The stark smell of bleach was overwhelming. Bright lights were blinding even through closed eyelids. An annoying beeping forced her into awareness even though her body and lids felt extremely heavy.
Slowly, Caroline started blinking, desperate to see where she was. As the flashy glare subsided, the woman could catch a glimpse of her surroundings. The room was pristinely clean, the walls a sickly green color and the linens a depressing shade of grey.
A hospital room.
She'd recognize one anywhere after all the years spent as a doctor. Never the patient, though, she could now comprehend how those poor people felt waking into an unknown room with only fragments of how they'd wound up there.
A sting erupted from her hand as she tried to accommodate herself on the bed. An IV line pumping what appeared to be some sort of painkillers and blood into her system and a thin bandage covered her temple.
What had happened?
From what she could discern, her injuries were not life-threatening, at least. The worst that she suffered from was blood loss, she gathered.
Scrunching her brow, Caroline tried to piece together her hazy memories.
New Orleans, she was sure she was in this city.
She'd taken up a job at Rousseau's and was walking back home. Then? What followed? A gasp escaped her lips when everything returned, like a hurricane at the same time.
Someone had attacked her. He'd cut her, was about to rape and kill her when Klaus had intervened with unparalleled and unexplainable rage. Oh my God, he'd almost murdered that man in cold blood.
But hadn't.
Upon her request, he had stopped. Caroline was not naïve enough to believe it had been because of her, but still, that proved that he was not the despicable person he liked others to think he was. She had been right, there was good in there, hidden behind layers of contempt and hatred towards the world.
Out of the blue, the door creaked open. Speak of the devil, Klaus quietly entered the room. For a brief moment, he appeared startled to find curious, forest-green eyes staring at him.
"Hi," Caroline greeted him.
Clumsily, the man nodded at her. It was as if he didn't know what to say. An unexpected sight from someone so confident and poised. He finally settled on abandoning common courtesy and cutting straight to the chase. "How are you feeling, Caroline?"
"All drugged up so I can't really feel much," she sheepishly smiled. "But well enough, considering everything."
Her voice trailed off as she was reminded of being in that alley. At the complete mercy of a psychopath. Bleeding, nearly naked, weeping helplessly. She shuddered at what would have happened.
"You saved me. Thank you."
Never before had she been so sincere in her life. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she'd be dead had it not been for Klaus.
"There's no need to thank me, Caroline," a tightness appeared in his eyes, his voice firm.
The blonde's eyes drifted to his heavily bandaged knuckles. They were tightly clenched in fists, blood already seeping through them. "There is. I wouldn't be breathing now if you hadn't shown up," she argued with no intention of letting this slide. He would accept her gratitude or her name wasn't Caroline Forbes.
"There's a lot you don't know about, Caroline." Things you'll never know, he refrained from adding.
That was no reason not to thank him. He'd risked his life for her and she'd be damned if he would get away with just that poor excuse of an explanation. "So tell me," she innocently added unaware that she was referring to wrecked families, torture, assassins and countless deaths- some that he was responsible for, directly or indirectly.
One shake of the head, made it clear. There would be no revelations today on Klaus's part. His past was a dark place in which he rarely dared to venture and today was not going to be an exception. "There's a police officer waiting to take your statement," swiftly, he'd closed any room Caroline had for further questioning. "Should I tell him to pass or do you wish him to come back after you've properly rested?"
Of course, the police. She had sworn to testify against her assailant after all. To make him pay, like Klaus had perfectly put it. Why the stubbornness in ensuring that man suffered, Caroline did not know, but she would find out eventually. After all, when she put her mind up to a task, it rarely failed, if ever.
Her current state was far from being peachy, but the dreaded talk with the police was unavoidable and it was better to just get it over with. The odds of her feeling up to depict her attack were slim, especially in front of a complete stranger. Letting go and being vulnerable had never been her strong suite. It would be better to do it fast, like ripping off a band aid.
"No, it's fine. Tell him to enter, please."
Klaus did just that without uttering anything else. Shortly after he exited, a tall, uniformed man made his entrance. He commanded respect, but his eyes had a rough edge to them. Undoubtedly, he was a serious man who took his job overly seriously.
"I am Officer Samuel Black, Ma'am and I will be asking you a few questions regarding what transpired last night," his voice was stern and Caroline knew that she was in for a challenging interrogation. What she did not know was why he was adapting this tone with her. After all, she was the victim here.
