112 Views, 97 Visitors, 6 Reviews, 9 Followers and 5 Favorites in six days. Do you guys realize how awesome all of you are?! I cannot thank each and every one you enough.

So, I know I told a few of you that this would be up last night, but then I went to a movie with my best friend who I hadn't seen or heard from in two days (which is weird, considering we're technically roommates and we have class together). But better a day late than never, right?!

Once again, not edited a whole lot, and writing the non-dialogue parts were a bit like pulling teeth, so I'm not promising a whole lot, haha. But enjoy!


After a few minutes of silent digging, save for Klaus's grunting, Caroline decided to start a conversation.

"So where's Stef? I can't imagine that you would rather have me doing this rather than your old pal." Caroline asked, while trying to dig the non-existent stake out of Klaus' chest.

"From what he told me, Rebekah and Elena snapped Damon's neck in New York, stole the list of Katerina's recent addresses, and his car, and then ditched his car when it ran out of gas. So Stefan went to play the hero and rescue his brother. Now I believe they're trying to stop Rebekah from taking the cure so they can give it to precious Elena and then we'll all die from Silas' wrath." He muttered the last part bitterly.

"What a shock. It's all about making sure princess Elena is okay." Caroline mumbled, with the same bitter tone that Klaus had.

"Ooh, am I sensing trouble in paradise? Isn't Elena supposedly your best friend?"

"She is, when she's not trying to stake me. And don't get me wrong. I love that girl like a sister and I know she isn't cut out to be a vampire, but that doesn't mean that I don't hate that she's constantly the center of attention."

"Not that I don't agree with you, but you're quite the well-loved and appreciated girl. I highly doubt any events would occur in this town if it weren't for your demanding presence."

"Demanding?" She yelled, stabbing the pliers a little bit further into him.

"Ahh! I mean that in a good way. People don't have a choice but to hang on your every word. You have this confidence and strength about you that tells everyone that you're amazing and in charge. You're truly enchanting."

Caroline paused her work and smiled softly at his kind words. "Thanks. But I don't think you realize how hard I've worked for the past 18 years to make people look at me like that."

"Oh, I think I do. It took me centuries for people to respect and fear me like they do you."

Caroline laughed at the comparison. "That was the entire supernatural world though. The second I step out of Mystic Falls, which I'm going to have to do in a few years, I'm going to lose everything I've worked for. I'll be a nobody." She paused to catch her breath before changing the subject. "But that's not the kind of attention Elena is the center of. Everyone, especially guys, always love her. I'm the Queen Bitch at school, which I actually enjoy, but still. I'm the snotty, cautionary tale for the town's people. I'm an easy lay to the guys."

Klaus but in. "I'd call you anything but easy love."

She laughed softly and rolled her eyes. "You're the exception." She said softly, both of them knowing that she meant so much more than the fact that makes him work his ass off just for a civil conversation. "But above all, to everyone, I'm an 'insecure, neurotic, bitchy little twit' – Tyler's words, pre-werewolf. But the point is I'm always the second choice. And when I think there's a possibility of me coming first, I get desperate and I jump on that chance." She trailed off, sounding ashamed of her past choices. Then realization of whom she was talking to hit her and she laughed humorlessly. "But I don't know why I'm telling you any of this…"

"What do you mean by desperate? The tone of your voice says there's quite a story there. And as for why you're telling me this, I know you don't want to admit it, but you know that I get you, and vice versa." He said softly, trying to show her that he was open to hearing about her past.

"Whatever. When the Salvatore's came to town, I made a move for Stefan. When he turned me down, making it clear he only wanted Elena, I got really drunk. I probably would have wound up that drunk eventually anyways – we were at the annual bonfire – but it was really bad. Bonnie took me to the Grill so I could eat something and sober up since my mom is the Sheriff and all. Bonnie tried to psychoanalyze why I got so drunk so early, I gave her my whole spiel about Elena being everyone's first choice and she couldn't even argue with me because she knew I was right. She got up to get the check, and I was feeling extra pitiful and then I saw a cute guy smoldering at me. I smiled and looked down, and when I looked back up he was gone. I saw him a few days later and we jumped into bed. You can't imagine how humiliating it is to say that to you." She laughed. "Anyways, he bit me in the middle of it, and when I woke up the next morning, I tried to run, but he was obviously faster than me and compelled me. I then became his blood bag and his sex toy."

"Who is this bastard?" Klaus asked, angry.

Caroline laughed. This was about to get ugly. She pulled the pliers out and he grunted before she answered him. "Damon Salvatore."

