A/n: Edited on 2/25/2015.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 17: Titanium Part I

Mystic Falls

Present - February 15, 2011

As time went by, the harsh winter through Mystic Falls began to loosen its harsh grip, the environment becoming more at ease to deal with. Still, there was a coldness that didn't change inside a certain hybrid's heart. That icy darkness continued to grow and take shape as each day passed. The only thing that made him continue going was the sweet taste of revenge that was so close to him. But like in any case, there was always something that went wrong. That hitch being a certain Salvatore recognized one of his secret assets essential to his plot. Now, everything was hurling into a direction he didn't want to follow. Klaus was going to have to rebound and wrap up the small wounds and fix the kinks that if not fixed in time, it could make his plan foil altogether.

Thankfully, the cemetery was empty that morning. No unwanted presences that he would have to interact and mingle. It was definitely easier this way. The worst decision anyone could make was to try to socialize with him, especially at this moment when he was at his most vulnerable. When Klaus was at his weakest, his actions tend to be unpredictable like a wild card. Most often, the Original would rely on his anger like a crutch since that was what he mostly knew. Then again, there always came a rare moment where you could see how broken deep inside he was with everything around him.

He paraded through the graves, silent as a snake slithering through the grass. With a dozen red roses in his hand, Klaus finally came across the freshly placed tombstone and grave had looked for. His face remained solid as marble, his body rigid as stone as the blue-gray eyes read the engraved writing on the tombstone.

Here lies...

Caroline Beulah Forbes

October 20, 1992 - January 15, 2011

Beloved Daughter, Friend, and Angel

Be Positive!

He briefly recalled Caroline often repeating her motto to her friends when it was she herself who had the hardest time living up to that. It's ironic, he thought with contempt. If she was so beloved just like how the wordings in the stone says, then why did he see that similar pain in her eyes that he even felt so long ago?

If she was so beloved as a daughter, her own family wouldn't have neglect her from the affection and support that's essential to a young woman growing up, vampire or not. If she was so beloved by her friends, then she wouldn't be labeled as someone to use for their own convenience. If she was so beloved like an angel, then Tyler wouldn't have been a devil and struck her down like he was in a war.

Funny how much they truly miss something once it's gone.

Pathetic.

Silently, he bent down and placed the roses in front of the tombstone. He didn't say a word. Everything he felt was screaming from his eyes. All that he kept buried inside kept clawing and scratching their way to the surface, but Klaus willed himself to stay emotionless. His beloved Caroline, her body rotting six feet under brought an image that he no longer wanted his mind to dwell upon.

Reaching out, Klaus ghosted his fingers over the cold stone. His teeth clenched tightly behind the grimace that settled in his face, everything so tight that anything could set him off.

His plans of revenge were just on the right path of succession. Without as much of a small hitch, Klaus managed to keep everything under control. That was the story of it all until one mistake threw all of it off balance.

Twenty minutes ago...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE RECOGNIZED YOU?!" Klaus roared, his voice echoing throughout the mansion in anger. His blood boiled like never before, demanding an explanation from the witch whom he hired to execute a major role in his plot. Secrecy was one of the utmost importance to make sure the plan would be smooth sailing. However, now that secrecy was thrown out of the window with that blasted Salvatore distinguishing the blonde witch in the midst of the chaos that had erupted not too long ago. "Answer me, witch!"

Charlene Davis didn't even flinch to his outward burst. She completely ignored him since she was used to the hair-triggered short tempers that wolves tend to have. Klaus was the last person the witch wanted to deal with. Thanks to his ego and pride, she now had the clean up the mess of others. Normally, it didn't bother her much but even this witch had limits, especially when it came other people she cared about taking the brunt of the Original Hybrid's tantrum. Knowing that the Originals already heal at an alarming rate, Char couldn't help but to least look after those wounds to make sure they would heal properly. That's just who Charlene was. She loved to help, and it always hurt her heart to see others hurt, even if those who were hurt aren't particularly close to her. After tending to Elijah, who was already fine, even from dropping off an almost dead Salvatore, she had come to Rebekah next.

"Hey, are you sure that you're okay?" Charlene asked in concern as her blue eyes scanned for any sign of wounds that hadn't healed properly. "Is there anything I can do?"

Rebekah glanced up to the witch, momentarily surprised of her generosity. Why would the witch want to help her after the injuries Char sustained because of her? Unsure of what to say, she just shook her head. "I'm fine, I think I'll manage."

