A/N: Thank you to Wifey & Sophie for beta work, and to D, Laine, and cupcakemolotov for general support and awesomeness. I jumped the gun a bit on updating, but I really, really wanted to get this out after I wrote it yesterday. Some dialogue is lifted from S2 of TVD. This is a long chapter, and there's finally some klaroline. I hope that's okay with you guys. ;)
**READ THIS OR YOU MIGHT BE CONFUSED**
This chapter might feel a bit rushed, but that's because, as you will see, I have eliminated what was pretty much the entire plot of the second half of season two by having Elijah intervene before Rose takes Elena to see Slater. The ritual takes place on Tyler's first full moon transformation instead of the second, which means that the Martin warlocks aren't dead, Jules & Friends haven't turned up yet, Elena didn't dagger Elijah (therefore fostering more trust between them), and Klaus did not possess Alaric.
I should also say, if I haven't already, that this fic will be a slow burn, as well as a bit dark. All the mythology revealed after 2x07 isn't canon unless explicitly stated otherwise, though I will use some things revealed in later seasons. This fic will loosely follow the timeline of TVD for awhile before it mostly diverges.
Enjoy!
-Angie
Mystic Falls, Virginia - Present
Rose took a deep breath and knocked on the door, giving the man who opened it her most winning smile. "Hello, I'm Rose. I'm here as an envoy of Elijah."
"An envoy of who now?"
"Elijah. He's an Original."
"And why would he send you here to talk to little ol' me?"
"I'm actually supposed to talk to Elena, but I was told I'd find her he—"
She was cut off by the man's hand shooting out to bury itself in her chest, and she caught it before he managed it, breaking his wrist. "Cute. Nice try. I was trying to be nice about this, but I'll have to insist that you let me in now. I'm just trying to help."
Twenty minutes later, she was standing next to the man who'd let her in (apparently named Damon), his little brother Stefan perched on an armchair across from the doppelganger, who was sitting on the plush couch, looking a bit overwhelmed.
Frankly, Rose didn't blame her one bit.
The plan was for Rose to tell the girl a slightly altered story about the Originals, hoping that it would scare her a bit less than the real situation. Elijah was to come by and negotiate for a deal with them later. The Original wanted to get the whole business over with as soon as possible, meaning that secrets and lies were to be kept to a minimum unless needed.
The Salvatores and their witch friend had locked Katherine in the cave by the falls, and she was the only other person besides Trevor, Elijah, Caroline, and herself who knew the entire story. "I only know what I've picked up over the years, and I don't know what's true and what's not true. But I do know that I'm right about Klaus."
"Who is he?" Elena asked.
"He's one of the Originals. He's a legend," Damon chipped in before Rose could answer.
"From the first generation of vampires," Stefan added. "Klaus is the oldest."
Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Poor babies. If only they knew that there was an entire family of original vampires.
"So, you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?"
Probably best that they didn't, judging by the girl's reaction. No use scaring them all witless.
"Yes," Rose said, happy she'd got the point, just as Stefan said "no," as though lying about it would make the girl feel better.
"Well, if what she's saying is true," Damon interrupted.
"Which it is."
"And you're not just saying it so that we don't kill you."
"Which I'm not."
Only so Elijah didn't kill her, and frankly, Damon wasn't exactly on her Murderous Vampire radar.
"Then we're looking at a solid 'maybe'," Damon finished.
God, how did these people do anything?
"Look, I've never met anyone who's laid eyes on him. We're talking about centuries of truth mixed with fiction. I mean, for all we know it could be some stupid bedtime story."
"He's real," Rose said decisively, still trying to figure out why they were trying to baby the girl. "He's real, and he won't give up if he wants something. If you're not afraid of Klaus, you're an idiot."
There, that summed it up well, right?
Elena scampered off to school after another minute or so of explanation (by Rose) and denial (by Team Salvatore), brushing off the younger Salvatore's offer to accompany her.
"So, tell me the truth," Stefan said quietly after Elena closed the door.
"I did tell you the truth."
"You left something out. Something big. Who's Elijah? The one who sent you?"
"He's…" Rose started, trying to figure out how to describe it. "He's another Original. A friend. He has his own reasons to want Klaus dead. I'm here to offer you a deal."
"What do you have to offer us?"
"Elena's life," Rose said slowly.
