Double Crossed

a Klaroline fanfiction by Dee

Disclaimer: I own nothing of "The Vampire Diaries" or "The Originals" origins.

Welcome one, welcome all to PART THREE of the Klaroline saga that began a year ago with "An Original Love" and continued into "Uncharted Territory". Now here we are at "Double Crossed". If you have read all three, you're a brilliant human being. If you're coming just from "Uncharted Territory" you're still brilliant. If you're a first timer, you're brilliant too! And while I do try to write in a way that you don't HAVE to go back to read the previous stories, it's probably a better idea to catch up at least with "Uncharted Territory" before reading this fanfic. A lot of the subplots here originated from there and in order to know what's what and who's who and not be totally confused, you'll want to read "Uncharted Territory". But if you don't feel like it, hey. You're free to do what you want. :)

That said, I want to answer a couple questions from reviews on the last chapter of "Uncharted" and then we'll get the show on the road.

EpicFantasyStories & MicaPineyro - Stebekah might make a cameo or two in this story. ;)

jomomayheart - Thusfar, Kol is still single. I'm still deciding if I want him to stay that way or not.

As per usual, I'm extending a thanks to anyone who comes and reads this, or any of my stories. I can't express to you how great you all are and how wonderful you make me feel. I hope you guys all enjoy this new chapter of the saga, and I hope you've come prepared for everything I have in store. Okay, go read!

Chapter 1

Five weeks. Was that really all it had been? It felt more like five years had passed since Caroline took a leap of faith and left Mystic Falls to accompany Klaus and his family in their worldy travels. But maybe he was right all those weeks ago when he said she'd need to adjust her perception of time as vampire.

"Worldly", so far, had only meant stopping in New York City. And in all that time she hadn't even seen half of what the Big Apple had to offer, but she had seen almost all of what Klaus had. It had taken a long time, lots of arguments and a great deal of struggling to finally accept and admit to him that she loved him. And she had no regrets. She just wished he'd said it back. But it didn't matter right now. All that did matter was that they get to Italy and get Bonnie back from her ancient witchy captor, Grecia. She could worry about the why's and if's later.

This morning marked a milestone in Caroline's worldly adventures - it was the first time she'd ever get on a plane. Or, sorry, a private luxury jet. Either way, it was way out of her comfort zone and making her even more antsy and neurotic than usual. Throughout their ride from Fifth Avenue to LaGuardia airport, Klaus assured her the enormous jet was only average in size, but up close it looked big enough to fit the entirety of Mystic Falls inside. There were windows for miles and the stairs leading up inside it were intimidatingly high. Rebekah was already busy advising the hybrids appointed with loading their luggage how to store her shoe collection, while Stefan was boarding the plane with Elijah as they discussed more serious matters like Bonnie's control of her powers. Kol brushed right past them in a blur, chuckling in the wind as he made sure he got the best seat possible. As Klaus began to lead Caroline towards the staircase, he paused to glance over at Rebekah, wearily.

"Rebekah, let the men do their jobs. They already know what they're supposed to do."

She walked up and pointed in his face adamantly. "If there is even a scratch on any of my Manolo's, I'll have their heads."

He rolled his eyes at her back as she stalked up the stairs to board. Just as he was about to start after her, Caroline grabbed his arm, eyes wide with worry.

"Who's flying the plane?"

He smiled gently, humoring her fear. "A pilot. You're in good hands, love. I promise."

He took her hand from his arm and closed his fingers around it, raising his eyebrows to silently ask if she was ready. She nodded and walked with him, heart pounding all the while. With every step upward it was like she could feel herself stepping off of land and being suspended in air. Klaus' hand at her back was the only thing grounding her as she turned the bend to walk into the main area of the plane. She stopped, not even two steps in, her breath catching.

