How do I turn the kaleidoscope off? Caroline vaguely thought as her head span. I feel like I'm trapped inside a cracked-out rainbow. She could hear anxious voices echo nearby as swirls of patterns and bright colors continued to taunt her. Cautiously, she let her eyes flutter open, hoping her distorted vision would soon return to normal.

"Wait, she's coming to," said Bonnie.

"Caroline?" asked Tyler. "Can you hear us? Caroline?"

"I think people in the next state can hear you," said Damon.

"Everyone just needs to sit back and give her some space," Stefan instructed. "The last thing she needs is to be overwhelmed."

"Little too late for that," Caroline managed to utter, trying to blink everything into focus. She was reclining on a cushy sofa with a throw pillow resting under her head. A lamp in one corner projected a dim light across the room, for which Caroline and her dizziness were grateful for. She could make out two hazy-looking people kneeling next to her, and two more standing behind them. Then there was a lone figure in the background cast in shadows. Lifting her hand to rub her eyes, the images around her became clearer and Caroline got a better picture of whom the dark presence was.

Klaus or Tyler, though… she thought in brief confusion. Klaus, Tyler, Klaus, Tyler.

Puzzled by the softness on Caroline's face instead of the scorn he'd expected, Klaus took a tentative step forward, sheathing himself in partial light. When she'd fainted he'd immediately gathered her up in his arms without a second thought and sped inside to his sketch room, leaving the others in his wake. He only had time to lay her on the sofa and carefully brush some stray hair from her cheek before Tyler appeared, recklessly shoving him out of the way. Klaus had been too worried to retaliate.

"Are you OK, love?" he said, not liking the way Caroline's features slowly started to harden as reality sank in.

Klaus. She felt pressure in her chest. Dream-invading, pathological son-of-a-bitch liar, Klaus. "Don't you dare talk to me," she glared, struggling to sit up. Caroline pretended not to notice the way his shoulders slumped as he slipped back into the darkness.

Tears pooling in her eyes, Bonnie lunged forward and hugged Caroline fiercely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she exhaled in a shaky voice.

"Bon," mumbled Caroline, her mouth crushed into her friend's shoulder. "I'm alright. Or at least I was until you started using my body as a squeeze toy," she joked half-heartedly.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt," said Bonnie, finally releasing her. "I'm so sorry I put you through that."

"Hey, listen to me." She took Bonnie's hand. "The final decision was mine so don't even go there. Just tell me one thing." Caroline leant in conspiratorially. "Have I turned an icky amphibian-like color?"

Bonnie gave her a watery smile. "There's no trace of toad to be seen."

"Well that settles that then," she said warmly.

Tyler sat next to Caroline on the sofa, not noticing her flinch marginally at the contact. "I have no idea what you two are on about, but as long as you're feeling OK then I can relax."

"Everything's fine, Tyler," she reassured him. "It's kind of like having a hangover without all the fun drinking the night before."

"Sucks to be you then," said Damon, earning a glare from his brother. "What? Blondie's the only one allowed to make jokes is she?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Your compassion is overwhelming as always, Damon."

"I think we should probably go," said Stefan.

"Best idea I've heard in a while," Klaus said icily, reminding them all he was still there. "I've got things to attend to now I'm back in my rightful body, so I'm sure you can see yourselves out."

"Come on, Care, let's get you home," said Tyler, throwing an annoyed look Klaus's way. He went to drape her arm over his shoulder to help her stand, but Caroline gingerly drew herself away from him, leaving him confused.

"You still might be feeling kind of weird after the spell," she stammered. "I don't want to be a burden on you."

"I'm fine," he frowned. "You won't be a burden."

"I just don't want to take any chances," she replied, trying to smile.

Stefan curiously observed the two of them before stepping in. "Here, allow me," he said, offering Caroline his hand, who accepted it gratefully. Pulling her to her feet, he put an arm around her waist and helped her towards the door. Tyler sullenly followed along with Bonnie and Damon.

Caroline chanced a look to where Klaus had been standing but he'd already left the room. She warily held a hand to her chest. The pressure had returned.

"Do you need anything else?" asked Tyler as he watched Caroline settle into her bed. "Water? Blood? That creepy stuffed bear you sleep with that only has one eye?"

