Klaus slumped back wearily, watching the lights on London shimmer below him, up in father's ivory tower. High above the city, a landscape of black and white, the Eye in the distance, Westminster sharing her reflections on the Thames, he felt surrounded by smoked glass and steel.

He slowly stood, walking toward the floor length window, feeling in his pocket for his phone, pulling out and checking it again, knowing there'd be no change, but unable to resist.

He closed his eyes and let his mind drift to snowy peaks, the sharp smell of resin in the air, the crunch of snow under foot, drifting tendrils of long blonde hair spread across his arm, blue eyes, filled with so much depth, seeing the world, seeing everything. Seeing him. Maybe the first he had been seen.

The last week had been manic, and overwhelming, yet, he missed her. This girl who had suddenly come into his life, and made everything without her seem drained of colour.

And yet, despite the night they'd shared, and the passion he had thought had been mutual, it seemed Caroline was not so swept away as to forget the kind of man he was. She had pulled away, run away and left him alone, and he knew it was what he deserved. He rubbed a smug of oil paint of a knuckle. He was painting again, his muse, Caroline, had reignited his creativity, and he was producing more than ever before. Working for Mikael, he had made money, but through his art, he had made his fortune. In all honesty, he'd never needed to work at the family firm, he hated every second of it, and yet, he had forced himself. Penance, he supposed.

His mother had enjoyed telling him Caroline had left, and informed her that she was to pass along that she didn't want to be contacted by him. He wouldn't have believed her, until Esther had revealed the conversation that they'd shared. If there was anything he knew could turn cold the heart of someone like Caroline, it was his sordid past. Esther had informed him that Caroline had given her immediate notice, and left with her fiancé.

Fiancé.

What a turn the day had taken from how he had hoped it would have been when he'd woken. Pursuing hopes of a breakfast taken back to the warm nest of white crisp sheets and slanted sunlight shining through the blinds, he'd gone downstairs, expecting to find Caroline in the kitchen, or catching up with his sister or Elena.

The memory of what he had found still made his heart stutter. Olivia. Here, standing in the echoes of imprinted memories of a reckless and heart-breaking winter. She had looked the same, though, maybe, less unhappy, he thought in a bolt of insight.

"Nik. Are you just going to stand there, or don't I get a hug?" she'd asked innocently, her flashing dark eyes trained on him. He'd frozen, this heart thumping, wishing he could retrace his steps and go straight to the kitchen.

"For old times sake" she'd whispered softly, and he had found himself crossing the room, and giving her an awkward, one armed embrace. Pulling away, he'd looked down at her, finding her snuggled in closer than expected. Olivia had never really been one for showing her emotions in public. But she had smiled tremulously up at him.

"What are you doing here?" he'd asked, and winced as he heard the question.

"You aren't happy to see me?" she'd asked softly, her brown eyes looking hurt.

"Of course, I am, you know that, I never wanted to stop" he'd said, equally gently, reminding her of how he had attempted to gain entry to the private ward she'd holed up in after the accident, and how he'd been denied, repeatedly. She blinked a crystalline tear from her eye and turned her head so a veil of shining mahogany hair fell, concealing her expression.

"I know, and I'm sorry, I just couldn't… it was all too fresh and painful" she said in a breathy voice.

"I understand" he'd said, and he did. Who would want him around, especially when he'd cost Olivia everything.

"Your mother called, to make amends, she invited me. And when she did, all I could think of was seeing you" Olivia was saying, turning her beautiful face back toward his.

"I miss you Nik. I have missed you for a long time, I just didn't realise it" she said. He stared down at the face that had haunted him for years, the face that stopped him from drawing, that stared back from the bottom of every bottle, the voice behind countless self-loathing thoughts.

"It's been a long time" he said eventually, his mind straying to Caroline. Where was she? Had she met Olivia? What was she thinking?

"Not so long to forget what we shared" she had muttered, reaching up to touch his cheek.

Esther had appeared soon after, saving him from having to give Olivia a response, and he'd been about to excuse himself and go and look for Caroline, when Esther had dealt her trump card.

The rest of the time at the chalet was a blur of too much beer, avoiding long searching looks from Olivia, and dropped calls to Caroline. She didn't answer his calls, and eventually, her number was redirected. She had probably left the country with Tyler. Her fiancé, he thought, bitterly.

Now, before he could find his feet, and set out to track down Katherine, get a hold of Caroline's address in the States, his brother had called, worh a work emergency, and he'd taken an overnight flight back to London. Standing in line at Heathrow for the train, his eyes full of sand, it felt as though the last 48 hours had been a dream.

