Title: Protecting What's Important
Rating: M
Summary: 'Caroline sighed, debating on her next words carefully. She usually shied away from infuriating the monster, but under the circumstances...'
Notes: Finally, a longish type story. Let me just say before hand, writing Caroline and Klaus together is a bit hard. I mean he's a murderous vampire, trying making him nice and you all of a sudden feel like you've crossed into OOC land, and that's a place I don't like to go. So here's to hoping that I didn't. Happy reading!
"That man is absolutely disgusting," Caroline commented as she grasped the champagne glass from Klaus' out held hand.
He turned, looking out over the crowd. "Which?"
Caroline rolled her eyes in exasperation, because she seriously doubted he didn't know. Klaus always knew everything. "Mr. Whatever his face is that owns this pretentious gilded castle."
"Ah, your in England love, everyone is pretentious, especially the vampires."
Caroline turned, cocking an amused eyebrow. "Speaking from experience?"
"Don't be cute." She offered him a saucy smile and looked back out over the couples dancing. He took a moment to flicker his eyes down the gown she wore. She was a sight to behold, young, beautiful and perfect. He sighed, bored and followed her line of site. "So what did the host do to earn your ire."
"He's creepy," Caroline said, eying the man again and sipping her champagne.
"I thought you said I was," she turned her head and rolled her eyes in response.
"You're more scary, creepy. It's that evil glare you have." He only smirked at her comment, a hint of of the look she spoke of in his eyes. It was more predatory then anything. "That man," she nodded across the room, "is on another level."
"He has a propensity to compel young, little teenage girls such as yourself." Caroline turned to him, her face one of absolute shock and then disgust. Klaus only shrugged. "Don't look at me like that sweetheart, I didn't turn him."
Caroline shook her head at his defensive comment and turned back to watch the vampire again, charming and flattering a very young woman. "I guess that explains it then."
"Explains what?"
Caroline sighed, debating on her next words carefully. She usually shied away from infuriating the monster, but under the circumstances...A hand touched her back and she glanced to the side to see Klaus standing closer, awaiting her response. To a normal person they wouldn't pick up on it, but she could see a subtle shift in his demeanor. She'd paused too long, and if that hadn't given it away, her dramatic sigh had. Caroline shrugged and turned back to face the crowd, not wanting to appear as if she was trying to goad him into it. "Well he hit on me of course. Some nonsense about appreciating an immortal so young and beautiful." Caroline gave a soft unlady like snort and tapped her glass thoughtfully, this time resisting the sigh. Really, the pig had brought it on himself. "Then he tried to compel me to join him in his private chambers." There were reasons she always drank vervain when going into the company of vampires. The hand at her back fell away and she turned her head. That look, the one she referred to earlier, that was the look she saw.
Walking over there and ripping his heart out would have been to simple. There was no way he knew that Caroline was his. No one would have ever dared. Klaus would spend an eternity killing people for hitting on Caroline if he let himself. It was an entire different thing when one them tried to compel her. Klaus knew what he saw. Caroline may have been closer to fifty in human years, but their host only saw a vampire, forever stuck in a young teenagers body. Even if Caroline hadn't been on vervain, he wouldn't have gotten far with her. Klaus was nothing if not attentive to Caroline's safety. For a thousand years he'd been content knowing the only people he cared about, his family, were above dying. It was a new experience to suddenly find himself attached to someone, who although weak as a human, could still die.
"Klaus?" Caroline asked gently, noticing the far off look in his eye and becoming uneasy because of it. Then he turned his head to her, smiling, but that look in his eyes had yet to disappear.
"Come on love, lets dance," he said smoothly and held out his hand to her. She hesitated at first, and he knew it wasn't fear that made her do so, Caroline had long ago stopped fearing him. Eventually though she gave him her gloved hand and he led her onto the dance floor.
As they took their positions and began the dance, Caroline smiled, despite the dark places she knew Klaus' mind was traveling to. "I always did like it when we got to dance." For a moment, he smiled, really smiled at her.
"Glad to here it love, because we're going to be doing it for a very long time." Caroline smiled up at him, bright and innocent. Even thirty years living as as a vampire hadn't done anything to taint that. Not even him.
