A/N: Here's my first Klaus/Caroline drabble. All my drabbles will be going here, so if you have any prompts you can PM me on this site, or on my Tumblr (also Chucklaus). I have more in the works. My longer one-shots will be under another story. Would love to receive some prompts. I have some more in the works which hopefully I'll have time to work on soon.

Special thanks to my Beta CBK1000 for helping me with the editing.

And thanks to my-light-into-darkness on Tumblr for the prompt. The prompt was based off this sentence "What is this, a date?" and this what I came up with. Hope you like it.

It was a late Thursday afternoon when Caroline found herself at a party hosted at the Mystic Grill. She and Tyler had decided to take a break. 'No, Tyler decided to take a break for the both of us,' she muttered disdainfully to herself. After Tyler bit Caroline, he decided to leave town for a while to break the sire bond plaguing him. He decided it was best for the both of them if they took a break from them for awhile.

Caroline wished Tyler would have given her a choice, but as per usual he decided everything that regarded both of them by himself, without consulting her at all. She wondered what happened between them that got them to this place. She wanted to blame it on Klaus and Tyler's sire-bond to Klaus, but no matter how hard she tried, no matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't. She continued to drown her thoughts as she found the very Hybrid who had been invading her thoughts sit in the stool beside her, obviously quite proud of himself. "Well, this is a lovely surprise, love."

Ugh, that arrogance and that damn accent of his sent a thrill up her spine that she couldn't quite place. "What do you want Klaus?" Her eyes blazed into Klaus's. "No hybrids to command or entertain?"

Klaus just smirked at her, clearly amused. "Now why would I need my Hybrids when I have a beautiful, strong lady sitting right here? And with no date, I presume?"

"What is this?" she said, irritated. "A date?"

"It can be," he said smugly as a sly grin spread across his features. "If you want it to be."

"Hmmm," she started, contemplating it. "I'd rather die of thirst, but thanks."

She was a firecracker, Klaus decided. Klaus was not one to back down from a challenge, so he continued with this song and dance. He scooted closer to her, a little too close for Caroline's comfort. "Oh, come on love, don't be like that. Just one drink. I promise not to bite," he offered, not wanting to back down from this game.

"And as you have no date, I have no date, why don't you say we just enjoy each other's company," he suggested.

Never in his whole immortal life had Klaus been so captivated by someone else's company. He'd spent his whole immortal life running from his father, fearing discovery at any moment. His father's cruelty had taught him to be sadistic in return. It was his only chance at surviving his father's wrath.

Never in his whole life as a vampire had he been so enthralled by the presence of another vampire. He believed love was weakness, but could he have been wrong? Maybe it was what would deplete the hollowness he felt inside his black heart.

If it even was love. He would easily admit he was enamored by her, intrigued even. But love? He washed that thought away. He couldn't, he tried to reason with himself. He didn't love because he didn't care. So why was it when he was around Caroline that he let his guard down and allowed her to peek into his soul, as if he genuinely wanted Caroline get to know him? He wanted to feel like he mattered to someone, someone who saw him as worth saving.

Caroline was the most stubborn, powerful, enticing woman he had ever met. She was full of light, beautiful, smart, and stronger than anyone he had ever met.

It certainly was a troubling thought, he acknowledged silently as he shifted in his comfortable seat next to Caroline, hoping she would relinquish her own doubts about Klaus just for one night, and for once just try to understand him. "Come on, Caroline. Take a chance, just for this one night. I dare you just to get to know me without your usual revulsion, or hostility," he tried to say persuasively.

Based on the way her shoulders relaxed, and her expression softened, he could see she was willing to concede, even if just for one night. "Fine." She turned to look at the Hybrid. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"You. Your hopes, dreams, aspirations?" The way Caroline looked at Klaus in that moment sent a fuzzy feeling up his chest. No one in a thousand years had ever looked at him like that, like what he said mattered. "You know, no one's actually taken an interest in me like that. Why do you care so much? I'm really not that interesting."

"I beg to differ," he said, hoping to get her to see how interesting he thought she really was. "You're beautiful, smart, intriguing, fascinating," he began, smiling in a way that rarely anyone ever saw of the infamous Niklaus Mikaelson. Most people only glanced at him, and fled in terror. Not Caroline though, she wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. Even after all the revenge he reveled in. She saw Klaus for who he really was, and didn't even flinch. "I don't know how to explain it, but when I'm around you I feel like I can be someone different, that I don't have to be the monster everyone fears."

Caroline took in Klaus's words, seriously contemplating what he was telling her. "So, how did you become the most hated and feared out of all the vampires?" she said, genuinely wanted to know. She also didn't want to talk about her insecurities as a human at the moment. She sincerely wanted to know why he was so feared. Especially since she was beginning to see some light shine through him she never thought possible. He was showing her some of his vulnerability. It surprised her to see Klaus in this light.

"Well, that's a long story, love, but rest assured it has a tragic ending," he said, and something in his tone shifted, she could see how his voice had become shaky, his eyes began to fill with darkness and she now regretted asking him that.

"Klaus, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, its fine," he brushed off, trying to hide the years of torment he endured, even before becoming a vampire. "It's not something I talk about often," he explained sadly. "Mostly because it was a really painful experience. My father hated me for something I didn't have any control over, and as a result he hunted me for over a thousand years. He may be dead now, but those memories still flood my subconscious. I wish I could forget, but I just can't."

Caroline nodded in response, reveling in Klaus's raw honesty. It was so rare for Klaus to put this side of himself on display, yet he was showing her all of his demons, and Caroline could see the light parts of himself trying to shine through his shell of darkness.

Klaus just smiled. He never revealed the darkest parts of himself to someone he barely knew, but ever since that night on her birthday, he couldn't stop thinking about her; he genuinely wanted to know her. "You know, Caroline, I meant what I said on your birthday. One day, when you're ready. If you'll let me, I'd love to show you the world. Rome, Paris, even Tokyo. There's a whole world out there waiting for you to see, and I'd love to show it to you."

Caroline smiled in earnest satisfaction. Maybe there were shades of darkness in him, but there were also specks of light trying to break through, and she wanted to get to know those parts of him more.

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A/N: Thoughts? This is my very first time writing for Klaus and Caroline. So, please be gentle. And reviews would be awesome. Both positive and constructive.