A/N: So I know I suck for taking so long to update! My only excuse is that in leaving you guys on such a cliff hanger; I actually built a rod for my own back because... I had no idea how Klaus would react to that! So it's been a long and hard chapter to write haha! But it is long, over 10,000 words, so I hope that makes up for my lack of update.

Please let me know if you like / don't like what I did with Klaus in this chapter, because this has been the hardest part for me to attempt to characterise him! Oh and as always, please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes. I'm without a beta! :)

Enjoy!


When he'd caught his brother's gaze across the room; Klaus had tried desperately to silently communicate to Elijah that he must do all that was necessary to save Caroline.

He had expected his brother to die for her if that's what it came to. He had not expected this.

The second Elijah touched his lips to Caroline's; Klaus felt vulnerable in a way he hadn't felt for over a thousand years. Once again; he had to stand there and watch as his older brother took something that he loved dearly. Klaus had thought he'd left these petty insecurities behind with his humanity; but the vile claws of jealousy scratched their way through his veins; his throat burned with hurt and grief. All he could do was stand there and witness Elijah touching her; tasting her; devouring her. And Caroline kissed him back. Her hands curling through his brother's dark hair. It made him feel sick.

He stopped running towards the pair; standing stock still in disbelief. He almost couldn't believe that Elijah would dare. The thought made him feel an odd mixture of the urge to laugh out loud, and the urge to leap forward and rip his brother's spine out of his back.

Marcel's guards moved swiftly past him; surrounding Caroline and his brother. Marcel strode confidently forward. But Klaus couldn't move. He just stood there; close enough to smell her perfume; but too far away to touch her.

Deep down inside he remembered telling them to be convincing. He remembered his look to Elijah; the shared message that gave Elijah permission to do anything it took to save her from Marcel. But this? This hurt. This was unforgivable. To force him to have to watch this was pure cruelty.

Marcel was now just a few steps away from the woman he loved, and his last living brother. Klaus needed to act now; if he still intended to save them. And he would have. He would have grabbed Marcel from behind and snapped him in half like an old piece of charcoal to save them both.

But he heard Caroline make a breathy sound as Elijah pressed her against a pillar; kissing her beautiful mouth.

His eyes went wide and his hands shook. He even thought there might be tears in his eyes. There was bile in his throat.

His fists clenched tightly as a cold rage swept through him; overwhelming him.

There would be no forgiveness. He knew that they were both quite aware of what she meant to him. They would suffer dearly for this. But not at the hands of a pathetic almost-baby vampire like Marcel. No, they would suffer at his hands.

This was a betrayal; and everybody knew the price of betraying Niklaus Michaelson.


When Caroline thought about it later; she tried to convince herself that when Elijah had kissed her; she had taken a moment to ask herself what on earth he was doing. Afterwards, she tried to think back and remember if she had taken a moment to think about Klaus; and what this would look like to him. But she hadn't; she'd been a coward.

She'd been so afraid. So desperate to turn around and see what was coming for her. She could feel them coming; she was a vampire after all. She could feel the vibrations in the air that they made as they walked towards where she and Elijah stood. Panic had flooded her chest; expanding like a bubble; squashing her lungs and cutting off her ability to breathe.

When Elijah kissed her; the bubble popped. When he pulled her to him; she felt safe. He was a thousand years old; nobody could hurt her while he was there to protect her.

Her only reaction; a soft gasp of surprise; was lost against his soft lips.

His hands held the back of her head, his fingers were buried deep in her soft blonde curls; but she could feel the hesitance in his hands and in his kiss. He kissed her softly, tenderly; as though he truly loved her. It was one of the most beautiful kisses of her life.

But it wasn't enough. They were coming for her.

She knew that the gentleman in Elijah was holding him back. It almost made her want to laugh; even though they were in serious trouble; he was being gentle with her because he didn't have permission to kiss her.

He had made a bold move already by kissing her. But he was holding back; the same way he'd been holding back all night. If they were going to persuade Marcel to back off; they had to be convincing. That's what Klaus had said wasn't it? Be convincing.

She guessed the next bold move had to be hers.

Burying all of her uncertainties about this and sacrificing all of her self-respect; she tilted her head backwards, pressed the length of her body to his and kissed him hard.

That was all the permission Elijah needed. He dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her flush against him; deepening the kiss as he parted her lips with his tongue.

Caroline was dizzy with adrenaline; her blood tumbling through her veins and crashing like waves in her ears. It was probably the oddest set of circumstances she'd ever found herself in; kissing an original vampire to protect herself... Elena wouldn't believe it when she told her.

Her shoulders hit something solid as he pushed her gently against a pillar. His arms were around her now, gathering her up, holding her as tight and as close against him as she could be and still remain a separate person. His kissed her urgently and fiercely. It was a good job she didn't have to breathe.

She let her hands explore his graceful, muscular back, his wide, sturdy shoulders. She touched his neck and felt the way his dark hair curled sweetly at the nape of it.

His expert hands glided across her body; one tracing fire along the base of her neck; the other ghosting across her hip bone. Despite the fact that she knew she didn't have feelings for him; her entire body betrayed her; reacting to his touch; her skin aflame with goose bumps. She let out a completely involuntary gasp. The way he felt and tasted! He certainly knew what he was doing. This was a thousand years worth of experience poured into just one kiss.

Her mind wondered; even as Elijah nipped at her bottom lip gently with his human teeth; sending a shiver down her spine.

Is this what it would feel like to kiss Klaus?

Oh god. Klaus.

It was like being doused by a bucked of cold water. Thank god she was a vampire. If she'd been human she would have shoved Elijah away from her that second and scanned the crowd as quickly as she could for the Hybrid. Her vampire abilities allowed her to process her immediate reactions before acting on them. She kissed Elijah once more on the mouth, a soft kiss, but a definite last kiss. She pulled away from him; her hands on his shoulders, her eyes glued to his.

She knew that she had to stay in character; she knew it. But it was the hardest thing she had ever done.

She couldn't see him; but she could feel him; standing not even 10 feet away from her. Klaus. Her every nerve ending was bouncing in reaction to his proximity.

How could she have just allowed herself to get so lost in Elijah's arms? She cringed as it struck her that Klaus must have watched the whole thing. God, he was going to kill her.

She didn't want to begin to think about her feelings for him. But the fact that she felt sick right now; because she knew that she'd hurt him; she understood now that meant there had to be feelings there. And even though she couldn't shove them away and pretend that they didn't exist anymore; she still didn't know exactly what it was that she felt for him. But what she did know for definite was; that what she was about to do was going to hurt her just as much as it would hurt him.

