Hey guys! Long time, no see. Please don't hate me. Thank you so much for bearing with me through this gap and staying interested in my story. Here is Chapter 5, and I hope you guys love it.

Disclaimer: I have no ownership to "The Vampire Diaries" "The Originals" or "The Royals" characters or origins. All credits belong to the shows' creators.

March 17, 2017

Buckingham Palace Westminster, England 6:42 pm

"Make sure it gets here by tomorrow Dahlia!" Klaus demanded as he and his mother's assistant parted in opposite directions at the throne room. He was making his way to his studio to finish a recent piece before he met Elijah for their weekly meeting later that evening.

"Yes, Your Highness." he heard her call out along with her retreating footsteps.

"Make sure what gets here tomorrow?" Esther questioned loudly from behind, causing Klaus to halt with startlement.

"Shit mum! Stop doing that!" Klaus said with surprise and wide eyes.

"Stop doing that. Don't change the subject. What has to get here by Friday?" Esther demanded with a hand on her hip and raised eyebrows, something she would never do in public.

However, Klaus didn't falter and retorted with a quick lie. "Nothing mum, just some new paints." He said as he gave her a quick cheek to cheek kiss and bounded off towards his studio.

She squinted hard at his retreating back, trying to decipher whether or not she believed him.

Close one, he thought.

March 17, 2017

The Armory London, England 9:09 pm

Stefan, who accompanied Klaus everywhere outside the castle pulled back the wine colored velvet curtain of the empty VIP room. Klaus was met with his older brother's glaring eyes when he finally arrived at the ultra-exclusive, members-only supper club dubbed The Armory. It was home to only the highest status of London's political power players. It was also the place that Klaus and Elijah had met every second Thursday night of the month for the past four years to awkwardly catch up. It was the brothers strange way to show they cared about what was going on in the other's life without actually having to say so. None of the Mikaelson progeny were well versed in communicating their feelings.

"You're late." Elijah deadpanned. "For god's sake, do tuck in your shirt. We are not heathens Niklaus."

With a quick roll of his eyes, Klaus hurriedly shoved his dress shirt into his slacks. He took the seat across from Elijah and checked his slate grey Rolex. Then, looked up his brother.

"By nine minutes, relax. I haven't been here for two and you're already being a pain in my arse. What an entirely unwelcome surprise."

"And you dear brother, being your usual acerbic self. What an entirely unsurprising welcome."

The brothers' jabs were interrupted by their waiter placing their glasses of bourbon and leaving as quickly as they came.

A stiff silence hung in the air for a minute, Klaus not daring to concede to his brother in speaking first. He found it incredibly entertaining to be this difficult. Especially to Elijah, someone who just made it so damn easy.

Just like Klaus thought, Elijah let out a resigned sigh and continued, "So… how've you been?"

Klaus's eyes were trained on the amber liquid in his glass. He didn't speak for a while. Elijah drummed his fingers on the pristine marble tabletop impatiently.

Klaus answered with a simple, "Fine."

"Very astute, Niklaus."

Klaus slammed his hand down on the table hard with a boom. The bourbons jumped up, sloshing the liquid around, some droplets splashing on his hand and the carpeted floor. Stefan, silently present in the corner of the room, along with Elijah's bodyguard, Gia, hands flew quickly to their concealed sidearms.

Stefan's fingers slowly relaxed when they realized it was another classic Niklaus outburst. Gia, however kept her hand hovering over her holster. Elijah exchanged a intense glance with her and she slowly reverted back to her post. Klaus squinted his eyes and looked between the two. He sensed something. Was it...no it can't be… sexual tension?

Later, Klaus thought.

Elijah dipped his hand inside the breast pocket of his immaculate suit. In one fluid motion he whipped out a white handkerchief, monogrammed with the gold letters EM, and handed it to his brother.

"Are you quite done with the childish theatrics Niklaus?"

Klaus snatched the handkerchief up and wrapped his now red hand in the cloth, soaking up the excess liquid.

"Ugh. I suppose." Klaus sat back in his chair. "Out with it, Elijah. You obviously have something to say."

"Now that you mention it, I do. Father wanted me to talk to you about your public engagements. Your days are lagging a little behind."

"Poppycock!" Klaus pointed a finger at Elijah. "I have to have more than Bekah or Kol."

"Wrong. You forget Kol did that whole tour of the hospitals in Manchester-"

Klaus interrupted with a hearty chuckle, "Oh you mean the one where he caught gonorrhea from that nurse. Or maybe she was just dressed like a nurse." Elijah winced at the memory of Kol not sparing any of his siblings the knowledge of the incredible burning sensation that occurred when he peed.

"Carnal errors aside, he and Rebekah have still logged more events than you. She's done all those dinners and polo games."

