The chapter is not finished yet, patience my lovelies.


She could count the number of times she'd had her neck snapped on one hand. The dull ache that followed was a sensation she was getting used to. Her hands were bound with vervain ropes, and the sound of heels brought her senses into sharp focus.

"Such a pretty thing." Aurora sighed. Caroline blew her hair from her face to get a good look at the woman. Aurora stopped in front of her and fingered a long-stemmed red rose, taking the appearance of…Caroline, in a better light. Sharp little nose, thin lips, eyes full of determination, fierce. As fierce as Nik's.

"A thousand years ago, Niklaus and I were the only two people in the world. We were equals, until I became his better. What gives you the right to make our love story come to an end?" Aurora asked. Caroline stared at her. This was how Aurora De Martel talked. Hopefully she wouldn't have to get use to that. She cleared her throat, bowed her head, and peeked at the redhead through her hair.

"I have no right, I am so so sorry. Klaus always wanted me; I just wanted to be able to say I tamed the beast. But thank you Miss de Martel, for taking the time to speak to me. I am honored you did so and I wish for nothing more than to repay your abundant kindness." Caroline replied, stuttering a few words to emphasize total innocence and ignorance.

"You speak reverently. You have heard of me?" Aurora asked, letting the rose fall from one hand, still held by the thorns in the other.

"Oh yeah, everyone knows Aurora de Martel, and her brother and father, what was your brother's name again?"

"It seems if you knew so much of my family you should know the answer." Aurora replied curtly.

"Oh, I apologize again. I learned about your family, but I only really cared about you. The fearless woman, 'though she is but little she is fierce.'" Caroline replied. The woman's small smile grew.

"Perhaps I can overlook this egregious mistake, my dear-"

"Oh thank you Miss De Martel, I am forever in your debt-"

"Only, if you cut all ties with Nik." Aurora said. Caroline blinked. She watched the blonde for a reaction, and Caroline gave none. "I saw how you were with him last night. Convince him your feelings are false and merely a ploy to become his owner, like a human man would own a dog. And I shall spare your life." Aurora replied. Little did both Caroline and Aurora know, as the princess spoke, she compelled Miss Forbes.

"I shall convince Nik my feelings are false and a ploy to hold power over him." Caroline repeated robotically. Aurora nodded in satisfaction.

"Now, we shall wait for Nik to come rescue you, and you can tell him all." She said, smiling and turning away.

Josie and Lizzie, they need me.

Caroline had been working on her ropes while working Aurora and tore them with minimal pain. She shot upright and snapped the unsuspecting redhead's neck.

She walked through the room, and listened quietly for any noises. A heartbeat. Klaus's.

"Klaus!" She screamed, then broke the chair she had been held in, letting the pieces fall on the unconscious Aurora de Martel. She must really have been in need of someone to worship her. Caroline shook her head, proud of herself for outsmarting one of the first vampires. The fact that this one was pretty much insane didn't really help her ego.

Aurora compelled her. Klaus.

"Klaus." She whimpered. She had to tell him what happened, Marcel could help fix her. But…


She sat looking out of Klaus's window. Lizzie and Josie weren't safe enough with Alaric, what were the chances he'd stay alive the next twenty years the girls needed him? He barely survived five years in the crowd of supernaturals he was originally thrown into. What in the hell was she doing with Klaus?

You know what you're doing with Klaus. You're in love with him and you want to be with him now.

Caroline remained silent when Klaus entered the room. Since they came back she'd barely looked him in the eye, he thought possibly Aurora did more to Caroline than he'd seen.

"What did she tell you?" Klaus murmured in a low voice.

"Nothing." Caroline replied simply. She stared out blankly, turning her eyes towards the wall to her right. He put his hands behind his back and nudged his feet forward cautiously.

"What did she do to you?" He asked, hardly wanting to hear the answer. Whatever it was, Aurora would know a new meaning of pain. Hell would be a vacation for her spoiled self.

"Don't ask me that." Caroline muttered in reply. Klaus inhaled sharply. He could already imagine the million and one ways Aurora would've made Caroline suffer simply because he loved her. Maiming her and waiting for the body parts to grow back. Breaking every bone a dozen times over. Skinned slowly. Taunting her with what little information she'd pieced together. Threatening everyone she ever loved, oh no the twin girls, she was probably more worried about them than she could be about herself. He ducked his head.

"I'll...I'll leave you alone, if you'd prefer." Klaus managed. Caroline's faced towards towards him, and he felt about to be scolded within an inch of his life but for what reason he didn't know.

"Yes, I would prefer you to leave me alone. In fact, I want to go back to my family. Elizabeth Saltzman and Josette Saltzman, the twins you convinced me I should let myself love. They mattered more to me than you ever did." She snarled. Klaus's eyes widened

"Caroline..." He began, his voice breaking

"And another thing, it was such a pleasure to watch you fall for me over the years you managed not to kill people I loved and try to pretend you're not the monster we both know you are." She screamed, running from the room.

One part of him wanted to stay bolted to the floor, standing in shock. That part hissing what did you expect, that someone was actually capable of loving you besides your flesh and blood? Another part that never overcame him when he was around Caroline was coiled in anger, ready to roar and shriek until his throat was bloody, destroy every memory of her and then make her regret she'd ever used those words. But no. Of course he wouldn't do that. It was Caroline. His, Caroline. Something was wrong.

Footsteps followed her from Klaus's room and so she sprinted down to the cellar, stopped from going any further by Klaus's own body as a shield.

"What did Aurora do to you."

"I can't answer that."

"Tell me." He insisted.

"Leave me alone."

"TELL ME!" He roared

"HEY!" Marcel roared back. Caroline and Klaus both turned to him in surprise. "Caroline, are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright, I need to get back to my family."

