A/N:: Hey guys Im back with another update.

I hope you like it.

I would specifically like to mention three of the avid readers of this fic SABA (golden humming bird) THANKS ALOT BABE FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

SNOWYARBO: THANK YOU for your amazing reviews.

SARA: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

And to rest of my followers and faves thank you your support inspires me to write.

CHAPTER 7

Where's My Love?

She had a two minute lead on him as it took two long minutes for him ,a complete one and half minute longer than usual, to get out of those damned handcuffs she had fastened on him using her trickery and feminine wiles, and when had he ever given into feminine wiles before, answer never. No female or woman had managed to trick or deceive him ever. But he knew why Caroline had been able to do that because he himself was blind, a fool and a clod where she was concerned. His own feelings and emotions for him had clouded his better judgement.

He swerved the car into a turn and caught up on her. He could see she was racing towards her apartment. Well good he'll corner her there and find out who exactly was she. A rage so thick and huge, at her betrayal was pulsating inside him that he felt if he didn't find out the truth soon he'll tear something apart. He had always been what people might call him a bit temperamental and he never tolerated deceit but something even more intense than his rage wanted to know why,the same something that ignited every time he saw her, love. He knew he had fallen for her and his love ,his heart needed to know if he had been deceived or not.

He saw her park her car in front of her building and rush inside.

He could see by the abruptness of her movements that she was planning to run away but he won't let her not before she answered all of his questions.

'Not so fast' he thought and grabbing the crossbow he had first used to enter her apartment,,,,,her life, he climbed over and landed in her room through her balcony the same instant that she did through the door.

She took out a small gun and pointed it at him.

"What do you want? Who are you?" she uttered in a menacing whisper.

Love and rage and god help him lust at this new side of her roared inside him again and he quietly sauntered over to her bed and making himself comfortable replied, " Don't you think that's a question I should be asking love?"

"You sent those men after me . What do you want?"

He felt he guaged a little hurt in her voice or maybe it was his own guilt at having sent those men after her.

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." and in a flash got up and stood in front of her.

"Fine. Ask away."

"Who are you?"

"That's a stupid question when you already know me Mr Morgan."

"I dont think it is. You see I thought I knew you but I don't. I didn't know you were "Blonde Menace" is it . I like the name it has a unique ring to it."

"What are you talking about?" she was still holding a gun pointing towards him.

"Oh please love get this toy out of me face will you it's making me even more livid than I already am."

"No. I won't."

"No?" was asked in a flash of a temper he was trying so hard to hold onto.

In the next second he disarmed her and had her in his embrace with her back to him. She trembled and another shard of guilt cut through him at her being afraid of him.

However she tried to kick out of his arms but he held on, her wriggling movements lending further fuel to his lust and anger.

"Don't squirm love. Now I'll let you go if you tell me the truth."

"Fine. But how do I know you won't kill me?"

"Because I ca.. I won't." and he let her go. She noticed his hesitation.

Turning around she moved to one corner of the room and faced him.

"I don't know what you're talking about . But I'm not who you think I am."

"Well I won't disagree. But if you're saying you're not Blonde Menace , an assassin for the Smiths. Then I don't believe you .I saw your profile in the updated database of the Suzerain. Don't lie dear because those moves back there show you've been trained by Yakashi." he thought he caught a flicker in her eyes but it was gone before he could label what it was.

"Who are the Smiths and who's Yakashi? Look whoever you are I'll have you know I took a few self defense classes a while back when I was in Japan. Before coming here I mean to America I used to live alone in a not so safe neighborhood in Japan so I took a few self defense classes,that's how I know those moves. But why did you attack me I mean ask your men to attack me?" he saw hurt mixed with vulnerability in her eyes and he wanted to kick himself but he couldn't give in just yet.

"You're saying you aren't Blonde Menace? Don't lie I saw it with own eyes."

"I answered your question now you answer mine"

"I'm Nikalus Mikealson , I'm the heir to the biggest mafia family of the country and I got my men to attack you because I wanted to see if what Kol had unearthed about you was true. Kind of like a catch you in the act sort of thing."

"Kol ? And what he found out you believe in that. You believe him ? "

After a moment's hesitation he spoke ," Yes."

"And he's never made a mistake?"

Klaus knew Kol might be wrong , because a few times he had actually messed up being a little careless . But why would The Suzerain database have her picture with the profile of a deadly cold blooded assassin when the woman standing in front of him was half scared . He knew she was putting up a brave front but that spooked look in her eyes was becoming more evident with each minute. She had looked so confident back at the alley but maybe that was just adrenaline rush and now she was actually feeling frightened. Acutely aware that he was making excuses ,looking for some other explanation for her deviousness he felt irate at himself.

