Songbird

Summary: She asked for his protection. He gave it to her. But with Klaus Mikaelson everything came with a price and into his web Caroline Forbes went. However that was only the beginning. Mafia!Klaroline AU/AH.

Chapter V: Gray Sky

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
If I didn't go, I could leave today

...

Detroit

December 2012

….I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A. California dreamin' on such a winter's day….On such a winter's day….

The sweet cadence of her voice slowly faded away as did the shining spotlight around her. Caroline finished her song under Klaus Mikaelson's scrutiny as she did for the past weeks ever since he had invited her to his table the first night he saw her singing. That same night she had rejected his advances and so she continued to do all the nights that followed. Despite his persistence and his charming words. Despite how he looked at her with admiration and lustful eyes.

Caroline knew about danger now. She could feel it under her skin like an electric current and Klaus Mikaelson was carrying lightning and thunder in every sweet invitation and luring temptation. He was bad news. She knew it, he knew it. Hell everyone knew it.

So Caroline stayed away. No matter how Klaus would come every night to hear her sing and then invite her to join him in his table.

And tonight was no different. As she was about to get off the stage one of the club's guards came near her and leaned over to whisper to her ear that Klaus Mikaelson would like it very much is she was to join him for a drink in his table.

Caroline rolled her eyes at Klaus' persistence but when she gazed at Klaus direction she almost faltered at the genuine anticipation he found in his eyes.

Almost.

.

.

Klaus narrowed his eyes as he saw Caroline turning away and walking towards the pianist and he sighed, feeling a wave of disappointment and irritation crash over him. He didn't need the guard to come and tell him that Caroline Forbes had rejected him once more.

He had never met such a stubborn woman like Caroline before. Intimidation didn't work. Courting her was not working. Gifts were not doing anything. His infamous charm was not earning him any favors.

The guard approached his table and stood awkwardly just a step away and cleared his throat clumsily.

"Eh…she said…"

Klaus gritted his teeth at his guard's stalling.

"Go on!" he ordered the man that seemed to be in an uncomfortable position.

"She thanks you for your invitation …to join you for a drink…but.."

"But?" Klaus impatiently gestured to the man to continue feeing annoyed with the guard's incompetence. Maybe he should consider searching for more useful assistants that would not stutter like fist out of the water.

"Ehm…She said she would rather die of thirst," Klaus' guard hurriedly repeated Caroline's rejection.

Klaus' pressed his lips into a hardline and the guard seemed to pale considerably and then a throaty familiar laughter reached Klaus' ears and made his fingers itch to grab his gun even more. He seriously needed to kill something and soon!

Kol Mikaelson chuckled amused as he hopped on the velvet sofa behind the table and sat next to his brother.

Klaus tried to control his anger as he watched Caroline disappearing behind the curtains that led to the backstage rooms and his brother's grating laughter was not helping.

But before he could control his reaction he smiled at her defiance but also felt an inkling of genuine displeasure at how she walked away from him after rejecting him publicly and so blatantly. It was not just the superficial anger of being rejected or his ego talking. It was not even the result of his bad temper. It was a deeper cut and it was in that moment's realization that he decided that there would come a time where Caroline Forbes would only sing for him. Either it would be on her own accord or it would be him manipulating and pulling her strings the result would still be the same. He would have her.

"Should I bring her to you Sir?" the guard offered making Klaus glare at him with a ferocity that made the man take a step back.

"Leave," Klaus barked making his brother's laugh intensify. Something that turned Klaus' disposition more sour.

Kol reached for the expensive bottle of scotch on the table waiting for Klaus to snap at him for stalling and for laughing at his misery. He smirked at the way his big brother was giving him his most vicious death glare. Would you look at that! That girl had really gotten under Nik's skin.