She drew a shaky breath; she couldn't do it; she couldn't. Not while he was watching.

Someone took a step towards them through the crowd of dancing couples; she didn't see who; she was lost to panic. She felt Elijah's shoulders tense under her hands; his grip on her waist tightening slightly.

Oh for god sake Caroline!

She was so sick of this victim bullshit; so sick of being afraid. At the end of the day no one was going to save her but herself. She was Caroline Forbes damn it, and damn the consequences; she would be brave.

She forced herself to smile softly; gazing adoringly up into Elijah's brown eyes. She hoped she looked like a girl in love. She'd planned to say the words; they'd been on the tip of her tongue; she knew that saying those three little words would be the most convincing thing she could do. But she couldn't do it. Not with his blue eyes scorching holes in her.

But apparently just looking at Elijah as though she loved him served its purpose. She heard Klaus suck in a breath and it was like a knife in the stomach. God she felt sick.

She'd come so close to seeing the real him; he finally seemed to be changing. It was pretty likely that he would never open up to her again after this. She wanted to run away and cry. He had to understand; he had to. He had told her to be convincing.

Her eyes filled with tears. Elijah dipped his head, resting his forehead against hers. His mouth was curved in a sweet smile of happiness; but his eyes were alert; ready. He was trying to tell her that it was going to be ok. But she didn't think it was.

Then she made the biggest mistake she'd made all night. Without her permission; her eyes moved from Elijah's, seeking out Klaus. She couldn't help herself; she felt compelled to look at him. To see him. She met his eyes stormy blue eyes. There was no forgiveness in them.

She knew that she didn't owe him anything; she had never promised him that she would ever return his feelings. What she didn't know was why this felt so much like she'd betrayed him.

She flinched violently when a caramel coloured hand fell lightly on Elijah's shoulder. Elijah didn't even blink. He turned slowly; his face a mask of cool anger; as though this intruder really had just interrupted a romantic moment between them.

So it hadn't worked. After all that. After she'd ruined her friendship with Klaus... Marcel was finally here. She doubted very much that he would dare to interrupt an original vampire and his woman if he genuinely believed that she and Elijah were together. She had failed.

She wanted to cry.

But she was nothing if not stubbornly brave in the face of danger.

So she swallowed her tears and got her first close up look at Marcel. He was younger than she'd thought he would be. Or at least, he'd been young when he died. He was devilishly handsome; with a roguish smile that she was sure charmed the pants off of everyone in the French Quarter.

'Elijah,' Marcel drawled Elijah's name fondly, as though they were long lost friends. Perhaps they had been; once upon a time.

'Marcel,' Elijah greeted him; with a warm smile and just a hint of annoyance. How she could have doubted Elijah's acting abilities at the beginning of this dreadful night she had no idea.

She stared at both of the men in front of her, transfixed. So much was going unsaid; on the surface they greeted each other fondly; but underneath all that; she could see the tension in both of their bodies. They were like snakes; waiting to strike at each other. It put her on edge; fear was creeping through her veins again. She was so distracted by watching them that she started slightly when both men turned their eyes to her.

'What a beautiful woman you have here.' Marcel sang, staring at her too hard and for too long.

That smile of his widened. He smiled too much. Caroline thought it was beyond creepy. And hello, what a pig! How dare he comment on her attractiveness before even asking her name?

Any sympathy she might have felt for Marcel after Klaus had told her that he was going to take the Quarter from the young vampire vanished instantly.

'Mmm-mm, delicious. Mind if I cut in old friend?'

Caroline was just about to tell the jerk that she damn well did mind if he butted in.

Her retort turned into a shaky breath of fear as Marcel reached forward and ran his fingers along her collarbone. He looked at her seductively and dipped his fingers just slightly, grazing the top of her breast.

Her eyes widened in fear and disgust. She didn't have time to slap Marcel like she would have liked. She didn't even have time to look to Elijah and see what the hell he was going to do about what Marcel had just done.

Klaus had blood on his hands before she even had a chance to blink.


The time for diplomacy had passed. Violence was the only solution now as far as Klaus was concerned.

Despite how furious, hurt and slightly murderous Klaus currently felt when it came to Caroline; Marcel had just crossed the fucking line.

To spend the evening subtly disobeying and attempting to bait him was a crime that Marcel would pay for. And to openly and publicly disrespect Elijah; an Original Vampire, that was something else entirely. But to touch her. Marcel would pay for that with his life.

Two of Marcel's pathetic bodyguards stood just in front of where he had stopped when had lost the ability to move. They would be perfect for getting Marcel's attention.

Without even blinking, Klaus plunged his hands into the backs of two of Marcel's men; obliterating their spines with his fists. He grasped their un-dead hearts with his fingers and tore them out.

God it felt good to kill again. It even made him feel slightly better about the betrayal that was still making his blood burn.

The dying screams of the two young vampires stopped Marcel in his tracks. He had picked these vampires for a reason; he'd had already spotted the lapis lazuli rings on their fingers. They were day walkers. They were part of Marcel's close family. And now they were dead.

'Touch her again mate and you will be next.' He spat, anger biting at his words.

He really would have preferred it if his anger was just about the fact that Marcel was acting indecently with a woman. But it wasn't that; Klaus had witnessed Marcel and his boys pawing at young women all night and he hadn't cared one bit; he was not the gentleman that Elijah was. No, he was angry because Marcel had touched her. And he was even angrier with himself because, try as he might, he just couldn't disassociate himself from her. Even when he wanted to kill her; he was desperately in love with her.

Marcel slowly turned away from Caroline; his force contorting with undisguised fury as he saw the bodies of his friends on the ballroom floor; their blood pooling across the white marble.

Klaus half expected Marcel to put on a show of grief over the two dead vampires; who up until thirty seconds ago, had been his 'brothers'. Only an hour ago he and Klaus had played happy families in front of these people; and after all; Marcel had his nice guy reputation to uphold.

But surprisingly Marcel didn't bother with the show; he just stared angrily from the bodies, back up to Klaus' face with undisguised loathing. Good; it was about time Marcel started behaving like an adult.

It pleased Klaus to see that when it came to him; Marcel knew that his pathetic little party tricks were useless. It would seem Marcel still had a well hidden, but healthy amount of respect for his former mentor.

The party guests, who had obviously believed that Klaus and Marcel were truly friends and allies, were silenced with shock and fear. They skirted backwards to avoid the spreading dark-red lake of blood. The music had stopped abruptly; the band staring out at the parted crowd in confusion.

