A/N: UNO: My lovely Readers, how I love when you talk to me! Awww let me hug you!

DOS: Here comes the drama! Cry on my shoulder and leave me a word or two, k? *wink wink*

TRES: One more thing: you can find me on tumblr. Just saying. (liarfaker .tumblr .com)

Chapter 6

The unkindest truth

So this is how it feels to wake up with Caroline Forbes in his arms, Klaus smiles to himself as he pulls her back even closer to his chest.

It feels wonderful.

it's colder than hell (yes) but

the blankets are thin,

and the pulled-down shades

are as full of holes as love is.

— Charles Bukowski

So this is how it feels to wake up in his tight embrace, she thinks, not opening her eyes when he pulls her closer.

It feels so... surreal. Weird. Guilty.

Yet so good. Intimate.

She's still afraid of him — God, she shudders at the thought of him finding out what really happened to Matt, Elena, and Ben— but at the same time, she feels glad she no longer has to push anyone away.

Caroline feels a pair of arms wrapping around her and a hand that slides down her bare stomach.

"Klaus, it's early in the morning." She mumbles.

The hand keeps on traveling south.

"Klaus." She warns him, but his hand is still exploring the landscape of her naked thighs.

"Kl—" She gasps when his fingers rub her sensitive spot. She could swear his lips curl into a nasty smile against the nape of her neck. When they touch it Caroline's legs just spread apart like on cue. Damn it. She almost gives up, she is about to jump his bones when it hits her.

"Ben is coming back today!" Indeed, Ben is coming this evening and there's a whole bunch of things she has to do before she picks him up! She shoots out of the bed like there was a fire in her condo, and darts to the bathroom. Klaus falls back onto the bed, amused.

"You have no idea what are you doing to me, love." He laughs. Then he smiles wickedly. You could almost see a pair of horns sticking out of his head as a devilish idea dawns on him.

"Wait! I'll wash your back."

And he catches her under the shower before she can close the door.

In the burrows of the Nightmare

Where Justice naked is,

Time watches from the shadow

And coughs when you would kiss.

— W. H. Auden

After he's done with her (slowly yet passionately, twice) Caroline leaves him in the apartment and sets out to do some shopping (dinner won't cook itself, you know). His task is to clean the living room a little after last night and hide all the bottles they left empty. The time Caroline spends looking for some pasta and some tomato sauce serves her also as the time for reflection.

Klaus doesn't have to know. Who says he has to learn the truth, anyways?

Ignorance is bliss.

This way she'll keep Ben safe and keep Klaus... um, just keep him. He's the only close less-than-friend-but-more-than-just-a-lover she has right now.

They are like enemies with benefits. Yes, this is how she would call what they have.

Just for the record, the weather today is partly suspicious with chances of betrayal.

— Chuck Palahniuk

With her bag full of cans, vegetables, fruits, and pasta she enters her apartment and her jaw drops at the sight of how tidy the living room is. Perfect order. Not even a sign of what was going on here last night. Wow.

"Look who's the next Martha Stewart." Caroline laughs when she sees Klaus resting on the couch with his feet up on a small coffee table, reading a book.

"At your service, love." He grins from behind the book but keeps on reading.

Caroline sets the shopping bags on the kitchen table and comes back to Klaus, sitting down on the couch next to him. He puts the book down. Great Gatsby. Caroline rolls her eyes. He and his classics.

"I'm going to pick up Ben in about three hours," she says because nothing better comes to her mind. She fiddles with her fingers.

"I'll go with you." He replies calmly seeing her nervousness.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Um. Klaus—" She stutters, her voice getting stuck in her throat. He raises an eyebrow expectantly. Caroline doesn't know which way to look. Her heart is racing.

"I just don't want to risk Ben's happiness." She chokes out finally. Klaus sits up straight and props his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low as he's meditating. This is such an intense moment that Caroline's stomach does a few twists.

"Don't you see it, Caroline?" Klaus sighs. "He's most happy when he's with you and me."

"I know. That's the problem." She smiles bitterly. He shakes his head.

"You're over-dramatic, do you know that?"

"Hey, I have reasons!" She pouts. Well, she does have a few good reasons not to trust him. Like, for example, making sheer hell out of Mystic Falls in the past?

"Caroline." He looks her in the eyes, completely serious, his face tenses, and she feels like he's about to explode. But he remains still.

"I know you're worried about him, but for God's sake, start living a little."

"It's not that easy." She says, adding 'when you pose such a threat to him' in her mind.

"It is." Klaus says, getting up from the couch and coming to the window, "It really is, love, but you're again fishing for excuses. Before it was Tyler, now it's Ben."

That leaves her dumbfounded.

He's right. He's so right she can't even shake her head in denial. Her stunned blue eyes are fixed on his stoic face. She has nothing to counter him with. Why the hell does he keep popping with his words of wisdom so often lately? He seems to love torturing her by playing with her conscience.

Klaus knows he's right. In his pretty long existence he's never been so right. And when he's right, he does not back out.

Caroline looks at him relieved when he smiles down back at her and asks,"So, when are we picking him up?"

"We should be waiting in the school parking lot around 5 pm."

"Well then, we still have some time, don't we?" He grins teasingly and she knows, she just knows what's on his mind.

