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"Elijah... what are you doing here?" she stammered, still trying to catch her breath. He smiled at her, stepping closer and pulling her into a dance. Katherine barely noticed they were moving, so absorbed was she in the man before her. He looked the same, yet different, and she found herself listing each, his skin was tanned, his hair longer, differences, his broad frame and dark eyes, similar. And the look he gave her now, the warm smile, the intent expression, so different from what she had experienced from him lately, yet so similar to how he used to look at her.
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and glanced away, thinking only escaping from that face would she stand a chance of carrying out a coherent conversation.
"I have been travelling for quite some time, and my foreign interests are concluded at present, so I thought to return home. There is something about London that has occupied my mind, in my absence."
"Such as?" Katherine inquired.
"It is not polite to ask, Miss Pierce, though why I should suppose that might stop you, I do not know." he chuckled as she huffed at the reprimand.
"Really, I am starting to think you only enjoy tormenting me." she muttered., and they continued to dance in silence. After a while, the searing looks he threw at her were too much, and as they left the floor she glanced up at him.
"Have you forgiven me then?"
" I told you as much, in my letters"
"Yes, but you never directly said it."
"I seldom directly say the things I mean... or want. It is a failing of mine, I admit."
"I have never suffered from that affliction."
"I am sure you have not." Elijah agreed smiling.
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Caroline smiled politely as another couple chattered on endlessly, when over their shoulders she suddenly spied a familiar blonde, laughing and smiling, standing next to a tall, dark man with piercing eyes. Caroline quickly excused herself and started toward them.
"Rebekah!" she exclaimed. As she neared, she saw Rebekah's eyes were large and full of happiness, her hand was tucked into the crook of Damon's arm.
"Caroline" Rebekah greeted her, and immediately hugged her close. Caroline looked at Damon's face, over her shoulder and saw there immense gratitude.
"I did not know you would be back tonight! I am so happy to see you" Caroline went on, a thought suddenly tickling the back on her mind.
"You did not know? I would have thought Nik would have told you" Rebekah said, nose wrinkling for a moment in confusion before she pushed it aside and focused on more important things.
"I have so much to tell you, Damon, we need some privacy" she said imperiously, flashing him a look, with Damon took in his stride, a grin playing around his lips.
"My dear, as you wish. But I shall find you soon enough, for tonight, all your dances are mine" he murmured, kissing her hand and sauntering off into the crowd.
"Come, let us find somewhere private." Rebekah said, pulling Caroline's arm, she held back.
"Wait, did your brother come with you?" Caroline asked, seeing a familiar impatient look on Rebekah's face.
"Yes, of course. He has been insufferable since you left. He jumped at the chance to stop playing chaperon and return to you"
"Where is he?"
"I'm sure I don't know, he came with us, however, so is around here somewhere. No doubt lurking in the shadows, avoiding society as much as possible and keeping his eye on you"
At her words, a prickling feeling fell over Caroline's skin. She glanced around but could see no sign of him.
"Very well, let's go" Caroline finally agreed, starting forward.
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Klaus looked down on the twin blond heads as they started away to the refreshment area. He recalled the night, a year ago, when he had found himself watching Caroline, drawn to her even then. As other girls rushed around, giggling and gossiping, she had been an oasis of calm, a repose for the eye. He had raised a toast to her, and she had stared right back. It had intrigued him, her fearlessness, though now he knew her, he knew it was that very attribute that had lured him in. Her strength. It was strength that gave her the stillness, that containment, that independence, for she had faced loss and tragedy in her past, and risen from them, as a phoenix from the ashes. It had fascinated him, so much so, he had gone looking for someone he might pretend was her, someone who would not dismiss him so easily. How his life had changed, how she had changed it, he mused as he watched Rebekah pulling Caroline excitedly.
