In his entire long existence, Klaus had never felt the way he felt when Caroline flashed away, and he was helpless to stop her from leaving him.

He had been running late from his meeting with the werewolves, literally counting down the seconds till he could get away. He had promised to visit her to recollect the key, but Klaus was genuinely interested in finding out what books she had chosen to read, and to have an actual conversation with her. Oh how he wished he knew what was going on inside that pretty little head of hers.

Friends, she had said. They were friends.

He had been in a foul mood this morning, completing the tasks he usually entrusted Elijah to get done. The Ripper's brother showing up unexpectedly in New Orleans for a visit rankled Klaus. He found the younger vampire to be rather cocky and arrogant. Damon's presence didn't help improve Klaus' mood one bit.

But instead of cowering in fear and leaving the library at once when he had commanded it, Caroline had offered a witty retort instead. Caroline was witty, and sarcastic, and a quick thinker. She was rather intelligent, and a curious creature. Klaus found her company refreshing... it was the only reason he kept her alive for so long, he reminded himself. Caroline proved to be entertaining. She was so foolishly brave, with seemingly no sense of self preservation at all. There was something about her not being afraid of him, that made him speak to her as though she was not inferior to him.

Klaus had been looking forward to seeing her, he realised belatedly. And seeing Caroline being led by Katerina, obviously intent upon making an escape, made his chest ache in an unfamiliar way. In that moment, he cared not for punishing Katerina at all, but to convince Caroline to stay. She couldn't leave. How dare she think that she could leave him? Caroline had to stay... he was going to ask her about her day, the books she chose to read, her thoughts on them...

Klaus growled. He had almost forgotten how strong a witch Genevieve was. But he supposed that he never really knew of her full potential because she had never showed it before now. He was able to push the pain away, to the back of his mind. His mind was relatively clear, offering him a chance to think of where Caroline and Katerina could have gone. No doubt the elder Salvatore had paid a visit to provide a sort of distraction to Stefan and Rebekah. Damon's role in this would not go unpunished. And Genevieve... sweet, loyal, beautiful Genevieve. Klaus was going to rip her head off her body, and kill every single member of her blasted coven.

How could Caroline garner such loyalty after only a few short days, that the witch was willing to die to save her? Not that Klaus would have killed her... his blood was the cure to his bite. He would have healed her, after she had suffered from the venom for a few hours. Caroline needed to be punished... it was the only way he was sure that she wouldn't try to leave again. No, there had to be some bigger motive in play. Genevieve seemed resigned to die.

Klaus shook his head. The witch's powers were wavering. Genevieve had put him under an immobility spell as well, making it impossible for him to turn into his wolf form. Putting him under three spells at once was going to severely drain the witch's magic. It was only a matter of a few minutes until she could hold him no longer. He could wait it out. But each second felt like an hour and the further Caroline got away...

Katerina had managed to hide from him for over five hundred years. But in all honesty, Klaus had been lax in finding her. A part of him had always known that Elijah was helping his lover get away. Well Elijah was daggered, and would stay that way for at least a millennium. And there was nothing Klaus wouldn't do to find Caroline. He would find her.

A shrill cry pierced the air, and Klaus was instantly at his feet, the magic holding him down ceasing entirely. He spun around to find the witch's body, a heap of the floor, her heart in Rebekah's hand. Stefan and Damon were standing a few feet away, and the relief that flashed in the elder Salvatore's eyes was all the guarantee Klaus needed that he was involved in Katerina's plan. With a single look at Stefan, the Ripper didn't hesitate before wrapping his hand around his brother's neck.

"Stef," Damon ground out, his eyes pleading.

"Katerina took her," Klaus spat out, his voice full of malice. "Put out a search for Caroline," Klaus ordered, regarding his sister coolly. "I want every witch, vampire, werewolf and hybrid, out looking for her."

