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Darkness moved in the stillness of the cave, and three scrawny men trembled as a dark figure made his presence known.

"You failed me!" He shouted, darkly.

The first approached him, and slowly shook his head. "We tried our best, my lord. She was about to kill herself, when he showed up." He replied, lowly.

The darkness growled. "You didn't try hard enough." He stated, harshly. "How am I supposed to return to the world I created, if she is still there to make him stronger?" He asked, in a booming voice, causing the cave to tremble.

The second man approached. "We could try again. She is stubborn, but there are other ways to get to her." He replied, with a smirk.

The darkness hummed. "Very well, but remember I don't accept failure, especially a second time." He replied, sternly.

The three nodded. "Yes master." They replied, shakily.

The darkness growled as the three disappeared from the cave. Soon he would have what he had yearned for millennia. He would have his revenge, on the person who banished him to this existence.

Niklaus Mikaelson.

~Bennett House~

The Bennetts gathered around the orb, frowns covered their faces.

"He can't return." Emily remarked, harshly.

The other two nodded.

"When Klaus banished him, we made sure that he couldn't." Ayanna replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Then how is this possible?" Sheila asked, strongly.

Ayanna lifted her head defiantly. "Caroline." She said, simply.

"I don't understand." Sheila asked, watching as the orb changed. "How can she cause him to return?"

Ayanna sighed, and stepped away to look out of the window. "When Caroline was born, the prophesy foretold of the light that would penetrate the darkness." She explained, full of wisdom.

"I thought the prophesy was for Caroline and Niklaus?" Emily asked, watching the orb form images of the Goddess of Spring and the Lord of the Underworld.

"Part of it was." Ayanna replied, with a sigh. "We knew this would happen, when we saw him in the orb. He will try to use Caroline to bring Klaus down." She added, turning to her sisters. "This is the trial set before them. If everything works out, then he will be banished for all eternity with no hope to return." She replied, calmly.

The others nodded.

"Esther should know about this." Sheila replied, stepping forward.

Ayanna nodded. "She should. She could either help this or destroy all that we have hoped for." She replied, sadly.

"I believe it is worth the risk to let her know." Emily replied, stepping closer to Ayanna.

Ayanna nodded. "Very well, call her." She replied, looking at Sheila.

Sheila nodded, and closed her eyes.

"I just hope we made the right decision." Ayanna whispered, bowing her head.

Emily nodded, and sighed. "I do too." She whispered, closing her eyes.

~X~

Klaus tossed in his satin sheet bed, sweat pouring from his body, drenching his body and the sheets.

He moaned as the dark images flooded his unconscious mind.

"You can never escape me, boy!" Mikael screamed in the darkness.

Klaus threw his arms out, as if he was fighting an imaginary being, trying to hold him down.

"You will never be anything of value! You are weak!"

Klaus moaned, and thrashed about the bed.

Caroline heard his cries in the night, and slowly rose from her bed. Pulling a silk robe, which had been brought to her before she retired, over her nightgown, she quickly opened the door, and headed towards the sounds.

She approached the door, and became hesitant at her actions. Hearing him scream once more, made up her mind. She quickly opened the door, and her eyes widened at the sight she beheld.

Klaus was thrashing in bed, and she discovered he was still asleep. His satin sheets, which had once covered him, were now on the floor, revealing his silk pants and bare chest.

Caroline shook her head, as she slowly approached him.

"Klaus." She whispered, as she approached the left sight of the bed.

He didn't seem to hear him, for he continued to moan in his sleep. She leaned over, and with hesitant fingers, touched his bare skinned shoulder.

"Klaus….ah." She screamed as hands shot out and threw her on the bed with his forearm at her throat.

Caroline gasped as his forearm began to bear down on her throat. "Kla…Klaus." She gasped out, her eyes filling with fear.

Klaus slowly awoke and blinked a few times, causing his eyes to focus. With shock and pain, he moved away from her, and climbed out of bed.

Caroline coughed a few times, and rubbed her throat as she sat up.

"What are you doing here, Caroline?" He asked, in a demanding, yet pained tone.

Caroline lowered her head. "I heard you scream." She replied, simply, her voice cracking because of her wound.

Klaus closed his eyes as pain radiated through his body. "You shouldn't have come." He said, turning to her with fury in his eyes.

Caroline lifted her head, and watched him. "Why did you cry out?" She asked, softly.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "It's none of your concern." He stated, moving to the door. "Now, leave." He added, moving his hand to the door.

"No." She said, firmly, causing him to turn with shock on his face.

"What did you say?" He asked, moving towards her.

Caroline stood up, and faced him, as he stood with a few feet of her. "I said, no." She answered, firmly. "You need someone to talk to, and I'm here, so." She trailed off, folding her arms over her chest.

Klaus lifted his head higher, and jutted his jaw forward. "I don't have to explain myself." He stated, wanting to turn away from her.

She glared at him. "You want me to trust you; well, the first thing to do to gain trust is to do something the other wants." She replied, narrowing her eyes.

Klaus scoffed. "I suppose you want me to release you." He mocked, smirking.

Caroline sighed. "That would be a great start, but you won't." She replied, softly.

Klaus nodded. "Damn right." He whispered, turning away from her.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Damn you stubborn man! Talk to me!" She shouted, throwing her arms out.

Klaus stilled and turned back to her. "Why should I, Goddess?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "Why should I loosen my hold? Is this a ploy to get me to weaken my resolve?" He asked, stepping back to her. "Is this a way for you learn my weakness?" He asked, smirking, but his eyes held pain.

Caroline softened her gaze. "This is a way for me to know you, Klaus." She whispered, searching his eyes.

