Summary : It took one chance meeting for Caroline Forbes to become friends with

Rebekah Mikaelson, one smart comment to become infuriatingly attracted to Rebekah's brother Klaus, one mistaken identity for Stefan to fall for Rebekah, and two lonely hearts for Caroline and Klaus to become inseparable. Will they survive the bond they all created or will enemies from the past destroy them?

Chapter 1 The year was 1924 and 20 years ago to the day, Caroline Forbes was turned into a vampire. She had been 17 and never saw her attacker, only felt the sharp string in her neck as two elongated incisors bit into her skin and drained her of her life. She could remember the tangy, iron taste of her attacker's blood as it spilled past her lips and down her throat, ensuring her transition into becoming one of the undead. When she woke up, Caroline had no idea she was dead. She was lying in a pool of her own blood and had been tossed into a nearby ditch, covered in weeds and small tendrils of grass. Her perfectly pressed blonde hair was tangled into rattails and her beautiful blue gown was torn to shreds, her skin sallow and pale underneath. She could remember the hollow feeling in her chest as the realization of being dead hit her and the pulse of all surrounding creatures filled her head with a steady pounding. Caroline hadn't had self-control back then. She's torn into the first unsuspecting victims next that she'd seen, ending his life and solidifying her own. She's finished the transition and became the thing she feared most: a ripper. She killed for sport and didn't realize that there was an entirely different way to live. She's didn't realize that there was another option. Not until she met Stefan. Stefan Salvatore had introduced her to the life she always suspected existed somewhere she couldn't quite find it. Stefan lived as a vampire under the radar, feeding off humans but not killing them. He drank their blood and gave his victim a small taste of his own to heal them. Stefan was Caroline would have classified as a good vampire, so much stronger than she was. She'd been a vampire for four years when Stefan found her curled in a ball, soaked to from head to toe in her latest victim's blood. He'd taken her to his home and cleaned her up but also gave her a shoulder to cry on. Stefan had been her rock in a hard place, offering her a family she hadn't had since she's been turned. Her own family had shunned her, called her a demon, and forbid her from coming into their home. They'd told everyone that Caroline Forbes was dead; killed by an animal and left in pieces in the woods behind their home. They'd had a funeral for her, too, letting the entire town and surrounding cities know that the most important legislator's daughter had been killed. In the past 16 years since she'd known Stefan, they'd grown incredibly close. They traveled the world in search of the perfect town to settle down and create a life. They were the best of friends and nothing more, the idea of starting a relationship sending the two of them into disgusted fits of giggles for hours. They were family first and foremost, always looking out for each other when there was no one else. Caroline would be forever grateful that Stefan stumbled upon her that one fateful night. She would never forget the impact he'd had on her life. The two of them we're currently sitting at the bar in a quaint speakeasy in Chicago called The Crimson Club, the music blaring around them noisily. Stefan looked dashing at always in a black tuxedo and oiled back hair, his bright green eyes smiling into Caroline's

as she sipped her martini. His eyes took her in appreciatively, humming in approval at the dress she'd chosen to wear. It was her favorite red beaded flapper dress that ended at mid-thigh and amazing black high heels that Stefan had bought as a present for her human birthday. "Congratulations, Caroline," Stefan smiled with a light toast of his brandy. "How does it feel?" "Hmm," she hummed, gazing down at her forever 17 year old body. "It feel's nice to not have to worry about aging. I can't say being an eternal teenage girl is going to be all that exciting, but I do enjoy the perks of compelling the bartender to give me alcohol." A fresh martini with two green olives slid across the counter and stopped in front of her. She lightly grasped the glass by its thin stem and brought it to Stefan's glass to lightly tap them together in a toast, the quiet tingling noise of the glasses touching reverberating through the air. Caroline's eyes traveled to the back wall where all of the balconies sat full of people throwing back drinks and speaking to each other casually. Her eyes landed on two spectacularly glowing people, their classic beauty standing out amongst the average onlookers. Their faces were incredibly defined and they both had beautiful cerulean eyes, the depths so blue Caroline felt she could swim in them. Their lips were full, pink, and twitching into half smiles every time the other spoke. Both shared blonde hair that looked soft to the touch and Caroline knew that they were siblings as she quietly examined them. "Who are they?" Caroline asked Stefan, enthralled. She sneakily pointed to the two people in question and dropped her hand as Stefan's eyes took in the couple in the back. He cocked his head and shrugged, turning back to gaze at her as he sipped his drink. "I'm not sure, really. I know they're vampires, probably old, but I've never come across them before." Caroline nodded and took a small sip of her martini, running her finger over the lip of the martini glass, her eyes never straying from the siblings in the back.

In choosing a new city to test out for living, Caroline and Stefan had a routine: they went from city to city and got a feel of the land before deciding if the town was going to work out for them, never finding the right place. They'd been to Prague, Paris, Italy, and now they'd resettled in the States, their overseas adventures ending in disappointment. When they stopped in Chicago, Caroline don't think they were quite expecting to find such an interesting little bar like the one the two of them were currently leaving. The music had been lively, the bartenders quick to refill drinks, the men deliciously attractive, and the company superb. Stefan always knew how to keep her entertained; he never disappointed. "I found a couple who wouldn't mind helping us with our thirst," Stefan said from behind Caroline as she stood waiting for him outside the club. She twirled around and came face to chest with the tall, dark, and handsome man that had been sitting at the edge of the bar all night. On his arm was a girl of Caroline's same height but with dark black hair that was pinned to her head in an elegant twist. She wore dark red lipstick and Caroline smiled at her, tilting her head.

"Thank you," Caroline murmured quietly to Stefan as he pulled gently on the girls arm. "I was starved." Caroline tossed her small, white satin clutch behind the bushes for safe keeping and grasped the man by the arm. "What's your name?" she asked him casually. "Jonathon," was his reply. His voice was deep and it flowed over his like warm chocolate. "My name is Jonathon." "It's nice to meet you, Jonathon." Caroline led him into the edge of the woods where she walked slightly ahead of him. Her face transformed and she dilated her eyes, whipping around. Jonathon was already under Stefan's compulsion so it only took a slight tug against his mind to have him leaning down towards her, his neck ready to offer. Caroline inhaled the scent of his skin deep into her nose and opened her mouth wide as her fangs elongated. She sank her teeth into his neck and moaned quietly as his blood slipped past her lips and into her body. She swallowed mouthful after mouthful, feeling his body slowly slip to the ground. Her arms went around his middle and she fell with him to the forest floor, cradling his limp body to hers. When she felt sated, she pulled away and bit into her wrist to have him drink from her, healing the puncture marks in his neck. The man's dark brown eyes slid open and he looked at her blankly as she stood, pulling her with him. She dusted them both off just as Stefan came around the corner with the woman and a smile on his face. "Done?" Caroline grinned and nodded. "Yes, thank you." The two of them walked their companions to the edge of the woods and back to the entrance of the nightclub. Stefan grasped them both by the arms and set to work on coercing them into forgetting what had happened. He told them they had no idea why they were all dirty and so tired. He sent them home with just the memory of having a wonderful night in their minds. "I think we chose the right town, Care," Stefan said, deep in thought. He watched the couple walk down the road and away from him and his friend as Caroline stepped up behind him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Me, too, Stef," Caroline whispered with a smile. She kissed his cheek and brushed the collar of his jacket. "You should head home. I have to grab my bag and I'll head out, as well." "All right," he smiled and patted her cheek affectionately. Stefan turned and began to walk down the street in the same direction of the couple. He passed under a street lamp and then used his vampire speed to cut through town where he stopped at his front door. Caroline sighed and hugged herself, rubbing her arms for warmth. The small dresses that she chose to wear were perfect for clubs: thin and showing just enough skin to alleviate the heat of all the bodies packed into one small place. Outside and at such a late hour, gooseflesh rose on her arms and she let out a quiet cold exhale.

Just as her fingers wrapped around the fabric of her handbag, she heard a twig snap behind her. Her senses went on red alert and she stood slowly, her hands going to her sides. Swallowing, she turned on her heel and came face to face with the blonde woman from the balcony; the vampire she'd been openly gazing at from the bar all night. "And who is this?" the woman asked with a large grin and pearly white teeth. Caroline squared her shoulders and tilted her head up. "My name is Caroline Forbesand you are?" "Rebekah," she said casually, flicking some dirt off of the shoulder of her beautiful white dress. "Rebekah Mikaelson." "It's a pleasure to meet you," Caroline murmured nervously, clasping her hands behind her back. For some reason, she desperately wanted Rebekah to like her. More so, she wanted Rebekah to be her friend. Rebekah gazed at Caroline and cocked her head, her eyes lighting up with a smile. "Are you a young vampire, then?" Caroline felt her eyes widen and her gaze snapped to the ground, embarrassed. "Not well yes I think so. Twenty years today." "Oh!" Rebekah said on a sharp intake of breath. She stepped forward and clasped Caroline by the arms with a large smile on her beautiful face. "We must celebrate! Come with me to my home! You can meet my brother and we can have a wonderful night!" Caroline felt the excitement transfer through Rebekah's touch and her heart skipped a beat. She smiled and cocked her head, amused at Rebekah's exclamation. Rebekah seemed to catch herself and she flushed, her face falling. "Please excuse me; it has been a while since I've met another vampire who didn't immediately make me want to stake myself." Caroline snorted and Rebekah's gaze snapped to her eyes. She opened her mouth to apologize but just shook her head as laughter spilled from her lips instead. Rebekah glared and pouted, crossing her arms. "Was something I said amusing, Caroline?" Caroline chuckled some more and shook her out her messy blonde hair, holding her hands up in surrender. "No, I'm sorry! I just ," she sighed, looking at the ground and smiling wistfully. "It's just that when you started talking to me, all I could think about was how much I wanted you to like me." Rebekah's face lit up once again and she pulled Caroline toward her, linking her arm with hers. "How spectacular, friends even before we officially met. Come! You must meet Nik!" Caroline allowed Rebekah to lead her down the road and along the empty, quiet street. She took in the sights of the new side of town she hadn't been too and internally oohed and awed at the sight of beautiful mansions littering the neighborhood. They contained immaculate fountains and long, twisting pathways leading to their doors; some paths exceptionally long and some short.

They came to a stop at the entry way to the largest mansion on the block, every room illuminated and glowing. The home itself seemed to leak with warmth and Caroline felt herself being drawn toward her, her fingers reaching from her side to break the barrier between her body and the home. "This is it," Rebekah announced proudly. "Nik designed the entire thing and had it built specifically for the two of us!" Caroline allowed Rebekah to lead her along the driveway and to the set of double doors that opened into an impressive foyer. Rebekah pulled on Caroline's hand and slowly walked into the large front room that contained the warmest looking furniture and a roaring fire. Her gooseflesh went away the longer Caroline stood in the room and she felt the heat seep through her skin and into her bones, melting them and making her comfortable and slumberous. "Nik, this is Caroline," Rebekah said to the back of a high backed chair facing the fire. "Caroline, this is my brother, Nik." A face popped around the side of the chair and then he was standing to his full height, his lean body stretching languidly as he walked around the seat and approached the two of them. Apparently Nik was the incredibly attractive man she was sitting with on the balcony earlier that night. In his hand he was twirling a half full glass of scotch, a small smile touching the corner of his lips. Caroline stayed behind Rebekah and gazed at the floor awkwardly, embarrassed at the fact that she was covered in dirt and everything else in the room was impeccably clean. For the first time in what felt like years, she was actually interested in pleasing this new man. She wanted him to like her; to think she was beautiful. Nik's gaze looked Caroline up and down and then settled on Rebekah with a light smirk. "Bringing home strays, love?" Caroline's firey azure eyes snapped to his and she straightened her back, all thoughts of being pleasant flying out of the window. "I am not a stray! My name is Caroline Forbes and I happen to have a home, thank you! Rebekah was kind enough to invite me back to your home to have a drink to celebrate the evening. If you don't mind, I do believe we will start the drinking process." She huffed and crossed her arms, turning to look at Rebekah who was gazing at her in amused surprise. Rebekah glanced at her brother and threw her head back to laugh as her hand lightly fell onto Caroline's upper arm. "I do like her, Nik!" Rebekah chuckled with sparkling eyes. "She's a spitfire!" Caroline turned and glared in this new stranger's general direction as he stared at her in awe, completely and totally shocked by her outburst. Ever so slowly, his lips curved into a rather cute smirk and he stepped forward, offering Caroline his hand to grasp. "I do apologize, darling," he held her fingers and brought her white gloved knuckles to his lips. "Forgive me. It's lovely to meet you, Miss Caroline, my name is Niklaus Mikaelson. You may call me Klaus." Caroline stared into his amused blue orbs, shocked at his audacity. "All is forgiven. May we drink?"

"Ooh." He laughed and the sound rang throughout the room, lighting up Rebekah's eyes. "I like her, too. She will be a lovely addition." Caroline felt her brows pucker in confusion and she looked to Rebekah for understanding. Rebekah just shrugged and grasped Caroline by the arm, looping hers through it and leading her from the room. "Let us drink, Caroline!" she sang, happily. "We have the rest of eternity to sleep!" Caroline turned back to see Klaus staring at her with a determined expression, his eyes eating her up from head to toe. The cerulean orbs landed on Caroline's and his face pulled into a smirk, his beautiful pink lips dragging to the corner of his mouth. "Until next time, Miss Caroline." Caroline gulped and turned back around to face the direction Rebekah was pulling her, her heart heavy with the promises of Klaus' words. Rebekah led Caroline out of the parlor and to a marvelous grand stairs case, the type that started at two different sides and wrapped around a center piece, meeting once again at the top. Caroline stared in fascinated silence as she traipsed behind Rebekah silently, her interest slowly her down as they passed timeless portraits and sculptures littering the hallway. Caroline watched Rebekah veer off into an adjacent hallway and Caroline followed quickly behind her, thinking about Klaus and his hypnotizing cerulean eyes. "Umm, Rebekah," she began, her tone nervous. "You didn't tell me that your brother was so." "Arrogant? Rude? Slightly charming with a habit of making a fool of himself? I apologize, but I did not want to frighten you away too quickly," Rebekah said, her smile contagious. Caroline laughed lightly and she flushed, Rebekah's words matching her thoughts. She led Caroline into a beautiful bedroom that was right off the top of the stairs, the large oak doors flying open at the mere flick of her wrist. "My bedroom," she stated, her tone dry. She didn't seem particularly excited to show off her magnificent room and Caroline was surprised. "I haven't gotten the chance to decorate as of yet, but Nik promised he'd take me shopping soon. You must come!" Caroline nodded dumbly, her adamancy about her unappealing room not connecting with absolutely shell shocked mind. It was beautiful! She had a large, white lace canopy that was draped over a shining cherry wood four poster bed. It was larger than any bed Caroline had ever seen and she was dying to feel the softness underneath her fingertips. The room was large enough to fit the entire Crimson Room nightclub in it; maybe a little leeway room here and there. To match the cherry wood bed, there was a cherry wood dresser and nightstand along with a complementary coffee table. A loveseat sat on one side while the remaining sides were filled with plush wooden chairs, a single candle stick in the middle alight with a flickering flame. Caroline gingerly walked into the bedroom behind Rebekah, afraid to touch the things she knew she never would be able to afford. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard another set of footsteps behind her where she didn't remember someone being. "What would you like to drink this evening, Miss Mikaelson?" A butler appeared out of nowhere and Caroline gazed at him in wonder.

'Not only were the Mikaelson's blessed in the appearance department but they were must have been gifted with good fortune, as well.'Caroline thought to herself. "I will have a glass of the finest wine we have. What will you have to drink, Caroline?" Caroline was snapped out of her reverie and she gulped hesitantly. "Martini, two olives?" He nodded curtly and backed out of the room, closing the door with a silent click. Caroline stared at the grain of the door for a moment more and turned back to Rebekah with an almost inaudible intake of breath. "Is he always so?" "Silent?" Rebekah smirked. "Yes, Nik insists it be that way." Caroline nodded grimly. 'Of course Nik did.' She was silently as she watched Rebekah putter around her room to straighten all of her impeccably organized things. Almost as if she was nervous to have anyone see her room. "Why do you call him Nik?" Caroline questioned. She only then realized that he'd told her to call him Klaus and not Nik like the way his sister did. Rebekah sighed and turned to look at me. "His name is Niklaus. He really only allows my brothers and I to address him as Nik, though I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you did." She told me this as she kicked off her heels and quickly picked the pins from her luscious blonde curls, falling back onto the bed. Caroline shook her head and sat beside Rebekah on the bed, clasping her hands in the lap of her beaded dress. The moment quickly turned awkward for Caroline as she had just met Rebekah, so she didn't want to seem like she was getting too comfortable in Rebekah's room. Rebekah seemed to notice Caroline's predicament and she carefully came towards her, reaching for the pins holding up Caroline's own blonde waves. They fell down her back in thick walls and she looked at Rebekah as she tilted her head. "That's better, is it not?" Caroline nodded and smiled shyly, hiding behind her curtain of hair. Rebekah seemed to find this amusing because she let a light laugh escape her lips as she leaned back against the pillows, her thumb and forefinger fondling a bead on her own white dress. "Why are you so nervous, Caroline?" she asked quietly. Caroline didn't know the answer to her question; she'd never been one to allow another person to intimidate her so greatly. She shrugged and sighed, biting her lip. "The only friend I've had for the last 20 years has been Stefan and I I don't know. I was so excited for you to be my friend that I forgot I didn't know how to be friends with another person other than him." Rebekah stared in surprise, that having been the most words Caroline had strung into a sentence since she met her a few short hours ago. "I see. Well, I hope you will soon come to trust me. I have missed having a friend, Caroline. You seem like a good choice and I hope I am not mistaken in that assumption. You must introduce me to your Stefan." Caroline smiled and felt her heart tug with love for her dear friend. "I will be sure to do that at the bar. He's at his home for the evening."

"Was he that dashing man I caught a glimpse of tonight?" her azure eyes sparkled and she grinned widely, her plump lips wrapping around her teeth. "I did not see his face but he was quite charming from behind." Caroline laughed and her face lit with a matching grin, liking Rebekah's sense of humor immensely. "He's pretty charming from the front, as well." Rebekah sighed dreamily and she looked at the canopy hanging above the two of them. She appeared lost in thought until her mouth opened quickly and she blew out a light puff of hair. "I have missed having friends," she said again, this time quietly. "It has been a very long time." Caroline was immediately curious as to how long it had been but she realized that it was quite a personal question for having just met this woman. She knew that it was not at all polite to be so curious about Rebekah's past when they had just as soon become friends with one another. She decided to leave the question to a later time and to just enjoy Rebekah's company for the evening, despite the tug in her attention she received every time she thought of the Klaus being just downstairs.

Chapter 2
Caroline and Rebekah had been sitting in a comfortable silence for a few moments now, just the two of them thinking about their individual lives and how different they had become in the few short hours they had known each other. Caroline tucked her legs underneath her just as the butler knocked twice on the door and Rebekah flippantly called for him to come in. Caroline stared at him nervously and he smiled kindly, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "Miss Mikaelson, your wine," he said, hanging Rebekah her drink. "And a martini for your guest." "Caroline," Caroline told him, smiling. "I'm Caroline Forbes." He nodded kindly and exited the room as quietly as he had entered, the door clicking once again. It was as if he were afraid to make a single noise other than what he was told to say and that fact broke Caroline's heart. She remembered how her father used to treat his butlers and maids in their large home back in Mystic Falls, Virginia. She couldn't remember a time a maid wouldn't leave the room with tears streaming down their face. She could still see the way the butlers would cower as her father walked down the halls. Rebekah cleared her throat and broke Caroline out of her memory with a jolt and a guilty flash of her eyes. She looked to see that Rebekah was paying her no attention and simply enjoying the wine that the butler had brought her. "Now, please, tell me how you planned to spend your anniversary?" she asked Caroline, lounging back on the multitude of plush pillows lining her headboard. "Not by simply drinking with your Stefan, I hope." Caroline shrugged, sipping her drink. "I do enjoy drinking." Rebekah snorted a very un-ladylike snort and Caroline stared at her wide-eyed with a ghost of a smile on her red lips. "I apologize," Caroline chuckled. "I'm used to Stefan's company. He likes when I'm blunt."

Rebekah nodded and sipped her wine, shaking her head as she calmed herself into a still state of amusement. "Being blunt is appreciated as opposed to skirting around the truth." Caroline laughed but felt a blush appear on her cheeks when she realized a question had formed in her mind. Her eyes slipped closed in revulsion as her very telltale sign of thinking uncomfortable thoughts flitted across her cheeks and Rebekah's eyebrow rose. Caroline looked at Rebekah from the corner of her eye and sighed in annoyance at herself, her shoulders jolting. "In fear of creating an awkward situation," she began, her voice laced with trepidation. "I'm a little nervous to ask what I want to ask." Rebekah didn't look at her but shrugged, licking the wine from her top lip. "Go ahead and ask, Caroline, I will not shun you for being curious." "Okay," Caroline sighed, staring at the delicious drink in her hands. "How old are you?" Rebekah pursed her lips and clenched her teeth, not looking in Caroline's direction. "That particular question would be better answered at a later date, I'm afraid." Caroline nodded, not wanting to pry but definitely wanting to kick herself for asking in the first place. She was well aware that some vampires were secretive about their age. "I understand." "You could ask Nik that one," Rebekah suggested, shrugging. "I'm sure he'd be more comfortable answering than if I did." Caroline looked at her and exhaled quietly. "I'm afraid he sort ofirks me." "Yes, well, you're not the only one," Rebekah mused, shaking her blonde hair out around her shoulders. "Do not let him get under your skin, Caroline." 'Too late,' Caroline internally thought, rolling her eyes. "He's very handsome, is he not?" Caroline's eyes shot to Rebekah as she grinned at Caroline. "Don't think I did not notice the way you looked at him, Caroline Forbes. I know attraction when it practically drips from a woman's pores. Fear not, sweetheart, he thinks the same of you." Caroline's heart skipped a beat and she blushed, lightly fingering the stem of her glass. She didn't want to reply too overzealously and appear too hopeful but she could barely tamp down the expression on her face as her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh?" "Yes," Rebekah laughed lightly, taking another quick drink. "In fact I do believe he's waiting outside of my bedroom door as we speak. Please, do come in, brother!" Caroline's head whipped to the door as it opened and Klaus sauntered in, a smirk placed firmly on his lips. "Good evening lovelies," he said with a smirk, looking at Rebekah. Caroline wanted to hang her head in absolute embarrassment but she straightened her spine and stared, unblinking. Klaus sauntered the rest of the way into Rebekah's room

with magnificent swagger and he finally looked at Caroline, stopping in his tracks. His white smile widened as he cocked his head, his azure eyes taking in her loosened blonde waves and the comfortable way that she sat with her legs curled underneath her. "It's refreshing to see you spending time with a friend, sister," he said endearingly to Rebekah, his eyes switching to her. He came over and took the wine from her fingers to take a small sip. He handed Rebekah the glass once again and sighed, licking his lips and blinking slowly. His eyes flicked to Caroline and he smirked. "I apologize for my earlier indiscretion, love." She licked her lips and looked down at her lap nervously. "It's okay, I snapped at you so I apologize for that." Caroline glanced up at him through her lashes and saw him smirk, his eyes watching her mouth intently. "All is forgiven, then." She felt her pulse quicken, the breath leaving her lips in fast, quiet puffs. Caroline realized that Klaus had the strangest effect on her and she had only just met him! Caroline didn't want him to think she was a floozy so she quickly averted her eyes and took a sip of her martini, making sure not to make more eye contact with him and get trapped in his gaze. "You drink martinis?" he asked casually, sitting on the chair beside the bed. "That's sorisqu." "How so?" Caroline asked with a tightlipped smile. Klaus was going to get on her nerves just as quickly as he had gotten off them. "Well," he grinned, shrugging lightly. "I once met a harlot in Paris who indulged in martinis." Caroline's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock as Rebekah's head whipped to the side and she smacked his leg hard, her glare blazing. "That is enough, Nik. Get out." His grin could have lit an entire city as he rose from the chair and sighed deeply. "I was only answering her question, Bekah. It was the truth." "The truth should be kept inside sometimes, Niklaus." Her whisper was deadly as she padded after him and grasped the doorknob in her hands. "Your company is no longer welcome." She slammed the door in his surprised face and came back to the bed to sit beside a stunned Caroline. She took in Caroline's expression and shrugged, pursing her lips. "I will not tolerate his unkind words. I do not wish for him to frighten you away before I have had the chance to do so myself." Caroline chuckled nervously and sipped her drink to lubricate her now uncomfortably dry throat. "I never once insinuated that I accepted money; I don't know where he got the idea." Rebekah choked on her wine and she grinned at Caroline in hysterical outrage. "Caroline Forbes, your sense of humor is astoundinglyrefreshing!"

