A/N: As usual, thanks for reading and reviewing. Yay! Over 600 reviews with the last chapter! I'm still so amazed.
Also, thanks for being so understanding with the last chapter and for enjoying the Caroline/Elijah friendship I've created.
I also need to give a special shout out to 'Guest' since I cannot respond to them privately. I just want to say to say that I love your lengthy reviews...so no, of course they don't bother me. I slipped in something extra special for you into this chapter as a token of my appreciation :D
I apologize for this chapter taking longer, but it takes me awhile to get into Klaus's POV from being so into Caroline's for the past couple chapters. Plus what I had to write wasn't exactly easy. And don't even get me started on the hell that broke loose on Friday with respect to this proposed spin-off.
Needless to say, I've calmed down since then, regained by bearings, and my Klaroline ship is still sailing strong. I hope you're all still aboard your own...if you're ship is foundering, I hope this update can act as a lifeboat of sorts!
Enjoy and review, please!
"Hello, darling Caroline, what a lovely surprise..." Kol mused as he stepped into the room, the scantily-clad women with him hanging off of him like decorations on a Christmas tree. "The last time I checked, Niklaus's room was two doors down," he said.
She thought Kol had left town. Why was he here? And why did Elijah give her Kol's room to stay in? He knew they didn't get along well.
"Oh my god," she stammered as she sat up in bed, holding the blankets protectively against her.
"If I had known my brother left you in this room alone to keep yourself warm, I wouldn't have brought a party back," he chuckled, whispering in both girls' ears before they took a seat on the upholstered chairs by the fireplace. "It could have been just the two of us," he sneered.
"Seriously?" she groaned. "No thanks," she said with a fake smile.
He frowned.
"You don't know what you're missing sweet Caroline," he cooed, clearly trying to annoy her as much as he possibly could.
"I'd rather not find out," she said sarcastically.
"Your loss," he replied simply.
The two young women nodded in agreement.
"What are you doing here? I thought you left town," she wondered, rubbing her eyes in a continued effort to adjust to the light.
He approached the end of the bed.
"I'm delighted to see you as well," he remarked giddily, as he handled the clothes she had left on the bed end bench. "You're the perfect welcome home gift," he snickered, holding up the black dress she had worn earlier against his torso.
She scoffed at his immaturity.
"Did you wear this for Nik tonight?" Kol asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Obviously," she shrugged. "Your brother bought it for me," she challenged, hoping Kol would find that fact off-putting.
Kol tossed the dress aside with an impressed look and a shrug.
"I prefer to shop for my ladies at Agent Provocateur," Kol chuckled.
She looked over at the women who were staring adoringly at Kol from their seats. They were probably being compelled. Both were wearing little more than lingerie.
"I can see that," she remarked sardonically.
Kol looked back in the girls' direction as well, shooting them a playful glare, before returning his focus back to her.
"They blow my mind," he said before squinting his eyes and rounding his lips. "Girls these days are a lot more adventurous than they were a century ago. Then again, frigidness was nothing a little compulsion couldn't cure," he chuckled.
Her eyes narrowed with his disgusting revelation.
"So you never did answer my question..." she trailed off, hoping to distract him, as she thought about a way to escape or a way to have him leave.
Kol nodded.
"I did leave this boring little town for a while. I went to the fabulous Las Vegas. The girls are a souvenir from my travels," he chuckled as he winked at them both and they blew him kisses in return.
She wanted to be sick.
"So what made you decide to return to this 'boring little town'?" she asked.
His smile beamed.
"Well perhaps I couldn't get my mind of a certain blonde vampire who has my brother's attention," he replied.
Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him incredulously.
"My big brother's birthday is this weekend, so I wanted to surprise him," Kol explained with a devious smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "This is the first time in over a hundred years I've been un-daggered for his birthday," he pointed out.
"I'm sure Klaus will love the surprise," she said sarcastically.
"Probably just as much as I've enjoyed the surprise of finding you in this bed," he teased.
Kol quickly flashed himself onto the bed so he was lying in the space beside her, his arms resting behind his head.
She shuffled over on the mattress and contemplated getting out altogether.
"Any ideas as to what you'll be getting my brother for his big day?" Kol asked nonchalantly, as if platonic pillow talk was normal for them.
"No," she shrugged.
"Same. I was thinking about loaning him Bridget for the night," he said nodding towards the leggy brunette, "but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you and Nik have some sort of monogamous arrangement?" Kol added with a loathsome tone.
While she and Klaus had never discussed the terms of their relationship, she thought monogamy was something that went without saying.
"Maybe I could give Bridget to Nik for the night, and you could give him a threesome? We'd essentially be killing two birds with one stone," Kol laughed.
Ugh. She hoped he was joking.
"I can tell the idea makes you uncomfortable. Maybe some practice is in order? A ménage à quatre could be fun," Kol considered mischievously. "What do you think girls?" he called over to the two receptive women.
