A/N: I've fallen in love with Klaroline and so I just had to write this. This moment in the show is heart warming and just beautiful, and I always wondered what Caroline was thinking during it.

Set: Klaroline scenes towards end of 3x11

POV: Caroline

Pairings: Klaroline and mentions of Forwood

Friendships: Caroline/Elena/Bonnie/Stefan/Matt and slight Damon

Summary: "As much as I should loathe him, I can't deny I found him beautiful...he had an air of mystery and charm about him. Something alluring, like a sweet perfume that you can't help but inhale." Caroline's pov of the klaroline scenes in 3x11.

Rating: T

Word count: 2960

Story type: One shot

It was the strangest feeling; knowing you could die any moment. Well in my case, die again. You started contemplating every moment in your life. You start thinking about your regrets, what you wish you could have done. You think about the ones you love and the ones you've hurt.

I thought about my mum; how despite our precarious relationship she'd always been there for me. She still sees her daughter when she looks at the monster Katherine turned me into. After everything we've been through, when it comes down to it she will always be there to pick up the pieces.

I thought about my dad; I've always wanted to make him proud. I wish he could love me as the vampire me, not the girl I used to be. The feeling of being burnt over and over was nothing compared to realising that my own father despised me. I still love him though, and that would never change.

I thought about Elena; she's always been there. She's our rock, she's the glue that holds us all together. The one that reminds us of the humanity that lives in us. She's a shining beacon of hope and strength when we all need it. She carries us. Her strength and ability to love is what makes Elena amazing.

I thought about Bonnie; poor Bonnie. She just can't catch a break...her boyfriend falls in love with a ghost, she had to practically bring Matt back to life and try to find a way to save Tyler and Elena, then she had to banish the ghosts and the person she misses the most...oh god, her expression when she saw her Grams again during Ghost Armaggedon. She wanted her to be real. She needs a family. She needs someone to hold her whilst she cries. I wish I'd been a better friend to her.

I thought about Matt; sweet Matt who was never supposed to get caught up in this supernatural world. Who lost all his family too soon, and wanders around lost but with that quiet strength that always drew me to him. I hope he gets his happy ending, I truly do.

I thought about Stefan; I miss him. I miss the Stefan who cared for me when I turned, who patiently trained me to hunt and to control emotions...the Stefan that was my friend. I can see he's still in there but whether this Stefan will let him come back...well who knows? Expect the unexpected, that should be a Mystic Fall's residents motto.

I even thought of Damon; the way he would call me "vampire barbie" or "blondie" and even though it should annoy me it made me laugh. I secretly enjoyed our fights. I don't like to admit it but I can see the good in Damon...and his humanity. Stefan and Elena are his humanity. Without them, he allows himself to sink into darkness.

Finally I thought of Tyler. I saw him mature and soften through his werewolf transition...he became my best friend this summer...he became my boyfriend. He understood me, he cared for me...he was perfect. He protected me, he comforted me, he was my friend. Then Klaus had to turn him into a hybrid. That's when everything went downhill. How can he put Klaus above me? I'm his girlfriend! I understand he is sired to Klaus but can he seriously not see that what he's doing isn't right? He bit me. He bit me for god sakes! Werewolf bites kill vampires...he knows that.

My boyfriend was the one that killed me.

God, my life is so messed up!

I had closed my eyes hoping to drift of into a sleep so my death would be painless when I heard footsteps. I assumed they were my mum's so I opened my eyes slowly and peered at my visitor.

It was Klaus.

Klaus...the oldest vampire in history, the first hybrid, the guy who made Stefan who he is now...the guy who sired Tyler.

As much as I should loathe him, I can't deny I found him beautiful. His blue eyes that seemed to hold so much depth and secrets in them, his perfectly structured face, his hair that always sat just right...and above all he had an air of mystery and charm about him. Something alluring, like a sweet perfume that you can't help but inhale. He got under everyone's skin. He was manipulative, evil, cruel...but yes, I found him beautiful.

