Chapter 32: Destiny

"Are you sure? You don't have to stay, you know. I've already got Stalker Klaus hanging around keeping an eye on me…" Elena giggled. "Although I think he's really keeping an eye on Caroline." She rested her hands on his chest as she looked up at him in the courtyard out front the school.

He tipped her chin up, kissing her sweetly. "I'm sure. Stefan is on Mikael duty and I have nothing better to do."

She nodded, then burst into giggles when he crashed his lips down on hers, lifting her feet easily off the ground. "Damon!" She laughed. "People are staring." She tucked her hair behind her eyes with a deep blush.

He flashed his eyes at her sexily. "Let them." He smacked her ass gently. "I love you…have a good day."

She beamed at him. It was obvious that the rekindled relationship with Stefan had him in a better mood. "I love you too. Stay out of trouble." She added with playful point of her finger as she backed away.

Damon smirked. "No promises." He watched as she headed inside, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Klaus sauntering up to him. But he smirked when Caroline crossed his path completely ignoring him, effectively distracted the older vampire…just as they planned. Klaus quickly fell into step with the blonde as she led him in the opposite direction of Damon's destination.

He spotted Bonnie around the back of the school, nodding at him to follow her. It had been difficult to ditch Klaus in the last few days; he always seemed to be around keeping an eye on them. Hence…the pretty blonde distraction, although it was her idea this time. Bonnie led him to a back room of the school theatre where she knew they couldn't be bothered.

She closed the door to the prop room behind him, and walked over to a small set up she had on the table with some candles and her grimoire. "Did you bring it?" the witch asked as she flipped through the pages.

Damon reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. "Yeah, I got it…and it cost me a pretty penny too." He tossed it to her and she caught it easily.

"That's why I needed you to get it." She grinned. "Thanks, by the way!" She heard him grumble a 'yeah, yeah' as he peaked over her shoulder.

"So, what exactly are we doing here Bon? You've been awfully cryptic as of late."

Bonnie glanced back at him. "I need to be close to Klaus to do the spell." She emptied the pouch into her hand gently and organized the acorn-sized gemstones in a deliberate pattern. "You got me thinking…we can't kill Klaus because he's the originator of your bloodline; if he dies, so to do you and Stefan and Caroline. But what if we can sever that link?" Damon canted his head in curiosity. "The spell I'm doing is going to show me the core elements of the bloodline, with that, I can determine the binding agent that links you to him."

Damon's tongue poked the inside of his cheek as he narrowed his gaze on her. "This sounds like some heavy-duty magic Bon…" He moved to pick up one of the gems, and Bonnie smacked the back of his hand to stop him. "The last big spell you did knocked you into a mystical coma not even twenty-four hours ago…are you sure you're up for this?" he questioned with concern.

She tipped her chin up confidently. "I can handle it. This is more like chemistry. The spell to do the unlinking will be a lot more complex." She pulled out the moonstone from her bag and held it in her palm. "I need your blood." Damon frowned skeptically. "The moonstone belongs to Klaus…this will represent the beginning of the bloodline. Your blood will represent the end of it." He let out a deep sigh and bit into his wrist, holding it over the moonstone and letting the blood drip over it. Bonnie started her hushed incantation, and slowly the gems seemed to come to life with colour. Their cores seemed to swirl with pinks, purples, and greens, like a galaxy, and the energy sparked between them, creating an electrical circuit that connected them.

Bonnie's eyes darkened to inky black orbs, and her voice deepened to something otherworldly. "Bonnie?" she didn't respond. "Bonnie, what the hell is happening?" He grabbed her shoulders and spun her to face him, shaking her. "Hey! That's enough!" She blinked and her eyes melted back into their usual green. "What the hell was that?" He demanded.

She smiled, although her eyes were hooded and weary. "I know what we need to do."

…

Caroline glanced down at her phone that buzzed in her lap while she was in class.

Find a way to keep Klaus busy tonight.

She rolled her eyes at Damon's curt message, but couldn't help the trill of excitement. She knew she was bait, and she knew that he was probably the worst person in the world…but she couldn't deny the fact that he got under her skin a little bit. He made her feel wanted and special, and the fact that the oldest and most dangerous vampire in the history of the world wanted her…was both frightening and thrilling.

