Klaus woke up violently from another nightmare, and it took him a few moments to realize that he was safely back in New York, and not having another evil hallucination with Caroline.
"I hope that Elijah makes that man suffer a lot, for what he did to you."
Klaus turned his head, searching for her voice.
Caroline was sitting on the bed, with her legs folded on her side.
"I trust that he's willing to stand the sight of blood."
"I spent the night watching you, so I know that this is bad…"
Klaus looked at the ceiling, he couldn't hide anything from her.
"I kept that sword hidden from everyone, because I was afraid that they would want to become human again and leave me behind. I spent so long obsessed with breaking my curse that I missed everything around me. What you said last night... how Rebekah saw me, is accurate. I was nothing more than a hollow shell, walking around and then I began to feel but now I lost touch of that again. I can't stop thinking that I doomed you, and that I did exactly what was worst for you, by not being able to walk away and let you go in the first place."
"I need to show you that you're wrong, that you were the best that ever happened to me." She said with love.
Klaus smiled. "Or maybe you should just do the right thing and leave me."
"Ok, that's it!" Caroline decided to leave the bed.
He chuckled as he watched her get dressed in a record time. "You look like you have a plan."
Even if his tease wasn't as cheerful as it usually was, it still made her smile.
"I do…" She easily picked a pair of Jeans and a white shirt for him. "And I need you to trust me."
"Trust you? When you're choosing my clothes? I'm having nightmares, I'm not exactly a basket case, all of a sudden, Caroline."
She smiled sweetly. "I know how to heal that gloominess."
Klaus sighed. "I've learned by now that I can't fight your determination."
She came near the bed for a small peck. "You have five minutes." She pressed the clothes against his chest.
Klaus held his clothes with a cocked eyebrow. "To get dressed or to trust you?"
She flashed a bigger smile at him. "To trust me." She kissed him again, before leaving the bedroom.
"What are we doing here, Caroline?" He was clueless about her sudden interest in this market.
She had a small deep breath. "We're buying a tree."
She looked absolutely innocent, which was the only reason he didn't really snap at her. "Why do you have a sudden urge to buy a tree?"
"Do you know what day it is today?"
Klaus exasperated with a sigh. "Not particularly."
"Time perception is irrelevant to you, right…"
He found her expression somewhat adorable.
"I didn't sleep last night, and I was thinking about a lot of things, when I remembered that today is the first of December and I know that there is only one thing that can fix everything. And that's Christmas."
Klaus eyed her seriously.
"When I was little and my parents were fighting, on Christmas they would make an effort and it was the only time when they actually got along. When I was older and I had fights with Elena or Bonnie, we always worked things up during Christmas. Whenever something really bad happens, everything gets solved during Christmas."
"Caroline logic?" He questioned her reasoning.
She nodded. "I'm determined to make this work and I'm making Christmas happen this year and you're going to help me." She pointed her finger at him sternly.
"You want me to help you make Christmas happen?"
"You need to keep your mind distracted, and I'm giving you the perfect distraction."
Klaus closed his eyes, trying to find the strength to go through with this.
Caroline frowned a little. "I need you to trust me…"
"You're saying that a lot today."
She neared him, so she could sneak her hands under his jacket and warm his back. "Caroline logic is the best."
The comment made him laugh, he didn't mean it, but it did.
She kissed him quickly, then she pulled away and cheerfully grabbed his hand.
Klaus could have turned away, but he only felt soothed when she was around, and he decided to take on the arduous task of choosing a Christmas tree.
Caroline was a perfectionist and every single tree in this vast location had a defect.
One had too many branches, the other too little, one was too tall, the other wasn't tall enough.
"How about that one?"
The saleswoman tried to sell her one that Klaus found decently pretty and with average size.
"It's… too green." Caroline wrinkled her nose in disapproval.
The woman gave her a weird look and then pretended to be busy. "I have another couple waiting, so why don't you look around and call me when you find the perfect tree?"
Caroline gave her a fake smile that quickly turned into an annoyed face, once the woman was gone. "Absolutely awful at her job." She rolled her eyes at Klaus.
"Truth be told, sweetheart, how could she refute the immense fault of the tree that has too much green in it?"
She chuckled. "Obviously, you haven't bought many trees for the season."
"I have never celebrated Christmas."
She became serious. "What do you mean by… never?"
He was concerned, because her voice was coming out emotionally. "Sweetheart…" He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "… Christmas is a recent festivity and one that never allured me to participate."
"But… it's Christmas, Nik…" She whispered with a fat tear glistening in her eye.
"Love… it's not the end of the world." He was completely lost as to why she was reacting this way.
"You never believed in Santa and waited for stupid gifts that meant the world to you on Christmas morning, and you never left milk and cookies for Santa and actually believed that he could come in by the chimney…"
"I actually reckoned that it was quite creepy, that people would want a fat man wearing red to sneak into their home, during this one night." He said honestly.
