Hello dear readers!

Okay okay okay, well I decided to make this a four-shot, it may even be a five-shot. I doubt anyone will be disappointed with my decision. Haha

Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. I'm flattered. Anyway,

Happy reading!

BTW- italic sections are flashbacks.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to TVD; I just love its characters.

Caroline slowly awoke to a light that had filled the room over the passing hours. She tried to turn over to bury her face in the pillow but then she suddenly remembered everything that happened. I slept with Klaus. And sure enough, the Original Hybrid's arm was still wrapped possessively over her stomach, keeping her body close to his.

She stiffened at the realization that she was still in bed with him but then slowly relaxed again as all the words he had said came back to her.

The silk sheets were nothing new to her anymore because she had been sleeping in his bed for the past three months. However, the feeling of his hard body next to hers was something she didn't want to forget.

Ever so slowly, she turned her body within his hold so she could face him. Light washed over his face and Caroline had to suppress a sigh. He really was beautiful she thought.

Klaus had woken at the same she did. He felt her stir and then he felt her muscles tense. He couldn't see her face then, but he was sure she was contemplating over last night's events. After a few minutes he could visibly see how her body relaxed again and it gave him relief when she hadn't moved away from him.

He could hear the steadiness of her heart and the, now vital, inhale and exhale of her breathing. Human.

As soon as Caroline began to turnover, he closed his eyes once more. He wanted nothing more to greet her immediately but he also wanted to see or, better yet, feel how she reacted to waking up to him.

Caroline admired his features. His strong jaw, his short stubble, his pouty lips, but she wanted to see his eyes. She breathed out nervously as she lifted her hand and touched his face. With her finger she traced from his temple to his chin but when she ran it over his lip she gasped because his eyes shot open and his lips quirked into a grin.

"Good afternoon, love?" Klaus took her hand that was touching his face into his and pressed her knuckles to his mouth.

Caroline blushed. She felt special in that moment and while she was aware that her human self craved that sort of attention, she decided it was okay to relish in the feeling of it. "Hey," she returned his smile. "I guess we slept the day away."

"Indeed we did." He looked into her eyes. "But I have no regrets."

She knew he was asking if she had regretted what they did but she felt that she wasn't quite ready to admit anything. "Well I've never minded sleeping in," she answered instead. She broke their eye contact before she could catch his momentary frown.

She moved to get off the bed and without a word she padded over to the other side of the room and shut herself in the bathroom.

:

:

Caroline sat on the floor in the small foyer of her home. Her eyes were closed as she rested against an opened door. "I killed twelve people," she said aloud to no one. She sat there numbly, still in shock at her actions.

Her phone buzzed and she reluctantly raised it to her face. She sighed before she slid her finger across the screen to answer the call. "Hey, Stefan."

"Caroline. How are you holding up?"

She could tell he was sincerely worried and with that awareness she was relieved that someone was actually concerned for her. "I honestly don't know, Stefan. The world will end and it will be my fault."

The younger Salvatore ignored her dramatic statement. "We'll figure something out, okay, Caroline? I promise."

"Okay," she conceded. When she didn't hear him speak again she knew something else was on his mind. "Stefan why did you call me?"

"Elena ditched Damon and took off with Rebekah. I'm headed to New York right now." He sighed knowing what he said next was not something Caroline needed right now. "Klaus is hurt Caroline. Silas attacked him yesterday. I think he needs your help."

The mention of Klaus made Caroline scowl. "You think or do you know, Stefan."

"I know."

"Fine," she bit out, "Where is he?"

:

:

Klaus fell to his hands and knees and panted at the intense pain. He was sweating from the effects of the part of the stake that remained pierced and buried in his back. Just above his heart.

"Did you really think I would fall for you?" Caroline sneered.

"Go away. Let me be!" he shouted at the hallucination. The presence of Caroline had been in the room with him for the past four hours, mocking him, laughing at him and taunting him. He knew though. Despite the pain and her words, he knew she wasn't real.

"No one will ever love you."

