"I don't understand and you're not up to explaining it to me, so there's really nothing left for us to say to each other now is there?" Elena said heatedly.

"Can we not talk about this right now? We have more important things to worry about. I get that you're stressed out about Damon but..." Bonnie said tiredly. She stood fidgeting with the too long sleeves of her sweather.

Elena scoffed, cutting her off. "This has nothing to do with Damon. This is about Jeremy. You know, my brother Jeremy. Your boyfriend for the past twenty years" she said bitterly.

"It was one thing when Kol said he had some freaky friendship with you. I thought 'hey maybe he was lonely on the other side and since you were the only one he could get into contact with,' so he thought he owed you one. But now I find out that you two were doing a whole lot more than idle chitchat" Elena said antagonistically, referring to the sight of Bonnie and Kol sitting together at the bar, holding hands, looking entirely too cozy.

Elena had grabbed Bonnie's arm and practically dragged her into the bedroom, hoping to get a reasonable explanation why Bonnie and Kol were acting like a couple. But after nearly an hour, Elena had been given no explanation at all, with Bonnie skirting around the issue by giving vague insubstantial responses. Every word coming out of Bonnie's mouth was increasing Elena's irritation and she was going from disbelieving to furious every single second that went by.

"It's not like that. You're making it sound like..." Bonnie stated placatingly.

"Like what Bonnie? Then what is it like? Please, do explain it to me. Because right now it sure feels like one of my best friends has been betraying my brother for his entire adult life" Elena spat out.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked tentatively, poking her head around Elena's bedroom door that was slightly ajar.

Both girls startled, breaking away from staring daggers at each other.

Elena was so caught up in her conversation with Bonnie, she hadn't even heard Caroline getting closer to her room. Elena hadn't even sensed Caroline until Caroline spoke up. So much for vampire hearing. Elena sighed, folding her arms.

Bonnie looked equally surprised, giving Caroline a hesitant smile. "Hey Care" she greeted softly.

"Hey Bon. What are you two arguing about?" she asked, brows puckered in dismay, taking in the tense atmosphere inside the room.

"Nothing" Bonnie said, giving Elena a fleeting glance.

Elena scoffed, but didn't comment.

"I'm going back downstairs" Bonnie said, making her way to the door. Caroline came inside the room, allowing Bonnie to pass. "The Originals are by the bar, with the Original werewolf Darius... they're discussing where we should search for the power sources and what to expect when we get there..." Bonnie informed Caroline.

"What do you mean when we get there?" Caroline asked, curiously.

"Well they think that all three magic sources are hidden at the same location, but the tricky part might actually be retrieving them. The Originals came up with a bunch of theories, based on stories they've heard over the centuries... so when we get there we won't be entirely unprepared" Bonnie explained. "So far, they've come up with six different scenarios."

"Oh wow, talk about premeditation" Caroline giggled. "They sure don't do anything half way huh?"

"No" Bonnie gave Caroline a fond smile. "Anyway, I should get back down. You should come too... Tyler's downstairs. He's been asking for you."

Caroline chewed on her bottom lip, what they knew to be a nervous habit. "Klaus and I aren't actually getting along right now... we just had a fight" she said reluctantly, looking between Bonnie and Elena.

"Your first real fight as a couple?" Bonnie asked playfully, with a hint of concern.

"Well... we're sort of always arguing?" Caroline said, uncertainly. She gave a nervous chuckle.

Bonnie nodded in understanding. "Don't worry about coming down Care... I'll fill you in later" she said, smiling reassuringly.

"Thanks Bon" Caroline said, breathing a sigh of relief.

As soon as Bonnie left the room and shut the door behind her.

"Can you believe her?" Elena asked, angrily.

"I'm sorry?" Caroline said worriedly, looking at Elena who had started pacing the room.

"Bonnie and Kol" Elena stated, her tone signalling that it was obvious what she was referring to. "Can you believe that Bonnie has been cheating on Jeremy with Kol all these years?" she said angrily.

