My Most Beautiful Regret
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.
*A/N* Yep, rather cheesy title taken from a rather cheesy song (it is Bon Jovi, so that shouldn't come as a surprise). Somehow, the story seems a bit repetitive to me, but, probably because I feel guilty for not updating my multi-chapters, I'm still posting this (which makes absolutely no sense because it's Vampire Diaries and not Doctor Who, but anyway…).
Plus, I love these two. I just rewatched the end of series 3 and couldn't get over that one scene in Before Sunset - bet I'm the only one who melted in front of the TV there, but it was just. so. freaking. adorable.
So, yeah, I'm rooting for them. That's me, always rooting for the bad guy.
This takes place between Series 4 and 5 and I hope you'll like it.
(Oh yeah, as always - forgive my word choice, not very American. Non-native speaker and all that. It was a good thing for writing Klaus, anyway, I hope I got Caroline alright.)
My most beautiful regret
I will never understand her
She's a mystery
The only promise I can't keep
Even in my dreams she ruins me
She's everything in the world that you cannot explain
But when she throws you a smile it's like a fire in the rain
-from "She's A Mystery" by Bon Jovi
Tapping an impatient rhythm with her foot, she stared at the door. A doorbell was nowhere to be seen, she'd knocked for what felt like a hundred times, but apparently, nobody had heard it.
"Damn. Damn, damn, damn."
She ran a hand through her messed-up curls angrily, then made a few tentative steps towards the door and tried the handle. The door was damn heavy, but for some reason it wasn't locked.
Talk about overconfidence.
"Okay, Caroline, you can do this," she muttered and pushed the door open a little further.
She couldn't help but feel like it was a really, really bad idea to sneak into the Originals' mansion. But then again, she had been asked to come.
"Klaus? Rebekah?" she whispered. Gosh, you're being silly.
She tried again, louder this time. "Hello? Anyone?" Her heels were making way too much noise on that floor. "Come on, you told me to come here. Hello?"
There were two cars parked outside, but she'd never seen Klaus actually drive anywhere. So it didn't have to mean he was home.
"Klaus? For Heaven's sake, if you're here, just - talk to me!" Getting angry, she made her way up the stairs. "Is anybody home?"
"There, there now, love. What's with all the noise so early in the morning?"
She stopped dead in mid-step, staring at the figure standing in the doorway. He'd clearly just got up, his hair tousled, wearing a worn-out shirt and no shoes, sporting his usual ironic smile and a spark of mild surprise in his eyes.
Caroline scoffed. "Early? It's half past nine. On a Wednesday."
"Early for someone who had a very late night out," he replied smoothly.
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered, staring at her feet. "You asked me to come."
"I did." He ran a hand through his hair and added, in his usual, condescending tone: "Why don't you wait in the parlour, love, I'll get a drink and we can talk."
"I don't think we've got anything to talk about."
"Oh, it won't take long." With that, he closed the door, leaving Caroline no choice but to do as he'd said. Damn it.
Positively steaming, she stomped back down the stairs, turned randomly to the first room (not a parlour, but she still took her time to take a good look around - if nosiness was all she had to be a little impolite, she was going to take it as far as she could), then found the right room and stiffly sat down on an awfully expensive-looking chaise lounge.
God, why did she let him boss her around like that? She owed him nothing, no matter whether he'd promised her to leave Tyler alone or not. Because first of all, it wasn't exactly heroic to "spare" someone's life if said someone had never actually done anything to you in the first place, and secondly, who said he was going to keep his word?
But what made her even more angry than his damned lofty attitude was the fact that she couldn't deny that there was something about him. She hated it, seriously, she did, but he had some sort of effect on her and it was wrong and stupid and dangerous and like in a really bad movie and she had a boyfriend (who didn't have to run away for a change) and all she wanted was for it to stop.
But it didn't.
Instead, she had come here, against better judgement and pretty much any sort of moral ideal, just because of some stupid note on the kitchen table, Please come if you can spare the time, we'll be leaving town soon.
She didn't know what the hell had got into her. It wasn't like anyone could expect her to feel the need to see him off. Klaus. Who'd tried to kill pretty much everyone she knew. Multiple times.
Yet, he called and she came running. She had to make a really desperate impression on him.
