Chapter 49:

Hopeful Fears

When Caroline awoke, she felt groggy and a little confused as to what had happened in the last few days. And then when she remembered, it was like someone slapped her with a tonne of bricks. Oh, right. Matt's dead.

The first person she ever truly cared about was dead. The first boy she loved and needed. And he was gone... Just like that... Caroline began to lift a hand to her tired eyes that were threatening to cry, but she didn't think she had any tears left. And when she felt her fingers entwined with Klaus's, she stopped herself. Caroline just stared down at their tangled fingers and she just thought about him. In bed. With her. Just like her first night with Matt. They didn't have sex, or even kiss – she just fell asleep in the comfort of his arms. Now here she was, with Klaus. And all she could think was thank god. It was weird for her to think that about him, but it was the truth. It was because Klaus that she felt safe, that she could close her eyes without fear of nightmares. It was because of Klaus that she was able to forget, just for a second, how crappy her life was right now.

Caroline's pained eyes slowly looked up at Klaus, who was staring back at her, their gazes locked. It was like the rest of the world just stopped turning. Matt wasn't dead. Tyler didn't exist. Mystic Falls never happened. Vampires are just a fantasy. And Klaus is just a nice normal guy who loves her.

But that wasn't the reality, and at least Klaus helped her forget that. "Hi," she muttered, her voice weak and quiet.

"You're awake."

"Duh," Caroline said without thinking. Immediately she shut her big mouth in regret, but Klaus just smiled down at her, and she even giggled, until Matt came to mind.

"You slept," Klaus said to her as she began to sit up.

"Yeah," she muttered in agreement, her eyes still locked with his. "No nightmares," Caroline said with a small smile.

Klaus smiled widely back at her and his thumb began to stroke hers. "What a triumph," he said, but not sarcastically. "Small steps, love. Small steps." His words were simple, but they somehow gave her comfort. Maybe because it was true. Caroline knew she could get through this – she'd been through worse, and a lot more. She survived the death of her own father. She could handle this, no matter how important Matt was to her; he was part of the reason she went from being a shallow bitch, into a strong and independent bitch.

The overwhelming feeling of guilt and sadness was masked with a hunger in the pit of her empty stomach. Caroline had only eaten one blood bag in days, and she realised how starving she was. "What time is it?" She asked, her hand still entwined with his.

Klaus looked at her, a little disappointed, but she didn't know why. He glanced up at the clock on the desk. "Four o'clock in the afternoon, love... You were tired," he said as though it was an excuse. Caroline's eyes widened slightly in surprise – it was hard to believe.

Klaus sat up so his face was only inches away from hers, but this time it didn't feel intense between them. It was more comforting for her, than anything else. Caroline, probably delirious from hunger, leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, as did Klaus, then she forced herself to open them. Be strong, Caroline, she told herself, Be strong for Matt.

"I'm hungry," she whispered making Klaus force his own eyes open, wanting nothing more than to just stay there like they were.

Klaus sighed slightly with a small smile as he pulled away. He brought up his free hand to her forehead and pushed her hair back behind her ears, and she felt herself leaning into the gentle touch of his hand.

It was like overnight, every exchange of hatred and sadness and brutal intensity was gone. There was just this. And it was what Caroline needed, more than anything.

Klaus pulled her forward by her neck, kissed her tenderly on the forehead and then said, "I'll only be a moment," before getting up somewhat reluctantly, their hands untangling.

Caroline suddenly felt a wave of panic, having no idea how desperately she wanted him to stay. Was it because it was him? Or did she just need someone? This is what she asked herself, but all she asked him was "Where are you going?"

Klaus, by the door, frowned down at her. "I thought you were hungry."

She blushed. "Oh, right. Duh."

Klaus smiled that charming dimply smile at her then disappeared, leaving her alone with her thoughts and emotions. Klaus was like a distraction. Because once he left, all Caroline could think about was the fact that Matt was dead. And Jeremy... "Jeremy!" Caroline breathed in shock, almost forgetting about him entirely. Was he okay? Was he better, or even awake? According to Klaus, he was just hit really hard in the head and probably had a concussion.

Within seconds, she was by his side, completely ignorant to the fact that she had passed Klaus on her way down the staircase. As she stared down at Jeremy who was stirring in his sleep, a new feeling of hope flooded through her. Yes, Matt was dead. Gone. But Jeremy... Little Jeremy Gilbert could live on – and that was better than nothing.

