Chapter 9

"Please, don't do this." Caroline pleaded as she backed up against the wall. She had been knocked down and now tears ran down her face as the man standing before her slowly walked forward, cornering her with a menacing smile on his face.

"Oh, but I need to do this. You unfortunately know too much, my dear, and if you are planning on seeing Niklaus, which I'm sure you are considering he is the only one who could have told you about this tunnel, I cannot allow you to live, or I risk letting you tell him what you've seen." He came closer to her, and the sword in his hand suddenly became more real. Blood dripped from its edges, the blood belonging to families and friends, people who couldn't escape in time.

"Why?" she sobbed. Her back came in contact with the wall and she couldn't stall the inevitable any longer. The man chuckled and looked down at her with pity.

"Because, girl, you mean nothing to me, but you mean the world to my son. He needs to learn his place, to learn that a cowardly bastard abomination has no worth, and he cannot get everything that he desires. None of this is for him, it's all been part of the plan for me to take over this village as its rightful leader. After this attack, it will be blamed on the other European nations who have threatened us in the past, and I will be hailed as the man who saved everyone who has come through this tunnel. I will finally have the power that I deserve, and the first thing that I will do with that power is exile that stupid, impulsive, annoying excuse for a man that my whore wife had the burden of delivering. You, dear, or rather your death, will push him over the edge; make him do something stupid that will give me an excuse to get rid of him. You are simply a pawn in this game, and now it is time for you to finally die." He raised his sword but hesitated when she held her hands up and let out a desperate cry.

"Wait, wait!" He paused, sword still in the air, and she looked up at him with wide, innocent, fearful eyes. "Will you just…just tell him that I love him? He should know. He should know that there is someone in this world who truly cares for him." Her voice, which had been shaky, was strong and confident in this statement despite the tears that refused to cease flowing down her cheeks. Mikael scoffed and brought his face ll but inches away from hers, his dark, piercing eyes dug deep down into hers.

"You foolish girl. Niklaus is not someone who can be loved. He thinks only of himself. He does not deserve love, nor will he ever truly receive it. Not even his own mother loves him. If you have mistaken yourself into thinking that you do, then you are weaker than I thought." With that, he thrusted his sword into her stomach so hard that it punctured the wall behind her. Caroline's eyes went wide and she started to gasp for breath as more tears streamed down her face. She was unable to swallow, and while the smile on his face grew while watching the light that Caroline was known for leave her eyes, she muttered her last words.

"You are wrong. We are stronger together than you will or ever could be." As Caroline's eyes started to close, Mikael took his sword out of her stomach and let her body fall to the floor. He shook his head as he used a rag in his pocket to wipe the blood of the steel blade, and walked away from her without a second glance.Caroline was almost unconscious when she saw a woman approach her, and whisper some incoherent words into her ear.

"Don't worry Miss Forbes, you will see him again…"

Caroline shot up in bed with a gasp and immediately recognized that she was having another nightmare. This one had happened before, time and time again throughout her life, but it never got this far. Her dream always ended when the man stabbed her, and she immediately woke up scared and confused, just as she woke up now. Only this time it wasn't as if she were living it, but rather seemed like she was watching the whole thing from above, and there was a woman in this one. A tall woman with golden brown wavy hair. Caroline looked down at her stomach instinctively to make sure that she was okay, before noticing that she wasn't alone. Niklaus sat beside her toward the end of her bed, and he was looking down like he felt ashamed. She spoke up first.

"Do you know what's happening to me?" she asked, her voice only low enough for him to hear. He immediately looked up at her and opened his mouth to say something, but his expression changed just the slightest into being hurt when she sat up more against the headboard of her bed and backed a little bit away from him.

"You're remembering your old life." He said. Was this a joke? She didn't respond for a few seconds, at a loss for words, and what he had just said sure didn't help her confusion.

"…what?" she asked, frozen in the spot where she sat. Niklaus let out a sigh and then dove into his explanation. He told her everything, the truth; about how they met in Rome so long ago, and how she died, but somehow came back as a human in Essex. He told her about how he looked for her for a thousand years, and he fell in love with her all over again when he found her in Warsaw. He told her about how they spent their live together, and how she helped him hunt down his father Mikael, and then he told her about how she died in his arms when they found him. He told her about how losing her twice was it for him, and how he became a monster after she died. He killed hundreds of people and didn't care one bit; none of it mattered to him because his humanity was so far gone from his mind.

"So now you're here, and you're alive, and you're even a vampire, but I have no inkling as to how any of that is possible. I didn't know you were even alive until I was taken here and you came into my room. If I had…" he paused and Caroline could see the regret in his eyes. She, however, did not know how to feel.

