Enjoy!
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Caroline wants to leave. She wants to leave London and Klaus behind and forget the past three days ever happened. She wants to return to Mystic Falls and lock herself in the house and never leave again if that's what she has to do in order to stay safe and out of suspicion. Her mother can tell everyone Caroline's left town and she will stay inside for the next five decades until her mother passes away and maybe by then Caroline will be ready to take on the world, without the company of Klaus.
Instead she locks herself in her hotel bedroom and cries. She hates herself for it.
She cries because it's hitting her again that she's out of the safety of Mystic Falls. She cries because she let herself slip under the illusion that leaving with Klaus was a good idea. She cries because she genuinely thought everything was going to be all right, that Klaus wasn't going to act like a psychopath. She cries because she's stuck in a foreign country without a clue, and the only one who could possibly guide her is someone she can't bear the look at, not right now, anyway.
She tears through bag after bag of blood, calming the fire in her throat, expelling the alcohol in her system. When she sobers up she starts clearing out her room, collecting her few belongings, minus the clothes Klaus got for her. She's got no plan but knows she must be gone before Klaus returns. She doesn't know if he'd let her leave at this point.
Caroline freezes when she hears a soft knocking on her door. "Caroline…" Klaus calls gently. He doesn't try to open the door, but she knows he'd rip it off its hinges if he wanted to.
"Go away!" She yells, eyes flying to the window. She could jump the five stories down, but she'd probably break a leg from the fall and Klaus would surely get to her before that healed up. She could try the jump to the roof of the building next door, if it came to that. She still had hope that Klaus might yield to her, let her leave. A small, flickering hope.
"Caroline, I'm sorry," he pleads. She hears a soft thud as he rests his forehead against the door. "I was drunk. I wasn't thinking clearly. I made a mistake, I know I did."
"Are you seriously giving me the 'you were drunk' excuse, Klaus?" Caroline snaps, standing by the door now. "When you're drunk you make out with someone and regret it in the morning, not kill a girl in the streets!"
"Well there's still time for that, love." She can hear the smile in his voice and she flushes red with anger and the slightest bit of embarrassment.
"Do not try to be charming all of a sudden," she warns, banging her fist on the door.
"Oh yes, I forgot. You're too smart to be seduced by me." Klaus sighs and tries the handle of the door. "Caroline, please open the door."
"No, Klaus. And if you break it down I swear I will jump out of this window to get away from you." Her breathing becomes heavy as her fight-or-flight senses kick in, and she stands poised, ready to lunge for the window.
"Don't be so dramatic, sweetheart." Klaus sighs, letting go of the door knob. "Won't you at least talk to me before you scale down the building?"
"Stop trying to make this out like I'm being dramatic!" She yells. "Klaus, you killed someone! For no reason other than you were hungry! Do you not realize how twisted and selfish that is? Do you not realize that that girl probably has a family who will be waiting for her?"
"And do you not realize that yelling that I killed someone in a hotel probably isn't the best idea?" He snap, trying the handle again. "Caroline, please don't make me tear this door down," he says quietly, dangerously. Caroline hesitates for a moment. "Caroline," he warns and her hand flies to the lock, clicking the door open, before running to the opposite corner of the room, as far from Klaus as possible.
He has blood on his collar, but apparently had enough sense to wipe it clean from his face. The first thing he notices is her suitcase laid on her bed, open and practically empty. When he looks to Caroline his face is calm. "Good thinking, I don't believe we can stay in London any longer."
"If you think I'm going anywhere with you-"
"Caroline, will you please stop giving me that accusing look and just listen to me?" Klaus gives her an impatient look and she crosses her arms over her chest, frowning. "You know I feed from humans. You knew this when you left with me. Now, I think you need to get rid of these unrealistic expectations that I will stop feeding from humans all because you disapprove-"
"How are my expectations unrealistic? Why is it so ridiculous for me to think that, maybe, you can show a little compassion?" Caroline snaps back.
"Because I won't be bothered to show compassion for humans, Caroline!" He yells. Caroline winces away from him. Klaus takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I'm sorry I did it in front of you and tried to have you drink from her as well, I genuinely am, and I'm sorry I had to kill her."
Caroline scoffs. "No you aren't. You don't care at all." She gives him a challenging look, daring him to say otherwise. "She was just another meal to you."