"Elena, Bonnie would never cheat on Jeremy" Caroline said incredulously, shaking her head.

Elena's head snapped up and she rounded on Caroline. "How can you be so sure?"

"How can you be so sure that Bonnie has been cheating on Jeremy?" Caroline retorted, her voice firm. "Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett. Our best friend since childhood, is not a cheater" she stated.

"And even if she did... it's not like Jeremy has never cheated on Bonnie before" Caroline muttered. "You're being a bit hypocritical, don't you think?" she asked honestly.

Elena flinched at the reminder of the time Jeremy cheated on Bonnie with Anna. Before Elena took a defensive stance. "Says the one who's dating Klaus" she said sardonically.

Caroline scoffed. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't be making assumptions when you clearly don't know the whole story." Turning on her heel, she made her way to leave the room.

Elena's regret was almost instantaneous. "I'm sorry, Caroline" Elena said sincerely, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I didn't mean that..."

"Yes you did" Caroline said. "And I don't expect you to ever be okay with Klaus and I being together, just as I'll never be okay with you and Damon being together. But I'd appreciate it if you'd be mature enough to not let who we date, come between us" she scolded, irritation colouring her tone.

"I know, I know... you're right" Elena said placatingly, running a hand through her hair. She took a seat at the edge of her bed. "I just... Bonnie said Jeremy didn't cross over."

"What?" Caroline asked shocked, taking a seat next to Elena. "What does that even mean?"

"It means, we don't know where Jeremy is" Elena said sadly. "The witches must have sent him some where else, and if we don't know where he is, then how are we supposed to bring him back?" she said. Her voice sounded weak and defeated, even to her own ears.

After a moment of silence, "we're going to get him back Elena. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?" Caroline said soothingly, putting an arm around Elena's shoulders.

Caroline's blind optimism made Elena smile. The whole world was probably going to hell, Caroline's life had been threatened two days ago and she was still the one to be reassuring and making everyone else feel better.

"How are you holding up?" Elena asked tentatively.

"I'm fine..."

"Caroline..."

"I really am fine, Elena" Caroline said reassuringly. "Klaus is being stubborn and unreasonable, but so am I, I guess. He and I are just going to have to agree to disagree, for now." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"You know, when the time comes, Klaus isn't going to be the only one fighting for your life" Elena stated seriously. "This might be the only thing Klaus and I will ever agree on. Stefan and Damon feel the same way. We're not going to let you sacrifice yourself Care."

"Speaking of Damon" Caroline said warily. "I'm really sorry about Damon, Elena, I..."

"Oh no, no you don't. You don't have a single thing to apologise for" Elena said, shaking her head. "What Klaus is doing to Damon has nothing to do with you."

"Klaus is doing it because of me" Caroline said, clearly annoyed.

"If Damon didn't do what he did to you, then Klaus wouldn't have had a reason to torture him" Elena pointed out.

Caroline flinched at the mention of torture.

"I'm not happy about it, but I'm guessing the only reason why Damon's still alive is because you asked Klaus not to kill him?" she asked.

Caroline nodded.

"Damon's going to be okay. Although maybe you could ask Klaus to take it easy on him? Klaus and his hybrids are having a little too much fun... I don't want Ivantika to kill Damon by accident." Elena visibly blanched.

"Oh my God, Elena... way to make me feel less horrible" Caroline said guiltily.

"I'm not trying to make you feel horrible" Elena said, shaking her head. "This isn't your fault. There's no way that you're to blame... I just... I hate to see him in pain, you know?" Elena said honestly.

Getting up from the bed and running a hand through her hair, "if it was anyone else, I would revel in the fact that he's suffering for hurting you. I'd probably be torturing him too" Elena explained. "And I know that it makes me a bad friend for wanting Klaus to take it easy on Damon, but I love him, Caroline...

I love him. And I love you. And it's hard for me to weigh in the balance." She sighed, as if in defeat.

