Who: Caroline Forbes, Niklaus Mikaelson What: A discussion about New Orleans and confronting Klaus' transition. When: Recent. Where: Klaus' abode. Rating/Warnings: Medium, triggers for dark themes and Klaus' morbid thinking and internal dickishness. Status: Complete!
Caroline had enjoyed herself as much as she could during her trip, but she couldnât help but what Nik wanted to talk about was always in the back of her mind. Since Klaus had left for New Orleans Caroline had been insanely curious about what he was up to, not to mention the fact that he was having a baby. Okay, maybe she was partly jealous too. She needed more details and now that he was finally dreaming about it she could ask him. There was something else that had been bothering her too. Ever since the incident with Jeremy. He was hiding something from her and she was tired of brushing it under the rug.
Now she was done with work and finally at his place. Although there were things she wanted to talk about, first thing was first. âI missed you,â she smiled greeting him with a kiss. Nothing too heated since they did have some things to discuss, but enough to show that she truly did miss him. It was scary how much she was starting to fall for him. So much for her whole no relationship no getting hurt philosophy.
It might have been nothing heated, but the kiss was enough to encourage both arms to coil around and return the lip-smashing rather feverishly, more so of a gesture that reciprocate the âI miss you tooâ sentiment. âWelcome back,â Nik greeted, a mumble against her mouth, and still latched, he used his body to push her into the loft and close the door behind them. Click, went the lock.
Every dream had been a whirlwind of utter and complete bullshit. It was simply one thing after another, wasnât it? Every chance he got, Klaus didnât hesitate to take a blatant shit on Rebekah and Elijah, his only two surviving siblings. Kol was dead, Finn was dead, heâd gone to New Orleans from a tip from none other than Katherine, and found his city taken over by someone he thought of as family.
And a werewolf, carrying a baby. Klausâs baby.
Finn must have known, but he couldnât be angry at his brother for not dropping that load of bricks on him all at once. Some things were easier to discover on your own, but that? Fuck everything.
âI see youâve yet to run off with any otters; must be my lucky night, hn?â He smirked, lips pushing up against his cheek and making a lone dimple dip. Another kiss, as he pushed her up against the wall. Something tasted off on him - metallic, iron. The taste of blood, faint, but lingering on his lips.
Well then, maybe talking could wait. She had waited this long to hear about New Orleans she could wait a bit longer. Nikâs kisses were quite distracting. Her hand moved to the side of his face, thumb lightly grazing his dimple. âI guess youâve grown on me,â she teased a bright smile spread across her face. Probably the most she had smiled in weeks, since the news about her father.
The smile wasnât on her face for long, her lips were busy. Back on Nikâs. Hands moved to the back of his neck, he tasted good. Better than she remembered. There was something familiar about it, something that caused her fangs to pop out, vampire features taking over her face.
Blood. He tasted like blood.
She pushed him off of her before her instincts took over and she bit him. Again. Even though in the back of her mind she knew he would taste like poison to her. âWhat the hell?â she questioned all traces of her smile gone. All that was left was confusion, a hint of anger, and her vampire face.
There goes that idea, clearly, at the feel of her shove and the sight of her darkened features and tell-tale vampiric signs. Nik stood his ground against her strength - a plain human might have been flung across the room some - but he wasnât.
âMy questionâs exactly,â Nik replied, smirk gone. Now he was wary, piercing eyes tightening into a semblance of a glare. âWhat happened?â
A silly question, but he had his suspicions already, thumb going to his lips. A few hours ago he poured himself a shot of something red and thick, but only a bit so she wouldnât notice her depleting sources. If she did, heâd put the blame on Finn. Or Kol. Especially Kol and his fragile state of being, after Tatia so graciously shattered his heart to pieces.
But that was hours ago and he had washed his mouth. Was she truly that sensitive to it?
Of course Caroline tasted the blood. She was a vampire. She could pick out blood almost anywhere. There was still the faint smell of it in her car from the whole liquor store incident and Hans had barely even gotten his blood in there not to mention the number of times she had washed it.
She took a deep breath, calming herself from the bloodlust. There, her features were back to normal. She narrowed her eyes at him. âYou want to explain to me why exactly you taste like blood?â
There was also the fact that he had barely even moved when she pushed him off her. Caroline wasnât exactly sure how hard she shoved him, it was a reflex, but she knew she used enough strength to at least push him back a few feet. To push a human back a few feet. He was getting stronger. Adding to her growing suspicion. This was not good.
Instinct told him to lie. He was good at that, wasnât he? Klaus was, anyway - not that the man had many redeeming qualities. There was a glimmer of goodness that was always snuffed out by the monstrosity of his actions. And, oh, he could blame his father for it all but what excuse did a man, a thousand years old, have anymore?
