Happy New Year to all my readers!
Here's hoping there will be more Klaroline in the coming weeks in the show. And if not, I will supply ample amounts to help us cope. Because honestly, I love each and everyone one of you that much. Readers, reviews, followers, favoriters, hipsters, jamsters, hamsters, humming birds... Okay. I'm bananas now. (Psh, like I wasn't already?)
JaggerMania- I really like when they have sex too. Cause it's hot. lol :P
LAnna59- Awww thank you! I never stop being shocked to hear that. :3
justine - Is it real feelings or the chase? That IS the question, isn't it...
lulujay- Well, New York is about 20 minutes away from me so I've been there a lot. And it's very near and dear to my heart. I enjoy describing it. :)
chloequinn96 - I have to remain true to Klaus. He can't be a softy, it's just the rules of feminism. I mean...it's just...Klaus!
LadyKlaus - No, Katherine and Elijah are most certainly not dating. I think that time has long passed. But there's an interesting dynamic between them.
LightFiction - Well, I really like becoming friends with the readers. You guys are great! And no, you're not crazy for seeing my improvement. In fact that's probably the best compliment I could receive. I think it's just that 'Original Love' started out on a whim and I just kind of went with it. But 'Uncharted' really is something deeper and I'm so attached to it, that I'm always working on timelines and storylines every single day. No exaggeration. I put a lot more into this than the first so I'm glad it shows.
Vienna's-Secret-Heart- You can tell me anything you want, babe! Thank you!
Agostina- Okay. The love letters. Yes, I watched the MTV video where Joseph explained them and I totally fell in love with the concept. I had to throw that little easter egg into the story because it was just such a great idea. And then they go and throw it into the show. My witchy powers working again to make the show do things I want it to. lol
Ariel C Rilmonn- Well, there's a reason that Katherine is a little less scared. I think she knows that when she has something over someone, she can risk being a little more daring. Or at least, that's how I went with it. You'll see...
BeautifulDesires- I'm not a killer, I SWEAR. Mental pain, on the other hand? Yeah. I'm a sadist. Sorry.
ilovetvd - I thought there might be an imposter! It didn't sound like you. I'm calling the FBI! :P Yes! Come to NYC and I'll show you the sights. Not as nicely as Klaus is showing Caroline but still. lol And yes, the Gorky thing about "hybrids" in his work is entirely true. But I'm not as perceptive as you think cause I kind of only discovered that while browsing his work on the MOMA website, but still. Intertwining it in such a way that applied to Klaus? Totally me. Yup. :P
a pretty little liar- Well. We pretty much cover responses in PM, but I can say this: I'm preparing something for you in the NEXT chapter.
ilyreid - I LOVE YOU. You just went and read and reviewed the entirety of BOTH stories. Now and forever you can have anything you want. :P
AnneMarie31882 - You're welcome. :) Housework? Psh. Reading Klaroline fanfics are a better way to spend time, don'tcha know? No, but I'm glad you like it and thank you for taking so much time to read BOTH stories. I appreciate it. The compliments too! :)
*sigh* I am the worst person ever. I really feel terrible that I didn't give you guys an update last week. Apart from all the holidays and celebrating and partying getting in the way, this monster of a chapter was bothering me so much that I kept procrastinating finishing it. I really am not a big fan of it, but every time I say that you guys yell at me to shut up. lol So I'll just walk away and let you guys read. And if you want to yell at me to shut up, feel free.
And also, this chapter is jam packed.
And I'm sorry there's not more Klaroline.
...Okay. I'm done now.
Chapter 11
Klaus casually walked across the room toward his brothers, a tiny hint of anger peeking out from behind his curious gaze. He sized up Kol who had fallen sloppily into the nearest armchair, before switching to the eldest Original. Elijah's chest heaved in the quietest of sighs as he smoothed his jacket and maintained his cool.
"I'm sorry for the noise," he half-heartedly apologized. "I stumbled across Kol on my way into the lobby. You can see why I couldn't just leave him."
