September 23, 2014
"KOL!"
Caroline awoke with a start, Rebekah's screech likely waking the entire house if not the entire block. Was it worth it to get up and investigate or should she just roll over and catch another, Caroline cracked an eye open to peer at the clock, hour of sleep?
Nuzzling into the soft covers, Caroline hummed. Sleep sounded good.
CRASH
She flung the blankets up and over her face, turned to burrow under her pillow while she cursed her vampire hearing. Despite her best efforts the sounds of cursing and destruction continued. Loudly.
What happened to the spelled rooms? For god's sake, were they brawling in the hallway?!
A particularly loud crack as a wall shuddered answer that question. Yes, they were definitely throwing each other around in the hallway.
Launching herself out of bed, Caroline stalked toward her door and peered out. Kol was standing a bit down the hall, his back to her, Rebekah snarling farther down, hair a riotous explosion of eye-watering fuschia. She could feel the aura of Bonnie's magic surrounding Kol which actually explained a lot.
Quite fed up with their squabbling, she took advantage of Kol's taunting, and flashed the few feet over and to snap his neck. Glancing over at Rebekah's surprised face, she blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"You're welcome."
Rebekah sneered half-heartedly, "I don't need baby vampires to help me fend off my obnoxious brother." Though it was telling that she didn't bother to say anything else, instead hauling her brother off to likely enact some type of vengeance.
A chuckle sounded behind her. Peeking over her shoulder, Caroline spotted Klaus leaning against his doorway. She had yet to see him look so normal, a bit sleep rumbled, his curls tousled. It was a good look on him.
"Ruthless aren't you, sweetheart?"
Pivoting, she strode in his direction, offering a casual shrug as she stood before him. "They were interrupting my sleep." Before he could offer much response she turned again to head toward her room. "So, I'm going to go do that. Bye, Klaus."
To her dismay, despite her best efforts, she didn't end up falling back asleep. Though she stayed in bed the whole time out of spite.
Once she gave up on going back to sleep, Caroline found herself before the stove, fiddling with the high-end range the Mikaelson's kept in their kitchen. She didn't bother to wonder why they had it, chalking it up to their collective snobbery.
It did make it really easy to cook en masse though, which she took full of advantage of as she whipped up batches of french toast. The kitchen filled with the scents of cinnamon and butter, the sounds of sizzling. It almost disguised the noise of air being displaced behind her, signaling the arrival of a vampire. She didn't bother to turn, which was a mistake as they stepped closer and fiddled with her ponytail, a spark of magic blooming. Caroline mentally cursed.
"Consider this payback, Darlin'," she heard whispered in her ear.
Though she whirled in an instant, Kol had already fled, his cackle left in his wake. She didn't feel any different and she doubted he would risk doing anything serious and face her's, Klaus' and Bonnie's wrath.
As she shifted, her hair caught her attention and she realized that Kol was not feeling particularly creative. Grabbing her ponytail and pulling it around she saw, instead of her normal blonde, fire-engine red with bright cyan streaks. Not a look she would pick for herself, but she could rock it. She certainly wasn't going to give Kol any satisfaction by being as pissed as Rebekah. Besides, Bonnie would change it back for her if she asked.
Caroline sat at the kitchen island, indulging in her huge stack of french toast, a spread of syrup, butter, fruits, and other toppings arranged across the table.
"Do you want some, Klaus?" She asked, not bothering to look up.
"...Sweetheart, are you aware…?" He trailed off and she looked up in time to catch his expression and aborted hand gesture toward his own hair. Her lips quirked, she hadn't seen him so tentative before.
"Do you not like it?" She asked, looking back down and taking another bite to hide her growing amusement.
"Ah, it's certainly a statement." He sounded a bit awkward now, surprised by her reaction, and she decided to put him out of his misery.
"Kol did it, retribution for snapping his neck apparently."
"I can kill him for you," Klaus offered as he walked over to sit across from her, his tone casual.
"Thanks, but I can get back at him myself if I want to. But I'm sure nothing will irk him more than no reaction."
