You're Back and You're Trouble

14. Heartbreaker

The two Original brothers stood there in absolute bewilderment. There was a reasonable amount of fear washing over both of them as the woman they'd both fallen in love with stood before them, ready to reveal who she wanted. Which brother she cared for the most.

"Caroline, you're back," Klaus smiled awkwardly at her. He appreciated that she'd come back to the mansion, but he was afraid of what words might come out of her mouth.

"And you've decided," Kol frowned. He seemed to lack confidence in himself. Caroline's eyes found his and his face softened to a relaxed expression.

"Yes, I've decided."

"And?" Klaus was getting antsy, fidgeting with his necklace and tapping his foot incessantly against the marble flooring in the foyer.

"Kol," Caroline began and slowly trailed off, watching the reaction of the two boys. Kol's face lit up with surprise and Klaus's face hung low, dreary, shameful. He felt defeated and confused and hurt. Kol just stood there, shocked. He didn't move, didn't say a single word.

Tears sprung to Caroline's eyes and she continued to watch the brothers settle themselves down enough for her to continue. But she couldn't control the flow coming from her eyes any longer. She gave in and her the sobbing in her voice was hitched and sounded painful. She just couldn't let this go on any longer. She needed to finish this.

"Kol, I'm so sorry," Then Kol's expression changed quickly from joy to misery, and then to hurt and anger. Disappointment. "It has to be Klaus. It has been from the start. You were here when I had no one, but that didn't make me forget for one second how Klaus made me feel. When I'm around him... this feeling I get in the pit of my stomach... it feels right somehow. And it's different with you. It's not the same thing. I care about you, Kol. I really do. I'm just not in love with you. I have to let you go."

Fury coursed through Kol's body and his blood boiled throughout his veins. He felt betrayed, used, unimportant. All he'd done since the first day he and Caroline had spent together was wear his emotions on his sleeve and fully expose himself for who he was to her. Everything running through his head clouded his judgment and he said something he'd probably regret later. Something he never wanted anyone to know; what he tried his hardest to cover up this past week.

"It was me," he answered calm, but firm with tears filling the rims of his eyelids, clouding his vision.

"What was you?" Caroline said back softly.

Kol stepped towards her so that they were only inches apart. Her breathing quickened and Kol could hear her heart rate increase for every second that passed. "The reason Hayley is dead, the reason Tyler is dead. It was because of me. I wanted Hayley gone the second I came back from the Other Side and I compelled Tyler to do it for me. If I had an accomplice do my dirty work for me, I'd never be suspected of killing Hayley. Then, I knew Nik would go after Tyler like he's been trying to do for the past year now. My brother gets what he wants, I get what I want. Only, I never thought I'd end up having feelings for you, Caroline. And when you told me you'd give me a chance, I really believed you,"

"Kol, I was telling the truth," Caroline huffed, feeling guilty about what happened between her and Kol now.

"Strange way of showing it, abandoning me for my brother the moment he gets back from killing Tyler." Kol jerked away from Caroline and pushed through the front door, not daring to look back at either one of them. He couldn't stomach the sight of them.

Klaus was now sat at the foot of the grand staircase, taken aback by the scene that had just unravelled before him. His brother's outrage had exposed a deep secret, one that had gone behind his back and broken his trust. There was a part of him that wished he'd never brought him back and risked all of this, but then he wouldn't have Caroline like he had her now. On the other hand, however, he sympathized with his younger brother and realized the heartache he must be in. After all, Caroline could easily make any man fall for her with her charm and compassion. It was what had drawn Klaus to her in the first place.

"Caroline," Klaus finally broke the silence of the estate.

"Am I supposed to feel this guilty? Can I not be happy? No matter what I do, it seems I can't just be left alone, peacefully."

"Love, Kol is just distraught. He'll have his tantrum and then in a day or so he'll feel guilty and apologize. For right now, just be happy. With me."

Not even a second later, Klaus was behind Caroline, his arms wrapped firmly around her body. He coddled her for a while and then placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Everything will work out, love. While you're with me, I'll make sure of it."

"I believe you," she finally managed a smile at him and he respectively grinned back with the same amount of enthusiasm as her.

"Good." His lips crashed to hers again, filled with passion and need this time. It was his current life mission to cheer her up.

*     *     *

In the middle of the night, Klaus woke up, jolted upright in bed. He could sense something wasn't right and when he reached to his right and noticed that Caroline wasn't there next to him he knew why. He launched out of the bed and out into the hall.

"Caroline? Caroline, love. . . where are you?" Klaus called her name throughout the mansion, thinking she would respond if he kept saying it. He knew, of course, that if she were anywhere within a 50 foot radius she would have heard him on the first call.

Out of no where Klaus's cellphone was blaring a ringtone and he ran to it, hoping with everything in him that it was Caroline and that she was okay.

"Hello?"

"Klaus, Klaus! You have to come quick. Marcel has-"

"Caroline!" Klaus yelled into the phone, startled by Caroline's worried voice on the other line. Marcel? Why did she mention. . .

"Klaus, just the man I was expecting to answer. Listen, I have a very beautiful blond with me. Word got around that she's your girlfriend or something. And by 'word got around' I mean I was eavesdropping at your property during your confrontation with her and your brother."

"Marcel," Klaus growled into the phone. Of course it would be Marcel who had something to do with this. The only other person it could have been was Kol, but that would be low, even for him. He wouldn't dare do something like that to the girl he claimed he was in love with.

"The one and only."

"Let her go. I swear if you hurt her I will kill you."

"You'll have to come and get her yourself, although you might have difficulty considering I have a little something that can put me at an advantage against you."

"Where are you, Marcel?" There was a brief pause and Klaus grew impatient. "Tell me!"

"You know where I am. Where this all began. My being was created here, all you have to do is remember the room."

Klaus hung up his phone and dialed a number that he honestly didn't think he'd need for a long time. The chance of him getting an answer was slim, but it was worth a shot. And if he knew what was going on, he'd be there in a heartbeat.

"What the hell do you want?" Kol groaned into the phone, seeming just as angered as the previous afternoon.

"I know you don't want to speak to me, brother, but this is important. An old protege of mine, you've probably seen Marcel. Well, he has Caroline held as a captive. I don't know why or how it even happened, but I'd appreciate it if you came with me. He says he has something, like a secret weapon he can use against me. I need backup. Are you in?" Klaus seemed overly hopeful, but he was sure that Kol would be more than willing to help rescue Caroline. Marcel had already stolen everything that belonged to him and his family. Kidnapping Caroline was much beyond too far.

"I'll be there in five minutes."