_______________________________
I know I've been selfish,
I know I've been foolish,
But look through that and you will see,
That I'll do better.
_______________________________
"I don't think we're going to know exactly how many vampires Marcel has at his disposal," Caroline leaned forward, resting her head on her hands as her elbows pressed onto the table. She looked over at the blue index cards spread out on the wall before her and Caleb and knew they hadn't even scratched the surface of Marcel's followers. Considering he could always sire more they might never get a complete picture of his forces. "But it's definitely over two hundred."
"Plus there's Davina," Caleb pointed out, holding up one of the green cards. "Uh...do we put her down as a green one or a blue one or what?" While she was a witch, she was definitely unwittingly in Marcel's camp.
"Blue card, silver sharpie," Caroline told him, and tacked Davina's card up alongside Marcel's. "Majority of Marcel's forces are nightwalkers. So the ones who he hasn't deemed worthy enough of gaining a daywalker ring. Maybe we can use that to our advantage?" If they could somehow get them to think they'd be better off without Marcel as their leader they might help overturn the vampire. But Caroline didn't want to offer empty promises and from what she had seen in the club, his followers seemed all too happy with what he was currently offering them.
"Also means they're pretty vulnerable during the day and I think the majority of them all live over at the club Marcel owns." From what she had seen of the outer building, it was big enough to hold more rooms than what she had seen of the club. "We might need to look into that though."
Caleb jotted that down in his notebook, adding to the list of tasks Caroline had been coming up with. "What about these ones?" he asked, nudging the yellow cards with the Originals names forward.
That was the question, wasn't it? How much did she trust the Originals in regards to the whole balance of New Orleans? Maybe they had kept it up one hundred years ago, but who could guarantee they would now? Or that the others would even allow it? And had they even really kept up the balance or had the witches and werewolves had enough power back then to keep them in line? The werewolves were barely holding it together at the moment and Caroline was pretty sure she didn't even fully know the witches entire agenda anymore so chances of them keeping the Originals in line was slim.
She picked up Klaus' card, looking over at the werewolf ones that were already on the board. He was the spokesperson for their lot, no matter what else went down, he seemed to have the wolves' loyalty. He had shown them some service back earlier. Even if Caroline was certain that had been because she had been with him and trying to live up to the expectations she seemed to have for him. That thought alone made her bite her bottom lip; especially because she was pleased he had at least tried and shown them a merciful side to him.
Did it matter why he had given the wolves some freedom though or just the fact that it had happened? That they were now allowed to attend school, get jobs, and at least two were going to start a family? Wasn't that the part that mattered, not the fact he might never have done it if she hadn't wanted it to happen? Would it all stop if she were to leave...could she even leave anymore? Caroline wasn't sure she could walk away from New Orleans or the back and forth that was happening between her and Klaus once her task as Harbinger was finished. Partly because she worried what would happen if she did, another part because she doubted it'd be easy to do so, but also because she just didn't want to. She wanted to see the city. She enjoyed Klaus' company when he wasn't pissing her off. She didn't even mind Rebekah's snarky comments.
But staying wasn't a viable option, was it? What about school? What about her friends, her mom? There was Bonnie's death to deal with and Jeremy's return, but after those were done did she have to stay in Mystic Falls? There were so many questions she didn't have an answer to and didn't think she would for a while.
Caleb watched Caroline twist the card in between her hands, could see the internal struggle on the girl's face and couldn't imagine what must be going through her head. He didn't like Klaus or his siblings, was scared to death of the Hybrid and no longer just because of the stories he'd been told growing up. He had seen firsthand how quickly he could end a life, threaten another, and use someone else as a bargaining chip. He had also seen the way the Original watched Caroline and he didn't like it one bit. That all-consuming look of possession and another emotion he wasn't comfortable believing the Hybrid was capable of having for anyone but himself.
"We don't have to put them up..." he trailed off when she shook her head and stepped forward again.
"Here," Caroline stated and tacked the card over the werewolves before placing Rebekah and Elijah's there as well. It wasn't the best fit, but it would work for now.
Caleb glanced over at her, unsure about her answer. "Do you really think they care about the wolves?" Because he couldn't see the blonde Original or the other one giving a damn about them. Had a feeling Klaus was only using them to further his own goals.
