3x14: Dangerous Liasons...
Klaus...
"Who are you bringing to the ball this evening?" His mother had asked. He hadn't reacted beyond a smile and partial laugh as if to deem her question absurd. But He already had someone in mind. Not only that but he was trotting up to her home right now to hand deliver a present. One that he had put in a large dark fabric-lined box with a white ribbon. He intended this to become his signature with her gifts.
Klaus had no intention of staying while she opened it. He just wanted to show up at her door and see the look on her face when he passed it to her without saying a single word.
The dress inside was exquisite. He had to admit he'd outdone himself. The gloves and matching shoes were underneath it and he simply couldn't wait to see the beautiful Caroline wearing the whole ensemble. He'd gone to great lengths to make sure that everything would fit perfectly including going through her closet on one of the four occasions he had visited her house since he healed her. The first time he'd just gone to watch her sleep. The second and third were to make sure that the nightmares resulting from her father's death stayed at bay and the fourth time it was also to do with her dreams but he used more of a distraction method. A smile curled his lips at the thought.
That's when he heard the voicemail begin to play.
"Caroline, it's Tyler. I know I should have called sooner; I just kinda freaked out and left. But I heard about your Dad and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Caroline. I'm out doing what he said. I'm gonna fix myself and come home to you. I love you."
Klaus hadn't quite been on the porch yet so he stopped out of eyesight. Of course he knew that the young hybrid had fled. He'd been keeping tabs on the entire situation with great interest. First, Caroline's father had come to town. That in itself was news. Then to find out that Mr. Forbes was able to resist compulsion and that he was spending a lot of time with Tyler, now those were very curious pieces of information. Klaus wasn't dense. He knew that Lockwood was trying to break the sire bond. One did wonder what it was that Bill Forbes had up his sleeve that made him think he could help with such an affliction. Even more curious.
With slight disappointment, he gently set the box down outside her door and gave a rapid set of knocks before whooshing away. He knew that she wouldn't want to see him; not after that voicemail. And the tone of his appearance wouldn't be as he wished even if he had stayed. Instead, he chose to sit in his perch on the strong branch of a tree outside Caroline's bedroom knowing full well that she would bring his gift in there to open it.
A few moments later, he was rewarded. One of her windows had the curtains drawn but the other revealed enough of the room so that he could observe her reaction. That's really all he wanted to see.
Caroline opened the envelope and read the invitation with confusion and then turned the card over to read his handwritten message on the back before mouthing what he knew had to be "Seriously?" before growing a pensive look on her face while looking down at the box. She might have reservations about him but that didn't stop her need for more information. That was Klaus' way in. Her curiosity would get the best of her in regards to him every single time. He knew she wouldn't be able to help herself.
His painstaking efforts to pick out the perfect dress had clearly paid off when he saw the reaction it got from this blonde goddess. For a moment she was lost looking at the it. She was in awe. And then suddenly, she shook her head trying to snap herself out of it. Again, Klaus smiled. That's the kind of thing he was looking for.
Caroline had her fingers interlocked and resting on top of her head, looking at the ground and blowing out a slow breath, cheeks puffed out with air. She was trying her best to think, he was sure. She must be deciding whether or not to come to the ball. But why wouldn't she? Klaus knew she was too inquisitive not to investigate so why did she even have to think about it? Though the fact that she was so conflicted entertained him. Made things much more interesting to see how she tried to fight his temptation.
Then there she went, into motion. She swiped up her phone and dialed Elena. He perked up his ears.
"Hey, what do you say to hitting the grill? I got this invitation-," Caroline began.
"Yeah, me too." Came the doppelganger's voice.
"Half an hour?"
"You got it."
If Klaus was correct, then Matt would be working there this time of day. Time to go speak to Rebekah.
Caroline...
What the hell?! What the actual hell?! First, there was the bracelet. Now this? What did that evil, sadistic, son of a bitch think he was playing at? What could he gain by trying to butter her up? None of it fit.
She had gotten to the grill before Elena and arranged herself at their usual table. She wasn't really hungry; for food or blood, but talking to Elena was necessary. Caroline needed to know that she wasn't crazy, bounce some things off of a friend.
The dreams were another matter. Not that she was going to bounce much of that off Elena, not in any detail anyway. Caroline could only guess the look that would cross her friend's face when hearing about them. Some were perfectly normal and beautiful. She was spending time with her Dad, talking about the past and things that they use to do together when she was little. Then dreamt of perfectly sunny days just walking with him. He told her how proud of her he is and that he would always be there even if she couldn't hear or see him. Such wonderful dreams that helped her come to terms with his passing.
Then there was one night in particular that all she could see was him. That annoying thousand year old hybrid. But in the dreams, and she did have several of him that night, he was something other than annoying. All different scenarios played out, one after another. All of which had her ending up in his arms, screaming his name. And they were more tactile than any dream she'd ever had. She could feel his skin against hers, his finger tips brushing down her rib cage, his tongue on her neck, his hard-
Caroline shook her head as a wave of heat made her blush and tightened her stomach muscles. Every single sensation was so real. It was as though they weren't dreams at all. And then the memory of Elena telling her about Damon when they first met and had a couple of interactions sprung to mind. Elena had said that Damon knew she'd had dreams about him. He'd never said so outright but it had been him who'd given her the dreams. Crept into her mind while she lie sleeping.
Her eyes grew big. Klaus was invited into her home. He could come in any time he pleased. Could he have been the cause? Caroline liked that thought more than the idea that her subconscious was lusting after him but was very disturbed at the possibility that he'd snuck into her room, while she was in bed, and just sat there giving her all kinds of... God, the things he put in her head. And how she truly hoped he in fact was the one to do it. She couldn't deal with it if it had been her own mind.
