With every solitary moment that passed, Caroline was wishing more and more that she would have begged him to take her home right that instant when he had asked her earlier. Yet, here she was, sitting in what was hands down the nicest restaurant - scratch that; it was the nicest place - she had seen in her entire life, with a pathological serial killer in a dress he had left as her only option to wear, forking tiny spirals of pasta into her mouth. The platter on which the antipasti rested was placed in the center of the table between herself and Klaus, and as he moved to stab a piece of brie-style cheese, she jabbed her own fork into the very same piece and popped it into her mouth with a triumphant smile.

That smile faded quickly, however, as he laughed in return, opting for a thin slice of soppressata instead. He nodded to her small appetizer plate as he swallowed, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with the white napkin that had been folded into the shape of a swan only a few moments earlier.

Pretentious asshole.

"Love, you insisted on that spaghetti. You shouldn't let it go to waste." They'd been arguing back and forth over the spaghetti when they'd first been handed their menus. Klaus had diplomatically informed her that while they were in the exotic city of lights, she shouldn't remain so attached to what she was familiar with, that she should try and broaden her horizons. He'd said all this wearing his trademark smirk, and throwing in a completely unnecessary eyebrow waggle at the end.

Two could play at that game.

Caroline had snapped back that she didn't even want to be there, and he wasn't being very gentlemanly by insisting on what she ordered. She'd reminded him that he was, as she put it, "loaded" and that he was most certainly not her father.

He'd left her with the most shocking remark yet.

"Of course not, Caroline. A father wouldn't even dream of doing to his daughter what I'm imagining doing to you."

She gasped indignantly, and kicked him under the table, making sure to catch him in the shin with the sharp stiletto point of her matching, clumsy blue pumps he'd given her. He showed no sign of falter, however, he caved and allowed her to order what she wished, adding in one last comment about all he had been doing was 'suggesting'. Another heartbreaking smile.

Caroline Forbes was positive her fist would be making contact with a certain hybrid's nose before the night was over.

And now, Klaus gazed at her with wonderment as she failed to pretend she did not notice.

"Would you stop doing that?" She groaned melodramatically, stabbing a slice of cheese with more force than necessary. "It's...it's creepy."

"It's either I stare at you for the rest of the night, or you can finally engage in some friendly banter with me. Your choice."

"Asshole." She muttered under her breath, huffing. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You."

"You picked that last time I asked you that question. Try again."

"Alright, then. I'd like to talk about Caroline Forbes."

"You don't give up, do you?"

"I'm not particularly known for it, no."

"I'll make you a deal, then, Klaus."

He leaned forward on the table, tapping his fork against his forefinger, obviously intrigued.

She took a deep breath, and quickly ushered the statement before she lost her nerve: "You tell me something about yourself - honestly - and I'll answer truthfully to any question you ask me."

"Alright, then, love. As you wish." He quirked a slight smile, making her insides flutter. "Ladies first."

"You're such a gentleman," She replied sarcastically, throwing in a roll of her eyes for the added effect. "Alright, then. Who is the woman in the first sketch you showed me?" Caroline had decided to start small.

"She was a young, fair woman whom I'd met in 1502. She came of privileged, wealthy family, and she had been born into a now long extinct lineage of witches. She'd crafted many a charm for me, and a few centuries later, I came to thinking about her, and I sketched her as tribute to her lost memory."

"What was her name? What did she die of?"

"Sofia. She died from infection - she'd cut herself one day on her spinning needle, and it only gradually grew worse and worse..."

"Why didn't you save her?"

"Because some people don't want to be saved, Caroline."

She started to open her mouth again, but he shook his head. "Ah, ah, ah, Caroline," He tutted, placing a slender finger to her lips. "That was four questions - it's long overdue for my turn, love. A deal's a deal."

Damn it.

"Alright, then. I guess you get four questions then, too."

"When you were a little girl, what had you wanted to be when you were older?"

She was thankful that he had started small, too. That is, until she conjured up the answer to his question. The memory was a fond one, but at the moment it was unwelcome. Her cheeks burned crimson, and she had to turn her head away to be able to answer honestly. The calamari seemed to be watching her with eyeless, judging stares.

"A fairy princess ballerina," She coughed, and when she caught his expression in the impeccably shiny plate set before her, she wanted to die of humiliation.

"Shut up. You probably wanted to do something embarrassing too when you were younger, didn't you?"

"My turn, remember, love?" Though she could tell she'd hit a nerve, and she was itching to exploit it. "How about your favorite color?"

That was an easy one. She squared her shoulders, and with a proud smile, she announced, "Pink." It had always been pink. Ever since when in kindergarten, her teacher had given her the last and only pink frog sticker. She'd stuck it on her cheek and worn it with a beaming smile. She'd actually been smiling so much that she almost ripped it in half. Luckily, she was able to salvage it, and she recalled that it was still on the front cover of her diary, standing strong even after all these years of migrating from notebook to notebook.

