Hey everyone!

First of all- yes, I am alive.

Second of all- yes, I know I'm late. I promised I would update by the 17th, and it is the 25th- BUT I have a perfectly good explanation. Let's just say that our of the two AP tests I had to take, one was invalidated. Not necessarily because anyone was caught cheating, but because our desks were facing the wrong way ._. I know right? So my AP Gov test was invalidated and I had to retake it this past Thursday.

But the good thing is that I'm back! I hit a sort of "block" when I sat down and tried to write on Thursday and Friday, so I spent quite a lot of time yesterday rereading the story and planning out this chapter and today I forced myself to sit and write until I finished.

WARNING: I did not proofread this chapter. Usually I write a whole chapter and then reread it to make sure I have everything down and no grammatical errors or anything, but I knew that if I did that for this chapter, I wouldn't publish it today. Not because the process takes a long time, but because I'd probably be so appalled with my writing that I would start all over again.

So, sorry in advance.


I took in a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes, the warmth that surrounded me beckoned me to go back to sleep. But as my eyes began to adjust to the dimly lit room, I realized that I wasn't in either the dungeon or in living room.

As I began to rack my mind for any indication of why I was here, I remembered the few minutes before I had fallen asleep.

I brought my hand up to rub my eyes as I took a deep breath. When I dropped my hand again, it did not hit the soft sheets of the bed, but rather, something hard and smooth.

I looked down and noticed my position- I was completely entangled with Klaus. I had my head on his chest and my right hand draped across his torso. He had one arm wrapped around my waist while the other one rested behind his head, our legs were completely tangled under the royal blue cover.

I pushed myself up as much as I could and looked around, trying to make my movements as slow and gentle as possible so that I wouldn't wake him up. I began to shift my legs, but after a few small movements, he shifted, and the hand that had been resting behind his head came down and on top of my right hand (which I had kept on his chest to support myself).

All of my muscles clenched and I held my breath for a few seconds, but he had stopped moving and had not woken up.

I must have stayed frozen like that for a few minutes because when I tried to relax, my muscles felt sore. I couldn't hold myself up any longer, so I slowly settled back into his chest. I tried to shift a little bit so that I wouldn't be completely on top of him, but his grip was strong and there was no way to get out.

I sighed, resting my head on his chest in defeat.

I stayed awake for about an hour, breathing slowly and just listening to his steady heartbeat. Stronger rays of light had creeped through the curtains, giving the room a warm glow.

I had resorted to drawing patterns on his chest out of boredom. It was amazing how smooth and warm he was, but muscular and lean at the same time.

Again, I lifted myself up to look at his face, only to find that he already had his eyes open.

"Good morning, sweetheart" He said with a smirk.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked, still shocked.

"Since before you were awake."

"You were awake this whole time?" I asked, pulling away even more. His arm fell away from my waist, but he kept his hand flat against the small of my back. He grinned even wider, and I punched him in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" He said, rubbing his shoulder. 'What was that for?"

"That was for being a jerk," I punched his shoulder again.

"And that?" He raised his voice and pushed himself up so that we were both sitting incredibly close.

"Because hitting you the first time felt good!" I raised my own voice to match his tone and stared him down.

He narrowed his eyes at me and a dangerous look crossed his eyes. I started to regret hitting him, and realized that I was in a very vulnerable position to be challenging him.

He chuckled, his eyes returning to normal.

"Is that so?" He asked and faster than I could realize, his hands reached out to grab me by the waist.

I shrieked and wiggled out of his grasp, giggling uncontrollably before clasping my hand over my mouth.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I said, much too quickly and regretting it instantly.

"Caroline," He started, mischief playing across his features "Are you ticklish?" He asked already knowing the answer.

I shook my head and backed up a bit more until I felt that I was at the edge of the bed.

"I think you are" He said, edging closer. I leaned back even more, shaking my head.

He lunged forward and grabbed my waist again, throwing my back into the center of the huge bed. I laughed out loud as his fingers danced around my waist, across my stomach, over my rib cage.

"Kl-klaus!" I laughed again and tried to talk, but he wouldn't stop "St-stop! Klaus!" I couldn't help the giggles and bouts of laughter that hit me every time.

A few seconds later he stopped and my laughter died down. I took that as my chance and lunged forward, knocking him back.

