This is another gift for Monika (realynn8), since she loves to flood my ask box with prompts ;)

Prompt: Even though he promised to stay away, Caroline can't allow him to keep that promise.

It started with a text.

Klaus was halfway through a bottle of scotch, as had become his nightly ritual, when his phone beeped. Expecting it to be Marcel or Elijah with some form of irritating yet urgent business he reluctantly pulled out his cell, frowning deeply at the offending object before he turned on the screen.

His frown turned into a look of shock when he read the name on the screen above the text message indicator.

Caroline.

It had been 16 days, not that he was counting, since he had left her in the woods, promising never to return. True, he still held out hope that she would someday come to him herself, but he expected that to be years, decades even, away. Not mere weeks.

If he hadn't been an all-powerful, thousand year old immortal being, his palms might have been sweaty when he raised the phone and entered the unlock code to read her message. But he was and they most certainly weren't. And he definitely did not have to wipe the screen off with his sleeve in order to read the text properly.

Hey how are you

It was short and sweet, as sweet as words on a screen could be at least. He stared at the words in silence for a few moments, long enough for the screen light to dim, brow furrowed in confusion as he rolled the words around inside his head. She didn't sound to be in any trouble, which had been his first assumption; it certainly hadn't been that she had realized she wanted to be with him, no, that would be ridiculous. It appeared to be a normal, friendly greeting. Which was perhaps even more confusing for him.

Why was she contacting him, if not for some specific reason? She had made it perfectly clear during their last encounter that she had no room in her life for him, so why message him now? Unless she was working towards asking for something, trying to butter him up with pleasantries, perhaps. Well, Klaus Mikaelson was no coward, he would find out!

Waking his screen up for the third time he hit 'reply,' pausing for a moment before deciding what to say to her. He could practically hear Rebekah in his head chastising him for acting no better than the high school boys she was always hanging around.

Hello, sweetheart.

That was ambiguous enough, he decided. It wouldn't send her running or insult her or break whatever fragile relationship they apparently now had. Yes, perfect.

Klaus stared at the phone as he waited for her answer, definitely not pacing the room.

A minute later it beeped again, the new message being opened at record speed.

Is this weird? Me texting you

Klaus grinned. She was nervous, he could tell that clearly, even if he wasn't able to see the cute way she was surely biting her lip. This gave him a slight advantage in the game they always seemed to be playing.

Not at all, love. You can always talk to me.

He waited anxiously for her reply, draining the last of his glass and pouring himself another.

Thanks I guess. I still feel weird especially after… everything

He smirked, amused she still couldn't say the words. After the hours of mind-blowing sex. He vowed he would one day hear her admit it.

Klaus thought carefully about his next reply. He decided coming off too cocky would not earn him any points and it wasn't as if he could use his dimples and accent to win her back if he pushed too far; oh yes, he was well aware of how those affected her. Yet he also couldn't entirely let her get away with that. Shewas the one who had made the rules after all.

That was entirely your call, love. You are the one in the position of power, if you recall.

He watched the phone nervously, hoping he hadn't been too forward. Relief flooded through him when her next message popped up.

Touché. It's really irritating when you're right you know

Chuckling he quickly composed a response.

And what else do you find irritating about me?

He was flirting with disaster, he knew, but he couldn't help himself. This was one of the most honest conversations they had ever had where both parties were willing participants. He couldn't help but get a little carried away when she was so responsive to his words. Perhaps the kind of anonymity being behind a screen gave was more of a blessing than he first thought; it certainly seemed to give Caroline more confidence.

Lol how long do you have

His grin was wider than it had been in weeks.

Eternity.

The conversation continued on, both seeming to enjoy the banter. It was late at night when they said their goodbyes and despite the late hour, Klaus had never felt so awake.

He had been afraid to hope the texting would happen again, but sure enough, two days later her name once again appeared on his screen, gaining him a raised eyebrow from Elijah when he hurriedly excused himself from dinner to talk, or rather type to her.

It soon became a habit, every few days turned into every day, then it began to happen throughout the day, conversations coming in small bursts whenever either had free time. Klaus' mood was vastly improved, a small smile on his lips becoming his default look instead of the brooding, angry one he used to wear.

Everyone close to him noticed, but did not understand what brought about the change. All they knew was he spent a large amount of time with his phone in his hands. It was practically an extension of his body these days, Klaus never going without it. Elijah had one time caught him asleep on the couch, phone still gripped tightly in his hand. As much as he wanted to know the cause of his brother's much improved attitude, Elijah was content with the knowledge that it just was, knowing Klaus would tell him eventually.

Just when Klaus thought his relationship with Caroline was as good as he could possibly hope for, she called him.

He had been shocked, to say the least, asking her if she was alright, if something had happened, not understanding why she would switch from texting unless it was an emergency. Caroline had apologized, sounding extremely embarrassed, telling him she just thought she should cut back on the texting a little, it was beginning to wear on her fingers.

Klaus knew that was a flimsy excuse, vampires didn't suffer from such things, but he played along, taking any chance she was willing to give him.

