Author's Note: Thinking of You, written for Writerwithagoal on AO3 ( childoftimeandmagic on Tumblr), who gave me a prompt of the song Thinking of You by Christian Kane. AU, Werewof!Klaus/Caroline.


Sedona, 2016

Klaus parks his car just to the side of the little diner. He doesn't have much time anyway-he can already feel the agitation building in his muscles, a hot and sour buzz sneaking in between the seams of his bones. The dry air of Arizona seems more humid than usual, almost like home, a sense of excitement and dread brewing, sending incessant charges through his exposed skin.

An impending full moon does that to you. Especially when you are a wolf.

With long strides Klaus enters the diner, a bell ringing coarsely on the wooden door in his wake. The smell of fat and cheap sauce mixed with old plastic immediately assaults his extra sensitive senses. Forgoing the greasy booths that look like they've seen too much human body fluid, he settles at the bar.

"Burger and fries with coke." He signals at some man behind the counter, not bothering to raise his head from his phone. According to the message he just received his pack is already inside one of the wilderness areas deep into the Coconino Forest. A somewhat routine for them on these cursed days, no matter what area they temporarily reside in-the pack has grown into one of the largest ones in Northern America during the past five years of constant migration, and they can't risk running into stray tourists in their lethal forms.

"You're new."

Sensing someone approaching Klaus instantly puts away his phone, meeting the curious gaze. The man standing in front of him across the counter is well-built, eyes sharp despite the playfulness of his tone.

"And an Aussie." The man slightly furrows his brows, but smiles nonetheless, grabbing the towel on his shoulder and starting to wipe the counter, seemingly in for a long conversation.

"And in a hurry." Klaus is in no mood to justify the origin of his accent.

The man laughs mid-wipe, winking at Klaus, "someone's cranky. It's that time of the month, huh?" he ignores Klaus' menacing glare and continues, "don't worry, I've already put your order in. Wouldn't want you wandering around Sedona on a full moon."

"And what about you, mate?" Klaus lifts one brow, a crooked smile donned on the corner of his lips, "not afraid of fairy godmother's magic running out at midnight?" He can recognize the smell from a mile away. Wolves can't hide from each other even if their lives depend on it.

The guy grimaces, "I'm gonna be the bigger person and assume that you were comparing me to the pumpkin." He then offers a good-natured smile, "my family has lived here for several generations. Let's just say we have our own shelter," he rolls his eyes on the word, "for the monthly ordeal. Oh, I'm Mason by the way."

Klaus examines Mason's face for a second before shaking the offered hand briefly, "Klaus."

"So Klaus, what brings you to the fine town of Sedona?" Mason resumes his work at the counter.

"Just…running some errands." He actually came to visit a small art gallery by the Oak Creek River this morning but Klaus isn't about to divulge. Art has always been fairly personal to him and he rarely shares these ventures with anyone, except her. The thought brings a dull ache all too familiar to his heart, and Klaus silently bites his teeth to maintain a stoic expression.

"A man of few words, I see." Mason snorts, "probably a wolf thing." Just then a pick-up call sounds from the kitchen. Mason retrieves Klaus' meal, setting it in front of him before asking, "where are you going later? You know, when the moon comes up?"

"Into the forest. My pack is waiting for me." Klaus bites into his burger. It actually tastes okay, the bread soft and meat juicy, with a generous layer of pickles-just the way she likes it. The burger turns to saw dust in his mouth the instant that notion creeps into his mind, making it hard to swallow all of a sudden.

"Wait, so you're the alpha of that new pack in town?" Mason exclaims in a hush, "wow. Your pack's huge! I heard that you guys came from the north. Although I've got to say, nice choice. It's much warmer and way pleasant down here."

Klaus finishes the burger in a few bites while Mason gushes over-excitedly. He's lost his appetite, but he needs the strength for the turn tonight. "We're actually from Mystic Falls originally, " he can't help the wistful smile, though he clears his throat to hide it upon noticing Mason's surprised look, "it's a small town in Virginia. But we are constantly on the move. It's not safe for a pack this big to stay in one place for too long. "

He stays silent for a split second before correcting in a steely voice, but his eyes are warm with a faraway look, like the reflection of the rosy rocks in the outskirts of Sedona bathed in sunset, "and I'm not the alpha."

