Oh you guys are amazing! Hope you like getting sneak peeks 'cause I plan on providing one for each new chapter as they come.

I know it took me a long time to update, but I just couldn't get this chapter to be what I wanted it to be…

So I've reviewed bits and pieces of the beginning of chapter 7 and completed it (still not 100% happy with it). Plus, you'll find a sneak peek of Chapter 8, once you're done with this one.

The next morning Klaus drove to the Gilbert Lake House to check on the young Hunter's training. If there was one thing he and the Salvatores agreed upon, it was Elena's prompt return to human form. They needed to use the cure on the doppelganger sooner rather than later, as he was running out of patience. When he got out of his car, he saw the eldest Salvatore brother watching Jeremy and Matt wrestling, from a safe distance, few feet away.

"Seriously, how thick can you get…" Klaus thought.

In two fast steps he was next to Damon, watching the two young men battling. Jeremy with his newly developed hunter skills was giving Matt a hell of a workout. The latter didn't even have a chance to approach the young Gilbert without being thrown on his back, a strong arm pushed against his throat. Once Matt surrendered they'd resume the training, but the end result never changed.

"Klaus…" Damon said not even looking up at him. "What a pleasant surprise. What do you want, you're a distraction."

Jeremy stopped wrestling watching the two vampires, his Hunter's instinct kicking in. Matt tried to take advantage of his inattention by jumping on his back, but Jeremy easily grabbed him mid-way and slammed him on the ground.

"Jer… be careful with the guy, he's not as tough as a vampire. I don't personally care for him, but I know you'd feel bad if you actually broke his back." Damon interjected.

Klaus turned his attention on Damon and placed his body in front of the younger vampire so he would listen to what he had to say. "You are here to grow Jeremy's mark. How is him wrestling with a mere mortal boy going to help him grow stronger and faster? "

"Yeah well I can't fight him myself, with the possibility of me dying from a stake in the heart and all. The guy doesn't have a soft spot in his heart for me as it is, don't know why as I am so lovable. But anyway, he wishes to use real weapons if he's going against a real vampire".

Klaus glared back at him "That's a pity. Fortunately for you, I have a solution to your little problem." As he spoke, a car pulled up in the driveway next to his. "Ah, right on time" he said, turning to welcome the newcomer. Kol got out of his car looking excited.

Klaus turned around to face Jeremy and Matt who had stopped training at the sound of the car's arrival.

"Jeremy, here's your new training partner" he said. "I'm sure you'll find it more of a challenge to go up against him" Klaus smiled, pleased with himself. "As an Original, Kol can't be killed by a mere wooden stake" he said giving Damon a snooty look.

Kol sped right between Matt and Jeremy and tried to punch the hunter in the face, but Jeremy was able to avert the blow just in time.

"You're lucky I haven't put that much effort in this punch boy, or your pretty little face would be in pieces right now."

"Go to hell, dick" Jeremy replied back.

Kol gave him an arrogant smile and turned to look at Matt "Ah Matt Donovan, I remember you… You can stay and watch if you want. You could be my personal human blood bag if I ever get exhausted or whatever".

Matt gave him an angry look which only made Kol laugh out loud.

Klaus smiled at his brother. He didn't appreciate Matt's presence here and although he was now at peace with his sister, he would gladly kill the blond boy, even if it pissed Rebekah off. And he knew Kol felt the same way. Their sister would get over it eventually.

Jeremy looked to Damon and gestured for him to follow him inside the Lake House.

"What the hell's going on, man?" he asked when they were inside.

"It seems Klaus has come up with a plan of his own to help out with your training", Damon said. He looked through the window as Klaus and Kol started teaming up against Matt, approaching menacingly on the young man. Poor guy Damon laughed. "Isn't it touching Klaus cares that much about your future?"

"Don't laugh, dick. Training with Kol? Really? This is suicide! I'm not ready. He'll kill me without thinking twice about it. We can't trust the Originals, Damon, you know that."

