A/N: Thank you to Sophie, D, and Wifey for betawork.
Enjoy!
-Angie

"I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. He's what?"

"Judging by the incredulity in your voice, I'm going to argue that you most likely heard me correctly."

"Is...is that even possible?"

"Well, your ears work, so—"

"Not funny, Kol. I meant is it even possible to turn me into an Original?"

"Apparently, yes."

"How?"

"I only told you what he's doing, not how he's doing it," Kol said uncomfortably, before brightening. "So, about Bonnie…"

Caroline huffed and repeated the rules Bonnie had given her, and Kol shrugged. "I can work with that. Tell her I'll call her."

"Did she give you her number?" Caroline asked, a bit surprised.

"Of course not. I looked in your phone."

"That's an invasion of privacy."

"What, worried I'll stumble across a provocative photo being sent to my brother?"

"I've never sent a provocative photo to Klaus."

"Oh, so you have to Elijah? Or perhaps Finn before your dear friend Matthew killed him."

Caroline just rolled her eyes, though she did note the resentment in his voice when he spoke of Finn's death.

"What do you think she'd like?" Kol asked, changing the subject.

"Aren't you supposed to figure that out?"

"But I want to make a good impression."

Caroline sighed, and resisted the urge to ask the question that had been nagging at her for weeks. Bonnie and Kol had barely any interaction, and what they'd had, from what Caroline understood, was negative. Violent, even. She just didn't understand why Kol was so focused on her friend. She knew that Bonnie could take care of herself, and she had a gut feeling that Kol would never really hurt Bonnie, but all the same, something felt off.

"Why Bonnie, Kol?" she asked abruptly, caving to her rare bout of impulsivity.

"I'm not sure that I understand what you mean," Kol said, his voice low and slightly dangerous.

"I think you know exactly what I mean. Why Bonnie? I mean, I don't exactly blame you, because I have high standards for people that I associate with—don't give me that look, it's rude—and she's my best friend, so that says something. I just want to know that you're not going to hurt her."

"She's smart, interesting, and pleasing to the eye. I don't understand what more I need to explain," Kol said edgily.

"Because there are plenty of girls that are smart, interesting, and pleasing to the eye, and you chose Bonnie. Why?"

Kol pursed his lips and propped his feet up on the coffee table, apparently resigned to the fact that he wasn't getting off of their (newly purchased) living room couch any time soon.

"I don't know. I just felt a sort-of pull—"

"Oh, no...Please don't tell me vampires have mates too."

Kol snorted. "Well, one vampire does for sure, and it's not me."

Caroline glared at him.

He gave her an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders before continuing. "Look. Bonnie is special. She's incredibly powerful magically."

"So you like her because she's powerful?"

"Will you let me finish before you start throwing your assumptions in all the wrong directions, please?"

"Sorry."

Kol huffed. "Look. I was daggered in the early 1800s. If you think that Nik's sexist—which I know you do, darling, I've heard you say it—you should have seen the 19th century. Bonnie is smart, funny, and brave, and she's outspoken, which I enjoy. I've never met anyone quite like her. She interests me."

Caroline didn't smile, though she felt a bit better about the whole thing.

Or, at least, she did until Kol suddenly gave her a wicked smile and cocked his head to the side. "Did I pass?"

Caroline leaned forward slowly until she was slightly invading Kol's personal space. He raised an eyebrow, and her eyes narrowed. "If you hurt her, I will tie you up with vervain-soaked ropes and cut off your dick with a white ash dagger, and when it grows back, I'll do it again. Over and over. Do you understand me?"

Kol looked slightly nauseated. "You and Nik are perfect for each other, did you know?"

"Do you understand?" she hissed.

"Yes. I do understand. I'm not an idiot. Now can you please explain to me what I should do for my date with Bonnie?"

XXX

"Ready?" Caroline asked as Bonnie as she got out three shot glasses and a bottle of tequila, setting them on the bedside table.

"Ready."

Caroline checked the clock. They still had about fifteen minutes before Elena/Katherine was due to arrive, and she and Bonnie had planned the night carefully. "Okay, so, what do we do if she's Katherine?"

"Pretend everything is normal," Bonnie said. "We'll figure out what to do later."

Caroline nodded, letting out a sharp breath. "So. When's your date with Kol?" Caroline asked.

Bonnie shrugged, sinking down on the bed next to Caroline. "In a few days. He wants to take me to one of the giant indoor flower gardens in the city."

"Really?" Caroline asked, frowning.

She'd suggested a movie and dinner, but Kol apparently had his own ideas. It was smart, she had to admit. Bonnie had always loved nature, and as a witch, that connection was intensified. It was the perfect mix of romantic and personal, and she was a bit surprised Kol had managed to come up with it.

