I'm still amazed at the response!
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! IT MEANS SO MUCH!
Please remember to review at the end! :)
Three Weeks Later…
Caroline watched as Klaus picked up the paint brush, and dabbed it on canvas. "I know you can paint better than a spot." She stated, watching him smirk, and bow his head.
She had been living with the Mikaelson family for three weeks, and had come to care for them. She looked forward to her afternoons with Esther and Mrs. Ryan, giving her advice and laughter, to which sometimes Rebekah, when she was visiting, would join in. Caroline found a kindred spirit with Rebekah, and found she enjoyed texting the other blonde during the day. Elijah was a little hard to talk to, but he loosened up some when she was with Rebekah.
Klaus on the other hand was a different story. Caroline found herself waking up with a smile on her face every morning, loving the idea of her new job. She admitted that at first she hated the thought of working for an arrogant man, but now…
He wasn't as arrogant as she thought. He was lonely. She discovered in her short time that she enjoyed discussing art and ambitions they both had. The only topic they never broached was the accident, hers and his.
She found out through Mrs. Ryan that the accident had been a head on collision with Klaus' brother, Kol driving and their younger brother, Henrik in the back seat. The road had been slippery that night due to the ice patch, and Kol lost control of the car and rammed into a tree. Henrik died due being thrown from the car. Kol had banged his head, and remained in a coma for the past year with Esther going to visit him regularly. Klaus had survived, how they weren't sure, but due to a piece of shrapnel embedded in his brain, he was blind.
They had moments where they would bicker, but she wouldn't back down. She knew the loneliness had taken its toll on him, so she tried to break through. Through the bickering, they had learned to respect each other in the three weeks. Today, she was helping with his daily exercise to paint. He hardly left this room, so it was really an exercise when he knew where everything was, but painting was another thing altogether. She had told him that he could see through his mind, and with the bottle of paint in one hand with the brush in the other.
Klaus lifted the paint brush, and put another dot on the canvas. He could he see the image in his mind. He saw the canvas in his mind's eye, and felt the closeness of it.
"Okay, now you're just fooling around." She stated, shaking her head.
Klaus chuckled, and dipped the brush into the paint. Lifting the brush to the canvas, he ran a streak over the canvas.
She laughed out, and threw her head back. "Okay, you are so not taking this seriously." She stated, reaching for the brush, only to have him pull it back from her.
"Oh, I'm serious." He stated, chuckling as her attempts to reach the brush were unfruitful. His other arm wrapped around her waist, and in just a moment, she fell forward.
He stopped chuckling, and felt her hands touch his chest. Her fingers curled on his chest, and he swallowed as his heart began to pound.
Caroline lifted her eyes to his face, and saw the handsome glow just shine off him. "Um,"
Klaus lowered his hand with the brush, and lightly touched her nose with the tip, figuring out where it was due to her breathing.
She jerked back, and gasped. "Oh, no you didn't!" She shouted, pulling back, slapping his chest lightly.
He laughed, and dropped his arm from her waist, missing the feel of her against him.
She touched her nose, and rubbed the blue spot off as best as she could. "I should pay you back." She stated, taking a rag, and rubbed her nose.
He turned, and lifted his hand to stop hers from rubbing her nose. "Here," He whispered, tracing the rag along her face, finally lifting it up to her nose, and started to rub the tip.
Caroline opened her mouth to protest. This wasn't professional. She was a nurse, hired to help this man, not let him rub paint from her nose, and not let him get close.
"How can you be sure you got it off?" She whispered, breathlessly.
Klaus smiled, and dropped his hands. "I can't. I just wanted to touch your face." He answered, dropping the rag on the easel, and backed up, leaving her breathless.
This wasn't professional.
"I…I have to go." She muttered turning on her heel, and nearly ran out of the room.
Klaus turned and called out to her, confusion lining his features. What did he say?
~XXX~
Caroline entered her house, and went straight to her bed, and flung herself across. She heard Christmas jump on the bed, and placed her head on Caroline's back.
"I made a mistake, Chrissy." She whispered, lifting her head. She sniffed, and wiped her face with her left hand. "I care for him." She added, rolling over to wrap her arm around her friend. "It's crazy, isn't it?"
Christmas whined, and nudged her head against Caroline's shoulder.
Caroline hugged her close, and let the tears flow.
She was falling for her client.
