Save me in a year

by B-MINA

AU post 6x16 Stefan and Elena agree to let Caroline have her one year of a grief-free life after she makes it clear to them that she will not be pushed into flipping the switch back on. However, a phone call to a certain NOLA resident later leads to her being cornered with an ultimatum that she can't ignore, even if it does include her following a few rules set by Klaus first...

6. There's no me in 'team' - Wait

Thoughts and disclaimers

Hey, guys, just letting you know that I've decided to change some more details from the canon story. Cause honestly, I completely forgot about all the stuff that happened between Damon's return from the prison world and Liz' death. So, when rewatching the season (that I apparently had repressed due to all the Steroline) I realized that I was a little off in my timeline. Which is why I felt the need to freshen my memory a bit and change some stuff that I was going to write –

But then I decided "what the hell, it's my story, I can do whatever the fuck I want" and I chose to stick with my somewhat shaky timeline after all. Sooooo, love it or hate it, if you're reading this story you're just gonna have to accept it. Or don't, read something else. Whatever. It's a free world (to some degree). And I've had a tough couple of months, so maybe keep in mind that I'm doing this during my limited free time and without any kind of compensation whatsoever – so how's about you don't drag me through the mud if you're unhappy with what I write? Good? Good.

Here it goes. These are my changes:

- Bonnie didn't see Lily Salvatore before returning home.

- Elena and Damon haven't cleared things up between them.

- Kai and Damon have had a conversation about making amends with Bonnie, but Kai hasn't contacted her yet.

- Oh, Jeremy did decide to leave for art school or whatever cause I don't feel like writing him into the story whatsoever so buh-bye!

That's all. Let me know if you don't totally hate the chapter or something. Peace out.

---

Chapter 6: There's no me in 'team' – Wait…

Present day
Mystic Falls, Virginia

"Urgh-!" Elena groaned out in frustration as they failed, yet again, to get a better connection with Caroline. Her hands waved in the air as she started to lose her patience, feeling the painfully empathetic looks of Damon and Bonnie as they tried to help her get a hang of the whole 'entering someone's mind' thing.

It had been hours, and the best result they'd gotten so far was a few incoherent flashes of blood, glimpses into some pretty dark impulses and the conclusion that the blonde's current company undoubtedly was the Original hybrid.

"This is ridiculous." Elena muttered to herself as she couldn't help but feel like one hell of a failure, not being able to do this one thing that all vampires apparently should be able to do.

"It's okay, it can take some time…" Damon sighed in an attempt to console her, reaching for her arm as he tried to meet her eyes. "Look, maybe we should call it a night, hm?" he asked with a glance to Bonnie, the sight of it giving the female vampire a weird impulse. "We'll get some sleep and try again in the morning, okay?" he suggested softly, only irritating her more.

"No, I can do this, okay!" Elena muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I just- I don't understand why it's so hard…" she grunted as she turned her attention back to the witch. "Let's go again." she urged with a nod as she reached for her friend's hands. Noting Bonnie's hesitance to start over, she looked up and found the witch exchanging further meaningful looks with Damon.

"What!?" she pressed, bringing the both of them to turn to her at once.

"What?" the Salvatore shrugged, scoffing slightly as he stood up and crossed the room. Looking over at her again with a shrug. "Look, Elena, if we keep going like this then we'll just end up going crazy and start stabbing one another." he snickered in a try at humor, causing her to shake her head incredulously in reply.

"I know what you're thinking, alright?" she sighed out. "I should be able to do this, and I'm clearly not getting it yet. However, I doubt that will change after some hours of restless sleep on my part - so we might just as well keep going until it starts working."

Bonnie's hand touched her arm then and made her look up at her friend in question. Watching as the softness in the eyes before her slowly began to feel like pity… "Elena, listen, you might be immortal but I'm not." the witch drawled with a shrug. "I could actually use a break. So, maybe it's not such a bad idea to try again tomorrow."

"See?" Damon chimed in at that. "We won't get anywhere if Bonnie's exhausted."

"Fine." the young vampire sighed out as she scratched at her forehead shortly. "You're right." she agreed with a nod, resting her hand over Bonnie's with another sigh. "Sorry, I just… I feel so helpless." she admitted. "I feel like I should've said something different or tried more to reach her before she ran."

"I don't think you could've done anything to stop her, Elena." Bonnie countered with a warm smile. "But don't worry, we'll get her back, alright? Just not tonight."

"Yeah, right…" Elena nodded as she got up off the floor and gave Damon a short glance. "We'll try again tomorrow." she agreed with a shrug.

"It's a date." he replied as he met her gaze. "I'll let you girls get ready for bed." he decided as he stood up and headed for the door. "See you tomorrow." he called back softly, looking between the women with a short smirk. "Good night."

"Good night." Elena echoed, feeling a little too scrutinized under his sharp eyes. She turned away and started gathering her things, walking over to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Not noticing until she turned on the faucet that she never actually heard Damon leave.

Determined to prove that she still possessed some of the basic powers that followed being a vampire, she focused her attention to the adjourning room and listened as Bonnie followed him out of the dorm.

"Okay, Bon-Bon… Tell me, honestly, do you think this is all a colossal waste of time – or just an incredibly foolish one?" the vampire asked her childhood friend as they stood outside in the hall together.

"I don't know." Bonnie replied with a sigh. "But I get what Elena's saying; I want to feel like I'm doing something too."

"Right." he drawled softly. "Look, if you get any weird premonitions or psychic flashes or whatever, how's about you tell me about it first, hm?"

"Why?" the witch countered curiously.

"Well, so that I can do something." he told her, the subtext in his tone apparent as Bonnie chimed in.

"I don't like the idea of you going out there all on your own and pissing off a vampire without her humanity, along with an Original who doesn't care about much else than his own wants and needs." she insisted, the concern in her voice bothering Elena once more. "Damon, there has to be something else. Maybe if I go looking for them-"

"Not a chance." the Salvatore sputtered out in sharp protest. "If you think it's dangerous for me, then how the hell are you supposed to make it back alive?"

"I can take care of myself." Bonnie sighed.

"I know you can. Obviously you can." he interjected. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to send you out in some war zone."

"But you're fine with going yourself?" she scoffed back.

"Well, yeah. In case you haven't noticed; I'm already dead. And I can heal." he quipped. "You on the other hand…"

"Fine." Bonnie murmured after a moment of silence. "I'll call you if I sense anything."

"You better." Damon teased, the quiet that filled Elena's ear then bringing tension to her gut as she listened for them. Hearing a lone pair of steps enter the dorm and shuffling with some drawers before the bathroom door opened, revealing Bonnie on the other side of it.

The witch looked a little caught off-guard but shook her head and quickly formed a friendly smile on her face. "Hey, you done soon?" she asked, glancing between the toothbrush in Elena's hand and the faucet still running.

"Yeah, just about." the vampire insisted with a nod as she turned off the water and started getting ready for bed - for real. Glancing at the witch though the corner of her eye as she freed the restroom up.

Something wasn't right about them, the brunette couldn't help but think. Something happened in that prison-world, during those months alone together… She just couldn't put her finger or what.

And she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to.

---

Present day
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ever since she was turned, Caroline had experienced a lot of disturbances to her sleeping habits. It all had taken a while to get used to; not becoming as tired as quickly, waking up so much earlier than she used to - albeit, the blonde had never really been one to sleep in, but even she thought that her early mornings had gotten a little out of hand after becoming a vampire. However, she experienced a whole new wave of changes when turning her humanity off. One of which being that she had stopped dreaming.

She vividly remembered what it used to be like, having all kinds of nightmares about forgetting her cheer routine and being put on the spot in front of the whole school. Occasionally, she would wake up in the middle of the night with the echo of emotional distress still lingering in her body as the visions of her mind slowly faded and left her wondering just what she had seen. What she had felt.

Nowadays, she experienced sleep as more of a passing of time than actual rest. Though she never lost herself in any illusions of the mind, she did dream in one sense. She made plans for her future and imagined her next adventures. Considered where she wanted to go, what she wanted to do and see before turning her humanity back on… Intent on getting the most out of this year on her own and determined to make it one she would always remember - not one she wished she could forget.

She had found that the eventuality of her flipping the switch once the timeline was up worked as a strange type of structure to the madness. It kept things clear and her instincts under control. It allowed her to balance the tight rope between her darker nature and her human one. Motivated by the knowledge that she would need to return the latter far too soon, she managed to silence the little voice in the back of her head that wished to corrupt her further. That whispered promises of freedom and bloodshed, that wanted to push the line bit by bit until it was no longer visible to her. To push her closer to, and finally past, the point of no return.

Because she was certainly tempted by the thought, by the urge to prolong her humanity-free year indefinitely.

One year at the time, she told herself whenever that particular itch started to flare up. Convinced that she would be able to make a sound choice once the time came, whether to go on like she was or to return to her past self.

First, she needed to ensure that the choice would remain hers. And for that, she needed Klaus' spell. Which she would get no matter what.

As she tossed and turned through another dreamless night, she blinked her eyes open and took in the dark surrounding her. Listened for the companion in question as she wondered where they were for a second.

Right, she thought as it came back to her. Klaus had gotten them a room at some fancy beach resort.

