Notes: Thank you for the reviews on the last batch! A continuation of the Professor!Klaus one was a popular request so it's been added to the sequel pile. Big thanks to Sophie for betaing this one!

Shelter Me

(cupcakemolotov requested murder fluff. This happened. In which Caroline gets into a sticky situation with some witches. Title from the Ray LaMontagne song of the same name. Rated T).

Caroline's lungs burned and her feet were a mess of bruises and cuts, her high heels discarded earlier when they hindered her escape.

There needed to be some kind of directory, a who's who of witches, werewolves and vampires in major metropolitan areas. Caroline was a damn good vampire, fed tidily and didn't kill, but there were some things she just didn't know.

That Patras was home to some seriously traditional witches – the kind that believed that the only good vampire was a dead vampire – was unfortunately one of them.

She'd gotten in yesterday morning, passed out as soon as her hotel room door was shut, full from the flight attendant she'd snacked on just before the seatbelt light had gone on. It had been dark when she'd woken up and once she'd thrown open the window she'd been able to hear faint strains of music, fast and heavy on the bass.

It had only taken Caroline a second to decide to start her tour of the city by checking out the nightlife.

Such a mistake.

She'd felt eyes on her the second she'd walked in, and not just because she'd looked good. They were cold, assessing, hateful. Had left her skin crawling and her stomach churning. She'd held out for half a song before her instincts screamed at her to leave.

She'd listened, found an exit, was almost through it when a hand had clamped around her arm. She'd tried to shake it off, had been dismayed when it would not budge. Particularly because the man holding her had a human's heartbeat. She'd tried a smile, let her eyes meet his, and had forced herself not to react to the black ink that spiraled across his cheekbones and into his hairline.

The sight filled her with dread even if she couldn't have named why.

"You shouldn't have come here," he'd told her, expression stern and eyes flinty.

"I'm beginning to get that," Caroline replied. She'd edged backwards, hoping she could melt into the crowd and get out.

But he hadn't let her go. "Your kind doesn't belong here. No matter how pretty they are, vampires are not welcome. It's a shame no one thought to tell you."

Caroline had to agree.

"Perhaps that means no one will miss you?" he'd mused. The casualness of it was chilling and he'd pulled, roughly, his strength alarming, before she'd had a chance to reply.

She'd taken a deep breath, let it out slowly, concentrating on keeping her limbs from shaking. She had to keep it together, told herself not to fight.

Yet.

He'd clearly been on some kind of witch 'roids, the smart play was to wait for an opening and then run like hell.

He'd been joined by a woman as towed Caroline across the dancefloor, the writhing crowd paying them no mind. The woman wore the same tattoos and Caroline spied more on her arms. She'd regarded Caroline with contempt, then immediately looked away, leaning into the man's ear to his a stream of agitated Greek that Caroline had no hope of understanding. She'd been to the country before, picked up the basics. Regretted not learning more.

The woman provided Caroline with the opportunity she'd been looking for. She'd grabbed the woman by the hair, smashed her head into the man's when they'd been distracted by their argument and had managed to wrench her arm free. She'd heard their bones crunch, smelt blood, but hadn't stuck around to see how much damage she'd done.

She'd just run.

Her exhaustion was bone deep, hadn't abated in weeks. She'd thought they'd give up once she left the city. They hadn't. Had followed her once she'd fled Greece, and as she'd zigzagged (mostly on foot, as she'd learned the hard way how much it sucked to be trapped in a car while magic ripped it apart) through Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

She'd pushed herself, refused to give up. Existed on blood and the sheer force of her will.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the Patras coven she'd offended was determined. And there were so many of them.

Caroline thought she'd crossed the border into Moldova. The roads were deserted and she walked along the edge of a forest that bordered them. She seemed to have lost her tail. She'd like to be relieved but Caroline had learned that lesson. She knew her lack of pursuer was temporary. The witches had drawn more than enough of her blood in their skirmishes. Could fuel all sorts of locator spells. They'd be on her ass again before too long.

She needed help.

Something she has refused to seek for decades.

She was tempted to reach out to Bonnie. But Bonnie was nearly 70, a grandmother, and firmly settled into a quiet life. Caroline checked up on her whenever she was stateside, knew the Salvatores did too – though their purpose was far more morbid. Bonnie was happy, safe, and Caroline didn't want to disturb that.

There was another option.

One a little more complicated.

A call she did not want to make.