Now he watched the darkened city, lights flickering on across the capital. Olivia wanted to meet up next week, after the new year, and talk about them. He felt guilty he didn't feel happier about it. He owed her, he had cost her, and if she wanted to give it another shot, he should try and be the man she was looking for, maybe then, he would be able to stop the dark feelings he'd harboured since they lost the baby. The baby. Such a tiny thing at the time, invisible even, and yet, with it, had been such hope. Hope of becoming a family, a real one, and he had a chance to rectify all the nightmares that plagued him of his own childhood. His child would be loved, and they would know it. And then, as his father had not failed to viciously point out, he had failed that little one before they had even been born.

He turned back to his desk, noting the time. It was 4.30 on Christmas Eve and he had nowhere he wanted to go and no one he wanted to see, well, with one little blonde exception, a world away. His phone rang, and his heart stopped a moment, and even as he reached for it, he cursed his own foolishness, seeing Rebekah's name flash.

"Yes, sister dear. Party already started on your end I hear?"

Rebekah hung up the cell phone and flushed the toilet again, then ran the tap to fulfil her deception. She looked in the mirror and pulled a face. She'd been helping Caroline and Elena cook and tidy Stefan's apartment all day for the party and the next day, and was in a total state. Stepping out, she was immediately handed a glass of bubbly from a grinning Kol.

"What?" she asked indignantly at his smirk.

"Nothing Beks, just, great mind think alike" was all he said, as he sauntered away along the candle lit hall.

Caroline was in the middle of arranging crudities on a platter when Rebekah reappeared.

"Please tell me we are finished, because I'm pretty sure I am not going to do anything else vaguely resembling hard labour for the next year" Rebekah complained as she flopped onto a bar stool.

"Hardly hard labour, but sure, we are done."

"So now we can get ready?" the other blonde said, perking up instantly. Caroline nodded.

"Feel free"

"And we can start drinking?"

"I think you've got that one covered" she said, looking meaningfully at the glass in Rebekah's hand.

"Whatever, its Christmas Eve. Let's go, I have the perfect dress you must borrow" she was saying as she snagged a bottle of wine and another glass off the counter.

Three cocktails in and Caroline was finally starting to relax. The tension she'd been feeling since the dreaded morning she'd woken up and spoken to Esther had plagued her, she suspected it had something to do with not saying anything to Klaus before she'd left. It had hurt to see him standing there with Olivia, Esther's words still ringing in her ears.

"So deck those halls. Trim those trees.

Raise up cups of Christmas cheer.

I just need to catch my breath;

Christmas by myself this year"

The house had filled up, and music was playing, people were laughing and talking loudly, and drinks were in every hand. There was a lively, fun atmosphere, and Caroline felt herself melt into it. She hadn't failed her father, she hadn't run away. Stefan had helped in that respect, with his special Christmas present, a prospect was terrifying and thrilling all at once.

She smiled at a snow board instructor she recognised across the room. He raised his bottle to her, his smile inviting, and she decided then and there that maybe dating should be off the table for a while, just until the dust settled with the next move.

She knocked back her cocktail, and checked on things in the kitchen.

"Car! Can you do me a favour and grab some limes?" Damon called as she wandered through.

"Elena gets a bit wild when she has tequila, so… we are making Margheritas."

"Naturally" Caroline said with a roll of her eyes as she headed toward the cellar.

She opened the door to a steep descent into the cool darkness below. Snapping on the light, she gripped the banister and went slowly, careful to place her feet in Rebekah's ridiculously high shoes fully on the steps. She reached the bottom, her feet echoing off the stone flagstones, and started along the lines of neatly organised shelves. As she wandered along, her eyes quickly scanning for a flash of green, she stopped, suddenly hearing a shoe scuff softly on the stones ahead.

"Hello?" she called as she walked toward the sound, the alcohol she'd drunk fizzing in her blood and making her less cautious than she'd normally be.

"I'm on a lime hunt, if you could keep your eyes open" she continued, coming to a sudden stop as she rounded the corner and saw the man standing against a huge wall of spirit bottles and wine.

Klaus stood rigidly, his hand gripping a bottle, his face turned toward her, his expression carefully blank. As their eyes met, she felt a hesitant smile surge to her lips, unable to just stare.

"Hi" she said softly, watching as he walked toward her, the light reflecting off his golden curls, giving him a golden halo. He stopped in front of her, and she saw the bleak look on his face.

"Hey" he replied, equally quietly, his eyes moving over her, his eyes holding a hint of disbelief.

