Caroline felt herself being thrown against the wall not two seconds later, Klaus' wrath raining down upon her. "How dare you," he seethed.

"The bitch shot me!" Nate groaned, inspecting his shoulder wound.

"I told you I would," Caroline sneered, meeting Klaus' gaze.

"I'm going to kill her," Nate said, aghast. His eyes now focused on Caroline. "I'm going to bash your fucking skull in."

"You're not going to be doing any hitting with that injury. Let's not forget which shoulder that is either, brother," Klaus reminded Nate, confusing Caroline to no end. "Go find Elijah and tell him to help you."

"Elijah's here?" Caroline gasped.

"I am," a voice said from the stairway. She maneuvered herself in Klaus' grip just enough to see Elijah trotting down the stairs, a first aid looking kit in hand. "Your ruckus startled poor Rebekah, brothers."

"Is the whole damn family here?!" Caroline breathed, her eyes wide. Elijah…here. He had left without a word so he could be with his murderous family?!

"Well he couldn't just leave her alone, could he?" Klaus explained, still holding Caroline hard against the wall.

"I've gone insane," Caroline whispered, nodding her head in agreement with herself. "That's all this is."

"Sorry, sweetheart, but you're the sanest one in the house," Klaus smirked.

"Not for long," Nate raged from across the room with Eljiah.

"Relax, Kol. There will be no killing," Elijah reprimanded, forcing him to sit down so he could tend to his wound.

"His name is Kol?" Caroline asked, wondering what in the hell she had done to deserve this screw up.

"You didn't believe he actually shared his real name, did you?" Klaus teased, pinning her harder to the wall.

Caroline wriggled in his grasp, trying to see if she could get out. This was ludicrous! "Get your hands off me!"

"I don't think I can do that just yet," he laughed, quickly shoving his hands to her side. Caroline cried out, doing whatever she could to push him off. He wasn't budging though.

Klaus' hands roamed around her waistline, and she could feel him dig into her pockets. Shit. Her phone. Caroline did the only thing she knew to do to keep him from taking it away. It was her lifeline to Matt and she couldn't risk losing it.

So, while Klaus' hands were busy fiddling with her waist, she pointed the gun directly under Klaus' chin.

"Get away," she told him through gritted teeth.

Klaus watched her carefully, his eyes darting from the gun to her face. "You won't."

"You seem sure about that."

"I know you, Caroline Forbes. We both know you wouldn't pull that trigger on me, and we both know why," he drawled, grinning in a way that demolished her nerves to dust.

She wasn't going to cry. Not here, not in front of Klaus. Not even if she really, really wanted to. She would not show him any weaknesses. He had done quite enough to Caroline without her giving any leverage to him. She had already had thoughts about him that would surely send her spiraling to hell.

Slowly, she put the gun down, not daring to look away from him.

"There's a good girl," he whispered.

"Niklaus, stop pestering the poor child," Elijah chided from across the room. He was finishing up on Kol's wound, wrapping the bandage with expertise.

"We're just having a little fun," Klaus informed his brother, feigning hurt. "We're friends, her and I."

"You are a nuisance, and you're very aware of that."

"I know," he grinned, child like in manner. "I can't help it."

"Try harder," Caroline retorted.

"Lovely to know everyone gets along so well," Kol sneered. "Never mind that she shot me."

"Discuss it with our dear brother. He provoked her," Elijah argued. "You can do that while I take her upstairs."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Caroline added. "You left me to be with your insane brothers. I came here to find my friend and that's it."

"Your friend is fine. You and I have catching up to do."

"I'm not going with you! I don't care if you want to make tea and watch Dancing with the Stars, we're not going anywhere."

"Perfect. I get her and her friend, then," Kol grinned.

"Touch either one and I'll rip out your intestines, then use them as a bow for when I give your dead body to Caroline as a gift," Klaus smiled.

"So dramatic and typical," Kol rolled his eyes.

"Enough." Elijah's voice seemed to resound throughout the entire house. "Settle down, or I will be the one who does the killing tonight."

"It's about time, brother," Klaus practically cheered.

"Took you long enough," Kol joined in.

Caroline was dumbfounded. It's a wonder Elijah wasn't insane. Hell, maybe he was. "I changed my mind. Let's go," she muttered, testing Klaus' resistance. He wasn't blocking her path anymore.

She shuffled across the room, going as fast as she could—despite sprinting—to the stairwell, ascending without a glance behind her. Caroline was aware of the eyes watching her. The curly haired blonde who was probably smirking, and the boyish murderer she had been searching for these past few weeks.