He looked up at her with an innocent stare.
"What do you say, darling?" he asked, beaming up at her with a wide smile.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, climbing out of the bed eagerly.
"In your dreams," she hissed as she began to gather up her things.
Sleeping on a sofa in one of the sitting rooms or parlour was preferable to Kol's relentless pestering.
"Every night," Kol quipped, flashing himself in front of the bedroom doors to prevent her escape.
He clearly made no effort to hide the fact that he was checking her out as his eyes looked over her.
"God, that tank top and those shorts fit you like a glove," he admired.
She sighed from exasperation as she grew more uncomfortable.
"Kol, it's been a long day. I know, for whatever reason, you get some sick pleasure out of sexually harassing me, but it's been a long night and I'm tired, so just let me leave to find somewhere else to sleep, and you can continue harassing me in the morning," she offered, feigning politeness.
He didn't seem convinced by her deal.
"Not until I know why you're sleeping in Finn's old bedroom..." Kol challenged.
So this wasn't Kol's room after all, it had been Finn's for a brief period of time.
Kol smirked.
"This room is way to drab to be mine," he laughed. "This is where I keep my lady loves. I never was a fan of post-coital cuddling. Perhaps Niklaus is the same?" Kol wondered.
She scowled and tried for the door once more, but Kol simply held his hand out in front of her.
"Ah-ah," Kol warned. "I mean, we're practically family now; you're like my sister, you can tell me..." he pushed. "Does Nik snore? Hog the bed?" he continued.
"Two seconds ago you were propositioning your 'almost sister' to a foursome," she countered, trying to divert the topic.
He laughed heartily.
"Or is this like some sexual role playing game between the two of you? Sleeping in separate rooms?" Kol continued, completely disregarding her point.
Groaning aloud she gave in to his persistent verbal jabs.
"We had a disagreement. I'm giving him space. Something I wish you would learn how to do," she relented.
The smile on Kol's face told her that was what he had been waiting to hear all along.
"Maybe you could teach me how?" he suggested lewdly.
She grumbled loudly and decided to play his game to her advantage.
Smirking jovially, she approached him slowly, hoping that just for a second he was convinced by her newly interested demeanour.
He returned her smile.
In his moment of gullible vulnerability, she used her vampire strength to push him clear across the room.
Both women rushed to his aid at the sight of him flat on his ass up against the wall.
He was now glaring at her with a look equal parts amusement and disbelief.
"That is how you create space. Good night, Kol," she declared victoriously.
Shaking her head in severe distaste, she left the bedroom with her belongings before he had a chance to retaliate.
Somehow she knew he wouldn't after having stood her ground.
She found herself alone in the dimly lit upstairs hallway of the Mikaelson mansion.
She considered going home, but she didn't feel like it at this point. Nor did she feel like inciting Klaus even further.
There was Elijah and Rebekah, but the darkened shadow from under both Rebekah's and Elijah's doors seemed to suggest they were sleeping, and she didn't want to disturb them.
She decided to go downstairs. She was sure out of the dozens of couches and sofas in the many sitting rooms that she could find one comfortable enough to sleep on, and there had to be something down there she could use as a blanket.
Walking down the hall towards the stairs, she took note of each of the paintings on the wall as she passed, wondering if they were famous stolen works, or ones that Klaus had painted himself over the years.
Once she approached the staircase, the doors to Klaus's room caught her attention.
In the midst of the hallway darkness, warm light from his room was pouring out through the cracks.
He was awake.
She stood there frozen as she tried to focus her thoughts as well as her hearing.
Her ears quickly picked up the soft sounds of classical music and the swift strokes of a paintbrush. His breathing was steady and concentrated, no longer stressed and frantic as it had been. She could sense the calmness. He was relaxed.
Perhaps now was the time to talk, she considered as she tried to replay her conversation with Elijah line by line in an effort to discern what she would say to him and how she would say it.
Or maybe it was too soon to approach him. Maybe it would end badly, she worried.
However, she didn't want to let the distance between them fester too long. Waiting longer could also make things worse.
Her brain hurt from all the possibilities and outcomes. She had no way of knowing how he would respond at any time.
She had to listen to her instincts, and despite her nerves, she could feel herself drawn to his room.
He flung open the doors to his bedroom completely enraged. He was so angry he could barely hear his own thoughts. All he could see was red and all he could hear in his mind was akin to the bellowing of a freight train.
As he stormed through his room, he kicked over a table and lamp indiscriminately, the collapse of the table and shattering of the lamp barely putting a dent in his aggressive urges.
Moving for his desk, he ripped open the bottom drawer and pulled out one of his most prized bottles of aged whiskey.
He consumed the liquid eagerly straight from the bottle, slamming it back down on the desk surface as the amber liquid burned his throat.
Taking a moment to revel in the feeling of the liquor warming his stomach, for a split second he felt calmer.
