Lone Came The Devil

Chapter Five

"... and then I jumped out from behind the bushes, scaring the living hell out of him! I swear, I will never forget his face. He was so mad at me!" Henrik finished his story in between fits of laughter.

Caroline wiped a tear from her eye. It had been a long time since someone had made her laugh that hard.

Actually, she could not remember the last time she had had so much fun with anyone. Henrik just had a way of telling stories that made Caroline forget all her worries.

Hell, she hadn't even realised that they had been talking for hours now!

"It's a shame that videos weren't invented back then!" Caroline told Henrik.

Yes, a scared Klaus would definitely be something Caroline would love to see. The mighty original hybrid falling flat on his arse because a little boy jumped at him. What a sight that would be!

"I have to admit that I have a hard time imagining Klaus the way you talk about him." Henrik glanced at Caroline, waiting for her to carry on.

"Well, no offense, but your brother has some serious issues! I mean, he is obviously mad that we tried to kill him. But what were we supposed to do? He comes to Mystic Falls, wrecks havoc and expects us to just sit by while he destroys the life of innocent people? Absolutely not!" Caroline finished her rant slightly out of breath.

"That's why I told you all these stories. Nik wasn't always like that. He was kind, funny, generous and protected me and my siblings. I always looked up to him, wanting to be just like him." Henrik admitted softly. His gaze was now fixed on the ground.

"Father hated him, beat him up for no reason. And if me or the others messed up he always took the blame. He let himself be punished for our mistakes. Nik taught me more than father ever did." Henrik's voice was barely a whisper by now.

"I know he has changed. I wasn't lying when I told you that I have never left his side. I have seen every cruel thing my brother has done over the centuries. But I have also seen his humanity. It's not gone. At least not entirely." Caroline looked at Henrik with tears in her eyes.

Only this time the tears were not due to her laughing at his stories. This time Caroline had to hold back compassionate tears. She hated Klaus with a passion, that much was sure. But the way Henrik talked about Klaus, the Klaus prior all this hybrid issues, made Caroline feel sorry for him.

"But why does he act like that now? If there is a part of him that is human, that does feel, a part that is good. Why does he have to be evil all the time? There would be way less people trying to kill him if he wouldn't be so cruel all the time."

Henrik gave her a sad smile. "I might have died centuries ago, but I have seen people live for just as long. I have seen the world change almost entirely. The only answer I can offer you is that sometimes the world turns good people into bad people. If you really want to know all of his reasons you should ask him."

Caroline thought about that for a while. Contemplating about what to say next when her thoughts were interrupted by a door crashing open.

"Who are you talking to?" Klaus came bursting into the room.

Caroline jumped a little at the sudden entrance. Klaus looked positively furious.

"Excuse you? I don't think it's any of your business who I am talking to or not." Caroline snapped. For some reason she didn't believe it to be wise to tell Klaus that she had talked to his dead brother for the last hours. Nope, he would definitely go berserk, thinking she was playing him for a fool.

"In case you haven't noticed, you are in my home, Caroline. Whatever you do is my business! Answer my question. Now!"

Looking around, Caroline saw her phone lying on the bed. Seeing an opportunity, she grabbed it and waved it around. "It's the 21th century, Klaus. I was talking on the phone." Caroline prayed that she sounded convincing.