Comfortably Numb

By Erin Salvatore

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Hey, everyone! I got this idea for a stand-alone one shot while I was in the gym. The plot centers on Klaus drawing Caroline while watching her sleep after they were intimate. Don't ask, just thought I'd do something different.

Mikaelson Mansion…

The flames in the fireplace gave off a warm glow as Klaus sat on the couch, dressed only in a pair of jeans and his sketch book open on his lap. There was also a smile on his face as he worked on the sketch on the blank page he had opened the book to. The reason for the smile? He was drawing the sleeping form of Caroline, who was laying on her stomach on the floor by the fireplace. They had just had an unbelievable night of passion a short while ago and, wanting to immortalize the moment, Klaus decided to do a drawing. So, after getting up carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping blonde vampire, he had gotten his sketch book and taken a seat in front of her, setting to work immediately on his latest masterpiece.

He watched as her back seemed to glow in the light of the fire and couldn't help but fall more and more in love with her the more he watched. She's got the beauty and grace of an angel. It's no wonder that I want to capture it and immortalize it. And I will not let anyone else see it, because this is something only we can share.

Klaus then heard a soft moan and looked at Caroline, hoping that she wasn't waking up. Thankfully, though, she didn't and he continued to draw her. Everything about her was flawless and that was why he was so attracted to her. True, he had been with many women during his immortal life, but Caroline was different from them entirely. The women he had been with in the past just threw themselves at him, mostly because they were star struck due to his reputation for being not only an artist but also because he was the famous (or, rather, infamous) Original hybrid. Caroline, however, challenged him at every turn, making him rethink many of the things he did.

Perhaps it's because she challenges me that I think she's more worthy than the others, he thought. She's also the only one who can stand up to me and walk away unscathed. No one else could do that and get away with it.

Klaus smiled as he completed that thought and looked down at the picture he had drawn. It was absolutely perfect, just like the subject herself. Speaking of which, Caroline yawned and stretched, looking over at the hybrid.

"Couldn't resist the urge to draw me while I was sleeping?"

Her question brought another smile to his face as he replied, "Nothing escapes you, does it, love? And to answer your question, yes, I couldn't resist the urge to draw you while you were sleeping. You're the perfect subject."

Caroline nodded. "That's not surprising, given how attracted you are to me." She smiled at him. "Care to join me? There's plenty of room on this mattress and I'd hate to hog it all, since it's more than sufficient for two people."

Klaus closed his sketch book, placing it on the end table, and then went over to her, climbing onto the mattress with her, pulling her close to him and kissing her softly. "I take it you had some interesting dreams, love?"

"You could say that," said Caroline, returning his kiss. "They involved a certain Original hybrid, and they took place in different periods, the most recent being the 1920s, which you told me at one point that I would've liked."

Klaus nodded. "I remember. And I wasn't lying. Women in those days were free-spirited and wanted to break free of the roles they were limited to, such as obedient housewives. Although this wasn't the first time they would do this, because such a thing repeated fifty years later, women wanted to be equal, and they wanted to vote, just like their male counterparts."

"Thanks to Susan B. Anthony, they achieved that goal," said Caroline. "But, I would definitely have liked to have been there personally and see it happen. Of course, since time travel is only possible in books like The Time Machine, on shows like Doctor Who and in movies like Back to the Future, there's no way of actually doing it."

"On the contrary, love, there's a way to time travel, the humans just haven't publicly announced it, for fear that their discovery might be exploited by their rivals."

"That's true," said Caroline. "And I guess they don't want to cause an uproar. Remember the radio broadcast of War of the Worlds? Orson Welles created a worldwide panic because they thought aliens were really landing on Earth, when it was actually a hoax."

"I do remember that broadcast," said Klaus. "Who'd have guessed that one single man could stir a panic with just his voice alone?"

Caroline giggled and sighed as she snuggled up against his chest, kissing it before closing her eyes again. Klaus smiled and held her as she slept, feeling her breath on his skin. He kissed the top of her head and inhaled the sweet smell of sandalwood and lavender that was infused in every strand.

"Sleep well, Caroline," he whispered. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Note: Yeah, I was inspired to do this while I was working out the other day. Don't ask, I just wanted to do something different.

ENJOY, LOVELIES!