(2)

Klaus had Tyler pinned to the ground of the forest, his hand ready to rip out Tyler's heart out from his chest. Klaus's fangs are protruded, the veins are thick under his red eyes and his face is glowing with darkness. He's mad and he's ready to kill. He was just done killing all his unsired hybrids, that wolf girl, and now it's this unfaithful hybrid's turn, this one who started it all.

After all the deceptions, the betrayals, the failure, there is nothing that can ever prevent him from killing this wolf.

Klaus looked at the hopeless Tyler with eyes raging with fire.

"You think you can surpass me? I? Even my mother was not able to break me. And you think you can? You think too highly of yourself." Klaus raised his arm to rip out his heart.

"NO! No! no, no, no!" Caroline entered and screamed loudly at the sight before her. "Nooo, please, Klaus, please, don't kill him." She continues to cry loudly and miserably. "Please, please I beg you, don't kill Tyler, Klaus, please"

Before Klaus was able to kill Tyler, he turned to the screaming Caroline behind him and gave a glare so menacing it can almost kill anyone in fear.

"You" Klaus growled at Caroline. He left the weak Tyler and sped up to pin Caroline against the tree with his hand strangling her neck. "You, how dare you come face me now, after everything?"

Caroline could not speak. Klaus is strangling her neck tightly and no sound can form from her throat except the sound of choking. Her tears continue to fall down and she struggles hard to release Klaus's hand from her neck.

"I'm so-rry" was all she could say.

Klaus gripped her neck tighter before he released her, leaving her sitting on the ground, coughing for air. Klaus went down on his one knee and he took Caroline's chin on his hand so she could face him. Caroline looked at Klaus's eyes and all she saw was pure anger, and monstrous hatred.

"You mark my words, if I ever see you again, I swear I will not hesitate to kill you."

And then he was gone.

Caroline woke up from bed gasping for air. Once again for hundreds of times, that particular event that night two years ago haunted her in her dreams.

The night sky showered Stefan and Caroline with countless of wonderfully twinkling stars. They took the gondola ride at night and Caroline sits comfortably in the boat with Stefan. They were loud and cheerful as they chat while their boat travels the Venetian lagoon.

After fits of laughter and tons of funny stories they've been telling each other, a moment came when they fell silent, feeling the cool breeze and gazing at the beautiful night view of the waters and the sky. This is indeed one of the most peaceful times of her life. Caroline is silent and she takes the time to just rest beside Stefan.

Stefan surveyed their surroundings and noticed their gondolier, a man in his mid-thirties, tall, well-built, and his face is masked by the shadows and by the hat he's wearing. Stefan leaned closer to Caroline.

"Hey, what do you think of our boatman, too silent?" Stefan whispered.

Caroline fixed her attention to the man. Her eyebrows met as she assessed their gondolier. Both of them sat straight slowly as they noticed only now how the man doesn't have a heartbeat. Stefan thought the man probably knew already that they're vampires.

The two remained silent and guarded until time came when they have to land on the boat port. The moment Stefan and Caroline got out of the boat, Stefan went to their boatman.

"Thank you for the ride. Here." Stefan handed him the fare and they shook hands. "My name is Stefan, by the way." He added, looking at the man straight into his eyes so his sincerity and politeness won't be missed.

The man removed his hat and looked back at Stefan and smiled. "I know who you are Stefan Salvatore. Don't you recognize me?"

Caroline turned her head to the man while Stefan tried to remember to whom the familiar face belongs to. Not more than a second passed when Stefan's eyebrows pulled away from each other and his lips turned into a wide smile. And both men hugged, laughed, and patted each other at their backs.

"Never thought I'd meet you like this."

The man is called Victor, a friend of Stefan. And he invited Stefan and Caroline for an afternoon tea tomorrow at his house in Venice.

"Wow" Caroline's eyes widened at the sight of a large mansion in front of her after finally locating the address Stefan's friend gave them. "Your friend sure isn't just a gondolier, is he?" She asks Stefan.

"One thing about Victor is he's one of the most sophisticated vampires I've ever met. I'm sure there is another reason why he's a boatman during the night." Stefan knowingly smiled at the questioning Caroline whose mouth shaped into an 'O' after hearing Stefan. Of course it's for the food.

