Chapter 9

Caroline was pressed against Klaus's chest when the early sun rays hit her eyes through the curtains. She moaned managing to snuggle back into the vampire's embrace much to the elder's amusement. His hands rubbed her naked back soothingly.

"Good Morning," Caroline whispered, tilting her head in order to better view his face. A soft hand tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Sweetheart," He greeted, the female mentally cursed when he smiled showing off his dimples. He was a psychotic mass murderer, but he was also the hottest man she had slept with. "A few days ago, when your mother and Finn…. Did you find all the white oak?" She started.

"Rebekah burned it, love" Klaus kissed her forehead.

"Did she get the sign?" Caroline yawned burrowing herself into his side. When he did not reply right away, the blonde looked up, "She didn't did she?"

Caroline sighed, "Elena is at the Salvatore house right now I imagine. It would be advisable if someone goes there before they manage to create weapons out of the sign. That they no doubt have by now."

"You didn't think that be something to mention?' Klaus growled at her, dialing a number on his phone. "Rebekah love, where are you? Caroline has given me some interesting information."

The young blonde crossed her arms, "I was sent back in time with witches messing with my memories to ensure that I did what they asked! Excuse me if I thought a bunch of paranoid originals would ensure they collected all of the wood that could kill them! If this was where one of you died, I would have told you sooner."

Niklaus rolled his eyes as he continued to give orders to his sister, "Bekah, The Salvatore's have a white oak sign. Grab it. Destroy it" Klaus was seething at the idea that Caroline's group of misfits could actually kill an original.

"Is this when?" Niklaus's eyes flashed in anger as Caroline confirmed it with a nod. Only to infuriate the hybrid more, causing him to get off the bed angrily grabbing at clothes. She could see the revengeful thoughts running through his head.

"Nik, Nik!" The blonde grabbed his hand forcing her to look at him. She did not flinch upon seeing the anger directed at her. She was not afraid; his anger was not truly directed at her.

"If Rebekah cannot find the stakes or the sign. Every single one of you needs to be careful. Where is Finn?"

"Finn?" Klaus called, walking out the room. Caroline cursed quickly putting on one Niklaus's shirts that reached her thighs and she quickly found her jeans. She thanks the gods that they were not ruined from last nights activities. As soon as the pants reached her ass she was walking out after the manic original.

"Niklaus! What is wrong with you brother?" Finn bellowed coming out of a room with Sage looking thoroughly disheveled. When Caroline met her eyes, the redhead winked at the younger vampire causing her to turn red in embarrassment.

"I wanted to ensure that neither of you were planning on leaving the safety of our home for the time being. As Caroline has just informed me of your pending demise, if we do not finish collecting the white oak" Klaus and Finn turned to look towards the blonde.

Caroline held her hands up, "Eighty years of memory I need to shift through including the parts that are under a witch lock and key. Need I remind you the only bits I was ever told related to me distracting Niklaus."

Sage rolled her eyes, "Don't let them bother you. They are all prickly in the morning. I'm surprised to see either of you, you seemed awfully busy last night. If you were playing distraction last night you did it perfectly" The vampire winked saucily.

Caroline blushed, fighting the urge to hide behind her hands. Instead she held her head high and shrugged, "Nik decided ordering his siblings around was more urgent."

Sage laughed pulling the younger vampire into a hug, "Oh, I think I'm going to like you!"

Niklaus groaned while Finn shook his head smiling fondly at Sage who winked at him. Caroline wrapped an arm around the fellow female's waist, "Well as fun as all this has been. I must get back, especially if I am going to keep them from knowing how you know about the stakes."

Niklaus crossed his arms, "You think you can just walk in and out of this house on a whim?"

Caroline smiled, "Nik, haven't I proven that I am on your side?"

Niklaus pulled her in close, "That is not the issue love."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, "Well then enlighten me, love."

