बहुत बहुत शुक्रिया - Thank you to all the readers in India and sorry for not thanking you in Urdu/Tamil etc.! :)

Your reviews have so brightened my day again, please do keep them coming... I currently have major crap going on at work, so you guys are my silver linings! ;))

Also, thank you to the new followers / favouriters!

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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
BACK INTO HELL

Everyone was ready. Kol and Silv had already set off ahead of the rest after Silv had put a spell on Klaus. The Signum could not be magically erased or covered, but the witch had managed to blear the mark in such a way that for a few days, only those who purposely looked for it would be able to see it. Klaus didn't seem to be worrying about it at all and would have left with nothing but a turtleneck to hide the Signum, stating that it was a waste of spell, but Caroline and Rebekah had ganged up on him so that he had ended up giving in with poor grace.

Stefan and Damon were looking at Elena with the usual worry in their eyes. Their protectiveness hadn't lessened since Elena had been turned and Caroline knew that her friend found it a little suffocating sometimes. She hugged Stefan and gave him a quick kiss, then climbed into the black Mercedes. But Caroline had seen how she and Damon had stared at each other for an instant.

Emotional wringers galore.

With a last look at both of the Salvatores and Caroline, Elena drove off into the darkness.

"Come on, baby bro, time for a workout," Damon called. "Let Leatherface start the show." Stefan walked past Caroline, squeezing her hand.

"We'll all be fine, Care. I'm sure of it. Klaus is… pretty good at this whole strategizing and mowing down thing."

Caroline nodded, grinding her teeth. "I'll see you guys later."

Stefan was looking at Klaus now. "Take care of yourself. For her." Klaus inclined his head. "I will."

With that, Damon and Stefan raced off in a flash, leaving Caroline, Rebekah, Elijah and Klaus behind. "All right then, shall we?" Klaus asked.

He pulled Caroline to him and kissed her hard. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she melted into his embrace, not wanting to ever let go again. After much too brief a moment, Klaus released her lips and stared down at her. She leaned forward, peeled down Klaus' unusual turtleneck and placed a tender kiss on each of the two red marks on his neck that were perfectly visible to her. His eyes closed for a second, then he let go of her.

Just before she climbed into the backseat of the car next to Rebekah, she saw Klaus and Elijah look at each other intently, both giving an almost unnoticeable nod. It made her uneasy.

They drove in silence, with Elijah at the wheel. Caroline felt her stomach contract in fear. It was a feeling she had always hated, but never so much as tonight, and the sensation grew worse with every passing mile. When they were just short of reaching the ruins of Tiffauges, Klaus started to rant right out of the blue.

"I said I do not see the point to this, and that puts an end to the discussion. Watch your mouth, sister, for I am not willing to tolerate your obstinacy any longer."

"I don't give a damn about what you are or are not willing to tolerate, Nik! You have never been anything but a bloody egoist who cares about nothing and no one but himself. You know what this warlock is up to, so everything is just swell-dandy-fine? That's not the way it works, and I am just tired of you hiding behind all that secrecy! Tell us what's going on!"

The ruins came into sight. "Rebekah, I am only saying this once, and out of love for you as my sister: Shut the fuck up!"

"There is no need to revert to language, Niklaus," Elijah said in his usual calm voice, but no one could miss the steely undertone. "Your sister is worried, and for good reason. It would be the right thing to do to finally share some information here."

"Oh, now you are siding with her? Brother, I would not have expected you of all people to stab me in the back, being the one closest to the events after all. So why don't you both just shut up?"

Caroline spoke up now. Better get into the spirit fast! "Why don't we all just calm down?" she said, letting a condescending tone sneak into her voice. "There is no need to get all worked up, is there?"

"Oh really?" Rebekah shrieked. They had now arrived outside the ruins and opened the doors. This was the moment Mikael would definitely start to listen. "And who are you to tell me when to calm down, baby vamp? You may be shagging my brother, but that does not mean you will ever be remotely equal to us. Not to mention becoming a part of this family. You can put that idea right out of your head, bitch!"

"You know what, blood slut? I'd rather eat live puppies than become part of a family you are a member of! Caroline Forbes, related to the biggest bimbo this planet has ever seen? Not likely."

