Author's Note: Wow! Okay so I had writer's block like a bitch the past few days so I'm sorry for the late update, I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not while I was editing. :P But this chapter reveals something veerryyyy important! :D I wanted to reveal it later but you can't really understand it until you know the secret(; There are still a lot of unknown things about the secret though, and you'll find those out as we go! Feel free to message me or review with ideas of what you think is going on after you read the chapter... Anyway I think I like this chapter and I hope you guys do too, thanks for the reviews so far and please review for this one! They make me feel so much better after writer's block (: haha I'll let you get to it then, enjoy!
"Do you love me, Niklaus?" He looked into deep blue and green eyes as he laid in their bed with his body close to hers. Their legs were tangled together and his arm was wrapped around her waist, with full intention of holding her as close as possible for as long as possible. The feel of her smooth skin under his touch was heavenly, and he resolved that he could have laid there with her for all eternity. Her face conveyed a look of sadness though, as if she wasn't sure of his answer. Gently he tucked away a stray piece of her soft, light hair and kissed her. "Of course I love you, Caroline."
Niklaus woke up with a start when he heard the incessant ringing of a phone clouding his ears. He groaned as he got up from his bed and hesitantly picked it up, although he wanted to smash it against the opposite wall.
"What." He asked shortly.
"Get out here, it's time for breakfast." It was Elijah's voice, stern and demanding, and Niklaus immediately felt horrible. He had a headache and he was not the type to go being ordered around by others.
"I am not a child, Elijah, and I will not be tolerated being treated as such. If I'm to stay in this god-forsaken prison, I'll do as I please." Niklaus hung up the phone before letting the man utter another word and he sat down with his head in his hands. Every night he was plagued with dreams- or memories, really. They haunted him no matter how long it had been, every night for the past hundred years without fail. Always about her, about the love of his life who had died because he could not save her. Because he was weak.
The door opened and Caroline walked in, startling Niklaus. He hadn't realized that he had been sitting there for over an hour. "Good morning," she said cheerfully as she tossed a sandwhich in a baggie onto his lap along with a blood bag. "You're going to have to eat, and since you missed breakfast I figured I'd bring you something." She sat down in a chair across from him and sighed. Then was when she realized he looked different...tortured. "Are you okay?" She asked genuinely, but Klaus only chuckled under his breath.
"You would be surprised to know how much I am not okay." He looked at her and spoke to her menacingly, which made Caroline pissed off. Fine, if he wanted to treat her this way, like she was just some stupid girl assigned to him, then she could reciprocate. She sat up in her chair and looked down at her clipboard.
"Okay. Well we've gotta start somewhere, so I'll just get right to the point." She talked to him for a while and he told her about how he killed so many people, slaughtered innocents and didn't care one bit. It was like he was trying to push her away, for some reason that she would probably never understand. Some people just couldn't get over themselves, and obviously this guy was feeling too entitled to be honest with her. But she could sure as hell be honest with him.
"Well from what I've heard, it sounds like you didn't get what you wanted, so you threw a temper tantrum that resulted in blood and tears." She spoke with an accusatory tone, and he looked up at her for the first time. His eyes traveled over her face, taking in her beauty and he hated himself already for being so crude with her.
"You can't understand, you don't know...you don't know a lot about me. My story isn't a romance or a comedy, it's a tragedy." His voice turned soft and sad, and the mood in the room suddenly changed. Caroline was drawn to him, something inside her for some reason was dying to know him...
"Alright, I'll buy it." She put her clipboard down and crossed her arms and legs, leaning back in the chair.
"What are you doing?" Niklaus asked, confused when he saw her look at him like she was expecting him to do tricks for her or something.
"Tell me your story. I have to know you in order to help you, right? So let me in." Niklaus was struck when she repeated the same words that she said so many lifetimes ago. And somehow here she was again, somehow she was alive. If this was his second chance, then he would do whatever he could to keep her with him.
"Alright. What do you want to know, then?" Niklaus sat up in his chair and faced her head on.
"Why did you all of a sudden start massacring innocent people a hundred years ago?" Niklaus laughed at her question as if it was absurd. "What?"
"It's not as simple as you think, love."
"So tell me, then. We have time." She implored, dying to know his big secret. Niklaus hesitated, but he figured that telling her, maybe it would help somehow. She obviously didn't remember him; maybe telling her would help her remember. His face turned to a frown and he looked down again.
"There was a girl. She died." With all of Caroline's training somehow she had no idea how to handle this situation. She didn't know how to handle him, really. Here was this mass murdering, hybrid man who was hot one minute and cold the next, and he was opening up to her, but all she could think of was-
"What was her name?" What was her name? No "Oh gosh, I'm sorry"? or "How did she die?" Pull it together, Caroline!
"Um...what?" Niklaus tried to stall. What was her name? That had to be her first question? What was he supposed to say, "Caroline"?
