A/N: Hayley, Klaus? Seriously? Here I am, worrying about her following you to New Orleans, and you don't even wait until you're out of Mystic Falls? I'm so disappointed in you. And yeah okay, that was kind of hot, but that's not the point. You're gonna have some serious grovelling to do in the next episodes.

Disclaimer: does anyone really think that this is how 4x16 would have gone if they were mine?

Rated T for language

I know. I suck at titles.

She can't believe she agreed to this. She knows why she did, of course. For Elena. She's not completely over the shock of what her supposedly best friend did to her, but she can push it to the back of her mind and rationalize it. This was not her best friend, and she has to do everything in her power to get her back. Because with Tyler gone – she swallows back a sob as she thinks of his heartbreaking letter – Bonnie going off the deep end, Jeremy dead – new sob – her father dead – yup, another one – and her mother busy with trying to keep this town as safe as it's ever gonna be, Matt and Elena are the only ones she has left. Well, them and Stefan, but Elena is his top priority right now. Not that she can blame him.

After Damon killed the best link they had to Katherine – btw, what the fuck is wrong with him?! – Rebekah realized that the only one who could lead them to the cure is Hayley. And the only one who seems to have the slightest chance of getting information out of Hayley is Klaus for some reason. And the only one who has the slightest chance of getting anything out of Klaus is the Little Blonde Distraction, though no one said so in so many words.

Huh, she hates her life.

And she's not being overdramatic, like she used to be back when she was human and falling during a cheerleading competition seemed like the end of the world. This happened to her today and it doesn't even rank in her Top 5 of Things She's Mad About – just for one freaking day.

She really, really hates her life, to the point where she doesn't know why she bothers anymore.

The only thing she can do to keep from going crazy is take it one step at a time.

And the next step is confronting Klaus to see if he managed to break the she-wolf.

Which is why she's now standing on the original mansion's front porch, trying to gather her courage and knock.

She doesn't get a chance to. The door swings open and she finds herself face to face with Hayley. She opens her mouth to speak, but the words die in her throat as she takes in her appearance.

She expected more blood and less… dishevelment.

She's still gaping at her when Hayley recovers first and casually crosses her arms on her chest, leaning against the doorframe as she says, "Oh. It's you."

Does she have to say it with so much contempt?

Caroline narrows her eyes at her, the nagging suspicion in the back of her mind keeping her from coming up with one of her usual snarky comebacks. This can't be what it looks like, right?

As soon as the thought has entered her mind, they both hear footsteps and Caroline tears her gaze away from the werewolf, her mouth falling right back open when she sees Klaus calmly walking down the stairs while putting on a long-sleeved t-shirt.

Fuck – are those tattoos on his chest?

She doesn't get more than a glimpse before he's fully covered and she shakes her head, trying to get rid of some very, very bad thoughts. Damn no-humanity-Elena and her harsh truths.

Wait a second. He has to have seen her before she saw him. He could have finished getting dressed before he started descending the stairs.

Is he trying to make her jealous?

Wait a second – again.

Is it working?

Nope, she decides. It's not. Not only is it the oldest trick in the book, she'd have to have feelings for him for it to work. Not going there.

"Caroline," he says, his tone pleasant. "What are you doing here?"

She picks her jaw up off the floor at last and finds her voice again.

"I need to talk to you."

"That's my cue to leave," Hayley decides. She turns to Klaus and throws him a flirty smile. "Thanks for tonight."

He smiles back, his eyes twinkling with amusement and a hint of something she doesn't want to identify. Bastard.

"My pleasure, love."

Love?

The she-wolf bumps her shoulder as she walks past her, and Caroline has to take a deep breath to keep from lashing out at her. She's not going to go all Damon on her and kill the only remaining link they have to Katherine. She's better than that. And she shouldn't have to remind herself of that.

Klaus's eyes never leave hers as they wait for the sound of Hayley's car to get lost in the distance. The first words out of his mouth once they're alone are not the ones she was expecting.

"You've been crying."

His voice has this neutral quality to it that she hates more than anything about him and she shrugs, trying to appear as indifferent as he seems to be.

"I haven't had the best of days."

How's that for an understatement?

He raises an eyebrow, clearly expecting her to elaborate. She doesn't. She's here with a mission. If she wanted to break down some more, she would have stayed in Matt's comforting embrace instead of driving off as soon as she got Stefan's text.

"Would you like something to drink?"

