"Wake up,"
Deep inhale. Even longer exhale.
"Wake up, please,"
A soft, warm, welcome weight. Tickling tendrils of hair brushing pleasantly across skin.
"Wake up, Nik,"
Klaus' eyes slowly opened to the splendid sight of Caroline's bright smile, framed by mussed blonde curls, a halo of sunlight for the twinkle of her grin.
"Morning, angel." He said, because it was truly what she was there in that moment.
"Morning." Caroline sighed back, her hands smoothing down his chest. Klaus realized that she was perched over him, one bent leg either side of his torso.
"And what do I owe the pleasure of this greeting to?" He murmured, his fingers trailing up the backs of her legs so she bent that little bit closer to him in a shiver.
"Thought it might be the best way to wake you up." She said softly.
"Aptly noted." He replied, watching the expressions that flitted across her face as he traced particular patterns against the canvas of her skin, curling higher and curving harder.
"Besides…" Caroline continued. "I have a whole day planned, and I knew that the better your mood, the more likely you'd be to do what I wanted."
"Manipulation, Miss Forbes?" Klaus grinned. "But truly, when have I done anything you haven't wanted to do during one of these little day trips. I'd do anything for you."
They both knew it, really, but Caroline was a person who needed words, and Klaus too was someone who needed a decent, constant reminder of things such as blatant feelings, so they related well. She beamed, raising an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Truly."
"How real are you being right now?"
"Very real."
"This real?" Caroline leaned teasingly closer, their chests almost brushing.
"Yes," Klaus replied.
"And this real?" Caroline pressed closer, her mouth hovering tantalizingly out of reach.
"Yes," Klaus said with huskier tones, knowing he ought not move or the game would finish.
"This real?" Caroline murmured over his lips, the tip of her tongue flicking out to catch his upper lip.
Klaus stopped breathing for a second before answering in darkened tones that reverberated through his lungs to hers.
"Yes, love."
He felt Caroline smile against his cheek before suddenly he was alone on the bed, her body's absence from his like a shock of cold water on the skin.
"Well come on then, Nik." She said in a bright voice from the other side of the room, regrettably putting on more clothes rather than taking more off. "We've got a big day ahead of us."
Klaus growled lowly, knowing that she acted the way she did on purpose, knowing that she understood full well what it did to him. She sent him a grin before exiting the room and heading towards the kitchen for coffee.
This was going to be a long day.
Caroline led him out to the streets of Agra, reading off a fold out map and refusing to let him see it, evading his chasing no matter how fast he got, teasingly taking photos of him as he did so.
"I suppose this is retaliation for the photo in Pakistan?"
"You bet your Original ass it is." She laughed over her shoulder, circling and twirling on the dirt road always a few steps ahead of him, smiling at the sun. He caught her off guard, catching her by the waist and spinning her around, lifting her off the ground while she gasped and giggled. He set her back down with a smile, and she returned it before they continued walking together without words.
Klaus' mind, however, was a raging brainstorm. Why was she so exquisitely happy this morning? Was it simply due to her being in India? Or was it related to something else? Or could it be that he actually didn't make her miserable, that he made her…happy? He had never made anyone happy. Not once. Any slight moment of pleasure anyone had ever derived from him was quickly followed by seemingly endless crashing waves of pain and misery. He wasn't accustomed to making people happy, particularly when he was simply just being himself. Just as he began to seriously doubt that he was the cause for her happiness, she read his mind in the same way that he had done to her numerous times before.
"This is perfect." She sighed, breathing in the fresh air deeply. "Everything about this place is great, but you heighten it. You make me live, you know that? You make me happy." Caroline glanced sideways at Klaus to take in his reaction, noting his disbelief. She couldn't believe that it was such an impossible thing for him to grasp, especially when he was the reason that she hadn't died. " You know you gave me the will to live my immortal life properly on my birthday last year." She said softly, linking her fingers through his. "But its more than that. You've given me more reasons to smile simply by being you, while my friends – though I love them – gave me enough reasons to not feel that happiness on occasion. You make me happy, Nik, and don't forget it."
Klaus exhaled slowly, drawing her closer to press his lips to her temple, mouthing something there out of sight of her sky blue eyes.
