Two days. That's how long Klaus had gone out of his mind, waiting. He had called the day after meeting Caroline, to ask if he could come back so they could talk about her father. Instead of Caroline answering the phone a frustrated sounding April had. She told him that if he wanted to come back he would have to wait for one of them to call. When he had heard shouting over the phone she told him it wasn't a good time, a precisely hung up. Klaus didn't understand what was going on, so he had patiently waited. For two days. Finally April had called him that Thursday morning and told him that if he wished to come over he could.
Klaus turned off the television and quickly put on his clothes. He bundled himself with his jacket and made his way outside. He only could stay for one more day, then he would have to make his trip back home. Rebekah had hassle him every day, asking when he was going to return. He had kept putting it off telling her, but finally stated that he was leaving Friday no matter what. He had been in the dreadful town for over a week and it was taking a toll on him. Work and his familiar routine were calling him back to his much-needed home. He had wanted to talk to Caroline about how he 'knew' her father, so he had asked around about who Bill was and what he had done before he passed away.
Damon had been more informative than he let on, him and his girlfriend Elena had told him all about Bill Forbes. Bill had been an accountant and had a small business in Mystic Falls, he was well-known by the locals. Klaus felt relief and automatically knew what story he could come up with about meeting Bill Forbes. The sky was gray when Klaus finally arrived at the little house and knocked on the door. He heard quiet footsteps on the other side and prepared himself for the judgmental stare, but was instead greeted by a disheveled looking April. "Hi… April. Are you alright?" Klaus noticed the dark bags under her eyes.
April seemed exhausted, he wanted to ask her if she had gotten any sleep but her eyes closing prevented him from doing so. He gently pushed her shoulder and she snapped awake. April blinked confusion written on her face until she saw Klaus. "Oh! I'm sorry! I'm just… a little tired." April yawned and stepped to the side allowing him to enter. "Are you ok? I mean… you look like you haven't had slept in days." April leaned against the wall for support before she slowly nodded her head. "It's just been… a troublesome couple of days. A lot has been going on... I'm just exhausted." Klaus pursed his lips and looked around the house. "Is Liz up? Or Caroline for that matter." He turned his head when he heard her sigh.
"Caroline is in the shower, and Liz is still sleeping. They both had… a rough night." Before he could ask why, someone came into his vision from the hallway. Caroline had a pink bathrobe on, her hair was slightly drenched and she was extremely pale. He took in the bruise around her left eye and the cut healing underneath. She hadn't noticed him when she first walked in but a moment later Caroline's eyes widened at the sight of him. She quickly grabbed her robe tighter around her and hurried out of the room. He shook his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion. Apparently Caroline didn't know to expect him here. He turned to glance at April and tried to hold back his laughter. April's head had tilted back and her mouth was slightly open.
Poor April was also was snoring. He tried to hold back another chuckle but couldn't help it as he gently called her name. "April… sweetheart, wake up. I think you need some rest." April jerked awake, and her bloodshot eyes stared at him. Her whole body relaxed as she rubbed her eyes, "I think you're right. I just need a couple of hours of sleep… but I have to take care of them." April slowly began to doze off again. Klaus placed his hands on her shoulders and led her towards the hallway. "Go get some sleep and I can watch after them for a couple of hours. You need some rest." April yawned and nodded as she passed Caroline coming out of a room. He watched as Caroline looked to him then down the hallway at April. She had dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a dark green shirt. He greeted her with a smile when she approached him, "Good morning, Caroline."
She mumbled a good morning, and moved past him and into the kitchen. He watched as she opened the refrigerator and poured herself a small glass of juice. "How have you been? April said you weren't feeling" "I'm fine!" Caroline snapped. Apparently she wasn't as well as she let on. "Alright, I won't push for details. I'm glad you're feeling better." Caroline glared at him as she drank her juice. If looks could kill, he felt as if she could have killed him at least a dozen times in the past five minutes. "I'm better than I was two days ago. Not completely better, but I'm good." Caroline finished drinking her juice before walking towards the living room. Klaus awkwardly stood in the kitchen before he followed after her. He made himself comfortable on the love seat as Caroline turned on the television.
