AUTHOR'S NOTE

Here's a new chapter for you. I'm not entirely sure about it, so I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading :)

Caroline glanced at her phone for the millionth time, but there were no new messages. She cursed silently. This wasn't the time for Klaus to ignore her. "Shh, it's going to be okay, Elodie. It's going to be alright." Elodie wasn't looking good. Her head was resting on Caroline's knees. Marissa was sitting in the back of the room. Caroline knew what it was like to lay dying from werewolf venom. She'd been through it, twice. And every time, Klaus had come to the rescue. But now, today, the bastard couldn't answer his damn phone. Time was running out. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" A weak whisper came from the redhead. "You're not going to die, Elodie. I won't let that happen." Caroline replied. She wasn't going to let Elodie die, not like this. Marissa handed Caroline another wet washcloth.

"I'm hungry, Care." Caroline knew that was a side effect of the venom. The thirst for blood. "Marissa, I think it's best if you wait in the other room." Marissa nodded and squeezed Elodie's hand. "Can you try calling Elijah again, too?" Caroline asked as she met Marissa's gaze. Caroline saw her own fear reflected in Marissa's gaze. Caroline tried a reassuring smile, but she wasn't sure whether it was believable. When Marissa was out of the room, Caroline checked the time again. She didn't know how long Elodie would survive. "Care, it hurts. Please, end it." Elodie begged. Caroline sat by Elodie's head and placed her hands on Elo's head. Caroline closed her eyes and imagined the woods at the Salvatore boarding house. She was grateful that Katherine had taught her how to do this, it would make it more bearable for her friend. Elodie was sitting on a fallen tree. She smiled. "Where are we?" Elodie asked. "My home. Well, these woods belong to the Salvatore's, but it's in Mystic Falls."

"Why here?" Caroline shrugged. "It was the first thing that came into my mind. This is where Stefan taught me how to hunt bunnies. He also told me what being a vampire did to the people. I guess you could stay that this is the place where Stefan and I became close friends." "Thank you, Caroline. Thanks for this." Elodie hugged the blonde, but Caroline wasn't going to give up. "You're not going to die, Elodie. I told you I'm not going to let that happen. I only brought you here so you wouldn't feel the pain. There's still some time left. You will get to live." Caroline wanted to say more, but she was suddenly pulled out of her concentration by someone barging in the living room.

"Caroline?" A panicked voice came from the other room. Before she even had a chance to say something, Klaus was standing right in front of her, his hands cradling her face. She met his worried gaze and as his eyes swept over her, she saw them fill with relief. Caroline stared at him for a moment, not knowing what to say. It had been quite some time since she'd seen Klaus. He still looked the same, because he's an immortal hybrid, duh. "Caroline?" Klaus asked again, pulling Caroline out of her reverie. "I'm fine. It's about time you got here. I need your help." Klaus wouldn't let Caroline go, so she put her hands over his. "I'm fine, Klaus. But Elodie's dying. She was bitten by a werewolf and time is running out."

Klaus couldn't believe that this was real. That he was once again in the presence of the most beautiful creature that had ever walked this earth. Klaus was looking at Caroline and for the first time in over a year, he felt as if he could see the colours more brightly. Her light still shone so brightly. Klaus felt her hands covering his, asking him to help her friend. He nodded and let Caroline go.

Caroline watched as Klaus bit his wrist and let his blood drip in Elodie's mouth. Looks like Elodie didn't get to drink directly from his wrist. Klaus seemed to follow her gaze and smiled. "You don't think I let just anyone drink directly from my vein, do you love?" Caroline smiled and she felt a small flutter in her stomach. She wanted to say something, but Elodie started to move. "Well, I'm done with her. But we still need to talk." Caroline heard the sharp tone in Klaus' voice. He wasn't happy about something. That made two of them. "Later." She responded. Caroline looked at Elodie for a moment and called Marissa in. Caroline saw the relief on Marissa's face. "She's okay. How?" Marissa looked form Caroline to Klaus and back at Caroline. "Klaus has an antidote." Caroline's tone implied that there were to be no further questions.

