A/N: Monster drabble. The prompts were:
The decision that leads Caroline to take Klaus up on his offer to show her the world (and their time in Rome, Paris, and Tokyo), airplane smut, Caroline falling asleep on Klaus all the time so he wakes her up with sex, klaroline 69, Klaus being afraid of skydiving, and lake sex. Smut. Set post-7x03, but not TO compliant.
I hope you enjoy it! Thank you to wifey for beta help.
Caroline tried not to start crying again as she skidded to a stop in what she'd assumed was Klaus's driveway, rushing out of her car, not bothering to lock it, and banging on his front door.
It flew open in a matter of seconds, and Klaus froze when he saw her, his mouth slightly open.
She knew she must look like a mess, but he simply stood aside and let her in, closing the door behind him.
"Caroline…"
"I'm sorry. I just...I had to go somewhere."
"What's going on?"
She shook her head, her breath quickening as she tried to process the last twenty-four hours.
She'd been tortured, again, which was not new for her at all. That, she could get over. However, once she escaped and arrived back at Stefan's house, she found Bonnie in the middle of setting up for a ritual.
When Bonnie told her calmly that they could save Alaric and Jo's babies, Caroline was happy for them, and she said so. Damon had just smirked. "I'm glad to hear it, Blondie, because you're an integral part of the plan."
When she realized that no one had even considered her feelings or planned to ask if she was willing to carry her history teacher's babies for six months before pushing them out of her dead uterus, she had never felt more betrayed in her life.
Stefan had been looking at her expectantly, and when she gave him her best 'what the fuck' look, he just said that it was for the good of everyone, and it would help them bring Elena back.
So, she did what any person would do in that situation. She snapped Damon's neck, gave Bonnie the filthiest look she'd ever given anyone, told Stefan that she never wanted to hear his name again for the rest of her life, and got the fuck out.
She hadn't looked back, impulsively throwing her phone out the window and immediately regretting it.
The entire time she was driving, she kept changing her plan. First the plan was the Richmond airport, but where was she supposed to go? So she drove past it and went en route to Georgia because she vaguely remembered that that's where Steven last lived, and maybe she could stay with him for awhile.
But she was a vampire, and she knew that wouldn't go over well.
So she went the only place she could think of.
Klaus looked at a bit of a loss as he watched her work herself up into a panic, and then he seemed to regather himself. She vaguely heard him order someone to get some blood, and she heard him talking to her, only able to register the soft way he spoke rather than his actual words.
She tried to even her breathing, eventually succeeding, and Klaus was watching her regain her composure, holding a cup of blood under her nose. Her veins creeped out on her cheeks and she downed the cup in one go before turning to him.
"I'm sorry."
"For?"
"I don't know," she said a bit helplessly, and he nodded.
"Tell me what happened, Caroline."
It wasn't a suggestion, and she knew that if she was going to turn up on his doorstep without warning and then have a panic attack in his living room he would be expecting her to have a damn good explanation.
So she told him, and he listened, his body growing progressively more tense, his face clouding over with anger. After she was done, he didn't speak for a few moments.
"Are you mad?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course," he said immediately. "Not at you, obviously."
"I'm sorry for barging in like this."
"It's perfectly all right, love."
"Thanks. I just needed to get away," she said, running a hand through her hair.
"And out of all the places you could have gone, you picked here?" he asked, sounding more confused than anything.
She shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. If you want me to go, I don't have to st–"
"No. Stay."
She gave him a small smile. "Thanks."
XXX
"If you could go anywhere, where would it be?" Caroline asked, munching on a croissant as she sat in the reclining chair next to Klaus's on the balcony of his art studio, her toes curled around the railing.
They'd grown closer, but other than little touches and heated glances, they hadn't taken any other steps in the romantic direction. She was thankful, because she wasn't quite over Stefan yet (although she'd never quite gotten over Klaus in the first place), and when they did jump into something, she wanted to be free of anything holding her back.
