Author note: This fic is the translation of one of my Italian fanfictions. I'd like to thank from the bottom of my heart:
Alexanders for the her strenous support, patience for my continuous ramblings and overall translations of my stories;
Jess aka venomandchampagne for her amazing beta work and patience she put in this task. Thanks to her this fic has got some extra-points.
Before the Beginning
The big grandfather clock in the hall struck 7 pm, breaking the almost religious silence of the house.
Caroline glanced absently at the minute-hand from the couch where she was lazily sunk: still 3 hours to go before the "big" event. She sighed. She was almost regretting that she agreed so easily to that plan. The excited voice of Susan, one of her fellow cheerleader, echoed in her head:
"Caroline you must absolutely join us! It is the coolest place in all of Virginia! I got the passes! My brother knows the DJ and I asked him for free passes for me!"
Caroline felt like her ears were still whistling from the squeals of Susan's last sentence.
Ugh.
Susan was a dear girl, a freshman full of energy, anxious to fully join the inner circle of the cheerleaders ... the most coveted status for almost each girl in Mystic Fall High School. Maybe too eager; it was like being close to a squirrel which had accidentally ingested too much coffee. And Caroline knew something about hyper- activity.
Caroline's memories flew absently back to when she was herself a little girl full of excitement and hope, just new on the team, but already knowing that in a not too far future she would be the leader of the cheerleading team.
At that time everything seemed so ... simple. She sighed. She wondered what that little girl would think now, seeing her on the couch at home brooding and licking the wounds of another unrequited love.
Damon
She muttered under her breath, relentlessly turning the pages of the glossy magazine that she was trying to read: actually the girl of that time would have literally melted in front of the cocky smile of the devilish, dark-haired man and served her heart directly on a silver platter, decorated with glittering stones ... which, to be honest, even the current Caroline diligently did (glittery aside, of course)!
Damn it!
She angrily threw the magazine on the coffee table and hid her face under a pillow: why did she have this uncanny ability to always fall in love with the wrong guy? Or rather, with the guy who definitely did not want her back?
No one chooses Caroline Forbes as their epic love life. Like never.
And once again as expected, she picked the bad boy on duty, the evil brother Damon, after of course signing up immediately for a strike out from the other "good" brother, Stefan.
Salvatores Brothers: 2 / Caroline Forbes: 0
She got up from the couch angrily. When did she become one of Cinderella's evil sisters? To be precise, repellent to men and bound to be rejected after the first five seconds of interaction with the male counterpart?
As if that was not enough, the icing on the cake was that this time she also played, unconsciously, the role of "pawn" in the master plan of Damon; He pretended to be interested in her in order to get to Elena.
Obviously Elena.
Gosh. She sighed again, heading towards her bedroom: she had the sneaking suspicion that if she were a boy, she would have fallen in love with Elena!
Elena, one of her best friends, was the personification of all the gifts that Mother Nature could ideally distribute: kindness, grace, beauty, intelligence, and half a dozen other qualities that at the moment Caroline couldn't think of but was sure she herself was lacking.
She knew well how people described her:
Neurotic
Obsessive
Perfectionist
Just because she forced her team to repeat the chorography until the girls were begging that if they didn't stop right away, they would have kept dancing in a loop all night long … through their sleep.
Or just because during the preparation of the gym for the welcome party of the new academic year, she would dart like an angry velociraptor towards her committee fellows, yelling that the chairs were not at all set in parallel rows, but they rather appeared to be arranged by someone completely stoned!
She looked critically at her reflection in the mirror of her bathroom.
To be fair, blonde hair and blue eyes (cornflower as her father would say) should definitely score some points on her side, right?
Huff! Obviously the allure of blondes was suddenly out of fashion. Or it was simply her that was the real problem.
She waved a hand at her reflection, as if to silence her bitchy inner voice.
It's better to start getting ready for the evening. Who knows ... maybe the Moonlight, "the coolest place in all Virginia", could be the right place to improve her mood which in the meantime had fallen towards the deep center of the Earth.
- ooo -
It was one of those sultry evenings, when the clothes clung to your skin and moving around became such a pain. All that humidity could easily predict that the rain would soon come and give a little refreshment to the parched and weary land ... of course these predictions were quite simple if you had vampire ears like Klaus who was able to discern the echo of thunder still miles away. When you are a millennial old vampire like him, a sharp ear is the least of his peculiarities; for example, a very irascible temperament is another; he was listening with irritation to the exchange thirty feet away, between his fellow and the bouncer of the local "Moonlight".
What a ridiculous name!
Felipe must have picked up this name surely during one of his LSD and glass of vodka trips, Klaus decided shaking his head.
« Hey man, listen to me: you do NOT want to annoy the man over there» he caught the nervous whisper of one of his vampires. «I'm telling you that your boss knows who he is! He does not need to be on that damn list! If you don't get out of the way, I can guarantee that things will end up very badly! » he completed with urgency, squeezing the bouncer's arm as if to warn him of the danger he was running by standing in the way of his boss' path.
The bouncer in question, as tall as a mountain and as big as an army tank, Bernhald, shook off the vampire's grip, unimpressed, and crossed his arms over his chest as he licked his lips.
«Look, I'm telling you, vampire, if you're not on the guest list you cannot enter here, even if you're the president …» he was abruptly interrupted by the menacing figure of Klaus, who darted in front of him in a heartbeat.
« Listen to me» he hissed, with a very low voice, stopping two inches from the bouncer's face «If you do not want to gather your internal organs up from where they will be scattered on the road, you better get out of my way! I do not have time for this nonsense.»
