Hi Everyone! I am terribly sorry for the long wait on this and my other stories. Life has been busy and not very kind to me lately. Everything is fine, nothing that can't be fixed (such as overflowing washing machines) or handled (such as throwing my back out so bad I couldn't sit/stand or even think for the past month).
I am working on coming out of this stupid writer's block I've had as well. In fact, if you are also dealing with that dumb wall, head over to Tumblr and search, Klaroline MashUp, type it in the search as all one word. A new Klaroline writing/creating event has been made!
Anywho, I'll let you get to it. I hope you enjoy! Any and all mistakes are my own. I do not own TVD/TO.
.
.
.
The night air was crisp but the fire was roaring and large, emitting enough heat that the light cardigan Caroline wore was enough to keep her warm. She stood in a group of Tyler's friends, smiling and chuckling under her breath with barely any effort, assuming they all thought she was paying attention. Glancing around at most of the senior and junior classmates laughing and dancing, some even drinking whatever booze they could smuggle from home or get an older sibling to buy, she couldn't help but feel apart from it all.
Tyler's arm latched firmly around her waist since getting out of his car wasn't helping.
It was odd. Tyler's presence always used to make her feel safe, secure and loved. But now? Now she couldn't help but feel stifled and smothered. The way his grip tightened when the guys jokingly asked why she was spending so much time with Klaus and if Tyler had new competition.
Of course, they never called Klaus by his actual name. Caroline scoffed under her breath thinking of the names they had called him earning her a sideways glare from Tyler. By the look in his eyes her freshly painted on grin did nothing to calm his own raging thoughts.
Her assumption was proved true when he spoke up over the laughter of his friends.
"Alright guys. Enough football talk. Me and my girl here," He pulled Caroline in tighter causing an uncomfortable grunt to whoosh from her lips, "are going for a walk."
The lecherous eyes and cat-call whistles that followed them as Tyler led her towards the darkened woods made her skin crawl. Why was it that guys their age only seemed to have one thing on their minds? Caroline thought as she dutifully followed beside Tyler, wondering if it ever changed when guys reached a certain age. She could only hope that would prove to be true as her mind raced with ways to get out of this without pissing Tyler off.
So deep in thought of things she really didn't want to deal with right now, she didn't realized they had come to a stop just inside the cover of the trees until Tyler's voice jolted her.
"What the hell is going on Care?"
"What do you mean?" She asked feigning innocence.
Tyler ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he threw his other arm out wide, "I mean that you aren't even here!"
Caroline giggled, tilting her head with a soft smile, "Tyler I'm standing right here, where else would I be?"
"That's just it Care, I don't know!" He shouted before sighing when he seen her flinch, "Normally you are the life of the party, right smack at the center of it all. But tonight, I don't know, it's like you're miles away."
"Sorry Ty." She placed her hand on his chest trying to appease him, "I just have a lot on my mind right now is all."
"What? Like Klaus?" He sneered.
"Excuse me?" She fired off, yanking her hand off his chest to wave a pointed finger in his face with her other fisted against her hip, "I don't like the tone you're taking with me. And no! Not Klaus. Just…it's just…" She stumbled over her words huffing before whispering pleadingly, "You just want things I'm not ready for Tyler."
"This is about sex?" He blurted with large eyes before laughing softly as he gentle pressed her back against a tree. While his smile was soothing, it did little to calm her nerves as she gazed at him with big doe eyes.
"Tyler, what…"
"Shh. It will be fine Caroline. I mean I get it, as a girl you're scared about the pain but you know I wouldn't hurt you." He whispered the last bit before laying a series of sloppy kisses along her neck. His thigh pressed between hers caused more of a discomfort than the pleasure she was sure he intended it to be.
Caroline knew he wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable. She knew he was only attempting to put her in the mood but all his lips and body pressed up against her was doing was making her stomach sick and her skin crawl.
She halfheartedly tried to push him away by his shoulders, "Wait Ty."
"Just give it a chance Care." He mumbled against her neck, the scent of booze on his breath finding its way up to her nose made her even more sick.
She called his name again, gripping the back of his hair to pull him away which only spurred him on, bringing a groan from his lips seconds before his teeth nipped into her neck.
"Ow!" She screeched, pushing him away with all her might making him stumble back in shock. Her hand raced to her throat in horror, pulling her fingers back fully expecting to find blood on them. Her relief at finding that was not the case was short lived as her temper began to flare. "What the hell Tyler!" She shouted as she shoved him, "What's wrong with you?!"
