Hello lovely readers! Here we are with this story that I hope you'll enjoy.
This short story has strong Klaroline feels and it will mentions some facts and relatioships that are currently happening in The Vampire Diaries and in The Originals.
It takes place 7 years later than these actual seasons of both TV shows.
A little gift for myself: there is an appearance of Bill Compton, my favorite character on True Blood, a show that I deeply love. Even if he's a vampire in the show, he's going to be human in this story of mine.
A reminder that english is not my first language, so please forgive my mistakes.
I hope you'll enjoy it and leave a review if you like!
Caroline was watching her reflex trough the mirror. She was looking impeccable, as always.
Her long golden locks were delicately touching her shoulders, reaching her mid back in soft waves.
Her pale skin was glowing from the last sun rays that filtrated trough the window of her luxurious suite. Outside there was a beautiful sundown.
The dark blue elegant, but formal dress accentuated the ivory shade of her skin and the blue of her eyes. It was strapless, but the neckline wasn't too revealing and the length of the dress reached two inches from her knees. At her feet matching dark blue high heels completed her look.
She had to go to the Teatro Della Fenice, one of the most beautiful and elegant theater of the whole world and she was looking forward to be there.
On a second look she opted for a high, but still soft chignon on her head that allowed some of her curls to escape and delicately brush her neck. Her hands started to brush her hair in order to change the style of them, and once again she was satisfied by the result.
On her face there was a light make up: only a bit of mascara and lip gloss. And yet Caroline looked magnificent in her ethereal, delicate beauty.
Not that she would ever notice, she was too much insecure to fully appreciate her, how would someone say, genuine beauty (if she recalled correctly the famous words of an equal famous hybrid).
The world naturally was full of gorgeous women, but no one of them could even match her light.
However she was gradually being more able to acknowledge the fact the she was Caroline Forbes, she was unique, one of her kind and she was never bound to live in someone else shadow. She could be free, ageless, fearless, strong and full of light.
Once again the thought of Klaus creeping in her mind while she thought at his exact words. Words that after many years still haunted her once in a while.
Ok, maybe more than once during these long years.
Caroline Forbes was currently embracing her independent life. After having graduated from college and said goodbye to all her ties in Mystic Falls 3 years ago, she had been ready to experience the world. At least by small steps.
She had traveled a bit in Europe, falling in love with it. She had a particular soft spot with the Benelux area in particular: Bruxelles, Amsterdam (where she was settled for the time being), Luxembourg were her favorite places. But she had still so many wonderful places to go. Luckily for her, her job in one of the most important auction house in Amsterdam allowed to connect her love for traveling and visiting magnificent artistic towns in order to find always the most luxurious piece of art from and for the best clients.
This job was her match: it allowed to show her love for projects, challenges and organization along with her charming attitude and talent for flattery and manipulations, always for a good cause naturally. She was in few words the best on her job.
Sadly she knew that her time was running out. Back when she was turned in a vampire and she was seventeen she could easily pass for a twenty years old girl. And with the right choice of clothes and make up she could look even more adult. But nevertheless her life as vampire was bound to never be stable. In a year or so she probably would have to move on from Amsterdam and the job in the Auction House the she loved so much. All this in order not to get suspicion for her eternal youth.
But being her positive self, Caroline was ready to open herself to new cities, jobs, experiences.
In the mean time Caroline was finally ready for her evening at theater, she was going to a concert with the orchestra that would perform one of her classical composer: Antonio Vivaldi.
When she was human, Caroline hadn't been very fond of classical music especially because she associated it with memories of her father, who was in fact very passionate about it. But after some years, thanks to her new life, her now town and job (not to mention the all old fashion vibe that surrounded Europe) she was discovering new pleasures for herself. And classic music was one of them.
Granted that she was still young and she could always be the reckless party girl that she had been, in the meantime she was just enjoying a new life style. The cultured side of the world, a world with art, music and beauty, genuine beauty...
Seriously, Caroline snapped to herself. Why were Klaus' words hunting her with this annoying frequency that particular evening? It was like she had a sense, a feeling that something related to him was going to happen.
Caroline dismissed those thoughts and she rose up from her seat in front of her vanity and went to the window of her suite. The panorama of Venice was astounding, too much beautiful and perfect to even start to describe it.
She was lost to the beauty of the city, her temporary home until she would find a final agreement with her newest client William Compton, a British business man that instead was permanently living in Venice.
Caroline had a great admiration for him, for William Compton was a very classy, elegant man always kind, polite and charming. And obviously he had an impeccable taste for antic trade and she had been in charge of selling some of his pieces to her auction house and giving him advice to what new pieces he should buy for his collection. During her stay in Venice they had been to several collectors of antique goods.
