Caroline stormed into her bedroom filled with rage. She was so angry that her fingers were tingling painfully, as if she wanted to throw something. That was one of the curious traits of being a vampire. Every emotion was heightened, even the bad ones, meaning that Caroline's current mood was akin to that of a murderous psychopath.

She couldn't believe what she had just heard. And on the day of her high school graduation no less! The boy she thought she was in love was had been sleeping with someone else. Not just somebody either but the stupid werewolf that had helped him break his sire bond so that he could be with her. He had chosen Hayley instead. And when she had questioned him about the relationship he had just put it down to chemistry and said that that was something that they didn't have between them anymore. Her vision clouded over with red fury again as she thought back to his words.

"I'm sorry, Care. I think I'm in love with her. We've spent so much time together breaking the sire bond and we just connected. I just...I don't feel that way about you anymore. She's everything to me now."

The memory of those painful words made her lash out and before she knew it she was throwing anything she could get her hands on at the walls which she now envisioned as Tyler's stupid face. The picture of them together was thrown across the room with excessive force and smashed to smithereens in seconds. Anything that was associated with him was destroyed. The bracelet that he got her for her birthday with the beautiful charms was crushed beneath her booted foot. She used her extraordinary vampire strength to shred the shirts he had carelessly left in her room when he stayed over. She sent books flying as she kicked them off her desk and finally as her rage built to a crescendo she threw her dresser across the room splintering it in half and causing various clothes to cascade onto her littered floor. The thunderous crash brought her back to reality and she was left standing in the middle of her room flushed and breathing hard.

Slowly, she sat down on her bed among the debris and after a beat of absolute silence, Caroline began to cry. The tears flowed silently down her cheeks and saturated her face with a mixture of salt and mascara. They began to stain the lovely pale blue dress that she had bought specifically for graduation. Could she really never have any good memories of her human life? Were her attempts at leading some kind of normal life always going to be riddled with sadness and destruction? All she had wanted was an unbelievably great senior year and it had been awful. On her eighteenth birthday she had been bitten by Tyler and nearly died, her father had died, Elena had flipped her humanity switch and stolen her prom dress and now her high school graduation had been ruined because her now very ex-boyfriend had confessed he had been cheating on her for weeks! She should have known, Caroline thought to herself as her sobs wracked her body. Tyler had been pulling away from her for weeks and she had been too preoccupied with distracting Klaus to notice. God Klaus! Thinking his name gave Caroline some kind of thrill that she didn't know how to explain but put it down to her near hysteria.

After a good hour of crying, Caroline suddenly stopped and eyed her wardrobe then the clock. It was 7pm. It was 7pm at night on the day she had finally graduated high school and she was lying in bed feeling sorry for herself over a stupid boy. Screw this, she thought and leapt from her bed and into the shower. An hour later and she was dressed in her shortest and tightest little black dress and slipping on her highest black heels. She grabbed her clutch bag and strode confidently out of her room. She felt a pang of bloodlust but shook it off reasoning that she could have a bite or two at the party. Her fellow students would be too intoxicated to notice much. With her sparkle quickly returning, she left her house and glancing around excitedly ran off at vampire speed towards the Salvatore's. The whole senior class would be waiting to celebrate the end of high school and the future that held no limits.

*change of scene

When Caroline entered the Salvatore's boarding house, she immediately felt better. Three boys stared at her appreciatively and she heard their hearts' skip a beat. She knew that she looked good. She looked around and could see Elena and Stefan arguing as usual and Damon lounging on the stairs scanning the young drunken women like a hunter eyes its prey. He locked eyes with her and raised an eyebrow then his glass at her, toasting her long legs and shapely breasts. She rolled her eyes at him and then made her way to the bar. She had knocked back several tequila shots and three vodka and cokes before Elena finally made her way over, her face wrinkled in frustration. Now that her humanity was back on she was far better balanced but it seemed to Caroline that she would never be able to escape being in the middle of the Salvatore brothers' and, sure enough, she clocked Stefan looking at Elena worry clouding his eyes. Elena slumped down next to her and started knocking back enough tequila that she would soon be matching Caroline drink for drink.