"You're not real!"

"That may be true but you know what I'm saying is, don't you, Niklaus?"

He scrambled to his feet and grasped the edge of the mantle, still panting but trying to block out her voice.

"You will always be alone," she continued and then all of sudden the white oak stake was in her hand. Klaus gasped and leaned against the mantle as if trying to back away further. In his wounded state of mind he was truly terrified in that moment. "Or should I just end you right now? Is that what you would prefer?"

Tears welled in his eyes. "You're not real," he said again but this time more to himself.

"No I'm not and neither is this stake," she confirmed, "but I will bring you nothing but misery."

The real Caroline was watching from the doorway. She could tell Klaus was talking to someone, or at least hallucinating about someone but she couldn't tell who. She watched as his face contorted from one of pain to one of pure fear.

She was mad at him for throwing her words back at her last night. She knew she didn't have a right to be mad but she was most definitely hurt.

But when she started to see him cry she forgot her anger and decided that she needed to intervene and do whatever she could to help him.

"You're not real!" he raged once more and then charged at the apparition. He was shocked when he was able to firmly wrap his hands around her neck, confused that he could actually touch a hallucination.

"Klaus," Caroline squeaked, "please."

"You're not real," he said as he tightened his grasp.

She choked on her words. "Yes I am. I'm here to help you."

His eyes went wide when he realized he was choking her, the real her. He released her instantly to which she coughed as she touched her own neck.

When she was able to focus again she realized he was holding onto her arms for support. His eyes were full of fear and without question she held his face for comfort as she finally asked. "What's going on?"

:

:

After a few silent minutes, Caroline finally came out of the bathroom. She knew Klaus was staring at her from where he laid on the bed but she didn't look at him until she had carefully sat at the end of it.

Slowly she brought her eyes to his imploring ones. She saw his worry but she also caught the sadness in them and it made her feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I know what you want to hear, I'm just nervous."

"I know."

"I don't regret last night."

Klaus didn't want to admit it, but he was immensely relieved. He hated the hold she had over him but at the same time he didn't want to live without it. He sat up a little and then extended his arm towards her. "Come here."

She didn't hesitate and immediately crawled over to him, to which he wrapped his arms around her. They exhaled in relief, the awkward moment now gone when their bodies were pressed against each other once more.

"I meant what I said last night. You're mine, Caroline."

Her human heartbeat stuttered at his words. "I know."

He stroked her skin, rubbing his hands up and down her arms and back. He grimaced, however when he saw her wrists, and then her hips, then under her knees, even her stomach. They were barely visible but there were bruises nonetheless.

Caroline followed his gaze and frantically shook her head to reassure him. "No, it's okay."

He lifted his eyes back up to hers in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't hurt me, Klaus!"

"Your body suggests otherwise, Caroline."

"Stop it! I'm fine."

He got off the bed and strode into the large walk-in closet. He reemerged wearing sweatpants and began to pace in front of her. "You're not fine, Caroline. You're, you're—"

"I'm what? Weak?" she shouted at him, "You think I don't know that?"

"You're human," he said lamely, trying to keep his tone indifferent.

"Then make me not human! We both know you can do it." She scrambled off the bed and wrapped the sheet around herself. She started to cry. "Turn me," she pleaded as she gripped onto his shoulders. "I can't live like this. I can't go on already knowing what goes bump in the night."

He just stared at her, not giving her any sign of his opinion in the matter.

"Please," she cried. "No one else will do it. I'm dying, Klaus," her eyes went wide with fear. "Really dying," she emphasized. "I would give you anything in return if you did this for me."

Klaus watched the tears trail down her face. He wanted to turn her for so many reasons. He didn't want to have to be careful with her simply because he was selfish in that sense. He reveled in being a hybrid and he didn't want to have to hold back every time he was the throws of passion with her. He wanted to turn her because he wanted to wake up to her like he did an hour ago for the rest of eternity. He wanted to turn her because he couldn't stomach the thought of her being so fragile, of there being a chance that a silly human incident could end her life. He was desperately in love with her, which he had tried to convey to her time and time again.

