Title: Return to Love 1/1
Title: Return to Love
Rating: PG
Summary: Things change when you're in love.
_______________________
"May I cut in?"
Caroline felt her undead heart stutter, or perhaps it was her imagination. Glancing to where the voice originated from, she parted her lips to speak, then turned back to her dancer partner. "Merci." The gentleman smiled kindly and took his leave, handing her off to her new dance partner. Caroline met his eyes, allowing him to take her hand and wrap an arm around her waist as he stepped closer. With a firm hand she settled it on his shoulder.
"I didn't think you were serious when you said you'd come alone."
Caroline cocked an eyebrow, amused slightly that he had doubted her. "In this century it's acceptable for women to attend a ball on their own."
Klaus smirked slightly at her words. "Acceptable, but hardly fashionable. One should always have a date. Being cheerleading captain and Miss Mystique Falls I would think you would appreciate that love."
She rolled her eyes as he led them on the dance floor. "I'm not some vapid, human teenage drama queen." By the knowing look she could tell he thought otherwise, and perhaps he was right, Caroline sometimes still felt like that teenage girl from Mystique Falls, and a part of her was grateful for that. It also didn't help that she got turned into a vampire at the young age of seventeen. "Why are you here?"
"Weren't we going to attend together?" He asked lightly, letting his eyes linger on the faces around them before lowering them to Caroline again. Whatever humor her eyes held before was gone.
"You can't answer my question with another Klaus?"
"What happened to Nik?" He asked with a small smirk, hiding what he actually felt by her indifference, hurt. Caroline only frowned in return. "I'm here aren't I?"
"You left."
"Extenuating circumstances."
Caroline dropped all pretense, released him and stepped away. There eyes met for the briefest of moments and then she turned, heading out of the ballroom and grabbing two glasses of champagne on her way.
Klaus watched her down a glass, set it on a table that she passed and push open the doors to the garden. He also didn't miss how certain eyes throughout the crowd followed her figure. Caroline was a site to behold. She was beautiful and vibrant, and as a vampire she was breathtaking. In her fury she demanded attention, and it's exactly what she got. Eyes turned towards her as she passed through the ballroom, woman and men alike. When it came to Caroline and other men, his violent urges had become harder to reign in once they actually were involved. Klaus was used to violence, he was used to having his way, giving in to his temper. While he extended patience to Caroline that he did with no other, that patience didn't extend to matters concerning her. Centuries hadn't prepared Klaus for an actual relationship. Relationships were harder work then he had thought. Clamping down on his jealous anger, he resisted the urge to snarl at any onlookers and followed her through the door.
"The only reason I didn't leave for the hotel," Caroline began as she heard his steps, smelled his familiar scent, "was because you'd follow me there."
"Am I no longer welcome in your bed then?"
She resisted the urge to snap at him, because sometimes she hated the way he spoke to her with that deliberate calm. It was either to infuriate her for his pleasure or because he was honestly attempting patience. Sometimes both. This time it was something else. Caroline couldn't help but feel there was some anger in his voice. Instead of antagonizing him, she chose to ask her question again. "Why are you here?"
"For you."
At that she looked to her side to find him looking down at her. There was no anger or malice in his face, but she was still unsure of what to make of his presence. Needing time to think, she turned away from him, staring out into the night. The air was cool that night, the sky clear. The moon shown down and lit the landscape making her think that it should have been something Klaus should have drawn. In her wildest dreams this is what she imagined for her future, making Klaus spend a ridiculous amount of money on some massive castle or mansion with acres of land to ride horses on and gardens everywhere. It wasn't that the thought of him doing it was ridiculous, it was the thought of being so settled down with him that was. "Except you left me."
"Caroline..."
There was a warning in his tone. It didn't scare her, because it wasn't that kind of warning, not the kind that he had used on so many others. "No," she turned to face him, "you can't just come back, make this grand entrance just in time for the ball you promised me like some cheesy, romantic teenage movie. It doesn't work like that. Just a month, that's all it's been for us. I went against everything I told myself was wrong, believed you, invested myself emotionally in this," she moved her hand between them, "and you jump up and leave at the first sign that little brother Kol is about to have vampire hunters reign down upon him because he's to stupid to keep out of trouble."
Klaus ground his jaw, unable to control his eyes from twitching. It wasn't as easy to school his features as it should of been. There were a lot of things that weren't easy anymore when it came to Caroline. "He's my brother."
At that she smiled and shook her head, but it lacked any humor. Turning again, she faced the gardens. "I never asked you to choose," Caroline said softly, "but it was easier for you to believe that's what you heard. What I really was asking...I asked you not to let me down." With that she turned and headed back towards the ballroom, never meeting his eyes.
