Chapter 13- Oops I Did It Again

They've been at it for days – fighting, making up, kissing and falling into bed like they were just any other couple. It's as if they didn't share such a difficult history. Ever since Klaus had admitted that he cared about her, Caroline felt like a weight was lifted and she was finally returning back to the way she was – carefree, spunky, acting with no reservations whatsoever. On other hand, this newfound honesty sparked something in Klaus. He found himself telling her stories about his life—stories long before he became a vampire. One of these stories, and probably the closest to his heart, was how he was very protective of Rebekah in everything she did.

"Do you miss her?" Caroline asked; looking into Klaus eyes, while subtly playing with the hair splayed on his chest. His arm was around her, cradling her close and the sheet barely covering them both.

"Everyday..." Klaus admitted, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her arm.

Caroline studied his face, and saw that he was really sad and worried about his sister. "Then why don't you look for her?"

He forced a smile. "Caroline, don't you think I've already tried? I'm not even sure she knows I'm alive. And if she does, she doesn't want to see me. She must think I'm mad at her for the whole Elena thing."

Caroline tipped her head to the side, "Are you mad at her?"

He sighed. "No, sweetheart, I'm not mad at her."

She didn't know what else she could say or how far she could push Klaus. It was the first time that they were actually having a conversation that involved their friends and their history – the past they were both trying to avoid, but couldn't. It obviously was a delicate topic to discuss, and Caroline was worried that she might say something that would ruin everything.

He must have been thinking about the exact same thing. They were both silent.

"Caroline, I think the better question is- are you mad at Rebekah? And more importantly, are you still mad at me for the whole Elena thing?" he whispered.

She didn't say a word.

Caroline was so worried about Klaus' feelings that she hadn't really thought of her own. Yes, she was mad at Klaus for torturing Elena and almost draining every single drop of blood from her body. Yes, she was also mad at Rebekah for being the one that killed her. But a part of her understood where Rebekah was coming from. She wanted to hurt Alaric for killing her father. The difference was that she was able to stop herself in time. Rebekah hadn't, and in the process of killing Alaric, Elena was collateral damage.

"Caroline?" he whispered, kissing the top of her head once more. "Forget I said anything."

She trailed her palm across the side of this face and stopped when he reached his stubble.

"Alaric killed my father. I wanted to rip him to pieces. I almost did, and I would have if he, and I'm talking about the real Alaric, hadn't treated me like his own daughter. The only difference between Rebekah and I is that I knew him before he turned into a monster. I cared about him. I respected him. I loved him like a father. I couldn't kill someone who would have protected me with his own life if he had the choice. But at the same time, it doesn't mean I'm not mad at Rebekah, because I am. I understand how grief can push you to do things you never imagined yourself doing. And I think she's mad at herself, more than she is scared of you."

Klaus put his free hand on top of hers, grabbed hold of it and laced his fingers through hers.

"I'm sorry Caroline. I—"

She wouldn't let him finish. "Are you sorry because Elena's now a vampire and you have no use for her anymore? Sorry that you weren't able to save her just so you could take her for yourself? What are you sorry for Klaus?"

He squeezed her hand. Caroline expected Klaus to be angry with her because of her sudden outburst. But he wasn't. "I'm sorry for everything. It's hard for me to admit when I'm wrong. But you're right. I would have saved her just so I could take her for myself. I wanted her blood and I didn't care about the consequences. If Tyler hadn't saved her, well, you know what would have happened. But now, things are different, Caroline. I know you don't take my word for it, but I'm honestly apologizing for what I had done and not seeing how selfish I was."

She looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "I'm still mad at you. It's not easy for me to accept everything"

He let go of her hand and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Shhhh. It's okay, be mad at me. Just please don't cry."

She sniffled and bit her lip to stop more tears from falling.

Klaus shifted positions so he was now on top of her. His hands were now on both sides of her, carrying most of his weight so he wouldn't crush her. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

"I'm sorry love."

She kissed him back in response, drowning herself in him, trying to forget all the arguing and the anger she felt inside. She wasn't sure if she would ever forgive the Mickaelsons for what they had done. Right now she was too distracted by Klaus and how much she was drawn to him.

Before one thing could turn to another though, Caroline pushed him over so that she was now on top and Klaus was pinned under her.

"Mmmmm. Right now, I like how you're so dominating. It's refreshing. Don't get used to it though. I'm the alpha male, right?"

She grabbed the nearest pillow and smacked him. "I'm hungry, let's get dressed."

