A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and sticking with this monstrosity. There's quite a bit of Klaroline all over this chapter so I hope you all enjoy. :)

"He'll burn you down like wax if you let him. You'll think its love, while he dines on your heart."—Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless

Werewolves were never exactly Katherine's favorite group to work with. They were a rambunctious bunch, prone to aggressive outbursts and usually far too insulated if they were in packs. Lone wolves were easier to manipulate and control, especially ones who had no clue about what they were before accidentally triggering their curse. It was so easy to win them over when she had bits and pieces of knowledge that they were hungry for. Packs usually knew more than she did and getting in with them was not only a headache but also asking for a horrific death. There was only one cure for a werewolf bite and Katherine knew she'd never be given it again.

That one time Klaus had shoved it down her throat had been to show Stefan that his blood could help Damon. She wasn't foolish enough to think the Hybrid would give her more, not even to continue his centuries long torture of her.

She'd considered finding the werewolf girl who'd helped Shane and betrayed Tyler, but Katherine had seen how foolish Hayley was in her plotting and decided she'd be more of a hindrance than a help. The witches she knew either seemed to be dead or in hiding, a troublesome development that Katherine might look into later, but had her scratching them off her potential idea chart. And the vampires were useless, not knowing what was going on, either not wishing to do anything that might provoke and Original or too young to be of any help, believing everything to be myths and legends and having no actual useful insight.

Which left heading to this growing pack of wolves, picked from all over the country if her sources were correct. It was foolish to be anywhere near them considering what their bite could do but they had a Hunter and it seemed that one of those was vital if she wanted to get anywhere near the cure. Not to mention it looked as though Tyler Lockwood was in charge of the lot and she definitely knew a few buttons to push when it came to him.

Of course she needed to actually see him and work it so the Hunter didn't rip out her heart on sight if her plan was ever to come to fruition. Finding access to another Hunter might have been a better idea in the long run, but time was limited and the chances of her contacts locating another group for her to infiltrate was incredibly slim. So she'd need to take her chances on this plan even if it wasn't the best she'd ever come up with.

At least she had the fact that poor Tyler wasn't as good as some of the others at distinguishing her from Elena Gilbert and she would definitely make sure to use that to her advantage. The two might have known each other since childhood but they weren't exactly besties, Tyler only really being in the ragtag Mystic Falls gang because of his relationship with the cheerleader. Katherine was still surprised that Damon hadn't done away with the boy like he had Mason, especially one the kid was turned into a hybrid.

The elder Salvatore had been going soft and that was just a damn shame. He was much more fun as a killer than he'd ever been as a human. It'd be a pity if he was trying to redeem himself, though, it'd be pretty comical to watch him try and fail. Maybe she'd check in on him and his endless pursuit of Elena once she was finally free of Klaus and happily mess up his life all over again.

Stumbling into the pack's camp, she made sure to look absolutely distraught, to use that doe eye look and exude an air of helplessness. "I'm looking for Tyler," she started, voice trembling as she nearly fell to the ground, watching the members watch her warily, no doubt sensing what she was and not sure how to react since she'd asked for someone by name.

Tyler was in front of her in seconds, helping her rise to her feet. "Elena? What's wrong? How did you even find me?" He was looking her over, trying to offer comfort as he led her over to a tree stump.

She nearly rolled her eyes at the chivalry, reminded of his Uncle for a moment, but had to keep up the facade. "Klaus took Caroline."

Yellow flashed in the young hybrid's eyes and Katherine knew she'd made the right decision, that she'd picked well this time for who to stand behind—at least for the moment. "I don't know where they are exactly, but I think Stefan mentioned Romania. He's with Rebekah now. I can't believe he sided with her."

"Where's Damon? Matt and Jeremy?" Tyler asked rubbing his hand on the back of his neck as he no doubt tried to process everything.

"I don't know where Damon is. He…went crazy. Like he did when he…" she looked down, appearing even further distraught. "Killed your Uncle. I didn't want to stay with him. I don't trust him. I couldn't find Matt or Jeremy after Klaus took off with Caroline. "

Who knew with those two? She certainly didn't care, but she knew she needed to keep hammering in the Klaus and Caroline part; that it would be what she needed for Tyler to focus on; his rage at the Original would be enough for him to not look too closely into her story, into how she wasn't quite Elena Gilbert. "I'm so worried about her, Tyler. He's had her for weeks now. Who knows what he's doing to her," she continued, bottom lip trembling as she continued with the facade.

"It's going to be okay, Elena," Tyler reassured, even if his eyes narrowed at her words, his body tensing. "I'm going to get her back and I'm going to end him so he won't be able to hurt any of us ever again."

Katherine nodded at that, keeping back her smile. She didn't believe for a second that the boy in front of her would be able to end Klaus Mikaelson—far more powerful, skillful men had tried—but she was certain that his attempt to do so would help her find a way to earn her freedom once and for all.

She allowed Tyler to lead her over to one of the RVs and stepped inside to shower and rest, utilizing her advanced hearing to listen into Tyler talking with the others. She wasn't surprised that some of the wolves needed reassurances, took note of the Hunter's voice once he revealed himself, and then curled up on the RV's couch as she continued to listen to everything outside as she plotted away her own plans in her head.

