A/N: Sorry its been so long since I last updated. I'll try to be quicker. Please read and Review!

Chapter 8

For the second morning in a row, Caroline woke up in Klaus' bed. Only this time, she woke up with her head on his chest. When he felt her stir, his hand moved slowly to her hair, holding her down. He shushed her then rubbed her back, "Go back to sleep now, love".

She giggled and kissed his chest, "No. No sleep. I'm hungry."

Ignoring her plea for food, Klaus flipped her onto her back and brushed his lips against hers. She let him kiss her, returning his fervor for quite some time. He started moving down her body after several minutes, kissing her collarbone, her neck, and when he got to her flat belly he stopped to dip his tongue into her navel. She was about to moan out in pleasure when her stomach let out a monstrous growl. Embarrassment overcame her and she slapped her hands to cover her face then started laughing.

Her giggles finally deterred him, "Ugh," he laughed, groaned in disappointment and said, "Alright, let's get some food in you."

They got up and semi dressed. Klaus put on the most casual outfit Caroline had ever seen him in, sweatpants and a t-shirt. She was still giggling from the inconvenience of bodily functions as she pulled on a pair of his boxer-briefs and buttoned the shirt of his she had donned the night before.

Caroline mentioned to Klaus as they were walking downstairs that she had a bag with clothes in her car, and he said that he could have someone retrieve it for her. Her eyes rolled in exasperation, "I don't want you to order someone to do something I can do myself. I just need to find my car. I have no idea where it is because Elijah took so many turns on the way here."

"Alright, we can go together to get your car after breakfast," he smiled, enjoying that they were making plans, even if just for the afternoon.

Downstairs there was a similar array of breakfast foods like the day before and Caroline couldn't wait to try everything that she had missed out on. She piled food high on her plate grabbing everything; fruit, eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Klaus handed her another champagne flute, this time filled with actual champagne. Caroline basked in the decadence of the moment. She was with an incredibly handsome, powerful man, who had unlimited access to the world, and he seemed to be willing to share it with her. She was enjoying the splendor and excess, smiling and laughing with Klaus over breakfast, when Hayley wandered into the dining room. There was a shift in the air, even though the wolf didn't say a single word to the pair eating breakfast.

(She did glance at their wardrobe and raise her eyebrows, but Caroline would have done the same thing if the positions were reversed. In fact it was nice that Hayley showed judgment instead of jealousy. It solidified in Caroline's mind that Hayley was not a romantic competitor. Even if she was the mother of his baby. "Oh shit," she thought, "stop thinking about romantic competitors. Fuck.")

Hayley got her food and left the room. With the closing of the door, Caroline and Klaus knew that the moment was gone. They had had less than twelve hours to ignore their problems and it was over.

Caroline downed the rest of her champagne and looked at Klaus, disappointed and expectant. She wanted him to start because she honestly didn't know how.

"So, you came here to protect my child from your ex-lover?"

She bit her lip before stating plainly, "Yes."

"That's all you have to say. Yes?" he said.

"Well you asked me a yes or no questions so I thought that 'yes' would suffice." Caroline said, becoming instantly cheeky. But she regretted her attitude seconds after the remark escaped her lips. "I came her because I believe that Tyler won't hurt me. If I can put myself between Tyler and your baby, then he will stop and walk away."

Klaus considered her plan; it was very noble of her. Very Caroline. He told her as much, "I think your plan underestimates the capabilities of your dear friend. I fear you will be surprised what people are willing to do when they have reached a point past desperation." He stopped his lecturing when he saw her look down. He had upset her, so he changed his tone, "Even so, I hope that you are right and that he could never hurt you. If he ever does, I will end him."

"I don't like that talk, Klaus. The answer to every problem is not death."

He smiled, reminded of her youth, "Death is not an answer, love. It is inevitability. I merely speed up the process for certain people."

She shook her head. He lacked a value of life, and that baffled her. "I don't understand how you could just throw away people like that" her voice begging him for an answer. She remained quiet, waiting. When the answer didn't come, she put it out of her mind. He would never reveal such an intimate thought to her. Or, maybe he didn't know the answer to that question.

He decided to take the conversation from a different angle. "I need to know what Tyler is to you." She looked at him confused. Of all the relationships standing between them, hers and Tyler's seemed the most straightforward. He noticed her confusion and clarified, "Are you still in love with him? Is that why you are so determined to save his life?"

"I love Tyler," she slowly stated, and was not deterred when he looked away from her with his jaw clenched. Instead she reached out to Klaus and took a hold of his arm. "But I am not in love with him." He looked back at her and she continued. "I don't want Tyler to die because he is my friend. And he helped me; we leaned on each other when we were transitioning into this crazy supernatural world. I would be upset if he died for any reason, but," she paused, considering what she was about to tell him, "I would be devastated if you were the one that killed him."

