A Klaus free life.

It sounded pleasing to the ear, forcing Caroline to overcome her want and need for him as she realized that she no longer had to hide her true feelings. It was getting harder and harder during his reign of terror over Mystic Falls to pretend as if he meant nothing to her, but she overcame it, hoping to never have to experience the disgustingly tender feelings she began to harbor towards him.

Klaus was evil.

A monster.

Someone that made her friends lives in Mystic Falls worse than a hell they could personally create for themselves, but even then, it didn't stop Caroline from feeling that tingle whenever she sensed him around.

With a quick shiver up her spine, Caroline was aware of the quick tell tale sensory she suddenly gained whenever he was around

There were often times that she ignored it, allowing those around her to believe that the hatred she felt towards Klaus had become just as intense as theirs, but it hadn't. Well, not for their reasons.

It was strange, for Caroline, and often something she couldn't bring herself to understand, but now that he was dead and no longer around to haunt, kill, and torture them, she no longer had to hide her feelings. Caroline no longer had to glare at him and seemed unappreciative of his romantic gestures because he was dead.

Klaus was dead and he was never coming back.

She should have been happy; jumping for joy as she recited the news back to herself while looking in the mirror, but all she felt was sadness, and betrayal. It disgusted her and made her feel weak, but she said nothing, trying not to coach herself into ignoring her feelings as she always had.

But she failed.

"Get a grip, Caroline," with a slight whisper, Caroline spoke those words to herself as she turned away from her mirror and walked to her bed.

Klaus was dead, though even in death, he was taking over her thoughts.

"He's dead. Get over it. Move on." As she coached herself to ignore his existence while sitting on the edge of her bed facing her open bedroom door, she sighed.

Usually this worked.

Instantly, she often got over it.

But today, it was a nagging thought that didn't seem to want to go away.

Taking a deep breath, Caroline turned slightly before laying on her bed. As she tried to relax and think of nothing more of that day, she couldn't help but remember his last words to her.

"Shhh it's okay, it's me, you're safe. We'll save Elena. You go straight home and you stay inside, do you understand? Do you understand me?"

When he looked at her, she saw a different side of him.

It was the side she always saw when they were alone.

The side that slowly but surely lured her in.

No longer did she see that monster that everyone accused him of being, because in that moment she saw nothing more than genuine care for her safety.

He saved her.

Helped her.

Yet instead of mourning him, it was only a few hours ago that she celebrated his death.

Sighing once more, Caroline turned her back to her bedroom door.

She wanted to get lost in her thoughts and finally rid herself of Klaus, but before she could, the quick buzzing sound of her phone quickly alerted her. After picking it up from her nightstand, she read a text from Tyler.

Tyler

He's really gone can you believe it? Now we won't have to worry about him trying to break us up

Smiling to the text, Caroline pretended she was happy, even with no one around to witness the sudden sadness that engulfed her once again.

She needed this to stop.

She needed those feelings to go away once and for all.

She needed Klaus out of her head.

However, with everyone reminding her of his existence, she knew it would be hard.

Caroline

I know. Now you'll never have anything to be jealous of. I'm yours, Tyler. :)

After replying to his text, Caroline tossed her phone to the empty side of her bed. It was true. She was his, though secretly, she wanted to belong to a dead man.

As she continued laying there, drowning herself in thoughts to forget all about the events of the day, Caroline closed her eyes, hoping that tomorrow would at least be easier for her to handle.

When she woke up, the dim streetlights peaking through her blinds causing a bit of light to enter her room made it known that morning had yet to come.

She needed this day to be over. To wake up feeling fresh... feeling...

Wait.

All the lights were out.

As Caroline looked around her room, noticing the darkness, she glanced out of her open door. The lights in the living room and hallway, just as the light in her bedroom, were no longer on as she left them. And whilst most people would assume their mom, brother, or sister turned it out, Caroline panicked slightly.

"Mom?," she called, hoping to hear her reply before remembering that she wouldn't be home tonight.

But plans change... right?

"Mom, are you home?" After calling out again without getting a response, Caroline stood up from her bed.

As she listened for unusual sounds, she heard nothing more than a moaning cat outside.

She was paranoid, and even though she realized this before anything else, it didn't stop her from going to see who, or what, caused all of the lights to suddenly go out.

Going to her mothers room, she walked in only to have confirmation that she hadn't come home.

