Possession

by maevelin

She belonged to him, she was his possession, his wife, but how could she feel drawn to the man she should hate? He knows that if he lets her in she would become his greatest weakness but she has awakened his heart. An arranged marriage between two rival mafia families is just the beginning. AU/AH

9. In the Eye of the Storm

A/N : Would you look at that... An update.

This chapter was too long. I had to break it so this is the first part.

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Disclaimer : I own nothing.

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Warnings : M rated story that may occasionally include dark themes.

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Many thanks to the amazing Anastasia Dreams for her beta work...even after all this time...always.

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Songs used as inspiration for this chapter :

Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde

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Chapter 9: In the Eye of the Storm

I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm
And the scars that mark my body, they're silver and gold
My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones
It keeps my veins hot, the fires find a home in me

But I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison
And I'm locking up everyone that ever laid a finger on me

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It was a ticking bomb.

Klaus Mikaelson stood on top of one of the eastern towers of the guards. He placed his hands on the railing of the balcony and observed the commotion on the grounds below as Montavaro's men made themselves at home right next to their men.

You didn't need to be part of this world to understand how this would not end well. Guns were already armed and ready to fire. From all sides concerned.

One wrong word, one wrong glance, and Esther's meticulously groomed gardens would soon bloom in blood.

"Truce or not they are going to kill each other. Does your sweetheart know this?"

Kol's daunting voice irritated him but Klaus didn't allow his agitation to show. Not where Caroline was concerned and not in front of his brother. So he settled into keeping his posture and expression detached.

"And if she doesn't she soon will," Klaus simply observed and Kol hummed amused.

"Well…little kids should not play with matches," his brother laughed and Klaus' jaw clenched. He didn't like the way Kol mocked his wife but he was not entirely wrong.

That shred of wisdom in Kol Mikaelson, however, was not without its juvenile counterpart. Right now, the only thing that was missing from his brother's nonchalant stance was popcorn to accompany the whole cinematic experience. Kol was leaning over the railing watching the ruckus with far too much glee. The sneers, the icy glares and the explosive situation that festered between the different factions just a few meters entertained him.

Kol was a trickster at heart and Klaus knew that very soon he would manipulate the existing chaos into a full-blown war just to get a few good laughs and keep himself from getting bored.

And truth was that he counting on it. They were sitting on a powder keg and Klaus was already setting the time of explosion knowing very well where the shrapnel would fall.

Straight into his wife's heart.

His fingers curled around the iron railing until his knuckles turned white.

He knew which pawn he had to move and draw out from the board. Which one would make the most impact. He knew everything when it came to Caroline.

"Light your fire, brother," Klaus only said, pointing at one of Montavaro's men in particular, and the grin that crossed Kol's face was as giddy and eager as it was dangerous and lethal.

Klaus couldn't share the same enthusiasm. Not this time. So he turned around and left before Kol could see the strain in his facade. Before the black pain, deep and permanent now, would anchor itself on his face and his mask would no longer be able to hide it.

He was dealt a crappy hand but he could still turn the game. But for that to happen he couldn't let Caroline remain unscathed. He couldn't allow his wife to overpower him as much as he couldn't afford to appear weak.

It was time for Caroline to pay for what she did. To understand what she truly did and that her actions had consequences. And what those consequences truly meant.

He would have to be cruel in order to be kind.

And it would have to seem as if he had nothing to do with what would follow next.

Letting Kol loose would be a decent distraction for most but deep-down Klaus knew that Caroline was smarter than most gave her credit for. Appearances could be deceiving and just as he wore cruelty, Caroline wore innocence and naivety as a mask. He had been fooled by it once but no more; and no matter what it would seem to others, he knew that Caroline would know deep down that it was him that lit the fuse.

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Caroline watched everyone that came and went in the patio of a quaint little café that overlooked the river and felt a weird sense of detachment. There was a lot of chatter and laughter and noise all around her. But over it all, it was the silence that prevailed.

The silence her men, armed and loaded with guns and steel, carried as they guarded her from a distance, blending into the shadows at each entrance and exit as people passed them by.

People who had their lives and their jobs and their everyday routine far away from the toxicity of her world. She doubted that any of them had to look over their backs to track down the eyes that followed them at every turn. Eyes of her allies and eyes of her enemies. Tirelessly following you around. All trapped in the same dance. Not knowing which of the partner you danced with was which. Not knowing when the dance would give away its steps to the tempo of bloodshed and violence.

It did not matter she supposed. She was an excellent dancer after all.

She had told Klaus as much during their first and last dance at their wedding celebration.

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She could feel his gaze studying her, constantly searching for her eyes, but she kept her head turned away from him, pointedly ignoring him, while they kept turning and swaying around on the dance floor.

"You know, you are quite the dancer," Klaus Mikaelson complimented her in all honesty. His voice low, a drawling caress.

The sincerity of his tone surprised her for a moment and against all caution, she stole a quick glance at him. She then turned her head away from him again. All night long she had been looking everywhere else but him and she had tried to keep her distance but her body seemed to have a mind of its own and she relaxed in his arms a little.

"Well, I had training," she informed him trying to keep her tone as detached as possible. His attempts to flirt with her did not impress her despite the shivers his voice brought to her spine.

"I happened to be first in my dance class," she said with a pride she was not able to hide. She had thrived at her college before she was forced to wear this wedding dress and dance with Klaus like this. All that was taken away from her now but she would keep her pride and her achievements in her heart. No one could take those away. Not ever.

"I know."

Two words. Swiftly finding their target like a bullet straight to the heart.

His laconic answer given so casually but with such intensity both frightened and intrigued her and she found out she couldn't take her eyes away from his.

And what she saw took her breath away.

She saw admiration in the way he watched her now. And she saw…pride.

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Caroline almost jerked violently at the memory before she pushed it away to the darkest recesses of her mind. She then forced herself to relax and shrugged away her sense of discomfort at the feeling of the countless eyes that bore holes on her back as she kept stirring her coffee.

Her security followed her everywhere. Mikaelson men. Salvatore men. Mikael's men. Montavaro's men. All to keep her safe they said. All to keep tabs on her and keep her on a tight leash as they wanted to bite each others' throats off she could tell.

The spoon kept scraping against the ceramic walls of her cup. The liquid was sloshing inside and Caroline vaguely thought she shouldn't be doing this as she should not be doing a lot of things.

A long time ago Elizabeth Salvatore had taught her how to be a proper lady. She didn't remember her mother all that well sometimes but she always remembered her lessons. How to sit upright. How to stir her beverages with gentle moves. How to smile properly. How to stand, how to walk, how to talk and how not to. How to oblige those she always should. Frivolous unimportant things a dutiful daughter, a devoted sister, and a good wife should know. None of those lessons included all the things she was trying to learn lately.

How to plot. How to wage war.

How many men Klaus truly had at his disposal? How many guns could he gather in a moment's notice? How many did he keep on the docks and how were his storehouses divided? She had to learn about his accounts. Not just the legal or even the illegal ones. The hidden ones no one knew. His back up plans.

Each swirl of the spoon was turning another and another wheel in her brain.

The list kept growing longer and longer.

How many were true allies of the Mikaelsons and how many wanted to dismantle their organization from the inside? Which of them were really loyal to Klaus. She had to know about the Salvatore and the Montavaro forces too. To get more acquainted with the infrastructure of the underground business. To find weak spots. To learn Mikael's true standing in power and how much Klaus had chipped away under his feet. Who had the real control? How much territory each side truly had? She had to learn more about the protection they provided. About the money they laundered. The shipments. The hired contracts.

God. If this was a dance, she was surely stumbling around failing. All of it was a whirlwind and she lacked training. And, should she somehow manage the impossibility of learning all of that she would then have to find a way to use all that knowledge to her advantage.

How would she do all that without the proper instructor? She couldn't rely only on her strengths for she knew her weaknesses were equally strong if not stronger.

She didn't have any real allies, truth to be told. She couldn't trust anyone. Surely no one trusted her as all viewed her as property they could take advantage of one way or another.

She could only bargain herself and use the hate these men had for each other but that was not a solid guarantee either. They all underestimated her of course, and she could use this to her advantage, but it was becoming harder and harder with the spotlight on her.

Distraction had served her well but there were certain power moves she could only use once. Especially now that Klaus was prepared.

Maybe she had rushed things. Maybe she should have taken more time. Distracted Klaus more. Gained his trust but he was moving too fast and soon enough there would be no withholding him. And, when that happened, and she knew for a certainty it was only a matter of time before it did, she would never be able to break free.

Klaus Mikaelson would never relinquish his power and his possessions. And, she would never let go of her desire to free herself from him and his world that had turned her into another possession.

Besides a traitorous voice inside her head reminded her that if she was to play this game any longer and aimed to gain his trust to distract him further, she would have had to be more convincing. She would have to have make concessions she didn't want to make. It wouldn't be enough to keep him at arm's length and rely solely on his desire for her. She would have had to respond to that desire. It would have been a slippery slope. It could have even gotten her attached.

It was what she had wanted to avoid in the first place. She didn't want to give in. She didn't want this marriage sham to become real. It would bind her to Klaus irrevocably. To Klaus who lately, instead of using vinegar, kept using honey. She expected rage instead she received temptation. A side look, an accidental touch, a whisper, a smile. They shared the same room now. She had the bed, he had the couch and the distance was not enough. She could hear his breathing each night; she could feel his eyes in the dark trailing even the slightest intake of breath she would take.

Nights were becoming restless and endless.

The bite of the metal in her palm left a mark. She was clutching the spoon furiously. The soft flesh of her hand had turned hard pressed around the edges of the cutlery piece with knuckles turned white, nails biting skin and fingers curling to an unforgiving grip.

The fresh air and the distance from her gilded cage hadn't helped.

The whole world had turned to a prison with walls closing in. She was searching for more opportunities to run away and she was quickly realizing there was nowhere left to run to.

Leaving the Mikaelson mansion had been easier than before but Caroline was not naïve to believe that easier meant safer or meant any sort of true freedom. She knew that Klaus knew her whereabouts, of course, as did most of the residents of his house that was less of a home and more of a mausoleum but at least her comings and goings were not dependent on Klaus' good will and the mercy he extended to her.

Mercy. A queer concept as she tried to match the word with the sharp features of her husband. She wondered how much mercy he would be willing to give her now after what she had done.

"How have you been?"

Laura Montavaro's voice had a sweet lilt. A motherly sweet cadence as she offered her care and comfort.

Or so she tried.

"Fine," Caroline said, "…considering," she added as she absentmindedly stirred her coffee. For some weird reason, the motion of the metallic spoon twirling the white of the milk inside the black of the coffee soothed her nerves.

Why had she added milk? She never liked milk in her coffee.

Maybe she was just sick of the black.

Or maybe she wanted the black to swallow the white.

The question that followed lacked sweetness or discretion.

"Has he hurt you?"

Caroline stiffened for a second before she sighed and stopped stirring her coffee.

She raised her eyes and saw the steel in Laura's eyes and it unnerved her.

Sweet Laura her mother used to call her. The same Laura, Elizabeth loved and trusted from the time they were both in their youth and her mother was a Forbes while Laura was a Di Conti and not a Montavaro.

Laura Di Conti that had lived most of her life tied to her father's and now her brother's Underboss known to the world as the terror and blood of Chicago. Giovanni Montavaro. Her husband for more than three decades.

The older woman was the definition of grace and elegance but the years had not been kind to her. Not after her son's 'accident'. She had grown jaded and weary and there were times the cunningness and the bitterness shone bright even in her quiet docile demeanor.

This was one of those times.

Caroline had heard the whispers. Giovanni Montavaro trusted his wife and relied on her wits as much as he did on his own. He was a man of tradition, of course, so the whispers never became anything more than rumors and what he may have given his wife, he never gave his daughter and the world viewed both Laura and Dana with respect but as ineffectual as any other woman in their circles.

But Giuseppe Salvatore's house had been the manor of many truths and lies. Her father bred both in the midst of his power and if someone knew where to look he could see which was which. And Caroline had learned from a very early age where to look and she had always liked what she saw in her aunt. Laura Montavaro had gained not only Montavaro's trust but also her father's respect.

And, not just her father's.

Laura had gained the respect her age and position granted her. But it was different from the kind of respect and fear Esther Mikaelson had gained in the Mikaelson domain. Laura may have been once Esther's friend but she had grown into a different matriarch than her or any other woman Caroline knew. They all bowed their heads because Laura was one of the great mothers in their midst. Gentle yet strong. Everyone looked up to her and Caroline for the first time realized that conveniently so, a mother's loving embrace loosened lips in affectionate trust and the secrets spilled much easier.

And, Laura wanted her secrets today.

It would not be the first time Caroline shared her troubles with Auntie Laura. Just like everyone else, it would not be the first time she was to seek her attention and advice. Her warmth.

Only that warmth now felt like an icy kiss. Maybe she was becoming paranoid. Maybe this was all in her head.

Auntie Laura had always been there for her.

In the absence of her own mother, Caroline always viewed Laura as the motherly figure she lacked and yet so desperately craved.

Now more than ever it would seem.

She stared into Laura's unyielding gaze as the older woman patiently waited for an answer.

It would be so easy. So easy to tangle the noose around Klaus' neck more. Why couldn't she do it?

Maybe exactly because it was so easy…when it shouldn't be.

And yet Laura Montavaro had to know how tempting this would be.

Giovanni's men were Laura's men too. One word and war could break out. Maybe she could even find the right opening to end her marriage to Klaus should she play her cards right. Laura wanted to protect her from a violent husband. Women had to look after each other after all. This was why she was asking if Klaus hurt her. Such a simple question so why was she complicating it all in her head?

She had the answer to that deep down. She had it ever since the dinner before the Midnight Council. She had not missed the way her old family and allies had looked at her. She may have turned against Klaus but she was not one of them any longer.

Auntie Laura loved her. But she loved her as Caroline Salvatore. Not as Caroline Mikaelson.

And what would a Montavaro do for a Mikaelson?

Waves of ice engulfed Caroline until she became as cold and lifeless as a statue. She tried to put her fear on a leash.

It all hung in the balance. Should she play her cards right she could free herself. Not just from Klaus. But from all of them.

Should she not…she would become what Klaus had once called her.

Collateral damage.

Time was trailing away and Caroline observed Laura Montavaro with a keen eye.

Things had changed and maybe her mind would not be wandering to complicated trains of thought if it was her that had reached for Laura Montavaro seeking an audience and her motherly care. This time it was Laura who reached out for her. In the number Mikael gave her. Before Caroline could give it to Laura or anyone else.

