When Klaus had decided to come back to Caroline following Rebekah's angry phone call, he had braced himself for this moment. He'd known it would eventually come and he had honestly thought he was prepared for it.
Now, when actually faced with it, Klaus found a lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow back regardless of how hard he tried.
With her words Caroline had cracked open the door he'd kept under lock and key for so long. The cage that had held captive all those dark memories had been unlocked and they were slowly overwhelming him. There had been a reason why he'd never discussed them: his sanity.
He didn't know if the little shards that still remained wouldn't shatter beyond repair and leave him even more broken. If that was humanly possible.
However, backing down was not an option when those honest, green eyes continued to expectantly stare at him. There was no way he was letting her down again. So, although it might tear him apart, he would open up to her because she was worthy of that and so much more.
Apparently sensing the man's inner turmoil, Caroline remained quiet, taking in Klaus's slightly ragged breathing and the way he clenched and unclenched his fists so tightly that she was sure he'd nearly drawn blood.
Seeing the effect it had on him, the blonde was close to telling him not to say another word, her heart aching alongside his, but she couldn't. She needed- no, she deserved- an explanation and not even her feelings could sway her conviction.
"We…" Klaus cleared his throat, cringing with how raw his voice had sounded. "It's quite a long story. We should sit down."
"Okay," Caroline wordlessly followed him to his previous spot, underneath a slightly welted oak tree, knowing he was stalling, but letting it slide. She understood how hard this was for Klaus and the one thing she would not do was push him past his limits. No, Caroline will let him take his time, even if it meant they had to spend the entire night on the hard ground in this cold cemetery that she greatly despised for it held a dear part of her heart.
While he was still gathering himself, the doctor risked a glance at her mother's nearby tomb.
It was more fitting than she could believe that the only witness to Klaus's confessions would be her mother seeing as she was the one who'd convinced Caroline to give him a chance to explain.
Thinking of Liz was still so hard and the woman felt the familiar prickling of tears, but then she remembered that her mother was still by her side and would always be even if she couldn't see her.
Up in the stars shining above.
Beside her in the warm wind engulfing her in the loneliest times, proving comfort and support.
Her guardian angel.
"I guess it started before I was even born," Klaus surprised her by speaking aloud, his voice strong and confident as a humorless chuckle escaped his lips. Sharp emeralds turned to look at him only to find his posture anything but those two adjectives. His muscles were tightly wound, eyes narrowed as he stared into the distance, almost entirely turned away from her. Still, he must have sensed her confusion for he elaborated. "Mikael's- my father's- hatred for me. Now, I can understand some of it, I guess, but when I was young I never could. I never could grasp why he despised me so much when all I wanted was for him to love me at least half as much as he did my other siblings. And I really, really tried to be a good kid that he could be proud of. Until I realized that it would simply never come to pass."
Klaus had only started, but Caroline already felt her heart breaking for the young, sandy-haired boy longing for his father's approval. Images of yearning blue eyes flashed before her and she could not shake off the picture of those honest, eager orbs filling with tears that spilled down porcelain, rosy cheeks as the light inside them was slowly extinguished.
"I'm not telling you this to earn your pity, Caroline," Klaus sternly added as if reading her thoughts. "It's just… necessary context. Anyway, years passed and his ire only grew stronger, the differences between me and my brothers only more obvious with the passage of time."
"Did- did he…" her tongue stumbled on the words.
"No, he didn't beat me," Klaus spared her, almost as if he'd read her mind. "At least no more than a normal parent would."
Caroline wanted to scream at him that a 'normal' father did not abuse his children but she did not for fear that it would make him shut off.
"As I've told you before, most of my family are not good people, myself included," self-hatred laced his voice. "But Mikael, he was the worst. You see, tradition in our household- imposed by the patriarch, of course- stated that once a child was of appropriate age he would join the family business."
The way he spat the last two words out sent a shiver down her spine. They were like a sharp blade that cut through everything standing in its way. Slowly, they were starting to gnaw at her heart too.
"I saw what it did to my elder brothers so when my turn came I said no. From that moment it was like I did not exist for my father. A pariah. We didn't even speak with each other and every single night I could hear my mother's pained cries as she paid for my refusal and I didn't interfere because deep down I knew I would only be making it worse. I just kept my head down and endured. Until Henrik's- my younger brother's- birthday came."
