Hello, it's me.
Lol. I'm back with the third chapter of Red Dust and I just want to say a huge thanks if you're still hanging around to read along.

Eternal gratitude to my two betas Mik (queencarolinemikaelson) and Shauna (captnklaroline) - what should I have done without you?

Did you notice the AWESOME cover my story has now? I can thank my beta Mik for this one - thanks hun. And btw YAY to reviewers ;)

Chapter 3: Drowning in Those Eyes

Caroline walked to the west wing of the station, towards the archives, where Bonnie Bennett, both her childhood best friend and one of the best psychiatrists in the state, had her office.

Since Shane had become sheriff not so long ago, Caroline had encouraged him to hire Bonnie as the station's main forensic psychiatrist. And when she said 'encouraged' she meant 'reminded him that it would be the greatest idea of the millennium every time they crossed paths'.

When he finally agreed to the idea, every office at the station was so crowded, there wasn't any option other than a spare corner down in the archives - thank god the corner had a window - for office space.

Walking along the shelves stuffed with boxes, books, multiple evidences and odd objects from different cases packed away in see-through plastic bags, Caroline found her way to Bonnie's desk.

Having known Bonnie for quite some time now, it was no surprise to Caroline that Bonnie had managed to make the small corner her own.

Green plants on the window shelf, the bookshelf, and every other spare surface of her desk. A picture of her mother and her Grams. All kinds of things from her travels: souvenirs, odd stuff with some kind of meaning to her and an old postcard with a feather on it. Bonnie had acquired it long ago, longer than Caroline could remember. Her friend just had an adoration for feathers.

Besides the plants and personal items, the desk drowned in case files and text books. Old profiles on various criminals appeared between other documents and Caroline realized that Bonnie always seemed to have her own system in that mess. She always knew where an exact paper was; Bonnie was able to create a cosmos in an universal chaos.

Sensing that someone had walked into her tiny office space, Bonnie turned around in her cheap office chair, causing it to creak slightly, to see Caroline standing there, a slight hint of annoyance in her features.

"Hey."

"Hey Bon", Caroline grinned, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. "Sorry for sneaking up on you."

"Why the frown, Care?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem annoyed. Tense even."

"I'm not annoyed." Caroline scoffed. Dammit, Bonnie knew her all too well.

"But you are. I know you and all your many expressions by now. Tell me, what's on your mind." Bonnie said firmly, smiling as she did so.

"It's just my new partner. I've only known the guy for less than four hours but he's already pushing my buttons, Bon."

"Care, we all know it doesn't take much to push your buttons. Even I do that."

"Bonnie…"

"Sorry, but it's the truth! So, tell me how you feel."

"You did not just go all shrink on me!" Caroline laughed, holding up her hands to seem offended.

"I did. Just talk Care!" Bonnie teased back, knowing that Caroline was just joking with her.

Caroline sighed, aware that she couldn't trick Bonnie so she just spoke from the heart.

"For the first time in a long while I just began questioning my skills as an investigator. Klaus has a whole other set of methods than me, and seeing him in the field, doing a really good job, just made me rethink how I handle an investigation. It made me realize that being best on the academy maybe isn't everything because it's a whole other world in the actual field."

"So you're afraid that Klaus is gonna take your job?"

"No! Well… Maybe I am. Kind of. I love my job and I'm good at it. I know that. I guess I'm just afraid that Klaus is going to replace me in the end."

"Aw, Care," Bonnie said, sympathetically. "Everyone at the station knows that Shane values your effort as an investigator. You've got a great solve-rate, and good judgement. Maybe putting you together with Klaus is Shane's way of improving your skills. I'm sure his intention is to get the best from both of you, because everyone learns new things about themselves and their way of doing things when they're in other people's company. Hell, maybe Klaus could even learn some new, groundbreaking things in your company!"

Caroline wasn't fully convinced, chewing her lower lip, arms crossed in front of her again. Maybe Bonnie was right; that both she and Klaus could learn something from this process. Maybe she could actually teach the idiot something about compassion - it was one of her best qualities after all.

She was about to reply to Bonnie when they both heard footsteps approaching, the owner smirking as he appeared from the shadows of shelves of the archives.

"I hope I wasn't disturbing an important conversation?" Klaus said, eyes on Caroline only.

"Actually, you were," Caroline told him, stiffly, her expression tense as she watched his handsome face with her eyes narrowing. "Mikaelson, this is Bonnie. And Bonnie, this is Klaus Mikaelson, my new partner."

