OMG! This took me forever to write. I just needed it to be perfect and perfection is just the worst when you have so much story to write and you're only 9 chapters in. Anyhoo, I hope it was worth the wait.

Chapter 8: Appaloosa

The Apache Camp

Caroline and Elena giggled at the sight of Klaus. He and Elijah must've had a tussle by the look of his bloody nose. She hoped Elijah put him in his place. Served him right for being a complete neanderthal.

"May I sit?"

Speaking of neanderthals.

She nodded for Taza to sit. She never thought much about Indians, and when she did it was always in a negative light, but she really enjoyed Elena's company and Taza seemed harmless. He had a nice strong jaw and soft brown eyes, he was actually quite pleasant to look at. She knew Klaus was watching her, waiting for her to dismiss the man, but when she caught glimpse of his reaction, she couldn't resist the temptation to see him sweat a little over her new found friendship.

"I am sorry we kept you tied long," Taza offered in his broken English.

"Oh, don't even worry about it," she purred and batted her eyelashes. It was actually a complete inconvenience, but he was serving a purpose for the moment, so she would continue with her false flirtations. She saw Klaus approach out of the corner of her eye; she was barely listening to Taza anymore.

"I shot deer you're eating. Arrow straight through heart."

"Oh, Taza, that's wonderful," she giggled. She had no idea what he was talking about. Klaus looked determined and Caroline didn't want to hear what he had to say. She was finally enjoying herself, after all that she'd been through, and wanted to keep it that way. Before Klaus could say anything she turned to Taza and asked, "Would you like to go for a walk?" and gave him her full attention now. He seemed a bit stunned but nodded and stood and reached down to help her up. She smiled politely and walked arm and arm with him and away from Klaus.

To say Klaus was taken aback would be an understatement. What did she think she was doing? A bit of cat and mouse, he thought. Well, he'd be damned if she thought he'd play along. Klaus wasn't some ordinary cat, roaming the streets for his next meal. No, Klaus took whatever he wanted, and if people played games with him then things didn't end well for them. The problem he had with Caroline was that he wanted to both kiss her fiercely and throttle her to death at the same time.

He heard a small voice clear its throat, and he glanced down to see Elijah's new wife smiling up at him. "Would you like to sit?" she asked. Klaus was too busy pondering about his next move with Caroline to acknowledge the girl with a response. He watched Caroline and Taza walk over and stand under a tree. His mare was standing there, he was happy to see that they unsaddled the poor horse, most likely let her graze the fields that surrounded their camp too.

"You are fond of Caroline, yes?"

"I'm sorry?" He wasn't in the mood for conversation. Caroline stroked the horse's nose and wrapped her arm around it's neck. She laughed again, causing Klaus to roll his eyes at her silliness. He couldn't imagine Taza saying anything funny enough to warrant that sort of response; not to mention the complete lack of amusement on Taza's face. Clearly he wasn't in on the joke.

"Caroline, you are fond of her?" Elena asked again.

He heard her this time, and shook the view in font of him from his mind and scowled at Elena. "She's pretty to look at, but I wouldn't say I'm fond of her. She's a pistol. And a pain in my ass." He sat down, and another petite Indian girl, maybe only eleven or twelve years old, handed him a plate of food. His stomach rumbled at the sight of it. He was starving.

Elena just gave him that same smile. The one that could make any man grow weak, and stupid in his brother's case. "You have history? Caroline and your family?"

He kept a watchful eye on the obnoxious couple under the tree and indulged Elena with a response this time. "Yeah, we knew each other when we were children."

She was watching him closely now, he could sense it. He tried to keep his eyes on the fire instead of on Caroline. He didn't want Elena to have anymore ideas of how he was feeling, especially when he didn't know himself. He decided to change the subject. "How is my brother Kol doing?"

Elena knew he was finished with their conversation. "He is mending."

"Good."

"You and your brother are very different from Elijah."

Klaus couldn't help but laugh at this. Yes, he and Kol were made up of something completely different than Elijah. Elijah was calm and put together, while he and Kol threw caution to the wind. They were both impulsive and selfish, never thinking about the consequences to their actions. "Elijah keeps things...balanced," he said.

