Edited by myladyelise.
Re-edited and Posted 9/2/2015
.
.
.
.
.
.
Caroline didn't realize she fell asleep. Not until she heard someone in the house. Blinking her eyes, she noticed that Klaus was still here with his arms around her.
"Caroline?"
Panic raced through her veins like quicksilver when she looked up towards the kitchen from where the voice came.
"Mom?"
"What on earth—"
"It isn't what you think." Caroline yanked herself from Klaus' embrace and stumbled to her feet. She was afraid it looked exactly like what her mother would think…that she fell asleep in Klaus's arms.
Hands on her hips, Liz stared her at Caroline with shock and anger. "And what exactly am I supposed to think when I come home from work to find you on the couch with that—" her mother paused, finally realizing who she was about to insult.
Klaus rose to his feet in a graceful movement, wrapping his arm around Caroline's waist. "How lovely to see you again, Sheriff Forbes."
Caroline stiffened at Klaus' possessive touch, turning to glare at him in warning. "Mom, Klaus was just leaving."
"Where are your manners, love?" Klaus smirked. "I am sure your mother has a lot of questions for us. Which we would be more then happy to answer."
"I…I do." Liz shook her head, completely taken aback by his generous offer.
"Anything my mom needs to know I can tell her," Caroline bit out.
Klaus looked at Liz and gestured towards the chair opposite of the couch like he owned the place. "Perhaps you would like to sit down?"
"This really isn't necessary." Caroline struggled out of his embrace.
Giving Caroline a stony look, Liz seated herself on the edge of the chair. "Oh, this is very necessary."
Klaus sat down, pulling Caroline with him. "I wish we could had this conversation under better circumstances, but it can't be helped."
"What conversation is that?" Liz asked, her voice cold. "The one where you tell me why my daughter seems to have no reservations about cozying up in the arms of the greatest threat our town has ever had?"
"Yes, that one." Klaus eyes gleamed with pleasure.
"I know that this looks bad, but it isn't what you think," Caroline attempted to explain.
Liz clasped her hands tight together in her lap, knuckles turning white. "I'm quite sure it is exactly what I think. How long has this been going on?"
"Caroline and I have been seeing each other for several weeks." Klaus laid his hand on top of hers.
Biting her lip, Caroline hear sank at the color draining from her mother's face at having her worst fears confirmed. In that moment, she hated Klaus. Hated knowing what this knowledge would do to her mother. In Liz's eyes, she knew was betraying everything her mother fought for in being with a murderous, vampire hybrid.
"Is this true?" Her mother's voice begged Caroline to say differently.
Klaus' gaze bored into her, he dared her to deny their relationship. She was trapped like an animal in a cage, which was exactly what he wanted. He was leaving her with no choice except to openly admit to her mother what existed between them. Taking this step would give him what he ultimately wanted, validation of his place in her life. He knew once she did that there would be no going back and what choice did she really have?
"Yes," she whispered, unable to look her mother in the face.
Liz's shoulders sagged at the affirmation. "What about Tyler? Does he know?"
At the mention of her boyfriend, Klaus tensed, his hand tightening over hers. Her mouth went dry at the dangerous turn the conversation took. "I haven't told him about Klaus yet, but I will."
"He will be devastated."
The accusing way her mother looked at her filled Caroline with guilt and shame. She knew exactly what her mother was thinking. She was betraying Tyler in the worst way since the whole reason he left his friends and family in Mystic Falls was for her. To be with her without the Sire bond Klaus imposed on him. She wished she could tell her mother the truth, make her understand that she dated Klaus to make things safe for her friends and in a roundabout way for Tyler. The only problem was she didn't know how to convince her mother of this when it was getting harder and harder to convince herself.
"I am sure he will be fine. We broke up before this. Besides we weren't that serious," Caroline lied, hoping her mother would drop the subject.
Liz blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize."
At Caroline's words, Klaus relaxed, his fingers twining between hers. "I am sure he will find someone else."
A lump formed in her throat. Caroline wondered if Tyler would once he realized she was essentially cheating on him. Would she be able to make him understand, to forgive her? To see how she had no choice? She couldn't stand to lose Tyler, not after everything she had been through.
"Caroline, have you thought through this? Are you sure that this is what you really want? To be with him?" Liz leaned forward, fixing her gaze on Caroline, her eyes swimming with worry and concern. "Because if not, I can revoke his invitation here and the council can keep you safe."
"And to think, I thought I had your support and that of the council." Klaus voice was dangerously calm voice.
Shivers ran through Caroline at her mother's daring words. Didn't she realize the jeopardy she placed everyone in? If Liz revoked her invitation to Klaus, there would be a bloodbath in Mystic Falls before nightfall. Her mother was completely delusional if she thought the council had any power over Klaus. They existed purely at his whim. While Klaus hadn't moved a muscle, his barely contained anger simmered under the surface.
"Mom, it's okay. I know what I am doing." Caroline smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. "Besides, we're just dating." She gave her mother of her trademark eye rolls, hoping that would convince her.
The deeply etched worry lines in Liz's forehead relaxed slightly, but her gaze stayed fixed on her daughter.
"I realize we should have come to you first with our relationship, so you didn't have to find out about it in this manner. It would have been the honorable thing to do. As you can see, Caroline had reservations about how you would perceive our dating. I assured her, that as her mother, you would be everything that was supportive."
While Klaus's tone was soft, his words were a direct attack and Caroline shot him an angry look when her mother winced and flushed with shame.
"You can hardly expect her to be pleased by this turn of events. Especially since someone is trying to kill me directly because of my relationship with you," Caroline retorted, instantly regretting her confession at the look of horror on her mother's face.
"Is that true?" Liz demanded.
"There might been an attack on my life…but probably not. It could easily have been meant for Klaus. He has a lot of enemies." She squirmed uneasily at Klaus clenching and unclenched his jaw.
"You will have to forgive Caroline. She seeks to protect your feelings. I won't. Not where her safety is concerned," Klaus answered with a ferocious look at Caroline. "She was almost killed by a hybrid attack and it is my belief that the perpetrator will strike again."
Liz's hand went to her heart. "Do you think someone is trying to kill my daughter because of her relationship to you?"
"Yes," Klaus replied, his voice raw.
"Caroline, you need to end this relationship now. Stop seeing him," Liz cried.
