AN: Thank you for all your reviews, favs and follows guys, you are incredible! This one was written for Day 2 of Klaroline AU Week, based on this prompt:
"For the time shift day, may you write something about Caroline meeting the past version of Klaus (aka when he was human) ? She can be travelling to the past or maybe this past Klaus can be the one showing up in the present !"
Season 4 AU (going AU after Klaus' killing spree of hybrids and Tyler's mother). That means Kol is alive, there's no 4x16 and thus no baby and generally all the things that I like like to forget didn't happen.
Hope you like it!
Beta'd by arustykiss/CKhybrid, thank you :)
Let's burn the pages
We'll start anew
Right through the ages
Fate don't know you like I do - oh
"Dammit!" Caroline shot up in bed, gasping for air as her hands clenched around sweat-soaked sheets.
She'd been dreaming about him. Again. Something she'd never thought would happen but here she was, restless and writhing in her own bed as images of her and the Original Hybrid raced through her mind. Naked. Sweaty. Buried deep inside of her as the grovel in his voice scratched against her ear and all the dirty words he rasped stuck to her skin. Her tongue darting out, she would trace it slowly along the lines of his bird tattoo, then trail down, to the ridges of his abdomen and lower to…
Stop thinking about it, Caroline. Stop thinking about him.
Ever since the hybrid massacre, things had been going further and further south, to the point where she had stopped fooling herself that their town or their lives would ever go back to normal. Or normal-ish.
Tyler had left after his mother's death, with Hayley of all people - but while Caroline still felt hurt by his decision, she'd rather Tyler left than got himself killed with silly attempts at revenge. Bonnie had gone off the rails with help from Professor Shane, a Silas fanatic, and it'd actually been Kol who had helped to bring her back. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to stop the return of the ancient warlock, especially after Caroline had killed twelve witches to save her friend from a certain death, thus completing the third sacrifice.
Oh, and she had slept with Klaus.
She had been furious with him, for killing Tyler's mom, for bringing mayhem into their lives, for...causing her to question all her truths and making her want him in spite of everything he had done. Because, no matter how evil Klaus was, she couldn't help but see more of him, see deeper than the persona he had created to shield him against danger and pain but that was very much a part of him now. She had noticed the betrayal dimming his eyes after he had slain his hybrids. Those same eyes that lit up with warmth and laughter as he teased her with her Mystic Falls application. She saw the anger and hurt after she had told him he wasn't worth it. The silent determination and longing that burned her skin when he touched her, his hands, lips and eyes taking her all in as they desperately chased their release.
Her phone went off, breaking her out of her reverie as she reached towards her nightstand. Still distraught by her earlier thoughts, she didn't even check the caller ID, regretting it seconds later when Rebekah's angry voice rang in her ear.
"Get over here. Immediately," the blonde Original demanded, making Caroline's blood boil.
Even though the Mikaelsons stayed in Mystic Falls, set on eliminating the threat of someone so powerful roaming the earth - a goal that coincided with that of her and her friends' interests for once - her relationship with Rebekah could be described as strained on their best day. And she definitely didn't appreciate anyone bossing her around, ancient vampire or not.
"Excuse me?! How about you go to hell?" Caroline bristled through her teeth.
There was a long suffering sigh at the other end before Rebekah spoke again, rephrasing her earlier statement, swallowing hard as if being cordial to her was physically painful.
Caroline's lips stretched in a smirk at that but she lost it quickly when she heard the Original's next words.
"We need you to come over, Caroline. It's Klaus."
"How the hell did this happen?" Caroline asked incredulously, watching Klaus who was regarding kitchen appliances with great interest, his face molded in awe.
It wasn't the Klaus she knew, however. Unruly blonde curls were replaced by wavy shoulder-length hair. Instead of a familiar Henley, he was sporting a linen tunic and leather pants, necklaces still adorning his neck, although they differed from the ones he was normally wearing. Most of all, he seemed utterly lost and overwhelmed, his gaze nervously scanning his surroundings. His eyes were those of a stranger when they didn't focus on her as soon as she entered the room, when they didn't follow her every move with intensity that burned deep to her bones.
"Silas. Told ya he's real." Kol's smug voice chimed from his place on the couch, where he laid splayed, following his brother's every move with a smirk glued to his face.
Rebekah huffed in annoyance, "Yes, Kol, you've managed to be right for once. Get over yourself, you wanker."
As the two of them engaged in another heated session of bickering, Elijah approached her, shooting her an apologetic glance. "Forgive us, Ms. Forbes. My siblings have never quite managed to grasp the concept of manners."
Well, that was an understatement. "So what happened exactly? Where is Klaus? How are you planning on getting them back? You are getting him back, right? I mean I know he's - " Caroline peppered Elijah with questions before he interrupted her, gesturing with his hand for her to calm down.
