A/N: Wow, so many lovely reviews for the last chapter. It probably gets old hearing it, but thank you. Thank you for your time and your thoughts. Also, thanks for responding to my questions.
There is a general consensus amongst reviewers that there be a happy ending. I'm not making any promises, but know that your opinions do have a huge influence on me. I take them seriously, so I'll see what I can do...
With that said, most said a filler chapter was not necessary. This chapter wasn't meant to be a filler chapter. I had intended this to be the chapter where Klaus returns to his body. However, as I began writing, the chapter became very long. I know most of you appreciate lengthy chapters, but shorter chapters are easier for me to read over a few times before I post them. So, I cut the chapter in half and thus, this sort of became the "filler" chapter, heh. I am about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way done the next chapter, so expect it to be posted soon.
As usual, look over any spelling and/or grammatical errors, enjoy it, and leave me your thoughts! Oh, and enjoy the second TVD episode tonight!
The complaint of the doorbell pulled her attention away from a re-run of the Bachelor. She had been trying to distract herself from reality.
As she climbed off the sofa she mused at the difficulty of choosing a partner from a handful of people. It didn't get any easier once the choice was made. She thought she had been clear about her own choice, and yet, it turned out that the choice was half the battle. The other half of the battle was getting that person to clearly choose you back; to know where you both stood.
Klaus had been so unresponsive and vague when she had been so open and honest about how she felt. Elena was a vampire now; she had been the only thing standing in their way, and yet he hesitated. Of course, she hadn't really expected him to fall down on his knees professing his undying love for her, but she expected more of a reaction; acknowledgement. He had come so close to death and yet he still could not tell her how he felt.
It made her anxious. She had worn her heart on her sleeve, and now it seemed as though he was having second thoughts. The Elena issue may have been resolved but the question she confronted him with at the decade dance clearly had not been. Could he give her love? She was still unsure.
She expected to see Klaus as Tyler at her front door, but it was Elena instead.
According to Stefan, Elena had had a few close calls when it came to humans and their blood, but other than that Elena's transition into vampirism had been relatively smooth. She felt bad that she hadn't been there for Elena as much as she wanted to be, but things with Klaus had her preoccupied.
"Elena," she said surprised. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
Elena smiled.
"Hey. I thought I'd come over and get ready for the Miss Mystic Nomination Ceremony with you," she replied. "With everything going on, I thought it would be nice to hang out. Matt's with Tyler right now; they're gonna pick us up in an hour or so," she explained.
The gesture on Elena's part was sweet. She missed Elena and this would be a good opportunity to see how Elena was doing. However, the thought of Matt with Klaus as Tyler put her on edge. What would Matt say to him? What would Klaus say to Matt?
"You're coming to the dinner tonight?" she said as she stepped aside to let Elena in.
Elena nodded.
"I finally convinced Damon and Stefan to let me go out on my own," she said as she went to enter.
Elena stopped abruptly at the entrance and instantly she knew why; she needed to be invited inside.
"Sorry!" she apologized to an embarrassed Elena.
Luckily, her mother stormed out of the bathroom in full police uniform towards them. She was running late for a work-shift.
She had told her mother about Elena already, so when her mom saw both of them staring at her expectantly – Elena on the outside and her on the inside – she knew what to do.
"Elena, sweetie, come inside," her mom urged.
Elena smirked and entered.
"Sorry I can't stop to chat. I'm late for a shift. Good luck tonight Caroline," her mom said, briskly kissing her on the cheek before sprinting off the porch to her car.
She and Elena both smiled at her mom, before Elena turned her attention back onto her.
"This vampire thing is going to take some getting used to. Jeremy had to invite me inside our house yesterday," she sighed. "I'm surprised you haven't started getting ready yet..." Elena gasped as she eyed her in her pink fleece housecoat.
Elena's last comment effectively prevented her from keeping the topic off of her.
She sighed.
"I'm just not really feeling up for this tonight," she admitted
Admittedly, she was nervous to be a part of the Miss Mystic events for the night, but it had more to do with the fact that Klaus would be getting his body back tonight. That process alone was making her anxious, but what was to come following that had also been on her mind.
Elena eyed her curiously.
"Upset that your reign as Miss Mystic is coming to an end?" Elena asked humorously.