Such a tangled web of connections between liars and allies.

Caroline felt her head throbbing with the alarming signs of a migraine waiting to happen. She knew Auntie Laura cared for her but she also knew that she desired any provocation she could get so to move against Klaus and seek vengeance and retribution for what he had done to her son. No matter the consequences and the sacrifices.

Laura was not a Di Conti anymore. The Sotto Capo may have let her keep her paternal name next to his to honor her family but it didn't change who she was as his wife. She was a Montavaro and she hungered for blood. It would seem one way or another everyone grew an appetite for it and maybe the older woman was not a helping hand but one that was ready to push her deeper into the abyss.

Caroline had after all proof. What more did she need? She hadn't wanted to believe it at first but she could not wear blinders any longer.

Besides she knew all too well that Laura would do anything to avenge Marianno. She would do anything to protect her family and advance the interests of her House. Even sacrifice her.

Caroline hated to think that Laura Montavaro was a glimpse into her own future. One day if she was not careful she could be like her. Or she could be her.

Maybe she already was. Parts of her had already corroded.

Caroline unceremoniously dropped her spoon on the side of the saucer. It clanged, spilling wet blotches of coffee on the white napkin. A mess. An unladylike mess. What would her mother say of her now?

Laura's eyes lit up but Caroline shook her head.

She had to contain this somehow. Retaliation from any side would not do her any good right now. She didn't want blood on her hands and she wouldn't be the excuse they all needed. She had to be smart, buy her time and find a way to keep the balance long enough for her to get out of the picture and then they could all kill each other for all she cared.

Besides, she found that she couldn't lie. Not about this. Klaus had not hurt her. At least not in the way Laura meant…or even wanted.

"Not physically," Caroline denied and kept her tone even.

No room for doubt there and while one would expect Laura to be relieved by the news Caroline didn't miss the flash or disappointment that passed in the older woman's gaze. It was so quick that the untrained eye would have missed it and the unsuspecting would have believed to have imagined it. But Caroline was born a Salvatore and she was now living with the Mikaelsons. She could not afford to miss such things or not know what they truly meant.

She tried not to flinch. One more day. One more game. She was so tired but she couldn't give up now. She had to keep Laura hooked but she had to make sure it was not obvious. Laura was far more perceptive than her. She had to play this smart, she reminded herself, but she didn't know if she could actually do this. Not with the woman that had practically raised her after her mother died.

The woman that was meant to protect her. And… didn't.

Caroline once more had to remind herself that the only one that cared for herself was…herself. To save her own skin she would have to trust no one but her instincts.

"I am waiting for the other shoe to drop any day now," Caroline admitted in a soft whisper giving Laura some plausible bait.

It was not a lie. Not a wholesome truth either.

Auntie Laura knew Caroline her whole life. She could read her like an open book. Or more likely she could read Caroline Salvatore like an open book but as it happened she was now a Mikaelson, and as a Mikaelson she had been able to distract Klaus himself.

And if she could distract him…oh well…

Laura Di Conti Montavaro took a sip from her coffee and Caroline braced herself.

With sure hands, Laura used her napkin to delicately wipe the edges of her lips before she set it down on the table and stared at Caroline with eyes filled with regret.

"We never wanted this for you, Caroline. You shouldn't have to carry this burden."

Caroline's shoulders slumped and she felt as if she were suddenly suffocating.

This was wrong. This was all wrong.

"I know."

Thankfully her voice had not wavered or betrayed her inner struggle and her suspicions. She kept all the darkness inside but it felt as if she was swallowing ash.

Laura extended her hand on the table reaching for her own. Caroline watched the wrinkled hand that covered hers with caution.

"My family owes you a great debt that can never be repaid, sweet girl. But even if we didn't you are still family. Family looks after family."

Those gentle words should soothe her but Caroline felt her skin turn clammy and she quickly pulled her own hand and used it to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Laura Montavaro's gaze followed her movement and Caroline took a deep breath to tame her nervousness. This would have to come out as worry for what she had to endure with the Mikaelsons and not distrust towards her aunt.

Caroline looked around and spotted a few tables further from their table, the Mikaelson men that followed her. The whole place was packed in and out with a lot of men from her security. Laura had also brought her own. This was a powder keg ready to go off and things at the mansion were far worse.

Laura Montavaro saw the direction her eyes took and her expression darkened.

"You would tell me if Klaus ever hurt you, wouldn't you?" she asked, this time with a hint of disbelief when it came to her answer about Klaus not hurting her. "You don't have to worry. Anything you tell me in confidence will stay between us," she assured her and Caroline shook her head.

"Klaus has not hurt me and I don't think he will. Not in the way that would leave bruises and marks but…there are many ways to hurt a person," she mumbled, looking straight into Laura's inquisitive eyes.

Like what her Auntie was doing now, a little voice sang in Caroline's head.

It hurt. She didn't expect it to hurt so much but it did. As much as it did when Stefan didn't help her. When her brothers gave her to Klaus. When Elena betrayed her secrets. When Dana stopped calling her and returning her calls. When her family wanted to use her as a weapon and discard her feelings and her life.

"You have to be strong Caroline. If your father was alive things would be different. Don't get me wrong I love your brothers but they are not like Giuseppe."

To her credit, Caroline kept a straight face.

Of course, this wasn't just about Marianno and the debts the Montavaros owed the Mikaelsons. Giovanni wanted to become the Boss of the Outfit. Damon's head was about to slide off his shoulders.

She should let it. She really should.

Stefan's head would then soon follow. And he and Elena didn't have children yet. There was no male Salvatore heir to follow. Her family's legacy would all be gone.

Because Laura was right. Her brothers were not like Guiseppe Salvatore. They never were. They never would be.

"No, they aren't," Caroline agreed with a detached tone.

But they were still her brothers. Despite the hate that shimmered inside her and the pain and the rage, they were still her family and she couldn't shed those bonds.

As much as she would love to see her brothers getting a taste of their own medicine and see what it felt like to have your enemies destroy your hopes and dreams and everything you held dear in life…even your own life, in the end, it would not do her any good.

Should Damon fall and should Stefan follow it would be a matter of time before her own head would end on a platter. And that would be the best case scenario that would not involve whatever life would have in store for her if she was left utterly powerless and broken at the hands of the Mikaelsons.

There would not be any chance of escaping Klaus then.

Maybe only in a coffin but something told her that Klaus would never allow such fate for her either. It would be too easy.

"Giovanni tried to warn them," Laura empathetic voice carried on, "with your father dead they should have broken the contract. They should have never given you to that monster."

Caroline pressed her lips. The derision in Laura's tone was not enough. It would never be enough. Not when she knew the truth.

"Rest assured that we have your best interest at heart," Laura reassured her with all possible honesty, "you can see Giovanni as your father now that yours is gone. And the agreement you made is a step in the right direction."

'Of course', Caroline thought bitterly.

"A step…but not enough?" Caroline guessed outloud.

"It is a long road," Laura prepared her.

"That leads to Klaus' death," Caroline finished for her trying to keep the cynicism that threatened to cover her words at bay.

The older woman watched her with pity. The kind of pity one would give to a naïve child.

"You wanted a divorce I know this," she sighed compassionately before her disposition turned stony, "but there are no divorces in our world, Caroline. Only if you become Klaus' widow will you be free from him."

There was no emotion in Caroline as she simply stated the fact, "he is not an easy man to kill."

At that moment Laura looked from head to toe murderous. She eventually exhaled a long breath.

"Unfortunately, that is true," she acknowledged callously, "but this is a crucial time for him. We finally have an opening. I wish it didn't require you to be close to him but-"

"Desperate times," Caroline commented dispassionately and it was a good thing her aunt Laura was so set on her hate and her cold-blooded plans for Klaus because otherwise, she would have noticed the coldness in her overly casual tone and her poker-faced cynical calmness.

Laura's sorrow for what she would have to do for themwas palpable as much as was her worry but the hardness in her eyes remained and what seemed to at first be a soft rain of inner cruelty, turned to a storm in a second.

"It is a risk…but know this," she promised her heatedly, "if he ever lays a hand on you, all bets are off."

Caroline wanted nothing more than to scoff but she remained impassive.

"He won't. He is smarter than that," she only said, softly and so very sweetly that her words sounded like a compliment.

So much so that Laura gave her a repulsed look. Maybe she did because even in her ears Caroline sounded impressed. Or maybe Laura's revulsion stemmed from the fact that Klaus was smarter than that. Smarter and unkillable.

That had to truly sting.

Caroline could tell that games aside, Laura's hate for Klaus Mikaelson was genuine, absolute and bottomless. Everyone in the Montavaro family hated Klaus. Even her friend, Dana who never thought ill of anyone and could never harm a fly. And yet even Dana, if she ever got the chance, would gladly shoot Klaus down without thinking twice about it.

"But if for some chance he did-" Laura suggested and Caroline followed Laura's gaze to the men who trailed her. Men that now had orders to look after her too. She had the Montavaro forces at her beck and call now and under the Mikaelson roof too.

And it…clicked.

Caroline's spine turned to iron and locked. They really wanted her to become the lamb to the slaughter.

It made her see red.

Her aunt didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

Klaus' voice echoed in her memory, threatening to turn her blood to ice.

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"I should congratulate you, sweetheart. You got what you wanted tonight," he complimented her with a small bow of his head before he smirked jeeringly, "let us hope it will be what you really need in the long run and it won't put you in a position with limited choices… if any at all."

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Caroline knew that something was very wrong with her. Because she should be panicking right about now but instead, she felt nothing. She felt calm. So calm.

Maybe it was the calm before the storm but right now there was no fear.

Only clarity.

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"While you are free from delusions?" Klaus snickered, relishing her growing frustration, "do you know exactly what you are getting yourself into?" he questioned as he would a child, "maybe you'd like me to shutter those dangerous misconceptions before anyone else does."

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At that moment, Caroline knew what Laura's contingency plan was. Should it all go awry then accidents could always happen.

Accidents that would require for her to be actually terrified of Klaus for them to work. Publicly the better. Being safe and comfortably close to Klaus was not convenient. She had to look scared. Scared enough for the hot-headed men she had invited under Klaus' roof to act. This was the untold rule after all. Her protection. It was not just enough to create havoc and dismantle Klaus' order from the inside out. She was the plan B and they believed her stupid enough to fall right into it blindly. She had been stupid enough to trust them after all. Or desperate enough in their eyes.

Caroline understood why Laura had brought so many men with her today. Word had to spread around and if she looked terrified, all the pieces would fall into place.

They wanted her terrified enough to confess to her aunt her fears and worries. Terrified enough for her aunt to look so worried and concerned. To give her comfort in public. To take her under her wing and shelter a victim.

She was after all the Salvatore princess. Her wedding was meant to bring peace and stability. The exact opposite of what Montavaro and Mikael wanted.

The very thing Klaus had tried to warn her about the morning after their wedding.

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"My point is that we are always going to be watched. So no matter what, when you are not in our room you will have to act like the willing and doted wife, I know you can be." Klaus smugly said to her and she cringed.

He went closer and placed his hands on her slender waist. As he had thought, she immediately tried to push his hands away and he saw her flinch when his fingers dug into her flesh.

"And most importantly act like a newlywed. You know, sweet, caring, loving… not swaying away from my touch" he said and he was unable to stop his hand from sliding over her body and eventually framing her delicate cheek.

He felt her body stilling under his touch. The fear and innocence in her eyes made his blood run wild inside his veins. The moment passed and she pushed his hands away from her body. Her look showing him that his touch was offensive.

"Why should I do that here? Everyone knows the truth! Why do you care?" she snapped at him.

He sighed.

"Believe it or not this is for your own good," he finally said to her honestly.

"Yeah, right," she exclaimed.

He looked at her intently.

"Sweetheart, you may not realize it right now, but you will need my protection. Your life depends on it. Soon you will see that I am the only one you can rely on if you want to survive this," he warned her.

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What would Klaus do if he was here?

There were no cameras here, hopefully anyway, but there were eyes. Everywhere. Not just those she knew and expected.

She discreetly glanced around. Their table was secluded but not that secluded. They could talk without being overheard but Caroline searched for the prying eyes.

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"We are always going to be watched."

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Caroline warily looked around at the patio tables in the coffee shop and realized she had seen at least two women before. She did not know them personally but they were married to lower rank goons of Giardano. The spider had set the web, Laura was weaving it intricately and all the gossip was about to explode.

Lethal words and tales setting up Klaus demise through…hers.

Caroline really wondered how Laura would convey their discussion to everyone that had ears to listen.

Of course, no one truly cared, and everyone turned the other way when men in their world abused or even murdered their wives. If anything, most of them had been giving Cantovanni an alibi for each wife he had to bury.

No one cared for the bruises or the corpses but for her, they would care. For her, they would bring all their fury down on Klaus. In his own home. One stray bullet would be all that it would take. In her honor, for her protection or…in her memory.

And, if Klaus didn't hurt her. And, if she didn't give them the misstep they needed, then accidents could happen. Accidents that could then be blamed on Klaus. Or maybe a misunderstanding. Which would require her to keep her mouth shut afterward. If she could open it in the first place that is.

Caroline's eyes slanted but then she only sat back and inclined her head to the side.

The double meaning of her next words was wrapped in iron and silk.

"I can take care of myself."

At her conviction, Laura Montavaro almost smiled and then her thin brown lips, soft from age and plump from the grimace that took over her face turned to a harsh straight line.

"I know you think you do. But for now, you must listen to us and do exactly what we tell you. Be careful Caroline," Laura ruefully sighed, "you don't need me to tell you. Klaus' reputation is-"

"As bad as Capo Bastone's," Caroline burst out.

This time she was unable to keep the edge of sarcasm and murder from her tone. This time she didn't even try. And, this time she actually felt an almost depraved sense of accomplishment when she saw how the Capo Bastone's wife was taken aback.

Caroline almost snickered at the surprise she saw in the woman's face.

She knew this had been impulsive but it was worth it.

Maybe she should say she was stressed. Maybe she should play along and maybe all this was getting out of hand...but to hell with it.

She didn't know why Laura was offended though. She only spoke the truth.

Uncle Giovanni's reputation was as bad as Klaus' if not worse. Men shuddered at the reference of his name and Caroline had a morbid fascination to know which reputation stood closer to the truth. Giovanni Montavaro was much older than Klaus so his ledger should have far more red in it and yet something told her that there had to be a reason as to why Klaus had created such a legend around his name in half the years if not less.