The interior was dark, in a contemporary style. A painting or two even hung on the plane's walls – just small abstract and floral images for a hint of décor. The floors were carpeted in dark brown with crème colored suede couches lining the walls, windows peeking out from behind. They were adorned with dark brown throw pillows and two glass side tables stood on either side, crystal vases of pale pink and white roses sitting atop them. A long oval table with a glass surface sat in the center, pamphlets and remotes for the TV screens in the corners waiting to be claimed. On the other side of the couches was an assortment of leather seats for the initial part of the flight and a mini-bar, fully stocked. Beyond it all was a doorway leading into what looked like a conference room, complete with a massive table meeting table, more leather seats and a giant flat screen hanging on the wall. Even further than that was another doorway but she couldn't make out what it led to. It was as if the plane just went on and on with more spectacular surprises waiting to be discovered. It was beyond her imagination. If this was luxury flying she was all for it.

"Wow," she breathed out. "This doesn't even look like a plane. It's like...I mean I could actually live in here."

Klaus grinned in amusement, dimples showing. "That's essentially the point – maximized comfort. The flight is ten hours."

She turned around, startled. "Excuse me? I didn't bring enough magazines for that!"

"Just relax, Caroline. It'll be quicker than you think."

He left her side to walk further in, helping himself to a drink from the minibar. Stefan turned to her, leaning against the doorway between the main cabin and the conference room.

"Pretty ritzy, huh?"

She nodded, looking around in awe as she urged herself forward. "Have you ever flown before?"

He laughed. "Yeah. Quite a few times. But never in anything as fancy as this."

"And you were never scared?"

"What's to be scared of? We can't technically die, Caroline."

"That's not entirely true. I've read stories about planes exploding in midair."

"Right. Because that's likely to happen."

"How do you know? The engine could blow out while we're flying and we'd crash. Oh! Or the vapors in the fuel tank could start a fire and the entire plane could detonate after we take off." He gave her a dull look. "It could! I Googled it!"

"You're worrying for nothing," he promised her, leaving her to take a seat in one of the flight chairs.

She sighed, glancing out the window at the hybrids hurrying to load up the plane. Stefan was probably right. Nothing bad would happen. And she couldn't die, if anything did. Unless...they crashed and a shard of the plane went through her heart like a stake. Or they did explode over the ocean. Or -

"We should take our seats," Klaus' voice was suddenly in her ear, his hand on her lower back. She looked up with wide eyes, nodding silently. "You're terrified, aren't you?"

"I'm fine." She stood tall, taking a deep breath. "I am head cheerleader. And former Miss Mystic Falls. Not to mention, I single handledly organized almost every event in that town." She shrugged it off with a casual smirk. "I can manage one flight."

He began to smile, seeing through her facade, but pouted his lips and held his hand out as a "ladies first" gesture. She nodded, affirmative, and took the first seat by the window, promptly pulling down the shade. Klaus followed suit, taking up the seat next to hers and sipping his glass of wine nonchalantly. The rest of the gang was already seated, ready and waiting for take off.

"Now let's everyone agree," Rebekah started. "It's a long flight. There will be no arguing, no pranks, major disturbances, or anything of the like. Understood, Kol?"

He rolled his eyes at her accusation. "Yes, mum. I'll be a good little boy and draw ponies in my coloring book."

She made a snooty face at him then reverted her glance to Caroline and Klaus. "And don't you two go getting any ideas about joining the "Mile High Club". I think I speak for all of us when I say silence is golden."

Klaus clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes. "Thank you, Rebekah. Your ability to make a situation more awkward than it is exceeds you."

"I could make it more awkward if you like," she smiled sweetly.

"Only if you and Stefan decide to join that club," Kol said with a chortle.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Will you give it a rest with that, Kol? That joke's washed up."

He smirked. "Just like you, Bekah."

Glowering, Rebekah sped from her seat, beating on his shoulder until he relented through laughter.

Stefan sank back into his seat with a sigh. "How long is this flight again?"

"Ten hours," Caroline told him miserably.

"Great."

Elijah, in the mean time, kept silent amidst all the bickering. While they waited for the plane to gear up, he began trying to work with the Kindle reader that Caroline had bought him for Christmas. His concentration was broken by a short little melody of bells.