"Better to be comfortable and well-rested, than to save a buck and spend the rest of the day with an incessant backache." he had told her when she questioned his decision to splurge on a two-bedroom suite with ocean view for just the one night.

She identified the faint sound of his breathing coupled with pages turning and some liquid being poured into a glass. At that, she got up and followed the trace to the large balcony. Her eyes blinking in surprise as she took in the shimmering water and the clear-dark sky outside. Taken aback by the serenity of the slow waves as the salt air wind breezed by, causing the trees to shake and palm leaves to rustle softly.

"Trouble sleeping?" the hybrid asked from his seat in the lounge sofa, prompting her to turn her head and study his comfortable posture. He had put his feet up on a stool, holding a paper-back in one hand and a glass of what she assumed was blood mixed with some spirit in the other.

She shrugged and crossed her arms in front of her as she took slow steps toward him. "I guess." she hummed, smirking a little as she looked him over. "Or maybe just lonely."

He let out a short snicker at that as he kept his eyes on the book before him, but the glass freezing halfway to his lips gave him away.

Not so uncaring as you want me to think, huh? she thought as she flashed over to his side and snatched the drink from his hand. "Scotch?" she guessed as she took a sip and hummed at the taste.

"Bourbon." he corrected, his eyes still not having met hers since she first stepped foot outside. "And I wasn't quite done with it just yet, so…" he added as he reached for the glass. Turning away from him quickly, she held the drink out of his reach and made him finally look over at her with an incredulous smirk.

"Neither was I." she countered and took a large gulp just to spite him. Meeting his eyes with a shrug as she feigned innocence at his cocked eyebrow. "What? Ever heard the expression 'nice guys finish last'?" she quipped. "Pretty sure that applies to sharing drinks with pretty girls."

He chuckled a little at that before swiftly taking the glass away from her. "How fortunate for me, then. Seeing as I don't fit the description." he bit back, smiling over the rim as he finished the drink in one motion and put the glass down on the table beside him.

"I don't know, Klaus…" she sing-songed with a click of her tongue. "Seems to me like you're on the fast-track to becoming the poster boy for good guys."

"Oh, am I, now?" he scoffed in amusement, closing his book then as he finally gave up on the hope of reading it. "How so?" he asked, turning another analyzing look over at her.

She pursed her lips in a pout as she mulled it over shortly, shifting in her seat until she was fully facing him and leaned against the back of the sofa. "You're here. Helping me." she noted, shrugging a little as she rested her head against her open palm. "When you didn't have to." she added in explanation. "And you're being all… You know…?" she grimaced while trying to find the right word, gesturing with her free hand at his figure pointedly.

"Nice?" he guessed, earning a nod from her at that and chuckling as he shook his head in return. "Funny, I thought I was all twisted, damaged and rigorously wracking my brain thinking of every possible way I could trick you into having sex with me?" he taunted as he repeated the many other adjectives she'd used to describe him before.

"Yeah, well. Still…" she drawled. "I mean, don't you think if you really were all that then it would've already happened by now?"

"Well, let's not rewrite history, love." he teased back with a heated smirk that was absolutely impossible not to reciprocate.

"Right." she muttered as she schooled her face into dropping the grin covering her lips. "That was different." she declared.

"Really?" he challenged with a disbelieving snicker. "And in what way would that be?" he pushed on. "Am I not still the same evil monster you viewed me as back then?"

"Yeah, but I'm not." she interjected, causing his eyes to soften a little as he blinked at her in mild surprise. "The same, I mean." she revised, scoffing a little as she continued. "I was never evil." she concluded, waiting a beat as she realized something. "But maybe that's not so true anymore…" she mused, her gaze falling to the little space between them as she considered it silently.

He took his feet off the stool and straightened while turning to her. "Do you truly believe that?" he pressed, his tone soft with curiosity more than anything else.

"No." she replied with a shrug, using her index-finger to trace the cushion pattern absently before she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "But then again, I might be biased." she joked, noting that he didn't really seem to find that funny. She focused on the pattern again, on the squiggly lines in different hues of blue, and followed them with the tip of her fingernail.

"There are quite a few ways in which I would choose to describe you, Caroline." he drawled with a long breath. "Evil is not one of them."

She raised her head at his words, studying his soft expression and warm eyes as a smile tugged at his mouth. "Although…" he crooned. "I may be a bit biased myself."

A snicker escaped her as she smirked at him then, meeting his gaze and taking him in as she almost felt something… Thought the space between them might have gotten a little smaller. Sensed that maybe she wasn't the only one who didn't really want to talk anymore. Noted that his attention dropped to her slightly parted lips. Caught the jump of his Adam's apple as he took her in with a silent gulp.

It was the perfect moment. Like something out of a movie where music was playing in the background and the skyline filled with fireworks the second they closed the final distance between them. She had to work hard to fight off the pleased smirk that threatened to break out over her face as their foreheads touched, as his slow breath hit her cheek and his nose nudged hers.

His eyes closed as one of her hands rested on his thigh, another reached for his neck and began toying with the ends of his hair. Signs of a struggle started to appear in his features as he shifted away at her touch.

But hey, she had already gotten this far and she sure as hell wasn't going to back down now.

In the fraction of a second, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his just as he pulled back and turned his head away. Leaving her to look up at his averted eyes as his jaw ticked with a wavering determination.

The irony didn't escape her as she analyzed his stiff features. How she had spent years pushing him away and keeping him at arm's length... But when she was the one to reach out, when she gave in and offered what he so clearly had wanted from her for as long as she'd known him...

He rejected her.

"I..." she let out as she cleared her throat, waiting for some explanation or an excuse or something. "... didn't see that coming."

"Caroline..." he sighed out as he turned to her then, causing her to move back and put the whole length of the sofa between them.

"No, no... I got it." she snickered coldly, shaking her head as she did her best to look disappointed with the outcome. "Loud and clear." she muttered before standing from her seat and turning away, not once meeting his eyes as she walked back inside. A grin covering her lips as she left him out on the balcony and adjourned to her bedroom again.

Her experiment was a raging success. Her theory had proved right. He was hiding someone down in New Orleans. Someone very important. Meaning that she finally had the upper hand on the hybrid for once, as she now knew for certain that he wasn't just helping her out of the selflessness of his ancient and wilted heart.

She had gained leverage, and she planned on using it to get everything she wanted from the Original. Her freedom, her humanity in check, her friends at a safe distance...

Anything she could possibly think of.

---

When Caroline followed the strange sounds coming from the living room that morning, she discovered some hotel employees dropping off shopping bags on the large divan as Klaus directed them in and out of the suite.

"What's going on?" she drawled as he paid the staff in cash and sent them off.

"Good morning, love." he smiled at her, causing the vampire to raise an eyebrow in disbelief as he looked around the room and shrugged. "Oh, this?" he asked. "Well, you mentioned that your wardrobe was a bit diminished for the time being, so I took the liberty of putting together some options for you." he chimed, prompting her to peek inside a few of the bags curiously.

She picked up a thin, red-colored bikini and turned to him in question. "And this?" she scoffed, earning a bright grin from the man as he walked closer with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Have you looked outside yet?" he asked, causing her to blink in surprise. Confused by his happy demeanor since she had expected him to act... Well, anything but cheery after the night's incident.

He nodded pointedly at her as he wore a playful look in his eyes. "I suggest you do. Then let me know if you still don't want to put that into use." he said before turning away. "I need to go confirm our reservations for breakfast." he called as he disappeared out the door, leaving her to scoff to herself as she walked over to examine the view upon his recommendation.

Her face fell a little in surprise as she took in the gorgeous weather, the crystal blue waters and the faint sound of live music playing outside... It looked incredible, and it managed to tap on her inner walls just enough to bring excitement to her gut.

She rushed to put on the bikini and tie her hair back in a ponytail eagerly. Examining the contents of the rest of the shopping bags then and smiling a little as she approved of the purchases. A couple of sundresses and a variety of shorts and tops that all fit the climate they were heading towards. There were even a couple of choices for footwear along with a beach sarong inside and she decided to pair the latter with her swimwear.

As she put on the strappy sandals, she found herself contemplating whether or not she would be needing sunscreen as she spied some amongst a basket of complementary products by the windowsill. Yet another thing she hadn't quite considered since becoming a vampire, because she wouldn't normally worry about being exposed to the hot sun. Sure, she'd spent summers at lakes or the falls back home, but even then it would rarely get hot enough to warrant sunbathing.

Something sad wrapped around her chest as the thought hit her, how she had done an awful lot more living since becoming a vampire than before. Even more so since locking her humanity away. It seemed that the less human she was, the more human she felt. And that was too bizarre for her to break down right then and there, so she shook it off and ignored the chills creeping up her spine as she noticed Klaus' return.

He was likely aware of his lack of subtlety as he cleared his throat and placed a few water bottles on the small kitchenette. "I managed to get a table for nine o'clock." he shared with a friendly smile as she glanced over at him, having decided to go with the sunscreen after all. If not for anything else than to rejoice in the awkward tension clearly hitting the hybrid as he tried not to watch her work the lotion in.

"Oh?" she asked innocently as she spread the sunscreen across her chest and down her arms. "That seems early."

"Well, I want to make sure we get back on the road as soon as possible." he shrugged, his voice a little rough as he turned his back to her and focused on stowing the shopping bags away.

