AN: Thank you for all the reviews, follows and notes. :) So, a lot is going on in this chapter. We are building towards the end of Part 2. This story will either be 11 or 12 chapters. I haven't decided. It depends on how Chapter 10 and 11 goes. I'm thinking about Part 3, but it really depends if people are still interested after the end of this story. I'm alternating between this and 'Dead and Away'. I'm also thinking about finishing 'No Way Out' which is a Damon/Elena story. I like this story way more than 'No Way Out'. I just lost my inspiration for it. So what do you want to see? More Klaroline? Maybe Kolonnie (I like that better than Kennett).

I do not own the Vampire Diaries or Originals Characters. I own the story. ****Note: This story contains themes of an adult nature, including and not limited to rape, murder, kidnapping, domination, submission and more. If you are uncomfortable with themes of this nature, please do not read. This story may cause triggers*****


Chapter 9

Caroline studied the old woman. She was somewhat frail, although Caroline got the distinct feeling she was stronger than she looked. Marcel started. "Thank you for wanting to meet. Can I ask who you are?"

"I am Claire Dubois' grandmother and the granddaughter of Celeste Dubois. My name is Cornelia."

Marcel turned to look at Caroline. "And why did you want to meet us?" Caroline questioned.

"Because of her," She pointed down at the baby on the floor. "That is Claire's daughter, Chloe. She carries the gift. Claire is somewhat troubled as I'm sure you have figured out. She didn't get the gift of magic when she was born. Her magic has been born from expression. As you can imagine, she still has the genes so her power is still quite formidable."

Okay so they really like names that start with C. "Yes we've seen that Mrs. Dubois. We just aren't sure how to stop her."

"Well…" the old woman sighed. "The spirits and I have made a deal so you will know soon;" her breath catching in her throat as she continued on. "I will give you what you need, but you must promise not to harm her. I have no desire to start a war with the Original family, but she is my granddaughter and regardless of what she's done, this child needs her mother. She does have the gift." Caroline looked at the little girl, when she noticed one of the blocks spinning on its own and the little girl giggling at it. Her heart immediately softened.

"Mrs. Dubois, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure Claire is unharmed. You have my word."

"Let me have your hand child." Caroline reached forward to extend her hand and the old woman took it in both of hers and started rocking back and forth. "Oh yes, you are spirited child. Be warned though, while you have the power to drag the one you love into the light, the road will not always be smooth. There is always the chance of darkness sneaking its way back to the surface. If you go on this journey, make sure it's one you want to be on as long as you live, as he will plummet to the depths of darkness without you." Jerking her hand away, she glanced at Marcel.

"Umm thank you." She said apologetically for snatching her hand away.

"Oh I know you aren't ready to hear it child." The old woman smiled and rose from her chair. She returned with a vial of blood and an old book. "Once you have the spell, here are the items you need to do the spell. Give these to Bonnie Bennett."

Caroline and Marcel nodded at the same time.

"Also be warned that there is a traitor in your midst. It is someone that is unexpected and will not be known until the end. I can tell you that it is a man."

Clutching the book and the vial, Caroline emerged from the house. Okay that was intense. Her mind was flooded with thoughts about what the woman said about the darkness and the one she loves. The one she loves? Really?

Marcel was on her heels as they exited the house. He took out his phone. "Thierry. I'm going to Chicago. I'll be gone a couple of days. If you have any problems, call me. " Pressing the end button, he looked at Caroline. "Let's go. Want to talk about it?"

"Not at all." She smiled, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Wasting no time at all, they headed to the airport and immediately jumped on a plane back to Chicago. Caroline looked through the grimoire. It was very old. They still didn't know what kind of magic the witches were going to attempt against Klaus though, but they definitely knew there was a traitor amongst them. Well it could be Sebastian. She doubted it was Marcel, Elijah or Kol. Sebastian was the only one, but Sebastian was sired to Klaus. He literally couldn't betray him. It had to be someone else, but who?

They arrived at the private airport exactly two hours and twenty minutes later, and jumped directly into a car on their way to the mansion. Suddenly Caroline grabbed Marcel's arm. "Wait, we shouldn't go back. They think that Klaus and I are fighting and there is a traitor there. If they find out that we can stop them, wouldn't that be a bad thing?"

"You are right. Let's check into a hotel." He dialed Kol's number. "Kol this is Marcel. Meet me at the Hampton Inn & Suites downtown. Thanks."

The driver changed direction and headed to the hotel. He and Caroline checked in and had just gotten settled in the room when Kol and Bonnie knocked on the door.

