A/N 1: Hello again everyone! I know people probably won't be coming back to this now that it's been out of service for months on end, but I'm excited about starting up this story again. The reason it's taken me so long to update is because I've been scouring the States with my sister all summer and only came back to England a week ago, and anyone who's suffered from jet lag knows how much it sucks the life out of you.

But here we are, and if you've given up on me and this story, I totally understand. And I am really really thankful to all of you for favouriting and reviewing and following even when I wasn't updating, it made me feel really happy.

Okay, well, I think now is a good time to stop with the babbling and get on with the story. This is the reunion between our two lovebirds. The real reunion.

Warning, it is rated M. And, as always, mistakes are ALL mine. One day I'll need a beta for all of this...


"Stop there and let me perfect it,

I wanna live life from a new perspective

You come along because I love your face,

And I'll admire your expensive taste."

New Perspective | Panic! at the Disco


Chapter 8: Be The Death of Me

"How'd you find me?"

"Bonnie…"

Caroline groaned and glared and stomped her foot childishly. Of course it was Bonnie. It was always fucking Bonnie.

Fuck you, Bonnie! She sounded in her head, wishing she were some sort of telepath and could deliver the thought (Con: It's an insult, really.) directly to the woman in question.

Klaus stood the other side of the door to her mother's home. A small portion of Caroline was happy the sherif was currently on duty, but the rest of her was screaming internally for her mother to come running home and catch Klaus in the act of being criminally handsome and puppy-dog-eye-y.

She couldn't have left the Grill more than thirty minutes ago and yet somehow he, the damned he, had found his way to her mom's house.

She should probably be a little more terrified.

"Great! That's just great. It's not like I left because I didn't want to see you or anything," she said, her pitch starting off high, but steadily losing its strength.

Klaus shuffled nervously on the porch, his hands wringing by his waist. "I, uh, wanted to explain myself."

Crossing her arms, Caroline leaned against the doorframe and kinked one of her manicured eyebrows, waiting.

"Okay," he coughed, then paused. "Do I have to do this outside?"

"Well, the alternative is inviting you inside, and I don't really want to do that."

"Right, good reason, I suppose," he weighed. "Where would you like me to begin?"

"Why are you here, Klaus?" She stressed, lowering her brow and shifting her arms underneath her breasts.

Again, he looked at her with hints of fear ghosting across his lips and eyes and cheeks. She kind of wanted to invite him inside and order him to never leave ever again. "Yes, that's probably a good starting point. All right, I am in Mystic Falls because a few months ago, before I ever met you, my brother and I purchased a property here in the hopes we could open our own shop. I got a phone call not too long ago from Elena Gilbert inviting me to come into town to finish sorting everything out. Again, before you and I crossed paths."

The words left his mouth quick, dripping to the porch floorboards and sizzling like some corrosive acid. Familiar goosebumps itched her skin as she stared blankly at Klaus, her mind whirring and beeping, trying to comprehend the information.

"And when you and I did cross paths, when I let you sleep with me, you didn't bother mentioning any of this?"

He scowled like her question stung. She hoped it did. "That was rather stupid of me, I admit."

Caroline cackled mockingly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Stupid? You think it was just stupid? No, no, it was absolutely idiotic. Totally foolish and utterly absurd. What kind of person does this?"

"I understand you're mad, sweetheart," he said, inching closer.

"I'm not just mad, I'm pissed. Outraged," she emphasised, throwing her arms by her sides and clenching her hands into fists while trying to ignore the tug in her heart at his term of endearment.

"Caroline—" he stammered as he moved closer.

Instinct finally kicked in and she darted back inside, vaguely aware that he was following her.

Blood pounded in her ears, muffling any noise other than the flustered beating of her overworked heart. This wasn't fair, none of it was fair. Her life was meant to be organised chaos, not just plain chaotic. She wasn't built for this amount of drama.

"Caroline," he said again.

Her body whipped around, not prepared for how close he would be. She stumbled back, bringing her hand up to stop him when he made an attempt to move again. "No," she half-screamed. "You can't do this! You can't just show up out of the fucking blue and expect me to not freak out!"

"Believe me, I'm fully aware of your right to 'freak out.'"

She glowered at him. "Are you mocking me?"

"I was quoting you," he clarified, his mouth puckered into a snarl. A handsome snarl.

"Ugh! This is ridiculous!" She huffed, red-faced and fuming.