As she contemplated this Caroline did not lower her gaze from Giovanni's wife. She only shrugged and before she could stop herself she added in the same mocking tone, "Or as good, depending on how one sees such things."

Her aunt's withering glare was a sight to behold.

Caroline knew that if anyone else dared to offend Laura by comparing her husband with the monster that crippled her son for life, her aunt would exact retribution.

But Caroline didn't care.

Her next words were daggers that found their target and could not be misunderstood. "I guess that is what all monsters have in common."

She didn't know why she felt the need to do this. This kind of confrontation would lead to nothing good and it felt as if she was defending Klaus in a way, and what scared her was that it didn't feel wrong. It should, but it didn't.

Instead, a storm grew inside her, harsh and rash and untamed. Fierce, wild and feral. Ready to demolish anything that would come its way and make everyone tremble before it. She could almost see in her mind, Klaus' taunting smirk. The kind that went along with his reputation.

Oh, she didn't need to be reminded of Klaus' reputation.

She grew up with tales of it. He was the scary tales she was told in the dark long before she ever met him or married him. And, she knew every tale was true. She knew it when she went to give her blood to Marianno and when her father counted endless losses by Klaus' hand.

Caroline knew that it wasn't even a reputation for Laura and her family. It was an unforgiving reality but at the same time, Giovanni was not without fault. None of them were. They all played with bullets, not with paper swords and then hated when their children got hurt. Children they trained to kill and threw in the fire themselves. Klaus was guilty but he was what they all made him. He did what he was expected from him in the same way she had to do what was expected of her.

Everyone knew Klaus' reputation and they still married her to him. They still put her life on the line and expected her to side with them. Caroline breathed poison now and exhaled venom.

They were ready to put her in the ground if it meant getting to Klaus and they wanted her to dig her own grave and lie in it with a smile.

So she found it the least disingenuous to see everyone point fingers at Klaus' malice without taking a long hard look at their own. She supposed she was guilty of the same lapse of judgment but men like Montavaro were a whole different shade of nightmare and they could never stand on a higher moral ground. And, the Underboss' wife should know this better than anyone.

Caroline sat back and faced Laura's frown with a thin smile.

"I wonder aunt. What about your reputation?"

She deliberately kept her tone even but she locked her gaze with the older woman's.

Her cold aloofness obviously surprised Laura Di Conti Montavaro who watched her curiously. It took her a few moments but Mrs. Montavaro gained her composure again.

"That was a mistake," Laura reprimanded her coldly," you almost had me."

Caroline gave her a sweet smile.

"How many witnesses have you brought today Auntie? Guard dogs aside and all," Caroline mocked her and Laura smiled an apology.

"It is nothing personal Caroline. You need to know this."

"Somehow it feels very personal to me," Caroline pointed out.

"I guess it does," Laura shrugged, "so what is it? Is it fear? Regret? Have you changed your mind?"

"I haven't."

"Well, something has changed."

"Nothing's changed. Our deal stands."

Laura Montavaro was not convinced. "Only if you can be trusted and from the looks of it-"

"From the looks of it," Caroline cut in with a viciousness no one would have expected from her before her marriage to Klaus, "trust is not a word you should use. You want me to stick my neck out and if it gets ripped off and thrown to the wolves then so be it as long as it means you'll get your shot at Klaus Mikaelson, am I right?" Caroline wondered contemptuously, "well, let me tell you something. You won't."

Laura's perfectly shaped eyebrow arched up in challenge. "Is that so?"

"If my husband was an easy opponent you wouldn't need me," Caroline reminded her and crossed her legs as she sat more comfortably in her cushioned seat.

She was fairly new at these games of intrigue but she had seen how Klaus played them. It was not intimidation he used. He always seemed relaxed and at ease so she figured she could give a shot at that.

She modeled herself after him and beamed at her aunt as she made her point which should have been quite obvious by now, "and I won't stand against him if it means getting into a worse position than I already am. That was the whole point of agreeing to take part in Uncle's schemes in the first part. I am afraid if you are looking for a convenient casualty in me you will be sorely disappointed. It would defeat the whole purpose of coming to you in the first place, wouldn't it?"

Laura's stoic stance didn't alter but her lips twisted in disgust as from everything she had just told her, but her aunt only focused on one thing.

"Your husband is it?"

Caroline's smile grew wider.

"Well, I am the happy bride. I may have to make sure to look more the part after today, though," she quipped, "I am sure Klaus will be more than happy to oblige me."

"Remember who you are talking to, Caroline," her aunt warned her with a hiss.

That was all it took for Caroline's smile to vanish.

"I am really trying hard not to," Caroline told her, disquieted, "because then I may have to come to terms with who you used to be to me and who you are now. And, if that's the case," Caroline emphatically pressed, "then I would have to remind you who I am today too."

Laura's eyes turned to slits of wonderment and agitation. And, Caroline realized they would never be what they were. Laura Montavaro may not have been her aunt by blood but Caroline always viewed her as such. Both her and her husband.

But things have changed and if she had to adjust to the change then so would everyone else too. Including her aunt. Because she wasn't girly little Caroline anymore.

Today she was Giuseppe's true daughter and she was fighting for her life and her family. And she would protect both from anyone that dared believe they had a chance against everything her father had built all these years. Either that threat was coming from Klaus or anyone else. If her brothers couldn't do it then she would.

"You see, auntie Laura," Caroline smiled brightly, "today I haven't brought any of the men your husband sent me and only but one from the Salvatore bunch is here. Look around. They are all Mikaelson men. All on our side of the map for the first time in decades. With me, they have free reign," Caroline pointed out and for the first time Laura Montavaro stirred anxiously in her seat and Caroline saw how her aunt tried to keep her cool and not show weakness by looking around and searching to see if what she had told her was true, "all those you see and those you don't," Caroline shrugged, "those your men see…and those they don't," she continued sweetly, "not even Damon's man knows all the detail Klaus has set on me. Come to think of it I don't even know if I know all of it," Caroline wrinkled her nose thoughtfully, "Klaus is very paranoid you see. Especially after the stunt, I pulled," Caroline faked a pout before she leveled her aunt a piercing stare, "but the forgiving, all loving husband, he is first and foremost, cares for my well-being …he would never stand to see me…hurt."

Caroline got her point across and her aunt grabbed her cup with such a punishing grip that Caroline believed she heard a crack. Well, that was unladylike, she thought with wicked delight.

"How in hell has he gotten into your head?" Laura flared-up crisply and Caroline snorted.

"My head is exactly where it needs to be."

"What about your heart?" Laura Montavaro accused her and Caroline's instincts betrayed her.

She hesitated.

It only took an instant. A split second. Less even. All it took was a quick blink and the holding of her breath and her aunt stared her with wondrous bewilderment.

Caroline said nothing. She didn't move. She didn't know why but as she faced Laura's horrified expression something seemed to stir inside her.

What about her heart?

Caroline said nothing. Denied nothing. She didn't have to. This was ridiculous.

But the moments passed and she started feeling uncomfortable.

Like a child caught with her finger in the jar. She could distract her aunt and even fool her in certain things but somehow she felt bare now. Especially when she saw her aunt's penetrating gaze focus on her wedding ring. Caroline instinctively pulled her hands away from her intrusive eyes and more time passed in silence until Caroline felt the need to squirm in her seat and only found comfort at wringing her hands until her fingers touched her ring and shielded it from view.

Laura seemed startled. Caroline then saw how the vibrant color of her aunt's eyes almost dimmed. Laura Montavaro never revealed anything she didn't want but right now she looked at her as if she had grown two heads. Her stern mask of apprehension dissolved in understanding and… heartbreak.

"Is it love?" her aunt whispered with the first sign of vulnerability that didn't come off as an accusation.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Caroline mumbled and bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood.

That stupid wedding ring in her finger! She really hated it. Everyone seemed to make all sorts of insane assumptions ever since it ended up on her finger. She would have to take it off. And she tried. Right now, she tried. Only to prove a point. To herself mostly. But she couldn't make herself do it.

The stupefaction in Laura Montavaro's face would have been comical if Caroline didn't feel as if she were cornered in a tight place that allowed her no room to breathe or move.

Her aunt practically raised her and despite all these dishonest games they played, to hear from her such a statement made it…real. Especially since the shock in her aunt's tone was undoubtedly sincere.

Only she was wrong. This wasn't-

She couldn't-

No.

"You are falling for him," her aunt whispered and her eyes grew wide, her gaze incredulous.

"This is ridiculous," Caroline muttered and shagged back against her chair, looking everywhere but at her aunt.

"Oh, my sweet child," Laura lamented, this time addressing her as if she were her daughter and Caroline glowered at her.

"You have it all wrong," Caroline spurned her sullenly, "you all knew what you were doing when you offered me to Klaus Mikaelson. You didn't come to my wedding but you didn't try to stop it either. Not truly," she spat and saw how her aunt flinched, "you set this in motion, you wanted me to end up exactly where I am now, so what did you think was going to happen? What did you expect from me? To remain the stupid little girl you could so easily control?"

"You have changed Caroline."

It was a solemn observation.

Caroline gulped down the breath she was holding and her throat jerked so violently she almost choked.

This time she didn't hide her hand and the ring did not feel as if it didn't belong on her. She rested her palm on the table and splayed her fingers open until the light caught on the gold of her ring finger making it shine coarsely.

"I hear marriage does that to people."

Laura inclined her head.

"It does," she agreed, "especially when one marries men with the kind of reputation ours have."

Caroline did not miss the dig in Laura's tone but she seemed to have no filter anymore and her tongue ran faster than it should.

"Klaus is not mine."

Caroline almost winced at the speed of which she said this. Was this what she truly had to object to? It would seem it was and unfortunately her haughty and contemptuous denial sounded like a lie even in her own ears.

As if what she said and what she wanted or what she truly believed were very different things. When had this happened to her? When had he lost her common sense? Klaus was distracting her thoughts, she realized. He was like a…weakness. One anyone could exploit very easily.

Even him…if he knew.

And, her aunt seemed to know.

Caroline wanted to scream. Wanted to scream to herself to come back to her senses because how could anyone know something she didn't? She couldn't know. There was nothing to know.

Klaus was not hers. She was not his. This was not a love story. This was a nightmare and she would find a way out of it. That was all it was. And it could never be anything else.

"I see," Laura simply said and then gave her a knowing look.

"He isn't," Caroline insisted and pressed her lips when Laura Montavaro hummed as if she was indulging her delusion.

"But he considers you his, no?"

Caroline said nothing this time. Involuntary goosebumps rose on her skin and heat swelled in her. When she dropped her gaze Laura inclined her head in grim understanding.

"For what is worth, you are correct, Caroline. About everything," her aunt admitted, and Caroline felt something break in her.

She didn't know if it was her innocence or the bond she had with her aunt and her old life breaking, there was no turning back from this. Hearing her aunt admit it was a farewell. Caroline knew that accusing her aunt of such intentions directly or indirectly was one thing. But this…

It was final.

Laura Montavaro nodded as if she could read her thoughts.

And then she smiled. It was a sad smile. A loving smile.

"I love Giovanni with all my heart and you know my sentiments for the man you married," she said, adoration and disgust contrasting so bluntly and Caroline realized that this was probably the first time aunt Laura had put Klaus and Giovanni Montavaro together in a sentence, "but they are cut from the same cloth," she continued with a scowl that only made her acceptance sound far more merciless.

Caroline knew this wasn't entirely true.

Men like Montavaro. Men like Mikael. Men like Giuseppe and her brothers. The cloth was the same, yes. And, yet none of those examples could compare because somehow she knew there were no men like Klaus Mikaelson and that truly unnerved and terrified her.

However, she said nothing. She only listened and watched as her aunt paused and tapped her perfectly manicured nails on her folded napkin that was clean and snow white and not soiled like her own. Laura didn't make such mistakes. She never showed weakness or uncertainty. She was always composed and had turned the lessons she had tried to teach her daughter Dana and the lessons Elisabeth had tried to teach her into strengths.

Today she had faltered, though, and Caroline knew this would be the one and only exception.

Right now the woman sitting across from her did not seem certain. It would seem as if she was lost in deep thought and indecision and for the first time, Caroline didn't see her aunt or a Montavaro.

She didn't know what she was seeing. Auntie Laura seemed like a stranger now. Her fingers eventually stilled and then her pensive expression turned resolute.

Caroline could see that her aunt had come to a decision and she braced herself for what was to come.

"So," her aunt cleared her throat, "as someone who has lived by the side of such a man for so many years and has the experience you are lacking, heed my warning and be sure to always remember it," she cautioned and Caroline tensed.

"They are like the storm," Laura smiled sadly, "violent. Brutal. Irresistible. But there is a reason why people seek shelter from storms," she said, her words laced with the burden of wisdom, "you can't change them and no one can protect you from them. A storm of that magnitude…You can't contain it. You can admire it but you can't withstand it. You can try to endure it and even challenge it but don't fool yourself. It will ruin you. And, if you don't have a choice and you can't avoid it, then the least you can do is protect your heart. At least try," her aunt urged her, "before it is too late. Guard your heart, Caroline. You only have one. This kind of break will never mend."

Caroline watched her, feeling her eyes burn and she willed herself to not let it show.

She made a low noise that only a few moments later she realized was a question. One that desperately sought an answer.

"Is this what you've done?"

The line of Laura's lips had turned to a wistful smile. "No. I guess I wanted to dance in the storm. I was as young as you are now, foolish and careless and Giovanni...well…I guess I didn't stand a chance," she said before she added consolingly, "maybe none of us does."

Caroline cast her a heavy look.

"Do you regret it?"

Her aunt's smile was almost sorrowful now.

"Not anymore. You see when the time came I claimed Giovanni as much as he claimed me. I have no regrets for that," she confided unrepentantly, "I wouldn't change a thing… but the girl I used to be," she shook her head as if she were remembering things long forgotten, "would run away screaming if she knew where the road ended. That girl is long gone, Caroline and I am all that's left, and I fell in love with a storm. I found myself in the eye of it. There comes a time where each of us has to make a choice. Either be a victim. Or be the storm."

Caroline felt a tremor shake her very core from the inside out. She couldn't make sense of her jumbled feelings.

"Auntie-"

"There is a reason why you want a way out. There is a reason why your mother didn't want this for you. Men like my husband and yours…the price to pay is very steep," Laura warned her and Caroline bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood.

Klaus' words screamed at her now. Loud as a raging storm that banged against windows that kept shuttering inside her.

.

"Are you ready to pay the price?" Klaus pressed, "and you know what that price is, don't you?"