Damon and Stefan looked at each other before sitting down in perfect sync. "We're listening."
XXX
She had so not signed up for this.
"I can't believe I agreed to this. I'm a terrible liar!"
And they were supposed to be in history class. Really, did these kids ever actually go to school?
"It's fine. Just...Keep Stefan busy while I do this," Elena said as she led Caroline down the rocky path to the cave Katherine was locked in, though Caroline wasn't supposed to know that.
"I'm even worse at duplicity."
Okay, that was a lie.
"Look, can't you just do this for me?"
"Why don't you want Stefan to know? And what's the big deal, anyway? Why do you have to go to a random tomb in the middle of the forest?"
"Because he wouldn't be okay with this."
"Isn't that your first clue that you might, I don't know, not want to do this? This place is creepy."
Elena ignored her, and Caroline asked her about ten more times whether she was sure, because Katherine giving her the entire story would be disastrous (and Katherine sold out to the highest bidder, and if the highest bidder was Elena…).
"Caroline, this is where I go when I need time to myself. I miss my parents, and...Look, I just want to be alone, okay? Stefan doesn't like it because there are rock slides sometimes, but I'll be okay."
Caroline had to give her props for the sob story, and nodded as though she believed it.
"Please, Caroline?"
Caroline huffed and nodded. "Why do you need me to come down here? Why couldn't you just have asked me to keep an eye on Stefan?"
"I need your help to move this block. I like to go into the cave."
Caroline resisted the urge to snort, but helped Elena move the rock, trying not to make it too easy, and bid her friend goodbye, jumping silently to a ledge about twenty feet off the ground, out of Elena's sight, but within Katherine's.
"Katherine?" Elena called.
Katherine staggered out from the darkness, and Caroline watched her from her perch, taking a sadistic sense of pleasure in the pallor of her skin.
"Hello, Elena. You've come to watch me wither away?" she asked, her voice hoarse from thirst, her eyes darting up to Caroline on the ledge.
"I can't hurt you, after all," Katherine added, and Caroline knew it was for her benefit rather than Elena's.
However, Katherine hurting Elena was not what Caroline was worried about. Katherine was a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them. She wouldn't hurt Elena before the ritual. She would, however, tell Elena all about Caroline's past, and she couldn't have that.
She shot Katherine a warning look, and the other girl gave an infinitesimal nod to show she understood before Caroline sat back a bit and pulled out her phone.
[Caroline]: Elena's visiting Evil Stepmother in the tomb to ask for the whole story with Klaus. She wants me to distract Stefan while she does it.
[Elijah]: Stay. Ensure Katerina does not overstep the bounds of our agreement.
[Caroline]: I love how you knew that I was talking about Katerina.
[Elijah]: I understand that you are not fond of her, though I do ask that you allow me to live in ignorance of how intense the animosity between you truly is. Rose is keeping the Salvatore brothers occupied.
Caroline tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Katherine offering Elena her blood.
She knew Elena wouldn't take it, but that didn't stop her from being ready to speed in and stop them.
She let out a small sigh of relief when Elena refused, as Caroline had expected, but she stiffened again as Katherine told Elenaganger how to break the curse.
Fuck.
Well, okay, they could work with this. Elena knowing how to break the curse wasn't a huge problem, right? The girl was a martyr, but she wasn't an idiot, as shown by her figuring out the ingredients to the curse.
"Tyler. He's a werewolf now."
"Believe it or not, they're hard to come by."
"And you needed a vampire. Are you going to use Stefan? Damon?"
There was total silence as Katherine paused, and Caroline held her breath, keeping still, knowing that whatever was about to come out of her mouth was important.
"They aren't the only two vampires in Mystic Falls, Elena."
"Who?"
She wouldn't. Katherine wouldn't reveal Caroline. It would fuck up the entire plan. She knew better, right?
"Take a look around you, Elena."
Well, better than 'Caroline is a vampire, you're welcome'.
"Rose. You want him to sacrifice Rose for betraying you."
Katherine laughed, but didn't answer.
"You're just going to hand us all off to Klaus to be killed? That's your plan?"
"Better you die, than I."
