Chapter 11 Colliding with reality
Caroline POV
Klaus has a daughter! And she was Hayley's daughter too, that wasn't possible, was it? I was clear that I could not trust men: human, vampire, werewolf or hybrid. Klaus was no exception.
I had been locked in my room for two days, I hadn't gone out more than to take an occasional blood bag and pick up Ben & Jerry's my two lovers when I'm depressed. Stefan had decided to stay with me and Elena in the house to try to cheer us up but it wasn't working much. Although Elena was a little more receptive than me.
When I decided to finally forgot about the matter, the doorbell rang. Stefan, Elena, were already on the top floor but I noticed the sound of the TV, so they wouldn't mind someone visiting, Ric was out with another teacher from our school saying that wasn't a date only coworkers hanging out. I walked to the door at the same time a voice was screaming "Care, open the door, I'm Hope."
"Stefan is upstairs Hope, have fun," had no strength to a polite greeting, I wanted to sleep.
"I didn't come to see Stefan, well, maybe later... but I'm here to talk to you."
Now what's going on? When I'll learn to stop worrying about others and seek my own happiness, leave here and forget like I wanted to do 16 years ago.
"I will bring blood bags, wait a second." I went to the kitchen refrigerator and got two blood bags, one for me and one for her, resigned to postpone my meeting with the bed.
"Dad, well Klaus worries me" Hope blurted before I took a sit beside her. I felt a pang in my stomach, Klaus and I were blood bonded and that link made me feel more empathetic with everything about him.
"Mmm, I don't understand what you mean. Do you need me to do something?"
"Care, dad has taken refuge in Uncle Matt's restaurant hasn't left uncle's office in days, it hasn't gone home, even now that everything is ready for me to return to New Orleans with them, after school ends"
"So, how I can help you?" I hadn't thought of anything where Hope needed my help.
"He even said he isn't interested, in going back to New Orleans, and might not come back to us" when we, vampires, wanted to show serious we got it. And Hope was really grim.
"I don't understand you, Hope, please get to the point." I didn't wanted her taking detours to talk, I needed to know what was making Klaus, her dad not wanting to return to New Orleans a city for which he had fought so hard...
"He doesn't want to say what is happening, neither me, mum, or Uncle Elijah and less of all to Aunt Rebekah and Uncle Matt doesn't even dare to enter his office and I think that's because how we others are, because of our situation" Hope said and by our situation she meant them, those who were happy because truth to be told Stefan and she were more than happy, "the only thing he had said is that you never want to be with him."
"I think you are aware that the way I found about your relationship with Klaus has not been the best." I was angry with almost everyone: Stefan was dating her, he knew who she was and he had never told me, he plead that it was not his secret to tell me. Matt and Rebekah knew it too; they had taken care of her since birth. And of course Klaus, he had hidden her to me for 16 years, and he had only said that he didn't ever told me, first because she was in danger and then because he had witnessed the situation I had lived with Hayley and Tyler, and being Hayley her mother... and I think even Tyler knew it!
"Yes, in the few minutes I talked to Stefan since the incident, I grasped that" She said downing two drinks of blood.
By the "incident" she referred to two days ago in her Sweet Sixteen party when I had seen Klaus, dancing with someone that in a fit of jealousy thought it was his girlfriend, despite my phone calls and getaways with him, and despite Hope and Stefan had been dating for about a month. Hope had invited us to her party, and I almost ruin it.
"Yeah, but..." I began.
"But nothing" Hope interrupted me, she had never been so rude to me, and although I had to keep pride because I hadn't done anything and because we were at my home, nothing less, I felt like a child who has done something wrong and anybody is going to accept any reply from her "I will not get deep into your affairs, Care, I don't know what do you want my dad to do..."
"I don't want Klaus, your dad to do anything" this time I was forced to interrupt her.
"Care, Sorry, I don't mean anything material, if you're offended thinking that, you know it's not. I know what my dad wants from you, but I don't know what you're gonna do. And it's about time that you put in order your feelings, because something had to happen all those years in which you both have been calling each other and sneaking out, hat after my party he has been on standby"
I was thinking for a while whether to tell what happened to Hope or not. I guess if Klaus, her dad hadn't said anything, neither was I, he is much more confident with her so that the step would have to be given by him or the two of us anyway.
