Just wanted to take a quick moment to point out a review from my last chapter because it seriously made me LOL. 'qwerty' asked if they had jumped into the portal naked and how did they know they wouldn't get transported into a room full of people. You guys! I laughed so much picturing that actually happening! I don't know if 'qwerty' was just joking but just in case anyone else was a bit confused, Klaus and Caroline were both dressed. I didn't go into detail and was hoping the use of the horizontal line was enough to signal a passage of time HAHA.

Ok, now that I cleared that up, I present to you the new chapter. Enjoy & happy readings, everyone! :)


Chapter 9: Back Home


Caroline tried to breath but instead of oxygen, her lungs filled up with large amounts of water that caused a sharp stinging sensation in her nose and throat. She opened her eyes to find herself submerged in the depths of an unknown body of water as she felt her body sinking deeper and deeper. She could see the sun shining overhead as her arms treaded frantically and she kicked with force, struggling to reach the surface. She continued battling her way up, when out of nowhere a pair of strong hands seized a hold of her waist, pulling her to safety. She emerged gasping for air and coughing up water she had accidentally swallowed. Her head turned, discovering that Klaus had been the one to pull her out and she immediately wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the nook of his neck. He smiled, breathing out a sigh of relief when he realized this meant that nothing had changed between them. Their eyes surveyed the area and Caroline shrieked in excitement aware of their location.

"We're in Mystic Falls!" She exclaimed. "Literally!"

Klaus noticed the falls at the other side of the waterhole and gave Caroline a smile. The chirping of birds broke the silence until little by little the woods that surrounded them came to life. They could hear the wildlife running freely and the occasional splash of the fish swimming in the water. As if that wasn't enough proof that they were back home, the sound of a jet's engine caused them to look up and they watched it fly across the cloudless, blue sky, leaving a trail of white smoke behind. Klaus glanced at Caroline, fascinated by her delighted expression.

"Are you okay?" He asked, taking a hold of her chin.

"I'm fine! Perfect!" She answered with enthusiasm before bursting into a fit of giggles.

They swam to the edge and climbed out to solid ground. Caroline looked up at the sky, absorbing the heat radiating from the sun and breathing in the air around her. Klaus had never seen her so happy before; her joy was contagious.

"I remember everything." She said, leaning in to give him a long kiss on the lips.

"I guess this means I don't have to kidnap you after all." Klaus answered, kissing her again.

"No, that won't be necessary." She grinned.

"I'm just glad you're safe and out of danger, love." He remarked, with a smile. "We should probably get you home, now."

Caroline couldn't wait to get to her house and take a long hot shower. She looked down at the rags covering her body, wanting to dispose of them immediately and change into clean clothes. She had never in her life looked more forward to stepping into her bedroom, lying down on her soft, cushioned bed, and sipping on one of her delicious blood bags. Her mouth watered at the thought and her mind was going crazy with everything she was planning on doing, when reality slowly dawned on her. She looked at Klaus who gave her a knowing smirk. He had already thought of what being home really meant for them and their newly developed relationship, but she seemed so happy that he didn't want to be the one to crush her spirits.

"Right... back home, back to real life problems." She muttered.

She knew Damon and Stefan would be less than pleased by their blooming romance but Elena was the only one who's opinion really mattered to her. After all, she was the one at the center of everything. Then there was Tyler, who had absolutely not idea how drastically Caroline's feelings had shifted after weeks of being with Klaus. He was probably expecting to have his bubbly, cheery girlfriend back and ready to pick up where they had left off.

Things couldn't have been more different. The thought of telling him the truth and breaking his heart made Caroline feel sick to her stomach. He didn't deserve this but it wasn't like she had planned for things to turn out this way. She knew he'd probably hate her but she was willing to take that chance.

"I'll talk to them. I'll tell them that you're not a danger to them or Elena and that we're leaving Mystic Falls." She stated.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?" He asked, unconvinced.

"They'll have to understand. If you're no longer a threat then there's no reason for them to harm you, especially if you're going to be thousands of miles away." A tone of certainty enveloped her words. He tilted his head and smiled.