Caroline hadn't moved a muscle. She was looking at him; fear consuming her beautiful face. Red blood soaked into her blue satin shoes and stained the bottom of her dress. She was an angel; drenched in blood.

He smirked viciously at Marcel and threw both hearts unceremoniously at his feet. His hands were dripping and red.

That wiped the ridiculous smirk off of Marcel's face. Klaus' young protégé glared at the pair of hearts which sat at his feet; staining his expensive shoes. Then he smiled savagely; wickedness twinkling in his eyes.

'So she is your girl?'

Even though Marcel's dark eyes burned with rage, he still managed to fill his tone with a teasing confidence. He was smug. Even though he had suffered loss; he saw victory in finally baiting Klaus into a reaction.

'Why didn't you just say so?' Marcel purred; reaching out his hand and trailing his fingers across Caroline's cheek.

Elijah still held Caroline's hand but he made no move to rip Marcel's arm from his body like Klaus would have. Just another crime to add to the list of those his older brother had committed tonight.

Caroline shuddered away from Marcel's touch; looking imploringly to Klaus. It was something at least; that when her life was in danger she turned to him still and not Elijah. But even that was beginning to wear thin for him. How long could go on saving her life; valuing her above all others; only to receive no affection from her in return? How could he continue to love her after he'd stood there and watched her give everything that should have been his; to his brother?

He didn't know. He only knew that this time; he would choose to save her.

Klaus shot forward at vampire speed. He contemplated changing. To kill Marcel as a wolf would be a great victory. Marcel could attempt emulate him in many ways; but he could never be as powerful a beast as Klaus. On those terms; Klaus was already King.

He was stopped abruptly short. Elijah had rushed forward; leaving Caroline undefended; and put his body between Klaus and Marcel. He roughly grabbed Klaus' shoulders; gripping hard.

'No brother,' Elijah murmured beseechingly, 'You cannot.'

Klaus glared balefully at his brother. As if Elijah hadn't pushed his luck enough tonight. Now he presumed to tell him what to do?

'Now is the very worst time you could attempt to give me brotherly advice Elijah.' He spat hatefully.

Elijah frowned grimly; having the decency to at least look shameful.

Klaus shoved his brother out of his way, slightly harder than was perhaps necessary and without a second thought. He stalked towards Marcel; his hands curling into fists.

To his credit; Marcel didn't look one bit afraid. Good; Klaus had taught him that. Never let your enemy know that he is winning; even when he is. And Klaus was indeed winning; it would take less than a second to rip Marcel apart. Only...

As he moved forward; Marcel gleefully took one step to his left. Caroline stood unmoving behind Marcel, her blue eyes wide with fear. Marcel had grabbed her while his idiot brother had distracted him.

Marcel smirked sickeningly; snaking out his arm and grabbing Caroline around the waist; pulling her against his body; making a despicable show of smelling her hair. Klaus could see her straining to move out of Marcel's grip; but he was older and stronger than her; her attempts to get away only served in ripping the delicate material of her dress at the waist; where Marcel's hand gripped her skin like an iron vice.

'Now now friend; there's no cause for us to fall out. I just wanted to meet your pretty girlfriend here.' He turned to Caroline; using his spare hand to caress her cheek. She glared at him furiously; defiance in the set of her jaw. 'She is spectacular after all.'

'Niklaus please.' Elijah had moved to stand beside him; he put his hand on Klaus' shoulder. 'Think about this for a moment. There are more important things to consider than-'

He glared at his brother so violently that Elijah stopped talking immediately.

More important than her? He didn't think so. The child that Elijah was so worried about was a means to an empire; a tool for power; nothing more. An empire would be an empty victory if she were not around to see it. Nothing was more important to him right now; than her.

He furiously shrugged off Elijah's hand and took one step towards Marcel. He was hesitant to approach; Elijah had ruined his surprise attack; if he made one wrong move now, Marcel could kill Caroline before Klaus could get to her.

He saw the way she winced in pain as Marcel gripped her waist tighter.

Now that she was in actual danger; he found himself letting go of some of the resentment he felt about the kiss. It was against his very nature to forgive; it always had been. But she'd already ruined him in so many ways; that he found himself able to focus on something other than his anger, for the first time in centuries. He could be angry with her for the next thousand years; right now, he just wanted her safe.

'Unhand her; or die, Marcel; those are your choices.'

'This is my party Klaus; you don't make the rules here; I do.' Marcel snarled; finally dropping his pretence of friendship and showing his true self. His fangs descended and bloody veins flashed under his eyes.

Marcel was getting desperate. Good. Klaus could work with that.

'These people here are your friends, your family, Marcel. I understand...' Klaus murmured soothingly, gesturing to the terrified crowd surrounding them and smiling at Marcel.

Caroline's eyes widened in surprise; she shot a glare at him which clearly stated that she did not understand, nor appreciate him being kind to Marcel.

'Understand this.' He said; his voice hard, 'I will kill every single person in this room; without hesitance, and without mercy, if you do not take your hands off of her.' He widened his smile; showing Marcel his teeth. 'You know I will do it.'

'And you know that I will assist him. You and your friends will be decimated. Let her go Marcel.' Elijah's calm, strong voice echoed in the near silent room as he joined Klaus at his side, rolling up his shirt sleeves. It was about time his brother did something useful.

Marcel laughed. He actually laughed.

Klaus clenched his teeth angrily; nearly snapping his jawbone.

'You know,' Caroline snapped; her voice a picture of annoyance. He started at the surprising familiarity of her tone. She'd used that particular tone plenty of times on him. 'This macho bullshit is boring me.'

He blinked in surprise. Even when her life was in absolute danger she could still find the time to be a raging little bitch. She'd never really struck him as the damsel in distress type. Now he knew why. She was magnificent.

Marcel was clearly pleasantly surprised too. His lips began to curve into one of his trademark grins; he let his guard down for just a second. And she was on him.

Caroline elbowed him in the ribs suddenly; putting all of her weight behind her blow. She didn't do much damage; she was only a year old after all; but Marcel flinched in pain just long enough for her to make a run for it.

Marcel lunged for her; but Elijah was closer; he shoved Marcel hard; throwing him through the air. Marcel flew several feet into the air before he crashed into one of the marble pillars that surrounded the room. The pillar shattered; and Marcel landed on the floor in a heap; debris raining down on him.

The party guests; who until that point had watched all this unfold as though they were watching a performance; suddenly seemed to catch on to the danger they were in. As the marble pillar came crashing down; they ran, screaming and scurrying for the exits like ants.

