A/N: Started writing this after the season 4 finale, so it's canon compliant up to that point (ish). I basically made up most of the TO stuff, like character personalities, etc. not only because I wrote this before the show came out, but also because I wanted to.
Chapter 1
She comes to him after almost a decade since the last time they've seen each other, carrying one small bag and the bright smile he's always loved. He had been hoping to see her sooner, but had expected her to come a lot later, so he is more than ecstatic when he answers that knock on the door in the middle of the night.
"Hi," she says shyly, her green eyes boring intently into his blue ones.
"Caroline," he whispers, knowing the shock will not fully mask the delight in his face.
"Niklaus," she answers jokingly, feigning a serious look and putting her hand on her hip. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" He takes this time to recover, stepping back and opening the door wider as he gestures for her to enter.
"You know an invitation is not necessary, love, or you haven't been paying any attention these past few years."
He'd kept his distance from her, all those years he'd spent in New Orleans while she'd traveled the world, but he had kept tabs on her, and sent her small gifts and letters. He was very old fashioned that way, pretending this whole time was a courtship conducted across the seas. He'd been over the moon (pun very much intended) each time she'd sent a thank you message and a smiley face, but he'd never pushed any further than that. He'd decided he wouldn't be with her unless she came to the decision all on her own, unless she'd seen the world and decided next to him was where she wanted to be after all. Then he'd show her the world through his eyes, lavish her with all the things his fingers itched to send her way, take her to the out-of-the-way corners that hid genuine beauty that matched her own. He'd make her see the world the same way he'd always seen her.
So he had stayed put in New Orleans, where his attention had thankfully been diverted from each passing day that she had stayed away. Battles had been fought, wars won, new alliances formed and old ones shattered. He'd had his fun, hands soaked in blood as they had always been, needs met by various women throughout the decade. None of those women had held his interest for more than a day. He had already known no one would captivate him again the way Caroline did, but he was only a man and he needed that itch scratched every now and then. None of it had changed the way he felt about her, of course, none of it had changed the plans he'd made for her.
And now here she is, looking even better than he remembers, perhaps because of that bag in her hand and what it means now that she is at his door with it. He watches her face as she walks across the threshold and her eyes take in their surroundings. A portrait of his family hangs on the wall across the room, surrounded by landscapes he had painted over the years. Rome. Paris. Tokyo. He wonders if she will understand their significance.
He closes the door as she drops her bag by her feet and looks up at the ceiling, where an elaborate chandelier glistens and winks at them. She looks at him and raises her eyebrows, making him chuckle.
"Well, that's shiny," she teases, pointing her slender finger at the ceiling.
"You'd rather I lit up the place with gas lamps and torches?" he asks, moving to stand next to her. "That could be arranged, but I imagine it would get very hot in here."
She rolls her eyes at him in that very Caroline Forbes kind of way, and it's as if all those years apart had never been, as if they were back in Mystic Falls, standing on opposite sides of an invisible barrier they'd made up. Like her friends were plotting against him again, and she was being sent as a very efficient distraction to keep him occupied. The devilish grin that lights up his face feels all too familiar as well.
"So what brings you to my part of the world, love?" he asks, bending down and grabbing her bag from the floor.
"Well, I thought I had an open invitation," she answers, turning around to inspect the room further. "See. I do pay attention, you know?"
"That you do, Caroline," he smiles, grateful for the chance to watch her again as she concentrates on something else. He follows her gaze and purses his lips, suddenly feeling self conscious.
"Is that..?" she starts, walking into the sitting room to get a closer look at the painting that hangs above the fireplace.
He'd done it a few years after her graduation, just to see if he could still paint the scene from memory. Obviously, he could. It was of her during the ball his mother held in Mystic Falls, that time he'd found her outside, gazing at a horse. Unlike the sketch he'd given her, he'd chosen to paint the scene that caught his breath as he walked closer to her from the opposite side: Caroline looking like a goddess even with her back turned, wind blowing loose golden curls softly in the night, figure bathed in moon light. To anyone else, it was just a painting of a woman and a horse on a moonlit night; to him it was one of his most beautiful memories spilled on to a canvas.
He stays rooted to the spot, seriously contemplating running out of the door. He doesn't know what it is that turns him into a child whenever he's around Caroline. He supposes it's vulnerability that causes it. He watches as she slowly turns around to face him, brows furrowed and lower lip captured by her teeth. He holds his breath as she stalks across the room towards him, and he would've taken cover had his body remembered how to function, but his feet stay glued to the floor.
For a moment the tear that drops from her eye worries him, but she suddenly flings herself at him just as it falls, and he gets distracted. Distracted by her hands in his hair as they pull him closer, by her lips on his mouth as they devour him. It takes him a few seconds before he manages to drop the bag on the floor and wrap his arms around her waist, mentally cursing whoever would eventually wake him from what would undoubtedly turn out to be a dream.
