Okay, this is my second KC Hades/Persephone Week drabble for klovec/loveyou914.

Prompt: Klaus first met Caroline when she came home with his sister as one of Rebekah's human friends. Klaus didn't have much use for humans but was taken with Caroline. He kidnaps her and turns her to make her his eternal companion. KC-Hades/Persephone Inspired

he saw my bones beneath and offered me half his kingdom

Surprisingly, it was the dawn of spring the first time Rebekah brought Caroline home to meet her reclusive brothers –

– Klaus still rolled his eyes at the frankly plebeian human name his sister had chosen - Rebekah, really, little sister? –

– but a thousand years later had given him time to come to terms with and accept her ill-advised decision –

– and Caroline had to blink a few times the first time she laid eyes on the trio of hot-as-fuck brothers of her newest friend.

The one in the middle – all dishevelled blonde curls and stubble that she would love to feel scrape against the inside of her thighs – had her heart racing to a completely different rhythm with just one, sly smirk on his reddened lips – why the fuck are his lips so red? – Caroline one-part aroused, one-part annoyed at the smugness she could practically see emanating from him. It was just the way his head was cocked and his cornflower-blue eyes ran over her body, as if he were judging her and deeming her good enough for him – like who the hell even cares? She thought, spitefully, as a way of distracting herself from the way her stomach clenched at the burning, I-want-you-in-my-bed-naked-and-moaning-and flushed look he was gracing her with – the asshole.

Klaus' lips curled into a smile when his eyes feasted upon the delicious morsel his sister had brought home for him, choosing deliberately to ignore the sharp, warning look in his sister's ice-blue eyes, telling him quite firmly to keep his dark, ashen, death-bringing Underworld hands off her new best friend otherwise she would cause him a great deal of pain –

– although he barely resisted the urge to scoff out loud at this – lest he make the lovely Caroline think he was positively mad – and he was, just not in an psychosis kind of way, at least not in human terms – after all what could the Goddess of the harvest possibly to her brother who ruled the dominion of the Underworld with an iron fist and even more vicious bite –

But Klaus smiled, welcomingly, nonetheless. He didn't want to scare the poor girl off right away, of course. Not when his interest had only just peaked. The feeling of a soft heard reaching into his ribcage and squeezing his heart, purposefully, jarred him back to reality, and his lips stretched into a boyish grin, dimples that had charmed the knickers off countless woman appearing. Klaus delighted in the way a pink flush rose to Caroline's cheeks. He could smell the hormones sliding on her skin, perspiration beading on her upper lip, palms sweaty, heartbeat quick and dilated pupil.

Perfect.

Klaus' stride was purposeful and predatory and he stopped within inches of her, his hand sweeping hers into his large palm and lifting it up to his mouth to brush a warm kiss on the curve of her delicate knuckles.

"Hello, Caroline," His voice was low and smooth and seductive, his accent curling around every individual syllable of her name and managing to turn it into both the sweetest lyric she had ever heard and trademark dialogue out of a soft-core porn flick. "It is very nice to finally meet you. I am Klaus, Rebekah's older brother. I've heard so much about you." His blue eyes swept over the lean figure she cut. "Of course, Rebekah never told me you were so beautiful."

Caroline swallowed hard and snatched her hand away, her hands fidgeting amongst each other as she vainly tried to ignore the tingles that erupted from her knuckles, stretching into every single vein in hand until her entire arm was trembling.

She cleared her throat and brushed a few locks of spun-gold hair out of her face. Her eyes turned sharp, something which only hollowed out the hunger that was churning in Klaus' stomach.

Feisty little thing, aren't you? I'll have fun taming you.

"So, which one are you?" She asked, loftily, her hand falling to her hip. "Rebekah told me she has a gazillion older brothers. Which one are you? Grumpy, Sleazy or Saintly?"

"Grumpy." Rebekah piped in and grinned to herself when Klaus' dark, warning eyes turned onto her.

"I'm afraid you'll have to take any perception of me that comes from Rebekah with a grain of salt, love." Klaus said, teasingly. "She's always had it in for me. I'd hate to think that our budding relationship would be spoilt by what she sees fit to whisper into your ear."

Caroline scoffed. "You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?" She said, snidely.

Klaus shrugged. "It's my gift. I always know what is worthy and what isn't. And you, sweetheart, are definitely worthy." He purred.

Caroline snorted. "You're charming, I'll give you that. But I'm not interested, Dimples. Plus, I have a boyfriend and I don't think he'd like it all that much if he knew you were hitting on me."

Caroline didn't notice the rush of hot, possessive fury that flitted onto Klaus' face for a brief moment at Caroline's reckless confession. But Rebekah did, and knowing her brother's propensity for anger and violence – after all, it came with his job –, she was at Caroline's side in less than a second, tugging on Caroline's wrist with enough fervency that she caught her friend's attention.