"By the end of the week I want to know everything there is to know about Caroline Forbes," Kol sarcastically imitated Klaus voice from when Klaus ordered him to search about the singer's past and then he brought the rim of the bottle to his lips and drank a full gulp enjoying the heat that followed against the walls of his throat, "well one thing we know for sure is that she always looks good walking away from you," Kol mocked Klaus and he almost spat out the alcohol that danced in his tongue at the way his brother's angry stare change to one of genuine sorrow before shifting to an expression of daydreaming.

"She is quite the challenge," Klaus fondly said with an impressed tone that made Kol lift up his eyebrows curious about his brother's behavior. What happened to 'love is a weakness'? Because Kol would bet his division in the family business that his brother's infatuation for the blonde bombshell was starting to turn into something much more dangerous.

It didn't last long though. Klaus turned serious again and the gleam in his eyes and the sneer that followed amazed Kol even more. Klaus was reacting as if this was a matter of life and death for him and he usually acted that way only for business and only when the severity of the situation demanded from him to resolve to resolute actions. And right now he was acting like this for a …girl. One he hadn't even shagged yet if what Bekah told him was true; and judging by the way the lovely nightingale rejected him Rebekah's estimation seemed to be true and Kol would bet that Klaus had not managed to get the blonde to warm his sheets. Maybe this is what his brother needed in order to loosen up after all. A beautiful challenge after a hard day of killing. Although if it was him he would just keep the killing part.

"It is the end of the week," Klaus remarked with a scowl feeling irked and barely able to control his temper and anticipation as he snatched the bottle from Kol's hand making his young brother pout childishly.

Klaus knew that he couldn't personally deal with such a trivial investigation. If anyone found out he would be putting his reputation and Caroline's life in jeopardy. He would have however wished to have had in his disposal a better hunter to search Caroline's past than Kol but admittedly his younger brother was the best of the best and even more so he was part of his family and therefore one of the few people he could really trust with this. Surely Kol would be the first one to jump at the opportunity to corner him with such personal information but when push came to shove their always and forever oath that put their family above all was prevailing. If only Finn had been the same.

Kol leaned back and snickered enjoying the power he was holding over the King of Chicago and he did not shy away from showing his extreme satisfaction over agitating Klaus.

"You know…invading your darling's privacy like that is not the right way to begin an honest and sincere relationship based on respect and understanding," Kol sarcastically taunted Klaus that literally growled at him.

"I swear if you don't start talking I will tear out your liver!"

Kol rolled his eyes and leaned back. Mirth dancing in his eyes.

"Always so prone to violence. No wonder 'Lijah thinks I turned out so emotionally unstable! Just look at the dysfunctional example I had to look up to," Kol theatrically lamented and held up his hands in mock surrender when he saw Klaus' fists clench on top of the table, "okay okay relax brother. I did dig up a few things that might interest you. And by might I mean surely. But if you want me to spill you will give me the next shipment. And two months' worth of profit from the New Orleans distribution," Kol demanded seriously.

"It's yours," Klaus quickly agreed without even bargaining and Kol looked at Klaus as if he had gone crazy but then he beamed satisfied before he took out of his jacket a small folder that contained the singer's personal information in a flash drive and handed it over to Klaus.

"You little Songbird has quite the history brother," Kol nonchalantly said earning his brother's undivided attention.

Later on when Caroline came back to the stage to sing again Klaus' eyes were glued on her form as Kol's words still echoed in his mind. Caroline's history and all the information his little brother had gathered about her for some reason were making his blood boil with rage.

….I'd be safe and warm…All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray…

Oh such a winter's day…

He had been right. The cut was deep and it would definitely leave a scar. It already had.

...

Chicago

Today

Caroline made her way towards Klaus' private parlor with certain steps. She did not even bother to look at the guards that lurked around to every corridor or those that followed behind her silently like unseen shadows as she pushed the stained glass doors open with both of her hands entering inside the luxurious room without waiting to ask for permission. Klaus guards already knew not to get in her way. It was surprising at first and amusing afterwards to see all that muscle bow down to her with respect and even a hint of fear in their eyes. Everyone in Klaus' house knew better than to displease Caroline in any way.