The door opened and she put back up her Elena mask, looking over at Tyler with wide eyes as he entered and handed her a blood bag. "I'm sending the wolves up to some land so they'll be safe while a group of us head to Europe. I don't know how exactly this is all going to pan out but sources say it'll probably happen in Europe and if you're right and Klaus and the others are already there then we'll want to be there too," Tyler told her, watching her with concern. "It's going to be okay, Elena. We'll get Caroline and the cure and the three of us will go back to how we were and Klaus will be nothing but a nightmare we endured."

"Good," Katherine murmured before drinking from the bag. She filed away what she'd learned as Tyler kept talking, letting her know about what he knew and she compared it to all she'd learned along the way as well.

She thought his plans were extremely short sided and would never work in the end but she kept that knowledge to herself, thankful she'd gotten herself an in to all of the madness. It was hardly her fault if the boy in front of her had no idea exactly what kind of tactician he was dealing with in Klaus, if he couldn't realize that for every plan he came up with that Klaus had multiple counter ones at his ready.

Katherine doubted that Tyler would survive in the end, but she didn't care, all that mattered was her own survival…and the ghost of a chance that she could find some sort of happiness with Elijah once she gained her freedom.

To say that Caroline was angry was a bit of an understatement. There was a man in a cell who knew information about her father, about her ancestors, and she was being kept from him. It was driving her mad and she'd only known for less than an hour that her family was even further tied into all of the supernatural drama than she'd previously believed. She had known her family knew of vampires for a long time, considering they'd created some weird torture chamber and her parents were both Council members, but she had been told it was more than that. There were more secrets about her father that she'd only just begun to scrape the surface of and she needed to know them.

They were the only tie that she had left to him. Steven wanted nothing to do with her, and while Klaus had said they could get information from him about it, all they'd done during the call was learn more about the stupid Hunters and potentials, which while linked to her dad and his research seriously wasn't enough new pieces to satisfy her hunger for knowledge.

"You're not focusing, sweetheart," Klaus sighed, breath tickling her ear as he came up behind her.

Caroline knew she should be but her mind was elsewhere, still back in that cell, mulling over the bits and pieces she had picked up. Maybe she'd been the one to say he could train her but that had been before he'd stopped her from learning what she wanted to know. "I want to talk to Vaughn," she muttered, shoving her elbow back into Klaus' chest as she stepped away from him.

They were in a clearing behind Vincent's house, surrounded by the wall of the house on one side and trees on all of the others. The door that led back into the house lay behind her with Klaus blocking her way and Caroline had a feeling he wouldn't be letting her back in it anytime soon. "I believe it was your idea to be trained, Caroline," Klaus reminded, walking toward her.

She crossed her arms, her stubbornness shining through as she glared at him. "Why can't I talk to him? It's not like anything he says can really be used against me. It's all stuff from the freaking past."

"Then I fail to see how it's vital that you know about it right now," Klaus replied, which only increased her anger. "You'll get your information, Caroline, though I do truly believe you'll learn more from Steven—and I'll happily ensure you get what you want out of him—than you will out of our current guest." She snorted at that descriptor. "Steven can be manipulated to tell the truth. We have nothing to use against Vaughn to ensure that he does the same."

"You are so freaking paranoid," she muttered, rolling her eyes because of what he was saying. Of course he was looking at how the two men would try to use the information for their gain instead.

Klaus was in front of her in seconds, hand grasping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Amazing how his grip while tight and unyielding wasn't at all painful. "Don't be naive, Caroline. Steven thinks of you as a monster. He will use whatever information he has to cut into you, to cause you pain and tear you down unless he knows doing so will have dire consequences toward his little girl. I've no doubt that Vaughn sees you as a piece to use to get me to do as he needs, just as Silas and his witches have tried multiple times."

"Or maybe he's not someone who goes around freaking manipulating people. Just because you do that doesn't mean everyone does it," she tried to counter; pulling away from him, thankful he did let her go.

"Everyone manipulates, Caroline. Parents do it to their children all the time. Children to their parents. Friends to one another. It's a human trait, something our vampire emotions only exacerbate," he continued, clasping his hands behind his back as he regarded her. "You're quite adept at it yourself. It's second nature from birth, a means to get what one needs to survive, to get what one simply wants."

"You have a seriously distorted view of the world," Caroline bit out, trying not to give any credence to what he was saying. Yes, she'd manipulate him more than once, for her friends, but she didn't think she just went around doing it all the damn time. Not like he was implying everyone did. Maybe people did use what they knew about one another to get the people they loved or disliked or just talked to on occasion to see their point of view and sway them to it, but she wouldn't think of the world as that harsh of a place.

"And you have a very naive one," Klaus replied, taking a step toward her. "It's not surprising considering how sheltered you were. Though perhaps naive isn't the appropriate word. You want to see the good, to not see all of the shadows that are cast every day that swallow this world whole. You've seen the worst in men, Caroline. You've been tortured and you still try to find the good pieces, continue to persevere and go for the more optimistic route."

"I'm not one for letting all the bad crap destroy the good that still happens." Like she'd told Tyler back before their lives had gone even more insane. She just wanted her friends and family to be happy even in the middle of all the crazy unhappy bits. "What's the point in living for eternity if I do? Might as well have just let me die in that bed on my birthday if that's the case. Or like any of the other times more recently."