That was until his very acute hearing took him to a place he didn't want to go.
He could hear a verbal exchange between Rebekah and his brother and then the sound of Caroline's faint cries.
Tightly closing his eyes, he tried hard to push the image of her tearful expression from his mind.
He slammed his fist against the solid wood of the desk when his efforts failed him.
What the hell had she been thinking tonight? He wondered furiously. He had never been so angry with her.
Panic and anxiety hit him hard as he considered how tonight might have played out differently had Matt Donovan not filled him in. Here he thought that boy was completely useless.
He saw it all clear as day; Caroline going to the hunter's room, opening the door, turning on the light, stepping in the room when she was sure no one was there, and drunk off false confidence, tripping over that wire. If she was in just the right position, the first stake would have killed her instantly. If it missed, it would have been lodged somewhere inside of her threateningly close to her heart, and the wolf's venom would have made up for the missed shot. The next stake was for safe measure and would have paralyzed her further, while the third stake to the leg would have brought her down if she wasn't already dead. The combination of the wood and the venom would have rendered her immobile. She might have been able to fight it, but not in time to escape the hunter's return. Not in time for him to get there to help her. As a young vampire, she would be too weak. The hunter would find her and he would either let her succumb to the venom, or he would tear her heart out brutally as she struggled helplessly on the floor. He winced as the vivid image of played out in front of him as he paced the room.
And, even in the event that she had not fell victim to one of the hunter's booby traps or his own brute force and ended up killing him herself, she would have been tormented by hallucinations he himself had no idea how to stop.
Running his hands over his blood-stained clothes, he suddenly felt suffocated by them.
His hand hit the single stake he took from the room for further inspection and he pulled it out, along with the papers he collected and placed them on the desk before pulling frantically at his suit jacket. He threw it over the end of the bed and begun tearing at the shirt he had on underneath. The shirt was ripped where the stakes had pierced his body. The wounds on his torso had since healed, but his chest and stomach were stained with his blood.
It served as a reminder that it had been him who had been hit and not her. He had been there to intervene.
That reality sunk in further as he heard her voice downstairs with Elijah.
And while he was still fuming relentlessly over tonight, he almost felt relieved.
He knew eavesdropping was abhorrent, but he couldn't resist. Caroline had a tendency to open up to his brother on matters that concerned their relationship.
Listening as he went back for his bottle of whiskey, he heard her retell the events of the night to Elijah.
"Apparently Matt also told Klaus about the hunter; afraid that I would try and handle things on my own. So while I'm off snapping hybrid's necks and naively going after vampire hunters alone, it turns out Klaus arranged the dress, the flowers, and reservations at the resort as part of a dinner date guise enabling him not only to look into the hunter, but to make up for earlier by including me in the plan."
Her voice sounded regretful and that hit him hard. It also granted him a degree of satisfaction.
Tonight was supposed to have gone very differently than it had. He wanted to show her that she was important; that he valued her help; he wanted to be sure to include her. The dress, the flowers, the reservations, those were just afterthoughts, backdrops to the main event. It was the plan to capture the hunter with her that would have ultimately won her over, he knew. If things had gone according to plan, they'd have the hunter captured, and right about now, he'd be peeling her out of that sexy black dress either here or at the hotel.
"Forgive me Caroline, but I do have to side with my brother on one matter; going after the hunter alone was very reckless on your part," he reproached. "Surely I understand why you did not want to include Niklaus, but you could have come to Rebekah or I."
Further satisfaction came with Elijah's words. He felt validated in his anger. He had a reason to be upset; to be mad at her. He wasn't grasping at straws here or looking for a reason to be angry because she was angry with him.
Going after the hunter was severely reckless. It was senseless. The image of what might have happened to her had he not been here flashed through his mind once more.
While he disliked the idea of her not including him in any plan to capture the hunter, surprisingly he appreciated Elijah's suggestion that Caroline should have came to him or Rebekah. At least if she had of done that and something had gone wrong someone else would have been there.
He sipped on the bottle of whiskey as he started a fire in the fireplace, still listening to his brother's conversation with Caroline.
They laughed over the probability of Rebekah assisting Caroline and his reaction if he found out that either of his siblings had helped her. He scowled when Elijah suggested that he and Rebekah were probably listening in as they spoke.
Caroline seemed to buy into his insistence that she was stupid, while Elijah defended her.
"You're not stupid, Caroline. It was crude of my brother to have disparaged you like that tonight; he let his anger and impulse talk, rather than his heart. Much like Niklaus, your impulse could have got you into trouble tonight, but your intentions were honest, not stupid."
He thought back to how he had lashed out at Caroline in front of Elijah. He berated her. He insulted her. He demeaned her. He had let his anger speak for him. Instead of professing how terrified she made him, and how relieved he was to have been there, he let his rage take hold. He had been no better than Damon, he supposed.