His alpha has always been the one and only from the very start.


Mystic Falls, 2005

Klaus sidestepped yet another crunchy fallen leaf, careful not to make a sound. Years of being an outcast of every pack he had ever been dropped into had taught him many things, the ability of making himself scarce being one of them, and sensing others' hidden hostility another.

He knew when he wasn't welcome. And he wasn't about to expose himself as an easy target.

He remembered Ayanna's words before leaving, "try to fit in. It wouldn't be the worst thing." And he merely shrugged at that, ignoring her aged eyes with a hint of sadness in them. Easy for her to say, when she's not the one being cast among packs and guardians like some smelly rotten meat. Even she herself didn't want anything to do with him.

Yet to be fair, he wasn't supposed to be Ayanna's responsibility to begin with. She was, after all, just his mother's friend from a long time ago. And his mother had been dead upon his birth bed. Right here in this dreary little town, no farther than three miles from where he stood.

He had thought that he would feel something, here being his birth place and all. Some sense of familiarity or belonging, that tiny little click in your heart signaling the closure of a long existing rift, even if just a part of it. But he felt nothing, except the unpleasant humidity and heat that he'd heard about. After sixteen years he finally returned to the land that he hadn't once stepped his foot on, and yet he just felt…sweaty. Nothing had changed really.

And Klaus suspected that it never would.

But one thing did change. He was officially addressed as Klaus now. Thanks to his new alpha. The thought brought an imperceptible smile to his face.

He had heard of the young alpha from Ayanna before they arrived. Her parents died in a battle against vampires when she was only seven, and the little girl, being their only heir, had been groomed to become the alpha with the help of the elders in the pack for the past six years. Expecting some cold and overbearing brat, Klaus was taken aback at the meeting last week where he was introduced to her and the pack for the first time.

"Your name's Niklaus? That's kind of strange." The girl's blond curls bounced on her shoulders at the involuntary tilt of her head, her blue eyes brimming with curiosity. Perhaps noticing the surprised look on Klaus' face, she quickly caught herself, an adorable shade of pink creeping up her cheeks, "sorry…that was rude of me. It's just a little uncommon."

Klaus smiled a little. He'd seen his fair share of alphas, but never one had the propensity (or the gut) to apologize this easily, if at all. He bowed his head slightly without breaking eye contact, "it was the name my father gave me. I do not particularly care for it myself."

The girl seemed thoughtful for a moment, biting her lips while observing him quietly. Klaus could recognize kind eyes when he spotted a pair, but her eyes were also penetrating despite their obvious innocence. After a few seconds she said a little shyly, but with determination in her voice, "what would you like to be called then?"

He paused a beat, and then responded equally resolute, "Klaus."

She nodded solemnly, her eyes sweeping through the pack members around them before landing back on him, her face instantly morphing from that of a young girl's to an unquestionable leader's, all shyness replaced by confident authority, "welcome to the pack, Klaus."

Klaus held her eyes for a second longer, mesmerized by her power or trying to see through her mask he couldn't even tell himself. "I haven't had the honor to know the name of my alpha." His tone was intended to be teasing, but came out sincere beyond his comprehension.

And the amazingly bright smile was back on her face, "I'm Caroline."

Klaus hadn't seen a smile like that for the past week from any other. Though he was welcomed into the pack by Caroline, it seemed that some of the pack members did not share their alpha's mind. And the crack of a branch he was hearing right that second was enough testament.

"Why so furtive when you've clearly outnumbered me?" He was good at avoiding conflict, yes, but not so cowardly as to back out of an inevitable fight.

Three men sauntered out from the thick bush beside him. Klaus recognized the faces which had shown nothing but contempt and resentment from a far corner where other pack members had approached him with cautious hospitality, or at least indifference. They were all lesser in built, clearly not the main fighters of the pack, with flickery eyes of greed more akin to hyenas than wolves.

"Look who's all smug with his limey accent and fancy words." One of the three stepped up, thumbs tucked in the back pockets of his baggy jeans, seemingly the leader of their pathetic little group. Klaus vaguely remembered seeing him talking to Caroline in a similar posture, and the young alpha had kicked his sorry ass in no more than a full sentence. Klaus had to hand it to the girl-not wasting your time on losers is such a rare virtue these days.

