Oh, hello. Long time, no see - again. Apparently I'm bad at keeping promises, especially when it comes to updating. But, here it is! Three months later, but forgive me. I hope you guys enjoy it, and be sure to let me know what you think at the end!

As always, I own nothing. Nope. Nothing.

The light of the early summer morning shone through the curtains. The quiet around her was almost unbelievable, as if the rest of the world had disappeared along with the moon and the stars of the bitter-cold night. There was a peace that she felt that she hadn't experienced since she was a young child, wide-eyed and naive. So much had changed since then that it was constantly difficult to feel like that same person. The little blonde girl with the pig tails and bright eyes, content in her innocence and completely unaware of the dangers that roamed around her. Now, she was one of those monsters that hid under the bed, surrounded by the most terrifying creatures a parent could speak of. She was more than aware of the world around her, more so than the average eighteen year old. Deep down, she knew what she was doing was risky to the point of insanity, but she couldn't help herself. It was about time that she knew what she wanted and went after it, so that was what she was doing it. The world wasn't black and white, it wasn't good and evil. Not anymore. It was completely impossible for her to think like that; the guilt, the lectures, it wasn't worth it. She'd had no choice to grow up, and this was her learning how to live. How to live as a vampire. That would be one interesting Lifetime documentary, she was sure.

As she felt herself come to her senses around her, she lifted her knees up, her feet sliding effortlessly against the soft silk sheets. Her eyes fluttering open, she let out an unnecessary breath. Her hands ran through her messy curls, as she forced herself to push herself up into a sitting position. A part of her didn't want to get out of the warm bed, didn't want to disturb the peace. The night's slumber hadn't changed her mind about what she was doing, it didn't make her hesitate or consider her options. She wanted to be here.. with him. As crazy as that was - even to herself, don't doubt it - she didn't feel any regret. She knew what she wanted now, and she knew what she needed. She wanted and needed to be in New Orleans, to get a fresh start away from all the bad stuff in Mystic Falls. Of course, she wasn't an idiot. She knew that he'd done bad things; no, he'd done things so awful that it made her question her entire being. He'd hurt her friends, killed innocent people just for the hell of it. But life had become so morally grey, she didn't know the difference between good and bad. Who was she to have all of these opinions, when she'd killed an innocent person for her own survival. She'd hurt people, hadn't she? Not in the same way that he had, but she'd said it before and she'd say it again, over and over again. Anyone who can love, can be saved.

But she didn't want to save him, so to speak. She didn't want to fix him, or turn him into some selfless hero. She wasn't naive enough to think that was possible. But she refused to believe that he was completely gone; nobody was one hundred percent evil, and she knew that he had at least a bit of good with him. She'd seen it, after all. She'd seen the good in him, despite all of that bad stuff. Somewhere along the way, she'd started to believe in it more and more. But she wasn't there to save him, or show him the light, or whatever. She was there for herself. Not for him.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she pulled the covers away from her. The house was still in a complete silence, and it actually made her slightly anxious. She couldn't help the bubbling pit of nerves in the bottom of her stomach, growing each time she took one step closer to the door. Her hand froze on the handle and she took a deep breath, giving herself a pep talk in her head. Before she could change her mind and jump out of the window, she opened the door and quickly shut it behind her. She refused to be scared of him, but she'd only planned her words out to the point where she got to New Orleans. She hadn't bothered to think of the fact that she'd actually have to confront him the next morning, and she was getting anxious. What the hell do you say to a thousand year old hybrid with a crush on you, after you spend the night at his house? It wasn't as if she had all that much experience with this situation. Actually, she may have been the only person ever to have been put in this exact position.

She didn't give herself another moment to think about it, just headed down the corridor towards the stairs. She wasn't nervous of Klaus. Klaus did not make her nervous. Except, yeah, he absolutely made her nervous. Not because of the things he'd done, but what he had the power to do. The things he made her feel. But, she wasn't planning on telling him that. The jackass had enough of an ego already, without her input.

