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Trigger warnings: mature themes, darker Caroline, dark and possessive Klaus, vampire stuff, bloodsharing, making out, alcohol drinking to cope, discussion of Damon's abuse

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There is something about an emotional rollercoaster that makes you feel so drained. Thankfully, she had the goo goo cluster, she thought. Caroline hoped that its sugary sweetness and chocolate would have her up and running before long. They were sitting on the bench again and Caroline moaned slightly as she took her first bite of the candy bar. It was delicious. Klaus shifted to face her, one hand resting on the bench, as he looked at her. He didn't eat his goo goo cluster yet, he seemed to be deep in thought. Caroline felt slightly self-conscious eating while being watched, but before she could voice anything he spoke his mind.

'While feeding on people with control is a handy skill to have, I don't want to force you,' Klaus said sincerely, 'It's your decision.' Caroline stopped eating and was quiet for a moment, thinking about his words.

'It's realistic to accept that I won't always have access to blood bags. So I should learn it,' Caroline said decisively before concluding, 'but I think it will be easier for me to compel and feed on a man. I'd feel less guilty.'

Caroline was feeling a bit more steady now. She was sitting up straight and making eye contact with Klaus felt more bearable again. She liked how honest she was, in her experience, honesty was the way to go with Klaus. Ah… the name Klaus was still so in her system, 'Nik' would take some time getting used to.

'As much as I hate the thought of your lips on another man, I understand,' Klaus said, his expression dark as night. He looked like he was going to hit something.

Caroline laughed in amusement, he was being so dramatic.

'I am not sure you understand Caroline,' Klaus said seriously, his finger tracing her collarbone. 'I want to kill any man you touch, it will be difficult to restrain myself.' The blonde shivered as she felt his finger travel up her neck, and then to her cheek, His finger came to a stop there, resting on her soft skin. It made her look up into his eyes, they were darkened. It made her want him.

Caroline wanted to tease him as he teased her. 'I will wear a tight outfit, and act as bait. I will dance with my snack, seduce him… Maybe even steal a kiss if he is not bad to look at. We will leave the bar, and I will pull him into a dark alleyway. I will push him up against the wall, he will want me so desperately. But all I want is his blood, so I will tell my snack to be quiet before I take a bite.' Caroline smiled when she heard Klaus groan.

His touch was rougher now and his eyes had a twisted quality to them. 'And then what, sweetheart?' He snarled. His fingers were digging into the skin of her neck, and she loved it.

'We will find out tonight, but I hope you watch,' Caroline said lightly, her fingers tracing his jawline. 'I wouldn't let you kill my snack,' She watched his mouth open, but Caroline moved her finger in front of it. 'Shh it's okay Nik, you can take your frustrations out on me.'

His lips twitched up in a twisted smile at her words. 'Maybe I will,' he whispered before nipping her finger with his fang. Caroline's eyes widened in surprise at the sensation. She felt his tongue licking the drops of blood away from her finger. 'You are such a naughty girl after all... And delicious.' Caroline's mouth opened involuntarily.

Klaus looked up, eyes twinkling and she knew he had her. He had skilfully regained control of this interaction. Caroline pulled her finger away from his mouth and replaced it with her lips. It felt so good to kiss him. Caroline could taste herself on his tongue, and it was erotic. It was even better when he bit his own tongue, allowing her to taste his nectar. His hands were on her neck pulling her close. The things he did with his tongue made her wonder what else he could do, and Caroline felt like she was going to lose control and ride him right here on this bench. But then her phone rang, and she forced herself to pull away.

'Ignore it,' Klaus muttered, kissing her neck, teeth grazing it. Caroline looked around and thanked the gods that this bench was somewhat out of sight.

Caroline checked the number, and a feeling of dread entered her body. 'It's my mum,' she said, 'I have to reassure her I am fine, otherwise she will send a search party for me. It's the sheriff, she is not one to sit around waiting.'

