Thank you again for the lovely reviews and messages. I'm so happy to read them and hear from you. I think there's about 3 chapters after this, maybe more if I keep going into way too much detail!

Enjoy.

x-x-x-x

Damon sighed, expressing his reluctance, as he threw himself down into the booth opposite the two vampires, he most certainly had not been expecting to spend his evening with.

"You know, Salvatore, maybe we don't want your company either. There's plenty of far more attractive prospects here tonight." Lexi mockingly said, gesturing to the half empty bar.

Damon blew out some air, scoffing at the poor-quality insult. "Please, like I'm not the best you've ever had."

At that, Lexi simply poured himself a drink. Isobel though, grinned and held up two fingers, "Second." She added.

He made a face of exaggerated pain, like her words were mortally wounding him. They did sting a bit, but he hoped she wouldn't notice through the humour. Who could have been better? Ric? No, he'd heard Ric and Jenna and that couldn't be the case. John?

"However much I enjoy discussions about my legendary sexual prowess, would anyone mind updating me as to what the fuck you're all doing here?" Damon bit, after a second. He was more than slightly annoyed at Isobel's insult.

"You didn't figure it out?" Lexi asked, "Why are you here then?" She frowned at him, but Isobel simply raised an eyebrow at him whilst pouring a drink.

She was looking at him fiercely, with a passion he hadn't seen before. This was the look of a mama bear, and she was about to protect her cub. It was quite simply one of the most terrifying looks he had ever seen from a vampire, and she was practically a baby.

"He had argued with my daughter, clearly, and decided to run away rather than deal with it." She said to Lexi- though her clearly judgmental eyes did not leave Damon's face, "I trusted you would protect her."

"She's safe with Stefan and Bonnie." He snapped, "She is sa…"

Isobel put a finger up, interrupting him, "Mason Lockwood and Katerina Petrova are on their way back to Mystic Falls, do you still think she's safe now?"

He gulped, swallowing his drink so he could stand and leave. A hand grabbed his wrist though as he tried to stand. Lexi was stronger than him, preventing him from moving.

"Stay," She said softly, her eyes flicking to Isobel for confirmation, "let Isobel talk. I'll call Stefan and give him a heads up. She'll be okay."

x-x-x-x

Caroline's eyes widened as she stepped into the large room of the regal building that they had arrived at, a bar stretching the full length of the room. It was clearly a fancy place, everything glistened when it caught the light, but the lights were dim. There were areas that were clearly private, but the open area was thrumming, bustling. It was a perfect place to not be noticed.

This was probably a place celebrities came to stay hidden, she thought, suddenly glad Nik had insisted on a change of clothes.

She'd opted for a black full-length dress, with a halter neck. She had figured black was fitting, for a vampire, all the other options seeming too bright and colourful for her new lifestyle. The dress itself was insanely gorgeous, made of layers of fabric starting with a dark blush cotton overlaid with sheer black voile and then lace. How it fitted so perfectly, Caroline didn't want to ask. Everything had been in her size, and every dress would have suited her figure. Even the shoes fit perfectly, though she was terrified of scuffing them.

She felt like a model, or a millionaire, as they were seated at their table. She was Cinderella at the ball, what would happen at midnight?

As she reached for the menu, Nik stopped her. "I'll order, love."

She frowned at him, reaching around his hand to pick the menu up for herself. A year ago, she would have swooned at a man ordering for her, associating the act with masculinity and protectiveness. Now, well now she remembered Damon doing it, and thought it made Nik look like a controlling ass.

Flicking through the pages, she sighed. She didn't recognise the majority of the brand names and she couldn't find soft drinks anywhere. The food was worse, the names looked utterly foreign.

As the waiter approached their table, Caroline set the menu down and rolled her eyes. Nik chuckled before turning to the waiter and speaking what she knew was English but sounded distinctly like gibberish.

It wasn't long before the ice bucket and glasses arrived. A bottle was produced, and Caroline had to fight to smile sweetly and not roll her eyes, of course it was champagne. The golden-brown label was barely legible from where she was sitting, but it looked like it may have also cost more than her car.

When her glass was poured, Nik lifted his and toasted her, "To all your future centuries, may they be happier than mine have been."

