The scents of perfume and hairspray wafted out into the hotel room, where Klaus patiently waited for Caroline Forbes. He had been listening intently from the other side of the door, expecting to hear the click of the lock on the window at any given moment. Though, he had to admit that he was enjoying listening to her singing a Broadway-worthy rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
As the steady patter of the water on the shower floor had come to an abrupt halt, he'd backed away from the door and taken to lounging on the end of the single bed in the room. He had been dead set on having only one bed; his intentions to urge Caroline into warming up to him were always at the forefront of his thoughts. The moments of intimacy he'd shared with her were only the beginning. Soon enough, he'd wind his hands in those beautiful, bouncing blonde curls, and he'd experience her small, delicate ones tugging on his curls. It was only a matter of time.
Now, though, anxiety was leaking into his calm state of mind - one which both his siblings and Stefan Salvatore would agree was rather rare - as the entire area lapsed into a dead silence. Although she was a small thing, he would never underestimate the tenacity and fire the feisty little thing packed. It wasn't a wonder why she oversaw every community gathering with an iron fist and zero tolerance for mistake.
"Love, are you alright?" He called, moving to the door. He pressed his ear to the door, and was met with no answer whatsoever.
He was filled with a mixture of anger to think that she may have given him the slip, and worry to think that she may have been hurt. "I'm coming in, Caroline," He called again, twisting the knob.
It was locked.
If she believed that a mere lock would keep him out, she was gravely mistaken. It might buy her a few seconds of time, but even her supernaturally heightened speed wouldn't get her far enough away in that time.
With a movement as effortless as breathing, Klaus slammed his knee into the door, catching it before it could crash to the floor with a resounding crack. "Caroline?" Klaus called again, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. A cool breeze blew over him, and he took a deep breath of the fresh air. He could still smell her - she was moving, but she was close.
Making sure the room key was still in the pocket of his overcoat, he eased himself up onto the sill of the open window and descended out into the night.
"Caroline? If you give this silly little game up, I'll consider letting this one go, love." He sauntered into the dank alleyways of Paris, his eyes easily adjusting to the darkness. "Come on, love. We both know that you don't stand a chance against me. I could easily snap your neck if I so pleased. The choice is yours, Caroline."
The only response he received in return was a gust of wind and the slap of flip flops on pavement.
"Alright, then, love. I suppose I'm left with no choice."
Klaus moved with a silent, elegantly dangerous speed through the alleyways, narrowly avoiding overturned trash cans and open manholes. The sound of her breathing and the smack of her shoes gradually became louder and louder, the sounds too soft for any mortal's ears to pick up. And before long, a shock of blonde hair whipped around the corner nearest to him.
It took three, maybe five, seconds to reach her. He clapped his hand firmly over her mouth and yanked her back into his hold. He admired her defiance to some degree; many of his hybrids wouldn't even utter an adverse word in Klaus's presence. She screamed, her breath hot on his palm. As he threw her lithe body into the air and caught her in his arms, she buried her fangs deep within the flesh of his hand. The sudden pain was unexpected, but certainly bearable.
He gave a sharp tug to her hair, and as she screamed in agony, her fangs retracted and the open puncture wounds began to seal themselves.
"I'm not sure whether to congratulate you on your boldness or to pity your stupidity, love," He spoke calmly, carrying her back towards the hotel. A shiver ran through Caroline's body, and gently, in a manner than almost distracted her from the wrath she would surely face, Klaus wrapped a side of his jacket around her.
"Why won't you just leave me alone?" She wailed, kicking slightly and catching him in the crook of his elbow.
"Now, don't tell me you really want to pass up the opportunity to see Paris?"
"Not with you! I should...I should be here with Tyler! He's the one I love, not you! Not ever!"
Smack.
A string of whimpers were carried on the wind as Klaus slammed her roughly into the brick wall surrounding them on either side. "Tyler?! You want to be here with Tyler?!" He yelled.
"Yes! Yes! Please, Klaus, you're hurting me!"
Caroline refused to meet his eyes, swallowing down her tears. I won't let him see me cry. Wasn't Tyler who she wanted? She had dedicated one hundred and ten percent of herself to him, and him alone. They were supposed to have a future together. They would always be on the run, lives will with passion and danger at every turn. He would be there to protect her every step of the way, wouldn't he?
Slowly, she opened her eyes, the realization hitting her that Klaus had fallen silent. His fingers still dug into the delicate flesh of her arm, but his eyes had fallen to gaze solemnly at the cobbled path. To her shock, a tear slid down his cheek.
She was afraid to speak, feeling as though she had a first-row seat to witness Klaus's heartbreak. She could see the hurt dancing in his eyes. "What else do I have to do, Caroline?" He whispered, the sound so faint that she had to strain to identify what had been said. "I take you to Paris. I tell you what none of those boys will ever say to you - the truth about how beautiful you are. I bring you jewels that were worn by the most noble of princesses. I would do anything for you. Take you anywhere. Say anything. And it's never enough. Nothing is enough. Caroline, what do you want that I'm not giving you?"
