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Get ready for a little surprise… ;)

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own TVD!

Chapter Seventeen

Back Again

Mystic Falls, 2010

Esther Mikaelson had spent a thousand years in a coffin, planning exactly what she would do when she was finally released. She knew her mission. When the witches first told her of it, she had protested. How could they ask her to kill her children?

Rebekah, who wanted nothing more than her mother back. Kol, who, even after all this time, was still a boy. Finn, her lovely Finn. Elijah, with all of his morality. Even Niklaus...

She had wanted to save them, she wasn't about to kill them. And that was when the witches made her feel the consequences of her actions. She saw her precious kill.

Rebekah, in petty jealousy. Kol, looking for a thrill. Finn, by accident. Elijah, only when it was 'moral'. And Niklaus... He was the worst of them all, absolutely ruthless. He was angrier than ever before, and he made no qualms about showing it to the world.

Her children became twisted by darkness, just as she did. She felt their every kill, heard their victims pleading for their lives right before a neck snapped.

Eventually, it became too much for her and she agreed with the witches, thinking that they would put an end to her misery.

Instead they continued showing her an onslaught of images, forcing her to watch as her children burned the earth.

At first she hated the witches for this until her blame shifted one day, and she started to resent her children.

So she began to plan how she would finally end it.

And now her carefully laid out plan had been ruined by the presence of one girl.

Caroline Forbes.

There was a time when Esther would have rejoiced at the fact that one of her sons had finally found a woman, especially Niklaus. In all truth, has they been human, she would have given her blessing to the couple.

Now, however, she was nothing but a nuisance. One whom she was sure would only serve to foil her plans. The girl would do anything for her son, and she was intelligent. A deadly combination.

Esther had to do the linking spell, it was the most viable option of getting rid of the vampire curse. When her children died, the rest would with them. The problem with this was Caroline.

She could link Caroline's blood to that of her children, that much was obvious. But there was also something else. It was as if the girl had protection. At first Esther had assumed it was the protection of a powerful witch, but then she realized that it was something else. Something ghostly.

Simply put, Caroline was a variable. A risk she could not afford. One that Esther would have to snuff out.

For the sake of her mission.

Klaus was quiet as he exited the room his mother had led him to, after his little spat with his younger siblings. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her, his Caroline.

She was laughing at something Kol had said, shaking her head with incredulity. Her blonde curls were splayed across her shoulders as she turned to look at his sister, smiling. Klaus was hit with the sudden urge to draw her, happy as she was.

Sometimes it was difficult for the Original to believe she had come back to him. He had spent so long without her, dreaming of her, that this felt like a dream.

Only it wasn't. It was real and she was here, with him, really with him.

They were both not the same people they used to be, but they still matched. Just as he hoped they always would.

It seemed she could sense his eyes when she glanced up at him and smiled, blue eyes sparkling. Klaus felt his own lips turning up in response.

It was then that Klaus realized something fundamental. Despite all of their problems, the people out to get them, he was... happy.

And, if there was one thing that was more important to than anything it was keeping the source of his happiness safe.

The last thing Caroline expected Esther Mikaelson to do only days after her awakening was throw a ball. But, she supposed she shouldn't have expected anything, the Mikaelson family had always surprised her. Apart from their first, rather awkward meeting, Caroline had not seem much of Esther, she was seemingly always busy with something or other.

Caroline didn't mind, however, something about Klaus' mother set her teeth on edge.

As for Klaus' siblings, she was getting along surprisingly well with everyone. Apart from Finn who she barely ever saw either, the Mikaelson brood were slowly becoming a real family again, and she was happy she could see it.

Kol, who had once terrified her, was quite a trickster, and had penchant for flirting and getting on Nik's nerves. Rebekah, was, as always, strong willed and often came to Caroline for some girl talk or advice. And Elijah, good, honorable Elijah, well he kept them all together.

Then there was Klaus, of course, her Klaus, with who she was currently sitting in his bedroom, as they talked about the upcoming event. She was sitting against the backboard of his bed, smiling as she watched Klaus' hand fly over his paper from where he was occupying the sofa.

"Do you know how long it's been since we have done this?" He looked up to her, a smirk playing at his lips. "Too long, that's what." She continued, scooting forward and rolling onto her stomach, her chin placed on top her hands. For a while nothing more was said, both content to jus be in each other's presence, until Caroline noticed the darkening of the sky. She stood up from the bed, stretching languidly, briefly realizing that she would need a dress for tonight.

