Selena Brizz - You're so welcome. Thank you for reading it. I promise I'll write some Klebekah scenes soon!

Guest - More about Ryanne and the blood mating here. As for the Damon dilemma, read on! I miss Kol too. I have more going on with him but there's a tidbit of him in this one. Nate is just a pretty loyal guy. I didn't really keep him as close to what he was on the show, but I also don't have anything up my sleeve when it comes to him or the other hybrids.

Candycolabear - Aw that makes me so happy to hear! Yeah I had a hard time with getting readers to understand where I was coming from. It's hard when you only read it in increments but reading it all together at once - which I had to do recently - definitely gets the point across more concisely. Omg I swear you are the sweetest person alive with all your kind words and appreciation. When I get my novel series published you're so getting a signed copy! ;)

Katelyn852 - More Rebekah for ya!

SK Steven - Oh man! You're right, I should've put that in there. I don't know why but I've been operating on the notion that Klaus already knew about her dad torturing her. Maybe I can still work it in somewhere. I mean with Lyall around I've got ample opportunities. I'm glad you still like Stebekah cause I do too!

rebbecca1 - Yeah Ryanne is so much fun to write, she's def a fave. I hope you like the Klaroline moments in this one... :X

Ellavm18 - You're welcome dear!

Stef - YES! I love people who read all three obsessively fast. Welcome, welcome. I don't know about marriage but I definitely have some Kol taming in my notes.

jessnicole - Why does it have to be Klaus that makes it all go south? :(

Hi guys! I love you, you're the greatest and I don't know where I'd be without you!

This is a long awaited chapter for many. I'm going to go ahead and acknowledge that I'm fairly sure a lot of people will find this chapter overall problematic because it isn't the stereotypical cliched kind of response to the situation that they are accustomed to seeing in fic. That being said, I stand by my choices and ask that if you have criticism, let's be adults about it. Hey, for all I know I could be wrong and you could all find it very fitting. But just in case. :)

Chapter 37

Caroline should have been relieved. Her plan had worked, maybe a little too well. She had gotten what she wanted, alleviated tension and put her relationship back on the road to recovery. So why was she suddenly feeling so smothered?

Klaus had been a fine distraction, but it was only a temporary fix from what was really on her mind. He had to have sensed it because all the extra attention was beginning to nauseate and annoy her. Ironic, as that was something she usually craved but for some reason it felt patronizing and disingenuous. She knew it wasn't true as Klaus was never indirect with his feelings, but until she could figure out what she really wanted, she distanced herself. She wasn't hiding, per se. She just needed some alone time to collect her thoughts and emotions, and come to terms with her situation and how to handle it. It wasn't a fear of having to deal with Klaus alone, rather the reality that she would and that she didn't fully trust that she was equipped enough to handle it. It was getting to her, all of her doubts. She found in her isolation that all of her old insecurities were rearing their heads and more new ones were manifesting.

What was up with his wolf anyway? And why the sudden need to bring up her hopes and dreams again? He had to know what she wanted was him, by now. And how was he going to sever the connection between himself and Ryanne anyway? Maybe she needed to confront the girl herself to find out just what it meant, considering he didn't seem to have a clue.

She probably could have just talked it all out with Klaus, had him allay some of her fears. But she was nothing if not a problem solver, especially when they were her own problems. The control freak in her would not accept a helping hand. And so she stowed herself, and her emotions away, waiting until he was too busy to sneak out of her room. Or find a reason to take Rebekah out into town with her to occupy themselves. They never discussed Stefan or Klaus.

As the days went on, she began to feel very detached. Her heart ached with homesickness, and in that time she began to really worry about Bonnie. She'd stopped answering texts and never returned any calls. Not being able to do anything about it only made matters worse.

It was nearly a week after her mother's departure that she finally decided to call Elena. Part of her was hoping the connection to home might help bring her back down to Earth. The other part was hoping they'd found Damon and that Stefan could come back. Not just for her, but for Rebekah too. If anything could brighten her spirits, it was playing matchmaker. But the call was brief and uninformative. No Damon yet. And no Stefan either. Had she heard from Bonnie? Too bad she wasn't here to help find Damon. They could really use her magic. No, the Sheriff hadn't been very helpful. She's been too busy to help since she got back. Weren't she and Damon supposedly friends? How was Klaus? Did he know any witches who could help find Damon? No, he had no reason to want to but maybe if she asked him to...

Ugh! How could everyone be so worried about Damon?!

She tried to be fair and put herself in Elena's shoes. If it had been Klaus missing, she would go to all extremes to find him too. She could even almost imagine the fear and devastation that Elena was coping with. Then again, Klaus probably wasn't dumb enough to get himself caught. Or to just disappear on her with no warning. Which was typical of the Salvatore brothers.

