A/N: Thanks for the subscriptions and reviews. They really motivate me. It's the best thing I can get from you after sitting hunched over my laptop for a few hours. So here we go at full speed, you better fasten your belts.

Lyrics: a kickass song by Elvis Presley - "Trouble"


Chapter 6

Trouble

If you're looking for trouble

You came to the right place

If you're looking for trouble

Just look right in my face

I was born standing up

And talking back

My daddy was a green-eyed mountain jack


Elena was pacing around the vampire's bedroom.

"Caroline, please! I can't go alone."

"I'm not going, Elena!"

The blonde huffed and dropped on the bed. It was almost noon when the Gilbert girl knocked to Caroline's door.

"It would be rude not to go to a birthday party, you know!" Elena tried to emotionally blackmail her friend. She did learn something from Damon, after all.

"He doesn't even have friends, why would he want to throw a party?" Caroline pouted.

They both received the invitations to Kol's birthday party. It was true that he didn't have anyone close to celebrate with (apart from his siblings), but lack of friends had never stopped Kol from throwing a good party before.

Caroline Forbes, my favorite dipso,

I hope to see you on Friday night at my party.

Kol

At least there was no box with a fancy dress lying on her doorstep as well as there was no mention of saving a dance for him.

"Honestly, Elena, I know it's only your excuse to meet Elijah there." Caroline pointed an accusing finger at Elena. The girl's cheeks went beetroot red.

Caroline felt pity for her friend.

The idea of going to the Mikaelsons' again gave the blonde creeps and freaked her out. The last time she visited them, Klaus was dangerously moving forward with his advances. Moreover, she still had the fortune-teller's words in mind.

A dark type.

He'll have you.

Caroline shivered from the very thought of them alone, face to face.

She just couldn't get over the incident at the funfair. The witch knew everything about her, or rather, the cards knew. She was never superstitious, she also didn't believe in augury. Then one of her friends turned out to be a witch, and she herself was turned into a vampire, her boyfriend became a hybrid, and her best friend's brother started to see his dead girlfriends.

So you must forgive miss Caroline Forbes if she happened to have some good reasons to believe the Tarot cards.

"Caroline, I have nobody else to ask. Please. There's going to be a lot of people, you won't even notice the Originals." Elena almost begged on her knees.

The blonde squeezed her eyes. Her strong will was an epic failure, again.

"Ok. I'm going." She mumbled, knowing that she would regret it later.

"Yay!" Elena's eyes gleamed with joy. "Which dress should I wear?"

This gonna be a long week, Caroline thought.


Surprisingly, the week almost flashed by. On Friday morning Caroline wanted to call the whole thing off, but she couldn't break Elena's heart.

The vampire was sitting at the Grill, sipping on her Cuba libre, thinking whether she was supposed to bring Kol a gift.

A small Caroline-like devil appeared on her right shoulder. It's ridiculous, the devil squeaked, you two aren't even friends, why should you?

There was a puff of white smoke and an angel stood on her left shoulder.

It's a tradition, you shall not be rude, it said. Besides, he was nothing but nice to you all the time.

And that's what bothers me, Caroline sighed and the two disappeared.

She ordered another drink to be able to weigh the pros and cons.


Elena looked like a million dollars. She was wearing a black, tight cocktail dress and a pair of sexy black high heels. Her hair fell over her shoulders, and her neck was graced by a small silver necklace.

And Caroline... Well. She didn't try too hard. She chose a pair of black skinny pants and a light blue strapless top. She completed the outfit with a pair of navy blue heels and very long garnet earrings (no more jewelery from your enemies, she reminded herself before the party). It was casual enough to demonstrate that she didn't care much, but still sexy enough, just in case she needed her charms to get herself out of trouble.

You never know what can happen in this crazy town.


Pop-culture bit Kol right in the ass. He wanted some good music, however, the DJ had a different notion of good music in his head. People seemed to have a good time though, so the birthday boy put up with crappy music.

He was leaning against the handrail of the impressive stairs of the mansion, and observed the dancing crowd. He didn't know these people. He didn't care.

He knew only two dramatis personae invited that were supposed to take part in his little, wicked play.


Elena and Caroline entered the mansion.

"Wow." The brunette gasped. There were people everywhere, boozing, laughing, dancing, and boozing some more.

"It looks like a drunken orgy." Caroline said.

"This is merely entertaining. You should have seen Kol partying in ancient Rome." A familiar voice resounded behind them.

The girls turned around abruptly to see-

"Elijah." Elena whispered.

"Good evening."

Caroline rolled her eyes. The sexual tension between these two made her want to bang her head against a hard wall. Or even against the Great Wall of China.