XXX
It had been less than twenty-four hours since Elena Gilbert had visited the tomb, and Elijah was already frustrated with her inability to muster any sense of self-preservation. He had just received a text from Rose saying that Elena asked to be taken to Slater to receive more information about Klaus. The Salvatores still didn't know that Elijah was in Mystic Falls, and it was clearly time to rectify that.
He told Rose to make sure Elena stayed in town so that he could negotiate with the brothers in hopes of heading off any potential complications.
The plan was simple. He would prevent any potential duplicity by laying most of his cards on the table. He had a feeling that the Salvatores would do anything to keep Elena alive, including betraying him, and he honestly did not have time for that nonsense. They currently thought that the sun and the moon curse was about vampires and werewolves, and he was content to let that part sit. However, he was also committed to ensuring that Elena Gilbert stayed alive. If his suspicions about her true nature turned out to be correct, she would be very valuable later on. He had the elixir, and he also knew of a spell that could help them. Katherine had turned the Lockwood boy, and to be honest he wasn't at all fussed that his brother would be sacrificing a teenager.
There were worse things.
He took his leave, Rose following behind him. The full moon was in four days, and he had a feeling that Klaus would turn up sooner rather than later in order to do the ritual as soon as possible. Now that Elena had been clued in to the truth of the curse (or most of it, at least, and he would tell her the rest when she arrived at the house), there was no reason to keep Caroline's vampirism a secret.
There was a chance that Elena would attempt to use her in the ritual rather than one of the idiot Salvatore brothers, but he knew that Klaus would prefer Trevor (or perhaps Rose).
His brother preferred poetic justice, if possible.
He was willing to throw almost anyone under the proverbial bus in order to ensure that Caroline was not used as the vampiric sacrifice, and the best way would be to provide options.
In any case, he knew that a white oak dagger was in the possession of a native of Mystic Falls, John Gilbert, and he had every intention of sorting this business out before the man had the chance to set foot anywhere in a hundred mile radius.
The Martin warlocks were proving useful in distracting the Bennett witch, and Elijah had contacted Gloria and had her FedEx the elixir that he was planning on giving Elena before the ritual to resurrect her.
Modern mail was a wonderful thing.
He wasn't sure that it would work, but the Salvatores didn't need to know that.
"As I am sure you've gathered, Klaus wishes to kill Elena. I am here to propose a deal."
"What's in it for you?" Damon asked.
Elijah resisted the urge to rub his temples. Could they not see how dangerous he was? Idiots. He glanced at Rose, who was standing behind the Salvatores and seemed to share his frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I want to kill Klaus. You want to keep the doppelganger alive. You will help me, and I will ensure she lives through the full moon."
"What would you need us to do?" Stefan asked.
Elijah let a small smile bloom on his face. "You will simply allow the ritual to happen, and I will remove Klaus's heart when he is the most vulnerable."
"So, you want us to put Elena in danger and trust that you'll kill him? No deal," Damon said.
Elijah sighed. "I have my reasons to want Klaus dead. I assure you, I will follow through on my end. I give you my word."
Damon scoffed and shook his head, but Stefan studied him with a calculating gaze. "Fine."
"What?" Damon snapped.
"Fine," Stefan repeated. "We'll help as long as you keep us informed on the plan to save Elena. Without turning her into a vampire."
"That can be arranged. I've had an elixir to resurrect her after the ritual shipped here. It will work," he said, inspecting the contents of his teacup. All four of them looked up as the door opened and closed.
"What's going on?" Elena asked as she walked into the room, Caroline close behind her. Elijah was thankful that she was taking her task of tailing the doppelganger seriously.
"This is Elijah," Stefan said, gesturing to him.
"Pleased to meet you, Elena."
"You too, Elijah," she said, looking a bit uncomfortable, clearly knowing exactly who she was talking to. "This is my friend Caroline."
His daughter gave him a bright smile, and he had to keep his expression neutral, though he nodded in her direction.
"Thanks for walking me home, Care," Elena said, and he noticed his daughter bristle at the clear dismissal, though she gave Elena a smile and said she'd see them all later.
Elena waited until the door shut behind Caroline before shrugging apologetically. "Sorry. She doesn't know."
"Doesn't know what?" Elijah asked.
"About...you know," Elena said, gesturing to all of them.
"I see," Elijah said slowly, filing away that they somehow still hadn't figured out that Caroline was supernatural. "Well, Elena, sit down, and we'll discuss the bargain."
