EEEEKKKK!

Apologies everyone, I accidentally updated the morning after the Ball instead of this one! You have no idea how embarrassed and red I am right now.
To compensate, here is the new chapter, and the chapter that was here instead of this one is also updated here as well.
Awkward for me!

Caroline didn't like showing up in his gift dress with his gift bracelet, but she couldn't help it. She didn't have much to choose from. But then again, she also didn't like showing up dateless, and she hadn't had any choice there. Tyler was someone she felt for so strongly, but in all truth he had been the one to bring her dad to Mystic Falls, the most supernaturally dangerous place on Earth. He had been the one to attack her dad and get him into the hospital where…where everything had happened. And he had just taken off after, no goodbyes, no consoling. She was beyond fed up. Much as she cared, he had done wrong here.

Caroline breathed, letting the feeling of the party wash over her as she left her wrap by the door. She walked across the marble floor, appreciating the sway of the dress that just seemed to fit her perfectly. Klaus had a seriously freaky Cinderella fetish here, but she did feel a little flattered. The blue brought out the depths of that colour in her eyes, which scanned the crowd, looking for a friend, for any face she recognised enough to talk to.

Like it had been planned by a romantic film director, the crowd parted, and she saw Klaus. He had been talking to some woman, and she was laughing flirtatiously at something he had said, but he only had eyes for her. His gaze burned her from across the room. She found herself drawn towards him, and he left his conversation without a glance or a word just to greet Caroline.

As she came closer, her stomach tightened. His gaze was happy, desirous…hungry. He made her feel wanted.

"Good evening," Klaus said warmly, light dancing in his eyes.

It made her feel so utterly confused, he was so different to the accounts she had heard only days and hours before about how vicious he was.

"I need a drink." She said, breaking away and heading for the bar. Caroline could feel his gaze burning on the nape of her neck. She had meant to tell him off for treating her like a girl to be bought rather than earned, but she had been distracted. That stupid ability that all men had where they looked drop dead fantastic in a tux…particularly the undead ones. She vowed to tell him off later, and she stormed off to find someone, anyone, to take her mind off everything for a while.

Caroline didn't even get the chance to find a drink or some company before the elder Salvatore gripped her.

"I need to talk to you."

She rolled her eyes, shoving his hand away, preferring to walk with him rather than be pulled. "Don't you need to get back to 'protecting Elena' and whatnot?" She thought that both of the brothers were being utterly infuriating, but when it came down to it she was on Stefan's side in the fight for Elena's heart, and Damon's caveman behavior was not doing him any favors in her book.

He gave her a withering glance before pulling her out to the empty corridor.

"I've heard you have a new admirer. A certain Big Bad who invited you here." "Not my fault that he's my new stalker." Caroline snipped. She didn't need another lecture on how evil Klaus was. She was well aware of it all.

"Good."

"What?"

"Good."

Caroline looked at him incredulously.

"New plan. Go talk to Klaus. See if he's…willing to let anything slip." Damon's words were fairly plain, but they both knew that she was being sent in as a spy.

"You're kidding, right?" Caroline searched Damon's face for any sign of humor aside from his usual sarcasm and ill-tempered wit. She found his annoying serious look instead.

"Sorry, Blondie, but if we're going to protect Elena, it means getting rid of any threats. And right now, the biggest threat is in the form of our charming hybrid host. And if our way of finding information is by using the precious few links we have, then we'll definitely be exploiting them." He smiled maliciously at her. "Aren't you glad he's chosen to pick on you this time."

Caroline glared at him. "Bite me."

"Been there, done that, got bored." Damon drawled at her and, with one last flash of his wide eyes at her, rejoined the party.

Caroline growled under her breath. She was being thrown in the path of Klaus like a rabbit under the wheels of a truck on a highway, and she didn't like it one bit. Shrugging off the growing negative feelings, Caroline turned the corner to enter the ballroom again. She seriously needed that drink.