"Caroline, you have to understand that I hold little value for their lives," he snaps. "One day, you too might-"
"Stop it. Don't." Caroline is shaking her head.
"Why are you so afraid of what you are, Caroline?" Klaus demands, eyes narrowing at her. "Why do you fight so hard against your very nature?"
"Because I'm not that." Not yet. "I don't have to be that."
"Don't you get tired?" He takes a step towards her and she presses herself against the wall, suddenly regretting her position. "Constantly at war with yourself?" He keeps walking toward her and she's cornered. Caroline's eyes fly around the room, her breath picking up, and Klaus is in front of her, staring down at her.
"I can control it," she says. Caroline looks up at him, apprehension in her eyes. He doesn't move.
"But why do you think you have to?" He leans in close, their noses almost touching. Caroline's breath is halted completely. He raises his hand, curls a lock of her hair around his finger.
"Klaus…" He steps away from her. She lets out the breath she had been holding, her heart racing.
Klaus has his back to her. "You have the luxury of being at the top of the food chain, Caroline. Why not take full advantage of it? Indulge?"
Because she hasn't given up her human life yet, she thinks. Because she still remembers it, being human. Weak, powerless. She still empathizes with the species she once belonged. "I can't," she says.
"Can't? Or won't?" He turns back to her, awaiting an answer.
"Why does it matter to you?" Caroline's suddenly defensive, because she can't answer his question, because she doesn't know how. "Why do you care so much?"
Klaus's mouth twists into a frown. "Because I'm tired of seeing so many vampires seized by this…brotherhood with humans. As if we're on the same level." There's something wild in his eyes now. "As if they deserve our mercy." He spits out.
"You can't just cast them aside like that!" Caroline blurts out, her mind flying from her mother, to Matt and Jeremy, to the mob that stole her from her bed. "Klaus, you were human once. How can you show such contempt for them?"
"That was a long time ago, Caroline." Klaus's tone is dangerous again.
"But you can't have forgotten-"
"And why should I be bothered to remember such a trivial time in my life?" Klaus shouts. "A mere twenty odd years spent living a life of vulnerability, of weakness. What's less than three decades to me?" His eyes are bulging, looking at her as if she can give him an answer. "You're young, Caroline. Your life as a human outweighs that of a vampire. You don't understand, not yet."
"Stop making it out like I'm so naïve!" Caroline's shaking with anger now. "You keep saying things like that, that I'll understand when I've aged, that I'll be like you!" She pauses, glaring at Klaus. "I never want to end up like you!"
Klaus is in front of her again in a moment. "Oh, I understand now," he growls. He places his hands on either side of her head, pinning her in place. "All of these expectations of yours…" He cocks his head to the side. "You're trying to see if I've got even a sliver of humanity left. You're trying to find out if I'm right or not. Because you're doubting yourself, aren't you, sweetheart?"
"No, I'm not." Caroline hopes he doesn't see the lie plain and obvious on her face. She looks him in the eye, glaring, unflinching, and he's wearing that impatient look again, his mouth twisting as if to start arguing with her again. But instead he hangs his head and steps away from her, and when he looks up there's a smile on his face.
"Whatever you say, love." Klaus turns away from her, leaving the room. "I think we should leave for Dublin in the morning. Get some sleep, Caroline," he calls back to her before closing her door.
The fights out of her, the confrontation leaving her drained. Caroline sits on her bed, staring at her door. She could leave, of course. But there was finality to his words. Dublin wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. She would leave with him tomorrow. Would he pursue her if she ran? She wasn't sure she wanted to try him. She didn't even know where she'd run to.
So she slept.
Klaus woke her up in a grand mood, smiling and excited. Ireland was beautiful, he told her, much less drab than London. Caroline didn't say much as they packed and left London behind, taking a train to Wales, where they boarded a ferry bound for Dublin. Klaus wanted to change it up, tired of planes, and Caroline enjoyed being able to stare at the country side and ignore Klaus's attempts at conversation. It rained as they crossed the Irish Sea, a gentle downpour that left passengers inside. Klaus read as Caroline looked out over the dark water, finally ignoring her as she did him.
