Chapter Ten : Loyalty

The year was 1193. England was no longer a safe place to be, with Richard the Lionheart captured and his brother, John, trying to take the throne. The Original family had chosen to instead take up residence in what had recently been called France, but were avoiding the court of Phillip II, given that they were, at present, acting as English noblemen. Caroline wanted to move onto Rome and establish roots in the Papal States, but she was met with resistance from the group. She did not fight them on it, and chose to enjoy the French countryside.

Their days were filled with horseback riding, pursuing various pleasures, and in general enjoying their lives. Their nights were filled with parties and guests and copious amounts of blood. Jeremy and Anna were in love, Bonnie had found herself a new student, Damon and Elena were not fighting, and even Stefan had found himself a set of twins that enjoyed warming his bed. On top of it all, Caroline and Tyler were happy.

So very happy. He treated her like a Queen, and she loved every moment they spent together. They would drink together and spend days in bed, enjoying the love that they had. She knew that one day they would get married, and had in fact posed as husband and wife on occasion while visiting a few courts, but they had never truly swapped rings. She knew that they had forever, but she prayed that one day their wedding would come.

Caroline leaned back in Tyler's arm as she shared his horse. They were racing across their estate, enjoying the wind in their hair. One of his arms was wrapped across her body while the other held the reins tight. They were both naturals on horses, after all these years, and this one in particular was a prize. She had given him to Tyler on his birthday the year before. She always gave him the best she had to offer.

"Come to my bedchamber tonight?" she asked in his ear, as they drew closer to the estate. His lips buried in his hair, and she knew that he was going to deny her. He always did this when he would deny her. They were both supernatural, and their desires were heightened. How could he possibly ever resist her?

"I have business to attend to in town. Tomorrow."

"Business? What business, my love?"

"Never you mind, Caroline. It is simply a man's business." He placed a kiss on her lips, then helped her down from his horse so she could go inside. He turned his horse back out of the estate, and she watched him go, puzzled.

These excuses had been coming more and more. Always something about 'man's business'. Two hundred years before, she had been the one in charge. All business was her business, regardless of the nature. Now, he was starting to pull away. Taking control. He had even taken to choosing the clothing she wore or selecting their guests for parties. They were small things, but they bothered her, greatly. She was the powerful one, yet he was pushing her around.

It was later, during her bath, that she realized what she had to do. Whatever this business was, it was her priority. She was the one that protected the rest of them. She was the one that held contacts, although Stefan almost rivaled her in numbers. She had someone in every court and every notable home. She was the one that moved them before threats came too close. Whatever this business was, it might threaten them all.

She wore a riding dress with split skirts and a black cape over the top. Her horse was saddled by the time she was fully dressed, and she rode into town. Her vampire senses could hear over the hum of the local tavern, and she recognized a voice coming from upstairs that belonged to Tyler. The words were vulgar in nature, and should have alerted her to what was going on, but she refused to believe it. They had been together over two centuries. He wouldn't be... no.

Caroline had to see it for herself.

She got down from her horse and threw the reins to a stableboy. Upon entering the tavern, she was greeted with the stench of alcohol and unbathed men. They all looked at her and a few got down, bowing to her, as they recognized who she was, but most just laughed. They had to have recognized one of their local Lords disappearing upstairs with the normal filth of women that perused these establishments.

She ignored them all and walked up the stairs until she was outside of the door that she knew would Tyler. With a simple push of her arm against the bolted wood, the door was knocked down. The girl that was under Tyler screamed, and he looked up in shock. "Caroline... wait, it's not what it looks like..."

"It isn't? Because I'm pretty sure it looks like you're rutting with some piece of trash. A common whore. Truly, Tyler, is this the 'business' that you had to attend to this evening?"

"Caroline, if you'll just let me explain-" He was already off the girl and trying to pull clothes on, but all Caroline felt was anger. Two hundred thirty eight years, wasted, on Tyler Richardson Lockwood. She had forced herself to love him, knowing that was her father's wish. He had been turned into a Vampire at her request to Bonnie. He owed her everything, and this was her repayment.

"I strongly suggest you close your mouth, Tyler," she said, her head shaking slightly. The girl on the bed tried to get up and run, but Caroline flashed to her and ripped her heart out. The blood splattered down the front of her gown, but she didn't care.

"Caroline!"

She turned towards him, her eyes dark, and she broke off the leg from a table and stabbed it straight into his heart. He gasped out, then fell to the ground as she let him drop. He would awaken in a few hours.

"What is going on here?" came a man's voice, and she turned to see it was one of the inhabitants from downstairs. She flashed to the man and bit into his neck, then crushed his heart with her hand. Man after man and whore after whore, she crushed their hearts, ripped off their heads, and drank them dry. She didn't stop until her dress was near saturated in blood, and there were no beating hearts remaining.

She dragged Tyler's temporarily dead body outside and threw it over his horse and lead it home while riding her own. When she reached the manor, she dragged Tyler's body in by his hair. Stefan was the first to find her, and took in her blood soaked state.

"Caroline, what happened?" he asked, and came to look at Tyler. "Why is Tyler still staked? Why have you not removed it?"

"Did you know?" she asked, her voice emotionless.

"Know what, Caroline?"

"What is going on here, wench?"

"Caroline? Oh my heavens, Caroline, are you alright?"

Damon and Elena had come down to join them, and she stared at them, her face blank. Even though her dress was starting to dry, she knew she still had blood dripping from her hair. "Did you know that he was being unfaithful?"

The room went silent, and she heard Stefan hiss. "He was WHAT?!"

Stefan hadn't known. She looked over to Elena and Damon. Elena's eyes were wide, but Damon was looking away. Damon had known.

"How long has he been whoring behind my back?" Her voice was calm, and even. She felt nothing as she spoke. Only emptiness. Two hundred thirty eight years, wasted. They were not perfect, but she made herself believe they were. She had done it, been with Tyler, because of her father.

