I kicked down the door with the flat of my foot and burst into the house to find Elena waiting for me.

"Was it really necessary to ruin the door? I would've let you in," she said. Her hands were on her hips and I could sense that she was now a vampire even though she appeared no different.

"Oh...you know me, love. I enjoy a good show. Where's Rebecca?" I growled.

"She's upstairs with Damon."

"Willingly?"

"Go and see."

I sped up the stairs and searched every single room until I found Rebecca sitting on the floor of a room with a large bed, her head bowed. Damon was directly behind her, a large grin on his face. Rebecca heard the resounding noise of my footsteps and glanced up. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her forehead crinkled. She was clearly in pain.

"Where's the witch?" I asked, jumping to conclusions. The symptoms looked very similar to what Bonnie could induce in a vampire.

"I don't think I'll say. You'll probably kill her. And then I would get in trouble with Elena. Although, if you can come up with a way to kill her that doesn't involve Elena finding out, let me know, and I will willingly assist you."

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just a little of this and that. I think it hurts. Does it hurt, darling?" he mocked.

Rebecca didn't move an inch. Damon was caressing a wooden stake and stroking it carefully. Then in a flash the stake was in Rebecca's stomach. Rebecca cried out in agony and doubled over.

"God damn it, Damon. What do you want from me? Just let her go."

"All we want is for you to leave town. We're tired of your little games; of you screwing up our lives."

"And what will stop me from coming right back?"

"I think we'll keep your lovely sister. If you go I can promise no harm will come to her. But if you stay...who knows."

"I could kill you," I said simply.

"You could try. I'll just remind you that I have a significant amount of back-up. Seems ambitious of you." Then Damon swiped another stake out of his jacket and was preparing to slam it into Rebecca's body.

"Like hell," I yelled, and before he could stab her I confronted him only to feel a sharp pain in my back that consumed me. I collapsed to the ground, my legs no longer functioning properly. I turned my head to see Elena standing over me, the stake she was gripping was dripping with my blood. She had grown stronger; more assertive. One of her traits that must have grown during her transformation.

"Why can't you just leave, Klaus? Is it really so hard? No one in Mystic Falls appreciates you, loves you, and you can't use me anymore for you stupid hybrid army anymore. So what's keeping you?"

"Love, Elena. Something I thought you understood," I whispered.

"Is that a joke? You don't have the capability to love someone."

"I love Rebecca, I always have. I've already lost everything, Elena. All I want is my family," I said, trying to appeal to her compassionate side.

Elena glanced up at Damon. He shook his head and nodded back down at me.

"Why's he still around? I thought you chose Stefan? Or is he still a soft spot for you?" I growled. Compassion didn't work so now it was time to shove my way inside her head and Damon had always been a sensitive topic.

"How do you know about that?" she whispered.

"Everyone does, Elena. Come on."

Elena sighed to herself. "It was just a lucky guess, wasn't it? You're just trying to make it sound like you know everything that happens in this town."

"Don't I?" I teased.

Her answer was to stab me in the back again. There were now only two ways out of this situation. I could leave or I could call Caroline to me but then she would be put into an uncomfortable situation where she would be forced to choose between me and her friend. And I couldn't do that to her. Love was about to destroy me just like I'd always preached.

"Alright," I sighed. "I promise I'll leave and not come back with two conditions."

"Which are?" Elena questioned.

"I get to take Rebecca with me and if anybody in this town invites me back, I have permission to."

This time Elena didn't look to Damon for assistance in her decision. "Deal." And she stuck out her hand. I overheard Damon hit something in the background and stomp out of the room. She had put her trust in me like she did in Elijah some time ago; and Damon hadn't been excited about it then. I grasped Elena's hand and shook. "We have a deal then," I murmured.

I stumbled over to Rebecca and drew the stake from her stomach. She released a huge breath she had been holding and tilted her head up at me. "Thank you, Nick," she sighed in relief.

"Lost your faith in me?"

"No of course not. Always and forever. I still remember Nick. I'm just relieved you did too."

"So you did doubt me."

"Kay, I did. But do you blame me?"

I shook my head and gripped her hand in mine. "Let's get out of here." And with that, Rebecca and I crashed through the window. Might as well do some damage.

"So you're going to leave her?" Rebecca said timidly.

"Ah...that's what you were worried about. That I would choose to let you be tortured for life because of Caroline. But, I think I do have to leave her. She's a weakness anyways, and I can't have those. She could always invite me back besides."

Rebecca touched me lightly on the shoulder. "I'll go pack our stuff, Niklaus. Go say goodbye."

"Thank you."

Caroline's POV

I was still hanging out at Elena's waiting for Klaus to come back out just in case he needed me. I wasn't going to break that promise however much I regretted it. I heard a loud crash and jumped. It sounded like the tinkling of glass breaking.

Then he was there.

"You're still here," he mumbled, surprise infecting his voice.

"I am. What happened in there? I heard glass breaking or something."

He lowered his eyes to his feet and wouldn't say anything or glance at me. I bent my knees and tried to peek my head in so that I could see his blue eyes, but it was no use. So I set my shoulders and placed my hand on his cheek as light as a feather.

"What happened Niklaus?" I whispered, trying out his full name to see if I could illicit a reaction. Any reaction. I'd only seen him like this once before when I snubbed him at the dance. It worked. He lifted his head up.

"Can you say that again?"

"What?"

"My name," he said.

"Niklaus."

"I love the way you say it. You make it sound special, beautiful. You make me sound special. Not your intention, I know, but it's true."

"What happened?"

He took a deep breath. "I have to leave town. I came to say goodbye."

I thought about asking why but suspected he wouldn't tell me. "What do you want me to say?"

"That you'll miss me. That we had something. That every single one of my attempts to attract you to me wasn't wasted. That I have a chance. A million things, Caroline. But you don't owe that to me. I'll miss you Caroline. Goodbye, my angel."

"Goodbye, Klaus." And with a wisp of wind, he had disappeared.

"Wait," she whispered to the wind. "I've always been drawn to you, I've just been fighting it. I will miss you, despite what you think."

*Thank you for all the alerts and comments. They literally give me the hugest smile every single day. Stick with me...I think it'll be worth it. I love you all and thank you again.