THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS, AND I THANKYOU TO THOSE WHO POINTED OUT I SPELLED STEFAN'S NAME WRONG. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE DOUBLE CHECKED MYSELF. OOPS. THAT IS SO EMBARRASSING. IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN IN FUTURE CHAPTERS

Caroline's mind was racing a million miles an hour. She couldn't figure out how he had snuck past her and found his way to the kitchen chair which he was currently reclining in. The coffee grinder, it had been so loud an atomic bomb could have gone off and she probably wouldn't have heard it. Acute hearing or not, that thing was wicked.

Caroline quickly regained rational composure as she raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "What do you want?"

"Aw, now there's no need to be that way Caroline," Klaus playfully implored as he leaned forward in the chair and rest his arms on the table, "I just came by for a quick chat."

"Oh, because that went so well last time," Caroline retorted.

"Well, there was a bit of blip, but I do recall my brother walking away unscathed from whatever harm your friends were planning for him. I wouldn't say that was a rather winning situation," Klaus elated.

Caroline couldn't think of a smart response. She was at a loss for words as she watched Klaus slowly rise from his chair and cautiously approach her all the while never losing her eyes with his.

As he stood only a few feet away, he looked at her with grave sincerity, "I wanted to say thank you on Kol's behalf. He would never do it himself. His pride is one of his defining virtues."

Caroline's mind started spinning. Klaus thought this was a winning situation. How could he possibly think this was a winning situation? He'd thought wrong, and now she was going to let him know it.

She shook her head and regained her composure, her face warping into a mask of stern warning, "Let's get a few things straight," she started off coldly, "first of all, I had no idea what my friends were up to. I didn't know they were going after Kol, so you have no business thanking me for him, and if I had meant to save his life, then you really would have no business thanking me for him," Caroline paused to take another deep breath and then started again before Klaus could interject whatever he was about to say, "Second, my friends have no idea that I'm the reason their plan didn't work, and I'd like to keep it that way. You owe me that at least," she tagged that last part on hoping Klaus had some sense of honor, "and third, there is no way in hell that this was a winning situation for anyone!" her tone was starting to creep up and she was hoping Bonnie wouldn't hear from the other room, "Bonnie's mom was turned into a vampire. Elena was tortured by your sister. Bonnie blames Elena that her mom is turning into a vampire. Elena and Bonnie are going to hate Damon for turning Bonnie's mom. Everyone is going to hate me if they find out I helped you. And even though you and your siblings are still alive, you found out that one of your brother's is on a suicide mission and your mother wants you all dead," Caroline sighed and then added to conclude her point, "What exactly is so winning about that?"

Now Klaus was the speechless one. He just stood there staring at her in astonishment. Caroline couldn't help but feel proud that she had actually left him speechless.

He looked down and away and then suddenly a small smirk formed on Klaus's face. He was smiling? Seriously, that's twisted.

"Caroline," he started and the way he said her name stole Caroline out of her own thoughts and focused her on him, "did you tell me to leave, to save me?" he questioned.

Damn it, Caroline was not expecting him to ask that so directly. Hint at it maybe, but to come right out and say it like that. I guess she sort of set herself up for it by telling him that she wasn't trying to save Kol, by default she knew what that meant and so did Klaus. She was feeling very uncomfortable and Klaus could tell. He was finding amusement in this, but it wasn't a mocking amusement. He wasn't trying to make her feel uncomfortable for the sake of making her miserable, he was prodding, searching for something and in his eyes there was hope. The anticipation was undeniable.

"I..I.." Caroline stammered which only made the intensity of Klaus's gaze increase, and although he had not said another word aloud his eyes were pushing, correction, they were longing for an answer.

Finally Caroline blasted the answer out in an attempt to burst the force of his gaze, "I couldn't just let you die! Okay, are you satisfied?"

His response was short, "No."

"What?" Caroline snapped back, annoyed, "What do you mean, no?"

"I want to know why. Why, did you warn me?" he pleaded with her, not begging, but as though the answer to her question would solve some mystery. It would answer some puzzle. It would be the key to some safe.

