Helloooo beautiful readers!

So I know some of you read my blog and are looking at the word count and thinking "Hey Katie, didn't you claim to have written 7,000 words yesterday? What the heck?!" Well confused readers I did make that claim, and that claim is true, however the 7,000 words encompassed the end of this chapter, the next chapter, and the beginning of the chapter after that! I've been trying to get ahead of myself and write write write because the thing is we are beginning to reach the end of the story. When I'm at the beginning and end of my fics I like to write ahead so that way I can make sure I have loose ends tied up and everything in place instead of updating on the fly and realizing "oh fuck! I missed something, now I have to go back." So just expect another regular update next week, nothing too fancy :)

Thanks again for all the reviews, fangirling, and support. Thanks to Kady for reading over my stuff and letting me know it makes sense and thanks to Flora for always tell me how OOC I am and keeping my ego in check.

Enjoy!

"Klaus punched him?" Elena asked from the passenger seat of Caroline's car.

It was Wednesday afternoon, Elena and Elijah had just landed and Caroline had offered to pick them up at the airport and bring them to Mystic Falls. It had been a busy day and a half for the formidable Ms. Forbes. Overnight she had become the world's newest, most interesting source of gossip. The backstabbing she-wolf who dated slept with her best friend's boyfriend behind her back. And now, the poor, broken-hearted Elena Gilbert was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart.

"Yeah," Caroline said, "he thought Tyler was the reason that the story was leaked. Which, I can't really blame him for, since I thought the same thing at first."

"I'm not surprise he punched him," Elena said, "it is Klaus we're talking about."

Caroline ignored the dig. She did kind of agree, but wouldn't admit it. She had been pretty angry with Klaus after the initial almost fight. They had argued in the parking lot, over Tyler and his swollen face, until they reached an impasse. Klaus was unwilling to admit that he was wrong and Caroline wasn't going to let him get away with over-reacting. He was lucky that there weren't any photographers around. Or worse…someone to call the police and have him arrested. She could only imagine the horror of having her sheriff mother arrest her famous boyfriend and the headlines that would ensure from that.

"Regardless," Caroline said, "he is being punished for acting like a caveman."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm withholding sex from him until further notice."

With that comment came Elijah's uncomfortable throat clearing from the back seat.

Caroline's eyes slid towards Elena and they exchanged knowing smiles, both suppressing the urge to laugh.

A short while later, they arrived at Elena's house. Klaus met them there and was waiting in the living room when they arrived. Elijah brought the bags in and greeted his brother.

"Hello Niklaus," Elijah said.

"Elijah."

Caroline could sense the tension between the two men as they all stood in Elena's living room.

"Glad you managed not to get into any more fist fights while Caroline was gone," Elijah said, smoothing down his tie and taking a seat in one of the easy chairs.

Klaus threw a look at Caroline and she shrugged innocently. "What? It's not like he wasn't going to find out."

"It's fortunate none of the photographers caught that special moment on film."

"Elijah why don't you go ahead and pull the stick out of your a—"

"Okaaaay," Caroline interrupted, "so now that we're all here we can finally figure out a game plan."

Klaus shut his mouth, still glaring at Elijah, who leaned forward and began to speak. Elena and Caroline sat down on the couch while Klaus chose the chair opposite Elijah's.

"Well the media is piecing together our original cover story, with the new details they've discovered about Caroline and Niklaus," he summarized, "they don't realize it's not half as illicit as it seems to be because, well, they have no other reason to."

"But we already began planting break up rumors and stories," Elena said, "can't we just make a statement that Klaus and Caroline started dating after a break up?"

"We could," Elijah agreed, "however the idea has been planted. Some will believe it and some won't."

Elijah looked over at Caroline. "Well it's probably the best we've got," she said.

"I still don't like it," Klaus said, "Caroline shouldn't be subjected to slander and gossip."

"That's very noble brother but unfortunately it's a risk she took when she chose to become involved with you."

Caroline watched Klaus's expression turn dark. She couldn't begin to guess what he was thinking as he slumped against the back of the chair. After a few moments of silence, an idea formed in his head and his posture straightened out again.

"We'll tell the press the truth. That the relationship was a hoax."

"Klaus no," Caroline said, "that will only make you look bad."

"It will make all of us look bad," Elijah remarked.

"So Caroline is the one who will be punished because of what we did?" Klaus said standing up from his chair and stalking toward Elijah. Caroline shot up and put herself in front of Klaus's path, placing her hands against his chest to discourage him from possibly punching his brother.

"I have an idea," Elena said after having been quiet for a while.

Caroline face perked up as she glanced down at Elena, keeping her hold on Klaus just in case. "What's your idea?"

