Grazie mille a tutti/tutte! :)

More excitement for me today (apart from flying back home, so pleeease no snow in Denver until my flight's left the ground! ;)) - I just learned that I will have another trip to the US coming up, arriving on March 14th, and this time I'll be staying an entire week which means... I'll actually get to watch 4x16 AND 4x17! This is totally brilliant!

Then again, not quite as brilliant as all your lovely reviews and the new follows/favourites! So glad you liked the last chapter, everyone, and even if I'm repeating myself on a regular basis: Your reviews make me SO happy, guys!

Oh, and apart from not owning TVD, I definitely do not own the title of today's chapter either! ;)

We're taking a big step towards the moment of truth now...

Thank you all!

xx


CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

INTO DARKNESS

Elijah had good news when they finally returned to the hotel.

"They found it. Silv unspelled the oak, which apparently took a great effort due to the spell being in place for such a long time, but they were able to cut down a number of stakes and burn the bloody tree to the grounds. All the ashes were collected and most of it scattered in the sea, so that apart from the stakes they cut, there is no trace of white oak left. They are on their way and should be here in the morning."

Klaus nodded. "Please do tell me it was Damon Salvatore who found the tree by accidentally crashing into it head on."

Caroline huffed and Elijah grinned. "I am indeed sorry to disappoint you, brother, but it was actually Silv who sensed it. She found it in the next-to-last quadrant. Rebekah said she has started to look weak ever since she undid the invisibility spell and the tree was destroyed, so we will need to look into that once they get here. Are you two ready to leave?"

As they had done the previous nights, they left the car about a mile from the castle and approached the ruins on foot. Klaus' anxiety seemed to increase with every step. He grew silent and tense, not partaking in the quiet conversation that revolved around the Pays de la Loire, the region where Tiffauges was located. When they had reached the walls, his face was completely frozen. He stared in the direction of where Elijah had indicated the stables had been. A flicker of emotion crossed his face just before he steadied his features again, but neither Caroline nor Elijah had missed it. Was he thinking of Tempest? She noticed how closely the older Original was watching his brother, as if waiting for some sign of an imminent breakdown. Caroline wished she knew what to say to Klaus to relieve his anxiety, but she couldn't think of a thing, and what was more, he was not yet aware that Elijah had told her about how he had found him here all those years ago.

"Let us go and find that tunnel," Klaus suddenly spat and flashed into the ruins. They descended towards the dungeons, with Caroline's eyes never leaving Klaus' face. She could have sworn he was paling more with each step they came nearer to the subterranean cells, but his face betrayed nothing. Elijah scanned the somber hallway and finally pointed to his left.

"I think we can safely rule out all the cells on the right hand side, as they are facing away from the river. We will therefore need to search the chambers on the left one by one for trap doors and the like." He kicked open the first door and motioned for Caroline to step into the room. "Shall we?"

"Elijah."

Caroline shuddered at the icy remoteness in Klaus' voice. If she had her way, she would immediately get him out of the dungeons, run him back to the airport and get the hell out of this place. But it wouldn't be the right path – she was no psychiatrist, but it was blatantly obvious that he had to finally start facing his demons. She just wished it wouldn't be so hard to watch, although something told her she hadn't seen anything yet.

Elijah looked at his brother with cautious eyes.

"Which one?" Klaus asked curtly.

The older Original hesitated. "Brother," Klaus hissed between gritted teeth.

"The last one to the left."

Without another word, Klaus walked down the hallway. He looked like a ghost. Caroline started to follow when Elijah detained her.

"He needs to do this, Caroline. Let him do it alone," he said quietly. Caroline looked up at him. She knew he loved his brother dearly, but he was too used to the lone wolf routine and too used to letting Klaus have his way.

"I know he has to do it. But not alone, Elijah."

The Original looked at her. Her jaw was set, and she was ready to fight him if he was to hold her back. She would not leave Klaus alone in here, not for a minute. He could yell, snap her neck or just ignore her, but she would stay. She lifted her chin. Elijah's face was unmoving for a short while until he finally released her arm.

"I will start with the first room. Call if you need me." There was a brief pause before he mouthed, 'If he needs me.'

