For Hellzz-on-Earth

Klaus spent days locked in his room reciting what he might say to her when he ran into her again maybe not so accidently like he tended to these days. He wiped sweat from his brow his head beginning to throb from how intensely he was working on this piece. He had to get it right and it seemed that nothing he did was working and the moment it was something distracted him.

He took a step back taking in the image he had created he bit his lip tasting blood his thumb coming up to wipe it away as he thought on it harder. "It's still missing something," Caroline's voice said from somewhere inside of his head. "I know," he muttered to himself." Tossing his brush aside after wiping it down he decided on a walk soon there after pulling on his sweater.

Reaching the front door he pulled on the knob opening the door gently so as not to wake Kol, he hadn't even realized that it had gotten dark. His tongue played with the edge of his lips as he walked down the sidewalk of his childhood home his eyes shooting to the light that was across the lawn. Caroline had the same idea as he did.

As quietly as he could he shuffled to the nearest tree without being heard to let her go her own way undisturbed. He watched her move away from him at a slow place unaware that his eyes were on her. The slight sway of her hips a canvas could never capture and the cascading curls that ran down her back no waterfall could ever be related to.

His feet followed her as they always did walking steps behind her until she got to the town square where he called her by her name, "Caroline." She froze in place under the lamppost leading to the park they grew up playing in. "Wait," he called as she began a hasty pace away from him, "Just give me five minutes." He called after her his feet catching up to her meeting the back of Caroline's.

His hands came to her arms turning her around, "How did you find me?" she asked not moving an inch as he took a step backwards giving her space to breathe. "Twitter," he answered a saw a crack of a smile form on her face making it almost feel like before. Before he let himself wreck the friendship he had built with Caroline. "I just want to talk. Please," his voice taking a pleading tone as he pouted.

"Five minutes," she mumbled unable to say no, "Sit," she said commanding him as she placed herself at the very edge of the black bench that looked as if it had been there forever. Klaus reflected her motions sitting across from her the same way the beating of their hearts pounding in their ears. She watched him squirm a tiny bit of amusement flared inside of her as she watched him try to formulate words.

"The reason I left," Klaus said, "That is the reason that I told my brother to tell you what he did." Caroline tensed with every word he spoke, "Nevermind, I don't want to hear it." She said raising her hand to stop him from going any further as she moved to leave. He rushed her sitting closer his hand taking hers as his words bursts from his lips, "My father was dying. I was going to tell you that night I just never got to it."

"What," she said, Klaus looked desperate to keep her there and she wasn't sure if he was making it up or not but she had to run. "He contacted me, I was his only child. He was dying and he wanted to meet me." Klaus explained, "I was gone for so long because I was caring for him. Until the end." He said his words made her feel as if he was far away in his mind remembering as if it was happening now.

"You should have said something," Caroline told him, "You should have called." She told him hitting his arm hard, "I would have understood. Whatever it was you know that." She cried anger building, "If I couldn't go to you with something you'd have never let me hear the end of it." She stood then but she didn't leave she began walking back and forth in front of him.

"I know," he said agreeing with her, "I just I knew you would've wanted to stop your life and come with me." He said. She turned on him then, "You're damn right I would have," she exclaimed in the empty park. "I didn't want you to feel obligated." He reasoned with not only her but with himself.

"All that time while you were taking care of him, a man you never knew who was taking care of you," she asked shoving his shoulder. "You were," he whispered. She stopped moving, "I just thought of you, I dreamed of you and I didn't stop. I haven't stopped." He stood then placing his hands on her cheeks, "I'll never stop thinking, wanting, needing, loving you." He said before he pulled away.

"Hey!" her cousin greeted her with a glass of wine in her hand, "Where were you?" Kat asked as she shut the front door to her home dropping her coat on the floor missing the coat rack completely. "Emotional hell," she deadpanned taking Kat's wine from her hand and drinking the entire glass. "I ran into Klaus." She said her mouth half attached to the glass still in her hand hiding from Kat's contempt.

