore, and to hell with whomever heard. In a second, his brother was pinned against the wall, Klaus's arm tight against his throat. His fangs dropped, the face of his monster proudly displayed as he snarled viciously.

"Do not bring up that traitor," Klaus growled lowly, more beast than man. "He'll pay in good time, but you will not question my judgment."

Elijah kept his stare even. "I am not one of your hybrids, Niklaus." A flash and he'd managed to throw the hybrid off him, sending him crashing into a painting on the opposite wall. "Try and remember that."

Klaus was on his feet in a blink, ready to attack again but Elijah held out an arm in an attempt to keep him at bay. "You don't need any more enemies," Elijah said quickly. "We need to present a united front if we're going to hold the city."

Klaus snarled, hating his brother in that moment for the sheer reason that he was right. Any friction would be exploited, if the mythos of the Original Family crumbled now, then they would be exposed to problems he didn't need.

It did nothing to assuage how angry he was, however.

In the second it took Klaus to deliberate, Elijah saw a chance to end this fight. "I won't approach the girl anymore."

Klaus wondered if he could believe Elijah's sincerity, but the wariness in his eyes told him that he was in a state that often led to copious bloodshed, and Elijah had no desire to end up back in a coffin. It was tempting to follow through on his threat, to punish him the way he'd been punishing Caroline…but with Elijah put down, Rebekah would surely have a few opinions on his behaviour. And his capricious little sister did have a pattern of lashing out.

As much as it reeked of weakness, Klaus calmed his features, allowing them to reach a detente. "You do not say a word to Caroline again, understand?"

Elijah nodded tersely, but Klaus pressed the subject. "Whatever she does, whatever happens, if I find you've driven her away so help me Elijah, I will throw you in a coffin to the bottom of the sea."

"I've already agreed," Elijah seethed. To think, one little chit of a girl had managed to come in and disrupt a period of harmony between them so carelessly. They stared each other down for a moment more before Klaus turned to leave — to find Caroline, no doubt — but Elijah had one more thing to say.

"She agrees, you know. Neither of you may like it, but she at least recognizes reality. If she wants to leave because she realizes the repercussions of her actions, I certainly won't stop her."

A low growl rumbled through Klaus again. "You will not be influencing any decisions, Elijah. If I get word that you've manipulated your way —"

"I won't have to," Elijah interrupted, smiling grimly. "I don't understand why I have to be the one who tells you the truth, but you've neglected one obsession for another. You may have to choose very soon."

Klaus smirked without a trace of humour. "I spent centuries searching for a way to break my curse brother. I think history has proven that I don't allow ultimatums to get the better of me."

He was gone in a heartbeat, leaving Elijah to straighten his suit and assess the damage. Minimal, which was a small miracle in and of itself. But at least a white oak dagger had been avoided.

For now, that would have to suffice.

They stood in an awkward circle at the mouth of the alley next to Walsh's club. The owner in question remained happily compelled out of his mind, keeping watch for any interruptions. Kol and Caroline stood shoulder to shoulder, eyeing the warlock in front of them warily. He didn't look like he was capable of much — he was skinny, pale, jittery, his eyes darted into the shadows every few seconds. His hands shook slightly and if Caroline had to make a comparison, he looked like a junkie looking for a fix.

She wondered how dangerous the high this guy chased was.

"You know about Silas's followers?" Kol asked curtly.

The warlock nodded, his grin feral. "Heard about them. All kinds of stories. It'll cost you."

"What do you want?"

"Blood. Your blood."

Caroline reeled back, laughing harshly, no humour in the sound. "Are you kidding?" she asked sarcastically, and turned to Kol, waiting for him to laugh in this freak's face.

But the Original was dead silent.

"Kol—"

"You know who I am?" he asked the warlock darkly.

"You're one of them. The Originals. I've heard those stories too."

"What do you need Original vampire blood for?" Caroline asked, taking a step forward without really realizing it. It was kind off laughable, a baby vampire thinking she needed to put herself in front of an Original. But she wasn't going to overthink this.

