Hey, guys! Thought I'd update today, mostly because I got the idea while I was taking a bath. Thank you for the reviews! You're awesome!

4x13 AU.

Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear me down
You've opened the door now, don't let it close

There was no hiding the emotion going through him as Klaus thought about what he had done to Caroline. He hadn't intended for her to get hurt, but that miserable whelp, Tyler, angered him to the point where he lashed out at the one person that he had come to care so much about, the one he had stayed in Mystic Falls for. He had seen the look of horror in Caroline's eyes following the bite and it was hard for him to keep from crying.

When he saw Tyler carrying her out of the house, he wished that he wasn't confined by the spell so that he could go after them. Growling a bit, he went to the couch and sat down, running a hand through his hair. In the past, when Klaus attacked or killed someone, it didn't bother him in the slightest. However, attacking Caroline was making him feel horrible. In fact, he was tempted to use the makeshift stake he had impaled her with on himself.

You're a stupid little ass, Niklaus, his thoughts scolded him. You went and hurt Caroline, and for what? So that you can hurt that whelp, Tyler? You promised yourself that no matter how many times she angered you, you wouldn't take it out on her, and yet, you did it anyway.

No sooner did he complete that thought than Klaus looked over and saw a vase. Growling again, he shoved it off the end table, watching as it shattered to bits on the floor and not giving a shit about the sentimental value it may have had. Besides, the former residents of the place were dead anyway.

Suddenly, Klaus heard the door opening and quickly got up off the couch. What's this? Tyler was bringing Caroline back? What the hell was that bastard thinking? It was painful enough to see the look on the blonde vampire's face before she left, and now he had to look at it again?

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded. "Haven't you pissed me off enough?"

Tyler ignored him and laid Caroline on the couch. "You can watch as she dies."

Before Klaus could say another word, Tyler walked out the door. Once they were alone, Klaus looked at Caroline and tried to keep from cringing at how she looked. The bite was getting worse and the hole in her belly didn't look that much better. Tyler had some nerve, rubbing the salt on an already deep wound. Bad enough he turned his hybrids against him, but this? This was beyond torture. This was pure agony.

Klaus turned his face away and went to stand against the frame of the archway leading to the kitchen, staring at something on the opposite wall. He wasn't actually interested in what was there, he was trying to distract himself from Caroline, even though he was failing miserably in the attempt.

Speaking of Caroline, she looked over at him, noticing what he was doing. Shit, she wished she could get up so that she could go over and hug him, let him know that everything was going to be okay. But, no, that asshole, Tyler, had to push things too far.

"Klaus, please," she said. "I know that this is hard for you, but if you don't feed me your blood and soon, I'll die."

Not looking at her, he replied, "Then, you'll die and Tyler will have learned his lesson."

Seriously? He was just going to stand there and not do anything? "I don't get it. Why are you doing this? How could you do this?"

Again, Klaus refused to meet her gaze. "I'm over a thousand years old. Call it boredom." That's the worst lie in the history of lies, his thoughts added. How can you call yourself an artist when you can't come up with a better lie than that?

"I don't believe you."

HA! You see? Even Caroline doesn't believe you. Damn it, Niklaus, stop torturing yourself, and her. No amount of revenge is worth letting her suffer like this.

"Fine," said Klaus. "Then, I suppose it's because I'm pure evil and I couldn't help myself."

"No, it's not," said Caroline. "It's because you were hurt and it's the part of you that's human."

It was here that Klaus finally looked at her and, leaving the place he was standing, he made his way to the coffee table, sitting down so that they were face to face. "How could you possibly know that? How could you know what part of me is human?"

"I've seen it."

Before Klaus could ask what she meant, he recalled the moment they shared at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant weeks ago, when he told her about his trek in the Andes and his encounter with the hummingbird. He must've replayed that over and over in his mind a thousand times since that day, and there was probably a drawing immortalizing it somewhere in the mansion.

Not waiting for him to answer her, Caroline continued, "And I've caught myself wishing I could forget all the horrible things you have done."

Klaus tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to come out. "I don't deserve to be forgiven, Caroline. I know that I attacked you out of anger, but I don't deserve forgiveness."

"Will you stop it? You do deserve to be forgiven," said Caroline. "Hell, I know you're in love with me. In my opinion, anybody capable of love is capable of being saved."

Damn you, Niklaus, what are you waiting for? She's practically giving you the green light here. Do you really want to lose her? If she dies because of your stubbornness and pride, you'll be regretting it for the rest of eternity.

"You're hallucinating." Bullshit, she's not hallucinating. If she were hallucinating, she wouldn't telling you the things you know are true.

Suddenly, he saw her convulse and her breathing seemed to get more labored. Not about to let her leave him, Klaus situated himself behind her on the couch and bit into his wrist, placing it in front of her, pushing her hair back so that she could feed. When he felt her fangs penetrate, relief washed over him. Good, she was going to live. He wouldn't have been able to handle it if he had let her die. In fact, he probably would've gone through with what he had been tempted to do earlier.

After a while, once he was certain Caroline had enough, he took his wrist away. "I am so sorry, Caroline. I never meant for things to get this far."

Caroline didn't give a verbal reply, just nodded and then yawned. Poor thing, she was exhausted, given the hell she had been through today. Deciding to help her get comfortable, Klaus gently shifted himself forward, laying Caroline down and then, feeling tired himself, he snuggled up behind her, taking a whiff of her hair. It was a beautiful scent, a mixture of sandalwood and honey, plus a hint of lavender, the sweetest scents in the world, and they were all worthy of being used by the beautiful creature in front of him.

"Klaus?"

Her words brought him out of his reverie. "Hmmm?"

"Why is there a broken vase on the floor?"

"It was the victim of a fit of anger I had earlier," he replied. "I thought breaking it would help me feel better, even if it was temporary."

Caroline nodded again and, with another yawn, fell asleep, Klaus following suit half a beat later.

Note: Enjoy, lovelies!