A/n: Edited on 12/26/2015.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Rolling In The Deep

Outside of New Orleans...

Past - February 20, 1910

As she slipped away into greatly needed sleep, Caroline floated into the familiar world that she called her own. Nothing could taint it; it solely remained hers to do as she wanted. Relief flowed through her mind making her feel more at ease. Right now, she just wanted the silent darkness to lull her into deeper sleep, however, implanted trepidation and anxiety overshadowed relief when an unwelcome, familiar presence drew closer.

She could sense his presence in her mind, his blood called to her unwillingly through the bond. The comfortable mindless darkness around her developed more brightly into something else as it took shape, walking still in her dress from before, she wondered slowly trying to find her way through the dark maze. All she saw was the dark forest that towered menacingly over her with thin dark arms seeming to grab her at every turn. The fog settled around her, masking almost everything around her creating the perfect place to hide. Looking up to the starless sky, she searched for any source of light to go by. To add to the already eerie atmosphere, instead of the gray silver moon above her was a dark gold, almost a blood-red haunting harvest moon.

Blood red. How fitting…

"I know you're there." Caroline chanced it, taking her nightmare head on. There is no way she was going to let him win without a fight. This was her territory. Not for him to invade and suck the life out of her like a foreign parasite.

The wait became agonizing. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days. Before she know it, an eternity seemed to pass by while she waiting in darkness. Somewhere among the mist, Klaus roamed freely as he stalked Caroline as his prey, the bond between them made it all too easy for him to find her, ensnaring her into his trap that drove her further into her will not to fall. She proved before that it wouldn't be easy targeting her.

"Hello love…" he whispered behind her neck in the dark.

His spoken words sent goose bumps to grow all along her skin. Large hands snaked their way to her waist, dangerously perching along edges of her hips. It took all she had not to release a sound as he rested his head on her shoulder, and her mind kept screaming at her body not to give into him.

"You're not supposed to be here," she pointed out.

"Brave of you to say those words." He closed the distance between them. "Though it's obvious who has the upper advantage."

Caroline frowned, how long was she able to hold up through this? Never in her life have any of the encounters with Klaus ever drained her so much. The Klaus that she knew to some degree where she was initially from wouldn't have done this. Sure, it still didn't change the sadistic and emotional outer coating everyone saw, though deeper underneath it all, held the small bit of humanity he retained as she saw up close and personal.

This had to be over soon. "Does it feel good for you to take full advantage of me or do you have such a need for control that it blinds you?"

Klaus' jaws clenched as his anger boiled, how dare she! The sheer impudence of this trifling wench knew no bounds. His hands became absent from her hips and grabbed her shoulders instead. He crashed Caroline with his bare hands into the upcoming tree, not caring how much damage he caused. Caroline's back was slammed into the back of a tree so hard that some of the wood splintered causing protruding little pricks of wood sting into her back. She gasped for breath, coughing to get more oxygen into her lungs.

"How dare you? Have you lost your senses? What gives you the right to make remarks as if you know me?" He yelled almost scaring Caroline to death.

"I see what's in front of me," she answered. "It's the truth."

However, he didn't want to hear any truths from her mouth. He didn't tolerate other people exposing his weaknesses as if they knew him, he didn't feel and he didn't care. No little hybrid, no matter how beautiful, was going to subjugate him on such a level.

"Your truths are obsolete to me, sweetheart. I have no need for them and neither will I let shame chain me down."

"Let me go!" She tried to demand in the most intimidating tone she could muster, but it proved worthless to him. To Klaus, it was just a pathetic plea.

"I don't think so, sweetheart." The supposed-to-be endearing pet name sounded wrong coming from this Klaus.

Everything was confusing and blurred, Caroline couldn't make sense of one Klaus to the next. Penetrating through the foggy haze of which Klaus to deal with confused her more ways than one, many facets of what made Klaus himself meshed, creating a distorted picture of a monster.

"I said…Let. Me. Go!"

