It's odd that I feel so at home here — not just in Mystic Falls, but in the Forbes house — because I haven't lived here very long. But as I walked up the walkway of the Forbes house, I realized that I do actually think of it as home.

When I walked in the front door, C and Tyler were sitting on the couch in the front room. They stood.

"Tyler, could you leave, please. I'd like to speak with my cousin alone."

Tyler looked at C, who nodded slightly.

"Okay. I'll see you later," he said to C before walking past me and out the door.

The moment Tyler shut the door, I walked over to C and pulled her in for a big hug. She hugged me back even tighter. "I hate fighting with you," I told her while we were still hugging.

"Me too. It sucked. I missed you."

"This is not an apology hug," I clarified as I pulled away from her. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Seriously, Ri? You view hanging out with the enemy — and spending the night at the enemy's house — as doing nothing wrong?"

"Your enemy, maybe. Not mine. Look C, I love you; you're my cousin, my best friend, and my go-to person for everything. I hate not talking to you. Or listening to you. But I'm not going to change my mind. You don't have to like him — you don't even have to talk to him — but I need you to accept the fact that I can make my own decisions."

"It's just that it's Klaus, Ri. Of all the people in town, why does it have to be Klaus that you want to hang out with?"

"It doesn't 'have to be' him; it just is."

"The most evil guy ever. Why?"

"Just because he does bad things doesn't mean he's a bad person. He's not 100% evil. Everyone has both a good and a bad side."

"And what — you think you can bring out his good side?"

I scoffed. "That sounds like a fairytale, C. I'm not as naïve as that. But unlike everyone else, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. I'm trying to get to know him. I'm giving him a chance."

"He doesn't deserve a chance, Ri."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, C, but I will not let you force-feed your opinions to me. I was turned against my will; you know what that is like. I made a vow that from that day on, I will never have anything forced on me again. I can make my own decisions."

"I'm not trying to take your freedom of choice away from you. I'm trying to explain how awful my life has been, and a lot of people's lives have been, since he showed up."

"Can we not argue about this right now? Can we just fake peace a civility for a while? Arguing with you is exhausting. I'm sure we'll have plenty more opportunities to fight over our differing opinions of Klaus."

"Fine."

Rebekah came by the house at nine the following morning, just as she said she would. Since neither of us could drive, and as if we would ask C for a ride, or that she would even agree if we did ask, we walked to the main part of Mystic Falls where the stores were located.

"I overheard your conversation with Nik yesterday morning at the house," Rebekah said, once we were a block or two from the house.

"I never doubted that," I responded, honestly.

"I don't know exactly what happened the other night, but based on the aftermath I saw in the dining room and how you were acting afterwards, I have a pretty good idea."

I cringed. "How come you aren't even a bit mad that he daggered you and stuffed you into a coffin?" I asked, as a sort of deflection. "Like he did with all your siblings."

"When I dared to say I wasn't going to follow him anymore, he felt betrayed and I ended with the same fate as my brothers."

"And yet you stick by him?"

"Even when I hate him with a passion, I still ache with love for him. When you can live forever, you learn how to forgive, Riley. When you love someone that much, it's not about what they did, it's about forgiving what they did.

"I've been with my brother for many centuries, but I've never seen him like this; I had lost hope, you know; I thought that this Nik would forever be closed up to everyone except me. He's my brother, Riley, and I just want him to be happy."

I bit my lip. "Why are you so sure that I'm the one to make him happy?"

"Because you do him happy; Nik lights up when he's around you in a way I have never seen from him. And I can see the affect he has on you. I'm not saying that you two should profess your love for one another or anything, but… I think you should give him a chance to show you how amazing he is. Give him the chance to show you the real Niklaus — the brother I love more than anything — not the Klaus that everyone hates. Let him show you what a real gentleman he can be.

I know he has been nothing but horrible to Caroline and her friends, but—"

"Horrible? That's a bit of an understatement."

"But," Rebekah continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "I am telling you, it's a defence mechanism. Nik is a loyal and protective guy. He's just been screwed over by the people who were supposed to love and care for him; it nearly ruined him altogether.

"Look at what he did for Caroline. He saved your cousin's life. Twice. That must not make him all bad, right?"

