The Allure of Darkness
by poopaw
(Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries)
The car halts to a stop and Caroline finally tears her eyes away from the car window to look at Klaus. It had been a silent car ride home. She just couldn't find an appropriate topic to follow their heavy conversation at the football field. To talk about the weather would have been abysmal after Klaus had just practically declared her his soul mate while simultaneously giving freedom to whom she thought was her own.
And it seemed like he didn't care to fill up the silence either, so she took it upon herself to simply gaze outside and enjoy what little scenery Mystic Falls had to offer.
"Thanks for driving me home," she finally speaks up. He turns his head sideways to smile at her. She couldn't help but think of how it seemed like she was the only one to ever witness a legitimate Niklaus Mikaelson smile. "You didn't have to, you know."
He shrugs his shoulders, seemingly nonchalant about the entire situation – a fact she cannot believe. She was already borderline crack addict nervous because she knows this is their last time to see each other. She doesn't know if he's planning on another grand gesture or if he would simply wave her goodbye and be on his merry way back to New Orleans. Half of her wanted the latter because she wanted nothing more than to go inside her house, spend time with her mother and gush about how Tyler's bound to come back any day now. But the other half, the one fascinated by "the allure of darkness", craved to know if he had another trick up his sleeve in a last attempt to woo her.
"Sweetheart, there are twelve hybrids on the loose who are looking to extract revenge on me. Not to mention those twelve witches are bound to come back from the dead once again. I'd drive you to the ends of the earth if it means seeing you safe."
He looks at her in earnest and she can't handle the raw emotion in his eyes. She looks away because she's seen those same eyes filled with hatred and evil. To imagine any other emotion, much less adoration, in them would stir forbidden emotions in her as well.
"Well, okay. Good point," she concedes. "So, yeah. Thanks for the ride. And for saving all of our asses today."
She musters up the courage to look him in the eyes and smiles at him one last time before stepping outside the car.
"Hold on," he turns off the engine and is immediately on her side of the car. "I'll walk you to the door."
"You know, being so chivalrous is a sign of how old you really are," she flashes him a teasing smile, letting him close her door. He starts to walk towards her door and she pretends not to notice the pace he set was slower than normal.
"And your appalled attitude against it shows how young you are," he quips back with twinkling eyes.
Despite the slow pace they walked in, it was inevitable that they reach her door. He smiles at her, politely keeping his distance, which is a surprising event seeing as Klaus has more than once invaded her personal space. The porch light under them highlights his features and damn him, nobody has ever denied the fact that the Original Family was blessed with good genes.
For the first time in a long time, Caroline Forbes, who prides herself as being a good conversationalist, is at a loss for words. Nothing in the Miss Mystic Falls handbook mentioned a protocol whenever saying goodbye to powerful and evil – she ignores how the word evil now rubs her the wrong way, seeing as said evil just saved their lives again – Original Hybrids who have soft spots for blonde baby vampires.
"Klaus," she finally croaks out. "Thank you for . . . putting my happiness above yours."
He immediately looks down; a small bashful smile escapes his lips. "I heard friends do nice things for each other, so I figured I should give it a shot."
He looks so damn proud of himself for making her happy that she can't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, well, keep reading those self-help books. This is only the first part of being friends, you know that, right? It isn't as easy as it sounds."
He quirks his eyebrow as a response, so she bravely continues. "You have to keep it up! Being friends with someone is a commitment . . . you have to never forget them. You have to keep in contact with them despite the distance."
"Caroline," he tucks a stray hair away from her face. She freezes because he's suddenly so close to her, she can feel his breath on her cheek. "I've called before. And I will call again, as long as you'll let me."
Her eyes flutter close when his hand starts to cradle her cheek – a touch so delicate for someone so strong. He sighs quietly, drops a soft kiss on her cheek and steps back. She pops open her eyes and sees him looking at her sadly.
"Klaus," she breathes, not really knowing what to say.
He starts to move away from the house, giving her a cute little salute and that stupid smirk. "I'll see you in a few centuries, Ms. Forbes."
She manages to smile even if she can feel her heart tightening painfully. "Don't bet on it, Mikaelson."
Klaus starts to walk to his car, feeling Caroline's eyes on him. It doesn't pain his as much to leave her now. One day.
"Klaus!"
Stefan suddenly appears by his side, looking at little worse for wear. The air suddenly turns cold and immediately, Klaus assumes a more alert, fighting stance. Something isn't right. He practically taste it in the air.
"Stefan, mate," His senses are heightened. Something is definitely going on and he can't seem to figure out what. "To what do I owe this grand appearance?" He still feels Caroline by her porch, looking at them curiously.
"Just one thing really," Stefan smirks in a way only the Ripper can. He realizes it only a fraction too late. "You. Dead."