Caroline was already hating this story and despising Mikael for having destroyed Klaus. She couldn't even imagine growing up with the shadow of your father's loathing looming over you. It wasn't right and she wanted to go and find this despicable man and give him a piece of her mind. How could he have hurt his own child so much? Better yet, how could anyone hurt a child?
"Mikael's idea of an ideal present was an invitation to join his business. I couldn't allow that to happen. You see, Henrik was pure, innocent, unsoiled by the world and he deserved a chance to live out his dreams." Caroline knew where this was headed. She knew before he bitterly uttered the words. "So I made a deal with Mikael and joined in Henrik's stead, promising to never deny him anything he demanded of me."
A sharp intake of air was the only proof of just how much it hurt Klaus to delve into these memories, but if she stopped him now, Caroline knew that she would never get the truth and she needed it. She needed it more than she'd needed anything in a long time. She needed to know that the man she loved was not a cold-blooded monster.
"What," she choked on her words. "What was this business?"
Tortured sapphires turned to look at her for the first time and such anguish was swimming within that Caroline could feel it bleed into her as well.
"A criminal empire," he stoically said, but Caroline had already guessed that much. "Laundering money, bribing cops, arson, selling weapons to gangs and terrorists, you name it and we did it. I did it."
Not averting his eyes, Klaus allowed her a glimpse into his soul and all she could find were ruins, broken pieces that she wasn't sure anybody could glue back together. Yet, his posture remained stoic, voice not giving anything away.
"You see, I couldn't say no. I had promised and the second I went back on the promise, Henrik would be pulled into Mikael's- our- world and it would have all been in vain. So I became his bloodhound. A brainless, ruthless puppet at his beck and call. But that wasn't the worst part."
The woman shuddered at how cold he sounded. Like he was just a robot mechanically telling a story. Not even a muscle twitched, but his eyes screamed. They screamed of unimaginable pain and suffering endured for the sake of a loved one. This man who would shout at the sky that he was a selfish monster was probably more selfless than anyone she'd met. He'd sacrificed his soul for his brother.
"The worst part was that I was good at it. I was the best," and the self-loathing was back, stronger than ever.
Turning away from her again, Klaus relayed the events of when he'd been forced to kill somebody for the first time. And she listened with silent tears streaming down her face as she envisioned the scene. She was, in fact, in love with a murderer, but it hadn't been by choice. He had fought against it, but life had continued to pull him in that direction. He'd done it to protect his brother and that didn't excuse his actions, but it gave them context.
She could understand. Not condone, obviously, but understand that he'd been caught in a whirlwind and had done his best not to ensure his own survival, but that of the ones he held dear.
"So Stefan was telling the truth, I did kill people," Klaus told her through gritted teeth. "After that night I killed four more persons," his features morphed into pure suffering as his fist tightened around his thigh, probably leaving bruises in its wake. "And I remember each and every one of their faces. They're my own personal ghosts, the last thing I see before I fall asleep and the first thing every morning."
"Klaus, I…" she searched for the right words, but found herself tongue-tied like never before.
"I'm not done yet," his tone left no room for arguing and shortly afterwards he continued, telling her about an assignment to murder a police officer and how it had felt wrong from the get-go. By the time he relayed how he'd seen the little girl who reminded him of his younger siblings and how he'd let the entire family go, Caroline knew that the good she'd seen in him had been real.
It hadn't been an illusion she'd created, but a genuine reflection of who Klaus Mikaelson really was. She also hated Mikael and Finn passionately because how could someone do this to their own kin? How could they force him down this path knowing it would break him?
"I knew I had signed my death warrant, but I still hoped I could stop Mikael from making a show out of it in front of my family and from pulling Henrik into his dark affairs. But I couldn't do that either. I was useless."
And the events from that fateful night stumbled out of his mouth; the only emotion he let on was when he described his moments alone with his siblings. Dilated pupils almost entirely encompassed his irises making his eyes seem obsidian. A fitting color for the abominations leaving his mouth. Mikael wasn't his father. Sure, that explained a lot, but it could not ever justify why he'd tortured him. The young boy who'd been raised in his household. An innocent child who did not deserve to pay for his mother's adultery.
