Caroline hummed under her breath as she parked in the Founder's Hall car park , still pleased with how well things had gone with Klaus. If she were honest with herself, most guys found her alpha female tendencies a little terrifying, and Klaus seemed to go to such lengths to prove his dominance, she thought he might have similar issues.

How wrong she was.

Caroline smirked as she remembered how hard he'd gotten inside her when she claimed him. It had been a wrench to pull herself away from him, but Elijah, as annoying as he was, did have a point. They had an evil witch stroke Mom to defeat.

The Mystic Falls Historical Society, like all Mystic Falls institutions, meets up once a month at the Founders Hall. It was also where all their records and research documents, and even the old Wickery Bridge plaque were stored. There had been a few rumours for a while about setting up a proper museum space for the society, but then the Fells donated all that money to the society on the proviso they used it to build the park and any plans for a museum were quickly forgotten.

Thankfully, this made it easier to access their records. As both a Historical Society volunteer and a member of the Founders Day committee, Caroline's presence didn't even raise an eyebrow when she entered the building, just as she expected.

What she didn't expect, however, was Kol Mikaelson already ensconced in the research room.

"Did you know the Fell family are descended from a line of werewolves," he asked, almost conversationally, looking up from the journal in his hand. "Unfortunately they seemed to have bred it out of the line in the last century."

"How many generations would that take?" Caroline asked; curious, despite her.

"Oh, at least three, maybe four generations and even then they might have the occasional throwback.'' he drawled. "You took your time,"

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be waiting for me," Caroline said. "What are you doing here? I thought you were out reconnoitering with Finn."

"Relax, love, I just thought we'd get to know each other a little better," he said, getting to his feet, and Caroline resisted the urge to grab the glock she had tucked into her jeans at the small of her back. Fear was not something you wanted to show in front of Kol MIkaelson. She straightened and scowled..

"If you're here to kill me, just get it over with. If not, don't bother with the threats. Elijah has already filled up my quota for the day and I'm not going anywhere"

"Are you sure?" Kol asked, tilting his head, birdlike. He closed the distance between them in a blur of movement. "You're a little young to have a deathwish, aren't you?" He caught her chin and tilted up her head, and Caroline pulled away with a hiss. Surprisingly, he let her go.

"I'm here to find a map," she said pointedly. "How about you make yourself useful instead of stalking me."

"Because I'm bored," he said with a shrug. "And I usually bother Klaus when I'm bored - he does erupt so beautifully - but whenever I turn around to find him, there you are, distracting him. That was quite a performance you put on in the house, love."

Caroline crossed her arms. "Has anybody ever told you that your sibling relationships are a little too Flowers in the Attic?" she drawled. "You guys are way too interested in each other's sex lives."

"Hmm, that reference doesn't ring a bell," Kol mused. "But I have spent the last century in a box. I'm sure I'll be riveted when I eventually figure it out." He pulled out a folded piece of paper and threw it at her. She snatched it out of the air.

"You found it," she said, as she unfolded it.

"I thought I might need it for my reconnoitering," he said wryly. "I've already taken a snap of it. Handy little things, these new phones." He brushed past her, only pausing at the door. "It isn't the sex that will get you killed, darling, it's the power play. Don't think Elijah doesn't know what you're doing."

"Oh, I fully expect him to, because Klaus sure does," Caroline said flatly. "That's what turns him on."

Kol laughed, it almost seemed genuine. "You know, you're nearly entertaining enough to keep around for a while," he said. "Let's hope I don't change my mind."

And, with that, he was gone, leaving Caroline a quivering mess. "Oh no, that wasn't terrifying at all," she muttered, as she slipped the map inside her jacket and took out her phone. She fired off a text to Klaus and made her way to the car.

Klaus read Caroline's text as he entered the drawing room, and then frowned as he caught Rebekah pouring over their mother's Grimoire. Maddox was sitting beside her as he wrote into his notebook and the Bennett witch was slouched back on the other couch. The smell of Doppelganger blood filled the air and Klaus's eyes fell on Elena, who was curled up in an armchair, a towel held to her neck. "I see you have been busy, sister."

"Oh look, the prodigal brother returns," Rebekah drawled, looking up "Glad to see you can drag yourself away from that tart for a few seconds to help us figure out what mother is up to."

"What happened to the Doppelganger," Klaus said, earning a hmph of consternation from the bleeding girl.

"I needed a sample," she said with a shrug. "You'd be surprised by how many of Mother's higher powered spells relied on it. I guess having Tatia on tap really expanded her horizons."