"You're lying." she said simply, with a sharp tone. Niklaus looked offended at her words.

"What? Caroline, I'm not-"

"You're the one giving me these...dreams, or flashbakcs, or whatever the hell they are. You haven't been in them ever before, and it's been happening since-" she paused when she couldn't remember when they started, but her agitation urged her to continue. "Well since whenever they started a long time ago. You must've...found out about me from someone or something like that, and then when you kissed me...I don't know. But I remember my life, okay? You're just playing me." She crossed her arms and repeated her mantra in her head. He's wrong, he's just lying to get to you because he's manipulative. None of this is real.

Niklaus knew where Caroline was coming from with her ridiculous excuses, but he was not a fan of being doubted. He'd already told her this much, so it was time for her to know; besides, he was not about to tell the love of his life all about how they fell in love without her even knowing how real it was. He got up and left, leaving Caroline sitting at the bed unsatisfied. Really? He had just walked out? She huffed in annoyance but he was back a moment later with a book of some sort in his hands. He sat next to her again and Caroline saw that he held what looked like an incredibly old journal of some sort. He held the book by its spine and shook it a few times, enough so that papers came flying out from between the binding and onto her bed. He then set the book down on the end of the bed and looked through the papers before finding one and handing it to her.

"Take a look." he said, holding it out to her. Caroline looked at him skeptically but she took it from his hands and her mouth dropped when she turned it over to reveal someone who looked exactly like her, standing with Klaus in front of the Eiffel Tower. She wasn't even looking at the camera, her eyes were on him. She was dressed in extremely old clothes, and the photograph was fragile, broken in places enough to suggest that this was, in fact, real. She looked back up at him and then back down to the picture, and he watched as realization hit her face.

"I think...I think I remember this." she paused and picked up another picture, this one just a portrait that was close up. She was smiling just slightly away from the camera, where she assumed the photographer must have been smiling back at her. "Only flashes, like always. I only ever remember little bits and pieces..." she was mumbling, trying to make sense of it all to herself. She picked up a slightly larger paper and immediately blushed when she saw the light pencil strokes which had drawn her looking out of a window at night, with only a blanket being held around her. She looked up at him and saw the smirk on his lips, but the darkness in his eyes still hid behind it. "So...you're telling the truth? This is really, historically, factually, I'll-kill-you-if-it's-some-sick-trick, true?" she was trying to be genuine, to accept what he told her as the truth. In all honesty, it made sense, and it was very elaborate, as well as painfully hard for him to tell her about, to be just a story that he made up.

"Yes, love, it's as real as it gets."

She saw the truth in his eyes, and she knew that he felt bad, but she couldn't. It wasn't that she didn't care for him, but she barely remembered any of it. There may have been a connection to him in reality, but there was nothing between them that she could feel. Although, after spending time with him and hearing his stories and getting so close to him by the lake, she knew that before she knew any of this, there was some attraction between them, not to mention their kiss… It wasn't hard for her to believe that she would've fallen for him before. Before!

"Wait-so the stories…they're…about us?" she asked, sitting up a little closer to him but not enough to attract too much of a thought. She saw him smile a little bit and he looked back up at her with a smile that would make any girl swoon. His dimpled really were very attractive… Stop thinking about his dimples! She scolded herself. This was about finding out what happened between them and why she was having her nightmares…or rather flashbacks…

"Yes. I thought that perhaps if I told you the stories, you might remember. If you didn't, then I knew that it wasn't really you, not the woman I fell in love with." He said the last part a bit softer, and Caroline noticed that she was blushing a little more now, and a smile graced her lips.

"You fell in love with me?" She asked, more intrigued by him now than worried about her dreams. Memories, she repeatedly corrected herself. The way he looked at her turned more... loving. His eyes were no longer plagued with the grief of her death, they weren't saddened by the guilt of not finding her earlier; now they were full of love and intrigue, as if he could look at her forever.

"Did you doubt it for a moment that I was in love with the woman I spoke of when we were together?" he asked her, and she could have sworn her scooted just little bit closer to her, and the way he said together masked another meaning behind it that she found herself interested in. Her stomach started to twist and turn as she thought more about what everything he was saying implied, but she chose to ignore that.

"No." she answered confidently. "I didn't. It seemed as if you were in love with her, like you would've done anything for her." She stayed still and as they spoke, their eyes were glued on each other. His were so comfortable and full of desperation, and hers glided over him, taking in everything that he was saying and everything she'd known of him so far.

