Above All Else

Chapter 2

Alone. Darkness. Pain. Was he always meant to feel nothing but these things? Small flickers of light came and went throughout his life but it was always the rest, the negative that stayed. His brother. Yet another one of his brothers dead and gone. This one was his fault just as much as the others. Klaus had believed Stefan was helping him to dagger his brother to stop him from interfering in finding the cure. Not to kill him. They would all pay for this; each and every one who had Kol's blood on their hands would have their blood on his. But what of himself, where would his blood end up? This was his fault and his guilt was eating him alive.

Klaus looked across the room to where his brother's body had been before Caroline took him home. Klaus scoffed, home. Back to his coffin but never to be released again. Never to fight with him again. Never to drink and have their shenanigans together again. Of all his siblings Kol was the one that had the most zest for life. Rebekah had her endless search for love, Elijah his unwavering honor and search for Klaus's redemption. Klaus himself loved the genuine beauty and arts of the world, but it was Kol that truly lived it. That is when you didn't have him daggered in a box. Klaus felt those rolling emotions boil through him again. Sliding off the chair in despair he sank to the floor staring unseeing at the space that his younger brother last occupied. Kol was gone, Caroline was no longer here and Klaus was alone with his misery. He could no longer stop it as he felt his unwanted tears refuse to stay hidden any longer. Without any control over it any longer they fell like a tidal wave from his eyes as he wept for all he lost, and what he caused to be lost forever.

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Caroline had easily found the room in the Mikaelson's basement that held the family coffins. She had just finished placing Kol inside one after unwrapping him from the sheet. Caroline crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm sorry Kol. I'm so sorry." She choked back a sob as she brushed his hair off his forehead. "Maybe if I would have stayed and sucked it up I could have stopped this." Looking towards the ground in shame she noticed his cell phone lying on the ground. "Huh, must have fallen out of your pocket. It's surprisingly still in good shape considering, maybe I should get one of these myself. Oh nice Caroline! He died and you are talking about how his phone survived." Shaking her head at herself she turned to leave the room. She stopped to look back one more time and seen a key hanging next to the door, testing it out she found it went with the reinforced steel door for the room. Figuring Klaus would want to keep his brothers body safe and it would give him time to tell his other siblings what had happened to Kol before they stumbled across the evidence themselves, she shut and locked the door pocketing the key.

Finding the scotch Klaus would want in the house was not a problem, while looking Caroline also found a sketchbook and pencils on the desk in his study. She grabbed them placing them in her bag figuring at worst he wouldn't touch it at best it would give him something to do. She made her way back to the kitchen to hopefully find the blood bags and maybe some kind of snacks. She debated with herself the whole way whether she would even find anything along those lines in there at all. Considering how the Mikaelson's fed she was under the impression her chances were pretty low. As she opened the refrigerator she couldn't help but laugh. "I guess you weren't kidding Kol. You all are trying to keep a low profile." There on the shelves were perfectly lines blood bags of each blood type. Thankfully she always carried a cooler in the trunk of her car. Caroline grabbed a couple bags of each just to be on the safe side, with all that rage and pain Klaus was in she knew he could really use the extra blood. Her luck ran out when she looked through the cupboards and didn't find much in the way of comfort food. Looks like I'll be making another pit stop. Though she did grab a tin of tea knowing tea would maybe sooth him but she would save that for tomorrow. Tonight was going to take blood and alcohol. At least that's what helped her when her Dad had died, that and her favorite pajamas.

Caroline cautiously looked up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Should she? Did she dare go into his bedroom and get him a change of clothes? She could vaguely remember something Tyler had said while she was zoned out after discovering Kol's body, something about the spell lasting three days?

"Ok Caroline. You can do this. Go in, look in the dresser and check the closet. Grab the essentials. It's not like he hasn't gone in your room without permission before." Following his scent, since when can you recognize his scent! She quickly found his room. Trying not to invade his privacy too much she move as quickly as her vampire speed would allow her to search his room while trying not to get lost in how big his bed looked, the books he kept by it or the fact that he was so obviously a boxer brief kind of guy. Focus Caroline! Finding a duffle bag in his closet she put together his clothes and a few bathroom items she found in his master bath. Before heading towards the door trying once again not to get distracted by the chaise lounge in front of the fire place or the massive insanely comfortable and decadent looking bed, she quickly darted to the night stand to grab the books and get the heck out of there. She had a gut feeling she had left Klaus alone way longer than anyone in his state of mind should be.

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Caroline pulled into Elena's driveway shutting her car off. Looking at the house she didn't see anything different then when she left, but she knew appearances could be deceiving. Closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, she gave herself an internal pep talk to prepare herself not knowing what she would be dealing with once she walked inside. Would he shut down? Be angry? Taking another deep cleansing breath she opened her eyes and got out of the car. She was Caroline Forbes. She could handle anything, hell she had handled everything! Whatever Klaus she encountered in there she would deal with and stay. No one deserved to be alone.

Taking more time then she felt necessary she grabbed the bags and cooler out of the trunk and went around the house to the back door. It was quite as she walked in, deciding she didn't want to startle him she announced herself trying to keep an upbeat tone.

"I'm back. Sorry it took me a while. After taking care of things at your place I had to stop at mine and then the store." Setting the bags on the kitchen island she took what food needed to stay cold as well as the cooler full of blood bags to the refrigerator to be put away. "I mean hello! Blood, alcohol and tea but no real food? Really, how do you handle a sweet tooth craving?" She finished loading everything in the freezer and refrigerator and started to head to the other side of the kitchen that would meet the living room where Klaus was trapped. "So does the sweets cravings go away with age because if so I don't think I'll like that."

Caroline let out a gasp as she set her sights on Klaus. She had never seen anyone look so utterly broken before. And she never thought she would ever find Klaus to be that person. He didn't even seem to notice her presence. "Klaus?" Nothing. There he was trapped in the Gilbert's living room. It looked to her as if he fell out of the chair he was in when she left. Now he was sprawled out on the floor leaning against the chair staring blankly at the spot where she had last seen his brother with tears soaking his face.

It's time to make a choice Caroline. Stay on this side and try to get his attention or go into the living room and possible get stuck in there with him.

Looking at him she knew there was no other choice for her.

She went in.