"But." he groaned, pouting.

"No buts. We need to get out of this house." She stated, climbing out of the bed and dressing in one of the bathroom robes sitting nearby.

Klaus sat up running a hand through his hair and laughed. "Only you, Caroline. Only you could defy me and live another day."

She put her hands on her hips. "Very funny."

"I'm serious. I'm also serious about you staying here while I go grab dinner." He announced, standing up and walking towards her.

Klaus was dressed in his boxer shorts and to Caroline, he looked absolutely delectable. Why had she gotten out of bed again?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Klaus gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Is there something you aren't telling me?"

He smiled, "Nothing important. Just stay here okay. You don't know your way around and I promise I'll bring something that you'll like."

"So you'll be coming back in all that glory?" she teased, pointing at him square in the chest.

He laughed. "You're the one who wanted me to leave sweetheart. And I'll do you one good, I'll bring ice cream"

She couldn't help but smile as he left the room.

Everything seemed so carefree in the last few minutes he spent with her that Caroline almost forgot about their last conversation. Could things actually work out with Klaus? Would he ever care enough to actually love her? Because she already did, and she was worried that she might be the only one feeling this way.

Freshly bathed and clad in a summer dress that Klaus had given to her the other day, Caroline had never felt so invigorated. She felt like she was ready to take on the world if she had to. Was it always like this when in love?

She hoped so.

She didn't even hear Tom come into the room. "Miss Caroline, my golly, you look absolutely gorgeous. It seems as if I haven't seen you in a long time. Would you like me to get you anything while you wait for Sir Mickaelson?"

Caroline stood up, ran over to Thomas and hugged him tightly, almost knocking the wind out of him.

"I've missed you too Miss Caroline."

She let go of him and smiled. "How are you Tom?"

"Quite dandy, if I do say so myself. Would you like me to get you a cup of tea Miss Caroline?"

Caroline felt like exploring instead of sitting in the room waiting. She know she had promised Klaus she would stay home, but that didn't mean she couldn't explore his property.

"No thank you Tom. I promise, we'll catch up soon. I think I want to do some exploring. Don't worry I won't go to far." She winked.

"Be careful Miss Caroline. I trust you understand the consequences."

She nodded before making her way out of the room. Once again, she passed the hallway of portraits, and stopped when she found the photograph of Klaus. He had long hair, but the same gorgeous blue eyes, ones that seemed to be looking straight into her soul.

"Stop looking at me" she whispered.

A thought suddenly came to Caroline's mind. She's never been to Klaus' room. He was always with her, but they always got so caught up in each other that she forgot to ask about what his actual room looked like. She imagined something dark, with a huge bed and minimalistic design. Maybe an easel could be found here and there, or a sketchpad, but no mess.

She decided she would find out on her own.

Caroline turned back the way she came and waved to Thomas as he passed her. She continued down the hall, passed her room and a few other doors before finally reaching the very end. There was a single mahogany door, which she assumed was the entrance to Klaus' room.

She knew she should have waited for him to bring her there, but she couldn't help it. She pushed open the door before anyone could stop her and what she found inside made her jaw drop.

Klaus room wasn't like anything she ever expected. On one side there was a mini library and a plush sofa and rug, with a fireplace situated in front of it. To the other were a huge four poster bed, a dresser, and a door which probably led to his private bathroom. But it wasn't all of these things that surprised Caroline. It was the number of paintings that were hanging around the room. As a matter of fact, the ceiling had its own mural. Next to the window there were sketchpads, easels, unfinished paintings – basically a creative mess.

She didn't expect Klaus to be so serious about art and beauty. There really was a whole other side to him that she didn't know anything about. She wanted to though. She felt her heart jump at the thought.

Caroline knew it wouldn't be right to explore someone else's private things without asking, so she closed the door in a hurry and made her way back down the hallway before anyone could see her. She decided it might not be so bad to see the other rooms as well.

She opened the first door and found a more classic- themed room. It must be Rebekah's since she's the closest to Klaus' heart. There was a huge vanity with lots of make-up, and two doors, one partially open revealing a walk-in closet. This was definitely a girl's room.

As Caroline closed the door behind her, she decided to check out the room which was on the opposite side of Rebekah's. She took a peek inside and found a royal blue themed room, fit for a prince. She guessed this was probably Kol's because it looked as if someone had just been there and Kol was the only other person in the house recently.

That was the only time that she remembered what happened. Klaus had carried Kol's lifeless body out of the room that night. She never asked about it since. He never mentioned it to her either. Didn't white oak kill Original vampires? So Klaus had killed is own brother?