Caroline sighed as she noticed that in the center of the room Klaus was training with a few of his men on rubber training mats. Three men were circling him and Klaus was smirking as he stood there shirtless and barefoot wearing nothing but his gym pants and his necklaces.

"Sweetheart, if you would give a moment," he called for her, his voice slightly mocking as he fended off the man that attacked him from behind and soon Klaus threw him on the floor with a sound that almost made Caroline flinch.

Instead of flinching however Caroline rolled her eyes and went towards the bar to pour herself a glass of orange juice admiring the sight of Klaus fighting. He was an expert not only in all sorts of weaponry but also in martial arts and to single combat. More often than not he relished in causing pain to his opponents even in training and most of his opponents would end up limping away with broken bones and open noses.

However this was still an impressive spectacle as Caroline stood back and enjoyed the way Klaus' muscles flexed and how the sweat ran down his lean body.

Caroline added some Vodka in her juice even though it was still morning and swallowed down a gulp while another man literally flew back in the air as Klaus swirled around and kicked him while the man was trying to choke him from behind. Caroline snorted when she saw how Klaus' last guard seemed to be unsure. He seemed to fear to attack his boss and looked with fearful eyes at the men that were grunting on the floor trying to unsuccessfully get up.

Caroline noticed that Klaus had picked up his last opponent's fear and she knew that he did not allow that sort of weakness amongst his men. She saw how Klaus' gaze darkened as his eyes focused on his guard's hesitance and Caroline grimaced.

"Well mate?" Klaus challenged the man with a dangerous smile and Caroline shook her head.

The man charged at Klaus and was rewarded with a punch in the ribs and a high knee jab on the stomach. The guard even though was all muscle doubled over coughing blood. He tried to put his hand up to call for surrender but Klaus grabbed his wrist and twisted it in a grotesque angle making the man cry out in pain.

Caroline exhaled loudly watching the scene with fascination and exasperation at the same moment.

"Try not to-"

She didn't even have the chance to finish her phrase when the sound of bone breaking reached her ears.

"Break any bones ..this time," she mumbled looking at Klaus with annoyance as he dropped the broken wrist he was holding with distain making the poor man in front of him groan in anguish and fall on the floor like a bag of bones.

Klaus laughed as he raised his eyes and met her admonishing gaze.

"Too late love," he teased and Caroline only furrowed her brow as one of the previous guards that had ended on the floor attacked Klaus from behind trying to use the element of surprise only to find himself on the floor again staring at the ceiling with pain holding at his shattered ribs.

"Pathetic! All of you out of my sight!" Klaus growled and the men scurried away in pain knowing all too well that they had to train much harder if they wanted Klaus to keep them in his guard. Otherwise they knew that the alternative was death since no one that came so close to Klaus' affairs ever got to disappoint him in any way and live to tell the story.

Klaus took a towel from a chair and wiped off the sweat from his face and hung it around his neck as he approached Caroline with a smile. His lips touched hers and she kissed him softly before pulling back and hitting his shoulder.

"You're all sweaty," she protested and Klaus laughed giving her a knowing look before he crushed his mouth on hers once more. She moaned and tried to withdraw her head back but Klaus wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. Her chest grinded against his and she kissed him back.

"You did not seem to mind last night," he mumbled on her lips making her glare at him and push him away earning another chuckle from him. His dimples coning to full display and Caroline wondered how he could seem so boyish to her now after watching him beat his guards and break their bones only moments before.

Klaus narrowed his eyes and took the glass she had kept next to her on the bar's surface and tasted it.

"Too early for that love," he scolded and Caroline folded her hands in front of her chest defiantly.

"You are so not allowed to act like my dad Klaus!" she groused and he smirked smugly.

"I hardly doubt there would be anyone in this world to ever consider my intentions for you to be… paternal sweetheart," he playfully fired back making Caroline glare at him.

