She observed the room she was in. All very Deep South, with it's obscenely orange woodwork, a shade so vulgar it would make tanning salons beg for it's secret. She thought, as she often did, about how she could make this a considerably less vile place to live. Minimalism. Lots of windows for that gorgeous view. Klaus's movements in front of her made her refocus, and a slightly fluttery sensation filled her stomach at the sight of him. She wondered whether her interior designing subconscious was referring to the landscape, or a slightly different view.

Caroline was uncomfortably aware of Tyler's eager and finely tuned ears just metres away. She was similarly aware of Klaus's eyes, and how fixed they were on her.

"I want you to let Tyler go." she said, hoping her voice didn't betray her fear.

"Caroline..." he started.

"No, don't. You ruined his life, killed his mother, enslaved him, and took away everything from him."

"And he has removed me from the only family that ever actually enjoyed my company, turned them against me and then set them after me like hunting dogs." He sniggered at his own irony, but caught her gaze. His eyes dropped uneasily to the floor. "I never managed to take you away from him."

Caroline choked on her own words. She wasn't even sure what they would have been; Yes, you did maybe, or You never had to even. Instead, she chose to ignore him.

"You took everything from him, please don't take his life. He doesn't need to die." she pleaded.

"But I do?" Klaus's voice flared. "I'm pretty sure you and your little band of friends have been planning to kill me for quite some time, and that's why you want the cure, isn't it?"

"Klaus, I..." Caroline composed herself. "I don't think you need to die." She listened closely for anything that might betray Tyler's reaction, and she heard his heart beat outside, beating away like a bass drum. She winced inwardly, not even daring to think about what he must think of her.

"You don't?"

Klaus's voice interrupted her train of thought.

"No, I told you." Caroline said as she subconsciously moved closer to the magical barrier between them. "If you can love, you can be saved."

He mirrored her. "Would you... would you save me?"

She looked at him. Not for the first time, she really looked at him. Every fibre of her being told her that she should hate him. She should hate his thick blonde curls, and his entrancing dark eyes, and the way a smile would creep the corners of his mouth just a little higher in that way that screamed "I have you exactly where I want you." But how could she? He looked like a lost child, wandering the aisles of a shop, looking for his mother. His mother. He killed his mother. He killed Tyler's mother. He killed Jenna. He killed more people than Caroline believed she could know, even in her long lifetime ahead of her.

But it didn't matter to her, not any more. "I would save you. I'll stay. Let Tyler go, and I'll stay with you."

Klaus looked at her for a few seconds, his face coming dangerously close to looking thankful, but it soon fell back into resentment. "But you would say anything, wouldn't you? Anything to save your precious Tyler." he snarled at her.

"I love him, Klaus."

"You think I don't know?" he said, coming so close that he recoiled as he walked into Bonnie's spell. "You think the only reason I haven't torn his head off with my teeth is because I know exactly what it would do to you?"

Caroline was taken back. She was at a loss for what to say.

"You know what I think? I think you're already saving him." He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. "And I don't think you can save both of us."

He walked away, throwing himself back on the sofa. Caroline watched him go silently. He was in front of her, and Tyler was behind her. How ironic, she thought bitterly to herself. She was, literally, stuck between them.

She cleared her throat. "Tyler doesn't need saving from anyone but you."

"Maybe," he snorted. "but his family does have a horrible habit of being killed. So run along, I'll give you a head start. My guess is this spell won't last forever, and when I am free, I will find you both, and I will kill him."

"Klaus, please..."

"Caroline, love, our track history has more than a few blood spots on it, I would never ask you to choose. It'd be a waste of time anyway, we both know who you'd pick." He laid his head back on the arm of the sofa, and made a dismissing motion with his hand.

She looked at him, a mixture of guilt, hatred, confusion, resentment (a tiny niggling spot of lust arrived as he stretched out, a healthy portion of torso creeping out from under his t shirt, but she soon pushed that to the back of her head).

The door opened behind her; "Caroline, come on. You heard him, we need to leave." Tyler muttered urgently. He grabbed her hand and made to pull her out the door but she resisted.

"Caroline, it's completely useless." He gave her hand another tug. "He's right, Bonnie's spell won't last much longer."

She looked Tyler in the eye, and pulled her hand from him, and turned to Klaus, who was watching their exchange out of one open eye.

"You know, Klaus, Elena loves Stefan."

"Yes, but she loves Damon more." He sat up. "Not that it matters."

"When she's with Stefan, she feels loved, and safe..."

"Ironic." Tyler muttered. Caroline shot him a look.

"...but when she's with Damon, she's so free. She's happy, and she sometimes hates it, resents him, regrets her choices and even hates who she has become. He's the one everyone tells her she shouldn't have. He's selfish, and vindictive, and cruel, but he would give up his life to save her."

Klaus watched her curiously. "Yes, it's all very... touching."

"And as much as I, and everyone else, hates it, she'd do anything to make him better."

Caroline looked from Klaus to Tyler. Tyler's face was incredulous and confused, but Klaus was on his feet, disbelief painted on his features.

"She's do anything to... save him." she stuttered on the last two words as she saw Tyler's face fall. He finally realised what she was saying.

"Caroline, don't... I love you." he pleaded, holding her hand again. "Not him, anyone but..."

"I'm so sorry. I love you" she mouthed at him silently, her words catching in her throat.

She turned to face Klaus, and he held her gaze for a second, before the noise of a slamming door sounding behind them brought them back. Tyler was gone.

Caroline felt a tear fall down her face, as if her heart was a vase of tears, and now it was broken.

She looked at him mournfully. "Please don't hurt him."

Klaus looked into her eyes, not saying a word. He extended an arm towards her, which she fell in to.

At the feeling of his touch, she realised what she had done. For one, fleeting second, she was considering running after Tyler, but too quickly she had melted into Klaus's arms, pressed her sodden face against his chest and realised that she had made her choice.

He lifted her face upwards by the chin, ever so gently, and softly wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

He seemed to be trying to say something, but no words came out of his open mouth. It brought a smile to Caroline's lips to see him like this; so human.

At the sight of her smile, Klaus smiled too. "I've always thought you had the most beautiful smile I've seen in a thousand years."

She blushed, burying her face in his chest again. He responded by holding her closer to him, placing the softest of lingering kisses on the top of her head.

His lips stayed there for a minute or two, before he spoke again. "Do you really think you can save me?"

She waited a moment before looking into his eyes again. "Yes."

He looked giddy, a childish grin playing across his face.

"All we need is a few puppy training pads, a chew toy to stop you biting me, maybe one of those spray bottles for when you're naughty and I'll have you fully house trained by the end of the week..."

"You're hilarious, love." He laughed, faking going to bite her. "I'll remember to pick you up a coffin and a cape later."

"Works both ways," she tutted. "You're dead too."

"Dammit."

Caroline grinned as he lifted her off the floor. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she felt a twang of guilt about Tyler. He's safe, Caroline, she thought. That's all that matters.

She brought her attention back to Klaus. He had never looked so happy. So human. All feelings of guilt melted like butter on a hot day.

"So, this saving business..." He jumped her up so as to get a better grip. "Where to start?"

"Well..." she debated. "If I'm honest, I'm starving, and I have the biggest cookie craving right now."

Klaus looked at her blankly. "We have eternity ahead of us, you have a soul to save, and you're thinking about your favourite confectionery products?"

She shrugged. "I like cookies."

She shook his head, grinning at her. "Well, love, then you shall have all the cookies you desire."