"Like Kol's already stated, it was Silas. We don't exactly know how but it appears he cast a spell that simultaneously sent Klaus back in time and brought his old human self to present, for whatever reason. And of course we are getting my brother back, Ms. Forbes. While Niklaus might be a handful, he is family," he explained, examining her carefully.
While she tried to keep worry out of her voice as she spoke, she had failed, if the knowing grin spread over the Original's face was anything to go by. "So what do we do?" As soon as the question left her mouth, she cringed at her use of words.
There was no 'we'.
Rebekah scoffed at her slip, Kol seemed intrigued and Elijah just smiled, taking pity on her by divulging on their plans some more. "Kol has called up some of his witch connections, they're working on finding the spell as we speak. Apart from that, we need to focus on keeping Niklaus safe. It is crucial - " He trailed off, eyes flickering towards the kitchen at the loud buzzing coming from it. "Niklaus, put that down, you'll hurt yourself," he chastised his brother with a sigh when the latter had accidentally turned on a blender, continuing his earlier thought after Rebekah intervened, "It is crucial that Niklaus' predicament remains a secret. He's not to leave the mansion. Can I count on your discretion as well as some assistance, Ms. Forbes?"
"Assistance?" she croaked, her throat suddenly dry.
"Elijah wants your help babysitting Nik, darling," Kol chirped in, not one for sugarcoating.
Gulping, Caroline sneaked a glance towards the kitchen. Klaus was there, standing by the threshold to the living room where they sat staring at her. A slight blush crept up his face when he realized he'd been caught but he held her gaze anyway, dimples cutting into his cheeks as a small subtle smile curved his perfectly-shaped lips.
Those dimples hadn't changed for a thousand years, she noted, her stomach doing all sorts of twists and turns at the sight.
Screw it. If the Originals didn't kill Silas, she would.
It appeared that finding a spell for time-travel wasn't that easy, even with an entourage of witches ready to satisfy Kol's every whim and Bonnie who had been let in on a secret, her determination to end Silas overcoming her hate for Klaus. Both her and Caroline had practically moved in to the Mikaelson's mansion and it said a lot about the mess that was their lives and their friends as their constant absence went on unnoticed.
Over the course of the next few days, Caroline found herself falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. Human Klaus unnerved her. She was usually the one to keep an eye on him while his siblings ran around Mystic Falls, putting out fires caused by Silas or searching for a way to bring back their brother. It had been awkward at first, mostly because this Klaus was a bit more shy and a lot less evil than his present version, leaving Caroline unsure how to behave around him. Without their push and pull, this ritual dance where he showered her with attention and offered the world ripe for the taking while she shielded herself with all the reasons to deny him, she had no idea where she stood.
Like she said, it was unnerving.
"Caroline?" Klaus' crispy voice broke her out of the haze of her thoughts. "What grants me the pleasure of your visit?" he inquired cordially, taking hold of her hand and dipping his head to feather a kiss down her palm.
Even after being at the receiving end of his old-world-chivalry manners for almost a week, she still couldn't help the blush that crept up her cheeks. "I thought we could eat lunch together," she explained, motioning towards the pizza box in her other hand.
Klaus took it from her and led them towards the kitchen, shaking his head as if he was slightly embarrassed, "You mean that you brought me a meal to sustain me as my siblings deemed me unable to hunt." Having placed the box on the counter, he pulled back a chair for her, breath catching in his throat momentarily when his arm brushed against hers.
"It's not your fault, you know," she tried comforting him while ignoring the tingling that had risen in her skin at their physical contact. "Besides, we don't hunt nowadays anyway. Not if we can't help it. Now eat. I bet there's nothing as delicious as this in 10th century." Her voice warmed with a more cheerful tone as she offered him a slice of pizza.
"It seems food is not the only thing that my time lacks," Klaus remarked, casting an innocent look her way, although his impish smile was anything but.
Human Klaus appeared to be as much of a smooth talker as her Klaus.
What?!
Caroline almost choked on her pizza upon the realization she had started to consider Klaus hers at some point.
"What is the matter, love?" Concern marred his features as he observed her from under his lashes, noting the crimson tinging her face and her quickened breathing.
"Nothing. Everything's fine."
The look Klaus shot her was full of scepticism and his next words proved that much. "You're worried, Caroline," he spoke softly, "is there something I can do?"
Whether a human or a hybrid, it seemed Klaus couldn't be fooled no matter what and he still possessed the ability to see past her fake smiles and careful lies. It was a startling thought, rendering her silent.
He must've taken her silence as a refusal to answer his question because he looked at her apologetically, dimples cutting into his cheeks as a shy smile adorned his lips. "Forgive me, sweetheart. Naturally,a lady's secrets are her own. If you are not comfortable sharing them, perhaps I can take your mind off of it?"
A faint laugh escaped her lips at his proposal - how amusing it was that he proposed to fit into the role of her distraction, one she had played for him so many times before.
Not anymore.