"No," Klaus snapped. "It's too late for that. Being with me is the only thing that will save her."
Liz shook her head. "How can you say that when it is being with you that is putting her in danger?"
Klaus pulled his hand from Caroline's and leaned forward on the couch to stare icily at Liz through narrowed eyes. "Because only I have the power and ability to keep her safe. Whoever is doing this is not going to stop just because she ceases to spend time with me."
"The Council and Damon can —"
"Can what?" Klaus interrupted Liz, his voice a violent threat. "You would entrust your daughters safety to that poor excuse of a vampire and your town's most ineffective group of humans? Do you forget who I am?"
Caroline was frightened. She could tell Klaus was perilously close to the edge and only the bond that she shared with her mother kept him from punishing Liz for her impudence. She placed her hand on his knee, a gentle reminder for him to rein himself in.
Liz lowered her gaze, very aware of her own peril in challenging an Original. "No and Caroline shouldn't either."
"Your daughter has nothing to ever fear from me. I would never hurt a hair on her head and she knows it." To Caroline's surprise, Klaus lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
The tender gesture did not escape her mother and a look of awe overshadowed her fear.
"If this is true, that you care for Caroline," Liz began, pausing to give Klaus a pleading look, "then you have to understand my fears for her safety."
"I do…care very much for Caroline. More then you could ever fathom." His voice was a velvet growl. "Which is why I am here talking with you."
What was left unsaid, Caroline realized, was his mercy in allowing her this freedom. To be here in here in her home with her mom. He was giving her this courtesy out of his affection for her. Instead of following his instincts and locking her up in his mansion.
"And I appreciate that." Liz said with a quiet tone. At last her mother seemed to register the threat that Klaus was. "Can you tell me what actions you have taken in trying to protect my daughter?"
Clearly pleased at her mother's response, Klaus relaxed and leaned back against the couch. "My original intent was to have Caroline move in with me."
Liz opened her mouth to protest.
Caroline rushed to explain, "I decided that really wasn't an option. After all, we just started dating and that is kind of rushing things and I am still in high school and really… this is my home." C
"As I am sure you know, your daughter can be quite stubborn when she makes up her mind about something." Klaus gave Caroline a fond, yet exasperated look. "So it was decided she would continue to live here with some adjustments, of course."
"These adjustments being?" Liz asked.
"To start with, I have my hybrids surrounding your place."
Liz's hand went to her gun.
"You needn't worry. None of them have invitations to your home. They are here merely to watch the place and make sure that no one who could be a threat enters."
"The neighbors?" Liz placed her hand once more in her lap. "They will be safe?"
"I have made it clear they are not to be touched. As long as they don't interfere in the protection of Caroline."
Liz slowly exhaled at Klaus's reassurance. "Good. I don't want anyone to be harmed."
"Besides the hybrids guarding your home, it is also my intention to stay here in the evenings to watch over Caroline." Klaus looked directly look at Liz. "I want to be here when she gets home from school and stay until she leaves in the morning. After that she will be under my sister's care."
"Wait? What? You can't just move in here, Caroline argued with a stubborn toss of her head.
"Even you have to admit your daughter couldn't ask for better protection then myself." Klaus smoothly, ignored Caroline. "There is only one thing in this world that can actually kill me and it exists no longer."
Her mother was actually was thinking about the offer from the way her forehead was puckering. That always happened when Liz was deep in thought.
"Mom? You can't actually be considering this?"
"He is right," Liz said agreed in a soft voice. "I don't doubt that there is little that can kill him. Plus, there is probably not another vampire as strong as he is. Or as deadly."
Klaus lips curled into a triumphant smirk.
"Mom? You can't let him move in here. What kind of responsible parent does that?" Caroline asked in a panic. She couldn't believe how easily Klaus was getting his way. If her mother agreed with his proposition, it would be like she was giving her blessing to their relationship. Once they let him into their lives like this, there would be no going back.
"A parent that loves and wants to protect her daughter by any means necessary," Liz replied, giving Caroline a puzzled look. "Besides why does it bother you so much? He's your boyfriend. When you were with Tyler, I had to practically kick him out of here at night. Is there something you aren't telling me?"
"No." Caroline shifted in her seat when Klaus turned his gaze to her, his blue eyes cutting at her like shards of ice. "I just thought that maybe you would be worried as to how this would look to the council. To have Klaus staying here in your home?"
Liz straightened her sheriff's badge pinned to her chest. "Don't worry about the council. I will talk to them and get them to understand."
"If there are any issues tell them they are free to speak to me themselves." Klaus flashed a wide smile. "I would be happy to set them straight."
Setting them straight didn't mean a cozy conversation over coffee. Her mother knew it too, because she inhaled sharply.
"If you don't mind, I will take care of this. There is no need to involve you or Caroline."
"Perhaps they would deign to look more favorably on our association if they were aware of the fund that Caroline and I started for vampire victims," Klaus said with a playful tone, reacheding for Caroline's hand. "I believe the plan was to turn it over to the council to disburse. Isn't that right, love?"
"Yes, that was the plan." With everything that happened recently she completely forgotten about the fund. Of course, it was just like him to take her idea and twist it around for his own needs. The council would eagerly take his money and in return they would pretend to ignore the source it came from. As long as Klaus didn't directly attack the founding families they would look the other way.
Liz's mouth opened and closed several times before she found the ability to speak. "You started a fund for vampire victims?"
Klaus waved his hand dismissively. "It was all Caroline's idea. You know how kind-hearted she is. She felt that something needed to be done for the victims of vampire attacks."
"Well, we have frequently talked about it, but I never dreamed she would approach you or that you would…" Liz's voice trailed off, realizing what she said next might be construed as offensive. "How much is in the fund?"
"With Caroline's donation it would be a little over a million." Klaus smiled with pleasure at Caroline's exclamation of shock. "I am perfectly willing to turn it over to the council. Provided they want to take over the responsibility of managing it."
Liz's eyes widened with astonishment. "Where on earth did you come up with such a large amount? Caroline couldn't have come up with this much on her own."
"Caroline donated what she spent on her prom dress and the rest is from me." His face was smug.
"How? Why?" Liz asked with wonder in her voice.
"Your daughter can be quite persuasive when she wants to be."