Without warning, Caroline slammed her leg to the invading hybrid's abdomen, almost knocking the wind out of him. He staggered back as she rocketed away from him in quickened haste, impulsively wishing for the finish line of this dream to come to her.

Pushing her legs to their limit, she finally couldn't run anymore. The sore muscles protested from the overwork, but the adrenaline pumping in her veins made her numb to such sensations. Her rapidly beating heart went into turbo drive, no matter how hard she tried, there was little to none that slowed it down. Caroline took cover behind one of the massive trees in the forest, she clamped a hand tightly in front of her mouth, blocking the scream that wanted to escape. She held her breath in, afraid that one slight sound would reveal her hiding place, that difficulty increased as his voice haunted her.

"Hide and seek. You picked the worst time to do this, playing games isn't my sport, Caroline. I'm not a patient man." His voice echoed through the dark landscape. It didn't come from any direction Caroline could pinpoint, he was all around her.

"You really think you can hide from the big, bad wolf? It's brave of you, but a young foolish notion. I will find you, love. I have my ways." His voice resounded again slightly louder each time. A dark, evil laugh followed his words before he spoke again. "I laugh with delight as I lure you with hungry eyes. I know you can't deny this feeling I give you inside."

Caroline shut her eyes and covered her ears from his twisted words, but it was to no avail. His voice broke through the barriers just as clear, even with her ears covered and eyes closed in denial.

"I look at you with a hunter's gaze, willing you to stay. My knowing smile can bring a fierce bite, but you still don't fight."

What? Not fight? Ever since she met him that's all she ever did, battle of the fittest between conflicting emotions tore at her insides. He was the root of this insanity, it seemed to have no end to it. Around and around they would go until one of them gave in, she hasn't given in and she refused to.

"I'm up to no good with my wolfish grin. It's seductive and sweet while my eyes take your heartbeat."

Klaus was near. Her heartbeat raced, she could discern him around her, his presence overpowering Caroline's state of mind.

"You're ready to give in because I take what I want. I'll eat you up, and mine you will be. My voice is bittersweet calling out your name. Sweet Caroline, do not fear me."

However, his words seized a darker meaning. Klaus wanted fear. It was his drug. His heroin. To evoke fear in others was one of his life's purposes and one of his best talents. He had honed and sharpened it into such a weapon; it became second nature to him. Although, there was another appeal he couldn't look away from. Because of his pride, it won't let him back away from a challenge. He furthermore enjoyed winning one. In addition, this would be his greatest one yet. He was so close now. So close to achieve his goal. It was only a matter of time.

"I sing a song that insists your soul to follow. Even if you think its evil, why not embrace the sin? And now…"

His voice trailed off to eerie silence. Caroline turned her head from side to side, seeing if he was anywhere near. For a moment, she thought the coast cleared.

Three…

Two…

One…

"I got you right where I want." Large fingers encircled around her windpipe, blocking the air to come into her lungs. "Now tell me this," he asked as the digits enclosed around her throat tighter building pressure, "What is the cause of all the hatred? That shield you hide behind can only help you for so long. You know what they say, there's a fine line between love and hate."

Klaus waited for an answer from Caroline, but the sounds he heard were the strangled and garbled gurgles she emitted. "What's that you're saying, love? I can't hear you."

Caroline's eyes flashed as she strained her voice against the pressure of Klaus' hand around her throat. "…yo…it…you."

"Ah, so I'm the lucky winner. Charmed." Now that he got the answer, he was curious as to why this fiery hatred directed itself at him. Sure, he thrilled over a challenge, but Caroline never ceased adding further to the game. Klaus released her from the chokehold, and Caroline once again attempted to regain her breath. She hovered over placing her hands on her knees with the blonde tresses falling in front of her face. Caroline stayed quiet.

