Uhhhhh so. It's been since June. I'm really really sorry that I haven't updated in so long but I have a legitimate reason. My grandpa died not even an entire day after I posted the last chapter. Like, it was hours later. I took a break for a while, and I really was going to keep updating but...I joined the Sam Wilson Birthday Bang, which lead me down a rabbit hole of MCU-related fandom things. Also I went on vacation not long after, and there wasn't much time to write. I've had the seventh chapter planned since June 7th, actually, but I don't think I can jump right in yet. I went back a re-read, and there's lots of small things that bug me about this fic. I'm not gonna rewrite again or anything, but I might go back and edit the chapters to fix those small discrepancies.

I feel bad for taking such a long break, so I'm just gonna answer everyone who's reviewed since June here:

To Alicia Olivia Mirza - Thank you so much for all the comments, they are greatly appreciated. I'll try to answer everything lol. Concerning Freya, it's a lot harder for her than some of the others, especially Henrik. I've hinted at the homophobia Mikael dished out to her, and you're right, she knew all of her siblings much better than the younger ones did. For Kol's parents, I think they're just forgetting momentarily, or something. They're older and he's been Cole Nathan Henderson for 16 years. I'll deal with that, as well as Rebekah's and Henrik's parents, someday. Kol remembers his birth name, but Rebekah was only 4 and Henrik was only 2. Rebekah will find out next chapter, and Henrik will find out when his parents get back from their vacation. Rebekah hasn't heard about the whole thing mostly because she's really busy with school/student-teaching, and when she's not doing that, she's watching Netflix or napping. I can justify this by saying that some of Alexander Hamilton's relatives hadn't heard of the play until it'd been on Broadway (or sth) for a while. And the proof...I'm gonna go back and change that, I think. I have no idea why I thought that was enough proof. I'm gonna have them send in pictures of them with their IDs, like you said.

To IrisMikaelson - Thank you! I'll try to update more but idk how regular it'll be. I have a lot of ideas in my head rn, and a lot to write.

To TwilightHybrid - Klaus is definitely going to be the most difficult to get back. Henrik, not so much, lol. I'm not sure what I have planned yet, so all I can say for certain is that Freya is not the only one who knows Klaus isn't Mikael's. As for Caroline... ;)

To Guest - Thank you!

To DawnDream9435 - Thank you!

To ahyeon - As always, thank you 3.

To Annie - Thank you! You'll get more flashback in this small update here.

To helpfulfairy92 - Thanks! There's no real plot development in this chapter unfortunately but I hope you like it anyway.

To caringniklaus - Thank you! I'll be honest, I've kept this fic in the back of my head since June. I really want to do something amazing with it, but I have to update first, lol.

This is gonna be something of an interlude. I'm still really busy with school/a MCU Big Bang/life, so this isn't a real chapter, but I love you guys so much and I want to give you something to tide you over until I can post the next chapter. And because you've all been waiting, may I please introduce...

WARNINGS: past child abuse, talk of sex but nothing explicit, nudity, basically all the bad things that generally come with talking about Mikael.

8.7 - Mid 2007, Mystic Falls

Caroline absentmindedly ran her fingers through Klaus' hair, not getting caught on any tangles. He sighed happily at the scritching feeling, and she shivered as his breath rolled over her bare skin. He smiled, an easy, beautiful thing, and she swore felt his lips curl.

It wasn't the first time they'd laid in bed together for hours, but usually, it was her on his chest, him running his fingers over her scalp. When she didn't have school or cheerleading practice or a game, they would just lie in bed. It's funny, really, Caroline thought, everyone always said sex was amazing. If you asked her, cuddling was so much better. Especially with Klaus; he's always warm, and he's not skin and bones anymore. Plus, he loves hugs, and Caroline loves giving him them - the intimacy alone is a big part of the reason why she's in love with him.

And she was in love. Not quite 18, she hadn't had much experience outside of Klaus - just a kiss with Tyler Lockwood under the bleachers when she was 13 - but she knew what this feeling was. He made her heart race. She thought about him often - not because she was obsessed with him, but because everything she saw or did, she wanted to share with him. They already shared so much - he lived in their spare room, Mom's heart too big to let him tough it out alone, and they'd had long conversations in the two years their knew each other about all sorts of things. Plus it was easier to reveal things when they were coming down from orgasms, the dark of their rooms providing a place to hide.

It wasn't dark in her room, but he was cuddled close to her and he didn't have to look her right in the eye.

"Klaus?"

"Hmm?" He nearly purred, easy and slow and happy.

She didn't stop running her fingers through his hair as she asked, "Will you tell me about it?"

He tensed so fast it made her flinch, muscles bunching visibly. She ran her free hand over his back, drawing a silly pattern with one of her fingernails in an attempt to relax him. She hadn't wanted to cause this reaction. It took a few long moments, but eventually, he relaxed. Still, when he replied, his voice was tight. "Love...it's not a good idea. I don't want to ruin this moment."

The pain that radiated from him made her want to cry, but she pressed on. "It won't be ruined, Klaus. I promise."

He tilted his head up, and looked her in the eyes. She didn't look away, not now. He reached up, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I don't want to look back on this moment and think of my father and not you. I want to remember how beautiful you look, not the face you made when I told you what he did to me."

Her eyes softened, and she mimicked him, cradling his cheek in her palm. "I understand. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." She wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to. He was two years older than her, and he'd been so careful not to force her into anything. She loved him, and she wanted him to go at his own pace, but she wanted to know that part of his history just as much. He'd revealed very little of his life before he came back to Mystic Falls to her; it would be the ultimate sign of trust if he told her more about it. She would never use that to force him to talk, though.

"Thank you, Caroline." He moved upwards for a kiss, which she happily gave him. It was a chaste as a kiss between two naked people could be, and it didn't last long. He settled back over her, his head laying on her breast.

It was a long time before either spoke again.

"He knew before I was born. He knew I wasn't his, and he hated me for it. He didn't start...abusing me, really, until I was five. I suppose he couldn't find it within himself to hurt a toddler. I don't know. After my fifth birthday, he...got angier, more violent. He turned my mother against me."

His voice is utterly blank. No inflection at all. He didn't look at her when he said it - when she looked at him, his eyes were closed. She wanted, desperately, to comfort him, but she wasn't sure how.

"He started beating me whenever I did something wrong. And everything was wrong, and everything was my fault. Once, someone left the cap of the toothpaste on the counter, and he stormed into my room, enraged, and beat me in front of Kol. Kol cried and cried, and he got Mother, and Freya, and Finn, but none of them could do anything. He'd been drinking, and he wanted to hurt someone. The next day, he said it just happened to be me, but he was a liar. It was always me. Always." With every sentence, he shut his eyes tighter. A tear still leaked out, though, and onto her chest. Tears had sprung to her own eyes, and with this, she couldn't help but scooch down under him, so they were face-to-face, and wrapped her arms tight around him.

"Caroline. What did I do?" He asked, a horrible hitch accompanying the plea. He was almost silent, his voice a whispered rasp. "What did I do?"

She took in a deep breath, reminded herself that she asked and that she loved him, and consoled him for hours.

Later, much later and in the dark under his blankets, he'd tell her it was the second time he'd ever cried about it, and the first time he'd cried since in eleven years. She'd just hug him and thank god he wasn't dead.

If you read the last version of this fic, then you'll recognize this. I revamped it, added a lot to it. I really hope you like it, and sorry again for taking so long to update. Thank you all so much for sticking around with me and with this fic 3

Find me on tumblr at mon-amour-eternel.