Elodie slowly opened her eyes. "I died and went to heaven right? Or is there actually a ridiculously hot guy standing in this room?" "She's fine." Marissa exclaimed and hugged her best friend. Klaus watched as the three friends hugged. Realising that he was intruding, he went to the living room and sat down. He tried to reign himself in and not throw a temper tantrum then and there. He hadn't seen Caroline in quite some time and then all of a sudden she called him and practically begged him to come to Harvard immediately. Klaus had imagined so many different things, she hadn't exactly said much, only that he had to be there asap and something about a werewolf bite. Maybe he should've listened to the whole message, and he'd known that Caroline was in fact okay and not dying from a werewolf bite. He was angry with himself. He was the Original Hybrid, the only one who could cure a vampire from a werewolf bite. It was not something he did every day and yet, one call from the blonde baby vampire and he came running. Love is indeed a vampire's greatest weakness. And Caroline was his.

Caroline knew that Klaus was waiting in the other room. Waiting for her. Caroline didn't really know how to act. This was the first time since their moment in the woods that she was facing him again. She didn't want it to be awkward, but she just didn't know how to act around him. He knew about her feelings for him and as much as she wanted to deny them, they weren't going anywhere. But it still didn't take away the fact that she hated herself for the truth and she knew that she shouldn't be with Klaus. "Care?" Elodie asked. "Sorry, I wasn't listening." "Who's the guy?" "He's Klaus." Caroline answered, she didn't know what to tell them or how to even begin to explain how she knew him. She could hardly tell them that he was responsible for the death of her best friend's aunt, and had almost killed her, twice. Or that he was a hybrid, and also one of the original vampires. Elodie regarded Caroline for a moment. "I've heard that name before." "He's Elijah's brother." Caroline answered, hoping that Elodie would leave it at that.

"The guy from the woods?" Klaus heard the girl exclaim. He smirked. Apparently, Caroline had talked to her friends about him. It must've meant something to her, after all. "Shh. He's in the other room and he can hear you just fine." "There's nothing to be ashamed about, you know. He's hot, he has an accent. I probably wouldn't shut up about it if I'd had done the deed in the woods." Klaus wished he could see Caroline's reaction to that. Would she be blushing.

"He's also got some very dodgy morals and is not against killing to get what he wants. Anyway, how are you feeling?" Caroline changed to subject. She did not want Klaus to hear any more about this. It was bad enough that he knew that she'd given thought to their adventure in the woods. "I'm okay. I feel great. It was one hell of a pick me upper. What is it, if I may ask." "It's a home-made recipe. Very difficult to come by. You're lucky Caroline was by your side." Klaus said from the other room. "Did I mention he's rude and obnoxious as well?" Caroline practically shouted. "He's still hot." Elodie said with a small smile.

Caroline got a text from Katherine, asking to meet up later. She had a feeling she would need it after dealing with Klaus. "While I'm really glad you're alive and well, I sort of have plans later." Caroline said to Elodie. She shrugged. "You saved my life. If it weren't for you, I'd have kicked the bucket. So, do whatever you have to do." The redhead said while hugging the blonde. Before anyone could reply, a knock sounded from the door. Klaus went and opened it, earning a glare from Caroline.

"Brother, what brings you to this door?" Klaus said as he saw Elijah. "Caroline called. Is it that difficult to answer your phone, Niklaus?" "I believe it's a Mikaelson thing." Caroline said as she glared at Elijah. "I was grading papers." Caroline gave Elijah a sceptical look that wasn't lost on him. She heard a snort from the other side of the room. It was Kol. "Because grading papers entails him to not answer his phone and to spent most of it in bed, naked. Oh, and the papers have decided to lay low." Kol informed. Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Kol's remark. Elijah cleared his throat. "So, I assume everything is taken care off?" He asked. "Are the papers demanding your full and undivided attention?" Caroline inquired, knowing fully well who had been keeping him occupied. "That's my captain Swan!" Kol exclaimed.

