"You're the one who's kissing your captor's hands," - Up on Your Leopard, Sunset Rubdown

17

Rebirth

Some of the skills Caroline had developed while her humanity had been off, specifically learning to evade Klaus's notice, must have stuck because when he woke she was no longer in bed beside him. The old familiar panic rose in his throat for a split second until the quietest of sighs from across the room caught his notice.

Caroline had risen from bed and showered. She was draped in a terrycloth robe and standing at his window overlooking the courtyard. Her hair was still damp and tousled from the shower. Mimicking her look was the weather outside, a dull and steady drizzle of rain was pattering at the window from an evenly grey sky.

She still looked exhausted but, she wasn't crying. In fact, she was just staring outside with concerned eyes.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked her, breaking the silence and making her startle with a small jump.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Did I wake you?"

It was such a simple question but it was also a powerful reminder that she was really back. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Caroline be concerned, even minutely, for anyone other than herself.

"You never do," he said, rising from the bed and removing his now wrinkled shirt before walking over to the closet.

Caroline quickly averted her eyes to look back out the window and he thought he detected the smallest of blushes as she did. If he hadn't been hypersensitive to her feelings in this moment, it would have made him laugh. Instead of continuing to the closet to find an un-wrinkled shirt, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around from the front, pulling her to lean into him.

He saw her close her eyes contentedly in the reflection of the window and she relaxed just slightly into his hold. He hardly dared to believe it at this point but, it was starting to seem like she might really truly stay with him.

"Bonnie's been calling me nonstop," Caroline told him.

Until she said that.

"Oh?" he asked, not caring if he sounded hurt or nonchalant, "I didn't realize you two were in contact."

"I got in touch with her when… when I had it off," Caroline said. "At the time I thought you might be tracking me and I was just trying to get away. I have to call her back eventually."

At the time? Eventually? These were all clues that made it sound like she really was planning to stay. Still, he didn't dare outright ask.

Caroline turned so that she could face him but remained in his arms. With her looking up into his eyes so honestly, he couldn't help but be open in return.

"I… may have enlisted the help of Stefan Salvatore as well," he admitted.

Caroline's eyes widened in surprise at the huge admission. He had called the one other vampire who could potentially be seen as competition just to get her back? Klaus really had been desperate, hadn't he?

"Well, I suppose they'll be together," Caroline said.

"No, he wouldn't," Klaus said. "Stefan knows better than to cross me."

"Klaus," Caroline prompted, in a get real sort-of tone, "They're definitely together."

He almost laughed because he internalized that, of course, she was right. And then, it also occurred to him that Caroline was maybe the single person in the world who could correct him and escape his wrath. Not only would she escape his anger, she would only make him feel like laughing about it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking down at her tenderly.

Caroline wasn't going to hide from what had happened. The only way she could even begin to make amends with everyone — and more importantly herself — was by confronting what she'd done head on and working through it.

"I started smoking cigarettes," she replied, not quite answering his question but, clearly disgusted with herself. It was a small admission. It was the easiest thing to start with.

"Yes, you did," he said. "You smoked some other things too."

"Yeah but… cigarettes?" Caroline pressed.

"I tried making that point," he said. "You didn't have any qualms at the time. You aren't still craving them, are you?"

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I'm not even sure I was craving them then," she admitted. "I think it was more about projecting a certain look."

"You did seem intent on maintaining the general air of a badass at all times," he said, indulgently. He was still very aware that she was working through a lot right now but, he could barely believe she was here. Caroline, the real Caroline, was really here and she was letting him hold her. They'd just slept in each others arms like commited lovers.

"Badass, right," she replied, growing sour and self-deprecating. "If Stefan had his humanity off, it would have been real chaos. I barely even made it two weeks."

Klaus was shocked that she'd said that, of all things. He didn't want to go out of his way to remind her of the havoc she'd wrought — she was already feeling terrible enough — but surely she had to realize that those two weeks had been an intense struggle. Not only had she been dangerous, she'd been unapologetically emotionally manipulative.

Knowing better than to outright mention any of this, Klaus responded with a simple, "Thank god it wasn't a second longer."

"Of course!" she said, pushing out of his hold to slap a hand to her forehead in realization. "No, you're right. I don't even know how many people I killed because I never bothered to find out how many people died in the Napalm explosion…"

Klaus could see that she was starting to grow anxious again so he pressed himself closer to her, almost out of instinct.

