The pain was overwhelming. He could feel the splinters of the White Oak Stake edging closer to his heart, and the burning it caused with every second was nearly as excruciating as the idea that his immortal life could truly be coming to a close.

It was not the worst part of the afternoon.

She sat there, pretending to idle away on her phone, while he suffered; and while a part of him was furious at her disregard, there was another part that felt something akin to pride. She was punishing him for Tyler's mom and for the way he threw her self-righteousness in her face with the nasty business with the Witches. Caroline Forbes could be as vindictive as she was beautiful, and he would have loved the rare glimpse into the monster she tried so desperately to hide… if only it didn't hurt so much.

"I can feel the splinters getting deeper! Help me!" He moaned in pain.

"Your word first" she said firmly, although he thought he could detect a slight tremble in her words.

She wanted his word that he would allow Tyler to come back into town. As if he hadn't already been merciful with the disloyal mutt. Letting him live after he tried to kill him, after he mocked and tormented him while his brother's body lay in the next room. His fingers clenched at the reminder of the loss of Kol. He would allow him his life but nothing else. The only way Tyler Lockwood was coming back to Mystic Falls was with his head on a spike.

"And what makes you think, I won't just break my word?" he snarled at her. Her disregard cut nearly as much as the splinters nearing his heart.

She gave him a stern look.

He wouldn't break his word. Not to her. And they both knew it.

"You want to be friends?" she asked instead. "Friendship stage one. Show me that I can trust you."

He was insulted. Show her that she could trust him. What else had he been doing since her birthday? She already trusted him, or she wouldn't have dared to be so cavalier in front of him. Even wounded, there was nothing she could do to stop him if he decided to harm her.

"I saved your life…twice" he reminded her, trying to disguise the hurt in his voice.

"You also put it in danger twice."

Technically that was true. Although he never would have let her fade away in Elena's living room. His hurt and loss at the death of his brother had caused him to lash out, but he would have staked himself before allowing her light to leave this world.

"Why can't you do something decent for once?" Anger coursed through him, and he stood up in pure rage. He could tell even she wanted to take her words back but it was too late.

"Because Tyler Lockwood tried to kill me!" he shouted. Tyler had instigated their quarrel, not him. He had led a mutiny against him and tried to kill him. All while his friends were in an alliance with him to find the cure.

"We've all tried to kill you!" she shouted back, standing from her chair, her fangs descending in pure frustration. "And you've tried to kill most of us. How do you think you deserve my friendship when you've done nothing to earn it?"

Bitter anger and hurt coursed through him until he didn't know if her words or the stake had hurt him most. He allowed Caroline a lot of leeway, because while she may never admit it, she cared about him. The look in her eyes nearly screamed whenever they were together. There was a reason he called her to help him, why he trusted her with information about his weakened state. As angry as she was with him, she would never truly let him die. He could appreciate the sentiment. But he had had enough.

His rage overloaded his pain and he blurred forward, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her in the air. "Perhaps you are right, Caroline", his eyes turned golden and he snarled at her, "we aren't friends. And this dance of ours has run its course."

He gave her a mocking grin. "I've indulged you and your friends for too long, it's time I show you how monstrous I can be. Forcing the Salvatore brothers to fight to the death could be amusing. Or better yet. I could incentivize the new and improved Elena Gilbert to dispose of them herself… being staked by the woman they love would be poetic revenge after what they did to my brother." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.. "Decisions, decisions…"

—

She should be terrified. The world's strongest creature was furious with her, and even wounded his speed and strength was so far beyond hers that he overwhelmed her defenses before she even noticed him move. She was at his mercy, or maybe it was just time to admit that he had always been at hers. It was ironic she would later think. That the relationship she felt the most security with was conversely the one she fought the hardest not to acknowledge.

She ignored his threats. Despite his bluster, Klaus Mikaelson would no more hurt her than stake himself. He was hurt and lashing out, but she knew she would never feel the brunt of his wrath. Her friends, however, were another story. They poked and prodded the beast and had escaped without repercussions for so long. They had allowed themselves to become complacent to the power the Originals held. Klaus was more than capable of carrying out his threats if he so chose.

She wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't before. She was not so egotistical to think her tight dresses and sultry looks were enough to distract the immortal hybrid. She could see the knowing look in his eyes when they interacted. Part amusement and part curiosity, wondering what mischief her friends were up to this time.

Why did he not simply compel it out of them? Out of her? Reveal their plots, ensnare their loyalty and submission, even disrupt, and control their relationships. He had such power, and yet as she thought about it, he seemed to use surprisingly little of it against them. It had not occurred to her until now, to ask why he didn't. Or wonder why guilt crept up her spine at the look of hurt in his eyes.

