Previously on ATCL: 'One thing was certain: he had found Caroline.'

"Marcellus!" Klaus flung open the doors into the empty courtyard, a man on a rampage.

"Klaus? What brings you to my abode?" The man in question ambled down the stairs from the upper level. "Would you like a drink, perhaps?"

"What I want is what you have taken from me. And I would like her back immediately." Klaus spat, his voice full of fire.

"Very well." Marcel sighed dramatically. "Bring the package down, boys!" It seemed as if his army bled through the very walls and into the open area, there were so many. The insipid hybrid pup came and stood to the side of the false king. There were too many to take on at once, though the Original may have wished to do so. He was surrounded.

Suddenly very feminine grunts and struggles reached Klaus's ears, and he could see a blonde head flanked by two men. "Get off of me, you fucking bastards!" Caroline shrieked, kicking and punching. While a bit dirty and pale, she was overall unharmed. Snapping one's neck, she posed as if to bolt, when she was restrained by more vampires. "I said let me go, damn it! I'm not going to tell you anything!"

"Now, now, Marcellus. Is this any way to treat a lady?" Klaus couldn't resist speaking up. Caroline's head popped up at the sound of his voice, and relief flowed through her eyes.

"I don't see a lady." Marcel countered, waltzing over to where Caroline was being restrained, causing her face to fall. "Instead I see a little girl who's attempting to run with the big boys, and failing grievously. I think she needs to be taught a lesson of what happens when we overstep our place, and don't bow to the proper people." He grasped her chin in one of his hands. "Now… It's Caroline right?" He looked over at Tyler for confirmation when she was silent, which alerted Klaus to who had given her up. "Caroline, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You can tell me every dirty little secret you learned while you've been staying with his family," Marcel's eyes flickered to Klaus and back "and you can walk, or I can get the information out of you by a less humane method."

"I'm not a little girl anymore." She spat. "It takes more than a threat to scare me."

"So the hard way, then. Pity: I had hoped we could accomplish this in a civilized manner." Marcel smirked, before driving a small wooden stake into her side, causing the girl to scream. Blood gushed onto her white and green dress, making her look like a gory Christmas tree. Klaus rushed forward, eyes flashing gold, but with a snap of his rival's fingers, was gagged and bound in chains, held against the wall and surrounded by a large number of hybrids.

Caroline was promptly tied to a chair with ropes so saturated in vervain, Klaus could smell the herb from where he was pinned to the wall. When he struggled to get free, he was stabbed in the abdomen with a stake, ceasing his movements temporarily. She whimpered as the ropes made contact with her skin; the thin sleeves of her dress were not doing much to stop the liquid from seeping through.

"Now, now, Caroline." Marcel circled her chair as his army and her ex-boyfriend stood watching. "You don't have to go through this pain. You can end it all, right now. I'll let you go, and you don't have to worry about this ever again. All you need to do is tell me what they're planning."

His words were sweet like honey, but stung like a bee. Caroline was no fool; she could not give up what she knew to Marcel. The hybrids were at stake—the pack which had claimed her as one of their family was at risk—and she would be damned before she betrayed them. There were children in the pack-families. In that moment—for she had not really accepted her status as Alpha Female, as it was slightly awkward and uncomfortable—Caroline stepped up to the plate and owned her position. She would protect the pack of hybrids with her life. "No." was all she gasped out, the stake still imbedded in her side. "I won't tell you anything."

"You're a stupid little girl." It was apparent that Marcel was getting angrier. "That's it. Just a stupid, silly, girl who is making a very grave mistake. Whatever you are trying to hide won't last long. I will get it out of you, one way or another." He stopped in front of her, staring in Caroline's pretty blue eyes. "Do you understand me?"

Her response was just to laugh, tears in her eyes. "You can try, but I'm stronger than you think. You won't break me." Hate filled her every expression, rolling throughout her being. This… This was hell. No one would blame her if she gave in. But Caroline would blame herself for being too weak. She could not be mentally weak, even if her body was. She was strong, ageless, and fearless. She couldn't be broken this easily.

