Hey, everyone!

Blah blah blah blah blah

Enjoy!

It had rained all night and it did not seem like the storm was going to let up for the rest of the day.

I stayed laying on Klaus's chest, our hands linked next to me. The room was cold and dark and the only light was provided by the occasional flashes of lightning.

I knew he was awake because he was always awake before me. But this was another unspoken agreement between us- the day didn't start until I decided.

And right now, I was perfectly content with just laying there in his arms.

I knew that part of me was slightly worried that when I looked at him, he wouldn't be happy about what had happened the night before. In the moment he may have acted a certain way, but after having a chance to sleep on it he may have realized that I wasn't worth it.

No guy had ever taken the time to get to know me and every guy that I had ever liked never returned the feelings.

I sighed, knowing that sooner or later I would have to face him. I tilted my head up and found that Klaus still had his eyes closed, but my movement seemed to have woken him up and I felt his fingers start to trace a lazy pattern up and down my spine. A smirk played at the corners of his lips and he opened his eyes, instantly looking at me.

"Good morning, sweetheart" His deep, accented voice was as sweet as honey.

"Good morning" I returned smiling slightly. He seemed to be at ease, but I did not know how long that would last. If living with Klaus had taught me anything it was that he could change his demeanor in a second.

"How did you sleep, love?" He asked, pulling our joined hands up and kissing my knuckles.

"Good," I said and watched as he played with my fingers, planting kisses on my wrist and palm every few seconds. "How did you sleep?" I asked.

"Best rest I've had in decades" He said with a smile, lacing our fingers once again and leaning down to place a light kiss on my cheek. "Are you hungry?" He asked, his fingers still running up and down my back.

"I could eat" I said giving a small shrug.

He sat up and pulled me with him, then we walked to the kitchen together, hand in hand.

He prepared a plate of food and led me to the parlor. He sat down on one of the couches and pulled me down next to him. I ended up leaning against the arm of the couch, my legs on his lap. He stayed quiet while I ate, his fingers running up and down my leg.

When I finished I set the empty plate down on the table next to me. He looked over and smiled, grabbing my hands and pulling me onto his lap.

"Caroline," He said seriously and I looked at him. his face had changed to look exactly as it had the day before when we had been in his studio. "Do you regret what happened?"

That caught me off guard.

Did I regret what happened? No! I was the one that kissed him, of course I didn't regret it!

"No, why do you ask?" I said and I knew the confusion was evident in my face.

"Well, you haven't exactly said much this morning"

"Do you regret it?" I blurted out, now desperate to know. He just frowned, and after a few seconds, burst out laughing. I waited patiently until he regained his composure, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Caroline, why on Earth would you ever consider that I would regret kissing you?"

"You aren't exactly the most predictable person" I said, thinking back to his mood swings.

One of his hands came up and grabbed my chin, pulling me forward. Next thing I knew, his lips were sealed over mine.

One of his arms wrapped around my waist and his other hand slid down and came to rest on my neck. I shift so that I was straddling his lap, letting my hands fall to his chest.

This kiss was a mix of passion and affection. I knew he was trying to prove that he did not regret kissing me he night before- and he was doing a pretty good job at it.

I was the one to break the kiss because I needed to breathe. He rested his forehead on mine and I kept my eyes closed, taking in a deep breath and filling my lungs with some much needed oxygen.

"Did that answer your question?" He asked and I opened my eyes to catch him smiling.

"Did that answer yours?" I returned. He laughed and I noticed that he hadn't laughed this much since the day we had gone finishing (turns out, I'm not a very good fisher).

"So we're on the same page" He stated.

"Yes- neither of us regrets kissing each other" I said.

"Good" He said, stealing a quick peck. "What would you like to do today, sweet Caroline?"

"Um..." I thought for a moment, looking out the window and remembering that it was pouring outside. "Can you show me some more of your work?" I said hopefully. I knew it would probably be a no, but asking wouldn't hurt.

"Sure" He said, getting up without warning.

I shrieked, locking my ankles behind his back and grabbing onto his shoulders.

"Klaus!" I whined. He chuckled and I pulled back to get a better look of his face "That's not funny!"

My movement didn't faze him and he kept walking down the hallway as if I didn't weigh a thing.