"AKA an excuse for her to do blow, bed athletes, and get a photo of her beaver splashed across the latest issue of D-THRONED." Klaus added matter of factly and crossed his arms.

Elijah had to smirk at how ridiculous their life sounded. "Trust me brother I don't need a refresher on how much of a hot mess our family is. Nevertheless, Kol has 62, Rebekah has 59, and you have 37 days." He took a sip of his aged bourbon and continued. "Now I am fully aware with that you are not a people person-"

"Nonsense I love people." Klaus passed.

This earned a smile from his older brother. "But I would greatly appreciate it if you could shock us all and try to do this without going on a complete petulant and murderous rampage."

While the thought of messing with his father did instinctively put a smile on his face, Klaus decided to not put a gray hair on his youthful brother's head and help for once. Just for today at least. After all, he still needed to badger him about the look he had just given Gia.

He let out a deep sigh and looked up. "As you wish, brother."

Elijah looked genuinely surprised. "Really? That's it? What's made you so agreeable?"

"I could ask you the same thing brother. Tell me, how long have you been getting your rocks off with Gia here." Klaus nodded towards where Gia stood across from Stefan.

Elijah choked on his drink and Gia's olive face grew a raspberry shade. Stefan looked back and forth uncomfortably.

"Who told you?" Elijah asked.

"You did. Just now. I was just guessing by the lustful looks you two keep giving one another." Klaus was pretty pleased with himself. Even more so by the fact that someone could finally loosen the stick up his brother's arse since he had broken up with a certain duchess.

"Oh please, there's no lust!" Elijah argued.

He winced as soon as the words left his own mouth. Definitely not the correct phrasing. Judging by the hurt look on Gia's face, Elijah knew he had dug his own grave. If there was ever a moment where he had regretted relations with his bodyguard, it was now. He could tell that she was dying to storm out of The Armory, but her job obviously came first.

Klaus on the other hand did not expect this type of situation from his brother. It filled with some kind of childlike amusement. He looked at him pointedly and asked, "Which one of us is the people person?"

Elijah didn't respond. He just busied himself with the silverware on the table rearranging it again and again. Anything to avoid looking into Gia's eyes. Some serious groveling was due later.

"I mean I just don't get it. How do you have to time to bed dear Gia here in all your nauseating efforts to 'save my soul' or what have you? I mean I must be an all consuming chore." Klaus's sarcasm wasn't hard to miss.

Elijah downed his bourbon in a single gulp. "Tell me about it."

Klaus's perma smirk dropped and his blue-green eyes turned icy. "Watch it."

"Your words not mine. And I've simply followed your lead Niklaus. Clearly if you've found the time to entertain a beautiful woman, certainly so can I."

"Who told you?" Klaus parroted.

"Rebekah. Obviously."

Klaus let out an irritated sigh. "There's hardly been any entertaining. Up until yesterday she had it in her head that I'm some kind of cold-blooded, arrogant arse."

Feigning astonishment, Elijah shook his head. "I wonder how she got that idea."

"You realize that sarcasm is not a good look on you, right? Anyways, I know I have a bit of temper-"

Elijah scoffed, "A bit? Need I remind you why the Portuguese ambassador doesn't talk to our family directly anymore?"

"Not necessary. The memory is quite vivid Elijah." Klaus said with a sneer. He could feel the anger building inside him. "But what else is to expect from the son of a bitch middle Mikaelson brother?! Manipulation and mayhem? Huh?!"

The fury in the room seemed to be contagious because Elijah snapped and pointed his finger at Klaus. "You know what?! Yes! You can be cruel! And sadistic! And spiteful!" He took a breath to compose himself. "Yet despite this, I continue to seek your redemption. It's my greatest curse. I just keep trying, sacrificing for the hope of seeing a sliver of the little brother I knew as a boy. So forgive me if I get the slightest bit of excitement at the prospect that you might finally let yourself be happy."

Klaus remained stone faced.

With that, Elijah calmly stood up, buttoned his suit jacket and started towards the door. He paused next to where Klaus sat and rested his hand on his chair. Even though he was to speaking to Klaus on his right, he looked straight, his eyes trained on the deep mahogany door of the VIP room.

"You don't make it easy to love you, brother."

Klaus finally looked up at him. "And yet you are obstinate in your desire to do so."

"Maybe this girl can relieve me of some burden then." He patted Klaus twice on the shoulder and left.

Klaus stayed in the Armory for another half hour, turning over Elijah's words in his mind. Only Stefan and six more whiskey sours accompanied him. By 11 he was sufficiently inebriated and ready to head back home. The mood to paint had suddenly struck him.

