These are my contributions to the Klaroweek prompts on tumblr, May 19- May 25.

Klaroweek Day 1- The Beginning

In which we see what Caroline really thinks when they first meet.

The sound of the door roused her from her half-sleep. The pain was getting worse and she was so dizzy now, she imagined it wouldn't be long before she couldn't wake up again. She opened her eyes slowly, the room seeming to spin for a moment before it came into focus. Before he came into focus.

What is he doing here? she thought in a panic, her mind telling her to run as fast as she could, though her body wouldn't listen. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked, her voice raw with worry.

"On your birthday?" he asked almost incredulously, as if her dying wasn't his fault in the first place. "You really think that low of me?"

Caroline stared hard at him for a few moments before answering, "Yes." If I'm gonna go out, it may as well be with a bang, she mused.

He exhaled slowly at her answer, as if calming himself from her harsh words. Klaus made his way to her bedside, gingerly pulling back her blanket and exposing the festering bite wound on her shoulder. Caroline shivered even though he never touched her skin.

"That looks bad," he breathed, as if he actually cared. "My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damage, it's nothing personal," he continued.

Is that supposed to make me feel better? she mentally scoffed. The blonde looked up at him with pained eyes, it hurt to breathe now.

He continued to stare at her for a few more moments in silence, as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle, before he reached out and flicked the charm bracelet on her arm that Tyler had given her. Before he had sentenced her to death, of course. She suddenly felt awkward wearing it.

"I love birthdays," he said in his low, husky voice.

Caroline scoffed, refusing to meet his eyes. "Yeah," she sniffed, her voice getting hoarser each minute. "Aren't you like, a billion or something?" she mocked, seeking to share as much of her discomfort with him as she could.

"You have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline," he smiled, ignoring the way she looked away under his gaze when he said her name. "Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions," he continued, staring down at her thoughtfully. "You're free."

"No," she said as firmly as she could, "I'm dying." She stared at him in silent anger. She had just started to get her life back, she was finally getting the hang of being a good vampire, and now, what? It was all being ripped away from her. Again. But really, what else should she expect? She wasn't Elena, she didn't get what she wanted. I'm never the one. She should honestly be surprised something like this hadn't happened sooner.

Klaus looked at her intently before he sat on the bed beside her, the frame creaking under the added weight. Caroline continued to stare at him, her worry increasing every second. But really, what do I have to worry about? What else can he do to me?

"And I could let you; die," he breathed, his voice barely a whisper as he leaned in closer. "If that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning."

Caroline continued to stare up at him as he look at her with almost watery eyes. Seriously? I'm the one dying and he's going to cry about it? But the look in his eyes was so… genuine seeming, it gave her pause.

"I thought about it myself. Once or twice, over the centuries, truth be told," he went on, his voice taking on an air of nostalgia. "But I'll let you in on a little secret," he whispered as he leaned in even closer, his face merely inches away from her own.

Surprisingly, instead of fear Caroline felt curiosity. What could he possibly want to tell me? And why?

"There's a whole world out there waiting for you," he told her, her full attention on him. "Great cities, and art, and music," Klaus continued, not letting her eyes leave his as he spoke. And she believed him. His eyes flickered down to her bracelet, reaching out to touch it once more, giving her a half smirk as he looked back up into her eyes. "Genuine beauty," he added, clearly mocking the bracelet. "And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

He held all the cards, her life in his hands, yet here he was, telling her she could have it all. She was enthralled by his words. No one had ever spoken to her like that before, told her she deserved the world. Not Tyler, not Matt. None of the boys who had claimed to love her had offered her anything close. And Caroline knew by the look in his eyes he wasn't just saying these things; he meant them.

All these thoughts raced through her head as she stared at the hybrid, her eyes filling with tears. Tears for the things she hoped and dreamed for, things she still wanted to do and accomplish, things she couldn't do if she was dead, truly dead. "I don't want to die," she admitted, as if it was somehow wrong of her to want to continue on, to want to live as a vampire. But the look in Klaus' eyes erased that guilt.

He searched her eyes for another moment before he must have found whatever it was he was looking for, then he pulled back his sleeve, baring his wrist. He gently reached his other arm around her neck and pulled her up, more gently than she would have thought him capable.

Caroline gasped at the sudden change, her mind swimming again, the movement making the pain worse. She laid limp in his arms as he supported her, her head almost resting against his chest.

"There you go, sweetheart, have at it," he whispered, bringing his wrist to her mouth.

Caroline only hesitated a moment, looking up at him one last time to make sure it wasn't a trick before she sunk her fangs into his flesh, moaning as the blood flowed into her parched mouth. Klaus' blood was unlike any she had ever tasted before. It was rich and heady and she could feel it moving through her body, absorbing into her veins and beginning to heal her wolf bite. Her shoulder began to tingle as she continued to drink, the cure slowly working its magic. Caroline was surprised to find she didn't wish to stop, it was almost euphoric, this feeling of drinking from the most powerful being alive, and it scared her.

"Happy birthday Caroline," she heard him whisper, and she knew he was being genuine. The baby vampire whimpered, worry tainting the wonderful feeling of drinking his blood. How can I feel so safe in the arms of the man who almost killed me? she thought, but could find no answer.

When she woke in the morning, feeling better than she had in a very long time, she noticed a black velvet box tied with a white ribbon on her nightstand. Well, it was her birthday yesterday, and she did go through a lot, maybe someone had gotten her a gift. Maybe it was from Tyler, apologizing for putting her in danger.

As she picked it up she noticed the card, From Klaus. Caroline only hesitated a moment before pulling on the ribbon and opening the rectangular box. She released a breath in shock. In the box was a gorgeous diamond covered bracelet, one that put her simple charm bracelet to shame.

Somehow she was not surprised. It struck her as something he would do, try to upstage Tyler's gift with one of his own; she knew that even if she didn't know him very well. And she certainly didn't want to, either. Why did he give me this? she wondered uneasily.

Caroline shut the box in sudden anger, moving to throw it in the trash can by her bed. Who does he think he is, sending me expensive gifts after trying to kill me? Which he never apologized for by the way.

But her hand stilled in mid air, unable to throw it away. I guess throwing diamonds in the garbage is kind of sacrilegious, she mused, changing her mind. Instead, she opened her nightstand drawer and tucked it inside, immediately closing the drawer in an attempt to forget all about it. But her gaze lingered on the drawer much longer than it should have, only being drawn away at the sound of her mother in the hall.

No, she had to forget all about the finicky hybrid and his grand words and presents. His promises of the world, who even does that?, and everything that awaited her. No, all she needed was her friends and Tyler and she would spend her life in Mystic Falls and be happy. Right?

For the first time in her life, Caroline was no longer sure.