"How are you, honey?" Mom hugged me when she got up. She'd gotten dressed but she looked so tired.

"I'm okay," I told her. It was clear that I wasn't. What else could I say? I'd showered and put myself together but the day stretched out before me and I had no clue what I was going to do. And that was rare for me.

"Where's Klaus?" Mom asked.

"He said he had an errand to run," I explained. "So he's out doing whatever it is Klaus does. He's coming back to tell me goodbye before he leaves."

"So he's leaving today?"

I nodded. "Yes, he's leaving."

"Why were you with him?"

"He heard about Bonnie and he knew she was one of my best friends. So he… showed up." It sounded lame but it was the truth.

Mom looked at me like I'd just spoken a foreign language. "Why would Klaus know about that?"

"Because he's Klaus and he's paranoid so he has spies everywhere."

"This has something to do with him? Bonnie's death?" Mom asked.

"No." Wait, was I defending Klaus? "Not this one." There. That sounded a little better.

"If it had nothing to do with him, why did he come for you?" she wanted to know.

More awkward by the minute.

"Mom, Klaus has… a thing for me."

"A thing?" She was incredulous.

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?" Again with the defensiveness. What was wrong with me?

"No. And yes. I could understand why anyone would fall for you, Caroline. You're beautiful and charming. Not that I'm biased at all." She grinned. "But he's…"

"The most powerful being on the planet? Yeah, I know."

Mom sank down into the living room chair, contemplating that. "Wow. And what about Tyler? Where is he?"

Something in my expression sparked her interest. "Caroline, do you knew where Tyler is?"

"No."

"Caroline?"

"Mom, I really don't know. He came by to see me yesterday at the dorm. I asked him to stay with me but he said he couldn't. He said Stefan was back in town and he had an idea of how they could maybe bring Bonnie back…"

"But he didn't say where they were going or…?"

"No." And it was really bothering me. "It's weird. You know usually when Stefan has a big idea, we all get together and plan it out. Work together."

"And he didn't this time?" Mom's face was a study in concentration as I sat on the couch. "Why?"

"Well, Elena chose Damon over him. Maybe that's why he didn't call the Scooby gang together on this one."

"Why didn't he bring you in on it?" Mom asked.

"I know. Stefan's always included me. It's just… maybe because he knew I'd take it so hard about Bonnie." That had the tears stinging my eyes again. "But if the plan was to bring Bonnie back, I mean he had to know I'd be all over that."

"Klaus. Was he in your room all night?" Mom asked.

"Yeah."

"You're sure?" Mom pressed.

"Yeah, pretty sure. I was sleeping." On his chest to be specific. "But, yeah, he didn't leave until a little while ago. Why?"

There was something Mom wasn't telling me.

"Mom? What's going on? You were hinting at it last night."

"Caroline, we have a murderer on the loose," she said after a long moment. "The latest victim was found around three this morning."

Three o'clock this morning? Panic began to claw at my insides remembering Tyler had texted me at two, saying they hadn't found what they were looking for and they were headed out of town.

"How did they die?" I was afraid to ask, but I had to.

"Horribly. I've seen those types of wounds before the woman we found last night. She was ripped up. Damon believes it was a werewolf."

"Werewolf?"

"Yes, that's why I need to know anything you know about Tyler or Klaus' whereabouts this morning," she explained.

"I don't know where Tyler was but he doesn't even have to phase anymore. He wouldn't do that," I told her.

"But you don't know where he was."

No, I didn't. Damn him.

"And Klaus?"

Klaus was capable of anything. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn't think so. I shook my head.

"I don't think it was Klaus, Mom. When he gets upset enough to kill someone, he doesn't make a secret of it. And… he'd be upset. When someone takes a shot at him, slights him, it consumes him until he gets his revenge."

She looked doubtful.

"And honestly, I don't think he left my room all night. I can't swear to it, but I don't think so."

She seemed taken aback by my defense of Klaus. Honestly, I was a little surprised too. But I felt like I knew Klaus well enough to know when something was up.

"I'm just trying to rule them both out as suspects in this," Mom said carefully.

I snorted. "Okay, Klaus, I get. But Tyler? Mom, Tyler wouldn't do this."

"Okay, okay." She held her hands up defensively.

She looked at me curiously then.

"What?" I had to ask.

"What's your relationship with Klaus?" she asked.

"We're friends," I answered.

"Just friends?"

