Chapter 14 – Friday Night Bites
Caroline was surprised to find that Klaus was still holding her hand tightly as they walked around the busy streets of London. It was a Friday night after all, and everyone was out and about.
They moved through the throngs of people like lovers; that is, closely knit together and caught in their own world. It surprised Klaus how easy it was to be with Caroline. He could talk to her about his interests, the places he's been to, and even the people he's met through the years, although she didn't know most of them.
Caroline felt the same way about him. For a second there, as he held her hand tight, she forgot all about the horrid parts of the history they shared. She told him stories about her growing up and how it was like having a sheriff for a mother.
Pretty soon they arrived at the ice cream parlor and Klaus opened the door for Caroline as they headed in.
It was a large albeit cozy ice cream parlor, just the way she liked it. This was a place where they could just talk, hang out, and maybe sneak a kiss every now and then. The thought made Caroline blush.
After all, this was their first public date – at least she believed it was. It made her feel all giddy inside. She couldn't help it. This was Klaus Mickaelson and she was Caroline Forbes. Who could have imagined these two sitting next to each other sharing a bowl of gelato instead of ripping each other's throats out?
No one.
Klaus ordered their specialty and as soon as the waitress left, he surprised Caroline by grabbing hold of her face and kissing her on the lips.
Yes, this was definitely where she should be. It was impossible to deny their chemistry. Klaus strongly felt it. She felt it too. Sometimes she wondered if it was simply lust, but the fact that he would take her out on a date, and that she seemed to care about it so much – it couldn't be a carnal relationship. This was the real deal, and that was what scared the crap out of Caroline.
She couldn't care less about what other people thought of them. They didn't need to know anything other than the fact that they were two regular people out on an ice cream date.
"Aww, look at those two. Aren't they just adorable?" an old lady mentioned to her husband.
Caroline heard what she said, and Klaus probably did too, because he pulled her in even closer. Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck and found herself smiling as he continued to kiss her. Pretty soon they were once again lost in each other.
They didn't notice the waitress walking back to their table.
The next thing she knew, Caroline felt a searing pain in her backside. Klaus immediately broke the kiss, realizing they were in danger. He looked into her eyes for a quick second before scanning the rest of the room.
Apparently, no one was in sight. It was like everyone had disappeared into thin air.
Caroline, on the other hand, wasn't much help. The stake had also been poisoned with vervain, and it weakened her. She found it quite difficult to concentrate. She held on to Klaus for support.
"Caroline, stay with me." He commanded, shaking her.
She reached behind herself to try to pull the stake out of her backside. It had nearly hit her heart, which was probably why she felt so weak. But Klaus was faster. He crushed his lips against hers and as he did so, he pulled the stake out of her backside.
She screamed.
It was a good thing that Klaus had heightened senses as a hybrid. He pushed Caroline out of the way as another stake sailed towards them. At the same time, he mentally reprimanded himself for putting his guard down. There was nothing he could do now but fight back.
He positioned himself in front of Caroline and looked around the room, trying to sense where the enemy was. It was then he realized that they were surrounded and outnumbered. It didn't mean though that he wouldn't win this one and rip all their hearts out for attempting to hurt her.
"Show yourself cowards. If you want a fight, let's fight." he cried out, his hands forming fists at his sides.
There was silence.
"Or I could hunt you down and kill you all. I took out a pack of wolves once so I'm sure I can easily take down a group of vampires. Why do you dare challenge me? Who are you working for? Seeing as I am the Original vampire and you know that I can rip you to pieces, tell me now why I should even bother saving your measly lives. Show yourselves."
It was then that they all came out of their hiding places. It was amazing how the vampires had managed to slip in undetected while the people outside the parlor walked by like it was invisible. Some sort of spell had been cast on the place because no human being dared to enter where they were. At the same time, it seemed as if the vampires were possessed. Fifteen in all, they slowly advanced to where Klaus and Caroline were, without even saying a word. They weren't staring at Klaus—no, they knew they couldn't defeat him even if they tried. They were not sent for him. They were snarling at Caroline Forbes.
Klaus recognized the threat and was immediately protective of Caroline. "If you bite her, you die. On second thought, if you even take one step towards her, I will kill you. I no longer care who sent you. I will show whoever it is once again why I am not to be messed with."
They didn't listen to a word he said. The vampires advanced to where Klaus and Caroline were. It was a good thing that she had already recovered and was ready to fight. As Klaus kicked away one vampire with his foot, he snapped the neck of another.
Caroline wouldn't just sit back and watch. She pushed away one that tried to bite her and wrestled with it before finally ripping his head off. Man, she missed having a good fight. She definitely learned a lot more from her training with Damon and Stefan and finally put it to good use.
"Caroline" Klaus shouted.
Suddenly she was knocked over by another vampire. She wrestled with it before it suddenly collapsed beside her. Someone had shoved a piece of wood through his heart and she was pretty sure it was Klaus.
Caroline could definitely see them working out as partners – in combat, at least. No one could tear them apart. It might have felt a tad bit weird to be fighting on the same side for a change, but she knew she was safe, and that was the most important thing. Klaus would protect her if his life depended on it. Caroline surprised herself with this idea, but what shocked her even more was the fact that she would do the same if she had to. She would protect Klaus Mickaelson.
