Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! I am so so sorry for the long wait! 2 or 3 days turned into two weeks! sorry!
I give you the beta'd version by the very helpful and brilliant beta of mine Heather (xklarolinexdreamsx- tumblr)
Enjoy!
As Caroline began to dig, she could feel the palms of her hands beginning to blister. She paused for a moment's rest and looked down at her injured palms.
"Already tired, love?" Klaus asked as a small smirk began to play on his full lips.
"I'm fine," Caroline spat back.
Klaus hesitated for a second. "Are you sure?"
"Yes commander, I'm fine." Caroline glared at him. "Now can we just finish digging this freaking hole?"
"Well of course we can. Do continue, then." Klaus replied; his smirk now fully visible on his lips. He stopped digging and Caroline immediately huffed in annoyance. The nerve this guy had is unbelievable, she thought.
"Of course you're not going to help me. I should have known…" Caroline muttered under her breath, and she threw the dirt to the side angrily.
Klaus grinned and tilted his head at her, slyly. "What did you say, love? I didn't hear you."
"Don't worry about it. If you're not going to help me you might as well just go. I'll find my own way back, it's no problem." Caroline muttered, and brushed a hand across her sweating forehead.
"I will help you, I promise, but first… tell me about yourself." Klaus finished as he smiled at the teenager. He still couldn't figure out why he wanted to know more about the blonde who stood before him, but he did, so there was no use fighting it.
"Why do you want to know anything about me?" Caroline asked. She raised her eyebrows at him; though the fluttering in her stomach offered other ideas other than confusion.
With a quick shrug, Klaus looked away from her stare. "Just trying to make conversation… it looks like we're going to be out here for some time."
"How much more do we have to dig?" Caroline whined, and she looked down at the shovel in her hands, then the dirt.
"A good amount," Klaus replied as he took out his canteen.
Her eyebrows furrowed again. "Well...what is the exact amount?"
Klaus didn't answer her, and Caroline felt herself growing more and more persistent as the silence lapped on. "You didn't answer my question." She pressed.
Taking a lengthy drink from the canteen, Klaus didn't bother to form a reply. Caroline looked over at him before huffing in annoyance.
"At least turn away from me when you're drinking." She grumbled.
"Oh right," Klaus apologised, half-heartedly. ", sorry love."
Okay, that's it!
"Stop calling me that!" Caroline yelled out annoyed.
Confusion enveloped Klaus' thoughts. "Calling you what?" He demanded.
"Love," Caroline answered, in an awful attempt at mocking his accent. "Where are you from anyway?" She felt her thoughts quickly derail; her curiosity getting the better of her once again.
"London."
"Why did you move here?" She began to daydream about the beauty within the streets of London. "London is beautiful!" Maybe one day she would be able to visit London with her significant other.
Klaus shrugged again. "I wanted to train the Israeli teenagers for the military, and I guess you could say my family and I wanted to be close to God. This is the holy land after all."
"I guess…" Caroline muttered; her attempt at being polite declining rapidly.
"So what's going on between you and the ill-mannered girl?" Klaus wondered out loud. He thought back to the way Caroline and Haley had been glaring daggers at one another, and found himself drawn in by her actions.
"What girl?" Caroline asked, confused.
"Haley," Klaus clarified.
"Oh… well, she's just acting like a complete bitch, that's all. And if she even thinks that calling me names is going to stir up a reaction, then she's wrong!" Caroline paused. "I'm not going to let some bitch stomp all over me." She added, firmly.
"So what's your plan?" Klaus asked as he looked at Caroline curiously.
Caroline's eyebrows rose once again. "My plan?"
"For Haley."
"Oh…" Caroline hesitated, and then cleared her throat. ", I'm not sure I should be telling my commander about what I am planning on doing to one of his recruits."
"Oh come on!" Klaus broke off. ", I won't say anything." He added; looking across at her with his trademark puppy dog eyes. Klaus also knew that he was making a complete fool of himself by speaking to a recruit, but he just couldn't help it. Conversation just flows with this girl, he thought, mildly amused.
"Nah… "
Caroline shook her head, and stuck the shovel back into the Earth. She lifted her eyes to Klaus and, boldly, added; ", stick around and you'll find out soon enough."
Klaus rolled his eyes, though still amused, and then looked back down at his canteen. A smirk appeared on his lips and Caroline noticed almost immediately.
"Do you want this?" Klaus asked as he held out his canteen for her.
Caroline looked down at the canteen and then swallowed. She looked back up at him and into his eyes, questioning her commander's actions for a lengthy moment or two. After his gaze remained honest, Caroline could tell that he wasn't lying to her.
"Yes," Caroline replied, calmly.
Klaus nodded. "Just as I thought..." He trailed off, and then winked at the thirsty blonde. "So tell me your plan." He stated, his wicked smirk growing.
