Caroline entered her five star suite on the tenth floor that Klaus had paid for and couldn't help but feeling impressed. It was quite different from her room at Marie's and clearly more luxurious. But as Caroline knew it would, it lacked the charm she loved about her room in New Orleans.
The evening sun was shining through a big panorama window and as soon as she had unpacked her things, she just stood and admired the descending autumn sun. A wide smile was spread across her face and it took her a moment to realise that someone was knocking on her door.
"Señorita? Señorita, I have a message from Señor Mikaelson." It was a woman's voice with a thick Spanish accent. Caroline rolled her eyes. Klaus was living right across the hall and yet he couldn't just deliver the message himself. He really did love his minions.
Caroline opened the door and a woman in her thirties with dark curly hair was standing outside with a large bag in her hand. Caroline knew immediately what it was and couldn't help but sigh. Marisol – as the name tag told Caroline the woman's name was – handed her the bag and on it was a note.
"Be ready at seven and I will show you how beautiful the world can be. Meet me in the lobby and wear the dress, if you please. Fondly Klaus."
Caroline shook her head slightly but couldn't help but smile. When she looked up, Marisol was gone and Caroline closed the door. She placed the bag on the large bed and unzipped it, revealing a beautiful blue dress. It was a perfect match to her eyes and Caroline looked at herself with the dress on for a long time.
How the hell does he manage to find a dress like this in such a short time?
The dress was knee-long and hang loose from her waist and down. Just like the black dress she had worn the night he had come back to New Orleans, most of her back was bare except from strings crossing over it. The front of the dress didn't show any of her cleavage and was placed just under her collarbones and Caroline couldn't help but notice how both classy and sexy the dress was.
Klaus has bought me a sexy dress? I can't wear this, can I? But it is so beautiful… And it's not like there are anyone here that'll know it's from Klaus… Or cares. Oh my God, is this a date?!
Slowly, Caroline began freaking out. She had no idea what Klaus was thinking or what was going to happen that night. He knew that she wasn't with Tyler anymore and they were in Spain; a country with amazing food, music and dancing. And the sexiest language Caroline had ever heard that Klaus probably could speak fluently.
Her heart began to beat faster and she quickly lay down on the bed and just stared at the ceiling. All of her previous doubts about how he felt was gone and had been replaced by her own confusion. Something had changed in the last week. Instead of becoming irritated by his flirting and compliments, she was now waiting for them and she enjoyed it. She tried hard not to show it to him, though.
She looked at her watch and freaked more out when she realised that she had to meet Klaus in half an hour. She knew that she shouldn't be so stressed out but half an hour suddenly seemed like little time to get ready to go out on a maybe-date with Klaus.
Stop it, Caroline. This is wrong. This is Klaus. The big bad hybrid, who has killed probably hundreds of people, including Aunt Jenna. You can forgive, but not forget.
She took a deep breath to calm herself down and then forced herself to only spend ten minutes to get ready. She let her curls hang loose and applied a light make-up. She went over to the bed to pick up the bag for the dress, when something on the floor caught her eyes. It must had fallen out of the bag without her noticing and with a smile, Caroline bent down to pick up the bracelet that Klaus had given to her when she turned eighteen.
It was over a year ago and Caroline suddenly became astonished by how much everything had changed. Never in a million years had she thought that she a year later would be alone in Spain with the man she had hated so much. The man, who seemed to be the root of so many of her problems and yet she couldn't help but feel excited.
She put on the bracelet without hesitation and quickly jumped into her nude heels as she grabbed her purse from a small table by the door. She quickly entered the elevator after one of the piccolos, who had just dropped off some luggage in one of the rooms, and gave him a quick smile.
All the way down, she could feel his stare on her ass and at the third floor, she had enough. With her fangs out, she turned around and immediately saw the fear in his face. She wasn't going to compel him as she just wanted to scare the living crap out of him.
"If you ever stare at my ass again, I will rip your balls off. Understand?"
The boy quickly nodded and Caroline sent him a quick smile as she retracted her fangs. As the doors opened down in the lobby, she turned around and stepped out of the elevator. Behind her, the piccolo forgot to leave the elevator and rode back up as the elevator was called to another floor.
Klaus was smiling at her as she approached him, where he was standing close to the entrance. His raised eyebrows told her that he had noticed the frightened piccolo but Caroline avoided his questioning look.
"You look beautiful, Caroline." Klaus said and planted a kiss on her hand. Caroline felt her heart skip a beat and cursed herself inside her head. She gave him a quick smile and took half a step back.
