"We need to talk."

She felt sick standing in front of him, exposed somehow as he looked at her. The curls were falling out of her hair and she even lost a shoe. Her hands were trembling and the strength she was using to keep herself together didn't matter, it was crumbling faster than she realized.

She didn't know why this was so much. Maybe because she was thrusted back ninety years in the past with no warning at all. That she was alone and confused and with him of all people. Perhaps that's what was messing with her mind the most. Of all places to be sent to, why the 20's and why to the exact same time that Klaus and Stefan were living out their glory days? She could still see Klaus' bright, carefree smile as he took her out onto the dancefloor. He was so full of light, possessing a sort of happiness she never thought him capable of.

And he liked her. From the minute he saw her he was drawn to her and she felt like she never left home as he was still his annoying, pestering self. It couldn't have been more confusing. How could one man have so many sides to him?

She wasn't even having a bad time. If you took away the utter confusion and fear of an unknown place, she actually didn't mind the 20s. Everything about it was beautiful. The glitz, the glamour, the booze. Women dancing until they dropped and men consuming enough alcohol to make them think they were on a different planet. She loved how the era required nothing of someone except themselves. There were no worries or fears, just the sheer joy of being alive.

Although...she couldn't say there weren't any fears. Fear was the whole reason her night was cut short.

Those eyes were burned into her mind. Those cold piercing eyes that stared at her before she disappeared. He spotted her from across the way, long after Klaus and Rebekah had fled. It didn't register until now why they were in such a rush, why he compelled her and bolted out of there faster than light itself. He erased any evidence of his presence and practically dragged Rebekah from Stefan and her fun. Caroline saw the fear in both of them as they made their escape, no looks back as she began to fade in front of their eyes. All she could remember was Mikael, and the fear itself that he seemed to ignite within everyone. It teared her up the most.

"Are you alright?"

She wanted to smack him because, God, did she look okay? Did she resemble anyone who seems to be anywhere near fine?

"Caroline-" he stepped closer to her but she recoiled instantly.

"What happened?" She wanted to sound strong, to be tough and triumphant. As though the past hours or days or however long she was gone meant nothing. But who wouldn't be freaking out? She tried reasoning with herself, to make the guilt go away for being so weak. It was perfectly acceptable to be breaking because this wasn't normal. Being thrown back in time all alone to fend for yourself wasn't normal or okay on any level. All she wanted was to go home and now that she was she had no idea what to do with herself.

Obviously something mental was going on within her but he just had to know if she was alright. That she wasn't dying of a werewolf bite or that vervain wasn't coursing through her system. He could fix everything else but her death.

Caroline closed her eyes tightly, pressing her lips together. She nodded fast, making it nearly unnoticeable to anyone else but he saw it. That was all the confirmation he needed.

"I'm...I'm fine." She whispered, running a hand through her hair. She stumbled slightly as she tried to remove her other shoe and took the remnants of the pins out of her hair. Her eyes flickered to his briefly as she walked to the bed, brushing things off to the floor as she took a seat. "Now...can you tell me what's going on?"

"Where were you sent?" He merely avoided her question, going straight to what he's been wondering ever since he saw her. By the way she was dressed it was obvious, but he needed to hear her say it.

She took a deep breath and avoided his eyes. It seemed like ever since she returned she couldn't look at him fully yet. He wondered what she saw, what probed her to come back in the first place. If she was sent back to the twenties he could only imagine what she saw. The drinking, the women, the feeding...no wonder she wouldn't look at him.

"1923. I woke up on a street in Chicago by an alley and met these girls who were apparently friends of Rebekah."

Klaus smiled softly. "Yes, she did manage to acquire many within that time."

"Klaus...can we just get to the point, please?"

How did he tell her something like this? Surely he'd have something whipped at him. A rage would overcome her because it seemed to be embedded in her genes to hate him. To accuse him of things she wasn't even sure of. And as soon as she heard of the mate's curse he knew all she would be seeing was red.

"I mean, I assume you know something or you wouldn't be standing here looking as guilty as you do. But I just want to know why it happened and that it was just a one time thing, okay? That's all I want to know."

He frowned and she didn't miss it.

"What-"

"It's a curse, love. One we have no control over."

"A curse," she said slowly. "Like Shrek and the Beauty and the Beast kind of curse?"

He had no idea what she was referring to and shook his head, assuming they were wrong. "When I was gone for a few days-"

She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. "Yeah for like, ever."

