A/N: Thanks so much to Miranda for betaing and all of you lovely people for reading :)

I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible.—MK Katrina

Klaus hadn't been lying when he'd said they would be running the entire way. It was definitely the faster method of travel compared to how the others would be moving, but it had its downfalls. Like the fact that shoes were not meant for this kind of travel—or well the ones she was wearing weren't, Klaus' boots seemed to be doing just fine. Not to mention the whole conversation aspect was severely limited. Klaus probably would have been fine at it since he seemed to find the whole running part to be a breeze and while her body healed quickly, the endless use of her speed was beginning to grow tiring.

The fact that a tree branch or two had also slapped her in the face during their trek really wasn't helping her mood either.

Caroline kept pushing her body though, forcing her legs to keep moving even though it was getting to the point where she was sure she'd end up collapsing at any moment. She wondered how often Klaus had done this throughout the centuries for him to be looking so at ease. She knew his family had been on the run from his father for the bulk of it and cars and planes were a more recent invention so that left traveling by foot, horse or boat most of the time. And considering that on land they were definitely quicker than a horse she had a feeling that his siblings and he had ran like the two of them were currently more times than she'd ever want to try herself.

Klaus squeezed her hand, their signal that they were coming to a halt, and Caroline braced herself for the sudden stop, still getting used to it after traveling so many miles. Her body ached in places she didn't even know could be in pain—which was saying something because she'd been cheerleading or doing gymnastics since she was able to walk.

She looked around, trying to figure out what it was that had Klaus wanting to stop, and spotted the small cottage nestled in the trees up ahead. Smoke rose from the chimney and Caroline could hear people chattering away inside when she focused.

"Time to eat," Klaus told her and she couldn't help but swallow at that.

It'd been one thing back when they'd been in the other forest and the men had already been dead but this…she didn't know if she could do this. Her gums hurt though, aching for the nourishment that she really needed, and the heartbeats of those inside had her stomach twisting with hunger.

"I don't want to kill them," she murmured, not able to look at Klaus, her focus on the house and the woman who was stepping outside with a basket full of wet clothes.

"We won't," Klaus told her, hands rubbing her upper arms before he slipped away toward the woman.

Caroline followed after, watching as the woman froze upon seeing them. It must not have been a common occurrence considering how far into the woods that they lived. Caroline didn't know what Klaus was saying to her, but she could see the compulsion take hold and the woman become compliant within seconds. She was calling a name soon after and a man exited the house who was immediately set upon by Klaus, compulsion once again being used.

"Feed until you start to hear the heartbeat slowing, Caroline," Klaus instructed, beckoning her forward toward the woman who was smoothing her hair back to showcase her neck.

"I know." She had done it before. She'd even managed not to kill the nurse when she'd first turned. The man at the carnival hadn't been so lucky.

Caroline stepped forward, stopping in front of the woman who simply looked ahead, humming a tune she didn't recognize. Klaus must have compelled her not to be afraid and Caroline was grateful for that as she sank her fangs into the woman's neck. She didn't think she would ever be able to describe the satisfaction of having fresh blood flowing down her throat, of tasting it in her mouth, of hearing the pumping of the blood mingled with feeling it's drumming beneath the woman's skin as she drank her fill. The aches in her body were already healed, but the blood acted as nourishment that would allow her to keep going, that reinvigorated her.

She pulled back before the woman's heartbeat slowed significantly, panting slightly because of the taste in her mouth and the smell of the wound. Klaus was behind her, tilting the woman's chin toward him so their gazes locked. He compelled some new instructions and Caroline watched as the man and woman headed into the house.

"What did you say?" Caroline asked, shifting so she could look at Klaus.

That had been a mistake, her body immediately reacting to the fact his hybrid features were still in full bloom, the smeared blood on his lips calling to her. She surged forward, unable to stop her lips from crashing against his, tongue seeking immediate entrance, and groaning as she tasted the lingering blood inside. Her hands were in his hair, on the back of his neck, pulling him closer, needing the distance that was between them to disappear.

It seemed that his body had the same desire, pulling at hers, pressing her flush against him. She'd never be certain how precisely they ended up with her back against a nearby tree and her legs wrapped around his waist as he rocked against her body, his growing erection rubbing just right and causing her to gasp. His mouth was on her neck, lips, teeth and tongue working to drive her mad, head pressing back against the unforgiving bark to try and give him more access.