"Bert the bear is not creepy," Caroline huffed, taking the toy from her nightstand. "He's just different."

Tyler smiled. "Caroline Forbes, loyal defender of the misunderstood. You'd find a good side to anyone, wouldn't you?"

I thought I could. She shrank down under her covers and closed her eyes, becoming concerned when she felt the mattress sink down next to her. "Tyler, what are you doing?"

"Um, getting into bed with my girlfriend?" he replied, brow furrowed.

Caroline turned her head to look at him. "It's been a big day. I'm not really in the mood to… Get all frisky."

"Give me some credit, Care. I just want to sleep with you. Like literally sleep," he clarified, as she opened her mouth. "I've been away from you way too long."

"I know. I get it," she said, biting her lip. "But I think I just want to be alone for tonight. Clear my head and all that."

He sat up, resting his back against the headboard. "You're still picturing me as Klaus aren't you?" he said, mouth setting into a grimace.

Yes.

"No, that's not it at all," she lied, fixing him with a smile. "I'm just really beat. And you should probably go home and let your mom know you're back."

Tyler looked as though he wanted to say more, but gave up halfway through. Feeling a stab of guilt, Caroline moved across and offered him a small peck on the lips. "We'll talk tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," he murmured, swinging his legs around to hop off the bed. "Get some sleep, OK? I'll call you in the morning."

"I'm on it," she smiled with a mock salute. Caroline waited until she was sure he'd left the house before throwing the covers off and padding over to her closet. There was no way she was going to let herself sleep tonight. Sleep led to dreams, which led to Klaus, which led to opening herself up to more betrayal. And she was sick of the constant feeling of anger gnawing away at her stomach, so she was going to distract herself as best she could. First things first – organizing her outfits into colors. She stopped, her hand midway in the air, when she saw the first item of clothing to her left. The blue gown gifted to her from Klaus.

It was going to be a long-ass night.

Stefan sat in his bedroom deep in thought, feet propped up on his desk. It felt like they were back at square one now that Klaus had returned to normal, ready to terrorize anyone at any given moment. Stefan wanted to stay and stake out the manor like he'd done the other night, but Bonnie had told him in secret about the crystal tracking device she'd put on Klaus when the body possession spell had begun. She'd convinced him that it was still in effect, and that if Klaus strayed too far then she'd know about it and alert Stefan. It wasn't completely foolproof, but he had to admit it allowed him more freedom.

Glancing up at his bookshelf, Stefan immediately noticed something was amiss. With a put-upon sigh, he got to his feet and went downstairs to the main room where Damon was draining the last of his scotch.

"Give it back to me," said Stefan matter-of-factly, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded.

Damon screwed up his nose. "Give what back to you?" He poured himself another drink. "Your sense of humor? Because I think that's a lost cause, brother."

"You know exactly what, Damon," he replied, ignoring his taunt. "You have one of my journals and I want it back. Now."

"Why the hell would I take one of your diaries?" he laughed. "To read your broody scribbling where you dot your i's with love hearts and quote song lyrics? No thanks."

Uncrossing his arms, Stefan ventured closer to his sibling. "You seriously don't have it?"

"No, Stefan," sighed Damon.

"Then who does?"

"God, I don't know. Why don't you ask one of the neighborhood tweens? Maybe they wanted to compare notes on their Bieber obsession."

"You're hilarious," Stefan said dryly, sinking into a leather armchair.

"Well one of us has to be." Damon sat across from him, analyzing how tense he was. "Is there something important in there?"

Stefan clasped his hands together under his chin. "Maybe. It depends who's reading it." His cell beeped, alerting him to a message from Bonnie. Klaus still at home. No change so don't worry. Stefan couldn't help frowning. He'd stop worrying when Klaus stopped being a threat.

"Who was it?" asked Damon.

"Bonnie with a crystal update. He's still lurking around the manor."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Can we just hurry up and desiccate him again already? He's really getting on my nerves."

"I'm glad this is all about your pain," Stefan mocked. "Don't strain yourself thinking about how he's affecting everyone else."

"If you're talking about Little Miss Anchor, then she'll be fine," said Damon, taking a sip of his liquor. "She's been through the worst of it now."