She would never admit it, but seeing him there, sweating and crippled with pain, everything from his eyes to his voice calling for help sent pangs of an emotion she refused to identify. "He killed Tyler's mom" she reminded herself over and over like a mantra. He's a horrible, awful monster who has killed thousands of people in his unnatural life. If it wasn't for him, Tyler wouldn't be running for his life. Jenna would be alive.

Her life would be... dull… listless… lacking the sense of strength and purpose she had attained since becoming a vampire. She remembered all too well what she was like as a human. It made her cringe. Now was not the time to think of such things. When one matched wits and wills with Klaus Mikaelson, it was important to keep your priorities in order.

Her priorities were her friends. Nothing else could come before that.

Still…more flies with honey.

"I'm sorry" she said finally, trying to convey her apology through her eyes.

He met her gaze briefly before sighing and setting her down on the couch. He closed his eyes and sat down beside her. "I think it's about time we had a chat, sweetheart." he said finally, allowing none of his usual warmth to accompany the nickname. His eyes had finally opened and the look he gave her was far worse than anger. It was disappointment, pure and simple. And she felt it hit her as acutely as if he had slapped her.

"Clearly I have indulged you and your friends for too long, so allow me to address some misconceptions you have." He gave her an evil smirk. "If I wanted any of your friends dead, Caroline Forbes, they would be dead."

She wanted to refute his claim but knew it would be foolish. They both knew it was true, and the last thing she wanted was for him to feel the need to prove his point.

"Tell me, outside of breaking my curse, when have I ever initiated any conflict? On the contrary, I have been quite accommodating. I have saved your lives; tolerated your schemes and disrespect. I am an Original!" he shouted. "Ten centuries of bloodshed! Entire cities burned at my whim, and a handful of children think they can best me. They will regret spurning my generosity when I peel the flesh from their bones."

"Generosity? You killed Elena's aunt, murdered Tyler's mom! You care about nothing but your own ambition."

"Tyler betrayed me and led a rebellion to try and kill me. His mother's death was simply the casualty of a war he started.'' he growled. "As for the doppelganger's aunt, she was merely collateral damage in my quest to break my curse."

"Casualty of war? Collateral damage?" she glared at him." Do you even care how wrong that is? God! Why do I even try?" She turned to stomp away when a hand grabbed her arm.

"Don't turn your back on me" he snarled.

"I should have turned my back on you ages ago" she screamed in pure frustration.

His face fell, and despite her fury, she felt her stomach turn at the look of pure hurt in his eyes.

"If I tell you who I really am, and you refuse to believe me, then I can hardly be blamed for your disappointment. I've never hidden what I am capable of from you. But I've also shown you that I can be…more" he said softly.

"And I told you that people who do terrible things are just terrible people."

"Are you including you and your friends in that category?" he asked with a smirk that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"If you are talking about Bonnie…that just happened. It wasn't planned."

"And what about the thousands of deaths your friends caused when they killed my brother?"

Her face whitened, and he went in for the kill.

"What about Chris?"

"Who?"

"Surely you haven't forgotten the name of my hybrid. The one you sacrificed to save the doppelganger's life. You didn't hesitate even for a moment to prioritize the well-being of your friend above his. It seems we are all terrible people here, Love."

"Maybe you are right. Everyone can do terrible things if the situation calls for it. But you know what Klaus? I did horrible things to safeguard the people I love. You did it for your own selfish agenda. Have you ever done anything for anyone that didn't serve your own needs?"

He froze before letting his gaze fall on the wall next to her. He could feel they were at a crossroads now. Absently he noted that he no longer felt the pain from the white oak stake and realized that Silas had tricked him. More importantly, he could tell that his response to her question would determine the course of their relationship. Perhaps it was time to lay all the cards on the table.

"You may have noticed that I'm not exactly scouring the earth looking for Tyler, am I? And I've barely laid a hand on your friends despite their transgressions against me. Tell me, how does that serve me?"

"You tried to kill Elena before" she replied stubbornly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Elena had become the only thing keeping an immortal being capable of killing my entire family alive. Her death would have been self-preservation. Alaric would have hunted and potentially killed us all." he snorted. "Besides she was only in that predicament because your friends and The Salvatore's decided to conspire with powers they did not understand. They awoke Esther. Elena conspired to bind us together and your friends tried to help kill us after they agreed to a truce no less. I was well within my rights to kill them all."

She wished wholeheartedly that she could refute his words. She couldn't.

"So why didn't you?" Caroline screamed, finally losing her normally ironclad control over her emotions. "We both know you have the ability to take whatever you want from us. From me. So why haven't you?"

