I walked through the front door at home just as C and Tyler broke apart on the couch.

"Sorry." I held my hand up to the side of my eyes, blocking my periphery view of them. I wasn't sure if clothes had been removed or not. "Didn't know you two were here, doing that, or I would have gone anywhere but here. Trust me." I turned to face them, forgetting that I might see something that would give me a seriously-unwanted-but-burned-permanently-onto-my-brain mental image. Luckily, they were fully clothed. "But seriously, on the couch? I sit there and read, sometimes." C stood up. "Though not anymore," I muttered.

Truthfully, I knew I couldn't get too mad at them for making out in a public place inside the home when Rebekah caught me and Klaus doing the same thing that morning.

"Are you checking up on me, because I skipped school today?" C asked.

Somehow not the reaction I expected. "Uh, no. I wasn't aware you had skipped because I didn't feel like going today either."

"Good for you. You're too into school, Ri; it's creepy." C realized something. "Well, you clearly didn't stay home. What did you do all…" C trailed off and her face fell as she planted her hands on her hips. "Were you at Klaus's?"

No sense in denying it. "Yes."

Tyler groaned from where he still sat on the couch. "How can you stand to spend time with that disgusting, pathetic, manipulative…" Tyler's outrage put him at a loss for words.

I crossed my arms. "It's really not your concern, Tyler."

He stood and C stepped in front of him, in-between us. She placed her hand on his chest.

"I see you two have stopped fighting," I noted.

C shook her head at me. "We never were; we just wanted everyone to think we were." Tyler groaned, as if upset that C had ruined their secret. "She already caught us making out, Tyler; we can't exactly deny what we were doing. And this might be good."

I had no idea what C was talking about; it sounded like gibberish. Or code. "Why would you want people to think you had broken up?"

"Tyler and Hayley are working together to help the other hybrids break their sire bonds to Klaus. They're doing it behind Klaus's back, obviously. He'll be pissed once he finds out. And they're doing it right under his nose; Klaus has been keeping his hybrids extra close lately."

This sounded like an idiotic plan. "Who's Hayley?"

"She's a werewolf I met when I left to break the sire bond."

"In the Appalachian Mountains?" Tyler nodded. My eyes widened as I looked to C. "You said Tyler had kept something big from you about that time, but you never said it was a her."

"You remembered that?"

I smirked. "I have an astonishing brain capacity for incredibly trivial and useless facts. And for some reason, I remembered that. Probably because you looked so upset. Were you faking that?"

C sighed. "Ri, I—"

I cut her off. "You lied to me?"

Tyler stepped forward. "She had to, Ri. We couldn't risk having anyone know."

I turned my head away from them for a moment. I could feel my anger rising, but I had to keep it under control. Then I realized something about this plan did not make sense. "How can a werewolf help with breaking the sire bond? She's not a hybrid; she wouldn't know anything about being sired." I often felt the desire to put air quotes around the phrase 'break the sire bond,' but obviously I needed to refrain from doing so.

"She helped me," Tyler explained. "She talked me through every change, and through every broken bone. She was amazing." Tyler spoke of her like she was his life coach or something. It kind of made me want to gag.

"Why did it need to seem as though you'd broken up?"

"Care was going to distract Klaus." C wouldn't look at me as Tyler answered.

I crossed my arms. "Again?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"But he never bought it," C was quick to explain. "He only has eyes for you."

I rolled mine.

"Seriously, Ri. He wouldn't even give me the time of day." I suppose I should have found flattery somewhere in there, but I was more disgusted at what C and Tyler were doing, and at what C had tried to do.

"So the plan was to distract Klaus while Hayley was doing her motivational crap?"

"Yes. If he was distracted, he wouldn't notice that a hybrid was gone for a huge length of time."

"Why do you want to break their sire bonds?"

"Because I can't stand back and watch as they walk into their deaths because he asked them to."

"Klaus can't make any more hybrids; he's not going to be careless with them. They're the last he has."

"You talk about them like they're not people, Ri. But they are. They're not inanimate objects that Klaus collects. They're people!" Tyler was getting angry. His face was getting redder and redder. He definitely needed to have better control of his anger.

"I know that."

"They're part of my pack now — my pack as a hybrid. I've already seen three of them die; that's three too many. I can't do nothing while they're sired to a disgusting, manip—"

I cut him off as I waved my hand around. "I know, I know: manipulative, psychotic, mass-murdering, evil, ruthless Klaus. Or whatever other adjectives you want to insert. I get it."

"Do you? Because all I see is you still spending time with him."

"Again, that is none of your business, Tyler."

"How can you be okay with this, Ri?" C asked. "You won't even compel someone, but you're okay with your boyfriend controlling the hybrids, just because they're sired to him?"

"Boyfriend?" Tyler asked. I ignored him; things were easier when I was ignoring Tyler Lockwood.

"I never said I was okay with it, C."

"Then help us," Tyler said.

"I can't believe you're doing this." I looked at C. "I cannot believe you are going along with this, C." I returned my gaze to Tyler. "But how can you do this Tyler? You at least owe Klaus your gratitude."