Except she didn't want to die either. Could totally do without another round of torture. The wind picked up, and the the dry leaves rustling in the forest was loud. And creepy. Could easily have hidden the sound of approaching footsteps. Caroline gritted her teeth, and dug out the phone she'd lifted the last time she'd seen another person. She'd even managed to compel the pin before she'd had been forced to evade her pursuers.

She swallowed her pride and dialed before she could talk herself out of it. The phone rang six times, the voice that answered short and impatient, "Hello?"

Caroline blew out a breath, cast a wary glance into the woods behind her. She pitched her voice as pleasant as she could manage, "Rebekah? Remember that favor you owe me? I'm going to need to cash it in. Like right now."

Now, Rebekah hadn't been happy about it. Might have even hung up before Caroline could ask for help. Luckily, Enzo had been with Rebekah (and, once she'd figured out the time differences Caroline had a pretty good idea of why. And shuddered when she'd realized why Rebekah had sounded a little… winded). He'd grabbed the phone and Caroline had given him the rundown of what happened. Listened to their muffled bickering for several agonizing moments.

Super awkward.

Not that she was complaining. Caroline would gladly stifle her judgements of Rebekah's decades long, often interrupted, fling with Enzo because Rebekah had totally come through even if she hadn't sounded happy about it. Caroline had pulled her location from the phone, relayed it to Rebekah once it was demanded. Obeyed when she'd been told to keep walking north. Had been on guard when a car had pulled up nearly an hour later, sleek and quiet and expensive looking.

Her borrowed phone had rung the second it had come to a complete stop.

Rebekah had spoken as soon as Caroline had answered, "Get in the car, Caroline."

Caroline had eyed the dark haired man who'd gotten out warily. She'd sensed he was a vampire, the smoothness of his movements a dead giveaway. He hadn't said anything or approached her, merely held open the car's back door and waited patiently, "He's a friend of yours?"

Rebekah's response had been clipped, "Not of mine. Nik turned Aurel in the 17th century. He won't harm a single hair on your head. He's taking you to an airstrip. The pilot's one of Elijah's. You'll be whisked to Paris. Nik will meet you there. Insisted he be the one to deal with your little witch problem. And I was so looking forward to a little excitement."

Caroline paused, fought the urge to stomp her foot. She was too old to be throwing tantrums but there was a reason she hadn't called Klaus. She'd thought about asking Rebekah not to contact him, but had reasoned that asking ensured Rebekah would make the call just to be a bitch.

She and Klaus had crossed paths over the years and Caroline knows the encounters are orchestrated more often than not.

Even if she was pretty sure the first one, in Athens, had been completely coincidental. They'd been on a boat, a party thrown by a vampire friend of a friend. She'd seen his back first, the dark blonde curls sending the first pang of recognition through her. The necklaces and the familiar tattoo solidifying it. His face when she'd tapped him on his shoulder sticks in her memories, the open surprise that had shifted to delight, the touch of heat that had bled in when he'd let his eyes drift over her pink bikini.

She chose to believe that he hadn't faked it. They'd talked briefly, though they'd both come to the party with other people. She'd felt his eyes on her all night. Hadn't really minded, her date turning out to be kind of dull.

She'd consented to the odd drink in the beginning though she'd just as often blown him off. Drinks had become meals, breakfasts, lunches and dinners at restaurants that were always incredible even if they'd ranged in opulence. She'd always been a little fascinated by how at ease Klaus could be, no matter if they were eating out of paper cones or at a table with a half dozen forks and fine china.

At some point they'd begun to linger once the last crumbs had been cleared and one day he'd suggested a walk, told her about a little bookstore he thought she'd like.

Caroline had agreed, knowing exactly what he'd been doing in making the invitation. Klaus thought long term – longer than she could fathom even if she was technically a senior citizen. He'd been baiting her, drawing her in, and damn it if he hadn't been ridiculously successful.

She liked spending time with him, Caroline could admit. Liked talking to him and listening to his stories. Liked his interest, the questions he asked about the things she got up to between their encounters. There weren't many people left who knew her the way that Klaus did, could see the way the decades had changed her. His company was easy, the silences never strained. She never had to grope for a topic like she sometimes did with the vampire friends she'd made or make up a backstory like she had to when she got close to a human. She never felt more like herself than she did when they were wandered around a city or lingered over a drink.

She'd gotten comfortable with him but had always figured it wouldn't last. She and Klaus had never really been meant to be just friends.

