He knew, he knew that the simplest solution to his problem was to compel her to forget what had just happened.
You fell and I eventually found you, carried you back to the house, and tended to your wounds. Nothing was different about my eyes. Nothing was out of the ordinary. You feel safe with me…
She stared up at him, clearly in shock, her breathing beginning to escalate. The injuries were mostly superficial, thankfully. The gashes would heal, and no major arteries were severed. The bruising might be down to the bone, but there were no breaks. She was lucky that her thigh had absorbed the majority of the fall. If she'd landed on her ribs or abdomen, there might have been internal bleeding.
He stared at the blood on her thigh and debated giving her his own blood to heal her. It most definitely wasn't ideal, to have an open wound around a vampire.
The moment of reckoning came, and Caroline let out a terrified scream. Klaus stood over her, unflinching. She grabbed at the fabric of the couch and attempted to stand, but her right foot refused to hold her weight. She crumpled to the ground and cried. Klaus bent down, picked her up, and placed her back onto the sofa.
"Don't try to run. I'm faster than you, obviously," he told her matter-of-factly. "I'd like to get some bandages, water, and other materials. If you run, I'll catch you, bring you back, and we'll start this process over. Again and again, for as long as it takes. Will you please remain here, while I gather the items I need to help you further?"
He spoke without much emotion. With the scent of her blood permeating the air, as well as the sight of the flowing sanguine liquid on various spots on her body, it was impossible for him to hide his true nature. Until her wounds were wrapped, it would be difficult to restrain himself.
Caroline's tears streamed down her face, but she nodded quickly.
Now that his secret was out, there was no need for Klaus to act human. He used his unnatural speed to race around the house, putting together a makeshift medical kit and hurrying back to his patient. When he returned with the items, she was leaning over her foot, ignoring the other injuries, and hissing with every touch. He appeared before her, and she leapt back, bracing herself on the seat with her hands.
"WHAT ARE YOU?" she shouted, but there was an audible tremor in her voice.
"A monster, of course," he nonchalantly answered. He knelt next to her foot and brandished a pair of tweezers.
She watched. He worked.
Focusing on the task at hand, he was able to calm down to the point that his vampirism was no longer apparent. He registered the changes in her, slowed breath and heartbeat, relaxed eyes and jaw. She wasn't comfortable around him, but she was no longer in fight-or-flight mode.
The splinters came out, one by one, and the gashes were cleaned with wet rags and rubbing alcohol. She did her best to conceal her pain, giving her scraped hand most of her attention. As if the monster in front of her didn't exist. He finished with her foot by bandaging it up with gauze.
It was time, now, to work his way up to the bloodiest wound…at her thigh. His eyes traveled to the hole in her dress, where blood was seeping through the fabric and into the upholstery of the sofa. His eyes went black, again, and he clenched his jaw tightly to avoid showing his fanged teeth.
"I need to attend to your leg, Caroline," he murmured, staring at the wound to avoid seeing the renewed fear in her eyes.
She shakily grabbed the stretchy fabric and pulled it up until her thigh was fully exposed.
"Turn onto your side, please," he requested.
Caroline was perplexed by the contradiction in front of her. A man who turned out to be inhuman. A beast with incredible strength and speed, gently tending to her injuries. Eyes of a demon, staring calmly at blood that clearly brought out its animalistic nature.
"What are you," she whispered, trying to pry a different answer from his pursed lips.
He started on her thigh, washing the wound of debris, sanitizing it, and bandaging it.
"I'm a vampire."
"A vampire," she repeated, flatly. Disbelieving, while simultaneously recoiling from the creature sharing her space.
"Yes," he turned to look at her. He flashed her a smile, pausing from his duty to give her a glimpse of a fang that lengthened in the presence of his desired food source.
She gasped. A more appropriate reaction to the revelation of his true self.
"So," she began, drawing her words out slowly and deliberately, "you're healing me, before killing me?"
Klaus scoffed at her reasoning. "You think I haven't had ample time to kill you, before now?"
Caroline didn't respond. She thought about what she knew about vampires.
"Are you, like, a good vampire?" Her voice sounded stupidly hopeful, she thought. "Like, do you only feed on the blood of wild animals?"
He gave her a look to emphasize his repulsion at the concept. "No."
Okay…so what else do I know about vampires? "Which means…do you – do you need human blood?" Duh, Caroline! Am I in shock, or what?
"Yes, Caroline. Let me concentrate, please. You have no idea how taxing it is, to tend to a human that is currently bleeding all over my sofa."
Klaus was almost finished with her thigh, at this point, but he took extra time to wrap the gauze around her upper leg. Once the blood was out of sight and no longer exposed to the air, he felt his vampiric features retract back into his human visage. He scooted further alongside the couch, kneeling next to her chest. He placed his opened hand in front of her and stared at her expectantly. She obediently rested her scratched hand in his own, never taking her eyes away from his.
"Now, what?" she softly probed.
He saw a strange mixture of disbelief and resignation on her pale face. Although he knew what she was asking, he didn't want to answer. Not yet.
"Now," he said and then paused, "I treat your hand, escort you to your room, and then leave you to sleep." She began to speak, but he interrupted her. "We'll have time, tomorrow, to readdress this subject. After you've rested."
"But-"
"Caroline," he interrupted her, again, sternly. "It's no use arguing, love. Just let me finish."
Cleaning the scrapes on her hand took the least amount of time. Caroline bit her lip, as he did so, reigning in her urge to speak. The last thing she wanted to do was anger him, when she was still so unsure about his claim.