Marcel simply waved two fingers and one of his men came forward with a bucket. They proceeded to throw the contents on the tied-up girl, and she screamed in agony. Klaus continued pulling at his chains, fighting to get free, but the maker knew their craft. He managed to slightly loosen one side, but they were worked into the cement walls, and it would take time to get free, especially since Marcel's vampires stabbed him every time he moved.

"Was that enough, sweet Caroline? Have you succumbed to the pain?" The dark-skinned leader taunted the vervain-water-soaked girl. Breathing deeply, tears streaming down her face, Caroline shook her head. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you." He gestured, causing his army to break out in laughter.

"I didn't say anything." She intoned raspily, her voice full of rage. "Grow up and stop acting like a fifth-grader."

Marcel laughed. "You think I'm acting like a child? You're the child here. A baby vampire… You're what, one? Two? All you have are words. You are powerless."

This process repeated for minutes upon minutes. Marcel would taunt Caroline, she would defy him, and he would torture her. Sometimes it would be a stake, sometimes he would just slice her with a nasty-looking knife. Other times it would be the vervain mixture, and he had taken to trying to drown Caroline in it by repeatedly shoving her face into the burning water.

The woman remained strong, however, throughout the whole process. Or at least, she appeared to be so. Her screams of pain were the only thing which showed how miserable she actually was. Caroline had something to protect, after all. She wasn't going to betray the Mikaelsons and the hybrids so easily. It would take more to harm her.

Klaus, on the other hand, was utterly miserable. Caroline was being tortured in front of his eyes, and while he was certainly more resilient physically than she, mentally he was in hell. He was failing. He was older and stronger; he should be protecting her from this army. But instead he was bound in chains, simply attempting to wiggle loose one hand. Once he got out of these wretched shackles, blood would stain the walls of the Abattoir for centuries.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Is this going to actually work?" Rebekah asked from her position in the little witch's lair. "Because Nik decided to be an idiot and frankly, while he may be an exceedingly powerful individual, even he cannot take upon an army singlehandedly. Not when he has someone he is trying to protect."

"Why is she here again?" Davina looked up at Bonnie.

"Remember what I told you?" The anchor asked. "Blood tracks better than anything else. Since we're assuming Klaus is with Caroline, our best bet to get to him is via Rebekah."

"I still don't know why Elijah couldn't come. He's tolerable." The younger girl flipped through the pages of one of Bonnie's grimoires.

"He and Katherine are currently attempting to track them down by GPS signals. Katherine's gone all computer geek and has notebooks and maps spread out everywhere." The female Original commented. "Trust me, little witch. I would have much preferred him coming in my place."

"Not helping, Rebekah." Bonnie muttered.

"She's my sister, Bunny. What do you expect? We Mikaelsons are ridiculously stubborn, with a healthy side of sarcasm." Kol leaned upon the table.

"Trust me, I'm well aware." She retorted.

"What have you told her now, Kol?" Rebekah spoke to the thin air. "Honestly, half of what he says is untrue. Probably."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He thinks you're an annoying little twit of a sister." She repeated Kol's next statement. "But since you must have gotten your charming personality from your horrid parents, he'll forgive you until you annoy him again."

"How generous, brother dear." His sister spat. "You're so sweet and doting. How lucky I am for having such a marvelous brother." Bonnie looked beside her before letting out something between a snort and a giggle. Rebekah gave her a look. "He's using the strumpet comment again, isn't he? How original."

"Why sister dear, how did you know? I am an Original. Always and forever." Kol shot Bonnie a wink, who then repeated his words.

Davina looked over at the bickering young adults and sighed. "I found the spell, Bonnie!" She instantly got her mentor's attention, who refocused on the task at hand. "Now what do I need to do?"

