Stefan Salvatore.

The man she'd been deeply in love with. Still was, if she were entirely honest with herself. Though he'd ripped her heart out and stomped all over it.

His widened green eyes focused on her. A hesitant smile was starting to bloom on his face, but it was extinguished when he glanced behind her. The reason for that was obvious to Caroline: Klaus Mikaelson.

Her former fiancée advanced towards them and in two long strides rested in front of the blonde. Her breath caught in her throat. He was so close to her, she could feel his woodsy cologne, invading her nostrils. As a response, the woman noticed Klaus closing the space between them, his muscles so tightly coiled, he appeared ready to snap.

"Caroline," Stefan's soft voice greeted. "It's nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same, Stefan," pain laced her words although she'd tried to mask it.

Giving him credit, he actually looked hurt by the cold treatment he was deservedly being awarded. "Care, please, let me explain. You didn't give me a chance last time and never answered my calls or messages."

Like it was that easy, she wanted to yell at him. Just sweep every ounce of suffering, every sleepless night haunted by rivers of tears under the rug and speak with him as if nothing had changed. Did he honestly not understand how badly he'd hurt her?

"I responded to your wedding invitation, didn't I?" she coldly fired back. "I doubt there was anything more important than that."

Her former fiancée had to take a step back at the animosity he was met with.

"Caroline, we have to talk about what happened eventually. We were friends above all else for years and I hope we can be that once more, someday," his soft voice brought back their happiest memories, in which he would whisper sweet nothings to her in that exact same tone. Warmth was bubbling in her eyes and she would be damned if she let show.

The icing on the cake was Valerie Tulle making her way through the crowd to them. The blonde couldn't handle Valerie as well. It was too much. "Not today, Stefan," she wanted to walk past him towards a table when clammy, supple fingers clamped down on her wrist.

The completely wrong move.

It sent her back to that alley when Lucien had her trapped, ready to rape and maim her.

"Let go," her words shook under the building pressure of the flashbacks threatening to overwhelm her. Still, Stefan refused to listen, hell bent on getting her to hear his pointless explanations.

"Please," he begged once more, ignoring how she shook her hand to escape his grasp. Panic was starting to build however hard she tried to keep it at bay.

"I think Caroline told you to let go of her hand, mate," the familiar, commanding British accent left no room for discussion, especially as he stepped even closer, leaving merely inches between him and Stefan. Contempt and hatred were obvious in the last word, an unspoken threat accompanying it. Somehow, it made Caroline relax, feel safe again.

"Klaus," Stefan managed to lace his voice with the equal amount of aversion. "I'm pretty sure you have no right to interfere in my conversation with Caroline."

Judging by the dirty looks they were throwing, it was obvious that they despised each other. Confidence restored and taking advantage of Stefan focusing all of his attention on Klaus, the woman yanked her hand free. The tension was so thick between those two, that a fist fight appeared ready to break out. Wishing to avert a disaster, Caroline found her voice again.

"Actually, he does, Stefan," she cut in hoping her intervention would distract, not make matters worse. "He's my boyfriend and has every right to step in if you are trying to disrespect or harm me." With that, the cat was out of the bag, the lie now out into the open. Faster than either one of its perpetrators had conceived.

"Your boyfriend? Harm you?" he repeated after her as if trying to take it all in and believe it.

Like they were such impossible feats to achieve. Hilarious considering he was the one who'd hurt her most in the entire world.

"Yes, he's my boyfriend." Then, astonishing all three of them, she grabbed Klaus's hand. Thankfully, the man recovered quickly, limp fingers squeezing back in a false demonstration of love and affection.

"No," the green eyed man desperately mumbled. "Caroline, you can't be with him. He's dangerous. He and his family and the worst kind of people you'll ever meet. Please, listen to me. Klaus Mikaelson is nothing but bad news."

The man holding her hand tensed, lips a straight line, inhaling deeply, as if he was fighting against saying something in response to the accusations brought up by Stefan. The woman knew there to be some semblance of truth in the Salvatore's words. Even Klaus had admitted his family was not made up of saints, but she couldn't stay quiet and allow Stefan to insult him.

If Klaus wasn't going to defend himself then she will. Like he'd done on multiple occasions for her.

"You listen to me, Stefan. I trust Klaus. Stop wasting your breath on telling me about his family or his past. I don't care. All that matters is that I know that he would never hurt and deceive me like you did. So go to your future wife, be happy and let me live my life the way I want to with whomever I deem fit."