He looked just like when she'd first met him, black leather and moody expressions.

"It's a surprise to see you here"

"Likewise, sweetheart. I just flew in." he murmured, his eyes tracing over her face, the line of her jaw, down to her collarbones. She stood uncomfortably for a moment, following his blue eyes in their path, suddenly too aware of the white and gold Herve Leger bandage dress Rebekah had lent her.

"Well? What is it, do I have something on me?" she finally asked, exasperated, crossing her arms over her chest. He stepped closer, and she felt a fist tighten around her heart. Up close, she could see his cerulean eyes were shot with red, and dark circles lined the skin beneath.

His hand reached out, and surprised her with a gently touch to her cheek. She stared at him, confused. His fingers splayed along her cheek, and run softly down her neck.

"I can't seem to get this part right. The space, the clean line… it is difficult to capture." He was muttering.

"As are you, my dear" he said, finally dropping his hand and raising his eyes back to her.

"What's that supposed to mean? You -" she started and broke off, going to turn away, continue her search for the limes and try and compose herself.

"I… what? Finish the sentence Caroline" he said, following behind her as she stomped along an aisle.

"It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have said that" she said, wishing he'd go upstairs and let her process him being here for a moment.

"Are you alone?" she asked suddenly, catching a flash of annoyance and guilt flash across his handsome features.

"Aren't I always?"

"Wow, that's some non-answer."

"And yet, it is an answer. And you? Did Tyler accompany you?

"Tyler? What does Tyler have to do with anything? I'm alone, I guess, though I'm staying here for the rest of the season… Stefan –" she stopped as his hard fingers grabbed her arm to stop her marching.

"What?"

"Where is Tyler?"

"How should I know? Back at work?" she ground out, irritated by his focus.

"You shouldn't marry him Caroline. I know I don't either… but he doesn't deserve you" he said quietly, and she saw such bitterness in his eyes, she pulled away.

"You can't really tell me what to do. What I do, and who I marry is nothing to do with you."

"Believe me, you've made that perfectly clear."

"Well, so have you!" she ground out, her anger finally spiking at being trapped down here with someone whose hand on your arm set your heart racing and chills running up and down your back, whose eyes still stole your breath away.

She wrestled her arm from him and spun on her gold stilettoed heel. Damon could forget his limes and his badly concocted ways to manipulate her. She stomped up the stairs and ignored the sound of Klaus following her.

"Explain what you mean" he said loudly as they emerged into the kitchen, startling Elena who was sipping a Margherita. Shooting a furious look at Damon, who was escaping to the living room and the safety of other people, she grabbed the long-stemmed glass from her hand and downed it.

"Klaus! I didn't know you were coming" Elena was saying awkwardly as the tension that had built between them in the cellar descended over the kitchen, hushing the conversations that were going around.

Klaus rounded the middle island and approached Caroline as she made to leave again. He stepped up close to her, his blue eyes staring down into her face, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

"Explain that statement."

"You explain yours"

"You first"

"You"

"Well, I am glad we are raising the intellectual bar here my lovelies, but before we start the name calling and hair pulling, might I suggest you sojourn to somewhere a little more private" Kol strolled over, only mildly irritated to be interrupted in his wooing of the reluctant Miss Bennet.

"Fine"

"No!" they both responded at once, with Klaus already reaching for Caroline's arm again.

"No! I don't want to" Caroline said again, more forcefully.

"Be reasonable Caroline. Talk to me" Klaus said, though she could hear the strain in his voice to make it level.

"No. I choose not to, and I don't answer to you. This isn't your house, or your snooty bitch mother's. You can't tell me what to do here" she said, raising her chin a fraction as she met his stormy gaze. They stared at each other, tension crackling the air around them.

"Leave me alone. You're good at that" she muttered, dragging a hand through her rolling curls and stormed off down the hall. That wasn't a fair thing to say, she'd been the one to leave, but still. She felt like he'd left her the moment he'd seen Olivia again. His lost love.

She entered the large lounge, and felt a hand settle lightly on her shoulder. Losing her patience, she spun around ready to make it even more clear she wasn't interested in interacting with him, when she saw the snowboarder from before. He held his hands up.

"I come in peace! I just wanted to check you're alright, that looked intense in there" he said, and she relaxed marginally.

"It's fine, nothing really. Thanks though" she said as she pushed through the crowd to the bar and started to fix herself a drink.

"Here, someone just made a batch of Cosmos, and it might be a little too feminine for me" he said wincing, as he passed over a full glass of pink liquid.