Bonnie smiled, projecting an air of assurance, though she was a bit nervous. This would be the first time Davina would do anything with consequences. All the previous spells she had done—the correct way—were simple: a few color-changing spells, a light spell, a spell to create fog; all beginner's stuff. This was going to be her first real piece of magic; well, other than the unlinking spell she did, and even then, that was messy and almost unsuccessful. "Alright, light the candles like I showed you how." Davina concentrated for a second, and then waved her hand, causing the few candles around her room to light up. "Okay, you ready?"

The young witch nodded and smiled in response. "I'm ready. I can do this." She utilized the breathing exercises Kol had her practicing, and commenced straightening out the maps of the city.

"Alright." Bonnie turned to Rebekah. "Now, I need you to slice the palm of your hand." She handed her a knife, and the blonde winced slightly as she cut herself, the blood pooling before the wound closed.

"Tell her to drop some at each of the corners of the map. You'll get the quickest results that way." Kol interjected. Bonnie nodded and repeated his instructions, and Rebekah did as asked.

"Now Davina," The anchor turned to her charge "I want you to let your power flow across the map while you chant the spell. If it works, Rebekah's blood should move to his exact location on the map." The girl nodded, and began chanting the incantation.

At first it looked as if the spell was going to work. The drops quivered as Davina chanted, but nothing happened. Scowling, the witch began to chant again, but there were no results. Bonnie exchanged a look with the invisible Kol, and was about to intervene, but Davina began her incantation once more. "Phesmatos tribum nas ex viras, Sequitas sanguines, Ementas asten mihan ega petous!" The witch screamed, her hands hovering over the map with Rebekah' blood on it.

"Davina…" Bonnie stepped closer to her trainee. "You need to calm down."

"It's not working Bonnie! Why isn't it working?" The younger girl asked. "It was supposed to work!"

"There could be someone blocking her, though with the restrictions of magic on the town, I doubt it. Check the spell again… See if she mispronounced anything, even slightly." Kol instructed, earning him a look from Bonnie.

"Kol, I know how to read spells. I was a witch, remember?"

"I remember, darling." He smirked. "There was a certain aneurysm that you gave me which stands out particularly."

"Good." She sniped. "Keep that particular memory in mind, will you?" Turning to Davina, Bonnie said, "Look, work on the breathing exercises we gave you for a few seconds, while I work out if this is the correct spell to even use, and then we'll try again, okay?" Davina nodded and began calming herself down while her mentor worked. Bonnie looked over the grimoire and realized what had gone wrong. "Davina?" The witch's eyes snapped open, and she rushed over at Bonnie's beckoning. "Look… See here?" She pointed to a line in the grimoire. "This denotes which method of tracking is supposed to be used per spell; they are all different, remember? You weren't supposed to be using the blood-and-map method, but another one."

"So basically I used the wrong spell?"

"Yes." The former witch affirmed. "It was a beginner's mistake, and honestly, you'll probably do it again. You need to learn to recognize the differences in the phrases though; if this had happened while you were doing a major spell, there could have been serious repercussions. Magic is not a toy, it is a tool." She said seriously.

Davina nodded. "So what do I need to do?"

"Rebekah, get over here." Bonnie said.

"Oh, so I'm needed again? Marvelous. I was hoping I could leave." The female Original rolled her eyes as she stood across from the witch.

"Alright, Davina, hold Rebekah's hands." The two ladies did as Bonnie instructed. "Now, while you chant the spell, focus on Klaus in your mind. Use your physical connection to his flesh-and-blood to concentrate, and channel your magic to find wherever he is located. The place where he is should appear in your mind."

Kol watched on as the three women went through the motions of the spell. He had always held an appreciation for witches; it was their magic which attracted him. His magic had been stolen away at far too young an age. He had never been allowed to be properly trained, and was forced to resort to quick lessons from Ayanna snatched in the little spare time he had. Even those only lasted until Mikael discovered them. Afterwards, his father—if one could even call the man that, for he did not deserve the title of father—attempted to beat the magic out of him. Kol had only been twelve at the time. That was when the rebellions started. He would do magic in secret, practicing spells which he knew were out of his league, simply to destroy something. The more Mikael was deprived, the happier the young boy became. His life's purpose had been to annoy his parents as much as possible-no, not even Esther was exempt. After all, his mother was a witch, and a very powerful one. Witches and warlocks were supposed to stick with their own kind. She abandoned him—her own son—all because he had the magic she wanted Finn or Bekah to receive. Well, fuck them. The power of Nature had been his from a young age, and it would always be his. Even when it was gone.