"This way," a calm voice said from beside her, guiding Caroline down a hallway and toward a large bedroom.

Once inside, Elijah closed the door and immediately ran his fingers through his short hair. He was obviously gathering his nerves up for something.

Caroline took the chance to look around the room. It truly was a beautiful house, though eerie. Vines continued to crawl up the walls, claiming every window as it's own. Parts of the floor were covered in dust and obviously hadn't been touched in years. Furniture was scarce, only a bed, lamp, and dresser in sight, despite the massive size of the room. No mirrors, no chairs, no bookshelves, nothing. It was more like a museum than an actual living space.

"There used to be so much more life within these walls," Elijah breathed, trailing a finger over the dresser's wooden surface. "Now it's only an echo of what used to be."

"So this place was your home." Caroline had figured it out, but it felt different having confirmation. This place didn't feel all that homey. The people in it weren't all that welcoming.

"It remains our home, even if it is bare."

"The house reflects the owner," she said softly, taking a seat on the rather comfortable bed. "Kind of like how dogs look like their owners."

Elijah chuckled. "I suppose you're right."

"Why did you bring me up here?" Caroline asked. There was no point in beating around the bush.

"I told you. So we can talk."

"So you can know how close the FBI is to finding your family?" Caroline corrected.

"I am through with the FBI. Even if Klaus were to get caught again, I would need to keep myself separated. Suspicions were already high. I only care to know if you wish to tell me. I don't need the FBI to know how much trouble my family is in at any point in time."

"I'm not telling you anything," Caroline laughed bitterly. "You left me all alone at that station. You didn't even leave a note! It's common courtesy to leave a note before you run off and ditch someone. Everyone knows that!"

"I can never tell you enough how sorry I am, but the riot was happening that day. I had no choice."

"You had the choice to tell me, and you didn't. What you chose to do was keep secrets from me. You chose to let prisoners kill those guards. You chose to let your brother handcuff me outside after…after I saw my friend's dead body," she choked out, taking a shaky breath.

He knew instantly whom she was talking about, his eyes showing just how much he could relate to her feelings. There were years of sadness behind them that even she would never be able to relate to. "Caroline…I'm so sorry."

"Apologies won't bring him back," she cried. "Apologies won't bring back anyone who died that day."

"I wish I could bring them back, but my family will always come first."

"And how is that motto working out for you?" She asked, the bitter tone dripping from her words. Caroline was done with this family, but she knew no matter how hard she fought, they would hold on tight.

Elijah hesitated, his hand wiping over his face. "Most of my family is alive. I would say it's working well."

"Looks like all of your family is here to me," she scoffed. It would always be people like the Mikaelsons who lived for years and years. It was always a cruel trick played by the universe.

"With all do respect, you know nothing about my family, Miss. Forbes. Think before you speak."

That bone-chilling tone was not one Caroline ever wanted to hear again, much less have directed at her.

"Sorry," she added, shaking her head. "I…none of this makes sense. I'm sitting in your family home like your brother doesn't want to kill me, and like my friend isn't locked away somewhere. I shouldn't be sitting here having a conversation with you or anyone else."

"Bonnie is safe, I promise you."

"Maybe being alive is the same thing as being safe to you, but not to me. She won't be safe until she's at home, in bed and drinking margaritas with me."

"You will have her, unharmed, when you leave. My family and I must be gone before you call for help, however. We cannot be here when the police arrive."

Caroline nodded. "You don't want me to tell the police this is your home. You want me to say it's just another random spot."

"Yes," he said with honesty, his expression open for her to judge. "Please."

She put her head in her hands. This was outrageous! Elijah was actually asking her to cover for them! Could anything else get weirder?!

A thought hit her then. Yeah, it could get weirder.

"On one condition," she mumbled, almost too afraid to even ask for something in return. The fact that she was still breathing was probably enough of a favor.

"Anything." And she believed him. He looked as if he would offer her the world in return for doing this.

It took her a few moments to even comprehend how she was about to ask this of all things, but it couldn't be the strangest thing that's happened in the past few weeks.

"Tell me what did it," Caroline requested before she lost all courage. "What made Klaus start killing?"