"Excuse me," Kol started in. "But all electronic devices are supposed to be off."

Elijah waved him off as he took his phone out from inside his jacket pocket and read the text message, brows knit:

UNKNOWN:
I know you don't want
to hear from me but I
thought you should
know I'm not the only
one here waiting for you.
10:47AM EST

He continued peering down at the screen, perturbed, then cleared his throat to gain the attention of the group. "My source has just confirmed that Grecia is indeed in Italy."

"Oh, your source, hmm?" Kol folded his hands with a playful smirk. "How ominous. I wonder who it could be."

"I'll give you three guesses," Rebekah joined in.

"I don't even need one."

Elijah glanced at them both warily out of the corner of his eye when his phone began vibrating in his hand, taking him by surprise. The screen read PRIVATE NUMBER. Having a strange feeling, he picked up, pausing and getting up to walk into the conference room before speaking.

"You know I don't usually answer unsolicited calls from private numbers."

"Guess I figured you would take a chance on me," Katherine answered.

He sighed in relief to hear her voice, mentally noting how out of breath she sounded. "This isn't just a social call," he guessed.

"No." She hesitated. "There's a man with her, Elijah."

He stopped in his path across the room, lowering his voice. "With Grecia?"

"I didn't catch much but I heard him say Klaus' name a few times. Whatever she wants, this guy's a part of it."

"What do you know?"

"Not much. He's tall. Blondish hair? I didn't get a good enough look before they saw me."

His eyes faltered at that, heart pacing just one beat faster as dread set in. "Where are you now, Katerina?"

There was a pause and a small huff of breath on her end. "I have to go."

"Tell me where you are," he begged, heart thump thumping with fear.

"Have a safe flight, Elijah."

His voice rose in panic. "Katerina - "

But the line clicked dead and his phone made three small bloops as it ended the call. He stared at the screen for a long, disheartened moment then tucked it back into his inner jacket pocket, frowning. When he walked back out to the main cabin everyone was watching him carefully, making it obvious that they had heard.

"I would've guessed right," Kol said softly, the teasing running away from his voice.

Klaus shot him a berating look and glanced to Elijah. "So she's not working alone."

His shoulders stiffened again, composure regained, his face neutral. "No."

Klaus' chin lifted as if his doubts had been confirmed. "We suspected half as much."

"Who could she be working with then?" Rebekah asked.

"I don't know, Rebekah. A man."

Kol sat forward, eyebrows lowering. "Well what are we supposed to do? Go on the fact that he's tall and blonde? By that description, it's Nik."

"If I knew any more than that I would tell you." He rubbed his hand over his eyes, squeezing his temples. "Excuse me."

He got up and disappeared to the back of the plane to take a seat in one of the spares there for take off. Caroline watched him go, sympathetically. While everyone else was too worried about Grecia and this new accomplice, she knew, beneath all the drama, Elijah's real worry didn't have anything to do with the witch. She looked back to Klaus, spying the newly formed crease in his forehead. He was lost in his thoughts again, and they weren't good ones.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she tried, innocently.

He smirked, grimly. "You think a penny would be enough?"

"I forgot you have expensive taste." He cracked a small smile. "Look. There's no point in worrying over something you can't control. Especially while we're stuck on a plane."

"Are you reassuring me or yourself?" He raised a pointed eyebrow and she realized she hated how often he was right. A dinging sound went off and the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign lit up. "Looks like we're finally ready to take off."

Caroline took in a deep, shaky breath, fumbling with her belt as the earlier wave of nerves began to set back in.

"Here. Let me."

Klaus leaned over her seat, taking the two straps of the seatbelt and fastening them with a quick snap. Caroline laughed, giving him a look.

"I could have done that myself, you know. I'm not five."

He smiled, dimples poking into his cheeks. "Maybe I just wanted an excuse to touch you."

She rolled her eyes as he sat back. "Smooth."