Even still, this was Damon. It wasn't like he was some freaking angelic gift from God. In fact, Mystic Falls would probably be a lot better off with him gone for a while. Too bad no one else could see that. Instead, they worshipped his existence, explained away his behaviors and all the moral boundaries he so eagerly crossed, and shrugged everything he did off with an infuriating amount of nonchalance. Oh he's just being Damon. You can't change Damon. Damon will always be Damon.

And all along she had to choke it down and accept her friends' choices, even to go as far as to support them. Why? Why had she been so weak and ignored her conscience? So what if he was Stefan's brother? So what if Elena was in love with the devil incarnate? Didn't anyone care about right and wrong? Good and evil? And it wasn't like he was even good to them! He made Stefan's life hell, made Elena into some zombie bride version of herself that drooled over his stupid, snarky smirk and that annoying eyebrow twitch, and totally abandon reason. The Elena she knew and grew up with would never sacrifice her values and beliefs because some tortured idiot vampire fell in love with her and made her feel like some sort of special snowflake.

And then she was struck with a horrifying thought. What if that was exactly what her friends were thinking about her? Klaus wasn't exactly a contender for boyfriend of the year after all his Mystic Falls mayhem. And true, his behavior towards her friends could still use some work. But he wasn't inherently evil like Damon was...was he? Okay, so he tried to kill some of them at some point. And...succeeded on occasion. But since he'd set his sights on her he'd been actively progressing in a positive way. And it wasn't just for her sake. He left Mystic Falls for himself, to pursue his hybrid making ventures – which, as it turned out, weren't completely power driven. He was continually trying to mend his familial relationships, and even be more amicable with his minions. Above all else was the way that he treated her.

Damon could argue all he wanted that he loved Elena, but the way that he treated Elena paled in comparison to how Klaus treated her. Where Klaus was attentive, constantly trying to fix his mistakes, showering her with luxury and experience but only upon her consent, Damon was abusive, manhandling and manipulating and taking away Elena's choices. So to speak. After all, that's what he was good at, wasn't it?

As she sat with her thoughts, a dangerously hot rage was igniting inside. Beyond that, a woeful misery as the realization that her friends cared more about Damon Salvatore's life than hers set in.

"Don't you look lonely."

Caroline jumped when Kol's voice broke through. He meandered into the room wearing his usual cheeky smirk.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance there."

She rolled her eyes. "Go away, Kol."

"What's wrong, darling?" He sat beside her, spreading his arms across the back of the couch. "Still sore from Stefan giving you the slip? Or has Nik gone off the deep end again?"

She pursed her lips, debating, hesitating, then finally confessed, "Damon's gone missing."

He paused, his brows furrowing. "So what are you moping around for? You should be celebrating. I'll help." He stood and began tugging the edge of his shirt upwards.

"No!" She thrust her palm out with a laugh and he stopped, his shirt halfway up his abs. "I mean...yes, he's horrible and totally deserves what's coming to him. I guess. But Elena doesn't deserve this."

"Sure she does." He let his shirt drop and sat back down again. "She broke girl code."

Caroline's face screwed up in confusion. "What?"

"You know, "sisters before misters." Don't share boyfriends or date one's ex. Isn't that how it works?" She blinked in surprise, shaking her head with a laugh. "Anyway, it makes no sense for you to trouble yourself with her afflictions."

"She's my friend, Kol. And friends care when the other is hurting. Whether I agree with it or not, she loves Damon. And I love Elena. So that means I should be worrying too."

"Should being the operative word." He cocked his head, eyes narrowing. "But you're not, are you?"

She swiveled her head with a defiant stare. "Yes. I am."

"Not really, you're not. You're sad for your friend but deep down you relish any pain inflicted on him because it's a revenge you never got to exact." She scoffed, shaking her head in denial. "Darling, if you're still stewing, you're still giving him power over you."

"No. Damon has no hold on me anymore. I'm free and in control, and I am way way over that. Like beyond over it. And you know what? None of this even matters. Because they will find him and everything will be fine."

"Tell me, then." He narrowed his eyes and moved closer, mischievous in his expression. "If you're so free, why are you shrinking away from me right now?" She swallowed, realizing he was right. She was sunk against the couch, her fingers clutching the cushions. "I can hear your heart pound in fear." He held her gaze, watching her pupils dilate and shrink. "I could compel you right now if I wanted. Feed from you. Have my way. Just like he did."

"I'm on vervain."

He leaned closer still, caressing her cheek. "Even better." He tilted his head, smiling with gross delight. "I could take my time and drain you of it."

She turned her face away in disgust, struggling against his embrace. "Klaus would kill you."

He paused. "I guess that is a consequence." He sat back and she breathed in relief. "Then again – " he sped so he was almost on top of her, " – what should happen if he can't find his precious daggers?"