"I don't think she has," Stefan mused. "There was something off between her and Klaus before she fainted tonight. And I mean more than the initial lie." He stood up and grabbed a glass to pour himself a drink, perusing the different bottles. "What did you do with the vodka?"

Damon held his hand to his heart. "I am deeply offended by all these accusations flying around tonight." He smirked. "Maybe your mystery thief is an alcoholic too? Ooh, saved by the bell," he said, fishing around for his phone while Stefan glowered at him. Damon became serious when he noticed the caller ID. "Elena, what's wrong?"

Trying not to show his discomfort that Elena decided to phone his brother instead of him, Stefan listened to their conversation.

"I wanted to know how the body swap went," said Elena. "Bonnie's not answering my calls."

"All good," Damon answered. "Tyler's Tyler again and Klaus is a dick. Everything's back to normal."

"Caroline's got to be happy about that. She said she was going to stay out of the way until everything was done."

Damon raised his eyebrows at Stefan before continuing. "If by staying out of the way you mean becoming part of the ritual and getting her ass handed to her by the spirits, then yeah. That's exactly what she did."

"What?" Elena exclaimed. "What are you talking about? Is she OK?"

"She's fine. Stupid, but fine. You'll have to get the details off her tomorrow." He took another gulp of scotch. "What we need to be concerned about is keeping you, and everyone else," he added in an agitated fashion at Stefan's prompting, "safe and sound from Klaus." There was no response on the other end of the line. "Elena?"

"I'm here," she said hesitantly. "It's just… I may have a solution for that."

The brothers shared a worried look. "What have you done?" Damon uneasily replied.

Candles and stones were still scattered around the courtyard at the manor, no one thinking to clean everything up after becoming distracted by Caroline's collapse. Klaus stood to the side of the circle, nudging one of the stones with the toe of his boot. It all looked so ordinary in the morning light, no trace of the power and intensity he'd experienced last night when the spell had taken effect. When he had felt that raw and unbinding connection to Caroline – one he knew she had felt too. Klaus closed his eyes, remembering the way Caroline's hand was so loose in his when the witch first began her chant. His fingers were laced with hers, but instead of gripping down like he had, she'd left her fingers outstretched as if committing to the hold was too much to expect. But as soon as his memories had seeped into her conscious he could sense a shift in both of them and Caroline had grabbed onto his hand as if was second nature.

A familiar scent in the summer breeze made Klaus's eyes snap open. He turned around slowly finding a visitor standing at the entrance to the yard.

"Niklaus," said Elijah, the briefest hint of relief gracing his usual stoic demeanour. "It appears the rumor of your demise was greatly exaggerated then."

"You know me, Elijah. I like to do things on my own terms – and dying isn't one of them." Klaus smiled as his sibling approached, clapping him on the back as they embraced.

"It's good to see you, brother," said Elijah.

"And you," said Klaus. The men pulled back as Klaus's face suddenly darkened. "Is she here too?"

"No," Elijah replied, placing his hands in his pockets. "Rebekah thought it best to stay away for the time being. Although she does send her love."

"Funny that my sister can speak of love when her most recent actions depict that she doesn't care for me at all," he sneered.

"She was grieving, Niklaus," Elijah pointed out. "She saw you die."

Klaus lifted his chin defiantly. "So you pardon what Rebekah did to the doppelganger? You have no qualms to speak of?" Elijah averted his eyes. "Elena becoming a vampire means nothing to you?"

At the sound of Elena's name, Elijah turned back towards Klaus. "Of course I have objections, Niklaus. No one deserves to have this life thrust upon them," he said evenly. "But do you really wish to let your sister become an outcast? One of the few people who have remained faithfully by your side for all this time?"

Klaus nudged another one of the stones with his shoe before crushing it into the soil. "I've yet to decide."

Hearing cupboard doors banging open and closed in the kitchen, Liz fastened her robe over her pyjamas and went to investigate, surprised to find her daughter surrounded by cleaning products. "Caroline?" said Liz.

"Oh hey mom," Caroline replied, searching through the cupboard under the sink. "Do we still have that weird oven spray? You know the one that smells like sewerage but makes everything shine?"

