Title: Stone Cold Silence

Rating: T (just in case)

Pairing: Klaroline (Caroline Forbes x Klaus Mikaelson)

Summary: She knew from the moment she met him that he was going to be a difficult patient. She had no idea.

[Caroline is a new councillor at Mystic Falls Psychiatric Hospital. Klaus is her new patient. There's something about him that she just can't place, if only she could get him to talk. She knows he's hiding something. That there's something more to his story. Because people don't just wake up with mental problems. At least, not people like him. Something leads them there. And Caroline wants to know what it is.]

Hey guys!

So this is an idea I've had for a while, but it took a long time to actually get it started. I was waiting until I finished writing another Klaroline fic of mine, but now that one only has one chapter left, so I thought it was about time that I started something new. I think I got the idea for this from a Merlin fic, but it is in no way the same. The thing that's the same is that it's in a mental institute.

Just in case any of you didn't know, here are the illnesses that the patients have, and the symptoms of them:

Vicki - BBD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder): Where a person is concerned with body image, and causes distress, or effects social functioning. The symptoms that Vicki has/had are obsessive thoughts about body image, depression, delusional thoughts, social phobia, panic attacks, anxiety, low self-esteem, self-consciousness, dependent personality, alcohol and drug addiction, obsession over removal of mirrors, obsessive dieting and exercising, and self-harm.

Rose - Delusional Parasitosis: Where the person has a strong delusion or belief that they are infested with parasites.
- Schizophrenia: Basically a breakdown of thought processes and emotional responses. The symptoms that Rose has are that she hears voices, has disorganized thinking or speech, loses her train of thought, social withdrawal, no motivation, and lack of response.

Anna - ICD (Impulse Control Disorder): Where the person has an uncontrollable impulse to hurt others, or themselves.

Jeremy - PPD (Paranoid Personality Disorder): Where the person is constantly paranoid, and has a long-standing suspiciousness of people. The symptoms that Jeremy has are that he finds it hard to trust people, he's hypersensitive, and he constantly looks for threats of danger.

Klaus - PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder): Where a person is suffering, due to a particularly traumatic event in their life. They often relive this event, and have flashbacks about it.
- Schizophrenia: The same as Rose.

I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Megz

oxox

Caroline Forbes walked up to Mystic Falls Psychiatric Hospital, pulling her jacket around her to try and preserve some body heat. The building before her looked very different from the photographs. It was a lot . . . colder, and darker. It was grey, and incredibly over-bearing. The windows were dark, and tinted, and sent a chill down Caroline's spine. The idea that someone could be watching her, without her even being aware of it . . . She shook it off. She was going to have to get over things like that, if she wanted to even survive a week here. Still, she'd had no idea that the building itself would be quite so . . . bleak.

Her interview for the job had been on the phone, apparently it had been more convenient at the time. She'd spoken to a woman called Meredith, who was very warm on the phone. Caroline had hoped that the institute itself would be just as welcoming. It seemed she was wrong.

Meredith had called her a few weeks ago, to tell her she'd gotten the job. Today was her first day, and she only hoped that it would go well. The last patient she'd worked with, well . . . Caroline didn't like to think about it. She knew it wasn't her fault, what'd happened, it was no one's fault. But she couldn't help but think that if she'd taken more notice . . . She shook her head. She'd promised herself she wouldn't think about it anymore. What happened at her last job, had been a terrible accident, nothing more. There was nothing she could've said or done to stop it.

The wind whipped her hair around her face, as she made her way up the cold, stone steps that were just as grey as the rest of the building. The whole institute was just completely drained of colour, and Caroline couldn't help but wonder if the people would be the same. There was just something about it that was just so utterly hopeless, so plain, and lifeless, so full of despair. Before then, Caroline had never thought that a building could inflict such powerful emotions. But there was just something about it that she couldn't shake.

She raised a delicately painted nail to the button on the intercom, and waited.

Everything was so . . . quiet. A stark contrast, to what was probably going on inside. Caroline knew how these places worked. Although, as a councillor, she wasn't really supposed to be that involved with whatever else happened in the institute, she'd noticed things. Things that other people tried to keep behind closed doors. She'd seen it. People screaming, clawing at the walls, and tearing at their hair. People wielding knives at their helpers, and tossing tables in the air. And then there was her last patient . . . Mason.