"Caroline, are you hurt?" he asked, grabbing hold of her arm with a concerned look plastered all over his face. Not all of the vampires were dead. Klaus would have wanted to make them suffer. They were only temporarily restrained with their own vervain shots and wooden stakes that were used against them.
"I'm fine. We should just get out of here. There's no need to cause any more damage to the place, I kind of like it. Plus, I think they've all learned their lesson. I don't even know why they bothered trying or the reason behind it. Who cares? Do you know another place we can get ice cream, I would love…"
Klaus interrupted her by lifting a finger to her lips.
He stared deeply into her eyes and Caroline knew what he was about to do next. Before she could turn away from him he grabbed hold of her face.
"Noooooo" she shrieked, trying to break free. Before she could shut her eyes, he commanded: "Go home Caroline. Now. Go to my London house, stay within the property and don't look back."
She hated him. He promised he wouldn't compel her, and she actually believed him. But he did so anyway.
Caroline no longer struggled and Klaus let go of her. He could hear the sound of muffling and sneering from behind. The vervain must have worn off already. He knew he didn't have much time. Explanations could come much later.
Klaus quickly opened the door to the parlor and motioned Caroline to leave. But he would never forget the look on Caroline's face as she looked to him for one last time. Behind the compulsion, deep in her eyes, he could see her sadness. There were tears forming but she couldn't quite let them out. Her fists were closed at her sides as her body was trying to fight against the compulsion.
But it was no use. Caroline walked out of the door anyway without looking back, as commanded.
It took him a second to snap back into focus. He didn't need to care about how Caroline felt. She would understand that he had to do this to protect her. It was the right thing to do.
As Klaus turned around, he found that some of the vampires had already gotten to their feet.
He growled one last time before he ripped all of their hearts out one by one.
Caroline slumped against the front door, exasperated. How could Klaus do this to her? She specifically told him that she didn't like being compelled and made him promise that he would never do it to her again. But he did anyway.
They weren't in any imminent danger, where they? The vampires had them outnumbered but they managed to kill three in a matter of seconds, piece of cake. It wasn't as if they were wolves. What was Klaus so worried about? She could protect herself and she could protect him. She knew that she had the strength and vitality to do so. Together, they could have just escaped. But no, he had to be overbearing commanding Klaus – bloodthirsty hybrid. He just didn't trust her or must really not care at all that he had to compel her to leave.
The thought made Caroline's tears fall, but she brushed them away quickly with the back of her hand. There was no use crying. Although she used everything that she had within her to stay and help him fight, she failed anyway. Compelled, she simply trudged back into his London home and was now slumped against the front door. She hated him.
Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
Caroline quickly got to her feet and brushed herself off. She knew she shouldn't speak to him while she was still furious, but she didn't care. She had a lot to say to him. Whatever reason Klaus had for compelling her, she wouldn't buy it. He had another fight on his hands.
She turned the knob with one hand and raised the other, ready to punch him in the face as soon as he came into view.
But there was no one.
Caroline lowered her fist and stepped outside. She looked left and right but all she could see were his parked cars and the garden. There was no one else but her. Something just didn't feel right though. She could smell a faint hint of blood.
She quickly glanced downward and found the source. A letter was stuck under the welcome mat and it was slightly bloodstained. She picked it up in a hurry and read through it.
"Caroline – please don't hate me. There's a gazebo tucked in the backyard garden. You'll find me there. Hurry…"
It wasn't signed or anything, but she assumed it was Klaus. Who else could it be? He was wrong if he thought that she would actually head over there after he had compelled her. Once again he was bossing her around and she didn't like it. No, she wouldn't fall for this one. He had to learn his lesson. She wasn't someone who could easily be pushed around wherever and whenever he wanted to.
Well, he wasn't pushing her exactly and he did say please – so why shouldn't she go over and then tell him how she feels? Screw waiting. Caroline headed to the back door. She would give him a piece of her mind, and then we'll see if he could ever boss her around again.
As she closed the back door behind her, Caroline looked around to find where the gazebo was. Even though you couldn't see it from the front of the mansion, he had a really huge garden out back. It was a good thing that the gazebo's roof stuck out of the trees and there was light flickering from inside. She headed over to it, vampire speed, practicing what she would say to him at the same time.
When she arrived, there was still no one there. The gazebo just had a few candles lit up all around, illuminating the inside.
"You might as well know that this romantic gesture or whatever you're trying to do won't work. You can't manipulate me. I hate you and I probably will never speak to you again. Who gave you the right to compel me or to boss me around? I sure as hell didn't and I hate that you even had the nerve to do so right after I told you not to. So much for growing up and being more mature…You're still your childish, selfish self. Come out and face me like a man. You won't get away with this" She said into the darkness, waiting for him to show up.
She was surprised when someone tapped her lightly from behind. She raised her hand and turned to slap him, but was surprised when another woman's hand caught her arm.
"Get away with what? Caroline Forbes, what the devil have you done?"
Her jaw dropped. Standing right in front of Caroline with one hand on her hip and the other holding her arm was Elena Gilbert. And apparently Elena didn't look too happy to see her.