"Good morning." Rebekah said cheerfully as she walked into the room.
Klaus was not as chipper. "Hello, Rebekah." He said in a monotone.
Rebekah looked at Caroline, who sat at the table with coffee and some fresh fruit, courtesy of room service. "What did I miss?"
"Rough night. Long story." Despite her words, Caroline hid a small smile and a slight blush behind her coffee cup.
Rebekah knew there would be a good story behind this. "What happened?"
"Ask our dear brother." Klaus huffed, brightening slightly when Caroline flashed a reassuring smile his way.
"What are we asking me about?" Kol questioned, shuffling into the room in a t-shirt and sweatpants, yawning.
Klaus' slightly lifted mood plummeted again. "You know exactly what."
"What happened last night?" Rebekah asked, looking between the three of them. Klaus looked murderous, Kol looked smug, Caroline looked into her coffee.
"You might not have been aware since you were out last night, and I wont even ask what you were doing, but when Caroline and I arrived home – " Klaus was cut off by Kol guffawing.
"And Caroline was moaning away to the high heavens."
"Kol here decided it would be a wonderful thing to interrupt us and tell us to shut it so he could get some sleep." Klaus' glare could have melted iron, gold, skin and bone.
"And did you shut it? No." Kol said, going to pour himself a large cup of coffee.
"So what did you do? You proceeded to sit in the room and make it awkward until Caroline went to sleep on the couch." Klaus' voice began to rise in volume.
"Only because the two of you started to fight the way you are right now." Caroline interjected, a frown now gracing her face as Kol went to sit down and Klaus tore the chair out from underneath him. "Which is why we're moving on to the next city today." Caroline continued, looking at Rebekah with frustration.
Rebekah understood her agitation, but she was not looking forward to the loss of the only girl she had on her side in her brother battle. "Really? Must you?"
Caroline sighed. "Sorry, Beks, but I might go insane if they fight one more time, and believe it or not, I like Nik and I want to be able to spend a little time with him without Kol's cockblocking, because its not funny anymore." She shot at the grinning young Mikaelson who was trapped under Klaus' foot on the floor.
Rebekah wrinkled her nose at the thought of her brother and Caroline – it was not something any sibling ever wanted to imagine – but she understood that the two of them should have some alone time, particularly since they had only just started to come to terms on the same playing field. It would hopefully make them a lot more bearable when she saw them next.
"Fine. But I really hope we'll see you soon. I don't like travelling alone, and its not going to be anywhere near as fun with Kol or Elijah." She sighed and shot a look at Kol. "You and I are going to have a talk about family in the next room while we pack right now. Capiche?"
Kol dutifully followed his sister into the next room. He knew better than to disobey Rebekah when she had that same scary look in her eyes that she learnt from Niklaus and their mother.
Klaus let the dark look pass from his face as soon as his siblings left the room.. "So, its Nik now, is it?"
Caroline sipped her coffee. "Only when I'm feeling generous."
"Ah. So that's what, once every year?" He grinned as she lashed out her hand to playfully tap him, and he caught it, pulling her up to him easily. She smiled up at him with equal ease.
"So where are we going?"
Klaus inhaled and paused, causing him to grin when Caroline pouted.
"You promised, Niklaus."
"Alright. We're going to Paris."
The blonde brightened instantly. "Really?"
"Truly."
"That's incredible!" Despite their current challenge on who could hold out the longest, Caroline pressed her lips to his, wanting to show just how happy she was. He held her close, the fingers of one hand twining through her sunshine hair, capturing her bottom lip between his and swallowing the sighing sound she made.
"We'll have to pack, then." She broke away, but Klaus pulled her mouth back to his, not willing to let her go so easily, his hands stroking down her arms and wrapping around her waist.
"And Kol wont be pleased to know we're doing this again." She murmured in between tiny gasps as Klaus moved to suck at her neck.
"You really want to talk about my brother at a time like this?" He chuckled into the column of her throat.
"No," Caroline said, tugging his head up so she could kiss him again, biting his lip so he hummed. He pressed his legs against hers, moving her backwards till she was trapped against the table. She one-upped him by hopping up to sit on the table and wrapping her legs around him, bringing him closer. Klaus made a noise of surprise in the back of his throat, but smiled into the kiss, towering over her, making her lean back and lie down on the table.
"Ah, teaspoon, in my back," Caroline gasped between pushes and pulls of their lips, her hand searching for the cutlery digging into her back, flinging it across the room.
She laughed into the kiss, her hands wandering down Klaus' back and tugging at his shirt so she could feel the muscles and skin beneath her fingers. His own hands moved under her shirt and around the lower section of her ribs, making her gasp and giggle.
"Are you ticklish, Caroline?" Klaus grinned, brushing his hands softly across her navel. She wriggled, accidently grinding against his hips while she tried to avoid his fingers, and he pressed closer to her with a groan.
"I might be," She murmured, kissing him as he continued to tickle her and press into her body, trapping her against the table while she squirmed with a mix of laughter and desire. It made her smile, and made him smile, and their kisses gave way to chuckles as they pressed their foreheads together, unable to use their mouths at that moment for anything but grinning.
"Do you mind? We eat from that table." Rebekah's voice was the one to cut through and disrupt them this time, though she also had a funny smile on her face, torn between not wanting to see her brother in any intimate position, yet also wanting to see his happiness.
"Well we'll make it easier for you all. Our flight is in a few hours, so we should head out soon." Klaus lifted Caroline down from the table, but she didn't move away.