"Just a taste, sweetheart. It is all that it takes. One drop of blood and it becomes an addiction. Once you step into my world there is no going back. Paint the world red with me, Caroline."

.

"You have paid it," Caroline stated as a matter of fact. Laura Montavaro didn't say anything but her silence was its own answer.

Caroline stared at her wedding ring with what felt very close to dread. Very close to longing.

"I don't know if I can," she confessed more to herself than anyone else, "I am…afraid," she whispered so low that it would not surprise her if her aunt hadn't heard her.

Only she had.

"Good. Trust that feeling. It may be what will save you in the end."

"It doesn't seem that way."

Caroline had never felt more lost. She felt as if she couldn't trust her feelings anymore. They were betraying her. They were weakening her resolve. Worse was that she couldn't understand them. She was drowning in feelings unknown. In rivers and oceans of them.

"It doesn't, does it?" Laura acknowledged knowingly, "and the closer you get to Klaus Mikaelson, the more the lines will blur and your confusion will grow."

Laura reached for her coffee and sipped the last drops of it slowly before she put the empty cup down.

"If that fear ever stops then you'll know," she shrugged and Caroline frowned.

"Know what?"

"That you've paid the price. And from the looks of quite willingly too," Laura predicted after examining her with an indecipherable look that Caroline did not like at all.

Caroline opened her mouth to deny her aunt's presumption but the older woman did not leave her any room to object.

"You saw right through me today," Laura realized with a proud smirk, "It has been a long time since anyone has done this, but I am afraid I returned the favor, sweet child. Do you want me to tell you what I saw?" she provoked, her with a lifted eyebrow that gave Caroline pause.

"No."

Laura Montavaro laughed at her resolute refusal.

"When you are ready take a good look in the mirror," she advised Caroline, "what you see may terrify you at first, as truth always does, but it may be the only way to find peace. And, I am sorry that you'll have to go through this and even more sorry that we have found ourselves on different sides."

"We are not-"

"Aren't we?" Laura challenged her and Caroline could not deny it.

"I will never forget what you did for Marianno that night, Caroline but I am afraid I will never forget what your husband did to him either."

There was something in Laura's hatred for Klaus that put a chill in Caroline's heart. It was like a mourning song. An untold fear.

Klaus deserved this hate from her aunt and far more but Caroline felt the weight of it slam into her.

"This is the last time we will talk like this, so today I will repay the debt I owe you," Laura vowed, "what we said and what I saw in you will stay between us. I don't keep secrets from Giovanni, especially the kind that could hinder his plans but this one I will. You have my word on this."

Caroline saw the adamant nod auntie Laura gave her but it brought no comfort. Only anger. She could not rely on false promises. Not when Laura acted as if she was doing her a favor. Not when she almost looked sincere and maybe even believed herself to be but deep down this was nothing but a lie. A blatant lie if Caroline had ever seen one. Because from the looks of it, Auntie Laura either as a Di Conti or a Montavaro had no problem when it came to breaking oaths.

"This is the only help I can give you but Giovanni won't stop. From what I can tell neither will Mikael and neither will Klaus. And you somehow found yourself right in the middle of it. For that, I am truly sorry."

Maybe it was the pity that truly set off the ferocity inside her but Caroline hardened herself. She faced the older woman nonplussed. Laura was ready to get up and leave.

To leave her to fate. Again.

Caroline armed herself with determination. Her aunt may have wanted to have the last word but she was not done. Not just yet.

Caroline lifted her chin and used a tone she had never used before. This new voice of hers that dripped with authority and had the shades of a metal forged in rage and danger belonged to Caroline Mikaelson.

"Stay aunt. We are not done."

At her hard hostile command, her aunt's gaze turned not only stern -as she obviously took offense- but also defensive.

It would have brought a smile in Caroline's lips if everything inside her hadn't frozen.

"This is not the only debt you owe me," Caroline declared sharply and Laura threw her a curious look. She was cautious now and Caroline could tell that this was once more Lady Montavaro. Not her aunt. Not family or even a tentative ally.

This was the Underboss' wife and she was now trying to decipher if the viciousness of the order Caroline just gave her foretold for her a winning or a losing battle.

Laura Montavaro settled for a cold expression of condescension.

"Caroline-"

"I would have never found myself in the middle if I didn't have a back-up plan," Caroline revealed dispassionately and Laura's patronizing countenance was gone.

Caroline now had Laura Montavaro's full attention although she still seemed unconvinced.

It didn't matter. Soon she wouldn't be.

There was something cruel in her next words. It was her time to give her aunt a warning she should heed.

"I told you I am afraid and I am. Of myself."

Caroline leaned forward and crossed her hands on the table. She intertwined her fingers and cocked her head to the side.

"That is what you saw today," Caroline agreed with her aunt's observations calmly, "you said that the girl you used to be would run away screaming if she knew where the road ends. The girl you used be is the girl I want to see in the mirror. The one I want to save. I can't become what you are. I won't," she heatedly fought back and Laura's gaze softened.

"Maybe it is too late."

"No," Caroline declared ruthlessly, "I was almost out. I had the life I wanted and I want it back!"

Laura looked at her as if she pitied her.

"Even if it wasn't too late for that which I am afraid it is…are you sure that was the life you truly wanted Caroline?" her aunt questioned her curiously, "are you so sure you still want it?"

Caroline ignored her completely.

"Yes, you are afraid it is too late. And why wouldn't it be?" Caroline mused sourly, her tone laced with harsh irony, "I did lose that life the night of my wedding after all," she bit out and felt something feral dancing in her veins. It was ready to burst out and blood would run when it did. She locked her gaze with Laura's, "so imagine my surprise when that very night at the wedding feast my mother's lawyer congratulated me in private for the prudent decision I took. One that I didn't even know I had. But you did."

Laura Montavaro went as still as a statue. And equally as pale.

Caroline's vision darkened and she felt her hands itching. What she wouldn't give to have the gun Klaus had offered her right now.

"Mom always said that if anything happened to her I was to come and find you. I never knew she meant it so literally."

Laura met her accusation with a stricken expression. And for the first time in her entire life, Caroline saw her lowering her head. In shame or defeat, she didn't know. All she knew was that this was truly a pitiful sight but Caroline felt nothing.

Everything had turned hollow.

"I promised her as much," Laura whispered with a haunted look as she shrunk back.

At least she wouldn't lie about it. Maybe she couldn't. Some bonds did run stronger than blood and hate. The memory of her mother seemed to evoke such ties. It was another kind of power so different from the one Laura had.

"You broke that promise didn't you?"

Laura blanched. So much that it seemed as if she grew at least a decade older in a matter of moments.

"My mother trusted you," Caroline blamed her resentfully and Laura nodded.

Caroline's teeth grinded together so tightly she feared she would break them.

"I need to know how much exactly."

Laura Montavaro tried to force the words out but she couldn't. Caroline wondered how Laura Montavaro looked to the witnesses she had brought with her today and what kind of gossip would spark after today. It didn't matter now. Caroline waited and saw the struggle in her aunt. And it made her mad. Because she saw the remnants of calculation in the eyes that stared back at her both pleadingly and guiltily. Only Caroline had no mercy to give. Not anymore.

Her aunt looked ashen. She looked as if she had regretted it but Caroline didn't know if that happened because she was caught or because she truly felt remorse. Either way, that girl that Laura had once been was truly gone and Caroline could see what she had meant. The price her aunt had paid had corrupted her heart and there was no return from that.

"She-"

Caroline's brow lifted at Laura's croak. She tilted her head slightly as she gave Laura Montavaro a dirty look.

"Don't lie to me Auntie Laura," she warned her, "remember I can see right through you too."

Her aunt's shoulders sagged.

Caroline gave her a pointed glare. There were some promises a person should never break. This was one of them and Laura Montavaro knew it.

And so did Caroline. Her aunt owed her a great debt. And she would pay her back. Either she wanted to or not.

"So," Caroline repeated not leaving room for any more games, "how much exactly?"

"Enough to trust me with a safe line for you."

---

Klaus Mikaelson surveyed the area with a critical eye. He had checked every route leading to this remote warehouse and took record of all the details. He was careful to note all the possible exits and entrances. More so now that he was going in alone. He had made sure that Kol would know where he was at all times by wearing a hidden tracker on his shoe which he made sure was not rendered useless by any intervention signal. In fact, in a few minutes, all the communication devices the Salvatore's used would be disabled. He had made sure of that. All electronics would be rendered useless. From something as simple as a phone straight down to the cameras and even certain types of weapons. Nothing would be able to frame him and in case of an assault, he had also taken his insurances, although going kamikaze on everyone was not how he would rather spend his time.

Basic precautions aside, he had taken more preventative measures to ensure he was not walking into a trap. His man inside always fed him valuable information so he was always prepared and thankfully so far neither Giuseppe and more so his less suspicious sons had found out his rat.

Klaus smirked and strode confidently without letting down his guard even for a second, always ready to draw his weapon.

Of course, it wasn't the first time he was getting his feet onto Salvatore ground but it was still a novel feeling to be able to come and go without infiltrating or raiding the enemy region.

Damon's men greeted him with displeased faces as he walked straight into the dusty building.

Damon and Stefan were already waiting for him, from the looks of it impatiently and Klaus did not try to hide his delighted expression as he joined them.

Standing the Salvatores up was turning to be quite the fun game to play, especially given Damon's reaction to having to deal with what he was used to doing to others. But now he was the Boss so he was all in for punctuality it would seem.

Neither Damon nor Stefan greeted him and he didn't bother with the pleasantries either. They seemed a bit taken aback and suspicious by the fact that he came alone, however.

Klaus remained nonchalant and wasn't deterred by the men that were perched all around every corner. Some he could see and some he couldn't, or some these idiots believed he couldn't see.

He gave Damon a dry look when he rose his hand and soon enough as a gesture of good will all his men walked away leaving them alone. Supposedly anyway.

Klaus remained relaxed and only glanced at the unconscious badly beaten man that was lying next to Stefan Salvatore's legs. Peculiar that he was still breathing though.

Stefan was using a cloth to wipe his hands. He had done quite a number to the half-dead mass of the body that was left at his feet.

Klaus had to admit that he held a modicum of respect when it came to Stefan Salvatore's capacity for brutality and savagery. Under all that brooding exterior hid a monster that intrigued Klaus and made him wonder if it was a talent nurtured or given by nature. Should things had been any different, he wouldn't have minded making a comrade out of Stefan Salvatore but as things were he would take satisfaction into making one out of his sister.

"What can I do for you gentlemen this fine day?" Klaus chirped happily.

Stefan kept his stoic expression on but it was Damon that viewed him with an air of superiority that was nothing but a façade.

Klaus could see the lack of ease by which Damon Salvatore usually carried himself with.

Klaus grinned at the eldest Salvatore brother with glee before he graced Stefan with the same expression too.

They hadn't met since the midnight dinner and if they'd expected him to show any discomfort to what their sister had done to him they were sorely mistaken.

Damon probably considered what happened that night to be a victory but it was as much as a defeat for him as a new ruler as it had been for Klaus as a new husband. It had been obvious that Damon and Stefan had been unaware of Caroline's ploy that held on to Montavaro's and Mikael's plans… if not hers.

This triumph didn't belong to the Salvatore brothers. It was all Caroline's and he had already set in motion his answer to the way she had gained the upper hand on him because after a glorious victory it was only appropriate for one to experience a crashing defeat too.

Damon broke their challenging stares first, not sharing the same sentiment of amusement as him. He only pointed out at the soon to be corpse by his brother's side.

"Stefan proposed to inform you of our latest common issue," Damon muttered with a bored tone and Klaus lifted an inquiring brow.

He slanted his head to the side pretending to be ignorant.

Klaus prowled closer relishing at the sight and eventually nudged the body at the dirty ground with his shoe only for the man to let out a soft grunt.

"This is why you called me here?" Klaus wondered without hiding the disdain and incredulity that painted his words, "Don't you have errand boys for such inconveniences?"

"It's one of Lockwood's men," Stefan told him.

"You don't say," Klaus responded in a bored tone that didn't seem to deter the youngest Salvatore.

"Guess where we fished him out?" Damon asked, trying to make it look like an accomplishment and Klaus remained impassive as he waited for Damon to carry on with his monologue.

"One of the Triad's joints," he finally said and Klaus arched a brow knowing all too well that Damon's inquisitive instincts and sharp perception were not that inquisitive nor that sharp compared to his sister's.

It was a good thing Caroline wasn't here right now. She'd be able to pick up on his tells. He couldn't exactly put his finger on how she was able to do it where all else failed and she succeeded so easily.

This was why he wasn't able to seduce her that easily. His plan was to make her fall in love with him. To make her think he was genuinely falling for her too; but for now, he had to seem as conflicted about it as she would be by the notion that she would be falling in love with him. He kept the flirting to the minimum and used his time with her to work on her tells, on her body's language, on everything that made her brilliant mind work. His eyes followed her everywhere but she returned the favor and sometimes he found himself at a loss. He had never experienced anything like this before in his life and he hated to admit that he was in unfamiliar territory.

He set this uncomforting feeling aside no matter how difficult it was becoming. Like an addiction, Caroline was now attached to every thought he had. It was becoming progressively more difficult to go about his day and put his plans into fruition with that constant companion that mentally unsettled him every hour of the day.

Klaus clasped his hands behind and circled the man on the ground slowly, forcing his head to get back to the game. His fingers however unconsciously played with his wedding ring, while he kept his hands behind his back, hidden from the Salvatores' view.

"Well," he purred, "we can't have that now."

He took out his M19 from his back holster but Stefan Salvatore stepped between his gun and the man.

Klaus watched Stefan with renewed interest. Maybe he and Caroline did share some traits after all and where the eldest Salvatore brother failed the younger was ready to gain an accomplishment when it came to discerning his enemies' motives or at least picking up on vague clues and hints of danger.

He had to be careful with that one.

"What?" Klaus asked, making sure to put in his tone just the right amount of puzzlement, "haven't you gotten the Intel from him yet?"

"We have," Stefan responded evenly without breaking a sweat at being confronted with a loaded gun that was now directed straight at him from the hands of the man that only a few months ago would not hesitate to blast his brains out, "don't you want to know what it is first?"

"I have left my crystal ball at home but let me make a wild guess," Klaus gave Stefan a sardonic smile, "He is a rat. The Lockwoods want an alliance with the Triad. They used him as an intermediate not knowing he is already bought by said Triad since it was the Triad that reached out to them first and not the other way around as they'd have them and all of us believe. Which means they are preparing for a mass hit. The Lockwoods are cannon fodder. We are about to dive into a whole load of shit. And this one here," he pointed at Stefan's victim, "is now utterly useless."

