When Klaus pulled into the driveway of the Salvatore boarding house the next day, Caroline was right by the door, waiting for him. He let Lizzie out and then came up to Caroline, "Hey you."

After pulling him in for a hug, Caroline said, "I'm sorry you had to drive all this way –"

"Don't mention it, Care. It's in my job description."

"So where's my dress?" she asked, a grin on her face.

"I'll bring it in, hold on." Klaus went outside and pulled a bagged dress out of the back of his car. He handed it to her and Caroline led him through the house and into the parlor, where he was surprised that a bunch of people were waiting for him.

"Um, yeah," Caroline said, scratching an imaginary itch on her forehead, avoiding Klaus' gaze. "When Elena found out you were coming, she called a bunch of people. They really want to meet you."

"What's that?" Elena asked Caroline, coming down the stairs.

Caroline shrugged, "It's a dress I made a long ass time ago. I never got a chance to wear it. I was starting to think that I never would…" her voice trailed off.

"Well, now you've got a chance to wear it. I bet it'll look great on you. C'mon, let's go upstairs so you can try it on."

-x-

"Caroline talks about you a lot," Bonnie remarked, watching Klaus closely and then added, "She's told me what you did for her. Thank you."

"For what?"

"Caroline needed somebody to love her, to take care of her. Then there you were; you saved her life. I just felt that I needed to thank you for that."

Caroline hadn't been back at the Mikaelson house for very long. She was surprised that they even took her back, in all honesty, because every other household had gotten rid of her whenever she messed up. The suicide attempt was Caroline messing up, but after she got out of the hospital, Esther had requested that Caroline stay in her house.

She was just wandering around the house, not real sure what to do with herself, when Caroline heard voices coming from the living room. She was just going to let it go when she heard the voices get louder. She recognized the voices right away; it was Klaus and his sister, Rebekah.

"What the hell, Nik? I mean, seriously, why did you even go and see her? She's like all the others we've had pass through our house through the years. There's nothing special about Caroline, at all."

When Caroline heard her name, she leaned against the wall, careful not to be seen, and watched through the crack in the door. She just had to know what was going on in there.

"I had to see her, Bekah. I should be asking you the same question, though. What the hell were you thinking telling her all that stuff?"

"I didn't say anything that was untrue, Nik. She's weak if that's all it takes for her to try to kill herself."

"Yeah, because you have someone doubting your every move, so you know what it feels like. Seriously, Rebekah, Caroline has had it at least one hundred times worse than you could even imagine."

Rebekah scoffed, "Yeah, okay. Whatever."

"Rebekah, Father left years ago. You need to deal with it and get over it, already. You think that you have it bad because your daddy left you?" Klaus was getting angry, and Caroline had never seen this side of him before, so it scared her a little. She continued to watch as he continued, "At least your daddy is still alive, Rebekah. Her parents are dead. She literally has nothing except that bag full of clothes."

Rebekah scowled, "Don't talk about him like that, Nik."

"What? The fact that he left without telling anyone? That happened a long ass time ago, Rebekah. If you think you have it worse than Caroline, you're gravely mistaken."

"Whatever. It's not like I had a mother, anyway. She dedicates her life to these kids, but there's a million where Caroline came from. Soon enough, she'll be replaced with someone else – it always happens."

"Yeah, but at least you can go to your mother and talk to her, tell her you love her. Caroline's never going to have that, ever again."

"That's because she's got our mother, Nik. Mother loves her better than she does me."

"Oh, boo hoo, Bekah," Klaus said, getting tired of his sister's arguments. "Caroline takes an interest in what Mother talks about. Have you ever thought about why that is?"

"Mother has betrayed me."

"If Mother has betrayed you by letting these kids into her heart, then okay, sure. But, think about it, if Mother has betrayed us, then why doesn't anybody else feel the same way you do? Why aren't Elijah, Finn, and Kol making just as big as a fuss as you?"

"Because," Rebekah said, and Caroline noticed her eyes widening, "Because they're not as sensitive as me."

"God, Rebekah," Klaus said, rolling his eyes and going back towards the door. "Think about what you're saying. The only reason you are even saying these things is because your daddy left you. But you know what? You can track Father down if you really want to. Caroline's parents are dead. They're dead, Rebekah! She's never going to be able to hold them, to talk to them, to tell them that she loves them. Since they died, she's been rooted around from home to home, and nobody has ever loved her. Think about it – you want to know why she's so distant? Why she doesn't talk to anyone? Take a look at her past. They've used her, chewed her up and spit her out. Everybody's set her up to fail, but I'm not going to be like them. You ever noticed that she's afraid to be alone with me, Elijah, Kol or Fin? It's because so many guys have used her wrong – and she's only fourteen fucking years old! What were you doing when you were fourteen, Bekah?"

"I'm only sixteen now, Nik."

"Doesn't answer my question. When you were fourteen, you were going on dates, spending Saturdays at the mall, talking on the phone to your superficial friends about things at school. She'll never have that. She has spent most of her life running and hiding from the monsters that just happen to be real. She'll never be normal, not ever!"

"Exactly my point, Nik. Why the hell would mother love someone so broken that she lets words get to her and tries to kill herself? That's just idiotic. She doesn't deserve love."

"Everyone deserves love, Rebekah! No matter who you are, you deserve it. It's something that you give unconditionally!"

Rebekah stormed out of the living room and bumped right into Caroline.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Rebekah, you bumped into me."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be eavesdropping." Rebekah sighed, running her hand through her blonde hair and stomped up the stairs.

"Look, I didn't mean to-" Caroline started, but Klaus stopped her.

"It's just the way that she is."

"Klaus, thank you –"

He shook his head, "No. My family calls me Nik."

-x-

"That dress is absolutely stunning, Caroline," Elena remarked when Caroline came out of the bathroom in her dress. "Did you make it? I didn't see anything like that in your book."

Caroline shrugged, "It was made when Tyler and I first got together. He was a pretty important guy. He was pre-law at Chicago University and he went to big events, so I always thought that I'd get a chance to wear this dress. But, Tyler never took me anywhere, so the dress stayed in my closet."

"So you're wearing it now?"

"I never thought I'd get the chance to wear it. It's been in my closet for years. I was getting ready to sell it."

"Well, you look absolutely beautiful. The people of Mystic Falls aren't going to know what hit them."

Caroline shook her head, "I still don't think I should go, Elena. I mean, I haven't been on a date since Tyler and I broke up, and besides that, I'm not from Mystic Falls –"

"Actually, you are. The Forbes' were a founding family of Mystic Falls, which makes you part of us. Besides," Elena said, heating up her curling iron, "remember last night, when I said I'd drag you there even if I had to tie you up and put you in my trunk? Don't tempt me, Caroline. I will do it."

Caroline shook her head, "I don't even have anyone to go with –"

"Actually, you do." Elena said, nodding towards the door. Caroline was surprised when she saw Klaus standing there.

He smiled, "My suit's in the car."