AN: Hi guys! Thanks for all the awesome reviews and the follows and everything! You're the best.

Another long chapter, I don't know what has gotten into me.

I hope you'll like it!

Chapter Eight – If you dare come a little closer

It had been two days since Caroline had seen Nik. And more often than she'd like to admit she caught herself thinking of the night he snuck into her bed. She played it over and over again in her head and every time she was thinking about him, she found herself smiling foolishly.

When she had woken up that morning, he had not been there anymore. And she had wanted him to be there. What was happening to her?

As Caroline realized that she had been counting the days since she saw Nik, she realized she had not been counting the days since she last saw her friends. She immediately felt guilty. She had been so wrapped up in her own head and this new world of the supernatural that she had forgotten to inform her friends about her whereabouts. She wasn't looking forward to that conversation, but it had to be dealt with.

Caroline headed to the salon where the nearest telephone was located. The apartment was quiet, but she didn't think she was alone. If she had learned anything during the past week, it was that vampires could sneak up on her without an effort.

Here goes nothing, she thought to herself when she waited for someone to answer.

"Gilbert residence, Jeremy speaking," Elena's brother answered.

"Hi Jer, It's Caroline. Could you ask Elena to the phone?"

"Care? Where the hell have you been? Everyone has been worried sick. Your father's been here looking for you."

"I'm fine, Jeremy. I just had to get away." He sighed and told her to wait when he called Elena.

"Caroline?! I thought you had died or something!" Elena's frantic voice came from the other end of the line.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't call you sooner. I just had so much to think about."

"I'm just glad you are fine. You are fine, aren't you? Where did you go? Why did you leave?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. I just needed to get out of my house."

"Because of your dad? Jeremy told me you've had some trouble with him." Caroline sighed. No one knew. Except Jeremy. He had witnessed one of those incidents and Caroline had begged Jeremy not to tell anyone about it, and he had respected her wishes. She didn't need any pity. Apparently now Jeremy had thought it necessary to mention it to Elena, and Caroline couldn't blame him. She had been missing for days now, and she had not told anyone where she had gone.

"Yes, I needed to get away from my father." She didn't want to go into the details.

"But where are you?" Caroline didn't want to lie to her friend. But she knew Elena would not take the news lightly. In the end, she chose truth.

"You remember Nik? I'm at his place." The line went silent for a while.

"Care, are you telling me you are at a vampire's house? Please tell me you know some other Nik?"

"I am indeed at a vampire's house, yes."

"Did he glamour you? I need to call Bonnie, we need to get you out of there!"

"No, he didn't glamour me. Well, he did once, but I'm over that now. I'm actually fine. This place is huge. And the food is great." Caroline tried to joke about it, but Elena did not think it was funny.

"Your father is out of town again. You can go home again. Bonnie and I can come get you."

"That's good to know, since I'd like to have some of my things here, but I'm not going home, Elena."

"Caroline, listen to me. He is a vampire. He kills people. He's evil."

"You can't tell me anything I don't already know, Elena. I really appreciate your concern, but I'm good here. Actually, I'm better than I have been for a while. I'm going to stay here as long as I figure something more permanent out. I don't really have access to any money right now, but I'm trying to figure things out. But I'm figuring them out from here."

"I'm sending Bonnie to talk some sense into you. She's a witch. You need to come home. He's a vampire!"

Caroline couldn't take it anymore. She had been struggling with the fact that she herself wanted to be a vampire for weeks now, and now her friends only argument to get her go back to her abusive home was that the man who had taken her into his house was something she wanted to be too. It made her angry and sad to know that if and when she turned, her best friend would no longer be there for her.

"Good bye, Elena. I hope we can talk later."

"No, wait –" Elena started, but Caroline ended the call before she could say anything else. Caroline felt like crying, but she couldn't. She had known from the very beginning that if she ever turned, she would have to leave her human life behind. But Elena had been in her life for as long as she could remember. And her words had hurt. Elena wasn't walking about her, she knew that, but how she viewed Nik would be how she viewed Caroline after she had convinced Nik to turn her. Everything in her life was changing. And she couldn't always tell if it was good or bad. Getting away from her father and her predetermined future was great, but losing Elena… She had always thought that she would be in her life forever. But forever is a long time for a vampire.

"Caroline?" a feminine voice called. Rebekah was standing by the door, looking a bit concerned.

