She didn't awaken gradually, one moment she was in oblivion and the next she was staring into a pair of dark brown eyes set into the face a young woman clearly something more than human – one generally didn't get that close to a hungry vampire recovering a heavy vervain dose, followed by a neck snap … or two.

So what was her latest captor?

Not a werewolf … certainly not a vampire … so that left ... witch? Not the one from the Salvatore house, so it was her lucky day, her group of kidnappers included multiple witches and at least one werewolf – didn't she feel special? The woman moved out of view, and Caroline listened as she took a few steps further away.

Though not wishing to hasten the torture she felt obliged to lift herself up keen to see whatever it was that the witch was up to. Her whole body ached, vervain still in her system, experience told her. Caroline supposed she should be grateful that her current kidnappers had dispensed with vervain ropes, but then again, best not get her hopes up. She found the dark eyed witch eyeing her from the corner of the room, seemed like the witch was awaiting an attack. Like she thought Caroline would rush her – plainly not aware this wasn't her first time.

Silences were never really her strong suit, so after a while she found herself filling it, "So you're a supernatural something, I'm a vampire, and we are having this party of two because?"

The witch smiled, not much of one, just a small lift of the corners of her mouth. "I'm Sophie, you're Caroline, and you're here because the Original Hybrid hasn't delivered as promised."

She felt herself visibly deflate; she was here because of Klaus. Seriously? Argh. "What do you want?"

"Freedom," she said solemnly. "Klaus can help us, but he doesn't appear to be motivated. You can provide that."

Great, just fabulous, so this was going to follow the normal pattern. Get kidnapped, listen to someone bitch about their problems, and then there's the torture, the crying, the looking like total crap, more crying. She wondered why it had to always be her, weren't there supposed to be like four billion odd other people on the planet, couldn't they take turns?

Sophie pulled out a cell phone and held it out to her, "I want you to call him."

"I'm sorry Caroline is not available to take your call, please call back when hell freezes over." She really was sick of this crap. Head exploding, definitely a witch.


Klaus had finally made progress, of a sort, there was a house and in that house there was a tower – a place no one was allowed to go. He had no doubt that whatever held the witches of Nola subservient was located in that room. It had taken a mammoth amount of exertion for him to discover that such a room existed he shuddered to think what it might take to find it.

He was inclined to share the new found information with Elijah and the witches and tell them to find the bloody room themselves – he was over the whole thing, he wasn't built to kneel especially to Marcel and the ingrates he called family. The limits of his patience had been exceeded; therefore he would leave it to his brother and the witches to complete the journey to their freedom. His time would be better spent ending all those smug ingrates before he ran himself a bath in Marcel's blood – it was time for him to stop play-acting and take what was his.

Just when he felt all was right in the world his phone decided to ring, he glanced at the unfamiliar number amused; there was only one person with the gall to give out his number. "Hello," he managed to sound extremely disinterested.

"Klaus; it's Liz Forbes," Caroline's mother advised.

He felt his pulse race, a genuine smile played across his features. "Sheriff Forbes, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

There was a slight pause, "Caroline is missing; there was a werewolf and a witch; she's been taken."

Taken? Caroline had been taken? It didn't make sense; surely no one could want to hurt her, not Caroline. He couldn't breathe, his body shook, it didn't make sense … and then suddenly it made perfect sense. No one would want to hurt Caroline, someone wanted to hurt him. He realized he was still holding the phone, Caroline's mother was waiting for him to say something, "I will find her." Each word was like pulling razor blades from his throat, he hung up. He couldn't waste any more time.

He operated on auto pilot, finding the number on his phone, hitting dial. "It's Klaus, do you still have that item I gave you?" his voice was icy, making it perfectly clear that there would be only one acceptable answer.

"Yes," the woman sounded nervous.

"You will perform a location spell, you will find its owner; you … will … not … fail. Call me once you have the location, be sure not to keep me waiting long," and with that the call was over. They would call, he would find her, and he would find them.