He walked in slowly but with power and looked straight down at me with those intense eyes. It was like he was trying to reach into my soul. It was un-nerving but a part of me felt tingly at the feel of his eyes on me.

I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes, forcing my face into an expression of confusion and disgust.

I wondered why the hell he had come to see me. I'm not important like Elena and I don't provoke him like Damon does...so why was he in my bedroom, looking at me like that?

The only thought that made sense to me was that he wanted to have the satisifaction of killing me himself. Afterall, he is still an Original. An Original who loves to kill. I should have realised what he wanted from the moment he entered.

"Are you going to kill me?" I said in a broken voice just above a whisper looking up into his beautiful face.

"On your birthday?" He replied looking at me with a strange look. It wasn't a mocking look or a menacing one...it was haunting. He then continued: "Do you really think that low of me?" He almost sounded sad...he sounded defeated.

I felt almost embarrassed that I was almost feeling sorry for him. So I said with conviction:

"Yes"

His expression stayed the same; his only reaction being that he walked closer to me. He slowly lowered his hand towards my cheek. I couldn't help the involuntatry gasp as his hand neared my cheek. Half of me expected violence while the other half, although I didn't want to admit it to myself at the time, wanted his hand to caress my cheek.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for a slap, a hit...some sort of violence that I had told myself was the reason Klaus was here.

Instead, I heard the soft rustle of my duvet being moved and felt the light breeze on my skin. The cold air irratated my bite. Then I realised: he was here to gloat about Tyler biting me. If I'd of had more strength I would have slapped his hand away...although part of me wondered what Klaus's caresses would be like.

He sighed as if he was actually saddened by my misfortune. Yeah right, I thought bitterly to myself. He doesn't care about me.

"That looks bad. My apologies, your what's known as collateral damage. It's nothing personal."

I opened my eyes to look at him in disbelief and found that he was still staring softly at me. Like I was some rare, equisite flower that he had stumbled upon.

For a few moments, we were both silent. Just looking at each other, both trying to figure the other out. Both of us seemed to be contemplating what to say...what we would allow ourselves to say.

He moved his hand again, and touched the bracelet that was on my wrist.

"I love birthdays" He said this with a touch of feeling and amusement in his voice. It was almost like he wanted to try and help me feel better. That couldn't be right though, I told myself.

"Yeah" I said with a broken laugh. "Aren't you like a billion or something?"

The corners of his mouth curled up into a beautiful smile that lit up his face; transforming it into a beautiful landscape. I was almost overwhelmed by his beauty and the power of that small smile.

"You'll have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you are no longer bound by trivial human conventions. Your free."

If I was standing, I'm sure my knees would have buckled from how my name sounded coming from his lips. He made it sound like a harmonious lullaby.

Suddenly, I remembered reality. I looked up at him.

"No...I'm dying." I replied, now resoluted to that fact.

He tilted his head and then started to lower it. He slowly put one leg onto my bed and sat down, putting his arm so close to mine I could almost feel it.

"And I could let you die. If that's what you want." He said softly and gentle. He acted like I was an expensive porcelain doll; delicate and fragile.

"If you really believe your existence has no meaning." He tilted his head, as if it was a disgusting, invasive thought that he wanted to shake out of his head.

"I've thought about it myself once or twice over the centuries, truth be told." He lowered his head again, and I couldn't help but look at him in shock. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who sacrificed Elena so he could become a hybrid.

"But I'll let you in on a little secret." He smiled slightly as he continued. "There's a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities, and art, and music" He paused and lightly touched my bracelet again. Then he looked right at me, with a grin and said: "... genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

I screwed my face up slightly as I thought over everything he said.

Here was Klaus, the beautiful villain, who supposedly had no heart and wasn't capable of love or compassion offering to save my life. My life; me Caroline. I wasn't the doppelganger or important to any of his schemes...I was just Caroline. Yet Klaus, wanted me to have a choice whether I lived or died.