"I know, but what other options do we have?" he asked exasperated. "You need to train against real vampires, and training with an actual immortal vampire is not a bad idea." He hated to admit Klaus was right, but wrestling with Matt would not bring Jeremy to his fullest Hunter potential.

"We'll find another way, but for now, tell Klaus we're not gonna do this his way. He can't control us like he used to his hybrids."

"Yeah I wouldn't mention that in front of him if I were you" Damon said, sneering. He liked the kid, he had guts. He put his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Listen we'll try this up, and if it doesn't work I'll take care of Kol and Klaus. How's that? I promised your sister I'd take care of your training and would keep you safe. And I plan on keeping my word to her. Anyway, Klaus wants the location of the cure, and the only way to find it is your Hunter's mark growing to its full extent. You're too valuable for him to let Kol kill you."

Jeremy simply nodded; clearly unhappy he'd still have to face Klaus' younger brother. If there was one of the Original siblings that was unpredictable and dangerous, it was Kol.

"So are we good now", Klaus asked as the two men stepped out of the house.

"We'll give this a shot", Damon said. "But if your brother here misbehaves at all, I'll hold you responsible for his actions."

Klaus scoffed and gave Kol a nod before heading for his car.

"Now let's have some fun" Kol said, positioning himself to attack. Jeremy stepped back hurriedly in a defensive stance.

Caroline got up that morning after a sleepless night, her head full of concerns and questions.

She had arrived late last night; considering her mom had already been fast asleep. After a long and excruciatingly hot shower, she had sat on her bed reminiscing about what had happened that day.

She started having mixed feelings towards her wish to befriend Klaus, and had tossed and turned all night trying to figure out what was going on with her.

Was she crazy? Was it safe for her to trust the Hybrid? Was he gonna use her to get to her friends? Was she being foolish to have such strong beliefs in her power over him? Would he change his sadistic nature in exchange for her friendship? Was he even beyond any possible change?

And then she'd think: But I could save him from himself. I could guarantee my friend's safety against the Mikaelsons.

Then she'd go back to her incessant questioning, and one particular question came creeping out: Was she betraying her friends by befriending the "Enemy"?

Was she turning her back on Tyler? Was she betraying her feelings for him? All day she had been this close to let her primitive physical instincts take over her. She had almost KISSED Klaus!

Her brain kept stirring all these thoughts even when she tried to clear her head to get some much needed sleep. Yet, the next hours had been spent thinking about all the emotions she had felt when she had been with Klaus during the day. The way her body reacted to his closeness… the way her dead heart had almost skipped a beat, when she thought he'd kiss her.

She had a hard time understanding where these emotions were coming from. Was it because she had been vulnerable emotionally after her breakup with Tyler? Yet why would that have influenced her behaviour with Klaus. She no longer was that insecure self-conscious Caroline who lived and fed on boys' attentions. The one that would have batted her eyelashes suggestively and puffed her chest out at any male stranger that would have given her an hungry look.

But then how could she explain, that just a few hours after her breakup with her boyfriend, she had almost jumped right into Klaus' arms ready to kiss him. Was her emotional state reason enough for her to have been so unguarded? She used to keep the Original Hybrid at arms lengths, most of the time, and yet she'd let him get into her personal space all day yesterday.

Was she kidding herself in thinking she had changed since her transition into vampirism?

Was she going back to the shallow and insecure Caroline?

No. No, no, no. She knew she had outgrown that part of her personality after becoming a vampire. And anyway she had to admit it to herself once and for all; Klaus had gotten under her skin, way before the Winter Wonderland events. And as much as she despised his actions that night, she found couldn't hate the guy… and that pissed her off.

Caroline had once told Klaus she was too smart to be seduced by him. And yet, she had felt inexplicably attracted to him yesterday. She had almost given in on his advances.

So all through the night she had been plainly angry with herself. And she had been furious against Klaus. She couldn't believe how she could let go of her barriers around him like she did. And she blamed his charms and his multiple seduction attempts, for her misconduct. After all, she wasn't immune against his gorgeousness… and sexiness… oh and let's not forget that irresistible accent.

