Look who's here with a sequel!
Damn you guys and your awesomeness :) Seriously, I would not have written this without all the support, encouragement and pleading for a continuation of TNR. I'm so delighted with the response that story received and I love you guys so much that I just had to comply.
A few things
- This obviously doesn't fit in with S6 canon in terms of Caroline's emotions and resulting actions but frankly I'm ok with that. There's a reason I stopped watching (more like 10).
- In TNR I ignored whatever was going on in NOLA with Klaus and this story forced me to stop doing that – I had to make a choice to go with canon or not. If you know me then you know which way I went.
- This chapter continues on from the last one of TNR and references Chapter 7 heavily so I would suggest a re-read of those first for full effect.
One last thing: do me a favour and pretty please listen to I'd Come for You by Nickelback before reading this, it'll get you in the perfect mood and the song is 100% Klaroline.
I worked so hard on this because I really didn't want to disappoint you guys and whatever expectations you had after TNR so I really really reeeallly hope you enjoy it :)
Lastly this is dedicated to Brynne even though it's totally late for her birthday – love you bby!
He finds her.
Klaus shot one last look at the image of the map she'd sent him before pocketing his cellphone as he made his way through the trees. He'd taken the same route he had that day but had still erred on the side of caution, periodically checking Caroline's map depicting the Traveller magic circle and which areas were left outside of it – certainly the last thing he needed was his vampirism being stripped away from him.
He made it through the last bit of trees before coming to the clearing he couldn't erase from his memory if he tried. His gaze swept the area and immediately landed on the tree – their tree, she'd called it – where the blonde sat flat on her butt, her knees pulled up and her face illuminated by the light coming from her phone.
Whatever she was doing, she was engrossed enough not to notice his presence and Klaus was grateful. He took the few seconds to study her; re-adjust.
Picking up her scent on the night-time breeze, Klaus fought against the memories that came rushing back along with it. As pleasant as the recollections of rolling around this very forest floor with her were, Klaus recognised that for the moment he needed to remain present.
As much magnitude as the moment imbibed for him, he had to keep in mind that her best friend had just died.
He stepped closer and Caroline's head popped up.
Several things happened on her face at once and with relief he noted that none of the expressions were negative.
Gracefully she got to her feet, biting at her bottom lip bashfully.
"Candy Crush," she said by way of explanation.
It was strange. Her voice had been the one thing he'd had the most of recently, not to mention how it had served to tether him to his last shred of sanity.
But hearing it over the phone and in person were two completely different experiences.
He'd fooled himself into denying so in order to accept and appreciate what had been available to him, but now her voice combined with her quirky and stunning facial expressions had him breathless and he immediately knew it had all been a lie.
There was nothing like Caroline Forbes in real life – nothing or nobody could mimic her and not even her voice was a suitable substitute for her flawless entirety.
Watching her phone slide from her hand and hit the forest floor, he remembered she'd said something; something related to it.
"I'm sorry it took so long," he admitted sheepishly, after a moment.
He'd alternated between threatening the pilot's life and offering him a long life of ultimate luxury and had probably made it here in record time as a result, but the fact that Caroline had been playing a cellphone game to entertain herself while she waited made him conscious of the fact that she had been sitting in a dark forest for a long time.
She took a small step forward, shrugging. "It was actually pretty quick, considering."
They were an arm's length away from each other as they stared into the other's eyes, searching.
Finally she looked away with a small laugh.
"This is awkward."
He couldn't disagree. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to touch her and if so, how. He was uncertain that he could restrain himself if he attempted a kiss – they could end up spending a second evening on this particular forest floor.
Closing half the distance between them, he placed a hand to her face, slowly caressing her cheek with a thumb.
He'd missed her skin. He'd missed the light blush that rose to it when he touched her. He'd missed her looking at him expectantly and the magnetic pull her lips had on his gaze. He longed to show her precisely how much he had missed her; every part of her.
But this was not the time and nor was it the place, anymore.
"Come on," he gestured with his head. "Let's get out of here."
A smile grew on her face but he didn't move, seeking her agreement.
He still felt fearful that at any second she would retract her statement on the phone; that she'd had time for consideration and her thoughts had sobered as a result. Or that seeing him might remind her of all the reasons she didn't want him here.
But her hand crept upward, laced through his fingers, and she nodded.
He frowned. "You realise you dropped your phone?"