Klaus made a little snort of amusement. "I see you already have him figured out, love." Leaning over, he snagged a fork and speared the corner of one of her slices. He took a bite as he eyed her, licking his lips to catch the traces of syrup. "Delicious."
Klaus' smile faded as Caroline departed from the kitchen. He set his own plate in the dishwasher, examined the area to see if Caroline missed anything in her meticulous cleanup. It was spotless. He tilted his head; Kol was on the third floor.
In an instant, he had Kol pinned to the wall by his throat, pleased by the force of the impact.
"You went after Caroline?" He seethed.
Kol just glowered back, a sneer on his face. "With the magic equivalent of hair dye." A force shoved him away from his brother, who made a show of straightening up off the wall and brushing off his shirt. "For fuck's sake, Niklaus , it's not as if I harmed her. I rather like her actually, she's feisty."
Klaus snarled, eyes flashing wolf gold. Kol was correct, not that he would admit it, but it made him uneasy how vulnerable she was. The things his brother could have done. His nostrils flared.
"Just to be clear, if you harm her. I know exactly who I will go after."
Kol's eyes darkened.
"Careful, Nik, you're not the only hybrid in this family anymore." He offered a feral grin. "Besides Bonnie would eviscerate me herself if I went after her best friend."
With that reminder, Kol flashed away, leaving Klaus to vent his frustrations alone.
Caroline's skin prickled and she looked over her shoulder, surprised to find Kol hovering in her doorway.
She raised an eyebrow. "...Can I help you?"
The brunet pursed his lips looking mildly conflicted. He grumbled something under his breath, though it sounded like "bastard, I can't believe I'm doing him a favor".
"You should go find Klaus. Don't say I never did anything for you." Before she could make anything of his odd behavior, Kol sped away. A bit concerned, Caroline decided to heed his confusing advice.
It was instinct that led her toward the third floor and down one of the many hallways. She rounded a few corners, continuing to walk until she reached a closed door. She debated knocking, but figured it wouldn't get her anywhere. Thankfully, the door was unlocked and she slipped inside. And there Klaus sat. A rather dark expression on his face, body so still that even a human would be able to tell something was wrong. His eyes flicked to her the instant she came in, darkening even further before relaxing when he registered it was her.
He made an effort to appear nonchalant, tossing a little smile in her direction. "Caroline, is something wrong?"
Unimpressed, she crossed her arms leaning back against the closed door. "I could ask you the same question. Kol-" She halted, watching as he involuntarily tensed again. Pushing off the door, she walked closer, reaching for his shoulder as she stood beside him. He looked up at her, eyes darting to her hair for a split second and a flash of insight hit her. "You're upset because Kol dyed my hair." Her brow scrunched slightly in confusion.
He suddenly stood, tugging her a bit closer by her hips, until their chests were brushing. He didn't need to breath, but she could feel him doing so anyway, taking in her scent.
"I was without my Wolf for 500 years and it was one of the worst feelings of my existence." She listened to his apparent non sequitur, wondering where he was going with this. "Kol...Kol has been without magic for 1,000. It's a bloody miracle that all he's done is play childish pranks."
Caroline stepped even closer, letting her forehead rest on his shoulder. She could feel his fingers digging into her hip, and she understood now.
They stood together in silence as she felt him settle, reassured by her presence. The solid weight of her body. The familiarity of her scent.
September 25, 2014
Caroline tossed in her bed, feeling restless. The past couple days had been fairly calm once Klaus relaxed. It helped that Kol stopped tossing magic in her direction, harmless pranks and all, a consideration she attributed to Bonnie. So, she wasn't sure what was keeping her up.
While she didn't need sleep in the way a human does, she still very much liked sleeping and really didn't appreciate her current inability to do so. With a grumble she slid out from beneath her covers and made her way across the hall.
Klaus' door opened the moment she stopped in front of it, the Hybrid standing there with an inquiring expression on his face.
A little bolt of concern hit him when his ears caught the sound of Caroline approaching his door. Had something happened? Pulling his door open, he examined her face catching traces of sheepishness, but no worry or discomfort.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't sleep."
