You have to be strong, Caroline thought. Over and over again she told herself that. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong for Elena, for Damon, for Bonnie, for Stefan. Be strong even for Kol, be strong for everyone helping you.

She wanted to have a plan of her own. She wasn't going to just stay there hidden while her friends - her family- fought for her outside and risked their lives, no matter what she made the others believe.

But what exactly could she do? She was human. She didn't have any powers, she didn't have strength. She could die as quickly as a fly. She couldn't run, they'd catch her. She couldn't fight, they would punch her once and she would probably black out. She knew if she tried to do anything, she would end up making things worse for the people who could actually fight back and do some good.

Damn it, she thought. How can I be strong if I don't feel strong? How can I feel strong hiding away while people are risking their lives fighting for me?

The sun came up faster than she wanted it to. She got four or five hours of sleep, she didn't know, but it was enough. She wouldn't be feeling tired any time soon, and she knew that. She had her breakfast with Elena while Stefan and Damon talked upstairs. She was sure Elena could hear everything, but she knew better than to ask.

Afterwards, when Bonnie had arrived along with Jeremy and Rebekah, Stefan went over the plan about a hundred times. It wasn't a very complex plan, everyone knew that, but Stefan felt the need to repeat it over and over again every time they thought he was done talking about it. He's afraid, Caroline thought. He's afraid someone will screw up and it's not gonna work and something is gonna happen to me. Caroline shared that same fear, but not about herself.

She'd rather die than let someone else die because of her.

Maybe she should. Maybe she should stop all the fighting and give herself up to Klaus if he promised not to hurt any of her friends. She had no way of knowing he would keep his promise, though, and she knew someone like Klaus shouldn't be free to roam the Earth for all of eternity. He was evil. More and more people would get hurt as long as he still lived. And since he couldn't be killed, well, the world would be better off with him being put to sleep.

How could she do that, though? How could she help, but really, really help, and not just stand in the way, helpless and vulnerable?

No. I can't think about that, I can't consider it, she thought. Can't she? She needed to be strong, and as strong as she wanted to be, it would never be enough. Not if she stayed human. But she couldn't do that. What would Stefan think?

Be strong.

They were all ready for Klaus. Stefan had the weapon ready, Kol was already at the Grill two hours earlier so he wouldn't risk Klaus arriving earlier and screwing everything up, and now all they could do was wait.

Waiting made Caroline nervous. Caroline started to over-think things when she was nervous, and that was not good.

A phone rang. It was Stefan's, and he left the room to pick it up, as if she could hear anything anyway. Didn't he know she was a powerless, weak human?

He came back. "That was Caleb." They had put Caleb among the Grill's clients so he could update them without drawing too much attention. "There's no sign of Klaus yet."

Another half an hour and Caroline felt like she was about to throw up at any second.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Not really." She said. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be." Elena put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"There's something I need to talk to you about, but I can't risk anyone else listening."

"Let's go." Elena said. "Guys, Caroline is too nervous, we're gonna get some air."

"No way." Stefan intervened. "You can't leave the house, Elena."

"Fine. We'll go upstairs instead, open a window. Calm down."

He nodded, defeated. Caroline was still not confident. Am I really going to go through with this?, she thought. Yes. Yes, I am.

Caroline closed the door behind her out of habit, as if a wooden door would stop a vampire's listening skills. She took a deep breath. "I don't think I can do this. I have to help you guys." She whispered.

"They're not listening, Caroline."

"You can't be sure about that."

"Why can't they listen, anyway?" Elena asked.

Be strong.

"I have a plan. I need Bonnie's help."

Stefan got a text from Caleb that said "He's here", and suddenly everyone was off to their places, about to play their parts in the plan. Elena gave Caroline a look and a nod, and went off to the street, where they would all be waiting for Klaus and his friends. Stefan stayed behind for a second, and Caroline glanced at Bonnie.

"Stefan." Caroline called him. He looked at her and she gestured for him to come to her.

Be strong.

"I have to go, Caroline. You hide now, okay? Hide in one of the rooms, lock and barricade the door, just to be safe."

"I wanna know what's going on. I can't just stay here while you're all out there risking yourselves for me." She needed to keep him there just a little bit longer. Be strong.

"I'm sorry, it's too dangerous." Stefan said, touching her cheek. "We'll be fine."

"I know you will."

He smiled. "This will all be over soon, you'll see."

"Caroline." Bonnie called, and she closed her eyes. Be strong. "Stay here, I'm gonna see what Bonnie wants." He nodded and she walked away.

"It's done." Bonnie said.

Caroline felt like Stefan would hate her for that. He would hate her so much he wouldn't want to see her ever again, but at least he would be alive. They all would.

Bonnie left the house, too, and that left only Caroline, staring while Stefan checked his phone one more time. He caught her eyes, then, and it was like he immediately knew something was wrong. He knew her so well. Too well.

"Caroline?" He called, and his voice was already filled with worry. You have to be strong, Caroline, for him.

"I'm so sorry, Stefan."

She saw everything in his eyes all at once. Confusion, fear, pain, worry. He tried walking to her, then. He bumped into an invisible wall. He touched it one, two, three more times. He looked at Caroline and then at his hands and at Caroline again.

"I can't let you die." She said, tears clouding her vision. She blinked them away. She wanted to see him. "I'll be back soon, don't worry. We're all gonna be fine. I'm only doing this because I know you'll go after me if I let you."