Though her face smiled, and she returned the toast, as she met his eyes she couldn't help but wonder what sadness he must have faced in the last millennia to make such a toast. It was visible, there in his eyes, the lack of warmth he held for his memories.

"Tell me, why were they so miserable?" She asked, taking a sip. The drink was incredibly, fruity and nutty; it tasted like she was transported to France. Her eyes closed as a reflex of appreciation as she savoured the taste.

"I'm glad you like it, darling, it's one of my favourites." She could practically hear the gloat in his voice, "As for my pitiful existence, I blame it entirely on my parents. We're not here for a therapy session, though." He grinned at her.

Caroline couldn't help but feel defeated at that, perhaps if he opened up to her, she could persuade him to let Elena live. She'd been considering it in the car on the way back, what was 50 years to him? He could wait until she was older, until she had lived. Why did it have to be this month?

Taking another sip as she pondered how to approach the subject, she realised something. He hadn't compelled the waiter to bring her the drink, despite the fact she was clearly underage.

"Can you compel without speaking?" She asked him, a hand waving to the bottle in the ice bucket.

He chuckled, skating his head. "I can, but I didn't. This isn't a place that asks questions, not when you spend the amount I just did. It's an ideal hunting ground."

She nodded, "How can you afford it?"

"When you've lived as long as me, you tend to acquire assets and they tend to appreciate. My brother, Elijah, was always very good at handling the family finances. Now, I have a guy. Compulsion helps but isn't as necessary anymore. Money talks, love."

Stefan had spoken of Elijah, how he was true to his word. He wanted to kill Nik. If she told him, then that would break Elijah's deal to protect them all, he could kill everyone in Mystic Falls. If she didn't say anything, Nik would die. Would she be okay with that?

He was helping her, treating her like royalty.

"Do you get on with your brother?" She asked, casually.

"At times," he shrugged as a platter of food arrived. There were small plates of everything she could imagine being lined in front of her. She was glad that she'd had the etiquette training to eat everything correctly given the range of cutlery that appeared with it. "He is my closest friend, though I haven't spoken to him for quite some time. I'm sorry if I over ordered, the tasting menu can quite easily take 4 hours, so I asked them to bring all the savoury dishes at once. I thought you might prefer the range."

His smile was genuine, the concern in his face showing as he waited for her approval. Why did a thousand-year-old vampire care what she thought?

Nodding, she veered the conversation back. "Do you have other siblings?"

"My sister, Rebekah. She can be a bit too dramatic. Kol, who is an absolute terror. Finn, the old stoic git. My youngest brother, Henrik, passed away when we were still practically children." He shrugged again, as if he hadn't just spoken about losing a sibling.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, reaching for his hand and stroking the back of his hand.

What on earth was she doing?

x-x-x-x

"So," Damon said, waving his glass in his hand after taking a big gulp, "let me get this straight. You convinced Klaus, this all powerful big bad, that you were compelled, tricking him, due to Bill Forbes? Barbie's daddy?" He shook his head in disbelief.

Isobel nodded, "Bill Forbes had spent a lot longer hunting vampires than most of Mystic Falls. He worked with Grayson at one point, they found a way to resist compulsion. It's easier for a vampire with no humanity, too. Less ways to get distracted and let your mind open to the compulsion."

"Why not just use vervain? It's not the best breakfast I've tried this century, but it's worth it." He asked, shuddering at the memory of the taste he'd had to endure.

Isobel put down her drink, leaning forward and looking at Damon. "Damon, what would you do if you needed to compel a human who had drunk vervain?"

"Lock them up or bleed it out." He responded with a shrug, and then it clicked. "Ah."

Bree wandered over, pouring herself a glass as she slid into the booth next to Damon, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry we didn't call Damon, we needed Klaus to think we were tracking Katherine and the moonstone. He needed you to believe Isobel was captured."

"But you're not tracking them?" He asked.

"We were," Isobel responded, "We found them heading back to Mystic Falls. We decided to let them go there, we're going to try and track down a werewolf pack instead."

"Why?" Werewolf bites could kill vampires, why would they want more in Mystic Falls.

"Mason Lockwood is a werewolf; he will be used for the sacrifice." Bree said, her voice sad.

"So?" He asked, tilting his head to her. Why should they care that he was going to be killed? So was Elena, for God's sake. Then it clicked, he'd suspected it and Jeremy had been helping investigate, but they hadn't been sure.