"I can see that," he drawled a bit amused, though he opened his door wider to let her pass.
He shut the door behind her as she brushed past him as and turned to settle a hand on her back.
Peering over at him, she asked, "Soo, what were you doing before I interrupted?"
"You could never be an interruption, Caroline." He got a gentle elbow and a muttered "cheesy" for his efforts. Though she also relaxed against his side.
"No, but seriously, if you were in the middle of something I can leave."
He just shook his head and assured her, "It will keep, love."
Caroline could feel herself relaxing in the face of Klaus easy accommodation of her. A month ago she would have been shocked that the arrogant asshole she had challenged had this other side to him. She eyed him as she remembered that first meeting, now curious about something.
"You know I realized I never asked, since it never really came up while we were butting heads, if you had a soulmark too. I just kinda assumed you did, but our bond has been rather unusual…" More than you know, she thought with a flash of guilt.
He looked surprised by the direction of her thoughts. "I do have one, yes."
"...Can I see it?"
"You know there are easier ways to ask me to strip?" He teased.
She just rolled her eyes as he smirked at her. After a moment he turned and pulled his shirt off, revealing black script across his back.
I know who you are.
She hesitated with her fingers hovering over it, not sure when she even moved. He glanced over his shoulder at her.
"Feel free to touch me all you like, sweetheart."
She ignored his blatant innuendo, gently tracing the curve of the letters, recognizing the handwriting as her own. He shivered beneath her fingers, the mark itself also seeming to quiver, feeling alive itself somehow. Jerking her hand back she apologized, "Sorry, did that feel weird?"
His voice was gravel when he answered. "No." He turned, eyes a dark gold. "Not at all." Eyes fell to her chest and lingered where she had shown part of her own mark before. Her throat went dry as his gaze met her's again, a devouring pit in his eyes. He reached for her. "May I?"
She swallowed, slowly pushing down the top of her shirt, the swell of her breasts now clearly visible. Pure electricity ran through her when he made contact. Simultaneously making her feel indescribably alive and aroused.
"Jesus," she panted.
"You have no idea what it does to me to see my name on your skin."
July 27, 1998
Caroline's tongue stuttered over the odd sounds. Her new friend still sounded weird, but she knew what he was saying now. But repeating his babble was harder.
Her cheeks puffed out as she crossed her arms. Nikulás set his hands on her shoulders and she looked up into his big, blue eyes.
"Svá veeeeel, Karoline?" 1
Grumbling she tried again. "Hei, hve-hversu ferr?"2
His smile was huge. "Allt ágætt, Karoline! En þú?"3
She could feel her own smile growing. "Allt gott, Nikulás."4 Her grin grew even larger. "Now you." She widened her eyes. "Pleeease, Nikulás?"
Klaus jerked backward, his eyes now dark for an entirely different reason.
"...Well, that's one way to kill the mood," Caroline weakly joked.
September 26, 2014
The next day, Caroline dragged Klaus outside, claiming that she had yet to find the best beignets in NOLA.
"See? Some fresh air does you a world of good, Klaus." She would bet if he were anyone else he would be rolling his eyes at her.
She tensed. Something didn't feel right.
Klaus was suddenly tackling her to the floor, his body covering her's while he cradled her head. Above them glass shattered, a barrage of bullets having hit it. Caroline could smell wood and vervain instead of metal and gunpowder, and her worried eyes met Klaus' furious ones.
In a blur, he had her in his arms and back at the Abattoir, already shouting orders to various minions.
...Well, that certainly didn't go as planned.
Caroline hurried after him, fully prepared to demand that he didn't leave her behind. She was quite capable of defending herself, thank you very much.
November 5, 2014
It hadn't taken long to track down the culprits of the attack, whom Klaus punished with extreme prejudice. Now, she found herself curled up again on Klaus' settee, passing the time admiring his artistic talent. She wondered if he would be willing to teach her? ...Though maybe she would ask when she could draw something a bit better than a stick figure.
