Thanks to my wonderful beta, Anastasia Dreams, for all her help! This story simply wouldn't be the same without her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Nine

Had he ever seen her so completely still and silent?

No. Not once in their short time together had Klaus ever seen his mate so…pensive. Even when he had pulled her into the house, bringing her into the study to sit her on the couch next to him, she hadn't said one word. Her vacant eyes hadn't so much as blinked when he'd wrapped his arm around her and tugged her into his side, putting his mouth to her ear to tell her that they were safe on the property.

The others had noticed a difference as well, watching her like one might a wounded animal. He wanted to lift his lip in fury at the pity in their eyes. How dare they give her such a look? His future queen was not a creature to pity; she was a being that others must take heed of, lest they upset her and bring about his rage.

Despite the fact that they were in Elijah's home, the king never showed himself, though they could hear him storming along the upper level. Sometimes, they swore that they could hear a woman screaming for help, though the closing of a door soon ended the sound.

Klaus recognized the voice as his brother's long-lost Bride, Katerina, a sorceress they'd run into in the fourteen-hundreds. She was a cunning, vicious female, using her unbelievable ability to cast maddening illusions to escape Elijah, leaving him in a state between sanity and insanity.

The hybrid would never forgive the woman for the pain that she had inflicted on his eldest brother. But if she really was the one locked away upstairs, Klaus would allow Elijah this reprieve with his Bride. He would make sure that he went undisturbed.

The king deserved that, at least.

Besides, the hybrid had his own worries at the moment. With how close Mikael had gotten, with his little threat, Klaus's Queen needed more protection than ever. His hybrids were either simply too young or too inexperienced to do much damage to the millennium-old vampire hunter.

Klaus was in need of his rightful throne more than ever.

Glancing covertly at the blonde beside him, he wondered if this was how her life had been up to this point. Had it been full of running and hiding? Had she spent her young life trying to fight a nearly indestructible enemy? He knew all too well what desperation did to a person, the consuming nature of fearing for one's existence.

And he hated, with every fiber of his being, that she was part of this battle. She was too young to feel as if her life was being dictated by whatever prophecy she was a part of.

"Quit staring at me," Caroline suddenly hissed, though she lacked any real fire behind her tone. Glittering green eyes cut towards him, filled with something powerful he couldn't name. "I'm a Born vampire; that body out there didn't scare me in the least. I've seen plenty before." Her voice was about to break, he realized. She was trying to convince herself of all this, not him.

Without saying a word, he tucked her closer to his side, a part of him sighing in relief that at least she had a semblance of protection. Within these walls, Mikael couldn't get to her, not unless someone from the inside let him in.

But he couldn't leave her here until he got the werewolves under control. The thought of leaving her behind didn't sit well in his stomach, his instincts screaming that it would lead to something terrible. Besides, there was no way for him to keep her on the property. Finn and Sage were going to bolt when the opportunity first presented itself; after his elder brother's torture, they put as much distance between themselves and Mikael as possible. And Elijah had his Bride occupying his mind; it was doubtful that the oldest Mikaelson would even notice Caroline. Kol and Rebekah were oddly thoughtful, as well, stuck in whatever had plagued them before reuniting with their siblings.

And this was London. Not her hometown or even her home-country. She would probably want to go off and find something familiar, but planes weren't safe for her.

Klaus could remember a time or two when Mikael had bribed a few demons to purposely crash his children's jet into mountains. Once they were out of commission, the demons were supposed to behead them all.

Thank the gods a mere plane-crash wasn't enough to knock out all the royal family.

As the hybrid thought over what he could do to keep her safe—bringing her into a battle against werewolves probably wasn't the best idea, either—he hardly noticed the time flashing by, nor when his two younger siblings excused themselves to retire to their bedrooms. The hour was growing late and it had been several days since they'd slept much at all.

Suddenly, Caroline pushed against him, forcing herself away so that she could stand. He noticed the tremble in her body; was that fear or was she just tired? "I'm going to bed," she announced quietly, turning her head over her shoulder to glance at him. "Where is my room?"

He knew she expected to be alone for the night, though he would never allow that. His mate slept with him. But he would appease her, at least until he was ready to go to sleep.