Now every time he looked in the mirror, he didnât associate himself with Nik anymore. Hardly ever. All he saw was some ancient supernatural being with a chip on his shoulder that ruined the lives of his family. Lied, tortured, murdered. It all filtered over like slow poison, a venomous simmer under his skin he kept a tight lid on. The signs were there, subtle at first, and he chose to ignore them.
Neglect only lasted for so long.
âI did say we had some things to discuss, didnât I?â was his response, finally, after that pause of words between them. Because lying was tempting but Caroline wasnât an idiot. Smart, fierce - she had all those qualities Klaus had fallen for here, too. Nik wasnât going to say anything tonight. It wasnât supposed to be part of their talk.
But it might as well be now.
âYou did,â her face softened. Now that she shock of tasting blood on him was wearing off she wasnât quite as mad. Though there was still some anger there. Who drank blood when their vampire girlfriend was coming over? Who drank blood unless they were a vampire? Who drank blood and didnât tell their vampire girlfriend? How long had this been going on for? Her head was swimming. There were so many questions. Before she even asked any of them she wanted to see what Nik had to say for himself.
But first she needed to sit down. She was not about to have this conversation standing against the damn wall. Caroline brushed past Nik making her way to the couch, and waited for Nik to follow suit. Once they were both seated she spoke up. âWell, go ahead. Discuss.â
Nik could only sit for a second. Taking a seat and discussing this around his tile coffee table didnât seem right - like they were discussing date plans or stupid little mundane nonsense. So he stood, nerves wrecked, but the facade he wore made him seem calm as ever. Maybe with a hint of annoyance.
âNew Orleans,â he began. First thing was first - he recalled reading Katherineâs letter. Meeting with Elijah. The conspiring witches. Hayley, for fuckâs sake. The little heartbeat, the thumpthump that rang through his ears even now; a faint, haunting echo. âDid you know? About Hayley?â
New Orleans? Really? Yeah Caroline was curious about that whole situation but there was a much more pressing matter at the moment. Like why the fuck did Nik taste like blood. She sighed. Fine. If he wanted to start there though then fine. They could start there, but she wasnât going to forget about the blood issue or let it drop either. They would be getting to that discussion before she left his place.
Caroline looked up at him doing her best to keep her features soft. âYes. Not right away. Right when yo- Klaus left, but I heard that was the reason.â She did her best to keep any trace of jealousy out of her voice. It was stupid to be jealous of her boyfriend getting someone else pregnant in the dreams right? âWhatâs that even like?â Did Nik even want kids, like in general. Not just dreams. Because it wasnât likely he could have them with her.
âComplicated,â he answered, and it was the truth. Nothing was more complicated than having knocked up a goddamn werewolf and have old witches trying to do away with his child, and Nik was coming to terms that Klaus was becoming a father - that he actually wanted to become one. That little unborn anamoly was the glue holding Rebekah, Elijah and him together, even if the fragments of their relationship were cracked and hardly put back together.
Then there was Marcel, his little protege. Not so little anymore, clearly, as he had taken over his goddamn kingdom, but Nik wasnât going to tread those waters quite yet.
âReally wish youâd have come,â was what he said next, arms crossed. Heâd yet to dream of their one-night fuckfest in the woods, but it was coming up, he was sure. Maybe sheâd come to the south for a bit, maybe he went back there for whatever reason. âBut if you think Mystic Falls is so bloody goddamn insane, wait and see if you ever appear down south.â
Complicated and insane. That told her almost nothing. At least he wished she was there. Though she already knew as much with that voicemail Klaus had left her. âMaybe one day,â she wasnât about to tell him she doubted dream!Caroline would ever show up in New Orleans. She had her life in Mystic Falls, her mom, her friends, college.
âBut you are going to have to give me a little more than complicated and insane. Klaus is going to be a dad, thatâs kind of a big deal. I want to know more about New Orleans too. Apparently itâs one of Klausâ favorite places,â that was big considering how much he had traveled in his thousand years of living. âYou wonât be spoiling anything for me,â she assured him. It was unlikely she would ever dream any of it.