Tyler stood stunned at her outburst before sneering, "What's wrong with me? How about what's wrong with you?!"
Caroline roughly crossed her arms over her chest with a scoff, "You cannot be serious right now. I kept telling you to stop and then you…you freaking bit me!"
Tyler's face went red with embarrassment before the alcohol in his system turned it to rage, "I thought you were enjoying yourself!"
"Well maybe you should get a clue because I so wasn't!"
"We're teenagers Care, with raging hormones and all! Its normal to want sex and all the things involving sex."
"So what? You're saying I'm not normal because I don't?"
He knew she was twisting his words around, just like she always did and it drove him nearly insane causing him to lash out, "That's exactly what I'm saying! I mean seriously Care! Do you have any idea of much flack I get from the guys over this?"
Caroline laughed sarcastically as she threw her arms out wide, "Oh yeah, god forbid you have to ward off some stupid locker room banter. I should just have sex with you to save you from that travesty."
"Yes, you should!" Somewhere in the back of Tyler's mind he knew he had just taken things a step too far but in the heat of the moment he couldn't bring himself to care.
Caroline scoffed, roughly crossing her arms over her chest, "That was sarcasm you dimwit."
"Well it doesn't make it any less true." He grumbled harshly.
"I'm just supposed to offer up my virginity for your social standing?" Her voice cracked as she screeched. "Seriously Ty, get bent." She huffed before turning to storm away shaking her head.
"You know I have plenty of other offers Caroline! If you don't do this I can find someone who will!" Tyler shouted after her.
She knew it should hurt more, it did in fact burn like acid in her stomach, but she felt so much anger coursing through her that she turned numb as she spoke softly over her shoulder, "Then go ahead. I'm done. I'm not going to do something that should be special just because you want to save face. If you really loved me at all you'd see that."
She wandered around the outskirts of the crowd for about twenty minutes. Somehow, and she had no idea how or when, she found herself with a solo cup filled with the heavily spiked punch in her hands.
Ten minutes later she had another.
Five minutes after that she downed her second cup only to grab yet another after being pulled from her inner thoughts by a group of guys hooting and hollering as a couple made out heavily against a tree.
It was Tyler and Vicky Donovan.
Xxx
Klaus sighed as he shut the door to his Aunt's car, pausing to lean against it wondering what the hell he was even doing here as he shifted the keys back and forth in his hands.
He had just finished the base of the portrait he had been working on when all his inspiration for painting fled him and instead propelled him towards the bowl holding the keys and out the door.
She had just looked so disappointed when he said he wasn't coming and he couldn't get that haunting image from his head.
Of course she was disappointed you bloody fool! His other suave inner-self berated. You were getting along famously and then you had to go and muck it up after she all but begged you to come.
Klaus scoffed quietly, he was sure that was not the case at all. But he couldn't help the hopeful whispering of, what if it was, from floating through his mind.
Was it only because she felt sorry for him that he did not have any friends or was it something more that pushed her to invite him along? He had no idea but he knew he had to find out for sure. He had to know, even if it killed him, if she felt anything even remotely close for him as he did towards her.
He had surprised himself as he drove the darkened streets, following the roads to the woods where the local teens always held these sorts of things without incident. It gave him the much-needed ego-boost that if he could handle the unfamiliar streets with ease then maybe, just maybe, he could see this thing through with Caroline.
Knowing it was now or never he drew in a steadying breath, sliding his glasses further up his nose as he pushed himself off the side of the car intent on finding Caroline through the throng of drunken partygoers he could hear just beyond the tree line.
Having arrived late, Klaus had no choice but to park at the far end of the makeshift parking lot. As he weaved through the cars, his mind played out all the possible scenarios of the coming moments. He would either find Caroline or she could have left with that no-account mutt Tyler already. Best case, he'd find her and she would be thrilled to see him. Worse case, he'd find her snogging with her boyfriend.
But of all the scenarios his mind cooked up, coming upon a stumbling drunk Caroline in the center of parking lot was not one of them.
The world was spinning too fast. Yes, that's what the problem was, Caroline thought as she propped her body against a pickup truck and leaned down to remove her shoes. Maybe if she took them off she would be all one-with-the-Earth. Only the Earth must have really wanted to be one with her as she slipped after removing only one shoe and fell flat on her rear.
Giggling she stayed on track, leaning over her sprawled legs to remove the other pesky shoe, vaguely hearing the muddled sound of her name being called.