The bouncer tried to break free again from the iron grip of the other vampire, who now had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt; strangely he could not shake him off an inch.
«Vampire!» he stressed, glancing towards the door of the disco where a line of people, waiting to get in, was observing the scene with interest.
«You're attracting way too much attention! Don't push me to use more forceful methods!» and with the last sentence he lowered his head towards Klaus, showing his irises now golden. Behind him gathered a small group of men, dressed like him, pants and black shirt with the logo of the place, headsets on their ears. Other bodyguards of the Moonlight.
Klaus raised an eyebrow, a hint of smirk on his lips, «You gotta be kidding me!»
Before the situation could tragically escalate, an agitated voice interrupted the diatribe;
«Bernhald! » behind the bouncers emerged a thin man , with amber skin, thick black hair and dark eyes like coal with an accent that betrayed his European origins «Damn it! »Alluding to a fifteen year old boy, all freckles, who peeped from behind the human crowd in a black jersey, he continued «Antoine warned me about the commotion out here!» He registered the position of the two contenders and his expression went from frowning to alarmed to terrified when he realized who the guy in dark jacket was, dirty blond curls and an irritated expression that threatened nothing good.
«For heaven's sake Nilklaus!» he hastened to separate the two of them considering that Klaus was still keeping his iron grip on the bouncer's collar.
«So much for being welcome at any time at your place! I have to say that your welcoming committee is not really pleasant, Felipe» Klaus scoffed, cracking half a smile to the owner of the place.
«Forgive him, Niklaus » Felipe said in a conciliatory tone, putting a hand on Klaus' shoulder «It's one of the new employees! A German! » as if that alone would have been enough to explain everything. He turned angrily to his employee:
«Bernhald! What on Earth were you thinking, getting in the way of an Original?»
A buzz of whispers began to spread around the crowd of people that had gathered in front of the disco door.
«An Original?» Bernhald repeated, his eyes wide, turning his shocked gaze on the man in front of him. He was at a loss for words, realization of what he had just risked fell upon him like a thunderbolt, «But, but ... they said his name was Klaus», he finally said alternating his gaze between Felipe and the Original.
«Yes! You big idiot!» retorted Felipe, hitting him lightly on the shoulder with a fist « Niklaus Mikealson! Luckily the alarms went off in Antoine's head! Perhaps he is also the only one who actually listens to me when I instruct you lot on who can and cannot enter here!» he proudly glanced to the young boy who had now slid into the front of the line and was watching, eaten up by curiosity and excitement, the blond vampire in front of him: five more minutes of adoration and he would be ready to ask for an autograph. Klaus offered a lazy smile to the red-haired, lean and lanky boy; after all a young werewolf eager to join his fan club (if there had ever been one) was a situation completely to his own advantage ... or better yet to his future advantage.
He cleared his throat, already bored of listening to the exchange of useless reproaches and apologies of the two;
« Felipe, mate, how about you offer me something inside?» he pointed to the entrance. «Maybe your famous Moonlight will be just fine enough to leave behind the rudeness of your guard dogs», Klaus emphasized the last words, throwing an evil look to the bouncer, who in spite of everything could just bite the bullet, pursing his lips into a thin line.
«Of course, mi amigo!» offered Felipe, directing him through the entrance of the place, «If you were looking for entertainment this evening ... » he paused while they were passing a group of girls waiting to leave their coats in the cloakroom «You are in the right place».
- ooo -
Klaus was walking absent-minded through the various rooms of Moonlight, observing the different wildlife that inhabited the spaces: every room corresponded to a different musical genre, most of which were obviously not of his taste; what exactly was catchy in all that noise? Or in those trivial rhymes very suitable for kids in primary school? He would never understand the taste of that century, he decided.
He stopped in the largest room, the most crowded one, with high-ceilings and two large arched French doors that opened onto an English garden, where the focal point was a swimming pool with a poolside bar. Beside the swimming pool there was also a dancing floor with its zealous DJ.
It seems that Felipe remained the usual megalomaniac he used to be at the time of the Conquistadors, he thought absently, his mind lost in the memories of the Spanish expeditions and the Armada Invencible.
Sipping his cocktail, "godfather", he noted with an amused smile the lascivious glances that some girls, sitting on the white leather sofa, were throwing at him with a seductive expression without being very subtle. He shook his head smiling: the very idea that a girl was trying to bait him was simply ridiculous; HE was the predator, never the prey.
Felipe caught his attention from one of the VIP area, in front of the DJ's booth.
The staff of the Moonlight stepped aside allowing him access to the reserved area, the same effect as a heated blade through a slab of ice.
«So? I hope you're having fun! What do you think of my place?» Felipe asked jovially, putting his arm familiarly around Klaus' shoulders.
Klaus' blue eyes lit up with a demonic light while he sat on one of the couches: «Well, I would say that it reflects its owner, tawdry and extreme like always» he offered his trademark devilish grin «I must admit that I was surprised when I heard that Felipe Narvez was not only alive and kicking, but also owner of one of "the 'coolest' places throughout the state of Virginia. I mean, I thought you were buried miles away under the ocean along with one of the galleons of the Armada» Klaus finished lazily «How were the waters off the coast of Calais? I hope not too cold».
Felipe shook his head, laughing bitterly, «Mi amigo, one day you will have to explain to me how you end up always on the winning team! I swear, either you are the corsair or the Revenge's vice- admiral, the end is always the same» he stared at him, this time with genuine admiration.