Klaus eyed her. "I'm not sure you can be trusted with that," he said. "You might try to run off and give it away again."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Well maybe if you'd taken a few moments over the last few centuries to translate it from it's original Futhark runes, or had Maddox brush up on a language other than Latin, you might have other options, but as our dear brothers have busied themselves elsewhere, you're stuck with me."

He glanced at Bonnie. "Don't look at me," she said. "Our Grimoire is in Greek and Aramaic."

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her, "A curious combination." he said.

"I never really thought about it," she lied, and Klaus smiled coolly at her.

"I could recast the translation spell," Maddox offered."It's worked just fine up until now."

"Just fine is not good enough," Rebekah declared. "Subtleties can slip through the net."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her, not certain she was telling her the truth. "Where is Elijah?" he asked.

"How would I know?" she said. "He's probably trying to kill Caroline. She definitely got him nice and riled up."

Klaus's mouth twisted, the thought wasn't completely out of the bounds of possibility. "I would have thought he had his hands full with his own personal life."

Well, if you stopped fucking Caroline around the house, he might calm down long enough to focus his energy on the person he's really pissed at," Rebekah said. "But you seem hellbent on ruining her for all other cocks. Is there a room you haven't christened yet?"

"Well," Klaus mused aloud. "We haven't tried the kitchen yet but I bet she'd look beautiful bent over the breakfast table."

"Could you please not," Bonnie complained. "I'd rather not think of Caroline that way."

Well that's a lie," Rebekah said dismissively.

"Oh my god, would you ever shut up," Elena said abruptly. "Not everything is about sex. Bonnie and I have known Caroline since we were kids. We don't think about her that way." Klaus smirked as he caught a flash of guilt flash across the witch's face. So she's had impure thoughts about Caroline. Interesting, maybe he could use that.

Did you find anything useful?" he asked, leaning over to prod at the Grimoire.

"Immortality spells, binding spells, linking spells, possession spells," Rebekah listed. "There is even a spell for temporarily dropping the veil. Mother could have a field day with that."

"We need to prise more information out of Katherine about what our Mother is up to," he concluded. "There's no way she walked into this house without collateral. She's not telling us everything."

"You go and do that, brother," Rebekah said dismissively. "I'll finish off here."

What that meant, Klaus wasn't sure. He was beginning to wonder if he were better off when his siblings were still daggered. He twisted his head and glanced at the page. It was a spell to make resuscitation rings. "Interesting choice," he mused aloud. "Is there something you're not telling me, Rebekah?"

Rebekah glared at him. "I'm trying to find what mother wanted from this book, Klaus, and you know more than anyone else the lengths she will go to, to get what she wants."

Klaus decided he'd had enough of Rebekah's antics. He knew she'd eventually show her hand. She was terrible at hiding her true intentions. He stood and left the room, climbing the stairs to Katherine's room.

The moment he opened her door, breaking the seal of the bedroom's privacy spell, he smirked. In many ways, Elijah was incapable of change. Despite all his posturing about putting family first, here he was, balls deep in the Petrova Doppelganger at the first available opportunity.

"Oh please, don't let me interrupt," he said.

"Could we have a little privacy please?" Elijah asked as he slowly pulled out and tucked himself away,

Katherine laughed as she fell back onto the bed. "Please don't bother on my account," she said." After all, I have nothing Klaus hasn't seen before."

"Ah yes, the good old days," Klaus said. "When you were human and still stupid enough to believe bedding a man was enough to keep him." He paused. "No, wait, I think that still might be your fateful flaw."

Elijah glowered at him. "Enough, brother," he said. "You've made your point. Why are you here?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I know you may have forgotten the point of keeping Katherine here, brother, but we still need to find out what she knows. Did you at least taste her to see if she has vervain in her system."

He abruptly shook his head and Klaus sighed. "Very well, I guess I'll do the honours."

Elijah moved to block his way. "Don't-"

"Enough!" Klaus roared, throwing him against the wall, unable to hold his anger in any longer. "You talk to me about family and loyalty and then you do this? You are as weak as you always were, brother."

"You call me weak?" Elijah snarled back. "You follow that cheerleader around as if you were a puppy. Why is she still here? Why is she still alive?"

"Why do I suddenly feel the need for popcorn?" Katherine mused aloud, and Klaus snapped his fangs at her.

"Stay out of this," he said, his voice flat, before he turned back to Elijah. "What I do with Caroline is none of your business, keep out of it"

"How can I, when she insists on her claim on you and you do nothing except bare your throat for her. She's nothing, just another conquest, kill her and be done with it, or we'll do it for you."