I tried to find a spot on his torso that would make him laugh like I did, but he barely chuckled.

"I'm not ticklish, sweetheart"

"What? No, you have to be ticklish somewhere" I said as a felt around a bit more to no avail.

"Turn around" I instructed and he chuckled as he turned so that he was face down on the bed.

I started feeling around again. When I came close to a spot on his spine he shivered and I smiled triumphantly.

"Ticklish?" I said, feeling a victory coming on.

"No, it just felt nice"

"Oh," I said, running my fingers over the same spot "There?" He nodded and I began tracing my fingers up and down his spine. He seemed to relax and I continued the motion for a couple of moments.

"Do we have anything to do today?" I asked softly, breaking the silence. I heard him sigh and he pushed himself up so that he was sitting again.

"No, we have nothing to do today."

"Alright" I said, playing with my fingers.

"What would you like to do?" He asked, catching me off guard. I regarded him for a second, checking if he was joking, which apparently he wasn't.

"Well..." I started, thinking of something I needed to do. I looked down at my hands, catching a glimpse of my tangled hair and dirty dress. "I'd really like to bathe."

"Then bathe," He said simply "There is a lake out front that you can use"

"Yes, but-" I kept my head down to hide the faint blush I knew must have been appearing on my cheeks. I had bathed before, but that was when I was sure he had not been conscious and could not watch. Now he was wide awake and would know what I was doing.

"I promise I won't look" He said, reading my mind. I looked up, torn.

"How can I trust you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"When I promise something, I do not break that promise" He said seriously. I regarded him carefully, choosing to believe him.

"Alright," I said, getting up and out of the room glancing at him a few times, but he stayed put.

When I reached the lake, I hesitated a moment before looking back at the cottage. I couldn't see him through any of the windows and the door was closed.

I quickly pulled my dress over my head and dropped it onto a nearby rock, slowly stepping towards the water. I took one last look back at the cottage before stepping in completely.

The water wasn't nearly as cold as I thought it would be- probably because the sun had been out for a couple of hours, warming the water. I would have been up earlier if it hadn't been for Klaus keeping me in bed for so long.

I was already all the way into the lake, and soon the water became too deep and I had to start swimming to stay afloat. When I reached what seemed to be the center, I took a deep breath and sank into the water.

I began scrubbing my arms and legs, then running my fingers through my scalp. Soon the burning in my chest indicated that I needed to come up for air. I kicked my feet and swam upwards, reaching the surface and taking a deep breath.

I moved my arms and kicked my legs, moving through the water slowly.

A breeze blew through the clearing and the leaves ruffled. Once again I was captured by the beauty of the woods- the green leaves and the vibrant flower and the way that every plant seemed to glow in the sun. The air was fresh and smelled of dew and grass.

As I was looking around I heard the unmistakable sound of a splash behind me. I whipped around but there was nothing there, nothing except a new set of clothes set next to my dress on the rock.

I looked down at the water, now frozen where I was. I moved my legs around to stay afloat but my muscles had become stiff.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" I heard Klaus's very close behind me and I spun around quickly to see that he was in the water as well, only a few feet away from me. His hair was damp and his skin glistened with droplets of water.

"Klaus!" I shrieked, trying to get away from him "What are you doing here!" my voice got higher with every word, my face got warmer with every second and I tried to cover as much of my body as possible.

"I'm bathing" He said, shrugging, his arms moved beneath the surface of the water as he tried to stay afloat as well.

"But-bu-" I began to stutter again "But you promised!"

"Oh, no. I promised I would not look and I have not looked. I never said anything about bathing" He smirked, surely feeling smug.

I sighed in defeat, pushing away from him even more.

"Just, stay away from me" I said aggravated. I wanted to get out right at that moment but I didn't want him to see me...indecent.

I turned so that my back was facing him and edged closer toward my dress.

I did it slowly so that hopefully he would not see and it took me around ten minutes to finally have my feet touching the ground. I had been looking over my shoulder almost the whole time and he had not been looking at me at all.

I took my opportunity to get closer to the edge, but just as I was about to step out completely, something next to my dress caught my attention.

A large black snake slithered around, its pink forked tongue slipped passed its lips. I froze again, the water level was around my waist.

I panicked, not knowing what to do.

