The private jet Klaus ordered boggled Caroline's mind.
A large Arabian rug lay across the floor of the jet. Two love seats sat across from each other in the middle, a coffee table in between already embellished on top with fruits and cheese.
"But seatbelts!" she cried turning to Klaus with a pained expression.
He laughed at her face. Poor thing, she would have to get used to this if they were to go all over Europe Klaus-style.
He took her hand and led her into the body of the jet.
"Only the best are flying us today, love. You will not need it. I've compelled a flight attendant to stay in the back compartment unless we need her for anything."
"Well, that wasn't nice!" Caroline scoffed, throwing herself in a loveseat.
"Then you can call her out more often," Klaus smirked kissing her brow.
Caroline buried her face into Klaus' chest as the jet took off. Klaus had to hold back a chuckle as her breathing came out in scared gasps. Did she not know she was in no danger, with his arms around her?
Caroline finally looked up and around, noticing a flat screen TV and a stereo system. She had to admit she felt very giddy traveling like this.
She turned to look at Klaus, who was shifting throughout his bags...his two bags compared to her eight.
"Are you looking for something?"
"Searching for that bloody book..." he muttered without looking up. "Why don't you finish up your letter to Chloe..."
"I finished it in the airport, moron. I made a huge sermon about how much I missed her as I sealed it. Someone wasn't listening..."
Klaus looked up to a vexed Caroline. She was right. He hadn't listened to hardly a thing she rambled about. His mind was too caught up in the past and to the potential outburst he would have from Caroline once she knew...
His hand finally grabbed onto a book. He pulled out it out, the smell old and faded.
Caroline wrinkled her nose.
"Gross! Why the hell were you carrying that old thing around with you?"
He held up the bag. "This bag is full of some past memories of mine. The other is for my clothes. Never know when I might need some reminders."
Oh, so it was his one bag compared to her eight. Caroline rolled her eyes.
Klaus handed her the book. "Read this. Most of this I can vouch as truth, but you may want me to rule out some things."
Caroline looked at the dirty cover. She could faintly see the title, The Tale of Lucy and Ruth.
"Wait, is this..."
Klaus nodded while simultaneously sitting down next to her and turning her to face away from him.
"The one and only...now if you do not mind, love, I have a fancy to braid your hair."
Caroline was silent before bursting into laughter. "Oh my god, I just had an imagine of Damon looking at us right now. He'd probably be too shocked at seeing you braiding my hair to notice anything else!"
Klaus chuckled and kissed her neck. "Whatever makes you smile, Caroline. Now, will you read?"
"Yes, yes..." she opened the book and she felt Klaus' manly hands gently twine through her hair.
With a happy sigh, she began to read.
The Tale of Lucy and Ruth
Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a very beautiful King and Queen
Although this King and Queen had everything, they did not have what they desired most
A child
As the Queen grew older and no child came, the King began to see the despair in his wife
In desperation, the King went to the forbidden area of his town, where the witches lived.
He begged the witches for help, telling them he would do anything for a potion.
The elder witch took pity on the King and proclaimed
"In two years, your Queen will be blessed with a daughter. She will have hair as black as a raven, for she was created not by pure love, but of the dark magic of the witches. On her first birthday, you will give your daughter up to us and she will become a part of our own. This will be the cost of your child."
The King, knowing this would be the only way of relieving his Queen, agreed and with a heavy heart, rode home.
In two years, the witch's prophecy came true. The Queen was blessed with a beautiful baby girl, with hair as black as the feathers on the raven. And she named her Lucy.
The Queen's happiness was short-lived. In the blink of an eye, Lucy had turned one.
With wet faces and sobbing sighs, the King and Queen handed Lucy over to the witches. Never to see Lucy again as their daughter, but as a loyal subject.
Although the witches treated her kindly, they never opened up to the girl as an equal. She did not possess any power, resulting in her immediate inferiority.
However, a young witch by the name of Ruth took pity on Lucy. The two became fast friends and there was not one amongst the witches who doubted their strong love and loyalty to each other.