"I know giving him a chance is the right thing to do, but it's not easy. It feels like I'm going against what everyone — and I literally do mean everyone — is telling me." By now, we had arrived in the downtown part of Mystic Falls.

Rebekah stopped walking. Once I stopped and turned to face her, she spoke. "I believe there's an expression, somewhere, that says the good things in life are difficult, but that's what makes them worth fighting for. Nik's biggest fear is loneliness, so he shuts the world out. But somehow you managed to get through. I don't want him to completely close up again." Rebekah resumed walking. I followed. "When Nik wants something, he can be very patient; maybe you need to have some patience of your own when it comes to him.

"One more thing, Riley," Rebekah said, rather cryptically, as we walked to the entrance to the first store. "I've never seen my brother so taken with anyone. That's not something to take lightly."

I had to admit: shopping with Rebekah was not so bad. Though I'm sure I enjoyed the company more than the shopping part. At the end of the day, I bought nothing and Rebekah bought a lot. But Rebekah gave me so much to think about. It was nice, and incredibly refreshing, to hear someone speak highly of Klaus. But it made me sad, too. In this entire town, there was only one person who could say nice things about him, and she was his sister.

Monday after school, I spent the afternoon and evening in the library, researching the Civil War for my history paper. I stayed later than I had intended; I ended up closing down the library.

It was dark when I left, so I decided to walk down Main Street to get home. This would keep me in the street lights.

Apparently I still think of my safety like a human.

I was several blocks from the library when I noticed someone walking behind me. It put me on edge because it was rather late for someone to be out for an evening stroll. I may be paranoid, but I didn't want to risk anything. Instead of continuing home, which was straight ahead, I turned right and started walking down a quiet, residential street. The man followed me onto that street. I took the next left and quickly flashed to the end of the block. I turned around and the man was gone.

Maybe Iam super paranoid; he probably lives on that street.

I faced forward again to head back to Main Street and saw the man walking towards me; he was coming from Main Street. It seemed impossible, but I knew it was the same man. No human can move that fast.

Vampire.

He spoke. "Excuse me. Can you tell me how to get to the Grill?"

He was about ten feet away. Apparently, all he needed was directions, but I still had an unpleasant feeling about him.

"Sure. Right behind you is Main Street. Turn left onto it and, after a few blocks, you'll see the Grill on your right." I had stopped moving when he spoke, but as I spoke, he kept walking towards me.

"Great. Thanks for your help."

I moved to step around him and continue walking home, but he stepped in the same direction, cutting me off. I knew it wasn't a misstep.

He took another step in my direction, forcing me to step backwards. "You're — you're going the wrong way." I hated how vulnerable, and scared even, that stutter made me sound.

"No, I'm heading exactly where I'm supposed to."

"What?"

"Come with me, quietly and easily, and you won't get hurt."

I flashed across the street. He launched at me, throwing me down onto the sidewalk. The force of impact knocked the air from my lungs. I recovered quickly and flipped myself back onto my feet. His eyes were black as he ran at me. I managed to duck his attacking arms and side-stepped away from him. The force of his missed attack sent him into the trees at the edge of someone's property. I heard a crack, but didn't have time to find its source as the vampire quickly recovered and came at me again. I couldn't dodge this one; his fist hit my lip, but I barely noticed because I felt a piercing pain in my upper arm. I glanced down and saw a piece of wood in my arm, near my shoulder. The crack had been him breaking that stick off the tree. Thinking quickly, I reached over to the nearest tree, broke off a branch, and aimed the broken, splintered end at the attacking vampire. Through the strength of his launch, he impaled himself on it. The branch entered his chest and went straight through. His eyes grew wide as he stumbled back. He made some gagging sounds and fell to the ground. His veins became more prominent as his skin greyed over. Then he stopped moving.

I didn't even have time to catch my breath before I whipped around as I heard another voice behind me. "I must say, love, you really can hold your own in a fight," Klaus chuckled darkly, walking up to me. He noticed the stick in my arm and my probably-busted lip. "You didn't come out of it unscathed, I see."

I looked down at my ar. "I'm fine." I pulled the stick out, wincing slightly. "Healing already."

"Who is this bloke?"

"You tell me. I've never see him before, but I'm still classified as new."

He crouched down and grabbed the vampire's face. "He doesn't look familiar to me," Klaus responded as he let go and stood back up.