"Yeah," Bonnie said, shrugging.

"And are you excited?" Caroline asked slowly.

"If by 'excited' you mean that a sense of dread has been steadily growing within me since you told me that it was going to happen, then yes."

Bonnie was about to answer when Caroline heard footsteps down the hall, and she gave Bonnie a significant look. Elena (Katherine? Who knew) walked into the room, tossing her purse on the floor. "Hey."

"Hey 'Lena."

"What are we watching?"

"Your favorite movie," Caroline sang.

"What?'

"Pretty Woman."

Katherine gave them a huge smile. "Yes! I love that movie."

She knew it was Katherine because Elena would rather die than watch five minutes of that movie.

Well, to be fair, Elena would rather die than do a lot of things, but in this instance it seemed extreme enough to be an example.

Still though, they put in the DVD and waited for the menu screen to come up, cuddling up together on the bed, the popcorn resting on Bonnie's lap, who sat in the middle.

"Remember that time that we made popcorn Christmas ornaments in sophomore year?" Caroline asked abruptly, injecting a note of nostalgia into her voice.

"Yeah, totally. You told us you'd never speak to us again," Bonnie said, picking up her cue flawlessly.

Actually, she'd told them that if they didn't stop eating the popcorn they'd get fat and wouldn't be able to fit in their cheerleading uniforms for regionals, but it seemed like a plausible enough lie.

"Remember that Elena?" Caroline prompted.

Katherine got her second strike when she giggled and nodded.

"Drinking game time!" Bonnie said as she passed the popcorn bowl to Katherine and reached over Caroline to grab the tequila bottle off the bedside table, settling it between her knees. Caroline passed the other girls shot glasses. "Whenever Kit says 'fuck', Edward Lewis is on the phone, or Vivian's naked, take a shot."

"We know the rules, Bon," Caroline said, grabbing another handful of popcorn.

They started the movie, and when they downed their first shot, Katherine didn't even grimace.

Elena hated tequila.

Strike three.

XXX

Klaus perked up as he heard the ringtone he'd assigned to Caroline float through the air, and pulled out his phone as quickly as possible, swiping the screen to answer.

"Hello, love."

"What the actual fuck is your problem?"

"Which one are you speaking of?" he asked, attempting to use humor to diffuse the situation. It didn't work.

"Don't be an asshole. It's not cute. And I mean the one where you've decided to turn me into an Original without asking."

"How did you—"

"Kol," she growled. "And judging from that reaction, I"m assuming that you weren't going to tell me until you did the spell?"

He winced. "I would have told you beforehand," he said, not even sounding convincing to his own ears.

"Don't lie to me, Klaus."

"I just want to keep you safe."

"Well, I don't want you to do it. It seems a bit unnecessary."

"But there is literally nothing bad that can come out of it," he argued, trying to be reasonable. "Name one negative consequence."

"You can dagger me," she said straightforwardly. "And if you'll put your own family in a box, how do I know that you won't if I disagree with you?"

"I would never do that," he said, a bit surprised at her reasoning.

"You say that now," she mumbled.

"Caroline, you're my mate. I could never hurt you."

"Which is why you bit me and stabbed me with a lamppost," she pointed out.

"My brother had just died, and the boy my mate was seeing was mocking me for it. I'm not saying it makes it all right, but there are extenuating circumstances there."

"Fair enough," she mumbled.

"And if you were an Original, the werewolf bite wouldn't kill you," he said cajolingly.

He heard her huff on the other side of the line, and smirked, smoothing his voice. "Please, Caroline, just consider it."

"Klaus…"

"Please, sweetheart? You don't have to say yes. Just think about it."

He pushed down a smile as she took in a sharp breath. "Fine. I'll think about it," she said, her voice slightly strangled.

"Thank you," he said, keeping his voice soft and slightly seductive.

"Besides your secretive douchery, we have another problem," Caroline said tightly, clearly trying to ignore him.

"What sort of problem?"
"Katherine is stuck in Elena's body, and she won't tell us how she got there."

Klaus froze, all plans of seduction fleeing his mind immediately. "Is she?"

"Yes. Why do you sound happy? This isn't a good thing, Klaus."

"She can help."

"Help with what?"

"The spell."

"I told you. I don't want to do that spell."

"And then you told me that you'd think about it. Once I get the ritual ready, we can talk about whether you actually want to go through with it. I've made significant progress, and I'd rather have it on hand just in case."

"Whatever. How would Katherine help with the spell?"

"We need the blood of a doppelganger for the spell, and if I know Katerina Petrova, which I do fairly well, I would wager that she knows more about doppelgangers that almost anyone alive."

"Will her blood work even though she's a vampire?"

"No, but she can easily help us locate the new doppelganger."

