Part two of 'I'll Come for You'.
Klaus knew that he wasn't going to like whatever the situation was as soon as he first stepped foot into the loud and crowded bar, only to notice Rebekah sitting alone at the counter and cringing slightly as she saw him approaching.
She was supposed to be on 'Caroline duty'—a term that both girls hated with all their mights—as he and Elijah took care of the last few loose ends that Marcel's recent defeat at their hands had left around New Orleans. However, the younger blonde was nowhere to be seen, and it took Klaus less than a millisecond to go from relaxed and excited at the prospect of spending some time with his little blonde distraction to antsy and enraged.
The last few months had been hectic, to say the least, splashed in blood and revenge. The war between him and Marcel had divided the supernatural community of New Orleans in two sides, and no street, bar, or corner of the city had been safe. Not even the Mikaelson mansion itself, although guarded by way too many hybrids created thanks to Katherine's newly-human, surprisingly offered blood.
Therefore, obviously, as much as Klaus loved Caroline and wanted nothing more than to have her by his side every second of his every day, New Orleans was the last place that he would have wanted her to be in such dangerous and out of control times.
Against his heart's desires, he had therefore tried to convince her to go back to Mystic Falls for the time being—and what pain uttering those words with such uncommon unselfishness had caused him, as he feared he would have not been given a second chance with her if he were to manage to send her away—but, in true Caroline Forbes' fashion, she had simply snorted and scoffed and challengingly raised her eyebrows at him, almost as if to dare him to actually force her to leave his side.
No, she was going to fight by his side.
She didn't, obviously. She stayed, yes, but—the memory of her chained and battered still too fresh in his memory—he hadn't let her anywhere near Marcel, his people, or his carefully constructed revenge plan. Instead, she visited museum after museum, shopped and spent way too much money, tried new delicious foods, and walked around the city taking in all of its beauty countless of times, him or more often Stefan or Rebekah accompanying—ahem, babysitting—her.
So much for her being the control freak.
In hindsight, however, having Caroline near did Klaus nothing but a lot of good.
For starters, he hadn't needed to constantly worry about her safety being in someone else's hands. He didn't even want to imagine what could have happened if Marcel had found out about her and how much she meant to him and she had been alone and unprotected back in Mystic Falls. No. At least, that way, he had always known exactly where she was and that she was safe, and, in case something had happened, he would have been there to protect her himself.
Then—much to his siblings' joy and relief, as well as his own—her presence had highly—highly—improved his mood. He was still as broody, menacing and instable as ever, but, every time, all it took for him to calm down and crack a little smile was even just a glimpse of Caroline scurrying through the house, or the lingering echo of her infectious, tinkling laughter coming from upstairs, where she often busied herself watching TV or gossiping about something or other with Rebekah (not so surprisingly, the two girls had become very good friends in very little time, especially after Caroline had spent a whole night drying Rebekah's tears and letting her cry into her shoulder when Stefan had decided to momentarily head back to Mystic Falls).
The baby vampire had even made it a point to have at least two family dinners every week—one where she would be present as well (if there was anything that Caroline excelled at, it was acting as a buffer), and one where she would quietly take her plate upstairs with a small smile and leave the Mikaelsons to fend for themselves in a gradually less awkward and tense silence every week. They insisted, genuinely and for long times, that she should still dine with them, but she would adamantly shake her head every time, claiming that she needed some time to herself as well after all. Which, seriously, she did.
Living with the Mikaelsons, and especially living with Klaus, was way more intense and overwhelming that she could have ever anticipated, and so she gladly used those free couple of hours that she had to herself, relaxing with a long, bubbly bath and some music, or Skyping with her mom and friends, who were slowly but surely starting to accept her choice of moving to New Orleans, even if it was to stay with the Originals. It was her life after all, and they loved her enough to just want for her to be happy, even if her happiness came from such an unlikely source. Forever was too long a time to hold grudges, and none of them was a saint. So, as long as they kept her safe and happy, even the Mikaelsons were good in the Mystic Falls gang's book. It had taken some convincing, yes—a lot of it, actually—but eventually everyone had come around, and that was all that really mattered.
