Sent Away: Chapter 13

Katherine had been surviving for so long she had forgotten how to live.

For the first time since Elijah her heart had begun to beat again. Love. Love had been so important in her human life—the deception of unrequited love led her to bear a child out-of-wedlock and it was the love of the dark-haired original that had given her the strength to try to break free from Klaus all those years ago.

However, the longer Katherine existed the more she knew the truth. The only true love she would ever have was for herself. She had thrown everyone who cared for her in Mystic Falls into the fire so that she, the doppelgänger with a sore heart, could escape the flames.

Vampires were no longer a secret and the "ladies" of Mystic Falls had been found out, so although Katherine may not like it, it was time to move on. Pearl had been urging the vampire to leave the town for a while now, but it was better late than never—even if Katherine was damning all of her friends in the process.

The council wouldn't strike until the iron was hot; so, in the few moments that time granted to her, Katherine played every card that was still left tucked up her sleeve. If she died at the hands of Mystic Falls' vigilantes, not only would it be seen as a disgrace to the five-hundred years she'd spent on the run, but it would prove to be misinformed. The self-righteous men on the council would never know that the only reason they gained wind of their vampire infestation was due to one of the originals themselves—Niklaus Mikaelson.

Klaus had proven to be useful despite being the one to put the final nail in her friends' coffins. Through his years of spreading the lore surrounding the "sun and moon curse" the moonstone became a wanted commodity to every supernatural being. Only those closest to Klaus—or those intended to be sacrificed—knew the truth behind the obscene ritual. No matter what the facts surrounding it were, Katherine gave the moonstone to George Lockwood in exchange for her freedom without a second glance. The werewolf need not know that it would do nothing to stop his bones from breaking every full moon.

Stefan had fallen into place, as had Damon. They both had enough of her blood so that if things happened how Emily said they would, the two of them would be vampires within the week and she could retrieve them when—or if—the time came.

It was only a matter of minutes before Giuseppe, the boys' father, would come for her and the ruse of a church fire would deploy.

Soon Katherine would be free again, but for some strange reason freedom did not have the same appeal that it once did.

The meadow was sprinkled with crystals in the form a dew. The smell of early morning filled the air, and Caroline could feel the bottom edge of her dress growing damp as she moved around the water covered grass.

"Your dreams are almost as lovely as you, sweetheart." Klaus said approaching her from behind.

Caroline turned to give him a confused look, the blonde had been unaware that she had even gone to sleep.

"You aren't supposed to be here." she whispered, unsure of how she knew he was not intended to be in her place of peace.

"Ah yes, I am afraid that I am not just a figment of your imagination." Klaus circled around her, as a shark would its meal, so that he could make eye contact with her.

"Vampires can enter people's dreams?" She asked, feeling oddly safe within the crevices of her own mind.

"Yes." he spoke in a gust of wind, grabbing her so that he could feel her—in any sense of the word—close to his person.

Caroline giggled, "you really should not be making a habit of being handsy. I would think anyone who sees us to disapprove greatly."

Over the time she had spend with Klaus Caroline had come to grow comfortable with him, perhaps it was all premature, but it felt right—and that is after all, what Klaus inspired within her. He brought out something primal—something passionate. She was terrified of the person she could become at his hand, but when he looked at her with his blue eyes and dimpled smiles, all she felt was adoration and an attraction that beckoned her close.

That was the one thing she had never been able to find the words to tell him—to ask him if he felt the same way. It felt to her as though every breath she took was meant to be taken near him. As though the entirety of her happiness rested on his shoulders. She didn't feel this way often, but the more she got to know him the more frequent these moments would occur. One could almost say he was her whole world—well, when he wasn't being insufferably irritating.

"We really should continue onto the main reason I am here, love." Klaus said as he took a step away from her. He may need her physical proximity, but mentally he could not focus when her heart beats so close to his.

"Yes, tell me why you are trespassing on my dreams." Caroline teased as she threw him a smirk.

Since their time in the woods, she felt joyous around him. She was more of herself with him than she was with most of her friends and family.