They walked through the woods, the sun slowly beginning to set. Caroline's mouth moved non-stop, talking about a million things at once, while Klaus only listened attentively and smiled. They both came to an abrupt halt, when they heard voices accompanied by footsteps heading in their direction. They looked at each other, knowing exactly who they belonged to. The voices grew louder as the distance between them diminished.

"What did I tell you, guys?" Damon asked the group, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

He stood in front of Caroline and Klaus, along with Stefan and Elena. Walking right behind them were Bonnie and Tyler. They all stopped, a startled and confused look on their faces when they saw Klaus was with her.

"What is he doing here?" Bonnie asked, narrowing her eyes.

Elena ran to Caroline, embracing her tightly and telling her how glad she was to see her again. Stefan and Damon gave Klaus a hostile look, their arms crossed over their chest.

"Caroline!" Tyler's voice rang in.

Elena broke the hug as he hurried to her side, taking Caroline in his arms. Klaus stared at them bitterly, jealously consuming him from the inside. Tyler cupped her face and went in for a kiss but she turned her face at the last minute, much to his surprise.

"What's wrong?" He asked, darting a menacing look at Klaus.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything," he paused, "well, not entirely." Klaus goaded as Tyler clenched his jaw, taking a step towards him. Caroline turned to Klaus, a reprimanding look on her face.

"Tyler, I promise I'll explain everything. Just don't ask me to do it now." She replied, placing a hand over his chest to keep him from initiating an altercation.

"Well, can you please tell me what he's doing here?" Bonnie asked again. "That signal wasn't meant for him, Caroline. You were supposed to make it out of there alone." Her voice was filled with anger and disappointment.

"Bonnie, thank you. At first I didn't know what it was, and I would've been trapped there forever if it hadn't been for you." Caroline responded, ignoring her question all together.

She took a stand next to Klaus and pumped her chest up courageously. Giving him a reassuring glance before proceeding.

"Klaus and I are leaving town." She announced.

"What?" Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise, glancing back at the rest of the group.

Stefan and Damon both gave each other perplexed looks but didn't say anything on the matter. Stefan furrowed his eyebrows, scrutinizing Klaus and Caroline's behavior, thinking that maybe he might have compelled her. It soon became evident that wasn't the case.

"Are you crazy?" Bonnie chimed in. "He doesn't deserve to live." She muttered.

"Bonnie.." she paused, "I don't expect you to understand." She uttered with a dismal look on her face.

"What are you talking about, Caroline?" Tyler stepped forward, demanding a proper explanation.

Caroline shook her head, pursing her lips. "Look I can't explain things right now, but just know that a lot has happened. We've been gone for over a month."

"Caroline, you've only been gone for five days." Tyler informed her, placing his hands on her arms.

Her eyes widened and she looked over at Klaus who was just as astounded by the news as she was. If she thought they were going to have a difficult time understanding her situation this only made things that much worse. They'd never be able to comprehend her feelings when to them she'd only been gone for a few days.

"I've already made my decision. He promised to never bother you again, Elena." Caroline looked at her as Elena shifted her eyes between her and Klaus.

"She's compelled!" Tyler stated before coming face to face with Klaus.

He grabbed him by the collar but Klaus only smirked, knowing the young hybrid was no match for him. If he was looking for a fight he was most certainly going to find it and he was a fool to think he actually had a chance at winning. He tilted his head towards Caroline, raising an eyebrow, signaling that if provoked he wasn't planning to hold back.

"What did you do to her?" Tyler asked, the rage evident in his voice.

"Take your hands off me. I promised Caroline I wouldn't hurt Elena but I never said anything about you. Don't tempt me." Klaus warned him.

"Tyler let go of him!" Caroline ordered, "and I'm not compelled, ok? I'm not." She repeated.

"Then why are you defending him?" Tyler was now directing his anger towards her.

"It's not the time or place for this." She replied sternly.

Damon shifted his position, taking a few steps towards them. "Enough with the melodrama! Point is, he can't stay here," he pointed at Klaus, "you brought him back so now we have to take care of it."

"No! There's nothing to take care of! He won't do anything, why can't you guys understand that?" Caroline raised her voice.