"I would have." he was completely serious and definitely kinda took Caroline's breath away. I still would." The meaning of his words was not lost on her, and her mouth was open slightly, yet she couldn't think of a response. He gazed over her and she got nervous knowing that he was looking at her so closely. He opened his mouth but then closed it just as quickly with a small sigh. He moved closer to her, quite obviously this time, and when he was sitting next to her his hand rested next to her leg with the covers in between them. He leaned closer, and Caroline's stomach sped up; it was doing backflips by now. Suddenly he stopped himself before her got to close.

"Caroline…" he started, but she knew what he was going to ask.

"Yes. It's okay." She said. If she had fallen in love with someone, watched them die- twice, apparently- and then found out that they hadn't died after all almost a hundred years later, whoever it was that she lost would never leave her side, and they would definitely never leave her bed considering she would jump him right away.

Niklaus had only been honest and kind to her, and despite the fact that he was so violent towards Stefan, she couldn't deny him the feeling that he was so desperate for. Niklaus looked at her, as if trying to make sure she really knew what he meant. He was going to ask her if he could kiss her, and it didn't surprise him that she knew what he meant so soon because she always could see right through him before. He could see the comfort in her eyes and took that as all the permission he needed. He slowly leaned closer to her and hovered for a moment above her lips to make sure that she felt the connection between them as he did every time he was at all close to her, and then he leaned in and kissed her.

Caroline let out a slight gasp when his lips touched hers. When he had leaned in to her, he held himself up with one hand on the other side of her waist so that he was brushing against her thigh through the blanket, and he slowly inched himself closer to her. She saw the change in his eyes before his lips touched hers, going from gentle and pained to pure desire for her, and that made her all the more anxious for him. He paused when his forehead touched hers, and she could practically feel the sparks in the small space between them.

It was as if everything were happening in slow motion, and when she moved just ever so slightly toward his lips, he closed that gap and kissed her. She knew it was coming, but the touch of his lips surprised her still. His kiss started out as gentle and sweet, and he pulled away after a moment just to look at her eyes and gauge her reaction. When he saw that hers were closed, he smiled and gave into the temptation that he had been fighting against for so long. His hand moved up to hold her face closer to his, and when he pressed his lips so close to hers, he relished the smallest sound of her letting out a quick, quiet moan. He could hear her heart beating faster and faster, and when he opened his mouth, his lips guided hers open enough so that he passionately deepened their kiss.

"I missed you so much, love." he let out as barely a whisper, but the desperation in his voice was clear. His declaration, along with his beautiful accent when he called her love, turned Caroline on, and her hands immediately found his face, stroking the stubble around his jawline as she pulled him closer to her. Even though Caroline didn't remember their life together, even if she didn't know how they fell in love in Sparta or whatever and then in Essex, and despite the fact that he had just been so violent toward Stefan, she couldn't deny that she was really enjoying their kiss.

This man, who was so taken over by her, was sexy, strong, passionate, and he wanted her; something that she couldn't say for herself and her past relationships. There was Matt, who never chose her first. It was always Elena back in high school, always about how he was with Caroline to get over her even if he didn't admit it. She saw it in his eyes every time he looked at her... He was a sweet guy, but he was never really invested in their relationship or who she truly was, and that's what broke her heart. Then there was Tyler, who definitely wanted her, just not outside of his bed. It was... weird, their relationship, and rather forced if she were to be honest. She felt obligated to take their relationship to the next level after helping him through his parent's divorce, getting his life ready for college, and growing so close with him as friends. As a couple though, all they ever did was have sex.

But now? With Klaus she had no doubt that he wanted her for everything he knew she was. If she really was this girl that he fell in love with, and at this point she had no doubt that she was even if she couldn't remember it, then it seemed as if from the moment he saw first saw her he had wanted her. He never stopped wanting her. His life would've been so much easier if he let her go and moved on to some other vampire or Roman princess girl, but he didn't. He looked for her and he fought for her, and everything in the stories he told her made kissing him seem more and more right.

Speaking of kissing, Niklaus was doing a hell of a lot of it, and he was doing it well. He kissed her jaw once before moving to her neck and slowly moving himself to hover over her. He had kicked his shoes off so that he could sneak his way onto the bed with her, and Caroline didn't even notice until he was pulling the blankets off of her so that he could have better access to the skin by her waist. He was starting to unbotton her blouse when she realized that they needed to stop.

"Klaus, wait..." she said, and although her words came out as breathy and she might as well have moaned his name, he slowed down. She knew he was too invested in her to stop right away, so she used her hands, which had since moved to the sheets, to gently bring his face back up to hers.
"Klaus..." she paused and he leaned his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. She could see the subtle trace of veins around his eyes going back beneath his skin, and when he opened them, she knew he understood her.

