A/N: Part 2 of 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries

Part 2: Wise Men Say Only Fools Rush In

She finds him in his master bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, tumbler of scotch on the counter where he's resting both hands, looking at the tiled floor. She's not so much as watching him as she is looking at the angry, red marks that cover his back and shoulders.

"They have Klaus. We have to help him."

"Why, Blondie? He just continues to make things increasingly difficult for us."

"It's only a matter of time until they find a witch that's going to help them and we can't exactly let him die, Damon!"

"Caroline?"

His voice brings her back to the present and her eyes meet his in the mirror. She takes a breath and walks inside, grabbing the tumbler from the counter and shoving a blood bag in front of him. "Sorry, Charlie. The entire town of Mystic Falls is on vervain. No fresh blood for you," she says as he looks down at the bag in distaste.

"I've already had plenty. Thanks for the concern, sweetheart," he quipped moodily. He turned, reaching for his glass but Caroline moved it out of his reach.

"Alcohol doesn't heal injuries. Blood does," she told him with a pointed look.

Klaus rolled his eyes but ripped the bad open and drained it. Caroline can't help it as her eyes wander over the burns and quickly healing cuts that grace his chest and stomach. His yelps and growls echo in her ears as she remembers the rescue mission from earlier.

"The only way you'll get him to talk is through me. I'd be willing to bet that Klaus will keep his mouth shut no matter how much pain you inflict on him. This is your best offer until you find a witch, take it or leave it."

"And you're willing to help us bring about your own demise?"

"Yes."

Then she's back in the cellar, being restrained from behind, Klaus in chains in front of her, a stake pointed at her chest. The smell of blood, his blood, vervain, wolfsbane, and burnt flesh making her dizzy. They're making eye contact, every fiber of Caroline's being trying to communicate to him that it's a ruse, a diversion of sorts, but she could only look on in pity at his weakened form as he laid on the ground, refusing to speak but the words were there, on his lips, ready to alleviate her from her distress.

"Caroline."

The stake pressed into the flesh over her sternum, drawing blood. She whimpered, unable to stop the tears that trickled out of her eyes from the pain as she struggled against the hold of her 'captor'. Stefan and Tyler weren't supposed to take this long…

"Caroline," Klaus says, a little more forcefully and her blue eyes snap to his face.

Caroline shook her head, clearing her mind, and took a zip-lock bag out of her jacket pocket. "Here," she said, holding it out to him.

He didn't take it but stared curiously at the contents. "What is it?"

"Like you can't smell it, it reeks. It's Aloe Vera. It…it helps with burns," she added quickly, seeing his raised eyebrow. "It won't heal them but…but it'll make it the pain more tolerable until you've had enough blood for them to heal them."

"Ah, I should have known…you being the mutt's girlfriend and all."

And the stake was pulled away, hovering dangerously over her heart, the hand ready to take her life in a last attempt to get Klaus to talk when, suddenly, there's a blur in the room and she feels the body of the Council member holding her slacken before it falls to the ground. She wipes the blood off her chest as she watches Stefan break the chains holding Klaus. The Original hybrid stands up, he's weak and uncomfortable, that much she can tell, but she knew he would never mention it.

There eyes meet. Both seem to be asking the other if they're alright, Klaus' unspoken question is insistent and she doesn't miss the worry that's filled his blue orbs. But she can't answer because Tyler's there, in front of her.

"Hey," he said, taking her face into his hands and wiping the stray tears with his thumbs. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Tyler," she replied before leaning into his embrace to hide from Klaus' concerned gaze that was not unlike the one he had given her upon saving her from Alaric that day in the school.

"Well, Tyler never encountered Wolfsbane but I wasn't taking my chances. I had a history teacher that could of taught a college course on hunting supernatural beings."

Klaus couldn't help but snort in amusement.

"Never mind. This was a mistake. I forgot that you don't accept help unless there's some ulterior motive behind it," she snapped, throwing the bag on the marble counter top and turning to walk away.

"Caroline…," he said, resisting the urge to growl and roll his eyes.

She stopped with her hand on the doorframe and turned slightly, "What?"

"Never try to save my life. If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll personally see to it that you are kept out of trouble."

She turned around to face him fully. "I'll do whatever I have to do to keep those I care about safe… and if that means saving your ass, then fine. We can't exactly let you keel over and become collateral damage," she said and noticed how his fingers were resting over the bag of Aloe she had thrown on the counter. "I don't know how long it takes wolfsbane burns to heal but you obviously have a lot. Soak the leaves in warm water and then put them over the burns. I have no idea how it affects vervain burns, though…" she added thoughtfully.

Klaus regarded her with raised eyebrows before nodding his head.

"I know, I'm being smothering…but like I said, we can't exactly let you die," she said before awkwardly nodding at him and leaving.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

She didn't miss his words even though she was just out of his bedroom door. They made her escape even faster. Once safely in her car and headed back to the lake house, she couldn't help think about what she had said.

Sure, they were obligated to watch Klaus' back as they figured out what to do with the Council and how to contain Bonnie's darker side. So, Caroline figured, it was only natural for her to extend the caring part to him despite how he tried to control everything everyone. That was all. As 'partners' he watched out for her and she for him, even though Klaus was watching his back as well. Old habits die hard, Caroline thought.

But, that was the extent of their relationship. It was like a begrudging protectorate. And as Caroline drove away from the Mikaelsons' mansion, that's what she tried to convince herself of.

It didn't matter how hard she tried, though. She soon realized that, maybe, just maybe, she had a soft spot for the estranged man who was only a distant part of their group because they needed the extra vampire muscle.

A/N: Not how I originally intended to portray how Caroline feels but I couldn't decide how to write this one. It's grown on me though...even if I feel like Klaus is a little OOC...but I realized that in all of his and Caroline's encounters, he's the one that does all the talking, haha so it's Caroline's turn.

P.S.: I have no idea if what I said about Aloe Vera is true...I was just sort of grasping at straws to make this work and show Caroline's motherly side.

On a completely unrelated note (not really unrelated since it's the reason I haven't been updating a lot lately...Movie Night: The Sequel WILL be updated soon) you should check out 'A Father's Fear' by PixieKindOfCrazy! It's an all human, AU piece that we're co-writing. We were PMing and decided we were both interested in how Klaus would react if he got Caroline pregnant and 'A Father's Fear' was born. So, you all should check that out- there is lots of Klaroline, some Kalijah, Mabekah, Delena and we've even brought Lexi back so Stefan's not lonely!

Okay, I'll stop promoting other works now :) Thanks for reading and if you have a minute, please review!