I can't remember the exact episode this was after. Whichever one Marcel picked up the coin during.


It wasn't supposed to be like this, to have happened in the manner that it did, but Klaus Mikaelson was done with waiting. A day or a century he had told her, however long it takes for the sleeping girl to realize what he had known for so long. He knew how to be patient, how to bide his time and keep working the angles so that he would get what he desired, what he deserved. But New Orleans was a mess, his siblings were all against him, and while he had taken the crown and the kingdom from the man he used to call son, it had been a hollow victory. One that brought him little satisfaction, even if he delighted in wrenching everything away from those who had so easily betrayed him time and time again. He'd carve out the wolf girl's heart for his brother once his daughter was born, a parting gift for choosing her over him. Perhaps do the same with Marcel's heart for Rebekah.

But for now he looked down at the sleeping vampire, blond curls aching to be touched and so he allowed himself the gesture. Fingers trailing along the strands and up to her cheek, but a whisper against her flesh. It was enough to wake her though, and Caroline flinched back, wondering who the hell was in her dorm and what they wanted. Her fangs were out, body already on the offensive after the months of insanity she'd endured at the college because of the Augustine society. She blinked when she spotted Klaus, sitting ever so casually on the edge of her bed, and watching her with an indiscernible expression.

Caroline prided herself on usually being able to discern his moods, to figure out what was going on in that head of his, but she had no idea at the moment and that had her entire body on edge. She hadn't seen or talked to him in months, and while she'd known the mini fridge was from him, with the big black bow and vial of his blood tucked away for safe keeping, she'd purposefully not answered any calls. She'd listened to the voicemails a few times, always deleting them after a day or two and regretting it only moments later.

"Why are you here?" she demanded, sleepiness still evident in her voice, but head held high as she carefully watched him.

"You're coming with me," Klaus informed her, his tone leaving no room for discussion, and he grabbed onto her arms, fingers biting into her skin as he easily lifted her from the bed.

"Excuse you," she growled, squirming in his grip. What the hell was his problem?! "I'm not going anywhere. Kinda got a life going here. Very happy with it." Or well, okay, maybe that part was a lie, but she wasn't about to let Klaus wander into her dorm room and kidnap her. Hell no.

"I've no qualms with absconding with you as you are now, but I'll give you a moment to grab some clothes and then we're off," Klaus continued as if he hadn't heard a word she had said, shoving her toward the closet.

Caroline turned around, glaring at him. "I'm not going, Klaus, and you can't…" Well, technically he could make her. She had just never thought that he would do that, especially to her, because he wanted anything with her to be real. Not compelled, not manufactured. Real. And wasn't there supposed to be a whole bunch of time and waiting? She was pretty sure that's what he'd signed up for with his whole 'however long it takes' speech.

Something was up.

"What happened?" she demanded, crossing her arms across her chest as she watched him for any clue as to what the hell was happening.

"You have two minutes, Caroline," Klaus told her, ignoring her question, but as if that was going to stop her.

"I have eternity because we both know you're not going to freaking kidnap me!" Caroline yelled at him, holding her ground as he stalked toward her. He was the picture of calm when he looked at her, reminding her of that night when he'd stabbed and bit her, but she refused to back down. "I'm gonna find out anyway if you're going to abduct me to New Orleans so what happened?"

Because maybe if she knew what had him acting all crazy she could defuse the situation and get him to see reason.

"You are not the only one having a crazy ass time, okay!" she huffed, glaring at him. "I've had my boyfriend break up with me because going after you is apparently more important than love which is totally rich considering it was like the opposite with you and I cannot even. Stefan was locked in a goddamn safe all summer, Silas came back, apparently murdered Bonnie's dad, who was also dead—Bonnie that is—except she's not anymore, Elena killed a vampire friend of mine who I'm like 90% sure I sired, and I'm now phone buddies with freaking Katherine Pierce so either talk to me or get the hell out."