"Where are you going, Caroline?" Stefan asked, more worried than angry. In fact, he wasn't angry at all. He was afraid.

"You have helped me enough."

"You're going to Klaus, aren't you?"

Caroline blinked away more tears. "Answer me!" Stefan pounded at the invisible wall.

She looked at him. "Yes."

He shook his head miserably. "You can't."

"Yes, I can." Caroline approached him, being careful not to be within his reach. The spell wouldn't let him go outside, but he could still bring things - in this case, people - inside. She knew he would try. "Stefan, I have a plan."

"It's Klaus. It's not gonna work. He's going to kill you, and I- No. You can't do this, Caroline."

She smiled sadly. "You underestimate me, Stefan. Don't."

"Don't leave." He pleaded, but she had to be strong. "We had a plan."

"I have one too. And this plan, this will work, and no one has to die." She saw a tear roll down his cheek. "Don't cry." She wanted to touch his face, so, so badly. Be strong, she had to be strong, it was going to work out. "Stay here. This wall thingy is not gonna last forever, Bonnie told me. She made it so it will only last an hour. I don't know how, I'm not good at all this witchy stuff." She smiled through her tears, doing her best to change the subject. He has no idea what I'm going to do yet, she thought.

"You're crying, too. And your heart is racing." He said, his voice cracking. "Why?"

"Because I love you, Stefan. And I don't know if you'll ever want to see me again after what I'm about to do."

He blinked at her and his mouth was parted slightly and she finally realized she had said it. She didn't mean to, not like that, but it just came out and she couldn't hold it in. She loved him. She really, really did, and everything she did she did for him, for his safety. He would probably never forgive her, she also knew that, but it didn't matter as long as he was safe.

"Caroline-"

"Don't say anything. I have to go."

He called her name again, and again, but she ran out the door and ignored him as best as she could.

Be strong.

Elena had told Damon and Rebekah what Caroline intended to do. Rebekah called her stupid, but she ended up agreeing to help anyway. Caroline didn't tell her everything, though. There was no need.

Elena texted Kol and told him to bring Klaus to Rebekah's house instead of the Salvatore house. Elena then drove her there, kissed her cheek and hugged her. "Are you sure you want to do this, Caroline?"

"Yes." She said.

She didn't waste time. She got out of the car and walked up the steps to Rebekah's house. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Klaus was there, and Kol, and three more tall guys with their fangs out and very, very strong arms.

"At last, she comes." Klaus said, opening his arms. "Have you missed me, darling?"

"Not really." She smirked. Kol raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"I have to admit, when my brother told me you had agreed to meet me all by your lonesome, I had my doubts. How did you get out of Stefan's sight? Did he let you get a breath of fresh air after all these months?"

"I took care of him."

"You did? That's good. I don't want him interrupting this long-awaited reunion." He smiled that stupid, evil, disgusting smile. She wanted to punch it out of his face.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Cut the crap, Klaus. I came here to offer you a deal."

"Oh." He exclaimed. "And what deal is that?"

"Me for Stefan and everyone else's safety. That includes Elena, Damon, Rebekah, Bonnie, Caleb, Jeremy... Even Kol."

Klaus knitted his eyebrows and looked at Kol. "Kol?"

He didn't know. "Do you think Kol just happened to know where I was? I called him, I asked him for help to bring this together, so now I want him safe, too. I have a feeling you would kill every one I've ever had any contact with the first chance you got without a very detailed agreement first."

"Fair enough. Except... Why would I want you when I can have all these people? Even my sister, Rebekah. I must confess, I'm a little hurt by her betrayal, but it was expected."

Caroline was taken aback by his sudden loss of interest. "I thought you wanted me. I mean, that's why I've been hiding all this time."

Klaus chuckled. "Oh, please. I can have another blonde like you as quickly as I can snap my fingers. I want Stefan. He betrayed me and the trust I had in him. People who betray my trust have to be punished."

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. "Do you think you're God? Or, like, the King of Earth? People betray other people's trust all the time, that doesn't mean you have to kill them."

"I'm not just people, love. I'm an Original, a hybrid, I can't be killed."

"I know what this is. You're hurt." Caroline said.

"Excuse me?"

"You're hurt! Stefan chose me over you. No one likes you, no one tolerates you except Stefan. He was the only one, and he chose to run away with me." She laughed, and tried to mask her fear.

Klaus' anger was clear now. "You're wrong."

"Oh, am I? You've been looking for him for months. I thought it was because of me, but you just said you can find another me as quick as a snap of your fingers. Well, then, this is about Stefan. You thought he was your friend. The only friend you would probably ever have. Don't you know people like you can't have friends? You think you're better than everyone, but everyone hates you, and nothing is ever gonna change that, because you are never going to change."

He had her by the neck pressed to a wall in a second. Her back ached from the strength of the push, but that pain went nearly unnoticed because of the hand that was tightening around her neck making it unable for her to breathe.

"I don't need love. That look on your eyes, right there, that's all I need. Fear."

"I'm n-not afraid of y-you." She said, her nails scratching at Klaus' hands uselessly. Not like this, she thought. Please.

He let go of her neck, then. She inhaled as much air as she could at once, and she noticed Kol with worry in his eyes. She had two seconds to think about Kol's loyalty before Klaus' voice rang in her ears again.

"Well, love. Right now, I want somebody else's fear. You're disposable. Here, I'll show you."

She felt her hands on her neck again. She could hear the sound of her neck breaking before the world went dark.

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