Ire directed at himself and insane with it he decided to do what he knew was wrong , what he was hating her for a minute ago he decided to use that deception ,which was the biggest truth of his life.

"Caroline." he whispered lovingly ," You don't have to be afraid of me. I'll protect you. I won't let any harm come to you."

He moved closer to her and kissed her ravenously at first and when he felt her responding he became tender with her.

Even as he said the words he was aware that the words were right but he was saying them for the wrong reasons. He was seducing her into telling the truth. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved her but if she was Blonde Menace than he had loved a woman who didn't exist and this predicament was killing him.

He backed her into a wall and pulled away. Cupping her face he said the words which should have been said for what they actually were meant for not for coaxing the truth out of her.

"I love you." however when he said those words they felt like a vow ,a prayer to him and the intensity with which those three words were uttered crushed her defenses.

She lept at him kissing him with all the hunger she had inside her for him. Forgetting pretense, his recent plan to find out the truth he ran frantic hands over her body and kissed her back. He tugged away her jacket and she fisted hands in his hair. Biting on his lower lip she let her be ravaged by him. Perilously close to losing control she backed away.

"Promise me. Look me in my eyes and say that."

"Caroline I promise. I love you. I have never loved another woman the way I love you. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'll protect you at all costs. I know we met under wrong pretenses and circumstances but trust me and I won't let you down. I know I lied but I was going to tell you the truth."

Klaus said all the things that he had wanted to say earlier when he had decided to confess everything to her. The words were meant to deceive her, but even to himself they rang truer than the time and space itself.

She knew she had been lying to him about who actually she was well it wasn't a complete lie. She was a curator for a gallery but she was also "Blonde Menace" an assassin for the Smiths the most ruthless criminal organization of Europe or she was up until a few years ago when she left them and went rogue.

But she couldn't continue to lie to him , couldn't keep concealing her true identity from him when she was as much in love with him as he was. Even finding the truth about her he was willing to let go of his assignment for the Sovereign because he loved her and she could see the purity of that emotion in his eyes when he was professing it to her.

She kissed him again and then moved around her room. She bent behind her nightstand and took out the bug he had planted and threw it at him.

"Kol's right I am Blonde Menace." she confessed and hurt and pain at her betrayal pierced his heart.

Then she ripped out another bug from the lamp on her side wall and threw it at him.

"I knew that you were coming to kill me and to retrieve that bracelet. You think I'd have easily woken up by faint mewl of Marie Curie. Well I would have but I wasn't asleep that first night you came into my room."

Taking another bug out and throwing it at him she continued, " But when you showed up as my neighbor I'll admit I was surprised. I knew that the Suzerain had sent you after me because I know how they and the Sovereign work but I didn't understand your procrastination. I'd heard about your ruthlessness." Then moving closer to him with so much love and trusting affection on her face she grasped his face and almost killed him with the intensity of the love in her eyes and said, "But I didn't understand your apparent infatuation with me Nik. With each passing moment even as I was falling for you I couldn't hope for your love until now."

For that instant he wanted to scoop her up and tuck her away somewhere no one could hurt her. The vulnerability, the hopeful adoration in her eyes spoke to his own love , but he remembered he hadn't fallen in love with her ,he had fallen for the woman who wore weird history T-shirts , baked pies for an ill neighbor and sparred with him in that prim tone of hers. And the self assured woman , the callous assassin standing in front of her was not the same.

He wrenched away her arms with more distaste at himself than her because even now when he knew the truth he still wanted this woman ,this assassin with a passion and love so fierce that it was threatening to choke him.

So he laughed , a cold heart rending sound and turning around to see shock and hurt on her magnificent face he said, "I'm impressed. Really Caroline. Is that your real name?" he asked and knew he was hurting her on purpose.

"Yes. Nik ?" Just his name came out of her mouth as the unsaid question about the sudden change in his demeanor.

"You know Caroline I'm impressed by your whole cover and your plan to dupe me but a little disappointed that you gave in so easily at my false confession to trick the truth out of you."

Her eyes widened with anguish and her breathless question a heavy stone on his bruised heart ," So you lied back there about loving me?"

Seeing the despair on her face and feeling its twin emotion in his heart at her own deceit but more so at the wounded look in her eyes, he wanted to yell NO!

But he couldn't , not when the pain of her betrayal ran so close to the surface , not when he hated her for taking away his art loving nerd ,his love from him and replacing it with a woman whom he did not recognize.