His sister was struggling to contain her enthusiasm, all her masks of cool indifference dropped for once, and it made him happy, to see her so excited. One of the hardest burdens to bear, had been knowing Rebekah's sacrifice and he had dreaded finding out who her betrothed would be. But, unexpectedly, Mikael had allowed Damon Salvatore to ask for her hand. It puzzled Klaus, though, he supposed that the Salvatores had tied themselves up financially with his father to achieve it, which they would surely regret in the future.
His father. The thought of him caused him to raise his glass back to his lips and gulp down a little more whiskey. When he arrived at the ball, his eyes immediately seeking out Caroline, he had seen them together, on the terrace. His impulse had been to approach them, take Caroline away, yet he had stopped himself. She was not in need of his protection, it seemed, in fact, Mikael looked more disturbed by their conversation than Caroline did. Of course, for it was what she excelled at, disarming you, stripping apart defences.
Now, he watched the two women disappear, and reasoned that he could wait for his reunion with his wife, for surely after he made his presence known, they would not stay long at the ball, and Rebekah deserved to share her news with someone.
He spied Kol, far below, and raised his hand in a salute to him. His younger brother seemed agitated and excited, and Klaus followed his gaze to a handsome couple on the dance floor. Elijah and Miss Pierce. His elder brother had returned as he had hoped, and Klaus could see his genuine expression of pleasure, being reunited with Katherine. Klaus cast a last glance down at the seething floor, and checked his pocket watch. He could barely hold off going to find his wife, and gave his sister 30 minutes more to herself, then, he would not be able to wait a moment longer.
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Caroline watched as Damon swept Rebekah onto the dance floor, and was happy that, whatever the outcome of her plan involving Mikael, that she had helped to make it happen. Rebekah was happier than she had ever seen her. Another girl who was uncontainablely happy was Katherine, who had finally returned to her side, as Elijah went to pay his respects to some business partners in attendance. Caroline could see she was overjoyed, yet concealing it well. Elijah was more difficult to read, ever the gentleman, and not one to display emotion freely, he was a closed book to her. As she watched Kol ask Katherine to dance, and they looked to her for permission to abandon her alone on the sidelines, she felt warm hands slide up her arms from behind. The person said nothing, only leant in, bringing their body fully against her back.
"If you are not my husband... I fear for your life, Sir" she teased, and could felt the way Klaus smiled into her hair.
"Luckily for me, my lady, I happen to be your husband." he murmured, moving to the dance floor and taking her hand.
"I am glad to see that my reputation proceeds me, even in my absence." he noted pulling her into his arms and joining the waltz.
"Meaning?"
"It is the only reason a woman as beautiful as you could possibly stand on the edge, partnerless" he said with a grin. They danced in silence for a while, their eyes unwavering from each other's, and Caroline felt her cheeks begin to ache from the smile she could hardly keep from her lips.
"I missed you" she said simply.
"As I did you. In the future, I forbid you from travelling without me." He laughed at the look Caroline shot him over his choice of words, though she apparently was not going to take issue with it just then.
"What was my father bothering you about earlier?" he asked suddenly, not missing the flash of surprise, followed, strangely, by guilt that crossed her features. She stared at him, and then replied, after a hesitation.
"Nothing of importance." Klaus stared back, a jolt of unease going through him at her manner. Not her words, but that small moment before she answered, it pricked his interest.
"Care to elaborate?"
"It is of no consequence, I'd much rather hear about Westmere, I miss it so" he studied her a while longer, and then pulled her close again. It mattered not, she was back by his side, and all was well in the world again.
"Klaus? I wish to go home soon." she said suddenly, looking up at him.
"Are you feeling unwell?" he asked, instantly worried. She smiled to reassure him, shaking her head.
"Not at all, I have just missed you too much to share you with all these people" she murmured softly, and a smile crept across his face. It never failed to move him, to make him feel like royalty, whenever she spoke of her feelings for him. He still tucked every word away, savouring them.