Marcel's men surged forward; but those who dared to challenge him all met grisly and violent deaths at the hands of Elijah. The rest of them ran for their lives.

Caroline stumbled on the marble floor; trying to avoid the chaos of the fight and the waves of frightened guests. Her shoes were slippy and wet with blood. Klaus snatched her hand roughly and pulled her too him.

She steadied herself; her hands on his shoulders. He held on to her tightly; clutching frantically her waist. He could feel her bare skin under his fingertips, where the dress was torn.

She looked up at him; her blue eyes shining with unshed tears. If he was to allow it; he knew that she would apologise for what she had done; and that he would forgive her instantly. And although he prioritised her life above his hurt over her kissing his brother; he was in no mood to forgive her.

So he ignored her; he ignored her tears; ignored the pleading look in her eyes which begged him for forgiveness; he only glanced at her; checking methodically for signs of injury.

She was a little disheveled; but unhurt. He touched her cheek softly. He allowed himself a few fleeting seconds of relief; she was alive; she was unhurt; she was going to be safe. Good. But she had still been intimate with Elijah. And he still wasn't sure how to deal with that.

He removed his fingertips from her cheek and took a very deliberate step away from her. Her dainty hands; which had been clutching the collar of his shirt; stayed there in the air for a moment before she dropped them to her sides heavily. He saw the disappointment in her eyes. She swallowed hard and dropped her gaze from his guiltily. She understood the damage that had been done.

She frowned; her hand floating up to her cheek; her fingers coming away crimson and wet. His hands were still wet with the blood of the vampires he'd killed; he'd left a trail of blood on her pretty face. She rolled her eyes at him and scrubbed at her cheek with a scowl on her face. He almost wanted to smirk. Typical Caroline.

Elijah approached them; looking as calm as ever wiping the blood off of his hands with a silk handkerchief. He offered the handkerchief to Klaus to do the same. He scoffed at his brother and shoved the handkerchief into Caroline's hands without looking at her. She sighed sadly and busied herself with wiping the blood from her face.

Even after a thousand years Elijah couldn't bear to have blood on his hands; and still couldn't deal with the fact that Klaus liked having it there. There was no better warning to those who would challenge you; than wearing the blood of fallen enemies on your hands.

'Where is Marcel?' Klaus asked, raising his eyebrow sardonically.

'He ran.' Elijah reported. He smirked slightly and tilted his head in amusement. 'He had a message for you though; he called it over his shoulder as he ran for his life. He requested that I inform you: that you will regret this.'

'I doubt it.' Klaus drawled, completely uncaring. The very idea that Marcel thought he could threaten him was preposterous. Him. The Original Hybrid. It was practically laughable.

'In fact,' he murmured; anger and the need for vengeance burning in him. He looked around at the now deserted ballroom; it was littered with blood and bodies. 'It is him that will regret this night, not I.'

'Oh Niklaus no.' Elijah admonished; disapproval in his tone.

Caroline looked between them; confused as to why Elijah was suddenly full of condemnation.

Klaus couldn't imagine what it must be like for her; to be so devastatingly young. She had no idea what it meant to know someone; to love and hate them in equal measure for over a thousand years. Communication between him and his brother did not always require spoken words.

'What a waste of magnificent architecture.' Elijah sighed, frowning and folding his arms.

'Marcel needs to be taught a valuable lesson in loss my dear brother.' Klaus explained viciously as he stalked over to the secluded area where he had spent most of the night drinking with Marcel.

'What the hell are you two even talking about?' Caroline snapped huffily, pulling angrily at strands of torn silk at the side of her dress. She looked exhausted.

'Most specifically,' Klaus continued as though she hadn't spoken. 'He needs to learn that I will be the one to take everything from him.'

He shoved one of the tall candelabra's over; the sound of metal falling on marble reverberated and echoed loudly across the whole room. Caroline winced at the sound. Her blue eyes widened as she noticed that the still burning candles had fallen onto the bottom of a long gauzy curtain and across one of the plush armchairs. In seconds both the curtain and the armchair had orange flames crawling across them.

'You're going to burn it to the ground?' Caroline asked, her voice sounding a little sad, but not at all surprised, as she glanced around the once magnificent room.

He shoved over two more candelabras; taking pleasure in the vile scraping noise they made against the floor as they fell; and even more pleasure as he watched the furniture go up in flames. The vast room was filling with smoke. It was time for them to leave.

'Magnificent architecture aside,' Klaus replied sarcastically, striding back over to where Caroline and his brother waited, 'This place represents Marcel's power; it's part of his empire. And now it will be nothing but ashes. Because I made it so.'

'Can we please talk about your evil plans to overthrow Marcel in the morning? I'm tired, I'm hungry and I have soggy feet! ' she complained; looking every bit as irritated with him as the day he'd interrupted her as she planned the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant to ask her to go on a date with him. 'I want to go home Klaus.'

Some of the ice in his heart melted at her words. I want to go home Klaus. She'd called his apartment home.

Perhaps he could still bear to love her after all.


Caroline sank tiredly into the back seat of the car as Elijah gave the driver directions and compelled him not to notice anything at all; like the fact that the mansion before him was ablaze.

Klaus had stayed in the house; pushing over more candelabras probably. She didn't care. After the night she'd had; she really didn't want to be anywhere near that house anymore.

She was bitterly pissed off that her dress was ruined. She was in mourning for it already.

Elijah sat next to her in the back seat as the car pulled away from the house and she couldn't even muster a smile for him. Actually it was a little bit embarrassing; the last time they'd been alone together; they'd been all over each other. She actually suspected that some of the damage done to her dress had been done by his hands; not Marcel's. Awkward.

She felt her cheeks go warm. She reached over and opened the window to let in some cool air. It didn't make any difference. This was Louisiana. There was no cool air here.

Coming to New Orleans had not provided her with the salvation she had expected; if anything it was worse here than in Mystic Falls.

She wanted to call Bonnie and tell her about kissing Elijah. She wanted to call Stefan and whine about the danger Klaus had put her in. But she couldn't call either of them.

She drew a shaky breath that was in danger of turning into a sob. She could tell Elijah had noticed; he had turned to look at her. He was studying her face again.

She turned away; looking out of the window. Swamps and cornfields flew past the window as they sped away from the house; the night sky still tinged with orange from the blaze a mile back.

'Caroline.'

She tensed, readying herself for any of the several conversations she did not want to have with Elijah right now. She was so tense that she jumped slightly when he nudged her arm with something. She turned back to face him; startled.