"Tell me the truth. Are you afraid?"

She swallowed softly, shrugging. "Kind of. And excited." He leaned over her, pushing the shade back up so she could look at the window but she stopped his hand halfway. "Uh...no. No window for me."

"That's half the fun."

"Watching the world disappear hundreds of feet below me? File that under terrifying."

He pouted with a mock look of reprimand. "Where's your sense of adventure, love?"

She raised an eyebrow. "My sense of adventure was nonexistent before I met you."

His dimples resurfaced at that, heart almost warming. "I promised I'd show you the world if you let me. I'm a man of my word."

She scoffed, smirking. "Yeah, when it suits you." He tilted his head, his eyebrows raising to scold her. "Don't look at me like that. You know I'm right."

"Well. Be that as it may, I'm keeping my word now, am I not?"

"Yes," she answered begrudgingly.

He smiled smugly, lifting the shade back up and taking her hand so she couldn't pull it back down. "Trust me," he whispered, kissing her temple.

Caroline took a deep breath, laying her head back against the seat as she looked out the window, the world outside beginning to move as the plane pulled away toward the runway. For a few minutes it felt like driving in a car, slow and steady. But soon the plane began to pick up speed and gravity began to rush toward her. The wheels rumbled under them as they lifted from the ground and her ears filled with a strange sensation of wind and pressure. The plane rocked a little as it ascended, making her stomach lurch. A small gasp escaped her and she squeezed Klaus' hand hard enough to show whites at her knuckles as she watched the world fall away beneath them.

It took almost ten minutes for the pressure in her ears to clear, and by that time the plane had righted itself and they were flying perfectly horizontal, rising foot by foot every second. The buildings below slowly started looking like kids' playsets, and everything looked somehow greener from above. Caroline's heart was beating at record speed and she hadn't released her iron grip on Klaus' hand, but when clouds began to come into plain view right outside the window she started to smile, letting out a long breath of relief.

"Relax, love," he whispered comfortingly. "The scary part's over."

When it came to being held in captivity, there were worse fates than what Bonnie was facing. Sure, the room she was confined to was more medieval than she bargained for, but at least she was still alive. All of the furnishings were handmade out of wood, the walls cemented and painted over in grey, giving it a gloomier feel with only candles and a fireplace for warmth and light. There was the option of the blankets dressing the bed, but the white and orange zigzagged quilt was worn and faded, and, to be honest, it didn't even look that warm. Her cell phone was back in New York City with her friends, so she didn't even know what time or day it was. There were no windows to go by, either. Trapped was way beyond an understatement.

Bonnie shivered and turned to let her legs hang off the bed as she faced herself in front of the fire, holding her hands out toward the flames. She kept sparing quick glances at her guard, Lukas. His hair was wavy but cut short enough that it looked almost straight. It was a light brown that complimented the flecks of hazel in his brown eyes. He didn't have defined cheekbones, or a chiseled jawline, or any of the usual hot guy facial traits but something about him screamed attractive. But given that he was just sitting on the edge of the wooden table creepily staring at her, now was not the time to flirt. They had barely spoken since Grecia left and all she had learned was that he was a hybrid and he had no idea who Klaus was, which didn't bode well.

"Are you just going to sit and stare at me the whole time?" she finally asked.

He lifted his chin with an unfriendly look. "Is there a better way to keep watch?"

She raised her eyebrows unimpressed and looked away. "I didn't know you took your job so literal."

"This isn't my job. This is just a temporary gig."

Her eyes narrowed with a new thought. "Where are you from?"

The question threw him. "Why?"

"You have an accent. I was just wondering what kind."

"Austria," he answered, after a pause.

"Oh."

They fell silent once again, his eyes never leaving her. She looked around the room, trying to improvise.

"I'm kind of hungry," she said with a phony frown. "I haven't eaten since last night."

"Take it up with Grecia. I'm a guard, not a babysitter."