"Then let us leave at once, for as much as you have missed me, increase it by infinity, and you begin to have an inkling of have I have missed you, my dear"
Mikael watched them go, an unpleasant feeling forming in his stomach. Niklaus looked happy, could hardly contain his smile, like a simpering fool. The girl glided beside him, lighting up the room as she passed. She was unfathomable. He found himself wanting to confess things to her that he had never dreamed of confessing to anyone, not even Esther. He had loved Esther, loved her desperately, yet she had never once looked at him with the love and accepetance that his son's wife regarded him with. Was there anyone less deserving in the world of such devotion? He thought not. He had not planned for her, he had not thought for even a moment, that someone like her, could love his son. Love him and his family, enough to give away her fortune, sell her birthright, to see them happy. He had become the villan in the piece, when it should have been Niklaus.
As he suddenly realised the thoughts running through his mind, he growled and resisted the urge to throw his glass onto the dance floor below, to see it painted with blood for a moment. What weakness this girl had spread to him, and Niklaus also, like a creeping disease she had permeated his defences. Made him feel things he had not in years, kindness, protectiveness. There was only one way to deal with weakness, and that was to cut it out. She would give him what he wanted, and he would rip it away, without a second thought, or she would know what it meant to betray him.
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The room was dimly lit, only candles burning. Caroline relaxed back against Klaus's chest, the warm water of the bath swirling around them.
"I suppose something may be said for your obsession for modern things" she murmured, admiring the bathtub. She was sitting between his legs, both of them submerged in hot water, and she could not remember a more decadent feeling. She felt tired, and strangely whole again, now he was with her. There had been such a heavy, nagging exhaustion weighing her down of late, and whilst some was surely due to her condition, the absence of him had also contributed. He had become her closest friend and most devoted ally, her lover and her partner, and now, without him, a physical ache seemed to pervade each moment.
She leant forward, reaching for the cake of soap, and he groaned as her body lost contact with his. She passed him the bar and settled back.
"You may as well be of use back there" she teased him, as he lathered the cake between his hands, filling the air with the smell of jasmine and lavender.
"Oh, I plan to be" he murmured suggestively as he placed his foaming hands on her shoulders, starting to kneed the muscles there. Caroline sighed and slipped more against him, her naked hips coming into contact with his. Klaus murmured his approval into her hair, as his hands continued their soapy path down her arms, to her hands, and then back up. Caroline felt dizzy with anticipation as his hands once again reached her shoulders and then started down toward her chest. As they neared her breasts, suddenly, they were removed, and she almost cried out at the loss.
"All in good time" he said softly into her hair, sending prickles spreading out from his warm breath against her wet skin. He lathered his hands once more, and she bit her lip, waiting as patiently as she could. When it seemed he was deliberately making her wait, she started to shift round a little, between his legs, bringing both her hands under the water, to rest on the tops of his thighs. The movements cause him to still instantly, and he placed the soap back down, and then his hands were on her breasts. They massaged them, gently squeezing them, rubbing his soapy thumbs over her nipples, again and again, making her arch her back with pleasure.
"Have you missed me, Caroline?" he was whispering into her ear and his breath once again made her flush. She nodded.
"Tell me, my love"
"I have missed you, I have thought about you every day" she admitted, feeling one of his hands start to descend to her stomach. She responded by running her hands up and down his inner thighs under the water.
"Missing you, has nearly driven me mad with longing. I cannot be without you, Caroline." he murmured, his hand making circles on her abdomen, and Caroline thought wildly of the secret she was holding from him.
"You shall never be" she promised, all thoughts flying from her head as he pressed lower still. She almost shot out the water when he finally touched her. He held her back against him, using his feet to draw her legs relentlessly open, exposing her completely to his fingers.
"You are mine, my love, as I am yours, without exception. When you sleep in an empty bed, you will hunger for me beside you, as I do you. When your body aches and skin is hot, you will wish for my touch upon you, as I long for yours." his touch was sending her spiralling out of control, and Klaus, recognising the signs, pulled her tightly to him, cradling her tenderly as she lost all control, clinging onto his arms and calling his name. He felt the most primal sense of pride, of possession, watching her come undone under his touch. Her body knew his, and his hers and there would never be any other touch they would tolerate.