"He's gone back to help Tyler." He stated, "Tyler Lockwood killed Caroline."

"Caroline's dead?" Bree gasped. She didn't know Caroline well, as Caroline had always been out of the secret. She still served her at the grill though. Even Isobel looked upset.

"Technically." He responded, wincing slightly.

Lexi frowned, putting the dots together. "There's a baby vampire in Mystic Falls, and you've left Elena there with Stefan as protection?"

"Anna is there too, and Bonnie." He shrugged, annoyed that they'd brought Elena up again. He was going to need more alcohol. "Plus, not only is Blondie apparently the most controlled vampire in the history of vampirism, but she also happens to have disappeared off with 'Naughty Nik'" He used air quotes for the name, smirking at his own joke.

"You're not out hunting for her?" Lexi asked.

"Nope. I got in trouble for looking for Bree; if I'm not allowed to put my ass on the line for her, why would I want to risk it for a baby vampire who willingly chose to go off with the devil?" He spat, deliberately keeping his eyes on his drink as he played with it, swirling the glass around.

"There we have it girls, the reason Damon Salvatore blessed us with his presence tonight." She smirked at him. "The argument he's running away from."

Damon shrugged, downing his drink, and pouring himself another. The way the three ladies on the table were smiling at each other made him feel nervous.

"Let us help, Damon," Lexi said, batting her eyelashes, reaching out for his hand.

Bree wrapped one arm around his waist, leaning in close, "Yep, let us give you advice." She whispered, though it was rather too close to his ear.

Isobel bit down on the corner of her bottom lip, looking up at him through thick eyelashes. "We can be there for you, Damon."

Damon wasn't sure where to look, or what to do. A year ago, he would have known exactly how to react to three attractive women so obviously flirting with him. Hell, he knew exactly what to do with these three, specific, attractive women. He knew exactly which buttons to press, which to touch.

Tonight, though. Tonight, he just stiffened. The three ladies laughed.

"Wow, I didn't actually believe it until I saw it!" Lexi squealed, "Damon actually gives a fuck about a girl! Doesn't it weird you out that she looks like Katherine?"

"She doesn't, not when you see her." Damon growled, prompting an affectionate smile from Isobel.

"I think I understand why you're mad at her, kind of, but is she mad at you?" Bree asked, soothingly, moving back to her previous position in the booth.

He nodded, "Furious. I ran off to Klaus' house when I heard you were taken. I thought you were caged."

"Alone?" Isobel asked, "With no plan?"

He nodded, "Okay, it was a stupid move. I deserve a Darwin award, I get it. She argued about it for a week, the only time we weren't arguing was in bed!"

Isobel put a hand up, effectively silencing him. "I don't need to know about anything you and my daughter do privately, thank you. It's more than slightly odd."

Bree and Lexi nodded in agreement, both of them uttering words to that effect.

"So," Lexi said, after a few moments of silence, "She's scared to lose you, you're scared to lose her, and instead of talking to each other you're trying to push each other away so it hurts less?"

Damon scoffed, "It sounds like someone has taken Psychology as a major a few too many times."

Bree agreed though, "She's right, Damon. You'd both die for the people you care about, and right now that's a very real option. You're both scared, be scared together."

x-x-x-x

Caroline strolled down the long corridor between the main restaurant and the alcove bar. The corridor was dimly lit, with small seating areas off many of the archways. Deliberately, she bumped slightly into a man with perfectly styled hair and a pristine suit.

Apologies were made, flirting ensued, and without any compulsion necessary she was in one of the tucked away alcoves kissing him.

"Easy, love, we don't need a show." Nik whispered, she could hear him approaching but a human wouldn't catch those footsteps or his words, "Compel him to stay quiet, but make it part of the act."

Caroline pulled away from the man's lips, "We have to keep quiet," she said to him, her eyes widening as they caught his, "I don't want to be caught."

He nodded, pulling her in. At Nik's prompt, she moved her kisses to his neck. Gently, she slid her fangs in and drank. The blood flowed into her mouth, her senses overwhelmed by the taste of the blood, the smell of his skin, the sound of his heartbeat.

She thought she would need help to stop, Nik was there for that reason, but she knew at the first sign of his pulse faltering to stop and pull back. Her bite had been clean, the wound barely bleeding now. She licked it anyway, knowing her saliva would help it heal.