"I think that Klaus is the one they picked to be their new Alpha so he has power over them. Just as Marcel does the majority of the vampires in the Quarter." Caroline leaned back against the table, still frowning at their work. "And I think that Elijah and Rebekah will stay by their brother." For the moment at least. She wasn't sure how long that would last though. "It's not like we can't move the cards around if we need to."
"They can see it anyway," Caleb pointed out, nodding back toward the doorway that led to wherever Rebekah and Klaus were currently.
"I don't exactly know what would have been better for us, to go with the rest of the Coven or coming here or what, but we're here now. So we deal with these circumstances and use them to our advantage." Caroline shrugged and looked over at him again. "Maybe we can't trust everything that's said to us by anyone because everyone has their own agenda, but one thing the Originals do know is the history of New Orleans. Or at least old New Orleans. And we're going to need that." Glancing back at the board she let out a needless breath. "They've also been pretty insistent on saving my life."
Rebekah had done so against the vampires in the bar and slapping some sense into her back at the old place. Klaus when he set out to find her, believing she was kidnapped and possibly dead. Helping to protect her mother. Even getting her to safety again should have been points in their favor. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if there were ulterior motives but then again she already knew that there were. They simply weren't the usual ones most probably had when helping a Harbinger.
Klaus wanted her alive because he cared for her, and while Caroline wasn't stupid enough to think he wasn't going to use her new status to his advantage however he could, she also thought he might not purposefully put her in harm's way. He seemed to be doing what he could to keep her out of trouble—which was downright annoying at times because she could take care of herself. Hello, vampire! But was that really keeping her safe or just hidden to unleash against Marcel when he least expected it?
She frowned. The last thing she wanted to do was start second guessing everything. Caroline Forbes was not going to allow herself to become a paranoid pessimist. No way. "I'm good with where I put them," she nodded; trying to sound determined in her response and was pleased her voice didn't sound like it was wavering.
"Can you do the Coven cards? Put a star or something next to the ones who you think I can actually trust?" she asked, gesturing toward the pile on the table.
"Gonna send the ones who I don't think will trust you home?" Caleb asked, and she glanced over at him. He was trying to act casual about the question, but Caroline heard his heartbeat speed up, saw the tension in his shoulders as he waited for an answer.
"Yeah. I don't want anyone following me because they have to. That only seems to breed discontent and backstabbing. Something I think we really don't need with everything else going on." She shrugged, having seen firsthand how much people would fight for their freedom with the Hybrids and their unsiring. "So they get a choice to either stay or leave and no hard feelings for anyone. I don't really want to do the whole swear allegiance thing. What if someone has to act against me last minute to save someone they love? That'd suck if they burst into flames or whatever is supposed to happen."
The tension Caleb was holding dissipated and he looked over at her, offering a small, genuine smile. "When they see who you really are they won't ever think of betraying you," he told her and Caroline smiled back, but it was forced.
Who she really was? That was a loaded question if she ever heard one. Who was she? Caroline wasn't completely sure she even knew anymore and this faith that Caleb seemed to have in her unnerved her a little. Last thing she wanted to do was disappoint him. And when had that even happened? She remembered when she had been annoyed by him and now, only some weeks later she was desperate to make sure he would be okay, that no matter what Caleb would make it out of all of it okay. Or as okay as he could.
"Can you do the cards?" she asked, steering the conversation back to something she could actually handle at the moment. "I should probably have an idea before I see the Coven again, yeah?" Which wouldn't be that day, but Caroline knew it would need to happen sometime soon.
Caleb nodded and picked up the stack of cards. "I'm going to go see if there's anything edible to eat while I do this," he told her, picking up a few of the markers as well.
"I doubt there is," Klaus commented from the doorway, silently observing the two. She wondered how long he had been there listening to their conversation. "Feel free to order delivery and I'll deal with it when it arrives."
The witch frowned at the wording, but nodded before hurrying from the room. Caroline couldn't really blame him for not wanting to be anywhere near the Hybrid. "I see your skills for planning are more diverse than simple place settings and dance numbers," Klaus commented, sounding entirely too amused and she rolled her eyes before looking over at him. She had been ready to reply in kind but his genuine smile was throwing her for a loop.
"Well, you know I'm just trading who can most easily get the flower arrangements into their correct spot and how best to get the applicants from Point A to Point B with probably vervain bombs and where best to spread out werewolves in relations to vampires in the city," Caroline settled for her answer, her entire demeanor relaxed for the moment. It was just like allocating resources for different Mystic Falls events but instead of stay at home moms and high school kids she was using supernatural creatures. No big deal.