Elijah was obviously taken aback by her question, his posture seizing up as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Nonetheless, he nodded in understanding. "I realize this is not my story to tell, but I'm afraid we don't have time to get Niklaus past his trust issues so that he may tell you himself," he sighed. "Our parents were never very loving to Niklaus. We could never figure out why. Every time we asked, it was always a vague answer. They weren't murderers, but they did kill his spirit. No matter how many times he tried to please them, he never could. They would kick him when he was down; berate him when it was unnecessary, and in my father's case, occasionally beat him. It didn't matter if my siblings and I were always there for him. Our love could not fill the void in his heart caused by our parents' displeasure. It's been five years, but I will never forget the day Niklaus finally snapped."

"What happened?" Caroline asked softly, enthralled by his story.

"He killed them," Elijah said hoarsely, clearing his throat after to keep his emotions in check. "I came home one evening to silence. There was no yelling, no flurry of activity, no crying…just silence. It felt odd and out of place. I remember checking upstairs first, finding an eerily quiet Rebekah sitting on the floor, with her knees pulled up to her chest. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me nothing was wrong. She said Niklaus had told her to stay upstairs until he came and got her, and that I had just missed Kol leaving the house. That was when I hurried downstairs, and ran around the lower floor until I found them. All three of them were in the kitchen. Blood was everywhere, and Niklaus sat on the floor, clutching two hearts in his hands. Our parents lied lifeless in front of him, two gaping holes in their chest. I stared in awe at the crime scene before me. My parents were dead, and Klaus was covered in blood, with a knife lying beside of him. 'Look, Elijah,' he said, 'They finally gave their hearts to me.'"

Caroline felt a tear run down her cheek, but she wasn't sure whom she was crying for. "What did you do?"

"When I was sure I wouldn't lose my insides from the sight, I pried their hearts from his fingers," Elijah said, tears welling up in his eyes as well. "It was not my parents I mourned for, you see. I only mourned for my little brother's humanity. I knew then that he was gone. It was obvious from the far off look in his eyes that he wouldn't be the brother I once knew. I quickly wiped off what blood I could from his hands, and made him swear to never speak of that occurrence to anyone. I disposed of the bodies before Rebekah could see. I refused to ruin the image she had of her big brother. She still doesn't know to this day. Klaus sat as I cleaned that night. He didn't even bother washing his hands again. I think he liked how the leftover blood looked on him."

"You've done so much for him," Caroline noted. For their entire life, Elijah had been watching after Klaus, and yet it had never occurred to her the extent to which he would have gone for his brother. It was no wonder he left the station that day. "Have you ever had a life of your own? A wife? A family?"

"I've had many jobs over the years, a few friends. I have all the family I need."

"I don't mean your siblings," Caroline smiled. "I mean a wife and children. Maybe a dog."

Elijah looked down to the floor, a reminiscent smile spreading across his forlorn features. "Once. There was…once a girl. The only one I ever cared to tell about my family's history."

"I guess she didn't take it so well," Caroline frowned.

"What woman would," Elijah laughed. "She put her hand to my cheek, told me my secret was safe with her, but that she had to think of herself first. She didn't want to always be on the run, even if it was with me by her side. I let her go that night. It haunts me always."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yes, but there is no point going to her. Not when our problems have yet to go away."

"Then do something for yourself and let your brothers clean up their mess."

"I can't leave Rebekah," he told her sadly.

"She's grown up now. I'm sure you don't have to watch her all the time."

Elijah was silent, thoughtful. He had to know she was right. Rebekah hadn't killed in years. They would never know if she was truly reformed unless Elijah let her go off on her own. Was he even capable of letting go after all these years of being the family patriarch?

"Only time will tell us if I can," he sighed, moving around the room in an utterly exhausted manner. "Do I have your word that you won't tell anyone about our whereabouts?"

Caroline nodded, knowing she had to keep up her end of the bargain. She wouldn't be the reason Elijah could never visit his childhood home again. The FBI could find out for themselves. "I won't say anything. I can't just let Kol go free though. I have to take him in or he's going to kill again. I can't let him do that."

"Leave my brother to me. I will…make sure he doesn't have a repeat offense."

"And Klaus?"

"I have long since been able to control Niklaus."

"I can't just let him go off either," Caroline scoffed.

"He knows if he wishes to stay out of custody again that he must be stealthier than before."

"I don't want him to be stealthy! I want him to stop! Never to kill again!"

"I can't do the impossible." Elijah tried giving her an apologetic face, but she wasn't buying it. Not if he wouldn't even try.

"Might be a tad difficult since Klaus just left about two minutes ago," a surprising voice said from the hallway. "Said he had a few things to do."

