Author's Note: Happy Tuesday! I'm very excited to be starting a new fic, something I've been planning to do for months but just recently got around to plotting out. There is no shortage of Dream fics in the Klaroline fic lexicon, so this is my contribution, and hopefully you'll like it!

A NOTE ON CANON: I'm doing what I did previously, NO PREGNANT HAYLEY. (Let Julie Plec deal with that mess). Klaus would very much like to rule New Orleans again though. Otherwise, this fic is entirely canon compliant-even though it might not seem that way at first.

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Warner Brothers and Julie Plec. (Not that I trust them with her.)

Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.

-Inception

Caroline woke up to the sound of silence.

She yawned, stretching out her limbs lazily and turning over in bed, before she became aware of how quiet her house was. It was hardly a new sensation. Her mom worked late hours, and it wasn't like there was anyone else who would be wandering into her house uninvited. In fact, her house was almost always quiet – but something was off.

One of the perks of being a vampire was having supernatural hearing, and Caroline could usually hear the cars on the street, the neighbours in their yard, the branches of the tree outside her window tapping on the glass. But now it was all just…silent.

'What the hell…'

She frowned, shaking off the last tendrils of sleep and jolting up in bed. In a second, she recognized the sounds of life coming from all around her. There were birds singing, the pipes were making that weird whistling sound her mother complained about, and the sound of the crying toddler next door pierced the air. All in all, a typical morning in Mystic Falls. But for that split second, something had been wrong and she couldn't shake the shiver of foreboding racing down her spine.

'Get a grip, Caroline. You're a big girl.'

She was a vampire, and she was being ridiculous. Throwing off her covers, she jumped up, mentally trying to rid herself of the weird feeling (but not succeeding) and flashing over to her closet, picking out her outfit for the day. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she stuffed her textbooks in her bag and bounced down the stairs.

Low voices came from the kitchen and Caroline popped her head in, smiling at the sight of her mom and dad chatting over their breakfast. Warm sunlight filtered through the window and the scene was bathed in a soft golden glow. She almost laughed at her own foolishness, how hadn't she heard them earlier? Her dad lowered the newspaper he was reading and smiled warmly at the sight of his daughter.

"Morning Princess, ready for school?"

"Yup! I've got cheerleading practice after class so I'm going to be late this afternoon."

"Well don't stay out too long, I'm making dinner tonight, alright?" said Liz. Caroline nodded absentmindedly as she rifled through the fruit bowl on the counter, picking up an apple for breakfast. Suddenly, she paused – wasn't there something weird about what her mom had said? Her mother usually worked late shifts, why would she be home cooking dinner…

Plagued by the weird feeling of something being amiss, Caroline was shaken out of her stupor by her dad standing up and pecking her on the cheek.

"You're going to be late for school, Princess," he said teasingly and Caroline shot him a bright smile, taking the apple and pulling her bag tighter on her shoulder.

"I'll see you guys tonight!" she said as she made her way over to the front door. Her hand was on the handle before a shard of ice went through her heart.

Something was wrong.

Her father was supposed to be dead.

Her bag hit the floor with a low thud as she flashed back to the kitchen. It was completely empty. The warm glow had vanished, and the sunlight was now weak, cold and grey. Her parents weren't there, and there was no sign of anybody having been in the room.

But that was…right, wasn't it? That was how it was supposed to be. Her mom must have left a while ago, she was pulling double shifts at the station, she wouldn't be home anytime soon, certainly not to cook dinner. And her dad…her dad was dead. He had been for months. But as much as she concentrated, Caroline could've sworn they'd been right there, together and happy, the way it'd been before her dad had left them. The way she'd wanted her family to be again more than anything.

But that wasn't going to happen. And what had she been imagining? The more she tried to remember, the fainter the memory got.

'Right, no more blood bags before bed.'

Could vampires get hallucinations? Maybe it was the stress of everything getting to her, but she was Caroline Forbes, she'd been through hell and she wasn't about to crack now. Whatever she'd thought she seen was just her overactive imagination. Of course. That was it.