A vampire, she thought and then repeated the word over and over again in her mind. That's not the only option. I could be completely delusional. Have I had a psychotic break? Did I imagine his eyes? She shuddered and remembered him flashing a fang at her. And then there was the speed… Okay…so he's a vampire. That or something else. He could be lying.
"Do you need to do anything before bed?"
He could be lying. He needs blood to live…but he ate food, earlier. Maybe he's something even worse and he plans to murder me in my sleep…
"Caroline!"
She jumped and realized that he was still holding her hand, bent down next to her. His eyes were the beautiful blue she'd first admired in his portrait. He was concerned and slightly annoyed.
"Sorry, what?" she quickly spoke, pulling her hand back and out of his grasp forcefully.
He frowned and stood to tower over her. "I asked if you need to do anything before bed."
"I, uh, yeah," she stumbled. "I need to, um, brush my teeth, wash my face, change…" She looked down at her dress, still soaked in blood. She pulled the material away from the couch and winced when she saw the crimson stain left on the seafoam cushion. "Sorry about that," she muttered.
Without hesitation or asking permission, Klaus scooped her up in his arms, again. Caroline tensed and tried to use her uninjured hand to push herself away from his chest.
"What- I can walk!"
"No," he firmly disagreed. "You rolled your ankle. It's probably not a serious sprain, but it's unwise to walk on it, if you can avoid it." He smirked and looked down at her. "And you can."
Even without his vampire speed, Klaus was able to quickly stride to her room. He easily opened it and set her upon the edge of the bed. Before she could complain, he grabbed both the cell phone and the laptop off her nightstand.
"I'll hold onto these, love, until we're better acquainted. I'm sure you can understand why," he finished dryly. "Goodnight, Caroline." And in one fluid movement, he stepped through the doorway and closed it behind him.
She instantly stood and hobbled to lock the entryway.
As if it would really keep him out, she rebuked herself. She limped back and went to the restroom. She stared at her reflection for a while in the mirror. What had she done? Moved to the one house in all of New England that was owned by a vampire? Or maybe he was one of many in Rebecca Bay. Vampires don't like sunlight, right? Has he been in the sun? She couldn't remember. He'd been in the sunlight in the house, but not outside…maybe. Wait…that first morning, didn't he go outside to speak on the phone? Was he in the shade? Does it matter?
She continued to rack her brain, but she set to work brushing her teeth, washing her face, and using the restroom. Her foot was beginning to tingle with pain.
I can't call the police, or Bonnie, or Elena, or Damon, or my mom… I can't send out an email. I can't even look up vampires. Why didn't I think to search for Klaus online? I can't run, I can't drive…where would he keep his keys? Probably in his room, dammit. If vampires can't be outside in daylight, like in the movies, I could get outside and make my way to Bonnie's. What if there's clouds? What if he figures out a way to stop me from leaving? Can I break through a window quickly enough to escape?
The thoughts tumbled around her mind as if they were clothes in a dryer.
Caroline wanted desperately to change, but she kept picturing Klaus bursting in with fangs and darkened eyes. She grabbed a t-shirt and shorts and finally changed under the covers.
Instead of staring at the portrait of the blonde flapper, she stared at the door. She replayed every movie and television show she'd ever seen that featured vampires.
Garlic, holy water, sunlight…wooden stakes, crosses…hypnosis…bats…coffins…blood…
Eventually, sleep overtook her.
But she didn't dream.
Upstairs, Klaus swore both aloud and within his mind. He should've compelled her to forget and been done with it. He should've compelled her to leave within the first full conversation they'd had. He groaned and sent a hand to the back of his neck to massage the tension held there.
He'd listened, downstairs, closing his home up properly for the night, while Caroline moved about her room and restroom. The lights were out throughout the house, and Klaus stood in the darkness and watched her door. He debated letting himself in. She'd set the lock, but it wasn't a difficult mechanism to disarm. When she lay down upon the bed, he finally grabbed her electronics and ascended to his own quarters. Even upstairs, he'd hear her trying to exit…especially now, when his heightened senses were on alert.
He showered, changed into a shirt and boxers, and lay down on his own bed.
Shit, he swore, again. I forgot to change the sheets.
His eyes shut, and he was transported back to the same hopping nightclub.
He sat at the same booth that he'd shared with his sister in the last dream. She was happily dancing on the floor with some Jack. No one he knew or cared about. It was this time of his life that Klaus missed the most. She saw her brother seated, and she instantly left her dance partner to make her way toward him.
Klaus wished it and a lowball of scotch appeared before him. Of course. Now, this was more like it! He sipped the amber liquid and smiled. His sister was wearing a pink ensemble that suited her rather feminine sensibilities.
"Hello, Nik," she smoothly greeted him. She didn't sit.
"Good to see you, again, sister," he nodded and took another sip. "You know, I never see you in my dreams as often as when I'm in Delaware. Plain, quiet, little Delaware."
"Is that why you've avoided this house? Or is it because it was the last home we shared?"
He downed the rest of the contents of the glass and glared at his sister. "If I may answer you with an idiom: six of one, half a dozen of the other."
"Right," she rolled her eyes. "Well, if you were going to be such a wet blanket, why did you bother coming back?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly. Whispering. As if there wasn't a band loudly playing ragtime in the background. He rolled the bottom edge of the glass in a circular motion. "I don't exactly control what I dream about. Or whom. Especially when I'm here," he muttered.
"Rebecca Bay?" she softly inquired.
"Yes." He looked up and met her sweet smile. It pained him, how she was exactly the way he remembered her. Yet another blessing and curse of being a vampire: the ability to remember, with perfect clarity, events from your past as if they only occurred yesterday. The brain didn't deteriorate. The memories couldn't fade. No matter how much time passed, there was no forgetting even the most intricate details…
"So, Nik," his sister said, as she slid onto one of the open spaces next to him. "You've shared your secret with the lovely Caroline." He shot a look of disapproval her way, but she ignored it and continued. "Now, what?"