"We are in the West Wing, love," he murmured with a smile, catching her gaze flare at his endearment. Standing, he took her elbow, intending to simply steer her in the right direction, but she jerked her arm away, earning a dark look from him. "I will show you where that is. If you stumble into the East Wing, Elijah will not be pleased. And since Rebekah and Kol have to share the last Wing, they aren't exactly pleasant to trespassers."

The blonde rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know what direction is west, since the sun generally sets in that direction. You can leave me alone now." As she started to walk in the appropriate direction, he followed after her, receiving a killing glare for his effort. Turning on him, she stabbed a finger into his chest, snarling, "I said leave. Me. Alone. I just want to have a moment to myself after everything that's happened!"

It was then that he saw a light sheen of tears forming in her eyes. She's…trying not to cry, he thought in disbelief, an uncomfortable knot clogging his throat. All he could see was that damning moisture swelling until it would roll onto her cheeks. His heart thundered as his mind raced, trying to think of something that would make her better, needing to let her know that she had no reason to cry.

"Go…go ahead," he croaked, sweeping his arm forward as if to usher her. "Just…wanted to make sure that you were going the right way. Besides, I've things to discuss with my brother before he completely loses his mind." Why he'd said that, he had no idea, but the small amount of relief, maybe even gratitude on her face was more than enough to make his chest swell with confidence.

Apparently he did know how to take care of his mate. He would get his kingdom under control and make sure that the delightful female currently walking towards their shared bedroom would never have to worry her pretty head again.

-.-.-.-.-

Men are so easy, Caroline thought as she smirked to herself. Since she'd been forced into the study—or did they actually think a room without a TV could be considered a living room?—by her overly strong "mate", the baby vampire had been listening intently to everything going on in the house, using the guise of stoic fear to do so. No one even suspected me, she chuckled to herself. I should be an actress for a few years.

In her lifetime, she'd seen many innocent girls that looked just a bit too much like her used as threats from Mikael. The second he got close, he liked to send a message. Though it always hurt to think of the undeserving lives that were taken, she pushed them away. Those deaths would never be avenged if she didn't keep her head on her shoulders.

But, to honor their memory, she always held a small service for them when she was finally safe.

So, just as she always did, she was going to run. And she knew just who would help her.

Over the years, she'd heard rumors of the Doppelgangers. Every couple hundred years, one was born into the Lore and they were known for their exceptional prowess in their given powers. Elena was the most recent, born a Valkyrie. The first of the Doppelgangers had been a Siren named Tatia; it was rumored that she was locked away somewhere, dreading coming back to the waking world because it had taken her child. Others said that she had already died, cursing the Doppelganger line to tragic deaths with her last breath.

But there was another one out there somewhere, a sorceress almost six-hundred years old that was known as the Queen of Illusions. A sorceress could become a Queen only when she was the strongest alive with her particular gift, which meant Katerina Petrova could turn someone's mind inside out with the illusions she created. Though there were rumors that her powers weren't what they used to be, she was still considered one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world, though she rarely used physical aggression.

And guess who was up in the East Wing?

Between long stretches of silence, Caroline had been able to clearly make out a voice too similar to Elena's to be any other but another Doppelganger's. It also helped that the other captive woman had introduced herself in a sudden audible shriek, "I am the Queen of Illusions! You can't keep me locked up forever! I will drive you insane if you don't release me!"

Which meant she wanted to get away, too.

And Katerina would have a natural beaconing signal for Elena. Doppelgangers always stumbled upon each other almost constantly; it was like they were drawn to each other. Elena had met some of the less-widely-known Doppelgangers several times over her thirty years of life. Most would say that it was a prelude to certain death, but Caroline liked to think of it as a way home, a way to disappear once again.

Caroline would make a deal with the sorceress: if she freed her, the Doppelganger would lead her to Elena. Then Caroline would act as if she had never even heard of the Queen of Illusions.

Once she was reunited with her friends, the vampire would get Bonnie to do an all-powerful cloaking spell, they'd all three bolt, and be having drinks on a beach somewhere by this time next week.