"You're telling me."

"You're trespassing."

"You're not exactly banishing me."

"You are insufferable!" She squealed, trying to maintain her anger; she could feel it slipping away from her.

They stood there, facing each other, for long, drawn-out seconds. Their breaths danced between them and if she focused enough she could hear the small, aggravated gasps escaping his lungs.

Quietly, Caroline drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "But why?" She asked, helpless. It was a loaded question, one she'd been wondering for months.

Why me? Why didn't you just tell me? Why did you have to just show up? Why couldn't you have just left me alone and kept your flirtatious comments to yourself?

"Why what?" Klaus looked confused. He ran a hand through his curls, a boyish gesture that nearly melted Caroline's heart.

Another deep breath. "Why me?"

"Oh," he whispered.

"Oh?" Caroline gaped at him. What does 'oh' mean? Whatever it meant, it didn't sound all that appealing.

Klaus' blue eyes warmed immediately, his forehead creasing. He appeared to be deep in thought.

"You liked vampires," he began slowly.

Con: Because that makes a world of sense.

Pro: Shut up and let the man talk.

"I liked vampires? That's why?" Caroline frowned. "Almost the entire female population of the United States is into vampires!"

Pro: Or not…

Klaus stared at her, open-mouthed, a smile threatening to break out on his face. Caroline looked away, knowing all-too-well that she had a weakness for attractive men and smiles. "Well, wait a minute, sweetheart. You didn't let me finish," he defended calmly, his lips still twitching.

Crossing her arms again, Caroline lifted her eyebrows and waited.

"You liked vampires," he said again, humorously. Caroline had to fight the giggle that bubbled in her throat. This wasn't the time for that. She was supposed to be angry with him. "Which, I agree, most of the females here, and probably back in the U.K., like as well, but you were different. Instead of it being about Twilight it was about facts and knowledge. You intrigued me. I found it…sexy, your interest in vampires. When I'd found girls in that section of the store before, they were ditzy and all over the place with their hands"—he motioned around himself for emphasis and Caroline refused to acknowledge the jealous spark that erupted at the thought of other girls touching him—"but you were cool and collected. And, of course, you're beautiful. That probably aided in my attraction to you."

Caroline knew she probably looked like a fish on dry land, all mouth gaping and struggling for air, but she couldn't bring herself to give a fuck. This news startled her. His admission seemed genuine.

He definitely sounded genuine.

Pro: See, he's sweet.

And she had to admit that, yes, he was rather sweet. And also very, very beautiful.

"You've got a lovely place here." Klaus' eyes drifted around the living room. He seemed to take a keen interest in childhood photos of Caroline that hung on the wall.

Gathering her wits slightly, Caroline nodded hazily. "Yeah, it's my home. Or, it used to be." God, all of a sudden she felt like she was back in high school, trying to get the cool guy with the sexy, exotic accent to like her. But then, if what he said was true, she didn't need to try very hard to get his approval.

The thought made her blush. And Caroline Forbes did not blush. It was a sign of weakness, something that proved she had no control over her own body; that someone else had power over her. But she couldn't fight it. Her cheeks were dusted in pink, the skin on her face heating uncomfortably. Entirely against her will.

What was this man doing to her? She'd be a melted pile of gooeyness if he didn't stop charming her.

"Are you still mad at me?" He pouted and it was nearly Caroline's undoing.

Was she still mad at him? She searched her brain for any signs of annoyance or irritation, but found none.

He'd picked her. HER! Above a load of other attractive girls. And he'd met Elena, perfect Miss Elena-Soon-To-Be-Salvatore and hadn't fallen victim to her sculpted eyebrows and olive skin.

Con: Miss Fickle today, are we?

Caroline sighed. "Probably. Somewhere in here," she tapped her head with her index finger, "but I think you've done a good job at explaining yourself."

Later, she agreed with herself. She'd get really angry with him later. Maybe.

In reality, she was tired. Her head felt heavy and her heart was just sort of done. With all the revelations that had come to light in the past couple of hours, she wasn't sure her mind could take another shouting match with an incredibly attractive, blue-eyed Brit.

Placing his hands behind his back, Klaus started walking around the sherif's living room. His eyes crept everywhere, surveying the walls. Each trinket seemed to catch his eye.

Caroline held her breath as she waited for him to settle and talk to her.

