Caroline and Klaus spent two straight days in bed, making love, cuddling, whispering, sleeping. After the grief of losing each other, being apart simply wasn't fathomable. Every touch, every kiss, every word was cherished; but as beautiful as it was, they both knew they couldn't stay in bed forever. Caroline was the first to break the spell.
"I have to go back to Mystic Falls,"
Klaus closed his eyes and sighed. "I know," he murmured before pressing his lips gently against hers. She chose that moment to reveal what she'd been thinking about for the past few days.
"I think we should come back here, though. I know you came here for a reason, I know your family is here. Maybe this is where we should start our new life," Caroline rushed through the words before she lost her nerve. Despite everything they had been through, despite how clear he'd been about his feelings for her she couldn't quiet those old insecurities. What if he thought she was moving too fast?
Her worries were immediately soothed when he broke into a wide smile. "That's a big decision to make, love. But if you're ready, nothing would make me happier than to build a life with you here." He pushed her hair back gently and kissed her forehead, causing the butterflies to erupt all over again.
Caroline decided she definitely needed to shower before they flew to Mystic Falls and even though the hot water felt amazing it was the first time she'd been away from Klaus since he'd found her in the alley. Their little golden bubble had kept the guilt and the pain she had been suppressing at bay but now all she could think about was the night she'd killed the bartender.
She didn't know what disgusted her the most; the fact that she'd slept with him or that she'd killed him. Certainly he deserved it, he was a monster, but who was she to take someone's life away? The fear in his eyes, his blood curling screams all haunted her. It was only worse that she'd had sex with him beforehand. When she'd tasted the roofies in her drink and looked into his hungry eyes, her humanity switch had protected her from the sickness that she normally would have felt. She remembered vaguely thinking of Damon but not being able to understand why; now she understood all too well.
Caroline rushed out of the shower, desperate for Klaus' presence again. She needed him to make her feel whole, to push away the thoughts of everyone else. He had finished packing their bags and was sitting on their bed, sipping from a tumbler of blood. She was on him in a second, attacking him with bruising kisses, licking the blood from his lips, hungry for the escape he offered for her. He hardly hesitated before he was consuming her with equal desperation, creating the whole out of their two broken halves.
Bonnie
Bonnie woke up in bliss. She lay in Jeremy's bed, wrapped in nothing but the crisp, white sheets, encompassed by his strong arms. With the early morning sun shining warmly through the window, it felt like heaven. After three days of sharing him with Elena she'd finally gotten him to herself for the whole night, finally able to touch him for the first time in months. Waking up next to him, she felt like she couldn't have possibly been any happier.
It lasted for about five minutes.
Then the familiar nausea sank through Bonnie's stomach, reminding her what- or actually who- had been in the back of her mind the entire time. Every time Jeremy touched her or whispered in her ear she wondered what it would be like with Kol. An involuntary thrill ran through her every time she remembered his words, "We have a lot to catch up on,"
She was disgusted with herself. Jeremy was the love of her life, right? She'd grieved him for months and now that she finally had him back, she found herself thinking about another man. Not just any other man- Kol.
The front door of the Salvatore mansion broke her from her thoughts and she was thankful for the distraction. She dressed quickly and headed downstairs to see who it was.
"Caroline!" Bonnie cried, running towards her best friend. Caroline collapsed in Bonnie's arms, sobbing, but Bonnie could tell these tears were different than the grieving ones. She pulled away, still holding on to Caroline's arms so she could take a good look at her.
"I take it your humanity is back on," Bonnie smiled. Caroline choked out a laugh through her tears.
"Bonnie, I don't know how to thank you. You are absolutely the best friend in the world. You never judged me, you were only there for me in so many ways. And then you brought him back to me. Thank you, Bonnie".
Bonnie smiled widely in return. "I just want you to be happy, Caroline,"
Caroline's face expressed the truth of her words, "I am, Bonnie,"
They sat in the kitchen eating cereal as Caroline recounted everything that had happened over the past few days: how she thought Klaus had been Silas, how he made her turn her humanity back on, and then, in true Caroline fashion, she dished all the dirty details about their two day long reunion in the hotel room.