Sure, it was a bit of a vague plan, but at least it was something. If Caroline didn't ditch out on this rerun of American Vampire in London, she was going to end up being the one impaled on a pike. And she thought she was more attractive without the added metal erupting unnaturally from her body, thank you very much!

She, of course, knew that it wasn't going to be very easy sneaking around the VRF Mansion. Especially if Elijah—known for the iron fist he had wrapped around his control—was acting out. Did immortals ever have a rebellious phase? Or was it a mid-life crisis? Or was he seriously just deranged?

Whatever. Either way, she was getting the hell out of London and back to her friends. She was good at going about unnoticed; it was how she snuck out of bars whenever creepy immortals started hitting on her.

"And where do you think you're going?"

The voice just down the hall made her jump and spin into the nearest open doorway. Her heart thundered in her chest, her blood rushing to her ears, making it nearly impossible for her to hear the rest of what was going on. Had they spotted her? Would they take her back to Klaus, tell him that she had been in the wrong Wing? He'd watched her turn towards the West before he'd disappeared within the study; he would know that she was snooping. And just what would that lead to?

She shivered at the thought even as she forced herself to calm down, to pay attention to whatever was going on. Listening as closely as possible without exposing herself, she heard…a giggle? Definitely feminine and husky. And somehow she doubted Rebekah would be laughing playfully rather than just screaming.

"Master Kol!" the voice cried at the sound of something hitting the wall—or someone being pressed into the wall. The maid—or who Caroline assumed was a maid—made a low noise in her throat, a moan of pleasure, no doubt. "Perhaps we should…we should take this somewhere else?" the other woman murmured breathily.

Now Caroline wasn't much of a voyeur, but she couldn't contain her curiosity. Hadn't Kol said something about a Bride before they'd gotten on the plane? Somehow she doubted his family would still keep their brother's wife—for all intents and purposes—on as a servant. But vampires didn't stray from their Brides, so she couldn't help herself. She looked.

And saw Kol practically mauling the woman's neck, though it didn't look like he was drinking from her. They were wrapped tight in a lovers' embrace, the woman's hands tangling in his hair as his roamed over her backside. The maid was openly moaning now, not bothering to try to hide her reaction in the least as Kol rocked against her all the more.

Suddenly, however, the Naughty Prince's entire aura changed. Instead, the air was filled with not desire and lust, but desperation and anger. His fingers tightened fiercely on the maid, making her cry out this time in pain. His face transformed as he lifted it from her neck, showing a bloodthirsty beast where there had once been a devilishly good-looking man.

He shoved the maid away, obviously trying to rein in the fury he was feeling. "Get out," he growled lowly, the sound animalistic as it passed around those nearly-too-long fangs. "Get out and never come back. If I see you again, I'll kill you myself." Turning away, he stormed down the hall towards the room where Caroline was hiding, ignoring the maid's gasp of fear and ultimate obedience to his orders.

So the Prince didn't want some nooky? Strange.

Pushing herself back up against the wall in the room, the blonde hoped and prayed that he wouldn't come in as his footsteps grew closer and closer to her hiding place. She did not want to get into a battle with an already angry vampire much, much older than herself.

When he stormed past, she breathed a sigh of relief, though she waited several moments before poking her head back out to check if the coast was clear. There was no way she could handle another run in; the others might not be so lost in thought to not notice her presence.

Slowly creeping back into the hall, Caroline became more aware of her surroundings, of the sounds of movement above and around her. Maids and butlers were cleaning rooms, preparing for whatever they were required to.

She could hear them whispering amongst themselves about who Master Elijah could possibly have locked up in his room; it made her attention turn to them, wondering if they had any information that might help her free-the-sorceress-and-herself scheme.

"He's hardly leaving his rooms. Remi told me that someone saw Katerina Petrova handcuffed to a bed! I wish he wasn't always hanging around this Wing; he forbade us from entering any of the rooms on that side of the hall, you know."

"Well, it's a good thing his family came here, then, even if they did bring that vampire girl with them. She's a Born; you know how snooty they get."

Well, that was rude. They hadn't even seen Caroline; how could they already be saying that she was a snob? Not that it wasn't true, but they should at least talk to her before passing judgment on her character! It was just common courtesy!

