The morning brought noting interesting for Caroline. She slept in and getting up realized Klaus had left the apartment early. She made herself a Cappuccino in the ridiculously expensive looking coffee maker and took a blood bag out of the fridge. She wasn't sure what to do with herself for the rest of the day. They were going to meet Clarissa at night when she had had enough time to figure out what Shane was looking for. But Klaus had not communicated any other plans for the day with her. Hell, he had not even left a note explaining his current absences. Finishing her liquid breakfast she grabbed her coat and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. She was curious to take a closer look at her surroundings. Klaus had said that it was a safe part of the city and a walking around would do her some good after the party last night.

She got lost, of course. The street names sounded all the same to her and were impossible to keep in mind. To bad that a perfect memory was not part of the vampire package. Admitting defeat she stopped at a café and tried to explain the woman where she lived. She had not remembered that street name either but she remembered crossing a reddish stone bridge with small towers on top and lots of people crossing it. She was sure that she could find her way back from there. Fortunately the woman was capable of speaking english rather well. Suddenly Caroline was a little embarressed that she had never tried to learn a second language. That would definetely her next project though she should probabaly start with something easier than German. After some struggle with the right words the woman told her how to get back to that bridge. Caroline was exhausted when she finally arrived there she hadn't realized how far she had walked on her not so short stroll.

She returned to the apartment about three hours after she had left. She opened the door and walked in on Klaus blocking her way. His eyes were scrutinizing her. He did not exactly look pleased. She was contemplating whether to ask him about his obvious anger or to just let it slide this time. After what seemed like a very thorough inspection of her he visibly calmed down a little bit. That resulted in his shoulders shrinking back to their natural position but his overall facial expression was still intense.

"Where have you been?" He asked her.

"I just took a walk through the city. Who knows how long we are going to stay here. So I wanted to see as much of the city as possible." She answered confused.

"And you didn't think about leaving a note for me or something?" He inquired.

Caroline looked at him and had to suppress a laugh: "Where did you think I could have gone? I don't know anybody here."

"Exactly, you don't know anybody!" He seemed to struggle for words. "Anything could have happened to you. Too many people in this city despise me. You walking around the city by yourself makes the perfect target, don't you see that Caroline?" There was a new edge of concern in his voice that Caroline had rarely ever heard from him.

"What did you expect me to do? Stay in until the mighty Klaus comes home and finally takes me out? You didn't leave a message either. For all I knew you could have already left the country. How was I supposed to know?" She replied getting angrier by the minute. He could not just take her with him and then expect her to stay quiet and nicely at home, could he?

"Don't be ridiculous Caroline. I would never leave you alone here."

"So you think I am ridiculous? Well, thank you very much. That comforts me so much!"

"That is not what I meant and you know that."

She gave him another glance, snored, turned around and stomped off to her room. She pulled the door shut behind her with a loud bang. He called her from the other room. "Caroline! Don't be like that!" She went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her successfully blocking him out from her hearing. She leaned over the sink and looked into the mirror above it. She was sick of being told by him what she could and what she couldn't do. She wished that she had never met him at the airport in Rio.

Suddenly her head jerked up. She had remembered meeting him at the airport in Rio when she was just about to leave the country. She had not remembered that before. She tried to focus. But all she could see was the moment she had spotted him in the small café nipping on his cafézinho watching her. She could not remember when he had started talking to her or what happened afterwards but the smile he had given her was branded in her memory.

She looked at herself in the mirror again. Despite the travel and the adventures of last night she looked good. Her hair was slightly curled as always but ruffled from the wind. Her cheeks were still flushed either from the wind or the emotional outburst over Klaus ridiculous question. Still, she had to admit that she did not look sad at all. She sighed. The confrontation with Klaus may have been unpleasant but maybe she was not right to judge him so harshly. He had really seemed to be worried about her safety. If only he was a little bit less intense about all these things. Though she had to admit the intensity only made him more like himself. . Although she still thought that he could have left a note as well. Who said that she wasn't worried about his whereabouts?

She left the bathroom and her own room and walked back into the living room. He was not there. For a short moment she was afraid that he had finally abandoned her when she heard noises coming from the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen Klaus was standing with his back to her looking out the window. He had a cup in his hand that oozed steam and he occasionally nipped on it.

"Did you make coffee?" She asked him in her most neutral voice.

"Tea."

"Okay." She waited for more words from him.

"I lived a long time in England."

"That explains the tea."

Suddenly she felt awkward just standing around and tried to think of something to do. Maybe she should make coffee. They still had plans for the night and she better be awake for that. The coffee maker was on his other side. She passed him and opened the coffee maker. Its water needed to be refilled. She took the container and went to the sink. He still didn't move and starred out of the window. When her arm holding the container accidently brushed against his arm he moved so suddenly that the container slipped out of her hand. In a rush he had his arms around her and his lips against hers. She could not withstand the temptation and pressed her lips back against his. For some reason she did not fully understand her body reacted automatically to his touch. Her hands went up and closed around his neck while he pulled her closer with his hands on her hips. She could feel the heat radiating from them.

All of sudden they were kissing like their lives depended on it. Her nails dug into his neck and her hands snuck into his hair. He let his hands wander along her sides and down her back while pushing her even closer to him. . His hand snuck under her shirt and caressed the bare skin on her lower back. When their tongue touched she felt an electric spark run through her body. She could not remember ever having kissed someone like this. It felt like a weird mixture between unknown and an unexplainable familiarity. Although she didn't have to breath Caroline took a step back, inhaled and looked directly into Klaus eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it exhaling. Klaus was waiting for her to make the next move or to stop. He wanted her so badly but knew that pushing her would not help his cause. She seemed to think for a few seconds and said: "I remember meeting you in Rio at the airport."

He was surprised. He hadn't expected her to remember anything. He looked at her expectantly and waited.

"I don't remember a lot but I know that I first saw you in a café at the airport. You were drinking coffee and had already spotted me. You smiled and I felt…" She stopped trying to find the right words for her feelings. "I felt strange. I hadn't expected to ever see you again. At least not so fast and especially not somewhere in the middle of South America. I mean you were alone and I was alone. I… I don't know. That's all I remember." She sighed. He looked her in the eyes. "I had not left you. I waited until I could see you away from the influence of your friends and the shame they made you feel."

She had the sudden urge to fall into his arms and stay there forever. "What happened then?" When he hesitated she begged. "Please, tell me. I have to know. I feel like there is something missing from my life. I can't continue like this without having even the slightest memory of what happened in São Paulo." He still hesitated and then let go of her. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck but he gently pulled her hands away from him but kept them in his hands. He looked down at their joined hands and when she gave his hands a reassuring squeeze he finally nodded.

"Fine, I'll tell you a little bit. But there are things that I can't tell you. You have to discover them by yourself." He pointed with his head towards the living room. "Let's sit down and talk."