Tyler's blood was boiling. Klaus could hear the other hybrid's rage in the rapid pounding of his heart, the groaning of his skin against glass as he squeezed his champagne glass to the point of breaking. While his desire for a date with Caroline was not for the sake of making the treacherous hybrid suffer, he couldn't deny that it was an add bonus.

As the party was dying out, Klaus topped off Caroline's glass, finishing their second bottle of champagne.

"Thanks." She gave him her pressed lipped smile and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him and he couldn't help but wonder exactly how tipsy the young blonde vampire was. She seemed more relaxed, more open to his company, and he had to assume intoxication had helped.

"I did think about it," he said suddenly, "once."

"What?" Caroline looked at him over the rim of her glass.

"You asked me if I'd ever thought about being human." He clarified. "Once. I was on a trek in the Andes, and a humming bird flew up to me. And it just hovered there, staring at me. And its tiny heart was pattering like a machine gun. And I thought, 'what a thing', you know? To have to work that hard every day just to stay alive. To be constantly on the verge of death. And how satisfying every day must be that it survived. And that was the only time I thought about being human."

Caroline stared at him, drinking in every word.

He could practically hear Tyler rolling his eyes. He didn't like that the hybrid was listening in, invading on moments that he wished were purely between the two of them, but it was the closest to being alone with Caroline he could hope to be for now. He hoped that would change that sooner rather than later.

"Was that a line?" Caroline asked. "Is that what you use on all your conquests?"

"Is it working?" He asked.

She blushed and attempted to conceal it by taking another sip of her drink.

"Honestly," he continued, "I've never told that to anyone before."

"So why are you telling me?"

"Why do you think?" Klaus asked. "I already told you I fancy you, Caroline."

She rolled her eyes and downed the last of her champagne, "Maybe I don't believe you."

"You believe me." Klaus smirked. He leaned close to her and tucked her hair behind her ear. His breath warmed her cheek as he whisper, "That's what you're afraid of."

Caroline jumped, startled by his assessment. She looked him in the eye, her own wide. He could see her lowered inhibitions by the openness in her eyes. She looked so fragile, so insecure. He'd been right; she saw his broken parts because she had the very same scars.

The reason why she couldn't understand how someone could see her as the pinnacle of perfection was because no one ever had. No one had ever chosen her, not really. Klaus could see that they were all fools; even if she couldn't. Maybe she didn't think anyone would ever choose her, but he intended to prove her wrong. No matter how long it took.


Caroline bit her lip. She tried not to stare at Klaus's mouth as he spoke. She tried, but she failed. There was something alluring about the way his mouth moved. And he fancied her. He'd done nothing but try to prove it too her since her birthday, with gifts and drawings and showers of attention. He fancied her. And it wasn't because there was someone else that he wanted but couldn't have so he decided to settle for her. No, he fancied her.

Her inhibitions loosened with every sip of champagne. She knew she should have stopped drinking, shown a little restraint. She should have maintained control. But she couldn't make herself want to stop. She just wanted to feel appreciated. She didn't want to feel rejected. She wanted someone who wanted her.

Even if she knew better.

She spent so much time trying to do the right thing, trying to make good decisions. She was so tired of being the good girl. What had it ever gotten her? All she'd ever gotten from anyone was to be their second choice, if that. For once, for just one day, she was going to be someone's first choice.

She was going to make the wrong decision, and everyone else could deal just deal with it. She was always dealing with the windfall of everyone else's stupid mistakes. It was her turn to be the stupid one. It was how they all saw her anyway. Shallow. Stupid. Expendable. It was how she saw herself. Klaus was the only one who seemed to see anything else.

If Elena was allowed to juggle the Salvatore brothers, than she was allow to make poor life decisions too. As Klaus had pointed out about Elena, she was a big girl. So was she.

Caroline sat down her glass and met Klaus's hungry gaze.

"Let's get out of here." She said.

She jumped at the sound of breaking glass.

"Tyler!" Hayley shrieked in surprise.