"What's up with you?" Caroline asked as she too pounded another drink.

Elena sighed. "It's Stefan. He thinks that just because my humanity is back on everything is perfect and he wants to get me on the bunny diet. I'm sick of being near him and his judging eyes and Damon trying to entice me back into his bed. I love them both but I need space from the two of them and living here is driving me crazy." She did another tequila shot not even wincing at the sharp taste as she sucked on the lemon.

"Hmm yeah, living with two deliciously good looking men must be so terrible." Caroline joked throwing an amused look at Elena.

Elena laughed. "I know it could be worse, right? What's got you chugging the drinks down anyway? Where's Tyler?"

Caroline sighed and filled her in and Elena hugged her in sympathy. It was quiet between them for a little while until Elena grabbed two more shots and handed one to Caroline.

"To no more men?" She asked suggestively, displaying a half smile. Caroline couldn't resist and quickly smiled back, clinking her shot glass to Elena's.

"To no more men!" They shouted in unison, downing the shots and collapsing into giggles.

The hunger niggled at Caroline again and she glanced around her. The bodies of the senior class were flushed and she could hear the pulses racing with excitement and adrenaline and the hearts' pumping sweet, delicious blood through their bodies. And there were so many people! She suspected it wasn't just the senior class that were there but almost the entire high school. After all, the after-graduation parties in Mystic Falls were legendary. Turning to Elena, she asked conspiratorially "Fancy grabbing a few bites to eat?"

Elena looked at her questioningly. Caroline normally had a huge aversion to feeding off of humans but tonight was different. It had probably been brought on by Tyler's betrayal, Elena thought. She longed for the taste of fresh human blood. It wasn't a problem for her like it was for Stefan but she still felt guilty about feeding on her friends. On the other hand, she could easily compel them to forget what was happening and they would never feel pain if she told them not to. Looking at Caroline, whose eyes were twinkling, she felt herself relent.

"Okay but we have to make we compel them to forget. I don't want Stefan to judge me even harder for being sloppy."

Caroline grinned and, taking Elena's hand, led them into the throng of people on the dance floor, quickly pressing her body against the many people surrounding her. She eagerly selected a petite brunette for Elena and herself to share. Grabbing the girl's wrist, she forced her to look into her eyes and said "You will not make a sound and you will feel nothing. While we are feeding from you, you will continue drinking and smiling and when we are done you will forget what happened and have a good time, okay?"

The girl nodded feebly and Caroline and Elena latched onto her neck, extending their fangs deeply into her flesh. The blood was positively blissful and spiked with alcohol adding an extra high. It was so crowded and everyone was so buzzed that nobody noticed what Caroline and Elena were doing to the girl, they saw only three girls getting caught up in the post-graduation atmosphere and having a fantastic time. Elena and Caroline fed until the girl's pulse began to weaken and then, with massive self-restraint, they let her go dazedly off into the crowd. Her neck was already healing thanks to Caroline conveniently slipping some of her blood into the girl's rum and coke.

They continued in this way for the majority of the night, getting drunk on alcohol and getting drunker on the alcohol in their victims' blood. They gorged on blood to intensify the high and Caroline felt as though she hadn't a care in the world. She had finished high school, she was dancing and she was drunk. She felt amazing... until Stefan grabbed her.

"You're being careless, Caroline! How could you do this with Elena? It might tip her over the edge! You've had far too much to drink...especially from the vein."

Caroline just blinked at him in a blurry haze until she felt a surge of anger. She shoved him roughly and he fell back heavily against the staircase. Her blood-binge had fuelled her strength and Stefan was no match for her.

"Do not tell me what to do." She growled, pouring herself another drink and downing it in one before reaching again for the vodka bottle. She raised the whole bottle to her lips taking deep swallows while making her way back to the dance floor to select her next victim, stumbling slightly in her inebriated state.