Te amo.
They reached Caroline's destination – the Taj Mahal. The magnificent building towered before them, rendering them dwarfish. Caroline gazed up at it with such blatant wonder that Klaus was too caught up in watching her reaction to bother seeing the building. He had seen it when it had first been finished and displayed, and nothing much had changed. But Caroline, she was a new creation to be seen and admired every day, changing every hour, every minute, into something more incredible than the last. He may have been opinionated in that thought, but he had been alive for more than a thousand years, so any opinions he had were naturally correct after so long to see everything. He had seen it all, and he knew that she was the most fascinating thing he had ever come across. She just needed to remember that well.
Caroline was in awe of the beautiful, towering structure. Everything from the water in front of it to the sheer white sheen of the marble spoke of grandeur, and the very feeling of blessing that rolled off the building made one feel so at peace. It was the perfectly symmetrical union of architecture and grace, and it gleamed in the still morning light.
The mechanical whirr of the camera brought her attention back to the present, and she saw Klaus lowering the camera from where it had been pointed at her, a smirk on his face.
"I thought you only liked to sketch."
"Things change. I'm warming up to the idea of instant moments captured. Never really had a need for it before."
She smiled, and he returned it.
"Of course, it doesn't quite capture everything properly. Sketching at least gives some class."
She rolled his eyes – he was back to himself. "I'm guessing I need class?"
"Undeniably." He smirked.
"I'll have you know, I was Miss My – "
"Miss Mystic Falls, who's goal was to aspire, inspire and perspire." He listed on his fingers, and chuckled at her surprised expression. "Clearly you found a lack of words ending in 'spire'."
"You read my Miss Mystic application?!" She wavered between frowning and laughing. "I don't know whether that's creepy or endearing."
"Think what you will, sweetheart, but regardless of the poor English skills, which I may add you still have – " He bit back a smile as she poked him with faux irritation. " – you are far classier than the small-town girl who led her small-town life back then. You're radiant."
"And you're too charming for this hour of the morning." She countered, bestowing a quick kiss to his cheek for thanks before walking forward with him towards the Taj Mahal.
"I can't believe I'm seeing one of the Eight Wonders of the World." Caroline sighed happily.
"Its also a World Heritage site." Klaus added, knowing she'd appreciate the fact.
"Its one of the finest architectural buildings from the time of the Mughal regime." She countered, not to be outdone. She knew what she was talking about, she did her research well when things interested her like this.
"It took 22 years to build, and 5 more to complete the additional garden."
"The workers hands were cut off so they could never recreate its beauty."
"That's merely a myth, sweetheart." Klaus corrected. "The Emperor may have been a fierce warrior, but he wouldn't have done something that harsh in memory of his dear wife."
"His 'dear wife'?" Caroline scoffed. "She was his third wife."
"You clearly didn't do your research, did you?" He smirked, raising an eyebrow when she poked her tongue out childishly at him. "Do you want me to continue?"
"Yes, o mighty old one." She rolled her eyes, and smiled at his scowl.
"If you're going to be ungrateful – "
"I always am." Caroline dropped another three kisses down his neck. "Please continue?"
Klaus continued with a small smile. "Arjumand Banu, or the Empress consort, was Emperor Shah Jahan's favorite wife. She was his companion, betrothed to him when she was just fourteen, and he loved her and spent most of his waking hours with her till she died. They had to wait five years to marry on a day picked by the court astrologers to ensure a happy marriage."
"People believed in such things?" She wondered aloud.
"We believed that the Earth was an island carried on the back of a turtle for far too many years." Klaus shook his head. "Yes, we believed in some non-sensical things."
"But people need to believe in something, I suppose." Caroline mused. "Believing gives hope, and reason in chaos. And it unites people." She shook herself. "Anyway, so how was she his 'favorite'?"
"Shah Jahan gave her the nickname 'Mumtaz Mahal' – meaning 'Chosen One' or 'Jewel of the Palace' – due to her grace, mind, and beauty. He had two other wives who he had wed before her due to religious custom and political reasons, but he fulfilled the duties of a husband by having a child with each before not returning to their beds. She was far higher in his regard than any other being on the planet." Caroline did not miss the calculating look he sent her way, but she chose to not kick up a fuss by noticing it properly.