Elena then walked up and sat down.
"Hey, is everything okay? Are you okay?" She asked delicately.
"Yeah, I'm dealing with it. Him being gone isn't going to be easy but I'm not falling apart either." Caroline loved that she had so many people in her life that really cared how she was, how she was handling her father's death. But she wanted to change the subject. "Anyway, uh, so you got an invitation?"
"Yep. Esther wants to speak with me." Elena sat down.
"Did they happen to send a dress with it?" Caroline hoped she would say 'yes'.
Elena gave her a strange look. "Umm, no. Why? Did they send you one?"
Caroline looked down and was suddenly embarrassed. This means that she was singled out. "I got it today with the invite."
"Wait, what? Why would they send you a dress?" Caroline could see Elena trying to piece it together. But it couldn't be pieced together if the brunette thought of it as the Mikaelsons sending her a dress. That really made no sense.
"Well, I don't think it was them so much as just one person in particular." Caroline hinted. Elena still looked dumbfounded. She'd get it eventually but Caroline wanted to speed up the process. "On the back of my invitation, there was a note from Klaus. I'm pretty sure he's the one that sent the dress too."
"Hold on. Let me get this straight. He has Tyler bite you and then he suddenly gives you a dress. That's out of nowhere."
"Kind of."
"What do you mean 'Kind of'?"
Caroline felt a massive migraine coming on even though she knew that technically she couldn't get one as a vampire. "That night he healed me, I mean he didn't just walk in, let me drink his blood and then walk out."
"Matt said he threatened to hurt you or something. Like come back and take you?"
Caroline blinked. "Oh wow, I didn't know that part."
"And he said that Klaus was in your room for a while. Sounded creepy and made him uncomfortable. Especially after the thinly veiled threats and all. You should have seen his face when he was telling me about it. He was really upset and scared for you... So, what did happen?"
"He came in and started talking to me. Told me all I had to do was ask and he would save me. Told me about the things I could have if I lived. And, I mean, of course I wanted to live. I don't know why he would ever think that I'd decide not to. And that's what I said, that I didn't want to die. So he healed me. I was really weak and for some reason his blood made me really tired. I think I fell asleep with him holding me." Caroline looked up to see Elena's brow raised in slight disbelief. Caroline swallowed and finished it. "When I woke up, there was a jewelry box on my nightstand that he left. It had a, uh, a diamond bracelet in it." Elena looked even more struck. "And then, umm... I found his number in my phone." There was a sense of guilt in all of this but Caroline had nothing to feel guilty for. None of this was her doing, right?
"Alright, well, there's that," Elena responded. Caroline could tell her friend didn't know what to make of it. "It's all so weird. The Originals are throwing a ball. Like, an actual ball."
"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is."
The girls were handed some menus by the waitress, which they opened but even with their eyes half scanning the options, they would end up getting the exact same things they always did. But looking at the menu was a ritual and you didn't mess with those.
It wasn't long before Rebekah came into the grill. As she handed Matt an invitation, Caroline could hear part of their conversation...
"I wanted to invite you to a ball," Rebekah was saying.
"You want me to come with you?" Matt asked while Caroline freaked out to Elena.
"Yeah. I would really like that. Even Nik said it was a good idea. He's the one who suggested I come over right away and give you an invitation."
Klaus had encouraged Rebekah to invite him?! "What time is this stupid dance?" Caroline asked.
"Seven O'clock. You better be there and don't be late," Rebekah answered as she was on her way out. "I saw the dress Nik picked out for you. If my brother goes through all that trouble and you don't show, trust me, I'll be bending my mother's rules and paying you a visit." With that, she walked away and right out the door.
Elena looked back at Caroline. "Why is he doing all this? You think he has a thing for you or something?"
"Pfft, no. He's got to have an angle. I don't believe for a second that this is just him trying to be romantic and show interest. This is Klaus we're talking about." Caroline conducted another pointless examination of her menu.
"What if that's exactly what he's trying to do?" Elena asked.
"Then that's even worse. And disgusting. And stupid. And I, just, I don't know." Caroline was stuttering. "He can just go to hell, that's what."
Flashes of her steamy, fevered dreams reappeared. Klaus' mussed up hair, the intensity of his gaze as he looked at her. She could still recall the feel of him. Every inch of his body pressed to hers. It was insane how detailed every moment of it was. Caroline remembered the way she was breathing, the feeling of his soft lips firm on hers, the way his muscles flexed as he lifted her on top of him in one dream. The way he held most of his weight as he lay atop her in another. It was all so vivid that she was having phantom sensations of it even sitting here. And suddenly, it invaded her mind- how it felt as he rocked in and out of her, her hands grasping at his hips, her shins goading his thrusts-
Caroline whimpered and put her face in her hands. This was torture.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
"You told me that Damon made you have dreams about him, right?" Elena nodded and Caroline wanted to know more. "What all happened in them?"
Elena rolled her eyes at the memory. "Uh, well, mostly making out. It would start out as Stefan and then suddenly change into him. Another one was him coming into my room and backing me into a wall but before anything happened, I woke up. Why?"
"That's it?!" Caroline couldn't believe it.
"Why?" Elena asked again.
"I'm pretty sure Klaus did the same thing."
"What'd you dream about?"
Caroline clenched her jaw. "Let's just say that Damon isn't nearly as perverted as Klaus."
"And you're sure he gave them to you?"
"What? You think I dreamt that on my own? No way! It's his doing. It has to be. There's no other explanation for it." Caroline really hoped that was true.
TO BE CONTINUED...