She sighed and indulged in another long gulp of her martini, swallowing the burning liquid and relishing in the sensation of it slipping down her throat and sitting warmly in her stomach. "Thank you, I like to think so." Rebekah and Caroline drank until the early morning light shone in through her blinds. Caroline looked to the window in surprise, the night having flown by in a quick progression of raunchy jokes, stories from both of their pasts, and hopes for the future. Rebekah had told her about her "boyfriends" in which Caroline tried very hard to not discuss hers. Mistakes were mistakes for a reason, Caroline always said. "Damn," Caroline whispered, looking at the sun. "I told Stefan I would meet him at dawn to hunt." "I need to speak with you about that," Rebekah started casually, reaching her arms up and yawning. She was tired, too. "We must keep a low profile while we are in the same area. Nik and I travel out of town to feed as well as snacking on the occasional bunny here and there. We cannot have unwanted attention from the townspeople so it would be wise for you and Stefan to stay on a strict animal diet while you are not the only vampires in this city. I realize you don't kill your victims by choice but having people walk around with holes in their neck brings attention to our stay in this city and we would dislike having to pick up and leave because of that." Caroline nodded slowly as her blue eyes narrowed in thought. "You make a good point." "Yes," Rebekah grinned, looking up through her lashes in pride. "I usually do." Caroline snorted and hopped off the bed, stretching her tired muscles and reaching toward the ceiling. She sighed and put her shoes on slowly, not wanting to leave. Rebekah had made her anniversary so much better than she had expected it to be. "Thank you, Rebekah," Caroline said quietly, looking into Rebekah's cerulean eyes. "I enjoyed myself more than I have since I was a human. You've made me miss having more friends than just Stefan. Not that Stefan isn't enough but it's nice to have a friend that is a woman." Rebekah smiled kindly and stood beside Caroline, putting her hand lightly on Caroline's shoulder. "You are most welcome, Caroline. I've missed having friends in general, so I do know what you mean. Please, call me Bekah. It's much more personal and less of a mouthful, if you ask me." Caroline felt tears lodge in her throat from happiness and she quickly looked down to hide them from Rebekah as she felt them gather on her lashes. Rebekah noticed and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Don't cry," she admonished lightly. "That will ruin your makeup." Caroline's light laugh was watery and she shrugged off the suffocating emotions. She couldn't quite decipher if she was elated to tears by the feeling of having another person in her life or if she was finally coming to terms with the sadness of being lonely. Either way, she didn't want to begin crying in front of her new friend after just having met her, so she tampered down the tears and lifted her head high in the air, breathing in deeply. "Thank you, again," she said to Rebekah as she smiled into her eyes. Rebekah smiled back and waited for Caroline to finish putting on her shoes so she could walk her through the home and to the front door. "You can make it home all right?"

Caroline furrowed her brow and sighed deeply, pursing her lips. She hadn't really worried about her safety for quite a few years and neither had anyone else so hearing Rebekah ask if she would be all right made stumped her for a moment. "Yes, I'll be fine I'm sure. Will you be at the club tonight?" "Yes," Rebekah nodded. "Niklaus and I will both be there." Caroline snarled lightly at the mention of Klaus and Rebekah grinned, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow knowingly. "Do not mind Nik, Caroline. He means no harm; he's just - he's not much of a people person." "Not being a people person and having absolutely no people skills are two different things, Bekah," Caroline deadpanned, grinning. "Shoo." Rebekah smiled and pushed Caroline out of the house gently and stopped before she closed the door. "I hope you enjoyed your anniversary, Caroline. We will continue the celebration tonight at the club." She shut the door and Caroline sighed contentedly, turning away from the doorway and speeding her way through town until she stopped at Stefan's doorstep. Stefan had chosen to live in a secluded Victorian mansion off in the lonesome of the woods. There wasn't a neighbor for at least a mile and it was perfect for a vampire and his vampire company. Caroline knocked three times and was greeted with an annoyed pull to Stefan's rather large eyebrows. "Where have you been?" Caroline opened her mouth and closed it just as quick in surprise at his exasperation. "I was spending time with a new friend. Her name is " "Caroline," Stefan sighed, pulling her into the house and shutting the door behind him. "You scared me. I thought something happened to you!" "I'm sorry," she said with a confused voice as she shook her head. "What could have happened, Stefan? I was perfectly fine. I'm alsoperfectly capable of protecting myself. I have these lovely sharp knife-like teeth that come in handy in a fight, Stefan." "Nothing comes in handy against a stake, Caroline," he said seriously, his eyes blazing with adamancy. "But it's fine. Let's go." "Wait." Caroline stopped him with a hand on his arm. "We need to feed on animals only, Stef. Remember those two vampires from the club last night? I spent some time with them and they're trying to avoid getting caught here. Rebekah said we should stick to feeding on animals while we're all still in town to not create suspicion. We can't have people walking around with puncture wounds in their necks." Stefan gave Caroline a strange look and sighed and blew the air from his lips harshly. "That's a good idea. All right," he sighed, staring at the door in disgust. "They taste absolutely awful but we can try to find somebunnies or something." "Great! Do you possiblyumm - do you have something I can change into?" Caroline looked down at her dress that had started to wrinkle in the areas of plain red fabric and she looked into Stefan's dark green eyes. "I can't be caught in the same outfit as last night. Can you just imagine what that would do to my reputation?" Stefan chuckled, shaking his head. "Upstairs in my room, choose whatever you like."

Once Caroline had changed into a comfortable pair of Stefan's trousers and a large shirt, the two of them were ready to go and trampling through the woods behind Stefan's house. The woods were dense but quiet with only the occasional cricket just waking up as dawn glistened over the horizon. "It's beautiful here," Caroline mumbled in teary awe. "So much prettier than I expected." "Yes, we're lucky we found this small town," Stefan agreed, nodding. His lips pulled into a grin and he glanced at Caroline quickly. "Did I tell you how long it took me to find this town, Care? Months! I knew it had to have woods to run through and that it had to have the perfect clubs for you to go to. I think I did a good job." Caroline patted Stefan on the shoulder with an amused grin on her lips, a light laugh escaping her throat. "Yes, you did a good job and I'mincredibly proud. Little Stefan is truly growing up." He rolled his eyes and shook her hand off of his shoulder. "Very cute, Caroline. So who were the people you were with all night?" "Oh!" Caroline clapped excitedly as they strolled through the thicket of branches looking for bunnies. "Rebekah and Klaus Mikaelson! Rebekah iswonderful, Stefan! She's truly the kindest person I've met since I've become a vampire. Well, after you of course. Klaus, well, he's a different story. He's arrogant and rude and brash and ugh! He makes me angry. But I do enjoy Rebekah's company. She wishes to meet you sometime." Stefan stared at her in surprise and smiled kindly, his eyes crinkling in the corner. "It appears you've made a good friend, then. I will have to meet her." "She thinks you're dashing from behind," Caroline added coyly, walking ahead of him as his eyes widened in amusement. "I told her you're equally dashing from the front, but she wants to see for herself." "I see," he grinned, shaking his head. "This evening, then?" She nodded and her head whipped to the side as she heard the scurrying of a small animal not far off in the distance. "Gotcha," she murmured, pouncing.

Chapter 3
Stefan knew that he had to get Caroline a gift for her anniversary, he just didn't know what. She didn't like trivial things and she never really asked for anything. She loved jewelry and the like but he knew that she was tired of getting necklaces, rings, and bracelets. She felt bad when they got ruined and she always felt like she needed to replace them. She also knew that people judged her for the diamonds she wore on her body from a man that wasn't her husband or boyfriend. They were best friends and society frowned upon that. Stefan had just waltzed happily into the dress door down the street from his home when he stopped, the fact that he was surrounded by women and dresses slowly sinking in. He felt a hot blush beginning on his chest and rising up his neck to where it sat heavily on his cheeks, the embarrassment of purchasing a dress for a girl hitting him square on. She was lucky that he loved her so damn much.

He swallowed his pride and charged through the store to where a beautiful row of sapphire blue dresses hung on a rack. It was in the back of the store near the dressing rooms and he quickly ducked behind a dress hanger to examine the blue dress that had caught his eye. He pulled it away from him to see it better and tilted his head, his true best friend tendencies coming out. He knew that the bright cobalt fringed layers would lay on her curves perfectly and the spaghetti straps would sit on her collarbones. It ended at midthigh which was a little risqu but he knew that she liked to live dangerously. He had just tucked the dress under his arm to travel the short, inconspicuous distance to the cashier when a beautiful blonde women came strutting out of a changing room in a similar bright red dress. The dress was a dark crimson and it practically glowed against the pallor of her light skin. It had silk underneath the fringe and ended at where he imagined the blue dress would hit Caroline, just about mid-thigh. The straps were thicker and covered her collarbones but made her sharp shoulders more pronounced, making his mouth water at the sight of her elongated neck. She pursed her lips and swung her blonde hair over his shoulder, the curls swinging back and forth. She examined herself in the mirror, her eyebrows drawn and her teeth worrying her bottom lip in concentration. "It's beautiful," he heard himself say before he could stop. His eyes widened and the woman whipped around, her plump lips falling open in surprise. "Really?" she asked genuinely, her accent foreign to his ears. "You think it's welldo you think it's appropriate?" "Who cares?" Stefan whispered as he slowly edged towards her direction. "You look stunning and I'm sure everyone who sees you will agree." Her reflection grinned at him and he smiled tentatively, his eyes cast downward in embarrassment. "That's a lovely dress," the mystery woman said to him about the dress in his arms. "Though, it's not really your color." "Oh!" He glanced down at the scrap of fabric in his arms and swallowed thickly, mortified. "It's not for me. It's for my friend. She's celebrating oh, well she's having a birthday." The woman's bright cerulean eyes lit up and she breathed out a laugh through her pink lips, spinning around. "I love birthdays! Please, bring her to the nightclub down the street tonight and we shall all celebrate! I'm meeting a friend there this evening for another celebration and it will be more than acceptable if you two should join us! My brother will be there, as well, and he's always fun." Her last words were a bit sarcastic and Stefan felt his lips tilt in amused fascination. "That sounds lovely. We were actually going there this evening in the first place." Her blue eyes shone and she grinned, clasping her hands together nervously. "I shall see you there?" She glanced up at him through long, thick black eyelashes and he felt his heart falter in his chest.

"Most definitely."

Caroline had just sat down on the sofa to stare out the window of her poorly furnished apartment when someone knocked on the door. She knew it was Stefan because he had knocked the same exact way since the first night they had met: three distinct and yet fairly tentative knocks. She smiled and stood, her "at home" trousers falling down her calves and pooling at her feet. The pants were much too long for her legs because they had once been Stefan's, but she was attached to them and couldn't bear to have them hemmed or thrown away. Caroline walked the short distance to her front door and pulled it open with a smile on her lips to greet Stefan. "Hi!" She chirped and she tilted her head, glancing at the package in his arms. "What's that?" "It's for you," he told her, strolling past Caroline into the apartment. He set the package on the back of the dilapidated couch and appraised the apartment with a scowl on his face. He looked at Caroline with a poorly hidden grimace. "This place is awful. How can you live like this, Care? Please, stay with me at my house. It's too big for just me and you're more than welcome." His green eyes stared into her adamant blue orbs and she clucked her tongue, shaking her head. "No," Caroline told him. "I need to be independent and I'll start by having my own apartment!" Stefan's nostrils flared in indignation and he pursed his lips, shrugging. He gestured to the bundle he'd set on the couch. "Open it, it's a present." "Ooh!" Caroline clapped in excitement as she skipped to the present. Grasping it in between her fingers, she pulled at the parchment covering the gift inside, her insides rioting at the exciting possibilities of what it could be. The gift was soft in between her fingers and she felt her mouth fall open as she slowly pulled the blue dress from its wrapping. "Oh, Stefan," Caroline whispered in awe. "It's beautiful." She held it out in front of her and examined the details: the fringe, the straps, neckline, and length. She gazed in silence, a sign saying she thought it was perfect. Caroline looked to Stefan with tears in her eyes and she threw her arms around him, pulling him close to her. His own arms went around her waist and he buried his nose in her loose blonde curls, breathing deeply. They stood like that for a few moments before Caroline pulled away and pat Stefan's cheek, her love for him growing. "I'll never be ungrateful for your company," she told him quietly. "You're the best friend I could have asked for. Did I ever thank you for saving me from myself, Stefan?" Stefan's eyes shone with unshed tears he refused to acknowledge and he kissed Caroline's forehead lightly, rubbing her cold upper arms. "Every day, Caroline. Oh!" he said suddenly, his eyes sparkling with remembrance. "I met someone at the shop I purchased your dress from. She was very nice and she wants to meet you tonight at the club."

"Look at us!" Caroline laughed enthusiastically, patting his chest. "We've been in this town for two days and we've both made friends! How exciting!" Stefan rolled his dark green eyes and ruffled her hair with a smile on his lips. "You sound shocked that I made a friend." "I've been your only friend for 20 years and however long before that; the fact that you even know what friend means is kind of a surprise." Stefan glared at Caroline and snorted, his legs carrying him to the door behind her. "I'll see you tonight, then." He pulled the door open. "I'll meet you here and then we can walk to the club." Caroline nodded once and watched as he quietly shut the door behind him, the slight click the only sign that the door had actually closed. She went back to the couch and held the dress up to her nose, sniffing deeply to breathe in the scent of new fabric never having been on human skin. She smiled at the delicious scent and rubbed the soft fabric against her cheeks. It was softer than she had ever felt before and she closed her eyes to savor the moment. Caroline swallowed hard as two tears slipped down her face, the love she had for Stefan nearly suffocating her. There were no words to describe how much Caroline truly loved Stefan. He was her rock and he'd kept her alive when all she had wanted was to die. He'd saved her from herself and the torture that she created by being alone. Caroline had never imagined that she would have someone love her after her family had disowned her. Stefan was everything Caroline could have asked for and she was enthusiastic to share the light he created with their new friends.

When Stefan knocked on Caroline's door that night, she was all ready to go and more than excited to get to the club. She yanked the door open and took a step back, letting Stefan see the dress he had purchased for her as it clung to her body. It swung down to mid-thigh and hugged each and every one of her curves perfectly, the fringe accentuating the good and detracting from the bad. "You look marvelous!" Stefan told her with a grin. "I did a good job, yeah?" "Oh, yes!" Caroline spun in a circle on her white high heels and cocked her hip, showing off. "We have to go," Stefan said with a laugh. "Oh!" She had totally forgotten that the two of them were supposed to go to the club so she could meet his new friend and Stefan could meet Rebekah! "Let's go!" Stefan pulled Caroline's door shut and locked it as she grasped her white clutch purse in one hand and held on to his arm with the other. He led her down the sidewalk path and they strolled leisurely to the club's entrance, the doorman smiling down at Caroline. "Miss Forbes, you lookbeautiful. Mr. Salvatore, always a pleasure. Please, have a spectacular evening but remember to be on your toes! Prohibition is still in full swing!" He ushered Caroline and Stefan in the door and soon they were surrounded by the titillating rhythm of the dance music filtering through the air. The band on stage was

really getting into their set and the air was filled with cigar smoke and the scent of human perspiration. Caroline glanced to the back of the bar and smiled; Rebekah and Klaus were both sitting in the same spot they had been the night before. Rebekah caught Caroline's eye and her entire face lit up as she elbowed Klaus' side, alerting him to her presence. His eyes caught Caroline's and his face slowly slid into a smirk, his blue eyes dancing with mischief. Caroline was not going to let his attitude or beautiful lips get to her that evening. She grabbed Stefan's arm and dragged him across the bar before he had a chance to understand what was going on. He followed behind her silently, apologizing to people that she accidently pulled him into and simultaneously trying not to knock into her back. Caroline stopped just in front of the balcony and Rebekah leaned over with a smile on her lips. Her eyes traveled to Stefan and her entire face froze in surprise, her blue eyes widening to the size of saucers. Caroline's brow furrowed and she turned her head to watch as Stefan's eyes landed on Rebekah, his eyes expression shifting from confusion to astonishment. "You?" he asked, his lips pulling into a smile. "You." Rebekah shook her head in confusion. "You're Caroline's Stefan?" Caroline watched the interplay between them with a deep mask of confusion coloring her interpretation, one of her eyebrows raised to the middle of her forehead. "Have I missed something? Do you two already know each other?" Caroline watched Rebekah and Stefan stare at each other and then it finally clicked, the realization dawning on her with a hard shock. "This is the girl you met at the dress shop?" Caroline questioned Stefan. "Yes," Stefan whispered, the same goofy smile still hovering on his lips. "And apparently she's the same girl who you met last night. Fancy that." Caroline turned to look at Rebekah to see that she had recovered from her initial surprise and her face lit with a large, face altering grin. "This is truly splendid," she said to no one in particular, her head still shaking back and forth. Klaus appeared beside her, his arms crossing over the bannister as he leant on it. "Who's this?" he asked Caroline about Stefan. " Boyfriend?" Caroline's nose wrinkled and she shook my head vehemently. "This is Stefan, my best friend. Practically my brother. Stefan, this is Klaus and - well - you already know Rebekah." "Yes, but it's a pleasure to be formally introduced." He held his hand out to Klaus who shook it quickly, his own hand tucking back into the crook of his elbow. Stefan grasped Rebekah's fingers in his own and brought them to his lips and left a small kiss lingering over her knuckles. "Hello, Rebekah." "Stefan." Rebekah's smile was blinding as she pulled her hand back. Her gaze shifted to Caroline and her eyes crinkled in the corner. "Please, both of you, sit up here with us!

We have to celebrate Caroline's anniversary! Or, as Stefan called it this afternoon, her birthday!" Caroline rolled her eyes and then let them travel past Klaus to Stefan. Before they could land on him, they quickly snapped back to Klaus' azure gaze as she realized that he was openly glaring at the hand that Stefan had around her waist, the customary way they had stood for 20 years. She cleared her throat quietly and Klaus' eyes flicked to hers, his lips hardening in a small smile. "Please, join us," he agreed, his accent washing over Caroline like warm water from a bath. "It would be our pleasure to celebrate Miss Forbes' anniversary." Stefan pushed Caroline by her lower back up the steps to the balcony seats, sliding in after her as she sat beside Rebekah. Klaus watched her every move as his stony eyes glided over her body in the dress. "You look beautiful," Rebekah appraised, her smile glowing. "Stefan was right in choosing that color for you." Caroline grinned and smoothed her hands over the soft fabric of her now favorite dress. "He has a way of doing that, that Stefan. He's got impeccable taste and remembers every comment I ever make!" "So how long have you known each other?" Klaus intervened, sipping his disturbingly red drink. "This week marks the anniversary of our 17 year friendship," Stefan replied, nodding his head. "We met on her 3rd anniversary of being a vampire and I helped her adapt. She'd been abandoned by her sire when she turned and didn't know how to live. She had a well a rough start and I helped her find her way. We've been close ever since." "That was very sweet of you," Rebekah commented as she leaned her chin on her upturned palm. Her eyes were dreamy and she quickly snapped out of her stupor, licking her lips. "It's a good thing Caroline had you or she might have been killed." Caroline swallowed hard at the discomfort that bloomed to life in her chest. She and Stefan had never really discussed the years she spent by herself, traveling around the country and draining everything and everyone she came in contact with. With a gulp of air and a slight twist of her lips, Caroline nodded. "Good thing."

Rebekah, Stefan, Klaus, and Caroline had been sitting on the balcony enjoying drinks when Caroline realized that she needed to use the restroom. Standing quickly, she quietly excused herself from the table and Stefan allowed her to slide out of the booth, returning to Rebekah's side just as quickly. "I'll just be a moment," Caroline told them, quickly descending the steps and taking the route to the restroom in the back. She used the facilities and went to the sink to wash her hands, her glowing reflection staring back at her. Caroline's eyes were shining with happiness and her cheeks were flushed pink from the alcohol, the heat from the drink and the temperature inside the club joining to give her a flushed appearance.