"Your talents were wasted on the trivialities of those events," he told her, arching a brow at the glare she sent his way.
"If I remember, you enjoyed yourself a great deal at one of the events." Just not the winter carnival. That had been a disaster. "You never did explain how you got my application." That had kept her up for nights, trying to figure out how he had gotten it from the office where they were filed away. The fact he had cared enough to research where to even find something so trivial in the first place had thrown her for a bit of a loop back then.
"I have my ways," Klaus mused, remembering the day fondly. Oh, it had started out as an act. He knew that now. She and Tyler hadn't truly been broken up, but her laughter and smiles had been genuine, and he meant to have more of that in his life.
Caroline nodded toward the pile of extra cards on the table. "Got any blanks to fill in?"
Klaus walked over to her and she knew he had purposefully leaned in, deliberately brushing his fingers along her arm as he reached past her for a stack of the blue cards and a pen. "We need to work on you and your personal space issues," she told him, but didn't move out of the way, smile tugging at her lips as he chuckled.
Caroline pushed herself up onto the table, swinging her legs as she watched him jot down a few names on the cards. She unconsciously shifted closer, trying to get a better angle on what he was writing. "Now who has personal space issues," Klaus murmured, and Caroline scoffed at the idea, turning her attention to the wall.
"So are those the members of his elite inner circle or the Nightwalkers you've no doubt already started little ripple effects of disharmony in?" she asked. While the idea had sparked in her own mind a few minutes before, Caroline had a feeling it was something Klaus had been doing long before she had arrived in New Orleans. Infiltrating from the inside seemed like part of his M.O. Aside from the whole rip out hearts move that his entire family seemed to favor.
"A little bit of both," Klaus informed her, holding up a few of his cards. "These are his inner circle. Loyal to a fault and all will need to be disposed of once his reign has ended." He could see her getting ready to object to that and pressed his lips together. This was war and it was something she was going to need to wrap her head around soon enough. There would be casualties on all sides and his only concern was for himself, her, and his family to come out of it alive. However, he knew she wasn't quite ready for that revelation yet. "Just as you want witches you can trust in your Coven, I would want vampires I can trust in New Orleans."
Caroline nodded her assent to that notion. The last thing Klaus needed was more trust issues on top of the ones he already had. "And these would be the nightwalkers you astutely guessed I've been planting the seeds of disharmony in," he smiled at the fact she had not only known it was something he would do but that she also didn't seem against the idea.
"Now you just need the spark to ignite the flame," she murmured, taking the cards from him as she looked over the names, trying to memorize them.
"Do you have any idea what you could become?" Klaus asked, stepping closer to her and Caroline glanced over at him, brow furrowed in uncertainty as she wondered what exactly he was getting at. "Your friends in Mystic Falls underestimated the tactical leadership that you possess. Oh, sure, you used most of your skills for planning the various town and school events, but one look at this display you've set up already shows you have the thought process down. You simply need to hone it."
"Let me guess," Caroline cocked her head to the side, hands pressing into the table behind her as she leaned back a little, silently assessing him. "You want to teach me how."
"Oh the things I could teach you, Caroline Forbes," Klaus replied, and she swallowed hard at his all-consuming gaze. Her mind went in directions she wished it wouldn't, likening the way he looked at her to the Big Bad Wolf when he'd laid eyes on Little Red Riding Hood. Except she had a feeling he'd be eating her in an entirely different way than the wolf had wanted for that little girl if she ever let him. Caroline was too focused on his gaze to notice that he had somehow come to stand between her legs, hands planted on either side of her thighs as he leaned forward, locking his gaze with her own.
One of his necklaces that he had a penchant for wearing dangled in front of her, tempting her to reach forward and thread her fingers through it, to pull him closer and ask for him to show her everything he had to offer, but Rebekah's words echoed in her mind, and Caroline couldn't seem to shake them. "Until I annoy you enough that you find a way to incapacitate me like you do your family when they become a problem for you," Caroline murmured, but there was no anger in her voice. She was simply stating facts or what she believed to be facts.
Klaus hadn't expected that as the answer and he nearly pulled back, ready to put up all of his walls again and lash out at her. There was an uncertainty to her though. He could see it in her face as she looked at him, waiting to see how he would respond. She was genuinely concerned that there would come a time he would lock her away as he did his siblings when they interfered with his plans or he needed to stop them from leaving him. Could he blame her for that considering it was how he so often dealt with his problems?