"Yes. He said he'd like to be more. He's willing to wait for me but…"

"Caroline, that's a dangerous game to be playing, don't you think?" She frowned. "You just said when he feels slighted he doesn't stop until he gets his revenge. What's to stop him from killing you if things don't go the way he wants one day?"

I sighed. "He wouldn't do that."

Her blonde brows shot up at that.

"He wouldn't?"

"No," I said, still defending him in a way that would make me question my sanity later. "Believe me, he's had so many opportunities to kill me or let me die, one of which you remember. He's… always there for me."

"You have to be careful when applying always," she did air quotes, "to any man. There was a time I would have said that about your father. Then he left me for another man."

She did have a point. But my situation with Klaus was so different from that I didn't know where to start. He was over a thousand years old. And when he made up his mind that he wanted something…

"I didn't say I ever expect to be with him, Mom. I'm with Tyler. Klaus may be waiting for me forever." I sounded really confident saying that, but inside? I was confused.

"Judging from the way he's been looking at you, you may be right," she said. "Just be careful with him whatever he is to you. Never forget who he is."

It was good advice, I knew. There was just so much going on. Losing Bonnie, Stefan and Tyler's plan, whatever that was, Klaus…? Part of me would be so glad when he was gone and on his way back to New Orleans so I could figure out how to move forward from where I was. Another part…

My phone hummed. The call was from Damon.

"Caroline, where are you?" he asked before I could say anything.

"I'm still at Mom's. Why?"

"Stay there. We're on our way to get to you, okay?"

"Whoa, what?" I asked.

Why did Damon sound upset? They were coming to get me? Why?

"That trouble I mentioned. We'll be there in a few."

"Trouble? What trouble? Will my Mom be okay? Is Elena with you? Is she…?"

"We'll talk when we get there."

He hung up.

What the hell was going on with everybody?

"Caroline, who was that?" Mom asked.

"Damon." I rose from the couch, dashing for my room to grab what I could. Just in case.

Mom followed me to my room.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know," I told her as I began stuff things into the tote Klaus brought with us. "He said he's coming to get me. He's on his way. He didn't say why just that it was trouble."

Mom, clearly not happy with this turn of events, left for her room. I could hear her calling someone on her cell phone with my enhanced vampire hearing.

I'd just finished collecting what little I had left at the house, most of my stuff was in my dorm room at Whitmore, when I heard squealing tires outside.

I ran outside with my bag hanging from my arm. I didn't recognize the car and Damon wasn't in it.

Tyler.

He dashed out of the car and I ran straight at him.

"Tyler!" I hugged him tight to me. "What are you doing here?"

He looked around nervously. "I came to get you."

That made me happy. "You did?"

"Yeah," he said, looking me over. "And you're already packed. Good, let's go."

Gently grasping my arm, he pulled me in the direction of his car. I let him, but my mind was scrambling to catch up.

"Tyler, wait!" I tried to get him to stop. "Where are we going?"

"To help Bonnie."

"You found something?" I was almost daring to feel some enthusiasm.

"Working on it," he said over his shoulder as we reached the car.

Then I remembered Damon.

"Can we wait just a minute?" I asked Tyler.

Tyler stopped to open the driver side door. "No time. Get in."

"Damon is on his way. He's coming to get me," I explained. "Can we at least wait for him and see what's going on. Let him know where I'm going."

He shook his head. "Call him from the road."

Damon's car came to a halt at the edge of the yard way. Elena was in the front seat and Jeremy in the back. Damon climbed out of the driver's side, his blue eyes on me.

"Caroline!" he called, heading in our direction.

Tyler used supernatural speed to sling me around his car to the passenger side. He yanked open the door and look prepared to shove me in.

When I saw my Mom run out of the house to see what the hell was going on, I decided I'd had enough. I put a hand on Tyler's chest to keep him from throwing me in the car.

"Tyler, what's wrong with you?" I demanded. "Damon, what's going on here?"

Elena and Jeremy were climbing out of the car, watching the entire scene nervously. This was bad. Even Damon looked cautious and that was saying a lot.

"What are you and my brother up to?" Damon asked Tyler.

"If he wanted you to know, he would've told you," Tyler replied, his gaze cutting to Elena and back. "Guess he's just not feeling that close to you these days. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm here to pick up my girlfriend."

"Caroline." Damon's eyes conveyed a warning. I looked from him to Tyler and back.