The years have not prepared him enough for this, kissing her in his own body. He had foolishly thought that it wouldn't be that different from kissing her in Tyler's body, but he was wrong. It's as if she fitted perfectly into him, as if they were one entity that had been broken apart in the past, two pieces of a puzzle long forgotten.
"Klaus," she whispers against his lips, and all the gates he has built in the past, all the walls he has hidden behind in fear comes crumbling down around them. In that one second when she says his name as if he is all that she wants, anyone could've walked up and torn out his heart.
Before he can talk his way out of it, he picks her up and guides her legs around his waist, and he smiles in triumph when she locks her ankles behind his back. In a flash they're in his room, and she's on his bed, and he's hovering over her, resting on his elbows as he gazes down at her. He's wasting precious time, if this is indeed a dream, but it's hard to look away from her when she's looking at him like that. He licks his lips, as his eyes search her face and they register her impatience.
Slowly, he bends down and lightly grazes her lips with his, pulling back just as she makes to grab his neck. He then trails light kisses along her jaw, down to her neck where he is content to stay for the rest of his existence. Her smell is intoxicating, the fast thump thump thump of her pulse teasing him to bite. He makes his way to her collarbone where he sucks gently against her skin, causing her to arch her back and groan out his name. He feels her nails scratch at his scalp as she pulls him closer, fingers grabbing his brown curls to pull his face back up and meeting his mouth half way.
Then he is on his back, and she is straddling him and he is losing his mind as she moves her hips against his, causing the most delicious friction in all the right places. He finds himself reaching up to follow her mouth as she sits up, but she pushes him back on the bed, earning herself another devilish smirk as he watches her grab the bottom of her dress and pull it up over her head.
Unbelievably beautiful.
Then her hands are on his shirt, and he stretches his arms up without even thinking about it, and then he is shirtless, and she is chucking the shirt to the floor next to her dress. Briefly, he thinks how perfectly it looks on his floor, the flimsy little sundress all bunched up and forgotten next to his bed, but she is on top of him again, his bare chest meeting hers and they are kissing, and he just can't think anymore.
They lie naked on his bed, legs tangled and feeling thoroughly spent. Her head rests on his chest as his fingers trail little circles on her shoulder. He smiles slowly when he feels her sigh against him, wrapping her arm around his waist and pulling him closer. He looks down at her long porcelain body against his, and he has to resist the urge to pinch himself.
"That was definitely worth the decade-long wait," he whispers, kissing the top of her head. "I may not want to do anything else again for another week."
"Just a week?" she asks, looking up at him and resting her chin on her hand that's on his chest.
"Well, I imagine we'd need to eat eventually," he smiles, running his hand lightly along her back as he closes his eyes. "Just to get our strength back."
"Weak," she teases, and he practically hears her smirk in that one word.
And then he can feel her hand slowly traveling down his body, causing his eyes to pop back open. He looks down to see her smiling impishly at him, one eyebrow raised as if in challenge. He would've raised his in answer as well, but her hand has found its target, and all he can do is bite his lip and furrow his brow as she strokes him languidly. He feels his hips respond to her strokes, his body attentive and ready again, just like that. He grabs her head and crushes their mouths together, moaning as she continues to pump him slowly.
"Caroline," he grunts, biting at her bottom lip. "Caroline. Caroline, what are you doing to me?" It's all he can manage, as her hand starts moving faster, and she smiles against his lips.
"All the things I should've done years ago," she whispers.
Klaus chuckles as he walks down the stairs and sees Caroline's bag at the bottom where he dropped it last night. He picks it up and heads to the kitchen, where he intends to make her breakfast.
He pauses to listen, making sure she is still asleep upstairs where he left her. He couldn't sleep himself, even though he was pretty tired from their exploits. He isn't sure if it's his disbelief and excitement over finally having her here, or his fear that she might be gone when he wakes up.
Her bag pops open as he places it on the kitchen counter, and something inside catches his attention. He'd expected the bag to contain clothes, toiletries and whatever things girls usually needed, but Caroline only has small glass jars stoppered with corks. He picks one up to inspect it and it's filled with some dry brown herb he doesn't immediately recognize. The jar has a label written in what he recognizes as Caroline's handwriting that reads 'Masterwort'. He takes another jar out, this one containing small brown round herbs that look like small versions of those cocoa balls you use to make hot chocolate with. The label reads 'Kouroubaga'. Soon all the bottles are out, all labeled with names he hasn't encountered before. Sticklewort. Bechan. Lorbeer. Bugbane.
What is Caroline doing with all these strange herbs? Vampires can't exactly practice witchcraft, he knows that for sure. He opens the bag further, knowing full well that he is invading her privacy, and finds a small notebook inside. Written on the first page is what seems to be a recipe, the names of the herbs in the jars listed with measurements next to them. Instructions follow the ingredients, but he doesn't read them; he knows he will not understand it anyway. Unlike the labels on the jars, Caroline did not write this recipe herself. The handwriting is sloppy, as if it was written in haste.
The next page contains a note in the same hand.
