It had been two days since the incident in Caroline's trailer and she was sitting in one of the barstools in her kitchen chatting with Bonnie and Elena. She'd called Elena to ask her a few questions about possibly shooting some of the later scenes of the movie with her still black eye and split lip.
"It's possible," Elena said, stroking her chin. She brought out her copy of the script and thumbed through the pages until she reached the point where Remy was injured. "It says that Remy has a black eye only but I'm sure Ric wouldn't mind having a split in there, as well. As long as you're feeling all right enough to do shoot, I can call him tomorrow and see what he thinks."
Caroline nodded. "I feel horrible for putting everything on hold for so long, it just seems like something that would make it easier on the production crew and maybe take a little bit of stress off of Ric's shoulders."
Elena hummed her approval and smiled and Caroline. "Your dedication is refreshing, you know. Most actresses would totally milk the fact that they're hurt but you just want to jump right back into the saddle. It's sort of weird, seeing as how it means you'll have to be even closer to Klaus and he's not your favorite person."
"Oh," Caroline murmured quietly as a blush lit up her cheeks. "Being close to Klaus is no longer the issue."
Bonnie's head jerked up from her waffles and Elena stopped shuffling through papers.
"Meaning?" Bonnie asked.
Caroline suddenly realized what she said and her hand shot up to her mouth. Her wide eyes flitted between Bonnie's dubious expression to Elena's one of interest.
"Crap." Caroline sighed. "Fine, fine. Klaus and I almost kissed."
Silence filled the kitchen and then Bonnie began to shake her head with a small, condescending laugh.
"Figures," she said, taking a bite of waffle. "You have a crush on him."
"No!" Caroline scoffed. "I do not!"
"Yes, you do! If only you'd seen the way your eyes lit up all dramatic and love sick when you said his name! You have a thing for him, Caroline Forbes – and you're fighting it!"
Elena was staring at Bonnie with a saddened expression. "Would it be so bad if she did?"
Caroline chose to stay quiet as Bonnie groaned and dropped her head. "He treats her horribly! He makes her upset; she cries because of him, and what – because he saved her life suddenly it's okay to have a crush on him! Stockholm Syndrome at its finest!"
"I do not have Stockholm Syndrome, Bon – and if I have a crush on him, it's because he's cute and that's all. Simply infatuation and that's it." Caroline gently let herself fall off of the seat until her toes hit the floor and she padded around the kitchen until she got to the refrigerator.
"It's not a bad thing to have a crush on Klaus, Caroline," Elena said, soothingly, folding her papers back until piles and then sliding them into her briefcase. "I myself have a crush on someone, too."
"Oh?" Caroline asked, pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge and taking a small sip. "Do tell."
Elena chuckled and shouldered her bag. "Uh uh, I don't think so. Anyway, I have to go but I'll call you and tell you what Ric says about filming those scenes. Feel better, Care – and Bonnie – do not be mean to her."
Elena left the room and the girls listened to the front door open and shut, the clicking of Elena's heels resounding off of the stone path as she walked to her car. Caroline raised an eyebrow and drank more of her water while Bonnie stood and brought her plate to the sink to rinse off the syrup.
"You have to admit, Bonnie, Klaus has a really cute accent."
Bonnie scoffed. "Right, it's the accent – the ass has nothing to do with it."
Caroline snorted in amusement and capped her water, setting it on the counter. Someone knocked on the door just as she gently lifted her flannel pants higher on her hips, prodding the ugly purple bruise on the skin over her hipbone. Sighing, she shuffled her bare feet through the kitchen and then the living room, stopping in front of the door to yank it open.
"Oh," she said in surprise as her heart sped to life in her chest. "Klaus?"
Klaus sat in his car in front of Caroline's house thinking when he realized he'd been sitting there for over an hour in silence. He didn't know what he was doing there. He didn't know what he would possibly say to her. Did he apologize? Did he say he was sorry for getting so carried away? Or did he lie? Would he lie to her about how he truly felt and let her believe that the near kiss they'd almost shared had been a fluke?
He roared in disgust for himself and hit the steering wheel hard, feeling the car vibrate underneath his angry hands. He wanted to lie! He didn't want to tell Caroline the truth! But one thing he wasn't was a liar – and no amount of trepidation would make him become one.
What Klaus knew was that he simply did not want to share his deepest darkest secrets – he didn't want to divulge Caroline on the details of his past and why he was so vicious to everyone he knew. How could he explain to her that what happened in his past made him a cold monster? She would coddle him. She would try and make him feel like it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't feel guilty.
But that's all Klaus ever felt – all the time.
A door shut and Klaus slid down in his seat at the sight of Elena walking from the home and to her car. Klaus chuckled without feeling and watched her drive away in the inevitable direction of his oldest brother's house. Little did Elijah know, but Klaus knew all about his secret relationship with Elena Gilbert. He wasn't a stupid man, no matter how much Elijah thought so.