Caroline turned to look at Klaus, thankful he hadn't mentioned the story behind the money in that fund. The dress he refused to let her pay for, the way she earned the rest of the money through a chess game. She knew he meant to give her a substantial donation for the fund. She never would have guessed he would offer a million dollars. She wasn't gullible enough not to recognize his motivations in being so generous. He was trying to please both her and her mother and get on the council's good side. Did it really matter? The money went to a good cause.
"Yes, she can be." Liz eyes softened as she looked at her daughter. "While I have a lot of reservations about this relationship, I am going to have to trust that you know what you are doing. You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. If this is whom you have chosen to be with, then I will support you. I doubted you in the past and I won't make that mistake again."
"Mom —"
"So, having said that, there are going to have to be some ground rules if your boyfriend is going to be staying here."
It was so weird to hear Klaus called that. Her mother really believed that she and Klaus were a couple. She fought the urge to laugh until she cried. He got what he wished for, unfettered access to her at all times and she could do nothing about it. With this turn of events, she finally understood what it was like to be a fly facing a spider. She was trapped and the more she struggled, the deeper she fell into the web Klaus had spun for her.
"Of course, Sheriff Forbes. I would expect no less."" The laughter in his voice had Caroline turning to frown at him. Looking into his dancing eyes she knew he was thoroughly enjoying this situation.
"Please call me Liz," her mother offered with a friendly, yet strained smile. "After all we are going to be seeing a lot of each other"
Klaus dipped his head slightly. "Then please do me the honor of calling me Klaus."
Caroline couldn't believe it. This whole situation was so bizarre she wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. Except, she didn't have the imagination for such a surreal scenario. Who would have ever thought a bloodthirsty hybrid would politely exchange first names with a law-abiding sheriff?
"It has always been my rule that Caroline is not allowed to have her boyfriends in her bedroom. Unfortunately, she seems to forget this on a frequent basis." Liz's expression was stern.
"Mom!"
Liz held up a warning finger to silence Caroline and cleared her throat several times. "I am not unaware of, or blind to, certain activities that could take place there or have already taken place. However, I would prefer not to witness it if possible."
"Seriously! Mom!" Caroline exclaimed, rolling her eyes. She couldn't believe her mother was alluding to her sex life. With Klaus in the room. She was so embarrassed and she didn't even need to look at Klaus to know he was barely suppressing his laughter.
"Don't get so upset, Caroline," Liz admonished. "I am making sure that you and Klaus know where I stand. He can stay here overnight. Once you go to bed, however, he needs to sleep on the couch."
"That is perfectly understandable and we will respect your wishes while we are here."
Caroline wanted to slap him. The look of mirth on his face made her want to die. He was laughing at her, laughing at her mother and the whole ridiculous situation they were in.
"Don't worry, mom. There won't be any trouble on my end keeping him out of my bedroom," Caroline snarled.
If she had hoped to take him down a notch, it didn't seem to work in the least. He merely grinned at her.
Liz released a relieved sigh. "Good."
"Now if you are finished, I am ready to go to bed." Caroline looked daggers at Klaus pulling her hand out of his grasp.
"Already?" Liz asked
"Yes. Enjoy the couch," she shot back at Klaus and leaving the room, his laughter followed her until she slammed her bedroom door shut.
#
Caroline sank into her bed and turned her head irately away from her bedroom door. Klaus and her mother still talked and it took all of her concentration to tune their voices out. She had no interest in how they were most likely talking about her strange behavior. She wanted to go to sleep, to forget at least for a while the disturbing reality of her life. She wanted to dream of Tyler, of his kisses and the forgiveness she hoped to see in his eyes when they met again. Focusing on that, she closed her eyes and let the darkness swallow her until she was deep within the dream world
She picked anxiously at several scarlet stitches in her needlework. What was supposed to have been an elegant Tudor red rose ended up looking like a lopsided tulip. Plucking and pulling the stitches from the fabric, she was tempted to curse. She hated needlework and it showed. Instead of the neat and straight rows of stitches like the other Queen's handmaidens, hers were a haphazard line of slashes and dashes. It didn't help that she was desperate for new of Niklaus. Her anxiety made her embroidery suffer more then it normally did.
It had been three days since she last saw him. Three days since the night she teased him about being jealous. Heat rushed into her cheeks at her remembrance of their last encounter. The way he pulled her into the hallway to punish her with his kisses and caresses. Caroline hadn't known that such bliss was possible. Having tasted the pleasure Klaus could offer her, she wantonly wanted more. Wanted all of him. To her worry, he seemed to have disappeared from court.
To make matters even more worrying, ever since that night there were multiple killings at court. A murderer was loose and six junior courtiers lost their lives, all of them personally known to Caroline. Their deaths were so gruesome and shocking, so upsetting the Queen, she forbade them to be spoken of. Since the murderer was yet to be caught, the Queens Handmaidens were constantly guarded. This made it even more difficult to find out information about Niklaus' whereabouts. She was so very scared of what might have happened to him. That he too might have lost his life to the killer and they had yet to find his body. She could only hope that his absence was because of some displeasure with her and not because he too was a victim.
Her gaze wandered over the rose garden and she remembered the night she brought Klaus here. That night the roses were in full bloom, their heavy fragrance perfuming the warm air. The sky so clear the stars sparkled like diamonds. Since then, the weather changed, the sun setting earlier, the nights cooler. Fall was coming. The petals falling from the roses, leaving the blooms bruised and emaciated. Suppressing a shiver, Caroline turned back once more to her work.
Booted footsteps echoed on the cobbled brick path, Caroline clutched her sewing tight in her hands, preparing herself for the worst news. She told the guards stationed at the gate not to let anyone disturb her unless it was of the outmost importance. She needed the quiet and solitude to be alone with her thoughts. She stood, lifting her head to face whoever was coming.
"Niklaus," she breathed. Rushing towards him, her dark velvet skirts flying, she flew into his embrace. His arms tightened around her, crushing her against his chest. The worry she carried for three days melted from her. She let him hold her, luxuriating in the feel of him, his soothing masculine scent.
Love," he murmured, his lips pressed against her curls.
At his tender endearment, she yanked herself out of his arms. Tossing her head, she looked him over from head to toe. He was dressed as usual in a bright blue doublet and breeches and in one hand he carried a small rectangular package wrapped in what looked like silk. Instead of focusing on what might possibly be a present, she searched for an injury anywhere on him. Any wound that would give him reason to have not contacted her or anyone in the last three days. Finding nothing, she punched him in the shoulder. Hard.