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Taking a deep breath, she followed Klaus towards the last dungeon to the left. Without acknowledging her presence, he pushed the unlocked door open and stepped forward. He stood in the middle of the room, just where she had been standing some nights ago, and did neither move nor breathe. His face was nothing but a mask and at this moment, he seemed light years away from the playful, passionate man who had given her such happiness and pleasure. Who had been so happy in her company only an hour ago. He even seemed light years away from the almighty Original who had first besieged Mystic Falls and scared the wits out of them. There was a sudden strangled sound, and it took Caroline a second to realize that it actually came from Klaus. He still hadn't moved, but his eyes had come to life. There was an unspeakable pain in them, just as she had seen it in her visions. And the day he had shown her his drawing of Henrik. She took a determined step towards him when his hand shot out like a snake and stopped her dead in her tracks. He did not look at her, and his voice was dead and cold, unsettling her more than any yell or menace ever could.

"You will not set foot in this room. Go to Elijah and stay there."

She took another step, making him snarl. "Caroline, I am utterly serious. Get out. Now."

"I'm staying."

"Leave!"

"Forget it!"

In a flash, he was in her face and pushed her out of the door. "This has nothing to do with you, so go help Elijah and leave me alone."

Come on. You knew this wasn't going to be easy. "That's exactly it, Klaus. You are not alone, whether you like it or not. I am in this with you now, and it has everything to do with me. This is the place I have seen in the last vision the warlock gave me, even including that table, the metal shackles and the blood on the walls." She closed her eyes, then opened them again and fixed them on his face.

"Klaus. What I saw in the dreams, about you being tortured and… Did that happen to you?"

The last bit of colour drained from his face. She thought she saw a faint shimmer in his eyes, but it was gone before she could take a closer look. He grabbed her elbow and steered her clear of the room, crashing the door shut. All of a sudden, he sagged against the wall of the hallway, covering his face with his hands. A violent tremor went through his body, making Caroline ache to pull him into her arms, but she knew better than to try. Then there was a barely audible whisper that pierced her heart like a sword.

"If only it had."


She stared at him for a long while. "How can you say that?" she finally muttered. "How can you wish for something like that to happen to you?"

Klaus let his hands sink and looked her in the eyes. "It would have been preferable to the alternative. Caroline, I want you to promise me that you will stay out of this once Mikael and Prelati are here. You are not going to be anywhere near this castle, is that clear? Do not make me compel you, for I will if that is what it takes to make you stay away."

Caroline steadied herself. She felt like throwing another fit about the compulsion threat, but she had to be rational and keep the emotions out. "I am sorry, Klaus, but I cannot promise you that. The more of us there are, the better our chances to end this quickly. And I have been thinking. If Mikael believes that he can somehow get to you through me, the logical thing to do will be to use me as bait."

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" he roared, his voice thundering off the walls. "Fuck, Caroline, I will compel you, chain you to the hotel room and snap your neck! You have completely lost your senses, have you?"

"What's the problem? You will be there, and so will Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and everyone else. Wouldn't it actually be much more dangerous to leave me behind unprotected? Crap, I know you won't let anything happen to me, so what's the issue?"

Caroline hadn't seen him move, but she sure as hell saw his fist crash into the wall next to her head, an inch from her face. A large piece of stone crumbled to their feet, leaving a gaping open hole in the wall. This was Klaus, the Original Hybrid, in a full-blown blaze of rage – and it did not frighten her in the very least. Neither did the way he shouted at her, his voice at the point of breaking.

"And what if I fail you, Caroline? What if your confidence in my capabilities to protect you is not justified?"

"I trust you, Klaus," she said simply.

"Oh, now you are starting to trust me? With the one thing I can't be trusted to do?" He was still shouting, but he couldn't quite keep the despair from his voice. Caroline hadn't the slightest idea why he would believe himself incapable of protecting her, but for now, she would just need to be persistent. She placed her hands on his waist.

"I trust you."

He shook his head violently. "Stop it, Caroline! You have no idea what you are talking about!" She slipped her arms around him, resting her hands on his back, ignoring how rigid he went.

"I trust you."

He started to push her away, but she held on to him with all the strength she could muster. He would have to snap her neck before she let go of him now. She looked up into his ashen face, her arms tight around his stock-still body. Then she placed a very soft kiss on his cheek, lingering for a moment before she pulled back to gaze at him again, her eyes wide open and shining with honesty.

"Implicitly."