How could anyone be capable of causing so much pain?
As Klaus recounted how he'd been burned with a cigarette, Caroline was reminded of the scars scattered all over his torso and felt herself break even more. By the time he told her how he'd urged Henrik to just shoot him and put an end to his misery, Caroline was openly sobbing.
The man standing before her had been through hell and back. Sure, he'd shortly been one of the devil's demons, but God had he paid for it. Warm rivulets cascaded down her cheeks as her breath hitched as he recalled unsteady hands missing the shot.
"Sometimes I wish he would have killed me. Maybe then he'd still be alive."
Two sentences.
That was all he said, but it effectively cut off her air supply. He sounded so genuine, so repentant to still be alive that Caroline could not help taking his hand in hers and clutching it tightly to her chest as it heaved with whimpers. She hoped that he would feel how her heart thumped at his confessions, hoped he would feel how it slowly broke apart for him and all he'd endured at the mercy of a psychopath. Most of all, she hoped it would convey all the words that were stuck in her throat. All of the feelings simmering beneath the surface that refused to come to light.
"Don't ever say that again, Klaus. Never. Don't even think of it." The few words that she did utter sounded pitiful to her own ears, but it was all she could muster up and she hoped the man would somehow be able to read between the lines.
I don't want you to die. I want you to stay with me.
When he stared at her with wide, disbelieving pools of stormy sky, Caroline knew that he'd understood her and saw the first hint of tears. They were threatening to come pouring out, but he blinked them away, rested his head on the tree and, closing his eyes, he continued his story, face twisted up as if it physically pained him to go on.
However, he did not pull his hand away, drawing strength from the woman who still hadn't left his side even after he'd told her just how much of a monster he was.
The more words rolled down his tongue, the more Caroline felt her heart shatter. Aurora's death left her speechless, unable to comprehend how one person could have been through so much and still remain sane. How could he shoulder so much undeserved guilt and still get out of bed in the morning. Now, she could understand why he drank, she could understand why he'd tried to choke her in his sleep, she could even understand why he was so cold and guarded.
Hell, her mother's death had nearly destroyed her, leaving her emotionless and unable to cope with it any way other than completely shutting down. Had she been through a quarter of what this man had endured, Caroline was sure she would have been long committed to a mental institution. If she hadn't committed suicide before. Which was something that Caroline feared asking about because a part of her already suspected what the answer would be.
It was etched in the disgust with which he spoke of himself. The contempt with which he addressed his survival.
When he informed her that with their escape he wasn't done, Caroline honestly wanted to make him stop because she was unable to take anymore, but one look at him and she couldn't. She would bet her life that he'd never spoken about those things with anyone and, like it or not, it probably helped him to get them off his chest so she steeled herself and listened intently to the remainder of the story, forcing herself not to crumble.
War.
He'd gone to war to try and right his wrongs. And if that didn't show his true character, Caroline didn't know what would. Talking about his and Henrik's capture was so hard that he had to take a moment to gather himsef.
This was the second time he'd been tortured but it seemed like the blows were the easiest part to talk about. They barely made a dent in his walls, but when he spoke about the terrorists laying a hand on his brother, Caroline felt a tremor wreck his body, so she squeezed harder, hoping it would somehow help.
Henrik's death was the final nail in her coffin and even the small semblance of self-control she'd kept so far was vanquished the second she saw the first tears escape his red-rimmed eyes as not even Klaus could reign in that much suffering.
Furrowing his eyebrows and pursing his lips, Klaus bit down on the inside of his cheek until the metallic taste of blood enveloped him. At least it helped overcome the bile that had been present throughout his story.
"Before I could bleed out, they rescued me," he scrunched his nose and forced himself not to succumb to his desire to just curl up in a ball and cry. He even refused to acknowledge the tears rolling down his face, closing his eyes and hoping it would stem the flow. "They rescued me so I could witness my last remaining friend die while I survived. I always survive. Who knows? Maybe that's my divine punishment. Poetic justice…watching innocent people die in front of me while I am powerless to stop it. If it is, God has a really sick sense of justice."