"What?!" He roared as he spun around to face her. "I'll kill the bastard. Who does he think he is?"

"Are you joking me right now?"

"Okay yes, I used Elena as a blood bag, but I've never compelled a woman into sex. Just because you agreed once, doesn't mean he had a right to force you however many times more, especially not when you were an unsuspecting teenager who didn't even know about vampires."

"Yeah, well, Damon's a bastard. But I don't think that's much of a secret." He gazed at her silently while he watched the memory bring a glint of sadness to her eyes. "As it turns out, I was just a pawn in his game to get to Stefan and Elena anyways. Elena was still the center of attention." She looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath as she felt tears come to her eyes, and she absolutely refused to cry over Damon in front of Klaus.

"I'm sorry that any of that happened to you." He said softly, gently touching her arm.

She smiled gently, trying to push the tears back. "Um, turn around. I need to keep looking for that stake. I don't plan on dying days before my Senior Prom." He did as he was told and Caroline plunged the pliers into his back again, as gently as she could. "Nobody really knows the full extent of it, so don't tell anyone okay? I told you in confidence. This is your chance to prove to me that I can trust you." She said over his shoulder to him. Your chance to prove that the feelings I have for you are worth it, she thought to herself.

"I wouldn't dream of ruining this moment by spilling your secrets to your friends." Klaus said reassuringly. She smiled and continued to dig around for a stake that they would soon learn was not there.

A while later, Caroline dug too deep and Klaus yelled out in pain.

"Okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She paused while he calmed down. "You know what?" She paused to rip the pliers out of his back, "I'm not sorry. Maybe I don't mind talking to you, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to suffer for all that you've done! So today, we're going to do things my way. You want my help? You let Tyler come back to town and you give me your word that you will not hurt him." They glared at each other for a moment before Caroline made herself comfortable in his living room while listening to Klaus suffer in pain for a few long hours.

"I can feel the splinters moving to my heart. Help me!" Klaus managed to grunt out.

"Your word, first." She answered him, not looking up from her phone.

"What makes you think I won't just break my word once you get the stake out?" He countered.

She put her phone down and turned in her spot on the couch to face him. "Because even if you don't want to admit it right now, you value my friendship more than you want to kill him."

He jumped up from his place on the floor. "I will not have my hand forced by you or anyone else!"

"What is wrong with you?! I'm reaching out to you despite everything you've done and you still can't get out of your own way! God! I feel sorry for you!" She screamed as she turned around and attempted to walk away from him. However, he vamp sped around her and stopped in her path.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He roared.

"I should have turned by back on you ages ago!" She yelled.

He glared at her before he realized that he no longer was in any pain and his face softened. "It's gone…"

"What?"

"The pain… The pain is gone. It was never there. He got in my head, Silas is inside my head." He paused as he realized the true gravity of his situation. "You took my mind off it, you brought me back Caroline." He looked into her eyes and for a moment they both forgot that there was a two thousand year old immortal being that was powerful enough to get into even Klaus' mind. In that moment it was just the two of them, two people who always have to save each other, two people who really shouldn't work well together, but they do anyways. He reached his right hand up and caressed her hair gently before cupping her face. They stared at each other for a moment before he slowly leaned forward and very gently pressed his lips to hers. Before either of them could really enjoy it, it was over. He noticed her eyebrows pull together and decided they both needed a distraction. "How about a drink?" He said softly, his breath caressing her face.

She nodded, "A drink sounds great." They both smiled before he lowered his hand and stepped away from her to go pour them both a drink. When they were no longer facing each other, they both gently touched their lips and smiled while hoping that their lips would touch the others again soon. He soon returned with two glasses filled with a brown liquid. She gladly took her glass from him. They both started walking and Caroline started talking again.

"If Silas can get into your head like that, what does that mean for the rest of us?"

"It'll be okay Caroline. We'll figure something out, we always do."

Caroline nodded slowly. "I'm so tired of always having to 'figure something out'." She trailed off, before approaching the door to the study. When Klaus realized where they were about to end up and what Caroline was about to see, he stopped.

"Uh, let's keep walking." He stuttered out, before starting to back away.

"No, I need something to cheer me up; I want to look at your art!" She smiled, grabbing his hand to stop him from walking away from the door and pulling him into the study. Once she was able to look around, her smile widened. "Woah, did someone try to rob the Big Bad?" She joked. He tried to laugh, but it came out sort of strangled. Then she smelled something. "And why does it smell like wet dog in here?" He looked down at his feet and gulped audibly. Realization hit her and she dropped his hand and her smile. "You slept with someone…"

"Caroline I-" but she cut him off before he could explain.