"It's just a cocktail" she said with a reluctant smile as she sipped it.

"Yeah, but it starts out with that, and then I'm getting manicures to stop my callouses building up, and the next thing you know… I have a pink board because it really contrasts well with my suit." He said with a laugh. Caroline smiled, not really sure if he was being condescending or he was just really bad at flirting.

"Well, thanks for the drink" she said, taking a deeper gulp. She felt shaken from seeing Klaus, she had been half hoping she'd never have to again, and yet, here he was, looking all bad boy tortured and, well, she couldn't really think of a better word than lickeable to describe him tonight. Not to mention her memory of the night they'd shared, which made her cheeks heat. Not just the physical things, the emotional connection had been so strong, she had been laid bare, wide open for him to see. And he had rejected her.

"Thank you for the company" he said, a cheery smile on his face as he raised his beer and took a long drag. Caroline caught a glimpse of Klaus entering the room, his eyes immediately on her, almost at the exact same moment as a sweeping wave of fatigue and dizziness hit her. She stumbled a little into Mr Snowboard in front of her, who was talking about some trail he'd boarded.

"You ok?" she heard him ask. She nodded, squinting up at him. He was really very tall, she thought to herself as she swayed on her heels, feeling increasingly unsteady. He put a hand to her cheek, stroked it slowly.

"You're really warm, maybe you need some air, or water or something?" he was saying as she started to nod. Klaus was watching her, moving closer through the crowd. She nodded.

"Air, I need air, can you take me outside?" she asked, leaning on his arm to help coordinate her suddenly unruly feet.

They got there slowly, and as they entered the cooler air, she felt some of the fog start to lift. She braced herself against the balcony and leaned over, sucking fresh mountain air into her lungs.

"Feeling better?" Mr Snowboard asked, coming to stand beside her at the rail. She couldn't find the words to answer just then, so just let her head hang and waited to feel better. She was ok, she wasn't going to throw up. She was fine, repeating the mantra born of years of car sickness, she waited as waves of nausea rolled over her. Before she knew it, her stomach contracted and she awkwardly grabbed her hair from her face before throwing up. She threw up again and again, her stomach heaving. She kept going until dry heaves were all that were left, and she tried to stop the convulsive need to rid her body of its contents.

"Its ok, I've got you" she heard the guy saying, wishing he'd leave her alone, his hand making large circles on her back. In fact, those circles were getting larger and larger, and suddenly, as she was still bent prone over the railing, her hair brushing the flowers on the other side, now spattered with her stomach contents, she felt his hand slip over her ass. She tensed, almost thinking she'd imagined it for a moment. But no, there his went again, and in fact this time, on its downward swoop, she felt his fingers graze under her skirt. Her head came up so quickly, she almost fainted, as blood rushed into her ears. He caught her neatly, pulling her back against his chest as she struggled to stand up.

"Hey, take it easy there, couldn't resist the preview. You're not well, I'll take you home" he saying as he started to pull her along the decking. Caroline's mind was so sluggish and ill, and still, she tried to rebel, tried to push him away, but her hands wouldn't cooperate and her mouth couldn't form words.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt." She heard a cold voice come from behind them, and hear a small whimper of relief slip form her aching throat.

"Yeah, what?"

"I believe Caroline and I have unfinished business. So, if you don't mind…" Klaus trailed off, and Caroline could see him, standing deceptively casually by the French doors, his arms crossed, his stare cold.

"I do mind, actually. Me and my date, were just leaving" the guy holding her said, starting to tug her along.

"I don't think so… mate" She heard Kol's voice, and turned to see him standing at the top of the stairs behind them.

"What is this? You rich kids think you can save all the premium pussy for yourselves and leave us with the dregs. Not tonight, not for me" she heard the fear in Mr Snowboarders voice and tried to pull away from him, her heel digging sharply into his foot. He let out a cursed and pulled her back against him harder, one hand bunching her hair into a fist.

"You little bitch, you'll pay for that later" he threatened in her ear. She heard a tusking sound in the profound silence that followed his course voice, and saw Kol shaking his head.

"Mate, I hope you've got insurance" he said, almost looking sorry about it as Klaus, his face a mask of fury crossed the deck in swift, decisive strides.

"Look, if you want to have first go –" was as far as he got before Klaus reached them, and then, she was falling forward, into Kol's arms and being swept up, and Klaus, like a black shadow, was falling across the guy, who was going down. She felt oblivion beckon as she squinted to see him punching the now prone figure, his anger made motion in his fists, in his tense shoulders and unrelenting gaze.

It was the last she saw, before all went dark.