"Yes, it was" He said with a smirk and then dropped me onto the couch in the library.

He went around lighting a few candles so that I could actually see where I was walking. When he opened the curtains I pushed myself off the couch and stepped forward to get a better look at the room.

It looked bigger now that it was better lit and I could see much more details in each of the paintings.

I felt Klaus next to me as he walked silently by my side while I examined his work.

"You do a lot of landscapes" I noted, passing by the third meadow, the sixth forest and the second lake.

"Well I don't get to see much civilization" He pointed out and I nodded.

We continued around the room. I offered some of my thoughts on a few of the paintings and he told me where and why he had painted them.

"They all seem so..." I started once I had finished my round around the room. I looked back at each of them, coming up with the appropriate word "dark."

"You aren't wrong" He said with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the table in the middle of the room.

I went up to him, in the space between his legs, crossing my arms over my chest like he had done.

"Don't get me wrong, I love them all. They're all beautifully done and they capture the moment perfectly" I paused, phrasing my words so that he could understand what I was trying to say "But all the tones are dark, it makes me feel almost..." I paused again, looking for the feeling each of the works had led on.

"Lonely" We said in unison. He nodded and looked anywhere but at me.

"This is why I don't like talking about my art," He started "I feel like if anyone ever sees it, they'll know exactly how alone I am" He had a faraway look in his eye and felt an intense need to comfort him. I reached up and touched his cheek, feeling how warm he was.

He leaned into my touch and I felt him relax immediately. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in a little closer. i waited until he was ready to keep talking.

"When I was turned, I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but they were necessary for survival" I said, opening his eyes. I nodded, understanding what he meant.

"When everything was said and done, each of my siblings parted on their own path, ultimately leaving me alone. I was with my sister for some time, but she eventually went her own way" I was slightly surprised to discover that his family was still possibly alive. He had talked about them before, but he always made it seem like they weren't alive anymore.

"Mikael, my father, cannot stand the fact that I am alive, and has been hunting me for over a century" His voice dropped to a dangerous tone, and I knew that he didn't like Mikael. "Every time that I settle in one place, he catches up to me, and I am forced to run again" He looked up at me, his voice returning to normal and his eyes softening.

"He hasn't found me here, yet. I've been here longer than I've been anywhere else and he has yet to find me. Sometimes I think he has given up, but my instincts tell me otherwise." He said sadly.

"I haven't been able to trust anyone in a very long time. It's just been me, watching out for myself" He said, and my heart broke for him. He was alone.

"You can trust me" I said, surprising us both. "At first you sure as hell couldn't. But having to put up with you for a month has shown me a different side of you. A side apart from the big bad hybrid Klaus, which is the side you probably show off to everyone" I said and he chuckled and I let out a small laugh along with him, glad I had changed the mood a bit.

"My point is I've grown to trust you. And you can trust me, too" I leaned in and placed a small kiss on his lips, but didn't stay there for too long.

"Thank you, Caroline" He whispered as I pulled away.

"It was my pleasure" I said with a smile, which he returned.

I looked behind him at all the portraits of me. I reached over and grabbed the nearest one.

It was of me with my hair pulled back into a braid. I wasn't smiling or laughing in the picture, but my face looked so peaceful, each of my features were relaxed and calm. The braid cascaded over my left shoulder and I wore one of the dresses I had borrowed from Klaus. It was a cream colored one that had beads worked into the bodice. The sleeves started low on my shoulders, the neckline dipped pretty low, too. At the waist, it flared out into a long skirt that which always grazed the ground when I wore it.

"You draw me way prettier than what I really am" I said, still looking at the drawing.

"I draw you like I see you" He said, and I could hear the honesty in his voice, causing me to smile.

"Can you draw me now?" I said, slightly excited. He had been caught off guard by my request, frankly, I had too.

"Uh, alright" He said, sounding unsure, which was strange because Klaus never sounded unsure.

I put the drawing back where I had found it and head back to the library, sitting on the couch, waiting for Klaus to get everything he needed.

He came out with a few sheets of paper and a pencil. He sat down across from me.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Just, sit still" He said, making himself comfortable in his seat and setting his pencil on the paper "You are perfect just like that"

I did as I was told and sat still. I wanted to smile, or fix my hair, or sit in a different position. But I fought against it and tried to remain as still as possible.

