Author's note: Double chapter update today (Chapters 109 & 110)! (Which hopefully will mean double reviews! :) I was feeling inspired and decided to write another story for this day's theme for Klaroline AU Week - Day Three: Crossovers/Fusions. This is a crossover with Dollhouse.

Summary: It was just another tedious fundraiser until Klaus' wayward brother brought a most intriguing blonde. And while she was off-limits, that didn't mean he couldn't commission a perfect copy just for him...

Warning: Angst. If you're familiar with Dollhouse, you know it opened a dialogue with its audience regarding free will, implied consent, and slavery. While there are no scenes in this chapter that blatantly portray these ideas, the implication is there all the same. Just fyi for potential triggers.


"I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me."
― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders


There was nothing as obscene as wealth and white privilege coming together to feign social conscience. If these hypocrites genuinely cared about the causes they supported, they'd just sign over a check so that all of the money went directly to the charity rather than only a measly fraction after the expense of a tawdry gala ball and 10-course dinner had been settled. Klaus gave a long-suffering sigh, swirling the remnants of Armand de Brignac in his crystal flute. His gray eyes swept the immense ballroom dripping in diamond and gold chandeliers, a jaded half-smile settling upon his handsome face as he spied his mother drunkenly flirting with a server who appeared even younger than Henrik. He squinted a bit, thinking the poor lad may have been the same one Mikael had been eyeing like a toffee pudding earlier.

An undignified snort caught his attention, and he turned just in time to see a stunning blonde laughing at something Kol had whispered. A notorious flirt with a playboy reputation that rivaled his own, Klaus wasn't surprised his brother had brought such a ravishing date. What was a shock was the calculating manner she studied the room, elbowing Kol in a companionable way that seemed friendly and yet somehow even more intimate than if she'd been clinging to his side.

Klaus smoothly plucked two flutes from one of the crystal towers and made his way toward the blonde, barely giving his brother more than a polite nod as he handed her a drink and introduced himself. "Klaus Mikaelson. And you must tell me about the wager you lost that resulted in your unfortunate choice of dates, sweetheart."

She turned to Kol, flatly telling him, "Pay up." His little brother grumbled, reaching into his wallet to place several crisp, one-hundred dollar bills into her outstretched palm. "I bet your brother that you'd bring me a drink and use a cheesy line on me that would passive-aggressively put him down. Sibling rivalry transcends social class." She seemed amused by Klaus' mild surprise, and gamely shook his hand. "And I'm Caroline, Kol's long-suffering travel companion."

Travel companion? What a strange way to characterize their relationship. They obviously were friends, but was there something more between them? He searched Kol's face, trying to discern the extent of his feelings. To his knowledge, only one woman had ever settled within Kol's heart, but Bonnie had left long ago. Was Caroline her replacement? No, judging from the easy warmth between them, this was a friendship. Clearly, it was one that Kol valued, given the scowl he was sending Klaus' way. "You met Kol on his travels? I never knew my baby brother to pick up anything noteworthy while on holiday. Other than a social disease, of course."

Kol choked on the mouthful of champagne he'd been drinking, coughing and sputtering while Caroline thumped him on the back. "Social disease? Seriously?! Can you be anymore British?"

"Well, what do you call it then," he asked, surprised by his defensive tone, and wondered how his normally suave flirtations had gotten so wildly off-track.

"Well, there's the clap, obviously, but there's also crunchy nut butter, and my favorite, rotten clambake," Caroline cheerfully answered, flashing a blinding smile at several curious onlookers who seemed to have decided that she couldn't possibly be discussing venereal disease so bluntly. Or loudly.

Kol straightened, the corners of his lips twitching at Klaus' discomfort. Turning to Caroline, he said conversationally, "You know, I've witnessed Nik's crash and burn on numerous occasions, but never quite so swiftly."

"Be gentle with your brother — you know how easy it is to run out of small talk at these stuffy things." She quirked an eyebrow at Kol, asking, "Remember that gala at the Hermitage when you stole a docent's jacket and started giving tours?"

"Only because you replaced half the silent auction's artwork with drunken finger-painting and dared me to convince those trust fund idiots that it was an exclusive post-modern collection."

Minx. Klaus found Caroline's impish grin incredibly appealing. "Tell me, love, do your pranks only revolve around art museums?"

Caroline shrugged, a playful smile on her face as she clinked her champagne flute with Kol's, which brought out Klaus' competitive nature more than he cared to admit. "I think Kol and I have waged a prank war across most of the continents. It's hard to keep track when you factor in some of the near-arrests."

Klaus gestured toward the ballroom floor and said, "Color me intrigued. Perhaps you'd care to regale me with one of your near-arrest stories with my brother?"

The warmth of her hand in his was somehow overwhelming to him, and he inwardly cursed at his foolishness as he slightly stumbled while dancing with Caroline. Why did she make him feel like a green lad fresh from school? Her loveliness couldn't be denied, but it was her spirit, her feistiness, that ultimately drew him in. He normally drowned in a sea of fawning sycophants at these functions; she was something real.

