Hey, my lovelies. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 14: One Last Chance

Waking up the next day Klaus felt the oddest sensation. He was content. Looking over he saw Caroline leaning against his shoulder. She looked peaceful. He couldn't remember what it felt like to feel peaceful. Staring at the ceiling of Caroline's home he began to think about the latest events. He had met Elena Gilbert, the little doppelgänger he would be killing soon and Damon Gilbert, who should be Damon Salvatore, but thanks to a spell, was not in his world. That was quite an unexpected advantage as was having Stefan Salvatore out of the way.

The most unfortunate thing that had happened was meeting little Miss Mystic Falls. Caroline was filling a void in his life. He had been sure that Caroline's closeness to Elena would be a benefit. By seducing the young vampire he would become part of the inner circle. One day he would take Elena, perform the sacrifice and he would never have to see this tiny town again.

Frowning, Klaus looked down at Caroline. She was the only problem. The only obstacle. Before leaving he should erase her memory of him. Otherwise, she might come looking for him. Stroking her hair absentmindedly he closed his eyes. Leaving Caroline seemed impossible at this point. Taking her with him after he killed Elena did not seem to be an option. Leaving her was not an option either.

Klaus' eyes snapped open as Caroline yawned. "Good morning." She said cheerfully looking up at Klaus.

"Good morning to you, too." Klaus turned to gaze at the clock. "Its 6:30, love. I do believe you should be getting ready to go to school, yes?" He whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead.

Pouting, Caroline eased her body on top of his so she was straddling him. "You could write me a note," she murmured as she began to kiss his chest moving dangerously lower. "We could stay inside."

"Caroline," Klaus whispered as he tried to think of an excuse and reminded himself of what he needed to do. There were many things that he needed to do. He needed the moonstone. He needed to know where Elijah was. He needed to know that no one had taken the doppelgänger for some reason although he had someone watching her house.

Gritting his teeth, Klaus flipped Caroline onto her back. "You will go to school." He told her softly. "After." Caroline grinned as he pressed his lips to hers.

At 7:15 a. m. Klaus drove Caroline to school and then decided to drop by the Salvatores'. "Mike" and Damon were supposed to be going to a football game in Richmond this afternoon. Smirking Klaus shook his head. He felt like he was becoming part of some odd little suburban cliché.

Ringing the doorbell, Klaus waited, rocking back and forth on his heels. After ringing the bell a second time he frowned. He knew that Damon Gilbert was having a problem adjusting to this new life but that would not affect his vampiric abilities. Growling, he pulled out his phone. Dialing the now familiar number of his chum he glared at the sun.

"Damon? Good morning, Damon. I noticed you were having a rough night but we have a game to attend. Would you like to inform me of where you are so we might set off? Then I might give a bit of advice as to your woman problems." Smirking, Klaus listened to Damon's response.

Walking back to his car Klaus got in and drove toward the apartment building of the history teacher, Alaric Saltzman. Apparently Damon had spent the night at the teacher's apartment, drinking and discussing why he hated being a vampire.

Bouncing up the stairs Klaus knocked on Alaric's door. He heard Damon groaning and the sound of Alaric's footsteps. "Hey, Mike." Alaric greeted Klaus.

"Hello, Alaric. I see our mate is having a smashing good time this morning." Klaus' eye glittered as he strode into the apartment. "Damon, did you mention to our friend, Ric, that we're going to a football game today?" Picking up a half empty bottle of beer, he took a swig. "It tastes better chilled." He commented to no one in particular.

"No and yes it does." Alaric replied with a grin. He pulled a fresh beer out of the refrigerator and handed it to his guest.

"Would you like to come?" Klaus asked popping the lid off with his thumb.

Alaric grinned. "Sure but I have a class to teach today."

"Blow it off. Call in sick. Spend the day with the boys." Klaus told him coming over to clap a hand on his shoulder. "Alaric, I know that we don't know each other that well but I can see that you are stressed. So, come with us. Take a break. The kids will love you. Just call the school and say you have food poisoning."

Rolling his eyes Alaric ran a hand through his hair. "You're driving a hard bargain."

"Mike's right." Damon said from his position on Alaric's couch. He was holding his head in his hands. "When is the last time you gave yourself a break?"

Klaus knew that he and the human would agree before he withdrew his phone and began to dial. Five minutes later they were descending the stairs, Klaus in the lead with a wide grin. He was about to have a nice human day and try not kill anyone because the full moon was next week. In the meantime he needed to make sure that everything was in place.

Driving out of the Mystic Falls town limits Klaus smiled to himself. He could care less about the football game. What he cared about was the tip which claimed that someone had the moonstone and that that person was in Richmond.

"Elena freaked out last night." Damon said looking at his hands in his lap. "I don't know what to say to her."

Klaus glanced at him. "Well, from appearances it did not seem as if you were doing anything wrong technically speaking but I might take away points for artistry. Damon's eyes widened in disbelief. Alaric began to laugh sitting in the back of the car.

"Good one, Mike. Hurt the kid's pride." Alaric teased the older vampire.

"Well, I truly try to be supportive of my mates." Klaus told the others as he began to chuckle.

Sliding down in his seat Damon began to relax. It had been awhile since he had spent time with his male friends. This was the first time that he realized how much he missed Matt and Tyler but he didn't expect to be greeted with open arms by either one.

"First, I would recommend for the first time that you have sex with a woman that you do not do it on the floor of your kitchen during a party." Klaus was saying.

