Creature Comforts
It was a cold, dark night. While signs of Spring were starting to appear during the day, at night Winter still ruled. The chill in the air seemed to magnify what few sounds there were. To Caroline, it made hunting the few animals that were venturing out, much easier. Unfortunately, four bunnies and one groundhog later and her hunger was quenched, but not her blood lust or pain.
She flashed through the forest, as fast as her vampire abilities allowed her, trying to calm down the violent urges within her. She moved so fast the only sound she could hear was the air rushing past and whistling in her ears.
When she finally stopped she had reached the edge of the falls. She stood there on the edge of the sheer drop taking several fast breaths as the anger receded, to be replaced with pain.
Tyler was banished and would be hunted down and killed.
Wave after wave of pain and grief washed over her.
Jeremy was dead, slaughtered to find a cure they didn't get anyway.
The pounding of the water echoed the pounding in her brain.
Bonnie was lost in her grief and Silas' plans.
Each thought that entered her mind brought another level of hurt.
Elena had lost herself and had attempted to kill her.
The dark night was the only witness to her anguish.
Caroline was alone.
~.~
Klaus stared out into the dark night, a glass of scotch in his hand. Haley had left, hurrying on to Louisiana, to find her long lost family. He smirked. He knew from experience family rarely brought the connection people sought.
He was actually relieved she was gone. Their brief interlude had been satisfying on a physical level, but as soon as it was over, he couldn't bear the sight of her. It only served to remind him how alone he was.
He stared at the place where he buried Kol. His youngest brother, gone forever from this world. While he mainly found his brother annoying, impulsive and had kept him daggered for most of his existence, he never thought there would be a time when he was gone.
Klaus had viewed it his job to protect and care for his family.
'Always and forever.'
Now they were gone, the ones that remained, the relationships between them were ripped beyond repair.
His surrogate family, the hybrids, were also gone. For almost a thousand years he searched to end the curse, to create others like himself, and as soon as it came to reality, it was gone.
Only to himself, could he admit that the hybrids were a disappointment. He had thought he would finally feel peace, that the loneliness that he felt would abate surrounded by others like himself. Instead, they fought him, struggled against him; they rejected his gift with hatred.
Now they were gone and for the first time in his existence he had nothing. No plans, no hope.
Hope.
Caroline Forbes.
The few times she had deigned to view him with something other than hatred had felt like home. He wanted nothing more than to stay there in her warm gaze, but yet could not admit to anyone aloud how much she meant to him. How many times had he stayed his hand, resisted his urges and granted her absolution from her betrayals?
Yet, she would never forgive him; never see him as more than the monster he was.
When he had been buried deep inside Hayley, he had closed his eyes trying to imagine what it would be like if it were Caroline whimpering under him, her eyes filled with warmth and love directed towards him. Would the physical pleasure seep into his soul and ease the pain of desolation that had been his only constant companion?
Longing overwhelmed him.
The emotions he kept locked tight under his iron control began to seethe within him.
His brother was gone.
His family was divided.
His hybrids were dead.
Caroline would never be his.
Klaus was all alone.
~.~
Caroline hugged her arms around herself and sank to her knees as the pain and loneliness overwhelmed her. Up above her the cold light of the stars watched her. She stared up at them, far above, her as tears fell silently down her cheeks.
She found herself wishing, that she believed in a higher power instead of the knowledge of the Other Side. Something that would make so she wasn't so alone. Even in her emotionless state Elena had Stefan and Damon by her side. However, for whatever reason, Caroline was deemed the 'strong' one. The one that could keep having tragedy strike around her and still come back with a smile and a 'perky can do attitude'. Why didn't anyone notice how scared and isolated she really felt?
She felt the anger bubbling up again with the pain. Tyler had cared more about his plan to stop Klaus than her. Matt cared about her, but would always keep his distance because of what she was. Bonnie loved her, but not as much as she loved her power. Elena, even with emotions, was always more worried about the Salvatores or her brother or…. Even Caroline's own mother, cared more about the safety of the town, than her daughter. None of them ever stopped and saw behind her smile. None of them knew how much she hurt.
~.~
As the emotions began to take control, Klaus spun and threw the glass he was holding against the wall of the house, the satisfying crash of the glass, did little to appease the storm inside of him. Pain, rage and loneliness swelled until he could no longer contain it. Physical pain started to tear him apart and he fell to his knees as he felt the change occur.
He relished the pain as muscles tore and bones broke and reshaped. It distracted from the empty dull ache that encompassed him. It seemed to go on forever, but in reality took only minutes.
The large black wolf raised his head to the sky and trumpeted its loss to the night sky in a long howl. Then it took off running, trying to escape the feelings that followed it, even in another form.
It didn't get far before a smell caught his nose and instinctively he followed it. The smell was familiar and welcome. It was warmth and love and belonging.
~.~
Caroline had no idea how long she knelt on the cold, damp ground crying. She knew that even desperately trying to cry it out the pain was still there.
There was a loud snap behind her that carried over the roar of the falls below, she spun on her knees and jerked in terror.
Standing before her was a huge black wolf. The dark sky clearly showed that it wasn't a full moon so this had to be a hybrid. There was only one hybrid left and she knew he wasn't very happy with her right now. Caroline tensed ready to flee, but then she raised her eyes to meet the wolf's and she gasped.