Okay, so she was confused.

Now that she was away from Klaus, and her head was somewhat clear, she tried analyzing her emotions as objectively as she could.

Yes, she liked him. He was nice to her and never seemed to judge her by her flaws. He always wanted to learn more about her; her hopes and dreams. He wanted to show her the wonders of the world. He showed a humanized part of him to her that she'd never seen him display before. This was all very romantic… All that being said, she was willing to give the guy a chance, but at friendship only. Right? Nothing more.

And Caroline was no fool. If she'd succumbed to his charms and he'd have what he had wanted from her all along, then she'd mean nothing to him. Right now she was a challenge to him and that's what reeled him in. If she'd become his, then she'd be nothing more than a new shinny toy he'd get bored with and would throw away. And as much as she hated to admit it to herself, she would not accept to be used by him… she knew it was ironic as she probably deserved a taste of her own medicine, after all she put him through.

But anyway, that kind of relationship with the Hybrid was out of the question. She'd be his friend. For his sake, and for her friends'. She could be an ally to him and help him become a better person and turn him to the light. She could help her friends as well in the process, turning him into somewhat of a good guy, he wouldn't go after them anymore and would let them be.

Yesterday, she had gone through a heated argument with her two best friends to defend the Big Bad Wolf. She would be willing to sacrifice her relationship with her friends now, if it meant they'd all live happily ever after in the end. One day, she thought, they'd understand it was a smart move. That they would all benefit from her new relationship with Klaus. And then Tyler could come back to Mystic Falls… come back to her.

And there she was again, going back to Tyler… Would he still love her when he'd come back? Even if she had befriended his mother's murderer?

"Tyler should have never gone against me. He knew what would happen to him if he crossed the line…" Klaus had said when she had confronted him about his implications in Carol's death. And as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. They all knew what to expect from the Original Hybrid, if they tried to double cross him.

In a way, Tyler had endangered all of them by going against Klaus. His plans had multiple flaws in it and although Caroline had warned him, he had decided to trust Haylee instead of his girlfriend's word. And even after Haylee's betrayal, he had preferred to protect the werewolf bitch rather than keeping Caroline safe.

Now, along with her feelings for Klaus, she had started questioning her relationship with Tyler. Was she ready to say it was over? She still loved him, she was sure of it. But she had to admit they could never get back together, not after all that happened in the past months.

Needless to say that, with all this going through her mind, she hadn't slept all night.

As she was reminiscing all of this, sitting on her bed, she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door and for a second she wondered if it was Klaus standing outside her room. She brushed that foolish idea away and heard her mother's steady heartbeat on the other side of the door.

Liz cracked the door open and passed her head through it, smiling at her daughter. She probably noticed Caroline's tired features but kept her remarks to herself. Caroline and her mother had never been big on having girl-talks anyway.

"Are you going to school today, honey?" she asked. "You're going to be late if you don't hurry up."

Caroline noted her mother also looked exhausted and she suspected it had something to do with Carol Lockwood's death.

"I'll be down soon, mom. Thanks."

Her mother smiled weakly and went down the stairs to make fresh coffee.

Caroline got up and went through her morning routine at vampire speed. No pampering this morning as she really was going to be late.

"At least I won't need to worry about running into Klaus today" she said. She did not plan on making daily visits to him, even if she had promised him her loyalty as a friend.

She remembered how that promise had led them to a very intimate moment, which she vividly pushed away, but not without great effort. She stomped her foot down in frustration, angry at how her head just kept on going back to all the heated moments the two of them had shared in the past twenty-four hours. "Get over it!" she yelled to herself.

She couldn't help but wonder why she had left herself get so close to him. Was it because she was just recently single and was in desperate need of affection after being abandoned?

She was afraid of letting Klaus into her heart right now. First because she was just recently single. Second because she wasn't completely over her relationship with Tyler. And third, because he was Klaus, and despite her efforts to see him in a different light, and the fact that she had defended him tooth and nails yesterday, she knew she still couldn't trust him completely. She'd need to be smart and careful, like she promised her friends she would.