I took a step back from the car, away from Tyler.

"Look, I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what's up," I told them.

"Caroline, please," this from Elena. "Come with us."

Everything spun around in my head. Tyler was being uncharacteristically secretive with me. He texted me at two in the morning, a woman was found dead from a werewolf attack an hour after that. Damon had warned me of trouble and they were all here to get me. What the hell?

Elena was moving closer to my mother, finally taking Mom's arm when she reached her. It was as if she was afraid Tyler would notice. She looked at me in question, and I nodded. She meant to take Mom wherever she wanted me to go. It was Elena. I trusted her. And my fear escalated when I realized that thing were really bad when they felt my mother was in danger.

Tyler looked angry, impatient. "I'll tell you everything. Just get in the damn car."

"Caroline," Damon drew my attention to him. He nodded his head in the direction of his own car.

"You'd pick them over me?" The lines of Tyler's face hardened. "I'm your boyfriend."

"I wouldn't even think about it if you weren't being so secretive with me. What are you guys doing? Why is it so important that I come with you now when you couldn't spare an hour to comfort me yesterday? That's what boyfriends do."

The anger I used in saying that gave me pause. It didn't influence Tyler in the slightest. I went to walk away from him towards the back of the car and he sped around in front of me. The glare he pinned me with was scary.

"I don't want to hurt you, Caroline," he said slowly.

That sent up a big red flag.

"Why would you hurt me?" I asked him, feeling more apprehensive by the second.

"Because that's the task he's been given, love, if you don't comply."

I didn't even sense Klaus' approach because I was so busy trying to wrap my mind around everything.

The shock of seeing Klaus there, showed on Tyler's face. No, he wasn't expecting him. Or Elijah who was just emerging from Klaus' rental car.

Damon's expression was one of annoyance.

"Just when I thought the day couldn't get any funner."

"Good to see you too, mate," Klaus said to Damon but his gaze stayed fixed on me.

Elena had my Mom in the car with Jeremy. She stood guard as if to protect them. That being the case, the trouble Damon alluded to, the threat, must be a good one. Tyler seemed hell bound to take me with him, Damon and Elena were here for me and Mom, and Klaus was back, standing on the other side of the car with Damon. Who the hell was I supposed to believe here?

Did Klaus order this?

"Klaus, did you give him this order?" I had to ask. And I waited to hear him explain that he had and his latest diabolic plot. Part of me was hoping that I'd be wrong.

A muscle at Klaus' jaw twitched. "No."

"Right," Damon snarked next to him.

Klaus didn't look away from me, didn't blink.

"Caroline, come with us," Damon directed me.

They thought something was off with Tyler. Apparently Klaus and Elijah agreed.

"Tyler, I'm sorry," I told him.

I tried to step around him but he wasn't allowing me. His eyes yellowed and his fangs came out.

"You're going to bite me? Again? Really?" I tried to say that with my normal bravado but it just came out scared.

He growled and on instinct, I dashed straight in the direction of Damon and Klaus. Tyler grabbed me by my hair just before I could reach them. Klaus and Damon came at us full speed and in an instant I was free with blinding pain in my scalp. A lock of my hair was clutched in Tyler's hand as he began to phase, snarling as Elijah came up to help. Klaus was poised to rip Tyler's heart out.

I panicked. "Klaus, no!"

Elijah held my mother's rake, blunt wooden end down.

"No!" I screamed at him.

"They're going to stake me, Caroline," Tyler hissed at me and his bones began popping, his body beginning to contort as they held onto him. "You know what he's going to do to you if they kill me? He said this time the stake will be real."

Images of that day he tormented me, first as Klaus then as Matt, looking for Bonnie, flashed in my mind. He had staked me, killed me under that tree. I woke up later, the entire thing hasn't been real but… It couldn't be…

Silas.

I stared at Klaus then in horror. He growled, grabbing the rake from Elijah and stabbing Tyler in the shoulder with it, shoving it deep into the ground to keep him pinned there. But it wouldn't hold him for long. Tyler was growling, crying out in pain, glaring at me with what looked like hatred in his eyes.

"Get them out of here," Klaus ordered Damon, tilting his head at the car my mother was in. "Now!"

Grabbing me, Klaus dragged me to his car and I was so shocked and confused by what was going on, I didn't fight him. He threw me in the back of the rental car and climbed in with me as Elijah took the driver's seat, started the engine and drove us out of there at record speed.