Why? She responded.

Because we need to keep him out of his house. Recon mission.

Fine, but next time I'm charging for my services.

Lol don't lie…you love the attention.

She scoffed, but didn't respond.

…

After school, Caroline felt eyes on her at her locker and did her best to not look up to catch his steel blue eyes. Letting out a deep breath, she grabbed her things and slammed the door closed. As she walked confidently to the exit, she kept her eyes on the pink slip of paper, littered with graphics.

She hid her smile, when Klaus fell into step beside her. "Hello love." She didn't respond. "You're not going to talk to me now?" he smirked, as they weaved through people down the hall.

"I have nothing to say." He grabbed the paper and stood in front of her, halting her suddenly. "Hey!"

"Karaoke night at the Grill. Ooh! That sounds fun." He exclaimed animatedly, dodging Caroline as she reached to snatch it back.

She glared at him, crossing her arms, and dropping her hip. "Can I have that back, please?"

He leaned in with a glint in his eyes and dimples marking his cheeks when they pulled in a boyish smile. "Can you sing, Caroline? I'd quite like to hear that." All she did was narrow her gaze. "I think I might attend this event." He added, knowing it would only enrage her further.

"It's for students only." She snatched it back finally, and pushed passed him walking a couple victorious steps with a little smirk, before she turned and tossed her next words over her shoulder. "And I don't want you there." She didn't wait for his reaction, and she strutted down the hall and out the doors leaving him standing there in the middle of a crowded hallways filled with students. She vaguely heard his light chuckle in the distance, and for some reason that brought a heat to her cheeks.

…

That evening, Elena lay next to Damon in bed, her hair falling over her bare shoulders as she traced patterns on his exposed chest. "What have you been up to?" She asked casually, her voice husky and sultry from their earlier activities. Damon turned his head to look at her with a small frown. "Don't think I haven't noticed you and Bonnie plotting and scheming." She teased, poking him. "And I'm not even mad about the fact that you left me out of it…again, because it's kind of hard to be mad after all the sex." She giggled, dropping her head to his shoulder.

Damon chuckled. "Well, to be fair, I was going to tell you. But Klaus is a is a hard guy to shake." He turned on his side to face her. "Bonnie is looking into a way to unlink Caroline, Stefan, and I from Klaus. Isobel too if you want." Elena's eyes widened. "I know she's hasn't really acted like it, but she is your mother…and maybe one day she'll come around. Look, I know it's risky, but if we can pull this off then we can be rid of him for good."

Elena sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. "Wait…you still want to kill Klaus?"

He shrugged. "We have to Elena. Bonnie wasn't wrong when she said that we can't allow him to become a Hybrid; he's dangerous enough as it is. I've been playing nice to keep up appearances but when we get the right opportunity, we have to take it. And more than anything…" Damon caressed the side of her face, tunneling his fingers through her hair. "I want the decision of you turning to be your choice. Not because you don't have a better one, and not with a time limit attached. If you want to be a vampire, you should be able to make that decision whenever you're ready."

Elena held his hand to her face, with a teary-eyed smile. "Thank you. And it is what I want…I want to be with you forever, I just-I wish I had more time, you know?" her voice cracked slightly and Damon rolled her slightly, curling around her and hugging her tightly from behind and kissing her shoulder.

"I know…and I'm going to do whatever I can to give you that time." He promised, kissing up her neck softly.

Her eyes closed briefly as she hummed with approval, and then the popped open. "What about Katherine?"

Damon reeled back. "What?" That was possibly the last thing he expected her to say in this moment.

She turned slightly looking over her shoulder. "The unlinking spell…what about Katherine? I mean, I know I'm not her biggest fan, but she did save my life, and yours. You and Stefan loved her once…can you really just let her die?" she asked curiously in a small and unsure voice as she rolled over.

Damon let out a confused sigh, his frows creasing his forehead as his eyes focused on his fingers running through her silky locks. "Can you believe, that Katherine is the last thing on my mind while you're naked in my bed?" he smirked, nuzzling her breast.