He wasn't going to leave until he got an answer that much was clear, and Caroline was not one to hold back the truth. She didn't want to answer the question. She didn't want to give him any false hope that maybe she would come around and respond to his advances. The truth was she could never allow herself to do that. His attention was flattering. He'd treated her with respect, and made her feel desired, but her friends meant to much to her. She couldn't turn her back on them. She'd warned him tonight, but she would never again allow herself to be put in that situation where she had to choose between her friends and Klaus.

She told him the truth, "I warned you because you didn't deserve my deceit," he was clearly intrigued by her answer as she continued, "you've turned Mystic Falls into a living hell since you've set foot here, but you saved my life and have been nothing but honest with me," Caroline looked away for a brief second in order to escape his eyes which were melting with her words, "And tonight as we sat on that bench you weren't Klaus, the evil hybrid harbinger of doom. You were just a man trying to get to know girl, and I decided that if you were going to die tonight, I wasn't going to have any part of it."

She looked up at him again and he looked…happy. There wasn't a stupid grin plastered on his face, but rather a quiet smile that reached all the way to his eyes and shone through. He then proceeded to reach out and gently capture Caroline's hand in his own. He brought her hand slowly towards his face, leaning in the rest of the way to close the gap and place a tender kiss upon it. Then, with his lips barely caressing her knuckles, he lifted his eyes to meet hers and silently whispered, "Thank you."

And then he was gone. Caroline's hand still hung in the open air where he had just held it moments before. Whatever it was Klaus was hoping to find, he'd found it and then he vanished. But Caroline knew that wasn't the last she would see of him. She'd given him hope, although it wasn't intentional or at least she continued to tell herself it wasn't intentional so that she could cope. Whatever had just happened Caroline knew it wasn't over. Why he'd left so quickly she wasn't sure, and she didn't know whether to be relieved or upset. She slowly lifted her hand to her face as if to see if the place that he had kissed looked different than the rest of her skin. There was no difference, but she caught the scent of his after shave. It was robust and aged and undeniably sexy, unlike the silly weak fragrances the boys wore at Caroline's school. Klaus's scent made them smell like pansies.

When Bonnie entered the kitchen a few minutes later, Caroline was standing there with her hand softly resting between her nose and upper lip. As soon as she saw her friend, she quickly jerked her hand down towards her side.

"Bonnie," she exclaimed much shriller than she had intended.

Bonnie stared at her with a puzzled expression, "Are you alright Caroline,"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Caroline tended to overdo it when she was trying to cover something up.

Bonnie just raised an eyebrow and proceeded to ask, "Is the coffee ready?"

Damn it, Caroline had completely forgotten to turn the coffee on, "Um, I was just turning it on."

"It's been a half hour Caroline," Bonnie was now looking at her friend with concern and a hair of frustration.

"Yeah, I….I had to grind the coffee beans fresh, and you know, clean everything out. Your immune system is suppressed when you are emotional, and I don't want to be the cause of you coming down with a cold because my coffee pot was grimy," Caroline knew that was probably the worst cover story that she had ever coming up with in her entire life, but Bonnie was tired and not in the mood to debate with her or even get down to the bottom of what was really going on.

"Okay," Bonnie drawled suspiciously, "just bring me a cup when it gets done, and pour some for Abby too. It won't be long."

"Okay, got it," Caroline replied flipping the power button so it glowed green.

"I'll be in the room with Abby," Bonnie stated as she turned around and proceeded to walk out of the kitchen back to Caroline's bedroom.

When the coffee pot beeped a few minutes later Caroline hastily poured three cups of coffee and rushed to her room slowing down only before entering so as not to disturb the reverent atmosphere. She handed Bonnie hers and sat Abby's on the night stand next to the bed. Abby was still dead, but just as Bonnie had said earlier, it wouldn't be long.

Caroline walked over to place her cup on her dresser when she noticed a small square box with a cream ribbon. It had become a familiar sight.

Klaus had been here. Again. But why?