"Well, since he's your friend, I've got nothing to be worried about, right?" Caroline asked.

"Nope. Victor's a good man. I assure you that."

"Okay, but let me ask this first, if he's your friend 'back in the days' like you said, and 'back in the days' you were bad, as in ripper-bad, how come Bad Stefan became friends with a good man?"

Stefan only smiled a little. "He uhm, he helped Lexi help me more than once back then. I almost killed his family though, but thankfully he and Lexi were able to restrain me"

"Stefan!" Victor came out from the huge door of the mansion with a cheerful voice. He's very different from how he was last night. He is handsome for his age and he got a clean moustache. Dressed in a clean white shirt and black pants, he walked straight to Stefan and patted his back.

"Glad you're able to come. Miss Forbes?" He took Caroline's hand and kissed her fingers after which Caroline smiled gleefully at him.

"Please call me Caroline" she smiled.

"It's very nice to see you again Caroline. You look beautiful." He walked in between them with his hands at their backs, directing them inside his mansion. "Now come on in you two."

It's almost sunset and the three of them hasn't finished their fun conversation over tea and cakes. It turned out Victor has a good sense of humor and is a very energetic and a happy creature.

He had a lot to tell about his worldly adventures and also about his struggle during those times when he had to help Ripper Stefan. And he delivered his stories in ways that are funny in a good sense.

Stefan told him a few stories about returning to Mystic Falls while Caroline enjoys herself listening to the two men but can't help commenting from time to time.

Victor turned to Stefan. "You got yourself a nice girl Stefan. You know I have to be honest, I was scared last night when I recognized you. When I left you and Lexi, you were still ripping people's heads off. I thought you were going to kill her. I had to stay shady because I was ready to attack you if you do something that isn't right but all I saw you doing is kissing this girl."

Caroline and Stefan looked at each other and smiled.

"Yeah, Lexi did a good job. I've been like this for a very long time now." Stefan said.

"Speaking of Lexi, where is she?"

Stefan's smile faded as he answered Victor. And in turn, Victor's face fell.

"I'm sorry." was all Victor can say.

"How about your family? I was kind of expecting to see them." Stefan asked.

"Oh, my wife and my daughter are away traveling." Victor smiled as he drank his tea. And then he became giddy. "I will join them as soon as I'm done with my business here, in which I am very excited about." Victor's smile grew wider.

"Really? What kind of business?" Stefan asked.

"Okay, I promised myself not to tell this to anyone but since I have a feeling that you two are my lucky charm, I think it's alright to tell you." Victor cleared his throat and sat straight. "I am going to buy a castle."

Caroline sat upright and her face brightened. "Wow! That's incredible!" Caroline said. With all the chats between them, Caroline already has connected to Victor very well. For her, Victor is already such a dear, a good vampire and she thinks he could be a good friend.

"I know" Victor laughed. "There is this castle in France that I've been eyeing. And I have been waiting for so many years for my resources to be enough to buy the castle. And when I did, I had the problem of contacting the owner of the castle, it seems they were unavailable. I waited for more years but it was only yesterday when I found out that the owner is here in Venice, looking for a large house to buy. I immediately offered mine and tonight, he's coming for dinner to look around. This is my chance to talk to him and that is why I am very excited."

Caroline once again opened her mouth in awe and felt excitement as well. "Oh wow! Good luck about that! But, tonight? It's already past 5, aren't we becoming some kind of trouble for you? I mean, you might want to prepare or something?" She asked Victor.

"Oh I'm already prepared. Anyway, I prefer that I chat with friends instead of being alone and feel nervous." He laughed once again. "And I really did enjoy your company. However, I hope you don't mind if I send you off at this time? Like you said, I have to prepare. I hope I'm not being rude because I do want you to come back anytime to maybe spend a day with me. I can show you around or lend you anything that you might need for your travels."

"Oh, that's alright. And we'll definitely come back." Stefan said, standing up, followed by Caroline and Victor. "Victor, I am very happy about how you've been doing now, and I wish you all the good luck." Stefan told his friend and patted his back.