Klaus regarded the exchange between his brother and Caroline carefully. Clearly, there was something going on of which he knew nothing about. He saw Caroline turn to look at something in the back and smile at it, before turning her attention back on the brothers. "Elodie's fine. We'll just have to be careful on a full moon." Caroline may want to let this pass, but Klaus had other plans. "I'll have none of this. I'm going to stay here until those wolves are taken care off."

Caroline couldn't believe it when Klaus said that he'd stay here. "No." She couldn't have him around. Not now. Not with Katherine and Elijah finally together. And not while she was trying to find an old grimoire. This was so not the right time. "And since when are you telling me what to do?" Klaus seemed to be getting worked up. "You promised. You'd leave and never come back." It was a low blow and Caroline knew it. "Need I remind you that you called me here? If it wasn't for me your friend would've been dead." Damn him. Damn him and his hybridness. Damn him for being the only person on the planet to have the cure against a werewolf bite. Stupid, stupid, annoying dimpled Original Hybrid. "And I'm very grateful for you to come all the way out here, but you did what you came for, so you can leave now." Caroline replied.

"Well I'm so glad I have your permission to leave, Caroline. But I'm staying." "No, you are not. You are going to go back to one of your favourite places in the world. You're the freaking king of New Orleans, so go back to your damn kingdom and leave me in peace." Caroline insisted, inching closer to the stubborn hybrid. Now this was a show that Kol liked. He saw Elijah step back a little, leaving the two of them to it. Klaus was amused by Caroline's insistence on him being gone. And he especially liked her choice of words. "I'm starting to think that you have a problem with me staying here." Caroline wasn't amused by his playfulness. "I have a problem with you staying here, because I can't have you here. I have plans, remember? I was honest and you promised you'd leave me be." Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Caroline knew that she was being a bit irrational, but it wasn't the right time. She couldn't do this, not with him. "I also made a different promise, if I recall correctly. I believe it was at your graduation ceremony, where I saved you from twelve vengeful witches." Caroline wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk of his face, or kiss it away. This was just so frustrating because he was hitting too close to home.

Curse the truth, damn those feelings for him. Stefan was right, he was fucking right, she was always going to feel something for Klaus and this was not the right moment for him to come back in her life and remind her of what she tried so hard to forget. How could she forget those words? He's your first love, I intend to be your last, however long it takes. And then he'd given her such a chaste kiss on her cheek. It had been so perfect and so right. Deciding to not go in on the promise thing, but instead focus on the saving part. "I saved you from Silas' crazy mind control. I was supposed to be organising a party, but instead I spent an afternoon trying to get that fucking white oak stake out of your back. When there was nothing in it. So you owe me." "I just saved your friend's life. Not to mention that I saved yours as well. With my blood." "After you put me at risk. You had Tyler bite me. And you bit me as well. And Elodie, well, that's just a courtesy to me as your friend." Caroline hadn't forgotten the whole Friends, then? after the whole Silas mind control thing.

Klaus looked at Caroline, she stood there, in all her glory. She was worked up and she was so close to him, if only he could reach out and touch her. But it was clear that she wasn't in the mood for that. She was truly a sight to behold. But he still had a bone to pick with her and if she was going to raise her voice, then he might get some things cleared up. "A common courtesy to a friend? I got your message and I immediately jumped on the first plane here. For you, Caroline. Because you asked me to. It's not a common courtesy, because I don't do courtesies. I am Niklaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid. Vampires and werewolves alike bow to my will. I have the power. I have lived a thousand years, doing everything that I can to ensure my family's safety. I am King of New Orleans. I don't do nice thing for other people, I don't do anything for anyone, period. But you call and ask for my help and here I am. So if I tell you that I'm going to stay here, I will bloody well do as I please."

Caroline took a step back. She had not seen that coming. In all honesty, she should've known. Every time she and Klaus had a fight, it almost came down to this. She was the one thing he couldn't say no to. He still felt the same way about her. But she couldn't, even though she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Because, one day, she would've shown up at his door and let him show her the world. Caroline took a deep breath to calm herself.