Kol leaned his uninjured shoulder against the doorframe, a knowing look in his eyes. Elijah stood up straighter—if that was even possible—then leaned against the dresser, his palms burrowing into the wood. Did Caroline hear that right? They just discussed murder adventures like it was no big deal?

"Niklaus knows now is not a good time. What is he thinking? What can he possibly be thinking?!" Elijah fumed.

"Better than staying around here. I can't even play with my new toy," Kol sighed, strolling into the room and rummaging through the dresser drawers. Elijah grimaced, moving to let him do so.

"Your toy is my friend," Caroline sneered.

"Same difference," Kol smirked, pulling out a bottle of perfume. He sprayed a little of it in the air, sniffing it afterward. "She always did smell so lovely."

"I can't listen to you both bicker," Elijah shook his head, grabbing the bottle from Kol's hands so he could put it back, then stride out of the room with a destination clear in mind. Caroline wasn't about to say in the same room with Kol, so she followed. "I need to find Niklaus."

"I think I can help," Caroline offered.

"You? Help find our brother? I would have believed pigs flew before that day came," Kol laughed. "I'm sure you want to get to him before we do. Turn him into your police buddies and get a nice pat on the head."

"I want to keep someone else from dying. I want…I think I know who his next victim is, and I can't let him…I can't let Klaus follow through. Matt and I were going to the station to find him before we found Bonnie's car."

"Who is his next play thing?" Kol asked, curious.

"I think a guy named Tyler Lockwood. He lives in Mystic Falls, Virginia. Or...he did live there."

"Can I trust you?" Elijah interjected, doing a complete 180 to face Caroline. "Will you bring him back here safely?"

"How can you even ask me that?" Caroline accused. "I'm not the one who is untrustworthy. I've been doing my job this entire time, and still I haven't turned any of you psychopaths in. How's that for trustworthy?"

Elijah had the decency to look embarrassed, his head bowing in shame. He began to nod, looking at Kol next. "Take her to Bonnie."

"What?!" Kol gasped, his brows furrowing.

"I said take her to Bonnie. I need to make a few calls, stop the station from sending anyone out to protect this Tyler if they haven't already. After that, we need to get Bonnie out of here."

"Tyler was on the run from the police. They won't know where to find him," Caroline informed him.

"And you will?" Kol asked. "Oh, and Elijah, have you gone mad? The first thing Bonnie will do is report us!"

"I know where to look," she confirmed. They used to share everything. There was only one place he could be.

"Take Miss. Forbes to Bonnie. Let the girl walk around the mansion, but don't let her leave until Caroline is back from retrieving Klaus. You and Rebekah can watch her. If they're going to trust us, we need to trust them in return."

"Why bring Bekah into this?" Kol whined. "You're still here."

"If you're going to watch Bonnie, then someone needs to watch you," Elijah told him without a hint of playfulness. "I have things to do, and therefore, not the time."

"Can someone just take me to Bonnie?!" Caroline was about to pull her hair out if someone didn't start taking action soon.

"Hurt either one of them, and we'll have much to talk about later," Elijah threatened Kol. He turned to Caroline one last time, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry I let you down. I am, but please, bring my brother back to me. It's a lot to ask after what I did, but I wouldn't do so if it wasn't important."

"I know," Caroline nodded. "I know you wouldn't."

Elijah gave her a small smile before marching off and turning down another hallway. Now, it was just Caroline and Kol. She gave him a sideways glance, noticing how he was doing the same. This wasn't awkward or terrifying or anything.

Kol swept his hand out in front of him a few seconds later, bowing. "Shall we?"

Her fingers began tapping against her gun. "Lead the way."

"We were getting along so well at dinner," Kol sighed, beginning his walk through the house. "Can we not be friends?"

"No," she deadpanned, looking around at the rooms that had doors open. If she had the chance, she would've looked around each one.

Apparently, Kol could read minds, too. "Would you like a tour?"

"I want Bonnie," Caroline demanded.

"Oh she's not going anywhere," he smiled. "A little tied up at the moment."

"You're sick."

"I could be your tour guide," he offered again.

"I want Bonnie. I don't have time for your tour."

Kol gave in, not saying another word as they descended the stairwell. She really wouldn't have minded a tour, but now was definitely not the time. She had a killer to stop, and a friend to comfort. The stress of the day was beginning to wear on her, but she had to keep pushing forward. There was still much to do in a little amount of time.

