Klaus reaches out to her His fingers brush over the angered flush tainting her smooth skin and he lets them linger for a moment before tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.
Caroline slaps his hand away forcefully, ignoring the apologetic smile Klaus forces. She fixes her glare on him and it feels like Caroline can see through his skin, passed the blood pumping in his veins, deeper than the muscles and through his bones. There's always been that feeling of her seeing into his soul but Klaus doesn't believe in souls and if he did he would be the last creature on earth to have one.
An awkward silence settles between them as the hybrid settles on the couch behind him. He could kill her if he wanted, he could kill the two dogs guarding the door before any of them had the chance to stake him. Klaus doesn't want to kill her though-he did, for a long time after she tried to kill Tyler he did. He knows Caroline loves Tyler and she was going to kill herself after she killed Tyler just to prove it-so she could be with the one she loves. Apparently it was romantic. He found it pathetic.
Now he was going to give her and the Salvatore brothers what they wanted-what his own family wanted. His death.
Caroline chews the inside of her cheek as she waits for Stefan and Damon to return with the stake. Her arms cross over her chest, a habit she's had since she was little, and keeps her eyes focused on the notices he doesn't look angry or defeated, he looks almost content as he stares right back at her.
"Don't tell me Stefan and Damon have chickened out of our little arrangement love," he says with the slightest smirk.
It looks out of place. His stubble is freshly shaven, his hair cut just this morning and she can smell the vanilla body wash under the scent of his cologne. Klaus is wearing a tailored suit and fifteen hundred dollar shoes-he looks like a movie star but they both know this is the outfit he's chosen to die in. She can't help but think it's a shame, that the expensive clothing will go to waste.
"Don't get your panties in a knot I got the stake. Stefan had to stake Rebekah though, don't worry Klaus he'll take it out when you're dead," Damon states with his usual faked smile.
Klaus isn't worried though he knows Elijah will kill Stefan if he doesn't take the knife out, Elijah would never let their dear baby sister stay like that.
Damon hands Caroline the stake and nudges her over to the hybrid. It's clutched to her chest tightly and the familiar feeling of guilt pangs at her insides. She wants him dead but she doesn't want to kill him-she was never one to kill unless she had to but here Klaus is, giving himself into the hands of death.
This isn't a time to be feeling guilty Caroline tells herself and sits beside him. Klaus shifts so his body is facing her and grabs hold of her arm yanking it so the stake is pressing roughly against the material of the suit just above him heart.
"I do not wish to suffer in my death Caroline," he mumbles for her to hear and she's never felt so guilty.
The time Caroline spent with him wasn't all bad, he taught her things that no one else had. She taught her the most important thing-even after she was willing to die to be with Tyler if she killed him-that she wanted to live more than anything else. Klaus never held anything against her and liked her honesty. She had convinced herself months ago that it was all a way of manipulating them but even still he had allowed her to be herself with no judgements.
"I'm sorry," Caroline whispers with a shaky smile. Her fingers tighten around the wood of the stake as she takes a deep breath.
Caroline can hear the sounds of bones breaking and fleshing being torn apart as she jerks the stake into Klaus' heart and it makes her nauseous. She can feel blood on her fingers but can't bring herself to look away from the eyes of the hybrid. It seems like the honourable thing to do, to let him look into the eyes of his killer.
"No you aren't sweetheart," Klaus chokes out weakly. "Caroline you-you are loved." Those aren't the words he wanted to say, that was his last chance to say them. Klaus knows he's been selfish for his entire existence and he isn't going to be selfish now. Saying those words to Caroline as he is dying is pitiful and she deserves better-an unfathomable tale of love. She has always deserved better than him, better than Tyler and if his death takes all her pain away then those words are going to die with him.