"Would you mind if we left early though? I have some things I'd like to attend to."
Caroline stopped as the dance ended, looking up into his eyes warily.
"Come on now," he said and reached a hand up and brushed a curl from her face. "You can trust me."
"So says the devil," Caroline mumbled as she took his offered arm and he led her off the dance floor. "You swear?"
"Cross my heart." Klaus caught the smile on her lips as they walked through the crowd.
"Unfortunately, the rest is meaningless."
"Exactly," he responded.
Caroline glanced towards the the exit of the ballroom and spotted the same vampire they had been discussing earlier, his hand on the back of a petite woman, guiding her from the room. "Look! See? Did he compel her?"
Klaus had already spotted him before they had even left the dance floor. "Yes."
"Well then stop it," she demanded, glaring when he sighed in exasperation. "Yes I know, you don't want to do anything nice and if I had over a thousand years behind me then I'd go do the compelling, but I'm hardly a match for him."
Klaus could feel he energy in her body as she rushed him from the ballroom. "Leaving your own party? So soon?" Klaus slowed their pace, Caroline remaining by his side, their host finally coming to a stop in front of them and turning.
"Klaus," the vampire said, slightly startled. "I'm sorry, I hadn't realized you had been able to attend."
"You were...preoccupied," Klaus said carefully, turning his eyes to the young woman hanging on the other vampires arm. Looking back to the vampire again he smiled. "I'd like you to meet Caroline. Caroline, this is Lord Worthington." Klaus watched him sharply, noting the slight widening of his beady eyes. Next, he turned his attention to the woman at his side again. "Perhaps you should leave, dear. Never come back." All he knew was he better get something out of Caroline for that uncharacteristic good deed.
Caroline watched the woman nod and step away from Lord Worthington without a second glance. At least for one night someone was spared. She turned her eyes back on the vampire across from her. "It was a pleasure meeting you earlier Lord Worthington."
"I had no idea you had attended as Klaus' guest. It's a pleasure," he responded, tipping his head and glancing up again, his eyes straying to Klaus.
"Come on love, I'm inclined to get you home," Klaus offered the other vampire one more glance, turning his head slightly as he led Caroline away, pinning him with a deadly glare.
Caroline gasped as he pushed her into the wall the door slamming shut behind them. "Don't rip it," she demanded and he growled in anger against her throat. Eventually, the bodice loosened, falling slightly, and then was completely gone with the aid of Klaus' hands.
"Is this what you did when you escaped me in Paris?" Klaus asked as he leaned back, surveying the lace ensemble. A slow smile covered her face and he leaned back into her again, grabbing her thighs and hauling her off the floor. She did that giggle, the one that reminded him often that she was forever stuck in a seventeen year old body, and wrapped her legs around him.
When they made it to the room and Caroline hit the bed she pushed herself onto her knees and crawled to the edge of the bed, and then proceeded to slide his jacket from his shoulders and work the tie and buttons. "Dressing up makes it so very difficult to rid you of clothes," she pouted in frustration. He gave her that wicked smile, helping with the rest of the buttons and rid himself of the vest and shirt.
"All good things come to those who wait," he said softly, pushing her back onto the bed.
Some time later Caroline was arching her body into the air, grasping the sheets above her head. She was on the edge, ready to come for the fourth time. The good thing, or perhaps the bad thing about Klaus, was he could go forever. There had been times where it seemed like they had. This couldn't be one those times, not when he was fucking her as hard as he was. "Please, please..." She begged finally, needing to come, needing it to be over. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cried out as he tilted her hips, thrusting into her at a different angle, harder deeper. "Klaus, please!" She heard the growl just as he lifted her hips higher. She opened her her eyes, inhaling sharply as she felt herself teeter on the edge. It was then that she saw the wolf and vampire in his eyes, the veins raised around them, the sharpened canine teeth. For one brief moment she considered how to stop him, how to get away, then she was coming, forgetting about the danger above her, and screaming as he continued to fuck her.