Again she nodded, her brilliant smile all but blinding him in the dark.
"I know. I don't need it."
He didn't hide his surprise and her reaction was bashful.
Klaus diverted his gaze, looking pointedly at where their hands were linked.
There was something… right about the sight, he realised – she felt like home. He didn't quite understand what that meant and it scared him a little, but it was how he felt.
Quickly he looked back at her and the blonde provided him with the perfect distraction. She was smiling – the wide sunny one; indelible in his mind – her eyes full of trust and expectation.
Together they sped from the woods.
"Klaus Mikaelson renting a car?" she teased, noting the sticker on the back window.
Klaus only shot her a look as they climbed into the black SUV.
After they'd settled in he started the car and Caroline did her best not to stare.
When he'd found her and they'd been mutually unable to remove their eyes from each other it had been fine, but now she would feel like too much of a creep. Instead she concentrated her gaze on the road.
Klaus had parked the car pretty much in the middle of nowhere, right beside the treeline, with the knowledge that her friends were at the cemetery. As a result they weren't far from the highway and in minutes Mystic Falls was in the rearview mirror, disappearing rapidly.
"Are you alright?"
She knew he meant whether she was comfortable or not and she spared a quick glance around before nodding.
Klaus' gaze was stuck to the road and she found it a good enough excuse to stare anyway –attempting re-adjusting to the scruff, his scent, the aura of intense power; his presence.
"Should I prepare myself for some kind of rescue effort?" he asked suddenly, breaking her from her reverie. "Mission save the abducted damsel from the arch villain?"
His accent dripped with contemptuous sarcasm and Caroline rolled her eyes, looking away.
"No, I texted Stefan that I was ok." She sighed. "They'll probably all be confused as hell but they shouldn't come looking for me."
"You don't sound too pleased," he noted, his voice even.
"Not because they won't come looking for me, I mean I don't regret leaving, I just… feel a bit bad," she admitted. "Elena and Stefan and even Jeremy were all in a really bad place. And Stefan's been there for me through some of my roughest patches so I feel kind of awful leaving him now."
Klaus glanced over at the blonde who sat staring out of the window, chin on palm.
He wasn't sure what to say to comfort her, which he found amusing in the most miserable of ways. It was beginning to occur to him that the success of their nightly phone calls had been only slightly more than a fluke; had gone well precisely because he hadn't actually been present for them.
His physical presence caused a rift between them and it didn't even take much deducing to figure the reason – when he was with her he felt obstinately unwilling to reveal the same vulnerabilities and insecurities.
Still, his mind whirled around the part of her speech that he quite frankly cared about the most: I don't regret leaving.
As selfish a bastard as always, he noted grimly.
"At least he's alive," Klaus offered.
There was a long pause before she sighed. "Yeah."
He repressed a heavy sigh of his own. This was not going well and therefore not setting an encouraging precedent for the rest of their trip.
His best bet was to find a way to draw her out of whatever guilt she was currently feeling.
"I'm assuming that's something for which he has you to thank?" he asked, glancing at her with a small smile.
Caroline laughed a little, and he relished in the sound, as she rolled her eyes.
"It was a team effort." Then, after a second: "Although I did kill someone."
He turned to her with glittering eyes. "Did you, now?"
"Don't sound so proud of me!" she chastised with another light laugh.
He smirked. "As long as you know that I most certainly am."
Caroline rolled her eyes again.
Still, even if she didn't approve of the reasoning, she liked knowing that Klaus was proud of her. And she was proud of her for the way she'd been so focused on the mission that snapping Luke's neck had come easily; that she hadn't hesitated as she had with Julian, costing Stefan his life in the first place.
"I only did it because I knew he could come back," she pointed out.
"Now now, sweetheart, don't sell yourself short." Glancing at her, he winked. "I'm sure you took great enjoyment out of it."
"You're a jerk," she replied and he laughed.
"It's been a while since I've heard that. Now you just need to call me a pervert and we'll be back to old times."
"Pretty sure it won't be long before find the opportunity," she teased, a light smile on her lips.
He smiled back at her, his dimples deep, adorable and… familiar.
God, it felt so good just to be able to see him again; she still hadn't completely adjusted yet.
Eventually he broke their eye contact to focus on the road again and Caroline realised that she felt strangely comforted by the exchange. Just the same as if they'd been back on the phone with each other again and he'd soothed her worries of the day without even trying.
