At first, Caroline fought leaving her car behind, but Stefan explained that a car was too recognizable, too easy to track. Still, she wasn't quite convinced until Stefan gave an exasperated sigh and promised that they'd buy her any car she wanted if she would just get in his damn car already. She gave a satisfied smile and climbed into the passenger seat of his sleek, silver BMW roadster without another word. Stefan wondered for a second if that had been her intention all along before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the engine.
"So where are we going?" Caroline asked as she buckled her seat belt.
"You'll see," Stefan responded and smiled. He opened up a little compartment in the center console and retrieved his iPod. "You can play whatever you want," he said and handed it to Caroline. She pressed play and smiled when The Black Keys' first album (her favorite of theirs) began to play.
They headed south for toward North Carolina, mostly in silence. When one album would end, Caroline would select a new one—a little jazz, a little dub step, a little orchestral—she was surprised at the sheer variety of Stefan's collection. When she wasn't setting the soundtrack, she watched Stefan drive. He liked to drive fast and she couldn't help but admire the skill with which he maneuvered the car down the dark, winding roads. The transmission was a manual, so his hands were always in motion, his mind always at work to make sure the vehicle was operating at peak performance. Though his face was set in mild determination, he still seemed totally relaxed, as if he was in complete control.
After two hours, Stefan pulled into a gas station in a small town on the border between Virginia and North Carolina.
"Do you want anything from inside?" Stefan asked through her open window when he finished filling the tank.
"A coffee maybe," Caroline replied, "I'm starting to get a bit drowsy."
"Sure," he said, "cream and sugar, right?" Caroline nodded, pleased that he remembered. He went inside the convenience store and walked over to the coffee machine. He grabbed the largest empty cup but paused to take out his phone and answer it. Caroline tried to use her vampire hearing to eavesdrop on what he was saying, but the engine of another car pulling into the gas station drowned him out. She turned in annoyance to the offending vehicle and saw two high school girls sitting in the front seat of a red Ford Focus and rocking out to Taylor Swift. They got out of the car in a flurry of giggles. Caroline felt a slight pang of sadness as she watched them go in. She might never get a chance to be like that with Elena and Bonnie again. Getting used to life without her friends was going to be a struggle. Her longing turned to annoyance, though, when the girls halted their laughter to gape at Stefan.
"Who is that?" Caroline heard the brunette whisper to her blonde friend.
"I don't know," the other girl responded. "But let's find out." Stefan had hung up his phone by now and had gone back to getting the coffee. The girls made a show of "casually" walking toward him and the blonde sidled up to Stefan at the coffee machines and muttered "excuse me" before simultaneously reaching for a cup and pushing her chest toward him.
"Sorry," Stefan responded and slid out of her way. The girl seemed annoyed that he was too preoccupied with filling the cup with cream and sugar to spare her a glance and frowned.
"Excuse me," she said and waited until Stefan turned toward her. "Are you Matthew Lang's older brother?"
"No, no," Stefan said with a polite smile, "just passing through." He gestured to the car and Caroline quickly averted her eyes and tried to look as cool and composed as possible.
"Oh, that's too bad," the blonde girl continued, undeterred. "That's a great car you have. Looks fast," she added in a way that had nothing to do with the roadster.
"It is," Stefan replied and placed a lid on the cup. "If you'll excuse me," he said and moved around her to pay for the coffee. The brunette walked up to her friend and they both continued to stare at Stefan.
"He is so hot," the brunette whispered.
"Yeah," the blonde added bitterly, "wonder what he's doing with that ugly bitch in the car?" Caroline felt her face flush with anger and hurt at the insult. The girls giggled and watched Stefan as he exited the store and walked toward the car. Instead if walking to the driver's seat, he walked toward Caroline's side and opened her door.
"Thought we could share," he said as he placed his left hand on her upper thigh so he could lean across her and place the cup in the holder.
"Ok, that's..." was all Caroline could manage before Stefan grabbed her face with his right hand and pressed his lips to hers. Caroline felt him run his tongue between her lips and opened them in response. She reached her left hand up to intertwine in his hair and pressed him too her as their lips and tongues moved together. The gesture was performative, of course, but it was also a sign of mutual ownership and the heat between them intensified. Stefan slid his hand up Caroline's thigh and she let out a small moan when he reached the top. He gave her thigh a quick squeeze before pulling his lips from her and smiling.
"One more thing," he said before leaning down to peck her lips again and standing to close her door. He turned and strode back into the store. He stopped in front of the cashier and stared at the man, compelling him. "Are there any cameras in here or outside?" he asked coldly.
"No," the man replied.
"Good," Stefan said and snapped the man's neck without a moment's hesitation. The girls, who had looked confused and mortified up to that moment, screamed and started running toward the door as fast as they could. But Stefan was faster. He grabbed the blonde by the throat and dragged her a few steps before taking hold of the brunette's arm. He flung both girls against the cashier's countertop and loomed over them.
"Stefan, no!" Caroline screamed and moved to get out of the car.
