Meh, no special reason for updating, guys, I just felt like it. Thank you for the reviews! You guys are awesome!

4x09 AU. Post hybrid sacrifice. No Mayor Lockwood murder.

Mikaelson Mansion...

There was a look of curiosity on her face as Caroline pulled up to the Mikaelson mansion. Klaus had texted her a few minutes ago, telling her that he needed to speak to her, but couldn't tell her over the phone. As strange as that sounded, Caroline couldn't just ignore it, especially not if Klaus wanted to see her that urgently.

Once she killed the engine, Caroline went to the door and saw that it was open. When she pushed it open, she saw blood on the floor. Shit, what the hell happened? Biting her lip, Caroline went further into the mansion, where she saw more blood. There seemed to be a trail of it and she wondered whose it was. This couldn't be what she thought it was, could it?

"Klaus? Are...Are you here?"

"I'm in the parlor, Caroline," he replied. "Just follow my voice."

Nodding, the blonde vampire followed the hybrid's voice until she came to the parlor, where she saw him standing in front of the fire place, his back to her. Gulping, Caroline stepped further in, not sure if she was going to like the sight that awaited her.

"Klaus?"

It was here that he turned to look at her and Caroline saw that his face was covered in blood, as was his shirt. What the hell had he gotten into? Before he could speak, she said, "What the hell happened to you? You look like you were in some kind of massacre."

"Actually, love, I was in a massacre," said Klaus. "I killed twelve hybrids tonight, one of which was that filthy bitch, Kim, the one that tortured you in the barn. And before you ask, yes, she did suffer. They all suffered, actually, since they all had a part in it."

Caroline just nodded. At least she could take solace in the fact that he had gotten revenge for what happened at the barn. I'll bet she's burning in hell, she thought. Damn bitch should've known better than to piss Klaus off, especially when it comes to me.

Finally, she said, "Did you want to at least take a shower? I mean, you do kind of smell of fresh blood. I could even wash your clothes for you. That way, you don't have to wear that blood like a badge."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "You're actually offering that?"

"Of course I am," said Caroline. "It's Christmas, after all, the time where we're supposed to be charitable to our fellow man. Plus, you kind of owe me that champagne from earlier."

Klaus nodded. He remembered offering her that champagne when they ran into each other at the Grill earlier, while she was admiring the snowflake painting that he had donated. In fact, she was still had the white dress and sweater ensemble she had worn when he saw her:

"Nice snowflake, by the way."

He looked at the painting and then back at her. "Is my work really that literal?"

"No, I like it," said Caroline. "There's something lonely about it."

Klaus smiled at her. At least someone liked his work, unlike that idiot, Stefan, who wouldn't know culture if it walked up to him and bit him in the ass. At least when he was the Ripper, he had some appreciation for art.

Changing the subject a bit, he said, "Could I offer you a glass of champagne?"

"No," said Caroline. "There are adult prying eyes. Wouldn't want to be a high school cautionary tale at the next town meeting."

Klaus nodded. "Luckily for you, the high school part is nearly over."

Caroline smiled. "If we're going to be nice to each other, I'm going to need that glass of champagne."

"Is that our 'thing'?"

Caroline kept from rolling her eyes when she replied, "We don't have a 'thing.'"

Klaus cleared his throat then, bringing himself back to reality. "You're right, I should get rid of the blood, even though I didn't really mind it being there after a few minutes. I guess for whatever reason, I was...well, numb. It was as if their pain didn't bother me."

He didn't let her answer him and walked away. Caroline watched him as he left and after he was gone, she decided to roam around the mansion for a little bit, since he was probably going to be a while. Plus, she had to get the champagne so that they could have that drink he promised her. As she wandered about, she wondered why he didn't bother having a Christmas tree or holiday decorations. God knows the mansion was big enough. Making up her mind, Caroline vamp sped to the nearest lot and purchased a tree, which she brought back to the mansion and decorated it. Once the star was put up, Caroline then proceeded to decorate the whole mansion

She was still decorating when Klaus came into the parlor, dressed in fresh clothes and the blood gone from his body. As soon as he saw what Caroline had done, he didn't know what to think.

Caroline noticed him looking at the decorations and smiled at him. "Well? What do you think? Does the place look festive enough?"

"I think you did a fantastic job," he replied. "But, tell me, love, why the sudden urge to decorate?"

"I noticed that you didn't have the place decorated for Christmas, so I did a little something about it," said Caroline. "I made everything go from drab to fab in as little as five minutes." She sighed. "That and it's my first Christmas as a vampire and I didn't know how I was going to celebrate it. Would it be the same as it was when I was human? Or will it be different?"

"I've had over a thousand Christmases as a vampire, love," said Klaus. "They weren't that different. I know it may not seem that way now because you're young yet, but, in time, you'll see what I mean." He presented a bottle of champagne, as well as two glasses. "I took the liberty of fetching the champagne for us."

Caroline saw the bottle and bit her lip. "Shit, I forgot about it. I spent all that time decorating and it completely slipped my mind."

"No need to worry, Caroline," said Klaus. "You know that I'll always come through for you."

He gave her a glass and, after opening the bottle, poured the liquid into it, pouring himself a glass half a beat later. Caroline smiled again and took a sip. She noticed that Klaus wasn't looking at her, but at something else. A closer look told her that he was looking at the mistletoe. Oh no, he's not thinking what I think he is, is he? Shit, and I had to go and decorate the place. Oh well, I guess I'm going to get what I paid for.

"See something you like over there?"

Klaus looked at her, a mischievous glint in his greenish blue eyes. "As a matter of fact, I did. And I think you'll like it too."

Caroline didn't have time to reply as he led her to where the mistletoe was hanging, stopping so that she was directly under it. Once he had her in position, he carefully leaned in and kissed her. After the initial shock wore off, Caroline returned the kiss. Even though she hadn't exactly been prepared for what he did, it was kind of a good experience.

They reluctantly broke the kiss after a few minutes so that they could breathe. There was then a moment of silence as their eyes locked. Finally, unable to stand the silence anymore, Klaus decided to say something.

"Merry Christmas, Caroline."

Caroline smiled again. "Merry Christmas, Klaus."

Note: Another update from moi. Enjoy, lovelies, and as usual, feel free to send ideas.