Caroline, these should help you out. Ask around Qena, make sure you get everything I listed, and STOCK UP ON THEM. I still wish you'd come home and let me help you before you went to Klaus, though. You know how to reach me. -B
Bonnie Bennett. Of course. Who else but her best friend would write a witchy recipe for Caroline? For a moment he sees red, feels like a fool once again. Have they, in fact, not left Mystic Falls behind them? Is she still plotting with her friends against him? He would have smashed the bottles and burnt its contents had it not been for the tiny hope he always stupidly holds on to when it comes to Caroline. Instead, he grabs his phone and sends a message to one of his newly acquired allies.
"Klaus?"
He hears Sophie call out from the front door, the door he never really needs to lock.
"Kitchen," he answers, still glaring at the bottles in front of him.
He listens as Sophie's slow walk leads her to the kitchen and looks up just as she enters. His brother next to her catches him by surprise, but Elijah has always been able to sneak around undetected, so he lets it go.
"What's up?" the witch asks, standing in front of him and looking at the glass jars on the kitchen counter. "Who are you planning to curse now?"
"These aren't mine," he scoffs, tossing the notebook across the counter. "Can you make heads or tails of this?"
Klaus watches as Elijah looks at him confused, steps behind Sophie, and reads over her shoulder. Sophie flips to the second page, as if looking for a continuation of the recipe. His brother finishes reading the note before Sophie does, and their eyes meet in understanding. He watches as Elijah turns his head slightly, and Klaus knows he's trying to determine where Caroline is.
"Let me get my book, it's in the car," Sophie mutters, brows furrowed as she walks out of the kitchen with the notebook in her hand.
"When did she get here?" Elijah asks as soon as Sophie is out of earshot. "Did she attack you?"
"In a manner of speaking," Klaus mutters, unable to stop the smirk on his lips. Elijah returns the smirk and shakes his head.
"Do you think she's plotting something?"
"I don't know," he answers, looking down at the jars again and shrugging. "That's why I called Sophie over."
"And what if she is?" Elijah asks, sitting on one of the stools by the counter.
Klaus glares at his brother, but is spared from having to answer by Sophie returning with her grimoire open in her hand. She's still reading from it, looking confused and shaking her head.
"I'm not sure, Klaus," she mutters, setting the book and Caroline's notebook down on the counter.
"Is it for a curse?" Elijah asks, looking over her shoulder again and reading from the page she is examining.
Klaus stays silent as he watches Sophie pick up one of the jars and examines it in the sunlight that is streaming in through the kitchen windows.
"Yeah," she starts, placing the jar down and picking up another one. "I think it just might be."
She's running, stumbling over her own clumsy feet as if she was human again. She falls over time and time again, but she pushes herself up and keeps on running, because she needs to get away from him, she needs to get out of here. Here. Where is here? Inside a giant catacomb, a labyrinth? All she can decipher is the darkness. The darkness and the fear, the fear that would've made her brow perspire had her body still produced sweat. Her hands are bloodied, she can see that even in the darkness. They leave trails on the walls each time she braces herself against them. Whose blood is it? Is it hers? There's so much of it, she should've healed by now. Why is it still flowing? She sees the faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and her heart soars, making her feet push faster, kick harder against the ground. It's so close, she reaches out her bloody hands, as if touching the light would immediately transport her somewhere else. She's so focused on the brightness, so stark against the surrounding blackness that has been eating at her for days now, that she doesn't see the small step just before the opening, and she stumbles again. Panicking as the ground flies up to hit her face, she turns around to fall on her back instead. And that's when she sees him, the menace in his evil eyes so bright even shrouded in the darkness. She covers her face with her bloodied arms and screams out, just as the giant canine lunges out at her.
"No no no no no. NO!" Caroline screams, sitting up in bed and covering her face with her hands. The tears flowing down her face don't even register as she scrambles to get out of bed and cowers in a corner of the room. What does register is her nakedness, as well as the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. Slowly, she uncovers her face to look around the room, the sunlight streaming from the giant windows somehow calming her nerves.
"What do you mean 'it just might be'?" Klaus fumes, gripping the edge of the marble counter top. "You don't know?"
"No, I can't be a hundred percent sure," Sophie answers, ignoring Klaus' angry tone. "The ingredients are listed in their non-Western names, I think I found them in this one potion here, but I have to double check. And the note says to check in Qena, so I'm guessing these ingredients were gathered in Egypt."
"What is that?" Elijah asks, touching Sophie's shoulder and pointing at the top corner of the page with his other hand. "Is that a wolf?"
Klaus looks down at the drawing on the book, and tilts his head to see it better. It does look like a wolf, resting on a block, as if ready to be sacrificed.
That's when Caroline's screams ring out from upstairs.
"No no no no no NO!"
In less than a second, Sophie is standing all alone in the kitchen, but she's so used to this by now, she just goes back to reading her grimoire.
"Caroline!" Klaus calls, rushing into the room and panicking when he sees that the bed is empty, streaks of blood staining the white sheets. He is only half aware of Elijah entering the room after him, before he is almost knocked over by a body slamming into him.