"The Little Mermaid," she unexpected blurted out. At Klaus' obvious confusion, she explained, "We were in Copenhagen and Kol knew that particular Disney movie was my favorite, so he dared me to put Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle stuffed toys beside the mermaid sculpture. I had no idea the Danes felt so strongly about the Hans Christian Anderson version and called the police while I was taking the selfie to finish out my dare. I ended up jumping into the canal and it turns out chunky cable-knit sweaters make really shitty swimsuits."

He shook his head in amusement and then dipped her low, the unexpected move making her giggle. The melodic sound stirred something in his chest, and he felt his cheeks grow warm. "You may be the first friend of Kol's that's an even bigger troublemaker than he is. Are all of your adventures so exciting?"

"Only the ones worth talking about," she countered, pausing their dancing to straighten his bowtie.

Klaus did his best not to react as she molded her delectable body against his as their dance resumed. He caught his brother glaring at them out of the corner of his eye, and he smirked. He'd never seen Kol so protective of another. "Perhaps we could sneak out a bit early, and you could regale me with more of your wild tales over a drink?"

"Well, at least your lines are getting better," she teased. "But Kol's thoroughly warned me about you and I know all about your womanizing ways. Besides, my friendship with Kol is way too important for me to fuck it up by fucking his brother." With a sigh of regret that seemed genuine, she leaned forward to lightly brush her lips against one of his dimples. "Such a shame — I bet you're a fantastic lay."

Klaus' cheek burned from her kiss as he watched her saunter away, so entranced that he didn't notice his brother's approach.

"No, Nik. Not this time."

He was taken aback by the harsh lines suddenly etched on Kol's normally boyish face. "Careful, brother. You'll do yourself a mischief. And I'm sure I don't know what you're implying," Klaus told him, his tone mild as he continued to watch the intriguing blonde move through the crowd.

"Caroline deserves better than the hollow shell she'll become when you break her. And you will break her — you can't help it." Kol chuckled darkly, "I break things too — worse than you. I know that. But I also know that if I didn't have Caroline as my best friend, our family would've gotten a battered box of my ashes shipped from some wretched, hidden corner of the earth." There was a catch to his voice as he issued his final warning. "Just so you understand, however you break Caroline, you'll break me even worse."

Bollocks. Klaus had never seen his brother like this. Kol didn't care for anything, ever, but clearly he'd formed an attachment to Caroline. And Klaus couldn't take that away from him. "Understood, brother. She's an extraordinary person to have brought about this change in you." He patted him on the shoulder, and in a rare moment of honesty, softly told him, "I envy you."


Hollow shell. That's what Kol had said to try to warn him away. Instead, that had given Klaus the idea to contact the Dollhouse. He'd been a valued member of the exclusive London location for years, and it never failed to amaze him with how they perfectly fulfilled whatever desires he requested. The science behind their technology bored him, but he understood the basic concept — 'dolls' were attractive people under contract to the Dollhouse in which they agreed to have their memories removed for the duration of their agreement.

Then, a client of the Dollhouse would request a specific fantasy and the technicians would design the perfect personality and accompanying memories and implant them into the doll. It was a luxury only a select few could afford, and Klaus had heard the occasional rumor that a client would become so enamored with the programmed doll that they would extend the fantasy for months at a time. Klaus only used the service for a weekend at most (after a while, even he became disillusioned with his own desires.)

Which is why it was so unusual that after meeting Caroline, he felt like he lost something precious. It was a foreign sensation; after all, he always got what he wanted. And this time would be no different. He sipped his scotch casually, leaning back against the leather couch as he considered Kai Parker, CEO of the Dollhouse. "I've found my interest in the typical clingy redhead fantasy has waned. What I require now is considerably more specific. More refined." Klaus was surprised at how effortless it was to describe Caroline — from the precise shade of blue in her eyes and the delectable curve of her hips to her adorable catch phrases and feisty temper.

Smug satisfaction was etched on Kai's face as he listened to Klaus detailing all of the essential parameters. He rapidly typed away on his laptop, leaning over to the intercom. "Luke, we've been asked to shelve the Aurora imprint. Please prepare the available dolls for Mr. Mikaelson." He stood with a slick smile, gesturing toward the private elevator where he escorted Klaus upstairs to the main viewing floor. "At the Dollhouse, we understand your needs, Mr. Mikaelson, and through our exclusive Gemini Coven technologies, we're able to fulfill those needs."

The doors opened to a sleek showroom not unlike a luxury auto dealer, where Klaus was greeted with rows of titanium pods where the dolls were in their sleep state. Kai led him toward a pod resting on a platform that seemed to tower above the others. Klaus was intrigued this one was special. Kai seemed to note his interest, letting out a delighted chuckle as he explained, "From your very thorough description, I have the perfect doll in mind. She's a relatively new addition to the Dollhouse, but already has grown quite popular among our very select clientele."

Klaus eagerly climbed the steps, anxious to view the doll. He peered down at the glass lid of the pod, his breath catching in his throat.

And then everything changed.

It was Caroline who rested in the pod.