Klaus rushed around the remaining vehicle that stood between them after he saw her fall. Calling her name worriedly as he came to a stop and knelt down beside her.
"There! Finally!" Caroline exclaimed once she was able to unhook the strap of her sandal.
"Caroline, are you alright?"
A slightly winded voice echoed around her just as a hand touched her shoulder. Looking up with slightly confused eyes, as if she had no idea she was no longer alone, it took her sight a few seconds to adjust to the off-kilter world before she realized who was next to her.
"Klaus! You made it!" Her slightly slurred shout startling Klaus as he noticed the glazed look in her eyes as she smiled drunkenly.
"Aye, I did. How about we get you up off the ground, hmm?" He was relieved when she didn't oppose to him assisting her off the ground, he knew all too well how alcohol could affect a person.
"Yeah let's, I can't be one with it anyways." She slurred as she wobbled slightly as she stood with his assistance, "I think the Earth and I are working against each other tonight."
Klaus chuckled, "What?"
"Oh nothing." She laughingly waved him off as she brushed the dirt off her back, attempting to look over her shoulder to be sure she got it all off only to end up spinning in circles. Once she stood straight, with only minor swaying she beamed a bright lopsided smile at him, "Klaus! You came!"
"Yes, I think we've covered this already." Klaus laughed as Caroline's rosy cheeks deepened in color and her tongue peeked out with a cheeky grin.
"Have we?" She shrugged her shoulders, "Oh well. You missed one heck of a night let me tell you what." Caroline pressed her lips together as she began turning in wobbly circles once again, scouting the ground for what Klaus had no clue.
"Ugh! I lost it!" She exclaimed, tossing her arms out to let them fall dejectedly against her thighs.
"What Caroline?" Klaus furrowed his brow in concern, "What did you lose?"
"My purse! Which really and truly sucks on top of a really and truly sucky night."
Klaus had to press his lips together to hold back his laughter at her drunken antics, "Sweetheart?"
Her shimmering and trusting blue eyes darted to his face as she sighed dreamily, "I like when you call me that."
"Wh..what?" He stammered as an excited tremor coursed through him, not sure whether his ears were deceiving him or not.
"Huh?" Caroline asked with a confused tilt of her head before going back to looking for her purse. "Seriously! It must be here somewhere. I am so not going back to that party."
Shaking himself out of his daze at her possible admission, "Um, Sweetheart?"
"Huh?"
He smirked, his inner-self shouting in glee, as he discovered his ear had not been deserving him by the dazed look in her eyes at his use of the pet name once again. Pointing at her, "Your purse is hanging on you."
Pouting she looked down at her body to find her purse slung across her chest. "Oh. Well there the dang thing is!"
Her look of pure perplexation and awe that she finally found what she had thought to be lost had him near doubling over in laughter, "Just how much have you had to drink this evening?"
Caroline nibbled her lower lip, shuffling on her feet sheepishly, "Maybe one or four."
His eyes widened in shock. He knew drinking was typically involved at these parties but Caroline never seemed the type to over indulge, especially with her always needing to feel in control. Something must have occurred tonight to cause her to act so out of character. No doubt that blasted Tyler had something to do with this. He growled inside his own head.
Caroline felt her eyes begin to suddenly feel heavy. She didn't normally drink so much but with the fight with Tyler and seeing him getting hot and heavy with Vicky she didn't even think about how much she was drinking. "Now I just want to curl up in bed and go to sleep. But I can't go home like this, my mom will kill me. And Elena already took off with Stefan and Bonnie didn't even show up."
Even though it curdled his stomach to ask, Klaus voiced, "Where's Tyler? Shouldn't he be helping you find a place to stay?"
Caroline startled momentarily when she realized she must have said some of that out loud before she scoffed, "Tyler is probably too busy sucking face with the town slut." She looked to Klaus and waved off his astonished look, "But I don't want to talk about that. I just want to go to sleep."
Klaus took a moment to think. From what he had gathered from her drunken ramblings, the girls she normally sported about with had either gone or not shown at all. Glancing down to his watch, he grimaced at the time. It was far too late to give Bonnie a ring and drop Caroline off there, and after the argument he had heard earlier between her and her Mother there was no way he would take her home only to be ridiculed and belittle later. We know enough about how that goes, don't we ole chap? He shook his head to clear the dark path he had no desire to travel down.