Grovelling under his breath, he chucked the nearly empty liquor bottle into the fireplace.
The tears on Caroline's face tonight were the same tears she shed when she told him about what Damon had done to her.
He assured her he would never hurt her like that, and yet he had.
Caroline was far from stupid; although he was beginning to question her sanity when it came to involving herself with him. If he was being completely honest with himself she had carried out things quite well on her own tonight up to the trip wire; from snapping his hybrid's neck, to getting the room key card and assuring the room was empty, to physically taking him down if only for a brief moment. While dangerous, what she did was unbelievably brave. He had been right about her bravery.
And yet, her words to Elijah suggested that she thought he believed otherwise. She was wrong to think that. He had never intended to offend her; he just wanted to keep her safe. It pleased him to hear Elijah affirm as much.
"Niklaus is absolutely petrified by the prospect of losing you. While I'm sure he's upset that you went after the hunter without him, I'd be willing to bet that his anger tonight has more to do with the reality of how close he came to losing you than anything else. I would also hasten to say that he might even feel a little guilty; that he feels partially responsible for your actions tonight,"
Elijah's last sentence struck a chord with him. Did he feel guilty? Is that why he was so upset? Surely tonight would have went differently had he showed up at Caroline's house instead of sending Dean in his place. He knew tonight would have went differently had she not been so annoyed by his new role as teacher. She would have confided in him about the hunter. In either scenario she wouldn't have went after the hunter alone. She would have put herself at risk – she wouldn't have put herself at risk because of him.
Guilt was pesky little emotion; one that he had never felt more until her.
He returned to the desk to inspect the stake that had been lodged in his chest only hours ago as he continued to listen.
"I just don't want to fight anymore. I don't want him to be angry with me. I want him to at least acknowledge his wrongdoings."
He felt a small weight lift off his shoulders; deep down he wanted the same.
Running his fingers over the stake, the symbol served as further proof of his suspicions; this hunter was indeed one-fifth of the Five.
He examined the papers he had collected from the hunter's room. They were basically a haphazard portfolio of the vampires in town; both he and Caroline were among those listed, his family and her friends being the others.
He heard Elijah urge Caroline to put her pride aside and be the first one to speak; that disagreements were not to be made about winning or losing.
It frustrated him to hear Elijah say that. That's all disagreements ever were to him; being more right than your adversary and having them ultimately confess as much. He knew, however, there was truth in Elijah's words. The frustration he felt was no doubt his pride fighting against what he knew to be true.
Surprisingly, despite her own stubbornness, he heard Caroline acknowledge that Elijah was right.
Admittedly, with Caroline's confession he felt petty for taking off to his bedroom to sulk childishly, even though he had left in part because he knew his anger was getting out of hand. His instincts and Elijah's urging had prompted him to remove himself from the situation, knowing his words would only become crasser. He needed to calm down. Now he just felt silly. It almost prompted him to seek Caroline out and be the one to talk first – almost being the important word.
He tensed at the prospect of talking. Regardless of how angry he was feeling he hated uncomfortable confrontations.
While much of the burden would be placed on her, he was at a loss as to how he would respond. He didn't want to hurt her again, or disappoint her, he knew that much, but how could he have his anger validated without either of those things happening?
In his perfect world, he would calm down, she would become more agreeable, and they would move on from this as though nothing had happened. He knew it wasn't that simple. Caroline would never let that happen.
He felt relieved and conflicted when Elijah and Caroline decided it was best if she wait to confront him; to give him time to calm down. On the plus side, the delay would give him extra time to think. On the minus side, the delay would give him extra time to think. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep or function properly as he anticipated their encounter; he would only dwell on it.
But if that was what she wanted, so be it. He wasn't going to push things. He would let her come to him when she was ready.
In the meantime he figured it was probably best if he stopped eavesdropping. He felt immature and uncivilized. He knew he could trust Elijah with Caroline. He had taken care of her when he was unable, and had been the mediator of so many of their disputes. His intentions were honourable. He was certain now this would not become another Tatia situation.
Noticing again the dried blood on his torso, and the tear in his pants, he decided a shower was in order; not only would the shower rid him of the awful smell of old hybrid blood and sweat, it would clear his mind and discourage his curious habit of eavesdropping. He left his pants with the rest of his tattered and stained clothes with the point of discarding them tomorrow.
