Sorry again for the lateness. Quite a long chapter so I hope that makes up for it! Plus, I've already written most of the next one, so just some tweaking and it should be up early this weekend.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire diaries of it's characters.

The front door bell echoed through the mansion, as Klaus was just recounting where he believed they had Caroline. He could hear Elijah downstairs, opening the door.

"She's my friend." Elena stated, standing on the doorstep, with Stefan at her shoulder, Jeremy and Matt behind.

"Of course she is." Elijah said gracefully, stepping back to let them in. He brought them through to the main sitting room and they settled awkwardly.

"Some place you have here." Jeremy observed, filling the silence.

"Thank you, it suits our needs." Elijah said shortly, and went back to his quiet contemplation, waiting for the group upstairs to join them.

"So you've decided to help after all." Klaus's voice rang out as he descended the stairs quickly, leading Kol, Rebekah and Bonnie.

"We never decided not to! Damon does not speak for all of us." Elena insisted, looking adamantly at him.

"Fine. You want to help. But first, let's get something straight. This is not a democracy. I will decide if and how you can help, and you will follow my instructions." Klaus said, taking up his customary place by the fire.

"And what makes you the leader of our rescue mission? You've known Caroline the least amount of time." Jeremy pointed out.

"Because I know where she is." Klaus announced.

Jackson couldn't believe he was stuck with night time guard duty again. He shifted about on the creaking wooden chair and stretched. He could see the moon rising in the black sky overhead. A full moon, he won't be on guard duty for long. He could already feel it call to him, making his blood sing. He wondered if they still felt that... those hybrids. He shivered at the thought. They were the worst creatures alive. And someone had made them. Made them drink his vile dead blood, then killed them. Now they were puppets for him, followed him around, waited on him. It wasn't natural.

He wouldn't have gotten involved with Simon if it hadn't been for the hybrid thing. Werewolves were already on the point of extinction, they couldn't have some British guy hunting them down and killing them. And Simon had come along, saying he could find him, could help them kill him. That's the only reason he was putting up with these boring night shifts and babysitting. Simon wouldn't even let them have any fun with her, the little blonde vampire he had stashed in the cell. Not like her mother, at the thought Jackson smiled, at least that had been fun. Vampire sympathizers were the worst.

His friends were all similar to him, pack rejects. He smiled to himself, who was going to kick him out a pack now? They'd have their pick of packs and bitches when they finished off the vampires in Mystic Falls, and drew out the sicko who was creating hybrids. He heard a snuffling sound coming from the cell behind him, down a long corridor and spiral staircase. His hearing heightened by the moon.

Standing he decided to take a stroll in and check on the status of their pretty little prisoner. He went to the door, and knocked quietly in a pattern, waiting he heard the dead bolt draw back, and he ducked into the low, dark corridor.

"Almost time. Can't keep it off much longer." Billy said, standing inside from him guard position just inside the door.

"Who wants to? I'm itching to turn. It's been a long month." Jackson remarked as he strolled down the corridor.

"Where are you going?" his friend called out behind him.

"Just checking on the vamp. You know, it's so dark outside, maybe she's scared..." he winked at his friend as he ambled down the stairs and disappeared.

Billy shook his head, and went back to his post, leaving the door open to the night, and the moon. He felt the moonlight bathe his face, and tried to relax, stave off the urge to turn until Simon told him what to do.

A slight rustling in the night instantly snapped his attention back and he stood quickly, grabbing a flashlight on the wall.

"Who's there?" he growling menacingly, flashing the light around the dense woods that surrounded the hidden underground torture chamber. Suddenly out the darkness two guys staggered into view. They seemed pretty drunk and like they were having trouble keeping their feet. They were humans, he could smell it immediately.

"Whoa! Shhhhh! Dude, you're so wasted." one of them joked as he dumped his friend onto a tree stump and sat beside him. Billy thought hard, what should he do? Kill them? Did they know what they'd found? Or were they just drunk idiots that had stumbled into the woods. He debated, then moved out of the concealed cover towards them.

"Hey there fellas. What are you doing out here at this time?" Billy asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Where is out here?" the blonde one asked as he raised the bottle to his lips and took a long drink.

"You're pretty drunk." Billy observed, his mind shrewdly imagining a moonlit hunt, wolf versus drunken high schoolers.

"Too drunk" the dark one muttered, leaning forward, he offered his bottle to Billy

"Please, take it off me. I shouldn't drink anymore. Do me a favour." Billy grasped the cold glass, his mind already drawn to the sweet liquid rolling around inside it.