Why couldn't she have been wearing a skirt? It would have been so much more conducive to what she wanted to happen than her blasted jeans that were seriously in the way. His teeth scraped against her neck and she clenched her eyes shut, whining at the sensation. Her neck had become incredibly sensitive since she'd turned and it didn't surprise Caroline at all that Klaus would know that and use it to his advantage.

Her jacket had been lost somewhere during their venture to the tree and Klaus' hands were tugging on her shirt, breaking contact with her skin so that he could pull the damn fabric over her head. Caroline helped, lifting her arms and hissing as the bark scraped against her back, the scent of her blood filling the air.

Klaus' eyes grew a darker shade of yellow at that, hips rocking harder into hers and Caroline clung to his shoulders, rolling her hips to meet his, deepening the contact as best they could through the layers of their clothing. They were kissing again within seconds of her shirt being tossed to the side, one of her hands pressing against his neck, trying to draw him even closer as her other arm curled around his shoulders.

He had one arm locked around her, helping to keep her upright, the other snaked between their bodies, palming her bra covered breasts, causing her to bite down on his bottom lip, drawing blood. She sucked on it, wanting to devour every last drop before it healed, whimpering as he pulled away, moving to nuzzle her neck instead, even as his hips kept up their movement.

"You're high on blood lust," Klaus murmured against her ear, hand gripping her by the back of her head, tangling in her hair there and holding her in place as he pulled back a little to really look at her.

"I don't care," she told him, continuing to roll her hips against his own, delighting in how the movement caused him to tense, to keep moving his hips as well.

"You will when you come down from it," Klaus warned, watching her face and she just knew he was going to pull away and so she locked her legs around him, trying to hold on. "And the first time I have you will not be hurriedly against some tree because of it."

She was ready to pout, to counter that just because the first time was like that didn't mean the times after couldn't be more long drawn out, when what she'd been about to admit finally caught up with her rational brain. Didn't seem to stop her hips from continuing on as they were and none of the shame she expected, none of the guilt she was so used to experiencing whenever she thought of being with Klaus popped to the surface.

"But I can give you a rather delicious consolation prize," Klaus continued and she wrinkled her nose, trying to figure out what he meant as he arched his neck, exposing his skin. "Drink, Caroline. I will be." His fangs elongated and she couldn't stop hers from doing so as well, feeling his scrape into her shoulder as she latched onto his neck.

The intensity of it, the intimacy of his blood flowing through her as her own flowed through him, mingled with their bodies still rocking against one another, was too much for Caroline and she felt any control that she had shatter into a million little pieces as she pleasure overtook her. Time seemed to stop, her body tensing completely, every inch of her coming to life and vibrating in a way she'd never felt before. She clung tightly to him no longer tasting his blood, crying out instead. His hips stilled their movements while he licked away the last few drops of blood as she kept her face buried in his neck.

Klaus' hands ran soothingly along her back as she leaned into him. He murmured words in a language she didn't understand, but they helped her come down off of her high. Klaus set her down, watching her carefully and Caroline could see the wariness in him, no doubt waiting to see how badly she would react to what had just happened.

"Can you give me my shirt? You're kinda closer to it." She pointed to right behind him, smiling, and saw him relax some at that. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as he looked her over while handing her back her shirt and then her jacket though.

"Ready to keep on running?" Caroline asked, holding out her hand to him once she was dressed and her hair wasn't too tangled.

She expected him to take hold of her hand like the last time, to see that goofy smile on his face at her initiating more contact, not for him to pull her to him, for him to kiss her with an intensity that had her toes curling. It wasn't hard, it wasn't soft either. It was like a promise of everything that was to come, of all that he had to offer her, and while her head, heart and hormones were all on very differing levels in regards to Klaus, she kissed him back with the same intensity.

Caroline didn't quite know what she was doing, except that she couldn't play with his feelings in regards to her any longer. She couldn't use those feelings, those longings to help her friends out as she had done in the past. She also didn't want to deny her own desires either, to push down how Klaus was able to make her feel; to ignore how much he truly did seem to care for her. He'd gotten through her walls, chipped them away until they crumbled to dust, unable to be rebuilt.