She didn't even see Klaus move, he'd been so quick, and she was slamming into the trunk of a tree before she even realized that he was moving them. His expression was hard, eyes a steady yellow as he glared down at her, obviously not appreciating what she'd said. "Do not joke with me about your life," Klaus warned before stepping back and leaving Caroline shaking slightly against the tree.

She reeled in the extra emotions that wanted to swallow her in that moment. "Ugh. I wasn't joking. I was making a point!"

"Yes, well, try to make it without disregarding your own importance, Caroline," Klaus suggested. "I'm aware that your friends have done a dismal job of showing that they appreciate having you in their lives, but I'd think you'd be more than a little aware by now how much I do value you."

She couldn't look at him in that moment, instead she stared at the grass near his feet, not wanting to hear these declarations that were so close to love that she couldn't just brush them off as she used to. This wasn't just a case of Klaus trying to win her like some prize or scratch an itch or a million other scenarios that had played out in her head. She didn't think they'd even really scratched the surface of how much he cared for her and that was overwhelming.

"Can we just get on with the training part?" she grumbled, realizing that he'd successfully stopped her insistence on seeing Vaughn. For the moment at least. Sneaky bastard.

"Gladly," Klaus murmured, and Caroline was flat on her back before she'd actually processed what he'd said.

It went on like that for an hour. Caroline trying to evade Klaus' moves and him easily tossing her, slamming her to the ground, to the wall, to a tree. The fact that she knew he was holding back and not utilizing all of his strength was only increasing her frustration over being unable to outwit him even once. "My enemies will hardly give you a break. They'll not care that you are a mere baby vampire. They'll exploit that, work to push at your weaknesses," Klaus told her as he slammed her down onto the ground again, pinning her to the grass.

"Well how the hell am I supposed to freaking beat them then?" she growled, fangs baring in her growing annoyance.

"Exploiting their weaknesses if you've had time to learn them is one. Always being on your guard when we are not together—something that won't be happening often—and knowing what your own strengths are," Klaus replied, and oh she did not like the fondness in his eyes as he looked down at her, finger tracing her veins.

She tried to look for weaknesses in Klaus' method in the next round, tried to see where he might have any faults that she could exploit and end up with him on the ground or tossed through the air instead of her, but she still ended up flung into the wall. "You'll get better with practice," Klaus pointed out, his voice irritating her and her body aching from the impact even if it was already healing.

Caroline didn't wait for him to attack again, rushing at him this time to try and get him off balance for once. Maybe it would have worked on another vampire, but Klaus was an Original and a Hybrid, making his reflexes far superior to her own. He had her trapped against his body, hand on her throat in a way that he could easily snap it if he desired. "Better," he murmured, lips brushing her ear, and Caroline couldn't fight back the shiver that seemed to run up her spine at his words.

They continued on with the training, the blood pumping in her veins, her senses going into overdrive as he kept telling her to focus, to try and predict where he'd be coming from, to listen to the damn world all around them and push out everything else but the sound of his movements. She'd done something similar before whenever she was trying to locate people in Mystic Falls or just needed to hear the rise and fall of her mother's chest when she lay in bed, unable to sleep but needing to know her mother was alive.

Caroline rarely ever got a blow in, his speed and agility outdoing her own, and it wasn't like she wasn't incredibly agile. Over ten years of gymnastics turned into cheerleading had helped her become incredibly flexible, but she wasn't used to using those skills to defend herself or to attack someone else, at least not to this extent. Klaus definitely was used to it and Caroline had a feeling that he wasn't even using all of his strength against her.

Klaus released her again and she stumbled forward. She knew that he wouldn't be expecting her to attack him again so quickly, but Caroline did, turning around and flashing at him. She was supposed to sink her fangs into his shoulder, to try and maintain a grip on him that he wouldn't be able to so easily break. Her body seemed to have a different agenda though and for some reason instead of her fangs doing as she wanted, her lips crashed against Klaus' just as his body slammed the two of them into a tree.

She'd definitely thrown him off balance, and maybe she'd remember to be giddy and smug about that later, when she wasn't earnestly pressing her body against his, hands gripping the nape of his neck as she deepened the kiss, one of his own moving to tangle in her hair while the other curled around her back, moving to her waist and tugging her impossibly closer to him.

It had to be her hormones on overdrive, her body so incredibly on edge because of their fighting, but Caroline knew those excuses wouldn't really hold up. She was kissing Klaus because she wanted to, because it was becoming harder and harder to deny how drawn she was to all of him. A nagging voice in the back of her mind tried to remind her of Tyler, to point out that Klaus was a monster, but she silenced it, pushing it away, reminding the voice that she was one too, even if she wasn't quite the monster that Klaus could be.

The bark scraped against her back through her shirt and she welcomed the pain, wanted everything to be hard and fast and fitting for what the two of them were. She needed rough and animalistic, wanted it to be everything that tied her into being a vampire, and she was tearing at his shirt, tossing the remains of it to the side as Klaus pulled back.