After a few moments of heavy silence, Elena spoke up. "How about we not talk about that?" Elena said abruptly, a bright smile suddenly forming on her face.

"What?" Caroline asked, taken aback.

Elena shrugged, laughing at Caroline's expression. And after a moment, Caroline started giggling too.

"Okay... what do you want to talk about?" Caroline asked tentatively.

"So how does it feel to have your two ex boyfriends and your current beau, all in one room?" Elena asked in her game show host voice. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and saw Caroline's expression change as realisation dawned on her.

"No" Caroline said, disbelievingly.

"Oh yes" Elena said, wickedly amused. "They're all downstairs by the bar, coming up with plans for world domination and what not" Elena said playfully.

"They're going to kill each other" Caroline said, her voice low. And Elena could see the panic in Caroline's eyes.

As her friend groaned in discomfort, Elena giggled.

By the time Bonnie got back to the bar, the conversation was nearly over and she hated to have missed any important piece of information. Klaus had already gone. So too had Rebekah. Stefan had left to go check on Damon. Elijah escorted Katherine who went to bed. It was early morning and although Bonnie was physically exhausted, her mind was reeling.

Bonnie couldn't get over the way Elena over reacted and basically disowned her for simply holding Kol's hand. After everything they'd been through together over the years, Bonnie honestly expected Elena to trust her. But Elena was furious, disbelieving, and had treated Bonnie like a criminal. When Bonnie told her that Jeremy didn't cross over, Elena had looked at her like it was all her fault.

Now was not the time to talk about her relationship with Kol and Jeremy, not that Elena gave her much chance to explain. There would be lots of time to explain everything in detail after they dealt with what was going on. Caroline's life was in danger. Klaus' daughter's life was in danger, though Ivantika didn't seem the least worried. There was so much to plan and to learn... they needed to be fully prepared for anything.

Ivantika was a witch. A powerful one, to have prevented the Guardians from entering her mind and reading her thoughts. Bonnie knew all too well the strength, determination and sheer force of will, it took to protect one's mind from outside influence. And Ivantika had done it effortlessly, much to the surprise of her family. Klaus' daughter had obviously been practising her magic, unbeknownst to the Originals, though Darius looked on pleased, when Kol explained what had happened in the cellar.

The Original werewolf Darius had a vault of knowledge that he willingly shared. He doted on Ivantika. His genuine concern was clear when Ivantika once again made her proposal to find the three magic sources and yield the power for themselves. Bonnie agreed to a certain extent. Ivantika was right. Having control over the three sources of magic was equivalent to having control of magic itself. They would be able to end the war, restore order to the supernatural world, rebuild the other side. Maybe even defeat the Guardians, rendering their threat to Ivantika and Caroline's lives null and void.

But was it worth the risk?

The Guardians were apparently all powerful supernatural beings who kept the balance amongst all vampires, werewolves and witches. According to Darius, the Guardians amounted to nothing more than assassins. As soon as a vampire, werewolf or witch stepped out of line, the Guardians would step in and simply kill them. But over the last few centuries, coinciding with Klaus' first attempt to break the hybrid curse, by way of Katerina Petrova, the Guardians had seemingly disappeared. The possibility of a hybrid unnerved them, and the Guardians hadn't been seen since... until two days ago, in the cellar.

The Original hybrid Klaus. A hybrid mean't half werewolf, half vampire. Born a werewolf, but made into a hybrid.

The Original hybrid Ivantika. But Klaus' daughter was something else. A different kind of hybrid. Born not made. She was one of a kind. It would not be entirely surprising if the Guardians were fascinated and even wary of her.

Bonnie had never even heard of the Guardians before, and she wasn't even sure of the full potential of Ivantika. There was so much Bonnie didn't know, and she couldn't help but feel extremely disadvantaged. Surrounded by Originals, it was necessary for her and her friend's survival that she learned as much as she could, before the three magic sources were found. Maybe Kol would be forthcoming about anything she wanted to know.