He looked back up at Caroline, her face temporarily disappearing due to a passing car's headlights bringing a glare to his glasses. Once the car had passed and his vision cleared he was met with such a darling look about her face that is warmed his heart as he made his decision.
Caroline's half-lidded childlike eyes watched him as he stepped in closer to her, "I hope you do not find this too forward, but if you would like, if…if it would suit, you are welcome to come home and stay with me." Her gasp of breath caused him to stutter on, "I mean…that is not to say that…of course it would be…" Klaus growled at his bumbling before rushing out, "I am quite sure my Aunt would not mind if you slept it off at her home."
A peal of laughter burst passed her lips, "Always the proper one aren't you Klausy?" Her step forward was more of a stumble as she stopped him from speaking, "I'm only joking." She held herself up in a mocking attempt at how she thought a high-borne lady would be like, "Why I'd be honored kind sir to have a place to sleep off this dreadful drink."
Klaus couldn't contain his laughter, nor the warmth spreading through his chest at the look of pride on her face. Offering her his arm with a nod, "Well then m'lady, let us see you from this place safely."
Klaus had breathed a sigh of thanks and relief that it hadn't taken more than a few missteps and a couple near falls to get Caroline safely seated within the car. He tried to drive as cautiously as he could and pay attention to the dark empty street, but his eyes kept traveling to his oddly silent companion. He knew she was still intoxicated but he couldn't help but wonder where her mind had taken her as she stared out the passenger side window.
"Do you ever feel like there's not a person in the world that loves you?"
Her tired voice shocked him, not just the sound of it but the words themselves. Did she really think that way? Did she truly feel so alone that she thought no one cared? This beautiful, exquisite creature whose mere presence brought with it such a warm and shining light into his world of perpetual darkness?
He wanted to tell her yes. That, Yes Caroline. I feel that every single moment of my meager existence. But once such as you? He would scoff with a tender smile and a shake of his head, You are beautiful and strong. You who are so full of light that I would die a thousand deaths upon a thousand swords just to save you from any pain. I would move the Earth and change the course of time itself just to see that gorgeous smile upon your lips. I would worship the very ground upon which you walk because there is a person in this world that loves you. Or perhaps could. For I…
"Are we driving on the wrong side of the road or am I really that drunk?"
Her sudden shifting in her seat and voice caused his eyes to widen as he realized he was indeed driving on the wrong side of the road.
"Shit." He muttered under his breath as he carefully moved the car into the correct lane. Wonderful! Great going Klaus! You offer to see the girl home safely only to put her in grave danger as you wax poetic in your own love-sick addled brain!
Sheepishly he glanced over to Caroline who seemed to be coming out of her alcohol induced haze, "I'm terribly sorry Caroline. I should have been more cautious with you in the car. I do hope you can forgive me."
Her eyes were sleepy yet her smile was soft when she turned to him, "So if I wasn't in the car you wouldn't be more careful?"
Klaus opened and closed his mouth, sputtering nonsense making Caroline giggle sweetly.
"I hope that's not the case Klaus." She laid her hand on his arm giving it a gentle squeeze before pulling back, "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you either."
Klaus smiled softly at her before he grimaced with a cough, "Yes, well umm…if we could make it a point to not mention this to my Aunt. She's only just trusted me with the car again and I would hate to lose my driving privileges once more."
Caroline shifted onto her side in the seat so she could lay her heavy head down but still look at him. For a moment, she was mesmerized by the way the streetlights played over his handsome chiseled face before his words crept into her tired mind, "Wait? So this has happened before? Driving on the wrong side of the road?"
"In my defense, where I'm from you Americans are the ones driving on the wrong side of the road, not I."
"Yeah but when in Rome."
Her low drawn out voice captured his attention. She was dangerously close to falling asleep which made him grateful he had just turned onto his Aunt's street.
He was able to garner her help in moving her along from the car and up the porch steps, but when he left her sitting in a chair next to the front door so he could turn the key within the lock that was when her assistance ended. She had fallen fast asleep.
Carefully he scooped her up into his arms, carrying her as quietly as possible into the house. His sigh of relief was short lived when he pushed the door closed with his foot just a touch too hard.
It wasn't a few moments later that his Aunt came scurrying into the room with her robe fanning out around her legs, a wooden baseball bat clutched high above her head.
Seeing it was her nephew, Dahlia's breath flew from her lungs as she lowered the bat and leaned it against the wall before flicking on a low table lamp. "So Klaus, how did it…" She trailed off as she took in the slumbering blonde that was curled up within her nephew's arms. Her eyes quickly scanned them both, finding dirt smudges on his knees while Caroline was covered on what little she could tell from her backside. "Is she alright?"