"Screw food." she muttered as she walked over to him with a grin. "I'm going swimming." she announced, prompting him to face her with a smile tugging at his mouth. "You can come with me if you want, but those are my plans for the day." she concluded with a shrug before holding out the bottle of lotion, raising an eyebrow as she pursed her lips a little in request. "Help me with the back?" she crooned, enjoying the mischievous flicker in his eyes as he shook his head at her in reply.

"You know…" he drawled as he took the bottle in his hands and turned it over. "You don't really need this, sweetheart."

"I don't?" she asked and shrugged. "Huh, the more you know…" she quipped before turning her back to him anyway. "But I've already done the rest and I would just hate to get an uneven tan… So, if you don't mind?" she pressed on as she threw him a glance over her shoulder.

"Even if you did, it would heal in a day or two." he explained with a little snicker, really irritating her then as she spun around to face him with a groan.

"Okay, fine!" she grunted as she took the lotion from him with a sour face. "I get it, alright? I get that it's such a freaking chore to be in my proximity while I'm all humanity-free and whatever and it's clear that you would much rather be anywhere else than here." she scoffed out bitterly. "But I am having my first ever worry-free day at the beach and I'm not going to let you ruin it. So, how about you pretend, for just one measly little morning, that you actually enjoy spending time with me? Do you think you could do that, Klaus, or is it not within your Original hybrid ass capabilities?"

He seemed at a loss for words as he blinked at her in silence for a long moment, shaking his head slowly as his mouth formed mute words. Frustrating her further as she grabbed a bottle of water from beside him and gave him a snide glance.

"Never mind." she muttered as she didn't have the patience to wait for his response. "I'm going to enjoy this morning of sun and sand and the possibility of getting an unevenly distributed tan - and you can go sulk in the dark or make evil plans to take over the world or whatever the hell you want." she decided sternly as she turned to storm out of the suite with a short "See ya!".

She was quickly stopped in her path as Klaus flashed past her. His clothes suddenly changed into shorts and a tight tee which left very little to the imagination. Sunglasses covered his eyes as he opened the door for her and gave her a courteous nod.

"After you." he instructed with an easy smile, his ambivalence bringing her to scoff in disbelief before following his queue.

Walking past him with her arms crossed over her chest as she found that the hybrid wasn't quite the open book as she'd thought. When she was sure she knew what went through his head; he did something to prove the exact opposite.

They were making their way down the designated path to the beach as she was harshly brought out of her own thoughts. A kid slamming into her and falling back into the sand in result, his face red as she glared at him shortly before noticing the mud spread over her legs and caked into her sarong from his dirty snot-nosed paws.

"What the hell!?" she bit out before scowling at the boy again as he slowly got on his feet. "Did no one ever teach you to watch where you're going?" she hissed as she bent down to brush herself off.

"Hey!" she heard someone call out to her then as a woman got up from her sun chair and hurried over upon the commotion. "You okay, baby?" the woman asked the boy, earning a nod from the child in return and then staring at Caroline accusatorily. "It was an accident, alright? He obviously didn't mean to run into you." she bit out, however it didn't have as much of an effect as she'd clearly meant for it to be.

Mainly because Caroline's attention was on the man that the woman had left behind, his eyes peeping up from above his dark shades as he looked over at them. Likely with the intention to check on the child, but his focus somehow ended up on the blonde's form instead.

"Who are you to lecture my kid anyway?" the lady continued as she pulled her son behind her and pointed at the vampire angrily.

"Well, someone's gotta." Caroline sighed out, her eyes rolling as she watched the steaming expression on the mother's face at that.

"Excuse me?" she scoffed in offense, her tone hinting that there was a long lecture just waiting to flow out of her and annoy the blonde as she stepped forward in one swift move.

Her eyes locked with the woman's as she quickly honed in on her supernatural abilities. "A piece of advice." she purred with ice in her voice as she compelled the human. "Maybe you should re-consider spanking. I hear it works wonders." she suggested, nodding back at the man behind her pointedly. "Both on the kid… and whatever unsatisfying sex you're having with your husband there for him to ogle me like I'm a piece of ham." she added sharply. "Overall, it seems your whole family is in serious need of a crash course in common courtesy."

With that she walked past the stranger and let her out of her trance, Klaus' voice filled her ears while she continued down the beach without a worry. "Forget all that. You never saw us." he ordered the lady quickly before hurrying to catch up with the blonde. "Caroline!" he called as he stopped her by pulling at her elbow and forcing her to meet his eyes. "Was that really necessary?" he pressed. "It was just a child."

"Yes, I know." she replied with a patronizing drawl. "Which is why I didn't rip his head off. Happy?"

"You don't think you might have overreacted, just a little?" he questioned while she pulled out of his hold and started walking toward the nearest unoccupied pair of sunbeds.

"Nope. If anything, I was way nicer than I had to be." she snickered back without stopping. "Some people just don't know how to raise their kids, and it was about time someone pointed that out to 'Mother of the Year' back there." she explained with a shrug.

He only scoffed at that as he shook his head in disapproval. "And the part where you insulted her marriage and called out her husband in front of her son?" he countered, prompting her to turn to him then with a cold chuckle.

"Oh, come on, Klaus!" she yelled back. "Did you not see how unsubtle he was being with his halfie?"

"Well, now, we both know that anyone with a working brain and pulse would react the very same way, love." he snickered with a teasing smirk as he nodded at her. "Surely, you don't need me to tell you that."

"Yeah, right." she muttered under her breath, tossing her sandals off angrily as she started getting ready for a swim.

"What was that?" he asked curiously, not at all helping the situation as she gritted her teeth before facing him again.

"Even if that were true, it doesn't make it okay." she told him, ignoring what he was most likely referring to.

It earned her something humored in his gaze as he walked the few steps between them and suddenly stood very close. He rested a hand low on her back and pulled her into his chest with ease, using his free hand to let her hair down and discard the tie swiftly as he brushed his fingers through her waves.

"What are you doing?" she muttered as she watched his heated look in suspicion. Raising an eyebrow at him as he merely smirked in reply, his relaxed stance the opposite of how he'd acted just last night in a very similar position.

"You wanted the unfavorable looks to stop, right?" he crooned softly against her cheek as he unwrapped the sarong in slow moves and let it fall off her hips. His fingers traced her sides and caused her breathing to hitch a little as he sent goosebumps across her skin.

"Which is why I am making it clear…" he drawled under his breath in explanation, though she had a little trouble paying attention as his touch traced her bare spine slowly. "… to even the most dimwitted, unintelligent wanker out there…" he added as he turned her head slightly while he moved in to whisper in her ear. "That you are spoken for."

She blinked in surprise as she was yet again proven wrong about his intentions. "Oh, yeah? By whom?" she challenged as she pulled back to scrutinize his features, a smile spreading over his face in response.

"Trust me, love, I'm not leaving any room for interpretation there." he drawled with a deep voice as he leaned in closer, his lips hovering over hers and causing her breathing to become slow and heavy.

Unsure whether her advantage would dissipate or not if he gave in, she simply waited for his next move. Watched unspoken words dance over his clear eyes and leaned into the warmth his hands emanated as one cupped her hip and another held onto her hair to keep her in place. Perhaps as he took a moment to consider the same thought himself, whether to give in or not.

When the decision had been made, she was left somewhat displeased as he turned his head and left a chaste kiss to her temple. He started to pull away, swiping his palm over her ass swiftly and confusing her as he rounded it all up by dragging his fingers down her arm and reaching for her hand with a pleased smirk. His lips connecting with her knuckles briefly before he stepped back and let her go.

She was about to say something, what she wasn't sure, but he cut her off as he pulled the t-shirt over his head and exposed his muscular torso shamelessly. He then sat down in one of the chaises, acting so nonchalant and unaffected while bringing his phone out of his trunks to occupy himself with. It was all making her deeply frustrated as she felt like she'd lost somehow, even though not having been aware of whatever game they'd taken part in just then.

"I believe the words you're searching for are 'thank you'." he suggested with a pleased sigh without looking up from his phone.

"In what world?" she scoffed out in response, unable to think of much else to say. But as she glanced over at the water and then back at him, an idea popped into her head and formed her lips into a smirk of her own.

Without much concern, she tugged on the straps of her bikini top and took it off in few motions. Dropping it onto his lap and noticing his eyebrows shooting up over his sunglasses in result his face slackened at once.

Satisfied with her work, she grinned and turned to leave for a swim. Barely resisting a giggle as she heard him call out to her from his seat. "You just undid all my hard work, Caroline!" he sighed disapprovingly.

"I think you'll survive." she called back before hitting the water. Deciding that she was well on her way to fully appreciating this day at the beach after all.

---

Present day
Mystic Falls, Virginia

"Elena." the Salvatore said in surprise as he opened the door to find her waiting on the other side of it. "What are you doing here?"

She caught something flicker in his steely eyes as he seemed to scan their surroundings, perhaps not having expected her to show up at his doorstep all alone. "Are you okay, Stefan?" she asked as she started to doubt her decision to seek him out after all. "Is this a bad time or-?"

"No, no." he immediately replied with a shaking head. But as she nodded at his still blocking her path to the boarding house, he seemed to catch himself and chuckled nervously. "You know, actually; yeah, it kinda is." he corrected with an apologetic grimace that made her eyebrows knit together in suspicion.

"Stefan?" she drawled. A little pleased with herself for still being able to notice when he was being less than completely honest about something.

"Sorry, I…" he sighed, running a hand across his face as he glanced back over his shoulder. "I just, I'm not sure what you're doing here."

It took her a moment before she blinked in understanding, sensing that she might've crossed some invisible line between them by expecting him to drop everything at her showing up out of the blue… "I didn't mean to impose…" she began with a stutter.

"No, you didn't…" he insisted with an awkward try at a smile.

"I should probably-"

"Yeah, maybe." he agreed before she'd finished her sentence, prompting her to gulp as the discomfort started to make her skin crawl.

"You're right." she decided and turned away. "I'll see you… around." she threw back over her shoulder as she felt a sudden rush to get the hell out of there.

It took about a second for the Salvatore to call her back. "Elena, wait." he said, making her turn around with an embarrassed grimace as she shook her head at him.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…" she stammered, unsure of how to finish her sentence. "I just… I guess I kind of needed to talk to someone. Someone who isn't Bonnie." she clarified with a sigh. "And since I can't talk to Caroline…"

"Wait, what about Damon?" he asked, sounding a little concerned as he analyzed her with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, we're still-… Well, I kind of don't… know how to be around him just yet." she admitted.

He let out a sigh at that as he nodded for her to join him. "Come on." he said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks." she murmured as they walked back to the house.

"Well, I can't say that I'm not curious of what you could possibly want to talk to me about that you don't feel comfortable sharing with Bonnie." he shrugged as he ushered her inside and closed the door behind them.

"Yeah, the thing is that; it's kind of about Bonnie." she shared as she glanced around the large parlor with a strange sense of belonging that she swore had died away a long time ago.

Stefan turned away and poured something into a couple of glasses as she took a seat on the couch, giving her another warm smile as he offered her a drink.

"Thanks." she murmured as she accepted the glass and studied the liquid inside. "Do you think she's been different?" she asked, deciding to just dive right in.

"What do you mean?" he drawled as he took a seat on the chaise across from her.

"Like… she's maybe hiding something?" she added with a shrug.

"Something like-?"

"Like…" she murmured, hurrying to get the words out before she lost her courage. "Something between her and Damon." she rushed before quickly gulping the entirety of her drink at once.

"What?" Stefan scoffed in surprise after a second of silence. His eyes wide as he watched her divert her gaze in shame. "You're kidding, right?" he asked slowly.

"I'm serious." she sighed out, earning another incredulous chuckle from the vampire in response. "They're just always whispering and sharing secretive looks and… I can't shake the feeling that they're hiding something."

"And in the vast realm of possibility; you choose to believe that they're what- having an affair or something?"

"I don't know, maybe?"

He shook his head at that and sighed before continuing. "Okay, I changed my mind. I can't be the one who you talk to about this."

"Stefan, I have no one else to ask…" she insisted in despair. "Of course, I get that it's awkward and really not great for what little level of platonic friendship we have managed to build in the last few years – but I'm at a loss here."

"Funny, cause I can probably think of at least two or three names that ought to be way higher up on the list than me."

"Stefan…" she sighed out, putting her glass down on the table between them as she leaned forward with pleading eyes. "I don't know what to do about this. I've tried to just shake it off but… it's starting to really bother me." she murmured softly.

He looked her over for a moment, looking like he was deliberating internally before coming to a conclusion and snickering to himself at the result. "Okay, fine." he announced with a shrug, turning his hand to her in gesture as he urged her on. "How about you start by telling me why you didn't go straight to Damon with this?"

"I told you-" she began but he quickly cut her off.

"Yeah, see. I know you better than that, Elena." he interjected. "What's the real reason?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek in displeasure before managing to say it aloud. "Because I don't know if I should give him a chance yet." she relayed, receiving a riddled look from Stefan at that. "When Alaric swiped my memory, he didn't just take away my feelings for him… He made me forget all the good in him. He turned every positive thought I could've possibly had about Damon and built this cage to lock them all inside." she explained with a sigh before continuing.

"In my head, no matter what he or everyone else keep trying to tell me; Damon is an awful, heartless monster." she bit out, barely holding back the distain in her voice. "And I remember it all, Stefan. Every bad thing he's ever done to me and the people I love. I can still see him killing Jeremy and hurting Caroline and ruining my life – and I can't believe how I ever looked past any of it. Much less how I could fall for him."

The younger Salvatore visibly gulped at that as she realized how uncomfortable the conversation really was to him. But she'd already opened the gates up now, so she saw no reason in stopping before she could lay it all out in the open.

"Right now, I don't know that part of him." she explained. "I don't remember what it was like to care about him. To lose him. And I just can't help but think that maybe…"

"Maybe you're better off." he finished as she had trouble finding the right words. Her eyes met his sad ones with a slow nod as he spoke again. "Maybe this is safer." he added. "Maybe it's not worth ruining it all if it means you'll just end up getting hurt again. If all it does is destroy you in the end. Maybe it's better to just… forget that there was ever anything there to begin with."

Elena swallowed some guilt as she prepared to tell him something reassuring, hoping she didn't undo the ease between them by pushing… But then she caught something on his face and realized that she had grossly misunderstood what those solemn looks had meant.

"We're not talking about me and Damon anymore, are we?" she asked, causing him to look up at her with something pained in his frown as he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"No." he admitted with a slow nod, looking away from her as he busied himself with swirling the glass in his hands.

"I thought you didn't feel that way about her." she said carefully.

"No, I did." he muttered. "I do."

"So, then why…?" she began, sighing as she saw the answer on his sad face. "Because you were scared." she concluded. "You didn't want to risk ruining what you have now with the possibility of what you could become."

"The worst part is that I somehow ruined it anyway, when all I was trying to do was protect it." he scoffed darkly. "God, I was such a jerk to her."

"Yeah, you were."

He looked over at her in surprise at that, making her chuckle a little as she shrugged at him. A second passed before he joined her in a snicker, shaking his head in disbelief as he agreed with her.

"Sorry." she murmured, bringing him to shake his head at her.

"Don't be." he sighed. "It's the truth." he concluded with a try at a smirk. "I guess that goes to show that we only hurt more people by pretending and keeping things unsaid, rather than by taking a chance and being honest about how we actually feel."

She nodded as she felt a sad smile form her lips. "That's some good advice there, Stefan." she said as she got up from the couch and gave him a meaningful nod. "Maybe you should take it." she told him, squeezing his shoulder lightly as she walked by him and decided to do so herself.

---

Bonnie squinted in disbelief at the time when she heard the knock on the door, certain that the watch had skipped a few numbers since the last time she'd looked up from her grimoires to check it. Not to mention that Damon was early, which was very surprising in and of itself. Especially considering his resistance to try and communicate with Caroline despite her warnings of harming innocent people – and possibly one of them next.

But as she got up to let the vampire inside, she froze by the door with her hand in the air. Something bringing the hairs on her arms to rise, an alarm sounding in her head as her stomach churned.

He wasn't alone, she realized as the magic she sensed from the other room was very different from the one that vampires normally exude. And far more sinister.

"Bon?" Damon called as he knocked on the door once more, prompting her to flinch as she started to back away from the strange presence.

Her head shook as she tried to bring her heartrate down, feeling her hands shake as her breathing picked up. No, no it can't be…

"Okay, listen-" the Salvatore began just before the door flew open to reveal the face which all her nightmares had been filled with as of late. "Was that really necessary!?" Damon hissed at the witch beside him as Kai Parker gave a shrug in reply.

"I thought we'd just cut to the chase." he smirked before his eyes drilled into hers from across the room. Filling her chest with ice as she gulped hard in result. "Hi, Bon-Bon." he said leisurely, wearing a sickeningly sweet smile that didn't match his cold glance whatsoever. "Missed me?"

---

"Okay, before you react-" Damon began in vain as the Bennett witch immediately spelled the vicious man to fall to his knees.

A sharp laugh escaped Kai as he shook his head at her in response. "Isn't this a little over the top?" he quipped.

"Oh, I haven't even started yet." she bit through her teeth as she raised her hand and slowly turned her wrist, bringing his smug face to falter as his head turned on its own.

"Bonnie, wait, just listen." Damon tried then, prompting her other hand to rise as she directed it at him as well. Causing him to clutch his temples in a grunt as he struggled to move closer to her. "Bonnie, he's…. here… to help."

"Help!?" she echoed with an empty laugh, staring daggers at the vampire then. "I can't believe that you would do this to me." she whispered, gritting her teeth as she focused on Kai again – who was straining to fight back against her magic. "Now you, on the other hand, I'd expect nothing less from."

"Lovely, but could you maybe… stop trying to break my neck for one second – you know, so that I can prove my worth to you?" he snickered in humor amidst the pained grunts under his breath.

His response worked only to flame the rage in her chest then as she tasted blood in her mouth from the added effort. "No." she said firmly. "Nothing you say or do can save you now." she threatened, whispering a chant as she brought his lungs to collapse. Causing him to gasp for breath as he held up a hand at her.

"Bonnie, stop!" Damon groaned as he took a few steps closer to her, prompting her to twist his heart in a slow motion. "Bon- please…" he hissed out then.