The look of utter adoration in his eyes had her stilling against him, unable to move, to think, as she saw that glimpse of his humanity shining through. His fingers were so soft, so gentle that it made her want to cry, because this was what she feared the most. These glimpses of the man tangled up with the beast, seeing all of the parts of Klaus and being unable to deny that she liked every one of them, that they intrigued her to no end, and that she was drawn to them in ways that would never disappear. Even if she didn't always appreciate or agree with his methods.

Her hands moved to his shoulders, gripping them tightly as she continued to stare at him for a moment before surging forward and capturing his mouth all over again, trying to erase the gentleness, nipping at his lips and her nails digging into his skin. His hands moved to her ass, pressing and lifting and Caroline easily complied, wrapping her legs around his waist as she clung tighter to him.

In a flash they were inside, the rough bark of the tree replaced by the softness of the cover of her current bed. His hands were on her dress, tugging it up and over her head and she helped, lips finding his again as soon as it was tossed aside. She expected him to make quick work of her bra and panties next, to be like Tyler and Matt had been, going immediately for close contact, like practically every other person she'd ever been with in her eighteen years. But Klaus didn't, he simply drew his hands down her sides, across her stomach as he kissed her slowly but deeply, tongue gaining entrance and brushing with her own.

It wasn't the animalistic entanglement that she wanted with sweaty limbs and quick movements to satisfy the coiling in her belly. It was far too intimate, too much like lovers being reacquainted after being apart for too long. It was everything she'd never had before as Klaus left her mouth, pressing hot kisses down her neck and across her shoulder blades, his fingers drifting along the skin just below her breasts. The way he touched her was such a contrast to how rough she usually associated his hands being in regards to everyone else. Maybe it was the artist in him coming out, tempting her with pieces of him that she couldn't quite hide from.

This was a snippet of what life would be like, of what he would offer and give to her if she chose him, and Caroline knew he was trying to sell himself to her, to show exactly how he'd be able to worship her day in and day out whenever she did finally say yes. Because she knew he wouldn't give up until she did, whether it be today or in a century or two.

"I'm not one of your teenage lovers, Caroline," Klaus murmured against her ear as she closed her eyes, trying to blot out his voice and to focus on his hands instead. His head dipped, nose brushing against her neck in a gentle caress, stubble scraping against her neck before he kissed her again, soft and slow, the intimacy of it causing her to move her hands to his hair, reciprocating the kiss back just as slowly.

His hand brushed her ribcage, over her bra-clad breasts before moving to cup her cheek, thumb stroking her skin as he pulled away, staring down at her. "There are times for quick and fast against a tree or a door or even in a bed. But I will not allow my first time having you to be anything less than a full night of ravishing you as you deserve to be, and we both know you're not quite ready for the consequences of what would happen if we followed through with this right now."

Was he seriously rejecting her? Was that actually happening? Caroline tensed underneath him, ready to lash out or crawl into a little ball of humiliation, maybe both at the same time, but Klaus' hand pressed onto her stomach, keeping her flat. "I am more than happy to give you a taste of what's to come when you finally are ready," he continued, and she opened her eyes at that, uncertain what he even meant before his hand slid underneath her underwear.

She swallowed at the lust and adoration in his eyes, legs parting as his hand moved lower, slipping into her folds and she tried not to cringe at how wet she already was. He stilled his movements for a moment, no doubt giving her an opportunity to push him away if she wanted, before his fingers slid, finding that bundle of nerves he'd been seeking out and rubbing.

Her eyes drifted shut at the contact, unable to look at him as her body arched slightly into his touch. This was so incredibly wrong, something she shouldn't be enjoying, something she shouldn't want or be encouraging, but she couldn't stop her body from reacting. Breathy little gasps left her mouth, toes curling as she gripped the blanket beneath her, tearing the fabric. She could feel the heat of pleasure infusing every cell in her body. One by one, they seemed to fill up, overwhelming her completely as she no longer tried to hold back how she felt, as she allowed it all come to spiral out of her, body vibrating with pleasure. It had been so long and she was so incredibly wired in that moment that it didn't take long for her to go careening over that edge, falling apart beneath him, especially when his blunt teeth scraped along her shoulder blade.

"So beautiful, my Caroline," Klaus murmured as her body trembled in the aftermath of her release, kissing her shoulder before nuzzling her neck.

Caroline didn't dare open her eyes, her mind a mess of confusion as she tried to come to grips with not only what she'd allowed to happen but the fact she'd desperately wanted him to touch her as well. She wasn't ready to hear Klaus gloat or to see the smugness in his face, didn't want to deal with those consequences at all, and was grateful that he simply pressed another kiss to her forehead and left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts as he sought out his own relief.

Caroline curled up on her side as soon as the door closed and stared out at the wall, waiting for the guilt to set in.

Unsure what to do when it never came.

Lucy knew she had made a great number of mistakes over the years. She'd been a bit of a wild child in her youth, wanting to have fun and use her magic as she saw fit. Not wanting to be beholden to the Coven or constantly under her mother's thumb. It had been during that carefree, laissez faire state that she'd run into a bit of trouble and Katherine Pierce had saved her life making her beholden to the vampire for some time.