"Flight?" She gulped.
He smiled, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear. "You'll be fine."
"Yeah, sure." She replied, her voice climbing slightly.
Klaus nodded reassuringly, and let Caroline walk past him to her room to pack away her things. It took next to no time. She checked her phone, not expecting any calls, and remembered the one person she needed to talk to the most who she hadn't heard from, and with good reason she supposed. She dialed the familiar number, and waited.
"Hello?"
The very word with that familiar voice made her breath stutter in her chest.
"Hi Mom," Caroline said brightly, phone pressed tightly to her ear to catch every sound the Sheriff made. Despite everything, she loved her mother dearly and had missed her.
"Caroline," Liz had never been one for pet names, but anyone could hear the relief and happiness in her voice as she spoke to her daughter. "I would have called, but I knew you couldn't and I shouldn't. Not after I told you to run. You had bigger things to worry about. How are you? How's Tyler?"
Caroline bit her lip. "Tyler is Tyler." She sidestepped, "And I'm fine." More than fine, she thought. "How's Mystic Falls?"
"We've had a bit of trouble, but nothing we can't handle. We'd be better if you could be here." She paused, and Caroline could just imagine her mom grappling to say the words. "I'd be better if you could be here."
Caroline smiled. "I miss you too, Mom."
She sensed rather than heard Klaus lean against the doorframe, and she turned to see him watching her with soft eyes.
"Listen, Mom, I've got to run, but take care of yourself and I'll be in touch when I can, okay?"
"Sure. And Caroline?"
"Yeah?"
"Take care. Stay safe." A pause. "Love you."
Caroline swallowed against the lump starting to form in her throat. "Love you too." She hung up and sighed.
"How is your mother?" Klaus enquired politely.
"She's okay. That's the best I can hope for."
"You miss her." He noted.
Caroline looked at him through eyes that showed years of knowledge that surpassed her age. "I'll get used to it. I'll have to." She exhaled again before composing herself, thankful in a way that he left her to be strong on her own in regards to something that didn't fully involve him. "Ready to leave?"
Klaus nodded. "Its time. Lets go."
The four of them checked out and drove to the airport. Kol and Rebekah's flight wouldn't leave for another few hours, and despite the faces they put up, Caroline could tell the two Original vampires would miss their company. She wondered at how the Mikaelson family had managed to still love each other despite everything they had gone through for the last millennium, but she supposed that perhaps that was how they had become so snarky and crazy and still loving.
Rebekah had never been one for goodbyes, so she just pulled Caroline into a bone-crushing hug.
"If I don't see you sometime in the near future, I'll kidnap you, okay bitch?"
"I'm sure your brother wont mind." Caroline laughed softly, not allowing Rebekah to see her smile when she eventually pulled away.
"Don't forget to use the power of the underwear." Rebekah said with a sly smile.
"When did this happen and how come I wasn't invited?" Kol interrupted, and Klaus whacked him across the back of the head.
Caroline rolled her eyes but still pulled Kol in for a hug. Naturally he made use of it to irritate Klaus, but she could tell Kol appreciated the gesture for more than the ammunition it gave him against his brother. When she pulled away to see the siblings eyeing each other, tossing up whether to be snarky or say a proper goodbye, she decided to make it easier.
"I'll be over in the book shop."
Klaus gave her a quizzical look, knowing that she had started routinely stealing his books.
"Travel books." Caroline nodded sternly at him. "Don't think I've forgotten the promise that I could choose and organise somewhere to go."
Kol smirked. "My brother actually allowing someone else to have control? What have you done, Caroline?"
Klaus clenched his jaw, and Caroline shook her head, but it was with a hint of fondness.
"Stay out of trouble, you two. See you later." She smiled and walked off.
Klaus watched her leave, ignoring the sinking feeling in his heart. He didn't like seeing her walk away from him, but at least he knew that she wanted to be here now. She wanted to be here with him. Smiling slightly, he turned back to his siblings, only to find them smiling at him.
What random looking-glass alternate reality had he fallen into?
"I like her, Nik." Kol said. "If it doesn't work out, I call dibs. Hope you understand."
"You lay so much as a finger on her in that manner and I will break every bone in your body. Slowly."
"Much as I love to hear you two get violent," Rebekah interrupted sarcastically. "Niklaus has a plane to catch."
Kol and Klaus eyed each other warily before clasping one another in a wary, quick hug.
"Take care, brother."
"You too. And I'll take care of Rebekah."
"Hey, I'm not a baby, you know." Rebekah huffed, and the two brothers chuckled. Klaus turned to Rebekah and raised his eyebrows. She looked back at him with a strangely honest expression.
"Somehow I get the feeling I wont be seeing you for a long time unless I do something." Rebekah said in one of her rare moments of sincerity.
"One week, little sister." Klaus promised. "You'll see us in one week at the villa."
"I'll hold you to that. Don't make us hunt you down again, Nik." She smiled, hugging him briefly. Klaus had never been known for much contact. "Keep in touch when you're not too busy shagging Caroline."
Klaus smirked, slightly proud of the fact that he was getting closer to Caroline, to the point that they could be intimate that way. His need for her had been growing past the point of being a mere conquest, and while that startled and scared him, he was happy. He tutted to himself at the thought of the mere word 'happy', and, with one last glance to his family, went to find Caroline in the book shop.
They had a plane to catch.