It wasn't that New Orleans was boring, but she wanted more. Klaus had been right. A small-town life would have never been enough.
"I'm quite happy where I am right now."
"No, seriously. Stop being cheesy."
"I don't know," he said, shrugging as he sketched. "What about you, Caroline? Where would you like to be?"
"I've always wanted to go to Paris."
He smiled slightly, not looking up from his sketchbook. "I'll take you," he offered, echoing his words from just a few years before.
"I'd like that."
He shot her a dimpled smile, and though she couldn't exactly feel the heat on her skin, the sun felt good. She closed her eyes, shifting on the swing.
"Anything in particular you have in mind?"
"I don't know. All the silly touristy things," she said, yawning slightly.
"All right," he said.
She vaguely heard him start to talk about options, but the sun just felt so nice, and she couldn't help but doze off as he spoke.
XXX
"Caroline, love?"
"Hmm?" she breathed, opening her eyes blearily to find that, despite the large bench area they had on the private plane, she was draped all over Klaus, her head buried in his shoulder. "Oh, sorry," she said, trying to pull away.
His arm caught her around the waist though, pulling her back against him. "I quite liked it, actually."
She blushed, but let him pull her more closely to him, inhaling his scent.
"I was just going to say that we're landing in a few minutes, and you might want to look out the window."
She turned slightly to look past him where thousands of twinkling lights were shining from below them as they circled waiting to be told they could land.
"It's beautiful."
"Welcome to Paris, sweetheart."
Klaus had hired a car to take them and their luggage to a hotel, and Caroline gasped when they entered the hotel room, moving to the window to look at the city. "This is amazing."
"I'm glad you like it."
They were quiet for a few minutes, and she watched as Klaus took off his shoes and jacket before coming to stand next to her by the window.
"Klaus?"
"Yes, love?"
"Kiss me?"
He turned slightly to look at her. "Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"Weren't you in love with the Ripper two weeks ago?"
"No," she said, trying not to sound too offended before looking out the window again. "I mean. I thought I was, I guess. Not anymore, though."
"That was quick to change," he said quietly.
"I don't think I ever was to begin with."
"And how do you know that I won't be the same? How do you know that you're not just wanting so badly to be in love that you're manufacturing these feelings?"
"Because I know that I'm not in love with you."
She saw his frown in the reflection of the window. He seemed to be waiting for her to continue, so she bit her lip and gathered her thoughts before turning to look at him. "I think I could be, though. Someday."
"All right," he said, gently turning her to face him and cupping her cheek, bending down to kiss her.
"Do you love me?" she asked, his lips hovering just a hair's breadth from hers.
"No," he said. "I could, though. Someday."
The kiss heated her from the tips of her toes, the fire burning up every single inch of her. She could feel the life pulsing through her veins, the electricity crackling just under her skin…
His hands were moving under her blouse scratching lightly down her spine, and she felt the ache building between her thighs. He was consuming her, tasting every bit of her skin that his tongue, lips, and teeth could reach, and she moaned into his mouth as she tangled her fingers into his hair. He sped them to the bed, pressing her down against the mattress, sucking and licking at the skin of her neck before pulling her blouse away, his shirt following it to the floor.
"Klaus," she whispered as he pulled the fabric of her bra down far enough to take her nipple between his teeth, and she arched her back, gasping his name.
He flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin, his hands stroking her waist before he unzipped her skirt. His lips moved down her abdomen, his teeth scraping against her, tongue soothing the little bites, until he reached her hip.
She felt her lips part slightly, her eyes closing in pleasure as he sucked on her skin, and she whimpered when he broke away, his breath on the marks making her shiver. "Open your eyes, love. I want you to watch."
She looked down at him, his eyes dark with desire, hair mussed from where she'd stroked her fingers through it, and he smirked before running his tongue along her pelvic bone.