"Ladies," Elijah interrupted, making his voice sound impatient, "Stop the name calling. Let's get to it. Come on, Niklaus." He grabbed Klaus' arm who shook his hand off immediately.

"I can walk on my own, thank you very much. Okay, I'm here, I got out of the car, I saw the ruins. Are you quite happy?"

"No," Elijah snapped, "we came here to see the dungeons. So that is what we will do. What you will do. Come on, brother, do not be a coward. This concerns a number of people, not just you. For once in your life, do something for someone beyond yourself!"

"Are you calling me a coward, Elijah?" This was the voice she knew from Klaus' rampages in Mystic Falls. The voice everyone had learned to fear like nothing else.

"Not yet. But I will if you do not get down there."

Klaus had Elijah pinned against the stone wall within a split second. "Watch your tone, brother. And watch yourself. I am beginning to lose my patience with this pathetic little game."

These guys should be shortlisted for an Academy Award.

Caroline walked over to Klaus and put a hand on his arm. "It's not worth fighting over this, Klaus." She shot dirty looks at Elijah and Rebekah. "Let them believe what they want. You know you're not a coward, and so do I." He seemed to relax under her hand and nodded curtly.

"A couple of minutes and we're out of here." He stalked off towards the entrance to the dungeons. Caroline followed, seeing Klaus shoulders stiffen ostensibly at Rebekah's not-so-subtle hiss, mimicking Caroline's voice to perfection. "'And so do I.'"

They descended the stairs, and Caroline felt the strange vibe in the air she had experienced when first meeting Prelati. With all her might, she fought the shudder down. When they arrived at the bottom of the stairwell, Klaus turned to Elijah and Rebekah. "So, I am facing my past. Brilliant. Thank you for watching, please tune in again next week for the brand new episode titled 'A Hybrid in Paris'," Klaus snarled. "Caroline, let us leave."

A snarky laugh erupted from Rebekah. "You are such a wimp, Nik!"

Caroline turned around to face her, making her voice shake with rage. "How can you say that, you brainless tramp? He kept you and your brothers safe from that creepy father of yours for centuries! Quite honestly, I'm starting to wonder if he should just have let you all die. Much less trouble for him, even less trouble for Mystic Falls!"

"You know what, dishrag?" Rebekah shouted, "The fact that he made you shake your little cornpone ass for him does not mean he is the big hero in shining armour! Look at him – too scared to step into an empty room! But then again, I will probably need to correct myself. You're actually perfect for each other. Two wimps against the rest of the world."

"Oh, I get it," Caroline roared, making her voice sound a little hysterical, "it's because you are such a hit in the sack that all the guys you've been fucking were so keen on sticking around, huh? Stefan, Damon, Matt… not to mention the legions of men you shagged over the centuries… all just banging down your door, are they, Barbie? Or should I say, Original Whore?" Ugh, I hate this!

With a piercing scream, Rebekah lunged at Caroline and crashed her into the back wall of the hallway. The spelled stake appeared in her hand, and Caroline gratefully noticed how the Original steadied her heaving torso with a calm hand. With an almost imperceptible wink, she rammed the stake into Caroline's chest.

The last thing Caroline heard before she let pain and blackness engulf her was Klaus' bloodcurdling roar.

He knew Rebekah had missed Caroline's heart by an inch, just as planned. His sister had done very well; he had seen how she had quickly stopped Caroline's chest from moving before proceeding, in order to avoid any miscalculation. Still, the sight of his woman, his love, being staked and starting to look so grey and desiccated turned all his insides upside down, making his inarticulate yell only partly a sham.

Dropping to his knees beside Caroline's lifeless body, Klaus touched her withering face, knowing it was a completely natural gesture for someone who had just lost his mate. "Caroline," he whispered, very real feelings in his voice. The thought of losing her almost drove him insane. But she was warm underneath his touch. He needed to concentrate on that fact. And it was time to continue the performance.

