in which i read and write and more (but mostly i just read) || klaus/caroline (the vampire diaries), oliver/felicity (arrow) || will take drabble prompts if you care to leave one
Here you can find the complete list of all 108 works we had for Klaroline AU Week — Spring 2020 separated by day. So, if you’re stuck in quarantine, bored and with nothing to do or with lots of things to do, but wanting to procrastinate… Here’s a perfect solution for your troubles:
DAY 1: ALL HUMAN AUS
DAY 2: SCI-FI/FANTASY
DAY 3: CROSSOVERS/FUSIONS
DAY 4: ENEMIES… TO LOVERS
DAY 5: SMUT
DAY 6: CANON-ISH
DAY 7: TROPE X TROPE
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who participated! It was so much fun running this event and I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves as well.
If you haven’t already, reblog and comment on all the incredible content we had this time. It’s amazing that almost two years after The Originals ended we still have this many people willing to create all these beautiful works to entertain us and they deserve all good things in the world for doing it.
For @joey-prue, as part of the Klaroline Valentine’s Gift Exchange on AO3.
Summary: A spell goes wrong, leaving Caroline able to read minds. Sort of.
*
As always, the plan had seemed simple enough. Cast a spell to strip Silas of his witchy-poo powers, channel said powers into some kind of ancient medallion, and then destroy the medallion on the next full moon so that no one could ever tap into that dark magic again.
Perhaps Stefan should have done a better job securing the perimeters before Bonnie started chanting? Perhaps Damon shouldn’t have texted Caroline an unnecessarily cryptic message 15 minutes earlier? Perhaps someone could have warned Caroline about the plan, period, so she didn’t wander into the room in the middle of it all? It wasn’t like she didn’t have better things to do — being finals weeks, after all.
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
In the end, Caroline got a little zapped and lost 2 hours of study time, but no horns appeared and everything else seemed in the right place. No harm, no foul?
Overall, they chalked it up as a success.
Until three days later.
*
Caroline was perched on a bar stool at the Grill, waiting as Matt prepared her drink. Finals week was thankfully over, and she was supremely confident that she’d aced all exams. Normally there was a little more anxiety, but strangely this time Caroline had a strong gut feeling of what all the teachers would consider A+ responses. She mused on this for a brief second before shrugging it off — clearly being attentive in class during the year paid off.
“I guess celebrations are in order?” Matt said, sliding a tall glass across the bar.
Caroline beamed before taking a sip. “Yep! I’ve still got my fingers crossed for valedictorian.”
Matt laughed, then pointedly looked at the booth where Bonnie, Elena, Stefan and Damon were sitting. “Have a feeling they’re celebrating something else.”
Caroline waved a hand dismissively. “Oh yeah, the whole Silas thing is over too. Thank god. One ancient and evil megalomaniac at a time, please.”
At this, Matt’s eyes flitted over her shoulder, and Caroline rolled her eyes. “There’s an ancient and evil megalomaniac behind me, isn’t there? It wasn’t meant to be a summons.”
Matt nodded, then held up a tray of drinks. “Better deliver these. Yell if you need anything.”
“You wound me, love,” Klaus said, as he leaned against the bar space next to her. “Will you ever allow me to acquit myself?”
Caroline allowed herself a split-second to admire the dimpled smile, the twinkly eyes, the way the henley clung to his shoulders and arms — and how was it fair that he had dimples? — before smiling insincerely. “Not sure you can stop being old, evil or power-hungry.”
Caroline watched as his full lips slowly curled in amusement. She had a brief image of those lips feathering kisses along her collarbone, before shaking the image away.
“I’ve always enjoyed your claws. They’re one of the most lovely things about you.” His low tone suggested that he knew was she was thinking, and that he was also imagining an activity involving her nails and perhaps his back, muscles flexing, with far less clothes.