All in all, life was good. Very good. Except for the fact that, as far as the most romantic side of it was concerned, Klaus and Caroline's relationship had not progressed one bit. Yes, there were the usual lingering stares that made goosebumps rise on Caroline's skin and that reduced her to a trembling mess with a madly beating heart, and they flirted and teased each other more often than not, leaving Klaus incredibly frustrated at the most inconvenient of times, but that was it. Neither had yet taken the final leap.
If she had to be honest with herself, Caroline knew that the final step was up to her. Klaus had already voiced how deep his feelings for her were several times, only to be rejected time and time again. So, she couldn't exactly blame him for waiting for her to make the next, decisive, move, no matter how much she knew that the palpable sexual tension coursing between them affected him just as much as it did her—teasing her about it to no ends was Rebekah's favorite albeit rather questionable pastime, after all.
So, it was up to her. She owed him that much.
And it was with that knowledge that Caroline had entered Rousseau's followed by Rebekah that evening, hours before now.
Finally, it was time.
But, no matter how many times she had reassured herself of how Klaus felt about her—because, really, she had to be blind to not see with how much love and adoration he looked at her every single time that their eyes met—it was easier said than done, and it was just a matter of minutes before she had drunk far more alcohol than she could hold up and forgotten all about what she had wanted to do in the first place, ignoring Rebekah's pleas to not do anything stupid (or it would have been her head) as she left the barstool next to hers and joined the dance floor.
"I told you not to leave her out of your sight," Klaus ground out through gritted teeth, dangerously narrowing his eyes at his sister.
Rebekah turned her head to the side for a moment, towards the inebriated, dancing crowd.
"We're not at war anymore," she half mocked the hybrid. "Let her live a little. And," she added after a pause, mindlessly fingering the straw of her pink drink. "I have not lost sight of her for a single moment. She's right there," she cocked her head to the side.
Klaus quickly scanned through the place, grimacing at the mass of sweaty, drunk people that were cheaply grinding against each other.
Finally, his eyes lit up as he located the familiar blonde head that he was searching for among the crowd, but the grin on his lips quickly turned into a displeased frown as he noticed a boy dancing way too close to her and acting way too friendly for his liking.
Quickly and angrily, he made his way through the mass of people, shoving and glaring, his eyes blazing with fury as they lay on the boy's hand touching Caroline's arm. The only thought keeping him barely calm was that, soon enough, the boy would have no hands at all to touch Caroline with.
"Come on, just a drink," he heard the boy say, hooded eyes and smirk in place.
Klaus growled. That boy had either to be a tourist, or really, really stupid.
Everyone in New Orleans knew that Caroline was not to be looked at in such a vulgar way, let alone touched. Little did Klaus care that it probably was rather unfair to her—that his reputation added to the possessiveness that he felt towards her rendered her basically unapproachable as far as the other sex was concerned—because while he had promised her that he would wait for her to come to terms with how she felt about him and still intended to keep true to his word, competition was not at all in his plans. He had endured enough of that back in Mystic Falls, already.
So it was no surprise that, as soon as people started to notice Klaus' threatening stance as he approached the pair, a few vampires threw pitiful glances towards the still unaware young boy, gulping as they knowingly freed the way for the hybrid, deciding that it was no day to be collateral damage.
"Hello, love," Klaus whispered—although still loud enough for the boy to hear him as well—against Caroline's hair, one of his arms winding around her thin waist as he possessively yanked her against his chest, his hard and stony eyes set on the poor boy in front of them.
"Klaus!" Caroline giggled happily, turning around and excitedly looping her arms around the Brit's neck.
Klaus smiled, already feeling less murderous and more serene as the arm that was around her caught her light jump, pressing her soft and warm body more firmly against his as her intoxicating but refreshing lilac perfume overruled his senses and calmed him down.
If the incessant giggles and the too spontaneous display of affection hadn't already given her away, then her strong alcohol breath would have—she was definitely drunk. However, he couldn't help but grin; even as hazy and tipsy as she was, she still was all kinds of perfect to him.
He breathed her in, closing his eyes for a second as he turned his face into her neck.
"I missed you, sweetheart," he confessed in a low voice meant only for her.
Caroline simply tightened her grip around his neck in response, smiling against his cheek.
A throat clearing interrupted their moment, and Klaus raised his head to look at the daring intruder. He was torn between laughing at him or killing him when he saw that it was the boy from before, still standing there in front of them and apparently waiting for Caroline to redirect her attention towards him.