"Caroline!" Kol exclaimed as he came into the room. He and Bonnie stared at the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry there isn't time to explain. Obviously the fight was fake, but needless to say, we met with Claire's grandmother in New Orleans. She gave us the items needed to do a spell on Claire. We don't know what the spell is or really anything else except that you need these." She thrust the book and the vial in Bonnie's hands. "She said that you would know soon. Oh and we can't hurt Claire."

Bonnie was truly taken back by the newest information. "Okay, so the spirits are going to communicate."

"No, no, no…it doesn't make sense." Kol started. "Why would Claire's grandmother help us?"

"Because Claire has a baby and she doesn't want to start a war with the Original family." Kol was still of the mind that it was a trick. Bonnie looked at him.

"Kol…the spirits wouldn't lie to me." He nodded.

"Okay, let's just say for some reason she wanted to save her granddaughter and great granddaughter from a lifetime of misery, which is smart…I mean have you met my family, but why wouldn't she just stop Claire herself?"

Caroline nodded. That was a really good question. "I don't think she does a lot of magic Kol. Besides didn't you say it would take a coven of witches to stop them? Maybe she doesn't have enough magic. She did know about Bonnie and she said she made a deal with the spirits."

Bonnie threw a glance at Kol. "The spirits are really angry with Claire. She is using expression Kol. It's possible that they have a vested interest in stopping her. Witches that use expression become very strong and out of control. Claire is using that AND traveler's magic."

Kol looked back and forth between them all considering all the information. "I still don't buy it. Witches are smart and cunning." Bonnie looked at him. "Present company exempted of course." He threw her a brilliant smile. "Let's see what the spirits say. But why are you guys in a hotel instead of back at the mansion?"

"Oh…right. Well there is a traitor. It's a man. We don't know who it is, but it is someone unexpected."

"Like who? It's not Elijah or I."

"I thought about that. She said it was someone unexpected. Can someone that is sired to Klaus hurt him?"

"Not unless they broke the sire bond somehow and I've never heard of that being done in the history of vampires at least not without some kind of express dismissal from the Sire. Even then they could re-invoke it anytime they wanted."

"Okay so that rules out Sebastian and most of the staff. But we should check to see who is human or vampire that works there that is not sired to him. Although she said he would not be known until the end." Her concentration was difficult at the moment and she kept drifting back to Klaus.

"Okay. I'm still not convinced. One thing is for sure, this is definitely happening soon. Caroline you should go back to the mansion and make-up (air quotes) with Klaus. Remember to put on a show. Somehow try to get him the information." Kol continued. "I will stay here with Bonnie while we try to figure out the spell. Marcel, are you staying?"

"Yes. I will go after Caroline has a chance to make up with Klaus a little later today."

"Okay then. I'm going to go beg my Sire for forgiveness then." She picked up her coat and her bag, bid everyone farewell and headed toward the elevator bank. Once downstairs, she jumped in the car waiting for her and headed back towards the mansion. She quietly walked in the front door. He knew she was here, he had to let her in the gate. She climbed to the third floor and walked to his room, where several people were gathered. Getting into character, she dropped her head and knocked on the door. "Enter."

She threw open the door, looking sheepishly around the room. "Klaus, can we talk?"

"Yes, if everyone would be so kind to leave us for a few moments." It didn't matter, they could all hear anyway.

"Klaus I'm sorry. I was upset and scared."

"Love, your behavior was atrocious." He smiled at her as he hugged her.

"Will you please forgive me?"

"Of course. I'm glad you are back." She found a tablet and grabbed the pen. We have to talk. Need somewhere safe. She ripped off the page, showed it to him and then threw it in the fire. He nodded.

He walked out the door and went into the room across the hall. Caroline hadn't been in there in what felt like months. It made sense that it was sound proofed though. "So love, what is going on?"

"Well, we met with Claire's grandmother. She gave us the stuff to do a spell to stop her. But Klaus, you can't kill her. And that's not just me talking. She has a daughter." He was a little taken back by that.

"Love I have no intention of killing her unless there is no other choice of course."

"Did you love her?"

"I already answered that. No I didn't." He looked deeply into her eyes, the intensity in them drawing her closer to him. "What else did she say?"

"There is a spy here. It's a man. Bonnie and Kol are working on getting the spell from the spirits. Marcel will be here in a little while. You told me that you had never been through so much with someone right before you turned me though. It seems like you had this whole relationship with her."

He leaned back, his curiosity rising. "Love, you sound…" He raised an eyebrow before she interrupted.

"Stop, just please stop with the flirting and charm. Just tell me."