As she returned to her senses, she surprised him but twisting around in the tub, straddling him. His back came up against the cool of the tub, and he was stunned into silence by the view that presented him. Her skin was pink with pleasure, shiny in the candle light. Her hair caught up, with damp tendrils curling at the nape of her neck. As she settled, she gave him a decidedly naughty grin.
Reaching out for the soap, she started to lather it between her fingers, he watch with rapt attention. Satisfied, she started to spread the soap over his chest, which began to rise and fall more rapidly. The pressure of her sitting across his hips was delicious, and he pressed upwards in an effort to create more contact. She smiled, and rose a little, avoiding his efforts.
"All in good time, my love" she teased as her hands continued down his chest, her fingers pushing into his muscles, her finger nails lightly scraping at times, sending jolts of pleasure through his entire body. Unable to take it longer, he suddenly sat forward, bring their chests into contact and she gasped at his wolflike movement, he stared into her eyes intently, as he moved her into position over him. He watched the minute expressions crossing her face as he gently lowered her, his hands supporting her, slowly, giving her time to adjust as she went. The feeling was indescribable, the urge to thrust upwards overpowering, yet he held back, lowered her, enjoying seeing the effect of every inch of their contact written on her face. Her breath caught, her face flushing anew, as she finally sank fully onto him, and she let her head fall back, her arms going around his neck. Slowly, he began to move, and she responded, moving with him. He leant forward and caught the rose tip of her breast in his mouth and she cried out, her voice raw. The sound made him quiver, and the pace started to increase between them. She brought her head back up, and found his eyes on her, dark and wide, they roamed her body, as his hands urged her hips on faster and faster. The water swished between them, caressing their skin, creating vacuums and eddies of current. The room fell away, the fire, the candles, and there was only each other. He had never felt so connected with another person, never felt so aware of what it meant, to be joined to someone, to be complete. He saw when waves of euphoria started to fall over Caroline, the way her eyes looked, her voice, as she told him she loved him, the way her hands clutched his chest, and her hips bucked and contracted. He felt her tightening around him, and it was all he needed to follow her. Their wet skin smacked together, and he felt his heartbeat match her racing one as they held each other tightly. Clasped together, his seed spilling into her welcoming embrace, his feverish whispers of her name, and his love on his lips, poured into her ear, her hair, against her neck as he kissed her. He felt her trembling, her body overwhelmed, and felt similarly affected.
She gradually leant up and looked down at him. Her hair had fallen half down, her eyes were hooded and sated, and she had never looked more beautiful. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and suddenly realised the water had cooled considerably.
"Hold on" he murmured as he grasped her once again by the hips and stood up, still holding her against his chest, her legs wrapped around him. She squealed at the sudden movement, as water poured off them into the tub. He waited until most of it was gone, and then carefully stepped out, onto the waiting towels. He gave her a last kiss and lowered her to the ground. Bending down, he picked up a towel, and started to dry her. She went to take it off him, but with a smile, he pulled it away from her, and continued his attentive drying. He walked around her, kneeling to dry her legs and feet, bringing his slowly over her form, appreciating every curve and hollow on the way.
"Perfection" he murmured, as he slung a towel around his hips and lead her to the bed, where he could see her nightgown already paid out. It was high necked and prim, falling to her feet and made of thick white fabric. He lowered it over her head and raised an eyebrow at her.
"I did not know I would be receiving visitors this evening, much less my husband" she replied, and laughed as his expression darkened. He turned back to the tub and rubbed himself dry, and Caroline crawled up the bed and slid under the covers, unable to keep her eyes from the naked form of her husband. He was glorious, undeniably male, his hard, uncompromising body made her mouth dry. As he turned back, a grin suggesting that he knew he had been holding her attention, she looked away and feigned absorption with fixing her hair. She undid the pins holding it, and let the heavy curtain fall down her back. Klaus picked her hairbrush up on his way to the bed, and slid, still naked under the covers. He sat back, and held his arm open, and she snuggled into her place, enjoying their routine. Leaning forward she closed her eyes as the hairbrush began to move through her hair, firmly, easing out knots and tangles, pulling pleasurably on her scalp.