Caroline dried her hands on a cloth sitting beside the sink and primped quickly, pushing her hair to form tighter curls. She wet her fingers and slid the water over small tendrils of hair which had come down from the pins holding the upper half off her shoulders. She sighed and let her eyes travel over the dress that she was wearing, her heart swelling. She turned away from the mirrors and pulled the door of the bathroom open, the sound of music hitting her in the chest and filling her ears with the beat of the song being played. She closed the door behind her and turned to walk back out to the showroom, her eyes cast downward as she walked to keep herself walking straight. Caroline had managed to zone out when she bumped into a hard chest and was sent flying backward. For a terrifying second, she was sure she was going to fall flat on her bottom, the utter mortification of the idea filling her with dread. The fall never came though, Caroline realized, as hot hands gripped her upper arms and pulled her into their embrace, keeping her from toppling over. Caroline had squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation and she slowly peeled them open, glancing up into the face of her savior. Klaus stared down at her with amusement in her blue gaze and Caroline's mouth fell open in shock as her entire body when rigid. She was suddenly very aware of their close proximity and the embarrassing nature of their current situation. "Klaus?" she choked out, swallowed hard. Klaus grinned and his white teeth peeked out from his pink lips. "I do apologize, darling, I failed to see you. Are you all right? Were you hurt?" "I'm fine," she whispered dumbly, her eyes drifting downward as she felt her entire chest, neck, and face light up with a scarlet blush. "I'm a little humiliated but that's nothing another drink can't drown out." Klaus chuckled and set Caroline back down on her feet from where he was holding her against his chest. He released her and she stood a step back as her hand flew to her chest. She met his Klaus' once more and watched his eyes travel over her dress just as her own eyes had. The only distinct difference between her look of appreciation and the expression on Klaus' face was the indescribable emotion Caroline watched pass over his eyes. Klaus licked his lips and took a step forward, crowding Caroline against the brick wall behind her. She watched his eyes for his intent and felt herself falter as vulnerability flashed in the depths of Klaus' cerulean orbs. It was gone faster than it appeared and Caroline opened her mouth to ask if he was all right when his finger ghosted to her cheek and caressed her skin. "You look so lovely," he whispered, blinking slowly. His eyes drifted to her lips where they stayed, staring hungrily. "I'll see you back at the table, love." With those as his parting words, Klaus left Caroline breathing heavily against the brick wall and sauntered to the men's restroom door. He paused shortly and his head tilted in her direction before he walked in and the door swung closed behind him. Caroline's eyes stared forward in surprised confusion as her hand drifted to the skin of her cheek. Her flesh was still tingling from the sensation of his rough, callused finger running over her smooth skin and she fell back against the wall with a shallow sigh, her heart beating rapidly.

She turned to stare at the men's restroom door and straightened her back, lifting her nose in the air. Klaus Mikaelson was a mystery all of his own, Caroline realized, and she was more than willing to solve him.

Chapter 4
The Crimson Room was just starting to shut down when Caroline realized how tired she really was. Stefan, Rebekah, Klaus and her had sat on the balcony the entire evening just throwing back drinks just as they had been set on the table, not giving the glasses time to create perspiration and leave wet rings on the wooden tabletop. The four of them were sufficiently drunk but nothing that four vampires couldn't handle. Caroline glanced hazily over to Stefan who was staring at Rebekah with love drunk eyes, a small lilt to his lips as he daydreamed. His green orbs watched her every move and Caroline was jealous of the attention she was getting without even trying. Caroline sighed and looked down at her white glove covered hands. She was twiddling her thumbs when she heard Rebekah stand and her eyes snapped to her friend. Rebekah was smiling down at Caroline with glazed eyes and a small smile tipping up her pink lips. "Shall we?" Rebekah extended her hand to Caroline and she stood with a grin. Rebekah lifted her arm over Stefan's head and the two of them sauntered to the exit of the club, their fingers intertwined. Caroline grasped her purse tightly in her fingers and allowed Rebekah to pull her from the bar; the cold air of the night rushed over her heated fair skin and created goose bumps. Stefan and Klaus appeared behind the two girls a few moments later and stood just outside the door, both having their hands in their pockets as they gazed at the sky. It was eerily silent as the trees rustled with the rushing wind. Caroline shivered and Klaus instantly appeared beside her with his coat in his hands. She stared at him in surprise and continued as he put the coat over her shoulders and tucked it around to her front. He grasped Caroline's long blonde curls in his hands and freed it from the jacket's clutches, placing it over the jacket and smoothing it out until it lay flat and smooth. Klaus was gone as quick as he had appeared, the only thing alerting Caroline to his earlier presence being the coat she was now wearing and the warmth it created. His eyes went back to the night sky and they traveled along the flying leaves that were scooped into the air and spun in circles. The moon was full and he gulped lightly, his jaw clenching. Caroline stared at the full moon in awe and a chill completely unrelated to the temperature ran down her spine and she sighed, tightening Klaus' coat around her shoulders and burrowing deep within the inner satin lining. There was something about the full moon that set her nerves on end. She heard a twig snap in the distance and her head whipped to the side where absolutely nothing stood. She shook her head and laughed silently in self-absurdity. Caroline realized how rude she was being and she cleared her throat with an awkward cough. "Thank you," she murmured to Klaus in embarrassment as her entire face flushed red. Stefan did the same with Rebekah and covered her arms with his suit jacket, running his hands lightly up and down the outside of his jacket to warm her up. She smiled in thanks

and lightly touched the lapel of the jacket with a secret smile on her lips and a faraway look in her eyes. Stefan grasped her hand and pulled her away from Caroline, Rebekah's fingers slipping from hers. "Shall I walk you home?" Stefan asked Rebekah quietly and Caroline felt awkward listening in. "Caroline told me you don't live far." Rebekah nodded. "That would be lovely, Stefan." Stefan's green eyes found Caroline's and she could tell he was asking if she would be okay to walk home by herself. She was opening her mouth to answer when Klaus cleared his throat. "I will escort Miss Forbes to her home," he announced, stepping beside Caroline and standing beside her like a gentleman. Caroline turned to look at him and raised her eyebrows as confusion warred with pleasure inside of her. One minute he was calling her a strumpet and the next her was giving her his coat and cornering her near the restrooms. Now, he wanted to walk her home without any prompting and Caroline didn't know what to make of it. Klaus was such a puzzle to her. "That's kind of you. Thank you." Caroline refused to meet Klaus' eyes because she could feel her flushing under his gaze. She kept her eyes trained on the ground underneath her high heels and gently toed the pavement with her shoe. Stefan walked over to Caroline to lightly kiss her cheek and to pull her blue eyes to his. "Be safe tonight, okay? I'll see you tomorrow." Rebekah grasped Caroline by her shoulders and kissed both of her cheeks, her bright cerulean eyes shining into Caroline's. She looked so happy, Caroline realized. Rebekah appeared to be genuinely excited about the evening as opposed to how she had looked on the balcony on the night they met. "I had a lovely evening, Caroline. Will we see you tomorrow night?" Caroline nodded. "Of course, Bekah." Rebekah smiled and allowed Stefan to lead her away and off towards the direction of her and Klaus' mansion with a light tug of her fingers. Caroline felt Klaus' hand lightly take her arm and wrap it around his, pulling her in the opposite direction and away towards her own apartment. "Where do you live, Caroline?" Klaus asked quietly as he directed her to walk in the correct direction of her home. He still hadn't met her eyes and Caroline felt her heart begin to beat faster in her chest from the anxiety that his close proximity created. "There's an apartment building two blocks away," Caroline mumbled, licking her lips. "I live in one of them." "In the entire building?" he smiled cheekily.

She rolled her eyes and glared at Klaus over her shoulder. "No, not the entire building. Just one of the apartments." "Oh yes, that makes much more sense." He was grinning as he gazed at the ground with a slight flush to his cheeks. Humor was good for Klaus apparently, Caroline thought with a small smile. He was still smiling as the two of them walked along the path to Caroline's apartment. She and Stefan had walked the exact same path going the other direction a mere four hours earlier, her arm strung through his much like she had her arm resting through Klaus'. She sighed and kicked a fallen branch out of her path as she pulled Klaus in the more precise direction of her apartment.

"It's a lovely night out here," Rebekah said absentmindedly as she walked Stefan towards the direction of her mansion. "So quiet." Stefan looked up at the cloudless sky to match Rebekah's gaze and he smiled to himself as she pulled him along in what he assumed was the way to her home. "Yes, very quiet. My favorite kind of evening." The two of them stayed silent for a few minutes before Rebekah turned to look at Stefan, squeezing the arm that she was holding. "Caroline told me quite a bit about you last night, Stefan Salvatore." "Oh?" he smiled dubiously. "Do tell." Rebekah smiled with a slight raise of her eyebrows. "She told me how you found her when she was a newborn vampire. She spoke so highly of you I was more than excited to meet you this evening. She informed me of your love for each other and how you have traveled the world searching for a home. I will admit I was slightly jealous of the friendship the two of you seem to have created but I have high hopes for the lot of us. We seem to be a great group." Stefan nodded and smoothed back his gelled hair with his free hand, one tendril falling over his forehead and into his eyes. He ignored the fallen hair and his green gaze met her blue eyes as she grinned. Rebekah reached forward to push the piece of hair back herself and grinned even wider when the hair stayed in place after she pressed it. "Much better," she murmured quietly as her eyes stared into his. They continued to stroll along the paved path as the moonlight guided them towards the Mikaelson Mansion. The marvelous building came into view and Rebekah sighed, hanging her head with what sounded to Stefan like sadness. "This evening was so nice." Stefan stared at her profile and squeezed the hand holding his bicep. "Are you all right, Rebekah?" Rebekah lifted her head and looked into his eyes again, nodding. "I'm just being overly sentimental. It is so nice to have friends again," she murmured quietly. "Nik and I have not had true friends in a very long time, I'm afraid to admit. I'm incredibly happy to have met you and Caroline and it just makes me remember a time when I had this same feeling. I've missed it."

Stefan nodded and watched the ground as his feet followed the broken leaves on the road. He wanted to ask more questions about Rebekah's past and the things she left out of her speech but he knew that she would have told him if she'd wanted to. "I've only been friends with Caroline for so longit's very nice to have other companions to talk to. It isn't like Caroline isn't enough it's just - " "I know," Rebekah said with a small grin. "Caroline said the same exact thing to me last night. It isn't as if she is not enough for you and you for her, but there is something to be missed about more than one friend." Stefan and Rebekah smiled at each other as the path leading up to the door of the mansion came into sight. He took the lead and pulled her along up the route until they came to a stop at the front door. Rebekah leaned against the wooden door and looked at Stefan, one eyebrow rising to her forehead. "You are much more dashing than I imagined you could be," she admired, shaking her head. "Much, much more." "Oh yeah?" Stefan smiled. "You're more beautiful than I ever imagined someone could be." Rebekah flushed with pleasure and leaned over to Stefan to press a lingering kiss against his cheek. She pulled back and tilted her head as her blue eyes twinkled elegantly in the moonlight. "Would you like to come in and have another drink?" Stefan took in Rebekah's glazed eyes and flushed cheeks, shaking his head. Her smile faltered and she nodded curtly as he looked down. "It's not because I don't want to." Stefan pushed her chin up with his fingers and brought her close with a hold on her chin. "It's because I don't believe in taking things too quickly. I want to get to know you, Rebekah Mikaelson. Mysteries are much more fun when you spend the time to crack them." Rebekah blushed and exhaled quickly, licking her lips. Stefan's eyes fell to her plump mouth and he leaned forward to lightly brush her lips with his own. Her blue eyes slipped shut and she put her open palm on his cheek to feel the heat of his skin underneath her hand, the satin of her glove catching on the small stubble that had begun to grow on his cheek. Stefan pulled away after a few moments and smiled hungrily into her eyes, shaking his head. He clenched his jaw and lightly pushed her away, all of his muscles clenching with the need to hold her closer. "I'll see you tomorrow." Stefan turned around and followed the path back to the front of the Mansion's entrance. He slowed to a stop and looked back at where he left Rebekah to see her staring at him with the tips of her fingers sitting lightly on her lips. He tipped his head and Rebekah waved slightly with only a small twitch of her hand. Stefan chuckled to himself and turned back around to follow the road to the club and then farther to his home.

Klaus and Caroline arrived at the front door to her apartment and she awkwardly stood away from him as he unwound her arm from his. Caroline swallowed hard and Klaus mirrored her by stepping back and clasping his hands behind him. His eyes landed on

her and he stared at her with a dark gaze that confused and excited her at the same time. "I had a good time tonight, Miss Forbes." Klaus said with a quiet, hypnotizing voice. "You've made our stay here in Chicago very pleasant so far." His propriety intrigued Caroline and she instantly wondered how old he really was. She remembered that Rebekah refused to tell her the night before but instead said that Klaus would probably give away the information. Caroline wasn't entirely in the right state of mind to bring it up so she swallowed her questions and lightly cleared her throat. "Thank you," she mumbled instead. "You and Rebekah have really brightened our stay here, too." Klaus smiled tightly and looked down at the ground, his shoulders tensing. Caroline looked at him in confusion and glanced at the ground to find a thin layer of broken branches sitting in front of her door. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words as confusion muddled her brain. There were bushes directly beside her door that looked as if someone had tromped through them with heavy boots and quick feet, tearing the branches right off in a quick, desperate attempt to see in her windows. "That's odd," Caroline whispered to herself. Klaus exhaled roughly and she looked at him to find that he was examining the bush closer, pulling the small leaves away to see how demolished the bushes truly were. He pulled away from the wall and stood in front of Caroline, licking his lips with what appeared to be immense interest. "Do you think I could come inside to make sure nothing is wrong? It will only take me a few moments but I would very much appreciate if you let me take a look around." He seemed sincere enough so Caroline shrugged and fished for the key to the apartment in her clutch, pulling it out after only a few seconds. It took Caroline a few slightly drunken moments before the key fit correctly in the lock and the door sprang open to reveal nothing but darkness. She entered the room and felt for the light that was on the table next to the door, illuminating the apartment in a soft glow that reached into the kitchen and just around the corner of the hallway. Klaus walked into the home behind her surveyed the room before the. Caroline couldn't see anything wrong with the appearance of the living room and she watched as Klaus examined it as well to come up with nothing. Everything appeared to be in the correct place that it had been when Caroline left earlier that evening and she felt her chest deflate as the worry left her heart. "Everything looks fine," she told Klaus' retreating back as he walked through her quaint apartment. "Justumm just fine." He was scrutinizing everything. Nothing went untouched and Caroline saw him raise his eyebrows once or twice at the sparse and outdated furnishing that her apartment was filled with. She tried not to be too embarrassed at the shabby living she'd been doing and so she decided to stare awkwardly at the floor underneath her feet as Klaus clucked around the room. "I'm going to check the bedroom."

Caroline's head popped up in indignation as Klaus disappeared around the corner. He was gone for a total of three seconds before he came strolling out of her bedroom with an amused smile on his lips. "Everything appears to be in order." "I don't suppose you would have just taken my word for it. Everything looks exactly as I left it earlier tonight." Caroline told him with an exasperated sigh. Klaus pursed his lips in amusement and walked to her door, pulling it open. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at Caroline as his arm slowly closed the door once more, his feet carrying him to stand directly in front of her. Klaus' hands cupped Caroline's cheeks and his thumbs stroked her skin, bringing her face close to his. She stared into his beautiful azure gaze, realizing for the first time that they were the exact color of the sea. Given the right amount of time, Caroline could get lost in those eyes. "Be safe, Caroline," Klaus whispered, gently placing his lips on her forehead. "I am only a call away, love. If you need anything, I will be here." He left then, his back being the last thing Caroline saw as he pulled the door shut behind him. She leaned heavily against the arm of the sofa and put her hand on her chest to feel the frantic thumping of her heart through her ribs. Klaus really knew how to get Caroline flustered, she suddenly recognized. She couldn't quite decide if she was happy about this or annoyed. First, he cornered her at the club when no one could see them. If the two of them had been discovered it would have been an absolutescandal. Then, he practically forced his way into her apartment just to leave her breathless with the soft touch of his lips on the skin of her forehead. Caroline quickly ran her fingers over her flesh there and tried to feel the tingle with her fingers to no avail. She sighed and shook her head as she felt exhaustion wash over her in crashing waves that more than likely had everything to do with the mixture of the alcohol she'd consumed and her lack of sleep. She still hadn't slept from the night before and she suddenly realized that she desperately needed to go to bed. She walked the short distance into her bedroom and closed the door behind her as she illuminated the room with a soft glowing lamp. She turned around to face her bed and vaulted through the air to land with a loud whoosh coming from her lungs. She smashed her tired face against the fluffy comforter draped across the mattress. Caroline yawned and slowly peeled her eyes open. She needed to get into her pajamas but that seemed like a slightly daunting task due to the fact that she'd only been on the bed for three seconds and she was already half asleep. She stood up slowly and trudged across the small room to the old dresser that had probably been a part of the room for decades. She pulled open the dresser that held her pajamas and stopped suddenly, her breath catching in her throat. On top of all the folded clothes was a lone slip of paper that was no bigger than Caroline's pocketbook. The script of the parchment was so thin and elegant it was a struggle to even read the writing, but once she did, there were no questions as to the meaning. 'Some friends will bring you happiness while other's bring you pain. Are you willing to die for your friends, Miss Forbes?' Caroline dropped the paper with shaking hands and flew to sit on the bed with the blankets pulled up over her shoulders. She was shaking like a leaf and her gaze whipped

to the window that was shut tightly with the blinds drawn. She felt all of the fear of the unknown squeeze her throat and she buried her face in the blanket as terrified tears slipped down her cheeks and soaked into the fabric. Someone had been in Caroline's apartment. Someone had been in Caroline's pajama drawer. Someone wanted Caroline dead.

Chapter 5
When Caroline opened her door to let Stefan into her apartment the next morning, she could see it in the way that he looked at her that he could tell something was wrong. His entire body stiffened and his eyes narrowed as he stepped over the threshold and shut the door quietly, behind him, his body on alert. Caroline was in his arms in an instant, her blonde hair draping over his shoulder and going down his back as he held her close to his body like he had every time she'd been afraid or needed someone to hold her. "What happened?" he asked sternly, rubbing her back. "Caroline, talk to me." Caroline shook her head and let the shakes take over from the fear she'd kept herself shielded from all night and since she'd woken up. Her sigh was shaky and she buried her nose in Stefan's neck as he carried her lifted body over to the couch, setting her on his lap. "Caroline," he murmured again, pulling her away. He wiped away the tears that had fallen down Caroline's cheeks and tucked her blonde hair behind her ears, smoothing the hazardous mess as best as he could. "Was it Klaus?" "No," she told him, shaking her head. "It wasn't Klaus." "Then what?" he questioned firmly as he grasped her tight by her biceps. "Klaus and I noticed broken branches by my front door last night but we didn't we couldn't find anything. He came in and he checked but there was nothing and so he left but there was something, Stefan, there was." "What was it?" Stefan's jaw clenched and Caroline swallowed thickly, pulling the scrap of paper from the pocket of her nightshirt. His thick fingers peeled it open and his mossy green eyes flew over the thin script on the page. He exhaled sharply and licked his lips, shutting his eyes tight and crumpling the paper in his hands. "What does it mean?" Caroline whispered in a wail. "Stefan, why does someone want to kill me?" "I don't know, Caroline," he told her, at a loss for words. He pulled her to his chest and held onto her as she continued to shake and he stroked her hair. "I don't know who it is or what they want, but I do know they're not going to hurt you. Not if I have anything to say about it."

After Stefan left Caroline's apartment, he spent the entire walk home thinking about who could possibly have left the threatening note in her dresser drawer. Seeing as how the two of them had only lived in Chicago for a few short days, it was unlikely that the culprit was someone they had met. The only other option that Stefan could formulate was it wasn't him or Caroline that this person was after and that it had something to do with the new friends the two of them had welcome into their lives. Stefan veered off the path to his home and spun around, kicking his speed into gear. The town passed by him in a blur before he came to a sudden stop at the walkway of the Mikaelson Mansion. He stared up at the home he'd left Rebekah at the night before and straightened his spine, tugging the lapels of his jacket to smooth out the fabric. He took the winding path down to the front door and pulled the knocker back to create three loud bangs that resounded throughout the mansion.

When Klaus pulled open the door of his mansion, the last person he expected to see on the other side was Stefan Salvatore. He especially didn't expect to see Stefan Salvatore with an expectant and somewhat angry expression on his face. "Stefan!" Klaus said with a genuine smile. "Come in!" He made a grand gesture to invite Stefan inside and watched Stefan smiled a tightlipped smile as he walked past him and into the foyer. Klaus shut the door of the mansion with a quiet click and strolled to stand beside Stefan as his eyes took in the entirety that was the Klaus and Rebekah's mansion. Klaus' hands went to the pocket of his slacks and he cocked his head, watching Stefan examine the foyer. "Are you a fan of architecture, Stefan?" One of Stefan's thick eyebrows lifted and he chuckled. "Not particularly." "Well then," Klaus smiled, confused as to where this was going. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Are you here to see Rebekah? I'm afraid she's out at the moment but I can give you a piece of paper to deliver a message." "It's funny you mention a piece of paper," Stefan said as he pulled a small piece of paper out of his trouser pocket and he handed it to Klaus. "Do you have any idea of what this message could be about?" Klaus unfolded the paper in confusion and smoothed out the crumpled mess of parchment. He sighed and allowed his eyes to train on the thin script, reading the message with quick precision. He had to reread the message a few times before it sunk in and his heartbeat kicked to overdrive in his chest. 'Some friends will bring you happiness while other's bring you pain. Are you willing to die for your friends, Miss Forbes?' Klaus eyes widened in fury and he tore the paper to shreds, tossing it on the floor. He stared at the pile for a millisecond before he cracked his neck, looking up at Stefan. "Where was this message found?" "It was in her dresser drawer, Klaus," Stefan said hotly. "On my way over here, I was trying to think of who we could have angered to greatly after only being in this town for two days. Then I realized that this message would have been laughable had we not just

recently made two very new, very mysterious friends. Now tell me, is there something we should know?" "No, of course not!" Klaus shouted, his eyes blazing with indignation. He stepped up to Stefan and put his hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes. "Is Caroline all right? Has she been harmed?" Stefan shook his head with a gruff sigh. "She's terrified but she's fine. She'll survive but she's jumpy by nature and has a tendency to see things. She'll be able to go out of her apartment but she'll see shadows that aren't there, hear footsteps that aren't. there. Please, Klaus, tell me the truth: is there something I. Should. Know?" Klaus swallowed hard and licked his lips, ripping himself away from Stefan. One hand went to run through his slicked back blonde curls while the other went to his hip as he walked away. His fingers balled into a tight fist and he slammed it against the plaster of the nearby wall, breaking a hole and sending chips of paint cascading to the floor where they grew into a tiny pile of dust and lacquer. "Do to the fact that I've just recently met you, I'm not sure I should be telling you what I'm going to tell you. I believe that my sister is brash in her decision making and is desperate for company but I also believe that she has chosen impeccably well with you and Caroline. I am trusting you to not repeat what I am about to tell you. Please, follow me, Stefan." Klaus walked off towards the parlor and Stefan followed silently behind him, his eyes taking in the large, warmly furnished room. Klaus motioned for him to sit on the one end of the plush loveseat as he filled two small glasses with three fingers of brandy. He brought the glasses to the couch where he handed one to Stefan and brought to other to his lips in a hasty drink. "Rebekah and I have a rather colorful past, Stefan," Klaus began as he gazed into the flickering fireplace. "Some would say it's more than colorful, but to us, it's history. I'm unaware of if you've been informed of our age but I can assure you we are the oldest of our kind. Originals, if you will. We were the first vampires in existence and continue to be the strongest on this earth. Our mother and father decided to give us this curse, gift, whatever you will when our youngest brother Henrik was slaughtered by a werewolf. To put it lightly, Stefan, my siblings and I did not adapt well to the change. The sun burned our skin and the flower at the base of the white oak tree singed us. Having these powers affected us badly, you see, and we lashed out. In result, our mother was killed and our father has hunted us all since. For 1000 years we've been running; switching from city to city to make sure that Mikael cannot locate us. Our two surviving brothers are somewhere in the world, also on the run. Mikael is deadly, manipulative, and vindictive. He is willing to hurt anyone to get what he wants and he will kill anyone in his way." Stefan stared at Klaus silently for a few moments after he ceased speaking, the crackling of the fire the only noise in the room. He watched Klaus take a few drinks of his brandy and he brought his own glass to his lips to wet his throat and to make it known he'd been listening. Klaus blinked slowly and his azure eyes locked on Stefan's, challenging him to respond.