This was stupid.

She was a vampire.

A scary thing that usually went bump in the night.

Yet as her fear began to overrun her, she closed her mothers bedroom door.

"Seriously, Caroline?," she whispered to herself before taking a deep breath and shaking her head. "Maybe the power went out. Get a fucking grip!"

With her emotions on edge, everything slowly began to drive her insane, though, it wasn't something she believed until she felt it. The strange yet intoxicating feeling she usually felt...

Whenever...

"No. No. He's dead. He's gone. Stop it."

As she went to the living room and turned on the light, she half expected to see someone standing there, ready to scare her more than anyone ever thought they could scare a vampire, but when she saw nothing, she realized that she really had gone insane.

Shaking her head, Caroline retreated back to her bedroom and laid down. Paranoia had gotten the best of her, but once she took a deep, steady breath, her previously racing heart had calmed as she laid there.

"You're far too tense, love."

When she heard his voice, her reaction wasn't something she expected. She thought that she would panic and possibly scream until she died from fear, but when she hadn't, she knew that her insanity level had finally sky-rocketed.

Klaus was alive, and in her room.

This had to be a dream.

"You're dead," she said somewhat silently as she felt his hand slowly move from her waist to her stomach, pulling her closer.

"Am I?" The warmth of his breath soothed her skin, causing her to melt into him.

"Yes...," she said somewhat breathlessly before continuing, "Bonnie said the spell worked and they killed you."

"Well. Doesn't look like it worked that well, does it?" As he gently stroked his nose against the flesh of her neck, Caroline exhaled.

"This isn't real. I know you're not really here."

"Have you ever stop to think that maybe the spell backfired? That little witch can't always do things right." As he practically growled at her, she tensed up once again.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe the spell didn't go as they all hoped. But if that were true, then here she was.

Laying in bed.

With Klaus.

As she stared out to the living room, trying to make sense of all that was happening, the tension in her shoulders would subside. Caroline didn't want to believe that this was true, because if she did, then the grim realization would set in.

She was doing something that her friends would never approve of.

As she turned slowly, hoping that he would have disappeared by the time she could set her eyes on him, Caroline was sadly disappointed.

He was still there, looking at her with the same sincere eyes she saw earlier that day.

Was this a dream, or was this apart of her sick and twisted reality?

Searching his eyes, Caroline hoped for a glimpse of something to tell her what she wanted to hear, but when she found nothing, her hand slowly reached over to his heart.

"Still beating," she thought. Which was a good sign of a healthy undead person.

He smirked, tickled by her reaction. "It's still there, love."

"Why did you come back? If they find out you're still alive. They'll kill you. For real this time."

As his expression became more stern, she searched his eyes. The sincerity was still there, drawing her in just enough to enjoy his presence at that moment, despite the look on his face.

"Because I had to see you again before I left."

Her heart sank.

He was still planning to leave.

Without her.

"Why? Do you have some sort of death wish?"

"No. But like you said, they think I'm dead, so they won't think twice of where I am, where I go... or who I see."

He was right. If they were really convinced that he was dead then they wouldn't care less about what he was doing, or even believe that their plan, just like the others, had failed miserably.

Caroline hated herself. Here she was, laying in bed with him and instead of calling the Salvatores, she was actually enjoying his company. She was betraying her friends, and even though they'd never find out, she felt horrible.

As she sank into the matress and laid her head down on the pillow, she frowned slightly.

"Klaus..."

"Caroline..."

"Am I dreaming?," she whispered.

As silence grew thicker in the room, his finger stroked her cheek gingerly. She couldn't believe she asked, fearing the outcome of his answer, but she had to know. She had to know if this was reality, or simply a fantasy she cooked up to help her feel better about his death.

To help her cope with losing someone she secretly cared for despite the potential looks she could get from her friends if they found out.

To help her...

Feeling his lips gently kiss hers, Caroline was pulled from her thoughts. The softness and eagerness of his lips felt real. Just as real as the hand on her waist.

Whimpering against his lips, she melted into him, enjoying how he held her lower lip captive with his own and how he caressed the exposed skin against her side.

If he were really dead, then the warmth of his skin was no indication of it, causing her to realize that maybe this wasn't a dream. Maybe this was their new reality.

Maybe...

"Yes," he finally answered while letting his lips linger on hers, waking her from her sleep.