Много благодаря - Bulgaria! :)

God, guys, you really had me tempted to post this chapter last night... but I had to rewrite a couple of things, and I just hoped I might get some more of your lovely reviews when I post them separately! I'm such an egoist, I know! ;)

Thank you so much, as always. I have no idea how to survive without your amazing comments once the complete fic is published! Gaaaah! ;))

Happy weekend to all of you, dearies!

xxxx

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD

Klaus was seated in the chair, unmoving, letting his eyes display subtle signs of weariness. He was everything but, although he would never betray how quickly he had actually recovered. Ever since the moment he had been turned into a vampire, he had healed faster than anyone else, and from the moment he was reborn a Hybrid, the process had become even speedier. The actual pain, however, had been excruciating, he had to give them that. He had been sweating bullets trying not to blow his own cover, and he was even a bit smug now, thinking about how he had actually succeeded. None of the time-worn instruments Prelati had used on him had been a novelty to Klaus; he had seen them in action many times during the Spanish Inquisition and elsewhere. The last time he had witnessed a Cat's Paw had been as recently as the 1970s. Well hidden from the eyes of the broader public, many of the old devices were still widely utilized, some of them given a modern twist, others still just the way they had been constructed ages ago. Humanity had always been very inventive when it came to subjugating fellow men and women to nameless cruelty. Torture was no longer a spectacle for the masses, but it was still looming behind closed doors, in remote corners of the world and sometimes even in the most civilized of societies.

He watched Mikael pull up a chair. Despite the fact that he was somewhat relieved the little trip down medieval memory lane seemed to be over, this part was what he had really been dreading. Physical pain was one thing. Mikael trying to make him lose it was something else entirely. However much he loathed his stepfather, the old man had always got to him. Even after so many centuries, Klaus could still not completely shake the way Mikael made him feel like an insignificant, repulsive little nothing. The way he made him feel unworthy. So whatever strength he had inside him, he would summon it now. For the first time in his existence, Klaus knew what he was truly fighting for. He quickly conjured the image of Caroline, sleeping peacefully in his arms, soft and fragrant, curled around him like she would never let him go again. Sighing his name in her sleep. Closing his eyes, he let the warmth fill him up for a moment. His miracle. Gods, how he loved her!

After the briefest of moments, he radically banished her from his thoughts. Time to face Daddy.

"Well then, are you feeling up to a little father-son conversation, boy?"

"As you wish, father. Is there anything in particular you would like to discuss?" he replied tonelessly.

Mikael chuckled. "As a matter of fact, there is. Tell me, Niklaus – you haven't loved anyone in over a thousand years. Let us not speak of how no one loved you, either, for that is a given, but let us focus on recent events. So, after a millennium of loneliness, a little blonde crosses your path and you are suddenly smitten. So much so that you give in to her pleas to go and search for catharsis. Here, of all places. Amateur psychology, do you not agree? Well, never mind that. I would just like to point out a certain remarkable symmetry I have come to observe." He paused, and his sardonic smile widened. "You find this girl, this one girl who touches your heart, in Mystic Falls, where you first killed your younger brother who was the one other person you ever truly loved. And then you lose her in the very place you killed your brother for the second time. Ironic, don't you think?"

Klaus let a flicker of pain cross his face and replied in a hoarse whisper, "I have no wish to speak of this."

"Do not fret, Niklaus. I come bearing gifts."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, I thought we might add a little more symmetry to the events. Therefore, our dear friend Prelati is currently doing his utmost to bring your lady friend back from the other side. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to have her join us here."

This time, Klaus did not have to enact any emotions. The mixture of pain, fear and rage blazing from his eyes was entirely genuine. He knew what was about to unfold, and he knew his plan was good. He would never allow any harm to come to his beautiful girl, but the mere thought of Caroline at Mikael's mercy was sending a wave of panic through his system. His thoughts raced back to the serenity of Canaletto's painting that he had been focusing on during most of his torture session. What colour had the grand launch's helmsman's coat been? Turquoise? No, green. Light green, one would supposedly call it lime nowadays. Lingering on the image of how said coat was ruffled by the wind, he felt reason return. Taking a deep breath, he let his voice sound shaky as he spoke.