"It wasn't you," he insisted. "The only thing you need to think about is the fact that you're back now. It could have been longer and it could have been worse but, those are only facts to be thankful for. It's nothing to feel ashamed of. You should be proud that you were able to come back, most vampires don't have the strength."

His speech honestly did make her feel better and she wondered if it was because she was looking for an excuse to escape her guilt or… Well, perhaps it was because Klaus knew her and understood what she needed to hear.

"I really do need to call Bonnie back," she said, pushing away from him suddenly and stalking back towards the bed. "They must be still trapped outside the city. You'll have to un-compel Stefan."

"So you're going back with them then?" Klaus asked, surprised at the thickness in his voice.

Caroline had been headed to find her phone but, upon hearing his questions and clearly hurt tone, she turned to face him with genuinely wide eyes. Didn't he know?

"I hadn't planned on it…" she admitted. "But I still need to see them. I need to talk with them and explain myself. They're my friends. They're the closest thing I have to family right now."

"You're staying?" Klaus asked, still needing absolute confirmation.

"Well, I had… thought I would," Caroline said, her brow furrowing in confusion and worry. "I mean, I'll need to go back to Virginia for a bit, of course, to say goodbye and pack up but I just feel like I'm in a different place now. It doesn't feel right to go back. But if it's a problem… I mean, if I've screwed things up too badly here and need to leave then-"

Klaus cut her off by crossing the short distance she'd put between them in a single step and gathering her in his arms. Without waiting to gage her reaction he pulled her back into him, covering her mouth with his own for what now felt like the first time since he'd last seen her in Mystic Falls. It was an innate response after being told that Caroline had moved on from her old life, and specifically to move forward with him? He couldn't help needing to kiss her on the spot.

And, pleasingly, it immediately appeared that Caroline's response was every bit as natural. She melted into his embrace. Ever since she'd flipped her switch back on, every second had been a flood of emotions. Primarily, dealing with their return had been difficult and painful. But she'd forgotten that without her humanity, she'd also gone a long time without experiencing happiness… not to mention love, for that matter. She'd missed those feelings and lust was so much better feeling when it was connected to something real.

Feeling her respond with true warmth — coupled with the knowledge that this was finally and truly Caroline offering all of herself to him — he was encouraged into pressing her back against the wall behind them gently but firmly. She curled into him, reaching up to wrap her small hands around his shoulders and neck. He groaned at her touch and used his knee to part open her thighs so he could press into her. She writhed into him while letting out her own moan but Klaus used the last few seconds he had with a clear head to pull back from her.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, finding it hard to ignore the lust he found in her confused eyes, "Are you sure you're ready for this… now?"

Caroline sighed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to compose herself. It wasn't that she wasn't ready for Klaus… that had changed when she'd realized he was ultimately her trigger; it had only taken being separated from him to figure it out. Caroline felt she needed to wait because she had too much to do before she could begin indulging in a new life. She had a lot to make up for and she had to at least start rectifying her life first.

"No, you're right," she said, pushing him back lightly so she could lean back against the wall while putting some space between them. "I have a lot I need. I can't just be jumping into bed for my own gratification after I've killed… fuck, I'm not even sure how many people."

Klaus nodded, understanding that she needed time; it was why he'd stopped himself in the first place. But, of course, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Well, for both our sakes, I hope you don't feel the need to punish yourself too long," Klaus said.

"It's not about that. Well maybe a little but… Look, I'm going to get dressed and then call Bonnie," Caroline said. "They'll be stuck outside of the city. We'll have to go meet them."

"We?" he asked, genuinely still surprised by her at every turn right now.

"Well… given the fact that I'm choosing to stay with you," she said, "I think it would probably be a little more serious to them if you came with me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm going to do all of the talking but, I think your presence is warranted."

Klaus promptly decided that letting her do all the talking would be negotiable upon arrival.

By the time Caroline was working up her nerve to call Bonnie, the Mystic Falls group was immediately outside of the city at a rest stop where people would park their cars before taking shuttles to the airport. It wasn't exactly the most charming place to stop and plan but, it was inconspicuous and free of distraction.

"I always forget," Damon began, "How weird it feels to be compelled."

The others were hovered over the hood of their car watching Bonnie perform yet another locator spell to confirm where Caroline. It was growing easier and easier; objects Bonnie felt sure would hold know connection to a humanity-less Caroline had a strong pull throughout the spell.

