This little drabble has been shifting around in my head for a while and is based off the idea that Originals can share memories (like Elijah did in TO). Anyways, enjoy ;)

A Man, A Monster, A Memory

Caroline had always known Klaus was complex. Where her friends saw the evil villain, the big bad wolf on the hunt, she saw a man, brought down by years of wrongdoing and circumstance. Much of that wrongdoing was by his own hands, she wouldn't deny, but regardless… he was a man, a person, not just the monster her friends made him out to be. Caroline liked to believe that this is what drew her to him; it wasn't the attraction that he tried to convince her it was, rather just curiosity… right?

It was that curiosity that one day led her to seek Klaus' company; she wanted to know more about him, his past, all the things he'd seen and experienced. The man had lived for over a thousand years; he was history personified and Caroline's curious nature wanted to uncover some of that… Luckily, she now had the means to do that, considering the fact that after the whole prom dress debacle, they had agreed to be friends and, surprisingly, Caroline had actually been keeping to her word. She would even go to his home sometimes, never for very long and always with some excuse, but still she went. They were friends, strange though that was… and so she went to him without any fear.

That was something that no one else in Mystic Falls could say, not even Klaus' siblings. Still, Caroline decided to try not to think about it too much; their relationship didn't need any more scrutiny.

So now here she was again, at his home, trying to casually bring up history and past experiences with the man that had more of them than any other living being. "Someone's awfully curious today, love." Said man stated now from where he sat across from her, raising a brow in her direction. Of course, Klaus hits it right on the head, Caroline thought, almost fondly. You could say a lot about him but you couldn't deny he was perceptive.

"Well, you know, 'knowledge is power' and all that." The blonde confessed, leaning across the shiny mahogany table that took up most of Klaus' dining room.

"Preparing for the worst are we?" He remarked in return.

Caroline decided to keep up their usual banter, not wanting to stand down just yet. Telling the blonde vampire not to do something, or in Klaus' case avoiding giving her an answer, was like handing a bone to a dog; there was no way she was just letting it ago. "You're the one who's all about preparation. I don't even want to know how many plans you have in your head right now." He's always saying there is no plan without a plan b… and he's proven the use of that before. She tried not to think to much about what he had used them for; the past had not always been so pretty between them.

The hybrid smirked, amused at her bland tone. "That is probably a good thing…" He chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eye. Despite herself, Caroline grinned back at him. The light mood soon disappeared, however, when Klaus' face went suddenly serious. "So you really want to know about my past, do you?" He asked, meeting here eyes.

"You've seen so much of history, and for someone like me, who hasn't seen anything… well, yeah, I'm curious." Caroline admitted, not knowing what else she could say, but also having the feeling that she would not need to. Not with Klaus.

"Very well. But I believe I could show you better than I could tell you."

His implication confused her and Caroline moved back when Klaus abruptly reached out to her. "Wha-?"

Klaus froze and pulled away from her for a moment, before standing and walking around the table until he was stood before her. "I give you my word I will not harm you. Just free your mind." He stated, his voice and eyes sincere.

Caroline looked up at him hesitantly for a moment longer before finally nodding her consent. After all, you need to have some faith in your friends. Once again, Klaus reached forward but this time she allowed him to cradle her face between his hands. He held her ever so tenderly, like she was a fragile, precious thing he could not bear to brake. His fingers were gentle against her cheek, caressing the soft skin. Caroline found herself sucking in a sharp breath, her eyes widening as they looked up into his own. Just as she felt she was getting lost in the sensation of Klaus, Caroline's mind was pulled from her body and into his. She gasped as his thoughts melded with hers, her world a sudden cacophony of color and experience. It was dizzying and sent the blood running through her veins rushing with excitement.

Soon enough, however, she was able to orient herself and she found herself in a memory. It was clearly a very old one, judging by the village she seemingly stood in. There more forest than anything, with a few huts dotted among the trees. Caroline watched wide-eyed as the people passed her by, their clothes made principally of leather and furs and the like. The area around her was a blur, as if this memory was almost forgotten. She was shocked, of course when she saw the Klaus of this time.