He rolled his eyes, "Why does it make a difference."

She looked down at the floor and gripped his hand tighter, "because if you kill him, I lose you too."

He was quiet for a long time, but for all of that time he continued to hold her hand. Tyler was a deal-breaker for her. He tried to figure out if that was something he could live with. He chose his words very carefully, leaning forward as he said them. "Unless it is my only option, I will not kill Tyler."

She glanced up at him, "Okay, I can live with that." She felt tears filling up in her eyes, anticipating the next thing she needed to say to him. She looked up and swallowed her feelings. "You're having a baby."

"I am," He said.

"I don't know how I feel about that."

He looked down at their hands, "I don't know how I feel about that either, love."

She shook her head, dropping his hand and sat back in her chair, "Why did you sleep with her? No—you know what, never mind I don't want to know. I just don't like her. I don't trust her."

Klaus almost smiled but thought better of it. These women seemed to think similarly about one another. "I can't just send her away, Caroline. Even if she and I have no love for each other, she is still having my child and I care about my child."

"I am not asking you to send her away!" she said hurriedly "No, Klaus, I want you to care about your baby, I just don't know how I—" she stopped abruptly, changing her mind about what she wanted to say. She wanted to ask how she fit into his life if he had a baby, but she thought better of it.

Maybe it was okay, just being here for now. And she felt resolve settle in. She could be here and help Klaus save his baby. She could enjoy Klaus, the danger, the quick and arousing feeling of being with him could last for as long as she was with him. She would allow herself to have this for a moment, and then leave, giving him the ability to live the rest of his life with his child. "Never mind." She said, "Let's just focus on keeping your baby safe." She nodded at him and smiled. "Let's just do that."

He nodded at her understanding that she was putting off the real issue. She was avoiding Hayley in his life. He didn't want to speculate as to why, fearing that the answer would be one he could not forgive. "Okay love. We can do that." He smiled slightly. Although he was still wondering and worried about where her head had gone to a moment ago, he leaned in to kiss her. She matched his intensity like she had the night before, but he felt like this kiss was different. She was yielding in a way she hadn't the night before while simultaneously holding back. He couldn't figure out the sudden change in demeanor. But he was sure it had something to do with Hayley.

This kiss became much different than their previous kisses, because they were rudely interrupted. They had both closed their eyes and were so lost in their own touch and taste; they didn't hear the sound of stilettos clacking on the marble floor. Caroline was in the middle of slipping her tongue into Klaus' mouth when she heard someone in the room laughing.

Rebekah, still laughing, began to clap in slow condescending motions. "Well done." She said causing Caroline to break away from Klaus putting her hand over her mouth, embarrassed. "Okay Nik, now that you've gotten her out of your system, can we get back to normal. You know, I stand by you, you betray me, I get angry, try to have you killed, I fail, rinse and repeat." She stood there expectantly. The couple just looked back at her. Caroline decided to play along with the Original sister, "Nice, to see you too Rebekah. How've you been? Are you lonely?"

Rebekah's passive aggressive smile was the greatest gift Caroline could have been given on that hectic morning. It's all about the small victories.

Klaus decided to ignore his sister. "Caroline why don't we move this upstairs."

"That's nice brother, pretend like I am not even here."

Caroline rolled her eyes at Rebekah's attention seeking behaviors, then turned her attention back to Klaus, "No, we can't 'move this upstairs'" she mimicked his British accent, "I need to get my car. I have a bag in there. With clothes. Not a lot of clothes, but more than I currently have."

It was Rebekah's turn to roll her eyes. "Why would you only pack some clothing if you knew you were traveling out of state?"

"I thought I was just going home for the weekend. I didn't come here until my mother told me about what Tyler was planning."

"Tyler's got another master plan to kill you?" Rebekah directed her attention at Klaus.

"Not me, sister, Hayley."

"And you came all the way here to save Hayley?" Rebekah asked Caroline in disbelief. "I don't see it."

"Caroline is proving to be extremely loyal to out family Rebekah. You will do well to remember that." Klaus cautioned.

Caroline had learned to not become involved in issues between siblings years ago when she told Elena that Jeremy was reading her journal, then decided to tell Jeremy that he was a jerk for doing so. Elena had jumped, first down Jeremy's throat for invading her privacy, and second down Caroline's for insulting her brother. So, wanting to avoid family drama, she remained silent.

