"What the hell did you two idiots do?" I heard Caroline's angry voice yell, and my eyes slowly open. 

"US? We didn't do anything!" Stefan shouted. 

"Yeah. She just started muttering something about Liam and then passed out!" Damon explained, and I could hear his pacing footsteps. 

"Why would she be talking about her brother?" the blonde asked. 

"Why the hell would we know? Whatever, I'm out of here," Stefan sighed. 

"Yeah, go run away like usual," Damon sneered angrily. 

"Guys?" I croaked, and all three heads snapped to me. 

"KAITLYN!" they all yelled in relief. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got hit by a truck.." I chuckled weakly. "How long was I out?"

"Just for a few hours," Caroline said, hugging me tightly. "What the heck happened to you?"

My eyes widened then, suddenly remembering the events from a few hours ago. With a start I shot right out of the bed I was laying in, the covers flying off of me in a heap. The others looked at each other in alarm, but I put my head in my hands.

 "Oh noooo," I moaned. "This is bad. This is really bad you guys!"

"What?!"

"Liam's alive," I whispered. "And he wants revenge for what I did to him. I'm guessing he's not so happy that I cut his wings off."

"Wait, WHAT!" Caroline yelled. "How is that snivelling little bastard still alive? I thought he bled out?"

"Augustine must have found him. A few days ago they sent me a photo of someone who was recovering in some lab of theirs," I explained sheepishly. "I didn't understand it until it was too late."

"Crap," Damon sat down on the bed next to me, a string of curse words escaping me. "We're gonna have to put you on lockdown."

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow. "No, I will not sit back this time. I'm gonna give him everything I have. I'm more powerful now than he knows, and I'm going to use that to my advantage!"

"Absolutely not!" Caroline crossed her arms. "He's going to kill you Katie!"

"You guys really have that little faith in me?" I tried to hide my hurt. 

"I'm with Kaitlyn on this one. Let her fight her brother," Stefan shrugged nonchalantly. "It sure would make my week a whole lot more interesting. This whole torturing Klaus thing is starting to bore me."

"Really helpful Stefan," Caroline gritted her teeth, then turned back to me. "Kaitlyn, why don't we think about this for a few days, okay? But for now, you are going back to your apartment and resting!"

With a sigh, I agreed. 

∆ ∆ ∆

"Alaric was stabbed? By who??" I asked in alarm, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I buttered myself a piece of bread. 

"We don't know," Damon sighed. "But some psycho is on the loose around here, and it's not your boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "For the umpteenth time Damon! Klaus is not my boyfriend! But just asking, any word from the Mikaelson's? I don't think his siblings would be very happy to see him."

"Aww, are you worried?" Damon cooed. 

I promptly hung up. 

"Why would Damon think Klaus is your boyfriend?" Caroline waltzed into my kitchen. 

She had been sleeping over for the past few days, the death of her dad hitting her harder than she could handle. She was also staying to keep an eye on me, convinced that I was going to have another episode. 

"Because it's Damon. He loves pushing people's buttons."

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and I walked over to it in mild curiosity, wondering who on earth it could be. When I opened the door, I only found a big parcel on the ground with a white envelope on top. 

"Ooh," Caroline smirked. "I wonder who that could be from..."

"Not you too," I groaned, but I brought the box inside anyway. 

I opened it and gasped softly at what lay inside. From beside me, I heard Caroline sigh in wonder as well. It was a black ball gown which sparkled as rays of light outside hit it. It had embedded black crystals which adorned the neckline, and overall, it was one of the most beautiful pieces of clothing that I had ever seen.

I opened the envelope and quickly read what it said: 

Embrace the beautiful darkness inside you. I look forward to seeing you at the ball tonight.

- Klaus

"Oh. My. GOSSHHHHH!" Caroline squealed. "I don't care if he's some crazy murderer at the moment, this was so ADORABLEEEEEE!"

"Shush. I don't know if I'm gonna go."

"What do you mean you're not going to go?" Caroline demanded loudly. "Girl, if you're not gonna wear that dress, I WILL!"

"It's not that I don't want to," I laughed lightly. "It's just that...if I go, it will be like I'm making a statement to him or something."

"Saying what?"

"I don't know! That I... like him or something."

"Do you?"

"NO! Well, kinda...Maybe a little more than that....crap," I banged my hand on my head in frustration. "Gosh, hormones are confusing."

"Okay, so make sure you're here at 17:00 so that I can start helping you get ready," Caroline said giddily, bouncing on the tips of her toes. 

"But the ball doesn't start until like 18:30..." I said wearily. 

"Exactly, I'm trying to start the latest I can!"

∆ ∆ ∆

"It's nice to see you again Lynie," my mother smile brightly. "But why is it in a strange dark alleyway?"

"Because I don't want people think I'm talking to myself like a crazy person," I whispered, waving awkwardly at some random stranger who walked by, giving me a weird look. "Anyways, mother, I have something to tell you."

"Liam's alive," she sighed, and my eyes widened.

"How did you know?" I asked her dubiously. 