I thought about what he said about the world I had access to as a vampire, and I could picture it so vividly. Dancing under the stars in Paris, sipping wine in vineyards in Italy, beautiful art in London, the fashion of Milan...it could be so amazing.

I imagined going to all these places with Klaus.

What scared me was that I liked the images, and I began to develop a yearning to be able to travel the world...with him.

It was wrong though, I said to myself. I was just with Tyler. Now I'm thinking of going away with Klaus. Had I gone crazy?

Maybe the bite was effecting my brain already, I thought.

I realised now that I had a chance to live. To have experiences I never thought possible. To go to places I never thought possible...to be whoever I wanted to be.

If I lived, then the hope that I could could experience what Klaus said (with him, though I refused to let myself think it) would live on to.

I started blinking rapidly to stop the tears that were forming in my eyes.

"I don't want to to die" I choked out in a broken whisper. I was overcome with emotion: confusion, sadness, longing...and fear of death.

He smiled, as if he was genuinely happy that I had decided to live. He rolled up his sleeve of his right arm and slowly lifted me up with his left until my head was inches from his shoulders and his arm was around my waist, propping me up. His arm, although there wasn't direct skin to skin contact, managed to send delightful fire up my waist.

Being this close to him was intoxicating. He smell invaded my senses, and calmed me slightly. I could feel his breath on my forehead which sent shivers down my spine.

He held his wrist close to my mouth, with his nose almost resting on my forehead.

"There you go. Have at it." He whispered.

I moved slowly towards his wrist then slowly drunk his sweet blood.

It was the most delicious, mouth watering nectar I had ever consumed. It was sweet and untainted, and pure heaven to drink. I could feel it spreading through out my body, healing the poision of the bite and I felt the skin around my bite start to heal.

It felt like I was floating on a serene cloud.

I felt his chin rest on my head, and then he said quietly:

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

The bright sunlight streamed through the curtains the next morning awakening me from my long slumber. I shifted and turned in my sleep before stretching and then finally opening my eyes. I reached a hand up to my neck expecting to feel the werewolf bite, and to my shock it was gone.

Suddenly all the memories from last night came back to me...most predominantly Klaus saving me.

I looked around the room, and noticed a long black box on my bedside table with a white ribbon wrapped around it. I propped myself up in bed and shuffled over until I could reach the box.

I took it and held it for a few seconds just looking at it before noticing the card that just simply said "from Klaus."

I couldn't believe that Klaus had gotten me a present. However, curiousity got the best of me and I slowly un-tied the ribbon and opened the box.

Inside was a beautiful silver bracelet. It was absoloutely beautiful. He couldn't of picked a more perfect bracelet or piece of jewellery.

I let out a breath of shock and disbelief.

Klaus saved me.

Klaus bought me jewellery.

Klaus thinks I'm beautiful.

Why is he so interested in me? Why is it me that he likes? I thought to myself.

I was dying, and Klaus entered like an angel and saved me. Like a beacon of hope...Except he isn't supposed to be an angel or my saviour. He was supposed to be the enemy. He wasn't supposed supposed to care if I died. He wasn't supposed to care about me.

I slumped back on my pillows consumed in thought.

Klaus was a mysterious, alluring and beautiful creature, and to be honest I was looking forward to finding more out about him. Seeing all his different sides; good and bad. I wanted to know him, I wanted to give him a chance. I wanted him to be more than the villain everyone else seems. I wanted to be the only one who knew the real Klaus.

And although in the future, I was cautious of his advances and harsh with my words, the desire to know Klaus and be the one he cares for never died.

My secret desire to be the only one to see the good in him and care for him also never died.

FIN

A/N: I'm quite happy with this. I know it didn't have much of a plot, but I liked exploring how Caroline would feel towards Klaus in that scene. She isn't outright saying she likes him, but she's intrigued. He surprises her, and she likes that in my opinion. Let me know what you thought :)