"Well, if you insist." he smirked, raising the bottle to his lips and taking a long draw. Pain like lightning seemed to rise up out of stomach and he felt himself start to cough up blood. He felt it race along his veins, blur his vision, causing him to drop to his knees. Wolfsbane. He had just drunk a whole lot, and it was blistering his insides.

He looked up, snarling at the two boys, who were now watching him intently. He saw one put down a rucksack and start to pull out weapons. Throwing his head back, he let out an almighty howl. He felt the change start to rip through him, and still he howled, the noise carrying far and wide. The last thing he felt was a cool rush of air on his face, then suddenly there was someone before him, someone with no smell at all. One of them.

It smiled at him, and then he felt it's hand break through his ribs and grasps his heart. His last thought was disappointment that he wouldn't be there to see his brother's fight, as he slumped dead on the fern covered floor, as the sound of wolves answering his call filled the air.

"Matt!" Rebekah whispered as she came into the clearing. Going immediately to his side, she checked him over for damage.

"I'm fine. Go get Caroline." as he spoke, the woods around them seemed to fill with rustling. Elijah appeared beside her.

"He has called on the other wolves. They are on their way, and it's a full moon. We must take cover." he said shortly, starting toward the chamber entrance, stepping over the dead body in the way. Turning back he called toward the wood.

"Bring her in now, we all have to get inside." Emerging from the darkness Stefan, Kol and Elena escorted Bonnie into the mouth of the corridor. Rebekah hurried over with Matt and Jeremy.

"But, shouldn't they leave. It's too dangerous for them."

"They'd never make it through the woods alone."

"Then I'll go with them."

"Sister, you would also get hurt. You can't protect both of them." Elijah said, seeing his sister's frustration.

"We don't need to be protected!" Jeremy cried, though was quickly quieted by crushing looks from the two originals.

"I'll help." a dry voice announced from behind. Damon leaned against a tree trunk and smiled thinly at them.

"Decided to help have we?" Rebekah sneered at him.

"Well, what can I say, I'm just a good guy under it all." he smirked.

"Yeah, and I'm sure it has nothing to do with Elena never speaking to yo again if you don't help." she said cuttingly, before turning back to Elijah.

"We will keep them safe. Take care of yourself Elijah, Kol and Klaus too. Bring Caroline back." she said, then she and Damon, Matt and Jeremy slipped into the woods, in the opposite direction of the snarling and barking that was fast approaching. Elijah stepped back into the corridor and pulled the door shut, bolting it from the inside.

Caroline vaguely heard her cell door opening, but she couldn't see much, given her state of starvation and overdosing of vervain. She heard the chair being scrapped back into place, and winced, had her uncle returned for a midnight chat?

"Well, well, what do we have here? You're a pretty little thing aren't you?" her head jerked up at the new voice. He chuckled low in his throat.

She heard strange noises then, which she couldn't connect until she heard a belt buckle jangling. He was taking his clothes off. Fighting the urge to attack him and rip his head off, she knew she'd probably not be a match for him if he was a wolf, she scooted back as far as she could into the corner and watched him warily. He had stripped down to his underwear, and moved into the patch moonlight in the centre of the floor.

"I think you and me could have some fun. You and my better half that is." and he started to change.

Shouting and grunting he was suddenly a wolf, and his yellow eyes glinted at her through the dark. It raised its lips in a snarl and advanced toward her. Standing, she tried to flash to the door, but her weakness, made her slow and the wolf quickly barred her exit.

She tried to keep back from it as much as possible. As she retreated it slowly circled in towards her, it's head low and spit dripping from it's muzzle. It suddenly rushed at her, it's teeth bared, and she threw her hands up in defense, but no attack came. It retreated again, circling. It was playing with her, terrorising her, like a cat plays with a mouse.

She felt the anger that had been coursing through her veins so much lately return. Snarling back she met the next attack face on, and managed to throw the grisly wolf off. Though a nagging pain caused her to glance down at her hand. Blood slowly welled out a bite mark. Squeezing her hand, she lowered herself back to the floor, mentally cursing her stupidity. Bitten again.

Well, the anger flaring. If she was already a goner, might as well go down fighting.

When the wolf lunged again, she lunched right back, and sank her teeth into the dog's shoulder, as it sank it teeth into hers. The pain she might have felt was second to the satisfaction she felt as the mangy wolf retreat slightly, whimpering. As it collected itself, it's snarling turned more intense, and it powered forward, hate generating it's strength, it hit her in the chest and they both went down. She felt the cold floor on her back, then her side, then her font as they rolled together across the old stone. She ripped and and scratched and bit at it's sinewy body with all her remaining strength, and it did the same. She felt her clothes ripping away in places from it's claws, felt blood blossoming from where they claws had raked.