"Come on, man, me and the lady here were having a good time," he smirked, winking at a very unimpressed Caroline, who was still safely tucked into Klaus' arms. "Can't you two greet each other later?"
So the boy was dumb, after all.
Klaus's eyes flashed yellow in an instant, the smirk appearing on his lips nothing but utter wolf.
Gently, he retreated his arms from around Caroline, shielding her behind him as he moved forward until he was chest to chest with the foolish boy. The latter quickly lost his over-confident attitude, gulping down as he took in Klaus' dangerous stare.
"You chose the wrong lady to pick up on, mate," the hybrid admonished him with a dangerous grin. Barely a moment later, his blues eyes were completely focused on the boy's now dull ones, dilating.
"Leave," he ordered in a low but commanding tone. "New Orleans. Now. Although, you should start a little spat somewhere before leaving, maybe let some fella beat you up real good," he compelled, smirk widening at his own words. "It might teach you to not bother a girl obviously way too out of your league next time."
Patting the boy on the shoulder, strongly enough to hear an unnatural cracking sound that made him deviously satisfied, Klaus eventually released him from his hold and watched as he hurriedly left the bar in a haze.
When he finally turned towards Caroline, he was met by a rather adorable frown.
"You didn't have to do that."
In that matter, it was a fortune for him that she was so inebriated, or she would have put up quite the fight against his alpha male behavior. Instead, he simply silently wound an arm around her waist again, bringing her into his chest and feeling impossibly happy at having her so close.
A new song started then, and Caroline's demeanor turned overly animated again in the matter of a few seconds as she wriggled in Klaus' arms and beamed up at him.
"I love this song!" she cried out excitedly, pulling at his arm and making him chuckle at how endearing she was.
He sighed, bringing a hand up to her cheek and gently caressing down her face with his knuckles.
"What am I supposed to do with you..." he muttered to himself.
Caroline heard him, though.
"Uhm, dance? Duh. That's what you're supposed to do!" she replied with a huge smile as she jumped up and down, unable to stay put.
The hybrid raised his eyebrows, skeptical. "To this kind of music? I'm afraid not, sweetheart."
Caroline huffed, stomping her foot to the ground like a child, obviously not amused.
"You chased away my previous dance partner, it's the least you can do. Pleeeeease."
And, just like that, Klaus was a goner.
He already had enough trouble saying no to her as it was, but when she pulled the puppy eyes card on him, then he never stood a chance. Caroline Forbes had invented the puppy eyes.
Rolling his eyes, he took her hand in his and swiftly but gently spun her around, bringing her impossibly close to him once she was facing him again, his other arm going around her waist with movements less effortless than breathing.
"This is not how we are supposed to dance!" she reproached him with furrowed eyebrows, tripping over her own feet and clumsily colliding into his chest, making him chuckle again out of affection. "It's not a slow song!"
"Come on, love. Humor me."
"Mmh–ugh, my head huuuurts," she suddenly whined, forgetting whatever else she was just about to say and hiding her face into his Henley, gladly breathing in his unique smell.
Klaus gently shook his head, a smile on his lips.
"Of course it does. You probably drank your weight in alcohol," he mused teasingly. "Why is that, by the way?" he asked after a brief pause, genuine curiosity seeping into his tone as he looked down at her blonde mane burrowed into his chest.
She whined again, then sighed, her sounds muffled against him. "I'm in love."
Immediately, Klaus stopped moving, his feet freezing on the spot just as much as his heart froze inside his chest. Caroline, however, didn't seem to take notice of that, and she kept on swaying against him from left to right and then back again.
"Come again, love?" he asked with a slightly chocked voice, swallowing down the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.
Sure, since Caroline had joined him and his family in New Orleans, he had spent most of his time outside of the house, plotting and scheming, killing and regaining his rightful throne, but Caroline had admitted to him that fateful day that she had come for him, because she was missing him, and he had thought that things were going great between them—had he possibly missed her meeting and falling in love with somebody else?
"I'm in love," she repeated. "With an idiot," she added after a moment, almost as an afterthought, groaning as she let her forehead fall against his chest.
The hybrid's jaw ticked in barely contained anger then, and he stepped back from their embrace, keeping Caroline at arm's length. His gaze swept over her with its usual intensity, catching her confused expression before taking a hold of her arm—as gently as he could in his new wave of rage—and dragging her away from the dance floor, towards where Rebekah was still sitting by the counter, now with Sophie by her side.