"I'm serious…" She raised his face to look up at her. "Katherine is selfish and manipulative and unbearably annoying," stated with a roll of her eyes, "but she doesn't deserve to die the way Sage did." He turned his gaze away as his jaw clenched. "And what's worse, is she'll be alone and confused-"

Damon turned his gaze back to hers. "Why are you thinking about this so hard, Elena? Why do you care?" He snapped; a bit shorter of temper than he meant to be.

Elena blinked. "Because you do, Damon…maybe not now, but you will. You loved that woman for a hundred and fifty years, and despite the fact she hurt you and Stefan, you and I both know that she loved you…enough to know you deserved better than what she could offer." She added softly, seeing the confusion cross his face. "She told me once."

He held her gaze before releasing an exhale. "I'll add her to the list, I guess." He rolled his eyes up dramatically, and Elena leaned forward to kiss him soundly.

"Thank you." She smiled snuggling in to tuck her head against his shoulder.

Damon kissed the crown of her head. "I love you; enough to save your psychotic vampire doppelganger from a slow and painful death – which…I have imagined many times." He chuckled when she slapped his chest. "But the fact that you'd be willing to save, even Katherine of all people, is one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you; you see the best in people."

Elena rested her chin on his chest as she stared up at him. "I love you too."

…

Caroline's eyes darted up from the booth when she saw Klaus enter the Grill, his eyes scanning for her. She quickly typed out a text to Bonnie.

He's here. Go.

…

The doorbell rang, and Aja's first instinct was to ignore it, but the when it rang again, and again, she pushed herself up from the couch with a huff. She ripped open the door and was surprised to find no one on the other side. "Hello?" she called out annoyed.

Bonnie stepped out from the side, and blew the ash in her palm directly into Aja's face. It immediately knocked her out, and the witch crumbled, only caught by Stefan, who sped up and grabbed her before she hit the ground.

Stefan's ears perked up, listening carefully to the inside of the house. "We're alone." He hoisted the woman into his arms as he entered the house, laying her down on the sofa. "How long will she be like this?"

"A couple hours or so. She won't remember a thing." She smiled at Stefan as he stood to his full height.

He nodded, glancing around. "So, what are we looking for?"

Bonnie, headed right for the bookshelf, her fingers skimming over the spines of the books. "A grimoire; the one that belonged to the Original Witch."

Stefan's brows pulled together tightly. "Klaus' mother?"

She nodded, searching through the wardrobe drawers. "Mhm. She was the one that created the spell that turned her children into vampires, and the hidden clause that links all the vampires they turned is in there somewhere. When I find it, I can reverse engineer it, and if all goes well, I can pick a select few vampires connected to Klaus and unravel them from the spell…like pulling a thread on a piece of rope."

The searched the mansion high and low for the grimoire but so far, they were coming up empty. Bonnie was starting to get frustrated and Stefan was starting to get concerned about Klaus' witch. Nearly an hour had passed, and with each passing minute they were getting closer to getting caught.

Stefan's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out checking the text from Caroline.

Hurry up.

Is Klaus still with you? He responded.

Yes, but I can only be nice for so long before he gets suspicious…and I'm running out of songs.

He tucked his phone back in his back pocket and took off to find Bonnie. Just as he was rounding the corner, she popped out of another room with a grin and an ancient book. "Is that it?"

"Yup. Let's get out of here."

…

Caroline eyed Klaus from across the room as he grabbed them both another drink. She had to admit he was being…tolerable. He engaged in normal conversation with her, curious to know about her life and things that made her happy. She almost forgot that she was here to keep him distracted. The text came through from Stefan ten minutes ago letting her know they were out, but here she sat, watching as he walked back with a small smirk and two drinks in hand.

"Thank you…but I should probably get going. School night." Caroline laughed softly as he approached the table.

"Oh, come on…stay." He cajoled, and his eyes gleamed as an idea came to him. "Dance with me." He held out a hand to her. "If you're going to ditch me, you at least owe me a dance."

The boyish grin on his face grew as he saw her resolve waning. "One dance." She placed her hand in his and let him lead her out to the dance floor. There were only a couple others out there, slowly swaying to the music the DJ played between the karaoke sets, and she was positive he could hear the blood pulsing through her veins as his hand slipped around her waist. Her eyes darked up to meet the intensity of his blue ones.

"Do I make you nervous, pet?" He whispered; his breath warm against her ear.