«Well, amigo, it's the benefit of bring Niklaus, of course», he directed his attention to the flood of people dancing on the dance floor «But tell me, how comes it that this place is so highly ranked on the charts of "coolest place", given the apparent mixture of races? And of course I'm not referring to the "nationality"» he motioned to a bunch of couples on the dancing floor that seemed completely lost in a deep... petting session. But to attentive eyes, like Klaus', those effusions corresponded rather to a… feeding session.
«Don't you have the police knocking at your door every night, wondering why every missing person in the area is, inevitably, on your guests' list? ».
«Oh, certainly not» denied Felipe, waving his hand as if saying that the very thought was absurd, «Each vampire who crosses the threshold of my place knows that they must "be on their best behavior" and by that I mean to avoid draining humans. Simple rules. Everybody has fun. And ... and I gain a lot of money!» he finished, rubbing his hands happily.
«And I suppose that your staff … » continued Klaus, not at all convinced by the idyllic coexistence that Felipe was picturing. His gaze shifted t the number of bodyguards guarding every focal point of the room.
«Simple rules, precisely. They don't give me problems; I don't trouble them » concluded the Spaniard with a smile.
«Werewolves » added Klaus, with a strange light in his eyes «And where did you find such a large group of werewolves, if I may ask ?» Felipe did not fail to register the change of atmosphere around the blond vampire; it was as if his blue eyes were trying to peer into his mind.
«Oh come on! Niklaus! I might not be a thousand year old vampire like you, but I'm not stupid » he protested exasperatedly, spreading his arms «I'm on vervain! All the staff is! Just to avoid greedy vampires who don't want to pay the bill! Listen» he continued conciliatorily pointing to the dance floor « why don't you go and find some diversion? You could find some hot young girl to spend the evening with. In every sense of course, although I would prefer that you give the good night kiss in a place as far as possible from here. You know ... like you said, it would be difficult to keep customers with police questioning around about a murder». He offered him a glass full of an amber liquid «Come on, amigo! For the sake of the good old times. Truthfully you shot me with a damn cannon ball, back in 1588! You own me! ».
Klaus chuckled getting up from the couch «Alright, let's drop the subject of werewolves. But» and he stood a few inches from Felipe's face « Just for tonight».
He picked up the glass that Felipe was offering and leaned against the privé balustrade, observing the mass of people dancing to the beat of the music. To tell the truth, throughout the evening he was feeling a weird feeling of nervousness under his skin, like a feeling of anticipation. Most likely the predator inside him was showing signs of impatience; when descending toward the dancing floor, a sudden movement under the DJ booth caught his attention: a girl was climbing on one of the high tables in the room, supported by those who supposedly were her companions. They were trying to catch the attention of the DJ. Klaus could not help but notice her pale back, left uncovered by a crimson dress that was knotted behind her neck. At the same way he could not help but linger on the long, slender legs that the pleated skirt left lavishly bare.
«They always do that» he heard to his side; he realized that the red-haired boy from before (Antoine, if he recalled correctly) had approached him, a big smile on his face and a bit of emotion that betrayed his voice: «They ask the DJ to play their favorite songs» he explained « Most of them flip the table and fall» he finished with a chuckle.
Klaus smirked back, giving him a pat on the back: «You're very young, boy. But at the right time you will be part of my army» he revealed, causing a wave of excitement in the young werewolf.
He was looking back at the girl balanced on the table: it seemed that she was able to communicate her message to the DJ; she turned to step down and Klaus became temporarily unable to think straight. It was as if he had been the victim of a petrification spell, beside the fact that there was no magic. The girl was gesticulating at her companions, with the brightest smile he had ever seen; focusing his ears he was able to discern her crystalline laugh, as fresh as a summer drizzle. Her hair was a cascade of golden streamers, her eyes two pools of blue water. He felt his mouth become completely dry, a shiver ran through his whole body: here it was, his wait was finally over.
Mentally kicking himself, he was trying to reawaken from the coma (what are you? A wild-hormonal 15 year old boy, Niklaus?), but the object of his desires casually lifted her gaze, fixing her eyes on him.
And in that very brief moment Klaus knew: he was lost.
Caroline snorted a little moody:
Ugh!
Her bad luck apparently knew no boundaries! Coming to this super cool place and ending up being the sober driver! She couldn't even drown her misery in the alcohol!
She looked critically at her rum and coke (coke with some traces of rum): she had the feeling that the bartender had looked disgusted when she made her order.
She wanted to blurt out: «It's not my fault we have an hour drive to get back home!».
Ugh!
«Caroline!» Susanne called, as she dropped dead weight on the couch beside her. Her glass was dangerously close to being spilt on Caroline's dress «Come on! Don't pull that face! It's fun anyway! Even if you cannot drink » she slipped an arm warmly around her waist.
«That's rich, coming from someone who is on her third daiquiri, really! » retorted Caroline with a mocking expression «I swear: If I didn't already know your personality was, how could I say … "intrusive", I would think that you've been trying to hit on me since the moment we stepped out of the car».
«I'm always ready for new experiences » whined Susanne, leaning her head on Caroline's shoulder. «And also tonight you're so sexy in this dress! Where did you buy it?»
« Ok, did she already reach the drunk and pesky status?» asked one of the other teammates, Joanne , reaching them with two glasses filled with a pink liquid. Caroline eyed them longingly.
«Caroline» scoffed Joanne «you have the look of a former alcoholic who craves the last drop of alcohol» she chuckled, handing the glasses to their other companions near Caroline.