At Rebekah's stunned expression, "now, Rebekah!" Klaus barked. Elijah was usually the one Klaus ordered to get things done, preferring not to put Rebekah in the line of fire, but this time, Elijah wasn't around, and Klaus didn't have time to spare. Rebekah would have to step up and do the duty she owed to him.

"Send a couple in search of Enzo too. Damon doesn't go anywhere without his shadow," Stefan said, studying Damon intently.

Rebekah narrowed her eyes, no doubt hating being given orders, but nevertheless flashed away to do as she was told.

The Ripper was looking at his brother. "And here I thought you really did miss me after all these years," he said, his tone mocking. "You shouldn't have come here Damon. I'm going to kill Enzo right infront of you, and you'll know it was all your fault. Then I'm going to let Klaus kill you," Stefan stated.

"You're my brother," Damon muttered, trying to pry Stefan's hand off, but it was to no avail. Damon may have been the older brother. But Stefan was far stronger. He was turned by an Original, and no doubt had Original vampire blood circulating through his veins right now.

"But first, we're going to find out exactly what Katerina is up to," Klaus continued, as if Damon hadn't spoken. "She must have told you enough of the truth to convince you to tag along on this little suicide mission. I want you to tell me what she told you, and I promise to make your death quick," Klaus offered.

"I don't know anything man," Damon ground out. "Kat's my sire... she doesn't have to explain herself to me. She says jump, I ask how high. You should know... isn't that the relationship you and Stef have?" he said, smiling cruelly.

At that Stefan's grip on Damon tightened, causing the vampire to groan in pain. "Come on Damon... you know Bekah's my sire. Klaus is more like the brother I never had," he said, giving Damon a sweet smile.

The pain that shown in Damon's eyes was raw, and Klaus revelled in it. Damon had been absent for far too long to judge the strength of their ties. Klaus considered Stefan like family... his life worth as much to Klaus as Rebekah and Elijah's...

Klaus pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

With a flick of his wrist, Stefan had snapped Damon's neck. "Well then," he said, pulling Damon's limp form along, "I guess we're going to have to do things the hard way," he said, glancing at Klaus from over his shoulder. "I'll let you know when the vervain's been drained out of his system."

Klaus smirked, before flashing away.

Until then, he had a coven of witches to slaughter.

Rebekah slipped into her role as second in command effortlessly. Groups were formed, and search parties sent out. Their contacts from the other states, and even those outside of America, had been alerted to the fact that Katherine Pierce had been spotted. It was an almost fatal flaw if word had gotten out about Caroline, and Rebekah was brilliant enough to correct his error, making no mention of the baby vampire.

Klaus had tried to track their scents, but it was to no avail. There had been something masking Katerina's scent. Klaus hadn't even realised she was in Caroline's presence until she had spoken. And it seemed like whatever was preventing Klaus from tracking her, was blocking Caroline as well, as a locator spells done by three different witches proved fruitless. In his anger and frustration, he scoured the area Genevieve's coven usually resided in, before searching throughout the French Quarter. It seemed as though the witches knew of Gen's sacrifice, and had made an escape in order to not suffer Klaus' wrath. But they would never escape, no matter how far they got... as soon as this business of finding Caroline was done, and Klaus had her safely at his side, he would hunt every single one of those witches down.

It didn't matter that Caroline was the key to killing him. Whatever information she had in that head of hers, he'd simply compel her to forget. Then she'd never be able to tell anyone a thing... she would no longer be a threat. Klaus knew it wasn't that simple. He knew that there were too many gaps... too many missing pieces of the puzzle for him to feel safe. But all he could think about was having Caroline near him.

They were friends dammit! She had said so herself...

Perhaps he would make a bargain with her. Perhaps make a trade for Katerina's life.

