As always thanks for the support! I'm going back to school in just a few weeks and I know I will stop writing when I do so I'm trying to finish this story up quickly. Hope you enjoy!

xx

"Do you love him?"

She's careful not to react. She sips her coffee and stares off. Does she love Klaus?

No. No she doesn't.

Samira arrived at her hotel at 10 o'clock sharp, just as she had promised. Eagerly, she had tugged at Caroline's arm, promising a day of fun, that they'd be the best of friends by its end. Caroline had stared at Klaus, who had walked her out. He gave her an encouraging smile but she didn't miss the warning look he had given Samira. Caroline gave a silent prayer that Samira wouldn't decide to kill her and then flee with her new found freedom. That idea seemed rather reasonable.

Smile and nod, she told herself. Surely Samira wouldn't get offended if she only smiled and nodded.

They shopped in huge, foreign department stores. Samira behaved like a teenaged girl, seeking Caroline's advice on this top, forcing Caroline to try on that dress. Caroline wondered if she dared to think she was having a good time.

Samira proves to be, oddly, incredibly naïve. She begs Caroline to share stories of America, interested in the movies, books, music. Caroline can see the envy rolling off of her as she recounts the many countries she has visited since leaving her home. Caroline is reminded of a child who never gets her parent's permission to go out; resentful, desperate, and full of expectations for the world. But then, that's probably an accurate comparison. That pities there again and Caroline wonders if it's merited. The previous night still has her head reeling.

"So you really weren't going to kill me, huh?" They're having dinner in a small restaurant, business slow and the waiters watching them like hawks. Caroline picks at her dessert, a pastry filled with custard and covered in sugary syrup. It's almost too sweet for her, taking large gulps from her coffee in between bites. Their waiter is as her elbow in a moment, refilling her mug. She gives him a smile in thanks.

"No, Caroline, I was never going to kill you. Klaus wouldn't have hesitated to destroy me in a moment, I'm sure," Samira gives the waiter a nod as he takes her plate, thanking him in Arabic.

"What makes you think he cares about me so much?" Caroline averts her eyes from her companion, frowning at her pastry.

"What makes you fight so hard against the thought?" Samira smirks at her. She pulls a long, brown cigarette from her bag, lighting the end. She takes a drag from it, blowing the smoke from her nose. "Klaus looks at you as he used to look at me."

Caroline's brow knits, looking up at Samira. "Were you two…lovers?" She ventures.

Samira quirks an eyebrow. "Would you be jealous if we were?" She inquires.

Caroline feels her cheeks go hot. "No, of course not," She says quickly, looking away again.

"Relax, Caroline," Samira says with a laugh. "It was nothing like that. He was more of an older brother, you could say. He saved my life." Caroline gives her a curious look, ushering her on to continue. "I was only fifteen. He found me on the streets, starving. He was unlike anyone I had ever seen, with his pale skin and blue eyes. I was afraid of him," Something softens in Samira's eyes. "But, he turned me, instead. I didn't understand a word he said to me, but I learned, quickly. He told me he did it because, seeing someone so young on the brink of death just…didn't sit well with him."

The night of Caroline's eighteenth birthday springs to mind. Klaus telling her she could have a thousand more birthdays, all she had to do was ask.

Samira chuckles softly. "Klaus held life in higher regard in those days. And I was, and still am, I suppose, eternally indebted to him. I became attached to him. I had no one; only him, my savior. I begged him not to leave me when he did, with nothing but a compulsion to remain in Cairo and keep my eyes and ears alert for a man named Mikael. He promised to return to me, one day, and I clung to that promise. For decades I awaited his return, and when he didn't come, I grew so resentful. I wanted to find him myself, because being alone like that, everyone I knew meeting their eventual end…" She trails off, closing her eyes as though the memories are too painful to bear. "It drove me mad. So I created companions for myself. Learned that Klaus wasn't the only person in the world I had. And then the desperation to leave Egypt, to discover the world on my own settled inside me." Her face darkens. Caroline finds herself hanging on her every word. "And yet, every time he returned those thoughts seemed to flee my mind because he had come back to me," she rolls her eyes. "And if I ever brought it up he would disregard the thought. If I pushed he'd grow angry. I was never so stupid to abandon my fear of him." Samira's cigarette has burned halfway down, pure ash. She remembers it, flicking the ash off and taking another long drag that burns it down a third of the way. She billows the smoke out like a chimney.