Yes, Kol missed his magic. He missed the rush of power flowing through his veins when he completed a spell. Magic had been his drug—his escape—and even now, he was an addict. He was attracted to power—great power which made kings fall—and magic presented this to him in spades. It was what had attracted him to Bonnie Bennett in the first place. Quite unlike his older brothers, Kol did not have an issue expressing his innermost thoughts and feelings. He had always been an open book. The young man felt no shame in blatantly showing his attraction to the deadly and beautiful Miss Bennett. Even now, when she was devoid of her powers, simply watching her coach a girl through a spell caused him to feel things. Things he had not felt for a very, very, long time. She was exasperation; she was torture. Kol wanted to possess Bonnie, both body and soul, and he could see she felt their connection as well. It was a start. The best part was, if she did manage to resurrect him, he might actually have a fighting chance with the woman.

Over on the living half of the room, Davina was chanting and focusing. Breathing in, she paused. "I… I think I see something." Her eyes closed, she focused some more. "There's a lot of people. Hundreds, both men and women. They're in a really dark area, and some of them appear to be laughing. Oh! I think… Okay, I see Klaus. He's…chained to a wall." Bonnie and Rebekah exchanged looks, their hearts sinking. If Klaus was in such a state, then what was Caroline like? "He's gagged, and I think he keeps trying to get free. He's staring at something, but I can't tell what. He looks really angry… His eyes keep going gold."

"Is Klaus the main focus of the room, or is there someone else?" Bonnie asked, heart racing. This wasn't going to be good, she could tell.

Davina withdrew in herself once more, determining the answer. "No… What?" She suddenly shrieked, eyes popping open.

"What on earth happened?" Rebekah asked the shocked girl.

"I saw Marcel. He was stabbing the blonde friend of yours… Caroline, right? The girl on your phone, Bonnie." Davina sputtered. "I thought he was different; that he wasn't terrible like the rest of the vampires. But she wouldn't have done anything to hurt him, would she have?"

"No, she wouldn't." Rebekah answered, standing up and gathering her purse swiftly. "Bonnie, I am sure you and my invisible brother can handle calming down the witch. I will be calling for Elijah's assistance, and then we will be getting those two out of this mess; that is, if Nik has not managed to fix the situation already."

"Are you going to kill them?" Davina asked, wide-eyed. "You can't kill Marcel! He's the only one I have left."

"They have messed with family. That is not something we Mikaelsons take lightly. Elijah and I will attempt to prevent a bloodbath; though, when it comes to Niklaus, I shall make no promises." Rebekah finished coldly, as she walked out of the apartment. Dialing as she walked to her car, she waited for Elijah to pick up. "Brother? The witch came through. Meet me at The Abattoir as soon as possible. If Nik gets free, we are going to have a bloody mess on our hands, and frankly, I would like to prevent him from wiping all of them out. There needs to be a vampire kingdom to rule over, after all."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Meanwhile, at the lair of Marcel Gerard, Caroline was in hell. It had not been bad before Klaus showed up: just a series of interrogations, and a few knives traced menacingly over her skin. He was not at fault for her current predicament either. Marcel had been getting fed up with her refusal to betray the Mikaelsons, and she knew this was going to happen one way or another. With Klaus there, she at least knew he would get them out.

More intense than the intense physical pain she was going through—and it was a lot of pain, for Marcel seemed to be experienced in this craft—was Tyler's betrayal. While she was more than aware he was upset with her for staying in the city with Klaus and his family, Caroline had never thought he would hand her over to be tortured. Then again, rage does funny things to a person, and Tyler had always been one to act before he thought. She knew it was him, too; Marcel had known the cover story about her connection with Rebekah was false, and an awful lot about her and Klaus's history together. It was information only Tyler could have given over.