"When you left the bar earlier," he said, startling Caroline so much out of her comfortable silence that she nearly swallowed her own tongue. "I felt the same way I did back in New Orleans when I woke up and you weren't there."

The admission made Caroline's heart sink and her mouth dry out. They didn't talk about that night. Not since the first phone call. It was no-go territory.

He looked at her briefly before turning away, continuing his trek around the room, hands still clasped behind his back, bumping the base of his spine every so often.

"It was horrible, I have to admit. You ripped the rug out from under me, Caroline. I thought I'd found a nice girl and then I awoke to an empty, cold bed. It hurt me," he whispered as he reached a stack of old CDs on a lonely bookshelf.

What do I say. Oh, God, what do I say?

"I felt like a fucking fool, like I'd played right into your game." He shifted, his body angled in her direction, but he had his eyes trained on the CDs. (Con: Well, that's a fucking punch to the gut, bastard.) "It took finding your note and talking to Elijah of all people for me get over the hidden anger and resentment I felt towards you." Holding up a battered copy Lindisfarne's Nicely Out of Tune, Klaus raised his eyebrows as if asking if it were hers. She nodded, waiting for him to finish telling his gut-wrenching story.

He put the CD down and finally captured her gaze. Caroline was frozen, her heart beating frantically against her ribcage.

"Hearing your voice was like finding water in a desert, and I banished all my anxieties and misguided hostility immediately. But," he winced, "I think part of the reason I didn't tell you I was moving here was because I wanted to rip the rug out from under you. Subconsciously, I was still angry. Petty, I know, but I liked you a lot. Straight away. And then you abandoned me. There was a spark, I think, when we met, and you leaving, and me thinking it was because you wanted nothing more to do with the lonely old sod in Louisiana, made me think that spark was one-sided."

Pro: Definitely not one-sided, dude.

No, it definitely wasn't. Hearing these things cut Caroline to the quick. A mountain of emotions poured through her instantaneously, burying her beneath their crushing weight.

What on earth did he expect her to say?

Sorry wasn't enough. Maybe falling on her knees and begging for forgiveness would go down better?

Then she remembered how angry she had been with him for not calling her. The thought made her giggle breathlessly.

The brooding man in her mother's living room frowned, clearly puzzled by her inappropriate laughter after he had just spilled his less-than-happy tale to her.

"What's funny, Caroline?"

The way his tongue caressed her name made her giggles stop immediately. "I'm—I'm just recalling something," she stammered, taking a few tentative steps in his direction.

Klaus' eyes brimmed with watered-down excitement as Caroline crept closer. "And what, pray tell, are you 'recalling'?"

She stopped a few feet away from him and smiled the warmest smile she could manage with all the new information buzzing like an abnormally sized hornet in her head. "Leaving you was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. And I've started up a business from the ground up without so much as a whisper of help from Elena Gilbert, which is an extremely difficult task to carry out.

"After I left you in New Orleans, I expected a phone call almost straight away. Days passed, though, and I still had nothing. I thought maybe you'd lied to me. Maybe you slept with tourists all the goddamned time and I was just another tiny notch in your bedpost." Caroline's voice rose steadily, her smile falling and forehead creasing, and she watched Klaus pale.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "But what I'm saying is I felt the exact same way. Betrayed. And then you show up here out of the fucking blue with a smirk on your face, and my world turned over on its head for the second time in less than three months. That spark you mentioned, I felt it too. When you called, when you said my name, I knew that I was in over my head."

Taking another step forward, Caroline watched the colour return to his beautiful face. "You have successfully done what no one else has done before. Well, you've done plenty, actually, that no one else has," she said, bringing to mind their one night of what she had since deemed "passionate love-making."

"I could say the same thing to you, love," he whispered, cocking an eyebrow.

His words sent an aching shiver through her body.

Pro: You've got it so bad.

Con: I honestly could not agree more.

"So we're even, then?" She asked hopefully. "We've both been unintentionally cruel to the other and we're both sorry about it. I'd say it's all water under the bridge now."

Klaus' lips lifted carefully, little crescent-shaped creases marring his cheek. She wanted to kiss them, desperately. "So quick to forgive?"

"I've never been a fighter."

"Somehow I seriously doubt that."

Caroline laughed despite herself and cupped a slender hand over her mouth.

"I like that sound."

Another splash of pink coated Caroline's cheek at the compliment. "Well, you're lucky. Not many people get to hear me laugh."