I looked at Klaus the entire time, watching as his eyes moved across the page while he drew. He looked up at me a couple of times, pursing his lips and then looking back at his paper.

After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a couple of minutes, he put down his pencil.

"Done?" I said, perking up. He nodded, and I got up, going around to stand behind him.

On the page was a girl with long curly hair, cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes shone and a small smile played at the corner of her lips.

"Wow" I said, slightly at a loss for words.

"Do you like it?" He asked hesitantly.

"I love it!" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. He chuckled.

"I'm glad you like it, love" He said.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the library, talking and kissing, reading and kissing. He drew some more things and I watched in awe as he brought the simplest things to life.

When we woke up the next morning, the storm had passed and the Sun was out. Everything was still wet outside, but the woods looked greener.

"Can we go for a ride?" I asked as we lay in bed. I had been looking out the window of the bedroom and it seemed like a good day to take Spade out.

We had gone riding before. Sometimes to hunt, sometimes to just get out of the cabin for a while.

"Sure, sweetheart. Where would you like to go?" He asked while he played with a strand of my hair.

"The river" I said and he cocked an eyebrow.

"The river? Are planning on fishing again" He said, smirking. I hit him playfully on the chest.

"No" I said. I really didn't want to go fishing again, but the place was beautiful. There were different plants and flowers around the river and I hadn't had a chance to see them the first time we went.

"Alright, we'll go" He said.

After he insisted I had breakfast, we went around to the stables and saddled up Spade. Klaus climbed on first and then helped me up so that I was sitting in front of him. He brought his arms around my waist so that he could grab the reins and I held on to Spade's mane.

We rode in silence like we always did, not wanting to disturb the peace of the woods,

When we reached the river, he hopped down and then held my waist as I climbed off of Spade.

He tied him to the nearest tree while I found a spot to sit near the river.

Klaus came back and sat down next to me. We talked for awhile, but soon ended up skipping rocks.

"...six, seven eight!" He said, throwing his hands up triumphantly "Beat that, Caroline" He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me off the ground, spinning me around.

I giggled and held onto his shoulders.

"It isn't fair! You're like super strong!" I said, sounding and feeling like a little girl. I felt my feet touch the ground again as he put me down.

"Do you want me to go easy on you?" He said in mock seriousness.

"No!"

"Then?" He said laughing and I laughed along with him. We had been having this little competition for a while now and I was winning up until I told him that he wasn't trying.

I looked at him. He was smiling wide and still laughing, his blue eyes were bright and he seemed to be completely at ease.

"You seem...happier" I said and he stopped laughing, looking at me with a weird spark in his eye.

"I am happier" He said simply and I smiled.

I slow clap echoed through the woods and we both froze, turning our attention to where it had come from.

"Very nice, very nice" A deep voice came from across the river and soon, a tall figure emerged from behind one of the trees. "You two are so sweet, it makes my heart melt" Said the stranger. From where I was I could see him coming closer, edging to river.

I felt Klaus move in front of me, pushing me behind him with one hand. He kept that hand on my waist and I grabbed onto his arm. He was putting himself between me and the stranger, which I guessed wasn't a good thing.

"Marcel" Klaus said in a low and commanding voice. "I recommend you return to camp, mate"

"Klaus, my alpha" He said, and with a swift leap, made it clear over the river. "I don't think I will" He said with a devilish smile. Now that he was closer, I saw that he had dark skin and his pearly white teeth gleamed in the sun. He was a few inches taller and carried an air of arrogance about him.

I felt Klaus about to take a step forward, but soon we both realized that we were surrounded. About a dozen other figures appeared around us, coming from behind trees and up from their hiding placing behind the foliage.

"What are you doing, Marcel?"

"I think it's time we had a change in alphas, don't you think?" His question was rhetorical, but the strangers that were surrounding us gave out howls and cheers.

"I already made an example of Mason- did you not learn?" Klaus said, his voice dripped with venom.

"Oh Mason was just a test. I sent him out there to see what you would do to someone that challenged your alpha status. Seeing as you didn't kill him, and I have backup-" He opened his arms and gestured to the other figures "I don't see what I have to lose" He finished.

