Uncharted Territory

Chapter 1

Right and wrong. These were the two notions balancing on the tight rope of Caroline's mind. She'd chosen to accompany Klaus and his family indefinitely traveling around the world, but so far it was too early to tell whether it was a mistake. They had only been on the road for two hours, but the silence made it feel an eternity. The conversation died down soon after they'd pulled onto the highway. The only sound in the car was the faint humming of the electric guitar melodies of classic rock with low haunting voices crooning out their melancholy tales.

Caroline was leaning against her window, staring into the side-view mirror at the curved illusion of the never ending road. From time to time her eyes traveled between the window and seat to glimpse the profile of Klaus' silhouette. He must have known she was watching him, but he never stirred as he drove. His right hand effortlessly held the steering wheel in place, while his left arm laid across the window ledge, his fingers tapping continuously at the plastic doorframe. She wondered what he was thinking about with all that nervous tension dancing in his hand.

Deciding to chance it, she leaned forth into his seat, immediately taking notice that his fingers stop moving. She lifted her head so her chin rested on the shoulder of the seat, just inches from his neck. He turned his head toward hers, just slightly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Can I help you?"

"Are we there yet?" she teased.

He turned his head just enough to glance sideways at her with a tiny smirk. "Don't start." She huffed in defeat, but remained as she was, innocently watching the road with him and enjoying every second of his growing neuroticism. Klaus' smirk faded and he glanced at her again, anxiously. "Sit back, love."

"Why, am I making you nervous?"

"A bit, yes."

A slow smile eased across her face as she watched his facial features tighten. In retaliation, he pressed sharply on the brake, just short of stopping the car. While Rebekah and Kol were thrust into their seatbelts, Caroline crashed into the back of his seat with a small grunt.

"Subtle," she muttered, leather scraping her bare legs as she scooted back.

As she settled back into her seat, she noticed his fingers began their rap-tap-tapping yet again. Curious little hybrid.

Kol let out a loud, disgruntled groan. "I'm bored."

"It's going to be a longer ride if you keep that up," Klaus reprimanded.

With a chagrined roll of his eyes, Kol stretched his legs up onto the dashboard and clicked his seat backward, digging into Rebekah's knees.

"My legs are not a head rest, Kol," Rebekah complained.

He folded his arms beneath his head, making himself more comfortable. "Not when they're closed."

With a defiant scoff, she forced the chair upright again and even further forward than it had started, scrunching Kol's body against the dash.

"Somebody's in a mood," he remarked, wriggling to reach the lever to straighten his seat.

"Blame it on being stuck in the car with the likes of you for hours on end," she drawled. "Remind me again, Nik, why we're driving as opposed to flying?"

"Because, currently, my jet is stationed at Laguardia Airport. And since we'll be stopping in New York anyway, I figured might as well leave it and just drive the 14 hours."

"Nice of you to consider the rest of our opinions," Caroline voiced her annoyance for his blatant disregard for others.

Klaus' lips lifted in a smug grin. "I don't see how that would have mattered, love. Options are limited. This was the best."