"I think we ran out," Liz replied, perplexed. "Um, honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Not to put a dampener on your burst of productivity… but what on earth are you doing?" She peered at the microwave clock. "It's seven thirty in the morning."

"I know," said Caroline.

"So you thought you'd clean? At seven thirty in the morning," she repeated.

Caroline kept her back to her mom. "I couldn't sleep," she prudently admitted. "It was either this or make breakfast, but then I remembered my last attempt at pancakes."

Liz chuckled. "They may not have been edible but they did make wonderful Frisbees."

"Exactly."

Turning on the coffee maker, Liz leant against the bench, becoming concerned when her daughter finally stood up to face her. She looked wrecked. "Any reason why you can't sleep?" she asked, keeping her tone light. "I know I'm not always around much, but you do know you can talk to me about anything."

Caroline swallowed hard, wishing she could unburden herself to her mom, but she knew there were too many minefields to avoid. "I know," she said, plastering on a smile. "I'm fine."

"Honestly?"

"Well, I think Tyler might be back in town," she replied, offering her mom a morsel of truth. "So that'll be interesting."

Liz smiled in understanding. "I'm sure you'll be able to work something out."

"It's not that easy. And there's a few other complications too." That's putting it mildly. "I don't want to get into it," she added, noticing her mom's expectant gaze.

"Fair enough. But I'll tell you one thing, the Caroline Forbes I know doesn't let things eat away at her." Liz comfortingly rubbed her daughter's arm. "She's strong and she's brave and she confronts things head on."

Caroline regarded the scattered pile of cleaning products before her, smoothing her hands down on her apron. Oh my God, she thought, scrunching up her nose. I'm wearing a freakin' apron. I'm moping around the house like some kind of sad, kitchen-cleaning freak… in a goddamn apron. Giving her mom a kiss on the cheek, Caroline smiled. "You're right. I don't let things get me down." She started to flounce out of the kitchen, tossing the apron aside. "Thanks mom!"

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To get my confrontation on," she called out over her shoulder.

Liz frowned at the mess left on the bench. "Maybe pancakes would have been better."

Elijah sat across from Klaus in the main living room while his brother silently drew in one of his many sketchpads. Klaus had filled him in on the main points of the body possession debacle, but Elijah knew there was a lot of information being left out.

"What is your purpose now in Mystic Falls, Niklaus?" asked Elijah, draping an arm across the back of the antique sofa. "Surely without the lure of the doppelganger you have no reason to be here."

"On the contrary, Elijah, I have my reasons to stay," Klaus replied, not looking up from his work. "None of which are any of your business."

Elijah's lips quirked, as if Klaus had amused him. "If only that were true, brother." He picked an invisible thread of cotton from his suit. "When Elena contacted me I wasn't surprised to learn you had already attempted revenge on her brother and the footballer."

"And what would your role be here, pray tell? To swoop in and play the heroic saviour absolving me of all my misdeeds?" Klaus scoffed. "That's not how this story goes."

"My role, as you put it, is to remind you that this chapter of your story is finished." He noticed Klaus's pencil still on the page. "There are no more hybrids to be made. You are done."

Klaus lifted his head, eyes glinting with rage. "Nothing is done until I say it is done."

Rolling his neck from side to side to release some tension, Elijah stood up and sauntered near Klaus, inspecting his sketchpad. As always there was the same young woman with long wavy hair and a dazzling smile. "Would she also be one of your reasons, Niklaus?" said Elijah, almost tauntingly. "Has the great and powerful Original succumbed to the one emotion he so furiously protested against?"

"I don't succumb to any such thing," growled Klaus, snapping the pad closed. "And you'd be wise to stop making assumptions."

Elijah just smirked, ignoring the threat. "I would if I didn't think there was any merit to them." He lightly tapped the cover of the book. "Because as far as I recall, the last time you were struck by such a muse it only ended in tragedy – for both of us." He didn't flinch as Klaus shot up, snarling at him, but the chime of the doorbell interrupted them. Klaus remained unmoved, but the bell was being pressed incessantly until he finally growled in frustration and sped to the door, yanking it open. He was about to let fly with an angry tirade when he realized who it was.

"I need answers," said Caroline authoritatively. "You owe me that much."