She'd done a few spells here and there that she wasn't particularly proud of but it had been that last one in Mystic Falls when she'd realized she'd nearly crossed another of her own bloodline that had been Lucy's final straw. She'd told Bonnie she would be back, that she'd help the girl with her magic, and then she'd never returned.

Lucy had a million excuses for it, from trying to restore some good after all the bad she'd done to the fact she'd taken over Sanai's Coven, but really the reason had been simple. Lucy hadn't wanted to get involved vampire messes again, wanted to stay far away from the chaos those creatures could bring into a witch's life. Lucy had seen in those few hours that Bonnie's life was irrevocably linked to the vampires of Mystic Falls, that it most likely always would be, and she wasn't willing to be drawn back down that path.

It had been selfish, it had probably been the wrong way to go about everything too, but Lucy couldn't change the past, she could only try and fix the present and hope for better for the future. She knew Bonnie held resentment, who wouldn't after all of the horrors she'd seen and the fact that the Spirits had stripped her of magic only to realize they actually needed the girl? That loss of something so intrinsic to her being had to have been devastating and Lucy didn't think she'd ever forgive herself for not having been there for Bonnie in the aftermath.

Though really, if she'd been there during the in between parts maybe then her cousin wouldn't have ever lost that part of her or dabbled in Expression in the first place.

"We need to talk, cuz," Lucy started as she sat down by Bonnie, grateful that Kol didn't seem to be anywhere in the area. No doubt he was using the bustling airport as a means for finding a quick snack.

Bonnie tensed at the intrusion, but closed the book she'd been reading and looked over at her cousin. Lucy really couldn't blame her for the closed off feeling she got from the younger girl. "I said I would come back and I didn't," Lucy continued, watching Bonnie tense at the admission. "I almost did a few times but Mystic Falls and vampires. Not a good combination."

"Think I don't know that? Do you think I didn't try to leave it all behind? To not have to deal with it? I tried so many times and kept getting pulled back in. One thing after another." The harshness to Bonnie's tone was expected but it still had Lucy drawing back a bit. This wasn't the same lost girl she'd met over a year ago who'd pleaded for help, who'd wanted answers. This was someone who'd been broken by the truths. "But I don't get to run away like everyone else. My friends need me. The Spirits need me for now."

The bitterness in that last part had Lucy frowning. "We'll figure out a way to make it so they can't strip you again after this."

Because Lucy knew that Bonnie was becoming increasingly powerful. Doing the spell that was needed to take down Silas required a lot of power and being the direct descendant of the witch who'd placed the spell, Bonnie was the one who the Spirits would be best able to give that power to. Unfortunately considering who Bonnie was friends with and the lengths she'd already gone to protect those friends, Lucy had a feeling the Spirits would want to take back that power after Silas was defeated.

"We will? Or are you going to run again once it all gets tough?" Bonnie asked, and maybe that wasn't exactly fair, but Lucy felt as though she deserved it.

"I'm not going anywhere this time," Lucy promised, touching Bonnie's hand, letting the magic flow through the two of them.

Bonnie stared down at their hands for a moment before pulling her own away. "I guess we'll see if you're telling the truth once everything goes down."

"Don't let resentment and bitterness be your guide, Bonnie," Lucy warned, knowing the effects that could have on a witch. Especially one who was usually so caught up in vampire business.

Eddie's arrival cut off any reply Bonnie might have made. "It's growing again," he murmured, shaking with fear, before tapping past his neck. "I think it's almost complete."

"Someone is still out there killing. We need the Coven to locate the rest of the Hunters," Bonnie muttered before patting the seat beside her. "It's not done yet. And we're going to be getting in the air in about twenty minutes. Best we can do with what we know."

"Everyone who has a role in this is going to need to get to the same place and since none of us know what the map will reveal we're all running blind," Lucy pointed out, and the young Hunter nodded, though he didn't seem to feel any better with that knowledge.

"And there's still parts of this that we don't even know completely what they mean," Bonnie replied, giving Eddie's arm a squeeze. "Like how the sword that Klaus had is involved."

"That's not really helping," Eddie murmured, rubbing his temples as he leaned forward, eyes shut as he worked on his breathing.

Lucy leaned back as Bonnie continued to try and comfort Eddie, her gaze drifting about the airport and spotting Kol heading back over to them, not at all liking the extra bounce in his step. She wondered how many he'd killed while he was away.

"Everyone looks so glum," the Original commented as he sat down across from them. "We're finally nearing the fun part. You'd think you would all be a little more excited for the chance to end the Big Bad."

Bonnie simply glared at him, while Eddie kept his head down, still working on his breathing. Lucy sighed, wondering what in the world the Spirits had been thinking in having them team up with the Originals. This group working together was asking for trouble and she wondered once everything ended how many of them would actually walk away alive. She didn't even want to think about how the coming events would alter each of them in ways they'd never be able to recover completely from if they did survive.

"Not to mention all the fun we'll have with my little family reunion. I can't wait to see the progress Nik has made on your little blonde friend," Kol continued, and Lucy sighed, knowing that would set her cousin off on a tirade against the vampire.

It was going to be a long flight.

How was he supposed to walk away when he could smell her arousal still in the air, could smell it on his fingers, could taste it on his tongue once he'd brought them to his mouth? He pressed a hand to her door before forcing his feet to turn him away from it, every step painful as he remembered her breathy little sighs, the arch of her hips against his hand, the softness of her body pressed to his, so close and yet so far all at once.