"Bonnie Bennett, isn't it? I heard an awful lot about you from Shane. Only good things, I assure you, sweetheart," Klaus shot Bonnie his infamous smirk. "And a pleasure to finally meet you. I must praise you for all your articles during the years. They are quite the inspiration for my work." Klaus said charmingly, shaking hands with Bonnie, who was left as a smiling mess.

Why did he have to be so damn charming?

"Thank you. I'm glad to finally meet you in person, Shane told us at the last meeting that we'd get a new detective at the station, but I had no idea it was the Mikaelson from NYPD. I heard a lot about you from my friend Lucca, who's an attorney in New York. You really have quite the resume from your career ther–"

"Wait a second. You moved here, to Mystic Falls, from New York?" Caroline frowned, still amazed by the friendliness between Bonnie and Klaus, who obviously knew a lot about each other's' careers. How come she hadn't heard of Klaus and his work up on the East coast? Was he really such a big shot? Was she behind on everything that happened in the world of crime investigation?

Klaus smiled, looking down at his boots, crossing his arms in front of him, mirroring Caroline's pose. "I did."

Bonnie observed the two of them, smiling slightly. There was something between the two of them that even she couldn't label (and hello, she had a PhD in Forensic Psychology).

"Why did you move? Did you want to be a big fish in small pond?" Caroline scoffed, eyeing him judgingly. Honestly, that would be so him and she had only known him for such a short time.

"That's a discussion for another time, Forbes. Let's focus on the case for now. How about that?" he stated, losing his playful demeanour as his jaw stiffened, and a serious glare overtook his face.

Why was she so hostile towards him? He thought they had gotten over their argument in their woods, but now they were back to where they started. She had agreed to accept their differences in course of methods to an investigation, but now she shut him off again and even accused him of being here in Mystic Falls only to boost his ego. And that was definitely not the case.

She wasn't finished discussing his motives for applying for a job at her station, but Caroline found herself accepting his suggestion.

"Sure. Back to the case then."

After showing Bonnie the pictures from the crime scene on her laptop, they both watched the brunette go into some kind of mental state where she gazed at the pictures, studying them as they were pieces of art telling their own story in their own, bloody, horrifying way.

At some point Klaus caught himself looking at the blonde instead, as Bonnie studied the pictures on the screen, her blonde locks framing her face as she watched her friend doing her job. Her beauty was obvious, her features like an angel's with the soft, creamy skin and warmth radiating from her.

Suddenly, Caroline felt a pair of eyes on her, and she looked to the side, watching Klaus observe her with a slightly stunned expression, his eyes narrowed and calculating.

Neither said a word, and Caroline felt a tiny shiver run down her spine and to her surprise she suddenly noticed how attractive her new partner actually was.

His scruffy stubble which covered his masculine jaw and those raspberry lips that instantly caught her attention. And his eyes; his blue pools that seemed to be deep and showed both cold and warmth. She was drawn to his eyes and felt like she could gaze into them for hours, to find out what they had seen and what emotions they hid.

Despite their tempers, their pride, their arrogance, they both felt the pull and that was also why neither of them broke eye contact as they watched the other, taking in the tiniest details. A pull they could not deny; it fluttered between them as a ray of sunshine – visible to the eye, but uncatchable.

It was new to both of them, scary to a certain degree because they hadn't let themselves feel for such a long time, but so many things stood in the way for them to ever want to reveal it to the world and to the other.

"Well, it's clearly a real psychopath we're dealing with here," Bonnie stated firmly, breaking the silence and ruining the moment for Klaus and Caroline's intense staring. "First of all, the torn off jaw is not your average cause of death. See how it's practically torn off? There are some serious reasons behind this; why else make the effort to tear it from the skull this brutally? I'm sure it takes a whole lot of strength to do so, but Stefan will know more about that than me for sure. Then there's the ropes," Bonnie said, changing pictures to a close-up of the tight ropes to the wrists and ankles, pointing at it to amplify her theory.

Both Klaus and Caroline leaned closer to the screen, almost bumping into each other's heads as they hovered over Bonnie. They instantly made eye contact again, but Klaus leaned backwards so Bonnie wouldn't notice their closeness, making room for Caroline to inspect the pictures more detailed.

"The ropes are a sign that he or she really wanted to make sure that the girl didn't run. They're bound so tightly, that it must have hurt a whole lot on the poor girl. She was helpless when her jaw was separated from her skull; the killer wanted her to know that there was no way out of this. And whoever did this, wanted to be in control. With a victim unable to escape, it's all a game. It's all about the main character, which in this case is the murderer."