"And I suppose you just saw all of this?"
"No." Klaus admitted as they walked up the stone steps. "I only came to the court once, and even then I'll admit that I did not care for such things. It was the Taj Mahal that caught my attention later, for that was something else, spurred by emotion to create something impeccable."
"I love the architecture." Caroline admitted, taking in the detailed work as it came closer and closer. "We had a terrible teacher in high school that set us assignments on historical sites. Elena got the Taj Mahal and I got the White House. I remember doing my project and enjoying it, and then helping out Elena when she got bored of looking for information. Its got elements of Islamic, Persian, Indian and Turkish architecture, right?"
"Yes." Klaus nodded, impressed by what she remembered considering her high school life must have been filled with daydreams until she became the heightened being she was today. "And I believe the coordinates are twenty-seven point one seven four seven nine nine, by seventy-eight point zero four two one one one."
"And I believe you are showing off." Caroline nudged her elbow into his side, and he slid an arm around her waist to prevent her from edging away again.
"What would you think if I was, hmm, angel?"
"That you were a pompous – "
His lips ghosting over the back of her neck sent shivers down her spine and she had to stop speaking.
"That you were a far too charming, irritating man." Caroline corrected herself, frowning with a smile up at him. "Anything else I need to know about the building?"
"Yes. Every since inch of the Taj Mahal is filled with detailed work that the twenty-thousand workers did by hand. That is what is truly magnificent. Nothing is done painstakingly by hand anymore, nothing is created and shaped so uniquely." Klaus, who had been surveying the carved marble with an artists eye, turned his attention back to Caroline. "And the idea that a man did this all to commemorate his love for a woman he considered his most influential, trusted companion, the unquestionable love of his life…well, until recently, I never understood it." Klaus gazed at her with such intensity, his stormy blue eyes filled with sincerity and passion, and Caroline stood there, almost breathless, looking the most shockingly beautiful he had ever seen her. He parted his lips, then let out a breathless chuckle, dropping her sky blue gaze to glance at his feet. Klaus returned his lips to her cheek, pausing momentarily to brush words across her skin.
Je t'aime
"Lets explore, shall we sweetheart?"
The pair wandered through the entrance hall, past the tombs of the Empress' companion and attendents, past the memorials for the first and second wives of the Emperor, finally following the signs to the cenotaphs that acted as the more elaborately decorated memorials without being the true resting place of the royal couple.
Caroline looked towards the domed roof first, amazed that such a vast construction wasn't crashing down on their heads.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Klaus noted, watching her rather than the white marble roof.
"Its just colossal." She murmured. "You can see how its stood the test of time."
"Its four metres thick, sweetheart." He smirked. "It can stand a lot more than merely the test of time. The pillars outside prevent any damage from happening in an earthquake by leaning away from the main building rather than towards it, so they wouldn't fall and crush the beautiful memorial."
"The things he did to prove his love was endless." She scoffed softly.
"The dome does the same. This building has the longest echo out of anywhere in the world."
"Really?" Caroline quirked a brow, glancing around at the relatively empty hall. "Love." She hummed loudly, enough for the sound to catch and multiply within the dome of white marble above them. The simple note thrummed, reverberating for longer than it should, echoing through Klaus' brain even after his sharp hearing could no longer catch it. Caroline beamed at him, pleased at her risqué move, before turning her attention towards the screen that protected the bejeweled cenotaphs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan. She slowly approached it as if it were a mirage that would disappear if she moved too quickly.
Klaus followed behind her, more intent on watching her see it for the first time rather than witnessing it himself. He remembered when he had first seen it, before Shah Jahan had died, when he had come with the many who wanted to pay their respects to the queen. He was more interested in the architecture and artistry of the place, at the time. But seeing it with Caroline gave him new perspective, gave feelings behind the art. He now understood what he had first thought was weakness in the Emperor's time, when Klaus had seen how affected the man was by this young woman who was the light, kind heart to his dark, harsher, war-like personality. Shah Jahan had known of the balance that Mumtaz brought to his life, which was reflected in the symmetry of his everlansting devotion to her. And for the first time, Klaus didn't see it as a weakness, for he now had Caroline in his life to bring him balance, sweetness to his bitterness, heart to his batred and soul to his sins. And it didn't make him weak. It made him strong. It gave him a new purpose that was filled while continuing, and goals that were achieved and reset daily. It gave him drive. It gave him something worth fighting for, succeeding for, trying for.