His resistance to her touch collapsed almost audibly. That was what she had counted on – he could not fight her when she was this close to him, just as she couldn't fight him when he held her. His arms encircled her just as his forehead came to rest against hers. "Caroline, I can't risk it. I failed before."

"How?"

He just shook his head. Caroline took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Listen to me, Niklaus Mikaelson. Whatever it is that happened to you, whatever mistake you believe you made – it is not going to scare me off. You have tried to kill my best friend! Come to think of it, you've tried to kill most of my friends, Caligula, but here I am, in your arms. Shouldn't that tell you something?"

His eyes turned cobalt from the sudden fire in them, and his voice became a mere whisper. "What does it tell me, Caroline?"

"It tells you that I… that you are not the monster you believe yourself to be. Okay, at least not twenty four seven, that is." That was not what you wanted to say, was it, Caroline? "So if you are afraid of me running screaming, forget it. Not gonna happen."

Klaus ran a hand through his hair. He stared at her, a deep frown on his face, assessing what she had just said. During the next few minutes, they stood looking at each other. Caroline waited patiently, aware of how decisive a moment this was. Klaus was very obviously struggling with himself, so she just gave him her proximity, keeping her gaze locked with his, not wavering or moving. His beautiful, expressive eyes were telling an epic tale of pain, rage, despair and violence. But there was something else as well, a softer gleam which Caroline couldn't quite place.

After what seemed an eternity, he nodded hesitantly, and his voice was hoarse when he finally spoke.

"So be it."

Her eyes widened at his words and he nodded again, a little more determined this time. "Let us find the tunnel. We will speak later tonight."

Caroline felt lightheaded. She couldn't quite believe this was really happening… he was actually going to tell her? He was going to speak to her of something he had kept bottled up for six hundred years and had not even told Elijah? Klaus started to set off towards the chamber they were hearing Elijah in, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned to look at her and she lifted his hand to her lips, placing a gentle kiss on his fingers, just as he had done a dozen times with hers. His expression turned into one of utter disbelief, and his lips parted. A second later, he had pulled her into his embrace and whispered against her hair.

"My amazing Caroline, is it so hard to believe that I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt?"

She smiled. "And is it so hard to believe that I want you to finally stop hurting?"

"Yes," he breathed, "it is."

If I ever get near your freaking swine of a stepfather, he had better run very fast.


When they entered the cell, Elijah's eyes immediately focused on his brother. Naturally, he had heard every word, and Caroline wondered if he was as surprised as she was at the development. Klaus avoided his gaze and moved to systematically search the room. Once he was with his back to them, concentrating on patting the opposite wall, Elijah gave Caroline a warm, almost grateful look and quickly squeezed her hand before joining his brother. She shook her head bemusedly. Pigheaded Originals. Or was it just men in general? Why did those guys never really talk to each other about things that mattered?

After a while, Klaus turned to his brother and muttered, "We are wasting our time. If anywhere, it is in that dungeon." Without another word, he left for the last cell to the left. When they had joined him, Elijah looked at Klaus questioningly, the latter just giving an impatient wave for his brother to open the door. As they stepped into the room, Klaus turned to Caroline and said, "Please." She supposed she should probably make some concessions, too, and signaled her assent to remain outside which made Klaus lift one corner of his mouth a fraction.

She watched the brothers search the room and was amazed at how they didn't need to waste one word on agreeing who was doing what. They didn't even have to look at each other; it was more of a meticulously established routine. A few minutes later, whilst running his hands over a wall, Klaus' head jerked towards the alcove with the table.

"Caroline, where exactly have you seen the tapestry in your vision?"

She considered for a moment then pointed into the same direction he was looking. "About three feet left of the far corner, I'd say."

He moved the table, carefully avoiding any contact with the chains, and motioned for Elijah to join him. "Would you mind describing the tapestry again?" he asked while the two of them were punctiliously scanning the wall.

"It was an image of this castle and the surroundings, seen from landside. The river was in the background. The castle was still fully intact, with a big tower in its middle. Weren't those towers called 'keeps'?" Elijah nodded absently. "Anyway, everything was surrounded by lush green, kind of like it looks today. The grounds don't seem to have changed too much."

"Tell me more about the keep."