Caroline swallowed. "Nope." Her response came hushed, as she tensed his arms.

He chuckled. "You don't have to lie, Caroline." He pulled back to look down at her seriously. "You make me nervous too."

"I do?" She asked, her voice as quiet as a mouse, and her eyes wide and spellbound.

His gaze darted between hers, and everything seemed to slow down as her whole body ignited at the look in his eyes. Just as he was leaning in, everything flipped on its axis.

"Caroline?" Her stomach dropped and caught sight of the owner of that voice over Klaus' shoulder.

"Tyler?" She pulled away from Klaus as if he burned her and her eyes widened at the rage that filled his eyes. "You're back."

Klaus looked visibly irritated by the interruption. "Kind of in the middle of something, mate."

She shot him a glare and then turned her apologetic gaze back on Tyler. "Ty, it's not what it looks like…it was just a dance."

"Looked like a hell of a lot more than that." He stormed passed them and Caroline rushed after him, but the Original grabbed her arm.

"Caroline…" he pleaded her not to go.

She ripped out of his grasp. "No, I shouldn't even be here with you. It's never going to happen, Klaus so just…leave me alone." She grumbled running out after Tyler. She ran out into the parking lot catching up to him as he got to his car. "Tyler! Wait."

"Wait for what? Some kind of excuse as to why you would let that psychopath touch you! I'm gone what, a couple weeks and suddenly you've moved on." He yelled over the roof of his truck. He unlocked the door, and got in, and Caroline hopped into the passenger seat before he could stop her.

"I can explain everything, please just hear me out." She begged as he started the car.

"Get out." He snapped, refusing to look at her.

"I'm not going anywhere until you hear what I have to say." She said her voice strong with resolve.

Exasperated, he peeled out and sped out of the parking lot. "Do you have any idea what that guy did to me, Caroline? He tortured me, he got inside my head!"

She sighed sadly. "I know…"

His foot hit the gas. "You knew!? You knew and you're still hanging out with him?! Just because I left doesn't mean we broke up!"

"I'm not seeing Klaus! I'm distracting him!" She focused nervously on him speeding down the street. "Tyler…slow down."

He didn't seem to hear her as he raged on. "You know, I knew he liked you; it was obvious! But I didn't think you liked him back!"

"I don't!" she gripped the car door and dash as he weaved between lanes. "Slow down!"

He shot her a hurtful glare. "Don't lie to me, Caroline! I saw it all over your face! He was going to kiss you, and you were going to let him!"

"It was part of the plan! Bonnie and Stefan needed to get into his house and I was supposed to keep him occupied, Ty – that's it!" she explained desperately. Her eyes widened as she saw the approaching intersection and there was no sign of him slowing down. "Red light! Red light!"

Tyler kept on the gas and as they ran the red light, he t-boned another car, instantly crushing the driver's side of the other car, and sending theirs flipping down the road.

When Tyler came to, he realized he was ejected through the windshield and now laying on the road. There was no one around, but the faint sound of sirens filled the air. "Caroline?" he groaned, and his blurry vision caught sight of her sitting in the road next to someone. He crawled over to her and his heart sunk when he saw the bloody body in front of her.

"She's dead." She cried. "I couldn't save her." Her eyes turned miserably towards him. "Tyler…do you know what this means?"

"No…" He stumbled back. "It was an accident."

"It doesn't matter. She died at your hands…accident or not. On the next full moon…you're going to turn." Her head shot up as the sirens got closer. "You need to get out of here; get somewhere safe. I'll handle this." He hesitated, staring off in shock at the dead woman on the pavement. "Tyler, go! I got this."

He rushed off, limping as he went, trying to dart off into the bushes and away from the scene of the crime.

…

Bonnie studied the grimoire back at the boarding house, while Damon, Elena, Alaric, and Stefan waited anxiously.

"Anything?" Damon voiced bringing the glass of amber liquid to his lips.

Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Maybe if everyone stopped staring at me, I'd be able to concentrate." She pointedly shot him a narrow glare.

"Sorry, Bon…" Elena started. "We're all just nervous. There's a lot riding on this."

The witch smiled. "I know. The spell is in here, and I know that once I find it, I can undo it. I already know how. But the text…it's complex, and coded. It's just taking some time to translate."