Her sobs filled the room but still he remained silent. He wanted to turn her but he knew that if he did, all of her traits would be heightened. Caroline as a human was less guarded and more needy. And whether she had admitted it to herself or not, Klaus knew that she needed him in ways that were more than just blood-curing. He admitted to himself in that moment that he took advantage of her in a sense because he knew for a fact that had she been a vampire, her stubbornness would have been her weapon of choice. Her shield against him.

And that was the sole reason why he was hesitating. If he were to turn her, would her stubbornness to remain part of the good world, a world he wasn't part of, would she allow herself to use that an excuse to push him away again despite her true feelings?

He was over a thousand years old. He could tell when people weren't honest with themselves, and during the past year, through all their banters and silent understandings, Caroline never admitted to him, or to herself, the true feelings she had for him.

He refused to go back to that Caroline. Unless…

"If I turn you, would you love me as I love you?"

:

:

"Okay, it's out," she smiled as she watched the wound heal. She walked around in front of him but he remained on his knees. She felt the change in the air as the mood switched from businesslike to something entirely different.

He looked up at her from where he was kneeling and held her eyes to his. She couldn't breathe, trapped in their heated gaze.

"Do you really feel nothing for me?" he asked just as a man. In this moment he wasn't the Original Hybrid or the feared Niklaus Mikaelson. He was just a man looking in the eyes of the young woman he had hopelessly fallen in love with.

Caroline didn't know how to respond. She knew how she truly felt but she couldn't bring herself to admit it.

He sighed when he knew she wouldn't say anything. He looked down. "Terrible as I am, I know I cannot be saved. I'm far from it," he said and looked back up at her. "But I love you."

She shook her head and wiped away the threat of possible tears. She kneeled down in front of him. "I was wrong to say that. I still think you can be saved."

The way he was looking at her drew her in. Her gaze flickered to his lips and then back up to his eyes. She felt herself begin to lean toward him but then her phone went off.

The moment was broken when she answered Stefan's call, completely avoiding Klaus' stare.

:

:

"So that's it?" she asked furiously. She stepped away from him. "An ultimatum? You once told me you wanted to make me happy. Well turning me would make me happy!" she explained, unable to control her heaving sobs.

He flashed in front of her and grabbed her upper arms. "You just said you would give me anything. Caroline," he shook her, "I want your love! Are you so stubborn and selfish that you would deny you true feelings for the sake of appearances? I'm not going to turn you if you intend to someday spend your life with another. So yes- an ultimatum, love. You can call it that if you wish but I want you willing, and we both know that you are. We both know that you want me as I want you."

:

:

At the third knock Caroline opened her front door, already knowing who would be on the other side.

"Evening, love."

"Hi."

He scoffed at her appearance of disinterest but then softened his expression towards her. "I'm leaving tonight, Caroline. I would ask you to come with me but we both know you're still not ready."

Caroline was saddened by the news and the feeling surprised her.

"All I ask is that you be careful. I know you'll disagree but you're mine, Caroline. You've been mine ever since the night I first saved you."

He meant it. For Niklaus Mikaelson, having Caroline wasn't something physical. His protection over her was enough to prove that he could love.

"My offer still stands. The day you show up at my door I'll give you anything you wish because I want to make you happy. I'll show you the world, sweetheart. Come to me when you're ready."

With that, he gave her a brief nod and then turned and stepped off her porch.

She felt like the words were caught in her throat until she forced something out. "Klaus!"

He turned to find her walking toward him until she stood a mere inch away from his face. A million thoughts swam in her head but only one truth remained at the forefront of her mind. Even so, she still didn't speak. Instead she pulled him to her and pressed her lips to his.

Their kiss grew into something intense but when he pulled away she flashed away from him and then he too was gone as if nothing had happened.

She looked at the empty spot from where they just stood from her window and whispered the words he wanted to hear.

**Okay and that's part three. Please review! Your comments are so encouraging to me. :]