âItâs not simply a favored spot of tourism, Caroline,â Nik snorted, making his way to the kitchen (which overlooked the living room anyway - he wasnât far) to open the fridge and get himself a cold beer. He tossed her one - his hand strong and the aim accurate, confident that Carolineâs reflexes would catch it before it shattered and spilled everywhere. âWe built that city. Rather literally, love. It was our home, until our beloved father found us and burned it to the ground. Decades later come to find out, my old protegeâs taken over - and I want nothing more than to get my old kingdom back.â
No point in differentiating between him and Klaus - he felt the similarities become more, closer. The thirst for something more than just human food, the growing strength, he was becoming him. As a vampire, anyway, and he knew exactly what would trigger the werewolf in him to make him full-hybrid. There was no fighting it anymore and lately, heâd come to simply accept it.
Well excuse me. Caroline was supposed to know that how exactly? She was out of the loop on the whole New Orleans business. Her eyes followed him, she found herself holding her breath. Half expecting him to grab blood out of the fridge. That would certainly be a turn of events. She caught the beer easily, popping off the cap, taking a long gulp. Alcohol was good, though she might need something stronger for the rest of their conversation. Nik wasnât kidding when he said they had some things to discuss.
âWhat a dick,â she was referring to his protege of course. Whoever the hell that was. She already knew his father was a complete ass. Even worse than hers. âYou took him under your wing and then he just took over your uh⌠kingdom?â of course Klaus would have a kingdom. She couldnât help but smirk at that.
She did notice however, that he was no longer referring to Klaus as a separate person. Not a good sign. He was also avoiding the whole baby topic, and the blood drinking topic. And no Caroline was not going to let either of those drop. Baby first while they were on the dream subject then she would work her way back to the blood. But first, another sip of beer. âSo, having a baby with Hayley. Are you two going to like, be together?â because clearly that was the most important issue here.
As much as he could most certainly agree that Marcel was, yes, a dick, there was still that weak string of family that held them together. Nik remembered the dream, clear as day, when he rescued him from being whipped by his current slave owner (those were dark, sickening times) and he kept him under his wing, even if he was human. He raised Marcel like his own.
A refreshing gulp of his beer, before he came back to Caroline, this time taking that spot back onto the couch. âNo. Iâm not going to be with Hayley. The conceptâs laughable.â Really? Was that her concern? Not that they could change anything if he was, Caroline herself was in a different relationship, hung up desperately to the pussyfooter that was known as Tyler. âAt first I didnât even want anything to do with it; off with the mother and child.â Cruel, but true. âElijah reasoned with me, because who else would? Every king does need an heir.â
Almost an exact quote, anyway. A hand scrubbed over his face and he held back a heavy sigh.
âSo, there it is. Upcoming fatherhood. On top of trying to pull the carpet under Marcelâs feet and taking control of the Quarter again, anyway.â
She wasnât concerned about it really, mostly curious. She wanted to know what Klaus was up to with Hayley and everything else in New Orleans. And no she was not with Tyler. He actually left her, ironically fro Klaus. Because his hatred for Klaus was more than his love for her. What a lucky girl Caroline was. Both Klaus and Tyler cared more about revenge than her. Well no that wasnât true, Klaus had chosen her over gloating to Katherine so at least she had that going for her.
âAs much as I miss having Klaus in Mystic Falls, which by the way we canât get into anymore,â but that was another story. âI am glad heâs sticking around for his child.â Dead beat dads were a big no-no for her. âA king though? Really?â she couldnât help but laugh a bit at that. âI mean I know you are like the most powerful being on the planet, but you really call yourself a king?â Only Klaus. Always had to prove he was the alpha male.
âIâm sure youâll get your control back. Klaus is an original and a hybrid. That should be a piece of cake for you.â It would probably also involve some bloodshed so maybe she shouldnât be saying all this. But either way she couldnât change whatever Klaus did in the dreams. Her dreamself barely had that kind of power over Klaus and it only worked sometimes. Other times he reacted badly by killing Tylerâs mom or you know biting her.
She took a long gulp of beer before moving on to the next subject. âSo, the bloodâŚâ
Not being able to enter Mystic Falls? That was another story - heâd heard tidbits of what was going on in that godforsaken little town of supernatural energies, but New Orleans and everything in it had swallowed him up. Taking back his city was the new obsession, and playing nice with the witches had been a game he didnât enjoy playing - having the life of his child in their hands was something heâd been itching to snap their necks over, one by one, and then paint a pretty little portrait with their innards for the rest of the quarter to see. That sounded pleasant, didnât it?
But, anyway - reeling away from dark thoughts of torture and revenge. âThe blood,â he repeated, staring down at his beer for a second. No way in hell would Nik be able to get out of this one. Fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, and he bit back a sigh. âIt appears as though my appetiteâs been taking more of a...liquid form. I think itâs actually happening.â
Setting her beer down on the coffee table, Caroline shifted her position on the couch so she was sitting on it sideways, facing Nik. Big blue eyes focused on him, waiting patiently for him to explain.