"Why is it about the murderer and not the victim?" Caroline asked genuinely, studying the pictures with a bad taste in her mouth.

"Because it's his or her story being told. It's about the connection the murderer has to the victim. He or she wanted to see the fear in the victim's eyes, to see life literally leave her body when the jaw was torn off. The killer wanted to enjoy every single moment of this performance."

"Am I right to expect more killings from this particular murderer?" Klaus asked, looking at Bonnie who just nodded quietly in response.

They all seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation. A small station like theirs had never seen crimes in this scale and they would need to perform their very best in order to catch the killer, whom they had no clue about whatsoever. They didn't even know the identity of the girl yet.

"There's more. The crime scene is not just random, I assume that the killer chose the sight very carefully. I know it's off the running trail, but it's still in the area of the most flocked part of the woods. A lot of hikers, joggers and dog walkers appear in this zone. It's like a scene; a place for a performance. The killer wanted this body to be found and wanted to reach a broad audience."

"What about the chair?" Caroline asked, looking at Bonnie who instantly scrolled to a picture of the body bound tightly to the chair.

"Maybe a part of the theatrics? That's a good question actually," Bonnie mumbled, her mouth a flat line as she inspected the picture. "I have nothing else for now, so maybe you should go and check with Stefan and then I'll dig into the whole chair thing. There's a reason behind everything in this case, I just sense it."

Klaus was about to turn around and leave, when Caroline stopped him. "Before we head down to Stefan to see if he has in ID on the body, would you mind stopping by that sandwich place downtown? All this investigative stuff has really got me working up an appetite. And I just need a minute with Bonnie alone. Is that okay?"

Klaus nodded, sending Caroline a small smile. "Sure. Any preferences in your choice of sandwich?"

"Nope. I trust you'll pick something edible," she said, before he turned around to leave. "I'll have coffee ready for us when you're back! Or do you prefer tea? Since you're British and everything."

"No tea. Coffee is good, preferably as black as my soul, Forbes!" he shouted back as he walked towards the hallway.

"I'll see you in twenty then! Oh, annd I suggest that we eat before going to Stefan!" Caroline muttered, watching him stroll towards the door, walking down the aisle between the shelves.

"That's sounds a like a plan," he shouted back, before exiting the archives.

Bonnie turned around in her chair, eyeing Caroline teasingly.

"Look at the two of you; already getting along. Now that is progress right after the book."

"Bon, stop! I'm done talking about Klaus and I."

"You want to talk about you and him another day then? You know where to find me," Bonnie winked, loving to push Caroline's buttons.

Both girls laughed, before Caroline regained seriousness and looked at Bonnie, catching her attention.

"I'm having nightmares again, Bonnie."

The brunette reached out to take her friend's hand, urging Caroline to sit on the edge desk before speaking.

"Care, you've had these nightmares ever since it happened."

Caroline gripped Bonnie's hand tighter.

"I know, but it's more frequently now; almost every night. Sometimes I even feel like my mother is standing in front of me with the wound in the stomach, in my office, in my livingroom. It's freaking me out. It just seems… so real."

"You need to talk about it Care. There must be some unfinished business since you keep dreaming about it," Bonnie said, squeezing the blonde's hand to let her know she was there every waking hour of the day.

Unfinished business.

What unfinished business would there be? She had had her fair share of sessions with a psychiatrist back when the accident happened. She sure felt like she had talked about it enough so why did these nightmares keep haunting her?

Caroline watched her mother's gravesite; her only relative besides her father now in the company with just her coffin and earthworms – the earth still fresh as the coffin had just been covered with dirt.

"Caroline, it's time to go home. I promise you that we'll take good care of you, okay honey?" Miranda Gilbert said to her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

How could the world expect her to just leave her mother like this? She had already failed as a daughter. At least that was what she felt like. She could have stopped her idiot father if she had just hidden the damn kitchen knives, for christ sake!

Now, Miranda and the rest of the Gilbert family just expected her to leave the cemetery, drive with them to her home (god, she would never get used to that) and just start living again. Like nothing had happened.

She knew the Gilbert girls from school, the two identical twins whom no one could tell apart, Elena and Katherine, but she hadn't really talked to them since she mostly hung out with Bonnie, her childhood best friend.

A whole new way of living was in front of her and it scared the shit out of her control-freak, organizing self; a new home, two new sisters, a new set of parents (because honestly, she could never forgive her father) and a life without her beloved mother.