"Technically, they're kind of the same thing. And you don't have to be hostile with me. I'm not allowed to hurt you. I'm pretty sure you'd hurt me worse, anyway." Her boldness earned her a small smirk from the hyrbid and she straightened up, a little brighter. "So you can smile."

He leaned forward, peering at her curiously through guarded eyes. "There's food upstairs, but if I leave you for a second, the witch would have me killed."

"You're that scared of her?"

"My death wouldn't be her call. She just does the dirty work."

"Who is she working for? Who are you working for?"

He got up and took a step towards her. Bonnie shrank back, getting the feeling she had overstepped. And she was right.

"You ask too many questions."

"I'm just making conversation. If we're both stuck here, we might as well be civil."

He walked over to the fireplace, lingering near the corner of it. "A witch being civil with a hybrid is pretty unheard of."

She frowned curiously at his bitter undertone. "Well you wouldn't be the first."

"You've dealt with hybrids before," he made it a question.

"The one I mentioned before – Klaus."

"Who is he?"

"Trust me. You're better off not knowing. And speaking of which, if you're not one of his hybrids, how did you even come to be one?"

He looked away, watching the flames with a cross look. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because the only other hybrid I know is the only one that's supposed to exist."

"Well clearly he's not, is he?"

"Why don't you want to tell me?"

He paused, as if trying to make words come out but they wouldn't. "I can't." He looked back at her, perplexed. "I'm not allowed."

Bonnie's mind screeched to a halt with a sudden realization. "You were compelled." When he didn't deny it, she shook her head in confusion. "But...th-" She swallowed her shock. "That's impossible. The only way a vampire or hybrid could be compelled is...by an Original."

During the plane ride, Kol had disappeared into the conference room, claiming dibs over the 60" flat screen. Elijah was still in back, not making a sound, leaving Caroline, Stefan, Klaus and Rebekah alone up front. Stefan had moved from his seat to sit on the couch while Rebekah flipped through a magazine, pretending not to take notice of him. Caroline spied the bit of tension between the two and decided to try to tone it down with some friendly conversation.

"Is that a Cosmo?"

"In Style," she corrected dully, flipping another page. "I'm more into fashion than those petty quizzes that tell you how good in bed you are or what kind of man you should date."

Caroline nodded, wondering where the attitude had come from. She tried again. "How did you leave things with Dmitry?"

"I just compelled him before we left to forget ever meeting me."

"Why was that even necessary?"

She put the magazine down, facing Caroline fully. "One thing I've learned in all my time with Niklaus, is never leave anyone behind who knows something. It's for his own safety, really."

Caroline half pouted. "I kinda liked him."

"So did I," she said, glancing at Stefan as he left the room suddenly. She pursed her lips momentarily then picked up her headphones and put them in her ears. "Nobody bother me. I'm taking a nap."

Caroline shook her head, sure would never understand Rebekah fully, or her intentions. While Rebekah put on a sleep mask and turned her music up high to drop off from the world, Caroline finally braved getting up from her seat to walk through the plane. She passed by Kol, totally immersed in setting up what looked like an Xbox in the conference room. It turned out the room beyond that was a dining area, complete with four tables to eat at and a small kitchen behind them. Stefan was there at the bar making himself a blood and bourbon cocktail.

"I thought you liked flying."

"I said I've flown before," he answered. "Not that I liked it."

She tilted her head, trying to decide if Rebekah had really gotten to him with her jealousy tactic or if he was just not an avid flyer.

Chancing it, she asked him, "So how was 'Mamma Mia!'?"

He shot her a warning glance. "Don't ask."

She grinned, hoping for something juicy about his night with Rebekah. "Why? I heard it was good."

"All the colorful sequins and peppy music?" He shook his head, taking a huge gulp of his drink. "I have half a mind to ask Klaus to erase that memory."

"Oh come on. It couldn't have been that bad."

"Well apparently you guys had a better night than we did."

She flushed bright red. "You...saw?"

He laughed. "No, thankfully. I stayed downstairs in my own hotel room all night."

