I already have 12 chapters of this? Huh. I apparently seem incapable of writing short Fanfictions because then I get invested and want character developement and plot and all that fun writer stuff. Oh well. I'm just going to let this story lead. Hope you guys like it. Please vote :) (It gives me motivation to upload faster.)

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KLAUS

Klaus nearly beat himself at his own bet. He'd guessed Caroline wouldn't be capable of slipping beneath the radar for little more than a day. In fact, within a couple hours of him running back to the heart of the city, he'd glimpsed the wide-eyed look of someone who'd seen something they didn't quite believe and had followed that trail which led him to a club, the building pulsating with noise.

Klaus waited, his eyes falling on each person who entered, lingering on the expressions they wore. When the clouds began to crack, the thunder and lightening quarreling with one another, the sky split and down came a deluge of rain.

It really didn't help, but Klaus put up with it, ignoring his dampening clothes.

Maybe an hour had passed by the time he got sight of one. The vampire was hard to miss, a look in her eyes lit with raving suspicion. It was the undeniable spark of hunter searching for its prey.

That was the only hint Klaus needed. Lithe like a shadow, he went, snatching the girl's hand and pinning her against the side wall of the club's exterior.

He went straight to the point."What are you looking for, Love?"

The girl gasped, face going pale. "Klaus."

He narrowed his eyes at her, looking past her red hair and short frame. This wasn't someone he'd met prior to this. "I see my reputation precedes itself," he said. "Good. Then you know I'm not apt to play games. Now tell me, why are you here?"

"Same reason as you," she said. He could tell she was trying to act brave, but he still detected the undertone of fear in the way her voice peaked.

"Care to elaborate?" He asked.

Her gaze widened in surprise. "You mean you're not here to punish the town terror? Thought they'd already killed her. Nobody meant for you having to intervene," she said quickly. "You shouldn't have to. I'm sure we can handle it."

"That sounds rather optimistic," Klaus said. "But because I need you, I won't kill you. In fact, I would like you to deliver a message to whoever you think is in charge of this little vampire hunt. Tell them that the girl is not to be touched. Not a single hair on her head, is that understood? Do so, and you will all die. One of you are already indebted to me for attempting it. I'd hate to have to tell you my price for that misstep."

He saw her shrink back, vainly trying to get as far from him as she could, trapped between him and the wall.

"But she's....she's making a mess. Normally someone like her would be taken out."

"Anyone who tries will be forced to settle the matter with me," Klaus said calmly, his voice even. "Or am I being particularly unclear somehow?"

"Why her?" The vampire asked, fear mixing with vexation. "You can tell she's young, and she's careless. Probably has her switch off. Why does she matter to yo-"

He clasped her hands tighter, his eyes boring into hers. "I wouldn't be so quick to make assumptions, Love. Do not think I need you alive to deliver my message. I could go much further for maximum effect."

It had the reaction he wanted. The girl flinched and he could practically see the images sifting through her mind. Sometimes the imagination played the greatest tricks. 

"Now do you understand?"

She nodded quickly.

"Very well. Go," he said, stepping away. She lingered for a moment, glancing between him and the club doors. Klaus grabbed her by the scruff of her coat and pushed, her feet slamming into a puddle of water. His next words were a whisper, cutting through the sheets of rain and to her ears.

"And if I were you, I'd make haste."

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I kept glancing over my shoulder, waiting for Dracula himself to randomly appear there. He didn't, though that was hardly settling. It was actually irritating, especially when I found myself entertaining hypothetical scenarios of what he might have had planned next, and what my best chances were of escaping from each one.

They weren't good either way.

I bit my lip and stood from the table I was at, snatching up my glass of soda. It seemed nothing stronger was doing anything, as if it were missing something vital ingredient. Even the soda tasted flat.