Caroline brought him back from his minds wanderings as she spun to look at him, eyes bright with excitement. She couldn't believe she was here, and everything was so incredible.
"Don't you want to come closer?" She asked innocently, gesturing towards the delicately engraved white marble screen that shielded the cenotaphs decorated in ornate engravings of fruit and flowers.
Klaus moved closer, not for the art, but for Caroline, taking a risk while amongst tourists and standing behind her intimately.
"Of course I want to come closer, Caroline." He murmured against her neck. 'S'agapo.'
Yet another word painted her skin, and she was starting to pick up on the brushes of his lips being words, not just artists and lovers patterns. She looked back over her shoulder at him quizzically, but then let it slide.
"Can you translate some of the engravings for me?" Caroline asked.
Klaus chuckled. "The translation is on plenty of information boards around the room."
"I know, but I want to hear it from you." She said honestly.
He gave her a look with his eyebrows raised, but it masked the pleased and proud feeling he had from her mere wants being related to him.
"Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned." He read.
"What is it in the original dialect?"
"हर आत्मा मौत स्वाद होगा. और हम तुम बुराई के साथ और परीक्षण के रूप में अच्छा के साथ परीक्षण, और आप हमसे को लौटा दी जाएगी." The words and sounds all melded together, and Caroline closed her eyes with a small smile, lulled by the sound of his voice. Klaus looked softly at her. "मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ" He added quietly.
The tour guide to Caroline's right glanced over to them with a smile at Klaus' last words, before returning to her group.
Once Caroline had taken in every detailed inch of the room, they wandered through other halls. They passed by a bricked up doorway that caught Caroline's eye.
"Alright, smart alec, where did that lead?" She asked curiously.
"I can't recall." Klaus lied. "Lets see, shall we?" He made to walk over, and Caroline realized what he intended to do, catching his arm and digging her heels in. She knew it was pointless – if he really wanted to move and drag her with him, it wouldn't take much effort. But he stopped regardless, looking cheekily back at her.
"Nik, no!"
"Why not, sweetheart?"
"Just cause we're…'different'…doesn't mean we get to exploit those differences."
"Where is your sense of adventure, Caroline?" Klaus asked, strolling back to her with his usual cocky demeanor.
"I have a perfectly good sense of adventure, thank you." She snipped. "But it doesn't mean I go around destroying buildings."
"It wouldn't be destruction, it would be a reopening."
Caroline rolled her eyes at him, and he shrugged.
"Maybe it would be destruction, but everyone knows its my specialty."
"Your specialty is being a monstrous seductive hybrid." Caroline said, hoping to distract him.
He raised an eyebrow at her and she knew it wasn't working.
"Please, Nik? Can we have just one day of normal?"
"Very well." He gave in. "No destruction."
Caroline sighed and continued to walk, but Klaus had other ideas, tugging her down to sit on a marble bench.
"But no normalcy either."
She looked at him with a puckered frown in her brow, and he chuckled, smoothing his thumb over it and keeping his hand curled around her cheek.
Caroline's vision swam, but before she could panic, she saw the Taj Mahal transform around her. The marble glowed brighter, the lights changed as night suddenly painted over the pale blue sky, lanterns were lit, tourists faded away in favor of traditionally dressed Indians, and signs and restrictions fazed out. Caroline looked over to the door to find that it was no longer boarded over. She looked back at Klaus wide eyed and bouncing with excitement.
"This is from your memories?"
"It is." He answered simply, smiling slightly as she took in all the detail that had faded away over the centuries.
"Can I move?"
"Only in your mind, only here."
"Perfect." Caroline grabbed his hand and raced towards the doorway, giggling down the steps and stopping dead still so that Klaus bumped into her at the end of the flight of stairs.
"Oh wow." She breathed.