He exited the VIP room and weaved through the main dining hall heading to the front door when he heard a strident voice call out his name. He turned to see Alistair Duquesne, the very high profile and outspoken leader of the anti-monarchy campaign The Republic of United Peoples. Klaus usually and secretively regarded Duquesne with a slight fondness. Anyone you routinely called for the abolishment of his bastard father's power seemed fine in his book. However those opinions were pretty much only kept in his head for fear of his mother's remarkably loud mouth.

However, drunk Klaus was definitely more boisterous towards greeting those not in his inner circle. "Alistair! How are things?"

"Can't complain, can't complain."

"Could've fooled me. Considering your job is to quite literally complain about how our country is run. But seeing as though you are still forced to kiss my ring, I'd say you've been a disappointment in your endeavours."

With mischief twinkling in his eyes, he outstretched his right hand, boasting a brass ring on his pinky. It displayed the signature royal family crest, an "M" for Mikaelson, under it, a serpent devouring a man.

"Go on now, give it a smooch." Klaus prodded.

"Now Your Highness," Alistair forced himself to spit out, "I think you've had to too much to drink. And as much as I'd love to exploit this for my- I mean the RUP's advantage, I've got a late dinner with a donor. Now if you'll excuse me." He moved to leave but was swiftly intercepted with Klaus's incoming fist.

Stefan sighed. Why couldn't his job just be easy for once. He knew better than to intervene though. Klaus would literally bite his head off and Alistair wouldn't dare hit back.

Alistair's forehead collided with the nearest table. Hard. Stumbling, he found his way back onto his feet. Blood soon started to seep down from his gushing laceration.

This moment of vulnerability granted Klaus the ability to grab the activist by his ultra slicked hair and force his head down, an centimeter away from his pinky ring.

Jesus this bloke must go through a can of pomade a day, he thought.

His inner musings however were interrupted by sudden flashes and the sound of camera shutters being echoed throughout the establishment. Klaus looked around to see that a good majority of the patrons in The Armory had captured the encounter for the world to see. He wondered who would kill him first: his mother, his father or his brother.

"Can we get the hell out of dodge now?" Stefan urged while taking his jacket off to drape over Klaus's head.

"If you insist," Klaus added with a dark chuckle as they hustled out.

March 18, 2017

Outside Buckingham Palace Westminster, England 5:14 pm

If Caroline was being completely honest with herself, her first day at King's College had been pretty tough. Because starting a new school in a new country wasn't enough to stress her out, she also couldn't quite figure out her groove yet. It was usually easy for Caroline to settle in a new space, constantly able to make friends due to her admittedly sunny personality. But she had gotten lost at least 3 times, with no help from any of her fast paced peers, all focused on their phones or laptops. It was a stark contrast from the warm small town hospitality she was so accustomed to in Virginia.

She was so swamped with work that she hadn't even gotten the chance to properly explore her new neighborhood. She hadn't seen Klaus since her visit to his room. Caroline had however, become acquainted with Arnold, the balding senior guard who manned the side visitors entrance of the castle. Arnold was seated in a glass booth while the gate itself was flanked by four other younger guards with matching earpieces and emotionless expressions.

He was turned away from his security monitors reading the day's copy of The Times splayed in his hands when Caroline approached the gilded bars and greeted the back of his shiny head with a tired smile, "Good afternoon Arnold."

He spun around in his chair, peered his wrinkled eyes up at her and gave her a nod.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Forbes. Go right ahead." He resumed his previous position, dipped his head back down behind his paper, and pressed a buzzer next to his computer that projected surrounding surveillance.

The gate slowly opened and in unison, the four guards parted their line down the middle, creating a space for Caroline to walk through.

She started the seemingly never ending trek up the lengthy driveway towards her home. It was hard not to get lost in the lush greenery and flora that accompanied her in her walk.

Despite being known for its unbelievably dreary weather, London had recently been unseasonably warm and sunny. And while Caroline appreciated not having to commute back and forth in rain, the early spring held some reminder of her past. She found herself thinking of life back in Mystic Falls, first imagining her and her friends huddled together laughing in a booth at the Mystic Grill, then inevitably flitting to memories of her mother. The sky was clear like this a few years ago, back on her graduation day from Mystic Falls High. Her mom's smile had been bright and her eyes brimmed with tears as she proudly looked on. Later on, Liz had treated her to dinner at one of the best restaurants in Richmond and it had easily been one of the best days of her life. Caroline remembered feeling so excited about what the future promised, so much to come. She never would have imagined the complete upheaval that would soon follow three years later.

Post-move life wasn't all bad though. In fact, one of the most promising parts of it was waiting by Caroline's front door clad in a leather jacket with his hands behind his back and a dimpled grin.

Klaus met her eyes with his and she couldn't help but smile. Even when he looked as annoyingly smug as he was then.

"Hello Your Highness," Caroline declared with a mock curtsy.