He didn't have to say another word for Caroline to know what he felt. She knew that he blamed himself. And it wasn't fair. He'd done all and more than a human being could do for his brother. Sure, in the end it hadn't been enough, but he couldn't take that responsibility. It was not fair.
The worst part was that she did not know how to get through to him. How to make him see that he was not responsible for his family's heinous acts and that he'd more than paid for his sins.
To think that she'd shut him out without an explanation, trusting Stefan blindly after everything he'd done to her intensified her bleeding. She was still searching for words, but her voice was completely failing her and the best she'd managed was to stop the incessant flow of tears.
However, she must have been quiet for too long and Klaus must have mistaken her stunned silence for rejection for he pulled his hand away from her grasp and violently removed all traces of tears from his cheeks, standing up and hissing at the popping sound of his knees.
"I understand that you want nothing to do with me anymore, Caroline. I expected it…" anguish once again tore through his cold exterior, making room for the hurt young man who'd been forced to grow up too soon. "I'm truly sorry I dragged you into my world and I hope you can, someday, forgive me for having hidden just how much of a monster I truly am and allowed you to get this close to such a despicable being."
By the time the surgeon had processed Klaus's words and understood that it had been his goodbye, Caroline bolted up, staring at the figure who was deftly navigating through tomb stones, clearly in a rush to get away from the cemetery.
Right then and there her head was a mess, thoughts running wildly around it along with images she wished she could block out and words that she wished she could unhear. If anybody had asked her, she wasn't sure she could even voice her name aloud, but there was one thing she was sure of:
There was no way Klaus was walking away from her again.
She'd tried to face the world falling apart around her without him and it had nearly swallowed her up. She needed Klaus. She loved him. That was the first time she could admit it to herself without feeling sick to her stomach, like she was betraying everything she stood for and the values her mother had taught her.
She loved him and he wasn't a psychopath. He was nowhere near that and she had to find a way to make him see it. See himself through her eyes and find that he was someone worthy of love. Worthy of being loved.
And that would never happen if she allowed him to leave right now because she was sure she would never find him again.
So she started running, cursing at her stupid dress and high-heels over which she kept tripping.
Screw it, she thought before tossing her shoes to the side and breaking into the fastest sprint her body would allow, damning herself for not having gone to the damned gym lately. Soon her lungs were burning and her muscles had started to cramp, but she'd managed to close the distance between them. Caroline tried to yell at him to stop, but all that came out was a hoarse croak while her mouth struggled to take in as much oxygen as possible.
"Stop!" she did manage to get out once she was within 50 meters of him, but not halting her run in case he did not heed her command. Klaus Mikaelson was quite headstrong, after all. "Just stop," she panted and finally managed to wrap her manicured nails around his cotton t-shirt. Through the thin fabric, she could feel the rippling of his muscles as she touched his back. Tense and ready to erupt with tension.
"You don't get to walk away from me that easily, Klaus Mikaelson."
Stunned, the man immediately turned around, mouth hanging open as he took in the woman who'd chased after him. Crimson cheeks, tousled hair, narrowed eyes and mouth wide open, sucking in precious air. Intense green eyes clashed with confused ocean ones and the man could not believe the myriad of emotions swimming in the pools of mercurial emerald. He had to avert his gaze as to not get his hopes up.
There was no way he was reading them right. No way after all he'd confessed.
The moment his eyes dropped to the ground, he took in her dirty feet, grass stains scattered all the way to her ankles.
"Wha- why?"
Did she follow him so she could tell him in person how horrible of a person he was? Because although she'd cried with him at his story, he knew she hadn't cried for him, but rather for the innocent people who'd been hurt by despicable beings like himself. He'd read the revulsion on her face and it had been more than his already flayed heart could take so he'd run before she could voice it, but apparently she wanted to anyway.
"You still can't see it, do you?" Caroline incredulously asks.
"See what?"
What game was she playing with him? He only hoped it was quick because he didn't know how much longer he could take. The sorry state of his soul could only endure so much.
"You are such a fool, Klaus."
There it goes, the man recoils at the word Mikael had used on him countless times. Although it lacked the usual ire, it still stung to hear Caroline say it.