Her eyes veined as she started to push him off but he was stronger and held her against the couch. "Let go of me, Kol."

"I don't think I will. I've behaved too long. I want some fun too." He smirked, looking her over as his hand slithered up her side, his eyes transforming as he bared his fangs. Caroline's heart began to pound in fear, flashes of her past coming back to haunt her. "I bet you're a tasty little thing underneath that skirt of yours."

"Get – off of me."

He smiled like a deviant child. "Make me."

She glared at him and dropped her fangs with a hiss, throwing him across the room in a fit of fury and standing at the ready should he retaliate. He landed on the floor atop the broken pieces of end table and lamp that once inhabited that corner, staring up at her through human eyes again with a dumbfounded laugh.

"I didn't think you had it in you."

"Do you think it's funny, exploiting someone's worst memories?!"

"I was just proving a point."

"And now, so will I." She zoomed over and crouched down to grab his shirt collar and shove him into the wall, glaring. "You are going to un-compel me to spy on your sister right now."

He swallowed hesitantly. "You're on vervain."

"I lied."

His eyes narrowed, sparkling with malice. "Then I could just compel you to forget all over again." She snarled and used her free hand to twist his wrist, snapping the bone. He let out a yelp of pain, wincing hard. "Fine!" He panted heavily through his nose, begrudgingly catching her gaze. "Forget what I've asked of you. You have your will back."

She heaved a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. She carelessly let him go and stood, turning to leave just as Klaus appeared in the doorway, looking between them.

As far as nightly rituals went, trips to the wine cellar were increasingly counterproductive to Rebekah's beauty regimen. Dust and moldy air did nothing to exfoliate or glisten, thank you very much. Not that she particularly needed to take preventative measures against aging, but it was the little things that made her feel like she still had a grasp on her humanity. Her current situation, however, made her feel more like the monster she actually was.

The visits to see Ryanne were weighing on her conscience. She tried to offer incentive and kindness when she brought blood bags, but it didn't make her guilt lessen any. It was with Elijah's encouragement that she continued to work on building up Ryanne's trust, but it was her own idea to lessen the blow of what she was really doing by bringing more ideal gifts. Like a new blouse, or a blanket, or a package of gummy bears – at her request.

"What is it with you and those things?"

Ryanne grinned and held one up, closing one eye to get a full view of the tiny gelatinous bear. "They're adorable and delicious." She popped it into her mouth and caught Rebekah lifting a skeptical eyebrow. "Don't judge me."

"You could have asked for something more practical. Like shampoo."

"You know, you're right. But..." She looked around with a frown. "Huh. That's odd. This is the first wine cellar I've been chained to that doesn't have a shower in it." Rebekah rolled her eyes and she smirked. "I might have to complain."

"Snot."

"Blonde." She gaped with a scoff. Ryanne giggled. "So. We have spent three nights talking about me. Now," she popped another gummy bear in her mouth. "Your turn."

"And what do you want to know? About my tragic failures in love? Or the imbeciles I call my brothers?"

"Were you close to your mom?"

Rebekah swallowed. "Why are you asking about my mother?"

"I know all about Mikael already. All the backstories are riddled with daddy issues, and I get why. But there was never much about the original witch."

"So?"

"So..." She pursed her lips in a smile and lilted her voice. "Was she a good witch, or a bad witch?"

Rebekah stared, lips tight. "Why are you asking about my mother?"

"You're suspicious of me?" She laughed, her head thudding back against the wall. "You've been coming down here every night to see if I can tell you what you want yet, but I'm the bad guy? Seriously?"

She looked away, out at the room. After a brief hesitation, she answered, "She was both. An expert in her craft, but a failure as a parent."

"Why a failure?"

"She was just as afraid as we were. She never tried to stop Mikael, nor did she attempt to protect us. It only took a few years to understand why." She hugged herself, rubbing her arms up and down. "The revelation that she cheated on my father broke my heart because up until then, I'd had hope that she wasn't as horrid as she turned out to be."

Ryanne looked down, frowning. "Did you ever tell her how you felt?"

"How could I? If I voiced my opinions, I would have broken her heart. Compassion has always been my weakness."

"I don't think it's weak."

"It is when you've been around long enough to know better, and I have. But for some bloody reason I keep thinking that I won't get hurt and I do."

"Where's the risk if you're not putting your whole self out there?"

Rebekah turned her head in surprise to find a kindred spirit sitting right beside her. She shifted a little, unsure what to do with this revelation. Luckily, Ryanne saved her the trouble.

"I think compassion is a very human thing, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Any ties to our humanity should be cherished. If we just succumb to the monsters we are we become them." She scrunched her nose with a wry grin. "And who wants more Klaus' in the world?"