Elena stepped towards her and Caroline looked over at her slowly. "Caroline, did you turn it off?"

She burst out laughing. Turn it off? What a stupid idea. She didn't want to lose control. She didn't need to learn control. No, what she had done tonight, she was perfectly in control. "On the contrary, Elena. I am fully aware of the decisions I'm making, and I am doing them based upon my emotions. You have simply never seen me acting in response to betrayal before now."

Her eyes flicked over to Damon again, and she didn't keep the veins down as they rose to the surface. "How long was Tyler unfaithful?"

Damon was silent for a moment, then said, "I didn't know that he had been unfaithful the past two centuries, but he was sleeping with Vicki before we were turned."

Vicki. The village whore. He had sworn to her that he had never touched her. "How long?"

"Long enough that she bore his child."

Caroline stared at Damon with empty eyes. Her voice was but a whisper as she spoke. "Go find Bonnie."

Elena rushed off to find their witch and Caroline ripped the stake out of Tyler's chest. He should be waking up within thirty minutes - and by then, Bonnie would almost be done with her spell.

"Caroline, what's going on?"

"Do you remember the spell we talked about? The one that we could use just in case?"

Bonnie gasped. "Caroline, what happened?"

"It seems our Lord Lockwood here has been playing under the skirts of every village girl he sees. Not too smart of the mutt, if you ask-" Caroline flashed forward and grabbed Damon by his neck.

"You will silence your tongue, else I shall rip it from your throat."

Damon stared down at her in shock and she dropped him to the ground to return to Bonnie. "A hundred years, Bennett. He will be imprisoned for a hundred years for what he has done. Do it."

Bonnie stared at her in shock. Never before had Caroline spoken so harshly to any of them. She turned away from the group and began walking towards the great hall. There was a large chair there that she found comfortable. A servant brought her a goblet of wine and she sat down in front of the fire and drank from it.

Stefan joined her a few minutes later. He sat in the chair beside hers as they stared into the fire.

"Love is a weakness," she said after a few minutes.

"No, Caroline. Love is good. Love is pure. What you and Tyler had? That wasn't love."

"And what you and Tatia had was love?" Her words were cruel, and Stefan didn't respond.

"Love is truly a weakness." Silence settled over them and she stared into the burning logs, wishing that her feelings for Tyler could just as easily be burned away.

Bonnie eventually came to join them, and told her that the spell was done. Caroline drained the rest of her goblet, then asked her to gather the rest of them. Soon enough, the remainder of the original family, and Anna, were gathered in one room.

"I'm moving on. Going to Rome. You may stay here, if you wish, but you will not do so with my protection. You are welcome to return to me, but I am done with France. It is no longer safe for us. I suggest you all come with me."

Damon and Elena looked at each other, and Jeremy and Anna moved towards them. So, that's how it would be. "I won't force you to come with me, but just know, you will regret this. I do not forget betrayal lightly."

"I'm coming with you, Caroline," Stefan said.

Bonnie was silent, and she looked over at her. "I'm tired, Caroline. Take me with you, but I want to rest once we are there."

Caroline nodded at her, then looked at the other half of their group. "So that's it then?"

"Caroline, we can't just leave. We like it here," Elena started, and Caroline shook her head.

"Are you daft, Elena? People talk. The eight of us? We do not grow old. We do not get sick. We have no children. People disappear. Regardless of what the humans think, word travels. We simply must move on. Staying here is a death sentence. We never should have stopped here when we left England."

"We were happy in England, Caroline!"

"We were in danger!"

"Always with this danger, Caroline! Why are you so paranoid? No one is going to harm us! We're invincible!"

Caroline shook her head sadly at Elena. Poor, sweet, innocent Elena. She didn't know how to live in a world that all of the attention wasn't on her. Caroline had played that game long enough.

"You mark my words, sister," she practically spat that word. The two of them, along with Bonnie, had been sisters for as long as they had been alive. "I will not forget this. One day, you will see that I tell the truth. And you will learn, in that time, to fear me."

.:| The Honorable Nobleman |:.

He had seen her from afar, but this would be the first time that he would talk to Katherine Pierce, face to face. The entire idea shook him to his very core. While Elena and Tatia had looked the same, at the end of the day, they were still very different. Their hairstyles, dress, and mannerisms had always been different. He had always been able to tell them apart.

But Katherine, born a thousand years later, was still just like his Tatia. She wore the same large, beautiful curls, and her smile was identical, with the way her eyes flitted around the room, and even the way she spoke. Everything about Katherine screamed Tatia to him, and it hurt deep down in his soul. He thought that he had moved on after being without her for so long, but one smile from her, and all the pain had returned.

Tatia had never been an easy wife. They fought, and argued. She threw her past lovers in his face and refused to stop her flirting. It never mattered, though. She was his wife, and he had loved her wholeheartedly. He kept telling himself that Katherine wasn't Tatia and this wasn't his second chance, but it certainly felt like it. Caroline would dagger him in a heartbeat if he ever voiced his thoughts.

Now, he was going to see this new doppelganger. Elijah had called and requested that they discuss the sacrifice itself and needed his assistance in telling Katherine all about what was going on. The girl had no idea about the truth behind the supernatural, which was shocking to Stefan, given that her boyfriend was a vampire hunter. Did they truly think that her ignorance would protect her? Ignorance was fatal.

It was a short drive over to the Mikaelson mansion, where he was supposed to be meeting the pair. Stefan had mentioned the meeting to Caroline while on his way out the door, but she had waved her hand and remained in her large arm chair, staring at the fire. Something was on her mind, so he would just handle all of the little details. His friend would likely only scare the girl anyways. That meeting could be held at a later point.