"Tick tock, sweetheart," Klaus goaded her as he cleared his throat. What efforts Caroline tried to pull off in denial, it was futile. He would always find her no matter at the ends of the world. They bonded for life. Only Death's hand could be successful in cutting the link, but other circumstances proved before that anything could happen while you roam around in the supernatural, especially when you're an immortal.

Caroline Forbes experienced many changes coming into a vampire. Those changes would forever mold her into the person she would become in the future. She was proud of herself and she knew who she was. Caroline firmly stood by her principles, and she'd be damned before she let anyone try to ruin that. However, change isn't always necessarily benefiting.

From the very day she met Klaus, he planted the seeds in her something foreign and difficult to understand. The very foundation and stable she always walked upon began to shake underneath her with tremors. Each time grew just a bit bigger than the last one. It always managed to crack her a little bit at a time. Before she could figure it out, each time became more monumental and harder to glue back the seams. Klaus unglued her from the firm earth beneath her feet. A side she never saw was born in her, and it scared her.

That's when it all started to click. Everything that had happened to her. Everything from beginning to the end when he had come into her life. It happened because of him.

Everything.

Slowly, Caroline stood up straight with her head still bowed. She raised her face, looking directly into those ocean blues after a storm. A wicked gleam appeared in her eyes. "Oh, did I make you wait too long? Completely my fault. Oh, how I must repent."

"Caroline…" He said her name coldly.

A finger raised, she jabbed it onto Klaus' chest saying, "It's you…it all happened because of you!"

"Enough of this, love." Klaus warned, trying to hold off on his temper.

"No! You listen to me for once! This is my mind you're invading so frankly I can damn well speak when I want to! And for God's sake, stop calling me by that name, you psychopathic jackass!" She exasperated, her nerves going on fire. "You do things to me that I can't even imagine! You're trying to alter me into something that I- God! You know what?! I don't care anymore. I swear, you may have poisoned me with your dark crap, but you're not going to make me weak. I'm not going to stoop to your level! I don't care about this "blood bond" mumbo jumbo that's between us. After everything, I don't want anything to do with you! You're NEVER going to make me feel anything for you!"

"You tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night." There was the crueler and harsher infamous smirk Klaus owned. Her feelings on the matter were the least of his problems. "We're in this situation whether you like it or not."

Angry and frustrated tears built up in her eyes. "Didn't you hear anything I just said?! Seriously?! You're impossible!"

"I can't be impossible, Caroline. I exist."

"Jesus Christ, can you just shut up?!" Caroline shouted almost ready to crack. This Klaus was more trouble to deal with than the present Klaus.

"No, and neither will I ever be silent. We are bound to each other, Caroline. Denial is not going to get you anywhere, but if that's the company you insist in keeping then it's not my problem. No one is here is going to ease your suffering and I'm not going to be used as a balm. I might as well use some the bond's benefits. Perk up, love. It won't hurt long." The immortal bared his fangs diving straight for Caroline's neck. Sinking his teeth into the soft tissue, the luscious unique taste of her blood consumed him.

Caroline screamed, but no sound came out. As he drank, her energy seemed to slip away with each passing moment. She fought on with each fighting breath she possessed, but it proved to be difficult, as her will seemed to fail. The nightmare would never end.

"Caroline, wake up!"

Jean's voice broke through the dream causing Caroline's eyes to widen open. Tears came streaming down her face as she saw everyone gather to find out what was wrong. Even Rebekah and Kol were curious as well, but she gasped in terror seeing the monster that had been haunting her dreams for real.

"Get away from me! Get away from me!" She screamed, trying to flee away.

"Caroline! Caroline! It's all right. It's me." The werewolf struggled with great difficulty to calm the hysterical girl. Jean was never the one to calm someone. Usually, Jean was the reactive one in the blaze of things, but in the midst of this, she knew that it didn't matter now. Seeing Caroline in such a mess stirred something in her heart, urging her to try to bring some closure between the two.

Not caring of any peering eyes staring, Jean scooted closer to Caroline and brought her arm across Caroline's shoulders bringing the crying female hybrid closer to the werewolf's unexpected embrace. "I'm here, Caroline. Shh, I'm here."