After Elijah's encouragement speech to find a partner and waltz, people moved towards the ballroom in Noah's Arc-like couples. Caroline downed her drink with a solitary feeling in her chest. If Tyler were here…but even if he had been, she probably would have already had a confrontation and would be avoiding him right about now. She looked wistfully towards the ballroom. She had all that training from the Miss Mystic Falls competition, she was Miss Mystic Falls, it was just embarrassing to have no man to dance with.

She surveyed her options. Matt was already in the clutches of Rebekah, and seemed happy about it. She needed to talk to him about that, and soon. Damon had already dibbsed Elena, so there was no hope there. But that meant the younger Salvatore brother was free.

Caroline was debating whether she could be bothered dealing with Stefan's brooding mood and ask him to dance when the Big Bad handsome hybrid stepped in front of her. She blinked against her title for him in her head. Clearly the champagne was hitting her already.

"Miss Forbes, I do believe I asked if you would save me a dance. May I have the pleasure?" He made it all sound so sexy in his accent, and she suppressed a shiver. She would have turned him down, but she remembered Damon's plan. Besides, if she turned him down, then she would be alone. Plus that bitch from earlier would be all over him. She thought snidely before banishing the thought from her brain. Where had that come from?

Caroline took his offered hand and rolled her eyes characteristically.

"If you must."

He ignored her words, smiling like the cat that got the cream, and escorted her to the ballroom.

Caroline could feel Klaus' eyes on her the whole while as they walked to take their places in line for the waltz. She distracted herself by trying to find Matt and Rebekah to stand near them, but Klaus refused to let her wander off his path and led her to a particular spot. She huffed, and he chuckled, and she grumbled once she realized that he had put them in a spot where when the room shifted a partner, she would end up with Matt, who was right next to them, as she had failed to notice.

"Mind-reader." She said under her breath, and he smiled.

"Thought you'd like that best, love. Just so you wouldn't have to deal with me the whole time."

They began to step, and she shot one last wish at him.

"Just no words till the end of the dance, okay?"

He bit down gently on his own lips to signify his acceptance, and she couldn't help but stare. He glanced over to her and she finally looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

They stepped across the room and he continued to look at her rather than the rest of the room. When they arrived right before the spin, she looked over to meet his gaze, and was shocked at how soft it was. He spun her into his arms, and she kept her eyes on his, speaking without words.

She glanced away, deciding to watch over Matt and Rebekah instead, but his staring didn't cease.

"Alright, we'll talk, just stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I'm the only woman in the room."

He smiled. "You are."

She flustered and looked away from his intense gaze.

"I'm glad you came."

"Well, it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles." She said with an eye roll, trying to brush off the ache in her chest that her father's absence brought.

"I heard about your father." He stated, wanting to console her but not knowing how.

"Don't. Seriously." She said bluntly, looking straight at him for a beat. She didn't want sympathy. Not from him.

He understood. "Very well." He accepted. "Onto more mannered subjects then like how ravishing you look in that dress." He smirked, and her mind went into overload. His sexy smile only inches away. His gentlemanly hand on the middle of her back, only with two calloused fingers touching her skin in the most electrifying touch. His accent rolling around the 'r'. That hungry look in his eyes.

"I didn't really have time to shop." She said, tearing her eyes away from his.

"And the bracelet I gave you, what's your excuse for wearing that?" He continued, knowing he was trapping her.

She rewarded him with her expression, and he made a mental note to verbally trap her like that more. Her face was so pleasing when surprised and lost for words. But he'd save her today.

"You know, you're quite the dancer."

"Well, I've had training. I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls." She said, wanting to show him her accomplishments, her small town talents. But then she remembered who he was and how much he knew of the world, and felt foolish.

"I know." He smiled at her, and it was so unlike him that she was able to forget herself for a moment and smile back at him.

He let go of her to hold both hands before twirling her to his right, towards Matt. She stayed in that unusual state, smiling for a moment before remembering herself.

"What are you doing? Why are you here with the She-Devil?"

Matt, sweet Matt, was far too polite for his own good.

"What was I supposed to say, no? And why the hell are you here with Klaus?"

She gritted her teeth. "Don't even get me started."

Matt raised his brows. "Well? Go on."

Caroline sighed. "He invited me, same as Rebekah did you. And gave me a dress."

"What?"