Klaus heard it in the way she spoke, he knew people, he'd had centuries to understand how people worked. He could hear the acceptance in her voice, her withdrawal. Faster then even she could escape he grabbed her arm and pulled her around. There was no surprise in her face, just hardened fury. Klaus relaxed his grip on her arm, but wouldn't let go, and she knew that. Caroline didn't even try to pull away. "I never made it to Kol love, I told you I came back for you."
As much as she wanted to remain firm against his words, she couldn't. Caroline shook her head, momentarily confused. "You said-."
"Kol created his own problem, he's been doing it for centuries and will continue to do so. I've waited for you," he said and raised his hand to touch her face, his undead heart clenching as she looked up at him, wide eyed and innocent, an open book to him. "I went all that way and was more worried about losing you then anything else."
Damn him and his heartfelt words. For as violent and short tempered as the hybrid original in front of her could be, he'd always been honest and gentle with her. "Don't leave me again," Caroline said, searching his face. Recalling the moment again where he walked away. The pain she had felt in that moment threatened to override her current anger. Regardless of her attempts to control herself, tears pricked her eyes. "I-." She began, but was unable to continue.
It hadn't occurred to Klaus for one moment that Caroline might need him. It had always been the other way around, him chasing her, saving her, watching her, taking care of her. Even when she had finally let go, permitted herself to actually feel something for him, admit to her feelings, it had still been a struggle for him. It had never occurred to Klaus that Caroline might need him as much as he needed her, and he was shocked to realize he hadn't seen it, shocked to see her so upset. Caroline blinked, tears wetting her long lashes, trailing down her cheeks and he hated that she had the ability to look so beautiful while making him hurt.
"I don't think-." Caroline swallowed, trying again, wishing he wasn't staring at her as if he were hanging on every word. "Nik, I can't-."
Hearing Caroline use his name again, the tears on he face and the inability for her to even form a sentence made him stop her. Klaus wasn't going to let her struggle when it was him that was at fault. "Shhhh," he said finally, bringing his hands up to cup her face and wipe her tears away. "I won't love. You have no idea how sorry I am for upsetting you." She only nodded, and then all was forgiven. He lowered his head and kissed her lips. Once, twice, and slowly he eased them open. She was slow to respond at first, which disturbed him more then he wanted to admit. As his arm went around her though she wrapped hers around his neck and leaned into him.
When she pulled away, resting her cheek against his chest, she sighed, relaxing against his body. "My make-up is ruined, I can't even show my face."
"That's ridiculous," he said sliding a hand up and down her bare back. "Those harlots in there have nothing on you." He felt and heard her laugh against him and smirked slightly. "I'd much rather leave though. I haven't seen you in days and I'd prefer show you how much I missed you."
Caroline couldn't help but pick up on the rough undertone in his voice that held promise for later. "The ball...I bought this dress..."
"Which looks exquisite on you dear, and it'll look beautiful around your feet, or in pieces." At that she pulled away, cocking an eyebrow at him. "I promise, by the end of next week I'll have you in another city, another ball, and a dress that is ten times more expensive then this one, and enough diamonds to put even the Queen Mother to shame." Amused, she only rolled his eyes, and he could only grin at the fact that she thought he was joking.
"You don't have to seduce me anymore you know," Caroline pointed out to him and she noticed the way he raised his eyebrows slightly. "You've already got me."
"Regardless, I'll spend the next thousand years seducing you."
Caroline sighed in exasperation, but knew if she was human she would have blushed.
"Come on love," he said and kissed her lips before pulling away from her and taking her hand to wind it around his arm, settling it there. "And to be brutally honest, I wasn't fond of reentering after seeing how much attention you received."
"Nik..." Caroline began and sighed.
"This whole concept of sharing, it doesn't agree with me."
Caroline rolled her eyes again at his petty words, but it didn't stop her from curling her arm around him, leaning into him and letting him support some of her weight. "I liked the gardens," Caroline said offhandedly as they took the longer, scenic route around the mansion.
At her words Klaus glanced behind him. "Don't sell yourself short love, I'm sure I can find you something nicer."
This time she only shook her head, smiling to herself at his words, because she knew he was serious. It wasn't that she was blind to his faults and dazzled by the money he would spend on her, but he never ceased to entertain her with how extravagant he could get when it came to something as simple as her admiration of a garden. It made her smile to know that regardless of that fact that she was his now, nothing had changed, Klaus would still go above and beyond for her.