"Shut up!" she yelled at him. "You are insane if you thought this was going to go any other way, Damon." she spat out darkly. "Either he kills me, or I kill him."

"I know… know how to fix your friend… I can help her!" Kai managed to get out through an empty breath, causing her to only laugh in reply.

"Oh, please!" she scoffed incredulously. "Damon, if you really believed that then clearly you left your mind back in 1994."

"It's true!" Kai tried, the strength returning to his voice as the anger began to steal Bonnie's focus. "I know how to force the humanity switch back on."

"Stop lying!" she gritted out, ready to rip out his liver when a face suddenly filled her view.

"Bonnie, stop!" Elena pleaded as she grabbed onto her shoulders hard. "Look at me, Bon. Don't look at him, look at me."

The witch only shook her head in reply as she kept eyeing the monster writhing under her spell. "Not until he's dead." she whispered.

"No, this isn't you. You don't kill people, Bonnie." Elena interjected loudly.

"How can you protect him when you don't even know what he's done?" she sputtered out as she felt her cheeks burn with furious tears.

"I'm not, I'm protecting you!" the brunette insisted.

Before Bonnie could reply, Kai managed to catch her off-guard and turned his hand in the air. Causing everything to stop as her powers were immediately stripped from her at the gesture.

Her eyes grew in a mix of shock and fear as she stared at the other witch, watching him get up from the floor with ease as he dusted himself off. Damon straightening beside him as he stroked his temple in a silent groan.

"Now." Kai sighed out with a shrug. "Why don't I start proving myself to you right away and not kill you for that?"

Bonnie launched forward to attack him but was held back by Elena then. "Hey, hey!" she called on her in attempt to bring her attention away from the man.

"No. I'm not accepting anything from him." she hissed sharply as she stared between her supposed friends. "You can't make me."

"I wasn't going to." Damon sighed with an apologetic frown as he reached for her, prompting her to jump back in reaction. "I'd never do anything to put you in harm's way, you know that."

"And yet, you have!" she scoffed with a cold laugh. "I thought you said you'd give me time on this."

"Well, let's be honest…" Kai drawled teasingly. "Is there any amount of time that could actually get you to start warming up to me?"

Refusing to even look at him then, she turned to Elena with a grave look as she nodded at her seriously. "Either he goes, or I go." she told her shortly, meeting the concern in the vampire's eyes as she studied her closely.

"Bonnie, I heard what he said… Maybe we could-"

"No." she interrupted, pushing away from her friend then. Staring at her as she suddenly felt like a complete stranger. "If you want to work with him, then I'm out." she threatened as she leaned back against her desk. Her hand reaching behind her for the knife she knew was there, somewhere.

"What if he can help?" Damon asked, making her close her eyes as she gritted her teeth in fury.

"Fine, then let him!" she spat out without meeting his gaze. "Just know that he's playing you, he's using you to get to me. Because that's what he does."

"Not this time." Kai said with a shrug. "I really do know something that could help."

"I don't care!" Bonnie yelled out, her hands wrapping around the weapon as she finally found it. Hiding it under her long sleeve as she decided to face him then. "I'd rather die than owe you anything." she insisted. "So just go ahead and tell them the truth about what you're really doing here so that I can get on with punishing you for all the terrible things you did to me." she urged with a dark smile.

"I'm not lying." he scoffed. "I'm really trying to help you. I don't even want anything in return."

"I don't believe you." she bit out, taking a few long steps towards the man as she struggled not to shake from the vicious hatred she felt for him. "See? I guess I finally learned from my mistakes after all." she taunted.

"What if I give you the spell?" he offered with raised hands. "I'll give you everything you need to do it all on your own. Then you can decide whether or not you want me to help."

"That's still a no." she told him shortly as she closed the final distance between them.

"Come on, Bonnie. I am telling you the truth." he whined. "I really, genuinely, want to make amends here."

"The only way that you can do that is if you die." she quipped, earning a bright smile from the witch then that made her stomach turn.

"Wow, just- Where was this Bonnie back in the prison world, huh?" he asked with a jubilant snicker. "Think of all the fun we could have had together!"

"Why don't you try that again, Kai?" Damon chimed in then as he appeared between them.

"Ugh, fine…" Kai groaned at that as he stretched his neck to see Bonnie past the Salvatore's shoulder. "What if I give you something that I know you want, more than anything else in this world?"

"Your head on a pike?" Bonnie asked, earning another smirk from the witch then.

"Other than that." he snickered, glancing between her and Damon then before he continued. "No, I was thinking something a bit more interesting and… let's say mythical…" he relayed, grinning widely before he finished. "The Ascendant."

---

Present day
Virginia Beach, Virginia

The young vampire must have been keeping track of the time, Klaus reckoned, as she returned from her swim just short of a half hour later. Just in time to dry up and keep their breakfast reservations.

His eyes remained shut as he rested in the shade of the beach umbrella, hearing her walking up to him with a little spring in her step. He could feel her presence as she came to sit on the chaise next to him, her wet skin sending off a cool breath of air to his warm body.

An employee had come by earlier and dropped off some towels for the two, one of which she used to dry herself with as she soon lied down to relax in the sun.

"You know, Caroline-" he chimed as he refused to fall prey to her tricks, keeping his eyes shut still. "If you wanted to go to a topless beach, you could've just said so." he teased, earning a soft snicker from her in response.

"I didn't." she countered, sounding a little out of breath from her swim. "I wanted to be topless at a non-topless beach. There's a difference."

"Sure; an arrest warrant." he quipped, not needing to see her to know that she was rolling her eyes at him with that tiny smile on her lips that she always got when she pretended not to be amused by him. He let out a sigh as he reached for his opened water bottle and took a sip. "Next I'm taking you to a nudist colony." he told her, smirking as she scoffed at him in reply.

"Why, so you can see me completely naked?" she teased, bringing his smirk to grow into a wide grin.

"No." he shrugged while putting the bottle away. "So, that no one would think to bat an eye when you are."

He heard her adjust in her seat as her eyes burned holes into the side of his head. "Are you really this possessive?" she asked, prompting him to finally turn his head to her then.

"Klaus Mikaelson. Pleasure to meet you." he joked before finally watching her. Taking in her slightly rosy cheeks and ruffled hair as she lied on her stomach, propped up against her elbows and wearing an incredulous expression that colored her beautiful eyes.

He caught himself faltering a little as his gaze lingered on her genuinely happy face, certain that he had yet to see that once since he first found her in New York. Swallowing whatever praise he was on the brink of sharing, he double-checked his phone to confirm his suspicions and nodded to her pointedly. "We should get breakfast now if we wish to be back on the road before noon." he suggested, expecting resistance from the blonde but receiving only an accepting nod from her.

As she sat up, he turned to collect their discarded clothes and kept his eyes averted once more. Not needing any further temptations from the endearing little vampire as she insisted on driving him mad with her advances. It was hard enough playing impervious when she was actively trying to rile him up.

Having gotten dressed, he tossed her scantly garments to her seat and straightened his back. Stretching his arms a little as he waited for her to cover up. Moving torturously slow enough, when she was finished he turned to her with a small smile.

"Ready?" he asked, earning a nod as she started walking back to the hotel. He directed her with a hand to her back as they continued on in a rather comfortable silence - for once.

When he walked up to the resort restaurant and opened the door for her, he saw her stop and turn away. "One second." she told him, her face swiftly changing into a dark mask as she caught the unashamed stares of a couple of men by the beach. Properly scaring them off as they looked chocked at what they had seen.

"Men." she muttered under her breath as she walked into the restaurant then.

"No, no, love." he crooned. "I'm afraid that's a different breed entirely." he added in amusement, turning shortly to give his room key to the hostess as she checked their reservation.

"Is it, though?" she scoffed at him as they waited to be assigned their seats, her eyes drifting and informing him that one of the servers was having trouble keeping his focus on bussing tables.

Rather difficult task when you're staring at guests from across the room, he thought to himself with a snide scowl. Quickly schooling his face into a soft smile when Caroline watched him again.

"Hey, now." he chuckled warmly. "When a wolf attacks someone inside the village; the people do not start throwing blame on the resident dogs, do they?"

It had the intended effect as she snickered at him in amusement. "Leave it to you to have an analogy involving wolves at the top of your head." she teased, causing him to grin at her.

"Always." he quipped, catching the soft color in her eyes momentarily before the hostess gave them a piece of paper with the number of their table. "Shall we?" he asked his date, noting her short nod before he directed her to their seats.

On their way, he passed the same busboy who'd leered at her before and made sure to flash his own monstrous face to properly scare this one off. Just for good measure.

---

Present day
Mystic Falls, Virginia

"Bonnie, what is he talking about?" Elena asked as she studied the strange shift between the others. Damon stiffening and Bonnie's eyes dropping to the floor. Kai merely grinned as he turned to answer the question himself.

"I guess that means they haven't told you yet." he snickered, shrugging leisurely before walking across the room and plopping himself down on Bonnie's bed. "I'll just go ahead and take a little snoozer while you all catch up over there." he teased, prompting Bonnie to finally meet his gaze with a dark glare.

"What did he promise you?" she asked, her words directed at Damon as she slowly turned to him with a shaking head.

"I think we both know what, Bon." he muttered guiltily.