"I am telling you this not to say it is Mikael who left the message for Miss Forbes, Stefan, but to inform you on who you've become friends with. Rebekah likes you very much and I know she's afraid to tell you everything I've told you in fear that you will no longer accept her. She doesn't not want her age to affect how you see her and I would sincerely hope that it does not." "It won't," Stefan murmured as his brows pulled down his forehead in surprise. Nothing short of an entire face deformation could make him not accept Rebekah. Klaus nodded. "Good. Mikael has not found us for decades, Stefan, so I would have to say that it is most likely not him. We have made enemies over the last 1000 years so it is possible it's one of them. I would not take this threat too seriously, Mr. Salvatore. It is more than likely a young vampire who is attempting to mark his territory and frighten Caroline into leaving." Klaus stood and traveled to the bar where he set his now empty glass down. He turned to stare into the fire and licked his lips, putting both hands in his pockets. "If I were to offer Miss Forbes a place to stay in our mansion, do you think she would accept?" Stefan's eyebrows flew to the middle of his forehead and he swallowed the last bit of brandy in his glass. "It's possible; she's not an idiot. She knows when to accept help when it's offered." "But?" Klaus grinned, looking at Stefan. "But," Stefan smiled. "She's not going to accept it easily. You'll have to tell her what you've told me. You'll need to tell her who you are, your past, practically everything about you. She's a curious creature as you might have already noticed and she won't just readily move in here without probable cause." Klaus nodded and sighed, pursing his lips. "You speak as if you have known her for a thousand years." Stefan shrugged lightly as he smiled at the flames. "20 years is enough to have gotten to know Caroline. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is not slow to tell you how she feels. We are the only family each other has. My brother and I haven't spoken in decades and she doesn't have anybody else." "She has Rebekah now," Klaus murmured. "And Rebekah is certainly taken with Miss Forbes. And you." "And we're both taken with her." Stefan's expression was grim. "Is there anything else I should know, Klaus? Are you just sugarcoating this Mikael situation or do you not think it's him?" "Stefan," Klaus sighed, clasping him on the shoulder. "I truly do not think it is Mikael." Stefan exhaled and put his arm around Klaus' shoulder, shaking him lightly. "Good to hear, Klaus."

Chapter 6

Klaus wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to convince Caroline to move into his mansion with him and Rebekah. After Stefan had come to visit him that day, he knew that he needed to speak with Caroline as soon as possible to avoid having more mysterious notes appear in her apartment. He had left the mansion at half past noon and was just strolling up the sidewalk to Caroline's door when his eyes once again caught the pile of branches sitting in front of her front door, just the same as the night before. Klaus narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat, poising his hand to knock on Caroline's door. He could hear her shuffle around inside for a few moments before her presence appeared just behind the closed door, her trepidation leaking through the solid wall in between them. "Who is it?" Klaus smiled in appreciation for her caution and sighed, licking his lips. "It's Klaus, love, let me in." There was a moment of silence before the dead bolt keeping the door locked tight slid out of place and the door cracked open. Klaus could see Caroline's blue eyes appear in the sliver of opened space and then the door opened wider, giving Klaus the full view of her. She was wearing a navy blue blouse over a knee length black skirt with matching black stockings on her legs. Her feet were bare as she shifted from one foot to the other and awkwardly motioned for him to come in. Klaus strolled into the apartment and turned to see that she was paler than she had been before. Her hair hung down in stringy tendrils around her drawn face and she was biting her lip anxiously, waiting for him to say something. "How are you doing, sweetheart?" he asked quietly, stepping towards her. She watched his raised hand until he cupped her cheek in his palm, stroking the skin of her cheek. "Are you all right?" Caroline shrugged and swallowed thickly, staring into Klaus blue eyes. "I don't like being afraid, Klaus," she told him with a meek voice. "I don't like feeling weak and having someone be in control of me. That's how I'm doing. That's how I'm feeling. I feel like I've lost control of the situation and I hate it." Klaus nodded sympathetically and dropped his arm to grasp her hand in his. She allowed him to pull her around the room until the two of them settled on the couch, her in the corner as he sat in the middle. She refused to let her bent knee touch him in anyway and Klaus noticed with a small grimace. He was aware of how awkward and unnatural the situation was and he hated to think he'd put her in any discomfort. "Caroline," Klaus began as he stared at the floor. "I don't want you to be worried about the note. I realize how it might come as a bit of a shock to you but I will do everything to ensure your safety. I would like to extend an invitation for you to come live with Rebekah and me in our mansion, if you will allow me to." Caroline stared unblinking at Klaus and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He swallowed hard and his hands started to fumble around in his lap, the awkwardness of the situation beginning to show itself. He cleared his throat as the silence became embarrassing and Caroline sighed, flinging her leg off of the couch to sit straight, like a board. "I'm grateful for the offer, umm," she stuttered, her face glowing with a blush. "I realize that you want to make sure I don't get any more messages but "

"It would also make Rebekah very happy." Caroline smiled wistfully and licked her lips. "I would love to live there but I just I have some issues with just giving up and letting people take care of me. Especially when I don't know the full story. If you didn't think there was a problem, Klaus, I doubt you'd be offering to let me move into your mansion. Please, tell me the truth. Are you and Rebekah the reason I got this note?" Caroline turned and met eyes with Klaus as he tried to formulate an acceptable answer in his head. When he stayed silent Caroline began to fidget and then she stood, starting to pace around the room. Klaus watched as she rounded the coffee table in the middle of room and walked to stand at the window, gazing out the backyard. It wasn't much to look at but it opened up into the wooded area that she and Stefan had gone hunting in the morning before. "I am not saying that Rebekah and I are the sole reasons for the note you received last night, Caroline," Klaus said, breaking Caroline out of her stupor. She turned around to see that he was staring at her with a faraway look in his eye and a tilt to his head. His eyes traveled up to hers and his lips twitched into a smile. She was surprised to see that it was a genuine smile and not a seedy smirk that he was accustomed to wearing on his pink lips. "Then what are you saying?" Klaus sighed and patted the cushion beside him for her to sit down. Caroline figured that if he was going to open up to her she at least owed him the decency of looking him in the eye for it. She walked back around the coffee table and sat beside him with only a small sliver of space in between their legs. Klaus licked his lips and stared into Caroline's cautious blue eyes, searching for a sign that she would be accepting of what he was about to tell her. "I don't know if Rebekah has told you how old we are." Caroline shook her head. "She hasn't. She told me to ask you." Klaus smirked and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Of course she did. Well, to be quite honest, we're very old. The oldest of our kind. We're the Original vampires, Caroline. We created the entire vampire race." Caroline stared at Klaus in surprise and slowly let her shoulders fall. She nodded for him to continue with a small jerk of her head and Klaus nodded back. "When we were growing up, our youngest brother, Henrik, was killed suddenly." "Oh, Klaus," Caroline murmured sympathetically, reaching forward to lightly tough his arm. Klaus couldn't describe the feeling that her touch brought to life inside of him. It was as if fireworks began to spread underneath his skin and light his every nerve ending on fire. Caroline created a light within him that traveled from her touch, making its way to his heart and settling with a heavy weight. Her touch made him feel warm, something he hadn't truly felt before.

"It was a long time ago," he said gruffly, gently shaking off her hand. "Our mother could not bear to have our lives be at risk and she asked the witch of our village to cast a spell. With the help of a young girl's blood, we became vampires. My siblings and I did not acclimate well to the change. The sun burned us and the flower at the base of the white oak tree singed our skin. Having these powers affected us negatively and we lashed out at our village and our mother. In result, she was killed and our father has hunted us all since. For 1000 years we've been running; relocating from city to city to make sure that Mikael cannot find us. Our two surviving brothers are somewhere in the world, also on the run. Mikael is deadly and manipulative. He is willing to hurt anyone to get what he wants and he will kill anyone in his way." Klaus sighed deeply and looked Caroline in the eye, his azure eyes challenging her. He expected her to look shocked or disgusted, maybe even put off by the fact that he'd just told her he was over 1000 years old. Her unwavering eyes stared into his and she straightened her spin and squared her shoulders, clasping her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath and looked straight forward to gaze out of the glass door. "Caroline?" Klaus whispered, worriedly. He was suddenly nervous that he'd given her more information about himself and Rebekah that she could handle. "I'm just just processing." Her eyes stayed firm on the backdoor and then she sighed, her shoulders drooping. She fell back against the couch cushions and Klaus watched her deflate. "So you think Mikael is the one who left me the note?" "No," Klaus told her, shaking his head. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and Klaus exhaled quietly. "Mikael has no located us for decades, Caroline. Rebekah and I have been more careful in hiding our whereabouts than we ever have. I am aware of Rebekah asking you and Stefan to feed only on animals and that is to ensure that Mikael does not catch wind of us." It clicked in Caroline's mind and she exhaled loudly, shaking her head. "That makes more sense." She turned on the couch to face Klaus and wrinkled her brow, a sudden frown marring her features. "Then who the hell is doing this to me? There's this serious underlying but in your speech that you haven't quite gotten to yet and it's driving me crazy! Am I in danger?" Klaus shook his head but stopped quickly to shrug. "I can't be sure." She nodded hysterically and stood to pace the room. One of her arms was across her waist and the other elbow balanced on her wrist so that she could grasp her chin with her fingers. She was pacing back and forth back and forth, worrying a path in the carpet with her bare feet. She stopped and threw her hands into the air, making her shirt rise to reveal a small sliver of the creamy skin of her stomach. Klaus' eyes immediately shot to that sliver and he swallowed hard, biting the inside of his lip. Caroline paid no mind to this and stared angrily in Klaus' direction. "If I'm not in danger then why on earth are you asking me to move in with you?" Klaus mentally shook himself and rose to stand in front of her. Her grasped her by her arms and stared deeply into her annoyed cerulean eyes, sighing deeply. "Because, Caroline," he said quietly, shaking his head. "I don't want to risk putting you in danger.

As of now, this person has found a way into your apartment without you knowing. They have left no traces of who they are and the fear of the unknown is why I am asking you to move into the mansion. I don't believe you are in immediate danger, no, but the idea that I might be wrong drives me crazy." Caroline was stunned into silence and she nodded, letting her head drop to stare at the floor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to clear her mind, trying desperately to think of moving her life to a new location just because some nut wanted to frighten her was a good idea. She would love to live with Rebekah and to have her be that close, but she was unsure if having Klaus in such close proximity was such a good decision. Caroline's chest deflated and she felt her heart kick into overdrive as she lifted her head to meet Klaus' gaze head on. "Okay. "Her voice was hard with resolve. "I'll move into the mansion." Klaus felt his heart flip in his chest and he smiled, stepping away from Caroline and dropping his hands. "Fantastic, I'll leave you to pack your things. I will enlist the help of you beloved Stefan and we shall move your things -" "That's unnecessary; I have one bag full. I am quite capable of moving my things by myself." Klaus flared his nostrils and tipped his head to glare at Caroline. Caroline thought his glare was fierce from afar but there was no competition to how bone chilling it was up close. "Or I can let you do it, that's okay, too." Klaus smiled and nodded curtly, treading across the scratchy carpet to walk to the door. He turned around to gaze at Caroline for a moment to appreciate her natural beauty without fancy dresses and makeup to hide under. She looked young, having been changed at the vulnerable age of 17. If Klaus had passed her on the street, he would have thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd laid his eyes on, but knowing that she was as strong and willful as she was, Klaus felt an undeniable pull to her that he could barely suppress. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it, laughing to himself. Caroline took a step towards him and confusion and he held up his hand, stopping her in her place. "Klaus?" she questioned quietly, her voice full of worry. "Are you all right?" Klaus sighed deeply and looked back into her eyes before letting his heart harden once more, straightening his spine. "I'll be back in a few hours. Please be ready with your things packed." With those as curt parting words, Klaus threw the door open and slammed it shut, zooming down the sidewalk and away from Caroline before she could infect his heart with her light. Caroline stared at her still shaking front door and her hand flattened over her heart in her chest, a shaky breath breaking free from her lips. She felt her legs turn to jelly and she fell against the couch as confusion swarmed to life inside of her mind. She couldn't understand why Klaus had such a strong effect on her and why she allowed him to get under her skin. She hadn't let another man into her life aside from Stefan and she knew that Klaus was the riskiest one she could have chosen.

But there had been something in his eyes as he told her the story of his past that made her want to scoot across the couch and envelop him in her arms. There was something undefinable that she felt deep within her heart and mind telling her to let Klaus past her defenses. Stefan had been all Caroline needed for the last 16 years and the desire to allow Klaus to be a part of her existence scared her more than any threatening note in her dresser drawer.

Chapter 7
Caroline watched as Stefan and Klaus loaded all of her belongings into the back of a large vehicle, securing her meager possessions and shutting the door. Klaus nodded to her when they made eye contact and she clenched her jaw, nodding back. Stefan appeared beside her and his hand slid down her arm to grasp her hand in his, squeezing her fingers to reassure her. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly with sincere green eyes. "You look a little spooked." Caroline snorted and rolled her eyes to him. "That comes as a shock? First, there's a creepy cryptic death threat cuddling with my pajamas. Second, I'm forced into moving into a mansion with Klaus." "Don't forget Rebekah," Stefan said with a smile. "She'll be there, too. I'll be visiting roughly 100% percent of the time you'll be awake, as well." Caroline stared at Stefan and a small smile lit her face. "Everything's happening so fast, isn't it? It's like we're a family." Stefan pursed his lips and nodded as his eyes lit up mischievously. "Yes, a family brought together by 'creepy, cryptic death threat.'" Caroline rolled her eyes and lightly hit Stefan in the stomach, strolling away from him and back up the path to her apartment. The door stood open and she cautiously stepped over the threshold, staring at the dilapidated couch that she was so fond of. It only took four days for her to fall in love with the apartment she had to leave behind because of the message. She was saddened by having to leave but she was no martyr; she knew when to take good advice and accept help when it was given. She swallowed hard and spun around to find Klaus standing in the doorway, watching her. His blue eyes were glazed in reminiscence and Caroline stiffened, knowing she was intruding on a personal moment. Klaus seemed to snap out of his stupor and he shook his head infinitesimally as his gaze became light again. "Are you ready to go, sweetheart?" he questioned quietly, shuffling his feet. He was still looking at the branches that had been snapped off from her intruder and Caroline could see it in the way his muscles tensed that he was upset he hadn't stopped her from finding her message. "Yes, I'm ready." Klaus nodded and turned to leave her alone in the room to finish up saying her silent, sentimental goodbyes. She turned around slowly to glance one last time at the meager, unlived in apartment and turned on her heel to flounce from the room. She shut the door behind her with a soft click and gently toed the branches off of the sidewalk and back

into the brush of the bushes, hiding the evidence that she had ever been disturbed. She wanted to forget that horrible note and anything and everything that had come with it. Caroline turned from the door and walked down the pathway to the car that Klaus and Stefan were sitting in. Klaus was behind the wheel and Stefan sat guarding all of the things that were piled into the car in haphazard piles. Caroline walked around the car and pulled open the passenger side door, listening to the power creak that emanated from the door as she swung it open. Ignoring the slight lift of her dress, Caroline hopped into the seat and shut the door as she gently pulled the seatbelt across her chest and clicked it into place. "Okay," she sighed with a smile plastered to her lips. "Let's do this."

Caroline and Rebekah had watched with amused eyes as Klaus and Stefan moved all of Caroline's things into one of the unused bedrooms down the hall from Rebekah's room. The two of them sat staring off into space as the boys moved in the slight belongings that had filled the entire car but only filled one small corner of the room. Rebekah was imagining all of the exciting new things that she and Caroline could do and Caroline was mentally decorating the lavish room in her mind. She wanted to get a purple lacy canopy for the bed and lush pillows to cover the mattress. "Caroline," Rebekah said quietly, pulling her from her thoughts. "You need bed things." Caroline laughed lightly and shook her head. "Are you a mind reader, Bekah? I was just picturing what this room would look like in purple." "Purple!" Rebekah clapped and then coughed, dropping her hands down embarrassed. "That I like that idea! We shall go shopping later today once the boys are finished moving your things and get all of the purple items you like!" "Oh, Bekah, no," Caroline said, shaking her head. She sat up on her knees and tucked her feet underneath her. "I don't have the money and I couldn't have you buy all of it. That would be too much!" "It's not a problem, Caroline," Klaus interjected as he came into the room with a box of Caroline's clothing. "We have plenty of money and I'm sure Rebekah would be absolutely heartbroken if she wasn't allowed to help decorate your bedroom." Caroline looked at Klaus with a torn expression and then sighed, dropping her hands into her lap. "Okay," she murmured, glancing at Rebekah with a grin. "Let's go shopping, then!"

Rebekah and Caroline had managed to drag Stefan and Klaus with them to the line of boutiques that littered the streets of Chicago. "You two can go to that burly man store over that direction and Caroline and I will pick out things to decorate her bedroom. We'll see you at the caf down the street in an hour!"

Rebekah hooked her arm through Caroline's and roughly dragged her away from the boys as they chuckled and turned to walk to the cigar store down the street. "So I heard that Nik told you everything about us," Rebekah said with a grim smile. "I assume you have questions." Caroline watched the pavement pass underneath her white heels as Rebekah pulled her across the street and down the sidewalk towards a small boutique at the corner of the strip. "Well, I don't have a lot of questions but I have some." "Which are?" Rebekah asked quietly, pursing her lips. Caroline sighed deeply. "Why did you think that I would think different of you? Your age doesn't change who you are to me. You're the first friend I've had since Stefan and I'm not going to let that go because of your age." Rebekah stared at Caroline in surprise as they walked through the doors and the welcoming bells jingled for them. The attendant behind the desk looked up and Caroline was momentarily stunned by the woman's beauty. She had cropped black hair that hit her cheekbones sharply and her dark brown eyes shimmered with kindness. "If you two need help just let me know," she told Caroline with a smile. Caroline nodded and pulled Rebekah to the back of the store, keeping her eye on the attendant and making sure not to trip. Once they were out of eyesight, Caroline turned around and looked at Rebekah seriously. "You're my friend, Bekah," she whispered seriously. "You can believe me when I say that I will never not be your friend. We're in this for the long haul." Rebekah grinned and rolled her eyes. "That was a double negative, Caroline, but I understood. Thank you. Now come on! Let's find your all things purple!" "Purple?" The two blondes whipped around to see the attendant watching them closely with a bright smile on her face. "We just received a shipment of purple things yesterday! They're in the back! Follow me!" The woman took off and Caroline and Rebekah watched in amused fascination as she rounded the corner quicker than the two of them could comprehend her appearance. Rebekah gently pushed Caroline by the small of her back through the store and they came across the most extravagant purple furnishings that Caroline had ever seen. "Oh," she murmured in appreciation. "Everything is so beautiful." The lace for the canopy was sitting off to the right and Caroline picked it up gingerly between her fingers, bringing it to her nose to smell it. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes as the scent of new fabric filled her nose for the second time in those few days. Her blue eyes slid open and she gazed longingly at the satin purple pillows that were sitting on top of an equally as purple satin comforter. "All of it," Rebekah announced, loudly. "We'll take it all." "What no!" Caroline stared in surprise at Rebekah as the black haired attendant grinned.

"Yes! and we'll need new dresses for the club tonight!" Caroline watched in awe as Rebekah charged through the store and back towards the front where she was prepared to buy everything that was purple in the entire store. "Club?" the spry attendant questioned. "The Crimson Club?" Caroline glanced at her and nodded shyly, swallowing. "Yes, we like to listen to the music." The woman nodded and gathered as much as she could into her arms of the things that Rebekah was buying Caroline. Caroline helped by grabbing a few things herself and followed closely behind as the attendant walked back through the labyrinth of a store until they both stopped at the front desk. "Thank you, Bekah," Caroline mumbled as she choked up. "This is so kind of you." Rebekah patted her shoulder lightly and smiled. "You can thank Nik; it's his money!"

The Crimson Club was so full of life that night that Caroline was sure everyone was either completely drunk or high off of something. The music seemed louder and the dancers were more vivacious as she watched them from her spot on the balcony. The bright lights bounced off of her stunning purple flapper dress and beaded black headband that was holding back the blonde curls from her face. The rest of her hair flowed down her back in long blonde tendrils that ticked her skin when she turned her head to look at Rebekah who had chosen a similar dress in green. The music changed then and a slow, romantic number began to emit from the stage. The lights on the dance floor dimmed and Caroline watched Klaus from the corner of her eye as he stood and straightened his clothing. Stefan mimicked his actions and then held out his hand to Rebekah, offering her a dance. "Oh." Rebekah blushed and stood, dropping her clutch on the table. Caroline watched enviously as Stefan weaved his way through other dancing couples to settle his arms around Rebekah's waist and they began to sway to the music. Caroline sighed just as Klaus lightly tapped her shoulder and held out his fingers for her to grasp. "May I have this dance, love?" Caroline felt a grin split her face and she nodded, putting her napkin on the table. She held Klaus' fingers as he pulled her from the booth and through the people dancing until they reached a small secluded circle of space. One of Klaus' arms wrapped around Caroline's slim waist and the other grasped her hand, lifting their hands until they were hovering beside their heads. Caroline put her other hand on Klaus' shoulder and let him set the pace as they began to dance. Klaus showed Caroline all that he had to offer in means of dancing and Caroline was more than impressed at his fancy footwork. He spun her effortlessly and smiled into her eyes without blinking or looking away. It was as if he was completely aware of everything surrounding them without even checking to see what was actually there.