Klaus stripped away his clothes as soon as he entered the bedroom Vincent had set aside for him, grinning at the fact that it was next door to Caroline's. He wanted her to hear him, to know how affected he was by her presence, by what they had started and he had reluctantly stopped. It wasn't the time though, not with her being unable to look at him after her release that fear and uncertainty still lingering in her mind, and Klaus knew that once he had Caroline, once they crossed that bridge any chance of him waiting a year or a century for her would be over.

How would he possibly be able to get a taste of her, to have her in his bed and in his heart, to having her as his and he be hers, only to have it all ripped away, to have to wait for what he wanted all over again? Klaus was too selfish to ever allow that to happen and he knew that he couldn't be selfish with Caroline, not like that. Not when doing so would cause resentment and have her pulling away even further from him.

Everything in regards to the baby vampire had to be carefully balanced, the two of them on a precarious edge, with him fearful that she'd tip backwards, ending up further away from him instead of forwards to where he knew she belonged. And with the others coming the edge was only going to become harder to navigate, especially with Bonnie's eventual arrival. The last thing he wanted was for the little witch to manipulate Caroline away from him.

But those were thoughts for another time when he wasn't stepping into the shower, hand gripping his cock as he stood under the hot spray. It wouldn't take long for him to find his own release, not with how hard he'd already grown and the smell of her still clingy to his fingers. Klaus didn't bother to be quiet, listening in for where Caroline was and hearing her still on her bed, turning on top of the sheets, and grinned at the thought of her hearing him. He focused on the images he had of her now, of the way her mouth opened and closed, how her teeth grazed her bottom lip as her head had twisted, heels digging into the covers as he'd brushed her clit. Thought of what it would be like to have those very lips wrapped around him, of how it would be to have his head between her legs making her gasp and cry out.

Next time he'd have her crying out his name.

Next time he'd show her the joys of feeding as she came.

He was finished far quicker than he wanted, though perhaps that was for the best considering his siblings and her friends could be arriving at any moment.

Klaus tilted his head, focusing in on Caroline again, hearing a soft moan from her room and couldn't help but smirk, having a pretty good idea of what was transpiring. Perhaps he'd enjoy himself a little longer in the shower. Wouldn't hurt to get all of his pent up energy out.

Everything was going exactly as Silas had predicted, precisely as he'd shown her in the dreams she'd been getting from him for the last few years. She didn't know why they hadn't started until recently, not when she'd been doing Expression for over fifty years, but Valerie wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth once they had finally come.

The witches who needed to die were dead, their magic banished to wander aimlessly in the world, unable to be used for a number of generations by those few who remained. It was the perfect ending for those she'd never quite fit in with, those who'd told her countless times that her thirst for power would be her undoing. Seemed as though it had been all of theirs instead of her own.

She'd even acquired a Hunter for their purposes, something Valerie hadn't been certain they would be able to do. Newly awakened and not realizing what exactly his purpose was definitely benefited her and the cause. It was easy enough to find him vampires to kill while getting the other members of Silas' cult to sacrifice themselves for the immortals rising. Even if it seemed that the other players in the game were slowly but surely realizing what was happening in regards to those groups of newly turned vampires.

It was no matter, there wasn't too much mark left to reveal and a few more dead vampires would do the trick. But none of that would matter if she and the rest of her crew weren't in Europe as well. All of the mythology surrounding Silas pointed to his origins being in the Mediterranean and while that was a rather large area to cover, it was better to be somewhere in Europe than on the wrong continent completely. Especially when she knew the others had at least one Hunter at their disposal.

Damn Bonnie Bennett for breaking free and taking that young one with her. She still couldn't believe she'd failed Silas in that mission. She was supposed to keep the Bennett girl, to push her down the path of Expressionism so she could be exploited for the latter tasks, but the girl slipped free from her grasp. Valerie was still beating herself up for that failure. Though her followers were pleased she was no longer taking it out on them.

"You will not fail me this time."

It had been ages since she'd heard Silas' voice in her head and she closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness into her soul, letting it flow through her body as he was given a window to the world through her eyes for the moment.

"Never again," Valerie promised, strumming her fingers against the wall as she looked out at her group.

"The Hunter?"

Valerie looked over in the young man's direction, letting the immortal see which of the current Five was in their group, before her gaze moved around the hanger as he wanted, letting him see the rest of her retinue as well. She didn't know why he wanted to see everyone, never could completely understand Silas' motives but it wasn't in her to question what he was doing or why. All that mattered is the power she would get because she helped him rise.

His presence was pulled away as quickly as it had entered her, leaving her feeling empty and needing a moment to regain her bearings as she became in control of her body again. Valerie waited for further instruction, but there was none that time.

"What are we doing with this one?" one of her Coven asked, nodding toward the broken vampire sitting at the table in the hanger bay.

They would be taking a private plane over and Silas had led Elena Gilbert to their group. It'd taken some persuasion to get the Hunter not to drive a stake immediately through the girl's heart, but it was obvious from the get-go that she wasn't a threat. She was barely functioning and Valerie couldn't help her giddiness at how broken the girl had managed to become. It took some intense power to break someone that completely and if Silas could do that while still trapped in his grave then she could only imagine how powerful he would be once freed.

