Here it is my lovely readers, Chapter 2! I would like to thank those who were kind enough to review the first chapter. I think I managed to respond to all of you :) And to all those who added this story to their alerts and favorites. You guys are awesome and it's nice to know that this story has been well-received thus far. This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one, as I mentioned it would be, but hopefully the quality of my writing will not have suffered for it.

Read and enjoy...


Rebekah couldn't believe her ears. Although she hadn't heard her brother's voice in over a century, the familiar sound of it was unmistakable. Her eyes grew watery and her voice wavered as she spoke,

"Nik, I can't believe it's really you. I've missed—"

Tyler abruptly yanked the phone away from her and placed it back against his own ear.

"Yeah, this is really touching and all, but I need one of you to turn me into a hybrid and since neither of you is willing to cooperate without a little persuasion this is what I've decided to do," he spoke with a voice that broached no room for discussion, "Klaus you have 48 hours to meet me at the abandoned Bennett farmhouse and turn me into a hybrid. Come alone and unarmed or your sister dies. Are we clear?"

Tyler smiled smugly. He could practically hear the other man's fury over the phone line.

"Crystal," Klaus replied curtly.

"Perfect," said Tyler, "48 hours."

He hung up without another word and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Rebekah glared at him with teary eyes. "My brother won't be fooled so easily. He'll find a way to outsmart you and rescue me."

Tyler shrugged. "I wouldn't be so sure. The man's been asleep for a hundred years. He's a little rusty."

Rebekah merely continued to stare daggers at him.

"Your brother will come for you," Tyler spoke calmly as he leaned in closer to her, "And when he does, I'll have my pack waiting to ambush him. So you'd better just save the theatrics and give in already—"

He froze as Rebekah spit in his face and angrily stated that she would never agree to help him. Then he grabbed her roughly by the throat and forced her to turn away from him so that he could whisper right into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Let me make this easier for you to understand…help me make my hybrid army now and I'll spare your brother. Refuse and I'll force you to watch while I rip his heart out with my bare hands."

He released her roughly, shoving her away as though she disgusted him. Then he stood up, straightened his clothes, and wiped the saliva from his cheeks.

"You can sleep on it," said Tyler as he stalked out of the dungeon.

Rebekah watched him leave as she curled up in a ball and wept silently.


The line went dead.

It took every ounce of Klaus's self-control not to throw the offending electronic device clear across the room. He did, however, end up crushing it with his bare hand.

He glanced at Caroline apologetically, "I'm sorry…"

She shook her head and rubbed his back. "It's just a cellphone. I can replace it. And don't worry, we'll figure this out. We'll find a way to save your sister."

Klaus stood up and began to angrily pace the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned loudly.

"For fuck's sake! This is bollocks," he swore, "I don't even fully understand what's going on. I wake up in a strange new world and then get attacked by some psychopathic werewolf who turns me into a bloody hybrid and threatens to kill my only sister. Next thing I know I'm being adopted by some weird little vampire cult—"

"Hey," Caroline interjected, somewhat offended.

"—and on top of it all I keep getting these strange dreams! Every time I close my eyes I see that brunette girl and it's like she's trying to tell me something, but I can never figure out what it is."

Caroline stood and held up a hand, "Hold on, what are you talking about?"

Klaus sighed exasperatedly. "I keep getting these visions at night. There's this young woman and all these different scenarios that I think are connected somehow, although they don't make any sense to me."

Caroline's brow furrowed in thought. "Like what kind of scenarios?"

"There's one where she's running through a graveyard," Klaus spoke as he closed his eyes, digging for the memories, "Another where she's just a girl, playing in a field with some dark haired young woman. In one of the dreams I saw two of her; they were exactly identical except for their hair. I don't know…it's all just rubbish."

"No," Caroline murmured, "I don't think it is, but I haven't got a clue what any of it means…"

Klaus stood in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames with this intense, brooding look.

After a moment of thought, Caroline walked over to him and asked, "Can you remember any more details about the brunette girl? Like what she looked like?"

"Yes, she had big, brown eyes and a narrow chin. Her nose was slender and her skin was olive-toned," he answered as he turned to face Caroline, "It's like her face is burned into my mind."

