Summary: Caroline is searching for her lost brother and Klaus is a World War II pilot who has lost all hope. Their lives intertwine and they are drawn into a world that changes their lives.
AN: This is an AU story about Klaus and Caroline set during the World War II. The inspiration for this story came from Captain Corelli's Mandolin, only the bit where I used War as a back drop to their tragic story, but it is a definite recommended read. As usual I do not own anything - I do not own the characters or the show. Hope you enjoy the first chapter :).
Chapter 1
Caroline felt the razor sharp wind blowing against her face as she was stepping out of the truck. She glanced up at the grey skies of London and witnessed nothing but the monstrosity of war unraveling through the silent screams of the fallen soldiers. The planes danced around each other through the thick smoke that derived from the aftermaths of the explosions. She released a heavy sigh feeling her chest tightened, trying so hard to remember the days before the war.
"Caroline, let's go." Elena said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder to bring her back to the damned reality. Caroline looks to her right and saw Elena's soft, caring face smiling at her – how warmth managed to reach her is beyond Caroline.
Waiting in front of the ward was a middle aged woman wearing a nurse's outfit with a stoic face, gazing down at them through her rectangular glasses. "My name is Harriet and I am the head nurse here. I will show you a quick tour." She says in a thick British accent.
They went through the whole hospital ward while Harriet explained to them all the procedures and the purpose of every room, but Caroline's mind drifted away, being preoccupied with another predicament, "Where are the file rooms?" Caroline asked abruptly and Harriet looked at her skeptically.
"That's not a room for a nurse should be dearest. Why would you want to know?" Harriet replied.
"Just curious." Caroline simple said shrugging casually and Harriet sighed taking her glasses off.
"It's down at the basement. I wouldn't suggest you going down there poking your nose in affairs that do not involve you. Do I make myself clear?" Harriet said sternly, glaring at Caroline sending cold waves down her spine.
"Yes Ma'am." Caroline responded quickly.
"That's just scary." Bonnie commented in a whisper.
The sound of the propellers from the plane surrounded them and looking out of the window they saw the planes landing. Even though the girls could not see the boys, the planes embodied their distress – broken down, plagued by the dirt of the war and falling.
"Looks like the boys are finally down." Harriet said with an exasperated sigh, "Time to get to work ladies." She shouted.
They all stepped out of the planes with paralleling expressions of despair dragging their faces down. They barely exchanged looks between each other, not wanting to meet the eye of their brother in arms who had recently lost fellow soldiers. Klaus glanced behind his shoulder seeing the men exasperated from yet another failure. He counted the number of planes like he does every time they land, bringing the only normalcy to his distraught life.
"How many this time?" Elijah asked, scared to discover the answer. Klaus looked down, creating a shadow over his eyes.
"Three." Klaus muttered and Elijah groaned in response.
"That's already ten in the past week. We are losing more than we are getting." Elijah said angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What the hell happened to the Yanks? Were they not to join us today?" Finn complained.
"I couldn't care less, I need Harriet to stitch me up again." Kol sneered.
Klaus waited impatiently on the bed, waiting for the arrival of a nurse to treat him. His head dived down into his hands emitted out a heavy sigh, "Well that was quite a sigh there flyboy." He heard someone say. He glanced up and saw a scene that stole his breath away. Her pink lips played a smirk, her blonde curls cascaded gracefully down her shoulder and those baby blues glimmering at him.
"Let's see what we got here." She said check his head, grazing her delicate fingers over his forehead.
"I don't understand." Klaus stated and Caroline looked at him weirdly, "What a pretty girl like you doing in a hellish place like this?" He said and she rolled her eyes at his statement, click her tongue in annoyance.
"Minding her own business, hoping that others would do." She said glaring at him, "You're fine." She ended brushing her hands off her apron.
"Thank you. My name's Klaus by the way." Klaus said charmingly kissing the back of her hand, sending an unfamiliar surge of warmth through her.
"Well uh Klaus you are welcome but I have to go." Caroline stuttered retracting her hand away.
"Those nurses." Kol said emitting out a low whistle, "Would definitely like to land on them." Kol said suggestively while nudging Finn.
"You're atrocious." Finn commented.
"To be fair, the man has a fair point." Klaus said with a smirk.
"I got her name you know. The blonde you were drooling over," Klaus hurled a piece of bread at him, "Her name is Caroline." Kol said.
"And she's off limits." Someone said from behind. The men averted their attentions towards where voice came from. There stood a young man with olive skin, two pale, dark haired men and an older man. The young man had a scowl boring on Kol's skin.
"I don't think we've had the pleasure." Kol sneered bitterly.