Klaus refused to tense as he watched her slowly flip through his drawings. And he could tell the exact moment she reached the first drawing of her, noted the way she froze as her eyes widened. But she said nothing, biting her lip as she continued her slow perusal of his art. When she reached the final drawing, yet another portrait of her face, she finally looked up.
She didn't appear angry or upset. Surprised perhaps, and he watched as she peered at him from beneath her lashes, something fragile about her expression.
"K-Klaus, these are stunning. Is...is this really how you see me?"
Slowly, he reached over to cup her chin, cradling her face as he tilted it up so she could see the sincerity in his.
"You're a beautiful woman, Caroline. If anything these pictures don't do you justice. They can't capture the light that surrounds you or the ferocity of your spirit."
Caroline blinked shock and warmth flooding her body. She wasn't sure what she had expected him to say, but it wasn't that. Did he really see her that way? Hell, sometimes she didn't even see herself that way.
"I- thank you." She managed to stutter out, before she got a hold of herself. "You know I think I understand now when Jeanette called you one of the 'good ones'." His brow furrowed, seeming legitimately a bit upset by her words if she was reading him correctly. "I don't mean you're a good person, Klaus. I think we both know that would be a lie." Perhaps to anyone else that would be an insult, but she didn't mean it as one. Klaus seemed to understand what she was getting at as his brow actually smoothed out. "In fact, you probably have more blood on your hands than anyone I've ever met. Committed enumerable atrocities, few of which that you regret, I bet." She thought she caught a flicker of hurt now, and she hurried to blurt out the rest of her poorly planned speech. "But I already knew all those things, Klaus. I went to meet you already aware. It's these parts of you that you've shown me the past couple of weeks that I didn't know. The ones that gave me flowers and took me horseback riding and saw me. And liked what you saw."
Reaching up, Caroline grasped the hand still pressed against her cheek. She held his gaze, noted that he was the one now taken aback, and pressed a feather-light kiss to the palm of his hand. "You're a handsome man, Klaus. And all the legends that surround your name don't encapsulate all that you are. They don't highlight the devotion you're capable of nor the strength of your heart."
For a moment, the man sat frozen. Just as she was about to lighten the mood and tease him about the fact that Klaus Mikaelson did indeed have a heart, he surged forward. It wasn't the light exploratory kiss from the stables. This one was teeth and heat and passion.
His hand slipped from her face to tangle in her curls, the other wrapping around her back and tugging her closer. Caroline moved with him, her own hands shifting to press them even closer. The kiss stole breath from their dead lungs, their lips puffy despite accelerated healing. Her forehead rested against his as she peered into his eyes, darkened with lust and pupil ringed with gold.
Closing her eyes, Caroline pulled away even as she licked her lips, tasting Klaus on them. Arousal simmered in her gut and she could feel the evidence of it between her thighs.
March 13, 2010
"Karoline is something wrong?"
She blinked, jostled from her thoughts. She twisted to glance up at Nikulás, who was leaning over her, a look of concern on his face.
"No, nothing." She offered him a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, my life has just gotten a bit busier that's all. How is your baby brother?"
Nikulás' face softened as he started to regale her with tales of his youngest sibling, how the entire family doted on him. "His name is Henrik, you would love him, Karoline."
Caroline stepped back from Klaus, seeing the faint grimace on his face.
"Sorry," she muttered.
He pulled her back to him though he didn't resume their kiss. "You're not the one who should be apologizing, love."
November 17, 2014
Despite the attack a few weeks ago, the rest of her time had passed with minimal conflict, both from the apparent threat and within the Mikaelson family. Surely, a feat for the ages.
Caroline smirked at the thought, leaning back a bit farther into the plush pillows behind her.
"Something amusing, love? I always found 'Lijah's chronicling to be rather dull."
She glanced up from the journal, a look of faux admonition on her face as she eyed Klaus. "Well first of all, rude, Klaus. I know Elijah can be stuffy, but that's no reason to disparage his writing. You may have lived through all this history, but I still find it fascinating." Klaus' skeptical face made her giggle and she conceded. "But okay fine, he doesn't usually make me laugh, I was just thinking about how much more tolerable your siblings have been with Bonnie and Enzo present."