Caroline didn't care about what was going on. She welcomed the consolation that her old friends neglected to give her. She was stuck here and nothing can change that for now. Caroline sobbed hard with her body shaking and trembling like a leaf. As the werewolf held her, something familiar and dark festered inside of Jean as her eyes found the cause of Caroline's panic-stricken state.

Adelaide saw this too, and she knew this had to be deal with before it blew out of proportion.

"Jean," she said with edgier tone, "take care of Caroline and bring her to Charlene. See if there's anything you can do to help her."

But Jean didn't want to. "What the hell?! Didn't you see what the bastard-?"

"I saw what he did, but there's no place for you and your temper here. You'll only cause more harm than good. Now, take Caroline to Charlene before I take the switch to you." Adelaide demanded, her eyes fixed on Klaus with menace that she only reserved for certain people. God help Klaus because he brought this upon himself, and Adelaide never goes back on her word.

"Fine," the werewolf answered, begrudgingly relenting to her elder's will. Jean held too much respect for Adelaide, even when she rebelled somewhat, she usually obeyed her like a parent. Knowing how ugly the situation was going to get, she slowly pried Caroline away from the room. She stood up from the bed and helped her up. Jean recognized that same weary gaze in Caroline as the hybrid stared in fear for Adelaide.

"You listen to me. Adelaide will be fine. Don't worry about her, she can hold her own. Come on, let's get you out of here." Jean insisted in a whisper, escorting the distraught blonde girl out the room.

Caroline stayed silent, but slowly nodded to her, shocked to see the werewolf coming to her aid. Willingly, she let Jean guide her away from the bedroom. She was determined not to let herself give a second fleeting look to Klaus.

The witch hadn't forgotten about the other two Originals who watched what was transpiring, and the last thing they needed was for them to get involved. "Rebekah...Kol...this matter doesn't concern you. Leave..."

"Excuse me, but since when do I ever listen to you?" Rebekah remarked stubbornly, hating the witch bossing her around.

"Don't make me prove to you why, Rebekah. Kol has already been subject to my magic all too many times. You don't need to become the next." Adelaide was too tired to deal with the squabbling.

"Rebekah, she makes a good point. Leave before you have to deal with me as well." Klaus spoke curtly, not needing his sister involved in this either.

"Come, sister. We'll hear more about this in the morning. It is rather late." Kol grabbed his sister's arm despite her protests leaving the only two left in the room.

Once the door clicked shut, the Creole witch's anger finally showed itself. "Are you out of your ever-loving mind?! What did you do to her?!"

"Simple," Klaus bragged proudly. "We were just getting to know each other."

"Your definition of it was way different from what I could tell. And for you to make Caroline this upset is crossing a line, Klaus, especially by going through these sort of means. I don't need to explain to you how delicate Caroline's case is." Adelaide didn't know of how Caroline's interactions were with Klaus in the future, but as a woman, she could tell that men weren't easy. And Caroline was entangled with one of the most complicated messes of all times.

"You will not dictate to me on how I act." He warned her of a line she was about to cross.

"Let me refresh you on something, Klaus. Remember the last time a situation between you and Caroline came up. Do you not remember on what I told you last time?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I wasn't going to be pleasant if this happened again, and look what happened. You brought this upon yourself." Adelaide flexed her fingers that were next to her sides, her power flowing into them steadily. The fearless spark in her brown eyes that took over was Adelaide as a witch coming out. The Creole witch barely moved her fingers, and a loud crack sounded between them. Klaus let out a bit back groan at the pain, staring down at his broken hand as if in disbelief. When he turned back to her, popping his bones back together, his eyes were dark and devilish.

"Know your place, witch. My patience is not infinite." Klaus said, looking dangerously into Adelaide's eyes with a warning.