As she reached the end of the stairwell, she'd already sensed his presence in the lounge. Sucking in a breath, she subconsciously ran a hand through her hair once more, throwing it all over her right shoulder. Her steps got slower as she approached, spotting him with his back to her, already dressed. Apparently, his wardrobe hadn't changed along with his location, still dressed in his typical Henley and black pants. She knew that he knew she was there, but she stayed quiet anyway, leaning against the doorframe and watching him fill his glass.

"A little too early, don't you think?" She muttered playfully, biting down on her bottom lip. Her nerves only increased when she didn't get an answer, instead just him throwing back to contents of his glass.

When he did eventually turn around to look at her, almost hesitantly, she offered him her best reassuring smile. His eyes burned into her, and her undead heart felt as if it were actually beating. He had that effect on her, she'd realized long ago. After everything that they'd put each other through, that feeling of just wanting to be around him never went away. Nobody had ever looked at her like he did, or at least she'd certainly never noticed if they had. She wished the circumstances had been different because, she didn't doubt for a second, that she would have fallen for him the moment they had met.

"Never too early, love." He replied, with his usual smirk. As modest as ever, of course. Caroline just let out a laugh, rolling her eyes in response. She didn't feel like judging him and his drinking habits - it was definitely too early for that.

"Bad day already, hm?" She questioned, not sure if she was teasing or not. But, the lighter the conversation went, the easier it was for her nerves to drift off.

She could tell that he was hesitating to tell her something, in the slight quirk of his lip and the way his eyes wandered away from her. She'd seen it before, every time she'd said something that hit too close to him, or he attempted to acknowledge his feelings for her without actually saying it aloud. By this point, she'd grown so used to him, it wasn't difficult to understand him. Their … relationship, for lack of better term, had been up and down but she always seemed to know when he was uncomfortable. Whether, it was some confession filled with charm and sincerity - it was all for you, Caroline- or her dressed in a gown and bringing up his daddy issues.

He hadn't responded, still looking like he was trying to find the words to say. Suddenly, she was overcome with a wave of insecurity, as she considered that maybe her coming to the city wasn't such a great idea afterall.

"Um, okay, I'm just gonna… take a shower, go get dressed." She muttered awkwardly, bringing her arms up to wrap around herself as she turned around and headed back for the stairs.

When she'd reached the top of the stairs within a second, (thank God for vampire speed), he called out her name - Caroline, rolling off his tongue in that stupid accent as if he'd been rehearsing it for centuries. She ignored it, speeding back to her room and locking the door behind her.

Oh, if Marcel could see him now, he thought. The younger vampire would have a field day, watching him not even be able to open his mouth, all because of a blonde baby vampire. It was pathetic, he was well aware - whatever effect Caroline had on him, it wasn't exactly one that lived up to his reputation. If he had any chance of beating Marcel in his little game, then he had to live up to that reputation. There was no way in hell that he would be able to win back the city - his city,- with her around. Of course, then there was the problem of the werewolf girl currently carrying his unborn child.

Which he had been planning on telling her, to be fair. He'd thought it out, word for word, explaining to her why she may come across a girl that neither of them were too particularly fond of, living in his home. He'd wanted to tell her everything, even though he knew he didn't necessarily have to explain anything to her - but, still, he couldn't help but feel like he should. He'd made promises, declared that he would give her the world when she came around. Now, she'd shown up - and that wasn't a promise he was able to keep. Not with Elijah around, insisting on making the situation even less desirable with all the talk of redemption. Even after centuries, his brother refused to quit on him. He didn't know whether to be grateful for how much he seemed to care, or just positively frustrated by him.