How would she ever watch Titanic again without her mother by her side? Or eat guacamole because it wasn't her special recipe? Or graduate high school without her sitting somewhere in the ocean of chairs when she would receive her diploma?

The thoughts were running through her mind like a tornado and she didn't even realize that Miranda had literally put her to bed before she was looking up the white ceiling of her new room in her new home.

Emptiness filled her body, her mind, her soul and during that sleepless first night in the Gilbert residence, Caroline felt her identity, her holding point seep through the mattress and drift away.

From that moment she felt like nothing but an empty shell without a purpose or role in the world.

Weeks later, Katherine still hadn't said a word to her while Elena practically played the role of her new best friend. She still prefered Bonnie miles and miles over her, but having a supporting person like Elena in her now meaningless life made each day a little bit easier.

One day, when she had sat with her homework for hours literally, not having accomplished anything than to write her name and the date in the top right corner, Katherine suddenly appeared before her, closing the books and snatching her pen.

"My parents are out for the night. Elena is out somewhere doing some charity work for the small, annoying loud children from 1st grade, and you and I are about to have some fun."

"Why are you here Katherine? You don't even talk to me during the day ever since I came here," Caroline scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her, clearly not impressed with her step sister's newfound interest in her.

"Oh relax, Caroline. I'm all fun and much better company than 'Lena will ever be. But don't tell her I said that! And also: I found my dad's good stuff," Katherine grinned, pulling out two tumblers and a bottle of bourbon.

"I'm not drinking that!" Caroline hissed, rising from her chair before Katherine grabbed her arm.

"Hush now. I'm not forcing you to drink this okay? If you don't want to, fine. Just let me tell you one thing: Your mother died. And you haven't cried since the day of the funeral. You need to let all those emotions go, okay babe? I can't stand another minute of watching Elena dragging you into situations in which you actually don't want to participate in, hmm? Consider this an act of peace between us. I know: I'm a bitch. Elena is much more of a sweetheart, but god, it's so tiring! Join me for a fun night in the woods with a couple of my friends and let all those feelings go. I will be there for you Caroline, okay? I swear to you on my mother's Manolo Blahnik's." Katherine said teasingly, wiggling her right foot, showing off said boots.

As the realist Caroline is she uttered, "You're really gonna wear those to the woods?"

Katherine walked to the center of the room, spinning around, showing off her outfit for the night: all in black, with a desperate show of cleavage. There must be boys within that group of friends Caroline thought to herself.

"Of course. I may only be 14, but, Caroline, someone's gotta be the vixen when Elena took all the good girl trades, right? And besides; they're fabulous!"

Hours later, they were at the bonfire in the woods, all drunk on stolen booze, random couples making out in the corners. Caroline and Katherine sat on a log, both drunk, and Katherine surprisingly held her hand as Caroline let the tears stream and felt a heavy weight lift off of her shoulders.

Katherine Gilbert really turned out to be the best sister after all.

"Care?"

Caroline blinked, coming back to reality where Bonnie was holding her hand, trying to get her to talk.

"I'm sorry, Bon. My mind drifted off for a second."

"Promise me you'll call me when you feel ready to talk about it, okay? In the meantime, find out what could the case of unfinished business. I'm positive there must be something left unsaid inside of you that needs resolvement." Bonnie said smiling, squeezing her hand.

"I promise," Caroline answered, putting a thankful hand on Bonnie's shoulder, before leaving the archives, her inner turmoil somewhat settled for the time being.

Now, time for coffee and lunch.

"God, I'm starving!" Caroline huffed as she entered Klaus's office with two mugs in her hands, the coffee as black as his soul just like he had ordered and hers with enough milk to consider it a latte.

As she took a seat at the opposite side of where Klaus was seated at the desk, she then acknowledged that his office was much bigger than hers and had a better view.

"How come you get the bigger office and the good view? I've worked here longer than you!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with sarcasm and her eyes wide. Just the thought of moving office now and reorganizing everything plus redecorating it to make it more homey was just stressful.

He just laughed at her statement, giving her her sandwich.

"I believe it was in my contract actually, and I quote: 'Employment is under the circumstances that homicide detective Niklaus Mikaelson is rewarded with the biggest office with the nice view of the big tree on the front lawn,'" his voice mirroring her obvious sarcasm.

When she chuckled at his statement, he couldn't help but notice that her laugh was like music; addictive once you've listened to it. Surprisingly, he found himself in a position where he already thought of the next funny thing to say in order to make her laugh again.

