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A/N: late night conversations in the car
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They had been driving for multiple hours now. The further away from Mystic Falls they drove, the quieter Caroline became. She didn't know how she felt about leaving her hometown.
Caroline felt Klaus glance at her every now and then. He is a control freak like her, she thought. He was probably trying to figure out why she had turned inwards. Caroline was done with his sneaky little glances though and raised an eyebrow at him. 'What?' She demanded.
Klaus' eyes widened and he quickly raised his hands as if he had been caught by her. His body language was all humour and play. Klaus had a flair for the dramatics too, and Caroline laughed softly at the sight of it.
Then the hybrid returned his hands to the steering wheel again. A smile was playing on his lips as he spoke, 'Penny for your thoughts, love.'
Ah… what the heck, she might as well talk, Caroline thought. There is something about driving at night that made her feel open and raw.
'I have never really left Mystic Falls before,' Caroline said thoughtfully while looking at Klaus' side profile. 'This is probably the furthest I have ever been away.'
A frown appeared on Klaus' face at her words, but he didn't say anything. His expression made Caroline look away from him because she felt exposed. But it felt good to talk about it, so she continued speaking.
'I didn't think I would ever want to leave, except maybe for college,' Caroline said as she looked out of the window. 'But the truth is, I am not sure of anything anymore…' Caroline's face fell as she spoke. The uncertainty of her future was hitting her hard. 'Here I am skipping school and cheer practice when those things used to be the one constant in my life.' She said feeling hollow. Caroline didn't know that she had been thinking all this until she said it out loud.
Caroline felt a gentle touch on her arm. Stefan was trying to comfort her. The blonde looked over her shoulder to smile at him in appreciation. It did make her feel better. Stefan nodded at her as if to say a quiet 'it's okay, you are okay.'
But then Klaus started speaking. 'Caroline,' He said, pulling her attention back to him as he always did.
The blonde looked at Klaus as he drove, he had his eyes on the road. But the fact that he was driving didn't affect the passion in his voice as he spoke. 'Isn't it liberating to know that you can go anywhere, at any time, for any reason,' Klaus said slowly, turning his head to catch her eyes. 'You have never been more free in your life Caroline, and it's terrifying you.' Well ouch.
Caroline didn't want it to be true, and she didn't want him to be right. But it was true, and he was right. So she admitted it. 'Ugh, you are right. I am terrified,' Caroline said, shaking her head. 'It feels like I am diving into the ocean not knowing if I'll drown.'
'Ah, I can say for certain you won't drown sweetheart, you are a vampire,' Klaus said with a wink.
'Ha-ha, very funny,' Caroline said, rolling her eyes. But a slight smile appeared on her face as she listened to Klaus chuckle at his own 'funny' joke.
Then Stefan joined the conversation from the back. It made her turn her head. 'I would agree with Klaus,' He said, 'If the world outside of Mystic Falls is the ocean, then Mystic Falls is the comfortable swimming pool you know every inch of.' Stefan paused for dramatic effect, before adding, 'You don't have to keep swimming there just because you have always done it, or thought that you would always do it.'
Caroline couldn't fault his logic, Stefan had always been wise.
Then she looked at Klaus again, who seemed pleased with Stefan's words, if not slightly surprised that Stefan agreed with him.
'I don't have to stay anymore,' Caroline repeated, trying to process this. All the plans she used to have as a human, she doesn't have to stick to them anymore. It's as if being a vampire removed the restrictions that used to be in place. Her anxiety started to turn into excitement with this realisation.
Caroline smiled at them brightly, this chat had actually helped.
'So where do I start…' Caroline wondered aloud. Leaning back into her seat, she started thinking about all the places she could go. Most of all, she was curious about big cities, since they are so unlike the small town she grew up in.
