"Why are you up so late, Blondie?" Damon whispered. He'd come down to the living room to help himself to some bourbon when he saw Caroline sitting on the sofa, head on her knees and hands wrapped around her legs. It was 3am.

"Why do you care?" Her shaky voice called back.

"You're absolutely right. I don't." Damon said and smiled. He sat down near the fire and waited for a retort. When it didn't come, he was surprised. "What's got your panties in a bundle?"

"I'm not interested in sarcasm or mockery, Damon. Take it somewhere else."

"Oh come on. Humour me."

"Damon, I—no." With that, a little sob escaped her.

Damon was suddenly taken aback. "Whoa whoa whoa. What's happening here? I do not handle tears."

"Nobody *sob* is asking you *sob* to! You can leave. I know you want to."

Damon shrugged and began walking towards the staircase, but something pulled him back. I am going to regret this. "What is it?" He retraced his steps and flopped down next to Caroline. She didn't say anything, just continued crying.

"Look. I know I don't seem BFF material. And I'm actually not. But with all that's been going on, I don't think internal issues are what we need. So, spill. You think I may not understand? You're probably right. But it'll make you feel better."

Something made Caroline believe him. She didn't need to be asked twice.
"It's weird and complicated. But you have to promise not to judge me."

Damon cocked a smile. "I like where this is going."

Caroline rolled her eyes and continued. "I don't like the fact that Tatia is here-"

"Well, nobody does. She's an A-class bee-eye-tee-see-ech." Damon looked at Caroline. The silence she was now maintaining made him suspicious. "But let me guess. That she wants to do some freaky voodoo and end up killing us all is not the only reason you're crying your eyes out right now, is it?"

"Umm…" Caroline looked at Damon. He raised his eyebrow, and that only brought tears back in Caroline's eyes. "I *sob*…"

"Hey, hey. Shh. Don't cry. I know what it's like to tread into forbidden waters. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"She—he still loves her." Damon's eyes widened. He knew what this was. Granted, he'd never been one to care about Caroline's love life. But when a psychopathic hybrid with serial killer-like tendencies enters a friend's, no matter how weak a friendship that may be, people tend to care.
Caroline had now begun to cry whole-heartedly. Damon remained glued in his spot, dumbfounded. How was she ever going to get out of this?

"Shh, don't cry." He rested her head on his shoulder and they continued to sit in the silence, with the only sound coming from the crackling of the fire.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Next morning, Klaus was the first one up. Truth be told, he hadn't slept much at all. How was this woman still alive? What if Tatia succeeded and brought down his bloodline? Everyone would willingly kill him then. What if she became an Original as well? How would she be killed without him himself and his siblings being put in danger? And what if she, and what if Caroline…?

With the first rays of the sun entering his room, he marched out. He was dying for some blood from the vein, but all of them had been banned access to public places for a few days, for their own safety. He didn't think any harm in drinking from Matt, a useless human, but apparently that was 'very wrong'. Klaus sighed and walked into the living room.

Caroline and Damon were still there, though now dressed and feeling better.

"Good morning, young vampires." Klaus announced.

"Good morning, my very own undead ancient prune." Damon called out, smiling at Klaus. Klaus rolled his eyes and walked on. He reached Caroline who was pretending to look through piles of books.

"Good morning, Caroline." Klaus whispered, completely missing that Damon's ears were on them. Caroline picked up a heavy book, pushed Klaus out of the way and with her dazzling vampire speed, was out of the room in a second.

"I would take that as a hint, my friend." Came Damon's voice from behind Klaus. Rolling his eyes, Klaus went to find himself some breakfast.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Bonnie, you have to tell us whatever you know."

"I can't, Stefan. I promised my Grams."

"Bonnie, she will understand. There are a thousand lives at stake here."

"Stefan—"

"—Bonnie, think about it. Everything and everyone you know could be saved if only you help us win this."

"Okay", Bonnie sighed, "But I suggest you call Klaus. I'm not doing this again."

Soon, everyone was assembled in Bonnie's room.

"See. When a vampire turns another, he starts his bloodline. As soon as this vampire dies, the bloodline starts to die. Years ago, an ancestor of another witch family supposedly came up with a spell which could attach a vampire and his bloodline to another, hence making the killing of this another unwanted."

"How is that?" Elena asked.

"It's sort of like adding another parent to the bloodline."

"Killing this new parent means killing the bloodline, then?" Matt said.