"Hello, who's there?" came a voice through the intercom. The voice wasn't at all like Meredith's. It wasn't warm, or friendly. It wasn't welcoming, or optimistic. It was tired, bored, and empty. It held no feeling or emotion. Much like the building itself. Caroline had a feeling that there must be something about this place, that it took away every shred of happiness or hope that a person had left. No wonder most of the patients themselves never got out. Because they saw no point.

"Hi, this is Caroline Forbes." she said, trying to sound a little more optimistic. She wanted to at least try and be positive going in. There was no point if she wasn't going to try.

"Ah yes, I'll buzz you in Miss Forbes."

Caroline had been absolutely right about the patients. Most of them walked around like ghosts, wandering the hallways, heads bowed. About half of them were dressed in their own clothes, which were usually, a little too big for them. The other half wore plain, long hospital gowns. Each one of them that Caroline passed, however, looked like all life had been drained out of them. And she couldn't help but wonder if any of them actually would make it out of there one day. She doubted it.

Dr Meredith Fell walked in front of her, leading her through the blank, featureless hallways, full of the blank, featureless patients. Luckily, none of them were the patients that Caroline would be working with. A little voice in the back of her head told her that it was probably because those patients were a little too far gone. The ward she was being taken to was an Open Unit. Not quite as much security needed, though the patients were still not allowed access to their own medication. They were the ones that still knew their own mind most of the time, and has less chance of lashing out.

Meredith swiped her pass in front of the door, before opening it for Caroline. Instantly, she noticed the difference from the rest of the institute. The Open Unit was painted a warm, calming blue, and instantly, Caroline felt more relaxed. They passed a few doors, which Caroline guessed were the patient's rooms. There didn't seem to be many of them in the Open Unit, and Caroline couldn't decide whether that was good, or a bad thing. She hoped to God it was a good one.

They made their way to what was called the "Recreation Room" (Rec Room for short). There weren't a lot of things in there, but there was enough. A few patients were scattered around the room, and Caroline smiled. They were all sat quite far apart, but they didn't seem to be that bad. Of course, she'd learnt to deal with reckless and unpredictable patients before, but it was a relief to have some of a calmer demeanour.

There were only four patients there in total, although Caroline was sure she'd counted five doors. Maybe she was wrong. There were three girls, and one boy. The first girl, had tangled, mousy brown hair, and bright, quizzical green eyes. Her arms were wrapped around her waist, and she was tapping her left foot nervously. She was also extremely skinny, and was biting her bottom lip. The girl across the room had equally wild, short brown hair, which stuck up in many places. She was trying to smooth it down with the palms of her hands, but it just didn't seem to want to bend to her will. And when she wasn't doing that, her hands tapped an unsteady rhythm on her thigh.

The other girl was sat close to the boy, and they were speaking in hushed whispers. She had long, perfectly brushed black hair, which fell over her eyes ever so slightly. But when she turned her head, Caroline saw a flash of her striking, dark brown irises. She was incredibly pale, but the boy next to her whispered something that sent a light pink blush racing up her neck. The boy looked a few years older than her, with a strong, quite muscular build, and kept running his fingers through his hair, making it stick up on end. He glanced around every so often, and he was tapping his foot constantly.

Meredith pointed over to the skinny girl; "That's Vicki. She's been here a few years now, ever since she turned eighteen. She had severe Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It was mostly caused by abuse from her stepfather. He died when she was fifteen, but after his death, she got addicted to drugs and alcohol. When she came here, she was delusional, and wouldn't even go anywhere near a mirror. Her whole body was riddled with scars, and they still haven't quite healed now. She's improved greatly since then. We hope that she might be able to get out one day."

Caroline nodded, as Meredith pointed to the short-haired girl; "Rose. She hasn't been here that long really. She has delusional parasitosis, brought on by severe schizophrenia. She's not that bad most days, quite calm and serene, mostly due to her medication. We can usually tell what's going to set her off, but . . . sometimes we're not so lucky. She never causes any real damage though, but she goes through a lot of pain. None of its real, but sometimes it can take a while before we get some medication that can calm her down."

"That's Anna," Meredith continued, gesturing to the dark-haired girl. "She's only been here a year, but already, we're seeing improvements. When she came here, she had severe Impulse Control Disorder. She'd lash out at anyone that even tried to come near her. She's calmed down somewhat now, but she can still be a little . . . unpredictable at times. Still, her mother hopes she'll be out soon."