Not missing his minute flinch, the blonde wondered what she'd said wrong, but there was no time to dwell on it. She had to do something before Klaus slipped through her fingertips for good. Yet words seemed to let her down around him most of the time.
Well, actions did speak louder than words.
At least she hoped they did, because otherwise she was screwed.
Gently cupping his cheeks, like he was one of Liz's beloved, antique fine china between her clammy palms, Caroline forced him to look into her eyes. Forced him to see the acceptance behind them. To see the concern and desire to somehow help him hurt less. To see the love she laced them with.
Still, it didn't seem to really register with him for he tried to pull away, put distance between them once more. In one swift move he'd shut his eyes and effectively closed himself off from her. She couldn't allow it.
Desperation seeped into her bones when she realized that nothing she was doing was helping her cause. Deep down she knew that words wouldn't quite reach him. Not when the belief that he was to blame for all of those deaths was so deeply engrained into his brain. Throwing caution to the wind, she did the only thing she hoped would get her point across.
She kissed him.
Tentatively, her lips barely brushing over his, bracing herself for his rejection, stomping her feet well into the ground in case he pushed her away. But he did no such thing. It was like he was a statue, motionless, eyes wide open while his brain wrapped around the idea that Caroline Forbes was kissing him.
He'd told her all of his wretched life and she was still kissing him. Why he could not understand, but he could not deny the ripple of electricity that coursed through his veins, nor the way his heart fluttered at having her soft lips flush against him.
Unbeknownst to him, she was feeling that and even more. It was their first real kiss, with everything on the table. No secrets creating a precipice between them. Caroline had taken care of jumping over and Klaus was there to catch her. He would always be there, as long as she'd allow it.
Slowly, as if afraid it would shatter the moment, he started to respond, leaning into her, hesitant fingers stroking her neck and tangling into her hair. Her body molded perfectly to his and he could feel her go soft into his embrace, surrendering herself to him entirely.
It spoke volumes of the trust she somehow held for him and he deepened the kiss, for fear that once they pulled away she would realize what a mistake she was making. As his tongue started to taste her plump lips, begging for entrance that she granted immediately, Klaus felt his body catch fire. His heart was thrumming inside his chest and the fingers stroking her neck announced that she was feeling quite the same.
As their bodies melded together so did their hearts, beating in perfect synch, both of their souls bare in front of the other, feelings no longer hidden. Under her touches Klaus felt himself come alive for the first time in years.
Mikael. Finn. Even Henrik and Marcel.
They were all muted. Background noise as his demons no longer fought to take over him.
In that moment he belonged to Caroline Forbes. All he was, all that had remained of him was hers.
When they finally had to pull away to gulp down some oxygen, Caroline surprised him even more by not letting go of his face. Instead, she tightened her grip on him, coming closer until he could feel her hot breath ghost over his skin.
"I love you, Klaus Mikaelson," she whispered as if afraid to scare him off. "I think I've loved you for quite some time, but I couldn't even admit it to myself until now. I love you," she repeated after seeing his shocked expression.
Nobody had told Klaus they loved him in such a long time that he'd forgotten how it felt like. However, he was sure that it had never felt this strong before. It was like somebody had, in one swift motion, taken down all of the shackles around his heart. He felt vulnerable, exposed, but in front of Caroline he did not mind.
No, he reveled in it, loving the way he felt significantly lighter, freer under her touch. The kind, unassuming, loving touch that he did not deserve. Lord, he wanted to say it back to her, tell her just how much she meant to him, but he couldn't.
Everyone he loved had died in his arms and uttering those words to Caroline felt like a death sentence and he'd refused to say those words in months, resenting them. He resented the aftermath and he just couldn't risk it with Caroline.
Not when she was the purest thing that had happened to him in such a long time. Those words were dangerous, evil, cursed when they came out of his mouth.
"I…"his mind searched for something- anything- to say back to her.
As always, aware of the battle raging inside Klaus, the blonde placed her index finger atop his lips, sealing them.
"You don't have to say them back. That's not why I said them. I just…" she bit her lip. "I needed you to know how I feel. I needed you to know that you deserve love and that I am willing to prove that to you every single day, if you'll just let me."
