Title: An Unwilling Participant
Rating: PG
Summary: Elijah wants Klaus' help, but the hybrid has other priorities.
"You must be very much misunderstood if you think I'll help you on this crusade," Klaus said with a roll of his eyes and stood up, heading back to the bar to pour another drink.
"Of course my expectations are low," Elijah responded, ignoring the sharp glare in Klaus' eyes. "Doesn't it concern you? The werewolves hunting our kind?"
"Not particularly," Klaus said as he poured his drink and turned back to Elijah. "I don't know why you're worried about it either."
The door opened, drawing away Elijah's attention. He heard a feminine curse as the door slammed shut. At the unfamiliar voice Elijah looked to Klaus whose head whipped around from the direction the voice had come from to glare at Elijah, his jaw tense, veins ticking in his neck. With slow, careful steps Elijah made his way towards the main entrance of Klaus' most recent home and stopped in the doorway of the study and watched as a blond woman threw some bags to the ground in disgust and shed her jacket, she was soaked through from the rain. Finally, she looked up.
"Elijah," Caroline whispered in surprise, turning her head to find Klaus, murder in his eyes.
With this new piece of the puzzle Elijah turned again to face his brother. "I figured your denial was because of indifference. I can see now that you're just scared.
The way Elijah glanced at Caroline as he spoke wasn't lost on Klaus. He growled lowly, and was seconds away from sending his brother crashing through a wall until a smaller body appeared in front of him, pressing her small hands into his chest. "You know better then to get in my way," Klaus warned her, but she wasn't phased by it. It wasn't a threat though, and she knew that. It was a warning. Having Caroline between him and his target wasn't exactly the safest place for her.
"You won't hurt me," she whispered softly and slowly she could see the tension drain from his face.
"You're right," Elijah began, his body tense and ready for the fight that was coming, "I'm not worried about dying, and neither are you. I wonder how you'll feel though when they kill Caroline though."
There wasn't even a moment for her to gasp in surprise. Klaus pushed her to the side and was upon Elijah faster then even her eyes could see.
Klaus didn't care that Elijah wasn't fighting him, it was just as well. Pure fury fueled him, Elijah wasn't a match for that. "You have the nerve to come into my house and threaten her," Klaus growled, holding his brother against the wall, tightening his hand around his throat.
"You won't attack them because you're scared they'll go after her," Elijah said evenly, forcing the words out. "They'll find her anyway, don't you think you're on their list?"
"Nik," Caroline said gently, coming behind him slowly and pressing a hand into his back. "Fighting him won't help, you know he's telling the truth." The two brothers continued to stare at each other, a battle of wills until finally with one final growl Klaus slammed Elijah into the wall and released him, walking off. Caroline sighed as he left them and then turned to Elijah.
"They'll come after him. They're aware that it only takes the death of one original to kill a blood line." Caroline stared up at Him as he spoke, not phased in the least. "He's hid you well, even I was unaware, but even Niklaus can't hide your presence from them forever."
"I know what your suggesting, he knows he can't sit idly by, but backing him
into a corner isn't the best way to handle it." Elijah stared down at her, his face a mixture of calm and concern. "I'll talk to him."
"Thank you," Elijah responded with a slight bow and turned to leave.
Caroline waited until he made his exit before she sighed and followed the direction Klaus had disappeared in. When she found him he was sitting alone in a leather chair, a fearsome site to behold. A bottle of liquor sat next to him and as he drained a glass he poured another. Caroline didn't move further then the doorway and propped her shoulder against the doorsill. "He's right you know."
Klaus glanced up at the voice, his eyes meeting her expectant ones.
"And I'm not saying this to save me life, we can't let-." She meant to say they couldn't allow rogue werewolves to slaughter vampires. It had gotten out of control, innocent people had died.
"Why else would I do it if it wasn't to keep you safe?" Klaus said, interrupting her.
At that she said nothing and only stared at him, to overwhelmed by his statement to form a rational response.