Rescue Me

Chapter 14

Caroline slowly made her way down the hallway after Klaus, arms wrapped tightly around herself in a protective cocoon. Klaus' pleading gaze was still a forefront in her mind, and her heart clenched. She could clearly see the confusion in his eyes; the hurt at the fact that she was still keeping something from him. She knew it was upsetting for him, after having told her such a personal aspect of his life.

But there were some things she just couldn't risk.

She sighed as she continued down the hall, stopping when she spotted Klaus' still figure lingering in the doorway between the main room and the hall. She slowed her steps, coming to a stop just behind him, and she looked at his profile, noticing the clench in his jaw and the way his eyes were trained on the scene unfolding before them.

Caroline looked over his shoulder, watching as, who she could only assume was a few of the missing Mikaelson clan, they sat down their luggage and gazed around the boarding house. She couldn't help but let her eyes rake over the family members, catching all their differences and similarities. There was a beautiful dark haired woman, with long dark curls that cascaded down her back. She stood at the side of an equally beautiful dark haired man, who stood proud and tall in an impeccable tailored suit. Next to them stood a tall, gangly boy—who she guessed was Henrik, the youngest sibling—and a tall, older blonde woman who seemed to exude elegance in a way that left Caroline envious. The matriarch of the Mikaelson clan was taking everything in with a trained eye, a friendly smile on her face.

She watched as Kol approached the four newcomers, his trademark smirk oddly absent from his face, instead a fond, small smile gracing his lips. His arms were swinging at his sides as he approached his family, his grin widening when the dark haired man smiled at him. "Elijah, you look uptight as always," Kol said. "Can't you go a single day without wearing a monkey suit? You know, jeans, T-shirt. Or, by Gods, can you imagine, sweatpants?"

The man—Elijah—chuckled under his breath, dropping his gaze to the floor briefly before shaking his head and looking at his brother. "Well, Kol, we can't all possess quite the knack for first impressions that you do, can we?"

"Oh, in the door for less than five minutes and already the veiled insults start flying," the dark haired woman said, a smirk on her face. "Clearly if this is any indication of how these next couple of weeks are going to go, we are all in for a long, ride."

"And the wonderfully witty Katherine," Kol crooned. "I must say, darling, my life has been rather bland without you and your sharp tongue."

Katherine pursed her lips, humming under her breath. "Oh, I've missed you too, Kol."

"Children, please," Esther's voice said quietly but firmly. All three turned to face her, and she arched an eyebrow in their direction. "Remember that you weren't raised in some tavern and please show that you actually do possess some form of manners. I'm sure Stefan doesn't appreciate your unruly behavior."

Stefan laughed as he slipped a duffel bag off his shoulder, letting it drop the floor by the staircase. "Oh, believe me, Mrs. Mikaelson, this is nothing. I've seen much worse than this."

"Esther, please. We'll be family soon enough, I don't think such formalities are needed anymore," she replied, watching her daughter's face light up at the mention of their upcoming nuptials with a happy smile. She turned as Henrik made his way over to his brothers, his youthful face breaking into a grin when Kol threw his arm over his shoulders, pulling him into his side in one of those brotherly hugs that looked much more like a torture method than an expression of affection. But the laughter coming from the younger boy's mouth and the smile on all three brother's faces certainly broke that allusion.

Next to her, Klaus let out a small sigh, and Caroline glanced over him to see his expression had softened, though his fingers were twitching restlessly at his side. "It does make it easier...you being here," he said to her softly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He didn't give her a chance to respond, however, instead pushing himself away from the wall and into the room. She watched him go, and watched as his family noticed his entrance, his mother's face breaking into a grin as she caught sight of her long-absent son.