Stefan looked taken aback and Klaus gave him a condescending look.

After all, this is why they had called him here wasn't? For him to share information and show them his cards? To let him feel the undercurrent of their power and how they had the upper hand and more knowledge than him while he would have to keep nothing from them. To show him how he would have to follow their lead and be at their beck and call every time they called him for such meaningless issues. Over things, they wouldn't bother calling Mikael with, not like this anyway, but he was beneath the leader of the Mikaelson Family so here they were.

Well…never to be said he didn't give his brother's in-law what they wanted.

Klaus snickered when Damon now truly gestured for all of his men to leave their posts and give them privacy.

Klaus didn't lower his gun but neither did Stefan move.

"We still can't kill him," Stefan insisted and gave a worried glance at Damon who remained speechless.

"No one cares, trust me," Klaus assured Stefan looking coolly amused.

"They saw us take him and if not they'll still suspect," Stefan reasoned and when Damon gravely nodded Klaus tried not to bark out laughing at the fact that Damon Salvatore out of all people was trying to give it a go at being a mediator of reason. Oh, how things changed.

"Good," Klaus amended, "it'll send a message."

Stefan didn't back away though. Klaus gave him an incredulous look and made a shooing gesture with his gun.

"We just cannot allow the Lockwoods to get in bed with the Triad right this instant," Klaus pressed Stefan who stared down at the barrel of his gun straight on, "this will hinder them for a while buying us more time," he explained, talking slowly as if he were talking to children which wasn't that far from the truth, Klaus imagined.

"Maybe we shouldn't get involved too directly in this until we know for sure what's going on," Damon finally said, with a bit of uncertainty that seemed to plague him enough to turn him into this somber shadow of the man he used to be. This time Klaus didn't stop himself from laughing.

"Damon Salvatore, avoiding getting his hands dirty. That's a first mate."

Darkness flashed through Damon's eyes and Klaus's laughter turned to absolute delight.

Damon, just like Kol, was a hothead and it was truly unbelievably easy to get under his skin. It would seem that his chill out persona started and ended where his father's shadow was cast. Now that he was at the top of the world and had to sit on the throne, the weight of his father's legacy had stripped him of his unpredictable charisma, leaving only the volatile temper behind that even now had to be restrained.

And as expected it was Stefan Salvatore that had to do the restraining.

"Times have changed," Stefan argued and approached Damon making sure to keep his brother's frustrated anger at bay. "We are effectively taking our fathers' places," the Ripper included them all in the same equation and Klaus forced himself to remain impassive.

After what Caroline did this diplomatic approach was a condescending gesture that was meant more to wound rather than pacify. Especially since now Stefan put himself and Klaus at the same level which meant being successors by the grace of the true leaders since they were both second in command. And that only if the young Salvatore included him too in his words which he very well couldn't because in the ears of others this could still be interpreted as something that excluded Klaus from all power and only embraced Stefan and Damon in their domain, "we cannot do anything we want anymore. Blood and violence is not always the solution." So said the Ripper.

Klaus rolled his eyes before he shot the man at the ground point-blank in the head.

Stefan only inhaled sharply making sure to keep a firm grip on Damon.

The echo of the gunshot faded as the blood tainted dust that had risen slowly ebbed away. With it so did the insult directed at Klaus and the illusion both Salvatore brothers had.

Klaus felt incandescently satisfied. This turn of events was brilliant. Not even he could have planned this and here he was. Making it all seem like nothing but his flaring temper when this couldn't have been more premeditated.

The Salvatore brother's calling him here, trying to offer him an olive branch while still mocking him after the midnight dinner. Stefan Salvatore speaking as Elijah would. Damon trying to contain his whimsical childish rage of his. All the while giving Klaus the pretext he wanted while he made their lives more difficult and passed the message he wanted right under their noses.

This had all the makings of a lovely day, really.

He didn't bother looking at the corpse at their feet.

He knew all too well who the man he had killed was. As he knew that what the guy had admitted during Stefan's torture was an outright lie. A lie the Salvatore brothers would believe since Klaus had given them the same lie disguised as the 'truth' that supposedly he knew. The Salvatores knew after all how he had his eyes and ears everywhere so it was easy to feed them such information.

On any other occasion, he would have to use the other contingencies he had in place to make this little problem go away but the Salvatores handed him the perfect solution on a silver platter without even knowing what they did.

There was a part of him that was already maniacally laughing in the deepest recesses of his mind but he didn't allow that part to even caress the lock of the box he had it deeply hidden in. He would only allow this part to come out only at Mikael's impending funeral but now he had managed to gain one more ally to help him dig his father a shallow grave and just, maybe, Damon and Stefan Salvatore would soon follow his father to hell.

He ignored the pang of uneasiness that he felt obscuring his delight as he knew that burying his enemies meant burying his wife's family and Caroline would be devastated. No matter the bones she had to pick with her brothers, she already did everything in her power to protect them, despite how they were set on not making it easy for her.

In any case, it was all set in motion now. And it was all for the best. Because deep down he knew that if he wanted to keep Caroline bound by his side, which now that he had seen her true potential was one of his top priorities along with disposing Mikael, he would have to cut all the ties that held her back. All the obstacles that would stop her from giving in completely to him. As long as her brothers lived, Caroline would never truly be his and he couldn't have that. He always knew he'd kill Damon and Stefan but now their fates were cemented, irrevocably set in stone.

The corpse at Klaus' feet was the start. And at the same time was also just the cherry on top. And the shift of the blame would not even fall on his shoulders now. Not where it truly mattered anyway.

It would all be one more problem to tie Damon's hands.

They were on Salvatore ground but the man was snatched close to Emil's territory. Which as it happened it opposed Mikael instead of falling under his thumb. No matter what was agreed on the Midnight Council, in the end, personal interests would always be at play. Especially, when it came to the kind of grudges that would not go away with small talk and under the table agreements enemies made with each other.

Emil would be the perfect decoy for him. He would get the cover he needed but the Salvatores didn't need to know that. Nor that Emil would grill them specifically for this, costing them power. That fragile power Caroline had granted her brothers while catching them unaware was the same way he'd caught them unaware today. The scales would tip over in his favor again. He would make sure of that. Emil had already reached him and waited for them to meet. He wanted something from Klaus and he could already guess what it was. It would be a fairly easy exchange to make, despite how he was letting Emil stew a bit for now.

For the Salvatores, though, it all came down to how Damon couldn't afford to appear weak now that he struggled to fill his father's shoes and had to deal with Montavaro's influence over their empire but Emil was in the Mikaelson territory and only the leader of their Famiglia could tell him what to do. Technicalities were in his favor now that Mikael would have to be the link but the link just wouldn't work, flawed as it was.

Soon all the puzzle pieces would fall into place but for now, he would very well enjoy all this mess he had made for the Salvatore brothers.

'Let them sweat it out a bit,' Klaus thought cheerfully and his lips curled to a contented smirk as the pool of blood slowly reached Damon's shoes.

Damon cursed under his breath and Klaus only gave him a sympathetic look.

"Did I hurt your sensitivities?" he mocked Damon with his tone changing into a silky drawl.

"Klaus," Stefan sighed and put a hand on Damon's chest to stop him from lashing out.

"I am afraid we are not on the same page here," Klaus interrupted Stefan. "You called me here. What did you expect?"

"Not this fucking mess," Damon growled and stepped away from Stefan's hold trying to contain his anger.

Klaus snorted incredulously at Damon's reaction and Stefan cleared his throat.

"Not where the Triad is concerned," Stefan explained ruefully trying to ease the growing tension.

"I see," Klaus lamented with faux sympathy, "well I understand…you are effectively taking your father's place," he accepted, pretending to be as understanding as Stefan was when he had used this argument against him only moments ago, "but poor old me still has yet to become an orphan," Klaus sighed, albeit somewhat more honestly now, "so I will take option bloodshed per usual. It is not as if I am the Boss like your brother is," he added mockingly, turning what they did to him at the dinner and here against them.

Damon gritted his teeth but this time remained unmoving when Klaus casually shot the man that lay already dead on the ground to the head. Three more times to make it look more violent and to erase his features.

Stefan narrowed his eyes when Klaus knelt over the body, tore open the, now unrecognizable, man's shirt. Klaus took out his knife and carved the man's chest. Good thing he wore his gloves today.

When he finished he inspected his work with a satisfied curl of the lips and rose.

"Have your men drop him close to where you snatched him but in the Mikaelson territory and not the Triad border. It will create the needed chaos to disorient all sides concerned," Klaus simply instructed them as he stepped up and took control before Damon or Stefan could stop or oppose him in any way.

Damon eyed the crest he had created on the chest of the bleeding man with narrowed eyes.

Klaus saw when all the pieces clicked for him, a slow smirk appearing on the eldest Salvatore's face.

Leaving the man on the street with that particular crest on his chest would be a distraction. More so since as an artist Klaus knew how to perfectly draw up such designs both in blood and paper. That way they'd make it look like one more feud from the local gangs and some unsettled grudges between the Mikaelsons and the Salvatores that no marriage alliance could fix. One that the Salvatores would want to contain as it was near their borders too so this would serve as a diversion when it came to the reason as to why they'd got involved with this. Besides this would also involve Emil directly.

So many birds with one stone really.

Then again, it was not perfect but Klaus didn't need to be. In fact, he wanted this to come and bite the Salvatores in the ass while it also dealt with his personal loose ends. And in the meantime, Damon and Stefan would believe that he was at least trying to play somewhat nice in order to keep the alliance of their families intact and that no matter how he acted all nonchalant, in the end the Midnight Dinner's aftermath did put Klaus between a rock and a hard place meaning he still had to compromise a bit.

He tilted his head and hummed at his piece of work. He then let out a sigh making sure it sounded as if he was disappointed with the result. Let them think that too.

"Here," he eventually said as if this was troubling him and he didn't like he had to do this but it was a dead-end for all of them now that they had to work together, "now you are off the hook."

Stefan, though, seemed more suspicious than his brother.

"This isn't-"

"It is enough for having plausible doubts," Klaus stopped him from saying anything more, "I never said I'd make it that easy for you, did I?" he played on the animosity that existed between them, otherwise they wouldn't buy it. Lying with the truth was always the best way to lie after all.

"After all you brought him here and then me," Klaus reminded Stefan Salvatore, "I bet you are now regretting your idea to involve me in your trouble like this, don't you?" he challenged the young man who watched him with a grave expression. "Worry not, dear brother in law. Despite our differences our alliance is our common ground," he assured him before he gestured at the corpse he had left at his feet, "I could clean this mess all the way up for you, of course," Klaus said with deep set irony, "but as it happens now you have the power to order your problems away. Being in charge and whatnot."

"It doesn't work that way and you know it," Stefan replied to his challenge with a tightly controlled composure and a flattening of the lips.

"Says the legendary Ripper of Chicago," Klaus' chuckled and then stared at the corpse pensively.

"Elijah didn't like violence," Klaus remembered, his voice dropping in volume and both Stefan and Damon seemed taken aback at the mention of his brother, "and look where it got him," Klaus pointed out.

He knew how this would be read by the Salvatores. As a threat. As a warning based on the rumors that had spread over what he had done to his own brother. "My brother was a businessman; he considered blood to be a big expense," Klaus kept talking calmly not caring for the tension that had risen or for the memories that haunted him. The past was the past and he would not linger there. There was a present and a future to deal with and soon enough the rumors of what he had done to Elijah would be a fond story to tell as they were replaced with the new horror stories that would be based on what he planned to do to Mikael. And yet, all the mystery that surrounded Elijah Mikaelson served as a good cautionary tale for those that still chose to believe they could defeat him.

"I, however, am a firm believer that blood is power," Klaus declared, "either it binds or it tears apart. And a time comes when blood has to be spilled. Everyone loves a peace treaty but all must know who is the one that can win the war."

"So enlighten us, oh wise one, what do you propose?" Damon mocked him and Klaus smirked.

"The Triad will be more open to negotiations if they know they will face a united front. This is why we went along with our alliance after all. At least this is why I went along with it since your marriage with my dear sister is still pending," Klaus mused and just like that he saw Damon's arrogant smile vanish into thin air.

"So…Let me see," Klaus suggested and clapped his hands, the blood on the gloves making a squishy sound, "how do the clichés go? 'Make them an offer they cannot refuse'….'You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.' Blah, blah, blah," he snickered relishing in the way he was twisting Damon into this mess even further than he could ever imagine, "and since we are all a big happy family now…how about this? Leave the guns to me and keep the kind words that suit your newly acquired…. position of power," his voice was now a pure blend of honey and vinegar as he turned the tables on Damon and took away from him what his sister had given him. He'd ensure Caroline's gift would turn into a noose around Damon's neck and he would be the one to tighten it more. If power was what the Salvatore Boss craved then he would have it. Along with all the bullshit that came with it. "Give peace a chance, mate, and I'll handle the dirty work."

Damon now looked comically stunned.

"So you get to ran rampant while we will deal with the bureaucracy?"

"Don't you love it when everyone wins?" Klaus asserted and then looked at his wrist watch, making it clear that he was done playing for today. And just to push more on the brothers' buttons he made sure to mention Caroline as he knew that both Stefan and Damon hated that she was now his and that he had all power over her too, "I'll make sure to give your sister your regards."

Klaus gave the Salvatore brothers a Cheshire cat grin, turned around and left without looking back.

---

Damon Salvatore watched Klaus' retreating form and without a second thought he impulsively took out his gun ready to shoot Klaus in the back but Stefan gripped his wrist and lowered his arm down.

"I truly hate him," Damon grumbled but Stefan said nothing, he only looked at Klaus's distancing figure very carefully. Caroline's words echoed in his mind and he finally understood that his sister's insane accusations were not accusations or insane at all. They were based on truth even though he had wanted to believe she didn't truly know what she was talking about.

Caroline may have hated them for giving her away to Klaus Mikaelson but she had warned them and they didn't heed her warnings as they should have.

.

.

During the Midnight Dinner

"Did you know? Did you know all along? When you were making the deal with Mikael did you know Klaus would be the one in control and not him? On your honor brother. Did you know?" Caroline asked, a shadow of pain in her voice.

.

.