"Now," he repeated, a sense of déjà vu overtaking him, "I wait for her to wake up."
"And when she does?"
"I…make her forget," he finished, reluctantly.
The band halted and disappeared. The dancers, too. The club was empty. And, in the next instant, both patrons were transported to a new location.
The house on the cliffside was mostly the same as it was in present times. A few of the paintings were different. Older. They'd been replaced when Klaus had been inspired to paint something new. But the walls featured a textured wallpaper that was no longer used or made. The chairs were the same, in the living room, but the material was different. He'd had them reupholstered in the deeper green. There was no sign of Caroline's additions to the home. No coffee maker or fruit basket she'd purchased and placed on the counter. The appliances were all rudimentary predecessors of the modern-day versions. An icebox, wood stove, and wall-mounted sink were still in mint condition. The cabinets didn't exist.
Everything was exactly as it looked when his sister was still with him.
From the living room, Klaus glanced at the bedroom door. It was closed, which was odd. His sister normally left it open, when she wasn't inside. Klaus, on the other hand, always closed his bedroom door, whether or not it was occupied. He valued his privacy more than most.
He heard breathing coming from the other side of the door. Even, deep breaths that indicated a sleeping human. His sister stepped in front of him, then.
"You have nothing to lose, you know," she abruptly stated. "You were the one that said you hardly knew her, Nik. Give her a chance to understand. Tell her the truth." She stepped closer and tenderly placed her hand on his shoulder. "And then give her time to prove to you that she can keep your secret, too."
"It didn't work out so well for you, though, did it?" Klaus' eyebrow raised in his most sardonic smile.
"No," she admitted. "But, looking back, I'm not sure I did it in the right order. I shouldn't have fallen in love first and then shared my true self with him. If only vampires had psychic abilities," she sighed, "or the opposite…a lack of hindsight."
She smiled and stepped away from Klaus, turning around the room slowly. As she did, the house changed. In a shimmer similar to the heat haze seen on the horizon, the pictures on the wall were updated to their present state. The chairs were now the dark velvety green and the kitchen, from what they could immediately see, was modern. Caroline's coffee maker and fruit basket were visible and in their places on the counter, under a row of upper cabinets.
After taking in the morphed home in his dream, his eyes once again landed on his sister. He was taken aback to see a completely new version of her, as well.
Gone was the pink flapper dress. Gone were the pearls and jewels. Gone, too, was her curled and pinned hair. Her blonde locks were long and straight, neatly chopped in a line that hung down to the bottom of her chest. She had on tight black jeans, black heels, and a white halter top that had rows of ruffles that folded down in diagonal pleats. She had on several delicate necklaces, all gold, that hung in varying lengths. Her daylight ring, however, was noticeably absent.
"You know what I miss?" She looked down at her ensemble, kicking out a foot to examine her new shoes. Then, she flashed a smile his way. "Aside from you, dear brother, of course," she winked. "The fashion! Oh… I would have totally killed it in today's scene. Is that the right use of slang? No, wait… I would have slayed!" She laughed, and Klaus felt himself being pulled away… "I love the new language, too! What a gas! No, it's – what's the word – stupid! I'm dead!" That made her laugh harder. "Oh, that's perfect! 'I'm dead!' How brilliant!"
Klaus could only stare at her. Why was he suddenly imagining her in present clothing, using modern vernacular? And why was she using slang that he didn't use? He just listened to her joyful giggling until everything around him faded away.
It was still dark, when Klaus stirred. He scanned the room, making sure that he was where he was supposed to be. He imagined, for a moment, walking in his sleep to the living room downstairs. That brought to the forefront of his mind the very dream he'd just had.
He and his sister meeting in the speakeasy, then being transported to their home in Rebecca Bay. The conversations had been short and, yet, poignant. He remembered her suggestion.
But it wasn't her suggestion. Not really. It was a dream. And his own subconscious was trying to change his mind. Perhaps a part of him wanted to delay in compelling Caroline. He held all of the power in the situation, anyway. There was nothing that could happen that he couldn't easily undo. Let's continue the game that was started, then, he reasoned.
Klaus rose from the bed, put on a pair of jeans, a new shirt, grabbed a few items, and headed downstairs. There were a couple of hours until sunrise, but he wanted to be sure that he was there when she emerged. He sat on one of the chairs, with a passing glance at the blood-stained couch. The copper smell had dissipated, now that it was dried. He wasn't sure if he wanted to clean it, reupholster it, or buy a new one. It was a piece that his sister had picked out, and Klaus hadn't liked it back then. The seafoam green, the tiny golden fleurs-de-lis embroidered everywhere…it was neither comfortable nor fitting with the rest of the décor.
He placed the novel he'd brought downstairs on the side table that was nested between the two chairs and then opened his sketchbook. When he wasn't particularly passionate about his craft, he would often scribble lines and search for meaning in the chaos. His left hand held the book in place, while his right swept the pencil around and back and forth. Nothingness. Abstract lines. He clenched his jaw and added more lines. Swirls and waves along one side of the page.
It looks like…a face on its side…someone asleep…large curls framing one side, while the face nestled onto a soft pillow. The lines on the pillow easily translated to a dainty hand with long fingers. The eyes were at peace, the mouth curled into a smile, indicating that the sleeper was quite happy in whatever dream their mind concocted. It looks like…Caroline. The drawing was more pronounced than when he'd started, and it was clear that his aim, purposeful or accidental, was to sketch her as he'd first seen her.