Klaus straightened his shoulders and sighed, pulling the keys from the ignition and pocketing them as he stepped out of the car and shut the door behind him. The path to the front door with short and sweet and before he knew it, Klaus was standing just outside the duplex with his hand poised and ready to know.
"Right, it's the accent – the ass has nothing to do with it."
"What?" Klaus whispered with a knowing smile. "Interesting."
With his smile in place, Klaus knocked twice on the door and waited for someone to answer, listening to the sound of shuffling feet and a small giggle.
Caroline.
The smile fell from Klaus' lips just as the door was pulled open and Caroline was standing on the other side in pajamas and dark purple bruises.
"Oh," she said quietly with a tilt of her head. "Klaus?"
He cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm sorry to intrude. May I come in?"
Caroline stared at him dumbly and then nodded, stepping aside. "Yeah, come on in."
Klaus stepped past Caroline, inhaling her scent as he went. She smelled like strawberries and vanilla – an intoxicating combination that he found himself searching for constantly. Her apartment was quaint but much like her – understated and classy. He enjoyed the atmosphere and began to smile until Bonnie appeared at the door to the kitchen with a look of disdain.
"Klaus, I presume," she said with a slight sneer. "I've heard so much about you."
Klaus grimaced. "I assume the thing you've heard are nothing good but painfully true. I'm afraid I haven't been the nicest person to Miss Forbes."
"Nope," Bonnie said, popping the 'p'.
"Bonnie, will you let Klaus and me talk for a minute?" Caroline asked, stepping around Klaus to stand in front of him with her arms crossed underneath her breasts.
Bonnie nodded and glared at Klaus as she turned around to walk back through the kitchen and into the hallway where she traveled the short distance to her bedroom. Klaus sighed in relief and waited for Caroline to turn around and face him. She did and Klaus sucked in an inaudible breath – he didn't know if it was possible, but she was even more attractive in just her house clothes and virtually no makeup.
"You wanted to talk?" she questioned, moving to sit on the couch and gesturing for him to do the same.
"Oh, yes." Klaus followed her lead and sat a far distance from her on the couch cushions. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion on your home but I needed to speak with you."
"Okay," she whispered carefully.
"All right," he sighed. "Where do I begin? Okay, I wanted to apologize. I very much overstepped my boundaries the other day in your trailer. You were arguing with me and then you weren't and I wasn't acting like myself. So, I'm sorry, Caroline. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you."
Caroline raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "You feel that guilty about almost kissing me?" Klaus instantly realized she seemed angry. "Would it have been that bad?"
Klaus' eyes widened. "You've misunderstood me. I'm sorry, again. It's not that it would have been bad to kiss you, it's more than it would have ruined things, I'm sure. We're two incredibly different people and – "
" – and I'm out of your league?" She seemed disgusted. "Well, thanks."
"Would you quit interrupting me?" Klaus shouted as he grew angry. "If you'd simply allow me to finish, you'd realize that I'm not sorry we would have kissed and more sorry for taking advantage of you!"
Caroline blushed. "Sorry."
"Okay,' he sighed again. "As I was saying, I didn't mean to take advantage of your anger. You were in the middle of telling me how you felt and I made you stop so I could take you back to your trailer."
"I remember."
He swallowed hard. "It wasn't that I didn't want to kiss you, darling. It was that I thought it would complicate things. Actors and actresses that become something more significant tend to fall apart, as does a movie if they're working on one together. I don't want that to happen to this movie and I don't want to hurt you."
Caroline watched a wave of vulnerability flash through Klaus' eyes and she knew he was serious, even if she'd never assume he was telling the truth. She knew in that moment that Klaus would never hurt her if he had the choice – even though she knew close to nothing about him. He wouldn't hurt her because it would hurt him.
"I see," she murmured, standing from the sofa to pace in front of it. "Well, I appreciate you coming here to tell me this. It was a little awkward to walk out of my trailer with a blush on my face the color of tomatoes."
Klaus snorted. "Your face was the color of tomatoes?"
"Yes – because I was embarrassed and angry. Both! Not a very comfortable combination!"
He nodded. "Well, yes, I can imagine."
Caroline was still pacing and that's when Klaus' eyes caught the very edge of the bruise on her hip. Not paying attention, Caroline let her hands fall and one hand hit her hip, making her gasp in pain. Her knees buckled and began to fall to the floor in pain – a startled cry emanating from her lips.
Klaus reacted quickly and lunged for her, gathering her into his arms and falling underneath her before she could hit the ground. Klaus landed on his back, arms around Caroline's torso and she landed on top of him. Her nose fell into his neck and she buried her face in his skin as the pain of her accidently hitting her bruise traveled through her body and made her tense. Klaus whispered to her quietly as his hands automatically began to stroke her back.