Klaus' eyes travelled slowly up and down her body enjoying the way her curves looked inside her gym pants and her sports bra.

Klaus extended his hand towards the floor mat and Caroline squinted her eyes at him.

"Will I count broken bones when we are done?" she challenged him and Klaus raised a brow at her direction.

"Have you ever before?" he questioned amused and she rolled her eyes at his attempt to pretend to be obtuse with her.

Klaus sobered up immediately however.

"I would never harm a hair on your head sweetheart. Surely you know that," he honestly confided with and Caroline chewed her lip feeling like a fish out of water. It was as if Klaus was two different people. The man that he was with her when they were alone and the nightmare everyone else viewed him whenever he stepped out of their private bubble.

"Everyone is afraid of you Klaus. And not just when it comes to training. Screw that. They are not afraid. They are terrified," she sighed as she started walking towards the gym flooring.

"As they should be," he said with a shrug following close behind her.

Caroline turned around and her eyes shone with defiance.

"You enjoy inspiring terror into others don't you?" she accused him with a slight hint of contempt in her tone. Something that made Klaus' previous affectionate tenderness disappear into thin air.

"It sends the right message," he admitted unemotionally as he dropped the towel to the floor.

"That does not mean you should enjoy it," Caroline whispered feeling unsure about why she was getting into this now. She glanced down but she did not miss how Klaus tensed at her accusation.

But truth was that this was a side of Klaus she did not know if she could live with. It was a thrilling side at times but still one she considered wrong. Logan liked to hurt people too. He liked to hurt her. Klaus never laid a hand on her and yes she did trust that he would not hurt her physically in any way but that didn't mean that what he was doing to so many others was right. She didn't need Matt and the feds to show her the pictures of the dead bodies and the tortured victims the Mikaelson family and more especially Klaus were leaving behind.

Klaus was leaving behind him nothing but cinders and ruin. He had no mercy for those he did not consider his. He had his own code of honor but that did not stop his reign of terror. He was bathing Chicago's underground belly in blood and he was not even stopping there.

She knew who Klaus was, he never hid his true identity from her; and this was why she asked his help in the first place but there were times that her consciousness was rioting against this world. Against his world.

Times when she remembered that once upon a time in a life that seemed so far away her mother had been the Sheriff and had been fighting against people like Klaus. Her mother that had raised her up with different morals and ideals. By simply standing by Klaus like this she was ending up feeling guilty for betraying her mother's memory and values; and there were times that this guilt was eating her up alive. It was as if she was trying to stand with one foot on two different boats. She was already drowning.

Klaus sauntered closer and pushed an errand strand away from her face. She felt a chill going through her spine at his heated gaze. He seemed to be reading her inner conflict so well and she did not want to get into a confrontation with him about something she knew he would not change. And yet she could not stop herself from somehow hoping to find common ground with him. She didn't want to change him but she wanted to make him understand how she felt about this and there were times that Klaus' walls were so high that she felt as if she was punching a wall and breaking her own bones and the wall was not even getting a dent on its surface.

"But then what kind of a monster would I be if I didn't enjoy what I do best sweetheart?" he drawled and Caroline gulped down. Klaus hands felt heavy on her waist as his fingers skimmed the bare skin over the top of her pants.

"And yet one can fend off a monster only by siding with stronger monsters," he reminded her and Caroline pursed her lips. This time the wall seemed to not only be breaking her bones but to also punch back. Great.

She grabbed his hands with her own and pushed them away from her waist hating the satisfied gleam she saw in Klaus's challenging eyes.

Both of them knew that no matter how much she seemed to condemn his murderous and abusive ways in the end of the day it was a side of him she needed if she wanted to survive. A side that somehow Klaus had already started to cultivate in her too. In varying degrees and progressively she had become numb and detached when it came to the pain of others. She always put her needs first and now the sight of blood and the sound of broken bones did not make her tremble and did not make her stomach turn. Because she had lived with her own bruised skin and her own broken bones once upon a time and that was something that she would never allow herself to experience again and if that meant exploiting that side of Klaus then so be it.