"What was her name?" Caroline asked again, trying to sound more confident in her questions while internally smacking herself.
"Her name...um it was...Jooossiiphine, it was Josephine." Caroline raised an eyebrow at him.
"Josephine?" she asked and he shrugged.
"I called her Josie most of the time." He started to feel more comfortable with his story, having to remind himself that Caroline was Josie, Josie was Caroline.
"Well how did you meet her?" Caroline asked, deciding that even though it was totally obvious that he didn't want to tell her his girlfriend's name and he definitely made that up on the spot, at least she had gotten something out of him. Maybe this was the key...
Niklaus smiled to himself. Of all the memories he had with Caroline, meeting her was one that he would always remember. "Well we met back in 1215 in a small town called Warley in Essex. That's where she lived...
"I've got it, mother!" Caroline called back to her mom Elizabeth who as she walked away with the laundry in a basket that she carried away. Her mother went back inside and Caroline rolled her eyes. She was supposed to use the river to wash and do her chores but when she turned back around she bumped into a man, tossing the basket over and into the water.
"Oh, no, you have got to be joking!" Caroline didn't take time to notice the man before she stripped her skirt so that she wore only her undergarments and practically jumped into the water and tried to grab the clothes before they could get too far away. When she finally had everything she got out of the water to find the man she had bumped into holding back a laugh.
"Don't you dare, this was entirely your fault, whoever you are." The man put his hands up in defense just as Elizabeth came running.
"Caroline! What have you done, look you've gone and gotten yourself completely soaked and in your undergarments! There is a man not three yards away, young lady!" She scolded her and helped Caroline put her dress back over her head. "I'm awfully sorry, sir-"
"Oh, no please don't apologize it was entirely my fault. My name is Niklaus, Niklaus Mikaelson." He said as he handed Caroline a dress that she hadn't grabbed. "I was only passing through but I wonder if I might be able to stop by for some food I'm awfully hungry and I've been traveling for days. I swear I'm no thief." He said with a smile and Caroline rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course, of course, come on in." She led him back to the house and Caroline could feel his gaze on her as he walked by her side. She shot him a look and he smiled before looking away.
Once Elizabeth had given Niklaus some food and water she left to town and told Caroline to tend to him. She had changed into a new dress and was forced to comb her hair so it washed down her back in golden waves. She had long, blonde hair that Niklaus found to be beautiful. Once he finished his food he pushed the bowl away and sat back in his chair. Caroline sat across from him with her arms crossed.
"So to what exactly, Sir Mikaelson, do we owe this pleasure? Have you really come to take me or one of my sisters away to sell us or maybe you've decided to have us work for you?"
"None of that, Miss Caroline and please, call me Niklaus." He said with that same smirk on his face.
"Would you stop that?" She barked at him after a moment and his smile grew wider. "Stop!" She got up and took his bowl outside to wash it but he laughed and followed her.
"I'm afraid I'm in the dark about what exactly I've done, love," He said as he walked behind her back toward the river. She didn't look back to him when she spoke again.
"You smile like you have evil intentions, it's like you're gazing right into my soul and I don't enjoy watching it." Klaus laughed again and sped up his stride to keep up with her.
"You would rather I frown, Miss Caroline?"
"Yes." She stopped when they were far down the river to a spot that was particularly rough and deep waters and bent over the water to wash his bowl. "And also," she started after a few moments' silence, "I've yet to receive an apology from you, Niklaus."
"Well in my defense, Caroline, you were the one who bumped into me." Caroline looked back at him like he had just slapped her in the face and he smiled again.
"Well you could have watched your step!" She looked at him for a moment and then swallowed, "and stop smiling." She shook the bowl out but lost her footing and fell forwards into the water with a yelp. Niklaus ran in after her and caught her in his arms before pulling her back and out of the river. He got out and Caroline was struck when she realized he was holding her up in his arms, bridal-style, and she took him in. His hair was wet and his clothes were drenched from the icy water but she felt warm against him. His eyes were a light blue and he had just the right amount of stubble on his cheek. She could feel one of his hands on her back and the other held her legs, rubbing the smooth skin that was exposed ever so lightly. Caroline blinked and pulled herself out of her reverie.
"You can put me down now." She said softly and he did as she asked.
"How about this, Miss Caroline," he spoke before she could get her senses back and shoo him off, "I will apologize to you formally if you'll agree to dine with me. Tonight, if you and your mother allow it, I'll take you to town." Caroline looked at him and sighed, she realized then that she didn't like his smile not because it was gazing into her soul, but because she liked it too much. She felt like an electric shock went through her when he held her in his arms and for some reason she just couldn't let that go.
"Alright, but we'd better find some dry clothes first." She agreed and walked with him back to the house and this time, it wasn't just Niklaus who was smiling...
End Note: So now you knoooowww! Haha Caroline is the girl from Niklaus' past but what happened? Hmm...you shall find out later (: Please review! And thanks for reading, another update will come soon(: