~Caroline POV~
"Give me love. Like her."
Women spun on the arms of men in handsome suits. The elegant dresses danced in the soft light and it felt like they were all in another time. A time when girls were courted, waltzes like this were commonplace and it wasn't unusual for the handsome English gentleman opposite her to be looking at her like he was.
"Cause lately I've been waking up alone."
Caroline kept her eyes on Rebekah, dancing with Matt, she was up to no good. It was sole reason she had even come tonight. Mostly.
"I'm glad you came" Klaus said, she could feel his eyes on her face.
"Well it was either caviare or sympathy casseroles."
"And that I'll fight my corner. Maybe tonight I'll call ya."
"I heard about your father" he started to say.
"Don't. Seriously." she said firmly. He didn't get to be thoughtful, or talk about her dad.
"After my blood turns into alcohol."
"Very well. Onto more mannered subjects then like how ravishing you look in that dress" he purred. Caroline's breath hitched.
"Oh I just wanna hold ya."
"I didn't really have time to shop."
"Give a little time to me, or burn this out"
"And the bracelet I gave you? What's your excuse for wearing that?" Klaus said, annoyingly knowing.
"We'll play hide and seek to turn this around"
"You know, you're quite the dancer". He added, his grip on her waist tightening ever so slightly. Should his hands feel quite so warm to her?
"All I want, is the taste that your lips allow"
"Well, I've had training. I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls."
"My my, my my, my. Give me love."
She brought her eyes to his, and found the sparkling blue staring back at her to be warm. It made her want to smile. Dammit.
"My my, my my, my. Give me love."
"I know" he said simply, as if he'd never known anything to be so true. His mouth curved up to one side slightly. No! Don't do the crooked smile. They stepped apart, Klaus' eyes never leaving hers, and then everyone swapped partners. His hands lingered a little longer than they should've before letting her go.
"Give me love like never before".
Caroline spun into Matt's arms, he looked concerned for her for some reason, but she had a bone to pick with him first.
"Coz lately I've been craving more"
"What are you doing? Why are you here with the she devil?" she whispered harshly.
And It's been a while, but I still feel the same".
"What was I supposed to say? No?" Matt replied sarcastically.
"Maybe I should let you go".
"And why the hell are you here with Klaus?" His added, eyebrows knitted with concern.
"You know I'll fight my corner, and that tonight I'll call ya".
"Don't even get me started" she answered, exhaling heavily.
"After my blood is drowning in alcohol".
She was thinking about how she could use another drink, when Matt let out a tense laugh.
"What?" She said. Matt looked at her and rolled his eyes.
"C'mon Care. Can you not see how weird this is? We're surrounded by people who have tried to kill us, or who we don't trust, and friends that we're worried about. And I'm doing a freaking waltz?" he grinned.
"Oh I just wanna hold ya".
Caroline laughed as well, a little hysterically, and her and Matt gripped hands more firmly.
"Well," she said, "when in Rome." and they spun around the dance floor.
"Give a little time to me.
Or burn this out.
We'll play hide and seek
to turn this around.
All I want is the taste that your lips allow.
My my, my my, my. Give me love.
My my. My my. My.
Give me love".
After a few more laughs between her and Matt, the song was over. He bowed with the rest of the men, grinned and glanced over at Rebekah. She'd been eyeing off Caroline while they'd been dancing, so the two off them exchanged good luck looks before he went over to she devil. Caroline decided she needed fresh air to clear her head.
As she made her way through the crowd, Damon tapped her on the solder.
"Hey, have you seen Elena?"
"No, is everything ok?" she started to feel tense.
"Oh, I'm sure she's fine, until I see her." Damon smiled tightly, trying to reassure her, though he was looking around way too much to be calming. "I'll let you know. Just, keep safe or whatever ok?" he added before heading towards the stairs, taking his phone out as he went.
"Outside it is then." she said out loud. Making her way to the huge oak doors and collecting her shrug. She walked down the steps and along the drive, and saw something that brought a smile to her face. A large brown horse, with blonde mane, stood strapped to a carriage. It was a thing of beauty, she didn't want to touch it, for fear of upsetting it.