"Thank you. You look…" Caroline let her eyes glide down his body and let out an accidental sigh. He was wearing dark pants, a white shirt with a V-neck and a black blazer. His normal boots had been changed to a pair of black leather shoes that Caroline recognized from their date at the Miss Mystic Falls competition. It was very simple and yet he looked just as perfect as he had the last time he was wearing those shoes.
"Well, you already know. Shall we?" Caroline continued and avoided his amused eyes. She was pointing her arm towards the door, eager to move on from the awkward situation. Klaus nodded and offered his arm, which Caroline took after a moment's hesitation.
They walked out into the surprisingly warm night and Klaus led her towards midtown. They moved down a populated street, where most of the shops were still open. Klaus told her about the time he had spent in the city in the 1500's while the great cathedral was being built. He had of course known the architect, who had used some of his ideas.
They stopped to look at the enormous cathedral and Caroline remembered reading somewhere that it was the third largest church in the world. Klaus promised to take her to see the cathedral from the inside the next day and Caroline shot him a sideways glance.
When had it become so easy to be around him? Ever since they arrived in Seville he had been very… human. Caroline's thoughts wandered off as she kept studying the beautiful church and she didn't notice that Klaus was looking at her. Caroline was pulled to the surface when she suddenly felt Klaus' fingers on her wrist. She looked down to see his finger touch the bracelet and Caroline felt a light shiver.
She could feel Klaus stiffen and she knew he had taken her reaction the wrong way.
What is the right way?
Klaus started walking once more and Caroline quickly followed, a bit confused about what had just happened. She followed him as he moved away from the main street and down alleys and narrow streets. They were suddenly standing in a yard, surrounded by three little restaurants. Caroline could hear laughter coming from every corner and the smell of the food almost made her teeth water.
They were placed at a small table inside one of the restaurants and before Caroline had the chance, Klaus had ordered for them in Spanish. She crossed her arms and sent him an irritated look.
"Really? You know, even though I'm not fluent in fifteen different languages, I can speak for myself." she told him in a firm voice. For some reason, this statement made him smile.
"I am well aware, love. Another reason why I like you." he answered as he took off his blazer and placed it over his chair. Then he sent her a flirting smile, showing his dimples but Caroline just rolled her eyes and looked away. Her eyes found a small dance floor next to a small bar where two couples were dancing to the Latin rhythms coming from the speakers.
There was something about them that Caroline couldn't look away from. They were twirling around, moving their hips and feet in a fast but steady pace and yet everything seemed to move very slowly. It was like their bodies were one and Caroline couldn't stop herself from blushing, when she realised what it all reminded her of: sex.
When she looked away, she immediately met Klaus' eyes and for some reason it made her blush even more. Luckily the food arrived quickly after and Caroline placed all of her focus on the plate in front of her. She wouldn't admit it but whatever Klaus had ordered for her was extremely delicious.
How did he know what she liked to eat? She knew practically nothing about him while he seemed to know every little detail about her. She lay down her fork with a decisive look in her eyes and Klaus looked at her with curiosity.
"You know everything about me and I know nothing about you. This is getting seriously creepy, you know?"
Klaus smiled at her and leaned back in his chair while Caroline leaned against the table.
"What do you want to know?"
"So I can ask you, let's say, any ten questions and you will answer truthfully and without getting angry?"
"Why would I get angry, Caroline?"
Caroline looked at him with a saying look and for some reason it made him smile even more. He nodded and then mirrored her by also leaning on the table. Their faces were suddenly close but Caroline didn't move.
"And what will I get from this?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"You can ask me one question and I will answer just as truthfully."
"That hardly seems fair."
"I dare you." Caroline said with a sneaky smile on her lips. Klaus eyebrows went up once more as his own words were repeated to him and he chuckled silently. Then he simply nodded and the look in his eyes told her to continue.
"When is your birthday?"
"March 18. You're going to buy me a birthday present, love?"
"Is that your one question?" she asked and Klaus shook his head with an amused smile on his lips.
"How old are you?"
"Approximately 1028 years."
"In human years?"
"26."
"Why did you save me after Tyler bit me?"
Her question made him silent for a moment.
"Because you are beautiful and I thought you could easily be manipulated." he said with a small sigh. He was looking at her with an apologetic look in his eyes and she accepted it. "I have never been so wrong before. Not in the last ten centuries." he continued and Caroline just nodded.
"You loved the Original Petrova. Why didn't you fall in love with Katherine and Elena like Stefan and Damon did?"