He looked exactly the same as he always had, blue eyes and dimples and the full lips that she had very vivid memories of. The way he moved was distracting, and she often caught herself staring at his hands. Being attracted to Klaus had never been a problem. The heat between them, the way he looked at her, hungry and knowing, hadn't changed either.

He wanted her. Wasn't ashamed of it and didn't try to hide it. Caroline knew it but forced herself to resist. Klaus had let her go when she'd been eighteen with a world to explore. She didn't think he'd be so willing to let her walk away now. Klaus would throw every bit of her considerable persuasive talents at her and Caroline was afraid of just how successful he'd be.

As it was she dreamt of him every time she made herself walk away. Woke up flushed and twisted in her sheets, an ache between her thighs that wouldn't abate with deep breaths, cold showers or distraction techniques. Every time she snuck her fingers into her panties she tried to spin a fantasy about anyone else. It never worked and Caroline came with her teeth clenched to keep from panting out his name.

It was a wonder Caroline hadn't jumped his bones years earlier than she had. She deserved a pat on the back for her excellent self-control.

As determined as Caroline was nothing lasted forever.

When her control snapped it had been quick and complete, years of pent up tension had made her reckless. She hadn't even been able to wait for privacy, still blushed a little whenever she remembered that first time, fast and frantic in an alley before the sun had even set. He'd made her filthy promises as his hips had ground into hers. It had been the taste of his blood in her mouth when she'd bitten his shoulder to stifle her scream that had sent her reeling.

They had been in Paris. She hadn't seen him since. There's no way that her heading there now is a coincidence.

He'd brought her to his home, had shredded her dress and bent her over a table in the front hallway. Caroline hadn't minded, couldn't have imagined waiting for a bed. Klaus had fulfilled most of the promises he'd made, whispered that he'd get to the rest in the morning, before she'd fallen into an exhausted sleep. She'd woken up the next morning half underneath Klaus. She'd expected to be disoriented but with his scent around her, his fingers tracing her spine, Caroline felt relaxed. At home. She hadn't wanted to leave.

So of course she'd panicked. And Klaus had seen it, had been unable to keep a leash on his patience. Had goaded her, needled and pushed and enumerated all her fears, her until they'd been shouting and she'd been sorely tempted to throw things at his stupid, too perceptive face.

Caroline had stalked out and regretted it almost immediately. Klaus hadn't popped up since and she had stayed away from what she'd come to know as his favorite cities, partly out of embarrassment and partly because of pride. She'd avoided other vampires because you never knew who Klaus had in his pocket.

She'd come to think that she'd made a mistake and had been working up the courage to admit it. Caroline found that she missed Klaus more than she feared what actually being with him would mean.

She'd been making her way to Athens when she'd taken the detour to Patras. For old time's sake. Planned to work up the courage to give Klaus a call and invite him to join her.

Looked like she wouldn't need to.

Caroline offered Aurel a tight smile. She appreciated that he didn't comment on how long she'd stood there as she'd put her thoughts in order. Though it was possible he was too afraid to, given who he worked for. "Thanks," she muttered, before she slid into the backseat of the car.

The door shut and Caroline leaned back, let her eyes drift closed. Time to put on her big girl panties and quit running.

She didn't sleep in the car, or on the plane, wary of the strange vampires. They were nothing but polite and accommodating but Caroline could not relax even if she had been assured that they were trustworthy.

It was just her luck that the first time she saw Klaus again she looked awful. She hadn't brushed her hair in days. It was tied back in a ratty braid and her clothes were rumpled and not so fresh. She'd only given the mirror the barest of glances but knew she was pale and her eyes shadowed with strain.

Klaus didn't seem to care. He rested his hands on her shoulders when she cleared the last of the plane's steps, jaw tight as he studied her. One hand drifted up, cupped the back of her neck. Caroline resisted the urge to step into him and bury her face in his shoulder.

His tone is businesslike, "You're grey. You need blood. Are you injured?"

Caroline shook her head, "No. Not anymore."

His gaze sharpened, threads of gold lighting his eyes, "Anymore?" he repeated, tone low and dangerous.

She found herself leaning into his hand, eyes fluttering shut. "Mmm. I got stabbed a couple days ago. The blood bags on the plane took care of the last of the ache."

She felt the anger in Klaus when he stilled, his muscles turned to stone in an attempt to control it even as his touch remained gentle. "You'll have some more when we get to my home," he clipped out. "And then you'll sleep."

She forced her eyes open, fixed him with a tired glare, "I don't take orders from you, Klaus."

His laugh was short and lacking amusement, "You've made that abundantly clear, love."