Elena nodded and lowered her head and smiled. How she felt about him was evident on her face. She truly loved him, and if Klaus' bloody nose was any indication, he was certain Elijah truly loved her as well. However, it wasn't just love, but he could also sense respect and awe. This was a familiar feeling. As much as his brother's voice of reason was the forever bane to his existence, it was also what kept him grounded. He needed Elijah. He would always need his brother.

"Taza stop!"

Klaus' eyes darted up at the sound of Caroline's pleas. She was up against the tree and Taza was violently close to her. Part of him wanted to let her suffer the consequences of her actions. Why did she think she could flirt with the beast, and not think he would expect something from her in return? They do not live by the rules of modern civilization. If there was anything they had in common, it was this mentality, but call it a weakness, but treating women like they were property was not in Klaus' character.

Taza grabbed her wrist, foiling her attempt to to hit him. He growled impatiently under her breath and looked at Elena, "Is anyone going to stop him or do I need to make a scene?"

"Taza, is not the most gentle. He's feared in the village because he is strong and powerful. A very good leader. There are not many men that would dare to stand up to him. They call him ba'cho. It means wolf."

"I can appreciate a man in power. But no woman should..."

"Please, Taza," she cried again. Klaus saw the fear in her eyes this time. It looked as though he would need to make a scene.

"Goddammit," he grumbled, and made his way to the girl duress.

"Please be careful, brother," he heard Elena say.

He moved quickly to the tree and placed a hand on Taza's shoulder. "I don't think the lady wants you to touch her anymore."

(***)

Long Ago in 1846

"Hey!"

"Stop it!"

"Give it back!"

Rebekah reached as high as she could, her doll's feet dangling at her fingertips. The bigger boy pushed her back, laughing at her attempt to take back the toy. "Oh, but Dolly wants to fly," he said and tossed her in the air. Rebekah let out a shriek as the doll almost hit the ground before the mean boy grabbed it just in time.

"Doooon't! She doesn't want to fly," she cried. "Give her back! Give her back!"

The boy just laughed before tossing her again only this time, letting the doll fall to the ground. "Oh it looks like Dolly is dead, we should bury her." He began to kick dirt, soiling the doll's pretty white dress. Tears streamed down Rebekah's face, as she raced to rescue Dolly from her captor's thoughtlessness. He pushed Rebekah away, tossing the little girl down on to the ground.

"Hey!"

The bully looked up in time for a small fist to come crashing down on to his face. He stumbled and fell firmly on his back. Little feet began to kick dirt in his face. "How do you like it, you awful boy?"

The boy sputtered and spewed, bringing his hands to cover his face and cowering from the onslaught of dirt and debris slamming in to him. "Knock it off you little pipsqueak." He rose to his feet and grabbed his assailant before pushing them down next to Rebekah. He was furious. Red crept up his neck and covered his face, he was embarrassed and furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing Caroline?" he screamed.

"You better just leave, before I get my father, or worse, Klaus," she spat at him.

"I'm not scared of Klaus."

"You should be," was all the boy heard before his head was slamming in to the nearby wall. Klaus held the boy firmly in place. He wiggled and flailed, trying to escape Klaus' grasp. "Go away. Leave my family alone, and I might think about not beating your face in every time I see you," he threatened and released the bully with one final push in to the wall.

The kid scrambled away. He glared at the three of them and said, "It's just a stupid doll." Klaus flinched forward with his fist and the boy let out a small whimper before running full speed away.

(***)

Meanwhile, Back at the Apache Camp

"I said, I don't think the lady wants you touching her anymore," he said and grabbed Taza's shoulder even tighter.

Taza turned around slowly. He looked down at Klaus' hand on his shoulder, giving off the impression that he didn't appreciate the White Man's hand on him. He glared up at Klaus and spewed something in his native tongue. Whatever was said, wasn't pleasant, and Taza's forehead crashed in to Klaus' already broken nose.

Klaus would be outnumbered in a moment. He knew the smart thing to do would be to take a step back and "come in peace" sort-a-speak, but the pain in his face from the unexpected attack had him rushing forward. His hands grabbed Taza by the waist and he tackled him to the ground.

Caroline let out a scream as she watched Klaus' fists slam in to Taza over and over again. He was going to kill him, she knew it. It was one thing to hear about his rage, or even hear it for herself, like she did in the cabin, but to see it was an awful sight. He didn't seem like the same person. It was as though all of the frustration and anger of the day's events were plummeting forward and on to Taza's face.