She shoved him. And when he smirked at her, she lost it and tackled him, sending them both tumbling to the floor. She started pummeling him with her fists, allowing them to thud uselessly against his chest. She was tired of this. So sick of the plots and schemes that caused nothing but pain. She hated her friends. She hated him. Nothing in her life had gone according to plan since the day the supernatural had invaded her small town.

"I don't know," he said finally, refusing to meet her eyes.

She glared at him with all the fervor she could muster. She was not so foolish.

He sighed. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful.

"I am a monster, Caroline. Have been, since the moment my mother's spell took hold on me. Hell, perhaps even before that. I am the boogeyman of the supernatural world, and I take great pride in it. You could fill an ocean with the blood I have spilled, and I fully plan on spilling oceans more." He hesitated. "However, I do not wish to be your monster. If I acted on my impulses. I'd lose any chance of…."

He couldn't finish, and she cursed the way her breath caught at his words. She had to remain strong, or his honesty would break her. He had been earnest with her before but not to this degree.

"The truth is, Caroline, that the weak can speak of things like morals and restraint, because they are powerless to begin with. Mercy is only mercy if you have the power to inflict terrible harm. I hoped demonstrating my patience and mercy would show you that evil or not, I can be more for you."

He gripped her chin gently and caught her gaze unflinchingly. "The truth is Caroline, that you were right. I am in love with you. You are the first person I have cared about besides my family in centuries. I have offered you all that I am. The good, the bad, the horrifying. Shared sides of myself that not even my siblings have seen. Tell me has anyone else ever offered you more?"

They hadn't. Point of fact no one had ever offered her much of anything when it came to relationships. Matt was a nice guy but was clearly in love with Elena. Tyler spent the majority of their relationship, if she could even call it that, away from her. He barely answered her texts half the time.

She wasn't naïve. She knew that Klaus had allowed her glimpses into his softer side. Had shown shades of vulnerability that made her feel like an evil bitch everytime she attempted to manipulate his interest in her. Hearing him actually acknowledge the feelings she had long suspected he had for her shattered her remaining control of her emotions and she leaned into his touch. Without the cover of hostility, she was surprised at the feeling of contentment his touch brought her. She could handle him when he was angry, could fend off flirtations and sweet romantic gestures with the grace of an Olympic gymnast. But the emotions of the day had shattered her ability to fend off vulnerable Klaus who was opening his heart to her. He deserved the truth at least. She stared at him for a moment before speaking softly.

"You call me fierce…strong. And yet I only feel that way with you. I've always felt like the supporting character in the drama that is Mystic Falls. Elena is the doppelgänger, the perfect one who always says the right thing and makes everyone fall in love with her. Bonnie is the super witch, and I'm just me. They don't even tell me their plans half the time. And then the day I thought I was going to die, became my birthday in a way I never expected. Somehow you saw something in me that I never saw in myself. The boogeyman of the supernatural had taken an interest in me."

Indeed, she had thought it a trick, a plan to use her against Elena. Perhaps he got his kicks seducing naive baby vampires. And yet she could not deny the coil of desire in her at the thought of him taking her. Wondered what kind of pleasure a thousand years of experience could bring her. She wasn't entirely sure she would survive it. A part of her felt it would be worth the risk.

"I was wrong that day." she admitted, smiling briefly at the look of confusion on his face. "Your mothers ball. I told you that you didn't even try to get to know people, but I was wrong. You were trying to get to know me, to show me a different side of yourself. You looked nervous…vulnerable. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I later realized how special that was. Ever since then I feel like a different person when I'm with you. When we are together, I feel strong, beautiful, and like the most important person in the world. So, I cover our interactions with hostility because every time I have to try and trick you, every time I see that knowing look in your eyes when it's time to distract you, a part of me feels like I am carving a part of my own heart out."

She wrapped her arms around him and sighed. The emotional toil of the day sapping the last of her strength. "I knew you were in love with me the day you showed up at the school to save me from Alaric. And when I realized how safe I felt in your arms, I knew that I had fallen for you as well."

He looked stunned, and for the first time slightly afraid. It was empowering. She withheld the urge to kiss him senseless… barely. "Loving you was never the issue Klaus. How could I not love the man who made me feel like a queen? Who risked his life to save me? Who offered me the world, and more importantly, offered me parts of himself that I knew were reserved just for me? If my heart was the only thing that mattered, I would have given into my desires ages ago."

"Then why?" he whispered.

"Because I am safe with you, but my friends aren't, or at least I didn't think they were. And I love them. They frustrate me. They do stupid things, but they are my family too. And I couldn't live with myself if I allowed what I feel for you, to cause them to be harmed, even if they are the ones in the wrong."