"You know, Caroline, you really aren't looking your best right now." Her tormentor smirked.

"I wonder why." She sniffled out, wincing at the pain it caused to speak.

Marcel continued on as if she had said nothing. "We should get someone in here to capture this memory. So you can have it forever. You like to be drawn, I hear?" A lazy smile crossed his face. "Or maybe you just like a certain person to draw you. Is that it?"

Fighting back a blush at his intimations, Caroline's eyes dropped to the floor for a second. When she looked back up, she turned her gaze to her ex-boyfriend. "You know, betrayal really doesn't look good on you."

"I don't really care about your opinions anymore, Care. It's not personal, just business." Tyler shot back in the cocky way of his which always infuriated her.

"You're lying." She gasped, crying out when she shifted the wrong way. "It always has been. You think I betrayed you by coming down here, and you're jealous. This is personal, and you know it."

Tyler stalked over to where she was, stopping in front of her chair. "You're right. It is personal." His eyes filled with wrath. "It's personal because you're a pathetic little slut with an inferiority complex who threw herself at the next guy to give her an ounce of attention. Just like you did with Damon, and Matt, and me. You prance around in your pretty dresses, always acting like you're better than everyone else, and yet, I know that underneath your show of Miss Perfect, you think you're worthless. Well guess what? You are. You're insignificant, Caroline Forbes, and you always will be."

For the first time all day, Caroline burst into tears because of the words which had been thrown at her. She had managed to only cry because of pain before, but Tyler's words hit home. He had thrown things she had told him in the deepest of confidences back in her face, in front of everyone. In front of Klaus. "Fuck you, Tyler." She spat through her sobs.

"You already have" was all he said before walking away.

Chest rasping as she attempted to calm herself, the blonde received no rest. She had not realized it until that moment, for she had had no need, but when the sunshine hit her back, the loss of her daylight ring was made apparent. Screaming out in pain, she arched away from the never-ending light. Briefly she could hear the sound of something cracking, but the sound flew out of her mind as the light suddenly stopped. Ten seconds later, it started up again. Caroline was brought back to another time she was tortured—another day sunlight had been used upon her—and she wondered if she was beginning to hallucinate. The Abattoir now appeared like the cell back in Mystic Falls, and instead of Marcel in front of her, it was her dead father.

"No… Please stop." She whimpered in the intervals between sunlight. "Daddy, please. Don't hurt me." Vaguely the sound of laughter could be heard, but she was all alone. Caroline was alone, and it was her dad inflicting pain upon her now. "Please, Daddy. I'm not a monster." Screaming out when the sunlight hit her back again, the tang of blood hit her senses, and her veins rippled. "I-I don't hurt people. I can control it." In the back of her mind, a small voice whispered to just open her eyes, but the tormented girl could not bear to. Opening her eyes would mean seeing her dad hating her again.

After Caroline received a few minutes of respite, she noticed…sounds. Sounds which were most certainly not the bits of laughter she had discerned amidst her pain from earlier. Wincing as she opened her eyes, the beaten girl sucked in a gasp at the sight before her.

On the other side of the courtyard, Elijah and Rebekah walked in. To put the situation in layman's terms, it was a bloodbath. Judging by the amount of bodies on the ground, the still-tied-up Caroline in the corner, and the large swarm which was engulfing their maniacal brother, Niklaus had not been free very long. Their brother was currently fighting against a good amount of vampires—roughly around fifty to seventy—while some stood to the side and others fled. Rebekah spotted Marcel and Tyler standing near the steps, glowering at the scene. And, well, it was a gory scene. Needless to say, heads were rolling.

"I'll grab Caroline, you assist Nik." Rebekah left no room for argument. She, however, was surprised when Elijah drew a blood bag from his jacket and handed to her.