Klaus ignored it. "When I was gone," he repeated, "I was sent back in time just like you were."

"To the 20s?"

"More like 2009."

Her eyes widened slightly but she didn't say anything.

"I roamed around for some time before I attempted to find Bonnie. Instead of her however, I came across a woman named Sheila, supposedly her grandmother. After ensuring my trust I told her about our predicament. I wanted answers and after a while she gave them to me but...now I'm sure that you're not going to like any of them."

Caroline straightened her back and clasped her hands in her lap as she pressed her lips together tightly. He was right, she'd probably hate everything that came out of his mouth next, but not knowing was driving her crazy. He obviously knew a lot more than he was letting on and it annoyed her.

"Just say it."

He sighed but his eyes never strayed from hers. "It's a mate's curse, love."

"A what?"

He felt uncomfortable somehow, seeing how angry it made her. He didn't know how to explain that technically they were fated to end up with one another, that they were to travel back in time for who knows how long through each other's pasts. That might throw her off the edge completely.

"Bonnie's grandmother showed me the curse. Once two vampires or wolves exchange blood, the curse starts. It's only between those who are..." He couldn't finish the sentence but she knew, the look in her eyes told him everything.

Caroline stood up shakily, lips parted slightly as she played his words back through her mind. It was a curse, this all was a curse because they were...he was her...it couldn't be possible. She hates him. He's a horrible, horrible person who killed Tyler's mother, killed Elena's aunt, and bit her twice. Her life has been in danger countless times because of him. Klaus is a cruel person who doesn't care about anyone but him. How in the world could she be fated to end up with him?

They'd disown her. Surely Elena would kneel over and she could only imagine Bonnie's face of disgust once she knew. Stefan would be speechless, his calm voice slowly trying to turn her away from him. And Tyler. Her stomach churned at the thought of him. Did he know she was gone? Had he realized her absence and unreturned calls? She hadn't heard from him days prior to her leaving and doubted that he had made any attempt to contact her. Things have been different lately, she knew, but it didn't mean she stopped caring about him completely. And it certainly didn't mean he wouldn't hit the roof once he found out. She'd rather be thrown back in time than deal with that.

A part of her didn't want to believe Klaus and instead shove it all back in his face and deny he ever spoke the words. But she saw it in his eyes, the sadness and grief they carried. It hurt her almost to think he didn't want it but there was a part of her wishing it was all a lie as well. His eyes averted from hers though and he sighed, the small exhale of breath filling the air. She tried saying something a few times but couldn't find the right words. They all seemed wrong.

"Did you tell anyone?" She finally decided on.

"Currently Bonnie is searching for answers to this blasted thing. Stefan and Damon were also present when I told them. It was right after I returned and found you missing."

Caroline paused. "Were they upset?"

"Your witch friend was hard to convince. She thought this was all some plot against you but with the help of Stefan I finally managed to get her to see reason. In fact, I'm supposed to notify them when you've returned."

"What's she looking for?"

"A way to put this to an end. The curse sends us each back through each other's pasts and we only come back when we've witnessed something that supposedly contributes to who we are now. Only then when we see that, are we sent back and the cycle continues."

"And there's no way to stop it?"

"As far as we know we have to complete all the different cycles. But that could take months."

Caroline swallowed. "And you're sure that's the curse? I mean...you honestly believe that-" There was some humor in her voice, the tiredness getting the best of her but it was hard to mask. It was just odd to think that him of all people would play into something without being so sure.

"I never said I believed anything." Klaus said, his voice harsher than he wanted. He couldn't help but feel the sting of her disbelief. He knew she would never want this but to take it as a joke...

"Klaus, all I'm saying is-"

"I know exactly what you're saying, Caroline. I'm working on it so don't worry. You won't be tied to me for much longer."

When he didn't respond she walked over to her closet and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes. The beads on her dress clicked together as she walked and she noticed him watching her as she moved. He was still angry but she saw it begin to slip away from him as she went to the bathroom to change. Although she was tired and felt like sleeping for a thousand years, she also didn't feel like being alone. A new curiosity was also poking at her brain as she realized he was sent back in time to 2009. Also known as her earlier times in high school. It made her seriously wonder what he saw and what brought him back.