There was no way she was risking giving him blood, what if he died with nobody around to help?

Pulling back to his eyes, she followed Nik's instruction, "You met me, and we kissed, you will remember I nipped your neck playfully as we kissed but you can't quite remember my face due to the dim lighting. I wanted to leave to meet friends, but I gave you my number."

She proceeded to pull out a fake number, pre-prepared, from her bag and handed it to him. The number was a hotline to donate to children living in poverty. He was rich enough, she thought.

"Nicely done, love. Another?" Nik asked, taking her arm in his as they proceeded to the bar.

She felt accomplished, grown. She had managed to drink from a human and stop, despite Stefan's warnings. She had compelled him in a way he wouldn't have gaps in his memory, he wouldn't be trying to fill the void with ridiculous explanations. She hoped he wouldn't feel as used as she had.

This new sense of accomplishment was strengthening her resolve. Bravely ordering another bottle, much to the surprise and delight of Nik, she sat them at the bar.

"You're a good teacher." She said, smiling at him, before remembering he actually was her art teacher. "Not for high school, you should quit. For this."

Smooth, Caroline.

"Thank you. You're a fast learner. In my 1000 years, I don't think I've met many vampires who hold the natural control you do. I suspect it is because you were such a control freak as a human. It's enchanting, really."

"I was not a control freak." She snapped, before realising the tone he'd used. "Enchanting?" She was allowing herself to be seduced, which was ridiculous. Sure, Tyler wasn't speaking to her, but he was still her boyfriend. For now, at least. Nik was still planning on killing her best friend.

He nodded at her, that cheeky dimpled grin back on his face.

She decided to try, it was worth a shot. "If I'm so enchanting, can I use my charms to convince you not to kill Elena? At least not for a decade or two?"

Time almost froze; he seemed to be genuinely considering the option.

"Elena is dating Damon Salvatore, yes?" She nodded in response, prompting him to continue, "Then what is to say she won't turn willingly in that time? Assuming she survives. I hear I almost lost her last year already."

Caroline had to admit he had a point, if Elena's blood was necessary than waiting was always a risk. "Why do you need her blood?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Has my charming brother not told you all the story? I know he has been around, probably trying to seduce Elena, knowing his type."

The champagne she was sipping went down the wrong way, sending bubbles up her nose and causing her to snort- an obscene gesture for such a venue.

"I haven't met him, but I can't imagine anyone flirting with Elena and living to see the next day."

"Damon Salvatore is no threat to Elijah. Or to me. Your friends would do well to remember that love." He smirked at her as he took a sip, looking ridiculously hot in his suit and emanating power through his casual tone and position. Dammit, why was he so attractive?

"You didn't answer my question, Nik. Why do you need her blood?"

He sighed, leaning forward as he put his glass down.

"Very, very few people know the details of that story, love. Even Elijah's version is censored. Why should I tell you?" He questioned, hope in his eyes as he looked at her.

She swallowed, "You're going to kill me friend, I deserve to know."

He laughed, loudly, throwing his head back as he had before, "Sweet Caroline, if I owed an explanation to the friend of everyone I have killed, then I would have a line from here to Uranus queuing up to listen."

Folding her arms, she attempted to give him the same look she would give volunteers at town events. The look that normally made them flee like scurrying ants, the look that worked on even Damon- at times.

Nik simply smiled at her, that dimpled smile that left her utterly infuriated, "I'll tell you, love, when you give me the real reason you want to know."

x-x-x-x

Elena woke up in Damon's bed, his absence being the first thing she noted. The sheets smelled of him, but his side was cold and stiff. He hadn't returned home last night, eventually she'd been encouraged to bed by Stefan after Bonnie left.

He'd been to Bree's bar; they'd tracked him there and then he'd disappeared. Bonnie assured her it was probably a cloaking spell on the bar. They'd also been able to track Caroline, she'd been to a hotel and a bar.

Stefan was getting more and more irate with every missed call and text, he kept pacing and muttering that Caroline would end up ripping someone's head off. Her suggestion that he might be projecting had not gone down well, it was part of the reason he'd ushered her off to Damon's room for some sleep.