Not that she longed for sympathy, but his motives behind passive-aggressive behavior were a mystery for her.
"Of course," she tried to be as formal as the policeman.
"Now, Ms. Forbes, I have already taken Mr. Mikaelson's statement, but there are a few things I would like to clarify with you."
Realization dawned on her. Klaus's brutal attack had been borderline illegal and this man appeared to be fishing for something to sink his claws into. Why though, she could not figure out.
"I would be happy to help you, officer," her earnest voice cloaked the insecurity and fear that, rushing to aid her might be used against Klaus.
"I appreciate it. Now, if you could talk me through the night, how it occurred, as specifically as you can."
There was a glint in his maroon that the woman didn't like at all. There was more than met the eye and it had Caroline intrigued. First things first, she had to get him off their back and ensure Klaus's safety. Then, and only then, she will be conducting her own interrogation.
"I was heading home, after my shift at the bar had ended."
Samuel Black couldn't help himself and interrupted straight ahead. "At the bar where you had just spoken to Klaus Mikaelson?"
"Yes, he was my last customer of the night. Now, as I saying, I had just left Rousseau's…"
Once again, she was rudely cut in the middle of the sentence. "At Rousseau's Klaus Mikaleson mentioned he spotted someone looking at you."
"Yes," Caroline got out through gritted teeth, annoyance building with each passing second. "Now, if you would let me finish a phrase I might get there, eventually." She knew that she was quite possibly making things worse, but a headache was building behind her eyes and, to add fuel to fire, the effect of what she assumed to be morphine had started to wear off, making the cuts on her back ache with even the slightest move.
"I apologize, Ms. Forbes, but I just want us to cover all bases," his voice was as false as the smile he got in return from Caroline.
"I understand perfectly, official. The man I presume you have in custody had indeed been spying on us since before the bar closed and started to follow me. Taking advantage of a slight lapse in judgment on my side, he trapped me into a corner where he assaulted me."
Caroline recounted the events with clinical precision, making believe it wasn't her life she was speaking about. A movie was being played back in her mind and she was just the narrator. A technique she'd picked up after her brief psych rotation.
"What happened then? Could you please elaborate?"
Samuel Black was walking a very fine line between filling his job description and assaulting her with a barrage of insensitive questions. Had it been a weaker person, they would have crumbled under the pressure.
But not Caroline.
"I was almost naked, my blouse in tatters, bleeding and unable to fight him off. Rape was imminent, I knew it and was attempting to brace myself for it," remembering all that, however hard she tried brought tears to her eyes. Tears she refused to allow to fall in this man's presence. Precisely for that reason, she fast-forwarded to her rescue. "Before that could happen, Klaus came, took him off me and… ensured that he was no longer a threat."
Hazel eyes narrowed at the last part. This was Caroline's only lie. Leaving out Klaus's vicious attack was proving harder than imagined, though.
"When you say 'ensure he was no longer a threat', does that entail pouncing on him and leaving him barely clinging to life?"
Why did this appear personal? Caroline could not shake off that gut feeling so she added it to the long list of questions awaiting Klaus.
Presuming he didn't get a free ride to prison after this.
"Look, Mr. Black," green seas of anger turned to him. "That man you have in custody tried to kill me. Had it not been for Klaus Mikaelson, I would be long dead. So if what you are trying to ask me is if I think Klaus went overboard and used excessive force on him, then the answer is no. He just did what was needed until you, the police, finally came. If he had chosen to instead hold his breath until you graced us with your coveted presence, we wouldn't be in a hospital, but rather a morgue."
Her outburst appeared to have elicited the wanted effect. Samuel Black was left gaping disbelievingly. Most likely, he hadn't been expecting such ferocity from the woman who'd nearly been butchered in an alley. Tough luck because he hadn't seen nothing yet.
"We came within 10 minutes of the 911 call, Ma'am," he tried to defend.
"Too bad it only takes seconds to slit someone's throat and for them to bleed out."
That piece of truth shook some of his inner confidence, fact made obvious by him biting on his bottom lip, self-consciously. "I see. Two more questions and we'll be done here."
No answer was deemed appropriate, Caroline choosing to save her energy, still feeling quite weak, this heated conversation taking its toll on her.
"Do you happen to know Lucien Castle or Camille O'Connell?"