"Where were you?" Caroline demands, gripping his neck with her arms. He notices blood drying on them, as well as the state of her undress and he kicks his door closed just as Elijah respectfully bows out of the room.
"I'm sorry, I was downstairs in the kitchen," he whispers, gathering her in his arms and walking over to the bed. Without letting her go, he sits down and gently places her between his legs. "What happened? What's this?"
They both look down at her bloody arms, and then at the blood on the bed and he watches as Caroline's eyes overflow with fresh tears. He takes her hands in his to kiss them, and notices dried blood under her nails. Had she been scratching herself? She must've shredded her arms with the amount of blood everywhere.
"Tell me what happened, love," he asks, bringing her fingertips to his lips and kissing them. His concern for her has fully erased whatever anger and betrayal he felt just a few minutes ago. "What can I do?"
"It was just a dream," she sobs, trying to brush it off. She shivers and pushes her face against his neck as she says it, though, and Klaus knows that this was more than just your typical nightmare. Vampires shouldn't even have nightmares anymore.
Unless they're about you.
He shakes his head to reject the idea, knowing she wouldn't have ran to him like that if he had been the one terrorising her in her dreams. He can't remember ever seeing her this scared before, and he hates that there doesn't seem to be anything that he can do to rid her of her fears.
"Tell me what happened in the dream?" he asks, pulling her chin up so he can look her in the eye.
Caroline only bites her lip harder as her tears continue to flow down her face. She tries to shake her head, but his grip on her chin prevents her from doing so. "It was just a dream," she repeats, closing her eyes, and it sounds like she's convincing herself more than him.
He bends down and kisses each of her eyes lightly, tasting the salt of her tears, before planting a soft kiss on her swollen lips. He feels her wrap her arms around his neck again and physically relaxes against her when she turns around so she can straddle him and deepen the kiss. His hands on her hips pull her closer, and he feels his body responding when she starts to move against him. He lies back down on the bed, pushing his hips up as Caroline continues to rock hers.
"Klaus?" she asks, not taking her lips away from his.
"Hmm?" he answers absentmindedly, his whole body's attention focused solely where she rocks against him.
"Was that Elijah with you just now?" she asks, sitting up suddenly and stopping her movements. "Oh my god! Did your brother just see me naked?"
"What?" He feels confused for a second, frustrated at the lack of friction below their waists. "Oh, yeah. He's downstairs with Sophie."
He tries to make her move her hips again with his hands, but she pushes against him and gets out of bed, making him groan in annoyance.
"Come back," he whines, grabbing her hand and pulling her back on the bed. "We'll be really quiet."
"No!" she laughs, playfully shoving him. "He's a bajillion year old vampire, and you're incredibly skilled, and I can't promise to be quiet at all."
"Incredibly skilled, huh?" he jokes, sitting up and pulling her closer. He starts kissing her neck and smiles when she giggles. He loves the sound of her laugh, more than anything else in the world.
"Shut up," she hisses, pushing him again and successfully getting out of bed. She bends down to grab her bra and puts it on, causing him to pout playfully at her. "Besides, I'm kind of hungry."
"And I'm supposed to be the weak one?" he asks, watching her as she opens the door to his closet.
"Oh my god!" she exclaims as she walks inside. "Why is this so huge?"
"Well, thank you, love," he teases, getting up and following her inside the closet. "The closet's not too shabby either, is it?"
She doesn't even turn to look at him as she rolls her eyes at the innuendo. She walks over to where he keeps his shirts, grabs a grey one from the neat stack, and puts it on. She starts opening the drawers until she finds his boxer shorts, smiles, and picks a checked red and grey pair. He smiles appreciatively at the view as she bends down to put it on, and has to resist the urge to grab her and take her right then and there.
"Breakfast?" she asks, looking at him as she pulls her hair up in a loose ponytail.
"Okay," he nods, loving the way she looks in his clothes. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her in for a kiss before grabbing her hand and walking out.
"Oh, I forgot my bag last night," she says just as they reach the bottom of the stairs. "Have you seen it?"
"Yes," he sighs, unconsciously gripping her hand harder.
"Ow!" she yelps, pulling her hand away and swatting his arm. "Careful, I'm practically human next to you."
"Sorry, love," he says, avoiding her eyes. "It's in the kitchen."
He braces himself for Caroline's anger for when she finds her stuff scattered on the counter, but is surprised to see her bag buttoned and looking untouched instead. Elijah must have put everything back in, and he exchanges a meaningful look with his brother in thanks.
Sophie is turning off the stove, and wiping her hands on her jeans. Laid out on the small table are eggs, bacon, grits, cheese, waffles and fruits. Klaus feels Caroline take a deep breath next to him and hears her sigh.
"What smells so good?" she asks, grabbing his hand again. He tries to hold on to his anger, but it's hard when she seems to be clinging to him for comfort like this.
"Sorry, Klaus," Sophie says, grabbing a pitcher of juice and placing it on the table. "I got bored and hungry, but I made more than enough for everyone."