"She has nothing to do with this. It is between you and me, so let her rest in peace. You should be satisfied, father, for you were right. I have no one at my side. You saw to that, and very effectively so. A thousand years on the run from you, never able to get too close to anyone for fear you might take them from me. Three siblings who hated me with every fiber of their being because I could not give them what they needed. Brotherly love and protection. But then you were gone. There was a chance at happiness, a possibility to find a mate and make peace with my brothers and sister. A chance at a bloody life! And here I am – Caroline is gone, my siblings will be soon and I am left with nothing. As always. You are well aware that loneliness has always been the one thing I have dreaded the very most. So what more could you possibly hope to achieve?"

"Touching, Niklaus. I agree with you on most points. Nevertheless, you are a survivalist, which is the one positive trait I am willing to grant you. Therefore, I have no guarantee that you won't stand up one day, shake off the dust and carry on. But this time, there is a difference. You loved your brother, you loved him very much indeed. It nearly broke you, but you recovered to a degree. That girl, however, was your one fatal weakness. Apart from your infamous impulse, of course. Her death hurts you beyond belief, but you have always known that there are worse things than death. With her not-quite-voluntary assistance, I am going to break you in ways you can never hope to mend. That, Niklaus, is what I will achieve."

Mikael was speaking in that low, subdued tone that had always set Klaus' teeth on edge. He tried to suppress the fact that his stepfather was actually right. Caroline was his fatal weakness. But there was that quiet, pearly voice in his head that told him that she was also his greatest strength. He would face whatever there was to be faced. For her. For them.

Still… something burned inside him. A thousand-year-old question. Why? What had he ever done to his stepfather that he hated him so absolutely? He remotely understood all the abomination rubbish his parents had been going on about, but Mikael had hated him ever since he had been a little boy, giving him nothing but the feeling of being unworthy of anyone's affections. And Mikael had excelled at it. Ever since Klaus' first coherent thought, his stepfather had let him know in a hundred different ways that he was the lowest form of existence to ever disgrace the planet.

"Can I ask you a question, father?"

Mikael lifted one corner of his mouth in a cruel grin. "Of course, boy. You know you can always ask me anything," he sneered.

"Just out of curiosity – what is it that nourished this undying hatred in such a way that you had your own son slaughtered only to get to me? That you bargained your return from the other side with the sole purpose of haunting me again?" Klaus demanded, deliberately giving his voice the haughtiest, most arrogant timbre he had in his repertoire. That was what usually got Mikael's back up. "And please do not bore me with the 'aberration of nature' routine. It gets old."

"You are an aberration of nature, Niklaus. So are your siblings, but you are a different caliber entirely."

"Thank you for making me feel special after all," Klaus scoffed with a superior grin. And he was not disappointed when Mikael's eyes narrowed and his voice turned into a mere hiss of rage.

"Ever since I first laid eyes on you I knew you were nothing but a misbegotten little piece of filth. Had your natural father ever seen the result, I am certain he would have agreed with me that spilling his seed on the dirty grounds would have been preferable to planting it in your mother's womb."

Klaus blanched.

"You have never been anything but a coward, Niklaus. In battle, in life, in everything. It disgusted me to just lay eyes on you. Having to raise you as my own, making everyone believe that something as pathetic as you had actually been born to me was unbearable. There is nothing you have ever said or done that has not been utterly disappointing, and that is putting it mildly. Even your mother grew to loathe you, Niklaus. You can't even begin to imagine just how many times she regretted letting that animal put his paws on her in the first place." He paused. "Your mere presence forced me to hate your mother. And the way your siblings did not seem to want to cast you out forced me to hate them, too. You are the reason behind every ounce of hatred I have ever felt. I look at you and I see nothing but foulness, Niklaus."

For a moment, none of them spoke. Klaus spent another few seconds with the painting until he could be sure he had his voice under control. "Is that so?" he asked with a sarcastic smile. "And there I always thought you hated us all – me especially – because you lost so much precious face when your wife let herself be repeatedly screwed by someone other than the oh-so-mighty Mikael Mikaelson. Was it performance issues, then?" he snickered, mock compassion dripping from his voice.

