I'd just like to thank everyone for reading my stories and especially those who took the time to leave a review. That you enjoy them means a lot. And if you don't...well...thanks for not flaming?

This story takes place after Blink at me, Skies. It's not necessary to have read that story to understand what's happening here as there are only a couple of mentions to the events there, but this story is set in that AU-'verse.

This is part one of two.

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries characters et al are obviously not mine. This is based solely on the TV-verse.

Don't Fall

Klaus had been following her up and down the streets of Paris for the better part of a week. On the first day, he'd nearly lost her in the crowds at Charles de Gaulle airport only to be saved by the flash of her golden hair as she jumped into a taxi outside the arrivals gate. An hour later he'd nearly caused a collision when her taxi had made a mad dash across three lanes of traffic and she'd erupted from the back seat hair flying, brightly coloured scarf flapping wildly behind her as she ran to the foot of a bridge to gaze in awe at the Eiffel Tower.

The following day he'd watched her devour her weight in croissants as she strolled along the Seine, stopping every couple of minutes to snap a photograph from a slightly different angle of every historic site she passed. On the third day he'd paced along the Champs Élysées for hours, drinking more espresso than was probably healthy and cursing the female proclivity for the allure of luxury shops.

The fourth day brought with it a whole host of other problems as he'd watched her inner struggle on human feedings take its toll. She'd spent most of that day touring the massive expanse of dark catacombs beneath the city in an effort to lessen the worst of the bloodlust. By the afternoon of the fifth, she'd invited an eager young man back to her hotel room, exiting a short time later with a refreshed glow and the bounce back in her step. Klaus, watching her from across the lobby, hadn't been able to help but snicker into his drink as he'd watched her put the finishing touches on the compulsion in broken French before sending the dazed man on his way with a quick kiss and a smile. He was pretty sure her companion would forever wonder exactly what had happened between himself, the beautiful American tourist, and the pig they'd stolen.

He should have been driven mad by boredom. Paris was hardly a novelty for him anymore. He'd been the monster in the shadows claiming the unfortunate few too drunk or too stupid to hide indoors when the lamp oil burnt out and the streets plunged into darkness. He'd stood amongst the roaring crowds when King Charles VII had reclaimed the city from the British. When Marie Antoinette's blood had stained the cobbled stones of the Place de la Révolution, he had celebrated the French Revolution with exuberance and much bloodshed of his own– who was to notice a few missing bodies amongst the hundreds sent to die at the guillotine during The Terror?

Klaus knew every alleyway perfect for a clandestine feeding. There wasn't a building he hadn't set foot into, no bridge he hadn't crossed, no corner of the city too obscure or too hidden for him to have not walked. Trailing the young vampire as she discovered the city he'd known well since Notre Dame had been nothing more than foundation stones, he should have been ready to dagger himself if only to add an extra layer of complexity to the day. Instead, he found himself reluctantly intrigued by the straightforward yet excitable manner with which she approached everything from navigating the maze-like metro system to the French language.

Klaus had been following her up and down the streets of Paris for the better part of week. Caroline huffed at the thought as she made her way out of the Versailles Rive Gauche metro station and began the short walk to the Palace of Versailles itself. She couldn't spot him now, but she'd suspected he'd followed her to Paris when she thought she'd caught a glimpse of his familiar dark blond curls in her rush to find an airport taxi. Her suspicion turned into certainty when her desperate attempt to feed a couple of days later had resulted in one too conveniently agreeable Frenchmen willing to follow her up to her room.

Caroline grimaced and gave herself a mental scolding. It had been easy enough to sneak enough blood for a couple weeks in Tokyo in her luggage when she'd initially left Mystic Falls. In fact, she'd been quite proud of herself for thinking to use wine bottles. However, by the time she'd left Tokyo her supply had completely run out and with no way to replenish it, she'd left for Paris struggling with the idea that she could soon be forced to find a fresher source to fulfill her nutritional requirement.

It had been a stupid thing to do, but she hadn't been ready to go home and there had been no way she could have imagined asking Klaus for help despite how unusually nice he'd been. The last thing she'd needed, Caroline thought to herself, had been an Original with a heart of gold, but he hadn't done much more than ensure she'd have a hefty bill to cover when she checked out. It had been unsettling at first, sharing something as intimate as the death of her parents with Klaus, but the longer he'd stood with her admiring the view, not trying to console her or convince her of a brighter tomorrow, the more she'd been thankful for his presence. Nonetheless, creepy ancient vampire shadow or not, Caroline was determined to enjoy Paris.

