Author's note: Here's my final installment of all of my Klaroween Bingo prompts. Thanks so much for supporting me while my muse took a vacation to get extra creative with these prompts!


Prompt: "And...what are you supposed to be?"

Fire. Why did it have to be fire? Shamans used to banish her kind to the shadows. Fire still burned, but since Caroline's awakening, it no longer meant her death. She'd lived two lives at once — her familiar life as a small-town sheriff's daughter — and her other life, the one she was just discovering that hummed its secrets in her bones.

Caroline used her enhanced hearing to listen to the argument taking place in Elena's living room. To her horror, she realized that Elena had killed Kol in this fool's errand to find the cure. And now, Bonnie had trapped Klaus. Children playing with matches. Any loyalty she felt for her friends faded the moment they chose to kill the thousands of vampires Kol had sired — all for an insipid doppelganger who would never love any of them as strongly as she loved herself.

Feeling her blood sing as her monster emitted its familiar, mocking laugh, she crossed the threshold, startling the young witch who shouted, "Caroline! What are you doing here?"

She let her gaze flicker briefly to the boundary of flames that kept Klaus trapped. The hybrid eyed her curiously, the heat in his stare giving way to a wary alertness she'd never seen before. His monster seemed to sense the change within her, clearly trying to determine if she was a threat.

Ignoring him for now, she focused on Bonnie, taking a confident step forward meant to serve as a warning. "I'm here to choose a side."

"What are you talking about," Bonnie's brown eyes widened in confusion as her pulse sped up. "You're on our side, Caroline. You know this is the only way!"

A sinister cackle erupted as she corrected Bonnie, "No, I'm on my side. Also, there's always another way — especially when it's a choice between potentially unleashing an evil immortal warlock, or you know, not."

Bonnie clenched her fists angrily, "That won't happen! We've got it under control and we'll be able cure Elena. And you too!"

Klaus snorted in amusement from behind the fire, exchanging a knowing glance with Caroline that made her beast wonder what he'd taste like. From the heat in his gaze, it didn't look like he'd mind if she took a nibble. "Bonnie," she replied, slowly blinking until the blue of her eyes was replaced by monstrous black, "Even if I wanted the cure, it wouldn't work on me." At Bonnie's gasp, she realized the skin exposed by her tank top had roughened, the dark brown spots of her beast's fur starting to appear.

While Bonnie looked horrified, Klaus looked intrigued as he asked her, "And...what are you supposed to be?"

Before Caroline could answer, Bonnie backed away from her, shaking her head in disgust, "I've never seen a monster like you. You shouldn't exist," she screeched, straining to use her powers. When nothing happened, she glanced down at her hands before hysterically asking, "Why doesn't my magic work on you?!"

"Seriously?! Bonnie, you do realize there's other folklore besides the Western world, right? Stop limiting yourself to this sad little town," Caroline told her, deciding against using the charms her kind was known for to sway Bonnie's opinion. "Now, I'm going to release Klaus, so I suggest you get out of here." As Bonnie scrambled to leave, Caroline called after her, "You're a worthy enemy, Bonnie. But you'd be an even better ally. Come find me when you're ready to choose which one you'd like to be."

She felt Klaus' eyes upon her, silently searching for her true intentions. "You didn't answer my question, love," he lightly admonished, his lips curling into a teasing smirk.

"Nope," she answered cheerfully, completely immersing her hands now tipped with black claws into the fire barrier. As she used her monster's energy to counteract Bonnie's spell, she felt a deep sense of longing. Despite Klaus being a wolf, her creature still longed for a kindred spirit. Her kind typically lived in groups, and she'd been on her own long enough for her monster to be restless.

As the flames disappeared, Klaus flashed in front of her, a thousand questions dancing on the tip of his tongue, but instead, he told her with a seductive gleam in his eye, "I choose ally."


Prompt: "My favorite holiday is tomorrow: half-price candy day."

The heat was reassuring, a constant that he could control. Klaus always was methodical, in his previous profession as well as his current one. As owner and head chocolatier of Original Chocolates, he demanded perfection from his work, crafting his technique in the art of confections just as he once crafted other techniques long ago. He smiled nostalgically as the delectable chocolate pieces cheerfully began to bubble in the double boiler, recalling a time when this was one of his favorite tools to use when certain targets required motivation.

His musings were interrupted when his younger brother, Kol, stumbled into the kitchen, pretending to drop the miniature skull-shaped chocolates that he knew Klaus had spent most of last night painting with habanero-infused cocoa. "My favorite holiday is tomorrow: half-price candy day," he cheekily told Klaus, selecting the largest skull on the tray and popping it in his mouth.