"There's a new one already? I thought that they were only born once every hundred years, and in case you didn't notice, Elena is a doppelganger, and she was born less than 20 years ago."

"Common myth, love. Doppelgangers are always born within a year of the last one dying. They don't need to be in the same family line, though it's more likely that they will be born in the Petrova line than any other. Since Elena died about two years ago, there should be a one year old Petrova doppelganger toddling around somewhere in a pre-school."

"You cannot kill a baby to make me an Original!"

Klaus resisted the urge to point out that he could do whatever he damn well pleased if it would protect her, instead opting for the diplomatic route. "We wouldn't be killing the baby. We'd simply take a little blood. Only a teaspoon or so."

"But it's a baby."

Klaus decided not to acknowledge her rather weak rebuttal, instead trying to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand. "I need to speak with Katerina."

"She's not here right now. Plus, I want Elena back, and I think that's a bit more important than the spell."

"Well, we can't put her back until I speak with Katerina."

"But Elena's my best friend."

"How do you know that it's Katerina?"

"Just some behavioral stuff, plus she didn't know about a childhood memory that Elena definitely would have remembered."

"Well, I'm sorry love, but we can't put her back yet."

"I'll find a way."

He sighed. "We don't even know if it's possible, love."

"I'll make it possible."

"While I do not doubt that there is some way to do it, I'd really rather wait."

There was silence on the other end of the line before Caroline sighed. "You're anxious and it's making me anxious."

"I wouldn't be if you'd just agree to wait."

"Fine. I'll give you a week. And Katherine has to do Elena's homework."

"That's not exactly up to me, love."

He felt a foreign tug of annoyance in his gut and rolled his eyes. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," she said primly.

"How are you doing?"

He heard her laugh quietly. "I'm doing fine. You?"

"Better now that I'm talking to you," he admitted.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said, though he could hear the smile in her voice.

"It's not flattery if it's true."

She laughed. "Whatever you say."

"I'll be back next week, and I'll show you."

"Stop it with the voice," she snapped.

"The voice?" he asked, a bit amused.

"Yes. That—the voice that you do when you're trying to...to seduce me, or whatever."

"Is it working?" he asked.

He grinned as he heard her let out a soft moan. "No," she said irritably, though she sounded a bit breathless, and then the line went dead.

XXX

There was something wrong.

She could tell as soon as she opened her eyes and saw Caroline and Bonnie standing in front of her, looking angry. They were in a jail cell, and when Katherine tried to move, she found herself tied down.

God, she hated being a baby vampire. One year of strength was a hell of a lot less than 600.

"What's going on?" she asked, adding a quiver of fear to her voice that wasn't entirely manufactured.

"We know you're Katherine."

Oh, well that explained it.

"What do you want?" she asked, not bothering to keep up the Elena act.

"We want Elena back."

"Sorry, that's not happening. It's permanent."

Caroline shook her head frantically. "It can't be. There's no such thing as a permanent spell."

"Believe what you want, cupcake. It's permanent."

Caroline and Bonnie glowered at her. "Look, we're going to find a way to break the spell, but we'll make you a deal," Bonnie said.

"You won't break it."

"You should probably listen to our proposal anyway, cupcake, since there's nothing to lose," Caroline snapped.

"Fine. What?"

"We need to find the next doppelganger."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "And why would I want to help you with that?"

"Because if you do, we'll keep you alive when we break the spell."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "My old body is human. Decomposing in the ground right now."

"We'll find a new body," Caroline said, shrugging.

"But I don't want a new body. I want my body."

"Well, better alive in a foreign body than dead without one. Besides, if you're so sure that we won't break the spell, you have nothing to lose," Caroline said. "And we'll owe you."

That seemed to be the clincher, and Katherine's eyes narrowed.

"Fine, I'll help you, but on one condition."

"What's that?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

Katherine turned to glare at Caroline. "My freedom. For real this time. My freedom and my right to be with Elijah, if he...if he'll take me back," she said, slightly ashamed of how close to shaking her voice was at the end.

"Done," Caroline said immediately, before pulling out her phone and holding it up to her ear.

"I have her," Caroline said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I"ll put you on speaker."

"Katerina," Klaus said, his voice crackling over line. "I have a task for you."

"Oh. Just what I've always wanted."

"Now, Katerina, you wouldn't want me to go back on the terms of our deal, would you? Just because you would make it easier to find the doppelganger doesn't mean you're not replaceable."

"Fine," Katherine said through gritted teeth, inwardly cursing every fucking deity she could think of.

"I know that you have information on your distant relatives. You've kept track of them over the years, just in case one of your shadow selves was born. Haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'd like you to send me the information so that I can pay them each a little visit, just to see if it's possible that any of the recently born children are doppelgangers."