Klaus' eyes suddenly brightened in an almost too-sexy way. Caroline had to look down at her hands just to protect her sensitive eyes. "I must be very lucky then. You never seem to stop laughing at me when we talk on the phone."

"You're very funny," Caroline defended, her knees weakening.

"So your friend Bonnie tells me."

Caroline tightened her lips. "Ah yes, Bonnie. Also known as the snitch."

"Be kind," Klaus reprimanded playfully. "She told me where you were."

Caroline put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Well, at the time I didn't want you finding me."

"And now?"

"And now I can't stop thinking that we're You've Got Mail in the 21st Century. Minus a few minor plot changes."

Klaus laughed, a delighted sound that rang throughout Caroline's entire body. She kind of wanted to jump him.

"Do you have some boyfriend hiding here, then?"

"That's obviously one of the plot changes," she said quickly, dropping her arms by her sides.

Klaus chuckled. "Obviously."

"Yeah."

Con: God, the sexual tension is literally killing me.

The pair settled into a somewhat awkward silence. They stared at each other like lovesick teenagers, the aforementioned tension palpable in the air. Caroline swore she could see an actual current humming between her and Klaus.

Absently, she wondered if her hand would jolt if she reached out to touch it.

"What are you thinking, love?" He asked softly and Caroline noticed that he'd moved closer. She could smell him again, and he smelled so sweet.

Blinking, Caroline tried to backtrack her thoughts.

Pro: She was thinking about leaping into your arms and undressing you like it's Christmas.

"What happens now?" She said instead, mentally chastising herself for even imagining that scenario. Though it would be rather…fun.

"What do you want to happen?" His voice was gentle, soothing like it always was to her over the telephone. It brought a flurry of feelings back.

Caroline halted. What did she want to happen?

She wanted to be mad, sort of. Deep down she still was. But Caroline was never very good at playing hard to get, and staying angry at Klaus…that just didn't seem like a viable option for her.

"I want you," she began, feeling belly tighten, "to tell me that you're still the guy who charmed me in the vampire section of the most famous second-hand bookstore in the States."

"I'm still that guy!" He said immediately, almost hysterically, wearing a battered smile on his face.

Feeling her lips pull up at the corners, Caroline tried to back down. She tried, really, really hard, to stop. One-night stands weren't her thing. Relationships weren't her thing either, not since her failed attempt at one with Tyler.

But that was a lifetime ago.

Now she was successful, even if just in her small town. And she had this guy—this handsome, unrelenting guy—chasing after her like he'd been waiting all of his life just for Caroline Forbes to wander into his second-hand bookshop, just so he could follow her across state borders.

Klaus was good. She felt it in her gut, and if her mother had always told her one thing, it was to trust her gut instincts.

So she let that smile overtake her face and watched as Klaus mirrored her elated expression as if they were old pals trying to get each other to crack a laugh. She knew right then, as Klaus stood just a few feet away from her with a stupid grin stretching his lips, that she was diving headfirst into the unknown.

And she loved it.

"Prove it," she challenged breathlessly, unbridled hope mirroring itself in those two words.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Caroline thought for a frightful second that she'd gone too far. That Klaus didn't want this. Didn't want her.

But then his eyes melted into pools of jade and sapphire.

In one blink, Klaus was in front of her, one hand grabbing at her chin, pulling her to him, and the other singed to her hip. He looked her right in the eyes for a fleeting moment, almost asking if this was okay; if he was allowed to touch her, to kiss her. All she had to do was nod meekly before his lips coated hers—sweetly, roughly, powerfully. She felt it in the deepest parts of her, unfurling desire and long-forgotten lust from their two month-long hibernation.

His lips were soft and so much like she remembered them. Everything about their night together in New Orleans crashed through her and she poured it all into Klaus, like she was trying all over again to get that feeling back.

He'd something then, as they were busy undressing each other. It'll take forever to get over you.

She hadn't really believed him. She thought he was just trying to make her feel better about losing her inhibitions. But right here, right now, with him tugging on her lower lip gently with his teeth while his expert hands trailed hotly over her clothed back, she made up her mind that he'd been telling her the truth that night.

Because even though she had left him in the morning, even though they hadn't seen each other for more than two months, and even though there were currently warning sirens blaring in her head that this was still such a stupid idea, he wanted her—he needed her. And she would be lying if she thought for a moment that she didn't need him.

