Sunlight

Chapter 8: Oh Vienna Part 1

They arrived in the afternoon, disembarking in the noise and crowd of the Vienna West train station. Klaus insisted upon carrying Caroline's bag of bare essentials, since despite the time in St Petersburg, she had barely bought any other clothing.

"You know I'm going to need to wander around in more than two sets of clothing." She stated. "Unless you're planning on me wandering around naked."

It had been a very purposeful word-drop, yet Klaus couldn't help but let his mind be carried away by it.

"The thought hadn't occurred to me, but if you're insisting on being naked..."

"That means everyone seeing me naked, Klaus. Everyone." Caroline smirked at his darkening expression. It didn't last for long, since he noted her expression mirroring his own occasional smug look, and realized she had been picking up his habits. He was about to comment on it when she frowned, staring ahead into the crowd.

"Is that Rebekah?"

Klaus' blood ran cold, then hot. No. No, no, no, it couldn't be. But yes, there she was, Rebekah, craning her head to look through the crowd, leaning on someone next to her to stay on tip-toe. Kol. He would be damned if his baby siblings would ruin everything just as Caroline was finally submitting ever so slowly.

But he was damned already, in both soul and this scenario, for Kol had seen them, and was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, pointing the pair out to his baby sister who waved, making their way over.

"Looks like you wont be wandering around naked after all, love." Klaus muttered under his breath, almost a grumble.

Caroline would have been secretly pleased that she had such a reaction over him, but she was too busy being shocked.

"Are they meant to be here?"

"Really? Do you think I would try to woo you in what I thought would be private while my siblings egged me on, little one?"

"Oh, wow, the sarcasm's really winning me over. So hot."

He smirked. "I know."

"Hello, lovebirds." Kol greeted them before Caroline could do more than roll her eyes at Klaus.

"We were wondering when you two would arrive." Rebekah said, directing her words to her brother with barely a glance at Caroline.

"And I was wondering what on Earth my darling sister and brother could possibly be doing in the same country as me." Klaus' voice was dangerously soft, and Caroline realized how much he had been holding back this side of his personality with her. She hoped it was more for the reason that she didn't bring out this particular side of him rather than him repressing it around her.

Kol and Rebekah didn't seem phased regardless, presumably because they had been on the receiving end of his spats countless times before.

"Well when you left so abruptly in Tyler's form after telling us of your plans, we thought we'd come to visit you. Just to check you were actually in your own body."

"And we missed you." Kol added with saccharine sarcasm.

"Well I certainly haven't missed you."

"Hey, now." Caroline interrupted Klaus, noticing how Rebekah held herself, trying to look impassive as her big brother's words hit her. "I'm sure there's absolutely nothing wrong with all hanging out here together." She looked at each of the three Originals. "We can spend some time in Vienna as a group, and then move on separately." Caroline looked pointedly at Klaus. "Right?"

He knew better than to contradict her when she gave him that singeing look.

"Of course."

"Oh wow, Bekah. Look at our brother. What is the new term for it? Whipped?" Kol grinned as Klaus let a snarl fly at him and Caroline bristled.