Caroline didn't wait for his reaction before answering. She was sitting on his lap and felt his hands around her waist as she held the phone to her ear.

'Mum,' Caroline said, hoping she didn't sound too out of breath.

'Caroline, what is going on? You said you were at your dad's but I called him and he said you weren't there, that you hadn't talked to him in ages,' Liz said in a mixture of worry and anger.

Think, Caroline, think. She once heard it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible. 'Mum, did I tell you that Matt broke up with me. It was at the Decade Dance and someone comforted me that night. We grew closer. And I really like him. I am with him now. I promise I am safe.'

'Are you lying, Caroline? I know you are one of them. Tell me the truth,' Liz said, in her, I am the Sheriff voice. Caroline's eyes widened, unable to speak for a moment. Her compulsion to make her forget had apparently failed. Her mum knew she was a vampire and probably hated her.

Klaus grabbed her phone and put on his charming voice, 'Sheriff Forbes, I assure you Caroline is in safe hands, we are having a splendid time together.'

'Who is this, Caroline?' Liz said, wanting her daughter back on the phone.

Caroline grabbed her phone back from Klaus, giving him a warning look. 'It's Nik. But please let it go… Please trust me, I am fine,' she said hoping this would reassure her mother.

'Well, you can't expect a mother not to worry when her daughter runs off with an unknown man,' Liz said. Caroline could hear her mother pacing through the living room.

Her words frustrated Caroline, why did she decide to care now. 'You know, I overheard you when you said to Damon that I am not your daughter anymore, that I am gone. You didn't want to see me then, why do you care now,' she said, her voice hollow. Klaus' grip on her waist tightened.

Caroline could tell that her words had hit home. 'I was wrong to say that,' Liz said, her voice breaking slightly, 'I can see that now.'

Caroline sighed, she didn't know what to do with this information. All she knew was that she had to go. 'Bye mum,' she said before hanging up.

She found Klaus staring at her with a sad expression. His hand was resting on her hip in comfort. 'Don't pity me. We... she and I, we are complicated,' Caroline said glaring at him.

Klaus shook his head, his expression serious. 'No pity here love, I am just shocked how little people seem to appreciate you and your light.'

Her face fell, and it was hard to form a response. Klaus was able to put into words why she felt so down in the quieter moments of life. The moments when her mum wasn't home yet and she had to make her own pasta. When people chose Elena over her. When her dad left her. When she was abused by Damon. When Matt left her for being a vampire. When Tyler left town. It felt sometimes like she was trying her best, only to get breadcrumbs of affection in return. Caroline was definitely stronger now, and she didn't do things to please people anymore or compare herself to others. But every now and then these memories came back to haunt her.

Klaus squeezed her hand, which pulled her out of her thoughts. 'Let's go shopping. If I learned anything from my dear sister, it is that things don't seem so bad after buying a designer dress. My treat,' he said with a nostalgic smile on his face.

Caroline raised her eyebrows at him, he has a sister? She would definitely question him about this later.

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Caroline noticed there were many little gift shops, the kind of shops meant for tourists. Cowboy hats, boots, music records.

A smile appeared on her face as she imagined Stefan in cowboy boots. Caroline grabbed her phone out of her pocket to text him. Hey, we are downtown. Come find us if you want to try on some cowboy boots. The shop is called Boot Barn.

Her eyes wandered over the busy street. And as she stood there waiting for Stefan, a question came to mind.

'You seem awfully trusting of Stefan for your standards. I'd have thought you would want to keep an eye on him,' Caroline commented, glancing at Klaus' side profile. He was standing next to her, observing the crowd. She could hear faint sounds of music coming from the various bars.

'Who says I don't have eyes on him,' Klaus said, smirking slightly. 'Not that he needs to know, trust breeds loyalty after all.'

Caroline rolled her eyes. The ever scheming and manipulative hybrid was back on stage. Still, it was interesting that he was sharing this information with her. 'Is that why you are trusting me with this information?' she asked him lightly.