Picking up her bag from the floor, she strode out of her house, head held high. Once in her car, with her backpack in the front seat, she mentally perked herself up, going through the day ahead of her. There was a math test in first period, then she had to make sure the prom committee had the tickets printed out, then the pep squad had to go over their routine for regionals…

'Wait a sec…'

Her foot slammed on the brake in the middle of the street, earning some very angry honks from the drivers around her, but she ignored them, quickly pulling over. Why was she going to school? Prom had happened; she remembered setting it up until it was perfect. She remembered Elena wreaking havoc at the cheerleading regionals. And she had definitely studied for exams…

'What am I doing?!'

She had graduated. Memories of the day came flooding back, the vivid red gowns, the witches, and the hybrid that had saved her…

For a split second, she contemplated getting a hold of Klaus. There was something seriously weird going on with her today and she was willing to bet that a guy with a thousand years of life experience might be able to shed some light on the matter. But just as quickly, she dismissed the thought. Klaus had moved on to New Orleans, he didn't have time for her anymore.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. There was no need to go running to Klaus, or anyone else for that matter. She was fine. Glancing over at the front seat, she realized her backpack wasn't even there, she had just imagined bringing it along with her this morning.

(Maybe it was a recent graduate thing? Feeling sentimental and all that?)

"Okay, you need a drink," she muttered to herself, pulling her car back on the road. Within five minutes it sat in the Grill parking lot, and she quickly jumped out, making her way through the front doors.

The small restaurant was pretty crowded for the middle of the day, but it was summer (wasn't it?) so she could understand more people having the time. A group of girls from school were giggling near the pool table; Caroline recognized some of her former cheerleaders. She gave them a small wave but they studiously ignored her. Frowning, Caroline walked up to them.

(She may not be captain of the squad anymore but she still Caroline Forbes, damn it!)

"Amy? Paige? How are you guys doing?" Her voice was bright but with the edge of authority she used when she was in 'Queen Bee' mode, but for once, it did nothing to help her, they didn't even look her way.

"Seriously?" she asked, irritated, but no one paid her a second of attention. Deciding that she didn't need to deal with this anymore, she flipped her hair and spun on her heel. "Bitches," she muttered under her breath.

(You steer a squad to regionals two years in a row and this is how they treat you?! Well, she wouldn't be letting them on any town committees for the foreseeable future.)

Spotting Matt over by the bar, she heaved a sigh of relief and nearly ran over, plopping herself down on one of the stools. "Matty, I need something strong, I'm having the weirdest morning. I've been imagining things all day and then those bitches over by the pool table are ignoring me, and I get they're probably still angry that I made them cry at those last practices but we went to regionals so I don't see why – Matt? Hellooo? Matt?"

But the blonde bartender didn't look her way, instead wiping down some glasses and storing them under the counter. Caroline huffed, snapping her fingers in the air, but for whatever reason, Matt seemed determined to completely ignore her existence.

"Matt, did I piss you off or something? Seriously, tell me!" Caroline demanded, but no matter how much she yelled (how was she not attracting attention from the other diners?) Matt didn't even look her way.

"Ugh, fine, be that way!" she said angrily, grabbing her purse off the counter and whirling around. Over at the center of the restaurant sat Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy, the Salvatores, and Tyler, and she ran over to them quickly, hoping they could finally give her some peace of mind.

"Guys, I'm so glad you're here, listen, do you know if I did something to piss Matt off? He's not paying attention to me and…guys?"

Caroline was starting to panic slightly because none of her friends looked her way or acknowledged that she even stood there. They remained in conversation, laughing amongst themselves, and Caroline was left to stand on the side, hurt and confused.

'What is wrong with everybody today?!'

Something was weird, again. She groaned and rubbed her temples, trying to figure it out, the truth dancing at the edge of her mind, but she just couldn't put her finger on it…

They laughed again, and as freaked out as Caroline was, she almost wanted to smile because when was the last time they had been like this? They'd barely gotten a chance to catch their breaths with everything that had happened-

'This isn't right at all...'