He didn't try to hide his bitterness and Caroline lowered her eyes, taking a shaky breath. "And I won't. Ever. Can you live with that?"

It probably wasn't the time but Caroline thought they needed to get some things clear. He hadn't been her first call, despite the fact that he was the most logical option, because she hadn't wanted him to think that he was only convenient.

His hands hadn't left her and they urged her face up. His expression was set to a blankness that Caroline disliked intensely, watchful and wary. "Why do you ask?"

She let herself drift closer, until her bare legs brush his jeans. She's tempted to leave the messy conversation for later and wrap her arms around him, luxuriate in the safety he represented. He might even have allowed it, offered comfort and waited for her to provide answers.

Klaus had done an awful lot of waiting on her already.

She reached out, set her hands on him. Klaus didn't push her away but he didn't make any movement that she would classify as encouraging. Caroline bit her lip while she tried to choose the perfect words. It was futile, she knew. Saying the right thing had never been her strong suit. "I like my life. I like that it's mine. That I have choices. But sometimes I think it might not be so bad to share it."

Klaus was a smart man. He understood immediately. She was close enough to see the convulsive motion of his throat as he swallowed. His grip on her tightened minutely, "Be sure, Caroline," he told her softly.

It was a warning as much as it was a request.

Caroline met his eyes, let him see her resolve. She'd been sure for months, had just been trying to work out the best way to approach Klaus. "Can you handle it? Sharing not dictating. You can't lock me away when I piss you off, Klaus. And we both know that's inevitable."

Klaus' eyes lifted upwards, reading exasperation, "What exactly do you think that I've been doing, sweetheart? If I wanted you bound to me by anything but your own choice I'd have managed it decades ago."

She knew that. She never would have risked calling Rebekah otherwise.

Caroline pressed her lips together to keep from grinning, lifted a shoulder nonchalantly, "Then take me home, Klaus. I'm in. I'll take the blood bag. And a shower. Half your closet. Actually, wait, make it three-quarters. My clothes take up more room."

His eyes flared bright, heat and a flash of joy, before his head dipped, mouth brushing against her throat on his way to her ear, "And you'll sleep," he murmured. She shivered hearing the edge of need that colored the words. "I need you rested for the things I plan on doing to you."

Her hand clenched in the fabric of his shirt when he nipped at her earlobe and she let herself rest more heavily against him, "And the witches?" she managed, tilting her head to give him more room.

She was totally going to have to convince him she had enough energy for at least one round. She'd had a fling or two, mostly unsatisfying and designed to push Klaus out of her mind. They hadn't worked it feels like forever since she'd been touched. There was no way she was getting to sleep with her skin feeling like it did – hot and tight and desperate for his hands. Maybe he'd buy something about multitasking and join her in the shower?

Probably given how tightly he gripped her, the tautness of his frame against hers.

Caroline snuck her hands under his shirt, splayed her fingers against his abdomen. The muscles tensed but Klaus' voice remained even, "I've had several detained. We'll ferret out the rest soon enough. I'd be happy to discuss how you think they should be handled. Death is a given but I'm open to negotiating how humanely it's meted out."

Caroline snorted, because wasn't that just typical of Klaus? It's lucky she agrees on this particular matter or else they'd be fighting before they'd even begun.

He pulled her hand away from him. Caroline resisted and his breath hitched the tiniest bit when she dug her nails into his skin. Klaus shot her a warning look before he ushered her towards a waiting SUV. His hand drifted low, traced the waistband of her shorts absently.

Caroline shivered. Yeah, there was no way she was just going to sleep.

"I had to ditch all my stuff and spent three weeks dodging them. Stabbing wasn't even the worst thing they did. I am fine with death. I am even fine with it being messy."

"Perhaps I'll send for Kol. He's due for a bit of fun," Klaus mused.

Caroline wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. She'd have to meet his family eventually (having mostly managed to avoid them, save for Rebekah) but she kind of thought easing into it would be better.

They could argue about it later. It would be the first of many.

Caroline knew disagreements were inevitable. They'd were too different for things to be smooth for long. She fully expected to spend a fair amount of time fighting with Klaus as they settled into a life together. They would both have to bend and neither of them did that easily. She probably would end up throwing something ridiculously expensive at his head. Klaus was many things but he would never be simple or fond of compromise.

Caroline wasn't either. She'd been stubborn as a human and that had never changed.

They'd figure it out. Eventually. Caroline wouldn't have decided to stay if she didn't think it was worth it.