The witch smiled gratefully, relieved that at least she tried to make a difference. "I'm glad that you are healing well. Would you mind if I asked a favor of you? That's if you don't mind."

The older vampire nodded to her, still unsure on how to react with this rare kindness given to her. "I don't mind. What do you want me to do?"

Watching the scene between the witch and his sister, the immortal scoffed in mockery. Charlene turned to Klaus, sending a well-earned glare to him. Biting back her tongue, she led Rebekah to the fallen caramel-furred wolf, who still had the knife embedded through the fur. Hearing someone approaching, the she-wolf turned her head to see Charlene and Rebekah. Still in effect on her injuries, she gave out a small whine, gesturing with her head to the silver dagger.

"Shh, it's alright," the witch murmured softly as she stroked the hurt wolf's soft pelt. "You're going to get better. She's going to take you downstairs where I'll tend to you in a bit. Besides, you always were a scrappy one."

"Let's get this out of you first." The female Original knew it was better to get it over with, and the wolf's healing capabilities will help her in the long run. She took out the blade, surprised to see as the wolf only flinched a little bit.'The she-wolf's a tough one,' the vampire thought. She gave the blade to Charlene, the feeling of guilt sitting in her gut for harming her as collateral damage in the row with her brother. Gathering her strength, Rebekah gathered the bleeding wolf over her neck, both sets of legs dangling off the ends of her shoulders. "You definitely reek, I can tell you that. Like you've been around a dead body."

That comment earned Rebekah a low warning growl from the wolf and a small chuckle from the witch.

"Thank you, Bekah."

Before Rebekah walked away with the wolf in tow, she didn't say a word, but the small smile in her face was enough of a sign of the small swell of happiness to receive genuine gratitude. Charlene felt a pang in her heart for her, seeing that bitter end of the stick Rebekah had to always contend with. Watching the wolf and vampire leave, Char sent an encouraging glance to them both, turned to the psychotic Original, who had been glaring burning holes in her back the entire time, and set the silver blade tight in her hand.

The softness in her face left, and it was replaced with a harshness that was rare for Charlene, like something that wasn't meant to fit. Twirling the dagger in her hand, the blade glinted brightly in the light, reflecting back from the expensive ceiling lamp above her. Though it may seem clean in appearance, this tool had seen enough blood and had enough of selfish uses. Meeting Klaus' hard eyes with her own, she pointed to the dagger he previously used for his own devices. "This is one of the reasons I detest working with you after all of these years. Your craving for bloodshed is only one of the many things that will lead to your downfall."

Klaus's eyes narrowed in disbelief, the gull of this woman to stand up to him when everything she held dear could be at stake. "May I remind you that you're still under my employment? You know properly of what I can do to your loved ones."

Always with the threats, that was a typical move for Klaus to make.

"The only reason I'm still with you is because one of those I love is by your side. My employment here wasn't of my choice. And though my personal goal means a lot to me, unlike you I don't let desires ensnare my loved ones to get caught in the crossfire." The witch explained, firmly standing her ground with no hint of fear. She couldn't afford it, not right now when Klaus was at his most unstable and unpredictable state.

Klaus clenched his fists, anger coursing through his veins like adrenaline, fast and furious. His body visibly shook with tremors, his hybrid features coming out. It was an all too familiar sight for Charlene, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to placate the Original's anger, no matter how peaceful she was. "You let him recognize you! You should have handled it with better care!" he blamed her, reaching out to her with great speed with a harsh slap to her face, the sound of his hand echoing.

Loud barks came from downstairs, indicating the she-wolf hearing the commotion between the witch and the hybrid. Charlene fell to the floor in a messy heap with her blonde hair falling out the ponytail and straying into her face. It was at this point where Charlene had enough of the hybrid's games. He blamed her for his plan coming apart?! After all that she had done to make sure everything with the magic to go smoothly?! He wasn't going to take her out with his emotions up in a frenzy, not over her dead body! Her temper finally snapped. Whipping her hair back and glaring at Klaus with much of an inner wrath that was rarely accessed, she brought herself up, and concentrated with her anger in place to just the right amount.

Living for over a century as a witch, the experience comes in handy. Tapping into sources she shouldn't be going towards, but the witch focused on the hybrid's legs, the sound of his bones breaking didn't faze her like it normally would with her serene soul. She wasn't going to feel guilty this time, he pushed her too far.

