Chapter Text
Caroline was scared, she was running, running from Reyna Cruz without actually knowing if it was necessary. She couldn’t risk it anyway, she could have, had she been alone, but she wasn’t and the two little girls asleep in the backseats weren’t things she would ever risk. Alaric was gone, he had joined Damon and hadn’t returned, she hadn’t waited for the official announcement but she knew, deep inside that he was dead, that what she had predicted had happened. She had tried calling him, tried reaching him and even tried calling Damon. But after two days without getting any answer she had come to the only conclusion that presented itself. So she put the girls in the car and drove to a place she knew they would be safe, to the one person who would ensure their safety.
For some reason, her mind kept in storage every information she had ever heard about him, usually it drove her crazy, but this time she couldn’t be more thankful, she remembered exactly the name of the bar Stefan had found him at. She found the address of the bar on the net and put it in her GPS.
It was still morning when she arrived and she woke the twins up, leading them out of the car and into the bar despite their sleepy eyes.
“Where are we Mommy ?” asked Lizzie.
“Searching for Mommy’s friend, remember ?”
The little blonde nodded tiredly.
Of course they were immediately noticed by the woman in the room, the bar was closed and little girls always drew attention to themselves.
“So,” said the woman, “you’re searching for someone ?”
“I’ve been told the Mikealson family lived in town, would you know where I could find them ?”
The woman seemed surprised by her request, she looked her up and down, trying to figure out her intention.
“I know who could help you,” she eventually said. “Just stay here until he arrives, you should take a seat.”
Caroline nodded and put down three chairs from a table, sitting the girls and then herself.
Her enhanced senses made her able to hear the woman who had left the room to make a call, she couldn’t hear whoever she had on the phone though, the girls made too much noise for her to do that.
“Hi Marcel, there’s a woman in the bar looking for the Mikealsons, she wears a daylight ring and has two kids with her, one of the kids called her Mommy.”
She stopped talking, probably listening to whoever that Marcel was.
“No, I’ve never seen her before, she’s blonde, blue eyes.”
“I didn’t ask for a name,” she said after another short silence.
“I’m waiting for you.” she finally said before coming back into the room. “A friend of mine should be arriving soon,” she told Caroline.
The blond woman nodded, her mind running. She didn’t know any Marcel, wasn’t even sure Klaus was still in town, if they guided her to Rebekah it might not be a problem but she had never really met Elijah and didn’t know how he would react should he be the only original present in town. That was if any original was present at all. Marcel and that woman might just as well be enemies of the Mikealsons and therefore she could have put the girls in danger by bringing them here.
But where else could she have gone, there was nowhere else, there was no one else, he was the only person she was certain she could actually depend on, the only person able to ensure hers and the girl’s safety, the only person she trusted.
“Mommy ?” called Josie, stopping her mind from burning out. “Where is Daddy ?”
“Daddy isn’t here, I can’t explain for now but I promise I’ll explain everything later today. For now I need you two to be calm, Okay ?”
Both girls nodded and that’s when she smelled the new person in the room, she hadn’t heard him enter, and she hadn’t let down her guard a second, how could she have missed his arrival in the room.
She raised from her seat and turned to face him as he walked towards her, putting herself between him and her children. She still couldn’t hear him move, even though she saw him, it was impressive, but not reassuring at all at the same time. He was black skinned, a vampire, as confirmed by his ring, turned in his early twenties but his posture indicated that he was old, far older than her anyway. He would certainly beat her in a fight, shall it come to that and she asked herself how she would be able to run with her girls.
“Marcel Gerard,” he presented himself while extending a hand.
She took it without any hesitation, she couldn’t let any of her doubts show, she needed to be ready for any situation and she needed him to assume she was stupid. She gave him a bright Barbie smile and took his hand.
“Caroline,” she answered.
“Let’s have a talk.” he proposed, getting down another chair from a table nearby, and seating.
She could have sat back on her chair, but then Marcel would have been between her and Josie, way too close to her daughter for her to be calm. She took Josie on her lap and sat on the girl’s chair, placing the brunette as far away from the man as possible and this way she was also between him and Lizzie.
“What brings a beautiful vampire like you to New Orleans ?”
“We both know who I’m searching for, if you can’t help me, I’ll figure it out another way. Can you help me ?”
His smile didn’t disappear, it sent a clear message, he could be kind, but he could not be just as easily.
“What do you want from them ?”