"Never heard of them before." Now, that was true. The names didn't ring a bell, but she had an idea to whom they might. A wild guess popped inside her head and she had to voice it, "Is this Lucien guy the one who attacked me?"
"Yes, he is," Samuel anticipated her next inquiry. "As of yet we do not know what motive lay behind that act. Lastly, are you familiar with the Mikaelson family?"
Brows furrowed at that phrasing. It was like they were a cult or something. This cop was certainly off his rocker.
"No, the only one I know is Klaus and even him for barely a couple of days. Why?"
"Just covering all of my bases, like I said," he shook it off. "I apologize for interrupting your recovery with my questions, but I can ensure you that Lucien will serve time for what he did to you."
So he did have a sense of justice, after all. Something else, though, made it worth retelling the most horrible night of her life:
He would pay.
Just like she'd promised to Klaus. Caroline hadn't failed. And Klaus was safe because the only witness, save from the accused claimed that Klaus's use of force had been justified and within the law.
"It's no problem, thank you officer. Have a nice day."
He returned her pleasantries and eventually left the hospital room. Caroline heaving out a sigh of relief.
The danger was gone. The battle was won.
What followed was an even harder one. One that she doubted she would prevail in: getting some sort of insight into all of this from Klaus.
Said understanding left itself waited because the next person to cross her threshold was a doctor who'd come to give her a detailed description of her condition which turned out to be just as she'd expected.
Minor slashes that had required twenty stitches and would leave scars, but were in no way life threatening. Ergo, she would be allowed to check out tomorrow morning provided that she took good care of her injuries. Not a problem for a surgeon, she was quick to assure.
Afterwards, hours passed and nobody else came. Judging by it, Klaus had lost interest in her, now that he was positive that she was fine. It saddened her, but she chalked it up to frustration for being denied answers. Soon enough, her body screamed for rest and the woman acquiesced, finding nothing else to occupy her time with.
Images of her attack flashed before her eyes. Only, in her nightmares, the end was different. Either Klaus failed to come in time and she lay on the pavement as Lucien Castle had his way with her or, Klaus couldn't overpower the man, stab wounds burying inside his stomach and throat, black blood glistening in the moonlight as copious amounts of it left his body.
By the time she woke up, heavily breathing from the wretched figments of her morbid imagination, light no longer graced the room, night having taken over. When her eyes accustomed to the dark, a figure could be spotted on the chair in the corner of the room.
Caroline let out a yelp. It brought her back to that dark street. Lucien had come back to finish the job, just like in her dream. Desperate, the woman made to leave the bed, try to run for it, when the silhouette abruptly stood up, hands lifted above his head, in a peaceful sign.
"It's me, Caroline, take it easy, it's just me."
That voice she would never confuse. Klaus Miklaeson was the intruder, not Lucien Castle. Immediately, tightly-wound muscles relaxed, fingers dropping the IV line she had been about to rip off.
"What are you doing at this time of night here? Visiting hours are long gone," the woman accused. Truthfully, she wasn't mad that he was here, rather on the fact that he'd seen her show fear. It was an image she'd always shielded herself against projecting. Always strong, fearless, invincible, never weak, terrified or suffering- that was the Caroline everybody knew. And she'd unwillingly shown Klaus Mikaelson of all people the other side of her.
Now that she stopped to think about it, had Klaus been watching her sleep? Had he been guarding her?
No, that was impossible and pointless since the man who'd wanted her dead was in police custody facing years of imprisonment.
"I thought I'd check on you; see how you fare after everything."
Damn, she couldn't pretend not to be affected in the slightest by the incident with Lucien. Not after he'd been given a sample of genuine fright on her part.
"I…" she stumbled on the right words, the lie getting stuck inside her mouth. "Honestly, I've been better."
"I apologize for what happened to you," just like that he said words that the blonde had never even thought remotely possible for him to possess in his vocabulary. And they hadn't been needed.
"It wasn't your fault, there's no reason for you to apologize."
A clench of the jaw and it appeared obvious that Klaus wished to argue with her. But Caroline didn't feel up to it. Getting into a row at such a late hour after her last day didn't appeal at all to her. To make matters worse, even her sleep had to be haunted by flashbacks and distorted versions of the events.
"The policeman had questions about you," she chose to change the subject.
An eyebrow lifted, the corners of his eyes wrinkling- minuscule tells. "What did he want to know?"
