Once news spread about Caroline, Damon, Katherine, Elena, and Tatia being kidnapped, everyone was called back to meet at the Salvatore Penthouse, being the most secure building. Giuseppe and Georgi were on their phones calling the police department to get more information, while Liz was hiring personal bodyguards for the children, as well as themselves.

The Mikaelson's had yet to join the rest, as they were rushing to the hospital after learning Klaus had been shot, the same went for Enzo's father and Luanne. Davina and Kol had bolted the second the news ended, leaving Mary Alice alone and confused. Kol made sure Davina safely made it to the Salvatore penthouse where she met her father, and Kol rushed to the hospital calling Rebekah as he ran.

Caroline woke up completely disoriented and confused, her vision slightly blurred and her thoughts not coherent. She tried to squirm, but found her arms and legs bound to a chair. That's when all the memories hit her, the sweet dance her and Klaus shared, the gun shot, the blood. Klaus, what happened to him? Where was he?

"Caroline?" Came a tentative voice. It was similar to Katherine's, but slightly sweeter. Caroline opened her eyes to see that she was locked in a cage as well, Elena in the one next to her, Damon was on Elena's other side, followed by Tatia, and Caroline saw Katherine in the cell on her other side.

"Elena?" Caroline guessed. "What happened? Where are we?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was getting taken by some men while I was out with Damon, Enzo, and Tatia." Elena responded in a slightly slurred voice. The others were still out cold and Caroline tried to open her mouth to scream, but Elena cut her off.

"They won't wake up, the people who took us drugged us with something. I've been calling for help or trying to wake someone else up." Elena explained.

"I was with Klaus. They shot him..." Caroline said in a shaky voice, still in shock over their current predicament. "How long have you been awake?"

"About five minutes before you stirred." Elena responded. They both took in the surroundings, it was dark and minimal light shone through. It looked like an old warehouse, there weren't many sounds outside meaning it was probably far away from the city. There were also a few doors leading to other places, but they couldn't see beyond that. "Is that your blood?"

Caroline was frantically trying to struggle against the ropes when Elena had spoken, she looked down and saw the blood staining her clothes, Klaus' blood. "We need to get out of here."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Mikaelson. I'm not following." Ansel said as he was being stared down by a small blonde teenager, although she seemed slightly threatening no matter how old she was.

"I want to know how long you've been having an affair with my mother." Rebekah said bluntly. Stefan snapped his head to look at her, eyes wide, and jaw dropped.

"Rebekah!" Stefan hissed. Although his reaction didn't concern her very much. Ansel on the other hand looked wide eyed and nervous. Guilty even.

He'd never been so thrown off in his life. He'd fallen in love with a married woman who had children, he never expected that it would lead to a situation such as this one.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ansel denied, but it didn't look like she was buying it.

"I don't like being lied to." Rebekah said simply. "I'm not here to create some large scandal Mr. Atlantic. I just want you to answer my questions and you'll never see me again."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Ansel emphasized again. Rebekah rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. Then she held out her hand for Stefan to give her a piece of paper, which she then handed to Ansel.

"Do you know that is?" Rebekah asked, clearly he did because it was written all over his face. "It's a paternity test my mother had ordered for her most recent pregnancy. My, my isn't it convenient that your name is plastered across the top?"

"Where is he?" Kol demanded the second he walked into the hospital. There were police and press swarming the perimeter and he'd almost knocked someone out trying to get in.

Esther and Mikael were the only ones at the hospital at the moment. The usually well put together woman was pacing back and forth with a hand over her protruding stomach, while Mikael sat in an uncomfortable chair, probably only there for appearance. Kol resisted the urge to punch him.

"Kol!" Esther cried and engulfed her son in a hug. Tears were streaming down her face and she was almost hyperventilating. "He's in surgery. They rushed him in, he was bleeding, and…"

"What happened?" Kol demanded weakly. "Where's the rest of the family?"

"Elijah, Finn, and Freya are on their way here, but I can't get a hold of Rebekah." Mikael snapped harshly. "For God sake Esther, pull yourself together and stop crying!"

That only made her cry harder and Kol glared at his father. He wasn't particularly fond of either of his parents, but right now his brother was in an operating room and his mother had a right to be distraught.

As if on cue, Finn, Sage and Freya bound into the waiting room, all looking frantic and scared. Fortunately Keelin wasn't anywhere to be found, they didn't need to turn this into a family soap opera.