"Klaus," I said in a low whisper, trying not to make a move or sound that would attract the creature

"Klaus," I repeated, trying hard to stay calm but failing miserable once the snake slithered closer to the water. It stuck its head into the water and its body slid in soon after. My breath became heavy and I took a small step back.

"Klaus!" I yelled out, not bothering to whisper anymore. The snake was close now and moving toward me, but I was so paralyzed with fear that I couldn't move anymore.

I immediately felt hands wrap around my waist and pull me backwards away from the snake. Then, I watched as Klaus grabbed it and threw it back toward land, flashing away and returning with a large rock, quickly slamming it into its head multiple times. The snake's body twitched a few times, then lay limp.

Klaus was moving again, disposing of the carcass. I stayed back in the water, sinking deeper in so that it covered me once again.

I heard him shuffling around so I looked to the side so that I wouldn't be looking at him. I had forgotten that he was naked because I had been caught up with the snake, but as soon as I remembered my cheeks began to get hotter and hotter.

"You can turn around now" I heard him call out and I turned my head to see him completely clothed. He was buttoning his chemise and pulling on a pair of boots. I waited until he was finished and turned toward the cottage.

I slowly came out and pulled my dress on, wringing out my hair and braiding it out of my face.

I walked toward the cottage, the fact that I had been next to a naked Klaus, and he had had his hands wrapped around my waist- even if it had happened for a fraction of a second- had some unwanted side effects. The warm feeling at the pit of my stomach had returned.

He was working around the kitchen, taking out food and setting it on the table. I stepped in slowly and leaned against the wall, just watching him go about his work, memories of us in bed that morning and a few minutes ago in the lake flashed in my mind and I closed my eyes and shook my head to get rid of them.

"Lunch is ready, Caroline" His voice rang out through the room and I looked up at him. He was standing next to the table where a small feast had been served. I took a few steps forward and he moved aside to pull out my seat. I sat down and he walked around to his own seat which was right next to mine.

There was a plate of fruits, bread and cheese in front of me. It seemed he had recently gone hunting because there was also meat on my plate.

"Would you like anything to drink?" He asked and I shook my head, grabbing some bread and cheese off of my plate.

We ate in silence though I wasn't sure if it was an awkward silence or a comfortable silence.

I finished off the rest of my meal and sat back, completely satisfied with the food. I heard Klaus clear his throat and I looked up at him again.

"Um..." He started, shifting in his seat for a second before meeting my eyes. He had seemed nervous before but now he seemed to have relaxed a bit more "I am sorry for going out to bathe with you without your permission. It was disrespectful and...I'm sorry" He finished, looking down at his hands.

I stayed quiet, kind of surprised at why he was apologizing after looking so smug.

"Well, if you hadn't been there I would have gotten hurt, so there is no need to apologize" I said matter of factly. An even more dejected and embarrassed look crossed his features and I realized that he had to try really hard to apologize, and I had brushed it off.

I reached over and covered his hand, which was now on the table, with one of mine. He looked up and I smiled.

"But thank you, for apologizing. And for saving me- again"

He smiled as well. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. And it was beautiful.


We cleaned up after lunch and then ended up in the parlor again. I had grabbed a bottle of

gin and a glass for myself- Caroline was not much of a drinker. She sat quietly, playing with a string at the front of her dress. I looked down at my glass, every once in a while sneaking glances at her and admiring the beautiful creature that sat in front of me.

The dress was one of the ones she had borrowed from me, the emerald one. I had taken in the sight of her briefly when she first put it on (other thoughts distracted me by how she actually looked in the dress). Now as I looked at her, really looked at her, I realized she was much more beautiful than I thought.

Her skin was nicely tanned, not exactly porcelain but not olive either. She had untied her hair and it now fell in golden waves over her shoulders. The dress allowed showed off her curves- her hips, waist and breast. And finally, those two green orbs shining in the fire light.

She shifted and I looked down at my drink once again so that she wouldn't notice me blatantly staring at her.

I shifted as well, settling back in my seat. I noticed her glancing at me too and held back a smirk so that she wouldn't know I knew.

Having her look at me at all made me uneasy. She had this way about her that was common amongst people of her family, although she may not know it yet.