"Anyways, I have to go home, I think I have something in my closest that I can wear..." She said, her mind only half on him as she mentally went through her shamefully meager dress options. Suddenly a hand appeared in her view and she looked to see Klaus holding it out to her.

"Come, I have something to show you, love..." He told her.

"Klaus, I really do have to get ready." Caroline replied, hesitating for only a slight second.

"I know. It's just here." Klaus took the initiative and took her by the hand, leading her to the adjacent room. She was just about to protest when she saw what was there waiting for her.

In the middle of the room-slash-closet was a mannequin displaying one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen. It was blue, like one he had given her centuries ago, with a jeweled corset piece. It was elegant and stunning.

"Oh, wow, it's so beautiful." She breathed, pulling her hand out of Nik's and rushing forward, acting like an excited schoolgirl.

Klaus for his part just chuckled, following her at a slower pace. "A beautiful dress for a beautiful woman." He said, by now standing right behind her, his hands on her hips.

"Thank you. I love it." She said, looking back and smiling.

Klaus dropped a slow kiss to her shoulder. "Well I am glad you do, because I'll be waiting to see you in it, sweetheart." He whispered this lowly in her ear causing a delicious shiver to run up her spine.

"Well then," Caroline said, turning around completely so she was leaning into his chest. "I should change into it... Maybe you can help me?"

A slow, pleased smirk spread across Klaus' lips.

Caroline was extremely nervous as she and Klaus made their way to the ballroom, her new dress hanging perfectly off her shoulders; she felt like she was a spectacle, Caroline Forbes known only to most of the townspeople as a high school student and Miss Mystic Falls, who had now caught the eye of the most eligible 'bachelor' in town, after seeing her standing on the stairs with him and his family. It had been a long time since she had felt this way and she worked to suppress it, making an effort to smile and greet everyone, introducing them to an exceedingly amused Klaus.

"Breathe, love, everything will be fine." He told at her as he pulled onto the dance floor.

They slipped into the dance gracefully and with ease, like they done so many times before. She found herself getting lost in it, not even noticing the other eyes on them, and on her.

"It seems I have some competition." Klaus said, smirking down at her, though his eyes were brimming with an angry. Caroline glanced around, noticing some of her peers from school looking at her in a way that her mother would have said was indecent. She turned back to Klaus and smiled at him, finding it funny that he could even think she would have anything to do with them.

"Aren't you supposed to be the alpha male? Maybe I should be looking for other options..." She teased him, grinning.

Klaus raised an eyebrow in her direction before his smirk widened. "Ah, yes, I forgot. Well, don't worry, sweetheart, I am the alpha male." He brought his face down closer to hers as he said this and Caroline had suppress a shiver, reminded of their earlier escapades.

Throughout the night, she stayed in Klaus' arms, not wanting to stray far from him. But, she couldn't stop a weird feeling from creeping into her stomach and breaking through her happiness, making her see things that she didn't want to see.

Such as…

"Klaus, I know you don't want to talk about it but... Don't you think it's all been a little too easy lately?" Caroline asked cautiously, brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked in return, looking somewhat puzzled at her question.

Caroline hesitated, not wanting to ruin their thus far lovely evening by saying the wrong thing. But she couldn't hide her head in the sand and ignore this feeling anymore.

"You were worried for so long about Esther eventually rising and taking her vengeance and, now that she has, she just forgave you..." She saw the anger in Klaus' face and realized she might have stepped too far and immediately started backtracking. "I know she is your mother, I know that..." Her hand ran from his shoulder, up his neck and to his cheek, forcing him to look down at her, his eyes stormy and full of emotion. "But, I'm worried." She added.

"Well don't be." Klaus said gruffly, pulling away from her a little, causing Caroline to sigh a little, wishing he would see what she saw. "Everything is fine. She only wants our family to be one again."

But Caroline knew Klaus better than anyone, and she knew how much he wanted this, his dream of family reunited, to be true.

He wouldn't give that up, not just yet, not without painful proof of betrayal.

"Ok." She said, her hand going back to his shoulder as they continued dancing. "Will you promise me something?" Klaus finally looked back at her. "Be careful." She echoed the same words she had said to Elijah. They are more alike than they'd like to believe.