"Come on, Care, we can go work on our project in my room. Get away from my brothers that way." Rebekah said, urgently.

Caroline frowned, slightly bewildered by her vehemence, but acquiesced nonetheless.

It was months later that Caroline made her next trip to the Mikaelson mansion. She couldn't help the way her stomach fluttered in anxiety as she walked the cobbled path to the looming manor. She never forgot the way blue eyes tore holes into every defence she had constructed for herself. A breeze tore through the trees that surrounded the manor – a completely unheralded event as far as summers in Mystic Falls were concerned – and Caroline shuddered, her arms wrapping around her middle and rubbing, as she cautiously approached the sombre home – it's like something out of a fucking Gothic horror novel – she resolved to talk to Rebekah about her house's appearance from the outside – why can't it be like the house in The Great Gatsby? I wouldn't mind visiting that house.

Now, she just felt like she was walking towards the guillotine to be beheaded in front of thousands of avid spectators, or someone would snatch from the ground she walked on and stuff her in some attic in the middle of nowhere until she went completely mental from all the boredom.

The ornate door swung open just as she raised her closed fist to knock.

Well, that's not creepy at all.

Caroline's screwed up her nose and stepped over the threshold, her footsteps echoing in the dimly-entrance hall. She turned around the corner, in the direction where she could hear the soft footfalls of steps and the clinking of glass. Her brow furrowed and she could hear a mumbled, hushed voice, as if someone were speaking to themselves. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and proceeded through the corridor until she came to a solitary room at the end, with the door ajar, letting in just slivers of light into the dark room.

Caroline rapped her knuckles on the door and hearing no answer, took a cautious step inside, the door opening with a slight creak – fuck, that was creepy. Her eyes squinted as she adjusted to the lack of light, blinking furiously as her eyes watered just a bit.

Maybe I should've given this whole Lara Croft-Nancy Drew thing more thought.

From her vantage point, all she could see was a slumped-over figure sitting in a plush armchair, a bottle of glistening, wet bourbon swaying in one hand that was splayed across the armrest. Blonde curls glinted through the shards of light slipping through the gap in the door and Caroline sighed, rolling her eyes. She hesitated before taking slow, careful steps into the dark room, her hand searching the wall beside the door for any light switch that would finally shed a little brightness on the contents of a room that were slowly giving her the shivers – I've been watching way too many slasher flicks.

Finally, her fingers fell upon a small knob on a panel that she ended up smacking with her palm. She flicked it upwards and the room was flooded with artificial light. There was a low, masculine groan and Caroline's eyes narrowed at the figure curled up with booze in the armchair.

Klaus sat there, slumped over on himself, his head hanging limply against his chest, his bottle of scotched pressed against his chest like a lifeline. His eyes were lidded and bloodshot with inebriation and his head swayed, absentmindedly, as if he weren't in control of his own movements.

Caroline approached him, cautiously, her ballet flats skimming against the carpeted floor with minimal noise. Once she reached the armchair, she crouched down in front of him, her hand reaching forward to shake him awake, which he did with a start, staring down at her with bleary eyes.

"Who are you? Wh-what are you doing in my house?" He slurred, his hand sweeping out to the side.

"Klaus? It's me, Caroline. Remember? Rebekah's friend." Caroline said, carefully. "I came to your house a couple of months ago to do some homework with Rebekah and you hit on me like crazy?" She joked, half-heartedly.

"Caroline. Sweet Caroline." Klaus mumbled. "With hair like sunshine and gold."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as the alcohol talking." She said, dryly, ignoring the way her heart twinged and goosebumps flitted across her skin at the affectionate sliver in his low words.

"What-what are you doing here?" Klaus asked.

Caroline shrugged. "Well, I came to see Rebekah. We have some studying to do for finals. But apparently she's not here and you are and you're drunk and this was so not what I was expecting when I showed up here." She babbled. "I hope you don't think I was breaking and entering because the door was totally open when I got here, and my mom's the Sheriff and I really don't want to spend tonight in a jail cell for trespassing, so if you could just forget all this happened, I'd be really grateful-"

"Caroline!" Klaus said, sharply, his voice coherent despite the alcohol sluggishly moving through his system, and his thumb came to slide across Caroline's lower lip in an attempt to still the flow of words spilling from her mouth. "You talk too much." He said, a flash of humour glinting in his eyes.

Caroline flushed right to her cheeks, the redness of her blush travelling endearingly and unsurprisingly temptingly from the base of her throat, contrasting against the milky-white, creamy skin. She quickly shrugged away from his finger on her mouth, the calloused pad of his finger moving smoothly against her lip-glossed stained lower lip, before she gave into the persistent urge thrumming under her skin to suck his finger into her mouth and savour the taste of him on her tongue, something low in her stomach clenching.