"Perhaps you should have," Klaus muttered.
"I heard that," Kol spouted, settling into the couch grumpily.
Elijah looked back at him, disapproving. "What...possessed you to let him roam the streets by himself?"
"I'm his brother, not his guardian," Klaus answered dryly, crossing his line of sight to sit in the opposing armchair. "I'm not going to sit and monitor his every move just to ensure he doesn't cross that line."
"As opposed to dealing with this kind of behavior on what's likely to become a permanent basis?"
"If you're so concerned, why not take up the job yourself now that you're here?"
"I have more important matters to deal with than taking care of Kol."
"Likewise," Klaus shot back.
"I love it when you two fight over me," Kol chuckled from the corner.
"This is not how I wanted to come back, Klaus," Elijah's voice rose.
"Yes, that's the interesting part of all of this. Your grand return. Whenever you're ready to elaborate, I'm all ears."
Elijah anxiously rubbed the corner of his forehead with his fingertips. "One thing at a time..."
"What's amiss?" Rebekah suddenly appeared.
"Kol is drunk," Klaus cheerfully informed her with a sarcastic smirk.
"Go back to bed, Rebekah," Elijah calmly ordered. "I'm taking care of it."
"Elijah?" She blinked wide eyes, instantly wakening from her groggy state. "When did you get here?"
"I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. Please, go get some sleep."
She pouted, scrunching her nose. "You know, I despise when you treat me like the little sister."
"Then stop acting like it and do as your told," Klaus berated her.
"I'm not one of your hybrids, Nik," she shook her head forward. "You can't make me do anything."
"What a pity," Kol snipped dully.
Her glare flicked over to him. "Don't you start, Kol."
"What're you going to do? Sic your homosexual on me?" he laughed.
Elijah blinked in confusion. "Her what?"
"Don't ask," Klaus advised, wearily.
"You know you missed a helluva feast, Nik," Kol wagged a disappointed finger at him, attempting to lift his feet up on the coffee table and missing completely. He grunted with a small "oof" as his body went off balance and he fell forth, succumbing to a giggling fit in his lap. Minutes passed before he finally sat back up and the laughter trailed into a blissful sigh. "Ahhh...Black Friday shoppers. So many to choose from!"
Rebekah shook her head in disgust. "That's rich, Kol. Why not make our existence in this city even more noticeable?"
"Oh, pipe down, would you?" He glared. "You're like a migraine on legs."
"This might help."
Elijah reappeared from his subtle trip to the kitchen with a sealed blood bag in his hand. As he walked across past the armchair, Klaus reached out and grabbed a hold of his swinging arm, stopping him in his tracks. He slowly raised his eyes in warning.
"Those are reserved for a certain non-human eating vampire," Klaus informed him.
Elijah looked down at Klaus' grip with contempt before calmly easing out of his grasp. "Family takes precedence."
Klaus got to his feet in a flash and pressed his hand against his brother's chest this time, shoving him backward a step. Any tolerance Elijah had was noticeably gone from his expression, but Klaus was unmoved.
"Unless you want to reacquaint your heart with a certain dagger it's come to know so well I suggest you put the blood back. Now."
Elijah scoffed in laughter. "Klaus, it's past three in the morning, your brother is heavily intoxicated and you're going to start hurling death threats?"
He brushed past but Klaus sped around him again, blocking his path in the middle of the living room. Elijah cracked his neck on either side, agitation quickly catching on.
"You're trying my patience, Niklaus."
"You're trying mine," Klaus growled.
"If Kol remains in this state, there's no telling what havoc he'll wreak. And considering neither you nor Rebekah want to look after him..."
"Don't bring me into this," Rebekah argued. "I was asleep!"
Klaus rolled his eyes at his brother's incompetence. "I don't see how feeding him more blood will do him any good if he's blood drunk," he pointed out, raising an arm to emphasize his point.