"I thought we were part of your family." Marcel asked cautiously

"Josie and Lizzie are my family. I don't know why I stayed." Caroline replied. Klaus faltered in his confidence and let Caroline storm off. Marcel turned to him.

"What the hell is happening?" Marcel asked

"Something happened between Caroline and Aurora, she won't tell me what it is and I know it must be serious."

"Is this paranoid you talking? Maybe the Klaus Mikaelson charm just wore off."

"Marcel, you don't understand. After Aurora broke me, Caroline stitched me back together. She was on the edge of death twice at the beginning of our relationship, both by my hand and both times she never showed fear of me." He smirked to himself. "She would've spit in my face in fact, if she had the strength." He looked back at Marcel. "She is an amazing woman, and I fell in love with her immediately. But I didn't believe she could love me in return, and her return, her healing our family and staying with me, it was all for me. Caroline loves me Marcellus, I can't lose that knowledge."

"What about Camille?"

"Merely a memory of the original dream." Klaus replied simply.

"Okay. So this isn't the Caroline you know." Marcel asked, making sure he understood the situation.

"Yes. Aurora harmed her in some way, I want to help her."

"Well when you guys came in you were demanding to know what it was that happened. She wouldn't tell you." Marcel stated. Klaus waited for his truth to come out. "Would Caroline usually tell you the truth, no matter if it sent you on a killing spree?"

"She'd kick my arse before she let that happen actually." Klaus chuckled to himself. "Yes. She doesn't pull any punches."

"Well then, there's your answer." Marcel said. "She's been compelled."

"If Aurora wants a battle of wits, she's definitely going to lose." Klaus stated. "I know you can un-compel Caroline. The only problem will be if she lets us do it." Marcel stared back at him.

"Since when do you care if someone wants to do what you wants them to?" He asked with a knowing smile. Klaus grinned back at him. He would've taken the time to wax poetic about how very much in love he was with Caroline Forbes, but she was getting closer to leaving. And though she believed it was, it wasn't the right reason.

Klaus and Marcel searched the house for Caroline, even called for her. Klaus believed he well and truly lost her. Aurora would've won this game, and there was nothing he would've been able to do about it, as he didn't know where her children were staying with Alaric. Besides the fact he would've had to hunt Aurora down and eliminate every danger there could be for the little girls, which he would do without question for her, he would have to revert to his old self in order to get her to even speak to him possibly.

His phone rang and he held it to his ear without pause.

"She's in the wine cellar." Marcel said, then hung up. Of course, there wasn't any wine. In houses like this with supernatural beings, there was only torture chambers and whatnot for enemies. Caroline wasn't stuck in some contraption down there, was she? Klaus sped down to the cellar in a second. Then he saw Marcel at the entrance and his son gestured for him to approach slowly. He did so, hearing pacing and light sobbing. Klaus blinked in confusion and came as close to the back of Caroline's figure as he dared, he knew she could hear him approaching.

"Why am I so confused?!" Caroline protested, wiping tears from her eyes. She shook her head. "I need to go to my girls, I need to get my things and leave here. But I don't want to." She turned around and glared at Klaus. He felt fixed to the spot where he stood. "What did you do to me." She stated, her fingers curling in anger. He was speechless as Marcel came up from behind him.

"You're alright Caroline. I'm going to help you." Marcel said. Klaus couldn't tear his eyes from Caroline's angry face as his son passed him. The man held Caroline's shoulders. "You remember being with Aurora De Martel earlier?" He asked gently. She nodded.

"I told her she was my idol and she let me live." Caroline replied brightly. Klaus looked away. So she was in more danger than he'd realized.

"Okay. What happened between you and Miss Martel before you saw Klaus again?" Marcel asked.

Caroline told them. Every detail of the encounter, from how she woke up when she was at first with Aurora to when she knocked the princess out before leaving the room.

Klaus never felt so in love. He grinned at her. And hardly noticed that Caroline didn't give him the same look.

"Caroline, remember that Aurora compelled you. You did not use Klaus's feelings for you as a ploy to gain power from him. You actually love him. It's odd to say this when I've known the man for as long as I have. But you two are in love, and Aurora was trying to threaten that. Now she can't." Marcel said. Caroline blinked and silently looked away, the compulsion slowly taking effect. Klaus peeked around his son's shoulder to look at Caroline's face.

Then he caught her eye and saw tears forming again.

"I'm so sorry." She said, brushing past Marcel and gripping Klaus in a tight embrace, digging her chin into his shoulder, her fingers turning to claws on his back. He held her just as tightly in return, his eyes closed, his fingers in her hair, his arm keeping her against him. "I wanted to tell you, I wanted to break out of it, I should've been stronger, I'm so sorry." Caroline sobbed. Klaus loosened his grip on her and held her arms.

"It's not your fault, love. In fact if you hadn't convinced Aurora your feelings were a ploy to use me, things would've been much worse. You're brilliant." He grinned at her, brushing hair from her face. She sniffed and smiled back at him. Then she turned back to Marcel.

"Thank you so much. It was sheer dumb luck that we didn't get stuck like this." She said. "You're just as brilliant." And hugged him. Marcel held her and looked at Klaus, who grinned at the sight.

"Very few things that I've wanted have lasted over the centuries. If this only lasts a year, or a day, I'll still have this memory to hold onto." Klaus murmured, his eyes locked on Marcel's. Caroline let the man go and took Klaus's hand.

"So I'm free, what are we doing?" Caroline asked

"Aurora is our only concern, until she is put down, subdued in a more permanent manner, she'll be relentless." Klaus said.

"No wonder you had a thing for her." She joked. Klaus smiled back at her, an eyebrow raised.