The tombs were more simply decorated than their counterparts in the room above, reflecting aspects but concentrating more on words. Klaus translated some, most of which were the names of Allah, divine attributes of 'O King, O Holy, O Peace'. Yet the feeling, the presence of royal wonder filled the room, and Caroline had to remind herself that it was all a memory from Klaus, who claimed to not notice such things that tied with emotion and humanity. She closed her eyes reverently for a moment, allowing her mind to go blank and simply breathe.
When she opened them again, Klaus was watching her with that same soft look on his face, and it brought a smile to her face, as he had been doing with ease all day.
"Come on, I want to see what the gardens looked like." She broke the mood gently, squeezing the hand she hadn't let go and bringing him back up the stairs. Caroline tugged him into a run through the halls, knowing no one else would care since it was all in their minds, speeding past the original jasper and jade doors, the ornate jewels that had originally sparkled on the walls, out to the garden and along the crystal clear waters of the fountain.
They stopped to look back at the building once more, and Caroline gasped. The Taj Mahal glowed as if the marble was the moon itself, putting everything else around it to utter shame with its pure beauty. She stared unabashedly at it till she blinked and looked around at the garden, which looked a lot less English than it did in reality.
"It was remodeled after the English invasion." Klaus informed her. "The memorial began to fall to ruin and it was rescued by an Englishman."
"Clearly you English ruin everything." Caroline teased without bite, spying a construction across the banks of the Yamuna. "What's that?"
"No one really knew at the time." He admitted. "A rumor went around that it was Shah Jahan's plan for another Taj Mahal for his own body."
"But he was buried with Mumtaz." She frowned.
"It wasn't the plan. That was what his son did, after he dishonored him and had him locked away for his 'health'." Klaus said, shrugging at Caroline's expression. "Its how it was, angel. Regardless, there was a myth that there would have been another memorial built from black marble, the dark symmetry to the light of the Taj Mahal, with a bridge holding the two structures together." Klaus pondered the balance, then shook his head. "All speculation. But you can see the Black Taj Mahal here anyway."
Caroline spun around, waiting for the structure to arise from the ground. After all, it was Klaus' mind, he could surely create it. But everything was still.
"Where?"
Klaus gently clasped her chin and pointed her gaze towards the reflection on the water of the fountain. The Taj Mahal's shape rippled there, shimmering between light and dark. The balance of the building was complete.
"Incredible." Caroline smiled, opening her eyes with the new revelation. The world around them faded back to the brightness of day, and they were seated on the bench once more.
"Thank you, love." Caroline murmured in Klaus' ear, kissing his stubbled cheek before hopping up and taking him with her. "C'mon, plenty more to see!"
...
The next day dawned brightly. Caroline, exhausted from the many exciting miles she had walked around site after site and street after street, rolled over and away from the dawn, settling into Klaus' shoulder. When he moved, she tried to bury herself deeper under the covers and deeper into his chest, shutting her eyes tight.
"Caroline,"
"mmm."
"Sweetheart,"
"Mrrrrm."
"Angel,"
"Five more minutes." She groaned. "Just five more minutes of this."
"Five more minutes of having you try to burrow into my ribs?" Klaus chuckled, a rumble of pleasant noise against Caroline's ear.
"I don't see you complaining."
"That's true. Why would I complain when I have you against me?" His hands trailed down her spine to her lower back, retracing the path back up underneath her shirt. Even when she was almost asleep, she still arched against him, goosebumps rising at his electric touch.
"Not fair." She huffed.
"What?" Klaus asked all too innocently.
"I wanted to sleep."
"I'm not stopping you."
"Yes you are, you liar." She lifted her head to frown sleepily at him, and he couldn't help but smile down at her, kissing a straight line down her forehead, down her pixie nose, down the smooth column of her throat to her collarbones, whispering in the dip of her throat.
'Rakhma, sweetheart."
"And a good morning to you too." She murmured back, though by the way his lips curled into a smirk at her neck she knew it wasn't what he had really said to her. "Any reason you've woken me up at this hour?"
"I planned something."
"Excuse me?"
…
"I cant believe you organised this." Caroline smiled. "I thought I was meant to be the one in control!"
Klaus sat back with a smug, pleased look on his face. "Well, no one said anything about me taking that control back for a little while, and you seem fairly happy, so…" He shrugged in his typical fashion, and Caroline chose not to respond purely cause he was right.