"Klaus is taking over," Caroline simply said, "What?" she mocked the surprise she saw in him, "you thought that you would have time to establish yourselves as leaders while Klaus would wait to step up in the same way you did?" she wondered sardonically and leaned at the railing allowing the wind to cool her skin and ruffle her hair. She glanced back into the house that was now infested with the Mikaelsons.

"I know him for what? Barely a month and I can already tell you that he is a leader and he is right now dethroning Mikael. What am I saying! He already did. Long live the new King, brother," Caroline taunted Stefan with a dazzling smile.

"It can't be. Mikael is still alive," Stefan mumbled and looked around as if even saying Mikael's name was enough to have ears and eyes spying on them.

"Details," Caroline dismissed her brother with a wave of her hand, "he could as well be dead. And from where I am standing I am pretty sure that my husband has already dug him… how you called it? Oh yeah… a shallow grave," she sneered, "he has obviously been preparing for this for years. Contingency plans and all."

.

.

Stefan closed his eyes and let out a pained sigh.

If the dinner had not been an eye-opener at this moment he would have understood his mistake. He would have seen what Caroline had seen from the beginning. Klaus talked about creating chaos and yet he was orchestrating order. His order. He talked about violence but he was the first at staging an element of negotiation. One where he was holding all the cards.

Klaus had that unique talent to turn his defeats into opportunities for victory.

Stefan stared at the corpse. They had handed him to Klaus like idiots. They had wanted this to be a power play where at the same time Klaus wouldn't feel excluded, just in case he decided to take out his frustration on their sister but this majorly backfired.

What did they expect? That Montavaro and Mikael would be able to deter Klaus Mikaelson? That he would care for pretenses? That him stepping back and allowing their guard in his house and territories changed anything? Or that his supposedly amicable stance after his wedding was genuine in any way?

Giuseppe was gone and Klaus was now able to roam unchecked because he had made that deal with their father and not them.

They shouldn't have done this.

He shouldn't have done this. When Caroline had pled with him to help her and not allow this marriage to happen he should have listened to her. He should have done anything and everything in his power to stop this wedding and now it was too late. His loyalty to his father, his desire to protect Damon's rule and follow his commands so to secure his place on Giuseppe's throne blinded him and he sacrificed his sister. All to save their family but he could now see that their family could not be saved. They destroyed it themselves by giving away Caroline like a trophy to Klaus Mikaelson. This may very well prove to be the beginning of their end.

Klaus was already in his element and they had single-handedly given him their sister. Klaus pledged to protect Caroline but he always spoke in riddles. Protection for a man like Klaus could equal death and destruction and by giving him their sister, they had loaded the gun he could use to spread that destruction. And from the way, Damon looked at him now, he could tell that Damon knew it too. No matter Damon's half-assed plans to take Caroline out, they were in new dangerous territory.

Klaus Mikaelson now had his clutches deep into their sister. He was growing more powerful by the day.

They initially wanted to get rid of Mikael in order to switch power to their side. They considered him to be the power they had to eliminate first. But Caroline had been right. Because from the looks of it they might have made a grave mistake. They might have turned the tables to the one that truly held the real power.

"I mean it, Stefan. I hate him," Damon cursed petulantly, but under all his bravado he was letting it be known this was now personal.

"I bet he feels the same," Stefan acknowledged because no matter the mask Klaus wore, the one of civility and the one of brutality, Stefan could see that underneath it ,he hated them equally if not more and it wasn't just because of the feud that taunted their families for decades.

The game had changed. Somewhere along the way it had changed.

There was an unsettling thought Stefan couldn't shake away. Something eerie that was just crawling over his skin and slowly sinking in. It was the same way he would always break his victims. He could see in their souls the truths they hid. In a way, he could feel their pain too. It was why a part of him relished torturing others. Because once they broke, he could feel all they felt. He could feel their pain and he deserved to feel pain. It was a gift and a curse. It was how he knew he hadn't really broken the man Klaus had killed today. Maybe this was why Klaus had killed him. Maybe…just maybe…Klaus knew more than what he led on. He shared information with them but something was really off. He just couldn't tell what. Yet.

All he could tell, without any doubt whatsoever, was that Klaus Mikaelson truly hated them. Not the kind of hate one would expect from an adversary. And it was not the kind of rage he would have expected after the dinner in which Caroline and their Uncle Giovanni set him up. No, it was something else. This was more potent. And it was directed solely on them.

Or at least so he hoped.

He knew Caroline was safe and Klaus hadn't retaliated against her so far. This was a waiting period. The tension was reaching a boil. That much Stefan knew already and he hated that he couldn't be close to Caroline to protect her from Klaus but there was something else in the way Klaus Mikaelson acted around them now.

Klaus wasn't just angry with them because they inconvenienced him or gave more power to Mikael and messed up his plans, whatever those plans were. That alone should have been enough but Klaus, despite all, truly wanted them dead. He could feel it. This wasn't just for power. Not just in order to take what their family owned. It was personal. Stefan saw it today clearly. Klaus was playing with them as a cat played with its dinner. He was setting a trap for them and he was scrutinizing them to see what their weak points were.

He aimed to take everything from them. In the same way, he had taken everything from Elijah Mikaelson. In the same way, he planned to take everything from Mikael.

When Klaus spoke of his father or the demise of his brother he broke character. He showed true emotion. Real intensity. The kind he showed whenever he mentioned Caroline.

But whereas hate shone through when Mikael was mentioned it was a much different emotion where Caroline was concerned.

Yes. This was personal. Klaus Mikaelson wanted everything.

And something told him that by everything Klaus meant…Caroline.

If they were out of the picture Caroline would have no one else but Klaus. She'd be truly and only his then. Completely defenseless to his mercy and left without anyone else to care for…to love.

He had seen signs of this in the dinner they had. Before Caroline showed her cards. He could see it in the way Klaus acted around his sister. In the way, he touched her, watched her, shielded her from everyone and made sure to feed the distance that existed between Caroline and them. He was possessive to the point where it would seem he hated that Caroline had any connection with her family, to begin with.

And now this had multiplied to an insane degree. He felt it today more than ever before.

It was a farfetched idea coming from an even more insane hunch but something told Stefan that somehow it was happening. He didn't know how this happened or what had transpired between Klaus and their sister but every time Klaus mentioned Caroline or aimed to taunt them with the slightest reference to her, there was something in his eyes. In his body language.

And the way he touched his wedding ring when he believed he wasn't being watched.

Klaus wanted to end the Salvatore reign, to eradicate their name until no Salvatore would exist. Not even Caroline Salvatore.

He would bury them all until the only one left would be Caroline Mikaelson.

And if this was true-

"And where does that leave us?" Damon interrupted his train of thought oblivious to his terrifying thoughts and Stefan pressed his lips angrily. He wanted to throttle his brother for the mess he had gotten them into but instead, he kept his stoic posture.

"For now? Cleaning up this mess," Stefan said without taking his eyes from the body Klaus had left them with, "and then we'll talk about the bigger one that includes our sister. Unless you think she can actually deal with that," he bit out pointing at the direction Klaus had gone.

He then called his men from his wireless transmitter and cursed out loud when he realized that Klaus Mikaelson somehow had jammed their comms.

Damon took out the stainless steel flask he kept in the inner pocket of his jacket, unscrewed the lid and took a big gulp of the strong scotch he so much needed.

Not wanted. Needed. And he would need much more than just alcohol to help him get through this day. Hell, to get through this life.

And while Stefan turned his attention to the mangled body Klaus had left behind, Damon didn't voice how deep down he believed that, unfortunately, Caroline could actually deal with that and much more. And that was what he was afraid of. He didn't know what thoughts had turned Stefan so pale but Damon's mind was in the one place he didn't want it to be.

He drank more and then some more.

Klaus Mikaelson was one thing. But Caroline Mikaelson may be another altogether.

This was one of the more reasons as to why he had to eventually take Caroline out of that marriage. He had to ensure their family's survival and Caroline's escape before it would be too late. For all of them.

Damon cursed under his teeth as he got out his phone to call the cleaning crew. Stefan was right. Klaus had interfered even with their phones. That damn asshole. He had to make sure he only jumped on their devices and not hacked their data too. How in hell was he able to get that kind of advanced technology turning their's obsolete?

Damon strode out and started giving orders to his men face to face.

He hated playing civil and now he had to be because of Klaus Mikaelson's games. All the makings of a lovely day he thought bitterly.

---

Klaus Mikaelson did not take any chances.

He drove far away and parked his car in a remote area. Far away from the corpse, he had left behind. Far away from the city's noise, the prying eyes and even further away from the Salvatore idiots.

He shook his head and wondered why he even bothered with them. It was a pity that it was not Caroline at the helm of the Salvatore Famiglia. At least she presented a formidable challenge.

He smirked. His beautiful wife wouldn't have missed the signs. Her brothers, on the other hand, remained oblivious.

Stefan Salvatore was more observant, for sure, but his deduction skills started and ended where he was personally concerned.

Klaus felt that he should be elated by the fact that Caroline wasn't only his distraction but acted as one for Stefan Salvatore too but instead he felt a blinding fury. Because he could see it clearly. Stefan was concerned. Deeply. He loved his sister. He worried about her and Klaus wanted to badly snap at him and tear off his head for it. Because he knew that it was a matter of time before Stefan would decide to play the hero and try to intervene to save his sister from him. All in the name of a delayed sense of brotherly loyalty towards the sister he had thrown under the bus all for his codependent desire to keep Giuseppe's legacy intact and protect Damon above all others. Noble Stefan Salvatore who loved torturing others and pretended to be better than the rest of them. At least Damon Salvatore was honest when it came to who and what he was.

Stefan, on the other hand, would eventually try to get Caroline away from him and their marriage and he would never allow this. Even if he had to skin him alive and throw his bloody remains in the river. Even if he had to face Damon's retaliation before he sent him to hell to meet his beloved brother. Even if he had to do all that ahead of schedule.

It was a pity that undeserving as they were, his wife cared for them. Caroline would surely mourn them, Stefan in particular, but no grief lasted forever. A few years give or take and Caroline would forget them and if she didn't, he would still find a way for her to forgive him or at least learn to exist with him despite what he had done. He would make sure of it.

Klaus rested his head on the seat's headrest and closed his eyes exhaling slowly, realizing that Stefan's intentions were not the only reason as to why he was becoming more aggravated by the moment.

Seeing right through Stefan Salvatore would have been far less dangerous if he hadn't returned the favor.

He was losing his touch. Where Caroline was concerned, he was becoming negligent and this could prove to be a fatal flaw.

The Ripper had the unique ability to see right through emotion. It was unsettling and unfortunately, something told him that Stefan Salvatore had managed to see right through him when it came to the surface of the obsession that had taken over his mind and soul where his sister was concerned. He didn't want to think this to be true because it would only mean that his infatuation for Caroline had grown to the point where it could be noticed by others which meant that he was not in control as he used to be or most importantly wanted and had to be. This also meant that Caroline had turned into a weakness and since he couldn't get rid of her, he would have to get rid of all the others that made hera weakness. Like her brothers for example.

Her brothers that actually thought they had drawn out the Lockwood lackey. They offered the poor lad to him while everyone saw them take him.

Klaus shook his head, his lips twisting in mirth, letting excitement wash over his negative thoughts. He had to focus on the positive for now.

He got out of the driver's seat and went to the back of his car. He opened the trunk and threw his gloves in not caring for the bloodstains they left on the carpet kit. He bent over, his hand pressing against the hidden compartment and then he searched for his hidden phone with the untraceable line and quickly turned the device on.

He typed with fast fingers before he pressed send.

He stared at the message he had sent.

"I got rid of your little problem. Time to help me get rid of mine."

He didn't have to wait long for the reply.

'Winter awaits you, brother.'

---

Caroline slowly turned the wedding ring around her finger.

It was becoming a worrisome habit of hers and yet she couldn't help it. Lately, it seemed as if it was helping her take her mind off things while simultaneously helping her somehow concentrate. And she now needed to concentrate more than ever.

This was the opportune moment. Esther and Mikael had left the house early. From what she had learned from Anna, Esther had gone to a charity event and no one ever dared to ask where Mikael was going. Rebekah was roaming somewhere around the house doing her own thing and Kol was God knew where.

Most importantly, however, Klaus was also out.

She had no doubt that George would report back to the Mikaelson's and to Klaus all her actions. She also knew that her meeting with Laura would also not remain hidden. That wasn't her intention anyway.

She had, however, to take some chances and she would rather take them with the house's butler rather than having to approach Mikael again.

Rebekah's upcoming engagement party was the pretext she needed. Caroline was fairly new to the game of deceit and deception, at least to this degree, but since she knew that she was being watched all the time, she didn't have the element of surprise. She would have to go with the flow and get all the information she needed using what she had to work with.

In this case?

Party planning!

And as it happened not only she was good at that but she had also promised Rebekah she would help her organize everything and since the female version of Klaus Mikaelson was now somewhere in the house complaining to Anna over nail polish, this happened to be her perfect opportunity.

Or she hoped so anyway Caroline thought as she faced the always calm mild-mannered old man that held a very fancy notebook and was taking notes over what she was asking from him with an even fancier pen.

They had already sorted the details over the dinner Esther had promised her brothers, which would take place in a few days, before Rebekah's and Damon's engagement. Esther Mikaelson supervised everything but as she had said both at the dinner and later on, Caroline would be the one to host the dinner from scratch.

It was a test, Caroline knew but it also gave her the opportunity to reach out to George and see how he worked and thought and how valuable he truly was.

Ok. So the butler of the Mikaelson home was efficient, methodical and perfectly capable when it came to multitasking which Caroline assumed was always needed when you worked for one of the worst mafia families; still, that didn't mean that she couldn't appreciate the man's talents. She quite liked him really. He always had a polite, always formal and strict expression that at first made her feel a bit uncomfortable but soon Caroline realized that under his impeccable manners hid a control freak and that actually helped her unwind a bit.

She wasn't fooling herself. George was most potentially dangerous and there was something she couldn't discern when it came to him but understanding what made him tick was a step in the right direction.

She had to try to get to him to her side. And if there was anyone that knew all the secrets of the Mikaelsons then it would have to be him. He wouldn't be willing to share of course but with some luck, she could at least get what she wanted through him, if not directly from him.

This is why she was taking this slowly. Once they went over the details of the upcoming dinner, she directed the discussion towards the engagement.

She had started with innocuous things and went through harmless subjects. All the things for which George would not object and would offer to help her since this was his duty after all.

They went over themes for the engagement, from the kind of vibes they aimed for right down to the pattern of crockery and cutlery.