Bonnie laughed, nodded, and grimaced in all the right places. No matter how she felt about Klaus, she could never condemn Caroline's feelings for him, not when he made her this happy. "Especially when you've been thinking nonstop about an equally dangerous Original brother," Bonnie tried to shake the thought from her head.
"So where is Klaus now?" Bonnie asked. She was surprised that he had left her side.
"He went to his mansion to pack some things, he wanted to give me time to talk to you guys. He's coming back to pick me up soon,"
Bonnie's heart skipped a beat. "Pack? For what?"
Caroline looked down and sighed. "That's the other reason I came here. We've decided to start a new life together. In New Orleans,"
Bonnie's eyes widened. "But Caroline, what about your life here? You can't just walk away from that. What about college and your mom?"
Caroline nodded. "I know, Bonnie, trust me, I didn't make this decision lightly. But I'm a vampire now. I'm going to live forever, I literally have all the time in the world. I'm free to live whatever life I want to live, and it's time I started doing it. I'm not leaving Mystic Falls behind, this will always be my home, but I can't stay here forever,"
Bonnie knew she was right. She'd have to leave in five or ten years anyway before people noticed she wasn't aging.
Caroline grabbed her hand. "You can always come visit me. New Orleans is a really incredible place," she smiled.
Bonnie grinned back, thinking a vacation with her best friend in a fun city would be just what she needed. It felt so good for them both to be happy again; Bonnie wanted to stay in that moment forever with Caroline.
Suddenly, the carelessness lifted when Elena walked in. Her eyes widened. "Caroline?"
"Hey, Elena," Caroline said tentatively. Before she could say anything else, Elena rushed towards her. "Caroline, I'm so sorry. About everything. Your mom, and your dress, and Klaus," she whispered the last word. "My humanity was off but that's no excuse. I should have never treated you that way," Bonnie saw that her eyes were filled with tears.
Caroline sighed. "It's okay, Elena. I understand. It's all in the past, we can all start over now."
Elena grinned. "Well, how about we start with a 'Welcome Back' party, tonight?"
Caroline sighed again. "Actually, I'm not staying long. I came here to say goodbye, for a little while at least. I'm moving to New Orleans,"
Bonnie flashed with anger when she saw how Elena's eyes hardened, when she heard it in her voice. "With Klaus," It wasn't a question, but Caroline nodded anyway.
"Caroline, I know it was a shock when he was killed but are you sure you've thought this all the way through? He's a monster,"
Bonnie couldn't stay quiet any longer. Elena hadn't been there once to see what Caroline went through when she lost Klaus. Not to mention Elena had a lot of nerve saying anything given the company she kept. Before Caroline could even defend herself, Bonnie did for her.
"Elena, don't judge her. The heart wants what the heart wants. You of all people should know that,"
Elena didn't even flinch. "Yes, I do know that. I also know that no matter how I felt about Damon, Caroline was always there to tell me what a wrong decision I was making. She hated him for no reason!"
Bonnie turned to Caroline and was shocked to find she had gone stark white and was shaking. She placed her hand on her arm, only to find it slick with cold sweat. Bonnie had never seen a vampire look remotely ill unless it was from a werewolf bite but Caroline looked to be on the verge of either vomiting or fainting. Nonetheless, she pressed her lips together before speaking clearly.
"I'm leaving now. My stuff is packed, I talked to my mom. I just wanted to say goodbye," she turned towards Bonnie. "I'll see you soon," she whispered before rushing out of the house.
Bonnie was sick with worry, and furious with how Elena had treated their friend.
"You had no right to talk to her like that," Bonnie glared. Elena only rolled her eyes, exasperated, so Bonnie retreated back to Jeremy's bedroom. She pulled out her phone and texted her best friend.
I would love to visit you in New Orleans. Let me know when you're all settled. xoxo.
