Chapter Text
Day 1:
Hope rushes into the common room. “Josie, Lizzie, I know we aren’t on the best of terms but I need you to hide Landon. And maybe help me with a spell that prevents anyone from mentioning him all day.”
“Hope, while we’d love to help--”
“We wouldn’t.” Lizzie supplies.
“Our mom is actually in town, so we’ll be spending the next couple days with her.” Josie finishes, looking perturbed at her sister. “Why do you need help hiding your not-boyfriend anyway?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Lizzie lounges back against the couch, clearly intent on not moving anytime soon. “The great Klaus Mikaelson has decided to grace us, and more importantly Hope, with his presence. And Hope isn’t sure daddy dearest won’t kill her new beau.”
Hope looks at them expectantly, but Lizzie just stares her down, with Josie casting worried glances between the two. “Ugh, I’ll do it myself. Thanks for nothing.” She stomps off, presumably in the direction of Landon’s dorm. Caroline arrives just as she leaves.
“Was that Hope? I thought you two were getting along better with her?”
“MOM!!!!” The twins scream in unison and run up to hug her. “Forget about her,” Lizzie commands, “tell us about your trip! Bring any fresh meat?” Josie shakes her head at her twin’s description of new students.
“It was great, but I missed you two too much” Caroline pinches their cheeks, before sweeping them up in each arm in a massive display of vampire strength.
“Mom, we’re getting too big for this!” Josie laughs around her words all the same while hoisted up in the air.
“Nonsense, I’ve been getting stronger faster than you two get taller for years.” Caroline swings them around one more time before gently setting them down. “So which do you want to catch me up on first, cuties or school?”
A British accented voice, smirk evident even in the sound, breaks through. “Excuse me, could someone direct me to the headmistress’s office in this lovely establishment?”
The twins watch as their mom whips around at vampire speed, a faint blush visible on her skin. “Headmistress doesn’t have an office, but she can take your questions here.” She smiles at the hybrid standing in the doorway. “Klaus.”
“These must be your lovely daughters, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” The twins are leery of his smile, but make quick introductions of themselves. Lizzie curtsies, which she immediately regrets, while Josie holds out her hand to shake, which he doesn’t take.
They are saved further embarrassment by the school bell. “Oh my god, we’ve got to get to class. Sorry, Mom” Josie hesitates, “Mr. Mikaelson, nice to meet you.” With that, Josie drags her twin off to class by the arm.
“I should be thanking you, the two rarely are that prompt when it comes to their classes.” Caroline says with a laugh, the last thing the twins hear before they round the corner.
Day 2:
They are all in the common room working on witch homework when Josie stands up and smooths her skirt. “Well, we should probably get to Dad’s office if we are going to meet Mom for lunch.”
MG slides past them on his way across the common room. "Don't go near the offices, there are two vampires fucking in there." He promptly tries to hurry away, only to be stopped short by Hope's strong hand on his shoulder.
"There are students fucking in my dad's office?!?!?" Lizzie screeches, then sniffs. "How could you tell they were vampires?"
"Vamps sound different." Hope supplies. "Between the breaking things and the blood-sharing...."
Josie visibly shudders. Lizzie looks like she might retch. "Please stop talking." Hope merely shrugs. She had better ears than they gave her credit for growing up and was surrounded by forever horny vampire relatives. She's heard some shit.
MG has finally regained some of his composure. "I don't think they were students, since I didn't recognize their voices. Not that I'll ever be able to unhear them" It's his turn to shudder. Hope releases his shoulder and he vamp speeds off.
Lizzie flops back dramatically with a sigh. "I can't believe two random vamps broke in the day Mom and Hope's dad are visiting."
Josie and Hope just exchange a look and Lizzie shoots up straight again. " No, you've got to be kidding me." She takes off running in the direction of the offices, shouting the whole time. “MOM!!! You better not be doing what I think you’re doing!!!” Josie and Hope run after her, and they arrive in time to see Lizzie banging on the door to Alaric’s office.
Caroline swings open the door, dress unrumpled, clutching a dustpan in one hand. ”Sorry sweetie, what were you saying?”
“Oh, um…” Lizzie stutters off, looking around the room. The furniture is all in the correct place.