Caroline really enjoyed having Mr Compton as her client. Actually William could have been really her type, if only he wasn't her client and she really couldn't afford a relationship with him. Even if he had sometimes left hints for her that he would have appreciated a deeper relationship between the two of them.
But never say never, she thought to herself while gazing the magnificence of the canal in front of her hotel. Maybe she could indulge herself in a relationship with him, even if it was short term. Scratch that, even better if it was like this.
Caroline really had no time nor desire to engage herself in a complicate relationship that would involve feelings of happiness and excitement first, and then boredom or anger. And William Compton with his black hair, blue eyes, velvety voice and charming attitude could be the perfect distraction for her.
Caroline was supposed to go with him to the Theater that particular evening. Sadly William couldn't be able to be there on time since he had been outside Venice for business all day. They were supposed to meet after the concert, have a drink together and schedule their next business meeting on of the next days.
Caroline closed the window of the terrace of her suite. She grabbed her purse and checked for the last time her appearance in the mirror. She was satisfied by the image, she was going to hear a magnificent concert in a even more magnificent theater, she was in a gorgeous town doing a job that she loved and maybe she was going to entertain herself in a pleasurable, most likely short relationship with a charming man such as William.
Yes life was quite good with her, she wasn't anymore under the shadow of Elena, in a heartbreaking on-off relationship with Tyler or neglected by most of her friends like she used to be in her human and early vampire days in Mystic Falls.
Still once in a while Caroline was feeling restless, like there was something missing in her life. Perhaps it was nostalgia for her best friend Stefan? She still loved Elena, Bonnie, Matt and Tyler as friends, but at the end of the day they really never understood or appreciate her for what she was.
Actually Katherine has been a surprise for Caroline in term of friendship. Granted that they shared a heated past, with killings and hate, they had slowly developed a close connection. Their strength, their love for control, their conniving feisty attitude were some of the traits that they shared and made each other easy to relate to each other.
But were Katherine and Stefan the only people in her life that truly accepted and understood her? Caroline knew the answer, but she didn't want to even think about it.
Klaus was a closed chapter of her life. After seven years he probably wouldn't care anymore about her. Maybe a little, but nothing truly meaningful. Even if he had fancied her and they had well the best sex of her life in Mystic Falls woods, he had promised to never come back. Klaus probably want only that from Caroline: her body, her honesty, a confession that would break her. After all she was probably nothing, but a challenge for him. A challenge for himself, to prove that maybe he could be different, showing mercy to Tyler and Katherine for her.
No matter how many years passed, Caroline was always so confused when she thought about Klaus. He had proven to care for her a lot, he had showed his humanity to her and made promises about their future. But he was still an evil creature of 1000 even more years with his own agenda as priority, how honest could he truly be to her?
It was really hard to believe that he could be more, different for her. But a tiny, hidden part of her soul wanted to truly believe in his words.
This thought bothered Caroline more than she actually liked. It was in her nature to love the romantic, the flattery, the charming words that a man could reserve to her. Bu why had it been Klaus the one that told them to her instead of Tyler?
She still cared a lot for Tyler, but with the wisdom of years she had finally understood that they weren't the perfect match, they were a good couple, but they weren't "soul mates". She couldn't have shared her eternity with his.
In any case Klaus had certainly already move on from his crush on Caroline the baby vampire that wanted a human life in Mystic Falls.
After all he was now the King of New Orleans. Ridiculous, once again thought Caroline.
He probably had someone to rule on his side or at least warm his bed, maybe even Hayley the wereslut that he got pregnant.
Caroline was very good in denial, but God how did his "thing" with Hayley still stung her deep in the heart. Of all women on the earth he had to have sex and got pregnant that backstabbing, evil rude bitch. Caroline wasn't even aware if the baby was alive, if it was a girl or a boy. It was too painful to know.
If it wasn't for Hayley Carol Lockwood could have been alive, Tyler would never had to escape...
It was Tyler that had informed Caroline of all these news about Klaus in New Orleans. She had acted cool in front of him that day, but the mere thought of Klaus touching Hayley had provoked a burning rage in her that she hadn't even feel when the bitch was flirting with Tyler before the hybrid massacre.
It didn't matter in any case, Caroline had moved on. Or at least she tried with a new life, new job, new city, new friendship. And she was relatively happy.
With these last thoughts, tainted only by a bit of bitterness, she went out from her suite ready for her evening and to enjoy herself free from the Mystic Falls and Klaus drama.
XXXXXXXXXX
Klaus POV:
Klaus was enjoying his short holiday in Venice, one of the city he enjoyed the most in the whole world full of arts and magnificence.
He needed a break from New Orleans, finding that once he had achieved his goal of becoming King, the whole experience wasn't anymore very appealing.
It was the story of his life, find a challenge, win it and then get bored by it.
There was only one challenge in his life that he hadn't still won, he was all alone in Venice.