She cleared her throat and sighed. "Come on, Drunky McDrunkerson, let's get you somewhere else less depressing than this room." She sniffed, haughtily, her gaze wandering to the few empty bottles of scotch and vodka and whiskey and various other forms of alcohol that littered the floor. "It can't be doing wonders for your sudden desire to drink all the alcohol the world has to offer. Something tells me I don't want to know whatever turned you into a real life version of Tony Stark."

Klaus chuckled, coldly. "There is not much in this world that could drive to me drink as much as this, Caroline. Merely my family."

Caroline snorted. "Everyone's got issues with their family. You don't see me drinking a whole wine cellar's worth of alcohol." She said, pointedly.

"Oh, my issues with my family have been steadfast and constant for a number of years, love." Klaus grunted. "When you get to the point I have in our family feud, all you can do is drink yourself into a stupor."

With a great deal of difficulty, Caroline slid an awkward arm around Klaus' arm and hauled him up to his feet, throwing one of his arms around her shoulders to steady him, as they slowly trotted out of the drawing room that Klaus had cloistered himself in.

Caroline chewed on her lower lip, staring at Klaus' hunched over figure –

– his warmth pressed into her side and sending streaks of heat through her body that reached even her mind and made her dizzy from the scent of his fresh aftershave and the booze lingering on his mouth – like, seriously, how is his mouth that red and almost like he put fucking lip-gloss on it to make it look extra plump and kissable – but she definitely wasn't thinking about that – not at all – because all she wanted to do was help him into a nice cold shower and wash the scotch off him – and she most certainly would not be getting inside with him and that was so not what I was getting at with my shower plan – I dare anyone to say differently –

– worry etched into her thoughtful blue-green eyes –

– the colour of turquoise, Klaus thought absentmindedly.

"Maybe I should take you to the emergency room. You might need your stomach pumped." Caroline said, uneasily.

"I'll be fine, love." Klaus growled out, his heart clenching at the sheer concern that coloured her voice.

No one had ever shown him concern –

– he was the God of the Underworld, for Tartarus' sake – the king of the Dead – lonely and unforgiving –

– that wasn't exactly conducive for great, fulfilling relationships with others – including his family.

He was powerless in the face of the sudden urge to nuzzle her hair as subtly and inconspicuously as possible – after all, he may be older than dirt, but he was no dirty old man– vanilla and peaches and an undercurrent of lavender, he was right – and he did so gleefully, resolving to commit the sweet, human scent of her to his memory.

For someone human and slight and hardly a body-builder, Caroline's grip on him was uncompromising as she led him from the room – even though he really didn't need her assistance, the alcohol sliding out of his veins with every step he took – but he sure as hell wasn't going to let her onto that fact.

Her hair bounced as they proceeded through the corridor, moving through the labyrinth-like mansion until they reached the front sitting room, flooded with light from the door that Caroline had left open. Caroline flushed and deposited Klaus on the nearest couch before quickly closing it behind her. She frowned at the darkness that quickly enveloped the room and moved over to the nearest window, thrusting open the dark, heavy drapes until sunlight lashed in with great force, making Klaus flinch from the sudden shock to his vision.

His hand slid through his dishevelled, sweat-dampened curls before dragging over his face and rubbing his eyes with vigour with the heels of his hand. He ran his tongue over his lower lip and he cautiously opened his eyes to find her standing in front of him, silent –

– although he suspected it was a hard vocation for her – the first genuine smile in centuries flitted across his face as if he were no more than a lovesick boy, not even of age, desperate to see if she trembled under his kisses, if her heart quivered with every graze of his fingers, if she would arch and expose the lean, smooth line of her throat for him to sink his fangs onto and moan at the gush of her blood onto his tongue –

– and her eyes flecked with annoyance, her feet tapping impatiently against the floor, her hand on her hips, cocked in his direction, the taut, hard line of her lush red mouth unimpressed by his antics and the trouble she had gone through.

He sat there, staggered by her ill-advised defiance, his elbows propped up on his thighs, hands inches away from his face

"So," Caroline began, her lips twisting in an echo of a voice that brooked no argument. "Are you going to tell me what was it that made you decide to drink the town's whole alcohol supply in one go?" She asked, crossing her arms over his chest and fixing him with a sharp, piercing look in her blue-green eyes, suddenly flecked with hazel.

Klaus raised an eyebrow, slivers of pride sliding through his veins like hot currents. "Perhaps I don't want to talk about it, love. It is private, after all." He said, challenging, leaning back on the sofa, propping one of his feet to rest on his thigh and sliding his hands to rest on the back of his skull.