"Hi, Rebekah. What brings you by?"

"Well, I was going to see what my brother was up to, but then I just saw you sitting here all alone. Is everything okay?" Her concern seemed sincere. And frankly, there was no one else to talk to.

"It's just my friends. They don't really approve of me being here." Rebekah nodded, and took a seat next to Caroline.

"I'm not going to tell you that I know how you feel and then try to tell you that everything is going to be okay, because most likely everything will turn out terribly and Mikael will kill us all. But while we're still alive, we might as well enjoy it. How about shopping?"

She was right. It did Caroline no good to dwell on possibly losing Elena when she turned. She could deal with it when she had to. And right now, shopping sounded damn good.

"I would love that," she said and smiled at Rebekah. She was actually nicer than she had originally thought.

"Did I hear something about shopping?" a voice called and Nik's creepy friend walked in.

"Stefan, go away, this is for us girls," Rebekah said, but still smiled at him. She obviously liked this creepy man named Stefan. Well, he was good looking; she had to give her that.

"Oh, you really think he will let you take her out by yourself? With Kol still out there?" Rebekah scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me, but I can go out whenever I want to, thank you very much," Caroline said with a sudden burst of confidence. Maybe it was because he was referring Nik not wanting Caroline to get hurt, and thus Stefan was likely not to hurt her.

Stefan merely smiled and poured himself a whiskey. Nik walked in just as he was raising the glass to his lips.

"What's going on? Stefan? Bekah?" He looked like he always did. Incredibly handsome. But he wasn't dressed in his smart suits as he usually was. Instead he was wearing a long sleeved undershirt and suspenders and they were covered in paint. Needless to say, he looked even more handsome than ever before. Caroline bit her lip as she stared at him. She couldn't look away. Maybe it was just because she hadn't seen him in two days, but he was ever more appealing to her than ever before.

He met her gaze, and she got a weird feeling that he was able to read her thoughts. Even the idea of him knowing what went through her head made her blush.

"Caroline and I are going shopping." Rebekah informed, earning a disapproving glance from Nik.

"Do you really think it's the best idea to go out know that Kol is out there, with the daggers?"

"Oh come on, Nik! He doesn't even have the ash, and he's not going to hurt me, I'm his little sister."

"He hurt Caroline," he hissed behind closed teeth.

"Great, let's just continue talking like I am not even in the room!" Caroline finally said as she got rid of the haze inflicted by Nik's good looks. Every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at her.

"We're going shopping, right?" Rebekah asked.

"Yes. Also, I'd like to go home and gather some of my things." This made Nik tense. He was clearly alarmed.

"Home?" he asked quietly.

"Well, yes. I have some things I'd like to gather before my father thinks to throw it all away." Nik was still all tense and worried. "My father is out of town," she added quickly and he got visibly more relaxed.

"Okay, fine. But would you mind if we came shopping too? I do need a new hat," Nik smiled adorably, and frankly, Caroline couldn't say no to that. Those eyes were pleading for her to say yes, and she couldn't deny him.

"Fine, you can come." Rebekah rolled her eyes, but when she turned to look at Stefan, the look in her eyes told Caroline that she was pleased he was coming. Caroline was still weary of Stefan, but she clearly liked him. Maybe he wasn't that bad?

Nik smiled at her and disappeared to change into something more appropriate. When he left Caroline realized that she didn't have any money. Damn.

The cab ride was very awkward for Caroline. She was seated between Nik and Stefan. Rebekah and Stefan were whispering something she couldn't hear and laughing about it, and Nik just sat by her side, not saying a word. She couldn't think of anything to say to him. Should she bring up the fact that he had crawled into her bed a few days ago? She really wanted to. She needed to know why he had left. She had woken up feeling so happy, but then he had been gone. Caroline chastised herself for feeling that way. She shouldn't be affected by his doings. But she was.

The cab halted in front of an upscale boutique. Nik helped her out of the car and into the side walk. The sun was shining and the trees were already getting leaves. Caroline loved the spring time; it was her favorite time of the year.

They were greeted at the door and Rebekah immediately abandoned Stefan and grabbed Caroline's arm. Everything was just so beautiful, and Rebekah clearly knew what she liked. Caroline picked a few dresses to try on. Nothing wrong with trying. She had a feeling that Rebekah would spend enough money for the both of them.