As he pulled up to the mansion, he knew something was wrong. Elijah was on his phone inside, leaving a voice mail, begging for an answer. He knew that the youngest two Mikaelsons were at school and the rest were at work, and he could sense no other being inside of the house. He got out of his car and walked up to the door, only to have it pulled open before he reached it.

"She's gone!" Elijah yelled, and brushed his hands back through his hair.

Stefan raised an eyebrow slightly, then looked down at the man's clothes. Dress pants, dark dress shirt, and a suit jacket. He was far better dressed now than he had been a few days earlier, when he had just been wearing a long tshirt and jeans. He almost didn't look like a peasant anymore. "I am assuming you mean Katherine?"

"Yes!" Elijah yelled, punching the buttons on his phone again. "She was supposed to be here half an hour ago and she called when she left her house, but I haven't heard from her since."

"You mean to tell me she has been missing for thirty minutes and you didn't think to notify me?"

"Well, she does this sometimes. Disappears without a sound for a day or two. She likes her freedom. But, she knew how important this meeting was, and that she wasn't safe anymore."

Stefan chuckled a little. Sounded like Tatia. "It's the Petrova in her. They cannot be controlled, no matter what you do."

The two men eyed each other, and Elijah shook his head. "No, something's wrong."

"How about we start by going to her house? Come, Elijah. We shall find your little girlfriend." Stefan also had a nagging feeling something was wrong. Perhaps he should have dragged Caroline out with him today. She was the best at finding missing Petrovas.

.:| The Never Forgotten Past |:.

The year was 1329.

"Caroline, they didn't know how bad it was!"

"How bad it had gotten? Bloody hell, Stefan, they're calling it a MASSACRE! They are lucky that I was in Scotland for David's crowning a few days before. I had to run all the way to the open water and take the first ship across, and then spent two weeks cleaning it up. It still took me another week to track him down, and when I find him, they're HIDING HIM from me."

"He is her little brother," Stefan tried to point out, but Caroline slammed her hand into the wall. She ignored the crunching of the bones, the dust of the brick, and the pain that shot up her arm. It would heal soon enough, and walls could be replaced.

"And he has endangered us all. It's because of that handmaiden he has been fucking."

"Anna is his wife, Caroline. You must accept that she is now one of us."

"I can still rip her heart out, so she is not one of us."

Stefan sighed, and Caroline resumed her pacing. Jeremy was laying still on the table, dagger sticking out of his chest. Elena and Damon were in similar states, laying dead on the ground. They had had their fights, but never had she broken their necks as an actual form of punishment.

"If he were anyone else, Stefan, his body would already be ripped to shreds."

"But he is an Original, and not even that will fully kill him."

Caroline knew that was the truth and continued to pace. "For being his wife, the girl certainly managed to disappear quickly."

"She is frightened of you, Caroline."

"And for good reason! I'm going to rip her heart out of her chest the next time that I see her." Her hand had already healed, and now she was swinging another punch at a wall. The pain felt good as it flowed up her arm.

There was a groan coming from one of the two bodies on the floor, and Caroline flashed over to Damon and broke his neck again. She had no patience for Damon Salvatore. Any trust that she had in him was broken the moment he had left her bed and told her that she simply wasn't a Petrova.

Stefan did not even rise from his chair as she broke his brother's neck. Caroline and Stefan were far closer than Damon and Stefan were. They travelled the world together, explored together, learned together. Never once had Stefan tried to use their friendship against her, and never had he betrayed her. The day he betrayed her would be the day she finally and truly died.

"How much longer until Elena awakens, do you think?" she asked, staring down at Elena's unmoving body.

Elena would be the reason he would one day betray her. When it was just the two of them- sometimes joined by Bonnie- Stefan live a carefree life. But whenever Elena was around, it all changed. He tried to stop drinking human blood altogether, but would then lose complete control. One look at her brown eyes, so alike yet so different from Tatia's, and everything in him would shift.

Elena brought Stefan pain, and now, Elena had betrayed her.

"If, and I repeat, if Elena apologizes for what she did, I will forgive her. Otherwise, I have a dagger that I will gladly shove through her heart."

"And Damon?"

"He will share in her punishment. I will not have him trying to undagger her at every turn. He also chose to protect Jeremy."

Stefan nodded, and Caroline turned and stared at the body. How had it come to this? When she had stumbled across the daggers, she had never thought that she would actually use them. They were more of a toy for her to have in her collection, to show that she defeated the greatest that the witches could send after them. She had survived hell for all of that. And now, she was using them on her family.

"Wars come and go, Stefan. This one only ended, and Jeremy feels the need to go out and kill more? Another war would have started soon enough. Tensions are high throughout the continent. I encourage us to follow war, because death is all around. Jeremy went too far, Stefan. I know he is your good brother, but he will be daggered for at least fifty years for this."

Elena's body began to moan, and Stefan shot forward to get to her before Caroline. He picked the girl up and held her in his arms. When she finally opened up her eyes, she smiled, then glanced around. "What, why is Damon still on the ground? Jeremy?"

She was pushing herself out of Stefan's arms and trying to get to her brother's body. Caroline stepped in front of it, then faced down Elena. "Your brother caused a massacre, and then you hid him. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"What? No, he didn't mean to. It was only a few people!"

"It was an entire village, Elena. He wasn't even doing it for the blood. He killed because he could. And you hid him from me, and tried to stop me from entering."

"No!" Elena screamed, and struggled against Stefan, who had stepped up to hold her back.

"Caroline, give him another chance..." he tried to reason.

"No! No, I will not! This is the last straw! She has known that things were getting worse, and yet still she refused. Jeremy was warned, and now here we are."

"Why, Caroline? He is a Vampire! What is so wrong with him enjoying blood?"

"He put a mark on us, Elena. We are now all in danger."

"It's always about you, isn't it? Always about your paranoia, and always about what you want from each of us."