"But then I arrived with him," Caroline says.

"Yes," Samira smiles. "I've never thought Klaus foolish, but he should have known I'd pounce at any opportunity to get the upper hand on him. You played your role well, Caroline."

"Happy to oblige," Caroline mutters, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"So why would you voluntarily accompany Klaus?" Samira asks suddenly, looking at her in interest.

Caroline mulls over all of the reasons she's considered in her head. Because he was her escape; it was convenient to have someone willing to take her away. She's safe with him, which is an idea that is entirely debatable at this point. Because she enjoys the attention he showers on her (that one still left a bad taste in her mouth.)

"I don't know," She says finally, dumbly.

Samira cocks her head to the side. "Do you love him?"

Caroline blinks, bringing her mug to her lips. She watches the smoke that flees the end of Samira's cigarette, spinning around in swirls, reaching higher and higher until it disappears. "No."

But could she?

She shoves everything aside. The plans to murder her best friend, the murders he succeeded on. His control of Tyler, the possession of him, and the consequential trickery. Turning Stefan into a monster. The numerous times he had lashed out at her, for her judgment, her resilience to give in to his charm. She thinks about everything else. The gifts. The smiles. The genuine interest in her. Beautiful, strong, full of light. Thank you for your honesty. It's me, you're safe. Your life is one I won't allow to end any time soon. That damn pang she felt in Dublin. That comment last night, about her being the death of him. And she's filled with…something. A longing. A wish that that's all there was to Klaus. No murder plots, no rage, manipulation. But she knows that isn't fair, because that's what makes Klaus, Klaus.

And she's left wondering if that's something she can ever accept.

Samira gives her another smile. "Good. I knew you were a smart girl."

"But…" Caroline hesitates. "The way you longed for him all those years. Did you never love him?"

"Of course I did. I care for my maker deeply, don't get me wrong. However, after my initial centuries-long infatuation with him, his absence wasn't one I spent nights crying over. He is an incredibly possessive individual who has never enjoyed another's free will," She states simply. "Once you look past his charm, he makes himself incredibly hard to love."

Understatement of the year, Caroline thinks to herself. "But…" She's stuck on it, the side of Klaus he seems to only share with her. She thinks back, how he told her of his release of his siblings. "Don't you think he's changed?" Why does she need this confirmation? Why does she even bother asking?

Dublin wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.

Samira scoffs. "Just ask yourself, Caroline; if you tried to leave tomorrow, would he let you?" Caroline has no reply for her, because she doesn't know the answer to that question herself. Realization seems to dawn on Samira's face. "You don't love him, but you could, couldn't you?" Caroline's brow knits, hating herself for being so easily read. She remains silent, afraid of anything she might say.

Samira surprises her, reaching a hand across the table and taking one of Caroline's. She looks up and Samira gives the hand a squeeze. "Just promise me, Caroline. Don't become tethered to Klaus. If you're going to live an eternity, your freedom is something you must acquire early," Samira pauses, letting go of Caroline's hand. "And Klaus may be reluctant to let you have it."

Caroline swallows thickly, looking away from her. She's right. Of course she's right. She's known Klaus for centuries, seen him change, grow into the monster he came to be. The monster he still is? Jury's still out on that one.

"I've troubled your mind," Samira states. "I'm sorry, Caroline. Truly."

Caroline shakes her head. "No, no, Samira. You're right," She still won't look at her though. "I think I should head back now."

Samira says no more. She picks up the bill despite Caroline's protests, saying with a sad smile, "It's the least I can do." She offers to walk Caroline back to her hotel but Caroline insists that it's fine, that alone time will help clear her head. At least, she hopes it will.

As they part ways, Samira hugs Caroline. "Tell Klaus I said goodbye, will you?"