Caroline scoffed, the sweet, feminine, disinterested sound sending pulses of heat and interest shotting down Klaus' back until the monster that roared under his skin stormed out of its cage to feast its eyes on a good look at the first mortal that had dared treat him with such indifference in the thousands upon thousands of years that he had been the ruin of mortal life –

– the 'King of the Dead' was no mere moniker someone had gifted him with – his hate and darkness had sunk in and destroyed more souls like Caroline's than he had petted and coddled –

– so what was it about this insignificant little slip of a girl who was no more important than her irritating ability to stick her nose into matters that were not her concern –

– why did she affect him so much, twist his world on its axis and fill his eyes with the sunshine from her hair and the honey of her voice?

"I'm sorry, but does it look like you get a vote?" Caroline asked, snidely. "I just found you completely wasted. You lost any right to claim 'it's private, mind your own business' when I helped you up here." Her hands fell to her hips. "So, let's try this again, shall we? You want to tell me what the hell messed you up so bad that you decided to drink yourself stupid in the middle of the afternoon?" She asked.

Her voice was threaded with just enough worry that Klaus felt a hand jam its way down his throat and squeeze his heart with enough force that he lost any and all ability to breathe, his insides turning to liquid at the force of the concern shining in her aquamarine eyes.

"Why else do people drink, love?" His voice rumbled in a growl, washing over her in waves of pleasure that made goosebumps rise to her arms. "Family drama."

Caroline slowly took a seat on the opposite armchair, leaning forwards until her elbows were jutting into her thighs and placing her chin in her upturned palms.

"Do you wanna maybe talk about it?" Caroline offered, hesitantly, the lines of her face drawn with warmth and the beginnings of affection.

Klaus chuckled, darkly, the sound going to her ears like smooth, heady whiskey down her throat. "Unfortunately, my issues with my siblings are a bit more complicated than a single conversation's worth." He bit out, fury coiling in his stomach until he was forced to stamp down the urge to flash amber, rage-ridden eyes and sharp, bloodthirsty fangs.

Caroline shrugged. "Maybe so, but I've had my fair share of experience with crappy family members. And I'm always here to lend a listening ear if you want one." She said, gently.

Klaus stared at her, bemused at the sheer, honesty that shone on her face. He found a strange fluttering beginning in his ribs – a fluttering that he had never felt before –

– and he realised with amazement and slow horror that the fluttering was fondness –

– and his heart skipped a beat and something clenched in his stomach and he blinked, the warmth spreading through his chest like a torrent of ice water on his skin.

Possessiveness seared through his veins and his cornflower-blue eyes turned sharp as they flecked with gold, when they focused on Caroline's worried visage. He wanted her. He had known that the moment she had walked into his home, his sister at her hip, and had bared her teeth in outrage at his attempts to charm her into dropping her knickers for him. She had hardly been the first woman to reject him. But she was the first woman to utterly enchant the likes of him.

He wanted her – naked and flushed and wet and moaning on his silk sheets, the taste of her blood and skin like wine on his tongue – heady and complex all at once.

It was beginning to set in his bones now.

And he would have her.

He just had to find a way to make her want him –

– want everything that he brought along with him – the death, the throne, the kingdom, the crown and the eternity –

– as desperately as he was becoming.

"But no pressure." Caroline sighed, leaning back against the armchair and letting her sunshine-coloured, spun-gold tresses – that danced as flashes of light perched on them – spill down the backrest.

Heavy-lidded eyes, lashes fluttering, his lip curled into the bitter remnants of a grin, his mouth touched with softness for her despite the displeasure that curdled in his stomach at the reminder of the events that had led to his decision to drink himself into a stupor.

"My siblings… and I… have always had trouble getting along." Klaus said, grimly. "A long time ago, they did something because they felt was necessary to… subdue me when I was out of control, and we never completely recovered from that." He cleared his throat, straightening on the couch.

Caroline frowned in confusion. "Subdue you? What does that even mean? What, did they drug you and lock you in some kind of cell or something? Like a prisoner-esque intervention." She giggled to herself.

Klaus smirked, unwilling to acknowledge how much the irony of her comment amused him.

"So, what did they do?" Caroline asked, curiously. She pursed her lips, a self-admonishing blush rising to her cheeks. "If you don't mind me asking."

Klaus' smile was sharp. "Let's just say something they and I both knew would be unforgivable. And Rebekah thought the four of us staying here in Mystic Falls would help us overcome our differences. But it seems her efforts failed and my brothers have once again become fed up with my personality and have left us." He shrugged, as if it meant nothing to him.

But Caroline knew – the tense cut of his shoulders told her everything she needed to know – it hurt him.

A fierce swell of anger attacked her and left her vision a bloody crimson red. From the conversations she had held with Rebekah, she knew her older brother Niklaus was Rebekah's favourite – the only one to show her any affection, as scarce as it may be. Her eldest brother Elijah was a 'wet blanket' – in Rebekah's words – and a stickler for rules that didn't translate to quality family time, his time too engrossed in the flighty actions of his high-strung wife to give a decent thought to his siblings. And Kol was much too preoccupied with the next piece of tail he could catch to be concerned with her or any of their other siblings – a source of deep resentment for the spiteful blonde.