Nearing Lucy's 20th birthday, strange rumors were heard around the kingdom. Rumors of violent murders in the kingdoms surrounding their own, bodies drained of blood. "Vampire" was heard whispered around the marketplace.
On her birthday, Lucy did not return from her daily walk in the woods. Ruth in panic searched for her friend, but to no avail.
The witches grew distressed. The vampire rumors seemed all too true now with Lucy's disappearance. Lucy would now be one of them.
Years passed and Ruth had given up all hope of ever seeing her beloved friend again.
Until.
Ruth was awoken by the sound of a scream...a scream that sounded oddly familiar.
She rushed out into the woods and to her shock, found a sobbing Lucy curled into the base of a tree.
With not a care in the world that Lucy was now an enemy, Ruth reunited with Lucy. Ruth learned of the man who had turned Lucy, a man named Mikael. He had created Lucy to assist him in killing his son, Niklaus.
Lucy sobbed her story to Ruth. How she was demanded to woo and seduce Niklaus. How she had fallen in love with him in the process. How she saved him before Mikael could kill him.
"Oh Ruth!" she cried. "How Mikael will hate me! He will kill me I know it!"
And at the base of that tree, Ruth swore to Lucy that she would protect Lucy at all costs from the vampire named Mikael. Ruth chose a vampire over nature and nature would have its way.
When Mikael finally found Lucy, years later, Ruth was prepared. As the vicious beast was about to plunge the stake into Lucy's heart, Ruth summoned all her power and threw herself in front of Lucy.
The power burst the stake in Ruth's chest as it caught fire. Mikael screamed out in pain as fire fell on him and he ran.
Lucy cried out as she watched Ruth die before her. She cradled Ruth to her chest, holding her as a mother does to her child. Her only friend in the world was dead.
They say that when Ruth died to save Lucy, Ruth had summoned all of Earth's energy in her final moments, casting a spell of protection so strong that no vampire or werewolf could ever break through and destroy it. Ruth's spell fell onto Lucy, encompassing her with this protection. It was as if Ruth's wish, to keep Lucy alive, had finally come true. The spell on Lucy would protect her from everything. Even the demons they call the Originals could not destroy Lucy.
Caroline tried to read the scribbles underneath but found she couldn't.
She was silent before speaking hesitantly, "So...Mikael turned Lucy so he could kill you?"
Klaus nodded, in silent anger. "Probably his most brilliant tactic...she was a marvelous actress."
"But the story says she actually fell in love with you...so it wasn't all acting..."
Klaus took the book and flipped through the tattered pages. "I wrote most of the beginning, as she told me herself of her past. Others have received the book in their possession to add onto it. Lucy never tried to save me. As I recall, before she left, she tried to have the building I was sleeping in burn down, to weaken me and allow Mikael to get a lead way. I made it out rather difficultly."
Caroline leaned into Klaus, looking into the pages as he turned them. She thought of Lucy as she did now, evil and cold-hearted...and slightly psychotic.
"She sounded sweet in this story. What happened to her?"
"Like many other vampires, she lived on each day slowly losing her humanity."
"Have you?" Caroline wanted to slap herself for asking.
Klaus stroked Caroline's braids out, smoothing out her hair.
"I reckon I have very little left in me...I have my family. They kept my humanity together for a while. And you, of course have this irritating way of making me feel very human-like..."
Caroline blushed and hugged him. As he hugged her back, he silently wondered, yet again, how this lovely creature had come into his life.
Time slowly passed as Klaus fiddled more with Caroline's hair. She was awake, but napped in peace. She needed some quiet after learning about Lucy. Klaus had hoped compelling the flight attendant away would encourage Caroline to have him all to herself. He also desperately wanted to rid his mind of his awful past with Lucy. He imagined, for the millionth time, running his hands down Caroline's curves, kissing every part of her body, imagined stripping off her sweatshirt to reveal her pink tank top...
As if reading his mind, Caroline announced in dullness, "I'm bored."
"Are you, love?"
"Yes! And I don't want to watch a movie or anything...lord how long until we get there?"
Klaus shifted his legs so that they touched Caroline's. "Maybe an hour."
Caroline huffed. "I guess I could try to sleep..."