"I've never been on a boat," she comments, despising herself for trying to fill the silence. She figures they've met a stalemate in their arguing and there's probably little use in dwelling on it. They're both too stubborn to convince each other of the others standpoint, but she thinks that maybe they don't have to. She thinks of Damon and Stefan, the stories she heard of when Damon first arrived, hell bent on convincing his brother to follow his ways, the terrible things he did by way of persuasion. But Damon eventually dropped it and Stefan eventually forgave him. Caroline wonders if it will work out so well for her and Klaus. She doubts it.
"They have certainly become a more bearable way of travel," Klaus says, turning the page of his book.
"So why Dublin?" Caroline asks after a pause, looking away again. Klaus's eyes flicker up to her for a moment.
"Well if this is going to be a European tour, might as well start somewhere," he says with a shrug.
"No emotional attachment like London?" She smirks.
"No." He turns another page of his book and Caroline gives up.
The rain has stopped by the time they disembark the ferry. The two catch a cab into the city, both looking out their respective windows as they ride. The cab driver is talkative, however, inquiring if they are a couple, here on business or pleasure. Klaus does all the talking, feeding the cabbie some story about them being students at Oxford, here to do some studying for their doctorates. Caroline is struck by how easily Klaus can come up with a story, how he can feed a lie on the spot and how people always eat it up. She's sure she'd be stumbling over her own words if she were in Klaus's position. Of course, she realizes, he's had years of practice to create any number of histories for himself.
"So no romance between you two, eh?" The driver meets Caroline's eyes in the rearview mirror and she blushes.
Klaus laughs, the first time that day, and he actually looks happy. Years of practice. "Caroline and I are purely professional, I can assure you, my good man." Caroline almost rolls her eyes. My good man. He'd rip your throat out in a second, my good man.
They get dropped off at a quaint and cozy looking inn downtown. Their driver is more than willing to help them with their bags. Klaus checks them into two separate rooms and disappears into his as soon as all their belongings are inside. The sun is beginning to set when Caroline closes the door to her room, neighbors with Klaus, a locked door shared between them. She's tempted to crash, the small, twin sized bed calling to her, but she can't shake the anxiousness she's been left with after the afternoon. She's being a hypocrite, of course, as she's the one who put Klaus in such bad humor, ignoring him at the start, but she at least had a right to. Caroline stuck around, didn't she? Is that not what he wanted?
She showers again, curls her hair, and does her makeup perfectly. She dons a slim fitting, emerald green dress Klaus bought for her and a black blazer, slipping into a new pair of black pumps. It's dark by the time she's ready and knocks on Klaus's door. He answers with a frown.
He inspects her, giving her a quick up and down, and Caroline doesn't miss the way his lips quirk, as though he's tempted to smile. "What is it, Caroline?" He still sounds incredibly bored with her.
"I thought maybe we could go out," she says, suddenly very self-conscious of how dolled-up she is, all for what? To please him? To get him to actually look at her?
Klaus blinks, considering. "I'm going to have to pass tonight, darling." He pauses, lips parted as though tempted to say something else. "However," he begins, raising an eyebrow at her. "You look wonderful, so please don't stay in on account of me."
"I wasn't going to," Caroline says quickly. She flips her hair as she turns, walking down the hallway and leaving Klaus standing in the doorway. "Have a good night, Klaus," she calls. She misses his smirk as he closes the door.
Of course she finds herself simply wandering around, drawn by twinkling lights of shops that have since closed, attracted by the smells of food she has no money to pay for. The sky is clear of any clouds that might have previously occupied it, but the city lights make the stars impossible to see. The moon hangs in the sky, just shy of being full, glowing a pure white with a halo of light around it. Caroline finds herself looking up and sighing. The alone time after four days with Klaus is a welcome break and she can't stop her mind from wondering why she was even still with him.
Caroline had to get out of Mystic Falls, that much she knew. Not only because people were beginning to notice that she hadn't aged a day since seventeen, but because she was being suffocated. Her mother didn't treat her like an adult, disillusioned by her daughter's appearance, the same as that stubborn, selfish daughter she once knew, years ago. Caroline yearned for her friends as well, wherever they were, whatever they were doing. Elena had gone under the radar the past few years, running off with Damon, or Stefan, or both. Bonnie was desperately looking for fellow witches in order to grow further in her craft, and if she had any luck, Caroline didn't know. They left Mystic Falls and everything and everyone in it behind, including her. But Caroline would never fault them for it. They had eternity ahead of them, after all. They were starting theirs.
