Chapter 4: Beneath the Leafs

Caroline could not believe that this was happening….again. She and Nik were hooking up in the woods…..again. She couldn't even use the excuse that she was drunk this time. It was just past seven am that morning on Fairway trails in the woods behind Fells church. When she had arrived at her usual running spot she wasn't sure if Klaus would actually show up. When he did show his face at the trail's entrance she wasn't sure if she had been more surprised or relieved. Surprised that he would get up at such an early hour to meet her, relieved that she wasn't making this all up in her head. She had thought they would go for a run, the same way she usually would alone. Maybe they'd walk part of the loop and talk. Talk the way they couldn't at the library. Talk openly without the fear that someone would hear them. She certainly hadn't expected what had happened next.

" You know," Caroline began, hardly able to focus due to the feeling of Klaus's lips on her neck.

"When i told you i was running here this morning isn't exactly what i thought would happen". Klaus's lips formed a smile against her neck as he kissed his way up her jaw and finally returned to her lips.

"Really? Because this is exactly what i figured would go down." Klaus joked as he continued to kiss her. He pulled away and brushed Caroline's hair away from her face, and letting his fingers run lightly through her blonde hair.

" I mean you basically propositioned me." He stated, moving forward to kiss her dodged his lips, and pushed back against his shoulders and glared up at him. He moved his hand to her waist and smirked down at her amused at the scandalized look on Caroline's face.

" I did not!" she said removing her hands from his shoulders and folding her arms across her chest.

"Really? You asked me to meet you in the early hours of the morning, on a secluded trail on the edge of town, surrounded by trees which you know-." He began stepping closer to her so their stomachs were pressed together and he removed one of his hands from around her waist and pressed it against the side of her neck again

'Is our thing." Caroline sighed and tried to ignore the tingling feeling in her stomach.

"For the last time. This isn't our thing. We do not have a thing. We are not a thing." Klaus smirked at her and pressed her farther back against a nearby tree.

"Really?" Nik began leaning his face closer to hers until their lips were nearly touching.

"We aren't a thing?" He asked, his eyes staring intensely into her own. She looked away trying to break the tension but found her eye's drawn to his lips and just how close they were to own. She came to her senses and brought her hands up to cover her face.

"The point is that we can't be a thing. Whatever this is… It can't become a thing." Caroline stated intertwining her fingers in her hair in frustration. Klaus let out a laugh.

" How many times do you think we've said the word 'thing' in the past thirty seconds' Nik joked. Caroline rolled her eyes and pushed against Klaus's shoulders. She couldn't help but crack a smile as she looked up at him.

" It's just that if somebody, or really anybody found out that we'd been.." Caroline's words faded off as Nik leaned in and pressed his lips close to her right ear.

"That we'd been what? Hanging out? Hooking up? Or that just a few minutes ago my hand was.' Caroline tensed up and cut off his words.

" and we REALLY don't need to talk about where your hand was." Klaus laughed again, pulling back to look into Caroline's eyes.

"Caroline-" Klaus began but she rolled her eye's at cut him off.

"Don't Caroline me. Don't just say my name and bat your eye lashes and act like what we're doing isn't wrong." Klaus continued to laugh.

"And what's so wrong about it?" He asked as Caroline huffed out a breath.

" Does anyone know that you're here right now? With me? I already know the answer, it's no. Because no one can know that we're even speaking. Because if they did know they would tell our parents because no one in this town can keep a secert to save their life. Everyone knows everything about everyone." Klaus smirked at her.

"Take a breath would you.' He joked as Caroline frowned at him.

"I'm being serious Nik." Caroline exclaimed her anger growing at the amused look on his face.

"So am i Caroline, look." He took both of her hands in his and continued to look into her eyes.

" Do you like being around me?" Caroline broke her gaze with him and looked down at her shoes and then looked up at him and smiled smally.

" I like you Caroline." Nik said looking at her seriously.

" and you don't have to say it but I know that you like me too, and I don't want to stop seeing you." he stated.

"But how can we.." Caroline began but her words faded out as Klaus began to speak again.

"Look we'll be going to the same school, and no one can stop us from speaking there. We know the same people, so we'll be going to the same parties and doing the same things, doing normal teenage things with other normal teenagers. But our parents don't need to know that we're doing them with each other."
Caroline laughed as she smiled at him.

" What like sneak around." Klaus moved closer to her again and wrapped his arms around her.

" Yeah, like sneak around." he stated smiling. She laughed again as she intertwined her fingers behind Niks neck.

"It could be kind of fun." Klaus said playfully leaning down to kiss her neck again. Caroline closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree.

" yeah...fun" Caroline joked as Klaus moved to kiss her lips as she sighed into his kiss.

…

Klaus collapsed down on his bed later that morning. He had just finished showering after his 'run' with Caroline and he couldn't help but smile up at the ceiling as he laid there. August was coming to a close and school would be starting the following week. Generally Klaus dreaded going back to school. He had attended a private preparatory school in england and he had despised the confines of his uniforms tie and the strict teachers who reprimanded him at every turn. The public school in mystic falls was sure to be far less intense, and he looked forward to seeing Caroline everyday without having to sneak around.

His bedroom door flung open and Klaus didn't have to sit up to know who was standing in his doorway.

"Can i help you?" He asked his sister who had walked to his bed and was now standing over him.

"I'm bored." She stated folding her arms against her chest.

" And what exactly would you like me to do about that." he grumbled sitting up as Rebekah flopped down on his bed.

"I don't know. If i knew what i wanted to do or what i wanted you to do i wouldn't be bored would I? No." Rebekah sighed heavily as her brother began to speak.

"Well if you-" But then he noticed the look on his sister's face and the way her eye's were narrowing.

"What's that?" Bekah demanded pointing to the purple blotch on his lower neck that his t shirt didn't quite cover. She poked the bruise before Nik swatted her hand way.

" You know i ran into a tree." He stated nodding his head and hoping his voice sounded normal and convincing.

"A tree?" Rebekah questioned him.

" Yeah, a tree branch actually. I was running, it was it hanging out over the path and i didn't see it and it just hit me." Klaus clarified.

His sister was still glaring at him knowingly so he sprung up and headed towards the door.

"Nik i swear to god if this is about-" Klaus cut his sister off.

" You know i think i hear Henrick calling. I should go… check on him. He may have gotten his head stuck in the banister again." He dashed out of the room leaving his sister sitting on his bed fuming over his brothers mistakes.