Klaus forced himself not to smile of Caroline's ill hidden jealousy. How could she even think that he would prefer the doppelgänger over her? Caroline was in no way a second prize.
"Because they are silly and I needed them to remove the curse my mother placed on me. Besides, no one compares…"
"To the real deal?" Caroline said with a small smile on her lips.
"To you, love."
They looked each other in the eyes for a long moment but in the end Caroline looked away and down on her plate. Then she took her wineglass an emptied before refilling it. At another moment of silence, Caroline looked at Klaus again, who hadn't moved at all.
"Your biggest regret?"
Klaus looked at her for a long moment as he thought back at the last millennium. There were so many things and yet, he couldn't remember one specific moment. He knew what Caroline wanted him to say but he had made her a promise to be truthful so he couldn't.
"I can't tell you what you want to hear, Caroline. I don't regret much. You learn to turn it off and move on, when you live forever. In fifty years' time, you'll see. But for now my biggest regret must be the child."
Caroline looked at him and shook her head. How could he be so messed up that he didn't regret trying to kill her and most of her friends but instead regretted one of life's miracles? Caroline stared him dead in the eyes before she spoke with a slow voice.
"Why do you hate your own child?"
Any smile or amusement there had been on Klaus' face disappeared immediately and he leaned away from her and the table. Caroline kept looking at him and for almost a minute, none of them said a thing.
"I don't." he said with a restrained voice.
"Bullshit." Caroline simply replied and kept staring at him.
"How can you expect me to love something that I never even wanted in the first place? How can I have a weakness like that without seeming powerless?" his voice was dripped in restrained anger but there was something else. Something that confused Caroline for a second before she realised what it was. He sounded insecure.
"You're afraid."
Klaus let out a humourless laughter. "Of a child? Don't be silly, love."
"You're afraid that history will repeat itself."
"And how is that?" Klaus asked with a stone face. Caroline could sense that he knew exactly what she meant but she continued talking.
"Your father hunted you for a millennium and all you were ever told was how much of an abomination you were. And now you think that if you don't care, you won't get hurt if your own son one day betrays you. I'm going to tell you something and you are going to listen very carefully. First of all: stop being such an idiot. Right now, nothing in the world can love and trust you as much as that child will, if you just let him. I'm not saying that you have to go to every football game or whatever, but you can't be like your father, Klaus. Because then Henrik will become your greatest weakness. You can't punish the child for being born, just like your father punished you. Secondly: I'm sure Elijah already told you this but I have a feeling it hasn't gotten through your thick skull; Love is not a weakness. Love is what makes us human and I know that you'll never admit it, but our humanity is what makes us strong. Our humanity is what keeps us alive even though we are dead. You think you lost your humanity a long time ago but I know it's in there. I've seen it. Loneliness and fear doesn't make us strong, it makes us weak."
Caroline took a deep breath and looked Klaus in the eyes. His jaw and fists were clenched, his upper body stiff and his mouth a thin, straight line. But his eyes were filled with emotion. Caroline quickly returned to her plate and began eating to give him time. She had just dropped another load of her brutal honesty, as he called it, and with no way to let out his anger, she knew there was a fight going on inside him.
She had finished her meal and most of the wine bottle on the table, when he finally seemed to return again. His mouth was still a thin line, but his fists and jaw were no longer clenched and he seemed to look at her with less restrained anger in his eyes.
"Is it my turn to ask my question now?" he asked, breaking the silence between with a surprisingly hoarse voice. Caroline just sent him a small smile and shook her head. "I think I still have two questions left."
He was clearly getting tired of this game but a deal was a deal and she would make him lay in the bed he made himself. He was looking at her with his eyebrows lightly raised, perhaps expecting another punch like the one he had just received.
"If you could, would you make more hybrids?" Caroline finally asked. She had discussed the questions inside her head while Klaus had been silent but had decided that even though Katherine had still been a vampire, she really wanted to know.
She could see how relieved he was for a second before he composed himself and answered her question.
"I believe I've learned my lesson, love. What use are they, if all they do is plotting my demise?" he said with bitterness in his voice. He had given them a gift, given them the choice to only shift when they wanted to and yet, they had all betrayed him. And Caroline's boyfriend had been their leader. A small smile appeared on his lips as he thought about their break-up.
"What about Henrik?" Caroline asked slowly. She saw how Klaus' hardened slightly but there was also confusion to be seen.
"What about him, love?" Klaus sighed.
"If you could, would you make him a hybrid?"
