A/N - Ok, so maybe he's not as much of a gentleman as I thought? Hope you enjoy, had lots of extras favs and follows after chapter 5, thanks guys and thank you for the reviews :)

Disclaimer - I don't own VD and no vampires were harmed in the writing of this fanfic. However, please do not try this at home :)

Chapter seven - Just a drink?

Klaus was reaching for the bill just as Caroline was and they went through the "I'll pay" "No I will" Well at least let me pay for myself" "No love, this is on me" before Caroline backed down and watched Klaus walk over to the counter. He leaned casually against it while the waitress ran through the bill, laughing with her as he reached for a mint off a bowl near the till.

Caroline was putting her coat on and smoothing down her hair and she paused, a little stunned. Was she smitten with him? Could she really know so little of him yet want to know everything? She hadn't felt that way since Tyler and that felt so long ago and was filled with lots of teen drama. But the twinge of jealousy she felt as Klaus and the waitress bantered left her seething and sure that this thing they had started was something she wanted to explore.

"Ready Caroline?" he asked as she reached for her hand and she stepped forward, linking them together, the connection palpable. She knew Klaus felt it too as he looked down at their hands then back up to her face with a tenderness she wasn't sure she deserved.

As they walked out of the bistro, the wind caught Caroline's hair, swirling it around her face like a golden halo. She unconsciously tucked it behind her ears and these slight gestures captivated his attention. Reaching out, he helped tame her hair, reluctant to let her go afterwards but tugging her along with him towards his car. The sooner they got to her place, the better to... chat.

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Putting her key in the lock, Caroline took a breath and paused. Was she inviting him in? For coffee? For more? In the past she had not been known for her self control when it came to men. But since she had moved away from Mystic Falls, she had chosen a quieter life and men had not played as large a part in it as they had in the past. Partly because she had never really worked out how to bring a human into her supernatural world, risking getting them hurt. Still, she was a passionate person and there was no denying the attraction between them.

"Are you coming in for a drink?" she asked, turning back to look at him.

"I'd love one sweetheart" he answered, hands tucked behind his back, surveying her slight discomfort with a curl to his lips. He knew what she was thinking, how could he not be thinking the same? Although he did wonder what happened when a human and vampire were intimate. Was he in danger? Looking at Caroline as she stood before him, it didn't matter. Simply a cup of tea, an evening discovering each others bodies, his heart; she could have it all.

She turned the key, flicked a switch and they entered her house. Klaus took in the crisp, clean style and the art pieces on the wall as she lead him into the living room. Caroline watched as he walked around the room, finally lifting a book off the shelf, flicking his eyes back to hers with amusement.

"What's so funny?" she asked, hands on hips and meeting his eyes with a flash in her own.

"Your selection of books. Pride and Prejudice, Twilight, 50 Shades of Grey? Quite the diverse choice."

"Well, they're all romantic in their own special way" she replied, cheeks going red at the mention of the last book. How typical that klaus would find the one book she had chosen to tuck into the darkest corner of her mini library.

He chuckled at her discomfort. "Yes, all classics love" he answered, sliding the book back onto the shelf and turning to face her properly. "Your house is cosy, is it just you or do you have roomates?"

"Just me, I've had a while to earn enough to pay for a house. Not to mention, with compulsion, it was easy to buy the one I wanted. But there aren't too many people who I could live with without them discovering my secret."

He followed her into the kitchen as she talked, leaning back against the counter as she pulled out some glasses. Leaning into the bottom cupboard she rummaged around, giving Klaus an excellent view to admire which he took full advantage of before she stood up again, triumphantly holding a bottle. "I don't have many guests over so I wasn't sure what I had" she said, popping the cork and pouring the glasses.

"Whatever works sweetheart, I'm here for the company not the alcohol" he replied, raising his eyebrows at her and earning a smile that spread over her whole face in return. "I could look at that all day" he thought as she grinned at him.

Taking their glasses, they returned to the living room, Caroline curling her feet under herself in one corner of the couch while Klaus sank into the other corner stretching his long legs out towards her.

Taking a sip, he placed it on the side table next to himself and leaned his head back into the soft cushions, feeling incredibly at ease considering what the last day had revealed to him. "Could it really be only 12 hours ago?" he wondered.

"So..." she said.

"So love" he replied with a smirk. "So here we are, in your home. I am sitting on the couch with a vampire which I am still getting my head around and I can't help but feel relaxed. Did you voodoo me or something?"

"I've done nothing to you Klaus, not yet at least" she smirked back.

"I'm open to you doing all kind of things to me" he replied with a grin, wickedly cocking his head to the side, an arrogant look in his features.

"Wow, really? Did you just say that? Wow" she laughed.

"Actually sweetheart, I do have questions still" he said, reaching for her hand and slowly circling the back of it with his thumb. Caroline relaxed into his touch, wondering what his questions were but not thinking too far past the zing and heat his touch was leaving behind on her skin.

"Fire away, I'd be surprised if you didn't" she answered.

"So, this is forever, you'll always be a vampire?"