Confused by his conflicted and turbulent emotions for the woman standing in front of him he spat out. "What else love? What do you take me for ? A common fool. You think I'd actually fallen for an ugly facade of a mousy curator. I was just playing with my prey until I got bored. You're beautiful and I just wanted to fuck you while I could but you were proving to be…." Before he could complete his sentence she approached him and slapped him across his face.

Incensed at her insolence he grabbed her in his arms fully intending to punish her but the moment he saw the tears pooling in her eyes he backed away as if he was burned.

"Get out." she whispered angrily.

Klaus got even more incandescent at himself for the protectiveness and the guilt he felt clawing inside him for bringing tears in her eyes he bit out, " You have a headstart of twenty four hours then I'm coming for you."

Then he left and Caroline crumpled beside her bed and giving into the anguish and humiliation she felt at his thoughtless words and his deception she let her tears fall.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

( FEW HOURS LATER)

Caroline was sitting in a bar , the vodka shot in her hand she stared into the transparent liquid in the glass. She never got drunk but they said that alcohol numbed away the pain so she had come to a bar close to her apartment near to test the theory. When the pain of Klaus's lies and his manipulation of her own feelings against her had been too much for her to handle she had decided to drink herself to oblivion.

"Caroline are you okay?" Katherine asked as she slid on a stool at the bar beside her. "Rebekah kind of warned me about you. I tracked your mobile and came here."

Caroline turned her face towards Katherine and Katherine saw that her friend had been crying. Kat had known Caroline for two years and she never once saw her this distressed.

"What happened?" Kat asked more politely.

Caroline downed the shot and replied," We had our show down. Klaus and I. I told him who I was and that I knew he was coming for me."

"Are you insane? Did you forget our original plan that you don't reveal anything until you find out why he was pretending to fall for you?"

Both Caroline and Katherine had known that Klaus was coming to kill Caroline. Initially Katherine had suggested Caroline to run away but she had resisted saying that she had finally built her life again and she won't run she'll stay and fight. When Katherine had pointed out that Caroline might as well jump from a bridge rather than face Klaus she had replied she could handle him.

However both had been astonished at Klaus's interest in her and his reluctance in going through with his plan in the first week he met her. So both had decided to wait and watch but soon it had become apparent that Caroline had started falling for him too and Kat had tried to dissuade Caroline but she herself knew love worked in strange ways.

"He was playing with his prey …..me. He wanted to fuck me. He said that he's not a fool to fall for a facade."

"Care…"

"I told him I loved him and he laughed in my face"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I do….I do love him. You know at first I hated him but now I know he's right. How could anyone fall for a facade?"

"If you're excusing his behavior because you're feeling guilty about hiding the truth from him then don't because he hid the truth from you too. And the fact that you knew and just remained silent for self preservation does not exempt him of his deception Care."

"I know but what's worse is that I'd thought once I knew he loved me and I told him the truth about me it wouldn't matter. I mean we both lied to each other but I had thought at least our love was true amidst this whole deception. But I was wrong he was just manipulating me. It was just my love for him ,his was a mockery. And you know what Kat he stayed true to his nature to this deceptiveness even where his feelings were concerned but I was the one who swayed so how can I blame him when I knew who he was from the beginning."

"Caroline honey how much did you drink?"

Caroline gave out a bitter laugh and replied , "Just one."

"You told him the truth that you were an assassin and he let you go?"

"I have a twenty four hour head start. Well nineteen hours now to be exact." she replied glancing at her wrist watch.

"You have to leave. I know him he'll retaliate in the worst way. Caroline are you even listening?" Frustrated Kat spun Caroline towards her.

"I'm not running away. I won't run away."

"Care.." Kat was about to argue and knock some sense into her but her cellphone rang and she saw Rebekah was calling her. She took out and answered it, "Yeah. What is he okay? I'll be there. I …. I'm coming..I'm coming."

Caroline saw the blood drain from Kat's face and concerned for her friends evident perturbation she asked, "What happened? You okay?"

"No. Elijah..Elijah he got shot . He's in the hospital ..Care I…"

"It's okay . Go."

"I wouldn't have left if…"

"I know just go."

Hugging her friend for support Kat whispered,"Don't do anything stupid and leave before he comes for you. Please."

"Just go. I'll take care of myself." Then Katherine rushed out.

Caroline sat on her stool again. The bartender asked her she needed another drink she just nodded finally acting upon her decision to drown her heartache in alcohol.

Sometime later she didn't know the exact time but she got up from her stool and almost stumbled back since she was inebriated. She paid the bartender and left the bar. As drunk as a skunk she walked outside. Swaying and almost ataxic strolling on the sidewalk she headed towards her apartment.

