Chapter 7
"Bonnie! I'm so glad I caught you before class, this weekend has been crazy and I haven't seen you at all!" Caroline pulled Bonnie into a hug and squeezed as tight as her human body would allow. "So, how are you? I know things have been...difficult since the island." She wasn't sure how to bring up Jeremy's death without sending her friend into a grief spiral, but she did want to help if she could.
"Things are fine. My dad has been a little overbearing since coming back, I guess he didn't like me taking off without saying anything to him." Bonnie's lips pulled into a sneer and she rolled her eyes, "Not that he's around for me to tell anyways. Now he thinks he can control everything I do, and he's got me on house arrest."
That wasn't what Caroline had been hoping for in their discussion, but she could see that Bonnie was hurting and wasn't ready to talk about it. "No biggie, lets do girl's night at your place tonight, okay?" She waited for Bonnie's agreement before walking to history together.
This was going to be one of those days that school dragged on so Caroline was relieved when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.
Lessons tonight, love?
She wasn't particularly excited to be thrown on the ground again, but she was excited to spend more time with Klaus. Wait, when did that happen? This whole mate thing was confusing sometimes.
After cheer? Girl's night with Bonnie at 7 though
That only left them a couple hours to work on her combat skills but Klaus would just have to deal. Not all of them could be thousand-year old vampires who didn't have to attend school or have jobs.
I'll pick you up at 4:30.
Perfect. Caroline looked up to the teacher saying her name and apologized for not paying attention, but managed to answer his question about art history - thank you, Klaus.
"Okay, now Monica and Brianna will cross in front of the pyramid with a front handspring step out, round off, back handspring, full then drop to one knee with spirit fingers...and hold. Great ladies!" Caroline looked over the formation she had designed and made a mental note to switch Kiki and Emma. "Alright, let's call it a day. Make sure to come tomorrow with the new steps down so we can do a run-through before the game this Friday!" Caroline packed up her water bottle and unplugged her phone from the sound system before pulling on a jacket.
Klaus was waiting for her outside and put her bag in the backseat before opening her door. "I trust practice went well, love?"
Caroline waited for him to walk around the front of the car at a human pace before answering. "I feel like the girls are really close to getting the new routine down, and we should be ready to do it at halftime on Friday night! I was super nervous about the song choice since it has a little bit of a slower beat than they're used to, but I think it's going okay. Oh! Also, there's a competition coming up and I'm hoping to have another routine ready for the girls to learn next week." Caroline took a deep breath and glanced over at Klaus, "Sorry, rambling."
"No worries, love. I quite enjoy these insights into your day." He made quick eye contact with her and gave a shy half-smile.
Caroline folded one leg underneath her on the seat so she could face him more fully. "So, what did you do all day? How are things going with the cure? Any leads?"
"Elijah is still working on tracking the doppelganger. It seems she holed up in a small town in Pennsylvania, but it won't be long until she slips up." f
"I mean, she literally hid from you for 500 years. Maybe you're underestimating her?" Caroline chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.
Klaus scoffed, "There were only 96 years in that time that I truly didn't know where to find the girl, but it's much more satisfying to get close and watch them run."
She rolled her eyes at his blatant disregard for Katherine's life. Not that she was best friends with her or anything, but who could blame her for not wanting to die in Klaus' sacrifice? They pulled into the driveway of the manor and Caroline reached into the backseat to grab her bag before getting out of the car.
"Not so fast, love, I have a surprise for you inside; it will only take a moment." He took her elbow and led her up the stairs to the second floor of the manor to a guest suite. It was painted a creamy white and had beautiful abstract paintings on two walls with a soft grey rug covering the floor. "This is what I worked on today, I thought you might like a space of your own with vervain free water."
Caroline looked around the room in silence - it was lovely. The design was something she would have picked for herself, even if it was presumptuous for Klaus to be giving her a room in his home. Then again, he was right about the whole water situation - she couldn't even do laundry at her place! "Did you do these?" she asked, walking over to one of the paintings. It reminded her a bit of a flower garden with its streaks of dusky rose and lavender, but there were also flecks of gold that drew her eye around the painting in a continuous circle.
Klaus nodded slightly and she felt a hint of nerves leak across the bond.
She walked back and took his hand with a gentle squeeze. "They're beautiful, thank you. But seriously? You made a room for me?"
"Caroline, I would give you every room in this gaudy mansion - as you so elegantly put it - but I am willing to wait until you're ready. However long it takes." He leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her cheek then stepped back to clap his hands together. "Now, we train."
Caroline wasn't as sore after her lesson as she was last time. Not that being sore was seriously painful, but it wasn't fun for the five minutes it lasted. She opened Klaus' fridge and grabbed a blood bag and an apple before settling at the counter. "So, you think I'll be ready to take on Damon anytime soon?"
Klaus looked at her sharply, "Has he threatened you, love?"
She rolled her eyes and gave a light laugh. "Not since you punched your hand into his chest. But I have to admit, I like the idea of being able to kick his ass next time he annoys me." Caroline finished her apple and stood from the counter. "I have to go meet Bonnie, but I'll see you later, yeah?"
Klaus took the empty blood bag from her and threw it in the garbage, "Indeed."