She nods and follows him as he leads her through the hallways. When they get to the living room, she instantly notices the two glasses, the empty bottles and some random objects scattered on the floor near a table and her hands tighten into fists at her sides until she tells herself to relax. He could have brought her anywhere else in this huge mansion, but no. He's rubbing it in, trying to see how much it'll take to get a reaction out of her. She's not going to give him the satisfaction of even mentioning what transpired here tonight.

She just has to figure out how to avoid the topic altogether when she's here to talk about Hayley. It might make sticking to her resolution a bit difficult, but she's confident she can do it.

It's warm in front of the fire, and she takes off her jacket and hangs it on the back of a chair while he finds an unopened bottle and two clean crystal glasses and pours them both a drink. She's careful to avoid any contact when he hands her hers and she gulps down half of it. She's gonna need it if she wants to make it through the next few minutes. Hell, she's gonna need it if she wants to make it through the next few months. Maybe years. Centuries? Huh, too depressing.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Here goes nothing, she thinks, and keeps her voice as carefully neutral as his when she replies, "Katherine. What else?"

He chuckles knowingly, as if this is exactly what he expected.

"Really, Caroline? Another mission to try and get something from me? Have you learned nothing? Have your friends learned nothing?"

"Apparently not," she shoots back, annoyed that he's immediately picked up on the fact that she was sent here.

And okay, it's not like she tried to refuse exactly, but it would have been nice of Stefan to at least try to think of another solution before throwing her to the wolf. Again.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?" he asks, clearly amused with the prospect.

"Two heads are better than one and all that crap. It's in your best interest as well as ours. Everyone wants to find her. And after the way Elena's been acting lately, you don't have to worry about one of us trying to shove the cure down your throat and you know it. We all want it for her."

"You're starting to sound like Damon."

A bitter laugh escapes her at that. He's right. Who would have thought? She's agreeing with Damon. Maybe the world is coming to an end. That would certainly solve a few of her problems.

"He does have a point."

Did she really just say that?

"I didn't think I'd ever hear you say that."

"You and me both," she grumbles, before she adds, "So, did you get anything out of Hayley?"

"Oh yes, I did. Nothing useful as far as Katerina is concerned though, I'm afraid."

She rolls her eyes, both at his words and at his smug smile.

"That's how you're gonna play it?"

"Play what, love?"

She huffs in exasperation and hands him her glass, slipping her jacket back on and heading toward the exit.

"You know what? Forget it. I don't know why I ever thought you'd want to be helpful. You clearly haven't even tried to locate Katherine."

"What makes you say that?"

She turns around to face him, her eyebrows raised. Okay, she didn't want to get into it, but he's leaving her no choice. Not if she wants to understand why the hell he's not putting more effort into this. He's been looking for the doppelganger for five centuries and he has even more reasons to go after her now, she doesn't get why he's being so passive about it when he finally has a decent lead.

"Hum, hello? Hayley just walked out of here unscathed. Everyone thought you were going to torture her. Instead you two…"

Her voice trails off and his signature smirk makes an appearance as he finishes for her, "Shagged. Fucked. Had sex." There's a pause as he walks closer to her and lowers his voice. "Made love."

It doesn't hurt. Nope. Not even a little. Which is why she can maintain her dignity and scoff.

"I mean, I get that sex with you could be seen as torture, but I expected more knives and less nakedness."

He dismisses the insult with a careless shake of his head, still quite obviously enjoying himself, and she wants to smack him now more than ever. He seems to sense that he's almost pushed her too far, because his expression suddenly turns serious.

"Knives wouldn't have worked."

"Why not?"

"That girl has suffered through full moons for years. She's used to breaking every bone in her body every single month. No pain I could inflict would break her. And she doesn't have any loved ones I could use against her. Not to mention she's mad, so I don't think death threats would work either."

This actually makes sense, she realizes with no small amount of surprise. But she's not about to tell him that.

"So you slept with her instead?" she asks somewhat incredulously.

He smiles.

"Have you ever had crazy sex? It's the best."

He's trying to get a rise out of her again. It takes her a second to get over her instinctive response and when she does, she smirks. Two can play that game.

"Have you met me? I'm neurotic. Believe me, I know what crazy sex is like."

He doesn't even blink at her obviously provocative tone. Damn, how she wishes she could get the upper hand just once.

"Why so surprised then?"

"I wasn't surprised. Just…"

Okay, now would be a really good time to stop talking, Forbes, she chastises herself, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"Just what?"

"Nothing."