The shrill ringing of his cell phone cut off Klaus' train of thought. He fished it out of his jacket pocket, and upon seeing Rebekah's name on the screen, Klaus' heart swelled with hope. Had his sister found Caroline already? Perhaps Klaus could undagger Elijah... make a promise that Elijah and Katerina would be left unharmed and give his blessing for them to be together. Surely Caroline would be pleased by such an offer. Maybe Caroline would choose to stay with him... maybe she would be happy to stay by his side. Klaus had left her to her own devices far too much. As soon as she was returned to him, Klaus would show her his kingdom... he'd show her what the world had to offer. She wouldn't want to leave him then. She would never leave him ever again.

"Sister," Klaus greeted, his tone full of relief and barely concealed joy. His thoughts were reeling. He wasn't even angry with Caroline any more... surely it was Katerina and Genevieve who had poisoned her beautiful mind. No matter, Caroline couldn't have gone far. She'd be by his side by the end of the day.

"Nik," Rebekah said, her voice even, but there was an undercurrent of panic that Klaus easily picked up on. "We have a problem," she stated.

Klaus' relief immediately evaporated. An onslaught of emotions washed over him. Anger quickly becoming the prominent emotion over the fear he initially felt. Had Caroline been found? Was she hurt? What had Katerina done? If a single hair on Caroline's head had been harmed, he would paint the streets red with the blood of those who dared to touch her. "What is it?" he tried in vain not to snarl. He was practically shaking with fury. "Is Caro..."

"No," Rebekah said, cutting him off. "It's Tatia," she replied.

It was then Klaus paid mind to the presence in the background... Stefan. How odd that Rebekah would alert the Ripper to whatever situation Tatia had fallen in, before him. Not that he cared in the least. Klaus scoffed, irritation and annoyance filling him. Of course Tatia would demand attention now. "Perchance my wife suddenly being incapable of taking care of herself?" Klaus spat out, his tone bitter, hoping that Tatia wasn't too far away and would hear every word. "I have more important matters to attend to, Rebekah. So do you and Stefan. You'll attend to Tatia after you've attended to my affairs, or have you forgotten to whom you owe your allegiance to, little sister?" he ground out, just a hint of condescension in his voice.

He knew that Rebekah yearned for female companionship... always trying her best to adhere to Tatia's wishes, even when they contradicted his. But whatever bond they had developed as humans, had long since been severed. Tatia would never be the sister Rebekah desperately hoped she would be. It was high time Rebekah grew up and put such childish notions aside. They weren't one big happy family.

"I don't think that'll be a problem at all," Rebekah replied evenly. The soberness in her tone was what caught Klaus' attention.

"What it is Rebekah?" Klaus asked, now genuinely curious.

"You need to get over here Nik," she answered stoically. "Now."

The first time he had laid eyes on her was on the night of the summer festival. The light of the flames of the roaring bonfire bathed her olive skin in an otherworldly glow. She looked like something out of a dream, with her dark green flowy dress, luscious long dark curly locks, and crown of flowers upon her head, as she danced around the fire with the other maidens. His was not the only man's interest that was caught that night. But when she caught his gaze, even as Elijah bravely approached her and invited her to sit with him, Klaus felt a connection. He knew, in that moment, that she was the one for him.

Her eyes, alight with curiosity. Her laughter, that seemed to float through the air and bring a smile to everyone's faces. She was not only beautiful, but kind and honest.

She was innocent once.

They all were.

And she had loved him. She had loved him with all her heart. A long long time ago.

How things had changed, he thought wistfully, as he looked upon the grey parlour of her skin. The spidery web of veins a dark blue tattoo. Her eyes, lifeless, seemed to stare directly at him. The ends of her thick curls, charred. Her corpse had been burnt, but the fire had long been put out.

What sort of magic had done this, he wondered. The white oak stake lay harmless on the floor, a few feet away.

"How?" Klaus breathed, after a long moment, as he walked over to collect it.

He didn't know how to feel. Not a day went by that he hadn't wished she would leave and he would be free of the painful reminder of his poisonous memories. But now that she was gone... he didn't know how to feel. Should he be relieved? Should he mourn the loss of the mother of his child... his wife? There being so much anger, distrust, and contempt between them. Since the loss of their son, their relationship had been a blasted curse. He hated her. He hated himself... for what had happened. It was like a disease, slowly festering, eating him from the inside out. For so long... he had felt connected to her... indebted to her. He was so used to having her around, but now...

