A/N: Eek! sorry that it has nearly been a month since I updated this story! It was totally not my intention to leave you guys hanging for so long but I've been in a rather uninspired state so I hope you forgive my absence...momentarily.
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries
Lessons of Love, Chapter 22: Caroline to Klaus, Part 11
"It is not the criminal things that are hard to confess, but the ridiculous and the shameful." Jean Jacques Rousseau
"He's here, right? Do I finally get to meet him?" Reagan asked Caroline as they retrieved their bags from the cheerleaders' room in the Field House.
Caroline nodded excitedly in response to her roommate's question, a bright smile plastered to her face. "I don't know what he's got planned but I'm almost positive going back to our room is not his top priority so I dunno if you'll get to meet him."
"Ugh, tell him he has to get over whatever issue he has about dorms. It's like halfway through the semester and I have yet to meet my roommate's boyfriend when mine sleeps in our room like every night! So, what does he have planned if you aren't sleeping at home tonight? Birthday sex?" Reagan asked in the tune of the Jeremiah song with a sly smile.
"Nik is extremely spontaneous and has a flare for the dramatic so who knows what he's got planned," Caroline said with an eye roll as she checked her phone.
Reagan pursed her lips, "I'm sensing a late romantic dinner, a bottle of wine at wherever he takes you… and then sex," she added with a wink in Caroline's direction.
"Why are you so interested in our sex life? It's really not that exciting. Though, I have to admit I'd always thought him more of a sexual guy but, more often than not, he's quite cuddly… when he wants to be," she said with a thoughtful look and fond smile
"Hey, it's your birthday, Care. You should be treated like a princess…a scandalous princess but still…and it's not my fault that you told me it was basically the best you've ever had."
"Okay, that's the last time I say anything about that to you," Caroline laughed. "Time for me to go. Nik's waiting outside."
"Ahhh, I love you, rooms! Have a wonderful time tonight. We'll do birthday shots tomorrow night," Reagan squealed excitedly, pulling Caroline in for a quick hug.
Caroline smiled and nodded before turning and walking out into the hall. She was practically skipping to the doors when a guy standing outside the football team's film room spoke to her.
"So, I take it you aren't coming to the party I put together for you tonight?"
"Ugh, seriously? I'm having a really good day and I don't want to deal with you right now," Caroline snapped, pausing to glare at Tyler Lockwood. "But no, I'm not coming. Nik is here."
Tyler just shook his head. "Right. I should have known," Tyler said as he swung into step beside Caroline. "God, Caroline," he scoffed. "Do you even realize how sick this is?"
"No, Tyler, I don't. Maybe it's because you're the only one who hasn't accepted it! Just do me a favor and get over it. I'm happy."
"Oh really?" Tyler asked with narrowed eyes. "You can't expect me to believe either of you were happy when he found out I was here. I mean, this is Klaus we're talking about. He hates me."
Caroline looked sheepish and didn't respond as they walked outside into the chilled night air.
"He doesn't know, does he? About me being here, us getting drunk together during the weeks, hanging out like we did back in high school?" Tyler said with a sly look and narrowed eyes.
"Don't talk so loudly," Caroline whisper-shouted as her eyes darted to the black SUV pulled over on the curb a hundred feet away. "He doesn't need to know. It's better that way and you know that."
"Well that's too bad. Hey, you know what? Why don't you invite him tonight? I'm sure we'd all have a heyday together since you tend to cling to me when we go out on Thursday nights. What would you do here? Grind up on me and then make out with him?" Tyler said, laughing bitterly.
"What are you doing? Stop it, Tyler. He's going to be so mad!"
"I'm trying to make you realize how unhealthy it is to be torn between the two of us."
"Oh my God…I am not torn between the two of you. It's always been one or the other, you know that I don't play around when I'm in a relationship!"
"Do I? Remember that time I was out breaking the Sire Bond for you and you were flirting with the enemy? If that's not playing around then I don't know what is, Caroline."
"Technically, we ended things because you bit me. I've had enough of your crap, Tyler. Get over it," she snapped, starting to walk away.
He smirked before grabbing her arm, "Oh no, you're not. I love you, Caroline and as long as Klaus isin the picture, you won't ever be done with me. And it's rude of me not to give the birthday girl a present."
And with that, Tyler forced his lips onto hers, holding her firmly in his grasp. At first Caroline was shocked, frozen to where he held her in place, as Tyler's lips moved against hers. And then the shock melted away and she remembered who was watching and what he had heard and what it must all look like. She started to fight against Tyler's grasp but it was futile and he only held her tighter to still her movements. She was torn between begging for Klaus to keep his calm or begging him lose his cool and come help her. Caroline should have known that it would have been the latter. Tyler suddenly disappeared from in front of her and she gasped for breath.
She stayed behind Klaus, watching nervously as the Original stood over Tyler.
"Well, it's about damn time," Tyler said, rolling over.