"Hope, I'm not offended because I haven't thought of anything material, thank God, we have done well, we own a hotel and a boarding house which allow us live without needing to ask money to anyone, and in fact, I wouldn't come to him for a thing like that."
"Well, he would be delighted, Care. While on the other hand he likes your independence, it's funny..."
"I don't see why that's funny" I said sincerely.
"I do" she said, with a smirk, "on the one hand he wants to help, protect you, you ask for his help. He says it very often. On the other hand, he loves that you don't rely on his help, and you to be proud."
"You mean, to be like him."
"Exactly, very easy to drive him mad in this matter. Although you wouldn't believe, it bothers him too much that you don't go to him, and also he is very much excited." I couldn't help but feel myself crimsoning, because as I'm a vampire isn't noticeable when I blush. A girl of 16 years, his daughter talking as a grown up about the reactions of her father.
"Well there, he and his dilemmas" I spat. I was sick of double feelings from Klaus, he gets angry but he likes it. A masochist ancient hybrid, but I must not speak of masochists, because look at me...
"Dad has no dilemma Care" Hope got up and quickly looked upstairs, is that she wanted not to go any further with the conversation. Well, I more. "Dad is in love with you since the first day, being upset with you is just another symptom of his condition about you. Aunt Rebekah and Uncle Elijah say that he has never experienced anything like this before with anybody, human or vampire, and that sometimes makes him angry with himself and with you, because of not being able to protect you, not being able to be with you, not being able to know what you think at all times and not being able control his feelings. He is thousand years old Care, and his weakness is, and no offense, a baby vampire Barbie as aunt Rebekah says."
She left me speechless. I didn't get up from the couch to walk her. Although smiling at the thought that the vampire Barbie was her aunt.
"'I'm going with Stefan" She turned around and walked toward the stairs, but before going up she turned to me. "I don't care about what happened between you, but I think you already know what Dad wants. Fix it, things can get really interesting..."
That said, she went up the stairs and within a second she was knocking at Stefan's room.
I remained sat on the couch. I knew that Klaus love me. I love him too, but he deceived me for 16 years and that's something you can't forgive easily. And now Hope is telling me that he is madly in love. And he even seems willing to leave everything with so unwind and forget? Since I didn't want to talk with him more about Hope I haven't the faintest idea what he's thinking. What if...? No, Care, is better if you go to sleep that was your star plan for the day and forget about saving everybody for one night. And I woke up ready to go to bed. But I went wrong. Within half an hour I was in Matt's restaurant which worked at night as a bar.
When I walked in the bar atmosphere was very relaxed. Noticing the stares of people, I stopped to think that maybe I hadn't wore the right clothes for that place. I was wearing worn jeans and a very thin fabric blouse that... oh... I knew why they were looking at, in the rush to leave the house I had forgotten to wear bra and I needed it because what I was wearing left little to imagination. Perfect. The sooner I leave the hustle, the better.
I stood before the stairs leading down to the basement where the office was, and where for what Hope had said, Klaus, had practically moved in trying to get away from the inquisitive looks of his siblings, daughter and in-laws, pending that th guard who was there let me went down.
"Caroline" he finally recognized me stepping aside.
When I get to the door at the end of the hallway downstairs, I listened for a few seconds I case I heard a noise and then feeling like an idiot, I knocked at the door.
"Klaus, I'm Care. Can I go in?" I said quietly, if Klaus was there I didn't need to scream anyway.
I didn't get an answer, so I turn the knob and opened the door, to my surprise it wasn't locked.
Klaus, was facing back to the entrance, one arm placed in the back wall of the room with the light of a small lamp that was always on the table in the center.
"I don't know why you bother to knock if you're coming in anyway," he said without turning.
"If you don't lock the door is because you don't mind people coming in"
"My family wouldn't dare to come in without me allowing them" He said turning and looking at me and for a moment, I even though he was wolfing out and I found such thing a bit frightening.
"I get it, even so it's a risk I'm willing to take" I went by in front of him and sat on a couch that Matt used to use for meetings, and which apparently was acting as a bed.
"You are playing with fire Care, tonight I'm not amused," he said with yellow eyes, veins in his face and fangs extended. But I noticed he didn't want to kill but rather his excitement. I could see he had forgotten I could feel part of his emotions from drinking his blood.