He swiftly closed the sketchbook and set it on the chair next to him, along with the pencil.
That's quite enough of that.
The sun was close to rising, and the sky was beginning its stunning display of colors that could only be witnessed during the dawn. Klaus picked up the novel, one he hadn't read in decades, and began the story.
With daybreak, Klaus expected to hear Caroline's doorknob turn at any moment. Or maybe she'd scream, again, once she remembered last night's events. He continued to read, but his eyes would periodically glance in the direction of her bedroom. When it was mid-morning, he'd already finished the book. Caroline still seemed to be asleep, judging from what he could hear, and he was antsy. He placed the novel on top of his sketchbook, moved both to the shelf under the side table and stood.
She'll have to face me, sooner or later, he thought.
On a whim, he stood and walked to the kitchen. It took a minute, but he was able to figure out the overly-complicated coffee machine. When it started percolating, he walked back toward Caroline's room. He could hear her leave the bed, use the restroom amenities, and then come toward the door. If he wanted, he could strain and listen to her rushing heartbeat and uneven breaths. But the time for listening was over. He lightly knocked.
"Caroline? If you're ready, I've made coffee."
Nothing. Not a sound. Well, other than what a vampire could detect.
"You can't hide in there, forever, Caroline. Come out, have a cup of coffee, and let's talk."
Her hand brushed the doorknob, and she slowly turned it. As if she could do so undetected. She froze for a moment, when she saw Klaus standing right in the doorway. Her pajamas were a generic t-shirt with a faded logo that featured a sunset and a pair of navy cotton shorts. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail that desperately needed brushing.
"Good morning," Klaus offered, with a slight bow. He stepped back and headed back to the kitchen, expecting her to follow. Coffee had never appealed to him, but if mimicking her behaviors would calm her nerves, he supposed he could choke down a single cup.
He heard the shuffling and took note that her gait didn't indicate as severe a limp as last night's. He'd supposed that her ankle was rolled, but not sprained.
The front door opened, unexpectedly, and Klaus moved to intercept. He stood about five feet away from her, but Caroline was there, holding the door open.
"Where on earth do you think you're going, love?"
"Do you burn in the sun?" she asked, looking over her shoulder and stepping further onto the porch.
The sun flooded the back of the house, rising on the ocean's horizon. Klaus shot her a dark grin, knowing what she was up to. He knew there would be no harm in allowing her little experiment to commence. She hustled to the edge of the porch, then down the steps, then out of the shadow of the house, until she was finally bathed in the sun's rays. She stopped, then, hurting and panting, to turn around. To see if he would follow her. If he could follow her. When he didn't race out immediately, her eyes glinted in triumph. He smirked, leaning against the door frame, and then he was suddenly behind her.
Caroline whipped around, gasping. Klaus' eyes squinted, facing the sun.
"It's uncomfortable," he shrugged. "It's too bright, considering how well I can see in the dark." He grabbed around her waist and threw her over one of his shoulders. Only her midsection felt any pressure; he was careful not to involve any parts of her body that were bandaged. "Not deadly, though," he continued, starting to casually walk back to the house. "Not to me, anyway."
He set her down, once they were back inside, and he shut the door behind them.
"Be careful walking on that foot," he cautioned. "It's not bad, but it'll heal faster if you keep weight off it. And elevate it. I'll get you some ice."
Caroline pouted and limped toward the closest chair. She flopped down and folded her arms. It wasn't more than a few minutes until Klaus returned with both a mug of coffee in one hand and her favorite creamer in the other. She unfolded her arms and automatically took the cup. He offered to pour the creamer, but she grabbed it from him and poured the desired amount. Then, awkwardly, she thrust it back to him with a muttered thanks. He crooked an eyebrow at her, but he returned to the kitchen.
After a few more minutes of tinkering, Klaus came back with an ice pack and his own cup of coffee. She reluctantly but obediently took the ice pack, too, folding her leg with the injured foot onto the chair in front of her and setting the ice on top of it.
Klaus' eyes widened at her legs spread apart innocently, and he quickly sat in the other green chair to avoid staring at her smooth thighs.
They sat in silence, for a while, sipping coffee. Klaus had spoken more than she had, so he waited on her to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
"So, a vampire?" Her voice was surprisingly steady, now. Either from the rest, the coffee, the resignation that her escape plan was hopeless, or a combination of the lot.
"Yes," he simply answered. He set the half-full cup onto the table in between the chairs, relieved that he no longer had to consume the distasteful liquid. He clasped his hands in his lap and looked over at Caroline.
"Why…I mean, like, what happened? Where are you from? And have you always been a vampire? Who turned you into…this? Are there lots of vampires? Are there other supernatural things, too, like werewolves or mummies?"
He laughed. "Had a lot of time to mull things over, haven't you, love?"
Caroline looked over at him, then, narrowing her eyes. She took another sip and refused an answer.
Klaus cleared his throat. "Well, that's a lot of questions. I'll do my best, but I think you'll understand if I don't give you every detail about my life and existence just yet." He gave her a knowing look. "I think we've both appreciated not having to discuss the more personal aspects of our pasts, haven't we?"
She didn't respond to that question, either, but she did look down.
He sighed. "Let's see. I was born long ago. The equivalent of around the year 980 AD or so, although we didn't keep record of our years the same way that it's done now." Caroline's jaw was already dropped. "My family was from Norway, or Norvegr, as we called it then. Along with some of our brethren, we sailed across the Atlantic and settled in North America. Newfoundland. My youngest brother was born here. But he died as a young boy, after being attacked by a bear."
"I'm sorry," Caroline whispered.