"Say it, love. You know you want to," he taunts. She looks back up at him in surprise, trying to read his expression. Does he know what she was about to reveal or is he bluffing? Just to be safe, she decides to keep her mouth shut. He gets that she's not going to say it, so he does it for her. "You were disappointed. Even – dare I say it? – hurt."

"Please," she huffs, her voice disdainful.

He ignores her feeble attempt at denial and takes a few steps back, distancing himself from her for whatever he's going to say next.

"I really don't see why. You've made it quite clear that my feelings are unrequited. There's only so many times I can pour my heart out only to have you reject me. So, yes, I probably didn't need to sleep with her in order to manipulate her. But did you expect me to remain celibate until you changed your mind about me? And when would that be? In a century? Two? When the pain gets so unbearable that you follow in the doppelganger's footsteps and just shut it all off?"

"How about when you stop hurting everyone I care about?" she suggests, her voice colder than she's ever heard it as she reminds herself of every horrible thing he's ever done.

"Are you saying it's a possibility?"

Damn it, she walked right into that one, didn't she?

"No!"

"Eternity is a long time, love."

"Whatever. The way things are going, I won't make it to graduation, forget about eternity," she mutters, only half-joking.

She thinks she can see him stiffen at that, but it could be a trick of the light. The way the flames are making shadows dance across his body is oddly mesmerizing.

"What happened?"

"Um… Did you miss the many times I've almost been killed in the past couple of years? Wait, don't answer that. You were there for most of those times, so I know you didn't."

She leaves out the fact that on half of those occasions, he was the one who put her in danger, and on the others, he was the one who saved her. Confusing much? How freaky is it that she actually gets him?

"I meant today. What happened today?"

She shrugs, sensing that she needs to play it off if she doesn't want to regret it.

"The usual."

"You almost died," he deduces. "Who?"

She frowns as she tries to analyze the sudden tension in his body. It's unmistakable this time. The shift is so subtle that she would have missed it if she had blinked, but he now looks like he's ready to pounce. And for the first time tonight, she feels like she's on familiar territory. She's reminded of the fact that his indifferent façade is just that – a façade. That he cares and that no matter how much he probably wishes that they had, those feelings didn't just disappear in the past couple of days. He didn't ask out of mere curiosity. He's ready to kill whoever hurt her.

"It doesn't matter."

His eyes narrow and she can almost hear the wheels turning in his brain as he tries to think of a way to either get her to tell him or to find out from someone else. Then he seems to give up – though she knows better than to hope he's never going to bring it up again – and he relaxes almost imperceptibly. And he decides to try another approach.

"What's really bothering you, love?"

His tone is different, softer, and she wishes she hadn't noticed, because it makes his concern sound so genuine, which makes her want to allow a flash of vulnerability to show. She shouldn't. She knows she shouldn't. But damn it, how much more is she supposed to endure with a smile on her face? Would it really be that terrible for one of her acquaintances to witness a moment of weakness? Would it be terrible for her to get an answer to one – just one – of the billion questions that are running through her mind? Would it be terrible if her human insecurity resurfaced for just one second? Even if it happens in front of Klaus?

Yes. Yes it would.

She knows that.

But the truth is she's been holding so much back lately that she has to let something out, or she'll explode. And this is the least harmful of her questions right now.

"Why her?"

It came out as a whisper, and she wants to curse herself when she sees him smirk in understanding.

"Ah. So that's the heart of the matter. Not that I betrayed you, but that I did it with her."

"You didn't betray me," she retorts instantly, because she knows that she has no right to expect anything from him.

If she's honest with herself, he's already done more for her than she ever could have expected. Sure, he hurt her and he almost killed her and he drove her boyfriend out of town, but really, how many times did she use his affection for her against him? She's lost count, so she's not sure if they're even or not, but she does know that he didn't have to heal her – even if his reasons were somewhat selfish – and that he could have killed Tyler on the spot instead of giving him a head start.

"No, that's true. But that's not how it feels, is it?"

No, it's not, and she hates him for being both perceptive enough to know it and insensitive enough to point it out. She sighs.

"What do you want me to say?"

He sets his glass on the table and slowly comes closer to her. His hands clasped behind his back, he leans down so that their faces are mere inches apart, invading her personal space. She gives him a glare, unable to believe that he thinks this is going to work. After all the time she's spent dealing with him, she's grown immune to this particular technique of intimidation.

"That you're hurt. Admit it, sweetheart. You liked the attention I was giving you, and you're afraid it's all over now. You liked having this option open, even if you never intended to explore it. You liked knowing that the most powerful man on the planet would have done anything for you."