The immortal hybrid's knees buckled from beneath him, making him lurch forward in pain, as if he was bowing down to her. People often mistaken the witch's kindness for weakness just because of the young woman's reluctance to hurt another living soul. Charlene knew precisely where to make sure Klaus learned not to mess with her. In this circumstance, lowering himself is almost a mockery to himself. Like a royal king bowing to its servant, not that she would lower herself to that standard.

"You do this sort of magic? You use expression?" Klaus' questions sounded more like statements in his current state, the fury was still evident in his mannerisms.

"What can I say? You have a tendency to push people to the edge, including me." The powerful witch continued to use the potent magic. Rarely were there times she called upon of such forbidden power at her disposal. After the two massacres of the humans and the hybrids took place, it left a permanent mark on the earth. It left a supply of magic for any witch to tap into.

Using expression, even for a witch of Charlene's caliber, was very risky. The temptation to drown in the endless sea of possibilities could overwhelm you if you don't have enough willpower to rein yourself in. For her, it was still a grueling challenge. It also proved to her of what the cost could be. A good example of that was the young witch, Bonnie Bennett.

News travels fast when it's among other witches. Charlene had heard about Bonnie's loss of magic, her heart aching for her. Losing your magic, it's like having someone stealing away your soul, leaving you bitterly hollow and empty. That's why the blonde-haired witch only used it seldom, but Charlene always had a quieter strength that proved to have helped her more than one occasion.

"Now, you have plenty of knowledge in all of your years on this Earth." Charlene began, pacing in front of the hybrid as she kept her distance. A darker tone filled her voice as she spoke. "Tell me, what does Proverbs 16:17-18 say in the Bible? Come on, Klaus. I don't have all eternity like you may do."

Klaus remained silent in stubbornness, the only sounds emitting from him were growls and snarls of an animal. His face was tight as he glared at her with as much hatred he could muster, but the witch only saw it as the more desperate childish effort to pin his guilt onto her, to relieve himself from his own damned pride.

"Fine then, I'll do yourself a favor." Upping the scale of pain, she focused on the main vessels in his body. Instead of making them burst, she took the harder route and decided to make them constrict, which caused the Original to howl in agony. "'The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.'"

Even in pain, the hybrid managed to laugh in mockery. "So, do you think some bloody Sunday school lesson is going to help?"

"I wasn't planning for it to help you. I just wanted you to take a hint." Charlene added, bringing more pain to the hybrid as more of the tempting dark power egged her on like a demon tainting someone with evil. Watching him, it gave her a sick satisfaction that shook her to her core, but this was so long overdue. "I suggest that you get your eyes checked before you accuse me and try to make me carry your mistakes. Your so called "plan" was working just fine until you let your ego and pride go your head."

Klaus wasn't just going to lay there, groveling on the floor while she preached to him. "Silence!"

"It's too late for that now," she said darkly, ready to inflict him another round.

"Miss Davis." Elijah addressed coming towards them, "That is enough. I think Niklaus gets the message."

"No, he hasn't. Don't you get it, Elijah? He's never going to learn. He's never going to get the message. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place already in his business thanks to him. If he would have just left Stefan alone, or would have just compelled him, we wouldn't have this mess on our hands!" Charlene's voice rarely raised itself, but her stressed nerves were already heading to a bad point. The room began to shake around them as if an earthquake took place, her control slipping bit by bit. "Your brother's plan is not going to fly so smoothly now, and I'm not going to stand here letting him bringing the people I care about down with him."

The eldest Mikaelson laid a careful hand on the blonde witch's shoulder. "Charlene, you've done enough here. Go and check on her downstairs. She-wolf or not, she has been barking up a storm. Besides, I would like you to check up on my sister foremost. I appreciate your work on looking after the others. Please, go."

After hearing Elijah's firm but fair request, she had no choice but to comply. The room began to finally settle again. The claws rooted into her that expression often used once someone taps into its power slowly relented. Her darkened blue eyes resumed to their lighter color, like the sunlight coming in through the clouds after a storm. Complying on her own accord, the witch nodded to the noble vampire, relieved to be away from Elijah's brother for now. She left to go tend to the wolf and Rebekah, leaving the Klaus and Elijah to themselves.