Klaus nodded, but he didn't stop his story. "Our parents were distraught, and, somehow, Mother found a way to ensure that the rest of her children would never perish. I'm not exactly sure what she did or how she figured it out. I've researched it extensively, over the millennia, but I haven't come any closer to an answer. I only know that the change occurred during a blood moon, a lunar eclipse, and that we woke with a voracious hunger that was immediately sated by a young woman that our mother had lured to our barn."
The awestruck blonde was bursting to ask more questions, so Klaus stopped and let her speak.
"Wait, how many children? How many of you are there? And you killed that poor girl?"
He narrowed his eyes and sneered. "My least favorite thing about the human race is your proclivity for placing yourself on the moral high ground, when dissecting events that occurred well before your time. It's easy to judge atrocities, when blessed with centuries of knowledge. But, back when the world was still ancient, wilder, and filled to the brim with dangers unknown and unseen, you either survived or perished." His words became more pointed, as he leaned slightly toward her and stared her down. "When you wake from a deathlike state and feel only the desire to feed, you do as generations before you have done: survive."
Caroline swallowed and meekly nodded. "And your family?"
Klaus leaned back, again, bringing up one leg to rest upon the other. He rolled his head to the side, stretching the stressed muscle, and took a deep breath to calm his ire.
"Two sisters and four brothers. But I already told you that the youngest died. His name was Henrik," the vampire shared. "The eldest, our sister, Freya, also escaped our fate. She tried to stop our mother, but my oldest brother, Finn, intervened. Freya ran. I never saw her, again."
"Why did your brother stop her? Freya, I mean?"
"Finn was devoted to pleasing our parents. I think he couldn't fathom the idea that our mother would do anything to harm us."
"Oh," Caroline frowned. "And…so, there are five of you? That are vampires?"
"There were originally five of us, yes." Klaus looked pained. He clasped his hands and placed them in his lap, shifting slightly to make himself more comfortable.
"And now, are there…are there…more vampires? Or less?"
He pondered the question asked, thinking about how candid he wanted to be with this young woman with whom he'd only known for mere days.
"There are more than five vampires, I would wager," he coolly admitted. "Although, I have to admit, it's been nearly a century since I've met another."
"You don't see any of your siblings?"
"No," he bluntly replied. "I'm the last of my family." He said it devoid of emotion.
But Caroline saw the twinge at the corner of his lips. She witnessed the twitch of one eyelid, as the intimidating creature seated next to her tried his best to mask his pain.
"I'm sorry…Klaus," she softly spoke.
The stoic vampire realized it was the first time she'd spoken his name, after finding out what he truly was. He rewarded her with a tight nod to acknowledge her sympathy.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Klaus turned his gaze to the window. He wasn't sure what to do, at this point. It didn't matter how much he shared with Caroline. Eventually, he'd have to wipe this conversation from her memory, but for the time being, it was nice to speak of people and things that he normally shut within the confines of his soul.
"I didn't have any brothers or sisters," Caroline finally broke the silence. "My parents, they had me and then my mom did the whole stay-at-home thing. My mom told me that she'd been accepted into the police academy, but then she found out she was pregnant and couldn't complete her training. And I think that my parents thought that having me might strengthen their relationship, you know? But it kind of did the opposite."
Klaus met her eyes, but she quickly looked down. She picked at the corners of the ice pack, positioning and repositioning it on her injured foot. Concentrating on that useless task to block any unwanted displays of emotion.
"I think Mom wouldn't have minded, having another kid," she clarified, "but Dad didn't. So, they didn't," Caroline shrugged. "Mom went back to work as soon as she could, reapplying for the academy, then working her way up through the ranks. She's a sheriff, now. My dad was a good dad." There was a resigned pause that said volumes. "But he left us when I was in middle school. Said he'd been living a lie and it was time for him to put himself first. He moved out of state with his boyfriend, and I didn't see him much."
She glanced up and saw that Klaus was listening intently. It was disarming, that face. Without the feral eyes and monstrous fangs, it was easy to see a charming, handsome, intuitive man that would have appealed strongly to Caroline. Add in the accent, the artistic talent, and the world travel, and he was a diamond in the rough...if only he was human.
There was another pause, and Caroline wondered if she should stay silent, to entice Klaus to speak. Instead, she finished her coffee and placed it next to his half-full mug. He immediately grabbed both and took them to the kitchen. She heard the tap being activated, the splashes of water hitting the mugs, barely-there swishes of the dishtowel, and the cupboards receiving the cleaned drinkware.
The ice pack was helping, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to move around much for the day. Klaus had confiscated her electronics and he didn't have any televisions in the home, so she wondered what else would make the hours pass. As she pondered what to do, he returned to his seat.
"Did you have more questions for me?" he asked.
It was subtle, but she could tell he enjoyed talking about himself more than he was willing to let on. There were plenty more questions to ask, so she continued without hesitation.
"Are there other supernatural things? Ghosts? Werewolves? The Loch Ness Monster? Bigfoot?"
The list made the vampire laugh, which Caroline found to be rather ironic.
"Not so far as I've seen, no," Klaus paired with a lopsided grin and a raised eyebrow. "Mostly fantastical stories, made up to either entertain or explain."
"Do you hate garlic? Or crosses? Would holy water burn you? Do you die if someone drives a wooden stake through your heart?"
He laughed, again. "You've been watching too much 'Twilight' and 'Buffy.' You want me to run through all of the myths?" Caroline nodded emphatically. "Fine," he shrugged. "I like garlic just fine. There was some in your stir fry last night, don't you remember? Crosses are fine, too." He pulled on the chain tucked into his shirt and showed off the Celtic cross at the end of it. "Holy water does nothing. Neither does a stake. Of any material. Vampires are rather indestructible, as it turns out. Our skin and bodies are much stronger than anything else in the animal kingdom."