Nik and Stefan got seated outside the dressing room and were served coffee. Caroline was used to trying out clothes with Elena, but this was completely different. Rebekah insisted that they would come out of the dressing room at the same time and parade in front of Nik and Stefan. They acted like they did it on regular basis, so Caroline just went with it.

The first dress she tried on was black. It wasn't bad, but she didn't love it. Nik and Stefan of course complimented both of their dresses, but Bekah just shook her head and led them back to the dressing rooms. The next dress was dark blue, and ended just below the knee. It would be a perfect dress for a night out, and Caroline adored it.

When Bekah got out of the dressing room, Caroline paused.

"Those are trousers." Rebekah just smirked at her and nodded.

"One step towards equality, don't you think?" she asked and Caroline had to agree. It looked odd to have a woman wear trousers, but she made them look good. She immediately liked Rebekah more. She clearly agreed with Caroline on the issues of gender equality. Perhaps she needed to get a pair too.

"That dress is gorgeous. You must take it," Rebekah said as they walked into the lounge where Stefan was clearly spiking his coffee with something illegal.

"Doesn't she look amazing in this dress, Nik?" His eyes were already on Caroline. But they weren't looking at the dress, they were staring straight into her eyes. The way he was looking at her made her heart beat faster. How awkward. They all could hear it. But she couldn't help it. The way he looked at her made the butterflies in her stomach go wild.

"She looks perfect," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving her. The kiss they had shared days ago popped into her mind. His lips had felt heavenly against hers. She found herself wishing that they were alone. What was it about him that made her like this?

"You must get the dress, Caroline," Rebekah insisted.

"I think it's a bit outside of my price range," she murmured. She didn't usually have money troubles, but she couldn't really go asking money from her father now.

"Don't worry about it," Nik said.

"No, I'm really fine without it," she said, already feeling bad about living with him without cost and eating his food, but now he wanted to buy her a really expensive dress?

"Come on, Caroline, he wants you to have it and he has no shortage of money, so just take it," Rebekah said.

"No, I really couldn't."

"Oh for Christ sake, just accept the dress and let's get out of here!" Stefan said, now drinking openly out of his flask.

"Thank you, it's very nice of you" Caroline finally managed to say.

"Not really, love. It's actually quite selfish, as I like seeing you in the dress," he smirked.

"Now you ruined the dress. No need to buy it, I won't wear it," Caroline smirked right back at him. Sometimes he was such an annoying cocky son of bitch.

"Oh come on, love. I do want you to have it. I like to see that smile on your face." She couldn't keep on the angry face for a long and cracked a smile.

"Ah, there it is. Take the dress, and wear it for dinner," Nik said.

"I think it's a bit fancy to be worn just for dinner at the dining room."

"Then we better take it out for a spin, don't you think sweetheart?" Caroline hadn't been out in a long time and she couldn't help but to think how much fun she would have.

"Deal." She smiled.

"Can we just get out of here already?!"

"Oh shut up, Stefan." Rebekah barked. Caroline laughed, exchanged looks with Nik and disappeared into the dressing room.

Rebekah had dragged them into way too many stores, and now Caroline had a new dress, gloves and shoes. Nik had also found his hat, and he looked so good in it that Caroline had hard time taking her eyes off him.

They were outside on the side walk, taking a little stroll. The weather was just so beautiful that Caroline had insisted on it. She felt proud of herself. She had insisted three vampires to go on a stroll with her. It felt odd that she had actually once feared for her life when she had been around Nik.

Rebekah and Stefan were way ahead of Nik and Caroline, and she was glad that she had a moment with him.

"I wanted to thank you. For everything. Letting me stay with you, eating your food, and now for all this," she said and pointed at the bags that Nik was carrying for her. He really could be a gentleman when he wanted to.

"You don't need to thank me," he said slowing down even more, letting the distance between them and his sister and friend grow.

"I really do. I know I haven't been the best quest in the world, and I can't even tell you when I'm leaving." Suddenly Nik grabbed her hand and stopped abruptly.

"You don't have to leave," he whispered and looked down into her eyes. His hand was clutching her forearm.

"I can't exploit your hospitality forever, Nik."

"You don't need to leave. You can stay as long as you want to." Something in his voice made this matter seem so urgent, so important.