Klaus hand brushed against hers, and her breath caught. All of a sudden, she felt a rush of warmth, and tingles, all the way from where their hands touched to her toes. It felt like she was… glowing. It felt like there was a magnet drawing her closer, until all she wanted to do was wind herself around him, until there was not an inch between every part of him and every part of her.
Caroline shook his hand away. “What was that?” She snapped, crossing her arms defensively.
“What do you mean?”
“I—“ Caroline caught herself. Klaus was looking at her carefully, but his eyes gave nothing away.
“Nothing.” Caroline stood, and pointed in the general direction where her friends were waiting. “Going now.”
Rude, perhaps, but on second thought, warm, tingly and glowing actually sounded like an awful lot like raging hormones, and there was no way she was going to admit to that.
*
Twenty minutes later, Bonnie admitted to having a sex dream about Jeremy, who turned into Kol, and then back into Jeremy. Bonnie sighed and called it the best dream ever.
“Bonnie Bennett!” Caroline exclaimed, a little surprised that Bonnie was admitting to this while Damon and Stefan were at the table. Normally it was more of a girls’ night topic? “You dreamt about both of them? How scandalous.”
“Dreamt about who?” Elena asked, leaning closer.
Caroline raised her eyebrows. “Uh, how could you miss that? I’m not going to be able to look at either of them the same way ever again. Thanks, by the way.”
Bonnie reddened. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, you did. I heard you.” Caroline looked around the table. Both Damon and Stefan also had blank looks, rather than the awkward and slightly disgusted (Stefan) or highly entertained and smarmy (Damon) expressions she had been expected.
“I didn’t say it… but I was thinking it.” Bonnie admitted. “Please don’t say it out loud.”
“I…” Caroline said, and for lack of better words, “huh?”
Then out of nowhere, Louise from the cheerleading squad walked past the table and called Caroline a tyrant, while pictured her toppling from the top of the pyramid. Then she smiled sweetly and waved, before moving on.
At the same time, Elena was comparing the first kisses she had with Stefan and Damon, in excruciating detail, and scoring them out of 10. (They both got 8.7 for technique and 9.2 for effort.)
Caroline heard and saw all those things and more — it felt like everyone was yelling their thoughts with no filter — but it became clear that no one else heard them like she did.
Caroline stood up abruptly, ignoring the drink which spilled across the table. “Boarding house. Now.”
*
Back at the Salvatore boarding house, which thankfully had much less people than the Grill, Caroline found herself pacing back and forth while Bonnie flipped through the grimoire in front of her. Elena, Stefan and Damon were scattered throughout the living room.
Caroline wished they would all think a little quieter.
“So, I’m guessing this is a side-effect of the spell we used on Silas, when you walked in,” Bonnie frowned.
“I thought you said everything was ok!” Caroline shrieked. “I thought you said the spell didn’t do anything to me!”
It helped to yell, so she could hear herself over the overwhelming roar of everyone else’s thoughts.
“I didn’t anything like this could happen, and I didn’t want you to worry!” Bonnie said, equally loudly.
Damon cut in. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Blondie can now figure out the best way to get rid of Klaus. Now that Silas is gone, we should probably get back to that.”
Caroline glared at him. “Please stop thinking so loud. And stop having fantasies about Elena. Especially the one on Alaric’s desk at school, the images are making me sick.”
Caroline turned back to Bonnie, while the other three navigated the new level of awkwardness. “So can you fix this?” A few seconds passed. “Bonnie, please tell me you can fix this.”
Bonnie bit her lip. “Well, I’m not sure exactly what happened yet. But I’ll figure it out, don’t worry. In the meantime, you might want to stay indoors.”
*
Another week passed before Caroline found herself on Klaus’s doorstep, sweating slightly and eyes darting around nervously for any other people who might be around the mansion. Luckily the mansion was in a rather secluded area of town.