This wasn't right, none of this was right. Tyler was still in the Appalachians. Bonnie had disappeared. Jeremy wasn't supposed to be out in public yet. And Stefan had left town.

"Guys?" asked Caroline, her voice laced with confusion and fear. "Guys? What's up, why won't you talk to me?"

It was Elena who broke whatever the hell was going on, turning to face Caroline, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what was going on. Elena was staring at her, not with her usual expression of happiness upon seeing her friend, but without even the sneer of contempt she had worn in recent weeks. The brunette's face was an emotionless mask, betraying nothing.

"Elena? What's happening? Why won't you guys look at me, or talk to me?"

"Because you're alone, Caroline." Elena's voice was completely devoid of emotion, and her words sent a chill down Caroline's spine.

"What do you mean?! Are you guys angry, did I do something – "

"Look around Caroline. You're all alone."

Caroline gasped, holding back the tears that were threatening to escape. She spun around to find the Grill completely empty, with absolutely no sign of the crowd that had been there moments earlier. She turned back to Elena but she was gone too, with all of her friends. No one remained. She was completely, and utterly, alone.

"Oh my god," she muttered, whipping her head around frantically. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" She shook her head, massaging her temples, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Hello!" she called out to the empty Grill. "Anybody here?" Desperately, she flashed around the restaurant, checking the bathrooms and the back kitchen, but not a soul was in sight. Properly scared, she ran out the front door, expecting to at least find the streets teeming with people like they had been earlier.

But Mystic Falls might as well have been a ghost town.

Walking into the center of the street, she craned her neck, searching for signs of life. "Whoever's doing this, I'm not scared of you!" she yelled out, expecting someone to jump out and confront her. Maybe it was a curse, maybe it was Silas, maybe she had finally snapped…

"Nononono.." she muttered, her mind a jumbled mess. "Think Caroline, think, what happened last night?"

(Jesus, ten minutes of this and she was already talking to herself?)

Striding over to the town square which was still devoid of life, she sat down on a bench and put her head in her hands, desperately racking her brain for any memory of what had happened recently…

THE NIGHT BEFORE…

"It's been a month, 'Lena, shouldn't Bonnie have called or something?" Caroline asked, slouched down on one of the couches in the Salvatores' living room. The place was Elena's permanent residence now, but as nice as it was, Caroline only ever visited sparsely. Interrupting Damon and Elena's honeymoon stage was not something she wanted to be held responsible for, and frankly, as much as she wanted to be supportive, she couldn't really deal with their 'relationship' yet.

Still, if there was one thing that could bring the girls together, it was the third member of their trio who had gone radio silent for a while. Jeremy kept saying that Bonnie just needed time to recuperate and as much as Caroline wanted to respect that, she hadn't heard from Bonnie in a month and it was starting to wear on her.

"Relax Caroline, Bonnie's probably just taking the time to catch up with her mom, see some sights – she deserves a break," said Elena, sipping from a glass of blood. She looked much more relaxed these days, adjusting to emotions again was (thankfully) going smoothly. Of course, she had the guidance of her alive-again brother and her new boyfriend to help her through that. Speaking of which…

"Blondie, you're still here?

Caroline sighed. "Hey, Damon. What's up?"

But Damon ignored her, instead striding into the living room and sitting on the arm of Elena's couch. With a soft smile (one she didn't think he was capable of) he leant down and kissed Elena, who reached up her arm to wrap around Damon's neck, bringing him closer. Caroline awkwardly looked away, twiddling her thumbs. The couple was lost in their bliss and the young vampire grew more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"Uh…I'm still here. Hello?" Caroline was getting steadily more irritated so she picked up her purse and decided to call it a night. "I'll see you guys around!" she called out, quickly making her way to the front door.

"Oh – wait, Caroline, I'll walk you out!" Elena pulled away from Damon with a small giggle and rushed over to her friend, catching her at the front door.