Just the same – only better, because now he was actually here with her.
They'd driven for about another half an hour when Caroline figured it about time she found out where exactly they were going.
She had an idea, but she needed confirmation.
A few hours ago she'd been so focused on him coming that she hadn't given much thought to what would happen after he'd gotten to her or where they would go from there, but now she felt stupid for not having considered it. This was all such a big deal but the circumstances were so surreal that she felt like they were both were currently acting on autopilot, neither giving enough thought to what they were doing.
Caroline bit at her lip, hesitating for a moment, before she spoke.
"So I'm guessing we're going to your jet, which is gonna take us to New Orleans?"
He shot her a quick glance. "Yes." He hesitated. "Is that alright?"
Biting at her lip again, she averted her gaze to look out at the road.
She wasn't sure about how to say this nor did she have some well-rehearsed speech prepared like the human girl who'd once stood in front of Matt at the Grill, but she still knew that she had to say this.
And Caroline Forbes was never one to back down from a challenge.
"Klaus, I called you because of how I feel about you; because I want to be with you." She paused. "You're the one."
It was soft but she heard him suck in a breath.
"But that isn't why I decided to leave. I left because I want a life as free from all the supernatural stuff as possible. I just want a life that I can finally feel really, truly safe in. What I'm saying," she breathed, finally turning to him again, "is that I'll go anywhere with you, Klaus, I will. But this is our one chance. If you think there that there is anything in New Orleans that could hurt us – literally or figuratively…"
She trailed off and after a few seconds Klaus laughed humourlessly, his eyes still on the road.
"I was expecting a yes or a no."
There was an awkward pause before he finally looked back at her. She offered a smile.
"Seriously. I'm leaving this one up to you."
She felt bad at having uttered the semi-ultimatum but she'd wanted to be honest with him. She wanted him, yes, but for once she was putting herself first. She didn't want another relationship like the one she'd had with Tyler, where the supernatural interrupted so much that she'd never been able to distinguish whether they were actually incompatible or if all their problems had just been part and parcel of living in Mystic Falls.
She was sick of doling out an endless amount of chances and even though it seemed unfair for Klaus of all people to be the one to receive this cynical attitude from her, he was also the person she trusted to understand it and make the best of it.
He'd always allowed her to set the trajectory of their relationship; its speed and direction, but now it was his turn. She was leaving it to him to decide where they would be going – literally.
She watched as his hands tightened on the steering wheel before her gaze darted back to his face.
"So," she started, pasting on an enthusiastic grin, "where are we going?"
There was hesitation, but only for the slightest of seconds.
"I have no idea."
Caroline opened her eyes slowly, rubbing them as she turned to the source of the hand on her.
Klaus was looking down at her with amusement. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around to figure out what was going on.
She frowned when she realised that the car was standing still.
"Where are we?"
"Maggie's Bed and Breakfast," Klaus answered with a tiny roll of his eyes.
Caroline straightened up from where she'd been lying against the door.
"I can drive if you're too tired," she offered.
Klaus smirked. "From the look of things I'd say I'm not the one who's too tired, love. Which is why I stopped – you deserve to sleep in a bed, even if it is at a sub-par establishment."
Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled, relenting. She could use a good night's sleep. The sun would be coming up soon which meant it had officially been two nights since she'd gotten any sleep.
"Ok," she nodded.
Klaus cocked an eyebrow. "That was surprisingly easy."
"Shut up," she laughed, opening her car door and climbing out.
Her eyes scanned the area.
In front of the car stood a small wooden sign pegged into the ground that was simple and direct – 'Maggie's Bed and Breakfast. Open 24/7'. Behind it stood a house which was slightly smaller than the Salvatore Boarding House, though notably more dilapidated. The swing on the porch made the place seem a little homely which was a feat considering the surrounding bare and dry landscape.
Klaus waited for her and together they walked up to the porch before heading inside, a bell ringing above their heads.
The entire reception area was hardly bigger than her lounge back home and completely empty and they both stood awkwardly for a minute before a woman and a teen boy came rushing out of the back.
"Welcome!" she said jovially.
Klaus shot Caroline a glance and she bit her lip to keep from smiling. She got the idea that she was the only person he liked a sunny personality on but after hours of driving it was even more of a strain. Which the guy's bubbly personality wasn't helping with either.
