"Kol, please." Caroline pleaded as she felt his tight grip on her arm as he pulled her from the crowd. The dance was over, and so was Caroline's perfect night. "Please don't do this."

"My goodness, Klaus sure picked a whiny one." Kol said irritated. "No matter what you say," each of his words held a distinct note, "you're pleading will not save you. In fact," He perked up, "I may just make things more painful." He smiled a bright happy smile.

"You don't have to hurt me! Please." Caroline continued pleading nevertheless, "I've never done anything to you before."

"And neither had ninety-eight percent of the other people I've killed. I am a monster. I kill for fun."

"If you want to hurt Klaus, why don't you just kill Elena." Caroline was surprised the word would ever come out of her mouth, but to be honest if it came down to her life she realized she could do without Elena. After all Caroline was immortal whereas Elena would die of old age as the doppelganger no matter what.

"My my are you really turning on your best friend?" Kol laughed at her, "You're so strong." He mimicked her. "Besides, it's not you I want to hurt, it's Klaus. And since Klaus is, well, undefeatable. I must just settle with…collateral damage." Kol said the words as if he knew exactly how they would hit her. "My apologies, Your known as collateral damage, it's nothing personal." Caroline cringed. "Ah, very weak indeed." Kol spoke again. "And you are the most suitable collateral damage I have yet to come by."

But one second Caroline felt his tight grip on her arm and the next second it was gone. She whipped her head around to find Kol in Klaus' head lock. Caroline stumbled backwards shocked. Kol choked slightly and managed, "Don't want to cause a scene at mothers lovely get together, now would we brother?"

"Keep your hands off of Caroline."

"Or what?" Kol spoke deliberately, challenging Klaus with every word.

"You will die." Klaus said simply.

Klaus released Kol from his grip and shoved him away from Caroline, but Kol was too fast. As well as Klaus was unprepared. Kol, no longer in a head lock, had Caroline in a head lock, and with his unoccupied arm he slung his arm around Caroline's waist, mentally, tempting Klaus. Klaus felt a feeling of jealousy overwhelm him. His brother had his hands on Caroline, and this was not making him happy.

"Careful of your words brother," Kol said. "They might get you in trouble."

Caroline winced and screamed at the pain that Kol was inflicting on her neck. His grip was so tight. From the corner of his eye, Klaus saw Rebekah make her way onto the staircase and tell, and ultimately compel, their audience to not mind her brothers' rudeness. As she stepped off the staircase she threw daggered looks towards her two moronic brothers who fought over a meaningless girl.

Klaus took a step forward. "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that brother. Take one more step and her head comes off."

Klaus stopped in his footsteps and gave Caroline a look of helplessness. Klaus took a daring step forward, "I call your bluff, brother." He played this like it was a game of poker.

"Well then you're an idiot." Kol said as he pulled his arms around Caroline's neck. "Oops, my hands slipped. You're lucky I just barely missed her neck. I assure you, next time I won't miss. So I'd stay in your place."

Caroline was inwardly freaking out as she felt her eyes flooding with tears. Why did this always happen to her?

"Kol!" Caroline yelled to get his attention.

"Yes?" Kol asked annoyed at the interruption.

"I will do whatever you want me to do. Just let me go and leave Klaus alone."

"No," Klaus said immediately, "Caroline doesn't make that agreement," Klaus spoke for Caroline.

Caroline shook her head, "Don't listen to him. I'll do it."

Klaus was next to Caroline in a flash. "You will not make any such agreement, Caroline. He will keep you for himself as a slave for the rest of your life." Klaus spoke from experience. "I won't let that happen to you."

"Rebekah," Kol called for his sister, "Would you bring me the thing I requested of you?"

Rebekah came trotting into the fight holding a covered plate. As Rebekah held the plate, Kol turned Caroline away from Klaus and turned her to face him. Her head was no longer in a head lock, but Kol's arms held her securely to his hips.

"What is it you want me to do for you?" Caroline asked.

"Well I do have one option, but I don't believe you're strong enough for it. I don't believe you are willing to hurt my brother."

"What do you want?" Caroline said stronger.

"I want you to be mine." Kol said simply.

Kol watched with pleasure as Klaus' eyes flamed in rage. And to Kol's surprise, something he'd never seen before due to his long death, Klaus allowed his hybrid fangs to come out and his eyes to dilate.

"Careful what you do," Klaus spoke firmly, "One bite and your dead. I assure you I won't save you."