Caroline could see Rebekah and Stefan out of the corner of her eye and her heart swelled with genuine happiness. She was so sure having her real family disown her and refuse to acknowledge her existence would leave her broken and bitter. She had been so broken and lost when Stefan found her she never imagined she'd work properly again. Swinging around in Klaus' arms and watching her best friend smile at Rebekah, she knew that things were finally looking up. "Caroline," Klaus whispered as his fingers stroked the skin of her hand. "You're not here anymore, love." Caroline snapped to attention and stared into Klaus' deep blue eyes as he spun them in a circle to the rhythm of the music. "I'm sorry," she murmured, smiling. "I'm just so happy sometimes I forget where I am and what I'm doing." "Oh?" he asked, grinning. His pink lips pulled around his teeth and he dipped her slightly, listening to her laugh. "I like when you're happy. You get this shine in your eyes and there's a touch of a smile on your lips. You're beautiful." Caroline blushed and looked away anxiously, not meeting his eye. She would hate for him to see the disagreement in her gaze. He pulled her attention back to him as he leaned forward and pulled her more into his embrace, wrapping his arm tighter around her waist. "Don't be embarrassed, sweetheart." His warm breath caressed her cheek and she shivered. "You're the most beautiful woman in the room." Caroline swallowed hard and leaned her cheek against Klaus' shoulder. She felt the softness of his suit jacket against her skin and she let her eyes slip closed as he expertly moved them around the room. "Klaus," she whispered finally, pulling back. His blue eyes stared into hers nervously and she watched the second wall of vulnerability slip across his expression. Instead of it disappearing quickly like that last time, the wall seemed to grow before her eyes. She tightened her grip on his shoulder and hand and stared into his orbs seriously, making sure he knew she wasn't joking. "I don't think I said this before when you were telling me about your history but ," she sighed, swallowing hard. "- I think you're incredible you know when you're not insulting me." Klaus laughed lightly and his tense body relaxed, spinning her back into the dance. "Yes, well, I apologize for my earlier behavior. Rebekah has a tendency to trust people too easily and I needed to see how you would react to my teasing." "Teasing?" Caroline said incredulously. "You're kidding me! You were not teasing me! You were insulting me!" Klaus sighed and pursed his lips. "We have differing opinions. If it makes you feel better or like me anymore, it was not my intention to upset yougreatly." Caroline snorted and pursed her lips as well. Klaus stared at her in surprise and shook his head. Caroline sighed as the song came to an end and Klaus released his hold on her body. She stepped away from him and flattened her hands down her purple dress, resting her fingers on her hips. She stared at the toes of her black heels and felt Klaus slide his hand down her arm until he clasped her hand once more in his.

Caroline let Klaus lead her back to the table where Rebekah and Stefan were just sitting themselves back down. They were flushed red and grinning matching grins, allowing their elbows to casually bump into the others in intentional touches. Klaus sat down in his seat and Caroline grabbed her clutch purse off of the table, grasping it tight in her fingers. She desperately needed to splash some cold water on her face and she could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. She could still feel Klaus' touch on her skin despite the fact that he had let go of her hand about a minute before. "I umm I need to go to the restroom. I'll be right back." Klaus stood and watched her dash away with a worried expression before Stefan clamped his hand down on his arm, pulling him into his seat. "Don't worry about her," he told Klaus who glanced at him in confusion. "She does that running off without notice thing sort of often." Klaus nodded and mouthed the word "oh" with his lips. He took a sip of his water and gazed in the direction that Caroline had run off in.

Caroline had just shut the door of the stall when she heard the bathroom door swing open. High heels met the linoleum floor in harsh clicks and Caroline held her breath as irrational fear coursed through her veins. She couldn't comprehend how someone had been that close behind her the entire time she'd left the table. This woman had to have been a hairs breath away and Caroline hadn't seen her. She peeked through the crack in the stall and stared at the back of a short black bob. Caroline immediately recognized the attendant from the boutique and she felt the fear deflate right from her heart with a light, awkward laugh. She finished her business inside of the stall and opened the door to greet the woman when she stopped short, surprised. The bathroom was empty. "Huh," Caroline murmured, confused. "That's weird." Caroline only got one step out of the stall when a canister rolled across her foot and stopped right beside her. She gasped a deep breath just as the canister exploded and Caroline hit the floor, clawing herself away from the smoke that was coming from the bomb. It wasn't a fiery explosion like most bombs and it only took a matter of moments before Caroline realized why she was getting weaker and weaker. Her knees buckled and she hit the ground as her vision blackened and the familiar black bob of hair ducked out of the restroom. It wasn't just a gas bomb. It was a vervain gas bomb.

Chapter 8

Klaus, Rebekah, and Stefan were in the midst of conversation when the blast of the bathroom bomb rocked the club. Dancers fell to the floor, band members knocked into their instruments, bartenders spilled drinks, and innocent bystanders cried out in terror. It was chaos in The Crimson Club and evacuation was eminent. Stefan grasped Rebekah by her shoulders as panic morphed her features and her body froze. "Rebekah!" Stefan yelled, shaking her. "Rebekah, go back to the mansion and wait for us there! Go!" She spared a fleeting glance at her brother and dashed off into the crowd, disappearing amongst the chaos. "Stefan, we need to get these people out of here before they realize what's happening," Klaus said with deadly calm. He could smell the vervain in the air. Stefan nodded grimly and the two vampires set to work on evacuating the club goers. They lifted the ones paralyzed in fear and hurried them from the club, speeding the more coherent from the room. There was no damage to the club itself from what Klaus could tell, but he was not going to risk the possibility. This building had been around for a long time and he wasn't quite sure if the blast did structural damage. Stefan ushered more and more people out when he was hit with the sudden, sick realization that Caroline never returned from the bathroom. His head whipped around to see people running from the corridor and he searched for her blonde hair frantically, his heart pounding in his chest from terror. "Caroline?" he yelled, shoving people out of the way. "Caroline!" Klaus could hear Stefan's broken cries and he found the young vampire weaving his way back to the back of the club in the direction of the balcony. Klaus' eyes scanned for Caroline and when they came up empty, his heart dropped to his stomach and his entire body went cold. "Stefan!" Klaus screamed, charging after him. He clasped Stefan on the shoulder and spun him around, despite Stefan's efforts to fight again him. "Stefan, you must stop. Stop, Stefan!" Stefan stopped struggling and stared incredulously into Klaus' fathomless blue eyes. "It's Caroline, Klaus! She's in here somewhere and she would have found me if she was okay!" "I'm aware of that, Stefan," Klaus murmured, glancing around the hysteria. "Do you smell that? The gas in the air is riddled with vervain; that is the reason you cannot fight harder against me. You're becoming weak and you need to get these people out of here. Compel as many as you can to forget and I shall compel the rest, but I will find Caroline! Go, Stefan, before I make you!" Stefan's face crumpled in despair and he ripped out Klaus' grip to run in the opposite direction of the bathroom, grabbing people by their shoulders and dragging them outside with him. The club was empty and smoke began to infiltrate the room thickly, blinding Klaus. He crouched down and ran to the back hallway where he gagged for breath, the stench of vervain dragging the fresh air from his lungs. "Caroline!" Klaus yelled desperately as he sucked in smokeless air. "Caroline, answer me!"

Klaus stayed motionless before he heard a light rustle of beads against the tile floor. His head whirled in the direction of the closed bathroom door and he ran at it, ramming his entire weight against the wood. It was locked from the inside and there was no way to get in without breaking the entire door down. Klaus took a deep breath and ran at the door once more, using every ounce of strength he cold to break it open. He flew into the partition that created the small hallway of the bathroom and slid to the floor, choking on gas. The entire bathroom was full of smoke and vervain gas, leaving him breathless and unable to bring air into his lungs. He could feel the stinging on his skin as he crawled his way through the bathroom, blinded by the smoke and unsure of where to go. "Help me," Caroline whispered as she realized she was no longer alone. "Please help me." Her eyes slid shut and she slipped into unconscious just as she met the frightened blue eyes of Klaus. Klaus saw Caroline through the smoke and clambered over to her, flipping her onto her back and looking down at her. All of the color was bleached from her face and lips and she wasn't breathing as Klaus stared down at her. He wrapped his arms around her and bolted from the bathroom, trying desperately to get Caroline to safety. Klaus burst through the doors of the club and dashed off to the side and out of sight, hiding Caroline against his chest. She was limp in his arms and Klaus set her down on the ground, checking her for wounds that needed healing. "Caroline," he murmured as Stefan fell into his back and landed on the ground beside his friend, terrified tears in his eyes. "Caroline, talk to me." Klaus gently slapped Caroline's cheeks and felt his heart begin to sink at her silence. "Caroline!" Stefan yelled, pushing Klaus out of the way. Klaus fell to the side and allowed Stefan to shake his friend's shoulders, desperately trying to wake her up. The older vampire wasn't sure what an over exposure to vervain laced air could do to a vampire lungs, but he knew it wasn't good. Caroline needed blood and she needed it as soon as possible. "Caroline!" Stefan yelled as he reared back. His palm slashed against her cheek hard and her head whipped to the side, her eyes flashing open. She arched up and gasped for breath as her fingers clawed her throat in an attempt to make the pain stop. "Oh," Klaus murmured in surprise, leaning over her. He knew Caroline needed blood but there was no guarantee that a small animal would suffice. Taking control, Klaus' fangs elongated and he ripped into the flesh of his wrist, tearing open a large opening for Caroline to drink from. "Drink," he ordered as he put his wrist to her mouth. "Drink, Caroline, so you may heal." Caroline's confused cerulean eyes met Klaus' and she wrapped her lips around his wound, pulling his blood into her mouth and drinking it. It slid down her throat and eased the pain of the burns, making her heart return to his normal pace. Relieved and yet still painful tears fell down her cheeks as Klaus drew her into his embrace, cradling her head against his chest.

Caroline held on to Klaus' wrist as she drank from him, relishing in the feeling of the pain dissipating and his blood coating her throat. "It's going to be all right, love," Klaus murmured, smoothing her hair. "You're safe." Klaus looked up to meet Stefan's eyes, deep green meeting grim blue. They needed to discuss what happened and they needed to get Caroline to the mansion before someone realized what was happening. Klaus looked back down to see Caroline's eyes slide open and she released his wrist. She could feel the beginning effects of the healing process and her body grew heavy with exhaustion. Caroline looked up at Klaus and tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace. She could feel Stefan gripping her fingers and she squeezed lightly to reassure him, sighing with the need to sleep. Just as she was closing her eyes again, her gaze snapped to a familiar face in the crowd, a familiar face that didn't connect in her brain. She lost consciousness as brown eyes smiled into hers and long, flowing brown waves whipped around to coat the woman's back as she fled away and into the night.

When Klaus and Stefan walked through the door of the mansion, Rebekah was already rushing down the stairs to meet them. She stopped at the sight of Caroline in Klaus' arms and a primal cry ripped from her throat as she ran down the rest of the stairs. She slid on stocking covered feet to Caroline and looked down at her, hands rushing over her blonde curls. "Is she all right? Oh, please, Nik, tell me she's all right!" Rebekah wailed as Stefan stepped around Klaus and wrapped Rebekah in his arms. "Shh, Bekah, it's okay," Stefan murmured, stroking her cheek. "She'll be okay. She needs to rest." Rebekah watched with haunted azure eyes as her oddly silent brother carried Caroline up the stairs and to her bedroom, not speaking at all. She listened as he opened the bedroom door and closed it with a soft click and she turned to bury her nose in Stefan's collar. "Stefan," she whispered as she began to shake. "I was so frightened, Stefan. What is going on? Who is doing this?" Stefan pulled her away and stared into her eyes seriously. "Rebekah, tell me the truth: is this something Mikael would do? Is this is style? Vervain gas bombs?" "No," she said adamantly, shaking her head. "He's more of real bomb with added stakes kind of attacker. Besides, he would have gone after me and my brother, not Caroline." Stefan nodded grimly and sighed, blinking slowly. "So you know that Caroline was the target." "Of course, Stefan," Rebekah replied with a raised, sarcastic eyebrow. "I'm not an idiot. She went off on her own and the bomb happened in the bathroom. Why would I presume she not be the target?"

Stefan swallowed hard and wrapped his arms around her, calming her. "I'm sorry, I just this is all sort of shocking and I didn't want you to think I was hiding anything from you." He pulled away and smoothed her hair and cupped her jaw. "Thank you for listening to me earlier tonight. I recognize that you didn't have to follow my directions and yet you did. I appreciate that." He smiled sadly and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt, as well." "Oh, Stefan," Rebekah murmured in adoration. "You mustn't worry about me, sweetheart. I may be a lady but I'm a lady of 1000 plus years of experience. It would take more than a bomb to harm me." Stefan shook his head with a small smile and wrapped his arm around her waist to lead her into the parlor. He needed a drink.

Klaus removed Caroline's dress and smoothed the slip underneath it back into place, keeping Caroline modest and clothed. He pulled back the covers of her bed and slid her between the sheets while laying her head on the pillow, making her as comfortable as possible before tucking her hair back down around her face. She still hadn't gained consciousness and Klaus knew she needed to sleep before she could wake. Klaus sighed shakily and stroked the skin of her cheek, staring in wonder as his heart swelled with an emotion he hadn't truly felt before. Caroline twitched underneath his touch and leaned into his warmth. Her brow furrowed and Klaus ran his fingers over her skin to alert her of his presence. She sighed and fell back into a peaceful sleep, murmuring softly. Klaus wasn't quite sure who was doing these things to his Caroline. He couldn't understand the pattern and had barely cracked the surface of the note she had received before that nights attack. The hits were coming too quickly for him to comprehend and he felt helpless, an emotion he never degraded himself to feeling. Someone wanted to harm his Caroline and it wasn't one of the usual suspects. This perpetrator was new. And so far, they were winning.

Chapter 9
The morning after the attack on The Crimson Club, Klaus quietly crept out of Caroline's bedroom and sighed, shutting the door behind him. She hadn't regained consciousness yet and Klaus was beginning to become restless with the need to see if she was as okay as she seemed from her outward appearances. Klaus descended the staircase slowly as he allowed his limbs to wake up and tingles spread throughout them. He'd half fallen asleep in the chair beside Caroline's bed and quickly realized upon waking up that all of his blood circulation had turned sluggish from his position. He was walking on pins and needles and he made guttural noises of discomfort as he walked across the foyer and into the parlor. "Oh," he said suddenly, surprised. "Stefan, what are you doing here, mate?"

Stefan sat on the love seat in front of the fire as he sipped a glass of water. His throat had been hurting since the vervain gas and he wasn't able to sleep. "I stayed in one of your guest rooms because Rebekah asked me to. I hope you don't mind." Klaus sighed and walked over to the small cart, pouring himself a small glass of club soda. "Not at all. Did you sleep?" Stefan shook his head and Klaus nodded, sitting beside him. "I slept rather poorly myself." "Klaus," Stefan started as he turned to face him. "If this isn't Mikael then it has to be someone else. Someone you might have angered." Klaus raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. "I agree though I'm afraid the list will be quite long." Stefan nodded grimly and licked his lips, swirling the water in his glass. "Is Caroline okay?" Klaus drank some soda and shrugged. "She hasn't woken up. I'm sure she'll be fine once she drinks more blood but right now I think she needs rest. The vervain gas infiltrated her system at a dangerous level and her lungs are having a difficult time healing." "Do you have any suspicions about who did this?" Klaus shook his head and glanced at Stefan. "What about you?" The other vampire's dark green eyes were thoughtful when he nodded. "I don't know who it was but there was a woman who ran out of the bathroom hallway just after the bomb went off. She was the only one and I'm assuming she was the only other person in the restrooms aside from Caroline. So unless this bomb was possessed and blew up on its own, this woman had something to do with it." Klaus was surprised he hadn't noticed a woman run from the hallway when he was nearly always on alert for Caroline. "What did she look like?" "To be honest," Stefan began, turning his entire body to face Klaus. "She looked familiar. She had this this face that I couldn't place. Everything else looked different like I hadn't seen her before but her face. She had very short black hair and she might have been a slight inch or two shorter than Caroline." Klaus nodded thoughtfully and brought his soda to his lips, draining the rest of the glass and staring in the fire. "Then we shall find her." Klaus and Stefan didn't hear Rebekah as she tiptoed down the staircase. She had heard Stefan rise hours ago and she listened closely to Klaus leave Caroline's room. She left her own bedchambers to check on her friend when the hushed conversation of the men floated up to her from downstairs. She had been standing just outside of the parlor and tucked into the shadows beside the door listening to the conversation. When Klaus told Stefan there was a long list of possible attackers, he wasn't kidding. Rebekah knew the extensiveness behind Klaus' enemies and couldn't begin to fathom who the attacker could be.

But the moment Stefan mentioned an average woman with short black hair and a familiar face, Rebekah immediately had a flash of the score attendant from the boutique earlier the previous morning. She could see in fine detail the way the blonde bob of hair flirted with the side of the woman's neck but didn't quite touch, as if the hair wasn't supposed to be there. Rebekah knew in that instant that she was the woman they were looking for. She could feel it in the way her pulse sped up and the clammy feeling she developed behind her knees, telling her to scurry back upstairs and get dressed. She threw on a short dress and heels, pulling her hair into a lavish twist and letting curls fall around her face. She snuck into Caroline's room to gently push back the soft blonde tresses from her eyes, smoothing them over her skin. She could get to the bottom of this.

Rebekah charged through the front door of the boutique and relished in the way it slammed into the wall, shaking the entire store. The head of the clerk behind the desk flew up and Rebekah was struck with immediate disappointment; it wasn't the girl from before. "Excuse me," she said loudly and walked to the man. "I wish to speak to your attendant. I failed to catch her name but she has very short black hair and dark eyes. Does that ring a bell?" The man, who Rebekah supposed was the manager, stared at her curiously before clearing his throat. "I apologize, miss, but no. My son and I are the only managers of this establishment and there are no other employees." Rebekah's body froze and she went cold, swallowing hard. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying," the man told her sincerely. "There is no woman by that description who works here. Not now and not before." Rebekah nodded dumbly and took a shaky step backward, swallowing hard. "I see. I umm I apologize, I must have misunderstood. Thank you for your time; I'll just be going." She turned on her heel and bolted out of the door and into the fresh air. She took deep breaths to clear her mind and set to work on thinking of other places to check. Suddenly, she was seized with the idea to go back to the club and see if anyone who worked there knew of the woman she was seeking. Turning around the opposite direction, Rebekah ducked behind a parked car and sped off towards the building that held The Crimson Club, her step faltering at the way it looked in the daytime. The doors were shut and boarded tight against the possibility of someone breaking in. She knew there was no chance of getting in the front and so she traipsed around to the back of the club, finding service stairs. Rebekah took two stairs at a time until stumbled on the front door of the owners apartment and nodded twice, waiting impatiently. The door swung open and Rebekah was greeted with the bouncer and a large wooden stick, presumably a weapon.

"Hello," Rebekah greeted quietly, standing her ground. "I do not mean to be a bother but I was wondering if you would help me find someone. She was here last night and I think she may know something about the accident." The bouncer nodded and stepped aside to let her in. Rebekah ducked into the apartment and turned around to face him as he sat on the couch and gestured for her to sit opposite him. "What did the woman look like?" he questioned as he leaned his elbows on his knees. Rebekah sat down and folded her hands in her lap. "Short black hair, last night she was wearing a black dress with white pearls." The bouncer nodded. "I remember her. Good lookin' thing, she was. Didn't catch a name but I got the impression she wasn't much a of a people person. She didn't say a word to no one and she flew right out the door a few seconds out of the bomb went off. Fast as lightning, she was! Like she'd gotten a head start!" "How do you know it was her?" Rebekah asked dubiously. "If she ran right past you?" "'Cause she stopped," he answered, shrugging. "She turned around and looked dead at me. She smiled which I thought was real weird 'cause a bomb had just gone off and everything but she did it and disappeared." "Hmm. About the bomb. Do you know more about it?" The man shook his head and smirked at Rebekah. "You're more'n welcome to go check it our y'rself, miss." Rebekah shivered and rose from the chair, smoothing the length of her dress. "I'm grateful for the offer but I'm afraid I must decline on account of being absolutely disgusted by your offer. Thank you for your time; I will be on my way." Rebekah ran from the apartment and quickly fled down the winding staircase. Hopping off the bottom rung, she sped all the way back to the mansion where she quietly slipped in the front door and up the stairs. She managed to get into her bedroom without being noticed and sighed with happiness; she hadn't been caught. Turning around, she pulled the pins from her hair and kicked off her high heels, stopping just as soon as she opened her eyes. Stefan was sleeping on her bed with his mouth hanging slightly open and one of her pillows clutched tightly to his chest. His floppy brown hair had fallen into his face and Rebekah felt her heart swell in her chest at the sight of him. Tiptoeing over to him, she slid onto the bed beside him and cuddled into his back, drawing in his warmth and exhaling all of her worries. She lightly put her arm over his waist and buried her nose in between his shoulder blades as she slipped into a peaceful sleep for the first time in days.

When Caroline woke up, she barely recognized her surroundings. The bed was much plusher than her shabby old bed in her apartment and the atmosphere was much more serene and comforting. She sat up slowly and was hit with the sudden burning and aching of her throat and lungs, crying out from the pain.