Klaus rolled his eyes at his mischievous brother's antics, lightly admonishing him, "We are purveyors of gourmet chocolates, Kol. We don't do half-priced candy. Besides, what does it matter to you? You eat all of our inventory for free."

The melodic jingle of the antique brass bell alerted him to a customer and he felt his heart pound just a little faster at the chance that it might be his favorite patron. He turned off the burner, knowing Kol would get distracted and burn the chocolate. Hoping his brother was too busy being a shameless glutton in the kitchen, he stepped into the front of the shop, his breath catching slightly as he saw her familiar blonde curls. "Caroline, how lovely to see you," he greeted, secretly pleased at the blush staining her cheeks.

Caroline was a stunning blonde who'd started frequenting his shop several weeks ago, admiring each of his confections with a seemingly practiced eye as she surprised him with her clever questions about his in-depth processes. She was friendly and engaging, and her visits each week were the highlight of his day. He wanted to ask her out, and was almost certain she'd say yes, but he kept hesitating. Caroline seemed bathed in light, and he carried the burden of so much darkness. It wouldn't be fair to her.

"Klaus, I actually stopped by to see if you'd like to come to a party with me," she said, nervously tucking a curl behind her ear in that endearing manner of hers.

"A Halloween party?! Count me in, darling," Kol eagerly said as he came out of the kitchen, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Klaus spied a confectionary funnel, mentally using the stainless steel tubes to effectively cut off any further interruptions by his nosy brother.

Caroline replied sweetly, "Sorry, Kol, it's kind of an exclusive invite and I already asked Klaus to be my date."

"Fine," he huffed, his brown eyes reflecting a wicked gleam as he announced, "it's about time someone had the stones to do something about this awkward sexual tension — it obviously wasn't going to be my dear brother."

With an irritated sigh, Klaus bribed Kol with, "If you leave now, I'll prepare all of the red velvet-black sesame truffles myself tomorrow." He could see his troublemaker brother's thought process as he debated the joy of teasing his older brother in front of his crush versus getting to sleep in late on their shop's busiest baking day. Fortunately, Kol's signature laziness won, and he raced out the door, leaving them with a final teasing grin.

Caroline had asked him out. Despite his resolve that he shouldn't pursue her, he felt a flutter of excitement. "Is it a costume party, sweetheart," he asked, noting with confusion at the way her entire demeanor seemed to change the moment they were alone.

All shyness seemed to evaporate and a confident woman stood before him, assessing him with an authoritative air he found immensely appealing. "Kind of," she answered with an enigmatic smile. "Project White Oak is in jeopardy. You've been reactivated, Hybrid 01." With an impish wink at his gobsmacked expression, she added, "I'm your commanding officer."


Prompt: "You don't have a ghost of a chance."

Claws deliberately scraped along metal, the sound sending a chill down her spine. Slow, very soft scratches meant to mimic a small rodent — innocent noises easily explained. However, as Caroline's steps hastened in the dark corridor, the scratching grew bolder, a more sinister tune taking shape in the night. She took a deep breath as she pressed the button on the elevator to head into the basement. They'd warned her about the elevator.

As the doors shut with an unearthly groan, Caroline could feel the icy presence of a dark soul. Clutching her iPad, she busied herself with her checklist, mentally going over her protocols. She'd never been to this storage facility before, but it was rapidly becoming infamous in some circles. The stories were usually enough to keep people away, but not Caroline. She knew what had to be done. Unfortunately, she had a job to do. The rusted steel walls began to pulse, almost as though a gigantic beast had swallowed her whole, and she shifted nervously.

Finally, she reached the basement, her steps echoing down long rows of storage units. She glanced down at her iPad to double-check the unit number, when she felt claws grip her throat, pinning her against the steel door with a resounding crash. "Seriously?! No wonder I was summoned," she shouted angrily, focusing her energy to remove her assailant's claws from her throat. "You won't win against me, Klaus Mikaelson — trust me, you don't have a ghost of a chance."

She couldn't decide if it was her irritated tone or her awful pun that surprised the Original into materializing before her, a baffled expression on his handsome face. "Who are you," he asked suspiciously, stepping closer in another failed attempt to intimidate her.

Caroline stuck out her hand to shake his, telling him briskly, "Caroline Forbes, Director of DEAD." At his confusion, she explained, "It stands for Departed Entities And Demons. I'm tasked with managing the more challenging newly deceased. To guide them through the haunting process, discuss a few guidelines, that sort of thing."

His lips twitched in amusement as he said, "I'm a challenge, then, sweetheart?"