Klaus suddenly seemed to disappear into his own thoughts and it was clear that he never considered it before. When he looked her once more, he still hadn't made a decision.
"I'm not sure."
"I see." was all Caroline said and emptied her glass once again.
She knew that it was his turn to ask her a question and she suddenly became nervous. What if he asked her something she didn't know the answer to yet? Like her feelings for him. They had definitely changed somehow, but to what she was not sure. She didn't hate him anymore, but that didn't mean that she was suddenly in love with him. He was still Klaus Mikaelson, the big bad hybrid.
"Why did you come to New Orleans?" he asked with a calm voice. The simple question surprised her and for a moment, she was confused.
"I already told you."
"The truth, Caroline. That was the deal."
"It was the truth."
"I want the whole truth." he told her and Caroline remembered the look on his face when she had told that she only came for their help. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose for a second.
"I came because I was tired of losing the people I love. I came because I couldn't think of any other way to solve this. And I came because of you." She finally sighed.
In that moment their waiter chose to interrupt as he took their empty wine bottle and offered a new one. Caroline accepted with a smile and kept her eyes on the waiter in an attempt to avoid Klaus. He was staring at her from the other side of the table, clearly irritated with the waiter. Caroline took a large sip of the wine that had been poured to her before she looked at Klaus again.
"I need a better answer, love." he said with a calm voice.
"I thought that's what you wanted to hear." Caroline said with her eyebrows raised and crossed arms.
"Trust me, it is. But I still need to know why." He was smiling at her with a glimpse in his eyes. He was enjoying this way too much.
"It's a long story."
"I have all night, love." Caroline caught the double meaning behind his words and rolled her eyes.
"I guess it started a few days after you left for New Orleans. We were trying to get Elena to turn back her emotions and I was heading for my car, when you were suddenly standing behind me. I thought it was you and we talked. The next thing I knew, I was pinned against a tree and Silas was asking me about Bonnie, still as you. Then he let me believe that he staked me and left. When I woke up, he reappeared again. You pushed me down some stairs. Well, not you, but you know… Then a couple of months ago you were standing right beside me, I mean Silas was. He didn't even pretend to be you this time. For some reason, he likes scaring me to death."
Caroline sighed and took another sip from her wine glass. Klaus didn't say a thing and was just waiting impatiently for her to continue. She had noticed how his body posture changed slightly, when she talked about what Silas had done to her, but that was all she got from him.
"Then… Then I began dreaming… about you. He made me dream about how you killed everyone I loved. It feels like I haven't slept for almost two months, except for the last days while I've been away from Silas. A week before I came to New Orleans, he arrived at the Lockwood Manor at night, while I was standing outside. Tyler threw a stake at him but Silas caught it and instead it went through me. Then, he turned into you and well… you kinda ripped out my heart. Except, it was all just a trick and he only snapped my neck. He came as you again the next day and then I got the idea. Silas always like to show just how much he's inside your head, so I thought about how he got inside yours. Would he be able to withstand three vampires, one hybrid and three Original vampires too? And of course the strongest witch blood-line in existence; the Bennett blood-line."
For some reason, Caroline's babbling had made him smile and Caroline felt a little offended. Was her master plan really that funny? She took a sip of her glass and suddenly noticed how much she had drunk. She was beginning to feel the alcohol but took another sip before placing the glass on the table.
"Why me, Caroline?" Klaus asked with a tentative voice. He was searching for her eyes but she just looked at something behind him.
"You only got one question."
He finally caught her eyes and repeated his question with a weird look in his eyes. "Why me?"
"I don't know." Caroline lied with a sigh.
They were silent for a couple of minutes and Caroline sighed relieved, when Klaus shifted topic and told her about his contacts in town and that they would find Lucy the next day.
Right. That's why we are here, Caroline. That's what you need to focus on.
Without noticing, Caroline had drunk most of the second wine bottle too and her eyes travelled to the dance floor once more. A new couple was on the floor and their dance was possibly even more sensual than the other's. Before Caroline could do anything, Klaus had taken her hand and let her to the dance floor.
With a hand around her waist he pulled her tight against him and all Caroline could do was remind him that they didn't waltz in here. Then he began leading her around the dance floor to the fast rhythm coming from the speakers and Caroline blessed herself for taking dance lessons, when she was younger. She had never really danced the Latin dances but she could still follow his movements.
At some point, Caroline was sure that they were moving faster than human speed but all she could think about was how close his body was to hers, how she could sometimes feel his breath against her hot skin and how his hips moved against hers. It was like the world was spinning out of control and the only thing she could hold onto was Klaus.