She wants to snort at his assessment of himself, but she holds it back because he's right – not only about that, but about everything he's just said. She can't decide who she hates more. Him, or herself. She settles on hating the universe. It's out to get her, there's no other possible explanation. Why else would it have thrown her in this mess on top of everything else? Why else would it have arranged for her to figure out what's happened between Klaus and Hayley instead of making her arrive at the mansion just forty seconds later? Couldn't it just have let her live her life in blissful ignorance and denial?

The only thing she can do without admitting to anything is make light of it, so she does.

"Well, I have to say it's pretty handy having the one cure to werewolf bites at my disposal, given how prone to danger I am."

"Bloody hell, Caroline!" She jumps at his sudden outburst and he doesn't give her time to recover before he pushes her against the wall and traps her with his hands on either side of her head, not touching her but so fucking close she can feel his rage. "It's not like I'm asking for eternal devotion. Just admit that you felt something – anything – even if it came from that insecure, neurotic teenage girl that craves any kind of attention."

She swallows hard. Not in fear – although if she had any sense left, she would be terrified right now – but in desperation. Because she has no idea what to do. Lying will send him on a killing spree and he'll be lost to them, and they're probably going to need his help in the weeks to come. Telling him the truth… Well, that's even more dangerous. But only to her. Looks like she's gonna have to go with the lesser of two evils. Shaking her head, she tries to find a way out and she whispers, "I can't."

"Why?"

"I just…"

"Why, Caroline?"

Something snaps inside of her, the events of the past few days suddenly rushing to the surface, and she pushes him away from her, her anger making her stronger than they both expected. He takes a step back and watches her, clearly taken aback.

"Because I do! I love it! Do you have any idea how powerful it makes me feel? And how much I hate myself for feeling this way? Damn it, Klaus! You are the most powerful man on the planet, and for some reason I can't even begin to comprehend, you set your eyes on me. How could I not be at least flattered? I've thought about giving you a chance more times than I can count and it scares the shit out of me. Because every single time I think there's something good in you, you go ahead and commit another atrocity, and every single time that happens I hate myself just a little bit more. You're set on destroying everything around you, and I can't let you do that to me. So yes, I feel something. Something I'm disgusted with. Are you happy?"

"Ecstatic," he replies drily once he's over the shock.

And – damn him – she laughs. She's always been the queen of emotional rollercoasters, but it gets ten times worse when she's with him. How the hell is she supposed to keep up? How does he? Shaking her head once again, she tries to find some kind of mental state that doesn't involve laughing hysterically or crying her heart out. With a few deep breaths, she manages to reach a safe balance and decides that this conversation can only end badly if she doesn't stir it in the right direction. Business.

"So, now that that's out of the way, do you think we can work together?"

"You mean do I think I'll help you and your friends the next time you need me?"

Ahem. That's how things have been working lately, isn't it? Their alliances never seem to go both ways. And as much as they like to pretend they're the good guys, if he refuses, it'll be their own fault after the number of times they've tried to cross him. How can they still be surprised every time he retaliates?

He was right earlier. They've learned nothing.

"Yes, that. But really, if you think about it, you can't blame us for not being nearly as resourceful as you are. Nor for not being willing to sleep with Hayley just to get information."

"Well, not just to get information."

Nope. Still doesn't hurt. Shut up.

"Whatever. Will you tell us if you find anything? Elena's really…"

Something seems to click into place and he cuts her off.

"She's the one who almost killed you today, isn't she?"

"It doesn't matter," she tries again.

"Does she enjoy giving me more reasons to kill her?" he asks, though he mostly seems to be talking to himself.

"Stop it. Just… Could we just stop the bloodshed for a few weeks? I can't deal with more people dying. You go after Elena, Damon will go after Rebekah. Then you'll go after Stefan, so Damon will go after Elijah, and you'll go after Damon, and then what? It's just you, me and Bonnie, and Silas takes over the world. Seriously, Klaus, just drop it, please."

He's looking at her with his head tilted to the side like he's actually thinking about what she just said and she holds her breath – not that she really needs to breathe anyway, but still, the moment feels dramatic enough to justify that kind of human behavior.

"Since you said please…"

She feels like jumping up and down with joy, but she contains her excitement. He's done this before, making her think that he was giving in only to pull the rug from under her feet. She vividly remembers the crushing despair after he let her think that he was going to spare Tyler's life, only to tell her seconds later that he was just giving him a head start.