The group that had us surrounded started to close in and I felt Klaus grab onto me tighter. He looked around but remained quiet and I knew he was trying to come up with a plan.

"Alright," He finally said, standing up straighter, blocking my view completely of the man named Marcel. "You may challenge my alpha status, under one condition"

"Name it" Marcel said, his cool exterior slipping for a second and he seemed to be anxious to get on with whatever this "challenging" consisted of.

"You let the girl go" I tensed at his words, slightly angry that he didn't think I could handle whatever was about to go down. I dug my nails into his biceps so that he would get the message, but he continued to stare at Marcel, oblivious to what I was trying to tell him.

"Very well" Marcel said after a few seconds.

Klaus gave him a curt nod and then turned, placing his hand at the small of my back. he started walking in the direction of Spade, practically pushing me along.

"Klaus," I whispered, trying to get his attention as inconspicuously as possible. I knew he heard me, but he kept his face stone cold and looking forward.

"Klaus," I repeated a little harsher. We reached Spade and he untied the horse from the tree, coming back to where he had left me standing. His hands were on my waist and he was about to help me up when I got extremely annoyed with him.

"Niklaus Mikaelson" I whispered/yelled through clenched teeth and he looked at me, slightly surprised "What are you doing?" I kept my voice low, hoping that only he could hear me.

He looked away from me, concentrating on grabbing the reins and positioning Spade in the direction of the cabin.

"Go home" He said, loud enough for me to hear, then he slapped Spade's side and the horse bolted. I grabbed the reins maneuvered Spade through the trees. I looked back and saw Klaus standing where I had left him before he turned and headed back to where Marcel was.

I looked forward again, trying to shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Klaus had been able to handle a pack of wolves twice the size of that guy- and at night. He was practically indestructible! He would be fine.

I slowed Spade to a trot, remembering one of Bonnie's grandmother's stories.

"Werewolves are very loyal to one another. When a werewolf pledges their allegiance to another werewolf, it is a very strong bond that is hardly ever broken. It is only broken through treachery and betrayal." She grabbed a few leaves out of a small plate on one of her counters and threw it into the tea she had been brewing.

"Now, werewolves usually travel in packs- twenty, maybe thirty at a time. Sometimes even more-" She paused to stir powder into the tea "But they always have an alpha. The alpha is like their leader, and what they say, goes." She poured a cup for Bonnie, Elena, and I.

"If at any point the pack members believe that the alpha is no longer suitable to hold power, one pack member can challenge the alpha. Usually the pack member has a group to support them- there is no point in going into battle if no one pledges their metal to you" She sat down in front of us, her own cup of tea in her hands. She took a sip before continuing.

"Whoever wins the challenge, which is usually a battle, take the position of alpha." She took another sip.

"What if the previous alpha wins?" Elena asked.

"Well, he gets to continue being the alpha. If is he so chooses, her could make an example of the challenger and his alliances. They did commit treachery after all"

"And what if the challenger wins?" I had asked.

"Than he may choose to banish the former alpha-" She paused and took another sip of her tea, leaving us hanging on her every word "or he may choose to kill him"

As if on cue, a loud, tortured scream pierced the air. I stopped altogether, recognizing the scream to have been Klaus's.

I turned Spade around, and with one swift kick on his side we were bolting back to the river.

When I reached the river, I saw Marcel had Klaus pinned to a tree, a branch stuck out of his stomach.

"Klaus!" I yelled, and every eye turned to me.

"Well, well, well" Marcel started, digging his fingers into Klaus's neck "It seems the blonde beauty has returned to save her love" He said in a mocking tone.

I hopped off of Spade, watching as one of the strangers came closer. The man swung at me and I ducked, dodged the blow. I kicked his legs out from under him and he fell to the ground.

I stood up straight, watching as the next man came toward me. He swung too, but this time I blocked his blow, using his momentum to twist his arm behind him and giving it a pull, popping it from it's socket. A pained howl came from the man and I let him fall to the ground.

When I turned I wasn't prepared for the punch that the next man was able to land. The force of the hit sent me back and I felt the sting of it on my cheek- that would leave a mark.