His face clouded over. "Look Caroline. I told you. I did go through a lot with her, but never in all the time I have been doing this have I ever felt so strongly…" His voice became ragged. "until you."

She literally gasped. "What?"

"Caroline, I can't explain it and I don't know why. When I was out, all I thought about was getting back to you and loving you. When I knew, I knew. And it was immediate. As soon as I saw you, there was something different about you. I fought it of course. I didn't understand it. I'm very good at turning things off. I don't need to turn off my emotions because most of the time I just don't care. I don't find love to be a very useful emotion most of the time, but when I was comatose, I could feel you and I could feel you reaching out to me…and I just knew."

"What did you know?"

"What I never knew with anyone else in my long life. That I wanted to love you and that despite everything that I was in love with you." With that, he pulled her into his arms and landed his mouth on top of hers, pulling her into a passionate kiss. "Don't you understand what you do to me? What you have always done to me?"

"No. I just know that you do awful things and I hate myself for pushing that aside."

"Caroline, you push it aside because I'm the balance to your light. I'm the darkness that is inside of you. I give you permission to be bad. And you are the same for me. You are light inside of me. You give me permission to be good. We are a balance for each other. We are our perfect opposite. And as much as I want to continue this and make mad passionate love to you right now, we do have a war to attend to."

She shook herself out of whatever was going on in her head. "Right. Witches."

"We can't tell anyone, so this stays between us. The only people I want in my bed chamber are you, Rebekah, Kol, Bonnie and Elijah. Everyone else can stay downstairs. Not that it will be any safer, but given that we don't know who it is. It will give us a little bit of time."

He grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door. "Follow me." He barked and dragged her to the second floor where Genevieve was staying. Not bothering to knock, he threw open the door, leaving Caroline standing in the doorway gaping and wondering what he was about to do. He grabbed the shocked girl and dragged her to her feet. "You came to Chicago. You got lost in the nightlife and met a musician, who you shacked up with for a few months. But now you are going to go home, meet a nice guy and live your life. The car downstairs will take you anywhere you want to go. You will not remember me, or this house, or anything else that happened here. You will live a long and happy life." He released her. She looked around.

"What am I doing here?"

"It is very simple love, your boyfriend played a show here and then took off with another girl. I was going to help you get home to…"

"Charlotte."

"Yes Charlotte."

"Thank you." She headed out the door and down the stairs. Klaus stood there for a moment and turned around to face Caroline, who was in a momentary state of shock. "Now love, let's get this war underway." Her eyes were wide as the shock of what he did registered in her mind. Maybe he was willing to change for her?

Everyone that was allowed came upstairs. It was difficult to talk though. Mostly everything except chit chat was written down and immediately burned in the fire. Klaus threw in a couple of false statements just for effect. Throughout the day, Klaus and Caroline would catch each other's stares and look away uncomfortably as if they had this huge secret they were keeping from everyone.

Elijah wrote down that he and Rebekah were going to track down a group of traveler's that Bonnie and Kol had managed to find. By that time, Marcel had arrived and he wrote down that he would stay here with Klaus and Caroline and help do more research. Caroline looked through the staff registry and every time she would find someone that was a male, she would point it out to Klaus, who would inevitably shake his head that he was sired.

Kol and Bonnie had texted that they were going to stay at the hotel for privacy reasons. Bonnie was in touch with the spirits and they had given her a spell but she needed to get a couple of other things to complete it. She and Kol were leaving in the morning. It was very quiet, with no one talking about anything.

Elijah's POV

Elijah and Rebekah approached the make-shift campsite carefully. Traveler's were a shifty bunch and generally pretty powerful especially when they banded together. Pain tore through Elijah's head as he looked at Rebekah who was currently on the ground in the same condition. They looked up to see the Traveler's surrounding them. One man stood in the front, he had long curly black hair. He resembled a stereo-typical gypsy.

"We aren't here to start trouble. We just have some questions." Elijah looked around and saw about twenty traveler's. They dropped their hands and Elijah recovered, getting back up on his feet. "Thank you."

"Vy are you here?" The man in the front replied in a thick Romanian accent.

"I'm sorry that we invaded your…" He looked around. "…home. We are trying to get some information on a band of travelers that is traveling with a witch."

"Ah…you are looking vor Claire? Are you not?" Elijah nodded.

"Is she here?"

"No! Ve would not consort with a witch. Vy would ve need to?" He said turning to his coven.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No. But ve have heard some things. Your witch…"

"She is not our witch."

"Your witch is up to some very dark things, is she not? There is vord that she is trying to kill an Original. She came to us months ago, looking for a spell that could deliver the Original to another body and a way to finally kill an Original. I ave' no doubt that she has found that. I'm told she picked up a band of traveler's in Mississippi."