She did her best to impress George. She let out her own control freak to roam free and went through even the slightest of details on how to make the event elegant and asked his advice on what suited Esther's and Rebekah's tastes since he knew them better.

There was, of course, no budget so they had the liberty to expand their checklist and Caroline was starting to actually have fun and regretted not bringing her laptop with her to make a PowerPoint chart and lists. She would definitely have to do that in the future.

George was more prepared, however, and kept taking down notes, albeit in an old-fashioned way, as tea was offered to both of them in the living room while they kept working on more steps and thinking ahead. From supplies to decorations, to the flower arrangements and the pros and cons of an outdoor event versus an indoor kind of more classic ball engagement. They both exchanged tips, ideas and talked about the proper etiquette and all the steps they had to follow to make the event memorable and appropriate for the occasion. They stayed a long time on the topics of décor and menu and even longer when it came to actual hosting and how they could make this work.

It would make more sense for the engagement to take place in the Salvatore Mansion since it would be one more way to establish Damon's succession publicly. It was funny to see the old man that mostly remained expressionless twitch at the idea that he would have to enter the Salvatore home and be in charge there along with her. Of course, the people in her old home could plan everything but not as well as she could and she somehow doubted that Elena would like to play hostess to Damon's engagement. Plus, Damon would never bother when it came to such a thing. Especially since this was about marrying Rebekah Mikaelson.

If Caroline didn't need the list, she would probably be rubbing her hands together and letting Rebekah, Elena, and Damon work through it on their own. It would be a fun thing to watch she thought sarcastically but she had to focus on her endgame here.

The engagement was always meant to be a means to an end.

So when she and George finally got to the topic of the invitations Caroline tried not to seem overly anxious about it. She kept her cool and acted as if this was as important to her as the kind of vintage they would need to decide on.

Asking for the list of guests from the Mikaelson side would be a good and fast way to get more information that would not require any snooping from her side and would not include any complicated meddling or her getting caught red handed.

She had to get names, information on allies, numbers. Now that she was in the Mikaelson home she could get all that data without needing any leverage. She wouldn't need to shed blood either or use rats and spies as her brothers did.

Then, of course, she would have to find a good hacker that would be able to work for her but she'd work on each hurdle when it appeared and not before.

She didn't allow herself to show any disappointment when George turned her down politely. She expected half as much.

"I will have to run it first with Mrs. Mikaelson," George objected and Esther's mention made Caroline tense but she refrained from displaying her discomfort.

Instead, she wore her most beatific smile as she addressed the butler both with an air of authority and one of naivety. This just had to work.

"I am Mrs. Mikaelson, George," she reminded the old man who was quick to bow down in an effort to show that he didn't mean to offend her. She had been the one that had insisted on him calling her by her name and not Mrs. Mikaelson but she also needed to remind him that she still was Mrs. Mikaelson and from the looks of it she had just done that.

Caroline tried to suppress her smile by placing the cup of tea in front of her lips and taking one small sip.

She carefully set the cup down and with a reserved expression as she looked at the elder who sat opposite to her.

Caroline didn't want him to feel defensive so she lowered her head and pressed her hands together shyly. This trick usually worked with the hardened criminals on her family's side who could never refuse her anything when they saw her distress, more so when she would later bat her eyes at them with her pageant smile.

Hell, not even Damon could deny her anything when she got like this which was why he usually ran away before she would even consider using this against him, leaving Stefan to become her victim.

"Can I be honest with you George?" she timidly asked the butler who set the notebook down on his legs and gave her his full attention.

"Of course, Mrs. Caroline."

Caroline knew she was treading dangerous waters now. This man wasn't an idiot.

Caroline sighed and tried to play again with half-truths. Lying with the truth would be the only way to survive.

"I feel like I am a little bit out of my element here," she confessed, "I mean…everyone is trying to be polite with me but this, as you can imagine, is a unique situation. Only a few weeks ago the idea of a Salvatore marrying a Mikaelson would be…incredulous, to say the least."

Caroline fidgeted letting some of her nervousness show until she saw a hint of understanding in the old man's eyes.

"I am trying to adjust and Klaus…well he is trying to make me feel comfortable but I need to try too, you know?"

The man smiled at her encouragingly.

"I understand. And if you don't mind me saying this, Mrs. Caroline," George entrusted in tentative consideration, "Master Klaus has given to everyone implicit instructions to make sure your stay here is as comfortable as possible. We are to serve you as we would him. Anything you want, at any time, we are here to make it happen."

Caroline saw the honesty in the gentle way George addressed her. She also always saw the kindness by which he always referred to Klaus. He was definitely Klaus' confidant and the fact that Klaus had given him such an order spoke volumes. Caroline couldn't help but feel something gnawing at her chest. It was warm, it tingled. It made her cheeks flare up in crimson and she lost focus again.

When she noticed the smile that appeared on George's face she realized she was doing it again. She was playing with her wedding ring absentmindedly.

Caroline cleared her throat and tried to smile again.

"Yes," Caroline said, trying to chase the sudden hoarseness from her throat," "Klaus is," she tried to find the right words, "kinder than what I would expect. Kinder than what I had imagined him to be."

"He can be kind, yes," George said, "he used to be such a kind boy," he added thoughtfully, his mind seemingly lost in another time and Caroline's eyes widened in shock which made George cough for a moment before he recollected himself and remembered where they were and who they were, "Master Klaus is a generous man even if he likes to pretend otherwise," George reckoned and Caroline felt her neck spasming.

She was at a loss of words because somehow she had never imagined a younger version of Klaus. Him as a boy. Innocent…Kind.

No!

She swallowed harshly refusing to allow herself to go down that path.

"I know," she whispered and sat up straighter trying to not give much thought to what George said, "And this is one more reason why I want to really try," she said getting back on track, "I…" she made a show of taking in a deep breath to compose herself, "went straight from college into marriage and I feel like there are things that are expected from me and I want to make this marriage work. Now that I have seen Klaus' kindness, more so than I would if he was cruel or unkind to me," she noted even though she knew that Klaus was capable of being unkind too and in his own way he had been cruel with her as well but she couldn't get into that right now, and certainly not with George.

Especially, since she has been unkind to Klaus too, she thought solemnly.

"But, I also want to make the best I can out of a situation that I never expected to have to deal with," she continued, "being married is one thing. I was raised into a similar family to this George. I know what is expected from me and I was trained for it in my whole life. I am sure you understand how this goes. For me, for Rebekah," Caroline opened up and George gave her a kind nod, one that seemed more of a nod of pity to her, and so she continued, "but becoming a Mikaelson is a challenge for me. Given the past feud between our families. But, I never back down from a challenge. I make it work. Being Klaus' wife is no different."

Caroline didn't move even an inch. She didn't dare. Not when the deep gaze of wisdom scrutinized her searching for lies and truths.

The minutes passed and Caroline felt drops of sweat forming on her temples when finally George spoke again and this time he had a hint of a smile she couldn't exactly translate.

"You will be a good fit for him."

Caroline exhaled slowly and then took in a deep breath again. She didn't know why but those words made her feel both as if her heart had expanded and unsettled all at once.

"The reason I am telling you this is because I know that I can be a bystander and have you all serve me or I can try and become a member of the family. And I need to start from somewhere. I feel that helping with Rebekah's engagement is the first step. I can help ease her transition. Make her feel comfortable," she lied straight through her teeth using her most sympathetic tone, exactly because she could see that it was not easy to fool George. She had to mix a lie with a truth, "I got into this right after my father's death," she remembered, "and I wasn't open to Klaus' and Rebekah's attempts to get to know me before the wedding."

Her nails bit into the flesh of her palm and she used the pain to ground her as she remembered how they had locked her in her room before the wedding. As she remembered the one and only time Klaus saw her before the wedding, his eyes dark and possessive as he looked at as if she was a commodity he was about to purchase and the diamond bracelet he gave her was like a manacle around her wrist. She remembered exactly how Rebekah had helped her and added to her misery and she remembered how she had promised to return the favor.

The acidic bile churned into her throat and she swallowed it, letting it turn to a barbed wire in her stomach.

"I don't want this for Rebekah and I can already tell that Klaus loves her. He wants the best for her, and I want to try to win her friendship as hard as it may be," she couldn't help but remark albeit a bit sarcastically and George pressed his lips in an informal agreement.

"The thing is that Rebekah helped me organize ….so much for my wedding," she muttered and then forced herself to smile again, "I owe her at least as much. I want everything to be perfect. Both for her and...my husband."

Damn it. She had to work on that. Every time she called Klaus her husband it was as if she chewed sandpaper. She had to make it sound more natural.

"You can get the list to my mother in law of course but it is time for me to get to know how everything around here works, is it not? This is why I came to you in the first place. Anna is very kind and always follows me around ready to help me with everything but I want to be more independent around the house. I want to be able to work with my responsibilities and step up as Klaus' wife without having others coddle me. I…I don't know how things work here. Basics aside, I feel like I need some guidance and this is why I want to start with something like this and then slowly work my way through every other aspect of what is expected from me. Of how my life is going to be," she tried to make George understand and she had to get that list before Esther Mikaelson would intercept her as usual.

She knew that in return she would have to give them a similar list from the Salvatore side but she also knew that the Mikaelsons were more informed than her and it was time to level the field since her own family never had the courtesy to arm her with the knowledge she would need in order to navigate these dangerous waters. She was on her own.

"Of course Mrs. Caroline," George supported her with a compassionate tone and Caroline gave him a watery smile feeling a bit awful of the way she was trying to take advantage of him, "I am at your service. As is all the staff."

Caroline hummed thoughtfully.

"This is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about actually. I would like to meet everyone from the house's personnel actually," she seriously said, "It has been long overdue I think."

George gave her a respectful look and Caroline gaped at him in awe when he reached for her hand. It was a fatherly gesture and it was the first time anyone in this house had done anything like this. And it was obvious that George was not the kind of person that would do this easily, if at all.

Klaus had told her that George had liked her but she hadn't given much thought to it. Maybe Klaus hadn't been lying.

"I will get you the list as soon as possible," George then told her, keeping his voice low but firm, "by tonight you will have the names."

Caroline was startled but her voice came out fairly even.

"And this will-"

"-stay between us," the butler knowingly promised her and this time the dazzling smile she gave George was one hundred percent genuine and she squeezed his hand thankfully.

It would seem human contact was not something George was used too in this house because his cheeks adorably blushed making his wrinkled face brighter before he removed his hand and decided to taste the tea too.

Caroline watched as George retrieved his notebook and with it his composure. He once more wore his most professional mask as he went through all the details he had written down.

"Once you meet all members of the personnel you will have a more clear perspective for assigning the right duties to the right people," he mused, "I assume you already have in mind that the staff in the Salvatore mansion will have to cooperate at least with a percentage of people from our personnel."

"We will need to make sure this will work out as smoothly as possible," Caroline sighed, "I do have an idea which people in my brothers' home will be more easy to cooperate without causing any trouble. I will have to advise Elena on this but I am sure between the most prudent assistants from both sides we can make this work without a hitch," Caroline emphasized and George gave her a serious look.

Both of them knew that given their circles they couldn't hire independent staff for that night and both sides would want their own people to work on the engagement.

Caroline realized this was probably what happened with her wedding too up to an even worse extent and she shuddered at the idea of how those logistics worked given how everything happened so fast after her father's death and how completely uncharted the waters for both families were. Back then, of course, she only had to be dragged to the altar and say 'I do' to her enemy. She wasn't in the right headspace of paying attention to such details and logically she knew that Rebekah could have a useful input since she was the one that had organized her wedding to Klaus and overshadowed Elena all the way. But the fact that Rebekah was not bothering at all with the preparations for her own engagement party, even though she seemed more willing to go along with it, was obviously a testament of how much she hated the prospect of marrying Damon. It wasn't just an aloof spoiled reaction.

This was happening against Rebekah's will. No matter how prepared she was for it, in the end, she was being treated horribly by her own family and Caroline tried to not feel any genuine sympathy for the other girl. Klaus' sister faced the same predicament as she had, and she wondered if Rebekah had in mind an escape plan too. She wouldn't put it past her.

"Of course, if you truly want to gain Rebekah's favor and friendship," George suggested with a fond smile, "you should make sure she receives the best gifts."

Caroline couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, she could definitely relate to this. Rebekah was for sure pampered but when it came to excessive gifts she could identify with her. Her dad and Stefan had always showered her with gifts ever since she could remember. Damon not so much but even he had his moments that would always make her squeal. And, Caroline could see that both Kol and Klaus had a soft spot for Rebekah's comfort. It was a revelation to see this side of Klaus and she had to admit that he was also showing this side of his to her too, but she wasn't quite ready to deal with the particular emotional fallout his gestures provoked in her. She couldn't be bought of course but it was the thought that mattered. In that way, George wasn't completely wrong in his assessment. Klaus could be kind and generous when he wanted. It was just the price that one would have to pay for his generosity that was excessively cruel.

Caroline hated the way her mind always returned to Klaus lately. She had to check what was wrong with her brain at some point. Which she would once she got out of this mess of a marriage. Hopefully.

"Hey! I relate to that too!" Caroline giggled, forcing herself not to stray from the topic of Rebekah's engagement party so she started going over ideas on gift strategy and George shook his head in mirth as he probably realized that when it came to this, she wasn't that different from Rebekah Mikaelson.

"We should totally focus on the dress code too!" Caroline exclaimed as she started correlating the essence of the event with how they should dress for the part, "Okay, so let us talk ideas!" she enthusiastically clapped her hands.

Her excitement seemed to be contagious and soon enough she and George exchanged the tea for hot chocolate and munched on several delicious cookies and treats making sure to write down everything.

Caroline's mood was definitely lifted because she knew that George would follow through and he'd get her the list.

---

Going through every detail and discussing over the engagement took Caroline and George a few more hours and they were walking in the foyer still talking about the upcoming event with Caroline pointing out the things she wanted for receiving the guests.

This may have started as a way to get information but she soon realized she liked how organized George was. He was dutiful and meticulous, and she would have loved having him by her side back in the day when she was hosting events in the Salvatore mansion where she had to deal with guest lists and preparations and the guest themselves. He would have been an incredible help and that's why she felt a twinge of guilt inside herself. She didn't like that she was taking advantage of the old man who was being so kind to her and who was trying to make her feel comfortable here.

Despite the kindness he showed her, of course, the rational part of her mind knew that the butler only followed orders and he was there to deal with all the house affairs and make the lives of the Mikaelsons easier in a dangerous environment that was less than ideal.

