It had been 12 hours now since Klaus had bitten her, but to Caroline, it felt like years. The festering of the bite was agonizing, and even just the light of the sun coming in through her bedroom window was too much to look at. Tyler had been giving her blood and pacing about, worried about her. She wished he would say something. Anything. These were her last moments alive, and he wasn't even talking to her.

She was now laying on her bed, the same place she had been the last time she was bitten. Every few moments, she would glance at her bedroom door, and imagine Klaus standing there, coming to heal her. The hurt she had seen in his eyes when she accused him of coming to kill her on her birthday was nothing compared to the pain and devastation she had seen when Tyler had helped her from the Gilbert house. Had that truly only been half a year ago?

Tyler reached for her hand and held it, as though to comfort her, but even that bit of jostling hurt her entire body. There would be no Klaus coming to save her this time. No, she was going to die. Caroline was glad that her mom was at work. She would rather their last memories be happy ones instead of her mom being attacked from Caroline's bloodlust and hallucinations.

Even speaking hurt, and she sobbed a little bit, trying to tell Tyler that she was nearing death. "It's getting worse." And there is nothing you can do to save me.

Tyler looked so helpless. It made her want to cry. And she did, both from being helpless and the pain.

"I'm sorry." I just couldn't resist talking to him.

"No. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

How could he be sorry? She was the one that had baited Klaus. She was the one that had given him honesty. She still had things to say to him. Yes, she had given him the cold hard facts, and now she regretted not telling him the good as well. Even in death, she couldn't tell him the warm truth with Tyler standing there, trying to save her.

"You didn't do any of this." I'm the one that got close to the barrier. I'm the one that told him he was delusional. I'm the one that essentially called him... worthless... Oh god... I called him worthless...

"I unsired the hybrids and turned them on Klaus. I should have just left it alone."

Poor Tyler. First the 12 hybrids. Then his mother. And now Caroline. He truly was losing everything, because of Klaus' rage.

"You freed them, Tyler. People put their faith in you, because you're a leader." You are a leader. Our own little small town hero.

And in that moment, she was flashed back, for just a second. The decade dance... 'Small town boy... small town life...' 'I am the alpha male, love.' Yes, Tyler was a leader. But he wasn't THE leader.

And now Tyler was looking down at her "Don't look like that." It will change nothing.

Tyler nodded then pulled back, as though a plan was forming. "Then you trust me?"

As Tyler carried Caroline back into the Gilbert house, she didn't want to look at either of them. Tyler's plan was absurd. He just assumed that Klaus would heal her, and he was going to leave her there until she had his blood in her, then she could dash back to him. Yes, she trusted him, but this was going to result in nothing but her death.

And what if Klaus didn't heal her? Tyler was going to have her spend her last minutes alive with the man that was killing her. With the man he hated. With the man that was destroying their town. Even if it worked, she wasn't sure she could ever forgive Tyler for this, but she was too weak to fight.

Klaus, on the other hand, was looking out the window. He had been here for over a day now, and was aching to get out. He wanted to know how Caroline was doing. His phone was long dead, so he couldn't call someone to go get her and bring her back to him. He wasn't reachable for Tyler to beg one last time. He simply had to stand here and wait.

And then he heard them. Caroline was having a hard time breathing, but she said nothing as Tyler walked up to the back door of the Gilbert house, and carried her inside. He didn't turn around to look until he heard Caroline resting on the floor, and he wanted to kill the boy for it. Couldn't he at least place her on the sofa? She was dying, and in terrible pain, and Tyler was just leaving her on the floor.

When Tyler laid her on the floor, she looked up at Klaus. His face was unreadable. No, not unreadable. There was no anger. There was no sadness. There was no happiness. There was no sign of his victory, or any bit of confusion. She realized then that the look was the same he had worn earlier. Klaus was numb. Like he was still in shock that she was dying. He looked like she felt.

"You want to be in control, Klaus? Here. Now you get to be in control of her life. If you want her to die, fine. But then you can sit here and watch her die yourself."

Tyler moved, leaving the house, and Caroline looked up until he had walked past her. Her boyfriend had just left her there. He said nothing to her. Had given her no kiss good bye. There was no lingering glance. He was just leaving her there to die with the man everyone considered to be a monster.

It hurt to turn her head ever so slightly back towards Klaus. Even that small movement, especially so close to the bite, made her entire body radiate pain, but she was becoming numb to it. How many times now had she been tortured? How many times had she faced death. This was the first time, however, that she knew it was actually going to happen. There was no salvation for her. No chance of rescue.

Klaus finally moved towards her, and the cocky look was suddenly on his face. Tyler had no solution, and was bringing her back to him. He had thought, when she left earlier, that might be the last time he would ever see her. Oh, he saw right through the idea. Tyler assumed that Klaus was weak, and he would save her. No, he was strong enough to not give her back the life he had earlier prepared himself to take away.

"Nothing personal, love. But if I cure you, that means victory for him." He brought you back. He actually brought you back to me.

That smirk on his face hurt worse than the bite itself. She had to suck in an extra breath and her body shook as she tried to keep from crying. Klaus was going to let her die. And he was using her as collateral damage. Everyone else used her, but not Klaus. Not since the first time Tyler had bit her. Klaus had seen her. He had liked her for her. He had seen her as something beautiful, but now...

Now, he was using her, just like everyone else. And she felt her heart break. Even in death, she was being used.

"Don't worry. It won't be long now." I can't save you. Please understand why I can't save you.

She had looked away from him, and Klaus felt his heart shatter. She truly couldn't look at him anymore. Only a few weeks before, he had given her a smile. He had made her laugh. He had seen him for how lonely he was. She had seen the real him.

What had he done?

AN : Tumblr, m'dears. Add me. Same username. For some odd reason it didn't show up that I had updated Part 3. Anywho, Part 5 will be up tomorrow. I'm working on it now, and I want it to be AWESOME for you guys! Read, Review, and Love!

Also, for those of you that read I Want To Know, I am going to be doing a second part. It will ONLY be a Two Shot. I know, I know, I said One Shot, but there has been a lot of love for it and requests, and I think they deserve to finish what they started, don't you?

Love, Christine/Mel