"I know everything honey," she sighed again. 

"Then can you tell me how the heck he's still alive?!" I questioned desperately. 

"After you chopped his wings off," she cringed slightly. "He crawled into the woods bleeding out in isolation. Then he called someone, Augustine I'm pretty sure and a few minutes later a white van came and picked him up. He was placed in this special lab in Augustine where they ran many various tests on him, trying to heal him. Eventually they gave him so much Hellcraft that he was able recover by himself."

"Wait, while this is all terrible, how long have you known this?" I asked suspiciously, and she gulped nervously. "You've known all this time?!"

"I'm sorry!" she defended. "I didn't think he was going to get better! And if he did, I thought maybe he would want redemption.."

"Redemption?" I scoffed. "You are so naïve! How could you possible think he could ever redeem himself! He wants to kill me! If you had warned me I could have been more prepared. Now I have no freaking clue when he's coming, and what he's planning!"

She cowered a bit, her shimmering light growing a little dimmer as I grew less inclined to see her. 

"I'm sorry," she said meekly, and a bit of guilt seeped into me. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode like that–" I started, but she was already gone. 

∆ ∆ ∆

"I just have your hair left to do!" Caroline squealed in happiness. "Oh my gosh, you look perfect."

I gazed into the mirror that Caroline had just slid in front of me, and let out a small breath. I admit, Caroline was not too bad at this glamouring and bedazzling people. 

"Wow," I breathed thankfully. "Thank you."

"Of course! Now just do whatever you want while I get ready. And DON'T ruin your eye makeup."

"You're going to the ball as well?" I smiled hopefully. 

"Of course! This is like a dream come true!" she laughed brightly. "I mean, I get the Mikaelson's are potentially the worst villain we've ever faced, but at least they have style!"

"True true," I chuckled. 

After 45 minutes, she was finally ready and eagerly nudged me out of the door. She had explained very carefully that me and her were going to go the ball together, but that I better dance with Klaus by the end of the night or I would have hell to pay. 

Nothing but a friendly threat to get your friend's romance life going, am I right?

"You do realise everyone would be even more annoyed at me if I started something with Klaus, right?" I reminded her as I got into her car. 

"Screw them!" she scoffed. "Besides, I kinda am starting to like Rebekah more and more ever since you became friends with her..."

"Really?" I raised a brow suggestively. "In what way to you mean, hmm?"

She purposely ignored me and said, "All the Mikaelson's will be at the ball right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good."

∆ ∆ ∆

It's right on time when we finally arrive at the Mikaelson Mansion, where many cars have already pulled up and I could hear music inside. 

"Ready?" Caroline flashed me a smile right before the doors opened. 

"Nope!"

My eyes widened at the massive ballroom with the marvellous chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling, little pieces of glitter reflecting all over the room. The place was bustling with people in extremely fancy clothing, and suddenly I was more thankful than ever for Klaus's present. 

"Kaitlyn Paige," I heard a familiar man whistle through their teeth, and my eyes almost shot out of my head when I saw who it was.

 Kol freaking Mikaelson. 

"Do you know him?" Caroline whispered, and I nodded in silence, walking a bit away from her.

 "You're...here," I said dumbly, not being able to form any other words. "And you... remember me?"

"Of course I remember you, my little firecracker," he grinned, taking my hand and softly brushing his lips against my knuckles. "I'm guessing you found out then, that I was a Mikaelson?"

"Recently," I said in a distracted tone, getting a strange sense of deja vu at his form of greeting. 

"Kol, brother!" Klaus bellowed, walking over. "Now now, why don't you go flirt with some of the other lovely ladies here."

"But I was just reacquainting myself with the loveliest lady in the room," Kol winked at me, and I flushed unwillingly. 

"Re..aquainting?" Klaus looked dubiously between the two of us. 

"Yes Nik, my and Katie used to date back in the day! What a pleasant coincidence, right?" Kol smiled almost deviously, as if he knew this would annoy Klaus. 

"Very pleasant," Klaus said through gritted teeth. "A very pleasant bit of information that you did not tell me."

"I'm gonna go get a drink," I cut in, not wanting to deal with the tension of two brothers who had not really seen each other over a few decades, and because one daggered the other. 

I saw Stefan nursing a drink near me, and he nodded at me as a way of greeting. Damon was across the room talking to Carol Lockwood. 

"Where's Elena?" I tried to make conversation, but that was apparently the wrong thing to say because he didn't answer. "Fine, you don't have to talk to me. But you are going to dance aren't you?"

"I don't dance," he said gruffly, but then suddenly looked at the entrance. "What is she doing here!"

I turned as well and saw Elena walking in, wearing a beautiful dress. As much as I hated to admit it, she looked breathtaking. Stefan and Damon took long strides towards her and conversed in what I assumed was yet another tense conversation filled with testosterone.

"You want to dance darling?" I heard a familiar voice behind me say, and an arm reached for a glass, his finger brushes the side of my waist as he did so. 

Sneaky little bastard. 

"No thank you," I replied cooly, starting to walk away. 