"Caroline," Klaus said with a hearty laugh, her physical punishment not affecting him in the least. "What have I done to incur such wrath?"
"You know exactly what you did." Caroline looked down her nose at him. "How could you?"
"Could I what?"
Folding her arms together tight over her chest she tried not to let the way he was staring at her, his blue eyes twinkling, his lips drawn into a playful smirk, affect her. It was so hard to stay mad at him when he looked at her with such boyish charm. She needed to be firm.
"You disappeared. No one has seen or heard from you. You have to know after what happened…" she paused her face aflame with heat while she searched for the right words, "how we…that night…"
"Yes?" Klaus interrupted with a teasing tone.
Taking a deep steadying breath, she looked at him crossly. "You know what I mean. How could you leave with no word, no note for? You had to know I would be sick with worry."
Klaus took a step towards her, wrapping a stray curl fell from her pearl strung hairnet around one finger. "Forgive me. I had no idea you would be so upset." Tugging her hair, he pulled her closer to him, close enough that he could press his lips into the slender curve of her neck.
A long, slow shiver rippled through Caroline, the kiss burning all the way to her core. Her heartbeat sped up, her breath hitching in her throat at being so intimately close to him again.
"And it pleases me very much," Klaus purred.
"It doesn't please me to be left to worry whether you are dead or alive." Caroline tried to ignore the heat of his mouth on her tender flesh. "Especially with a murderer on the loose. You could have been killed."
Klaus chuckled and the rich, velvety sound making her tingle. "Never fear that, my precious Caroline."
"How can you say that? There is a murderer targeting those both young, titled and wealthy which means you could easily be his next victim. Or I," Caroline said, her voice fading at Klaus lightly suckling the taunt skin at her pulse point. Her senses spinning, Caroline swayed lightly on her feet.
"I will protect you." Klaus lifted his head to stare intently into her eyes until she felt herself getting lost in their dark depths. "Always."
His tone held all the solemnity of a spoken pledge and Caroline wondered at it. For some reason it disturbed her and she trembled against him.
"I lost six of my friends and I couldn't bear it if I lost you too."
Klaus's harsh features softened, a smile lighting up his face. "You won't. Not ever."
"The murderer is still out there. Maybe even now has his next victim in his sights. The killings are so terrible that the Queen will not have them spoken of."
"Caroline…Don't think of these things. You are safe, I am safe."
"My friends thought they were too. They were foolish enough to believe that there were no such things as monsters, but they must exist. They have to if the Queen is this scared. "
"Monsters?"
At the harsh tone in his voice, Caroline peered at him close. His jaw was tight, shoulders tense.
"They say there was blood everywhere, the walls, the floor. Who else but a monster would do such a thing?"
"A monster?" Klaus released his hold on her. "Or someone who knows rage, someone who clearly feels out of control. Someone whose whole world was torn asunder and only in this can they find peace."
"Peace through the murder and torture of others?"
"It is a thought."
"If that is the case, what misery this creature knows to only find solace through death and violence," Caroline's her voice was heavy with sadness. "I would almost pity him."
"He doesn't need your pity, Caroline," Klaus snarled and turned away from her.
She knew she upset Klaus in some fashion, but as Caroline replayed their conversation in her head she was clueless as to how. She moved towards him, laying her hand upon his arm. "Maybe not, but I can't help how I feel."
He turned to her and grasping her hand in his, he lifted it to his lips for a kiss. "You are far to kind-hearted for your own good. It will be your undoing."
"So, I have been told by the Queen, repeatedly." She gave him a radiant smile, releasing her hand from his. "But, it seems I never learn. Which is good because it allows me to forgive you for endlessly worrying me about your whereabouts."
"I am forgiven that easily?"
Caroline tilted her head, pretending to consider the matter.
"Maybe this will help convince you?" Klaus held out the silk wrapped package she noticed earlier.
"Don't think you can buy my affections," she scolded, taking the proffered package and untying the velvet ribbon that held the silk together. "But one must admit it does help."
The silk wrapping fell from the present, revealing a book. A very fine and expensive one from the tooled leather binding. Turning it around to face her, she ran her fingertip over the raised, gilt lettering.
"Arcadia."
"Have you heard of it?"
"I have heard talk of it, but I have never seen a copy."
"It is the Countess of Pembroke's published edition."
Caroline opened the cover to find Klaus was correct. Paging through the book, it was beautifully illustrated and colored. The hand drawn and painted pages were miniature works of art. The book must have cost a small fortune, not unlike the necklace Klaus gave her just days before. It was the perfect gift, appealing not only to her vanity like the jewelry, but to her mind as well.
"It is beautiful." She paged through the book, pausing periodically to admire the vibrant colors and delicate lines of the illustrations. Coming to a page illuminated in gold, she stopped to read the title.
"My true love hath my heart," Klaus read aloud, his voice rough.
Looking up into his face, she found his gaze fixed on her.
"And I have his," she recited the next lines, her heart thudding in her chest.
"What will you do with it, Caroline?" His mouth twisted into an almost cynical smile.
"Treasure it always."
With a single finger he tipped her chin up. "I believe you would." He lowered his mouth over hers, touching his lips to hers with the softness of a rose petal.
Caroline stood perfectly still. Afraid that if she blinked this moment would disappear. How she longed to hear such words of love from him. He spoke of leaving court together, traveling the world and she happily agreed. Once the Queen was dead, there was no reason to stay here and every reason in the world to leave with Klaus. She loved him, longed to be with him forever. While she knew instinctively that she meant something precious to him, it wasn't until this very moment she knew she had his heart.
"My true love hath my heart," she whispered against his lips, repeating his words.
Klaus froze and then without hesitation his lips captured hers in a bruising kiss that stole her breath. He kissed her with a wild passion, his mouth hard and demanding. Like he was determined to suck her soul from her very being. Caroline didn't even fight. She gave it up eagerly, willing to face damnation as long as Klaus was by her side.
"My true love hath my heart," Caroline murmured into her pillow. She startled at hearing her voice in her sleep. She sat up in bed, her fingertips touching her lips where Klaus's mouth had been. Vibrating with fury, she threw off her bedcovers and flung open her bedroom door. Marching right into the family room she was instantly confronted by Klaus's solid, muscular chest.