She shook her head, giggling under her breath.
"No, it's not that. I guess I just have other things on my mind – like you and Tyler," she revealed.
Elena smiled appreciatively.
"Well aside from the tug of war between Stefan and Damon, and a dose of reality here and there, I'm fine, Caroline," she assured her.
She nodded at Elena and headed for her bedroom.
"What's up with Tyler? Is he okay?" Elena asked concerned.
"Oh he's fine. I was just referring to his near death experience," she lied.
Elena set her things down on her bed, while she rummaged through her closet for the semi-formal dress she purchased yesterday during some much needed retail therapy.
"I couldn't imagine," Elena empathized. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the bloodline thing. If Klaus is dead, then Tyler should technically be dead too..." she thought aloud.
She tensed as she uncovered her dress. It would only be a matter of time before Elena or another one of her friends considered the possibility that Klaus wasn't actually dead.
"Like the dress?" she interrupted Elena's train of thought, displaying the dress against her housecoat. "It's nothing special. Since the nominees are supposed to be the focus tonight, Mrs. Lockwood told me to keep it subtle," she added.
Elena's expression quickly changed from one of intrigue to delight.
"It's beautiful, Caroline," she acknowledged. "Conservative and sophisticated," she said.
It was not something she would have picked out for herself, but the saleswoman insisted she try it on. It was a bare-shoulder pale pink dress with thick black lace overlay that rose just below her collarbone and fell to the middle of her thigh.
"I'm sure Tyler will love you in it," Elena remarked, wiggling her eyebrows.
She blushed and shook her head at Elena's comment
"What?" Elena asked innocently. "He won't be able to keep his hands off you," she joked playfully.
She rolled her eyes.
"I thought you said the dress was conservative?" she asked. "Now it has the opposite effect?" she snorted as she led Elena into her bathroom so they could do their hair and makeup.
As she pulled out all of the necessary supplies, she scrambled to change the subject back to Elena.
"Speaking of not being able to keep hands off...how has that part of your transition been?" she asked.
Elena looked at her confused as she plugged in the flat iron.
"Your hormones?" she clarified.
Elena gave a nod of understanding as her face reddened. She obviously had something to feel guilty about.
"Honestly, they've been driving me crazy," Elena admitted. "It doesn't help that Stefan and Damon are constantly following me around," she complained.
Elena fell silent for a few moments as she ran a few strands of her hair in between the flat iron before breaking into a smirk.
"What?" she asked curiously as she sorted through her makeup.
"Vampire sex is incredible," Elena admitted guiltily.
She laughed at her friend's admission.
"With Stefan right?" she confirmed, not entirely keen about the idea of Elena with Damon.
Elena nodded.
"Yes of course. Although I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about Damon too," Elena confessed.
She glared at Elena.
It wasn't exactly a surprise to her that Elena still had Damon on her mind, but her interest in him was not something she easily understood.
"What? I can't help it," Elena said defensively. "No matter how hard I try, I just can't stop thinking about him sometimes. I know he's caused a lot of trouble, but there's just something about him..." she admitted.
As Elena described her feelings for Damon, she couldn't help but become lost in her own thoughts; Elena's feelings becoming a narration for her own feelings for Klaus. She understood now.
If it was so easy for Elena to tell her about Damon without fear of being judged, why couldn't she tell her best friend about Klaus?
With the pressure on from Matt, and Klaus about to be put back into his own body, she knew she would have to sooner or later, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She didn't want to stress Elena out or make her upset when she was at such a fragile time in her life. More than that, she didn't want to risk losing her friendship.
"So do you think it will be weird tonight now that the entire Council knows who you are?" Elena asked.
She stopped applying her makeup to consider Elena's question before shrugging.
"I'm sure Tyler and I will get a few awkward stares, but they agreed to accept us in exchange for Klaus's body," she reasoned.
Elena nodded.
"I just curious to know why Alaric never told the Council about Damon and Stefan," Elena wondered.
"Well I assume he wanted power over Tyler's mom and my mom since they were sort of the de-facto leaders of the Council. He probably said nothing about Damon and Stefan because he needed you protected while he went after Klaus and the other originals," she suggested.
"Makes sense," Elena agreed. "Elijah came to see me," she revealed.
