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It was hard to wipe the smile from her face the following morning. Making her way down the stairs, she stopped at the sink and began filling up the coffee pot.

At five o'clock in the morning, the sun had barely begun to rise in the horizon. Birds had barely begun to stir and the traffic from the main highway in the distance was the only sound of civilization.

Resting against the counter, she closed her eyes. Her daughters usually awoke around seven and her mother would wake about fifteen minutes prior. For Caroline, this was the only time she had to herself.

It was peaceful. Calming.

Scratching from the window behind her, raised her alertness and she turned with a shocked expression but it melted into a bright smile when she saw him on the other side. Motioning with her head, she nearly ran to the back door and struggled to open it. She gasped as he appeared on the other side and she was torn between leaping into his arms or nearly yelling at him to figure out why was he there.

Klaus smiled, showing off his dimples and studied her. Her long hair was down and uncombed. Her face was devoid of makeup and the pale blue gown she wore was delicious against her skin. A breathtaking vision stood before him in the early morning.

"What are you doing here?"

Her question summoned him from his trance and he cleared his throat. "Well, aren't you going to invite me in? It is a little chilly out here."

She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to enter. As she closed the door, he leaned against the corner of the wall just mere inches from her.

"I couldn't wait to see you."

Her eyes raised to his and she swallowed with conviction. "How did you know I would be up this early?"

He shrugged. "I didn't. I couldn't sleep when I got home, so I…drove around until I found myself parked across the street." He searched her eyes and smiled, gently. "I would have waited, but I saw the kitchen light come on and I couldn't resist."

She leaned against the door with her hands clasping in front of her body. "Don't you have an interrogation this morning?"

He hummed and lifted his right hand to her face, pushing a thread of blonde hair behind her ear. "Not for a few hours."

Her cheeks flushed at the action and words. "So, instead of getting a good night's rest, you come over to my house just to see me?" She shifted slightly against the door.

He smirked, leaning closer. "Crazy, right?"

Her lips tightened together and her head moved side to side. "Not really. I couldn't sleep much either."

"Oh, do tell, love," he whispered with his voice lowering into a deep accented drawl.

She laughed, breathlessly. "Okay, I slept for about seven hours, but…I had…pleasant dreams."

His brows lifted and a smirk appeared on his face. "Dreams?" he inquired; eyes focused on hers. "I'm intrigued."

She rolled her eyes while letting out a scoff. "You would be."

He chuckled and caressed her cheek, rubbing her skin with his thumb. "For some reason," he began, his face becoming somber. "I couldn't start the day without seeing you."

She sighed and leaned forward, placing her forehead against his. "Dangerous," she breathed out.

He hummed and rubbed his forehead against hers. "Yes, but…"

"Who cares…" she breathed out, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tight.

He chuckled, holding her close. "Sometimes, I believe you can read my thoughts."

She laughed; her arms tightened. "Perhaps, I've been around you for too long."

"Oh, Caroline,"

She pulled back, shivering at his hands caressing her back through her thin gown. "I probably should have put on a robe."

He hummed, his eyes catching hers with an intense gaze. "It wouldn't have mattered."

She shivered and crushed her lips on his with a level of passion that made them both moan with fire. Her knees shook and bent with each touch of his semi-callused hands and the burning touch of his lips.

A low moan escaped from her throat just as his lips trailed with slow tender traces from her lips down her jaw into to the base of her throat.

"Hmmm," she moaned, threading her fingers through his hair. "Um, Klaus," she moaned, pressing her body closer.

Understanding the move, Klaus paused with a single kiss on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, love."

"Oh, don't," she protested, not allowing him to move away. "Don't say you're sorry for this. You said yesterday that it wasn't a mistake."

"I still believe that," he stated, warmly. He brushed his nose over hers. "You, my dear, are addictive."

She laughed with a glow in her eyes that made him swallow, hard. She was truly beautiful, even more so when she smiled with joy. "I'm addictive, huh,"

He laughed and raised one of his hands to caress her cheek. "Oh, yes, so addictive that I'm here at the crack of bloody dawn just to see your shining, ravishing face."

"Oh, you so know how to charm a girl, don't you?"

"Well, I do try…with you,"

"Didn't you tell me that you were going to call?"

"Would you rather I did?"

Torn between the truth and a lie, Caroline smiled, stroking his scruffy beard with her right hand, realizing the truth was better. "No, seeing you is much better, but aren't you going to get in trouble?"