Elijah glanced over to see the cheeky brunette was grinning like an idiot, having just noticed in the light the dark crimson splattered all over his I HEART NY t-shirt. He began to pull the blood-stained fabric up from his stomach, inhaling the scent with a dazed expression. Klaus turned back to Elijah, smugly, tearing the blood bag from his relenting grasp. But that one simple movement sent Kol blurring from his seat. He grasped Klaus' wrists, staring fixedly at the blood-filled plastic in his hands. His eyes pooled with darkness as veins began to protrude.
"What've you got there, Nik?"
Klaus tore his hands away. "You've had your fill, Kol."
He started to walk away but Kol flashed before him again, gripping his shirt and raising a sinister stare from beneath his lowered brow. His eyes had bled scarlet and a hungry growl trickled out from his throat.
"Give me the blood," he demanded hoarsely.
In his own impressive display of speed, Klaus turned the tables. He gripped Kol's neck and thrust him into the wall behind them. His nostrils flared as he frowned angrily up at his baby brother.
"Touch me again and you'll regret it."
Kol threw his body into his brother's, sending them both backward. He lunged on top of Klaus, pinning him to the floor. Limbs flailed and grappled as he fiercely tried to get to the blood bag. The struggle caused the blood to start dripping out from a hole in the bag and over Klaus' fingers. Kol's fangs extended and he climbed up his brother's body in an attempt to get to the droplets.
Swooping in to aid, Elijah managed to pull a now feral Kol off of his brother, fighting to hold onto him while he thrashed. Klaus was on his feet in the blink of an eye and with one swift movement and a loud crack, Kol crumbled to the floor with a snapped neck. Klaus was seething, nearly salivating through his gritted teeth, as he looked down upon his fallen brother.
Rebekah winced, sympathetic toward her brother's fate. "And I thought I was having a rough week..."
"Go back to bed, Rebekah," Klaus ordered, his voice ragged. When she looked up at him wordlessly with a wide dubious stare, his glare hardened. "NOW!"
She jumped slightly and vanished from sight, the sound of her door closing assuring her obedience. Klaus looked down at the dripping blood staining the crevices of his fingers and trailing down his wrist in a lopsided criss-cross. His own desire to lick them clean crept up on him. Elijah sighed defeatedly, breaking his concentration.
"When will you learn that violence never solves anything with Kol? He's going to be vengeful when he awakens."
Klaus clapped him on the shoulder, with a tightlipped grin. "You rescued him. He's now your problem to deal with." With that, he began to retreat to the kitchen to dispose of the leaking bag, still eyeing the blood on his hand.
"Klaus!" Elijah called, stopping him. His expression softened as if he dreaded what he was about to ask. "Where is Katherine?"
Klaus stared at him a moment before a vindictive smile curled over his lips. He raised his eyebrows in faux innocence as he slowly backed away and out of the room, leaving Elijah frowning at the blood spattered mess that was Kol.
It was interesting that Katherine hadn't made a single peep through all of the commotion. But if there was one thing Katerina'd had, it was tact. And the wisdom to keep her distance from a situation when it suited. Then again, she was confined to his room against her will, couldn't join the party if she wanted to. The thought brought a sadistic grin to his face while he drained the contents of the blood bag into a wine glass. He stored it on the shelf in the cooler and disposed of the empty bag. It wouldn't be as fresh, but it would suffice.
The blood on his hand drew his attention again as he left the kitchen, but as he passed he spied the door to Caroline's suite opened a crack. Looking harder in the dim lighting, he saw the faint blue of her eyes peeking through timidly. He sauntered over to the doorway and the door opened a bit wider, revealing her silhouette.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
He clenched his jaw, now annoyed by the disturbance his family had caused. "Go back to sleep, love. It's just a little family business." She gave him a wry look but he ignored it, turning to leave. It was too late for her prodding.
"Klaus!" she softly called. He turned back partially with a weary expression. She lowered her gaze to his hands, hesitant to ask. "...Whose is that?"
He glanced down, unable to resist, his lips twitching with a twisted humor. "Not mine."