Klaus stepped back. He had not expected that answer. "Why?" He whispered, looking for any sign of the resentment he was used to seeing in her eyes. "What happened to the Caroline who didn't want to know a monster?" He asked, in a low voice.

Caroline smiled, genuinely, causing him to breathe deeply. "Perhaps she saw the kindness behind the monster, and realized he could be saved." She answered, quietly.

Klaus held her eyes, and wanted so much to hope for what she was saying was true. Hope, it was a fickle thing. When you give hope, you only get disappointed.

"I have no kindness." He muttered, turning away from her.

Caroline felt her heart ache at the pain in his voice. She had been his prisoner for an entire week now, and in that time she had seen more kindness than she thought was possible for the Lord of the Underworld.

One week in the underworld and she had grown accustomed to it. True it didn't have any light, but she realized she liked it because of a certain god, who she had hated, but somehow was growing to like more and more every day.

"Then what do you call saving my life in the Despair Fields? Or the simple flower on my tray every day? Or wrapping me up in blankets when I fall asleep? Or the moments when you look at me?" She replied, in a small rant. Her eyes widened as the last words slipped her mouth. She had not intended to say those words, but they had been said, and she couldn't take them back, not now.

Klaus turned back to her, and she realized his eyes had widened as much as hers had. He blinked a few times, and Caroline realized had hit a chord in his darkness.

"That's not kindness." He whispered, looking down for a second before looking back up at her. "That's taking care of what's mine." He added, with slight harshness.

Caroline bit her bottom lip, and slowly shook her head. "You can call it what you want, but I know that you have an ounce of humanity, Klaus, and anyone who has humanity in them can be saved." She whispered, capturing his eyes with hers.

Klaus swallowed at her statement, and felt his soul fighting with the light pouring into him, little by little.

"I can't be saved, Caroline." He whispered, hurt filling his words.

Caroline shook her head. "That's because you are too stubborn for your own good, Klaus." She replied, stepping toward him. "I know that you have been hurt a lot in your life, mainly because of Mikael." She said, holding up her hands to him.

"But everyone who has any part of humanity in them can be saved. I've always believed that, and you can shut me down for my beliefs, but it won't change a thing." She continued, stopping within a foot of him.

"You have showed me your kindness, this past week, Klaus, and despite my stubbornness, I have found myself hoping that you will show it more often." She said with a smile. "You can call me a fool for believing, but I know you can be. I may be a fool, but I have a way of seeing goodness in everyone, and giving them the benefit of my doubt." She added, dropping her hands beside her person.

Klaus watched her, and couldn't help the tears forming in his eyes. "I think you should leave, Caroline." He replied, softly. There was no harshness in his words, no stubbornness, none of his usually dark tones. There was only tenderness.

Caroline smiled softly, and felt her heart become light at his tone. She was right. He could be saved, and she was going to do all she could to save him from the darkness that was consuming him.

Whether he liked it or not, she was going to save him. She had only started.

She was giving him a chance, and he could see that.

With a sigh from her lips, she leaned forward, and ignoring the sensible voice in her head that told her this was wrong, that he was a monster; she wrapped her arms around his bare chest, and hugged him.

Klaus stood there for a second, unsure of what was happening. He had only held her in his arms twice before, when he had kidnapped her, and the second when he saved her. Now here she was, holding him all because he had a nightmare, and she came.

She had only known him a week, and in that short time, he realized he had started to fall in love with her. It was ludicrous, but it was there nonetheless. He was falling for the Goddess of Spring.

Wrapping his arms slowly around her, he held her to him, and relished of the feeling of her in his arms. He could only imagine what she would be like in his bed. No, he shouldn't think of that. Not now, but how could he not?

He was a man, and a man has needs, but she deserved more than a romp. She needed a tender kind of loving.

He seriously doubted that he would be the one to treat her with the kind of tenderness she deserved.

Then again, from the way he was holding her was slowly proving to him that he could.

Caroline smiled to herself as she felt his arms encircle around her. She couldn't believe she listened to her heart and actually hugged him. A week ago, she would have scoffed at him, and just ignored his cries in the night, but not now.

She had seen his kindness, and his humanity. All the things she had heard of him was slowly being proved wrong as she held onto him in the sanctity of his bedroom.

She felt the same feeling of safety standing in his arms, and she never wanted this to end. Unfortunately, it had to end.

With another quiet sigh, she stepped back from him, and looked up into his eyes.

"That's all the reason I need, Klaus." She whispered, stepping out of his arms, and walking to the door.

"Caroline." He called out as she reached the door.

Slowly she turned around, and looked at him.

"Thank you." He replied, with a kind smile.

Caroline felt her heart beat faster, at the sweetness of the words. "You're welcome, Klaus." She returned, as she turned the doorknob.

Klaus lowered his head, and then slowly shook it as he called out to her, his voice shaking with uncertainty. "Would you fancy a tour tomorrow of my realm?" He asked, watching her bow her head.

With a light smile on her face she turned her upper body to look at him. "I would like that." She whispered in return, sending him another smile.

Klaus smiled in return. "Then I shall come to receive you in the morning." He replied, formally.

Caroline laughed as she shook her head. "You know, people don't say those things anymore." She replied, looking at him.

Klaus smirked. "Well, I've lived over millennia, and it gets hard to break old habits." He returned, with a shrug of his shoulders.

Caroline smiled. "Well, then, I shall await your arrival, until tomorrow, my lord." She replied, bowing her head with a light giggle.

Klaus smiled, as she exited the room, and for the first time in millennia, he felt hope.

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Remember Kind words! No harsh ones!

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Next Chapter: Tour

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