Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries

Lessons of Love, Chapter 14: Caroline to Klaus, Part 7

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." Albert Camus

Caroline huffed and rested her chin on her crossed arms in frustration. She had been working on her Calculus homework for hours now and she was nowhere near finishing it than she had been when she started. Needless to say, math was not Caroline's strong suit. She stared absentmindedly at the open textbook she had propped up on her desk, begging the information to magically appear in her head.

"I don't understand."

Caroline growled at Klaus' statement. He had been so silent for the past hour that she had forgotten that he was sitting on her bed, left to his own devices. Caroline pushed her frustration away and turned to look at him.

"What?"

"I don't understand you, love. You're so frustrated and yet you continue to work on whatever that is."

"I don't have a choice. If I don't finish it, I won't pass the class and graduate."

"You always have a choice."

"No, I don't."

"Ah, I beg to differ, sweetheart."

"Excuse me? No, I don't, Nik."

"Just don't do it."

"Did you not hear anything I just said? I have to do it so I can graduate and go to UVA like I've always wanted to!"

"I…Let me rephrase, dear. If all of this human business is so frustrating, then why do you put up with it? If its that much of a hassle you should just drop the act. That's what I don't understand."

"Because I can't. It's not that easy, Nik. People still think I'm human. I can't just drop out of school and skip town!"

"Maybe not," he said. "But why bother with college?" he laughed. "You have eternity to learn all you want to!"

Caroline was silent. She had no answer to what he said. Why was she bothering with college? Why now?

"You're a vampire, love, you should embrace it. Drop the human charade as soon as you can get out of Mystic Falls and let time be your teacher. That's what I did," he said with a cocky smirk and another laugh. And then Caroline knew why she was bothering with all of this.

"Stop! It's funny, Nik!" she said, suddenly angry. "I was seventeen when I was turned! Do you know what seventeen-year-olds do these days? They worry about school and about prom and…and what's going to happen after the football game Friday night and sneak out to get drunk. And then they get over the rebellious stuff and grow up and go to college.

"You wanna know what I did when I was seventeen? I got Turned. So I couldn't worry about all the normal seventeen-year-old things anymore. I had to worry about bloodlust and fighting to see another day. And, finally when things are starting to calm down, you come back here and it all goes to hell!" Caroline could feel angry tears cloud her vision.

"I go through hell and high water and no one cares. No one bothers to ask me how I'm feeling or how I'm dealing with being a Vampire while I have to watch my friends grow up and have kids and live their lives normally."

"Because you've been given a gift! I've told you once and I'll tell you again: you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions…you don't have to worry about any of that anymore, its beneath you."

"Really? Then why does Rebekah put up with school and steal the Dance Committee and try out for the cheer squad?" she challenged.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Because...because I wanted her to keep an eye on you lot but now…now," he laughed humorlessly. "Now its just pathetic!"

"So, I'm pathetic?"

"No," Klaus said, shaking his head, trying to make her understand his view of things. "It's jus-"

"Rebekah cares because she missed out on all of this because of you! No, you guys didn't have high school when you were Turned but she had to be around my age...she's still a kid, just like me! I care about it because it's all I have left! Before I was Turned all I cared about was being voted Prom queen, marrying Matt Donovan, and having kids. That's all I wanted and now…now I don't have any dreams left because you crushed them. You and Katherine," she said, her voice raised. Caroline instantly regretted it when Klaus' face fell and his eyes clouded over, darkening as his shields went back up. Caroline cursed her inability to keep her mouth shut once she got started.

"Seventeen was too early, Nik. So, I'm sorry that I can't see how being Turned was a gift when my life was just beginning. I can't change who I am and I can't give up being human. Not right now," she finished in a whisper, looking at the ground as the tears started to fall.

Klaus pursed his lips and gave her a short nod. "I guess that's my cue to leave, then, if you think I ruined your life."

"No, Nik, I…I didn't mean it that way. I…Ple-"

"I should of known that it would come to this. No matter what I do to make you realize what a good thing this is, all you will ever," he spit the word, "see is the dark side of me." And then he was gone.

Caroline ran to the front door, "Nik!" she called after him, fully aware that he wouldn't hear her. She waited, silently hoping that he would come back, but he never did and deep down, Caroline knew he wasn't going to. She dejectedly walked back up to her room, slammed the door and slid down against the wall and let the tears, both angry and sad, fall.

Klaus ran through the woods, headed back to his mansion to drown himself in whatever liquor he found as soon as he walked through the doors. Everything Caroline had said was running harshly through his head and then, suddenly, he stopped.

Beautiful. Strong. Full of light.

That's why he had fallen head over heels, more or less, for Caroline Forbes.

And, for the first time, Klaus realized that people's outer strength can just be a façade. But it wasn't that he thought Caroline was weak. No, Klaus was coming to the realization of just how strong she was. He had never realized, until now, just how much Caroline put up with for the sake of normalcy.

Klaus had once thanked her for her honesty and it was something that he truly valued. He admired her honesty and how it betrayed how young Caroline truly was. And he could empathize with her, because, like him, Rebekah, Kol, and Elijah, she had just begun to live when the rug was cruelly yanked from under her feet.

And that's why it had hurt him so much; because the truth can be cruel.

She had once told him that he didn't connect with people because he didn't try to understand them. Not anymore, he thought with a tear of his own trailing down his cheek. He now realized that he understood far more than he had been willing to accept.

And he wasn't going to let his faults interrupt Caroline from living the way she wanted to.

A/N: Ahhh, I'm such a terrible person for 2 reasons!

1) I think I said this would be up by Friday night at the latest and its Sunday night...but I can explain! The chapter 13 that I uploaded was not the original chapter I had intended to post: according to reviews about the pace, I decided to give some future chapters a switch-a-roo and then I had to rewrite and edit and add and yada yada ya so here it is!

2) I promised happier chapters for my next few updates...oops... but, I realized there is still A LOT of water under the bridge between them. But, not to worry, the happy chapters will come, Caroline and Klaus just have a few minor details to settle before hand.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this, even if it is quite sad :'( but it had to happen sooner or later! Thanks for reading and please review if you have a second:)