Her bedroom door flew open and Klaus was beside her in an instant with a glass of ice cold water and a cold compress for her forehead. She eagerly drained the water from the glass as Klaus placed the soothing cloth against her skin, soothing the heat underneath her flesh. "Klaus?" she asked after she'd finished the water. "What happened?" Klaus plucked the glass from her fingers and sighed as he clasped his hands on the bed beside her. "What do you remember?" "Oh, umm, well I went to the bathroom. I was in the stall and someone came in. She she wasn't there more than a second because when I finished and came out of the stall, she was gone. Then something hit my foot and exploded and I guess that's when I passed out." "Did you see the woman?" Klaus probed with an urgent voice. "Anything to maybe point us in the right direction?" Caroline shook her head but stopped suddenly, remembering. "I saw her after you saved me. I think wait, did Stefan slap me?" she reached up to clasp her aching cheek. "It must have been after I was brutally assaulted that I opened my eyes and saw her." "Yes, Stefan slapped you to wake you up. You saw her?" "Yes, when I opened my eyes after Stefan slapped me, she was in the crowd of people and she was smiling at me. But she looked different. Her hair was different. It was it was brown and long. Curly. I only recognized her face. But but it's like I've seen her before this. Like I know her. I guess I just thought I did, anyway." "Where do you think you knew her from?" Caroline sighed in thought and stared into his eyes honestly. "I think she was from the small boutique that Rebekah and I went to get my bed things. I can't be sure since I didn't see her face when she had the black hair, but there was something familiar about the way she stood." "I see. Oh, and Caroline? You didn't truly open your eyes until ahem," he faltered and Caroline could have sworn she saw a flush on his cheeks. "Yes?" He took a deep breath and smirked to himself, raising an eyebrow. "You opened your eyes after you finished feeding from me." Caroline's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in surprise. She jerked her head back and forth, knocking blonde waves into her eyes. "That what I don't I did what?" "You needed to feed, Caroline. There were no other options! Stefan was already far too weakened by the vervain gas and I wasn't. There wasn't enough time to get you into the woods and try to find an animal and I will not risk drawing more attention to us by you feeding on a human in the middle of the parking lot. It was not a big deal and it does tie you to me in any way. I will not take advantage of my blood in your veins." Caroline felt as if she'd been slapped and immediately wanted to apologize for how surprised she'd been. "I'm sorry," she whispered with downcast eyes. "I just I've never

fed from a vampire before. I guess I had to when I was turned but never not since that night. I guess I was just worried that it would do something to me." "It shall not do a thing to you, sweetheart." Klaus pushed back her hair from her cheeks and caressed her skin with his palm, loving the feeling of her soft flesh underneath his hand. "I am so sorry, Caroline." Caroline's blue eyes snapped to Klaus' and she saw for the first time how guilty he looked. "Why?" she questioned quietly, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. "What are you sorry for?" "For what keeps happening to you!" He tensed and Caroline ran her soft fingers down the inside of his wrist. "I never imagined that knowing me for such a short amount of time would endanger your life. I never thought I didn't think. I should have known." "You couldn't have," she argued resolutely. "And I'm going to stick to that answer." Klaus sighed deeply and stared into Caroline's piercing blue eyes. They stared into his with such determination that Klaus felt sucked in. Caroline was unlike any other person he had met. He'd come across so many fascinating people in the long 1000 years he had been alive but none made him feel like Caroline did. She made him feel human. Caroline was his humanity. "Klaus?" she whispered, worried. "You've gone pale." Klaus did the one thing he'd wanted to do since he'd laid eyes on Caroline Forbes. He grasped her by the back of the neck and pulled her to him as a surprised gasp flew from her lips. Her blue eyes widened as his soft, pink lips landed lightly on hers, drawing out a soft puff of air as she closed her lips over his. Caroline was so surprised by his actions that she wasn't even aware she'd started to kiss him back. Suddenly, her hands were in his hair as he applied more pressure against her lips and the fingers of his free hand dug into the skin of her hip. Caroline let a small groan slip from her throat as Klaus pulled her flush against him, lifting her slightly into the air. She was floating over the floor but she didn't mind the height different as she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head for better access to his beautiful mouth. Klaus twined his arms around her waist and effortlessly held her up in the air to continue kissing her. His feet carried him until he could push Caroline into one of the large posters of the bed, ripping his mouth away from hers to drag in a ragged breath. Caroline breathed harshly for a moment and stared at Klaus and his swollen pink lips, not being able to drag her gaze away from his moist mouth. Without her consent, her hand rose to his face and her thumb stroked his plump bottom lip, pulling gently. She was unprepared for Klaus to suck her finger into his mouth and gently nibble on her skin; she was even more unprepared for such an act to feel so amazing and forbidden. "Klaus," Caroline murmured, cupping his face between her hands. "Kiss me." Klaus groaned and pulled her back into his arms to ravage her lips with his. His hands ran over her sides and she could feel the heat of his skin through the thin material of her

satin slip. Caroline bit Klaus' lip between her teeth and pulled softly to drag it from his mouth. Klaus' eyes stared into hers, drunk from her kisses and completely struck by her. "Caroline," Klaus whispered as his heart beat painfully hard in his chest. He was struck with the sudden fact that he had practically accosted Caroline in her bed and forced her up against the bedframe. "Oh." The color leached from Klaus' face and he gently allowed Caroline to slide down the poster until her bare feet hit the floor. She gazed, confused, into Klaus' deep azure eyes and felt hurt bloom in her chest at the closed off look in his gaze. "I'm sorry," he said softly, pushing away from her. Caroline was overcome with the need to help Klaus just as quickly as she had been hurt. She knew in that instant that he wasn't pulling away from her out of disgust with her, but with disgust for himself. "Do not apologize." Her voice was hard as she forcefully pulled her gaze back to hers with a hand on his cheek. "If I did not want you to kiss me, you wouldn't have. I had just as much a part in what happened as you did." Klaus knew she was attempting to make him feel better but he was nearly drowning in guilt. "Caroline -" "No," she said sternly, stomping her foot. "That's that. I wanted to kiss you and I still want to kiss you. Right now, what I really want is to bathe." "Of course." Klaus nodded and stepped away from her as she moved about the room to gather the things she needed before heading to the bathroom door. She stopped just before reaching for the doorknob and turned back to him. Klaus cocked his head and smiled. "Yes?" "Nothing," she grinned at him. "Just picturing you how you looked after you kissed me." Caroline visibly shivered and Klaus felt a mirroring tremble run down his own spine. "I should have warned you; I'm rather dashing when I've been thoroughly kissed." Caroline snorted and rolled her eyes to him. "I'll keep that in mind." She pulled the door to the bathroom open and slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind her. Klaus stared at the wooden door, numb from shock, and fell back against the poster he'd just been holding Caroline up against. Reaching up with his hand, he ran his fingers over his bottom lip to feel the indentations from Caroline's teeth still fresh on his skin. Klaus shook his head with an amused grin and licked his lips, exiting the room. Caroline was much more than Klaus ever imagined.

Chapter 10
When Caroline was freshly dressed after her shower and slightly more awake than she had been, she quietly left her bedroom and descended the staircase. Part of her, a part

she would never admit to having, was searching for Klaus. It was as if her heart was leading her throughout the mansion in search of his beautiful blue eyes and soft pink lips. She rounded the corner to the parlor and stopped short as she realized he was standing just before the fire and staring into the flames. He was swirling dark liquor in a small glass and leaning on one hip, watching the flames crack and flicker. "Klaus?" Caroline whispered nervously, picking her cuticles. Klaus turned around and caught her eye as a large grin pulled his lips back and his white teeth illuminated his face. "Caroline." He set the glass on the trolley behind him and crossed the room to meet her at the entrance, tentatively reaching up to cup her cheek. She smiled into his eyes and slightly leaned into his warm touch, just barely turning her cheek. Klaus cleared his throat but his eyes betrayed the cool exterior he was wearing; he was just as affected by her as she was by him. "Did you have a nice bath?" he questioned lightly. Caroline quirked an eyebrow and smirked into his smiling gaze. "It was lovely. I no longer smell like vervain, which is always a plus." Klaus' expression turned grave and he nodded as his thumb stroked her cheek. "We need to discuss the attack more with Stefan and Rebekah once they " "We're here," Rebekah announced with a quirked purse of her lips. Her eyes landed on Caroline and Caroline could see the relief as it flooded her body; her shoulders dropped their tension and the lines around her lips disappeared. "Caroline." Rebekah dashed across the room and wrapped her arms around Caroline shoulders, burying her nose in her hair. Caroline wrapped her arms around Rebekah's waist and felt the choking of tears as they invaded her throat and blinded her eyes. "I'm okay," Caroline soothed Rebekah as much as Rebekah soothed her. "I'm okay. I'm fine." Rebekah pulled away and grinned into Caroline face, cupping her cheeks. "Don't you ever frighten me like that again, do you hear me?" Caroline nodded and watched Stefan step around Rebekah, his dark green eyes watchful. He stared into Caroline's gaze insecurely and unsure of how to react to her and Caroline whimpered before launching herself into Stefan's arms. Stefan wrapped Caroline in his embrace and swallowed thickly as his heart and body relaxed for the first time since the bomb had erupted. He pulled back and wiped a wayward tear from Caroline's cheek. "I second what Rebekah said, Care." Caroline's laugh was watery but she rolled her eyes. "I understand you were scared, Stefan; but did you really have to slap me?" Stefan blanched and opened his mouth to speak but shut it quickly, at a loss for words. "I uh well you were and I was I was worried that yeah. I'm sorry."

Caroline chuckled and patted him gently on the bicep. "While I appreciate your concern, you should work on your tactic." "All right, now that we have those tearful reunions out of the way," Klaus began with a grin. "Might we discuss the matter of the attack of Caroline? I think we all need to gather what we know and our stories and attempt to figure out everything we know." The three other vampires nodded and took to the soda and chair to become comfortable enough for the conversation. Rebekah and Stefan took the loveseat and Klaus sat down in his plush chair, turning it so that the seat faced the coffee table and his friends. Caroline looked to the empty corner of the sofa beside Klaus' chair and she began to round the table when Klaus clamped his hand on her wrist and yanked her onto his lap. She landed with a whoosh of air and stared incredulously at Klaus' grinning face. "Next time, a warning would be lovely." "Sorry, love, but I saw no other options. Besides, this isn't nearly as intimate as ahem earlier." Caroline's face erupted in a blush and she cleared her throat unnecessarily, turning to face Rebekah and Stefan. "Okay, where were we?" Stefan smirked. "We hadn't started yet." "Though, I am curious as to what 'ahem earlier' is in reference to?" Rebekah added with one raised eyebrow and a quirk of her lips. Caroline glared at her friend and pursed her lips. "Hush, Mikaelson. Now let's talk about what happened. Did anyone else see the girl?" "Yes, I saw her. I didn't catch a glimpse of her face but I did see her hair. Short, black." "So, you saw the same girl," Caroline said thoughtfully. "As did I," Klaus murmured. "Two is a coincidence and three is a pattern." Caroline sighed deeply and her brow wrinkled. "Every time I see her face in my mind, it's like like I recognize her." "Yes, you saw her earlier in the day," Klaus told her. "No, it's not that. It's as if and I don't know how it would be possible due to the fact that she'd be much older but it's as if she's from my hometown. From when I was human." "Really?" Rebekah questioned. "Where is your hometown?" "Mystic Falls." Klaus jumped underneath Caroline and she watched as both Stefan and Rebekah turned to stare at her in shock. "What?" she murmured quietly. "You're all staring at me like I've grown a third head."

"Mystic Falls, Virginia?" Klaus whispered. Caroline turned around and nodded at him sincerely when she realized that he'd gone completely pale. Both Rebekah and Stefan turned an odd shade of grey as well and Caroline felt her heart jump to her throat. "Please tell me what's going on?" Stefan sighed. "I didn't know that's where you were from, Care" "You didn't know?" Rebekah turned to look at him. "You've been her friend for 16 years and you never knew where she was from?" "I found her after she'd been turning. When we met, it was in New York and she was barely alive. Her previous home never came into the equation." "What's wrong with me being from Mystic Falls?" Caroline shrieked, standing. "I don't understand why you're all having a conniption about this!" "That's where I lived from the time I was born until I was changed, Caroline," Stefan told her softly. "That is where we originated from as well, I'm afraid," Klaus added. "It appears our meeting was not a coincidence." "How is it not a coincidence, Klaus? Who could have known that Stef and I would have ended up in Chicago? We traveled all over the world before settling here! and we didn't plan it!" "Actually, Care," Stefan interrupted. "That's not entirely true." Caroline whipped around and faced Stefan. "What do you mean?" Stefan sighed deeply and shifted in his seat, pulling away from Rebekah. "I received a telegram at our home in Paris one morning when you were out at the caf. It wasn't addressed to me so I didn't think anything of it. It was a drawn photograph of the Chicago skyline at night and I thought that you would love it. I remember there were details on the back and it told of The Crimson Club being the most popular flapper's club in this town. I didn't I thought it was fate. Apparently, it wasn't." "So who cares! You received some sort of advertisement for Chicago, big deal!" "There is no coincidence, Caroline," Klaus said quietly as she stood beside her. "Rebekah and I have lived in this house for three years. Enough time for one of our enemies to discover our whereabouts and send unsuspecting vampires our way." "So this was all someone's plan!" Caroline yelled hysterically. "Who could do this!?" Rebekah sighed and let her head fall. "It sounds like our father." Caroline turned to look at Rebekah and shook her head. "I have never met him personally but I doubt he works in the boutique down the street and has short, black hair. Also, I assume he is a man and not a woman."

"The woman is a rather confusing factor but it would not be the first time our father has enlisted the help of another vampire. Nor would it be the first time another vampire has decided to do our father's bidding." Klaus stepped in front of Caroline and grasped her chin. "Though I am particularly more upset that this vampire has decided to target you, sweetheart." Caroline swallowed thickly and averted her gaze from Klaus' before she could allow herself to be sucked into the swirling pool of blue. "Why would he attack me? What did I do?" "You're connected to us," Klaus whispered. "You mean something to both Rebekah and I and that can be used to Mikael's advantage." Caroline was at a loss for words. "I mean something to you?" Klaus pulled away from Caroline to walk to the other side of the room with tense shoulders. "Yes, of course. You're my sister's dear friend and I would be honored to consider you my friend as well." Caroline felt her chest deflate in disappointment and hurt. "OhI see." "Yes, so, this should be dealt with accordingly and as quiet as possible. We do not want the town to be alerted to our presence now that it seems Mikael is aware." Caroline tried not to let the hurt show on her face as she spun around to face Rebekah. "You said you were from Mystic Falls?" "Yes, before it was named such," Rebekah answered, watching Caroline's expression. She could hear the pain in Caroline's voice and she was sure as hell going to question Klaus about his choice of words. "It was where we became the first vampires." "It was where I was turned, too," Stefan added. "Where we were all turned" Caroline whispered in horror. "By whom were you turned, Caroline?" Klaus questioned her darkly. Caroline refused to meet Klaus' eyes when he stepped into her line of vision. "I don't know," she told him. "I was attacked from behind and woke up alone." "Then what happened?" Rebekah said. "I drained the first person I saw. I was covered in blood and I went home. I didn't have a key so I had to knock and when the maid opened the doorher face. She looked horrified. She thought I was hurt because I was covered in my own blood and the blood of the man I had killed. She'd dragged me inside and called for my father who knew. He took one look at me and could see that I was fine." Caroline choked on tears and turned around, hiding her face. Klaus gently placed his hand on her shoulder and she shrugged him off as the sting of his words still caused pain. "He kicked me out of the house. Of the town. He was the Judge so he had say over who was just and who was guilty. He teamed up with Mayor Lockwood and they excommunicated me from Mystic Falls."

"They didn't try to kill you?" Rebekah whispered, shocked. "No." Caroline shook her head. "They didn't want the death of the Judge's daughter on their hands. They told everyone that I was killed by a rabid animal and they couldn't find my remains." "That's awful," Rebekah replied, bleakly. "I'm so sorry, Caroline." Caroline turned around to see Klaus watching her with careful eyes. Her actions hadn't gone unnoticed and she was certain he would question her about them just as soon as Rebekah and Stefan left the room. "I've grown past it," Caroline told them, proudly. "It helps that Stefan found me. I would still be falling to pieces if he hadn't." "Not that this isn't touching," Klaus began, annoyed. "But I'm still attempting to put the pieces together. All of us being from the same town is not enough to draw conclusions. There must be more." "You need more?" Caroline asked with a snarl. "How much more could there be?" "I don't know, love, but there has to be something we're missing. Stefan ," Klaus turned to Stefan. "Who turned you?" "Oh," he turned pale. "Katherine Pierce." Rebekah gasped lightly and stood, walking to grasp Klaus by the arm. "Nik, that that's the doppelganger." Caroline threw a confused glance to Stefan and crossed her arms over her cotton t-shirt, cocking her hips. "The who?" "The doppelganger of the girl who sired us," Rebekah told Caroline with haunted eyes. "Tatia Petrova's blood was the blood in which we drank to become vampires. Over these 1000 years, she has had two doppelgangers. Katherine Pierce's real name is Katerina Petrova, and she was the original doppelganger. Niklaus and our brother Elijah discovered her in England in the 1400's and that is when she was turned. She became a vampire and our family decided to discontinue tracking her." Rebekah swallowed hard and squeezed Klaus' arm. "Katherine died in 1864, in Mystic Falls," Stefan said before Rebekah could begin again. "She turned my brother and I and then our father killed her." "I heard about that," Caroline whispered in awe. "My father used to tell me tales of the vampires who used to live in our town. He told me about Katherine but he never told me her name." "It can't be her that's doing this," Stefan argued again. "Not only did Katherine die in the tomb underneath Mystic Falls, but this woman I saw her face. They were eerily similar but it's not possible. They moved completely different and Katherine. Is. Dead." "There is another doppelganger, sweetheart," Rebekah murmured as she rounded the table to cup Stefan's cheek. "Elijah had been keeping track of her until she was, coincidentally, turned into a vampire. That was just shy of 17 years ago."

"What is her name?" Caroline asked. "Elena-," Rebekah started to tell Caroline when she blanched and her step faltered. She turned a wild glance to Klaus who noticed her sudden silence and he, too, paled. "Elena Gilbert, daughter of Clergyman Gilbert in Mystic Falls." Caroline felt the world spin around her as her knees buckled, sending her to the floor. She landed hard on her hands and began breathing too heavily, dizziness knocking her into a world of vertigo. Klaus dropped down beside her and lifted her easily into his arms to cradle her against his chest, drawing her into his lap as he sat them both on the chair. Caroline shook her head and buried her nose in Klaus neck as disbelief clouded her mind. "What is it, love?" Klaus whispered. Caroline stared into Klaus' blue eyes with a haunted expression, remembering. She was picturing the woman in the crowd outside of The Crimson Club with streaming chocolate curls and equally dark eyes. She saw the same eyes reflecting in the mirror the club's bathroom as she stood in the stall and the same eyes looking into hers through piles of purple satin. "I know who the woman is," Caroline murmured, stunned into a ghostly stupor. "Elena Gilbert. Elena Gilbert is the woman who tried to kill me." Klaus stiffened underneath her and he looked up quickly to Stefan and Rebekah. Stefan's eyes widened in recognition and he walked to the sofa and plopped into a seat. "That's why she looked familiar. She has the same face as Katherine." "That will happen with doppelgangers," Klaus said, annoyed once again. He tightened his grip on Caroline and looked to Rebekah. "How did we not notice her? " Rebekah shrugged, stunned. "I have no idea. I - ahem," she cleared her throat. "I went investigating earlier today, on my own. I wanted to see if I could find any information about her. She she doesn't really work at the boutique. The manager told me that he and his son are the only workers at the boutique. She more than likely compelled them into letting her work though I do not know how she would know that Caroline and I were going to shop there." "Because she planted the note." Stefan punched the love seat beside him and hopped up in anger. "Elena planted the note and watched us move Caroline into the mansion. She's been privy to our every move!" Klaus was shaking from anger and Caroline fisted his shirt in her hands, holding onto him. She could feel the absolute rage coursing underneath the surface of his skin and she just needed him to calm down. She could focus on his words later because now, she just needed him to be there for her. Caroline was tired of being strong enough to fight on her own. She just wanted to be held. Klaus felt her begin to tremble and he wrapped her more securely in his arms, kissing her hairline while Rebekah and Stefan weren't watching. Rebekah had crossed the room to wrap an arm around Stefan's waist and drag his gaze to hers. "Stefan, you need to keep calm."

"How, Rebekah!? How can I keep calm when my best friend has received death threats and attack on her life!? We fed right into Elena's plans and right now, she has the upper hand!" "We still don't know why she's doing this!" Rebekah argued, blue eyes blazing. "For all we know, she is just trying to make a name for herself. Attacking the Mikaelson's and people we love will make a name for any vampire." Stefan exhaled hard and stared into Rebekah's eyes. He leaned his furrowed brow against her forehead and gently held her arms for support, drinking in her strength. "I know. I just don't understand." Rebekah sighed deeply and turned to gaze at her brother cradling Caroline to his chest. She turned back to Stefan and threaded her arms through his to lead him from the room. Klaus met her eyes as she pulled Stefan out of the parlor and he nodded, knowing she was going to console Stefan about his guilt. Klaus shifted and held Caroline closer as their hearts beat to a matching rhythm. "Klaus," Caroline whispered as she pulled back. Klaus looked down into her face and noted her pale pallor and haunted eyes. "Yes, love?" "Do you not care for me?" Klaus sucked in a harsh breath and pushed her away to stare incredulously at her. "I'm sorry, what? Was my earlier attacking of your lips mistaken for casual friendship?" "No." Caroline blushed. "When you were talking earlier about people attacking who you and Rebekah cared foryou saidwell I asked if you cared about me and you kind of said no." Klaus groaned and shut his eyes, shaking his head. "I might have accidentally swallowed a mouthful of my foot with that comment, yes. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just I don't know how to articulate how I feel for you. I don't think 'care' is the correct term but I don't want to frighten either of us. We have only known each other for a matter of days and I will gladly say that I have feelings for you." Caroline swallowed hard and nodded, wrapping her hand around the back of Klaus' neck. She brought him towards her and gently placed her lips against his, sucking the breath from his lips with a kiss. She tilted her head and cupped both of his cheeks between her palms, stroking his skin with her thumbs. She hummed deep in her throat and pulled Klaus closer to wrap her arms around his neck, crushing them together. Klaus growled deeply and grasped Caroline tight by her waist, digging his fingers into her skin. He lightly lifted the back of her t-shirt to place his hands on the soft skin of her lower back, making her jump. She tensed momentarily before going lax and biting Klaus lip. She pulled away with his lip between her teeth and watched hungrily as it popped back into place, blood red. Klaus swallowed hard and stared dazedly into Caroline's cerulean eyes, struggling for air. "I have feelings for you, too," she said with a triumphant smile.

Klaus grinned and tucked her back underneath his chin while they both caught their breath. His large hand ran up and down her back as she stroked his chest languidly, daydreaming. "I'm sorry that I've caused so much trouble," Caroline murmured, sickened by the fact that she was creating so many problems. "It wasn't my intention." Klaus clucked his tongue and tightened his arms around her. "Any problem which involves you is welcome as long as you walk away from it alive. I will find this woman, Caroline, and I will make her pay for hurting you." Caroline took a shaky breath and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. She wasn't accustomed to this sort of attention. She was used to Stefan's affection only and had always been grateful for it. She wasn't used to the feeling that was weighing heavily on her heart and she deeply wished that it would go away. Caroline just wanted to lie in Klaus' arms without the suffocating fear that he would grow tired of her and the chaos that followed.