"Do you have a death wish?"
"I would say I have yours but there's the little bloodline issue so that's out of the question."
Klaus picked Tyler up by his throat and held him inches away from his face. "Well, rather unfortunately for you, mate, my demise from your death is something that I do not have to worry about. So, let me ask you once more: do you have a death wish because I'm feeling extremely generous tonight." Klaus snarled and Caroline had a feeling that his fangs were showing in an assertion of dominance over the younger hybrid.
Tyler made a strangled sound as he tried to laugh, further infuriating Klaus. "For a guy that's over a thousand years old, you're incredibly easy to bait," he choked out. "But, no, I don't have a death wish. I just wanted to remind Caroline of something."
Caroline cringed as Klaus flashed over to the field house, slamming Tyler into the brick with several sickening crunches. "Let me be very clear and spell it out for you, mate," Klaus said, his voice sending chills down Caroline's spine. "I know all about the little stunt you pulled with Kol a couple months ago in Minnesota and be warned, you impudent mutt. If you ever try to kill one of my siblings again and are coward enough not to stand up to me yourself when I find out, you will learn just how easy to bait I am. Do I make myself clear?"
"Explicitly," Tyler said with a wicked grin that would have given her goose bumps to accompany the chills that were still running down her spine had she been human.
The look on Tyler's face angered Klaus even more and the younger hybrid found himself thrown into the side of the building once again before Klaus snapped his neck and dropped him unceremoniously in the bushes. He turned and stalked past Caroline and she quickly followed him. The silence in the car was deafening as he drove away from the stadium and Caroline couldn't hide her confusion as she realized that they weren't leaving campus. Instead, they were heading in the direction of her dorm.
"Where are we going?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"I'm leaving. You are going back to your room. Apparently there's a party someone planned for you. Why don't you go entertain yourself there?" Klaus replied, his jaw tight, his eyes never leaving the road.
Caroline shook her head, "N..no. I…I wasn't going to go. I didn't even want a party because you're here and I want to be with you."
Klaus rolled his eyes and laughed humorlessly. "Spare me the drama, love," he warned. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"You know bloody well what," Klaus snapped. "I'm already quite riled up, Caroline, so do not make me repeat myself."
"About what Tyler said or what he did?" she asked quietly.
Klaus just pinched the bridge of his nose and growled in response.
Caroline didn't answer. Her brow creased as she thought about how to answer and explain this whole messed up situation. She was still silent when Klaus pulled into the parking lot by her dorm.
"You're silence is enough to tell me that every bit is true," he said through gritted teeth.
"Nik, I…I…I just don't know how to explain."
"Good because I've lost the patience to hear your excuses."
"Well get over your mood because what you saw and heard are not what it looks like it is!"
"Stop with the lies. I've been around for over a thousand years, Caroline. It's exactly what it looks like."
"No it's not and if you'd just let me explain yo-"
"I waited long enough! If it whatever you want to tell me is this difficult to discuss then what I saw and heard must be true."
"Nik! We're just friends! I made that very clear to Tyler when we first saw each other that I wasn't going to play games with him."
"Obviously," Klaus scoffed.
"Would you please listen to me? You're not being fair!"
"Why should I when you've been up here sleeping with that mutt?"
"Okay, now you're blowing things way out of proportion. I have not slept with him! I didn't even know he was planning on coming here, let alone college, Nik! Ugh, this is exactly why I didn't tell you!" Caroline said as Klaus shook his head with narrowed eyes.
He didn't answer so Caroline continued, "But even if I had told you, how could you expect me to completely ignore him? We grew up on top of each other in a town where everyone knows everyone. We're both from founding families or whatever so Tyler and I've practically been forced together ever since we were little! After all he and I have been through, we exactly can't ignore each other especially now that we're members of the exclusive immortality club. You knew how scared I was about this whole situation, so how could you expect me to ignore him?" Caroline said, begging him to see her reasoning.
"Sure, I knew about your humanity issue but when I said you weren't alone, I meant you have every one else. Hell, I wouldn't have cared if you called a Salvatore. You had me, Caroline, but you crossed the line with that damned mutt," he said, his voice dangerously low to hide the hurt that was laced in it.
"Don't do this, Nik. Don't you dare walk out on me!"
"I'm pretty sure you're the one who walked out on me, sweetheart. Not the other way around. Now if you'll excuse me, I have places to go and things to do," he snapped, clearly dismissing Caroline from the car.
Caroline shook her head, tears burning her eyes. "How can you even act like this? You don't deserve to play the hurt card, Nik!"
"You wronged me, Caroline. You do not get to have any say in how I feel."
"That's rich, coming from the guy who sabotaged my life and the lives of all my friends! Do I need to remind you that you were going to kill me for that stupid sacrifice? And then again during your war with Stefan? I do one thing that's not even that awful and you blow it out of proportion. One damn thing compared to all of the torture and havoc and pain you've ever caused, and it's enough to push me away without letting me explain?"