Caroline's eyes widened as a thought hit her. Her mother had always told her there was no such thing as coincidence, but could it really be true?

"Wait here," said Caroline, "I'll be right back."

She raced down the hall to her bedroom and grabbed the largest file off the top of her desk. When she burst back into Klaus's room she swiftly handed him the photo from the inside cover of the folder.

"Is this the girl from your dreams," she asked.

"That's her," said Klaus as he looked at Caroline with both shock and confusion, "I don't understand. Why would this girl be in my dreams? And why do you have such an extensive dossier on her?"

Caroline held up the photograph while she answered him. "This is Elena Gilbert. I'm not sure how, but she's connected to all of this—Tyler and the hybrids and you and the war between our species."

Klaus's face was wrought with frustration and worry. Caroline was concerned that he might try to do something crazy that would put himself in danger. Knowing that he was over a thousand years old, she didn't doubt that he could take care of himself. But, in all honesty, she didn't know much else about him. Was he rash enough to pull a stunt like going rogue? Was he stupid enough to charge into Tyler's fortress of a mansion without backup?

She didn't care what Tyler said; there was no way in hell Klaus was walking into a trap—which she knew Tyler was setting—and getting himself killed.

She glanced out the window at the soft violet sky.

"It'll be light in a couple of hours," she spoke quietly, "We can speak to my mother about all of this once she wakes."

Klaus nodded, although he didn't truly appear to be listening.

Caroline grabbed his face between her hands and gently forced him to look at her. "Promise me something…"

He stared back at her, his brow furrowed and his eyes full of torment.

"Promise me you won't go off and try to rescue your sister on your own."

His gaze grew dark and defiant. He opened his mouth to say something, but Caroline stopped him before he could.

"I know what you're about to say, but you don't know Tyler. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He lies and he cheats and he doesn't care who he hurts."

Klaus seemed unconvinced and so Caroline urged him again, "Promise me."

"Caroline," he said solemnly, "I won't make a promise to you that I might not be able to keep."

She stared back at him, frustrated by his stubbornness at first. But then she sighed, accepting his answer and the fact that she couldn't control him by any means. The least she could do though was help him.

Her hands fell away from his face as her eyes filled with a new sense of determination.

"Fine," she huffed as she turned to leave, "Follow me."

She led him down into the basements of the boarding house, to the underground shooting range. Four-foot thick concrete walls kept the room relatively sound proof, not that noise was really an issue since the Salvatores' nearest neighbor was 5 acres away.

The back wall closest to the entrance was covered—floor to ceiling—with all manner of firearms and ammunition. There were a few shooting stalls equipped with gear and targets set at varying ranges of distance.

Caroline went straight for the semi-automatic pistols and grabbed two off the wall, one for herself and one for Klaus. Then she grabbed the appropriate ammo and laid it all out on a table.

"Guns have changed quite a bit since 1900," said Caroline, "Pay attention."

She deftly dismantled one of the guns, meticulously explaining each piece to Klaus—its function and proper place in the gun. After going through everything, she made him do it on his own. It only took a couple of times before he had it down.

"Good," said Caroline, watching intently as Klaus reassembled the pistol with impressive speed, "Let's see how good your aim is."

They chose a stall where the target was set about halfway down the range. Klaus steadied himself and took aim.

The first shot took him by surprise. He wasn't expecting it to have so much kick-back. The bullet went wide, landing on the left shoulder of the human silhouette target.

His face contorted with frustration and he stared at the gun as though it was at fault. Caroline had to hold back her laughter at the sight of him. He was really rather adorable when he was irked.

She smiled and reached out to him, gently placing her hands on his arms. Her chest was pressed up against his back while she spoke smoothly into his ear,

"Loosen your grip on the gun a bit…not too much, but just so that you're not strangling it. That's perfect. Now, lock your elbows."

Klaus fired another round and it shot right through the target's heart. He shot again and hit the forehead, square between the eyes.

Caroline smiled. "You're a natural."

