Hey all. Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! They really do make my day.
I'm turning up the action a little here, as I thought we'd had quite a quiet previous chapter. Even though Caroline is thawing a little, he is nowhere near forgiven.
I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of it's characters.
The next day was quiet, and free of confusing, tense encounters. She was grateful that school was on a break, or else she'd be missing so much she'd never catch up. The original siblings had all been out and busy, and she was the only one relegated to being inside all the time. She wandered round the house and felt the beginnings of cabin fever setting in.
She really did know every room of the house now, and had found some interesting things. Her favourite room was still Klaus's study, with the floor length windows, endless books and cozy fire. But there was another room she liked, that she'd come to christen the studio. It had a grand piano in it and various art supplies such as easels and huge, wall sized canvases. It also had a potter's wheel. Sitting at it, she thought how she'd always wanted to try it, ever since she'd seen the movie Ghost. As soon as she thought about it, she felt the blood creep to her cheeks. The image of her sitting at the wheel, smooth clay running through her fingers, with a certain pair of strong, artistic hands running up her arms, sent shivers down her spine.
Pushing herself back from it, she quickly shut down those thoughts and decided to study some more. On the search for paper, she went into Klaus's study. The huge desk had lots of different drawers, there had to be paper in one of them, she reasoned. Carefully pulling the top one out, she found official looking documents, no blank paper. The next one was much the same. Working her way down, she came to one full of sketches. There seemed to be sketches everywhere in this house, she thought, though she'd not seen any featuring her since she'd come back. Now she realised why, they were all in here. Leafing through them, she wondered at the time it had taken and the detail he had caught her in. Reaching into the back of the drawer for a last picture, she heard a soft rolling sound. Her fingers searched for the source, brushing over something hard and cold. Pulling it out, she stared at the object in her hand and felt her mind go blank.
The vervain bottle. It was Klaus's. Opening the delicate stopper she inhaled the liquid's smell. It was still just water, as she'd replaced it with after she'd drank the vervain.
Sinking down on the leather desk chair she tried to get her head around what it meant. Well, first, maybe Rebekah had used his bottle. It was an option, and one that didn't blow her mind as much. The other... that he had given it to her was just too confusing to try and understand. If he wanted her to remember, why had he compelled her in the first place? And then there was the fact that, he clearly hadn't realised she had chosen to remember, and drank the vervain. And he had been different around her since then, more reserved, restrained. Before he was going after her all guns blazing, doing his best to romance her. Now, he was staying out of her way, trying to avoid them being alone together. Like... she'd rejected him. Caroline gave a little laugh, and realised that was it. He'd given her the choice to forget or remember the fact that she had started to care about him. And he thought she'd chosen to forget – rejected him in a very brutal and real way. Now, he was keeping his distance.
Hearing a door slam, she rushed up from the seat, stuffing the bottle in her pocket, just as he came into view of the doorway. Slowing up as he saw her standing behind his desk, he looked at her questioningly,
"Caroline, is something wrong?" she held up her hand, with some blank paper in it.
"Just needed this for studying." watching as his face relaxed a little. She felt a pang then, of how she'd invaded his privacy, and how much she'd hate it if her most personal drawings and secrets were laid bare. This feeling was immediately followed by the memory that he had invaded her privacy much more.
"So, dinner at 8?" Caroline asked, tired of sitting in silence all day she was looking forward to Elijah and Rebekah's company soon.
"Actually, it's just us tonight. Rebekah has finally managed to wheedle a date out of the quarterback, and Elijah is otherwise occupied. You can make whatever arrangements you want for dinner if you prefer. I won't force you to suffer my company" she heard the guarded tone in his voice, and nodded.
"OK, I'll just eat whenever then."
"Please do" he said shortly, before moving round her to his chair.
Grabbing a blood bag from the fridge she went upstairs with it and her book. She decided to run a bath and spend the night hiding in her room. The less interaction, the better as far as she was concerned. Her emotions about the whole thing were too churned up.
