"How did you even get Klaus to agree to give up one of his hybrids?" Tyler asked curiously, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Caroline stood, mouth hung open a little. She couldn't bring herself to say the words. She was ashamed. But Tyler's gaze was unwavering and she knew there was no avoiding it. So she swallowed, answering in a deadpan tone, "I agreed to go on a date with him."

Her shoulders were tense as she waited for him to yell, get angry, curse her out. Instead he smiled, standing up to pour himself more alcohol. Shit, things were worse than she could have imagined. The werewolf in him should have led him to lash out in fury, yet he seemed completely indifferent. He was a ticking time bomb.

"I thought that it might help keep up the ruse between you and Hayley," she explained, hoping he would understand. Hoping he would know she wasn't trying to betray him, that it wasn't anymore more than a tactic. She loved Tyler.

He nodded in understanding as he continued to pour, and suddenly something was whipping by Caroline's head. She flinched as the bottle shattered against the wall, shards going everywhere, some pieces whipping back and cutting Caroline across her face and hand. She closed her eyes, feeling the sting she knew she deserved. She could only imagine how Tyler was feeling. She would have probably cried herself to sleep in his situation, but Tyler couldn't cry. He didn't have it in him. So he got mad instead. He got angry and took it out on the things around him.

"What the hell is going on?" she heard Hayley ask in a groggy confusion as she rustled awake.

"Nothing," Tyler sighed as if he didn't just chuck a bottle past his girlfriend. "Nothing at all."

"That didn't seem like nothing."

Caroline's eyes shot open and she saw him, standing at the threshold of the living room, eyes dark and jaw jutted out in anger.

Before Caroline could scream "No!" he had Tyler by the throat, lifting him effortlessly off the ground with a single hand.

"Bad call, mate. You really shouldn't have done that."

Hayley shrieked "Get off him, you fucker!" as she jumped up from the couch, pulling at Klaus's arm, trying to get him to budge. But the Original would have none of that. Without even sparing her a glance he used his free arm to shove her back. She flew back over the couch, landing roughly on the floor behind with a loud thud.

"Klaus!" Caroline called out in fear. She had no idea what he was willing to do at this point—his eyes were blazing with anger and madness.

"You know, I've been feeling a lot more generous with what happens to my hybrids as of late. And you've been a thorn in my side for such a long time." His voice was all smiles, but his expression suggested otherwise. "I only kept you around because I felt protective of you, silly as that sounds. You are still my hybrid, sired or not. My first born. But I'm suddenly not feeling so warm to you. I'm starting to think maybe you're better off dead." Tyler gagged as the bones in his neck made popping noises.

"Please!" Caroline screamed, tears burning in her eyes. "Klaus, don't hurt him! He didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean it?" Klaus gave an empty chuckle, looking away from Tyler for the first time since he entered the room to turn his attention to Caroline. "Love, hasn't he hurt you enough already?"

Caroline never wanted to tell Klaus the truth more than in that moment. But she couldn't, it would ruin everything. Klaus would want to know why Tyler had lied about his relationship with Hayley, and then he would figure out their plan. He'd most certainly kill both Tyler and Hayley then. God, why did Tyler have to let Klaus believe this lie? It was getting out of control! He could have just said Hayley was a werewolf friend from an old pack visiting. They didn't need this complicated bullshit!

"I… I still care about him. I still love him, please."

Klaus's eyes widened a little, a vein in his neck was pulsating. He was giving her this look she didn't understand, and then he dropped Tyler without warning. Caroline rushed over to him and grabbed hold of him protectively, calling "Tyler? Are you okay?" as he choked and swallowed air.

Klaus crouched down, staring menacingly at the hybrid as he spoke quietly, "You don't deserve her mercy." And then he was gone.

Caroline shook as she cradled Tyler, who had finally stopped coughing and was panting heavily as she let him nestle his head into her lap. She knew her attention should be on him, making sure he was alright, but she couldn't look away from the door Klaus had left from.

Hayley had somehow recovered and was by their side now, asking him if he was okay and stroking his face. Caroline wanted to shove the wolf girl back and tell her she had it covered, but she knew it wouldn't be right. She couldn't be so selfish with him, especially not after what happened. So she let Hayley pull her boyfriend away from her and prop him up against the couch. She let her take control, like she had been the day Hayley came to Mystic Falls.

She found Klaus pouring himself a drink in the Mikaelson mansion, just as Tyler had been. She flinched as he set down the bottle. "I'm not going to chuck it at you, Caroline." He looked up from the bar. "I wouldn't do that."

"Wouldn't you? You broke your sister's neck because she pissed you off." Caroline shot back. Shit, she hadn't come to fight. She had come to thank him. But she had a lot of pent up anger in her, at Tyler, at Hayley, at him…but mostly at herself.

Klaus paused, looking away again. Then he smiled, tapping a finger to his glass. "Sibling antics. It's we do. You don't have any siblings, do you?"

Caroline shook her head. "Then you wouldn't understand. We always used to wrestle as kids. But when you become a vampire, everything is heightened, especially when you're invincible like use. Wrestling and kicking becomes snapping necks and staking."

That actually… made sense. "I just came to thank you. For not killing Tyler," Caroline explained, switching topics. She had to get out of here. She should have never come.

"Well, it wasn't really my business."

"But you got angry… for me?" She worded it like a statement, but Caroline wanted to know, had it been for her? Or was he just looking for an excuse to kill Tyler?

"That was no way to treat the woman you supposedly love," Klaus responded ambiguously. Caroline sighed, knowing she would probably never get a straight answer from him. "I may be a lot of things, Caroline, but just know if you were with me I would never hurt you. I would treat you right."

Caroline tried to scoff but couldn't. There was a knot in her throat. She didn't believe him, of course, but the look in his eyes made her want to believe.

"Yeah, well, I said what I came to say, so…" She gestured toward the door, finishing awkwardly, "I'm going to go now."

"Caroline," She paused as heard him say her name. And for a moment, she liked the way it sounded coming from his lips. He never sounded more sincere than when he said her name.

She turned around, "Yeah?" and then jumped when she saw he was standing right behind her. She was frozen under the watch of those piercing blue eyes. He raised hand his hand slowly, brushing delicately again her cheek. If felt like a fire was being unleashed beneath his touch.

"It healed. Good."

"Perks of being a Vampire," Caroline shrugged, laughing at her bad joke to mask the fact it was a bad joke.

Klaus smiled at her. It was the sort of smile he gave her in the bar when she agreed to have drinks with him. It was honest. And it was beautiful. Beautiful? No, she meant it was nice. It was alright. It wasn't beautiful. Sort of.

"Have a nice evening, Caroline."

"Right."

"I'll be looking forward to our date."

"Right."

As she left the house she cursed herself for not saying anything more. She was usually so witty around him, but when he looked at her liked that… it's like she forgot how to speak.

When she had first agreed to the date she felt miserable about it. Concerned, nervous, a little nauseous. But now she almost anticipated it.