Caroline stared at the painting of the snowflake. It was Klaus', she knew that. He'd shown her so much of his humanity at the pageant that she couldn't deny he felt. He was just like her, but a thousand times worse. Ever since Tyler admitted to cheating on her – by admitting, she meant she caught the two of them making out against a wall with Hayley's legs around his waist and his fly undone – she realised that maybe Klaus was right. It wasn't enough for her. Not at all. Tilting her head, she admired the painting and her eyes drifted to the scrawl of Klaus' signature. Her skin flushed with the feeling of being watched and she turned to Klaus. Her stomach fluttered and her heart raced when he smiled. "Here to steal Tiny Tim's crutches?" She teased, turning to face him completely as he walked to her. She strode past him, turning at the other end of the table to keep some distance between them. It was what she needed, to be away from him so she could think clearly. "Dickens was a dark man. You would have liked him." She nodded towards the painting and commented, "Nice snowflake, by the way." Klaus sighed as he turned a moment to look back at his work. "Is my work really that literal?" He returned mockingly, looking back over her. Letting her eyes roam over the painting again, she shrugged. "I'm serious. There's something… lonely about it." There was a slight pause and she grew worried she'd said something wrong. "I'm going to take that as a compliment. Can I offer you some champagne?" Groaning, Caroline turned around and started to walk away. Klaus was soon behind her. "Can't. Too many adult prying eyes," she drawled, turning to him. He stepped closer and her heart starting beating harder. "Don't want to be a high school cautionary tale at the next town meeting." He smiled down at her, leaning in. "Well, then it's a good thing the high school part is nearly over," he pointed out, raising his eyebrows. Their eyes were locked for no more than a minute, but Caroline could feel herself losing the battle to not fall for him. "If we're going to be nice to each other, then I will need that glass of champagne," she huffed, trying to compose herself. He stepped even closer as he grinned. "Is that our thing?" Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes. "We don't have a thing." He walked off to get them some champagne and she leant against the table. She was going to give in to him… and soon. She just knew it.
Caroline opened the door to the bathroom and froze when she heard a voice. "Look, it'll be over soon. The hybrids aren't sired anymore and I'll send Klaus to kill them. That'll be the first sacrifice done to raise Silas!" It was Hayley, but the other voice on the other end of the phone was one she didn't recognise. "Make sure he does it or you'll never find your family. They need the cure, I need Silas awake." She sped out of the bathrooms and found Klaus with Stefan. "We need to leave. Right now," she ordered, grabbing Klaus' hand and dragging him away, knowing Stefan would follow on his own. "Caroline, stop dragging me. How can you even walk that fast in those shoes? Where's the fire?" Klaus grumbled as she continued to storm off. She didn't stop until they got to Stefan's car, then she was pulling him in the back as Stefan frowned in the driver's seat. "To his house," she demanded, her leg bouncing with nerves. A warm hand came over her knee and she followed the arm up with her eyes until she met Klaus' concerned expression. She couldn't even give him a small smile, so she just looked away again.
As soon as the car stopped, she dove out of the car and started up the porch steps, biting her lip until it bled. Klaus opened the door and walked in with the other two close behind. "Okay, you might want to… sit down. Or get so drunk you can't move. That'd probably be best. Less likely to kill people that way," she muttered as she paced. "Out with it," he ordered with a frown. She turned, lips pressed together and eyes narrowed slightly. "Tyler and Hayley broke the sire bonds with your hybrids and Hayley was going to go against the original plan – whatever that was – to tell you, then send you to sacrifice them to raise Silas. I think it was Shane. He knew we wanted the cure, but he wants to raise Silas instead." Klaus stood up slowly and came closer to her. "You knew nothing of this?" He checked, his voice low and dangerous. "I didn't," she growled back defensively. "You think I'd work with my ex and the girl he was cheating on me with to send twelve people to their deaths? That's what breaking the sire bond did! I overheard Hayley on the phone, then came to get you. Now, where the hell is your bathroom? I have to pee." He rubbed his face and told her where his room was and that the bathroom was an en suite. She stormed up the stairs, kicking off her heels along the way so they clattered down every step. "I'll go grab Hayley and put her in the cellar at my place. Can you keep an eye on Caroline?" Stefan murmured, getting up from his seat. Klaus sent him a questioning look and he sighed. "Look, she isn't… completely indifferent to you and that freaks her out. Now, with you being on the verge of mass homicide, she'll be freaking out more. I'm going to make sure no one dies – at least not yet – but someone needs to watch over her because she's having problems. I don't like that it's you, but…" he trailed off, shrugging at Klaus. The hybrid waved him off and sat down, watching Stefan leave.