"I'm Alaric Saltzman, these two are Damon and Stefan Salvatore and this young man is Tyler Lockwood." The older one said, stepping forward pushing Tyler back a little.
"You're the Americans?" Finn asked rudely.
"Yes." Stefan answered.
"God damn time you lot showed up!" Finn ranted loudly.
"Finn, calm down." Elijah said being the moral he has always been.
"Finn isn't wrong Elijah, these men are late and we've already lost ten of ours and they recruit twins with funny hair, an old man and a boy." Klaus interjected.
Stefan opened his mouth to retaliate back but is stopped by a deep bellow, "That is enough." Immediately, all the men stand up and salute the older man wearing stoic faces while he walked past them.
"Why on earth are you lot arguing? We are at war, against the Germans not each other!" He said loudly causing them to jump up a bit by his abrupt volume increase, "Now hustle up and start acting like teammates instead of whining like little bitches. Do I make myself clear?" He asked sternly.
"Yes sir." They all yelled with their backs straight and their chests jutting out.
"Good. Now, Michelson, I need you to file these. God bless these families." The captain said the last bit a low whisper, silently praying for the fallen ones.
"Yes sir." Klaus said taking the folders. In mere minimal pages, they managed to condense the lives of the dead soldiers in print and it did not bring any form of sincerity to Klaus.
"Where are you?" Caroline muttered to herself while she delved through the endless boxes filled with files, "You have to be here somewhere." She said softly, that's when a thought had hit her – she's finally succumbed into madness to the extent to speaking to herself. She scoffed at her own thought but nonetheless continued to search through the boxes on an unstable chair.
Unbeknownst to a muttering Caroline, Klaus stood behind her, watching a girl proceed with an action that was forbidden for nurses to do. He smirked at little at her rebellion but more at her ignorance to his presence even when he leaned against the shelves. She only continued on rambling on incoherent words to herself.
"Yes!" She exclaimed softly to herself.
He coughed a little to bring attention to his presence, he expected the yelp emitting out of her mouth, however, he did not expect her to jump back causing her to tumble off her chair. Instinctively, he dropped the files and rushed over to her, enveloping his arms around her.
She fell perfectly into his arms.
Caroline glanced up and he was submerged in the ocean that filled her eyes. She thought, if the room was any quieter, he would manage to hear her erratic beating heart but she thanked the Heavens he couldn't…
What am I doing?
The stare of memorization faded away abruptly from her face, replaced by a face of annoyance. She slapped his arm bringing him back from the clouds, "Put me down!" Caroline ordered.
He blinked at her several times, confused by the sudden change of emotions but nonetheless placed her down wearing a confused expression, "Why you are welcome for catching you." Klaus retorted and Caroline played a scowl on her face while fixing her dress.
"I wouldn't need catching if you did not sneak up on me." Caroline sneered and Klaus scoffed at brashness.
"You're rather unappreciative." Klaus commented crossing his arms and leaning back onto the shelves.
"Well, I do not know a girl who appreciates being snuck up on. Let me clarify, last time a boy did that, he went home with a black eye." Caroline said paralleling his stance.
"That's where you are mistaken lady, I'm no boy." Klaus stated cockily with a smug smirk appearing on his face.
"If you say so then." Caroline said, ignoring the man in front of her and instead averting her attentions searching for that specific folder.
"What are you doing here? This place is off limits for nurses." Klaus said.
"That's not any of your concerns." She replied still occupied by her search.
"Looking for this?" He asked pulling out a folder and her eyes widened. She reached over for it but he pulled it back and she huffed at him.
"What do you want?" Caroline asked blatantly.
"What you willing to offer love?" Klaus asked suggestively with a mischievous glint in his sea-green eyes.
"Well…" Caroline whispered, leaning over to Klaus, their bodies only a breath away from each other, they can feel the heat radiating off. She circled her fingers around his firm chest and glanced seductively at him, so close to his lips that if she even flinched, they would be kissing right now. He felt her hands run down his arms playfully and a Cheshire grin splitting her delicate face, "Too easy." She whispered much to his puzzlement. In a quick movement, she swiped her hands under his and took the folder.
"Thank you darling, I'll be needing this." Caroline said before leaving the room leaving a standing baffled Klaus, breathlessly.
"Well played sweetheart." Klaus said before she left the room.
"Life is but a game dearest and I like to win." She said winking at him.
She ran out of the room and turned around the corner, locking herself inside the janitor's closet. She took in a few breaths before opening up the folder. Caroline scanned the folders, processing the information that caused her heart to constrict. "Undetermined." She breathed out exasperatedly. She dropped to the ground crushing the paper beneath her fist. Out of rage, she kicked the facilities in this small room and yelled out a little. Traitorous tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Where are you Matt?" She said worryingly while burying her head into her hands.