Caroline walked back into the bedroom, half expecting him to be gone. But he was leaning against the doorframe, his features smooth and unfazed as he watched her silently. She didn't smile as she sat on the bed and brought a pillow to her chest, hugging it tightly. Her eyes connected with his only briefly before focusing on something behind him.

"Before you leave and send everyone over here...can you just tell me one thing?"

He only nodded.

"What did you see? Back in 2009, I mean."

She heard him sigh and wasn't sure if it was meant to be good or bad. His face seemed sad and for a while he couldn't look at her. While he spoke he gazed out the window. She saw both sadness and anger shining in his eyes and she wondered what troubled him. For the life of her she couldn't remember what could have been so horrible.

"You were much different back then, Caroline."

She swallowed hard. "Yeah," she forced out a laugh. "I thought I told you that you wouldn't have liked me much back then."

"Quite the contrary, love. You were rather interesting."

She crawled back and leaned against the headboard of the bed. "Oh yeah?"

He nodded. "There were some things I found amusing about you, others I rather disliked."

She frowned but didn't have time to express much else as he spoke again.

"Damon Salvatore being one of them."

She avoided his gaze completely. It's been years since she's thought about it and weeks since the dreams resurfaced. At first the nightmares would happen every night after it happened. She'd wake up to the feel of his fangs in her neck, still paralyzed from his compulsion. It was hard to bring herself out of them since they felt so real, the pain stung her skin and the fear was etched into every crevice of her heart. She never told anyone about them and just prayed they'd fade over time. It was just a fear she would have to overcome, something to get over. But it didn't help that she saw the face every day, was forced to be friends with someone who took everything from her. That definitely didn't help the nightmares go away.

She was mortified of what Klaus witnessed. He seemed angry so did that mean he was ashamed of her? Did he think less of her for being with him in the first place? She hoped he would just leave, save the yelling and screaming for someone else. She didn't know what she could take now.

"Klaus-" she finally said but he shook his head.

"He used you, Caroline." His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Like his own personal blood bag. You were mindless, following his every wish and command like that was how your life was supposed to be."

Caroline swallowed and finally looked towards him. She was playing with the fabric of her quilt, biting her lip slightly as his rapid breathing filled the room. This wasn't his business because he was never supposed to find out about any of it. But it seemed like everything about her life he would know soon. She didn't like not having a say, having her whole life exposed to him without a choice. And that was one of the last things he needed to see. He wouldn't understand and she knew Damon's time on this earth was shortening by the minute.

"It was a long time ago," she finally said. "I was young and naive and I wanted him at first. The attention seeker got the best of me and I thought he was bad and sexy. I never thought that it would turn into...what it did."

He was shaking his head, hands behind his back as he began to pace. "It doesn't excuse anything. Those so called friends of yours barely remembered what I was talking about when I confronted them. Even with a wooden pole through his chest, Damon denied it all, blamed it on you. Bloody morons they are said nothing of it."

She flashed in front of him, eyes blazing as she shoved his chest. "Leave them out of this! That's Stefan's brother and Elena cares about him. He's important to them and it doesn't matter what happened years ago. They've moved past it and so have I."

"How does that not bother you?"

Caroline licked her lips and sighed heavily. "It doesn't matter what I think. That's in the past and I'm not discussing it with you of all people. I'm glad you got to see it and that it sent back you but frankly, it's none of your business." She turned her back to him and walked to the bed. "So go."

There was a pause and for a moment she thought he finally left for good. She was climbing under the covers when she heard his voice.

"It wasn't the Salvatore that sent me back."

She holds her breath because the way he says it makes it seem almost worse than Damon. As he walks closer to her she wracks her brain of that year.

High school...she was seventeen, her dad was gone, her mother worked a lot. Junior year. Homecoming. Death, lots of death. She was turned that year. She died that year. Forever seventeen. Forever young. Damon gave her his blood. He saved her. Car accident. Katherine. Manipulative bitch Katherine. Matt, she dated Matt. Did he see that? Is that what's making him so upset? Because God if that's it-

"I saw your loneliness, love, and quite frankly you hide it rather well."

She froze, leg mid air ready to climb into the bed and her fingers still curled around the quilt. "My what?"

"After I talked to Bonnie's grandmother, I wandered around the town for a while and came across your home."