"Just to give you a piece of friendly advice of course. A woman about to walk down the aisle needs all the help she can get." Klaus said, continuing the whimsical mood for as long as he could.

"You're right, my future husband would not want me to be misinformed." She said putting on the best serious face she could manage.

"Yes, I am sure he would want you to be as subservient as possible." Klaus grumbled, trying to keep out the bitterness from his voice. He was not sure why he felt jealous of this unknown man whom had won Caroline's hand, but whenever he thought of her being with someone else his stomach grew uneasy.

Klaus's brow furrowed and Caroline tried to suppress a giggle; when he got into those moods of his she always had the strangest urge to poke and prod him, granted she knew this was not the smartest thing to do, but she couldn't help it.

"So, do tell me, Mr. Mikaelson, what is it that is so pressing it could not wait until I regain consciousness?" she asked, with a bright smile on her face.

Klaus sighed, he knew she was trying to bring him out of his sudden solemn nature, but he did have a purpose from barging in on her dreams, and it was time he got to the point.

"Well, Ms. Forbes," Klaus began trying to appease her want for lightheartedness as much as he could, "it appears as though you have a Judas in your mix." When a look of confusion swept her features he continued, "I would suggest that you refrain from placing your trust in anyone, for now." He said the words quickly. He suddenly felt much like Elijah, all formality and no whit, but these were desperate times.

"That's...cryptic. Mind telling me who this beloved person is that wants me six feet under?"

"This is not a joke, Caroline." Klaus practically growled.

"I didn't think so, you are rarely funny." She said, irritated that he had to flip every conversation into a serious heart to heart.

Klaus sent her a petulant look.

"Alright, I get it. You want me to remain alive, but do you want to know how I see it?" she asked.

"Not entirely, but I have no doubt that your seventeen years of experience will shake the realms of what I have come to accept as reality," he bit back sarcastically.

"I think that you're not entirely sure who this threat to me is, because if you did they would be dead, and you would go back to whatever you were trying to gain from me before."

Klaus stared blankly at her—he had not expected her to hit the nail on the head.

"Oh, then please enlighten me sweetheart," he began, unwilling to concede that she had a point, "what do you plan to do about the situation?"

"Nothing." When he looked as though he was going to strangle her pretty little neck she elaborated, "I have no reason to act any different. I know better than to blindly trust people, and if there is ever such a moment when I need to revoke my trust in someone, I will need definitive proof that they have betrayed my faith. I am not going to turn my back on anyone that I care about, Klaus."

"Allow me to make myself clear, Caroline." The blonde knew he was angry because he only ever used her real name when he wanted something or was trying to contain his temper. "As strange as it may seem I care about your existence and if I say something is wrong, you put your pride aside and listen to what I have to say."

Caroline scoffed, "This isn't about pride Klaus, but rather loyalty. I guess that is just something you don't know very much about."

Klaus took a step towards her, a dangerous mix of lust and anger in his eyes. Before she could find out what he had intended she woke up with a gasp and left the meadow behind.

Elijah was ashamed of his siblings more often than not. He loved them dearly, but they acted like children instead of the centuries old vampires that they were.

They were entirely unable to do the simple task of protecting the blonde girl who Niklaus had become enamored with.

Rebekah was ruled by love and loss, and Klaus had the opposite problem—unwilling to admit his true feelings and ignoring them. Between the two younger Mikaelsons Elijah was surprised the family had ever accomplished anything.

Naturally it was their impotence that urged Elijah to step in; it was he who went to Mr. Forbes and created this marriage sham. If Klaus knew what Elijah had done he probably would have threatened to remove his elder brother's liver or perhaps some other vital organ, yet Elijah had not intention of stealing Caroline away from his brother—the blonde was certainly no Tatia—it was simply time that she moved into a safer place.

He had sent for her, and by week's end she would be where no monster could harm her, and then perhaps Nik would finally have redemption.

Love, rainbows, and unicorns to everyone who voted for Sent Away—it won the "Best Romance Story" category.