Caroline
She was still shaking from her run in with Elena, but being back in the car with Klaus helped settle her down. She sipped from the blood bag she held in one hand, the other entwined with his over the middle console. She was glad they'd decided to drive back to New Orleans. The fourteen hour drive was making for nice quality time.
"So, now would probably be a good time to tell me what brought you to New Orleans in the first place," she murmured.
Klaus let out a long sigh. "I know it is, love. I have to admit, I'm nervous. You're not going to like it," he said grimly.
Caroline nodded, equally as anxious, but she needed to know. She squeezed his hand, waiting for him to continue.
He dragged in a deep breath, only making her more nervous. What could he possibly have done that she hadn't seen before?
"A few months ago, I had a.. a 'one night stand'… with Hayley,"
Caroline closed her eyes, fighting the urge to snap her hand away from his. She knew she couldn't be mad at him for it, they hadn't been remotely together at the time, but it still hurt like hell. Especially when he knew how she already been hurt by Hayley.
"Okay," she breathed, nodding, trying to keep her feelings under control. She knew there was a lot more to the story, so she waited, scared but needing to know.
"Well, she's..pregnant." Caroline's eyes widened. "The witches of New Orleans thought the baby was mine. They said it was a result of breaking my curse, that nature would create this loophole,"
Caroline's heart was racing, but she hadn't missed the implication in his words: the witches thought it was his.
"Rebekah and Elijah caught wind of this news and thought a baby would be the key to my redemption," Klaus scoffed. She could hear the hurt and anger in his voice. "You can imagine their disappointment when we found out it wasn't indeed my child,"
Caroline was ashamed at the relief she felt. Klaus looked over at her and smiled sadly.
"There's one more thing, love. The baby isn't mine..," he released her hand so he could reach across the car and tuck her hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed down her neck and caressed her back. She hummed in delight at the feeling, until his next words froze her to the core.
"..it's Tyler's."
There was nothing smug in Klaus' voice, only sympathy, and a hint of fear. She couldn't blame him for being worried. He'd had to watch her love Tyler for the better part of a year and she knew it would be hard to see her hurt over him. She wasn't really, just shocked. There was only one aspect that bothered her.
"And how far along is Hayley?" Caroline asked quietly.
"I would surmise about four or five months," Klaus replied in a whisper.
So there was no chance that Tyler hadn't cheated on her. Caroline was angry of course, but she was surprised by the lack of pain. She supposed after getting bitten by Tyler and grieving Klaus, she didn't have much room left to be hurt by something so petty. She wanted Klaus to know that, so she grabbed his hand and kissed it.
"I'm mad, yeah, he's a dick. But I'm not hurt. I don't care about him anymore Klaus. It's only you," she smiled when she saw how happy her words made him.
"So, tell me about New Orleans. Why do you want to go back there?"
Caroline listened adamantly as he told her how him and his family had built the city, how they had made it their home until Mikael had chased them from it. She could hear the pain in his voice as he told her about his father and she caressed the back of his hand, trying to offer him some comfort.
Then he told her about Marcel, how he had raised him and thought he'd lost him to Mikael, only to return and find that'd he'd taken over New Orleans. Caroline couldn't help but roll her eyes at Klaus' thirst for power, but it also thrilled her, especially when he explained his plans for becoming king of the city before he brushed his thumb down her cheek and smiled deviously, "and I intend for you to be my Queen,". She shivered and a grin slowly spread across her face.
King and Queen of New Orleans. Those were the kind of fairy tales Caroline Forbes dreamed about.
They talked for the next couple of hours, holding hands and reaching over for quick kisses when they couldn't resist any longer. They stopped halfway to feed and switch so Caroline could drive, but without the barrier of the front seat their hands and mouths devoured each other's hungrily and they found themselves delayed for another couple of hours.
When they were back on the road, slightly disheveled but incredibly happy, Caroline had an idea. Even though they were both crazy about each other, and had no intentions of ever being apart again, they didn't know each other as well as she would have liked.