"Unless you want to christen your mother's wooden floor, I think we should take this to the bedroom. Preferably yours," Klaus breathed into her neck as he planted scorching kisses on her pulse point.

Caroline blinked a couple of times, trying to remember how to speak, but after a moment of revelling in the feeling of Klaus' mouth hovering over her, she nodded weakly. "It's just through here," she said walking backward, still attached to Klaus.

He refused to let go of her even as she turned around, his hands capturing her hips like he couldn't bare to not touch her now that he'd finally been allowed to again. Caroline didn't mind. It made her feel special.

"Here we are," she hummed. Her room hadn't changed much since she'd moved out. Embarrassing photos and very out-of-date clothes were strewn around the place, in just the spots she'd left them before leaving for college.

Klaus smiled against her ear, his breath warm in her hair. "It'll have to do."

Twisting around so she was facing him once again, Caroline cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you like my childhood bedroom?"

Klaus pressed his fingers into her skirt-bound hips and she nearly jolted at the sensation. His lips were parted in elation and his face was burning scarlet, but he looked very much the picture of calm.

"I like it very much. Not sure about the bed though." His eyes drifted away from her face for a moment towards her not-so-big twin bed, which still wore her pink sheets.

Caroline closed her eyes as a wave of humiliation washed over her. "Yeah…my mom's got this weird thing about change, and since I stopped growing when I was fifteen, she obviously hasn't felt the need to get rid of anything in this room."

Fingers smoothed over her eyelids at a languid pace. She opened one, then the other to find Klaus smiling boyishly at her. The look on his face made her insides turn to molten lava.

"I like it," he said.

A new wave of confidence shot through Caroline. Grabbing ahold of his hands—one was still glued to her hip—she wound her fingers through his.

He dropped his boyish smile, replacing it with a confused scowl. "What are you doing?"

"Sit on the bed," she ordered. She took a few steps in her desired direction.

He followed suit, perching on the edge of her bed as per request. A ghost of a smile danced on his lips as his eyebrows rose in amusement.

Caroline stood in front of him and tried to get in touch with her inner boss persona. "Something funny, Mr. Mikaelson?" She mused, rubbing her thumbs over his knuckles.

Unrelenting darkness pooled in Klaus' eyes. He swallowed thickly, like there was something heavy lodged in his throat. Caroline watched his Adam's apple go up and down. Maybe this time she'd capture it like she'd wanted to in New Orleans.

"Answer me." Caroline threw on her stern face, feeling a bit of pride burst inside of her when Klaus' breath hitched.

Klaus shook his head. "No, Caroline—" Pro: God, the way he says that. I think I'm dead. "—but I am surprised."

So am I, she thought.

Taking control was Caroline's thing. When she was younger, all control went to her mother or to Elena. College changed that. Life changed that. Now she wanted control in all situations—both to protect her mind and her poor, poor heart.

Having Klaus obey her, even just by sitting on the bed when she'd asked, sort of turned her on.

"Well," Klaus whistled, shocking Caroline out of her own head. She stared at his lustful eyes. "Now that you have me here, what are you going to do to me."

She hadn't thought this through enough. Klaus obviously wanted to play, and so did she if she was being honest—which she totally was. But she'd not done this before.

She was drawing a blank.

"It's not what I'm going to do you, Mr. Mikaelson—" oh, if she could capture the look on his face when she called him that "—it's what you're going to do to me. Undress me," she said with more stability than she felt.

Con: I always knew there was a dirty little minx inside of you.

Admiring the way his breathing shallowed at her demand, Caroline brought Klaus' hands to her waist and let go.

The moment his thumbs hooked beneath her skirt's waistband, she wanted to yell fuck it! and just get this whole reunion sex thing over with. But she restrained, knowing very well this was payback for not telling her about moving to Mystic Falls.

"Slowly," she said, reading the apprehension in Klaus' eyes.

With a jerk of his head, the panting man gradually pulled at Caroline's skirt until it reached her hip bones. The blouse she'd put on that morning floated around Klaus' fingers like a pink cloud. He looked at her in question.

Pro: Remember to fucking breathe, Caroline.

"Just the skirt," she told him.

He nodded again, resuming his expert tugging. As the skirt made its way past her ass, Caroline thanked the heaven's she'd put on her good undergarments. Klaus definitely seemed pleased with her choice as he dipped his head low so he could finish taking her skirt off. His hot breath fanned between her thighs and she had to remind herself to keep still.

