Sorry for the wait. I know it's been a loooongggg time. Thank you to Kelly for beta work and for listening to me whine. I hope you guys like where this story is going.

"I beg your pardon?" Klaus murmured. He could feel his fangs breaking through his gums and made no effort to restrain them, staring his trembling hybrid down.

"All of the books about Silas are checked out," the hybrid repeated, and Klaus clenched his fists for a moment before letting them relax. Not that he'd admit it, but it was his fault. Ilvermorny had one of the best research libraries in the world open to the public, only trailing behind the magical underground sections of the Library of Celsus and of Alexandria. As soon as he'd figured out that the cure was Mikael's plan, he'd ordered them to be found, but it seemed he'd been too late.

The possibility that Mikael or one of his minions had found a way into the castle despite his conversation with the headmistress was both alarming and enraging. He'd thought that he'd been clear, but perhaps a reminder was in order. The only reason no one had died yet was because if he managed to make things more difficult for Caroline at school she'd be rather miffed. Curating her feelings for him was an essential part of his plan, and murdering or punishing people Caroline loved before he secured her affections would set him back.

He rapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair, considering his options. Mikael's minions checking out the books wasn't entirely a disaster. Klaus had looked through them all himself and he doubted they'd tell Mikael anything he didn't already know. All it meant was that Mikael had caught on to Klaus's plan to find the cure, and that wasn't exactly news.

The most pressing problem was the possibility of Mikael finding out about Caroline. He wasn't stupid enough to think that Klaus cared for her, but he would most likely catch on very quickly to Caroline's powers and from there put together how he planned to use her. The added complication of Caroline not being the most willing of Klaus's subjects would give him an opportunity to attempt to sway her to his side.

"I have some other news," the hybrid continued cautiously.

"Not now," Klaus bit out, still trying to figure out his next steps.

Caroline was both clever and ruthless, that much he already knew, and having her armed with the cure could be dangerous, indeed. She'd clung to her stubbornness well so far, but cultivating her loyalty before she had the chance to be tempted to assist his enemies was of the utmost importance to his plan. Though he was determined to keep the existence of the vampirism cure from her as long as possible, there was always the chance that she'd somehow find out, whether it was from an enemy trying to plant the seeds of betrayal or her obvious tendency to meddle when curious. He couldn't have her realize that the cure could be her ticket out of the bond until he was sure that he'd secured her allegiance.

He'd known Machiavelli personally, and the man was an idiot. Only the weakest rulers sought to terrorize their subjects, inevitably ending with their heads on pikes after the masses rebelled. No, unhealthy amounts of one-sided adoration in one's followers produced unwavering loyalty, whereas those who were fearful were the first to look for an escape route.

Love was a weakness. It ruined the most strategically laid plans with illogical made-up obstacles one could easily pass through if not for inconvenient attachments. He'd never be fool enough to fall into such a trap. But a seventeen year old girl who'd grown up on fairytales and longed to be whisked away from a gilded cage?

All he had to do was figure out what pretty words and grand gestures she would need to make her soften to his entirely fake but well-played attentions.

"Come with me," Klaus ordered, already walking to his mansion's study where the floo powder was as he revised his plan.

Keeping her close would make tracking her easier, and forced proximity gave him a larger opening to assuage her fears and gain her affection. Moving her into their chambers would be most convenient, but he had a feeling that the suggestion would frighten her if he didn't make it sound like the most sensible option. She'd think he was trying to coerce her into spending time with him, and that would ruin any meager strands of good will he'd managed to build with her. Luckily, she at least seemed to have a good sense of self-preservation, and playing up that she might be in danger would likely make her more willing to relocate. He'd just have to be sure to frame the suggestion correctly.

His hybrid hurried after him without question, following him through the fireplace connection from Klaus's mansion to his and Caroline's quarters. They made their way to the Horned Serpent tower and he gave the password to the statue guarding the entrance. It moved aside to let him through and he went up the stairs to the prefects' single rooms, murmuring to his hybrid to stay put before slipping inside.