Caroline splashed the water on her face, hands gripping the counter as she lowered her head. She closed her eyes and saw his face when she told him his hybrids had betrayed him. He looked broken more than he did furious. He wanted more of his kind and, though he went about it the wrong way, eventually got it. He'd been alone a thousand years, then when he had hybrids like himself they plotted to kill him. If he'd treated them with an ounce of the… respect and kindness he offered her, then he wouldn't have lost them. They may have even grown to not only accept him but like him. Just like she had. "Caroline," he called from the door. Her head snapped up and she met his eyes in the reflection. She hadn't even noticed she was crying. "You didn't leave?" She whispered, watching him as he walked up behind her. "No. Stefan has gone to collect the wolf girl," he replied quietly, eyes searching her reflection. "Why are you crying?" She let out a cold laugh, looking up to try and stop her tears. "I don't even know," she let out, voice cracking. He took her arm gently and turned her. She wanted to push him away, but when his arms came around her she found herself clinging on to him and crying. Tracing patterns on her back, he waited until she'd fallen quiet to talk again. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head. "Do you want to go home?" She shook her head. "Do you want to stay here?" She nodded. He led her back in to his bedroom and to the bed. Sitting her down, he went over to the drawers and pulled out a Henley for her. He stopped in front of her and kissed the top of her head. "Go to sleep, Caroline," he whispered, handing her the shirt. He reached the door when he heard her speak. "Don't leave," he turned back to find her under the covers in his shirt already, biting her lip and shuffling her feet. "Please," she added, sniffing. She hated being this vulnerable, but he nodded and went in to the bathroom with a change of clothes. By the time he came out, she was already falling asleep. "Don't leave," she mumbled again before drifting off. "I won't," he promised, moving to the other side of the bed. He sat against the headboard, ankles crossed as he sketched her for the rest of the night.
A loud knocking on the front door woke him up, not that he knew he'd even slept. The bedroom door was open slightly, and he frowned because he was certain he'd closed it completely. Caroline stirred, then when she realised her head was on his stomach, she shot up and sat next to him, cheeks red. "I'll get the door," he mumbled sleepily. He hadn't slept in centuries, and when he did it was with the woman he found himself in love with. Of course that had to be interrupted by an incessant knocking on his door. He threw it open, raising his eyebrows at Tyler Lockwood. "Where is she?" He demanded furiously. "I know you have her! Stefan took Hayley and you took Caroline!" Klaus smirked, tilting his head. "Did I?" He frowned, taunting the boy. "I remember Caroline dragging me last night from the Wonderland where my hybrids had prepared to kill me and the wolf planned to have me kill all of you." Tyler's face fell for a moment but he didn't lose his resolve. "She's here. I can smell her on you… I can smell her on you," he repeated it with less heat, realisation coming to him. Klaus looked like he'd just gotten out of bed but he smelt so strongly of Caroline. They had to have been touching recently. "Leave, Tyler," she called from the top of the stairs. Her hair was in disarray, as it was when she shot off his stomach. It was the type of bedhead that could easily be misinterpreted. Also, she still had on Klaus' shirt and it didn't reach even mid-thigh. "You're sleeping with him now? Is this because of Hayley? Really, Care?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm not having sex with Klaus, but I did sleep with him last night in the innocent sense. It's not because of Hayley. I actually haven't loved you in a long time but I was holding on to you because I was afraid of falling for Klaus. Now I've let go, I realise there was no point. I already felt something. Oh, and don't call me Care. You lost all right to care and be my knight in shining armour the moment you even thought of being with another girl." She'd come down the stairs as she was talking, stopping right in front of Tyler. "So, you're going to be whore and-" She cut him off by kicking him in the groin. The force of it sent him flying out of the open front door and on top of his own car. She slammed the door shut with a growl and turned to Klaus. She opened her mouth to say something, but he flashed forward and pinned her against the door. His mouth covered hers and she moaned in surprise as he kissed her deeply. His arms came around her waist and he lifted her until she had her legs wrapped around his hips. She held on to his arms, one hand sliding over his t-shirt and up the back of his neck to bury itself in his hair. Her stomach tightened and her mind went fuzzy as he pressed his hips up, pressing himself between her legs so she felt his arousal. He broke from her, breathing heavily. "Caroline," he growled throatily, causing a shiver to run down her spine. His forehead rested against hers, his eyes closed. "I can't… I want to…" she grabbed his chin and lifted his head. "Do it, then," she breathed before bringing his lips back to hers. She gasped when he grabbed her ass, supporting her thigh with his arm as he pulled her from the door and flashed them to his bed. Her eager hands ripped his t-shirt off him, the pieces of material covering the floor along the way.