She stopped mid-eye with the eyeliner as Elena spoke his name.
"Oh..." she pried, urging Elena to continue.
"He apologized," Elena said simply. "He told me he had no part in what Rebekah did and he told me how awful he felt. He said he would help me with my transition if I needed it," she explained.
Her body relaxed and she continued with her makeup, hoping that was all Elijah said to Elena.
"Do you believe him?" she asked Elena.
Elena smiled softly and nodded as she finished with the flat iron.
"Elijah was willing to make a deal with us in the first place. Once Rebekah was with Damon, he could have come after me then to kill me if he wanted to. Elijah is a man of his word; I trust him surprisingly," Elena revealed.
She agreed with Elena. Elijah was trustworthy; he was a man of his word. She wondered if Klaus could be too; that is if he had any words to give to her.
"I believe him," she told Elena. "Rebekah so much as admitted to me at the Grill that Elijah wanted to leave town after Klaus died to outrun Alaric," she explained.
"Stefan said that Rebekah told him something similar," Elena corroborated. "It's not like Elijah to do something like that. Rebekah on the other hand is impulsive and selfish...a lot like Klaus," Elena chided. "I can't believe she entered the Miss Mystic pageant. I hope she's not an official nominee," she complained.
She was lost in her thoughts, no longer paying attention to Elena, with Elena's mention of Klaus. Sure, he was impulsive and selfish at times, but he could be more than that, she thought.
"Klaus did save me..." she blurted out absentmindedly in his defence.
"Yeah after he compelled Tyler to bite you," Elena reminded her.
"He could have let me die," she defended him.
Elena glared at her through the mirror.
"He let you live so he could manipulate you," Elena corrected.
"He would have achieved more by letting me die," she reasoned.
Elena looked at her in disbelief.
"Are you actually defending Klaus right now?" Elena asked.
She shook her head quickly, scolding herself for even saying something to begin with. It was a slippery slope she was now on; one that would be difficult to get off with Elena without confessing everything.
"No...I just...despite everything he did, I guess I feel sort of guilty that he's dead. Kind of like how you felt when you lied to Elijah about Esther's plan," Caroline reminded her.
These seemed to calm Elena's disgruntled expression.
"I see what you're saying, but there's a huge difference between Elijah and Klaus. Elijah's actions are motivated by a code of honour, Klaus's are motivated by pure self-interest," Elena explained.
She didn't buy Elena's reasoning but she wasn't about to disagree at this point. She needed to change the topic.
"I called Elijah," she revealed to Elena, hoping the confession would serve as a distraction as opposed to a very obvious clue.
"You what?" Elena asked.
"The day Klaus was desiccated I called him. That's how he knew and why he showed up at your house looking to make a deal," she admitted.
Elena looked both surprised and confused. She wasn't sure how Elena would respond.
"Why would you do that?" Elena questioned.
She closed the compact of violet hued eye-shadows and eyed Elena as calmly as she could.
The idea of complete confession was tempting, but she held back.
"I was trying to be proactive. If Klaus's siblings found out we buried his body at the bottom of the ocean they would have retaliated against us. You said that yourself," she told her.
Elena looked through her makeup bag while she considered Caroline's words.
"I'm surprised you did something like that Caroline. You barely know Elijah. It could have backfired on you," Elena said.
"Well it didn't...er it wouldn't have had Alaric not messed it up," she claimed. "You said Elijah is a man of his word. I knew he made deals with you in the past. I believed he would this time too," she reasoned. "I did it to protect you," she added as she decorated her eyelashes with black mascara.
Elena smiled sweetly at her.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Elena wondered.
"I didn't tell you then because I thought you might be mad. And after everything that happened to you and Tyler, it slipped my mind until now," she explained.
Elena nodded.
"I'm not mad. It's nice to know that I have so many people looking out for me," Elena assured her.
Of course, she would be mad if she knew your true motivations her conscience whispered to her.
Maybe telling Elena now was as good a time as any. If she didn't do it now, she would have to once Klaus was back inside his own body.
What would she say to Elena? Where would she even start?