Putting herself between Kol and a creepy warlock who wanted his blood was exactly what she needed to do.

"Do you need to know?" the warlock asked them, still grinning, still looking like a maniac.

"Yeah, I think we do," Caroline snarled.

"You can have it."

Caroline whirled on Kol, "Are you serious?!"

"Desperate times darling."

Well. He had her there. Caroline turned back to the warlock, who had a hungry glint in his eyes. "You better have something good."

"Go East."

Caroline blinked, expecting something more twisted or just different. Not the simple order which hung in the rancid air of the dark alley. "Go…East?" she repeated stupidly. "What the fuck does that mean?"

The warlock bounced on the balls of his feet, eyes darting behind her to Kol, looking antsy. "There's something out there…follow the trail into the desert."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Caroline asked, eyes narrowing.

The warlock reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out something, thrusting it towards Caroline. She took it, grimacing at how cold and clammy his hand was, gingerly inspecting the small object. It was a small round stone pendant, a familiar carving of a backwards 'z' etched onto the front.

"Eiwhaz" she muttered to herself as she handed it over to Kol.

"Your Latin could use some work," Kol said absentmindedly as he turned the small pendant over in his hand. "Well mate, it looks like you were telling the truth."

He nodded eagerly, sharp, jerky motions. "They're looking for help all over the country."

"You have our thanks," Kol said smoothly, walking around Caroline with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Do I get my payment?"

Kol cocked his head to the side, and Caroline knew what was coming a split second before it happened.

One blink, and Kol had the warlock's heart in his hand.

"I actually saw that coming," Caroline said, watching as Kol dropped the heart, already bored. She just barely dodged Kol as he reached out to wipe his bloody hand on her dress, screeching in disgust.

"You are such a five year old," she snapped at his grinning face. "What do you think he would've done with your blood?"

"Junkies are weird," he said, shrugging carelessly. "Lucky for us, they're also not very smart. Too busy looking for their next fix. Oi!" He waved over Walsh who had been silent this entire time. "Clean this up will you?"

He went to work dutifully while Kol tugged Caroline away, long blood-stained fingers wrapped around her elbow. Caroline considered putting up more of a fight, but honestly, it had been a long night.

"What now?" she asked him.

Kol looked at her for a moment and then off into the distance. "Can you keep up?"

"Keep up with — KOL!" She barely managed to stay steady as he suddenly flashed off at full Original speed, still dragging her by the arm. The skidded to an abrupt halt and Caroline nearly doubled over, trying to get her bearings.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Sorry Sweets," he said shamelessly. "Thought you wanted to see the beach before we left."

Caroline finally managed to register the smell of salt water and the gentle lap of waves. They were in fact standing on soft sand, her heels digging in uncomfortably. The water was an inky black, and the late, late hour meant that it was completely deserted. Caroline took it all in with no small amount of awe — not exactly the California beach day she'd had in mind, but it was something.

"Where do we go now?" she asked Kol softly.

He exhaled, standing next to her, hands stuffed into his pockets. "East, I suppose. Into the desert."

"Could be anywhere from Arizona to Texas," Caroline reminded him worriedly. "That's a lot of ground to cover by ourselves."

Kol looked over at her. "What are you saying?"

"What if we need help? Like…Original vampire help?"

Kol looked up at the faint pinpricks of stars above. "No. Not yet, anyway."

"You can't avoid them forever."

"I can bloody well try," he shot back, but there was no real heat to his words. Instead, he kept his grin and Caroline tried to let it go. For now, they'd watch the waves.

But tomorrow, they had a lot of work to do.

He found her on the fringes of the crowd, watching Kol hold court with several witches. Klaus didn't hesitate to take her elbow and lead her back inside, up to his art studio where he was sure they wouldn't be overheard.