Rebekah laughed, a genuine laugh, and it made Ryanne smile brightly. It was the first time she'd seen the hybrid look so genuine. It strangely warmed her heart, but she wasn't trying to shun it as she usually would. Instead, she ventured to pluck a gummy bear from the bag and observed it studiously.

"Tell me about this blood mating thing." She narrowed her eyes at the green creature between her thumb and index finger. "What is it really?"

"Back to me, I see." Rebekah just gave her an impatient look, cautiously biting into the gummy. "It's a bond between two alpha wolves, initiated by a mutual marking. From then on, the mark will draw the wolves toward one another. The nearer they are, the stronger the connection."

"So it's like a werewolf version of a sirebond."

"No. For a sirebond to exist, there has to be love. Blood mates don't need any emotional attachment whatsoever. The bond isn't formed between two lovers, or even two friends. It can be two total strangers. The only requirement is that they are both alpha wolves."

"But it's created by marking one another. That's essentially blood sharing in the vampire world."

"Right. But this isn't vampire politics. For wolves, a bite is just a bite. There's no intimacy, no soulful connection. The mark is a mark of territory, a mark of claim. The alphas are claiming one another as their blood mate so that no other alpha can claim them."

"Forever?"

"Well, symbolically. But literally, it's a matter of consistency. A dog has to continuously pee on the same spot every day to tell all other dogs that's his spot. The wolves have to continuously mark one another to keep their claim."

"Through biting?"

"Just general interaction and closeness. And touch. The mark makes them more drawn to one another if they're within the same vicinity. It's more of an annoying nag in their subconscious rather than an irresistible urge. If they're separate long enough, the bond breaks."

"So if you and Klaus separated long enough, you wouldn't be mated anymore."

"Right."

"Well that's good news for Caroline."

Ryanne nodded. "Not so much for me, however."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she swallowed nervously, "if I'm not here anymore, I won't get to enjoy spending time with you."

Rebekah blushed unexpectedly and gave her hair a quick toss to maintain her cool. "Maybe. But the future isn't exactly written in stone." She laid her hand over hers for added comfort.

Ryanne looked down at it and turned hers over to give the Original's hand a little squeeze. She smiled, her own cheeks reddened. "Thanks."

Rebekah tilted her head, eyes softening with hesitance. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure."

"What is it like? When you shift? Are you still you, or..."

"Yes and no. It's like a total mind blackout. Everything human fades away and you're left relying on your senses. Which can sometimes be cathartic."

"Everything? But I thought you were still conscious during?"

She laughed. "Are you kidding? I completely transform into an entirely different species."

"So...you have no idea what you're doing when you've shifted."

"Right."

"Then how can you know what you've done as a wolf?"

"The human mind is more evolved than an animal's. I can't control what she does or how she thinks during her shift but I can recall everything after. She can't comprehend logic or reason the way we do. She functions on pure instinct. Just like a normal wolf would."

"You talk as if you're not one in the same."

"We are. But we aren't."

"That's why he keeps saying it wasn't him," Rebekah mused to herself.

"I mean, like you said. Magic could have been involved. To make the draw stronger."

"And so now every time you're around one another that connection makes you want to be closer? Automatically?"

"Pretty much." She half frowned with a helpless shrug. "He tries to fight it."

"Why don't you?"

"I'm not as strong as he is."

"I think you're discrediting yourself. You're strong enough to do what you're doing every day. And if you can break that bond, then you can break the blood mate one as well."

"Was...that a compliment?" She began to smile slowly as Rebekah rolled her eyes, her cheeks tinged with pink. "Wow. An Original called me strong."

"Don't push it."

"I can probably - no. I'm positive I can die happy now."

Rebekah laughed and shook her head, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. Ryanne was mimicking, smirking playfully.

"You really are as annoying as my brothers are."

"Is that why you're still holding my hand?"

Immediately Rebekah withdrew. "You were holding onto my hand, actually. And to be clear, it was just out of reassurance."

"Reassurance for whom?" She smirked when Rebekah's face went cross. "Just admit it, Rebekah. You like me more than you want to."

"Who says I want to at all?"

Ryanne scoffed in impatience. "God, are you always this stubborn?"

Before she could ask, Ryanne's fingers grasped the back of her head and she was being kissed by a hybrid. Her heart fluttered in surprise, and even more surprising – she didn't fight it.

Ryanne drew back slowly, still holding her face and opening her eyes with a smile. Rebekah's mouth hung open as she tried to form a coherent thought. Ryanne's hands slipped away and she shrugged a little, nervously.

"One of us had to get it out of the way," she said quietly. She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers as she started to grow embarrassed that she'd shown an ounce of vulnerability.

