All The Dirty Thoughts
Elena's forehead connects with her nose with a sickening crunch and a nauseating pain seems to bounce off the back of her head and settle in her stomach.
"Oh just stop!" Caroline cries out in frustration. "God. This isn't you, and you know it!" She's totally done with the Salvatores and their "softly, softly" approach. Humanity off Elena sucks. "You hurt my mom, Elena. How far are you gonna take it?"
Her old friend sneers at her in disbelief; emotionless Elena is clearly fed up with being told what is and isn't her. "Are you trying to make me feel bad for hurting your mom? Don't you get it? I don't care." Elena looks playfully wicked and it sickens her to see her look so very much like Katherine Pierce.
"I mean, maybe you should try to turn it off. Who knows? You might stop whining about how Tyler left you," Elena goads and then adds, with a nasty knowing smirk, "added bonus: you won't have to feel guilty about all the dirty thoughts you have about Klaus."
"Shut up." She growls, her anger making her voice quiet and dangerous. She realises too late that her reaction is confirmation of what Elena already knows; that her head is full of filth and fantasies about the hybrid.
"Make me." Elena taunts and then they're trading blows like the pat-a-cake they used to play back when they wore their hair in braids and said they'd always be best friends. But they're no longer and she's slowly beginning to realise that a couple of extra vamp years might not be the advantage she'd hoped it would be. Elena is controlled and tight as she fights, trained and unfazed.
Caroline is angry, and conflicted, and deep down she really doesn't want to hurt her friend. She throws a sloppy punch and Elena catches her fist and uses those long delicate fingers to crush the bones in her fist making pain scream up her arm. "You fight like a girl."
Suddenly the pain in her hand is nothing and she's doubled over in agony with splinters in her torn gut and blood bubbling up her throat. In the corner of her eye she sees Elena raise the stake for the killer blow and freezes in horrified anticipation.
The air moves around her with a woosh that bring with it the faint hint of familiar cologne that smells like salvation. Klaus.
Elena flies through the air and crashes into the high branches of a tree cracking wood and bones. She tumbles to the earth limp as a rag doll and Klaus vamps over to the brunette, lifting her by the throat and plunging his hand into her chest.
She wants to call out, to stop him killing Elena but it's all happening so fast and the blood in her throat is choking her. Klaus' hand withdraws seconds later with a sickening slurp and Elena draws in huge desperate gulps of air as he lets her fall to the floor.
"Klaus," Stefan arrives all fear for Elena and deep lines in his brow. "Please-"
"Take her away before I change my mind," Klaus cuts in angrily as he move towards her, expression softening and voice tinged with concern. "Are you alright love?"
Stephan's eyes finally fall on her and they widen with worry and indecisions. Behind him Elena groans and Klaus glares at them both. "Care?" he asks but his body is already angled towards the doppleganger so she does what good friends do and ignores the stab of reminder that everyone always choses Elena over her. "Go" she croaks and makes a flapping gesture with her hand as she tries to stand.
The world spins and she's sure she's going to fall on her face when strong lean arms encircle her. "I've got you," he tells her gently and she clings to his arm to keep from falling and looks at Stefan.
"Go" she insists with a smile that probably looks like grimace. "I'm fine"
Stefan goes and Klaus scoops her up into is arms like a bride and begins walking back towards the town. She shouldn't let him hold her like this, like some prince charming in a fairytale, but she's weak and her stomach hurts like hell and he did just play the hero.
"A close thing love" he says after they've walked in silence for a few minutes and her head has come to lie comfortably on his shoulder. "I'm of a mind to compel sweet Elena to turn on that rare and incandescent humanity everyone's missing so much. Amusing as it is to watch the Salavtores ' pitiful attempts to recover her she went too far tonight" he pauses and looks at her intently, bright eyes almost black in the monochrome of night. "She might have killed you."
She lifts her head and looks at him, traps herself in his gaze as if she's forgotten how simple it would be to look away. After a moment the connection of their eyes weighs on her so heavily that she burst out from beneath it with a grunt and a wiggle.
He releases her and as he sets her down she avoids looking at him and asks. "How'd you manage to be the one saving the day anyhow," she looks ups briefly and her lips quirk. "Not that I'm not grateful"
"Stefan enlisted my help when you and Elena went absent without leave, I overheard your little spat." He fights a smile, pretty lips tight with contained mirth and she groans.
"You know a gentleman would pretend he hadn't heard that" she points out haughtily and he grins openly.
"Of course" he makes a small stiff bow that she is determined to ignore the old fashioned charm of and she rolls her eyes. Of all the rotten luck he had to be the one to over hear Elena's taunting.
He's merciful though, he doesn't tease her, or push her he just steps in close again and takes her shoulders. "Are you sure you're ok sweetheart"
She nods.
"Very well," he tips his head and she notices they're almost at her house. "The sheriff is at home, I'll leave you in her care"
She nods again, struck by a sudden and uncharacteristic muteness and he gives a sweet crooked smile and turns away.
"Klaus" she calls him back and answers his smile with a brief unsure twitch of her lips. "Thank you," she whispers sincerely and it's his turn to nod.
His fingers come to her cheek and the contact is unsettling for so many reasons not least being the spark of anticipation that makes her involuntarily wet her lips with her tongue.
The movement draws his gaze for a second then he looks at her with something wicked and exciting and scary in his eyes. "You're welcome," he murmurs in a bedroom whisper that makes a thrill in a way that's equal parts lust and fear. "Caroline"
Her name rolls over his tongue like sweet flowing honey and for all her protestation about not being seduced by him she feels like she's falling through a vacuum, weightless and silent but still hurtling towards something devastating
"God," she explodes suddenly. "Seriously?"
He looks disorientated and she wonders if maybe he was tumbling too.
"You killed Tyler's mom then you ran him out of town!" She ploughs on and ignores the way he seems to struggle to catch up. "Not to mention that your toxic werewolf bite almost killed me not very long ago. You have brought nothing but misery to everyone I care about. You think I'm just gonna fall into bed with you because of one random act of heroism? You're disgusting" she finishes with a snarl.
"I assure you your mind is several steps ahead of mine in this case Caroline," he retorts. "I was merely appreciating your beauty I had no-"
"Well you don't get to do that" she cuts him off. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
His eyes harden for an instant then and idea sparks in them and he tilts his head, the answering anger that had just begun building in his body seeping away, leaving her more anxious than ever.
"Very well love, I'll offer you a deal." He smiles charmingly and alarm bells blare in her mind. "I, my expensive gifts, romantic drawing and," the corner of his mouth quirks upwards, "random acts of heroism, will leave you alone just as you ask"
He pauses and she fidgets nervously. "And what do you want in return?" she asks suspiciously.
"Oh a mere trifle I assure you," he steps closer again and his voice is barely more than a whisper. "Share with me just one of those," his tongue runs briefly over his lower lip and he sounds each of his next words out deliberately. " 'dirty little thoughts'"
She rears back in shock to see mirth dancing wickedly over his face and challenge in his eyes.
"Caroline," her mother's voice calls worriedly form the porch.
"Do we have a deal?" Klaus persists and she can't believe she's considering this. But then isn't it a small price to pay to get him out of her life? She'll feed him one of her tamer fantasies and then she'll never have to deal with him again.
"Caroline, honey are you ok?" her mother is walking towards them now and she wants him gone before there's some sort of scene.
"Fine" she hisses. "Deal"
He flashes her a bright crooked smile and then he's gone leaving her alone with her mother, a lot of explaining to do, and butterflies dancing in her healing stomach.
A/N hope this piques some interest out there, i have the next chapter ready, should get it up soon. Let me know what you think