Unfinished Business (new klaroline fic)
“Don’t you have a dying girl to go punish for all of her sins?” Caroline asked Klaus, with more than a touch of censure in her voice, as they slowly walked through the woods. She would never admit it out loud, but the truth was she appreciated having Klaus by her side again. They hadn’t interacted at all in weeks and… she couldn’t in all honesty say that she hadn’t felt the void left by his absence.
“I do.” Klaus paused for emphasis before adding, “But I won’t for you.”
They simultaneously turned their heads towards one another and locked gazes, Caroline’s disbelieving and Klaus’ enamored. He had missed her ‘I’m not buying what you’re selling’ look.
Caroline refrained from rolling her eyes and imperceptibly shook her head. His statement reminded her of a time when he spoke very similar words to her. ‘Because of you, Caroline. It was all for you.’
“Is everything you do for me?” She regretted the words as soon as she spoke them and cursed herself for her lack of control. Why the hell would she give him an opening to make yet another grand declaration?
“You’d be surprised.” Klaus replied under his breath in such a low voice that Caroline would not have even heard him if it weren’t for her acute vampire hearing.
It was truly amazing how a mysterious man such as Niklaus Mikaelson could be so transparent and candid when it came to expressing his affection for her. He didn’t hide or shy away from his feelings for her-or even attempt to really -which was quite frankly rather refreshing for Caroline. She wasn’t used to being pursued so openly and persistently.
She decided not to bounce back on his last comment. “So you came all the way to Mystic Falls just to back off when I ask you to…” Her disbelief at his peculiar logic was evident in her tone.
“No, I came all the way to Mystic Falls to gloat over a corpse-to-be, as you so poetically put it.” He repeated her earlier words to her. “But I will leave, minus the gloating, in return for one small thing.” He declared, finally catching Caroline’s interest as she turned around to look at him.
“And what is that?”
“I want your confession.” Klaus stated with calm and assurance.
“My… confession?” Caroline repeated, flustered. She shook her head, disconcerted, a timid smile on her face, and Klaus couldn’t refrain the tight-lipped one that grew on his own face in response. “I didn’t do anything. My confession about what?”
“Me.” Klaus answered, causing the smile on Caroline’s face to fall instantly. She stared at him intently as he went on. “As soon as we’re done here, I’m going to walk away…” he paused to take an inaudible and unnecessary breath. It took every ounce of willpower within him to speak his next words, and it required more strength than he ever thought he possessed to mean them, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
Caroline was so young and so inexperienced, both literally and figuratively. Although Klaus was desperate to grasp that naïve innocence and hold on to it for dear life, it was probably the most selfish thing he would ever do, and Klaus just did not know how to be selfish with Caroline.
Read more here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13278804/1/Unfinished-Business