But Caroline was pulled out of her thoughts when she noticed that Klaus was pulling over to the side of the road. 'What are you doing?' She asked him puzzledly. 'Are we there already?' That is, wherever 'there' was. Klaus hadn't actually told them anything. Caroline briefly glanced at Stefan over her shoulder, he was frowning too.
Then they came to a stop. It was very quiet on the road and they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Stopping the car didn't seem to add up. Why here?
'Why not start now, love,' Klaus said with a smirk, as he opened his door.
'What do you mean?' Caroline asked, still confused.
'Exploring the world,' Klaus said as he stepped out of the car, 'You'll drive. Pick a place not too far away, and we can spend the day there.' Klaus shrugged, 'A little day trip, so to speak.'
'It would help if I knew where we were,' Caroline said sarcastically as she opened her own door, not quite believing that Klaus was offering this. 'And I don't understand, aren't we on some kind of mysterious mission?'
Klaus didn't reply right away. Caroline took off her seatbelt and stepped out into the darkness. She let out a little sigh of pleasure upon feeling the fresh air on her skin. It felt amazing. As Caroline walked to the other side of the car, she made sure to quickly stretch her limbs. She hadn't realised how much she needed that.
'Indeed love, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun along the way,' Klaus replied once she stood in front of him. 'After all, mixing business and pleasure happens all the time.' The way he said pleasure was like music to her ears.
'You do realise I may pick a place that is a bit further out of the way than you'd like?' Caroline asked, crossing her arms.
Klaus nodded and explained, 'I can't tell you, 'you are free,' while I am the one driving. To get a true taste of freedom is to go where you want to go because you decided it.'
Caroline stared at Klaus with her mouth slightly open. It was hard to describe how she felt because it was so unusual for her to feel like a priority. They looked at each other for a while. The blonde wished she could hold him. But instead she nodded and smiled at him. No words were able to leave her mouth at that moment.
They were interrupted by the sound of Stefan stepping out of the car. He probably wanted to stretch his legs too. 'You are not what I expected,' Stefan said to Klaus accusingly. Straight to the point much, Caroline thought.
Klaus raised one eyebrow at Stefan. 'Thought a ripper would know better than to make black and white assumptions about someone,' He said drily.
Stefan chuckled. 'Apparently not,' He said holding out his hand to Klaus. Some emotion entered into Klaus' gaze as he looked at Stefan's outstretched hand. But then the hybrid took it. Klaus and Stefan shaking hands was the last thing Caroline expected to happen. But it was welcome because she figured Klaus was less likely to act out if they all got along.
Caroline smiled brightly at this new development. But she could feel herself getting hungry. 'Do you have blood bags in the trunk?' She asked Klaus.
Klaus turned to look at her. 'Afraid not, love. Remember our deal?' He drawled.
Caroline didn't want to think about, nor discuss, 'their deal.' So she stepped into her seat without a word, her expression blank. The driver seat this time. A moment later, Klaus slipped into the passenger seat beside her, and Stefan joined them in the back seat.
'We are in the state of Tennessee,' Klaus informed Caroline. She nodded slowly at this. The blonde considered this for a moment.
'I was thinking about visiting a big city,' Caroline said dreamily. 'How about Nashville?' Klaus' eyes lit up.
'Music City,' Klaus said with a dimpled smile. Yay, that is one yes.
'Stefan?' Caroline asked hopefully, looking over her shoulder at Stefan. He was lounging lazily.
'It's your choice. Besides, didn't we establish tonight that we like music,' Stefan said. He was probably remembering their little duet.
'Mate, I am not sure you were paying attention, but all Caroline did was skip songs,' Klaus said drily. 'It's still to be determined how she will react to country music.' He joked.
'Hey, having strong opinions does not equal disliking music,' Caroline said defensively. 'I was killing it with Bon Jovi,' Klaus tilted his head in amusement, before throwing her the car keys.
As Caroline caught the keys, she said to Stefan and Klaus, 'Anyhow, get your Google Maps up because I don't know the way,'
'Stefan?' Klaus said with a smirk, 'This sounds like a lovely job for you.'