He pulled the skirt down her body, his lips and tongue making small red marks on the creamy skin of her thighs as he did so, before tossing the fabric away. Her thong and heels followed soon after, and he nudged her legs apart, pressing kisses to her inner thigh.
"Watch," he said again, and she let out a soft gasp of surprise as he swirled his tongue around her entrance before flicking it against her clit, and her hands wound into the sheets as she let out an embarrassingly loud moan.
She was a quivering mess underneath his mouth, his tongue moving back to her slick entrance, hands holding her thighs down so that she couldn't roll her hips against his face. Caroline felt the sheets rip under her fingernails as she arched her back, trying to get some friction against Klaus's tongue.
His stubble brushed against her skin as he smirked, clearly aware of exactly how desperate she was for his touch, but he continued the teasing light strokes of his tongue against her, moaning softly at the taste of her.
"Klaus, please…"
"What was that, love?" he asked, looking up at her, his dark eyes wicked and lust-filled.
"Please make me come," she said breathlessly, her body straining to move and meet his mouth.
He bent slightly to thrust his tongue inside of her, the movement making her writhe beneath him, and she shut her eyes tightly, leaning back against the pillows, her body growing taut as he quickly brought her to the edge.
She was so close when he pulled away, his tongue running over her arousal still clinging to his lips, and she knew her face must be flushed, her eyes dark. "Klaus," she whined, his hands moving back to her breasts, unhooking her bra and pulling it away before cupping them in his palms.
"Klaus, I need…" she gasped, trailing off as he tugged her nipples, rolling them between his fingers.
"How do you want me to take you? Would you like to wrap your legs around my waist while I fuck you, Caroline? Let me look into your eyes and see how much you want me while I fill you with my cock? Or perhaps you would like me to flip you over and take you from behind? I'd rub your clit while you screamed for me, plunge my fangs into your neck while you drink from my wrist…"
"Drink from me," she gasped out. "From the front, though."
"So certain…" he whispered. "My Caroline knows what she wants…"
"I want you," she said impatiently, a slight smile spreading across her face as she reached to undo his jeans, pushing herself up to kiss him as he helped her tug them off.
She wrapped her hand around him and stroked him a few times, her thumb darting over the tip. Klaus pressed his forehead into her shoulder and groaned before she positioned him at her entrance and pressed her fingernails into his back, both of them gasping softly as he filled her.
He moved slowly, his lips, teeth, and tongue dancing along her neck, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him deeper, her pants of his name filling the room. It was so much different than their time in the woods, the way that he'd pressed her body roughly to a tree and taken her fast, muttering how much he wanted her and how long he'd been waiting.
Now, he was taking his time, drinking her in, and she savored the feeling of him filling her, the way he groaned her name under his breath.
She had been so close to the edge when he pulled away, and she could feel the coil tightening in her belly, her body quivering against him as he built her up to orgasm.
"Bite me?" she whispered, tipping her head to the side, exposing her neck.
His eyes darkened to a molten gold, his fangs extending, and she let out a loud moan as he sunk them into her, the pleasurable pain of it bubbling under her skin as he drank from her.
She felt her own fangs push out, and she bit into his shoulder, groaning as his taste filled her mouth.
The returning growl of pleasure from him tipped her over the edge, and she came around him, drinking her fill. When she finally pulled away he was still moving fast inside of her, and he bent down to kiss her, the combined taste of them making her moan into his mouth as she came down from her high, feeling the rush of him spilling inside of her.
She shifted out from under him before and curled against his body, her legs tangling with his, and sighed against his chest.
"Have you planned anything for us tomorrow?" she asked, mumbling her question against the bare skin of his chest.
"I have a few ideas, but it's really all up to you, love."
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"We could go out for brunch tomorrow morning, if you'd like. There's a cafe that was a few blocks away from here last time I visited. Granted, it could be gone now since that was over a decade ago, but as I recall they had lovely pastries…"
She hummed as he talked, drifting off without realizing it.