"You're okay," he said gently, running his fingers up and down her spine as she slowly began to relax in his arms. "Just breathe and the pain will go away. Are you all right?"
Caroline slowly lifted her head to stare down into Klaus' sea blue eyes, the color slowly sucking her in until she felt like she was drowning. The scent of Klaus' cologne filled her nose and she breathed deeply, digging her fingers into the fabric of his shirt as she let her eyes fall to his mouth where his plump bottom lip was sucked tightly in between his teeth.
"Yes, I'm fine," she responded. "Just a little – umm – winded."
Klaus swallowed hard and nodded, watched the way her breath hitched and her heart began to beat faster underneath her skin. He could feel it where he touched her back and where her entire front was lying on top of his. The air in the room thickened and Caroline's breath came in short puffs against Klaus' lips.
Energy crackled around them and Klaus felt his hands sliding up Caroline's back to thread through her blonde curls, locking his thick fingers in her hair until her held her securely in his hands.
"Klaus," she whispered as her eyes flew back to his and her lids drooped low.
With a groan, Klaus pulled Caroline's head down to his so that he could crush his lips against hers. Caroline quickly obliged at the feeling of his mouth on hers and she quietly moaned, wrapping her own fingers around his wrist.
There was nothing quite as exceptional as the feeling of Klaus' lips on hers, Caroline thought. She could taste the mint of his toothpaste and also the coffee he must have drank at breakfast that morning.
Caroline tilted her head and relished on the silky feeling of Klaus' lips pressed against hers and the way his hands touched her. The fingers on one hand were wrapped in her hair and simultaneously rubbing her scalp, putting her in a trance and making her melt against him. Caroline opened her lips slightly and felt Klaus' tongue as it slipped past her lips and rubbed against her own, shutting down her brain and turning her into a puddle.
Klaus felt Caroline go lax and he moaned gently against her mouth, holding her tightly and quickly, without putting pressure on her injuries, flipping the two of them over. He put her on her back and let one of his hands slide down her ribs to wrap around her back where he knew she wasn't injured, pulling her harder against him.
Klaus and Caroline's tongues battled against each other until Caroline let Klaus have control for a moment. She wrapped one leg over his hip and felt him press against her where she was becoming warm and a large moan ripped from her lips as she ripped her mouth from his.
"Oh, god," she groaned, brain turning to mush as Klaus' lips traveled down her jawline to gently suck on her neck. "Oh my god."
Klaus pulled away from Caroline's skin and rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard. His eyes slowly opened and he stared down at Caroline's flushed face, red, open lips, and listened to her shallow breathing. Her eyes opened and their blue eyes met as their breathing aligned.
"Hi," she whispered.
Klaus swallowed and grinned slightly. "Hello."
Something had changed – something very important. Their relationship had changed and Caroline didn't know what to do – how to react. Caroline opened her mouth to break the silence when a deafening crash echoed throughout the apartment and glass rained down on the two of them.
Klaus reacted quickly, covering her entire body with his to shield her from the onslaught. "Don't move," he ordered. "Don't move at all."
Caroline burrowed into Klaus' chest and felt the mood slip away quickly, replaced by terror and confusion. She'd been drunk by his kisses only to be slapped into sobriety. The sound of tires on pavement filled her ears until they were ringing and Klaus was lifting himself off of her body, pushing himself away and moving the hair out of her face. His hands traveled over his body to check for new injuries and he was breathing heavily.
"Are you okay?" he asked quickly with a terrified voice. "Are you hurt? Caroline, talk to me."
Caroline was fine – more concerned for Klaus because of the way he was reacting. She knew she was okay and that what happened was over, but Klaus seemed to be in shock. His face was pale and he was shaking as his fingers ghosted over her skin.
"I'm okay," she whispered, reaching up to cup his cheek on her hand. He was cold as ice. "Are you all right, Klaus?"
Klaus swallowed and closed his eyes, relishing in Caroline's warmth. The sound of crashing glass and the raining of broken shards hitting the ground brought back uncomfortable memories of crunching metal, shattering glass, the sound of hot tires of the ground and the smell of burnt rubber in his nostrils.
He was going into shock when he needed to protect Caroline.
His Caroline.
"I'm fine," he said quickly, pushing himself away. He looked up at the carnage and saw a brick wrapped in brown paper sitting only a few inches away from Caroline's head. There was writing on the paper and Klaus reached for it while pulling Caroline up to a sitting position with his other hand. He pulled her into his side and peeled off the paper, reading the note that was on the brick.
Don't think I've forgotten about you, Caroline. You're not going to do this movie. You're going back to where you came from – whether it's on a plane or in a body bag. Xoxo!
Please read and review! I'm created a rough outline for the rest of the story so hopefully the updates will come more frequently! Please follow me on tumblr - my username is accola-holic! Thank you all so much!