"That's impossible." The last vestiges of white oak had been burned centuries ago.

"You'd be surprised what one can find lying around if they look hard enough."

"Why are you telling us this?"

"Well, for one, ve have no belief that it would actually work. Killing the Original Hybrid would take more than that. However, it would incapacitate him for a very long time. Two, ve do not want to start a fight with the Original family." He glanced back and forth between Elijah and Rebekah. "Ve just vant to be left out of it."

After studying him for a few minutes, Elijah nodded. "No harm will come to your coven when this is said and done if you had no part in it. But if you hear anything, please call me." He handed him a card.

"Elijah, do you believe him?"

"Yes Rebekah, I do. And if what he said is correct, that means that there is a white oak stake somewhere in existence and maybe more. At least now we have an idea of what is going on. We know what Claire is trying to do." He took out his phone and texted Bonnie and Kol that they were on their way.

They arrived at the hotel a short time later and hurried up to the suite. "Kol, we have a problem. The traveler's that you found, knew about Claire. She is trying to do a body jump spell and use a white oak stake on Klaus to kill him."

"Would that kill him?"

"If he's in another body? I don't know. The Traveler's seemed to think it wouldn't work permanently. We've never actually had occasion to test the theory. I have to assume that it would at the very least incapacitate him for a long period of time. Either way there is white oak somewhere on this continent and we need to find it."

"I thought all the white oak was gone."

"Apparently we were mistaken. And since it can definitely kill us, I suggest that that be Number 2 on the list after saving Nikklaus."

Elijah texted Klaus and told him they would return in a while and that they needed somewhere private to talk.

Klaus's POV

"Elijah is on his way back." He thought about where to go. All of them filing into the dungeon room was becoming a little too obvious, so he decided to go to the Coffin room. After all, he used to take calls in there that were of a personal or confidential nature. He texted Elijah back to meet them in the coffin room.

Caroline, Marcel and Klaus were waiting for Elijah to arrive. "So obviously Elijah found out something." Her mind was swimming with the possibilities. Elijah and Rebekah appeared a few minutes later.

"Klaus. We know what Claire is trying to do. She is trying to perform a body jump spell and end you with a white oak stake."

A look of disbelief covered Klaus's face. "What? A white oak stake won't kill me."

"Not in your body. But do you know it won't kill you in another body?"

"Yes I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work."

"Even if didn't Klaus, it would absolutely incapacitate you for a long time, while they look for a way to kill you permanently. And it would kill us. These witches were strong enough to take you down for almost a month. Imagine what they could do with a mortal body and a white oak stake, including but not limited to decapitating you." Elijah was very serious and very worried.

Klaus stood back and thought about the information. "Okay, so they manage to get past all my guards, incapacitate me in another way…" his hand went to his necklace, "you would just unstake me and everything is back to normal."

"Klaus, I don't think you appreciate the power that is behind all of this. The spirits are worried about Claire. She is strong. They obviously think that she has the power to bring you down, which on any other day, would probably be a bonus for them. For some reason though, they are more concerned about disabling Claire than killing you. Don't you find that a tad strange? If she weren't a threat and didn't have the power to do this, do you think the spirits would get involved?"

Tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling, "Okay, so they are going to attack. There is nothing we can do until they do."

"Yes, Bonnie is communing with the spirits. She almost has the spell to disable Claire. There is the other matter of tracking down the white oak stakes, but unfortunately that will have to wait until we manage to get this witch out of your life."

Klaus stood there and watched them all leave, except Caroline. "Klaus I think you are underestimating what is going on," she said it softly and without judgment.

"No Caroline I'm not."

"No matter what happens, I cannot show weakness. Not now, not ever." His hands clasped behind his back as he turned to look at her. She just nodded and walked out of the room. She knew this was far from over. It felt like any day now, Armageddon. You never know when or how, but there was something coming and it was going to be something that changed everything.

He was right behind her. "Caroline. Can I show you something love?"

She turned around. "What?"

"It's just something I want you to see before my impending doom." He smirked. She tilted her head and shook it. Giving up, she smiled at him.

"Okay."

They went into a room in the back, she had never looked beyond his room or hers but there was a connecting hallway in the back of the house and another locked room. She walked in and completely lost her composure. It was a studio of sorts, more like a mini-warehouse of art. There were dozens of paintings of her over the past six months, but it wasn't just her, there were landscapes and horses, there were animals of all kinds. There was a mix of surreal art and impressionism. "Wow." She looked around.