Someone grabbed her from behind and her instincts had her struggling to unshackle herself from his grasp, but in her intoxicated state she couldn't adequately fight to free herself . Her attacker put a cloth on her face and she could smell the faintly sweet odour of chloroform and before she could react any further she found herself sliding into unconsciousness.

:::::::::::::;;:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

His emotions out of control , his heart heavy and his anger an erupting volcano had him hurling a chair at the wall. Opening the bottle of scotch he downed a few drinks to numb his anguish and pain.

Her tear stricken face kept flashing in his mind. He kept seeing her hurt eyes and face and her agonising question " So you lied to me back there?" kept rolling through his mind making him more furious at himself. However much he tried he couldn't hate her or maybe his sadistic heart refused to hate her.

He wanted nothing more than to abhor her but he kept remembering all those moments of passion and tenderness they shared, her smile a bright light for his dark heart and her scared hopeful whisper of her confession of her feelings for him. He kept remembering the feel of her soft hands when she had soothed him out of his nightmare about losing her. A bitter laugh escaped his lips at the irony of having lost her now and took a deep swig from his bottle. He threw the bottle and it crashed on the wall, that crash however did nothing to lessen the desolation and torment saturating his heart where she lived.

Every instinct, every pernicious fibre of his soul yearned him to go back to her, urged him to return to his peace of mind and his heartbeat , his Caroline but she wasn't his …. "she was ,she is and she will always be his." a stubborn sweet tormenting whisper of his heart's desire sneaked his soul, when he wasn't in his conscious mind anymore, all the alcohol dulling his anger and leaving only the single other but more potent emotion for her , love.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

(THE NEXT DAY)

"Hello sweetheart. Would you be an angel and get me your boss." Enzo said leaning at April's desk.

April blushed a little at his flirtation and replied, "She didn't come in today."

"Strange. It's almost noon. It's not like her to stay in late. Did she leave any message for you?" Enzo asked becoming worried because he knew she wasn't at her apartment either.

"No. She didnt."

"Okay." Enzo replied but before he turned away he collided with the janitor and the photograph of Klaus that Julian had given him last night fell out of his pocket. He mumbled an apology and picked it up.

April remarked seeing the photograph, "Hey that's Caroline's boyfriend."

"Come again ?"

"That's Nik Morgan. Caroline was going out with him. Maybe she's staying with him."

Dread filled his heart at April's confession. He knew who Klaus Mikealson was and what he was capable of and if Caroline was with him or if he had hurt her...he wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.

Mumbling another thanks to April he dashed out of the gallery.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Two black SUV's came to a sudden halt face to face in an abandoned warehouse a few miles away from the city.

Mikeal and Klaus got out of one SUV and Bill and Enzo from the other and stood facing each other. A few armed men in black tuxes stood on the sidelines ready to shoot and protect their bosses in case of slightest trouble.

Mikeal approached Bill and asked, "Why have you called us here? If this is another one of your foolish attempts to kill me beware I've brought my men and this warehouse is you so much as try to make a wrong move you'll be dead before you know it. "

Bill clenched his fists his hatred for Mikeal apparent in his demeanor. " I gave you my word that this is just an important meeting because I believe your heir is responsible for the disappearance of my daughter."

Bill's words had Klaus's heart clench in his chest. He felt a sense of alarm at Caroline being missing then belatedly reminded himself maybe she had skipped town because he had all but threatened to kill her however this thought made him feel even more guilty than before.

"This is preposterous. You are just falsely accusing my son because your looking for excuses to create trouble." Mikeal was aware of the assignment Julian had entrusted Klaus with but he was also privy to the fact that Bill and his adopted son knew nothing about that assignment so he feigned ignorance because if Bill knew then the chances of Niklaus becoming the next Sovereign were nonexistent.

"He is not making false accusations. Niklaus is responsible for Caroline's disappearance I know it. Ask your son." Enzo bit out his wrath evident in his voice.

"Why do you assume that I had something to do with this? Maybe she left town." Klaus remarked fury building with each minute.

Enzo's temper escalated in a flash of a movement he grabbed Klaus's shirt front and yelled, "You bastard you are lying. I know she was last seen with you. She wouldn't have left without telling anything happened to her I'm going to burn you alive you hear me."

Mikeal's men rushed forward to attack Enzo and Bill's bodyguards charged towards Klaus.

Mikeal growled, " Bill control your mongrel or you'll both wont walk out of here alive."