At first it wasn’t so bad. She picked up quite a lot of town gossip, although there was a lot of stuff she would never be able to unhear or unsee. Slowly though, it was like the antenna for her power grew stronger, and now she was picking up thoughts from streets away, without any ability to discern one from another.
Stefan and Bonnie stood behind her in an odd triangular formation. They had voiced (inwardly and out loud) their disagreement with her decision to turn to Klaus, but it had been a week with absolutely no leads and she was slowly going insane.
Klaus took one look at her, before sending a quick growl towards Stefan and Bonnie.
“Caroline, love, what happened?” He reached out to touch her arm, but she yelped and jerked away skittishly. He frowned at that, but held up his hands as if showing a frightened animal that he was no threat.
Bonnie stepped forward and said quickly. “I think we accidentally gave her some of Silas’s powers when we stripped him of them. She can hear people’s thoughts and see what they thinking, but she can’t control it. It’s worse when she directly touches someone.”
Klaus gazed at her again, now a little suspicious, but still motioned her inside. As soon as she stepped past him, he blocked Bonnie and Stefan from entering. “I think you’ve done enough, don’t you think?” he said before shutting the door firming in their faces.
*
Caroline stood in the middle of the living room, where for the first time in over a week it felt quiet. Peaceful. She braced herself when Klaus entered the room, taking a few steps backwards before inwardly shaking herself, then standing spine straight.
“Are you also here to read my mind, sweetheart?” He said, not stopping until he was directly in front of her.
Caroline takes a deep breath, then three more to be sure. The sound of her own inhale and exhale, together with his scent, calming her.
“I don’t hear you,” she said slowly, looking up at him in surprise and also relief.
Klaus smiled. “I’m not surprised, love, I have better control of my mind than an average vampire. Silas only managed to get in my head once, after all.”
Caroline mulled over his words for a few seconds, but he continued before she could respond. “I’ve already called a witch who owes me a favour. We should have an answer in the next couple of hours.”
“Thanks,” she said distractedly. “What you said before — I could read your mind if you let me, is that what you’re saying?” She asked.
“Perhaps. That’s what happened at the Grill, didn’t it?” Klaus brushed a curl from her face, movements careful and curious. “You saw something which made you skittish. What was it?”
She shook her head, unwilling to answer, unsure of how to answer. She hadn’t quite untangled that brief moment yet.
Somehow, this wasn’t turning out the way Caroline expected. Sure, she had turned to Klaus because he was probably the one person in Mystic Falls who could find someone to help her. But Damon’s words had stuck in her mind — theoretically, she could read Klaus’s mind and find out where the white oak stake was, or discover another secret he’d been guarding. And yet, he didn’t seem at all concerned about that possibility. Instead, his eyes seemed to gleam with the opportunity that had been presented to him.
“Did you get a taste of what I feel for you? I’m a patient man, love, but I’m not above using this to convince you that I fancy you, when you are so intent on dismissing it as false.”
“I—“ Caroline wasn’t sure what her next words would have been, because he cupped her cheek in one hand and then she was suffused with warmth again. Tingles. Glowing. Then there was a stream of emotions rather than thoughts directed at her, like intrigue and admiration and affection and an overwhelming want, the intensity of it leaving her breathless.
Sure, Klaus had never made his pursuit of her a secret, but she had never quite believed it. Physical attraction, that she could believe, and could also admit to herself. Anything beyond that, on either side, she’d never really let herself consider. After all, how could he really want her, Caroline Forbes, without an ulterior motive?
“I’m only seeing and hearing what you let me see,” she protested. “You said that yourself.”
“Perhaps. I haven’t shown you all my deepest and darkest secrets, that’s true,” Klaus conceded. “Does that make what I’m revealing any less real?”
She frowned. At that, Klaus stepped back, somehow sensing that she would need time to process her own thoughts (and his). “You’re welcome to have your pick of any of the rooms to freshen up while we wait, sweetheart,” he said.
Caroline didn’t need a second escape offer.