"I bet you could get some witch to come up with a damn sleeping spell or whatever and put me out for fifty years," she continued, rattling off all of the ideas she had come up with in her mind. Sleeping spells, maybe desiccation, turn her into stone. The possibilities were endless. "Or lock me away when I really irritate you or you think I've become entirely too much of a vulnerability to let outside in the sun."
Klaus lifted a hand to her hair, brushing a strand from her face. "Caroline," he started, but apparently she wasn't done listing her ideas.
"Or drain me of enough blood so that you could compel me to do whatever it is that you want. Which I still can't believe you've never done. You've had so many opportunities to do that to me. Especially here, and okay, I don't know if that would actually work since stakes apparently don't on me anymore so maybe compulsion doesn't either," she continued, reaching out for his necklace then, letting the cool metal soothe her frenzied nerves. "But you could have and you didn't."
Why didn't you, she wanted to ask, even though she already knew the answer. She kept it inside though, also scared of his response, of how this man standing in front of her seemed to care for her in spite of everything he had done. His words rang in her head, so you've never felt the attraction that comes when someone who's capable of doing terrible things for some reasons care only about you? She remembered her response, cutting him to the core, but the problem with it had been that she had never stopped feeling the attraction. Even though she had said she did, it was always there, lingering in her thoughts, her dreams as Elena had so clearly seen. Even Silas had been able to pick that out from her head and use it against her.
Running from it didn't seem to help, nor did keeping her distance from him considering she only seemed to be constantly pulled back into his orbit. Or was it that he was tethered to hers now? Because it seemed no matter how far she kept trying to distance herself from him that Klaus was there, not willing to let her go, in a constant orbit around her. When had she become his sun?
"Caroline." Klaus tried again, fingers moving from her hair to slide down to her shoulders and along her arms.
"You do such horrible things, Klaus. Caleb is scared to death of you. I know he tries to not look like it, but I can tell that he is. Freaking everyone seems to be. Except for maybe the werewolves. They seem more impressed by you more than anything else." Caroline hit Klaus in the shoulder, not needing to actually look at him to know he was amused by that fact. She kept her gaze locked on the necklace she was still sliding through her fingers. "And see, I can tell you're all smug about that and that shouldn't be a good thing, but I know that's partly my human brain speaking because we're monsters. We're supposed to be feared. And you're supposed to be the biggest monster of us all. Do you have any idea how damn frustrating you are?"
Because half the time she wasn't sure if she wanted to slap him, to strangle him, and toss his ass into a wall for infuriating as he so easily did or if she wanted to grab hold of him, press him against that same wall and kiss him senseless. She hated not knowing, the lack of control that seemed to want to spiral inside of her by just being near him at times. And yet part of her yearned for it as well, Silas' words about her feathers being ruffled echoing in her head.
Caroline pulled back a little then so she could finally look Klaus in the eye. "But let's make something clear, I will never let you lock me in a box or a tower or any of that," she told him, holding her head up high and was happy that her voice didn't waver. "Not without a fight."
"And you wonder why I see you as my Queen?" Klaus murmured pleased at her boldness, the inner strength she always seemed to have around him.
"Bloody hell, you two, get a room," Rebekah muttered as she strolled toward them, interrupting whatever would have been Caroline's reply. It was only then that Caroline noticed how compromising their positions must have looked to anyone else observing them, how close Klaus had been standing and the fact she was still holding onto his necklace. "There's a delivery man at the door. Caleb said you would deal with it."
Caroline shifted, ducking out from between Klaus's arms and away from his body so that she could stand on her own two feet again. She took the cards Klaus had finished and moved to put them up as well.
Klaus glared at his sister, annoyed that the moment with Caroline had been broken and the fact the girl was already back to work meant that there was little point in trying to pick back up where they had been forced to leave off. "Impeccable timing as always, Rebekah," he bit out and strode out of the room.
Caroline could feel Rebekah watching her, but kept her focus on the task in front of her, not wanting to deal with anymore revelations from the other girl. "People who play with matches often get burned," Rebekah stated, and Caroline kept looking at the board, pinning up the last card. "I should know. I love watching things burn down. People, places. The fire consumes it all; regardless of how much it's loved. Everything goes up in smoke. And so will you if you're not careful."
"Maybe I'm the match this time," Caroline replied, glancing over her shoulder at Rebekah, watching the other girl's lips curve into a smile.