She was a Council member after all. I knew from the start that her father was a member; the band he wore around his wrist was that of a member. I also knew that she didn't know because although she saw the band around my wrist, she did not identify me as a fellow member.

Another clue was her cloak. I had noticed at first, but decided it was impossible because people of her kind-more like women of her kind- did not exist anymore- they had all been taken care of years ago.

But if she had to cloak, that meant she was a descendent, and I had to be careful what I did around her, or else it would trigger her instincts. She already knew how to hunt, what she didn't know was why she was taught how to hunt.

I was brought back to reality when Caroline shifted again, stretching her feet out in front of her and doing the same with her arms.

"Klaus, do we really have nothing to do today? I'm getting bored" She said, finishing her sentence with a whine. I smirked at her childish behavior and thought about anything that might need to get done- we had enough wood and water, I had gone hunting recently and there was no way I was taking her into the woods. When nothing came to mind I decided to take a new approach.

"What do you do in your spare time, sweetheart?" She looked off into space, a look I had recognized to be her thinking look.

"I clean-" She paused and we both looked around the cottage, noticing that it was already clean "I cook, read-" She began again before I interrupted her.

"You read?" I said, my voice reflecting my shock.

"Yes" She snapped clearly irritated.

"Oh I'm sorry, Caroline, I didn't mean it as an insult. I simply just haven't met more than a handful of women who can read" I said, chuckling at the appalled face she had pulled.

"Well I can" She said, folding her arms folding her arms over her chest.

"Then I believe I have found a cure for your boredom" I said, standing up in one swift motion and walking over to her, holding my hand out.

She took it without hesitation and I tried not to read too much into it. I had also noticed that she hadn't complained about my terms of endearments toward her- her walls were slowly coming down.

I walked us through the hallway and straight toward the door that was in the middle, but before I opened it, I turned to Caroline.

"Close your eyes"

"What?"

"Just close your eyes" She tilted her head, an inquisitive look on her face. "Trust me, Caroline"

At that her gazed softened and I could see the small conflict going on inside of her, but she closed her eyes.

"Alright, my eyes are closed"

I smiled and opened the door, guiding her through until we were inside.

"Can I open them now?"

"One second" I said, flashing over to the curtains and yanking them open, letting light flow into the room. I usually kept them closed because I would only work here at night and I would light candles. But with the sun out, I thought she would like it better that way.

"Alright," I said, flashing next to her and leaning down to whisper in her ear "You can open them now"

Her eyelids flutter and revealed her beautiful emerald eyes as they widened to take in the sight of the room. She gasped, her mouth popping open.

This was my favorite room in the house- the study. One half was the library while the other half was my art studio (which was hidden behind a large curtain).

"Klaus-" She started, stepping forward toward one of the shelves and looking at the books. Her hand reached out and slid over the spine of a couple of volumes before she picked one out.

She looked around, finding the love seat in the middle of the room and dropping down in it immediately, tucking her feet under herself and opening the book to the first page.

I chuckled, noticing that she never finished her statement out of excitement. I walked to the nearest shelf and grabbed the first book I touched, walked over to the chair in front of her and pulling open the book.

I looked at her while she read. She was completely immersed in the book- flipping the pages excitedly, her eyes darting across the page as she read every line, sometimes going over the same line to reread what one character had said.

She had picked out an adventure novel, one I had read multiple times over. I looked down at the book in my hands, still on page one, and noticed it was one of my personal diaries- from about seventy years ago.

I looked at the scrawling on the page, skimming over a few words.

Finally, my quest is complete. I set out about a decade ago to complete it, and finally, I have.

The pack of werewolves I found turned out to be quite submissive- once they recognized their superiors. I had to challenge multiple alphas in order to get to where I am today, but it was all worth it- I am finally their leader.

I skipped a couple of pages to the next entry.

Another pack has joined today. I only had to challenge one alpha before they all pledged themselves to me. They came into the woods this afternoon and settled in the camp.

I now have over two hundred members, and as generations pass, that number will increase- I am certain.

I flipped a couple of pages, finding the final entry.

They have come today. They entered the woods at nightfall and wiped out almost half of my pack, leaving me with barely one hundred wolves.

I had felt something was wrong when that new village formed, just at the edge of the woods. At first it was only a few men, travelling I had guessed. They settled on the river side and stayed for a couple of days, then left.