When he sat back up, Caroline pointed to her blouse. "Off," she commanded, ignoring Klaus' eager eyes.

He took his time, but eventually her shirt joined the skirt in the corner of her bedroom.

Here she was, half-naked in front of a fully clothed Niklaus Mikaelson, who was staring at her like he wanted to eat her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Mr. Mikaelson, you look a bit overdressed," she admonished playfully, nudging his knees apart and stepping between his legs. She saw his hands start to move toward her hips again and made a disapproving clicking noise with her tongue. "No touching."

Klaus bit his bottom lip, which nearly made Caroline's I-am-in-charge-here facade crack.

"No touching," she said again.

Peering down at Klaus, Caroline took a moment to admire how good he looked, knowing that beneath the attractive surface was a man who quoted poetry and made sure his baby sister got home alright after a drinking binge.

But he really was wearing too many clothes, a problem Caroline had no trouble rectifying right then as she tore his shirt up without any warning. She flung it somewhere behind her, hearing it's muffled landing. And then there he was—donning only his dark jeans, shoes, and sculpted chest. God, he looked like a television star. Someone who belonged on magazines and billboards.

"What about my trousers?" He asked cheekily, raising a single eyebrow in challenge.

"I was getting to that," she crooned, tilting her head to one side and grinning impishly.

Bending over him, Caroline settled her face just a few inches from Klaus', her eyes level with his own. She searched blindly for the button on his jeans and had to hold back a sigh when she found it. There was a gentle popping noise and then Caroline was on her knees, yanking off his shoes before getting to work on his "trousers."

Soon enough, Caroline was standing up again and Klaus was wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs. Caroline gave herself a mental pat on the back.

Con: Get Klaus back to work, bossy Caroline.

"Stand up," she said, fitting her index finger underneath his chin until he was standing as well. She dropped her hand. "Bra. Off." Despite her best efforts, her voice wavered on off.

"Yes, ma'am," Klaus acquiesced. Caroline thought she could see him smirking, but before she could say anything, his arms were wound around her as his fingers grappled with the hook on her bra.

Like the expert she assumed he was, her white lace bra hung on her shoulders in seconds, her breasts nearly on full display.

"Off," she demanded softly.

Klaus looked like he was about to swallow his own tongue.

Oh, God, I'm almost naked. She thought belatedly, worrying silently about all the preening she had not done as of late. Such as proper, all-the-way leg shaving. And what about her breasts? What if they weren't perky enough today?

"What's wrong, Caroline?" Asked a voice in her ear.

Gooseflesh popped on her skin. "Nothing." She shook her head. "I said to take the bra off, Mr. Mikaelson," she reminded him.

Pro: Calm down, you're doing fine.

Con: You're doing more than fine. See that thing pressing against his boxers? Yeah, you're doing wonderfully.

Caroline flushed. It was true, Klaus was definitely as aroused as her.

"Oh my God." Caroline gasped at the sudden sensation riding through her body as Klaus toyed with her free breasts. She hadn't exactly given him permission, but she couldn't care less. She couldn't even think about caring. His hands felt too good, tweaking her nipples until they were erect and pressing into his palms.

"Stop, stop," she managed squeak, shoving him away.

Control. She needed to gain control.

Klaus fell back on the bed, a smug grin on his face. Her hand itched to slap it off of him.

Control, Caroline. You have it. Use it. "Move and sit up against the headboard," she said, pointing. He obliged willingly, scooting back until he rested upright at the head of her old bed. Her mother would kill her if she knew what was going on. Good thing the sherif had work all day.

Without thinking twice, Caroline climbed on the bed after him, shifting so she was straddling Klaus' waist. Her knees sat either side of his hips and she carefully placed her hands on his shoulders.

His skin was like fire beneath her touch—warm and silky. She wanted to kiss every inch of it. She wanted to devour him, to destroy and ruin him. All over again.

Aware of a slick wetness between the inside of her thighs, Caroline braved a look at Klaus. He was peering up at her with a hungry gaze full of promise and yearning.

Silence fell over them like a curtain, blocking out all of the light and heavy breathing. There was nothing; it was only Caroline and Klaus, together at last.

Steadily, Caroline's cool fingers slid over Klaus' shoulders, inching up to his neck and into his hair. Softness tickled her fingertips. His eyes widened and his lips parted when she started drawing patterns on his scalp. She smiled in success.

