Carry me home tonight
Caroline sat on a stool, her elbows leaning on the bar as she downed her third drink for the night. She tipped her head back until the last drop of scotch slid down her throat, and then she gestured for the barman to fill her glass again.
There was nothing a vampire couldn't do with a little bit of compulsion, and if right now Caroline was abusing the perks of being a vampire, she told herself she had a good reason. The amber liquid in her glass was gone in a moment, and she reveled in the burning sensation that warmed her insides. She needed it, because she felt like she was cold, but not on the outside,
That was another perk of the whole vampirism thing, that you couldn't feel the cold like regular people did. However, there was nothing to be done when you feld a coldness inside you. For one thing, being a vampire only made it more intense.
Caroline thought that maybe Damon wasn't so much to blame every time he went to the Grill just to get wasted. She thought that maybe she shouldn't judge him so quickly next time, but being the judgmental person she was, she couldn't make any promises.
Caroline was cold, but even though the alcohol made a fire burn within her, it couldn't quite reach that little part inside her where the cold resided. Tyler was gone and he wasn't answearing any of her messages or voice mails. Her best friend had turned into a nasty blood-thirsty bitch and everyone in Mystic Falls was so busy trying to get Elena to turn her humanity back on, that Caroline was feeling more lost and alone than ever since she had turned into a vampire. So, Caroline had every right to be drinking.
"Isn't it a little early to be drinking all of your own, sweetheart?" a smooth voice with a familiar accent asked, and Caroline turned around to look at Klaus who was casually lifting himself to sit on a stool besides her.
"And isn't it a little early to be such a buzz-killer?" Caroline asked irritably, which only made Klaus smile. She felt like her insides were melting just at the sight of that smile, so she averted her gaze in an attempt to keep her mind clear- or at least as clear as it could be after her fifth drink so far.
"I just figured you could use some company." he said, and suddenly Caroline was tired of all these false pretences.
She turned back to look at his awaiting expression, and she felt a pleasant kind of warmth spreading inside her. "You're right. And to answear your question, no, it is not early to be drinking alone, but maybe you could join me."
The alcohol made her bold, and Klaus seemed pleased by her answear. He ordered two drinks, one for him and one for her, and then he said "So, tell me what brings you here. It can't be something incredibly pleasant. Tell me, what's wrong, love?"
Caroline was bewildered and she searched his face for any sign of humour, but his expression was dead serious. "Seriously?" she asked at last "You're asking me to talk to you about my absent boyfriend whom you chased away from town and swore to kill. Oh, and don't forget my off ther rail ex-best friend who thinks I am a repulsive, blood-sucking control freak."
"As a matter of fact, yes. I don't see why we shouldn't talk about these things, love." Klaus deadpanned, and Caroline couldn't help but roll her eyes.
So they talked, or rather he let her talk and release all of her anger and spite. And they got drunk together. They drunk until they lost count of how glasses each of them had. They drunk until it was closing time for the Grill, as they were informed by a grumpy-looking waiter.
"Love, do you want me to Compulse him?" Klaus asked, his voice only slightly slurry despite all the drinks he had had.
For a moment, Caroline was tempted to say yes because she was having so much fun (even though she tried to ignore the fact that she was having fun with the enemy) but then she said "Nah, it's okay. I wanted to go home anyway."
She tried to stand up, but then the world took a rapid turn around her and she fell back on her stool.
"Love, you are drunk." Klaus said with a smirk, and Caroline had the urge to say 'you don't say' but she settled for a "You're pretty drunk yourself."
And then she was being swept off her feet and carried bridal-style out of the bar into the arms of a certain hybrid.
"Whay are you doing?" she asked, going for strict, but instead she sounded as giddy as a little child. She laughed by the absurdity of the situation, but wrapped her arms tightly around Klaus' neck nonetheless.
"What do I look like I'm doing? Carrying you home."
His hold on her was steady and tight yet gentle, and she burried her head into his shoulder as he took off in full vampire speed, standing out of her house a few seconds later. He eased her on her feet, his expression telling her how much he didn't want to let go of her, and later Caroline would attribute it to the alcohol in her system, but she rose on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her face inches away from his.
A few inches forward, a distance that Caroline told herself could be easily covered by tripping in her own feet because, what a surprise, she was drunk, and then their lips connected. It lasted only a few seconds, and the next morning she would convince herself kissing him was only an accident, but, God, it felt like heaven.
She drew away and looked Klaus in the eyes. There was a faint smirk on his lips as he said "Goodnight, Caroline." He started to walk away, and only when he was out of sight did she say "Goodnight, Klaus." It didn't matter. She knew he had heard her.
Caroline walked inside, a stupid smile plastered on her face. As she made her way upstairs to her bedroom, she realised that she didn't feel cold anymore, and that, she couldn't blame the alcohol for. She could blame, however, Klaus.