Caroline was more tired than she ever remembered being, and this probably had a lot to do with her not having slept all that well the last couple of days. And even though sleep was calling, she still found herself in bed, going through the Mikaelson-family grimoire. From what she understood of grimoires, they were supposed to be like a witche's spell-book, but it was obvious that after their mother died, the Mikaelson-siblings as a whole had taken to using the thing as a personal diary of sorts.

She'd read entries by Elijah and Rebekah, and she'd come across some more recent spells (and by recent she meant a couple decades old maybe), which she'd learned from Katherine had been written by Elijah and Rebekah's sister Freya, and she'd also read some entries by Kol, who was another sibling. The way he wrote, it was like she could hear the sarcasm, and atleast once she laughed out loud. He was very graphic in his writing, and she was looking forward to meeting him.

It had been two days since she met Sheila Bennett and was given the grimoire, but what she hadn't yet figured out was how the book had ended up with the witch in the first place. It didn't seem like Sheila was overcome with affection for the vampires roaming her town, and Caroline couldn't blame her. Though it did seem like the older witch held a lot of respect for Elijah, and that went both ways.

She was tempted to spend another sleepless night getting more information about the inner workings of the Original family of vampires, but she really was exhausted and she needed atleast one night of rest. Still, she found herself fishing out the sketch of Aurora de Martel, carefully studying the detail and seeing the emotion and sheer talent that went into it.

She hadn't asked, having seen the guilt and shame on Elijah's face as he told her the story, but she wondered if Aurora was still alive, and if she and Klaus had ever met again. Maybe she'd build up the nerve to ask in the morning, but right then she put the sketch carefully down on the nightstand at her side, switched of the bedside lamp and closed her eyes.

Sleep came seconds later.

Klaus was surprised at how easy it was to sneak into her room. It amazed him that Elijah hadn't taken up residence with her, staying at her side at all times, protecting her from him. He could hear his brother and the two other vampires down in the main room, talking of making safe arrangements for Caroline to train. It was a preposterous notion that she'd ever be able to outrun or fight him off, but he figured Elijah already knew this and her future training was less about him and more about all the other supernaturals who may target her at one point or another.

If Elijah got his way, and the ridiculous binding-ceremony was carried through, it was without question that his family's enemies would seek to use her against him, against all of them, at one point or another.

It would be so easy, he thought as he studied her sleeping form, so easy to simply snatch her away right then.

But that wasn't part of the plan. He wasn't willing to risk spending too much time with her until he had the doppleganger in his grasp, giving him what he needed to turn the little wolf his mother had so treacherously bound to him a thousand years ago.

His eyes moved from the little wolf, his mate, to the nightstand and he caught sight of a sketch he hadn't seen in a very long time. Moving closer, he picked up the sketch and studied it, studied the first woman he had ever loved, the first woman who had accepted what he was until Elijah made him believe otherwise.

It was a treachery that ran deep when he learned of it, and part of him still resented his brother for the betrayal, but Elijah held enough resentment against himself for the both of them.

Beautiful as she was, Aurora was no match for Caroline. Her golden beauty was one he'd watched blossom for years. He'd kept an eye on her from the time she was a little girl, when he'd finally discovered her whereabouts when she was ten. He had minions watching over her from that day on, a fact his siblings had remained blissfully unaware of.

And he had spoken to her many times, starting with her sixteenth birthday, which was when he'd discovered that despite a thousand years of genetic evolution, the werewolf curse was still active in her bloodline. He'd seen the black kyanite necklace, and it had been simple enough, two years later, to compell that idiot human boy to attack her, actively forcing her to kill the boy and activate the curse.

She had no memories of their conversations, he'd compelled them all away naturally, but as much as he wanted to deny it, he'd grown quite fond of her. He was still going to turn her, make her a hybrid like himself, ensure she was sired to him before any sort of mating-bond could bind them together a different way. His siblings had been worried he intended to take her life, but it was quite the opposite. He would give her an eternal life, one she'd spend by his side.

He folded up the sketch of Aurora and tucked it into his jacket as he pulled out another sketch, made only hours before, and carefully placed it on the nightstand. He allowed himself a few more seconds to watch her before he turned and left the same way he came, knowing it was only a matter of time before all his plans fell into place, and he would finally have the only thing he ever truly desired.

Someone who would never leave him.

Caroline stretched her arms over her head as she blinked open her eyes and yawned to chase away the lingering sleep. She felt great, warm and rested, and very hungry. God, she couldn't even remember the last time she had a full meal.

Pushing up, she threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was about to get up when she looked to the nightstand and froze. Lying where the sketch of Aurora used to be, was another much more recent sketch, and she could tell that by the look of the paper, and the fact that it was her own face staring back at her.

With shaking fingers she picked up the sketch and realized that he'd been there during the night, in her room, close enough to kill her, but he hadn't. Why?

She was about to call out to Elijah, or anyone close enough to come running, when her eyes caught on the elegant scripture marking the bottom of the sketch.

Get to know me, love. I dare you. ~Klaus

What did that mean? Get to know me. How was she supposed to do that? She'd have to find some way to meet him alone, without her army of vampire-protectors knowing about it, and since her little drugging-scheme, they'd all been pretty suspicious around her.

She moved her eyes to the window, walked to it and silently pushed it open, not sure if he was even around, she opened her mouth and whispered to the wind, "how?", hoping he'd get her message.