She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. It had only taken her five minutes to get prepared and she was actually proud of herself. She poured some coffee into her favorite cup and allowed herself to relax before driving to school, as she still had twenty minutes before the start of her first class, which she shared with Elena. She was nervous to face her friend after yesterday's blow. She had to try to explain herself to Elena, because she couldn't blame her best friend to feel betrayed.

She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly saw movement out of the corner of her eyes. She twisted her head quickly to find Klaus sitting at her dining table, sipping his own cup of coffee, and looking at her, a soft smile plastered on his face. She was taken aback by the sweetness she read in the look he gave her, and she just stared back at him, puzzled. Well, so much for a Klaus-free day.

"What are you doing here?" she shouted more than asked. Yep… she was in shock.

"Well good morning to you too, Caroline." He said amused by her outburst. "Your mother invited me here for a little chitchat. I assume it has something to do with the Mayor's situation."

His eyes were glaring at her.

"I didn't say anything to her if that's what you're insinuating".

"I'm not insinuating anything, love" he said.

"Where is my mom anyway?" she asked, suddenly scared he might have cut the sheriff into pieces and hidden her somewhere around the house to shut her up, and then cursed herself for having such thoughts.

"Oh, she had to go to the station to pick up some documents" he said, innocently.

"And she wished to meet you here, alone?" Caroline was getting even more confused by the minute. How could her mother be so reckless? Unless Liz didn't suspect Klaus to be Carol's murderer? Then why did her mother invite Klaus over for? She hadn't actually discussed Mrs Lockwood's death with her mom, because she knew that the Sheriff's office was in total mayhem with the newly formed town council and the upcoming election of a new Mayor. She didn't want to bother her.

Liz had been interviewed by the local news station and she had described Carol's murder to the media as being a terrible accident. Was that really what they all thought at the council, or did they just cover up the story so it wouldn't alarm the viewers? Caroline did not know.

"Are you scared for your mother's well-being Caroline?" Klaus asked faking a shocked expression. "I promise on our friendship's sake, I won't hurt her".

Was he mocking her? Caroline scoffed and turned her back on him, putting her still half-full cup in the kitchen sink. She needed to get out of here, but could she really leave her mom alone with Klaus? What if she asked the wrong questions and triggered his murderous alter-ego? Just as that thought crossed her mind, she felt a draft of air behind her, and knew he was in her back. He leaned closer to her ear, put his hands on her shoulders and whispered:

"Didn't we have unfinished business to discuss, love?"

She pushed him and her impure thoughts away. "What are you talking about?" she cried out, turning to face him, her eyebrows furrowed. "What more do you want from me? I apologized already."

"Well, I guess I better get used to your crapy morning attitude" he said laughing as she gave him an angry look.

Yet he couldn't understand her shifting moods this morning. They had been so close to kissing last night and when he arrived at her place this morning, after leaving the Gilbert Lake House, he had been looking forward to some alone time with her. And now she was back to hating him for some reason.

"So why do I deserve the cold shoulder this morning?" he asked.

"I… it's not your fault" she finally said. Great, now she felt bad for being rude to him. It was her fault he had been misguided on her intentions towards him. This was all because of her actions the night before. "I'm sorry" she growled.

She just felt like she kept on apologizing to him… and she hated it.

"That's fine" he said smiling. He took a step closer to her, and she raised her hands up defensively, stopping him in his track.

"Don't", she said, looking down. "Don't get closer to me, please" she almost pleaded as he took her hands in his, and brought them to his chest.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked genuinely concerned. Was she afraid of him? What for? Surely she knew he'd never be able to hurt her.

"I just…" she started, and then she just seemed to snap out of her trance. She looked up at him, all traces of fear evaporated. "I need to get to school" she said, forcing a smile on her face and retrieving her hands back from him.

She passed by a surprised Klaus, grabbed her bag and before she left her house she turned back to him "Have a good day Klaus, please be nice to my mom".