"I was going to make breakfast, anyway," he answers, leading Caroline to the table. "It wouldn't have come close to your cooking, however."
"Hi," he hears Caroline mutter next to him, and he looks down and sees her looking shyly up at Elijah. "Sorry about a while ago. Didn't mean to, uh…flash you."
"No need to apologize, Caroline," Elijah answers with a smile. "And I didn't see anything."
Klaus smiles at how her cheeks turn a beautiful color of pink as she looks down and inches closer to him.
"How rude of me," he starts. "I haven't even introduced you ladies to each other. Caroline, this is Sophie, our very own Bonnie Bennett."
"Probably nowhere near as powerful as a Bennett witch," Sophie scoffs, extending her hand out to Caroline. "But I try. It's nice to meet you, Caroline."
"Nice to meet you, too," she answers, shaking the other girl's hand.
All three vampires in the room furrow their brows as Sophie's eyes widen at their hands' touch, but she quickly covers it with a smile and gestures towards the food.
"Please," she says, looking meaningfully at Elijah. "Bon appetit."
They sit down quietly, each one making a grab for whatever food catches their fancy. Klaus offers the plate of grits to Caroline and takes the plate of bacon from her, taking some for himself. He smiles as she takes a bite of her waffles and groans in appreciation.
"Marry me, Sophie?" she mutters, making the others chuckle. "No, I'm serious. That's legal here now, right?"
"I would, but Klaus would have my head," Sophie shrugs, causing Klaus to choke on his juice. She ignores his glare as she turns to him nonchalantly. "Which reminds me, there's something I meant to show you. It's in the car, can you help?"
It's a good thing Caroline is too preoccupied with her food to notice them; Sophie is not exactly skilled at subterfuge. They both excuse themselves from the table before walking out.
Caroline stops eating and looks awkwardly at Elijah, who is quietly sipping his coffee. He smiles at her politely, but doesn't say anything, and Caroline isn't exactly keen on awkward silences.
"So," she starts nervously. "Do you guys like it here?"
He smiles as she rolls her eyes at her own question, and puts his cup down. "Yes," he answers. "I certainly do. I can't speak for my other siblings, however."
"Klaus has said this is one of his favorite places in the world," she says, going back to her food.
"Has he now?" he asks, watching her intently. "I know he was also very fond of Mystic Falls and was very sorry to leave it."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," she mutters, not looking up from her plate. "There's not really anything much in Mystic Falls, I know that now. I mean, it's beautiful to me because that's my home. It'll always be my home. But after seeing what's out there, home seems like such a small place now. And I haven't even seen a fraction of what Klaus has seen."
"Hmm," he nods, taking another sip of his coffee. "You're so very young, Caroline. Over time you will learn that some places are made precious not by what they look like, but by the people one encounters in them."
She looks up at him then, brow furrowed in confusion, but he only smiles at her and looks away.
"What is it?" Klaus asks when they get out of the house. "That wasn't very subtle in there."
"I got it wrong," Sophie whispers, looking nervously at the front door to make sure they weren't followed. "I don't think that stuff in her bag is for a curse."
"What is it then?" he asks, sounding impatient, but feeling incredibly hopeful. This means Caroline isn't plotting against him. Of course she isn't, how can he be so paranoid?
"It's against a curse," she says, eyes widening. "A cure for one, to be exact."
"A cure?"
"Yeah. While you guys were upstairs, I realized I read a symbol in my grimoire wrong. Curse, cure…it gets confusing sometimes, but I wasn't sure until I touched her."
"What do you mean?" he asks, eyes starting to darken. "What did you see?"
"It wasn't exactly anything specific," she starts, shaking her head in confusion. "I didn't see anything. It was more like a feeling. Like…like there was something in her, I don't know. It felt like someone has been messing with her or something."
"Are you saying she's been cursed?" he asks through gritted teeth. "Who would do that?"
"I can't say who, exactly," she answers apologetically. "But she's definitely been cursed for a while now."
This must be what it feels like to drown in the Antarctic. It feels like sharp icicles are piercing every inch of his body. Caroline? Cursed? He can't even put those two words together. She's so full of light; she's too perfect to deserve anything like this. He would rather have her plotting against him again.
Without saying a word, he turns to storm back inside the house but is stopped by Sophie's hand on his arm. He shrugs it off and glares at her, daring her to take it all back. Begging her to say it was all a joke. He won't even tear her head off for it.
"Klaus, wait," Sophie whispers. "You'll freak her out. We don't even know if she understands all this. What if she doesn't even know?"
"She knows," he growls. "Obviously she knows if she's carrying around a cure against a curse, if Bonnie Bennett is concocting potions for her! She should've told me the moment she stepped across my threshold."
"Well, obviously this is something she'd rather not talk about just yet. Let her broach the subject herself. Don't storm in there growling at her, you'll scare the poor girl."
"What?" he asks. He looks down and realizes his nails have dug through the skin of his palms, and he unclenches his fists to let them heal. "I'm not going to scare her."