"Hang on a second." Elena got up from the couch and left the room. Elijah, Klaus and Caroline waited there in silence for her to return, exchanging curious looks and shrugs, all trying to guess what she was thinking of doing. A few moments later she came back into the living room with an accomplished smile on her face.

"I called Jenna," Elena explained, "she's agreed to organize an informal press conference this evening."

"A press conference?" Caroline asked.

"Yep," Elena said, walking over and sitting on the arm of Elijah's chair, "I'm going to set the record straight."

"What are you going to say?"

"I can't tell you," Elena said, earning a confused look from her boyfriend. "Look you'll just have to trust me okay?"

Elena leaned forward and placed an innocent peck on his lips, before rising again and leaving the room before he could respond. Elijah blinked a few times in confusion, before realizing the slip of PDA, and becoming a tad flustered by Elena's kiss.

"Okay then," he said smoothing down his tie and clearing his throat.

It turned out "informal press conference" meant a call-in to one of these most popular radio shows in the entire country, hosted by one of the most famous celebrity reporters in the business. This guy had his own radio show, hosted a reality talent show, ran a web-blog and also anchored from time to time on the a entertainment news magazine show that appeared every evening. If there was a hot story in Hollywood, Bryan Glecrest was always the first to report.

And Elena had a call-in interview with him on his radio show in L.A. that very evening.

The Caroline-Klaus-Elena love triangle was about to get a great, big signal boost.

Elena sat alone in her bedroom, on hold with the radio station, while Caroline, Klaus, and Elijah tuned in downstairs in her living room. They had found an old boombox radio from high school cheerleading days in Elena's bedroom and set it up on the coffee table. Caroline was nervously biting at her thumbnail, waiting for the interview to begin. Klaus had been moody all afternoon, not at all keen on the idea of relying on Elena or not being told her plan. Elijah was doing his best to trust his girlfriend, but Caroline could see he was just as agitated as Klaus each time he adjusted the knot on his tie.

"Good afternoon everyone, and evening to all you East Coast listeners tuning in on XM channel 195. If you're just tuning in now I gotta tell ya…you picked an excellent time. In just a few moments I'll be talking to the one, the only, the incredibly lovely Elena Gilbert. Now as you all might have heard Elena has recently been involved with a real life love triangle, a scandal like this hasn't happened since the days of Brangelina. It seems that everyone out there has a different version of the story. Well I have Miss Gilbert on the phone right now and we'll be getting her exclusive story on all the rumors in just a few moments."

Bryan let the song play and Caroline shifted impatiently. She didn't know why she was so impatient to hear the news. It wasn't like she was experiencing it first hand or anything. But she had absolutely no idea what Elena was about to say on-air.

"Elena didn't even give you a hint as to what she's planning," Caroline asked Elijah.

He shook his head. "The most she would say is that she didn't want any of us to talk her out of it."

The song, which was only three minutes but seemed like it was a whole hour, ended and Bryan's voice was heard once again over the airwaves.

"Alright, so just a few moments ago I told you that we would be speaking to Elena Gilbert and I've got her here on the line now, Elena how are you today."

Caroline sucked in a breath as Elena's cheerful voice came over the air. "I'm doing great Bryan, how are you?"

"I'm great. It's been a long time since we've had a chance to chat."

"I know," Elena said, "I've been in Europe for most of the summer."

"That's right. And I heard that you've also suffered a bit of heartbreak during your travels?"

"Well Bryan that isn't exactly true…"

"Oh," Bryan returned sounding surprised, "well would you like to set the record straight?"

"I would," Elena said pausing for dramatic effect, "the truth is…my relationship with Niklaus Mikaelson…well the entire thing was a fake."

It was like the entire world went silent. Caroline swore her heart came to a complete stop. Even Bryan Glecrest who had heard and seen it all when it came to celeb drama had nothing to say to that. She looked to her left and right and saw matching faces of astonishment on each of the Mikaelson men's faces. Their hearts started beating again and they all exchanged surprised glances, turning their attention back to the radio when Elena continued to speak.

"As you know Bryan, dating in the celebrity world can be very tough. Relationships are something that should have the chance to be private. They are nobody's business except for the two people involved."

Where in the hell was Elena going with this? Caroline wondered.

"Yes that's very true," Bryan agreed, "privacy is an unfortunate casualty of fame. But you actually admitting on air that your very high profile romance was a fake?"

"I am Bryan. I feel very bad and I apologize to my fans for lying, but I hope they will give me a chance to explain. I did it with the best of intentions."

"Well I'm sure our listeners and your fans would be willing to hear what those intentions were."