Focusing on washing the dried blood from his skin served as a decent distraction. Moreover, the noise of the water effectively prevented him from hearing his brother and Caroline even if he wanted to listen. Still, even in the shower, it was hard not to think about her. At first it was more of the same, frustration over her putting herself in danger, guilt over pushing her to do it, more guilt over lambasting her for it later on; but they had created a few memories in this room for his thoughts not to drift towards happier times. He thought about the time he had purposely walked in on her in the bath after he had taken her horseback riding...how flustered she looked when he dropped his towel...how beautiful she looked to him as he stole glances of her through the mirror. Then there was the shower they shared together more recently when they had spent the entirety of the day cooped up in his bedroom. She admitted the reason she took a bath that first time was because his shower intimidated her, so he took advantage. After instructing her on what buttons and knobs to push and turn, she was unexpectedly drenched by several unsuspecting shower tiles. He had a good laugh until she fought back with the removable showerhead. At some point their water fight ended with her back pressed against the tile and her legs firmly around his waist as they created more steam between them than the shower itself.
With that, he found himself smiling unintentionally as he finished his shower. He hated how a simple thought of her could break him down so easily...could subdue his anger. She was always getting the better of him...but perhaps that's how it was supposed to be. While she had enraged him to no end tonight, deep down he knew she didn't deserve his worst. Although hurtful, his comments earlier had been nowhere near his worst.
He dressed ready for sleep in grey sweatpants even though he knew sleep would be hard to come by tonight.
Back in his room he indulged in his curiosity by eavesdropping once more. It was virtually quiet in the house now. Both Rebekah and Elijah were sleeping and he could hear Caroline faintly rummaging around in the ensuite bathroom of his late brother Finn's bedroom; No doubt Elijah had shown her to the room under the belief that space and time to calm down was what he wanted now. It irked him slightly to know that she would sleep in any other room in this house but his. He felt this possessive urge to have her here with him, but he wouldn't go to her. He told himself he wouldn't. He would let her come to him. He wasn't above his pride tonight, he conceded. Elijah could criticize him all he wanted.
Unwilling to try for sleep, and tired of thoughts consumed by the hunter, his unfinished painting in the corner of his sitting room caught his eye. With the sudden inspiration to finish it, he approached the easel, but not before readying a record to drown out the unbearable quiet. He opted for the classical music of Chopin. It seemed fitting to immerse himself in music from the romantic age, as he had done with his painting.
A few minutes of effort soon turned into almost a half hour.
When he pried himself away from his work to turn the record over, that's when he heard the door to Finn's room open and close.
He hadn't even realized he had been concentrating his hearing like that for the short silence.
More music began to play, and he turned back to the easel, determined not to listen to the sound of her bare feet sweeping across the marble floor, nearing his room; determined not to smell the minty lavender scent of her freshly washed hair, drawing closer.
His body stiffened as he heard his door click open quietly.
A mixture of annoyance, excitement, fear, and relief moved through him as he remained with his back towards the door, strictly focused on his painting.
He couldn't deny, however, that while one ear was finely attuned to Chopin's piano music, the other was listening to her intently as she entered.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Immediately he could sense her anxiety, but he kept his composure and even managed a few effective strokes of his brush against the canvas.
By now her enamouring scent was overwhelming, competing against the aroma of whiskey, flame, and blood.
Still, he remained steadfast in his outward efforts to appear unaffected by her unrelenting charms.
He was angry, he reminded himself. She had almost gotten herself killed tonight. That wasn't acceptable.
She stopped at the bed, and for a moment he half expected her to climb into it, until he picked up the sound of her fingers running along the clothing he had worn earlier, focusing on the tears where the stakes had pierced the material and the dark stains of his blood.
He felt the pressure now to speak, but still, he remained quiet...stubborn.
A soft sigh of what sounded like frustration or regret escaped her lips, as she pressed on cautiously, moving past the broken furniture and into the sitting room closer to him.
He tensed upon hearing the wood floor complain under her feet as she drew nearer.
Should he turn around now? Should he confront her? What was her intent? Why was she here?
Feigning ignorance, he tried hard to examine his painting with a critical eye while he waited for her to make her move.
If it hadn't been for his heightened sense of hearing, she probably would have startled him; her movements were tranquil and controlled; barely audible to the normal human ear.
She was a few feet behind him at this point. If his judgement was correct, she was straight in line with his desk. Again, he could hear her hand reach out and touch the items he had placed there. First she studied the stake, wincing quietly when her fingertip had come into contact with some remaining wolf venom. The sound of her displeasure alarmed him, but he knew the venom could only hurt her if it was ingested into her system. She moved onto the papers he collected from the hunter. He wanted her to see those. He wanted her realize how much this hunter really did know about them...realize how dangerous that knowledge could be for them.
The papers dropped back onto the desk when she was finished with her brief once-over.
She exhaled almost determinedly as she turned back for him.
Small steps brought her inches away; she was standing directly behind him. He could feel her breath on his back. He set his brush down and cleaned his hands with a nearby rag.
Every muscle in his back went rigid when the palms of her hands and her fingertips brushed against his skin.
He didn't say anything to encourage her, but he said nothing to stop her either.
Taking it as silent approval, her lips feathered against his upper spine while her hands curled themselves around his waist.
His eyes closed as he took in the feeling of her warm body embracing him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
His body tensed further with her apology, finding himself at a loss for words.