Caroline stepped away as soon as they came to a stop, slightly disoriented. She opened her mouth (probably to yell at him a little for manhandling her) but before she got a word out, she realized where they were.

"Is that…"

"The painting I showed you back at my mother's ball?" Klaus supplied for her, smirking slightly. "It is."

Caroline stepped closer to the painting, nostalgia washing over her for a time that wasn't even that long ago. Felt like years though. But eventually she rounded on him, demanding answers.

"Are you going to tell me why you dragged me up here?"

"I talked to Elijah," he explained grimly.

Apparently that was all the explanation Caroline needed. She sighed loudly, running a hand through her hair tiredly. "Look, I don't want to start something —"

"He won't be a problem, love," Klaus said immediately. "I warned him to stay away from you."

Caroline seemed taken aback for a moment, searching for the right words. "I…didn't think you would."

"He had no right."

She still looked worried, fidgeting where she stood. "I wanted to handle him on my own…but thank you."

Klaus smiled fondly, stepping forward slowly so she wouldn't be scared away. "Of course. He never should've approached you anyway."

Caroline frowned at that, her face twisting. "I'm not sure about that."

Klaus raised an eyebrow, but Caroline continued before he could contradict her.

"It's just…maybe some fights should be had."

"I don't follow."

Caroline sighed, and Klaus let her search for the right words, already knowing he wouldn't like them.

"Klaus, have you considered that Elijah was right?" Caroline tried to sound as rational as possible, a Klaus who felt he was being ganged up on was not one that would listen to common sense. Honestly a part of her was a little irritated that she was even taking Elijah's side despite what an asshole he'd been.

Unfortunately, him being an asshole didn't mean he hadn't made some good points. Equally unfortunately, it didn't look like Klaus was ready to agree with them.

"Caroline—"

"Klaus, I've been here for less than two weeks and I'm pretty sure half the city is ready to go to war against you!"

"My brother exaggerates the problem—"

"No, he doesn't." Caroline sighed, stepping forward and trying to make him understand. "I didn't like hearing it, but he's not wrong. Even if he is…"

"Insufferable?" Klaus supplied, smirking at Caroline's eye roll.

"You said it, not me," she muttered. "But Klaus, if me being here is actually causing problems then maybe I should get out of New Orleans. I was never going to stay, I just needed to help Kol come back fully and then…"

"And then?" Klaus asked, slightly bitter. "You can't tell me you were going to go home."

She couldn't, and in the short time that had passed, Caroline hadn't really thought about what she would've done if Kol hadn't pressed that key into her hands and given her a reason to stick around.

"Stay in New Orleans," Klaus implored, gently reaching out and grasping her arms, pulling her closer. "Whatever happens, I'll deal with it. I didn't win back my city just to lose it."

Caroline wasn't sure how much she could believe that everything was going to be fine just because Klaus wanted to be, but then again, the hybrid was notorious for always getting what he wanted.

"But you know Elijah's right. Even if you don't want to admit it."

Maybe he did, but he wouldn't admit it out loud. Instead, Klaus contented himself with the assurance that Caroline wasn't fleeing in the middle of the night, and enjoyed the fact that she hadn't pulled out of his hold. The din of the crowd below was muffled, letting them the moment of solitude together, and Klaus noticed the exact moment she realized how close they were, heard her heartbeat quicken, her breath hitch ever so slightly.

For a second, he stared at the pretty blush on her cheeks, and tried to remember what it felt like to kiss the smooth skin there, forced himself to remember that it hadn't been a dream but something very, very real. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a reminder.

The gap between them was small and closing quickly and Klaus wondered just how long the two of them could stay up here — if it were up to him, he would've locked the door and pressed Caroline against the nearest available surface.

Unfortunately, very little these days was up to him.

"There you two are — oh, I do hope I'm interrupting something."

Klaus wished, so much, that he had gone ahead and put Kol in a box. In fact, he wondered how quickly he could put his brother down now and then take Caroline somewhere far away where he didn't have to worry about her coming into contact with any member of his bloody family for a good long while.