"Caroline," it broke his heart to say this, but he had to. She had to know what she was getting into. She had to know how dangerous being next to him was. "I don't deserve you. Not after everything I've done and you certainly don't deserve a broken, tortured excuse of a man by your side. You deserve the world and I can't give that to you. Not when merely waking up in the morning is a struggle for me."
"Then I'll fight right by your side and be there to remind you that you've won every single morning. Besides, you do deserve it, because in spite of all you've been put through, there is still a good person hidden behind that cold façade. "
"That's not true," he shields his face away from her. "Mikael killed all the good in me when he forced me to pull that trigger."
"No, he did not. I am sure of it."
"How can you still say that?" his voice wavered and a slight glimmer appeared in his tormented eyes.
"Because I've witnessed it countless times. You saved me…"
"After putting you in danger by being next to you," he cut her off, disdain seeping into his words. "I still am, even as we speak."
"Maybe, but you also protected me and I know you will continue to do so. You taught a little girl you didn't even know how to swim. You came with me to Mystic Falls and endured Stefan's…."
"Don't talk to me about Stefan ever again!" he could not help exclaiming, loathing the sound of his name coming out of her pure lips. He was a murderer and Caroline was the only reason why he hadn't killed him. His blood started to boil again only at the remainder of what his former friend had been capable of doing.
"You still haven't told me everything, have you?" hurt made its way to Caroline's features and he couldn't keep it a secret anymore. He couldn't hide anything from her anymore. It wasn't fair, especially after she'd opened up her heart and told him that she loved him.
Therefore, he told her about Camille, watching as her face crumpled at the realization that her ex fiancée also had innocent blood on his hands. It was almost like she was a magnet for damaged guys, wasn't she? Yet that wasn't the thing her brain chose to focus on. Camille was.
The woman that Klaus spoke of so fondly and so regretfully. She could still remember how crazed with vengeance he'd been towards Lucien and there was only one reason why a man would act like that.
"You loved her," she mumbles, eyes downcast as she inhales deeply. It wasn't a question but he finds himself shrugging as an answer.
Not like I feel for you, he truly wants to say, but something continues to hold him back. He could not say those words and put her in jeopardy.
"I'm really sorry for your loss," she genuinely speaks, although her heart breaks knowing that he had loved Camille even though he doesn't appear to be able to love her back.
Maybe with time, she tries to reassure herself and keep the hurt from showing on her face, but like always he sees straight through her mask, narrowing his eyes at the fake attempt of a smile as she steps back from him.
Klaus will not allow the distance though. Not when he knows he'd unintentionally caused her pain. Her- Caroline- the woman who'd been willing to forgive everything he'd done. The woman who'd brought him back to life. Nobody could compare to her. Nobody could measure up to the gifts she'd given him. He could never hurt her. Sighing, he grabs a hold of her wrist, gentle, but tight enough to ensure she will not be able to pull away if she wants to. She doesn't though, her muscles going lax in his fingers.
"Camille…it wasn't…with you it's different, I…," he stumbles on his words, clenching his jaw in frustration at his mouth refusing to cooperate with his heart.
"It's fine. You don't have to explain anything to me, Klaus," she smiles, but it's tainted by sadness. "But I do need you to promise me one thing, though."
"Anything," he breathlessly responds knowing it's true.
"Promise me that I'm not a replacement for Camille. That you're not just looking for someone to fill in her gap because even if I love you, I can't be that person. I can't."
Munching on her bottom lip, Caroline wills herself not to cry as she awaits an answer that could either make or break her. The longer the silence stretches on, the longer she feels her heart shatter and she hates it since she knows that this time it will not be mended that easily. This time was different and she'd fallen so much deeper and harder. However, her self-respect would never allow her to be nothing more than a rebound. Not even for Klaus.
She refused to be that woman.
"Never," one word breathed life into her frozen self. "You are so, so much more than that to me, Caroline," the man shook his head, determinedly going on. "After Camille was murdered I thought I would not ever feel that much for a person again. I was frozen, bitterly searching for revenge hoping it would somehow ease the pain. Yet I was empty, so empty until a demanding, stubborn blonde forced her way into my life and refused to leave regardless of how hard I pushed her away."
