So before I go into anything else, I just want to thank bkodoku-no-maria for giving me this idea through tumblr. So thank you :) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this little story!

Disclaimer: I still do not own TVD

Terms and Conditions

Part I

Klaus smiled as he held the cure in his hand. Such a funny thing, that something so small and seemingly insignificant had the world's most powerful creatures searching after it.

Katherine had come to him with it. It was her payment to Klaus in order to stop him form hunting her. He had been reluctant, of course, the little wench had caused him nothing but trouble over the centuries and he was so looking forward to taking his vengeance. But, in the end it was a small price to pay, so he had given her his word that he would no longer hunt her for her past crimes.

He said nothing about her future crimes, however.

Klaus smirked as he entered his home, heading straight to the parlor. Once he got there, he found a very peculiar and yet pleasing sight.

"Caroline." He stated, his eyes on the blonde vampire who was currently occupying one of his sofas, looking at him with determination. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, sitting across from her, arm lying across the back of the couch casually. "Ah, wait." Klaus said before Caroline could get a word out. "Let me guess…" He took the cure from the inner pocket of his jacket, holding it between his thumb and forefinger so that she could see it clearly. He watched with dark amusement as her eyes widened. "You're here for this."

Nothing more was said until finally her crystal blue eyes flicked up to his.

"Yes, I am." She replied, her voice ringing with honesty.

"And you wish for me to simply give it to you…" He ventured, taking her silence as confirmation, placing the cure on the table between them. He watched as she glanced at it, her eyes filled with temptation. "Ah, I see." He didn't specify just what he saw. "Let me ask you a question, love. If I were to hand the cure to you… what would I get in return?"

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, her voice sounding a little too innocent to be true.

"You know very well, sweetheart. You knew from the start that I would never simply give the cure to you." His eyes held hers firmly, a hardness to them.

"I know." She replied after a moment. "I just hoped you would." Klaus ignored the small pang of guilt he felt at that statement, instead acting as if she said nothing.

"So, Caroline, love, what would you give for this?" His smirk was wide, as he looked her up and down, examining her.

Caroline took a deep breath, looking almost hesitant for a second before a mask of resolve fell back over her face.

"Me."

Klaus froze, disbelieving.

"You." He replied, monotonously.

"Yes, me."

"So, let me make sure that I am hearing this correctly…" His voice was almost incredulous as he stood, slowly walking around the table that stood between them "…you would give yourself up for a cure which we both know you will not use… and give it to who? Your friends? Or shall I say the doppelgänger?"

Klaus now stood in front of Caroline, who remained suspiciously quiet. He nodded, coming to the right conclusion. He leaned forward abruptly, his hands going to the back of the couch on either side of her head. His face was inappropriately close to hers, their noses almost touching. The young blonde vampire did not move a muscle, afraid of what he might do next.

"So you believe she is worth more than you." He said, his tone neutral, as if stating fact. But his eyes held anger, as if he was mad at how she saw herself.

"E-Elena needs the cure. She's not the same person anymore. She's dangerous." Caroline stumbled over herself as she tried to stand up for her choices.

"Is that right, love?" His eyebrow rose, as he stared at her with disbelief in his expression. He remained close to her, too close.

"Yes, Klaus, it is. It is right… So, do you accept my offer or not?" She was agitated now, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Klaus smirked, trailing his nose to her ear and whispering to her. "Tell me, sweetheart, what will you do for me should I accept?" Caroline could feel his lips on her ear and had to suppress a shiver.

"Anything, everything… I don't know."

"Interesting." Klaus murmured, his face even closer to hers as he thought on the pleasing prospects she was offering him.

"There is only one thing that I could never give you." Caroline said, trying not to get distracted by his proximity.

"And what's that, Caroline?" He questioned, curious.

"I will never, ever love you…" She stated adamantly, righteous anger in her eyes. Klaus' own expression darkened at that, his temper rising. He ignored the sting of her words.

"We'll see about that." He growled forebodingly.

"So? Do you accept or don't you?" Caroline asked again, her eyebrow raised with superiorty.

For a moment it was like they were frozen in time. Klaus had a choice, a choice that could forever change both of their lives. Even he himself wasn't sure at first what his answer should be. But then he noticed the blue color of her eyes, the intelligence and kindness that lingered in them, despite her obvious anger. He noticed how the light in the room seemed to bounce off her hair, making her look luminous.

He noticed the way he noticed all of these things.

It made him angry at first. He was Klaus, he wasn't supposed to have any weaknesses. But that didn't last.

Caroline said she would never love him.

Klaus decided that owning her, keeping her for himself would have to suffice.

"I accept." He replied, voice strong and mischevious.

Now it only Caroline that froze, her face going slack-jawed with shock for a moment before all expression was wiped from it. It was like she had never expected him to actually accept her offer. Klaus grinned at that, glad he could still surprise her, take her off guard. And now he would be able to have his fun more often.

"Fine, then…" She muttered, eyes downcast as she tried to stand up and reach for the cure that still sat on the table behind him.

"Ah, ah, ah, love, not so fast." Klaus placed a hand firmly on her shoulder, his thumb splayed against her collarbone and held her down, keeping her seated on the sofa, his voice low and gruff as he spoke his next words. "First you have to prove to me that you will hold out your end of the bargain."

She scoffed, looking annoyed, and tried to move away again, only to have him hold her down more securely. Caroline appraised Klaus for a moment, her eyes scrutinizing. Then she seemed to come to a decision as her hands suddenly went to the back of his neck and pulled his down so his lips met hers. For the slightest second Klaus froze, surprised, before he realized what she was doing and moved his lips more ferociously against hers. She tried to pull away after a moment, but Klaus deepened the kiss, a test of sorts to see if she would really do as he said. When she responded after a second, Klaus knew she would keep her word. His hand lifted from the couch and went to her cheek, stroking her soft skin.

Finally, when he could hear her heartbeat stuttering, Klaus pulled back both of them breathing heavily. They both stood, neither saying a word. He took her hand in his, turning it over so her palm was up. Meeting her stormy and confused, blue eyes, he placed the small vial that held the cure into her hand, curling her fingers around it with his own.

With his hands still on hers, he stared intently at her.

"Remember, Caroline." He said lowly. "I do not react well to those who disappoint me." He continued to look at her, making her understand what he meant. She slowly nodded.

He let go of her.

She was gone in an instant.

Now, he would have to wait. They had both known that as soon as he had placed the cure in her hands without compelling her that he was placing his trust in her. Klaus just hoped she didn't fail him as so many others had.

For once, however, his trust hadn't been given in vain.

Later that night, Caroline came back into the mansion, carrying a suitcase and a few smaller bags, tear stains obvious on her cheeks. Despite this, though, her expression remained resolute, and her voice didn't have a single crack when she spoke.

She greeted him with a question. "So, where do I sleep?"

Klaus only smirked.

There you go! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Thanks for your time and let me know what you think!

RW