Caroline racked her brains. Closing her eyes, she let the image of the tapestry fill her mind. "It looked like an ordinary castle tower. Grey bricks. Battlements at the top. A few embrasures and small windows. That was all… no, wait a minute. There was a flag, a very large flag. It even seemed to be a little bit out of proportion. Yellow, with a black cross on it." She opened her eyes and found the men looking at her.

Klaus ran a hand over his neck and turned to raise an eyebrow at his brother. "'X never, ever marks the spot.'" Why is he going all Indiana Jones now?

Elijah's face lit up. "Of course!" In a flash, he had pushed the sturdy table to the wall. Klaus was on it with one elegant leap, his eyes on the stone ashlars in front of him. He pulled out his phone, just as Caroline had done two days ago, and illuminated the wall. A couple of seconds later, he stowed the phone back into his pocket and pressed a hand against one of the ashlars. There was a loud screeching sound, and a part of the wall disappeared, giving way to a pitch black hole. All three of them stared at the dark abyss until Klaus patted the stone he had just moved.

"Third from top, fifth from right – memorize this one, just in case," he commanded. He looked at Caroline hesitantly.

"Oh come on," she said softly. "I will not drop dead if I cross this room, okay?"

He looked away from her into the black nothingness ahead and held out his hand behind him. With a few quick steps, she closed the distance between them and took his hand. His fingers closed around hers, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand. Elijah cleared his throat.

"Go ahead, Niklaus. I will be covering the rear." Klaus nodded, pulled out his phone again and turned on the flashlight function. Both Caroline and Elijah did the same with their mobiles. Then they stepped into the tunnel. Once they were inside, Klaus turned around and examined the walls. "Ah, there you are," he muttered and Caroline saw him touch a handle right next to the fake door. When he pulled it down, the heavy construction closed with the same godawful screeching sound. Caroline took a deep breath to fight the momentary feeling of claustrophobia.

Klaus scoffed at the door. "Isn't it uninspired, brother? Not a single secret passageway in the old castles with a somewhat more elaborate system."

"Tedious indeed," Caroline heard Elijah chuckle behind her. "What were they thinking, insulting your intelligence like that, Niklaus?" She grinned in the darkness.

They started to walk along the tenebrous aisle. The air was cold and very stale, as if there had been no fresh air supply for centuries, which was probably really the case. The walls smelled of soil and humidity.

Without a warning, Caroline shrieked. Gah! Something had brushed past her foot!

"What is it?" Klaus and Elijah asked simultaneously.

"I don't know – something moved at my feet!"

They scanned the ground until Klaus gave a light chuckle. "We have company," he said, pointing his light to a spot at the bottom of the wall. Caroline's eyes widened at the sight of a really large rat that was hovering on the ground, momentarily blinded by the light. "Ugh, gross!" she exclaimed, taking a step away from the animal. What is it with the Indiana Jones stuff today?

"Caroline, you are a vampire, for God's sake. This is just a rat!" Klaus couldn't quite suppress his amusement, and even Elijah laughed quietly. She raised her chin and stalked forward.

"Gentlemen, there was never any mention in the legends that vampires have to like these things. I grew up with fluffy bunnies, cute hamsters and ponies, so if you'll excuse me, I would really like to leave this place!"

They are going to pay for all the chuckling! I don't know how, but they'll pay!

After about a hundred yards, Caroline stumbled over something. Klaus steadied her immediately, and all three of them pointed their flashlights to the ground again. Caroline stopped breathing. It was a bone.

Please tell me this isn't real!

The ground ahead of them was covered in skeletons. Hundreds and hundreds of human bones were scattered on the floor. Caroline covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from making any sound, but he noticed. Pulling her close, he tilted her chin up and murmured, "Are you all right, sweetheart?" She nodded, taking his hand and placing it on her cheek, covering it with her own and closing her eyes for an instant to compose herself. His hand was warm and soothing on her skin. How could his touch always be just how she needed it in any particular situation, even when he had just gone through such a monumental moment of anxiety himself, only a few moments ago?

"Let's go on," she said quietly, squeezing his hand and taking a step forward, careful not to step on any bones.

"Well," Elijah's voice came up behind her, sounding somewhat strained, "another riddle solved. So this is where de Rais' hid the remains of his victims. Some of them, that is. In the beginning, he used to just throw them in the river, not caring about whether they were found. When the body count became too large, he needed to find other ways and it would seem he just disposed of his victims in here."