"Is that it? He told you he could open the portal again, one last time? Long enough for you to go back there?" she pressed on, confusing the seemingly forgotten Gilbert vampire as she stepped closer to them with crossed arms.

"Why would you want that?" she scoffed in disbelief.

"Because of Nova Scotia." Bonnie replied in the man's stead, her disappointed eyes meeting Elena's dark ones as she frowned. "Because when I was there, siphoning off the very last of Qetsiyah's magic in the hopes of rescuing myself – of finally getting out of that hell – I left something behind."

"What?" Elena pushed on, her eyebrows furrowing as she received a worrisome look from her friend then.

"I was going to take it back with me but… But the prison world was falling apart with me inside of it and I had to make a decision; to either get out of there while I still had the chance, or to stay and wait for you all to miraculously break me out before the world literally ended."

"Bonnie, I don't see how any of this-" Elena began before she was interrupted by Damon then.

"The cure, Elena." he interjected grimly. "It's there. Back in 1994."

"The cure." she echoed, the words slowly making sense to her as she gaped at the two of them with sudden understanding. "That means…" she stuttered. "There's a way for me to become human again."

---

Kai cleared his throat unceremoniously as he got fed up with the angry stares from Bonnie and the not-so-passive aggressive bumps Damon kept hitting his shoulder with in attempt to separate the witches from each other. He shook his head in a scoff as he watched Elena help Bonnie set everything up for his suggested ritual and felt there was just something very wrong with this image.

Every time he reached for a book or tried to adjust something on the table, he was swatted away like a disobedient child. And damnit, he couldn't help but think that he deserved better. For once in his life, he was doing something utterly selfless and he was still being treated as the enemy.

"You know, seeing as I'm helping you find your missing friend and get the cure for immortality back, I'd assume that you would at least drop the glaringly obvious disdain and mistrust for long enough to – oh, I don't know; thank me, maybe?" he quipped as he nodded at Bonnie pointedly. "You, especially, should try being a teeny-little nicer to me. Lest you remind me of your several attempts to kill me in the past."

"That's funny." Bonnie snickered in reply as she refused to meet his eyes. "I was actually thinking the same thing myself."

"Well, then at least think of us as even now, eh?" he countered with a smirk, only grinning wider when Damon shot him another disapproving look. "Oh, come on. I didn't have to be here, you know? Helping? Stepping up?" he pointed out. "I'm obviously trying to do my part for the team so why can't you at least treat me as such?"

"Because you're not." Damon sniped back. "Let's get that part clear right away; Kai, you are not one of us. Or part of the team or whatever. You're the enemy, a small favor here and there won't make us forget that."

A scoff made the men turn back to the so-far silent brunette as Elena slowly looked up from her task of lighting candles in time to catch the hurt displayed across Damon's face.

"Sorry." she murmured before quickly averting her eyes. Piquing Kai's interest as he examined the change in the Salvatore's features.

"Did I miss something?" he drawled in amusement. "Don't tell me you guys broke up?" the lack of response; protesting or otherwise, made him whine in disappointment. "Awe, no…! And just as you succeeded in crawling your way out of hell to be with your beloved Elena again." he sighed. "That's gotta suck, man."

"Damon…" Bonnie drawled, as if attempting to smooth his temper over as she clearly sensed that Kai's words were starting to get to him.

Which only spurred the male witch on even more.

"I mean, here you are; desperately trying to make things right with her with this big gesture and she's still not interested in making up with you?" he mocked on. "Maybe you should take a hint, pal. She's just not that into you."

"Okay, that's enough." Bonnie cut in then, giving Kai a stern look as she continued. "Are you going to actually make yourself useful or were you planning on just proving us right about you over and over again?"

"Oh, no, definitely the first one." he quipped with a shrug. "I just can't help myself. I see a pair of miserable people, and I just have to dig in deeper and make them suffer some more." he added with a sigh. "It's both a curse and a blessing, really."

"Yeah, how's that?" Elena pushed with narrowed eyes as he only smiled in response.

"I may love causing others pain, but I also enjoy watching them inflict it on one another all on their own." he crooned. "But surely, you must already know what that's like. Right?" he pressed with a nod. "I didn't get to read what Stefan Salvatore wrote about you, since apparently he hadn't fallen madly in love with you yet back in 1994 – however, I did learn so much about your ancestor. Your great-great-great-something grandmother? And damn, if it wasn't entertaining. Especially after having been locked up in a vast universe for ages and all." he said with a chuckle. "I can only imagine what fresh suffering the infamous Petrova doppelganger managed to put these noble brothers through."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Elena gritted at him, her eyes flashing with dark veins in warning that only amused the witch further.

"Well, perhaps. But, as rumor has it; neither do you." he pointed out with a shrug before leaning over the table then. "Now, let's get started." he announced with a nod over at the Bennett witch then. "Let's find you all a humanity-free vampire." he urged, sucking air through his teeth as he considered it shortly. "Just out of curiosity, do we want her back with that whole baggage too or…?"

A short glance around the room answered his question as schooling eyes glared at him in reply. "Fine, whatever." he shrugged in disappointment. "Clearly, you guys can't appreciate any kind of psychopath, huh? Vampire or otherwise."

"Can we just do get this over with!?" Bonnie pressed impatiently, prompting him to smirk at her deeply before reaching out for her hand.

"After you." he crooned as he waited for her to reluctantly put her palm in his, her eyes closing as she whispered a chant between gritted teeth. His lips still twitching in triumph as he followed suit and focused their joint magic on the task before them. His free hand hovering over the printed-out photo in the center of the table as his mind slowly began to fill with images seen through Caroline Forbes' eyes.

---

Present day
Somewhere between Virginia and North Carolina

The meal ended up being quite pleasant. Caroline had been curious of some of the hybrid's favorite beaches from his travels and he had happily shared stories about all of them. He had asked her where she would like to go next, if she could go anywhere, and her answer had surprised him.

"New Zealand."

"New Zealand?" he'd echoed in entertainment. "Let me guess, you couldn't think of any place further away from Mystic Falls?"

"Well, even if I was trying to put as much distance between me and my childhood home as possible; so what?" she had pressed with a shrug. "I think I'm due for a real change."

"Certainly." he had told her with a soft snicker. "I'm simply thinking of how much more convenient it would be for you to discover the Americas first, before going off into the rest of the world I mean."

"And what, this little cross-country road trip that we're doing isn't enough?" she'd countered, bringing him to shake his head in a chuckle.

"It's a start." he'd insisted. "But you should take your time, Caroline. Look for your new favorite places. Find the beach with the clearest waters, have the best glass of wine you've ever tasted, learn whatever language intimidates you the most…" he told her, noting how the words seemed to really sink in as she watched him with wide eyes. Looking so young and curious and excited…

It was hard not to revisit the events of the previous nights in his mind then; to reminisce about how she'd moved in to kiss him, how she'd acted with no sign of any ulterior motive, how hurt she'd been when he turned away. The rejection had struck something else in her, he could tell. The origin of which he wasn't entirely certain. Perhaps something old and deeply hidden away...

She had assumed that his actions were a testament to his feelings for her.

How wrong she'd been.

It was the exact opposite, as he was concerned with evidentially giving in and betraying her trust while she remained in such a vulnerable state. To take advantage of her temporary inhibitions, of her currently lowered guard.

She would never forgive him.

The mere thought was enough to turn his heart to ice as he gulped down the guilt preemptively building in his chest. He had been so close to telling her, to finally ease his conscious and hopefully prove that when it came down to it; Caroline was not lost. She was still herself, her loving and generous and empathetic and bright self.

But her actions gave cause for concern. Especially the uncharacteristic scene with the young child at the beach. How she'd showed no remorse, no sign of any unease about her harsh words and cold attitude.

And then there were times like their breakfast, when she'd been friendly and open and relaxed. And almost warm. Almost bright. Almost herself.

He had shortly considered compelling her to make sure that she reacted to the truth calmly, with understanding and kindness. However, he told himself that such a drastic measure should only be used as a last resort. If all else failed, if Caroline proved to be a genuine threat to his family - to Hope - then he would need to act accordingly.

The logics of it didn't do anything to ease his dread in the slightest.

Their meal, and the preparations for their continued travel alike, had all passed by quickly. Before he knew it he was driving out of Virginia, with Caroline in the passenger seat playing games on a burner phone he'd gotten her. When that couldn't keep her attention anymore, she'd turned to playing with the air-conditioning and fidgeting with the windows in an attempt to make herself comfortable despite the growing heat.

"God, this is unbearable!" she groaned when she gave up on controlling the temperature. "Where are you taking me, hell!?"

"Well, love..." he drawled smirkingly as he decided that her breaking their silence was an opportunity for him to bring some stuff up that had crowded his mind during the last hour of the drive. "Feel free to lose a layer or two." he taunted, earning an incredulous scoff from her in reply. "What?" he chuckled. "You certainly had no trouble flashing the entire east coast this morning."

"Yeah well, even if it did sound appealing - which it does not - I'd just end up sticking to the leather seat and get even more uncomfortable. So I think I'll pass on the strip show this time, thanks." she scoffed back, the tone in her voice hinting at her quickly evaporating patience.

He let out a sigh at that as he considered their options. "I can make a stop soon for some iced beverages." he suggested, prompting her to turn her head to him in surprise.