Stefan stared after her helplessly before a shimmering blonde head appeared. Rebekah. If anyone could help him take care of the Caroline situation it would be her. He sidled up to her and whispered in her ear "Care for a dance, my lady?" an allusion to her former position of power in medieval England.

"Since you asked so nicely, how could I ever resist?" Rebekah replied in a flirty tone.

Grabbing her hand and pulling her close to him, Stefan and Rebekah began to dance, twirling around like professional dancers, their vampire abilities making them more graceful and flexible than normal people. Stefan murmured in her ear so that they would not be easily overheard.

"Caroline is out of control tonight. She's drinking too much and feeding on the other seniors. Lots of them. She's not taking any notice of me and I'm not strong enough to take her down because of all the blood she's had. You're the only one who can help me."

"I really don't know what you expect me to do Stefan. This is my first high school graduation party. I don't intend to miss any of it." Rebekah pouted at him.

"Please Rebekah. She's being careless and she's only doing it because Tyler broke up with her. She's stopped feeding them so they will heal quickly and she keeps lashing out at any one who gets in her way. There must be something you can do."

Rebekah regarded him haughtily but quickly softened at his pleading green eyes.

"Fine. I won't help her because I'm serious about not missing a thing but I can get someone to get her out of here and take her home." Her eyes flashed to Stefan and understanding dawned on his face. He simply nodded as she took out her phone and dialled her big brother's number. He would be most interested in the fact that his favourite vampire was suddenly single, Rebekah thought.

*change of scene

Klaus was relishing the quiet and solitude of his study when his phone suddenly rang. He hissed under his breath. He loathed being disturbed when he was alone in his studio, especially when he was sketching or painting. He laid down his paintbrush and glanced at his phone seeing the name of his highly strung little sister flashing away. His landscape would have to wait then, he thought.

"Good evening, little sister. To what do I owe the pleasure? I do hope that you haven't allowed yourself to become too drunk?" Klaus answered the phone in a mildly annoyed manner. He really did hate being interrupted.

"Nik? You need to come over to the Salvatore's right this min-"Her voice was lost in the deafening roar that was the cheering of the crowd. Perhaps someone had just completed a keg stand, he mused growing more and more irritated by the interruption.

"What is it Rebekah? I don't appreciate being interrupted in the middle of painting."

"It's Caroline."

Even her name was like a gentle caress to his ears. His heart clenched with concern. Anything could have happened to her at the graduation party. It was full of leering male teenagers that were more than happy to slip something into the drink of an innocent party-goer just to 'have a bit of fun'. Suddenly he was seething with anger.

"What's happened?" He asked though clenched teeth.

"I think it would be best if you came and saw for yourself, Nik." Rebekah said before hanging up the phone.

Without another glance at his landscape, Klaus stormed out of his studio and ran at vamp speed into the night towards the Salvatore boarding house. There was only one thing on his mind as he flew through the darkened forest, becoming dimly aware of the shouts and screams in the distance.

Caroline.

*change scene

Caroline and Elena were having the time of their lives. They were on the dance floor and had most of the male seniors gathered around them watching and cheering in fascination as the lithe bodies of the two girls danced provocatively together. Although they were vampires, the strong drinks they had been consuming all night had made their vision slightly blurry and both stumbled a little when they made attempts to pour another drink. Stefan was positively seething at their behaviour. He couldn't believe they had let themselves lose control and inflicted their true nature on the people that were supposed to be their friends. He was particularly concerned for Caroline. She had never acted in this way before and as her best friend he just wanted to make her feel better. His heart felt a little pang when he saw Elena dancing with some guy on the football team, her eyes filled with laughter and her dark hair shimmering against her cream dress but when he saw the fair haired Original stealing glances at him from across the room, he knew his heart didn't belong to Elena anymore.

Elena suddenly stopped dancing and turned to Caroline who was soaking up the attention the crowd of boys were giving her, staving off her insecurities.

"Caroline! I've just had the best idea! We should go on a road trip and have some fun before we go to college!"