.
"Well, I didn't expect you to come so soon, to be quite honest." Her so-called host came in, sat down on an equally pricy-looking chair and placed two steaming cups on the coffee table, now fully dressed and with damp hair. Noting her suspicious glance, he sighed and added slightly irritated: "No vervain, no werewolf venom. Just coffee."
"Thanks," she muttered and took a sip, grateful to have something to do while she was waiting for him to say whatever he had to say. "Sorry I woke you," she mumbled when he made no attempt to break the silence.
"Probably for the best," he answered with a smile. "Funny, even in my dreams you ruin me."
Well that didn't really help to make her feel any more comfortable. What was she supposed to say to that? She stuck to The Sound of Silence.
"I actually called on you to say goodbye, as I said, I'm leaving for New Orleans."
That wasn't really a surprise, but she still had this sort of sinking feeling. "Yes, I, erm… For good?"
He chuckled. "Probably not. Eternity is a long time."
"Good." It was out before she knew what she was saying. Shit. Shitshitshit.
The victorious smirk on his lips was hard to miss.
God, she was being so silly. There was Tyler waiting for her, and she was waiting for him - wasn't she?
"So you'll be going with your family?"
"Rebekah has plans of her own, but Elijah will be there."
She nodded, her mind racing to find something else to say, and wondering yet again what the hell she was doing here. Even worse than the feeling of betraying Tyler was exactly that she was feeling like she was betraying him. Because there was nothing to fear, or at least there shouldn't be.
"Aren't you gonna say it might be a good idea for me to leave?" he asked.
"Erm… Don't know. Maybe."
"Well, I'm not gonna promise to stay away. Apparently, you are the one promise I can never keep, so why try?"
Eww, another of those comments.
"Right," she muttered irritably and stared into her cup.
He smiled. "I am sorry. I'm making you uncomfortable." Well, he sure as hell didn't look sorry at all.
"Okay, is there any particular reason why I'm here or did you just want to have a little fun before you left?"
"A little of both, perhaps." Was staring other people straight in the face no matter what you had just said to them an ability that came with age, or was it just a super-special Klaus thing?
"I just wanted to remind you that, no matter how much you wanted to kill me sometimes, there also were times when you actually enjoyed my company. Times when you thanked me, and meant it. Times when you… thought about it."
"About what?"
He grinned. "Do you want to hear me say it?"
"No!"
"So you have thought about it. Good. Anyway, Caroline, I want you to remember this. I want you to remember the feeling when I saved you from your history teacher gone on a killing spree, I want you to remember the feeling when they told you I was dead, I want you to remember the feeling when I saved your neck yet again at your graduation. Deny it all you want, but don't you forget it."
Okay, Caroline, you might want to pick your jaw off the floor now. "That's why?"
"Yes, that is why. That's all." He leaned back in his chair (how had she not noticed he had come so close - she had come this close?) and flashed her another overly self-conscious smile. "Feel free to leave, or kiss me goodbye, your pick."
She snorted. "Not gonna happen."
"Trust me, if I really wanted that, I'd find a way to talk you into it. But, you know, I've lived for a while. I can wait."
"Where'd you get that confidence, 'cause I'd like a bit of that, too."
He laughed at that. "Oh, it'll come. Give it time."
Damn, for being such a horrible person, it was way too easy for him to make her laugh. And, as horrible as that probably made her, she didn't want to make him suffer.
"You shouldn't wait for me, you're just gonna wait forever."
"Call it overconfidence if you will, but I don't think so. Maybe I'm wrong and you'll be with your little hybrid for all eternity, or maybe I'm right and you're lying to yourself. Not a healthy thing, that, love, on the long run."
Well, that's the question, isn't it?
"Goodbye, Klaus," she said quietly and got to her feet.
He bowed his head and smiled. "Till the next time, Caroline."
"Try not to kill any of my friends, okay?"
"As long as they stay out of my path, I don't see why I should."
She groaned and turned to leave, rolling her eyes. "That's not how you're gonna get me to like you," she called over her shoulder.
"Oh, come on. We both know I don't need to any more."
Of course, she could have told him she had now idea what he was talking about.
"Have fun in New Orleans - not that kind of fun."
She could hear him laugh before the front door slammed shut.
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