"The truth is, Klaus and I pretended to have a relationship to cover up and draw media attention away from the real romance that has been happening over the summer. Between Klaus and my best friend, Caroline Forbes." Caroline's heart stopped again, hearing her own name on the radio. She vaguely heard Bryan Glecrest repeat it, asking if this was the same Caroline who had recently been outed in the magazines for going behind Elena's back. "Yes Bryan. Some very bad things have been sad about her, but none of them are true. Caroline was never at fault. She and Klaus met, became friends, but were concerned about media attention on their relationship. They wanted their privacy, especially Caroline. So we came up with this idea."

"Misdirection. I believe Siegfried and Roy came up with that one."

"Exactly Bryan. As you know, the paparazzi today can be incredibly intrusive. I simply wanted to protect my friend from any of that. As did Klaus."

"I completely understand," Bryan said once Elena had finished her story, "I'm sure our listeners can sympathize with wanting to look out for a friend."

"Thank you Bryan."

"No thank you Elena. It's good of you to come out and set the record straight," Bryan said, "and good luck with your new movie. You begin filming soon correct?"

"That's correct."

"Well we look forward to seeing it. Thanks so much for calling in."

Elena said goodbye and Bryan shifted gears, announcing the next song and upcoming traffic report at the top of the hour. Elijah reached forward and clicked off the radio. The three of them sat there in silence, staring vacantly at the silent radio.

Elena walked down her stairs, meeting three confused expressions in the living room. At first she had been proud of her plan. She knew that people like Bryan Glecrest set the tone for celebrity gossip; if she could get him on their side, then she could get everyone else. It wasn't a perfect alibi, but it was something. Her victorious smile fell a bit as she faced the rest of them.

"So…" Elena asked nervously. "Was that okay?"

"Now I know why you didn't tell me," Elijah said, walking over to stand next to her.

"I just thought that if we twisted the original story, it might look a tad bit better. I mean I know my fans will be mad and some people won't buy it either way, but it's worth a shot."

"Elena," Caroline said standing up from the couch, "I can't believe you just did that."

"You're my best friend Caroline. There's no way I was going to let you take the fall for all of this." Caroline smiled and the two girls hugged. "But, it's probably not going to fix everyone's opinion in Mystic Falls. They'll know that you were dating Tyler before you left for Europe."

"Yeah well after national media coverage, I'm sure I can handle a few snooty looks from anyone around here," Caroline said. "Give it a week and Vicki Donovan will do something crazy and everyone will forget all about me."

Later that evening, Klaus and Caroline strolled through the town square, hand in hand just as the sun was setting over Mystic Falls. They had grabbed dinner at The Grill and fortunately, everyone seemed to be paying the couple the same respect they paid Elena whenever she came to visit. Caroline suspected that maybe it was because the whole town was mad at her, but she was fully confident that all of that would blow over soon. It was the thing about small towns. A new source of gossip could always be counted upon.

"I'm glad you can finally see the town," Caroline said with a big smile, giving Klaus's hand a squeeze. "I mean I know it's not Prague or Venice or anything like that."

"No," Klaus said, "but it's nice enough. And I like being with you."

Klaus gave Caroline one of those heart stopping, dimpled smiles that had made her melt since the moment she met him.

Just then one of the photographers from the other day came up to them. Asking for pictures. Klaus was about to tell him to piss off, but Caroline grabbed his arm.

"Maybe just a couple. It's okay." Klaus nodded and put an arm around Caroline's waist, letting the photographer snap a few photos.

"Okay, that's enough," Klaus said after a few moments. The man nodded and smiled at Caroline.

"Thanks Miss Forbes, you're very kind."

"You're welcome," she said to him as Klaus led her away.

As they walked through the Klaus's front door, Caroline sat her purse down and kicked off her heels. Walking over to the leather couch and laying down. Klaus strolled behind her. He had been rather quiet for the latter half of the evening.

"I'm so full," Caroline said, "but I kinda wish we would have gotten dessert."

"What was that earlier?" Klaus asked joining her on the couch. He lifted up her legs and sat them down again on top of his lap.

Caroline cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"With the photographer…and letting him take pictures."

"Oh," Caroline said, "should I not have? I just didn't see the harm. He was very polite."

"I thought the idea was to keep our privacy."

"Well I mean I think that idea is a little far fetched now," Caroline said, "I'm not saying I want our faces plastered everywhere we look, but now that the world knows about us, it wouldn't hurt to have a picture or two of us actually looking happy."

"Are you happy?"

The rare note of vulnerability in Klaus's tone took Caroline aback. "Yeah I'm happy. I mean things aren't perfect. But I'm happy." Klaus's mouth lifted into a grin and Caroline sat up, pulling his face to hers and pressing their lips together. "I might be happier though if I had some cookies."

She started to get up but Klaus prevented her from moving, leaning over her and forcing her down onto the couch. "You are not going anywhere right now."

He kissed her again, forcing his tongue into her mouth, setting off tiny fireworks within her belly. Caroline pushed against his chest.