A paralysing fear ran through Klaus as he eyed his brother. He knew the difference between Elijah's threats and his promises, and this had the mark of the latter."Touch her and I'll rip your precious doppelganger apart with my bare hands and feed her to you."

"So it's like that," Elijah said, eyeing him coldly as he straightened. He buttoned his shirt and readjusted his tie. "Very well, we shall put this matter aside until we've deal with the threat of our mother, but we will revisit the issue of your new obsession as soon as it's been dealt with."

He stalked out of the room and Katherine pouted, waving her fingers at him as he closed the door. She fell back onto the pillows, letting him see every inch of her. Like all the Doppelgangers, she was beautiful, her vampirism preserving her body while it was still supple and young. Katherine watched him from hooded eyes, as she let her hand slip between her legs.

"I don't suppose you're interested in a quick fuck?" she asked. "Your brother kind of left me hanging."

He blurred across the room, ripping her from the bed by the throat. "I am not in the mood for your games, Katerina," he said. "Tell me what you know, or I'll fill your blood with so much Hybrid venom, you'll be begging for death by the time night falls."

"Well, no need to be so bitchy about it," Katherine said, smiling at him archly. "It's really quite simple. Your mother wants to make her stay permanent on this side of the she needs your resources to do it."

"We already know she wants the Grimoire," he said.

"And the Doppelganger," she said. "She can't become immortal without her."

He glared into her eyes as he pressed down on her neck. "She can't become a vampire, she already died a witch,"

"All things are possible with Doppelganger blood," Katherine said throatily. "You of all people should know that. Wolves made into vampires, the dead made immortal - think of the possibilities."

Klaus stilled, actually he could think of the possibilities. He smiled coldly. "Thank you, Katerina, you may be of some use to us after all," he said, releasing her, and Katherine slunk away from him and pulled on a robe.

"Do you think she really cares for you?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "She is loyal to me, the rest will follow."

"They have a name for that nowadays," Katherine said bitterly. "It's called Stockholm Syndrome."

Klaus let out a laugh. "If you think Caroline Forbes is so easily swayed then you don't know her at all," he said. "The only reason she's here is because she wants to be."

"And because you're holding her friends prisoner," she reminded him.

"Well," Klaus drawled as he headed for the door, a new bounce to his step. "That's negotiable." He slammed the door behind her and whistled as he descended the stairs. At last, a plan was beginning to form in his mind. All they needed was a little luck on their side - and if they didn't have any luck, he would make it.

The house was strangely quiet when Caroline returned, but she shrugged away her unease as she made her way to the study.

"Knock, knock," she said, as she slipped through the door. Klaus was nowhere to be seen but there was was a bare chested hottie on the divan, and this one was definitely one of Kol's. He had none of the pretty girl-next-door vibe the blonde from this morning had.

Caroline examined him. He was a brunette with faultless abs, and his green eyes and pouty lips went magnificently with his perfect cheekbones. His hip hugging jeans showcased his assets, and the way he was draped over the divan left you in no doubt what he was here for.

He looked like an idealised version of Stefan.

"I was told Klaus would be here soon," he said mournfully, obviously not pleased with her sudden appearance..

Oh, I'm sure you were," she said, smiling at him prettily. "Perhaps you can keep me company while we wait?"

A glimmer of interest showed in his eyes as she unzipped her jacket and sashayed across the room. She straddled him with ease and looked down into the widening pupils of his perfect moss green eyes. Seriously, where did Kol find him? Even his skin was perfect. Caroline traced a hand over his cheekbones before letting it drop to his throat. His pulse was racing, and Caroline scented the blood rushing through his veins. He was B positive, her favourite.

Without thought, she bit directly into his carotid artery and feasted. There was a time when this would have horrified her but now she couldn't imagine giving it up. The way he clung to her as she fed uncoiled the tension in her spine, and sated her need to dominate him. Reluctantly, she released him from her fangs as his hands fell away, his heart beginning to stutter and slow. It was one thing to enjoy herself, it was another to get sloppy. She'd dropped too many bodies of late.

Caroline swiped her tongue over her marks, lapping up the last few precious drops of his blood as his head lolled back onto the divan. Even unconscious he was way too pretty. Was this what Klaus usually liked in his bed? Caroline felt a pang of insecurity, the Mikaelsons had a thousand years of history and she had been a vampire only a few weeks. Could she really keep up with him?