She hadn't moved yet, so Klaus was able to relish the feeling of her warm breath fanning out on his neck as she spoke. He could hear the smile in her voice and suddenly longed to see it. With a shrug, he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

Klaus would never admit that he'd purposely missed that first shot in hopes that she would feel the need to 'help him out.' Instead, he merely stared into her teal-blue eyes and said, "I had a good teacher."

Every nerve in Caroline's body was acutely aware of how close he was. Their lips were no more than a few inches apart and she couldn't help but appreciate the way his dark grey shirt clung to his perfectly sculpted figure. He'd rolled the sleeves up to the elbows, exposing forearms that could make a girl weak in the knees.

"Caroline I want—" Klaus began, but was cut off by the sound of someone entering the room.

The two broke apart immediately, looking away from each other in an attempt to diffuse the tension that had built up between them moments before.

"There you are," said Stefan, standing beneath the doorway with an expectant look on his face, "Come on. We're waiting on you guys to start the meeting."

He slapped the wall in an impatient manner on his way out, leaving Caroline and Klaus alone once more in the sound-proofed room.

She turned to him, her eyes searching his carefully schooled features for any indication of what was going on in his mind at that very moment.

"You were saying…?"

Klaus glanced up at her before swiftly averting his gaze and striding for the door, mumbling as he passed her, "It was nothing."

Caroline stared at his retreating figure, perplexed. The man was…intriguing, to say the least. But she shook the muddled thoughts of Klaus from her head, reminding herself that they were currently in the middle of a war and that she had no time for 'intriguing' young men—or old, depending on how she wanted to look at it. She had a job to do, and getting involved with Klaus would only hinder her.


"Trust me," said Caroline, "these are our friends. They'll be able to help us rescue Rebekah."

Klaus had been standing tensely, staring into the distance at the approaching train, but his chiseled features softened a bit at the sound of Caroline's voice. She had this strange ability to calm him.

Damon's voice came through their earpieces, "Remember to keep a lookout. We don't want any incidents today."

Caroline shared a discreet, yet pointed look with the elder Salvatore from opposite ends of the platform. There were five of them total, there to welcome the visiting coven from Boston and escort them to the boarding house. Caroline, Damon, Jeremy, and Matt had volunteered at that morning's meeting for the task. She'd dragged Klaus along, unwilling to leave him out of her sight until things with his sister were resolved.

The five of them were strategically spread out around the premises. All of them kept a wary eye open for signs of trouble.

The train rolled into the station, the horn blaring and the engine rumbling loudly to a screeching halt. The large, two-story steel compartments loomed above the crowd that had formed on the platform, waiting to greet the newly arrived passengers.

Not far from where Caroline and Klaus stood, an sharply dressed woman who appeared to be in her late-thirties stepped down from one of the cars, her plain black luggage in hand. She had a regal air about her, which was highlighted by her high cheekbones, beautifully bronzed skin, and calculating almond-shaped eyes. A young girl with a similar look to her followed close behind.

The woman caught Caroline's gaze and crossed the platform in long, purposeful strides. Caroline watched as more members of their party filed out of the train and gathered upon the platform.

"Caroline," the woman greeted her with a warm embrace, "It has been far too long since we last saw each other."

She gestured to the girl at her left, who nodded her head in acknowledgement. "You remember my daughter, Anna."

Caroline returned the woman's greeting with a smile. "Yes, of course. It's good to see you both again. Have you brought the whole coven with you?"

The woman glanced behind her just as an all-too-familiar face stepped off the train. Caroline's eyes flew open wide and she inhaled sharply. Klaus stood stock still next to her, having recognized the young woman as well.

Caroline turned towards Pearl, her eyes full of confusion. "What is Elena Gilbert doing with you?"

The older woman's eyes darkened and she spoke just loudly enough for Caroline's vampire hearing to pick up, "I will explain everything, but not here. It isn't safe."

Suddenly there was a blood-curdling scream swiftly followed by a secession of gunshots. The crowd erupted into chaos and Caroline went into Hunter mode, pulling Klaus behind her as she dove for the nearest cover.

She lost sight of Pearl and Anna and the rest of the Boston coven.

"Shit," she swore under her breath.

Caroline quickly pulled out her gun, slamming in the magazine and yanking the slide back to load a bullet into the chamber. Klaus quickly followed suit. He'd been a fast learner when it came to semi-automatic handguns.