Klaus quickly let his hand travel down from her hair until it rest lightly on her breast. Even with a sweatshirt on, Caroline suddenly felt light-headed.
"I think I may have a perfect remedy to your boredom, sweetheart," Klaus whispered into her ear.
Caroline felt her lower stomach muscles clench, but was determined to play along.
"And whatever could that remedy be?"
Klaus lifted Caroline off his chest and laid her against the opposite side of the love, so he could position himself so that he was right above her.
"I think love, that is it about time someone showed you just how perfect you are. Made you feel perfect."
His hand slipped under both her sweatshirt and tank to glide across her stomach.
"Do you not agree?" he whispered roughly.
"Sounds perfect," Caroline gasped.
Klaus smirked and to Caroline's surprise, he got up from the loveseat and placed the entire length of her body across the seat, so her feet crossed over the armrest.
Klaus knelt down at her feet, placing gentle caressing hands on them. Caroline watched in wonder as he traced his fingers over them with fascination.
His hands stopped at her star tattoo.
"When did you get this?"
"When I was 15. I complained that it was hardly noticeable and Mom still said no. So I just went back with Elena and got it secretly."
Klaus leaned in and kissed the tattoo lovingly. Caroline gasped.
Klaus was kissing her foot.
"It's perfect," he murmured, continuing his inspection of her as he trailed up her legs. His hands grazed every part of her skin, his kisses leaving hot spots. Caroline stabilized herself by twirling her fingers in his hair, satisfied by his low sounds of approval.
As Klaus crawled over the armrest, Caroline removed her sweatshirt. Her shyness took hold as Klaus looked up and down approvingly.
Seeing her fears, he brushed a hand down her cheek. "I will only do what I think will please you, Caroline. Nothing too quick."
His hands lifted up the sides of her tank, taking in the flat smoothness of her stomach. He kissed every inch of it, even letting his tongue slip out for the briefest of moments, tasting her salty skin.
"Do you want me?"
The question surprised him. He looked into her eyes. He once again saw fear, but of a different kind. A fear of being rejected.
In answer to her daring question, he took one of her hands and placed it over his jeans, right over his hard manhood. They both gasped at the same time.
He gave her a deep kiss before whispering huskily in her ear, "Can you not feel how much I want you?"
He kissed her again, trying to rid the insecurity out of her eyes.
"Every moment Caroline." A kiss. "Every time you smile, every time you laugh," A kiss. "I want you." A very long kiss. "But I will never claim you as mine until you want me as much as I want you."
He trailed kisses down her neck, groaning as her hand gently stroked him.
"A part of me wants this..." Caroline began shaking slightly as his teeth grazed her shoulders. "I want this much more than I can say, but..." she paused, lifting his head so she could look into his eyes. He gazed in adoration, and his lips were puffy from his kisses....damn those lips.
"...but you're right. I want to look at you the same way you're looking at me right now. I feel close...but not there."
He kissed her long and hard as a few tears fell from her eyes.
"I hate it when you cry," he spoke softly, licking her lips.
"Will you wait for me, Klaus? Until I'm there?"
"Oh, Caroline...do you not remember our first evening out? I will wait forever, love. I told you I'm a very patient man."
She wrapped her legs around his torso. "Yes...that you did."
"This is enough for me now," he placed a hand on her face. "That you have accepted that you will one day want me...that is enough..."
They landed in Athens not too long afterwards. He insisted on carrying and carting all her luggage until they reached outside the terminal.
"Caroline, I need to go inside to finish some flight business, wait here for me?"
Caroline tugged on a dog chain and winked. "No problem."
He smiled brightly and pulled her into a long kiss, slightly groaning when she brushed up against him.
"I will not be long," he spoke gruffly, walking away quickly to regain himself before smashing Caroline into the nearest wall and kissing her.
Caroline smiled to herself. That she, Miss Caroline Second Choice Forbes, could make an original hybrid get uneasy, made her feel quite powerful.
Her mouth was suddenly covered by a sturdy hand. She attempted to scream and turned to face her captor...Dominic.
"I am very sorry about this," he spoke quickly before she felt her head turn in a very sickening crack and her world turned black.