"Bonnie?" Kol asked, jolting her from her musing.

"What?" she asked softly, looking at him expectantly.

Kol was frowning, and it was then Bonnie realised that the room was silent, all eyes on her. "Ivantika was saying that she'd be willing to teach you how to block your mind from a mental attack by the witches" Kol explained.

"And why would she want to do that?" Bonnie asked, looking at her warily. It was a polite offer, but Bonnie had a distinct notion that Ivantika wouldn't be offering for free. And Bonnie really didn't want to owe Klaus' daughter any favours.

"Your mind is weak" Ivantika stated, looking at her intently. "And since you're the only witch here, we can't afford to have a weak link in our midst now can we?"

"You're a witch" Bonnie pointed out, feeling a little bit insulted.

Ivantika smirked. "I'm a hybrid," Ivantika said, with an air of superiority. "As fun as performing witchy little tricks are, unlike you, magic isn't my only protection."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. As much as Bonnie hated to admit it, her mind was weak, and if she had any chance with competing with the witches who had held her hostage for nearly two weeks, she needed to strengthen her mind.

"Sure" she said eventually, in acquiescence.

"You let Damon go" Caroline stated, standing at the threshold. Inside the penthouse suite was luxurious, awe inspiring, even enchanting, but the view from up here was breathtaking. Even the overcast sky and the doomed atmosphere did not take away from the beauty of the vast city that lay before them. She had never even dreamed of visiting Qatar.

"I told you that I had no intention of killing him, sweetheart" Klaus reminded her. He looked away from the master piece he was working on, to give her his undivided attention, and Caroline was once again struck by his amazing artistic talent. He had managed to capture the city perfectly, but for the darkened perspective he alluded to. She didn't think that anyone would ever be able to capture death and destruction as beautifully fascinating as Klaus did.

Nodding in agreement, "you left the conversation a bit open ended when you vamp sped away last night... I wasn't sure how long you were going to hold him in captivity" Caroline said honestly.

"I'm a little too busy at the moment to administer my favourite torture methods, so the routine was getting a tad bit boring for my tastes," he said nonchalantly. "But I must admit, Damon Salvatore has a high tolerance for pain." There was something in Klaus' tone that hinted that he was pleasantly surprised by that fact, and she finally looked up, meeting his gaze.

"Thank you" Caroline said softly, her tone sincere. She spent the entire night avoiding Klaus and she hated to admit that she sorely missed him, even though it had only been a few hours. When Bonnie had informed her that Klaus had actually let Damon go, Caroline had breathed a sigh of relief. Searching the whole apartment for Klaus, only to find him on the rooftop.

Klaus was such the brooding artsy type, Caroline thought to herself. He even had the look down, though Caroline didn't think anyone could pull off a dark blue Henley, dark jeans and boots as well as he did. Klaus exuded confidence. He was the epitome of sexy with his Greek God physique. But though his body was lean, he was soft. Or maybe it was the way he treated her like a delicate flower. Klaus handled her like he was afraid he would break her. Caroline couldn't help but wonder what it was about her, that attracted the affections of him.

It did not go unappreciated how big of a deal it was for Klaus to just let Damon go.

Klaus sighed. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a tyrant" he said sadly.

"It wouldn't matter even if you were" Caroline said, smiling at him affectionately. "I happen to like you just the way you are."

He lifted a brow, curious. "Except when I'm being a condescending, controlling, ass, as you so aptly put it."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Even then."

Klaus smirked. He put the paint brush down and picked up a white rag, wiping the excess paint off his hands.

After a moment, he looked down shyly. "You locked your door last night," he said.

"I didn't realise we were sharing a room." After a disbelievingly look from Klaus, Caroline sighed. "I was angry with you" she stated.

"Are you still very angry with me?" Klaus asked hesitantly.

"No" Caroline said, shaking her head. "Not any more."