She couldn't offer forever, she didn't even know if she could offer a year or what exactly she wanted beyond the fact that she didn't want to hide how she felt. Maybe that would change, it wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibility considering what else had altered, but if nothing else she felt as though it would be okay to give Klaus a chance. Just like he'd asked all those months back when she'd been playing her distraction part.

"Ready?" she asked again when they broke apart, smiling when his hand found hers. He was watching her, looking for something, and he must have found it because he smiled, free hand caressing her cheek.

"Oh yes," Klaus replied before tugging her to start moving, flashing them forward.

Caroline swallowed, not entirely sure what she'd asked him if he was ready for—simply running didn't seem quite right—but certain that she was going to enjoy finding out.

One of the main driving factors for finally getting to Greece and putting Silas down for Bonnie now was that it would get Kol Mikaelson out of her life. She'd been so sure that the reason Klaus had placed Kol with her and Lucy was as punishment for the freezing spell. His constant annoyance and ability to pop up when she was trying to concentrate was obviously supposed to drive her mad—which was definitely working. Except she was also coming to realize that Kol knew more about witchcraft than she did, than maybe even her Grams ever had.

"You're not concentrating," Kol chided as he leaned forward, spinning the empty bottle of vodka on the table in front of them.

"How am I supposed to concentrate when you keep trying to distract me?" she snapped, causing the glass to stop moving. Unfortunately she used a little too much pressure with the spell and caused it to shatter in front of them.

"Are you under the impression that whoever is helping Silas will simply sit around quietly while yout two perform this spell?" Kol asked, and she hated how right he was about that. No doubt she would be in the middle of chaos when she was supposed to be reiterating the words, which was why she was trying to memorize them in the first place. Books had a way of getting lost in the fray and then what would they do? "You need to be able to say them regardless of what is happening around you. In spite of what might be thrown at you or how they might be hurting your friends—though, I doubt you need to worry about Caroline. Klaus doesn't take kindly when others try to take what's his."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at that, hating that Caroline was with Klaus and that anyone was associating her friend with being that monster's anything. "Don't look so glum, darling," Kol continued a smug smile plastered on his face. "She'll be the most well protected vampire to ever roam the Earth. She'll truly get forever instead of a paltry hundred years or so that the majority of the riffraff manage."

Was that really supposed to make her feel better, because he was definitely missing his mark? "Don't get me wrong, there's always those outliers like Vincent who manage to live for hundreds of years, some nearly as long as us Originals like dear old Mary before I had to end her—pity that, she always so much fun to have a go with. But the majority of vampires don't make it past two will get to see the rise and fall of civilizations all the while being adored by my brother."

The glasses behind them in the bar they'd set up in shattered and Kol smirked, obviously enjoying the reaction he was getting. "Kol, do stop trying to deliberately rile Ms. Bennett," Elijah admonished from one of the back tables where he sat with Vaughn and Lucy.

"The spell I did should shield us from prying eyes and keep people out of here until we can board the plane, but every spike of magic she does alerts other magic users to our presence," Lucy pointed out, and Bonnie sighed at that, remembering their last encounter with other witches only hours before.

She did not want that happening again. She didn't want any more needless death…even if those witches had chosen their side, decided to follow Silas for probably more hopes of power, falling into the dark path that Valerie had embarked on ages ago. She'd seen how twisted that woman had become. There was probably no stopping her from seeking to raise Silas until the immortal was dead and the possibility to gain anything died with him.

"Spoil all my fun," Kol sighed, even pouted and Bonnie rolled her eyes at him, hoping it would at least get him to shut up for five minutes. "Do you know who you're going to call upon?"

"What?" Oh. Right. Calling upon other witches' spirits would probably be the best course of action to gather her more strength. "My bloodline probably. Those who's magic wasn't broken." If the Spirits allowed her to do so. They'd given her access to her magic again though so it stood to reason that they would allow her now since they wanted Silas dead too.

"And then have it stripped from you once you've done what the Spirits want?" Kol asked, voicing her darkest fears. What would stop them from doing just that? They'd already done it once.

"Can't call on my own inner strength and I'm not sacrificing anyone." They'd cleansed her of Expression for a reason.