When he doesn't elaborate, she feels she has to push the issue.

"Really?"

"I'll spare the doppelganger. I'll spare all of them until we've found the cure and Silas is out of the picture. Provided they don't come after me or my family."

Well duh! She doesn't expect him to just sit back and wait if they try to kill him.

"Of course."

"And they let me deal with Hayley. I know what I'm doing, and the Salvatores' plans always tend to fail miserably."

She smiles at that. She feels like she should be offended on her friends' behalf but it's not like she can deny it. She holds out her hand, but then she realizes that there's one thing he's left out and she quickly withdraws it before he can shake it. He looks at her quizzically.

"And if you find the cure, you won't destroy it. You'll let us give it to Elena."

He gives her an appreciative look, apparently proud of her for noticing the loophole in their deal before they actually agreed on it, and she rolls her eyes at him for trying.

"Fine."

She shakes his hand at last, and before she can react or even realize what's happening, she's pressed against his chest, her wrists trapped behind her back, firmly held in place by one of his hands while the other rests against the side of her neck. Her breath catches in her throat as she looks up into his eyes and finds them almost black with more than just lust. There's something there that she can't decipher, and for the first time in ages, she's scared of him. After a few seconds of tense silence –she's not sure if the tension is coming from the heat their bodies seem to be generating or from her fear – she manages to articulate a single word.

"Klaus?"

His grip on her wrists tightens and she winces in pain, suddenly seeing the unexpected display of strength and speed for what it is – a silent warning. That's it. She's played him too many times, and now, the one time when she's actually being sincere and has absolutely no intention of trying to deceive him, he doesn't trust her. She brought this upon herself, she supposes.

She shivers when he leans down to place a soft kiss on the sensitive spot where her neck meets her shoulder. And she hates the fact that her reaction has as much to do with need as it does with fear. Then his lips travel up to her ear, just shy of caressing her skin, and he whispers, "Just remember that I could just as easily have killed you. We both know I won't, but I have no qualms about taking my anger out on your friends if the need arises."

She wants to nod in acknowledgement, but she stops herself just in time, realizing that with the position they're in, the slightest move on her part will bring her lips right next to his neck, and between the hunger she hasn't quite been able to satisfy in the last few days thanks to the council's precautions and the fact that his proximity is doing things to her self-control that she'd rather not admit to, she doesn't want to tempt fate.

"I know."

"Good."

Just as quickly as he trapped her, he releases her, and she stumbles backwards. She gives him a sad smile as she notices that his eyes are still dark with desire and that the threatening coldness has disappeared. Who knows what direction this would have taken if there wasn't so much suspicion and history and anger between them.

"Seems we both have trust issues to overcome."

"I'm not the only one to blame for that."

"No, definitely not," she concedes. "But we're trying to start anew here and you're gonna have to meet me halfway. So… Did you really learn nothing from Hayley?"

He smiles, no doubt noticing the frown she tried to hide when she said her name.

"There might be a New Orleans connection, but I think it's old news. I'll try to see if I can get more out of her the next time I see her."

She tries hard not to think about what seeing her means and to ignore the way his smile widens when she's not that successful.

"Alright. Let me know what you find out."

He nods and she just stands there for a few seconds, waiting to see if he has anything to add. When he doesn't, she turns around, ready to leave.

"Caroline." Of course he had to wait until she thought they were done before dropping one last bombshell on her. She sighs. Against her better judgment, she faces him once again, her crossed arms a way to express her irritation, her raised eyebrows a way to express her reluctant curiosity. "It was just sex. It doesn't mean I've given up on you. I never will."

This so shouldn't be what she wanted to hear. Yet before she can help it, she feels her lips twitch up ever so slightly, and his answering smirk makes her shake her head at herself as her arms fall back to her sides. Talk about mixed signals. How can she hope to keep him at arm's length when her body keeps encouraging him? How can she keep pretending there's nothing there when she wants to tear Hayley's heart out almost as much as she did when she briefly thought that Tyler had slept with her? Oh well. It's not like she can keep pretending anyway, not after her little speech.

"Eternity is a long time," she throws his own words back at him.

"Try not to get killed anytime soon. It will give me a chance to prove I mean it."

"Deal."

Fin

If you feel like this was all over the place emotion-wise, then my job here is done. I just hope that all those mood swings weren't too confusing. And that you enjoyed it even though nothing really happened lol. Please please pleeeeaaaaase review, even if it's just to point out a mistake. It's almost 5 am here so I'm sure there are a few. Sorry about that.