She couldn't believe that the Pack was attacking in the middle of a crowded train station.

"Damon," Caroline yelled into the radio concealed within her wristwatch, "What's your status?"

"I'm alright," he replied raggedly, "I'm about forty yards to the right of you, behind the newspaper stands."

Caroline ducked her head around the large metal support column they'd taken cover behind and visually confirmed his location.

Damon's voice came through again, "I've got Pearl and Anna too. They're safe and unharmed."

Caroline was relieved that the head of the Boston coven was alive, but her fear for Elena remained a tight knot in her stomach. She scanned the frantic mass of people for the young brunette, but couldn't seem to find her anywhere.

More gunshots went off and Caroline and Klaus pressed up closer behind the pillar.

They looked at each other, sharing some sort of unspoken conversation. Then, with a curt nod Klaus crouched down and slipped out from behind their cover. He took out one of the werewolves who'd been standing atop the train with two well-aimed shots.

"Someone talk to me!" Caroline was trying her best to stay collected. "Where are the others?"

"I've got a visual on the rest of the coven," said Damon, "They're right in the thick of it. I'm going in."

"No," Caroline barked into the radio.

She wracked her brain for a better option—one that wouldn't get Damon killed. Matt and Jeremy were most likely still stationed at the front entrance of the building. With any luck, they would've gone unnoticed by the Pack members.

"Damon, stay where you are and we'll hold them off from our safe positions. Matt, Jeremy, you two come around from the sides while we're distracting them and get our people to the cars. You're objective is to see them safely to the boarding house, you hear? Don't wait for us."

"Copy that," said Matt.

Caroline glanced to her left and saw that Klaus was doing just fine, alternating between firing a quick volley of gunshots at their attackers and taking cover once more. If they got out of this alive, she was going to have to finish what they almost started in the shooting range.


Sage swore loudly as a vervain-coated bullet tore through her bicep. Of course, it wouldn't even leave a mark and the amount of vervain wasn't enough to incapacitate her since the bullet had been a through-and-through, but it still hurt like hell. Her head whipped around and she yelled back at the girl, who was standing behind her,

"Are you alright?"

The lanky brunette nodded firmly, her gaze full of outrage mingled with a fiery determination that had always impressed the older vampire woman. "I'm fine. Let's take these dogs down."

Lexi threw back her blonde mane and laughed, her fangs glinting in the fluorescent lights of the train station. "That's my girl!"

The two women stood in a tight formation with the other members of their coven, effectively creating a barrier around their human companion. The crowd around them was absolute madness. Everywhere people were running frantically for cover, some falling to the ground out of fear or in pain as they were carelessly caught in the crossfire.

But the mass of humans was diminishing as people raced for the exits and the werewolves were closing in. They were swiftly running out of options.

A couple of werewolves approached their circle, bounding across the platform with inhuman strength. They weren't as fast as the vampires though.

Ben and Trevor met the oncoming wolves before they could get too close. They dodged bullets with the graceful agility only vampires possessed and swiftly disarmed the werewolves. Then it was a battle of sheer physical power.

The rest of the coven kept the other wolves at bay as Ben and Trevor grappled with their enemies. From where they stood, Sage could see Pearl and Anna had found cover. It seemed as though their Mystic Falls allies were holding their own as well.

All of a sudden, a werewolf leapt from atop the train and dropped down right in front of her. He was lunging for her heart with a mean looking stake, but before she had time to react the man fell to his knees, a look of pure agony marring his features.

He continued to writhe on the floor beneath her as the silver bullets burned through his inner organs until she reached down and tore his heart from his chest, tossing it aside like a burnt out cigarette.

She looked up and locked eyes with her savior—Caroline Forbes. Beaming, Sage took hold of the younger vampire's proffered hand and hoisted herself off the ground.

"It's good to see you Care," said Sage.

Caroline nodded in return and the two swiftly turned their focus once more to the battle at hand.


Caroline watched Sage race off into the fray and she pitied whatever werewolf had the misfortune to cross the red-head's path. Where the hell were Matt and Jeremy though?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, out of the corner of her eye she saw Matt sneak up behind a werewolf and take him out by deftly breaking his neck and sending a silver dagger straight through his heart. His gaze found hers as he swiftly scanned his surroundings and Caroline smiled, relieved.