Where the strength behind those sentences had come from was a mystery to the blonde, but it seemed to do the trick because a resigned Stefan started to walk back to his small entourage, that Caroline noted, included Damon, when he turned to face her.

"When you find out the truth, when you know who Klaus Mikaelson really is, you'll regret this profoundly, Caroline. I just hope it won't be too late by then."

With those ominous words he finally left. Only then, did the woman realize that every single pair of eyes was turned to look at them. Sighing, she led Klaus to a secluded table at the back, hidden from prying eyes, aware that her return would be the town's major gossip these days. That and her controversial relationship.

Appetite ruined, she ordered the first thing her eyes landed on- a burger and fries – while Klaus relinquished food altogether ordering an entire bottle of whiskey.

Apparently meeting Stefan didn't only affect her, but Klaus as well. More than he'd like to admit it.

Choosing to remain silent for the moment, the woman poured herself a hefty helping of the spirit and gulped it down before repeating the action, hoping that the alcohol would ease the crippling heartache. With no luck.

"Are you sure you should be mixing that much liquor with your painkillers?" Klaus finally addressed her.

His fake-concern angered her because that was all it was: an act. Everything in her life had been and still was a lie. No one ever chose Caroline Forbes. No one ever loved Caroline Forbes. She was never the first choice.

"I'm a surgeon. I know what I'm doing," she snapped. "Stop acting like you care. There's nobody here to admire the perfect actor that you are." The harsh phrases were out before she could control them.

The worst part was that she knew they were wrong the second they had been uttered. She was lashing out at Klaus because of what Stefan had done to her. Taking all of her fury and resent out of Klaus.

It wasn't fair.

Still, the man chose not to respond, instead gulping down a drink of his own, his forehead still wrinkled, eyebrows scrunched together.

That's when it dawned on her. This- facing Stefan and being back in Mystic Falls- was just as hard for Klaus. He was doing it for her and in return she was yelling at him.

"I'm sorry," her voice dropped to a murmur, eyes downcast. "I shouldn't be flying off the handle with you. You don't deserve it."

A war seemed to wage on inside him before he finally addressed her again. "I do, Caroline, even though you don't know it yet," he sipped more of the amber liquid. "Stefan was wrong about many things, but not about me," determination shone brightly in his tempested blue orbs. "I am dangerous and so is my family. You need to know it. I am not who you think I am. Not even close."

And neither is Stefan, he refrained from adding.

Saying that appeared to have taken an immense toll on Klaus who looked 10 years older, struggling to talk about matters that had left wounds on his heart that, to this day, hadn't scarred, and still bled profoundly. Yet, she'd defended him so confidently and innocently at the same time that he felt compelled to tell her the truth. At least part of it, because the entire truth would never leave his lips.

"You've told me about your family before and I've seen firsthand how dangerous you really are, remember? But I don't think you're the monster Stefan tried to make you out to be."

There she went again, defying all expectations and daring to contradict him despite only knowing Klaus for a few days. "You're too innocent and trusting for your own good, Caroline. People will take advantage and hurt you, just like Stefan did, if you don't change that."

"Even if that were true, you'll be gone in two weeks, never to see my mistakes again, so there's no need to trouble yourself with them, right?"

Hope laid in that question. If he genuinely cared, like his behavior sometime showed, this was his chance to say something. She was handing it to him on a silver platter. One word could open the door to full-fledged friendship. Just one was enough for Caroline who waited with bated breath.

"Of course," Klaus stomped all over that moronic feeling and put an end to her wishful thinking. This was all an agreement to him. The reasons behind it were still a mystery to her, but it was clear that it was nothing more than him fulfilling some sort of self-imposed honorific task.

"Still," she bit her lip." I'd like to thank you for intervening back then. Not facing Stefan alone meant a lot to me."

"It was my duty as a boyfriend." So that had been fake as well, she deduced.

"Thank you anyways," she forced a smile.

Klaus was aware that her wide grin was false and that something he'd said had hurt her. Perhaps it had been his cold attitude, but he could not afford to allow her to feel anything for him, not even friendship. Tragedy- that was how relationships involving him ended and this young woman was too good for that.

Klaus Mikaelson refused to let her be reduced to ruins because of him. Like all others had been previously.

If that purpose entailed keeping her at arm's length, then so be it.