Her face lit up like a clear summer day whenever she smiled and he enjoyed every second of it.

Taking a bite of her sandwich, she suddenly burst into laughter again, causing Klaus to look at her humorously.

"Everything alright, Forbes?"

Caroline nodded, chewing her bite before replying, "Yeah, sorry. I just didn't pick you for the funny type, but you made me chuckle and that's been a while since that happened."

He smiled at her reply, one of those rare a genuine smiles of his.

"I'm glad. I can be quite funny when I want to be."

She said nothing in return, just smiled politely, a smile that reached her eyes, before taking another bite.

They ate in silence, Klaus secretly admiring her from across the desk, before Caroline suddenly giggled again, tears forming in her eyes as her joyous laughter filling his office. He started chuckling as well, putting his sandwich down to prevent the filling from flying all around.

Once they were short of breath, both exhausted from laughing, Klaus eyed her again.

"What is so funny?"

"I have no idea how to say this without it sounding impolite, but I just really think you have a funny name," she said, a quiet laughter escaping her body, before stopping herself by putting a hand in front of her mouth.

He smiled.

"I do, and I can thank my dear mother for that. When I was born, she chose to name me after a great great great grandfather of mine. If only she had thought more about what curse she put on her son."

"I totally get why you prefer Klaus. When Shane introduced you to me this morning, I thought I misunderstood him when he said Niklaus. I'm sorry," she giggled again.

"No hard feelings, Forbes. I'm just glad my name, which haunted me throughout all of my school years, police academy included, is humouring you."

Again they just ended up smiling at each other, continuing to eat in silence.

"So why did you move to Mystic Falls from freaking NYC, big fish?" Caroline teased, sending him flirty eyes (and yes, Klaus knew flirty eyes when he saw them).

Despite the flutter in his stomach when he saw her heated gaze, he felt a jolt of pain run through his veins: he wasn't ready to open up about what had happened, so he went for a white lie which wasn't all a lie.

"To be with family as a matter of fact. My baby sister never left town and my older brother lives not far away from here. I suppose I wanted to have them close. We all grew up her–"

"Wait what? You grew up here in Mystic Falls?"

He smiled at her.

"I did. I never thought I would come back here, but my sister needed me. Truth to be told, I had sworn that I would never return. But here we are, at the local police station, where I slept it off a few times in my younger years."

Yet again, she laughed at his story, her smile slowly melting his numb heart.

"Didn't we all? I didn't sleep at the time though; I was so busy trying to relieve my cop fantasy at the age of 19. Luckily my sister got us out of here before we got into trouble and I on the other hand didn't get a spot on my criminal record."

Trying his hardest not to harden at her revelation of a cop fantasy, he tried a different approach.

"I'm relieved. Or else this station wouldn't have such a gifted homicide detective at its service and I wouldn't have the pleasure of your company."

Stunned didn't even cover Caroline's reaction. This morning she, for one thing, had been hostile and super control freak-ish because he had waltzed into her station and surprisingly turned out to be a talented investigator, but also because it seemed to her like he enjoyed her bite; her bickering.

Bonnie had often told her that sometimes in her frustration she could end up saying some things that left people with an image of her like a crazy, neurotic control freak (which she was at times – like hello, who wasn't like that at some point in their lives?) who couldn't accept other opinions or ways than her own.

Given her current situation with the nightmares flocking her mind, she hadn't really been very polite towards Klaus on his first day at very stressful and demanding job, but he hadn't complained for a second.

Instead, he sat across from her, despite her attitude towards him, and actually complimented her even though they had never met each other less than 5 hours ago.

"Your company isn't the worst either, Mikaelson," she said, eyeing him, afraid to show too much emotion so she just went for a sassy reply.

"Well, well, well. Who thought Stefan Salvatore would be found in the basement of the Mystic Falls Police Department? And here I thought that I wouldn't see you again after we graduated from high school." Klaus said as he and Caroline walked into the lab which also functioned as a morgue for all Stefan's autopsies.

"Welcome to my humble dungeon of Death, Klaus. And by the way: Mystic Falls isn't all that bad - I assume you think as much since you also moved back here, buddy."

Klaus laughed, patting Stefan on the shoulder before leaning against the wall.

"I thought you wanted to be a doctor?" Klaus stated, looking surprisingly at one of his best high school buds.