"Going somewhere, love?" He drawled.
With a strangled cry of anger, Caroline grabbed one of the throw pillows off the couch and hit him right in the head. "My true love hath my heart?"
Klaus blinked, a strange look on his face that would have unsettled her if she weren't so incredibly upset with him. Ignoring his sudden stillness, she smacked him with her pillow again.
"Seriously? My true love hath my heart! Who says that?" She dropped the pillow and poked him in the chest directly with her index finger. "I give you points for originality and thank God I awoke this time before you molested me, but this has got to stop!"
"What has to stop?" Klaus asked, he eyed her cautiously.
"Your messing with my dreams." Caroline poked him again.
In a swift movement, Klaus caught her hand. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Yeah, right," Caroline huffed, rolling her eyes. "You forget that I have seen that sick fantasy of yours so I know all about your obsession with historical Caroline."
"Historical Caroline?" Klaus repeated, his voice taunt.
"You know the one. She is all sweet and innocent and she loves you desperately," Caroline batted her eyelashes at him. "It is sickening."
"How often have you dreamed of her?"
Caroline tried to tug her hand from his except he held it fast. "A few times and that is more then enough. You are now involved in every aspect of my waking life must you invade my dream life as well?"
"I'm not sending you these dreams."
Even though he denied it, Caroline would have been blind not to see the pleased gleam in his eyes that she was having them. "That doesn't make sense. I saw her in your head and now she is in mine."
Klaus opened her hand and laid it over where his heart once beat, pressing her palm against the hard muscle. "My true love hath my heart." He looked down at her, his pupils large and black.
Caroline shuddered as the memory of the other Caroline, her love and passion for Klaus pulsed through her. For a second the world seemed to shift, the scent of roses filling the air and the words fell faintly from her lips. "And I have his."
"Yes." Klaus' lips descending towards hers.
As the dream became real before her, panic erupted in Caroline's chest. "No!" Yanking her hand from Klaus's heart, she stepped away from him. "I will not be toyed with."
Instead of reacting with anger, hurt or even amusement, Klaus's regarded her through hooded eyes.
"I mean it, Klaus. Stay out of my dreams." She hoped he didn't notice the hysteria she was barely holding back. These dreams, the way he was messing with her head terrified her. This other Caroline's emotions and thoughts were so clear to her that at times she struggled to remember that she wasn't real. That these were dreams after all.
Walking back to her bedroom she swore she heard him say her name, but she didn't bother to turn around.
#
Caroline looked up from the book she was reading, peeking through her lashes at Klaus. He was sprawled out on the couch, casually drawing in his sketchbook. He looked perfectly at home in her small family room and with a pang in her heart she accept it no longer felt as awkward or intrusive as it used to. The past few days were rather nice. They settled into a pattern of strange domesticity. He would meet her at the door when Rebekah brought her home from school and then she would proceed to do her homework, sometimes with his help. Then they would watch television together until her mom came home from work. She even cooked dinner twice for her mom and he actually helped in the kitchen, chopping up the vegetables for her and then drying the dishes with no complaint. Between ten and eleven, she would head to bed and he would spend the night on the couch until Rebekah came in the morning. Sometimes she would wake up late at night and hear him on the phone giving orders. For the most part he kept his whole evil hybrid life completely separate from the time he spent with her. He even stayed completely out of her dreams, letting her rest in peace. Really, he was way too accommodating lately.
Noticing she was staring at him, Klaus looked up from his drawing to smile fondly at her. It was one of those sweet and gentle smiles that made her heart do flip-flops in her chest. She hated them the most because they were the hardest to resist. Realizing she was smiling back at him, she hastily looked back down at her book, frowning slightly at Klaus' chuckle.
"How is Gatsby coming along?"
"Not so good." Caroline sighed. "Everyone is unlikeable for the most part except for Gatsby. He is so in love with Daisy and normally I would think that was romantic, but I know something tragic is going to happen."
Klaus set down his pencil. "What makes you say that?"
"Because this is supposed to be great literature and in those books someone always dies and if they don't something else horrible happens. It's like in order for something to be a classic it has to be depressing and have an unhappy ending. Why can't people ever write about unicorns, fluffy kittens and rainbows?" Caroline said petulantly, flashing Klaus an annoyed look when he erupted with laughter at her comment.
Having had more then enough of Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, Caroline tossed the book on the end table next to her chair. Looking over at Klaus, his head once more buried in his sketchbook, a studious look on his face she had the sudden urge to see what he was so eagerly working on. She had wanted to steal a peak at his drawings ever since he started bringing his artwork with him to work on. She avoided the subject, not wishing to show any interest in what he did out of frustration at being practically his prisoner. Like he knew she was curious he always managed to keep his work slightly hidden. The more he tried to hide it, the more determined she was to see it.
"I am going to get a drink." She stood up. When he barely nodded, not even lifting his head to glance at her she formulated a plan. Starting towards the kitchen she swiftly turned on her way and yanked the sketchbook out of his hands. Given the element of surprise it was easy. Having captured the prize she ran towards her bedroom.
"Caroline," Klaus growled, a blur of movement.
She cackled gleefully when she made it into her bedroom before he managed to catch her.
"Give it back, love," Klaus threatened from her doorway.
"I don't think so." Caroline sat on her bed. "I want to see what your working on that you have been trying so hard to hide from me."
Klaus sauntered into her bedroom. "Maybe if you asked nicely?"
"Hey! You aren't allowed in here. Remember that whole little lecture from my mom that you agreed with?"
"I think that rule was made to be broken," Klaus purred advancing on her until he stood at the foot of her bed.
Caroline scrambled backwards until her shoulders hit her backboard. "I am going to tell on you!"
"Please do. Just be aware I will be forced to tell your mother why exactly I followed you in here. I am sure she would understand once she hears you stole my sketchbook."
Biting her lip, Caroline conceded that he was right. Her mother not only would understand, she would be shocked at Caroline's childish behavior. Before she could even blink Klaus was sitting next to her in her bed. She rushed to move, but he grabbed her wrist. With a whoosh of air she fell next to him, his arm moving around her shoulders to cradle her against him.