She was asleep, the covers pulled around her shoulders, hair splayed on the pillow. He was tempted to take a curl between his fingers and see if it was as soft as it looked.

"Caroline, sweetheart," he murmured instead, watching as she stirred, blinking slowly.

"Hmm?" She kicked her comforter down to her ankles as she stared up at him sleepily, her arm twitching as though she was tempted to reach for him, and he was unable to resist letting his eyes linger on the hem of her sleep shorts. Her eyes cleared suddenly, her posture stiffening. "What are you doing here? I thought we talked about knocking."

"It has come to my attention that you're not safe here," he said, trying to keep his tone mild and unintimidating. "I received news a few minutes ago and came immediately to check on your well being."

"In the middle of the night? I have school," she complained, reaching down to pull her comforter back up, clearly fully intending to ignore him. "Get out."

"I'm afraid I can't, actually. You're not safe here."

"Why do you care?" she asked grumpily, shifting on the mattress. "I'm just the help, remember?"

He inwardly winced at the pulse of annoyance through the bond. "Help integral to my plan," he pointed out, trying to stay calm. "One of my contacts told me that the books in the library related to Mikael's plan had been looked up and taken off shelves. If they know, they could use you as—"

Caroline groaned. "That was me," she said, pulling the covers up to her chin. "Go back to bed."

He felt rage build in his chest, knew his eyes were flashing gold. "And how, exactly, did you find out to look at those books?" he asked, his voice soft.

She didn't seem all that threatened or regretful, more triumphant if anything.

"You were being a secretive weirdo and your trunk has a blood lock. It wasn't hard. Let me sleep."

His mind was racing, already reevaluating his plans. The possibility that someone could take blood from her to use against him for a ritual was alarming, though he admittedly should have anticipated it. "Clever. You've not told anyone, have you?"

"No. Why?"

"Because it means your blood is even more valuable," he said sharply. "I'll give you a choice: pack your things and move to the quarters where you're secure, or I'll find a trusted hybrid to guard you."

She bristled. "A spy, you mean?"

"To protect you."

"But you just said it was because of the books and I'm the one with the books," she pointed out sleepily, squeezing her eyes shut as though it would make him go away.

"Yes, making it even more important to keep an eye on you," he growled, his patience running thin, tacking on "for your safety," in a way he knew was utterly unbelievable.

She seemed to weigh her options, her tongue darting over her lower lip. "If I move then I won't have someone shadowing me, right?"

"Not when you're in our quarters, as long as you don't give anyone the password."

"Fine. I'll move. Can you go now?"

"We need to pack now, Caroline," he said softly, his tone dangerous.

She shoved the covers away and pulled down the hem of her top where it had crawled up her stomach, grabbing her wand from her side table and waving it at her bedside light to turn it on. "Fine, but I don't need help."

"I'll take the books and leave you to it, then," he said, making an effort to keep his tone as unthreatening as possible.

She rolled her eyes, gesturing to a pile of neatly-stacked books by her school bag, her school supplies already flying inside her trunk to arrange themselves in neat rows. "Over there. I read all the Silas parts last night anyway."

He rifled through the pile to find the relevant tomes and picked them up, tucking them under his arm and ducking a cosmetic potion's bottle as it whizzed over his head. "I'll be just outside to help you carry your things."

She ignored him as he left, though her door closed behind him with a bit more force than necessary. He waited impatiently as he heard the thunks and scrapes of things packing themselves into Caroline's trunk, half-listening to his hybrid's update on Elijah's progress locating a coven that had links to the traveler witches, which had been the other news the boy had been trying to give him. He'd already gotten a text from his brother earlier that evening, but a second rendition wasn't a bad thing in case he'd missed something.

Caroline emerged after what felt like much too long, her hair gathered into a messy knot at the top of her head, her legs sadly much more covered than they had been when he'd barged in.