«And where did you get these fantastic silver sandals! They also have crystal glitter on the front!» continued Susanne, now practically dipped between Caroline's legs»
«Okay» Caroline snapped getting up, and unceremoniously shoving the freshman off « Let's go to the dancing floor before this drunkard undresses me in front of everyone!».
«You're meeann» complained Susanne, with a frown.
«Let's go! And the first thing I want to do» Caroline turned around, doing a pirouette «is to ask the DJ to put on Promiscuous »
« So it isn't only Susann who is all hot and bothered» joked Joanne standing up too;
«What can I say, I have a soft spot for Justin» Caroline smiled, walking towards the DJ booth.
Exactly 10 minutes after her declaration of intent, Caroline was cursing herself for her brilliant idea: getting on the damn table was quite simple (a small leap and she was on the chair, legs up and voilà, she was on top of the table); it was the way back that did not seem that obvious:
«Girls, if you keep standing in the middle of the way I'll land on you, sticking my five inches heels in one of your jugulars! ». She burst out laughing at Susanne's exploit: «Go Caroline, I'll catch you! Easy here» as she spread her arms expectantly.
«Suuree! Only when I make my mind up that I don't need either of my legs anymore » she waved her hand as if to shoo away a fly « Come on! Shoo! Give me some space! It's getting ridiculous to be stacked on this stuff» and as she spoke these words, she lifted her gaze absently, hoping that no one was paying attention to that pitiful scene. She froze on the spot, staring into two breathtaking and stunning cobalt eyes; a shiver ran through her entire back. Those two eyes had the flicker of a predator and they were peering at her as if to grasp the inner part of her ... it was something fascinating but also awe-inspiring.
A remote corner of her mind took note that a song by Mika was being played in that moment, "Relax";
There is an answer to the darkest times .
It's clear we do not understand but the last thing on my mind
Is to leave you
She swallowed, diverting her attention to ... well … the owner of those eyes and she immediately thought that it should have been illegal to be that handsome: dark blond hair, short and curly, a hint of cute stubble on his cheeks, and red full lips. They were the most inviting thing that she had ever seen. The refrain of the song woke her from her self-induced hypnosis;
Relax , take it easy
For there is nothing That we can do.
Relax , take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you
If she had not been in such a precarious position (not to mention the audience that was still watching), she would have slapped herself;
What the heck Caroline! You've spent all afternoon practically writing a tome about "My disastrous relationships: 101" and the first thing you think about now is how to put your tongue in the mouth (albeit very delicious) of a stranger (super sexy) with stunning eyes and a light blue Henley, which highlights his chest absolutely sinfully!
She noticed that those lips that were attracting her attention twitched in a knowing grin. Shit! Of course, by now he should have noticed the X-ray scan that she had just performed!
Fortunately, the hypnotic contact with the stranger was interrupted by a voice that called her back down to Earth.
«Honey, may I help you? » she looked at the man who approached the edge of the table, he was offering his hand with an encouraging smile.
«Oh, yeah sure, why not» Caroline stammered, giving one last quick glance toward the Greek god on the other side of the dancing floor: empty. The guy was gone.
She sighed: maybe that was for the better.
She took the man's hand and gave a little jump, automatically placing the other hand on the shoulder of her rescuer, to balance the impact. Obviously the guy readily took advantage of the situation by grabbing her waist with his free hand, pretending to give her more balance.
«Well ... thank you» said Caroline, embarrassed, thinking it was a bit ungrateful to push him away just after he helped her recover from her embarrassing situation.
«It was my pleasure» the guy smiled enthusiastically «Do I deserve a dance?» he asked innocently, his hand still stuck on the blonde's hips.
Caroline gave a sidelong glance back at her friends: she intercepted a chorus of "Go!", "Take it" and even a "He's so cute" ... Susanne! She swallowed a small grunt: it was the last time she went out with her! Word of cheerleader captain!
«I hope you can keep up the pace» she offered to the stranger, freeing herself from his grip and going to the dancing floor. The man winked at the girls who had voted in his favor and followed her.
The mood of Niklaus was sinking dangerously and fast deep into the ground: only a dozen murders in sequence could have cheered him up a bit.
He didn't know what to be more upset about: over the guy who was now dancing with the stunning blonde or rather over this ridiculous irritation that was choking him. Irritation over a girl he had just seen for a few seconds!
He had followed the whole scene: from the rescue with the bloke's hands slipping on the blonde's hips, to the invitation to dance, and last but not least to the continuing attempts that damn jerk was trying, even now, to put his hands on her!
He squeezed his hands around the empty glass, trying to regain control of his thoughts (and especially of another part under his belt: the blonde was moving her body in such a sensual way that he could not help but stare at her).
He squinted, trying to better scrutinize the guy (whose hands were now languidly stroking her bare back, damn him!): he was well built blond hair tied back in a ponytail, charming smile … he radiated a feeling of ... he peered more closely
«Vampire» he muttered.
Well as they say "first come"... that guy was very lucky to find such a treat for his meal. Well according to Felipe, the vampire guests of this place knew that was not possible, as he said, to give the good night kiss here. Right? Unless ... the guy could convince her (willingly or not, thanks to compulsion) to go to another place...
He paused to think, his eyes stared at the two figures, hating himself for this sudden obsession with the unknown girl. He turned on his heels with every intention to go and take another glass of anything strong enough to stun an elephant and then look for his meal, reveries of the moment be damned!