He tossed her on to the bed, watching her bounce on the messy covers. She pushed herself back until she was in the middle of the bed, her eyes trained on his as she pulled his shirt over her head. Hearing the small intake of breath, she smirked victoriously. She sat back on the bed in nothing but a pair of red lace briefs, watching his eyes roam her hungrily. He pounced on top of her, making her giggle as she bounced with his added weight. His lips pressed open mouthed kisses on her neck and she moaned, smiling as she tugged his hair and held his shoulders. One hand held him above her, the other explored her body. He grabbed her breast and she gasped, arching up in to him. "Please," she begged, his head coming up from her shoulder so their eyes met. "Please what?" He smirked, hooded eyes meeting her desperate ones. "Fuck! I need you," she growled out, nails digging in the back of his neck so he came down to meet her lips. He slowly slid her soaked briefs down her legs, fingers leaving a tingling trail on her skin. She whimpered as he rubbed his fingers against her, her hands clawing desperately at the waistband of his sweats where she could see his erection pushing at the fabric. "Please," she hissed at him, eyes ablaze. She was surrendering to him and he loved it. She whimpered when he removed his hand, but gasped when he was suddenly naked and pushing into her. "Mine," he snarled, eyes flashing golden. "Mine," she returned, bringing him in to a deep kiss. He slid in to her until his hips met her ass and she moaned, feeling herself filled. Her hips bucked and he pushed her legs back around his waist as he joined their hands and pushed himself up slightly. He was slow at first, but he was quick to react to her pleads for more. The headboard smashed against the wall, his speed almost supernatural. She was loud, yelling and moaning his name as he grunted above her. Her release came like a flood and he smirked as her legs shook and twitched around his waist. She collapsed, panting heavily as he rode her out and soon came inside her.
He was going to lie down next to her when she flipped them on to their side, one leg flat against his and the other hooked over his hip. She ground against him with him limp inside her. He could feel himself hardening again as she stroked his cheek and kissed him. He was used to sex, the rough and easy kind. He wasn't used to this intimacy or letting a woman take control of him. Once he was hard again, she rolled them over so she was on top of him. Her hands slid up his arms and she forced his hands to lock together above his head, her lips pressing teasing kisses all over his face. She leant back, bracing her hands on his thighs, and began rolling her hips up and down. His hands twitched as he fought not to touch her, watching her in all her glory as she threw her head back and moaned as she rode him. She tensed around him, rolling her hips at an angle, and he almost lost it there. Her breasts bounced wildly and when she looked back down in to his eyes, her hair bounced over her shoulder too. He tried so hard not to release first, but she was driving him insane with her little tricks and her nails dragging on his chest and stomach. It was too much and he was groaning her name as he found release. She carried on, slowing until he was spent. "Wow," he let out as she slid off him and dropped on to the bed beside him. "Mm," she hummed in agreement, too tired to even cover herself as she settled her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, smiling as she tangled their legs together. They lay in silence, blissful and ignorant to the world outside of the bed, for almost an hour. They were simply recovering.
Something had been nagging at him all night though, and he didn't know if he'd ever get another chance. "What was wrong last night?" He asked her softly. She tensed a little, but he began playing with her hair and held her tighter. Her fingers drew patterns on his body absently as she talked. "I was just… I was trying to figure out how it all wrong, I guess. I realised it had always been wrong. My life got better but only when I died and I looked at it differently. Competing with Elena became saving her. I stopped taking shit from guys. If I'd been human and Tyler cheated on me, I would've cried but then taken him back with open arms… and legs. I hated being alive. I never told anyone that before, but I did. I was desperate for a reason to live, so I threw myself in to everything but I always felt empty. Every club, every relationship, every event… I was never happy. I realised last night that no one cared about as much as I cared about them. Then you walked in and… Someone did. You did. You do. I mean… you do… Right?" She lifted her head from his chest, that raw vulnerability and doubt in her expression breaking his heart. "I do," he nodded. "I… I lo…. I lo…." He dropped his head back and took a deep breath as she waited patiently. "I know," she whispered softly, waiting until his eyes met hers again. She smiled and he didn't feel so nervous or trapped by saying the words anymore. "I love you." She smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I love you," she breathed against his lips. They repeated the words, making love and talking about things they forgot soon after until the sun set and they snuggled under the covers with their bodies warmed by one another and both their hearts feeling whole for the first time since their childhoods.