Her question made him turn to face her fully, his interest was piqued. She didn't look away from him.

'Have I made a mistake in telling you,' Klaus said conversationally. 'Do I not have your loyalty?' This seemed like a trick question.

'For now, I suppose,' she said thoughtfully, before adding, 'I am not a fan of promising forever.'

Klaus' eyes narrowed. 'I am not a fan of uncertainty,' he countered darkly.

Caroline shrugged at that. 'You could compel me to be your loyal servant till the end of time,' she said testing his reaction.

'To compel you would be to dim your light, that would be a foolish thing to do,' Klaus said dismissing it as an option.

His expression was unreadable, he seemed genuinely shaken at the thought of losing her loyalty. Caroline felt the need to reassure him.

'People change, circumstances change. But for what it's worth, I will always be a loyal servant to honesty. You'll know where we stand. Always,' she said. Caroline could give him that.

And she was glad she said that because the smile on Klaus' face made her melt. 'Thank you for your honesty,' he said sincerely.

'You're welcome, Nik.'

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'So, what did I miss,' Stefan said casually, walking towards them with his hands in his pockets. Klaus' mouth opened. But her mouth was quicker from all the years of being a bubbly teenager with lots of opinions.

'Apparently, Klaus has a sister, and she likes shopping,' Caroline informed Stefan.

Stefan tilted his head in amusement. 'Does he now?'

Klaus gave her evil eyes, but she ignored him. 'Yup, though that's the extent of my knowledge,' Caroline said sadly.

'Rightly so.' Klaus said drily, as he opened the door of the Boots store for her and Stefan. Once they were in, she noticed a salesman with very nice boots smiling at them. Talking about boots, there was such a wide variety of them. How would she ever pick?

'We got to talk about something right?' Caroline chirped, staring at a pair of golden cowboy boots.

'I don't recall us struggling to make conversation before, Caroline,' Klaus said, looking over his shoulder at her. He had a non-subtle smirk on his face.

'Oh tell me about it,' Stefan joked, 'Matt never kept up with you, but I think you met your match.' The younger Salvatore brother was leaning against the wall next to her, observing the store in its eternity.

'Hmm well, it's all very one-sided. He and his tricks got me telling my whole life story. He on the other hand has only shared the bare minimum about himself,' Caroline said, touching the soft leather of the cowboy boot, 'That's not how you connect with people.'

She glanced at Klaus and noticed him examining a pair of low black boots. 'What do you wish to know, sweetheart?' he asked without looking at her.

'Your sister, what is she like? I only met Elijah,' Caroline said casually, moving on to the next pair of boots. High brown ones this time.

Klaus did not reply right away. Curious about his lack of reply, she turned around to face him and noticed that he was tense, and staring at her.

'You met Elijah,' Klaus said incredulously. She was entering dangerous territory, she could feel it. Caroline looked away from his intense eyes to glance at Stefan who looked uncomfortable. She didn't know what to do. No words came out of her mouth and her arms felt awkward all of sudden. So Caroline just nodded a yes.

Klaus' jaw clenched. 'Let's talk outside,' he said as he made his way over to her.

'I am not sure this is a good idea,' Stefan said quickly moving in front of her. The blonde smiled at his protective instinct, but she didn't want this to escalate.

'Thanks, Stefan. But it's fine, I will go with him,' Caroline said, squeezing his hand. Klaus' gaze dropped to her hand and he looked furious.

She quickly let go of Stefan's hand and walked out of the shop without a word. She could feel Klaus' breath in her neck. This was the first time she felt afraid in his presence.

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He was moving close behind her, his body language showing her exactly where he wanted her to go. He didn't touch her, though, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. The silence between them was heavy. Klaus only started talking to her once he backed her into a corner in a parking lot.

'Tell me everything,' Klaus said, 'you promised me honesty, Caroline.'

'You are making this into a bigger deal than it is, honestly,' Caroline fired back.