She came to inside of a very large limo. Her head and neck still in numb pain, she rose to look around her setting.
"Care for some blood? And do not worry, I will return you soon."
Dominic's piercing black eyes gazed into hers.
"What am I doing here?" her voice cracked in thirst.
"Drink," Dominic demanded.
Caroline hesitantly took a sip, she felt her fangs pierce out as she tasted the fine liquid and she drank the rest with greed.
"What am I doing here?" she repeated, this time a little more aggressively.
Dominic laid back against his seat, giving Caroline a confused gaze.
"You are here because I wish to warn you."
"What?"
"Lucy wishes for your immediate death. She believes that by killing you she may be able to kill Klaus with less difficulty. Without her knowledge, I have come to warn you of her intentions."
Caroline stared dumbly at him. He seemed serious.
"And why in hell would you want to warn me of this?"
Dominic leaned down again to face her, cocking his head like a dog with interest.
"I am not sure..." he answered softly. His eyes, if possible, looked like they had softened. "All I know is that I do not like the idea of you in the state of death...it makes me feel...empty."
Okay this was getting weird.
"Look," Caroline spoke with a bit of strain. "I hardly know you, all I know is you're side-kick of wacko Lucy, who wants Klaus dead. Which means you probably want him dead as well."
Dominic lost his look of softness. "Of course I do! The monster murdered my family...felt their bodies lying on the ground for my return home. Lucy and I will murder him together."
Caroline felt herself growing furious. "Then I find it hard to believe you are concerned about me! You know I am with Klaus, why would you think that you could warn me without me warning him?"
The black-eyed vampire closed in on her. His eyes flashed dangerously.
"Do not test me, child. I will lay no harm on you and I may try and prevent Lucy's idea of murdering you, but we will not budge on our wish to destroy Niklaus. Take my warning and do what you will of it, but mark my words, we will kill him with your protection or not."
"I'll stand by him," Caroline whispered savagely. Both glared at each in mutual anger before Dominic chuckled.
"What the hell is so funny?" Caroline growled.
"Oh, just that I see more and more why Niklaus likes you...Niklaus of the Darkness and Caroline of the Light..."
The limo suddenly slowed down to a stop. Dominic handed Caroline a piece of paper, directions spelt out on them.
"I must return to the airport to go back to Paris. Lucy has already formed some plans that she will want me to look at. Follow these directions and you will arrive at your hotel. Ah, and here is your mobile device."
He reached in his coat pocket and handed her her cell. She looked down at 25 new text messages and 10 voicemails...all from Klaus.
Oh God, he was going to be pissed.
Caroline hurriedly walked outside of the limo, anxious to get away.
"And Caroline? Be careful...Lucy may have already begun he plan as we speak. And for your own self-interest, I am a Watcher...you may want to remember that when you go running off again with Klaus. Until we meet again..."
He closed the door and the limo sped away, leaving a very frazzled Caroline in its wake.
Of course, she got lost.
She was too afraid to call Klaus...his texts and voicemails had gone from worried to terrified to very furious and she was in no mood for dangerous Klaus.
Without realizing it, the sun had fallen and Caroline was walking in a very isolated street. She cursed herself before turning back to the downtown where she knew there would be lights.
"Do you think that's her?" her vampire hearing picked out a very quiet male voice.
"I don't know...but she does looks like the girl Lucy told us to find."
At the sound of Lucy's name, Caroline bolted. Not caring if anyone saw her in vampire speed, she ran down the street with only one goal of getting the hell out of that street.
She was pinned to the ground in less than a few moments. She struggled but the hands kept her firm to the ground. These people could only be vampires.
"This is definitely her."
The hands turned her to face two men, both looking down at her in malicious victory.
"What did Lucy say to do with her?"
"Have some fun with her, then take her back."
Caroline struggled fiercely as she took in the smell of vervain. One of the vampires had uncorked a bottle of it as the other spoke.
Caroline let out a piercing scream as the vampire poured the vervain down each of her arms. The smoke vaporized off her scorched skin.
"Shut her up." The other vampire laughed and covered her mouth harshly as the first vampire continued to pour vervain slowly up and down her body.