"Do I have to?" Caroline protested. Although she was thirsty, getting the better of her commander just might be worth it.
"You don't have to, but then you won't be getting this delicious ice cold water." Klaus shook the canteen slowly; his blue-grey eyes lighting up playfully.
"Okay fine!" Caroline said, defeated. "My plan-" She began, but Klaus held up a hand and interrupted her.
"Don't lie." He stated simply. ", I can always tell when a person- a recruit especially - is lying."
Caroline rolled her eyes at the commander. "Actually," I wasn't planning on it."
"Good," Klaus smirked. "Now please, do continue."
Klaus sat down on the ground and Caroline said, "We need to finish digging."
"I know we do but come, sit." He waved a hand at the rest of the discarded shovels. "The digging can wait."
"Alright…" Caroline said, uneasily. She reluctantly threw her shovel on the ground and walked over to where Klaus sat. She perched down beside him and rested her hands in her laps, her entire body on edge as Caroline realised she was alone with her handsome commander.
"Now that we're settled, continue." Klaus motioned for Caroline to speak.
"I am simply going to take what she wants." Caroline said; a smirk visible on her chapped lips.
"And what is it that she wants?" Klaus wondered. He looked at the blonde with a burning curiosity in his eyes.
"Give me the water first." Caroline said as she pointed at his canteen.
Klaus sighed but nodded, and removed the cap. He slowly poured the water into the small cap and handed it to Caroline.
"That's it?" Caroline asked, feeling cheated.
"For now," Klaus replied coolly.
Caroline brought the cap to her lips and gulped it down in one go. She gave an audible moan of pleasure as the icy water travelled down her wheezing throat.
"Good?" Klaus raised an eyebrow.
"Perfect," Caroline answered as she cleared her throat. She was still thirsty but it was bearable now.
Klaus gave a short nod and motioned for her to continue.
"Look, why do you even want to know so badly?" Caroline persisted. For the life of her, she couldn't work out why a commander was interested in the social interactions between the recruits.
"I want to know 'so badly' because I have to know what it is that is going on between my recruits. I want to know about your plan because I am wondering how it is that you're planning on making her time here a living hell." Klaus said.
Caroline paused for a moment. It was as she had thought; he wanted to know everything he could towards his own advantage. "Something tells me you're not a big fan of hers…" She replied.
"Likewise," Klaus stated.
He knew that he wasn't allowed to express his personal opinion regarding a recruit, but he did anyway. He also knew that it was extremely unprofessional of him to do so, but he was definitely entitled to his own opinion. Klaus usually kept his opinions to himself, and he wouldn't have told Caroline that he wasn't very fond of Haley but since she figured it out anyway, there was no use denying it.
Flicking at the sand with her fingertips, Caroline gave a quiet sigh. "Okay, do you still want to know or what?"
"Obviously," Klaus answered.
"Alright then… here goes. I think Haley has her eyes set on Tyler, the guy with the perfect body," She clarified.
Klaus rolled his eyes at the blonde, but he accepted that as a female, she was entitled to scrutinise the opposite gender.
Even if it makes me...angry?
He ignored the thought pointedly. "Yes I know Tyler." He said. "What do you plan on doing?"
"I am going to make him hate her." Caroline said sardonically.
Klaus nodded at her and said, "Truth be told, I haven't noticed Tyler taking any interest in her."
"I know his sort. He pretends to not notice a girl but in reality he's thinking of ways to, well… you know." Caroline drifted off into silence. She didn't exactly feel comfortable talking to her commander about how Tyler wanted to fuck Haley senseless.
Fortunately, Klaus understood what Caroline was trying to say so he saved her from stating the obvious and nodded again.
"You're right." He stated, and handed her the canteen, just as promised. Caroline held out a hand and took it gratefully. She tilted her head back, drinking straight from the canteen in large gulps. Usually, Caroline was deathly afraid of other people's germs, but she didn't really care at the moment.
When she was finished drinking and satisfied, Caroline closed the canteen and placed it back on the sandy ground. With another sigh, she leaned forwards and picked up her abandoned shovel. She got right back to work and Klaus followed suit; the pair of them silent yet comfortable. He took his own shovel and began to dig; a surprisingly beaming grin plastered on his face the whole time.
An hour later and the pair were a half an inch away from finishing the dig. The scorching heat shined down on them and Klaus felt uncomfortably sweaty in his outfit. He thought about losing his shirt, but he realised it wasn't exactly proper to strip in front of a recruit.
Caroline noticed her commander's frown and sighed. "You can take off your shirt you know."
Startled, Klaus blinked in surprise at her boldness. "Do you mind?" He asked.
"Nah," Caroline said as she looked up at the sky. The recruit placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head in defeat.