XXX
"This is going to be so much fun!" Caroline said excitedly, her fingers curling through Klaus's as they walked down the path toward a lake that Klaus promised would be in the sun and deserted.
He just smiled as she talked, content to listen to her voice and carry the picnic basket.
When they finally arrived, Klaus sat down on the blanket as Caroline stripped to her bikini, very aware of his eyes on her.
"You're staring."
"Do you want me to stop?"
"I don't mind," she said, shooting a grin over her shoulder at him before walking to the lake. The water was clear and blue, and she sighed as the warm sun beat down on her skin when she waded in. "Are you coming?"
"I'll just watch."
"You don't want to swim with me?"
She grinned as he gave an exaggerated sigh, stripping off his shirt and dropping his cell phone on the picnic blanket before lowering himself into the water next to her. "Happy?" he asked.
"Not yet," she said, tucking her toes against the lake bottom in preparation for what she was about to do before splashing him in the face with water and swimming off, knowing it would be only seconds before he caught up to her.
Sure enough, only a few seconds later he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back against his front, his hands stroking her wet skin, the water stirring around them, and moving them to a place where he could easily stand on the lake floor, her toes barely brushing the sand.
"You shouldn't have done that, Caroline…"
"But your face was perfect," she said, taking in a sharp breath as his hand moved to stroke down her stomach, the tip of his finger sneaking under the edge of her swimsuit, stroking her pelvic bone.
"But now you'll have to pay me back for that little trick."
"What do you want?" she asked, her eyes fluttering closed as she tipped her head against his shoulder, moaning softly as moved his hand to rub her clit through the fabric, making her wriggle against him.
She could feel his cock hard against her ass, one of his hands moving to cup her breast over her suit, his thumb brushing against her pebbled nipple.
"I want you," he said softly, and she shivered at the dark tone, the possessiveness coloring it.
She let out a soft sound of surprise as she felt the string of her swimsuit come undone on one side of her hip, his fingers brushing against her skin.
The other one followed a moment later, and she felt the tip of him press against her entrance as he maneuvered her body to more easily move against him.
She moaned as he pushed inside of her, his blunt teeth scraping against the back of her shoulder before he undid the tie of her suit around her neck, letting the fabric fall under her breasts and moving to suck on her neck.
His hands moved to her hips, and he pulled her down on top of him, the water making small splashes around them as he took her from behind, her head tipping back against his shoulder.
"Touch yourself for me, sweetheart. I want you to rub your clit while I fuck you."
She reached down to rub her clit, moaning at the sensation of it, the water lapping at her sensitive breasts as he squeezed her hips, his cock slamming into her.
"You feel so good," she said, her voice breathless. "Move faster, Klaus. Please…"
"Do you like that?" he asked quietly, his voice husky as he spoke against her ear.
"Yes," she whimpered, her legs spreading wider as she circled her clit with a finger, her other hand moving to cup her breast, tugging lightly at her nipples.
"You're so tight around me, love. You feel so perfect wrapped around my cock. I want to feel you come around me. Can you do that for me, Caroline?"
She nodded, and gasped as he gently tugged her hand away and pinched her clit as he fucked her, and she shuddered against him, moaning his name loudly as she came hard around him.
"You are beautiful," he said softly as he supported her body while she rode out her orgasm.
He came soon after, and she sighed in contentment as he let go for a moment to grab her swimsuit and from the lake floor while she did up her halter top, and picked her up, cupping her ass when she wrapped her legs around his waist, her wet hands cupping his cheeks as she pressed her lips against his.
"That was great," she said against his lips as he carried her out of the lake to the picnic blanket. "I never thought I'd like sex in a pool or a lake, but that was…"
He smirked. "I'd love to show you all the things you're missing out on, love."
She scoffed, though she couldn't suppress a smile as she watched him casually strip out of his wet clothes and rifle through the backpack she'd taken along that had a change of clothes for both of them before pulling them on, running a hand through his hair.
