Darkness had slowly vanished, there was again something like being alive again, but he was not sure if he could call it freedom, because there had never been something like freedom for him. Klaus slowly looked down, his hands were smaller, Tyler's body felt strange, every movement he made reminded him that this was not totally him. Maybe it would take weeks until Bonnie could find a way to heal his body which was nearly burned down to ashes. She would do it only because of Tyler, not because of him, which was a matter of fact and he didn't care about that tiny detail. All that counted was to get his body back, and then checking what was going on in Mystic.

Right now he was more or less doomed to stay in that darkness, waiting.. they thought Tyler was dead and for now he didn't want to pretend to be the nice one, he wasn't the puppy Tyler was, thinking too much about those humans who were his friends, fake friends, because at the beginning they hadn't accecpted him, right? For a moment he was tempted to start a little game in Mystic, how about pretending to be Tyler and enjoying the warm and loving kisses of Caroline?Why not just seducing her and seeing the love in her eyes instead of disgust and hate? But no, he couldn't, not because he had doubts – in the end he didn't care, but he was vulnerable in Tyler's body, he wasn't the Original, maybe still a hybrid, but he was different from this young boy, his movements different, the way he spoke, and then there was Bonnie who would of course have a look at everything, and as much as he didn't like the fact, he needed her.

Slowly he was leaning against the coldness behind himself, sliding down, and pulling his knees to himself. No one would get rid of him..no one could bring him down, kill him, or hold him in some damn coffin, and if he had to kill whole Mystic, he didn't care,...did he?

A ligh shiver ran down his spine, everytime he closed his eyes he could feel it once again. The sharp pain that was more hurtful than anything he had ever experienced in his whole existence, as it ever so slowly made the blood in his veins go slower, and his heart at the same time so that it was about to stop. But the pain he could feel in his body was not the worst part. It was Stefan's look, as he was doing it. It was as for a moment the whole world had stopped turning, as if no one was around, and as if he wasn't about to do this – there was wonder in his eyes, a little pain even? And something else, but slowly his strength had faded away, he hadn't been able to open his lips, he hadn't been able to say something, but still.. why Stefan? Why had it to be him?Maybe...had the compelling faded away as he was slowly and partly dying?

Flashback [Chicago, 1920]

„What are you afraid of?" Klaus asked Stefan, after another of those nights which had been filled with drinking and playing with a girl they had both met in a bar, she had been a natural beauty with golden curls and blue eyes, innocent and young..her blood had tasted so sweet, that he had made his jokes about it, had filled their glasses and pretended that she had fallen asleep halfway lying on Stefans lap while they had sipped from the blood filled glasses like gentlemen, a dark smirk on their lips. Later on, they had left the bar, and he had pushed Stefan against the wall, some dark alley, it was cold in Chicago these days but he didn't bother. His voice sounded deeper than usually, as it was filled with lust.

He hadn't been able to resist his Ripper anymore, and Stefan hadn't wasted any second thoughts, they had had a deep connection from the start, and with their favourite hobby, playing with humans where he had even learned some tricks from Stefan, things had slowly changed.

At first there had been some gazes, and it had taken a while that he had realized that it was something else than calling him a brother. Their passionate nights gave him something he had never experienced before, seeing him writhe underneath him, above him, the moans that were filling each place they where at, it had clouded his mind completely. Stefan accepted him for who he was, and in these days he forgot about everything else, he let himself give in this temptation, that was right in front of him. Stefan wasn't innocent, not at all, he was at the same level, and it was more than rare that Klaus admitted this because fact was that the Salvatore was so much younger, but it didn't count anymore.

„Nothing." Stefans voice brought him back to reality and he smirked a bit as he saw his teasing grin, that was more than challenging. Wasting not another second he crashed his lips against the younger ones, his tongue finding its way for a playful fight he was sometimes even willing to lose, because he knew that if he allowed him to be in charge now and then, the reward later on would be even better.

Then, he slowly ended the deep kiss, as a noise was distracting him. Looking over the Salvatores shoulder, he saw a shadow, and he nearly froze.

No. Not now, not here, not like that. Panic was slowly filling his mind – Mikael. He had found them.

With a fast movement he placed his hand on Stefan's cheek and looked into his eyes. His heart seemed to break into a few hundreds pieces as he saw the questioning gaze of the one and only person who had ever accepted him. „You will forget that you met me. You will forget everthing that happened between us, you will forget all and get away from Chicago, don't look back, just forget." he whispered it as he was compelling him...

NOW.

A cold laugh escaped his lips. It had been a stupid attempt to save Stefan, and he had thought he would never meet him again, especially not as an enemy.. he had tried to get his attention back, he had tried a lot, but Stefan had changed. He wasn't the Ripper anymore, his mind only focused on that damn doppelganger who seemed to have used some spell on him to make him blind and stupid.

So many things had happend, had given him proof, that he didn't remember anything at all, like it should be. And the temptation had been there..to tell him about it, but what for? Every moment he saw the hate in his eyes, the disgust and so much more, he had lost himself a bit more.

Yes, he could be that heartless monster, he could kill hundreds, he enjoyed seeing them suffer, and slowly die when the last drops of blood left their body..it was pleasure to cause havoc, to get what he wanted. But deep down he was also a man, who tried to be accepted – the army of hybrids, his so called family, it had all failed.

And still, he was alive and back.

A FEW WEEKS LATER.

Finally. He had his body.

„Ah." Smirking, he looked into the mirror that was in his house. Perfect. Everything was all right. Again. „Time for our last rendez-vous my lovely Stefan." he muttered it quietly, as he closed the buttons of his jacket.

He slowly left the house, a unbreakable smile on his lips.

As he was standing in front of the Boarding House, he knocked, and it didn't take long until the door slowly opened.

Stefan.

There was again the surprised look on his face, and he didn't know where it came from.
In the end it didn't matter right now. Klaus slowly looked over his shoulder and saw Elena there, pale, a glass of blood in front of her. Oh right. That had happened.

Then, he looked back to Stefan, smiling .

With a fast movement his hand shot forward, broke through the younger vampires chest, as he titled his head to the side. „The only way to tame pain is bringing pain to someone else." he whispered it quietly. „..I.." Stefan gasped, got pale as he didn't seem to be able to believe what was happening right now, he stumbled over his own words, grabbed the doorframe.. „..remember." he whispered it, but it was too late, Klaus had his heart in his hand, and slowly Stefan fell to the ground.

„..I know you do." he whispered it quietly, a single tear running down his cheek before he turned around to leave Mystic forever.