She took her hair tie out of her wrist and gathered her hair on the top of her head in a messy ponytail as she stepped on the gym flooring.

She spread her legs and found her balance remembering the fighting stance Klaus had taught her.

"Well are you going to just stand there?" she provoked him feeling the need to get out some steam and actually punch something in a sense that would not be just metaphorical and Klaus gave her a slow smile that turned into a deliberate smirk as he closed the space between them.

Soon his palm flew towards her face but she blocked his attack and then over and over again until both of them were moving around in circles facing each other and changing from offense to defense using different fighting techniques in fast movements that seemed more like a dance than actual fighting.

The moment the glass doors of the parlor opened Caroline's body tumbled back and with a grunt she found herself sprawled on the ground. She sighed as she tried to replay in her mind the way Klaus grabbed her hand and in a less than a second he turned her around and placed his legs behind her knees making her lose her balance.

She opened her eyes and glared at Klaus that was smirking while hovering above her. He had managed to cut off her fall a bit by controlling the force of his strike but nonetheless the frustration inside Caroline remained and was escorted with soreness in her back and a blush of embarrassment at the entrance of Elijah and Stefan. Just in time to see her ass get handed to her.

Klaus offered her his hand to help her get up and she pushed it away and got up on her own making him smirk widen.

Klaus ignored Stefan's and Elijah's presence and got closer to Caroline. He placed her palm over his wrist and with his other hand gripped her wrist firmly and showed her how to pivot her arm and how to make her turn around his own hand while keeping her firm hold.

"It is all in the wrist. And in the moment," he instructed and then pointed with his eyes at her legs, "handle your balance like I taught you. Ground yourself," he said and she immediately spread her legs a bit and bent her knees making sure to generate her power from her hips and the muscles of her thighs, "no second thoughts. Just instinct. Arm your heart and your strike will leave blood. But it won't be yours," Klaus whispered and she nodded and turned his hand into her own and used her weight to make him turn and to practically lift him from the ground. And it would have worked and he would have found himself in the floor if he was not fast enough and used another technique in order to pull her closer and release his hand before turning her around and pressing her back against his chest.

He kissed her shoulder playfully and released her. Caroline knew that if Elijah and Stefan were not present he would have let her throw him on the ground but he would not allow himself to show such weakness in front of others. And besides Caroline wanted to be able to defeat him fair and square and not have him oblige her by surrendering to her without fighting back.

Klaus and Elijah exchanged a look that betrayed their silent communication and Klaus checked his clock. Their training was not over and Klaus was always adamant and strict about the daily duration of her self-defense lessons.

Klaus gestured for Stefan to come closer and pointed a threating finger at him.

"No bruises" Klaus warned him and Caroline rolled her eyes at Klaus' intimidation towards Stefan and snorted when Stefan held his hands up in the air in surrender.

Stefan replaced Klaus at the rubber mat and worked with Caroline on some basic moves.

"Come on Care," Stefan encouraged her making Klaus glare at him before wearing his blouse and Stefan cleared his throat in fear as he instantly became more serious with Caroline.

"Miss Caroline. Balance," he instructed and Caroline glowered at Klaus that he simply gave her a wink in return before he joined his brother to the other side of the room.

Klaus and Elijah watched Caroline and Stefan train and it was Elijah that broke the silence.

"You pushed too hard Klaus," he admonished his brother and saw how Klaus' looked at Caroline. His lips had compressed into a straight line and he seemed as if he was ready to snap at any moment.

"Not hard enough," Klaus said through gritted teeth.

...

Detroit

December 2012

Elijah placed the folder with the documents Klaus signed inside his suitcase and shook his head. Klaus was needed in Chicago and yet his brother insisted on staying in Detroit these days.