The witch's greetings for the pair quickly died on her tongue as both her and the Original beside her became well-aware of the fury shining in Klaus' eyes.
"What happened?" Rebekah asked as soon as the other two were within human hearing distance, her tone alarmed and her eyes wide.
"She's in love," Klaus spat, propelling Caroline forward between him and the two girls, who were now both looking quite lost and confused.
"What?"
Klaus clenched his jaw, glaring at his sister; he was not going to repeat that. Instead, he decided to verbally attack her to try and work off some of his anger.
"When I told you to be her chaperon, I thought it went without saying that finding her a boyfriend was not part of the deal."
Rebekah frowned, helplessly turning her gaze to Caroline and then Sophie, before returning it to her brother.
"What the hell are you going on about, Nik?"
"She said that she's in love with someone," he replied through gritted teeth, feeling his heart clench painfully in his chest.
"She's drunk," his sister gave him a pointed look.
"Which is why I know that she was being honest when she admitted to it."
After a small pause, Rebekah sighed and turned towards Caroline again.
"You're in love?" she asked her friend, incredulously, folding her arms across her chest.
Caroline gave her a pointed look, looking wild with her bright blue eyes and flushed cheeks for the too much drinking and the too much dancing.
"Duh. You always say it's obvious that I am."
It dawned on Rebekah then, what Caroline meant. Or, most precisely, who she meant: Klaus.
"Oh, right," the Original grinned, sharing a knowing look with Sophie, who had caught up to what was going on as well and looked rather amused.
"You knew?" Klaus growled accusingly.
Rebekah sighed for what felt the umpteenth time that evening, dismissively waving a hand at his enraged brother.
"It's not what you think, Nik. I promise. She's drunk and will probably regret everything that she has said tonight, just take her home."
The hybrid felt relieved, if only slightly, at his sister's words—"It's not what you think."—and hastily nodded. He turned towards Caroline, his gaze almost unconsciously softening as it rested on the blonde beauty.
"Come on. Let's get you home, love."
"But I was having fuuuuun," she whined petulantly, her voice somewhat sluggish.
Ignoring her protests, Klaus put one arm under her knees and the other around her waist, deftly lifting her up into his chest.
"I think you've already had too much fun for one night, sweetheart," he replied almost tiredly, and, as he exited the bar with her in his arms, she was already halfway asleep.
Watching them leave, Rebekah shook her head with a sigh, turning towards Sophie.
"Idiots."
:
:
Caroline mumbled incoherently in her sleep as Klaus carried her through the front door of the Mikaelson manor.
Her earlier words were still ringing loudly in his head—"I'm in love."—gripping his since long dead heart in a tight and vicious grasp, making him bleed a blood that he wasn't supposed to have anymore.
He had had a lot of time (too much, perhaps) to think and ponder during their ride back home from the bar, Caroline fast asleep next to him in the passenger seat.
Rebekah's earlier reassurance didn't feel the littlest bit comforting anymore, and all he could think about was that he had somehow managed to let the best thing that had ever happened to him slip away through his fingertips only in order to reconquer a reign that was worth nothing if he couldn't share it with his one and only Queen.
Trying to keep his anger at bay, at least for the time being, his hands had tightened so hard around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as he kept a too firm grip on it, that he had ripped in two the faux leather of his Volvo, cursing whatever Gods up there hated him so damn much for all the bad that he had done in his life. Did he deserve Caroline's love, after all?
No, he didn't. And he damn well knew that, too.
But the point was that he wasn't sure he would be able to handle seeing her with another man, not now. Not when he had been there those past few months, witnessing her growing into an even more amazing woman, leaving behind the small town girl that she used to be. Because he knew that if she was in love now, then it wasn't going to be a brief and whimsical college romance but something much more long-lasting, something that his already strained heart couldn't possibly survive.
Almost inadvertently, his arms tightened around her sleeping form at those thoughts, bringing her closer to his chest, taking advantage of the last few and fleeting moments that he could have with her like that as he carried her up the stairs.
Caroline whimpered slightly and he looked down at her angelic face.
"Klaus," she whispered, turning in his arms to snuggle further into him and making his dead heart soar in the process.