Before he could reply back to her, she was in her car, starting the engine.

"Good" she thought. "I was a courteous friend and nothing wrong happened".

A nagging voice resonated in her head, whispering "yeah but it was sooooo close".

Caroline arrived at school half an hour late for her course. She debated the need to even go in class and decided on going to the school library until her next lesson started.

She passed the glass doors and went into the history section, where she knew she'd be alone. As she sat down at the farthest table from the library entrance, she laid her head on the wooden surface and dozed off, exhausted from her last two sleepless nights.

She was in the forest running, grabbing someone's hand.

They were running away from something, she could feel the fear creep up her dead heart.

The situation felt so much like a déjà vu… and then it dawned on her.

This was when she had been rescued by Tyler… or Klaus possessing Tyler's body… when she had been kidnapped by the former town's council, a few weeks ago. But this time, as she looked in front of her, she didn't see Tyler's dark hair. Instead she saw Klaus' sandy curls.

As she drove him into the nearest tree, it was his handsome face replacing Tyler's features and his full lips hungry for hers that she kissed, as she launched herself forward. She kissed him like there was no tomorrow.

"Caroline" he growled passionately parting from her lips for a mere second, his voice sending shivers down her spine. That moment, where their lips were separated, had been excruciating for her. It had made her feel like someone had cut of her access to her oxygen supply. She needed his lips on hers, his tongue caressing hers…

He twirled her around and pinned her into a nearby tree, cupping her face between his strong hands, and kissed her hard. She grabbed his shirt and lifted it up, above his head, before throwing it aside.

This time when he pulled back, unlike when it had been him in Tyler's body, Klaus did not try to put a stop to their intimacy.

"Careful, love, no need to rush things, time is on our side", he said, caressing her face tenderly with his thumbs.

"We're fugitives on the run" she heard herself say. "All signs point to hot hybrid-vampire sex". She grabbed his head back to her so their lips would meet again. Now he was the one ridding her of her shirt, and throwing it a few feet away, where it landed on top of his.

Klaus seized a handful of her blond curls tilting her head, and started running his lips down her neck all the way to her collarbone. She could feel him smile when a soft moan escaped her lips. With his other hand he pulled her up, so she'd intertwine her legs around his hips. The young vampire looked down in his stormy blue eyes, and kissed him back passionately, running her fingers in his hair.

"I need another set of arms", she decided. She felt the need to touch every inch of his perfectly shaped body.

Klaus laid her down on the forest floor, his body on top of hers, and started working on unbuttoning his jeans, when he suddenly stopped and lifted himself up looking at her with a quizzical look.

"Caroline?" he asked in a distorted female voice.

"Weird" Caroline thought, but she wanted… no needed, his body close to her again. As she raised herself on her elbows to try and bring him back closer, he said: "Caroline, wake up".

Then she felt herself be shaken by an unseen hand. She jerked her head up from the table. She had fallen asleep in the library… "great". And had been dreaming about Klaus… "Even better" she grunted internally.

She looked up behind her shoulder to see who had woken her up, and saw Elena's concerned brown eyes looking at her. Bonnie was right behind her.

"Euh, Hi" Caroline said. She felt her face turn pink.

"Hi" Elena seemed to feel as much discomfort as she did.

Caroline stood up and gave her friend a huge hug hoping she wouldn't push her away.

"Caroline you're hurting me" Elena said laughing nervously. Caroline let go of her, tears glistening in her eyes, she was glad to see her friends and prayed they'd come to see her to say they still loved her and that they acknowledged her right to be friends with Klaus.

Klaus. Did she just have a torrid hot dream of him just now? Emotions came erupting up from her body and she blushed heavily as she saw her friends looking at her in an inquisitive way.

"You weren't in History" Bonnie said. "Shane asked if we knew where you were".

"Oh did you guys come here to bring me to class?" Caroline asked.

"No, class is over but Shane wanted to see the three of us before we went to English" Elena added.