"Then how did your brothers and sister die?"
In the barrage of questions, it landed like a bomb. Although she wanted to know the answer, she could immediately tell that she had crossed a line.
His jaw ticked, and he stood. She looked up at him, but he stared straight ahead and over her.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, ignoring her question.
"No," she half-whispered. She was, though. Her stomach wasn't feeling strong pangs of hunger, yet, but she felt too embarrassed to say anything else.
"I'll be upstairs, then, should you need anything. Try to stay off your foot," he spoke monotonously, heading toward the stairway. At the bottom, he finally glared at her. Not caring if he undid any of his work, he finished with a threat. "I'll be able to hear you, up there, so be on your best behavior."
And with that, he stalked up the stairs and went into his room. Caroline didn't hear his door close, so she assumed he left it open. There was still so much she wanted to know, but she supposed she'd pressed her luck with the fiend past what he was willing to share. She looked around the room, still keeping the ice pack on her foot, and took stock of her surroundings. The closed front door. Definitely not an option, if he's faster than me and the sun won't hurt him. The paintings she'd already admired. She looked down at her foot and then the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something sticking out of the bottom of the table between the chairs. Caroline leaned forward and saw the two books sitting on a shelf that she'd never noticed or used.
Curiosity and boredom made her reach down and grab the two items. One was a novel. Nothing she'd read. The Monk. It looked old. Older than her, anyway. She opened up the rather plain, brown, hard cover and saw that this edition was printed in 1973. Geez! This thing was written in 1796?! It was probably one of the books that she'd passed hundreds of times, sitting on the bookshelf in the upstairs bedroom. She placed it on the now-vacant table top and cracked open the second book.
But it wasn't another novel.
A sketchbook? Caroline marveled at the drawings and scribbles in the black leather-bound journal. There were realistic renderings: a snake in the grass, a wave breaking against a rocky cliff, an oval cameo pendant that she wanted to pluck off the page and wear. Then, there were loose sketches of the human body in different, difficult-to-draw positions. An androgenous figure slumped against a brick wall. Okay, well, that's disturbing… A rather curvy woman lying on her side in the grass with her head propped up on one hand. A businessman in a suit, faceless, but holding a cell phone to the place his ear should have been. She went through the pages one by one, seeing the familiar style that was showcased all over the house. There were several pictures of the young flapper woman that graced the downstairs bedroom.
A lover? A sister?
And, finally, on the final page, a scribbling that was barely discernable. Determined to understand what she was looking at, Caroline squinted and tilted her head.
It's a…face? Someone sleeping?
The door upstairs opened and Caroline first heard and then saw Klaus making his way back down to the first level of his home. He frowned, upon seeing her with the sketchpad in her hands. He strode over, grabbed the novel off the table and held his hand out for his other possession. Taking the hint, she abruptly closed the book and placed it in his hand.
"Thank you," Klaus cordially said.
He turned away, and Caroline felt a mild panic.
"Wait!"
Klaus stopped and faced her, a single brow cocked in suspicion.
"Um, what am I supposed to do all day?" she hesitantly questioned. "You don't have a television. I couldn't even find a radio! And I can't exactly go outside for a walk on the beach. You have my phone and laptop. Am I supposed to pace between here and my room?"
The vampire rolled his eyes and let out a grumbling sigh. "Like I've already said, you need to stay off your injured foot all together, if you want it to heal as quickly as possible."
The human nodded in disappointment and stared down at the rug underneath Klaus' feet. The pause lingered in the air between them, until Klaus spoke again.
"So, then. What would you be doing right now, injuries and all, if it weren't for my confiscating your property?"
"It depends," she shrugged. She looked up at him and her eyes sparkled. "In your hypothetical, do I still know you're a vampire?"
He smirked at her cheekiness. "What if you didn't?"
"I'd probably watch a movie on my laptop. Maybe browse some shopping sites online. Text Bonnie to come over and keep me company."
Klaus smiled broader and shook his head. "Ah, but I'm afraid company, other than yours truly, is out of the question, for the time being."
"Yeah, I figured."
"Speaking of-" Klaus interrupted himself and sped up and down the stairs, returning with Caroline's cell phone. He handed it to her, but without his charming smile. "Your friend is checking in on you. Please tell her that you've been too busy admiring your new roommate to pay attention to your phone."
Caroline scoffed and grabbed at her phone. "Seriously?" But she unlocked her phone and did as he asked, without the outrageous excuse. Bonnie was just letting her know that the engaged young woman would be heading out of town for a week to visit with Enzo's family and participate in a wedding shower.
*Sounds fun! Hope to see you, when you get back! *
The phone immediately dinged a response, so Caroline opened the text conversation.
*Are things better with K? Has he drawn you like one of his French girls? LOL*
Caroline made a face and looked up at Klaus. She wasn't sure when he'd moved, but he was now behind the chair she sat in to look over her shoulder. Her surprise, coupled with his reading the text from Bonnie, made him smirk. Tempted to chastise him for snooping, she held her tongue and returned her attention to her phone.
*Okay NO. He's not my type. Gotta go. TTYL*
*Whatever you say. Adios!*
She locked the phone and handed it back to Klaus, who placed it in his back pocket. He returned to his original position to face her, and she stared up at him.
"What movies do you have on your laptop?"
The rest of the morning was spent watching a romantic comedy that Klaus hadn't seen (and was determined to never have to watch again), and a period drama for which he had only read the book. At the end, Caroline glanced over to him. He was pensive, staring over the laptop sitting on the coffee table into nothing in particular.