Klaus is wearing a self satisfied smirk until he sees Hope standing there. “I hope you’ll let me take you out to lunch now Hope.” Klaus stands up swiftly. “If taking her off campus is alright with you, Miss Forbes.” Hope almost laughs at his attempt at formality. When Caroline merely nods, busy sweeping up a broken vase, he takes Hope’s arm in his and heads out the door. “It was lovely catching up with you Caroline” he says with a laugh in his voice.
They shut the door behind them, leaving Caroline and the twins alone in the office. “Well, that was anticlimactic.” Josie sighs, sitting down in front of Alaric’s desk.
“What are you talking about?!?!” Lizzie sounds as if she can’t believe her twin. She gives a pointed look first at the blush on Caroline’s neck then the spot where the vase once stood. Josie merely raises her eyebrows in response, so Lizzie takes some initiative. “So Mom, what were you and Hope’s dad talking about?”
Caroline finishes putting the last of the vase in the wastebasket. “Oh, Klaus? He wanted to know how Hope was doing.” She was determinedly not looking at them.
“But you’re hardly ever here, so he should have been asking Dad.”
“Klaus and your father aren’t on the best of terms.”
“So?!?! That doesn’t mean…..”
Caroline sits down behind Alaric’s desk and suddenly looks every inch the Headmaster of the school she is meant to be. “Lizzie, either ask what you want to ask or learn to mind your own business” she says flatly. Lizzie reels back and Caroline merely checks her phone. “Looks like we are going to the Mystic Grill unless you two want to go to the same lunch place as the Mikaelsons.” She stands up gracefully, putting on her most loving smile. “Let’s get going, it sounds like you two have had an eventful semester to finish catching me up on.”
Day 3:
Hope’s grand plan, a combination of spells and text messaging, to keep Landon away from her dad fails on the third day of his visit. Luckily, or not so luckily, Caroline was walking with him when the two of them ran into Hope and Landon, both couples arm in arm. She makes quick work of introducing everyone, but Landon remains unversed in supernatural etiquette and doesn’t know to properly fear Klaus Mikaelson.
“So how old are you, exactly?” Caroline says mid thirties but Landon remains confused. “But you look my age.”
“I turned into a vampire at eighteen.”
Landon then turns to Klaus. “And how old are you?”
“Well over a thousand, though I suspect you are referring to the age at which I turned. I was just shy of 22 winters.” Klaus has a self-satisfied smile plastered on his face.
“So, in 5 years, Hope will be physically older than you.” Landon continues, his confusion a pout on his face.
“My daughters will be physically older than me in just 2 years.” Caroline pipes up, rather unhelpfully.
Landon does his best to muddle through to his point, while the vampires just look at him bemused. “And you two are dating.”
Caroline and Klaus talk at the same time.
“I wouldn’t call it anything as plebian as dating--”
“He wishes--”
They look at each other in surprise and Landon backpedals. “Ok, so you two clearly haven’t had that talk yet.” He slowly backs up, Hope’s face ashen. “Maybe I should just go.” Landon breaks off into a run back to the dormitory, Hope calling after him. She ends up excusing herself to make sure Landon knows he isn’t dead meat with a pointed look at her dad. When she’s gone, Klaus barks out a laugh.
“What, you’re not going to go after him?”
“I know you take your ‘no-killing on school grounds’ rule very seriously, love.”
Klaus leans back against one side of the doorway and Caroline mirrors him. “That’s not what I meant, though now I’m a little worried.”
“I’m not going to kill the boy for being curious” She merely cocks an eyebrow at him. “”Or for being interested in Hope. Though I will do a better background check on this one than the last.” He grimaces at the memory.
She tries to change the subject. “It will be weird for them to look older than us. At some point they might pretend to be our parents or aunts.”
Klaus is incredulous. “Why on earth would they do that?”
Caroline shrugs. “Stefan always said his great-nephew was his uncle when he lived here. I suspect I’ll need a good cover story soon enough for when I take the girls on vacation. Compelling every human you meet takes too much work.” They ruminate on that for a moment.
“So Caroline,” He leans across the doorway into her space. “How would you define what we are?”
Caroline’s exit is faster than either Landon or Hope managed.