She put on the hot tap full blast, and searched for some bubbles to put into the tub. There were none, being a boy's bathroom, so she nipped through to Rebekah's bathroom and grabbed a big bottle of white bubble bath. At the entrance back into her room, she paused. She thought she heard the soft squeak of a shoe on the wooden floor inside. Listening carefully she heard the sound of conversation on the phone downstairs. She couldn't really make out what he was saying, but it seemed like he was talking to Kol, and he was definitely downstairs. Relieved she went inside and locked the door, casting a quick look around inside just to be the bathroom, the hot tap was thundering, and she poured a generous amount of bubble bath under the steaming water. It instantly filled the tub with soft, sweet smelling bubbles. Stripping off her clothes, she put her book and dinner on the ledge and slipped into the scented water. It was perfectly hot and she felt her body shudder as she slid down, letting the water come up to her ears. Silence filled the room, except for the soft drip of the water. The steam was thick and heavy in the air, all the mirrors were fogged and she felt deep relaxation settle in. She let her mind drift. It drifted to Tyler, off somewhere, recovering, getting back to himself and regaining his pride. She wished she had found a way to do that. She missed him, but more and more, it felt like the way you miss a friend.
Her romantic memories of their relationship now, were all after Klaus had "died". If it had really been Tyler, she'd think she had found the love of her life, she'd be the happiest girl in the world. But it hadn't been, and everything was different. Instead, she had to live, knowing how she could feel about someone she couldn't love. She realised now, that even though he had been pursuing her before, she would have found it easy to forget about him. Because she'd only had the merest glimpse of how he could be, how he could make her feel. But, him being Tyler had changed all that. She had let him in and opened her heart to him, and he had made it his. He hadn't played by the rules, and now she was suffering because of it. She felt a flash of anger at the thought of him, ruthlessly letting her fall in love with him, even though he must have known she would be horrified at the truth.
She opened her eyes a little as she felt a sliver of cool air seep through the steam. Over the tub, the steam was moving, swirling a little, as though from sudden draft. Her head felt heavy and languid as she pushed herself up and peered through the steam. The cool air traveled along her arms and she felt goosebumps trail after it.
There was a small sound, a creaking, not really much at all, but enough to draw her eyes to the mirror, a slow sliding noise. Reflected in the mirror, she saw the curtain over the window, sliding open. She sat up abruptly, water sloshed over the side of the bath. The figure moved toward her through the steam, a man, all dressed in black. Her arms, slick with bubble bath slid on the sides of the tub as she tried to stand. Within moments, he was by her side. His jeering eyes slid over her body, partially covered by bubbles and water, he pushed her back into the tub, and more water sloshed out.
"I don't think so. You just stay put" he said, walking around her
"Who are you!" she demanded. She'd felt his strength and she could already tell he wasn't human.
"I'm a friend of your uncle's. He has a message for you." he said, squatting down beside her. She started to fight him them, grappling, hitting, kicking, putting all her strength behind each blow. He was strong, but not as strong as her, she realised. Suddenly, she felt his teeth against her skin, and she knew. He was a werewolf and he was going to bite her. Trying to twist her arm away, she screamed as a rush of cold air blew into the room and the man attacking her started to convulse. A hole appeared in his chest, and he fell to the floor, along with his heart.
"Caroline! Are you hurt?" Klaus's face filled her vision as she ran her hands over her arm, checking for bites.
"No, I'm... OK" he stood by the side of the tub, his eyes averted and fixed on a point on the wall. She became aware of the fact that she was naked, almost all the water was gone and the bubbles, what were left of them were stuck to her, drying, and not in the most strategic places. The cold air from the open window raised the hair on her arms and she shivered. Quickly, Klaus reached for the dressing gown hanging behind the door and offered it to her, his face turned away. She stood and quickly wrapped it round her, tying the belt tightly. He went over to the window and shut it with a bang, looking down into the garden.
"Get dressed. Hurry. He wasn't alone." His words sent fear racing through her. And she ran to the room grabbing her jeans and jumper again. He disappeared into the hallway in a flash and she shoved her clothes on, over her wet skin, dragging her wet hair back off her face, she picked up her phone and slid it into her pocket.
"I'm sorry to hurry you love, but it's time to go." he was back at her side, before she could speak, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him at super speed. They ended up going down to a basement level she'd never seen before. There a couple of shiny cars parked in the dim lighting and he opened the door of a black, nondescript SUV, waiting for her to get in, before flashing round to the other side and, putting the key in the ignition.
"Where are we going?" she cried, snapping her seat belt on as he started to reverse way too quickly, before realising what a useless thing that was for a vampire to do.
"Well, the house is crawling with werewolves, so unless you want to end up with multiple bites, we need to get out of here. I can't... guarantee your safety." he admitted grimly. They drove for a few minutes through a dark subterranean tunnel.