"I have my kingdom through no help from my siblings," Klaus started, the anger seeming to come off of him in waves as he wrenched open the closet door and started grabbing things from it. She wasn't even going to try and explain that he was kind of taking some of Bonnie and Elena's things at the moment. "No, instead they bloody well betray me all over again, believed that I would harm my own child, and sided with the traitorous upstart that used to be…" He trailed off, realizing what all he had said in his reveal. The truly startling part was that Caroline was simply leaning against the wall, waving her hand for him to continue.

"I already know about the baby," she informed him. "Bonnie's the anchor to the other side. She hears things. She tells me things. Which hey, during all those voicemails about this lovely thing in the city or that one, you could've mentioned it. But not the point. So you have your kingdom? Why aren't you back home celebrating and instead trying to kidnap me—which honestly not gonna work."

Caroline watched him for a long moment, this Hybrid who was still taking fistfuls of clothes and throwing them down onto the nearest bed. "You don't have anyone to celebrate with, do you?" she asked, and from the pause in his movements that lasted for a moment before he dragged the suitcase out from the closet as well and started tossing the clothing into it, Caroline knew she was right in her assessment. "Stop putting clothes in the damn suitcase, Klaus. Half of those aren't even mine."

She headed over to the mini fridge and pulled out two beers. "Not exactly the highest caliber of beverage but you're in a college dorm so deal." She tossed him one of them before settling down on the edge of her bed. She easily opened her own bottle and patted the space beside her. "So basically, you've won your kingdom by alienating anyone and everyone else that's in the city?"

"This is absolute swill," Klaus started, sitting down beside her as he opened his own bottle. "You can do far better in taste than this nonsense, dorm room or not, Caroline."

"I'll take that under advisement," she murmured, rolling her eyes at his avoidance of the actual subject at hand. "You get more flies with honey than vinegar. It's a good saying; can't always use fear and cowering to get what you want."

"It's worked rather well for me in the last thousand years," Klaus pointed out, grimacing as he took a drink.

"Really? Because I'm failing to see what it is that you have to show for it. Let's see, your siblings are betraying you, your baby's mama hates you, your city hates you…" Caroline counted off on her fingers. "Where are the bright parts exactly?"

Klaus arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh yes, and you've pissed off the like one friend you have by a near attempt to kidnap her to New Orleans because you suck at friendships. And boundaries," Caroline continued. "Snap out of whatever downward spiral you're drifting down, remember who the hell you are, and be that annoying charmer we both know you can be. You know, in between eating people and burning down homes and whatever other nefarious things Kings of New Orleans do."

"I should charm them," Klaus muttered, staring down at the bottle he refused to drink more of.

"A bit of charm, a bit of fear. Make yourself invaluable. If all they ever do is fear you then they'll keep trying to overthrow you," Caroline pointed out, swirling the liquid around in her bottle. "So figure out how to do that. I don't have a clue. You know those people better than I do. Who's their common enemy because if it's you then you're kinda screwed. You want to make it be someone else."

"You're quite the evil mastermind," Klaus commented, and she rolled her eyes at that.

"That's high school social rules number one." She pointed her bottle at him, narrowing her eyes. "And don't think you're not putting all of those clothes back in that closet before you vamoose back to New Orleans. Without me." Caroline rose, tossing her bottle in the trashcan. "Which is like now because I've got two exams tomorrow and a paper due, plus other crap to deal with, and I'd like to at least have three more hours of sleep."

Motioning toward the clothes on the other bed, Caroline pushed him off of her bed before curling up under the blankets. "Try the phone next time you're having an existential crisis. Much less painful."

"Does that mean you'll actually be answering this time?" Klaus mused, shutting the closet door as he turned back to look at the nearly asleep blonde.

"Guess you'll see when you try," she murmured, peering over at him as she yawned. "Thanks for not killing Tyler. Again."

"I much prefer him living in constant agony," Klaus informed her, unsurprised when she scoffed at that idea.

"Go away now. I need to sleep," she ordered, turning away from him, and hugging her pillow tightly.

"Pleasant dreams, Caroline," Klaus murmured and then she could tell that he was gone. Caroline shook her head as she shut her eyes. What even was her life?