He saw Mikael's fist coming but he did not flinch as it crashed into his face. Blinking a couple of times, he grinned widely. "Methinks I hit a nerve there, did I not, old man?" Then he sobered and met his stepfather's eyes with the same passionate hatred he saw in the older man's face.

"Henrik was your son! Your flesh and blood," he hissed, working hard on subduing the impulse to tear Mikael apart with his bare hands and throw his remains to the scavengers.

Now it was his stepfather's turn to let a cruel grin spread over his face. "He was not."

"What do you mean?" Klaus demanded, honest confusion written all over his face.

"Henrik was just another product of your mother's penchant for mindless fornication. He was fathered by the same disgusting creature that sired you."

Klaus' eyes widened, but he saw that Mikael was telling the truth. Suddenly, he burst into laughter. Staring at his stepfather, he laughed and laughed, so hard that he was afraid he was going temporarily insane. He didn't even notice Mikael throwing another punch in his face. He just continued laughing. After a while, he managed to get a hold on himself. The news had not quite sunk in yet, and he figured he needed some quiet time to wrap his head around the fact that Henrik had not been his half brother after all. Still gasping, he spoke again.

"She chose him over you again? After everything she went through at your hands when you found out about them the first time around? After she had me? I am sorry, father¸but you have to admit that there is a certain humour to this, don't you think?"

Mikael had regained control over himself. He even gave Klaus a small grin. "Maybe so. But it has not given you much to laugh over the centuries, has it, Niklaus? And I do wonder how amusing you will find the sight of your little blonde plaything once she no longer looks like a plaything at all."

Gritting his teeth, Klaus reverted to counting the number of rowers on the grand launch in the painting.

"I am finished," Prelati's voice came from the table where he had been hovering over the goblets containing the ingredients for the complicated magic he had just performed. Elijah and Caroline had been sitting on the ground behind him so as not to disturb his concentration. Neither of them had spoken during the past hour, and neither of them had moved.

Now Elijah rose and walked over to the table, taking a quick look at the utensils before him. With an almost bored voice, he said, "I am confident you have done your best. Having read a thing or two in your grimoire, it was clear that you did indeed perform the requested spells and have not tried to trick us. Very good. Part one of your bargain is herewith fulfilled. Now you will go to my father and get him to come here. Play your part well, warlock, for your own good. What I forgot to mention earlier is that my brother has recently acquired an old Brazen Bull and is yet to try it out. So you might not want to put yourself up as the prime candidate for that."

Caroline saw all colour drain from the warlock's face. What the hell is a Brazen Bull? We are probably not talking rodeo here… Whatever it was, it did have quite the effect, as Prelati stammered, "Of course, sir. I will stick to the agreement we reached."

"Then all is well. Go now."

Prelati nodded and Caroline got up to remove the duct tape that had bound his legs to the chair. Elijah followed him on the heels and said, "Caroline, hide in that corner over there. Look very frightened once he comes for you."

"That won't be too hard," she whispered. The Original gave her a quick smile.

"You will be just fine… sister."

Caroline's eyes popped wide open. A sudden warmth spread through her chest, but she could not think about Elijah's words now. Later. She flashed into the corner he had indicated. Elijah left the door open so she could hear what was going on. She listened carefully to Mikael's hard voice.

"Ah, Prelati, right in time. The family reunion was getting somewhat tedious. Did everything go as planned?"

"It did indeed, sir. Will you…" Caroline held her breath. Would he…?

"What is it, warlock?"

"She is just awakening. My strength is not enough to bring her here against her will. I cannot give her headaches for the moment as I will need some more time to recover before doing the next spell. Would you therefore mind, sir, collecting her yourself?"

Then there were footsteps, and Mikael commanded, "Stay in here. Reconfirm the immobilization spell. I will be right back."

Here we go. She concentrated on breathing a little more harshly than normal, which wasn't much of an effort, given how scared she actually was. She hovered in the darkest corner of the cell, waiting. It didn't take the Original long. The door crashed open further and Mikael appeared with an intimidating expression on his face. He stood there for a moment, then he held out his hand.

"Miss Forbes, such a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh. And so very much alive at that. Shall we, then? I believe there are two other men very eager for you to join them."

Caroline pressed herself further into the wall. She had to put up some resistance, otherwise she would not be credible. "You can go to hell, for all I care," she snarled. Mikael was at her side in three big steps, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. She struggled against his hold, kicking and fighting with all her might. Mikael chuckled.