In her case, though, a bit of distraction surely wouldn't hurt, Caroline mused internally as she glanced at Klaus, her lips curled in a little smirk. "Tell me a story, Klaus," she demanded, beaming at him when he chuckled coyly, his baby blues lighting up with excitement.
Oh, the stories he told.
Of their family, house filled with laughter and childish frolics in the woods, not a care in the world. Of the ever curious Henrik, Kol, mischievous but good-hearted, and Rebekah with her sandcastle dreams. Caroline would listen with bated breath, a dreamy smile on her face as she imagined their life and pictured Klaus in it. But then, as they'd grown closer and closer, Klaus's tone would turn darker, whispering of broken bones and backs whipped to blood, of Elijah and Tatia's betrayal, of Henrik's death.
It was bittersweet, how this first story had turned into several more after that to then turn into the last one.
Walking side by side, they made their way towards the clearing in the forest where the witches would finally perform the spell to bring back Klaus from the future and send human Klaus to the past. Grass rustling under their feet paired with leaves rustling on the wind underscored silence that had fallen between them, although it was a friendly one. Their hands would brush against each other accidentally, making her long for something, but she wasn't sure what it was. She just knew, as Klaus enclosed her hand in his, that it wasn't quite his touch - however soothing- that she wanted to feel, to burn through her skin.
As they came to a stop, half a coven of witches flitting around in preparations before them, Caroline could feel Klaus' piercing gaze fixed on her. With the corner of her eye, she noticed him biting into his lower lip, as if he was bracing himself to say something.
"You miss him," he finally stated.
A small gasp passed her lips, not because she was outraged by his words but because they rang true, catching her off guard. She had no idea when the hell it'd happened but somewhere along the way, amidst all the craziness they had endured, the notion of missing Klaus didn't seem so crazy anymore. Whatever his agenda was, he had stayed when he could've fled, working with them (well, more like commanding them) and going out of his way to ensure her safety.
"Yes," she uttered, "I know it doesn't make much sense. You're the same person. But…"
"But not really," he finished her thought.
"No."
She hesitated, so much more that threatened to escape her mouth stuck on the tip of her tongue when Elijah approached them, announcing, "It's time," before leaving them alone again.
Klaus turned to her, hand darting to cup her cheek as she leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut. "Well, love, knowing my siblings, everything will go according to plan and you will reunite with...your Klaus soon," he reassured her. "It's been an honour getting to know you, Caroline. My future self seems to possess an excellent taste when it comes to companionship." Still cupping her face, he leaned forward and placed a feather-like kiss in the corner of her mouth before heading towards his siblings and their witches. "Farewell, Caroline."
"Farewell," she whispered, hand darting to the place where his lips swept over hers.
As the chanting resonated against the trees, she cast one last look at Klaus and then vamped away.
Having ignored her friends as well as Rebekah's incessant messages, Caroline opted to spend her evening buried in blankets on her bed. She didn't feel like seeing anyone.
Well, that was only partially true.
She knew there was one person she both wanted and dreaded to see.
And as the air around her rustled, he was standing right by her bed, his eyes darkening as they hungrily raked over her form to finally focus on her face.
If Caroline were honest with herself, she'd admit she missed those eyes, the way they devoured her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.
"Klaus."
"Disappointed to see me, love? It appears you've become quite fond of my human self," he didn't beat around the bush, his brows furrowed as he spoke.
Shooting him an incredulous look, she bit back, "Are you seriously jealous of yourself? And how do you even know this?"
He just stared at her pointedly.
"You remember?" she groaned, burying her face in a pillow.
"He's part of me, sweetheart. We share the same memories."
Her head snapped as his words sank in. Studying him closely, the features of his handsome face stretched/pulled in apprehension, the lines of his luscious raspberry lips so familiar, Caroline realized this Klaus and the human one didn't only share memories and the same looks. After a thousand years, he had grown into another person, naturally. It was the way of the world and she could only wonder what kind of a vampire she would make after a thousand years - it was an awfully long time, a concept that was yet simply incomprehensible to her. But, as much as she had fought it, even before meeting human Klaus, she had been privy to glimpses of him in the hybrid standing before her. Parts of him that he had allowed her to see and parts she couldn't help but see, no matter how hard she tried not to.
And maybe that was enough. Enough and just right for her.
But she would never know without taking that one step forward, without taking his hand in hers and taking a dip in rough waters.
So she did. Pulling him to sit on her bed, she offered him some of her blanket and then snuggled into the crook of his neck as he settled against the headboard. He looked dumbfounded by her gesture and it was quite amusing to watch but quickly, his lips curved with a smug grin as he molded his body flush to hers.
It turned to a smile full of delight when he heard her demand, "Tell me a story, then."
So what did you think of this one? This was my first time travel AU, I admit it was fun too write ;) What did you think of human!Klaus/Caroline interaction? How Caroline was affected by meeting Klaus from the past? Please share your thoughts with me :)
Till next time (which will be tomorrow lol),
Kate