Not what she expected, she focused on a spot on the wall while she replied. "I think so, at least, all the vampires I have heard of or known have died as a vampire. There may be a cure to make me mortal again. But I don't know if I'd take it. There are so many things I don't miss about my human life, perhaps the only thing of importance is not being able to have children. But I don't miss the weakness I had as a human. I'm fairly indestructible now, at least, all but my heart" she replied, vulnerability written in her eyes as she looked back at him again.

"That's something I plan on protecting love" he said, sliding himself closer to her on the couch, cradling her cheek in his palm and feeling the weight of her face lean into it with a sigh. Turning her body slightly towards him, they looked into each others eyes for a long moment, the uncertainty visable but the passion and desire barely hidden below the surface.

Then there was no space between them, neither knowing who had moved first, their lips colliding and sliding, friction firing the inside of their bodies. Heat radiated out as they wrapped each other into an embrace that seemed to have no beginning or end.

Losing herself in the kind of passion she had long forgotten, Caroline could smell the desire dripping off his skin and hear the heartbeat that had escalated as their hands drifted over each others skin. His blood was surging just under the surface but she knew he wasn't ready for that. Yet.

And then they were on the floor, both completely distracted by the intensity of the moment they had rolled off the sofa and hit the carpet with a thud, Caroline landing on Klaus breaking the contact between them. After a stunned silence, they both started laughing and Klaus stood up, pulling Caroline with him, listening to her laughter with pleasure that he could be the one to make her happy.

"So sweetheart, is there anymore of the house you wanted to show me?" he asked, the hidden question clearly floating in the air between them.

She didn't need to think, Caroline knew what she wanted. "Well, the bathroom is up the hallway opposite the spare room, in case you needed it. The office is the next on the right. But I do have to show you my favourite room up here on the left" she finished with a sexy smile that lit up both their faces.

Fingers entwined, she led him through the house to the door of her bedroom, stopping to look over her shoulder when they got there. The pause gave Klaus another chance to pull her close, the kiss drifting from the curve of her neck and trailing up to her lips which were pouted, ready for him. Grabbing the back of her head and twisting her hair between his fingers to hold her closer still, they fought to capture each others lips, each trying to claim dominance. Klaus could feel his heart rate increase to the point where he needed to pull away panting but not before he felt Caroline smile against his mouth.

Smiling back, he released her, his fingers moving gently down her cheeks before reaching for her hand again and flicking the door open with his foot. Dragging her giggling in after him, they were both laughing when all of a sudden Caroline stiffened and spun towards her window. The curtain was drifting lazily in the breeze that came through a huge hole that had left shattered fragments of glass all over her bedroom floor.

"What's the matter lo-" but Klaus never finished his sentence. Caroline had spun him around behind herself with a hiss, placing herself between Klaus and the door. "Intruder" she replied quietly, eyes flicking in all directions and veins undulating under the surface of her face. Her vampire senses were on high alert, frantically listening for signs that the intruder was still in the house. She could hear Klaus breathing quickly behind her, his heart racing, distracting her with the need to keep him safe.

And then she heard it, the second heartbeat, hidden behind the first, closer than she thought and she twisted herself around just as the closet slid open and someone rushed out towards her. Everything moved in slow motion as she jumped towards him but she didn't count on Klaus. He was closer and desperate to protect Caroline, never for a moment stopping to remember that she could take care of herself.

Tackling the intruder to the ground before Caroline had even leapt, Klaus landed on top of him and they rolled together, Klaus slamming the others head against the floor. The intruder grew still although his chest rose and fell and as Caroline arrived beside them, Klaus grabbed her hand tightly.

"Are you ok love?" he asked quickly.

"I'm ok but I'm not sure he is" she replied as blood seeped out of the intruders head wound, pooling around them on the floor. The chest that rose and fell slowed and then stopped completely and there was silence in the room apart from their own raggered breathing.

"Is he dead?" Klaus asked, bewilderment on his face.

Caroline could sense the lack of life in the intruders body, the blood even now slowing under the skin.

"Yes, I think he is but he was trying to hurt me, who was he? I wonder if he knew what I am" she said, not nearly as concerned as Klaus was at the dead body cooling near them.

Klaus blinked a few times and rose to his feet, running his hands through his hair. "Caroline, we have to report this, we have to let the police know you had an intruder. Oh my God, I'm going to jail!" He was walking around in circles now and Caroline could sense his distress. Walking quickly over and reaching out, she hugged him to her.

"We have to know who he is, maybe he was here to kill me" she said softly as they clutched each other in comfort. She flicked the bedroom light on, properly illuminating the scene in front of her, getting ready to remove the mask that obscured the intruders face.

Klaus turned to look at the body properly, the blood, the stillness, the smell overwhelming him. He could smell the death, the scent of decay filling his nose, the metallic taste of blood in the air. His head tingled and he shook it a few times as his vision blurred and then all of a sudden he fell to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in agony.

"Klaus, Klaus, what's going on?" Caroline was yelling.

His face felt like it was on fire, twisting in all directions and the pain was radiating down towards his back. "Caroline!" he cried out as he turned towards her, his eyes glowing yellow before he collapsed.

A/N - eeek, what do you think? Expected?