Sunlight

Chapter 20: Merry Klausmas

"I hope you meant that in a good way, Kol, for your sake." She replied, before settling back and trying to forget how close they were due to the limited room of the back seat and how their thighs and shoulders and forearms were touching.

"Are they always like this?" Caroline murmured in hushed tones , and Klaus smirked.

"No. Sometimes they're all over each other like glue."

Eva snarled at him, and Caroline stuck her tongue out in Klaus' defense.

The moment they arrived at the house both Kol and Eva cleared out of the car like it was on fire. Caroline took a moment, taking in every detail of the beautiful house they had pulled up to. It looked to be at least three stories high, and capped with snow. She had seen snow in Mystic Falls, of course, but there was something about seeing another country dusted with snow, particularly when seeing the country for the first time, and everything seemed more heightened. That feeling increased when Klaus joined her, wrapping his arms around her and watching her take in the simple sight.

"Do you like it?"

"Love it." She breathed with her usual bright smile, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I missed you." He said with honesty, and she looked up at him for a long moment.

"I missed you too." She replied. "What did you end up accomplishing with Elijah and Kol?"

His face darkened slightly into one she recognised from Mystic Falls days, and she was struck again by how different he was with her.

"You don't need to know details, but everything was taken care of. We spoke to some and they passed on the message, and anyone who dared question it was dealt with easily."

Caroline shivered, and Klaus tightened his embrace in comfort, but he did no more to assure her.

"This is our life, sweetheart. You had better get used to it, fast."

"I know," Caroline nodded, eyes closed. "It's a little hard to put all of my morals behind me."

"Not all. Caroline," Klaus held her face between his calloused palms and waited for her eyes to lock back onto his. "I will never force you to drink from a human or kill anyone. I won't force you to do anything unless something compromises your safety. Your moral guidance is very different to mine, but that's what gives you your light. All I ask is that you accept that while you don't do those things, we do. And in our case, we do these things because they're necessary."

"Its necessary that you all are feared?" Caroline asked softly.

"'It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.'" Klaus quipped lightly.

"I don't believe that for a second." Caroline murmured, nuzzling into his palm while her fingers traced along his jaw. "I believe you can do both."

Klaus was silent for a moment, watching her thoughtfully, before shaking off the mood entirely.

"Lets get inside. I know for a fact the house is warm and lovely."

...

It was Caroline's idea to set up lights. Elijah and Klaus had never bothered to decorate the house before, and Rebekah and Kol hadn't been around for a Christmas with lights and fantastic garden displays. Eva said she didn't particularly like Christmas as a rule, so she too hadn't ever decorated. Nothing could have prepared them for a Caroline Forbes Christmas.

She roped Klaus into lining the house in intricate flashing lights, and Kol and Rebekah were intrigued enough to set up a display of reindeer and a Santa Claus on the front lawn, despite Elijah's protests of how tacky they were. Eva was secretly happy to festoon the front door with a wreath, despite the irony of traditional wreaths being weaved with vervain.