"My sister loved those novels," he whispered.
He's literally a vampire. Like, a monster in a movie. Or in some deluded, romanticized teen novel. How many people has he killed? Would he kill me, if I made him mad enough? He doesn't deserve any of my sympathy…ugh…how did his sister die?
The unspoken thoughts confused and upset Caroline. She knew, no matter what, that she should tread lightly.
"Jane Austen?" she asked. When Klaus didn't answer, she took that as an affirmative. "Did your sister ever get to meet her?"
The vampire blinked out of his trance and looked over to the other person in the room. His expression was still blank, but the warmth he saw in Caroline's eyes encouraged him to continue.
"No. We were living in New Orleans at the time. Austen's novels weren't printed in the States until after the author's death. I'm sure my sister would've liked to have met her, though."
"You're not a fan?"
"I wasn't impressed. But, credit to my sister, she insisted that the novels would stand the test of time. I think she would've liked seeing the characters portrayed on film. She would've loved to have been in one of the adaptations, too, if it were possible."
Caroline genuinely smiled, feeling a strange kinship with a female vampire that she had never met.
"Did she enjoy performing?"
Klaus' eyes lit up, too, and he leaned closer to the blonde. "Oh yes. Very much so. Rebekah was nothing, if not dramatic."
Caroline flinched and her jaw dropped. "Rebecca? As in Rebecca Bay?"
He grimaced comedically, showing his own penchant for dramatic flair.
"She spelled it differently," he said. "R-E-B-E-K-A-H. She was furious, when the rest of the founders suggested what was a more popular spelling."
"That is a very…unique way to spell it," Caroline offered with all politeness.
Her diplomatic response made Klaus chuckle.
"Yes, but, needless to say, it made her furious to walk around town and see her name misspelled everywhere."
That made Caroline laugh heartily. Oh, I would HATE that, too, if I were her! Why am I enjoying talking to him? Or am I just in some weird survival mode?
"The rest of the founders?" Caroline finally caught on and repeated his previously uttered words. "You founded this town? Rebecca Bay?"
Klaus smiled in a way that was both smug and sheepish. "A mistake, on my part. It was easier, before the invention of the camera, to remain relatively unknown throughout the centuries. Can't be leaving proof of our existence. Paintings weren't mass-produced, so it was easy to either disfigure or destroy those. It took ages for the camera to become both reliable and affordable. When this town was founded, in 1910, the press took pictures for our local paper."
"You mean you couldn't just, like, destroy all the copies? Seriously? That was too big a job to accomplish?" she teased.
"You're right," he admitted. "I could've done exactly that. But," Klaus hesitated, now, suddenly unsure what to divulge, "then, some other events took place, and I was…not as motivated, shall we say, to destroy anything from that time of my life."
Caroline nodded, hearing what wasn't said. "Your sister died?"
"Yes," Klaus stiffly replied. "And that's enough of that. You must be starving. What would you like to eat?"
Lunch was a welcome reason to drop the conversation. Caroline didn't realize until the food was in front of her how hungry she truly was. Klaus ate one of her apples and some potato chips.
"You drink blood, as a vampire, but you can eat food, too?"
Klaus finished the food in his mouth and raised a paper napkin to his lips.
"Blood is the staple of my diet," he confirmed. "But food and drink can temporarily quell the craving." He leaned back in the wooden dining chair and tilted his head. In Caroline's mind, this was a visual tell for when Klaus was about to share something with her that he was unsure of how to explain. "Imagine you're starving. And imagine your body will metabolize anything with the utmost efficiency. But now picture a dining room where the only thing served is Fairy Floss." Before Caroline could ask her question, he continued, noting the confusion on her face and the way her lips pursed. "Fairy Floss was the original name of cotton candy. And because I know you're wondering, yes, I was there when it was introduced. Anyway," he rolled his eyes, "if you were hungry and you only had cotton candy to eat, you'd eat it. It wouldn't fill or satisfy you, but it would be better than nothing, right?"
Caroline nodded. She wondered how long he could survive between feedings, but she didn't dare ask.
The next day was easier. Klaus had coffee waiting, and Caroline was walking on her foot without much pain. They sat, once again, in the cozy sitting area. Both avoided the couch, and Klaus had thrown a towel over the blood stains.
"Is there anywhere you haven't been?" she asked and then sipped from her mug.
Klaus smiled, holding his own cup of coffee, but not drinking from it. He looked down at the steaming liquid, then back up at the gorgeous woman awaiting his answer.
"There's plenty I haven't seen. For the first century or so, I was still getting to know everything about the creature that I had become. For centuries after that, I roamed between two continents. I did more extensive traveling, later on, but, in the past couple hundred years or so, I've sought stability. Believe it or not, of all my homes, this is my favorite."
"I believe it," Caroline sighed. Her head turned to look out the grand front window, where, beyond Klaus' black car, the wild grasses swayed in front of towering trees that lined the drive. She didn't allow herself to linger on the view. "So, wait, you didn't really answer my question," Caroline turned back to him and gave him a sly look. Klaus returned it with his own tight-lipped grin. "Okay, so, let me rephrase it: what haven't you seen?"
"Oh, Antarctica, for one. No desire to go there, either. I'm not particularly fond of the cold, although I can survive extreme temperatures," he clarified. He paused a moment and then continued. "I've been to Oceania and Africa, but I haven't traversed most of their nations. I'd like to see more of South America, someday. Primarily, I've stayed in Europe, North America, and Asia." He set the full cup down on the table between them, then folded his hands in his lap. "And what about you, Caroline?"