"Listen, Care, Bonnie's fine, okay? We've been getting emails, she's keeping us up to date-"

"But when's the last time we really talked to her, Elena?" asked Caroline, worry flooding through. "When the last time she told us she was okay, really told us how she was feeling?"

"She just needs some time, Caroline. Just…time." Elena hugged Caroline tightly, reassuring her as much as she could.

With a deep breath, Caroline pulled back, forcing a bright smile on her face. "You're right, I guess. I'm going to get going now – bye Damon!"

"Bye Blondie!" called out Damon's voice, snarky as ever. Elena rolled her eyes as she said her goodbyes and Caroline stepped out into the night, repeating Elena's words over and over again in her head.

"Bonnie's fine," she said to herself. "She's going to be fine." As she hopped in her car, the short ride back to her house was with an escalating foreboding, the shiver Caroline got when she was being followed. Parking quickly, she jumped out and had just stepped on her porch when a voice on the wind pulled her back.

'Come away, Caroline. Come away.'

It was barely a whisper, but as she turned around to find whoever had spoken, her world went dark.

Klaus sighed as he stepped back from the canvas in front of him. It was hardly immodest to say the work was beautiful, all his masterpieces were. A thousand years to refine natural talent will do that, after all. But no matter how much he added to this particular painting, there was something missing. Something was off about it, but he just couldn't quite put his finger on what that was, exactly.

With a huff, he added a bit more red to the edge of the horizon he was depicting, but still, it wasn't coming together the way he envisioned it. Heaving another sigh, Klaus turned away and set down his tools, running his hand through his hair and casting a glance around his studio. Odd, hadn't he had more paintings around him? He could've sworn he had hung up a portrait or two, but now the walls were bare…

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. Clearly a thousand years were catching up with him. Perhaps it was time for a change of scenery, Mystic Falls was could only do so much for inspiration after all. Except…hadn't he left already? He could have sworn that he had left Mystic Falls a while ago – but that was absurd, clearly he was still there in the mansion he had renovated for his family. Speaking of which…

"I'm bored, Nik, entertain me!" Kol leant against the art studio's doorframe, smirking widely, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Klaus growled lightly, but his younger brother took no heed, instead walking into the room and taking a seat in an armchair. "A bit doom and gloom tonight, are we?" he asked, inclining his glass towards the painting Klaus had been working on.

Klaus turned back to the canvas, taking in the scene of horror. Bodies lay on the ground, their hearts torn out of their chests and eyes glazed in horror. It was dark, even by his standards. "Perhaps I'm simply in a black mood tonight, brother," he replied dismissively.

(But he could've sworn he'd been painting a landscape not moments earlier – hadn't he?)

Kol laughed, downing the drink in his hand. "Oh Niklaus – so obsessed with all that blood on your hands, you never know when the memories will pop up, do you?"

Klaus frowned, turning around so that he could face his younger brother. Kol looked as carefree as ever, lounging in that armchair as if it were a throne, not a care in the world. The glint in his eyes was another story though; it told of something darker his brother was hiding, Klaus was sure of it.

"What are you going on about, Kol," Klaus asked wearily. His brother was a menace most of the time, but was known for occasional bouts of insight.

Kol just laughed again, but the sound was cold. Wrong. "You never did pay much attention to what was right in front of you, brother. Maybe when you wake up, you'll learn to be more perceptive." With that, Kol leapt to his feet and strode out of the room, leaving a very confused Klaus in his wake.

'What in hell…'

Klaus turned back, determined to forget his brother's antics. The painting of a landscape just after sunset was coming together nicely.

(It was a landscape – why had he thought it was anything different?)

Klaus shook his head and picked up the brush, ready to continue his painting. Still, something nagged at him. Why had he started painting this piece? Usually he was struck with a certain inspiration, but he couldn't for the life of him remember the impetus for this particular piece.

"Maybe when you wake up, you'll learn to pay more attention."

The paintbrush fell out of his hand and clattered to the floor.