But Klaus remained a constant. He wouldn't leave her alone. And she'd never admit it, but she valued this. She valued this more than he would ever know.
She'd come up with a million reasons why she had left with him. A matter of convenience, she told herself originally. A matter of safety. And while these reasons were true, Caroline felt like she had been waiting for the day, ever since Klaus had made his prediction, that she'd run away with him. The prediction that her life wouldn't be enough, not for long, anyway, that she'd come to him. But he wasn't exactly right; Caroline wouldn't allow him to be exactly right. She used him; his means, his savvy. She used him to get out and away, because she knew he was more than willing. But she was foolish enough to blind herself to the potential conflicts, the conflicts that were no longer potential but now a wedge between them. She hated that he wouldn't look at her for hours, that he wasn't hanging on her every word. And she hated herself for hating it.
She can pinpoint the reasons though, reasons that leave her feeling like a selfish, spoiled child. Caroline likes Klaus's attention. It makes her feel special, unique. And she has gone through life for so long not feeling that way. She was never the one, she had complained once, drunk and bitter. But for Klaus, she has always been, and, dear god, she likes it.
Caroline finds herself in a small court yard, dark but for a few street lights. It is a separate area, away from the busy streets of downtown, with a few benches and a fountain. She sits on one of the benches with a sigh, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at her thoughts. It must be late, probably growing close to midnight, she figures. She should probably head back soon, lest Klaus come looking for her. But the serenity of the area calms Caroline, clears her head of the troubling thoughts that fly about in her mind, untangling her musings. And then of course a group of five obviously drunk men come stumbling along, pleased to find a lone girl in their midst. They shout to each other in drawling Irish accents, wandering closer and closer to her. If she had been human this might have frightened her, sent her running in the opposite direction, but instead Caroline sits planted on her bench, staring at her hands.
"What's this, then?" One of them asks, coming closer to her. Caroline looks up to meet his gaze. He's tall and thin, with the slightest hint of muscle definition. He looks to be somewhere in his twenties, with a face that is, admittedly, handsome, with a mop of brown hair. His face is thin like the rest of him, with high cheekbones and a pointed chin. He's got mischievous eyes that leave Caroline feeling wary, eyes that widen when their gaze meets. For a moment he looks surprised, and then he grins. "Well hello there." He raises his eyebrows at her, and the rest of his group, hanging back, laughs. "Mind if I sit?" He asks, gesturing to the empty space next to Caroline.
"Feel free," she says with a shrug.
"Ah, American!" He grins, holds out his hand. "I'm Ray."
"Caroline." She gives him a small, wary smile and takes his hand.
"You look like you could use a drink, Caroline," he announces, patting his person down to find a flask.
"I'm fine, really," she says, shaking her head. "I was just about to head back, anyway."
"No, come, I insist!" He pulls out a silver flask that was tucked in his breast pocket, waves it around.
"Leave her alone, Ray!" One of his friends call.
"I'm just trying to show her some Irish hospitality!" He yells back, waving his hand at them. He holds the flask out to her and she waves it away. "If you say so," he shrugs. "So what's an American doing in Dublin, then?"
"Oh, um…" Caroline hesitates for a moment. "I'm here with to do some research for my doctorate. I'm a student at Oxford." She gives him Klaus's earlier lie, but it doesn't come out nearly as smoothly or convincingly.
Ray seems to accept it, however. "Ah, Oxford." He pronounces it grandly. "And what is Caroline the American studying at Oxford?"
"History," she says immediately. "I'm here with a colleague as well."
"And where are they tonight?" He looks around as if expecting to spot them.
"He decided he wanted to stay in." Caroline looks off for a moment, frowning. Ray doesn't miss this.
"You sure you'll pass on that drink?" He says, unscrewing the top of it, holding it out to her.
The smell of blood is in the air immediately. Caroline's eyes grow large, looking between the outstretched flask and its owner. He raises an eyebrow at her. His friends go silent as they watch the exchange.
"Is that…?" Caroline gives him a wary look, and suddenly she isn't as confident in her abilities to fend off a group of potentially five male vampires.