She scoffed at the phrase 'came across' because she was more than certain he had been stalking her like always.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I came across your home and saw you on the couch. It was rather late at night. You were watching the television, some mindless cartoon was on, and you had your dinner tray on the coffee table. All the doors and windows were bolted and locked and the house was dark. If I recall correctly you even whispered a prayer before you fell asleep."

She was facing him, eyes wide with determination to not show a single emotion. But he saw through it now, she couldn't fool him any longer. The cracks were showing through her mask and he wondered why it was never so obvious before. Perhaps it was because he never looked hard enough, always assumed that was who she was. But it's always the happy ones with the deepest problems.

"I was sent back only moments later."

Caroline's eyebrows knitted together and her lips pursed up. She couldn't decide whether to yell or let her features soften to show him the truth. It would be easier to scoff, roll her eyes and tell him to leave. But the thought of him leaving now made her stomach knot up. Her hands were still slightly shaking, the shock taking it's time to wear off and the home was empty. She swallowed hard and pictured him walking out the front door. It would be just like what he saw back then. Caroline turning off all the lights and climbing into bed on her own, her mother wandering in somewhere between four and five in the morning. Never a goodbye before school, never a hello when she got home.

She sighed softly. "My mother worked a lot and after my father left she had to work even more. She sort of drowned herself in it."

Klaus looked at her sadly and crossed his arms over his chest. He studied her briefly, trying to choose his next words carefully. There were many things he wanted to say but only few mattered at the moment. The others simply had to wait.

"You'll never have to be alone again." He said, almost hesitant as he looked into her eyes. "Not if you don't want to."

The Big Bad Hybrid was promising to never leave her alone again and she didn't know whether to take that in a good way or in a creepy, forever way.

No one's ever said anything like that before. She thought for a minute he was joking because the words sounded so foreign as they slipped past his lips. But there was a sternness in his face and she saw the truth behind the blueness scanning over her features. She wasn't sure if he knew the severity behind his words, how much they meant to her if they rang true.

She only smiled for in response because she had nothing else to say.

"I assume you'll tell me all about your time in the 20s. But right now I have to go."

Caroline cocked her head to the side, not understanding completely.

He clutched his chest, as if he were in pain and his eyes widened. "The cycle. You're home which means I leave."

Oh my God, she thought, he was telling the truth.

His sudden chuckle broke her from her thoughts. "You really doubted me." He shook his head. "Bloody unbelieveable."

"Can you blame me?" She said but he was already fading. Soon nothing but a chill remained in the spot he stood moments ago.

Caroline sat slowly on the bed, bringing the covers up to her now shivering body. She kept staring at the door, at the emptiness it now held. Everything was moving so fast and there was still a million questions floating around in her mind. Just the concept of a mate's curse had her wanting to run for the hills.

She couldn't be his mate, whatever that meant. He was Klaus for God's sake. He's a monster. He doesn't care or feel and he certainly couldn't...love. She couldn't imagine being his love, to see him looking at her like Stefan looks at Elena. Now that was love; epic, meant-to-be, fate, destiny kind of love. Something she only heard about in books and saw in movies. What people dreamed about for their whole lives. And she wanted it, she wanted it so badly. Doesn't everyone? Somewhere in the depths of their souls there's a desire, however small, for a love that could last lifetimes.

To see Klaus feeling that way about her or anyone for the matter baffled her. She didn't see it. All the blood and bodies were piled up too high in front of him for her to see anything else.

And it didn't matter that he understood her in a way that no one else could.

It didn't matter that she could see feel his hands around her waist.

It didn't matter that the Damon situation bothered him and that he saw a side of her no one else got to see.

It doesn't matter.

He's a monster and he always will be.

Caroline soon drifted to sleep but had the taste of bubbling champagne on her lips and the feel of lips on her cheek.

All the while a soft jazz beat filled her ears.

So I don't think I've ever written a chapter this short before but if went to include Klaus' journey then it would turn into 10k and a year to actually write. But you have this to hold you over.

I hope you all liked it. I feel like they needed this after everything that happened in the past few chapters. There's a lot they each experienced and especially for Caroline. She's completely confused and angry and maybe even scared. I want to make Caroline maybe a tad more vulnerable because she's still a person whose experienced a lot and even though she's strong and gets through the hard times, not even the strongest people can withstand everything bad ever happening being thrown back in your face by the person you're supposed to hate. So please take that in mind while you read.

Tell me what you think! Thoughts, comments, concerns, I'll read them all!

Again I hope you enjoyed it and have a great week!