She and Klaus covered Matt while Damon made sure Jeremy made it through unscathed as well so that the Boston coven was able to escape with their lives.

Caroline felt a strange sensation swell within her as she took out wolves left and right alongside Klaus. Her mind slipped to the man at her side and for the briefest of moments she let her guard down.

But, as short as it was, that sliver of time was enough for a werewolf to get a shot on her.

Her eyes went wide and her jaw fell slack as the bullet embedded itself into her abdomen. At first, she felt only shock. Then the pain settled in and her free hand flew to her now open wound.

She felt another bullet enter her chest, dangerously close to her heart, and she fell to one knee. The vervain was quickly overwhelming her, despite her best efforts to fight off its effects.

She searched for Klaus with her clouded gaze and found that he was no longer by her side. He stood about several feet away, locked in a fistfight with three wolves.

Seeing that, a part of her gave up—resigned to believe that this was the end for the both of them. She only hoped that the others had made it out safely.

Another bullet took her in the lower ribcage just as she heard Klaus cry out.

Her attacker fell upon her then, a stake in one hand and a gun in the other. Caroline didn't think; she simply reacted to the threat before her. She swung her arm up to block the werewolf's attack and managed to knock the stake from her hand, but she was too weak to do much else.

She recognized the she-wolf—Tyler's right-hand-man, so to speak. She couldn't remember her name, but she knew the woman's face, with her wide-set hazel eyes and her pouty lips.

The werewolf then aimed her gun at Caroline and pulled the trigger, only to find that she was out of bullets. Angrily, she shoved the weapon back into its holster and rounded on Caroline with her fangs barred.


Klaus had never felt such rage before. It saturated his entire being, poisoning his thoughts and blurring his vision. All he could see was Caroline in pain, and all he could feel was a burning need to save her.

Seeing her on her knees, blood pooling beneath her, something awoke within him. He was struck by a sudden surge of strength.

"Caroline!"

Her name fell from his lips, an angry plea, as he struggled against the two werewolves that were restraining him. A third werewolf approached him menacingly, which earned a growl from him. But the man didn't get more than a couple feet before Klaus reared back and kicked him square in the chest.

The werewolf flew backwards several yards and before the other two even had time to react, Klaus tore his arms free and rounded his fury on them. When he was through, they were nothing but a heap of bloodied limbs.

He rushed over to where Caroline lay. She hung limply from the arms of a werewolf who had her teeth buried in Caroline's shoulder. There was something different about that she-wolf, although in the heat of the moment Klaus couldn't quite determine what it was.

All he could focus on was Caroline. Fear gripped him like a vice when he saw that she was unconscious, but it only served to steel his resolve and spur his anger.

As the werewolf pulled back, Caroline's blood dripping from her lips, she saw Klaus coming for her. Noticing her fallen comrades in the distance, she realized that she was no match for Klaus. With a growl, she dropped Caroline and called for the rest of her pack to retreat. Then she ran before Klaus could get his claws on her.

Klaus was on the ground cradling Caroline in his arms within an instant. He shook her, gently at first, then with more vigor after she didn't respond.

"Caroline," he pleaded, "Caroline, please wake up! You've got to wake up, love!"

He looked up and noticed that, thankfully, only the members of the two vampire covens were left. The humans had all cleared out and the werewolves had retreated after their apparent leader called them off.

Damon said something to Matt and Jeremy while the Boston coven took care of their wounded and fussed over the human girl that traveled with them. Then Matt ran over and knelt down beside Klaus.

"Is she OK," he asked, the concern apparent in his voice.

As if she'd heard her friend, Caroline began to stir. She groaned as her eyes fluttered open and came to land on Klaus's worried gaze.

"She's alive," said Klaus, "But she took a few bullets…and she's been bitten."

At that, Matt's eyes snapped over to Klaus and the look of fear in them said it all. He knew what that meant for Caroline.

"We've got to get her back to the boarding house," said Matt, "Our doctor will help her."