"I know." he took a breath and calmed himself down, "I'm sorry Caroline, it's just-"

"I know, you haven't seen...me...in a long time." she tried getting used to the idea that it was in fact her who was the woman in his story. "We just...we can't go too far. I understand that you've missed me, but I still don't remember much more than the few memories I can remember. And even though you're...really attractive," she fought a smile as she said that, especially with him so close to her, and she looked at him and his smile for a moment before sighing and getting back to what her head was telling her. "I don't want to do anything I'd regret." Niklaus nodded and Caroline continued. "And maybe...maybe I'll be the one seeing you again, especially after what you did to Stefan." She gave him an accusatory look and he looked away from her for a moment, not bothering to rehash that ordeal. "That way, you could tell me more about us and it might help me understand everything more. You could tell me what we were like together." she said with a small smile.

Niklaus looked back to her and smirked mischievously before leaning in to her again, "I would rather show you..." he said as he kissed her again, effectively stealing away all the air in her lungs. He pulled away and Caroline opened her eyes as she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Let's just...take it slow." she suggested, and Niklaus smiled at seeing her start to crack again.

He's been through this with her before, and he was perfect at it by now. In Rome he won her over with his charm, despite the fact that she never really went for men who were wealthy, especially fighters. He, however, showed her the upside of being with him rather quickly, and he looked forward to telling her about it.

In Essex as well, he knew what she liked and he showed her every part of him that she'd fallen in love with before. She tried to resist him, seeing how she was meant to be married to someone very sophisticated and not a mysterious man she'd only just met, but once again, she fell priivy to his charms before she could even second guess that he was right for her. Now, here she was in front of him, and he got to kiss her.

He hadn't kissed Caroline for an eternity, and pressing his lips into hers made him feel like he was home again. He could close his eyes and imagine that it wasn't in this... rehab center, but in their home instead. He could imagine that she remembered who she truly was, and when she kissed him back it wasn't only because she was attracted to him, but because she was in love with him, like she used to be. For now, he would settle for simply kissing her any way he could, and it pained him when she made him stop. If it were up to him, he would ravish her completely, but she was not in the same place with their relationship as he was, and he would always respect her wishes, even if he was known for disrespecting everyone else's.

If ever there were a word to describe how Caroline Forbes was feeling, she would probably say she was utterly and completely flabbergasted. There was a whole spectrum of emotions and thoughts running through her mind all at the same moment. She knew that there was so much for her to understand and learn from Niklaus, and she knew that she wasn't in love with him like he was with her, but kissing him and literally feeling the pure love and desire pour from his lips through her entire body, it turned her on.

He had left and agreed to meet her tomorrow to start telling her more about their life, and they decided to keep it a secret that she not only spent her past life with him, but she was starting to remember it as well. If Elijah and Stefan found out, they would surely have her replaced from being his doctor and try to figure out what was going on on their own. She could handle this, though. She knew herself better than anyone in the world. But then she really thought about it, and decided that that statement wasn't true. It was Niklaus. He was the one who knew her better than anyone else, and for some odd reason, she really did trust him.

She trusted him, and she would let him finish telling their story, not only telling her the things they'd done and seen, but helping her remember it all. It was a difficult journey that she was embarking on with him, and she wasn't sure she'd like what she found, but for some reason she knew that with him by her side, she would grow more and more fond of their story, and eventually she could start to live her life writing a new one.

YAAAYYY :D Did you guys enjoy all the Klaroline? I loved writing this chapter, I hoep you guys enjoyed reading it 3 If you did, please review! I'm so glad to read what you have to say, both good and bad, especially that you guys aren't confused like my insexure writer-self tells me you probably are hahaI had this chapter yesterday but Tumblr was down so I figured I'd wait. The next chapter should be up sometimes next week or maybe this weekend depending on how long it is, and there will be lots of goodness in it :) Please please tell me what you think and stay tuned for Chapter 10! :D If you have any questions, feel free to ask me because there are subtle reasons behind everything haha and also I suggested you guys read my little analysis on the characters but I never posted a link! So here's the link for that:

post/37442857622/there-will-be-an-update-of-tbt-tonight-but-here-is-a

And don't forget to follow me on Tumblr at oldsaintnik :) Or for only my writing, you can follow me at HybridWriting 3

Until next time! Have some kisses and LOTS OF LOVE AND LUCK WATCHING TONIGHT'S EPISODE GAAHJFKDHJFKLHJFKDANMVCHIKJG F.

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