The woman returned to take Caroline out the back to get changed into the sari garb prepped and ready for her. Klaus had organised for Caroline to be trained in the fine Indian art of courtesans, after she had shown an interest in the Mumtaz Mahal who had been an Empress courtesan. Courtesans had always been highly ranked in Indian society. Unlike the European forms of prostitution, it was a way only taken by the nobility, and the women who were taught had a highly skilled knowledge. They were truly academics, only they were also trained in the art of seduction. After all, it was the country who developed the Karma Sutra, where women were considered deities, and where it had been common for many centuries for women to go around only covered from the waist down, confident, poised, graceful and respected. It was a whole new world of Miss Mystic Falls training, and while Caroline had initially giggled at it, she was fascinated by the culture.
When she returned, she was so colorfully stunning that Klaus instantly thought her soul had been transfixed to the fabric, showing her true colors in all their bright, beautiful entirety. The look on his face spoke those unspoken ideas for him, and she smiled softly, returning to sit cross-legged beside him as the woman continued to educate her.
Klaus watched as the bindi was applied to her forehead, and the perfume was dotted specifically across her body – spice for the hair and jasmine for the arms and sandalwood in a trail across her back. He silently watched as Caroline continuously questioned what the meaning was behind this, and what the symbolism of that meant, and how those came to being. All the while, his mind whirred away.
Klaus couldn't work out what was more attractive – that Caroline was a goddess in her own divine way, or that she knew so much more than others could understand, or that she wanted to always know more. Whenever others seemed surprised at her knowledge, he wanted to rip their throats out due to their sheer ignorance. Of course Caroline knew. She was so much more intelligent than the countless lowlifes he knew, and so severely underestimated, particularly by the idiots of Mystic Falls. Her intelligence was one of the many, countless things he admired about her.
He admired her – no. He did more than that. The thought, the mere, innocent thought, hit him like lightning, much as Caroline's mere presence did. He couldn't bring himself to even think the small four letter l word, but he finally realized just how much the little vampire had got to him, just how significant she was, just how much he couldn't bear to be without her, ever.
When she was finally a full fledged coutesan, at least by knowledge, she changed out of the sari and into her white shirt and jeans, and they left with the hybrid completely perplexed with his own stupidity. How had he simply never realized it? He knew Caroline was the best thing to ever come into his life, but he had always taken it for granted because he knew she would inevitably leave, and it was easier for him to get over that eventual situation by not getting attached. Now, with the tangible and tempting idea of her never leaving him, staying for far longer than he had ever imagined, for ever and all of eternity, if he was lucky, he finally realized her true worth. She was priceless. Priceless and celestial, and wonderful, and incredible, and she could be his.
Just the small thought prompted him to hold her by waist that little bit tighter, press his mouth to her perfumed hair that little bit harder, gaze at her that little bit longer, smile that little bit brighter in response to her dazzling flash of teeth and happiness. Just that thought set his mind into a spin that only she could calm and aggravate in the best way all at once.
All at once, she set him on fire after years of being so cold. All at once, she brought light to his perpetually dark life. All at once, she gave balance to his lopsided, insatiable life. All at once.
Caroline watched him, knowing the look in his eyes that meant his mind was whirring far out of control, and she stretched up to kiss his nose quickly before pulling him into the crowd of people gathered to celebrate Holi. She lead him over to the stalls selling colored powder, as excited as a kid on Christmas, prepared to count down the last few minutes till the planned release of spring colors to the air as tradition allowed. No words passed between Klaus and Caroline as they wove through the crowd to get to a vantage point to see the count down and the release of powder, signifying the arrival of spring, of forgiveness for any unholy sins and preparing for the lively color that spring would bring. Finally, the time came.
Three. Two. One.
Once.
The moment could only be seen in one instant.
Once.
The colors burst through the air as hundreds threw their choice of color into the air. Caroline threw up her own sky blue handful, and Klaus tossed his bright red powder to mingle in the air above them. The colors all mingled, settling down on them and covering them in a multitude of tones.
Strangers passed through the crowd, touching family and tourist alike on the face and hands, spreading the love, the passion, the light. Caroline reached Klaus first, stroking her still bright blue hands across his cheeks, painting her color on him. He did the same to her, branding her with his color, claiming her as his own for everyone to see.