"Where does this come out?"
"On the other side of my property. It's concealed. I'm hoping they haven't discovered it yet."
"What about your house? You're just going to leave them in there? What if they burn it down?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter. You won't be in it." he said shortly, coming to the end of the tunnel and pulling out onto a dark side road.
"My siblings will be home soon. The three of them can manage, though I have a feeling they won't stick around once they realise you're gone." he murmured.
She wrapped her arms around her, feeling the chill creep into her damp clothes. She looked out the dark window, with black shadows and shapes whizzing past. The night had a particular cast, as the moon that rose was tinged with red, it seemed to spread bloody fingers across the empty sky. There was only silence, it turned the car into a tomb. He made no sound, and only the hum of the car and rhythm of the road kept them company on that lonely drive. Casting his eyes her way, he reached and fiddled with the heater, switching it up hot. She spread her fingers in front of the small vent and wiggled them.
"Thanks" she breathed softly, catching his eyes as he glanced as her. She felt the incredible build up of tension and emotion start to get to her then. Her uncle had tried to harm her, kill her really, if he didn't know there was a cure. She had been through so much pain because of her father, someone who had refused to accept her on the most basic level. He'd rather die than live like her, and she knew it was his choice, but his decision haunted her. She wasn't enough, to make him stay, to make him choose to live a difficult life for. Now, her uncle flat out wanted to end her existence. And she was alone and scared, with only this man for company, so remote, he might as well be on the moon. This man who seemed to care for her, but lied and manipulated her. This man who made her heart swell and her palms damp, but also infuriated her and depressed her in equal parts. She wanted to rage and cry and to be held.
Resting her forehead against the cool glass, she left a few tears leak out. They dripped from her chin onto her legs and she squeezed her eyes closed, her shoulders shaking. Her fists curled, and her fingernails cut into her palms in her efforts to stop herself breaking down.
She felt it then, the softest brush over her hand. The warmth hovered, indecisive, until finally a large, slightly calloused hand lowered gently onto hers. It enclosed hers completely, squeezing it steadily. It was completely surprising and she should have shaken it off. But that steady flow of pressure – for some reason it comforted her, she wasn't alone, someone cared about her, someone was keeping her safe. Someone was holding on to her, and she knew from that grip, he wasn't letting go. She felt his hesitation, unsure whether he should speak to her or not, and it was the last thing she wanted right now. She was scared and confused and didn't know what would come spilling out. She arranged her coat under her head, and closed her eyes. He kept quiet, leaving her to her thoughts and slowly she drifted off.
He looked at their clasped hands and finally allowed himself to breath. She had fallen asleep and seemed calmer. He hadn't known what to do, but sitting, ignoring her tears was just not an option. So, he had reached out to her, and to his immeasurable surprise, she'd let him comfort her, at least to a degree. Her head gently rocked with the motion of the car, and he slowed a little to make the motion steadier. He looked at their hands. Gently, he ran his thumb over the back of hand, and felt the creamy skin under his own rough fingers tips. She was a work of art. He thought back to the scene in the bathroom, realising something was wrong, rushing, terrified of being too late, and seeing that man in there... touching her, about to bite her. He breathed deeply through his nose to keep calm. Really, such a quick death had been more merciful than he deserved. It should have lasted weeks.
She didn't really register the car stopping, or the door opening. She groggily opened her eyes as she felt Klaus's hands on her, and she shook off his attempts to help her out the car. Striding ahead, he lead her to a motel room, where she headed immediately for the bed.
Realising that she still wore the damp clothes, she went into the bathroom, stripped them off, with that sleepy efficiency of someone who just needs to lie down again. A soft knock on the bathroom door came and she wrapped a big towel around her, cracking open the door, a hand thrust through with a white cotton shirt in it. Taking it, she shut the door and considered it. It was still warm. The soft feeling in her knees had nothing to do with the smell or thoughts of where it had been, she reasoned, as she slipped it on, it was just tiredness and hunger. It was too big on her and came down her thighs a decent amount.
Switching off the light before she left the room, she emerged into the dark room and headed for the bed.
Finally lying flat out, she stretched and sank back into her dreams, her last glimpse of her savior, sitting by the window, watching the parking lot, his face bathed in orange street light, his eyes intent. She slipped away.