"Of course not. But all those witches did die and their magic is lost to the spirits right now, simply floating along in the world, waiting to be linked again," Kol replied, and she stated at him, wondering why she hadn't thought of that.

Oh right.

Because it'd be impossible to do.

"It'll take centuries for that to ever happen," Bonnie reminded, turning her attention back to the spell she needed to memorize.

"Well, it would, if you didn't have the spell needed to speed up that process and give you access to all of that," Kol told her, his voice entirely too jovial for her liking, even if what he'd said would be a huge help.

"And you just happen to know what that spell is?" Bonnie asked, not quite believing it.

"I do." Of course he did.

"How?" Because she wasn't about to simply trust that he was telling the truth.

"I used it once as a boy. Gained quite a bit of power from witches who were stripped of their magic and it was released into the world," Kol told her, his grin only seeming to grow.

Bonnie simply stared at him, refusing to believe the implications of what Kol was telling her, but she knew how powerful his mother had been. There was simply no way that type of power wouldn't have been passed down to her children as well and then died once they were turned into vampires. No wonder he seemed to know so many little tricks of the trade if he'd been a witch at some point as well.

"And you're willing to share it?" Bonnie asked, watching him carefully.

"Remember, darling, I want Silas dead as well," Kol pointed out as he leaned back in his chair and glanced at the book before her. "Focus on this one, memorize it, and I'll go over the other one on the plane. We'll do it once we land in Greece before meeting up with the others."

"Giving me that much power can have dire consequences," Bonnie reminded, knowing that no witch should ever have too much at their disposal. It seemed to only twist them.

"Good thing I know the reversal then," Kol replied as he rose. "But enough talk. Study up. We have a plane to catch soon and I'm in need of a bite."

Bonnie pressed her lips together at that, not even trying to hide her disgust as Kol left the bar they were occupying and headed out into the airport terminal. Lucy sat down in the spot he'd vacated, watching her, looking more concerned than Bonnie liked to see. "Careful, cuz. Vampires don't share information like that without expecting something in return."

The question was what in the world Kol could possibly even want from her. But if it would help take Silas down and get their lives back to normal, or as close to normal as they could get, Bonnie would do whatever it took, no matter the price she might need to pay.

The small cafe was bustling with service, patrons chattering inside and outside with a spectacular view of the Aegean sea behind them. Words were being thrown about in a mingling of languages, tourists and locals commenting on the beauty before them as they took a break from the bustling streets. Klaus' focus was on Caroline, watching her take in everything as they sat, waiting for the others to rendezvous.

Greece suited her, the beaches and culture more akin to her than the darker tones of Romania, a nice respite from the last few days when they had been surrounded by nothing but trees. He could wax poetically about the different ways the sun shone on her hair, the cascading beauty of her eyes set against the colors of the sea, but it was her infectious grin as she took in everything that he couldn't look away from.

She'd been so guarded when they were in Amsterdam, barely allowing her gaze to take in the city, to talk with him about what she was seeing and feeling for the first time. Those walls were gone, replaced by her inquisitive nature, her thirst to learn more, to do more, to truly experience life.

Mystic Falls would no longer be able to hold her in, to trap her inside the invisible walls that kept her there, dragging her down and stifling her. She'd tasted the world and Klaus knew she wouldn't be able to walk away from it, no matter how much she might have tried before she'd gotten this glimpse.

The world was at stake, his parents on the verge of being forced back into his life, every victory of the last year about to be made moot, but the careful planning was pushed aside for a few more moments to listen to Caroline continue on about all she was seeing.

"If we had to go anywhere to try and save the world, I'm glad it was somewhere sunny," Caroline commented, bringing him back to reality. "And surrounded by beaches. There will be more, right? Cause the coordinates lead to an island?"

"It's located in the group of islands out here known as the Cyclades," Klaus informed her, watching her nose scrunch in thought at that. "Between Folégandros and Sikinos to be precise."

"Isn't that whole area like really big with tourists?" she asked, and he could practically see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to work everything out.

"It is. This is why when our dear departed professor told me where Silas was buried I had my doubts. Compulsion gives more precise answers than torture ever truly will, especially in a man like that who didn't quite care that he would die or not." The belief that he would return once Silas did had made Shane a little harder to break than most humans. The fact his loved ones were already dead didn't help much either.