When the song ended, they were both breathing heavily even though they as vampires never ran out of breath. Caroline's body was leaning against his with one leg around his hip, being held there by his hand under her knee. Their faces were inches from each other and Caroline could feel the lust roaming through her body. After a long moment, Caroline forced herself to leave.
"I need some air."
Klaus let her go and she quickly walked by him, grabbing her purse on her way out. The cool air hit her hard even though it wasn't that cold outside and Caroline quickly moved down a small alley in one of the corners of the yard. She leaned against a wall and tried to get her breathing under control.
What the hell did just happen?
"Hola chica! How are you?" a drunken Spanish man came walking down the narrow street with a bottle in his hand. Caroline tried to ignore him, when he was suddenly standing right in front of her, touching her hair. She moved away from the wall and grabbed him around the wrist. Caroline could see that he had the complete wrong idea about what was going to happen but she just smiled at him.
"You chose the wrong girl on the wrong night. Now, shut up!" she compelled him and he nodded with a confused look in his eyes. Then Caroline tilted his head to the right and showed him her fangs right before she sunk them into his neck. He was struggling silently as he realised that this wasn't game that he wanted to be part of. But Caroline held him in his place and as his blood was drained from his body, he became weaker.
She could feel someone looking at her and quickly she removed her fangs from the man's neck without loosening her grip. At the end of the alley stood Klaus and he was watching her with a surprised look in his eyes. Caroline could feel the alcohol and blood rushing through her body and without thinking, she invited him in.
He was with her in a flash and they sank their teeth in the man's neck at the same time. This was like nothing Caroline had ever tried before and a shiver went through her body, when she felt Klaus' hand run through her hair. Soon the man dropped between them and their lips crushed against each other before they even took the time to breathe.
Caroline was pushed against the wall and her legs were quickly around Klaus' hips. The kiss slowed downed as their tongues met but it soon deepened and Caroline moaned as Klaus pushed her harder against the wall. She hardly noticed that they moved and didn't think much about, when she was suddenly sitting on the counter that was standing in her hotel room.
Caroline ran her hands through his hair and pulled his head away for her. Within a second she had removed his blazer and pinned him to the door. As their lips met once more, Caroline was once again wrapped around his hips with a wall in her back and she let her hands wander over his back before she took off his shirt too.
Klaus' hands were moving from her knees, down her thighs and over her ass again and again and for some reason it made Caroline feel like she had never been touched before that moment. Then he unwrapped her legs from around him and was quickly on his knees. Slowly he began kissing her above the knee and pulled up her dress as his mouth moved up along her inner thigh.
Caroline stiffened for a moment, when she suddenly felt his fangs pierce through her skin but as soon as the sting from his venom disappeared, Caroline felt a whole new kind of pleasure. This was so different from the other time he or anyone had ever bit her and the sensation running through her body as he sucked her blood was almost unbearable for a short moment.
Caroline opened her closed eyes as soon as he stopped and he was suddenly lying on top of her in the bed. They stared at each other for a second and Caroline knew that the hunger in his eyes was mirrored in hers. Then she wrapped her one leg around his and rolled herself on top. Their lips met once again before her mouth started wandering down his body until she met the top of his pants.
She moved back to his neck and when her fangs sank down in him, they were both sitting up. His arms were tight around her waist and their hips were pressed hard against each other as Caroline continued sucking his blood. As soon as she had retracted her fangs, she was laying on her back, Klaus on top of her. Their lips found each other once again and slowly, Caroline moved her hands down to unbutton his pants.
She had barely found the first button before her hands were pinned to the bed over her head and Klaus was looking down at her with an unhappy look in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, love. But now is not the time. When we first get started, we won't be able to stop for a long time." Klaus told her with a thick voice and placed a kiss just above her collarbone. Then he lowered his head and whispered into her ear:
"Trust me, Caroline. There are a thousand things I want to do to you and I will when the time is right and you are ready. But for now, I'll just see you in the morning, love."
Then he placed a kiss on her cheek and disappeared out the room with his shirt and blazer in his hand. Caroline was petrified as she lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Did I just…?
A/N: Well, well, well... Anyone guessed that?;) I hope you are not too disappointed by the sudden interruption and that you (like Klaus:P) understand that Caroline not was ready for this at all:) A drunk one night stand is not the way to start their epic romance;)
But please tell me what you think, whether you agree with me or not:D
And merry christmas!