[Before she flipped her switch, she'd convinced herself that she would be different, that she could handle this. Whether or not she misjudged remained to be seen, but Caroline Forbes had not exactly been in her right mind when she'd made this decision. She had been overwhelmed with grief, with the prospect of a future her mother wouldn't be in. She'd known she would lose her someday, but she hadn't been ready.

Not by a longshot.

Perhaps, one day, she'd be able to lean on Elena the way she's supposed to, to bond over the fact that they're both orphans now, that their family is one they choose now. Maybe she'd let Klaus hold her, soothe away her pain, replace it with someone else. To do that, she had to let them back in.

She was alone right now. Her mother's funeral had beaten that home, regardless of what her friends had done for her that day. She'd thought that if she just got through the funeral, she'd be fine, but Damon had made it all too clear that it would only get worse. She couldn't do worse.

She hadn't counted on this. She hadn't remembered. It was going to be a fight, eventually. The way she held onto Klaus' gaze made that obvious, that she was just as willing to get ugly as he was, that Elena was likely going to have to bear some of the inevitable fallout.

Until then, she'd put on her best smile, one that didn't reach her eyes the way it should, but anyone who didn't really know her would never think twice. It's the smile that she wears as she claps her hands together and starts to stand.]

Great! [As if they've just decided on what movie they were going to watch or something.] Now that that's done, I'm going to head upstairs and change. This dress smells like a funeral home.

[By the way, Klaus, she means she's going to their place. She'd agreed that nothing would seem different, so it appears she still lives with you. Good luck with that.]

You can always come with me, if you want.

[The way she says it is blatantly flirtatious. I'm sure it's fine.]