Feeling stupid for even thinking that they could be friends, Caroline masked her bitter disappointment by stuffing her mouth with greasy French fries.

Two mercury orbs studied her, reading her movements, the way he'd been taught as a teenager. Sadness and, oddly, resignation emanated from her slow movements and her refusal to meet his eyes. He must have been losing his mind because seeing her like this sent a pang to his heart.

It was hard to bear even though he justified it by telling himself that it was for her sake.

"Caroline, look," his tongue formed words before he could control them. Slowly, she stopped picking at her food and focused on him. Anticipating yet braced for another dose of his searing truth. "I…" Klaus stopped, searching for the right words. "What I said before, I didn't me-," he was interrupted by two deafening squeals, two familiar bodies crushing Caroline into a bone-breaking hug.

Elena and Bonnie.

Her two best friends in the world.

Who couldn't have had worse timing if they'd planned it.

However hard she longed to hear what Klaus had to say, Caroline had to admit that she'd missed them a lot. Sending an apologetic look in the man's direction, she melted into the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around them.

"We've missed you so much, Care," Elena spoke after they'd pulled away.

"I've missed you too. I'm sorry for leaving without letting you know and for not replying to your texts, but I needed some time."

"Nonsense," Bonnie waved her apology off. "If it had happened to me, I would still be a mess right now, especially with the wedding and all that."

"Bon!" Elena reprimanded, elbowing her in the ribs and making her eyes widened upon realizing exactly what she'd just said. "Care," Elena solemnly began," Do you want us to kick Stefan's ass for you?"

"We will totally do that," Bonnie seconded.

Their antics prompted a laugh from the blonde. They truly hadn't changed. "There's no need for that," she declined although her inner protested the decision. "I'm quite alright without him and, on that note, I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Klaus Mikaelson."

Two pairs of inquisitive eyes turned to him immediately. "Pleased to meet you," he plastered his best charming smile, cursing and thanking them at the same time for interrupting. Whatever had come over him, this was a sign that screamed he should keep his mouth shut, get through these two weeks, ensure that nobody came looking for her and then leave.

For her safety. For her safety, he had to repeat it to burn it into his treacherous brain.

The brunette one narrowed her chocolate eyes and pointed an accusing finger at him. "I know you." Air was knocked out of his lungs. If she knew who he truly was then Caroline would too. That could only lead to her sending him away. Astonishingly, he didn't fancy that prospect. After spending time with her, loneliness appeared overwhelming.

"I'm sure we have never met before," the confidence he exuded lacked entirely underneath, because although he had never seen her in his life, there was no vouching for his family. And part of them was way worse than meeting Klaus.

"No, we haven't," Caroline and Bonnie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Klaus braced himself to hear about another horrific story involving his family. "You were here in Mystic Falls a few months ago. Damon warned me to say away from you because you are dangerous," she protectively declared, looking out for her best friend.

Admirable.

At least now Klaus knew that Caroline would have somebody to protect her interests after he left. What was wrong with him? Why did her safety matter this much? Shaking those thoughts off and sending them to the back of his mind, he turned to look at Elena.

"The older Salvatore has been given incomplete fact so his opinion is slightly misguided," he defended himself while sticking as closely to the truth as possible.

"So you're saying that he's wrong?" now questioned Caroline's other friend.

He had to admire their diligence. They were good friends. He'd had some of those back in the day and Stefan had been one of them, but they'd all turned their back on him or abandoned him. However, right now was not the time for a walk down memory lane.

"All I'm saying is that Caroline has all the facts and still wishes to be with me, right sweetheart?"

The inquiry seemed to take Caroline by surprise. It was a gigantic lie. He hadn't told her anything, but she'd accepted and chosen to respect that. "Sure," she quickly recovered; reassuring her friends, while trying not to get lost in how he'd called her sweetheart and how intoxicating it had sounded. "Now, tell me more about what happened while I was gone," she made room for them to stay next to her.

For the next hour and a half, the blonde listened to her friends rage on about the opening of a new café and posh restaurant, their workplaces, who dumped who and the newest couples in the town.

An entirely boring conversation for Klaus who stayed quiet and polished off the bottle, receiving minimal help from the three girls and ignoring the murderous looks Stefan was throwing him from across the room.

If his former friend wanted to have a word with him, Klaus was open to the idea, but Stefan wouldn't be the only one with reproaches. Not even close. At this precise moment, all of Klaus's energy was focused into not marching up to Stefan Salvatore and punching him in the face. Repeatedly.