"Hey there," she said soothingly, "aren't you beautiful." It was a statement, not a question. She stood just watching the huge creature, enthralled. She'd always wanted a horse, and this looked liked the ones she had always imagined in the fairytales her her dad used to read to her.
Footsteps broke the silence, and knew Klaus was walking towards her. She didn't take her eyes of the horse though.
"You like horses." He finally said, announcing his presence.
"I'm not talking to you until you tell me why you invited me here." she said. Don't look at him she thought. And then he said the only words that could have made her look at the hybrid in that moment.
"I fancy you." he said simply.
Caroline felt her face betray total confusion.
"Is that so hard to believe?" he asked in the same tone he had asked "do you really think that low of me" on her birthday.
"Yes!" she insisted.
"Why? You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light." he looked sincere. Why?
"I enjoy you."
Then he smirked. Freaking Klaus! she said to herself.
"Well I'm spoken for. By Tyler" she said with her chin up.
"I thought you two ended things" he said in a low voice.
"Yeah! Because of you and your freaky sire bond with him!"
"So you're not spoken for" he stated. She simply went back to staring at the horse.
Klaus let out a short breath, and then looked towards the horse also.
"You know, ah, horses are the opposite of people. They're loyal." he smiled wistfully and Caroline couldn't help but watch him.
"My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day the killed my favourite horse." his face betrayed a glimmer of pain from his past.
"He…severed its head with a sword. As a warning." he stole a glance at her.
She felt upset for the younger, non-vampire/werewolf/psyco Klaus.
"Well did you ever consider sitting down with your father and talking it out?"
"I'm afraid my relationship with my father was a little more complex than yours." he said bitterly.
"Maybe so, but I let my father go with no regrets," she replied "and to answer your question, yes, I like horses. But I also like people, and they actually like me, so I'll be inside. She took a last look at him and turned to walk back into the mansion. Music was spilling out over the drive, and she couldn't help but feel another drink would be good right about now.
~Klaus' POV~
He had let her go, though it pained him to do so. He was used to getting his way. And yet something about this young blond vampire enthralled him, he found the way she talked to him refreshing. The image of her perfect blonde curls, and the way she looked in the dress he had chosen, with the bracelet he had given her wrapped elegantly around her wrist, danced in his head. She was beautiful.
Dancing with her had felt right, the electricity of having her body so close to his sublime. She was like no one he had ever encountered before. He, the original hybrid, was being brought down by a woman, a girl in comparison to his years. The feeling was like the human ache of using muscles that had not been used in a while. It was more intense, painful and strong than any other feeling he had felt in what felt like an eternity.
"What are you doing to me, love." he said aloud.
"Careful brother, your humanity's showing" smirked Kol from the darkness.
Niklaus was at his brother in a second. His eyes daring him not to say another word.
"Silence Kol!" he glared.
"Now now, you did stab me after all. Let a brother have some fun." Klaus took a breath and stepped back.
"Don't you have someone to annoy?" he said exasperatedly.
"Sure do. I'll be going now" Kol said wickedly, darting in between rows of cars.
Klaus calmed himself before setting off to find Caroline once more. Nobody would ruin his plans tonight, he had something to show her. Though his brother's words echoed in his ears.
"Your humanity's showing."
As he entered through the doors, he saw Caroline standing in front of a table, glass in hand. He stopped at a nearby vase and picked out the prettiest rose, smelling it to be sure of it's quality, before making his way over to the blonde.
"Come now, love. All on your own." he said. She spun around abruptly, obviously not hearing him coming this time, before letting a breath of air.
He held the rose out to her, before she could speak, and felt his mouth pulling up to the side in a smile. He kept his eyes on hers, reading into their depths for any sign of emotion. She took the rose gingerly and put it to her nose, relaxingly visibly as she smelt it's sweet fragrance.
"Will you come with me? I'd like to show you something." he asked. Why am I worried she'll say no?