"You are aware that your efforts are futile, are you not?"

"And are you aware that I will fight tooth and nail, however futile it may seem to you?" she spat.

"Contrary to my stepson," he said pleasantly, "you do not seem to be a coward. You are very spirited, Miss Forbes. And very beautiful. I can see why he fancies you."

"Is that so?" Caroline countered with her most venomous voice. "I for one can't even begin to understand what your wife ever saw in you. Which is probably why the single most powerful son she ever produced was not actually sired by you in the first place."

He slapped her across the face, very hard. She fell to her knees, hearing an outraged hiss from Klaus in the dungeon. Mikael grabbed her hair and pulled her back up again. "Let that be a fair warning. You should not become too spirited for your own good."

"No. I will gladly leave that to Klaus, he is so much better at it than I am," she snarled menacingly and heard a very subdued chuckle.

The moment they entered the cell, she saw him. His clothes were torn and completely covered in blood. She almost couldn't see his face under all the red. He was bound to the chair with what looked like vervained rope, but it wasn't really necessary with the immobilization spell. Her heart clenched at the thought of what he had had to go through. Mikael shoved her into the wall and was in her face within a second. His pupils dilated. Come on, Meryl Streep. Oscar up for grabs!

"You will not attempt to run. You will answer all of my questions truthfully."

Caroline nodded. "I will not run. I will answer truthfully."

She saw Klaus' eyes on her, and she saw fear in them. But she needed to play her role, she couldn't comfort him now. She let her eyes follow Mikael like a scared little kitten's and she stood glued to the spot. Neither did she allow herself to check whether Elijah was really hidden in the alcove.

"Well, Niklaus, are you not happy? You can finally introduce your girl to your stepfather and ask for my blessing. Is that not how things are traditionally done?" Klaus merely stared at Caroline. She couldn't quite read his expression, but his jaw was set and he was grinding his teeth.

Mikael smiled at her now. "Miss Forbes, tell me then – do you truly love Niklaus?"

Caroline made a split-second decision. Something told her it was the right thing to do. She made herself flinch and seemingly fight against what she was about to say.

"No," she whispered, looking at Klaus and putting a mixture of fear and guilt into her eyes, "I don't." I'm lying, Klaus! Please know that, somewhere deep down there! I love you more than my own life!

Klaus never looked away from her face and she could see him crumbling. His eyes were screaming at her – and Mikael saw it, too. A vicious grin split his face.

"Do you believe it could ever happen? Could you ever arrive at the point of loving him?"

She shook her head. "No. I could never actually love him."

"And why is that, Miss Forbes? By the way, I am indeed starting to like you." Caroline felt positively sick.

"I can't love him because he has hurt so many people that are important to me. He tried to kill almost everyone I care about. I can sleep with him, yes, but I am doing it for my protection and for the protection of my friends. Much as I have made him believe I do, I will never love him."

She held her breath as she gauged his face for a reaction. He looked so devastated that she thought she was going to black out. She wanted to scream, to jump into his arms, to tell him that she was making up the worst of lies. She wanted to die. He continued to stare at her in disbelief. And then realization was all over his face. She could almost see how he was giving up. No, Klaus, no! Please!

Mikael eyed Klaus closely, a deep satisfaction on his face. "Oh my God, look at you, boy. You actually did think she loved you! You thought that for the first time in your existence, someone cared about you, however impossible you know that to be! And the best part of this is, you cannot even stop loving her now, can you? Now, I do see the humourous side to this, do you not?"

He just ignored his stepfather. "Caroline?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. She looked at him and the tears in her eyes were very real now. "I'm sorry, Klaus." There were a few minutes of silence. Then Klaus closed his eyes. He did not open them for a long while, and Caroline could see a tremor going over his face. What was he doing?

Suddenly, Mikael roared, "No!"

And then Klaus opened his eyes. They were blank. Devoid of anything. That was when she understood.

He had turned it off.

Mikael was raging at Klaus, who was completely unperturbed. He just sat there, looking at his stepfather with mild curiosity, ignoring Caroline and Prelati .

God, please, no! Why did he do that? Klaus, please, turn it back on! Come back to me!