He remembered Stefan best as the good looking guy whom all the girls sighed after; the guy who was excellent in sports and also as one of his closest friends back then. They'd spent many hours drinking bourbon (they tried to be fancy like that during high school) behind school, having a good time where Rebekah often had joined them as well. And he also thought of how many times Stefan had uttered a wish to become a doctor. Now he was, just not the kind of doctor Klaus would have thought him to be.

"I did, but some day during med school I just realized I couldn't stand the thought of people complaining about headaches and irrelevant rashes. I wanted to make a bigger difference and by investigating murders to catch the bad guy I suddenly gave the dead a voice again. And as horrifying as it may be at times, like with this one, it's the best job I could wish for."

"Are the two of you done with the bromance? Because if not I can just wait out in the hall?" Caroline asked with a grin on her face, making both men smile widely.

"All done, Care. Come on, I've got an ID on your Jane Doe," Stefan told her, walking over to the body which was covered with a white cloth.

Caroline and Klaus walked towards the table, positioning on opposite sides of it, waiting somewhat impatiently for Stefan to begin.

"We managed to ID her through dental records. Her name is Hayley Marshall, 23 years old. Cause of death is as you can imagine, the blood loss from the severed jaw. The force in which the jaw was torn off was so powerful that it severed an artery in her mouth region which ended her life. We also found traces of chloroform, so my guess is that she was sedated and then abducted."

Having heard her name before, Caroline realized that she knew Hayley; she was a few years younger than herself and had also attended Mystic Falls High School.

A shiver ran down her spine, thinking of the horrors and fright Hayley had had to endure in her last moments of her young life.

"Based on our analysis from the crime scene, the murder happened in the woods. She had no possibility of escape; the ropes were bound inhumanly tight and they had also stopped blood flow to both her hands and feet."

"Any traces of other DNA?" Klaus muttered, staring into the eyes of the Marshall girl.

"None whatsoever. The person who did this was clever enough to clean up after himself or clever enough to not leave any traces that could lead back to him. My guess is the latter."

Stefan walked over to the messy desk, fidgeting with some papers before returning, handing Klaus some of them. "Alaric did a background check on her. Since dropping out of high school, she had quite a colored life."

"Dropped out one year before graduating, began working at a bar outside of town for a few years, out on one of the main roads. Bar owner, Magda Polanska, caught her several times in compromising positions with the bar customers which lead to Magda firing her. Homeless for two months, seen in the northern industrial area where the prostitutes find their clientele until moving in with a Jackson Kenner, unemployed carpenter and full time drunk. They have a daughter together, age 1. Hayley was still unemployed when she died and her boyfriend Jackson has not yet reported her missing," Klaus read aloud, the description giving a clear picture of the young girls troublesome life.

"Any signs of rape?" Caroline asked, mortified with the tale of Hayley's gruesome life.

"No, nothing points to that. I'm getting a feeling that this girl was chosen for an entire different reason, so it is your job to figure out why. Anyway, I'm all done and would like to get home before it's too late so…" Stefan implied, shedding the lab coat only to retrieve his leather jacket.

For a morgue guy, with the trademark frown on his features, Stefan was extremely good looking and knew how to style and Caroline realized that it was impressive that he didn't have a girlfriend, but then it hit her that Stefan always talked about work whenever he had time off and that was way too much talk about death for the average woman.

Stefan locked the door to the morgue and said his goodbyes, leaving Klaus and Caroline in the cellar hallway.

"We should pay this Jackson guy a visit first thing tomorrow." Caroline stated as they walked up the stairs to the main floor.

"That sounds like a plan, sweethear- I mean Forbes. Sorry, old habits die hard I guess."

"Not your fault that Brits have such charming manners."

He watched a blush creep to her cheeks when she realised what she'd said as they left the station, walking to the parking lot.

Exhaustion hit her like a tidal wave as they got out into the chilly spring air, her bones aching after a long day. All she wanted to do was to go home, lie on the couch, have a glass of white wine and just fall asleep there, resting both body and mind.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline," Klaus shouted before he hopped into his enormous SUV, sending her an honest smile on the way as well.

It ached inside of him to taste the bourbon again, the flask permanently present in his back pocket and he could have sworn that during this tiresome day it had began burning because it wanted to be found (a flask going all Lord of the Rings on him, bloody true).

As he watched her drive away, a longing to talk more to her just because was such an intriguing young woman (with both personality and a killer body which he just wanted to get to know on an entirely intimate level) left inside of him, he lifted his hips to grab the flask, opening the lid and have his first mouthful in hours.