"Did you have sex with him?" she asked with an inquiring brow making Caroline gape at her, "No! I did not sleep with him you know except that one time." She responded a little annoyed Kat wasn't mad at her like she was at herself. "Few times," she mumbles thinking back to that night before remembering her audience, "We just talked. He spoke to me, like spoke with words not stares or glares or innuendos of any kind."

"He said he loved me," she mumbled making Kat screech, "Of course he does! Tell me everything!" she said excitedly gripping Caroline's shoulders tightly as if she hadn't been cursing his name the last eight months. Caroline tried to explain everything in an effort to get out of her hold. "He says his feelings never changed, that they grew and that the only reason he left was because his birth father was dying and he meant to tell me but it got to be too much."

"You have to go back and talk to him," Kat blurted shoving her back to the door as she opened it practically kicking Caroline out as the blonde tried clawing her way back inside unable to keep up with Kat's antics. "Knowing you there was a lot of shouting and not a lot of," Kat said letting go of the door and started simulating making out with herself making Caroline grimace.

"Eww Kat no," she said dismissing the idea as much as she wanted to go outside and yell at him some more, "It's just how dare he say he loves me after everything. Like seriously?" she says as she reached for Kat's wine bottle sipping directly from it. "He disappears and he leaves me with all this debt. And he says his father, and ugh!" she complains her mind racing the more she consumes her cousins wine.

"Oh that reminds me! You got mail, bills I'm sure." she remembered picking up the stack of envelops she left for Caroline earlier handing them to the expectant blonde who seemed to finally calm down for one reason or another. Maybe the bottle lodged in her hand. "Thanks," Caroline said using the opportunity to shut the door she picked and opened the first envelop.

She felt her stomach drop as she read the words before her barely registering Kat reading over her shoulder a curse words slipping from her lips before she moved away, "Wait," Caroline took a sip noting Kat's fast movement away from her, "This says my debt is paid." she quickly picked up her coat putting it on after re-reading the paper. "I'm going to kill him."

Making a quick decision to go for it she looked over at Kat, "I have to talk to Klaus," she said dramatically storming out of her home forgetting to shut the door as she buttoned her coat flipping her hair to the right side as she marched across her yard into his. She felt her situation weigh heavily on her her insides dueling with indecision over what was taking place. "Klaus open this damn door," she shouted once she passed his porch.

Klaus smiled as she moved passed him barely missing him as he strode back from the park."No need I'm right here," he said from behind her almost scaring her she placed a hand on her chest turning around to face him looking just as misunderstood as always, just as lovely as always. He didn't have time to think about that at the moment considering the look on her face, "Did you do this," she asked as waved the paper in his face as she asked.

Klaus took a deep breath, "Yes," she swore cursing his name, "It was my debt to pay," he simply said happy that his birth father at least could give him the opportunity to do this for her. The first he had heard of it was at the funeral, and his first thought after that was what he could do with his inheritance. He could fix what he broke, he could make things better at least financially for her. The rest of the work in rebuilding their relationship would be harder.

"You can't just do things like this," she muttered reaching for another reason to be angry with him, "You can't just come back," she said feeling her eyes brimming with tears. As she found herself wrapped in his safe embrace after months of being without him knowing that he wanted to comfort her, to have Caroline bring to him her worries or joys as she always had. She took a deep breath feeling her heart stop at his familiar scent feeling at home.

"Caroline I know it will never be the same again but I don't want us to go back to how we were," he said boldly as he pulled back to look her in the eyes loving the pink on her cheeks and her cold breath in the air touching his lips. "I don't want to be you friend. I want to kiss you here," his index finger touched her neck, "Here," his finger trailed to her collar bone then up her throat, "Here, and here." his finger ran over her lower lip.

"I really hate you sometimes," she half hissed half shouted at him taking advantage of her position to shove him again but this time closer in to the old white post holding up his porch then she kissed him, "I have to go." Caroline whispered as she patted his chest leaving her hands there as she spoke.

"Competition to win," he said making her nod her head as he pecked her lips once more before she disappeared into the dark.

AN: Sorry can't seem to finish this prompt. Next part is the last one.