"O positive," he says, taking a whiff of the blood. "However, I cannot indulge in it, as my mates here bet me I couldn't go a week without human blood, and I'm not one to pass up a bet." He smirks at her.
"How did you know I'm…?" She scoots away from him.
"Three hundred years of life makes it pretty easy to spot other vampires. I'm guessing you're still young, then?" He cocks his head to the side. She doesn't say anything, unwilling to forfeit her age to them. Three hundred years old. They'd rip her apart if they wanted to. "Don't look scared, Caroline! You've nothing to fear!" Ray gives her a soft smile. "You haven't met very many vampires, have you?"
"No." Caroline feels herself relaxing and is almost embarrassed at her reaction.
"Well, no, I suppose you can't have if you react that way! I'm guessing the one that turned you wasn't the nicest individual?" She thinks of Katherine, smothering her with Damon's blood in her system.
"No. No, they really weren't." Caroline smiles. Ray shakes the flask at her again and she accepts it this time, taking a swig. When she tries to hand it back, he waves her away.
"Finish that off, I've got no use for it." He leans back, looks her up and down. "So, Caroline the American vampire, what's your real story, eh?"
"I'm just traveling," she says, shrugging. She takes another swig of the blood, feeling energized.
"And that comment about having a colleague…that true, or just a line you were feeding a drunk, human male to fend them off?"
"Oh, no, he exists." She purses her lips.
"Your maker?" Ray inquires.
"No, just a…" Caroline hesitates to find the right word. "Companion." Caroline and I are purely professional, I can assure you…
"You sound unsure!" He laughs, shaking his head.
"It's a unique relationship, to be sure." She laughs as well. "So what's this about a bet?"
"Oh yeah, that." He throws a thumb to his friends, who have busied themselves splashing each other at the fountain. "Started that three days ago. I'm starving, naturally." Ray laughs.
"Why do it?" Caroline can't imagine starving yourself like that, the self-control you got to have in order to not pounce on the first human you see.
"The rewards will be sweet." He says, eyes twinkling with mischief. "But yes, it's starting to become a pain. I'm not allowed human blood, but I can drink from animals. Not an ideal diet, let me tell you." He sighs, stretching.
Caroline finishes off the rest of the flask, feeling much better than she had been. She hands it back to him with a smile. "Thanks for the drink, Ray."
"Of course, my dear!" Ray tucks the flask back into his jacket. "It wouldn't be any fun if you weren't at the top of your game."
Caroline cocks her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, just a theory my friend Trevor had." He motions to the group, pointing out who he's talking about. "I was complaining about my diet and he suggested I try something potentially better than squirrel." He looks back at Caroline, the smile gone from his face.
Caroline goes very still, staring back at him. She's already connected the dots but she can't stop herself from asking. "What?"
Ray shrugs. "Vampire."
She's up in a second, taking off down the stone path that had led her to the court yard. He's right behind her, his gang sweeping in as well, laughing jovially. Caroline takes a sharp right down an alley way, but they don't slip up, gaining on her now. She kicks off her heels as she runs, throwing a look over her shoulder. They're only a yard or two behind, and catching up quickly. One of them makes a grab at her, ripping off her blazer instead. Caroline can't help the scream that escapes her lips.
"If you stop running we won't actually kill you!" Ray calls, but Caroline will be damned if she lets him drink her dry. Behind her she hears something crack. She has just enough time to figure out it's the splintering of wood before a stake plunges through her back and out her stomach, the wood ripped from a fence post. She gives a gasp and stops in her tracks, falling to her knees before slumping on her side. Hot tears leak from her eyes from the pain and she screams in agony, trying to pull the stake from her.
But they're to her by then, surrounding her. Ray kneels down next to her, shaking his head. "Now, it's a real shame it came to this, Caroline. I thought we were getting along rather well, didn't you?"
"Go to hell," she spits out, gasping for breath.
He takes her right arm, turning it over to expose her wrist. "That's rude," he says with a shake of his hand. "There's still a debate about whether or not we should kill you, so I'd start being nice." He smells her wrist. "Not bad," he comments.
Caroline's hope is fading fast. She thinks of Klaus, wherever he is, probably asleep. She thinks of his theory, that vampires have a sixth sense when someone they care about is in danger. It's about time for that to kick in, she thinks, desperate. Ray bites into her wrist and Caroline cries out in shock. She grits her teeth and looks up at the sky. Klaus wasn't coming, was he?