Caroline sniffled. "You never decorated a house with lights and the tree… and then there's Christmas carols and wrapping up all the presents..."
Klaus cupped her chin, because this obviously was very important to her. "I never did any of that, because I didn't have a reason for it. But now I'm married to Santa's little helper, so I suppose, I can still learn a few things this year."
"I can teach you."
He moved his eyes towards the tree that she just dismissed. "So, that one is still too green?"
She nodded.
"Let's find you the perfect tree, then."
She beamed at him.
They looked for a few more options, until he spotted one that was promising.
"I like this one."
Caroline tilted her head. "This one won't fit through the front door, it's giant, Nik."
"That's why I like it."
Caroline looked at the monumental tree that was taller than the apartment they had in New York. "Everything that you do has to be a statement."
"I thought that we agreed not to discuss our private life in public, sweetheart." He said with a naughty smile.
"Ah! You made a joke… see? It's already working."
Klaus laughed. "Shall we try to find a tree more suited to your high standards?"
She smiled, carrying on with her search, it would be minutes before she stopped with sparkling eyes and pointed at a tree that was a few feet away.
"That one!"
For Klaus, it looked just like all the other ones surrounding them. "You fancy that one, in particular?"
For her, it was bathed by holy light. "It's perfect. It has perfect shape, perfect size, perfect color, it's just… perfect."
Klaus smiled watching her, he couldn't help himself, for she was the only perfect thing in here.
Out of nowhere, Caroline started shaking her head. "No… no… no, no, no." She pointed at the tree in panic. "Where are they taking my perfect tree?"
Klaus noticed the couple speaking to the saleswoman. "I think that your tree was just sold."
"They can't buy it, that's my tree." She protested.
Klaus didn't even dare to say that there were other trees in here.
She pointed at them again and then looked at him. "They are taking my perfect tree away… do something about it!" She snapped.
Klaus squinted. "You want me to kill them over a Christmas tree? Well, I suppose I have killed for less." He shrugged.
She punched his chest. "You don't have to kill them, just… compel them."
He frowned. "You can compel them as well."
"It would be awfully romantic of you..." She said sweetly.
Klaus left to rescue his wife's tree with a sigh.
"He's the best husband in the history of all husbands…" She whispered with a sigh.
An hour later, they were in a fancy store choosing decorations.
Right now, she was very indecisive between a red and white theme or something edgier, like black and white.
"What do you think of these?" She showed him a red bauble. "Do you like them better than the black ones?"
"I love red in you." He replied quickly.
"I'm not the tree, Nik." She dropped her voice.
"I prefer red, nonetheless."
"Red it is…" She turned swiftly and picked up a few boxes that she placed inside of their cart.
Klaus fondled with a few glass ornaments, but he was particularly interested in one that was a small horse.
"Your fascination with horses is so cute." She said next to him.
Klaus grumbled, he did not like the word cute at all, and left the ornaments behind.
Before she moved to the lights department, Caroline poked the little horse, he just gave her the best idea ever for a Christmas present.
Caroline looked at the tree, excited to start decorating it but before getting on with it, she made two side braids so that her hair wouldn't get in the way.
She was humming a song when she placed that first snowflake ornament and it lasted until she emptied the first box, however, when she grabbed the second box, her mood wasn't as cheerful.
Klaus left the house as soon as they delivered the tree and he was gone for the last hour, she was starting to worry and get discouraged as well.
She hoped that he would jump in and help her, maybe she was being naive, but she really wished that he had gotten into the entire spirit of Christmas.
She looked down on the box in her hand and at all the stuff around her, she was ready to give up on the tree.
This was useless and just a waste of time, she was about to go to bed and wait for him, when she heard the key on the door.
"Hey…" She smiled a little at him.
Instead of going straight to her, Klaus faded behind the tree and while she tried to see what he was up to, there was an emerging sound filling the room.
Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la
Klaus smiled, walking over to her with his hands behind his back.
"I know how much you love music, and we couldn't have the Christmas that you wanted, without it."
She shook her head. "I hate you so much sometimes…"
He placed a red Santa hat on her head, which made her laugh.
He frowned, straightening the front of it and made sure that her braids were in place and that the little white ball on top of the hat fell on the right side. "Perfect." He stepped back to look at her.
"Ugh, stop!" She said, overwhelmed with feelings.
"Now teach me how to decorate a perfect Caroline tree."
She took a moment to collect herself, then she smiled. "I don't like trees with lots of stuff, so let's keep it classy and simple."
Klaus nodded extremely seriously at her.
She bumped a bit against his shoulder. "Just handle the lights and I'll do the rest."
Klaus nodded, but before he stole a kiss from her.