"C'mon! Just one dance and I'll leave you alone?" Kol winked. 

"Okay, fine," I sighed, but secretly I was kind of looking forward to it. 

Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran started playing and Kol gently pulled my into the middle of the room by our interlocked hands. We then started dancing, and I was mainly trying to look at everyone else so I could get this dance routine down. 

I was also trying to focus on other things so I didn't have to look at Kol's smirking face. Damon was dancing with Elena and Stefan was gloomily drinking across the room, trying to pretend like that didn't affect him. 

Drinks were passed out by a nervous looking server, and I noticed that all the Mikaelson's had a glass which looked slightly different than the rest of the guests. And that mine resembled theirs as well. 

Odd, but I took no notice of it as we all drank. 

"You smell nice," he hummed as he pulled me in closer. 

"It's called a shower," I said curtly. "You know, water, soap..."

"Naked," he cut in. "Yeah, I know the drill."

I rolled my eyes but could not contain the flush from rising in my cheeks. 

"So all those years ago, you were daggered?" I asked. "Because I thought you just ditched me. I kinda thought you were a douche for like decades after that."

"Well, I didn't ditch you, I was just about to find a witch for you," he defended. "By the way, did you ever find out what you were?"

"Yup. I'm a freaking angel from the heavens," I beamed, relishing Kol's dropped jaw. 

"Wow..." he trailed off. "Guess I can't use the pick-up line of did it hurt when you fell from heaven anymore."

Before I could say anything else, he twirled me away, as was the routine, and I was twirled into another Mikaelson's arms. Niklaus Mikaelson. 

Oh joy.

"Had fun flirting with my brother, love?" he said sullenly. 

"Jealous?" the corner of my mouth quirked. 

"Of course not!" he protested. "Well, actually, yes. You know how I feel about you Angel."

"But I don't know how I feel about you," I told him, trying to keep a relaxed face, when, really I was squealing on the inside. 

"But I think you do. I think you know exactly how you feel about me, you're just too scared to admit it."

"I don't want to have this conversation right now," I looked over his shoulder, trying to distract myself. 

His grip on my hips tightened. "What better place to have this conversation? You're in my home, dancing with me."

"Fine!" I gave in. "I.... I'm.... imattractedtoyou."

"Hmm?"

"I'm attracted to you, okay?" I hissed. "I feel delirious whenever you're near me, and I hate myself for it! I hate myself for feeling this way! For liking you!"

He stared at me, and my face became even redder.

 "Oh shoot, I wasn't supposed to say that much..." I cleared my throat awkwardly. 

"Let's go upstairs," he whispered, his voice a bit lower than it had been before.

"W-what?"

"C'mon," he pulled me away from the dance floor, and I tried to slow my heartbeat. 

We were walking up the steps when my eye caught Caroline, who to my utter surprise and happiness was dancing with Rebekah. She looked back at me and gave me a thumbs up, suggestively winking at me. 

And so I calmed down, letting Klaus guide me closer to his chambers for whatever lay ahead.

∆ ∆ ∆

Klaus's room was magnificently huge, with a double bed, covered in silk sheets. He had dozens of paintings hung messily on the wall, and a huge unfinished portrait laying against the window.

"Wow," I breathed, and I heard him close the door. 

"I'm working on a special one right now," he murmured, walking to the window and turning the huge painting around. 

My heart almost stopped. It was me. He had painted my in the clouds, huge white wings sprouting from my back with a golden halo around me. It was so beautiful. 

"Klaus....I don't know what to say," my hand was covering my mouth. "It's amazing."

"But not as lovely as you," he stepped away from the painting and took a small step towards me. "You have no idea what you do to me.."

Heat sparked in my stomach as I licked my suddenly dry lips, the breath leaving my chest as he pushed me onto his soft bed. Then he bent down and gently captured my lips. 

His insistent mouth was parting my shaking lips, sending wild tremors along my nerves, evoking a sensation I had never known I was capable of feeling. And before a swimming giddiness spun me round and round, I knew that I was kissing him back. 

My hands delved into his golden locks, and he groaned against my mouth as I pulled slightly. He started slowly unbuttoning his shirt, and I quickly unzipped my dress, leaving us in nothing but our undergarments. 

His eyes slowly raked my body, resting on my face as his eyes darkened in lust. Just that one look made me weak. 

He pressed himself against me then, kissing right below my chin, and then trailing a line of open-mouthed kisses across my collar bone. He went as low as my bellybutton, holding my thighs down in case I tried to move. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he said lowly, and I nodded without hesitation, overwhelming pleasure surging through me at his touch.

∆ ∆ ∆

"You understand what this means, don't you? This spell I'm casting tonight will bind you all together as one," Esther Mikaelson warned as her eldest son paced around the room. 

"I understand. When it is time, I will be ready to die," Finn reassured her, and the older woman led out a sigh of relief. 

"And you understand that this will kill your sister as well, right?" she then turned to the man standing on the other side of her, and he grinned maliciously. 

"That's the plan," Liam said. "That wench will finally get what she deserves."