"Then strike the match already," she murmured before walking out of the room.
Caroline looked back at the wall, blowing out a needless breath. What the hell had just happened?
Marcel watched as Katherine practically devoured the gumbo that had been set before her in a matter of minutes. He beckoned for more to be brought over, hardly remembering what it had been like to need food in order to survive. He could only imagine what it must have been like for the five hundred year old vampire to suddenly revert back to human, to have all of the vulnerabilities, the needs that came along with that life sentence. It shouldn't have surprised him that she had secured herself some witches for protection and since they were outside of his current jurisdiction there was little he could do to retaliate. As powerful as Davina was, he didn't want to chance his own death because he miscalculated another's power.
"Seems you're not as up to date on the happenings of Niklaus Mikaelson as you think, Katherine," Marcel told her, leaning back in his chair as one of his nightwalkers brought her another bowl.
"I'm not going to beg for information I can find out by observing him myself in the next few days," Katherine informed him, knowing full well the vampire would tell her anyway. He'd never been one to keep news to himself if he could brag about it and that would be his downfall.
"He's got himself a new pet." Marcel lifted up his wine glass, looking out at the vampires moving about the room, bringing in terrified women of all ages that were now nothing more than collateral damage in his war.
"I fail to see how that's even remotely relevant," Katherine remarked, snorting at the idea that Klaus' latest feeding toy would be worth mentioning. "We both know how quickly he goes through those."
"Seems she's a bit different than the usual. She used to be a friend of Rebekah's." Or at least that was what the Original sister had said. He was beginning to wonder if that had been a cover for her actual position in Klaus' life. "Caroline." Her name really did roll nicely off his tongue.
Katherine froze, lips twisting into a sneer at that name. It couldn't be, could it? The little blonde she had killed, wanting to use for her own purposes, such an easy disposable girl that seemed to keep thriving in every instance that she shouldn't. "Blonde? Has an annoying ability for always coming out on top?"
"Don't know about the second part, but she is blonde." Marcel shrugged. Though, she had managed to leave his club and survive what Diego had planned to do to her without much fuss so maybe that was an accurate description.
Frowning, Katherine pulled out her cell and scrolled through the pictures she had purposefully placed on it to link Tyler to her. "This one?" she held it up, showing off a picture of Caroline Forbes that had been on the young Hybrid's phone.
"That's her. You know her?" Marcel asked. Clearly he hadn't given the little blonde enough merit if she was also in Katherine's line of fire. Who was this baby vampire?
Caroline Forbes.
Katherine kept a smile on her face as she shut off the phone, not wanting to give too much away. If the girl was in New Orleans that could ruin everything. She needed to be shown what happened with hanging around Klaus, with siding with the Original. "A vulnerability that can easily be exploited if you do what I tell you."
She had heard the murmurs when in and out of Mystic Falls, seen Klaus and Caroline leaving the football field as she purposefully kept her distance and tried to get the upper hand in the entire deadly situation. She had heard the words he had promised the girl, but had thought Caroline back in Mystic Falls with her annoying doppelganger and the Salvatore brothers, with their witchy friend who would protect her from any scheming. But it seemed Caroline was in the Quarter and easily exploitable now. A slight shift in her plans couldn't hurt when it would bring Klaus even more pain and suffering.
"Against Klaus?" Marcel asked, bemused by the idea. Since when was a woman any sort of vulnerability to the Original aside from his sister? And even then it meant a quick dagger and coffin trip to safety to remove the threat that Rebekah could be to him.
Katherine's smile grew at that, reminding Marcel of a viper ready to attack. "All you need to do is tear out her heart. Figuratively at first and I know just the way to do that." And then when Caroline hated him enough, despised the Hybrid with all of her soul, she'd have Marcel actually remove the girl's heart. If she couldn't have her love, if Klaus continued to keep Elijah from ever truly being with her, then it was only fitting that she strip him of his love in return.
The debate hadn't let up since Cecile had walked into the old house. She had never been to this particular one, but the abundance of relics from the Middle East reminded her immediately of Valencia. The woman had spent a good many years in that region, traveling the different countries over the years, and collecting what she could to give onto the next in line. It would have been nice to be able to inspect it all further, to pick out what else reminded her of the woman she had known since she was a child, but personal desires needed to be pushed aside so she could deal with her Coven that was actively trying to tear one another apart.