Without another word, he left her wide-eyed and likely a million thoughts racing through her mind. She'd never get back to sleep, now. But as he stuck one of his fingers between his lips and savored the taste of the B-Negative, he couldn't care less.
In the late morning, Elijah and Klaus had reconvened in Klaus' bedroom as he'd finally revealed Katherine's whereabouts. Kol was still sleeping off his rough night and no one dared rouse him. Caroline had yet to emerge but Rebekah was growing restless with being refused admittance to whatever kind of conference was going on that included her brothers and Katherine, and not her.
"You can't leave me out here all day, Nik!" she called through the door, continuously rapping on the wood. "I'm persistent! I'll keep knocking!"
In mid-knock, the door finally swung open but it was Katherine that she faced. Her eyes narrowed, nose raising defiantly upward in a snobbish holier-than-thou attitude.
"He's made you a servant now, too?" she jabbed. "Opening his doors to do his bidding?"
Katherine rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Maybe if you stopped your childish whining they'd let you join the adult party."
Rebekah pursed her lips angrily, staring past her to her brothers. "You'll let the bitch incarnate sit in on your secret pow wow and not your own flesh and blood?"
"The 'bitch incarnate', as you put it, is bound to my room until I say otherwise," Klaus told her.
"So that automatically makes her part of your group? What happened to always and forever? Am I the only one who will continue to hold up my end of that bargain?"
Elijah raised an amused eyebrow. "She's being dramatic this morning."
"Yes, our sister certainly has a flair for it."
"Can't imagine where she picked it up," Elijah teased.
"Oh that's all good and well, talking about me as if I'm not here." She crossed her arms, stubbornly. "I'll just continue standing by idly while the two of you get on with it."
As Katherine sat back down on the bed, Klaus finally got up, appearing to have found some compassion for his sister. But her hopes shattered when he cruelly as he proceeded to close the door in her face.
"Well fine!" she shouted through the door. "Don't bother asking for my help with whatever scheme your concocting then. I want no part of it!"
With a defeated grunt, she turned on her heel and stalked toward the elevator. When the clacking stopped and they heard the elevator make its descent, the conversation resumed.
"Told you that'd get rid of her," Katherine boasted.
Elijah laughed. "You were always very good at getting on my sister's bad side."
"It's a gift."
"Oh, enough witty banter," Klaus said chummily, lounging in the black deco loveseat in the corner of his room. "Tell me why the two of you here and not in Italy."
Elijah walked over to the bed, contemplating before answering. He looked up, still standing but now beside Katherine. Almost protectively, Klaus noted. Hmm...
"I got your message that you were prolonging your stay," he explained, a little too briskly. "I thought I'd come find out why."
"And what, you sent her as fair warning?" he gestured to Katherine.
Elijah sighed. "You know better than I do that no one can keep Katerina in one place for long. She got away the second my back turned."
Klaus shook his head. "Sloppy, Elijah. You could have compelled her to do more than just keep your secrets for you."
Elijah's eyes narrowed. "Free will is a luxury, Klaus. I don't intend to rob anyone of that freedom."
"Why not just say the truth, then?" he grinned, knowingly. Elijah continued staring, on that constant edge of being annoyed and amused. It widened Klaus' smirk even more. There was something truly enjoyable in tormenting his big brother with his love of all things Petrova. "Oh admit it. You wanted to see if she would stay with you, given the choice."
Elijah's bashful smile gave him away. "Is hope such a naïve thing to hold onto?"
"Yes," Klaus laughed, good naturedly. "As history has continuously proven repetitive. You'd be a fool to put your trust in a Petrova again. Or need I remind you of your past?"
Elijah glared, icily. "You've made your point, Klaus."
"Aren't you doing the same thing with Caroline?" Katherine asked suddenly, making the tone of her voice sound less interested than she really was. Slowly, Klaus' gaze drifted to her. "Trying to play the good guy to see how long you can keep her around?"
Klaus growled. "If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut."
"How fast do you think she'll run when the real Klaus comes out to play again?"
"Katerina, I didn't bring you here to antagonize," Elijah scolded.