'Kol…'

He flashed out of his studio and ran through the hallways of his mansion. He could hear Kol's laugh echoing through the rooms, he saw the back of his jacket as he turned a corner just in front of him.

(Was he imagining it, or were the hallways suddenly longer than usual?)

He finally made it to the living room where he found Elijah and Rebekah sitting in silence in front of a roaring fire. They glanced up at their frantic brother, but neither noted anything odd about his behavior, simply staring at him passively. Klaus walked into the room, confused at their behaviour.

"Have either of you spoken to Kol lately?" he asked his siblings, scanning every corner of the room.

Rebekah scoffed. "Come off it, Nik," she said in bored tone. "Kol's dead and gone."

Klaus frowned, the memory of his little brother's charred body rushing back to him.

'Kol's dead. Of course he is. I watched him die.'

"I thought I spoke to him," said Klaus, a strange lump in his throat.

Elijah gave a benign smile and walked across the room to lay a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You did speak to him, Niklaus."

Klaus frowned, his mind a muddled mess. "But he's dead, Elijah. Kol's dead."

"Yes, he is." Elijah clapped his brother's shoulder and walked past him, leaving Klaus standing in the middle of the room, bewildered.

"What's the matter, Nik? Cat got your tongue?" asked Rebekah with a small laugh. She lounged on the sofa, dressed in a white beaded dress with ropes of pearls hanging around her neck. It was a costume from decades past, from a decade that had been his favourite in fact. But why would she wear it here, now?

"Are you going dancing, Rebekah?" asked Klaus. It seemed like the right question. His sister didn't answer him immediately, instead getting up and walking to over to him, lightly looping her arms around his neck.

"Why don't you dance with me?" she asked airily, moving along to the jazz music that was wafting through the mansion. Klaus obliged her, humming along to the cheerful tune that he remembered fondly.

(Why hadn't he noticed it earlier?)

"This is fun," he said with a small smile. It was nice to enjoy a moment with his little sister; he never got to do that anymore. Why was that? A cold shiver ran down his spine, the fragment of a memory slipping through his fingers.

"Why are you being so nice to me, Rebekah?" he asked with trepidation. To his surprise, his sister just shrugged, and continued dancing.

"You took away my chance at being human, and took me for granted. I hate you, completely." Her words were completely at odds with how she was behaving, but for some reason, the paradox seemed perfectly normal.

"You haven't answered my question," he said, his voice steeling against whatever the hell was going on around him today.

"Alright, I'm buttering you up," she said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. "The truth is, there's a man I met at Gloria's and I want you to meet him. He's nice, though his hair's a bit funny. His name's Stefan Salvatore. Be nice when you meet him!"

Klaus frowned, and Rebekah pulled away. "I'll see you at the club tonight, Nik," she called over her shoulder as she walked out of the living room. It was only when she turned the corner that the music stopped and the silence descended, allowing some clarity to wash over Klaus. Why was Rebekah here? She had left ages ago in a fit of anger, betrayed by his actions. In fact, come to think of it, he and his sister hadn't been on good terms for months, why would she be ready to share a dance? And Elijah – hadn't he left town too?

Klaus shut his eyes tightly against the sudden ache in his head. Opening them, he whirled around the room to find it cold and dark, the fire was gone, and any remnants of life had fled. No one had been here for a while, certainly none of his siblings – but what was wrong with that? Why would they be here in the first place? Why did he suddenly have the strongest feeling that he had just been talking to them?

"Enough of this," he muttered darkly to himself and flashed over to the front door. A walk would do him good, fresh air would calm whatever demons were running through his head. As he wound his way down the road that would lead him to the center of Mystic Falls, every oddity of the past little while struck him. What was he doing, imagining conversations with his sister that he was sure were decades old? Why would Elijah be so cryptic? And why, for God's sake, would he be having hallucinations of his dead brother taunting him with riddles?!