Caroline just stared at her, not quite comprehending what was happening as the flashing lights and loud music were messing up even her refined vampire senses due to the vodka.

"Think about it! The two of us on the road, going from state to state, no boys to annoy or upset us and we can feed and drink as much as we like without anyone judging us for it. It's perfect!"

The truth of what Elena was saying finally seeped into Caroline's brain and brought the most dazzling smile to her face, lighting up her bright blue eyes.

"That sounds awesome!"

Elena flashed a beautiful smile and started jumping up and down in excitement.

"Oh my god! This is gonna be awesome! When should we go? And where should we go first?"

Caroline suddenly caught a glimpse of Tyler hooking up with her replacement and only took a second to give Elena her answer.

"Tomorrow morning, I don't care where I just need to get out. I need to get out of this town so bad."

Elena was ecstatic. "Yes! This is gonna be the best summer vacation ever! I'll get us some drinks to celebrate."

Caroline chuckled as her best friend sped away, grateful that she was so much more fun and happier than she used to be when she was with Stefan. This summer was going to be amazing and her mind raced with all the places they could go to. New York, San Francisco, LA. Her anticipation ignited her bloodlust again and she scoured the room for somebody to feed from. She spotted a lone girl out in the grounds around the boarding house, crying. Perfect, Caroline thought and in a split second she was next to her.

"Hey Ashley, what's up?"

The girl looked at her with a mixture of surprise and sadness on her face. "It's my parents. They just told me they're getting divorced!"

"Oh man up, you silly bitch. That happens to everyone. It happened to me and I turned out fine. Now shut up and let me feed on you."

Caroline sunk her fangs into the soft neck of poor little Ashley. Her blood tasted glorious but even though she couldn't make a sound the tears still poured from her eyes as fear and panic tore through her body. The blissful feeling came to an abrupt stop and Caroline opened her eyes to realise that she had been ripped away from her feeding frenzy and Ashley was nowhere to be seen. She was momentarily confused before she saw his lithe, muscled body skulking towards her.

"Aren't you a little old to be crashing high school parties?" she spat venomously at him.

Klaus's answering smirk made her heart flutter in ways that it shouldn't. Not when she was looking at him anyway.

"Well, I couldn't exactly miss the event you have been coveting for the last year could I, love?"

She snorted and he looked at her curiously.

"It sucked." She sighed.

Klaus frowned at her concerned. He didn't much care for trivial human conventions such as prom and graduation but he had wanted his Caroline to enjoy them because they clearly meant so much to her. On the other hand, she was immortal.

"You can always have another high school graduation, sweetheart, if you really want one."

"That's not really the point, Klaus. This was my first high school graduation and it should have been last as a human. And it's all been ruined, because of you!" Caroline snapped.

Klaus felt a burst of anger flood through him at those words. How could it possibly be his fault that Caroline had had a bad night? He hadn't been near her in over a week. The anger quickly melted away though when he caught the little sob that escaped her mouth.

"How is it my fault, Caroline?"

She glared at him with her beautiful blue orbs, tears streaming gently down her face. She didn't stay vulnerable for long though as she stalked towards him with her finger jabbing his chest.

"You were the one that turned Tyler. You were the one that caused his freaky sire bond and you were the one that forced him to bite me which made him run away to try and break it. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have met that girl and he wouldn't have fallen in love with her. He would still be with me and I wouldn't be humiliated by the fact that he cheated on me with her and has been for a very long time. I would be happy but because of you I'm not."

What was it about this blonde baby vampire that caused so much havoc with his mind and body? He felt so guilty that she was crying because of him. No matter how you looked at it, it was his fault even if it was indirectly. He wished he could do something to make her feel better.

"Caroline, you can do better than Ty-"

"Oh, I know that I can do better than Tyler Lockwood. It hurts knowing that once again I'm second best but the fact that my last day of high school has been ruined is what has made me so angry and upset. He hasn't even been here for most of the year so what gives him the right to ruin it for me? Asshole."

"Is that why you're being like this? Drinking from the vein and drowning yourself in vodka?"