"Huh?" Damon grunted.

Rolling his eyes Klaus looked out the window. "You know, Damon, there are many women out there. Trust me. I've been alive for some time now. I'm sure you believe that you are in love and that there is nothing more important than Miss Gilbert but you have barely lived your life. A little variety never hurt anyone." Looking out the driver's side window he spotted a young brunette girl staring at him.

Turning to Damon, Klaus gave him a wide grin. "See what I mean?" He nodded in the girl's direction. Damon peered at the girl and waved. Klaus sat back in his seat but he could see the girl waving back.

"Really, Mike? I thought you were involved with Caroline?" Alaric inquired eyeing the two vampires up front and not liking the influence Mike seemed to have on Damon.

"Live a little, Ric." Klaus retorted. "Caroline, Jenna and Elena are not with us, now are they? We are attractive men headed out of town. I did not say that any of us should cheat per say? But a little harmless flirting never killed a man, did it?"

"You sound like Caroline," Damon responded without thinking about what he was saying.

"Excuse me?" Klaus said feeling his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"Every time we had a fight she would flirt with someone else. Of course, that led to a lot of makeup," stopping himself Damon found the word he wanted, "talking. That led to a lot of makeup talking."

"Sure it did," Alaric called.

"Shut up, Ric." Damon called back to him.

"Whatever, Damon." Alaric looked out his window. "You think we can stop somewhere for lunch."

"Sure," Klaus called back. "I'm meeting someone at a restaurant five minutes from here." When they arrived in the parking lot Klaus excused himself to the others. Walking quickly to the back he found the woman in a booth. "Isobel. I trust that you are having a nice stay here in Richmond."

Isobel grinned. "Of course, Klaus. Thank you for asking."

"Yes, well now that we are done with the pleasantries I want you to tell me if you have made contact." Klaus leaned across the table staring at the other vampire without the slightest sign of humanity.

Picking up her wine glass Isobel smiled. "Yes. I will be meeting Katherine in Mystic Falls tomorrow night. She told me that she has the moonstone and has been keeping an eye on the doppelgänger for you. She also has a vampire and should have a werewolf for you to complete the sacrifice within the next forty-eight hours."

"Anything else?" Klaus demanded sitting back.

"Oh, yes, she sends her love." Isobel replied nonchalantly taking a slow sip of wine. Before she could swallow. Klaus reached across the table and wrapped his hand around her throat.

"DO NOT EVER SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN. UNDERSTAND?" Klaus questioned Isobel while wine began to spill out of the female vampire's mouth and onto his hand dripping on the table cloth.

"Y-y-yes." Isobel stuttered as Klaus released her. He picked up a napkin and wiped his hand off.

"Thank you, Isobel. Remember nothing." Looking into her eyes Klaus felt a deep satisfaction with his abilities. As he walked away from the table he wondered why it seemed impossible to compel Caroline. There was part of him that could not bear to strip her of her free will while he did not hesitate to do it to anyone else.

Taking a seat with Damon and Alaric, Klaus grinned at his new "friends." "What have I missed?" He inquired looking from the vampire to the history teacher. Oh, Kol and Rebekah would find this scene rather amusing. Come to think of it Elijah would be amused and to Niklaus the terror of the supernatural world would be like having burger and fries to an American teenager. The thought made him smirk. They never quite understood what a complex man their brother was. He was not always controlled by his whims.

Settling into his seat Klaus listened to Damon Gilbert begin to complain about women and their inability to not over analyze everything. As amused as he was by the boy's understanding of women he wanted the conversation to move in a more useful direction. "So, Damon, how long have you been trapped inside Damon Salvatore's body?"

Damon turned toward Klaus, his expression one of vague surprise. "About a couple of months now."

"That must be very difficult. Honestly I could not imagine." I told him with a straight face although that was far from true. I had experienced the joys of escaping my body many a time. Why I didn't do it this time I wasn't sure. However, I was sure that I would be borrowing someone else's body in this close knit little group if it became necessary.

"It kind of sucked at first because I missed my younger brother, Jeremy and my aunt Jenna but they're here, too and I can talk them… Even though they're not the exact same people they're still family in my mind." Damon explained to Klaus.

"But wouldn't that make Elena your sister?" Klaus asked playfully raising an eyebrow. He did not want to push the little game too far in the wrong direction but he did want to find out as much as possible. The thought that there was a male doppelgänger in another version of the world intrigued him. He was desperate to know every little detail he could find out. When he knew enough he would make contact with the Klaus in Damon Gilbert's world to help him.

It was only now beginning to take shape in Klaus' mind how much the world he was living in might have been altered by Damon Gilbert's appearance. If the spell that forced the boy out of his world was reversed then it might take more years for Klaus to become a hybrid and that was not about to happen. He steepled his fingers as he leaned back in his chair. Yes, he would have Elena to break the curse and he would have Caroline for the rest of her life. If anyone got in his way that would be the last thing they ever did.

Thank you for the reviews, favs follows, etc. Sorry I'm sick and I'm just not able to write this note properly. Anyway, we switch back to Damon S. in the next chapter thanks to popular demand. :/ I hope you enjoyed Klaus' evil mind. He's crazy but I love him.

Thanks for reviewing Jeremy Shane, redbudrose, Meiyami, Myticgirl200, Ghostwriter, YAZMIN Z, 9Linn8, bella0xchristina, Sere'sLight.

Love,

LL