He extends his hand to her and this time she doesn't hesitate even for a second. She lets him lead her to the bedroom while he's staring deep into her eyes. With want. With hope. With—

Then the phone is his pocket starts to vibrate. Klaus rolls his eyes with irritation ("I'm sorry, love.") and pulls it angrily out of his pocket to throw it away when he sees the caller ID. His eyes go wide. Kol.

"It's important." His face darkens so much he reminds Caroline of a menacing storm cloud.

He picks up with a brusque, "What do you want?"

"Easy, easy." Kol snickers. "Hello to you, too. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"You are. So?"

"I want you to put me on speaker phone." Kol sings to the phone, obviously sipping a drink.

"Why?" Klaus' grip almost crushes the phone he's holding.

"I have a question for your pretty little liar."

Klaus pushes a button and puts the phone down on the bed receiving a questioning look from Caroline. He shrugs.

"Now."

"Hello, Caroline!" Kol greets her joyfully with that posh accent of his.

"What's going on?" The blonde gets nervous. Kol always gives her creeps.

"This is exactly my question, Caroline. What's going on?"

Caroline and Klaus look at each other with their eyebrows raised.

"Let me rephrase. What are you hiding, darling?" Kol's voice instantly gets cold and gruff.

Klaus and his patience are about to part their ways. "Kol, you lunatic, what are you taking this time?"

"Nik, Nik, you old fool." Kol teases him. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Seriously, just hang up." Caroline snapped.

"Do you really want me to hang up? I have quite a company here with me. Right, young man?"

"Caroline?" Ben's voice resounded in the room and Caroline's eyes widened with terror. Klaus gasped.

"B—Ben? Ben! What are you doing to him, Kol?" She started to breathe heavily.

"Well, nothing. For now. But I would love to know why are you protecting him so much." Kol hissed.

"He's Donovan's son, you idiot!" Klaus yells at the phone. The phone seems to be unmoved by his sudden outburst.

"You think I don't know that? But I did some digging on my own. So, Nik, ask your sweet blonde girlfriend... Why are the Salvatores paying the rent for her? Why are they keeping her like a mistress? She doesn't work, does she?" The venom in Kol's voice hurts Klaus' ears but he's got a point — Klaus has never asked Caroline about the money. He foolishly assumed that she, Caroline Forbes, a compulsion-hater, lives life to the full by compelling people around her and Ben.

Is he really the fool his brother called him?

"Why so silent, brother?" The youngest Original sneers.

Klaus' eyes bore into Caroline with so much emotional force her chin quivers.

"Isn't it strange, brother, that she took the boy and run away from Mystic Falls?"

Caroline's apologetic stare met Klaus' morose one.

"Oh, and by the way please ask her, why did they send her Elena's necklace as well as some old photos? Just curious."

"How did you—" Caroline lets out a breath.

"Now, I'll leave you two love birds alone so you can sort things out." Kol's voice has never sounded so happy. He just loves to spread chaos and mayhem. "Call me when she comes clean, Nik. I'm as intrigued as you are pissed off right now." And with those words he hangs up.

morning night and noon

the traffic moves through

and the murder and treachery

of friends and lovers

and all the people

move through you.

— Charles Bukowski

Silence falls between the two of them. He just stares at her with frigid, empty eyes, inhaling deeply, examining her face, waiting for some answers.

"I—" She stumbles.

"You what, Caroline?" His voice is shaking with anger. He slowly moves forward till he's inches apart from the blonde, towering over her. "What did you do?" He's ominously calm but she knows —she feels— that pure fury is consuming him inside.

"Why are you hiding with that boy in New York?"

She shakes her head, so desperate to run away but she knows that Ben's in danger.

"Just please, save him." A tear rolls down her cheek. "Please. Klaus."

"Who is he, Caroline?" He's still scanning her face, his own smouldered with hatred.

"He's Matt's son, Klaus. Stefan and Damon just care about him. That's all. I swear! You have to believe me!" She chokes on her tears.

"Tell me the truth or I'll let Kol kill him!" He yells at her while his face twists with rage. He grabs her forcefully by the shoulders and throws at the wall — her bones crack — then pins her against it. His nostrils flare as he breathes heavily.

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" Her heart beats so fast it's about to jump out of her chest.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I don't believe you." He whispers and his pupils dilate. Oh no, Caroline gulps, please don't—

"I want you to tell me the truth about Ben." His jaw clenches. Caroline's eyes go blank. She hasn't been taking vervain since she moved to New York. How could she be so reckless...

"He's Elena's son." Her voice creaks, and she sniffs as he releases her shocked and speechless.

He thought he would never make any more hybrids, that he lost the chance. And the one person he needs has been right under his nose all the time. He bought the story about Elena raising Matt's kid so easily that now he's ashamed of his own gullibility. Then he met Caroline and she led him astray. She went straight to his head like bloody whiskey. How could he be so blind. How could he... He is a fool, indeed, he's the king of fools!

His pupils dilated again. You pretty little liar.

"You are not leaving this apartment until I let you. And don't even try to call anyone for help." He spits.

Then he's gone with a swoosh.

Caroline falls down on the carpet and curls up in a ball, defeated.

pain is the joy of knowing

the unkindest truth

that arrives without

warning.

life is being alone

death is being alone.

even the fools weep

morning night and noon.

— Charles Bukowski