"She'll be coming with us," Valerie replied, glancing over at the girl. "Jab her with vervain to knock her out if you're truly that worried about her being a danger."

If the members of the Coven started to falter now she would have to dispose of them, another sacrifice to help raise Silas from the grave. Not to mention it would cut down on who she'd be sharing power with, something Valerie was more than happy to do as she didn't want to share power with anyone if at all possible. Silas didn't want the girl dead yet though. Elena Gilbert still had a part to play in his fully awakening and Valerie would do whatever was necessary to ensure that Silas' demands were met with, even if it meant killing her own people.

It wasn't as though she hadn't done it before.

Klaus could hear Caroline moving about in her room and while she hadn't ventured out of it since their latest encounter, he figured it was best to give her a few more moments to herself. She'd shown him part of her that he didn't think she'd quite meant to yet, her intentions having been for something far more rough and quick, something she no doubt thought she could easily brush off as the heat of the moment. Not that he'd ever have allowed her to get away with that type of thinking in the first place, but Klaus would be damned if he let her close herself off to him once she was finally opening up in ways he'd been convinced would take far longer than they were.

High stakes matters, ones that pulled at emotions and rubbed them raw were always good for shortening timetables, the heightened emotions forcing people to come to grips with what was happening around them sooner than calmer times allowed. The isolation from all of the nay sayers was definitely in his favor as well, something Klaus knew was coming to an end with his siblings arrival being rather imminent.

But no matter what happened after this moment, Klaus knew that Caroline wouldn't be able to go back to the girl she had been. Mystic Falls wouldn't be enough for her any longer. She'd gotten a taste of the world and he knew she'd want more of it. The only thing that might be a draw there for a bit would be her mother, but Klaus had a feeling the Sheriff wouldn't be too keen on returning to that town once her memories were restored. Caroline's ability to remain in Mystic Falls without people wondering about her lack of aging was about to come to an end. There was only so long that someone looking eternally seventeen could play at being older and the citizens of Mystic Falls had seen her grow up, they wouldn't be just passing strangers but a group of small town busy bodies poking their noses and stirring up trouble.

He also knew that she wouldn't be able to deny how drawn she was to him, not with what had transpired between them only hours before. She could have told him to stop, pushed him away, but she'd not only initiated the moment, she had urged him on with her response and wanted more than he'd been willing to doll out in the moment. Klaus knew she was frightened, a part of him was as well, this was all entirely new territory for him, but that fear would only be able to keep her back for so long when her curiosity and drive was pushing her toward him.

It might not have been love on her part like it was for him, not yet, but he believed it could be—otherwise what was the point of love? What was the point of the ripping, soul crushing pain in his chest during the times she'd been hurting and he'd thought he'd lose her in the last few weeks? What was the point in this ability to care for another that he could not dagger and keep out of harm's way if she didn't love him back in time? He knew she was intrigued, knew she cared in her own way even if she didn't want to, but she was still young.

So incredibly young compared to him and he'd seen her give her love foolishly to Tyler who didn't appreciate it, to her friends who didn't value it the way they should either. Klaus didn't know how long it would take, but he did know that he wouldn't rest until she finally reciprocated those feelings. Not in the ways he usually did, not with force and demands. No, that wouldn't work in this situation. Neither would locking her up and forcing her to remain with only him until he became her whole world—though that thought had crossed his mind once or twice if he was telling the truth.

He couldn't make her love him, couldn't trick her into it, or manipulate it from Caroline. All Klaus knew was that he did love her and one day she would feel the same. Hopefully it wouldn't take a century for that to happen.

"Ah, so hiding away won't be your method of coping tonight?" Klaus remarked as Caroline walked into the room, instantly regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

He had to hand it to her, she didn't shrink at them, didn't turn around and try to ignore all that had happened, but really he wouldn't have expected that kind of reaction from her anyway. She'd always held her own against his sharp tongue. The eye roll came so naturally to her as she sat down on one of the chairs across from him, her hair still wrapped up in a towel, the smell of something citrusy filling the room.

"So are you deliberately trying to push my buttons because you think I'm here to tell you it was all some colossal mistake or because you're just being a giant ass?" she asked, and he couldn't help but smile at that, not surprised that she was able to cut to the heart of what he was doing so easily. "I'd like to know if I'm dealing with 'lashing out' Klaus or 'I'm an Alpha dick' Klaus. Though they're usually quite similar."

It was adorable how she even did air quotations as she spoke all of that. "So it wasn't a mistake then?" he mused, arching a brow as she shrugged.

"I initiated it all, didn't I?" Caroline murmured, though it seemed she couldn't look at him during that admission. "But—" of course there was a but "—it doesn't mean like…I dunno. It's not me like falling at your feet and being all yes, Klaus, take me. There is still a lot of me figuring out what the hell it means going on in my head. But no, not a mistake."

"I'd wonder who had compelled you if you were to ever say that phrase to me, Caroline," Klaus replied, unable to hold back a smile as he watched her try not to grin.