"It's more than enough. I trusted you," he said forcefully as he finally turned to look at her.
Klaus and Caroline were silent for a few moments as they stared at each other in a battle of wills that neither would back down from. Caroline searched his face for anything other than anger as his eyes, now a dark blue, dared her to respond, to tell him he was wrong...or right, it didn't really matter to him, Klaus had made up his mind.
"Yeah, well I trusted you, too! After all this damn time, everything you've done to ruin my life, I've given you this chance that you were begging for last year. I put aside all my grudges to what you did to me and my friends, Klaus…I never forgot them, how could I? But I gave you a chance and your going to let your trust problems ruin it when I've done more than my part to see past your bad attitude and violent tendencies!"
"What can I say? I don't have the best track record with others…you know that, Caroline," he growled in annoyance.
"Compel me, then! Compel me so you can see what you won't listen to! I don't care what, just do something that proves I don't care about you and I'll leave you alone since it's what you obviously want!" Caroline said, her tears now falling freely down her face.
"No. This only goes to prove what I've been saying all along. The fact that you want me to resort to Compulsion says a lot about trust…and your so-called caring. Goodbye, Caroline," he said, putting the car back in gear.
"Oh my God, are you even listening to me? I love you!" she cried, the fear of him driving away after she got out of the car making her stomach clench and twist itself into a thousand knots. Thankfully, her confession made him slow down on his mission to get rid of her, his hand resting on the steering wheel as the other hand toyed with the keys in the ignition. He didn't look at her, just stared straight ahead, the frustration clear on his face, but Caroline could see him considering his response.
"I love you, Nik," she said again, her voice dropping to a whisper as she took deep, shaky breathes to calm herself down. His eyes finally snapped to hers, holding her hopeful gaze. While his jaw was set and his face was blank, anger and frustration the only emotions slightly breaking through his firm composure, his eyes had softened up; they were still dark blue but there was no malice or hurt in them.
"Be that was it may, I don't take lightly to betrayals," Klaus said bitterly as his mask went back up. "Thankfully, I'll be leaving for Europe in a couple days so I do not have to deal with you and your unfaithful tendencies. You stepping all over my affections couldn't have come at a more convenient time but I should have seen this coming, nonetheless."
"What?" Caroline gasped. "Why? Where are you going?"
"I don't see why it matters to you anymore. Actually, you should be overjoyed that you can do whatever you want and not feel guilty about leaving me in the dark. Goodbye, Caroline," he said, turning away from her.
His tone was final and Caroline didn't try to argue as she continued to stare at him. She sat there for a few more minutes, trying to control her raging emotions, desperately trying not to cry any harder than she already was.
"Fine," she finally sniffed, opening the car door and getting out. "Why should I care about someone who doesn't listen to me?" she snapped, slamming the door and quickly turning to go inside before she broke down in front of him.
Reagan came in their room a few minutes later and was completely surprised to find a teary Caroline curled up in a blanket on the futon.
"What happened?" she asked, going to the blonde's side immediately.
"Tyler happened," Caroline sniffed. "H…he was waiting for me outside and we were talking and then kissed me and Nik saw and he thinks I'm cheating on him 'cause I tried to explain bit I couldn't...it's just hard since he and Tyler hate each other so much so he just assumed the worst. And then he said he leaving to go to Europe in a couple days so me 'cheating on him' was convenient? So I dunno when, or if, I'm going to see him or if he'll ever let me explain," she said.
"So he pretty much dumped you?" Reagan asked. Caroline nodded, wiping tears off her face as Reagan pulled her into a hug.
"Aww, babycakes, he'll come around, you'll see."
Caroline just nodded but wished she could truly believe what Reagan told her. She knew that she had wronged Klaus; she should have known better than to keep Tyler's presence from him, especially with all of Klaus' trust issues and whatnot. Caroline just wished that Klaus could see that he was wrong, too.
Because, if there was one thing that Caroline was sure of, it was that she loved him and she didn't play around with love.
A/N: Welp, I'm sure that's not how many of you pictured Caroline telling Klaus she loved him but I'm like Klaus, I have a 'flare for the dramatic' lol. It, honestly wasn't my original intention for it to happen that way but I realized I had let Tyler sort of drop off the face of the earth and I didn't mean to keep him absent for so long. I had always planned to have Tyler involved in the event that led up to Chapter 18... but anywho, I had to throw one more wrench at Klaus and Caroline.
Yes, I said one last wrench...because of my uninspired state, I've, sadly, decided to end this story. As much as I love writing it, I don't want to subject you all to crappy writing and underdeveloped plot. Never fear, though! There will definitely be 2, possibly 3, more chapters and we WILL have a happy ending, that I can promise:)
Song for this chapter: Shelter by Birdy
Thanks for reading and please, if you have a minute, review...even if it is to tell me you hate me for deciding to end this story :)