"Wait. Are you saying you've known where we're supposed to go all this freaking time?" Her annoyance was delightful.

"I had a few more important matters to attend to than simply running off to the location right away," Klaus reminded her, watching Caroline realize that he meant her, that her well-being had trumped an immediate search for the immortal. "I did send some others that I know to look into it." Compulsion was a lovely thing to see that long distance matters were appropriately taken care of. "Three of the ventures came back empty handed; telling me there was nothing but open water. The other two were never heard from again."

He watched Caroline's face go through a myriad of emotions, from confusion to determination to realization. "Can magic like cloak a place?"

"I've seen it before. Witches generally do not want simply anyone to find what they've hidden. They leave maps or keys to access it—like our Hunter's Mark. Some may accidentally stumble upon it for one reason or another, though usually they're unable to leave unless they can be of assistance to the witch's spell." Or in Shane's case, to Silas' will. "Knowing the location without the map coupled with our desire to end Silas' existence would have rendered the information useless."

"But now we have a Hunter with the actual completed map so we'll be able to find it. Why didn't the Spirits just tell Bonnie about it?" Caroline leaned back in her chair, frowning slightly.

Klaus' attention was on her lips a beat too long and he smirked when she tapped the table, obviously wanting him to focus on the question. "There are limits to what the Spirits are able to do. Qestiyah performed quite a bit of dark magic with Silas to create the immortality spell and the cure, no doubt to trap him and cloak the island as well. I doubt she would have wanted them to meddle in her affairs."

"So you just had groups of people like go search out an island for you knowing that they might not make it back alive?" There was no admonishment to her tone; it was more like she was trying to talk it all out.

"They owed me." Klaus doubted any of them would have seen it that way but it was done. No use crying over what had happened. "I see no reason to regret ensuring that our trip to the same island won't also end in disaster." Better for them to have died or vanished than himself, Caroline or his family.

"Just how many scenarios do you even have going on in your head at once?" Caroline muttered lips twisting as he watched her fight an internal battle between being angry and also impressed.

She was a planner at heart, knew precisely what it meant to need to orchestrate a big occasion, all of the different plans and strategies that rolled around in one's head while trying to figure out what could possibly go wrong and strategizing so that it wouldn't. Give her a century and Klaus had no doubt that she'd become an invaluable strategist, her mind and skills surpassing those older than her.

"What kind of scenarios are we talking about, darling?" Kol's voice rang out from behind him, and Klaus grimaced at the arrival. He'd thought they had another hour at least before either group caught up to them. Traffic must have been better than usual. "Ones with you beneath the sheets? Though you seem like a bit of an exhibitionist. Doubt you'd enjoy being covered up when the—"

Klaus grabbed his brother by the throat, yanking him down to eye level. "Enough, Kol."

"Oh come now, Nik. She'll have to get used to me if you're to be following her around for the next few centuries," his brother taunted, pushing him away as he sat down on one of the other chairs around their table. "We're a bit of a package deal, us Mikaelsons. Not entirely with you 24/7—though that might be a bit hard for poor Rebekah—but we tend to pop up now and then."

"Not if you're daggered," Klaus muttered but Kol simply tsked.

"Again with the dagger threats. You really need new material," Kol shook his head.

"Where's Bonnie?" Caroline asked, glancing around the cafe to try and find the witch.

"Up there getting some food with her cousin and the Hunter. Needs a bit more than the coffee that you two are so thoroughly enjoying. But I'm guessing you had a bite to eat already, hmm?" Kol grinned, and Klaus watched Caroline roll her eyes as she rose, heading over to join her friend who was indeed in the line to order. "Oh dear. Did I strike a nerve?"

The urge to take one of the utensils from another table and slam it into his brother's thigh was overwhelming but Klaus kept his annoyance in check. Causing a scene wouldn't be a good idea right then, not when they were so close to their destination. The last thing they needed was for Silas' followers to attack or for Silas to manipulate the minds of those around them.

"Did you manage to help the Bennett witch or not?" Klaus asked, focusing on what he needed to learn instead.