"He had his doubts about whether you used excessive force on Lucien when you saved me." That was a light way to put it. Samuel Black had gone all out on Klaus, vying to catch him red-handed, but to his disappointment, Caroline hadn't been willing to play ball.
"And what did you tell him?"
To her surprise, he didn't seem particularly affected. The prospect of serving time left him cold, as if it was a walk in the park. That served to puzzle her further in regards to who Klaus Mikaelson really was. A conflicting portrait had been building ever since their first encounter in Mystic Falls and up until now. A paradox is what he appeared to be, always more than met the eye.
"I told him that what you did was justified and that you never overstepped any legal boundaries."
If she were honest, Klaus appeared quite surprised that she'd chosen to protect him. Had he expected her to rat him out after everything he'd done?
"I see. Thank you, Caroline."
With a flick of the hand, the blonde shook off the need for such a thing. In the grand scheme of things, what she'd done was meager and insignificant. Still, there were a few questions that had etched themselves into her brain and refused to leave. Since going to back to sleep, to the realm of monsters, was a far-fetched possibility for tonight, she chose to try to clarify some of them with Klaus.
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
Now that had him tense. For the first time, Klaus hesitated in front of Caroline as he weighed down her request. Clearly, he was a very private man and agreeing to answer to what must feel like a stranger's inquiries was not something he usually did. "You don't have to answer any of them if you don't want to," she rushed to assure, not that she had any doubts that he would've done just that even without her telling him.
In the end, he nodded and dragged his chair closer to her bed, preparing for her queries. The fact that he believed he had to stand down worried Caroline. What can of worms was she about to open up?
"Did you know Lucien Castle before?" that had been her first impression of the two and she was rarely wrong with these things.
"Yes," he confirmed her doubts.
To say his admission rattled her was an understatement. Could Klaus be the man Lucien had been referring to? And if he was, what did he have to pay for? So many more question marks rose after this one confirmation.
"How?" was the simple one that followed suit, encompassing some of her other curiosities.
Mercury orbs turned away from her. His shoulders slacked. Lips formed a tight line. Together, they helped pencil the portrait of a man venturing down a sad lane of memories.
"Were you friends?" she dared to add after an eternity of quiet, effectively snapping him back to reality.
"It's a long story and I'd rather not speak of it now," Klaus sighed, rejecting to share what had soured his mood, but reconsidered and ventured another whispered sentence. "We were, a long time ago."
Glazed over eyes finally looked at her. Sadness swam in them. Silently, they were asking her not to pursue this line of inquiry. So she didn't.
"What about your family? The police officer asked me if I knew them too."
An even stronger reaction was elicited at the mention of his relatives. Hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms, he appeared ready to fight whoever came into view. It was an even more murderous look than the one he'd given Lucien. Whatever it was that he was remembering, or whomever, Caroline pitied them.
Having the rage of a man like Klaus directed at you was like a sword hanging over your head. You never knew when it would come down, but it was doubtless that your days were counted.
"Did he tell you anything more?" narrowed eyes and gritted teeth united to form the picture of a deadly man.
This was starting to get a little bit scary for the blonde. However much she wished to believe he wouldn't hurt her, she barely knew him for two days. To be certain that she was safe in his presence would be foolish, but a huge part of her screamed that as long as he was near she was safe.
"No, just if I'd met or heard of them." His entire body relaxed and he appeared…relieved. Why was he so relieved? "Why? Should he have told me anything else?"
Another brief second of hesitation. Alarm bells rang in Caroline's mind.
"No. Me and my family are…estranged."
A family that had gone their separate ways. That didn't seem to be a good enough reason to awake such a reaction. For God's sake, Caroline, he saved you, complained her inner self.
And that combined with the sorrow hidden not that well at the word family, the woman chose to give him the benefit of the doubt. Everybody deserved it.
So she didn't push the subject, instead jumping on to the final question. "Who is Camille O'Connell?"
At the mention of the name, the man winced, stood up, shoulders sagging and turned his back to her. For a long time, Caroline was sure that he wouldn't answer anything. The pure grief emanating from every pore of his body was enough to guarantee her muteness.
A sign of respect towards his clear melancholy.
"She was a friend. A very good friend," by the time his voice worked again, Caroline had altogether given up on receiving anything in regards to this Camille woman. Like his family, they appear taboo topics.
Was.
The word echoed strongly. Past tense.