"Why pink, of all colors?" He was smiling, and it seemed he was very enthralled with her. She quickly shook that notion away, however. This was Klaus. He wasn't a good man, and she doubted he had a nostalgic bone in his body. He was probably only playing with her in an attempt to get at Elena.

"Is that the third question?"

His lips twitched at the corner as he debated, but finally, he slowly nodded and looked to her expectantly.

She relayed her memory to him, and she found the smile he wore - not a predatory one, nor one of overconfidence - was both unnerving and warming at the same time. He seemed...happy.

"Alright, last question." She said, folding her arms over her chest, as she fought off the notion that she shouldn't be sharing her childhood memories with Klaus. Somehow, though, she couldn't find it in herself to think him undeserving of a little friendly conversation. And that was all it was, wasn't it? She was having fun, and she wasn't eager to end it so soon.

He had to make it worth his while, but there was so much he wanted to learn about her. He could spend the rest of his life peeling away layer after layer of Caroline Forbes, and he would still never get enough. Still, the question he was dying to know was too much right now, and seeing her beaming smile and glittering blue eyes, he wasn't going to chance losing such a rare moment. "You wouldn't happen to have a favorite...fairytale, would you?"

Another easy one. "Beauty and the Beast."

"Care to elaborate, sweetheart?"

"Why it's my favorite? Oh, that's easy. It's about loving somebody, no matter how many flaws they have. The prince is this monster, and even though he is this horrible, selfish person who has done all these awful things, Belle learns to love him, because they're meant to be together. They learn from each other, and even though they have all the reason in the world to, neither of them give up on love. That's the kind of love I want. Something unconditional."

She blushed, realizing she'd been rambling, and as she shook her blonde curls out, she mumbled, "At least, that's what I think." She shoved another forkful of pasta into her mouth, trying to calm her racing mind.

"It's your turn."

She looked up again, tapping her toe as she tried to think of a good question.

"I can't think of one..." She admitted, drumming her fingers on the table.

"That's alright, love. You have all night to think of something. I'm sure you can do it." Klaus stood, offering his hand to her. "Come, Caroline. We'll have dessert at home." He shot her a devilish smile, and despite her better judgement, she took his hand. There was no turning back now.

Caroline dropped another few ice cubes into her champagne flute, dressed in one of Klaus's black shirts and her own plaid pajama pants. Again, she was surprised at how well he had chosen her wardrobe as not to cause her discomfort. When she'd looked in her suitcase, she'd found plenty of modest pants, but she couldn't say the same for most of the shirts, which emphasized her...assets. Maybe he was being nice to her, but he was still a man, and in Caroline's experience, all men were perverts to some degree.

So she'd taken it upon herself to dig through Klaus's stuff for one of his shirts. The one she'd chosen didn't fit well - it was noticeably bigger on her than it would have been on him - but it was definitely comfy. He was definitely going to be at least a little shocked when he came out of the shower to find her wearing his stuff.

As she took a long, luxurious sip of the expensive champagne, Caroline tossed her wet curls over her shoulder and sauntered back over to Klaus's suitcase. If she was going to do this, she would go the whole nine yards. She quietly sorted through his clothes, finding all sorts of things she hadn't even expected him to know existed. There were beautiful, exotic necklaces with impeccable bead work and strong, sharp teeth of some ancient animal that was probably long since extinct. Many of them were made of hemp; there were very few constructed with actual metal chains. Beneath those, she found his boxers and briefs, folded neatly. Somehow, she had the feeling that Rebekah had contributed to the organization in his suitcase. If she even dared to wear one of those, she was sure that his undead heart would stop, if it could.

It was an absolute yes.

Just as she'd plucked a nice, black silken one from the depths of his luggage, she caught sight of a faint glow peeking out through the pocket of a pair of slacks. Caroline warily glanced at the bathroom door, quickly snatching the cell phone that had materialized the light before he could have the chance to catch her in the act. A little symbol in the bottom left-hand corner signalized that he'd set the ring to silent, and, with a little fumbling of controls, she found that Tyler was actually calling right that very moment. Her breathing hitched. That must've been why the phone had suddenly turned on.

Tyler was calling for her. Tyler was going to demand Klaus return her to Mystic Falls.

Without hesitation, she tapped the 'answer call' button, ready to say a cheery greeting and thank him for caring about her like he always did.

To her surprise, as soon as the conversation clicked to a start, he began to talk.

"Klaus, it's Tyler. Look, I know you're probably busy, and I know you have Caroline. But before you hang up, I don't want her back; I - "

"Are you coming back to bed, Tyler?"