"She knows the spell by heart now. Even when distracted," Kol told him, and Klaus would have left it at that but the way Kol's lips pursed in barely contained amusement had him knowing there was more to the story. "Also helped her up her power level, got her all of the loose magic that turning those witches set loose into the world."

Ah.

Well now, that was definitely interesting. "Tell me how proud you are of me," Kol suggested, and Klaus reached over, clasping a hand to his brother's shoulder.

"Don't mess it up," Klaus warned instead, not surprised when Kol sank back a bit, shaking his head.

"Your faith in me is astounding, Nik," Kol chided, leaning back against the chair, arms stretching out to rest on the back of it.

Klaus' reply was a simply pointed look. How many times had his brother's impulsive, reckless tendencies gotten them all into trouble over the centuries? Ruined plans decades in the making because of his boredom? He knew that Kol wanted Silas destroyed as much as the rest of them but that didn't mean his younger brother would be playing by anyone's rules.

"So where's Bekah and the others?" Kol asked steering the conversation to more neutral territory as the others headed over to them. "I expected them to be here before us since they were only lugging around the objects."

"We're meeting them at the boat I secured," Klaus replied, motioning for everyone to stay standing and exit the cafe. "Figured you lot might need some food before we start the last part of our trek."

The group headed out of the building and down the sidewalk that led toward the marina the boat was docked at. He watched Caroline animatedly catch up with Bonnie as they walked; knowing the likelihood that she'd be taking his hand again anytime soon was incredibly slim. She turned to look back at him, offering up a smile, before continuing to speak to the witch. Bonnie's tightened fists as she noticed what Caroline had done were more amusing than anything.

Elijah coming to walk beside him was considerably less so.

Klaus wasn't entirely certain if his older brother's lack of comment was a good thing or not though.

Sure enough Rebekah and the others were already at the boat, getting it ready to sail and stowing away the objects needed for the spell to take Silas down as well as any necessities that might be needed just in case they got stuck. Caroline headed onto the upper deck, gazing out at the expansive sea beyond the other boats docked at the marina, trying to take it all in before the boat would start moving. Not that she was sure the monstrosity they were on qualified for simple 'boat' status. They were heading to a secret island, not taking a lengthy vacation trip, so she didn't really understand the need for the extravagance that she saw there.

Though maybe it had more to do with space than anything else. There were a lot of them headed to the island from the original group, not to mention the handful of lackeys she'd seen mulling about below and at the helm of the yacht. Klaus was speaking to them in what she thought was Greek but she couldn't exactly be sure, not really having ever known anyone who spoke the language.

Latin was one thing, but even that had been for the SATs and Bonnie with her spell casting. It wasn't like she heard it day in and day out. Definitely not at all like her high school French classes that she was pretty sure she didn't really remember anything from except for some very basic phrases. But the other vampires, including Stefan, were all able to rattle off more than just phrases, the Mikaelsons' even able to mimic some of the accents.

Was this something she'd be able to do in a century? Would it even take that long? Maybe after a few decades she'd have a few languages under her belt. Especially if Klaus and she stayed in countries for a lengthy period of time before moving onto their next destination.

Caroline froze as she realized just where her thought process had been going, how she'd been envisioning the future in those last few moments, and it shook her to the very core. She turned quickly away from watching the others, her vision not really locked on anything specific as she gazed back out at the water, hands tightly gripping the side of the yacht.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Care," Bonnie told her as she leaned against the railing as well.

"No. No ghosts today," Caroline assured, trying to appear perfectly okay and not showcase the turmoil that was happening inside of her. Bonnie simply watched her, waiting, because if there was one thing Caroline wasn't the greatest at all the time, it was keeping things inside.

Unless she didn't want to burden others. Then she could try and clamp it all down tightly. But that was usually after someone else's betrayal. Like when she'd been tortured by werewolves the first time and Tyler had simply stood by for far too many seconds before doing anything. If it hadn't been for Stefan bringing Elena and Bonnie over she wouldn't have filled them in on what had happened that night and simply dealt with it all herself.

"Do you ever come to see people in not exactly a new light because god it's so the same light but…I don't know. The world just suddenly isn't as black and white as you tried desperately to make it be," she continued, not able to look at Bonnie any longer as the boat started to move.