Down to her last sip, she finished the mug in her hands and then set the drinkware down next to Klaus' own. He was a vampire. He'd had centuries to roam the earth. She was a human that had only existed for a couple of decades. But she blushed, anyway.
"I…haven't really been anywhere," she admitted, as if it were something to be ashamed about.
"Not yet," Klaus gently replied. "Where would you like to go? Paris? Rome? Tokyo?"
Caroline laughed. "Oh, wow. Um, Tokyo for sure. And Greece, Jamaica, Chile, Australia, and Iceland!"
"Reykjavík is one of my favorite places to visit," he confided. "I can picture you there. You'd love it."
Caroline's smile faded and she bit her lip. "Can I ask you something? But can you not get mad at me for asking?" Klaus' face set into a serious expression. "I mean, instead of getting angry and walking away from me, if you don't like what I ask, can you just tell me and not hate me for asking?"
"With this rambling intro, I'm not sure I can give you any guarantees."
She blushed, again. "Can, er, are you able to, like, make your eyes go dark, again? Or does that only happen when you're around fresh blood?"
Klaus frowned. "Why?"
"Because," she took a breath, "it's just odd, talking to you so casually like this. I forget that you are…" She trailed off on purpose, not wanting to finish her thought out loud.
"A vampire." The words came out of his mouth like dull footfalls. Monotonous and disinterested. He wasn't looking at her, anymore. He stared at one of his paintings across the room.
"I think I just need to see, again, that the person I'm talking to isn't human. I have to remind myself."
"I'd rather not," he said quietly, still not meeting her eye. "I'm not a danger to you, Caroline. And I'm trying to earn your trust."
He finally turned to face her, when he felt a warm hand rest on his forearm.
"Does that go both ways?"
Klaus exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Yes."
A small smile, a pleading look. A thick strand of blonde hair that had, at some point in their conversation, come loose from the loose tie and framed her face.
"If you won't hurt me, then I have nothing to be afraid of, right? I just want to see, again. I want to see the changes. Can you do that and keep control?"
Of course, it was easy. What Klaus would never tell her was that the black eyes, dark veins, and elongated fangs were as natural to him as her human visage was for her. He complied, slowly allowing darkened blood to wind its way through the veins in his cheeks and then flood his eyes. Carefully, without a sign of aggression or hunger, he simply opened his mouth and allowed his longer fanged teeth to be visible. That's when she pulled her arm away from his. There was fear, but not much of it. She clenched her jaw and stared at his teeth. He lightly touched his tongue to one fang and then retracted it back into his mouth with a simultaneous snap of his maw.
Caroline gasped and looked up to see that his eyes were returning to normal. He was smirking, amused at her study of him, and she laughed without knowing why. And he was smiling back at her.
Later in the day, Klaus agreed to sketch a picture of Caroline. She sat, perched on one green chair, with her back straight and a relaxed smile. With her hair piled in a messy bun on top of her head, she was sure that the rendering would be unflattering, but there was nothing else to do. Klaus insisted that she wear a tank top, so she wore a periwinkle camisole that was a usually reserved for warmer months.
Klaus sat on one of the wooden dining chairs, pulled from its home in the kitchen. His eyes flitted back and forth between the sketchbook and his subject.
"Did you know any famous people, throughout history?" Caroline suddenly broke the silence, bored. "Julius Caesar or Cleopatra? Einstein? Elvis?"
"Some, yes," he said, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "Again, I try not to draw attention to myself. Befriending public figures is counter-intuitive, in that respect."
"Okay, so who?" Caroline huffed. "Not everyone worth knowing is famous in their time."
"Everyone you listed was," Klaus pointed out.
"Oh, come on! Just tell me who, then!"
He chuckled at the order, resting the sketchbook on his lap momentarily.
"Hmm…I attended an art show put on by Degas and Monet. I saw Al Capone a few times, but I don't think we spoke more than a few words to each other. I was a part of the royal court of King Henry VII, for a few years. I met Anne Rice-"
Caroline, forgetting about the pose she was supposed to be holding, leaned forward with both hands on the armrests of the chair.
"The Anne Rice? Who wrote about vampires?! Did you tell her-"
"No, no," Klaus shook his head and motioned for her to sit back, reclaiming the sketchbook and rededicating himself to his work. "She's quite lovely, if a bit eccentric. I read a few of her vampire novels, and she was always thrilled to meet a fan." He paused his speech, focusing on lightly dragging the pencil in his hand to highlight the clavicle bones that framed the blonde's chest. "I asked if she had met a vampire. She looked straight into my eyes and said I might be her first." Klaus' own eyes darted up to see Caroline's jaw had dropped. "She was probably just harmlessly flirting, but I compelled her to forget our conversation anyway… to err on the side of caution."
"Did you ever see the movie, Interview with the Vampire? The one with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise?"
"I think I was going to," Klaus started, "but I never did. I don't particularly enjoy seeing movies."
"Are you at a good stopping point? Let's take a break and watch it! It's one of my favorites!"
The artist sighed and closed the sketchbook, again. The drawing was far from complete, but he'd captured enough of her likeness to add in the details later. The truth was that it wasn't pleasant for him to sit through a movie alone. He'd lived centuries, almost a thousand years. He was used to finding activities to occupy his time. Televisions were loud, obnoxious, and energy-draining. But with Caroline, sitting through a moving picture was much more tolerable.
"Ugh!" The human arched her back and stretched her arms above her head. "I've been in this chair too long! We need a different venue. You grab my laptop, I'll make popcorn, and we'll meet in my room. Deal?"
More than tolerable, Klaus said to himself, feeling the smile on his face growing larger. Enjoyable.
"Deal."