Barely a teenager, he looked so young… and innocent. He was happy too, surrounded by his many siblings. At this point the only dark part of his life had been his father. He was beyond cruel to Klaus, and Caroline could hardly bear to see it. Luckily, Klaus himself buried those memories so the blonde only got bare hints of them. As it was now, she watched a happy family, a human family work together, even have fun.

Her heart ached to think that this family had changed so much.

It was because of that heartache that Caroline's mind refused to let go of Klaus' when he attempted to extricate their entangled thoughts, not wanting to let go of the warmth that was the hybrid's own mind. The sudden strength and resolve of her psyche had a severe backlash on them both, however, because the next thing she knew Caroline was propelled into another memory. A much, much darker one.

There was blood, so much blood. A young boy, dead in his arms, Klaus' arms. Henrik, a familiar male voice supplied in the back of my mind. The memory was utterly silent, as if all sound had long been forgotten. But she could feel the agony in it, running through ever crack and seam of it. The heightened emotion of it made it hard to regain control and before they could stop it, they were wandering through more memories of times long passed. Neither could stop the rush of them flooding through their thoughts, their very souls.

Caroline saw everything. She saw history pass by in mere seconds. She saw all the pain he'd been through, the pain he'd caused. So much blood, so much vivid red covering all manners of people and creatures. Agony. Rage. Torture. Betrayal.

Darkness.

Black.

And she was stuck in it now, in the darkest recesses of Klaus' mind, where all his insecurities and pain lie. Trapped, unable to break through. Caroline lost her connection to Klaus' conscious thoughts, instead floating around in that endless and horrible black. She tried to scream and claw her way out but the black suppressed her too much, occasionally showing her flashes of memories, as if trying to remind her of all the agony in the real world.

But then it was like something embraced her and held her safe, bringing her back to the surface… and she suddenly snapped back to reality. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that Klaus was now on his knees in front of her, his hands still on her face, holding desperately onto her face.

He… he must've brought me back…

The hybrid looked shaken, his blue eyes stormy as he examined her. What he found seemed to reassure him though, and his hands shifted to her neck, thumbs stroking her skin smoothly.

"Caroline." He said, utterly relieved that she was all right. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, I thought I could control it – you were never supposed to see any of that. I shouldn't have-" At any other moment, Caroline might've have been stunned to silence by the fact that Klaus had just apologized. As it was, however, she flung herself at him, effectively cutting off said apology, her emotions still completely haywire and wanting nothing more than actual, real contact to keep her grounded. Klaus' arms immediately surrounded her trembling body in an unexpectedly comfortable way and Caroline hid her face in her chest, her heart still constricting as she contemplated and came to terms with what she had just experienced.

How does anyone survive all that?

Klaus wasn't innocent, not by a long shot, but he definitely hadn't been born evil either, not like everyone seemed to assume he did. He truly was a man, not a monster. He was a man with a long list of memories. Memories that both defined him and yet at the same time didn't. Because Klaus… he was a fighter, he fought against his past with all his might but he also would never be able to deny it all happened.

That thought made Caroline tighten her grip around the man, the arms she currently had around his chest, holding on for dear life as she was, constricting around him. Klaus didn't seem to mind however, considering he was holding onto her even tighter.

It was at that point that Caroline subconsciously realized that what they had wasn't just a friendship. It was something more, something as of yet undefined but that she begun to predict would grow with time. He needed her, she could come to see, just as she needed him.

So when her shivering stopped, Caroline spoke only three words as she stared at Klaus' ancient eyes. But they were three words that would eventually an entirely different set of three words later on. What she said at this moment was what would truly, fundamentally change their relationship.

"I understand now."

I understand you.

Caroline then smiled the tiniest of smiles, melancholic as she was, and said nothing more.

But then again, nothing more needed to be said.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

RW