"Bargain?" Elena asked, shooting a confused glance at the Salvatores. "You can't just make decisions about my life without me."
"It will be beneficial to you, I assure you," Elijah said stiffly. "Especially as it does not include putting yourself in danger to learn more about Klaus. I have the answers you seek."
"You told him?" Elena asked Rose.
"Of course," Rose said irritably.
"Still, though. It should be my decision," the girl said stubbornly.
"I am your best chance at staying alive. As such, I suggest you sit."
Elena gave him a wary look, but sat, looking at him expectantly. He summarized the terms of their deal, and Elena nodded along. When he was done, she frowned. "That's not enough for me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Just saying you want to kill Klaus. Why do you want to kill Klaus?"
"My own reasons," he said stiffly, and Elena shook her head.
"I want to know the reason. I need to know that I can trust you."
"The trust has to go both ways, Elena," he said quietly. "Come alone or the deal's off. I have my own ways of keeping alive."
Damon twitched as though he wanted to jump at Elijah, but Stefan shot him a warning look.
Elena nodded before either Salvatore could say anything. "Okay. Where's your house?"
Elijah pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote down the address on a scrap of paper, sliding it to Elena, and stood, adjusting his suit jacket. "Three o'clock. I appreciate punctuality."
XXX
Caroline grumbled to herself as she walked down to the tomb where Katherine was being held, clutching a ward disruptor and a lunchbox filled with blood bags. She and Elijah always carried a few spares in their suitcases just in case, and if Bonnie was the one who'd done the barrier, the disruptor would probably work due to her inexperience.
"Evil Stepmother?" Caroline sang, her voice full of false cheer.
Katherine walked into view, and Caroline gave her a smug smile. "Classy as always, Caroline," she croaked, her lip curled, crossing her arms. "Can I help you?"
"Father told me I was to free you."
"Bet you're happy about that."
Caroline shrugged. "Not really, but hey, at least you owe me."
Katherine scoffed. "Please. You'd blindly follow Daddy Dearest to the end of the earth if he asked."
"Not blindly. I value loyalty, unlike some people."
"If you say so, sweetpea."
"Don't call me that, and move so I can throw this."
"Would you rather I called you Ugly Stepdaughter?" she asked, standing to the side as Caroline tossed the ward disruptor through the cave entrance, and Katherine blurred out, tearing into the lunchbox and chugging one of the blood bags down before grabbing another.
"I would be the Cinderella in this analogy."
"Well, for being a spoiled brat, I guess you do know how to handle your cleaning supplies."
"Bitch."
"And proud. Now, let's go. Evil Stepmother has some nefarious errands to run," Katherine said dryly. "First stop, your house. I need a shower."
"Whatever."
They blurred off, Caroline arriving at her house a full minute after Katherine due to their difference in speed, and she heard the shower already running when she walked in, kicking her shoes off in the front hall and hanging her jacket up as she heard Elijah talking to Katherine in the living room.
But wasn't Katherine in the shower?
She frowned, listening in.
"—introduced Katerina at Klaus's birthday celebration. We were to keep her occupied until the full moon where he would break the curse. Katerina, as you know, caught wind of this, and managed to escape."
"But why would you help Klaus? I still don't understand."
"Klaus is my brother."
"I heard that. I'm still...processing."
Caroline realized that it was Elena her father was talking to. Why was he telling her the whole story? Did he mean for her to reveal herself?
She realized that he had heard her come in from his next comment.
"Yes, I'm a bit behind the times, but I believe the term you're looking for is 'OMG'."
"Seriously?" Caroline asked, walking into the living room, her hands on her hips.
"Caroline, what are you doing here?"
"Caroline is my daughter," Elijah said simply. "Though she generally has the sense to not intrude on private conversations."
"Oh, as if you didn't hear me come in," she said. "And if there's no sage, it's not private."
"Sage?" Elena asked, frowning.
"Don't worry about it," Caroline said before turning to Elijah. "So, are you just going to tell her your entire life story, or—"
"Vampires can't have children," Elena interrupted.
"I'm adopted."
"And you really let me introduce you to him earlier?"
Caroline shrugged. "It was funny. And anyway, you weren't supposed to know."
"So I'm allowed to know now?"
"Yeah."