"My patience isn't either, Klaus." Adelaide replied as her power finally came into full swing. "But I think can make an exception in your case as seeing my actions won't make you realize."

This wasn't missed from Klaus. This was only a preview of the witch's power, she was only getting warmed up, even if that's the right description for it. The Original had little to think. He knew that she wasn't as young as she appeared to be with her age as if in her late thirties. Klaus didn't know of her true age, and probably no one else did either, but the fact still remained. He couldn't let her get in the way of what he had planned. He still needed her alive, but not like this. But, still? Why did she suddenly stop?

"Do explain, Adele. You have me in the dark here." The Original vampire looked at her in confusion.

"I'm not blind as to seeing what's going inside of you." The witch explained vaguely, sidestepping Klaus and straightening up the bed that Caroline had made a mess on.

"That answer doesn't get us anywhere, witch." He remarked with a bit of smirk.

Adelaide rolled her eyes, but narrowed them once she glanced at him again. "I'm not blind in how you are with Caroline. They maybe small and not have a name to you now, but it still has an effect on you. She has an effect on you."

Adelaide's magic wasn't going to be the hurtful blow that would affect Klaus.

Klaus called off her bluff. "You lie."

"Would I really lie? Tell me, Klaus. Why would I lie to someone who could kill me in an instant if he wanted to? Hmm, you tell me." And she knew that he knew she was right to some degree on what's going on. "And whether you believe it or not, this mishap already complicated things to your difficult situation. Like I said before, it's not me that will really hit the nail on the head. It's someone else, and she's already in a state. Think about it."

{Louder Than Thunder}

Mystic Falls

Present -February 14,2011

It was a beautiful day outside in Mystic Falls. Blue skies on the horizons never brought a cloud in sight. The plant life gathered more energy and color with verve. More and more of the small songs of birds began to bring morning music with subtle signs of spring coming. The air slowly became less chilly and warmer as the days went by. A small sign it maybe, but spring was surely coming at a slow pace.

Elena was grateful for a new change heading their way. Almost a month since Caroline's death, and nothing was the same again. The same brightness that shined in Mystic Falls diffused from the once vivid fire to dying embers. Only Caroline had that brightness. No one else could copy or have exactly what Caroline had.

Not all was well in paradise. The rough patch between Elena and Damon brought uneasy tension between them, and she honestly didn't know what to do. Therefore, she decided maybe a day without each other would do them some good.

She drove her Ford Escape up to her old house to pick up a few things to bring back to the Salvatore mansion. As the sighting of her house grew closer in view, nostalgia clambered to her insides. Elena knew that she had to be a better person. A better friend. A better sister. The way things were lately, Elena felt she had neglected to see how the others were. She was thankful Matt was there for Jeremy. From the last time she talked to them via text message, they were just finishing training with the crossbows and other provisions for when Klaus cooked up something new. All of them focused on something else to try to move on past Caroline's passing.

Everyone took Caroline's death badly. All of them affected by it, they couldn't escape the lingering hallow emptiness. Even the ones who said that they never cared were feeling it. There's no point in trying to change it now. What's done was done.

Getting out of her car, Elena headed to the front door of her old house, fiddling with her keys as she went. When she found the right one, she slid the key into the keyhole with it fitting perfectly.

"Elena…" a voice whispered like the wind.

The vampire dropped her keys with a slight jump in fear. Who could be calling her name? It had to be a hallucination. Looking from side to side, she saw no one around the front of the house. Shaking her head, Elena decided she was just hearing things. The grief must have affected her more than she realized. Elena resumed with before and finally got inside of the house. The inside of her house was spotless as if the evidence of Caroline's death had never happened.

Something wasn't right.

"Elena…"

The voice repeated Elena's name again, surer and more definite. Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked confused.

"That's something you're gonna have to answer for yourself." There it went again. The voice in her head resounded confirming Elena's suspicions. "So, this is the sweet, naïve and innocent Elena I was told about. Hmm, just what I thought. Personality that is about as flat as a board, but it's worse than that now that I've seen in for real."