Heart fluttering at his words, Caroline leaned into for another kiss and was incredibly surprised when he met her halfway, both surrendering entirely to the passion, tasting every inch of the other's mouth and ministering soft, reassuring touches. Klaus was the one who pulled away, but this time he did not put distance between them, whispering in her ear, "Now I don't ever want her to leave my side."
Although it might not have been the most romantic declaration or the clearest one, it was enough for Caroline. She knew him enough to know this was monumental and that it was the best this hurt man could offer right now. And she'd take it because even if he hadn't said it, she'd felt that he reciprocated her feelings. He'd poured his heart out in that kiss.
"She won't," she reassured in the same quiet tone, as if afraid that raising her voice would shatter the moment or ruin the magic engulfing them. "As long as you promise not to fade away either."
"I swear," he vowed, looking straight into her eyes to emphasize just how sincere he was. Then, under the moon's slanted light and the stars' protection, they sealed the deal with a gentle peck on the lips. It wasn't like their previous one when their insides had almost spontaneously combusted from the heat awakened within. This one was soft, sweet and everything Caroline hadn't thought Klaus could be.
On his side, Klaus felt lighter than he had in years. Like a horrible weight that had been crushing him had slowly been lifted and left him yearning for more. Yearning to feel Caroline's skin linger on his, to taste her plump lips and drown himself in her jasmine perfume. He wanted the woman to touch each and every inch of him and clean him of all the disgusting grime and soil working with Mikael had left.
He wanted her to teach him how to feel again because maybe he actually could allow himself this much. It would be what Henrik and Marcel would have wanted and with Lucien in prison and no sign of Finn or Mikael perhaps he actually could start anew with the outstanding woman willing to take him in and make him a human being again.
One thing was certain: he would try.
"I will always be by your side if you want me to, Caroline. Always and forever," and those family words felt as real with Caroline as they did with his siblings.
"In that case, I guess we'll never part," she jokingly added, but meant every single word and they knew it.
Then, hand in hand, for the first time as real lovers, they silently made their way through a sleeping Mystic Falls towards Caroline's apartment, both exhausted and desperate for some rest, enveloped in each other's arms hoping their embrace would keep nightmares at bay. Nightmares that had also graced Caroline lately and for which she hadn't yet found a cure. And she didn't even dare think of Klaus's night terrors for they still left a bitter taste in her mouth, still feeling a phantom chokehold cutting off her air supply.
It was so quaint, the small town's empty streets seeming unreal after New Orleans' hustle and bustle. Yet, Klaus did not feel right. The second they'd entered the main street, the hairs on the back of his head had stood up and he'd gotten the distinct feeling that somebody was watching him. He'd shaken it off as being jittery after relieving his past, but had picked up his pace nonetheless, protectively tightening his grip on the unassuming woman, casting worried glances around, but coming up empty.
He was probably being paranoid, but he still hurried even further when the bad feeling only amplified, his instincts screaming that he was not seeing something important. Truthfully, while in Caroline's presence his guard had been lower than ever and a man with a literal army of criminals on his heels could not afford to slip up.
Not when it could cost not only his life, but that of the woman he desperately longed to keep safe, nurture and never abandon.
By the time they reached her apartment building Klaus was ready to explode, dread having formed a pit in his stomach which was slowly easing away as they stepped through the door and into the elevator. It had all been in his head, after all, thank God.
"Are you alright?" the woman asked, having noted her boyfriend's anxiety.
"Yeah, I…" he did not get to finish for the second the chrome door opened his eyes caught sight of something that did not belong in that hallway.
A bouquet of red roses had been deposited right on Caroline's door mat.
Roses- Aurora's favorite flowers.
Goosebumps marred his flesh, but he still tried to push through. Roses are very popular and there was no reason why they had to be connected. However hard he tried to calm his nerves, he could not though because his subconscious yelled that this could not be a coincidence. No matter how screwed up his head was, there was no way this was all a figment of his sick imagination.
"How sweet, someone left flowers for my mother," Caroline exclaimed before leading him to the innocent looking arrangement. Now, as he was staring straight at it, a detail he'd missed before jumped at him. A detail that made his blood run cold.