Caroline began to chew on her thumbnail impatiently as she waited for him to wake up, which he didn't. Klaus was by her side in an instant.

"Caroline, he's fine," Klaus said in an attempt to be reassuring. "He just needs some rest—" Klaus cut himself off with an eye roll as Caroline ignored his honest words and started nudging Jeremy awake with her hands against his huge shoulders. "Come on, Jeremy..." She said with a hopeful smile. "Time to wake up," she sang silently. When she began to feel that flood of hope drain away from her, she got nervous. So she flicked his arm in another attempt to wake him.

It worked.

Jeremy's eyes started to flutter open in a haze of dizziness and pain. "Ow," he grunted and for a second, Caroline thought he was grunting over her flick, but as his hand reached up to his forehead she understood. It wasn't too long ago when Caroline was knocked unconscious in the head by Klaus... Wow, was that less than a week ago? No, it couldn't be...

"Jeremy!" Caroline gasped with a grin as that overwhelming feeling of hope returned to her and she flung her arms around his neck. Quite frankly, Caroline and Jeremy were never that close, especially after that thing with Bonnie, but she still considered him family. A fleeting feeling of fear passed through her as she wondered what he considered her and she pulled away with nervous eyes. "Hi, Jer," she breathed, still with that hopeful smile.

"Caroline?" Jeremy slurred, still groggy from the concussion and from being woken up. But as his eyes trailed from her hopeful face and landed on Klaus who just stared down at him with a cocked brow, he sat up; dangerous and alert, even though every muscle in his body ached.

"Caroline, what—"

"Where's Katerina?" Klaus asked immediately with no sign of emotion in his tone. Caroline flashed him a look of anger and shock – honestly, how could she possibly be surprised by that?

"Klaus," she growled sternly.

Klaus withheld an amused smile at her scolding of him and just tilted his head. "Right," he said with false understanding, then looked directly at Jeremy. "Sorry my sister attacked you. It's a shame about that Matt. I hope you recover quickly and well," he said quickly and shallowly, as though a failed attempt for Caroline's sake. "Now, where is Katerina?" He asked in that cool and impatient tone with that threatening raise of his brow.

Caroline glared at him even more aggressively than before, in a fleeting moment of hatred. "Klaus!" She hissed threateningly.

"Ask your psycho sister!" Jeremy shouted at Klaus, who acted unfazed, but Jeremy could see a flash of anger in his black, evil eyes. Jeremy made a slight grunt of pain again because even his own shouts caused him to have sharp pains in his head. Caroline placed a caring hand on his shoulder, and he didn't refuse it. Jeremy groaned again, then eventually spoke to Klaus, looking him right in the eyes. "Rebekah took her. I don't know where the hell she took her, but she drained Katherine dry, ripped Matt's throat out and knocked my head out against the pavement."

Oh, Caroline thought, no wonder he was in a pool of blood.

"So there," Jeremy growled with a daring glare towards Klaus who continued to stare down at him. At the stupid Gilbert boy who killed his brother in front of him. He had the immediate urge to rip his heart out and feed it to him. But Klaus didn't. Because of Caroline – and in knowing that she would hate him if he did. Pfft, Klaus thought irritatedly, Women... Impossible to please.

Jeremy pressed his palm against his bloodied forehead and winced slightly, then looked over at Caroline. That was when he saw the sadness in her eyes – she was on the verge of tears. Instinctively, because deep down he still was that little emo boy, he cupped her shoulder gently, giving it a consoling squeeze which made her smile weakly.

"So where's Matt?" Jeremy asked after another wince of pain, and Caroline did, too, remembering his limp, bloody body lying on the floor of the pavement. Thankfully Klaus spoke for her. "We berried him in a shallow grave under a lemon tree Caroline found in the middle of the woods," he said, and even he sounded a little sad.

Jeremy frowned at them, seeming almost confused. "The hell did you do that for?"

Both Caroline and Klaus stared down at him in confusion. "Because he's dead, Jeremy," Caroline croaked, forcing herself to remain strong and not to cry.

Jeremy cocked a brow, staring at them in even more confusion. "Uh... No. He's not..." Then he frowned at their continued confusion. "Matt's alive."

Author's Notes: My god, I can't believe you all thought I was that heartless. Like I would kill off Matt. He's too adorable and sad to kill off!

Review, you lazy sods! Until next time.