Klaus stared back at him with a mixture of anger and sorrow. What could their precious doctor possibly do? No one but him had ever survived a bite from both species. He knew deep down that there was no one who could help Caroline now. That knowledge settled into him like a rock in the pit of his stomach.

He refused to get his hopes up, but he would let the doctor try.

Without a moment to waste he gathered her up into his arms and ran to the car. Damon was waiting for them, already in the driver's seat with the engine on. The other van was nowhere to be seen. Jeremy must have taken off with the Boston coven in tow.

Matt yanked open the door and Klaus carefully set Caroline into a seat before climbing in over her. Matt hopped into the passenger seat and Damon sped off, the tires screeching as they pulled away from the train station.

Damon glanced back and saw Caroline, barely conscious and bleeding all over the upholstery. When he spoke his voice was loud and full of rage,

"What the hell happened?"

Matt answered him curtly, "She was shot a few times and bitten by one of the Pack."

Damon swore under his breath. After that he floored it, running lights and keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead.

Matt whipped out his cell phone and swiftly dialed a number.

"Meredith," he sounded relieved, "Caroline's been hurt. We need you at the boarding house now."

Klaus overheard the woman on the other end of the line respond saying she was on her way. Then Matt thanked her and hung up.


Hayley stood watching Tyler pace back and forth, his fury practically radiating off of him in waves. He knocked back the rest of his scotch then chucked the glass into the fireplace, the flames flaring dramatically as they swallowed up the remnants of liquor.

As soon as she'd returned to the mansion empty-handed Tyler had ordered her into his study with thinly veiled rage.

Looking at the scene in front of her, she was reminded of why she always did everything in her power to avoid disappointing the man. He did not take failure well.

"You're a hybrid now Hayley. I expected more from you."

"Tyler, I'm sorry. I tried," Hayley replied through gritted teeth, "We all did, but they had a hybrid of their own—a damn strong one, I might add."

He rounded on her, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

Hayley stood silent, trying her best to ignore the feeling of embarrassment and shame that washed over her.

"The covens now have their own hybrid and a direct human descendent of the Originals—a pure source of Mikaelson blood," Tyler explained slowly, "If they discover what we did, that Katherine's blood combined with a bite from a hybrid will turn any normal vampire or werewolf into a hybrid as well, they could put a stop to our entire plan! You had the element of surprise! How did you let this happen?"

Hayley sat down with a huff. She rested her elbows on her knees and let her head fall into her hands.

"I already told you that I'm sorry," she ground out slowly. "What more can I do?"

Tyler glared at her, his mouth set in a hard, thin line. "Fix it."


By the time they got to the boarding house Caroline had fallen unconscious again. Damon had barely stopped the car before Klaus was out the door and bursting into the boarding house with Caroline held tightly to his chest.

"Where's the doctor," he bellowed.

Liz rushed to their side, her eyes and hands flitting helplessly over her unconscious daughter.

"What happened," she asked frantically.

Klaus barely spared her a glance. "She was bitten. Get me that doctor of yours!"

Liz's hands went to cover her mouth and she inhaled shakily.

A woman with wavy, dark hair holding a medical supply bag, who Klaus assumed was the doctor named Meredith, hurried into the room.

"I'm here. Set her down on the sofa over there," she instructed Klaus.

He did as she told, but remained by Caroline's side while the doctor checked Caroline over.

Meredith cut off Caroline's shirt and quickly began extracting the bullets from her body, but the wounds wouldn't heal. So Klaus bit into his wrist and offered up his blood. Gingerly, he tilted Caroline's head up in his hand and held his bleeding wrist to her lips.

"Drink Caroline," he urged softly, "Come on love, drink up."

He watched intently as his blood trickled slowly into her mouth. Gradually, her bullet wounds began to close up, but the werewolf bite remained.

Klaus stared down at her injured shoulder, practically willing it to heal itself.

Meredith pulled a bottle of a yellowish liquid from her bag and began pouring it onto a medical swab.

"I can put some wolfsbane on it. That might counteract the venom enough to buy us some time…" She trailed off, not wanting to vocalize the inevitable fate that Caroline faced and in doing so make it all the more real.

She gently dabbed the liquefied wolfsbane onto Caroline's bite, wincing when her patient cried out in pain.