She hesitated though when she thought about Klaus's words. He didn't want anyone to know he was in Tyler's body until he had his body back. She didn't want to compromise that. She believed she could trust Elena, but when it came to Klaus she wasn't sure. She could tell Elena of her feelings for Klaus, but what would be the point of only giving her a half truth at this point? She decided to wait until after tonight; until she could give Elena the whole truth.
Smiling back at Elena she handed her the same eye-shadow compact she had just used.
"Use this one," she told Elena.
"Thanks," Elena grinned.
She started onto her hair, deciding a side curled ponytail would be best. After plugging in the curling iron to heat up, she leaned against the sink as she watched Elena apply her makeup.
"So how is Matt holding up?" she asked Elena curiously.
Matt had not spoken to her since the night of the accident; since he found out everything she had been hiding. He had left Elena's the other day before she had even arrived. She assumed it was done on purpose. She wasn't going to a force a situation between them. She knew he probably wouldn't give her the time of day until she told everyone else. Regardless, she was worried about him.
Elena huffed and shrugged.
"He's trying to act strong for me, but I know everything is getting to him," Elena told her. "He feels so guilty for what happened to me. I've tried to tell him anything I can think of to make him feel better, but I know it's not working," she admitted.
She frowned as she started to curl a strand of her hair. Her betrayal had likely not made things any better for him she supposed.
"He's been through a lot this past year," Elena observed. "Has he talked to you?" she asked her.
She shook her head.
"We haven't really talked since I brought him home from the hospital that night," she revealed.
Elena nodded as if her admission had confirmed her suspicions. Matt had a lot of other reasons to avoid her though that Elena was unaware of.
"Maybe he just needs some time?" she proposed to Elena.
"Maybe," Elena answered.
That was the end of any serious discussion between them. She considered bringing up Elena's transition into vampirism but she got the distinct impression that Elena preferred not to talk about it. It seemed as though her goal was to feel as normal as possible tonight. Thankfully Elena avoided any further serious conversation on her part as well.
She finished her hair, wrapping a strand of hair around the hair tie to conceal it, and pinning back some of her hair with two matching stone-encrusted hairpins.
Elena finished with her makeup and they both left for her bedroom to change into their dresses. Elena's was simpler than hers as a guest; a black spaghetti strap thigh-length dress. Its main feature was the corseted back, which she helped Elena tie.
As she tied the loose strands into a bow, the doorbell rang.
"Matt and Tyler must be here. You get into your dress. I'll go answer the door," Elena offered.
She nodded as Elena slipped through her bedroom door, closing it slightly as she passed through.
Slipping into her dress she listened to the muffled voices out in the hallway. She could hear both Matt and Tyler and then the door to her room creak open.
"Elena you're gonna have to do my zipper up," she announced, her back turned to the door as she fixed the clear tear-drop earrings to her ears and clasped his bracelet to her wrist.
Tyler cleared his throat as he entered, and as she glanced at him through the mirror, she had to keep reminding herself that it was actually Klaus.
It was almost strange to see him and there was this thick tension in the air. It obviously had something to do with their conversation from the other night. They hadn't really spoken much since then. Their awkward discussion didn't help, but it had more to do with the fact that he was in Tyler's body. It was too weird for her, she had explained to him.
"Hi," she breathed, taking in the way he was taking her in.
Tyler never looked at her the way that he did; that alone could give Klaus away.
Her face went hot and she laughed to herself as she looked away.
"Hey," he said.
She mused at his attempt at casual language.
"You look..."
- "Old?" she joked. "Mrs. Lockwood told me simple and modest," she added.
He smirked.
"I was going for refined," he finished as he nearly snuck up behind her. "Elegant, perhaps," he suggested.
It was Tyler's voice complimenting her with all the thoughtful and pleasant adjectives, but she knew if she closed her eyes and concentrated she would hear Klaus's voice and feel him behind her instead.
Goosebumps rose on her skin at the thought. She missed him; she wanted him back.
"You look good too," she complimented, even though she would have preferred the sight of Klaus himself instead of Tyler.
He was wearing a simple white button up shirt and black dress pants.
"That wretched woman picked it out for me, after she forced me to go shopping with her," he scowled.
"Tyler's mom?" she snorted. "You went shopping with her?" she asked surprised.
He nodded.
"If I have to spend one more day with that incessant woman, I cannot be held responsible for my actions," he muttered.