It took a moment of consideration but Rebekah finally came to grips with reality and made a decision. She glanced back at Ryanne slyly and leaned in, tipping her chin up.

"Give a girl some warning, would you?"

Ryanne's eyes lit up, a slow smile spreading across her parting lips. She laughed and Rebekah, though still slightly unsure of herself, carefully tucked a wayward curl behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her again, this time slow and steady. Ryanne's chains clanked softly as she moved to rest a hand on her waist, leaning into her a little more. She would pay for this lapse in judgement, surely, but for now, Rebekah was going to enjoy it.

"What did you do, Kol?"

Kol looked up at his brother with incredulous contempt. "I'm the one wounded on the floor and you're asking me what I did?"

"You're there for a reason. What is it?"

He rolled his eyes, brushing himself off, kicking the wood pieces away as he got up. "Ask her." He started to leave but was suddenly pinned against the wall.

"I asked you."

Kol smiled, brows lowering as his eyes filled with wicked delight. "Sorry, brother. It's not my secret to share."

Caroline's eyes widened, her heart leaping with fear. Klaus' eyes narrowed, curiosity piqued, and he slowly let Kol go, keeping his back to her. Kol brushed past, purposely bumping his brother's shoulder in defiance and giving Caroline a once over as he passed, smiling gleefully. She glared after him scornfully, hating him for putting her on the spot. She hesitated before turning to look back at Klaus, who was now facing her with a new, cooler expression.

He was guarding himself. And with good reason. He probably had the notion in his head that she'd been lying to him about something and the fact that Kol knew about it was only more infuriating. She would so pay him back for that. Among everything else.

"I assume you don't want to tell me what he meant," he said finally.

She forced her eyes closed and breathed through her nose to calm her nerves. "It was just a stupid argument."

"It must have been quite the argument to warrant a physical reaction." She pursed her lips, trying to hide her guilt. Klaus tilted his head. "What aren't you telling me, Caroline?"

She licked her lips and rolled her eyes with a consenting nod. "A couple of weeks ago Kol compelled me to spy on Rebekah and Stefan."

"Weren't you doing that already?"

She gaped with a scoff. "That's not the point."

He nodded. "He compelled you against your will."

"Yes."

"And what about the vervain you were supposed to be on?"

She shook her head, growing even more annoyed with his indifferent responses. "I ran out. And I haven't had a chance to figure out where I could get more. I was going to ask Stefan but then he bailed, and then I was going to ask you but my mom came and things happened and so no, I haven't been on vervain. And Kol," she sighed shakily, "took advantage of that."

"So Kol compelled you and you retaliated with violence? I find that a bit out of character."

"Not if you knew - " She stopped when he turned his head, catching herself in her slip. She shook her head, rolling her eyes and avoiding eye contact with a nervous little laugh. "You know what, never mind. It doesn't even matter."

"If I knew what, Caroline?"

"Just drop it, okay?" She started walking out of the room but he was suddenly there in front of her.

"This stems deeper than Kol."

"Klaus," she said his name as calm and evenly as she could against the resounding pressure growing in her chest. "Let me out."

"I will. Once you tell me whatever it is you're desperately trying not to."

"Or you can let me make my own choices and tell you when and if I am ready to."

"That could take centuries." His smirk turned mildly spiteful as her gaze pierced his in a deathly glare. She rolled her eyes and brushed past, purposely knocking his shoulder before zipping around the bend toward her room. His eyes slid to the corner in brief hesitation before he took off after her, drifting into a walk as he caught up just a few feet behind. "Clearly this has something to do with your aversion to compulsion," he spread his arms when she looked his way, "so why don't you enlighten me?"

She frowned coldly, gripping the knob of her door. "Take a hint." She slipped into her room, prepared to slam the door on him when his hand caught it and pushed it open.

"Something is bothering you and I'm keen to know what."

"Well I'm keen to not tell you." She stormed away into her room.

"Is that so?"

"I don't have to tell you everything." She kept her back turned, her eyes darting to and fro as she looked for an escape.

"Ironic as you were preaching the opposite just days ago."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she begged, finally facing him again.

"Because you told me not to." He walked in cautiously, maintaining her gaze. "You wanted me to be myself, make you confront the truth when necessary. Here I am, sweetheart."

"How convenient. You listen to me when it suits you."

"You're deviating."

"Fine. You want to know why compulsion sickens me? Because it takes away a person's freedom. It takes away their choices. It makes everything they think they know a lie."

He tilted his head, eyeing her carefully. "So by your definition, my compelling you, even in the most minute way, would have made everything between us a lie?"

"Yes! Why do you think that was my one rule when I agreed to coming out here?" He nodded once, looking down as wheels began turning. She caught sight of the change and her expression shifted from disbelief to dread and confusion. She glanced at him, suspicious and panicked, her voice soft. "Why did you ask me that?"