"Yes. It was considered too theoretical and too complicated to be performed though it was still in the spell book. This was what I'd stolen. Until recently, nobody cared about the spell. I think Tatia resurfaced because of some spells done at the time of her alleged death and she wants this done. What I think is, she wants to attach herself to Klaus' bloodline, and hence killing her would mean killing Klaus and the line of vampires."

"Then what is undoing a bloodline?"

"On the same set of pages was another spell. A spell that could make a bloodline unattached to the first parent, hence making the second turned vampire the parent of the bloodline. When this spell would be performed again on this vampire, the bloodline would break, leaving no parents and individual vampires. My best guess would be that they want this spell too so that nobody can use it against them. It would make her killing simpler. But then again, these spells have been considered sketchy for over a thousand years."

"Okay, party over. I need those spells and I plan on getting them." Klaus said, getting off his chair.

"And how do you suppose you'll get them?" Stefan asked. Elena squirmed; she was still a little uncomfortable in his presence.

"We'll have to come up with a plan." Klaus said matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me? We?" Damon said.

"Yes. Otherwise of course, if you'd rather I left you to fend for yourselves." Klaus' famous menacing smile spread across his face.

"Ugh, okay. Shoot."

"Bonnie, who do you think has the spells?"

"They have another warlock. Someone to decipher the languages and texts. He's pretty strong, but I can take him on. it's only a hunch, but I think he's in Denver."

"Jeremy is there." Elena sounded, alarmed.

"Don't worry, Elena. We'll keep him safe." Damon said. Stefan looked up at Elena, who was sitting on the chair, smiling at Damon. Something knotted inside his stomach.

"Okay, here goes." Klaus said. "Bonnie, you and I go to find his warlock. Damon, Stefan and Caroline are back up. Matt and Elena stay put here in Mystic Falls, because, well, they are useless."

"No!" Elena shouted. "I have to get to Jeremy!"

"Okay, okay. Bonnie and Klaus go to the warlock, Elena and I go get Little Gilbert, Stefan and Caroline stay on guard. Matt remains, being his useless self."

"Hey!" Matt protested.

Bonnie interrupted. "I don't think you're taking one thing into account. The warlock will be protected. No matter how strong Klaus thinks he is, one vampire isn't enough. There'll be many there surrounding him."

"Bonnie's right." Stefan said.

Klaus stepped up, surrounded by an air of finality. "Damon and Elena go save Jeremy. The witch, Caroline and I go get the warlock; Stefan and Matt try to finish as many vampires that are against us as possible. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. With that, they departed, getting ready for the encounter that begun that very night. Elena and Damon walked to Damon's room and shut the door behind them, much to Stefan's disapproval.

"Okay, we drive down tonight." Stefan announced.

"Come on, Stefan. I understand where this comes from coming from you." Klaus said mockingly. "But no. We fly."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was 2:30 am when they arrived at Denver International Airport. Elena and Damon were greeted by Jeremy. He hadn't been told about everything. Everyone thought he'd be hell bent to take part.

Bonnie, Caroline and Klaus were to attack the same night, Stefan and Matt had already left for the hotel. Matt would get his necessary equipment and then they'd leave. Bonnie had looked up on where the vampires may be.

As Bonnie, Caroline and Klaus entered the area the warlock, Anton, was supposed to be incognito, Klaus pulled Caroline aside.

"Are you sure about this? We can always have you sent to the hotel room."

"Klaus, I'm not a baby." With that, Caroline marched forward, keeping pace with Bonnie. They stood in front of what seemed to be an apartment building. "There are innocent people here."

"We find which apartment this guy is in, while I go in and handle him, the two of you keep guard. Okay?" Bonnie asked. Klaus and Caroline nodded and moved ahead.

"Verasenta Acnolia, Mukeressa Yotnakhia, Ankunj Magjaal, Aatif…" Bonnie recited spells in a whisper as she waved her arms around. Klaus walked behind her, behind whom was Caroline. Suddenly something caught Caroline's attention. She thought she heard something move. Looking back she saw nothing, and carried on.

"Sixth floor. I can feel powers emanating from there." They stealthily walked up the stairs. On reaching the right floor, Bonnie started again with her spells.

"Caroline?" Klaus whispered. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, why do you ask?" Caroline said, not making eye contact.

"You seem it, love."

"Don't call me love." Klaus was taken aback. Soon he was distracted by the sudden silence.