"Not to me," she replied with a casual shrug of her shoulders. Consulting her iPad, she told him, "It appears that Alaric Saltzman staked you after he was transformed into an Original Vampire." At Klaus' furious snarl, she hurried through the rest of her notes, "Because your corporeal form was terminated in this storage facility, your spirit still lingers here — along with your anger."

Klaus seemed to pick up on her judgmental tone as he replied tersely, "I have every right to be angry, love. I had carefully crafted plans that have now been delayed until this inconvenience can be resolved."

Tossing her hands in the air, her iPad nearly slipping out of her fingers, she told him sharply, "And you think I didn't have plans? Things that I wanted out of my life?! When my car wreck happened, I was furious. I raged along that deserted stretch of highway, screaming into the void over and over. It took me a long time to finally let go of my anger, but when I did it, I was free."

Her blue eyes suddenly became misty as she revealed, "But more importantly, my soul was free. And that's when I understood that death doesn't have to be the end for us — we can make a new existence, a new life." Shaking her head slightly, sending blonde curls dancing, she regained her composure and advised, "So I suggest your first step in your new life is to begin to let go of your anger toward Alaric."

Klaus scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as he seethed, "That pathetic upstart is nothing more than a fleeting thought. It's the Bennett witch upon whom I shall exact my revenge."

Eyes lighting up excitedly, Caroline accessed her calendar and told him, "Okay, great — there's actually a Bennett witch revenge group that meets every third Tuesday to discuss plans for exacting painful retribution upon the entire line of Bennett witches." At his incredulous expression, she added helpfully, "It's really more of a revenge group-slash-support group. And a great opportunity for you to mingle with some of the long-timers and trade stories about your schemes where the punchline is always, 'And I would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling kids!'"

Despite Klaus' obvious frustration, he let out a chuckle, the lines of his well-muscled shoulders relaxing in a way that made her realize she was far too aware of the things his toned body was doing underneath that gray henley. "You seem to have a great deal of experience dealing with incompetent villains," he observed, the steel in his gray eyes softening.

Considering his statement, she wrinkled her nose slightly as she recalled some of her toughest cases as Director of DEAD. "Honestly, it's the demons that make this job a nightmare. They're such whiny babies when it comes to their own mortality. They're all 'pox upon your household' threats and 'carve out the enemies' entrails to use in eternal cursing rituals."

Letting out an aggravated sigh, she confessed, "Ever since the company cutbacks forced the Demon Department to be consolidated underneath my leadership, it's been a nightmare." Elbowing him teasingly, she added, "I'll take a moody hybrid over that mess any day."

Klaus brightened visibly at her slight flirtation, his dimples deepening as he teased, "I'm intrigued by your bold offer, sweetheart. Perhaps we could start with a drink and see how it goes before we get to the taking part of our evening, hmmm?"

Caroline could feel her face warm at his blatant invitation, and was surprised that she was considering taking him up on his offer. Normally, she kept her work separate from her social life, but there was something about the cocky hybrid that made her want to break her rules. Later, she told herself sternly. At least get through your orientation first before you give into your urge to dry hump him until all that's left is a pile of ectoplasm. "So, rules," she said brightly, doing her best to avoid gazing at his knowing smirk, "We advise against the following clichés: appearing in mirrors behind the living, rattling chains, or scaring pets."

He asked wryly, "Anything else, sweetheart?"

Nodding, doing her best to keep her tone professional, she said, "We also ask that you limit your appearances in found footages. That whole Blair Witch-causing bullshit genre has been a fiasco. Seriously, that vain bitch has created a mountain of paperwork for my department!"

"I can imagine," he commiserated, "once my witches finally resurrect me, I will personally ensure that she is no longer an issue for you, love. I've so many enemies to rip asunder — the Bennett witch, the doppelganger, Damon and Stefan Salvatore — what's one more?"

Caroline was so startled, she nearly dropped Klaus' Boo Welcome Kit. "Damon Salvatore," she asked, her voice suddenly strangled. After Klaus confirmed with a slight nod, she laughed bitterly. "It wasn't really a car wreck. I just tell people that because the truth is more complicated. I was driving on a deserted highway at night when my headlights caught the shape of a man lying in the middle of my lane. I quickly stopped and raced over to him, thinking that he'd been hurt. Suddenly, he transformed into a monster, attacking me with his fangs until he drank his fill and then snapped my neck."

Klaus growled at her words and she found she liked the idea of him sharing her pain; it had been a long time since someone had taken an interest like this and she couldn't stop smiling. "So, how would you like a partner when you go exact your revenge," she ventured hopefully.

At Klaus' look of surprise, Caroline revealed, "Because I might know a few loopholes to expedite our jailbreak."