"Who are you? Why are you in my head?"

"You ask way too many questions, but that's why I'm not here."

Elena scoured every possible place of where this person could be hiding. Still, nothing came out. No squeak or creak could be heard even with Elena's vampire hearing.

"And if you look to your left, you will see why you're the reason another Original got burned into a vampire flambé."

The scene before Elena's very eyes changed and transformed to the aftermath of the death of Kol Mikaelson. His black charred body laid on the wooden floor covered in soot, ash, and dust. The scent of burned flesh invaded the air making breathing almost impossible with the smell about to suffocate her.

"Oh, God." She gasped covering her nose, shielding her nostrils from the foul stench.

"Don't get squeamish and pathetic on me now. Death is guaranteed whether you're a vampire or not, and you're still not used to it? God, kids these days." The voice muttered.

"I've only been a vampire for a little while. It's not easy." Elena explained, trying to use an excuse.

"First lesson in Life 101: Life is never easy, and it ain't going to get any easier anytime soon. Get over it."

"You don't know anything about me or about my life!"

"I know enough to see what's been going on. Everyone is guilty of dark acts in their life yet you walk around as if you're a holy saint. That's not the way it works." The voice replied. "I was there when I helped to pick up his body and bury him. He wasn't the only one you killed. Think of the others you sent to their graves just for an escape route from your problems. No matter how much you deny it, you still did the dirty deed. You helped in his demise."

Yes, she did kill him, but it was necessary. Others would have done the same for to get the cure.

"Why am I even talking to you like this is a casual conversation? You don't know what I've been through. You never lived my life. You never knew the problems I am dealing with now. Besides, you've been hiding this whole time. Come on out and stop being a coward!"

She felt a shift in the air, and it made her skin crawl. A harsh wind blew through the front door of the house, whipping Elena's hair into her face. Elena watched in scared fascination as her dream changed into a nightmare in front of her eyes. Rumbling of thunder rolled and cracks of lightning lit up the sky. The once blue and cloudless sky altered with dark clouds that flew in with hurricane winds clawing and scratching everything they came across. Rain pounded against the rooftops. The downpour rained down more in volume as the storm brewed further, even causing a few trees to fall down in their wake.

Despite the loud storm that never ceased, the voice came again, still clear as ever. "Who said anything about hiding?"

A howl pierced the sound barrier. Elena's eyes shifted to the sound of the howl, gasping at the center of the cause. She backed up staggering in her steps. There standing in the middle of the road was a familiar creature. A wolf. Its russet pelt was wet from the furious torrent as the wind thrashed against it. The wolf's black claws scraped the ground as it stalked slowly like a predator with the vampire as its target. The lips of the muzzle peeled back showing sharp canine teeth, salivating for blood. Its glowing eyes never strayed from its goal even with the chaos happening around it. It picked up pace from walking, to trotting, and then to a full scale run springing into action.

Elena turned around and ran in the other direction with the wolf in pursuit. Not aware of the environment changing again, the once cozy feels of her old home modified to the damp and wet Lockwood tunnels.

Elena kept running as fast as she could, trying to escape the wolf snapping at her heels. The tunnels seemed endless with no finish line. No way out.

"You have the nerve to call ME a coward when your actions prove something else entirely. Bad move to make, Elena. Now, you've really gotten yourself in a bind."

She had a hard time ignoring the voice as everything edged into overdrive. The wolf's pursuit of Elena fell silent. Elena stopped in her tracks and slowly peered behind her back. Nothing was there.

The urgent need to escape took over as she continued to run through the tunnels looking for a way out. Then a resonance of many sounds reverberated off the wet and clammy walls. Wolf howls, snarls, and barks echoed during Elena's trek. Many of the sounds interlocked making them become distorted and harder to discern as Elena heard it all.

"You really think you can actually get away with this? To walk away as if you were innocent?" A dark chuckle emitted throughout the tunnels. "That's not how it works."