"I can take your bags… but I see you don't have any, ok then. Well, that makes it easier," he laughed giddily. "So, 4am; no bags – runaways?"
Klaus growled under his breath but Caroline managed a polite smile. "Something like that."
One of us is, she thought.
The hybrid went forward to ask the woman for a room and Caroline hung back, looking around.
After cataloguing more plastic fish than any sane person should have mounted and framed pictures of people that were too old to still be alive, Caroline stood back with her arms folded, watching with amusement as Klaus attempted patience with who she guessed to be Maggie.
"Don't worry, she'll give you the best room," the bellboy said from the spot he'd taken up beside her.
She turned to him with a light smile. "People don't come by here very often?"
He laughed. "They don't stop very often."
Her smile widened. She hadn't wanted to stop either. Mostly because, despite the fact that she wasn't really trying to out-run her friends as such, she also didn't exactly want them catching up to her. Not yet. She couldn't even imagine how a confrontation like that would go. Especially with Klaus in the room.
Not to mention how tentative things already were between the two of them. Her and Klaus needed to do some serious talking about the future before anybody came to throw rocks at it.
Her smile had disappeared thinking about her friends but now it couldn't help returning as she looked over at the hybrid, rubbing his brow as he explained something to Maggie. The fact that she was thinking about talking to the most unstable man on the planet about a – their – future was almost comical.
But something else overrode that – excitement.
"So hey, if you don't mind me asking," the bellboy looked over at her curiously. "What are you running away from?"
She shook her head quickly. "It's not like that. It's more like…"
She trailed off when she noticed Klaus look toward her, apparently finally having settled them a stay for the night.
Earlier he'd looked somewhat tired but now his eyes twinkled as he waited for her to join him so they could go up to their room together.
"Like I'm running towards something."
Klaus sneered as they entered the room.
It wasn't anything fancy, she'd be the first to admit, but it wasn't really that bad either. In the centre of it stood one double bed covered by a floral print quilt, besides which there wasn't much else in the room barring the telephone and a box TV set. The carpeting was clean and the bathroom was small but everything inside sparkled. All in all it might not have been snazzy but it was decent enough.
Klaus heaved a sigh then made his way over to the room's main attraction, dropping the rental car keys onto the quilt.
She watched him from her spot by the door as he checked his phone.
Scrolling, he seemed frustrated, before a minute later dropping the phone beside the keys.
Caroline stepped forward.
"Messages?"
"Plenty."
"Important?" she asked, stepping closer.
He regarded her for a moment, sizing her up. "Not anymore."
So they were all New Orleans-related then. She wasn't sure whether she felt touched or guilty.
She looked at the ground as she considered before eventually pushing the guilt away.
He'd made the decision to be here with her. He'd thought about it and chosen her; chosen them. It wasn't like she wouldn't have gone to New Orleans with him. He just hadn't been willing to take the risk of anything affecting their lives together and that warmed somewhere deep within her.
She took another step forward and heard his heartbeat speed up. She knew hers was doing the same.
Caroline didn't look up. Instead her gaze caught his hand, hanging at his side, and on impulse she reached toward it. Lightly she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles.
"I never thanked you," she said, finally looking up.
He was frowning.
"For coming for me. I know you must have…" She hesitated. "Left things."
He looked surprised for a moment before recovering with a smirk.
"Well considering I knew you'd give in sooner or later, it really didn't come as much of a surprise."
She smiled. She'd missed the smirk that accompanied the cockiness.
"Really?"
"I went to bed fully clothed some nights. Bags half-packed," he continued teasing her.
Staring up at him, her smile widened before dropping away equally as quickly when her gaze lowered to his lips.
In terms of days passed, it hadn't really been that long. But in her mind it had been forever.
Her hand stopped caressing his, tangling her fingers with his instead. He allowed it, looking down at her wonderingly; watching her closely.
She took a breath then moved forward. He stood completely still, just as he had the first time. But now, instead of utter vulnerability, she saw thinly veiled lust in his eyes.
A shiver ran down her spine and she moved her lips to his.
Not fully – she put her lips to the corner of his mouth, kissing him softly; re-acquainting them.
God, it felt good.
Out of necessity she'd done her best to forget how amazing his lips were – a lot of work – and now it all came rushing back to her as she laid quick tender pecks down on his full raspberry lips.
