Nothing really special, guys, just thought I'd update today. Thank you for your reviews! You're awesome!

4x06 AU.

Mystic Grill...

Caroline pretended not to notice the people walking in as she sat at the bar, dressed in the same little black number that she had worn earlier. She didn't know why she came back here, but then again, she kind of did. She had a feeling that Klaus would probably be coming by for a drink. As she continued to sit there, Caroline watched the clock carefully, and even looked over her shoulder once in a while to see if she could spot him walking in. However, each time she looked was met with disappointment.

He may not come if you keep looking over your shoulder like that, her thoughts scolded her. Or he may not come at all.

Suddenly, Caroline's senses alerted her to another presence next to her and looking over, she saw Klaus. Instead of acknowledging her, like he normally did, he was quiet and somewhat upset. He wasn't angry upset, though. More like sad upset.

"Klaus? Are you okay?"

No answer. That's weird, she thought for sure that would get him to talk. Of course, not one to give up, she decided to try again, so she turned his face toward her so that his greenish blue eyes met with her blue ones.

"Hey, talk to me, what's wrong?"

Klaus sighed. "Have her hallucinations stopped yet?"

"Hallucinations?"

"Elena's hallucinations. Have they stopped yet?"

Caroline then understood what he was talking about, since Elena had been haunted by these creepy hallucinations after she had killed Connor Jordan in the tunnels underneath the Grill. Nodding, she said, "Yeah, I just got the call from Stefan a little while ago. Elena's hallucination-free."

Not letting him answer her, she added, "That's why you're so down? You're worried about Elena?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It figures. She's all anyone ever worries about."

"Actually, it's not her I was worried about," said Klaus. "The whole time she was experiencing those hallucinations, I was worried that she might try to hurt you next. That was partially why I thought to have her locked in that preservation room in my mansion. It was not only for her protection, but also for yours. God knows you've been through enough without a vampire haunted by a curse coming after you."

Caroline tilted her head in curiosity. She had no idea. "And I was trying to distract you so we could get her out. Shit, I'm such an idiot."

"It's not your fault," said Klaus. "You didn't know."

Caroline nodded, even though she still felt a bit terrible about what she had done. She removed her hands from Klaus' face and for a few minutes, there was an uneasy silence between them. Finally, it was Klaus who spoke.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Caroline said nothing, just nodded again. Klaus ordered two glasses of red wine, which arrived within minutes of being ordered. Then, before she drank from her glass, Caroline spoke again. "So, this Hunter curse that Elena is now free of, how do you know so much about it?"

Klaus hesitated before replying, "I was once a victim of it."

"You were?"

"Yes," he said. "I killed five Hunters, so the curse was much worse than the one Elena experienced today. The hallucinations plagued me day in and day out, each one more horrifying than the last."

Caroline bit her lip. "How long did you have them?"

"Fifty-two years, nine months, and four days."

"Shit," said Caroline. "What finally happened?"

"One day, they just stopped," said Klaus. "It was very mysterious and to this day, I'm still trying to figure out why they stopped. But, I took it for what it was, a damn miracle. Believe me, Elena's hallucinations of Connor were nothing compared to the ones I was plagued by." Curiously, he added, "Tell me, which one of the Salvatores was the hero today?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and picked up her glass. "Damon. Stefan told me that he sent him after her because Elena would listen to him."

Klaus nodded. "No surprise there, since they both share affections for her." He picked up his glass and guzzled it down before standing and leaving some money on the counter. "Walk with me."

Caroline blinked. "Huh?"

Klaus held out his hand for her. "Walk with me."

Caroline reluctantly took his hand and they walked out the Grill. She didn't know why he was doing this, but she went along with it anyway. As they walked, she thought about what he told her about the hallucinations he experienced after he killed the ancient Hunters. She couldn't imagine the kind of pain and torment they inflicted on him for the amount of time that they stuck around.

Later...

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the waterfall at the edge of the woods. Caroline was amazed, since she had no idea that this was what Klaus had in mind when he asked her to walk with him. She was almost afraid to speak, thinking that it would ruin the moment. However, her curiosity soon won out and it wasn't long before she spoke up.

"Klaus, why have you brought us here? I don't get it."

"No reason," he replied. "The crowd in the Grill was a bit too much, so I thought we'd go somewhere a little less...stressful. I got the feeling that you needed to get out of there, so why not come to a secluded area that is cut off from civilization and yet possesses a natural beauty."

"It is beautiful," said Caroline. "And you're right, after all the bullshit that went on because of Elena and the Hunter curse, it feels good to get out for a while and calm down."

Klaus smiled and then, he found a perfect spot for them. Once they got there, they sat on the grass and listened to the sound of the falls as they poured down. Caroline closed her eyes and let the serenity of the moment overtake her and then leaned back against Klaus' chest, sighing happily. Klaus smiled again and kissed the top of her head.

Note: Here we are, my lovelies, another update. Don't ask how the inspiration for this came about, it just came to me while I was taking a bath. Enjoy and have a wonderful night!