Elijah helped to gather his fallen brother from the floor. He had watched his brother at his best and at his worst. This precarious mental state of his brother brought a great concern for the eldest Mikaelson. The combined grief of losing their youngest brother and the passing of Caroline Forbes took its toll on Niklaus, and Elijah was now seeing the repercussions of those losses. Grief can either destroy you - or focus you. It was unknown of what effect this will manifest within his brother, and as his eldest brother, it was his duty to ensure of Niklaus' safety. But how could he do his job when his sibling's reckless actions cause bigger messes to clean up each time?

"Niklaus," he addressed carefully, anxious of what his younger brother's actions will be. He laid a hand on his shoulder, still speaking, "she is right. This was unnecessary. We could have used other proper means of taking care of Stefan. There's no need for all of this mess."

Klaus gathered himself up to stand, but he jerked away from his brother's touch, not wanting Elijah's pity nor concern. This couldn't be happening, not with everything he had worked so hard for. This was his last chance for retribution. Last chance for the taste of revenge to come to him. There was nothing else that he thought of anymore. Maybe he finally had lost his insanity after his humanity was thrown into the wind? Who knows? It didn't matter anymore. It was obsolete.

"Your words are wasted, brother. I have no need for them." Klaus concluded in a tight tone, ready to bolt away from this place like a bat out of hell. There was only one place he wanted to be right now.

"Where are you going, Niklaus?" Elijah asked.

"Out."

"Excuse me?" a young and careful voice asked.

The Original Hybrid turned his head to the direction of the voice, surprised to find anyone to be near this grave. The owner of the voice was a young girl, couldn't no more than eight or nine years old. She was tall for her young age. The girl also had light curly blonde hair with painstakingly almost the same shade of blue-green eyes as the baby vampire, except hers took more of greenish-blue tint. Her eyes held an intelligence that shouldn't be there. Like the child knew what the world was really about yet she still retained her innocence. "I hope you don't mind, sir. I'm just visiting Care for a few minutes. It's on my way to school."

Though Klaus was evil in some ways, he wasn't going to lose his temper and have this young girl as another victim to it. He already caused enough damage and there was going to be more in his wake by the time he was finished with his plans. Trying to change his facial expression to something less tense. "It's all right, love. I was just on my way out. Take your time."

She giggled quietly to herself, her eyes holding a knowing gaze. "You said the same thing that my dad says to me every day, and it's always the same. He'll say that he won't stay long, but he does anyway because the pain is still there and he can't bear to part with my mom just yet."

Klaus couldn't help his curiosity at the smart girl's answer. Deciding to explore this further, he asked. "Then why are you here?"

"Because Care babysat me when my dad worked on the weekends. When my mom died, he was worried that I wouldn't socialize so he hired Caroline whenever he could so she would spend time with me." The young girl replied with a small smile, reminiscing on the past. "I guess you could say that she was my best friend. A sister maybe."

The hybrid never browsed into Caroline's personal life outside the supernatural portion, but this surprised him in a way he didn't expect. It was pleasant to hear Caroline have some happiness in her life before her untimely death. "What did you and Caroline do?"

The sound of her name coming off his tongue was more painful than the little girl realized.

"Typical girl stuff. She taught me a lot about things, gave me advice, and helped me whenever I had problems. She was the best person I knew and always will be." She said with obvious adoration in her eyes. Caroline was obviously a role model for her.

"What's your name, love?"

"Annie," she replied as she placed her own set of freshly picked winter blossoms beside Caroline's grave. Annie still felt the loss of her best friend and older sister with a heavy heart, but there was one piece of advice that Caroline always told her to keep. Always be positive, no matter what the situation was. "Are you Nick?"

Klaus' eyebrows rose in puzzlement, curious as to how the child knew. Deciding to play along, he replied. "Yes, but how would you know that?"

"Because Caroline talked about a handsome guy who had a ridiculously charming accent and never stopped getting on her nerves a lot. Since your accent was English when you spoke, I just assumed so..." the blonde girl blushed slightly as she spoke, can't help but react to the man's charm. "Those were her words, not mine."

"So, she talked about me? What did she say?" Klaus couldn't help, but request of her with an amused smirk, throwing his head back in laughter. Seeing the flush in Annie's face was amusing in its small way. A distraction might be useful for once from his trying matters of late. Sticking his thumbs in the pockets of his pants, he casually leaned against one of the taller tombstones, partaking more into the conversation. "I'm sure she had a mouthful."