"And Jeremy. He arrived around the same time as Anna. He has Paranoid Personality Disorder. He doesn't trust people that easily. Don't worry though, he'll like you, I promise. It just might take a while. He's close with Anna though, they're never apart from each other. He was the first person that was able to get through to her. And it seems that whenever she lashes out, he's the only one that can calm her down."

Caroline nodded, trying to take it all in. No doubt she'd be given files on all of them later though. Meredith looked as if she were about to continue the tour, before she stopped herself, and turned to face the patients.

"Where's Klaus?" she asked them, and all of them turned to look at her. All except Rose, who remained unresponsive.

"He said he wanted to stay in his room today," Vicki replied, before turning to look out of the window.

"And this is Alaric," Meredith said, as they entered her office. Caroline had now been shown the whole institute, including an office of her own. It was a lot better than she had expected, though she'd been right about how lifeless and dull everything was. Apparently it was to keep the patients neutral, and calm, but Caroline didn't like it. It made her feel . . . odd. "And thus concluding our grand tour."

"Sorry to be such a disappointment. She didn't exactly save the best for last," Alaric added, and Caroline couldn't help but laugh. Alaric grinned widely, and Caroline warmed to him immediately. He was a few years older than her, and wore a simple, deep red shirt. There was light stubble forming on his jawline, and he had perfectly straight, white teeth. He stepped forward, offering a hand for her to shake. "Alaric Saltzman. I used to be the councillor in the Open Unit ward."

"Nice to meet you," Caroline replied, shaking his hand gently. His grip was strong, and firm, but not crushing. Meredith excused herself, and Alaric gestured for Caroline to sit down. It was a little odd, as it was Meredith's office, but Caroline didn't ask any questions. It was none of her business, after all. And Alaric would be leaving soon, so what did it matter?

"I just wanted to brief you on one of your patients, Klaus Mikaelson? Meredith told me you did not have the pleasure of meeting him today, and she thought I was probably the best one to talk to you about him." Alaric stated, sitting behind Meredith's desk, and pulling out a file. He laid it out on the table delicately, and it was surprisingly thin. He opened it carefully, and Caroline resisted the urge to lean forward and look at it herself. "So Klaus was from a particularly rich family, and a big one, at that. But his father was, well . . . difficult. He didn't really stick to the laws that well. When Klaus was seventeen, his mother, Esther, died. Things got a little blurry after that. All of the children went their separate ways, and Klaus ended up here."

"So what . . . I apologize for my phrasing, but what's wrong with him?" she asked, her brow creasing.

"He's got mild schizophrenia, and severe PTSD." Alaric replied, and Caroline's eyes widened in surprise.

"PTSD? Isn't that usually associated with traumatic life events? Was he in the war, or-" Caroline began, but Alaric just shook his head.

"No, nothing of the sort. Mr Mikaelson is, um . . . something of a mystery. He's been here for many years now, and yet no one can determine the cause of his PTSD. It doesn't make any sense, but all the symptoms are there. Most people think it's due to the death of his mother, but it can't be proven, as no one knows what circumstances she died under. We try to get him to talk, but . . . he's completely unresponsive most days."

"What other symptoms does he have?"

"He hears voice, his speech is disorganized, he loses his train of thought often, and he has delusions. Sometimes he doesn't come out of his room for days, and he doesn't tend to communicate with many people. He'll occasionally talk to some of the other patients, but not that often. Some days he's completely unresponsive, and others he just doesn't seem to be able to find any motivation to do anything. But then there's his bad days. Whatever it was that brought on his PTSD, it's particularly painful for him to relive it. He'll tear at his hair, he'll writhe around on the floor, cry, scream, throw things, you name it."

"If he's so violent, why is he even in the Open Unit?" she asked, suddenly feeling quite scared for her own safety. Mason had been almost as bad, but she'd seemed to be able to get through to him in ways that no one else could. She might not be so lucky with Klaus.

"Because Meredith seems to believe that he's no longer a threat to anyone's safety. I disagree, but she's stubborn. I just hope she's right."

"So do I."

Well? It's only the first chapter, but let me know what you thought? REVIEW! :D