Sage cackled, and in the background Kol could be heard laughing. Finn shook his head grabbing his loves hand, and pulled her towards the door, "We will be outside, to give you some privacy." He stressed the word, looking up stairs and Kol could be heard muttering about party poopers.

Klaus chuckled, "Now that we are alone, Sweetheart. The issue is that you have the habit of playing sacrificial lamb to your friends. Don't even try to deny it, I saw your memories love. I'd rather not have you working to save my family only to find yourself in some other trouble. That your so -called friends will find themselves in."

Caroline sighed," If I admit your right, not that I am" She quickly qualified pointing a finger at him, "I know what the future brings, but I can't help but still love them, Nik."

Niklaus touched her forehead with his, "Love, they abandon you the moment they stop wishing for a supernatural adventure."

"Don't Nik, just don't."

"I'm placing trust in you, Caroline. Don't let me down" He whispered in her ear before walking away, not looking back. The baby vampire felt her heart grow heavy in her chest as she turned her head back to look at him.

The paranoid hybrid just said that he was trusting her. She couldn't breathe and she ran out of the house.

XXX

"Yes Nik, I understand. Nik! Oh, bloody hell Nik if you do not stop demanding their intestines in a bottle, I'll ensure that all you get is a toe!" Rebekah yelled into the phone as she finally landed in front of her destination.

At least he moved on from threatening to pull livers out of his enemies, now that was a threat that was dreadfully boring. Rebekah much preferred being able to toy with her victims a whole lot longer. She let a wicked smile grace her lips thinking about the plan Nik would put in place for the Salvatore brothers.

Well Damon.

The blonde shrugged, walking up gravel to the house looking on it with distaste. She decided then and there that the Salvatore's were hopeless, and she prayed to god that there were no more of their genetics running around. Rebekah slammed the door to the Salvatore boarding house open. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder, as her vampire hearing located the vermin within nanoseconds.

She snorted hearing the sounds of machinery. The female original tutted at how boring all of this would be. Nik owed her a weeks' vacation of shopping in Paris, during Fashion Week. It would be the sole reason she would forgive being given such a mundane task. Speaking of annoying domineering brothers…

Rebekah ignored her cell, as it continued on mute. She could practically feel the hybrid seething across the city. The blonde did not want to give the Salvatore's any chance of beating her, for a second time. She was still rather cross that Damon thought that she could truly be fooled, or that Sage almost crossed her family. If Finn was not nauseatingly obsessed with that woman….

She quickly made her way up the stairs, where the pesky noise was coming from. A smirk spread across her face not unlike the one that often was found on Niklaus's. Her vampire speed made it easy to find her way to the door. Barging into the room she cried, "Oh Damon you shouldn't have," giving the brothers only seconds to look up from their tasks. Rebekah offered no apologies before flashing behind each Salvatore brother and snapping their necks.

Alaric stepped away from the Wickery Bridge sign. Rebekah saw that it was already split into pieces, mercifully they had yet to make any into weapons that they would need to be. Allowing her vampire visage to appear, she hissed at Alaric as she gathered the pieces into a black sports bag she found on the floor.

Strapping the bag onto her shoulder, the blonde looked over at the human and smirked.

"When they wake up, tell them nice try."

XXX

Caroline in an attempt to get her mind off the heaviness that was Niklaus's trust on her chest, the blonde decided to join her friends in their planning session. This would allow her to see exactly what they wanted to do, then hopefully talk them out of it. Now walking alongside Elena, the blonde tried not to roll her eyes at the questioning glances the brunette kept shooting at her. The blonde knew her friend had a thousand questions, some she was just not ready to answer yet.

"Caroline…. are you into Klaus?" Elena's question came out of nowhere.

Instinctively she wanted to bury it, deep down where not a single one of her childhood friends could reach it. Where shitty Damon would not mock her, while Elena stood back thinking that it was just what Damon did. Stefan being much of the same mindset, so used to Damon's attitude that he did not bother to think that perhaps a friend deserved to be protected from it. Especially not right then, when Niklaus had just walked into her mind at her invitation and actually spoke of placing trust in her.