As he stood up and got ready to leave Klaus leaned back in his chair and placed his hands over the desk. His demeanor emanating the air of royalty as usual.

"There is one more thing," Klaus casually said with superiority coloring his voice and Elijah looked at him suspiciously. Klaus took out a tablet from his drawer and slid it on the desk towards Elijah.

Elijah looked at Klaus before turning on the screen and opening the only file on the desktop. There were photos inside and more files with detailed data and with official documents and old newspaper articles. Elijah's eyes scanned the information and frowned.

"Logan Fell. He is in prison. For attacking Miss Caroline Forbes," Elijah read out loud and he then made the connection in his mind, "Rebekah's singer," he realized and noticed how Klaus' jaw clenched.

"I want to him to suffer. Make sure of that," Klaus ordered with an unyielding tone that made Elijah wonder why Klaus would act this way for one of Rebekah's employees.

"You barely know the girl Niklaus," Elijah reminded him and almost gaped at the intensity he saw for a moment in his brother's eyes. Klaus never allowed to others to see what he was feeling and he never bothered with a woman for long. He would usually have fun with them and then would dispose them the next day. His brother always considered romantic attachments to be a weakness and he never indulged in those or allowed any of his siblings to do so; and now he was making this personal for a woman he barely knew.

Elijah had heard the girl sing in Loup Rouge. She had a sweet voice and a beautiful face but she didn't belong to their world and yet his brother seemed to be drawn to her. According to Rebekah however Miss Forbes was not falling for Klaus' charm. Maybe this was what had made his brother act in this strange way.

"I know," Klaus acknowledged the fact with an impassive expression but then the edge of his lips curved in a hint of a smile, "but she has quite the voice does she not?" Klaus mused with a smirk and Elijah shook his head holding back his smile. Well this was new.

Elijah gave to Klaus the last photos his men had managed to procure from private surveillance systems and traffic cameras. It was not an easy task to get those photos from the police and civilians and he had to use all his connections and his inside people but even like that he did not get these evidence in time. Which made Elijah extremely suspicious. Someone must have intervened before him and that someone knew the game all too well. Logan Fell would not have been able to cover his tracks without any external help especially with Klaus' hounds relentlessly going after him.

"His last trace was spotted in LA. Two months ago. He disappeared from the radar after that," Elijah informed Klaus and saw how Klaus' had to physically restrain himself from destroying the photos he was holding.

"You waited too long brother," Elijah said and did not back down when Klaus glared at him.

"Supposedly you wanted him to look behind his back and live in fear," Elijah reminded his brother and Klaus threw the photos at him and Elijah shook his head with disappointment at his brother's temper as he gathered the pictures before they fell to the floor.

"No need for pointing out the obvious. If you have anything to say just say it!" Klaus snapped agitated with a sharp gaze of full of undiluted anger.

Elijah narrowed his eyes and composed himself before confronting his brother. The feds had already contacted Caroline and with the current Fell unforeseen complication they had to be careful and yet his brother did not seem to act rationally to everything that concerned Caroline Forbes.

And on the other hand he had to admit that he himself had grown fond of the girl. He had searched her history and her past on his own when Klaus declared to them that she would be living with him and that she would be part of their lives. Caroline Forbes entered their family and he had to make sure he could trust her. Especially since her mother had been a Sheriff.

So he had searched her past and what he found made him realize that the girl was not simply a survivor but also a strong individual that carried a lot of baggage and pain. Something that of course his brother was probably relating with and also taking advantage of. But it was only when he got to speak with her in person and understand her better was when he realized that she was a woman he could admire and simply pity or feel sorry for.

A woman that had managed to make his brother's heart warm up again and for that at least he owed her his eternal gratitude. Unfortunately however some of his brother's actions were bothering him to say the least. And he could not help but worry.

"I can only wonder," Elijah started and Klaus raised an eyebrow gesturing for him to continue. His impatience always present.