Caroline knocked briskly on Bonnie's door before letting herself in. "Hey, Bon!" she called before setting pizza, ice cream, and a selection of movies on the kitchen counter. She could hear Bonnie moving towards the stairs, so she pulled out plates and napkins while she waited.
"It's good to see you, Care. Things have been weird here - my dad just left for a meeting." Bonnie put the ice cream in the freezer and grabbed a couple slices of pizza before settling on the couch. "I think something's up, but he won't tell me anything."
"Ugh, that's so annoying. Have you heard anything from Elena or Stefan?" Caroline questioned as she joined Bonnie in the living room.
"No, I don't think Elena is paying attention to anything right now and Stefan is busy trying to control her and Damon."
If her conversation with Stefan the day before was anything to go by, Bonnie was right. "Well then, let's talk about something else. Ooh! Actually, I have a witchy question I want to ask." She was dying to know if Bonnie had ever heard of werewolf mating, but she wasn't sure how her friend would take the news about her mate. She twisted her napkin in her lap. "Do you know anything about...werewolf mates?"
Bonnie looked at her hopeful face and sighed. "Care, if you and Tyler were mates you'd know it by now. I don't even know if it's possible for a wolf to mate with a vampire, but he's a hybrid, so maybe. Why? Have you felt anything weird lately?"
Caroline snorted a little at that. "Weird doesn't even begin to cover it," she mumbled. "But no, I don't think I'm Tyler's mate...I'm Klaus'." She scrunched her eyes for a moment, so she wouldn't have to see the inevitable horror on Bonnie's face. Finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore. "Bonnie?"
Her best friend rubbed a hand over her face. "Caroline, what were you thinking? This is dangerous!"
"It's not like this is something I chose, Bonnie! We shared blood when he bit me in Elena's house and then my body felt like it was on fire. Then, Klaus transitioned, but it wasn't like when I've been with Tyler on full moons before. He was in complete control and I touched him, Bon. Later, after he turned back, he touched my forearm and it felt like an electric shock." She took a deep breath and centered herself before continuing, "I guess what I'm hoping for is that you have some witchy knowledge that can make this easier."
"I could try breaking the bond but..."
Caroline shook her head violently. "No, I've read about what can happen to mates when their bond is broken. I'm with him, for better or for worse now."
Bonnie scoffed, "It'll probably be worse."
Caroline laughed in agreement. "I knew that the day I met him." Talking to Bonnie went better than she'd expected, but it didn't seem like there was any magical help coming her way, so she moved to get the ice cream and movies. "How about The Notebook?"
Caroline woke in a cold sweat in her childhood bedroom. She focused her hearing around the house but didn't hear anyone - her mom must have taken another night shift. Suddenly, she heard the front door open then Klaus was next to her.
"What the hell, Klaus? Were you lurking outside my house? How'd you get here so fast?" she tugged the blankets to her shoulders and glared up at him.
"I was not 'lurking', Caroline. I merely felt your distress minutes ago while working on a new painting and decided to check on you." He sat on the edge of the bed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Care to talk about it?"
She swatted his hand away from her face and slid further away from him on her bed. "It was just a nightmare, don't worry about it."
Not to be deterred, Klaus moved to the empty side of the bed and stretched out with a yawn. "If it was just a nightmare, you wouldn't have been petrified, love. Now, what was it about?"
He wanted to do this at two in the morning? All right. She got to her feet and began pacing while she gathered her thoughts. "You dagger your siblings."
He looked up at her with no change in expression, but didn't deny or try to justify it.
"Klaus. You've known them, hell, you've loved them, for a thousand years. Who's to say you won't get angry and find a way to lock me in a coffin?" This was actually a very real fear of hers. While she was sure that he couldn't use the daggers on her, she was also sure that he could find a way to keep her locked away if he ever got bored or upset with her.
Klaus sat up straighter in the bed and patted the open space next to him, which she ignored. With a sigh, Klaus answered, "I can't guarantee that I'll never be angry with you, love. It's happened in the past and it's certain to happen again, but I can promise you that I will never lock you away." He ran a hand through his hair and watched her continued pacing.
"That's not enough, Klaus. I need you to promise that even when you're angry or hurt, you won't lash out and hurt me. I'm not saying we shouldn't ever fight. I mean, I think you're insane and I'm a teenager, so I'm sure there will be plenty to argue about. But when we fight, we have to fight towards a solution, not to hurt each other." She stopped pacing to look at him with hopeful eyes.
Klaus rose from the bed and cupped her face in his hands. "Caroline, I promise. I promise to fight for us and to never intentionally harm you."
She believed him. She might be incredibly stupid for it, but she believed him. Her hands rose to cover wrists and she rested her forehead against his. "Thank you," she breathed. That electric hum from his skin on hers was slowly driving her wild, and she couldn't take it anymore, so she stood up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his.
The reaction was instant. His hands moved to her waist to pull her body against his, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. His lips felt amazing on hers and when she felt his light nibble, she opened her mouth for him to enter. Their tongues danced together, and she scratched her nails across his scalp before he pulled back.
"Caroline, love, are you sure? We can stop at any time, just say the word." He looked into her face earnestly, searching for a response.
His reassurances were perfect, but right then, all she wanted was him. She nodded, licked her lips, and tackled him to the bed.