It was blocked by a high-pitched whine, coming from the sound boxes, followed by sudden darkness. All the lights were out along with the music. There were cries of surprise, laughter, screams of panic. There was a faint light coming from the windows overlooking the garden, which was enough to show fading shadows.
«Damn» he heard cursing in his ears: Felipe.
«It can't be that the electrical power system is blown! We have emergency generators! I'll check out the technical cabinet outside» he gripped Klaus's arm with urgency «Amigo, could you please give a hand to my kids? I fear that a few of my guests could take advantage of the confusion and take liberties with my rules».
«Sure Felipe, nothing makes me happier than babysitting a vampire / human party» muttered the Original, smirking.
Felipe didn't stop to answer him and was already darting toward the exit of the place.
With a peculiar synchronism, after a couple of minutes, on the other side of the room a fight broke out; thanks to his vampire eyes he could see his bouncer friend of a few hours ago, Bernhald, who was fighting off a white haired, tall man in his fifties. Klaus would guess that the vampire was powerful enough, maybe a bi- centennial. Some girls were screaming in fear watching the scene. The rest of the men looked interested at the exchange of punches.
Klaus shrugged: if a werewolf that big and tall was not able to face a vampire like that, well, he was the shame of his race ... he would better be off dead.
Then a sudden awareness of the events struck him like a thunderbolt: with half the room focused on the fight and the other half in total panic (not to mention that fraction that was taking advantage of the shadows to make out without too much trouble), he realized that this was the perfect situation where a particularly revved up vampire (confusion and excitement were a great lever for blood lust, especially for an inexperienced vampire) could take advantage and feed directly there from a very juicy blonde.
He darted toward the center of the dancing floor before he could even think about another "but".
Caroline blinked, trying to accustom her eyes to the sudden darkness.
She turned around disoriented, trying to figure out if she should panic like most of the people who were now screaming or if she should give into a slight neurosis and begin to run towards the exit. She felt an iron grip around her right wrist; she frowned slightly: her new friend had a tendency to let his hands wander a bit too much for her taste, although she tried the whole time they danced together to discourage any other handy approach.
«Robert? Maybe it is better that we head towards the exit or at least towards the garden. Being in the crowd isn't that smart» following up what she had just said, she turned in the direction of the French doors.
The grip on her wrist became even tighter, making her wince; she was pushed forward with the other wrist locked by Robert.
«Robert » she repeated worried: Caroline could not see his face well, but if he was thinking to hit on her in the middle of all that confusion he had a second thought coming!
«Don't worry, my sweet Caroline» she heard him whisper, now close to her ear, «You're safe with me».
The persuasive tone uttered in his last words was not at all appreciated by the blonde; a tad hint of panic crept into her mind:
«Robert, I don't know what you're thinking» she hissed, trying to wriggle free «but I warn you that if you do not leave me now ...»
The vampire hissed back: «Don't worry my dear, I will make sure that you do not feel any pain, after all I like you»; she felt his breath on her neck and a strange, but almost familiar feeling of dread filled her lungs: what the hell was going on?
And then suddenly she heard a rush of air behind her, a voice deep and commanding;
«Leave.»
«Hey buddy, are you looking for trouble?» called out Robert through gritted teeth.
Caroline didn't have time to turn around or to understand what was happening, because she felt pulled backward, her back colliding against another body, a strong arm tightened around her waist, while a male hand had grabbed Robert by his throat, freeing her wrists from the grip.
The girl thought that perhaps the darkness and confusion had gotten the better of her: she could swear that for a moment Robert's eyes had flashed red.
The man behind her spoke again, shoving away Robert, so that he was forced to step back.
«Let's make a deal, you disappear from my sight and I will grace you by leaving your useless heart in your useless chest ».
Ew! Caroline shuddered: ok threating ... but wasn't the situation going a bit too far?
She tried to lift her head around, with the intention to figure out who was her (new) rescuer, but she was only able to catch just a glimpse of the man's profile because of the darkness of the room.
Her attention was caught again by Robert who was railing against the man behind her;
«Who do you think you are, you spoilsport?»
«Oh, let's skip the official presentations, please. It's enough for you to know that I can rip your head from your body before you even have time to blink» and from the startled face of Robert, Caroline could tell that the expression of her rescuer must have been positively terrifying. Without saying a word, he turned on his heels and disappeared in the confusion of the dancing floor.
With a bit of concern Caroline wondered if she had jumped out of the frying pan into the fire; she tried to turn around to finally see her white knight (with a little tendency towards drama, to be honest), but she was stopped by sudden cries: it seemed that a few feet away, the fight was raging full blown; the crowd was trying to scatter across the room, while a large number of bouncers was rushing towards it.
Caroline hoped that her friends were nowhere close to the big commotion and she froze in the spot: the raging crowd was heading toward them and threating to swallow them completely. She felt the panic creeping under her skin but before she could say something, her unknown savior easily lifted her by her waist and moved them to the end of the room «Don't worry, love» he said in a low voice, almost a whisper, his mouth close to her ear yet without touching her, causing a shiver down her entire back «I got you ».
Caroline closed her eyes, giving herself a moment to feel the muffled and hot sensation that was wrapping her. For the first time since her mystery man spoke she realized that he had a peculiar accent ... sexy ... English, she concluded. Her eyes widened, all of a sudden she was aware of only one thing: she did not know why and how, but she was 100% certain that she was in the arms of the super sexy man she had previously seen from the table. She smiled doubtfully, putting her hands on one of the man's big hands that were still resting on her hips; she applied a slight pressure as to convey her need to be released. He loosened his grip enough to allow her to turn around, fearing for some reason that she would vanish under his eyes.