He grinned at her from the doorway, dimples deepening in his cheeks. Speeding over, the Hybrid lifted her from the bed and settled behind her. Her back now pressed to his chest, thighs bracketing her own as his arms wrapped around his waist.
"Now who's being rude, sweetheart?" He teased. "Aren't you always the one to claim they're not so bad after all?"
Caroline snorted. "Thanks to Enzo and Bonnie, duh. And also in small doses."
"Hm, well no arguments from me."
His voice trailed off as he started pressing little kisses to the sensitive skin of her shoulder and neck.
"Caroline, get your arse down here! Nik stop trying to get into her pants!"
"Ignore her," Klaus murmured into her shoulder, adding a hint of teeth.
"Sorry," Caroline said gently, "But your sister will just barge in here if I don't come down." Untangling herself from Klaus, Caroline sped around the room picking up her shoes, wallet, and phone before whooshing down the stairs.
Caroline took another sip of her smoothie, before plopping a chili fry in her mouth. Frankly, being able to eat any and all food as often as she liked without any effect on her body was one of the underrated perks of vampirism.
"You haven't slept with my brother yet." Rebekah's sudden comment cut right through her haze of food induced pleasure, and she jerked to look over at her.
The blonde's hazel eyes were piercing, a mix of contemplation and scrutiny.
"I-I," she stuttered, still caught off guard. A shark's smile cut through the deceptively soft lines of Rebekah's face.
"You've grown on me, Forbes, but make no mistake I'd have you in pieces if Enzo hadn't vouched for you." Rebekah's glare was deadly as she continued. "Nik hasn't fessed up, obviously, but we all know you're his mate. Yet you haven't touched him. Not really. You sleep in his bed, accept his affection while you string him along. Supposedly, you have a reason for your unvoiced rejection, it better be good."
Her voice was nearly a snarl by the end and Caroline cringed. Not out of fear, but from guilt. If others had picked up on her avoidance, then surely Klaus had as well. It had never been her intention to make him feel rejected.
Caroline inhaled a steadying breath, making sure her voice was firm when she finally spoke. "Listen, Rebekah, this is frankly none of your business." Anger flashed across the Original's face. "No, you're his sister and your concern is understandable, but this is between me and Klaus." Caroline softened as she continued. "But thank you for looking out for him. I-, hurting him was never my intention, and there's more going on here than you know." But I've also been a coward, she thought to herself.
When Caroline finally stumbled back into the room, after a long harrowing day with Rebekah, she froze and blinked in shock, not having expected Klaus to be waiting for her.
"Shouldn't you still be busy plotting?" Although it was true there had been a few more skirmishes recently. It was a pretty feeble attempt at stalling, as she had hoped she would have more time to plan this confrontation.
"I heard you spent the day with my sister, I figured that warranted a break." She looked at him nervously, unable to tell if he knew what she and Rebekah had spoken about. His eyes darkened. Well, that answered that question.
His face was shuttered as he stepped closer, his arms crossed behind her back. This was Klaus gearing up for a fight, guarding his heart. And it sent a lance of pain to her gut as she realized that she had pushed him to this state.
"I have done my best to not jump to conclusions, Caroline. So, care to tell me what's going on?"
She slumped against the door, hearing it shut with a quiet click behind her.
With agonizingly slow steps, Caroline moved closer. He didn't move away, and though she stopped a mere foot from him, their distance never felt farther. She placed a hand against his cheek, felt the bristles of his stubble against her skin.
"It would be easier to show you. May I?" Her request was a hoarse whisper, one she expected him to deny.
It shook her when she felt his mental barriers shift, a gap appearing to allow her in.
November 10, 2014
Caroline watched in stunned horror as Nikulás braced against a log, frame tense and rigid. His lip bled from where he bit through it to muffle his reaction.