"I what?"

"Because of him, you don't have to turn into a wolf. Ever. That is pretty amazing. If he hadn't turned you into a hybrid, you'd have to endure excruciating pain and loss of your self-control on a monthly basis. You should be at least grateful to him for that."

"He didn't turn us into hybrids out of the goodness of his heart, Ri."

"Obviously." I pointed my finger at him. "But you cannot deny that you benefitted from this, too. Not only do you not have to turn on the full moon, but you are so much stronger as a hybrid than you ever were as a werewolf. And now, you're harder to kill."

"That doesn't make it okay, Ri."

I scoffed and turned to walk to my room.

I heard Tyler say to C, "Are you sure she's on vervain?"

I spun around the face them. "You think he has to compel me?" I asked with a laugh.

"She's on vervain, Tyler. Trust me," C whispered. "She takes it every morning."

"I knew she'd never help us."

I was getting annoyed that they were talking about me as if I weren't standing right in front of them. "How could I possibly help you with this idiotic plan?"

"Keep Klaus distracted for us," Tyler explained. "It shouldn't be too hard; he's clearly got a thing for you. Keep him away from his hybrids while Hayley and I help them."

"Or at least give Tyler a head's up when Klaus might want something from him hybrids," C suggested.

"Wow. You two have officially lost it. You're clearly out of your minds."

I found myself not too particularly concerned about this 'plan.' The sire bond cannot truly be broken, but they don't know that. Though, I was conflicted about whether I should tell Klaus about their foolish, doomed-to-fail plan. He should know, but he might get angry at Tyler and Hayley for attempting to turn his hybrids against him — angry enough to kill them. And C would hate me if Tyler died at Klaus's hands. Or on Klaus's orders.

"So you won't help?"

"No! I'm not your spy."

I was done arguing with them. I went into my bedroom, locked the door, and didn't come out until the next morning.

Rebekah sat down at the school lunch table the next day with the biggest smirk on her face. I hadn't seen her since yesterday morning at her house.

"You know," I told her, "when you smirk like that, you look just like your brother."

"So you two finally kissed, huh?" She asked as she leaned forward and rested her chin on the back of her hand; she looked ready to hear gossip — but as if I could speak to Rebekah about her brother. Not in that way.

So I said nothing — Rebekah was there; she saw more than I wanted her to see — but my cheeks warmed anyway.

"About time, Ri. It only took three months."

" 'Only'? Are you saying I'm easy or a prude?"

Rebekah snorted out a laugh. "Neither." She paused, then shrugged. "Though actually, I don't know; I don't have anything to compare it with. I've never seen Nik kiss anyone; he usually just compels a woman and drinks her dry."

I didn't know how to comment.

Klaus was not a romantic. Yes, he'd been around long enough to experience the romance — usually from afar — of every generation, and of every era, for over a thousand years. He knew the various courting rituals and the romantic traditions, but Riley was so much more than tired traditions or customs.

Riley would probably disagree with the above statement; she might point out his chivalrous behaviour, or reference the artwork he made for her, or mention all the small gestures he made towards her.

But Klaus knew better. Riley didn't realize that those gestures were more self-serving than anything. They were all because Klaus loved to see her smile and he greatly enjoyed the melodic sound of her laughter. He was greedy and selfish when it came to Riley. He couldn't get enough of her laughter and her smiles, and that's why he did the things he did.

Not because he was romantic.

Which made his current predicament that much harder.

He wanted to plan something special for tomorrow evening with her, but he didn't know where or how to begin. He even considered asking for Rebekah's help. But refrained. He wanted this to be extraordinary and he wanted to take all the credit for it.

All because he wanted to see Riley's face light up.

And he wanted to have her alone.

C beat me home Friday after school. Probably because she drove while I was walking with Klaus. He left me on the front porch with a "see you tomorrow night, love," and a short, unsatisfying kiss.

I walked inside and found C standing in the doorway to her room, seemingly waiting for me.

"Do you have any plans for tonight, Ri?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Good. I'm having a relaxing evening at home, so we can hang out." She entered her room, but continued speaking. "I feel like we hardly see each other these days."

"You're right." I followed into her room and sat down on her bed. C was at her vanity, going through nail polish bottles. "With the exception of right now, I only ever see glimpses of you in passing."

"Let's have a girls' night sometime next week. Prom will be over by then, so I won't be stressing to plan out the details anymore."

"Or attempting to con me into going," I muttered.

She turned around to throw a cotton ball at me. "I know you won't, but I really wish you were going to Prom, too."

I shook my head. "I don't want to, C. And I can't now anyway; I have plans for tomorrow evening."

"Ugh, with Klaus?" She watched my reaction in the mirror of her vanity.

I rolled my eyes and refused to respond. C knew the answer without asking; me giving an answer would only cause us to argue. Yet again.

" 'Girls' night'?" I asked.

"Yes!" C's face instantly lit up. "We'll stay in, maybe order a pizza or make some popcorn, and watch movies."

"That sounds great."

"Or we could do each other's nails, or hair, makeup…"

"Slow down, now. Don't push it."