"Good," he said, voice barely a whisper. Putting the dirty rag down, he made his way over until he was standing right infront of her, his face mere inches away from hers.

Klaus lifted his hands to cup her face, his thumbs gently brushing her cheeks. His touch soothed her and Caroline sighed softly, now realising how much she had missed his touch.

"Are you angry with me?" she asked softly. Caroline knew that Klaus had overheard the conversation she had had with the others, and at the time she had wondered why he had stayed away. She had been expecting him to barge in Elena's room at any moment. Caroline knew that he knew that she steadfastly agreed with Ivantika. That she was entirely opposed to ever giving the power sources to the Guardians.

Though they hadn't discussed it, Caroline and Klaus were, for all purposes, at an impasse.

He looked oddly unsure of himself, brows slightly furrowed. "I couldn't be angry with you even if I tried" he said honestly.

Caroline looked into his pretty blue eyes that had just a tinge of green in the pale light of the morning. All mask of pretence gone. There was the look of honesty and vulnerability that she dared to think Klaus only gave her. He was hers, and she was his, Caroline realised. If it were the other way around, if Klaus' life had been threatened, Caroline knew that she would do the same. She would give up everything to ensure that he stayed safely at her side for all of eternity.

Though they stood apart, they stood together. And Caroline realised that it had always been this way. They would be leaving tonight to search for the three power sources, and once they were found, a decision had to be made. And Caroline would not be angry with him when that time came, not when she could understand how he felt so well. But she wouldn't agree with him either.

She decided to trust in fate, just this once, that everything would be okay.

Putting one hand on his chest, above his heart, she listened to the steady beat. She moved her hand up to his necklaces, closing her fingers around the wooden charms and metal beads. Moving her other hand to the back of his neck, gently tugging at his curls, Caroline pulled him down for a searing kiss.

Klaus' reaction was instantaneous.

One of his hands found itself buried in her curls, holding her in place. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, battling for control and winning, nearly taking her breath away. His other arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Caroline moaned softly, as his thigh pressed between her legs.

Klaus' scent was overwhelming, heady, and his taste on her tongue, nearly drove Caroline mad. She felt as though her skin was caught on fire, every inch of her burning with desire. Breaking away to take an unnecessary breath, "Klaus..." she practically purred, when he started trailing kisses along her jaw, down the curve of her neck, all the way down to the first button of her sweather.

Caroline tugged at his hair, bringing his head up, to give him another kiss, silencing a growl that was building. She wanted him. She wanted to feel every single inch of his skin. Her short denim skirt hiked up as she tried to rub her heat against his thigh. She moaned again, not feeling the least bit ashamed, as she tried to create some friction between them. She could feel Klaus' desire pressed against her belly.

Suddenly she decided they was wearing too many clothes. She moved her hands to lift his shirt but Klaus stopped her, shaking his head. Breaking away from her lips, he rested his forehead against her.

Caroline made a sound of disapproval, but he merely chuckled breathlessly.

"I want you..." she managed, her breathing erratic.

"As I want you, my love" Klaus said softly, placating her with soft kisses on her lips, the corner of her mouth, her cheeks.

Caroline's hands fisted in his shirt. "Then..."

Taking her hands in his, to halt her movement. "Ssshh..." he said, brushing his lips over the shell of her ear.

When she looked up at him in confusion, he motioned to the exit.

Oh.

The others could probably hear them. Klaus' daughter could probably hear them. Caroline internally cringed by that fact.

Klaus gathered Caroline in his arms, and she rested her head on his chest, trying to control her breathing. She blushed, feeling self concious at her lack of self control. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.

"Soon" he said, voice barely a whisper. And his promise made Caroline smile.

I wanted to get a handle of where everyone's minds are at, as well as explain in detail, exactly what's going to be happening, before we moved on... so we got Elena's POV, Bonnie's POV and Caroline's POV, all in one chapter. Talk about girl power.

Reviews would be very greatly appreciated, thanks :)