Set sometimes after 5x11 (no baby, no Hayley in Nola). Klaus made her a promise but Caroline can't hold him to it. And as always things gets complicated in Mystic Falls.
Written for Klaroline Vacation Gift Exchange 2015.
For Cupcakemolotov. My dear Ravyn, I hope you liked it. I tried including things you requested and generally like.
Mystic Falls has always been a safe town, a town where nothing big ever happens. It was quiet and everyone knew each other. The families have lived here forever, their lineage going back centuries.
Caroline has always known who she was. Deep down she was a good girl, she was strong and she was loyal. She has always been a good friend, to those she cared for. More importantly she had plans, so many plans – go to a good college after finishing high school, get a job and make a career out of it, get married, settle down and have a family. Be successful and be happy. She knew not everything would be perfect but she had hope and she had direction. And with her experience she knew she would make it.
Then everything changed in high school. The Salvatore brothers arrived into town and she lost her life to Katherine. Her plans didn't matter anymore, everything was suddenly different. But she was still Caroline and so she got new plans. She had decided to be good at being a vampire and still live a full life. She was sure she was on the right path until that evening when she almost died – again – and Klaus opened her eyes – the big bad who acted like a puppy around her, who dropped his walls and lured her in and then went on to slaughter a few residents of Mystic Falls five minutes later.
She had put up walls of her own and did her best to resist his charm and good looks, and that personality that was hidden beneath the surface. She fought and fought and then one day he was gone. She should have been happy and relieved but instead she found herself missing him. The bastard had found some cracks in her walls and slipped right through them. Caroline was angry with herself for allowing him to go there, but they've somehow become friends and maybe she had been a little bit attracted to him too. It was not easy to resist someone who had always put you first.
And just when she was letting go, trying to put his comment of him being her last love out of her mind, he came back. Just like that. And she couldn't help herself and gave in. She just wanted a taste, to see how it would be, to get him out of her system. But it backfired because she didn't get him out of her system, she got a taste and she wanted more. Sure, she made him promise to never come back and leave her be, but it turned out later those were empty words. The ball was in her court and it didn't last long until she texted him – she still couldn't stop laughing about that, she wasn't sure if he even knew how to text – and they met up. And went at it again. And then again.
That's how it started. Klaus was taking care of his business down in New Orleans, Caroline was dealing with hers back in Mystic Falls and at college but once a week or so they would meet up somewhere in the middle and spend the night together, and then sometimes the morning. Even, occasionally, the whole day.
And Caroline found herself truly enjoying his company. He was amazing in bed and he was charming when he entertained her throughout the day, telling her stories, buying her amazing food and showing her various places. He brought life and energy into her everyday and she loved it. She wasn't fooled though, she knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. When he sometimes took a phone call, she was reminded just of how ruthless he was. She hasn't forgotten but she found herself okay with that. He was strong, he was old and he was the devil, and she'd probably fight him on a daily basis if he interfered with her life and her problems. But he let them be so she let him be. If she had learnt anything by then it was that they were all monsters; the world didn't exist in black and white.
Caroline was thinking of his touch now, tried to draw strength from him and not break apart. She remembered his power and let that motivate her. She thought of his gentleness when he was with her and let it comfort her. She knew he'd want to use her brain right now. Now, when for the past few days all she'd known was darkness and cold, when the pain never ended and she was beyond tired but didn't dare to close her eyes. She was afraid, she was alone but she wanted to fight. She wanted to find her way back, escape this prison, but she was just so exhausted.
She tried so hard on the first day, but her every attempt was shot down with pain, and when she was put in a cage, her options became pretty limited. Caroline hated to depend on others but they would notice she was missing, wouldn't they? And they would come for her. Of course they would. He would come for her. Would he?
Klaus has been waiting for an hour now and this wasn't like her. Caroline was never late. He checked his phone again but there were still no messages and no voicemails. He tried calling her but the call went straight to voicemail. It was true they haven't talked for the past few days but that was normal.