He grinned when he noticed her watching. "You're staring," he teased, making her grin.
"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, repeating his words from earlier as he sunk down next to her.
"Never."
She bent and grabbed a blood bag from the cooler, sipping from it contentedly, and leaned against him, his arm looping around her waist.
"Are you feeling better?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.
"It's been three weeks," he said quietly, and she felt her stomach sink.
"I'd kind of forgotten about it, I guess. This is such a nice escape."
"And what about when you're ready to return to the real world? When you're done escaping?"
She bit her lip. "Can we just enjoy this for now?" she asked hesitantly.
She saw his face fall slightly, but he recovered so fast that she was almost sure that she'd imagined it.
"Of course, love."
XXX
She moaned as Klaus kissed her neck, his cock pressing against her inner thigh as he nipped at her collarbone.
This was a nice dream, she thought vaguely as he pushed two fingers inside of her, his thumb rubbing her clit as she moaned, pressing herself against him.
The dream was vivid, and she vaguely became aware that she was slowly waking to Klaus's fingers filling her, moaning as his tongue flicked across her clit, swirling around it just the way she liked.
She moaned as she came around his fingers, her hips rolling against him, breath ragged as she slowly opened her eyes.
"That was a nice way to wake up," Caroline mumbled as Klaus crawled back up to her.
He captured her lips with his, thrusting his tongue into her mouth so that she could taste herself, his hands wandering down her abdomen.
"You fell asleep again, love."
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to, you know that. You just tire me out."
"Are you calling me high-maintenance?" he asked, clearly amused.
"Not like that. We've just been doing so much every day. Maybe we could take a lazy day? Just this once?"
"We can do whatever you'd like, love."
She hummed in contentment and curled her body back up against his. "I know that we'll only be in Rome for a few more days, but I'm just so tired."
He laughed softly, his arms tightening around her. "So, bed for the day, then?"
"Yes. Of course, you're not allowed to leave either," she said, giving him a wicked grin and grinding herself against him, moving to kiss him again.
"As you wish, sweetheart," he said as she sucked on his neck before groaning as she moved down, settling between his legs and licking the underside of him firmly, swirling her tongue around the tip of his cock before taking him in her mouth, gagging as he hit the back of her throat. She looked at him as she bobbed up and down, taking more of him, and hummed around him, enjoying the way his eyes darkened, his muscles flexing as he tried not to bury his hands in her hair, instead winding his fingers into the sheets.
"You are so beautiful," he gasped, and she cupped his balls with her hand, the other stroking the base of him as she wrapped her lips around the head of his cock, sucking hard and flicking it with her tongue.
He swore as she took him further again, moving her hand so that he'd hit the back of her throat, gagging around him. "Fuck, Caroline," he said again, and she felt his hand bury itself in her hair, tugging lightly to guide her movements. "I want to watch you fingerfuck yourself while I fuck your mouth."
She hummed around him, pulling herself so that she was on her knees, her legs spread, and reaching between her thighs to rub her clit, her other hand pushing two fingers into her soaking heat.
"Yes, just like that," he muttered, still tugging lightly at her hair as he moved.
She felt his body grow taut under her as she continued to pleasure him, and her own hips moved faster against her hands as she approached her own release.
"Come around your fingers for me," he ordered, and the heat in his voice combined with the way he was looking at her made her tumble over the edge.
He tugged lightly on her hair and she released him, licking her lips. "Suck your fingers clean while you ride me, Caroline," he said, his eyes darkening as she sunk down onto him, her tongue running over her fingers, which were soaked with her arousal.
"God, you're beautiful. Yes, just like that. Rub your clit with your other hand."
She moaned around her fingers, rubbing her clit and feeling the familiar pressure in her lower belly as she approached her second release, watching his face, his heavy-lidded eyes and his lust-filled smirk as he wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled her down on him more roughly, his hips rising to meet her for every thrust.