Caroline didn't want to see the realization and disappointment she was sure her friend would have. She could already feel the tension surround the two of them at her small confession. "You won't think like that once this is all over and you don't have to be around him 24/7," Bonnie assured her, but that didn't help squash any of Caroline's ruminations. "They're all larger than life. I think it's reasonable to be a little conflicted when they're the only ones you've been able to talk to. When he's kept you isolated from everyone else. It'll be different when we're back in Mystic Falls. With prom and graduation. I'm thinking we can look past some compulsion to keep our records okay for the last few weeks."

Back in Mystic Falls.

At one point it was all Caroline had wanted. She'd fought so hard to be able to get back there and away from Klaus. But now…

"I don't want to go back." The thought of being stuck in Mystic Falls after having glimpsed the world made her stomach churn.

The only reason she'd ever want to step foot back in that town was because of her mother and Caroline was kind of hoping that once she gave Liz her memories back that she wouldn't want to hightail it back to Virginia. And if she did…well. She could always visit a lot, couldn't she? It wasn't like she could stay there forever. Not with how young she looked.

"You don't mean that, Care," Bonnie started, reaching over to touch Caroline's shoulder. "You'll think differently once we've won and Silas is gone."

"And if I don't?" Caroline looked over at Bonnie, so much left unspoken with that simple question. Would Bonnie still accept who she was, would she still be her friend even if she didn't agree with her life choices?

She could see the struggle Bonnie was going through to not judge in that moment, to not try and talk some sense into her, and also that her friend was still holding onto the belief that she would change her mind once it all ended. "Then I expect calls and texts daily," Bonnie replied before her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my god. Is that Elena?"

"What?"

How in the world could Elena even be in Greece? Wasn't she doing freaky vampire killings in the States? Caroline turned, following Bonnie's gaze over to the boat navigating another pathway through the marina toward the open sea. Sure enough there was Elena Gilbert with some men that she'd never seen before. One of them clearly had the Hunter's map on his upper torso though.

"Do we shout for her?" Caroline asked, looking frantically over at Bonnie. Was that wise to do considering what they knew Elena was supposed to have been up to?

She certainly didn't look like she'd lost her mind. More like she was enjoying herself on the upper deck of the yacht with a drink in her hand. "No. Definitely don't shout," Bonnie murmured and Caroline turned back around, motioning for Klaus to head over to them. "Oh my god. Caroline. Look."

Caroline turned back, freezing at the sight that greeted her.

There on the other deck was Tyler Lockwood.

Before everything had started the sight of him would have terrified and elated her all at once. Terrified because he was much too close to Klaus, even with all that water between them, and elated because she'd desperately wanted to see him again. But she'd realized so much over the weeks, been able to think clearly about some things and the elation that should have come was replaced by a sadness that she couldn't quite define.

It seemed that wasn't the case for Tyler who'd spotted her and Bonnie as well. "Caroline!' he called out, big smile forming on his face as he waved over at her.

Elena looked over at them as well but her expression was more fear turned before a calculating gaze seemed to settle in her eyes. Tyler's expression darkened though, hybrid features coming out as he headed toward the edge of his boat. "Get the hell away from her."

Caroline didn't know what he was talking about at first but then she could feel Klaus' presence behind her, taking in the scene and the tension only magnifying as he realized what was happening. "I have no time for your histrionics, Tyler, nor do I want to know how you've come across your own Hunter, but know that if you get in my way that I will not hesitate to rip out each and every one of your hearts. Except yours of course." He looked over at the Hunter who was watching them. "I'll just compel one of them to do that bit."

Klaus turned, nodding for the Captain to speed up and get them away from the other vessel. They needed to get to the island before the others. No doubt that lot didn't realize all that was at stake. "Cloak the damn boat," Klaus snapped, and Lucy jumped into action, chanting a spell that would apparently shield them from other's view.

"It's going to be okay, Caroline," Tyler's voice echoed over the waves for a moment, his voice getting harder to hear the further their boat sped away. "I'll get you back. I have a plan."

Caroline closed her eyes at that.

Tyler's plans never seemed to go all that well and she didn't want him to have one for her, not when she finally thought she was realizing where she wanted to be. She also didn't want him anywhere near where they were currently. That couldn't end well for anyone, certainly not Tyler and the rest of his crew.