He glanced up, eyes widened with worry before they slid away to avoid her gaze. Shame was written all over his face but even if she hadn't seen it, his silence told her everything. As did his fluctuating heartbeat. His lashes fluttered as a glossiness took over his gaze and when he finally looked at her again they were two broken fragments that, while only feet apart, suddenly felt miles away.

Caroline started blinking rapidly. Air was suddenly in short supply. Her senses abandoned her. "Oh my god," her voice trembled. Her brows creased and rose as her eyes darted helpless, falling back on him again. She shook her head and backed away before something inside snapped and all of the rage she kept stowed away rushed to the surface. She glared at him hotly, angry tears rolling down her cheeks. "When?" she demanded. He averted his eyes, saying nothing. She took a threatening step forward and he looked up, afraid. "Tell me when, Klaus." She waited, her breath shaking. "Tell me what you compelled me to do."

"It wasn't with malicious intent, I assure you - "

"I don't care." She walked up to him, nearly chest to chest. "Give me my memory back."

He hesitated before meeting her eyes then captured them in compulsion. "It was the night you joined my brother and I at the Mystic Grill. You'll remember now..."

Caroline stared into his blue eyes, inhaling sharply when they drew her into images of her past:

They were inside the Forbes residence, Klaus carrying her upstairs to her room to which she shouted several protests... He helped her get settled into her bed. She was still in her clothes and her hair was a frizzy mess but she hadn't taken notice. She was too busy staring at him, intrigued.

"Why're you being so nice when all I keep doing is brushing you off?"

"I wanted to be sure you got home safe and were taken care of."

"Can take care of myself," she mumbled, stubbornly.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know."

"You know, you have this prime opportunity to do anything you want. So why don't you just do it?"

"Because, you are drunk, and," he pulled the covers over her, "I happen to be a gentleman."

"Uh-uh." She shook her head rapidly.

"Lie down," he instructed, gently trying to ease her against the pillows.

She pushed him back, forcing her way upright again, and huffed in frustration. "God. Stop being so nice already. Where's the crazy, vicious Klaus that takes what he wants without remorse?"

"You don't want that to happen," he sternly assured her. "Besides, your boyfriend, I'm sure, would not approve."

"Not my boyfriend anymore," she muttered admittedly, falling hard against the pillows and glancing away from his curious face.

"It'd be a lie to say I was sorry to hear that."

"Well." She straightened up, putting on her most seductive smile. "That's why mm g'nna give you permission," she slurred. "It'sa one night only special."

He blinked slowly, trying to repress his grin but his dimples betrayed him. "I appreciate that, love, but I also know that you wouldn't appreciate it in the morning."

"Look. I'll even help," she muttered, pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it in his lap.

His eyes widened at the sight of her flesh. Containing his grin, he forced his eyes downward while holding her shirt out to her. "Put your shirt back on, love."

"No. It's too hot in here, anyway."

She snatched the shirt from him and tossed it across the room, emphasizing her refusal. Keeping his eyes focused intently on her face, he began to raise the covers over her body.

"You are far more drunk than I anticipated."

"They're just breasts, Klaus," she said, raising her arms so the covers fell.

Her hands fell against her tilted head so her arms were bent. Klaus's eyes unintentionally slipped downward. His attention was redirected as she pulled her legs forward, climbing completely out of the covers, and began to stalk over to him on all fours.

"I know you want to," she purred, walking her two fingers up his thigh.

He grabbed her wrist, tearing it off his leg. His face had turned primal, Caroline's only inches from his. "Don't," he growled, warningly.

"Kiss me," she whispered.

Without hesitation, he grabbed her face, kissing her hungrily. Her hands traveled up around his neck, pulling him into her. She drank in the taste of his lips, feeling as though it were a sweet and much needed release. Klaus forced her down into the bed, his hands skimming up the sides of her thighs, traveling beneath her skirt. Her hands slid up his back to dig her nails into his shoulders. He growled in pain, pressing his groin hard against hers, causing her to let out a small moan against his lips.

When her fingers started sliding under his shirt and forcing it upward, he pulled away. Caroline stared eagerly up at him hovering over her on his knees.

"This is wrong," he told her.

"I know," she said, but her eyes showed no hint of caring.

Klaus's eyebrows twitched in confusion and his eyes slipped downward to her nearly bare chest rising and falling as she panted. After a brief contemplation, he forced himself to look back up at her.

"I'm sorry, love. But I can't take you this way..."

It all came flooding back, like a missing puzzle piece had just been filled in. She caught her breath, blinking as her vision cleared.

"At least I can finally say you came onto me," he joked with a grim smile.