"Tell that to your face," Sophie grumbles. "Look, at least wait until you guys are on your own. Elijah and I will make up some excuse to leave you alone with her."
"Fine," he consents, softening a little. "What's it doing to her, anyway? The…the curse."
"I don't know," she shrugs, as they start walking back to the house. "If she doesn't tell you, you might want to talk to that Bennett witch. She might be willing to tell you."
He nods thoughtfully, not wanting to say anything else as they step inside the house. They find Caroline and Elijah laughing lightheartedly in the kitchen, and Klaus can't remember the last time he's seen his brother laugh like that. As Caroline turns in her seat to look at them, her eyes shining with mirth, he finds it even harder to connect this Caroline with the one he found shivering in fear in his room earlier. Perhaps this curse isn't as horrible as he thinks. He has been known to overreact, after all.
"Took you long enough," Caroline says in mock anger. "Elijah and I have practically finished the whole spread."
"Well," Elijah chuckles, indicating his clean plate.
"Fine," she laughs, turning back around and popping a slice of orange in her mouth. "I practically finished the whole spread."
Klaus gives her shoulder a soft squeeze before sitting down on the seat next to her. He takes an orange slice from her plate and chews on it, watching her intently with a soft smile on his face. He closes his eyes when Caroline reaches over to wipe the juice that spills over his lips, and he turns his head to give her hand a kiss.
"And that would be our cue to leave," Sophie mutters, not even bothering to sit down. "Elijah?"
Neither Klaus nor Caroline even notices their two companions leave the kitchen as they stare into each other's eyes. Caroline bites her lip and starts to inch closer, her intention very clear. Klaus speaks just as their lips are about to meet.
"When were you planning on telling me that you were cursed, Caroline?"
So much for waiting for her to broach the subject herself. He tilts his head as he watches her sit back on her chair with an indignant look on her face.
"What?" she asks, turning back around and staring at her empty plate. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't lie to me, love."
"Did Sophie say something?" she demands, suddenly standing next to the counter, her hand gripping the handles of her bag. "Or have you been going through my stuff like some creep?"
"Both, actually," he answers unapologetically. "Though I wasn't exactly snooping, your bag just popped open and I saw the herbs. I thought for a second you were plotting to poison me, so I called Sophie over to tell me about that little recipe your witchy friend Bonnie wrote for you. And then she touched you, and you know how witches can get, feeling things they shouldn't be feeling."
"I can't believe you!" she growls, grabbing her bag and turning around to walk out of the room. Of course, Klaus is there before she can even take another step, blocking her way. Freaking show-off!
"Don't be angry, love," he whispers, touching her face. "I really didn't mean to invade your privacy."
"That's not what I'm angry about, you idiot!" she yells, pushing her bag against his chest and ducking to get past him. Klaus lets her walk away, if only to appreciate the view as he follows her, clutching her bag.
"What then? Tell me," he chuckles, as they start walking up the stairs. "I didn't ask Sophie to read your palm or whatever the hell she did, it just happened."
"Ugh!" she growls, pushing the doors to his room open and stomping towards the bed.
"Are we going to have angry hybrid sex now?" he teases, gingerly placing her bag on a chair. His smile grows wider as she takes of her shirt, and he starts unbuttoning his own.
"What are you doing?" she asks as she bends down to grab her dress on the floor. "We are not having sex, god! I'm leaving, you freak!"
"What?" he growls, his fingers freezing on the third button. "No, you're not."
In a flash, he is next to her, and he is holding her dress out of her reach behind his back. And once again, he has just turned into a child in her presence.
"Seriously?" she asks incredulously, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Stop it, Klaus."
"No, you are not leaving. Not after one night, not after a decade of waiting. You are going to sit here and you are going to talk to me!"
He realizes he is yelling at her, the veins around his eyes crawling out of hiding. He doesn't need to look in the mirror to know his eyes have just turned yellow. This is what Sophie warned him about, about scaring her. But as he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves, he realizes she isn't scared at all. In fact, she still looks just as angry.
"Oh, who are you kidding?" she scoffs, crossing her arms and sitting on the bed angrily. "We both know you're not going to hurt me."
"That's true," he answers, sitting next to her and playing with the fabric of the dress in his hands. "Never again."
She looks at him then, and he swears he can see her softening. He smiles weakly at her, placing the dress on her lap.
"Yeah, well," she shrugs. "At least one of us can sleep with both eyes closed."
"What?" he asks, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Nothing," she mutters, getting up and putting the dress back on.
"Is that what this is?" He watches as she pulls the boxers off and straightens her dress. "Is that why you're mad?"
"Yes," she answers, not even looking at him. "Because after all these years, after everything last night, you still think I can hurt you. Poison you!"
She finds her boots under the bed, and she kneels down to reach for them. Klaus watches her, for once at a loss for words. Can she mean it? Can she really feel about him the way he does about her? He stares blankly at her face as she looks up from the floor, and without thinking about it, he slides off the bed and kisses her.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, pulling back and tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I'm sorry I'm so paranoid. I didn't know, I didn't think there would ever be a day that you would think that way of me."