Then they were found by everyone else. Old and young alike, all smiling, everyone was passed from hand to hand, everyone was covered in the color that gave life. Yellow for the sun that gave life, blue for the sky and water that gave them life, green for the promise of spring and growth, red for the blood in their hearts and veins. Someone started up the music again, the pipe trickling out a tune that reflected the happiness in the air, the drum continuing the upbeat feeling of the entire festival.
Klaus looked over to Caroline, laughing, her teeth so white against the rainbow of colored powder against her skin. She danced along to the beat of the tambour, spinning and kicking her feet in an imitation of what the local women did. He caught her in his arms as she came twirling past, and she looked up with that same bright smile on her face, the one he wanted to see there for all of eternity.
"I love you, Caroline."
The declaration came as a shock to them both, but Klaus knew it was true the second it left his lips in his mother tongue. He cursed himself as a fool for not realizing it earlier, for saying it so many ways in other languages while being blind to it in his own mind, but he knew it was true. He loved her.
She couldn't believe him.
"What?"
"You heard what I said, sweetheart."
She shook her head, slightly dazed. Perhaps the heat, the excitement, the color, the dancing, maybe it had all gone to her head to make this dream come to life.
"You don't believe me?" He asked, watching her astonished face.
"I find it hard to believe."
"Why?" He asked, frowning at her insecurity. How could the woman not see that she was a goddess, a pure angel, the most celestial being of light?
"I mean, its me. I'm never the first choice, I'm never the one. And you have everything, you've fought to get everything. I barely register – "
Klaus cut her off with his lips, kissing her and biting her bottom lip softly in admonishment.
"You can't see yourself clearly, love. You are absolutely everything. Forget about those lowlifes who ever told you otherwise. You say I've fought to get everything? I fought to get you. And I am prepared to fight every day till the end of time to continue to have you."
Caroline felt her undead heart pick up speed at his declaration, fluttering wildly in her chest, but she knew still who she was talking to. He was Niklaus Mikaelson, the man with no heart. He couldn't love…
"How do you know what you feel for me? You said yourself, you don't feel, don't care, don't have a heart – "
"I know what I said. I know who I used to be. That's my story, that's my past. I don't want to be that man with you anymore. I want to start a new story, and I want to have it with you." Klaus said. "I'm never going to change who I am. You know that just as much as I do. But I want to have a heart with you. You found the heart I thought I didn't have any more. I want you to have my heart, and guard it well."
Caroline looked at him so hopefully, and he was so proud and happy that he could give her what she wanted, because he wanted it just as much.
"I love you, Caroline."
She kissed him this time, only breaking away once to murmur against his lips.
"Truly?"
"Of course, love."
Hi! (Sorry for the late update, our internet crashed!)
He did it!
Mr Niklaus Mikaelson is a man!
I really can't say anymore reflection than that, I'm exhausted after battling with his crazy mind for so long.
Hope you guys enjoyed some more Klaus insight!
