I have fallen so in love with Klaus/Caroline, and felt inspired to write a little something for them. This oneshot is a deleted scene (from my imagination) that would have taken place in 3x21 - right before Elena wakes up in Klaus's house. I know the timeline is a little fuzzy, but it's fiction, so I'm going to let myself get away with it. This my first ever TVD fanfiction, so I would appreciate any feedback you have for me! I tried to stay as true to the characters as possible, but there are still a few parts I am unhappy with, so I will be interested in seeing what you all think. :)

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.

In His Arms

Caroline Forbes had always been good at distracting herself from her thoughts. Usually she could take her mind off of whatever was bothering her by keeping busy. But today she had already tried everything – laundry, cleaning the bathroom, reorganizing the pantry – but nothing was helping her to forget the searing pain of the inhaled vervain.

The crunching sound the wooden pencils made as Alaric slammed them through her hands.

The smell of her own skin sizzling and burning against the damp cloth.

Elena's brave voice when she told Caroline to run.

Why hadn't she heard anything from any of them? Klaus had said they would save Elena, but that was over an hour ago. Shouldn't someone have called by now? She had done what he said and come straight home to one of the few places Alaric couldn't get to her, and she had trusted that her friends would be fine. After all, Klaus, the indestructible Original Hybrid, was helping them. Had something gone wrong? Had Alaric been too strong for them? She felt a stab of fear as she as she thought of them dead. Elena. Klaus. Stefan and Damon. She fought the rising panic in her chest by closing her eyes and steadying herself against her desk chair.

A loud knock sounded at the door, and her eyes snapped open, suddenly alert. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she imagined Alaric on the other side of the door – even though it was still mid-afternoon.

"Caroline, love, it's me."

At the sound of the smooth, accented voice, Caroline rushed down the hallway and flung the door open. He looked unhurt. She felt a rush of relief and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. He was alive and well. Alaric hadn't hurt him – or worse, killed him. When she looked up at his face, she had to remind herself that she only felt so relieved because it meant Tyler was fine, too. But what about Elena? Where was she?

"Klaus," she breathed in a voice that echoed her relief in seeing him. She stepped aside so he could enter through the door. He walked in, and she shut the door behind him. "What happened? How's Elena?" she questioned eagerly, trying to hide her rising hysteria from him. "And the Salvatores?"

"They'll be fine," he answered shortly, his eyes expressionless.

At his words, she felt herself relax fully. Her friends were ok. "I've been so worried! No one called or anything! I would have called myself, but I had this horrible image of Elena's phone going off just as you were sneaking her out of the school. What happened? Is Alaric dead?"

He hesitated a moment and leaned against the doorframe to her bedroom. Their eyes locked, and Caroline thought for a moment that she saw something resembling remorse, but it quickly vanished. "No," Klaus answered finally. "He was a bit stronger than expected, but steps are being taken to ensure that he's dead soon enough." Caroline tried to ignore the vagueness of his answer. She would get the full story from Elena or Stefan later. "You should stay inside for the remainder of the evening though, as a precaution," he added seriously. She nodded in acceptance.

Another moment passed. Klaus simply stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"So you came here to tell me that?" Caroline questioned, attempting to break his gaze which made her feel nervous and her stomach flip strangely.

"No, I came to make sure you're all right," he answered matter-of-factly.

Caroline was taken aback by his forwardness. Before she realized what he was doing, he was standing directly in front of her and holding her hands in his. She couldn't breathe as he closely examined them. The holes left by the pencils had healed over, but the angry red marks left behind still hadn't completely faded. His eyes were dark and his eyebrows furrowed angrily as he gently turned her hands so her palms faced upward. She should have pulled her hands from his grip the moment he touched her, but somehow she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

Just like she had known when he caught her in the hallway at school. When she felt someone grab her from behind, she had been sure it was Alaric and that she was about to die. But a moment later, when had heard his voice and realized the immovable arms around her were holding her gently, not violently, she had relaxed. He had held her close, and she had let him. She had felt safe, even if she shouldn't have. She still wasn't sure why he did it or why she had allowed him to. All she knew was that in that moment, she had trusted him with her life, and he had protected her.

"So how are you?" He wasn't teasing. He sounded genuinely concerned, and Caroline tried to tell herself that she was wrong. Klaus didn't care about anyone but himself.

"I'm ok. I think I'll regain full function in my hands soon." She attempted a laugh, but it came out strangled. She looked down at her feet, willing the tears pooling in her eyes to recede before Klaus saw her becoming emotional.

"Caroline," he said gently, causing her to look at his face. Their eyes locked again, and she shivered a little at the intensity she saw in his. He spoke again. "I promise you that Alaric will not survive this. He won't be hurting you again."

She felt a moment of dread at his words. Fear prickled in the pit of his stomach because if Alaric was stronger than him, how could he carry out that promise without being hurt? Still, she appreciated it. She was sure she wouldn't sleep until Alaric was gone for good – and probably even for a while after.