"Why wouldn't she have left without telling you? Who the hell are you? " Klaus in turn grabbed Enzo's collar and was about to land a punch on his face , blinding jealousy gnawed at him, anger resonated inside him at Enzo's claim on his Caroline, when Bill yelled, " Enzo enough." ,and Enzo let go of Klaus.

"Mikeal consider this a fair warning if you or anyone among your family is responsible for my daughter's disappearance I'll make sure you regret living the rest of your lives. Enzo let's go."

Teeth clenched hands fisted Enzo continued glaring at Klaus.

"Enzo!" Bill called out again and Enzo reluctantly left.

Klaus turned around and unleashed his fury by landing a resounding punch in the hood of his car.

"Niklaus deal with this immediately. Once you are Sovereign Bill or his mongrel wouldn't dare to question us." Mikeal said hinting towards his assignment and Caroline. Then Mikeal he sat in the SUV and Klaus followed him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Klaus fastened a gun at his left ankle and hooked in his belt another at his back. He tucked a push dagger in his left back pocket of his jeans and sheathed LHR combat knife at a small pocket at his left calf.

Finally he took out his modified BC-14 which was a metallic knuckle with a push dagger in the front and strapped it on the inside of his left sleeve.

He left his room at the Mansion and was about to leave when he was stopped by his sister.

"Nik? What happened? What did Bill Forbes want with you?"

"Nothing. Im pressed for time Rebekah I have to go."

She blocked her path and said, " No. You're not leaving without explanation. You look like you're going for an assignment and I know father didn't comission you with a new one yet. Where are you going?"

He wanted to tell her to sod off but the concern in her voice had him spilling out his guts. "Caroline's missing. I have to go find her."

"I thought you hated her?" she asked as a matter of fact.

"I tried . And now I find out she's been missing. If anything happened ….." Klaus couldn't complete what he wasn't even allowing himself to think. " I need to go."

"Wait I'll come with you." Rebekah knew that her brother loved Caroline and she knew how the mere thought of her being missing must be killing him even if he won't admit it hence she volunteered.

"Rebekah.."

"Don't argue Nik. Do you have any idea who might've taken her?"

"No but I'm…" Klaus's reply was interrupted by his cellphone ring. He answered and a sense of doom filled his heart when he heard who was responsible for Caroline's abduction.

Wordlessly he listened and fear and rage raking him he replied , " You'll regret this. I'm coming."

From the look on Klaus's face Rebekah guessed who was on the other end of the call and just a single curse escaped her mouth "Fuck" before she accompanied her brother to rescue Caroline.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Caroline's head lolling , her hands cuffed and her legs strapped to the chair with a duct tape she was held captive in an old abandoned warehouse.

Her abductor flashed a light in her eyes to wake her and benumbed by the drugs they had pumped in her she strained to open her eyes. Then the man slapped her across the face and she woke up with a start ," That's better. Rise and shine ,Caroline."

He laughed , a sick terrifying sound, "I actually rhymed."

She saw that her captor had black hair , brown eyes and half of his face was scarred perhaps the result of a previous burn.

He had a British accent and a limp in his left leg.

"Who are you?" a whisper barely audible as she was still a little disoriented, but even half asleep she started working to get out of the handcuffs.

"I'm your death." He laughed again and Caroline realized that the guy was psychotic, " But I'm not going to kill you until he arrives."

"Who?"

"Why Niklaus? Who else my dear? Word on the street says you two have being going at each other and Niklaus even killed Shane for you. That's true love right there, sweetheart. Too bad this romance is a tragedy."

"I don't know who the hell are you but you moron your sources suck because Klaus himself wants to kill me."

"Nah Ah. I disagree."

"Look. Youre wrong."

"I'm not wrong." he yelled and slapped her again.

She held on to her temper and spit the blood she felt in her mouth on the side.

"I'm going to make him pay for what he did to me. He took away my life from me I'm going to take away his." he paced a few steps and took three deep calming breaths. Then he knelt in front of her and said , " I'm going to destroy him by killing you because I've watched him with and I know he loves you."

Caroline saw the madness in his eyes she knew if he snapped he would kill her in a second without waiting for Klaus. She surveyed the room for the exit. Her handcuffs already unlocked but she pretended to be bound waiting for the right moment. And she knew she had a little time since he believed Klaus might show up however he couldn't be more wrong she knew he wouldn't and even if he might he would probably assist this lunatic in killing her.

Buying herself more time she said, "Well we dated but that doesn't mean he's head over heels." when she saw his expression turn ominous she quickly added, " I mean how can you be sure he'll come?"

"Because my dear I know him .I'm his elder brother Finn Mikealson."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I HOPE YOU LIKED IT …..

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU DID.