"Caroline, I would appreciate it if you would conduct yourself with the proper decorum expected of a lady," Elijah said before turning back to Elena.
Caroline stuck her tongue out at Elijah, and Elena's lips twitched.
"I saw that."
"How?"
"The mirror above the fireplace—Do not roll your eyes at me, Caroline."
"Right. Okay. But back to the point. If he's your brother, why do you want him dead?" Elena asked, clearly equally amused and impatient.
"The story is a long one," Elijah said simply. "All you must know is that the sun and moon curse is not quite what you think it is."
"What do you mean?"
Caroline restrained a sigh ('exhaling exaggeratedly so as to express distaste' was unladylike) and walked to the couch, sitting down next to her father.
"Niklaus is my half-brother. When we were turned into vampires, a series of events led my mother to placing a curse on him…"
XXX
Klaus stood up from the couch that he'd just had moved to his temporary apartment, walking over to Isobel, who was standing by the window, twitching nervously. He roughly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.
"Do you know what you must do?" Klaus asked, cupping Isobel's chin as he stared at her.
"Yes."
"What's that?"
"I must immediately find Elena and tell her the truth about her family history, and that you have arrived in Mystic Falls. I will then remove my daylight ring and burn in the sun," she said, her voice shaking.
"That's right, love," he said, patting her cheek and stepping away. "Excellent. Are we prepared for the ritual tonight, Maddox?"
"Yes."
"Off you go, Isobel. There's a good girl," he encouraged, practically pushing her out the door. "Greta, I'm going to need you to find and subdue Rose-Marie, and bring her to the cellar by the ritual site. Ensure she will not escape, then prepare for the ritual."
"Of course," Greta said, bowing her head submissively.
He liked that one, though she'd most likely be dead by the end of the night. The ritual would drain her of all magic, and she'd probably die from it.
Pity, that.
He'd been planning on possessing the body of a teacher in the area, but since Katerina had oh-so-conveniently dropped the ingredients of the ritual into his lap, he had no need to. This allowed him to complete the ritual a month early with quite a bit less fuss, and for that he was grateful.
It was probably the first useful thing Katerina had done in her entire life.
He turned to Maddox. "I need you to find Tyler Lockwood and lock him in the cellar by the ritual site. Return here afterwards."
After Maddox had nodded and left, he turned to the last occupant of the room, twirling the large butcher knife in one hand. "Hello, Katerina."
"Klaus."
He'd managed to capture her earlier with no difficulty. She'd been leaving the house his brother had procured to live with his little blonde sycophant that he called a daughter when he'd snuck up behind Katherine and snapped her neck as she was climbing out the window.
She hadn't even had time to scream.
He ran his fingers through her hair softly, almost lovingly, before cupping her cheek, bringing her face up to make eye contact with her. "Stab yourself repeatedly until I tell you to stop," he said, pushing the knife into her hand and backing up. "And do mix it up a bit occasionally, Katerina. You know, thigh, stomach, arm...Can't get too predictable, can we?"
He pushed himself onto the kitchen table, watching her impale herself with the knife over and over, a small smile spreading across his face.
"Do you get off on this, or something?"
"On watching pretty girls stab themselves? No."
He sat and observed her a bit longer, enjoying her pain, before bending over her again, compelling her. "Stop stabbing yourself. For now. You will answer all of my questions completely and honestly."
Katherine repeated the order, her eyes full of fear, and he smirked.
Test question first. "Is Elijah in Mystic Falls?"
"Yes."
"Is he planning to kill me?"
"Yes."
"Interesting. And how is he planning to do that?"
"He will wait until you are vulnerable because of the toll the ritual will take on your body, and then he will pull your heart out."
"Ah, I see. You may carry on with the knife. Oh, and you may not leave the room."
He turned to leave, smirking as Katherine let out a small cry of pain.
XXX
"Caroline?"
"Yes, Father?" Caroline asked, poking her head out of her room to the hallway. "Did Elena's brother agree to the ritual?"
"Yes. They are linked. If the elixir does not work, he'll die."
Caroline nodded. She wasn't exactly on board with Jeremy taking his own life to save that of his sister, but, in the words of Elena, it was his decision. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. Come here."
She frowned but walked over. "What's wrong? You look upset."
He grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to connect with his. She realized what was happening and struggled to escape from his grip, but he held her fast. "Do not leave the house until morning, Caroline."