"What happened?" Caroline asked Kol, still standing close to Klaus, close enough that the younger Mikaelson looked between them with interest.

"Finally shag?"

"Seriously!" Caroline hissed, trying not to blush like a middle-schooler.

Klaus growled, moving in the blink of an eye to press Kol against the wall by the throat. Naturally, Kol was barely affected, simply smirking up at his big brother.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" he choked out, and Caroline could only conclude that managing to piss people off while they were literally killing you was a skill only Kol could cultivate.

"Did you actually have a reason for being a dick?" she snapped, surprised at how annoyed she sounded. She and Klaus had been maybe ten seconds away from…well, she didn't know where it was going, but Kol's appearance had thrown a bucket of cold water over the moment and frankly watching Klaus smother the life out of him right now was weirdly satisfying.

Damn. Not a good road to go down.

"Found her," Kol managed to wheeze out. "Found the witch we need."

Klaus squeezed his brother's throat just a little tighter in frustration, knowing that he could never recover the moment now. Summoning all his good sense, he stepped away and let Kol crumple to the ground.

"Bloody hell, I must have interrupted something good." Kol dusted himself off, not a trace of apology for his intrusion. "Now, are you ready to meet the witch?"

"Is she — do you think she's really one of them?" Caroline asked, voice hushed, as if she expected stakes to start flying any second. She didn't miss the way Klaus stood in front of her, blocking any shot someone might take.

Kol nodded, his smirk sharpening into something sinister, a hunter who had finally gotten scent of his prey. Caroline gulped down a breath of air and reminded herself that she was supposed to act clueless if they ever stood a chance of getting the upper hand — but it wasn't easy. She didn't know how she could face someone who'd been part of all of it, the cult that had stalked her and tried to kill her and were ready to do whatever was necessary to bring hell on Earth.

She darted a look at Klaus, who was watching her seriously. He kept quiet, but dipped his chin, an unspoken question in his eyes.

Caroline straightened her back and nodded curtly, conveying as much confidence as she could. And it helped that Klaus looked genuinely proud for a moment before they both turned to follow Kol back downstairs into the party.

In their absence, the crowd had gotten even rowdier, but there was one young woman who wasn't partaking in the revelry. Kol walked up to her and gently took her hand, leading her over to Klaus and Caroline.

"Brother, Blondie, allow me to introduce Cheyenne. She's expressed interest in aiding our family, should we ever require it."

The girl in question looked fairly nondescript, tall but not too tall, plain but not ugly, not obviously outgoing, but not so introverted that it would stand out in a crowd. Basically, she looked like she could blend in anywhere and stalk two people across the country without being easily noticed. Caroline eyed her suspiciously, racking her brain to try and remember if she'd ever seen her before. She came up with nothing.

"And why precisely are you so interested in helping my family?" asked Klaus coolly.

"I've heard you've collected ancient grimoires," Cheyenne responded quietly. "I'd like to study them."

Klaus nodded, considering her answer. "And what makes you think you're strong enough for whatever we may require of you?"

Cheyenne didn't say anything, simply turned around and raised her hands slightly, muttering a few words under her breath. Caroline watched her in confusion before a sharp pain sliced through her head and she was nearly sent to her knees. She wasn't the only one either — most of the vampires in the room were crying out, fumbling around in pain and confusion, looking for the reason for the attack. Kol and Klaus weren't as affected but if the grimaces on their faces were any indication, they could feel something.

Caroline shut her eyes against the assault of the migraine, and felt a warm hand curling around her arm, bringing her up and the next thing she knew was Klaus pulling her firmly against his chest. The pain stopped suddenly, and Caroline sagged into him in relief, relishing the solid comfort he provided.

"Well darling, it seems you've got the job," said Kol, almost a little too gleefully. He took her hand again, dropping a lingering kiss to her knuckles, but she simply stared blankly at him for a moment.

"Anything I need to do?"