"O.k. Klaus, I've come to talk with you, not to provoke you" I said relaxing my posture.
"Now you're ready to talk, fine, talk," He spat leaning on the table.
"I won't reproach anything," I started with the more distressing thing "but don't you think I deserved to known it, sooner".
"No need to tell me, Care" Klaus replied me I felt an immense relief.
"Hope has come to talk with me, she is worried about you," I said, perhaps hoping that he began to speak, but he didn't.
"I tell her she didn't need to be concerned, so it is more likely to be a pretext for going to see Stefan" He seemed quiet. He knew Stefan from the 20s and I guess Stefan and have spoken to him about Hope and he had realized that my friend loved and respected his daughter. Part of me felt bad with poor Stefan and because it was as like the girl he was dating had three fathers and 2 mothers.
"Surely, even so, I think we need to talk."
"That's exactly what I said that night" he spat.
"Lot of things happened that night, I couldn't take one more" I said, it was the truth and I needed to postpone that conversation with Klaus, all I could, until now of course. "But do not think it takes us a long time. What happened, happened, and a part of me is glad to know everything. Although I don't know if I could forgive the lie."
Get involved again with someone who had lied to me for 16 years, I had to be crazy to regard having anything with Klaus, why do I never learn? And yet I loved him and he was so terribly attractive, and I'm not talking only physically, I had also to admit that his manners were very interesting, you couldn't get bored with someone like Klaus, but sometimes he riled me out... he had always made me feel like a princess.
"Well, everything is clear now" Klaus got up from the table and with an angry face approached to the door.
"Is that it? Do not you want to ask me something?" I said surprised, according to what Hope had said, this wasn't the reaction I expected from him, he had bought it too soon... and the worst is that I was disappointed.
"Do not Care, everything is clear, I understand" He said without looking at me.
Why he always did the same, accept what I say without further explanation.
"No, Klaus!" I got up from the couch.
With this back and he pulled me back and take sit beside me on the couch "So Care, we are not done yet" he said. I didn't struggle, first because it's useless, and second because we weren't really done yet.
"My life is in New Orleans, Care" he said "I live to my business, to keep New Orleans calm, and we had fought a lot to get it back, together. I make money, I make professional relationships between the three factions there, now we: Elijah, Hayley and I, rule in New Orleans. I've created myself over thousand years and now I have everything I've fought for, even a daughter."
"I know Klaus, but not all of us had had all that time to get everything that we want," I said.
"What I mean is that I have spent years looking for this life and spend a day with you and want to leave it all for you," he said in amazement.
"Sounds like you are disappointed of yourself" I said angrily, "I'm not asking anything, you can continue with your life as usual."
"No, I can't, don't you get it?" He came within inches from me "I'm not underestimating you, don't get mad, it's not a bad thing to leave it all for you, I mean for me change my life for you would be the only reason" he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to lift my head to look into his eyes, "if I had to change everything for something or someone, that would be you. What surprises me is that I haven't been able to realize it before, it had to be my daughter who give me a lesson, it had to be her who forced me to tell you: I had a daughter, and she had to be the one who take me to value yourself in magnitude."
"Klaus I think you're going to the extreme..." I couldn't keep talking because he close my lips with a finger.
"Shut up please," he whispered, as if at this point I could say anything coherently "the days I have spent by your side are the happiest I remember, and remember too many days believe me. Me... without New Orleans, no responsibilities, no... daughter. I was like that when I was human, now I can see it clearly. You're the only one who has achieved that. You are my humanity."
"I don't... I don't know what to say Klaus."
"Don't you want to relive those moments? Don't you want those moments to stop being just that… moments?" He asked me kind of upset.
"Of course, for me have been some memorable moments too, but that wasn't you in full, not like now, and are of course there are Hope and Hayley."
"Hope is my daughter, and about Hayley, we never had a relationship not before or after that night, she got pregnant with Hope. She had been with Elijah for about 15 years. And now the one I'm now seem so bad?" He apart from me if I needed to observe him at all.
"I think different, I haven't even process that you have a daughter with a woman who has a relationship with your brother." I said.
"Wouldn't you be with me now? Wouldn't you be with me, with all I have and as I'm?" He asked.