I set my cup on the bar before heading out, into the pouring rain that sopped my shirt and jeans in moments. My hair plastered to the sides of my face as I walked down the street, the sidewalk blooming umbrellas. I grimaced, keeping a brisk pace through the downpour. As I took a detour through an alley, I caught myself searching for a familiar face and reminded myself to let it go. If Klaus came for me, I'd put up a fight. Amateur or not.

The next bar was a couple blocks over, and I aimed for it, even though to me, these places were quickly losing their appeal.

Each one was the same; a mob of dancing people, flashy lights, and speakers that were blared so loud, it no longer sounded like music. Or maybe that was me. Music was a mixture of chords and emotions. But to my ears, it all just sounded like noise.

I could hear it from the couple blocks away I was, the pulse of it steadily growing, like the center of the city really had a heart. When I reached the entrance, I paused, hesitating. I was still slightly hungry and that small inconvenience won me over. Hunger was all I felt now. Just a twinge was enough to consume me.

Once inside the club, titled something in Spanish my two years of study couldn't amount to, my eyes raked over the dancing individuals, indecisive.

Instead, I just went for the first I saw, a rugged older man who's face seemed permanently screwed into a scowl. How charming. I didn't even tell him not to make a noise, which resulted in a shout. Nobody heard it, though; it was drowned by the blasting music and stomping feet.

I ignored it and let him go, suddenly uninterested. He still fell to the floor, but I stepped over him, making my way farther into the crowd. Just as I was about to choose a second helping, something caught in my peripheral vision and I stopped, the annoyed anticipation turning to a dull roar inside.

I glimpsed the head of Klaus at the entrance, passing beneath the door. Instantly I ducked. Someone stepped on my fingers and on reflex, I twisted their ankle, sneaking my way to the back entrance as the man I'd harmed danced on his left foot. The back door was cracked just slightly, and I could hear the rain from beyond. I slid through, closing it shut behind me.

"So Klaus has a special someone now, does he?" Came a voice and I jerked around, meeting the darkened gaze of....well, someone.

He wore black slacks with a leather jacket, the collar pulled up to his jaw. His black hair was matted from the rain, but my focus was on his eyes the color of obsidian.

I didn't need to guess to know he was a vampire. Only a vampire could reek with an ego like that. When he stepped forward, three others I didn't see fanned out.

I pursed my lips, Klaus's words returning to me, unbidden. "At some point in your life, that is, if someone doesn't end it before you have a chance at having one . . ."

I forced the reminder away, mentally marking it out in red.

"That's kind of a nosy question," I said, stepping away from the door. The three vampires behind the man in black instantly followed suit.

The man shrugged. "It didn't actually require your answer," -I could detect a subtle Scottish accent weaving beneath his tone- "It's already been implied. Right, Janece?"

My eyes fell to a small girl, her size contradicting her age. Her hair pooled in scarlet rivulets down her back, eyes falling on me. She nodded. "'Don't touch a single hair on her head,'" the girl said in a mocking accent. "I mean, that's rich, coming from the likes of him."

I ignored her, narrowing my eyes at the man. "Is this some kind of revenge deal of yours? Do you have some vendetta against Klaus? Because I'm pretty sure you can get in line."

"I have a feeling I'd be permitted to the front of it if I had something he cared about."

I scoffed, crossing my arms and taking another step. They shadowed the move. "Look," I said, "In case you haven't noticed, Klaus is the last person to care about anything. Which makes him the perfect killer. I'll even bet my entire college tuition fee that he threatened the red head's life, or am I wrong?"

I saw the girl smirk.

"See, so your whole hope is really futile."

"Either way," he said with a shrug. "I am vastly intrigued and I'd like to put it to the test."

He moved with blurring speed, and I tried to fight back, but this guy was fast. In some corner of my mind, it counted.

I was pinned on 14.

He yanked me up, pressing my back into his chest and I felt the gruff of his chin chafe against my cheek. I could nearly hear the smile playing on his lips. "I want to see just how much he cares for you. And then I'm going to use it to break him."