"What happened?" Freya said as soon as they reached Kol. He recounted the events to his siblings and the best they could do was sit and wait for Klaus to pull through.

Katherine slowly woke up, barely registering what was happening. Memories started flooding her mind, first filled with anger and then panic. Her head shot up frantically but she couldn't move.

"Katherine!" Caroline called, and Katherine focused and started zeroing into place. She took in her surroundings and found herself bound in a cage, and so was everyone else.

"What the hell happened?" She groaned.

"We were kidnapped, Katherine." Tatia snapped. "A little obvious isn't it?"

Katherine glared at the other girl, effectively shutting her up, and then took a moment to study everyone else. Caroline was pale and shaking, tears streaking down her face. Elena was on her other side, looking pretty pale too and staring blankly into space. Then there was Damon, who on the outside looked unphased to be strong for his sister and the other girls, but Katherine could see the small beads of sweat pooling on his forehead.

"We all just woke up too." Caroline explained, wiping her cheek on her shoulder. "We're not sure why or who took us."

"It couldn't have been random." Damon added, anger seeping into his voice. "They were targeting us."

"How do you know?" Elena asked, confused. She seemed to finally break out of her trance.

"Think about it," Caroline said and shook her head expectantly. "They knew exactly where we were, they only took Salvatore's and Petrova's. They...they shot Klaus."

"What?" Katherine snapped. "Where is he then?"

"The hospital I hope." Caroline said, she sounded empty, but her face was contorted into pain and worry. "We need to get out of here. I..."

"We'll get out." Damon promised, forcing his baby sister to look at him. He nodded at her and offered a weak smile.

Elijah was in the common room of his dorm, surrounded by his study group and multiple piles of books. Everyone was laying in various spots, giving up on doing any actual work, except for Elijah who was still writing an essay.

"Come on, Elijah." Celeste begged. "Take a break, everyone else is."

Elijah kissed her forehead and went back to writing. "I need to finish my essay because my sister has requested I attend a brunch she is forcing my siblings and I into."

"Elijah-" Celeste began again, although she never got to finish because someone had turned on the television, showing the news. A newscaster's voice rang throughout the dorm, pictures of the Salvatore's and Petrova's running across the screen.

Elijah was barely processing what the newscaster was saying after he heard the word kidnapping, his mind had wandered to his memories of Katherine. The short time she was his and he was hers.

Two year ago, Bali

The summer had come and gone and the Manhattan teenagers decided to spend the last two weeks on a private island the families shared. It was their last night and they decided to spend it inside, away from paparazzi, who'd been taking pictures of them all week. The sun had gone down and they were all inside the house, playing games, a movie was on in the background, and pillows were strewn everywhere.

"You cheater!" Caroline snapped at Kol as they played some card game with Stefan and Enzo. Davina wasn't playing, but she was tucked into Kol's side reading a book.

"Such harsh words, Darling." Kol responded, slightly slurred from his drunken state. "I did no such thing."

"Lies." Caroline retorted and crossed her arms defiantly. Klaus let out a small laugh from her pouting and she snapped her head to glare at him, he only winked back at her.

"Come now Gorgeous, let's get you another drink." Enzo said to placate her and pulled Caroline to her feet. She got up, forgetting about her cards and hopped onto Enzo's back, barely missing the look he shared with Kol.

Katherine laughed at all their antics and laid across Damon, who was running his fingers through her hair. She sighed contently and got up, throwing on a sweater that belonged to Davina. "I'm going for a walk on the beach."

She heard a few murmurs of acknowledgment, but everyone was occupied. She smiled at the sight of all her friends and slipped out the glass doors, waving at Rebekah who was lounging on the porch before stepping onto the beach.

The cool breeze touched her hot skin and she loved it, breathing in the sweet scent. Katherine walked down the beach, letting her toes dig into the sand and the water barely touch her feet. After making it a little ways away from the house she sat down just close enough to the water for it to brush the tips of her toes when it came to shore.

It was a while before someone came to sit behind her, pulling her into his chest, one she was very familiar with. "Hello, Katerina."

She hummed back. "Elijah."

"What're you still doing out here?" He asked softly, playing with the ends of her hair. She purred and turned on her side to completely lay down in his arms.

"Just thinking about how much I don't want to leave." She responded. Not just because of how warm it was or because of how happy she was here with her friends, but because going back to New York meant she was going to have to say goodbye to Elijah.

He caught onto her double meaning and moved the sweater off her shoulder to kiss the exposed skin. "I don't want to leave either."

