Sunlight by Light-and-Smoke

Chapter 12

"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.