"Be quiet, you lot!" Ooo, this voice was commanding; head maid, perhaps? "Master Elijah has left his rooms to go to the study; if he overhears you muttering to yourselves about his business, he'll have your heads!" So he wasn't in his room, huh? Interesting. "Now, bring down the scotch for His Majesty and Master Niklaus. They hardly enjoy waiting!"

Okay, so Klaus and Elijah were having a brotherly moment. Good. All the more time for her to sneak in and sneak back out. She couldn't know how long that would take, but she would just get to the room, explain her situation to the sorceress, and dash out of the mansion without a second glance over her shoulder.

It sounded like a solid plan, so she'd just have to go with it. Quick, efficient, to the point. She could be those things, right?

The only problem would be finding the room. After living in a household of witches for a couple months—okay, she freeloaded off her friends a good deal of the time; if she had her own place, she would be too easy to catch—she'd learned how to "sniff out" magic, so to speak. There was a subtle, almost unnoticeable change in the air when a strong spell had been cast nearby. And if something—say a door—was spelled to block noise, in the right light it would look just a bit warped.

Magic wasn't tangible, but it gave clear signs when it was used. All you had to know was what to look for.

But the East Wing was huge. If Caroline wanted to find the room quickly, she was going to have to use her strongest detective skills and try to think like The King. Of course, she didn't know him one bit, just knew of stories about his loyalty to his family, the ruthlessness that he displayed when it came to them, not to mention the cold, calculating way he strategized everything. Then there were his words from over the intercom…what were they?

Something along the lines of "touch her and die", she recalled.

Then he would want her far away from the others in the house, meaning nothing towards the center of the house, she thought, glancing this way and that. He's worried about her safety as she is apparently tied up, which means that he wouldn't put her at the end of the hall. It also couldn't be somewhere obvious, like his room; that would just be too easy. Anyone that knew the house at all would figure it out.

The maid had said that no one was allowed on "that side" of the hall, which meant that Katerina was locked up on that side. Somewhere. And Caroline could assume that they meant the right side, since they had been cleaning the rooms on the left.

Half down, half to go.

But still, with all the rooms—though she could count out the bathroom and the other three rooms with doors left slightly ajar—how was she supposed to know which door to peek at?

Then it hit her. A random room. Not his personal one, not one too far this way or that. Not even the middle.

Eyes narrowing, Caroline moved from door to door, watching those that fit the description carefully, trying to notice anything off about them. Finding a room just a bit lighter than the others, she stood in front of it. The design in the wood waved slightly more than those beside it.

Warped.

When her hand reached out to take the knob, a small tingle erupted through her, making goosebumps grow along her skin. For a short moment, she wondered if she should take this chance. Being close to a rogue sorceress wasn't the safest place for her and she didn't have a back up plan. If Katerina decided to bolt on her the moment they left the grounds, Caroline would be at Mikael's mercy.

She shook her head. No. This was her only chance to get back to the people that she knew, that she loved. They could protect her much better than some hybrid and his vampire siblings. They were the only people she could really trust, no matter what Klaus said. She could see he was hiding something and she wondered if she could ever be as important to him as that one secret.

Taking a deep breath, she thrust herself into the room with abandon, clenching her eyes closed in preparation for certain death. What if the spell killed anyone that entered who wasn't permitted? Oh God, she had to start thinking; she knew the power of spells! She was going to die, she was totally going to die—

"Oh, thank the gods!" the woman in the room cried, the sound of rattling chains catching Caroline's attention, almost making her open her eyes. "You have to get these off me; I have to get out of here!" There was a short pause before the woman—Katerina Petrova, one of the most fearsome creatures in the Lore—added dryly, "Why the hell are your eyes closed?"

Courage. That was what Caroline sucked up before peeking one eye open to glance towards the bed. "Oh, thank God. You aren't naked," she breathed in comical relief, wiping fake sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. "I thought I was going to have to throw a blanket or something over you before I unchained you."

The blonde took in a face she knew all too well; it was the same as Elena's, except there was something…desperate in Katerina's eyes, something almost insane. Her long brown locks of hair were perfect circular tendrils, voluminous despite being crushed against the pillow beneath her head. She wore dark skinny jeans, though her knee-high boots were discarded at the foot of the bed. Her V-neck sweater clung to her, the wrinkles in the material showing her attempt to escape.