"John, is it?" He lifted an eyebrow, folding both hands behind his back, "I see you've been loafing around, yet another day. Quite a commendable life style really."

John snorted, glaring at him, "shut it, smart ass. You should respect your elders. Especially when you are living off of our pack like a little leech." He took another menacing step towards Klaus, sizing him up with a lopsided grin, "why did you get thrown out of your last one anyway? They've finally realized what a useless trash you are?" The other two men with him snickered at that in support.

"If incompetence alone justifies an exile you'd be long gone from this pack." Klaus opened his arms in a mocking gesture, "sadly that's not the case. So here you are, still leeching, to quote your colorful vocabulary."

John narrowed his eyes, "you are a mouthy one, aren't you?" His face contorted into a taunting smirk, "shouldn't have been a surprise. With your slut of a mother, opening her legs for one of ours behind her husband's back. I bet she's a loud one, just like you. How else would she land a wolf? Humans ain't got the moves, must be the-"

He was cut short by a fist right in his jaw from a lunging Klaus. He stumbled back, startled, and Klaus was already on him, hands clutching his throat in a vice grip. John opened his mouth in sheer horror, but the only sounds coming out were shattered whimpers.

At that moment the other two men finally came to their senses and rushed to his rescue, one pinning Klaus in a headlock while the other tried to pry his hands away. Klaus growled, violently shrugging the one behind him away, using the momentum to bang John's head heavily into the ground. John let out another pained groan, legs kicking like crazy, his face turning almost purple from the lack of oxygen. The man beside him landed a hard punch in Klaus' stomach. Klaus winced, his grip loosening, but for some reason the man who just punched him was now holding him firmly in place.

"Put that stone down, Logan." A beautiful female voice interrupted the chaos. Everything went still around him, including the grip on his shoulders, John's malicious grin that appeared on his face seconds ago, and the hot and labored breath that he could suddenly feel behind him.

"I will not repeat myself, Logan." The voice spoke again, lower this time, each word cold and clear like light reflecting from the edge of a sword, but Klaus could almost detect the underlying urgency. "Do as I say."

Klaus heard a dull sound of something dropping to the ground not far from him, and then the breath behind him was gone. He dug his fingers into John's neck one more time, making him shout out in pain before releasing him, standing up and turning to face his alpha.

Caroline's lips were pressed into a thin line, arms crossed in front of her chest, a few stray curls from her ponytail falling into her face only to be pushed away by her angered breath. She eyed Klaus inconspicuously from head to toe as if checking for injuries before setting her gaze on the other three, stopping them dead in their track to approach.

"That little son of a bitch!" John cried out dramatically, "he nearly choked me to death!"

"I have three things to tell you, John." Caroline smirked, holding out a hand and beginning to count down her fingers, "one, I am neither blind nor an idiot. I know what I saw. I don't need you to describe it for me, thank you very much. Two, language. Hello? Minors here! Watch your tongue." She rolled her eyes, "and three, congratulations on being beaten up by a sixteen-year-old, after you ambushed him with your buddies."

Klaus idly turned around with a smirk of his own. He couldn't resist seeing John's face at this very moment, and he wasn't disappointed. John's eyes were round with shock and fury, veins popping out in the corner of his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak, but Caroline beat him to it with an upholding index finger, "and no, before you protest, please refer to the first thing I told you. I so not want to repeat myself. It's inefficient and boring."

Klaus strained himself so much to hold back a laugh his stomach hurt where he was just punched. A pretty face, a sharp tongue and an attitude. The young alpha sure was full of surprises.

But John apparently wasn't amused. He shot Klaus a dirty look and all but spat out, "Caroline, you don't know what you are doing with this one here. He's bad news to all of us. His mother had an affair with some loser from our pack and got herself knocked up. She died from giving birth to this demon spawn," he accusingly pointed a finger at Klaus, "but not before spilling the beans to her husband. Dude went crazy-not that I could blame him. Took a gun and went after our whole pack."

Klaus' blood boiled from John's words, but he just felt cold all over. He glared unseeingly at John, shoulder square and spine straight, as if bracing himself for an impending storm.