'That is for me to decide,' Klaus said seriously, his expression dark.

Caroline didn't know if this was the right decision, but she decided to be honest.

'After I thought Bonnie died I made a resolution not to live in ignorance anymore. I wanted to be prepared for what was to come and to be able to protect my friends. So I spent as much time as possible at the Boarding House before the Sacrifice. When I was there I learned Elena had undaggered Elijah to learn more about you,' Caroline said pausing to look at him. Klaus' expression was blank as he listened, she had no idea what he was thinking.

'Continue,' he commanded.

'I never heard the motivation why he told Elena the things that he did. It seemed suspicious to me and Stefan that he would turn his back on family,' she said shaking her head.

'What did he tell her?' Klaus asked quietly.

'He told her about your curse, the ingredients of the ritual, what happened with Katherine, and the Elixir,' she said. 'That's all I heard about anyway.' Caroline closed her eyes realising her mistake, she shouldn't have mentioned the Elixir.

She let out a slight gasp when she felt his hand on her cheek. The blonde looked up into his searching eyes. 'The Elixir. Did Elena use it?' he prompted.

Caroline looked away from him, her friends would never forgive her. 'Caroline, love. I need to know,' he said and her heart sank at the pet name. Her mixed feelings were confusing her, she wanted to help him, but also her friends.

'I don't want you to hurt her,' she said honestly, facing him again. His eyes turned hard at her words.

'It's true then, she is alive,' Klaus concluded raspingly, pressing his other hand against the stone wall behind her in a sudden movement. His face was a mere inches away from her now, it made her feel weak.

Her voice was hoarse and she avoided his eyes as she spoke, 'Not because of the Elixir. Damon had force-fed her his blood which rendered the Elixir useless, but she is not a vampire. In the end, it was her uncle John that sacrificed his life for hers using magic. That is what saved her,' Caroline let out a deep breath, before continuing, 'That is everything I know, I promise,' Her eyes cast downwards in shame. 'I feel horrible because I want to be loyal to my friends but also to you. I betrayed them.'

She was surprised to feel him press his lips to her cheek, in a gentle kiss. 'But you didn't betray me,' he said. Caroline felt his warm breath as he spoke and it made her feel dizzy. 'Thank you for your honesty, love. You made the right choice,' His voice was rough, full of emotions, 'I have to go see about a witch now, I will be back soon.'

Klaus gave her one last lingering look before he disappeared in thin air.

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Dazed, Caroline started to walk back to Broadway, she needed to find Stefan. He wasn't hard to find. He had been waiting for her outside of the parking lot. His broody expression had an all-knowing quality to it.

'I am sorry, Stefan, I shouldn't have mentioned Elijah in that shop, that was stupid,' Caroline said apologetically, as she joined him on the sidewalk. 'It's like I forgot that Klaus, is well... Klaus.'

'Admittedly, he was so different around you,' Stefan said, glancing at her as they walked. 'When he was negotiating with me, he only considered me worthwhile to be around when I was in ripper mode. But then he made that deal with you and it made no god damn sense to me.' Caroline shook her head, it made no sense to her either. 'Along the way, I realised it was because of you.'

'Fuck, I need a drink,' Caroline said, processing this. She looked around frantically, thankfully the bars were already somewhat alive this late afternoon.

'Ditto,' she heard Stefan whisper, 'Elena…' Her friend sounded so tormented and it was her fault. Her guilt was overwhelming her, she needed that drink fast. Making a decision, Caroline chose a purple bar called Tootsies. We all need more purple in our lives, she thought.

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Tootsies had a great atmosphere, it reeked of beer and history, and there were lots of pictures on the wall. It was the kind of clutter and lack of space that made the place feel claustrophobic but in a good way. People were having a good time, dancing, drinking, and chatting. And the live performance that was going on completed the picture with incredible music. Caroline locked eyes with Stefan who smiled at her encouragingly, this looked like a good place to kill some time.