She didn’t know if he was on her side, if being associated with Klaus would endanger her, and most importantly her daughters.
“I just need to talk to Rebekah,” she said, playing it safe.
“You’re a friend of hers ? Rebekah doesn’t have a lot of friends.”
Caroline laughed lightly at that, she was able to fake laughs and smiles around her own friends, lying with her body was something she excelled at.
“No she doesn’t, haven’t ever met anyone able to bear her for very long, but honestly I like her, wouldn’t say we’re best friends, but I’m in town and I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Of course, how long are you staying in town ?”
She smiled, he wasn’t buying it, he clearly wasn’t.
“I’m not sure, didn’t really plan this out. It probably will depend on the people I find here.”
A truth, it was important to incorporate true elements, she knew it made her look more trustable, there was no more hesitation, she was telling the absolute truth.
“Where are you staying ?”
“I don’t know, I want to book a hotel as close as possible to where the Mikaelsons live, this way I’ll be able to see her more often.”
“A little walk shouldn’t be a problem for a vampire, why not book any hotel in the Vieux Carré ?”
She snorted at that.
“For a vampire it isn’t, but for two three-years-old it is quite a challenge.”
“These are your daughters ?”
“Indeed,” she confirmed smiling fondly, normally she would have looked at her girls, but she really couldn’t put her eyes off of him.
“I have a strict no hurting children policy, I can swear no harm will come to them,” he told her, relieving her a little, just a little, after all she couldn’t be sure he was telling the truth and it didn’t make her safe, she thought for a moment that the safety of her children was enough, as long as they were safe she didn’t care what happened to her. “Your fate will be determined by how truthful you’ve been, I really can’t tell right now, and by the Mikealsons themselves.”
She immediately relaxed, he was taking her to them. He got up and indicated for her to follow. Taking a little hand in each hand she did just that, they walked for only five minutes before stopping in front of a gate. He opened it and they entered, soon they were in an inner courtyard and she immediately noticed how easy it would be to trap her here.
“I believe that Rebekah is out on a shopping spree, her brothers are home though.”
She saw him watching closely for her reaction but she only smiled.
“It’s not a problem, I don’t really know Elijah but I’ve seen Klaus a few times.”
“A few times, love ?”
A few words were enough for her to completely relax, the voice came from behind her. She turned to find him a few meters away. She smiled in relief, he was here, they were safe.
“Why would you be searching for my sister, love ?”
“I’m not,” she answered, “just thought it was not in my best interest to associate myself directly with you when I didn’t know who I had in front of me.”
He chuckled.
“Of course, what can I help you with ?”
She smiled sadly at the fact that he knew that she was once more seeking for his help, he deserved better from her, but this time her goal was to stay, but of course, that would depend on the future she would be able to create here for her children..
“Reyna Cruz is still after the Salvatore brothers and using anyone as bait or making us collateral damage. Alaric went to help, he’s…” she looked at him, unable to finish that sentence and he nodded, notifying that he had understood. “I was terrified, I put the girls in the car and drove. I need my girls to be safe, I need a safe place, I want them to grow up where I know they’ll always be safe.”
“And you shall have all of that,” he assured her before turning to Marcel. “Take care of her car and her luggages, bring them all to the guest room near my room.”
“We don’t have any luggage,” Caroline interrupted, “we left in a hurry, I didn’t take anything.”
Klaus seemed to have a silent conversation with Marcel who asked for her car keys and left as soon as he had them. The hybrid then turned towards her.
“We’ll go shopping in the afternoon, Hope isn’t here today but she’ll come back before dinner with Haley.”
Caroline nodded and after a look towards her Klaus dropped to his knees, being therefore at the height of the twins and put on a smile.
“Hello, my name is Niklaus Mikaelson, you are going to live with my family from now on and everything will be alright. Pray tell me, which one of you, beauties, is Elizabeth and which one is Josette ?”
The two girls giggled at his words and Caroline was so taken in the scene displayed before her that she forgot that tonight she would have to tell her two three years old girls that their father was dead, she did not either question how he knew their names.
“I’m Lizzie,” said her little blond monster and just a second later the brunette introduced herself “I’m Josie.”
The original hybrid smiled at them, “I’m sure you and I are going to be great friends,” both little girls nodded at his words, happy to receive all that attention.
Klaus raised again and sent her his charming smile.
“I’ll show you around the house.”