"I guess. Okay." she replied.
"Follow me, love." he said as he led her away.
They entered the living room, Klaus had his hands clasped behind his back. I'm nervous he realised. He kept his gaze on Caroline's face, waiting to see her reaction.
"So," she said, breaking the silence, "what did you wanna show me?".
He looked at the huge painting behind the table, noticing that Caroline instantly took in the piece.
"One of my passions." he said.
"Wow. Impressive. I take it the curators of the Louvre aren't on vervain?" she quipped.
Yeah, well that's their mistake" he laughed.
"And what about these?" she asked, lifting the arm that held her bracelet. "Where did you steal this from?".
"Well that's a long story," he replied "but rest assured it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you."
His eyes never strayed from hers, for he meant this with every part of him. Then Caroline shook her head, and he felt foolish. She looked down at the table in front of them, picking up one of his portraits. Her face softened at seeing the picture, then her head snapped up and she glanced at him, then back to the picture. He turned to face her.
"Wait a second. Did…did you do these?" she said, a small smile playing on her disbelieving face.
"Yeah, actually one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice." he said. "Have you been?".
"I've…never really been anywhere." she admitted.
"I'll take you," Caroline let out a small laugh, "wherever you want. Rome, Paris," she looked incredulous, "Tokyo" he added with a smile.
"Oh wow!" she said with a laugh. He laughed too, light and free. Haven't done that in a while he thought.
"Must be really nice to snap your fingers and get what you want." she said.
Of course, he couldn't be happy for too long.
"Is that why you collect hybrids," she continued, "a little servant army to take you places and bring you things." Her eyes bored into his, as if she could see through him, and in that moment he felt like she could.
"You're making assumptions" he said in a low voice.
"Then why do you need Tyler? Stop controlling him. Give him his life back."
"You know," he growled, "this has been a fun evening but I think it's time for you to leave."
She wasn't fooled. Stupid little girl he thought. The hybrid rising to the surface.
"I get it, your father didn't love you so you assume that no one else will either. And that's why you compel people, or you sire them, or you try to buy them off!" she took her bracelet off and threw it at his feet.
"But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them." and with that she turned and left.
Klaus felt shook to the core. He didn't know what to do. He should chase her and teach her a lesson. He was not another one of her friends that she could talk down to. He should fix this feeling that threatened to overwhelm his chest. He tried to imagine killing her. Damn! he thought. He was incapable of hurting Caroline. He only wanted to prove her wrong. He found himself wanting to…change…for her. It wasn't possible. Yet no one had ever spoken to him like that before, he thought that was impossible as well.
He glanced over at the picture she had picked up. Suddenly, the image of her standing next to the horse, bathed in moonlight, filled his head; he knew what he would do. He looked down and collected her birthday present from the floor, putting it in his pocket. Then Klaus found his charcoals and a fresh piece of paper and got to work, sketching furiously until what he saw in his head was looking at him from the paper.
"Caroline" he said, rolling it up, before jumping through the open window and running into the night.
~Caroline POV~
She hung up the phone, after leaving Tyler a voicemail. The events of the night came rushing in a wave through her mind. Am I completely, absolutely, freaking insane! she thought to herself. She felt she had come close to awakening the regular, evil, psycho Klaus before in this living room. She just couldn't help but be honest.
She looked at herself in the mirror, and let out a sigh. Then, something in the reflection of the mirror caught her eye. A black box tied with a white ribbon, identical to the one that had contained her bracelet, sat on her bed. She went over to it.
"Seriously, just give up already." she scoffed while opening the box. Too curious to not see what was in it. Expecting the bracelet or some other piece of jewellery, it revealed a rolled piece of thick paper. Her guffaws stopped abruptly as she unrolled it.
Oh my God. It's beautiful.
A stunning picture looked back at her. It was her standing by the horse. And it was truly breathtaking. Her breath hitched, she read the inscription at the bottom right of the drawing.
"Thank you for your honesty,
Klaus"
She loved it.
That's gonna be a problem.