Both Stefan and Damon chuckled and shook their heads, unable to believe that one of their own was now defending the one person who had done nothing but cause trouble and misery for them.

"We have some unfinished business to take care of." Stefan announced.

Klaus narrowed his eyes, knowing that this wasn't going to end well.

"While Bonnie and Elena were busy trying to contact you," Damon raised his eyebrows at Caroline, "my brother and I made a little discovery about the originator of our bloodline, and guess what? It's not Klaus." A twisted look appeared on his face.

"Well, did you forget Tyler is part of his bloodline?" Caroline spat back.

Tyler took a defensive stance, knowing that the Salvatores were willing to sacrifice him if it meant getting rid of Klaus. It was every man for himself now and he wasn't planning on going down without a fight.

"Sometimes it's necessary to make sacrifices for the greater good." Damon replied with a shrug.

In one quick motion he pulled the white oak stake from underneath his jacket and launched himself at Klaus. Tyler charged at him without hesitation, knowing that if Klaus died he would die along with him. Stefan jumped in to protect his brother and began a tussle with Tyler. Things escalated quickly and the three girls found it impossible to keep up with their rapid movements. Klaus took a hold of Damon's arm as they struggled on the ground for control of the stake. Caroline tried to run to his aid but promptly got stopped by Bonnie, falling to the ground in pain before reaching him.

"Bonnie what are you doing?" Elena yelled, "You can't let them kill him!"

"I'm sorry, Elena. I have to let them resolve this once and for all." She replied, calmly.

"But Tyler!" Elena screamed frantically.

Bonnie swallowed hard and closed her eyes, knowing that she was practically giving her consent to end the life of one of her friends. She could do something to stop them or she could let her hate for Klaus win and let the Salvatores kill him, even if that made Tyler collateral damage.

Klaus and Damon continued to exchange blows, while Stefan took control of Tyler. They were each fighting their own battle as Elena and Caroline watched in horror, unable to do anything.

Stefan propelled Tyler through the air, his back slamming against a tree. He landed in all fours as he hit the ground, his face transforming into a vampiric state and his eyes acquiring a yellow tint. He hurled himself at Stefan, pinning him to the ground, ready to take a bite out of him, when a sharp pain hit his skull.

Bonnie stood in front of them with her hands extended overhead. Tyler fell to the ground in agony and Caroline realized the magic wasn't only affecting him but also Klaus. She watched him place his hands on his head and shut his eyes trying to manage the torture. Damon saw this as the perfect opportunity to finish what he had started, he took aim at his heart and lowered the stake into him. In a split second, Caroline had once again managed to wedge herself between the piece of wood and Klaus' body, the stake puncturing her in the chest, mere inches from her heart.

"No!" Elena cried out, tears bursting from her eyes as she ran to her.

Damon stood up, his eyes wide in shock. He slowly stepped away from Caroline, Klaus still holding her in his arms. Once Elena reached her she placed her hand under Caroline's head and pulled the stake out of her chest. Klaus was overtaken by rage, his eyes glowing bright gold as veins accumulated under his eyes. He furiously went on the attack, wanting to rip Damon to pieces. His rage was short lived as Bonnie once again incapacitated him, causing him to collapsed. Damon and Stefan both disappeared into the woods as Tyler remained on the ground, too stunned by the incident to even move.

"You're going to be okay." Elena whispered into her hair, gently touching her cheek with her hand.

"Elena..." Caroline struggled to speak.

"Shhhhh... don't talk."

Klaus returned to her side, biting into his wrist and feeding her his blood.

"She's going to heal. Let me take care of her." His request ignited wariness in the three remaining members of the group.

Elena looked a him, unsure of what to say, but she knew this was probably for the best. She watched him bring his wrist up to Caroline's mouth, gently taking her into his arms. If there was one thing she was sure of was that Klaus would keep her safe. She nodded without saying a word, agreeing to let him take her with him.

"Elena..." Caroline spoke again.

"Caroline, you're going to be fine. Klaus' blood will make you better. Don't worry." She replied, comforting her.

"I love him." She finally said, a tiny smile appearing on her face, before she shut her eyes, drifting into unconsciousness.

To be continued...


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