A/N: I rarely make music suggestions, but I was listening to About Today by The Nationals while writing this first part. Proceed with caution.


Swamp in Louisiana / 2 years ago

A year after Klaus killed the numerous assassins, he was once again out on a mission with Elijah. The marines had given him much recognition for taking charge and protecting the whole campsite, along with saving one of their soldiers. Of course he would do anything for Elijah, but to them, it had been an honorable act, and something they felt shouldn't go unnoticed. So he had been decorated appropriately, and given as much time as he needed to recover from his stab wound.

After two months off, Klaus had gotten antsy. He wanted to be out in the middle of battle, fighting and killing. Walker had been pleased to hear that, and proud to tell him that he was ready to have him back and on the prowl.

Now, he was trudging through murky waters with Elijah, waist deep in the filthy stuff. Both of them carried a Mossberg 500 shotgun, ready for any threat that came their way. The dock they were looking for wasn't far off, but walking through swamp water was not the fastest route. It was just the one that meant the least amount of trouble. The tall trees covered them from the sun's rays, at least keeping things cool. It would be dusk soon, but Klaus was sure they'd get to the dock without too much delay.

"Stop searching the waters for gators, Niklaus."

"I don't want one to chop my jewels off, mate."

"I sincerely doubt they'd like the taste of you," Elijah deadpanned.

"Look, I don't want one near me, okay?" Elijah narrowed his eyes at Klaus.

"Well, well. I never realized you were so…delicate," he mocked. Klaus glared at him.

"Excuse me for wanting to keep my manhood intact."

"When was the last time you actually put it to use, dear brother?" Elijah smirked.

"That is of no importance right now, and none of your business either. Once we're done with our service, everything will change. Women love a man in uniform after all."

"Wait…so you've considered leaving?" Elijah said, a note of cheeriness in his voice.

"I'm not fond of it…but you're right. You've been here for ages, and I'm sure Rebekah misses us both. Maybe it is time we take our leave."

"Klaus…that's fantastic," Elijah said, clapping his hand over Klaus's shoulder.

"Yea, yea. I get it."

"What made you change your mind?"

"After the incident a year ago, I realized I could easily lose you, and we've been blessed to live this long with our line of work. I love this job, but family is my top priority."

Elijah gave a small smile at that. Klaus knew his brother worried about him, and it probably eased his heart to hear him speak of his siblings like that. Leaving while he was at his peak was for the best anyway. Leaving behind a legacy such as his was far more rewarding than leaving when he had nothing more to give.

"Where shall we live when we get back?" Elijah asked.

"I've always wanted to live in New York. All the people, all the art…we would have a field day! Besides, Rebekah goes to school there, might as well be nearby," Klaus said excitedly. Elijah's grin widened.

"Ah, yes. A wonderful choice you've made. Although, we'd be close to mother and Mikael."

"New York is massive! You're telling me we couldn't find a place to live that was miles from them?"

"You make a valid point. New York it is then."

"Oh, we shall have the best of apartments! We'll get to see everything the city has to offer."

"How will we put our military knowledge to good use though? We still need to do something. We're far too young to retire."

"Elijah, you are the best marksman this military as ever seen. There's not a shot you can't take, and not a target out there you've missed. I think that would be best put to use in a shooting range, don't you think? People would love lessons from the best," Klaus suggested.

"Alright, so what about you then? Plan to sit on your ass all day and enjoy the hard work I put in?" Elijah joked.

"Well, of course! I've put in my time. Besides, what would I do? Teach self defense classes? My skills are not something the public is ready for," Klaus said smugly. Elijah just shook his head, a few chuckles escaping out of him.

"We'll see about that," Elijah said.

The two continued on in silence for a while. Klaus could see the wooden dock ahead. All they had to do was follow the path leading out of the docks back to their camp. It was a pretty private trail, and once they were at camp, they were done with assignments for at least another week. Maybe more if he could make himself tell Walker that he was ready to take his leave with Elijah.

"Let me get on the dock first, then I'll pull you up."

"Scared the gators will get take a snap at you if you stay in here any longer?" Elijah teased.

"Oh you're so funny," Klaus said sarcastically.

He shook his head as he slung the shotgun around on its sling so it was resting against his back. Klaus grabbed the edge of the wooden boardwalk and pulled himself up, glad to finally be out of the water. Once he was on, he stuck his hand down to Elijah. His brother grabbed on, and with one quick motion, Klaus pulled him up. They were both dripping wet from the waist down, but once they were back at camp, they would be able to get warm and dry. Now, they just needed to focus on getting back to camp safely.

"I feel disgusting," Elijah complained, looking down at his soaked pants. Klaus laughed.

"Hey, you even look disgusting too," Klaus joked, slapping Elijah playfully on the arm. His older brother just rolled his eyes before he stood up. Klaus jumped up, his adrenaline pumping like it normally did after a mission.

"Would you calm yourself? You're making me tired just looking at you," Elijah said.