Once Mikael had calmed down, he started to pace the room. "Can you turn it back on?" he demanded from Prelati who shook his head.

"I am very sorry sir, I really wish I could. But no magic is strong enough to turn a vampire's humanity on or off."

In a flash, Mikael was in front of Caroline and shoved her into the wall with all his strength. Ugh! That hurt, asshole! Then he pulled her back and slapped her again, all the while his eyes never left Klaus. The latter was watching with what seemed a hint of boredom on his face. Other than that, there was not a single trace of any emotion. Klaus, please, no! I can't bear to see you like this! With a frustrated grunt, the older Original released her, giving her another shove so she landed at the wall again.

After some more pacing, Mikael stopped and looked at Klaus thoughtfully. "He will turn it back on eventually, after a few months. He is much too fond of what he does to deprive himself of the sensations for any length of time. And when he turns it back on, he will be in hell. So let us make sure he will have something to remember." He nodded to himself. "And who knows, maybe his love is even great enough to make him snap out of it while he watches. Let us proceed, Prelati. Miss Forbes will certainly be thrilled to assist, and as promised, I am giving you free rein."

"Thank you, sir." Prelati slowly walked towards the table and began to hesitantly fuss with the torture instruments. Caroline paled at the sight of the bloodied tools.

Mikael turned around and stepped up to Klaus. Standing right in front of his chair, he leaned down with a smile until his face was only inches from his stepson's.

"If you think that what you saw last time was… unsavoury, and I am reliably assured it was indeed, you might better prepare yourself. Today will mark the beginning of your descent into hell, Niklaus. One-way ticket."

"I do not think so."

Mikael's head jerked up at the sound of the even voice from the back of the room. "Elijah," was all he managed to gasp.

Which was the precise moment Klaus flew out of the chair and snapped his neck.

"Caroline, are you all right?" Klaus demanded anxiously at her totally flabbergasted expression. She nodded slowly. What had just happened? He had turned it off! He was immobilized! He was… a bastard!

"You were acting? The whole time? You were never immobilized? You haven't turned it off?" she asked in a whisper.

"Of course not, my love. I never make the same mistake twice. Always one step ahead, remember?"

He came to her swiftly, his eyes full of worry. "I am so sorry, Caroline, but I could not let you in on this. You would never have allowed me to do it, and I would have ended up compelling you."

"Klaus… you were sitting through all of this torture without moving? Purposely? And you didn't tell me anything because you wanted to avoid compelling me? Have you completely lost your damn mind?"

His eyes were soft on hers for an instant but then they hardened when a thought seemed to cross his mind. "Can we talk about this later, Caroline? There is work to do now."

He turned away from her surprised expression and walked towards his stepfather's body. Placing it in the chair, he quickly fastened the vervained ropes around his arms and legs. Elijah looked at Prelati and jerked his head towards Mikael. "Immobilize him." The warlock nodded and started mumbling a spell, with Elijah listening attentively. When he was done, Klaus flashed towards him, grabbing his arms and nodding at Elijah who shoved the table against the wall, climbed it and pushed the ashlar.

"Everyone. You may join us now if you please," he said when the wall slid to the side.

One by one, the others filed into the room. Kol was carrying Silv, and Rebekah stopped dead at the sight of their father in the chair and Klaus covered in blood that was very obviously his own.

"What happened, Nik? And why didn't we hear anything?"

"Silv spelled the cell so that it was sound proofed towards the tunnel but not the corridor. Niklaus wanted to avoid any of you bursting in and spoiling his performance."

"Oh come on, Frankenstein! Why'd you let us miss all the fun? We've been stuck in that damn tunnel for hours, and throwing stones at rats gets old after a while," Damon complained.

"Shut up, Damon!" Elena, Stefan and Rebekah said in unison. Damon looked at them and mumbled, "Okay, this is creepy."

Elijah stepped up to Kol and took Silv from his arms. She couldn't even hold on to him anymore, she was so weak. Prelati was eyeing her owlishly, apparently sensing something, when all of a sudden he burst out, "You are… hell, you are of my line!"

Silv looked at him with such disdain that everyone'e eyes widened in surprise. "Thankfully," she rasped, "this unfortunate twist of fate will be corrected within short."