"That's because you still think no one can care about you," she sighs, hugging her knees to her chest. "That no one can actually love you."
That last statement hangs heavy in the air as they look into each other's eyes, neither of them wanting to be the first to acknowledge what it means.
"Now, don't change the subject, Caroline," he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. He guides her on to the bed and sits in front of her. "I want to know what happened to you."
"It's stupid," she says dismissively. "I was in Egypt, and I guess I caught the eye of some big bad wolf type, as I am apparently wont to do."
Klaus chuckles as she gestures at him as she says this, but doesn't say anything.
"But, again, as is my way, I rejected him, and he didn't like it. The difference between you and this guy is that while you decided to work for my attention, he decided to just ruin my life."
"I don't understand," he says, feeling like he missed something. "Werewolves can't cast spells."
"Oh, he's not a werewolf," she shrugs. "He's…I don't know what he is. Strong, definitely. Can do hocus pocus stuff, yeah. Maybe he's Professor Lupin? But I'm guessing he's immortal, too. "
"Who?" Klaus asks, knowing full well that Caroline is making a joke. "Caroline love, focus."
She actually giggles at that, and it warms his cold dead heart. He takes her hand and starts playing with her fingers, processing what she said.
"The nightmare," he starts. "Was it him?"
She nods slowly, and he can see her shrinking in on herself, so he pulls her into his arms and kisses the top of her head.
"I'm going to kill him," he promises. "Right after I make him reverse the curse."
"You can't," she says shaking her head frantically and grabbing his shirt. "You can't kill him."
"You can watch me," he growls, resting his back on the headboard and bringing her with him. "I am going to place his heart by your feet. Or his head, whichever you prefer."
"No," she whispers, still shaking her head. "It's impossible. He can't be killed. That's not why I came here."
"I know it's not, but I'm still going to hunt him down and kill him."
"Stop it!" she says angrily, pushing against his chest and looking down at him. "I don't want you to. The curse is irreversible. I came here because I only have a short time, and you promised to be my last."
If Klaus has ever felt the fool in his life, this is it. What exactly is she saying, what is she asking of him? She can't be—
"Are you suggesting that I just sit back and let this go?" he asks through gritted teeth.
"Yes," she nods. "That is exactly what I expect you to do. Just sit back and let everything go. Just lie here with me, and spend the next few months like this."
"Months?" he spits out. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," she sighs, laying her head back on his chest. "We don't have that much time."
"What is this curse?" he demands. "You look perfectly fine."
"That's why I didn't catch it fast enough," she mutters, shrugging against him. "It's eating at me from inside…from inside my head."
"The dreams are the curse." It isn't a question; he's piecing everything into place now, and the more it clicks together, the more it confuses him.
"For a while, I tried not sleeping at all," she continues, snuggling closer to him as he tightens his grip around her shoulders. "But I can't stay awake for the rest of eternity. It started with my fists; I'd clench them so tight that I'd bleed uncontrollably. I thought it was the fear, you know? I thought it was because I was steeling myself for a fight. Then I realized, whatever part of me bled in my dreams, I scratch and tear at as I sleep, and I wake up covered in my own blood. Bonnie says she's not sure how long before I start tearing out my own heart, but the herbs help as long as I remember to take them before I go to sleep. It's no cure, though, it's just prolonging the inevitable."
He stays quite, running his hand up and down her back to try and soothe her. He tries to soothe her, but who will soothe him? Who will lie awake at night to watch him sleep as he descends into madness? Because that's exactly where he is headed for if this curse continues to eat away at Caroline. She will not let him make it right, and her blood letting will surely drive him insane.
No. No, he isn't letting this monster win. You do not take from Klaus, not without facing his wrath. You do not get to sleep comfortably at night, free of fear while his Caroline fades away from him day by day. He will slaughter you and your family and everyone you've ever met, sneak into your dreams and turn them into nightmares you can never awake from.
He plots every little thing he will do to this faceless monster, all the horrible things he will do to make him suffer. Cut into him, feed the monster his blood, let him heal, and then cut again, deeper and deeper each time, until he asks for mercy. Until he begs to be put out of his misery. And that is when he will take the person this monster loves the most, whoever that may be, and torture them in front of him, worse than what he's suffered, and the monster will watch as their life fades from their eyes. He will watch.
First, he needs a name.
"Who is this guy, anyway?" he asks softly, as if he was only inquiring out of curiosity. When she doesn't answer, he looks down and realizes she has fallen asleep on his chest. He feels her sigh contentedly, as if the warmth of his body shrouded her from this darkest curse. And in that moment, he thinks he can let the monster live, because he never wants to leave her side again. If being next to him means she gets to sleep in peace, his revenge can be sacrificed. He will sacrifice ever having the blood of his enemies on his hands again, if it means he could keep Caroline from spilling hers with her own.