"I can't help it! Come on let's race. If you win, I'll-"

Klaus didn't get to finish his sentence, because he heard screaming all of a sudden coming from the direction of the trees. They got closer, and closer…until he saw Walker and a couple other soldiers pop out from the depth of the woods, waving their hands in a downward motion.

"Get down! Get down; they know you guys are here! They're closing in! Get down!" Walker kept shouting to the two brothers. But he had arrived too late.

The sound of a single bullet came zipping by, close enough to make Klaus unsure if it had hit him for a moment. Everything else happened in a blur after that.

He checked his body frantically, not feeling any instant pain. Klaus turned around to face Elijah and see if the other man had gotten a lock on where it had went. Asking became pointless as Klaus saw exactly where the bullet had gone.

A small patch of blood began growing just near Elijah's heart.

Time froze as he ran to his brother, catching him just before he fell to his knees. Klaus eased him down, watching as Elijah tried taking deep breaths.

"Niklaus…"

"No, no, no, no. Elijah…Elijah, stay with me, brother. Please…"

"We gotta go, boy!" Walker shouted, his voice getting closer.

"Come on, Elijah. We'll, we'll get you back to camp. The medics will take care of you. You'll be fine," Klaus assured. He wasn't sure if it was for Elijah or for himself though.

"You have…to go, Klaus. They'll be…around…"

"I'm not leaving without you-"

"You must…protect yourself…and protect Rebekah…"

"Elijah, please…" Klaus croaked as the tears began to stream silently down his cheeks.

"It's okay, Klaus…it's okay…I'll always be with you, remember?" Elijah reminded him, his own eyes watering. Klaus knew he was trying to say goodbye.

"You can't leave me," Klaus whispered.

"Niklaus…I'll always be with you…" Elijah breathed, taking in his last breath as his eyes slowly closed, and his body went limp.

"No, no, no, Elijah…"

"We have to go, NOW!" Walker yelled, pulling his arm with a strong tug. Klaus unwillingly let Elijah drop, Walker pulling him from Elijah's now lifeless body.

"I can't leave him here!" Klaus yelled. Walker wasn't having it though.

"I'm sorry, but it's too late for him! I'm surprised you haven't been taken yet. They're probably zeroing in on your as we speak, so let's not waste anymore time!" Walker said, half dragging him at this point. He should have been able to save Elijah. Why hadn't he been able to save him?

Klaus looked around the area, trying to see where the sniper had been. It had to be that, because there was no one in sight as Walker dragged him away from Elijah, the other two soldiers circling as they followed behind Klaus and Walker. Klaus's eyes searched and searched, until finally, he found the little bastard. Way up in one of trees, a mostly camouflaged boy sat, attempting to stay hidden as the four men left below him. Why wasn't he aiming? Why wasn't he trying to kill Klaus? His eyes filled with rage then. He could fill Walker's grip tighten as soon as he tried to wriggle his way free.

"Come on! Take me! I'm right here! TAKE ME!" Klaus shouted to the boy. The hit man only looked at Klaus. The killer was far away, but Klaus could make out his face. He knew he'd never forget it. If it happened to be the last thing he ever did, that boy would die.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Klaus roared with outrage, so much so that he couldn't think clearly, "YOU TOOK MY BROTHER, DAMMIT! YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME…AND NOW…NOW I'M GONNA FINISH YOU!"


Present Day

Caroline listened as Klaus told her the story of his brother. He had watched his brother die? Right after they had talked about leaving and coming here? That was horrible! It was no wonder Klaus had nightmares and episodes all the time. How often had he relived that scene? She reached out to grab his hand and give it a comforting squeeze, but he promptly jerked it away from her reach. She gave him a quizzical look.

"I…I'm not comfortable touching people," he admitted quietly.

"How come?"

"It didn't start until after Elijah's death. I realized all the things I had become that he didn't like. I was this mindless killer that he had warned me not to become on many occasions. I killed people with these very hands…and it's the most unsettling thing in the world now," he said, rubbing his hands together at just the thought of it. So that's why he always seemed fidgety. Klaus had a Lady Macbeth thing going on. He could never wipe his hands clean of the blood on them. Damn. She should've gone into psychology.

"Okay, I won't touch you then."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be. I get it. Um, so how long after his death did the episodes start?"

"Probably a month or two? I don't really remember. Everything just came crashing down, and realization hit me. All the things I'd done…the awful things I had done to people who hadn't deserved it. All the things Elijah had been against to begin with, but eventually stopped asking…all because he loved me. The first night I had an episode was the worst, and I'm not sure why. They're all horrible, and I'm left feeling completely drained. The first night though, my comrades surrounded me. They all thought it would be a one-time thing, but it wasn't. Every night, I would disturb their sleep. That wasn't acceptable with our line of work. Eventually, Walker had to let me go. Ever since, I began going from one place to the next. The longest I've ever lived in one spot is here."

"Not to disrespect your love for your commanding officer…but he sounds like a douche."