In his hand he held a small disposable phone; the kind of phone that was pre-paid so that it couldn't be traced.

'Niklaus asked me to give you this. In all the excitement tonight; it must have slipped my mind. His and my numbers are already in there.'

She took it from him and flicked through the contact list. Sure enough there were both of their names. Her only two friends in the world right now. It was a shame that she was royally pissed off with both of them at that moment.

She was so exhausted; and so upset and confused about Klaus; that she forgot entirely that she was sat next to one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. She focused solely on the fact that she was angry with him. Being angry was easier than dealing with any of her other emotions.

'What did you mean when you said 'there are more important things to think about'? ' she asked; glaring at him. Her voice was sharp enough to cut glass.

She saw Elijah clench his jaw uncomfortably.

'You know,' she pressed sarcastically, 'When Marcel was pretty much going to kill me and Klaus was going to stop him... You told him that there was something more important than saving my life. So what was it?'

'Caroline,' he tried, his handsome face sad and apologetic. He reached for her hand. She snatched it out of his reach.

'No really, I'm curious Elijah,' she snapped, 'Just what exactly was it that I could have died for tonight?'

He looked at her softly; regret etched into his features.

'I wish that I could explain it to you Caroline. But I cannot. '

She scoffed and rolled her eyes; not caring one bit if he thought she was acting like a child. He was the one who'd said all that crap about her being Klaus' guardian angel or whatever, and then what, suddenly her life was worth less than Marcel's? What the hell was wrong with these brothers?

'Please just know that I...' Elijah seemed, for the first time since she'd met him, at a loss for words. 'I did not say what I said with the intention of allowing you to be hurt. I was simply asking Niklaus to seek another option than an all out war with Marcel.'

'Erm what?' she asked in sarcastic disbelief, 'You and him could have ended Marcel in less than one second! Why the hell wouldn't you just kill him?'

'We are not in a position to-' he tried to reluctantly explain himself. When he was troubled; Elijah looked more human than she had ever seen him.

'Bullshit.' She snapped, cutting him off. She was too tired and too pissed off to listen to more excuses.

Nikalus and Elijah Mikaelson? Not in a position to take out Marcel? What utter crap. They were the originals for god sake; they could kill off the whole world if they wanted to!

They were silent for several minutes.

Caroline seethed silently; trying to hold on to her anger. She was such a mess; she was barely keeping herself together. She wanted to sleep, she wanted to change her clothes, she wanted to talk to Klaus, she wanted Elijah to explain himself; actually she would quite like to avoid Klaus. She wanted to cry, to scream, to punch things. Her best friends were dead, she couldn't go home, and her mother was probably in danger. And she was all alone here with the Originals and their secrets; she was probably number one on Marcel's shit list, so she was probably going to die soon. On top of all of that she was going to have to deal with Klaus' uber sulk about the kiss. Ugh she wanted to die.

She had just realised that Elijah had completely avoided telling her why he hadn't wanted Marcel to die when the car braked suddenly.

Caroline hadn't bothered with her seatbelt; seriously how much more danger could she end up in tonight? The seatbelt hadn't seemed so important in comparison to all she'd been through already. As she flew into the front seat and banged her head against the head rest, she sulkily realised that that had been just another mistake to add to her list for the evening.

'What the f-' she groaned; rubbing her head angrily.

'Stay in the car Caroline.' Elijah commanded. There was an edge to his voice that frightened her.

'What-?' she was so confused.

'Just stay in the car. No matter what happens.' He said, pulling her back up onto the seat from where she was still wedged in the foot well.

He squeezed her hand softly, just once, and then he got out of the car.

What the hell was going on?

She peered over the drivers shoulder; he would be no help; he'd been compelled into silence. She looked out onto where the headlights shone up the deserted dirt road they were on. And then she saw what had stopped the car.

Klaus.

He stood there with his arms folded; his face angry and unforgiving. He had stood in front of the car deliberately. He had been waiting for them.

Why had Elijah told her to stay? If Klaus was so angry with them; he should shout at both of them.

Just stay in the car. No matter what happens. Oh god; what did he mean by that? Did he think that he wasn't coming back? She'd known they would have to pay for that kiss sooner or later, but she hadn't thought that had meant Elijah would be in actual danger.

She jumped a mile in the air as she heard the automatic locks turn on the car. The driver used his controls to close her open window and then shut off the engine. With no power supply to the car; she had no way out. Had Elijah compelled the driver to lock her in? Had Klaus when he'd stood right in front of their vehicle?

Dread settled in the pit of her stomach as she saw Elijah walk into the light and stand in front of his brother. Klaus nodded tersely behind Elijah. Elijah turned and both of the brothers walked out of the light; and out into the darkness.


Klaus walked behind Elijah for a good five minutes. He wanted them to be far enough away from the car; so that Caroline wouldn't see them.

When he stopped his brother stopped too. Elijah turned to look at him; he had the gall to look disappointed. How dare he be disappointed with Klaus; he was the one who had crossed a line; taken what was not his to take.

'Niklaus I know what you are going to say.'

'Do you Elijah?' Klaus sneered, stalking around his brother the way a lion might stalk around a wounded animal. 'What is that prey tell?'

'I did it to save her Niklaus; I did it for you.' Elijah sighed.

'Oh you think you did me a favour do you Elijah?' Klaus shouted at him; his hands itching to punch his brother in the face.

'Nik-'

'You could have anyone Elijah, anyone!' Klaus roared; clenching and unclenching his fists. 'Just not her.'

Elijah blinked in surprise. Klaus supposed that this was perhaps his first admission of romantic feelings in over a thousand years. His brother probably thought he was incapable.

'It was not my intention to upset you Niklaus. I believed that I was doing the right thing.' Elijah said solemnly. He reached for Klaus shoulder.

But it was too much for Klaus; he would not be pitied by anyone; least of all Elijah. His pathetic brother who had pined for the same woman for five hundred years.

He flung Elijah's hand from his shoulder in disgust.

'Upset me?' Klaus spat mockingly. 'I am not a teenage girl Elijah; I'm not about to cry into my pillow about this. That is not the conversation we are having here. You will stay away from Caroline from now on.'

'I think you will have to speak to Caroline about that.' Elijah snapped, looking irritated for the first time since they'd walked out into the fields.

It was Klaus' turn to blink in surprise. Was his brother seriously suggesting that Caroline wanted him around? Had something happened between the two of them that he didn't know about? No; that was not possible. It wasn't.

That was it. Klaus had taken quite enough insubordination for one evening.