George wasn't an innocent person. No one in this place was and George knew everything about everyone. It wouldn't hurt to gain his trust and get him by her side but Caroline knew realistically this would be next to impossible.

George was willing to help her as long as she was willing to play the role of the good wife.

He was loyal to the Mikaelson Family and maybe even to particular members of the family and Caroline didn't want to gamble to find out who truly had George's undivided devotion the most and who did not. It would be a dangerous play to make right now despite how fond George seemed to be of Klaus specifically. This could be a pretense because despite how he talked to her behind her back, he could be a whole other person.

Or maybe this was her being paranoid and a bit hypocritical to make herself feel better for how she was trying to use George for her own purposes. Or it could be all of the above. In any case, that didn't stop her from appreciating the way, George handled everything. For a control freak like her, his ability to work along with her and follow her standards was exciting. So much so she found herself enjoying George's company and his input.

Besides, George with his salt-and-pepper hair and his soft wrinkles reminded her of a father figure. One she never had in her life despite how much Giuseppe Salvatore doted on her. No matter how much she loved her father she was never allowed to forget that he was the Boss. That always came first. Even in their personal relationship.

Caroline's thoughts went towards a dark path, but no matter how lost she got on it and no matter how much George demanded her attention, in the end, none of that was enough.

The world could be changing its course and it wouldn't be enough to distract her.

Whatever she was about to tell George died in her mouth.

The lightness gave way into a maelstrom of darkness that spread around her like a vice. It held her tightly; it left her breathless and stoked the fire that always burned when Klaus was near.

It came as no surprise to her when Klaus Mikaelson walked into the foyer. He was silent. Like a shadow. She shouldn't have even realized he had come in but she did and she didn't even have to turn around to face him.

Her whole body like the tight string of a guitar stretched to the point of breaking.

Caroline knew Klaus was there, standing just a few feet away from her. She imagined that the silent stealth by which he moved was his way to ambush his enemies but it wasn't working on her. She felt his presence like a whisper on her skin. It was both soothing and startling.

She was becoming accustomed to the feeling of Klaus' eyes intently caressing every inch of hers. It was as if someone was turning on the heat, only the heat was turning into conflagration and she was feeling as if her skin was pulled against bone and her blood scorching her from the inside out.

She hated that feeling and she craved it all at once. Sometimes she counted the hours and dreaded the moment she'd feel his eyes on her and there were other times when she realized that she was counting the hours but not with the dread. Those times terrified her the most.

Because Klaus had kept his word. Every night without fail he came and slept in…their room. Every night he came into the bedroom they shared and every night he slept on the couch. So close and so far away. It had become a silent ritual between them and she didn't know what to make of it. Klaus wasn't trying to get close to her, to seduce her or to hurt her. Instead, he observed her. Silently. Until it became a habit of hers to do the same with him. In the night hours, where sleep would evade both of them, silence was both comforting and a new brand of torture.

She hadn't expected this from him.

The first time they had shared the room she had slept on the couch only to find herself waking up on the bed. It had been a shock and Klaus was nowhere to be found and ever since then, every night had turned into sleepless torture where she kept counting the hours till dawn and whenever she fell asleep she always woke up with Klaus gone but with a red rose left on the pillow next to her.

Always red and always bright. In full bloom, always in the color of blood.

She had plucked the petals from the first roses leaving only the thorns on the broken stems but then her heart could not keep repeating that destruction. She eventually had asked a vase filled with fresh water from Anna which she kept by her nightstand.

The vase now counted several roses in it but it was the first rose that had survived her hands to find its place into the crystal confinement that had brought a fond smile on Klaus' face when he had seen it. He had not commented on it but he had smiled and Caroline felt something she couldn't describe. Something she wouldn't allow herself to ponder over like those hazy impressions that felt like an echo of memory in the unconsciousness of her dreams when she would sometimes feel soft hands tuck her in and cover her with the blankets that she would push away in her restless sleep. Those soft hands that were always accompanied by that accented familiar voice that burned through her dreams. 'Sweet dreams, sweetheart," that voice would whisper with a feathery kiss on the top of her head and she would fall more into those dreams that were always plagued by the owner of that voice.

She was not sleeping now though.

Caroline turned around slowly and there he was. Klaus Mikaelson. Standing a few away, close to the entrance of the house, his gaze intently set on her.

His eyes had taken once more that peculiar shine that turned their color to a metallic shade. Caroline got sucked into that blue depth that felt like a well without an end and she always fell inside it, falling straight into the abyss.

Her thumb instinctively reached for the wedding band on her ring finger but she quickly hid her hand behind her jean-clad leg and dropped her gaze.

"Thank you, George," Caroline cleared her throat, "that will be all for now."

The butler nodded kindly before he turned his attention to Klaus.

"Master Klaus. Is there something I can do for you?" the man asked with pristine formality, ready to serve, but Klaus only shook his head not taking his gaze away from Caroline.

Caroline's throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed down thickly and forced her body to act before George would leave her alone with Klaus.

She had to prove her words to the butler if she truly wanted the list. Besides Klaus had once warned her about this. They were always watched. They had to play their part.

In private, she and Klaus remained entrapped in a game of silent wills that pulled and pushed whatever existed between them but in public, their game of wills changed the game between them, and they always had to keep up appearances. Sometimes it was harder than other times and this was one of those times for Caroline but she actually came close to her husband and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Her hand rested on his forearm and she felt how his muscles flexed at once.

Just as she did that she understood she had been drawn to Klaus in a way that called her closer because it was only when she invaded his personal space, that she realized this was the first time she had initiated contact with Klaus in such an intimate way and her breath hitched. It was the sense of normalcy of what she had just done that came crashing over her like a ton of bricks.

Klaus was casting a heavy shadow over her and his scent surrounded her but it was how he felt against her that made her heart stop working. He had not expected this either. His eyes widened and then dilated. She was too close. She could take in every detail. She could take him in. And so could he.

The air charged between them.

Klaus felt the same shock as she did but while her surprise deprived her of any movement and turned her utterly still it seemed to work differently on Klaus that, as tense as he was, he managed to turn his head towards her just as her mouth touched his stubbled skin.

Their lips almost touched. Almost.

Caroline would have faltered if it wasn't for Klaus' fingers that slid into her hair, caressing the threads gently for his palm to travel down slowly until it cupped her cheek and steadied her.

Her knees turned weak. Her fingers dug into the leather of his jacket, feeling the power his body emanated underneath. She didn't know what was happening but all she wanted was to lean into his touch. To breathe in deeply. To close her eyes.

"You can leave us, George," Klaus said with a low voice and Caroline sucked in a breath when she remembered they were not alone. When she remembered that exactly because they were not alone, she had decided to play the role of the enamored wife and somehow, she had forgotten all about this being a play. She had forgotten all about George and the list.

What was happening to her?

The butler left with a smile on his face but somehow Caroline and Klaus didn't move.

She wanted to move but she couldn't. Why couldn't she?

Tension rose between them. Deep, she was falling deep into that endless well. It was dark and it was calling her. All she had to do was lean over. Let the undercurrent take her in, let their lips touch.

It was when his thumb traced the outer line of her lower lip that her eyes fluttered furiously and she stepped back as if she was struck by lightning. She tried to put some distance between them. Klaus tried to do the opposite.

It felt like a dance. One step she took back, one step he took forward and his hand reached for her, unable to let her go this easily. Not now that she had been the one to approach him first.

She caught his hand in mid-air in an effort to protect herself. If he touched her like this she would be done. She knew it, she felt it.

It was the red that caught her attention fully and brought her back into the harsh reality.

Under the sleeve of his leather jacket, the edge of his soft Henley was peeking through, soaked in blood.

Her eyes became transfixed at the sight of blood. This. This was why she couldn't give in to this twisted attraction. To these hands that felt soft in her sleep when they covered her into safety. Because those hands were not soft. They were hard. They were a killer's hands and she had to get away. If she wanted to save her soul she had to get away.

Her soul? Or her heart?

"Before it is too late. Guard your heart, Caroline. You only have one."

Laura's warnings from earlier echoed in her mind.

"This kind of break will never mend."

She shook her head, trapped into her mental struggle, not wanting to see the way Klaus' eyes softened in sorrow as if they wanted to help her instead of hurt her. As if he wanted to erase all her doubts and let everything that stood between them burn.

This couldn't be happening to her. She had to get away. To get away before it would be too late.

Klaus hadn't tried to get his hand away from her grip. It would be so easy to overcome her strength but instead, he let her hold him as his eyes followed her gaze to the bloody sleeve before they focused on her face.

"You better go and wash up," Caroline tiredly said and hated the weakness that threatened to break into her hoarse voice.

She pushed his hand away in revulsion. It wasn't the first time Klaus came to her bathed in blood. It wouldn't be the last. Exactly like her brothers. Exactly like her father.

She had become desensitized to the sight of blood from a young age but there was something in seeing Klaus, in particular, stained in blood that completely undid her defenses.

She really had to get far away. Away from him. Away from the sight of blood that didn't nauseate her as it should, that didn't terrify her as it should.

She turned to the stairs ready to run away but Klaus' hand grasped hers over the marble newel cap of the banister.

"Caroline, wait."

She had only managed to climb the first two steps when Klaus held on to her, not allowing her to make her hasty escape.

Caroline heaved and stared at their intertwined hands on the flat cold marble surface. She wanted to pull her hand away but he wasn't letting her. The blood coated fabric touched her wrist and she cringed. She wanted to yank her hand away but she couldn't.

It wasn't force that kept her immobilized. His grip was gentle but still stopped her from stepping up another stair.

She looked back at him. She didn't expect him to stop her like this.

Her teeth cut into her lower lip when Klaus' thumb started running circles in the inside of her palm jump-starting her pulse that had slowed down only to pick up its pace again in a taunting throb.

"You want something?" she asked him, voice soft as a frisson of tension that resembled both desire and fear rolled down her spine.

And then-

What was that?

It was indiscernible. Deep into his piercingly blue gaze there was the kind of longing that made everything inside her intensify to the point of breaking.

"This kind of break will never mend."

She saw it. She felt it.

She knew he felt it too.

And then… it was gone.

Caroline opened her mouth and closed it at once. She didn't know what to say. How to act. What to do.

She didn't know what it was that she felt from him but it was so intense that it left her disoriented for a moment there and then there was Klaus.

Klaus who seemed indecisive for a second which bewildered her. Klaus was many things but indecisive wasn't one of those. His eyes had seemed to be just as transfixed at the sight of their clasped hands as hers had been and then the way he watched her it was as if-

"No," Klaus answered her and the rejection seemed to be both an answer to her literal question and to what she was thinking.

Caroline deflated. Whatever it was that she thought she had seen in his eyes she must have imagined it.

Klaus couldn't have possibly looked at her as if-

"As if…falling in love," a voice whispered in her head, taunting, tempting her, igniting her fears and…hope, and she couldn't believe the tricks her mind was playing with her.

It was ridiculous really. To believe this. To believe that something so out of the realm of possibility could be anything rather than her imagination.

To even think there had been a glimpse of something she couldn't explain in Klaus' eyes. To think it had flashed so quickly through his eyes that even then she could have sworn she had only imagined it.

Only the intensity of it was so strong that no matter how quickly it went away it couldn't have been unreal. That is what her mind was telling her. That was how her mind was betraying her. By making her think there was something in the way Klaus looked at her that resembled humanity. Akin to pain or guilt even. Or…something more.

Something that pled with her. That tried to stop her from fleeing him. That wanted to share truth with her.

She had to stop. This was probably Klaus messing with her mind. He was doing this on purpose. Constantly. Every night. With every rose. With every promise untold and every threat that hovered between them. With the way, he kept looking at her lately.

In the way, he was looking at her right now.

It was as if Klaus wanted to tell her something. As if he was on the verge of confessing something that mattered, something he had to tell her and she found herself hanging from the hope that he would.

It was her imagination she realized with an ache that ran deep.

Because the way Klaus' gaze hardened now was definitely real, and Caroline found herself hating that cruelty that was so quick to squash everything that was gentle in him just as it would dare to break into the surface.

She reactively wrapped her fingers around his thumb that still caressed her skin. She held his finger in a tight grip as if she was trying to hold him close before she would lose him.

Klaus took a step up. She took a step down. Face to face. So close. Only a breath away.

His eyes fell on her lips, their fingers held tight on their fragile hold.

"Caroline-" Klaus rasped out and stopped as if her name on his lips was the wrong word to utter; as if it hurt him somehow.

He wetted his lips, trying to regain his control as he started to explain, his voice husky, drawing her closer, making her sway just an inch closer, "maybe we should-"

Whatever Klaus was about to say got interrupted by the sound of bullets that broke through whatever held them close and exploded between them in a crude noise. Loud so loud. It made the windows shake.

She didn't have time to go into shock or to paralyze in fear as Klaus quickly pulled her at the bottom of the stairs under the balustrade and covered her body with his, pushing her behind the solid marble and making sure to shield her body completely.

The gunshots were too close and were followed by more and more. Klaus immediately reached for his gun. The security of the house came alive. Guards started appearing out of nowhere. There was commotion everywhere but no more gunshots could be heard. The only sound was the constant beeping of the alarm system that was now constantly ringing.

Were they under attack?

"What was that?"

Her question went unanswered. Klaus kept her down, his body crouched over hers, his instincts sharp as he ensured there was no immediate danger in close proximity.

His weight was on top of her as he spoke to a small communication device.

Those shots were too close to the house. They shouldn't have been. What the hell had just happened?

"Stay here," Klaus ordered her just as his guards surrounded them and he commanded them to protect her.

He tried to leave but she gripped his hand not letting him leave her, pulling him to her.

Klaus eyed her hold for only but a second, fixated by the sight, before he detached his hand from hers.

"I mean it, Caroline," he solemnly commanded, his tone unrelenting and harsh, "stay here".

His guards had already created a wall around her, trapping her in, not allowing her to move anywhere but upstairs as they forced her to move.

"Klaus, wait-"

No, he couldn't go!

The idea of him getting hurt-

She started breathing raggedly and struggled back against the men that held her.

Klaus didn't pay her any attention as he ran towards the exit, some of the men following him with their guns at hand, but Caroline still heard him despite how she had been forced to walk to the top of the curving marble staircase.

"George," Klaus barked at the butler who like a shadow always appeared in seconds when he was needed, "don't let her out of your sight."

George followed her up the stairs just as Klaus vanished from her sight in a matter of seconds, heading straight into danger.

---

This is the start of how it all ever ends
...They used to shout my name, now they whisper it