It was entirely possible that somebody was trying to put one over on him; if there was one thing he wasn't lacking in, it was powerful enemies. Vampires, witches, entire werewolf packs – they would all have good reason to want his mind distracted from a possible attack. He had to concentrate, remember every detail of what had happened to him lately, see if some old foe of his had taken the chance to try to interfere in his life…

THE NIGHT BEFORE…

The French Quarter was quiet that night, peaceful for the two Original vampires who stood on a balcony, overlooking the streets. The mansion which Klaus and Elijah now called home was opulent, and afforded them a prime location from which to watch over the city they once ruled and now hoped to rule again.

"Does it seem a bit too quiet?" asked Elijah, leaning against the intricate iron railing.

Klaus would have normally shrugged off his brother's observation, but there was something a little off about that night, the warm air had a chill, and a thousand years of experience had taught him how to recognize when something was wrong. Still, he wasn't about to show any fears now, not when he had committed himself to reclaiming his town back from Marcel.

"It's fine Elijah, just give it a few more hours for people to get properly drunk and it'll be too loud to stand," said Klaus nonchalantly, swirling some scotch around in the crystal tumbler he held in his hand.

Elijah still seemed worried, and he walked back through the open balcony doors to the study where he took a seat in one of the leather armchairs in front of the fireplace. Klaus joined his brother after a moment, taking the armchair next to his.

"Have you heard from Rebekah?" asked Klaus, his voice even.

Elijah shot his brother a glance out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge his intentions. "When I last spoke to her, she was about to leave for Prague with the boy she's travelling with. He's from Mystic Falls, I believe – Matthew Donovan?"

Klaus scoffed. "A human quarterback. But there's our sister, such fine taste in men." His words were quick and dismissive, and Elijah sighed in resignation, knowing reconciliation between his siblings was far off.

"Nevertheless, you still ask about her whereabouts regularly," said Elijah with a knowing smile.

Klaus scoffed again, avoiding his brother's eye. "It's wise to know where Rebekah is at all times, she does have a habit for bad choices. Don't give me that look," he said, irritated at the small smirk on Elijah's face.

"Forgive me brother if I think you're being obtuse again," said Elijah dryly. "But you and I both know that taking back New Orleans would be an easier task with Rebekah by our side. She knows and loves this city as much as you do. It's hardly a shame to wish for her to be here and-"

"I wish for nothing of the sort, Elijah." Klaus' voice held finality, and his brother gave a weary sigh once more. Suddenly feeling the study to be stifling, Klaus quickly downed his drink and got to his feet. "I think I'll take a walk."

"Try not to provoke one of Marcel's lackeys," warned Elijah and Klaus rolled his eyes as he strode out the door and down the grand staircase. Once outside, he took deep breath of the warm Louisiana air and again became aware of a strange chill in the air.

He shrugged off the odd feeling and meandered through the streets of the Quarter. Soft jazz floated through open bars, the sound of laughter and life accompanying it. For a moment, Klaus remembered the message he had left Caroline, the old promise that one day he would show her his city and all it had to offer.

'When it's mine,' he thought to himself. 'I'll show this to her when it's all mine again.'

With that thought, his spirits lifted considerably. He continued on with a spring in his step, passing the stalls where the witches peddled their wares. Most were gone for the night, but one sat at her table, flipping over tarot cards.

"Lavender for your dreams?" she called out as Klaus passed, but he ignored her.

"Lavender for the hybrid?" she called again and Klaus stopped in his tracks, spinning on his heel to face her. She hardly seemed threatening, and with Marcel's muzzle on the witches' magic, he doubted she was capable of much, but he still approached her with a degree of caution.

"How did you know I was a hybrid?" he asked her tersely, looming over her frail figure.

"The stories run through the streets, we all know them," she replied sagely and Klaus smirked.

"You've heard of me? Fantastic. Spread the word to your sisters, Marcel's 'reign' is coming to an end." He was about to continue on his way, but her voice called him back once more.

"Lavender for your dreams?" she asked, staring up at him intently, offering up a bunch of lavender tied together with a white ribbon.

