Lost

Caroline's hand froze in mid-air when the heavy door to the mansion suddenly opened and Klaus appeared, leaning into the frame of the doorway.

"Are you lost?" He said flatly.

"I - uh, well..."

She was so not ready for this! It took four drives around the block before she even stopped the car in front of his house, and 10 minutes of a quite honestly uninspiring, self-given pep-talk before she finally jumped out of the car and slowly dawdled up to the front door. In the pouring rain. So, yes, she currently looked like a drowned rat while he stared down emotionlessly at her, as if she was nothing more than a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

At that thought, Caroline straightened indignantly. She was Miss Mystic Falls, damnit! And Miss Mystic Falls did not cower or stammer in front of anyone. Not even a sharp-tongued Original Hybrid who had a tendency to rip out hearts when somebody crossed him, or blinked the wrong way, or probably as a flexing exercise in the morning.

Giving herself another quick pep talk, Caroline absently pushed the wet curls off her face and away from her neck. It didn't escape her notice that Klaus's eyes momentarily followed the motion of her hands before returning to that disinterested expression.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

"Of course," he said evenly. "Would you like to come inside, or would you prefer to stay out here, so that you have an easy escape route after you've said your piece?"

Caroline inwardly winced. Once she could admit that there was some semblance of a heart left inside Klaus, it was also possible that that between the two of them, he wasn't the last one guilty of doing some heart-ripping.

"Inside is fine."

Klaus turned to walk back inside without another word, leaving her to follow him.

Caroline closed the door behind her, and paused with her forehead against the wood-grained oak, blowing out a breath.

Last time she'd been standing in this position, Klaus had been pressed up behind her, his body boxing hers in against the doors, mouth pressed hotly in the curve of her neck as she threw her head back on his shoulder and buried her hands in his hair.

This time, she was preparing to give answers she still didn't have.

"Yes," she whispered lowly, wondering if Klaus was still listening. "I think I am lost."