It was incredible, really, what that tiny and fragile—if compared to him—creature could do to him, making him feel emotions that he had thought himself incapable of feeling for centuries. And he hated himself for allowing a bit of hope to still blossom inside of him; but, when she uttered his name like that, like she needed him as much as he needed her, he just couldn't help himself.
Much like the first time that he had brought her into his home, after she had been kidnapped and tortured by a pack of werewolves, he selfishly decided to carry her to his bedroom instead of opting for a guest room. Not that it could really be said that Caroline occupied a guest room anymore, no, she had her own bedroom; just like there was his bedroom and Rebekah's and Elijah's, there was Caroline's bedroom. That was how integral a part she had become to a family so dysfunctional and used to never let anybody in like their own.
Because, somehow, with her light and optimism and innocence, Caroline had weaseled her way into their cold, dead hearts and made them all better, not just him.
Rebekah finally had a friend, a real, genuine and honest friend. Elijah, used to be surrounded by Klaus' constant mistrust and Rebekah's cunningness, thoroughly enjoyed having a more moral and positive, bubbly confidant such as Caroline for a change, gaining a great deal of happiness and peace in seeing his brother finally in love and much less vengeful. It was a winning situation for everybody, and Klaus didn't doubt that his siblings wouldn't waste a single second before blaming him for sending Caroline running away from their family, if it really was the case and she had actually fallen in love with somebody else.
With a sigh, having reached his bedroom and pulled down his king-size bed's covers with one hand as he kept Caroline firmly against him with his other arm, Klaus finally deposited the blonde beauty on the cool sheets, observing her with sheer and unadulterated love as she rolled on her side and got more comfortable. Carefully, as to not wake her, he rid her of her shoes and covered her thin, lithe body with the warmth of his dark blue duvet.
He disposed of his own jacket then, and opted to sit down on the rocking chair between his bed and the glass door that gave way to his private, spacious terrace.
He smiled as he settled on it, his adoring gaze still trained on the baby vampire currently sleeping in his bed. Rebekah had in no uncertain terms called him 'whipped' when he had first purchased that rocking chair, but he recalled the memory fondly. Caroline had bought one for her own bedroom barely a week earlier, and would always adorably complain that she missed it and didn't know where to sit whenever, for whatever reason, she found herself in his room. Useless to say, after a few days, Klaus' room hosted an identical copy of said rocking chair. His sister had rolled her eyes with a snort and Elijah had smiled knowingly, but Klaus had realized that nothing else mattered as Caroline happily raced into his arms and thanked him over and over again with a beaming smile that made his whole world light up.
Because she was his whole world.
And with a heavy heart still worrying over the blonde's words, he eventually drifted off to sleep.
:
:
Klaus was still sleeping when Caroline finally woke up, timid sunrays filtering through the closed curtains covering the large windows and hitting her eyes.
With a moan, the blonde brought a hand up to massage her forehead, her head pounding terribly as a first sign of her hangover. Technically, vampires weren't supposed to actually ever get drunk, let alone be hungover, but Caroline really wasn't a typical vampire, and she was as much as a lightweight now as she had been as a human.
She was, however, coherent enough to realize that the bedroom that she was currently in wasn't hers, but Klaus'.
Lifting herself up to a sitting position, she looked around the room, squinting her eyes and trying to shake off the last remains of her sleepiness and confusion. After a few moments, she finally spotted the aforementioned hybrid sleeping in the rocking chair that he had purchased for her some time ago.
Her features immediately softened at the sight. Right after a few seconds, however, she felt a sudden pang of guilt in her chest as she recalled the events of the previous night, especially the hurt and utterly disheartened look on Klaus' face as she admitted that she was in love with someone, not knowing that said someone was actually him.
She also remembered the way Rebekah—bless her non-existent soul—had tried to reassure him, although she was pretty sure that it had only been in vain. She knew Klaus by then, and she knew the way in which he was used to react whenever he felt hurt or somehow betrayed, immediately closing himself off to her all over again, quickly rebuilding all those tall and nearly unbreakable walls that it had taken her months to carefully tear down. But hell, no, she wasn't going to let him send them both back to square one.
That definitely wasn't the way that she had envisioned finally telling Klaus how she felt about him, but desperate times called for desperate measures and that certainly was one of those desperate times.