"I will not leave the house until morning," she said, feeling her eyes fill with tears as he pulled away. "Why?" she asked.
"To keep you safe."
"I'm safest with you."
"Not tonight. If I die, I need you to run."
"Don't leave me here. I won't be able to leave if something happens."
"You will be fine, my dear," he said, and he blurred away.
She tried to follow him, but her body rammed hard against the invisible barrier cloaking the front door. "No. Come back!" she yelled, but he didn't return.
The first thing she did was down a shot of vervain, kicking herself for forgetting. After that, she sat on the couch in front of the clock and waited.
She tried to watch television or read, but couldn't focus for more than a few minutes, and ended up pacing endlessly as the moon rose and fell. She felt a creeping anxiety fill her, and as she watched the sun rise slowly into the sky, she pressed herself against the invisible barrier on the front door. The second it gave way, meaning that she was free to leave the house, she sped off.
Her father hadn't come back, which meant that her mysterious Uncle had probably won. She had to find out, to save him if she could.
Caroline drove to the apartment that she knew Klaus was occupying (sometimes small-town gossip was helpful, especially when it involved young, hot British men), her heels clicking on the pavement as she locked her car and strutted towards the entrance.
She listened to her surroundings as she walked up the stairs, and when she heard her father's voice. She sped towards the door in question and threw it open to see him crumpling to the floor, grey and stone-like, a dagger protruding from his chest while a man she assumed was her Uncle and Stefan stood to the side, Katherine near them sitting stiffly in a chair.
"Father, no!" she screamed, assaulted by grief and flashbacks of such a similar situation occurring when she was a small child—the feeling of safety stripped away.
She vaguely heard Klaus tell Stefan to go pack as well, threatening that he'd kill Damon, as well as telling Katherine that she had a four hour head start as a thank you for providing the necessary ingredients for the ritual.
"And who are you, little one?"
She felt rage simmer within her, a pulsing heat fill her like boiling blood, and she wanted to hurt this man, who'd killed her father—her family.
"Klaus," she greeted, her voice quiet.
"While you seem to know exactly who I am, I do not know your name. So please, tell me," he said, though the small smile playing on his lips told her that he knew exactly who she was. But she'd play along for now.
"I'm Caroline Mikaelson."
"Ah. The little girl Elijah has been toting around as his daughter for the last near-century."
"You knew?"
"Of course. Oh, do wipe that look off your face, you couldn't have not known that I was keeping tabs on your both? No? Pity. It seems Elijah has become lax in his attentiveness to detail. Well, he'll be away for quite awhile, so you're free of playing house for the near future."
"Playing house? Elijah is my father, you asshole."
He looked more amused than anything, his eyebrows rising at her words. "You should watch your wording, love. I might get angry."
"Elijah loves me. You've just gotten your brother back, but you'll lose him if you kill me," she said, walking casually to pull the dagger out of her father's chest, but cried out as she was thrown against the nearby wall.
"I doubt it," Klaus spat, and she felt her body constrict when he plunged his hand into her chest.
"No. You know him. Family, always and forever."
"Oh, he taught you that little lie as well?"
"It's not a lie," she said through gritted teeth, moaning in pain when he took his hand out of her chest and pinned her to the wall instead, her blood on his hands smearing onto her wrists. He was almost pressed against her, and her skin prickled as she became aware of how close he was, how his breath was hot on her face as he spoke, his voice curling around her.
"I have been hunting Katerina Petrova for five hundred years, and my brother was in love with her. Yet, he forgave me. He would never pick a little girl over his flesh and blood."
She narrowed her eyes, deciding to take a gamble, not knowing if Klaus knew how deep her father's feelings for Katherine truly went. "He picked me over Katerina as well."
It seemed to pay off, judging by the brief look of surprise that flashed across his face. "Did he now?"
"Yes. He did,"
He cocked his head to the side, and she scowled. "Look, I just want my father back, okay?"
"We can't always get what we want, love," he said, his eyes calculating, though he released her wrists.
She shrugged. "I guess not. After all, Father only wanted his family back, but you wouldn't give that to him, would you?"
"No. I keep my family near, always."
"That's not what Father said. He said you killed all of them. That you threw them in the ocean."
"That's what he thought, but that's not what happened."