Some five hundred yards and another seven big rats further, the tunnel ended abruptly. There was another handle in the walls, making a tiny door creak open. They had to push their way through a layer of ivy, but then they were finally outside. Caroline inhaled the fresh night air, trying to chase away the smell and the lingering images of the gruesome tunnel and its inhabitants. She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around how any human being could be capable of committing such a monstrosity. So many children had had to die to cater to the deranged fantasies of one man! No, de Rais hadn't been a man, he had been worse than any sort of animal. She thought of what Silv and Elijah had told her about how de Rais had died, and she wondered if there couldn't have been a crueler method.

Klaus and Elijah had examined the outside of the door and had found a hidden switch beneath another great mass of ivy. Klaus guided her hand to show her where to find the handle if need arose. She just nodded and moved away from the tunnel, walking a couple of steps toward the river. She heard him follow and turned around, looking up into his anxious face. A silent tear escaped her.

'Don't,' he mouthed, shaking his head. Very gently, he slid both of his hands into her hair and held her wordlessly for an instant. Then he bent down and tenderly kissed the single tear from her face.

And that was when she knew. As long as he was with her, she would live through everything, even the worst of cruelties. She was strong on her own, there was no doubt about that, but his presence made her even stronger. She would always be affected by things like violence, death and suffering. She would be hurt, cry over it and she would never truly understand it. But there would be nothing, absolutely nothing that could ever harm her to the point of breaking with him by her side.


Elijah had excused himself when they returned to the hotel. He and Klaus had looked at each other for a long moment until Elijah gave him an almost imperceptible nod and left.

"Where is he going?" Caroline asked as they walked to the room.

"Giving us some privacy. He won't be far."

"How come he always does the right thing?"

Klaus smiled. "Experience, wisdom, intuition. But the few times he gets it wrong, he really gets it wrong."

Caroline lifted an eyebrow. "Silv?"

"He screwed up royally there. All she would have needed was some more time. But stubborn as he is, it was all or nothing and now or never. Rebekah was right when she said she had never seen two people that much in love, for he was ridiculously happy with Silv. Far more than he ever was with Tatia or Katerina or anyone else. Silv loved him back like no other woman ever had, and the intensity of it somehow made him turn into… well, me for a while – he wanted what he wanted, and he wanted it immediately. She was just not ready to take the big leap at that time, and all he would have had to do was wait. I do hope he gets it right this time around."

The minute Caroline closed the door behind them, his lips were on hers. His kiss was gentle, soft and almost… loving. Her lips moved against his while their tongues were caressing each other slowly, intimately. This kiss was not about passion or desire, it was simply about Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes needing each other.

When she finally released him, his eyes were clouded and he looked like he was about to say something, but he just continued to stare at her like she was the most precious thing he had ever seen. How she would love to just hold him now, bask in his warmth and forget the world, but this was so infinitely more important than her silly neediness.

"Tell me," she whispered.

He swallowed. She kicked off her shoes and sat in the middle of the bed, holding out her hand to him. After a brief hesitation, he, too, removed his shoes and joined her on the bed. She sat between his thighs, wrapping her legs around his hips. Klaus crossed his legs behind her backside, pulled her closer and heaved a desperate sigh.

"I'll say it again, Klaus. You will not send me running. I will still be here when you finish." Caroline gave him a tender kiss on the lips and looked up at him patiently.

"You know I have never spoken of this to anyone, not even to Elijah." His voice was even, but his stormy eyes were betraying just how hard this was for him. "I have indeed met Prelati and de Rais in their time, or should I say, I have met my worst nightmare. Ever since it happened, I have kept the memories tightly under wraps, never allowing them to surface until this whole thing started a few weeks ago. I have seen so many cruelties, Caroline, some far worse than the ones that haunt me so much, but these are my own personal hell. I had hunted atrocities for all my life, taking pride in having witnessed even the most depraved of crimes. Things you would never dream existed – and believe me, everything exists. People call us monsters, and that we are, but compared to some humans, we are… how did you put it so aptly… fluffy little bunnies. There had been rumours about the Baron, and I was keen to find out whether they were true. I did not have a care in the world when I left for Tiffauges, completely confident about being an invincible Original…"