Klaus saw the inner battle raging in Caroline's eyes. He knew that he was crossing a line, but she needed to understand. She was his weakness, no matter how hard he wanted to pretend otherwise. But, he knew that she was still trying to figure out what she wanted from her immortal life. And it wasn't fair of him to keep reminding her of the fact that only she could get such reactions out of him. He shouldn't have yelled, but he was frustrated and annoyed with himself. He knew that if she would ask him to leave, he would. But he'd be back before the next full moon to make sure that those werewolves didn't harm her.

"He's not going anywhere, Care. You might as well let him stay. Besides, it's going to make for an awesome show for me. And you'll get to enjoy the company of no less than three Originals and very hot ones they are. I'm the hottest one, but I wouldn't want you to feel guilty for wanting to spend time with Nik. I totally get it. He's got the whole animal thing going for him. I'm nothing but a ghost." Caroline shook her head and lighted up a little at Kol's words. A small smile tugged at her lips. "Fine. But as soon as you have sniffed out the werewolves, you're going back to New Orleans. If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." She said a goodbye to Elodie and Marissa before walking past a dumbfounded Nik and Elijah.

"Well…" Klaus trailed, looking at the door that had just shut. "I guess it could've been worse." Elijah said. "So, you're Klaus." Elodie said. Klaus nodded. "Thank you for saving my life." "Caroline asked me to." He wasn't in a mood to talk to them right now. "If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to my brother." He said before walking out. Elijah nodded at the two girls before following his brother.

*** Almost is never enough ***

"He's so frustrating. And that damn smirk." Caroline sighed, emptying another shot. It was already close to dawn and she had class later today, but she needed a drink. Or five. Katherine had been listening to Caroline ranting about her encounter with Klaus. Having the hybrid around was definitely putting a dumper on things around here. "And then he had the nerve to call me out with the damn promise. I hate him. I shouldn't let him get under my skin like that. We had sex, really great sex and then he left. And we wouldn't see each other again. I was fine. But now he's here. It's Klaus, for crying out loud. I don't know what to do. I can't just go back to that grey zone we were in before the sex. The friends thing was never really going to work out. But I can't be with him. I can't be honest with him about you, or about other activities involving Kol. What am I supposed to say about that? He's going to think I'm certifiably crazy. I still have my plans and he's not going to disrupt them. Let's just hope that the bastard kills those wolves as soon as possible."

Katherine was amused by Caroline's ranting. It was funny how Caroline could get so worked up about it. "You do realise you just wanted him to kill an entire wolf pack just because they lurk around campus, right?" Katherine called her blonde friend out. "I know. Does that make me a bad person?" "Seems like my brother is already rubbing off on you." Kol said, joining the girls. "I just want him gone." Caroline said with a shrug. "So, are we still on time-out, or not?" Kol changed subject. "Why, you have something?" "Not exactly, but we have a lead. We look for ancient civilisations with a lion as a symbol. And they are the stuff of legends." Kol explained. How hard could it be? "The Lion Gate." Katherine said. It had clicked. "Mycenae?" Kol suggested. "It makes sense." Caroline said. "We have great kings, we have the stuff of legends and we have tragedy as well." The blonde continued. "So, when do we leave?" Katherine asked.

"As much as I'd like to come, I have classes. I guess I'm free this weekend, though. I'll have to talk to Elodie and Marissa and tell them that this has to do with the grimoire. Otherwise they'll find it weird for me to keep disappearing." Caroline really wanted to come with them. It would offer a way to avoid Klaus. During the coming days, she'd be too busy with schoolwork and in the weekend they would make a trip to Greece. "I'm starting to like this. But, Care, you better brace yourself, because the dead spoke of entombed secrets. We'll probably have to go underground once more." Caroline's face fell a little. "We're getting closer." Kol encouraged. "I guess we are." They had solved the riddle pretty easily. Maybe a bit too easy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

So... Klaus is back, for a while anyway. I hope I haven't written them too OOC, I'm doing the best I can. Next chapter will still be set at Harvard, so don't worry. There's more Klaroline interaction to come.

I hope you guys liked it. It wasn't that easy to write, so please, let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favouriting. I appreciate it.