But now, he felt nothing. Tatia was dead, and Klaus felt no different. Not really.

He wondered if he had ever truly loved her at all.

"Their bodies are littered throughout the house," Rebekah answered, her voice soft and sombre. "I don't know how they got the stake, but..."

"It would explain why Genevieve was resigned to die," Klaus commented, swallowing down hard. "It had been planned all along."

Rebekah nodded, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

An entire coven of witches had sacrificed their lives to put an end to Tatia's tyranny. Klaus knew of the cruelty she had doled out over the centuries, but in all honesty, he hadn't paid mind to what occupied her time. So long as she didn't pose a direct threat to him, Tatia could have burned the whole world to ash if it had pleased her. But now... the events of the day led him to realise that he should have been paying attention. What had Tatia done to Genevieve and her coven to in still such a reaction? How long had Genevieve and her coven been plotting? And what part did Katerina and Caroline play?

There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that disconcerted Klaus. He had been ignorant for far too long. It all had to be connected, but Klaus didn't know how. There was no recognition in Katerina's eyes when Genevieve had made her presence known. And Klaus refused to believe that Caroline had any part to play in Tatia's death.

Caroline was... different.

Just thinking about her made his heart ache in an unfamiliar way. Caroline presented the possibility of a future he never thought he'd have. Maybe this was his chance... his chance to do things right. Maybe he could be happy, after all. But first, he needed to get her back.

"Deal with the matter as discreetly as you can," Klaus ordered, shaking his head as he tried to clear his mind. "I don't want the knowledge of Tatia's demise taking attention away from finding Caroline," he said, before turning to make his way out. Tatia was part of his past, and that chapter had finally come to an end. It was time to look ahead.

"Caroline," Rebekah breathed, sounding almost disbelieving. "Nik, your wife is dead," Rebekah said, her brows furrowed. "Don't you think she deserves to have a funeral... to be properly buried?" she asked, incredulous at his reaction.

Klaus paused, but didn't bother turning back around. "I honestly don't care Rebekah," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't care about her in life, it matters not what happens to her in death."

"She'd want to be buried," Rebekah ground out, exasperated, a hint of anger in her tone. "She would want to be buried in Mystic Falls... next to her son!"

Her head slammed into the concrete wall on the far end of the room quicker than Rebekah could blink an eye. The plaster cracked behind her, and a large chunk fell to the ground. She struggled for breath, trying to pry off Klaus' fingers that were wrapped tightly around her neck.

"Tatia has been more monster than mother since centuries ago. Or have you forgotten the sight of children being drained dry... the sound of their screams as they begged her to stop hurting them? You will not disturb his peaceful slumber... taint the purity of his soul, by having her any where near him! She is not the mother he would have had... she will never find her way to him on the other side... so stop this! Don't presume to understand a single thing about me and my wife!" Klaus spat. "Or our child."

His hand tightened infinitesimally, as anger rolled off of him in waves. Rebekah's words sliced through his heart like a double edged sword, and he grappled on the brink of control.

He didn't even hear Stefan re enter the room, until he called his attention. "Let her go Nik. We have another problem," Stefan said, his fists clenched firmly at his sides.

Klaus scoffed, releasing Rebekah. Stefan was by her side, in an instant, holding her upright as she struggled to catch her breath.

"What is it now?" Klaus asked, irritation colouring his tone. He felt like a weight had been placed upon his shoulders, pressing him down. He tried to shake it off.

"Damon and Enzo are gone," Stefan responded, giving Rebekah his attention. He traced feather light touches on Rebekah's neck, where the black and blue bruises were quickly fading.

Gone? Klaus frowned. How could they have possibly escaped? None others but they knew the intricate waving path of cellars below. Unless...

Of course.

"Katerina!" Klaus snarled.