She had no intention to let all the progress that the two of them had made over the last few months go to waste because of a drunken slip-up, but she knew that she had to act fast. Were Klaus to wake up, she would never get the chance to explain herself, for he probably would only take her words as a plea for forgiveness or, worst, lies, casting her away or running away himself before she really had a chance to say what she needed to say. No, she had to think of something effective, and she had to do it quickly.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in her furiously worrying mind.
Slowly, she peeled the warm blankets off her body and, intent on making as less noise as she possibly could, stood up from the bed, tiptoeing her way towards Klaus.
She hesitated for a moment, unsure, but immediately chastised herself. Part of her was—foolishly, she knew—still scared of rejection, while the other was sort of scared of how big a commitment Klaus was.
It was such a strange and new feeling, given the fact that she had always been the one ready to move forward too soon in her past relationships, but she had always known that it was all or nothing with Klaus, that no half measures would be allowed. But, be honest with yourself, Forbes, the thought of actually spending an eternity with Klaus–
–and not the imaginary happily ever after that happened in fairytales, but the actual, until the end of time do us part forever–
–was thrilling and exciting, something that she wanted like she had never wanted anything else before in her whole life. She had decided, after all, and there was no point in keeping on postponing it all—the real beginning of her immortal life; she wanted it.
With her mind finally set once and for all, Caroline cautiously brought her legs up to the rocking chair, knees bent at each of Klaus' sides so that she was carefully straddling him, their bodies barely touching.
Immediately, he slightly moved in his sleep, turning his head to the side, although still seemingly unaware of her presence.
Taking a deep breath, Caroline slowly lowered her head towards his, grazing his slightly stubbled cheek with her nose. At the same time, she brought her hands up to his shoulders to circle her arms around his neck.
"Klaus," she softly whispered into his ear.
Slowly coming back to reality, Klaus blinked lazily a couple of times, trying to shake off the haziness that he felt as he opened his eyes. He took into the darkness of the room around him and then turned his head towards Caroline.
The feeling of her body over his was spectacular, like nothing that he had ever felt before. Yes, there had been the occasional times where he had held her in her sleep or where they had been sitting very close on the couch or during their meals, but that was the first time that he could really feel all of her tantalizing, soft curves pressed up against him, and the sensation was quickly sending him into overdrive.
She smelled so good, like happiness and hope and everything good that he wished he had in his life, and she was so warm, making his heart beat impossibly fast in his chest, trapped beneath his ribcage. He felt silly, reacting to her the way that he was, but he couldn't help it and, in all honesty, he wasn't even sure if he even wanted to. Caroline made him feel more alive than he ever had before, even more so than when he still was but a mere human boy, and if feeling like a teenager dealing with his first crush was the nastiest side effect then he would take it, no questions asked. Because there was nothing nor nobody that he needed and wanted in his life more than Caroline, and, no matter how much he craved the power and the control that being the strongest and most feared creature in the whole, wide world gave him, he loved the fact that he could be different with her, that he could somehow let go of all his worries and just be. As cliché as he knew it sounded, there was no better way to put it—she was the light to his darkness.
Their gazes locked together, blue on blue, a swirling of untold emotions coursing between them. Neither could tear their eyes away, the intensity of the moment having them hold their breath in some sort of anticipation.
"Caroline, love," his voice trembled as he brought a hand up to cup her cheek. "Is this a dream? Am I still dreaming?" he whispered, unable to comprehend how she could possibly willingly be there with him in that moment.
His words sounded so sad but awed at the same time that they made the blonde's heart break a little. Her misunderstood confession had really taken a huge toll on him.
She let a small smile curve her lips.
"You're awake, Klaus," she replied, unwrapping her arms from around his neck to bring her hands to his face, lovingly caressing his cheeks, her thumbs tenderly brushing along his bottom lip.
Klaus looked completely mystified, his eyes searching her face for any hint that what was happening wasn't real. Swallowing, he slowly brought his arms around her waist, almost fearing that the action would spook her and drive her away. Instead, she smiled in encouragement and moved closer to him, settling more comfortably over his lap.
The feelings that she was evoking inside of him were so overwhelming and electrifying that his body was barely conscious of the luscious way in which she was currently straddling him, his mind instead dazed with the acceptance that she was seemingly showing him so freely and happily.
