Ah, how I love the fresh smell of Klaroline in the morning! Or afternoon...evening. Whenever. (:
Note: This takes place after 3x15, so nothing beyond that has happened in my little universe. This is Klaus and Caroline's first meeting since the group first staked Kol.
Also, this is a dark Klaroline fic; if you don't like that kind of stuff (combined with smut) then please turn around before you say I didn't warn you...

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Chapter One

Betrayal? Yes, I would rather be labeled a traitor than dead.

Caroline lounged comfortably on her bed, though studying was not as fun as other things she could be doing with her time. Unfortunately, she had finals coming up and there was no way she was going to get out of them alive if she didn't do something about gaining information. She had noticed, however, that she remembered more information when reading as a vampire than she ever had when she was a human. Retaining dates and names hadn't been her strong suit in high school, but now she was certain she could ace all of her exams.

Except maybe math. That one might be a doozy.

Her phone rang beside her, vibrating until it nearly fell off her bedside table. Quickly snatching it, she didn't even look up before answering it, keeping her eyes locked on the lines of text before her. Things had quieted down so much in Mystic Falls that she wasn't sure what to do with herself. Two weeks had gone by with little more than a peep from the Originals—other than meeting them at the Grill or school once in awhile—making her wonder if they were even a threat anymore. Since they couldn't find out who had changed Rose, they couldn't take the chance to attack the Mikaelsons.

And Originals barely stuck their nose into anything anymore, since Elijah's return.

"Hello?" she asked, mildly bored as she turned the page.

"Barbie, Klaus took Elena."

Caroline jerked upright, letting the book slide off her lap. "What? What do you mean he took her? How did that happen?" she demanded, hoping that Damon didn't hear her voice cracking in fear for her best friend's life.

"Well, Judgey decided that it was okay for her to leave Elena alone for a little while after school. When she went to find her, she was gone. Then Klaus left us a message in the woods—don't worry, Stefan and I already took care of the body."

The body. Klaus had killed someone to send them a message. She swallowed harshly. "Who...who was it?"

"All you need to know is that she was blonde with green eyes; she was wearing a charm bracelet just before he killed her."

Caroline looked at the charms hanging from her wrist. He hadn't really been sending all of them a message; it had been directed at her. She was the one that he was going to meet with. Anyone else that showed up would sign her death certificate. "I'll go," she said quickly. "I'll go talk to him; that's what he wants me to do."

"You're not doing this alone, Blondie."

"Yes, I am." She made up her mind then and there as to how she would get him to release Elena. "I've got something working in my favor that you don't. Besides, there's nothing you can really offer him, now is there?"

"And what can you do for a thousand year old vampire, Barbie?"

His voice was suspicious, as if he knew where her line of thought was going. But that wasn't going to change her mind, not in the slightest. If she had to choose between Elena's life and hers, she would gladly give it up. "Doesn't matter. If you don't hear from Elena by ten o'clock tonight, I failed. Tell everyone that there can't be any tricks this time." With that, she hung up on his enraged voice, dropping her phone to her bed.

Running to her car, she quickly fired it up, driving like a madwoman towards the Mikaelsons' mansion. No one was going to stop her, she was sure; Klaus wouldn't let them.

Bursting into the house, she shouted, "Where are you, Klaus?" before finding herself in a dining room, the table places set to hold a feast. Candles were lit all around the room, as well as the fireplace. It was as if the Hybrid were planning some elaborate dinner. "I know you're here!" she called out, wanting nothing more than to put her fist through something.

"Love, there's no need to shout. I'm right here."

She spun around, finding Klaus standing much too close to her. Her breath caught in her throat at the flair in his eyes and she wished she had thought to change out of her tennis shoes. If she could have the added height of heels, she wouldn't feel so shaky on her feet; they gave her confidence. "Where's Elena?" she demanded, her voice a little too breathy to be the least bit frightening. Even though she hadn't expected him to be afraid of her, she wished that she could give a show at it.

"Elena?" he asked, glancing around the room as if surprised to find it empty. "Where did she go? She was right behind me, I'm sure..." A scream sounded from somewhere in the house, causing Caroline to stiffen in fear for her friend. "Ah! I had forgotten. I sent her to the dungeons beneath the house with Kol. Sounds as if she's having...fun." His smirk was that of a monster taunting its prey.