Caroline stiffened against Klaus, watching the witch carefully. No witch of the French Quarter would be that open to helping the Mikaelsons, Hayley had been right about that. Whoever this one was, she was an outsider.

Kol simply kept up the act, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. She slipped back into the crowd, blending into it so easily that Caroline had a hard time tracking her in it, before Klaus pulled her attention.

"What do you think of her?"

"She's not really…expressive."

Klaus nodded, "I'm inclined to agree. Something's off. Are you sure about this?" He directed the last question towards Kol.

"Oh ye of little faith," Kol sang. "She's a part of it, I'm sure."

"How do you know she's not some lunatic who just wants to get to your family's grimoires?" asked Caroline.

"Call it my instincts. I do love witches," Kol replied, waggling his eyebrows. "I'm sure I'll be able to get something out of her."

The way he said it made Caroline suspect that she seriously did not want to know his methods, so for now she took him at his word and hoped that she wouldn't have to save his ass anytime soon. She glanced up at Klaus who looked significantly less reassured by his brother's plan.

"On your head be it," Klaus muttered finally. "But if people get hurt because of this—"

"I can't imagine you'd care," Kol replied flippantly, but the way he smirked at Caroline along with the way Klaus's hold on her tightened spoke to exactly who Klaus was afraid was going to get caught in the crossfire.

"Well, as much fun as we've had, I think I'm going to try and enjoy myself," Kol said, before sauntering off into the crowd that was finally recovered from the migraine attack. None of them looked like they were going to dwell on it, Caroline couldn't understand how they could just let that go. New Orleans was weird, man.

"Perhaps my idiot brother has a point," Klaus mused.

"You think this is going to work?"

"No, I think this will end in flames. But for now, we should try to enjoy ourselves." Klaus released her, and Caroline immediately missed the warmth, but he took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I had them open a bottle of champagne, specifically for us."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, "Did you?"

Klaus grinned, and pulled her through the crowd. "Say what you will, love. It's our thing."

Elijah watched the lights dance off the water on the river, meandering slowly along the bricked sidewalk. After his fight with Niklaus, he was in no mood to surround himself with whatever scheme Kol had decided would reap rewards this time.

It was far more likely to reap chaos, not that anybody cared to listen to his counsel these days.

Elijah strolled away from the water, making this way through the streets while he allowed his thoughts to take a distinctly petty turn. Kol had always been hard to control, but he'd had the benefit of Klaus on his side in the past. Fledgling vampires who were more trouble than they were worth usually died before causing this much disruption. And after everything Niklaus had done to secure New Orleans for their family, he was ready to step aside and watch it slip away.

Kol, Caroline, Klaus, he cursed them all, soundly and bitterly in his head. He barely noticed the distance he crossed from the river and back into the Quarter — by now, the streets had emptied, save for a few stragglers. Guitar music sounded from a busker at a corner, soft and gentle, a contrast to his warring thoughts.

It spoke to how preoccupied he was that he didn't notice the sound of tapping heels for a good minute. He barely paid attention to the scent of familiar perfume, he only caught a brief glimpse of dark curls out of the corner of his eye.

But then, Elijah was an Original vampire — even if the rest of his family had forgotten what that meant.

The guitar crashed to the ground as the busker fled, suddenly terrified at the sight of the vampire holding a woman by her neck off the ground and against the wall of an alley.

Elijah snarled, ready and willing to spill blood if only to abate his anger that night. And that was when he realized just who was in his grasp.

Designer heels from Paris. Perfume that used to linger in his bedsheets. Dark curls he'd run his hand through on more than one occasion.

"Katerina."

She smirked, red lips curling in dark glee. "Mind letting me down? I've got a lot of work to do."

We have the cure for your crisis never patent pending
If you come along with us the doors are never ending
If you want to rule the world you've got to stop pretending

Writing that confrontation between Klaus and Elijah was incredibly fun. Hope you all liked the chapter!

Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Freaks' by The Hawk in Paris