He shook his head. "No, my personal life is personal at work. Unless it interferes with the job and since you know about my job…" he trailed off, knowing she understood. She would not interfere because she was an asset. An indispensable asset.

She hummed with a short inhale, realizing the coffee was ready. "I made some coffee. Would you like a cup?"

"That would be smashing, love."

She giggled, pulling away from him and entered the kitchen with his body close behind hers. "What time is the interrogation?"

Klaus shrugged as she passed him a cup and mixed the condiments himself. "Ric told me to be there at eight."

"But you're going to get there earlier."

He smirked at how well she understood him. "I have some paperwork I have to catch up on."

She nodded, leaning against the counter across from him. "Cab?"

He shook his head. "No," he began, taking a sip of coffee. "I have another car."

"How many cars do you own?"

Klaus chuckled and shook his head. "This one is a loaner from the agency until I can get another one."

"Oh, I thought…"

He interrupted by coming closer and placing his hands on either side of her, gazing into her eyes. "You thought?"

She swallowed, somewhat nervous at his proximity. He was like an aphrodisiac, especially after yesterday. "I thought you could borrow mine if you needed to."

He smiled pushing a strand of hair from her face. "I appreciate the offer, Caroline, but you need yours to take care of your daughters, and contrary to what is rambling through that beautiful brain of yours, I am not that rich. Well," he paused, licking his lips. "My family is and I do have a small fortune accumulated through the years, thanks to my brother, but I don't like to flaunt it, especially since this government is suspicious of anyone who has wealth. Again, I do appreciate the offer of your vehicle."

She beamed and nodded. "What are friends for?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Friends and more."

"Friends and more," she whispered, opening her mouth as his melted with hers. How this escalated from a simple working relationship to wanting to be with him, kissing him, was unknown to her.

This level of attraction was unknown to her. She had never experienced this. Her body flamed and swelled as her hands rubbed over his shoulders.

He shivered at the contact, understanding the reaction she displayed. This was dangerous territory he was treading in, yet it was not one he would push away. He was falling for this woman in his arms. He was already attracted to her. He cared for her. He didn't love her, not yet, but he knew if he spent much time with her. He would.

That thought made him smirk against her lips before pulling back.

She returned the smile and licked her lips. "What?"

The simple question nailed him right there. Brushing his thumbs along the skin of her throat, he searched her eyes, fascinated with the light shining in them. "I'm in danger, Caroline."

"In danger?"

He leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers. "Yes,"

"What kind of danger?" Her question was innocent for he knew she understood he was not talking about his job.

"The most dangerous kind," he answered, carefully, breathing into her open mouth.

"Which is?"

He pulled back and held her eyes in a strong, emotional gaze. "I'm in danger of falling for you."

She brightened and nodded. "Well, then I guess we are in the same boat."

He laughed as he understood her meaning and pulled her into his arms, holding her with all his strength as she returned the gesture.

In that one moment, everything was nearly perfect.

~XXX~

"Former special ops. Trained as a sniper. Served in Afghanistan and Iraq." Klaus lifted his head and pursed his lips. "Four tours. Impressive."

The gentleman sat with his back as straight as it would allow. His right arm was held in a sling and his expression never wavered.

Klaus hummed and laid the folder down on the table as he slid into the chair adjacent to the man. "Alright, let's save the chit chat and get down to business." Klaus studied him with a steeled expression. "Obviously, you're not going to give up the person who hired you to kill me, but let me ask this… have you ever killed any innocents, Danbur?"

His honey-colored eyes faltered a second, giving Klaus the answer, he needed.

"I figured. Did you enjoy it?"

Danbur lifted his eyes above Klaus' head, focusing on the wall. He wasn't going to talk. He knew the leaks in the agency. He knew if he did what would happen. He wasn't a fool.

Klaus pulled out his phone and pushed through the photos until he found the one, he was after. A bright image of a young woman and two small girls. Laughing. "This was the woman you shot at last night. Remember?"

Danbur lowered his gaze to the phone. He swallowed. He never saw the civilian, but he had orders.

Klaus pulled back the phone and smiled at the image. "Beautiful, isn't she? Her daughters are just like her. Nearly eight, if my memory serves me correctly. Still at the age where everything is a wonder and the world is mysterious."

Danbur clenched his jaw. Children were the only thing he drew the line. They were too innocent. Too pure for murder.

Klaus nodded, seeing the change in Danbur's expression. "If you had succeeded last night, these two precious darlings would have lost their mom. They would have been motherless and their father… not in the picture. So, you can just imagine where they would have ended up." Klaus smirked at the semi-white lie. He knew the man across from him didn't know Caroline's story, which he was counting on.