"Why would I need it?" he asked, wondering why he was indulging her odd offer.

"Lavender helps you sleep. Wards off bad dreams."

"What makes you think I have bad dreams?" he asked with a dark grin. "If you think the blood on my hands gives me any pause, you're much mistaken."

"You should take it. You're going to need it very soon." Her voice was insistent now and although Klaus despised orders, he knew that the French Quarter witches were no soft lot . Magic banned or not, they still had their powers.

"What do you know, witch?" he asked, planting his hands on the table and leaning forward to invade her personal space. "Is someone threatening me? Tell me now, or you won't like what happens next."

The witch shook her head, pushing the lavender towards him again. "I only know what I feel, hybrid. Take my gift."

But Klaus had had enough of old women with vague 'feelings' and if the witch wasn't going to offer concrete information, he couldn't be bothered to take her seriously.

"Keep your trinkets to yourself," he said with disdain and pushed off, striding further into the darkened streets.

As he made his way down Bourbon Street, the odd chill was back.

"Come away hybrid. It's time to sleep."

The disembodied voice was no more than a whisper on the wind, but it caused him to whip around, looking for the source. Before he could identify anything though, his world went dark.

Klaus stopped dead in his tracks, the memory clear as day. What the hell was he doing in Mystic Falls?! He had gone to New Orleans, he had been intent on getting his city back, how in the hell did he end up back in this town?

"Who's doing this?" he asked aloud, his voice a low growl. Without realizing it, he had walked into the center of town, various people brushed past him hurriedly, none pausing to look at him or acknowledging his outburst. This only served to heighten his fury.

"Show yourself!" he yelled, his eyes tinged with yellow, fangs baring themselves. Still, not a single person around him paid him any mind. With a frustrated roar, he rushed forward, intent on grabbing the throat of the middle-aged man coming towards him, but just as his fingers met the skin of the human's jugular, he vanished into thin air.

"What in hell…" Klaus muttered, whirling around him. The town, which had been populated seconds ago, was now completely empty. Not a soul stood on the streets and as much as he concentrated, Klaus couldn't hear a single heartbeat. It was completely deserted.

He tore down the street, turning the corner but still couldn't find a single sign of life. As he ran through the small town, he finally came to a stop in front of the town square.

"Nononono…"

His head snapped up at the sound of a young woman's voice. In the middle of the town square sat a familiar blonde head of hair, and he didn't think he had ever been more relieved to see the vision of Caroline Forbes. She held her head in her hands, and seemed to be in some sort of distress, and he wondered if whatever had happened to him was affecting her too.

"Caroline," he called out, and her head darted up instantly, locking gazes with his. She seemed confused at first, but as he strode towards her, she stood up, meeting him halfway.

"You can see me?" she asked tentatively, once he stood in front of her.

Klaus frowned, what kind of question was that? He wanted to drink in the sight of her, every bit as beautiful as he remembered, but their surroundings quickly brought forward the problems at hand.

"Of course I see you – Caroline, what's going on? What is this?"

She gasped a little. "You too? You see it too – how everything's so messed up and freaking weird and-"

Caroline stopped abruptly, drawing herself together. Suddenly, she grabbed a handful of his shirt-front and yanked him towards her.

"Tell me right now, Klaus!" she said fiercely. "If this is you messing with me, tell me right now, what the fuck is going on?!"

With a light growl, Klaus wrapped a hand around her wrist and tugged it firmly, forcing her to let go of her grip, but taking care not to hurt her.

"Listen carefully, Caroline. For once – and I know this may be hard to believe – I have absolutely no idea what is happening to us."

And there's the first chapter! Confused? I suppose you should be, I'm confused and I wrote the thing. But the important thing is that Klaus and Caroline are confused together, and that's all we can really ask of our OTP, isn't it?

The chapter quote is from my favourite movie, the inspiration for this story, Inception.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Or if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Feel free to follow me on Tumblr at hummingbirds-and-champagne.