Rising to his feet, he turned towards his sister in slow motion, his face a mask of burning hatred. He let his eyes turn yellow but he did not show his fangs. "You stupid cunt," he hissed, his voice as deadly as ever it sounded, not revealing how he shuddered inside at speaking to his sister like that. "I forgave you for killing the doppelganger and for spilling her blood. I even forgave you for sabotaging my plans again and again." His hand closed around her throat and he slammed her into the wall. "But with this, Rebekah, you have signed your death sentence. You. Are. No. Longer. My. Sister."

"Niklaus," Elijah said from behind him, "let her go. She may have overreacted a little, but what Caroline said to her was particularly unforgivable."

Klaus turned his burning gaze on his brother, his hand still around Rebekah's throat. "Elijah. I will give you ten seconds to reconsider your stance on this matter."

The older Original looked at him evenly. "Family above all, Niklaus. I stand with Rebekah."

Looking at his siblings and praying that Elijah would get the timing right, he let out a low snarl. "Then you will be sharing her fate. Listen closely, both of you. For the sake of the millennium we spent together, you will get a head start. Run. Run as fast as you can and hide in the deepest crevasse you can find, for I will never stop hunting you down. And the moment I will have found you, you will have met your end. You will die, mark my words. But you will go through hell first, knowing I will never give you a moment's peace."

He saw Rebekah look at him, and he knew she was asking herself what he was up to, as this deviated from his instructions. But his siblings needed to be daggered outside of the dungeons in order for Mikael not to grow suspicious once he would leave the cell later on. Elijah grabbed his sister's arm. "You forget that I have always been the better strategist, Niklaus. You will never find us. But rest assured that we will find a way to put you down. I fought the thought for centuries, but in the end, it would seem our father was right. You are nothing but a coward."

With that, he pulled Rebekah with him and flashed up the stairwell. Klaus waited for a couple of seconds, seemingly making up his mind about something, before he raced up the stairs himself. Arriving at the remnants of the big hall, he inwardly sighed with relief as he saw his siblings make their way outside. Perfect timing. He soundlessly appeared behind them, and the minute they both turned around, sensing his presence, both daggers were in his hands and with a vicious snarl, he drove them into Elijah's and Rebekah's hearts simultaneously. He watched as his siblings sank to the ground, immediately beginning to desiccate. Looking at them for a long while, feigning to be paralyzed by everything that had just happened, he let himself heave a desperate, shaky breath. Giving his voice a well-practiced crack, he muttered audibly, "So sad, brother. All those centuries, and you still believe me when I say something about a head start? What will you do now, better strategist?" He stood for a moment, gazing at his siblings for another while before he slowly walked back down into the dungeons, let himself slump to the floor and fixed his gaze on the lifeless body of his baby vampire, his hand touching Caroline's ankle. After an instant of intense concentration, he managed to make a blank look enter his eyes.

Now there were steps approaching, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the last door to the left crack open. Fighting down his innate instinct to react to the noise, he just continued to vacantly stare into space.

"Hello Niklaus," his stepfather said pleasantly, "it seems that once more, you let your impulse get the better of you, did you not?"

Klaus continued to stare. Nothing betrayed the way his mind screamed with fear at having Mikael so close to Caroline, Rebekah and Elijah. He could not afford to lose even the slightest bit of control, and he knew he wouldn't. Not this time. One thousand years of war, cunning and deception would pay off tonight.

Mikael looked at the body lying on the floor. He spared no more than a cursory glance for Caroline, but he gazed in the direction of the stairwell for quite a while.

"Children," he sighed, "always so disappointing. Finn, a delusional fool. Kol, a deranged eternal adolescent. Rebekah, nothing but a strumpet. Elijah… might have had some potential. But he chose to pledge his allegiance to you for so many centuries, which made him almost as delusional a fool as Finn. Who in his right mind would voluntarily remain at your side, boy? And then… well, then there was Henrik."

Klaus had been expecting it. He knew Mikael would use Henrik once more to unhinge his mind, but to hear his brother's name on his stepfather's lips sent a suffocating wave of hatred through him. Still totally motionless, he focused his mind on Canaletto's 'London' painting. It was very rich in detail, therefore recreating the work in his head would keep him occupied and help him not to give in to the impulse to tear his stepfather apart right there. He could have. But Mikael would meet a different fate, and Klaus needed to play with his pride, hate and above all, his belief in his superiority to make him lower his guard. For that, his one priority was to remain calm.