*
In the end, it came back down to the medallion. Caroline wasn’t sure why, but as soon as she touched it, the mind reading powers went back to where they needed to be. And not a minute too soon, as she was now busy sorting through her own thoughts, and didn’t need all everyone else’s mixed up in there as well.
“Thank you,” she said, after the witch left, and she and Klaus were alone again.
Caroline hesitated, before impulsively lifting to the tips of her toes and pressing a soft kiss against his cheek, stubble lightly scratching her skin. Her lips tingled from the brief contact, and heat rose to her cheeks as she quickly pulled back.
A smirk erupted on his face, but he didn’t move. The message was clear — the next step was still all hers.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” he said softly. Caroline could still feel his eyes on her as she darted out the front door.
When Caroline was back in the safety of her own room, she flopped face first onto her bed and groaned. She could still feel her lips tingling.
That was such a bad idea.
*
END
Inspired by one of the earlier Buffy episodes.
It’s been a while since I’ve written any fanfic, so would love to know what you think!
Klaus and Caroline [Beautiful Crime] (9 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Characters: Klaus Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes
Additional Tags: Dark, Angst, Sexy
hey hun! your giftee here... for some reason my gift hasn't been posted on AO3 yet so I figured I'm just gonna send you the link.. I don't want you to think I didn't get you something. hope you like it! www(.)vimeo(.)com/155263319
AMAGAD! That was amazing, I love it so much! Thank you!!!!!!!
Seriously, the editing was incredible and I love the voiceover and song choice.
Thanks also for sending this message, I was starting to feel a bit like a wallflower there! :D
Hey hun, I'm your KC Valentine's Gift exchange gifter! Could you tell me a bit about your taste in music (favorite genres, artists, songs) and what aspect you like most about Klaroline? Maybe a certain scene, a quote.. whatever comes to your mind! xx
Hi KC Valentine’s Gift exchange gifter! (Wow that’s a mouthful)
Not sure how to describe my taste in music, but here are a few things I’ve had on repeat recently:
- West Coast - Cover by James Vincent McMorrow
- Do You Remember - Jarryd James
- Meadows - Wild Child
- All I Want - Kodaline
So… mellow pop/rock?
As for what I like most about Klaroline… I’d probably say the banter and the chase, which I think is quite nicely summed up in the “I’m too smart to be seduced by you” / “Well that’s why I like you” exchange. I also like that exchange because they seem to be on equal footing, despite the vast difference in age, physical strength and life experience.
As a person who never really watched TVD and just watched the Klaroline clips on youtube, I’ve also come to appreciate the fact that they’ve never really been together as a couple on the show, but every scene they do have just shows so much POSSIBILITY and every possibility is just full of so much EMOTION. For me, that naturally leads down the ‘epic love’ path, and regardless whether that takes a happy tone or an angsty tone, I tend to enjoy both aspects.
Uh, not sure if any of my rambling there has helped… sorry! Feel free to ask me more questions, but I’m sure I will love whatever your gift is! xx
Hi Klaroline fandom! Can you please help me find a fanfic? I don’t remember much but I think near the end or at the very end Caroline takes a photo of Klaus and/or they take a photo together for the first time and I think people who took it compliments them or something like that. They may possibly be on a cruise ship. It had beautiful writing style but I for the love of God cannot remember the title or the writer! This is a very little info but does this ring a bell to anyone?
I don't know if I'm thinking of the same story (and I also can't remember the name or author) but does it involve Caroline and Klaus being in a Brooklyn apartment? The story I'm thinking of has Caroline compelling the apartment owner into thinking she's a friend. At one point she asks Klaus to compel her to kiss him, which he does but then he says she should never ask that again because it wouldn't be fair to him... Now I really want to re-read that story as well!
It’s four in the morning and they’re standing in the middle of the rainforest. The moon is full, its light barely visible through the trees. Klaus snakes his hand into hers, not the first time, but it still feels foreign and familiar. Caroline squeezes instead of letting go.