"I just want to know how you got your information." Klaus clasped his hands together.

Danbur's eyes shifted to the phone, which still had the image of Caroline and her daughters on it. Breathing out, he caught Klaus' eyes. "I never received a name only a phone call."

Klaus lifted his chin and waited.

"Money would appear in my bank account from Switzerland a day before I would receive a call, telling me about the job. That's it," Danbur revealed, honestly.

Klaus breathed out. He could trace the wire transfers but Switzerland's banking laws were hard to penetrate. He suspected the calls were made from a burned phone, so it probably would be a dead end, but he could try. Nodding, he stood and gathered the papers in his hand.

"Orders are orders. I've always followed them, but I've always drawn the line at mothers and children."

Klaus scoffed at the man's statement. "Keep telling yourself that."

~XXX~

"He didn't give you much, did he?"

Klaus shook his head, placing the glass on the center table in the living room. After filling Alaric in on the interrogation, Klaus came to see her. He needed to see her after the interview. "Only that he received money from a Swiss account and calls from a burner phone."

Caroline sighed and shifted on the couch with her right leg bending to face him and her arm thrown over the back. "Couldn't a hacker trace the money back."

"Hack into Switzerland. Why didn't we think of that?" Klaus scoffed, hating the snap, but he was tired. The investigation was getting nowhere.

Caroline leaned forward. "Don't get snippy with me, Agent Mikaelson."

He smirked and turned to catch her eyes. "I've put in requests to receive the records from Switzerland, but I doubt I'll get anywhere. I've got an IT guy standing by just in case, but right now, he's trying to trace the phone number from Danbur's phone."

"Do you think the call came from inside the agency?"

He shrugged. "It's a pretty safe bet. Unfortunately, if it was a call from inside, it would be undetectable."

"Why?"

"Because agents are trained to cover their tracks. Burner phones can be equipped with a way to bounce off cell towers from here to Canada."

"If he calls from the number again, then you could triangulate, couldn't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, but it's doubtful he will. Word probably circled about Danbur."

"And even if Danbur didn't talk, the number would have been on him, anyway."

Klaus moved his head up and down with confirmation. "He'll be in the wind and I'll be back to square one."

Caroline placed her hand on his shoulder. "Not a square one. You still have the decryptions I helped with."

He smiled and relaxed with her hand rubbing over his shoulder. "True, but I haven't gotten far with those."

She slid her hand down and threaded her fingers through his. "You will. I have faith in you."

He chuckled, holding her eyes. "Do you really, Ms. Forbes?"

She laughed and nodded. "Yes, because I know you are smart and you got this."

"Such faith in me. I'm touched."

She laughed even more. Her eyes brightening to a wonderful glow. "Well, that's what happens when you save someone from getting shot."

"I believe you did that for me."

Her lips pursed and she gave a curt nod. "True, but you are the one who did the shooting in the cabin."

"Tat for Tat, was it?"

Her eyes held his and the light in hers seemed to reflect his in a warm glow. His thumb traced the back of her hand in a tender motion, and she knew the events of the past few days had strengthened their bond in a way that surpassed the normal bounds.

"I wouldn't put it that way," she breathed out.

He smirked, his dimples becoming deeper and more pronounced. "You wouldn't?"

She shook her head and continued to hold his eyes. "No, I wouldn't."

He sighed and slowly stood up, bringing her along with him. "Well, then, should I express my gratitude or will those precious angels interrupt me as I do?"

She laughed encircling her arms around his neck. "They are out, remember," she reminded him. "Mother thought it would be a good idea if we spent some time alone."

He hummed, circling his arms around her waist. "Poor judgment on her part, love,"

"Why is that?"

"Because I might take advantage of it."

She hummed, meeting him in the middle and melted into his kiss. Just as their mouths opened for a deeper kiss, a vibration on the table caused them to break apart.

Klaus growled as he lifted the phone. "It's the agency."

She nodded and sat down taking a sip of the wine as he answered the phone.

"Of course, I'll be there in fifteen," he responded, ending the call. He turned with a grimace and bent down to her level. "Something has come up."

She nodded, touching his face. "I gathered," she whispered, leaning forward with a brave feeling and brushed her lips over his. "Do you need me?"

He smiled and kissed her lightly. "It seems I'll always need you, Caroline, but this time…"

"You need to go alone. Well," she began with a light sigh. "I'll be here if you need to talk or to come to the rescue again."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'll call you tonight, love." He leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly before deepening the kiss for only a few seconds before pulling away and headed for the door.

