KLAUS + CAROLINE + LATER ELENA
WHERE: "FIXING" ELENA | WARNINGS: TBD
"And, so you see, that is precisely why I'm meant to be in charge."
Klaus Mikaelson spared a glance down at his 'audience' for all intents and purposes, a limbless zombie that was still unfortunately all too well aware of his predicament. His disembodied foot tapped a nameless rhythm as one of his missing hands dug aimlessly through the leaves, no doubt seeking the limb it was previously attached to.
Zombies were truly remarkable creatures. Provided you left the brain stem intact, even taking them apart didn't prevent each individual piece from maintaining its function whilst completely separate from the body. As it was, this unfortunate soul was reduced to just a head attached to a trunk, its vacant eyes fixated upon Klaus's face while every so often, it opened its mouth to make the most pitiful of sounds. Nothing intelligible, mind you. But still, it were as if the thing truly wanted to tell him something.
If only he could read minds.
Ah, well.
In the absence of Elijah's counsel, the hybrid found himself seeking out other sounding boards. Rebekah was there, of course. But she was knee deep in his plotting and fully prepared to wage his wars with him. And while Hayley and Hope had found their way here as well, in this place, it seemed more of a burden. The variables were many and the absolutions were nearly non existent. Klaus had barely had a grasp on things back home let alone here in an alien environment where not everything existed the way it had back home.
And Hayley, well...
As much as he wanted to embrace the extra time he was being granted with her, he couldn't help but think of how temporary it all was. That this business of alternate universes and timelines was nothing of permanence. They all had homes to return to, places they actually belonged, and when it was time to return, he too would return once more to a place where she no longer existed. He had watched her die, and then he had watched her body set ablaze as was the werewolf custom. Was this part of his punishment? Having to say good-bye to her, over and over again. Having to watch his daughter do the same, knowing that being helpless when it came to her, it was the greatest suffering of all.
In his mind, prone to paranoia as it were, Klaus was beginning to question whether or not any of this was even real. Perhaps he was the one who had died and this was his form of Hell. It would certainly explain Katerina's presence.
Fortunately for him, this wretched pile of soon to be remains wasn't the only Camille surrogate he had here. No, he had something far better.
Caroline.
She didn't seem especially fond of him at the present moment but that didn't change the fact that Klaus was still quite fond of her. Just as it had never deterred him before. If he had taken cues from her, their connection to each other would have been long since severed and they'd have missed out on a number of beautiful, important moments together. It seemed that he alone now bore the memory of the bulk of these and yet he found himself to be nothing if not grateful to have had them at all.
Besides, they could always make more.
Klaus could hear the pattern of her breathing in the distance long before her halo of blonde hair became visible and with that, it was time to release his new friend here from the misery of his unmortal coil. In a blur, he rended the zombie's head from its neck, tearing the viscera from the base of the skill before tossing all of it aside as Caroline came around the side of the fence.
Although he mostly did as he chose, he dared not set foot in prison at the moment. Some silly young thing had gotten herself bitten by an even stupider so-called vampire who'd left her alive to tell the tale. And though this Lydia had stated very publicly that he was not to blame, Klaus somehow didn't put it past all of the denizens of Mystic Falls to be smart enough to believe it and he simply was in no mood for any amount of posturing from that lot. Not today.
"Caroline," He greeted the blonde vampire warmly as she approached, giving her a playful and yet meaningfully appreciative glance.
"I seem to recall our last...rendezvous in a similar environment ended quite well." Klaus reminded her, unable to hide his amusement at just the look on her face.
She was a sight for sore eyes and he, well, he was always the one with the most ache.