Caroline has been running for while in the dead of winter chasing after Mikael, she can only hope Klaus has his mother by now. Everything happened so fast back there she's still not sure this isn't a dream. She pushes forward through the dark alley the increased breathing is all she hears mixed with the sound of her boots hitting the pavement. "Where can he be?" and she gets her answer as a bullet spirals towards her missing her arm, she looks up seeing him on a fire escape f an old building. She runs toward it pulling out her own gun making her way up the fire escape as fast as she can trying to get to the roof before he manages to get off it. She sees him about to jump to the next building, "Stop right now!" she yells out into the wind and she knows he can barely hear her as he pauses for a moment to look at her. His hands up as he does and as she lowers her weapon he makes a jump for it.

She pulls her gun back up racing towards the end of the building to make the jump herself following him to the other side. That's when she sees the helipad to buildings away, "How did he even get that to land here?" she thinks trying to get to him before Mikael gets to the helicopter. In his haste to the next building his gun falls to the ground below them as he slips a bit, now unarmed Mikael feels the pressure pulling himself up he hears a bullet shoot the wall next to him. Stupid girl, he yells, "Can't even shoot." The next shoot goes straight into his left arm where Klaus was shot, "If I wanted to kill you I would." She says with a smile jumping the building next to him as he hangs on with one hand.

She pulls out a slim back rope to support herself just in case he tries to push her off the side of the building tying it to the building on one of its many hooks. Caroline then reaches for his arms pulling him upwards, "But that's not what I want. I want your children to see there isn't a redeemable quality in you. I want them to feel nothing when I do decided to kill you and make no mistake if one of them wont. I will." She whispers into his ear as she pulls him over the railing to safety. He's about to says something but Caroline injects him with the same serum he injected all of her family with watching him go down for the count. "That should keep you for a bit." She says patting his shoulder as blood starts to pour out once more.

HOURS EARLIER

Jeremy was pacing back and forth over the plan, it was decided that he and Damon would hunt down the missing parties and bring them to the party. Having already found them the night before, he had been keeping contact with them through Morse code on the side of the warehouse they were being held in happy Elena had made him join the boy scouts until he was in his teens. He checked in on them every few hours during the guard change since they had been camping out nearby checking out the system with Klaus and Caroline.

Damon was fairly impressed with what the blondie could bring to the table, "So how did you get to know all these things?" he asked her early the next morning as they started their search for the girls and his kid brother. She smiled at him from her laptop looking up at him and saying, "I grow what I need to survive." She said before looking back down. She was at that thing for hours murmuring to herself as Klaus massaged her shoulders watching from behind. Damon meanwhile was torn between his brother and his girlfriend, they were both missing and he was frustrated to no end over it.

Rebekah went out with Elijah not trusted alone to go shopping for the ball and today she had to go pick up all the attire including the dress Caroline had added special qualities' too. Coming how she saw Caroline teaching the boys how to break into a warehouse step by step, where she got all these props and references she would never know. Shaking her head she entered the empty villa, "Okay then, I'll just cook again." She said to no one and was surprised when Klaus came out of the end of the hall grabbing the stuff out of her hand to assist her.

"Thank you," she says removing her coat, "it's getting colder out their brother." He nods placing the bags on the couch lying flat before reaching for the two boxes he can only assume are for the ladies. "Yes, well I feel it. They pay more attention to her than to me. Even Finn was out there earlier." His sister looks at him smiling, "You really don't take well to being replaced do you?" Klaus pouts without meaning to and she smiles and he feels like an idiot but smiles with her over his behavior. "Don't worry she isn't trying to upstage you. She's just trying to show you she can hold her own." His sister says taking her box to her room and closing the door leaving Klaus to look after her before turning to Caroline.

Finn is enjoying the distraction Caroline is offering by teaching them all little tricks for different occasions mostly because she didn't let him mope about in his room thinking of Sage. She said, "It might be necessary for you to step in and assist tonight so pay attention." Finn had always been one to run away from his problems but now he needed to be here for his love so he put in the extra effort learning how to disable a person before the others. Looking up from the ground up at Caroline she extended her arm, "Thank you." He says as he reaches for her help in standing.