Chapter 11
Stefan was just quietly tiptoeing past Caroline's bedroom door and to the large guest bathroom when it cracked open and Caroline's blonde head of hair popped out from the room. Stefan quickly turned to look at her and smiled, tilting his head. "What are you doing?" She shrugged and stepped into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her. She leaned back against the wood wall and looked down at her bare toes that she was digging into the carpet. "I'm suffocating, Stef. I need. To. Go. Out." Stefan snorted. "Have you asked Rebekah to take you out?" "No," Caroline sighed. "I want to go out with you! My best friend! Come on, there's that little caf down the street from the club that we never got to go to! Please, Stef? Just us! We can get a Danish and coffee and then go hunting?" Caroline was bouncing up and down on her toes and she reached forward to grasp Stefan's arm in her hands. She pulled his arm up and down with her as she hopped and Stefan finally started to chuckle, extracting his arm from her grip. "Fine, fine," he acquiesced, holding his hands out in front of him. "Get dressed and I'll tell Rebekah." Caroline giggled excitedly and clapped as she spun around to run back into her bedroom. The door clicked behind her and Stefan listened to her rustle through clothing that was undoubtedly all over her floor. He turned away from the door and walked back towards Rebekah's room where he knocked quietly against the grain and waited for her to tell him to enter.

He found Rebekah sitting at her vanity and stringing her hair into pins on the sides of her head. She smoothed the bright blonde waves against her scalp and used some clear jelly like substance against the curls to keep them in place. "You look beautiful," Stefan said in quiet awe. Rebekah turned around to smile at Stefan and she stood, crossing the room. She thread her arms over his shoulder and stared into his deep green eyes, slowing trailing down the bridge of his nose until her gaze landed on his lips "Thank you," she murmured, licking her lips. Stefan's breath slowed as Rebekah lightly placed her mouth against his, tilting her head and closing her eyes. She combed her fingers through silky brown hair and held on as he gently backed her up against the vanity. She slid onto the table top until she was sitting with her legs dangling off, Stefan between them. He had his hands on her hips and was kneading the skin of her sides as her hands slid from his hand to wrap around his torso. "Mm," she murmured into his mouth, pulling away. She trailed a light smattering of kisses down the side of his cheek and to his throat where she sucked hard against his skin. Stefan's knees buckled and he held himself up against the vanity behind Rebekah with hands on either side of her thighs, fingers digging into the wood. Stefan felt Rebekah's teeth nip his skin and he ripped her lips away from his throat to attach his lips to hers, stealing the breath from her lungs. They kissed for what felt like hours but could only have been a few minutes before Stefan pulled away to lean his forehead against Rebekah's. He was breathing harshly and running his hands down her sides in awe of her and the emotions that were swirling around in his heart, unsure of what to say. "Stefan," Rebekah whispered, cupping his cheeks. "Look at me." Stefan's eyes peeled open and he gazed drunkenly into Rebekah's blue orbs. "Rebekah, I " "I need to say something," she interrupted him, shaking her head. "I know that some men are afraid to admit their feelings." Stefan raised an eyebrow and Rebekah giggled, embarrassed. "That failed to come out the right way. What I'm trying to say is that, based off of how I feel for you, I can only hope that you feel the same way. I think in these short days, I've fallen for you. There was once something I heard: a vampire loves stronger and falls faster than any other kind. It's true, Stefan, we do and I have." Stefan stared in shock as Rebekah gazed into his eyes. "I I don't - ," Stefan started, shaking his head. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Rebekah's again, breathing deeply. "Rebekah, I wish speaking was my forte but that quality seems to have skipped my generation." He opened his eyes and tilted his head with a smile. "I feel the same way for you, Rebekah." Rebekah choked on a watery laugh and she threw her arms around Stefan's shoulders, crushing herself to his chest. She buried her nose in his neck and breathed deeply as she pressed a small, open mouthed kiss to the side of his throat. "You're mine, Stefan Salvatore."

There was a sudden knock on the door and Stefan pulled away from Rebekah to smooth her mussed curls from her face, cupping her cheeks. "That'll be Caroline. She wants to go out this morning for coffee." Rebekah's face softened and she smiled. "That sounds like a fun time." "Stefan?" Caroline called through the door. "Are you ready?" Stefan pulled away from Rebekah and fixed his clothing before walking to the door and pulling it open. Caroline peeked her head in and saw Rebekah sitting on the vanity with smeared lipstick and glassy eyes, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Ooh," Caroline grinned knowingly. She cleared her throat and turned back to Stefan to lightly punch him in the arm proudly. "Ready to go?" Stefan nodded and threw a glance over his shoulder to Rebekah. "We'll be back later." Stefan shut the door behind him and twined his arm through Caroline's to pull her down the hallway. The two of them we're going to spend quality best friend time together for the first time in days and Caroline felt her heart swell with happiness. She'd missed Stefan, even though he'd never really left. Stefan would always be her first best friend.

Caroline drained the last of the coffee in her cup and stretched, feeling the satin of her skirt brush against her leg as it slipped over her thigh to dangle. She sighed and stared off into the woods where she could hear the scurrying of small animals as they ducked under the brush. "Hungry?" Stefan whispered, gesturing. "We can hunt now. " Caroline hopped up from her seat and Stefan grabbed her hand as they ducked behind the back of the building and into the trees. They hunted for half an hour before Caroline sighed and peeked at Stefan out of the corner of her eye. "I have a question," she began nervously, picking her cuticles. Stefan glanced at her. "Yes?" "I spoke to Klaus about this after the discussion the four of us had and he thinks it's a great idea. I'm sure Rebekah would like it, too. Umm - ," Caroline smiled shyly. "Will you move into the mansion? They have another guest room that Klaus said you're more than welcome to move into and I'm more than positive Rebekah would be pleased." Stefan opened his mouth to speak but Caroline continued. "Please, Stef," she pleaded quietly, stepping around a branch that was in her way. "It would make me feel safer. I don't want you to get hurt by Elena and I just I need you there." Stefan sighed and closed his eyes, unsure. "Caroline, I bought this house and it would be a shame for it to go to waste."

"You were anonymously persuaded to buy that house and it should go to someone who actually wants it by their own discovery. It's got got bad feelings in it, Stefan." Stefan raised an amused eyebrow at her and grinned, shaking his head. "If it means that much to you, then sure, I'll move into the mansion. But please, please, don't let me walk in on your and Klaus." Caroline blanched and she shook her head. "Not that I'm against your relationship with Rebekah, but please don't let me walk in on you and Rebekah, either." Stefan hooked his arm through Caroline's as they began to stroll through the woods towards Stefan's home. "Deal."

Stefan and Caroline were just putting the rest of Stefan's meager belongings into a box when Caroline cleared her throat and began to scratch the back of her neck. "Stef, I have another question." Stefan rolled his eyes to her and grinned. "Yes?" "Is it wrong to love Klaus so soon?" Stefan felt his stomach drop and he stared at Caroline incredulously. "You love him? Already? It's only been a matter of days, Caroline!" "I know!" she argued. "But you love Rebekah! You've known her for less time than I've known Klaus!" "While that's true, knowing her hasn't nearly gotten me killed!" Caroline paled and took a step away from Stefan in retreat. "Klaus hasn't gotten me hurt." "No?" Stefan was hysterical. "You don't know that! We've never made enemies, Care! You've barely been alive along enough to anger someone so greatly and I've kept a low profile for my entire life! They have told us, Care, that they have enemies - that they'd be surprised if it wasn't one of them. Yet you love Klaus." Stefan threw his hands in the air and shook his head. "If that's true then you're an idiot." Caroline gasped as pain surged her heart and her hand flew to her chest. She whimpered in surprise and fled from the room and down the stairs, bolting to the front door. She leaned her forehead against the grain of the front door and sobbed quietly, the pain from Stefan's words cutting her open like a knife. She knew he had a point. She knew but she desperately wanted the truth to be different. Caroline pulled Stefan's front door open hard and slammed it shut, turning around just as she bumped into a soft chest. She bounced back in surprise and flattened her back against the wood of the door as her breath caught in her throat. Her heart started to beat wildly and her vision clouded with tears as Elena Gilbert grinned at her, twirling a long lock of straight russet hair around her finger.

"Caroline Forbes," she as her fangs elongated. The veins protruded from her skin and she looked like a feral animal. "I'm so relieved I found you." Caroline shook her head violently and blonde waves fell into her eyes. "What do you want from me? What did I ever do to you?" Elena's face became human again and she shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about? I have nothing against you, Caroline." "Then why are you doing this?" Elena's eyes went blank and that's when Caroline realized there was a man a few yards behind her. He stood with his hands buried deep in his pockets and a smile etched onto his painfully familiar face. He stepped into the light of the glimmering moon and his blue eyes glared into hers as a smirk lit his face. "No," Caroline murmured, clawing behind her back for the doorknob. She had just wrapped her fingers around the metal knob when this man sped forward and braced his forearm against her neck, shoving her hard into the door. The knob bit into her back and she cried out in shocked pain as those oh so familiar cerulean eyes smiled down at her. "We meet again, sweetheart," he said with a flowing British that tugged at her memory. "You've changed in the last 20 years." Caroline's brow furrowed and she choked for air as his forearm began to crush her windpipe. "Who who are you?" He grinned and raised his eyebrows. "That's right we've not properly met. I do apologize for our first encounter, it was rather quick and I'm sure you were plenty scarred. I just couldn't help myself, you see. You looked so beautiful in the moonlight as you strolled home from your friend's house that night. You failed to see me coming, I'm afraid, for I had to sneak up behind you." Caroline's heart skipped a beat and she felt the air as it was crushed from her lungs. "You." Her eyes widened and she whimpered in terrified pain. "You turned me. You're my sire." He cocked his head and smiled, smoothing the blonde waves against her cheek. "Yes, sweetheart, I am." "Why are you doing this?" she whispered frantically as he momentarily released her throat. "What did I do?" "It is not what you did, Caroline. It is who you are friends with. Did the note not tell you anything?" "What did the Mikaelson's ever do to you!? They're kind people! They're my family!" "No!" his hand reared back and he grabbed a handful of Caroline's hair, pulling her head back until her neck was in the air. "They are my family."

Caroline was stunned speechless as he sniffed her throat, humming in pleasure. "You're?" His familiar eyes. The familiar accent. The blonde hair. Caroline sobbed once and closed her eyes. "You're Mikael." He chuckled, skimming the skin of her throat with his nose. "Yes, I am."

Chapter 12
When Stefan heard the muffled voices through his front door, he was immediately confused. He'd been sure that Caroline ran off to go back to the mansion after their fight and that's why she's slammed the door in her wake. Stefan was just about to open the door when it flew off of the hinges and Elena Gilbert, Katherine's doppelganger, stood grinning at him from just outside his front door. "No," Stefan whispered as he resisted the temptation to charge her. "What are you doing here? Where's Caroline." "The blonde girl?" Elena questioned. "She's a bitpreoccupied. Forget her, Stefan; I have someone who would wish to speak with you." "Who - ?" Stefan watched in confusion as the man who he purchased the home from stepped beside Elena and not so gently shoved her out of the way. "You?" "You Americans and your predisposition to use one syllable sentences as a conversation staple." He shook his head as he stepped over the threshold. "Stefan." Stefan's eyes widened in shock. "How did you do that? I didn't invite you in." "Technically, I still own this house. You're renting, Stefan; you do not own the property. Therefore, as you can see, I can enter without an invitation. It would be quite weird to invite myself into my own home, would it not?" Stefan stepped backwards with every one of the man's advancing footsteps until he stopped in a small swatch of moonlight as it gleamed into the room through the window. "You sent me the telegram." "Yes," the man nodded, pursing his lips. "I did in fact send you a telegram. Are you slowly putting the pieces together, Stefan? Think about it, mate; who could I possibly be? You've not made any enemies nor has sweet Caroline." Stefan clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides. "Who could possibly get such enjoyment out of a situation such as this?" He smirked. "How is my darling daughter Rebekah treating you, Stefan? Lovingly, I do hope." Stefan exhaled harshly as his mouth fell open. "Mikael. You're their father." "Yes, again, Stefan!" Mikael clapped. "A smart young lad you are!"

"Why are you doing this, Mikael? What kind of sick bastard gets enjoyment out of attacking innocent people and hurting his children?" Mikael brought a hand to his heart. "My son is a monster, Stefan. I have been hunting him for centuries and it has been for a reason. He needs to be killed." "He hasn't hurt anybody," Stefan argued. "How can you say that so definitively after knowing him a mere few days? There are 1000 years of time that you do not know of. I'm sure he's told you of his upbringing and the transition into becoming immortal, but did he tell you of the murderers? The fury and the death he rained down onto unsuspecting towns? Niklaus has not always been the charming vampire you seem to think he is. He will kill anyone who gets in his path." "He's changing," Stefan murmured. "Caroline is changing him." "She is making him weak for me, Stefan. That was always her purpose, from the moment she was created." "How could you possibly know that?" Stefan seethed silently as Mikael circled him. "It is why I created her, Stefan; to destroy him. To make him too vulnerable to fight." Stefan felt his heart drop into his stomach and he shook his head. "You sired Caroline? You're the one who attacked her and left her for dead! She was a ripper! She was destroying herself and it's your fault!" "I suppose you could say the same thing for every single vampire on this earth." Mikael shrugged. "I've realized my mistake in making my children immortal, Stefan. That is why I'm here. I sired Caroline to one day use her against my son. She has made him defenseless and entirely exposed to my attack and I will use it to my advantage." "How did you plan this?" Stefan was confused and shocked. "You couldn't have known that Caroline and Klaus would cross paths! We've been traveling all over the country and there was no guarantee that I would receive your telegram!" "I will admit that the traveling around the world aspect of your relationship made it difficult to send the telegram, but you stayed in Paris for much longer than any other location. Elena has been tracking you since she was turned, shortly after Caroline, and she sent the telegram for me. Everything fell into place when you moved into town." "Why did the note say to leave?" Stefan began to counter Mikael's circling footsteps, slowing backing out of reach. "She could have run; she could have left. Your plan would have been ruined." "You don't think I did my research on Caroline Forbes before turning her?" Mikael feigned hurt. "I watched her for years, Mr. Salvatore; ever since she was just a small child. She always exuded defiance and I knew that she would not take a threatening note to heart. She would be afraid, yes; but she would not let the words on the page make her leave without her consent." Mikael was right, Stefan conceded sadly. Caroline wasn't known to back down from a challenge.

"Why are you telling me all of this, Mikael? Are you going to kill me?" Stefan didn't want to die. "Is that a part of your plan?" "Oh no!" Mikael chuckled. "You're the part of the plan that involves killing my daughter." Mikael reared back and brought a vervain filled syringe down into Stefan's neck, stunning him into a stone light stillness. The vervain flowed through the veins in his neck until they traveled around his heart, stopping his breathing and sending him crashing to the floor, unconscious. Elena appeared at the doorway once more and waited patiently for Mikael to invite her in, skipping through the hall and straddling Stefan to lightly pet his face. "He's a pretty one," she cooed, stroking his skin. "I can't keep him?" Mikael rolled his eyes in annoyance and sent a slashing backhand through the air and across her cheek. She skidded into a table and knocked it over as her eyes filled with hurt and her mouth fell open in surprise. Mikael stepped over her trembling legs and wrapped his hands around her jaw and head, quickly turning her neck until he heard a pop. She fell to the ground, dead; though only for a short while until her body healed itself. Mikael sighed and snapped his jacket back into place, smoothing the lapels and flicking the dust of the old house off of the fabric. He stared down at Stefan's body and tilted his head as a slow smile slid onto his lips, grabbing Stefan's arms and tossing him over his shoulder. He carried the unconscious vampire from the house and disappeared into the night.

Stefan woke up to a throbbing in his head and a dry, cracking throat. He groaned deeply and turned onto his side to slowly slide his back up the wall as he came to a seated position. Keeping his eyes screwed shut again the pain, Stefan could tell that he was in some sort of basement with stone walls and a leaky ceiling. He cracked first one eye open and then the other, staring into the dismal black room and listening for the sound of anything he could hear. He only heard the light, nearly nonexistent sound of a heartbeat and the quiet murmurs of pain. "Hello?" he whispered as his eyes adjusted to the blackness. "Who's there?" "Stef?" Caroline whispered. "Is that you?" "Caroline! Caroline it's me! I'm here! Where where are you?" Stefan crawled through the chamber until his palm landed in a sticky puddle. He ran his hand up what felt like a leg and stopped cold at the feeling of a wooden stake. Stefan's eyes adjusted then and he fell back in horror at the sight before him: Caroline was sitting up against the wall much like he had been, too, but she was most definitely not all right. There was a stake in each of her thighs and corresponding, miniature stakes holding her arms back against the wall. Another wooden stake was protruding from her stomach and she whimpered in despair as Stefan fluttered his hands over her, desperately attempting to help.

"Care Care, I don't know what to do!" he wailed quietly, shaking his head as tears clouded his vision. "Care, tell me what to do! Do I take them out?" "No!" she shouted, thrashing her head. "No, don't touch them. Please just don't touch them." Caroline was sobbing quietly and her hand wrapped around Stefan's. "Where are we?" "I don't know," Stefan answered, looking around. "I think we might be in a basement. Or a dungeon; something of the like. Probably Mikael's." "Mikael. Oh god, Stefan; it's Mikael! He turned me! He's using me to get to - " "I know," Stefan whispered as he stroked her sodden hair. "I know, he told me." "He told you?" Caroline asked, confused. "Why would he tell you?" "Because, Care. I'm a part of his plan, too. He's using me to - ," Stefan stopped as anger coursed through him. "He's using me to get to Rebekah. He's going to kill them both, Care." "No," Caroline shook her head. "We can't let him. We have to stop him, Stefan!" "I know! I just I need to think." He looked around the room. "We need to find a way to get out of here." "You," Caroline argued. "I'm not going anywhere." Stefan looked at her in anguish. "I am not leaving you." "I can't move, Stefan," Caroline whispered. "Mikael's been drugging me and these stakes are pretty much holding my insides in. I'm going to need blood the minute they come out and there's no way you can do that for me. I just I need you to get out of here. You can get help get Klaus and Rebekah!" "You want me to bring them right to Mikael?" Caroline shut her eyes against the pain and ground her teeth. "If they know what's happening, they can fight. If they're coming in here without any understanding of Mikael's plan and they start to fight him, they will lose. They need you, Stef. I need you. I need you to fight for me. I know you've been doing that for 16 years now but I need you to fight." Caroline began to cry softly. "We just found them, Stefan. We can't lose them. I can't lose you." Stefan sobbed once and cupped Caroline's cheek as he pressed a kiss against her temple. "I will come back for you." He dashed away and up the stairs to the door and tested the lock, finding it open. He sleuthed through the open door and shut it once again with a soft click, submerging Caroline in darkness. "You always do," she whispered as the pain of the stakes dragged her into a sea of unconscious.

Chapter 13
Stefan shut the door of the basement as his heart broke in his chest, his fingers clawing the wood of the door in an attempt to hold in the pain. He whimpered with the need to rescue Caroline and punched his thigh to toughen up. He couldn't save Caroline until he escaped, made a plan, and got backup. Stefan realized that the basement had led him to an empty kitchen; no appliances to create the idea that someone actually lived in the house. He crouched and quickly ran through the multiple rooms until he roughly knocked into a chest, sending the glass vase teetering to the floor. Stefan lunged, holding his fingers wide open to await the falling glass. It landed in his hands silently and he quickly slid behind the chest, pressing his back against the wood. Stefan waited for his heart beat to return to normal and quietly ran his hands up the sides of the box to pop the lid, searching for a weapon. The chest opened to display two carved, elegant stakes sitting in a plush cushion. Stefan felt his breath hitch in his throat as his fingers ran along the grain of the wood, mesmerized by the bright white color. Acting quickly, Stefan wrapped his fingers around one of the stakes and quickly pulled it from the mold, pocketing it while shutting the chest. Stefan escaped from the house with not so much as a whisper to alert him of someone's presence. The house appeared to be empty. Or at least, Mikael and Elena were trying their hardest to stay quiet.

"Where are they!?" Klaus roared loudly as he paced the parlor. Rebekah sat on the sofa and shrugged. "I'm sure they're fine, Nik. Caroline was going to mention to Stefan the possibility of having him move into the mansion today. They're most likely at his house packing." "It's taken them 8 hours?" Klaus seemed dubious. "Two vampires with two suitcases of belongings each. That would not take 8 hours." "Oh, Nik ," Rebekah began, shaking her head. The door burst open and Stefan fell into the room, landing on his hands and knees. Rebekah gasped with surprise but Klaus reacted quickly as he flew across the room and wrapped his arm around Stefan's chest, lifting him from the ground. "Stefan, mate, what happened? Where is Caroline?" Stefan was pale and Rebekah noticed a bright red splotch on his neck that looked nasty and painful. "What happened, darling?" she whispered frantically, pulling him into her lap as Klaus laid him on the sofa. "Where is Caroline, Stefan!" Klaus yelled, slapping Stefan lightly across the cheek. Stefan snapped out of his stupor and stared into Klaus' eyes with a wide, fearful gaze. "Mikael has her."

Klaus felt the breath whoosh from his throat and his knees threatened to buckle. "No," he murmured, shaking his head. "No, that can't be right. We were we were just no." Rebekah began to shake beside Stefan and he pulled her to him to crush her to his chest, burying his nose in her hair. Rebekah wrapped her arms around his waist and felt hot tears begin to slide down her cheeks as pain for her brother and fear for her friend started to churn inside of her heart. "How are you alive?" Rebekah whispered. Stefan swallowed hard. "Mikael was going to use me to get to you. He's using Caroline to get to Klaus." "Dammit!" Klaus yelled angrily, punching the wall. Plaster rained down to the floor and grew into a small pile. "I should have I should have known. I can see the pattern." "You can see the pattern?" Stefan asked hotly. "What does that mean?" "Caroline is my type, Stefan. My father has known me for 1000 years and he knows my type. He must have realized that I would fancy Caroline." "But when?" Rebekah questioned quietly. "Could he have seen the two of you in Paris?" Stefan shook his head somberly. "I'm afraid not. Before Mikael kidnapped me and Caroline, he confronted me in my house." "You invited him in?" Rebekah hissed. "No, he err he's the man I purchased the house from. He still owns the property and he just...walked right in." Klaus clenched his jaw. "Go on." Stefan sighed. "He told me his plan. A plan he's had for over 20 years. He's been watching Caroline since she was a human, Klaus. He's the one who sired her and then left her for dead. He's kept track of her even throughout the time we were traveling. We finally settled in Paris for a stretch of time and that is when he told Elena to send the telegram." "He sent you both here to kill us?" Klaus whispered, shocked. "He's been planning Caroline's role in our demise for over 2 decades. Turning her; turning Elena. It's all been to kill us." Suddenly, the front door swung open and Elena waltzed into the mansion, turning the corner and smiling widely as she gazed upon Stefan and Rebekah. "Knock, knock!" Elena Gilbert rounded the corner as Rebekah and Stefan rose to their feet. Stefan pushed Rebekah behind him and guarded her body with his to ensure her safety. Klaus molded himself to the wall behind Elena and stayed completely silently to attack her while she wasn't watching. "Thank you, Stefan," Elena said with a smile. "You followed your part of the plan beautifully."