Klaus could smell the other hybrids blood even though he was several hundred feet away. Caroline looked concerned for a moment, but forced the expression down. She met Klaus's gaze steadily and raised her eyebrow questioningly.

Klaus rose to his feet and smoothed down his suit before offering Caroline his hand. She sat her glass on the stone bench and lightly took his hand, rising gracefully to her feet.

"Let's go." She said, pulling him after her.

He was more than willing to allow her control, something he'd come to realize she desperately craved. They walked around the Lockwood manor rather than going by the ex.

"Did you drive?" Caroline asked as they came around to the Lockwood's driveway where a few cars remained of the last couple attendees who hadn't seemed to realize that it was time to leave.

"I did." Klaus confirmed. Considering her heels, Klaus doubted she was very keen on vamp speeding to their destination.

"Good." Caroline said. "Take me home."

"If you would like." Klaus nodded respectfully. He led her to his car, a red Shelby Cobra, one of the many classics in his garage, and opened the passenger door.

"No," Caroline caught the door with her hand and turned to face him. "Take. Me. Home."

Klaus's eyes went wide in surprise. He had assumed she was pulling a stunt to get a reaction out of Tyler. Once she succeeded, he hadn't expected her to actually follow through. But that was what he liked about her. She was the only person in hundreds who had the ability to surprise him. She sank into the car and he closed the door after her.


Caroline was sobered up enough by the time they reached the Mikaelson Mansion to second guess her decision. She balled her shaking hands in her lap to hide the fact that they were shaking. She was worried about where this would lead, but saying something now would mean admitting she'd made a mistake. There was only one thing that Caroline hated more than making a mistake, and that was admitting it.

Klaus stopped the vehicle in the driveway. Caroline got out of the car before he could come around and get the door for her. He started up the front steps and stopped at the door, looking back at Caroline who was still standing beside the car.

"Is there a problem, love?" He asked.

"Nope," Caroline said. She hurried up the stairs. "No problem."

"Good." Klaus opened the door as she joined him and let it swing open. He looked at her expectantly as though waiting for her to make the first move.

Caroline took a deep breath and plastered on her best Miss Mystic smile, before stepping over the threshold.

"So how does this work?" She asked.

"How does what work?" Klaus countered.

"This," she said impatiently, "how does this work?"

He smirked at her. She hoped he couldn't see right through her, see how terrified she was, but she had a feeling that he could.

"How do you think this is going to work?" He asked.

"I think you're probably going to flirt with me, show me some more of your art, offer me a drink, and then sex." She said.

"Ah… Yes, hot hybrid sex." Klaus mused.

Caroline flushed at the memory of the time in the woods when she, thinking that Tyler was Tyler when he was really Tyler possessed by Klaus, totally made out with him after he rescued her from the psycho town council.

That was the only time they had ever kissed. Despite months of verbal foreplay he had never, not once, tried to kiss her. Not that she would have let him. Before today, she would have been much smart about this.

She had never kissed Klaus, not really. She had wondered what it would be like. She'd done the whole bad boy thing before with Damon, which wound up with her being his plaything. The experience had kind of turned her off the bad boys.

But Klaus. He was worse than any bad boy. He was a villain. The mustache twirling, maniacal laughing villain a good girl should run from. But Caroline wasn't sure that she was a good girl anymore, not really. She tried so hard to control her instincts, but she could feel herself changing.

The Caroline from before she turned never would have come here with Klaus. She wouldn't find herself forgetting the terrible things he'd done, and even worse, offering excuses for some of them. She should run the other way, but instead here they were. She wasn't worried about him compelling her. If he was going to do that he would have done it ages ago. No, this was a game to him. He didn't want to win by cheating.

"So?" She pressed, expectantly. She didn't want to let her nerves get the better of her. Maybe it would be better if they did, but she didn't want to back down. She had been bluffing at first, but now she was being stubborn. What did it matter what Tyler thought of her. He was the cheater. They were done. She was single and allowed to make any stupid decision she wanted to. And Klaus was about as stupid as decisions could get.

"Well then, would you like a drink, love?" Klaus offered with his lips pressed together in an amused half smile.