Klaus awoke the next morning near the hybrid's encampment. After his fight with Caroline last night, he decided that a good rage-filled bender was what he needed. He transformed into his wolf form and went hunting, ripping apart anything and everything in his path.

He was on the ground, naked, covered in blood and dirt. He eased himself off the ground and headed back to his cabin. He could still taste the blood and hear the screams from the kills he made last night. But they did not ease his anger. In fact his rage had given way to another emotion, one he had never experienced before in his centuries long existence. Heartache.

Caroline had betrayed him. She had lied. He didn't believe for a second that she didn't know exactly where Stefan was and what he had planned. Why had he been so stupid as to let her get that close? After all, she had admitted right up front that she was supposed to be discovering everything he was hiding. Now Damon and the others would know all about his weaknesses. No, not weaknesses; just unforeseen occurrences in his plans. Occurrences that would be remedied soon enough. Now that he wouldn't have Caroline as a distraction, he could get back to business.

But damn it! The thought of her name made his wicked heart clench in pain. His only option would be to do what all those heartbroken lovers did over the centuries in every book and every film and every song. He would run. He would take his doppelganger and get as far away from Mystic Falls as possible. He would build his hybrid army, kill Stefan, and resolve things with Rebecca. Maybe he wouldn't kill her just yet. Perhaps a couple hundred years back in her coffin would simmer her anger towards him.

Once Klaus reached his cabin, he went into the bathroom to clean himself off. While he dressed, he thought of ways he could capture Elena without it being too much of a hassle. And without seeing Caroline, he thought. But that was the difficult part. Caroline would be able to report back to Stefan that he had taken Elena. Klaus wasn't sure what Stefan's retaliatory move would be. He didn't want to have to kill Caroline in order to keep her silent.

He groaned inwardly. Yes even now he didn't want to hurt her. In the old days, she would have been expendable. He wouldn't have hesitated to snap her neck if she pissed him off or got in his way. It was why he shoved her away from him last night and screamed at her to leave. He didn't trust himself and the impulsiveness that had ruled him for hundreds of years. Even though she had hurt and betrayed him, he didn't want her to fall victim to his temper.

There was a knock at the cabin door. Klaus moved toward it wondering who it might be. Surely it wasn't Caroline? He couldn't decide if he hoped it was or not. She's a bloody idiot for showing up here, he thought as he reached for the knob and whipped the door open. Would he be able to spare her a second time? It wasn't Caroline though. It was Annie. Klaus glared at the hybrid.

"What do you want," he snarled at her.

"You said to come back to you with any news from the Sheriff's house," she replied timidly.

Klaus turned his back on her and walked back into the cabin, leaving the door wide open. "You are no longer required to do that."

"Oh," Annie took a few steps through the threshold, glancing around at her master's temporary home. "Well the blonde vampire, Carol or whatever, she went back there last night. Stayed the night there."

"It's Caroline," Klaus corrected. "I suppose her and mummy dearest made up then." Klaus had a thought, if Caroline was at home, that meant that he could slip in and kidnap Elena. Her absence would provide him a small window of time in which Stefan would have no idea what he was planning.

"I don't know if making up is what I'd call it," Annie quipped bringing Klaus out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"Well this morning I saw—"

"Klaus!" Annie was cut off by another hybrid entering the room, a boy, probably about fifteen years old.

"Aren't I popular today?" Klaus smirked sarcastically. These hybrids didn't realize that he was severely pissed off and they were treading on dangerous ground. Clearly he had been too lenient with them.

"I have good news," the boy told him.

"It had better be very good news," Klaus stared toward him with wide, serious eyes.

"I've found Stefan Salvatore's location. Got a weird tip off last night, so I went to check it out. He's only about 10 miles out of the city."

Klaus's smile became real. Finally things were falling into place for him. "Well then, seems I suddenly have someone I need to be."

Caroline woke up. She felt groggy and could barely lift her head. She was sitting upright and for some reason she couldn't move her arms or her legs. She was back in the vampire dungeon. Or wait had she never left? Was her dad still there waiting to try and burn the vampire nature out of her? She blinked a couple times and shook her head to clear it.

No, wait, that was in the past. She had escaped that. Tyler and her mom and rescued her. Her mom! That's right. This was part of the plan. She was staring to get her bearings back. She remembered the plan to end the war in Mystic Falls. She remembered her mom injecting her with vervain and being dragged out of her house this morning by some of the council members. The events of the morning and the night before were slowly coming back to her.

Last night, after talking with her mother in the driveway, she had gone back inside to pack up a few things. If anyone had been watching outside her mother's house, it would look more convincing for it to appear as if she were moving back in permanently. As Caroline was collecting her things, Damon came into the room.