She looked up at him, eyes big and confused, all traces of anger slipping away. Her voice was tentative and soft when she finally spoke. "Why would you compel me to forget that?"

"Because you would have pushed me away, regretting what you'd done."

"But you tried to stop me."

"I didn't want to take advantage of the situation."

She shook her head with a delirious laugh, still trying to process. "But you did anyway! Instead of just leaving, you erased my memory. You took advantage of my mind, which is even worse."

"I thought – "

"You thought what, Klaus? You thought that taking my choice away would make me want to run into your arms?"

He started to shake his head then stopped, pressing his lips together to slowly exhale. "I thought it would be the easier solution."

She scoffed. "Wow. So shutting me up was more important than talking it out like a normal person."

He set his jaw. "At the time, compelling you to forget your behavior seemed more appropriate than risking your embarrassment and complete avoidance of me. I could have rejected your advances and walked away. But the truth of the matter is," he took a small, preemptive breath through his nose and confessed, "I wasn't ready to let you go, Caroline."

"How about now?" She shook her head, crossing her arms. "I mean, you realize how childish you sound right? You compelled me so that I wouldn't stop liking you? Well I really don't like you right now."

He hung his head, nodding. "Understandable."

"No, I don't think you do understand. Maybe you thought you were doing the right thing by trying to spare me, but the things I do are my choice. And the consequences that come with them are my burden to bear. If I wanted to avoid you because I was embarrassed that I threw myself at you, that was my choice. And you took that from me." She pressed her lips together, rolling her eyes as she started to feel a lump rising in her throat. "So much for trust."

He raised his head, a look of hurt in his eyes that traveled all the way down to his chest. How did you come back from something like that? It made him start to hate himself, and that hate translated very easily into anger. An anger that wanted to fight back, to validate what he'd done so he wouldn't have to feel like the scum of the earth.

"I hurt you. And I betrayed your trust. For that, I will atone for as long as it takes for me to acquit myself. But answer me this. If you are so against compulsion then why was it your first suggestion when it came to Ryanne?" She stared at him helplessly, a stubborn pout upon her lips. He nodded. "So it's beneficial, so long as it isn't targeted towards you?" She looked away at that and he got a shrill satisfaction from being right. And yet his tiny victory was still bitter. He nodded, face growing solemn and voice disdainful. "What makes you less deserving?"

She cut her eyes to his, and they were shining with unshed tears. "Nothing," she whispered.

And that's when he saw it. The shift in her eyes that went from hatred for him to hatred for herself. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks but she was wordless. He had never known this side of her, but that it existed told him his suspicion was likely correct.

His voice softened, almost inaudible to anyone without magically enhanced hearing. "Who compelled you, Caroline?"

"Damon." His name was a whisper and her eyes shifted distantly away from his. She closed them and more tears spilled. Klaus' face tightened as an insurmountable rage flourished through him. She inhaled shakily and wiped her cheek with the side of her fist, rolling her eyes skyward. "It was my fault." She shook her head to cut his protest off before he could begin. "No. I need to get this out while I have the nerve and you need to listen, okay?"

He closed his mouth and backed down begrudgingly, sighing softly through his nose. Caroline nodded and took a deep breath.

"I asked you who you were when you were human, but I never told you who I was. I was shallow. And stupid. I made bad decisions, mostly out of insecurity. I was constantly jealous of Elena because everyone wanted her on their team, and everyone wanted to be her friend, and all the guys wanted to go out with her. She was first pick and I was always runner up. And I could not stand it. I kept trying to compete, making sure I was in charge of all these projects and winning stupid beauty pageants. I wanted to make myself more appealing as a person, thinking maybe it would make me more appealing to boys. And it didn't. And I got so desperate after Stefan rejected me that I thought going out with Damon was the perfect revenge."

Klaus swallowed, watching her eyes the whole time she spoke.

"At first it was kind of fun, you know? He was the older, mysterious Salvatore. Kind of had that whole bad boy thing going for him. And I thought who cares if Elena got Stefan? I got the other brother. I knew there was something dark about him, but I liked the danger of it. And I liked being picked over Elena for once." She spread her arms and turned away to walk over and sit on her bed. "Of course, one thing led to another and we were up in my room one night, and..." She drifted with a shrug, glancing at his eyes as they began to fill with possessive heat then averted them as her cheeks flushed. "But then, things got a little weird. Violent." Her heart began to pound as she trained her eyes on the floor, gripping the edge of her bed, her cheeks burning with humiliation. "He bit me."

Klaus froze, his blood running cold. His face went stony and his skin crawled, itching with vengeance.