"Of course," Caroline knits her eyebrow. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight, just as soon as I get back," Excitement gleams in her green eyes.

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet," Samira gives a small shrug. "Anywhere, everywhere. Any place out of Cairo is a start," She pauses, blinking at Caroline. Again she takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. "I hope to see you again, Caroline."

"I hope to see you again, too, Samira," Caroline surprises herself by being completely honest with her. Caroline's never been good at goodbyes and finds herself feeling almost sad. Maybe it's the company of someone besides Klaus being lost that fuels it. Maybe it's because Caroline can actually see herself befriending this vampire, as back-and-forth as Samira is.

"Well, Caroline, whatever you do," Samira steps away from her. "I wish you luck." She stops, looking Caroline squarely in the eye. "Just remember what I said."

Caroline stiffens. "I will. Goodbye, Samira."

"Goodbye, Caroline," She says softly. Samira turns from her, disappearing into the shadows in a moment.

Caroline finds herself alone on the streets of Cairo. She thinks, the thoughts finally hitting her full force.

She doesn't love Klaus. Doesn't, but could. It's a realization that's still hard to swallow. Caroline could start recounting everything he's ever done, every evil deed, every crime, but what's the point? She's known it all along, ever since that dress appeared on her doorstep and he requested she save him a dance. And yet, here she is, possibly, maybe, falling for Klaus. A dangerous thing, indeed. And all those troubling thoughts that had plagued her mind since she had fled Mystic Falls with him are back. Asking herself, why can't she go it alone? Since when did Caroline Forbes turn into such a dependent person? But she hates being alone, recounting all those nights that her mother worked late and she was left to fend for herself. She couldn't count how many nights she had begged Elena or Bonnie to let her stay with them, purely because she was deprived of company, abandoned to her own devices and thoughts. It was something that made her weak, she knew. Independence was a trait she always envied Bonnie. And Samira was right; if Caroline continued down the path she was she would never grow herself, stuck relying on someone else constantly. And not just any someone; Klaus. Klaus, who just as equally hated the thought of being alone. Klaus, who compelled, stabbed, and bred an army just so he would always have someone. If she tried to leave tomorrow, would he let her?

No. No, of course he wouldn't.

But she finds herself returning to him, because what else can she do? She returns to her own room, careful not to draw attention to herself, afraid to face him now, with these thoughts racing through her mind. But he knows she back and she can't ignore his light knocking on her door.

"How was your day?" He asks, looking over her as though for any injuries. She's touched at the gesture and remembers how he strapped Elena to a chair and drained her of her blood.

"It was fine, Klaus," It comes out impatiently and he looks almost hurt at her tone. Guilt creeps up on her and she remembers how he tried to get Bonnie to destroy herself by exceeding her magical limits. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired," Way to be weak, Forbes. "It was good. Samira isn't all that bad after all."

"No, I suppose she isn't," Klaus senses something off about her and gives her an inquiring look.

"She told me to tell you goodbye, by the way. She's leaving Cairo tonight," Caroline says quickly.

"Ah," Klaus nods to himself. "Yes, she's probably incredibly eager to leave."

"Yep," Silence falls between the two. Caroline leans against her doorframe.

"Are you alright, Caroline?" He asks after a moment, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I'm fine, really. Just tired and a little frazzled," She forces a smile but Klaus still looks unconvinced. "I think I'm a little burned out on Cairo. Where to next?"

Klaus seems to brighten at this. "Where would you like to go? Are you feeling more European or Asian?"

Caroline lets out a chuckle at the question, and the worry slowly disappears from Klaus's face. "How about Asia?"

"Good answer, love. I was thinking you'll just adore India."

After he says goodnight and Caroline closes her door, she decides she's going to leave Klaus. She doesn't know when or how, but she's going to. As she falls asleep she thinks of his eyes and mouth, the way her name sounds on his tongue, and recites to herself over and over, 'He is Klaus. He is Klaus. He is Klaus.'

It doesn't help.

xx

The chapters are getting shorter and shorter and for that I'm sorry. I'll try to lengthen them up from now on. :)

Hope you liked!

Since you made it this far, why not a review? ;)

-Reels