"Maybe the reason you waited this long was because you knew that if you eliminated the threat Caroline would not need your protection any more. You would not have a hold on her," Elijah voiced his skepticism with no pretenses holding back his judgment. His face was a pensive mask that made Klaus snort in irony.

"You always think the best of me brother," Klaus mocked Elijah and the eldest Mikaelson looked at Klaus in solemn apprehension.

"Am I wrong?" he insisted with a hint of dismay in his not so subtle accusation.

Klaus gave his brother an indignant look. He tried to act as if this accusation amused him but Elijah could see the hurt and the rage under his brother's façade.

"I do not need a looming threat over Caroline's head in order to keep her by my side. Had I wanted she would have nowhere to hide from me even without Fell on the run. This is her choice and she knows it is for life," Klaus declared and did not even bother confronting the disappointment he saw reflecting in Elijah's eyes any further. It was not something he was not used to anyway. Ever since he destroyed Mikael and Esther Elijah faced him with resentment despite the fact that he had sided with him. Elijah Mikaelson the honorable brother that always doubted him even though his hypocrisy could not be hidden in Klaus' eyes. Everyone looked at him in the same way. His siblings, his associates, those that bowed in his presence, the whole bloody world. With the same revulsion and fear underneath their faux civility. They all considered him to be an abomination that would strike at what they held most dear and none of those he kept close ever thought of thanking him for keeping them safe and allowing them to have the kind of power that others could only dream of.

Everyone saw him either as evil incarnate or damaged. Everyone except Caroline.

Only Caroline didn't react in that way in his presence even though she had seen the monster that lied beneath the surface. Despite her inner struggle for siding along with his demons she always faced him with dignity and as an equal and it was refreshing to see her now cowering in front of him; she was always fearless and strong and her light was shining every time she was being blunt and honest with him without having second thoughts of stabbing him in the back. Klaus respect that. He respected her and he wanted her.

"Caroline will remain by my side," Klaus fiercely said and Elijah slightly shook his head and opened his mouth to object but Klaus raised his hand effectively dismissing him.

"However Caroline's place in my life is not your concern and we have more pressing matters," he disregarded any attempt from Elijah to play his therapist and give him relationship advice.

Klaus stared at Elijah and voiced his dire thoughts.

"Whoever helped Logan escape has been covering for him ever since. Someone is protecting him. Someone that knows how to deflect our men. Someone that-"

"Knows us," Elijah finished for him and then he placed his hand on Klaus' shoulder.

"This matter is a family issue now but it is Caroline that's in danger and you won't be able to help her if you keep acting irrationally brother. Vengeance can wait. If the girl means so much for you then protect her. Put her first," Elijah urged him but Klaus said nothing.

When Elijah left Klaus turned around and noticed how Caroline laughed at the way she managed to deflect Stefan's attack. He could not help but be in awe at the way her laughter was always contagious and managed to light up the whole room and everything that was around her.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he could not lose her.

Caroline moaned as the Klaus' thumbs slowly and rhythmically rotated around her wet skin massaging her shoulders. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation. He had just rinsed the shampoo from her hair and his gentle caress was now melting her skin making her feel comfortable and at ease. She rested her back against his chest, rising her leg a bit feeling the hot soapy water ripple around her knee as it emerged from the water. His fingers slowly stroked her neck and then massaged her scalp threading her drenched hair. She could smell the essential oils they had used in the water that was filling the bathtub and covered their intertwined bodies. The bubble bath was already soothing her tense muscles and her tired body that now soaked under the foam and the warm scented water.

She sighed and felt Klaus lips gently caressing her cheek.

"What is in your mind sweetheart?"

"Nothing," she mumbled and bit her lip knowing that it was pointless to try to hide from Klaus. Especially when they were so close.

"Lying to me is a mistake," Klaus told her. It was not a threat or even a warning. It was a statement and Caroline slid her body against his and turned around. She rested her chin on his chest and refused to look up and meet his eyes as her palms gliding up and down the muscles of his arms. Her eyes focused on the tattoo on his chest.