Klaus said, "Kol, hold him for second, will you?" The younger Original grabbed Prelati's arms and looked at his brother curiously. In a whir of a motion, something happened that Caroline could not discern, but a split second later, the warlock screamed in agony. Klaus had already replaced the little curved dagger and wiped his hands on his bloodied shirt. On what was left of it. Everyone stared at Prelati, and then Caroline's bewildered gaze dropped to his feet and she stopped breathing.

His left foot was severed.

"My brother is a man of his word, warlock," Klaus commented coldly. "You speak out of term, you lose your left foot. That was part of the deal."

Prelati was howling with pain, but Caroline couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Damon grin at Klaus.

"Dude, that was fast," he said, something remotely resembling admiration in his voice.

Klaus turned to Silv, his voice softening. "You have one left, am I correct?" She nodded, and Klaus looked towards Prelati. "He needs to perform a spell. Can you, as your last act of magic, take his pain so he can carry on?"

Silv looked up at Elijah. It was taking her a great effort to even move her head. He looked at her and whispered gently, "Do it. I promise you won't feel a thing, and you will be back on your feet in no time." He hesitated, then he touched his fingers to her cheek. "It will not hurt."

"I know," she breathed. "I trust you. All right, everyone, I will… see you later then."

There were subdued murmurs all around when Silv started to cast her last spell. Her eyes closed, her hands opened towards Prelati and she began to mumble. Caroline saw a tear slipping out of her eye. There was a lump in her throat when she looked at Elijah's face, full of anxiety, a little sadness and quite obviously dread at what he was about to do.

The moment Silv was done, her arms dropped and she began to hyperventilate. A sudden gust of wind rushed through the dungeon, engulfing her for a moment, then spreading over the room. Everyone took a step back, their eyes on the witch. In the midst of the mini-storm, Elijah carefully lowered her to the floor, steadying her back. After ten more seconds, Klaus, who was looking into the witch's face intently, said, "Now."

Elijah took a deep breath, then he whispered, "I love you, Silv." And with one quick twist, he broke her neck.

"How long will it take, what do you reckon?" Elijah asked of Klaus, cradling Silv's body in his lap.

"Quite honestly, it is somewhat hard to say. This being-a-witch-then-becoming-human-then-being-turned scenario is new to me. I would suspect it might take a little longer than it does for humans. Two, three hours, maybe more."

Elijah nodded, then he gently caressed Silv's cheek and looked up. "Elena, Damon, Stefan – would you mind taking her back to the hotel and watching over her until we get back? My siblings and I have a few things to take care of."

Klaus shook his head. "Go with her. You should be there when she wakes."

"Stop arguing with me at every opportunity, Niklaus. Elena?"

The brunette nodded. "Of course. We'll take good care of her, Elijah." He smiled. "I know you will. Thank you."

Caroline was nervous. Klaus hadn't looked at her ever since they had first spoken, and he was strangely distant. She really didn't like it. What was going on?

Damon was idly pacing about the room. "So we're going to miss the rest of the action, too? Come on, not fair! What are you going to do with them now, anyway?" he demanded.

"Once Mikael comes to, Prelati will perform a spell. This spell will make him see a very particular episode from my memories. Furthermore, it will make him feel everything I felt at that time, and do trust me, he will not like it in the least. That in itself is not much of a punishment, but the spell will be combined with another one that will actually capture him inside that memory. For all eternity. A film on infinite loop, so to speak. He will never escape, he will never rest."

There was a stunned silence in the room until Stefan murmured, "You don't do things halfway, do you, Klaus? So what happens to Prelati when he's done?"

"We have an agreement," Elijah interjected. "He will be given his life, his grimoire and a certain piece of information."

"What?" Damon almost shouted. "You will let this asshole get away with everything?"

"I am a man of my word," Elijah simply said. "Come to think of it, Niklaus, should they not witness the spell before they leave?"

Klaus looked at his brother for a moment, then he nodded. "Why not. Warlock, are you ready? I am quite certain you do not require your foot for the spell." Prelati was very pale, but Silv's magic seemed to have worked, for he did not look like he was in pain anymore. He looked at Klaus and nodded his assent.