"I always am, sweetheart." Klaus told her, awarding her with a small smirk, returning to his good mood.

She smiled sweetly at him, leaning closer. "I know."

Caroline was still smiling when she made her way to the side of the ballroom; she had finally managed to force herself out of Klaus' arms when he told her that he had to get something quickly. As she looked around the room, she immediately noticed a certain friend of hers, looking absolutely stunning in a sparkly black and grey dress. A couple of weeks ago I would have helped her pick one out…

A pang of sorrow entered her heart and Caroline found herself making her way over to the brunette.

"Elena." She greeted, her voice soft.

"Caroline." She returned, before looking resolutely away, completely ignoring her presence.

The blonde's sorrowful feelings immediately turned to annoyance, just about fed up with the way she was being treated.

"What, so now you aren't talking to me?" She asked with incredulity.

Elena turned back to Caroline. "Well, what do you want me to say? That I'm disappointed that you were so quick to abandon us?" She shrugged, her voice quickly speed. "That I'm angry that you went straight to Klaus, after all he's done to us?"

"I never abandoned you." She exclaimed, causing a few of the guests to look their way. "Why can't you see that? I am trying to fix everything!"

"By being with Klaus?" Elena replied, facing up to him.

The vampire's eyes narrowed, her anger rising more and more. "You don't know him. Not like I do. I love him, Elena, I won't let him get hurt." She said, her voice like ice, eyes ablaze.

"He killed Jenna!" The brunette returned, furious. "He almost killed me, and he still wants to use me to make his hybrids!"

It's not black and white.

Caroline took a deep breath, needing to stay rational for this. "And I am the only one who can convince him to stop. All he's ever wanted was a family, but he has his siblings back now and me. We can make him see he doesn't need his hybrids..." She tried desperately to explain the man that Klaus was when they were alone, but Elena only scoffed, a look of betrayal and disbelief on her face.

Caroline, in turn, stepped back, disappointment and frustration clear in her expression. That's it. I'm done.

"Fine, doubt me, whatever." She said bitingly. "I was only trying to explain to you why for the sake of our friendship, but if you can't even give me the benefit of the doubt after all I've done for you, I don't even know why I bothered."

Shaking her head, Caroline stalked off.

She ignored the feeling of heartache and the tears at the corner of her eyes.

Caroline decided she needed some air, knowing that Klaus would be able to find her. She had just about made it to the door when she walked straight into someone and two hands steadied her, holding her shoulders lightly. She looked to find Stefan Salvatore staring back down at her.

"Stefan." She said dully. "Come to yell at me too?" Her words came out with a sarcastic bite.

The younger Salvatore smirked down at her, letting go of her arms and crossing his own over his chest, a cocky light in his eyes. "Nah, I think she covered it."

My Stefan wouldn't have done that.

"Well then, I'll just go." She sighed.

A hand shot out and grabbed her by the elbow. "Caroline." She turned back and faced her friend.

"What?"

"Don't..." Stefan trailed off, suddenly unsure. Caroline was just about to leave, fed up, when he continued. "Don't give up on us yet, bella."

She froze, and he let go and walked away.

As she stood there for a moment, Caroline allowed herself a small smile.

I won't, Stef.

When Caroline finally made it outside, Klaus was there waiting for her, a boyish smile on his face. She looked at him curiously.

"What are you so happy about?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, deciding to put away all the teen angst for the rest of the night. Today is about family; it's about me and him.

"Your second surprise, of course." He smirked, pulling her along, his arm tight around her waist.

"Another surprise?" She questioned, smiling up at Klaus and leaning into him, welcoming his comforting heat.

"Well, love, like you said, it's been too long." This was said seriously, and his eyes burned into hers, holding the pain of their years of separation. Caroline, who had been about to protest, not wanting him to go through so much trouble for her, felt the words die on her tongue. How could she refuse him when he looked at her like that?

He guided her forward until Caroline could hear a recognizable sound, like something pawing on the ground. In the next moment, she saw what was making the noise.

Before them stood a horse, tethered to a carriage.

Caroline immediately smiled, staring at it, being brought back to their time in the 1550s.

"I thought she might remind you of back then." Klaus told her, explained that they could even buy a pair of horses later on, just like they had in the 1550s. Riding was one of Caroline's favorite pastimes and she found herself eagerly agreeing to the idea. But before she told him, she found herself wanting to make sure he knew something.