But the words that she had uttered the night before were still not completely lost to him, and he knew that, for the sake of his sanity, he had to ask.
However, he could barely wet his lips once with his tongue as he racked his brain for the right words to use, that Caroline immediately softly shook her head. She was still smiling, and he couldn't help but swear to himself that he intended to keep that smile there on her lips for as long as he would live—eternity.
"It was you, Klaus. I'm sorry that you had to find out that way, but it was you. Last night, what I..." she trailed off, swallowing down her insecurities as her heart kept on fluttering madly inside of her chest.
She exhaled, letting out a heavy sigh.
"What I said, I was talking about you."
The hybrid's eyes immediately widened as he inhaled sharply, almost gasping.
His grip around her waist tightened almost imperceptibly, as if he wanted to make sure that she would stay there with him, as long as he could possibly manage to keep her, because—no. He couldn't believe it, yet. It couldn't possibly be true. Nobody, not the parents that had repeatedly tried to kill him nor the siblings that still somehow stood by his side, had ever told him that they–
–but she hadn't either, not really.
And Caroline knew; she could see it in his dark, intense and disbelieving eyes, that he needed to hear the exact words. And he deserved them, too. Because even if he had never said them himself, they were in every lingering look that he bestowed upon her, in every swift caress of his hand on her skin, in every small or ridiculously expensive gift that he coaxed her to accept from him, and in every little but at the same time special and important thing that he did for her every singe day. They were in the damn rocking chair that they were sitting on in that very moment, as well.
"I love you."
The energy and atmosphere of the whole room shifted in the blink of an eye, the weight of it wordlessly hanging in the small space still present between them.
There was no going back now, and they both knew it.
In an instant, his burning eyes taking her in—for that moment was going to be forever sealed into his memory as the most important and monumental moment of his whole existence—Klaus brought a hand to cradle the back of her neck, impatiently bringing her head down towards his to finally fuse their lips together.
Caroline gasped at the sudden movement, almost unconsciously giving the Brit access to the depths of her mouth. Their tongues met, tangling and lacing together, hot and wet and searching. It was their first kiss, but it felt like their millionth.
Again, she wound her arms around his neck as he kept her pressed impossibly close to his chest. They were both still wearing their clothes from the night before, which were starting to get in the way as they tried to get even closer to one another, Caroline's legs tightening around his hips.
He framed her face in between his hands, momentarily releasing her lips only to immediately dive back in, eagerly sucking and nipping at her bottom one. At the same time, her hands slipped underneath his shirt, caressing his shoulder blades and then down his back as far as she could reach, and Klaus wholeheartedly relished the feeling of her hands directly on his skin, spreading warmth all over his body.
His fingers almost having a mind of their own, he traced the hem of her top, eliciting a moan from the blonde as he touched her unmarred skin, slowly caressing up the curve of her spine.
Their lips separated once again, and Caroline hid her face into his neck, panting, her nails digging into the skin of his back.
"Caroline," he warned—he wouldn't able to stop, were they to go any further.
"I want this," she promised in a whisper, serious, her breath caressing his ear.
Klaus moved back slightly, forcing her to raise her head from its spot against his shoulder. Her eyes immediately focused into his, nothing but love and determination shining wildly in the bottomless, blue orbs.
"There will be no coming back, love."
Smiling, she replied. "I know. I love you."
It was those three words again—his undoing.
He closed his eyes, still somehow unable to process the reality of what was finally happening. She would be his, utterly and irrevocably, just like he had been hers since the very first time that he had crossed the threshold of her house to cure her from a fatal bite that was nothing but his own fault.
Finally reopening his eyes, Caroline almost gasped at the emotions burning in them, their usual blue various shades darker, awe and lust swirling around them with no reserve.
"I love you, too."
She didn't even have the time to fully process his words—well, actually yes, she did, because hey! control freak over there, and those words meant way too much, immediately stored away in her heart and memory—as his lips crashed back down onto hers.
It had taken Klaus an immense amount of courage—so much more than the one he showed while battling his enemies every day—to utter that sentence, one that he had never pronounced for anybody else before, not even his siblings. But there was not a doubt in his mind, and ever more importantly in his dead, rotting, black (but there was light in it, too, now) heart, that he meant them. And Caroline deserved to know. She deserved everything that he could ever give her and so much more.