Once Elijah had made himself scarce (not before raising an eyebrow in Klaus's direction as if to prove he was right in his deduction), Klaus led Caroline to the room he had just been occupying. He gestured to the armchair, offering her a seat, but she simply shook her head.

"I'm not here for a cozy chat, Klaus," she said, standing her ground near the coffee table. "I just want to know why you keep playing me? How did I get to be the lucky one who keeps having her head messed with?"

"That's not what I set out to do," he replied, regarding her from the other end of the table like she'd set up her own barrier.

She snorted. "You know what? You keep saying crap like that like it's supposed to make sense. 'It wasn't my intention'. 'It's not what I set out to do'," she mimicked. "What the hell did you set out to do? Did you think pretending to be Tyler would be fun for me?" Her voice grew louder. "That filling my head with dreams where you guest starred would make me think, 'Hmm, you know what? Klaus is a pretty awesome guy once you get to know him in your subconscious!'."

Klaus's muscles tensed. "You seem to be forgetting that you were the one dreaming about me in the first place," he said, keeping a cool façade. "I didn't just swan in and plant ideas in your mind. I went along with what was already there."

"Like you even had the right to do that," Caroline bit out with a laugh. "Newsflash, Klaus, being some mega ancient hybrid doesn't give you the right to control people." Her face soured with an unwanted recollection of the past – namely of her first meeting with a certain elder Salvatore. "Believe me," she said, quieter this time. "Being under the influence of something like that can haunt a person."

Her shaken appearance diffused some of the frustration in Klaus. He cocked his head to the side, trying to read her. "What memory have I invoked?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Caroline chewed the inside of her cheek, looking away from him. "Nothing I want to share. And anyway, don't think you can distract me." She folded her arms. "You need to own up to the fact that you used me – twice!"

"Despite what you think, I had no nefarious plans in mind when I visited your dreams." Klaus took a few steps around the table. "I was merely curious to know why I existed in them in the first place." He took another small step. "And while we're on the subject of curiosity, let me ask why this is bothering you so much. As you and your friends have made it very clear time and time again, I'm a coldblooded monster." Klaus came to stand directly in front of her. "Shouldn't this be what you expect of me?"

Caroline knew he was emitting his usual bravado, trying to rattle her with his mere presence, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "It should be," she admitted. "I wish to God that you were still the same big bad that was just hanging around on my periphery, but you're not." She saw a flicker of confusion flit across his face. "If you really want to know why I'm here it's because I once saw a tiny speck of humanity in you. You bury it deep down like it's some shameful secret, but I saw it," she said softly. "Although now I think I was just imagining things."

Klaus could only gape at her, struck by her unexpected admission. "Caroline…"

"Save it. I need to go," she said, cutting him off. "I need to be around people I can actually trust, and you're not one of them." She went to turn when she felt Klaus grab hold of her arms, willing her to stay. Caroline lifted her own arms to unhand him, but when she touched his skin she felt a rush of heat flow through her like the night of the spell. Caroline gasped in surprise, also hearing a sharp intake of air coming from Klaus. Her whole body tingled as she looked into Klaus's eyes, his pupils dilated and rimmed with flecks of gold.

"Stay and work things out with me," said Klaus in a low voice. "You can trust me, Caroline."

She bit her lip, trying to peel away her hands. "I don't think I can."

"Stay," he pleaded, feeling the heat start to fade.

"Klaus." Caroline tilted her head down to their arms. "You need to let me go." Prying herself away, she ran from the manor and from the intensity of the situation with nothing but a sudden coldness keeping her company.

The front buzzer rang, letting Elena know the pizza delivery person had arrived. She had invited Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie and Matt around under the disguise of a friendly catch-up dinner. But in reality she just wanted to make sure Caroline was OK, and evidently so did everyone else.

Caroline clutched her glass of water while Bonnie and Tyler sat either side of her at the kitchen table, like some sort of smothering sandwich. They had promised to stop pestering her with questions about whether or not she was alright, but she could see the worrying looks they kept passing between each other. She was relieved when Elena and Matt returned with the pizza, Elena calling out to her brother that the food was here. The two old friends appeared more at ease with one another after sitting down to have a proper talk during the day, so that was at least something productive Caroline could count for the evening.