"Me too, Stefan. I am glad for you. It is indeed an ultimate pleasure when you live peacefully without anyone threatening your life." He laughed. "I'm glad you're back."

Caroline looked down and let out a restrained smile. Victor's words are echoing in her mind.

As Caroline and Stefan were about to ride the car home, Caroline remembered she forgot her purse in the washroom. She quickly came back inside Victor's house leaving Stefan waiting in the car parked at the far side of the mansion.

"I forgot my purse. Just stay here, I'll be quick." she says.

Just as soon as Caroline walked inside, a black limo drove from the gate and parked in front of the mansion door. Stefan watches as a tall guy in black suit came out of the car at the same moment when Victor came out to greet the visitor. The tall guy, who positioned himself at the side, was then followed by another man in a dark grey shirt. Stefan watched closer and listened carefully.

"Good evening!" Victor greeted with energetic glee. "I am so glad you're able to come by Mr. Mikaelson." Victor continued to talk as he held out his hand.

And Stefan froze.

"Good evening." The man in the dark grey shirt took Victor's hand for a handshake. "You can call me Klaus."

In that very second, Stefan was out of the car.

Caroline was able to retrieve her purse in the washroom downstairs when in a sudden moment of recklessness, she dropped it open and all of the contents fell. Caroline scoffed at herself and began to pick every item one by one.

Meanwhile, Stefan managed to get inside the mansion quietly and he searched for Caroline. Klaus can't find the two of them. Stefan knew about how angry Klaus was at everyone in Mystic Falls, especially at him. And he can't let anything happen to Caroline as well.

Downstairs, he can hear Victor trying to have spirited conversation with Klaus while walking deeper into the house.

"Caroline where are you?" Stefan silently whispered to himself as he continues on searching every room in the mansion.

After finally collecting every item on her purse, Caroline took a little time to fix her hair and her dress before setting off. She can't believe her reflexes weren't able to win over that little recklessness. But since it's only a little tiny mistake, she shrugged it off.

But what she can never shrug off is the mistake she had done next. What she did wrong is that she didn't listen first to what surrounds her before opening that door and walking out into the large hall of Victor's mansion, from where the first person she saw, is the very person that haunts her in her dreams.

There she stood still, shocked at the sight of Klaus right in front of her. Klaus was walking beside Victor, smiling and nodding while Victor goes on with whatever story he's telling. Caroline's first instinct is to run away as fast as she can. But even before her mind reached that instinct, it was too late.

Klaus's head turned to fix on Caroline who appeared before him. His smile faded as his eyes recognized who is now standing before him. With the piercing look from him, Caroline saw surprise which only lasted for less than a second, because the fire that is now burning in his eyes is starting to consume her, pinning her to the ground and she knew that at this time it's impossible to escape him.

Victor, unaware of the raging tension, spoke first.

"Ah, Caroline, you found your purse! But before you leave I'd like you to meet Klaus. This is Klaus, and Klaus, this is Caroline Forbes, a new friend I was very lucky to meet last night."

Klaus didn't waste a second to act as fine as he thinks he had to. Although the glint in his eyes changed from a consuming fire into a calm and cold shard of ice, a dangerous smile played upon his lips.

"What a pleasure to meet again, Caroline." He says in a voice so low.

Caroline swallowed, and she tried her best to remain composed yet alert. "Klaus." she nodded, her voice is almost whispering.

Stefan stopped in his tracks and looked down on his feet. It's too late. He heard it all and he, too, didn't waste time to do what he should do next.

"Klaus." Stefan spoke, appearing from behind all of them.

Hearing him, Klaus' smile turned into a chuckle. "Ahhh, this is indeed a very interesting turn of events." His eyes slowly flew from Caroline to Stefan. "It is good to see you again Stefan."

Victor joined Klaus in letting out a joyful laughter. "Oh, this is a wonderful surprise for me as well, I didn't know you three are chums." Victor continued to laugh, louder. "Now, would it be a good idea if we all enjoy the nice dinner I prepared?"

"But Vic-"

"It would be rude not to." Klaus interrupted Caroline's attempt to escape the situation. "I, however, think it's a magnificent idea."

tbc...

thank you so much guys for reading! :)