Well fuck.
âYouâre turning,â she clarified, her suspicions now confirmed. Actually a part of her thought he already might be one, just hiding it from her. But the way he spoke, it didnât sound like it had actually happened yet. Plus she could still hear his pulse. Still she had a feeling he had been hiding this from her for awhile. Caroline sighed, running her fingers through her hair pushing it back off her face. She would have to deal with that later.
âHey,â she finally said reaching out and placing her hand on his arm. âIt will be okay,â she was doing her best to sound reassuring. âBeing a vampire, itâs actually pretty great. The having to drink blood and worrying about accidentally hurting someone, thatâs the only bad part. But all the abilities? I swear I donât even remember how I survived without them. Plus now you wonât age anymore. Iâm going to be stuck at twenty forever and you are already like way older than me,â she teased, âso at least you wonât be adding anymore years to our age difference.â See? A bright side. She could still find them. She was also rambling, but now it was time to get to the point. Her light-hearted, joking tone suddenly serious. âJust because you are a vampire doesnât mean you are going to turn into Klaus.â
Some turned abruptly. Others, the transition was tortuously slow. Nik wasnât sure what heâd prefer - though he saw what the abruptness did with Lexi, and he could at least consider himself lucky that he was learning to expect it. As much as he was in denial about it before, saying the fact outloud made it all a reality - a grim one. All the signs were there, growing day by day. It felt odd, felt surreal, to think that one day heâd wake up as what the rest were - what Finn, Kol, Damon, Lexi, and Caroline were.
But there was a difference. If things were going to parallel right, it meant that there was a wolf in him, dormant and waiting to be unleashed. His own counterpart didnât even know it until his first kill as a vampire, the trigger that made his bones twist and break in agonizing pain and officially create him a hybrid. The first. No one could prepare him for that. Not even in the dreams.
Carolineâs insistence on looking at the bright side of things made him smirk, a throaty chuckle rumbling. Wasnât exactly a happy one though, more of a âfuck my lifeâ gesture more than anything. âI thought Iâd welcome the change, should it ever present itself. Who doesnât want to be a practically invincible immortal being - almost sounds too good to be true.â But everything had consequences, and he saw what vampirism did to someone like Elena (who was officially the worst of them all, really). It changed you.
They had discussed this before. If Nik wanted to be a vampire. He had said he didnât want to become someone that tore his family apart. But becoming a vampire didnât have to mean that. It didnât have to change him into the person he was in the dreams. Being a vampire, it didnât necessarily change you. Just amplified who you already were.
âSo you arenât welcoming it?â she wasnât sure if that was a good or a bad. Klaus was obsessed with power, but if Nik didnât seem to want it that was probably a good thing. A sign that he wouldnât turn into Klaus. But if he becoming a vampire there was no stopping it really. He needed to accept it, she knew it could be difficult. It took her some time, but now she actually liked it.
âWhen I turned there were no other vampires I could go to for help. I figured it all out on my own,â sure his brothers had been vampires back then, but Caroline wasnât really that close with either of them. In fact she didnât even know about Finn until Nik had told her. And there was also Damon, but like hell Caroline would ever go to him for help. âAnd I turned out pretty great,â she continued with her confident smile. The hybrid part wasnât exactly crossing her mind. âBut you have your brothers and me. Iâll help you. As best I can anyway.â Because really she wasnât sure what she could exactly provide other than guidance.
That brought her to her next question. âHow long has this been happening?â
No, he wasnât entirely alone - there was comfort in that. But vampirism had an uncanny habit of amplifying every single human emotion and part of him wondered how that would all turn out, if heâd be able to control himself orâŚ
Just be a self-fulfilling prophecy and turn into Klaus. It was a possibility despite Carolineâs persistence on focusing on the silver-lining of the situation.
âA bit over a month. It was very subtle at first; didnât notice it much. And then I saw Jeremy hover over you with a stake.â Nik punctuated that statement with a long chug of beer, the final gulp to empty the bottle. âI could feel it - the strength in my bones, not necessarily at human limit anymore. I chalked it up as adrenaline at first, but that was most likely the denial part of the situation.â
âWell I guess that was good timing,â Caroline offered, another bright side. If Nik hadnât had that strength who knew what could have happened to her. She shuddered at the thought. Still though, that long and he hadnât mentioned it to her? Yeah it bothered her. Sure he could claim denial, but he was drinking blood. That wasnât normal for a human. He had to at least know that.