Klaus' eyes whipped to Stefan and the hands Rebekah had clenched in the back of Stefan's shirt loosened. Stefan growled under his breath and shook his head. "What are you talking about?" Elena giggled, shaking her long brown hair around her face. "What you thought you escaped by luck? Not likely. I left the basement door unlocked. I hid while you escaped. You led me right to Rebekah. So, thank you." She held out her hand. "Now give me back my stake." "I'm sorry?" Stefan asked, pushing Rebekah further behind him. "Stake?" "Don't play stupid!" Elena roared. "I want my stake!" Klaus appeared behind Elena suddenly and shoved his own makeshift stake through her back, piercing her heart. "Here's your stake, love," he whispered into her ear, twisting the stake. "I hope you didn't miss it too much." Klaus let Elena fall through his arms and she dropped heavily to the ground, her skin going gray. The veins in her body seemed to bulge from her skin and she went completely grey as her eyes stared open wide. Stefan let the air whoosh from his lungs and then Klaus stood before him with his hands on his shoulders. "Elena showing up here means Mikael either knows where we are or he is expecting us to return to his home. She was sent her to kill Rebekah so we will use that against him." "How?" Rebekah asked as she stepped beside Stefan. "Stefan and I will enter Mikael's house and distract him while you sneak in. Stefan will describe how you will find Caroline and then the two of you will join us in the fight to kill Mikael. Is that understood?" Rebekah nodded. "Yes." "Caroline is hurt," Stefan murmured as his face twisted in anguish. "She's hurt pretty bad. She needs blood and a lot of it." Klaus clenched his fists and waited for the lump in his throat to die down. "What are her injuries?" Stefan swallowed hard. "A stake in each thigh. Thinner stakes in each arm. One last stake in her stomach." "Oh, god," Rebekah whimpered, shaking her head. "We need to save her." "We will. There is no way for us to deliver animals for her to feed from without drawing attention to ourselves. I will gather a few containers of my blood and you will need to feed it to her, Rebekah. That way she may heal and then you two can escape." "Okay," Rebekah whispered as the shock from the situation began to grow inside of her. "Stefan?" Klaus asked, pulling Stefan's attention back to him. "What stake was Elena speaking of?"

Stefan produced the stake from his inner coat pocket and Klaus exhaled harshly, taking a step in retreat. "A white oak stake," Klaus murmured. "I can't believe it." "How does he have that?" Rebekah was shocked and terrified. "What makes it special?" Stefan questioned quietly. "It looks like a normal stake." Stefan was right; the stake did look like a regular stake. The only reason Klaus knew the stake was white oak was the undeniable shivers he received upon glancing at it. "The white oak stake is the only stake in the entire world that can kill an Original vampire. That stake you are holding is the one weapon that can kill Rebekah and me." Stefan blanched. "He truly does deserve a prize for being father of the year." "Yes," Klaus snorted. "Nik, I need to speak with Stefan alone, please," Rebekah said softly. Klaus nodded and gently clapped Stefan on the shoulder. "Be ready to leave soon." Klaus turned and left the room as panic began to claw into his chest. He bounded up the staircase and dashed down the hallway to his bedroom where he quickly entered the room and shut the door, leaning against it heavily. He felt himself begin to hyperventilate and his knees finally buckled as he crashed to the floor. Self-deprecation swarmed to life inside of his mind as he berated himself for allowing Caroline to get taken. He knew that letting her go out with Stefan to the caf was a bad idea. He knew that something was going to happen, but he ignored his intuition and now Caroline was dying. Klaus roared and punched the carpet, splitting open his knuckles and watching in sick fascination as his skin stitched itself back together, smoothing the injured flesh. Klaus had fought for his life for 1000 years. He'd run from his father for the same amount of time, struggling to stay alive. He hated himself for the feeling in his chest. He hated how weak he felt. What he hated the most was the fact that he knew he would give up his life to make sure Caroline got to live hers.

Rebekah spun around until he faced her, throwing her arms over his shoulders and burying her nose in his neck. "Oh, Stefan," she whimpered as tears rushed down her cheeks. "Why is this happening?" Stefan rubbed Rebekah's back and pulled her down to the sofa until she was sitting in his lap, cradling her to his chest. She threw her legs over his thigh and rested her ear against his chest as he gently moved his hand up and down her spine, soothing her. "I don't know, Rebekah," Stefan responded quietly. "It's my fault." "What? How?" She lifted her head to gaze into his eyes. "I don't believe that."

"She was taken because of me. We we were packing and then we got into an argument. She left the house because I made her angry and then she got taken. I was with her, Rebekah. I was with her and then I left her." "To save her!" Rebekah argued. "You came here and we're going to save her!" "She shouldn't be there." Stefan shook head. "She should be here safe. She should be happy and with Klaus and instead she's sitting in Mikael's basement with stakes in her body and she's dying." "Shh," Rebekah soothed as she pulled Stefan's head to her chest. "It will be all right, love. We will save Caroline." Stefan wrapped his arms around Rebekah's waist as he began to sob and shake. Rebekah pushed his hair off of his forehead and gently kissed his skin, rocking him back and forth. Stefan would never forgive himself of he lost Caroline. He would never forgive himself for letting Rebekah and Klaus lose her, as well. She was the closest thing he'd had to family in 20 years and the thought of losing her was a crushing blow he couldn't afford to take.

Chapter 14
Klaus and Stefan walked up the front door of the mansion Mikael had commandeered and Klaus used his fist to knock on the door, two exceptionally hard raps against the wood. Stefan could see Rebekah out of the corner of his eye as she slinked around the back of the mansion and held her skirt up her legs to hop over a bush, disappearing into the darkness. "Ready?" Stefan whispered to Klaus, clapping him on the back. Klaus clenched his jaw and smirked, eyeing the nearly invisible lump in Stefan's coat pocket that was the stake. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, mate." The door swung open and Mikael stood just inside, his eyes wide with the shock of seeing Klaus. He looked between the two vampires and a slow smirk slid onto his face and curled his lips as his arms crossed over his chest. "I see you've been following the plan quite thoroughly, Stefan," he said with a smile. "and where is my daughter? Dead, I assume?" Stefan growled and began to lunge but Klaus slapped a palm to his chest, holding him back. Mikael chuckled and then gestured for the two of them to come in. "Please, come in." Rebekah listened from the back of the house and entered the back door just after Mikael invited the Klaus and Stefan in. She was hoping that his invitation would work for her and she silently clapped as the threshold allowed her entrance into the home.

She was immediately shocked by the lack of dcor in the home and she stopped, truly disgusted with her father. He was merely in the city to dispose of her and Klaus. Breaking from her stupor, Rebekah spied the swinging door that led to the kitchen and she sped forward, pushing the door lightly and shutting it with her hands to ensure it wouldn't squeak. The door to the basement was just in her sights and she ran for it, pulling it open and closing it behind her with a soft click. The basement was cold and murky as Rebekah descended the staircase. She spotted Caroline just to her right and she felt her heart twist in her chest at the sight of her mangled and bleeding body. "Oh, Caroline," she whimpered and her hand flew to her lips. Caroline's eyes slowly opened and she stared at Rebekah as she flew across the room and to her side. Caroline's gaze was glassy and blurred but she could see the shining glow of Rebekah's blonde curls against the darkness of the room. "Bekah." Caroline smiled brokenly. "Are you really here?" Rebekah nodded and kissed Caroline's forehead as her lower lip trembled. "I'm so sorry, Caroline. This is going to hurt." Rebekah wrapped her hands around the two stakes in Caroline's legs and she yanked them out, the slick, slippery sucking sound resounding through the dusky basement. Caroline began to cry out when Rebekah slapped her hand over her lips to silence her. "I'm so sorry," she repeated miserably and tears slid down her cheeks. "Please forgive me." "Just get them out," Caroline breathed in anguish. Nodding, Rebekah quickly grasped the two small stakes holding Caroline's arms to her sides and she pulled, ignoring the sound. Caroline whimpered and bit her lips to hold them together as a sobs wracked her body. Tears fell down her cheeks in torrents and she thrashed from side to side as she tried desperately to outrun the pain soaring through her body. "There's only one more, Caroline." Rebekah slid her hand around the last stake embedded in Caroline's stomach. "Just hold on." She pulled hard and flew backwards as the stake gave way and left Caroline's body. Rebekah landed on her back, staring up at the ceiling, and felt her throat begin to swell with unshed tears. Caroline's blood was all over her and she could smell it in the air, suffocating her with the scent of blood. Sitting up quickly, Rebekah scurried back to a nearly unconscious Caroline's side and quickly produced the small container of Klaus' blood that she had drained from him. She held the cup to Caroline's lips and tilted her head as the red liquid rolled down the inside of the cup to pool in the bottom of Caroline's open mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she found the cup with her hands, draining the entire container until the very last drop was sliding down her throat. She dropped the cup back to the floor and relished in the feeling of her body healing. She could feel her organs

begin to repair and her legs healed. Her arms stopped hurting and then she felt completely rejuvenated; ready to fight. Caroline turned to Rebekah and smiled widely, grasping Rebekah's hands. Caroline's blue eyes widened as a figure appeared from the shadows, the silhouette of a slight, short haired woman. Caroline blanched and Rebekah whipped around. "Elena?" She shook her head with a smile and her cropped black hair swung around her cheek bones. "My name is Katherine and I'm afraid you've fallen deeper into this trap than you anticipated." She flew forward and grabbed a stake that was sitting in front of her, jamming it through Rebekah's heart. Rebekah's lips formed an 'O' and she fell backwards onto her bottom, wheezing with the inability to breath. "No!" Caroline screamed as she scrambled to Rebekah's side. "Rebekah, no!" Rebekah swallowed hard and gritted her teeth. "I will heal, Caroline. Go! Run!" Caroline turned to see Katherine grasp another stake in her hands and she knew that a stake through her heart would mean the end of her life. She took one last fleeting glance to Rebekah and dashed for the steps, taking two at a time until she reached the door. She could hear Katherine in hot pursuit behind her and that's when Rebekah grabbed Katherine by the ankle, bringing her down against the ground. Rebekah ripped the stake from her own chest and crawled up Katherine's body to glare down into her ice cold eyes. "You've caused my family a lot of pain," she whispered, shaking her head. "I can only hope to repay the favor." Rebekah reared back, bringing the stake sailing the air and down towards Katherine's heart. Katherine's brown eyes widened and then she went still as stone as the stake plunged through her chest and pierced her heart. The veins in her body protruded from her skin and she turned completely gray as her head fell to the side. She was dead. Rebekah fell against the floor and breathed slowly as she crept her way to the bottom of the staircase. She slowly pulled herself up the stairs and through the door, shutting it behind her. In a desperate attempt to flee, she scrambled to her feet using the countertop as her support and she used her last bit of energy to speed from the home and into the woods. She needed to replenish her body of the blood she lost if she had any chance of fighting alongside her brother.

Mikael led Klaus and Stefan into the room just inside of the door. It was the same room that Stefan had found the white oak stake. Seeing the chest missing, Stefan began to feel his heart race in his chest. Somewhere in this room, the white oak stake was hidden for Mikael to use against Klaus.

"I'm glad to see that you came willingly, my boy," Mikael began with a smile. "Though, I do believe a certain blonde vampire had something to do with it." Klaus clenched his hands into fists. "Where is Caroline?" Caroline was hiding around the corner and felt her heart swell with the need to run to Klaus. She desperately wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hug herself to his chest. She wanted to be lying in bed with him, snuggled underneath the covers. She just wanted him to be holding her. "She's busy at the moment, I'm afraid. See, I'm not as dim witted as you presume, son. I knew the moment Elena walked into your home that she would not make it out alive. I also knew that Rebekah, while she was my initial target for sending Elena, would live through Elena's attack. This entire time, son, you have misjudged me. I am one step ahead. While your precious Rebekah was sneaking down to the basement to free Caroline, I had a small surprise waiting for the two of them. My sweet doppelganger Katerina." Klaus and Stefan both took matching steps in retreat. "No" Klaus shook his head. "It was Elena! She admitted to the attacks!" "She admitted to planting the note, Niklaus," Mikael corrected. "But she did not set off the bomb. That was Katerina the one who I have waiting in the basement for Rebekah to arrive." Caroline stilled as Rebekah appeared silently behind her, her hands digging into her lower back. Caroline turned around to see that Rebekah had replenished herself with much needed blood and the wound in her chest was completely healed. Caroline held back a sob and kissed Rebekah's cheek, squeezing her hand. Mikael's eyes whipped to the corner that the girls were hiding behind and a slow grin graced his lips. "We have company." Caroline had a mere moment to react before Mikael stood in front of her, wrapping a hand on her curls. He spared a moment's glance at his daughter before speeding back to his previous spot, holding Caroline in front of him. Klaus watched in heartbroken horror as Caroline stared at him. Her eyes lit with happiness at the sight of him and Klaus' fingers twitched with the desire to hold her. He just needed to save Caroline and everything would be all right. "Let her go, Mikael," Klaus growled. "Your plan has already worked. I am already here." Rebekah strolled around the corner. "As am I." Klaus and Stefan's eyes whipped to Rebekah in horror. "What are you doing?" Stefan roared. "Go!" "I will not leave you! I will not leave my brother nor will I leave my best friend!" Silent tears fell down her cheeks. "I am here to fight." "It will be a pointless battle, darling," Mikael purred. "I am well prepared to kill both you and your brother. Miss Forbes and Mr. Salvatore will both be a sad loss but I'm afraid there will be no one to miss them."

"You only have one white oak stake left!" Stefan argued as Rebekah came to stand beside him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pushed her slightly behind him, holding onto her. "You can't kill them both." "How many times must I tell you that my plan is far more intricate than you know, Stefan?" Mikael chuckled. "You truly believe that chest held my only white oak stakes? No, I'm afraid not." Stefan paled and Klaus stepped in front of him and Rebekah. "You want to kill me, father; so do it. I'm right here. Kill me!" Mikael grinned once last time before he produced a stake from behind his back. He pulled his arm back and high into the air as he began to bring it down towards Caroline's heart. She watched in paralyzed terror as the stake came closer and closer to her chest with every passing second of time. "No!" Klaus roared, speeding forward. He reached Mikael and Caroline just as the stake was shoved into her chest. Her eyes popped wide and she stared forward at Stefan as the pain set fire to her limbs, numbing them and then creating a feeling of static underneath her skin. She cried out with the shock of the pain and fell forward, crashing to the floor. Her eyes slipped shut on the image of Stefan's face crumpling in and his legs flying towards her.

Klaus knocked into Mikael and Caroline, sending them both crashing to the hardwood floor. Klaus wrapped his fingers around the stake in Caroline's chest and yanked it out only to bring it up behind his head just over Mikael's heart. Mikael's eyes opened wide at the sight of his son holding the white oak stake high above his head as his chest heaved with pained, despairing breaths. "I have wished for 1000 years that I could please you," Klaus whispered brokenly, shaking his head. "I was never good enough for you. I was always the monster. Look at yourself, father. You've destroyed us. You made us monsters!" Klaus stared down at Mikael with round, haunted eyes. "You are the monster." Klaus brought the stake down and plunged it through Mikael's heart as Mikael's body arched into the intruding weapon. His mouth fell open and his wide eyes stared glassily at the ceiling just as Klaus jumped off of his body. Mikael's entire form erupted in flames and the three vampires watched as Mikael became nothing but a large, grey pile of ash on the floor. Klaus felt his heart drop in his chest as his knees buckled beside Caroline. She was surrounded by her own blood and the gaping hole in her chest was puckered in jagged. "She's dying," Stefan whimpered as his hands fluttered over her. "What do we do?" Klaus reacted quickly, ripping into his wrist with his teeth. He held the bloodied flesh to Caroline's lips and tilted her head back with his hand to allow the blood to slide into her mouth and down her throat. She was nearly dead in his arms and Klaus could barely fathom the idea of eternity without her.

She still wouldn't move and her hands failed to hold onto Klaus' arm. She hadn't regained consciousness and the blood was merely dribbling down her throat and off of her chin, soaking into the material of her dress. Klaus emitted a broken sob as he lifted Caroline into his arms and cradled her body to his chest, rocking her back and forth. He'd failed. He couldn't save her. He's destroyed the one thing he'd wanted to keep safe. Caroline made him remember why he was alive. She made him cherish the few moments of happiness he was given and she allowed him the ability to love someone the way he wanted to be loved. Klaus was sure the one regret he would die with was the fact that he hadn't told her he loved her. Just then, Caroline arched with a loud gasp and her hands stretched out in front of her, clawing for air. She screamed through the burning pain in her chest as the wound began to heal and close from Klaus' blood. His blood slowly began to course through her veins and heal the dangerously deadly wounds in her chest. The skin knitted itself back together as the wound closed and Caroline relaxed back into Klaus' arms. Stefan and Rebekah held onto each other as tears silently coated both of their cheeks and desperate cries emitted from their throats. Caroline slowly opened her eyes and gazed up into Klaus' tear stained face and glassy eyes. She cracked a smile and lifted her hand to cup his cheeks, stroking the skin as she wiped away the tears. "Hello," she whispered, sliding her hand around the back of his neck to run her fingers through his soft blonde curls. "You saved me again." Klaus coughed out a sob. "As if I have any other choice. You will not die, Caroline Forbes. I refuse to let you." She smiled, pulling his head down to plant a tired kiss against his lips. "I wanted to tell you that I love you." Klaus whimpered and clenched his jaw. "I do believe you've read my mind, sweetheart, because I was going to tell you that." Caroline grinned and she blinked her eyes slowly as the exhaustion rose to life inside of her. "Tell me." Klaus bit his lip and kissed her again. "I love you, my Caroline. I will love you until the end of time. You've made me happier in these last few days than I have been in my entire 1000 years. You've made me feels alive again, Caroline." He pulled her into his arms, burying his nose in her hair. "I was lucky to have found you." "We're all lucky," Rebekah added as Stefan wrapped her in his arms. "We are all the lucky ones."

Chapter 15
The year was 2012 and 92 years ago today, Caroline Forbes met Klaus and Rebekah Mikaelson, changing her life forever. She couldn't remember what life had been like before that; traveling around the world with her best friend Stefan until finally realizing where she was meant to be.

She might have nearly died getting to where she was, but had been happier for the last 92 years than she ever dreamed she could be. "Rebekah, come on! We're going to be late for school!" she shouted up the winding staircase of the Mikaelson mansion. Rebekah appeared at the top of the steps and she put her hands on her hips. "Why on earth are we going to school, Caroline? We've been alive through the last 100 or so years of important history and I can teach you everything else before that." She strolled down the stairs and Caroline slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, grabbing her car keys out of her pocket. "What else are we going to do all day, Bekah? Sit around and hang out with Klaus and watch him draw? No, we're going to school with Stefan and that itthat!" Klaus came to the top of the stairs and mirrored his sister's earlier position. "Talking about me, love?" Caroline's heart swelled and she played coy, shrugging innocently. "I don't know what you mean." Klaus smirked and sped down the stairs until he was standing directly in front of Caroline and backing her into a corner. "Yes, you do." He smiled dangerously low and watched with satisfaction as Caroline bumped into the wall, cornering herself. "Damn," she murmured with a sly grin. "Got me." Rebekah rolled her eyes and lifted her purse off of the floor and onto her shoulder. "While you two horny teenagers copulate in the middle of the foyer, I'm going to wait in the car and call Stefan." She left the mansion and shut the door behind her, strolling to the car and whipping out her cellphone to call Stefan, who she hadn't seen for only 12 hours. Klaus slowly turned back to Caroline and pushed his body up against hers until they were flush together, his eyes boring into hers. "Hi," he whispered, searching her cerulean orbs. Caroline twined her arms around Klaus' neck and lifted onto her toes just slightly until she could meet him eye for eye. "Hi." Klaus' eyes turned somber and he leaned forward to lay his lips on Caroline's as his arms went around her waist and crushed her to him. He was attempting to bring her closer than she was capable, possibly even through him. He wanted to memorize the feeling of her with his hands and he never wanted to forget the feeling of kissing her. "I love you, Caroline," he whispered against her lips as he pulled away. "I'll see you for a drawing lesson when you get home from school." Caroline pouted. "I'm awful at drawing, Klaus. My horses look like watermelons with legs and spiky hair." Klaus raised an eyebrow and stroked her cheek with his thumb, pulling her lips back to his. "Tell me you love me." He grinned. "Or else I may never let you leave and then you'll be late for school."

"Ugh, Klaus!" Impatient, punctual Caroline was a delicious new development that Klaus couldn't help but find absolutely adorable. "Okay, I love you very much! Can I go?" "Ah, ah, ah!" he shook his head. "I'd like a kiss, too." "Another one - ," Caroline laughed somewhat hysterically, shaking her head. "Horny bastard." She grasped Klaus by his cheeks and attached her lips to his in a hard, soul searing kiss. She ran her fingers through his short curls and held onto his head as she broke from his lips to plant smaller, tenderer kisses on his cheeks and his forehead. She returned one more to his mouth and lightly pecked his lips as a hum murmured from her throat. "I love you," she said quietly. "I'll see you when I get home." Klaus let Caroline slip from his arms and her long blonde waves brushed his cheek. He watched appreciatively as she ran across the foyer in her high heeled boots and dashed out of the door and to her car, speeding off to school and to a life that she had always wanted. Klaus didn't have words to describe how truly happy he had been for the last 92 years. He's been alive for so long, he couldn't quite remember a time when he had ever been as happy as he was with Caroline. They'd lived together, traveled the world together, and loved each other since the day he'd saved her in Mikael's mansion back in Chicago, bringing them through time until they could return to where they had always wanted. Klaus glanced down at the newspaper on his doorstep and quickly bent to retrieve it, unfolding the score of papers and reading the front page. The mayor was having a grand party at his mansion down the street from him, the school was having a car wash fundraiser to raise money for cheerleading squad, and there was a Founder's party in the square two days from tomorrow. Mystic Falls had changed since he'd been there last.

THE END.