Chapter 1

Caroline Forbes pushes past the scantily clad human girls to the bar, ordering a shot of tequila. God knows she'll need it to get through this night. The bartender eyes her, seems to know what she is. "We serve it here too, if you prefer not to take it off the dancers." She smiles weakly, but shakes her head. "I've had enough, but thank you." She feels out of place, too proper.

Times are different now, over 1,000 years since her human life. The majority of the general population remained unaware of vampirism, but vampires had infiltrated human politics and governments, as well as other walks of life. They had gained enormous power, and despite the fact that Caroline was, in fact, a vampire, the growing powerlessness of humans made her very uneasy. Underground clubs like this were common and very popular. Humans that had heard of vampires sometimes came for scares, or to beg to be turned, but most patrons were vampires. They networked here, found and lost allies, enemies, scapegoats; all under the veil of hedonism. The dancers, some compelled, others not, provides some entertainment. Mostly they were to feed off of.

Caroline did her best to ignore any vile occurrences taking place around here, turning her eyes from the couple presses to the wall five feet away, doing things that really should not be done in public. "I take it you don't come to the undergrounds very often." The bartender says, smiling knowingly. She brings her focus back to him, suddenly on guard. If he knows who she is, she may not leave here tonight with her plans fulfilled. But he is pouring her another shot and saying something about how she should loosen up a bit, and she relaxes. "I'm looking for someone," she says slowly, watching for his response. He laughs, "Everyone is looking for someone in these parts," he says with ease. "Anyone in particular?" She pauses, not knowing whether she should confide in him or not. "An old friend. I'm told he comes here rather often. He…may be considered as one not to be trifled with."

This time, it is the bartender who takes pause, looking at her anew. "In that case, you'll want to go up those stairs there, to the VIP. Tell Fernando that I said it was okay. But I warn you, if you are going up there on business that is not civil, I will have your head. That is, if they do not finish you first." She nods, thanking him, leaving him a generous tip. A pang of nerves hits her as she's walking away, but she tells herself that if he is there, he would let no harm come to her. Over and over, she tells herself this, hoping it to be true. After all, she does not know; she has not seen him in 500 years.

When she gets up the stairs, she sees why it is VIP. It is lavish, over-the-top. The dancers are ecstatic to be here, but restrained. Some dance without any clothes on at all. The vampires seem almost uninterested in anything but their own business. She wishes to be anywhere but here.

She sees him before he sees her, and she ducks to the side to watch him without him noticing her. She does not know who he is with. She is gorgeous, supple, and she seems to light up the room. Caroline wonders if this is the vampire he has rumored to have spent the last 300 years with. There is a bitterness that wells up in her, and for a second she worries it is jealously. For a long time, everyone knew Klaus to be in love with Caroline. But they had never crossed that line; they had always remained tentative friends. It was odd, most people thought, for them to always be on the same side, yet rarely see each other. He could be quite vicious, and he was not the only one who viewed her as relatively pure. He had never taken an interest in anyone besides her, until this rumored relationship of an unknown vixen came about. Caroline wondered if he kept his current girl as safe as he had always kept her; if he was as taken with her as he had once been with Caroline. She shook those thoughts away; she did not know why she was suddenly getting all possessive. Over the past thousand years, they had run into each other occasionally. Sometimes she thought that he might be keeping tabs on her, which surprisingly did not bother her. But tonight was different. Tonight she was actively seeking him out.

Lost in her own thoughts, she did not realize that he had left his table. "Shit," she whispered, looking around frantically. She couldn't miss him, she didn't have a lot of time. It was that she stiffened, her hair stood on end, knowing she has screwed up. "I assume you're looking for me, love?" he says, just inches behind her.

"Why must you always have the upper hand? I thought you were some stranger, about to kill me!" she sighs out of exasperation. "And how do you know that I am not about to kill you?" he says seriously, but she does not miss the gleam in his eyes. He turns away, a muffled "seriously Caroline, after being alive for a thousand years, you'd think you'd learn some better survival techniques" almost drowned out. She scoffs, and follows him into a private room. His demeanor has changed, he is agitated now. "And what are you doing here? It is not safe for you here." She steps closer to him, breathing in his scent, taking in his appearance. She is attracted to him, she knows. She always has been. Not just physically, but intellectually as well. She remembers a time when she was human, having a conversation with Matt in a bar. "You're just not that deep, Care," he had said. He was right, she hadn't been then. But with Klaus…she could see his complexity from the beginning. She feared him, and hated him, and wished him dead, as all her friends had. But she had always been drawn to him. Tonight is no different; she feels the familiar pull to him.

"I have come to ask for your knowledge on the rebellion in Moscow. There is word that there is a war brewing, and I fear that-" she loses consciousness then, before she even realizes that he has brought his hands up to break her neck. But Klaus sees it, the split second where his hands are on her neck, twisting, and there is a look in her eyes as if she has seen the devil.