They waited in silence until after a few more minutes, Mikael's eyes slowly began to open. He flinched at the sight of the group gathered in room. His gaze wandered over every single one of them, briefly stopping at Elena. He was probably wondering whether she was Elena or Katherine, Caroline mused. At last, his piercing stare rested on Klaus.

"So Elijah came to your rescue. Again. Still too much of a coward to fight me on your own, are you?"

"For your information," Elijah said, a cutting edge to his voice, "Niklaus was never immobilized, nor did he ever turn it off. He endured your primitive torture methods without moving so much as a finger, do you understand that? My brother, who is lucky enough not to have to call himself your son, is one of the bravest men I have ever encountered, so you might want to watch your mouth."

Klaus shook his head. "He is not worth your breath, brother. Save it for those who deserve it."

"You were not spelled?" Mikael asked in a low voice.

"No," Klaus said evenly. "I had myself spelled against immobilization by an old witchy acquaintance even before I arrived. Her line is one of the oldest of black magicians so her spell was powerful enough to block Prelati's. But we had already established that you tend to underestimate me, hadn't we, old man? Well, let bygones be bygones. Warlock, work your magic. We will still have time enough for some more family talk once he is done, father."

Realization was dawning on Mikael's face and for the first time, Caroline detected a hint of fear in his eyes. "Prelati, you little maggot" he hissed, "whatever bargain you struck with him, he will not honour it. He has been lying, I assure you. Every word he said was a lie."

Elijah chuckled. "Oh, but that is why Prelati made a deal with me. And you are well aware that I always keep my end of any bargain."

Everyone could see the sheer panic blazing out of Mikael's eyes now. Whatever he thought of Klaus, it was plain that he was completely aware of the fact that Elijah was indeed not one to break his promises. It was just as evident that the warlock saw it, too. He immediately set to work, bustling about the table, mixing more ingredients into the goblets and mumbling quietly. When he was done, he held one goblet out to Klaus who took it and unceremoniously drank a few sips. Then he stepped up to Mikael's chair and clamped his hand around his stepfather's mouth, opening it and forcing the goblet's contents down his throat. He turned back to Prelati who was holding the second goblet to him. Snatching it from the warlock's hands, he returned to Mikael and forced the liquid into his mouth again, this time not drinking from it himself. Mikael was cussing and coughing, but he was unable to move.

They were all holding their breaths as Klaus took his stepfather's head in his hands, closed his eyes and concentrated. Oh no, he has to relive it all again! Prelati had begun to speak. They were clear, loud words, not mumblings this time. Caroline saw Elijah nod. Apparently, the warlock did what he had been told and was not trying any funny business. It went on for a very long time. A few isolated tears were streaming down Klaus' face, but he never once broke his fierce focus. After what seemed an eternity, he slowly released Mikael, who was visibly shaken by what he had seen. And felt.

Klaus retreated and looked at Prelati who nodded. "It is done. The moment his life flows from him, the images will return and he will be anchored in them for all eternity."

"What? No, no!" Mikael roared, and the sudden scream echoed from the walls of the dungeon. "What do you mean, anchored? Niklaus, what have you done?"

"It means, father, that you will never be able to see anything but these memories once you have reached the other side. You will be stuck in the vision and feel my pain without any chance at ever escaping. As everyone is so fond of calling me Caligula, I believe his most famous quote fits the situation rather well." He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was like a razor. "'Strike so that he may feel he is dying.'"

"Niklaus, I am certain we will be able to reach consensus! I will give you my word you will live in peace from now on. I will compel the little Miss Forbes again, to have her do your every bidding…"

Caroline snorted. "I wasn't even compelled in the first place, you douchebag. I was on vervain and you let yourself be fooled by an eighteen-year-old baby vampire! I'm surprised you managed to survive for so many years!"

She heard Elena's giggle, but she had eyes only for Klaus who had turned around to face her, his expression unreadable. "I suspected you were on vervain, but as we didn't bring any with us… I wasn't…" he murmured, uncertainty in his voice. My God, he really thought…?

"How could you ever even begin to think I meant a single word of that bullshit, Klaus?" she asked softly. His eyes lit up, very slowly, very gradually, until they held that little gleam she loved so much. There was still a shadow of doubt in them, but she supposed that old habits died hard.