"Stop! Stop!" She tried to scream at him but it was no use, he was deaf with rage.

A sharp jab to his kidneys from another Indian, weakened him enough and he was instantly on his back. The hands of the onlookers were now holding him down and in place. Taza was unconscious, and the red that shadowed his eyes began to fade. This was it, he thought, they would kill him for sure.

"Brothers, let him go," Elijah spoke and placed a gentle hand on one of their shoulders. For some reason, they did as he said. They released Klaus and Caroline ran to his side. He wasn't hurt. He didn't have a scratch on him besides his nose beginning to bleed again, but it was her fault this happened. She was to blame for Taza's advances and Klaus' rash behavior. She could feel tears start to well up, but a hidden memory of Klaus not approving of crying came rushing to the surface and washed them away before they could fall.

"Caroline, it would be best if you took Klaus somewhere else," Elijah spoke.

There was no need for further explanation. Klaus would not be the most welcomed guest after what just took place. She helped him to his feet but Klaus forced his arm out of her grasp. He dusted off his pants, reached down to pick up his disheveled hat and strolled away in to the darkness. She grabbed the sides of her skirt and followed.

The moon was bright that night causing his eyes to adjust quickly to his surroundings. Klaus stomped in no direction in particular, his hands still in fists and furious.

"Klaus, wait," she hollered after him. "Let me come with you." He imagined if he turned around he would see a small blonde running after him, wanting to join in on the adventure. But there was no adventure. This was a mess. The entire day was a fucking mess.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He turned to face her making her bump abruptly in to his chest. She looked up at him pitifully before taking a step back.

"I...I don't know. I was just so mad at you, and you've been nothing but unkind to me. I guess I thought you sort of deserved it? I..." She wasn't making any sense. If you would've asked her an hour ago why she thought it was a good idea to flirt with the large, native man, she would've said it was to make him jealous. But, now, after seeing all the chaos she caused, it just seemed stupid and childish.

"I should've just let him have his way with you?"

"See! There you go again, saying spiteful things just to hurt me! Why save me, Klaus? Again? Why care at all about my fate?" she yelled. Why was it so easy for him to make her angry? What was it about this man that made her want to smack him across the face and then rub her hand against his cheek to soothe the sting?

"I don't care, Caroline! Maybe I just didn't want that man thinking he could have whatever he wanted. Maybe the idea of some savage..." he trailed off.

"Some savage doing what, Klaus?" She questioned. "Tell me why you stopped him." She was in his space now. She knew there was more to him than he led on. As much as he frightened her, she also knew there was still that same small boy that cared deeply for her, that gave her the simple bracelet that still graced her wrist.

What did she want to hear from him? Why was she being so persistent? What did it matter why she stopped him? A million more questions ran through his mind. He had done a lot of bad in his past; wronged a lot of people. He's killed so many that he's lost track of the amount of blood that he's washed from his hands. His family was the only thing he cared about. Protecting them. Loving only them. Caroline was never supposed to be a part of that again. She was supposed to grow up and get married and have kids of her own and never think about him. But that damn bracelet. She still wore it, which meant she still thought about him. He glanced at her wrist, the silver rope glinting in the moonlight.

Caroline was asking him to tell her why he cared about her, but she never took the time to ask herself why she still cared for him. If she had any common sense she would stay quiet. She would just leave it alone. There was no reason, other than their current circumstance, for them to owe anything to each other. Why uncover pain from the past? Why worry or care about how two small children grew to become the people they are today?

But she couldn't help how she felt in that moment. The risk of understanding him was something she would allow herself to take. She wanted to find a way to nestle herself back in to the comfort of his friendship. And she knew he felt the same.

"Tell me," she offered again. She took another step toward him and placed a hand on his face.

He reached up and gently grabbed her wrist and ran his hand over hers. He looked in her eyes. He knew he was showing her more vulnerability than he intended, but this was Caroline. It may have been over a decade since they played together in the woods, but the bond that they shared was still there. "Caroline, I..."

Elijah's voice rang in to the night. "KLAUS?!"

The two of them parted, and Caroline sighed. She didn't get an answer and she wasn't sure she ever would now.

"We're over here," Klaus said, but kept his eyes on Caroline.

"KLAUS, GET BACK HERE! IT'S REBEKAH! SHE'S HURT!"

Oh gawd, what's wrong with Rebekah? OH NOOOOOS!

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