But, despite his abominable lack of respect for boundaries, Caroline had to grudgingly admit that she agreed with Rebekah's assessment of her siblings.

Klaus was definitely her favourite.

And this had nothing to do with the dimples that made blush rush to her cheeks.

Not at all.

Caroline sniffed, haughtily. "What a bunch of dicks." She bit out, red splotches of anger drifting across her cheekbones and contouring against the porcelain-white skin.

Klaus couldn't help the low, gravelly laugh that burst from his throat. "Well said, sweetheart." He murmured, affection surging in his heart.

"So, they just left? Just like that?" Caroline asked, her brow furrowing.

A low, hash sound formed in Klaus' throat, in a mockery of a chuckle. "You don't know my siblings, sweetheart." He bit out. "They have the ability to walk out on you and make you feel like a degenerate monster at the same time."

"What did they do?" Caroline asked, quietly, her hand twitching at her side, as she fought the desire to reach out and take his in hers.

Klaus gritted his teeth as the memories of their words once again crawled back into his mind and settled there like a never-ending chant ringing through his head.

You lack the ability to experience any true, genuine emotion, Niklaus.

What good are you to this family the way you are?

All you have ever done is make us miserable.

You will always be alone because that is what you wish. Of course, if the time came when you didn't want to be, I'm sure they would also run away screaming.

I pity anyone forced to be at your side for an extended amount of time.

Why do you think we trapped in you in the Underworld all those years ago? We knew that if we allowed you to remain on Olympus with all of us, you would only cause us more ruin.

Rebekah – the only person that continues to see someone worthy in you for some reason – will soon realise that you are beyond any redemption or absolution. She will turn her back on you as we have done and you will truly be alone because that is what you deserve.

"Oh, the usual," Klaus' voice was razor-sharp and sent shudders racing down Caroline's spine. "I am the cause of their misery because I am such a horrible person that I destroy people as I come into contact with them. And because I am such a horrible person, I am and will always be alone because no one would dream of staying with me, lest I turn them to into reprobate as well. And my sweet little sister, Rebekah, will soon see the error of her ways in caring from me – because I am so devoid of returning those feelings – and run away at first chance in fear of me destroying her as I did them and I deserve nothing less because I am said horrible monster."

His voice was dry and mocking and careless but Caroline, much to her sorrow, could see every shard of pain slice into him and leave him bloody and bruised and broken with each single sentiment he spoke aloud.

Caroline scoffed, her nails digging into her palms with suppressed anger, as she imagined smacking the crap out of those two assholes that Klaus and Rebekah were forced to call brothers. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of." She snapped. "A blind person could see that Rebekah thinks that you hang the sun and the moon, for fuck's sake. Seriously, she never shuts up about her sweet artist big brother Klaus. It's actually quite irritating to have to listen to go on and on about you." She crossed her arms over her chest and sank back into the armchair, her eyes challenging him to disagree with her. "If she wasn't half in love with Matt, I'd be worried you guys had some weird Cersei-Jamie-esque relationship going on." She waved off.

A boyish grin spread across his face, dimples tugging at her heartstrings until she found herself melting under his soft gaze.

Fuck, he has the prettiest eyes. I always was a sucker for blue-blue eyes.

"You don't even know me." Klaus pointed out. "How are you so certain that I am not the miserable wretch my brothers seem so sure I am?"

Caroline shrugged. "I don't." She said, simply. "But Rebekah loves you." She said, pointedly. "And she's my best friend. That means she has extremely good taste." She smirked. "So, if she loves you, there must be something in you that's worth loving."

"Perhaps my sister is good at fooling herself into seeing that which is not there." Klaus said, solemnly.

"Okay, I agreed to listen to all your crap because I thought you needed a friend. I didn't, however, sign up for a pity party and my brand of therapy doesn't run that way." Caroline snapped. Her voice softened. "Look, your brothers sound like jackasses. And I'm sure you know that because you've had to deal with their asshole-selves your entire life. So, why are you letting their opinion affect you and making you second-guess yourself, like it means something? Only one person can tell you what to think and how to look at yourself and that person is you. So stop worrying about what they said and what they think, and focus on what you do know about yourself. You know Rebekah loves you, right? Hold onto that. It means you're not all-bad, right? Your sister isn't the type of chick to waste her time on lost causes. In fact, she has an alarming lack of tolerance for them. That obviously means that she sees you as someone worth her time and love. So, stop putting yourself down because your brothers have some crooked, narrow-minded, self-righteous view of you that they obviously came up with because they're too insecure and guilty to place some of the blame for all your crap on themselves."

Then, she did something that made his eyes widen.