"Did you want a slice of pepperoni or cheese?" Tyler asked Caroline, opening up one of the boxes.

"I'm not hungry," she replied, bringing up her hand to stifle a yawn.

Bonnie observed her, noticing the way her shoulders were drawn. "Were you able to sleep last night, Care?"

"Yeah," she quickly nodded, before yawning again. "OK, so maybe not a lot of Z's were caught, but it's no big deal."

"You can take a nap here if you want?" said Elena, picking up a stringy bit of cheese. "We'll save you some food."

"I'm not a three-year-old, I don't need a nap," she said in a clipped tone.

"Sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry," said Caroline with a sigh. "I didn't mean to snap." She drew her chair back. "I need some more water."

Tyler shot a worried look Caroline's way as she went to the fridge, but was distracted by Jeremy thundering downstairs to join them.

"So I know I shouldn't really ask this, but inquiring minds want to know," Jeremy grinned, scooping up two slices of pizza onto a napkin.

"What?" said Tyler suspiciously.

"On a scale of one to ten, how awkward was it going to the bathroom when you were in Klaus's body?"

"Dude!" Tyler exclaimed, pretending to heave. "We're trying to eat here."

"Don't be gross, Jer," Elena scolded, slapping him on the shoulder.

Jeremy smirked, ducking out of the way of another hit. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger, we were all thinking it."

Five heads immediately snapped around when they heard the back door slam and realized Caroline was no longer in the room. Tyler went to stand, but Matt signalled for him to stay put. "Just let me try and talk to her first, man," he said. "Please?" He smiled when Tyler reluctantly nodded at him.

Matt was relieved to see that Caroline hadn't gone far, but taken a seat on the steps of the back porch. He sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Someone tucked a dollar bill into my pants today at the Grill as a tip," he said, earning a look of surprise from his friend. "Apparently I work at a strip club now. I blame Magic Mike."

Caroline couldn't help snorting out a laugh, which made Matt smile in return. "And you're telling me this now because…?" she asked, a hint of the old sparkle returning to her face.

"Because you looked like you needed a laugh," he admitted.

"I did." She smiled at her friend. "Thanks."

Matt scuffed his sneaker against the ground. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Caroline sighed, gazing up at the sky. "Not right now."

"Well I'm here when you do."

Contemplating the star-less landscape, Caroline suddenly felt a rush of power surge through her chest. She bent over in shock, clutching her torso, feeling Matt hold onto her arm.

"Woah, what's wrong?" he said, worried. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," she exhaled, clamping her eyes closed. But when she did, visions of Klaus invaded her mind. But they weren't memories or dreams – whatever she was seeing and feeling was happening right then and there.

Klaus entered a secret room where he kept his most precious belongings. And there was none more precious than what was before him right now. Three plastic bags filled with the doppelganger's blood that he'd managed to store away before he was attacked by Stefan, Damon and Tyler. He held one of the bags in his hand, treating it like precious cargo, a smirk forming on his face.

Caroline clawed at her chest, trying to make the feeling go away but she couldn't turn it off. The fire inside her burned brighter as Klaus thought about the small window of opportunity he had left to make his hybrids.

Veins began to appear on Klaus's face as the scent and allure of Elena's blood swarmed his senses. It was so potent and invoking that even he struggled to contain his bloodlust around it.

"Talk to me, Caroline," said Matt, shaking her arm. But he recoiled in astonishment when she snapped her head up, fangs exposed and eyes dark. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Caroline cried, fighting to regain control, but the feeling inside her was too overpowering. She craved blood. She needed blood. "Matt, run," she growled, skirting away from him.

"Caroline," he breathed, scrambling to his feet. "Whatever's happening just fight it."

"I'm trying, Matt… I can't!" Horrified, Caroline suddenly shot up and pinned Matt to the wall just as he was about to duck inside.

The last thing Matt saw before he closed his eyes was Caroline's fangs bearing down on his neck.

Continued…

Poor, poor Caroline. She cannot catch a break. Hope you all liked this chapter! Lots & lots of thanks to everyone reading & reviewing (and to the 'guest' reviewers I can't reply to personally via PM, you're all stars too!).