He snarled angrily, allowing his hybrid fangs to fill his mouth as he grabbed Elijah around the collar and pushed him hard; Elijah fell to the floor.

'Tell me exactly what you mean by that Elijah! Choose your words carefully brother; for they may be your last!' He roared at Elijah; kicking his brother in the ribs.

Elijah flew several feet before he regained his footing; rushing Klaus; tackling him to the ground and punching him in the jaw. Elijah stood up and straightened his suit as Klaus, lying on his back in the dirt, spat blood out of his mouth.

'She will not allow you to tell her who she can see Niklaus; I think we both know that.' Elijah frowned and tutted in annoyance as he discovered Klaus had ripped the collar of his shirt when he'd grabbed him.

'And you think she wants to see you do you?' Klaus spat with disgust and disbelief. He rose to his feet; fully prepared to rip Elijah in half if that's what it took to keep him away from Caroline.

'No, that is not what I am saying Niklaus-'

'After the way you disregarded her life this evening?' he purred, eyeing Elijah viciously and allowing smug victory to ring in his voice. 'Caroline does not forgive easily brother, believe me.'

'I did not-'

'Yes you did!' Klaus roared; all teasing forgotten. He shoved his brother violently.

Elijah staggered backwards but didn't fall. He attempted to regain his footing but Klaus kept on pushing forwards. Elijah was forced to walk backwards.

'You allowed him to touch her.' He snarled.

He shoved Elijah again, harder this time.

'You turned your back on her, and left her unprotected.'

Another shove, even harder. Elijah, seemingly shocked by his accusations, attempted to stay on his feet.

'You tried to stop me from saving her!' Klaus screamed at his older brother. 'You nearly got her killed Elijah.'

He didn't hold back his strength this time. He pushed Elijah with the strength only a hybrid could have. His brother shot backwards; crashing hard and loudly, into a tractor which stood stationary on the edge of the cornfield, destroying the machine completely.

He strode over to the wreckage; yanked his brother out; grasping him by the throat.

'You wanted me to sacrifice her, and let Marcel live.' He spat mockingly. 'All for your pathetic notions of family. Well, where has the love of your family gotten you Elijah?'

He crushed his brother's windpipe; feeling small neck bones cracking under his fingers.

'You love her.' Elijah croaked out. Even though his voice was distorted, Klaus could see that his brother was surprised by that.

He grasped at Klaus' unrelenting hands, trying to remove them from his neck. Klaus loosened his grip for a second. The weight of Elijah's words hit him like a cinderblock to the chest. Those words that had never been spoken aloud before.

'Shut up!' he roared, slamming Elijah's head into the hard metal of the decimated machine.

'I thought she was just a passing fancy; but you are in love with her Niklaus.' Elijah's voice was stronger now; with the conviction of his words.

Elijah got a grip around Klaus' fingers and pushed back; hard enough to force Klaus back a step.

'Shut your mouth Elijah, or I will shut it for you.' He growled; suddenly feeling very much like he was the one being attacked. That was Elijah's greatest gift; he had always been able to do far more damage with words than he'd ever done with his hands.

Elijah strode from the wreckage; reaching out for his brother. Klaus stepped back; not trusting the affection in his brother's eyes. Elijah put his hands on both sides of Klaus' face.

It had been centuries since Elijah had embraced him like this. Klaus was filled with the urge to push him away; he felt like a caged animal.

'I am sorry. I should not have suggested that you leave her in danger to spare Marcel.' Elijah apologised sincerely.

Klaus glared at him spitefully. As if that was enough.

'And, for kissing her. I had no right. All I can offer you, brother, is my apology and my promise that it was simply a means to protect her, nothing more.' Elijah finished.

'Fine.' Klaus growled, wrenching himself out of Elijah's embrace. He could not afford a weakness like trusting in his brother's affection. So many times had counting on a sibling been a mistake. 'Do not touch her again Elijah. I will not forgive so easily a second time. '

Elijah rubbed the back of his neck where Klaus had nearly snapped it; shoving him against the wrecked tractor. He nodded affirmatively; he understood.

Klaus turned to walk away. This conversation was over. Besides; Caroline was probably spitting feathers about being locked in that car.

'You have to tell her Niklaus; about Hayley, and the baby.'

He heard the uncharacteristic defeat in Elijah's voice. It made his blood run cold. Klaus should have predicted that his brother would become all righteous about this. He should never have allowed Elijah to spend any time with Caroline. Elijah wouldn't dare tell her. Would he?

He spun gracefully back around to face his brother.

'I will not.' His answer was cold; and brooked no discussion.

'She deserves to know.' Elijah argued. He folded his arms and frowned.

That was always an indicator that his brother was about to stubbornly dig his heels in about something. Unfortunately for Elijah, this was an issue that Klaus would rather kill his only brother over, than discuss the possibility of telling Caroline.

In less than a second he had his hands wrapped back around his brother's neck.

'No.' He growled; glaring into his brothers eyes. 'She does not.'

Elijah would not be bullied this time however; that much was clear.

He pushed Klaus away from him; breaking the hold he had on Elijah's neck and punched him hard in the jaw. So hard that Klaus fell to his knees. Growling; he grabbed Elijah's arm; pulling him to the floor and hitting him hard in the throat. Elijah responded by shoving part of a fallen tree branch from the ground into the soft skin under Klaus' collar bone.

Klaus screamed angrily, on his knees, wrestling the offending wood from his chest. He felt the warmth of his own blood as it flowed down his chest.

Elijah stood, tall and completely unharmed in front of him. Despite the fact that they both knew that as a Hybrid, Klaus could destroy him in a fight, Elijah carried a certain dignified strength with him at all times. Perhaps because he was and always would be Klaus' older brother.

'If you care for the girl like you say you do Niklaus then you cannot keep this from her. Not knowing might put her in danger.' Elijah told him, glaring down at him, as though irritated that Klaus had started another fight.

'No,' he snarled, wrenching more wood from his shoulder as the branch split inside of him, shards of wood preventing him from healing properly. 'You're only saying this because you want an explanation to give her for why you were so callous with her life this evening.'

He smirked up at Elijah, making sure to flick bits of bloody wood at Elijah's trousers as he removed them from his body. Elijah looked guilty at his words.

'Admit it,' he antagonised 'She gets under your skin doesn't she Elijah?'

He stood up, smirking at Elijah. He revelled in the fact that it wasn't just him who was affected by Caroline. He'd thought for so long that she was making him weak; and that must mean that there was something wrong with him. But if it was happening it Elijah too, then perhaps there was still hope for him.