He watched as she turned on Jerry Springer, he huffed. Of course, the worse tv show she could find. "So…" Klaus faced her and waited for her to continue. She took the remote and turned the television. off. "Now that I'm feeling slightly better, I think we could have that conversation about you… and my father." Klaus' suddenly felt nervous but cleared his throat and relaxed. "I want to know how you know him." Caroline crossed her arms, and waited for his response. "Well- He- Ummmm- your father was an important accountant with my team, as you know I do invest in the Stock Market. There was, well… pressing matters and after not hearing from him in months, I figured something had to be wrong." The gloomy look that flashed across Caroline's face stopped him from saying more.
He didn't know if she was buying it or not but it was the only logical excuse he had come up with, without telling the truth. "So my dad and you worked together?... That's the best lie you can come up with?" Caroline glared at him, and he saw her fists clench until her knuckles were white. Klaus didn't know why but he was beyond frustrated and truth be told, he was getting a little pissed off. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath to calm his rage. "Caroline, I'm not lying to you. That is how I know your father. He is- was an important part of my work and my team. I owe a lot to him. I honestly don't care if you believe me or not. I wanted to know what happened to him, and I wanted… to make sure that his family is taken care of. Is that so hard to believe?"
Caroline coldly stared at him. "Yes, it is." Klaus scoffed and stood up. "Well I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry for everything. I just… I don't even know what to say." He placed his hands together and brought them to his face. He felt dejected and stood. he wanted to say something but he didn't. He took a deep breath and began to walk towards the front door when Caroline's quiet voice stopped him. "Wait." He paused and held his breath, waiting for her response. Klaus heard movement from the couch and then felt her approach his side. He tilted his head and stared at her. She looked so helpless and vulnerable, he couldn't help but pity her. "I want you to take me somewhere." Klaus was confused. She wanted him to take her somewhere, but how? "We can use my mom's old car, April still uses it… I just have to go somewhere and- Well I can't really drive at the moment." Before he could reply she held out her hand and he stopped.
"It's important that I do this, and I think you should be the one with me. I don't know why- but… something tells me that I can trust you. I just- baby steps. You know?" At least she was being honest with him. The thought, stuck Klaus in the gut but he quickly brushed it away. He watched as Caroline fidgeted on her heels and her head lowered. Klaus realized that he would help her, even if she was rude towards him, it was the least he could do. "I'll take you- Wherever you want." He didn't know where his answer had come from. A moment ago he was so angry and confused about this hostile woman, now he was offering to take her anywhere. Caroline glanced up at him and her face softened. "Thanks. I'm- I'll just go get my jacket." Klaus waited in the entry until she returned, then retrieved his belongings and followed her out the front door. "I don't want to be nosey, but may I ask where we are going?" Klaus asked as he opened the door to the old shabby car. He settled in the car before Caroline replied, "To see my father."
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Caroline's mind was racing non-stop. There was no need to be scared or nervous, it was only a grave. The problem was she was in fact terrified. Her reasons alone were not because of the grave itself, but coming to face the harsh reality of the whole situation. That was something she never had to do, until now. She gave Klaus instructions and after that they fell into an awkward silence. She noticed he didn't even bother to look in her direction the whole ride to Mystic Falls Cemetery. Caroline didn't know if she should be thankful or concerned with his lack of conversation, not to mention how his quietness unsettled her.
They finally arrived after the long fifteen minutes and turned into the drive. Caroline began to shake as her nerves cane to life. They kept moving she automatically felt sick. "Turn here." Caroline croaked out and gestured with her hand for Klaus to turn to the left. The car screeched as he made the turn and Caroline's eyes darted across the graves, looking for the one she remembered so well. "Stop." She uttered gently, and felt the small car halt. Caroline closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes flew open when she felt a warm hand upon her shoulder.