"Shall I make you pay for your theft?" His voice was a low seductive rumble and he stared at her, desire heavy in his gaze.
"No," Caroline squeaked out, attempting to shove the sketchbook back at him. "You can have it back."
"Open it."
Now that she had his permission to see what he worked on the last few days she wasn't sure she wanted to look.
"It won't bite."
Taking a deep breath, she flipped open the cover of the sketchbook. It was a drawing of her, legs folded beneath her on the couch working on her calculus homework. She must have been struggling with the problem from the determined look on her face. Feeling uncomfortable with looking at herself she turned the page and found another sketch of herself, this time in the kitchen with an apron on while she worked on meatloaf for her mother. Continuing to page through the book, she was confronted with drawing after drawing of herself, doing homework, watching television and working in the kitchen. She wanted to be freaked out by this obsession with her, but she mostly saw the beautiful care that went into each and every drawing. the loving detail in the sparse and delicate lines. Every page was a small masterpiece.
"They're all of me."
"Yes," Klaus answered simply.
Caroline studied the drawing he had last been working on. She could barely recognize herself in the beautiful, young girl that sat reading. Her curls fell lightly against her cheeks, her lips soft and sensual, her eyes almost haunted. "The drawings…they're so beautiful. I can't believe that they're of me."
"I draw only what I see, love."
Turning her head to look at him, she found his gaze already on her "This is how you see me?" Her breath caught in her throat.
"Can't you see how beautiful you are?" Klaus' voice skimmed delicately over her skin like the touch of silk.
Caroline shook her head, she didn't know what to say. She shivered slightly when his arm tightened around her shoulders, pressing her even more intimately against him.
"Then let me show you."
Klaus lowered his head, his mouth swooping down to taste her lips. With feather light touches, he kissed her delicately, like she was made of spun glass. He savored her lips, his tongue sweeping against the seam of her mouth until she was unable to resist any longer . She opened for him as a flower does in the early morning sun. He tasted like fine wine and danger and she drank it in. The innocence of the kiss was soon lost, a small moan escaping her. The sketchbook fell from her hands and she curled her fingers into the back of his head. His mouth slashed tighter against hers, his tongue searching and finding hers in a seductive dance. Caroline shivered at the longing she worked so hard to repress pouring out of her. The kiss erupted into a volcano of heat that set her nerve endings on fire. She fought this for so long, denying to herself the passion that existed between them. Now, with hardly a thought, she gave into her most hidden desires.
He sensed her capitulation and with his mouth never leaving hers, he slid her down the bed, rolling on top of her. Every hard edge and line of his muscular body pressed into her and she melted. Klaus lifted his head to look at her, triumph and lust on his face, golden fire leaping in his irises. Unwilling to see her fall from grace in his eyes, she tugged viciously on his hair, pulling his lips once more to hers. He groaned with desire, his mouth crashing into hers once more. Klaus moved slightly, sliding between her legs and the slight erotic pressure against her core sent her into the stars. With a shudder, she bit down on his lip and he smiled against her mouth. There was a hint of his blood on her tongue and she relished the taste, potent and rich with magic. Her eyes rolled back into her head. While she reveled in his blood he lifted his head, sliding his lips down her neck. He lightly suckled the tender skin where her pulse once fluttered, his tongue sweeping over the flesh Damon once ravaged.
"It should have been me," he growled against the place carried the Salvatore's mark over a year ago.
Caroline fell through the cloud of passion she floated in when Klaus lifted his head, to bare his fangs. The haze fell from her eyes, cold, stark reality setting in. He was going to bite her. Placing her hands on his shoulders she shoved him off of her with all her strength. Groaning, he fell next to her on the bed. She didn't even wait, flying off the bed she ran into the living room.
Klaus met her there, his eyes wild and his jaw tense. "Love —"
"Don't," she snapped. "What was I thinking? I know…I wasn't." Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself. "How could you? I almost died once before from such a bite."
"I would never hurt you." Klaus pressed his hand against his heart. "With my blood in your mouth it wouldn't have affected you at all. It would only have given you pleasure. I swear it."
Caroline blinked, processing this information. "This wasn't about my pleasure at all. I heard you. You wanted to mark me like a dog does his territory. Does it bother you that Damon tasted me first?"
Rage flickered over Klaus's face. Taking a breath, he once more took control. "To the contrary. I am most grateful to Damon for ensuring that you didn't meet your end at Katherine's hands."
Caroline searched for the truth in his eyes. When he stared back at her confidently and without guile she had to admit that he spoke honestly. "Yet, you think it should have been you?"
"Yes, Caroline," he rasped, prowling towards her like a barely caged beast. "It should have been me who tasted you first."
She backed away and he moved gracefully, like the sleek predator he was, until he cornered her against the wall. His gaze landed on hers, his eyes glittering and sharp. They sliced through her, right to her heart. Caroline stood quietly, willing herself to stay calm. He touched her, his fingertips grazing her cheek and she tried to move away. He responded by moving closer to her. His fingers trailed a silky path down her neck until they rested where his mouth was seconds earlier. He leaned, his lips next to her ear and she trembled at his heat, her traitorous body softening.
"I would never have treated you as he did. I would have treasured you, adored you from the first." Klaus' voice was raw, aching with need. His lips followed the trail of his fingertips, his mouth dragging over the highly sensitive skin.
"No," she panted. "You lie. Have you conveniently forgotten how you were willing to sacrifice me?"
"That is before I knew and understood." Klaus pressed his lips to the very spot where he would have bitten her long ago if he had his way. He scraped his teeth over the flesh, lightly nipping and tremors pulsed in Caroline.
Her chest heaved, her head falling back to bare her throat to him.
"Klaus." It was an invitation, an acknowledgement of what lay between them. Once more, she gave into her lust, her darkest desires and she no longer cared.
The garage door opened before she heard the car in the driveway. Her mom was home. Klaus pulled away from her with an oath she didn't recognize.
"Your mother has horrible timing."
Relief flooded Caroline. She was saved from making what could only have been a horrible mistake. Really, what was wrong with her? It was like she lost all sense and reason when she was around Klaus. While she could no longer deny the attraction, the desire crackled between them, she needed to keep reminding herself what a bad idea it was to get close to him. Distance. That is what they needed. Lots of distance. She eyed the lone chair in the room.