Elena nodded, and a few minutes passed in silence before Stefan spoke up tucking his phone back in his pocket. "Has anyone heard from Caroline? She's not answering my texts; I told her to meet us here an hour ago."

Elena immediately pulled out her phone and called her friend, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Straight to voicemail."

"Maybe she's having more fun with Klaus than she let on." Damon smirked, earning glares from everyone else in the room. "What, don't act like we didn't all notice the will they/won't they building between them."

The front door opened and Tyler came stumbling through, groaning in agony. "Tyler?" Alaric rushed to him, helping him down the steps to rest on the couch. "What the hell happened?"

"There was an accident. I killed someone." He admitted wretchedly as his face crumbled. "Caroline and I-"

Elena stepped forward urgently. "Is she okay?"

Tyler nodded. "She's okay…she said she was taking care of it." He buried his head in his hands. "Why did I do that? She told me slow down…"

Everyone looked at each other knowingly, but unwilling to say it out loud. Alaric rested a soothing hand on his back, as Bonnie went to the kitchen to grab a wet cloth to clean the blood off his face and hands. Damon helped in the only way he knew how; by placing a full glass of bourbon in front of him, which Tyler took eagerly in his shaky hand.

When Bonnie came back, she sat on the other side of him, cleaning his face off and eying him warily. "Where did you find Caroline?"

"At the Grill." He winced when she cleaned the cut on his brow. "That freak Klaus was with her." He grumbled.

Bonnie's eyes darted up to Damon's. "He didn't figure out what we were up to did he? Did he hurt her?"

Tyler scoffed. "Looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do. If I didn't show up when I did, he might have already had his tongue down her throat."

Damon's brows shot up. "See?"

"Shut up, Damon." Came the chorus from Stefan, Alaric, and Bonnie.

Tyler glanced up looking at all of them. "Caroline said it was part of a plan to keep Klaus distracted. Is it true?" He asked hopefully.

The witch nodded, and Damon shot her a warning look. "We're trying to get rid of Klaus, but I needed to get in his house to steal his mother's grimoire."

"Bonnie…" Damon growled. "Should we really be spilling our guts to everyone about this?"

"He's our friend. We can trust him…and right now we can use all the help we can get." She countered turning back to Tyler. "I guess we should start at the beginning."

…

Klaus stared into the fireplace contemplatively as he processed the events of the night. It had started out so well; their playful banter, the sound of her bubbling laughter, they way her blonde curls bounced around her as she walked. He actually thought he was breaking ground with her. But of course…he was a paranoid man; he would not be played for a fool. So, when he noticed Caroline purposefully putting herself in his way, he had started his own scheme.

"You're sure?" He grumbled darkly, his eyes hollow and cold.

Tyler stepped forward. "I'm positive. I saw the grimoire myself." He admitted brokenly, guilt rippling through him for betraying his friends.

"What are they up to?" He stared him dead in the eye. "Tell me."

He tried desperately not to reply but the words were forced from his lips. "They're trying to unlink themselves from you so they can kill you." It was a relief when the words came out, but he hated himself for it. "Why am I telling you this…what did you do to me?"

Klaus smirked. "I compelled you. Basically, every choice you've made since I had you in my custody has been manipulated by me. Leaving town, coming back…walking into the Grill tonight when you did. Right down to running that red light." His eyes flashed maliciously as the realization washed over Tyler's face. "Yes…sadly this was your destiny, mate." He clapped him on the shoulder, holding his gaze. "You're going to be my little spy. You'll tell me every single step they make and when all of this is over…you can be my very first hybrid. Now forget everything I just said and be on your way."

Tyler blinked and slowly walked out of the house letting the door slam behind him. Klaus was barely able to contain his rage. He'd let her in…he thought that there was a spark between them, but it was all a ploy to have him killed. He should have known better. He couldn't trust anyone. If they were going to go back on their word…then he would go back on his.

.

AN: Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Sorry for the long wait on this one; I got distracted by my new story: The Bamon Diaries – Song Inspired Collections. Please check it out if you enjoy the Damon/Bonnie pairing. It's a series of one-shots inspired by my favorite songs that I thought were relatable.

So, things are going to start taking a turn from here out, so please stick around! Thanks for all your support, and please leave a review! - Vanessa