Tootsies had multiple floors and while the first floor looked awesome, she really wanted to talk to Stefan. So, Caroline and Stefan made their way up the creaky stairs to the rooftop lounge where they made themselves comfortable. The rooftop was more spacious and naturally provided a better environment to have conversations. It had a nice breeze too.

Deciding that she had already won the worst person award today, Caroline went all in and compelled the muscly waiter to bring them a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses, on the house. Jack Daniels is a brand of Tennessee Whiskey, so she figured it would be a suitable beverage to drink while they were staying here, trying local drinks and all that. And as for why a whole bottle? Well, they needed that. Stefan raised his eyebrows at her but made no comment.

Cutting to the chase, the blonde started speaking. 'Did you hear what I said to Klaus?' she asked him, leaning forward in her seat, her elbows resting on the black metal table. Caroline felt a feeling of dread in her stomach, she didn't want Stefan to hate her.

'Yup,' he said, 'You could have handled it better, but who am I to judge, I was not backed into the corner by a hybrid that could kill me with one bite. Besides… I know you like him.' He was so reasonable, even when it was his girlfriend's life on the line, she thought.

Caroline groaned, her head falling backward. 'What are we going to do?' she asked him. 'You do know he has people watching us, right.'

'I had picked up on that in the museum, he should teach his pets to be more subtle,' Stefan said while looking at the view. From their table, they could see far and wide. They could see the people wandering downtown as well as the tall buildings in the distance. 'I texted Damon that Klaus knows. Knowing him he will do whatever he can to keep Elena safe.'

Caroline was glad that the waiter arrived at their table with her Jack Daniels, because she would need a drink before she could mention the other concern, Damon. Caroline gave the bartender a quick smile, he reminded her a bit of Tyler. Caroline poured Stefan and herself a drink and didn't waste time downing her glass. Feeling the liquid burn her throat relaxed her. Was she punishing herself?

Discussion: Damon's abuse – start

'About Damon... I am not sure about his safety either,' Caroline said cautiously. Stefan turned to look at her with a question in his eyes. 'I admitted to Klaus why compelling people bothered me so much, and the topic of Damon was brought up…' Caroline paused because she noticed Stefan had already filled in the blanks. Stefan would know, he had been there after all when the abuse had happened. Caroline heard him swallow hard and he had a haunted look in his eyes. And then he also downed his drink.

The tension was uncomfortable, but she had to talk about it. 'Klaus comforted me and validated my feelings about Damon. I was upset and opened up to him. How Damon had used me for my blood, and for sex too.' Stefan's eyes were sad, guilt was written all over his face. But she had to continue speaking, 'I mentioned how it didn't feel real because it was hard for me to comprehend that my friends would knowingly tolerate my abuser...'

'Caroline... I have no words,' Stefan said sincerely, his eyes were sad and big and a deep frown was present on his forehead. It looked like he had aged a decade. 'I should have intervened, I should have done something,' He shook his head. 'Maybe a part of me did pretend it didn't happen afterward as to avoid facing my own part in this. Letting it happen. I am guilty of knowing and not doing anything about it.'

She nodded at him. Caroline thought back to the leggie woman she had seen with Damon the other day. Caroline had tolerated it too, just like Stefan. It was so easy to turn a blind eye to uncomfortable things. But it was not easy to admit to it, so she appreciated that Stefan took full responsibility for his actions. Not everyone would react the same. And that is why he is her friend.

And you have to be honest with friends. So she was. 'Klaus was so angry that he promised me that he would kill Damon slowly,' she said. 'And it was really hard for me at that moment to defend Damon since my feelings were validated for the first time... But I am sorry Stefan, I should have said something for your sake.'

Caroline felt genuinely bad for him, and it must have shown on her face because Stefan laid his hand on her hand, 'Don't worry. We will figure something out. You take care of you okay, Care.'

Discussion: Damon's abuse – end

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I think I touched on some sensitive topics today. I hope you think I did it in an okay way and I didn't offend you in anyway.

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