Caroline flashed forward and ripped Elena out of Stefan's arms, slamming her down onto the table. Elena tried to struggle out, but Caroline was far stronger. She was always stronger. "Now you listen here, Petrova bitch. You think it is all about me? Allow me to display the facts."

She picked Elena up slightly and slammed her back onto the table, causing Elena to look up in fear. "When you started a war, you sent for me, and I came. When you left Damon, each and every time, I opened up my home to you. When you were attacked, I came to you, and I took revenge for you. When the Hunters came, I undaggered you, and took all of the deaths upon myself. When you turned off your emotions, I helped you turn them back on. You have always been weak and pathetic, relying on others, and yet I always came for you, when you asked."

Elena's eyes were wide and she no longer fought against Caroline, but she was already on a roll. "So, I shall list to you the few times it has been about me. When our home was attacked, I forced us all to move on. When Tyler left me, I requested your companionship and you denied me. When I gave you advice, you ignored me. And when I told you that Jeremy was getting worse, I begged you to come and help him. You instead chose to dismiss every letter I sent."

Caroline picked Elena up by her neck and walked her over beside Jeremy's body, where two more daggers were laying. Elena saw them and tried to struggle, but Caroline already had her pinned back on the table. "So, Elena, when I came to you, and asked where your brother was, you lied to me. Never once have I used our friendship against you. I have been there for you, always and forever, but never once has it been about me. And now, you won't be able to leave again. Sleep well, Elena."

She sunk the dagger into her chest. Stefan said nothing as he laid Damon up on the table beside her, and Caroline repeated the move on him. The house was quiet afterwards, as Caroline and Stefan drank bloodied wine while they stared at the fire. Both had relaxed into rather large chairs.

"Why do Damon and Elena always go back to each other?" Caroline asked after a little while. She had been wondering this for many years, but now seemed an apt time to ask. They brought out the worst in each other, it seemed.

"Because they love each other," Stefan said, and drank more of his wine.

"They constantly fight and betray each other, and yet they always end up together."

"It's because they find strength in their love, Caroline."

She shook her head slightly and spoke after taking another sip of her wine. "No, Stefan. They are strong because they are vampires, and they are weak, because they love."

.:| The Lone Pup |:.

Another late night doing research led to Klaus being exhausted in the middle of his shift. His current mission was to find coffee, and fast, but as he turned down the last street of his route and drove by the Pierce house, he had to slow down. Something was wrong. Katherine's car door was wide open and there was a gray van driving rather quickly away from the house.

What the hell was going on? He immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial for Elijah as he tried to keep up. The van was fast, but he was faster. Why the hell wasn't he driving his normal Sheriff's vehicle today? No, he had to insist on driving his truck, that had no emergency lights in it.

Elijah finally answered. "Brother, I'm having a bit of a crisis here. Now is not the time."

"Does it have anything to do with Katherine?"

There was silence for a moment, and then he heard Stefan Salvatore's voice. "Did he just say Katherine?"

Elijah took in a deep breath, then said, "If you know where she is, then tell me now."

"I think I just came across someone kidnapping her. I'm following the vehicle now."

"Where the hell are you?" Stefan yelled into the phone.

"About to turn South onto 29. Anyone want to fill me in on what's going on?"

"We should call Caroline," Stefan said.

Elijah growled out, "No! No calling Caroline! She'll insist that we can't protect her."

"Uh, hello?"

"Yeah, just keep following the vehicle and call us when you turn off. We're on our way," Elijah said, then hung up the phone. Klaus looked down at it for a moment, then shook his head as he kept following the speeding van.

.:| The Never Forgotten Past |:.

The year was 1502.

"WHAT DID SHE DO?" Caroline bellowed at Stefan as she walked into the rooms at Ludlow Castle. Her hair was a tangled mess and her dress was dirty and ripped in a few places. "You do not send me a letter saying that the heir to the English throne is dead by Elena's hand and then refuse to give me an answer!"

Elena was on the floor with her neck broken while Stefan was flinching back in fear. She could hear the guards running down the hallway, coming towards the sound, but she gave it no care. "Caroline, allow me to do the spell first."

"Then bloody do it while I deal with these guards."

Bonnie began working on performing a privacy spell, her own clothes and hair as destroyed as Caroline's, while Caroline stepped into the hallway and compelled all of the men to leave. They all turned and went about her business, and when Caroline stepped back into the room, she slammed the door shut and turned to Stefan, who was on his knees, his face in his hands.

"Now you tell me what she did, Stefan, or so help me god, I will use your body as firewood for the next hundred years."

He looked up at her, tears running down his face. "We didn't mean for this to happen, Caroline. We were only staying for a day before continuing on to meet you and Bonnie in Scotland, but Elena saw the Prince and couldn't resist."

"That was almost a year ago. In that time he was married. You cannot tell me she continued this tryst after he was married. I helped to FORM that alliance. I'm the one that SUGGESTED the betrothal!"

Caroline was fuming now, ready to rip someone's head off. She should have let the guards come in to disturb them. Her body was overwhelmed with anger. The full moon had risen while she ran from Stirling Castle near the heart of Scotland all the way to Ludlow, near the Welsh border. On nights like this, her entire body needed a release of it's power and energy. But she couldn't have it. Not while she was still cursed.

"You don't understand, Elena. Damon refused to come back to her, so she wanted to prove that she could have whoever she wanted. She didn't even have to compel him - he knew and he didn't care. Catherine didn't know about the relationship at all. I thought it would be alright. I thought-"

"You thought wrong. You told me that the situation was under control when I asked why you had not joined us yet. You told me that she was flirting with a few noblemen. You told me that no one knew you were Vampires. You LIED!" As she yelled the last word, she backhanded him across the face. Blood came out from where one of her rings had struck his cheek, but Stefan didn't rise up against her.