She finally came undone a few moments later, writhing on top of him, and he scraped his fingernails against her skin as he came, groaning her name.
XXX
"Please?" she asked again, and she could tell that she was slowly wearing him down.
"No, Caroline."
"Why not?"
"Because it's dangerous."
"Klaus, we're vampires. We'll be fine."
"And what if it goes wrong?"
"How could it possibly go wrong, Klaus?"
"Well, now that you've said that it will," he said grumpily, and she sighed.
"Come on. You don't have to go. You can just watch from the plane."
"No, absolutely not," he said, and she frowned before the realization hit her.
"Are you afraid of heights?" she asked, keeping her voice serious.
"No," he said firmly. "We're not going, Caroline."
"Well, I'm going. I think it'll be fun, and I'd love it if you could come with me. If you don't want to, that's fine, but I'm going."
She knew she had him when he winced and nodded, and she felt slightly bad as she dragged him to the place where she'd made appointments.
She almost absent-mindedly tangled her fingers through his as they approached the airport, the naturalness of the movement catching her by surprise when she became aware of it. Klaus still looked uncomfortable, and since he was usually excellent at masking his feelings, she could tell that he was absolutely terrified.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to," she said softly, and he stiffened, sending her an exasperated glare.
"If I didn't want to go, I wouldn't be," he said gruffly, and she pressed her lips together, trying not to feel guilty.
As the plane climbed through the air, Klaus got progressively more fidgety and uncomfortable, and she kept her hand firmly attached to his until they had to let go to be strapped to their instructors.
Caroline was getting on her harness to strap herself to Steve, her guide, and Klaus stopped her.
"She gets hurt and they'll never find your remains," he said, his voice completely serious, and Caroline groaned, though the guide just nodded, not looking concerned at all. She had a feeling he got it all the time from various loved ones of the people he was jumping with.
Klaus growled, and Steve ignored him, going over the rules again with her before asking if she was ready.
And they dove.
An hour later, at the small dinner place Klaus had suggested, she asked him if it had been that bad, and he shrugged. "It was all right. I'm glad you're alive."
She snorted into her drink, about to say that she was glad too, but when she saw the serious look on his face, her smile immediately dropped, and she realized that he'd been genuinely worried for her.
"Me too," she said softly. "And I'm glad you're all right."
He grinned. "I'm indestructible, love, remember?"
"You ruined the moment," she complained, and he smirked, just taking another sip of wine.
XXX
Caroline became vaguely aware that her dream of Klaus's tongue between her legs had somehow become reality as she faded into consciousness, moaning his name loudly.
His teeth scraped against her inner thigh in response, and she swore softly, her fingers tangling in his hair.
"Just like that," she breathed, rolling her hips against his lips, and she felt him smirk against her skin.
She came undone only a few moments later, and he pulled away before pushing her down onto the private plane's plush carpet, attaching his lips to hers again before pulling away.
"I'm sorry, I fell asleep on you again didn't I?"
"Yes," he said, looking vaguely amused.
"I'm sorry," she said again, reaching between them to wrap a hand around his cock, brushing her thumb around the head.
He shuddered against her, his muscles tensing. "Let me make it up to you?" she offered.
"How do you propose to do that?"
"Do you want me to suck your cock, Klaus?" she asked, her voice still slightly husky from sleep, and he raised an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across his face.
"I'm not really in a position to say no."
She snorted, flipping them over and beginning to kiss down his body when she found herself being turned around, his lips sucking lightly against her inner thigh as she tentatively licked the tip of his cock before taking him in her mouth, moaning around him as Klaus swiped his tongue across her entrance.
She'd never done this before, trying to keep her mind on pleasuring him while his tongue was moving so perfectly against her slick skin, and she whimpered around him as he flicked his tongue against a particularly sensitive spot, his fingernails biting pleasurably into the flesh of her ass and upper thighs.
