AN: I found this fic again after two years of not updating it! I am so sorry for the long break, and am determined to finish it in the very near future. Even though Klaus and Caroline are no longer on the same show, I still love them as a pairing. This fic should only have two chapters left, so thank you to all of you who have stuck this journey out with me!

Chapter 9:

Caroline stood motionless at the top of the stairs, long after Klaus had entered his room and shut the door, still reeling from his kiss. Unbeknownst to her, Klaus stood on the other side of his bedroom door slowly shaking his head from side to side, wearing a small grin. Finally, Caroline kicked herself out of her train of thought, deciding that everything would be more clear after a good night's rest, and softly strode to her own room so as not to bother the house's other occupants with a small smile on her face.

When she walked by Daniel's door, Caroline heard the hushed sound of Daniel talking on a phone. What the Hell is he doing? Caroline thought to herself, he's not supposed to have a phone while we're in hiding, and whom could he be talking to anyway? Caroline, of course, paused and used her vampiric hearing to listen in on his conversation.

"I marked the exit with the token, just as we discussed," She heard him whisper quickly. "Just hurry up, and get moving, because I am tired of this waiting… Yes, I know, and I fully respect you, but this is getting to be a little drawn out, don't you think… Fine, until then." Caroline heard what sounded like a phone being thrown down on the bed followed by a sigh. Not wanting her presence to be discovered, she made her way to her own room, and entered it as silently as possible.

Caroline's mind was still racing, when she was finally able to change into some boxer shorts and a tank top, and fall onto her own bed in the safety of her own room, thinking about what she had just heard. She didn't know what she had overheard, but one thing she was able to decide on: she needed to talk to Klaus because whatever Daniel was planning, it seemed like it was going to happen soon.

Oh goodness, this is going to be embarrassing, Caroline thought as she sat on the roof above Klaus's personal balcony. After arguing with herself in bed for thirty minutes, she worked up the courage to go to his room because of the severity of the Daniel situation, but that didn't mean that she was ready to knock on his door in the middle of the night! He might think that her visit had something to do with his kiss, and that she had fallen for him… which she hadn't… right? Ugh, stop! She told herself angrily. All this time spent with Klaus recently is messing with your brain. You just need to deal with this whole Keilyn thing, go to the High School Reunion, and then leave Mystic Falls, no matter how exciting these past few days have been.

Before she could continue on with her mental pep talk however, a British voice saying, "I knew you'd come back for more, love" interrupted her. Caroline almost tumbled off the roof in surprise, but was able to catch herself in time to make a decent dismount onto the balcony, landing herself next to a shirtless Klaus. Hmm, not to shabby, Caroline thought to herself, giving Klaus a once-over before blushing and looking Klaus in the eyes before he could guess the direction of her thoughts.

"Not at all," Caroline responded, attempting to act like it was completely normal for her to stop by his room by the way of his balcony roof. "I actually came over to talk to you about something rather important and time-sensitive. Maybe we could get away from the house for a second, and talk about it?" Caroline bit her lip and glanced nervously in the direction of Daniel's room.

Klaus, apparently sensing that something was actually wrong, said, "Sure, follow me," before casually jumping over his balcony as if he were cannon-balling into a swimming pool rather than dropping from the second story of a house. Of course he didn't bother to put on a shirt, Caroline thought to herself before launching herself over the railing after him. Caroline beckoned for Klaus to follow her after meeting him on the ground, and the pair stealthily ran into the trees surrounding the cabin.

"Okay, this should be far enough," Caroline said, reaching her hand out to stop Klaus, and making contact with his bare shoulder. Suddenly, the chilly mountain air seemed desert-hot, and Caroline yanked her arm back, flustered from the contact. If Klaus had felt anything from their connection, it was almost impossible for Caroline to tell—he stood in the woods with a calm look on his face, at peace with being out in to open with nothing on but his jeans. The only indication that his contact with Caroline had ruffled him was the tensing of his muscles, making his six-pack stand out as if it were airbrushed on.

"I think you were right about Daniel," Caroline said, speaking quickly to break the tension that was quickly filling their silence. " When I walked by his room earlier on my way to bed, I heard him talking on a phone which he isn't even allowed to have here! And, when I listened in on what he was saying, it seemed like he was telling someone directions on how to find us, something about marking an exit with a token of some sort. Klaus, I think he was talking to Keilyn."

"Just what I was worried about," Klaus said, crossing his arms in thought. "I knew that we shouldn't have trusted him. Bonnie would have found a way to contact us if the plan was changing somehow, and they were sending along another person."

"So, what should we do," Caroline asked, looking around her, afraid that Daniel and Keilyn would attack them at any moment. "We didn't make a plan for if Keilyn found us here, we assumed that she would be looking for us in Mystic Falls. We don't have any way to contact our friends for backup!"

"Well first, love, I think we should change into something a little more appropriate for the occasion," Klaus said, making Caroline blush as he eyed her short shorts and tank top. "Then, we'll meet at the garage. Since Daniel said he filled up his car with gas, and mine has a nearly empty tank, we'll take his to go home and meet up with everyone in Mystic Falls. As much as I hate the thought of going back there after we briefly felt safe here, we'll have strength in numbers, and finally be able to end this."

The pair sprinted back to the house and then separated to change. Caroline put on a pair of soft jeans, a loose top, and riding boots so that she would be fit for whatever she needed to be. She frowned at the rest of her belongings before deciding that she should leave them behind. If Daniel came to her room for any reason and saw that her things were gone, he would be suspicious.

Klaus and Caroline met in the garage as agreed and hopped into Daniel's inconspicuous black, Ford truck.

"Uh oh, did you learn to hotwire a car at some point in your many years?" Caroline asked Klaus, smacking herself in the forehead for not thinking about sneaking into Daniel's room for the keys. "It wasn't exactly part of my training for the Miss. Mystic Falls Pageant."

"Although I would love another chance to show off for you, Caroline," Klaus said, reaching into his pocket, "This method is a lot faster." Klaus held up Daniel's keys that had been abandoned in the dining room.

"Oh, thank god," Caroline answered. Klaus turned the key in the ignition only to be met with a slight sputtering noise. His forehead furrowed in concentration as he pulled out they key then tried again, only to hear the same noise once again.

"Damn," muttered Klaus. "Another sign that Daniel was lying earlier. If he had stopped for gas earlier like he said he did, there is no way the truck would be out of gas right now. He must have met with Keilyn earlier, causing the delay in his arrival. Let's take my car, it might have enough gas left to get us to a gas station."

"Okay," Caroline said, unbuckling her seat belt and stepping out of the truck. She didn't care how they got back to Mystic Falls as long as they put some distance between Daniel and the cabin. As Caroline passed the garage window, she looked out—her eye catching a small movement in the darkness. A second later there was another movement, one that she was able to catch only because she was already staring at the window. Caroline could make out ten men she had never seen running to the garage.

"Come on out Niklaus, darling" Keilyn shouted, "I have you surrounded, so there is no point delaying the inevitable."

Caroline looked at Klaus in terror.