"I think she has her humanity back on," Bonnie murmured, exchanging a wide-eyed glance with Elena and outright ignoring Damon.

Damon was still pushing himself at the invisible boundary they'd seemed to find when they'd initially tried to keep driving beyond the parking lot. Stefan could not control his slowing of the car and, then, when they'd all stepping out into the parking lot, they'd found a sort invisible fence blocking their progression on foot. Any time they tried to take a step closer to the city an unknown force would softly push them back.

"I mean, it's all in my head, right?" Damon asked, ignoring Bonnie right back. "I could keep walking. There's no real boundary here. The compulsion is just making me think I'm getting held back. God I hate Originals!"

"And if she does have her humanity back on?" Stefan asked. "Is she with Klaus willingly or has he taken her captive again?"

"If she has her humanity back and she's with him willingly she would have called us," Elena insisted. "He must be holding her. Caroline would never leave us waiting to hear she was back."

As if on cue, Bonnie's cell phone started ringing in her back pocket. She visibly startled as she pulled it out and flashed them the screen. It was Caroline. Even Damon stopped his game of trying to break his compulsion when Bonnie answered the call.

"Care?" she asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.

"Bonnie, I'm back," Caroline replied, her voice clear to everyone thanks to their vampire senses.

Bonnie's breath hitched in her throat for a moment, she was so happy to hear her real friend was finally back but, she quickly composed herself.

"Where are you? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine… emotionally overwhelmed but fine," Caroline replied. "I'm in New Orleans again. I'm with Klaus."

"Caroline, do you need our help?" Bonnie asked, trying to get to the root of her friend's situation as quickly as possible.

"No, I'm fine-" Caroline interrupted herself and took a moment to let out a deep breath. "Where are you? I need to come see you. Bon, I'm so sorry for everything-"

This time Bonnie cut her off. "Care, it's fine, we just want to see you. We're right outside the city…"

Stefan turned around to pace as Bonnie finished giving Caroline directions and hung up the phone.

"That didn't sound like she was being kept against her will," he said.

Elena looked at him in sad agreement and then turned to Bonnie to see what had been decided.

"She's on her way to see us," Bonnie said. "She wanted to undo our compulsion but I told her you all had vervain in your systems."

"Ah, not being able to get back into New Orleans is no great loss," Damon said. "I'm so over that place now that it's crawling with Originals."

"Damon, if you're going to be this cavalier when Caroline gets here, just don't say anything at all," Elena fumed at him. "She's just turned her humanity back on. I don't think sarcasm is going to do anyone any favors right now."

Damon looked properly put in place after that and he piped down. But Stefan still looked anxious.

"Do we even know who she's coming with?" he asked.

"You think she's coming with Klaus?" Elena returned.

Damon didn't say anything but he shot an annoyed that suggested 'duh!'

"Well it's something we should be prepared for…" Bonnie said.

"Prepare for?" Stefan asked, almost angrily. "Do you have a white oak stake on you?"

"Stefan, I know you're upset but try to calm down," Elena said. "We don't know what's going on yet."

"All we can do is wait for her to show up," Bonnie agreed. "It's no use turning on each other in the meantime."

Stefan turned away from the group to watch cars drive back and forth across the entrance to the lot, waiting for Caroline to arrive. He did feel bad for snapping at Bonnie but, the truth was, he had a feeling he knew what Caroline had chosen. And he could only face her arrival with an ever increasing sense of dread.

So so so sorry for the big delay! Honestly it's partly because I've been wanting to give Inferno the same strong start I gave this fic. I still strongly recommend you give it a read. Klaus and Caroline are officially interacting — in the future! And scary things are about to happen! I'd love to hear what fans of this story think of that one. It's probably the strongest / most in-charge version of Caroline I've written yet.

Also! As many of my fellow Klaroline fans know, it is a very special time of year. We've reached The Klaroline Awards 2015! It's a competition on tumblr where everyone can nominate and vote for their favorite fics, gifs, and videos made in the past year. You do not need to have a tumblr to participate so please take a moment to visit the Klaroline Awards blog and show your favorite authors some much needed love with a nomination. Even if you don't feel compelled to nominate, it's a great blog that fans work really hard on. And it will introduce you to a wealth of the best Klaroline fics (plus some steamy gifs and videos) on the planet so it's worth checking out!

My next update on this (early next week) will be much longer. This chapter is just shorter because I felt like those two scenes needed to stand alone together. I also figured you'd want it sooner rather than later! Please review! :D