"I don't think that was Elena, Caroline," Bonnie murmured to her before she had time to process the rest of it.

Oh great. Just what they needed. Throwing Katherine Pierce into the mess was just asking for everything to explode. "We'll figure this out," Caroline replied before turning to look over at the others, her gaze resting on Klaus.

His expression was unreadable, body tense and looking ready to pounce on the first person he deemed out of line. It seemed that she wasn't the only one adept at putting up walls to guard her heart. "You don't owe him anything," Bonnie told her as she touched her arm, trying to get Caroline to turn back, to ignore Klaus.

It'd be so easy to do so, to fall back into the old routines, but she couldn't do that any longer. Too much had transpired over the last few weeks and while she didn't love Klaus, Caroline did realize that she cared. Maybe that was a betrayal to her friends, to Tyler, to care about the man who'd made their lives hell, who'd hurt them all in so many different ways, but pushing down how she felt was a betrayal to herself and one Caroline couldn't quite stomach any longer.

Klaus was near the back of the boat, looking ready to toss one of the staff overboard or rip into their neck with careless abandon, and she headed over. He stiffened upon her approach, the lackey taking that moment to slip away unharmed. Caroline could practically see Klaus trying to come up with some verbal lashing, to cut at her before she could cut him with her words.

"I don't want to go back to Mystic Falls," she started before he could get a word out, watching him consider her carefully, not quite letting down his guard but she saw that lingering hope. "I am not saying that I…I don't know. I just know I don't want to go back there and not just because I need to like get my mother and compel her to remember everything—which is like number one on my to-do list. But I don't want to return to Virginia like apparently everyone else is expecting me to do."

Not that she could blame them for that assumption. After all, she'd been trying her hardest to do just that at the beginning. "Then what do you want, Caroline?" he asked, still warily watching her.

This was a big step. It was one thing to think everything she had been and another to let it all out, to verbalize it so he'd be privy to her thoughts as well. She wasn't stupid, she knew if she gave him an inch that he'd try for a mile, but maybe she wanted him to take that mile.

"I want to see the world. I want to see it properly and not because we're like running from witches or trying to find artifacts or anything like that. I want to really be able to soak it all in and learn a million different languages and people watch and taste so many different kinds of food and drink a whole bunch of wine and just experience it all," she told him, watching the tension seem to ease out of him a bit, even if he still remained guarded.

"Of course you do. You're not meant to be stifled as you are," Klaus replied, and she wasn't surprised that he equated her hometown with holding her back.

"And I'd like to see it with you," she continued, watching as his lips curled into one of the happiest smiles she'd ever seen. "I'm not saying that I want to like—this isn't a forever promise, okay? This is a 'hey I think I would like to actually take that chance on you' thing."

"Perhaps its not yet such a promise but I must say the odds are certainly stacking up in my favor. I have time and patience on my side" Klaus replied, and she rolled her eyes at that, not surprised at all by the smugness in his voice or the fact his smile had so easily turned into a smirk.

Time was something they had in abundance and patience, well; he had managed to wait for a thousand years to break his curse. Though…it wasn't so much like he'd wanted to wait that long…

"Like I said, no promises," she reminded.

"Not yet," Klaus grinned and she shook her head at him, knowing she'd been right about that mile.

"We've got another problem," Bonnie called out, breaking the moment between them and the two hurried over to where she was still standing. Now she was pointing toward another boat that was gaining distance. "If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me through these binoculars, Valerie is on that one. As in the woman who tried to get me to continue on with Expression and I have a feeling is in deep with the Silas cult. I'm pretty sure she's the ring leader."

Klaus was back to barking orders, telling the Captain to speed up, demanding the others get the artifacts ready for the trek across the island to wherever Silas might be located. Vaughn remained at the helm, the map on his chest almost seeming to become more defined as the boat sped through the water.

A coastline could be spotted in the distance with her enhanced vision, beautiful white sands beckoning them to come out and play. Behind them the sound of at least two more boats could be heard, all heading to the same destination, all probably wanting very outcomes to the current predicament.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bonnie muttered and Caroline sighed, hearing the judgment in her friend's tone.

What was the point of living forever if she didn't take a chance every now and then?

But that was a conversation for another day because once they set foot onto the land; Caroline had a feeling everything was going to get very messy.