"You stay right there, Caroline," he yelled fiercely. She settled back in her seat, terrified. He stared down at the girls, holding each of them down by their throats as they struggled in vain. "Be quiet," he said menacingly. Both girls instantly stopped struggling, succumbing to his compulsion. "Neither of you have cell phones on you right now, correct?" Both girls shook their heads in the negative. "Good," he continued. "Now, come with me and do exactly as I say. Don't try to run away." He released the girls and stepped back to allow them to stand. As he turned and walked away, they mindlessly followed. Caroline watched in horror as he led them to the back of the car and opened the trunk. "Get in," he demanded. Caroline felt the car move as first the blonde and then the brunette climbed into the trunk without protest. Stefan placed both hands on the trunk lid and stared down at the girls. "Don't make a sound," he said before slamming the lid over them. He walked calmly to the driver's seat before getting in and shutting the door.
"You have to make sure they don't have phones or anything on them," he said conversationally, "those things are like little tracking devices." Caroline stared at him in disbelief.
"What are you talking about?!" she asked, barely able to control the rising panic. "What are you going to do with those girls?" Stefan sighed and turned to look at Caroline. She barely recognized him. There was no compassion, no kindness in his face. She'd never seen him look so monstrous.
"You said you'd let me train you, Caroline," he said, a bit exasperated. He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder but she flinched away from the contact. He retracted his hand and went on more gently. "This is what it means to hunt, Caroline. I know this is new to you, but this is what we do. You agreed to come with us, you're going to have to start getting comfortable with this kind of thing."
"Well, then maybe I made a mistake, Stefan," she said, building hysteria in her voice. She opened the door and climbed out. She briskly walked away form the car but stopped at the edge of the road, unable to hold back her tears any longer. She didn't know if she could live this way. Watching Stefan be so coldly violent had shaken her to her core. In that moment, he had been nothing like the Stefan she knew. He had terrified her. And yet...watching him defend her honor–unequivocally, mercilessly–had excited her. She hated herself for her vanity. But it want just that. Stefan had never seemed more powerful than he had back there. He'd been totally confident in his actions and completely in control. She couldn't deny that there was some small part of her that wondered what that felt like.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you," Stefan said softly from behind her.
"I know, Stefan, it's just..." she raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob and couldn't go on. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I forgot you've never lived like a real vampire before. I used to fear it—giving in to my instincts and becoming a predator. But I couldn't stand to see you insulted. My impulse was to punish those people, I acted on it. I apologize for upsetting you."
Caroline wiped the tears from her eyes and placed her hand over Stefan's. He stepped toward her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent and feeling comforted by its familiarity. She ran her hands along his strong arms as he nuzzled her neck, feeling totally desired and protected.
"You still want to come with me?" Stefan whispered softly in her ear. She nodded in agreement. He held Caroline a moment longer before releasing her. When she turned to face him he smiled and reached up to wipe the last tears from her face. He grabbed her hand and led her back to the car. She avoided looking at the trunk, fearing that she would lose her resolve if she had to think of its contents again. She climbed into the passenger seat and Stefan closed her door before racing to his seat.
They continued south, heading deep into North Carolina's share of the Appalachian range. Caroline picked uptempo music to brighten her mood and drown out the way the girls bodies' shifted in the trunk as the car sped along. Finally, at the end of a winding road buried deep in the woods, the headlight illuminated a large log house. Stefan parked the car in front of it and ran around the car to open Caroline's door and offer his hand to help her out.
"What a beautiful house," she said in awe, "it looks old."
"Klaus has owned it for years," Stefan explained as he moved toward the trunk. "He had a logging empire in the 1930s and this was his base of operations." He flicked the trunk's lid open and stared down at the girls inside. "Get out and follow us." The girls obeyed and after Stefan grabbed Caroline's bag, he joined her at the foot of the house's stairs.
She stared up at the dwelling, afraid of what would happen when she went in. She'd never met Klaus, but judging from what he'd done in the past few months (kidnapped her and Tyler, killed Jules, Jenna and even Elena in the ritual) she was more than a little frightened.
Stefan grabbed her hand and they ascended the stairs. He opened the front door and led her through a hallway that opened onto an enormous sitting room with a fireplace covering most of the far wall. She saw a figure silhouetted against the fire, leaning over a table and sipping from a tumbler. The figure turned at the sound of them entering the room.
"Stefan," the figure said in a deep-toned, British accent. "I send you out for one girl and you bring back three." The figure slowly swaggered across the room. Caroline watched him move toward them and thought there was something arrogant though not entirely unappealing in both the way he carried himself and his voice.
"Well, I thought we should celebrate Caroline's arrival," Stefan replied and gestured to the two young girls behind them.
"Indeed we should," Klaus replied and finally stepped into the light. He was handsome, more than she had expected. He had a distinguished brow and full, surprisingly red lips. His face was covered with stubble and he had close-cropped curly blonde hair. For a few moments, he stood sipping from his drink and quietly appraised Caroline's appearance. Then he smiled approvingly and set down his drink before moving toward her.
"So, you're the great Caroline Forbes I've heard so much about," he said seductively. "I must say, as flattering as Stefan's descriptions were," he stopped in front her and took hold of her hand before continuing, "they did no justice to the genuine article." He stared into Caroline's eyes as he slowly raised her hand and softly pressed his lips to them. "Welcome to the fold."
Hope you guys enjoyed that. I intended to have more of the Klefaroline you guys all seem so excited to see, but those obnoxious high school girls got in the way. I assure you they'll regret it.
Going to try to keep this pace going, but the next chapter might take a few days since the weekend is almost over. As always, please review.