This is torturous

Electricity between both of us

And this is dangerous

'cause I want you so much

But I hate your guts

I hate you

So leave me in the cold

Wait until the snow covers me up

So I cannot move

So I'm just embedded in the frost

Then leave me in the rain

Wait until my clothes cling to my frame

Wipe away your tear stains

Thought you said you didn't feel pain

Landfill by Daughters

Caroline woke with a start only hours after she had finally managed to slip into some form of sleep after her conversation with Stefan. Her legs were wrapped entirely in her sheets and her pillows lay in every position other than under her head. She let out an exasperated sigh as she untangled her mess of legs and sheets and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Moments later, she was on her feet, pacing the length of her room and eventually coming to stand outside her closet. She rummaged through the clothes and settled on a pair of jeans, her favorite striped sweater, and knitted scarf. It seemed dressing herself was a chore, as she attempted to pull on her boots. Her dreams had been ridden with the images of her friends and mother, each looking at her with disappointment. Even Klaus's face had found its way in, and that fact alone made it the number one concern of her waking thoughts. Caroline was trying to believe what she did was right. She was trying to convince herself that Klaus was solely an evil, conniving monster whose only desires consisted of getting what he wanted by any means. Some part of her, though, however small it was, kept telling her, "No." Most of all, Caroline Forbes was trying to fool herself into believing that Klaus didn't deserve some understanding.

As she headed out the door into the brisk Mystic Fall's night, Caroline tried to think of anything else aside from Klaus but that only led to thoughts of Tyler which she couldn't deal with at the moment. She could usually distract herself with her Miss Mystic Falls duties or any of her volunteering positions, but tonight, she found that her thoughts always wondered in a different direction. She attempted stepping hard into the thin layer of frost to block out the noise of her own thoughts. She tried humming Christmas tunes to herself but nothing could drown out all the words trapped inside her head. Caroline was a talker. When she needed a problem resolved, she had to talk it out. But which of her friends would sit and listen as she explained her guilt for betraying Klaus because she believed, truly, that deep down Klaus might have a decent bone in his body? Any one of them would have her sipping vervain in an instant. So, instead of running to Stefan or Bonnie or even Elena, Caroline decided for the first time in her life, she would attempt to cope with her issues on her own.
Ten minutes into her walk, though, she realized that it was a doomed attempt. After a very disappointing conversation with a squirrel, which ended with her apologies for his impending murder, Caroline was scrolling through her phone's contact list, desperate for someone to talk to. She even began to consider Damon until she shoved her phone back into her pocket as she realized just how irrational she was getting. As she began to turn back home, frustrated and defeated, a series of footsteps came up behind her. Caroline spun around, ready to throw her intruder up against a tree until she was caught around her arms with two powerful hands. Caroline straightened her back and lifted her chin in defiance as she came face to face with Klaus.

"Hello, sweetheart.", he murmured. His eyes traveling from Caroline's eyes to her lips and back to her eyes.

Caroline shivered at the close proximity, but the motive was lost to her. She told herself it was the shock of seeing Klaus still alive.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it." she stated.

Klaus said nothing at first, merely moved his hand to Caroline's cheek. She glared as his thumb slid across her cheek.

"I'm surprised, Caroline," he whispered, "that you still think so low of me and that you're so willing to die."

"Didn't anyone ever teach you playing with your food is rude?" she retorted.

Klaus merely smirked and begrudgingly removed his hand from Caroline's face. His clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk in the opposite direction of the girl who then soon began to follow him.

"Have I suddenly found myself in the willing company of Miss Caroline Forbes?", he taunted, casting an inquisitive look at her.

Caroline again lifted her chin in defiance, a sarcastic response ready to be dispatched.

"Well," he said, closing the distance between them and walking along side her, "I'll count myself lucky."

She bit her lip and looked down at the floor of the forest. A silence came over the party as they tread through the beginning of a light snow. Caroline could feel herself trying vainly not to let all of her thoughts spill out. Of all the people she had wanted to speak to, Klaus had unknowingly been her first choice, and his presence was making it quite clear.

"Caroline, love," Klaus asked, with a surprisingly genuine tone to his voice, "what's troubling you?"

Caroline shook her head earnestly in response.

He hesitated a moment before saying, "If it's about your vain attempt at betrayal..."

"I did the right thing.", Caroline rushed, the words falling over each other before she could feign any confidence in them.

"You don't sound so sure, sweetheart."

Caroline stopped slightly in her tracks, crossing her arms in defiance. Her face furrowed with thought as a thousand of them crossed her mind as she stared down at the ground. Did she mean it? Did she really think that she had done the right thing? Her logic told her yes, but her emotions kept tugging her in a different direction. She kicked at the snow in frustration, the frost cracking under her boots with a satisfying series of crunches.

"Look, Klaus..." she began, looking up only to realize she was alone.

"Klaus?", she called out, her voice sounding small against the gusts of snow.

Without any inclination of what to do, Caroline began to walk further into the woods. The snow had already covered up any tracks he may have left behind so she simply marched straight ahead of her. Sleet began to mix with the thick snow, pricking her in the face every second. Soon, it became so heavy that she could hardly see and the sound of her boots and the creaking of the dead trees sounded like nails against a chalkboard.

"Klaus!" she cried, "Klaus, seriously!"

Her only response was the groans of the forest around her. Caroline felt the uncomfortable burn of the tears that were threatening to spill. For the first time since her transition, Caroline felt utterly and horribly alone. If having no one to talk wasn't enough, being lost in a blizzard surely was. Oh, but if she was Elena, she would never have to worry about this happening. Some desperate and love-sick vampire would have surely already seen to her rescue by now. An endless stream of bitter, angry, and hurt thoughts began to flood her mind. She loved her friends to the stake, but at that moment, Caroline wished she could leave them all behind. She was tired of the endless arguments, selfish decisions, and senseless deaths. She just wanted to go home, sleep without night mares, and wake up to the simple life she had before: free of guilt, free of grief, free of constant heartache.

There was no point in holding back her tears at this point. Caroline collapsed against a tree in exhaustion, curling into peeling bark. Her chest heaved erratically and Caroline could feel her blood lust growing stronger. Even at that moment, though, Caroline still couldn't make the decision to turn it all off. She knew the second she did, she would completely lose herself and the one thing that set her apart from the others: unwavering strength. Even if she was completely alone, entirely lost, and a sobbing mess, Caroline knew that was something she couldn't give up.

Suddenly, a pair of arms lifted her from the ground and cradled Caroline. She looked up through her watery vision at Klaus, who gazed down at her with an unreadable expression.

"Come on, love," he murmured, "let's get you home."

Caroline nodded against his chest, allowing herself for only a moment to enjoy the contact. For a fleeting moment, she made no attempt to fight against the storm of feelings it instigated, but then gently pushed herself away, telling herself it was only a lapse in judgement because she was missing Tyler. She knew, though, that not making any attempt to remove Klaus's arm from around her shoulder as he directed their journey back to Caroline's was no incident relating to Tyler Lockwood.