When he laced an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, Caroline knew he was getting impatient.
She pulled back a last time, expecting to see him glaring down at her, but his eyes were closed, a light smile playing at his lips.
She brought her free hand up to his face, stroking his dimple lightly.
His eyes fluttered open for the quickest of seconds; before he could get a good look she leaned back in and kissed him, hard.
His hand tightened on hers as his other caressed her body – up along her spine then into her neck, his thumb settling against her throat. She slid her tongue over his bottom lip then snuck it inside his mouth, eliciting moans from them both.
She'd forgotten the way he tasted – like bourbon and spice and her own personalised piece of heaven; sweet and devilishly enticing.
A wave of relief left her chest along with all the angst and uncertainty from the past few nights, replaced by the amazing knowledge that she could finally be with him. And not for just one day, either.
Pulling away for a breath, Caroline placed kisses over his jaw, soft tender ones as she continued to relish in just having him here.
After her crying fest and before Candy Crush, she'd decided to bottle it all up for the moment. Her sorrow, her guilt for leaving her friends, her excitement that Klaus would be there soon and even her worries about what seeing him again would be like – she'd shut it all away.
It had seemed like the smart thing to do – vampire emotions were difficult enough to deal with individually, she definitely didn't need ten of them at the same time. The last thing she'd wanted was for Klaus to find her in a crying heap.
But now in his safe arms she slowly let go of it all, layer by layer.
Klaus froze with a frown when he felt the skin at his neck dampen. He was so perplexed that it took him a few seconds to realise that the blonde was crying in his arms.
He hesitated with uncertainty and before he could act she'd slipped out of his arms, turning her back to him as she visibly trembled.
Klaus came near to cursing. He'd gotten so caught up in her that he'd forgotten the promise he'd made himself when he'd found her: to remain present; remember Bonnie.
Caroline tried to stop but she'd opened the floodgates and now all she could think about was Bonnie's face as she'd disappeared – her best friend and the entirety of dead supernatural beings all gone in one fell swoop.
And then Elena's vacant eyes, barely retaining sanity.
Tyler waiting.
Racing through those woods.
The memories hit her as hard as the emotions did and she pulled her hands through her hair, trying to calm herself, even as tears streamed down her face.
"I'm sorry," she said between it all, figuring he must hate tears.
Klaus had been watching her – curious; petrified – but now he forced himself back into action, shaking his head furiously.
"Come on, don't do that, love." He stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Your best friend died today. There is no conceivable reason for you to be apologising."
"I know," she nodded, her voice thick with tears. "It's just, it's not only that, you know? I mean it wasn't… our big, epic reunion wasn't supposed to feel like a freaking funeral!"
She hated that. She hated that more than anything she wanted to be wrapped around Klaus right now and yet every bone in her body still ached with sorrow.
He sighed, at a loss as to what to say.
Over the phone he would've known.
So, bracing himself, he decided to go with what he would've wanted to say if he'd only been imagining standing with her instead of actually having the immeasurably good fortune to be doing so.
"Perhaps it isn't quite as… romantic as either of us had envisioned, but – look at me, love."
Caroline hesitated, not wanting him to see her all puffy-eyed and tear-streaked, but after a second she curiously turned anyway.
Tenderly he put a finger beneath her chin and tilted it up, her glassy blue eyes meeting his certain ones.
"There still is no place I would rather be."
Her heart lifted at the words and the sincerity in his eyes.
He really had literally chosen to be here with her in what he deemed a crappy room instead of in his city.
Smiling broadly, she wiped the tears from her face, sniffing.
The more time she spent with Klaus the more she could see that future she'd thought about earlier rapidly stretching before them. He was the Original hybrid who had never settled down for anybody or anything and he was in this for the long haul.
So maybe the day of their reunion didn't matter – maybe it was all the rest, everything still to come that really did.
She was Caroline Forbes, believer in big moments executed perfectly. But she was also in this for the long haul.
Quickly she cleared her throat, realising how silly she felt now. Running her hand through her hair she smiled at him shyly.
"It's been a long day. Two really long days," she laughed a little.
Klaus nodded. "You need a drink."
She couldn't disagree and she watched as he turned to find her some alcohol.
After a few seconds Klaus located the mini fridge – inside a cabinet below the TV – and bending down, he opened it.
For a good long minute he stared inside, his expression utterly perplexed, and Caroline almost broke out into giggles.