"Where are you?!" Elena screamed.

Silence was her only answer. Elena ventured on through the tunnels, trying to do everything possible to get away. The voice picked and picked at her with no mercy.

"Come out, come out. You can't hide from me forever."

As she ran through the dark damp Lockwood tunnels, she had come across the warded area where she had hid from Rebekah before. It was perfect! That ought to do the trick.

"Finally…" she voiced her inner relief, but that relief would prove to be faulty as an invisible wall blocked the entrance.

"No! No! No!" Elena kept banging on it with both of her fists, struggling against the barrier. What was going on? Why couldn't she get in?

"One, Two. I'm coming for you."

The brunette vampire spun around in fear, frantically looking everywhere to find the voice. Where in the hell was it? The insanity Elena brought herself into fed the nightmare's terror. She sunk to the ground as she huddled back to the corner of the wall and the barrier until the cold chill of the wall stung against her spine. This manipulated reality was something else entirely. Only one person was capable of twisted thoughts like this, but she hadn't seen him. This was someone else.

"Three, Four. You better lock your door."

The temperature dropped making the air more cold and chilly to the bone. Never before had Elena felt so much dread in her life. Not since the problems with Klaus trying to kill her at every turn had come to some sort of stand still.

"Five, six. Better grab some sticks."

Terror gripped her heart with icy fingers as the voice came closer within earshot. How much closer could it get to her?

"Seven, eight. Better evacuate."

She closed her eyes tight, wrapping her arms around her knees. Elena hid her face into her straight brown hair as a curtain, waiting for the blow to come. It never did, though. Everything was eerily silent. No voice. No wolf sounds.

Nothing.

Elena opened her eyes and looked up to see if anyone was around. There wasn't.

Then at the last second…

The quietest whisper came to Elena, right next to her ear.

"Nine, ten. Never breathe again."

She could feel hot breath masking her face suffocating her. A raging and bloodcurdling snarl was all that she heard as it came closer. The last thing she saw was a pair of wicked glowing eyes before the monster pounced, coming at her with its jaws.

At Bonnie's house...

As she lay in her bed, Bonnie set the journal down under her pillow for safekeeping after reading a decent sized portion. The long hours of school, her family, friends, supernatural, and everything under the sun wore Bonnie out. She was just relieved to get an ounce of sleep from moving from one errand to the next. She managed to get some spare time in reading the hidden journal she had found at her Grams' place.

Grams. Bonnie missed her so much, but she had to rely on herself now to find the right way. Her powers were still unavailable and she had yet to find a clue to how to get them back. Nevertheless, she clung on to her patience as a life raft, knowing that she would get her answer soon enough. Good things come to those who wait.

With the need of sleep overwhelming her every thought, she turned off her lamp on the nightstand beside her bed, waiting for the slumber to take over. However, as Bonnie tried to succumb to the darkness, there was something out of place. An intrusion crept in the corner of her mind.

Keeping her eyes closed, her right hand slowly felt for the aluminum bat that stood beside her bed in case for emergencies. Gathering a good grip, she swung with one hand at an angle as hard as she could; a pair of hands caught it effortlessly.

"Easy, darling. You don't need to ruin a good bat." A cheeky male, English accented voice pierced the darkness.

Trying to ignore the sudden feeling forming in her stomach, she used her free hand to flick on the light to find out who the trespasser was. The lamplight revealed who the unknown male was, but Bonnie figured who it was already.

"Kol." She let out a gasp of surprise seeing the already supposed to be deceased vampire in her bedroom. If Bonnie still had her magic, she would have already sent an aneurism his way. However, there he was standing a foot away from the bed, holding the bat in his hands with no effort at all. "You…you're supposed to be dead."

"I still am, no thanks to your best friend. And for someone who's supposed to be your friend, Elena does a rotten job." He did not attempt to hide the disgust. After all, Elena and Jeremy were the bringers of his demise. Burned him like an Original kabob on a stick.