Caroline turned, creating a little space between their bodies, she looked up and at the same time the lights flashed and returned to illuminate the room. The music suddenly restarted, covering the rest of the noise.
The first thing that she registered were the cobalt eyes peering at her as if she were the most secret and precious thing in the whole room; then she noticed his smile, halfway between an amused and smug grin. She couldn't avoid grinning back till her lips twitched in a genuine smile.
The young man took one of her hands and keeping his enigmatic smirk, he leaned slightly towards her so that she could hear what he was saying;
«Dance with me, love?» he asked hinting toward the DJ who had regained control of the music and was trying to save the night.
A series of disconnected thoughts passed in the blink of eye through Caroline's mind:
She thought that it was absurd to dance (again) with the first stranger she had just met.
She thought that it was even more absurd to think about dancing with all the confusion that was still going crazy around them.
And the DJ had a strange sense of humor: only now he had put her desired song "Promiscuous" with a volume ridiculously high, as if to say: « everything is under control, people, let's pretend nothing just happened and let's continue to dance».
From the corner of her eye she noticed that all the dancers on the podiums were back in their places and they were moving to the beat of music. Someone on the dancing floor was following their example and began to dance; the various bouncers were again blending into the dark corners of the room dragging with them a few of troublemakers who had triggered the brawl.
Finally, she also thought that the most absurd thing above everything was that she could not wait to dance with the man in front of her who was as sexy as hell.
She laced her fingers instinctively with his fingers and pulled him toward the center of the dancing floor, with a charming smile that answered the man's question.
They began dancing to the beat of the music, flesh against flesh: she was moving in a sexy way, as expected from the captain of the cheerleaders; he certainly was not found of this kind of dancing or music, but he'd take every opportunity to caress or trace her skin and smell her perfume.
«"Promiscuous", really? » Klaus whispered in her ear while her hips were melting into his pelvis, creating an almost unbearable tension.
Although he was a vampire master of control, Klaus feared that if his blonde continued to shake her heavenly hips in such a manner, she would soon realize how much his bottom part was appreciating that pace.
Caroline grinned and passed one arm around his neck (of course purely for dance purposes, surely not because that powerful body pressed against her was extremely fabulous, no, no). «And who told you that it was my request ?» she challenged, well aware that he witnessed her little show on the table ... but surely he could not possibly have heard what she asked for ... could he?
«Sweetheart, your eyes tell me everything I need to know» he said, tightening his grip on her hips, so that the blonde was practically only a few millimeters from his face.
Caroline could not help but stare at his lips, wondering what flavor they would have.
Pardon? Caroline!
She shook her head as if to dispel the thought and looked down to escape the hypnotic effect of those lips. She felt her face burning and the air around her was suddenly too thick.
«How about a walk outside, love?» Klaus asked with a conciliatory tone, stroking her arms, as if he was trying to put her at ease.
«I'd say it is an excellent idea! », agreed Caroline gratefully, heading towards the doors.
They chatted for over an hour. They started talking about random topics: Caroline told him that she was a junior student in high school, captain of the cheerleaders (and she had chuckled at the intrigued expression of Klaus), head of the city's events committee and first chair in more than half a dozen clubs more or less ... useless ... she admitted with a chuckle. The garden was almost deserted because of the late hour and the fact that the bar at the swimming pool had closed its doors.
From his side, Klaus had answered a few questions here and there, but overall he seemed to prefer to listen to her rather than talk about himself. For Caroline it was a strange thing, new: it was the first time that her companion was completely hanging from her lips, without being bothered by her ability to say something like 50 words in 10 seconds.
However, she managed to extrapolate with a good dose of smiles and annoyed grimaces that he was an artist, a painter to be accurate. That he was often travelling around and that he was devoting all his energies to achieve a goal.
«And what would this goal be?» she asked curiously, as they sat on one of the benches around the large swimming pool, her sparkling sandals in her hands, in order to avoid smearing them with dirt.
«Well, let's say I'm trying to find a part of myself» Klaus grinned, his gaze lingering on the moon reflected in the pool waters. Caroline frowned:
«Okay mystery man ... Hey! Now that I think about it » she gave a light slap to the man's knee «You didn't even say your name! It's not fair! I told you mine! ».
«Didn't I, Caroline? » He rolled her name in his mouth as if to savor the taste of it on his tongue; he squeezed the girl's hands in his, «Oh, it was extremely rude of me, I beg for your forgiveness».
Caroline giggled, finding his continuous display of those elaborate manners a little strange .
«You can call me Nik» offered the sexy blonde.
«Nik ... and that's it? » inquired Caroline unconvinced;
« How many names do you have instead? » he teased offering for the first time in the evening a genuine smile: besides being ridiculously sexy the man was also equipped with lovely dimples! She was thankful that she was already sitting otherwise her legs would have trembled.
«One» Caroline retorted rolling her eyes «But at least it is not a nickname for something else»
«That's debatable», he said impassively.
«Anyway Nik» the girl said a little mockingly, as if to emphasize that she did not believe him «I think it's time to gather my drunkard companions ...» she giggled, «if I know them well I think that one of them is already fainted in one of the sofas, while the others are holding each other's hair up from the toilet, intent to vomit their soul » she stood up with a jerk, stretching.