"She will be." Klaus hoped that would be enough and his Aunt would allow him to pass up the set of stairs that led to the upper level of the house, but by the look in her eyes and the tapping of her bare foot he knew that hope was pointless. Sighing he explained in a hushed tone, "I found her on the ground in the parking area. From what little I could understand she had a rough go of things this evening. I couldn't very well leave her there, nor could I take her home in her intoxicated state."
Dahlia gasped in surprise, her hand flying to her chest, "Caroline? Drunk? That doesn't make any sense."
"Aye. I thought the same."
They shared a look, both knowing whatever had happened tonight had affected Caroline immensely if she resorted to drinking so much.
Dahlia stepped forward, placing a hand on her nephew's arm with a proud smile, "I'm glad you had the foresight to bring her here. With the guest room packed with boxes and such it would take us too long to make up the bed thought."
"I was going to place her in my room." As his Aunt's eyes opened wide he sought to assure her, "Alone. I will take the sofa."
Dahlia grinned with a nod of her head, "Right. That's a good lad." She moved around him to walk towards the front door, "You see her off to bed, I'll lock up."
Dahlia had to bite her cheek to hold back the impressed and dreamy sighs at the way her nephew, a young man who thought himself incapable of love in any form, was cradle the girl to his chest as if she was the most precious thing on the planet. She wondered as she took out the keys he had mistakenly left in the lock of the door if he noticed that, even in her sleep, Caroline was gripping onto him tightly as if she trusted that he would protect her from the entire world.
Upstairs Klaus quietly chuckled as he had to pry Caroline's death grip off the collar of his jacket. Swiping his tongue over his lips in thought, he decided to chance it and turned his desk lamp on low. His eyes quickly scanned the room of anything that might embarrass him were she to find it in the morning. Thanks to his cleanliness, he only found a stray dirty sock that quickly found its home within his hamper.
He scurried quickly back down the stairs, finding his Aunt had already left a cold bottle of water as well as a few pills to help ward off any discomfort Caroline might feel in the morning before she must have trusted him enough to head back to bed.
He stopped off in the hall closet to grab a few extra blankets and pillows, dropping all but one blanket off into the living room, he took his spoils back upstairs to his room.
Caroline's temporary room.
Klaus gulped at the sight of her curled up on her side upon his bed.
Just how many times had this fantasy played out inside of his…scolding himself he shook his head at his very untimely and ungentlemanly thoughts.
He placed the bottle of water and the pills on the nightstand before quietly grabbing a pair of pajama bottoms from his drawer.
As he unfolded the blanket and gently covered Caroline's slumbering form, he could not help but smile tenderly at her as a lock of her golden blonde hair laid across her face. As softly as he could, not able to resist the temptation and reasoning that it was such a minor infraction, he brushed the backs of his finger over her smooth cheek and hooked the strand of hair behind her dainty ear.
Her quiet groan was like ice in his veins, causing him to pull his hand back as if it burnt him.
It would be no more than you deserve for touching her, no matter how innocently, as she sleeps. You are not a cad Klaus!
Too busy reprimanding himself, he failed to notice her eyes slowly open and her hand moving to catch him by the wrist.
His breath caught in his throat at the contact, his neck snapping down to look at her as she latched onto his hand and pulled him down to sit beside him.
His eyes were widened like a startled animal as she slowly sat up, cupping one side of his face with her delicate hand. Her voice was low and her face so close to his own that her breath brushed over his lips, "Thank you Klaus." Her husky sleep filled voice echoed softly around them just before her sweet lips brushed a tender kiss at the corner of his mouth.
The feeling of her lips so close and partly upon his own stopped his heart before sending it soaring, nearly pounding out of his chest. His skin tingled wondrously where her lips had touched as she pulled back with a soft smile before laying back down.
He moved in a daze, snapping the light off and padding downstairs in a breathless awe.
The tingle her lips left behind stayed with him long after he changed, removed his glasses and laid down on the sofa. It stayed long into the night as he traced his fingers over the place she had kissed, staring at the ceiling wondering what it meant and more importantly, would she remember doing so in the morning?
.
.
.
There we have it! Sorry for the long wait.
Up Next: Caroline wakes up in odd surroundings, makes an intriguing discovery and a deal is struck by the goodhearted meddler Dahlia.