'It's her humanity Elijah. It's devastating isn't it? She's everything you wish you still were.'

He had meant to spit those words spitefully at his brother; but they had come out softer than he'd intended.

'And that is why she will forgive you.' Elijah murmured, catching his brother's eyes.

'That is not a chance I am willing to take.' Klaus muttered darkly in response.

The broken bits of wood still in his hand; he lunged for his brother.


She huffed and threw herself backwards in the seat.

She had tried to force the driver to unlock the doors; she had no idea how to override the locks; but her compulsion wouldn't break Elijah's previous compulsion on the driver to remain silent and not notice a thing. Her heart hadn't been truly in it anyway; she hated compulsion.

She chewed on her fingernail; agonising with worry over what to do. Elijah was probably in no real danger from Klaus... They were brothers after all... right?

But that didn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't murder each other. When it came to the Mikaelsons 'sibling' was a subjective term.

She didn't know what to do. She strained her ears to see if she could hear them shouting at each other but she heard nothing. She couldn't compel the driver to let her out; which meant her only way out would be to smash open a window and climb out. Which would be humiliating to explain; if the brothers showed up in a few minutes, having had their chat, and forgiven each other.

She turned the small phone Elijah had given her over and over in her hands.

She found Elijah's name in the small contact list and pressed call. It was ringing.

She squeaked in fright as she heard a loud, unexpected ringing in the car. The driver didn't even blink. He was like a zombie. If Elijah ever got back she was going to have words with him about what he had done to that poor man.

She peered over the edge of the seat; there in the foot well was Elijah's phone, lighting up the back of the car and vibrating pointlessly. She huffed in annoyance. She was sure he had left it in here with her on purpose.

Angrily she pressed Klaus' name and put the phone to her hear. Straight to voicemail. Great.

She groaned in frustration. She peered out of the widow; straining her eyes and ears for any sight or sound that might give her a clue as to what was going on out there.

Part of her had already adopted a 'screw them' attitude. If those two idiots wanted to kill each other then fine, they were welcome to. It would save a damn lot of innocent lives if those two were to disappear off the face of the earth that was for sure. But that was mostly her bad mood doing the talking.

The truth was that she cared for them both a little bit. Well Klaus, perhaps a little bit more than a little bit. But Elijah had grown on her too. Despite what he was; he struck her as someone who always tried to do the right thing, and she respected that. In another life she was sure she and Elijah would be great friends.

And of course, she felt guilty. She was the cause of this. She was the reason they were arguing. And she hated it because she had seen what a girl getting between two brothers had done to the Salvatores, and she would never have put herself and the Mikaelson brothers in this position if she had had a choice. It's not like she had feelings for them both; she was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

Oh, there was her bad mood again.

She refused to feel sorry for herself anymore. She hadn't done this on purpose. And in the grand scheme of things; Klaus and Elijah had probably fought over women for a thousand years. She wasn't going to be the reason that they ended up killing each other.

She sighed, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes. Now that her immediate panic had dulled somewhat, she was feeling slightly resentful that they'd left her in a car in the middle of a field, in the middle of the night, when all she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

She really wanted to talk to someone. Someone from home. But she couldn't call her mother or Elena because Silas would be watching both of them.

She smiled when she remembered that Matt, was a thousand miles away from Mystic Falls. And she knew his phone number off by heart. It was hard not to memorise a number when the person had had the same phone since eighth grade.

She had no idea where in the world he was; but for the first time she felt relived to remember that he was with Rebekah. While Caroline didn't particularly like that Rebekah was into Matt; at least she could count on the fact that Rebekah would protect him.

She started typing a text to Matt. She frowned. This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. Matt didn't know that Bonnie was dead. Or about Stefan, or about Silas. What could she tell him? If she told him too much he would abandon his trip and go right back to Mystic Falls, to grieve for Bonnie and to save Elena from Silas. He was too much of a good person to turn his back on his friends.

So she lied.

Hey Matt it's me, Care. Listen; don't go back to Mystic Falls;

stay wherever you are with Rebekah. Silas is back. We are

all ok though, we are in New Orleans with Klaus and Elijah.

Don't call home; don't contact anyone but me, on this number.

You never know who Silas is pretending to be. Stay safe Matt.

I miss you. Xx

She felt guilty again. They were not all safe in New Orleans. But if Matt went back for Elena he could end up being killed. It was safer for him if he thought that everyone was safe. That way he would stay with Rebekah and not go wondering back into Mystic Falls.

Besides, she was hoping that Klaus would help her fix the entire Mystic Falls situation before Matt even thought about coming back.

The sound of a large bang and the scraping of metal made her flinch so violently that she dropped her phone.

Another bang followed, echoing through the night; loud; even over the chorus of the Louisiana bugs.

Oh god; they were killing each other.

She looked around frantically for something to break the window with. Then, rolling her eyes at herself; she remembered that she was a vampire.

She shoved her fist through the window using her vampire strength; smashing the glass completely and wincing in pain as she cut open her knuckles. She crawled out of the now open window; snagging her ruined dress on the sharp edges of the frame and landing in an unladylike heap on the dirt road.

Then she took off running at vampire speed in the direction she'd seen the brothers go. If she focused; she could sense their scents; still lingering in the night air. It was difficult to focus; her hand blazed with pain even as it healed and mostly; all she could smell was her own blood; and the smell of fields surrounding her.

But she was getting close; she could hear vague shouts now and the sound of their scrapping was getting slightly easier to distinguish from the natural sounds of the night.

She moved past a patch of trees and then she saw them. They were fighting each other with moves so quick that even her vampire eyes had trouble following them. Mostly all she could hear were grunts of pain and curse words.

She rolled her eyes. Seriously? These were the origins of her species?

She cleared her throat irately but they either didn't hear her or they didn't care that she was there. Jerks.

She realised with a start that she could smell Klaus' blood. Without her permission; her mind took her back to the two times he'd held her in his arms and fed him her blood. He had saved her life. Twice.

After putting it in danger twice she thought wryly, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly at the memory of that argument.

Klaus pushed Elijah back; so that he rolled across the dirt for several metres. It was the first time they'd slowed down enough for her to tell them apart. Klaus was grinning; blood on the corner of his mouth. His or Elijah's; she didn't know.

Elijah shot up and flew at Klaus; taking him out completely and shoving his face into the dirt. Then Klaus twisted them around; so that Elijah was underneath him; grabbed his arm and snapping the bone; she heard the sickening crunch as it snapped. Elijah growled like an animal; but Klaus wasn't done. He reached up suddenly and as his fist caught the moonlight, she saw that he had a wooden branch in his hand. He plunged it into Elijah's chest.