She jerked as another whistle split the air, cried out as another red line split the skin of his back with a harsh thwack, one of dozens criss-crossing his skin. Her gaze shifted to the man that loomed behind him. Their face grizzled and severe, not an ounce of sympathy to be seen. Instead there was only malice and some cruel, twisted pleasure.
"You never learn, do you, boy?" The man sneered, the only consolation that he finally tossed the whip aside.
Nikulás' eyes were blazing with pain and rage though his face remained turned away from his tormentor.
His voice was stone when he replied. "I apologize, Father."
Caroline woke with a gasp, feeling the tears that had escaped in her sleep. It had been years since she first had that dream, when she fully realized how much of her mate's life she had inadvertently witnessed.
To experience it again, as if it were the first time, while she slept in Klaus' bed. It felt like a betrayal.
She jerked when a hand landed on her arm.
"Caroline?" He sounded alert and concerned and it was too much. She tore herself away and fled, muttering a quick apology as all but ran from the room.
His grip on her wrist was painful, yet even now he didn't break the bone. She didn't try to retreat, anxiously waiting for his response.
"When did you first have that dream?" His voice and expression were both still blank and cold, utterly closed to her.
Her exhale trembled as it left her. "Seventeen."
"And when they started?"
"I was born with them. My parents got a witch to reduce the connection when I was 3, but it only made them less frequent, prevented me from experiencing them as if I were you. We still dream shared until I became a vampire though I got the same witch to fully block the other dreams after…"
"I see." The lack of reaction was actually worse. She expected him to fight with her, at least then she would know he cared. He peeled her hand from his face.
And then he left.
November 17, 2013
"Are you sure about this, Caroline?"
The young woman nodded, blue eyes blazing with determination and ferocity.
"I am." Her voice didn't waver, though her eyes softened, as she regarded the witch before her. "Thank you for doing this, Shelia. I know how hard it must be for you."
The older woman gave a bitter smile, two parts regret and one part forgiveness. "I hesitated once with you. Not again." The corners of the woman's smile softened, her whole expression becoming a bit more pleasant. "Besides, after everything you've done for Bonnie, knowing the kind of woman you are…" She shook her head, a tinge of ruefulness in the gesture. "It's not such a hardship to do this for you."
Caroline reached out a hand to squeeze Sheila's. "Still.Thank you."
Who knew it would only take a year for her to regret what she had set into motion. She frowned, admonishing herself for such thoughts.
She wasn't just going to give up, she fully intended to fight for Klaus, hopefully return them to a place where they could at least be friends. Eternity was a long time after all, and it had taken him a thousand years to meet his soul's mate in person.
She could easily spend just as long making sure he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the wait was worth it. If not as his romantic partner, then as his most loyal friend.
However long it takes.
November 21, 2014
"Niklaus." Elijah's voice was tinged with disapproval.
Klaus cast a baleful glare in his brother's direction, not in the mood for one of his lecture. Elijah softened, a disgusting spark of pity in eyes.
"Are you truly going to allow her to be ignorant?"
His lips pursed as his eyes darted around the room. Finn and Sage had returned and lingered in the corner of the room, the ease of long-standing companionship apparent in their comfortable mingling of personal space. Freya and Keelin were pretending not to be listening as they went over backup plans. Kol made direct eye contact, his eyebrows quirked and his arm thrown around the Bennett witch. Judging by her unimpressed glower she would tell Caroline regardless of what he said. And Enzo and Rebekah were similarly intertwined. Enzo looked a bit more sympathetic, but he knew he would likely go to Caroline as well. Even Katerina was smirking with amused intrigue as she lurked at Elijah's back.
"I'll speak with her later," he growled, daring anyone else to bring it up again.
Knock Knock Knock
Caroline sat up from where she had been lying in bed. She knew who was at the door.
"Come in."
Klaus slipped in like a shadow.
"This is me telling you to run, Caroline." There was no expression on his face, and he seemed ready to leave it at that. Which pissed her off. If he though she would meekly obey him, then he didn't know her at all.