Stefan drives his hand through Klaus' chest, managing to get the upper hand only because Klaus had never seen this coming. He could hear Caroline suddenly gasp in the distance. Stefan shoves him to the ground and no bloody way in hell –
The Salvatore mockingly waves a familiar looking vial and Klaus suddenly feels a fear so strong, it makes his blood turn cold. No. No. No. No.
He thrashes on the ground and tries to get away but Stefan is stronger. Klaus cannot, for the life of him, figure out what's going on. How is he much stronger than him? He feels himself get angrier and angrier by the minute because how dare this insignificant little vampire attempt to turn the Original Hybrid human?
Just as he feels his eyes turn a particular shade of werewolf, he sees a blurry image of blonde hair appear by their side. Stefan simply strikes her away with one hand while his other hand keeps him on the ground.
The last thing he sees is Caroline on the ground and Stefan giving him one last smirk before force-feeding him the cure to vampirism.
"Caroline, he's human," she whispers, unable to keep her eyes away from the very much alive being lying on her sofa. She tentatively reaches her hand out and feels a pulse on his neck. "His heart is beating."
Stefan escaped before Caroline recovered from his attack. She doesn't know what's gotten into her friend but whatever it is, it seems like he's sentenced himself to his own death.
The centuries old Original vampire-and-werewolf is breathing. And it wasn't even pretend breathing, like what they usually did in the presence of mortals. It was honest to God, actual I'm-going-to-die-if-I-don't-get-oxygen-circulating -in-my-lungs breathing.
Could it be? Was the great Klaus Mikaelson actually human?
She brushes his hair away from his clammy forehead and takes a deep breath – oh no.
She could practically taste – feel the blood pumping from his veins to his heart and back again.
Warm, fresh blood.
Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub.
Without warning, Caroline feels her veins appear under her eyes. The telltale signs of blood lust uncontrollably making its appearance. Her tongue unconsciously runs itself over her fangs. It pricks her tongue in the slightest of ways. She can't help but remember how his blood tasted when she had been dying of his bite. It was addicting. If she had been given the chance to continue drinking from him, she probably would have immersed herself in her bloodlust for the remaining years of her immortal life. And that was only vampire blood.
This right here? The blood pulsating through his veins right now was thick, and very, very human blood.
Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub.
She runs her hand over his pulse again, feeling it beat under her hand. It was an aspect so incredibly human that she found herself hypnotized, unable to take her attention away from the vicious and formerly immortal being.
She moves her hand over his chest, feeling it rise and fall slowly. Her fingertips carefully trace the contours of his chest. Caroline closes her eyes, laying her hand flat on the top his chest, right on top of the heart. He was absolutely beautiful. She feels as if his blood is calling out to her, seducing her in the most tantalizing way.
Her fangs elongate even further. Maybe it's not such a bad idea. Just one dro –
Klaus' head moves in the slightest way and the haze in her brain suddenly diminishes. Caroline launches herself to the other side of the room, immediately cutting off her breathing to stop the sensational feeling Klaus' blood gives her.
"Goddamnit, Caroline!" she yells to herself, unable to keep her frustration inside. She was so close to losing her control. And it wasn't even on any human being. It was on Klaus.
Klaus who killed so much of the people she cared about.
Klaus who drove her boyfriend away.
Klaus who was the Original Hybrid.
Klaus who was the father of her entire vampire lineage.
If she takes at least even one sip of his blood, who knows what will happen? She could very well lose control. For all she knows, she could kill half of the world's entire vampire population.
She hasn't felt a pull like that in so long. The last time she could remember such hunger was when she turned – when she didn't even know that her kind existed.
Caroline has to get out of this house. She needs space. She needs to regain control. She rushes to the backdoor and wrenches it open. The cold air hits her face and she immediately takes a deep breath of fresh air. She feels the fog in her mind lighten.
She almost drank from Klaus. She could've killed him.
"Oh my god," she whispers. The reality of the situation sinks in and she realizes she can't leave him. How many enemies does Klaus have? What if the hunters come? A snap of his neck and their entire vampire race under Klaus will disappear.
Caroline looks outside and surveys if anyone was outside. When it seemed safe enough, she closes the door and slowly moves back to the living room. She's stopped breathing completely. The scent of his blood hasn't completely disappeared but she has better grip of herself now.
Who can she call for help?
Certainly not Stefan. He caused this mess in the first place.
"Damn it, Stef, what were you thinking?"
Elena?
"No, I can't call Elena. I'm pretty sure she's going to take advantage of Klaus. Now that he's human. They can't . . ."
She doesn't really know why that doesn't sit right with her, giving Klaus to her friends. They've never cared for Klaus. They just want him gone. After everything he's done to them, Caroline can't really blame them. But . . .
He is Klaus. And she can't just offer him up to a silver platter.
He is Klaus.
Why does she care?
Caroline rolls her eyes at herself. Of course she cares. She's seen Klaus in a form that she's sure nobody has ever seen. She's seen him human – not by blood, but by action. He's laid out his heart to her without expecting anything in return.
Of course she cares.
