Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to read/review! :)

Apologies to everyone for any grammar and spelling errors (and thanks to Snowbird1452 for pointing that out!). Please bear with me, as I am not a native English speaker... I will really try and keep the mistakes to a minimum! :)

CHAPTER SIX

THE FINAL CURTAIN

The conversation with Caroline's Mom had not been pleasant. She all but accused Klaus of deliberately putting her daughter at risk, of being the greatest plague that had ever befallen the town and of losing the last few of his non-existent brain cells if he actually thought she would let Caroline so much as come near him anymore.

Caroline had to secretly admire Klaus' composure. He had stayed silent and let her mother get the rant out of her system. Once she was done, he calmly explained that he was not letting Caroline out of his sight until 'the threat was satisfactorily removed', and that he completely understood Liz' objections, but, 'and I mean no disrespect, Sheriff', he would not let anyone stand in his way when it came to the protection of her daughter from a danger that, yes, admittedly, had arisen because of him for reasons yet to be determined. Then he went in for the kill, his usual haughty air emanating from him in waves.

"But if you can think of anyone better equipped or more willing to keep Caroline safe, Sheriff Forbes, by all means, do name him to me."

Sheriff Forbes knew when she was beaten. While Caroline had gone upstairs to pack her stuff, she could hear her Mom shifting into mother hen mode, 'absolutely' forbidding that Caroline and Klaus stay at his mansion all alone. With a slightly shrill giggle, she listened to Klaus getting defensive, assuring her mother he had no shady intentions whatsoever and would of course behave like a perfect gentleman at all times. Not to mention her friends and his family who would of course always be around, and Sheriff Forbes was of course more than welcome to check on her daughter's wellbeing whenever she desired. Caroline tried to suppress a laughing fit. Liz was lecturing the most powerful being in the world to keep her vampire daughter from falling prey to his dubious purposes. I can't laugh when I go back down! Please don't let me laugh!

The moment she arrived downstairs and Klaus all but sprinted from the living room to grab her bags, it was over. She took one look at his indignant face and went into hysterics. With a huff and a barely audible 'Thank you, Sheriff Forbes', he stalked off to his car. Caroline hugged her Mom, and between giggles, promised to come and see her the next day. She kept laughing all the way to the Salvatore house, and she could have sworn she saw see his lips twitch once or twice.

Elena and Stefan were none too happy at the news, either. However, Elena immediately promised to stay at the Mikaelson house with her tonight, stating that it was high time for someone else to fall victim to everyone's obsession with being protective. Stefan had to grudgingly agree to join them, as he would not even think of leaving Elena alone with Klaus, even after Caroline had explained about Klaus' promise to leave everyone unharmed and making the Original repeat his vow. Damon looked somewhat more cheerful, commenting on how they hadn't hunted down anyone worth hunting for at least two weeks and he was already having signs of withdrawal. He then went on to quiz Klaus on his stock of Single Malt. It felt beyond surreal to Caroline. She was very glad that her friends had agreed to stay with her tonight, but the way it sounded like a teen slumber party was disturbing at the very least.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Caroline took a deep breath and steadied herself. Elena looked at her with furrowed brows, but Caroline shook her head and mouthed, 'later', just as Tyler came into view. He stopped dead at the sight of Klaus, who studiously ignored him and turned to Damon.

"I'll be back in an hour. Do me a favour, mate, and try not to screw things up too much."

Damon snorted. "When have I ever?"

Klaus cast a quick glance at Caroline and nodded. Then he was gone.

"Would someone care to explain to me what all this is about?" Tyler asked. Caroline rose and stepped up to him. "Let's go for a walk, Ty," she said, only to be interrupted by Damon's sneer.

"Sorry, missy, no walking outside of house. Staying inside, master say. Master angry if missy no hear."

"Ugh!" Caroline exclaimed, exasperated. "Since when have you started being Big Bad's lackey?"

"Since I was promised an entertaining hunt and a bottle of very expensive Single Malt. You will stay inside."

"Wow, you're going cheap these days, huh?"

Stefan's even voice interrupted the bickering. "Much as I hate to say it, but Damon's right. You will need to stay inside, Care. As long as we don't know what we are dealing with, we can't really protect you. Klaus may be an evil bastard, but he is still stronger than all of us put together, so if you need to go outside, you'll have to wait for him. Sorry, Care, but it's for your own good and I don't want to even think about how Klaus will go berserk on all of us if anything happened to you. You can use my room if you want a little more privacy." Caroline sighed in defeat. "Okay, thanks Stefan. Ty?" she asked. They walked up to Stefan's room in silence. Tyler closed the door behind them and leaned against it, arms crossed.

"What the hell is going on, Care?" he demanded. Quickly, Caroline filled him in on the details of everything that had happened that morning, and of her new sleeping arrangements.

