"What happens when you get sick of me?" She asked him once, her face pressed against his bare back, arms wound around his middle.

Her voice was quiet, timid, like she didn't dare ask the question because she already knew the answer.

"Get sick of you?" Klaus asked. He felt her warm breath spread across his spine and withheld a shiver.

"Yeah, y'know. Maybe it'll be a couple of months or a couple of years, but eventually you'll start getting sick of me until you can't stand being around me anymore. It happens with everyone."

"Caroline, I—," he started.

"Please don't lie to me." She pleaded, and he felt moisture on his back and immediately went to turn her, but she resisted. It wouldn't have mattered, really, her strength in comparison to his, but he gave her what she wanted then.

"I know it's going to happen. It happens with everyone. I'm annoying and high maintenance and eventually you'll want to trade me in for someone new and shiny and not as irritating. What happens then? Matt's dead. My mom's dead. Bonnie has a family and Elena has Damon. I guess I could go with Stefan, maybe see if Rebekah won't mind—."

"That isn't going to happen, Caroline. I'm not going to tire of you."

"You can't promise that." She said.

Finally, he gave in to his own urges and picked her up, unlatching her arms from around him and faced her.

"But I can, Caroline. You will never be alone if you don't wish to be. I don't know if I could ever tire of you, sweetheart. You're beautiful. Radiant. Funny. And frankly, I worked entirely too hard to win you to give it all."

"Even if I bitch about things and leave my stuff everywhere and make bad jokes?"

"You're beautiful when you're angry and I like your things and okay, while I admit most of your jokes inspire the same type of humor as a seven year old, I can tolerate them."

"It's just - I'm never anyone's first choice, Klaus. Never. In the entire Caroline Forbe's history book, being number one is rare. I think it's happened like twice in my entire life, and even when I am in first place, it's never for long. It's part of my bio. Caroline Forbes, vampire, blonde, great cook, constant number two, insignificant scrap of a person."

"Caroline," he whispered her name harshly. "You are possibly the most important person in my life. Nothing about you is insignificant. Do you hear me?Do you?"

He held her tightly, staring down at her and even if she didn't believe his words, she had to believe the fierceness in his face.

"Yes, yes I hear you." She said, looking up at him, and suddenly she was smiling at him.

"You're just a big sweetheart, aren't you?"

Klaus looked offended. "Ha. I am no such thing and you will not go around sprouting such rubbish. I'm the evil original hybrid, do you not remember? Feared all over the world. Not a spot of compassion in my body."

Caroline giggled into his chest.