"Miss Forbes will be of no use to us if she is not able to move. Besides, her disastrous condition will only serve to fuel Niklaus's rage. Best to get her feeling slightly better than not at all." The eldest Mikaelson simply stated in his normal stoic manner. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket, and sped into battle alongside his brother. 'Twas a shame his suit would be ruined, but it was for family. Anyways, sending too many bloodstained suits into the drycleaners often aroused suspicion. It would not do for him to be taken for a serial killer.

Rebekah flashed over to where her friend was detained, ripping the hearts out of three vampires in the process. They would soon learn not to mess with her or hers. However, judging his actions today, it appeared Marcel had forgotten the main rule of the Mikaelsons: you don't fuck with family. Not like this. Inspecting the cringing girl who was staring at the bloody courtyard with an unreadable expression, the older girl's heart tore at the expanse of burns and cuts. One blood bag wouldn't do much.

"Caroline?" She asked, kneeling down. "Are you still with me?"

"Yeah." Was the whisper she received in response. "I… I'm still all here."

"Okay. Look, I'm going to break these ropes, and it's going to hurt. They reek of vervain, if you can't tell." The female Original attempted a laugh as she stood and went to snap the soaked ropes, trying to take her friend's mind off of the pain.

"I can tell." Caroline deadpanned, causing a smirk to form on Rebekah's face and a sense of pride to rise within her. Clearly the girl had been through hell in the past few hours, and she had not allowed them to break her. It showed the baby vampire's strength and will.

Quickly she stood and snapped the ropes, wincing at both the pain it caused her, and the whimpers Caroline gave out in the middle of the action. Picking the blood bag off of the ground where she had set it, Rebekah popped the cap and handed it over. "Drink up. It's bad enough you've got bloodstains on your dress. I won't let you be seen in public looking like that."

Grasping the pouch eagerly, the starving woman quickly brought the tube to her lips and sucked. As the blood flowed into her system, the burns on her body slowly began to heal, and some of the larger gashes partially closed. A bit of color returned to Caroline's cheeks, though she winced when she stood. "T-thank you." She whispered.

"Thank Elijah. He brought it." Rebekah stated flippantly and she brushed off her hands. Cocking her head towards the lovely tableau being painted in front of them, she arched an eyebrow. "I say we grab the boys before they decimate the rest of them, and get you to a bed."

"Yeah," The injured girl nodded "that sounds like a good idea." She breathed heavily, leaning on her friend heavily.

Her companion let out an ear-piercing whistle, silencing the room. Now that the flying blood and gore had died down, Rebekah noticed one side of the room where chains appeared to have been ripped from the cement walls, and lay discarded on the floor. There was no doubt in her mind who those had been restraining. Nodding to her brothers who began walking in their direction, she wrapped an arm around Caroline's waist as she attempted to help the girl walk. Klaus sped over, blood spattering his clothing—whether it was his or another's was indiscernible—and stopped in front of the pair.

Caroline felt him come near and looked up. He was covered in blood, a grim expression on his face, but she found she did not care in the slightest. Klaus held something out to her, and it took her a moment to realize what it was until he slipped it upon her finger. Her daylight ring. Blinking back tears in her heavy and pained eyes, she smiled as much as she could, and gave him a slight nod, agreeing to the action he was conveying. Seconds later, the lady was whisked up into Klaus's arms, and he carried her out to the waiting cars. The Big, Bad Hybrid was not the villain, and instead someone she had once been in love with was. Oh, how tides ebb and wane.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Back at the manor, Katherine and Bonnie—and to a much lesser degree, Kol—were sitting in anticipation for the possible return of everyone. Elijah had called and informed the pair of their impending arrival, but refrained from mentioning any conditions, which had caused Katherine to roll her eyes.

"I believe my family has arrived, darling." Kol said, causing Bonnie to stand and rush towards the door. Katherine followed shortly after, though she did not run, and it took her a bit longer to get there than normal.