Now Caroline had shown up, out of nowhere, completely unannounced - and, seemingly, willing to give him a chance. Though he wasn't entirely sure where the two of them now stood at this point, he assumed that her presence meant something had changed. Through the entire night, he'd been weighing his options, wondering just how long he could hold off telling her about Hayley's current situation before she found out. It was when the sun rose that he convinced himself that he'd have to tell her, before someone else did. The last thing he needed was 'Bekah being her spiteful self and demolishing the very small amount of trust Caroline had in him. So, his plan was to tell her about nature's delightful loopholes, and insist that she return to Mystic Falls before Marcel found out about her existence (and what it meant to him), which would undoubtedly endanger her in their battle for control of the city.

If Marcel had even the slightest idea what Caroline meant to him, he didn't doubt that she would be dead. Of course, he'd make sure every soul in the entire city would go down with her, but he couldn't have that. He was a selfish man; he would not have the one person on the forsaken planet that he did not wish death upon, go right ahead and die. That wasn't how things worked in his world.

She had to leave, he knew that. He shouldn't have let her stay in the first place, but he was far too overwhelmed by her showing up to be thinking clearly. Now that he'd had the entire night to get his head straight, he knew that he had to insist on her departure. It was in her best interest, really, he doubted that she'd hesitate to leave if she was aware of the danger that could come to her. Keeping Hayley around had been a risk, but one that he was willing to take. The same could not be said for Caroline. He wasn't about to put her in any kind of danger, not again. Never again.

As much as he wanted her there, he couldn't risk it. At this point, he knew that Marcel would do anything to get to him. If he found out that Caroline was the way, there was no knowing what lengths he would go to. After all, Klaus himself was the one who shaped him into the ruthless vampire that he'd become. Love was weakness - and they were not weak.

He could remember himself telling those words to his brother, many centuries ago. If only then, had he known just how wrong he had been.

He was weak, when it came to her. He'd had every intention to spill every last detail, about Hayley, the baby, the state of the city he had built… Instead, she'd walked into that room, and he'd frozen. She'd walked into that room, radiant and full of her usual light, with her luscious locks falling messily around her shoulders, and he couldn't bring himself to tell her. If he told her, there was a chance that he would leave. He was a selfish man; he would not let her leave.

So, he'd remained completely silent until she'd walked away. He'd called out to her once she was out of his sight, lacking any sort of enthusiasm. He'd gone back to his booze and listened as the shower started up, listened unintentionally at her footsteps moving against the floorboards above him.

At this point, he was questioning everything. He knew that Hayley would show up at some point, it was only a matter of time. Which meant that he'd have to get Caroline out of the house until he could find a better solution. But, that was too dangerous; if Marcel saw them or caught wind of Klaus with a girl (a girl whose features could be described similarly to a particular human bartender, especially), it would be game over.

It seemed as if he had ran out of options. Luckily for him, Hayley had disappeared somewhere or other along with both his brother and sister, so it was just a matter of telling her about the unfortunate situation before one of the trio returned.

He'd bet his fair share of money on that being far easier said than done, especially now that he'd actually attempted it.

It was still pretty early, which meant it was light out, he noticed as he stood from his seat and averted his attention to the window. Marcel had a limited amount of daywalkers, and few of them were out and about at this time of the morning. Even fewer of them would be on the farther end of the French Quarter, which gave him the perfect spot to hide her away for the day. Out of sight of his siblings, Hayley, Marcel and his little minions.

He could hear her wandering around upstairs, as he neared the staircase.

"Caroline, love," he called out to her, raising the corner of his lips almost schemingly. "We have somewhere to be."

"So, are you going to tell me where the hell we're going yet?" Caroline asked, her head falling against the window as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'll take the silence as a no, then. Again."

He hadn't told her what was so urgent that they needed to leave at the exact moment he had called her, but she'd quickly realized that it was nowhere particularly dangerous. The smirk that kept forming on his lips had proved that, and he was getting far more arrogant by the minute. Ever since she'd gotten in the car, she'd been feigning her disinterest, but it didn't take a genius to see that he wasn't buying the total lack of enthusiasm in her tone.