"I don't admire him like I used to. I always thought he was helping me, but as soon as I was no longer any good to him, he just let me go."

"Oh Klaus…I'm so, so sorry. And it wasn't your fault, Elijah's death. No one blames you."

"Thanks, but tell that to my parents. And Caroline…I have to tell you something else," he began. His voice sounded uncertain, and suddenly Caroline didn't like where this was going.

"Okay. What?"

"I don't think we should see each other again."

"Wait, why?" But…they had finally spoken! He had just opened up to her!

"It's nothing you did at all, please know that. I'm too…high maintenance though. I was hoping that by telling you all of this, I would also prove that to you. I don't want to put that burden on you. Having to wonder if I'm going to snap any minute. It's not fair to you. You're the first person to show any compassion toward me. I don't want to make things worse."

"Klaus, that's my decision to make."

"Well, I'm making one for you," he said, his voice more certain now, "and that's final."

"Oh, really now?" she said, getting slightly offended.

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said as he got up from the booth. Klaus hesitated before walking away though. He turned back, and gave her an apologetic look; completely contradicting everything he had just told her about this being his decision. It didn't seem like he wanted to follow through with it.

"You've been…terrific. I want you to know that." With one last, almost longing look, he walked to the door.

As Klaus was leaving the little shop, Stefan came walking in, bundled up as much as he could be in warm clothing. Caroline waved him over. The poor guy looked miserable. He had a beanie, scarf, gloves, and even earmuffs. She giggled a little at the sight, despite the unpleasant conversation she had just had.

"Why are you here?" she asked affectionately.

"I needed something to do. I got bored, and Damon is out with some girl."

"Already?"

"Yea," he said, right before he coughed. Caroline made a face.

"Ew, that sounds horrible."

"Tell me about it," he said as he slid in across from her, "So how did that little meeting go?"

"You saw?"

"Yup. He got up right before I came in. What happened?"

"He said he didn't want to see me anymore."

"Why?"

"He claims he's too high maintenance."

"Do you think he is?"

"Honestly, no. I don't know how to tell him that though."

"You'll figure something out, Care. I know you will."

"Thanks Stefan. It's just…I was over there last night. I actually slept over at his place! It seemed okay, but then…this."

"He might just be conflicted. Do you know when he last had a girlfriend?"

"No. He never told me."

"So it's possible he just got out of a bad relationship?"

"I doubt it." If he couldn't find a place to live for any length of time, she couldn't see him with a girl.

"Then you know what I'm going to say."

"I know…don't give up."

"Exactly," Stefan said, slapping the table lightly.

"Don't abuse my tables. That talent show helped, but not as much as it should have," Elena said as she walked out from the backroom.

"Sorry," Stefan said, before he sneezed, and looked pitiful. Elena's face softened.

"Don't go all puppy eyed on me," she whined. Caroline and Stefan chuckled.

"But…I'm sick," Stefan said quietly, playing the sympathy card well.

"Ugh…hold on. I'll get you some soup," Elena said, giving in as she went to make some chicken noodle soup for him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Stefan?" Caroline asked. She hadn't seen Stefan so sickly before. He looked pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"I'll be fine. I'm just tired, that's all. I haven't been this sick since I was a kid. It hit me like a brick."

"Well…you just get better! I don't like worrying about you."

"Then don't. It's a cold, Caroline."

"Fine, just…stay warm."

"Will do."

Caroline sighed and leaned back against the wall. Now what was she going to do about Klaus? If there was anybody who could give the silent treatment, it was Klaus. Things had been going so much better too. Why did he have to go and do that? They had been talking, and everything had been improving. And what about his parents? He had said that was a story for another time. To Caroline, that sounded like a promise for later. God he was irritating!

She wasn't going to give up so easily. Not after he had started talking to her. There was no going back. For now, she would give him space, but only until she could think of a better way to get his attention again. No, this wasn't over yet. Klaus was too much of a mystery for her to just give up on him. Not to mention her attraction to him had only gotten worse. Caroline really did have it bad.


A/N: So, hopefully this answered some questions. If not, feel free to ask me. My goal is obviously not to confuse you guys =P

To any who might have wondered why Klaus opened up to Caroline after avoiding her for so long, I want you to know I thought about this a lot. I was afraid of it seeming too out of character for Klaus, but I feel like it would make sense that after months of not talking to each other, and Caroline's determination despite all that, he would crack a little and tell her about his life so she understands, as well as trying to prove he's not worth her time. He's had months to realize that she is somewhat trustworthy, if not completely so. Therefore, I hope it all makes sense. If not, like I said, feel free to ask!

I hope a lot of unanswered questions reveal themselves in later chapters, but like anyone else, I make mistakes. If you ask, I can tell you if I have a plan for that later, if it's something I can clear up with a simple message, or if it's something that needs a little revising on my part haha.

And a warning for the next chapter...I did not enjoy writing it. You guys might hate me for it, so I'm apologizing in advance =/ It lacks Klaroline, but the chapter after this next one will be all klaroline. So hang in there with me!