"I can walk up a few stairs on my own, you know." They heard Caroline sigh. The front door burst open, Rebekah leading and the rest trailing behind. To Bonnie and Katherine, everyone was a disaster. Caroline and Klaus had holes in their clothing, and the former was sporting healing burns and gashes as well. The men were splattered all over with blood, and Rebekah's hands were coated in the stuff.

"They did a number on you." Katherine commented as they all moved into the kitchen. She glared at Elijah as he attempted to make her sit down and initially resisted, but eventually lost the silent battle.

"I'll be fine." Caroline shrugged, thanking Rebekah when she started handing out warm mugs of blood.

"Caroline." Bonnie crossed her arms. "This wasn't just nothing. You were there for how long?"

"Bon, really. I'll be fine." She shook her head, clearly not fine. Klaus arched an eyebrow at her stubbornness. Honestly, she could just admit she wasn't okay. His mind was drawn away for a moment as Rebekah asked if he was alright, but after nodding his answer, the hybrid turned his attention back to the previous subjects of his focus.

"Caroline Cornelia Forbes." This got the offender's attention, and she looked up at her best friend guiltily. "Something's wrong—other than the obvious—and I'm going to stand here until I get it out of you."

Caroline sniffled, her resolve breaking down. "I… I thought I was…" She started crying. It was not the loud, heaving sobs which tore at one's heart. Instead these were the silent and streaming ones, and they fell down her face as she spoke. "I was so sure I was back there and I didn't want to open my eyes, and they used sunlight on me just like he did and I…" It all clicked in Bonnie's mind, and she sat in the chair next to Caroline, hugging her while she cried and talked. "I was so sure it was D-daddy doing it to me again and not M-marcel, and Tyler was there and he just watched. And he said t-terrible things, Bon." A fresh wave of tears descended, the expression on her face heartbroken with betrayal and pain. "What happened? How could he… He carried me away from Daddy, last time. H-he held me all night when I c-cried. And then he just stood there. What did I do? What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Care." Bonnie stroked her best friend's hair as they cried together. She heard a few sniffles coming from someone in the room: probably Rebekah as Elijah had escorted Katherine out a few moments before. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I must have." The blonde whimpered, taking deeper breaths. "I just… I couldn't give them over." Caroline pulled back and accepted a handkerchief from Rebekah, drying her eyes.

"Give who over, love." Klaus spoke for the first time all evening. She saw for the first time how much of a disaster he was in, and noticed the pain in his eyes as he took her in. When the thought of him having to watch her be tortured went through her mind, it made Caroline's stomach turn. Also, there was the fact that he had clearly been staked a few times as well. Suddenly, she wanted to give him a hug.

"The pack." She said quietly, looking up and meeting his tired gaze. "Marcel wanted to know anything we've been planning against him. The only thing I knew of was the hybrids. E-even in all he was doing to me, I just couldn't give them over. I refused to." The lady brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. "I… I wasn't going to let him break me. Not with a bit of torture. He wasn't going to win."

The man simply nodded and stood, heading out of the room. Klaus's entire being overcame with loathing. It was his fault. His damn fault. Caroline was tortured because of his pack of hybrids, therefore part of the blame lay upon his shoulders. She had been through a ridiculous amount of unnecessary pain—burns and cuts marred her unblemished figure—all because of his plans. He did this; he was the one responsible for her pain. How she even managed to sit in the same room as a man like him was almost indiscernible. Mikael was right. He ruined everything he touched; even the one person he wished to spare from it all had been dragged into a mess because of him. He was a disaster of a man.

AN: So... Did anyone survive this chapter? I'm still emotionally damaged due to it, so I don't blame you all if you are. It was really hard.

Anyways, I know there wasn't much Kalijah in this chapter, but they have an interesting scene in the next chapter, and their big moment is swiftly approaching. Kennett is making headway too, if you all noticed! I'm excited for both ships.

After all of the blood, sweat, and tears (literally) which were in the chapter, I can promise the next is fluffier. Thank goodness. As the author, I need the fluff to keep my sanity.

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!

-Abi