So their texting evolved into phone calls, short at first, as if Caroline was still testing it out. But after a few months they were talking almost as much as they had been texting. Klaus of course had to find new and unique ways to keep his conversations private, there being no end to the people who would wish him and by extension Caroline harm. His favorite spot to talk to her was on the roof, though. He would describe the sunsets, or sunrises, to her, the views and the people he could see. She enjoyed hearing about New Orleans, about his life, and he in turn soaked up everything she had to say about college and the goings on in Mystic Falls.

It was the thing he most looked forward to all day.

But Klaus was no stranger to disappointment. So he was not surprised, though certainly heartbroken, when one day she didn't return his calls.

A week passed and no word from her.

After a day he had called Stefan, enquiring about things, trying not to be obvious that he was only interested in news about Caroline. Thankfully, his sometimes friend had assured him everything was fine, there was actually a lull in supernatural activity for the moment. He was actually about to meet up with Caroline for coffee, but Klaus cut him off there, ending the call before he heard more than he wanted to.

She was fine, she was safe.

But she didn't want to talk to him.

His old mood returned with a vengeance. No one who got in his way was safe. Neither was any half decent bottle of scotch, as Elijah soon found out. He couldn't understand his brother's sudden mood shift and desire to obliterate their liquor supply, though he did note the absence of the cell in Klaus' hand. He filed the information away for later use.

After a week Klaus received a text. He was surprised to see her name on his screen once more.

Please come back to Mystic Falls, it's important

Klaus frowned, unsure he was reading it correctly.

You made me promise to stay away, sweetheart. What is this about?

Her response came quickly, but she sent nothing else, refusing to answer his calls.

Please

He was on a plane that night.

Klaus had scoured the entire town when he arrived, not finding her in any of her usual places. As a last resort he went to the woods, searching for the particular opening amongst the trees that haunted his dreams, not really expecting to find her there. But he did.

She looked just as beautiful as he remembered, standing in the small clearing in a blue sundress, blonde curls flowing down her back. She gave him a timid smile when she noticed his presence, but he couldn't let her sway him so easily, even if he wanted nothing more.

"What is this about, Caroline?" he asked gruffly, tired of the games. "Why am I here? Is this some trick to get me to break my promise to you, so you can have me out of your life for good?"

The blonde frowned, obviously surprised by his attitude towards her. "No, I just-"

"Why all the texts and phone calls? Were they meant to lull me into a false sense of security? What game are you playing here, sweetheart?" he ground out, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I'm not playing at anything!" Caroline glared at him. "Look, I'm sorry I just blew you off suddenly, that was rude of me. I just… I just needed some time."

"For what?" Klaus asked, tone implying he didn't buy her story.

"Ugh, you are just so-!" she cried out, arms slamming down to her sides in frustration. "I'm trying to apologize to you, you jackass!"

He blinked in surprise, stunned by her language almost as much as her confession.

Caroline continued, marching towards him, a determined look in her eye. "I'm sorry I suddenly stopped calling. I wasn't sure what I was doing, what I was feeling, and I had to take a breath," she said roughly, finger coming up to poke him in the chest. "You make me feel things I don't want to feel! And I tried to ignore them, really I did. I had plans! A life! But I couldn't seem to stay away."

Klaus watched her intently, surprised by her confession as her prodding backed him into a tree.

"So I texted you, to get it out of my system," Klaus refrained from making a comment about how that was supposed to be the point of their escapade in the woods, "but then you were so… infuriatingly charming and I couldn't stop. Then I thought, 'well, maybe it's just because I can't hear that stupid smug voice of his.' So I called you. But that didn't work either! I wanted to talk to you, Klaus, and I hated myself for it."

He frowned, not enjoying where this was headed, but remained silent, letting her continue.

"So then I tried to stop, cold turkey. But I couldn't get you out of my head," she admitted, unable to look him in the eyes. "I didn't know what to do, I thought I was going crazy. But then I talked to Stefan and he helped me understand. I see the good in people, even if it is deep, deep, deep down," she said giving him a smirk at his sour look. "I saw the good in you, Klaus, a long time ago. I just didn't want to admit it, because then I'd have to admit that people can be both bad and good, and I didn't want to- to see that in myself."

Klaus brought his hand up to cover hers on his chest, flattening it over his heart. She gave him a small smile at the reassuring gesture.

"But I guess we're all capable of great evil or great good, it just matters what we choose."

She was looking at him with such hope in her eyes, he didn't know what to say. "Caroline, I can't promise I will always do the right thing. More often than not I probably won't. But I will try, because you make me want to be that better person," he admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear with his other hand, letting it linger against her head.

Caroline gave him a bright smile. "I know. I'm tired of living my life how other people expect me to. I just want to be happy. You make me happy, Klaus, I realize that now. That's why I couldn't let you keep your promise," she added.

He gave her a grin, leaning his forehead down to touch her own. "How about I make you a new promise?"

"Only if you let me give you my confession first."

Klaus pulled back to give her a questioning look. "I thought you just did that, love."

"That was only part of it," she said teasingly, a smirk crossing her lips. "The other part is how I couldn't stop thinking about that day here in the woods," Caroline said slyly, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. "And how I really want a repeat," she whispered, his eyes widening before she suddenly tore his shirt open down the middle. "And maybe a little pay back," she laughed, flashing back from him, giving him a wink before she took off into the woods, daring him to chase her.

And he did, because he would always chase her.