It was torture for Klaus to watch. And judging from the look on Liz's face the feeling was fairly mutual. Liz was on her knees, leaning over the armrest of the sofa as she stroked her daughter's hair. Her eyes only left her daughter long enough to glance curiously at Klaus every now and then. She seemed confused as to why he was so concerned for Caroline.

If he was honest with himself, Klaus wasn't even entirely sure why he felt so distraught.

Yes, the girl had saved his life a couple of times, risking her own in the process. But he'd only known her for such a short amount of time—the blink of an eye really, for a vampire.

And yet, she had gotten under his skin with her fiery personality, her refusal to succumb to fear, and her willingness to trust him beyond reason.

No one had ever treated him the way she had. From the very beginning she had seemed to see something in him that he wasn't even aware existed. And now the thought of living without her was…well, he'd rather not think about that at all.

Suddenly several members of the Boston coven stormed into the room. Leading them was the brunette from his dreams, Elena, her face set with determination.

"I think I can help," she exclaimed somewhat breathlessly, casting her gaze about the room of strangers.

Pearl looked stern and displeased behind her, though she kept silent.

Liz stood up and turned to the girl in sudden defiance. "Help? Is that what you would call it?"

Elena then shook her head and replied, "I'm the only hope your daughter has at this point." Her gaze grew somber and she straightened in an almost defensive manner. "You can let me save her…or you can watch her die."

Liz stared her down and though she was the very picture of unshakable pride Klaus could sense the hesitation growing in her.

"On one condition," Elena added, causing Liz's gaze to darken with anger and suspicion.

"What?"

"I will save your daughter's life," Elena replied smoothly, "If you help me save my sister."

Damon spoke up then, "Liz, this is Caroline. If there's a way to save her, take it and damn the consequences."

"You don't know what you speak of, boy," said Pearl, her voice venomous.

He turned and stared back at her, his eyes widened with surprise. "Did you just call me boy?" He strode to where she stood until he was looming above her small frame, mere inches away. "I might not be as old as you, but I've been around a while, Lucy Liu. Don't underestimate me."

Klaus watched this all happen in tacit confusion. There was so much about these new age vampires that he didn't understand, their secret laws and close-knit covens.

Even before Mikael had desiccated him, he'd long been a recluse. After he'd heard wind of Mikael's mission, he'd gone underground, so to speak. He lived outside normal human society and made sure never to leave a trace wherever he traveled.

It had been more than a mere hundred years since he'd last been an active member of the vampire community.

He began to realize that there was much more to this war than Caroline had told him—perhaps more than Caroline had known about herself.

Liz looked down at her daughter—her beautiful face contorted in pain, covered in blood and sweat. She made up her mind.

"Do it," she said firmly.

Elena nodded and stepped forward, her arm held out. "Doc, go on and take my blood."

Without a moment to waste, Meredith grabbed a syringe and extracted Elena's blood. Then she carefully inserted the needle into Caroline's arm and released its contents into her vein.

The entire room waited with bated breath as Caroline's chest rose and fell in a steady, but labored rhythm.

After what seemed like hours, the wound on Caroline's shoulder began to heal over. Klaus quietly exhaled the breath he'd unknowingly been holding once he saw the skin knit itself back together and the color return to her face.

Caroline eased open her eyes, blinking away the lingering haze of unconsciousness. She turned her head and smiled with relief upon seeing Klaus, kneeling at her side.

"Hi," she whispered; her voice was hoarse from disuse and fatigue. "You're alive…"

"Yes," Klaus smiled, "And so are you, thanks to our new friend here."

Caroline then turned her gaze toward Elena, who was currently standing over her holding a cotton swap to the crook of her arm and looking mighty pleased with herself.

"Um," Caroline began with her brow knit in confusion, "Does someone want to explain what's going on? How much did I miss while I was busy dying?"


Whew! That chapter was kind of intense, right? So...what's going to happen to Caroline now that she's had "Elena's" blood? Will her and Klaus give into their feelings for each other? How will things change now that the Boston coven is in town? All will be revealed in the next chapter! But first, review please! Reviews are to me as blood is to vampires xx