"Now you have me here, Caroline," he whispered, his accent drawled, "what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm going to kiss you," she said determinedly, and did just that.

She started on his forehead, planting a kiss here and there. She moved to his cheeks, enjoying the roughness that met her lips, enjoying the fact that she was actually sitting on top of Klaus and kissing his stubbled cheeks.

Then his jaw. His throat. He swallowed and she captured his Adam's apple between her lips in a loud smack.

Klaus grunted and she captured that too, planting her mouth firmly over his in a searing, I'm-never-letting-you-leave-again kiss. She dipped her tongue between his lips, tasting mint and gin. An unprecedented moan gargled deep in her throat. He remembered her drink order.

Pro: That is so hot.

Con: I know. God, and I used to think she didn't have any game.

Pro: Turns out you never really know a person.

"You," she said suddenly, into Klaus' mouth.

"What?"

"I need you. Now."

The game was over, at least in part. She'd creepily been dreaming about this moment for months, and she was done fooling around.

Scrambling, with limbs flying everywhere, Caroline helped Klaus pull his boxer briefs down, his erection flying free of its confines. Caroline tried not to blush at the sight, but she assumed her face was already a brilliant shade of rosy red.

Klaus placed his warm, thick hands on her ass. "Your turn," he said devilishly.

Caroline stood on the bed as Klaus kneeled before her like a peasant come to beg something of his queen. In one fell swoop, Caroline was naked and breathless.

"Back against the headboard," Bossy Caroline instructed. Blinking, Klaus obeyed. Caroline resumed her previous position. "There are condoms in the drawer to your right."

"Just what are they doing there?" He asked playfully, his eyes alight.

"They're new. I store them here so Bonnie doesn't go snooping through my things back at my place."

"Clever."

"I like to think so."

Reaching over, Klaus opened the bedside drawer and produced one foil-wrapped condom. "Trojan BareSkin, Get Closer," he read aloud. He looked as though he was holding in a laugh.

Caroline flushed. "I just sort of picked them out."

"It'll be fine, Caroline," he said darkly. "Would you like to do the honours?" He asked, holding the wrapper in front of her face like he was trying to hypnotise her.

Desire swept through her insides like a bomb had been detonated in her stomach. Goodness, she was nearly dripping.

Taking the condom from Klaus, she tore it open expertly. But then she remembered where it had to go, and her hands paused in mid-air.

"It won't bite, sweetheart," Klaus assured her.

"Yes, thank you," she spat. In a show of true maturity, Caroline grabbed his erection and, ignoring his sharp intake of air, rolled the condom on in record time. "Ta da."

"You showed me—fuck!" Klaus exclaimed in shock as Caroline positioned herself over Klaus. Pride glinted in her blue eyes.

"Shut up," she commanded, and then she slid down far too quickly, groaning loudly at the new, brilliant fullness.

Klaus threw his head back against the board, letting out a garbled half-cry/half-moan. "God, you feel so good."

"I said, shut up," Caroline said through clenched teeth as she tried to adjust to the overwhelming feelings brewing like some mad witch potion inside of her belly.

She moved her hands into his hair and tilted his head. He stared at her and it made her feel like she truly was naked. Like he'd stripped away not only her clothes but her skin and flesh and bone, so that only her soul was visible.

It was that strange, crackling connection again. That oneness that had been there in New Orleans. The thing that choked her while giving her life.

"Beautiful," Klaus sighed, his tongue whirring past the t like he couldn't be bothered to enunciate it.

"You're not so bad…yourself," Caroline panted, shifting her position, a movement which elicited a long growl from Klaus.

"Is this your way of getting back at me?" He said lowly, his hands resting on her hips.

Remaining still, Caroline smiled sweetly. "What on earth are you talking about, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"I—I'm sorry for not telling you I was moving. I don't know what I was thinking," he said through tight lips. He was vibrating beneath her.

Con: Why the fuck aren't you fucking him into next week? Get on with it!

Pro: Yes, please. I think we're all dying here.

I'll take it, Caroline decided mentally, dipping her head to capture Klaus' lips. "Apology accepted," she mumbled, starting up an almost frantic rhythm.

Klaus dug his nails into her sides possessively, guiding her up and down. He let out primal noises that slipped through Caroline's skin and into her blood.

Fuck, this is a good workout, she thought absently as her sanity started waning.