"Did you have a good day at school, Caroline?" Liz strode into the kitchen from the garage. Without waiting for an answer, she tossed her purse on the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
"Fine, mom." Caroline edged herself towards the chair and away from the couch where she would end up sitting with Klaus.
Her mother opened her water and took a long sip. "Are you all ready for prom tomorrow? I was putting together a security detail for the dance today at work."
"As ready as I'll ever be. I think Rebekah and I have everything covered." Caroline stole a glance at Klaus, he was tense a frown on his face "I only need to make sure there aren't any wrinkles in my dress."
"Do you really think it is a good idea for Caroline to go to prom?" Klaus asked. "Mystic Falls High has a reputation for disaster with their dances and won't the chaos of prom make it easy for her to get attacked again?"
Liz took another sip of her drink before answering. "I would prefer she not go, but since I know how impossible it would be to keep her home I am letting her. I am making sure there are a few officers there under the pretense of keeping tabs on underage drinking, but in reality they will be watching for any possible threats. With you there as her date I think she should be pretty safe."
"Klaus isn't —" Caroline started, only to stop since she was about to deny Klaus was her date. Which wouldn't make any sense since he was supposed to be her boyfriend. "He isn't interested in prom. He hates school dances."
"Which is why Caroline will be staying at home." Klaus flashed her a warning look.
"I am not!"
"Yes, you are," he bit out.
Caroline turned towards him. "I am co-chair of the prom committee. That means I am expected to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly."
"I am sure your other co-chair will not mind taking over your duties. In fact, if I know Rebekah at al,l I know she won't mind in the least." Dismissing any further argument, he sat on the couch.
Curling her fists with barely repressed rage, Caroline looked to her mother. "Mom!"
Liz shook her head. "Don't involve me in this. If Klaus doesn't go, then you don't go."
"That's not fair. I have to be there. Besides, it has been almost a week since the attack. If they were planning something, they would have acted by now."
"Not necessarily," Klaus replied, his voice cool. "They could be biding their time, waiting for you to be out in the open. Like, for instance, a large event like a school prom."
Caroline fought the urge to stamp her foot and throw something at Klaus. "They won't dare try anything with Damon and Stefan there." She shot a challenging look at him.
"With those two there, I can guarantee the dance will end in some kind of bloodshed," Klaus replied with sarcasm.
"That does seem to happen a lot when those two are involved," Liz agreed. "Did you get your homework done?"
Caroline gave her mother her blackest look, making it clear she was not pleased with the change in subject. "Yes."
"Well, then if the two of you don't mind, I am headed to bed. I have another shift in a few hours and I would like to get some sleep." Liz finished her bottled water, heading towards her bedroom.
Caroline whirled around to face Klaus. "How dare you keep me from prom?"
"You mean, how dare I keep you safe and save your life?" He asked icily.
"No one is going to attack me there. The school will be full of people," she pleaded. "I have to be there."
Klaus shook his head. "No, you don't."
"You can't keep me locked in this house forever. I will sneak out."
"Try it, love."
The threat in his voice was enough to make her want to scream. She knew she would never have a chance against him. He was too strong and powerful. If he wanted her here, there was no way she was getting away. Thinking hard, she sought to find a reason to convince him to let her go. When the idea came to her she at first dismissed it. She couldn't do it. It would open a bigger can of worms in her life, but how could she miss prom? This was her last time to shine as a normal teenager. Taking a deep steadying breath, she sat down next to Klaus on the couch.
"Gotten past your temper tantrum?" He asked roughly.
"Come to prom as my date." Caroline looked down at her hands fisted in her skirt.
Klaus leaned back on the couch, a look of interest on his face. "Your date?"
Now she had his attention she was almost afraid he would agree. "Yes."
"You want me to be your date," Klaus paused, his lips slowly sliding into a satisfied smirk. "You realize you will have to acknowledge that publicly? Elena, Bonnie, Damon and Stefan they will all know."
Caroline smoothed the wrinkles she just made in her skirt. "I thought we could do a dance or two." She waited for an answer, when he didn't speak she added, "in public, of course."
"So I am supposed to be satisfied with a few dances in return for making sure someone doesn't try and kill you at prom?" Klaus' tone was cynical.
"What more do you want?" Caroline looked at him, giving him her most irresistible, pleading look. The one that always worked on her mother. "This means everything to me."
Klaus raised one brow. "Even if it gets you killed?"
"It won't. No one would dare with you there." He enjoyed her answer from the flash of pleasure in his eyes. She was so close to getting what she wanted, surely she could find a plausible reason for everyone as to why she was dancing with the enemy. "Please, Klaus. I will follow all your orders while I am there, no matter how ridiculous I find them."
He sighed, reaching out to cup the side of her face. "You will follow my orders? If I tell you we need to leave, you won't question it. You will do as I say?"
"Absolutely."
"Fine, sweetheart. You win. You can have your prom."
Squealing with delight she threw her arms around him without even thinking. He was as surprised at the action as she was. His arms went around her, his hands lightly touched her back. This close to him, her eyes fluttered as she drank in his scent. Her body reacted immediately, her fingers itching to run through his hair, her lips parting as if to taste him. Her skin tingled with the yearning to be touched intimately. Like she was burned, she pulled away from him. It was too hard to be this close to him and not kiss or touch him. Looking into his eyes when she sat back down next to him, she realized he knew it too.
"Don't think I don't know I have been played," Klaus said, his voice amused.
"I think I will head to bed." Looking away she attempted to rise, only to be pulled back down next to him.
"I thought we could watch a movie tonight?"
Caroline cocked her head, considering the manner. She wasn't in the least bit tired, but the idea of watching a movie with Klaus and spending more time with him after what almost happened to them earlier, seemed like asking for trouble.
"Since you are reading Fitzgerald I though we could watch Midnight in Paris. He was revising The Great Gatsby during the time period this movie portrays."
"I don't know."
"I'll tell you all about the time I met him."
"Of course you met him. Is there anyone famous you haven't met?"
Klaus grinned wolfishly at her. "You would be surprised. So will you watch the movie with me?"
She was going to refuse. Except there was an odd note in Klaus's voice, almost like he didn't want the night to end yet. It made her wonder if these long nights were difficult for him. It couldn't be any fun to be stuck watching her without his usual amusements. Not that she wanted to know what they were. Still, he tirelessly gave up his evenings to keep her safe. The least she could do was keep him company.