She thought of a way to fix that.
"So, let's play a game," she teased. Klaus eyed her suspiciously, trying to keep his lips from twitching into a grin.
"What kind of game?" he asked.
"Twenty questions," she replied with a giggle.
Klaus smiled, "Well, you'll have to explain the rules love, I've never played it before,"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's kind of self explanatory," she laughed, but decided to offer some enlightenment anyway. "So we ask each other questions, twenty to be exact, and we have to answer completely honestly, no matter what. You can ask the same question back, but it doesn't count as a question so you'd still have to come up with another one,"
Klaus grinned. "Sounds simple enough, love. You go first,"
Happy that he was obliging her, she agreed. "Okay, number one. What's your favorite color?" she asked, teasingly.
Klaus laughed before answering easily. "Red,"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "How typically evil mastermind of you!" she giggled.
"So you think I'm a mastermind?" he smirked.
Caroline only laughed again, the sound filling the air for the hundredth time since they'd been together again. "Your turn,"
"Well, what's your favorite color?" he asked. Caroline was hoping he'd ask her that. "Blue. I've always liked it but it became extra special when I realized how much you love it on me,"
Klaus beamed at her, revealing that she was correct in her assessment. "What's your favorite food?" he returned, continuing the game.
The first ten questions or so went like that, superficial things, but still things they wanted to know about one another. Klaus told her that Rome was his favorite place in the world and Caroline told him how she'd wanted to be a doctor before she became a vampire. They were having fun until Klaus opened the door to the deeper questions.
"What was the hardest part about your transition?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She probably wouldn't have heard him if it wasn't for her vampire hearing.
Caroline's stomach dropped. Her first thought was the memories that had returned to her in pieces. She'd been alone, confused, and afraid, trying to understand why she'd stolen a blood bag, what had driven her to drink it, and why it'd tasted so good. Then suddenly, she wasn't in the hospital bed anymore, she was in Damon's.
She'd been trying to run away, remembering the monstrous face and the painful bites of the previous night. She'd almost made it too, or at least she thought she had, when he'd pushed her back on the bed. The force of it had almost broken her arm and when he'd ripped her clothes off she couldn't stop sobbing.
Until he'd compelled her. He compelled her to shut up, to enjoy what he was doing to her, from the sex to the feedings. When the memories came back to her, she was reminded of how sore she'd been all the time back then and realized it was from him forcing his way into her continuously. When finally all the compulsion had been removed and she was aware of everything Damon had done to her, she'd bawled for the rest of night.
Caroline spent a lot of time telling herself it was just because her emotions had been heightened and that'd she'd been compelled to like it, so it wasn't like she'd ever felt forced. It was all so confusing, but nothing she told herself could erase how violated and worthless he'd made her feel.
She knew that's what she should tell Klaus. It was the whole point of the game: to be honest with one another, to get to know each other's thoughts and feelings, but she couldn't do it. It was a part of her past that she didn't want to relive and she knew telling Klaus would make her do just that. Not to mention he'd probably force her to turn around so he could rip Damon's heart out. So instead, she told him the second hardest part of her transition.
"I didn't understand what was happening. I woke up in the middle of the night, in a hospital. I was surrounded by blood and the smell overwhelmed me. I remember I was starving and the nurse was being such a bitch about letting me have something to eat. Then I saw this blood bag in someone's room and I didn't understand why, but I stole it. I was totally freaked out, but when I drank it, and well," she shrugged, not needing to explain how that first taste of blood felt.
Klaus smiled sadly at her. "Now love, I thought the point of this game was to be honest."
Her eyes widened in alarm. How did he always see right through her? "I am being honest! That was really hard, I was all alone. I found out what compulsion was accidently, I about burned to death when the sun came up. I didn't know my necklace had vervain in it, so you can imagine how it felt when I put that on," It was all true, it had been terrifying. It just wasn't as bad as the memories.
For some reason, Klaus didn't push her any further. He just looked at her and smiled. "Your turn, love,"