"Abso-fucking-lutely not, Care!" Tyler roared when she was done. "You are not staying with him! Stay here at the boarding house if you must. We will all work together to protect you, but you're not going with him!"

"Yes, I am," Caroline replied sadly. "He is the only one who remotely knows what we're dealing with, and you know perfectly well that he and his family are the most powerful creatures in the galaxy. Being with them is the safest I can get at this time."

"The only thing he wants is to get you laid! He doesn't give a damn about you or your safety, Care. He only ever gives a damn about himself! He has no feelings, none whatsoever!" Tyler was yelling by now. Caroline could only imagine the field day that Damon was probably having downstairs. And you're wrong, Ty. He has feelings.

"Tyler, this is not about his… thing for me, or him wanting to get me into his bed or anything of the kind. I was tortured, goddammit, in a way that made your old pack's little wooden bullet games seem like a children's birthday party, and I sure as hell don't ever want to go through that again. If that means I will have to go to Klaus for protection, then that is exactly what I'll do." She sighed. "But this is not what I wanted to talk to you about, Ty. Can we sit down? Please?"

Tyler looked at her, still outraged, but something about the look in her eyes told him he had better calm down now. He was pretty sure he wouldn't like what was coming.

Caroline stared at the floor for a minute, gathering her courage. Then she looked him straight in the eye and started to speak. "Ty, I am so very sorry that I have to do this in the midst of everything that is happening, but… look, I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last couple of days. Well, for a while longer, actually, but I didn't really think about much else since yesterday. I love you, Tyler. I really do. With everything we've been through together, all the good times, the great times, the bad times… I really, really love you. But… I… I am so sorry, I can't do this anymore. Everything I am feeling for you, the love, the friendship… it is just not enough. Not anymore. I don't know how this happened or why, I just know it is not working. For both of us."

There was a very long moment of silence. Caroline kept looking at Tyler, who stared back at her with a mixture of disbelief and thoughtfulness. Finally, he asked, "Is this about Hayley, Care?"

Caroline shook her head. "No, it's not. I mean, she might have sped up my decision a little bit, but no, this is definitely not about her. It's about me. I know this sounds like a stale cliché, but it's not you, Ty. It's not Hayley or anyone else. It is just me."

He looked at her. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "This has something to do with Klaus, hasn't it?" Caroline rolled her eyes. "No, of course not!" He just made me start to discover myself. "Just how many times do I have to tell you there is nothing whatsoever going on between me and Klaus?" Now that is the first downright lie you ever told him, Caroline. "Well, nothing that has anything to do with our relationship, at any rate. Ty, I can only repeat myself – this is about me! We want different things from life. I want to see the world, I want to travel, to learn new languages, to see every exotic place I've only ever visited in my dreams. I want to learn the ways of the world, see and taste all those different cultures. Tell me, Ty, honestly – is that what you want to do with your life? Is that how you envision our life together?"

Tyler looked at her, a deep sadness creeping into his eyes. After a while, he shook his head. "No. It's not. I want to stay here in Mystic Falls, I want to have my life, my surroundings, a family." Caroline felt a little pang. Family. The one thing she would never have. Tyler covered his eyes with his hands and exhaled deeply. "When did this happen, Care? I love you. You know I do, right?" She nodded, a lump in her throat. Tyler looked up and took her hands in his. "I don't want it to be over, Care. I really, really don't." "Neither do I," she whispered, tears starting to pool in her eyes. She would cry herself dry at some point today. "But…" she said. "But you're right, Care. God, I hate to admit it, but you're right."

She had started to cry in earnest now, and Tyler took her in his arms. It felt good, but she couldn't help but think how she had been in a different embrace earlier today, and how that had made her feel. God, she was such a terrible person! After a while, she gently moved out of his arms and cupped his cheek. "Please forgive me, Tyler. I never meant to hurt you." He looked at her warmly, and she started to cry again when she saw the tears on his face. "Are you crazy? What is there to forgive? You are doing what is right for both of us. It may not feel like it right now, but I think we both know it is. Honestly? I'm not sure if I'd have had the courage, Care. And I should be the one apologizing. I should have told you about Hayley, and I'm so sorry." She hugged him again, and he slowly rose, keeping her hand in his. "You will always have one corner of my heart reserved for you. And… let me know what you need when hunting down that sick son of a bitch. I'll be there. You can always count on me."

Caroline smiled through her tears. "Same here. I love you, Ty." "I love you, too, Care." Then the door closed behind him, and her relationship with Tyler Lockwood was over.

Goodbye, Tyler. I'll miss you.