Each side thought themselves right and the other wrong, and as always when a debate had that kind of attitude backing it up, the words that were exchanged were becoming more explosive and hurtful with each passing minute.
"Enough," she demanded, voice not rising a single octave as she turned around. All words ceased as soon as she spoke though, heads turning in her direction. "You are each here to serve the Harbinger. She is not the only one of her line as you all well know, but the universe picked her. Even after she became a vampire, it did not waiver in its belief that she was the one to see this turmoil through to its end. And considering the factors that are in play here, perhaps a vampire Harbinger is exactly who needs to be in charge of setting things right."
"She is one of them," Karmyn started, still nursing her pride at nearly dying by the hand of the Hybrid. "She stood up for that monster."
It was true. The girl had stood up for Niklaus Mikaelson and each and every one of them in that room knew his reputation, all that he had done in the world. "He is not our concern," Cecile reminded. "We are not here to mess with the balance of the Hybrid." That was not their task and doing so would only cause even more chaos in the region. Something she was not about to allow to happen. There was enough disharmony in New Orleans.
"But we could easily overpower him with our strength," another pointed out, and there were some murmured words of agreement. "Especially if we had the girl's help."
"Do you hear what you are saying?" Cecile asked, trying to be calm, to be patient with them. The younger ones did not see the forest; they only focused on one tree, missing the bigger ripple effect their actions could have on the world. "What you are suggesting disturbs the balance, something you swore to always uphold in this Coven."
Going against that would strip them of their powers. From the downcast looks she spotted upon her answer she knew they remembered that oath they had all sworn when joining. Going against the balance meant their powers would leave them in an instant, cutting them off from the earth, from one another. "Trust in yourselves and the Harbinger," Cecile continued, offering them a small smile. After all, that was their purpose.
"Cecile," Andrew called from the window, alerting her to trouble. "Something strange is happening outside."
She strode over, looking out into the night to see what he had seen and easily spotted the figure standing at the gate, pacing back and forth and looking wildly at the house. "Vampire," Andrew informed her and some of the others readied for battle.
The figure outside stopped pacing and stared directly at the window, shifting into the street light's path so that Cecile could see her face. "Sophie..." Oh you poor child. She could only imagine the pain the young woman was in since she was now cut off from the world she had known all her life and would never be part of again.
"Do not harm her," she ordered the others and headed outside. "Sophie Anne. What has become of you, child?"
"You know exactly what I am now," the former witch bit out and then ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Sorry. I'm not..." She was jittery, staring for a long moment at the other witch's neck, her focus on the vein she could see against the skin. "Marcel's gathering witches. He already took Claire. She and I are the only ones who know who the Harbinger is. I think he's trying to break her into telling. I found her granddaughter drained of blood a few minutes ago. I think he's going to kill whoever else he has until she finally gives up a name."
She locked her gaze with Cecile then. "We shouldn't suffer for the mistakes of our parents. Make this right."
Sophie was gone before Cecile could answer. "What do we do now?" Karmyn asked hand pressed to her mouth at the sight of what had been a once powerful witch turned into a monster. Was that the same fate that awaited the others?
"We get them back," Cecile replied, eyes narrowing at the thought of so many witches at the current vampire king's mercy. She turned around, looking out at the entire Coven who was no doubt wondering how they would do just that. "I suggest you call your families." There was no guarantee that any of them would make it home now. Not with how the vampires were playing the game.
When Rebekah had called to inform Elijah to inform him that they had needed to move to a new house, Elijah had finished up what he was dealing with and headed straight home. He had stopped trying to be cunning and fair with the vampires in Toronto during his visit to remind them who they were loyal to, instead ripping out the hearts of a few of them before the others acquiesced to his points. And then he had thrown in compulsion as an added measure, ordering them to follow behind him the next day and stay out of sight in a nearby town. The last thing they needed was for Marcel to realize they had been slowly gathering their own army back up, one full of vampires far stronger than those currently residing in New Orleans.
Elijah had headed straight to the other safe house, wondering what chaos would be present when he entered. To his surprise he found there was no screaming upon entering, no heated discussions happening as he made his way further inside and toward the room from where the voices came from.
The witch boy was sitting at the table, eating his pizza, while the two vampires stood discussing the colored cards tacked onto the wall before them. He frowned at the assortment of holes in the recently renovated walls, but at least there was no broken furniture at the moment.
"I see you have been busy in my absence," Elijah commented as he strolled to where the others were located. He could sense the boy tensing, no doubt not liking the fact he was severely outnumbered by vampires in the room.