She reached over a smacked him on the arm in chastisement, in an unprecedented action, that made him swallow hard and shift uneasily, as that familiar lightness in his ribs returned.

"Caroline…" Klaus trailed off, at a loss for words for the first time in his long life. But, to be fair, he was experiencing many firsts in the presence of the woman in front of him. "Your words… I…" He licked his lips. "Thank you for saying them to me. I have spent so many years with my family's negativity and constant criticism, I had forgotten what it felt like to have light and hope and optimism in my life. So, thank you." He murmured, flashing her a quick, warm smile.

"You're welcome." Caroline said, softly, sending him a sunshine grin that made his toes curl and a sudden, giddy feeling rush over him –

– as if he could do anything – climb mountains and slay monsters – if he just had that smile in his life.

Klaus cleared his throat, his voice thick with emotion.

"I apologise, I'm being an abominable host. Would you like something to drink?" Klaus offered.

Caroline snickered. "One, I'm underage – but something tells me you don't really care about that. And two, I think you've had enough to drink for one day. Maybe we should just stick to juice. Or water." She grinned. She jumped to her feet. "Tell me where it is because I don't want to risk you falling over and breaking something. Cause there's no way in hell I could carry you out to my car."

With that final admonishment, she flicked her hair over her shoulder and strode right past him, without care and without shame, into the kitchen, leaving him to wonder after the girl who had surprised him yet again.

The next day, when Caroline woke up, she found a small, velvet-lined box sitting on her doorsill. She slid out of bed, rubbing her eyes and padded over to the window, brushing back the curtains and allowing shards of light to spill into the room. She yawned a little, and slid open the window, her hand reaching out and sweeping the box into her room before it could fall off its precarious place.

She shut the window behind and moved back over to the bed, taking a careful seat on the mattress and placing the box in front of her. She carefully undid the ribbon, not wanting to rip the delicate ribbon, and rolled it into a ball and placed in the drawer in her bedside chest. With slightly trembling fingers, she unclasped the box and lifted it open, her breath catching in her throat as she saw what was inside.

Inside was a relatively thin diamond bracelet, with links done intricately in bow shapes along the length of the chain. Caroline swallowed hard, her throat suddenly parch. She took a deep breath and carefully lifted the bracelet out of the jewellery box between her index finger and thumb.

The knuckles of her other hand brushed against the carefully cut stones and she watched in awe as the diamonds glinted in the sunlight. She looked down at the bedspread and her teeth sunk into her lower lip as she spotted a scroll of parchment hovering under the padding in the empty box.

She lifted it up to her gaze and her fingers unrolled it, her nails scraping against the paper, her thumb brushing against the corners.

It was her. In his eyes, sitting opposite to him on the couch, yesterday afternoon.

The curve of her shoulder. The brightness of her eyes. The contour of her collarbone. The perfect twist to her blonde waves. The flush to her cheeks. The arch of her mouth.

All in lines of charcoal that had her heart stammering in her ribcage.

And a message at the bottom.

Thank you for being there.

Klaus.

The corner of her mouth twitched and shocked, hoarse laugh built up in her throat. She carefully rolled up the parchment and placed it back inside the velvet-lined box, before snapping it shut. Her hand smacked against her bedside table until she could open the drawer, carefully placing the black velvet box into a small chest that held more of her more precious mementos and closing the drawer shut, before focusing on the bracelet that still laid in the upturned palm of her hand.

She dragged her free hand over face, washing over the remaining weariness. Her fingers traced over the delicate links to the bracelet, as her mind raced a minute.

If I put this on, then it'll look like I want him. But to be fair, I'm attracted to him, that's obvious. I mean, look at him. Blonde curls and blue eyes and stubble that makes him look all rugged and manly and handsome and all he does is make my ovaries dance. He's obviously attracted to me because no one shells out this kind of cash for a diamond bracelet for someone they're not interested in. But is this something I really want to start? And he's Rebekah's brother. This'll be awkward and I don't want to step on Rebekah's toes. Maybe I should talk to her first?

Caroline licked her dry mouth.

"It couldn't hurt to wear the bracelet, right?" She muttered to herself, half-heartedly.

With trembling hands, she carefully clasped the bracelet around her wrist, marvelling at the perfect fit, and frowning when a shock ran up her arm, wincing at the brief pain before shaking her head, chalking it up to static that clung against her skin.

She ran her fingers over the bracelet for a brief moment, propping her wrist up against her breastbone and looking down on it, twisting it in every which way and admiring the way her wrist caught the sunlight as the diamonds glistened.

Not bad. Not bad at all. She thought, proudly.

Of course, what she didn't realise was the way the bracelet thrummed, unperceived by her skin, the second she took her eyes off it, streaks of gleaming, white light shining, strangely, through the stones.