"Caroline, if we are going to return to Scotland before we are missed, then we need to leave soon." Bonnie had finally spoken up, and Caroline nodded to her.

"Of course, Bonnie. You are correct. Will you go secure travel for our belongings from here to the castle near the border? I won't take them all the way back to court."

Bonnie's eyes went wide as Caroline began pulling a few items out of the bag that she had brought with her. When Caroline had heard the news, she had grabbed a small bundle from the bottom of her trunk and ran as she was, still wearing her court finery. Bonnie hadn't realized until that moment that the bag held the White Oak Ash and two daggers.

Stefan was staring at her in shock as well. "No, Caroline, I beg of you, not that."

Caroline's eyes thinned as she looked down at Stefan. Her teeth clenched as she spoke. "Finish your story."

Stefan bowed his head again, knowing that there was likely nothing he could say to save himself from the dagger. He had hated the twenty years he had spent in a coffin, but it had been necessary after he had become a full ripper.

"Catherine caught her drinking from Arthur in bed. She was furious. We tried to compel her to forget, but it didn't work. She is somehow on vervain. We locked her in the room with Arthur, and told the court that they were both ill. Arthur was worried about what would happen to his wife, and Elena realized then that he was only with her because of the supernatural, not because he loved her. She... she flipped, Caroline."

"What happened," Caroline spat out at his pause.

"She killed Arthur before I could blink. I was able to stop her from killing Catherine. The vervain was almost out of her system by then, so I compelled her to forget. I compelled the entire court while Elena sat with his body. She lost it, and flipped the switch entirely. She couldn't handle it."

Caroline was shaking with rage. Elena had flipped the switch and killed the crown prince because he didn't love her? Elena was in love with Damon, and yet she flipped the switch when a passing toy didn't love her? "Pathetic."

She took one of the daggers off the table and dipped it in the ash, then walked over to Elena's body. She sunk the dagger in, then felt Stefan behind her, trying to pull her off. Caroline whirled around on him and backhanded him again. Stefan had actually tried to stop her from daggering Elena.

"You and I have danced along this line many times, Stefan Salvatore, but never have you crossed it. I expected better of you."

She shook her head at him, furious that he had actually stood against her. He was betraying her. Betraying her for a girl that was endangering them all. And she saw in his eyes that Stefan clearly had feelings for Elena. When had his love for Tatia shifted to her twin?

"You and I, we speak of love throughout the centuries, well let me tell you something."

She pointed down at Elena's body, furious, with her vampire details out in full force. She was craving blood, and the next human to walk through that door would be her meal.

"THAT is what happens when you care about Love. She was foolish enough to believe herself so, and craved that he love her back. This is what I have told you, time and again. Love has broken your precious Elena."

Stefan nodded his head. Caroline was right. Not being loved had caused Elena to turn the switch off on her humanity.

"And now, you love Elena so much that you are willing to betray ME! Your oldest friend! The person that has stood by you throughout eternity. That helped you when you lost control. That has comforted you when you were alone. I am the one person that has never left your side when you needed me, and yet you still chose your precious Elena."

Caroline shook her head, furious, and she saw that Stefan was looking up at her with heartbroken eyes. It was as though the reality of it was settling in. That he had put Caroline and himself second to his love for someone that would never treat him right.

She stepped over to the table and picked up the second dagger. She dipped it into the ash and swirled it around for a minute, then stepped around in front of Stefan, who had sunk to his knees. He looked up at her, his lips moving but nothing coming out. He was a broken man, and she was too distraught to fix him.

As she spoke to him, she pushed the dagger into his heart. "Love is a Vampire's Greatest Weakness, and we are not weak. We do not feel, and we do not care."

.:| The Honorable Nobleman |:.

Stefan pulled up outside of the warehouse that Klaus had directed them to. There were two vehicles out front, with one of them containing Klaus. He and Elijah both hopped out of his own vehicle and Klaus stepped from his, and the three men met in the middle.

"Why haven't you gone in?" Elijah demanded, and started towards the house. Klaus grabbed his arm and stopped him, then looked to Stefan.

"I think he's a Vampire."

"You think?" Elijah asked.

Stefan eyed him and shook his head slightly. "Very few have daylight rings. What would make you think he was a Vampire?"

"He was completely covered from head to toe in clothing, with no bit of skin showing... and then he flashed into the house with her."

Stefan raised an eyebrow at that. Who would dare be stupid enough to risk the daylight?

His phone rang, and he looked at it, but didn't recognize the number. He hit end call and slid it back into his pocket. He could always call them back later.

"Alright, well I guess I shall go in and retrieve Katherine. You two stay out here."

Klaus shrugged a little - clearly the man didn't care for the girl - but Elijah immediately put up protest. His phone rang again and Stefan glanced at it. Same number again. He hit the end call, then glared at the raging hunter.

"I am far stronger than whoever is inside that house. I can easily retrieve her for you. You will only get in the way. Getting in my way can result in bloodshed. Perhaps hers. Perhaps yours."

The phone rang again, and this time, Stefan answered it.

"Who is this, and what do you want?"

"Stefan? Stefan Salvatore?"

He recognized that voice... but he couldn't quite place it. "Yes?"

"I... I need your help."

"Then you have called the wrong number."

"No! It has to do with Caroline."

Stefan had been ready to hang up the call, but any mention of Caroline immediately caught his attention. "I'm listening."

"I... I need to make a trade. Have her remove the compulsion on me, and I'll give her what she wants."

"How could you possibly know what she wants? Who is this?"

"It's... it's Trevor. And I have the doppelganger."

Stefan lowered his phone from his ear and stared at the house. Trevor? Trevor Pantene? And he had the doppelganger. This was much more serious than he had thought.

"Do not move," he spat into the phone, then hung it up.