Rebekah must have decided that her silence meant she was open to attack because she turned to Caroline and said, "It's nice to see a familiar face Caroline. I often am confused by the different women my brother has warming his bed. Of course, You, I will remember."

"Enough sister," Klaus quickly stood up, took a hold of Caroline's arm and walked her upstairs to his room. Throwing a look of daggers at his sister as they past her by. He nearly threw her inside his bedroom and slammed the door shut. He visibly relaxed as he distanced himself from Rebekah's malicious tongue.

"Get dressed, love. Were going to go get your car."

Caroline was instantly excited. For the first time since she had been in New Orleans she felt comfortable with her bearings. She knew that she was there to save Klaus' child. She knew that Klaus wouldn't kill Tyler. She knew that she was leaving as soon as the baby was safe. She knew that she would most likely be having sex with Klaus again in the next twenty-four hours. And to top all of that certainty off, she was going to see the glorious city of New Orleans through his eyes. She would see the world he built. His home.

-CKCKCKCKCKCKCKCKCKCKCKC-

Before they left, Klaus made sure that Elijah was watching Hayley. He seemed to be angry with Elijah when he was giving instructions. There was something going on between the brothers and it had something to do with Elijah's overprotectiveness of the woman carrying his child.

As they were walking away from the Michaelson mansion Klaus reached for Caroline and kissed their combined hands. She smiled but became worried when he began speaking in quick bursts of instructions. "I need you to be careful while you're here, love. When you're with me you are safe. But being with me will make you vulnerable as well. As I've told you, only some vampires have daylight rings. So, during the day there are less vampires to deal with, but those vampires are more powerful. At night more vampires than you have ever seen will surround you. Do not go out at night without me."

She nodded, remaining quiet as he was trying to protect her, in his own domineering way. He continued to walk her through streets of old houses, wrought iron fences, trees canopied the ancient street. They walked through a picturesque world while Klaus detailed all of the things that go bump in the night in New Orleans. "Marcel has the loyalties of the Vampires here in New Orleans. If he was the opportunity to take power from me, he will. Be very careful around him."

"But you are friends aren't you? I mean you created him?"

He nodded, pleased that she had remembered what he had told her the day before. "Marcel is loyal to me, unfortunately his men are not and there is discord about my leadership."

She considered that. "Okay I'll look out for Marcel. Anyone else I shouldn't trust while I am here?"

He smiled a bigger smile than she though possible. "My dear Caroline," He stated, "I find myself constantly forgetting your youth." His expression darkened. "Trust no one."

She looked at him sideways, "I thought you read my letter. You need to trust people."

"I did read your letter and, as you suggested, I keep my family members close to me."

"Uh huh" She said, "And there something weird going on with you and Elijah, you don't trust him. And Rebekah—well I just assume she's like that at all times, you don't trust her. So you, in fact, did not listen to me at all."

"You pick up on a lot, although you seem to forget certain events past. It is hard to trust people when they have spent centuries trying to kill you."

"Trust goes both ways, Klaus. Haven't you also tried to kill them on numerous occasions?"

He nodded consenting, "Well maybe you should help me learn to trust people."

She laughed, "No, you don't trust me. I can't help you trust someone when you don't even trust me."

"Hey!" he said offended stopping her from continuing to walk. , "I trust you."

She stared at him for a full minute before once again bursting out laughing. "No you don't," she said between chuckles. She grabbed his hand when he continued to look offended. "Hey its okay, trust is hard." She tried to reassure him, but she knew she had failed.

He seemed to be wrestling with something before he spoke. They were still stopped on the sidewalk and he ran his hand through his hair and said, "It's not that I don't trust you. I offer more faith to you than I would anyone else in your position."

"My position?" she said.

"Yes, you get more trust than anyone else who has tried to kill me, has plotted against me, who has loved my enemies. More trust than someone I have tried to kill." He paused then realizing what he was actually saying, saw the humor in the situation and laughed. "We have no reason to trust each other, Caroline."

She bit her lip, laughing, but didn't break his gaze. "You're right we don't."

"But you're still here."

"Yes, I'm still here. And you still want me here."

"Yes, I still want you here."

She smiled at him and continued walking down the street.

When they got to her car, she was visibly excited to see something familiar. She skipped a little and ran to open the driver's side door. Klaus had other ideas because he put his hand on the door stopping her from opening it. She turned and let Klaus push her back against the car. He placed his hand on either side of her and smiled into their kiss. She was in the placing her hands on his chest when Klaus broke away. He was glaring at something behind them. When she turned her head she saw a group of vampires across the street watching them. She matched Klaus' glare until the group turned their heads and walked away.

"I guess those are some of the vampires I need to be worried about huh?"

"Not while I'm here, love."