Without thinking about it too much Klaus got into his car and drove to Mystic Falls. He needed to see that she was fine. Klaus loved control and it cost him everything to not control her. He regretted not posting anyone on her. She didn't want him to and he had respected her wishes. Now he wished he hadn't. If there was something wrong, he was going to fix it and then take her away. If somehow the Scooby Doo gang was at fault, he was going to slaughter them all and not bat an eyelash.
Arriving in Mystic Falls a couple of hours later, Klaus went to Caroline's house first. The house was empty and there was no sign of her anywhere. Her scent was present but it seemed to Klaus like she hasn't been inside for a few days at least.
The next stop was obviously the Salvatore mansion. He drove up and entered it without knocking or announcing himself. They were a bunch of vampires; they should know it was him. Besides he loved surprises.
Upon entering Klaus discovered the whole gang – well if you could call the four of them that – huddled around a map, making some kind of plans. They all spun around and Elena's breath caught a bit. Bonnie looked annoyed, Stefan was his brooding self and Damon, well let's just say Klaus would enjoy torturing the truth out of him if need be.
"Where is she?" he asked calmly, his voice dripping danger.
"I don't see how-" Damon started but Klaus flashed to him, grabbed him by his neck and smashed him into a nearby wall.
"Where is she?" he asked again, squeezing the breath out of the annoying vamp.
"They took her," said Bonnie when Elena spun to her, exclaiming, "Bonnie."
"What," Bonnie stood up for herself. "He could help."
Klaus snapped Damon's neck just because he could and Elena ran to him.
"Ah, he's perfectly fine, love," Klaus drawled and sat down on the sofa. "Now, where were we?"
"How did you even know she was missing," asked Stefan and Klaus almost rolled his eyes.
He didn't bother answering Stefan's question but focused on Bonnie instead. "You were saying?"
Bonnie let out a deep sigh and sat down. "As far as we know they are a group of three – a witch, a werewolf and a vampire. We don't know how they got to her but I was on the phone with her three days ago when the line suddenly went silent. She was her bubbly self and then nothing."
Klaus gritted his teeth – three days – but remained calm, "What do you know about this trio and why would they take her?" He took out his phone and sent a few texts. He'd need back up. Having a personal army did come in handy.
"At first we didn't make the connection they were working together. But they all showed up at about the same time and at first just wanted to fit in. We knew the werewolf was at college before the break, going to parties, getting drunk and just acting like a big frat douche. The witch seldom made an appearance but I was drawn to her. And we didn't even know about the vampire until a day ago when they made the call."
"What, you realized by his dangerous voice?" Klaus mocked them.
"Hers and it was a video call." Stefan explained.
Rolling his eyes, Klaus became impatient. "What do they want? And why her?"
"They want Elena's blood for a ritual. We don't know why her blood since she's a vampire now. They took Caroline because they thought it would be the easiest way to get to Elena. Or she was the easiest target, we're not sure. But if we don't give in to their demands, she's dead. And now we're trying to figure out where they have her and how to get her back."
"The only reason I'm not dragging Elena there myself and handing her over is Caroline would never forgive me. Otherwise the problem would have been solved by now." Klaus stood up. "Do you still have the video?"
After watching the video, Klaus took out his phone once again, this time to place a call. "You won't believe who is here in Mystic Falls, creating mischief again," said Klaus deviously, "Althea. The little witch is still alive and kicking. Want to remedy that, little brother?"
"Ugh, there are two of them," complained Damon when he came to and saw Klaus and Kol talking to Bonnie.
"Charming, as always," Kol said mockingly. He turned his attention back to Bonnie.
She was more than a little surprised at Kol walking into the mansion with a devious glint in his eyes, and then just found herself annoyed with him in general. Bonnie finally relented and agreed to work with him on a plan to lure the witch out, distract her and get rid of her.