His hybrid took Caroline's trunk and they walked in silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her rubbing her palms on her arms in an attempt to fend off the castle's winter chill. He'd almost forgotten that she was so fragile, that her survival depended on things as insignificant to him as temperature and comfort. Though Esther had certainly been in the running for worst mother in the history of humanity, she had taught him basic manners, and if he was going to lure Caroline in, he'd have to manufacture a softer side for her, make her believe that he cared for her.

"Don't you dare," she hissed as he began to shrug off his jacket, making him grin.

"You sure, love?"

"Yep," she said shortly, pulling her wand out of her robe pocket and waving it, likely casting a non-verbal warming charm. She was beautifully stubborn, and he was tempted to push all of the buttons he could find, to make her bristle and watch her cheeks flush with annoyance.

He managed to restrain himself, lingering a step or two behind her as she stalked towards the hummingbird portrait on the other side of the castle, close enough to make his presence known but far enough away that she wouldn't feel cornered. After she spat out the password he went through the entrance first, landing smoothly on his feet. She ignored his offered arm when she clambered through after him, though she automatically reached for him when she landed unevenly on the carpet.

"All right, love?" Klaus asked softly.

"Fine," she said, wrenching her arm away from him, making him miss the soft skin that had been beneath his fingers. "Where's my room?"

"I thought you'd been here before."

"I mean, yeah, but all I saw was an art studio and a bedroom and obviously I'm not sharing a bed with you."

"Whyever not?" he asked, mostly to see her eyes flash with annoyance, fairly confident that she would be comfortable enough at least to know that he wasn't that kind of monster.

"Don't. Seriously."

"Not to worry, love. I have no intention of forcing you into my bed. The day you finally admit that you crave my touch will be entirely of your choosing."

She rolled her eyes. "Not going to happen, but everyone should be allowed to have their unachievable hopes and dreams. So, room?"

"I've never slept in the bedroom, so you're welcome to it. I've already moved the trunk to make room for your things."

"Great!"

There was something off, he realized as he followed her to linger in the doorway, watching her direct the hybrid on where to put the trunk. She was being too accommodating. Still easily riled and clearly convincing herself that she had no interest in being in his presence, but for some reason following his directions.

That didn't add up at all.

She stiffened when she caught sight of him in the reflection of the window. "What?"

"I must admit, I expected more resistance on your part."

She seemed to consider the implied question, shifting her weight before turning away to charm the curtains do a different color, wrinkling her nose at the sky blue before waving her wand again to make them a rich navy. "I'm apparently important to your dastardly plot, so you want me alive. That means if you think I'm in danger enough to make me move then there must be a reason."

Her admission rang false to him, but he couldn't figure out why. It was a logical thought process for her to have, and if his instincts weren't blaring at him to dig deeper he would have accepted the answer. He wanted to press more, to unravel the mystery of how her mind worked, but she was already coming towards him, clearly intent on shooing him out. He doubted he'd get much out of her when she was still tired and irritable, but he'd put a pin in it for later.

"Goodnight, Caroline."

XXX

"And you just went?" Bonnie interrupted, nearly flashing her cards at Caroline as she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Okay, in my defense, I have a plan."

"Is it a good plan?"

Caroline huffed. "Look, obviously whoever Klaus is trying to find is looking for the cure to vampirism. I doubt Klaus actually wants that for himself since he likes being a freak of nature so much, but he's paranoid as hell, so he probably thinks that whoever it is wants to cure him and that's why he's trying to find it first. Right?"

"Makes sense," Bonnie said slowly, drawing a card and exchanging it with one in her hand and discarding it, grinning at Caroline's groan when she laid her hand down on her dorm room floor. "Gin."

"This is a dumb game," Caroline grumbled, grabbing her parchment and quill to tally up the points as Bonnie gathered up the cards to shuffle themselves.

"You'd think it was fun if you were winning."

"I'm not a sore loser," Caroline said defensively. "I just...like winning."