"I'll go and look for something to drink. Yeah. Whatever." She offered, then just vanished into the crowd. Elena and Elijah seemed not to even notice her disappearance.


The older Salvatore joined the youngest Mikaelson. They had an idle chitchat about their irritating brothers while walking down the stairs.

When they were standing in the hall, somebody flashed before their eyes.

"Blondie!" Damon yelled. She looked back at them and crossed her arms.

"Caroline, babe, lookin' good." He drawled.

"Save it." She scowled.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"Oh, you're using your head to think for a change?" She faked surprise.

"Ouch! Ironical, are we?"

"Yeah, exactly like your presence here." Then she turned to Kol and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, grandpa." And she swayed away.

Damon wasn't sure if the first part of his plan was going in the right direction. Something unexpected must have happened at the funfair, the girl was acting weird lately, so he decided to rush things a little. He knew that Kol would easily rise to the bait. Conflicted Mikaelson brothers, that was what Damon needed at the moment.

"So, how's it going?" Damon asked Kol, taking two glasses of wine from a passing waitress.

"I'm trying to find out why she ran away from the funfair. I bet my crazy brother had a finger in this pie."

"And what about our tactics of small steps?" Damon mused.

"I'm taking them. Too small for me, if you know what I'm saying."

"Be gentle."

"I'm a Mikaelson. I don't do gentle neither do I nice."

"The thing is, she doesn't have to like you per se, she has to think she likes you. The power of suggestion. Works every time."

"Like with you and Elena Gilbert?"

"Exactly."

"That's why she's making puppy-dog eyes to my brother Elijah right now?"

"Shit."

If Kol understood anything from what the older Salvatore said, suggestion was the key. He could try.


Caroline downed another drink - some tequila this time - and decided not to go to college. Never. She would become a professional bartender and get wasted every night and they would pay her for it. It was her brilliant evil plan for the rest of her eternity. They say, after all, to find something that you love to do and get paid for it. Yes, Caroline Forbes, soon-to-be a chronic alcoholic, just took her future in her hands. She would even laugh maniacally if only she knew how to.

She poured herself more tequila and went for a sightseeing tour around the breathtaking villa.

She wandered through a labyrinth-like corridors and finally found herself in Klaus' atelier. The pieces of art that were hanging on the walls were extremely impressive. The portraits of beautiful women - he surely slept with all of them, Caroline bridled with anger - decorated one of the walls. She took a look at a long table that stood by that wall. There was a lot of unfinished sketches. She browsed through them carefully.

One of the faces seemed familiar.

What a beautiful girl, she thought and took a sip of the drink she brought along. He probably got into her pants, too.

Then she almost choked with the liquid, coughing like a TB patient. She gasped for air although she didn't need it.

The face must have seemed familiar because it was hers!

She almost spat her drink out.

"Careful, there's no copies." She heard. She didn't have to turn around, she knew it was Mr. Artist.

Not again! Why, God, why me? She grimaced.

"Well, I was on my way out, so..." She forced a simper.

"No, you weren't. But you obviously are now, just because I came in." Klaus said, somewhat disappointed.

The blonde studied his looks. He was wearing a dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of dark (black? gray? brown? she couldn't tell in that light) pants. Two top buttons of his shirt were undone, and she would lie if she said that he didn't look hot. Urgh, she hated this word when referring to the hybrid.

"You know what they say, two in an art room is a crowd. I'll leave you so you can contemplate your art in inspiring solitude." She was about to leave, when she heard him say,

"It's not solitude. It's loneliness."

Caroline stopped. Her heart ached.

She looked right in those blue eyes, so sad at the moment that she wanted to cry. He seemed so... helpless. Lonely.

Like a sick puppy.

The battle was still on, but she knew she lost that particular fight.

The vampire didn't even know what to tell him. That he deserved it? That the eternal loneliness served him right? She knew it was true, but still she felt it was too cruel to say such harsh things right now.

It would be simply like kicking the sad puppy. With all her naivety and kindheartedness, she just couldn't.

"I-" she started, but the words got stuck in her throat.

She sighed, frustrated, and spread her arms helplessly.

Then he was right in front of her. She felt a burning pressure on her lips. He was kissing her, with her face cupped in his hands. The whole impression of his weakness that Caroline had evaporated in a second. Now she felt his overpowering darkness creeping up her spine. She closed her eyes. Klaus' hands moved to her waist, while his mouth kept on invading hers.

And Caroline kissed him back.

This was a pretty clear signal for him to continue. She eventually gave up and wrapped her hands around his neck.

Maybe it was just alcohol, or maybe it was her long-hidden desire. The desire enhanced by their numerous encounters full of suggestive scenes and gestures.

She didn't know. And didn't want to know.

There's that saying, the truth shall make you fre- freak out.