"Did you do these?" Knowing the answer already, she looked at him. He smiled.

"I just wanted you to see them with me. Have you thought about what we talked about love?" There was something sad in his eyes. For a moment she completely understood that he knew the threat against him. It was all a cover, all of it. She flashed back to moments in time and realized that he did that so very often.

"Klaus, I don't know. This is all crazy. I mean you have witches after you. You have this alpha male thing going on...not to mention the whole dark and dominant thing, which I haven't even begun to think about. It's just not the life I pictured."

Lowering his eyes to the carpet, "You were meant for greater things than being a school teacher in a small town Caroline."

"I didn't want to be a school teacher. I wanted to be a singer." Okay that sounded worse. Grimacing, she continued. "Whatever I wanted, you took that choice away from me. Now I'm stuck with this and tied to you for eternity. How do you think that makes me feel? Granted I like what I am, but it's still wasn't my choice. You kill people and you have a temper and you do really bad things ALL the time. I don't know how to love you Klaus. Obviously my feelings for you are complicated. You have to stop torturing people and turning them against their will. And I don't know where to begin with all the dark and dreary domination stuff you are into."

"Caroline did it ever occur to you that you may like that dark and dreary domination stuff? I mean in New Orleans you seemed to take to it quite easily when you were seducing Jesse. Why are you so afraid of the dark Caroline?"

"Because the dark can swallow the light."

"No love, you are mistaken. The dark can't exist without light. Without light there is just nothing except a void."

His rationalization had a modicum of truth to it. She sucked in her breath as he walked towards her. "Don't deny me Caroline, not because I'm compelling you to or because you are sired to me, but because you want me." He searched her eyes for an answer and she stood there on the precipice of a really bad decision or a really good one, depending on one's point of view.

She collided with his lips. He leaned back and smiled before capturing her mouth in a deep unyielding kiss. His hands went to her hips as he brought her to the ground. He could smell the arousal on her and wanted all of her. She was going to be his. He thrust his hand between her legs but grew tired of the material blocking his access, so he ripped away her dress. She returned the favor by shredding his shirt. Their tongues were in an impassioned battle for dominance, neither of them winning.

His lips started burning their way down her chest, pausing to suck on each one of her nipples. He drew her legs up with his hands and buried his mouth in her wet folds. She was crying out for him. He held her securely in place as he started darting his tongue in and out of her, taking his time. He would alternate between tongue fucking her and trailing his tongue the entire length of her core. She was so wet and screaming for release. Moving his forefinger to her opening he started pumping his finger in out of her soft opening while his mouth suckled on the tiny nub. His moans were audible and she was writhing hard in the wake of his attention.

"Klaussss. Please?" She was dragging at him to enter her.

"Please what love?" He smiled as he continued to finger her and suck on her clit. Growing frustrated, she yanked on his shoulders.

"Fuck me now!" Her insistence was not to be denied. He moved up on top of her.

"Look at me Caroline." Once she opened her eyes and he had captured her in his eternal blue-grey stare, he pushed the entire length of his rigid manhood inside of her. Her eyes closed half way as she let out a loud gurgle from the bottom of her throat. He didn't slow down or pause. He lifted her hip with his hand and changed the position slightly to which she responded to with a loud moan. She was turning her face from side to side, lost in passion as he rammed himself repeatedly in and out of her slick wet walls.

Taking a chance, he found her wrists and pinned them above her, holding her in place, while he leaned down. "How do you like that Caroline? Do you know how fucking good you feel? How tight you are? How wet you are?" He growled as he leaned down and breathed heavily against her neck. She was murmuring incoherently in response. He wanted her, he wanted to mark her. Grabbing her hip, he easily flipped her on to her knees and pushed her face down in the carpet. Leaning back, he looked at the view before him. He grabbed his cock and pushed it slightly into her opening. She moaned loudly at the prospect. Then with one movement he filled her completely and leaned forward. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her backwards until she was almost sitting on his lap. Yanking her head to the side, he lowered his double fangs and dragged them along the skin of her neck as he teased her slowly, barley moving in and out of her.

Frustrated, she tried slamming her body down on him, but he held her in place. When he felt she had enough he picked up the pace and licked the soft skin between her shoulder and neck and sank his fangs into her, causing her to erupt in a series of groans. He could feel their release coming as she tensed in his arms. Her eyes were closed and she just couldn't seem to get enough of him. He listened for her as he held on, she shuddered hard and he let himself go, slamming into her with every last bit of strength he had.

He sat there, with her still gathered on his lap, licking the wounds in her neck, a low growl coming from his throat as he held her tight against him.