It was a few weeks after drunken therapy time – Caroline's words, not his – and his gifting of the bracelet that Klaus finally asked her out on a date – although he found himself grimacing at the lengths he was forced to go to have her the way he wanted her. But he couldn't help himself. He hadn't been able to rip the bubby, thoughtful blonde out of his veins since the day where she had listened to his problems without a speck of judgment that day.

And if he had to wine and dine her to get enough of a measure of affection from her that he could steal her away with no guilt, then he could definitely do that.

Caroline – just to make sure she wasn't overstepping any boundaries – checked with Rebekah before she gave Klaus the yes. Needless to say, the other blonde was ecstatic that her two favourite people in the world were finally realising their boundless sexual tension and doing something about and in her words before I turned the bloody hose on you both, or, if I was feeling particularly nice, doing us all a favour and locking you both in a room until you shagged the bloody tension out.

But other than that original hiccup, their first date went better than either of them were expecting. Klaus was charming and Caroline was witty and it went seamlessly. The dinner was good. The wine was good. He walked her to her door and his lips brushed her cheek in a kiss that had her desperately wanting to grab him by the scruff of his shirt and maul his mouth – only if he was okay with that, of course.

And the first date turned into a second, and a third, and a fourth and it went on and on and on until Caroline felt like she was on a perpetual high constantly. She felt like she was walking on clouds and a giddy smile would form on her face whenever she was near him. They hadn't had sex yet, but Caroline was completely okay with that – even if it was out of her comfort zone – and she was attributing that to her desire for mystery in the relationship.

And all the while, Caroline never seemed to notice the way the bracelet hummed, lowly and inconspicuously, whenever she was in Klaus' presence. But Klaus did and he hid his pleased smile under a veneer of genuine charm and affection that never failed to fool Caroline.

Until the day she caught him in the act.

Caroline's back slammed against the door.

Nowhere else to fucking go. Fuck.

Her stomach caved in on itself from the force of the blow.

"Stay away from me." She stammered, her hands trembling at her side.

Klaus sighed and approached her, cautiously, much like one would a skittish animal. "Caroline, I understand that you're scared, but I need you to remain calm and listen to me." He said, grimly.

"Listen to you?" Caroline hissed, incredulously. "I just witnessed my boyfriend of like six months – the guy that I'm in love with – perform some creepy satanic ritual with like ten dead bodies in that room and then he proceeds to confess the fact that he's really the King of the Underworld and you want me to remain calm?" She snapped.

Klaus rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Well, when you put it like that, it does look bad, doesn't it?"

"Oh, you think?" Caroline said, sarcastically. Her eyes widened and she turned around, her fingers gripping and twisting in her hair. "Oh, my god. Oh, my God." She breathed. "You're the King of the fucking Underworld and I called you Drunky McDrunkerson." She said, horrified.

"I thought it was cute." Klaus offered, helpfully.

Caroline rounded on him. "Not exactly helping your situation." She spat. She took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. Let's think about this rationally for a moment." She said, weakly, her head spinning. She squared her shoulders and lifted her gaze to meet his, boldly. "Explain what happened in there."

Klaus shrugged. "I was merely increasing my domain as I usually do."

Caroline frowned. "What do you mean 'increasing your domain'?" She asked, carefully, making sure to keep a safe distance between herself and the man she had thought would become her forever.

"I was…" Klaus shuffled on his feet, awkwardly, his eyes shifting from side to side, unable to express himself in a way that would make everything okay between them –

– he gritted his teeth – he would not lose her.

"I was harvesting souls." Klaus bit out. "Those bodies were the recently dead and I was ensuring their safe passage into the Underworld."

Caroline licked her lips, staring at him like she wanted to believe him more than anything in the world. "You didn't kill them?" She asked, quietly, her voice small and so unlike Caroline that it made Klaus' heart clench in pain –

– pain that he had been the one to do this to her.

Klaus shook his head. "No, no, Caroline." He said, firmly. "I won't deny that I have caused death to numerous people. But everything I have done, I have done to ensure that the balance of nature is kept in check." He looked at her, earnestly. "I'm not a monster."

Caroline stared at him, hope and trust and faith brimming in her chest, as she wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to protect herself from any other truths from him that would rock her back on her feet. Her eyes were fixed on his, aquamarine boring holes into cornflower-blue, as she searched his face, desperately, for any sign of dishonesty or faithlessness.

She wanted to believe him. She really did. He had reached into her ribcage and stolen her heart and she loved him, despite everything.

"Please, Caroline." Klaus took a step further, his words a plea.

But she needed one last answer.

"And me?" Caroline was ashamed to realize that her voice trembled. Dread settled in her stomach and churned, uncomfortably, making her sick to her stomach. "What am I to you, Klaus? Am I just some fun for you while you do all your creepy Underworld errands here on Earth?" Her voice lowered. "Have you just been screwing with me this entire time?" She whispered, shards of pain cutting deeply into heart muscle with the fear echoing in her words.