"Elijah has returned, you did not give me any warning." Caroline said.
"He wanted to surprise Katherine, and the date had not been decided definitively. Was she happy to see him, do you think?"
"Of course, what woman could fail to be" the brush stopped for a moment, before continuing and Caroline hide her smile.
"I did not know you found my brother... so attractive"
"Well, I do have eyes"
"Caroline -"
"I am in jest, truthfully, he helped me greatly, when he supported me, though he barely knew me. It made me have hope that some decency and morality might still exist in your family" she said, and felt Klaus's hands close on her shoulders.
"Caroline..." he started softly and was interrupted again.
"You need not speak of it, it is past, I only wish to explain my attachment to Elijah. I have forgiven you"
Klaus bit his tongue, repressing the apologies that longed to spring from them. Apologies were not enough, she had forgiven him, and it was up to him to show her he was worthy of the forgiveness, everyday, through his actions.
"I am relieved that Rebekah is getting what she wants" Klaus said, changing the subject.
"Hmm" Caroline agreed, a little noncommittally.
"I do wonder how Damon Salvatore has managed it however, as I know Mikael too well to believe he is doing it purely for his daughter."
"Perhaps he has had a change of heart..." Caroline said, and Klaus was suddenly reminded of seeing them speaking together at the ball. He pushed the thoughts away. He would not allow himself to become paranoid because of his father. That man's words and actions were poison.
Once he had finished, she leant away and quickly tied the long end on her hair into a plait, which lay over her shoulder as she snuggled down under the covers and faced him, their poses mirroring each others. He looked tired, and peaceful, and she thought that perhaps her news could wait until morning. As her hand moved unconsciously to her stomach however, she realised she could wait no longer. She wanted to share to with him, and did not want to have more secrets between them.
His eyes had drifted shut and his breath was even. She gathered her courage.
"Klaus" she whispered, softly, seeing his eyes flutter, yet remain closed at his name.
"Yes, my love" he replied and she bit her lip, unsure how to tell him.
"I have a present for you." she said, nerves building in her as she watched a smile spread over his full lips.
"And what would that be?" he murmured. Hesitantly she reached out for his hand, and then slowly, deliberately, brought it to her stomach. She spread his fingers out, and pressed his splayed palm into her stomach. His eyes slowly opened, and looked at her, a hint of confusion. His eyes then dropped to his hand on her stomach, and she watched as his thoughts raced behind his eyes.
Caroline was looking at him so steadily, yet her expression seemed unsure, and he felt the shock he had experienced at realising her subtle implication give way to joy. The happiness was powerful, it took his breath away. He was to have his own family. He was to belong somewhere, to some people, forever. Caroline, that brilliant, awe inspiring woman, that he had somehow been blessed enough to meet, was carrying his child. He, the most unloved of all, was to be a father. With the happiness, came fear, though in a much lesser amount. The responsibility, of shaping another person, with his words and actions. He had never been a good man, and was only now learning how to be slightly less awful, how could he be a role model for a child?
He looked back to Caroline then, and felt the fear slip away. For it would not only be him, they would raise it together, and she would be his guiding light, she would save them all, and make them a family. And, most touching of all, he realised in that look she gave him, was that she believed in him. She believed he could be a good father, as she had believed he could be a good man, when all else had forsaken him.
He saw tears fill Caroline's eyes, though she was smiling, and he let out a laugh, overcome at that moment, sure his own face must be a reflection of hers.
He leant forward and pressed a kiss on her lips, softly, like a prayer.
"Thank you" he whispered against her lips, and followed it with another sweet kiss. He then pulled away, and dropped his head to her stomach, where he began to press soft kisses on the taut flesh there, feeling her hands come to rest on his hair, cradling his head to her.
"Thank you" he whispered after each kiss, feeling the words echo through his very bones.