They were all going to die, every last one of them - whether they touched a hair on her head or not, they were not long for this world. But if … if … they should dare to hurt her, make her bleed a single drop, make her eyes even water with tears, they would suffer before their ends. His rage burned with the intensity of a thousand suns.

He almost threw his phone when it rang again, another unfamiliar number, "Yes?"

"We have her," an unfamiliar male voice.

He made no reply, he was seething.

"We want to know how Marcel controls the witches, you are going to tell us," the dead man continued.

He almost laughed, what were the chances that two separate groups in New Orleans would approach Him the dreaded Original Hybrid for answer to that same quandary? Slim to none is what. Those stupid little bitches, he would burn them alive. "I have no answers," he spoke quietly, making every effort to keep his voice even.

"Caroline will be very disappointed to hear that," was the cool response.

"I want to speak to her," he demanded.

"She's not available, maybe later, like when you have information for me," the voice sounded smug now as though only now realizing he had something Klaus valued. And then there was nothing but a dial tone, the connection severed. The phone crumbled in his hand, he tossed the pieces and watched as they smashed against the pavement.

He had lived in darkness for a thousand years before her light dispersed it, if they took her away from him, the darkness would be absolute … it would be forever and if they forced him to reside in darkness he would have no choice but to revel in it. And he would begin by killing each and every witch in New Orleans … and then … well … Armageddon was nothing compared to him.


Caroline wasn't in a co-operative mood, not in the slightest. It wasn't that what they asked her to do was difficult, merely speak to Klaus, say hello. Only she knew that they were clearly endeavoring to corrupt her to their purpose, so this simple request was the first step, one of many no doubt. They were after something particular from Klaus, and they seemed quite determined to get it. She simply did not believe that giving in to them would increase her chances of living, but denying them might just give Klaus enough time to find her before this escalated exponentially and Bonnie was welcoming her on the Other Side.

She wondered if Bonnie was with her now, couldn't the supernatural dead find you if you thought of them? Just in case, Caroline thought of Bonnie often - best not to put ones eggs in the same Klaus-owned basket after all. So she thought of Bonnie, hoped that her friend could find her, and share her location so that she was … yet again … saved.

Caroline was glad of one thing in her latest captivity, she had finally found an upside to having been tortured so much, it made what Sophie did to her seem tame. She could take a little witch-induced brain explosion, in fact the more often she was subjected to it the higher her tolerance became. She heard someone approaching well before the door was pulled back, she had known by the footfalls that it wasn't Sophie, but she didn't expect the woman who walked through the door. You could have blown her away with a feather she was so shocked. "Hayley," her breath caught in her throat.

The were-slut smiled smugly, "Caroline." She moved out of the door way allowing two men to follow her into the room, the men moved to take up positions behind Caroline, but she paid them no attention focusing on Hayley alone.

Caroline knew then how she ended up in her current predicament; the were-slut had once again sold her out. "You bitch," she glared hotly.

"You don't look so good Care," the use of the nick name a clear dig.

Of all the gall, trailer trash cow. Caroline was well aware that she was not looking her best, she'd been allowed only a minuscule amount of blood, no shower, no make-up, and no curling iron. Of course Hayley would rub it in, for the first time since the were-slut entered Caroline really looked at her – another surprise. Shocking … unbelievable surprise. "You're pregnant, how are you pregnant?" she couldn't prevent the words from escaping.

Hayley smiled, caressing her giant belly, "how do you think?"

Well duh, yes, she knew how, but … how?

"One-night stand?" she couldn't help it, Hayley had a habit of pissing her off, bloody traitorous bitch.

Hayley smirked, Caroline wasn't sure if she'd ever seen her so smug – she felt a chill creep up her spine, she didn't want to discuss this anymore, she had a bad feeling.

"I was just so very grateful when he saved me from Katherine, and really it wasn't like it was a chore considering he is just … mmm … freaking fantastic in the sack," the smile was wicked.