They both turned to a hallway beside the stairs, opening a door just to the right. It lead to another set of stairs, and from there, she could hear grunts coming from downstairs. The walls were certainly sound proof, no surprise there.

"She tries so hard," Kol mused, a hint of admiration making it's way to the forefront. "Then again, they all do."

"Who's there?" Bonnie called, her voice hoarse. Caroline began skipping steps two at a time as she made her way past Kol.

"So much for giving you a grand entrance," Kol mumbled with disappointment.

Caroline stopped as she saw Bonnie for the first time in what felt like forever. Her friend was tied up, her chair tipped to the side in some convoluted attempt to free herself. Bonnie's face lit up when her gaze met Caroline's and both girls had a smile that could brighten up that gloomy household. At least something was going right. She was okay, and with barely a scratch on her besides what she had given herself from falling over.

"Caroline!" Bonnie beamed, trying to wriggle out of her restraints.

"Untie her!" Caroline demanded to Kol, running to her friend so she could help fix the chair.

"I'm going to," he answered, exasperated as he walked behind Bonnie. "I feel so under-appreciated."

"I'm so glad you're okay, Bonnie!"

"How did you find me?"

"Matt and I found your car, and it just kind of went from there," she explained as Kol finished untying her.

"What's going on? Why are they untying me? Where are they taking us?" She asked, crawling to where Caroline was kneeling down. The two girls hugged each other like they thought they would never see each other again. The way this day was going, Caroline didn't want to even think about that possibility.

She inhaled deeply. This had been the part she was dreading. The questions Bonnie had, the judgment Caroline was sure to get. There was no way she could explain this in a good light. "They're not taking us anywhere. I have to go, but I'll be back, and you're going to be safe here."

Bonnie pulled away from their hug, looking Caroline up and down. "Have they done something to you? What are you talking about?"

"Klaus was here. He was here, and now he's gone off to do something stupid, so I have to stop him."

"You have to be kidding me," Bonnie whispered. "You can't leave me here while you go run an errand! We need to get out of here and go tell someone where we've been!"

"You won't be going anywhere, darling," Kol grinned.

"Ignore him," Caroline pleaded, wanting to kick him for not helping her case. "I think Klaus is going after Tyler."

"Your ex-boyfriend Tyler?" Bonnie asked.

"That one. I have to stop Klaus from killing him."

"Caroline, nobody even knows where he escaped to. He could be anywhere in the country by now."

"I think I might know," the blonde countered. "I have to follow my gut on this one. I just can't let Klaus kill anyone else."

"I can't stay here though," Bonnie whispered, clinging to Caroline's arms. "I don't trust them."

"I don't trust Kol as far as he can hit a baseball," Caroline quipped.

"Bad form," Kol mumbled from the wall.

"But Elijah and Rebekah are here. They'll keep you safe."

"Oh, that makes me feel better. The youngest killer in history and a warden who left without a trace are watching over me. Sorry, but that's not my idea of safe."

"I don't know what else to do," Caroline tried reasoning. "I can't let him kill Tyler."

"I don't know what has been going on, Caroline, but please let me help. You don't have to do this alone. We'll go help Tyler together, we'll do whatever you want, just don't leave me here alone."

"I have to go alone."

"So cliché it hurts," Kol joked.

"I'm serious," Caroline glared, "I have to go by myself. I can't risk you being around Tyler, much less Klaus."

"But you can leave me here with the guy who kidnapped me?!"

"I know it's weird, just please don't hate me when this is all over," Caroline begged, hugging Bonnie one last time before running toward the stairs. She couldn't risk being there any longer.

"Caroline!" Bonnie called after her. "Caroline!"

Caroline passed another blonde haired girl on her way up, who she assumed was Rebekah. She wasn't about to say hello or exchange pleasantries though. All she wanted to do was get out of there before Bonnie gave her many logical reasons to come back. Tyler shouldn't have been some priority to her, but she couldn't let him die either. There was too much history. She didn't owe him anything. Yet the feeling to protect him was still there.

Before she knew it, she was in the truck, driving on another road trip to some place she didn't really want to be. This was probably one of the dumbest things she had ever done, considering she had been doing a lot of dumb stuff lately. This one could possibly win her some kind of award.

It didn't matter though. None of it mattered as long as she could keep someone safe.

Even if the guy she was saving was Tyler Lockwood.


A/N: Dun dun duuuun.

Things could be interesting next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Should be interesting to see what transpires next.