"I thought you said we weren't stopping again until Raleigh?" she drawled, bringing him to shrug.

"Yes, but seeing as your complaining isn't likely to lessen in the next couple of hours, I reckon it's better to take one short stop now then to try and drive us off a cliff later."

She scoffed at that. "Oh, so my complaining is bothering you then?" she countered snarkingly. "Maybe you should've thought about that before forcing us to drive down through Dante's swampy inferno in peak heatwave season!"

"Maybe you should've thought twice before destroying the stereo." he bit back. "Then you might have at the very least been occupied with butchering every last song on the air."

"Butchering!?" she echoed in an offended scoff. "So, now you're calling me a bad singer too?"

"No, I-" he sighed out, immediately regretting his harsh words as they both were clearly already agitated enough. "I didn't mean-"

"So, how else do I bother you, Klaus?" she crooned on, sounding far more malicious than irritated now. "Other than singing along to the radio and complaining about the temperature and going topless at the beach…?"

"It was a poor choice of words." he said, drawing a quick breath as he decided it would be best to diffuse the situation quickly then to let it escalate to a full-on argument.

"No, I don't think it was." she insisted as she leaned closer, her arms folded over her chest. "I think that you're finally being honest with me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he scoffed back, looking between her and the road as he counted down the miles to the next possible rest-stop.

"That you're constantly keeping things to yourself." she retorted angrily. "Like the reason that you brought me on this trip. Or how you feel about me. Or even what's waiting for us down in New Orleans!"

"This again." he bit through his teeth, his hands gripping the wheel tightly and causing the material to squeak in resistance. "Tell me, Caroline. If you are so certain that I am hiding some secret intended at home, just how do you explain your numerous advances and not-so-subtle attempts at tempting me into acting out exactly how I feel about you?"

"Come on!" she countered in disbelief. "One simple joke here, a tiny slip-up there and now you're accusing me of - what? Trying to get you to cheat on your new girlfriend?"

"That's the problem, though, Caroline. Isn't it?" he scoffed bitterly. "Everything's a joke to you. It's all a game, a tactic, a manipulation. You're accusing me of being dishonest because it is far easier than having to face your own lies."

"My lies!?" she echoed.

"Yes!" he yelled. "Your whole new identity is built on one lie after another." he accused her darkly. "You convince yourself that you have your humanity under control, but you've showed me nothing to back such a claim."

"Okay, you know what-" she tried to interrupt him, but he was already set off now. Like a lit match that was soon to burn down the entire state.

"You didn't turn it off because you were afraid of your emotions - you did it because you were afraid of yourself." he berated her. "Of what you'd do in reaction to them."

"Klaus…"

"Because that is who you have always been, Caroline." he scoffed coldly. "Afraid of your potential. Of who you could be. Of what you could do. Because even as you work so hard to convince me and everyone else - yourself included - that you do not still feel it in this state; you do. You feel the loss, the grief, and you still feel the very same worry that caused you to lock your humanity away in the first place; the fear of becoming a monster." he lectured her.

"No, seriously, Klaus-"

"But this is when it gets truly fascinating, love… Even as you claim to be at your worst, to have turned your very darkest, you are still the furthest thing to a monster than anyone I have ever encountered." he continued with a short chuckle of disbelief.

"And bear in mind, sweetheart, I have met dictators and tyrants and the most evil people in all of human history. And even as you try your hardest to push everyone away, yet again out of fear, you are only proving my point. Even while you are going through the most difficult and painful time of your life, you worry about what you will do to those around you." he relayed with a shaking head.

"You are far more concerned about hurting others than you are of hurting yourself. That is why you accepted my help. That is why you let me drive you to New Orleans. That is why you agreed to let me help you. Because you know, deep down, that no matter what you did or who you became, I will never give up on you. I will never turn my back on you. I-"

"Klaus!" she screamed so sharply that it cut through his rant at once, bringing his head to turn to her panicked face as she clutched her hands tightly.

He noticed it then, the subtle scent that had begun building just a minute ago, the shift in her voice and her sudden inability to participate in the fight.

It was the smell of her skin sizzling, set ablaze by the sunlight as flames began to lick across her arms and continue up her body.

Caroline was burning.

---

Present day
Mystic Falls, Virginia

The group was violently thrown back by a shockwave between the witches, resulting in them all swiftly separating and flying off in different directions as something had gone terribly wrong.

Damon's ears were ringing from the mystical explosion as he slowly sat up on the floor, his eyes squinting as he stared at the table across the room. Fire having rapidly spread out and brought smoke to fill the room.

"Bonnie?" he coughed out hoarsely as the flames covered his sight. A dread hitting him as he feared the extent to her injuries considering her close proximity to the impact. "Bonnie!" he called again as he stood up, a burning banister falling in front of him and forcing him to move back in result. "Elena!?" he tried as he waded through the ruins of the dorm in search for either of them.

"Damon?" the latter called back, coughing as she crawled out from under a large bookcase. He rushed over and helped her on her feet, examining her swiftly as he cupped her cheek and brushed some glass out of her hair. "Where's Bonnie?" she asked in a panic, clearly having shared his suspicions on the possible fatality of the accident.

"I don't know yet." he told her with a shaking head. "You okay?" he asked, earning a nod from her which he echoed in confirmation. "Can you hear her?" he then pushed on and waited as she closed her eyes in an attempt to follow his instructions.

"I- maybe." she stuttered. "I'm hearing heartbeats, but it could be anyone…"

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about." he muttered grimly. "This big of an explosion, half the building must have gotten blown up."

"I have to find Bonnie." she interjected with a gulp as she started glancing around the rubble.

"I'll get her." he told her reassuringly. "It's probably too late to try and put out the fire on our own… You go see if anyone else needs help, okay?"

She only nodded at that, her wide eyes watching him with something that almost resembled affection as she squeezed his hand. "Call for me when you find her."

"I will." he promised, pressing a peck to her temple then out of instinct and quickly catching himself. As he gulped and pulled back, concerned about what she'd say, he rushed to speak first. "Elena. Be careful." he pleaded with her, stroking her cheek softly before breaking away to find the other young girl currently trying to ruin his sanity.

"Bonnie!" he yelled out as he searched the ruins for her. Ducking under the fragile roof as he guessed it was close to collapsing. "Bon!" he called, rushing through a doorway right before it fell apart behind him.

"Good god." he hissed as he stepped out of what remained of the dorm and into what he assumed was the ruins of the hallway. He caught the scent of blood in the air and heard screams from afar, but none belonging to the Bennett witch.

"Come on, Bonnie." he pleaded aloud as he turned to the formerly large windows at the end of the corridor. However, now it was a large hole that opened up to the courtyard. He peaked his head through and scanned the crowd below, not spotting Bonnie's face anywhere. But he did find a familiar one, nonetheless.

"Enzo!" he called as he saw his old friend staring up at the destroyed building from the street. At the sound of his name, the vampire rushed up to join Damon's side.

"Don't tell me you did this, Damon…" he drawled with furrowed eyes.

"I'll fill you in later." the Salvatore said with a shaking head as he reached for his shoulders and stared at him grimly. "Bonnie's hurt and we can't find her." he instructed him, earning a nod from his friend before he pulled away and immediately disappeared further inside the house.

The calls of her name continued in the distance as Enzo picked up the search at the other end of the hall, his shape flashing through the rubble as Damon found himself having a bit of trouble catching up. His head still a clouded mess as he suspected that he was suffering of a severe concussion. And clearly not healing fast enough.

"Bonnie, where are you!?" he cried out as he kicked in the doors to the dorms across from the girls'. Searching everyone swiftly before moving on to the next.

He was about to break another door off its hinges in increased despair when he finally heard Enzo call for him. "I've got her!"

Following the voice to the staircase on the furthest end of the building, Damon found Enzo carefully pulling the witch out from another broken window. Her body covered in blood and broken glass as he laid her down on the floor.

"Move." he ordered before quickly biting into his wrist and feeding her his blood. His free hand tugging at the splinters sticking out of her cheeks and forehead gently.

"What the hell happened here, mate?" Enzo asked as he glanced around them shortly, a cable sparking above them as the overhead lighting was blown out by the impact.

"I messed up, alright!?" Damon hissed as he urged Bonnie to take his blood, her weak eyes barely registering his face as she slowly responded and began healing. He saw the cuts getting sealed up and the blood drying off, could hear the bones cracking into place and her soft protests as she tried to push his wrist away.

"Hey, I don't want to hear it." he snickered at her with a sad smile. "You can kill me later. Just let me get you out of here first - what do you say, Bon?"

Her head nodded a little at that as she bit into his skin and forced herself to swallow the blood. As he finally felt himself relax, he started to remember the last missing person from the incident. "Did you see Kai?" he asked Enzo, prompting him to shrug.

"How would I know?" he scoffed, causing the Salvatore to chuckle.

"Right." Damon chuckled under his breath as he shook his head at that. "Here, get her somewhere safe." he instructed his friend as he determined her state of health far less critical then. "I need to find him." he mused bitterly.

"He did this, Damon." Bonnie hissed as Enzo helped her off the floor. He attempted to carry her but she gave him a swift glare that immediately changed his mind. "I can walk on my own!" she insisted, prompting the vampire to raise his palms in retreat.

