Disclaimer: I own nothing. But please, don't copy the plot. That's mine.

AN: Hello, again! I got this one ready faster than I thought. So here we go. Chapter four.

Also, thanks to everyone who followed, favorited and above all those who had the time to review! I really appreciate it. Enjoy!

Chapter Four

I stayed in the Darkness with you

Caroline ran. She ran for three blocks until she realized it was not safe to be running in the streets alone. She hailed a cab and got home. It felt like she was paralyzed. She couldn't move for a week. She stayed in bed and the horrible scene of him draining the life out of the poor girl wouldn't leave her. Not for a second. Elena came by with Bonnie. Caroline's father was out of town, so no one would mind Bonnie's presence. Caroline's mother was like a ghost. She was not present, even if she was right there.

Caroline told her friends everything. Well, not everything. She left out the part where she had actually wanted to end her human life. She could only imagine their faces of disapproval. She could not face that.

It took roughly around a week to get Caroline out of bed again. But she refused to go back to the Inn. She couldn't even think about seeing him again. Bonnie and Elena agreed, and they ended up going to another speakeasy. Caroline didn't really want to go. All she wanted to do was lie in her bed and try to forget.

But she couldn't forget. She would wake up in the middle of the night, she would see his face covered in blood. A monster. A monster she had wanted to become. No matter how hard Bonnie had tried to convince her that vampires were bad, she could not hear it. Caroline needed an escape plan. And becoming a vampire seemed so perfect. She was sure that she could control the blood lust. Not all men were killers, surely that applied to vampires as well.

But after what she had seen, she felt sick. The vision of him taking her life… It wouldn't leave her. And even after all that, Caroline couldn't see another way out. She needed a way out. She wanted to be stronger, faster, and more powerful. Seeing him in his true form shocked Caroline. The worst thing was, even after all that, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Becoming a vampire. Caroline tried to tell her self that it was wrong, sick and twisted. Yet, she couldn't make herself believe it. A part of her was convinced that she wouldn't be like him, that she could be better. She needed to get the disturbing thoughts out of her head, so she went out with her friends, only to leave early.

She couldn't fake her happiness as well as she had thought. She didn't want to dance, listen to music and laugh. It felt wrong. The girl whose life he had taken wouldn't ever be able to do that again. And it was only because of her, he had wanted to prove a point, to her.

A single tear left her eye as she neared her house. Caroline didn't really know who she was crying for. For the nameless dead girl, or for herself. Her plan was ruined. There was no way out. She wiped her tears as she paid the cabbie and stepped out into the dark street. Caroline didn't really worry about sneaking in. They had only a little staff, and her mother wouldn't even notice if a bomb dropped on the house. As long as her father was away on his long business trips, she was fine.

Caroline opened the door, finding the house completely dark and quiet. She sighed and switched the lights on.

"Where have you been, Caroline?" A voice asked behind her. She turned around to face her father. All color escaped from her. This was not happening; he was supposed to be out of town. Caroline had trouble keeping her breathing normal.

"Why do you come home at this hour?" he demanded, his voice quiet, yet so threatening.

"I was out, with Elena," Caroline managed to get out. Her father came closer to her. She tried her best not to take a step back. He leaned to her and sniffed.

"Then why do you smell like alcohol? Did you go to a speakeasy, Caroline?" His voice was still sweet, but Caroline knew what was to come. She was shaking. The tears were coming back, but she forced them to stay at bay.

"Yes, father," she whispered, and waited for it to begin.

"Are you a whore, Caroline?" Caroline did not lift her gaze. She couldn't.

"No, daddy."

"Then, why are you acting like one?" he finally yelled. She closed her eyes. Waiting for it. Dreading it. The first punch went for her stomach. She let out a cry and clutched her middle. She tried not to cry, it would only make it worse. She fell on the floor as his fist hit her again, this time it was her throat. She couldn't breathe, she felt like she was suffocating. Caroline kept gasping for air, but nothing seemed to get to her lungs.

"If you act like a whore, then you will be treated as one, Caroline," he breathed as a third blow hit her body. Caroline stayed in the ground, trying to protect her head. She had no concept of time. It felt like it was going on forever, the unbearable pain never leaving her. He kicked her wherever he could. After every single one, Caroline prayed to a god she did not believe in. Prayed that no bones would be broken, that all her organs would be fine, that she would still get to live.

"Daddy, please don't do this…" she whispered, trying to move away from his assault.

"How else am I going to punish you?" He gave her one final kick. "Clean yourself up. And never disappoint me again." Caroline was left on the floor. She heard his footsteps disappearing upstairs. The tears were running wild on her face. She felt every kick, every hit. For a long while she couldn't move because of the pain. She lay there, trying to think what to do. She felt so powerless, so weak. She felt sick. But this was her life. Caroline bit onto her tongue just to stop her from screaming. She had nowhere to go.

But she got up. She felt the pain shot through her body every time she moved. She bit her lip and carried on. She didn't feel like staying here. The thought of seeing her father again sent shivers down her spine. He was supposed to be away, Caroline thought bitterly as she got into a cab for the third time that night.

She didn't even realize what address she had given to the cabbie before he pulled up at the Inn. Caroline hopped out, perfectly aware that she didn't have the password, but she walked to the door anyway. She didn't know where else to go. She couldn't go to the Gilbert's. Elena and Bonnie were probably still out. It was only one am after all. And honestly, she didn't want them to see her like this. It was bad enough to have to go through it, but she couldn't handle her friends' pity on top of that.

"Hey, Caroline! What are you doing here?" Jeremy Gilbert called her as she neared the door. He was outside smoking with some of his friends.