She picked her pace. Klaus pushed their chests together, the delicious contact of sweaty flesh sparking new waves of want through her.

Each time Caroline slammed down, she felt something building within her. It grew and grew and grew, coiling and uncoiling like a spring just waiting to come loose.

Klaus bit at her collarbone, gliding his tongue over the marks he left. Finally, she was his again.

She may have had control when this thing started, but in that moment Klaus was the one who called the shots. He held her so tightly she swore he was about to break her. He pushed her down and then dragged her back up as if she were nothing more than a two pound weight. It was exciting and different and she didn't want it to end.

He found little trigger spots that made her moan his name, smiling against her breast when he discovered a new one.

"We'll need…to leave when…we're done," Caroline wheezed into Klaus' hair.

"Why?"

"Mom…shift…over."

"Okay," said Klaus, picking up the speed with which he moved her.

God, he so owned her. He'd owned her since the summertime. Since he'd confronted her in the bookshop.

It all felt like coming home after a really long vacation. She was back where she belonged, and it was with him.

That horrible, poisonous word love echoed in her mind again as a new kind of pressure rose inside her tummy. But again, it was too soon, too unreal. They hadn't really talked about anything. They'd gotten nowhere except the bedroom. And for now, she was okay with it. For now, she'd accept it.

Tomorrow, though, they'd talk.

She'd sit him down properly and explain how she felt about him—about them. About how it scared her, but somehow thrilled her at the same time. She'd tell him about how much she wanted this to work. How much she needed this to work.

All the while praying he felt the same way.

It wasn't that she was blind or deaf. Klaus was looking at her like she was his reason for living, and he wouldn't stop crying out her name. He clearly wanted her. But she was thick and so used to being second-best that the numbers didn't seem to match up.

Klaus would have to tell her, in his own big-boy words, that he needed Caroline as well.

The tingling started in her toes. It spread to her knees. Then her belly. Then her chest. Then her mind went blank.

Fireworks exploded beneath her skin as she came around Klaus, her hands tightening in his hair. She called his name like some sick, twisted prayer.

Klaus kept moving her as she collapsed against him, but then he stilled her, whispering some outlandish curse words as he found his own release.

Leaning back sluggishly, Caroline locked eyes with Klaus. He looked utterly breathtaking. His hair stood on-end and his skin was slick was sweat and saliva.

"Worth the two-month wait?" Caroline asked in an attempt to somehow lighten the far-too-heavy mood.

Klaus laughed then—happy and carefree. "Definitely. Hopefully the wait won't be so long next time."

"I concur."

Neither made any indication that they wanted to move, so they sat together, still joined in so many more ways than one.

Caroline opened her mouth to say something about having to leave in case her mother came home and died immediately of a heart attack at the sight of her daughter in post-coital bliss with some stranger when there was a loud knock on the door. She gulped her words, fear pricking her skin.

Who the fuck could that be?

Immediately Caroline moved off of Klaus, wincing at the sudden cold that met her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she seethed as she pranced around for her clothes.

She pulled on her bra and blouse, only bothering to button it half-way before shimmying into her skirt. She tucked the shirt in and stared at her underwear for two seconds too long, deciding against putting them on.

"Are you going to just sit there or are you going to get dressed!" She exclaimed at the sight of a still-naked, silently laughing Klaus. "Get dressed!"

"Okay, okay." He held up his hands in defeat, slipping to the ground. He was dressed before she had the chance to tell him again.

"Good. How's my hair?" And my makeup, and does it look like I've just thrown my clothes on after being fucked?

"Wonderfully tousled. How about mine?" He turned his head from side to side, an amused smirk pulling at the right side of his mouth.

Caroline bit her cheek. "It looks fantastic. Follow close behind and don't say anything. I don't know who it is."

"Ashamed of me already? That hurts, Caroline."

Shaking her head in an attempt to downplay her own smile, Caroline took ahold of Klaus' hand and, as her heart leapt into her throat, led him to the front door.


A/N 2: So, what did you think? You can be honest with me.

Just one more time, I want to thank you all for the support. I'm nervous about this chapter, and the next ones to follow, but knowing there are at least a few people waiting for me makes it that much more amazing.

I'm making no promises about next chapter, but know it's been started. And oh my goodness, who else read the final chapter for The Madness Underneath? I thought it was wonderfully well done.

Thanks so much to you all!

-LoveIsATemple