She narrowed her eyes, smirking spitefully. "Old habits die hard."
"Rest assured, it's one I could break just as easily as your neck," Klaus threatened.
Her smile faded and he saw the first trace of fear flicker across her face. Klaus grinned, happy to see some sense kicking into the former doppleganger. It was always more fun when they were scared.
Katherine swallowed, attempting to regain her pride. "You won't keep me here. You're a hunter by nature and I'm your favorite thing to prey on because I can outrun you. Thrill of the chase, remember?"
He smiled, tutting at her naivete. "Keep digging your grave, sweetheart. You'll be six feet under by nightfall."
"Let's get back on track, shall we?" Elijah deviated. "While you've been here wooing Caroline - "
"That's not all I've been doing," Klaus defensively interjected.
Elijah nodded curtly, continuing his thought, "There's been a development in Europe. Katerina and I have actually been working together the past two weeks to find out more." He shot her a thoughtful glance. "She's resourceful when she wants to be."
"No doubt," Klaus agreed, catching the looks between them. "Whatever helps her to survive, yes?" he added with a menacing grin that forced her to look away. He relished it before sitting up and turning his attention back to Elijah. "How did you manage to find her? I'm intrigued by this newfound dynamic you've created."
"Dynamic? By which I gather you mean the business relationship we've established?"
"Well, that wasn't exactly what I'd heard," Klaus answered, implicitly glancing sideways at Katherine.
"I lied," Katherine smiled sweetly.
"On the contrary, your omission is what's at fault, sweetheart. You and I both know for a fact what you told me was not a lie."
She frowned, glaring furiously through his baby blues. Klaus only smiled in return.
Elijah spied the two of them, curiously. "What did she tell you?"
"It's not important," he said dismissively, getting up to walk to the window. He took in the skyline for a moment before turning back around. "So. How is it the two of you came to find one another, hmm?"
Elijah spread his hands in a shrug. "She found me."
Klaus peered. "Is that so?
"I'm a hide and seek champion," Katherine joked grimly.
"Specifically the hiding part."
She frowned, bitterly. "I have my reasons."
"Yes, back to that. Would you like your death to be slow or painful?" He stepped forward. "Or perhaps, both?"
Elijah moved between them to shield her. "Hasn't this feud gone on long enough, Klaus?"
"Don't play mediator, Elijah. You never were good at it."
"I'm just saying. You succeeded in breaking the curse. What is there to hold against her at this point?"
"Oh, I don't know. How about her suicide causing another 500 years of waiting to free myself?!"
"You were going to sacrifice her, Klaus. What should she have done?"
"She died in vain when she could have died for a greater purpose."
"I did what I had to so that I wouldn't die," Katherine argued, still safely behind Elijah.
"Well, a lot of help that'll do you now, sweetheart. You're already dead," he sniped.
"You killed my family!"
"And I'd do it again!" he spat. Elijah laughed, causing Klaus to falter. "What?"
"I just find it interesting, for all your hatred of each other, how similar your personalities are." Klaus and Katherine shared an awkward glance before turning away in denial. He smiled, continuing to egg his brother on. "Eerie, isn't it?"
Klaus tutted. "You're letting your feelings cloud your mind again."
"I'd say it's a family trait," Katherine peeked her head around Elijah's shoulder. "Maybe if you weren't so busy being Caroline's shadow you'd have realized I was lying sooner. But what was it you said years ago? Love is a vampire's greatest weakness?" She looked up, coyly, her curls falling in her face to imitate innocence. "So does that make you a weak man now, Niklaus?"
All humor left his face, replaced by a heated anger. He nearly ran into Elijah in his attempt to best her. "Move out of the way, Elijah, or so help me I will kill you too."
"You can't kill her, Klaus."
"I can, and I will."
"She has information." That won him a pause, but the hybrid's eyes remained focused on Katherine. "And you'll want to hear it."
"Well don't keep me in suspense, brother," he fumed.
"Not here. This needs to be discussed elsewhere."
