Post 4x13. AU

She loves her momma's lemonade

Hates the sounds that goodbyes make

She prays one day she'll find someone to need her

She swears that there's no difference between the lies and compliments

It's all the same if everybody leaves her

Klaus could feel Caroline's waning strength slowly returning as she drank heavily from his open wrist. Her hands were grasping his forearm tightly as if she was afraid he would refuse her if she were to let go. He continued to stroke her hair softly and gently, trying to be comforting, but he was almost numb by the repetitive motion. Her words to him still echoed loudly in his ears. She thought he was capable of being saved. The words burned him with the most exquisite pain he hadn't felt in centuries.

It wasn't even ten minutes later that he felt her suddenly go slack as she rested on him, exhausted from the day's event and the pain she had been put through. Pain that he put her through. Still holding her lithe figure to his, he soon followed her in unconsciousness, his hands cradling her to him. Minutes, or perhaps hours later, he awoke to feel the beauty sleeping on top of him, shuddering, shaking, and softly crying out in her sleep. Klaus removed his hands from their protective embrace around her waist and delicately placed them at her temples and harnessing his power he looked into her subconscious to see what was ailing her. What he saw and felt gutted him to his core. He as assaulted by images, feelings, and thoughts projected to him in a seemingly random order, but was non-the less disturbing flashbacks.

"How can you hate who I am so much?"

"Please, don't leave me daddy. Please, don't leave me. Daddy, just don't leave."

"Keep Caroline away from me, please. I don't want to see her."

"My daughter is gone."

He saw her struggle with both of her parents and their refusal to accept her because of her vampirism. He couldn't help but relate to her when he had turned and even more so when he discovered his werewolf lineage. He understood the pain of being rejected by one's parents for being simply what you are and having no control over it. He could see every memory happening, but couldn't reach out to her despite calling out her name several times. It was like he was a ghost. More scenes flashed in front of his eyes and he was helpless in stopping it from continuing.

"Caroline, you and me it's never going to happen."

"I got lots of wooden bullets, other toys. It's going to be a long night, sweat pea."

"Why are you doing this to me? You're a vampire, why not?"

"Let me out!"

"Please, stop!"

"Daddy, you can't change who I am."

"NO, NO, NO!"

He witnessed and felt her pain, her numerous tortures, and heartbreaking rejections. She had survived so much misery for someone so young and beautiful. And yet, he never saw this vulnerable side of her. She always had shown herself as confidant and sassy, never a broken soul like him who wore his pain on his sleeve. She was so much stronger than he could ever hope to be.

"He hates me. My dad hates me."

"No, no more, please. No more."

"Did you just bite me?"

"Just get away from me, get away!"

"I'm a murderer."

"I'm sorry, Mommy."

He was yelling now, screaming at her to hear him, to listen as he watched her break down further. They shared so much more pain then he ever knew. It filled him with rage, seeing her constantly torn down by her parents and supposed friends. She should never have had to feel that way. She was so much more special than she would ever realize.

"Why didn't he go for me? How come the guys I want, never want me? I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. And I try so hard, and I'm never the one."

"You are the only stupid thing here. And shallow. And useless."

"She hates me. Bonnie hates me."

"I'm a monster."

"I don't like you. I never have."

"Do you ever feel like there's not a person in the world who loves you?"

He saw the open heart she had and how it was constantly stomped on, toyed with, and rejected by these mere boys. And then finally he saw the way he had looked her when he denied helping her earlier. And he could feel her fear, like his refusal was the final breaking point for her. Like she had trusted him to be the one person to never hurt her, and he did.

"Just help her. No."

His own words to her tormented him the most. He didn't want to concede to Tyler, but seeing her dying in front of him was something he couldn't bare, no matter how mad she made him with her bitter words. He finally pulled his hands away from her temple and looked down at her to see that she was finally awake. There were tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

"Caroline?" He called, nearly in a whisper. She didn't answer, but shifted on top of him so that they were now lying chest to chest on the large leather sofa. She buried her head in his chest, and he wrapped one arm around her torso, the other was cautiously stroking her blonde tresses again. He could feel her shuddering breathing and he stroked her back while she let out a flood of emotions. Only when the tears finally stopped and her breathing returned to a more even pattern did he dare to break the silence again.

"Caroline?" She looked up at him, eye makeup smeared and he though she had never looked more beautiful. "I'm sorry," he whispered regret coloring his words. "So am I, I should have never said those things to you, you didn't deserve it," she whispered back, tracing patterns on his black Henley. She could feel him shaking slightly as well.

"We had a little spat, I'm over it already," he quipped offhandedly. She laughed softly and then in a more serious tone, "I'm glad because I think I'm ready to take that chance."

"Do you really mean it?" Her words about knowing that he loved her came to the front of his mind immediately.

"I'm not scared anymore. I don't care what they will say. Any of them," she said with firm certainty. She grabbed his closest hand and wrapped hers around it, bringing it to her lips to softly kiss it.

"Oh darling," he said as he cupped her cheek with his other hand and leaned in closer to her. Their first kiss was tentative; shy even, before it morphed into a fiercely passionate embrace that caused them to fall off the couch with a loud thump a few minutes later. For the first time since he had teased her about her Miss Mystic Falls application, Caroline laughed blissfully and despite himself, so did Klaus.

Daybreak finally lit up the Gilbert's living room, as Caroline and Klaus still lay on the floor unwilling to move only to exchange soft words and gentle touches. Loud foot steps echoed on the porch and the front door opened with slam. Klaus moved in front of Caroline, shielding her body with his as Tyler walked inside at a brisk pace.

"What the hell is this?" He thundered, moving to the threshold of the living room. Klaus moved to get up, when Caroline grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to her.

"Just compel him for now, please. We'll deal with him later," she begged.

Klaus nodded, and moved in front of Tyler compelling him to forget that he saw him and Caroline together as well as to stay in his home until he received further instruction. When he finally left, Klaus reached his hand out and no longer felt the barrier in place, keeping him entrapped. He turned to Caroline and extended his hand out to her. She crossed the room and took it, squeezing his hand in hers.

"We need to hurry and pack, love. Got a trip to crash."

So this is a little drabble that popped into my head a few days ago, nothing amazingly spectacular I know. I was crying watching all those Caroline scenes on Youtube. Read and Review my lovelies, xoxo. I promise the next will will be longer, and more exciting.