"What? Who was that?" Elijah asked, but Stefan ignored him. He quickly dialled her number into his phone, and after two rings, she answered.

"Caroline? We have a problem."

.:| The Queen of the Heartless |:.

Caroline pulled up in front of the warehouse in her Range Rover, and stepped out. All three men turned to look at her, and she could tell the Mikaelsons were impressed with her ride. As if that was the most important thing right now. She looked over Elijah and raised an eyebrow.

"Copying our Mr Salvatore, I see?" He looked down at his clothes, then shrugged. She gave him a coy smile. "It almost hides how pathetically human you are."

She let her eyes graze over Klaus, then looked at Stefan. "You said there was a problem, and that I needed to get here as fast as possible. What is it?"

"Katherine was kidnapped!"

Caroline turned to look at Elijah and raised an eyebrow at him once more. She was getting a real face workout, just dealing with the man. "Was I speaking to you?"

"Katherine was indeed taken, Caroline. She is inside the warehouse now, with a Vampire."

She shrugged a little, looking at him as if it was none of her concern. "And you needed me to help you get her out... why?"

"It's Trevor."

Every part of Caroline's body was calling out for her to flash into the building and rip off Trevor's head. She had warned him to never contact her and to never be within a hundred miles of her, on pain of death. Now, he had her doppelganger and wanted to make a trade? All she saw was red.

"Caroline, think about this before you act."

Caroline turned her head to look at Stefan, and half considered punching him for his words. Not in front of the humans. She would chastise him for interrupting her at a later time. How dare he tell her to think before she acted? Trevor deserved nothing but death, and she would rip the heart from his chest the moment she stepped inside the building.

"You have to find out how he learned about the sacrifice, and who else he told."

She gritted her teeth together as she stared at him, and her fists clenched together. The veins scrawled across her cheeks rose slightly, but she took in a deep breath and brought it all back down. She practically spat at him, "Answers first, then I kill him."

Stefan nodded his head and she began walking towards the building. The hunter and the werewolf were following her, only a pace behind Stefan who was a pace behind her, but she had no patience for their questions at the moment. She had a past lover to deal with.

She kicked the door down as she reached it and stepped inside, her body practically humming from the power it radiated. She looked around and saw and heard nothing but a faint heartbeat beneath her. He had hidden her somewhere below. She could smell the blood. He had harmed the doppelganger in some way.

"Trevor! Trevor, where the bloody hell are you?"

She heard a sound come from her right and she spun towards it, her eyes searching. In the shadows stood a lone vampire, with a very worried look on his face. "How... how did you find me? How did you get here so fast? Stefan, I did not mean bring her here."

Caroline stepped forward, then paused in her steps. Trevor had no daylight ring, and the door was now kicked off it's hinges. She smirked at the thought. He could hide in the shadows for a moment. "Did you truly think I did not know where the doppelganger was? She was already in my possession, and you took her from me."

Trevor was shaking and she could smell his fear. She let a smile slide across her face and stepped backwards, into the sunlight. "Come here, Trevor. If you want to make a deal with me so badly, then come to me."

He shook his head, watching her, and she flicked her eyes over to Stefan, who stood in the doorway with the Mikaelsons behind him. Stefan flashed over to the man grabbed him by the back of his neck, then brought him within a hair's breadth of the sunlight. Trevor was clearly shaking now, and Caroline stepped forward, to caress her finger over his cheek.

"Hello, Trevor," she whispered, looking into his eyes. Those eyes, filled with fear, had once tricked her into thinking they were filled with love. Her fingers touched him, so tenderly, and Stefan released his hold on Trevor's neck. The man didn't pull away or try to run. He knew better. "How long has it been now?"

"Two hundred and eighty-three years," he whispered out, and she gave him a sad smile.

"And how many people have you killed?" she asked softly, the coldness cutting through her gentle words.

"Four hundred seventy-two."

She smiled at him, and leaned forward to whisper into his ear, "Your punishment was not nearly enough."

Her hand moved to wrap around his throat and she turned to slam him into the ground. The stone cracked and he began to shriek, the sunlight hitting his exposed face, burning him. Her hand was still wrapped around his neck so he couldn't move out of it, but she pushed him forward, away from the sunlight, letting his body slide away from the doorway. She stepped forward, a stalker after her prey, and she picked him up once more by his neck and broke it, then dropped him back down to the ground in the shadows.

"Find the doppelganger," she said coldly, stepping over the body and moving towards a chair in the room that Trevor had slid into. "Find her and bring her to me. Then we shall have a talk."

.:| The Lone Pup |:.

Klaus had no idea what was going on. One minute, Katherine was kidnapped, and the next, they were all standing in a warehouse with an unconscious vampire, two calm Originals, his impatient brother, and a missing bitch. He nodded at the Originals, who were looking at them expectantly, and grabbed Elijah by the front of his jacket. "Come on, you idiot. We need to find her."

Elijah was still staring at the body on the ground, but Klaus grabbed his arm and jerked him towards the stairwell to go upwards. They could work from the top down. He couldn't hear anything but that didn't mean they wouldn't find her.

"Down, Sheriff Mikaelson," came the cool voice of Stefan Salvatore.

Klaus turned to look at the two Originals, and saw that Caroline was currently sitting in a chair with her feet propped up on top of the unconscious Vampire's head, as if he was a foot stool. She raised an eyebrow at him, as if asking why he was staring, and he closed his mouth.

"You want to go downstairs, Sheriff. I can hear her heartbeat coming from below us."

Klaus looked over to Stefan, who had spoken again, and nodded his head. Elijah was already running down the stairs and Klaus followed him. It took a few minutes to find her, but she was tied to a chair with her wrists bleeding from struggling against the bonds and a gag in her mouth. He stepped forward and cut both binds and Katherine flew into Elijah's arms, asking what was going on. They had a lot of explaining to do.