Caroline felt her head spin with this new information. She needed her father back, and if Klaus was willing to keep his dead family members around…
She'd been warned against making deals with the devil for as long as she could remember, but this was for her father. Her only family.
"I'd like to agree on a bargain," Caroline said quietly, making Klaus smirk.
He shrugged. "I doubt that there is anything that you can provide."
"I know the locations of the four largest werewolf packs in the country."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked, though she saw the ghost of a self-satisfied smirk stretch across his face.
"Yes."
"And what if I already know the locations?"
She bit her lip. She had nothing to offer him, really. She couldn't show weakness. "Do you?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not."
"Name them, then."
He rolled his eyes. "Rural areas near Nashville, Portland, Reno, and New Orleans."
Fuck.
He could tell by her face that they were the ones she knew, she was sure, especially judging by the smile stretching across his face. "Do you have another offer? Anything that might be of use?"
"I..."
"No? Well, shall I give you a suggestion?"
"Fine," she said quietly.
"Stay loyal to me while I make my hybrid army, and I will give you your father back."
There were too many loopholes. She shook her head. "No. I will stay loyal to you to the point where I do not sacrifice myself for you until you have figured out how to make your hybrid army. And then you will give me my father back, alive and unharmed."
"You realize that you are in no position to make a counteroffer, sweetheart."
She stared at him stonily, and he gave a careless shrug.
"You have yourself a bargain, then, love. But I will not be as lenient next time."
"If there is a next time, Uncle."
"We will leave once Stefan returns. As you are an unknown entity, my apologies, but I cannot allow you time to gather your things. We shall have to buy you some on the way, I suppose."
She felt her stomach drop as she realized what she'd just agreed to, how she'd essentially signed her soul away for her father's life.
Her Uncle seemed to follow her train of thought, and he smirked, his eyes connecting with hers as he lifted his hand to his lips, his fingers still smeared with her blood. She watched, her breath catching as he licked it off his fingers, walking to her predatorily, invading her personal space. She felt an entirely different type of heat creeping up her body, felt his gaze consume her. He trailed a finger down her jaw to lift her chin to look at him, and she had to suppress a shiver at the brush of his fingertip against her skin (thank god she'd remembered to take her vervain).
"And please sweetheart, call me Klaus."
XXX
Her eyes were dark as she stared at him, and he had to resist the urge to lick his lips, hearing her breath catch. He could smell the arousal pooling between her thighs, the shame of it radiating off of her body, and he pinned her wrists to the wall again on either side of her head, putting them nose to nose.
"I will give you this one chance. Do not betray me, sweetheart. You will regret it."
"I won't," she said, her voice a low whisper, and he gave her a cold smile, letting her go and walking back to the liquor cabinet.
This was a terrible idea, to let her come with him, and he knew it. There was something off about her, though, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She sparked his interest, and he had to know why.
She was attractive (and seemed to be attracted to him), and he could already see himself enjoying her—both her fire and her body—but he had a feeling she wouldn't allow it, at least not initially.
He enjoyed the chase, though. He always had. There were women, though granted they were a rarity, that rejected him, and they were always the ones he went after. The ones with the secret flattered smiles that they only allowed when they thought he was out of earshot, the oh-so-telling fluttering pulses when they pretended to be unmoved by his attentions.
Caroline seemed to be in that group, and she also considered his brother a father. She would feel ashamed for giving in, he was sure, and that would make it all the more amusing when she broke. They all did, eventually.
He would bed her, watch her writhe underneath him as she screamed his name, and he would ruin her before he let her go.
Perhaps he'd trap Elijah in the next room. Undagger him. Make her surrogate father hear her screams as he took her, unable to intervene.
A fitting punishment.
After all, if Elijah wanted to stop Klaus from creating a new family, it was only fair for Klaus to take his away in return, wasn't it?
A/N: I hope you enjoyed that (and that it made sense). Please give me your feedback, or I won't know your thoughts on it. I need your constructive feedback on whether the chapter worked/made sense in order to improve, so please don't be afraid to tell me what you think. If you're more comfortable talking to me on tumblr (or you just want to follow me), it's thetourguidebarbie.
How are we feeling about Klaus's plan? Elijah's daggering? Katherine's reaction? Do you have a favorite part or line? Any predictions?
I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
Hugs!
-Angie