Caroline had made him promise to never come back to Mystic Falls. She wished she'd foreseen these circumstances. The ones that had her rushing to him, to New Orleans.

The streets were vivacious with tourists and street performers. Fortune tellers sat behind tables adorned with shimmering silk throws, their hands hovering above glass balls. There were shops and stalls at every turn and yet Caroline, who would have usually enjoyed such festivity, couldn't have felt worse. Of course the nagging concoction of fear, guilt and anticipation would've been enough to have her feeling nauseous but the real issue was the bite. The Werewolf bite. Klaus, of all people, was the only one who could cure such an infliction. Klaus, the devilishly handsome and cunning hybrid.

Stumbling through the crowd, Caroline couldn't help but think back to intimacy the two of them had shared in the woods. She remembered his breath on her neck, his hands gripping all the right parts of her body and her feet faltered beneath her, sending her crashing to the ground. She lay in a heap on the cracked stone path, a crowd gathering around her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She assured them weakly, getting to her feet. The bite was agonizing, like someone was burning the flesh from her upper arm. Cussing under her breath she pulled a scrap of paper from her jacket. Scrawled in black ink was Klaus's address. It was surprising how easy it had been to find someone with the knowledge of his whereabouts. A friend of a friend of Rebekah's.

She was only a few streets away now and she certainly hadn't survived an entire plane journey just to die only metres away from the Mikaelson's home. She was Caroline Forbes; Vampire and Former Miss Mystic Falls. She would survive this.

When she finally reached the address, his address, she couldn't help but hesitate. The building towered several stories above the ground. Two large, solid gates marked the entrance to the property. There were tall windows and balconies, it was extravagant which seemed about right. For a brief moment she wondered if she should have stayed in Mystic Falls with Stephen, Matt, Bonnie and Elena. She could have made peace with Tyler and died with some dignity. Klaus now knew exactly how she felt about him. He knew that his feelings for her were not quite as unrequited as she had always made them seem. But in truth, she would've wanted to see him one last time anyway and so perhaps she would've found herself in a similar situation regardless of the choice she had made.

With all the courage she could muster, she pushed one of the gates open just enough to slide through, into a quaint courtyard enveloped in high stone walls and twisting staircases. At it's centre, sat at a black, wrought iron table was Elijah. He turned to the sound of her arrival, tilting his head to the side and placing the book he had been reading beside him.

"Caroline?" He got to his feet, eyes scanning her.

She opened her mouth the speak but before she could a dizziness overcame her. Elijah was at her side in an instant, catching her before she could hit the ground. Always a gentleman.

"Get Klaus." Caroline's voice was merely a whisper as she slipped from consciousness.

. . . . .

It was no longer light outside when Caroline awoke. There was a lamp illuminating the space beside her but she could see stars in the sky from the open window a few feet away. It only took a second to remember where she was, and in that second she felt his presence and closed her eyes hoping he had yet to notice she was no longer sleeping. She was led out on a luxuriously soft double bed, a thick duvet tucked around her. There was no pain now, which meant Klaus had gotten to her in time.

She wished she had rehearsed what to say to him, she'd need to turn and face him at some point after all.

She opened her eyes again, this time sitting up and pushing her blonde curls away from her face. He was sat on a chair beside her bed, his elbows resting on his knees. Her chest tightened slightly and she wondered how long he'd been watching over her.

"Hello, love." He grinned and Caroline felt herself smiling too.

"Hungry?" He asked, his eyes lingering on her face for a few moments before he looked away to pick up two glasses beside him. Suddenly the thick scent of blood hung heavy in the air and she felt her eyes darkening and her fangs ascending.

"I'll take that as a yes," Klaus's eyes were sparkling as he handed her the elegant wine glass and raised his own jokingly as a toast, "To your good health."

After emptying her glass she allowed her fangs to recede and felt her face return to normal. She smiled again, "I believe I have you to thank for that."