Caroline started hanging the ornaments and baubles, singing along with the songs that took her back to the only moments when she had been happy, well, at least before Klaus walked into her life.
She held back a loud laughter, every time that he fought with the light and twirled around confused as to where he was supposed to wrap the next row of lights.
After a very agitated hour, of Klaus constantly stepping in front of her to get his lights where she wanted, she finally placed the last ornament, which was a star on top.
She sighed, stepping away from the tree, happy with the way that it looked, and she faced him excited, waiting for him to light it all up.
Wanting to cause an impression, Klaus connected the Christmas lights to the power, but nothing happened.
Caroline crossed her arms, upset.
"Hmmm…" He let out, truly astonished that it didn't work.
"Are you doing it right?" She asked, rushing to his side.
"Yes, I am." He cut her way proudly. "I believe that I can manage the power outlet."
She gave him a smile. "If you did, that perfect tree would be sparkling and glowing right now."
"I need a second." He said annoyed and went back to fondle with the plug and the power outlet, and something that he had no idea what it was.
She fixed her hat with a grumble. "Seriously… the most powerful creature in the entire universe can't manage to light up a Christmas tree."
"I pay people to do things for me. I compel or persuade them with torture and nasty threats to get things done for me…" He mumbled, wondering why there was a tiny switch on the plug.
He closed his eyes, letting the harsh truth hit him.
The mighty Hybrid just had a typical husband mistake that would grant him eternity of mocking from his wife, hopefully, she wouldn't catch it, and he swiftly moved his finger to the switch.
"Did you forget to turn the switch on?" She asked over his shoulder with laughter in her voice already.
"No…" He answered. "I just fixed the plug and I'm switching it back on now." He said quickly.
"Oh my God, I'm a lousy liar but you're terrible."
Klaus straightened up, so that he could properly scold her.
It was a good try, but she only saw the cutest sulk ever.
"Pouty lips." Mockingly, she placed her lower lip over her upper one and neared him for a kiss, he didn't answer her, which she also expected.
Smiling, she turned around and leaned against his chest to admire the tree.
It looked majestic and colorful, while glowing in the far end of the room just left to the fireplace, it oozed this incredible sense of peace and beauty, and for Caroline, it really was perfect.
Klaus was smitten by it as well and wrapped his arms around Caroline.
He couldn't remember seeing something that warmed his heart so much. "Thank you, Caroline."
"This moment, right now, is perfect. I just ornamented a Christmas tree with my husband and it's exactly as I wanted this moment to be."
"Will you dance with me?" He whispered, with a small kiss on her cheek.
Caroline took his hand, and after he twirled her around, she happily crashed against that chest that was her entire world.
They danced, glued together in front of a magical tree and a mantel with fire, silently burning the wood away.
They kissed as slow as they danced, and Caroline caressed his neck softly.
Then as the kisses progressed, their dance came to a halt.
Her hat fell to the floor and his jacket followed between kisses, that became deeper and longer, still, they were without hurry and Caroline stripped him off his Henley shirt with the same speed.
Lying down, next to the mantel, she arched her back when Klaus removed her shirt by running his hands up her body and she kissed his shoulder whilst he glued his lips to her neck.
It was a slow tasting and Caroline moaned for a second before he stole that sound with his mouth.
It was a long kiss that only had an end, because Caroline wanted to be on top and moved with her palms pressing his chest.
Resting on his back, Klaus marveled at her and undid her braids, so that her hair would fall naturally, he should be weeping at such a sight, framed by the dim light of the fireplace.
Caroline was looking at him vulnerably, she had been so worried about him that it made her physically sick, and now that he was back, she was just completely overtaken with emotion.
She kissed him gently on the lips, then she covered his jaw with tiny kisses. On her way to his neck, she felt his breath changing and by the time she paved his chest with tender kisses, Klaus's breath was thick.
She moved from his chest to find his lips again, it was his chance to turn them around, but the kisses remained as they were. Long, loving and slow.
They were either caressing each other's faces or neck and during the kisses, there was no space between them, but that didn't really change when it was time to move things along.
Everything was slow and close, his breath was entangled with hers, they were literally breathing in one another, and Klaus's slow thrusts were paired with kisses.
There was nothing but love prevailing between them.
It was a sweet pace that was meant to last, but for them it wasn't about sex at all, they were making love to each other and all they wanted, was to be close, to kiss and caress each other.
Klaus moved in his sleep, he was having another bad dream and it was her name that left his lips between restless breaths.
Caroline was watching over his sleep again. He fell asleep where they made love and she pulled the quilt closer to them.
"I'm right here, Nik… I'm right here… I'm not going anywhere, it's my turn to take care of you." She whispered, feeling him relax in his sleep, while she stroked his face with the back of her hand gently.