As they made their way to Shane's office Caroline had an uneasy feeling creeping up inside her. Something was wrong. Wasn't Elena angry with her?

"Elena… are we good? You're not mad at me anymore?"

Elena stopped in her tracks and turned to face Caroline.

"Care, I… I thought about what you said yesterday, and... I don't like Klaus… and I don't trust him. But I trust your judgment. I think that you were right when you said we weren't that different from him. I just… I just want you to be careful, and not forget what he's capable of… Okay?"

Caroline took her in yet another bone crushing hug.

"Thank you" she whispered. "I'll be careful".

Bonnie stood aside from them smiling. She was so happy to see their trio back on good terms.

They entered Shane's office and saw him bent over some ancient-looking parchment papers. He was obviously looking for something in these old records.

He lifted his head up and looked at them, a smile coming to his face the moment his eyes met Bonnie's.

"Hey girls" he said. "We might have a little situation at the Lake House. "

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Jeremy?" Elena interrupted.

"Jeremy's fine. It is just that… I was about to go over there to replace Damon, in keeping an eye on your brother for the night, but then Damon called me, saying it wasn't a good idea. Klaus sent his brother Kol over there to train with Jeremy… and he thought it would be too dangerous for me to go over there".

Kol? No way! Was Klaus crazy? Sending his mental brother to fight against her friend.

Elena was giving her a "I told you look" and she felt stupid for ever trusting the Hybrid jerk.

"I'll go at the Lake House" Bonnie said. "I can take care of protecting Jeremy, plus Kol was probably not invited in the Lake House so, he won't be able to hurt us if we're inside."

Shane gave her a concern look. Was he jealous? Caroline wondered if the young professor had a soft spot for her friend.

"I'll go with you" Caroline said. "You can keep Jeremy company inside the lake house, and I'll keep an eye on Kol".

"Caroline, I know you want to trust Klaus, but Kol, he won't go easy on you like his older brother would" Elena intervened. "It will not be safe for you."

"Don't worry Elena" she said. "This is the only option we have".

"Damon could stay there, I'm sure he wouldn't mind" Elena insisted.

Caroline was glad to see her friend still cared for her safety.

"He'll need to feed Elena" she argued her friend. "Anyway, I owe him… so I'll take Shane's shift, no biggie."

She could see her friend was uncomfortable, so she gave Elena her most confident smile. "It's gonna be fine Elena".

"Then it's settled" Shane said, clearly unhappy about Bonnie's night plan. "I'll give Damon a call and let him know".

He dismissed them and the girls left his office, arms crossed.

"We taking your car or mine" Caroline asked Bonnie.

"We can take yours" she said.

"Okay. Let me just do a call and I'll be back in a second."

Caroline went a few feet away from her friends and called her mother's cellphone number. She was happy to hear her mom's voice, and she told her she wouldn't go home that night, and would be back the next day, after school. Once that call was done, she scrolled down her contact list to find Klaus' cellphone number.

"Hello, love" he answered.

As soon as she heard his voice she was brought back to her dream in the forest, and her knees suddenly felt like JELL-O.

She sat down on the nearest bench and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to concentrate her thoughts away from those tempting images.

"Caroline?" Klaus' voice was now alarmed.

"How could you?" she answered harshly. "How could you send Kol to the Lake House!"

"Do I need to get all my decisions vetted by you now, love?"

"When it concerns my friends' safety, yes!" she cried out.

"Listen, sweetheart. Kol is there to help Jeremy grow his mark by becoming a stronger hunter. My brother will stay in line, you have my promise. You don't have to worry."

"I hope so, 'cause I'm planning on spending the night with him, tonight… Love." she said sarcastically, before hanging up on him.

Back at The Grill, where he was having a drink, Klaus looked at his phone in disbelief. Caroline was spending the night with Kol? He engulfed the last remainings of his drink and slammed his glass, hard, on the counter, frustration spilling out every pore of his body.

A/N: okay so I'm not completely happy with this chapter but anyway… hope you guys like it.