"Rebekah tells me you ran into trouble in Toronto," Klaus replied, not bothering to glance over at him. "I had thought the fact you had sired Pryia and her lot that they would have been easy enough to persuade."
"Not all of us feel a need to use your methods when dealing with our own," Elijah pointed out. He could hardly blame the fact the others hadn't wanted to come to New Orleans because of Klaus and his whims. There was no guarantee they would leave alive and they had a nice life going for them in Canada, but he had granted them eternal life, and he would have their help.
"A little terror goes a long way," Klaus shrugged, crossing his arms as he watched Caroline step forward, altering another of the cards on the wall. "How many left of their little clan now?"
"Eight and all will be nearby in the morning." Elijah looked over the cards, putting together what their purpose was quickly enough.
"Wait a minute," Caroline started, and his attention shifted to her. He arched a brow at the annoyed expression she was directing at Klaus. "Are you telling me you have more vampires coming to your aid that you conveniently managed to forget to tell me about?!"
"You never asked," Klaus drawled, clearly amused by her indignant expression.
"Seriously?!" she hissed, brushing past him and gathering a stack of the cards off the table. "Get to writing down names." She turned and walked over to Elijah, thrusting cards and a pen at him as well. "You too."
The baby vampire had already moved away from him before he could respond to the gesture, holding the cards and pen in his hand. He was waiting for Klaus to remind her that she had no right to speak to him in such a way, that there was a certain level of respect that she shouldn't forget, but Elijah watched Klaus continue to smile at her as she walked back to him, undisturbed by her outburst.
"I believe I asked earlier if you had any blanks to fill in," Caroline reminded, and gestured to the cards again. "This would be one of those blanks."
Rebekah strode into the room, hanging up a phone call and looked between all the players in the room, trying to determine what she had missed. "Are there any others that you know about that your brother has so kindly forgotten to tell me about?" Caroline sighed, clearly exasperated as she tapped the table.
"Oh I'm not allowed to go on scout missions," Rebekah grumbled, flipping her hair from her shoulder. "That would be their job."
"Perhaps if you had sired any worthwhile vampires you'd be allowed to, little sister," Klaus chided, not bothering to look up from the task he had been given, but any of them could see his smirk.
"You had a penchant for killing anyone I sired," Rebekah glared, pressing her lips together in barely contained outrage.
"As I said," Klaus reminded, finally looking up at her and there was no discounting the amusement in his features. "If you had sired anyone worthwhile..."
"Klaus, stop baiting your sister," Caroline warned, tapping her fingers against the cards. "Focus." The two of them could squabble later after he had completed the task she had set out for him.
"I'd think long and hard before you decide to join this craziness, Caroline," Rebekah warned, ignoring the glared Klaus was now directing at her. "My brother has this need for forcing everyone to bend to his will and he doesn't take kindly to those who try and defy him. No matter how good a fuck they are."
"Enough," Klaus demanded, his face pure rage as he stepped forward, ready to throttle the girl. Sister or not, he would not be talked to that way. Not in his house, not in front of Caroline, and Rebekah would learn her damn place.
Elijah rose as well, moving to try and come between his siblings before any unforgivable actions could be done. What he didn't expect was for Caroline to do so as well, actually getting into Klaus' war path and stopping his brother with a press of her hand to his chest.
"Don't," she told Klaus, shaking her head and refusing to move out of his way even as Klaus' hand wrapped around her wrist. "You deserve every word she throws at you and you know it, so don't."
Rebekah held her head up high, still glaring at her brother as she clenched her fists at her side. She didn't know if she was offended or pleased that Caroline had come to her defense, probably both. Though the part that offended her was the fact that Klaus seemed to have stopped for the girl, taking what she said to heart, even though she had been saying the same thing to him for centuries and he only ever ignored her words.
"I will not have her poison your head," Klaus growled, pointing accusingly at his sister and he nearly took another step forward, rage still coming off of him in waves.
"Please." Caroline rolled her eyes at that. "Like I don't already know that you're a horrible, manipulative, jerk that sometimes treats his siblings like shit." He looked down at her then, searching her face to see if that was all she thought of him. Was he truly only a monster in her eyes? "I just happen to know you have other layers as well, but she has every right to speak her damn mind so finish writing my cards and stop being so offended."