"Thank you," she said quietly, their eyes still locked in the same way they had been back in the high school hallway. Time seemed to stop for a moment as she stared into his eyes. It seemed like he was trying to tell her something, or maybe he was trying to convince himself of something instead.

Suddenly, he reached up and ran his thumb softly down her smooth check – where all traces of the vervain rag had vanished. His touch sent tingles all the way down her body in a way that was unfamiliar to her, and the path his thumb grazed felt like it was on fire. She ignored it. "I'm glad you're ok, love."

With that, he dropped his hand and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Caroline heard herself calling after him. He turned back around and raised an eyebrow, a ghost of a smirk spreading across his face. She stepped towards him, careful not to get so close that her brain became fuzzy – the way it had when he held her an hour ago – but that had probably been from the vervain. He looked at her expectantly. "I just wanted to thank you for helping Elena. I don't know why you did it, but just…thanks."

Again, a look of regret passed over his face, but it vanished before she could be sure she saw it.

The moment was interrupted by a loud pounding on the door. Caroline, still on edge, jumped in surprise and grabbed on to Klaus's arm, hovering close to him like a passenger to a life vest. Could Alaric have found a way to escape the daylight prison of the school? Klaus looked down at her in surprise. The pounding sounded again, this time louder and more forcefully.

Paralyzed with fear and unwilling to let go of him, she looked up at him with wide eyes and then focused on the dark shadow outside of the door.

"It's ok, sweetheart. You don't need to be scared when you're with me," he said quietly before gently smoothing her golden hair away from her face. She watched, panicked, as he stepped around her and made his way towards her front door.

What if it really was Alaric? What if he could get in the house? What if he killed Klaus?

Klaus swung the door open and Caroline let out long breath when she saw Tyler looking between her and Klaus with a mixture of emotions on his face. Caroline felt simultaneously relieved and annoyed with his presence. Relieved because he was ok. Annoyed because he hadn't bothered to call her back after she left him about a billion messages. And because she knew he would make a big deal over the fact that Klaus was there.

"What the hell is going on here?" Tyler questioned loudly.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, mate," Klaus said easily. "Don't you have more boxes to pack?"

Tyler glared at Klaus, and Klaus glared back. "Remind me again why I have to waste my day putting all your creepy drawings into cardboard boxes?"

Klaus's jaw clenched and Caroline recognized how angry he was. Did Tyler really have to bait him like that? "Klaus was just stopping by to check on me," Caroline interjected, inserting herself between them. "And he was just leaving," she added meaningfully as she looked directly at him. She hoped he recognized the apology in her eyes. He had been kind to her – even saved her life. She felt like she owed him more than the rudeness she was giving him, but she couldn't risk a situation with Tyler.

Klaus stared back at her, and he seemed to be debating something. Caroline gave him another meaningful look and he relented. "That's right, I was just on my way out."

Tyler continued to glare at Klaus like a toddler whose favorite toy had been pilfered. Klaus ignored him and looked back at Caroline. "Remember what I said. Stay inside." She nodded, and he vanished with one last severe look at Tyler.

With Klaus gone, Caroline suddenly felt exposed and quickly shut the door and bolted the lock. She knew Tyler would do everything he could to keep her safe, but if Alaric was too strong for even Klaus to handle, the Tyler wouldn't stand a chance.

"Do you mind telling me what that was all about?" Tyler interrupted her thoughts impatiently. She hated it when he acted like this.

"That depends, do you mind telling me why the hell you didn't call me back?" she spat back. When she had come home from the school at Klaus's urging, she had tried to call Tyler again and again, all to no avail.

"My phone died," he said dismissively. "So…Klaus…" he looked at her expectantly.

"Klaus saved my life this morning after I was tortured by an undead Alaric Saltzman," she deadpanned, watching as his face registered his shock. Good. He deserved to feel a little guilt.

"Wait, what?" His eyes bulged as she quickly relayed the highlights of the events to him.

"I'm ok now, but Klaus was just here checking on me. It was nothing," she finished, staring at him.

Without hesitation, Tyler wrapped his arms around her in a hug and kissed the side of her head. "I'm so sorry, Caroline. I had no idea!" They stayed like that for a few minutes. He rubbed her back as she finally let the tears she had been holding in fall from her eyes. Tyler's arms held her tightly as he promised that she would be safe and that he would be there next time.

For some reason, his promise felt empty after Klaus's. He held her tight and promised to never let her go, but she still felt vulnerable. She should have felt content, but she didn't. Nothing felt better. She realized that she craved to hear those words coming from a different man – one with a smooth accent and a hard stare. She realized that she felt exposed without him telling her she was safe with him. She realized that Tyler's arms didn't make her feel safe the way Klaus's did, and she hated herself for it.