She didn't want to know, but she just had to ask, she just had to...even though she knew she would regret it. "Who?" Her voice small, so very small.

"Klaus of course, do you know anyone else that good in the sack?" her head cocked. "Oh, that's right, you haven't had the pleasure," for someone who didn't like teen drama she seemed to excel in it.

Caroline felt her nails cut into her palms, she knew it wasn't rational but she felt an overwhelming sense of betrayal. Then she thought about what Hayley was actually saying, the were-slut was pregnant with Klaus' child. What the hell? No way could that happen, even if he did sink so low as to take a turn with the trailer trash slut, Klaus was dead. Sooo not possible. "Are you on crack?"

She sensed the men tense behind her.

"The witches call it nature's little loophole, Klaus was a werewolf before he was turned so he can do what vampires can't."

There was something about Hayley, pregnant or not, that always made Caroline want to strangle her. She was toxic, and to think there was a time when she'd actually considered feeling sorry for her. "And just why are you telling me this now?"

"You don't owe him anything, you should consider co-operating," her attitude was suddenly dialed down, she almost seemed to be pleading for Caroline to take her advice. It was almost like she gave a damn.

Caroline was not going to fall for it, she'd given the woman the benefit of the doubt before and she'd ended up with a broken neck - Carol had ended up dead. Hayley didn't care about anyone but Hayley.

"I should rip your fucking spine out, but I'm not going to do that either." Rage - that is what she felt - boiling hot rage. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes; she did not want to cry in front of the bitch, she would not give her that pleasure.

"Get out before I change my mind," through force of will she kept her voice even. Caroline moved towards her, and then the men's hands clamped down on her arms and then the tell tale prick of a needle in her neck. The men released her and moved back to stand beside Hayley who was looking guilty all of a sudden. Caroline knew why when her neck started to burn, it wasn't vervain, it was a death sentence.

God damn bitch, I hope you rot in hell.

Caroline heard, rather than saw, Hayley and the others leave the room. Just in time, the tears flowed down her cheeks in a never ending stream. The tears weren't for impending death, that would be understandable, these tears were for something she couldn't comprehend. What Hayley had told her had upset her, more than that, she was beyond upset and she didn't understand why. She wasn't with Klaus, she had never been with Klaus; it really shouldn't matter. Not that he slept with Hayley, nor even that the bitch was pregnant with his child. None of it should matter, but it did, it mattered so much she found herself devastated, bereft. And she didn't know why, she didn't understand why - when the venom was flooding through her veins - this was what concerned her.

"What is wrong with me?" she mumbled as she settled into a ball on the dirty floor.

She dragged herself up when she heard someone approaching some time later, more than one someone actually. Hasty hands wiped the tears from her cheeks; don't let them see you cry.

Next she heard raised voices, loud thumping, and then the door was pulled back as tall muscular man entered, witch she thought.

"Caroline Forbes?" he asked. She nodded numbly. "You need to come with us," he held his hand out to her.

"Come where?" she asked almost hopefully.

"Do you really want to stay here?" he questioned.

No, she didn't, but she wasn't sure if going with him wouldn't be the last mistake he ever made. Still at this point she was convinced she had zero chance of survival if she stayed. Her voice failed her, so she nodded her ascent and took the offered hand. He supported her weight through a corridor, a door, some swampy scenery, and into a black SUV.

It was only from the relative safety of the vehicle that she looked around, there were two bodies within view, heads severed from their bodies. She felt a certain kind of satisfaction in that which, she reflected, she would normally feel bad about.

Not today, not with death coursing in her veins.

It wasn't until the vehicle surged forward that she realized she was still holding on to his hand, she released it immediately. "Did Klaus send you?" she found her voice, hope giving her strength.

He met her gaze and shook his head in the negative. She probably should have asked him earlier, she mused. "Who?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"I need his blood," she mumbled tiredly. She fell into darkness wondering if the next thing she'd see would be Bonnie's welcoming arms.