Klaus let out an amused chuckle and looked at her with a carnal glint in his eye, "I must say love, I usually detest when people call me that. But coming from you, I got to say it's charming."

"Aren't I though? She smirked with a playful tilt of her head.

"Quite."

She caught sight of the brown rectangle he held behind his back, and became giddy.

The excitement was too hard to hide so she eagerly rocked back and forth on her heels. "So… whatcha got there?"

"A gift."

"For little old me? You shouldn't have. But I feel compelled to tell you I'm not the type of girl that can be bought."

"Who said I was trying to buy you? We're friends right? Friends give gifts."

Caroline eyed him, searching for signs of an ulterior motive. She couldn't spot any. Instead, she managed to drag her tired legs up the two steps of her porch to her front door. With a turn, she saw that Klaus was still standing a few feet away and wore a look bewilderment.

"Are you gonna stand there all day like a garden gnome or come inside?" Caroline teased.

"Didn't even have to buy you dinner and I'm already being invited in. Noted." He grinned as he hopped up the stairs.

"And there's that world-ass -I mean class- ego I've heard about." This earned a genuine laugh from him.

"I've had a long day of classes and my feet are killing me so once again, would you like to come inside."

"Gladly." He held the door open for her when she had already begun to take off her jean jacket and kick off her flats.

Klaus just stood awkwardly in the Forbes family living room as Caroline padded over to the kitchen to get herself a drink.

"Drink?" she hollered.

"I'm fine, love."

He noticed the abundance of memories displayed around the walls, photos of Caroline as a toddler, cheerleading competition trophies stacked on shelves, and a recurring images of a blonde woman in a police uniform smiling with Caroline. One could only assume it was her mother, someone who Klaus didn't know nearly enough about.

"That's your mum?" Klaus questioned.

"Um, yeah." Caroline's aura immediately shifted into something Klaus could only describe as guarded so he thought it best not to prompt any further questions.

He clapped his hands together declaratively trying to lighten the mood, "So! How's about you see just how good of a friend I can be?"

She rolled her eyes playfully and made her way back into the living room. "Yeah yeah yeah, lemme just-" She stopped mid sentence when something on her marble dining room table caught her attention. The same copy of The Times that Arnold was so engrossed in sat folded neatly on the table and Caroline could now clearly make out the cover.

"What is it love?"

"The Prince's Punching Bag: Duquesne Gets Decked by HRH" read aloud, her anger growing by the second. How could she be so stupid? This "friend" act obviously wasn't the real Klaus. And she wasn't one that took kindly to being played. And she wasn't going to put herself in a toxic situation just when had started to feel like herself again. She scoffed and shook her head. "Real classy Klaus."

"Now, now you misunderstand sweetheart," he tried to joke with a smirk. "It was a mere disagreement, nothing serious."

This only enraged her more. "1. Don't call me sweetheart and 2. you're a liar because there's about 10 pictures of you making that guy kiss your ring! Seriously?! Dick move." She hissed.

Self-control obviously wasn't a tool in Klaus's skill set, but he tried his hardest not to blow up. After all, it would just prove her point.

"Don't you think you might be overreacting a bit Caroline? I mean what do you care about Alistair Duquesne? Trust me, I know him. He's a pompous disappointment." he argued, desperately trying to save their flirty banter.

Caroline just crossed her arms in frustration. "That makes two of you."

The look of betrayal that crossed over Klaus's face could have made Caroline wither away if looks killed. It was the first time she had seen a look on him that she recognized as genuine hurt. Had she gone too far? Of course not right? she argued to herself. She was done letting guys mess with her head. That was Mystic Falls Care. Pre-mom dying Care. England Care had to be different. Stronger. If not for herself, then for Liz's memory.

He nodded, averting his eyes from her. He rested the gift on the the couch and before she knew it, he was gone.

As much as she tried to fight it, curiosity got the better of Caroline. With a huff, marched over to the couch and collapsed on it. She eyed the brown rectangle, willing it to burst into flames and save her from her inner turmoil. Unfortunately, to no avail. It just sat there, taunting.

She groaned loudly and tore into it, ripping the simple wrapping paper to shreds. Then she gasped at the sight.

It was a first edition copy of A Clockwork Orange signed by Anthony Burgess himself. Then, on the last page, a tiny inscription:

For my Just Friend

-K

Dammit, she thought. He was good.

Soundtrack:

Klaus and Elijah: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming Outro (M83)

Klaus drinks and fights with Alistair: Light Up the Dark (Gabrielle Aplin)

Klaus and Caroline: Young Blood (Birdy)

Hope you guys liked Chapter 5! Don't forget to leave some reviews, questions, or comments. Huge thanks once again to everyone who has followed or favorited this story.