Stefan groaned but didn't object.
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'Stop staring,' Caroline said, looking away from the road to glower at Klaus.
Klaus chuckled. 'Well what can I say, love, you are beautiful,' The man had been thoroughly enjoying his break from driving by staring at her, and annoying her with little comments, like, 'Ah, we will be there just in time for breakfast.'
It was daylight and they were surrounded by many other drivers now, who were presumably also heading to Nashville.
Stefan was doing a good job ignoring her and Klaus. And Caroline couldn't exactly blame him because she and Klaus were acting like an annoying couple. Their constant back and forth must be so exhausting to watch.
Stefan only opened his mouth to give directions. He was not the best at it, and Caroline tried very hard not to be bitchy when Stefan was vague and overly brief. But in the end, Caroline failed in her attempts to be pleasant, and that was entirely Klaus' fault.
Klaus knew that it had been a long time since she last fed. So he thought it a good idea to be a right dick about it, apparently. The hybrid was constantly teasing her about breakfast and that she sounded a bit hangry. Yes, she was hungry and angry, damn it.
Apparently having had enough, Stefan intervened. 'In all seriousness Caroline, it's easier to control yourself around humans if you are not starved,' Stefan said finally. Ugh, her friend was siding with Klaus.
But the argument was sound, so the blonde decided to admit defeat. 'Okay, then,' Caroline said with a sigh. 'Let's pull over at the next gas station,'
Caroline's hands tightened around the steering wheel. God, she wished she could wipe that annoying smirk of Klaus' face.
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They felt the morning air on their skin. Stefan was leaning against the car with his hands in his pockets. And Klaus was standing next to her in the parking lot. 'Remember what we spoke about in the car,' Klaus asked, catching her eyes.
Oh yes, Caroline remembered his 'how to vampire' ted talk:
'Lesson 1: Security cameras; Avoid them at all cost. Vampires these days don't have it easy due to constant supervision.
Lesson 2: Act; Pretty little vampires like you have an advantage here. Lure your victim away from the crowd or security cameras.
Lesson 3: Compel your victim to be quiet; You don't want to draw unwanted attention to yourself.
Lesson 4: Don't get lost in the blood lust. Check-in with the human regularly. As Stefan said, it's easier to stop if you are not too hungry.
Lesson 5: Compel the victim to forget what happened. Make up a story if you must.
Lesson 6: Identify your weaknesses. If necessary bring someone else to help you keep control.'
'You mean what 'you' spoke about?' Caroline countered, raising one eyebrow. She hadn't done much speaking. 'I would have taken notes but I was driving.'
'Alright then love. Sounds like you are ready.' Klaus said, smiling at her. It always surprised her how much this ancient vampire tolerated her sass.
Caroline looked around and to be honest, this didn't feel like a good idea. It was busy and there were no places out of sight.
'Maybe a gas station in the brightness of day isn't the best idea,' Caroline said, 'I think we should move on. Because as you said, it's easy to get spotted here. New cars coming in all the time, security cameras everywhere. It's more hassle than it's worth. We will get a better opportunity.'
Klaus nodded approvingly and said, 'That was your first lesson, love. You analysed the situation and didn't take unnecessary risks. When you have a true opportunity for the hunt you will know it. This is not the time,'
Then Klaus threw her and Stefan a blood bag. 'Breakfast,' Klaus said. Life returned to Stefan's face at the sight of it. The younger Salvatore brother seemed both shocked and grateful.
Caroline didn't know what she felt. Klaus had lied about the blood bags, but here he was being genuinely helpful. The blonde was stunned silent.
'We will try again tonight,' Klaus said, winking at her. Caroline could accept that. The blonde gave him a terrible wink in return. Maybe she could accept him.
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I think I also worked around some personal issues in writing this chapter. Like the comfort zone and what it's like to be free. It was healing to write. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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