Together, they stare down into the waist-deep hole in the ground where Stefan is standing, shovel discarded to the side, the last of the Five’s magical swords gripped in his hand.
“Is that...?” Her whisper trails off, as the faint etchings on the blade become clearer, darker, until they are very clearly lines of ancient words.
“We need to look at the other swords,” Klaus says.
* * *
At the beginning, they agree to an uneasy alliance and a common goal.
Stefan does not trust that Klaus won’t use the vampire cure to force Elena into being his blood bag again.
Klaus does not trust that Stefan won’t use the cure to neutralize the Original Hybrid.
Caroline does not trust that Klaus won’t compel Stefan into being the Ripper. Caroline does not trust that Stefan will be able to resist if faced with the temptation. Caroline does not trust herself to stay in Mystic Falls and to hold it together when she crosses paths with Tyler, as she knows she inevitably will.
And so they go, from Florence to Penang to Istanbul to Giza to the Amazon. With an unending persistence and earnest words, in between tracking Hunters and collecting swords, Klaus manages to get his way and show her the world.
When he’s watching her with a wonderment as she stares at the pyramids in Giza, it’s easy to forget all of her reasons why this is wrong, of how they have not agreed to what next, of what is broken and what can be fixed. It’s easy to tell herself that she’s only temporarily letting down her walls during this temporary truce, when he is looking for her as hard as they are searching for a cure that might never be found.
In the back of her mind, she knows that they are meant to be enemies. She should scoff when he gives her that charming smile and tells her that she is beautiful, strong and full of light. She should not give in, because the moment she does will be the moment he could destroy her.
Caroline knows all this. He is the one thing she should be afraid of, but when she’s standing in the middle of a dark alleyway, frozen, shaking, after he saves her from a vampire hunter, after she stubbornly takes another reckless risk with her life, all she can feel is blinding relief.
She doesn’t pull away when he wraps his arms around her, murmuring soothing words into the top of her head, trying to hide his fury and, behind the fury, his fear. He strokes her hair but his hands are stained with blood. His voice is soft but his fangs and the dark veins around his eyes have not gone away. She shouldn’t trust him, and she shouldn’t find comfort in a monster’s arms, but something happens in that moment.
(He could destroy her.)
For all her resistance, it’s when the tiniest moment from him could kill her that she impulsively reaches up and presses her lips to his, him half-surprised with fangs still extended, until she feels his face transform back beneath her kiss.
“Caroline,” he says, as he kisses her back with a tenderness that she doesn’t expect.
“Caroline,” he breathes, when they are back in his hotel room, a barely contained wildness in his eyes as he drinks in the sight of her bare before him. Her whole body is on fire even though they have barely touched.
“Caroline, Caroline, Caroline,” he says, as he buries himself inside her, as she clings to him, until she feels like she is drowning at the sound of her name.
* * *
That was three weeks earlier. Now they have five swords etched with Latin words that line up to be a spell.
I’m having trouble remembering the name of a fanfic I read a while back, but hopefully some of you may have a clue. :)
I can’t remember much of the plot - but I do think there’s some blood-sharing between Klaus and Caroline which leads to them being very attracted to eachother. Or bound to...
I started writing this as the beginning of a one-shot, but it didn't have the right tone so I'm just posting it as a drabble.
***
It was over before it began, really.
Seven in the evening, in the middle of the Amazon, and after the short battle the only part of Caroline that was wounded was her pride (and very temporarily, her backside). Grimacing, Caroline pushed herself back into a sitting position, hands squelching in the thick mud that now covered her jeans and brand new boots.
Even worse than the ruin of her boots was the knowledge that they had been a casualty of friendly fire! At this thought, Caroline glared at the Original Hybrid was very clearly amused by her less than pristine condition.