"What I did tonight was irresponsible and selfish," she continued softly.
Indeed, it was, but he continued to listen. Slowly his body began to relax.
"Thank you," she started meekly. "If you hadn't been there tonight I..."
- "Don't," he urged, as his hands clenched instinctively around hers.
He no longer wanted to talk about 'what-ifs.' He no longer wanted to entertain the possibility that she could have died tonight.
"You're okay," he reaffirmed. "That's all that matters now," he continued.
"Because of you," she added.
He finally turned around to face her, comforted to see her soft eyes gleaming back at him.
"Don't thank me as though I might have chosen not to, love," he whispered. "I will always protect you," he said.
She nodded as her eyes began to water. Her emotions were relentless and they unnerved him. Did that fact upset her?
"I know," she breathed as a tear finally broke free and cascaded down her cheek.
He caught it with his thumb and brushed it away.
"I know," she repeated. "I've been too busy resenting that to appreciate it...to appreciate you," she murmured.
"I have been a tad overbearing," he conceded, swallowing hard.
She laughed lightly through her tears.
"Are we really going to fight about who was more wrong now?" she asked.
He smiled, keeping quiet so she could continue.
"I never understood that because you don't need my protection like I need yours. But I do now," she admitted. "Because if our roles were reversed, I would do anything to ensure that you were safe."
"I know you would," he admitted, surprisingly confident.
She looked down as if to collect herself and figure out what to say next.
He picked her chin up.
"I was wrong," he started anxiously. "I didn't mean what I said tonight. You're not stupid, sweetheart," he told her. "I-I was just..."
- "Scared?" she interrupted.
Turning his gaze away towards the window as his cheeks began to warm, he nodded reluctantly.
"I could have lost you tonight," he said, trying hard to swallow the painful lump in his throat, "and it would have been my fault...If I hadn't of alienated..."
- "Shhh," she protested as the palm of her hand rested against his cheek. "Don't. I thought we weren't going to talk about what-ifs?" she reminded him. "I'm right here. I didn't mean to scare you," she assured him soothingly.
He turned back, his nose and lips nuzzled against the inside of her hand.
"I'm scared too," she confessed to him. "The hunter didn't seem like a big deal until tonight. I was naive," she admitted.
Clasping her hand against his cheek, he brought their hands down to their sides.
"I need you more than I realized," she professed.
"As I you," he affirmed, brushing some hair from her face affectionately.
She eyed him both hesitantly and questioningly and he wondered what she was preparing herself to say next.
"I don't want to fight anymore," she relented.
He nodded as he exchanged a knowing look of agreement with her.
"Neither do I," he revealed.
And he didn't. What was the use? With her in front of him now he could hardly remember why he had let himself get so angry in the first place. He was tired of being angry.
Cradling her jaw in his hands, he kissed her lips lightly and anxiously.
Perhaps a kiss was premature, perhaps it would earn him a slap across the face, but feeling her lips against his was what he needed in that moment. He wanted to feel her warmth; feel her skin against his.
To his relief, she kissed him back, slowly at first and then more desperately as their kiss deepened.
He curled his hands in the waves of her golden hair while hers slid down his chest and rested on his hips.
Her mouth tasted like minty toothpaste as he dared to explore it with his tongue.
She met his tongue with her own, and they slid together in some slow dance as they reacquainted themselves with each other.
When she began to pull him by the hem waist of his pants towards the bed, he followed, although somewhat unsure.
He gazed lustfully at her as she sat back on his bed; her long bare legs were accentuated by the shorts she was wearing, and he could faintly decipher her stiffened nipples through the pink tank top she had on. Still, even as he climbed over top of her, he felt himself hesitating.
No, it's not that he didn't want her; he definitely did. The growing bulge in his pants said as much, but this didn't feel right, he thought.
She pulled him down by his neck, pressing her lips to his, while other tantalizing parts of her body pressed into him with equal measure.
He groaned lowly against her lips as she parted them for him.
Indulging himself in the taste of her candied lips, he kissed her a few more times before prying himself away.
He raised his head, appreciating her breathless and licentious expression before it turned to one of concern.
"What?" she whispered nervously. "You're still upset, aren't you?" she assumed worriedly.
Musing at her ability to jump to conclusions, he shook his head absently, fingering a few loose strands of her hair.
"No, love, I'm not," he said.
"You don't want to have sex with me?" she asked self-consciously.
He tried not to chuckle at how paranoid she was being.
"No...I mean...of course I do," he stammered. "It's just...I like this...just this," he said, hoping she would understand what he meant without having to castrate himself further.
She thought about it for a moment, before it clicked. Her lips curved into a small smile.
"I like 'just this' too," she acceded with sparking eyes.
"Come here," he urged, pulling her along with him as he rested on his back against the pillows.
She moved on her stomach and propped herself up on his chest with her forearms.