The only reason why he did not was Caroline.

He was giving up vengeance for the second time because of her.

All because he couldn't stomach the idea of hurting her.

Part of his brain must have short-circuited because these feelings were impossible to justify.

Finally, the incessant babbling stopped and Caroline took in her boyfriend's mood. Teetering on the edge between sobriety and drunkenness, downing drink after drink and glaring at Stefan. His temper was volatile, at best, and Caroline had to commend him for holding it together this long, but she wouldn't push it.

Not when staying calm required him to gulp down alcohol.

"I'm tired. The flight was exhausting and I'm going to turn in, what do you say, Klaus?"

Liquid grey eyes made it clear that he didn't believe anything she'd just said, but still welcomed the idea. "That sounds great."

"I'll see you tomorrow, guys," the surgeon promised and bid them goodbye.

The crisp night air helped sober her up completely and that's when she finally noticed just how worn out Klaus appeared. Before, in the plane and at the Grill, she'd been too self-centered to take into account the black bags under his eyes and the weariness hid behind every move. It appeared to be his normal appearance. Tormented. There had to be more behind that than just Stefan, but she refrained herself from asking knowing that she wouldn't be getting a response.

Back at the Grill, before Elena and Bonnie had arrived, he'd been meaning to say something and had been cut off. Something told her that she wouldn't be hearing the continuation for a long time, if ever.

"You didn't need to do that," he offered once they were inside the car, earning a confused look. "Part with your friends. It was clear that you wished to stay longer."

What was wrong with this man? One minute he was cold as an iceberg, keeping her miles away from him and the next he cared about whether or not she hung out with her friends.

"I saw how you and Stefan were looking at each other," she offered as an excuse.

"Caroline," he sighed," While I'm here as your boyfriend, I promise I won't get into any fights with him unless he provokes me."

The sincere oath made her heart swell because she knew how much that must have cost him even if she didn't know the reason behind their feud and wouldn't ask. "Can you promise me one more thing?" she decided to push her luck.

"Ask and we'll see," his trust issues shone through his tired sigh.

"I want you to try and drink less while you're here with me," he opened his mouth to protest that he didn't have a drinking problem, but she continued before he could form one word. "I'm not saying you are an alcoholic or anything remotely close to it, Klaus, but it's not healthy. I know you think you are putting to rest those demons that you won't talk about, when the truth is that you are only destroying yourself."

The concern entwined in her voice stunned him. It had been so long since someone cared about what happened to him that he'd forgotten how it felt. Still, giving up alcohol entirely meant facing all of the horrors he'd endured every single second of the day. Most of those who'd only seen half of what he had were now prisoners in the clutches of drugs, never to escape again, wasting away on the streets, desperate for a fix. Broken. Beyond repair. So his liquor use wasn't that bad compared to that.

Not that he would ever allow himself to stoop this low. He would end it long before that occurred.

And neither would he. No, Klaus was enough of a disgrace now and if that ever happened, there was no question in Klaus's mind that the end wouldn't be brought on by his volition.

"I'm not sure I can make that promise, Caroline."

Sorrow filled her eyes as she, crestfallen, turned away from him. "I understand, but if you want to, I'm here. Whatever you need: someone to listen to you, someone with whom you can sit in silence or, in extreme cases, your annoying drinking partner who won't let you soak your liver in whiskey entirely."

There she went again. Compassionate. Kind. Generous. Better than the world deserved. Once again, she yanked what he'd thought to be an impossible promise. "I'll try. That's the best I can do."

"And it's more than enough for me," she beamed.

Upon arriving at her apartment, Caroline declared that she was to use the bathroom first, closing the door, leaving him with no company but his betraying thoughts.

Caroline haunted them.

What used to be only darkness now had specks of light because of her.

She was accomplishing the impossible –tearing down the shroud of obscurity surrounding him. Freeing him little by little. Making him wish to be a good man. Like he'd been once upon a time, when he still had a heart. Before he'd torn it apart.

In a way, she reminded Klaus of him. The one he'd loved more than his own life. The same happiness, the same positivity in the face of adversity. How regardless of the curveball life threw at them, they still found a way to push through, preserving the goodness embedded deep into their hearts.

So young. Practically a child when he'd been ripped away from him.

A string of curses rasped through the thin walls, interrupting his reminiscences. They were coming from the bathroom. Without pause, he rose, knocking on the door. "Caroline, is everything alright?"