"Oh, yeah." She confirmed, nodding her head. Caroline practically ranted to her about everything about Nick, though Annie didn't hear about the supernatural bit of it.

As far as Klaus could tell, the young human girl wasn't none the wiser that "Nick" was actually the most powerful supernatural being in the world next to Silas. Albeit, a very dangerous creature to be dealt with when it came to Niklaus.

"Care always told me to be aware of boys. She said that she was always careful with you, trying to keep her distance. You were always too charming for your own good. She also said something about an accent, but I don't know what else." Annie explained, trying to remember everything she could from the encounters with Caroline. "She knew, you know?"

"Knew what, love?"

"That you loved her." Those words spilled out of her mouth, unknowingly sending Klaus an invisible punch to his gut. The pain in his chest was evident. Whether it was physical or emotional, he didn't quite know. She...what...

He staggered back away from the little girl shaking his head, using his hand to hold onto the cold tombstone as leverage to keep him standing.

"What...what did you say?" the immortal asked again, unsure of if he heard what she told him quite right.

Klaus' actions didn't go unnoticed. Annie had a notion that this would happen. "Caroline always had instincts for these sorts of things, but she also told me something that's pretty true about anyone," the little blonde explained softly.

"What would that be, sweetheart?" he questioned her as he came down to her level, his patience wearing thin from the emotions he tried to keep buried. Then the little blonde surprised him yet again when Annie wrapped his arms around his middle.

"'That anyone capable of love is capable of being saved.' Those were her words to me when she told me about that."

Klaus' eyes watered for the first time since Caroline's death. Unknowingly, he hugged the girl tighter to his chest as if he clutching to her for dear life. He didn't voice the cries, but the silent flow of tears on his face were enough of a sign of his grief. Annie gladly returned the sentiment, knowing he would need it. Just like her dad did when he got like this about her mom. No words needed to be spoken and Klaus was thankful for that. It wasn't before long before the calling of Annie's name in the distance brought them back to reality.

"Oh, man! That's my dad! Nick, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I have to leave on such short notice, but I need to get to school." Annie quickly apologized, also sending him an apologetic smile as she wriggled out of his embrace. "It was nice to meet you, Nick. I hope that-"

"Do not worry about me. Go and just worry about yourself. Besides, there's a whole world waiting for you, love. Don't be afraid to go after it," Klaus advised her as he stood up to his full height, giving her a yet a piece of similar advice he gave to a certain vampire. That day seemed to happen just like yesterday to him. Time had no meaning.

For the first time since he'd seen her, the young girl's face lit up with a bright grin, lighting up the place hauntingly similar to Caroline's. "I will. Thank you!" The young nine year old spun around and skipped to the older man in the distance, which Klaus surmised as Annie's father. Klaus watched the scene from a distance with his humanity trying to claw his way back in. No, it can't happen again, he thought as he clutched a hand to his chest.

Turning away from the father and daughter sight, he glared at the tombstone with hardened blue eyes, a darkness lingering in them that resumed once Klaus stopped trying to mask away for Annie's safety. There Caroline was still dead in the ground six feet under, all because of trying to save him. Actions spoke louder than words so maybe...no. It's too late to figure that out now. Too late for anything between them.

"How dare you..." he murmured in a seething yet broken tone. "How dare you to leave me for my own goddamned sake."

She wasn't supposed to be dead. Caroline Forbes was meant for greater things, and yet this was just another reminder of loss coming to him. That's why he hated attachments with a passion. Once you have someone take a place in your heart, it leaves you open to weakness that comes with it. Caroline wormed his way into his, not even knowing it.

A secret part of his heart ached in agony for the deprived presence that could only be sated by the impossible.

"You weren't supposed to leave." Klaus whispered as he sunk to the ground on his knees, fisting the soil in between his fingers. He didn't know how long his stay over at her grave was, but it was enough to the point where he silently released whatever pent up emotion that encompassed inside of him. No one came to the cemetery, thank God. Maybe fate spared him from that torture, only for him to ready for another round.

But, not anymore. Klaus wasn't going to let his chance for retribution slip away like water through his fingers. He stood from the ground, holding his head high, his inner features of the monster coming out, an evil smirk adding just the right touch. Klaus wasn't going to back down from the fight. Just like in war, he would just have to deploy something else. Mix his strategy up.

Klaus was ready to give another go while he still had life left in him.

To be continued...