Klaus left the two down there while Katherine sobbed and returned upstairs to the Originals. They were both sitting there, with Stefan playing on his phone and Caroline watching the man in front of her. She looked up as Klaus walked in and nodded to them both. "We found her."

"Good," Stefan said, not looking up from his phone. "Protect her, this time. I doubt I can convince Caroline to allow her her freedom a third time."

Klaus looked over at Caroline, who had crossed one leg over the other and then crossed her arms over her chest. It almost looked as though the Original was pouting, but he knew better. She was simply trying to hide her true feelings.

"We'll take her home then," Klaus began, but Caroline shook her head and pointed at three chairs that were lined up beside hers.

"Sit," she said, and he looked at Stefan, waiting for him to say something. Stefan didn't look up from whatever he was doing.

Elijah and Katherine came up the stairs and Katherine asked who they were, but the two Vampires said nothing. Elijah led Katherine into the room and Stefan beckoned to the two chairs. They sat down and Katherine looked around for a moment, then looked down at the man on the ground. Caroline's boot was still pushing down on his head.

"He'll wake up in a few minutes," Caroline said, her eyes locked down on him.

"Who was he? Why did he attack me?" Katherine asked.

"It's because of your family," Elijah said gently. "You see, you have a blood line that goes back very far and is... well it's tied to some dark things."

Stefan snorted in his chair, and Caroline groaned a little. The three humans looked at them, waiting to hear them say something, and Caroline back at them. "You're talking to her like a child, hunter. Just tell her the simple facts."

Elijah nodded and took her hand gently. Klaus had once held that hand. It was disgusting to think about. What had he ever seen in Katherine Pierce? "There are supernatural things, Katherine. Have you ever heard of Vampires?"

Caroline burst out laughing. "Hunter, you are just about as useless as you are stupid."

Katherine looked over at Caroline, her eyebrow raised in silent question.

"Alright, girl, let me tell you what is going on. Vampires exist, and they were made with blood. Petrova blood. Blood which flows in your veins, as you are the doppelganger of the original Petrova. This man kidnapped you to sell you to me in exchange for his freedom, but the thing is, we already knew where you were. The Mikaelsons knew the truth, as your boyfriend here is a Vampire Hunter. They were to keep you safe until the sacrifice."

The girl's jaw dropped and Klaus couldn't blame her. It had all come as a shock to him at first as well. "Vampires aren't real!"

The veins on Caroline's face rose up and he saw her fangs elongate. It felt like forever since she had last shown him the beauty that was now in front of him, and he ignored Katherine's gasp. It all faded away after a moment, and Caroline sat back with a grin. "They're very much real, sweetheart."

Katherine was shaking beside him and was gripping his arm with one hand and Elijah's with the other. He shrugged her off and looked at Caroline, who was staring intently at him.

"What do you mean sacrifice?" Katherine asked.

"Well, you won't actually die, love. You see, your beloved hunter, and my idiot brother-" she pointed her hand to Stefan, who had clenched his jaw at the mention of him, "-have worked out a deal that you won't actually die."

"And if I refuse?" Katherine asked bravely, and Caroline grinned at her.

"Refused me and I will kill everyone you love, and then I will kill you."

Katherine laughed then, and Klaus turned to look at her like she was stupid. Well, she was stupid. He tried to explain. "She already turned Kol."

"What are we still doing here," Elijah asked, and Caroline smiled at them, then looked at the man beneath her foot. Klaus realized that the man was starting to move slightly. His neck looked to be back in place.

"You're going to see what happens to people that betray me," Caroline said, and kicked her foot into the side of the Vampire's head.

.:| The Queen of the Heartless |:.

Trevor was finally starting to move, and Stefan returned his phone to his pocket. Caroline said nothing as Stefan rose from his chair and stood over the vampire. She was patient, watching as the man she had once taken to her bed popped his neck back and forth, trying to get out the annoying crick that came with having your neck snapped. She had felt it a time or two herself.

"Trevor," Stefan said, helping the man to his feet. Trevor was looking around in shock, and his eyes settled onto Caroline. There was no emotion on her face as she watched him. She could hear the hearts of three racing beside her, but she ignored it. They had to learn what happened to those that broke deals with her.

"My Lord," Trevor said, bowing his body slightly towards Stefan. "I have waited a long time for this day."

Stefan nodded his head slightly. "Your betrayal came as quite a shock to us all."

Caroline kept her face completely clear, and Trevor looked over at her for a moment, then looked back at Stefan. He dropped to one knee suddenly, his head bowed. "Forgive me, my Lord. I never meant to betray you or your family. I am truly, very sorry."

Stefan stood there silent, and finally Trevor looked up. Stefan was looking down at him, and when their eyes locked, Caroline saw Trevor's eyes expanding slightly. Compulsion. "Tell the truth, Trevor. What were your intentions with my family?"

"To become a Vampire," he said, unable to lie.

"And your feelings for the Lady Caroline?"

"They were all a lie."

Caroline raised an eyebrow at Stefan, who turned to look at her. She shrugged her shoulders a little. "You did not believe me. I told you, but you did not believe me."

Stefan glared at her for a moment, then turned back towards Trevor.

"And your intentions in kidnapping Katherine Pierce?"

"Using her to make a deal for my freedom from Caroline?"

"Freedom?"

"From the compulsion she placed on me. She compelled me to kill anyone that gave me any kindness or I felt anything good towards."

Caroline smirked her in chair as Stefan turned to look at her. "Four hundred seventy-two, he said. I'm a little surprised. Of all the punishments I've given, this was far from the worst."

"She also made me unable to drink the last drops of blood and unable to turn off my humanity."

Caroline snorted a little at that, laughing. She had forgotten that part of the compulsion. Stefan was now glaring at her, and she shrugged. "He pissed me off, Stefan. He was using me!"