"What's wrong?"
Klaus looked up at her, his eyebrows creased.
"There's… apple juice," he said as if he had no idea what that even was.
Her grin grew. "Well, at least it's brown."
He raised a brow and she smiled sweetly back at him.
Shaking his head in disapproval, Klaus retrieved a small box of apple juice before craning his head to look further inside the mini fridge.
"And there's some milk."
Caroline pulled up her nose. "Apple juice. Straight."
Klaus smirked and Caroline dropped down onto the bed as she watched him pour the juice into a glass.
Apple juice actually sounded pretty good. She could use the cloying sweetness. It was funny that she even had the capacity for shock anymore but she did feel completely shaken up.
Wordlessly Klaus passed the glass to her then sat down on the bed beside her. She took a quick sip of the juice before laying her head on his shoulder.
Instinctively the hybrid froze before he allowed himself to relax into the gesture, a small smile starting at his lips. He'd missed the weight of her body and her soft scent. It enshrouded him now and he inhaled it blissfully; gratefully.
Caroline had been right about the apple juice. The sickly sweetness was calming her, she could feel it. That and lying against Klaus like this.
They sat like that for a few minutes, her drinking her juice as he rubbed slow circles on her lower back. She felt way better, calmer, but also like she needed fifty days of sleep.
Ok, maybe just one full night, but she felt she definitely needed it before she could get back to her old self again. Sleep deprivation was compounding all her emotions and making it difficult to see things clearly.
She sighed a little because she didn't quite want to move away from Klaus but eventually shifted, wordlessly passing Klaus her glass before standing up.
The blonde rounded the bed then bent to unzip her boots. Focusing on the task with what little energy she had left, Caroline kicked them off before her hands went to the button on her jeans.
With a jolt she remembered where she was and whom with and when she looked up she caught Klaus staring at her unashamedly, his eyes following her every movement and a smirk at his lips.
"Hey!" she chided. "This isn't a strip show!"
Klaus chuckled but moved to discard the glass and Caroline took the time to wriggle out of her jeans. As weird as it would possibly be to sleep next to Klaus in only her panties, she figured the discomfort of sleeping in jeans beat that.
Not that the hybrid in question was making things any easier.
He was currently leaning back against a wall, watching her mostly bare body intently as she folded her jeans.
Feeling just the slightest bit shy, she was about to yell at him again for so openly staring when her most recent scolding came back to her, bringing a sudden thought along with it.
"You know, speaking of strip shows…" she said suggestively.
His mind still caught on the planes of her body and remembering how each revealed part of her legs had tasted; the way they'd felt wrapped around him, Klaus frowned.
"The early hours of the morning?" she pressed.
A smirk slowly gripped at his lips, his eyes watching her closely; every line of her body as she pulled back the covers and climbed beneath them.
"What exactly are you implying, sweetheart?"
Cocking her head, she smiled slyly. "I seem to remember you saying that you'd strip for me if I wanted…"
His eyes gleamed as he held her gaze, searching for any signs of humour, but minus the tilt at the corner of her mouth she was dead serious.
Motionlessly he held her eyes for another few seconds, silent communication zipping between them. He knew she thought he wouldn't do it. She should know better.
Without breaking eye contact Klaus shrugged out of his leather jacket, flinging it onto the chair behind him without so much as a backward glance.
Her eyes widened, as did his smirk.
Reaching behind him, he pulled his grey Henley over his head and this time it was Caroline having irrepressible flashbacks as her eyes skimmed the taut abs she'd dragged her nails down; the ribs she'd kissed her way over on the path going south.
Which was exactly where Klaus was headed right now. His Henley discarded on the floor, his hands reached down to his buckle. His top and jacket had gone quickly but she could tell from his precise movements that he planned on making a show out of this as he slid the leather from the metal carefully without breaking eye contact.
Caroline ran her tongue over her bottom lip as he undid the two buttons, pulling the flaps aside deliberately to reveal the soft line of hair running down his abdomen that she'd placed open mouthed kissed against; the bones of his pelvis she'd grated her teeth over.
Caroline felt hot everywhere and it was definitely getting more and more difficult to breathe. She wasn't sure if the way he was prolonging this was good or whether she was actually going to die of suspense.
Her entire body was reacting in ways she really hoped Klaus couldn't detect.
