Klaus had never been in love.
Over the many years he had existed, he had watched as his sister, Rebekah, intertwined herself with the lives of many men, and he was there to see her weep from a broken heart. He had even once, even though he would never admit it to anyone, held her trembling hand, felt the shudder of her shoulders against his body. He had witnessed her world falling apart. And it was all from love.
Weak, he thought, every time Rebekah suffered another bad breakup.
Anyone who subjected themselves to such pain, who put themselves in such a position to get hurt, was weak.
He held those convictions for centuries. He drifted through life engaging in short, temporary flings with girls whose names he could never remember, never making the mistake of letting himself become infatuated with one person.
But now, as he gazed across the high school gym, at the blonde in a resplendent pink dress, it struck him that he had never before felt so didn't know what to do with this feeling. It made him feel uncomfortable, and unlike himself. He was use to feeling in control. He was use to being able to merely look at a girl and be able to entice them to do anything he wanted. Caroline Forbes was different, though. She was confident and stubborn and she wouldn't fall for his advances. And it drove him crazy.
He tugged at his suit. He felt like he wanted to jump out of his own skin.
As he looked around at the puny high school boys drooling over unattainable girls, he wondered how he was an different from them. He was just another weak boy pining over a girl that would never give him the time of day.
But no. He shook his head vigorously, only vaguely aware that he looked foolish.
He was a vampire. An original.
He was stronger than anyone else in the room. One measly girl could not change that. .He had lived alone for centuries by himself. He didn't need anyone.
And yet.
As Caroline Forbes moved to the music, a radiant smile dazzling her face, Klaus felt something pull within him. He had an inexplicable urge to take her hand, lead her out of that small gym, that small, dull town, and show her the world. He wanted to be the one to make her smile. He had a feeling that she would enjoy the beautiful cities of Paris and Vienna, that she would flourish in countries like Spain and Germany. He wanted to stand by her side at Machu Picchu. He wanted to see her reaction to Verdon Gorge and Mallorca. She was too smart, too big for a small, boring town like Mystic Falls. He knew that she was nothing like Elena Gilbert, nothing like the rest of the girls in this gym. He wanted to be the one to help her realize this, he wanted to be the one to hold her hand as she discovered her full potential. His desire both excited and upset him. At the same time he felt an eager beat of his heart, he also felt a deflated, disappointed feeling because he knew he was the last one she wanted around him.
He also knew, deep down, that he was unworthy of her.
And that hurt the most.
He didn't like this feeling.
This weak, weak feeling.