"Whoever said chivalry was dead – was clearly referring to you." Enzo teased then, earning himself a glare before the witch met Damon's eyes again.

"This was his fault. I know it." she spat out darkly. "If anything happens to Caroline because of him…"

"Don't worry about that right now." he interjected. "Let Enzo help you out of here before the entire roof falls on top of your fragile little human head."

Bonnie scoffed at that as she pushed the man away at his attempt to steady her. "I'm going to find that sick bastard and kill him myself." she threatened.

"And I'll help you!" Damon promised. "Now will you get the hell out of here already!?"

She gave him one last scrutinizing look before seemingly agreeing to his terms, limping a few steps before losing her balance. Quickly grabbing onto Enzo's arm then as she finally allowed him to assist her.

"Shut up." she muttered, as if reading both men's thoughts accurately. Bringing them to share a short pair of knowing smirks before the two slowly left Damon alone.

"Now, don't make me break my promise." he muttered to himself as he turned around to start looking for the son of a bitch. "Oh, Kai~" he sing-songed as he sifted through the rubble carefully. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…"

---

Present day
Somewhere past the border of North Carolina

The vampire's cries turned harrowing as Klaus moved faster than he could think, reaching for Caroline and jumping out of the car in the blink of an eye. Covering her as much as he could with his own body, taking off his shirt and dabbing it onto her skin to try and keep the flames from spreading. He managed to tune her voice out enough to consider his options, spotting some trees that seemed big enough to offer sufficient shade.

Rushing to shield her from the sun, he placed her charred body on the grass and then returned to the ditch where their abandoned car had crashed. Ripping off the trunk door and flashing over to the blonde at once, he propped it up on the ground next to her and made sure she was as protected from the sun as possible.

He bit into his wrist then and fed his blood to her, moving her head to his lap as he held onto every little bit of denial he could muster up. Despite her scorched hands and blistered face, the way some of her hair had burned off, how her eyes were closed and her heart still.

"You're alright, you're alright." he whispered as he stroked her cheek. Holding his breath as he waited for her body to react to the blood, for her to wake up, to start healing…

"It's okay. It's okay. You're okay." he chanted as he took off one of his necklaces and tied it to one of her wrists. The beads of the old jewelry having been spelled centuries ago as they acted as his daylight tokens up until the point that he had finally broken his curse and become a hybrid. He hadn't checked to make sure that it was still working since then, but he had to believe that it would now.

It had to work.

His bite started to heal, prompting him to bite into it once more as he pushed it against her lips desperately. "Go on, Caroline." he murmured against her forehead. "This isn't the time for your trademark defiance, love…" he pleaded with a hollow chuckle. "Come on. Wake up. Open your eyes."

As her body remained limp in his arms, he glanced back at the vehicle on the side of the road and remembered that he had packed an emergency stash of blood bags. "I'll be right back, okay? Right back." he whispered as he put her down on the ground again and ran over to look for the blood.

He dug through the trunk, checked under every seat, emptied all the bags… But they were nowhere to be found.

Had he used them up already and forgotten about it?

Had Caroline fed on them and hidden it from him?

"Where the fucking hell are they!?" he growled as he tore the car into pieces, breaking the windows and punching the metal in rage. He roared out a desperate cry as he felt the ground shake beneath him, prepared to swallow him whole and bury him in darkness.

No, no, no. No. No, no…

As if by some miracle, a horn met his ears then as a car pulled up to the ditch. "Hey, are you okay?" the driver called from his seat, bringing Klaus to walk over to him with slow steps as he calculated his next move. "Did you get in an accident or something?" the man asked with concern to his voice as he stepped out of the car and examined the crash site swiftly.

Klaus breathed out with closed eyes for a second, meeting the man's confused expression then right before running over and tearing into his neck roughly with his teeth. Silencing the man as his screams turned into gurgled noise while his heart pumped within his chest yet.

He carried the body with him to the temporarily dead blonde, directing the bleeding neck toward Caroline's lips. "See, I'm back. I even got you a present." he whispered. "Now drink up, love." he pleaded softly. "We need to get out of here before others start showing up, asking questions and getting in the way..."

His voice caught in his throat when he finally noticed Caroline's skin changing, the blisters slowly healing and the blackened marks beginning to smooth. "There you go, sweetheart." he let out under a sharp exhale. "That's it."

He stroked her hair back as she started to look normal again, her face no longer tearing his insides up and her eyes flickering a little with dark veins crawling beneath. "That's much better, isn't it?" he murmured encouragingly, watching as she grew stronger with every passing second. Her hands reaching for the body and pulling it closer as she buried her face in the large wound.

It was possible that a mere couple of minutes had passed since he discovered her covered in flames next to him. But to the hybrid, it felt like hours. He died a little inside when she didn't respond to his blood, and then woke up again as if becoming a whole new person when she began to feed on her own.

"That was quite a scare, love." he murmured, mostly to himself. "But don't worry, I will find out what happened. And I will kill everyone responsible." he promised as her dark eyes opened and met his. A vicious snarl escaping her as she tore deeper into the man, seemingly not finding her fill there and pushing the corpse away from her.

He thought, for a second as he watched her malicious expression, that perhaps he had been wrong after all. Perhaps Caroline wasn't too far from being a monster in the end.

And, oh, what a magnificent one she made…

She watched him with something primal in her empty eyes, nothing but hunger driving her as she leaped forward and attacked him. Straddling his lap with such force that he toppled over in result, her fangs digging into his neck and her hands pinning his above his head as she fed on him.

The smirk on his face faltered as he struggled with what to do, gulping hard as he tried to drown out the pleasurable moans she was letting out against his skin. "Alright, sweetheart, I believe you've had enough." he murmured as he broke out of her hold.

The vicious blonde was however quick to react as she punched into his chest and reached for his heart. He held back a pained groan before he pushed her off hard, pinning her to the ground as he squeezed her throat – just enough to keep her still and at a distance.

"I said enough!" he growled as he urged to find some response from within the monster, certain her instincts were controlling her in result of the trauma. Her hands clawed at his shoulders in attempt to break free, prompting him to use his whole weight pushed against her to ensure she couldn't repeat her previous stunt once more.

"Caroline, stop." he hissed as he fought hard not to hurt her. Her dark eyes stared up at him as she snarled in reply, the emptiness in them worrying him as he waited for the person he knew to shine through again. "Caroline!" he called sharply as he shook her at that, seeing her blink in response as she slowly caught up with herself.

He brought a free hand to his wound, checking to make sure it was healing properly as he wondered what the chances where of her weakening him by taking so much of his blood. "I don't believe anyone's had the drop on me like that in centuries." he mused, hints of entertainment blending with a hurt pride as he glanced back down at her dazed features.

Her lips parted as she panted beneath him, the darkness changing in her eyes as she seemed to have gotten over the bloodlust by now – and instead feel the effects of an entirely different kind of need. With bloodied lips and heavy eyes, her face was a true vision for one's darkest fantasies as she watched him like a lion studied its prey. Prompting him to gulp as he attempted to pull away and ease the situation a bit, for the both of them.

"I guess I should apologize." she whispered under her breath as he assessed her cautiously, shifting away from her as he scanned their environments.

"Well-" he began but was quickly cut off when she grabbed the back of his head and crashed his lips down to hers.

The act caught him entirely off-guard as she kissed him heatedly, resulting in him freezing up for a moment as both his mind and body betrayed him. A few seconds passed before he managed to break away, holding her face back as he took the time to think.

However, the taste of her kiss mixed with the various fresh blood, the sweet combination lingering. Bringing him to lick his lips as he savored it, feeling his own instincts take over when he met her lusty eyes again before diving in to kiss her.

She reciprocated with fervor, clearly intent on driving him crazy as she rubbed against him while running her hands through his hair and under his shirt. His lips swallowed her sighs as her tongue danced with his in a reminiscent rhythm, the reminder souring the experience as he realized she wasn't entirely her.

He could've shrugged it off. Decided not to care that she was a compromised version of the woman he really wanted, nor that he was crossing every line that he had set up for himself to manage a safe distance. Because she was alive, she could've died with him never getting to kiss her again and perhaps that was good enough of an excuse for how he lost himself in the moment.

But it wasn't enough. And somehow it was too much all at the same time.

His willpower managed to win over her temptations as he pulled back, her breaths still hitting his lips as he couldn't bring himself to completely leave her hold just yet. "I'll take that as a 'thank you' for saving your life, yet again." he murmured, smirking shortly as she tried to close the tiny distance in vain. Her momentary surge of strength no longer enough to retake control of the situation.

"Yeah? Were you responsible for my life needing rescuing this time too?" she teased back, making him shake his head in amusement as he struggled to break away from her entirely.

"As much as I might enjoy history repeating itself, in more ways than one…" he chimed with soft snicker. "It wasn't I who put you in danger this time, Caroline."

She raised an eyebrow at that as she kept glancing between his eyes and his lips. "Then who was?" she pressed leisurely.

He took a long breath before finally managing to flash back up on his feet, pulling her with him by her hand and smiling as she blinked in surprise at that.

"Why don't we go find out?" he suggested with a shrug. Intertwining his fingers with hers as he tugged at her to follow, not minding that he was pushing the boundaries a little further as she seemed to share in his lack of hurry to let go of each other just yet.