"Would you be with me?" I asked him. Yes, I am a coward, I needed some time to think over my answer.
"I've been saying that since I met you Care, even it look is only a sexual desire, is my way of expressing myself, I can assure you that what I feel for you goes far beyond a merely physical relationship. I promised that I would be your last love and that's what I want most. I won't leave New Orleans, but I wish I could share everything with you."
There I was disarmed. I was standing there in the middle of the room like a statue. First of all I had always been crazy about Klaus, but if it at first merely physical, but for nearly 15 years, I had begun to feel something else, and I had admitted feeling something more. I may have gone out with others, but Klaus' was always there, he was the one I call without fail once a week, he was the one whom I getaway once a year. And what am I supposed to do? He had lied to me, and he had a daughter... and yet not being with Klaus, seemed to be a bigger problem...
"You lied to me" I said again, even more for me than for him, "and here I am, ready to throw away all my effort" Klaus's face lit up and the joy that flooded it came to me too. I approached him slowly and grabbed his face with my hands to attract him towards me, "Although I think, I would be making a big mistake if I don't kiss you right now" I said approaching my lips to his.
"Now you've thrown away all my efforts, LOVE" He said before kissing me hardly and rising me his arms and put me on the table, where he continued kissing me, in that way that made me forget any kiss anyone had given me in my life.
"Klaus" I said in a sigh when I apart my lips, "I have to breathe!"
"No, you don't" he said laughing.
"No, it's because I want you to be clear that even though this is already a relationship, I won't make it easy for you" I said just he to find out that although I didn't want what we had so far, I was not going to give up everything for him and I wouldn't go to New Orleans with, just like that.
"You making things easy? I know you wouldn't. But I have days left to convince you that whole me including New Orleans and a daughter may like you more than the one you fall in love 15 years ago."
"So, you have days. Eh?" I told him giggling.
"Hours if you want, I can promise that the time this will last, from my side will be eternal, though, and that will be something that you will never forget. From now until whenever you want. And I want out to last to the eternity."
"A very tempting offer, the true to be said" I said with my arms surrounding him, "but right now I don't wanna think about any of that, I rather focus on this…" I raised his arms quickly to get his shirt over his head and started to unbutton his trouser belt, I had previously hold myself with him too long, seeing him only once a year. Never again.
"You are like me, LOVE" He said looking at me with lust. And in less time than you can imagine I was naked too.
He kissed me with passion, I kissed him with desire. And my hands were going through his body and his hands were going through mine. Our bodies were doing things I couldn't control any more. My hands, my mouth, my hips and my legs seemed as they had their own agenda, their own life I didn't control any of my movements, I was like clay in his hands letting him do with my body anything he wanted too. I could feel my mouth going through his chest, and my hands in stirring up his hair, then he hold both of my hands with one of his hands while the other stroked my body and began kissing me, his lips and his tongue first in my mouth, I couldn't manage anything but let out a moan. Then his mouth began tracing a way through my neck, my shoulder, to my boobs, and he caught one of my nipples with his teeth, I growl of pleasure, and with the side of my eye I could see his smirk, more than a smirk this time a full ear to ear smile. His mouth keep going down to meet his hand that was busy touching my wet femininity, his hand and his tongue gave me a lot of pleasure. And when I was about to cum, he using vampire velocity met my mouth kissing me and I could feel his fully erected cock entering me, his kiss and his movements made me scream out of pleasure. But despite all the passion of the moment that was present in that office was all the love that we had for each other. And we made love not only passionately but more than eager, I was angry, I had felt betrayed but most of all I was in love and I want to be with him.
I cannot say how many times we make love, I cannot say how many times he kissed me. I cannot say how many times I kissed him. I cannot say how many bites we gave each other. I cannot explain all the feelings I had at his touch. I cannot say how feeling he shivering at my touch felt. I cannot say how many times he whisper he love me and I cannot say how many times I whisper I love him, or how we got to this point it was near dawn, but as we rested on the table, naked, Klaus' hand stroking my hair, I felt I had done something right for once in my life, and I wouldn't think about the consequences as much complicated a relationship with Klaus would be.
I was where I wanted to be and with whom I wanted to be and this collision with reality, was the best thing that ever happened to me.