Reaching for her charging phone, she was surprised to find a text from Damon. He was on his way back and was going to cook tea tonight.

She wasn't sure whether to be joyous that he was coming back or pissed that he'd left in the first place. The answer was probably both, but as she was considering it there was the bang of the front door. The silence spell on the room worked one way only, so Elena could hear everything happening in the parlour and it didn't sound good.

Caroline had returned home, Stefan was furious. There was shouting, threats and eventually a door slamming. Then there were only tears; Elena risked sneaking downstairs.

Caroline was on the floor of the parlour, her back to the drink's cabinet and her knees tucked under chin. Her tears were flowing freely, her sobs so strong she barely noticed Elena walking up to her.

"I'm glad you're safe, Care." Elena said softly, reading out for her friend's shoulder.

Caroline shook her head, "I'm a bitch, I went out with the man who is going to kill you. I don't know what I was thinking, Elena. It just seemed like the right choice. Now Stefan thinks I'm a whore and doesn't trust me. I thought maybe if I talked to Nik I could help, but I've just upset everyone."

Elena shushed her, "Stefan has been up all night, waiting for you. He's mad that you put yourself in danger, that's all."

That was why she'd been yelling at Damon all week, after all. He'd risked his life, risked her having to live without him, and she couldn't stand it. Yet she was planning on doing the same thing for Caroline, hell she was literally planning on dying soon. She needed to explain that to him, to talk. She might even need to apologise.

Caroline continued to cry, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You died, Care. Klaus was the one who fed you blood, it makes sense you'd want to confront him. Then, well, he's manipulative and clever, and annoyingly hot."

That caused Caroline to giggle, as she had hoped.

"Tyler will hate me; it was practically a date."

"Tyler will forgive, in time. He's got a lot going on. Plus, nothing actually happened, did it?" Elena realised she wasn't so sure; she'd assumed Caroline wasn't there entirely out of choice.

Thankfully, Caroline shook her head. "No, nothing happened. I just, the way Stefan looked at me. Elena, he's been amazing since I changed. I didn't realise he'd be so hurt!"

Elena pulled her friend in for a tight hug. "Talk to him later, when he's calm."

x-x-x-x

Stefan threw open the doors and barged in, his Porsche abandoned by the steps.

"Klaus!" he shouted to the empty hallway.

The original vampire he was looking for sauntered casually out of a side room, hands in his pockets. He leant against the archway, his eyes coasting over Stefan.

"Stefan, mate, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Stefan couldn't help his lip curling at the way Klaus addressed him, like they were old friends.

Squaring himself to Klaus, he tilted his head to one side and raised his eyebrows. It was a daring invitation to fight, one he knew could get him in a world of trouble, it was worth it.

"Leave Caroline alone." He stated, enunciating each word.

Klaus merely shook his head; one hand emerging from his jeans pockets to stroke his stubble as if he were considering something.

"My, my, ripper, you would have my dear sister in tears if she knew you'd come here for the lovely Caroline." He sauntered over to Stefan, clapping him on the shoulder as he walked behind him, "Does somebody have a little crush?"

"Caroline is a friend, and she's going through a lot. She isn't part of this. Leave her alone."

The chuckle that sounded behind him was terrifying, he had to strain to not flinch at the sound. This was what true evil sounded like, he surmised.

"Tut, tut, mate. You spend too much time lying to yourself." The original walked back from behind him, coming to face him. He was too close, invading Stefan's space on purpose.

He tried to keep frowning, but the flashes of memory he'd seen when Klaus temporarily desiccated were fresh in his mind, "Where do I know you from?" He asked instead.

Klaus smiled at him, his face mere inches away from his own. The effect was disconcerting. "I'll tell you soon enough, mate. For now, you best get to school."

"After you." Stefan gestured to the door; Klaus was posing as a teacher after all.

"I'm afraid I quit, about 5 minutes ago. I know, a devastating blow to the town. Especially young Jeremy Gilbert, he had such talent. Perhaps I should offer to tutor him, take him on my travels?"

Stefan couldn't help but growl, his vampire features sneaking to the surface.

"Leave now, and I'll let Jeremy live his life." Klaus smirked.

What else could he do? As he reached for the door handle, Stefan couldn't help but turn and look over his shoulder. Klaus was still watching him, a smirk on his face and his eyes glistening with mischief.