Kol faltered a little bit but continued going on nonetheless. "Answer my proposal, Caroline."

Caroline opened her mouth and uttered the words, "I'll do it."

Kol's hand reached under the cloth on the plate and in a microsecond staked Caroline's body. She fell to the ground paralyzed and almost dead. Klaus pounced on his brother and bit his neck. Kol fell to the ground and felt the bite. He was an original, would this kill him? Surely not. But Klaus didn't care whether it killed him or not. His eyes were only on Caroline.

Klaus slid to the floor next to Caroline. He pulled her into his arms and ran away from the party. He brought her to her house, where her mother was still at the party, and ran up the stairs. He lay Caroline on her bed and gently pulled the stake from her body.

"Be careful," She uttered, "It's scraping my heart; I can feel it."

"You tell me to be careful, when you were just about to give yourself over to Kol? That would have been your biggest regret in the world, love."

"No, my biggest regret would be letting you get hurt because of me." Caroline's eyes were wide and still filled with tears. "This night was supposed to be perfect." She shook her head. "Only in Mystic Falls…"

"Nothing's ever the way you expect it." Klaus smiled sadly.

They lay in silence together, Caroline in Klaus' arms. "I wouldn't have let him take you." Klaus whispered to him.

"I know."

Caroline couldn't believe how stupid she was being but she kept walking nonetheless. Her mind told her that going to see Kol was the stupidest thing she could possibly do, but her feet kept walking. She found herself at the door of Klaus' house. She rang the doorbell and waiting.

Kol opened the door and grimaced. "Klaus isn't here at the moment."

"I'm not here to see Klaus." Caroline crossed her arms over her chest.

Kol raised his eyebrow at her. "My brother won't be happy if he finds out I've been speaking to you, so you can go."

"I need answers from you." Caroline said stubbornly as she walked through the door, inviting herself in. "I realize that you're an original vampire, and you think you can do whatever you want. But, you can't just threaten my life and then not tell me why."

"I did tell you why." Kol said annoyed with the presence of such an unimportant person. "I wanted to get back at Klaus for putting me in a coffin for over a thousand years, so I tried to kill you."

"Why do I have to always be your people's collateral damage?"

"Because you make for an interesting catch."

"I have one more question." Caroline asked, but before she could continue she felt a presence behind her.

She turned around and saw Klaus looking angrily at her. She bit her lip nervously. This could be the first time in a very long time that Caroline was genuinely scared of Klaus. He grabbed her arm and dragged her from the room outside.

"Hello!" She said overly chirpy.

"Are you an idiot?" Klaus asked cutting straight to the bone.

`"Maybe?" Caroline asked still trying to be happy and funny.

"Caroline I am not kidding. He will hurt you." Klaus said.

"I had to ask him some questions." Caroline said strongly.

"Yeah, well send a letter next time, Love." Klaus let go of her arm and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you around him for a very long time."

"Okay, Okay. I respect that, but can I please ask him my last question?"

Klaus immediately opened his mouth to say no, but he saw the look she gave that begged him to let her do so. He sighed, "Stop being so cute."

"I can't help it, it comes naturally. And it's good it can get me out of the many sticky situations I've been. Like, the multiple times people have tried to kill me."

Klaus was silent thinking of the times when he had tried to kill her. He regretted it like no other thing in his life.

"Yes, well, if you, say, lived with me in my new and private house, away from my family. You wouldn't have those problems."

"Did you just ask me to move in with you?" Caroline smiled lightly.

"Was it to subtle?" Klaus smirked.

"I'll think about that offer," Caroline laughed, "but right now I need to talk to Kol." She veered herself back on topic.

"Fine. One question. One!" Klaus allowed.

"It's all I'm asking."

Caroline moved back to the house and saw Kol. She sneered at him and asked the question she'd wanted to know her whole life, at different times, from different people. "Why not Elena?" She felt horrible putting her best friends life in danger but she had to know. "Why was I more valuable to Klaus than Elena. Surely he wants his hybrids more than he wants me."

Kol smiled lightly. "You, being so young, wouldn't understand the power of love. You see. Klaus has lived for a thousand years without his hybrids. He has lived a thousand years without his doppelganger. He has lived a thousand years with relatively no love. Of the three, the last is the hardest to live without and once you find it you can't let it go."

"But he doesn't love me." Caroline said.

Kol shrugged at her statement and turned and walked away from her.