Caroline's head swam with emotion. She was terrified to speak, afraid that whatever she would say would only upset him further, yet, she didn't know what she would say in the first place. She swallowed the lump in her throat, squirming slightly in his hold. "Klaus...Klaus," She gasped. He lifted his head, finally meeting her eyes. "You're hurting me. Please...please let me go."
Reluctantly, he released his hold on her arms, and she slipped to the pavement.
"Do you truly want to go home, Caroline? Is that what you really want?"
She slowly started to push herself to her feet, unsure of how to answer. Her logical mind screamed at her to say yes, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to say the words that would surely be the death of him. "No, no...I mean, I don't know what I want," She stammered. She wrapped her arms around herself in a sort of hug, rubbing her mostly bare shoulders. The dress he'd left for her was the most beautiful she'd ever worn, and she'd worn some very, very beautiful dresses in her short lifetime. It was definitely the most comfortable she'd ever worn. She was surprised that he'd chosen such a modest dress for her to wore, but then again, he'd lived in the time before chivalry had died. It was a steely, deep shade of blue (she was beginning to think he preferred her in that color) and the skirt hung in soft ruffles down to a few inches above her knees, every other ruffle being a pure white. The only thing it had in the way of a sleeve was a panel of sheer navy blue fabric over her right shoulder, embroidered with an intricate pattern of bead work in long, thick, serpentine swirls. Thinking of it, it reminded Caroline of a way to change the subject.
"Klaus...Klaus, I'm wearing the dress you left for me," She tentatively said.
He ran a single finger along the fabric covering her left hip, a faint smile on his lips. "It was worn by a duchess two or three decades ago. Her subjects said that she outshone the princess with her beauty, but she wasn't nearly as lovely as you."
"You've used that line before."
"Have I?"
"The one where I'm more beautiful than someone? Yeah, you have."
He chuckled, shaking his head as he swung her up into his arms. "It isn't a line if it's the truth."
Watching him now, as he began to carry her back, she wasn't sure what of the past few days had been real, and what had been a dream. The lines of reality had begun blurring in her head. To calm her nerves, she began to sing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" again.
"Isn't it a little early for Christmas, love?" He asked, and the heat rushed to her cheeks.
"It doesn't have to be a Christmas song, you know," She snapped indignantly. She folded her arms over her chest. "It's almost winter; it's cold enough outside."
"But you do know that it's intended to be sung as a duet, don't you?"
"Are you implying that I let you join me?"
"Maybe. What would you say if I was?"
"I doubt you can even sing."
"I can do many things that you aren't aware of."
"I'm sure." She rolled her eyes, tensing as the stature of the hotel rose up above the horizon line. "You know, you still owe me a dinner."
The way he looked at her then melted away any doubts that his earlier display of emotion had been more than a figment of her imagination.
"I don't owe you anything. You'd do well to remember that I'm controlling your fate here, lest you wish to repeat the incident at your house? I'll give you a pass this time, but if you keep it up, my temper may just get the best of me." He seized her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him. "I'm sure I don't need to ask if you understand. Now, Caroline, love...on another note, would you do me the courtesy of allowing me to have you for dinner?"
"Are you asking if you can infect me with your hybrid venom again, or are you asking me to eat with you?"
"That's up to you, sweetheart." He glanced at her feet and wrinkled his nose. "Though, either way, you'll need to wear something more appropriate for shoes. You actually call this flimsy little thing footwear?"
"It wasn't exactly the most...never mind." She didn't want to conjure his rage from earlier.
"Once we get back, don't dally - we've already lost far too much time with this little stunt you pulled."
"I'll have you know, I can change rather quickly."
"Don't be petulant, love. Or maybe I might just make you indulge in different sort a duet with me."
Caroline shuddered in disgust. "Again...in your dreams."
"You should know better than anyone, Caroline, that sometimes dreams are just crazy enough to come true. Especially for our kind."
"Don't act like we're one in the same. We couldn't be more opposite."
Klaus only shook his head and smiled. "Soon, love. Soon you'll see." Leaving that ambiguous statement hanging in the air, he gently placed a kiss on her forehead, and ducked back into the shadows once again.
A/N: Whoa! Two chapters in the course of three days? Unheard of! I was really testing the flow of the story here - does it seem to flow well to all of you? Well, I suppose I'll see. I'm not too sure about this one - I think I just wanted to give us another piece of Klaus. I'm thinking next chapter is far too due for a good, steamy moment. Don't you? Also, on a side note, the dress is loosely based off of one from the company Oasap. If you're ever bored, try and see if you can find which one (hint: It's $107 and you can find it under dresses!) Well, tell me what you think, and as always, I love all of you! xxx - Gianna