"Oh hi, Jer. I just needed a drink. But Elena always gets us in…"

"I'll get you in," Jeremy offered and dropped his cigarette. He led Caroline in and put his hand on her shoulder. Caroline was grateful for his support. He was the only one who knew.

"Please take care of yourself, Care. You know you are always welcome to come and stay with us." Caroline nodded and hugged him. He was like a brother to her. He took care of her when no one else would.

"Thank you, Jer. You're the best." Jeremy smiled sadly as Caroline left him by the door and headed to the bar.

Caroline ordered whiskey. She ordered another one. And a third. That was when he showed up. Maybe she had wanted to bump into him. Maybe she had come seeking him. It made no sense, but Caroline could not think of another explanation for her being here again, even after everything.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again." He said as he sat on the stool next to her. Caroline didn't lift her gaze, but she felt his on her. Somehow, she felt safe. It was ridiculous, but she did.

"Honestly, I didn't think I would see you either."

"Then why did you come here? I thought we established that I am a monster and you are a vulnerable human, a possible food source." Caroline finally met his beautiful grey eyes. He was truly mesmerizing. When she lifted her head his eyes fell on her throat. She realized the already forming bruise too late. She slapped her hand against her throat, but he had already seen it. He frowned, and something that Caroline thought might have been anger flashed across his face.

"Who did this to you?" he growled. Caroline shook her head and drank the rest of the whiskey in her glass. He grabbed her arm, only to let go after she flinched away. He took her arm again, but this time more carefully. Caroline thought about yanking it back, but it would hurt.

He peeled her sleeve up, only to reveal the already purplish bruise. Nik took a while examining it and took a few deep breaths as to calm himself down.

"Who was it, love?" He asked, this time more gently. She met his eyes. He looked sad.

"It was my father," she whispered and turned her eyes away from his. She didn't want to talk about it. She could feel the tears trying to escape her eyes. She looked at his hand, clenching into a fist. She recognized the anger from a week ago, only this time, it was more intense. Caroline panicked. The last time she had seen that look on his face, someone had died. Caroline grabbed his arm and looked into him.

"Do not kill him," she said sternly. He looked at her with a slight confusion in his eyes.

"I wasn't thinking about killing him," he said.

"Oh please, you had that exact expression on your face before you killed that girl." He looked at her, surprised. They sat there, next to each other for a while. Neither of them said a word. The minutes ticked by. But Caroline's hand did not leave his arm.

"Is this why you wanted to become a vampire," he finally muttered.

"I really don't want to talk about this, Nik." He nodded.

"You know you can't back home, right?" he said, suddenly sounding very young.

"I know."

"So, where will you go?" Caroline shrugged. She hadn't really thought about it. She knew Nik's words were true. Home was not an option. Not anymore. Her limit had been crossed. She couldn't go back to him. Even the thought made her want to throw up.

"You should come stay with me," he suddenly said and touched her hand. She looked down at their joined hands. It was odd. But somehow it felt so right. But this man was a killer! She screamed at herself silently. How could she just sit here, with this man. This vampire. This monster.

"Are you aware, that you killed someone in front of me, less than a fortnight ago? I ran, screaming. Or did you miss me calling you a monster?" He laughed.

"Then why are you here? Why aren't you with your friends, with anyone else but me?" Caroline shook her head. She didn't really know. It made no sense to her. Rationally, she saw the monster. She still saw his face in her nightmares. But somehow she was drawn to him. She knew she shouldn't have been. She should be disgusted by him. And on some level she was.

"Why I am here is irrelevant to the matter at hand. I can go stay with Elena."

"Don't you think that her place would be the first place he's going to look?"

"Fine, I'll just go stay with Bonnie!" Caroline said, frustrated. He laughed at her, mockingly.

"You would move to a one bedroom apartment with someone? Really?" Caroline rolled her eyes. She could stay with Bonnie if she wanted. She wasn't a snob.

"Come on, Caroline. I have plenty of room; you wouldn't even have to see me, if you didn't want to."

"Why are you trying to help me?" she asked. She couldn't see what his motives were. He hadn't made a single attempt of eating her. He hadn't really harmed her in anyway, but he had chased her away. She couldn't read him.

"I really don't know, love." He smiled at her. And she couldn't help but to smile back at him. And right at that moment, he was a viable option. She knew Bonnie and Caroline were out of question. And she really didn't have any other friends. All her other relatives lived in other cities.

"Fine, but only for tonight," she found herself saying. Nik shook his head.

"No way. You stay as long as you need to, until you find something better. And trust me, love, you will have a hard time finding something better," he smirked. Still holding her hand, he stepped down from the stool and helped Caroline down.

"Come on, love. Let's go pack your belongings." And as he led her out of the bar, she felt safe. Safer than she had felt ever before.

Klaus looked at Caroline. She had fallen asleep next to him in the car. As he looked at her, he couldn't help but to think about what he was doing. He didn't know why he was doing this, why he was trying to save her. A man like him shouldn't be in the position to save anyone, the least someone as pure and innocent as Caroline. But the more he thought about letting her go back home to her father made him want to kill something, and bad. For some reason he couldn't let go of her. He needed to keep her safe. All of this was so unlike him that he wanted to back down on the whole thing. But watching Caroline sleep, so peacefully, he found himself wanting to spend more time with her. He couldn't understand why he was feeling like he was. But he feared that it would lead her to join him to his darkness. And Klaus never wanted that fire in her eyes to die, he realized that now. Somehow, in such a short time, she had become someone important. And people who were important to Klaus were never safe.

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