They hadn't actually spoken yet, which she was grateful for. The silence was strangely comfortable, as she admired the new scenery whilst he drove. It was… nice. It was that peace again, that she'd felt when she'd first woke up.

"You can take the silence as.." He spoke up, before pausing. here we are."

"...Where exactly is here?" Caroline questioned, with a confused expression, as the car came to an abrupt stop.

The view before her was nothing but a empty lot, with an old abandoned building. It was nothing particularly special, and probably the very last tourist destination a tour guide would have given her. Then again, her tour guide wasn't particularly average.

When the hybrid exited the car without a word, she followed suit. She looked around the obviously old setting, uselessly trying to find something that he would so desperately want to show her. As she did so, there was nothing that she could find particularly interesting. It was nothing but some muddy old pit, with a random house crumbling in the middle of it. By then, she'd realized that it was the house that he was so interested in.

"It's not a house. Or, at least, it wasn't always." He spoke, as if reading her mind. She didn't question him, just followed him inside. When he walked straight in, she frowned in confusion, but followed anyway.

"How can we get in?" She asked, shaking her head as she looked around the old place. The walls were damp, the paint cracked and dried up. There were cobwebs and dust surrounding them, and she was pretty sure she'd be frozen if vampires could feel the cold. It was such a typical abandoned building, and she was half-expecting to find a ghost or two roaming around the place.

"Klaus, where are we? What is this place?" She asked, considering he hadn't answered her previous question. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood for twenty questions today.

The way he was looking around made it fairly obvious that this was somewhere he'd known, and she had a feeling that she was about to be reminded of his actual age.

"When my family and I first arrived in New Orleans, I found this place. It was unoccupied and seemingly undiscovered - it's rather out of the way, I'm sure you noticed on the drive over - so I took it for myself. Found a witch, got her to put a spell on it. An invisibility cloak, if you will. It was mine, and mine only; nobody knew of it's existence, not even my siblings."

He looked at her and she smiled, silently encouraging him to continue with the story.

"I've always been fairly private with my artwork, and a lot of the time, I needed to get away from my siblings before I threw them in the what is now known as the Mississippi river." He let out a laugh, as if he was just telling the story to himself for the hundredth time, instead of her. "I used to come here quite often, really. For completely innocent purposes, I promise. Nobody died here.. that I'm aware of, anyway."

The more he spoke, the more she realized just how far in she'd gotten. He'd been so open with her about his paintings, and now he was showing her the one place he'd never showed anyone else. He'd had an invisibility spell on it, for crying out loud.

"The spell wore off once the witch died, so I had her daughter redo it before anyone could find it. It was when the daughter died, some disease or other in her fourties I believe, that the spell broke again and we fled New Orleans from Mikael shortly after. I had this place for over a century and not one person ever found out about it, apart from those witches. I assume someone discovered it soon enough, but whether or not anyone used it, remains unclear due to the state of it."

"You've never showed anyone this place…" Caroline echoed a few moments later, once she was sure he'd finished. "Apart from me. Here and now."

Klaus nodded in response and she couldn't help but smile. It was nice to have someone trust her that much, and the fact that he so clearly wanted her to really know him… She didn't mind it, at all.

"Well, it could use a dash of paint, but aren't you going to show me around?" She asked playfully, biting down on her bottom lip, causing him to chuckle.

"Follow me."

So, yay! This is my longest chapter so far, I believe? I feel like it's a little all over the place, but I hope it's just me being neurotic. The entire idea of the house came from the disgraceful lack of Klaus flashbacks so far on TO. I want his ridiculous wig back. Plus, the idea just came to me and I couldn't let it go. They're going to have a looooooot of talking to do next chapter, which will be up soon. Hopefully.

If you could drop me a review to let me know what you thought, that would be greatly appreciated. And be sure to follow me on tumblr at forbesalvatore! Also - huge thanks to everyone who reviewe, followed, etc! And, an even bigger thanks to nfinneman for the beautiful cover graphic. Until next time. xo