"Right now I have no other options, but surely you'd appreciate to get your privacy back." His eyes got even more intense and he seemed to be so close to her, so close she could touch her lips with his if she would just lean in…

"Caroline, I don't want you to leave," he said and he almost seemed to be in pain when he said it.

"Oh…" She couldn't think what to say. He didn't want her to leave… Her heart was filled with something she didn't quite recognize. A wide smile appeared on her lips. Someone actually wanted her.

"I don't want to leave," she said with a smile.

"Good." He said, leaning closer. He was so near that Caroline could feel him breathing.

"Oh my god! Look, a bird shat on Stefan!" Rebekah screamed, completely ruining the moment. Caroline cursed under hear breath, but joined the others in laughing at Stefan's misfortune.

Rebekah and Stefan headed back to Stefan's apartment and Nik volunteered to go fetch Caroline's belongings from her house. After the cab pulled to a halt in front of her house, Caroline turned to look at Nik.

"I know you won't stay here and wait, so I just want to say a few things. My mother is not well. Her mother died a few months ago, and she has been worse. She might be a bit disoriented. I just wanted to give you a heads up," Caroline told him. He nodded and helped her out of the cab. The truth was that her mother had been like this ever since she could remember. Sometimes she was fine, happy and cheery, but the other times… She couldn't get out of bed. She slept all the time. Her father refused to take her to a doctor because it would be embarrassing and he could lose his reputation or something equally stupid.

Caroline loved her mother more than anyone in the world, but she never told people. Normally no one met her mother, and now Nik was meeting her. Somehow it seemed very significant for Caroline.

The house was quite. Their housekeeper Molly was probably retired for the day, so it was just her and Nik.

It was odd to be back. The house didn't look any different, but it felt off. Then it dawned to her. It was not her home anymore.

"Let's go pack my things and then go see if my mother is okay." Nik just nodded and followed her to her room.

Her room was very bright. The walls were painted yellow and all her things were left just as she remembered. Only the wardrobe was empty due to Nik's intrusive but thoughtful nature. Caroline grabbed a travel bag from the closet and started putting her things in.

She took all her jewelry, her photos and a teddy she'd had since birth. Finally she reached under her bed and lifted a loose floorboard. It was full of money. She had been saving since she was eleven.

"Why do have all this money in there?" Nik asked and held the bag for her as she stuffed it in.

"When I was eleven I seriously thought of running away. So I started saving. I never went through with it, but kept saving if I would just wake up one day and decide to leave." Nik didn't say anything. He just looked at her. Not with pity as anyone else she knew would have. But perhaps with respect.

After she got the last bills in the bag and got up from the floor with his assistance, he didn't let go of her hand.

"Now you'll never have to use it," he whispered. Tears were forcing their way down her cheeks. She smiled and nodded. She had gotten out. He had been her way out. And now that she was outside with him, she didn't want to leave. She squeezed his hand and led him out of her room to her mother's bedroom.

She knocked, but did not wait for an answer. She never answered.

"Hello mom," Caroline said to the woman under covers, her head barely visible.

"Caroline? Is it you?" She stirred a bit and looked at her daughter and the strange man standing at the end of her bed.

"It's me mom. I hope you have been okay while I was gone." She sat to the edge of her bed.

"Yes… You were gone… I'm so sorry Caroline," she mumbled.

"No need to be sorry, mother." Her mother grabbed her hand and looked at her with clarity she hadn't seen in a long while.

"I didn't protect you. I should have sent you away. I'm so sorry, darling." Tears were now running down her cheeks. Caroline had never heard her mother talking about this. She hadn't even known that she had known.

"It's okay, mom. You couldn't have done anything."

"No, I should have done something, Caroline. But everything has been so hazy… Do I know him?" she asked and nodded at Nik.

"No, mom. He's a friend of mine. He took me in."

"He's handsome," she said, making Caroline smile.

"Yes, he's very handsome," Caroline agreed and glanced at Nik. He smiled at her.

"He's a good man, for taking care of you."

"He is." It felt odd to talk about Nik when he was right in the same room, but it also felt good to finally let him hear what she thought of him. Or at least a part of it.

"Do you like him?"

"Yes, I like him very much," she murmured.

"He makes you happy. You father never made me happy. You should hold on to the people who make you happy, Caroline."

"I will, mom."