A single black rose resided right in the middle, a speck of darkness heavily contrasting against the crimson, lively ones. All doubt was erased from his mind and he was frozen in place, watching a bad movie unfold before him.
Caroline noted the weird color too, frowning before dropping to her knees and searching for a card. "Found it!" her victorious shout was interrupted by a wince. A thorn had gone straight through her thumb, but she merely wiped it down on her already soiled dress and opened the elegantly embellished envelope.
All color drained from her face as she skimmed over the calligraphic words. "I think it's for you," a shaking hand extended the piece of paper.
Truthfully, Klaus wanted to shred it to tiny, little pieces without reading the content, pull Caroline inside, bolt the door and pack a bag for her before whisking them to a place where nobody could find them. But it was too late for that now because they'd already been found. So he forced himself to absorb the words, ignoring the way he was trembling even more than the surgeon.
Niklaus, his stomach clenched at the appellative only Mikael used. Lucien has already taken a pretty blonde from you and I would hate to see the same happen to poor Caroline. I mean, she's just lost her mummy, it wouldn't be fair for her to also lose her life. Yet, as I am sure you already know, life is not fair and you deserve none of my mercy. You know what's coming and you know you can't stop it. Soon, your sweet Caroline will be just like that one rose. Black, dull and lifeless, like everything you touch. I just wanted you to know it was me and you were helpless to stop me, like always. Enjoy what little time you have left for I will come to collect very, very soon. Remember, running is pointless for all roads will eventually lead you to me.
After he was done, the note slipped past his fingertips as a pair of jittery sapphires darted to every corner of the room, searching for any sign of an intruder only to come up empty. An attack wouldn't be coming tonight, when he was with his guard up.
Tonight had only been a warning. Mikael playing with his prey before wreaking hell on them.
The worst part was that he wasn't the only target in this cat and mouse game. Caroline had been pulled into it and by now it was too late to turn around, abandon her and hope it would alienate Mikael from her trail. After the display they'd put on, he might as well have painted a huge red mark on her forehead.
Images of Camille's bloodied and mangled corpse flashed before him. History did have a way of repeating itself, but in this scenario, he would rather die than allow any harm to befall the woman who had been stiff as a statue, watching his reaction.
In the end it was Caroline who had the guts to cut through the thick blanket of silence that had been laid upon them.
"It's Mikael, isn't it?"
A curt nod answered her question.
The monster behind all of Klaus's torment was now after her and from what she'd gathered in the cemetery, not much could stand between Mikael and his plans. The note which now rested at her feet contained her death sentence and she knew it. It figures that she'd also signed it with her own blood after having stung herself. The exhale she let out sounded pathetic to her own ears and she put a hand over her mouth to stifle it.
"Hey," Klaus's hands hovered in the air, hesitating to touch her. Did he think she would reject him because of this? She'd known all of this and had still jumped head first into this relationship with him and the feelings she carried for him were the one thing she was still sure of. Without any ounce of doubt, she caught his fingers and placed them atop her pounding heart as surely as she could.
"I will keep you safe, Caroline," he vowed. "I will not allow him to touch a hair on your head."
Don't make promises you can't keep, she bit her tongue to keep quiet. The thing is she wanted to believe him, but after what he'd said she was pretty sure nobody could stop Mikael when he set his mind to accomplish something. And if he wanted her dead, she was sure she would be very soon.
Another body for Klaus to incorrectly should the blame.
"I know," she responded instead, faking a smile and pulling him in for a desperate kiss as she fumbled with the keys before dragging them inside and locking the door three times, the words she hadn't uttered aloud creating a tidal wave inside her mind.
I know you will try and I know would you die trying, Klaus. But I don't want you to. I love you too much for that. Besides, I'm afraid we're both as good as dead anyway.
A/N: A massive, massive thank you to all of the people who left a review and added this story to their favourite/follow lists! It means the absolute world to me and you are the reason why I keep on writing. I really hope you liked this chapter. Honestly, it was really hard to write and I had to start over a few times just to get it somewhat right. I sincerely hope it did not let you down and that you enjoyed it. From the next chapter on, the action will pick up and I hope you will stick for what is coming.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart and if you have the time, let me know what you thought of this update.