But not a fortnight later, a larger group of people came. That was one I had realized they were scouters, looking for a place for their families to settle.

Within the year, they had cottages and stores up and running.

I disregarded them then- villages were established all the time.

But an uneasy feeling still hung in the air. I pushed it away, and began the task of training my pack, making sure that they turned safely during the full moon and know not to venture far from the center of the woods.

Then it happened- they attacked. LiKe I said, they caught us at nightfall when we weren't alert, and precisely during the time when the men were their weakest.

They were merciless, slaughtering about one hundred and wounding another twenty or so. Some of them wore all black, while other wore a red cloak.

When the night was over, they retreated. We had managed to kill some of them and seriously injure others.

This morning took the task of looking them over and found that only the women warriors wore the red cloaks, but all of them had a band around their wrist. The symbol on each wasn't exactly the same, but they resembled one another.

I look around at my men today and find them grieving over the loss of their brothers, wives and children- we will have our revenge.

"Klaus," I heard Caroline from where she was sitting, but didn't respond- lost in a memory.

"Klaus," She said a while later and I felt her hand grip my shoulder. The contact made me look at her. The room was dim now and I looked out the window to see it was almost nightfall.

"Klaus" She said again and I closed the book in my hand, standing up and putting it back in its place on the shelf. When I turned around she was looking at me with a strange face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just..." I thought of something to say, but couldn't come up with anything but the truth "I was just lost in a memory"

She nodded, rocking on her feet in her place. She looked around the room, her eyes lingering on the curtain.

"What's that?" She said, stepping toward it, her hand reaching out to pull the curtain open.

I flashed forward and put myself between her and the curtain.

"Nothing" I said.

"Oh, come on Klaus" She said, trying to reach the curtain again. I grabbed her hand, leaning forward so that our eyes were level, my voice dropping.

"Listen to me carefully, Caroline" I started and she looked at nothing but me, sensing the shift in mood "You are allowed in this room as much as you like, but you will not even think of touching this curtain. Understood?" I realized I was trying to compel her, and the look in her eyes almost made me believe that it had worked. But then she pulled her head back, still looking at me.

She looked at the curtain behind me, then looked at me, seeming to weigh her options before finally nodding. It wasn't the nod of someone who was compelled, but at least she acknowledged the threat.

I lead her out to the parlor then and we fell into our routine, or at least I thought it was a routine. We ate, sat in the parlor and talked until she got tired, then went to bed. She was tired, so she didn't even complain when I laid down in bed next to her.

She had been asleep for a while now and I had yet to even blink. I looked at her face, so peaceful in her sleep- she really did look like an angel.

I reached over and ran my fingers over the soft flesh over her cheek, letting my gaze slide down to her lips.

The urge to grab her and kiss her had been ever present since the moment I saw her. I had been used to getting my way with women for years, but she was different. She challenged me at every step, every instant that she got, and never gave into her attraction to me. She had been battling it from the moment she first saw me, but it was there, and it meant I had a chance.

I pulled my hand away and lay back, closing my eyes and thinking of nothing but Caroline until I drifted to sleep.


Food for thought:

Why is Klaus in the woods?

Who does the red cloak belong to?

What's behind the curtain?

I kinda feel like this is a filler chapter, but not really because there are some details that are given that are kinda bringing the story together. I decided that from this chapter on, a new secret will be revealed with each chapter. And there are a few secrets, or revelations, whatever you wanna call them.

Soooo last chapter I kinda told you guys that I was planning on doing a few more Klaroline stories. I started writing the first one, planning out the second one, and thinking up the third (and biggest) one. The first ones are sort of short, but not really. The last one is going to be long, like longer-than-this-one-is-going-to-be long.

WAIT, DON'T LEAVE!

I debated on whether to tell you guys this but I decided that now is a good a time as any.

I'm planning on making a website, specifically for my stories. It'll just give you guys more info on the stories and pictures so that you know what some of the settings and stuff look like, and I might even add a blog so that I can keep you updated on what's going on. Soooo tell me what you think!

Bye for now!

~M

P.S.: Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! You guys are the reason why I didn't proofread this chapter :)

P.P.S.: My heart almost popped out of my chest during the season finale. Like, can Klaus get any more perfect? Probably yes.