When he came it wasn't saying her her name, it was with a feral growl, slamming himself into her a few final times. She lay there, laid out beneath him, arms still partially raised above her head, eyes closed. Klaus lowered her hips, pulling himself from her, conscious of her gasp as he did so. As he settled himself over her body and kissed her neck she slid her hand into his hair, combing it lazily.
"I thought you might bite me," Caroline whispered drowsily.
"Don't be ridiculous." He responded and raised his head, her eyes meeting his. "I'm not going to ruin a perfectly good sexual experience by giving you a fatal bite."
"Then I would have to bite you," Caroline shrugged with a soft smile. "Might be kinky.
"Now I know you need to feed," Klaus went to push himself off of her, but she held onto him.
"Stay, I'm fine." He pressed his body over hers again and she closed her eyes when his lips trailed over her cheek, lips finally coming to press against her own.
"I want to love," he whispered against her mouth, "but I have something to take care of." She sighed in disappointment and it made him half tempted to stay.
"Can't it wait?" When he didn't answer she opened her eyes, shocked to find that his face was still changed.
"Not where you're concerned." This time he did push himself off her body and the mattress.
Caroline pushed herself onto her elbows, watching him silently as he dressed. "Lord Worthington?" She asked finally. He stopped, already clad in jeans and turned to her, his face finally normal. "What are you going to do?" He chuckled darkly as he moved to dig out a shirt. "Was what just happened was about?"
Klaus pulled the t-shirt over his head. "I have some anger that would probably be best worked out elsewhere."
"This doesn't involve murderous rampages on human's does it?" He turned to her, glaring angrily.
"Don't joke sweetheart, your well aware that my anger is often satisfied with any outlet." She narrowed her eyes at him before falling back onto the bed and rolling onto her stomach. Klaus resisted the urge to snap at her about not turning her back on him, because no one should turn their back on him. The problem was, that never went over well with Caroline. Once dressed he went over to the bed and sat on the edge. She stared out at the wall, never looking at him. Klaus leaned forward, propping both hands on either side of her, hovering over her body. "If you're interested," he brought a hand up and touched his fingers to the top of her spine, "the prospect of someone attempting to compel you makes me furious and slightly out of control. Therefore more likely to kill someone for the simplest mistake." Slowly he railed his finger down her spine, feeling every bump of her vertebrae as he went. "So to ease your conscious, and direct my anger where it's deserved, I'm going to see Lord Worthington," Klaus said softly, his voice calm. "And I'm pretty sure I might spend a bit of time letting him bleed before ripping his heart out and shoving it down his throat."
Caroling fingered the bedding, frowning. "Why can't you just rip his heart out and be done with it? Like normal murderous vampires."
"Caroline, love," he began and leaned forward, whispering into her ear, "he would have compelled you, brought you to his bed, fucked you, and kept you there all because you look like a seventeen year old girl." He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "Don't wait up."
As he made his exit she sighed, letting her eyes close. At least Klaus wasn't preying on the innocent, and the silver lining was the creepy vampire wouldn't be luring human teenage girls to his bed any longer, even if that wasn't Klaus' intentions in killing him.
When she heard him again, it was still dark, or at least she thought it was until she noticed the sun peeking through the windows. "Sun," she complained and soon the room was enveloped into darkness again. Blood...Caroline smelled it and wrinkled her nose. At the thought of what could have happened to create the stench of vampire blood Caroline felt her stomach roll slightly. It took her a moment to push the thoughts from her mind. "Take a shower, please. You don't smell all that great." There was a small chuckle and then he was gone.
She drifted awake again to the feel of him behind her, pressing against her back, his skin against hers. "Feel better?"
"Much," he said simply, refraining from elaborating. She didn't ask, although he was sure she knew. If there was any question in her mind she would have asked. It didn't really matter. Klaus had no doubt in his mind that the vampires death was forefront in her mind. If it hadn't been, she would have been more careful in revealing what had transpired. It was ridiculous really, the way she went about things sometimes. "Next time though Caroline, if you want me to kill someone, all you have to do is simply ask."
Caroline smiled to herself, knowing he couldn't see her face. "It's so much more romantic when you figure it out on your own though."