"Don't, Matt. I know you're going to go on with the whole 'Tyler's my best friend' and 'Klaus is evil', but trust me, I have those thoughts in my head. And Klaus isn't into me like that. And more importantly, I'm not into him like that."

Matt blinked. "Wow, Caroline."

She breathed, trying to come back to a normal state of mind. "Sorry."

Matt sighed, letting the frown go from his brow. "Look, Tyler…well, we're close, but he's changed. And he left you in all the mess he created. He kinda left us all. I wouldn't exactly call him my best friend right now."

Caroline glanced up at his honest face, grateful. He continued.

"As for Klaus being evil, well, we all know he is. But technically so 'is' Rebekah. And I'm…well, she's interesting. And I cant help but think that people can change. Damon's done it, and so has Stefan, though that might not be the best example." He looked down at her, watching her face. "And Care?"

She caught his eye.

"You think too much."

She laughed, beaming up at him.

"How do you always know what to say?"

He grinned. "I know you way too well. And I'm just awesome like that."

Caroline smiled, comforted by her friends humanity. Matt hadn't changed. He had grown, and he had become more of who he used to be, but he hadn't changed. He was the steadfast rock of the group. He rocked from side to side like he used to back when they were younger and dancing without a care, and she giggled again. He danced completely differently to the smooth character she had spun with before, held her like the friendly boy she had always known him to be.

Caroline glanced towards Rebekah, catching her eye before the green-gowned blonde looked away.

"You'd be good for Rebekah, Matt. She needs someone level like you. And she's fun, and pretty, and good for you too." She saw Rebekah smile slightly; she'd clearly heard her. "Even if she might not be on the right team all the time."

Matt looked unsure as to what to say, and Caroline knew she should have kept her big mouth shut for just a little longer.

"I'm not trying to push your, Matt. Its your call. That's just my opinion." Though she could be a bloodslut at times, Caroline knew she was just jealous that Rebekah was everything Caroline had been working to be her whole life. Plus Caroline was one to talk: she hadn't exactly been celibate in Mystic Falls, even before Damon.

"Yeah, well I promise I wont tell anyone how you actually had a good word for Rebekah." Matt joked, and she smiled, twirling out of his arms as the song ended. They bowed and curtseyed while keeping their eyes on each other, biting back grins.

"May I have the honor of escorting you to the bar, Mistress Forbes?" Matt said with old world manners, falling back into their friendly banter.

Caroline giggled. "I'd be delighted, Master Donovan." He took her hand and wrapped it around the crook of his elbow, and they walked to the bar, oblivious to the heated gaze of the Original siblings.

Klaus was the first to notice Rebekah's envy, and he masked his own as he went to calm her.

"Bekah, now would not be the time to make a scene."

"That blonde Barbie bitch has him in her claws." She spat, shooting a glance at her brother. "Don't act like you aren't affected either. You pestered me enough to help you find that dress for her."

Klaus clenched his jaw shut and breathed through his nose.

"Regardless, you've already attacked someone this week, sister. Make it another, and that dagger might find its way back into your heart."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "You need to find some new threats, Nik. They're getting old and tired." She tilted her head, a sly look appearing on her face. "Perhaps I should have a little privacy with Caroline. A small, private, fatal moment, just to send a message to this town."

"Do that, and you'll find yourself in pieces at the bottom of the sea." Klaus deadpanned. "We've spent centuries in each others company, but don't think for one second that if you meddle I wont retaliate in kind."

Rebekah smiled smugly, pleased at her findings. "Charming, Nik. Nice to see that you care."

They both knew she wasn't referring to how he felt about his sister.

She sighed. "No meddling with your plans. You have my word."

Klaus was still stung by her discovery of his fierce reaction to protect Caroline, since even he hadn't predicted that he felt that strongly. He nodded briefly and sighed.

"I'll make sure to tear out that footballers intestines if he hurts you, Bekah. But since he has done nothing, and he is here tonight as your date I believe, then there should be nothing but peace here. Understood?"

"Yes, Father." She sneered at him, wanting one last jab before they parted ways.

Read and review if you like (especially the additional scenes), part 2 is on the way :)