"Yeah, okay."

"Anyway, I think my best bet is to wait out whoever he's freaking out about and hope they get the cure first."

"What if they don't?" Bonnie asked as she redealt.

Caroline chewed her lip, trying to find a way to explain it that didn't make it sound absolutely bonkers. "Well, I was thinking...Look, Klaus is going to be really paranoid now that we checked the books out of the library, and if he gets the cure first he'll just destroy it and then I'll be stuck with him for the rest of my life."

"Yeah. That's my point."

"Thanks," Caroline said dryly, organizing her hand by suit. "My plan is basically to make him trust me so that if he finds the cure first I'll have access to it and I can use it on him myself."

"To cure him yourself?"

"Yeah, because then he'd be human and all killable and stuff. His enemies would go after him and I'd be free to live my best Klaus-free life."

Bonnie looked concerned, possibly even alarmed, which had not been what Caroline was going for at all.

"So you moved in with him to betray him? Caroline, he's dangerous! What if he finds out?"

"He won't!" Caroline reassured Bonnie with all the confidence she didn't feel. "I'll act like I care about his tragic origin story and make him think that I'm one of his trusty minions. I'll be able to track how he feels about me through the bond. Best-case-scenario I can even get him to like me."

"Okay, but what if it backfires?"

"Backfires?"

"Yeah. What if you get stockholm syndrome and chicken out?"

"Wow, Bon. Even my taste in boys isn't that bad."

"That's not what I mean," Bonnie said impatiently. "Well, actually, yes your taste is that bad–"

"Hey!"

"–But my point was that Klaus has spent a thousand years becoming a master manipulator. My grams told me that he used to seduce princesses for fun and make them write love letters to him before he ate them for dinner."

"Ew."

"Yeah, so clearly he can be charming when he wants to be. And doesn't your veela bond heighten emotional connection?"

Caroline nearly groaned. Did she have to explain this to everyone every time? "Yes, but it's all emotions. Hate and anger are also feelings."

"Right, but isn't the point for him to think you're into him? Doesn't that mean you can't send hatred over it?"

"It'll be fine," Caroline said firmly, needing to believe it.

Bonnie looked unconvinced but she didn't press, instead drawing a card and discarding it. "If you're sure, Care. I trust you."

Caroline tried not to wince. She wanted to be sure. So, so badly. But even as much as she hoped that it would work out and she could catch him by surprise and free herself, she wasn't sure that her dumb veela instincts wouldn't get in the way. She was scared that she'd give him openings to slip through the cracks of the armor she'd so carefully built, and she knew if she did he wouldn't hesitate to take advantage.

"To be fair, him being all hot and dimply is not helpful, but I'll find a way to power through."

"Well, if you need me I'm always here," Bonnie said slowly, exchanging one of her cards and reorganizing her hand. "Whether it's to talk or bury bodies. Okay?"

"Thanks, Bon. Hopefully no bodies will need burying."

"Actually, if you want to spend some quality time with Klaus, I'm sure he could teach you some body-burying techniques. He seems like one of those guys who thinks dates are supposed to be them teaching classes on their hobbies," Bonnie said, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"As much as I'd love to have grave-digging mansplained to me, I'm hoping to not have to spend too much time getting my hands dirty."

"Yeah, you're kind of an indoor cat," Bonnie said solemnly, grinning at Caroline's groan. "What? You refused to go camping with my family."

"Camping with no magic is disgusting. You get all gross and sticky with things that you're not supposed to be sticky with."

"You're a veela! You're basically magically well-groomed all the time."

"No, I can charm people into ignoring that I'm gross. There's a difference."

"If you say so."

"Ugh. Maybe my and Klaus's first date can be burying your body."

Thanks for reading! Any thoughts? Do you like the Baroline friendship? Do you think the build of KC is working? Any predictions? Favorite lines or pieces of dialogue? Your feedback and reviews are what keep me writing, so please let me know what you think!