Mikael pulled him up from the floor now, resting him against the wall. There was a stake in his hand, pointed at Klaus' heart, almost tearing his sweater. He grabbed his hair and lifted his head. Seeing the vacant expression in Klaus' eyes, he quickly slapped him hard across the face. Still thinking about the painting, Klaus allowed for some focus to return to his eyes and let them widen in pretense fear at the sight of his stepfather.

"Father," he just whispered, giving his voice an edge,

"Well, boy, still the same little coward, I see?" He chuckled. "Still unable to face your shame, even after all these years. Be that as it may, we have things to do. I am certain you will enjoy spending some time with me and our old acquaintance Monsieur Prelati. Shall we, then?"

And with that, Mikael pulled him towards the cell, stake at his heart. Once they were inside, he shoved him into a chair, quickly fastening a set of ropes around his arms and legs. Klaus felt the burn but he did nothing to betray his pain. A wolfsbane and vervain blend. Lovely, but not much of a concern. He would bear the pain – it was nothing.

Part one of the plan had worked.

Caroline tore her eyes open, gazing directly into Stefan's face. The pressure was gone from her chest and there was no pain. She felt a bit shaky but otherwise fine. Stefan put a finger over his lips, pointing at the dungeon that was now closed. Flickers of candlelight were scintillating under the door and Caroline heard Prelati's creepy voice.

"The girl was killed, you say?"

Another voice, soft and low, responded with a distinctly British accent. "Indeed she was. It would seem my impetuous shrew of a daughter thwarted our initial plan with her lack of restraint. A shame. Well, bygones. Will you therefore be able to execute the alternative we discussed? Later on?"

She felt Stefan's hand on her arm. He gestured towards the stairwell where Kol was already ascending to the surface, carrying a weak-looking Silv. Caroline looked at the closed door. Klaus. Taking a step towards the dungeon, she noticed Stefan's grip tighten around her arm. He shook his head at her and adamantly pulled her in the direction of the stairs. She looked at her friend imploringly, but there was another shake of his head and a harsh motion for her to finally climb the stairs.

They arrived at the edge of the grand hall, where Damon had undaggered Elijah and Rebekah and was now eyeing the two Originals who were slowly regaining their normal colour. Caroline stopped and turned to look back towards the dungeons. Every instinct was shouting at her to get Klaus away from his stepfather. Damon was narrowing his eyes at her now, taking a threatening step towards her. 'Get out of here!' he mouthed. 'Now!'

With one last look at the dungeon, she let Stefan lead her out of the ruins.

They didn't speak until they reached the far end of the castle grounds. Stefan gave her a quick hug and pointed down the narrow road. "It's not far to where Elena is waiting. Get back to the hotel and be careful, okay?"

"Stefan. I know you are not on the best of terms with him, but…"

The younger Salvatore smiled. "He'll be fine. Care, this guy is a weapon of mass destruction. You haven't seen a fraction of the things he's capable of."

And you have no idea what those scumbags have done to him and his brother.

But she just nodded and turned to leave.

"Care."

"Yeah?"

Stefan was eyeing her very closely, making her squirm slightly under his probing gaze. "Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

She was glad it was dark enough for him not to see the flush on her face. "Of course not," she murmured. "Be careful, Stefan."

"Sure. Care, everything will be fine, try not to worry too much. Now get the hell out of here."

He didn't move, and Caroline knew he wanted to make sure she was actually leaving. Without another word, she whirled around and flashed off into the thick, heavy darkness. It took her a mere two minutes to reach the group of trees Klaus had pointed out on the map and spot the black Mercedes. When she was almost at the car, Elena saw her and started the engine. Caroline opened the door and dropped into the passenger seat. The minute the brunette put her hands on the wheel, Caroline stopped her.

"Wait," she whispered. Elena looked at her, apprehension in her eyes.

"What is it?" she whispered back, glancing around anxiously. "Did you see anything?"

Caroline closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't leave, Lena. I can't just go and let him do this alone. I have to go back."

"Are you out of your frigging mind?" Elena hissed. "You know how dangerous Mikael is! And Klaus made it perfectly clear that you need to be as far away from this place as possible! You would be jeopardizing his plan and that's most definitely not a good idea!"

