Felt like updating today, since it's miserable where I am. Thank you for the great reviews, guys! Without any further ado, here's the next installment of my one shot series.

4x16 AU. No Hayley or gross Klayley sex.

The rustling of the trees seemed soothing as Caroline walked through the woods. She had told Stefan that she needed to be alone after he and Damon stepped in to stop the would-be fight between her and Elena. Speaking of the brunette vampire, Caroline couldn't believe that she attacked her mother like that. Bad enough she was running on no emotions at the moment because she had turned them off following the death of Jeremy on the island, but that gave her no right to do what she did.

This definitely trumped what happened at the cheer competition today, she thought. Damn it, Damon, why did you have to tell Elena to shut off her emotions? Because of you, she's liable to get herself or someone else killed. Hell, she could've killed my mother, who just happens to be your friend.

"How did I know I'd find you out here?"

A familiar British accent caused Caroline to stop in her tracks and when she turned around, she saw Klaus coming out from behind a nearby tree. Where the hell did he come from? Of course, that wasn't exactly on top of the priorities list at the moment.

"Go away, Klaus," she replied. "I'm not in the mood right now."

"Is it because of Elena?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is because of Elena," said Caroline. "When has it never? Thanks to Damon and his stupid sire bond, she's now running on no emotions. The cheer competition was ruined because of her." She sighed. "I know she just lost her brother, but that didn't give her to act like...like...God, I can't think of the right word for how she's acting."

"How about a maniacal little bitch?" said Klaus. "Is that the term you were searching for?"

"Not exactly, but I'll take it," said Caroline. "God, this day has been pure hell for me, Klaus, you have no idea. Sometimes, it makes me want to drown my anger away with a bottle of good hard liquor. Either that or throw caution to the wind and feed on someone. Hopefully, someone that nobody will miss."

Klaus shook his head. "I've got a better idea." He took her hand. "Come, let's go to the mansion and I'll fix you something good to eat."

"Seriously? You want me to have dinner with you?" said Caroline. "I won't be the best company, give the day I had today."

"I can't very well leave you out here," said Klaus. "I know that you can defend yourself, but I'd feel better if we were out of sight. You know, in case Elena escapes from Stefan and Damon and decides to come after you."

Caroline wanted to protest further, but decided that it wasn't going to be worth it, so she squeezed his hand and let him lead out of the woods. Although she doubted that Stefan and Damon would let Elena get away from them, something told her that you could never be too prepared.

Mikaelson Mansion – Later...

Caroline sat by the fire, mesmerized by the flames. As she stared at them, her thoughts wandered back to the cheer competition. The memory that stood out the most was when she had taken that nasty fall after Elena had sabotaged the routine. Why did she ever let her back on the squad? True, she was the captain, but it was partially her fault for saying no. Then again, despite her vamp speed, she couldn't be two thousand places at once.

"Your silence is deafening, Caroline."

Klaus' observation just then brought her out of her reverie. Seriously, he had to stop sneaking up on people like that. She looked over and saw he had two wine glasses in his hand, as well as a bottle of red wine. He must've remembered what I said about wanting to drown my anger in a good bottle of hard liquor.

"I'm sorry, my mind must've wandered," she replied. "I told you I wasn't going to be good company."

"On the contrary, love, I think you're great company," said Klaus, opening the wine bottle and pouring the liquid into the first glass, handing it to her before pouring himself a glass. "You went through hell today, in a matter of speaking."

Caroline scoffed, taking a sip of the wine. "Yeah, like that's not the biggest understatement of the year." She sighed. "I should've told Elena no when she asked for her old spot on the squad. I get the fact that I'm supposed to be supportive of her in light of Jeremy's death and everything, but..."

"Stop right there, Caroline," said Klaus. "None of this was your fault. You didn't know that Elena was going to do what she did."

"But, I..."

"What did I just say about this not being your fault?" said Klaus. "If you're going to keep blaming yourself, I'll have no choice but to lock you in the wine cellar."

Caroline went to say something, but stopped herself. She didn't want to take the chance of Klaus carrying out his threat. Of course, he also had a point. What happened to her today wasn't her fault. She just had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"That won't be necessary," she said finally. "I'll behave."

Klaus smiled. "That's my girl."

2 Hours Later...

Klaus covered Caroline with the blanket, smiling at her. Sometime during her third glass of wine, she had gotten sleepy and stretched out on the couch and before long, she had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful like that, so angelic. He then knelt down and kissed her softly, placed a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Sleep tight, love," he whispered. "Things will look brighter in the morning."

Note: Enjoy, lovelies!