The devil was trying to manipulate her into being careful damn it. He looked into her memories, knowing exactly what their relationship was like. Most of it was unspoken and if anything was voiced it was heavy declarations or hints at what they could barely bring up the guts to say.

So, the fact that told her that she had earned his trust, even if she knew that for him it was quick. She had only known him a few weeks at this point, but it was Klaus and he had always managed to get under her skin in ways that no one else ever could. And Caroline knew that the hybrid most definitely knew this from looking into her memories.

Should she be mad at he was using the memories to his advantage? Probably.

Logically Caroline knew that she should, it was devious and manipulative. Using what he knew like that, but the blonde had done the same things to him, whenever she wanted something from him. Usually against his better judgement, but he would do as she asked even if he made it seem like it was for a bargain.

She always got the better deal.

Elena stopped in front of Caroline, looking into the blonde's eyes earnestly. What the girl was hoping to find, Caroline could not say. But could she lie? Caroline could still feel him on every inch of her body. His hands roaming up and down her legs, cupping her bottom to bring her closer to him, the feel of his teeth on her neck. Could she deny him? Did she want to?

"Yes"

Elena's openly confused face caused Caroline minimal amounts of joy. Multiple emotions flowed through the doppelganger's eyes such as shock, betrayal, confusion, anger, sadness, love and finally understanding.

"Care…" Caroline hated that sound, the sound Elena made when she was trying to be sympathetic, but really thought she was making a huge mistake. At least Elena had openly shown concern when Damon was compelling her. This was making Caroline seem like a wounded animal on the verge of making a run for it. Now all Caroline felt coming from her was pity. Elena did not believe that Klaus was capable of loving anyone.

Caroline wanted to point out that she felt compassion for Elijah and Rebekah. Two originals who while more openly expressed their humanity, could be even harsher than Klaus in their ridicule. Klaus simply let anger win out before it could be built up, unlike his siblings whose grudges once given were hard pressed to change.

"Elena!" Stefan's voice could be heard through the trees. Elena quickly whispered that they would talk later, just as Damon, Stefan and Alaric pushed through the trees. Matt following slowly after them.

"Where's Bonnie?"

"Abby has just left her. Let's leave her out of this until she is needed alright?" Caroline defended, eying Elena who avoided her gaze. Caroline internally scoffed at the brunette, perhaps she should have thought about that before she decided to meet an original in the woods alone.

Not that she could speak, being the same vampire that openly had sex with a certain hybrid in this very forest.

"Blondie, we need her" Damon moaned, rubbing his neck. His icy eyes kept glancing at Stefan and Alaric who both whitened considerably once it was clear Bonnie was not coming.

"Why? What happened?" Elena asked, the girl looked up worryingly at Stefan then turned her gaze toward Damon. Both wilted at the thought of disappointing the brunette.

Neither of the trio spoke as they all made eye contact with each other. Stefan looked to Damon who only thrusted his hands into his leather jacket petulantly. Alaric sighed, giving Stefan a helpless look.

"Rebekah found out about the Wickery Bridge sign, she managed to sneak up on us" Stefan answered warily keeping his eyes on Damon. Almost as if he was waiting for his older brother to fly off the handle.

"Meaning, we have no way to kill any of the originals," Alaric further explained. Matt looked almost relieved at hearing that; Caroline knew it was because he had a bit of a soft spot for Rebekah. He ultimately would do anything for his friends, it was her favorite quality about him. It also meant he was in the crossfire of Damon's blood thirsty revenge fantasy against Klaus for hurting Elena.

"What do we do then?" Matt asked.

"Has anyone thought of, I don't know? Try to make peace with originals?" Caroline's tone was snarky she knew. She was just so bloody tired of the constant fighting; in the end it all came down to Elena. That's when Caroline had an idea. She had to get Elena to force Damon and Stefan into agreeing to stop attacking her family.