Tears spilled down Caroline's face as the pain burned her over and over again. She only had one strange thought as they continued their torture.
Why is it always me?
"My turn," the vampire holding her face let go and that was when Caroline screamed her heart out. She let out wailing cries hoping and praying someone would come.
Out of nowhere, a stake flew into her thigh and the other man shut her mouth.
"Don't make us kill you, love" she gagged at the sound of Klaus' nickname for her be used by this attacker.
Suddenly both bodies were flown off of Caroline. Caroline looked up to behold a savage looking man. She realized with terror that it was Klaus. Though he did not appear at all to her like the Klaus she knew.
His hands were clawed by his sides, his whole body tensed like that of a wolf. His fangs were out, much longer than her own. His eyes were a fierce yellow, his pupils smaller and slight, the purple veins on his face pulsed out. Caroline realized she was staring at the face of a monster.
In a flash, Klaus had one of the vampires pinned to a wall. The man squirmed in fear.
"You're...you're...Klaus."
Klaus' voice was none like Caroline had heard before.
"Very good," Klaus let out a very disturbing laugh, causing Caroline to flinch. "Now, before I kill you, would you like to inform me why you are hurting my Caroline?"
The vampire's eyes bulged. "Oh God, she's yours! I didn't know, I swear it, I swear it! Lucy told us to find..."
Klaus bit down hard on the vampire's neck. Caroline watched in horror, unable to process what Klaus would do next.
In quick flashes, Klaus snapped the arms and legs of the vampire. As the vampire fell to the ground, Klaus stepped hard on his chest, cracking a series of ribs. The vampire howled in pain.
"How much pain are you in?" whispered Klaus. His hand was placed on the man's chest.
The vampire held his neck in agony. Caroline realized Klaus had given him a werewolf bite...and it looked much worse than hers had been.
Klaus smirked. "And may this be a lesson to your friend and Lucy that no one lays a finger on Caroline. Ever vampire, werewolf, and hybrid will die if he chooses to harm her. Now...I think I will let you watch as you die..."
And with that, Klaus reached into the vampire's chest and removed the heart. He brought it out with a sickening suck, letting it drop to his side. The vampire gasped in absolute terror before the black and purple veins took over his body and he lay still.
Caroline at this point was in tears. Her sobs of fright were choking her. But Klaus was not done.
Klaus then turned to the other vampire, who was slowly coming out of his blackout.
Klaus bit into both of the vampire's hands, his werewolf eyes gleaming.
Looking into the vampire's eyes, he compelled, "You are to go to Lucy and show her what I have done for Caroline. You will tell her that I am prepared to kill for Caroline and it would be very wise of her to end her little game of hide and seek. Now. Go."
The vampire fled without a second glance.
Klaus heaved heavy breaths, his hands and mouth dripping of blood. He turned to face Caroline, who still lay in her same position crying.
"Caroline..." he whispered. His voice had returned to its beautiful soft tone.
Caroline tried to slow down her sobs. She gazed at Klaus, trying to see past the blood and guts.
"Klaus..." she whispered broken.
In seconds, Klaus had his arms around her and his face in hers, not caring that he was getting blood all over her face and clothes.
"Forgive me darling, forgive me," he whispered. Biting into his wrist, he held it out to Caroline. "Drink, love, please you must heal faster."
Caroline instantly took hold of him, drinking his pure heavenly blood. Klaus planted kisses in her hair endlessly as she drank.
"Oh, my sweet Caroline," he murmured as she healed. Any other time, Caroline would have found the song reference funny, but not now.
She hid her face in his chest. Her sobs slowly taking over again.
"I've never seen you like that before..." she chocked.
He rocked her. "I had to save you Caroline...and Lucy had to be warned."
She wrapped her arms more tightly around him.
"I thought I lost you today..." Klaus confessed in her ear. She paused. "I....I thought all the light in my life had gone out...."
"I never left you...I..." she was too tired to tell him what happened with Dominic. "Klaus...what do we do now...?"
"We go home...and wait."
And picking Caroline up, he raced home.
Lucy was more prepared than he thought.