"Klaus."
All thoughts of fear or fleeing left when she saw the look in those eyes. It was the same look that she knew, was in her own, right now. It stopped her cold.
He raised his head and let out a loud mournful howl and she felt it resonate inside of her. She found herself jealous that she couldn't express herself in the same way and let out the feelings inside of her. As the howl ended in a whimper, she felt her chin shake and the tears that had stopped when she first caught sight of him started flowing again and a sob escaped her throat.
He walked slowly and deliberately towards her. Her eyes were drawn to his paws and he carefully placed each one on the ground in front of him as he came closer. She watched the grace with which he moved on four legs. She knew instinctively that he was being careful not to startle her. He whimpered in his throat. Caroline met his eyes and found herself lost in them again.
Where Tyler was mindless, only going on his instincts and despite how hard she looked she never saw any recognition in them, she could tell that Klaus was completely aware. With a start she realized that this was the only way he could allow himself to feel. Only in this animal form could he allow the emotions he kept buried under his stone cold demeanor free. She could see the millennium of loneliness there, the pain at losing his family, the yearning to be a part of something.
For some reason this hit her hard and a fresh sob escaped and more tears flowed down her face. He was six inches from her now and he sat down carefully and once again lifted his head let out a long howl. She shook from the sorrow in it and somehow could tell, that just as her tears fell for him and his losses, his cry was for hers.
When he lowered his head she tentatively reached out and stroked down behind his ear with the back of her fingers. At first touch, the outer fur was not as soft as she would have imagined, but then he leaned his head towards her and her hand got buried in the thick fur and found the under growth was as soft as silk. A small broken smile crossed her face as she started running her fingers through the long hair. It felt soothing to her. The pain in her chest seemed to ease up. He nuzzled her arm with another small whimper and she met his eyes. Somehow she knew it was having the same effect on him.
She reached out her other hand and lightly stroked from his temple to behind his ear. Her breath hiccupped as her sobs continued. He picked his head up and before she knew it, he lightly licked the tracks of tears running down her face.
A humorless laugh escaped her at the action.
This made no sense. Just days ago they were ready to kill each other, sworn enemies, even with his feelings toward her. He was the enemy. She was terrified of him and what he could do.
Yet, here in the dark, cold night, somehow they managed to find comfort in each other. Like this, she could allow herself to feel everything she had buried deep inside. Her sympathy for him, the concern and care that she felt stab her occasionally when the others would talk about his death.
Acting on nothing but instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his fur. She finally felt the dam break and the emotions that had been choking her came pouring out as she bawled against him. Inarticulate cries escaped her throat as her body shook. She heard and felt him let out another howl and this time it seemed to reach inside of her and drag out all the hidden pain she had shut out for so long.
Damon, her father, the torture she had endured.
All of it came to the front and came pouring out of her and her body shook even harder as she hugged him tight. She felt his head lay on her shoulder, whimpering with her cries as she let go of it all.
Eventually, her cries subsided and she began to feel a peace within herself. She relaxed her grip and pulled back slightly. She wiped away the remaining tears as she sat back on her haunches. Her knees and back were beginning to ache from her time spent on the damp ground, but instead of standing, she shifted to her side and sat down more comfortably. He slowly lowered himself to the ground and laid his head on her knee. She stroked his head, running her nails along his scalp, just savoring this brief moment in time.
She met his eyes, the angst in them no longer reached out and strangled her heart, there was still so much desolation in them though. She knew there was no way to erase all these years of pain from him in one night. She just felt a bit of satisfaction that she could ease it at all, given that he had taken away hers.
They stayed, just like that until the stars started to blink out and the sky began to lighten to grey.
She sighed, and he knew it was time. He raised his head and slowly stood up, his eyes never left hers.
She felt a pang at the loss of contact and realized there was so much she wanted to say to him. But even as the words burned in her throat, she knew that she could never speak them. All they had was this, this one night to give and receive comfort in each other. Once the sun rose and the day began, they had to go back to being who they were, instead of these shadows in the dark.
She reached out and petted him one more time, as a smile of thanks crossed her features. For a brief second, she saw the pain in his eyes replaced by a look of such peace and happiness that it made her want to stay and treasure this moment forever.
She slowly stood, only releasing the contact between them, when he was out of her reach. Her muscles and joints protested the movement after so long in one position.
The first bird of the morning began its song and she knew it was time to leave. She offered no farewell, just turned and began to slowly walk back towards her house and the world that she shut out for the night. She could feel his eyes watching her as she walked away, but she didn't turn around, afraid that she would abandon all she knew and all she cared about to stay with him until she had removed all the pain inside of him.
So she kept walking, but even as she walked away from him, she kept that one moment of peace and happiness in his eyes firm in her mind and in her heart.
A/N: This is another one shot. I do not have a beta, so any mistakes are all mine and I apologize if they take away from the story. The inspiration for this came from the loss of a friend a few years ago. The call had come when I was home alone and only my puppy dog was here. He stayed with me until my husband could come home, whimpering while I cried and letting me hug on him while I sobbed. From that kernel came this. I hope you enjoy.