"This isn't about Elena. Gathering from how you usually are, this visit to my dream wasn't just for you to idly chat with me." The powerless witch let go of the bat seeing that this was only a dream. He couldn't harm her and neither did he look like he intended to inflict it.

Kol inspected the old bat in his hands, taking in the smallest of details. "Small, but just the right size. Sixty centimeters in length. Not a sight of rust on there. Rucanor is a good brand for sports. You've made a smart choice."

"Why are you here? How are you here in my dream?" She demanded to the vampire.

"I can answer your first question, but unfortunately I cannot with the latter." He came closer to Bonnie, setting himself on the edge of the bed until they were within a foot of each other.

"That doesn't help much." Bonnie muttered seeing that this wasn't going anywhere.

He didn't say a thing to encounter her remark, the ends of Kol's mouth tugged into his boyish grin as he brought a hand to cup her cheek. There was little Bonnie didn't remembered from their lasted dangerous meeting. She wished she had her powers again to strengthen her resolve, but that wasn't in her favor. The Original had an advantage over her. He was the one in control or so it seemed to her. Whether this was just a figment of a dark fantasy she didn't thought to come to be or something he conjured up, it remained the same. This was so out of the ordinary. She closed her eyes leaning into his touch, her mind foggy and tired from the numerous weight piled on one another mentally.

"You still didn't answer my question."

Kol never thought that Bonnie Bennett would be related to- well, that's his secret for now. She would know soon enough. "You never miss a beat, do you?"

She exhaled the breath she was holding and removed his hand from her face. "Just tell me the truth."

Kol sighed almost sadly. "Oh, well. It might put a damper on things, but I can manage."

"Quit beating around the bush and just tell me." Bonnie said losing her patience. She didn't lose her temper often, but she usually came to the point of what she needed to say. It reminded Kol of a certain witch a long time ago.

"I'm here to pull the wool from over your eyes, let's just say. Something that can give you hints on what you're looking for." Kol explained finally after meandering about for so long. As he studied her, he recognized the similarity between-

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Bonnie interrupted his train of thought.

"You remind me of someone. A witch I knew back in New Orleans from a long time ago." The similarity between the two was uncanny. There was always a certain attraction the Bennett witches possessed that reeled Kol in like a fish on a hook. The allure sometimes can be overwhelming.

Bonnie looked at him confused. What in New Orleans had to do with her? She would have asked, but it would be just a waste of time.

"Don't worry about your magic, darling. It's not worth to regain it to bring hell on Earth. Listen to me…" He implored with seriousness that Bonnie found strange in his face. The grim appearance didn't suit him at all.

"You don't understand. I'm asking you now. Do yourself a favor and try not to." Bonnie appreciated the concern, but she knew what she was doing. This was the key of getting her powers back. She will have better control over expression. She will overcome this.

"Then maybe I should use another means of persuasion." Kol said in a husky tone.

He silently and slowly closed the distance between him and the witch. Her heart pounded with the sound of blood rushing to her ears. Even she could hear it as loud despite Kol's keen hearing as his lips captured hers in an experimental, but passionate, lust filled kiss. Kol bit her lip lightly and took advantage of her gasp as he slid tongue into her mouth, exploring every inch he could find. A moan escaped her when their tongues danced. He tasted beyond what she had ever tasted. It was unlike anything she experienced in her life.

Alas, her mortal need of breathing demanded on itself causing her to pull away, but that didn't stop Kol from changing the position of his lips to trail his own across her jaw and down her neck causing her to release another pleasurable moan.

"Listen to me…" he whispered against her skin.

"No," she responded.

Then everything changed. The caresses and pleasurable kisses vanished. They were replaced by cold, hard touches and excruciating bites.

She opened her eyes to find Klaus instead of where Kol was. He looked up at her and smirked. "I told you I would hunt you down. I am a man of my word."

That was the last thing she heard before she felt his fangs sink into her neck.