Stefan still glared at her, and she pursed her lips together for a moment. She knew what he wanted to say, but another conversation for once they were at home. "Just get on with it."

"Please, forgive me, my Lord," Trevor said, bowing his head once more.

"Stand up," Stefan said, and Trevor did so.

"Do you know why the Original Family has lasted a thousand years?" Stefan asked. Trevor looked at him oddly for a moment, then shook his head no. "It is because, even at the worst of times, we are loyal to each other. It is why, when you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us."

Trevor nodded his head a little, and Stefan stared at him for a moment. "We welcomed you into our home. Fed you from our table. Shared our secret with you. I treated you like a brother, and Caroline allowed you into her bed. For all intents and purposes, you were part of the family. Where was your loyalty?"

It had been a long time ago. Trevor had come to them, seeking help with werewolves, and in turn, he became part of their lives. They had turned him after a few years, and that was when the problems had begun. Caroline had finally compelled him and found out the truth. That the man she was finally letting her walls down for had only wanted to become a Vampire, and was now looking for a way to run.

"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor said, his voice trembling.

"So granted."

Trevor's eyes went wide, and he looked to Caroline. She smiled at him softly, then flicked her eyes over to Stefan, who was looking at her. They stared at each other for a moment, and she nodded her head slightly. Stefan nodded his head back and looked at Trevor, who was now eyeing them both.

Stefan's hand whipped up at Original Vampire speed, and one sick chop, Trevor's head was on the ground, and his body was falling in front of them. Caroline didn't even blink, but Katherine screamed out, Elijah jumped back, and even Klaus flinched. Stefan was pulling a napkin from inside his jacket and cleaning the blood from his hand.

"I got blood on my sleeve," he said, and Caroline looked over at him.

"You could have rolled up your shirt sleeve," she said, shaking her head slightly.

"That would cause wrinkles, Caroline."

She rolled her eyes sliding and pushed herself up from the chair, then bent over Trevor's body to grab his phone from his pocket. She tossed it to Stefan. "Call Rose. I'm sure her number is still in there. I want her around when Damon reawakens."

Stefan nodded and pocketed the phone to contact Rose after they left the warehouse, but then Caroline turned back to the three sitting there staring at the dead body. She turned back to Stefan to dismiss him. "Go ahead. I shall meet you back at the mansion."

He nodded and she turned back to the Mikaelsons and her future sacrifice. "Do you understand now?"

.:| The Lone Pup |:.

Caroline was staring at them, and Klaus stared back, his jaw clenched. Katherine was shaking beside him, but Klaus ignored her and stood up from his chair. "So, what, he used you, and so now you killed him?"

Caroline smiled at him and shook her head slightly. "He knew the punishment should he try to approach me, or any of the Originals. He paid the price for his betrayal now."

"And what about he said? About the compulsion?"

Caroline gave him a cruel smile, and he felt his heart stop.

"Let me tell you a story, little boy. In 1721, a man, a young Lord, came to my family and begged for our help in dealing with werewolves. We liked the man, so we let him live and know our secret. In the next three years, he became like a brother to Stefan, a friend to Damon and Tyler, a teacher to Elena and Bonnie... and he became my... my..."

She seemed to be struggling for the right word. "My compagno di letto, my concubitor, my bedfellow. He was, in essence, my lover of the decade." She shrugged it off, as it was no big deal. How many lovers had she had over the centuries, that she shrugged off the death of one so easily. "We eventually turned him, but then he began to act strange. As its turns out, he had only come to us because he wanted to be turned."

Caroline was now looking down at the man and shook her head slightly. "I did not love him, if that is what you think, but I did enjoy him. He was a welcome part of our group, but he betrayed us. He went to hunters and told of our location, then fled in the night. I hunted him down for two years, and when I finally reached him, I compelled him to kill anyone that gave him any sort of kindness or that he felt any affection for. I also placed a ban on him being able to kill himself, ask anyone to do it for him, to be able to drink the last few drops of someone's blood before their death, and made it so he could not turn off his humanity."

A cruel smile spread across her face as she looked up at him, and Klaus knew then that his head had stopped beating. "You do not betray me and live. So this is my warning to you. Give me what I want, and your family will be free. Betray me, and you will all become nothing."

She turned on her heel to leave, but Klaus moved after her. He knew there was more to her than that. There was a heart in her, that loved and cared. Why was she being so cruel? His hand grabbed her arm, and she turned abruptly to grab him by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. He was unable to breathe more than a few gasps, but her grip did not tighten. The veins were out, her eyes were black, and the fangs had descended.

"Do you see this?" she hissed at him. "Do you see my face? This is not a face of light. This is not the face of goodness and beauty. This is the face of death."

He knew then that she had seen his sketch of her vampire face, but he made no movement or sound in response. She loosened slightly, then resumed her hold and pushed him further into the wall. "I am not some beautiful angel that you can draw, and then in turn one day save. I am power and death. Do not attempt to touch me again, child."

She released her grip completely and he fell to the floor, then watched her turn and leave. She was beautiful as she stormed out, and he couldn't help but want her. There was so much more to Caroline Forbes than anyone realized.

AN :

First things First : I'm upgrading this to M. I was kidding myself to think I could avoid it, and I should have bumped it up after the last two chapters. I'm sorry if that bothers anyone.

Betas : a-little-blonde-distraction, livingdeadblondegirl, and hybridlovelies. Seriously, the most amazing girls ever!

I am so sorry I have been gone for so long. It wasn't that I dropped this or anything. I got really sick, and then my roommate had her baby, and then I've been sick again. I'm sick now. So, to reward you all, a giant chapter. The next chapter is already outlined and I'm starting on it in a few hours.

Tumblr, people, and twitter. melanoradrood. Same username in both places. If you have a question, I can answer it there!