Klaroline Fanfiction Day 3: Historical

Thanks again to arrowthroughmyolicityheart for giving me a setting: Western.

I was trying to think of all the Western knowledge I've picked up, mostly from TV of course, and kept coming back to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. So I drew on that 90's gem for some inspiration, I hope you enjoy!

In which Caroline decides the West has some good points.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at the sun's glare as she stepped outside, water pitcher and glass in hand. Even as the sun dipped lower in the sky, the sweltering heat seemed to remain constant. If she didn't need the hole in the side of the barn patched so desperately, she would never have agreed to let Klaus fix it on such a scorching day, even if he was her landlord.

It had been a few months since she had moved from the big city of Boston to the small town of Colorado Springs and she was still finding her footing. Things were so different here, the people were so different; it was like being on another world. A dirty, rude, harsh world.

As she stepped into the barn, sighing in relief at the decrease in temperature, Caroline thought that perhaps some things remained the same no matter where you went. Things like how good some men could look without a shirt.

She blushed as he raised his head to look over at her, averting her gaze as she pretended not to have been staring. She had a feeling he had noticed, though, he always seemed to have a strong sense about those sorts of things.

"Water?" she offered, holding out the items in her hand as she looked back at him with a small smile, trying to ignore the way the beads of sweat ran down his body, disappearing into the waistband of his trousers.

Klaus shot her his familiar smirk, one that seemed to be leaning more towards a grin every time she saw him. "Much obliged," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his discarded shirt before reaching out to take the proffered glass.

"How goes the repair?" she enquired, craning her head to look passed him to check on his progress.

"Should be finished before nightfall," he informed her before taking a long drink of water.

A stray drop of water escaped his lips as he drank, trailing hypnotizingly down his throat, Caroline's eyes following its path. Her daze was broken when he exhaled loudly, his thirst quenched, and her eyes darted back up to his.

"You know, my offer to assist you still stands," she said before a silence could fall over them.

Klaus shook his head, giving her a wry look. "You may be quite adept at repairing the human body, Miss Forbes, but that doesn't mean you know the first thing about repairing a wall."

"Caroline," she insisted for the hundredth time. Honestly, she couldn't understand why he always reverted to formality around her, especially when he insisted she call him by his first name, the first day they had met, no less. "And I'm a quick learner," she added, raising her eyebrow in challenge.

"Caroline," he relented, her name rolling off his tongue in a way that sent shivers down her spine. "If the lady insists…" he said, giving a half bow as he gestured for her to join him at the hole.

She placed the pitcher on a nearby crate, rolling up her sleeves as she approached him. She was beyond tired of everyone underestimating her, and she wasn't about to back down before Klaus of all people.

He showed her how to hold a hammer first, Caroline rolling her eyes at him the entire time. He only chuckled, demonstrating how to nail a board into place properly before handing her the hammer and a nail.

She lifted her skirts as she stepped in front of him, wading through the hay on the ground. When she took the tools from him, Klaus lifted the next piece of wood into place, directing her where to place the nail. She took great care in making sure to not strike her own thumb as she swung the hammer, having seen the damage it could do from her patients.

She grinned over her shoulder at him once the nail was firmly hammered into the wood, blushing slightly at the look of pride he shot her.

Caroline continued to assist him with the patchwork, the task almost complete in no time at all with the two working together. As Klaus moved to grab the last plank, which seemed to be lodged under a wooden bench, she simultaneously reached over his shoulder for the package of nails. She felt herself falling as the wood, jerked free by Klaus, collided with her ankle, knocking her off balance, and sending her straight into Klaus. Unable to stop her, the momentum from dislodging the plank combined with her weight too great, he fell with her, landing with a loud 'oomph' in the hay.

Raising her head to regain her bearings, Caroline noticed the firm body underneath her that had cushioned her fall. She blushed as she realized her hands were splayed across his naked chest, quickly moving to raise herself up and off of him when he stopped her, arms holding her in place.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, his blue eyes full of concern.

"I should be the one asking you that, as the doctor and the one who fell on you," she managed to say, giving him a sheepish grin.

"I'm fine, love," Klaus grinned, his hands still keeping her from moving.

Caroline licked her lips, unsure of what to do, never having been so close to him before. His eyes followed the movement of her tongue, flicking back up to hers with a strange look in them. It seemed to Caroline like he was seeing her for the first time.

His head slowly raised towards hers, closing the space between them. She felt her eyes falling closed, anticipating what was to come next. She could feel his breath ghosting over her lips, and then-

"Doctor Forbes! Come quick! There's been an accident!"

Caroline shot up, eyes flashing wide open, quickly rolling off of Klaus as she searched for the source of the voice. Thankfully, it seemed to be coming from outside the barn.

"Be right there!" she yelled after clearing her voice, looking down at her hands for a moment before she gathered the strength to look at Klaus. "I have to go," she said softly, hoping he understood.

He nodded, "Of course, sweetheart. I'll finish up here, don't worry."

She returned the gesture, rising and brushing hay from her skirts. Caroline turned to go, but stopped suddenly, looking back at him. "Join me for supper?" she asked, hoping he would accept her offer.

Klaus frowned for a moment as he rose, about to decline when he met her eyes, their soft blue so full of light and happiness, something that had been noticeably absent from his own life for a long time. "I- I'd love to," he finally said, smiling as her face lit up at his answer.

"Good! I'll be back as soon as I can!" she called as she ran out of the barn in search of her medical bag.

Perhaps Colorado Springs wasn't so bad after all.