Oh god! Why is it so bright? It hurts. It hurts her eyes, the sun with its cheerful golden rays she knew made her hair shine just right. She covers her eyes against it, feels him move behind her as he bends down and whispers. "What's the matter, my sweet? Do you not like the sun? Do you prefer the blackness like the last time? Do you wish to die surrounded by darkness and drowning in your own blood?"
Oh god, what is happening to her? She isn't burning, she still wears her ring, but why does she hurt? She feels her tears spill over her swollen eyes, and they are warmed by the sun, boiling over her skin. Argh! She covers her face with her hands, trying to block out the heat, but it's no use. It's flowing from within her, the sun merely adding to her own heat. He touches her cheek, but she barely feels his hand, only hears the menace in his voice as he continues to taunt her.
"But you're so beautiful in the sunlight, my sweet. You do not belong in the darkness, you deserve to be seen. You deserve the sun in all its glory. I could never hide you away, I need them to see you in the light. I need them to understand that no matter how beautiful something is, I will crush it and set fire to it if it pleases me to do so. I need them to see your blood and tears so they will fear for their own."
He grasps her wrists and pulls, and she feels them snapping under his grip. The sunlight shines on her eyes once more, like a spotlight turned to a stage, and she sees her hand covered in blood, and she screams as her boiling tears trail fire across her cheeks.
"She says it isn't a cure," Klaus whispers into his phone, closing the door to the bathroom behind him so as not to wake Caroline. "She says it only delays the effects of the curse. I need you to come back and help me get it ready for tonight, I don't want her ripping off her arms again when we go to bed."
"Of course," Sophie answers on the other end of the line. "I'll be there later tonight, I just want to do some more research about this curse. Maybe we can do more to help her. Can I talk to her? I just want to ask her some things."
"She's asleep, fell asleep after she told me about the curse." He twists the doorknob to check on her, trying not to make a sound as he opens the door.
"Wait, what?" Sophie asks, panic evident in her voice.
And that's when Caroline screams bloody murder, and Klaus throws the door open, letting it slam against the wall. He drops his phone on the floor as he runs to the bed, where she thrashes in her sleep, her hands covering her face like it's on fire.
"Caroline!" he screams, trying to wake her up as he tries to pull her hands away from her face. "Caroline, love, wake up!"
"Aaaargh," she cries, as the blood spills through her fingers, and Klaus thinks she has bitten her fingers off, but they are all intact and scratch free. Blood cakes under her fingernails, and he pulls harder on her wrists, feeling her soft bones break under his brutish hands, but he doesn't care, the bones will snap back easily.
Bloody hell.
His dead heart stops its unnecessary beating when he sees the state of her face. She isn't covering it, not at all. She is gouging out her own eyes, screaming in pain that her own hands are inflicting. Her beautiful green eyes, swollen shut and crusted with blood, long lashes clumping in little crimson triangular spikes. As he watches, the skin around her eyes start to stitch itself closed, and she continues to cry blood.
"Caroline, wake up, please," he begs, taking both her hands in one of his, and using the other to pull her in for a hug. "Please, you're safe. You're safe here with me."
As he feels the bones of her wrists snap back into place, he pulls back to kiss her softly on the mouth.
"Wake up, love," he whispers, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill over his own eyes. He can't recall anything that has scared him more, not when Mikael had come so close to killing him, not when he had watched Alaric drive a stake through his heart, unable to move. How do you fight against an enemy hiding inside someone else's dreams?
He pulls back farther as she starts to whimper and come to, eyes twitching, desperate to open despite the blood that cakes them.
"Klaus," she cries, fresh tears spilling down her face. "It hurts. It hurts so much."
And the tears he has been fighting so hard to keep unspilled start tumbling down his face, and the heart he thought was long dead starts constricting inside his chest.
"Shh," he whispers, rocking back and forth as he holds her in his arms. "I know, I'm sorry. You'll be okay, you're safe. You'll be okay in a minute."
"No. No, I won't be," she sobs, wrapping her arms around his waist and crying into his chest. "It hurts, Klaus."
He feels useless, sitting there and crying like a child as she clings to him and buries her face in his neck. He runs a hand through her matted curls, kissing the top of her head over and over again. What good is he to her, if he can't even save her from her nightmares?
They sit like that for what feels like hours, until her sobs finally stop and she pulls back to look up at him. Streaks of dried blood line her cheeks, but the cuts are fully healed and her eyes are now finally open. Swollen and green surrounded by red, they are still the most beautiful eyes he's ever seen.
Worry etches her brow as she reaches up with both hands to cup his face, and her thumbs wipe the tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, pulling his face down and kissing him. "I"m so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She proceeds to kiss his cheeks all over, his jaw, his eyes, as if trying to heal him with her lips.
"No, don't," he says, shaking his head and covering her hands with his. "Don't apologize. I'm sorry I left, I shouldn't have. I should have waited for you to wake up before making a call."
"You didn't know," she insists, still kissing his face repeatedly, as if she couldn't stop. "I'm just glad you're here with me now."
He pulls her closer as her mouth finds his again, and they hold each other tighter as fresh tears well up in her eyes.