She turned to face him, her arm comfortable around his waist as she touched her forehead to his.

"I will never need a reminder, though, Nik." She told him, honesty ringing through her voice.

Klaus smiled down at her and pressed his lips to hers fervently. Caroline arched into him, one arm going around the back of his neck whilst his wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her into him.

When he pulled his lips away from hers, it was only so he could press a heated kiss to her cheek, trailing his lips down. Caroline gasped and suddenly Klaus pulled away with a smirk, causing her to pout.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart, I have one more thing for you." He said, his thumb on her bottom lip, stroking it softly.

"Something else?" She asked. "What is it?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out." Caroline rolled her eyes at his statement, causing Klaus to let out an amused chuckle. Eventually, she cracked a smile, his laugh infectious.

Caroline was still smiling as Klaus left her for a moment, going to get her third surprise of the day. She patted the horse's neck gently, watching as it whinnied.

She was so focused on the animal in front of her that she didn't notice there was someone behind her until he touched her arm. She startled and whipped around, thinking it was an attack, only to see one of the Mikaelson brothers watching her with careful eyes.

"Oh, it's you Finn, you surprised me." Caroline said, allowing tension to leave her after she noticed who it was.

"Caroline," She looked at him curiously, wondering what he wanted. "I don't think we have had the pleasure of conversing as family should."

"No, we haven't, have we?" She found herself asking, smiling at him when she realized his innocent intentions.

"Would you care to accompany me?" Finn gestured to the grounds. Caroline hesitated for a moment, knowing that Klaus would be back soon. He won't mind if I'm with Finn though, all he wants is his family to be back together again... I'm sure it only take a second. Besides, it might be useful to keep an eye on Finn, he is the closest one to Esther, after all.

"Ok." Caroline consented. The Original awarded her with a rare smile and offered his arm, which she gladly took. They walked for a little while in silence, getting farther and farther away from the house, until it was barely in view. This made a slight twinge of panic run through the younger vampire, but she suppressed it, telling herself not be ridiculous.

Caroline waited for Finn to say something, seeing as he had invited her; the distance between them and the house continued to grow. Eventually, the silence became too much for Caroline, who was wondering by now why he had asked her with him. "So what was it you wanted to talk about?" She asked, stopping and turning to face him.

As she tried to let to of him, though, his hand shot out and grabbed her elbow roughly. Painfully.

"Finn? What are you doing?" She was confused as she tugged at her arm, trying and failing to get him to let her go. When she looked up and saw Finn's dark expression, Caroline found herself panicking.

It suddenly became clear to her what this had been all along.

It's a trap and I fell right for it, even after I warned Klaus. Damn it, how could I be so stupid?

"Let me go!" Caroline exclaimed, fighting harder against Finn, putting all of her vampire strength into her struggles. It was no match for the Original, though.

At this Finn pulled her back into him, his hand enclosing over mouth, cutting of her breath. "I'm sorry, sister." The term was used mockingly. "But Mother told me to get you out of the way."

Just as she thought that she would, once again, be knocked out and unable to help. She heard a struggle behind her, as someone else joined the fray.

Klaus, she thought, relieved.

But it was not Klaus' voice that spoke the next words.

"I believe my niece asked you to let her go." Caroline's heart stopped as she recognized the voice, her mind a flurry of confusion and disbelief. W-What..?

The next thing she heard was the distinct sound of a neck snapping and Finn's arms loosened and fell away from her, his body falling to the floor.

As Caroline turned around, she found herself wondering if she was dreaming, immediately knowing who the man in front of her was, despite the fangs and blood-filled eyes.

It can't be.

"Uncle Richard?"

He smiled at her, red eyes fading to familiar brown.

"Hello sunshine."

Mahahaha, evil cliffhanger. But, worry not! Next chapter will be out Friday to Saturday :) What can I say? I did so miss my OCs from The Lines That Lie Between. I actually wrestled with this decision, I didn't know whether or not to add Richard back in – I've been thinking about it since the beginning, but I recently came up with the perfect doorway back in, so here he is! All will be explained in the next chapter ;) Oh, and I also wanted to explain something about the Elena – Caroline confrontation; their problems aren't yet resolved because I think that, before that can happen, Caroline needs to start standing up for herself and not let her friends walk all over her, which is why she grew a little feisty. I think that this is an important step in their relationship, at least in this story.

Anywhoooooo, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

RW