Klaus hadn't been there since at least 20 years and to be in on of the most romantic places on this earth, was only the fuel for his thoughts about Caroline. How he would love to show her the city, be at her side enjoying her marvelous company.
Seven years had passed since their passionate moment in the woods and in honesty Klaus had never felt that alive and vulnerable in 1000 years. Not even when he had finally broken his curse and he became the Original hybrid, the strongest creature on the planet.
Tearing his thought from the blonde enticing vampire that had capture him, body and soul, he sat in his balcony in the Teatro Della Fenice, he was attending a Vivaldi concert.
Music, art, food, culture were the only pleasures that had been the constant in his life and that he had always preferred to enjoy alone, but truth be told when he had saved Caroline from Tyler's bite the first time, he had opened his heart straight away to her and shared his deeper feelings.
What was in Caroline Forbes that made him feel different, so open and honest? Was her beauty, her strength, her smartness, her honesty, her charm?
In truth it was everything. Klaus knew that he would regret his promise to never come back to her. But after all Caroline was supposed to go to him when she would be ready, in a year or even in a century he had once told her.
Klaus had always been repulsive at the idea of relationships, not a woman in centuries had captured his heart. Tatia had proved that love was a tool, a game, a weakness. Yet straight away as soon as he met Caroline, something in her made crumble his strong walls.
Not even Hayley and their fake baby plotted by the New Orleans' witches, had been closer to what Caroline would make him feel, whether it was care, rage, happiness, hurt.
He was glad that Hayley was dead, she never meant anything to him and to tear her heart out once he had discovered the truth about their one night stand product had been quite the satisfaction.
In truth the more he thought about it, the scarier he got at the idea that the baby could be real. He was hunted at the thought that he could be like his father to his future child. But above all, what life could he offer to his heir? He was a restless, merciless man, not a loving creature.
His world wasn't a placed suited for children, no matter how powerful and strong he or she could be.
Enough, Klaus snapped from his gloomy thoughts. Seven years had passed, but he couldn't help but think once in a while how his life would have been with a baby, or with Caroline for the matter.
Now he was in Venice, alone. Like he always has been.
The music started, and Klaus focused his attention on the orchestra for the whole concert. It was really a great experience, not his first time obviously, but he always had a soft spot for Vivaldi.
When the Autumn started, his favorite season and work of Vivaldi, he let his sight wander to the whole theater while his mind was still focused on the music.
Music was a pleasure, his only current focus. Until then, when completely by surprise he saw Caroline in of the balconies in front of his, on the opposite side of the theater.
Klaus froze. Caroline was there in all her beauty and grace with her gaze completely focused and at the same time lost in the music, and from what he could see alone.
From the distance he could enjoy how the dark strapless dress she was wearing made her skin and hair glow even more than usual, the tenderness of the curve of her neck and shoulders with the most delectable skin he had ever caressed and tasted.
He couldn't and he didn't even want to tear his gaze from her, when Caroline slowly turned her head that was facing the orchestra towards his direction. It was like she knew that she was being watched, or better yet worshiped by someone gaze.
The moment when their gaze locked, nothing else mattered.
Caroline POV:
Caroline was currently sitting in one of the theater balcony, that was on the right side of the orchestra.
She was losing herself in the soft wave of the astounding music she was hearing.
When she listened to classic music, she had discovered more than once, that all her surroundings disappeared and the only thing that mattered was the perception of those masterpieces.
This orchestra was really talented and she could only silently thanking her dad and her new life style for making discover this unknown world to her.
The orchestra was currently playing her favorite season of Vivaldi, the Autumn and she was very excited considering that it was her favorite work of the composer.
Goosebumps were beginning to form in her arms the closer she got to a particular moment of the Autumn that never ceased to produce two tears in the corner of her eyes.
Obviously that night wasn't an exception, except from something. She had the feeling that someone was watching her, she was really feeling a strong pull.
So she detached her eyes from the stage and watched in front of her, still fully concentrating on the music that was making her shiver.
And then she saw him, trough her sharp vampire sight only slightly blurred by the tears, there was Klaus.
He was sitting in the balcony on the opposite side of the theater, in front of hers and she could only see him wearing a black jacket, white shirt and no tie. But the aura of charm and strength was ever present on him and made him unmistakeable.
Now that she had spotted him, she couldn't tear her eyes apart from his and for a couple of minutes their gaze were locked like they always did, with a magnetic strength.
Until the Autumn ended, and the giant applause from the audience broke their spell.
Caroline broke their connection and turned her head once again towards the orchestra to applause. She was still too stunned to even form coherent thoughts.
Only one: what do I do know?
Hope you liked the first chapter, I think this story would be two shot, or maybe three. I don't know.
If you leave a review, it would make my day. Until next update, hugs and kisses :)