The door opened and Klaus slipped in. "Enjoyed your snack?"

"He was delicious," she told him brightly. "Does Kol ship them in from a modelling agency or something?"

"Groupies," Klaus said tersely. "He has a lot of them."

"And this little groupie has a thing for you," she said. "Sorry I tired him out before you got here." Okay, maybe that was a little petty, but the boytoy was obviously Kol's attempt to undermine her. How many would she have to eat before they gave up?

His mouth twisted into an amused smile but he didn't take the bait. "Did you get the map?"

Caroline pulled it out of her jacket. "Kol already had it when I got there."

He stilled. "He was waiting for you?"

"Apparently," Caroline said. "I think it was some kind of test or something. I'm not really sure."

He crossed the room, glancing down at the boy as he took the map from her fingers. "Pretty," he commented. "Doesn't he look a little like-"

"Stefan?" Caroline asked, disgruntled. "Oh yeah."

This time, he made no attempt to hide his amusement. "He won't stop, you know."

Caroline shrugged. "At least I'll eat well."

"Aren't you going to share," he teased.

"Depends." She pouted. "What will you give me for the honour?"

"How about I show you?" he asked, walking her backwards. He pulled off her jacket, before making short work of the rest of her clothes and depositing her on the desk.

""I liked those jeans" she protested weakly

"Not as much as you like me," he said, unzipping his jeans and letting his cock bob free. He grabbed her hips and slid her towards him, pushing a finger into her to test her readiness.

"So wet for me," he murmured, and Caroline shoved his jeans down over his hips before taking his length in her hands and guiding him inside her. They both watched his cock slide home, and Caroline let out a whimper as his angled thrust hit her cervix, sending a shockwave of pain and pleasure through her core.

"My beautiful Caroline," he said as he repeated the move, bottoming out inside her as she arched into him. She shot a hand out, steadying herself as she wrapped her legs around him, feeling her excitement gather as his fangs lengthened, his eyes taking on their yellow cast.

She bowed her back, offering him her breasts and he dove down, taking one into his mouth. His fangs punctured the soft flesh, his thrusts growing frantic as he fed from her, Caroline let out a moan as his fingers flicked her clit, his fangs and cock dragging her with him as he climaxed. .

"Fuck, Klaus, yes,"she cried out. It was a hot shiver of pleasure. A spiralling orgasm that had her clenching uncontrollably around his cock. She pulled him close, revelling in the way he shuddered against her as he came.

They collapsed onto the desk, and Caroline let out a snort of laughter as she felt one of the maps wrinkled under her back and his seed coating her thighs. "Elijah isn't going to be pleased."

"Don't pretend to be contrite about that, sweetheart."Klaus said, and offered her his wrist. She bit down and felt everything inside her unspool as his blood flowed into her.

"Can I join?" asked a petulant voice and they both turned to the divan.

"You promised you'd share," Klaus reminded her softly and Caroline reluctantly released him, watching as he zipped himself up and crossed the room. The boy was pretty but not very bright. He gazed at Klaus like he was the second coming as he fell upon him. Caroline banged her heels against the desk as Klaus drained him. The green eyed Adonis barely put up a struggle as he died.

Humans are too easy, Caroline thought contemptuously and then she froze. Had she really thought that?

Yes she had.

At some point in the last few days she had started seeing humans primarily as food. The thought was both shocking and yet somehow welcome, and she twisted it around in her mind. Had she flipped the switch without realising it? No, that wasn't it, she admitted to herself, she still felt joy and hate and all the vampire heightened emotions in between, This feeling of detachment from humanity was all her. At some point her faked indifference had become a reality.

Caroline tried to put a finger on when it had happened and her mind flickered to the moment she'd forced her mother to go through her transition. She bit her lip as she wondered where had all the guilt gone? Had she become that much of a monster?

Did she care?

Klaus lifted his head, his mouth bloodied, and Caroline felt a coil of desire reignite.

"Penny for your thoughts, love?" he asked.

Caroline shrugged. "Just thinking about the old me," she admitted aloud. "Wondering if I let her go too easily.

"Do you regret it?"

"No," she said honestly. "Although I suspect I should."

"That's where you're wrong, Caroline," Klaus said, his eyes heated. "Because you were born to be one of us. Humanity didn't do you justice and if you have to step on it to get what you deserve, then so be it."

That was Klaus, Caroline thought ruefully, aggressively supportive and psychotic at the same time. "Lets go to bed," she said aloud, holding out her hand. "Tomorrow is going to be a rough day."

TBC