"You don't have to do this if-" Caroline forcefully shook his shoulder off, "Yes I do… I just do." Caroline waited for Klaus to say something. She turned to look but he had already opened and slammed the door shut. Her intentions were not to be harsh, but it had been a long two days and all she had felt was irritation and pain. Caroline opened the car door and made her way out, softly shutting it. She watched as Klaus made his way towards her and she motioned for him to follow her. "I remember that day so well…" Caroline began as she climbed the steps, Klaus following closely behind her. "My mom wore the pearls that my father got her for their tenth wedding anniversary. She was confused the whole time, and didn't know what was going on. She kept asking for her mother, whom had passed away before I was born."
Caroline missed the next step and closed her eyes waiting for the impact of falling back, but instead she felt two strong arms grabbed her waist. Her eyes opened and she leaned forward until she felt Klaus push her up. He kept his hands on her until she regained her balance and she relaxed. Caroline faced him and bit her bottom lip. "Continue, Caroline." She peered down at Klaus and he in return gave her a small smile. She slowly turned around and started walking up the stairs once more. "Steven held my mother's hand. He was my dad's life partner, even though he and my father were never sexual. They were just together, and they loved each other. My mom and Steven had developed some sort of weird friendship the first time they met. About four months after that my mom started showing symptoms. My dad and Steven did all they could to help me with my mom, but to me it felt like my dad left her when she really needed someone."
She held her hand above her eyes as she squinted until she saw what she was looking for. "I was meeting my dad… he had moved to D.C. to live with Steven. I remember I was so excited." Caroline kicked at a pebble as she moved towards her destination. "I told my dad that I had a new internship that resided in California, and it didn't matter about anything…. I was going to take it." Caroline suddenly felt overwhelmed and her stomach fell. She licked her lips and turned to Klaus. "My dad told me the truth though… he didn't directly say it but I knew he was disappointed in me. Going away and being so far from my mother." Caroline pursed her lips and stopped. "The thing was, I didn't care… I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I yelled at him and then left. Then… later on I got a phone call from Steven."
Caroline's breathing became erratic and she didn't know if this had been such a good idea after all. "Caroline, sweetheart it's ok. Calm down. Just… breathe." She took some comfort in the Klaus' words and soon her breathing regulated. "I'm good… I need to get this out." Caroline bent forward and rested her hands on her knees. She took a deep breath and her lungs burned from the coldness of the air, then she slowly released the air out. "Steven called me… All I remember was everything being a blur. We waited… and waited… there was nothing. It seemed as if time just stopped. Then the news came." Caroline could feel her eyes watering, and she let out a soft sob. "Then he was gone… just like that."
Caroline stilled as she came face to face with her worse nightmare for months. The tombstone read her father's name, birth, and death. Underneath were the words Wonderful Friend, Loving Father. Caroline could only stare at the words, then in a moment she was suddenly furious. Her father had left her, he died. Her mother was slowly losing her mind, everyday… How was this fair? What had she done to deserve this and what was she? Alone, so utterly alone. "I'm right here with you." Caroline jumped when she heard Klaus speak. Had she said that out loud? Caroline turned to him and watched as Klaus placed his hands in his pockets and dolefully stared at her. "I killed my father."
Klaus' face hardened and he shook his head. "No, you didn't. It was an accident, Caroline. A very tragic accident." Caroline bit the inside of her cheek, she didn't want to hear this. Caroline pointed to her father's grave and felt the tear fall down her face "Klaus, it doesn't matter what you or anyone else says… I can never forgive myself for this." She had to leave, she couldn't stay there anymore. Caroline felt her feet find leverage and then she ran. She made it back to the steps and stopped, coughing from the lack of air. "Caroline, wait!" She turned her head towards Klaus and watched as he ran to catch up with her.
"I'm- I'm sorry, I just… I had to leave." Caroline brushed her hair out of her face and tried to slow down her racing heart. "I understand, Caroline. Trust me. We all have our demons." She could feel Klaus' piercing stare as she sighed then stared at the ground. Klaus was right, everyone had their own demons and Caroline wasn't sure if hers would ever go away. The sound of a twig breaking snapped her out of her thoughts. Caroline stood and straightened her shoulders, then she felt her eyes almost bulge out of her head at the person coming towards her. She hadn't seen the doe eyed, brunette in years so when the sweet voice called for her, it took everything for Caroline not to roll her eyes. Caroline forced a small and gave a small wave, "Hi, Elena."