"Okay, fine."

"Did you say next week?"

C nodded.

"We can't do it next week; that's exam week."

"Oh right. Darn. How about the day after exams? There's usually a big party on the last day of school to celebrate the end, but we could hang out the next night."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

C turned around and faced me with what can only be described as her puppy-dog look. "Speaking of painting nails, will you paint mine now, Ri? I don't have a problem painting the nails on my left hand, but I always mess up the ones on my right hand. And I want them to look perfect for tomorrow."

"Sure," I responded with a smile.

"Thanks. And I'll repay you by painting your nails for you."

"Only if I get to choose the colour you'll use." I stood up and walked over to her at the vanity.

"Why? So you can pick something dark and sinister?"

"Yes. I could never handle something light or bright on my nails," I responded as I picked up a bottle of hot pink nail polish as an example.

C laughed. "Yea, that would look odd on you." I nodded in agreement. "Well, I'll be saving you the torture of even having to look at that today." She swiped the bottle from my hand, set it back down on the vanity, and picked up a deep red nail colour. "My dress is red; pink nail polish would look dreadful."

C had music playing in the background as we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening painting each other's nails. I begrudgingly admit: I didn't hate it; I may have even enjoyed my time. But I'm sure I more enjoyed spending time with C than getting my nails done. We spent almost the entire time laughing. I hadn't laughed like that in a really long time.

C was painting her toenails to match her fingernails — I do not touch feet — when our conversation turned more serious.

"I'm sorry for keeping the truth from you about me and Tyler."

I shook my head. "I think I get it. You hate Klaus and you're not sure you can trust me because I—" I wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. "—because I don't hate Klaus." I looked anywhere but at C as I spoke.

"Did you tell him about what Tyler and Hayley are doing?"

"No."

"Has he ever asked you for information? About me? Or Tyler, Elena, Stefan? Any of us? Be honest, Ri."

I shook my head. "We don't talk about you when we're together."

"What is going on with you two?"

I shrugged. "We're figuring that out as we go."

"Are you two dating?"

I shot her a look. "You're the one who used the word 'boyfriend' yesterday, not me."

"But he kissed you on the porch today."

I laughed. "Yes he did."

It was completely dark out when we heard a knock on the door. I stood up to go answer it — so C wouldn't have to risk ruining her nails — when we heard footsteps move from the living room to the front door. I stuck my head out into the hallway as Aunt Liz walked towards the front door.

I stepped back into C's bedroom and turned to face her. "I didn't know your mom was home."

She shrugged. "Probably because of the music. Mom and I have had a long-standing, unspoken agreement that if she comes home to find my door closed and can hear music, she doesn't disturb me."

I nodded; that made sense.

I stopped breathing when I heard "Evening, Liz," come from the front door in an unmistakable drawl.

C noticed my reaction and mouthed "Who is it?"

"Lewis," I mouthed back.

We both stayed absolutely still as we listened to the conversation taking place at the front door — C was still sitting at her vanity while I stood near her slightly-opened bedroom door. C's music was still playing, but we could easily hear over it.

"I heard you were back in town, Lewis. What do you want?"

"To see my daughter."

"She doesn't want to see you."

"How about we ask her."

"She already told me not to let you in."

" 'Let me in'? I'm not a vampire, Liz; I'm not limited by invitations."

We heard a sharp thud; probably Lewis's hand on the door, perhaps trying to push his way in.

"No, but you are still subject to the law. And entering this house without permission is trespassing. And trespassing on the sheriff's property is just plain stupid."

"She is my daughter. You can't stop me from seeing her."

"Actually, I can. I was named as legal guardian when her mother died, not you. She is therefore my responsibility. And she will continue to be so until a judge tells me otherwise. It is my job to protect her and when she tells me that she doesn't want to see you, I do everything in my power to keep you off this property and away from this house. So leave now." Aunt Liz put extra emphasis on those last two words.

I looked at C, who's proud and triumphant expression probably mirrored my own.

Way to go, Aunt Liz.

"Is Riley even here? Or is she out with Klaus."

"That is none of your business."

"I know you're a workaholic who has destroyed her own daughter, but I thought you would have been more careful when your sister's daughter was entrusted to you. Clearly not. You letting her spend time with Klaus is so far beyond irresponsible. Could you be any more negligent?" Lewis's question was punctuated with the sound of an open-hand slap to the face.

"Get off my property now, Lewis. I'm calling this in to the station." The front door slammed shut. Lewis let out a few curse words before I heard his footsteps retreat down the front walkway.

I looked to C. "You're mom rocks!"

Aunt Liz knocked faintly on C's bedroom door and stuck her head in. "Hey, girls."

"That was awesome, Aunt Liz. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Ri. I'm going to call the station, to report the harassment." She turned to leave, but turned back around to face us. "That's a pretty nail colour, Care."

"Oh. Thanks, mom."

"Prom is tomorrow night?"

"Yes, it is."

"That's what I thought," Aunt Liz said before leaving the room. She went to the kitchen and called the police station.

I returned to my seat next to C at her vanity. "Wanna compare terrible fathers?"