«It's hard the life of the sober driver » teased Klaus mirroring her and getting up. He approached her, invading her personal space and brushing a lock of her blond hair behind her ear in an almost tender gesture.
Caroline held her breath as Nik's hand moved on her cheek, caressing it lightly with his thumb. She felt his other hand slide behind her back, pulling her toward him.
She swallowed, trying to keep control of her emotions and above all to keep her eyes averted from Nik's lips.
Klaus lowered his head so that their faces were close, their lips a hair's breadth from each other; he smiled, again showing the killer dimples.
«You have a very nice smell» he told her as he moved his head to the side, his nose buried in her soft blond curls and with his mouth following the line of her neck, almost eagerly. Klaus could feel her blood in the carotid artery pulsing wildly and the intoxicating smell of her body. He put his lips lightly on her pulse point, inhaling deeply, not wanting to give into the desire for blood, but too close to the temptation ... and yet ...
He realized a wet feeling against the palm of his hand that was stroking Caroline's cheek; he slowly returned his gaze on her face registering a silent tear that was falling down from the girl's eyes, pausing between his hand and her chin.
A mixture of awe and inexplicable guilt took possession of him: what? How and why?
«Caroline?» he called her back, unable to utter another word, taking her face between his hands.
Hearing her name Caroline seemed to awaken from a trance; she realized with horror that she was crying! So out of the blue! In front of a perfect stranger who probably was now questioning her sanity!
«Oh God!» she said, shaking her head to escape Nik's grip and recover a little of dignity. She ran a hand over her eyes, hoping that her "water proof" mascara was not a huge advertising lie.
The humiliation that was swallowing her was perhaps even worse than what she experienced only two days ago with Damon when he told her that she was a silly and annoying blonde and that his interest in her was solely due to her friend Elena.
She tried to gather her thoughts, thinking of an excuse to offer to Nik, for her absurd behavior.
Come on, she had just acted like a stupid twelve year old, frightened by her first kiss!
Except that it was not the kiss that was frightening her ... it was an inexplicable feeling of discomfort and revulsion, as when Robert had come too close to her neck! Since when did she develop a neurosis about her neck? She wondered frustrated.
She remembered that Nik was still in front of her, waiting for answers. She offered him a small smile, noting that his eyes were not watching her as if she were crazy, but rather ... with concern.
«I'm mortified» she began taking a deep breath;
«Love» he tried to interrupt, but Caroline was faster:
«I swear, it may sound cliché, but it's not you» she shuddered catching how pathetic that sentence could sound, she could basically guess the rest! 'it's not you … it's me' ... Come on Caroline! That's the best you can come up with? Seriously? What will be your next words: 'you deserve better'?
She tried again to explain:
«I have a lot of neurosis» she stopped in her tracks realizing the smile that Nik was trying to fight from the corner of his mouth.
«No, ok! That was most probably the wrong thing to say … I'm not crazy or at least I hope not» perfect Caroline ... why don't you enlighten him about your stuffed animal collection while you're at it?
«Uh! Lately, I have strange dreams, almost grotesque I would say! Like blood dripping from everywhere! And I always wake up with the feeling that I'm doomed, that I have no escape» she noted that Klaus' expression suddenly became serious, but she continued as she could not stop now that she had started:
«Not to mention those times when I'm pretty sure my reflection in the mirror has red eyes! Like blood-red! It gives me the creeps!» she took a deep breath, «it's the very same feeling that inexplicably clutches my gut whenever someone gets too close to my neck! Like the guy from before or ... now… you! » She closed her eyes, «I'm sorry » she concluded at the peak of frustration and embarrassment. What was that manual? How to make a man run away in 10 days? Amateurs! Clearly she had just set a new record!
«No» the silence was broken by Klaus' assertion. Caroline gave a little jump of surprise.
«You have nothing to apologize for, Love» he closed the distance that the girl had created between them, gently grabbing her forearms.
He looked at her intently as if trying to figure something out and after a few minutes he nodded as he caught the answer.
«Compulsion» she heard him whispering
«What? » frowned Caroline; but Klaus brought his hand up to her neck, caressing the fabric of her dress.
«May I? » he asked, at the same time pushing away the piece of cloth knotted behind her neck. Caroline froze holding her breath.
«Quiet Love» Klaus assured her in a whisper «it's all right. I will not hurt you » and for some strange reason she believed him and she put her hand on his chest, clutching the hem of his Henley, as if to hold onto him.
Klaus looked for another couple of seconds, frowning slightly; he commented:
«They are really bad scars, Sweetheart»
Caroline frowned for a moment doubtful, but then realized:
«Oh those» she smiled a little bringing her free hand automatically at the mentioned point, «I don't even know how I got them! Fortunately they are disappearing! They were a lot worse a couple of days ago ...»
She stopped taken aback, seeing that Nik's expression became serious, his jaw set in a hard line, his eyes blazing.
Feeling that the inexplicable rage that was attacking him could be misinterpreted, Klaus forced himself to cool off and tried to make the most convincing smile he could gather.
«Don't worry Caroline, another couple of days and these scratches will disappear completely » cupping her face again he continued «Hear me out Caroline: you're a strong, determined and funny girl. These silly nightmares cannot do anything against you. Do you understand me? ».
Oh God, Caroline swallowed and gave a slight nod, terrified that her voice would tremble at the first attempt to utter a word.
She heard the music coming from one of the rooms of the club, most likely the "eighty's room";
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out
She smiled a bit, the Queen.