Thank you readers, favoriters and alerters, you're wonderful. Special thanks to the beautiful reviewers: Twistz of Doom (thank you, I hope I discovered his feelings well!), 3 (thanks! I love his stubbornness and his affection too :P), Zoey303 (thank youuuuuuuu!), itsbeautful9 (Thank you so much! I certainly like Klaus' violence too, and I'm sure we'll have occasion to see it soon, cause I'm missing his harsher side. And I'm glad that you think the way I do about all of this, and urgh, your review, FEELS), holl2712 (haha, I only kept him from saying it for one chapter, I couldn't stand much longer! And awww, thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed them, please tell me if there are any inconsistencies or anything I need to clear up!), justine (thank you so much! I really hope I showed the struggle to finally tell her how he felt properly), MUTE (LOVE the idea of jealous moments! Thank you!), HotHybridSex (haha, exactly what I was going for, thank you! Its basically assumed by everyone else who knows about them, and I was seriously tempted to make them go back to Mystic Falls and have everyone flinging the l word around and them go 'WHAT, LOVE, WHAT, NO, NOT AT ALL' *weird looks* :P), lily94 (I don't know what I'll do now, cause Caroline's looking like she'll only do guest appearances on The Originals, and I don't think I can commit to two shows with my favorites separated! But I'll try :P), moon2012 (Thank you! I feel like they've both come a long way, both of them feel like they've grown up a little to me :P and I have to admit, Klaus in holi…seems more like the kind of thing he'd be in for something else, so I hope it was clear that he was like the awkward boyfriend at the girls' social event – only there for one reason and that is LOVE. :P), missgwen33 (aww, thank you! Love your review too!), jomomayheart (thanks, I certainly will, I love them too much to give them too much of a rough time), Sunfiresarah (haha, all will be revealed for Rebekah. Got to say though, I saw a Rebekah/Vaughn video the other day, and I feel like I'd be up to shipping Rebekah with a fair few people, she's just that awesome), Ariel C. Rilmonn (I KNOW WHAT O GOD JULIE PLEC. Jeremy was wonderful, I really don't know what the heck this is going to do to help anything. But hopefully this gives a little more light), Mystery Girl3 (I don't know what I'm going to do after the next few episodes too! Its just not going to be the same, and JoMo has said we will not be happy after 4x16, so I'm scared), EpicFantasyStories (thank you! Hope this development was a good few leaps and bounds for our favorite hybrid), yourloved (first off, LOVE your username! Secondly, thank you! And thirdly, ahaha, we'll see. Who do you think Rebekah's mystery person is?), magically-muddled (YESSS, its sad how excited I get when I see your reviews! They always make me smile like a crazy child on red lollies and straight cordial. Thank you with Klaus POV, I felt like it actually needed more work cause I'm making him soft! But still, thank you! We'll meet Elijahs ladyfriend soon, yessum, and as for Rebekah…well, after the awesome videos I've seen of her and people lately, it could be Matt, it could be Stefan, it could be Vaughn – now that's a crackship I actually approve highly! – or as you noted, it could be April :P OR someone else entirely! Who do you think? Ah Klaroline, reading each others minds. Married. So married. Just like I am to your wonderful reviews. THANK YOU!), vampiremovielove x2 (I cried too. My god the actors were wonderful. And thank you very much, I know I certainly need help on my stories and its great to know I can call on you! With the Mystic Falls bunch, I know some people won't be so accepting, so who do you think will and who wont? I hope you're enjoying it so far!), little miss michelle (thank you so much! :D), Cheese Maiden (He said it properly now! I think I'm probably way too excited about that :P), MTGZ (UPDATE NOW HAVE I. :P Hope you enjoyed it, thank you!), SophieSheeran (wow! You're fast and dedicated! Thank you so much, that's so sweet! And I hope you enjoyed this one too!), Guest (aww, thank you! I stay up till 3am writing it, so its nice to think that I had company :P You had some nice hunches, but I hope you liked the way he said it here too! And thank you, you got my brain churning with Mystic Falls ideas. As for Rebekah, I'm shipping her with everyone right now, and I don't know…Matt….Stefan…Vaughn…! :P but thank you!), Guest2 (haha, I'll get started on the m rated scene!), and last but never least, shadowfaxangel (thank you! I had the idea for the lion comparison while watching Klaus/JoMo walk his sexy self around, and it just looked too sleek and powerful to be merely a wolf think, ya know? And yay, now he has a heart!).
Also want to give a huge shout out to some very special people. I went googleseaching as you do when you know you shouldn't surf the web, and I came across some beautiful people who recommended me on their tumblrs, and some people who got me onto communities on Fanfiction. May I just say that this has never happened to me before, and so I'd like to give ohmygodklaroline and klarolinefanfiction on tumblr, and whoever got me on The Best of Delena &Klaroline and The Best of The Best Klaroline Fics community pages a huge bear hug and many thanks from the bottom of my heart. If I've missed anyone who's given this story a shout out online, please send me a link and I'll go squee over it.
If you can't guess after all that writing, I absolutely adore reviews and any kind of vague notification thing about my story in my email box, so please read and review if inclined, and as you've seen above (that is, if you haven't already skipped this message or fell asleep!) I'll give shout outs and replies, and cake (but only virtual internet cake).
Right, brain freeze, thank you!
xx