She threw herself onto Stefan's bed and starting crying so hard that she didn't even hear the door open and close. Then Elena was there, pulling her into her arms, mumbling soft words and patting her back. Caroline couldn't stop crying. She suspected she was having some sort of nervous breakdown, but she didn't really care. Elena just held her and let her cry herself out. At some point, she heard the front door. Klaus was back. Damon muttered something that sounded like 'better leave her be… sounds like big drama… even Lockwood left crying like a baby…". Asshole. She couldn't hear Klaus' reply, but she didn't really care right now anyway.

After a while, the urge to cry subsided, and her desolate sobs turned into sniffles. Elena handed her a Kleenex, looking at her with worry. "What happened, Care?" she asked anxiously, squeezing Caroline's hand.

"It looks like I'm a free woman again, Lena." Elena gazed at her thoughtfully and nodded. "You don't seem surprised," Caroline stated.

"Not so much, no. But may I ask why you broke up with him?"

"I've thought about our relationship a lot lately, and it's just… we don't seem compatible anymore. He wants certain things from life, I want others. Does that sound terribly stupid?"

"Not in the least. You've been great together, a great couple. I've always liked you two as an item. But… I've also always felt it's not epic enough, if you know what I mean. Maybe I'm just a bit too spoilt with my own epic drama, but that is what I want for you. Minus the drama, of course!" Caroline let out something between a giggle and a sob.

"You know what? It's strange, but I've been thinking exactly the same thing! I want the whole epic love story, including the drama, the shouting, the tears – just no more tears today, please – and everything. That's what I want, and I won't settle for less."

Elena smiled at her. "And I'm sure that's exactly what life has in store for you." She looked towards the door. "So, do you feel up to facing the badass brigade downstairs? I have a bad feeling, leaving them alone for too long." Caroline grinned lightly. "Let me just quickly freshen up, then we can go and tame the wild beasts."

Ten minutes later, they walked down to the hall arm in arm, just to find Stefan sitting next to the window, brooding. No surprises there. What was a surprise was to see Damon and Klaus, tumblers in their hands – well, it was 11 am after all – bantering away. When they entered the room, Klaus' eyes immediately found hers. 'You okay?' he mouthed, staring at her anxiously. She nodded, but she could see he was at no loss to notice her red-rimmed eyes. She squeezed Elena's hand and determinedly walked towards Damon. "Can I have one of those?" she asked, pointing at his drink. Even Damon's eyes were a bit worried, she noticed in amazement. "Sure," he replied, getting up and strolling over to the array of bottles. Pouring her a glass, he handed it to her and muttered under his breath "I'm sorry." Astonished, she smiled at him weakly and took the drink. "Thanks," she whispered and took a sip. It warmed her considerably.

She chose an old armchair and dropped into it, clinging to her drink. She felt Klaus' eyes follow her and pointedly looked into another direction. "So, when are you guys coming over tonight?" she asked, just to find some topic of conversation and distract the others from staring at her.

"Sometime around seven okay?" Elena asked. "Sure," Caroline said. "I mean, if it's okay with you?" She looked at Klaus questioningly.

"Of course," he replied evenly. "Seven is perfectly fine." His voice was very soothing. Suddenly, she found herself wishing for him to tell her a story or read something to her. God, it's official. You're going crazy. "Caroline, do you mind if we left now? I have some phone calls to make, and we will need to get you settled. I think you could really use some rest."

Caroline downed her drink and stood. "Okay, lets' go. I could do with some sleep, quite honestly." Elena came over to pull her into a hug, and Stefan squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay, Care. Trust me. It feels like crap now, but you'll be fine. Call me if you need anything. Anything at all."

Damon just winked at her. "I'll see you guys later."

They climbed into his sleek midnight black beauty of a BMW – Caroline reminded herself to ask him what model that was once she was in her right mind again – and rode in silence for a couple of minutes. Klaus cast a few sideways glances at her, until he finally murmured, "Are you really okay, sweetheart?" For some odd reason, the endearment made her feel a little warmer. "No," she mumbled, "I'm not. But I will be." His hand at the wheel twitched for an instant, as if he wanted to take hers. But he didn't move. "What happened, Caroline?" he asked, a faint hint of concern in his voice. "If this is about you staying with me, I can go and talk to him, if that's what is needed." She looked at him, perplexed, and she could see how difficult it must have been for him to offer something like that. He really wanted to make her feel more at ease, and she appreciated that.

"Thanks, Klaus, but it's not that. I… broke up with Tyler for entirely different reasons. Shouldn't that actually make you happy?" She knew she sounded way snippier than she had intended, but he just gave her a dismissive look. "Caroline, you are miserable. How is that supposed to make me happy? You should really start to give me a little more credit, love." She just huffed and looked out of the window, missing the soft expression that came into his eyes when he looked at her sad features.