"Something wrong?" Klaus wondered. He shrugged off his shirt and carefully placed it on the ground.
"How do you manage to stay out here all day? The sun is horrible. I don't even have any sunscreen on…" Caroline mumbled, annoyed.
Klaus shrugged. "You'll get used to it, and a tan is always good."
Caroline looked over at him, and was about to mutter another witty retort when she noticed his bare skin, revealing the incredible form behind the uniform. Caroline looked down at the ground, embarrassed, and she began to feel her cheeks growing hotter. She made a deliberate move to look anywhere but at her commander.
Klaus noticed and smirked, grabbing the canteen. He drank from it, just like Caroline did an hour ago, and wiped his lips.
"Next time you're out here, wear a hat or something."
"I don't have a hat though." Caroline attempted, weakly. Looking across at his face, she couldn't dare to look at his chest, not when he was looking at her anyway.
She noticed that Klaus had a tattoo on his left arm that extended onto the side of his chest.
It's a good tattoo. Caroline thought, dumbly.
"Why didn't you bring a hat?" Klaus looked at her with wide eyes. "You're in a desert for crying out loud. Hats are a necessity." He had a couple of hats in his barrack; perhaps he could fetch one for the blonde later on.
"I wasn't exactly keen on coming here, so I didn't really think much about what it was I would need during my stay." Caroline replied honestly.
Klaus shook his head, exasperated. "Why doesn't anybody want to be here?"
"Oh, I don't know." She pondered, deadpan. "Maybe because it's hot as hell and the food sucks?"
"Yes it is hot here, but the food isn't so bad. It's not sushi but it's tasty." Klaus defended.
"You're just saying that." Caroline muttered, but a playful smile crept onto her lips. She stopped digging for a few moments and frowned as she looked down at her palms. They were a violent shade of red and blistered from tip to wrist, and she could see a thin trail of blood centred in the middle of her palms.
"You're bleeding," Klaus noted, and stopped digging instantly. He took a few steps over to her and gently took her right hand in his left.
Confused by the sudden appearance of his caring nature, Caroline slowly looked down at their joined hands. She held her breath and looked into his eyes. "It is fine." She murmured softly.
"I know, but at least let me pour some water onto it."
"No… It's going to burn."
Klaus gave a nod, his eyes locked on hers. "For a little, but at least then you'll know that your hand is somewhat clean."
The blonde shook her head but Klaus ignored the movement. He reached for the canteen and opened it. Before Caroline had another moment to react, he took her hand again and carefully, but surely, tipped the water onto it. Caroline didn't complain, but she bit her lip to ignore the slight burning sensation.
Watching her intently, Klaus didn't understand why he suddenly cared for a girl that wasn't even his family. Just a couple of hours ago they hadn't even been friends, and now here they were; with him tending her wound and fretting over a small cut.
Caroline took in a sharp breath as Klaus lowered his head and blew on her wound. She held her breathe again, savouring the gentle feeling for a few moments. He pulled away, taking out a piece of gauze to wrap it around Caroline's right hand.
"All clean," Klaus smiled as he put the remaining gauze away.
Caroline's eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you being so nice, and...caring?" She asked her commander quietly.
"I am not," Klaus said; half-heartedly because he knew that he was being nice and caring to the blonde. He couldn't believe that just a mere couple of hours ago, they couldn't stand each other.
"Yeah… I believe you." Caroline said sarcastically. Trying to preserve what was left of her pride, she grabbed the shovel again. She was just as about to start digging when Klaus stopped her.
"I could finish the rest." He offered.
Caroline swallowed. "Oh… uh… no it's okay, I got it."
"I insist." His eyes bore into hers, both commanding and gentle in a way that Caroline had never witnessed before.
"Uh… alright." She found herself saying.
Klaus nodded at her and began to dig in her area. Sitting back down on the ground, Caroline looked down at her gauze-covered hand and sighed. She closed her eyes, exhausted as she leant back.
With her eyes still closed, she asked, "What's with the tattoo?"
"Which one?" Little did Caroline know, but her commander had more than one tattoo. Three, to be exact.
"The one with the birds and the feather." She clarified, her interest peaked even further.
"Oh… I don't know." Klaus answered, honestly. "It's just something I got after my very first set of recruits went off to the military."
"Really?" Caroline asked, surprised.
"Yes." He replied. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
"I don't know… I guess I just thought that you don't really care for the recruits."
"Well I guess I do. I got this tattoo because, for me, it symbolized how both my former recruits and my current recruits are going out into the world or are going to be heading into the real world. That's what the feather represents. It's sort of a symbol for a safety net, and the birds are flying away, just like the way my recruits will be leaving this safe place in order to fight for their country." Klaus replied. He shook his head at how corny he sounded, almost cursing out loud for his dramatic descriptions.