"Blondie are you mad? Klaus attacked Elena! He needs her blood to make his hybrids. He will never leave her alone!"

"He hasn't attacked us once, since the night Tyler was turned. Everything he has done has been reactionary since then" Caroline argued, eyeing Elena out of the corner of her eye. Her main focus remained on Damon, fixating an evil glare his way, despite his complete dismissal of her. Elena was a different story. Elena looked thoughtful.

"Barbie, Klaus is evil. He may be obsessed with you for some reason, but he is evil. No sorry little blonde ass if going to get him to turn his ways" Damon hissed, shrugging off his brothers pleads to calm down.

"Damon, perhaps Caroline is right" Elena argues offering the blonde a small smile. Caroline returns it with a small one of her own.

"Elena, he wants your blood. There will not be a deal without that" Damon growls at her grabbing her by the shoulders. Elena stares Damon in the eye not saying a word. Damon growls pushing himself away from her.

"Elena, you can't be serious" Damon paced brushing off Stefan as he continued to attempt to calm him down.

'I'm very serious Damon, it's worth a shot."

The older Salvatore looked towards his brother, best friend and the quarterback to find them all looking at him.

"You got to be kidding me, really? You are all considering it?"

XXX

Bonnie stood in Caroline's bedroom wearing a beautiful 1920's flapper dress in black, while Caroline's was in white. The trio getting ready for the school dance together, they were just waiting for Elena in the bathroom.

"Okay, repeat this for me one more time" Bonnie requested as Elena came out of the bathroom in her own flapper dress.

"As demanded," Caroline huffed, "I sent a request to Klaus about a possible treaty between the two groups. Damon's order's something about Klaus being obsessed with me?"

Elena snorted, "We never did get to finish our talk about that."

Bonnie's eyebrows were raised, "What talk?"

"Just how Caroline admitted that she was interested in Niklaus Mikaelson."

"ELENA!" Caroline screeched, momentarily feeling the eighteens her body was.

Bonnie turned to Caroline her expression stern, "Klaus? You are attracted to Klaus Mikaelson?"

Caroline glared at her two friends, arms coming to her sides. "Now just wait a moment. I'm not the one who was dating my bestie's younger brother, nor have I been bouncing between Salvatore's. I ended things with Tyler the moment it became clear to me that we wouldn't work. I am not interested in a boy who can't wait to kiss his dead girlfriend and I am also not the girl who can't fucking make up her mind."

Bonnie looked thoroughly chastised while Elena looked furious. But Caroline refused to stop there, "No Elena. It's about time someone told you this, but I have stood by as you made goo-goo eyes at Damon even when you told him you hated him. I saw you fall for him, defend him despite knowing what he did to me. Did you forget? It was last year! He might be your wild bad boy, but to me he is the abusive monster I have to endure for your sake."

Silence ensued as Elena's mouth opened and closed much like a goldfish. Bonnie looked somewhere between awed and horrified. Elena's eyes were filling up with tears, but Caroline had no more time. She shook her head, "I don't want to fight you guys. I know where I stand, your my best friends even when I think your taste in men suck-"

Her friends laughed at that, "I'm not asking that you like him, but I am asking that you trust me. For once you don't think I'm dumb Caroline. I accept your asshole love interest."

The doorbell rang. Caroline's eyes lit up, automatically turning to go get the door. She didn't even pay attention to her two girlfriends who followed her. Bonnie and Elena watched as Caroline Forbes opened the door to Klaus Mikaelson.

They watched as he gave her a large dimpled smile, a small waist level bow and a corsage to match her dress. Bonnie grabbed onto Elena's hand as they watched Klaus kiss their friend on the forehead.

"Ready to go love?"

A.N: So, what do you think? I know much of this is still similar to cannon, but here is where we start to diverge from it.