"Katerina is confined to this room, and I'm not about to release that hold." He lightly pushed past Elijah, stalking toward Katherine with a deadpan expression. "You will tell me what you know, here and now."
She smiled, all too happy to oblige to her compulsion. "I can't until Elijah tells me."
He glared, exhaling through flared nostrils. "Elijah, if you'd please?"
Elijah put a hand on Klaus' shoulder, yielding him. "Klaus, if Rebekah or Kol get word of this - "
"Stop stalling before I begin tearing her limb from - "
"Grecia approached me. Not even two days ago."
All color drained from Klaus' face at the revelation. He swallowed, hard, a thousand thoughts racing through his eyes. That didn't figure. Grecia was supposed to be dead. He'd made sure of that. Funny how the dead never stayed as such, these days...
"I don't know what she means to accomplish right now," Elijah continued, "but we can't take her presence lightly."
"I'm aware of that," he said tightly, forcing his fear back to the depths. "Did she manage to tell you how she came back from the grave?"
"She's a direct descendant of Ayana, Klaus. You know how powerful she is."
He rubbed his face, gripping his lips in frustration. "Where did you last see her?"
"Venice."
"And what did she have to say for herself?"
Elijah's hands spread and reclenched in a moment of uncertainty. "She was looking for you."
Klaus turned abruptly, his eyes alight with a newfound fear. "You didn't tell her where I was Elijah. Tell me you didn't."
"Of course not. That would be putting Rebekah and Kol in danger too."
"It's not Rebekah or Kol I'm worried about."
He gripped the paneling of the window again as he stared out at the murky greys of the sky. If Grecia was, in fact, alive, the news she bore would not be good. And that she was looking for him was even worse. What could she have wanted? Revenge for her death? He trusted Elijah not to expose he and his family's whereabouts, but Grecia was a resourceful enough witch to use her own means to find them. And she had no problem in the past disposing of anyone important to his family. She'd made that clear through killing Rebekah's suitor on more than one occasion. If she'd even found out about Caroline...
"You said she's in Venice?" he reconfirmed, starting to make for the door.
"She was," Elijah stopped him. "I was to deliver the message that she was looking for you, with the underlying subtext that you'd meet when the time suited."
Klaus registered the additional information, his eyes darting wildly around the room. 'When the time suited'. Ominous as ever, Grecia. As his gaze finally rested on Katherine, he blinked back in to focus and regained his level-headedness.
"Let's continue this outside of the penthouse," he nodded to Elijah, tapping his earlobe.
Elijah nodded and followed. When they stepped out of the doorway Katherine zoomed forth to the point where she could move no further.
"What about me? You can't just leave me here to rot."
Klaus grinned, evilly. "If you're good, I'll bring you back a souvenir."
Elijah spared a glance of pity before following his brother out. By that time, Caroline was up and out of her room, wondering where everyone had gone. Klaus and Elijah were rushing out but stopped immediately at the sight of her. Caroline's eyes lit up.
"Elijah," she greeted with a warm smile. "I didn't know you were back."
Elijah recovered with a smile of his own and a curt nod. "It's good to see you, Caroline."
Klaus gave him a pat on the shoulder and Elijah disappeared down the hall. Caroline watched him go, doing a double take at Katherine brooding in the doorway of Klaus' bedroom, then finally looked back at Klaus.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," he mumbled, moving past her to retrieve his black denim jacket from the couch.
Caroline spun in a circle as he rounded her again. "Well, where are you going?"
"Out."
"Seriously? Monosyllabic answers?"
"I don't have time for your third degree right now, Caroline," he said, brusquely pulling his jacket over his shoulders.
She put her hands on her hips in refusal. "Well, that's too bad."
He brushed her off, continuing to walk away from her. Questions. She always had too many questions...
She let out a little huff, unwilling to let him get away so easily. "Klaus."
"Not now, Caroline."
"Klaus!" she said more adamantly, stomping down the hall after him.
He turned around only once inside the elevator, eyes wide with annoyance. "Not now."