"Wow, I didn't know you were so deep." Caroline said, honestly. She was mesmerized with his explanation of that particular tattoo, and she longed to ask about another.
"Yeah, I didn't know that either." Klaus said and chuckled.
Caroline smiled at him and he said, "All done here."
"Really? Finally!" Her smile grew wider as she jumped up happily.
Klaus gave a low chuckle and threw the shovel onto the ground. He rubbed his hands together and grabbed the canteen. He was surprised that there was still any water left so he drank the remaining liquid gratefully.
Once he was finished drinking he motioned upwards, "You go first."
"Okay," Caroline said nervously as she looked up. She had to climb a bit to get out of the hole and she knew for a fact that she wasn't a good climber.
"Here goes nothing." She mumbled, and began to climb up.
Klaus watched her with his shirt in his hands. She almost got out of the hole without any trouble until she caught her foot towards the edge. With a gasp, Caroline's hands lost their grip and she tumbled down again. She was about to hit the ground when Klaus quickly moved and caught her in his arms.
Caroline trembled in his hold. She had always hated heights, ever since she was a little girl, so the gratitude she felt towards her commander was indescribable.
"Are you okay?" Klaus asked as he looked down at her cradled in his arms.
"Ye-ah," Caroline choked out. "You saved me."
Klaus nodded and placed her feet on the ground reluctantly. He rather enjoyed the way the blonde felt against his naked chest, but he just couldn't understand why. She was a bloody recruit! An eighteen year old girl, whilst he was a twenty five year old man.
Caroline swallowed again at the lump that was beginning to form in her throat, so she went over to the wall awkwardly.
"Do you want me to climb up their first?" Klaus asked quietly.
"But…what if I fall again?" Caroline asked as a frown appeared on her lips.
"You won't," Klaus said immediately.
He grabbed his shirt and drew it over his head and across his chest. He clipped the canteen onto his green pants and went over to where Caroline stood. He began to climb the wall and once he was out he motioned for Caroline to start climbing.
She swallowed nervously but acquiesced anyway. She was almost at the top when she could feel her boot beginning to slip again.
Oh no.
Klaus saw the fear in the blonde's eyes so he leaned across the hole and reached for her hands. He hoisted Caroline out of the hole and the movement caused her to fall on top of him; the pair landing in an intimate lock. She looked into Klaus' eyes and bit her bottom lip. Great, I'm on top of my damn commander, she concluded, awkwardly.
"I…" Caroline began to say.
Klaus ignored her, the sudden overwhelming urge to place his hand on her cheek taking over any other command. He watched as Caroline looked down at him nervously; her breath hitching as he began to caress her cheek in his palm.
Taking in a sharp breathe, Caroline startled as Klaus raised his head. He had been an inch away from her lips when they heard somebody yell, "Are you done yet?"
Caroline rolled off Klaus quickly and her commander cleared his throat. The intimacy was gone, and it wasn't returning anytime soon. She watched as Klaus quickly jumped off the floor and looked at the intruder. When he spotted Kol coming towards them, he gritted his teeth.
When Kol finally jogged over to them he asked, "What the bloody hell took so long?"
"We had to dig a good amount, Kol. We're finished though." Klaus said as he looked straight at his brother; refusing to meet Caroline's gaze.
"It's about damn time!" Kol winked. "Let's go. Father has called for a meeting."
Father? Caroline wondered. Were Klaus and Kol brothers? And if so, who was their father?
Klaus sighed, impatiently. "Alright, fine, I'm coming."
"Good!" Kol grinned again and turned away from the pair.
"Can you get back to your barrack yourself, Miss Forbes?" Klaus asked, the emotion gone from his tone.
Caroline lifted her chin. "Yes, Commander Niklaus. I can."
"Good, then you are excused." Klaus nodded, shortly.
Caroline nodded back at him, assuming there was to be no mention of what had just happened, but when Kol began to walk Klaus put his hand on her arm and spun her around to face him.
His mouth was inches from hers as he whispered, "I'm sorry. I lost control."
"We're both at fault here." Caroline whispered back.
Klaus gave a sad nod, "It's not going to happen again."
Caroline nodded at him, equally sad, and turned away from him. She walked back to her barrack quickly, her thoughts lost in the moment. When she noticed the barracks in the distance she began to freak out. Her commander had been about to kiss her, and she hadn't of minded it at all, despite him acting like a first class jerk just a couple of hours ago.
What the hell is going on with me?! She thought.
Caroline let out a breath, brushing off any more thoughts about shirtless commanders, and breathe-taking moments, and entered her barrack.
There you have it! Good? Bad? OOC? Alright?
I hope you guys liked the little part where Klaus explained the symbolization of his tattoo! I thought I could add that in :)
Kol the cock-blocker?
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~Hana :)