The alcohol burned to pleasantly, just the way he liked it, the aftertaste lingering on his tongue and he couldn't resist taking yet another sip.

.

.

.

Hours later, he was slightly drunk, and lying on his enormous bed, alone and in a state of thoughtfulness. He should be sleeping by now, but a certain blonde occupied his mind.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was just courage, but moments later he was in his SUV, driving out into the night.

There was just something about her that kept fascinating him; kept pulling him into her undertow. Normally he didn't care because it was too much of a risk, but with her it was inevitable: as much as he tried to resist it would never work. She had somehow, just during a day, made him fall into that pit of emotion from which he had been avoiding for a long time now.

He had sworn to himself that it wouldn't happen again; because feeling was a direct way to hurting and sorrow, things he had spent way too much time on already.

But here he was, feeling again, putting his car to a stop in front of the small townhouse where Caroline lived alone on the first floor (pulling the address for your new, goddess of a co-worker during work hours was no crime in Klaus' book, just a smart move if he came in need of her help).

Letting the alcohol do it's job, he turned off the engine and hopped out, walking to the door.

Caroline threw herself on her couch filled with soft pillows and different kinds of wooly blankets, exhaustion finding it's place in her body.

Fidgeting with the tumbler in her hand, she watched the amber liquid wet the insides of the glass, warming slightly because of her palm.

Honestly she shouldn't be drinking because there was a work day waiting for her full attention tomorrow, but today had been an eventful day and something in her subconscious told her that this case was something new; something complicated in scales they had never seen before.

Taking a sip, the bourbon burned in her mouth and throat; a part of her already regretted deciding on the strong drink instead of going for a beer. But here she was and she might as well drink it now that she poured it.

Staring into emptiness for a few minutes, she then reached for her phone and dialed a well-memorized number.

"My sweet sister."

"Hey Kat."

"Calling your sister in the late hours? Let me guess - you shacked someone hot with the intention of letting him go, but now it's a different case."

Caroline scoffed into the phone; Katherine had always known which buttons to press in order to tease and irritate her.

"Not quite. I'm perfectly capable of dividing sex and relationships into two different categories, Kat."

"Okay, I will shut it. Why are you calling? Miss me already?"

"I guess I am. How are things with you and Elijah? Still in the honeymoon phase after two years?" Caroline asked, taking another sip and dwelling on the burn of it.

"You know how people always say that reality will hit after a few years together? And how Elijah was always the moral, ethical one? Care, I'm telling you, the sex is–"

"No details, Katherine! I told you that a million times already, okay? I'm still not over the fact that you guys consecrated your wedding night underwear the day before the wedding in your hotel room and that I had to listen to you rambling about it on your big day. We get it: you and Elijah have a very great sex-life, the whole goddamn state of Virginia knows!"

Katherine just laughed on the other end of the phone, clearly not affected by Caroline's little rant and clearly not done talking about her and Elijah's bedroom (or not bedroom) manners ever.

"I still have to see your new house, Kat."

"Yes you do. And that is why you should move your firm ass into your car and drive to Richmond to visit us! I'm fairly sure Elijah hasn't seen you since the wedding actually. But that's life with my family. You work too much on that god forsaken police station and my husband is busy at court."

Guilt and annoyment struck her because she knew Katherine was telling the truth. Sure; Elijah and Katherine were still madly in love after all these years, but with a demanding job as a high ranked (and also well payed) attorney, the hours spent in the court were of more than those spent in his own house, which meant that Katherine often spent her nights alone in their newly bought house.

"I know I promised to visit more often, Kat. But as for now, we have this case that needs my full attention."

"Good thing you can't see my judgy eyes through the phone, huh?" Katherine joked, a slight hint of loneliness and disappointment in her voice which didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

"I promise you to have a fantastic girls night out when I hit Richmond as soon as this case is done, finito. God, I miss having a good time with you, sis."

"Me too, darling. Can't wait to show Richmond what it's been missing as soon as you come here. And just to be clear: don't bring one of your boytoys when you arrive. It's a sister arrangement only. I will even send Elijah way for the night."

"You know I don't do relationships, Kat."

"I know. I just don't want you to fall head over heels for one of those pretty boys whom satisfy your needs because deep, deep down you still care–"

"Kat, it's none of your business! I swore an oath to myself that I wouldn't do relationships, okay? They always fail. Yes, I'm happy you found Elijah, and yes I'm happy that you two can make it work, but I'm just not that girl. I could have been, but Tyler sure put an end to that when he dumped me and broke my heart by impregnating Liv all those years ago, even though we were still technically together. And don't remind me of the fact that he and Liv moved away to start up a new life as a family. I'm sure he's happy and so am I. I've moved on and maybe sleeping with cute guys I meet at bars isn't your best advice, but it works. It works for me and that's what counts."