It didn't make any sense at all. Klaus had daggered his brother before and that kept him asleep for thousands of years. But this was white oak and from what Caroline remembered; it was lethal to the Original family. They even destroyed Wickery Bridge when they heard it was made out of wood from that tree. It wasn't a surprise that Klaus had one. He was always one step ahead, even of his siblings. But to actually kill one of his own with it? Klaus wouldn't have done it unless it was the only thing standing in his way. Caroline didn't think he had it in him, no matter how tough looking he was on the outside.

Something just didn't seem right. Caroline knew it was wrong to invade his privacy, but couldn't help herself and stepped into the room. Upon closer inspection, Caroline realized it was Kol that was lying on the bed, tucked under the sheets.

She jumped backward in surprise and covered her mouth with her hand, stifling her scream. Kol was still alive. It was as if the white oak that Klaus had used on him worked like the dagger. It was pierced through his heart, keeping him in slumber. But it didn't kill him. He was as hard as stone.

Caroline should have known that Klaus was always prepared. If she had chosen to dagger him before, it wouldn't have killed him. A part of her was insulted that he would undermine her intelligence and use it against her, but another part of her tried to understand where he was coming from. Alaric had staked him with it before and it almost killed him. Klaus couldn't take his chances a second time.

He definitely had a lot of explaining to do. Caroline probably should have asked him about it first, but Kol wasn't the bad guy here and she felt sorry for him. She even forgot about the whole thing. Plus, if Klaus didn't think she needed to know about the dagger, then Caroline didn't need to ask his permission to do what she wanted to do next.

She grabbed hold of the piece of white oak and pulled.

Color returned to Kol's face, and in a matter of seconds, his eyes fluttered open. Caroline was about to stuff the white oak in the drawer for safekeeping but before she could do so, Kol had grabbed hold of her neck and slammed her against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing here young lady?" he said angrily, a little disoriented.

"Kol" she managed to choke out. Caroline was finding it hard to breathe. She had let her guard down and she could die at the hands of Klaus' little brother right here, right now. Dark spots began appearing before her eyes.

It took a few seconds for Kol to realize that Caroline had saved him instead of hurting him. As soon as the realization hit, he let go of her and Caroline fell to the ground.

"Pardon my manners. I just expected my brother to wake me. After all, we were the only two people who knew about the dagger. I have a score to settle with him. That is…" Kol began, tipping his head to one side "assuming you haven't killed him already."

Caroline looked up to him and shook her head.

"Well then that's a shame, isn't it? He must really care about you because you're still alive, but listen to me when I say that you shouldn't think—even for a second, that he's changed. A thousand years cannot change a man in a day, my dear. I love my brother but even I myself have a hard time forgiving and forgetting all the things he's done. He's kept me asleep for thousands of years Caroline. The man doesn't know a thing about real love and real relationships. He's killed me one too many times and I'm not so sure he'll change – for anyone."

Caroline couldn't help but stare at his feet. Kol has been with Klaus longer, but she didn't know what to believe anymore. Could the same man who's been honest with her for the past few days still be the man who has torn his family apart? Could he change?

Kol held out a hand and tried to help Caroline to her feet but retracted when he heard footsteps coming through the doorway.

"Hello big brother,"

"Kol." Klaus greeted in reply, staring down at his younger sibling. He was carrying blood bags in one hand and a tub of Ben & Jerry's in the other. "I thought I heard a disturbance in here."

"Niklaus"

It was more of an apology than a greeting, but that's exactly how Caroline felt. She knew she had defied him when it wasn't any of her business. Even though she was frustrated with Klaus, she shouldn't have acted so rashly. She could only hope that he wouldn't want to take revenge.

Klaus' attention shifted as he took one look at her. He cocked his head to one side and smiled.

He wasn't angry. In fact he looked apologetic. It was probably because she had discovered his secret. Caroline's heart jumped in response.

Both were too distracted to notice that Kol had other plans. It all happened in a split second. Klaus turned to look at Caroline and was thinking about saying something witty. Suddenly Kol was standing right behind him with a good old fashioned wooden stake which he drove into Klaus' heart. He took one of the blood bags and the ice cream before he made his way out of the room.

"That's for killing me again big brother. I hope this is the last time we have to do this. Please do stop dragging me into your nonsensical plans. I've had enough of the games and I think you have to. I care about you Klaus' but you need to start acting like a real big brother and grow up!"