"Anyone care to fill me in?" Kol demanded.

"No," Caroline and Klaus answered simultaneously. They looked at each other and smiled cautiously.

"Ugh, I'm going to have to vomit," Kol moaned and turned to Klaus. "What now, then?"

Klaus was still looking at Caroline. "We will proceed as follows, and I wish to have no discussion about this. Caroline, Elena, Stefan and Damon will take Silv and return to the hotel where you will wait for us. Bekah, Kol, I want to speak with you, and I would like to do it in front of Mikael. Once I am done, the two of you and Elijah will tell me whether any kind of mercy is appropriate."

Elijah was looking at Mikael with utter disgust, then he turned his gaze towards Klaus, briefly shaking his head. "You know my answer. But I will leave it for Rebekah and Kol to decide."

"Very well. Elijah?" He jerked his head towards Kol. Elijah pulled the roll of duct tape out of his jacket and tossed it to Kol, nodding towards the warlock. "Tie him up, brother. Then go get the stack of white oak wood from the end of the tunnel and pile it up in the grand hall. See to it that you find a stake to burn him on."

What? But hadn't Elijah said…?

"No!" Prelati's voice squealed through the dungeon, "No! We had a deal! You promised me my life if I helped you!"

Elijah looked at the panic-stricken warlock with complete serenity and shrugged. "So I lied." With a perfidious smile, he added, "Sometimes, breaking one's word is the honourable thing to do."

Everyone except Klaus stared at the oldest Mikaelson brother in astonishment until Damon began to laugh and dropped his head on Stefan's shoulder.

"Hold me, brother! My world is in shambles! He lied!" Stefan grinned and pushed his brother away. Caroline heard Elena mumble, "You are such a jerk, Damon."

Meanwhile, Kol had bound and gagged the screaming Prelati and shoved him into a corner. Then he gestured towards Damon, "Come on, make yourself useful."

"That is more than could ever be said of you," Damon commented dryly but followed Kol into the tunnel to collect the wood. Once they returned, they went upstairs to pile it up. Stefan gathered Silv from Elijah and nodded at him, then he looked at Elena and Caroline. "Let's go."

"Be right there," Caroline murmured and motioned for Klaus to follow her into the hallway. Once they had reached the corridor, she put both hands on his chest and looked into his tense face.

"You are going to tell them."

"Yes. I want them to know why I am doing this. They don't need another reason to hate me."

"None of them hates you." She paused. "What you are planning to do to him is very cruel, Klaus," she said firmly. When he started to speak, she held up a hand. "But you should do it anyway."

Klaus stared at her incredulously. "What?"

"He caused nothing but evil, violence and death. He made you go through hell, and he made your poor brother go through hell. He was cruel to his wife – not that the Original Bitch had anything on him when it came to cruelty – he hated his children and he did not give any of you a moment's peace for a thousand years. There is nothing left in him but hate, and that fact will never change. Payback time."

He shook his head in disbelief. "I created a monster."

She gave a little mirthless grin. "You knew I would come back, didn't you? You and Elijah had this whole thing planned based on that."

Now he gave her the first real smile she had seen ever since they had left their room earlier that evening. "You have a helper syndrome, my darling. It makes your actions rather predictable. I had a feeling you would never really leave and at some point, I had decided to actually compel you, which was when Elijah made me consider including you in the plan. As you can imagine, I didn't want to hear anything about it, but my brother did have a point – if we kept you close, you would not do anything rash, and one of us or both would always be close enough to protect you should things not have gone as predicted." He paused, and she could see the fear in his eyes. "Please forgive me, Caroline. I hope… I hope you know I would never have let any harm come to you. Never, my love. For no plan and no revenge in the world."

Caroline shook her head. "I didn't want to be left out in the first place, if you care to remember. I wanted to be at your side. And you should have told me what you were planning to do." She started to leave when he said, "Caroline."

Turning around, she saw so much anguish on his face that it melted her anger instantly. What he said next made her forget the world.

"I am so sorry for ever doubting you when I should have known better. It seems I still have a way to go until I can fully believe that you truly love me the way you do." He paused and looked at her very earnestly. "I have always said that love is a vampire's greatest weakness. But I was wrong. My love for you is my greatest strength."