Cruelest of Choices

I'm sorry, this is angst again. But hold out my lovelies smut is coming next. And then I'll get back to your requests :)

It should have been an easy choice. And a year ago, it would have been. It would always be his brother. Family above all. But things had changed, and he couldn't as easily end the life of the girl that he loved; which was exactly why he was forced with this choice. On the one hand, it was a good thing he supposed. If he had never loved her, he wouldn't have been allowed this choice. But the choice itself? Caroline's life for his brother's? It was impossible. Either way he was losing someone that he loved. So it came down to the girl, bright, vibrant, alive; or his brother, his brother that was already dead.

He wished the witch hadn't approached him with this possibility. That he had never known this chance, this horrible, awful, impossible choice existed. That through dark magic they could use the heart of who he loved most to bring back one who was gone from this world.

And that was the crux of the matter really. Could he end Caroline's life to bring back the brother that was already dead? Was that fair? Kol was dead, gone either way. Klaus wondered for a moment, if Kol had been alive and it was a choice between saving his life or Caroline's what he would have chosen. And he hesitated to chose even in that scenario. He couldn't- his brother meant the world to him, and he missed him everyday, but could he, could he really give up the first girl he had let in, who was just letting him in? Could he end her life, because that was the condition of the spell; could he take the heart from her body and watch the light leave her gaze? Could he live for the rest of his existence knowing he had killed her? Could he live with himself knowing he had had a chance to reunite with his brother but he didn't do it because he loved Caroline too much? Could he go on knowing she was in the world and that her life taken on this night, the night of the blue moon, could have returned at least a part of his family to him?

He couldn't win, either way. Either choice he made would end in nothing but hurt for him. He loved them both, but he loved them in different ways, and it was not a fair choice for him to have to make.

And she stood there staring at him as the witch waited for his choice, he eyes boring holes into him, and she opened her mouth. He expected anger from her that he hadn't so no immediately, her leaving so that the ceremony couldn't be completed. But not what she said, not the words that escaped from her. "Do it. Kill me."

Those four words, tiny words, pierced him to his very soul. That she offer, basically demand with the tone of her voice, was astounding to him. He hadn't-he hadn't thought she even cared for him at all, let alone to make this sacrifice. Her life. Gone for someone that she didn't know, who had hurt her friends, for him. "No."

She approached him, and he saw the tears starting to form in her eyes as her hands reached up to cup his cheeks. "He's your brother, Klaus. I can't- I can't ask you to spare me out of selfishness. He's your brother; I understand."

Oh his girl; with startling clarity he realized exactly why he had fallen for her in the first place. She was loyal and brave and strong, and she was one of the most caring people he had ever met in his life. But he was angry with her as well. "Do you value yourself so little? That you would give up your life without a second thought?"

"It's not without a second thought though! He's your brother and I know how much he meant to you, how much he still means to you."

"You mean at least as much to me Caroline." He spat out, growing more and more angry that she would just throw away her life. That she still seemed to doubt how much he cared for her. He gripped her wrists gently, soothing his thumbs over the back of her hands. He needed the contact with her.

"Klaus, I'm telling you to do this. I won't live knowing you lost a chance at having Kol back for me. I can't live with that." He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers, moving his hands to wrap around her waist.

"I don't know if I can live without you." He admitted, in a whisper too low for the witch to hear.

Caroline sighed. "You can, and you will. You've been without me for a thousand years."

"But I didn't know what it would be like to have someone like you, and I haven't even-" She silenced him, rising up on her toes to press her lips against his, her hands moving into his hair to pull him further down to her as he responded, pulling her flush against him, forgetting about their audience or what he was supposed to be thinking about. All that mattered was that he was finally experiencing the sweet taste of her lips, the feel of her tongue against his own.

And then she grabbed his hand bringing it to her chest. He thought... well, as he had forgotten their audience he thought she was ready to take things further than mere kissing. Until the sound of tearing flesh filled his ears and his eyes flashed open as the smell of blood- her blood- hit the air, the feel of her blood on his fingers. But she wouldn't let him pull from her lips to stop her, and he felt her heart against his fingers, and she nodded her head... he couldn't, he wouldn't; but had it ever really been a fair choice? And it was what she wanted. He would do anything for her, to make her happy, even this. He pulled as gently as he could, and her lips finally loosened from his, but he cradled her in one arm, handing her heart over to the witch that had approached as the tears fell down his cheeks.

He turned his head to watch as the witch began chanting, and within moments the blurry image of Kol began to appear, growing more and more visible, tangible as the minutes wore on; the witch left as soon as she was sure her part was done. And then his brother was back, coughing, standing on his feet, a smirk on his face. A smirk that dropped when his eyes landed on Klaus and the girl he cradled in his arms. "Brother?"

"It was the cost to bring you back. A life for a life; the heart of the one you love to bring back one has died." He explained, his voice void of inflection or emotion. She was gone, and he was numb, unable to feel any happiness that Kol was back. She was gone forever.

"You shouldn't have." Kol spat, and Klaus looked at his brother in surprise. "You'd be surprised what the afterlife can do for a person."

"It was what she wanted."

"Then she was better than all of us."

Kol was right, she was better than all of them, all of them combined. And he should not have let her do this; he shouldn't have done this. He should have left, with her.

"Come on brother." Klaus jumped slightly when Kol grabbed hold of his arm tugging him away from the scene. "We can give her a proper burial, the one that she deserves."

Klaus nodded, following behind his brother, wondering how he would ever be able to explain, to justify what he had done to anyone. Least of all himself.

A/N: thank you all for your continued reviews and support; and putting up with the angst I dole out :)