He glanced down at her. Her loyalty was one of the things he loved most about her. He could not fault her for not abandoning the people she loved. In fact, he hoped that one day she could feel the same unrelenting loyalty to him.

"Have you ever asked yourself why I would help you and your friends find the cure?" he asked.

She looked confused. "Because you wanted her human so you could create more hybrids?"

"I have no need for more hybrids. The hybrids were to be a weapon against my father. The added danger of their venom would have made them more effective against him than the average vampire, but he is dead. Useful minions though they were, I have others to replace them."

He smiled at her surprise. "Do you not remember how I came to find out about the doppelganger to begin with? My family has a network of vampires, witches, and werewolves loyal to us. Outside of your friends, few who know who we are dare to challenge us…at least not openly. Besides I can always wait a few hundred years for the next doppelganger to show up if need be."

"Then why?"

"I have no need for Elena, and at the time had no real need or fear of the cure. After all, you and your friends needed my help to even find it. I helped because I knew your friend is important to you and that you would stop at nothing to help her. I thought helping would allow me to keep you safe while providing opportunities to get closer to you. If I wanted your friends dead, I could have done that without lifting a finger. The hunter alone would have killed them."

She didn't know whether to admire his forethought or punch him for allowing her friends to risk their lives so he could have an opportunity to court her.

"I dislike your friends'' he added. "They are arrogant, naive, and completely unaware of how insignificant they are. The witch is drunk on her own power. The doppelgänger is too self-absorbed and in love with being in love to even be loyal to the man she claims to love. Stefan is a mere shadow, too afraid to seize what he wants. Damon and Tyler are both arrogant fools who do what they want regardless of the consequences, and while I have been known to do the same, the fact remains is that I have destroyed entire cities for less disrespect than they have shown me. And yet they live with nary a scratch or body part missing."

He looked down at her…promise in his eyes.

"I love you more than I hate them. And that is why I am leaving when this Silas mess is resolved. When I know you are safe, I am leaving this town because I don't think I can coexist with them much longer, without pulling out their..."

He was stopped by the force of the kiss she pulled him into. Her tongue slipping into his mouth to curl around his own. Their hands roamed and explored as the tension that had built within them for months finally found release. They kissed with a hunger and fervor that would have likely drawn blood if they had been mortal.

"Take me with you," she said a few minutes later.

Her heart was full and exhaustion from the emotional rollercoaster of the day was starting to take its toll.

"Love…are you sure?"

"After graduation" she clarified. "You promised to show me the world. I want to start with Tokyo."

He sighed. It was everything he had dreamed of since their first interaction at his mother's ball and yet…

"You once told me that anyone capable of love was capable of being saved. Do you really believe that?"

"I do," she said with a smile.

"I do not. I don't need to be saved, Caroline. You are loyal and kind, and I bask in every moment that I spend in your light, but that is not me… it will never be me."

"I don't expect you to start handing out candy to toddlers Klaus. But there is no need to remove the spleens of everyone who looks at you wrong."

"I will endeavor to control my temper, sweetheart. I just need you to understand that I am not a good person. Outside of my interactions with you and my family, I am every bit the vicious beast the world thinks I am. There is no warmer, kinder me waiting to be coaxed into the light. I am acerbic. Cruel, and revengeful. It's who I am, right to the bottom. I am neither proud of this, nor ashamed of it. It simply is. I will never harm you, Caroline. I will endeavor to control my temper and will compromise where I can, but I will not change. There is no saving me."

"But you have changed. You aren't the same person you were when you came to Mystic Falls. You've been…"

"...good to you?" he interrupted. "Yeah, for the most part. But I love you, Caroline. I consider you to be exceptional, and so I make an exceptional effort to please you. I want you to be happy. But that does not make me a good person."

She kissed him. "I have no doubts as to who you are Klaus Mikaelson. We will surely fight and argue many times throughout our eternity together. But you are wrong. You have changed. So have I. You bring out sides of me I never realized I had, and I believe I do the same to you. I don't need you to be a good person, Klaus. As you pointed out earlier, we all have a monster inside of us, and we all make terrible choices when it suits us. I won't let you prey on the innocent, but all I need is for you to be mine. I want an eternity with the one person in the world who has chosen to put me first. Can you give me that?"

"I am yours, Caroline, and you are mine. Always and forever."

She kissed him again and allowed this one to linger.

"Always and Forever. Now what exactly do you pack for a trip to Tokyo?"

Hello everyone, I hope you have enjoyed this latest addition of what should have happened. I have decided to turn it into an anthology series. This means that every chapter will stand on its own. I will examine episodes and scenes from both series and would love any ideas you have.

I also have a few ideas for some full-length stories in the pipeline as well.

Please let me know what you think.

Millennion.