“Forgive me, love, I was only trying to push you out of harm’s way,” Klaus said, offering a hand which she promptly batted away.
“Yeah, thanks,” Caroline grumbled, turning her back as she brushed a few stray leaves from her tank top. “Next time, a little warning would be nice.”
There was a whoosh! and her skin prickled at his sudden closeness. “But I thought you like it when I’m a little rough,” he said softly, in a whisper next to her ear. “Or at least,” he continued, inching closer, thumbs slowly rubbing at a smear of mud across her shoulder blades, “that’s what you told me last night.”
Instantly her mind was filled with images and sensations, the feel of hot open-mouthed kisses against her neck, Klaus’s long fingers tracing the bumps of her spine until they reached her ass, cupping them in his large hands as he pressed their bodies together, skin to skin, her legs wrapped around him, arching back so that his hardness was pressed against the very heat of her center, her hands twisting in his hair as his lips nipped kisses down into the valley between her breasts. Caroline growled and was two seconds from pushing him against the nearest tree, to finish what they’d begun, mud and friendly fire and general grossness be damned, when they were interrupted by a clearing throat.
“Ahem,” Stefan said from a few feet away, shovel in hand, mid-dig. “A little help?”
With a knowing smiling full of promise, of later, Klaus stepped away to dig at the ground next to Stefan.
Caroline flushed, ignoring Stefan’s questioning look. Right. This was a business trip, so to speak. Now that they’d disabled the two supernatural guards to the tomb in the middle of nowhere, they needed to dig up the last of The Five’s magical swords before it would lead them to the magical vampire cure. Stefan had tried to explain that the sword would just lead them to a map and not the cure itself, but Caroline was still hoping it was printed on the sword or something. Or engraved -- whatever. This Indiana Jones stuff wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Plus, it was really unfair how good Klaus looked as he worked to excavate the sword, the muscles in his back rippling under his gray henley with each thrust of the shovel, the rolling motion of his body... it made her itch to rip off his shirt and-- no! Business trip! she told herself.
“This is the most disgusting location yet,” Caroline said quickly, tapping her foot in a staccato beat. “Why are they never buried in the Greek Islands or some nice beach? Why is it always in the freaking rainforest?”
“I doubt the--” Stefan stopped abruptly, staring at the sword that Klaus was now holding by the hilt.
“What? What is it?” Caroline peered over his shoulder.
Even through the dirt and grime, Caroline could make out faint etches on the long blade, some faint and some barely visible. But before her very eyes, the longer she looked, the clearer the etches became until she could make out words.
Huh, she thought. That hadn’t happened with the last four swords.
It seriously bugged her, the way he held his hands up and smiled that stupidly charming smile of his, saying, “Take a chance, Caroline,” her name rolling smoothly off his tongue. It just made her want to.... ugh.
“What will it take for you to believe that I’m not planning anything?”
Caroline dropped the dagger -- well, letter opener -- back onto the table and pursed her lips. She spent 70% of her spare time shopping, and could spot the beginnings of a bargain from a mile away.
“I’m going to search your house,” she said.
Klaus shrugged. “Be my guest.”
Caroline narrowed her eyes. “Your whole house.”
“Any room you want. I’ll even show you around myself,” he said agreeably, then with a cheeky smile. “Shall we start with the bedroom?”
Just a quick one today... hope you guys like it. :)
***
Caroline stared exasperatedly at the wolf sitting calmly in front of her. It had its head cocked to one side, as if it was curious or bemused by her antics.
She’d been walking home from The Grill when she came across the lone wolf on the footpath. It had white fur and cool blue eyes, and she just knew it was Klaus. It smelt like Klaus (don’t ask her how she knows his scent, but... it’s because she’s a vampire, damn it).