"His real dad was shot, his fake dad killed himself after, innocent pack members lost their lives in the middle of it. He's brought nothing but filth, blood and death to this world ever since he was born." John snorted disparagingly, "why do you think he spent all those years in Europe and not one of the packs kept him? Why do you think your own father turned him away?"

Klaus had heard enough. He bit his teeth, ready to throw himself at John again, consequences be damned. But a small hand closed around his wrist, delicate fingers trembling slightly yet firm like the voice of their owner, "those other packs turned him away because people like you, unfortunately, are everywhere. And my father…had his reasons. But I'm not my father. And I've already welcomed Klaus into our pack so I suggest you defer to your alpha and cut the crap."

John squinted dangerously, "you may be the alpha, Caroline, but I'm older than you." He took a step forward, and the other two followed suit, "As an adult here it is my duty to keep dirty little bastards from clouding your judgment."

Klaus was still half froze from Caroline's touch. All he could feel was the warm skin around his like a soothing little whisper that he didn't register John's cutting words or their threatening manners. Before he knew it the three of them came at him in a rush. He was expecting painful strikes when a hand shoved him back roughly, but without extra force. He looked up shocked to see Caroline holding John back with her two hands against his chest, and the other two with merely her fiery eyes, blocking him from their onslaught.

"You will not insult him in my face." She raised her head to look John in the eyes, her voice strained due to the effort of fending him off, "you will show respect to him. You will not bring up his past again, which has nothing to do with himself, or you for that matter, and is nothing compared to the disgusting deeds you've committed."

John huffed in barely-masked contempt, towering over her, "and why would I do that to a worthless bastard?" he bit the last two words out while sending a side glare at Klaus.

"Because he's my beta." Caroline responded without missing a beat, "because I now name Klaus the beta of this pack."

"You what?" John exclaimed disbelievingly, stepping back in shock. With his sudden retreat Caroline lost balance and fell to the ground. John laughed hysterically, "oh little Caroline, no need to apologize this hard for your moment of insanity. He's got a pretty face, I'll give you that."

Caroline jumped to her feet with a growl, her hands balled into fists, catapulting towards John like a booming firework. John raised his hands in defense, immersed too deep into the fighting scene to care about her status in the pack. But in an instant Klaus was before her, blocking Caroline from the three's harm for a change.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on my alpha." The phrase flowed out of his mouth so naturally, as if it had been sealed inside him long ago and was now freed from its dormant state, along with it liberating hidden strength and conviction. And then he felt it, the little click deep in his heart, the tiny yet unmistakable signal that the black-hole-like rift was beginning to close as a whole.

John's brazen voice caught his attention, "getting into your new role pretty quick, huh? You two really are a pair." He narrowed his eyes, "but what would the pack think? Little Caroline here has just crowned her latest crush the beta. What would the others say when they know about this?"

"Bravo, perhaps." Another female voice sounded from behind the bushes, "from your bruises I'll assume he's a decent fighter, and has good judgment of character."

Klaus turned around to see a young woman standing a few feet away with hands on her hips. If he recalled correctly her name was Jenna. She had approached him shortly after the introduction meeting and shown him around.

Before John could answer another voice cut in, "I'm not opposed to the idea. He's loyal enough from the looks of it." A middle-aged man Klaus didn't know the name of appeared beside Jenna. Then yet another voice from the other side of them, "I trust Caroline. If she's decided then I'm all for it." This one Klaus knew. It was one of Caroline's close friends. Bonnie, was it?

Then more voices came from all directions around them. "Me too." "Count me in." "And me." apparently their little commotion had drawn the whole pack here and Klaus was surprised beyond words that so many people, the majority of whom he didn't even knew, were defending the new beta of the pack, namely him, with similar determination. He looked back at Caroline, for the first time in so long showing a dumbfounded expression, but Caroline just smiled at him and reached out to squeeze his hand.

"John, you've heard the pack." One of the elders, Sheila, stepped out of the crowd circling them, "now stand down and show some respect to your alpha and beta, or face an exile."

John stared at Sheila, then Caroline, then Klaus for a few moments, his gaze less and less hostile with each passing second and the silent pressure from the whole pack. Finally he stepped back and bowed his head down a little, the other two immediately following his lead. In the loud cheer of the crowd Klaus met Sheila's eyes, deep and knowing like they held all the answers in the world. "Don't let us down." He heard her saying, "don't let her down." And that's when he realized Caroline was still holding his hand.