Caroline pressed her lips together, trying with all her might not to push but she had to. "With Rebekah?"

Stefan paused his glass in mid air, giving her a suspicious look. "Did you really come all the way back here to grill me about my night with Rebekah?"

"Come on. Give me something. Anything!"

He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. There's nothing to tell."

"Well it's obvious she's interested in rekindling whatever you two had. Are you?"

He nodded, narrowing his eyes. "I'm walking away now."

Caroline turned around as he brushed past her. "She could be your soul mate!" she called after him, but it fell on deaf ears. She turned back when she heard a light cough from behind her and saw Elijah sitting at a desk in what looked like a makeshift office room, reading on his Kindle. Deciding against disturbing him, she retreated back to the main cabin after Stefan with a huff of defeat, keeping her questions to herself for the remainder of the flight.

Eight more hours had passed and the sky had become nothing but black outside. Rebekah was asleep in her seat, Kol playing his games, and no one had seen Elijah since the beginning of the flight. Caroline was lying on the couch curled up, fast asleep. Succumbing to his boredom, Stefan finally joined Klaus, sitting in the seat across from him with another drink in hand. He was watching every breath Caroline took, his eyes strangely soft for a psychotic hybrid.

"You know watching people sleep kinda borders on creepy," he told Klaus.

"She said the same thing." Stefan nodded with a pointed look, sipping. Klaus swallowed in preparation for his divulgence. "She told me she loved me last night."

Stefan's eyebrows rose, carefully lowering his glass as the surprise of the revelation mixed with a gradual acceptance of his friend's choices.

"And you're over here brooding about it because...?"

Klaus took a long pause, his eyebrows lowering. "You know her inner mechanisms better than I do."

"That's arguable..."

"Why would she say that?"

Stefan sat back, realizing his insecurity was unknowingly being broadcasted. "Probably because she meant it. I mean, you're not the most loveable guy." He shrugged as Klaus gave him a dull, condescending look. "But you must be doing something right by her if she said it. Don't take it too lightly."

Klaus hummed, looking away, and lifted his own glass to his lips. "Speaking of which, what of you and Rebekah? Reigniting the old flame?"

Stefan sighed wearily. "I already told you, nothing happened."

"Then explain to me why you two didn't return, and instead retired to your hotel room downstairs, not to be seen until morning." Stefan flicked his eyes to his, but Klaus only raised an eyebrow, with the tiniest of smirks.

Stefan licked his lips. "I don't see why that's your business."

"She's my baby sister. That makes it my business."

"We went to a show. We had a late dinner and drinks. By the time we got back, we didn't want to wake anyone so I told her she could stay in my room. That's it."

"Well, if there should be a development in the future, I'd hope you'd have enough courtesy to let me know."

"Last I checked, Klaus, I don't have to answer to you anymore."

Klaus' eyes narrowed. "I could remedy that, if you like."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks, but I'll pass. And just to be clear, she may be your sister but she's allowed her own life. Neither she nor I have to report to you what we do. Or don't."

Klaus smiled, pleased with the response. "That's all right. You've just told me all I need to know."

"Fine." Stefan got up, shaking his head. "Assume away. But there's nothing there. And there never will be."

He disappeared again to the back to refill his glass. Klaus turned his head, glancing at Rebekah out of the corner of his eye with a snide grin.

"Well there you have it, sweetheart."

Rebekah lifted the mask from her eyes, revealing she had been awake for the entirety of the conversation. She frowned bitterly at him.

"You don't have to be an ass about it."

She slid the mask back in place and fell silent again, turning away from the room. Klaus resumed looking out the window, seeing the lights of the city starting to appear as the plane slowly began it's descent. He stood to go over to Caroline, brushing her hair back from her shoulder. She moaned softly, the gesture stirring her.

She looked up with a sleepy smile. "Hey."

"Welcome back."

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to wake up." As she sat up, he pointed over the couch to the window and softly whispered, "Look down there."

She turned around, looking out at all the lights in the dark. "What?"

He smiled. "We're here."