Her bark of laughter was caustic. "I get it, you're still furious with me. Fine. But you're out of your mind if you think I'll leave my friends behind when there's danger here." Caroline sped over to where he stood, glaring into his eyes. "And maybe you think it was all lies, but I care about you too. Even if my friends weren't here I would have had no intention of leaving you behind either."
Something flickered on his face, but he hid it away before she could make out what it was. "And what use would you even be? A mere baby vampire. Enzo is from Augustine and at least has a century. Bonnie is a witch with the strength of an Original. You? You're just shy of useless."
His words hurt as she knew they were intended to. But if he meant to drive her away, then he was wasting his time. She lifted her chin in defiance.
"Please, Klaus," she scoffed. "I fought vampires as a human. Hell, I fought you if you don't recall. Of course our powers aren't equal, but don't pretend like I'm incapable of fighting."
He looked away. "Suit yourself..."
November 23, 2014
Caroline didn't know what she was thinking, perhaps she wasn't. All she knew was that when she spun to face another opponent, dropping the heart in her hand, in the corner of her eyes, through the whipping of her curls a blur caught her eye.
A white oak stake was perilously close to Klaus' unprotected back, his own focus on Mikael bearing down on him from the front.
In a split second, Caroline was across the courtyard, even vampire speed almost not enough.
She had never been staked through the heart of course. The wood burned as it pierced through her flesh, far more agonizing than it had the right to be. She could feel her scream choked by blood and a lack of air in her throat.
Something like muffled screams and heat washed over her from behind before there was only darkness.
November 21, 2014
Klaus felt the immediate rush of fear, even after all these centuries, knew his face would be ashen if he were human.
"That's impossible," he snarled.
His prisoner had the gall to smirk up at him, even through the blood that caked his face. "Afraid not, Daddy's home!"
The man continued to cackle until Klaus roared in rage and ripped his head off in a shower of blood. He launched the still gleeful countenance, frozen in death, at the dungeon wall where it splattered in an explosion of bone, blood, and brain matter.
"It's impossible," he panted.
Elijah appeared behind him, expression grim. "If the witch tampering with your bond is indeed Esther, then we must consider that she orchestrated his resurrection as well." His brother approached where he still stood hunched over, fists tightly clenched. "We are with you brother." As he spoke, Klaus could hear the displacement of air that signaled the arrival of his other siblings. "Together, we can ensure that neither Mikael nor Esther pose a threat to this family again."
November 23, 2014
Caroline was right, she was indeed a very capable fighter, flashing across the battlefield as a destructive whirlwind. But his attention was pulled away as Mikael stepped from the shadows. He burned his fear into rage, donning the familiar arrogant superiority of The Original Hybrid.
"Back for round two, old man? What makes you think it will go any better than the first?"
Klaus had to dodge, a bit more hastily than he would like, when Mikael immediately went on the offensive, none of his familiar taunting present. He could feel himself getting pushed back, and he hid his rising fear.
"What's wrong, boy? It seems you're incapable of actually fighting me. Last time, you merely stabbed me as I lied desiccated like the coward you are."
Klaus snarled, his next hit pushing Mikael back a few feet. "Who are you to talk of cowardice, when you hide behind your minions and witches until the last second?"
Rather than lunging back into the fight as Klaus expected, a sadistic smirk crossed the man's face as he peered over Klaus' shoulder. Sensing movement at his back, Klaus chanced a look, eyes widening in horror as a stake pierced the woman now behind him. A Blonde.
"CAROLINE!"
At the same time, images crashed through his brain staggering him where he stood. Flashes of all the pieces of his life Caroline had seen, snippets of her own life that he had not been privy to. Somehow he managed to rip the stake from her chest and bury it in Mikael's. Whose burning corpse he didn't even bother to watch fall.
He gathered Caroline in his arms and sped from the battlefield, mind still bombarded with memories. He saw for himself how she had indeed cut the connection after witnessing one of his beatings. He saw how she feared his reaction for days and struggled with how to tell him. He saw how he confirmed all her fears and yet she still stayed to fight for him.
Half-blinded by the visions he somehow managed to set Caroline down on his bed. Where he stared with blurring vision at the grey veins that distorted her skin.