"I mean, obviously that would terrify anyone," she continued in a tone of self-ridicule. "The next morning I woke up and I remembered what he did. And when I tried to get away he threw me down on the bed and..." She stopped, her lips wavering as she let out a shuddering breath, the memory still afflicting. She swallowed against the rising lump in her throat and rolled her eyes when she felt tears start to form again. "I mean, he basically compelled me to date him," she said with a woeful laugh. "But he was really just using me to get to Katherine. All he wanted was to free her from the tomb that she wasn't even in. And he just kept compelling me. For the stupidest things. Like what to wear, or leaving the room, or shutting up, or paying attention to what my friends said so I could report back to him like his personal messenger. He had me doing all these things I would never do, and the whole time he just kept taking blood. I had bite marks literally everywhere."

"He fed from you," he made it a question.

She nodded slowly at the ground. He glanced at her and then to the floor, huffing through his nose. He spared only a short glance, afraid to make things worse. But did it really get any worse? His body was rigid with fury and he wanted nothing more than to rip Damon Salvatore to shreds. Moreover, he wanted to relieve her of those memories, alleviate her pain and bring back her light, heart-filled smile. But to do that, he had to bring back the girl he fell in love with. The one who had brought him back so many times.

"How did you escape him?"

She let out a breathy, humorless laugh. "I became a vampire."

His eyes closed briefly. "You regained your memories then."

"Yeah."

"That had to have been hard. Reliving every time he manipulated you, emotionally and physically violated you and your body – "

Her heart began to jump higher up her throat. "What?"

"I assume under normal circumstances human you would have ended sexual relations upon the discovery that your partner was of the supernatural species. But considering you were under compulsion – "

"I was not raped."

"Then what was it, love? If it was an act in which you were not of sound mind and unwilling – "

She shook her head. "No."

" – no legitimate consent – "

"Klaus, stop it."

" – then constitutionally what he did you is considered rape. You could ask your mother if you want clarification."

She stared at him in utter disbelief, fresh tears shining in her eyes. "I chose to sleep with him."

"The first time, perhaps. But subsequently? He clearly took away your choice to feel afraid, which makes everything thereafter non-consensual." Her brows lowered, lips parting, but she said nothing. "If you can't face the truth of what he did to you, then he destroyed you worse than you realize."

"Screw you, Klaus!" She stood, glaring. "He did not destroy me! Damon may have made me damaged goods but I am stronger than you or anyone gives me credit for!"

"There. That's the Caroline I was looking for."

She closed her eyes briefly and turned her head away, letting out a bitter and miserable laugh. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. You said yourself our tragedies don't define who we are. Or how far we have come. You just needed a little reminder."

"Well you don't have to be a dick about it. And not about this."

"I apologize if it seemed harsh - "

"Harsh?" She laughed in ridicule and crossed her arms angrily, refusing to give him the satisfaction of even looking his way. She hated that he was right, even about this. She could never admit it aloud because she was never allowed to. It was just another girly little Caroline behavior that got swept under the rug once Elena fell prey to his seduction. But finally admitting it to herself, and to Klaus, mangled her heart in ways she wasn't even sure of yet. And pissed her off even more. It made her being his victim feel even more degrading. Because now, it wasn't just merely compulsion, it was rape.

On the outside she was angry at him, but Klaus saw past her tears and scowl. Her anger, like his, was a defense mechanism, rising up to guard her from the real pain she was feeling. The situation was terrible and that she hadn't been able to stop it had to have infuriated her even more. Just like a control freak. But it begged the question, "I assume Elena isn't aware of his past indiscretions with you."

"Oh, she knows. They all know."

"I didn't know. Why is that, I wonder?"

"You know why. You would have killed him for doing that to me." She raised a finger. "Which, by the way, don't even think about doing. It would destroy Elena and Stefan."

"But what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Is your happiness not worth getting justice for what he's done to you?"

"Oh I got justice. I kicked his ass once I was turned and got all the memories back that he stole from me."

She was panting now, her heart racing with adrenaline from such burning hatred. But the lump was back and her eyes burned with unshed tears. This time, she was trembling. It was hitting her.

His eyes softened and he knew the look on her face, what it meant and what it felt like to feel what she was feeling. To be manipulated, to be treated like you were nothing, to be powerless to fight against it.

"It wasn't enough," he guessed quietly.

She sobbed once silently, squeezing her eyes shit. "No, okay?! It wasn't enough. It will never be enough. I hate him for what he did to me. I wish he would burn for eternity. And it literally makes me sick to my stomach that my best friend is in love with him! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He moved quickly and cupped her face, holding firmly as his thumbs swiped away her tears. "What I want is for you to not hurt anymore. And to stop blaming yourself for what was out of your control. To do that, you have to accept the reality of what he did to you."

Her lips quivered as she looked down, shaking her head. Her voice was watery. "I don't want to."

As she began to sob he pulled her against his chest and held her tight, stroking her hair. He moved them to the bed to sit and held her as she wept.