Klaus groaned at her taste, and she flushed at how filthy the sounds were, the way her cheeks hollowed around his cock as he eagerly lapped at her pussy. She rolled her hips against his face as he fucked her mouth, and she felt her release building quickly as he brought out every single trick he'd learned to make her writhe and moan against him.
Caroline closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking him firmly, and she pulled away to lick along his shaft, her tongue swirling around the tip of him before taking him into her mouth again.
She lightly ran her teeth along the bottom of his shaft, and he mumbled what must have been a swear word against her pussy as he tongue-fucked her. Taking that as a good sign, she did it again, and his hips jerked as he thrusted into her mouth, making her gag hard around his cock.
She felt herself shatter, her orgasm making her body shudder against him as she rolled her hips against his face, and he came in her mouth just after. The position she was in caused her to gag around his come before she swallowed, and he groaned at the sound as he licked her juices away.
She pulled away and rolled off, about to say something about how they were totally going to do that again when the plane attendant tentatively knocked on the cabin door, announcing that they'd be landing in Tokyo shortly. Caroline called out a thank you before crawling away from him to retrieve her bra, clipping it on.
"Do you know what day it is?" he asked abruptly, and she frowned as she adjusted her breasts in the cups of her bra before pulling on her blouse.
"Um, Thursday?"
He scoffed. "No, sweetheart. The day of the year."
"Oh my god," she whispered. "It's been a year. I didn't even notice."
"Do you miss them?"
"Of course," she said immediately. "But not them so much as who we were before...everything."
He nodded thoughtfully.
"I really like the new friends we made too," she said cheerfully. "Well, the ones I made. You kind of just sulked in a corner. You know, it might be good for you to learn how to play well with others."
"Perhaps," he said vaguely.
She zipped up her skirt and checked her hair in the airplane window before biting her lip and turning to Klaus. "Do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she said, smiling slightly. "You're not so bad yourself."
He gave her a small dimpled smile, and she sat down on the bench, clipping her seatbelt on and ignoring his exasperated smile.
"It's safety, okay?"
"I love you," he said.
She froze. "How did we get from airplane safety to you saying you loved me? Big jump, Klaus."
"It seemed like the right time."
"I guess it is someday, isn't it?" she said softly, looking out the window.
"Is it?"
She gave him a brilliant smile. "I love you too."
XXX
"Marry me?"
"That sounds like a terrible idea, love."
She thwacked him lightly with a pillow, making him laugh.
"Why is it a terrible idea?" she asked, only half-serious.
He shifted, his hand moving down her side to rest on her hip, his thumb rubbing light circles against her skin as he thought through his answer. "Marriage is a very human thing."
"So?"
"Marriage is too short for us," he said simply. "It is a human's forever. They're theoretically linking themselves until they die. You and I, my love...death will not claim us. We have eternity."
She felt her throat close as tears welled in her eyes. "Oh."
"That is, if you'll have me."
"Forever," she agreed solemnly, rubbing her nose against his. "Can I still call you my fiancé though?"
He wrinkled his nose. "Why?"
"It'll be really hard to explain that you're my eternal soulmate to my future co-workers."
"Fair enough," he said, his lips twitching. "Sleep, love. Tomorrow's our last day in Tokyo."
XXX
"Caroline, your fiancé is here."
"Are you serious?" she asked irritably, turning around and contemplating how best to knock out Klaus with her clipboard. "Again? I'm working."
"Again," he confirmed. "And that's why he asked me to come get you. I guess he's hoping you'll stop being angry by the time you go to see him?"
"Fat chance." Caroline's eyes darted to the clock, and she sighed. "I assume he's waiting in my office?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I tried having security escort him out, but…" his eyes darted around and he moved closer, lowering his voice. "He told me that he'd have their kidneys forcibly removed and fed to them before they healed so you wouldn't know a thing."
Caroline sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Great. That's great. Okay, I'll be right there. Thank you, Ted."
"Sorry again."
"Not your fault. He's an ass."