She thrust her hand against the closing door, forcing it back open. "Don't you dare leave without telling me what's going on. I deserve a little insight!"
He stepped forward, removing her hand in the gentlest of gestures, even stroking the back of it to soothe her. She was so taken aback by it, she was paralyzed. He stepped back in beside Elijah, watching her with hesitant eyes.
"I'll be in contact," he offered as the doors closed. And then he was gone.
She shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Well, good morning to you too," she muttered grumpily.
Caroline walked back out to the living room, spying Katherine still standing by the door to Klaus' room. She watched her cautiously, curious as to what the vamp was even still doing here. She'd assumed Klaus had gotten rid of her last night. Katherine stared back with daring eyes. When Caroline didn't move, Katherine's lips curled with spite.
"I know where he went."
Rolling her eyes, Caroline scoffed and began to walk away. Still feeling the weight of Katherine's gaze on her back, she stopped and turned back around. Katherine had extended her arms so both hands flattened against the panels, her hips flared to one side in a dominant stance. She raised an intrigued eyebrow as Caroline walked to the doorway, remaining just a few feet outside the room. It was a familiar sight, except this time there was no plot in motion to kill the Petrova.
"I know you're just trying to bait me," Caroline told her.
"To do what? I'm stuck in this room. Even you couldn't get me out. Not that'd you want to, anyway."
Caroline's eyebrows tentatively rose. "He compelled you not to leave his room?"
Katherine pouted her lips in a mocking frown as she slinked her body against one side of the doorframe, arms crossed. "Are his flaws shattering your perfect little world?"
"I never said he was perfect," Caroline took a defensive step forward. "But he is trying."
Katherine snickered. "I can see that by the way he ignores you."
Caroline lifted her gaze to the ceiling in annoyance, turning to leave. "I don't know why I'm even talking to you."
"Yes, you do," Katherine stopped her, pursing her lips secretively. Caroline turned her head over her shoulder, staring at her in scrutiny. "Think, Caroline. What's the one thing we have in common?" She rolled her eyes. "Aside from bloodlines."
Caroline's eyes filled with doubt before answering. "Klaus?"
"Bingo."
"What makes him a common factor?"
"You mean beside the fact that he's the only reason we're both here?" Caroline blinked, not sure how to take that statement. Katherine, however, took it as an unintelligible moment on Caroline's part and sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. I'll spell it out for you. You want reassurance and/or a justification for Klaus acting the way he acts."
Caroline eyed her suspiciously, her brow furrowing. "What do you know?"
"I know that he's a murderer," she said. "But that can be said of any of us. Then again, how many people have you killed?"
"Okay, I don't need any kind of reassurance about Klaus. Especially not from you. I know how he is, and what he's done. But the difference between you and me is that I can forgive him for his shortcomings."
"He slaughtered my entire family." Her lips pressed into a thin snarly line. "He doesn't get my forgiveness."
Caroline swallowed. She'd known that little fun fact about Katherine already, thanks to Elena. But somehow, seeing the pain in her eyes as she said it made it harder to handle. Her gaze refocused when Katherine had moved to casually strew herself across Klaus' bed.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's a killer. And he always will be. The question is, are you ready to take that burden on?" She moaned, getting comfortable on his bed. "Cause if you're not, I'd leave now."
Caroline kept her cool, refusing to give Katherine the satisfaction of seeing how affected she was just by that one maneuver into his bed. "He can change."
"Psychopaths don't change," she drawled.
"Well, then maybe he's not a psychopath. Maybe he's just a really really messed up guy with a dark past. Maybe he's just lonely."
"Right. And maybe rainbows will shoot out of the sky and there will be world peace for all mankind!" she mocked, exaggeratedly. "Get real."
Caroline shook her head. "Your life must have really sucked for you to be so jaded."
Katherine unexpectedly zoomed in her face. "Careful, little girl. I made you. I could just as easily break you."
Caroline looked down as she boldly stepped over the invisible line between them, then looked up at her maker. "Then why don't you? Or are you just all bark and no bite?" she added, coolly.