"Sorry, Lena, I have to do this. You go back to the hotel and watch out for anyone following. Lock yourself into your room and wait for us." She swallowed. "If someone was after Stefan… or Damon… you would never sit around and wait for something to happen to them, would you?"

Elena turned off the engine and groaned. For a second, none of them said anything. Then Elena muttered, "Okay, let's go," and grabbed the keys and her jacket. Caroline opened the passenger door and flashed around the car, planting herself in front of her friend.

"No way," she snarled. "There is no reason for both of us to get killed or yelled at for two straight days after this is over. Take the car and go back to the hotel. Please, Lena!" she begged.

"Stuff it. I haven't been comfortable with staying behind in the first place. I just didn't want to have the Commanding General in my face. Care, it's not only your man back there, it's mine, too."

"Which one?" Caroline couldn't help but ask.

"Oh shut up," Elena groaned and flashed off towards the ruins with Caroline on her heels.

When they had reached the outer rim of the castle grounds, Caroline stopped Elena under the cover of some trees and motioned towards the river.

"You remember where the entrance to the tunnel is? And the switch to open the door?" Elena nodded. "Then go and join the others in there, but be careful not to make any noise."

"What are you going to do?"

Caroline looked towards the ruins and took two small flasks from her pocket. She quickly downed the first one, filled with blood, followed by the second, containing a clear liquid. Her face contorted in agony and she started to pant, looking up at Elena who stared at her like she was out of her mind.

"Klaus' blood. It makes me… stronger somehow, I can't really explain it. It just feels like an energy drink, if you know what I mean. Red Bull gives you wings. And vervain. I pinched it from Damon – no idea why he is carrying it around. But I won't have any of them compel me to stay away."

Elena looked at her thoughtfully. "You never meant to leave, did you?"

"Nope."

She was very scared now, but she fought down the feeling. Remembering Silv saying something about how Klaus needed to know what he was fighting for once facing the music, she murmured, "But I actually I have no idea what to do next. I'll go back down into the dungeons and listen to what's happening. Then I'll have to improvise. You guys just listen closely from the tunnel."

Elena nodded. "We are a bit reckless, aren't we?" she whispered with a faint smile.

Caroline smiled back at her, trying to sound positive. "See it positive – it spices up our lives. Or would you ever want to go back to pre-Salvatore times?"

"And spend my time with things other than trying to avoid being killed every day? How could you even think that?" Both girls grinned at each other and Caroline squeezed Elena's hand before they parted ways. Elena flashed towards the river in the direction of the entrance to the tunnel and Caroline watched her until she became one with the darkness. Then she turned around and faced the ancient ruins.

Okay, Caroline, you can do this. Approach the ruins via the lawn, there is less chance for you to step on something. Run on the balls of your feet, don't move anything but your legs and remember the balance thing.

Taking off her shoes, she breathed deeply and closed her eyes for a second, trying to get a grip on her visions of Mikael killing her instantly, Prelati torturing her mind and Klaus being so pissed at her that he wouldn't stop yelling for days. Probably not in that order. Ugh. Not helping! Better think of Klaus not letting you out of his bed for days! Not helpful either as too distracting! Oh come on, thoughts, stop whirling! With another deep breath, she began to really concentrate and set off towards the castle. Running on the grass was easy; despite the cold, it felt good under her feet and she was starting to marginally capture how Klaus had intended for her to balance irregularities in the ground in plain run. It was a very strange sensation, and she didn't quite manage to really pull it off, but it was much easier without shoes and she understood the principle now. As soon as she left the grass, she slowed down and watched her step even more carefully. Mikael and Prelati would probably not hear her, but if there was one thing she had learned since the supernatural had come to Mystic Falls, it was to always expect the unexpected.

Tiptoeing through the former grand hall, Caroline stopped short when a thought occurred to her. Prelati needed some props for his spells. She remembered how Klaus had told her that during his ordeal, Prelati had left a couple of times to work his magic in private, so it would probably be no different today. She might be able to overpower him once he left the cell if she had the element of surprise on her side. He had no super-hearing, but he was a warlock – he would sense her presence once she was fairly close, so she would have to be very fast. From the moment he was down, she had limited time to do... what? Mikael would probably not miss Prelati for a while, assuming he was busy with whatever spell he had ordered him to perform, but after some time he would definitely become suspicious and start looking for the warlock, which would be the precise moment he would find out her body in the hallway was gone and he had been set up. And then? She didn't even have a stake! Well, she would need to see what happened and take it from there.