"Is she," she bit her lip. "Is she dead?"
"Yes," voice filled to the brim with raw emotion.
Caroline wished to ask whether Camille was the one Lucien kept rambling about. Or if she was the one who'd been compared to Caroline and who had, in Lucien's sick and twisted mind come second. "I'm terribly sorry," is what came out instead
A hand rested against the wall as Klaus, ignoring her lamentation, tried to gather himself. Not one, or two, but the only three matters in the world that could affect him and Caroline had tackled them all throughout half an hour.
Not able to withstand someone's condolences, all Klaus longed to do was flee. Crawl up in a hole where nobody would ever find him. That way no one else would suffer the consequences of being near him. Unfortunately, he could not do that. His moral compass, small and rusty, refused to permit it.
Being mentioned in public records alongside him was a surefire way to get hurt. Her light, the light that still shone brightly enough to blind him, would not be snuffed out by his past mistakes.
When he felt steady enough, his voice no longer in danger of breaking, he turned to look at her. There had been enough revelations for the night. Dwelling on the past helped no one; instead one must focus on the future. "I spoke with your doctor. They are releasing you tomorrow. Have you made any arrangements to go back to Mystic Falls?"
That was a presumptuous question that had effectively derailed her from pursuing the Camille line of enquiry. Who had said anything about going back to her hometown just yet?
"I'm not going to Mystic Falls, yet. I promised Melanie I would stay for two weeks and I don't go back on my promises, ever."
A spark of admiration lit at her resilience and honesty. Here she was, in a hospital bed, having just received a transfusion after being ruthlessly assaulted and she still cared about the oath made to a stranger on a drunken night.
"Rousseau's been taken care of," was a lie that easily slipped through his lips. Actually, a few phone calls were all that stood between the position at Rousseau's being filled. A quest he would get to first thing in the morning. Protests were awakening in fiery emerald eyes. "I've spoken to Melanie and she agrees completely," another lie that would become true in a few hours' time.
"Even then, I can't go back to Mystic Falls, I have a wedding to attend." Her complaints weren't really based on reality. The ceremony would take place in nearly two weeks, which gave plenty of time return to her hometown, but something was holding her back.
Being back in the real world. With the people who knew her perfectly and would see straight through her imaginary boyfriend. She would become their amusement. A wedding was a more controlled environment for her first meeting with the astonishing couple.
"You could go there earlier, live in that resort in the Caribbean." he suggested clearly in a hurry to get her out of his city.
"It's in Malibu," she corrected habitually. "And I don't want to be the first there and then have to face the prospect of everyone pitying me for having made-up a boyfriend."
Pensively, all of the options weighed carefully, he finally spoke. "I'll come with you to Mystic Falls, be your pretend boyfriend like you first proposed to me. All I ask is that you leave New Orleans straight away."
He'd go with her? Caroline could not believe it.
What she'd chalked up as a bad cause, proved quite doable. All she had to do was go and nearly get killed. Also, there was more than Klaus was letting on. Why the need for her to depart so soon? Why the desperation that ensured that he volunteered to her stupid plan?
"You'd really do that?" she had to ask again, to make sure she'd understood right.
"I will, Caroline."
After the sincerity lodged within his eyes, Caroline accepted. It was the situation that gave the most benefits in the long run. So she agreed. The tall, muscular figured bid her good-night, hand on the knob, door slightly creaked, when the woman found another question.
One that appeared even more important in the grand scheme of things.
"Who are you running from? Who do you think you're protecting me from?"
Klaus remained turned, but the metal shook under his hand, bending in three places, but he did not gaze at her again.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline. Don't worry about the flight details, I'll handle them."
Enigmatic, as usually, Klaus abandoned her in the grasp of the night, prisoner to flashbacks, but also to her imagination who would not stop the crazy scenarios.
I really hope I'm making the right choice here, was her last thought before choosing to crumble to sleep, having increased her dose of painkillers, to make her numb to all sorts of dreams.
Unbeknown to her, the dice had already been thrown.
A very dark figure got closer and closer to her and Klaus. A silhouette that yearned for death or for blood to be spilled.
And it would be, Caroline will learn that the following hellish weeks.
Peace was coming to an end.
The war that was brewing was only just becoming, with its key combatants being in the process of choosing their companions.
So far, Klaus had only one in his box: Caroline.
All he hoped was that she wouldn't run away when she heard of his past.