"This one…" Bonnie whispered. "House 642." Peering through the keyhole, she saw nobody in the living room. "I'm going in. Be around. And, please, be careful." Caroline nodded and Bonnie disappeared behind the door. Klaus and Caroline stood fixated for a few minutes. Klaus tried reopening the door, it wouldn't budge.

"Damn it, she locked it."

"Maybe it was the warlock. Maybe we can't open it." Caroline suggested.

Klaus was standing in his spot to the left of the door when he thought he heard something. "Don't make a sound." He whispered to Caroline. She stood frozen, and admittedly, scared.

Klaus could've found the stalker and killed him in an instant, still having to for running away and saving himself. But what about Caroline? What about the mission? No, he couldn't risk losing either.
Caroline inadvertently moved closer to Klaus.

There was stunning silence for a few moments. Klaus was almost beginning to think it was his mind playing tricks when he suddenly felt Caroline's weight against him. He turned his head to see her falling against him, blood trickling down her stomach and chest.

"Caroline!"

"Uh, a bullet. No, two. Just, where did it come from?" She spluttered. Klaus looked up and in a moment the entire hallway erupted with broken glass, wooden bullets and foul smelling grenades. Wolf's bane and vervain, both. Klaus thought. He took Caroline's hand and dashed through the corridors and down the stairs. He could feel vervain and wolf's bane both stinging him as shots and Caroline's screams filled the air. He couldn't stop to think, he just ran.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Why didn't you go with Stefan?" Damon asked half-heartedly. A part of him didn't want the answer.

"You chose me, so I didn't decline." Elena said. She was standing near the kitchen island, looking over a saucepan with boiling soup inside it. Damon was sitting and chopping vegetables. At first he had felt his manhood severely threatened by this task but then again, he was starving and couldn't drink blood. And Elena wanted him to…

"No, but, under normal circumstance you would've refused."

"Then why did you even pick me?"

"Bec—" He stopped. Elena raised her eyebrow.

"Exactly."

"Come on. Say it."

"Say what, Damon?"

"Elena."

"Okay, fine. Presently, I don't trust Stefan with some things. At least not as much as I trust you." Elena blushed and looked pointedly at the saucepan, adding more salt than necessary. Damon leaned back in his chair and smiled furtively.

"Have you heard from Matt?" Elena asked.

"They've killed two vampires, hunt is on for more. Oh, Stefan calling… Y'ello, brother… What?... Where?... We'll be there." Damon hung up. He already had Elena's attention by now.

"What's wrong, Damon?"

"Get Jeremy. Klaus and Caroline have been attacked, they made a run for it. We're meeting at the hotel room. NOW."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Klaus and Caroline had now left the apartment building far behind. Klaus had cracked a few skulls on the way down but he couldn't have stopped to go on the spree, Caroline's bullets needed to be removed.

They ran across to an abandoned barn. It was 4am. Caroline seated herself on the railing of an empty pen. Klaus looked around, seeing no one, returned.

"Where are the bullets?"

"One in my stomach. The other next to my heart." Klaus' stomach knotted. What if…?

"Don't worry, love. I'll take them out." Caroline lay down on the hay, eyes squeezed shut. Klaus' hands moved across her body, searching for the bullets. He noticed her waist and part of right leg burnt with vervain. At least, he found the bullets. "This will pinch." He removed both the bullets simultaneously. After all, it was something he'd gotten good at. Over the years several people had tried shooting him and his siblings, you see.

"Feeling better? It should heal soon." Caroline nodded. "Love?"

"Hmm?" Her voice was shaky.

"I'm sorry you got hurt today. I will never let you get in harm's way again." Caroline kept quiet. "I—I don't know how to make you talk to me, Caroline."

"Fine. Go on." Klaus smiled.

"You mean a lot to me, Caroline. More than anyone has in over a century. And—" He was interrupted by his ringing cellphone. Klaus growled and answered, "What?!"

"Where are you? Hotel room, meeting, remember?" Stefan's voice said.

"We're getting there." With that, Klaus hung up. He knew he couldn't say much more to Caroline but he was glad she's heard him. "Let's go, Caroline."

"It-It hurts." She said.

"No worries." Klaus lifted her up. She rested her head against his chest. Their breaths met. "And Caroline, Tatia means nothing to me." Caroline smiled. She hadn't uttered a word to Klaus for a long while now and they were both desperate for it to happen. She didn't know what to say, instead she just settled deeper into him and he walked. Klaus felt her body so close to his. He had felt her move under his grip and he knew he'd gotten through to her at last. Caroline spoke:

"Thank you, Klaus. Thank you for saving me."

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