"You sure you're going to be able to handle this," he asked her, "you're usually not the one putting yourself on the line."

"Then maybe it's time I did," Caroline replied sternly, not looking up from things.

"I'd rather you not mention this plan to your evil hybrid boyfriend if you don't mind."

"That's fine Damon," she replied turning from him back to her dresser drawers. Damon grabbed her by the arm and jerked her around to face him. She hissed at him, her fangs dropping.

"I'm serious Caroline. I don't want him fucking things up for us."

"You don't have to worrying about him 'fucking' things up. I haven't told him anything because we are no longer speaking. So you can take you god damn hands off of me." Caroline jerked her arm away from his grasp. The two vampires glared at each other for a moment, before Caroline broke the stare and continued to pack.

"What? Trouble in paradise already?"

"Don't pretend like you care Damon. You don't fool me for a second. Just because you're in love with Elena doesn't mean you give a damn about the rest of us," she turned to face him, staring at him coldly, "I know that if it ever came down to it, we would all be expendable if it meant protecting Elena."

"My, my blondie. Don't hold back, tell me how you really feel," Damon cocked his head to one side.

Deep down, Caroline knew it wasn't really Damon she was angry at. She didn't even know why she was saying these things. It wasn't like it wasn't true. But it made it sound like she wouldn't be willing to sacrifice herself to save any of her friends. She would put her own life on the line in a heartbeat. Hell, that's what she would be doing in less than 24 hours.

"Just forget it Damon, I didn't mean it," Caroline sighed. She zipped up her blue duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Well damn, I was enjoying this little tiff we were having," Damon smirked at her. Just like that the argument was forgotten. "It is true though," he continued, "I'd choose Elena over anyone else without a second thought."

"I know," Caroline replied, "And that's how it should be."

"And," Damon added nonchalantly, "I'm sure Klaus would do the same for you. I guess if he's into you there must be some microscopic part of him that isn't completely evil."

Caroline snorted lightly at his response. "Thanks for the attempt Damon. But girl talk doesn't really suit you."

"Look all I'm saying is I know what it's like to be an impulsive, murderous, asshole." Caroline gave him a weak smile. It was true. Damon would always be an impulsive, murderous, asshole and nothing would ever change that. But his feelings for Elena would rein him in. Hadn't she been the one pointing out the similarities between Klaus and Damon herself?

"Well it doesn't really matter anymore, "Caroline said aloud, "because he thinks I lied to him and betrayed him. He's never going to trust me again."

Damon looked at her, real concern slipping into his expression. "What do you mean?"

It dawned on her then that she had almost completely forgotten her conversation with Stefan. Well not so much the actual conversation, but the details of it. Time was running out and if things went wrong for her…she decided she needed to let Damon know what was going on.

"Look, Damon, I have something to tell you and please don't be angry with me."

"No promises," he said crossing his arms over his chest and staring her down suspiciously.

Caroline began to spill the beans about her contact with Stefan. She told him how long she had been talking to him, what he had said, and she definitely told him the latest news about Rebecca. Damon nodded and listened quietly throughout the story. Stefan had been right about Damon agreeing that they shouldn't tell Elena.

"She's finally let it go and started to be happy again. I wouldn't want her going back to square one if she found out that Stefan was still checking up on her," Damon said.

Caroline quirked an eyebrow. "You sure there aren't other reasons you wouldn't want her hung up on Stefan again?"

"Cute." Damon grimaced.

Caroline laughed lightly and shook her head. "Well I better get going," she said finally making her way out of the bedroom.

"Hey Caroline," Damon called to her from down the hall. She turned back and looked at him questioningly. "Sometimes vampires live so long trusting only themselves, that they forget how to trust other people. It can be broken by the slightest misstep. Just something to think about." He nodded at her and the slipped towards the back of the house.

Caroline considered his words as she left the house that night. Another idea had come to her on her way back home. She would need to take care of a couple of things before the council came for her in the morning.

So I really like that little bit between Caroline and Damon. It was nice for me to write. I've been watching a few episodes from the end of Season 2 for inspiration every now and then and man oh man has Damon come a looooong way! I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he was forced to step up once Stefan left (which I touched on in an earlier chapter). In case you can't tell, I am a Delena shipper, and I like that Damon has this ruthless quality about him when it comes to Elena. In my mind Klaus would be the same way about Caroline, so I thought it was important that she know that. So who better to drop the hint than Damon eh?

Anyways, enough of my ramble! Let me know what you think, I always love to hear :) You guys are phenomenal!

Cheers!

p.s. double update again. haha I love my double updates and I know you guys do too!