Klaus knew that she was hammered. He could smell the alcohol rolling off her. If she had been human she would be dead. He wouldn't be surprised if her tears were purely alcohol. He had also noticed her aim was slightly off when she tried to plunge her fangs into that little girl's neck. If he hadn't ripped her away so quickly then Caroline would have torn her throat out. And the way she was looking at him now, as if she couldn't quite focus on him and her legs trembled ever so slightly as she fought to hold herself up.

"I just wanted to have fun, Klaus! God...what is it with you and Stefan constantly getting in my face about having fun?"

"I'm all for having fun, sweetheart, but I think you may have had enough for tonight."

Caroline rolled her eyes at him but before she could do anything more she suddenly found herself slung over his shoulder as he glided effortlessly back to her house. She didn't even have time to protest because before her drunken brain caught up to what was happening they were already on her street with her house coming swiftly into view.

"Klaus! I didn't want to go home! Did Stefan put you up to this?"

"I presume so although it was actually my dear sister that called me to say that you were in trouble. I thought someone might have done something to harm you."

She heard the steely undertone to his words and could feel his shoulders tense up beneath her abdomen. She felt a flash of guilt that she had worried him but her annoyance at being taken home against her will eclipsed it. She realised she couldn't fight against him though. He was the Original Hybrid and even if she was completely sober she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't get away from his strong grip on her body and simply propped her head up by her elbow. She could swear she heard him snigger lightly at her resignation but if he did it was too quiet for her to be sure.

"I bet you love this, don't you? Must feel like a knight in shining army carrying his damsel in distress back to her castle? For the record, I wasn't in distress and I am perfectly capable of handling myself."

This time she was sure he laughed at her.

"Well you are far more beautiful than any princess I have seen and I have seen many."

"I bet you have." She grumbled, earning another laugh from him.

He set her down in front of her door and watched her with an amused expression as she struggled to fit her key into the door. He took it deftly from her fingers and let himself into her home, ignoring her protests as she followed him in. He yanked her up again into his arms as she kicked off her heels, revelling in the surprised gasp that escaped her lips and the way her heart beat a little faster at being so close to him. Caroline didn't even bother to scold him this time. She knew he wouldn't let her go and suddenly she felt so tired that his arms seemed incredibly comfy. She restrained herself from nestling into his chest but it was tough. Klaus saw her eyes flutter closed as he made his way to the staircase. By the time he had reached her bedroom, she was fast asleep.

He looked around the room in shock as he entered it. He had underestimated exactly how angry she could get if you crossed her. Klaus pulled back the covers to her bed and gently tucked Caroline in, pushing her hair back from her face as he did so. She snuffled slightly in her sleep which made him smile.

He drew back from her so that he could survey the mess that she had created. He could tell that she had been incredibly hurt by Tyler's actions by the fact that she had apparently destroyed anything that could be connected with him. The picture of the two of them smiling lovingly at each other was smashed and the bracelet that had been a birthday gift-which in no way compared to one that he had given her, Klaus thought to himself-had been crushed to tiny shards of glass and twisted metal.

Klaus would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't glad that things have ended between his hybrid and Caroline. Now she could finally find someone worthy of her and he fully intended for that man to be him. She may not realise that she belonged to him yet but he would do everything in his power to make her his. Inwardly, he cursed himself for falling so hard and so fast for such a young vampire but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were meant to be together. He hated himself for being such a softie when he was meant to be the strongest and deadliest being of the supernatural world. But one flash of her smile, one glance into her sparkling eyes or even one self-righteous flip of her tumbling curls and he was done for. He couldn't fight it. Didn't want to.

He drew closer to her sleeping figure again, pressing the lightest of kisses to her forehead. She smiled a little in her sleep then and he hoped that it was because of his kiss but knew that he was probably just living a fantasy. He finally turned his back on her to leave her to what he hoped were pleasant dreams and he stalked off into the night.

The stars twinkled in the night sky that matched his mood which was blackening quickly.

Lockwood would pay for hurting his girl.