What would she do if he said yes?

She would lock her heart up and shut it beyond repair and never dare to have the same feelings for anyone else that she had for him.

"No, no, of course not, Caroline." Klaus shook his head, crowding into her so that her back was pressed against the door and he was close enough that she could smell traces of his scent on his skin – cologne and brisk aftershave and an undercurrent of metal. "You… you are everything." He swore. "In all my existence, I have never needed. But I need you. I cannot explain it." He chuckled, harshly. "In fact, I tried to deny it to myself more than once." Caroline flinched and his fingers stroked her cheek, reverently. "Not because I felt you were unworthy, but because I was scared for what it meant to need you. But I do. I need you. And I won't let you go now that I have you. You are mine." He swore, and it was as if a brand was placed on her skin.

Dread and fear and pain dissolved and was instead replaced with anger, coiling and burning in her stomach.

"You mean like you own me?" Caroline hissed in outrage. "Because if you think I'm about to let you claim me in some weird, mythological slavery thing, then you're insane and delusional."

"No," Klaus shook his head. "Not slavery. But I am claiming you. You are mine. That is not something you can walk away from. And you already agreed."

A ghost of a smirk appeared on his face and Caroline wanted nothing more than to smack it off.

"What the hell do you mean 'I agreed'?" Caroline shrieked. "I didn't agree to-"

She stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Her face fell and Klaus' jaw tightened, as he realised that she had understood what exactly he had meant by his comment, a brief spark of pride in her intelligence snapping to life before dissolving.

"The bracelet." Her eyes dawned with realisation. "You did something to it. What did you do?"

Klaus' lip curled. "I had a witch place a spell on it. The moment you placed it on that beautiful wrist of yours, you became mine." He said, dismissively, as if he hadn't stolen away her free will in a single moment.

"Remove it. Remove it now." Caroline snapped, advancing on him.

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Now why would I do something like that? That bracelet around your wrist – which you can't take off by the way – in effect promises you to me till the end of time. Disregarding your obvious mortality, of course. But I've been assured that there is a simple fix to that."

His eyes were ruthless and Caroline's breath caught in her throat, her stomach twisting.

"I don't want this." Caroline said, quickly.

Klaus scowled, her rejection smacking him in the face and only stoking the slow burn of anger rushing through him. "How quickly your feelings for me change. I thought you loved me." He said, mockingly.

Caroline gritted her teeth. "Don't joke about what I feel for you. I don't want this, Klaus. I don't want what you forced on me. All you had to do was be fucking honest with me right from the beginning and I might have been okay with it. But now? You just ruined everything? There's no way in hell I want to spend even a single moment longer with you, let alone an entire eternity." She spat out.

Klaus clenched his teeth until a muscle broke in his jaw from the strain he was placing on it.

"I am very sorry to hear that, love." He said, lightly, although his voice was tinged with fury and dangerous promise. "But, your reluctance doesn't quite change my decision on the matter."

Caroline took a step back, her blood turning to pure ice as she took in the resolution in his eyes.

"Klaus, don't do anything stupid." Caroline stammered, visibly trembling as she plastered herself against the door, with no viable option from escape.

He advanced upon her.

His eyes turned a shocking amber, Caroline's heart stopping in her chest as she saw the blackened veins rising to the surface under his eyelids, sharp, pointed fangs bearing down, his teeth bared in a snarl. He raised his wrist to his mouth and fangs tore into skin, making Caroline shriek with surprise, as blood pooled on the wound. In a split second, he was right in front of her, shoving his sliced wrist into her mouth and making her choke on the blood rushing down her throat despite her weak struggles in his embrace. When he pulled his wrist away, she gasped for air and sobbed, tears mixing with the remnants of blood still clinging to her mouth.

"What did you do?" Caroline choked out. "What the fuck did you do to me?" She snapped.

"I am very sorry for this, Caroline. But one day, my love, you will forgive me." Klaus crooned, his fingers sliding through her blonde waves to cup the back of her skull, tenderly.

A sharp twist of his wrist and a loud snap rang through the air, Caroline's head hanging at an awkward angle as he clutched her limp body to his chest.

His head tilted downwards and he brushed a sweet kiss on the crown of her head, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her over to the couch, where he would wait until she woke up.

The witch had been clear. She must drink his blood and die while it still in her system and she would be born as a creature of the Underworld like him. The only way to ensure her continued existence at his side for the rest of eternity, without her mortality becoming an obstacle.

She would forgive him for what he had been forced to do. One day.

She loved him and he had unwittingly given his heart – everything that he was – to her in return.

She would bring light brimming at her fingertips.

Hells' pour souls would kneel at their feet, promising them everything and anything for an escape.

And she would sit beside him on his throne of the dead.