She pulled aside one of her more competent directors and told him to make sure everything was ready for the next segment in an hour and that she'd be holding him personally responsible before walking back to her office, her heels clicking on the floor.
She was all too aware of the reason Klaus decided to visit that day (it was their anniversary), but that didn't make her any less annoyed with him.
Klaus was waiting in the small room between the hallway and her office where Ted's desk was, and she shot Klaus a glare before unlocking the door. She left it open behind her, moving to her office chair to bend down and set her clipboard away, and flip through her office planner to make sure that she was reasonably free for the next half hour.
Klaus followed her in, both of them denying her assistant's offer of a drink before the door closed behind him. He reached back and pressed the lock button, and Caroline stood up, crossing her arms over her chest before walking around her desk to look at him.
"You can't just keep randomly turning up at my office, Klaus. This is work, and you're supposed to stay home."
"But coming to see you here is so much more fun. You have the most delicious pout on your face when you're upset, love. I just want to take your lip between my teeth and-"
"No," she said, leaning against her desk and glaring at him. "I'm busy."
"Too busy for a little break?"
She huffed. "My assistant knows that we keep having sex in my office, I think."
"I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest. You're not exactly quiet," Klaus said, pulling her flush against him. "And your security guards at the front are getting a bit too confident. They tried to escort me out when I first arrived."
"Well, maybe if you'd stop coming to my office in the middle of the day to bother me that wouldn't happen. I heard that you threatened them, by the way. Not okay."
"Now, love, you wouldn't want them to make me angry, would you?" he said teasingly as he bent to lick and nip at her ear.
"What are you going to do? Stop visiting? I don't see a problem with that," she said even as she tipped her head to the side, encouraging him.
"No, but I could buy the news station and become your boss. Think of all the fun we could have."
"That's both creepy and unethical, and I wouldn't be very happy with you if you did that. I like to keep my work life and private life separate."
"That's going quite well for you at the moment," he said against her skin before placing a soft, open-mouthed kiss to it and sucking lightly.
"Klaus," she moaned, unsure even to herself if she was moaning or complaining. "I have to work…"
"All right, love. I suppose you're right," he said, pulling away, and she whined at the loss of contact.
"Seriously?"
She hadn't actually meant for him to stop…
"In my defense, I didn't actually come here to seduce you. You just look very tempting in that skirt."
"Then why are you here?"
"I have a surprise."
Of course he would have a surprise instead of a quick (but fantastic) anniversary celebration in her office.
"What kind of surprise?" she asked suspiciously. "Is it a good one?"
"I'd like to think so."
"Okay...I'm listening."
"I know that you have a month-long sabbatical available that you can take. In fact, you're required to take it at some point in the next six months."
"I'm aware," she bit out, unhappy about being forced away from work.
"Well, I talked to your little assistant, who was happy to begin preparing for your departure next week–"
"Next week? He can't get everything ready in a week!"
"He's had two months to plan."
"How did he keep it a secret?" Caroline asked, genuinely impressed.
"Carefully."
She was silent for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Where are we going? Dallas too boring for you?"
"Well, I have a few things planned in Paris for the twelfth, but other than that, it's up to you."
"Are we going to Rome and Tokyo too?" she asked, trying to suppress the teasing smile welling up on her face.
"If you'd like. I figured you could spend the next few days getting the itinerary together while I attempt to distract you, and then we can leave on Thursday."
"Can you help? We already did all of the tourist spots last time."
"I'm sure that I can think of a few things that might not be in all the vacation books."
She grinned and slung her arms around his neck, kissing him briefly on the lips. "Good."
"So, did that qualify as a 'good surprise'?"
"Yes, definitely. Although I don't know how we're going to top the last time."
"We have eternity to try, sweetheart."
"We do. And we will. Someday."
A/N: Please let me know what you thought! I had a lot of trouble with this one, so I'd love to know what you liked and what you didn't :)
Hugs!
-Angie