"You really don't want to go there with me." She circled around the blonde. "You think I won't hesitate?" She leaned into Caroline's shoulder and whispered, "Guess again."
Caroline peered at her sideways, shaking her head. "I think, secretly, you want to keep me alive."
Katherine rolled her eyes, easing back. "I'll humor you. Why?"
"Because the idea of Klaus actually caring about someone other than himself is too good for you to pass up using it against him. Plus, it intrigues you. If Klaus can love someone, it gives you hope for Elijah, what with how much he looks up to his brother and all."
Katherine smiled, maliciously. She pointed her finger, wagging it up and down. "You were a good investment."
Caroline glared, bitterly. "I was a sacrifice for the Moonstone ritual just so you could save yourself."
"And I would do it again if I had to. Survival is the only thing that matters, Caroline."
"Oh yeah? And how is being kept hostage by Klaus surviving?"
A flicker of doubt passed through her eyes. She recovered quickly with a dark smile. "You tell me."
"I'm not his hostage. I came out here willingly."
"Are you sure? Are you sure it's not just a part of his game and he didn't snare you with one of his manipulative mind traps?"
Caroline turned to leave as she began to mentally coach herself to let Katherine's words roll off her back. Feeding into it and doubting everything was exactly what she wanted. Well, she wouldn't get it. She was tougher, smarter, and she trusted Klaus. Well...almost.
Katherine leaned her head to the right. "Speaking of surviving, you're looking a little ashy there. Does Klaus know you're an anorexic vampire?"
Caroline's eyes widened, panic flowing through her veins. She turned around instantaneously. "I-Im not," she stammered.
"Does that stem from your days of being a cheerleader? Starving yourself so you look good in those skimpy little uniforms?" She grinned maliciously. "Of course being a vampire, it's not exactly the same thing..."
Caroline forced her eyes shut, balling her fists. "Stop it."
"What would he do if he found out you haven't been drinking your blood every day, Caroline? Think he might snap? Maybe make you feed from an actual, living, breathing, human being?"
Her eyes flew open, angrily. "Just...shut up, okay?"
Katherine leaned back, grinning smugly. "See? You're already falling apart. The two of you are d-o-o-m, doomed." Her face turned stoic, then. "And he will make you feed when he finds out. Don't think just because he's Mr. Perfect now he isn't still the crazed killing machine you first met. Klaus always has been and always will be his own highest priority."
Caroline's eyes burned with rage. She couldn't refute the argument, and that made her even angrier. Fed up with Katherine's mind games, she stepped out of the room, not looking back.
"The truth hurts, Caroline!" Katherine laughingly called after her.
Ignoring her, Caroline hid in the kitchen, slumping over the island countertop. Why had she let Katherine get to her? That was exactly what she wanted. Anger rang in her ears in tandem with her rapid heartbeat. The lack of blood intake must have been knocking her senses off balance...
In an effort to vanquish her rage, she opened the cooler, thrown by the wine glass that sat so eloquently on the shelf. Without hesitating, she grabbed it and downed it, her haste causing it to drip down her chin. A faint crimson stained the empty cup, mocking her hunger. It wasn't enough. She glanced back down at the cooler through veined eyes. There was only one blood bag left. She could manage without it, but her heightened anger triggered her other senses, making her hunger grow. How was she going to survive once the blood ran out?
Her thoughts clouded as the hunger burned in her stomach. Snarling, she ripped open the door of the cooler and grabbed the last bag, tearing the tubing off with her teeth. She felt her thirst finally satiate as she drank it down. She slammed the empty plastic casing down, and felt clarity again. With that came the realization that the blood bags were gone. Tomorrow. She'd worry tomorrow.
A/N - I would just like to clarify before everyone asks: No, Grecia was never in the show or books (as far as I know). She's a self-created character that I'm playing with. Kind of like how Kimberley was, but then she turned up in the show, cause I'm super witchy like that. ;)
Thanks for reading! Now go review! I mean...if you want to. :P