Kol slammed the door shut behind him as he left the room while Klaus, on the other hand, slowly slumped to the ground. Caroline crawled over to him and pulled the stake out of his heart. She positioned herself so that Klaus' head was lying on top of her legs. She stroked his hair back even though she knew it wouldn't take him too long to recover.

Caroline couldn't say the same for herself. What Kol had said earlier bothered her and she could only hope that she was making the right decision by staying.

Caroline was wrong, totally wrong.

Klaus was now holding her tightly by the neck, similar to what Kol had done earlier. She should have anticipated it this time around, but she didn't. Her lungs were running out of air – fast.

She tried to break free from his hold, but he was obviously stronger than she was. "Klaus" she choked out, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Klaus must've recognized her voice and he immediately let go of her.

Caroline landed on her feet this time. She rubbed her neck with one hand and used the other to wipe away her tears.

"Sweetheart" he whispered, taking a step towards her.

She took two steps backward. "Don't touch me. Killing people must definitely run in this family. I've been choked twice today. You both are so immature."

He looked horrified with himself.

"I really thought for a second that Kol had died. But of course I didn't know about the whole white oak turned dagger-like weapon that you have created. He has every right to be mad at you. I'm mad at you too. You think you're so smart because you have a weapon that everyone else will think can be used against you and it doesn't actually work? Well I don't. Once again you lied to me. How can you be so cruel? Oh yes, you're Klaus." It was a low blow, Caroline knew, but she couldn't help it. She was taken aback by the fact that he almost choked her to death.

"Yes, I'm Klaus, the cruel hybrid alpha male, but I'm also a big brother. He needed to be taught a lesson Caroline and even though you don't agree on my methods, it's none of your business. He was only mad at himself for taking it too far. I would have taken the stake out eventually. And speaking of the white oak weapon, I didn't exactly lie to you. It would have kept me down, in spite of my hybrid genes. So it works. What makes you think any of my siblings would wake me up in this century if you staked me? Or even the next?"

Caroline bit her lip. He had a point.

"Now do you understand? I swear I would have taken the stake out eventually even if you didn't do it tonight." Klaus insisted.

"Is that so? Then why did you keep him staked for thousands of years before? Elijah had to free him of that – not you. Were you ever going to take it out then? What did he ever do to you to deserve that?"

He cowered in response. "It's a long and complicated story Caroline. And it basically comes down to how I was a different person then."

She glared at him. "Are you sure about that? Because by the looks of it, you haven't changed at all."

Before she could say anything else, his arms were around her holding her close. "Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry about the weapon. I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you right away. I didn't mean to hurt you. I wouldn't do that—at least, not anymore. History contradicts everything that I am saying to you at the moment. But I will change that. There's much you don't know about me Caroline. Just give it –give me some time to show you… show you all of me"

It was like all her anger had vanished into thin air as soon as he said those last words. She knew how difficult it was for him to apologize to her. She had forever, after all, so why not give him some time? Caroline leaned her head against his chest comfortably.

"Okay."

Klaus then let her go and walked over to where the remaining blood bags were. He tossed one to Caroline before saying "You must be hungry. Eat, and then we'll go out and grab some ice cream."

Her face lit up almost immediately. This was going to be their first public appearance together. She wondered how he would treat her then. "Are you actually serious about that?

"Yes Caroline, I do fancy some gelato. I know this great ice cream parlor nearby, and I would enjoy taking you."

"But how about…Kol?"

He tipped his head to one side and smiled. "Sweetheart, my brother isn't a threat. He wouldn't even dare as long as I'm concerned. He is probably out gallivanting with the first beautiful woman he could find. He's always been a ladies man"

"And you'd rather go out for ice cream?" she asked, pushing his buttons. A pang of jealousy tore at her heart, but she pushed it away.

Klaus just laughed it off. "Yes, Caroline. Why do you sound so surprised?"

As soon as he said this, she ripped open the blood bag and gulped down every last drop. It was fresh human blood, but at least he had the decency to get it from the hospital and not from – well, not from someone else. After Klaus had admitted to wanting to be with her, her face had turned red in embarrassment and she didn't want him to notice. She hoped she grabbed the blood bag in time.

"I'm done." She announced seconds later, dropping the empty bag in the wastebasket and walking over to where Klaus was standing.

"Ice cream it is, my lady" he replied, offering his arm for her to grab hold of.

Caroline did just that.

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before they both headed out to the busy evening streets of London, grinning from ear-to-ear.