"Be safe, Klaus."

He turned and saw the concern in her eyes and realized he didn't mind the expression. She was his friend and at a gradual pace, she was becoming more. Brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, he smiled. "Always,"

With a final gaze, he left her house and she watched from the doorway as he climbed in the silver sedan and drove away.

All the while trying to keep the gnawing feeling of something bad from getting worse.

~XXX~

The moment he pulled into the parking lot; he should have sensed it.

He should have realized it, but his mind wasn't focused.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, he felt a sharp needle in his throat and a few staggering seconds, Klaus Mikaelson collapsed on the concrete of the garage floor.

~XXX~

"What do you mean he's gone?!" Caroline screamed into the phone. "I just saw him this afternoon."

"When did you see him and where?" Alaric asked, urgently.

Caroline nearly fell on the couch, her heart racing. "He came by to tell me about the interview with..." she trailed off, knowing Alaric knew what she meant. "He stayed for about an hour until he got an urgent call."

"Who called?"

"He said the office."

"Damn it!"

Caroline swallowed. "What can I do?"

"Nothing, stay where you are. If he contacts you, call me immediately. He'll most likely call you at home."

"Okay," she promised, hanging up after he did. It wasn't likely for Klaus to call her house phone, not now, anyway. She lowered the phone and swallowed. This was one promise she was not going to keep.

Klaus was missing. She turned her head and frowned. He was missing and she was going to find him.

"Girls!"

"Yes, mommy!"

Caroline gathered her coat, slipped it on, and nodded to her daughters. "Grab your coats."

"Is Mr. Klaus in trouble again?"

Caroline stopped and turned to Lorrie. Her daughter was so much like her. She had a sixth sense as it were when there was danger involved. "I think so."

"He stays in danger, doesn't he?" Leanne questioned but a smile on her face gave away her approval.

"It would seem so."

"You're his knight in shining armor, aren't you?"

Caroline had to smile at the question little Leanne posed and shrugged. "It would appear so."

"Can we help?"

Caroline knelt to her daughters' level and her face became serious. "This is something I have to do alone. I have a suspicion of where he might be, but I can't take you, girls, so I'm going to leave you with Mrs. Lewis next door while Grandma is at her Garden meeting."

The girls nodded and at the same time, they wrapped their arms around their mother. "Bring him home, mommy," they whispered at the same time.

Caroline felt empowered at her daughters' statement and pulled back. "Bet I will."

Before they exited the house, Lorrie stopped and turned to her mom. "You might want to take the .22." She remarked a distant look in her eyes.

Caroline tilted her head, shocked. "Why, sweetie?"

Lorrie smiled. "Because it might help."

"Lorrie," Leanne wailed, pinching her sister before gazing at her mom. "Rie's right, mom. Take the .22."

Caroline opened her mouth just as her daughters disappeared through the door, heading towards Mrs. Lewis' house. She sagged as she closed the door behind her. Her daughters were something else.

After securing her daughters at her neighbors, and making them promise not to tell their grandmother about why she left, she climbed into her car along with the .22 and extra cartridges and drove off.

All the while, hoping that her eight-year-old daughter was wrong about the rifle.

Please be kind!

I apologize for not getting this chapter up and going sooner! I had intended to update every Monday and Friday of this month, but circumstances kept me from updating. I'll try to get chapters of various stories up between Friday and Sunday instead. I think I can get it going. Also, I have been working the past two weeks to complete some stories, so I may have some finished in the next few weeks, as I want to finish some before updating! So...YAY!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was kind of iffy about some scenes, but I hope you enjoyed them all the same!

Caroline going after Klaus! I love this version of Caroline! It's so much fun to write!

Sneak Peek:

"Klaus...Klaus..." Caroline cradled his head in her lap, trying to wake him up. "Come on, you stubborn man. Wake up."

He moaned and moved his head back and forth. "Caroline..."

She smiled in relief and sagged a fraction. "That's it. Come on, open your eyes."

"Caroline, wha..."

Slowly, his eyes blinked a few times as he attempted to focus on her. "What happened?"

"I'm assuming you were knocked out."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Thank you for that observation."

"You asked."

He hummed and turned his focus once more to her. "What are you doing here?"

She bit her bottom lip and glanced away from him. "Well, funny thing...I came to rescue you."

He glared at her. "How did that go?"

She sagged. "I got captured."

"Brilliant,"

Hope you like it!

Until Next Time...