Klaus would dangle Elena as bait and then kill the vampire and the werewolf. Elena wasn't leaving without her two knights, of course. They didn't agree with the plan at first but they really stood no chance against two Originals. Bonnie and Kol took off on their own while Klaus and the gang followed the directions they got when they contacted the kidnappers again, agreeing to their demands.
As they were driving to the meet, the only think Klaus could think about was the need to get Caroline to safety and then away from this town and this stupidity.
They arrived at the site earlier then agreed upon and Klaus warned the brothers, "You know they will have back up, right? So try and pay attention."
It was a blood bath. The golden trio wanted to find out their plans, what they wanted with Elena and why, but Klaus didn't care. All he saw was Caroline locked away, and somehow he could feel her pain. He knew she was trying to be strong but she was hurt and she was scared.
So Klaus didn't give a damn what their plan was. He enjoyed the werewolf and vampire girl had only brought a small army because they didn't plan on an Original there. The little witch was distracted and absent and Klaus was sure Kol would take care of it. He deserved some play time. So in the end he didn't dangle Elena in front of them as bait; he just went in for the kill.
And so the hybrid did what he did best. Klaus plowed through the army, ripping off their heads, pulling out their hearts and biting their necks. He butchered his way through the battlefield, if you can call it that, and was standing before the vampire and the werewolf in a matter of minutes.
He was covered in blood; his eyes were dangerously yellow and his were fangs out. They were scared. The vampire spoke first, "We-" but Klaus cut her off.
"Don't care, love. Where is she?" He growled.
It was that moment when they realized they took the wrong girl. They couldn't have made a worse choice.
The wolf wanted to say something but Klaus held up his finger, silencing him, still waiting for the vampire to answer.
"In there," she said.
"And what pray, have you done with her?" Klaus asked casually.
Silence.
"I thought so," he sighed. "And that was your mistake, a mistake for which you will pay with your life. Because nobody, and I mean nobody, touches her and gets away with it." Klaus flashed to the vampire and bit her, and then moved to the wolf and ripped off his head.
"Now you get to suffer for a while, too," he moved past her, blood dripping from his hands.
Caroline could hear them when they arrived. She could hear the screams and could imagine what was happening. She knew Klaus would be merciless but in a way she didn't mind. She had heard their plans and they weren't pretty. If successful many people would die and there would be much pain in store for all of them. What they had done to her isn't something she took lightly either. She had been there before, submerged into holy water, burnt in the sun, and bitten. They said they were bored and so they played some games with her. And she couldn't fight them off without her ring.
In the middle of the fight some lackey stepped into the room in order to move her to a different place so they could still use her later. Or kill her. And that was her change. She gathered all the energy she had left and fought off the vampire, killing him quickly.
Another one entered the room and she fought him off too. Barely, but she managed. Covered in blood she met Klaus' eyes when he stepped into the room, focusing on her immediately. She could see the anger in them, the worry and the pride. They started walking towards each other but his pace was faster than hers. She collapsed into his arms, inhaling his scent and could feel a kiss on the top of her head. His hold was secure and she felt safe.
Gently he lifted her into his arms, "I've got you, sweetheart. You're safe now." He took her ring from the table next to the cage and slid it back on her finger.
Caroline snuggled into him, wanting to pass out but he wouldn't let her. "Here," he offered his wrist, "drink first. You need it."
She could barely move her head but the smell of blood, especially his, was so alluring. She bit down and fed on the richness.
When they stepped out she saw the corpses lying all around. They must have been quite a picture, bloody and battered. Caroline stopped drinking and looked around. Noticing Elena, Stefan and Damon, she felt relief. "Bonnie," she asked Klaus.
"She's with Kol, dealing with the witch," he explained and she just nodded.
She saw the relief on Elena's face but she also noticed the judgment and she couldn't deal with her just right then. So she just nodded to her, snuggled deeper into Klaus and closed her eyes. She needed to rest.