While she was freudianishly analyzing her motives, his kisses got more and more demanding. Soon she stopped thinking at all. His lips were leaving a burning trace down her neck, and she felt like dying and going to heaven.

Oh-my-God.

Her fists gripped the back of his shirt. They both were breathing heavily. The lust they were feeling was driving them crazy. He was devouring her, with his hungry lips and hands wandering all over her body.

A dark type.

He'll have you.

Caroline's eyes opened with terror. Her hands left his neck in the blink of an eye. She pushed him away forcefully like he was contagiously ill.

Klaus awakened from the state of frenzy he was in, and blinked at her, totally confused.

"Caroline," he panted, "what's wrong?"

"Don't you see what's wrong?" She yelled at him. "This is wrong! This is so wrong!"

The girl backed to the door and was about to open them and run, when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"Mutual attraction is wrong, Caroline?" The way he called her name made her shiver with excitement. "How long are you going to deny it?"

Klaus' rage terrified Caroline but she was too proud to give him the satisfaction and show it. She gritted her teeth.

"Just stay away from me."

"It seems that you are the one that has problems with staying away from me." He smirked viciously.

She remained silent, but after a moment she regained her strength.

"Maybe so. But you're not worth it." She spat. "It's not worth losing my friends, losing Tyler, and my family. And it will never be."

Caroline left Klaus is the room alone. When she was staggering down the corridor, distressed and shaky, she heard a loud furious yell and a sound of crashing glass.


Caroline Forbes was a few steps from the entrance door, thinking whether leave the party or not - Klaus had dashed out of the house and she wasn't too eager to run into him in the woods again - when somebody grabbed her by the shoulder. She spun around nervously.

"Hey, I come in peace," he raised both hands in a cute 'I-give-up' gesture, "Mean no harm." Kol smiled. No matter how hard he tried, his smile was always somewhat wolfish.

"I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I'm leaving." She said without thinking much and rushed to the door. He blocked her way.

"And why is that?" Kol tilted his head to the side.

"Let's say I've had enough thrill for today. Or, kinda, forever."

He chuckled.

"You're so funny. Come on, have a birthday drink with me. Have I ever hurt you?" He winked.

In fact, he never did, Caroline had to admit that. He always helped her, maybe because he had his own motives to do so, but still she had never been threatened by him. He even saved her life (well, in a way) when her father rose from the grave some time ago. She'd needed a lot of time and strength to wave it aside, but eventually she managed to treat Kol normally. If you can treat this way your enemy's younger brother, of course.

He'd had many occasions to attack her or take advantage of her, for example when she was lying drunk next to the Wickery Bridge a few nights ago, yet he hadn't.

"Fine." She sighed.

Before she could notice, he handed her a glass full of wine. She should have warned him not to pour her so much of the delicious red liquid, but it was too late, and honestly, Caroline's consciousness clouded by the vast amount of already drunk alcohol didn't mind. She took a sip and smiled, delighted.

"It's wonderful!"

"It has to be. I've stolen it from a French king." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Which one?" She stuck her tongue out.

"I don't remember, but I'm sure his name was Luis." The both laughed.

"Shall we dance?" He offered with this irresistible roguish smile.

Caroline, feeling lightheaded and in pressing need of some distraction after her unfortunate encounter with Klaus, let him lead her to the dancefloor.

The music slowed down and Kol pulled her closer. She giggled. Caroline was having fun, not like with Klaus on their post-auction date, but with a guy that posed no threat whatsoever. She wanted to forget about the dangerous moment she and Klaus shared during the party and move on.

Maybe it was alcohol thinking instead of her brain, but she had a feeling that it was safe to dance with Kol or even to fool around.

Little did she knew that it was exactly what he wanted her to think.

"I have one more bottle stashed away in my room." Kol joked innocently, whispering in her ear.

They both snickered like two naughty kids that were up to another mischief.

"Let's go, don't let the king wait."

They sneaked out of the dancefloor room and run upstairs, laughing. Kol opened big mahogany doors that led to his room and grinned.

"Welcome to my chambers, My Lady." He bowed.

She tilted her head back giggling, and then dropped a curtsy.

"Your Grace."

While she was admiring Kol's room in her drunken stupor, he took care of the wine. She didn't notice that his hand made a suspicious move over the glass that he handed her a minute later.

They raised their glasses.

"To-" Caroline started, but she didn't really know what they could both drink to.

"To good fun." He grinned.

"Yeah." She smiled back, relieved.

After two more drinks that Kol poured her, she found herself standing in the middle of his bedroom with the world spinning around her head, again, faster and faster.

The last thing she remembered was his arms tightly wrapped around her tiny figure.

Because I'm evil,

my middle name is misery

Well I'm evil,

so don't you mess around with me