"Please don't kill me," she chokes out, feeling the life leaving her as he drinks. They all exchange smiles, looking at Ray.
"Well, since you asked so sweetly-" He stops short, his smile fading to a look of shock. The bloody point of a stake sticks out of his chest, driven right through his heart. He has just enough time to look up at his killer before his skin fades to grey and his veins swell. He collapses next to Caroline.
Klaus pulls the stake from Ray's back, brandishing it to the other four. They hesitate, stepping away from Klaus, taking in the corpse of their friend. They look ready to run but Klaus is quicker than they are. He drives the stake through one of them, ripping the head off another as the corpse of the first one falls. He plunges his fist into the chest of the third, ripping out his heart. The fourth one stands with his back against the brick wall of the alley, consumed with fear. Klaus grabs him by his neck, slamming him against the wall.
"I want you remove the stake from your friend there, and drive it through your own heart." His voice drips with hate as he compels the vampire, who looks shocked and scared.
"You're…" The vampire gasps.
"An Original? How very smart you are." He drops the vampire. "I believe you have a job I asked of you."
The vampire is trying to fight the compulsion with all he can, but it's useless. He kneels down to remove the stake from his friend. Stake in hand, he looks back at Klaus, who bows his head, glaring. The vampire looks away and, with a yell, stabs himself in the chest. He doubles over, falling lifeless on top of his friend.
Klaus is to Caroline in a moment. He brushes the hair back from her face, concern in his eyes. "Darling, I'm going to have to pull this out." He gestures to the stake in her stomach.
"Just do it," she gasps, bracing herself for the pain. Gently, he brushes her hair away, grasping the post with both of his hands. He gives a quick jerk, pulling it out through her back, Caroline letting out a short cry. He lays her on her back.
"You need to feed," Klaus says, brow knitting in concern.
Caroline shakes her head. "I'll be fine, I'll heal soon enough."
"I'd rather speed up the process." Klaus pulls his sleeve back, exposing his wrist to her. He cradles her against him, just as he did before, years ago. "Drink, Caroline."
"Klaus-"
"Drink," he orders. Caroline bites into his wrist, her mouth filled with his tangy blood. She wonders if it's the combination of werewolf and vampire that leaves him with his taste, so very different from human blood. Richer, in a way, like dark chocolate compared to milk. She drinks until she feels her wounds healing, the skin and tissue reforming, leaving her good as new. When she pulls away, still leaning against Klaus, he dabs his sleeve over her mouth, cleaning her up.
"Thank you," she breathes, letting out a sigh.
"Do you not remember what I said?" He smiles, standing up, easily raising her up with him.
I hope you realize that you don't ever have to thank me for saving you. His words swim back to her. Caroline steadies herself against the wall and stares at Klaus. "Right." She smiles. "Well, thank you anyway."
They look at each other for a long moment, neither of them saying anything. Klaus has his jaw clenched as though holding back words. Caroline stares warily back, bracing herself for whatever he wants to say.
"Caroline, I'm sorry about last night," Klaus says finally. He sounds genuinely apologetic. "And you were right; I'm not sorry for feeding from her, but I'm sorry for tempting you." He looks to be the one bracing himself now, as though fearing her reply.
Caroline bites down on her lip, looking away from him.
"You need time," he says, nodding. "You go on back to the inn, get yourself cleaned up. And please, try not to run into any malicious vampires while you're at it." Klaus smiles.
"What about the bodies?" Caroline asks, looking over the five vampires.
"I'll take care of that, sweetheart, don't worry." Klaus steps towards her, hesitates. "Why are you always the one getting into trouble?"
"Maybe because I can always count on you to swoop in and save me." She jokes, smiling halfheartedly.
Klaus looks almost surprised, but his face lights up. "That, you can be sure of."
They're staring at each other again and Caroline feels a pang of something. She breaks the stare, heading down the alleyway. She stops after a few steps, looking back at him. "How did you find me?"
Klaus shrugs and gives her a small smile. "You really think I was going to let you wander around an unfamiliar city without keeping an eye on you?"
"No." She looks down at her feet. "I suppose not." The words hang in the air between them.
Caroline turns and walks away before more can be said, before anything else can be felt.
xx
-Reels