“I can’t believe you’re just going to sit there and pretend to be all innocent, like, ‘what is Caroline on about?’” she groused. “As if you haven’t been sneaking in my house and leaving expensive and probably stolen presents left and right. Which is creepy, by the way. It’s one thing to leave presents on my doorstep, but another thing completely to come in unannounced while I’m sleeping, you perv, and doing god knows what else.”
“In my defense, love, I only left a present while you were sleeping once. And since you fell asleep in front of me, I don’t think that really counts.”
Caroline whirled around at the sound of his voice -- but, what? It wasn’t coming from the wolf, but the hybrid in human form standing behind her!
“Klaus!” she squeaked.
He smirked slightly at her, then made a soft whistling noise at the white wolf that quickly trotted over.
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but why were you yelling at my dog?”
Caroline blinked. “Your dog?”
“It seems a little bit like animal cruelty to take your anger out on a poor, defenseless animal. After all, what has Blizzard ever done to you?”
She blinked again. “Wait, let me get this straight. You have a dog? Called Blizzard?”
“Man’s best friend,” Klaus confirmed. Caroline stared dumbfounded as Klaus lightly scratched behind Blizzard’s ear, and the wolf -- no, dog -- made a purring sound in response.
“But... why was he staring at me like he knew me?”
Klaus shrugged. “What can I say, love? Maybe he also thinks you are full of light.”
At this, Caroline snapped out of her daze, regained her focus, and began her tirade anew.
“Full of light?” she huffed. “That’s the kind of stuff you need to just cut out -- like a cancer! Because you’re full of shit.”
Klaus laughed. “Allow me to walk you home, my little spitfire, and you can continue to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.”
Caroline barely noticed as he placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her along the footpath in the direction of her home.
“And there you go again! Seriously, these little pet names have got to stop... and speaking of pets, I haven’t forgotten your little lecture on animal cruelty, by the way. Ironic, much? I mean, here I am, doing my best to hold onto my humanity and you, the evil bloodsucker, is lecturing me on animal cruelty?”
“I’m almost certain that a bunny in the woods would be more happy to see me than you.”
“And Blizzard! What kind of name is Blizzard, anyway? Was Snowflake already taken.......?”
Caroline’s hand froze in mid-air when the heavy door to the mansion suddenly opened and Klaus appeared, leaning into the frame of the doorway.
“Are you lost?” He said flatly.
“I -- uh, well...”
She was so not ready for this! It took four drives around the block before she even stopped the car in front of his house, and 10 minutes of a quite honestly uninspiring, self-given pep-talk before she finally jumped out of the car and slowly dawdled up to the front door. In the pouring rain. So, yes, she currently looked like a drowned rat while he stared down emotionlessly at her, as if she was nothing more than a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
At that thought, Caroline straightened indignantly. She was Miss Mystic Falls, damnit! And Miss Mystic Falls did not cower or stammer in front of anyone. Not even a sharp-tongued Original Hybrid who had a tendency to rip out hearts when somebody crossed him, or blinked the wrong way, or probably as a flexing exercise in the morning.
Giving herself another quick pep talk, Caroline absently pushed the wet curls off her face and away from her neck. It didn’t escape her notice that Klaus’s eyes momentarily followed the motion of her hands before returning to that disinterested expression.
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“Of course,” he said evenly. “Would you like to come inside, or would you prefer to stay out here, so that you have an easy escape route after you’ve said your piece?”
Caroline inwardly winced. Once she could admit that there was some semblance of a heart left inside Klaus, it was also possible that that between the two of them, he wasn’t the last one guilty of doing some heart-ripping.
“Inside is fine.”
Klaus turned to walk back inside without another word, leaving her to follow him.
Caroline closed the door behind her, and paused with her forehead against the wood-grained oak, blowing out a breath.
Last time she’d been standing in this position, Klaus had been pressed up behind her, his body boxing hers in against the doors, mouth pressed hotly in the curve of her neck as she threw her head back on his shoulder and buried her hands in his hair.
This time, she was preparing to give answers she still didn’t have.