Later when the crowd dispersed, he turned to look at Caroline in their silent trek into the woods, now composed enough to ask, "why me?"

He didn't let the full sentence out but Caroline seemed to understand him just fine. She tilted her head slightly, the afternoon sunlight outlining her soft profile like golden frosting, sweet and satiny, "why not you?"

"It's not exactly nice to answer a question with another one, is it?" Klaus wiggled his brows.

She huffed a laugh, poking him in the ribs, "I just saved your ass back there so I think I'm nice enough."

Klaus stared at her wide-eyed, but she just stared back with large blue eyes, not budging an inch. "Fine," he faked an exasperated sigh, "I'm new here, I'm not old enough, and I don't have a shiny track record." His voice lowered, "I wouldn't deem someone like myself worthy of being a beta." The moment those words left his mouth he regretted them, so he looked aside to avoid Caroline's eyes.

But she didn't seem to notice his discomfort, "why did you ask my name that day?"

He snorted, "sweetheart, you've asked me two questions now and yet to answer mine. That's hardly fair."

She wrinkled her nose, blushing uncontrollably, "sweetheart? What's that, some British pick-up expression?"

"Now that's the third, sweetheart." He retorted playfully.

She rolled her eyes, "you and me both know life isn't fair, Klaus. Suck it up." She crossed her arms in front her chest stubbornly, "I'm not telling you until you answer all my questions."

He opened his arms, palms up in defeat, "well, it just seemed right, you know? I give you my name, you give me yours. General courtesy." He intended to stop there, but her clear eyes were like some elixir of verity to him, and he couldn't help but divulge, "and I was curious. About you. If we weren't in front of all those people I would've asked you a lot more than your name."

"What do you want to know?" She asked quietly.

He took in a deep breath, "Your hopes. Your dreams. Everything you want in life."

Caroline laughed at that, her long eyelashes trembling like a hummed tune, and Klaus found himself longing to discover what was behind. But then she spoke, this time more serious, "of all the people I formally met, you were the first to ask about my name. Others either knew about me already, or they didn't care. I was the alpha. That was all they needed to know."

For a moment her eyes were filled with too much wistfulness to be that of a teenage girl's. But Caroline quickly blinked and faced him with a bright smile, "but you made me feel like Caroline. And that's so wonderful."

"And the way you told me your name?" She continued, "you seemed so sure. Like, you know about who you are and what you want and all the things that you said you wanted to ask me. And I want to know those things too." Her face was flushed and glowing as if the sheer prospect of discovering the truth lighted her up from the inside.

Klaus felt he was going blind. It was like looking directly into the sun, and the light was so strong that it burned a sizzling mark on your retina and you just felt warm and satiated. Only this wasn't on his eyes. It was in his dark, cold heart. He almost didn't trust his own voice, "you are smart, sweetheart. You'll figure it out." He smiled at her gently, "all in good time."

He reached out to her face inadvertently, only to catch himself at the last minute, changing directions to the crown of her head instead, "hold still, there's something in your hair." He removed the long feather tangled in her blond curls, "it must have gotten there when you fell."

Caroline snatched the feather from his hand in horror, wielding it midair frantically, "what? You mean I've had this in my hair all this time? I had a bird feather, in my hair, while everyone watched, and you didn't tell me until now? Oh my god this is a disaster!"

"I seemed to recall we were facing more pressing matters at the time." Klaus pressed his lips hard to hold in the laughter.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" Caroline stomped her feet, now very teenager-like.

Klaus grinned while retrieving the feather from her hand, "easy there, love." He smoothed the poor thing between two fingers, "it's a blue jay's tail feather." He showed it to Caroline in his palm, "beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is." Caroline calmed down at his words, touching the feather again in a delicate gesture, and the instant her fingertip made contact with his skin through the thin layer of fluff Klaus felt a jolt of electricity flowing through his body.

Words jumbled on his tongue but nothing coherent would come out. In the end he just carefully stuck the feather back into her hair, this time just to the side of the top of her ponytail like a little embellishment, "blue suits you Caroline. It brings out your eyes."

And she let him.