Walking up the long wide road towards the golden gates of Versailles, Caroline's eyes widened to take in the full majesty of the centuries old palace before her. She'd be lying if she said that history class had been more than just another hour of boring dates and people to memorise on her way to a high school diploma. What little she had enjoyed had had a lot to do with ancient castles and grand palaces. Versailles had been one of the grandest and she'd spent hours imagining the kings and queens in their finery, stepping in and out of ornate carriages, dancing the nights away in vast ballrooms under chandeliers of the finest crystal.

Standing, awestruck, at the threshold to the Hall of Mirrors, Caroline realised that all her imaginings had held only a fraction of the majesty that must have been on display during that golden era. The name did not disappoint; there were wall-to-wall mirrors that made the space seem impossibly large, intricate gold filigree, a painted ceiling like nothing she'd ever seen before, and enormous crystal chandeliers that reflected brilliant light and illuminated every corner.

There was also someone poking her in the back to move forward.

"Sorry," Caroline apologised hastily and moved further into the grand ballroom. The spell was somewhat broken every time she received an elbow to the ribs from an errant child photographer or a heavy heel on her toe from the wayward step of a fellow gawker, but one of the perks of being a vampire was that she'd have no bruises to show for the rough handling. Another perk being that her sharp vision could spot a tail a lot more easily when handily assisted by the multitudes of reflective surfaces.

Caroline tried to stomp over to where Klaus was smugly leaning against the marble archway around one of the many of windows, but ended up settling for delicately picking her way through the throngs of people. When she finally reached him, she stopped a foot away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know whether to be impressed that you managed to spot me at all or dismayed that it took you so long." Klaus smirked.

Caroline made a face and shook her bangs out of her eyes. "I'm only being polite. After all, I do have to thank you for providing me with a wonderfully prepared meal the other day."

Klaus tried not to let the little inkling of pleasure he felt at her deductive prowess make itself evident on his face. He was a little disgusted with himself for feeling it to begin with and the last thing he needed was Caroline to catch wind of it.

Caroline scowled when that infuriating smirk remained fixed on his face and pointedly glancing down at the red rope separating them.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Come on, love. What's a trip to a centuries old tourist attraction without breaking a few rules? Besides," he pushed himself away from the wall and casually closed the distance between them. "Who's actually going to stop me from touching a few walls?"

When she opened her mouth to reply, he only reached out to grab her by the shoulders and spun her around to face the room before she could get a word out.

"Amateur photographers, gawking tourists, and delusional art history majors alike, may I have your attention please." Klaus' voice boomed off the walls.

"What are you doing?" Caroline hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

Klaus turned to her for a second, letting a wide grin erupt across his face. Caroline was startled. It completely transformed his face from being always slightly menacing to something she could imagine herself finding attractive from across a crowded dance floor. Attractive enough to have her sharing a quick giggle with her girlfriends before mustering up the courage to walk on over and introduce herself, maybe ask him to dance.

He had the smallest of crinkles in the corners of his eyes - eyes that practically sparkled in an unexpectedly bright shade of blue. He had dimples for crying out loud. How had she never noticed that he had the most adorable dimples she'd ever seen?

Klaus leaned over and waggled his eyebrows in her face. "This."

Turning back towards the mass of people now all standing quietly and staring at them, Klaus raised his arms and in a voice that echoed off of every wall and sent the crystals up above ringing in high tones proclaimed, "Leave!"

And they did. Every last person turned on a dime and headed towards the exits on either side of the room. In minutes the hall had emptied out and Caroline was left staring at her shocked reflection in the giant mirror across the room.

Klaus laughed at her expression. He stepped over the red rope and walking to stand in the middle of the room directly beneath a shining chandelier. Without a word, he held out his hand to her and waited.

Caroline eyed him sceptically. "You really love this, don't you?"

"Be more specific." Klaus didn't lower his hand an inch. Perfectly still, he waited.

"You can control dozens of people with a simple widening of your eyes and a snap of your fingers."

"I didn't snap my fingers."

Caroline rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Whatever. It's a power trip."

"Power trip?" Klaus was incredulous, "Come on, Caroline! I didn't send those people face first into the palace fountains. No one's dead or dying or even waiting outside to be my next meal.

"All I did," he took a slow step forward, arm still outstretched and waiting for her to take it. "Was empty out one of the grandest ballrooms this world has ever seen. Tell me you've never imagined what it would be like to stand in this room under these lights? To dance here like the kings and queens and courtiers of ages ago?"