"No," she cursed again and by the sound of it, slammed something on the sink counter. "Can you please come in?"

The brief moment of hesitation was significantly shorter than it should have been as Klaus was unable to physically deny her his assistance. What he found inside made him stop in his tracks. Caroline was in nothing but her ivory, lace bra and a pair of short pajama pants, leaving exposed her porcelain white skin. Gulping, he forced his eyes not to wonder and concentrate on her eyes.

"I've been trying to change my bandages for 10 minutes, but I can't freaking reach them," frustration spiked her words. "Could you please help me?"

Only then did Klaus note the bottles of disinfectant, the clean gauze and bandages on the kitchen counter. "Of course," he'd tended to wounds before, no problems, but the fact that it was Caroline somehow made it harder. Klaus couldn't bear to see her hurt and only by glancing at her back he was reminded that it was his fault, making his blood boil.

In spite of all that, he went to stand behind her, removed the soft, curly, sun-kissed locks of hair out of his way and went for the two large bandages. One, he noted was matted with blood that had seeped through. Gently, he pulled it away, careful not to provoke further injury, but it was too late for that, apparently.

Sometime during the day, some of her stitches had popped. The confrontation with Stefan, when she'd tried to break free being his best guess. The urge to go and beat him to a pulp arose –he should bleed just like her.

"Part of your wound has opened up again. I think we should do to a hospital to have it properly cared for," he gloomily announced.

Pouring a large amount of hydrogen peroxide on a piece of gauze, she handed it to him. "Wipe the blood off so that I can see." There was no way that she was going to the hospital if she could avoid it. Everyone knew her there, and they were bound to announce her mother of her injuries. That was the last thing she wanted to occur.

Complying, the man rubbed it all over the wound. Stinging pain erupted and a wince left her mouth. Immediately, Klaus pulled back. "No," she chastised him. "Don't stop until it's completely clean."

After he resumed his work, Caroline stopped all shows of pain, remaining as still as a statue. Once he announced he was done, she turned to give herself a critical inspection in the mirror.

"Only two of three stiches are needed to close this," she rummaged through her first aid kid and pulled out some surgical needle and thread. "Here," she placed them in his hands.

Gaping, Klaus waited for confirmation of what she was asking of him. They had no anesthetic save from her painkillers that he was sure she wasn't taking according to the doctor's recommendations. His indecision must have been mistaken for a refusal, based on the death glare she was giving him.

"For Christ's sake, I would do it myself if I could reach, Klaus. It's fine, however you can do it, but I'm not going to the hospital."

Caroline left no room for further discussion, but his hand still hesitated above the wound. It wasn't that he didn't know how to close such an injury, he'd had plenty of experience, but he simply didn't want to cause her pain. Still, if he didn't he would be failing her so he complied.

Eyes closed in pain, back muscles tight and fists clenched around the sink's veneer, she still didn't let out more than a silent whimper. It was quite impressive, but not willing to prolong her pain he hurried and changed the bandages on the other wound as well.

"All done," he announced when he was over.

"Thank you very much," a raspy undertone brought on by pain. "You did it almost perfectly, one could say that this wasn't your first rodeo," she complimented.

"It wasn't," and with that he offered the first piece of voluntary information about his past. A quite shocking one because who tended to wounds without being a doctor?

"Lucky us then," she said instead of pursuing the subject. If he wished to say more, he would.

He didn't.

A black cloud came over him and he retreated to his bedroom, offering nothing more than an empty 'good night'.

Doing the same, she climbed into bed with a book, falling asleep shortly because of the painkiller she'd eventually given in and taken. The pill mixed with the alcohol still in her system lulled her into a peaceful sleep, one where no nightmare could reach her.

Unfortunately, it didn't last.

A loud scream woke her up. Panic sent her heart into a tailspin, pounding hard enough to almost escape her chest. Another wail, quieter this time, followed shortly, demolishing the theory that it could have been imaginary.

No, this was crystal clear. Somebody was crying out for help.

It was coming from Klaus's room, she realized terrified.

One more howl made her skin break out in goose bumps. Caroline knew that voice.

It was, in fact, Klaus.

She shuddered at what might have made him screech like this, but still braced herself to go, find out and help him however she could.

All she hoped was that everything was alright. Losing Klaus right in her apartment was simply something one did not come out from unscathed.

Be alive, she begged before opening the door.

Just be alive.