Caroline stopped breathing; tears stung her eyes.

She knew; she knew that only a white oak stake could kill Elijah; but that didn't make it any less terrifying to see what these brothers would do to each other. This had to end now.

She did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed her shoes off her feet and launched them; one at a time; at Klaus.

The first one hit him square in the chest.

He looked up; looking the most puzzled she had ever seen him. If he hadn't been covered in his brother's blood she might have laughed at the look on his face. He caught sight of her; recognition flooding his handsome features.

Once he'd seen her; she threw her other shoe at him; as hard as she could; to show him how angry she was with him. It hit him in the jaw.

'Easy!' he snapped; rubbing his jaw and getting up from where he sat perched over Elijah. He held up one of his hands in an irritable surrender as he walked towards her.

'Me?' she screeched incredulously. 'Seriously? What the hell Klaus?'

He looked idly over his shoulder at where his brother; still on the floor; was trying to pull the wood from his chest.

'He'll be fine love. This was nothing; just a little spat.'

He actually smirked at her.

She shot him a look that she hoped conveyed her disgust and disappointment. And then she ran over to Elijah.

There was a lot of blood; but Elijah seemed quite ok. The branch protruding from his chest was slick with blood; as were his hands; so as he attempted to pull it out of him; his hands kept slipping.

She reached forward without thinking and pulled it out for him with one good wrench.

'Caroline.' Klaus growled; his voice full of dissent.

'What?' she snapped; whipping around to face him as Elijah sat up. 'Oh I'm sorry; was I supposed to leave it there?'

'You were supposed to stay in the bloody car!' He shouted at her.

'I knew it was you who locked me in. You ass!' she screamed.

Her blood was boiling with fury; her hands shook, even as she tried to help Elijah to his feet. Klaus had been right though; Elijah was fine; he didn't really need her help.

'Well if I could count on you ever doing as you were told I wouldn't have to-' he growled at her. He ran his bloody fingers through his hair; as he often did when he was angry with her. It left reddish streaks through his curly blonde locks.

'You shouldn't have any way!' She shouted over him; interrupting whatever his excuse was going to be. She stalked over to him; ignoring the fact that she'd lost several inches in height after hurling her heels at him; and prodded him in the chest with her index finger. 'You do not get to tell me what to do Klaus! How many times-'

He looked really mad. He'd flinched slightly when she'd prodded him; Elijah must have hurt his shoulder. Good; he damn well deserved it.

'You would do well to remember who you are talking to Caroline.' He snarled at her; glaring at her so violently that if she'd been more sensible; she would have been afraid. As it was however; she was just pissed off.

'Do you know what Klaus; you're right.' She snapped; taking great pleasure in the surprise she saw spring onto his face. 'I should remember exactly who you are. You are the kind of monster who would drag his brother down a dirt road in the middle of the night and beat him half to death when all he did was try to save my life!'

She saw the hurt in his eyes at her words. But she couldn't bring herself to care right then.

'Caroline.' She heard Elijah murmur behind her; warning in his tone.

She ignored him. Choosing to glare at Klaus instead. Klaus stood there; unmoving; unblinking; his face was as hard a stone; and unreadable. He always looked that way when she'd hurt him. Embarrassingly she felt tears fill her eyes. She couldn't keep doing this with him. He could be a better man than this; she saw it all the time. He would be everything she wanted him to be; he would embody all of the things that she could one day love about him. And then he would do something terrible like this. Something that would destroy that other man completely.

'Why do you do things like this?' she asked him quietly. She looked up at him imploringly; her tears spilling onto her cheeks.

She saw his jaw clench tightly; as he made every effort to ignore her question.

He looked at her for a second. In that second; she saw how deeply damaged he was. She saw in his eyes that he yearned to be the kind of man she could love; but the frown on his face told her that he knew he never could be.

She nodded her head; tears blurring her vision of his angelic face. She was inclined to agree with him. The world was too dark a place for Klaus. There was no such thing as love, or unconditional trust in his life. He would never stop being a monster; he truly believed that the only way to survive was to make people afraid of him. And she just didn't think that she could ever stand by his side and be ok with the things that he did.

'It's time to go.' Elijah said; his voice was sad and serious.

She wondered if he understood what had just happened between her and his brother. He probably did; there didn't seem to be much that escaped Elijah's notice.

They walked in silence back to the car.

Klaus got in the front, without a single word to either of them, sitting next to the driver who didn't react other than to turn on the engine.

Elijah opened the back door and brushed away all of the glass that had fallen onto the back seat. He held the door open for her as she climbed in. Her throat was dry and sore.

As Elijah got in the car and shut his door; giving the driver the address of Klaus' apartment, she reached down to the foot well and picked up both of their discarded phones. Elijah took his from her in silence. His hand left a smear of blood on her finger as he took the phone from her. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths; so that she didn't start sobbing. She was so tired and stressed that an overwhelming urge to cry was building inside of her. She was so sick of the sight of blood.

The car journey back into the city was silent.

There was silence as they got out of the car at Klaus' building. Elijah left them without a word, only touching her hand slightly as a goodbye.

The walk upstairs and into the apartment was silent too. Klaus didn't even turn to assist her when she tripped slightly on the ripped skirt of her dress. He didn't talk as he unlocked the door and let them both in. He didn't turn to look at her as he headed right for the door to the room that she now knew was his bedroom.

'Klaus.' She murmured.

He ignored her; and kept on walking away.

'Klaus!' she snapped irritably. 'We need to talk about tonight.'

He turned slowly back to face her. She felt relieved for a second; that they would get to talk things through; to clear the air. But as soon as he turned there was a look on his face that she didn't like. Malice shone in his blue eyes as he walked over to her.

He traced his finger across her cheek bone; he was so close that his breath tickled her cheek.

'How about you get a shower first love?' he spat cruelly; his face devoid of any emotion. 'You reek of Elijah.'

She blinked; his words so cruel and his face so hard that she almost didn't register at first; how deeply hurt she was by what he'd just said.

He turned from her without another word; slamming his door behind him so hard it made the walls shake.

She waited until she'd closed her bedroom door too before she allowed herself to cry.


A/N: So I pretty much went with the theory that because he was hurt and angry; he would pretty much accidentally sabotage everything he has with Caroline, because being angry with her is easier than being hurt, and I think Klaus would lash out at her to hurt her like she hurt him. I think that's what he's like on the show... kinda haha! I hope to God I havn't ruined Klaus for everyone! :) xx