«You must not be afraid because there is no nightmare that may obscure your light, I am sure of it» now their faces were again a few inches away from each other's, their lips almost brushing. Caroline could distinctly catch a hint of lime on his breath, Mojto, she automatically thought, trying to imagine how it would taste on her mouth.
Pray tomorrow, gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets
She licked her lips, trying to focus on Nik's words;
«Light?» she whispered
«Yes, the light that you emanate; you are engulfed by your light; I can see it» Klaus said quietly as if he were telling a secret, in a voice so deep and seductive that hot shivers went through her whole body.
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Caroline smiled shyly. She stared at those deep cobalt eyes for the last time, lacing her fingers behind his neck so damn sexy (but at this point she doubted that there was a part of him that she didn't find sexy) and on the notes of David Bowies she let herself fall in the unknown;
Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Her lips crashed against Nik's, savoring them slowly and feeling an intoxicating desire that she didn't even know she could feel. She felt that at first his lips twitched into a smile almost tenderly, but after mere seconds, Nik took control of the kiss; he squeezed her impossibly close to him, putting his arm around her waist and plunging his free hand into her hair.
It was as if she was swept away by a waterfall or a gust of wind; she felt hot and cold at the same time. Klaus pushed her back, bending her so that she was glued even more to his body and when she let escape a little moan, he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. He was feeling like a desperate man attempting to quench the thirst that burned his throat, and the more he tried the more the thirst consumed him; he slowly stroked her milky back, bringing his hands lower and lower. Caroline moaned again and he lost any semblance of control: he brought both hands on her perfect bottom hoisting her up.
Caroline gasped, a little surprised by the bold gesture and a bit because the lack of air was getting the better of her since that kiss was lasting longer than usual. She stopped stroking Klaus' blond curls and stared at him for a moment, biting her lip.
Nik held her gaze waiting for her to make a decision, his usual grin in place.
She grinned back and grabbing the hem of his Henley pulled him back to her mouth.
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
- ooo -
Klaus was drinking another sip of whiskey straight from the bottle; his mood back to frustration. He sank deeper into the sofa, spreading his legs on the table in front of him. He was so damn annoyed that he wondered how deep Felipe would be offended if he'd break a couple of necks of the staff who were cleaning the place.
He stared with devilish anticipation at the man who was sweeping the dance floor.
The evening had started out boring, then it changed into interesting, switched into exciting and finally ended in ... well ... frustrating! He took another long sip and wiped his mouth with one hand.
He pondered if ever in all his long life he had felt such a suffocating desire to drain the last drop of blood from the body of a human being. Or rather… of an annoying girl!
He was completely buried (mouth and hands, pardon the finesse, but given the time and especially the alcohol in his body, the gentleman in him had gone to take a stroll) in that fantastic and stunning blonde and he was so close to taking her right then and there at the pool edge, spectators be damned, when like a cold shower, they had been interrupted by a cry eight octaves higher than normal;
«Carolineeeeee! Where are youuu?», Both of them turned toward the door at the end of the pool and saw the figure of a shaky auburn-haired girl, heels in one hand and makeup a little smeared; the whole combination didn't turn in her favor.
«Oh my God, I have to throw up! Carrrolinneeee! We havvve to go! And I have to vomittt! » she slobbered, stumbling at every step.
«Susane» Caroline snorted putting a hand to her temple;
«Sweetheart, it seems that the lovely lady is looking for you» he said fighting the strong need to break the neck of that annoying girl.
Caroline offered him a dazzling smile that was able to make him miss a beat ... if only he were … alive.
The blonde escaped from his arms in a hurry, rushing to intercept her friend (who he named The Pest), fearing that she would drown herself in the pool.
She hesitated a moment turning to him, as if she was unsure of how to say goodbye.
«Go Love, I'm sure I will meet you again» he reassured her ... actually it might have seemed a bit creepy as a promise, but she nevertheless smiled and nodded, as if she trusted his word.
Klaus rested the bottle on the table with a bang, staring back with growing hatred at the cleaners who had now moved closer.
«Please restrain yourself, would ya?» Felipe arrived sitting in front of him, «I need this place to be clean by 11am tomorrow morning ... we also host parties here» he smiled, handing him a bunch of papers.
«If you eat one of the cleaning staff, the work increases»
Klaus gave him a menacing look, confirming that he couldn't give absolutely a damn of his cleanings and receptions.
«Okay» sighed Felipe patiently «why don't you tell me about that lovely chica with whom you were dancing together last night?», he was desperately trying to divert Klaus's attention from the poor cleaners... unfortunately he had chosen the wrong subject for conversation.
And apparently he did not catch the annoyed silence of his host, as he continued undeterred:
« It's for her that you need the guest list from tonight? Isn't it? For the beautiful senorita? »
«I have a better idea Felipe» finally spoke the original, quickly skimming the papers «Why don't you tell me where did you find your beautiful group of werewolves? Hm? »
«Right, werewolves» Felipe patted a hand on his knee, «All right! I'll tell you everything I know ...»
But Klaus's attention was already diverted on something else: on that list there were at least a dozen Carolines, but what made him hold his breath was the following entry;
Caroline Forbes - Mystic Fall
Niklaus did not believe in destiny, fate or whatever they called it. But he also knew well, after a thousand years of hate, terror and blood that the great universe was against him. For this reason he had a deadly certainty that his Caroline was definitely that Miss Caroline Forbes.
And with that he concluded that the end of that day got inevitably worse.
FIN
So, that's it for the moment! Please let me know your thoughts if you like!
Till next time...
Fisio