"Are you okay?" she asked uneasily, shuffling her arm, realizing it had been over the spot where the stake had hit him.
He nodded reassuringly.
"I'm all healed. It was just some wood and wolf venom," he shrugged.
A smile slowly appeared on her lips.
"Maybe I was referring to how I took you down hard in the hallway when you scared the shit out of me..." she proposed playfully.
He laughed. Truthfully, he had not expected her to react that way. She surprised him.
"You're tougher than you look," he conceded. "I kind of like when you play rough," he flirted, hoping she'd note the glint in his eye.
She scoffed seemingly put off, although the rouge appearance of her cheeks said otherwise.
Things fell quiet for a moment as she eyed him pensively.
"I guess I kind of ruined your plans for the night," she acknowledged. "It means a lot to me though...aside from what you made Dean do...you know...wanting to include me," she told him.
"I told you I would try to make up for my overbearing habits," he explained.
He really wished the night had gone as he had planned it to go.
"The dress; the flowers; the reservations; those were nice gestures too," she added.
"All part of the rouse to get us into the resort," he mused.
Her eyebrow arched.
"Even the room reservation?" she chuckled. "Because I think that was a rouse to get into my dress," she countered.
He looked up at her with exaggerated seriousness.
"The room was directly across the hall from the hunter's for a reason, love," he reminded her.
Admittedly, she did have a point. The bed in their room probably would have proven to be too much of a distraction; they would have missed the hunter entirely.
"It is kind of a pity though. I was too busy seething in my own anger to fully appreciate the dress I picked out," he said as he stroked her shoulder lazily.
"Something else to make up for?" she hinted. "You know that would have technically been a 'first date' for us, right? If you don't count the ball you conspicuously invited me to."
"I bought you a dress then too," he noted off-hand.
Her observation had actually disappointed him. While he had filled Caroline's mind with dreams of foreign places and romance, he had never actually had the chance to give that to her yet.
"Maybe a do-over this weekend for your birthday?" she suggested.
His ears perked up at her idea, certain that he had never mentioned his birthday to her before.
"Elijah told me," she said, knowing exactly the question he was about to ask.
He nodded. Of course, it was Elijah.
"I had a run in with your other brother tonight..." she said unexpectedly.
Her mention of Kol startled him and he cocked his head in intrigue.
"What?" he asked.
"Apparently he's returned from Vegas to celebrate your birthday," she informed him. "He stumbled into the room I was sleeping in with two ladies – or souvenirs as he referred to them as. Apparently he likes to use Finn's old room to entertain his female company," she stated.
Kol's latest actions made the blood in his system begin to boil and he shot up in bed with the intention of disturbing Kol as Kol had disturbed Caroline. His younger brother lacked manners and tact. He could only imagine what had transpired between Caroline and his brother upon him finding her asleep in Finn's old room.
"I'll kill him," he said simply as he went to climb off the bed.
She grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Klaus, it's okay. He didn't hurt me. He was just up to his usual tricks and routine harassment," she told him.
He persisted in his effort to go after Kol, but she stopped him again.
"You shouldn't have to put up with his behaviour," he scowled.
She shook her head in agreement.
"You're right, and I didn't. I handled it," she told him proudly.
He eyed her curiously as laid back down. She flashed him a mischievous grin.
"You handled it?" he probed.
She nodded with an amused expression on her face.
"Let's just say you're not the only Mikaelson I took down tonight," she mused.
He arched an eyebrow in her direction as they resumed their previous positions, before laughing at the mental image that crossed his mind of Kol being put in his place by Caroline
She impressed him. He was pleased that she seemed to be getting the hang of all his siblings – even Kol.
"You're not going to let me live that down are you?" he asked.
"Nope," she declared proudly, resting her chin against his chest.
He allowed his eyes to close briefly as he listened to the steady sound of her breathing and concentrated on the strangely comforting feeling of her fingertips swaying against his arm.
"Will I be calling you Mr. Mikaelson tomorrow?" she asked reluctantly.
His eyes opened to find hers staring at him. He knew a question like that was coming.
"Do you want to?" he asked equally as reluctant as he ceded control of his fate as Mystic Falls' history teacher to the unrelenting beautiful blonde vampire draped over him.
She lifted her head with a sigh as she considered his question seriously.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Elena won't like it," she said.
"Would you like it?" he countered, unconcerned about Elena and what she wanted at this point.
If Elena was going to be upset about anyone in the class, it should be his sister Rebekah, anyways, he thought.
"I really hated the idea," she pointed out.
"Hated?" he inquired, noting the past-tense.
"Yeah, but after tonight with the hunter, the idea of having you around – even as my teacher – is assuring. Plus Mystic Falls High needs a consistent history teacher for the rest of the term...and a few of the Council members work at the school. It might be a good way to keep an eye on them...while you're keeping an eye on me from a distance," she stressed.