Caroline's heart sank. That was Hayley talking. Why was Tyler with Hayley? In bed, of all places? She opened her mouth to speak, but her tongue felt like sandpaper and her throat felt as dry as cotton. She only produced a hoarse gasp.

"Yeah. Go wait for me, babe."

"See you in a minute, hottie. Don't forget the scotch; you know which one I like best."

Tyler chuckled, and a soft smooching sound came over the speaker, before footsteps padded off to some unknown destination.

"Love you, too!" He called, before engaging in the conversation again. "Listen, I don't have long, but, man, you have to help me. Caroline can't come back yet. If she finds out about me and Hayley...she'll rip me limb from limb. But it's been too long, and Hayley's now and I can't think about anything - or anyone - else when I'm with her...why am I telling you this? Just...please. Don't let Caroline know. I don't even know how to break it to her yet."

Time seemed to suspend itself for a few long moments, and Caroline could feel her eyes dampen.

"Why?" She finally croaked. "Because you aren't enough of a man to tell me that you're just a slut?"

"Caroline." Tyler inhaled sharply, and she could imagine the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out how to backpedal himself out of this one. "Look, I - "

"Don't lie to me!" She screamed hysterically, tears rushing down her cheeks as if some internal dam had been broken.

"Caroline, please. I never meant to - "

"I don't even want to see you again! Liar!"

"I was just going to trick Klaus into giving you back, and I didn't know - "

"Stop lying to me! Stop it! Just stop it, Tyler! Maybe I don't even want to come back, either! I don't need you, or Elena, or Damon, or anyone! Don't compare yourself to Klaus! You...You aren't even half the man he is! You douche bag! I hope you get staked!"

"Caroline. I...I didn't want you to find out this way."

Caroline took a deep breath, her mind racing as she tried to recall any signs in the past that had indicated this would happen. Tyler was a selfish lover. He took what he wanted when he wanted, with no regard for anyone. And how easily had he brought Hayley into his life? He'd lied to her face, and if it hadn't been for her being in the right place at the right time, she never would've heard Klaus's comment on Tyler's time in Appalachia. It was all there, and she'd been too blind to see that the stage was already set.

"You're dead to me."

She heard him stammer as he began to speak again, and she pounded her thumb onto the 'end call' button, chucking the little device at the couch. Without even looking up, she slumped down on the couch and buried her tear-streaked face in a pillow. She jumped when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

He would be so mad at her. Fear rose up in her, until she felt how gentle his touch was. How his thumb massaged at the tension built up in her shoulders, and how he shushed her in such a sweet, loving way.

"Klaus?" She breathed, refusing to let him see her as such a mess.

"I'm sorry he did this to you, Caroline. If I'd have known he would be so foolish as to let you go...I never would have let him hurt you."

"Klaus?"

"Yes, love?"

"Don't leave me. Not now."

The couch cushions shifted as he sat down beside her, bringing her to rest upon his chest. She sobbed into his fresh, clean shirt, and he stroked his hand through her thick blonde tresses.

"This is all your fault," She sobbed, blotchy images of a bleeding Hayley drifting in the back of her mind.

Klaus tensed, prepared to defend himself, but seeing her in such a broken state made him think otherwise. Besides, she had begun to elaborate on her claims without his coaxing.

"If you would've just left in Mystic Falls, Tyler would've never resorted to that stupid slut." She sniffled, her tears dampening the shoulder of his shirt.

"Love, I hate to make a bad situation worse, but...Tyler has been occupied with the wolf girl for longer than you think."

Caroline paused for a moment, her eyes bleary as she thought it over. Suddenly, she shoved him away and stood up abruptly. "I changed my mind. I don't want to even see you right now." She sauntered away into the bathroom, tossing one last glare over her shoulder. And with that, she slammed the door.

A/N: Well, so much for my plan to update everyday over Thanksgiving break. I've been working on this for a while but I never had the chance to finish it until now. I wasn't so sure about the beginning, but I really wanted to indulge a few of my headcanons. Also, don't think that the Tyler obstacle has been removed completely. Our favorite douche bag will back. I really hope to make this story more dynamic, and flash a more dramatic plot in the next chapter. Plus, with this chapter, even though it's not my favorite, I wanted to take away Caroline's reasons to deny Klaus. Before, she could say that she was being faithful to Tyler, but now, our favorite Vampire Barbie will ask the question Klaroline fans are dying to have her ask: What's holding me back now? Anyways, review, review, review! The more reviews I get, the faster I write. It's like air to me - I might just collapse if you don't. Wow, that was pretty awful self promotion. Oh, well. Tell me what you think! And for updates here and there, and soon to be sneak peeks, check out my Tumblr, 'themagicalgirlnextdoor'! - xoxoxo Gianna