Without making a sound, she descended the stairs into the dungeons. I never want to see this place again after tonight! Taking a quick look around, she decided to squat in a little niche about halfway through the corridor and wait for Prelati to leave the cell eventually. Tensed to attack at any time, she tautly listened to the conversation going on inside.

"I lost everything and everyone. What more could you possibly want, father?" she heard Klaus' voice. It sounded lifeless and broken, and she needed to remind herself that he was just giving a performance.

"Well, boy, for starters I would like to bring some life back into you before we get down to business. It would really not do for me to have you in a state of apathy, not feeling anything, would it? Prelati, if you please?"

Caroline heard footsteps and a light chuckle. Then Prelati's high-pitched squeal resounded from the room. "You may be immune to many spells, Hybrid, but you are not immune to immobilization and to physical pain, are you?" They immobilized him again?

"Fuck you, warlock."

There was another chuckle, and Mikael's baritone betrayed his amusement. "Watch your language, boy. I asked Prelati not to mute you this time, but I did not do that to hear you swear like a syphilitic sailor."

Prelati cackled as well. "Oh, it delights me much more to simply inflict some pain and then become a mere spectator than to partake in the actual filth, Hybrid. If memory serves, that younger brother of yours was particularly rewarding to watch. The Baron de Rais did have a talent for inventing and cultivating the bizarre that surpassed even my own, as I have to graciously acknowledge."

Caroline clenched her fists and fought the nausea that was welling up inside her. She had always been so sure that she would never feel the desire to purposely harm anyone, but the depravity of these men was such that she had to fight the urge to see them convulse in pain and terror for hours.

"This was actually one of the things I learned from him," Prelati went on. "I do hope you appreciate the refined technique."

For an instant, she heard nothing. Then there was a very sharp hiss and a deep, rumbling snarl. Caroline grabbed the walls for support, fighting every instinct that told her to burst through the door and throw herself at the warlock. She listened to Klaus' subdued sounds of pain, and every gasp, every hiss pierced through her entire being like a laser. She could only imagine how Klaus must have felt when having had to watch and listen to Henrik being brutalized. After about ten minutes, Klaus' breathing normalized, and she could hear the warlock again.

"So, what do you think, Hybrid?"

"Quite honestly," Klaus replied with a faint rasp to his voice, "I find it rather dull. A Cat's Paw dipped in vervain? Please do tell me there is more up your sleeve."

"I apologize for not living up to your expectations, Hybrid, but then we have only just begun, haven't we? So how about this?"

She heard Klaus give a rough laugh, but there was an edge to his voice that she didn't like. "No points for originality again, warlock. The Knee Splitter was quite an innovation in its time, admittedly, but there I hoped you would come up with some ideas of your own. Well, then again, you missed so much over the last six hundred years, did you not? Who could blame you for being rooted in your glorious past?"

"You always had a big mouth, Niklaus. Too big for your actions. You take a vow, you break it out of sheer cowardice. You betrayed your brothers and sister, each and every one of them. You betrayed your mother. Pathetic." Caroline tried to rein in the hate that threatened to overwhelm her at Mikael's taunt. He didn't know the first thing about his stepson, however much he conceited himself into believing otherwise. And who was that bastard to talk? He had his youngest son resurrected only to send him to his death. That man was nothing but a mistake of nature. She was just thinking of a proper name to call him when a horrific scream all but shook the dungeons, making the blood freeze in her veins. She had never heard a sound like that, and it took her a second to realize it had actually been him.

A red curtain descended over her vision and there was just one thought left. I'll kill them. She was about to bolt to the door of the cell when a very strong hand clamped over her mouth and held her in an iron grip. She struggled against the restraint, but it was to no use. Trying to calm down, she forced her mind to focus. She inhaled and relaxed at the familiar scent.

Elijah.