âDo you not trust me?â she couldnât help but ask. Because keeping things from her. Not trusting. That was something Klaus would do. Sure Klaus trusted her to some extent, confided in her, but still she knew he didnât trust her completely. She didnât think he trusted anyone. âYou had to know drinking blood wasnât normal. The strength sure adrenaline makes sense. But not the blood. You also know I would understand. Itâs not like I have never drank it in front of you. Hell I have even bitten you. Would you have even told me if I didnât taste it on you?â she was trying to remain calm, clearly this was difficult for Nik, but she couldnât help but be a bit upset.
âI actually think I trust you more than anyone,â Nik confessed, brows furrowed in a thoughtful kind of look - because it was the truth. Even more so than his flesh and blood because the paranoia that often festered and simmered always said theyâd get sick of his antics, eventually - of what heâd done in the other world as Klaus. All the daggering, what years heâd stolen from them, ruining Rebekahâs chance at happiness on more than one occasion. Centuries worth of lies and bad blood between them, it wasnât simply the couple years everyone was used to dreaming.
He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. âThe blood thingâs actually a recent development - it hadnât been going on for too long. But Iâve discovered shit like this takes time to swallow. For a second I thought Iâd been losing my goddamn mind, but to know--â Nik cut himself off to take a deep breath, a bit agitated. âThis has nothing to do with you, Caroline. But my history as a vampire - a hybrid - is a damn long one, and I donât know what it will do to me when the time comes.â
Right. This wasnât about her. She had to put her feelings aside and be there for him. Becoming a vampire - it was a big deal. Everyone dealt with it differently. Apparently Nik wanted to hide from it. But he couldnât. Especially if he was going around drinking blood now.
âIt doesnât have to do anything to you. It doesnât change you. Not really. Everything just becomes more intense. All your emotions, your feelings,â he might know some of this from the dreams. But she had experienced it all first hand. Who would have thought Caroline Forbes would be explaining vampirism to Niklaus Mikaelson. âBeing a vampire, or even a hybrid, it wonât make you a bad person, or evil. Unless you let it.â But no way in hell would Caroline let that happen.
Being a vampire amplified everything you were, tenfold. And there were things beneath the surface that festered and spiked, horrible thoughts and feelings that had carried over and he did his best to separate this life and that one. Could anyone keep it separate? Truly? Because Nik tried, but it all bled over - especially the parts he didnât want.
To the core he was Klaus. There wasnât much hiding from that, not much escaping from it anymore - he could just keep it under wraps better, keep up the facade of charming art professor with bluejay eyes and those dimples Caroline seemed so fond of. And storming over her sunnyday optimism didnât sit right with him, so he opted to simply nod - for both their sake.
Then he cleared his throat, letting his arms drop at his sides. âWell. Itâs out now, I suppose. Iâm turning.â
Deep down she knew this day would come. Everyone who was a vampire in the dreams ended up turning. It was only a matter of time before Nik did. Honestly she was a little surprised it hadnât happened sooner, considering that he was one of the original vampires. âIt wonât be so bad,â Caroline said again. âI promise,â she probably shouldnât be making promises she couldnât keep, but it really wasnât that bad for her, so she didnât see why it would be so different for him.
âPlus we can have hot hybrid sex,â she smirked, it was a dream quote really one she had thought she was saying to Tyler (when Klaus was in his body), but it was fitting for the moment. Besides the mood needed to be lightened up a bit.
âJust promise me one thing? No more secrets.â She didnât like him keeping things from her, it just didnât feel right.
A heavy demand, wasnât it? But he knew secrets were detrimental with any relationship - he had Caroline in this world, he didnât just want to let it all go to hell. âI promise,â he breathed, though he still looked a bit troubled. Heâd do his best to hold up to it but part of him had doubts, many doubts.
The comment about steamy hybrid copulation was a nice addition to add a bit of light to the dank situation - she was always good with that, anyway, and he pulled Caroline up from the couch to close the distance between them. No gap, only bodies pressed close as his arm went to coil around her waist tightly. âAnd Iâm sure thereâs something deeply wrong with my psyche for hardly trusting my own blood, butâŚâ A sigh. âThank you. For at least being the one person I can trust without doubt.â
His promise didnât make her feel better like she thought it would. There was still a part of her that was worried he would keep things from her. But she had to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he was going to trust her, she had to trust him to. And she did with - with her secrets. He knew things no one else did. She was just having trouble trusting that he would always confide in her.
She liked this new position much better than the distance, her arms wrapped around his neck. The smile that had gone missing since she tasted the blood, crept back onto her face. âYou donât have to thank me,â even if she had her doubts, it did mean a lot that he trusted her more than anyone. But that was enough discussion time for her. With that her lips crashed into his. Yes that was much better than discussion time.