~XXX~
Klaus lifted the brush and touched the canvas. The image his fingers traced when he touched her face today, etched in his mind. In his mind's eye, he saw her face, and slowly he began to let her face become etched on the canvas.
It was risky, but this was something that wouldn't let him go. He needed to paint it. He needed to paint her.
~XXX~
Caroline walked in the backyard with Christmas walking beside her. Her mind filled with thoughts that she never thought of before. The wind blew around her, and she felt her mind go over the incidents, and wondered how she ever let it get this far.
"It's been three weeks!" She stated, loudly, lifting her head to the sky. "Oh, I need help."
~XXX~
"Are you okay?"
Caroline paused in the room, and swallowed. "I'm fine." She answered, feeling her friend stop beside her.
Klaus nodded, and settled in the couch of the guest house. "I haven't been in here in a year." He remarked, crossing his legs.
Caroline closed the door, and sighed. "You walked here by yourself?" She asked, knowing he never left the house, not even to walk outside.
He nodded, and smirked. "I did. Thanks to this," He replied, holding out his walking cane.
Caroline smiled, and shook her head. "Okay, I've been trying for three weeks to get you to use that cane, and you have yelled at me that you don't need it." She stated, moving her arm up and down.
Klaus smiled, and let out a small laugh. "Well when you left abruptly this afternoon, I figured I needed to." He returned, wishing he could see her face.
Caroline bit her bottom lip, and groaned. "I just needed a breath of air." She responded, as Christmas moved towards Klaus. "Christmas…"
Klaus leaned forward, and extended his hand forward. Christmas dipped her head, and walked under Klaus' hand. His hand scratched Christmas' head, and he smiled even more. "What kind of dog is she?" He asked, as she walked closer to him.
Caroline sat down in the chair across from Klaus, and smiled. "A Siberian Husky,"
He nodded, and hummed. "Color?"
"Grey and white with blue eyes,"
Klaus hummed, and continued to scratch her ears. "Christmas, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I named her after my favorite holiday. Happy times," She answered, watching the interaction with interest.
Klaus leaned back. "We haven't celebrated Christmas in a year." He replied, softly.
"Why?" She asked, watching his jaw clench. "Oh,"
Klaus swallowed, and turned his head. "I spent Christmas last year in the hospital finding out I would never see again." He continued, roughly.
She bowed her head. "I spent Christmas last year in the same place." She returned, softly.
"Your mum?" He asked, carefully.
"Yeah," She answered, though her voice was shaky not from the memory, but from the information she was leaving out.
"Caroline?" He asked, after a moment, as Christmas climbed up on the sofa and laid her head on Klaus' lap.
She swallowed, and lowered her head. "It wasn't just my mom in the hospital." She answered, standing up. "Look, I'm not here to…"
"To tell me about your life," Klaus interrupted, standing up, and moved towards her, hearing her shift on her feet. "Look, Caroline, I get the feeling that we are the same. We've both been hurt, and you need anyone to talk to…" He trailed off, letting her know she could count on him.
She sighed, and closed her eyes. "Maybe later," She responded, watching his face fall. "Thank you,"
Those simple words lifted his face a fraction, and she smiled. "You haven't had many friends, have you?"
"No," She answered, sadly. "Except Christmas," She added with a smile.
"Dogs are wonderful companions, so I hear." He responded, smiling.
"They are. They don't judge by looks or tragedies. They give love and are there for you when you've had a hard day." She explained, moving to sit at Christmas' side.
Klaus moved carefully around, feeling for the end the dog's head, before sitting down. "You have a scar on your left cheek." He stated, simply.
Caroline stilled her movements, and her eyes widened. "How…"
"I felt it earlier when I was helping clean the paint." He answered before she could get the question out. "Is that why you got defensive when I made the comment when we first met?" He asked, listening to her silence. He sighed, and bowed his head. "How far does it go?"
"From my left temple to edge of my mouth," She answered, knowing there was no hiding it now.
He lifted his right hand, and touched her face, starting from the left side of her face to the edge of the scar, feeling it slightly puckered, but in his mind he didn't see the scar. He saw pain. "You've tried plastic surgery." He felt her nod.
"It helped some, but I couldn't afford to get rid of it completely." She remarked, as he continued to stroke her face.
"Why would you?" He asked, lowly.
She closed her eyes, letting his hand move over her face, sketching her in his mind. Let him, she thought. He was going too sooner or later. "Because it's a reminder," She answered, feeling his hand move over her eyes.