She's brought out of her internal debate by Klaus himself. He was talking. Caroline could hear it very faintly. His eyes haven't opened. She takes her steps carefully, making sure to check her resolve after every step. If she couldn't handle it, she could move back in an instant. But with every step she took, she felt her herself getting stronger. She could do this.
Once she was directly beside him, she noticed his mouth was moving but his eyes remained close. His breathing had gotten faster but it wasn't too alarming.
"Are you . . . sleep talking, Klaus?" she whispers to herself, unable to relate such a human act to one of the world's oldest and strongest vampires.
She watches him murmur for a few more minutes, unable to catch anything he says, until he finally stops. Just as she feels herself relax, the Original Hybrid's heart suddenly starts. His body begins to convulse, the movement quickly building up to a thrashing that instantly worries her. She wants to grab his wrist, maybe run her hand across his forehead – anything, anything to try and calm him down. Something was happening to him and she couldn't even touch him to check.
She also noticed the rapid beating of his heart was taking its toll on her. The beating was so loud now, its erratic rhythm pulsing through her ears. The blood – she could feel the blood moving quickly along his body. It was absolutely riveting. She feels the veins slowly making their way back to her features.
"Klaus, please," she whispers, unable to look away from his chest that continued to rise and fall. Caroline feels as if all she needs is one more push and she will completely lose it. "Please, stop. If you know what's good for you."
She watches his mouth open and his yell immediately pierces through her precautions and straight to her bloodlust.
The sound is coming well within him, the pain so torturous that she finds herself shutting her eyes close for a few seconds. When he releases another scream, she has decided. Unwilling to let herself hear him suffer any further, she grabs his shoulders tightly and pulls him up to a sitting position. She sits on the sofa and lets him lie down on her lap. His screams have died down a little, it seems. However, he is still moaning in pain. The creases between his eyebrows are deepening. A frown now mars his beautiful face.
Caroline, unable to stop herself, finds her hand reaching out to his eyebrows. Her fingertips barely even graze his skin but immediately, the skin smoothens. Her hand glides down until she is cupping his cheek. She runs her thumb across the soft skin, a slight pricking present due to the growing stubble.
"Klaus," she whispers, her voice almost trance-like.
His murmurs die down suddenly. Her mouth slightly parts, unable to ignore the discomfort from her fangs elongating once again. She tries to ignore this. Instead, Caroline moves her fingers even further until her tips start to feather his across his lips. She allows her thumb to swipe his bottom lip just once, in the slowest manner. His frown lightens.
Once again, he calms down. The almost-angelic face from earlier comes to. His breathing returns to normal. The blood in his veins has begun to circulate in an acceptable manner. However, what's not disappearing is the veins on her eyes. She could feel it protruding in the most discomforting manner. Her fangs were still pricking her mouth in the slightest of ways.
Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub.
Her tongue darts out unconsciously. And all of a sudden, her strong desire to consume Klaus fell into place. It wasn't just his blood that was calling out to her. It wasn't just her hunger that she had to fight. She was battling all of her other desires. It was him. It was Klaus. His beauty. His blood. His vulnerability. His strength. His perseverance in courtship. His dedication in winning her heart. Her control over these aspects was already weak to begin with.
To mix this with her crippling control over her bloodlust was something beyond her.
"Oh god," she whispers quietly, her eyes closing in on his wrist. Her hands move towards his until she's cradling it. The pumping is louder now. It's pulsing beneath her fingertips. Caroline feels as if she's watching from the outside. She sees herself slowly bringing the wrist to her mouth. She knows how wrong it is. The possibility of her draining the head of her vampire lineage was strong. She hasn't drunk human blood from the vein in the longest time. She knows nothing good will come out of this.
But she can't stop herself anymore.
She closes her eyes and drops a soft kiss on the inside of his wrist. Klaus' skin is warm and supple. Caroline takes a deep breath, completely succumbing to her instincts. Consequences be damned, she needs to drink from the Original Hybrid. Her fangs finally drop to their limit, ready to pierce in just one more swift motion.
Caroline's tongue darts out one last time, preparing his skin.
Klaus is a beautiful monster.
She is allured by his darkness. She is intrigued by the potential of his light. She is amused by his dedication. And she is curious about his limitations.
So, why wait a few more centuries to find out the answers?
She bites down gently and his eyes immediately open in panic.
A guttural scream escapes his throat. Klaus feels the pain burning throughout his body. He suddenly grows aware of the increasing agony, of the – of his –
He feels the pricking retract from his body and his vision immediately looks for the threat.
He finds his wrist in the hands of the angel that once told him of the possibility of being saved – his blonde angel whose very eyes are now surrounded by darkness, whose fangs are tinted by the slightest of red.
His heart flutters unexpectedly. His eyes widen in surprise.
She has been tainted and he has been tarnished.
The King and Queen have fallen off their majestic thrones.
Author's Note: 2 stories in one night. Check out the other on my profile! Tell me what you think.