She wanted to claw his eyes out for it, but she wasn't about to battle it out with him when Elena needed her. Dashing past him, she knew that he would follow after her, stop her; she was going to get as close to her friend as she could before he ripped the heart from her chest.

Following the cries further into the ground beneath the house, Caroline was surprised by how far she got. The smell of blood permeated her senses, shocking her that Klaus would do something like that to his precious doppelganger. If he killed her, that would be the end of his hybrids.

Just as she threw open the door to one of the rooms, he was behind her, pulling the door closed once more. He leaned close to breathe in her ear, "I've got to bleed her of all that pesky vervain in her system. Doesn't help much in the whole compulsion aspect of my...mission, I suppose you could call it."

Spinning around, she lashed out at him, though all her attacks were blocked and cheerfully mocked. "Let her go, Klaus! You can't do this to her; you could kill her!"

"I know better than to do that, sweetheart," he murmured. They'd ended their quick battle with both of Caroline's wrists in one of his hands, held high above her head. Looking her up and down, Klaus smirked with carnal knowledge. His eyes flashed, letting his desire seep into his gaze. "You smell divine. How does such treachery get wrapped up in such a beautiful package?"

Locking eyes with him, she hissed, "I could ask you the same thing. You might be attractive, but you're pure evil beneath it. Now, let me give Elena my blood to keep her from dying at your hands."

His jaw clenched quickly, then his face changed to a dark mask of the humanity he had once shown her. "Anything you ask, love." He swung the door open behind her, releasing his hold on her wrists. "She's right through here." He gestured for her to enter, but she was already frozen in place by the sight before her.

Elena was tied to a chair with ropes, frantically trying to get free as Kol once again made a shallow cut on one of her arms. She was soaked through with blood—her own—and Caroline could see a cut on her forehead from where she'd hit something. The wound wasn't as clean as the others.

"C-Caroline!" she cried. "Go! Get out of here!" Wide brown eyes were frantic as she realized that Klaus was already behind her friend; if he didn't want her to get away, she wouldn't.

The blonde, ignoring her friend, flew to her side, grabbing to rip the ropes away. A red hot pain traveled from her palm up her arm as she gripped the rope tighter. "Vervain," she breathed, still yanking despite her own pain. She needed to give Elena a chance to run; surely she could keep two Originals busy until the doppelganger could get outside to the cavalry waiting there?

Klaus's hand caught her arm, forcing her to let go. "Look at your blistering hands, love. You need to feed to heal them." His voice was in no way gentle. He sounded more like he was mocking her, as if she were some kind of fool. Turning his attention to Elena, he said, "Have at it, Caroline. I'll stop you before you can kill her."

With speed that was shocking even to the two Originals, the blonde whipped her hand around, catching Klaus across the cheek. Unfortunately, it didn't make him stumble, just had his head flying to one side. Still, she was proud of herself for taking him off guard. "I'm not someone that will bow down to you, hybrid. I will never hurt my friends just because you say so!"

His hand went around her throat faster than she could blink, holding her easily off the ground. She didn't bother struggling, just held herself as upright as she could with her hands on his. "You may have fire, love," Klaus said with a smile, "but I have sheer brute strength. We'll see you will win this battle, won't we?"

"Brother, I think we've got almost all of the vervain out of her system. Should I give it a go?"

Kol's voice was dark, a panther crawling over her senses. Caroline hissed, kicking wildly to be put back on the ground. She had to protect Elena, the only human in the room. She would never forgive herself if she didn't. "Stay away from her!" she shouted just as another cry ripped from the doppelganger's throat. The scent of blood became even thicker in the room and Caroline could feel her vampire nature coming to the surface.

She didn't miss the look of appreciation on Klaus's face. "That's it, love," he murmured. "Show me your true nature."

As the veins under her eyes darkened and her usually green eyes went red, she smirked down at him with disdain. At once, she took in everything around her, knew exactly where the Hybrid was most vulnerable, as well as his brother. Lashing out with lightning speed, she aimed the toe of her heels straight for his crotch, connecting with a certain amount of satisfaction. When he let her go, surprised at the pain she had inflicted, she flung herself at Kol, knocking him down with her momentum. Before he could recover, she snapped his neck, leaving him in a semblance of death on the floor. "Don't ever touch Elena like that again."