"Good, good. I'd like to be at the wedding, but I don't think I have that much time left." Caroline blushed. Why had she let Nik come with her again?

"Mom, don't say that. You're fine. And no one is getting married."

"I feel it Caroline. I'm fading away. And it's okay. I'm glad I got to see you. I've meant to tell you that I wanted you to have some things. They were my sister Jane's. When my mother died all their things were sent here. Jane died in 1912, but all her things were still at our parents' house. She had just gotten married and they were going to come here. I hadn't seen her in years. But the terrible ship accident…"

"She died on the Titanic?" Caroline had never heard her mother talking about any of this. She knew she had two aunts, but nothing more. She had never met or heard of them.

"Yes. Her James had bought tickets as a surprise. She was so excited. James and her and just gotten married and they were very happy. He was a good man. And they were perfect together. You would have liked Jane. It's a shame you never got to meet her. But I wanted to give you her things. There are some clothes, books, diaries and jewelry. I think you might find some of it useful. The box is in the closet. I went through her things. I miss her so much."

"Thank you." The box was heavy and very large.

"Let me help with that," Nik murmured as she noticed Caroline clearly struggling with it.

"Mom, I don't really have to take these things, I think you would enjoy them more."

"I won't be enjoying them for long, darling. Besides, I think you will really enjoy the dress. It might not be the current fashion, but it's very beautiful."

"Mom…"

"Caroline, I want you to take it, kiss your old mother and then leave with that very fine young man." Caroline was almost certain she heard Nik chuckle when she called him young.

Caroline leaned in and kissed her mother's cheek.

"Now go," she urged Caroline. Caroline sighed but did as she was told.

"I'll come visit soon."

"Goodbye, Caroline."

They took a cab back to the apartment. Caroline hadn't guessed how depressing seeing her mother would be.

"I thought you were talking me to dinner tonight?" Caroline asked as they got up. Nik was carrying the huge box, but it didn't seem to other him one bit.

"Tomorrow, okay?" Caroline nodded and got into the elevator that took them to the top floor. She opened the door for him, even though he probably could have managed it by himself.

"Could you bring it to my room?" Caroline asked. He nodded and walked after her. He put down the box and turned to leave, but Caroline called him back.

"You didn't let me thank you today. But I really need to. Going back today reminded me how much better I am now, and you're the reason. You got me out of there." She took his hand shyly into hers.

"No, Caroline. I'm not the reason you left. I just helped you. If I hadn't been there that night what would you have done?" His thumb stroke the back of Caroline's hand.

"I would have gone home, drunk. Acted like nothing had happened and lived my life like before." He shook his head.

"You don't give yourself enough credit. Sure, you might have done all that, but I think you would have taken that money you saved, and left."

"I never used the money before, why would have this time been any different?"

"Did you go out and get drunk any other time?"

"No."

"I think you were done, Caroline. You'd had enough. If I hadn't been there, you would be somewhere else right now, but not at that house. You don't owe me anything, Caroline. You did it yourself. You made the decision to leave. Give yourself credit."

He was right. She had never before gone out after he had beaten her. But that night she had. She left.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"Don't ever doubt yourself," he whispered. And he was so close, too close. She wanted his to come even closer. His mere presence was driving her crazy. But he did not close the gap between them, instead he let go of her hand and turned to leave.

"Nik," Caroline called. He turned around to look at her. She walked to him, got on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth against his.

His lips didn't respond immediately, but when they did, Caroline felt like she could faint. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her hands found his hair and she couldn't help but to yank it in the heat of the kiss. She moaned against his mouth, making him hold her even tighter against him. But she was merely a human. As much as she wanted to kiss him forever, she sunk back to catch her breath.

"Good night, Nik," she whispered, her head pressed against his chest. His hand came up to stroke her hair. She never wanted to leave his embrace. This must be what heaven felt like.

"Good night, love," he murmured and pressed a kiss to her head. He let go of her and immediately she felt cold, bare. Like something was missing. He glanced at her for one last time and left her standing alone in the empty room. And right at that moment Caroline realized how empty her life had been. Before Nik. She sank into her bed and pressed her hands against her face.

She was falling for the monster.

AN: Soooo, what did you think? This chapter was more about Caroline and her feelings etc, but I promise you'll get Klaus on the next chapter. Leave a review!