There was pandemonium. The vampires in the room, aside from Caroline, bore their fangs in rage at the unwanted reunion with Klaus. Damon in particular was breathing raggedly, anger prominent in his features. Bonnie took a step back at the sight of Klaus, and Elena carefully stood slightly in front of her protectively.
Caroline took a step forwards, her hand instinctively finding itself towards Klaus'.
Their fingers interlocked desperately, and in Caroline's eyes shone a fierce determination. Klaus caught her eye and gave a tiny nod. They would accomplish this.
"What have you done to her, Klaus?" Elena snapped, her eyes raking the monstrous creature.
Klaus and Caroline looked at one another. They'd expected this question from the utmost beginning. They'd known that Caroline's friends would jump to believable conclusions such as Klaus compelling her, threatening her or someone she loved or even kidnapping her. What they didn't know was none of that was true in the slightest, and that the reality was simply Caroline and Klaus had fallen for one another as intensely as a thunderstorm.
"The only thing I've done is shown her my love. The rest was her." Klaus murmured. He felt odd in the presence of the people who only a few weeks previously he had wanted dead. He still didn't care for them, nor did he want the doppelganger's blood. Caroline was by far more important than an army of hybrids. That childish fantasy had simply been a projection of Klaus' inner loneliness and insecurities. He didn't need an army of comrades, he needed one woman, and she stood beside him, willing to fight as equally and deadly as an army.
Damon laughed humourlessly. "You expect us to believe that you've given up on your hundreds of years of scheming for love? I hope you don't think we're that gullible. I can believe that blondie here loves you, but you're not capable of loving anyone but your damn self."
"I don't expect you to understand or change your opinion of me right away." Klaus muttered ashamedly. He was comfortable being sincere with Caroline, but with previous enemies it made him slightly uneasy.
"Why should we believe a word you say?" Elena asked loudly, her eyes darting between the pair of star-crossed lovers.
"Because you're my friends." Caroline stated, raising her head to look each of them in the eye. Bonnie briskly lowered her head at her stare, confirming Caroline's suspicion that she would be the hardest to not only convince, but to understand, too.
"Because Stefan knows I'm capable of feelings." Klaus' voice vibrated through the room. Caroline turned to look at him confusedly, her eyebrows furrowing together.
"We were never friends!" Stefan yelled angrily, earning a reprising glare from Elena.
"We were, Stefan, we had a brotherhood. I regret erasing your memories of that, but you remember now. We had a bond." Klaus gazed at Stefan intensely, willing him to remember.
"He already has a brother." Damon spoke up, smirking. "Enough of this crap." Damon darted towards Klaus at the speed only a vampire could achieve, but Klaus was ready. He had Damon by the neck and threw him backwards before Damon could barely even raise an arm in defence.
Caroline and Klaus had privately agreed that it would be likely Damon or Stefan would attack Klaus, but Caroline had urged him not to hurt them. She only hoped that Klaus would stick to that agreement. Caroline looked on in sadness, with the familiar feeling of foreboding once more. She sometimes wondered whether she was out of her depth trying to change the bad guy, but she relied on her love of him to overpower that worry. So far it had.
"You're telling me this is what you love?" Elena's eyes flashed in anger. "He turned Tyler, Caroline, he risked his life!"
"Damon attacked Klaus just now, not the other way around, Elena." Caroline's voice took on a mature tone. "And I know he did, but I can't help the way I feel."
Elena fell silent, casting Stefan a glance. She always felt uncomfortable if somebody hinted towards her feelings for Damon in front of Stefan.
"I can't stand here and listen to this, he killed Jenna, Caroline!" Elena cried, her eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall.
"Think of what Stefan and Damon have done in their past Elena and then tell me that people aren't capable of change." Caroline snapped, she was getting sick of the hypocrisy.
"I'm sorry… I just can't." Elena muttered, fiddling with her hair as she stormed from the room loudly.
Stefan strode up to stand in front of the unusually silent Klaus. He raised his finger to point at him threateningly.
"You want us to believe that you're capable of change?" He asked, and Klaus nodded in assent. "Then prove it."
With that, Stefan followed in Elena's wake. Caroline felt a smile flicker on her face; she knew that of any of her friends, it would be Stefan who would give Klaus the tiniest hint of a chance. He knew Klaus' nature, and with that came a need to prove himself. Stefan recognised that.
"Or don't, whatever." Damon voiced coolly, following Stefan and Elena from the room.
Klaus observed Caroline confusedly, and she realised that she was still smiling. She shook her head slightly to signal that she would tell him later, when she noticed Bonnie take a step towards her.
"Is this for real, Caroline?" She asked, frowning.
"More real than anything" Caroline nodded rapidly. Bonnie lowered her eyes sadly. "Bonnie?"
Caroline was shocked to see tears form in Bonnie's hazel eyes. She'd expected Bonnie to be judgemental, but sad? That was what she'd anticipated from Elena.
"I just wish you guys would stop falling in love with the bad guys." She murmured, and stalked from the classroom, the echo of her heels clicking along the linoleum floor.
Back at Caroline's house, she sat on her comfortable king size bed besides Klaus. It was sunset, and the dimming light shone on Klaus beautifully. His skin almost glowed and his soft dark blonde hair looked as though it was longing to have hands run through it.
Caroline forced herself to stop admiring him, this wasn't the time.
"So… that went well." Klaus muttered, looking up at her through smouldering eyes.
"They'll come around." Caroline replied, unconvincingly.
Klaus gave a short laugh. "Will they?"
Caroline looked at him interestedly. His tone was light and conversational, but Caroline could sense his hurt and feeling of rejection just below the surface of that hard exterior. She felt remorse at the pain she had put him through.
"Of course they will, when they see how happy you make me." Caroline whispered, and Klaus raised his head at the tone of her voice.
Caroline leaned forward to touch her lips to Klaus' just for a moment. She felt her lips tingle at their reunion with Klaus', and she realised too late that she couldn't pull away. Klaus' lips met hers again with a passionate forcefulness.
Caroline raised her arms to run her long fingers through that beautiful, wavy blonde hair, pulling Klaus even closer towards her in the process. Time seemed to stand still as their lips found each other time and time again. The excitement reminded Caroline of their first kiss all over again.
Caroline felt her self-control splinter, and tearing herself away from his gentle lips, she whisked Klaus' shirt from him in one swift motion. He returned the favour almost instantly, hurrying to meet her lips once more.
The door to Caroline's first floor bedroom swung open suddenly, making Caroline jump. She'd been so entwined with her kiss with Klaus that she hadn't even heard her intruder approaching. She pulled the bed sheets around her top half in a vain attempt at modesty.
Tyler Lockwood stood framed in the dark doorway, obvious rage pulsating from him.
"So, it's true." His fangs pointed threateningly, and Caroline found that she knew what was going to happen before it had even began.