Katherine threw her head back, letting the moonlight soak into her skin. "What're you thinking about?"

"You." Elijah answered simply.

They sat there for a long time, not moving or talking. They weren't the kind of people who needed to talk to each other. For them not talking was actually a lot easier.

It was easier for Elijah to pretend Katherine isn't considered inappropriately too young for him. He could forget that he wasn't in love with her. If he wasn't talking then he wasn't thinking, if he started thinking then he would convince himself out of giving into Katherine's advances.

As for Katherine, she just wasn't a talkative person, she didn't need to talk about her feelings or actions. She always set her mind to a certain idea and stuck with it. On some level she and Elijah didn't talk because Katherine felt like maybe she'd accidentally admit to caring for him more than she should. A novel idea that scared her to the core.

"Are you going to Yale?" Katherine blurted out, it had been a decision weighing on Elijah for the past couple weeks and he hadn't given her a straight answer yet. She usually would demand an immediate answer, but like always Elijah was the exception.

He sighed and traced patterns along her hip bones. "I am going."

She sat up and gave him an inquisitive look. "When were you going to tell me?"

He looked away and Katherine got her answer, he wasn't going to. "I'm sorry."

"Don't." Katherine snapped and got up, walking back towards the house. She knew they weren't in a real relationship, that they had an agreement it would never lead anywhere serious, but she liked to think Elijah had more respect for her than to just walk away.

"Katerina." Elijah called after her, reaching for her arm to turn her around. She crossed her arms and glared. He was ashamed of himself at that very moment, looking at her hurt and guard expression. He liked to think he was a good person, but everything about Katherine and everything between them made him think differently. Always forcing him to think with desires instead of logic.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Katherine demanded.

Elijah stuttered over a response, he loved her, he was undeniably in love with her, and just maybe he didn't want to say goodbye because he wouldn't be able to let her go. Yet that wasn't the answer he was going to give her. "I didn't think you'd care, you were the one who decided this would end when I graduated."

Katherine felt like Elijah slapped her across the face. "Do you think I deserve for you to just disappear on me!"

"No, no. Katerina," Elijah started and grabbed her arms, he didn't think he could say anything to make this better. "I should've told you I was leaving. I regret not telling you sooner."

"Not good enough." Katherine hissed and turned her back, just like he would've done to her.

"Katerina, please." Elijah begged and grabbed her wrist, it was hurting him to watch her walk away. She turned around, all traces of her open exterior were gone and he felt like he'd lost her.

"Please what!" Katherine snapped. She was Katherine Petrova, she was strong and incredibly guarded, she wouldn't let this affect her. Except that it was tearing her apart on the inside.

"I care about you, Katerina." Elijah began and pressed his forehead against hers, she melted into his arms for a split second before pulling away. "I crave your affections and I regret ever thinking it would be so easy to just walk away."

"So couldn't this work?" Katherine whispered. This wasn't her, she barely recognized the girl who was speaking. She was not this person, but all the same she was. "It's always been a secret and that doesn't have to change."

"I made my decision a long time ago." Elijah started and Katherine felt her body turn numb, he forced her guard down again and she was naive enough to let him. "As much as I want a life with you, that isn't my future."

"Then I was ignorant." Katherine whispered and pulled away from him. He made his choice and she would too.

"I'm sorry." Elijah said, not knowing what else he could say. "Please, don't be upset with me, Katerina."

"I'm not upset." Katherine called back, her tone hard and cold as she walked away. "And I'm not your Katerina anymore."

In that moment, Elijah never regretted that day more than anything in his life.

It had been at least four hours since they all woke up and they still had no indication of who had taken them or why. Caroline was turning more pale by the second just thinking about Klaus. He could be dead right now and she never got to say goodbye or tell him she loved him. It was making her heartbeat ring in her ears. The blond could still remember hearing the gunshot first, she could feel the blood pouring from his wound as she frantically tried to put pressure on it, and she avoided looking at her skirt, knowing it was soaked in Klaus' blood.

Katherine on the other hand looked incredibly bored, like someone stopped her on the street, not like someone snatched her out of a store. Although she was internalizing on the inside, situations like this put your life into perspective. Katherine was thinking about her life, how she was ruthless, manipulative, selfish, and honestly, she didn't have a single regret for her behavior. She is who she is and that something she decided a long time ago.