It felt strange to be so close to him after their last encounter. One part of her wanted run back to her friends in Mystic Falls but there was another part of her just screaming to slide towards him. She felt her breath hitch as he leaned closer to her.

"Do you want to tell me how you got that nasty bite?" Klaus slowly trailed a finger across her arm, where the bite had once been.

Pulling away, to stop herself from making the same mistake a second time, she filled him in on the details of her fight with a pack of savage werewolves.

"Stephen and I were helping a bunch of physco gypsies and it turned out they had a lot of enemies." She slid out from under the bed sheets and wandered over to the window. "We got caught in the middle of it."

The window looked down on the courtyard, it was busier than it had been before. Elijah was nowhere to be seen now but five or six other people, vampires probably, were meandering, caught up in quiet conversation with one another.

"Your arrival here caused quite a stir," Caroline flinched, he was right behind her but she didn't duck away from him. Something about his presence was somehow calming.

"Who are they? Friends of yours?" She asked, absently playing with the heavy drapes that had been pulled to either side of the window.

"Friends, minions, whatever you like."

"Hybrids?" Caroline felt sick at that thought.

"No, don't worry I'm not starting another hybrid army." Klaus stepped around her so he was looking down at her face, grinning. She rolled her eyes and stepped away from him. His smile only spread wider, his dimples accentuated.

Caroline's denim jacket had been removed and folded at the end of the bed. The inside of the sleeve was stained with blood so she draped it over her arm instead of putting it on.

"I suppose you'll be on your way now, then?" Klaus called from the window.

"Yeah, I should get back they'll be-" She had turned to face him, but stopped speaking once she noticed the mischievous sparkle had left his eyes.

Suddenly she felt a twinge of guilt. He'd saved her life, no questions asked, and leaving so quickly did seem callous.

"Actually, I could use a shower and a change of clothes, these are all bloody." She held up her jacket for emphasis. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," He was at the door in a second, "I'll have someone fetch some towels, follow me." She accidentally brushed her hand against him as she passed and felt her skin tingle. They made their way across the landing, past marble statues and framed paintings. Klaus originals no doubt.

The bathroom was an ensuite, belonging to whom Caroline was not sure but the bed sheets were messy and there was an easel in the far corner which made her guess the room belonged to Klaus. When she stepped from the bathroom, wrapped in a fluffy white towel, she spotted an outfit laid out for her on his bed. A plain white top and a pair of black jeans, both in her size. She smiled, relieved that Klaus hadn't provide some lavish ball gown.

When she was dressed, and her hair dry, she peered again upon the courtyard. It seemed this place was more alive at night than in the day, which made sense as not every vampire would have a daylight ring. There were more of them now, and Klaus and Elijah walked together between them all. There were double doors that opened out into a balcony that encompassed the entire stone garden. She stepped out onto it, feeling more than a little out of place she made her way down a staircase to stand among all the people below.

Maybe her guilt for Klaus had been misplaced, she had no idea what he was running in New Orleans but she probably didn't want to get caught up in it. She was looking at the gates, thinking of making a run for it when he spotted her.

"Caroline!" He called, and almost every person around them turned to look at her. She felt herself shrinking momentarily but then stood straight and made her way towards him.

"Caroline." Elijah smiled and nodded towards her, "Nice to see that you're feeling better." He paused and looked over at his brother. "Perhaps you ought to sleep here for tonight, we can help you arrange your departure tomorrow morning."

"Or you could stick around, I could show you New Orleans," Klaus interjected, "Since you're already here."

Caroline hesitated, Stephen might need her help again back in Mystic falls. But she knew that he had escaped the werewolf attack and was safe at the Salvatore mansion. She had her phone with her too, if any of her friends needed her they'd call...

"Maybe we could start now, how's the nightlife in New Orleans?" She had to admit, spending some time in this majestic city was alluring. She'd grown tired of the Mystic Grill and keg parties long ago.

Klaus beamed, "Bourbon street it is."