"Do you think he is here? Logan," she asked in a barely audible voice.

She could not explain it but lately she felt something that could only be described like a sixth sense of detecting danger. And it was coming closer.

"I hope so," Klaus told her after a short moment of silence and Caroline blinked before titling her head up. His eyes were already fixated on her and she looked at him as if he was crazy.

Klaus held her closer and the water splashed around their naked bodies.

"I told you before sweetheart. Let him come," he simply said and Caroline felt her heart beating faster at the darkness that lingered inside his eyes.

"I will give you his head on a silver platter if you ask me to," he promised and she felt his wet fingers drawing patterns on her back. Slowly. Sensually. And all that while he planned to murder a man for her sake. If anything he was redefining romance for her.

"I don't want that," she mumbled looking at him seriously.

Klaus' hands stilled and he reciprocated her serious stare.

"What do you want?" he asked genuinely intrigued for what she would have to tell him.

Caroline shrugged and dove her hand into the water letting some of it flow from her fingers down to Klaus skin that was not emerged inside the suds. Being so intimate with him was what she seemed to crave the most lately. At first it was as if the allure of danger he carried in him was drawing her closer but after getting to know him better she had realized that she was falling for him.

So what did she want? Many things she could never get but for now she decided to play it safe and tell him the truth that would not hurt.

"For me to be safe," she admitted and Klaus grabbed her from her upper arms lifting her body up and pressing it against his own more. Her face was now inches away from his. Drops of water were falling from her hair down to her back as she looked straight into his eyes.

"You are. What else do you want?" he challenged her, his voice more hot than the temperature of the water.

Caroline swallowed harshly and felt the heat rising.

"You can always be honest with me Caroline. It's just me," he told her and rested his forehead against hers. His eyes urging her to be honest with him. To confess to him her darkest deepest desire.

Pain flashed through her eyes and then determination.

"I want him to suffer. To truly suffer," she confided realizing how much she wanted Logan to suffer. She had been around Klaus for so long. She had seen his power. She had felt it. She could not simply stand idle in the sidelines anymore and be content with being the collateral damage.

She had seen Klaus cause pain to others. She had seen the blood in his hands and the tears in his enemies' eyes and she wanted this for herself too. To turn her enemies to nothing but a memory of their suffering. For them to beg for her mercy and for her to smile with their misery; and as far as she was concerned she only had one enemy. And she wanted to make him suffer. She wanted it as much as she wanted oxygen.

Klaus smirked and pressed his lips against hers. Caroline inhaled his breath inside her lungs. She felt as if she was taking in shadow and smoke. It was turning her heart black.

"He will," Klaus vowed with a dangerous smirk and Caroline nodded at him before she lied on top of him and rested her head against his chest. His chin was touching the top of her head as she focused on the steady sound of his heartbeat. She was in the embrace of a monster, that much she knew, but she could not help but wonder if Klaus was not the only monster in that embrace.

"I am afraid that been close to you is turning me into something different. Darker," she said and felt Klaus' gentle kiss on her wet hair.

"The brightest light can shine only inside darkness sweetheart," he simply said and she closed her eyes allowing his tender caress to lull her to safety. Dreaming of the day where his promises would come true.

Kol Mikaelson buttoned his black coat as he stepped down the air stairs of his family's private jet.

He looked up at the clouds that floated on the sky and covered the sun and he smirked. He had not missed Chicago but it would be fun to hunt in Klaus' domain once more.

...

I stopped into a church I passed along the way
Well I got down on my knees and I pretended to pray
You know the preacher liked the cold, he knows I'm gonna stay

Song: Sia - "California Dreamin"

A/N: Many thanks to anyone that nominated my story for the Klaroline Awards. I am honored that you like the story so much as to nominate it for any category. Thank you. And of course I am grateful to anyone that is still reading and reviewing.