Raising one perfectly coifed brow, the Doppelganger muttered, "Aren't you so funny? Now, get me out of this before I'm forced to use my powers to make you rip your own head off." She yanked her arms over her head for emphasis, her eyes flashing dangerously. Caroline could sense the threat there, but knew that wasn't the whole story. Something about Katerina just seemed to scream…deception. "When I said now, I meant as in right this second! If he comes back in here, he'll tear you apart," the sorceress pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard that before," Caroline muttered as she moved to remove Katerina's shackles, stopping just as she would have unlocked it. When Katerina snarled in reproach, the blonde vampire said, "But if I'm risking my life, I'm going to need you to help me out." So, now that I've got your attention…. "You promise to take me to Elena—the Valkyrie Doppelganger—and I'll release you right here and now."

Before the sorceress could say anything, Caroline was ripped away from Katerina, landing hard against the wall with a strong hand wrapped around her throat. As she gasped, feeling the pressure crushing her windpipe, her frantic gaze met crazed brown eyes, narrowed furiously as they turned black and red.

Instantly realizing who she had pissed off, she tried in vain to fight and get away. Desperation and fear fueled her as she realized she might not be able to escape. While she may have come to terms with the fact that she would someday die at Mikael's hands, she hadn't expected to go like this.

The King was about to stab his fingers through her neck and take her head clean off.

Squeezing her eyes closed, Caroline forced herself to remember all the training that the Valkyrie and Matt had ever given her. She was young, which meant she was at risk all the time. If someone was stronger than her, she had to use their own strength against them.

Blinking her eyes open even as the edge of her vision was darkening, she wrapped both hands around one of Elijah's wrists, holding it lightly in her fingers. Deep breath, she told herself. Twist his arm one way, yank your body the other. A broken hand is better than decapitation.

Just as she was about to—hopefully—break free, a roaring voice had the hand around her neck hesitating for a moment.

"Release her, Elijah!"

In the time it took to blink, the pressure cutting her life short was gone, the sound of thick wood snapping and crunching reverberating throughout the room. As her hand went to her neck, she couldn't help but gasp at the fight taking place just feet from her. Katerina screamed and shrieked whenever the two powerful immortals came too close to her prone form, but even that couldn't distract Caroline.

She watched in a sick, perverse fascination as Klaus battled, noting that his movements were perfectly executed, though hasty in nature. His body didn't jerk, didn't hesitate; he knew what he was doing and his body was used to movements of this nature. What he lacked in speed against his older brother, he more than made up for in sheer brute strength, easily grabbing and throwing his brother away from him.

Several things were broken as they flew through them, multiple jagged edges stabbing into them, though neither of them seemed to notice in the least. When Klaus threw Elijah into—more like through—an old-looking oak desk, The King hardly paid any mind to the large splinters sticking fully out of his leg.

But that look of complete concentration, the way that Klaus seemed to anticipate every move his brother made….

God help her, it was hot.

Just as quickly as the battle had begun, however, it ended. Klaus's back was to Caroline, just as Elijah's was to Katerina and neither was so much as winded, even as they stayed in their fighting stances. They looked so animalistic and…protective in that one moment, as if ready to die for the women in the room.

Keeping his eyes on Elijah in an obvious male way that Caroline wouldn't pretend to understand, Klaus grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet unceremoniously. Without a word, he dragged her from the room, his body tense and she could feel the strength radiating within it.

An immortal male, fresh from battle, dragging his unclaimed mate towards the West Wing of a too large mansion? Not good. That much Caroline knew.

Now, if only she could convince slut-Caroline, too.

This was by far my favorite chapter to write! I hope you all liked it, as well as the cliff-hanger. ;)

Just so everyone knows, the other couples in this story will have stories of their own. In due time. I'm getting a lot of questions about Elijah/Katherine, Elena/Damon, Stefan/Rebekah, Kol/Bonnie... Their stories coincide with this one, but they won't be outshining Klaroline. Nope. Not going to happen.

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