"A reminder of what?" He asked, gently, memorizing every contour of her face, finding her more beautiful with each trace.
Tears filled her eyes, and she felt his hands catching the tears.
"Caroline,"
Tears leaked from her eyes. "I didn't stop my mom from driving that night." She whispered, leaning unconsciously against his hand. "It was because of me she died." She added, feeling his thumbs run over the bottom of her eyes.
"It wasn't your fault, Caroline." He whispered, wishing he could see her with his eyes.
Caroline bowed her head, and rested her hand on her dog. "How do you know?" She asked, her voice cracking.
Klaus' hand moved through her hair, loving the softness, and sighed. "Because I could have stopped Kol that night, but I didn't, and it resulted in the death of my baby brother, and Kol ended up in a coma." He answered, dropping his hands to rest on the back of the couch and the other caught hers on top of her dog.
Caroline sniffed, and felt the air in the room change. "It wasn't your fault either." She whispered, feeling his hand squeeze hers.
"It seems we've been carrying around too much guilt." He responded, with a soft smile.
"So it would seem," She returned, smiling. "So you've never really celebrated Christmas?" She asked, watching him smile and laughed.
"Well, like I said, we didn't have a reason to last year." He explained, knowing she didn't mean any harm.
"Well, I think we should celebrate this year." She remarked, feeling his thumb move unconsciously over the back of her hand. "We both survived."
His smile faded, and his head bowed. "Yeah,"
"Hey," She began, taking in his fallen expression. "I read your file, before I took this job." She began, watching his face become defensive. "I know what that shrapnel means."
He turned his head. "I haven't told my family yet." He replied, softly.
Caroline bowed her head. "It could be nothing in the long run." She responded.
He frowned, and let go of her hand. "Yeah, and I could remain blind for the rest of my life."
"Would it be so bad?" She asked, as he stood up. "I mean, you've made so much progress in the three weeks I've been here. You've learned to use the cane. You've gotten out of the house, even it was to come to the guest house." She encouraged, watching his back stiffen. "You could still have a life, Klaus."
"What kind of life is there for a blind man, Caroline?" He asked, turning to face her, even if he couldn't see her.
"A normal life," She answered, standing up to face him head on. "You wanted honesty, so here it is." She began, placing her hands on her hips. "Yes, there are struggles with this, but everyone has struggles. You can overcome this, Klaus." She remarked, watching his jaw clench. "Don't give up now."
He stepped back, and turned towards the door. "What kind of normal is there? How could I have a normal life being blind? How could I have a family when no woman would look at me unless it's with sympathy? What woman would see beyond the injury?" He asked, reaching for the door knob, feeling the cane hit the door.
"I would."
He stilled, and slowly turned to face her, surprise lining his face. "What?"
Caroline swallowed, and stepped forward. "I would."
Klaus' face said it all, and Caroline wished at that moment she hadn't said a word.
"You would?"
Caroline nodded, and swallowed once more. "I would."
Klaus moved towards her, and stopped a foot in front of her, feeling her warmth. "You would?" He asked, again, feeling her breath on his face.
"Yes," She choked out, watching his hand lift to touch her face.
His thumb moved over her lips, and she opened her mouth. "I might die, Caroline."
"You might live." She returned, as his head lowered to touch his lips to hers.
~XXX~
In her mind, she screamed at herself for what she had done. She had kissed a patient. Worse, she had let him kiss her.
It was unprofessional. Completely unprofessional.
Lying in bed that night, she groaned, and lifted her hand to touch her lips. His kiss had left her shaking and wanting more, but she had resisted, and had pulled back.
He had murmured an apology, but she could tell he didn't mean it.
He was trying to get under her skin. Her eyes hardened at the thought. They may have an understanding of the pain they both experienced, but that didn't mean he had the right to kiss her.
She turned her head to the clock beside her bed, and groaned again. 3 am.
Making a decision as she rolled over to throw her arm over her dog, she closed her eyes. He wasn't going to get to her again.
He wasn't going to.
Please be kind!
I had written this a few days ago, but the ending just didn't agree with me, well the kiss didn't, but somehow I couldn't change it, so I ended up writing Caroline in her bed. I hope you like it.
Again, I'm going to update every other day, to give y'all a chance to read and review, and for me to write what I need to.
Next Chapter: Argument
Until Next Time...