She walked around him then and headed over to Caleb who had been watching the whole scene play out in front of him. Caroline could see him ready to use magic at her defense and she offered him a small smile as she snagged a slice of pizza and slid onto the chair beside him.
Klaus silently fumed in his spot, clenching his fists tightly in front of him as he regarded Rebekah. "Can we please save the whole family feud thing for after the cards are finished?" Caroline called out, and Elijah pressed his lips together in amusement, intrigued to watch Klaus turn away from Rebekah and head back to the task he had been working on.
Rebekah snorted at the action before purposefully pushing past Elijah to take a seat beside Caroline. "I despise this family sometimes," she muttered, as she leaned back in the chair, pouting.
"The feeling is mutual, dear sister," Klaus promised, looking up to snarl at her and Caroline rolled her eyes at their display.
"And this is why I'm glad I'm an only child," she muttered, looking over at Caleb who offered her a hesitant smile. His cell started to ring and he pulled it out.
"It's my Grams."
"His Grams?" Elijah asked, wondering why the others were so focused on the boy answering the phone.
"Caleb's grandmother is the head of the Leseid Coven," Rebekah informed him, wondering what the old woman wanted.
Well that was interesting turn of events. Elijah strolled over to stand by Klaus, listening into the conversation and well aware the other vampires were no doubt doing the same. "You're not going," Klaus growled before the conversation was even finished.
"Excuse you. We've had this discussion about how you do not get a say in what I do," Caroline pointed out, ignoring Rebekah's snort. "They have the New Orleans witches because of me. I'm going to help get them released."
"And I believe I said I'd take what you said under advisement," Klaus reminded, clearly having no intention of going along with her idea then and there.
"Uh...she doesn't want you to come, Caroline," Caleb interrupted before their argument could escalate.
"What?!" Caroline shook her head, staring wide-eyed at Caleb at that revelation. "But I can freaking help."
"Um. One second." Caleb sat the phone down on the table and hit the speaker button.
"We still need you to be the trump card, Caroline," Cecile told her from the phone. "I am calling to see if there's anything else we can use against Marcel for their release. Or at least long enough to distract him so we can get them released."
Klaus grinned, a certain other blonde immediately popping into his mind. "I know just the thing."
"Then we shall see you soon," the older witch replied before the call was ended.
Klaus passed his finished cards across the table. "Don't pout, love, you need to decide what to do with these still. Elijah, I believe I could use your help." He glanced over at Elijah who nodded his silent assent. "Come along, Caleb, your grandmother wants you there."
Caroline glowered at him, snatching the cards up as he left the room without another word, Caleb offering her an apologetic smile as he followed after the Hybrid. She was the damn Harbinger. She shouldn't be waiting on the sidelines. "What the hell?" she demanded, crossing her arms as she leant back against the chair clearly annoyed.
"Welcome to my life," Rebekah replied, flicking one of the cards before she snagged herself a slice of pizza.
Caleb didn't like that Klaus had told him to wait in the alley before the Originals had strode into the bar. He listened for a moment, before taking a deep breath and gathering the courage to ignore the order and following the Hybrid inside. Once he was in the bar, he wished he had listened and immediately pressed a hand to his mouth as he doubled over at the horrific sight that had greeted him.
Thankfully there hadn't been many patrons in the bar, but all that had been enjoying a cold beer, relaxing after a hard day's work, were dead. Heads snapped in odd ways, hearts and lungs strewn across the floor. He hadn't even heard anyone scream, that was how quickly the events had taken place.
"This is the girl?" Elijah asked, and Caleb looked up, finding the two standing before a terrified blonde bartender.
"Hello, Camille," Klaus greeted, smiling at her as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "My apologies for not visiting as often as I used to. I'm sure Marcel has been keeping you busy enough."
She had been staring at the chaos before her and finally looked at the perpetrators, backing away as she realized she knew who they were, her fear growing with each passing second. "What the hell are you?" she asked her voice barely audible. "Are you going to kill me?"
"Not yet," Klaus replied, moving to easily knock the woman out and hand her off for Elijah to carry. He spotted Caleb then, puking up the pizza he had just eaten. "I did tell you to stay outside."
He reached behind the bar, filling a glass with water before thrusting it into the boy's hand. "Caroline wishes for you to live so I'd rather not dispose of you, but slow me down, boy, and I will happily do so."
Klaus grabbed the witch by the back of his collar and dragged him up, pushing him toward the door. "Now let's go. Your grandmother is waiting."
There was a battle to be won.