“Yes,” she whispered lowly, wondering if Klaus was still listening. “I think I am lost.”
Caroline inwardly groaned when she saw the two figures approaching from the forest.
It was just her luck, really.
After a disaster of a date with Tyler, she’d refused to let him drive her home, which was how she found herself walking the deserted highway in the middle of the night. Normally this would have been fine -- seeing as stranger danger wasn’t so much of an issue when a vampire -- except after only a quarter-mile of the way, the left heel of her brand new red peep toes gave a telltale snap, she realized she’d left her cell phone in Tyler’s car, and now she could smell the distinct smell of eau de not very friendly werewolf.
Caroline wrinkled her nose. If only she could bottle it.
Seriously, was it not bad enough that her boyfriend was more interested in some new computer game than in celebrating their 6 month anniversary?
“Look, boys,” Caroline called out, “I’m having a really bad night, and I’m sure you are too. What do you say we just pretend we didn’t see each other, and go on our separate ways?”
Unfortunately, the two werewolves weren’t so interested in negotiating, as instead of giving a counteroffer they crouched low for a split-second before charging towards her.
“Right,” she muttered under her breath. “The hard way, then.”
Two seconds later, Caroline had her remaining good shoe pegged at the first werewolf, cringing slightly at the squishing sound when the shoe hit the target dead centre, the spike heel embedded in the werewolf’s neck. The second werewolf stopped abruptly at the sight of his friend lying on the ground.
“Like I said,” she tried again, “let’s just all walk away, you get your friend some help, and we all live to tell the tale.”
Caroline watched in tense silence as the two werewolves evaluated the situation, then slowly made their way back through the forest, but not without shooting a few nasty glares in her direction. She mourned the good shoe that they took with them. When they were out of sight, Caroline turned expectantly, and Klaus stepped out from under the shadows.
“Excellent shot,” he critiqued. “Your aim has improved. I would advise you to take the offensive more often, since negotiating does not always work. And you should probably work on your hand-to-hand combat, in case your opponents outnumber your shoes.”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Yes, sensei.”
She didn’t know how it started, but Klaus had taken to appearing at any scuffles she managed to get herself into, and offering -- very unsolicited, thank you very much -- advice about her technique.
Caroline blinked in surprise when Klaus suddenly flashed in front of her, reaching out to pull a stray leaf from her hair. “My offer to train you still stands,” he said softly.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How do I know you’re not setting up these attacks, as part of some weirdo savior teacher fantasy?”
Klaus grinned. “I promise you that I have nothing to do with that, love. But if it’s your fantasy, I’m happy to explore with you.”
“You wish, you freaky stalker,” Caroline scoffed, and started to walk in the direction of her home again.
“You wound me, sweetheart.” Klaus fell in step beside her.
A few moments later, he said quietly, “I’m just trying to ensure your safety.”
Caroline mulled over his words as they walked the rest of the way in silence, accompanied by the sound of their footsteps on the pavement, the TVs playing in her neighborhood, the jangle of her keys as she turned the lock. Even though he had an invitation, Klaus waited outside.
Despite their earlier light exchange, Caroline could see the lingering tenseness in his shoulders, the gold that tinged his eyes, and the restraint that lined his body as if every instinct had been telling him, back on the side of that highway, to attack.
“Klaus,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I can take care of myself. I’m not some damsel in distress.”
And they both knew that he’d never treated her as one.
Klaus gave a slow smile, and said simply, “I know.”
As he sped back in the direction from which they’d come, Caroline stood for a moment in the doorway, listening to the distant sounds of a hunter rustling through the forest, before shutting the door.
For their sakes, she hoped that those werewolves had already left town.
***
Not really sure how I feel about this one, but oh well! Writing exercise!
ETA: In case why anyone is wondering why I 'liked' my own drabble, I was testing the heart button on a new theme.... and I can't figure out how to get rid of it now =S