Kol was a lot easier to wrangle away from the bar or his phone, having called his professors to let them know he would be out for the week but willing to make up the work when he could. Caroline and Klaus taught him how to break into a small security system through the back door, "There's always a back door," Caroline kept saying until Klaus covered her mouth. He missed Bonnie and hated his parents with each passing moment thinking about how she was. Jeremy who was keeping in contact with them said she was fine. He was enjoying a new friendship with him always being a loner himself he had the boy tell him about Bonnie when they were younger.

Elijah had dropped Rebekah off hoping a drive would help calm him. He had never felt such anxiety over someone that wasn't his family. Katerina was out there safe but still in danger, it ate him up inside knowing there was nothing her could do for a few hours. He was tired of watching Niklaus and Caroline with their skills and obvious love for one another. He wanted to feel useful and instead he was reduced to Rebekah's shopping assistant. That is until he was movement on the roof of their villa as he was about to pull out, he text Niklaus, 'movement on roof, must check now.' Before he drove off once more around the block like he didn't notice anything until he parked once more.

Niklaus checked his phone and went straight to the trees in the back climbing up on and spotting two men setting up equipment, he was about to jump to the roof when he felt a tug at his shirt, Caroline had followed him up. "Get back down." He hissed but she of course ignored him and jumped up onto the roof drawing the attention of the men. Klaus shook his head in frustration balling his fists as he made the short jump running up behind her. Disabling the men was easy however the equipment they brought with them was a little too 'talk nerdy to me', so he was just going to leave it when he saw Caroline mess with it smiling. "She always surprises me," he thinks walking to her.

"I'm going to need Elijah's help with the key codes could you call him," she says not looking away from the machine unbelievably excited she gets to see one up close. Elijah joined her soon after looking at the machine in awe, "I've only seen this in prototype form," he whispers pulling himself from his trance he nudes her to look at Niklaus. "Oh, she says as she looks at Klaus moping on the side of the roof. She walks over to him loving his pouting as she does so. "Hey," she says putting her arm in his pulling him out of Elijah's earshot before she continues, "like I don't know, but what's going on with you?"

She calls me on my attitude, he doesn't like this as he pulls her further away from the roof towards the edge, "There's not a thing wrong love, just waiting for tonight." The look she gives me tells me she isn't buying it but she lets it slide for now. Klaus jumps down after her as she scales the tree, downwards climbing through the open window to their room. "Caro-" is all he gets out before she assaults his mouth making his eyes flutter closed once more giving her as much as she gives him before she lets him go and tosses him into the bed. He lands on his back and elbows looking up at her, "What was that for love?" he says as she places herself standing in-between his legs looking down at him.

"Tell the truth Klaus," She says not budging from their earlier conversation, "Are you mad at me? Not that I need to justify myself but I am just trying to help where I can." He pushes himself up placing his face in her abdomen and wrapping his arms around her waist as he looks up. "No, I'm not mad at you. I'm just mad at myself for feeling like a toy that got tossed aside for a new one." Caroline looks down at him giggling at how childish he is being with her before she says, "there are always things the old toy can do for the new toy." And he smiles impishly bringing his hands to rest on her hips pulling her with him as he throws himself back on the bed rolling them. She gasps landing on her back looking up at him, "I didn't mean right now."

Rebekah walks in at that moment without knocking, "Ew, don't you think I have enough going on without this burned into my eyelids?" she yells with her hand covering her eyes and the other feeling around for Carline. "Come we must get ready for tonight, Nik no distractions." she says sternly before Klaus rolls over letting Caroline pass reaching for Rebekah's arm. 'Sorry' Caroline mouths to Klaus as she shrugs walking out after Rebekah.

Preview for next chapter:

TWO HOURS LATER
"your tie is fine stop messing with it." Rebekah says to Kol as he walks by the hall mirror once more not caring really about the damn tie just anxious over Bonnie. Everyone is on edge as they wait for Damon and Jeremy to announce they are in position outside the warehouse waiting for Esther and Mikael to take their leave of the area. "We are a go," Klaus hears Jeremy say as the earpiece goes off as does Caroline and Elijah survey the party off to the side. "Gadgets," Caroline sings practically beaming as she prances away from Klaus over to wait by the door for Esther. "This is ark angel wait for my signal," Caroline mutters standing by the door of the villa greeting people she has never met before like she knows them.