"I guess. I can't promise I won't be bored to death if this is all about Fitzgerald and Gatsby."
"It's not. It is also about Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Zelda Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Dali."
"Great, more people you once knew." Caroline rolled her eyes. While she acted annoyed, she had to admit it fascinated her that he knew so many incredible and famous people. She just didn't want him to know how much she liked listening to him talk.
Klaus flashed her a smile and stood up, retrieving a DVD case from the brown, scuffed leather messenger he carried to her place daily. Standing in front of the television he grabbed the remote from the top and inserted the DVD into the player.
When the movie started, Klaus wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him like a boyfriend on a date. She thought to protest and chose not to. It warmed her from the inside out to be close to him. They watched in silence until the main character stepped back into the twenties.
"I was there in Paris around this time. It was after the war and Rebekah and I were laying low in the artist's quarters hiding from Mikael. It was soon after we migrated to America," Klaus said, his voice hardening when he mentioned the man who once acted as his father.
"So this is when you met Fitzgerald?"
"Yes. Like in the movie we met at Gertrude Stein's. She had the most incredible art collection; Renoir, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso hung on her walls. She used to have Saturday salons where all the artists would meet. I used to go, of course, then I was considered just another struggling artist, albeit one with a comfortable allowance."
How much Klaus had fit in then? How he had slaked his thirst for blood and kept it a secret. From what she since since he came to Mystic Falls, death followed in his wake. Picasso came on screen with his mistress and Caroline could tell from the annoyed look on Klaus's face that he did not care much for the artist.
"His blue period was decent, but the cubism and neo-expressionism after that was an abomination," Klaus said, pointing at the screen and shaking his head.
"I don't think the art world agrees with you." Caroline giggled.
"That is because they have no appreciate for the master's."
"You are an art snob!"
"No, I just know the difference between good art and what is nothing more then geometric shapes and slapdash technique."
"Only you would criticize Picasso," Caroline laughed again.
Klaus turned to look at her and when he spoke, his voice was tender. "I like it when you laugh."
At the sweet smile on his face, she wanted to laugh again. If only to have him look always like that, as if evil never touched him. "So tell me about when you met Fitzgerald?"
"When I met him at Gertrude Stein's he was with his wife, Zelda. She and Rebekah got along famously. To such an extent we went to dinner with them a few times. He was very enjoyable if a bit of a drunk. Very passionate about his writing and he spoke of it in great detail. What I remember most is when the cover for The Great Gatsby was drawn he loved it and asked my opinion. I found it to be quite maudlin and told him so. At first he argued with me, but then he agreed. Only it was too late for it to be changed."
Glancing at the cover of the book, sitting across from her on the end table, Caroline had to agree that she didn't care for the cover. The huge eyes, with what looked like a massive tear drop hovering above the bright lights made her want to cringe. "I don't care for it much either."
Klaus chuckled throatily. "Because you have taste, love."
The movie continued, moving further into the past to the 1890's and even Caroline recognized the Moulin Rouge, Toulouse- Lautrec and Degas. "This reminds me of the movie, Moulin Rouge only they aren't breaking into song."
"I have never seen it"" Klaus drew his brows together. "It is a musical?"
"How can you not have seen it?" Caroline gasped. "It has everything and you can't help singing along and then crying when Satine dies. It is so epically tragic. You have to see it. We are so watching that this weekend."
"Epically tragic?"
"Yes, epically tragic." Caroline gave him a warning glance when be laughed.
When the protagonist in the movie separated from his lover by deciding to return to the present time, rather then lose himself in the past, Caroline let out a sad sigh. Klaus reached for her hand. The sensation of his skin sliding against hers filled her with heat all the way to her toes and she curled even closer into Klaus. It was so comfortable, so safe in his arms, so easy to close her eyes and fall asleep.
When the movie ended, Klaus looked down at Caroline. Her dark lashes were like black lace against her pale cheeks, her red lips still swollen from his kisses and he wanted nothing more then to wake her with his mouth. He refrained, knowing how irritated she was when woken against her will. He witnessed more then a few mornings where she sworn and railed at her alarm clock. Sweeping a lock of hair from her face he wondered if she dreamed again of her past. She said nothing the last few days and, as much as he wanted to ask, he wisely stayed silent on the subject. He was dying to tell her the truth. The only thing stopping his was the damage he might do. He had yet to forget how badly things went when he shared one of his memories with her. The brain was a fragile instrument that needed to be respected and he was willing to be patient and wait for the truth to reveal itself.
Gathering her tighter in his arms, he rose to carry her into her bedroom. Liz would not appreciate waking to the sight of her daughter asleep in his embrace. While became more accepting of him every day, he would be blind not to see the apprehension in her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking. Laying Caroline down on the bed, he couldn't help leaning in to press his lips against hers like a prince faced with his love…the sleeping princess. Like Sleeping Beauty, part of Caroline slept, hidden from himself and the world. He only wished he could wake her with a kiss like in the fairytales.
Until then, he would have to be satisfied with the progress he was making into becoming a part of her life. Tonight he was so close to having her at last. She offered herself wholeheartedly, only he had made the mistake of trying to claim her. A a chance he was denied hundreds of years ago. He shouldn't have been so foolish. Except he wanted his mark on her, a brand that could never be removed. It was the closest a vampire came to marriage and eternal commitment and he wanted her to have it. Not only because of the protection it offered. He also wanted the world to know once and for all that she was his. Leaving Caroline's bedroom be ran into Liz, regarding him with a conflicted expression.
"You really care about her," she said as if the words surprised her.
"I do, very much."
She moved out of the way so he could pass her. "I hadn't thought a vampire could love."
"They can't," Klaus answered sharply, knowing what she really meant. That he couldn't love. "Don't ever think differently."
"Caroline can."
Klaus looked in the direction of Caroline's bedroom. "I know."
"Don't hurt her."
"Never."
Liz stared at him long and hard, evaluating the truth of his words. She must have seen something in his face, in his eyes, that gave her the reassurance she needed. With a nod she went back to her room.
Sitting back down on the couch, Klaus picked up the discarded sketchbook. Lifting up his pencil he sketched, pouring all the emotion, everything he couldn't say to Caroline, into his drawings of her. Until at last he was spent.