This was definitely going better than he had expected and Klaus wasn't about to complain about the fact that she wasn't hiding away and building back up all of her walls, and instead partaking in that banter he so enjoyed between the two of them.

"Please tell me that this place at least has running water," Rebekah's voice carried through the halls and into the room and Klaus frowned.

He should have known everything was working out too perfectly for him in that moment for something not to come along and throw a wrench into his plans. "Looks like the cavalry is here," Caroline murmured, and the easiness that she'd been exhibiting moments before seemed to have evaporated.

Klaus couldn't blame her. His sister was a hard one to get along with during the best of times. He could hear Vincent trying to assure her of the updated aspects of the house as he led her through the halls, Stefan no doubt on her heels, which only left Elijah's whereabouts in the house to determine.

"I'm gonna go see Stefan," Caroline continued as she rose, heading toward the door that opened, revealing Elijah on the other side.

"Caroline Forbes. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Elijah greeted, and Klaus didn't like the way his brother was looking her over, as though he already knew of her importance.

"Right. Hi. Need to find Stefan now," Caroline glanced back at Klaus before slipping from the room, the door shutting behind her.

Klaus leaned back in his chair, silently regarding his brother who was finally turning to look at him. "I see that Rebekah is still having difficulty not spreading gossip. You'd think fifty years in a coffin over the last instance would have her taught her something."

"So it's true then," Elijah started, and Klaus waved a hand, motioning for his brother to take up the seat Caroline had vacated.

"I suppose that depends on what little tales our sister has been spinning," Klaus replied, wondering where Vincent kept the liquor.

"That you are in love and considering the girl's heart has not already been pulled from her chest at the first signs of something stirring in you…" Elijah let his voice trail off and Klaus pressed his lips together, already knowing what was going on inside his brother's head.

Redemption.

That foolish notion that Elijah thought would somehow be something Klaus would ever want to embark upon. There was nothing to redeem about him. He lived the life he wanted, took what he wanted, experienced life as he wished. And now that Mikael was dead and he actually had a chance to live without the constant looks over his shoulders he was not about to let his brother try and lead him down another foolish journey.

Klaus couldn't deny that he'd wanted his family reunited after the end of Mikael; part of him still did and would no doubt try for it all over again once Silas was dealt with. Elijah's dreams were not something he would ever allow to come to fruition. He might have found the ability to love Caroline but that would not turn him back into who he'd been as a human. He would not allow himself to be that weak ever again. Especially not when showing weakness would allow his enemies to hurt strike at her and kill her.

"It's been a thousand years, brother, surely you've given up on this meaningless dream of yours to bring me back to the boy that I once was," Klaus replied, rising from the chair, all sense of niceties evaporating. "I am not that boy. Just as you are not that man. They are dead and gone, Elijah. I am who I am and nothing will change that."

Not even love.

And like hell would he allow Elijah to use Caroline as a pawn in his usual games. "And don't think to try and enlist Caroline in whatever plots are going through your head, Elijah," Klaus continued as he headed toward the door. "I will have no problem daggering you and tossing your coffin into the sea if you make one false step toward her."

He didn't bother to see his brother's reaction to that statement, needing to leave the room and head toward the village to take out his anger on some unsuspecting villager. If Klaus had looked back he would have seen Elijah's smirk, but he hardly needed to see it to know that his brother wouldn't be so easily swayed.

Perhaps he'd need to slaughter more than one villager to relieve himself of his growing tension and with Kol and the little witch's arrival on the horizon Klaus knew it was only going to get worse in the coming days. He simply needed to ensure that the others didn't ruin the progress he'd made with Caroline while also working on the Silas problem that was bringing them all together in the first place.

The screams should help him come up with a few new plans he might need to dole out if Elijah became too much of an issue.

Redemption; why the bloody hell would he ever want that?

Klaus didn't expect for Caroline to show up in his path when he was halfway toward the town, lips pressed together in a way that told him she knew what he was planning to do and she didn't quite agree with his idea.

"Just because your brother got under your skin doesn't mean you should go and kill innocent people," Caroline told him, hands on her hips as she glared at him, towel no longer on her head but her curls still damp from her earlier shower.

"Hybrid, love. I don't need a reason to want to slaughter innocents. It's instinctual," Klaus pointed out, moving to side step her, though he certainly couldn't discount the rather interesting change in circumstances.

"Not all instincts should be followed," Caroline countered, and he stopped at that, shifting before she could react so that he was standing right behind her, chest pressed against her back.

"Says the girl who's been enjoying following her instincts," Klaus replied, enjoying the way her body tensed, neck arching to the side as her pheromones spiked.

She twisted around so that she could see him, eyes darkened with blood and Klaus smiled at that, twisting one of her curls between his fingers. "Maybe you can put yours to better use now and we can continue our training," Caroline suggested, and Klaus quirked a brow at that, uncertain what she meant.

Her lips curved into a sly smile as she stepped back, tongue darting out to lick her lips. "Catch me if you can," she murmured before flashing off toward the woods.

Klaus knew she was falling back into her distraction routine, saving some meaningless villagers from his wrath, but he wasn't about to back down from that challenge. Nor could he wait to enjoy what he hoped would happen once he found her.

His family and the Silas mess and the rest of the world be damned for the evening, he had a hunt to complete.