/Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. All rights go to L. J. Smith and the producers as well as the cast of the series./
Caroline hasn't seen or heard from Klaus since she distracted him to help her friends set a trap for his brother, Kol. It's been two weeks, now. Not a word, not a sign. Unexpectedly, she felt bad about it. She's not used to manipulate someone's feelings the way she did. Even though, he wasn't exactly "someone". He was a thousand-years-old sadistic murderer, an original monster. But he was the smartest and most intriguing man she ever met. And somehow, he cared about her. She couldn't stop thinking about it. She decided to pay him a visit at his place. However, she knew it wasn't the wisest thing to do. She did it anyway…
She rang the doorbell and waited. No answer. Then she noticed that the front door was open. She entered, slowly, and looked around. The lights were off and she didn't hear a sound. The living room seemed empty.
The young lady stopped in the middle of the big room where she danced with Klaus at the ball, remembering how charming he was that night. She still didn't know why on earth he would latch on to her.
She was about to leave when someone grabs strongly her arm.
Klaus.
"You're here to finish your work ?" he asked, calmly, without letting go of her arm.
She couldn't see his expression in the dark but she felt his anger.
"No." she simply answered.
"I'm here to say sorry…" Caroline added with a soft voice, almost a whisper.
"How sweet !" he said ironically. "It's an unnecessary human convention that I highly despise. Saying sorry and then expecting me to forgive you, for some reason."
He paused and then went on in a low voice.
"I don't have much left to give, Caroline…"
"Can you at least give me my arm back or is it too much to ask ?"
He smiled for a second. Then grabbed her other arm with a glacial expression on his face.
"Why are you here ? They sent you in another vain attempt to kill me ?"
"Nobody sent me. I'm here because I owe you an apology. But as you said, it was unnecessary. And stupid."
He let her go and walked away from her.
"I've been thinking about so many ways to make you suffer agonies before ripping out your heart in front of those little dim friends of yours."
"I've been waiting. Why didn't you do it ?"
He turned around and came closer. He looked almost vulnerable for a moment.
"I would've missed you, Caroline."
She opened her mouth to speak but before any word came out, he abruptly said: "Now, feel free to go before I change my mind."
Caroline stood still, trying to regain some control over the rush of her own emotions.
"I'm not afraid to die." she finally said.
"Don't be silly, love. My patience has its limits. And you're too far beyond them."
"I was just trying to help Elena."
"Save it ! It doesn't matter, now." he yelled at her with daggers in his glare.
"What options did I have ? I could've asked you to help but you wouldn't have listened, would you ?"
"I guess, we'll never know. Besides, no one asks you to justify yourself."
"Fair enough. I took my chance… too late. I'll go." she said with a touch of sadness in her voice.
She was about to leave when, to her surprise, he kindly stopped her from walking away.
"One for the road ?" he offered with a big and charming smile on his face.
She wanted to argue, to be mad, to ask him why he keeps changing his mind and his expressions but, instead, she simply smiled back in relief.
"I heard that this phrase derives from the practice of offering condemned felons a final drink on the way to the place of public execution in London. Dropping hints about the end of this evening ?"
"I don't know, myself, how this will end since it started so well. Surprise me."
Klaus gave her a glass of wine and sat next to her in the couch. They stayed for a little while, without talking. Just sitting there. Content.
"So can you tell me now what brings you here so late?"
"I already told you." she answered, shifting her gaze.
"I heard. But why ? Why bother ?" he insisted forcing her to face him.
"Because…" she mattered, incapable of verbalizing any of her thoughts.
"Oh bloody hell, just say it already! I'm not gonna bite you."
"Because there's something so endearing about you. I'm tired of pretending it's not there. And apparently, my urge to take a chance to explore it is bigger than my common sense…"
He looked amused.
"It's not challenging anymore, is it ?" she asks, nervous.
"We're just getting started, my dear." he answered.
Suddenly, Caroline felt dizzy and her vision became blurry.
"What did you do ? You drugged me…"
She gave Klaus one last resentful look before she fainted.