His smirk as he lazily pulled down his zip, the sound ringing through the air temptingly, told her that was a battle she'd already lost.
"Oh, god," she groaned when he started pulling his jeans down over his hips.
Reflexively she covered her eyes, biting down hard on her bottom lip.
Klaus chuckled. "You shouldn't ask for things you can't handle, love."
She pulled her hands away with the full intention of glaring at him but was distracted by him standing there in his boxer briefs and all his bare perfection, smirking at her, and it was all she could do just to keep her jaw from slackening.
"I can handle it," she replied indignantly. "I just… forgot how hot you are," she said, averting her gaze with a small smile.
There weren't many times she'd allowed Klaus to know that she was shy but this time she just couldn't hide it. Telling Klaus he was sexy over the phone and saying it to his face were two completely different things.
"Glad to have served up a reminder, love."
Klaus' smirk only grew when she looked back up, blushing profusely.
Still, she was proud of herself for managing to keep eye contact as he climbed onto the bed.
His crawl was almost animalistic and it took a good amount of self-control to stop herself from jumping him.
But she could only control herself for so long and, once he'd come close enough, she grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him over, bringing his mouth crashing down onto hers.
One of her hands snuck into his hair while the other took the opportunity to roam his body again, noting the tightening muscles.
With a moan she deepened the kiss and moved her hand downward, slipping it behind him, her thumb circling the dimples on his back before traveling lower. The tips of her fingers slid beneath his underwear – she wanted to curl her nails into his butt the same way she'd done up against that tree, but he caught her hand just in time, pulling away with an amused expression.
"We should get some sleep," he suggested diplomatically.
Caroline sighed, the taste of his tongue still on her lips.
She was still dead exhausted but his body had moved to the forefront of her mind and now it was kind of difficult to ignore.
Still, she knew he wouldn't be blowing her off for no reason. He probably just didn't want to end up with a fully sobbing Caroline in his arms again.
With a huff she fell back onto the pillows and Klaus chuckled at her petulant behaviour before leaning over her to place a kiss in her hairline.
His proximity gave her a full noseful of Klaus and an up close view of his bird tattoo which meant that what he'd probably meant to be a calming gesture was now only serving to continue the Klaus high she was currently on.
But he was gone in a second and she took a deep calming breath before turning onto her side, her back to Klaus. She tried to think of other things and was successful when one alarming thing popped up in her mind.
"I need to call my mom in the morning."
"And tell her what?" he wondered.
"I've been kidnapped; send help?"
"You're hilarious."
"So I'm told."
Klaus smiled and there was silence for a few seconds before she sighed.
"I have no idea. As much of the truth as I can manage, I guess. Or all of it and make her promise not to tell everyone." She paused. "I guess that's another thing to sleep on."
Klaus placed a kiss down on her arm and she repressed a shiver as tingles swept from the spot and shot right into her heart.
He could tell how conflicted she was and was fully aware that it was his part in all this causing her the trouble.
"You shouldn't lie to her if it makes you uncomfortable."
"I just don't want her to worry, you know? And no offense, but hearing that your daughter ran away with the semi-villain sort of inspires worry."
There was silence for a few seconds during which she worried that she'd offended him, before he spoke.
"When exactly was I demoted to semi-villain?"
"Really? That's your problem with what I just said?"
"I knew that Enzo fellow was bad news," he muttered, ignoring her.
"Klaus!" she chided.
He'd begun brushing his lips against her arm, his stubble tickling at her skin alongside the heated softness of his mouth, and now he chuckled against her.
"Only kidding, love. Of course I understand."
She reached back to search for his hand and found it when he laced his fingers through hers.
"So what should I do?" she asked, her voice tiny.
Klaus frowned. "You're asking for my advice?"
"Yeah, I guess I am," she smiled. "Which is surprising considering how you're always offering it up unsolicited."
Klaus smiled at the jibe then took a deep breath, inhaling the soft sweet scent of her skin as he considered.
There were very few things that the hybrid, in his one thousand years, had not experienced. Dealing with a woman's parents went right at the top of that list.
So he moved away from that line of thinking and instead viewed it through a perspective the blonde had acknowledged – You're the one – but he had not yet allowed himself to broach today – their future together.
She was leaving it up to him, she'd said. And he'd promised her a lot, all of which he intended on delivering in full.