She giggled at his comments, knowing all too well how overbearing Tyler's mother could be with Tyler. The thought of Klaus having to withstand it for a day amused her.
She tensed when his hand rested on her hip.
It was Tyler's hand so her first thought was to stop him; but it was really Klaus so she hesitated; she missed the feel of Klaus's hands on her.
She went to protest, but his other hand latched onto the zipper at the small of her back and zipped up the dress slowly.
"You know it's almost sinful having to do this dress up," he sighed, as he reached the top of the dress below her neck.
Her body literally shook with his seductive words.
"Well if everything goes according to plan, perhaps you can remove it tonight?" she said suggestively, scolding herself immediately following for even saying such a thing.
She was supposed to be angry with him; annoyed; frustrated with his inability to make some sort of verbal commitment to her, and yet here she was playing into his game tit for tat.
His eyes were sparkling like a child's on Christmas morning and a smug grin rested upon his lips.
"If you insist, love," he replied.
Suddenly, Elena barged through the door, only hesitating once she was in the room and realized how close the two of them were.
They turned to Elena and distanced themselves immediately as if caught in the act of something inappropriate – in a way they had been.
Elena's face went red and she laughed embarrassingly.
"Oh my god, I'm sorry," she chuckled as she regained her composure. "We should leave soon," she announced before scurrying out of the bedroom.
Both she and Klaus looked at each other and he shook his head in amused disapproval.
"She obviously hasn't learned to use her keen sense of hearing yet," he observed. "I suppose that's good thing."
She nodded in agreement; realizing stupidly that she had forgotten Elena now possessed abilities like sensitive hearing.
He traced his finger over the bracelet on her wrist.
"When will I ever get to have you all to myself?" he asked rhetorically.
As much as she found his desire for her flattering, there was a part of her fuming at him on the inside. She felt like replying 'when you tell me that you want me; when I get the same in return; when I know that you can love me.' How could he act like nothing was bothering her?
But she remained silent. Now wasn't the time to begin a confrontation.
Before she could hide her hesitation, he shot her a look that told her he saw it.
"Help me?" she said quickly as she picked up her black silk heels off of the floor.
To her luck, he nodded somewhat bewilderedly, but successfully distracted.
She rested her hand on his – Tyler's – shoulder to hold her balance while she slipped on her shoes.
"So you remember the plan for tonight, correct?" he asked as she stepped back onto both of her feet.
She jeered.
"It's pretty simple for me. I just have to be Miss Mystic for the night and not be concerned when I notice you and Bonnie are missing," she replied.
He smiled, satisfied with her reply.
She looked at him anxiously, frightened by the possibility that the plan could be sabotaged like the last plan.
He could sense her trepidation.
Taking her hands in his, he kissed them lightly.
"When I kiss you again, I'll be back in my body," he reassured her. "Meet me at my place later this evening when everything is done?" he half asked, half commanded, appearing almost as nervous as her as he anticipated her answer.
She vacillated over her options, knowing all along that she would acquiesce. The night would end with a confrontation of anger or a confrontation of passion; maybe both. It would be inevitable; she could not stay away from him.
She nodded in agreement.
"After I talk to Tyler," she said.
He looked surprised and curious.
"I'm going to tell him about everything; about us," she decided, almost inclined to ask Klaus if there was an 'us' she could tell Tyler about.
"Really..." he replied.
It was hard to read his reaction, but he seemed pleased and reluctant all at once.
"I'm done fooling myself; life is too short," she said sternly, meaning every word even if as a vampire she technically had eternity.
He smirked.
"Looks like someone is finally heeding my advice," he observed.
She glared at him.
"Maybe it's time you started to as well," she quipped, effectively ending their conversation.
A/N: So did I get the rules about the vampire invitation thing right? It was my understanding that the human owner of a home has to invite a vampire to enter, hence why Caroline's mom was there to invite Elena inside.
Also, in my story, if you haven't already assumed or picked it up, Alaric only ever told the Council about Caroline, Tyler, and the Originals being vampires for the reasons stated above.
I know many of you were concerned about Caroline and Matt resolving their issues or at least confronting each other again since I kind of left them hanging. I realize that needs to be addressed. Please know that happens to an extent in the next chapter.