Turning back to her friend, Caroline let the switch flip back on, walking calmly to Elena's side. Ignoring the pain once more, she quickly ripped away the ropes. She helped Elena to stand, supporting her easily.

But Klaus was up, blocking the door lazily. "And where do you think you'll be able to go? I can outrun you and there are four Originals here with only two of you: one a human, the other a baby vampire. Do you really want to press your luck?" Glancing behind them, he added, "He won't even be down for very much longer. We're quite the fast healers."

Elena looked up through her thick hair, breathing, "Let Caroline go and I'll do whatever you want. You won't have to compel me; just don't hurt anymore of my friends." Caroline knew that the brunette was about to go down; blood loss could do that to a person. Still, she held her ground, just like she always did. "Anything you want, Klaus."

He raised an eyebrow at her before letting out a small chuckle. "Oh? Well, it seems I already have both of you; you're not much good at bargaining, Elena." Then his eyes drifted to the girl supporting her and a strange expression crossed his face. It was as if he had just thought of something magnificent that had never come to mind before.

Suddenly, he was in front of Elena, glaring down at her. Catching her chin in his hand, he forced her to look at him. "You will leave here, Elena, without Caroline. You will tell your friends not to bother looking for her; if I see them, I will kill her. Once a month, you will go to the nearest hospital and give one pint of blood for your 'great-uncle Klaus' to have a transfusion. You will forget everything that happened here." He practically threw her away then, turning to Caroline. "Feed her your blood so she will heal. If you try to run, I will rip out both of your hearts. Then, you are to come upstairs and sit down to dinner while we discuss your...punishment."

"Punishment?" she demanded. "For what?"

He turned away from her, throwing Kol haphazardly over his shoulder. He didn't look at her as he spoke. "First, for betraying me. Second, for kicking me where no man should ever be kicked. And third"—finally, he glanced at her, something akin to pain on his face—"is none of your business."

As he left the room, Caroline had no choice but to feed Elena her blood and watch as the brunette rushed away. She didn't make a move to go upstairs, not even as she heard the telltale sound of Klaus storming back towards her.

When he re-entered the room, he was growling, snarling at her with disdain. She was sitting in the chair that had held Elena, a thin ray of sunlight shining on her back from the small window on the furthest wall. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, watching as she played idly with her ring.

"Just thinking about how often I get used as bait for my friends. Katherine turning me, Jules taking me, you planning to sacrifice me." She looked almost nostalgic, sitting there. "Then I think of how much I miss the feel of sun on my skin. Back when I was a human, I loved that feeling. Now, I get to sit here and pretend that I don't know the kind of pain it would cause me." She smirked darkly. "But I'm not a tool for revenge or a bargaining chip anymore. Elena's out of the house and safe and I'd rather be dead than spend anymore time with you."

He watched as if everything were in slow motion. She flung her ring away, her skin immediately blistering in the light as she cried out in pain. He tried to get closer, but she gnashed her teeth together, snapping at him like a rabid dog.

With a growl, he slapped her across the face, effectively knocking her out. Wrapping his body around her, he pulled her back into the shadows, slipping the ring into its rightful place. He stared down at the girl in horror; how could she have been so ready to die? She had an eternity waiting for her and she chose to ignore it, to kill herself? Either Caroline was incredibly insane or she was the bravest girl he'd ever met in his long life.

Holding her close to his chest—as if he were comforting her—Klaus bit open one of his wrists. Sticking it against her mouth, he forced the first few drops. Instantly, she had latched onto his arm, her survival instincts kicking in. He watched in amazement as all of her wounds quickly healed themselves, still unused to seeing the effects of his blood for healing. There hadn't been many instances when he'd used his blood to help someone.

She woke a little against him, shoving his chest away like a small child would an adult. "Lemme go," she said tiredly, though her eyes were drifting closed again. "Put me down."

He laughed. "Seems I'll have to take a passed out woman with me on my little trip. We're leaving Mystic Falls, sweetheart."

But she was asleep, completely limp in his arms as he carried her out of the room.

This is more of an introduction to the story. From here on, expect dark smut. Hope you enjoyed it!