Their mouths fused together again and again, but their tongues never battled for dominance, instead slowly dancing together, never getting tired of one another.
With haste, the two rid each other of their shirts, and Klaus made quick work of her lacy bra, carelessly tossing it on the floor at their feet. His hands immediately went to cup her naked breasts, eagerly kneading the newly-exposed flesh and making Caroline moan.
He tried to stand up, with every intention of moving them to the bed, but she immediately pushed her hips down against his, effectively making it impossible for him to leave the chair and coaxing a groan from his lips.
"Here," she almost begged; and who was he to deny her anything?
Deciding to give more attention to her finally bared chest, Klaus started lavishing her collarbones with kisses, moving down in painfully slow motions to take one of her nipples between his teeth, sucking and pulling at it greedily.
"Klaus."
The baby vampire's moan shook him all the way down to his already hardening length, still hidden underneath the confines of his jeans.
She was so receptive and responsive under his ministrations, an actual Goddess in his arms, and he expertly filed away in his memory all the things that made her react to him the most, like the way in which she arched against him as he started to caress up her naked back, pushing her breasts more forcefully against his eager mouth.
He wanted to ruin her for anybody else, and make sure that she forgot about all those that she had been with before him. She was his. And he was never going to let her go, not after this.
Retaking her lips, he pushed his hips up against hers, needing some friction and relief. She quickly understood and her hands moved down to his jeans, her fingers fumbling with the button and zip. Once those were finally undone, Klaus lifted his hips and helped Caroline push the garment down to his knees, together with his black boxers.
Her hand eagerly wrapped around his hardness then, feeling it pulsating slightly against her, even more wetness seeping through her panties in reaction.
"Love," Klaus groaned, briefly closing his eyes in an attempt to regain some control. "Not like this," he pleaded through gritted teeth.
Caroline's features immediately softened, and she nodded slowly as soon as Klaus had reopened his gentle eyes into hers.
Together, they made quick work of her own jeans and of her panties, pulling them both all the way down and then off her long legs.
Finally—finally—they were both completely naked on the rocking chair, the sun shining through the curtains more brightly than before and hitting their tangled figures.
Caroline left a trail of soft kisses from his shoulder upwards to his jaw, making him shudder as his arms kept her close. Eventually, she retook his lips, unhurriedly and lovingly.
She lifted her hips, lightly squeezing her arms around his neck to let him know that she was ready.
With bated breath, he positioned himself at her entrance, then nudged her head away so that they could look into each other's eyes as he finally guided her down onto him.
They both moaned at the sensation of being finally joined as one, Caroline closing her eyes while Klaus watched every single emotion flickering through her face, mesmerized by her beauty.
Gently caressing her flushed cheek with the back of his hand, he lay a single kiss on her lips.
"Open your eyes, sweetheart."
As soon as she did, their gazes locked together again and he finally started moving within her, slowly and deliberately, memorizing every sweet sound that left her parted lips. He wanted to prolong that moment for as long as he could, but they had both been waiting for it for far too long already and, after a while, their movements almost unconsciously became more frantic and more purposeful.
Caroline muffled her moans against his neck, his arms winding even more tightly around her small waist, pulling her impossibly closer. Their hips kept on rotating together, up and down, making the chair creak under their combined weight and movements.
He sucked and bit her neck with his human teeth, leaving momentary marks on her skin, and then proceeded to engulf her lips with his once again, his tongue seeking hers inside her mouth. Caroline's nails were digging almost painfully into his beck, cutting through the skin and drawing small rivulets of blood.
The tension between them got too much too quickly, their movements hurried and almost confused, the burning coil at the pit of their stomachs snapping at the same time. They writhed helplessly against each other, rising and rising until they fell together over the precipice of their combined climaxes, their hips still gyrating together desperately, the room silent if not for the melody of their attuned moans and pants.
Even with their orgasms slowly subsiding, they continued kissing each other languidly, almost lazily, their lips swollen and wet, their tongues pushing and pulling in a slow dance known to nobody but the two of them.
After a few more moments, Caroline eventually fell back slightly, leaving one last, small, lingering kiss on Klaus' smiling lips.
His happiness—their happiness—truly was a sight to behold.
"I love you," she said again, against his warm lips.
If possible, his smile became even more beaming, mirroring the one that she knew she was wearing as well.
"I love you, too."