"Okay," was all Katherine said and both girls knew that was enough; their bond was close and the invisible understanding for each other stood clearly in situations like this one, where Katherine ultimately just wanted to be supportive despite their different opinions.

Silence fell between them before Caroline suddenly asked: "Any news from Elena?"

"Not a word. But I'm pretty sure my twin sister meant it when she said she never wanted to talk to me ever again. She was always so dramati–"

A jolt ran through Caroline's body as someone knocked on her front door. Who needed to see her at this hour? It couldn't be the guy from last night because she made it perfectly clear to him that last night was a one time thing.

"Someone's at the door, I gotta run, Kat."

"Oooh a naughty booty call. Maybe it's Julio with the six pack, tanned skin–"

"Stop it!" Caroline laughed, rising from her couch walking towards the door. "Yes I shagged a guy named Julio with a six pack, tanned skin and long, black hair with waaay too much hair gel, okay, but I was drunk and drunk on Tequila that is. I really gotta go, Kat. Tell your busy husband I said hi," Caroline said before opening the front door. She really needed to call her landlord to get a door spy installed.

"Who's "Julio"?" the person slurred, inches away from her face as he leaned against the door with his left arm above his head, his lower arm keeping him in balance against the door frame.

"Klaus?"

Davina Claire was on her way home from her evening jog, walking the quiet streets of Mystic Falls, when she noticed with that sixth sense of hers that she was being followed.

Wise enough to not let it show, she secretly started walking a bit faster, hearing the footsteps behind her quickening as well.

Shit.

Don't show it. Don't let the person get to you. Don't look over your shoulder and reveal your fear.

Her heart was pounding in her chest by now and in a moment of panic, she turned down the wrong side road.

Dammit!

Now she couldn't turn around at all.

Her mind started running wild, the tension and fear manifesting itself in her pace and suddenly she was running.

Within seconds she was grabbed from behind, the intruder pulling her tightly against a firm body.

"Let me go!" she screamed, desperately trying to release herself from the tight grip.

Screaming didn't really help much she realized, as she recognized her surroundings as the abandoned warehouse area just down one of the side roads to the main street.

Fuck.

A nose was suddenly inhaling her scent in the crook of her neck, caressing her olive skin in the most tender yet disgusting way.

"You remind me of someone I knew," the voice said in a whisper.

Davina tried turning her head, wanting to face her fear and put a face on her attacker, but suddenly a hand was on her neck, preventing her from moving.

"You smell just like her; sweet and innocent."

Tears were now streaming down her face, the terror in her body of a caliber she had never experienced and never thought she would experience, but here she was.

It's over.

This is the end of everything.

"I watched you. Since I saw you at the Grill you never escaped my mind. You're so beautiful, just like her."

She was screaming now, her mind only set on wanting someone to hear her. But the hold on her tightened to a much more painful one, feeling her bones reaching the point where they could easily break; the worst kind of pain she had ever felt.

"She wasn't a screamer though. So shut up; shut your fucking mouth and HONOR HER."

"Please don't kill me!" Davina sobbed, her life passing by in her mind; her first ice cream, her dog as a cute, fluffy puppy, her first bike ride, her first kiss.

Then a hand was promptly on her throat, the pressure making her fight for air, choking slowly.

"Don't. Fucking. Talk."

She shook her head, complying the command. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears by now.

"I need you to honor her for me, Davina Claire. For your sake and mine."

Feeling brave, she spoke. "Honor who?"

"Oh, I will tell you," the voice paused and then, "just before I kill you," the voice said, pushing a cloth to her mouth and nose.

Davina didn't even manage to let out a scream before everything went black.

.

.

.

He watched his piece of art, satisfied with the outcome.

She was still breathing though and he needed to fix that.

Nearing her he watched panic and terror in her beautiful eyes and it pleased him; oh how it pleased him.

"So I promised you to let you in on a little secret…" he whispered, slowly tightening something around her throat, squeezing the life out of her ever ever so slowly.

Just before she drew her last breath, he kneeled in front of her and hovered just before her face. "You remind me of my adorable, yet not surprisingly pesky little sister."

So, chapter three for you. Thoughts? Theories? Anything? Let me know in a review ;)

Nat