"What about Elena?" he asked.
"She already hates me. It's not like this was my idea, anyways. Besides, if having you at the school means the hunter stays away from me, that means he stays away from Elena too and all my other friends," she pointed out.
"And us?" he asked anxiously.
"We're vampires," she reminded him smugly.
He nodded bemusedly.
"We kept it a secret before," she added. "Besides, giving you a hard time in class could be mildly entertaining," she decided.
As he narrowed his eyes at her, his lips broke into a smirk at the prospect of her toying with him.
This was, however, more about fun, he thought. While he couldn't put it into words to express to her, he felt relieved that she was making this sacrifice.
"Thank you," he stated lowly, almost hoping she wouldn't hear his appreciation.
Another extended silence penetrated their conversation.
"What's plan C for the hunter?" she wondered, moving on from one touchy subject to the next with ease.
He shrugged.
"It's safe to assume Connor Jordan will no longer be residing at the posh resort he's been staying at after tonight. He'll probably fly under the radar for a bit. We'll need to do some digging, I imagine...stay on our toes," he concluded. "I was right about him not being your average vampire hunter," he added, opening the door for all to be revealed to her about this special hunter.
She eyed him curiously.
"He's part of the Five," he started nervously, wondering if should continue.
"The Five?" she asked confused.
"The Brotherhood of the Five is a group of vampire hunters highly skilled by magic. I believed them to be dead – having killed all of them centuries ago – but apparently membership is passed down. Connor has the hunter's mark, and the symbol of the Five was carved into the stake I took," he explained further, awaiting a barrage of questions.
She rested her cheek against his chest.
"So we really need to get rid of this guy..." she concluded.
He chuckled and shook his head.
"It's more complicated than that. Killing one of them triggers dangerous hallucinations," he revealed.
"You don't have them?" she asked suspiciously.
"No...but I did...for fifty-two years, four months and nine days. They just stopped. I don't know how," he told her.
She gave him a sympathetic look.
"So there are four more out there somewhere? And the hunter's mark? What does all this mean?" she asked worriedly.
"Perhaps, but this is the first I've seen of one of them since all those years ago. The hunter's mark is a tattoo...it's a map that can only be deciphered with an original sword of the brotherhood; it leads to a cure," he said slowly, knowing what was about to come next.
Her eyebrows furrowed against his skin.
"A cure for what?" she wondered.
"Vampirism," he sighed.
His revelation caused her head to shoot up while her eyes bore down at him.
"Oh my god," she breathed.
He nodded as he tried to determine the tone of her surprised reaction.
"Which is why we need to capture this hunter," he stated.
She glared at him in shock.
"You want the cure?" she asked.
It was obvious she believed he wanted the cure for himself.
"Not for me..." he clarified, knowing this would open another can of worms he was not sure they could handle.
Her eyes widened as she was quick to connect the dots.
"Elena...you want it for Elena...for hybrids," she realized, her face quickly falling.
"I want it for Elena because I know she wants it and I know it could be what returns you to her good graces. I figure the least she could do to show her gratitude would be to make a small blood donation," he corrected.
He didn't want this to lead to another fight, but he could feel the air thicken as her body tensed.
"I thought the hybrid thing was settled," she started before chewing her lip in preparation for his answer.
Sighing, he let himself make eye contact with her.
"I know how you feel about hybrids," he began. "It's not a slave army of hybrids that I want," he tried to reassure her. "Just a few that I can call on every now and then...especially with the Five running around again."
She didn't look convinced.
"I'm sure we could reach a compromise of sorts on the ethics of it," he proposed hopefully.
She mulled over his suggestion for a moment.
"We'll figure it out if or when we find the cure," she said vaguely, offering neither approval nor disapproval, but a conflicted on the fence response.
Exhaling with a long huff, she rested her head back down against his chest.
There was a lingering question his mind was burning to ask, but he remained quiet.
"Do the Five have a weapon that could kill you?" she asked apprehensively.
"Besides the possibility of a cure, not that I'm aware," he replied, hoping to ease her troubled mind.
She released yet another drawn out sigh.
"You would never want to be human again?" she wondered.
He shook his head decidedly, feeling his entire body perspire as he prepared himself to ask her what she had just asked of him.
"Would you ever want to be human again?" he questioned.
She mimicked his movements by shaking her head, before whispering,"I told you that I wanted an eternity."
A/N: I expect that some of you will be disappointed with the lack of smut, but given the mood and tone of the moments between Klaus and Caroline in this chapter, I just didn't feel it was appropriate...yet. What's to come for them next? Perhaps some smut? More teacher Klaus? Klaus's birthday? Another moment between Elena and Caroline? Wolf Klaus? Some Kol/Caroline/Klaus banter? Elijah/Caroline? Caroline/Rebekah? I have a general idea, but I need to fill in the blanks. It's up to you folks. Review maybe?