"It couldn't be one of your hybrids, because they're all dead. And werewolves are generally hard to find. So who could it-" Suddenly she felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. Once again, she was fighting back tears. "Hayley… You slept with that freaking wereslut?!"

"Caroline, please, it just happened, it meant nothing!"

"Nothing?! It was her deceit and lies that led to your hybrids rising against you! The bitch snapped my neck in the freaking bathroom of the Grill and you reward the dog with SEX?! You chased Tyler out of town, after killing his mother, might I add, just because he got tricked into her stupid plan!"

"She was working with Katerina. I was holding her here to try to get information out of her and it just happened."

"And how did that plan work out?"

"Not great…"

"Uh huh. And here I was, thinking you were the one person who would actually pick me first, the one person who actually cared about me."

"Caroline you know that I care for you, and I would always pick you before the werewolf."

"Wereslut."

"Right, sorry, wereslut. I'm not proud to admit this, but she played me, quite well. She used my feelings for you and my jealousy and hatred towards Tyler to distract me." He was trying to think of ways to get out of this, until he wondered why she would be so upset about it. "Why do you even care? You've rejected me time and time again. You have made it perfectly clear that we are nothing more than friends, and that even that is a bit of a stretch."

"Are you actually that freaking dense?! You've been around for an entire millennium and you can't tell when a girl is too afraid to admit her feelings?!" She screamed, before realizing what she just said and slapping her hand over her mouth.

"And what are those feelings, Caroline?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" She shook her head before turning towards the door. Before she could get anywhere, though, he grabbed her hand and turned her around.

"Caroline, I promise you that Hayley was just a mistake that I wish more than anything that I could take back. Will you please tell me these feelings you're talking about?"

"I care about you. I've been pushing it down for a long time, and when you were talking about Elena and Damon in Shane's office, I realized that there wasn't anything I could do to fight it anymore. That scared me, so I freaked out on you and said things to you that I didn't, and don't, mean, but I wish that I did. Everything would be so much easier if I could just hate you. My friends will never forgive me if, or when, they find out."

"Well from what I learned about Damon today, Elena really has no right to be upset with you."

"Klaus, you killed her aunt, you killed her, even if it was only temporary, turned Stefan into a ripper, and used her as a blood bag until your sister killed her. Even if I told her everything Damon has done to me, and to everyone else on this planet, she wouldn't be able to look past all of that. She's unbelievably self-righteous that way. And Bonnie hates vampires in general, but especially you. I just don't know what to do. I care about you so much, but I always put my friends first… even if they can't manage to ever put me first." He gave her a knowing look. "Okay, fine, they can't manage to put me anywhere! They always assume that I am fine picking myself up after a disaster. But that's who I am – I take care of everyone else, even if I'm completely falling apart, and they've come to just expect it."

"So let me put you first; let me put you back together."

She gazed into his eyes, seeing pure love in their depths. She knows she shouldn't act on her feelings. Her friends would never have to know and things could stay uncomplicated if she kept everything bottled up. But nobody had bothered to take care of her since her dad left them, years ago, and nothing sounded better than the man she was falling truly, head over heels, epic romance, in love with.

"I sh-" She started, but before she could get anything out, he kissed her; a real, passionate kiss this time. He pulled his hands up to cup her face and she set her hands on his chest, before moving them up around his neck and pulling him closer. After a moment, he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

"Now, what was that you were saying?" He smirked.

"I was saying that I shouldn't," his head dropped, "but I think it's time someone else took care of the group." He snapped his head back up to see her smiling brightly at him.

"Really?" He said hopefully. She nodded in response. He pulled her into another kiss. "Will you stay tonight? Nothing will happen, I just don't want to let you leave my arms, ever again."

"As romantic as that notion is, I don't intend to even enter this room again, much less sleep in your bed, until you disinfect every surface she touched and burn those stupid sheets. Once you do that, then we can talk."

He smiled shyly and nodded. "Sounds fair; I'll call you tomorrow?"

She nodded and kissed him quickly before saying goodnight and finding her way out.


So, as you can see, this turned into way more than just a 'slight alteration' of the episode like I said it would be. But I had to change it that much to fit all of that in. I mean, I can't imagine they haven't had Caroline find out about Hayley yet, so I let her figure it out! There's going to be at least one more chapter for sure, but there's a good chance that there will be more than that. I love writing this story, and I don't really want to let it go just yet.

Let me know what you think! :)