When I gained my composure I looked at the man- he was tall and burly. He held his fists up in front of him in a defensive position as he bounced on the balls of his feet. I tasted the salty hint of blood in my mouth and spit out the red liquid, rolling my shoulders and waiting for the man to attack.

I was able to dodge and block a few of his hits, but he landed more than I wanted him to. Just as I was getting ready to strike, my feet were pulled from under me and I was dragged back.

Next thing I knew I was being held up from my hair, completely disoriented.

Something clawed at my legs, something else tore at my torso.

"Say goodbye, Niklaus" I heard someone's voice ring through the air before I was jerked backwards. The last thing I felt was the wind rushing around me before everything went black.

"NO!"

Caroline was thrown through the air, her body hitting a large boulder. Her body fell to the ground, limp.

I turned to Marcel, seeing red. I reached up and grabbed his finger, pulling them away and twisting his hand enough so that I heard a crack. He pulled away, cupping his broken wrist, giving me enough time to push myself off the branch.

The pain was excruciating but I pushed it down, staggering to my feet.

The rest was blur. I landed punch after punch and so did Marcel but soon I had a hold of his head and I twisted it to the side, ripping it from his shoulders. His body fell to the ground and I threw his head aside, turning to the scum that called themselves his followers.

I picked them off easily, snapping the necks of some and leaving others with twisted kneecaps, broken arms and missing bones.

When I was satisfied, I made sure that all who were conscious were paying attention.

"When you are healed, you will drag your miserable arses back to camp along with the other scums who have had the fortune of having their necks snapped. You will tell the rest of the pack what happened here today and if I so hear a whisper that you have spread a rumor, or decided to start a rebellion, I will personally rip your hearts out and shove it down your throats." Each of them had their heads bowed, not daring to meet my gaze.

"Do you understand me?!"

"Yes, alpha" They all whimpered in unison. I turned away, getting to Caroline as fast as possible.

She was exactly where she had fallen, a heap on the ground.

I turned her so that she was laying face up, and regretted to taking note of who had their hand in hurting her. Her cheek was swollen and purple, blood stained her hair and deep gashed covered her torso.

I listened to her heartbeat, weak and hardly able to pump blood through her veins. I bit into my wrist, placing it on her lips and letting a couple of drops slip down to her throat. After a couple of seconds, I felt my blood kick in and her body began to heal.

I picked her up bridal style and carried her to Spade, pushing him as fast as I could while at the same time keeping Caroline stable.

"Hold on for me me, sweetheart. Please hang in there" I whispered, knowing it wouldn't make a difference but feeling like it needed to be said.

When we got to the cabin I got off Spade and flashed into the house, heading for the bedroom.

When I had her laying down as comfortably as I could manage, I headed out and made sure Spade was put into the stable.

After that, I brought in buckets of water and set them on the fire, trying to sterilize them as much as possible. Every few minutes I would go check on Caroline. Her wounds still weren't healed, but her heart rate remained steady- low, but steady.

When I felt the water was finally clean enough, I grabbed some cloth and flashed into the room, making quick work of her dress and getting to work on her wounds.

She had deep gashes on her torso, which turned out to be bite marks. There were more shallow scratches on her arms and legs. A few if her knuckles had been broken and she had a twisted ankle.

When I finished cleaning her up I picked out a dress and slipped her into it as carefully as possible.

I then fed her my blood, letting more into her system than before. Her body seemed to respond instantly and I watched at the large bump on her cheek lowered. I felt her heartbeat grow stronger and I pulled up a chair next to the bed, holding her hand in mine, waiting for her to wake up.

DUN DUN DUN!

Kind of a cliffy but whatevs!

And yes- two updates in two days! I thought I should make it up to you guys for going AWOL for I don't know how many days.

So this was chapter 13? We have like what...4...5 chapters left...

This story is closing up quick!

Bye for now!

~M

P.S.: Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed! I know I haven't been mentioning you guys like I did before, but it's quite a bit of work! But have no fear, I'll mention each and every one of you at the end, kind of like credits :)

SPOILER ALERT: NEXT CHAPTER IS KINDA SORTA THE REASON WHY THIS STORY IS RATED M! *WINK WINK* *HINT HINT*