Her head hit hard against the ground and fireworks seemed to explode behind her eyes. But she fought on. She fought on because the thought of leaving her mother in a place like this, alone, was so unthinkable.

Finding her hand on it's head, she felt her fingers being bitten down on hard, then using the others, she sank them into the wolf's nearby eye socket, and kept going until she hit bone. Suddenly, she realised, that another wolf had entered the fray.

She was thrown clear as the two kept fighting. This other wolf was younger, and bigger, within moments, it had torn huge chunks off the initial one. As they took a break from fighting, circling each other, Caroline felt the first real tremors of pain as her body tried to heal itself and the poison set in. Seeing as the two wolves were occupied, she started to inch around them.

She had to find her mother, shifting on to her hands and knees, she started toward the door, the floor turned a rich dark red as she passed.

A final ripping then yelping noise came from the centre of the room, then all was silent. She was almost too scared to turn and see, but she did and saw immediately that the younger wolf had triumphed. It's hair was matted with blood, and one ear looked torn, but it sat calmly in the centre of the room, panting and watching her.

It's gaze was so familiar, golden and burning, it was completely still. Suddenly it started changing. Its bones cracking, elongating an shortening, hair disappearing and pale skin emerging. It didn't make a sound. Caroline felt her head swirl with the poison and vervain and she leaned back against the wall. If this wolf didn't kill her, she'd just take a short rest, then she'd find her mother and get them out of here. Just a short rest to gather her strength first.

He grabbed his jeans off the corridor floor and slipped them on as he moved to Caroline, who seemed to have passed out against the wall. Upstairs he could hear Elijah speaking to Rebekah.

"Caroline!" Elena cried as she arrived at the doorway to the cell and tried to rush in to her friend.

Klaus exchanged a look with Stefan who put his arms around Elena and held her back.

"What?"she asked, looking at him indignantly.

"We need to let Klaus help her. She'll be O.K" Bonnie said quietly, touching Elena's arm as she followed Kol down the hall, checking the rest of the building for trouble. As silence once again fell in the cell, he sat with his back to the wall, and pulled Caroline into his arms, cradling her head against his chest.

The moonlight made the room look like it was splattered with black paint, like some awful modern painting. He stroked her face, and took inventory of each bite on her body. What had she been thinking, wrestling with a wolf. So brave... and so fearless. He felt her breathing change and realised she had woken up again.

"Am I dreaming again?" she asked faintly. Her mind felt unattached to her body, it was floating quite a bit away in fact, and she could co longer feel the pain of her body.

"Why are you always there? In my dreams. In my head. In my h..." she trailed off again, her head dipping forward against her chest.

"I've got you. Everything is going to be O.K" he whispered into her hair. Bringing up his wrist, he bit into it, and then lowered it against her lips. The smell of the blood drew her out her delirium and she opened her lips a tiny bit, savouring that first taste of magnificent original blood. He pressed harder and she felt her fangs descend into his skin. Slowly she began to suck more and more of that life giving substance into her, feeling it attack the poison and fill the hollow in her stomach.

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Elena approach the bars of the cell door and peer through. Whether she was shocked or not, she didn't speak, but watched them silently, as Caroline drank, fighting for her life, and Klaus held her close, stroking her hair, then turned away.

Finally Caroline broke off, panting. She still felt weak, but not starving anymore. She looked around the cell, and then drew back from Klaus and met his eyes for the first time since she'd fallen asleep in his arms.

"You came for me." she stated quietly, taking in his blood splattered face and chest.

"Of course I did. You're mine." he said, and she sighed softly, pulling herself out of arms and trying to assess the damage to her clothes.

"Don't say that... it scares me." she said, glancing up at him as he rose too, grabbing his shirt off the floor and pulling it over his head.

"I find you wrestling a werewolf... yet that scares you" he stated dryly as he watched her trying to pull the remnants of her torn shirt together. He stripped off one layer of shirt, and handed it to her.

"Thanks" she said quietly as she slipped it on. Then turned at a noise outside.

"Who else is here?"

"Just people who care about you, turns out there's quite a few of them" he said, taking her hand. She looked down at their joined hands in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"Just humour me."

"I can't... my friends, my mom..." she trailed off, her attention instantly diverted. Pulling her hand out of his, she shot as fast as she could towards the door.

"Have you found her yet?" she called as she started looking in other rooms. Klaus hung back, his sadness for her almost choking his voice.

"No." he said quietly and watched as she rushed out the room and down the hall, he followed behind her, slowly, trying to figure out what the hell he was going to say.