Klaus raised a single eyebrow and took another step closer, hand still waiting. His eyes sparkled devilishly and he inclined his head just a fraction. "I dare you."

Caroline's eyes widened. "You want to dance?"

Klaus nodded, his lips quirking up into a smile.

"Here? Now?"

Klaus took one more step and his hand was now a mere hair's breadth away from her. All she would have to do to take it would be to lift her own, but her palms were suddenly sweaty and she was completely and utterly confused by this turn of events. She'd been prepared to ream him out for following her to Paris after having explicitly asked him otherwise, not to dance with him in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.

He was watching her carefully, taking in every minute expression that crossed her face. To say he was delighted to have caught her off guard was an understatement, but he hid it well. "I've let you do Paris your way for days and while watching you play the eager and excitable tourist had its charms, now it's time you experienced Paris my way."

Caroline took a deep breath. She was being ridiculous and Klaus was right. When would she ever get the chance to do something like this ever again?

She placed her right hand in his and her stomach did an odd little flip at his widening smile. "There's no music," she said lamely.

Klaus rewarded her with another grin as he walked backwards, pulling her gently back into the center of the room. "We won't need it."

Placing one hand at her waist and holding the other aloft, he began to move them in a familiar three step pattern. Caroline shook her head and bit her lip to keep the full force of her smile from bursting out onto her face. She couldn't quite stop the giggle that escaped.

"I think that by now, you are well-versed in the art of this particular waltz." His smile disarmed her and she let herself be carried across the room in his arms, by his sure steps. Caroline allowed herself to relish the moment. The sun streamed in through the pristine windows to shine brilliantly off the dazzling crystal over head. Tiny rainbows of multicoloured light reflected off of every mirror, creating glorious patterns of intricately webbed light at their feet.

Klaus' hand was light and deliciously warm in her grasp against her cooled skin. The other was comfortably heavy against her back as he confidently led them around the room, slowly spinning them through the panes of golden sunlight. Caroline could almost hear the music as he guided her through the steps, his feet never faltering or missing a beat she could swear she was beginning to hear in the back of her mind. She had to fight the urge to hum the tune as it played louder in her head.

Closing her eyes, she imagined dozens of other pairs out on the dance floor in splendid ball gowns, dancing to the exquisite strands of – Klaus' ringtone? Caroline's eyes flew open and she found herself staring intimately into the blue-eyed gaze of her dance partner. When had he gotten so close?

"Hold that thought, will you, love?" Klaus released her hand and reached into the back pocket of his jeans for his cell phone. Glancing down at the name on the screen, it was as if shutters were drawn over his eyes and they became impossible to read. The smile wiped from his face, he let his hand fall from her waist and walked away to take the call. Caroline was left to stare blankly at his back.

She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but she was almost certain most of it wasn't in English but in impeccably accented French. Too curious to be appropriately impressed, Caroline tried her best to translate with the basics she knew, but the only thing she could be certain of was that Klaus was definitely not happy with whatever information the person on the other end of the conversation was giving him. His words were clipped, his tone frustrated yet eerily calm.

Abruptly, Klaus spun around, stuffing the cell phone back into his pocket as he stomped over to her.

"You know," Klaus reached out and grabbed her hand as he stormed past. Caroline was forced to keep up or be dragged behind him. "I preferred the flip mobiles. Those were much more satisfying when ending an upsetting phone call – not these new fangled touch screens all the kids seem to love these days."

"Klaus..." Caroline tried to pull her hand free, but his grip was like a steel vice around her hand.

"We're leaving, Caroline." His tone brooked no argument.

His entire demeanour had changed almost in the blink of an eye. He'd been normal and kind and almost painfully human. She'd actually forgotten for those moments when he'd masterfully danced with her across the floor who he was. But this – now – as he cast vicious looks at everyone they passed and compelled the masses to part before them as they stormed through the long hallways back to the palace entrance, this was the Klaus who'd used Elena to manipulate Stefan against his friends, who'd turned her once-boyfriend into an unwilling hybrid servant. He'd killed Jenna. Caroline mentally slapped herself.

There was a lone black Audi waiting directly outside the golden gates, its windows tinted so dark they blended in with the body of the car. Yanking the rear door open, Klaus sent her an impatient look and waited for her to climb in hastily before following her and slamming the door shut with enough force to rock the vehicle.

"Drive."

Feedback, of any kind, is always appreciated.