Tatia seemed to have finally realized the full extent of the situation and was cursing the day her mother took them to Manhattan, she sat there whining about how she never wanted this life, despite the fact that she clearly did and couldn't handle it. Elena was in a similar state to Caroline, quiet, pale, and scared. She was shaking in her chair, wrist probably raw from how they rubbed against the rope.

Damon was the calmest out of all of them, if not only to ensure the girls they would be fine. Caroline was his baby sister and Katherine might as well have been too, it was his job to protect them and he felt like failure at the moment.

"What if we never get out." Elena whispered. They all turned sharply to look at her.

"Come on now, Pretty Girl." Damon said softly, a voice he only used on Elena. "We'll get out. Don't think like that."

"How could I not." Elena retorted and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Because worse things have happened." Katherine answered stoically, although not unkindly.

"I fell in love with your mother." Ansel finally relented, giving into Rebekah's interrogation. He couldn't find a way out anymore, not when she had proof. "I had recently stopped seeing her, at the time I didn't know why. Now I assume it's because of her pregnancy."

"You didn't know she was pregnant?" Stefan asked, leaning onto his knees.

"I found out when she publicly announced it, when she left me I didn't." Ansel clarified, his tone somber and so was his appearance.

"How did you meet?" Rebekah asked briskly. She was here for answers, not to sympathize with someone she considered a homewrecker.

He looked up at her for a moment, focusing on her features. "You remind me a lot of your mother when she was younger. Headstrong and demanding, but beautiful."

Rebekah froze for a second, then hardened her gaze. "Answer my question."

He sighed and looked out the window, like he was lost in his memories. "Your father and I were doing business together. He invited me over for dinner and I met her there. She was stunning, dressed in a light blue dress, she had long hair back then and it always shone in the light."

Rebekah was taken aback by his genuine comments about her mother. To Rebekah she was always hard and unfeeling, but this man described her as an unrecognizable person.

"I don't need the extra commentary." Rebekah snapped, but Stefan could hear the slight hitch in her voice towards the end. He placed his hand on top of hers and rubbed his thumb over her fingers.

"Why would you stay with her when she had a whole family?" Rebekah found herself asking. To her this whole situation didn't make sense, she understood the feeling of wanting to be someone, but she didn't understand why Ansel would continue seeing her mother if she would never leave Mikael.

"Because I loved her." Ansel said simply.

"And that's enough for you?" Stefan inquired. Ansel looked between the two of them for a moment, he had a contemplative expression on his face.

"For some people." He answered cryptically. Then he leaned his head down and sighed harshly. "There is another reason, a selfish reason, but it's not my place to tell you, Rebekah."

Freya paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room, a hand running through her hair and the other placed firmly on her hip. Finn and Sage offered to take Mikael and Esther home, considering Mikael didn't want to be there and Esther was hysterical. A doctor had prescribed her something to calm down and she was basically knocked out in the limo. Kol was sitting in front of Freya, bouncing his knee up and down, trying to call Rebekah, but her phone was constantly going to voicemail. Elijah had yet to arrive and Kol was trying to get a hold of him too.

"Anything?" Freya asked Kol. Stopping her pacing for a moment to look at her youngest brother.

"Nothing." Kol sighed. "Rebekah's not picking up and last I heard Elijah was on his way."

"Anything on the others." Freya whispered, referring to the Salvatore's and Petrova's. Kol shook his head roughly.

"Davina says the police don't have anything and she's hacking every security camera in Manhattan to find something." Kol responded. "Stefan isn't answering my calls either."

Elijah rushed into the hospital, his usual well put together appearance was disheveled. He didn't have a tie, no jacket, and his white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Where's Niklaus." Was the first question he asked upon spotting his siblings. Freya threw herself into his arms and nearly whimpered. He wrapped his arms around her and cupped her cheek softly.

"We don't know, he's in surgery right now." Kol answered.

"Pray tell, where is the rest of our family?" Elijah asked.

"Our father was his usual self and mother was hysterical. Finn and Sage took them back home and Rebekah won't answer her bloody phone." Kol answered and nearly threw his phone across the room. Elijah sighed disappointingly.

"Ms. Mikaelson?" A doctor called from the doorway. All three remaining siblings shared a look and braced themselves for the worst.

"Well, well, well you're all awake." A voice called into the warehouse.

Caroline flinched, she knew exactly whose voice that was. "Hayley?"

She stepped out into the light, dressed in a tight pair of skinny jeans and a white shirt under an army green jacket.

"Hello, Bitch." Hayley said and waved her fingers. "Miss me?"