"Caroline!" he heard Bonnie and Elena's voices echo around the dank underground tunnels. Kol and Elijah appeared out of the darkness and drew him a little separate from the others.

"Well?" Klaus demanded, waiting for his their report on their situation.

"Like we thought brother, it was easy to get in, it's getting out that's going to be... interesting." Kol summised.

"Meaning?" Klaus scowled.

"Meaning, there are wolves in the woods. I don't know exactly how many. A lot. And it's a full moon. They are at their strongest. This is the dilemma we find ourselves in. Stay here for the night, and face the wolves when the sun is up, they will be easier to deal with. However we run the risk of meeting the uncle, and maybe other council members. I know you don't like to hear it, but it is true that the council discovering the identities of the rest of the vampires in Mystic Falls will cause future difficulties for all of us."

As Klaus listened he watched Caroline with her friends. She was quiet,withdrawn. He could feel her emotions, racing around inside her. This trauma was a blow she could ill afford, and he could see that she was struggling to find her light, to bring a smile to her lips in response to her friends urgings.

"There is a back exit, we could go out that way." Stefan observed. It was the tipping point Klaus needed to make his decision.

"We go now. We can take the wolves. I'll heal whoever needs it later." he stated as they joined the others. Stefan, who was leaning against the wall watching Caroline closely, pushed off the wall and over to the bag they'd carried in. He started handing out wolfsbane grenades and other weapons.

"Caroline, you go with Elijah" he said, sharing a look with his brother.

"Why? I can fight. I deserve to be able to fight" she said angrily, her hand tightening around her wolfsbane grenade.

"Sweetheart, you can barely stand." he pointed out, watching as her face flushed with frustration.

Just then, an almighty crack came form the front door and it disappeared, they heard the patter of paws streaming down the corridor.

Stefan grabbed Elena and an extra handful of wolfsbane and started toward the hidden back door

"See you back at the mansion." he said and they disappeared in the the dark.

"Milady, do you require an escort?" Kol joked, at odds with his serious eyes as he picked up Bonnie's witch things and ushered her toward the door.

"See you on the other side brothers" he saluted before disappearing into the madness beyond the door.

"Elijah... GO!" Klaus urges pushing them toward the back. Elijah took the command, and grasped Caroline's wrist. Scooping her up, Klaus had one last glimpse of Caroline's eyes, frightened and wild, they looked at him searchingly, and for a moment, her hand brushed his, squeezed and then she was gone. His hand felt mockingly empty as he threw off his clothes again, and started to change. They had hurt her, and it was time to pay.

He threw himself down the hall and caught one mid lunge, snarling he ripped it's throat out, and continued on to the next and the next. Some got past him and he prayed his faith in Elijah was well placed. He felt teeth sink into his flank and howled, turning he fought harder.

Running through the woods, Elijah seemed to make no sound. They came into a clearing and Caroline started to understand where she was. A road ran parallel to their path, and she saw a black jeep speeding past.

"Stop! Wait, I think that's my uncle's car." she squirmed in his arms until he put her down. As her feet touched the ground a low growl was the only warning of an impending attack, and suddenly a wolf flew out the undergrowth, about head level. Elijah stepped in and snapped it's neck before it touched her. Stepped back, he reached down and pulled it's heart out, then inspected his suit cuffs. Muttering he finally looked up at Caroline and realised she had started back toward the chamber.

"Where are you going?" he asked in alarm.

"I have to speak to my uncle. He said if I didn't come alone, he'd kill my mother." she said determinately. Elijah stopped her and grabbed her arm, pulled her round to face him.

"Please Caroline. I promised my brother I'd take care of you. We have to leave now. Klaus can handle your uncle." he said, dragging her along.

"Wait!" she shouted

"What about my mom?" Caroline cried, watching as emotions played over Elijah's face. His handsome face creased with such compassion that it could only mean one thing.

"Caroline... I'm sorry..." he trailed off as she backed away from him. She felt a panic rising inside her. Suffocating her, drowning her. Her eyes glazed over and her mind refused to accept it. Her head started to moved left and right, and she started shaking with her whole body, raising her hands to her head she started pulling at her hair, and opened her mouth, a scream, so pure and full of suffering ripped the night. Still shaking she stood and screamed, the sound was almost inhuman.

A wolf suddenly bounded into a clearing, and Elijah turned towards it, it was joined by another and he began to fight in earnest. Using a grenade he finally ripped the heart from the second wolf, tossing it to the ground, he realised the screaming had stopped. He looked around for Caroline, but she was gone.