When Caroline came to, she was confused about her surroundings. If her senses weren't betraying her, she was on a plane. A glass suddenly appeared in front of her and she looked at it, filled with blood.
"Here," Klaus offered, "you need it."
She took it greedily and downed it. "What is going on? Where are we?" She looked around again, and they were definitely on a plane. She was dressed differently, in a light pink summer dress, and she looked fine. Her skin was whole again, the ring securely on her finger.
He did look a little apologetic and Caroline squinted her eyes at him, "Klaus, what did you do?"
"We're taking a vacation," he more suggested than stated. It was kind of cute.
"Are we now?" Caroline sat up completely. "And how did that happen?"
He stood up and started pacing up and down the narrow isle. "If I stayed there another second, I would have killed someone. Your friends are the most irresponsible, irritating and naïve people I've ever met. They don't think things through, they always attract trouble and I really wanted to hurt them. Except maybe for the witch, she is actually useful. And I think my brother likes her. But then again, he always had a thing for witches."
Caroline just raised her eyebrow and let him continue.
"Anyway, I thought it would be best to whisk you away for a while. You have some time off, and I thought you needed a break. I wanted to show you some of the places I promised I one day would." It was amazing seeing this man, who never backed down, who looked down at everyone and was rude and merciless, be so unsure in front of her now.
"Hmm," she said. He did have a point. She was tired and she did want to get away for a while. It would have been nice of him to ask her first, but she'd work on that for next time. Whatever they were doing, they were both in it and Caroline couldn't pretend anymore she didn't want him. She wanted him alright and she planned on keeping him. She had to admit it was a pretty scary thought, but when your old plans don't go the way you want them, when life intervenes and you can't stick to them anymore, you make new ones, better ones. You grow, you evolve and you live. And that's what she planned to do.
"Okay," the blonde said and Klaus whirled around to face her.
"Okay," he repeated, raising his eyebrows.
When she just nodded, he smiled a devilish smile and she had to roll her eyes.
He swept her into his arms and sat down on her seat with her in his lap.
"No more resisting," he asked, "no more fighting me?"
"Well, let's not go overboard. But as you well know I haven't been trying to hard. And you knew it would happen sooner or later all along anyway, didn't you?" Caroline smiled up to him. He might be the devil but he was her devil.
He just grinned.
"Thank you for coming to help me," she said seriously.
"Nobody is allowed to hurt you," he promised.
"You'll have to tell me about everything that happened but maybe a bit later," she said, moving closer, her dead heart fluttering in her chest.
"I think I can do that," he answered her, pulling her to him.
Klaus kissed her gently, like he was still protecting her. Or maybe he was just showing affection, taking his time. He ran his hands through her hair and held her close, needing to feel and taste her.
Caroline opened her mouth, giving him access and getting what she desperately wanted. She could feel his hunger in the kiss, the possessiveness and the need. She sat up straighter and straddled him, running her hands below his Henley, needing to feel his skin.
On the second thought, that Henley was in the way and she pulled it off. "Much better," she rasped.
His hands were drawing circles on her thighs, leaving fire under their touch. "It's only fair to return the favor," he groaned and pulled her dress over her head.
Klaus didn't go for the bra immediately, just returned his attention to her mouth and feeling her close, skin on skin, reveling in the fact she was alive, okay and there with him.
Caroline bit his lower lip teasingly, "How long does our flight last?"
"We have a few hours left," he said, pulling her back.
She couldn't help herself, "Where are we going?"
Klaus chuckled, "It's a surprise."
"Ugh, I hate surprises," complained Caroline.
"You love surprises," Klaus countered.
"But now I'll keep thinking about it," she said, giving him her best puppy eyes.
"I'm sure I can keep you distracted," he promised, pulling down her bra and then proceeded to use his mouth to do just that.
And boy, did he keep his promise.
Thank you for reading.