"No! No!" She said. "I'm with-holding sex from you."

"And why is that?" Klaus asked, curious and amused.

"Because you punched out Tyler, over-reacted, wouldn't apologize."

Klaus let her finish and then kissed her again for a few moments more before Caroline pushed him away.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Did you listen to anything I just said?"

"With-holding sex, love? Come now, that's such a relationship cliché."

"But effective," she said.

Klaus sighed. "Fine," he said placing a kiss on the top of her cheek and covering the rest of her face with kisses, "I promise to never again—kiss—punch Tyler Lockwood—kiss—in the Mystic Grill car park." He finished by capturing her lips once again.

"Hmmm," Caroline murmured, "don't think that I'm not smart enough to decipher the loop holes in that sentence."

"I know," Klaus smiled, "that's why I like you."

They were kissing again and soon the kissing became more heated. Klaus's hands were running up under Caroline's shirt and her hands were at his belt, the metal chinking together as she unbuckled it and slipped it from the loops. She tossed it onto the floor and Klaus leaned up, removing his shirt. Caroline took the opportunity to take off her own, as well as her pink bra.

He covered her again, his deep kiss forceful and hungry. Their hands varied between holding faces and clutching at each other's waists, unable to decide where to settle, wanting to be everywhere at once. Her breasts rubbed against his chest, her nipples tightening, the feel of her naked skin on his making his cock harden. He groaned and grinded his hips against hers, creating a frustrating amount of friction beneath their jeans. His lips left hers and trailed down her jaw and across her throat. He dotted wet kisses across her the creamy skin of her breasts, his tongue swirling around each nipple. Caroline threaded her fingers through his hair, letting her nails scrap at his scalp, her hips arching up as the need within her grew.

"Klaus," she breathed.

"Yes love?"

"I need you."

With a smirk, Klaus sat up, and unbuttoned her pants. He tugged down the zipper and slowly slid the denim down her legs, tossing the jeans onto the floor next to next their shirts. She laid on the couch in nothing but her underwear and Klaus traced a finger around the pink lace, teasing her, before removing those as well. The heat in his eyes was enough to make her squirm. Klaus had the most expressive eyes she had ever known. One smoldering look from him and she was completely undone.

He looked down at her for a moment, contemplating his next move, before running back to his room. Tonight he wanted to be as close to her as he could. He needed to feel her whole body against his, have her closer than close.

Klaus quickly removed his pants and sheathed himself with the condom he had retrieved from his room before settling himself between Caroline's welcoming thighs. He kissed her again, feeling her calf wrap around his back, her ankle stroking down his leg.

Caroline released a lusty groan when Klaus entered her, filling her up. Her legs wrapped around him as he began to move against her. The couch wasn't very big, it barely fit the two of them, but she felt like she couldn't be close enough to him at that moment. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wondered if Klaus could feel it too. It seemed unreal, the way he made her feel, how every touch was electric, every kiss something new, every movement filled with passion and desire Caroline swore she only read about in romance novels. Maybe this was it. That thing that people always said made the difference.

That L word.

No not like.

Or lust.

It was lo—

Before she could finish her thought, Klaus pulled her up, sitting back against the couch so that she straddled his lap. She began to ride him, his face pressed to her chest, their bodies moving together. Her thoughts left her then, as the pleasure started to cloud her mind and all she could think about was how good everything felt. His fingers dug into her hips, encouraging their motion, a guttural moan vibrating from his throat.

Caroline leaned down and captured his lips again, searing him with a kiss, hoping to make him feel even half the way she did whenever he kissed her. Klaus's hands left her hips, clutching at her head and holding her in place. His tongue swirled with hers and his fingers knotted in her hair. They separated with a loud, heavy gasp and Caroline began riding him faster, both of them racing now towards sweet release.

She cried out first, the sound of her coming like a sweet song in his ear, her orgasm flowing pulsing through her like a glorious beat. Klaus followed not moments after, his hands pressing into her flesh as his body jerked against hers. Caroline stayed in his lap, with him still inside of her, as the feelings subsided into warm bliss. They kissed each other tenderly, with murmurs of satisfaction and smiles.

Apparently I'm all about redeeming moments in this fic. Tyler had his last chapter, and now Elena is having hers. Interpret it how you will. She's been bugging me on the show lately, so I wanted her to have a good friend moment here in fan fiction world. Besides, Elena tends to act on her own when it comes to protecting people and going along with her own plans that she thinks is best. Whether it is or not remains to be seen...

And remember how I said there was a special character making a reappearance soon. Next chapter guys! I had such a fun time writing her more (there's a clue!) so I hope you like it too.

Also, I hope you guys laughed at my Ryan Seacreast character. I like rhyming names. I think I'm funny. :p

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