However, before they could get there it was imperative that she knew and understood certain things. Before she went setting plans in stone he wanted her to be sure she knew what she was getting into.
"I think you should let her know you're safe but only give her the full overview once you've… settled."
Caroline frowned at his phrasing – particularly the you not we – but nodded at the logic of it. Hi Mom I'm with Klaus going, um, somewhere didn't sound that encouraging even to her. Right now all her mother needed to know was that she was completely fine and out of danger.
"Ok," she nodded.
Klaus froze in surprise. "Ok?"
"Do you expect an argument from me every time you say something?"
"Yes," he deadpanned and she craned her neck to glare at up him.
He repressed a smile as she rolled her eyes.
"You're a jerk."
He laughed and she shifted, getting comfortable again.
"You know, you were right, this does feel like old times," she noted with a content smile.
"With significantly less your bed and more hybrid, I would suppose," he teased.
"Have I mentioned you're a jerk?"
"More than once now, and yet no further comments on my dedicated performance in your personal strip show. I'm assuming the notes are too blush-worthy to say aloud?"
Oh, god. He knew her way too well.
"Pervert," she bit, and he chuckled.
"There it is."
She shook her head knowing that he'd said that just to provoke her response, then ducked her head down onto the pillow to get into a sleeping position. She wanted to get to sleep before the sun came up, mainly to guarantee waking up before midnight tomorrow.
And though she felt comfortable enough, something still felt wrong.
Again Caroline craned her neck to look at him.
"Get under with me," she urged with a pout.
Klaus hesitated. He wasn't sure that it was the best idea considering how much concentration he was already putting into not allowing his body to respond to Caroline's curves, scent and general presence. However, with the look she was giving him he already knew that he stood approximately zero chance of resisting.
Klaus lifted the blankets and climbed beneath before pulling her body in to him again. She allowed it, nestling before settling against him comfortably, every part of her body pressed against him.
It took every ounce of willpower he had not to turn her over and cover her body with his, ripping her clothing to shreds and grinding his hips up into hers as he re-acquainted himself with her flawless anatomy.
He smiled as something occurred to him.
If she was having any of the same thoughts as he was then she was going to have trouble getting to sleep and that was before factoring in the traumatising day she'd had.
He raised a hand and moved it through her hair, stroking his fingers through her silky tresses. The gesture shook loose the overwhelming fruity scent of her shampoo and for the good of abstinence Klaus resorted to breathing only through his mouth.
He slid his hand from her hair to her shoulders, where he noted with a smirk that goosebumps were rising. Slowly he moved down her arm, working to keep his breathing even – he'd forgotten how soft her skin was; so pliable and made for his hands.
His fingers continued their journey down, tracing over her cotton panties. They were so close together that Klaus felt the shiver tremble through her body.
Over her hip and down her leg his touch went, his hand rounding so he could feel the insides of her thighs again, even knowing that he was only torturing himself.
Caroline's entire body stiffened until he began his journey upward again.
This time he used his thumb to trace her body, allowing it to round the perfect curve of her bottom then into the hollow of her back before his arm crept around her waist, his hand joining hers.
She was receptive, expecting it, when he curled his fingers into hers.
Against all sanity he used his grip to pull her in even closer.
"I feel safe," Caroline murmured softly, her voice heavy with drowsiness.
He smiled. She remembered.
Ducking into her neck, he allowed himself to breathe in her scent again as he laid light kisses from her shoulder up onto her collarbone then into the hollow of her neck.
He tasted her skin all the way up to her jaw before moving his mouth downward again, relishing in her immaculate skin.
She was a goddess, she truly was. Her body was utterly perfect and not he, who had spent a thousand years traversing every type of woman there was, could find a single blemish. Even the birthmark on her lower spine was deliberately stunning and, he liked to imagine, made for his lips.
He kept kissing her, journeying back and forth from her shoulder into her neck until his lips landed on a steady pulse – she was asleep.
He smiled into her neck before moving down to the bare skin at her shoulder blade.
He shut his eyes and mouthed against her skin. Once – a confession – twice, practising, and then again till he too fell asleep.
I love you.
He wasn't used to his wishes coming true of their own accord – he made things happen for himself, screw the universe and the balance of nature and everything that went along with it – but that night Klaus Mikaelson discovered what it felt like to sleep with her and, come morning, he would know exactly what dawn looked like from beside Caroline Forbes.