They had just entered the first room, the dining room, when a door opened on Elijah Mikealson. She never did so much as talk to him, but his face, as each of his siblings’, was printed in her mind since the ball the Mikealsons had thrown in Mystic Falls.
“Hello Miss Forbes,” he salutated her, extending a hand she took. He then looked at the girls and smiled lightly, the distance he seemed to put between him and everyone else was present, but it didn’t seem as dangerous as it had felt the first time she had seen him from afar.
“I’m afraid we were never properly introduced to one another but I’m sure we’ll have time to talk.”
She smiled at him, happy to see that he wasn’t against her and the girls staying there. “Of course,” she answered.
They kept going, Klaus showed her around the huge house, she was stunned by how big it was, it hadn’t seemed that big from outside. The girls always were faster to be in the next room and Klaus used this to his advantage, letting them go before turning to her as they changed rooms once more.
“Do you want to sleep with me or do you want to wait ? I can wait and I know you haven’t had time to think about it but...”
“I had time,” she cut him. “I’ll be sleeping with you, but I have to know if you’re ready to take care of them. I came to you because I needed to be safe and I don’t regret it but I don’t want to force you into raising my daughters and if you can’t do it then I can’t stay here. Ric is dead, I’m all they have and I have to put them first, if you can’t do the same, then we’ll leave in less than a week and I’ll manage, but I can’t have them being second best.”
He smiled at her. “I already love your daughters, I loved them as soon as I knew of their existence, I can promise that I’ll put them first, just as I do for Hope, they will be my daughters the same way Hope is, and if I’m lucky enough I might even become their father.”
At his words she couldn’t refrain herself from kissing him, the kiss was short as the girls were waiting in the next room but it was still passionate. “Thank you,'' she whispered when they parted.
Once they were done touring the house, he brought them to his room. There, he got down on his knees once more. “Girls, this will be your mom’s and my bedroom, remember where it is, alright ?” The little girls nodded very seriously. “Now I have a very important question for you,” he was still talking to her daughters, looking them right in the eyes, “would you rather have a bedroom that you would share or each have one bedroom just for you ?”
The two girls looked at each other and then at their mother, who reassured them with a smile and finally Lizzie answered. “Can we have the two rooms but both sleep in one and make the other a playroom ?” Klaus laughed at that while Caroline rolled her eyes at her daughter’s boldness, she would probably have apologised on behalf of her daughter had it been anyone else, but this was Klaus and she knew that she didn’t have to, not with him.
“There is already a playroom in the house,” Klaus answered. “I have a daughter who is just a few years older than you and who will have no problem sharing her playroom with the two of you. What I’m asking is merely how you would rather sleep.”
“Together.” The little blond was clear and Klaus smiled.
“Then, I suggest that you should sleep in the room in front of this one, it’s not ready yet, but I’ll have it prepared before tonight.”
"Thank you, mister," the two little girls thanked him.
Caroline wouldn't have believed it had she not seen it, three words from her daughters were enough to make the most powerful being on the planet beam . She almost laughed at the sight. He looked at her and his smile only seemed to widen, she asked herself if original hybrids had a special power that made anyone they smiled at feel warmer and safer before figuring out that it was just the feelings that she had repressed far too many times.
"Now," he said, "did the three of you have breakfast yet ?"
She had no doubt he knew the answer, he knew she had been running, knew she couldn't arrive here fast enough. She hadn't stopped, they were both aware of it.
"No," answered Josie. "I'm hungry, can we eat now ?"
"Of course, we couldn't keep you hungry, now, could we ?" He crouched down once more, "I, sadly, wasn't aware of your arrival so I couldn't welcome you properly, but how about we go get breakfast in town for today, and we'll have your welcoming breakfast tomorrow ?"
The little girls nodded and Klaus raised again, he left the room and gestured for them to follow him.
Soon enough, all four of them had left the mansion and were walking in the street. Klaus seemed to observe the girls as much as she did, every time she found herself glancing at him his eyes were on them, he smiled as he observed their expressions, that look he had, it was the same one she had once seen on Elena’s father face, a look of pure and utter adoration. A look that no one had ever sent her way, a look that could only be given to one’s children but that her parents had never given her. She didn’t need to worry over him being ready for the girls she realized, he wasn’t lying when he said he already loved them, he did, she saw it as she looked at him right now.
As she looked at the smiling girls, she realized that they had just lost their father and weren’t even aware of it. But how could she tell them ? How could you tell such a thing to two adorable little girls ?
After breakfast, she promised herself. She would just let them have this little time.