"Fine. I'll send you the information once your goddamn girlfriend lets me out of these ropes."

"Ahh, yes. About that, Katerina. You will tell absolutely no one that Caroline is my mate, or that she's even associated with me. Do you understand?"

"Whatever."

She heard him chuckle, and gritted her teeth as Caroline picked up the phone again. "I"ll talk to you later," she said, before pausing and frowning. "What? No. No, Klaus..."

She sighed, apparently annoyed by whatever he was saying (Katherine cursed Elena's weak baby vampire ears for what must have been the thousandth time).

"No...Ugh. Fine. Fine," Caroline growled, hanging up and turning to Katherine, her hands on her hips.

"You're staying with me and Kol in our apartment, but I swear to god I will keep your neck perpetually snapped if you so much as touch my closet."

"Oh, like I'd want any of your grandma cardigans anyway," Katherine sneered, inwardly a bit relieved.

She hadn't been kidding when she'd talked to Matt. She much preferred Caroline to Bonnie.

And who knew, maybe she could use the time to try to establish a friendship with the girl. If all went well with Elijah, they'd be in each others' lives for a very long time.

Which reminded her, she should really give Elijah a call.

XXX

Caroline took a deep breath as she walked down the hallway to the bulletin board where the parts would be posted. Kol was trailing behind her, texting on his phone, not paying attention, and when Caroline stopped in front of the board, Kol knocked into her, snatching his phone out of the air when he fumbled and nearly dropped it.

Caroline felt a smile stretch across her face. "I got Audrey!" she yelled happily, practically jumping up and down.

"That's great, darling," Kol said distractedly, peering over her shoulder. "The dentist. Hmm."

"That part is perfect for you," Caroline informed him, still unable to wipe the smile off of her face. "Hold on, I need to call Bon—" she paused as her phone rang.

She pulled it out and pressed the talk button. "Hello?" she asked, even though she knew perfectly well who it was.

"I take it from the intense and foreign feeling of excitement I have been experiencing for the past few moments that your part was posted?" Klaus asked, his voice hoarse as though he'd just woken up.

"Were you in bed?" she asked without thinking, her pussy clenching as she listened.

He chuckled, and she felt heat pool inside her at the sound of it. "Yes. I'm three hours behind you. It's six thirty here."

"I'm sorry," she said, not sure exactly what she was apologizing for.

"It's all right, my love."

She fought down a moan, trying to ignore Kol's slightly nauseated face as he backed away slowly.

"What are you up to?" she asked, slightly breathless.

"I'm just about to talk to a witch in Portland about using a different natural anchor than a white oak tree."

"Why?"

"There are too many people that know that the white oak stake has the power to kill us. Since we have the opportunity to use a different natural anchor, I'd rather it wasn't as predictable."

"What do you mean create another natural anchor?" Caroline asked, frowning.

"When my family and I were turned into vampires, the white oak tree was used as an anchor for the spell, as was the vervain powder and a solar eclipse, and that's why those three things are our weaknesses. Theoretically, we could have used any natural anchor as long as it was strong enough to channel the spell."

"So you're saying that you want to give me different weaknesses?" she asked slowly.

He sighed from the other end of the line, and she tried to ignore the way that it made her stomach flip.

"Essentially, yes. I was hoping to anchor it to an endangered tree to replace the white oak stake, which would make it much harder to find. I've taken the liberty of having Antarctic hairgrass imported to serve as the vervain equivalent."
"You're taking this pretty seriously."

"You're my mate," he said simply, as though it explained everything. "Now, back to the musical…"

"I got the part I wanted," she said gleefully.

"Congratulations, sweetheart. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks."

"I'll be home in just a few days. We should celebrate."

"Okay."

"Anyway, I've got to run, love. I'm meeting with the witch in a few hours, and I need to shower and get ready."

She couldn't help but picture him in the shower, water droplets running down the sinewy muscles of his naked body, and flushed slightly. "You're doing that on purpose."

"Doing what?" he asked, his voice deceptively innocent.

She huffed. "Whatever, we can talk later."

"We certainly can," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm sure it wasn't. Farewell for now."

She snorted. "Farewell," she mocked. "I'll see you when you get home."

She hung up the phone and stuck it into her purse, calling for Kol to follow her as she left the building. It took her until she'd started the car to realize her slip of the tongue.

Home.

A/N: Thanks for reading! How did we like the chapter? Are we excited to see how Katherine will help? Do we think Kalijah is on the horizon? Are we happy about the Kennett development? I'm not sure whether I want to put their date in or not, but if you want it, you should let me know. Excited for the musical? Did we like the klaroline development? Any predictions? Tell me everything! :D
Hugs!
-Angie