"Caroline, I'm sorry, please, don't go." It was bitter on his tongue how the apology he once struggled with now came so easily.
November 17, 2013
Sheila glanced up at the full moon over head.
"Are you ready, child?"
Caroline nodded her eyes blazing.
"I'm ready."
The blonde tipped back the bowl she was holding, drinking deeply from its contents. Around her, wind whipped as the Bennett witch chanted.
She called upon the Sun for power. The Earth for constancy. The Blood for life.
With solemn eyes the witch turned to Caroline and handed her an athame. The blonde breathed her last necessary breath before plunging the blade into her chest.
Klaus shuddered as the vision past, hope now blossoming in his chest. He hovered over her, brushing blonde hair behind her ear. A smile near splitting his face as he could see the veins receding.
"You clever, clever girl. You're an Original."
Returning to life felt much the same it had after she turned. Every sensation came back at once, the world a sensory explosion of vibrancy. Last time it had been Sheila who kept vigil, waiting with more blood in hand to complete the transition.
This time it was Klaus. Klaus who was clutching her tightly in his arms, smoothing back her hair.
"Klaus," she croaked, throat desert dry.
"Shh," he hushed. Gently, he turned her face into his neck. "Drink, Caroline."
She drank and then she slept.
And then she dreamed.
When she opened her eyes, a very familiar clearing filled her gaze. A clearing she hadn't seen in over a year now. Though it seemed far longer than that.
It didn't surprise her though when arms wound around her stomach, pulling her back into a familiar chest. She shifted and pressed her lips to the spot her fangs had pierced not long ago. Glancing up, she was met with the face of the thousand-year-old Original Hybrid for the first time in this place.
"Hello, Nikulás."
He pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Hello, Karoline."
As he drew back his arms tightened around her, as if he was afraid she would vanish if he let her go.
"Nikulás, I-" She started, tone now laced with apology, but he just shook his head and hushed her.
"No, Karoline, I'm the one who should apologize." His arms loosened a bit as he prompted her to turn around, the two of them now face to face as she straddled his lap. He brought a hand up to touch her cheek, an affectionate gesture he hadn't used in a while. She leaned into his touch, eyes falling to half-mast. "I am sorry, Karoline, for shutting you out. For confirming the fears that led you to hesitate in coming to me."
She could be angry at him for turning his back on her as they had once fought about. But just like then, she knew that in many ways they had turned their backs on each other. Both of them guilty for different reasons. God, they were mates and yet they had really cocked it up, hadn't they?
"And I am sorry as well, Nikulás. I had my reasons, but they don't excuse the hurt I inadvertently caused you. I never wanted that. Never," she declared, voice fierce. "Now, I think it's time for me to wake up. There are some things better done while awake."
It was a bit disorienting to open her eyes and be facing the opposite direction, her back once more to Nikulás' chest. She swiftly turned, needing to look him in the eye. Slowly, she brought her right palm to her mouth, breaking the skin with a fang.
"I can't promise that you will always be happy. That's impossible, but I give you my word that I will never betray you. I will be your constant companion, your lover, your friend. For the rest of my eternity."
She watched as his eyes widened, and if she were human her heart would be pounding. It felt like an eon before he too moved to slice open his palm, but he did. Taking her hand in his, he laced their fingers together, their blood mingling.
"I cannot promise you that I won't make mistakes. However, you have my word that I will never turn my back on you. I will be your sword and your shield if you falter, your mate, your partner. For the rest of my eternity."
Hands still clasped, the two leaned closer, movements seeming perfectly synchronized. Their lips met. Gently at first, a tentative re-exploration, before it grew firming adding tongue and teeth. Caroline pulled back for a moment, staring into Nikulás' bright golden eyes streaked through with tiny slivers of blue.
No visions. No reminders of what has passed.
Only what was here. The present. And the future.
1. Old Norse: Pleeease, Karoline?
2. Old Norse: Hi, H-how are you?
3. Old Norse: Awesome, Karoline! And you?
4. Old Norse: Good, Nikulas.