"I was just attacked in the streets of Mystic Falls by an unknown vampire! What is going on?"

"I have no idea."

Why is Klaus here?

"Why are you here?"

"I was at the Grill earlier, having a drink. When I left, I heard the sounds of your fight."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Show up whenever I need someone."

"I don't know."

That's not really an answer.

"So what now?" I asked as a gestured towards the dead vampire on the sidewalk.

"Dispose of him in the forest." I didn't like the idea of vampire disposal — it scared me, honestly — but what other options did I have. I hadn't meant to kill him, but I couldn't leave his body here on a residential street for anyone to find. Klaus must have noticed my hesitation. "I'll take care of this, Riley. Go home."

I shook my head, both as a sign of no and to clear away my fears. "No. I'm fine. I want to make sure no one finds him."

Vampire disposal was not enjoyable. Even if he did attack me for no reason. Klaus was right: I didn't have to be there; he had the situation handled. But I had to make sure. I had to see with my own eyes that he was hidden deep in the forest, somewhere out of the way so he would not be found. (And I may have covered the area with leaves, just to doubly make sure.)

Klaus and I were silent as we left the forest, but I could sense every time he made a subtle glance in my direction. He was probably trying to determine if I was in shock or freaking out. Warranted, considering my reaction last time I killed someone. But these two deaths resulted from entirely different circumstances. That man in Klaus's dining room was innocent; the vampire tonight had come at me, attacking. It was self-defence.

"You're being unusually calm about this." I didn't know how to respond, so I said nothing.

He spoke again when we were back walking the streets of Mystic. "Allow me to escort you home, Riley."

"No, thank you. It's not too far; I can manage on my own."

"You might as well let me, love. I'll follow you there regardless, but allowing me will make it less 'creepy,' as you like to say." I laughed a little as he incorporated my terminology into his sentence.

"Well, when you put it like that…" I trailed off on purpose.

"Excellent. Shall we?"

He offered his arm to me, gesturing that I should take it. I rolled my eyes and brushed past him, walking in the direction of my home. When he didn't immediately fall into step with me, I looked back at him. He clutched at his heart in mock hurt. I laughed, and realized it felt good to laugh after the night I'd been having. Klaus smirked at my laugh, as if achieving his goal.

We walked the rest of the way in silence.

The Forbes house was in darkness when Klaus and I arrived. That meant Aunt Liz was working and C was out.

I turned to Klaus as we stood at the bottom of the front porch. "Thank you for walking me home. And by 'walking,' I mean following, but beside me."

"You're welcome, Riley." He smirked before he spoke again. "Do say hello to my hybrid for me the next time you see him; I'm sure he'll be around here sooner, rather than later."

"What, the sire bond doesn't work telepathically?"

"No, sadly. Though that would be quite fantastic. But it works well enough as is."

"Until your hybrid breaks it, you mean."

K chuckled darkly, but not in an "I'm angry he broke the sire bond" way; this seemed more like a "That's what you think" sinister chuckle. Was there more to this than I was aware of?

"From what C tells me, you seem to be keeping your distance from Tyler."

"I'm not an idiot; I know his reason for leaving town was to attempt to break the sire bond."

" 'Attempt'?"

"It doesn't matter how many times he willingly changes into a wolf; he'll stop doing as I wish when I want him to."

I thought about that. "You mean when you compel him to not follow your orders anymore?" That sounded confusing.

Klaus nodded.

"But then, at any moment, you could just compel him again, and the sire bond would be reinstated."

"Exactly. I control the sire bond. That stupid boy cannot break it, no matter how much he wants to. A sire bond does not break."

I rubbed my temples. "That's hard to wrap my mind around…"

Klaus chuckled.

"So you've been keeping your distance from Tyler because you don't want him to know that the sire bond is, in fact, not broken — that it can't be broken?"

"It's more fun this way," he smirked.

"Then why does he think he has? He's incredibly certain that the bond is broken."

"Because I've allowed him to think that way. I am always a step ahead of everyone, Riley; I've had to be. He's foolish if he thinks he can surprise me."

As I walked from the front door to my bedroom, I was still feeling the surprise what just happened — Klaus told me the truth about how unbreakable sire bonds were. Was Klaus trusting me with one of his secrets? Or was he testing me, to see if I would tell Tyler? Or Caroline?

Should I tell one of them?