Hiya, I finally get to update after so long. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Enjoy.

Chapter 11

A warm titillating wetness drew on his neck while a hand moved under his shirt, searching for more. Following the urging pressure of his dream woman's hands, he relaxed back on the pillows and welcomed her. Her naked body was covering his and the blunt probing of a blazing softness against his flesh was only one more caress he willingly accepted. Then something just dawned on him, bringing him up off the pillow.

Klaus passed a hand over his eyes as if to wipe the sleep from them, but this was no dream. This was Caroline, feverish, dazed and thoroughly engorged with lust as she guided herself along his shaft and before he could manage to come up with words, she was moving against him.

His harsh breathing rasped near her ear, sounding thunderously loud, while her own quickening gasps seemed to be torn from the inner marrow of her being. She kept rocking against him with increasing intensity until he was moaning for some release. The intensifying hunger within him became almost insatiable, driving him to a kind of wildness that made him dig his nails into her back, but not enough to leave a bruise. Then he caught his breath in surprise as he felt the first pulsing waves of bliss begin to wash over him. He was greedy to savor it all and he began to writhe beneath her until they were straining against each other, forcing every pleasurable sensation that could be wrenched free to rush in a series of sizzling, scintillating ecstasy.

Caroline felt a feverish warmth filling her and welcomed it, clasping her Klaus' tautly flexing buttocks as she lifted herself up to him so the feeling wouldn't be lost or wasted. Gradually her thrusts slowed, and she relaxed against him.

"Klaus, don't leave me…" she muttered against his neck.

His arms slipped around him. "I won't, sweetheart."

He held her close to him, aware of the thudding of her heart and her breath tickling her face. Klaus didn't know how long he lay there. His eyelids were sagging closed when he felt her move away. Turning on her side away from him, she huddled under the covers and immediately began shivering.

"Cold," she mumbled. "So cold."

Fear spiraled through him, but when he rose up behind her and laid a hand to her forehead, it seemed definitely cooler. He sighed in relief and then glanced down at himself in some surprise. When did he got out of his shirt and pants, he couldn't remember. She must have done that while he was asleep. Had he been so tired that he didn't hear anything?

He tried to leave the bed, so he wouldn't disturb her anymore, but she reached out a hand to halt him from leaving. For a moment he stopped moving, gazing down at her beautiful face, feeling closer to her than he had ever had in a long time.

Much in awe of this tenderness, he knelt beside her and lightly kissed her ear, her cheek and her mouth. From under heavily weighted eyelids, Caroline stared at him in a daze, and with a smile, Klaus sat back down, making no effort to hide the emotions his eyes conveyed as her gaze ranged over his face slowly. She lifted a hand toward him, but with a sigh, she closed her eyes and sank again into a heavy sleep.

Get better.

His fingers brushed her forehead in a loving caress, and a sigh of relief broke from him as he found her skin much cooler than it had ever been. The fever was gone. Already she seemed to be resting easier and deeper. Caroline stirred slightly, her lips moving. He bent closer, hardly daring to breathe. It seemed but a spiraling thread of sound that issued forth. "Klaus...never meant to leave. It hurt to leave you. Please, don't hurt me anymore…"

Gloom settled in, thrusting a sharp pain through his heart. He remembered exactly what he had done to her. Nor would Caroline ever forget it. Would she believe him if he tried to explain he had done everything for her safety? Perhaps, if he told her, she'd be inclined to think he was only trying to make an excuse for his actions. Or more rightly, perhaps, insist that they continue right where they left off, and if Klaus did care about her safety, he wouldn't back her on that.

Did that mean she would leave? Would that push her out of his life? Painful as it was for him to consider that it might not end well on his part, Klaus reaffirmed his intent not to stop her from doing just that. Better to let her think it was just a silly excuse than to see anything happen to her. After all, she was his life. And as painful as it would be for him, he thought he could let her go more easily if she eventually started to resent him.

Argh. Klaus ran his fingers through his hair as he looked down. He couldn't continue with the thought, for his heart grew cold even as the idea formed. Why do you want to go back there, Klaus? Why do you want to make the same mistake again? Why do you think Caroline wouldn't believe you? Why do you think she would care about your father? He had forgotten this was Caroline Forbes he was talking about

Tell her. Tell her everything.

Would he? He would. Though his decision filled him with trembling disquiet, he grew more dedicated to it with each passing moment. With no other thought in his mind but to allow Caroline to decide if she would be with him and risk his father finding her, or disappear from his life again.

He had just finished the thought when he recognised Ellen's footsteps in the door. She knocked softly and asked if he needed her for anything or if she should go.

"Caroline's fever has gone down," he called through the door. "She's going to be just fine. Thank you, Ellen."

"You rest up too, Klaus. You need it."

CAROLINE resumed back to work that allowed no uncertainty to remain in anyone's mind that she had fully recovered from her fever. Neither could she look at Klaus in the face without feeling embarrassed for something she didn't remember, but his smirk was all it took for her to guess what had occurred between them.

The past days, for the most part, were lost to her. Yet something had happened which she could neither define nor deny, and for some obscure reason it all seemed connected to Klaus. What could it be? Her befogged recollections seemed distantly detached from reality, yet she was inundated with glimpses of him taking care of her and an awareness of him nestling against her back, his body pressed tightly to her and his legs snuggled beneath hers. At least that much she guessed was true.

Yet fragments of more sensual impressions flitted through her mind, seeming so real that she could almost have sworn they were true. Still, they were so equally farfetched that she could only accept them for what they were. Illusions! What the hell did she do? What else didn't she do?

But he took care of her, something she would have laughed at if someone were to tell her two years ago. Klaus Mikaelson, first class asshole, went out of his way to take care of her, Caroline Forbes, out of the goodness of his heart. She could barely remember what happened, but she knew he had been there. All the time, and her heart warmed at that. Was she finally getting to him? A smile took over her face and she placed her hand over her racing heart.

She didn't hear him came up behind her. She just reacted when someone tapped her on the shoulder and she swung the pan directly to his head and he was quick to dodge. Her hand brushed over the cups that was behind her when she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

Klaus was trying not to smile largely, his dimples showing, making him look more breathtaking than ever. He didn't seem to care how nervous he made her be as he took a couple of steps back. "Well, you've certainly made a mess of my kitchen," he said, eyeing the pieces of glass scattered around.

Caroline kept her face carefully averted, but that didn't seem to keep him from seeing the faint of red on her cheeks as she responded softly. "I didn't mean to."

"No, but you meant to hit me with that pan, didn't you?" he said, amused. "Is this what I'd get for taking care of you when you were sick? Do you have to abuse me?"

"You sneaked up on me. I didn't think it was you." She grunted. "That was rude, by the way."

"You were far too deep in your thoughts to hear me call your name. I was being nice, alerting you of my presence, but I guess that was too much for you to bear. What's troubling you, love?"

"Me? Nothing is troubling me. I'm perfectly fine." Klaus raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. "I mean...yes I'm fine." Caroline looked away for a second, biting her lips before glancing at him. "Did something happen?"

He moved away to grab an apple, taking a bite out of it with a smile. "Define something."

"Klaus."

"Well, sweetheart, what didn't happen." He teased, licking his lips and her eyes moved toward them.

Making a valiant attempt to appear calm, Caroline inquired, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He looked at her closely, but again he saw only her imperiously held profile. Had he imagined a thickness in her tone? "Because, I have been with lots of women, Caroline, but you're the only one that is beautiful inside and out."

"You must have been with a sizable number, Klaus," she surmised coolly, refusing to look around. "Should I express my gratitude for your kind words?"

A giggle was wrenched from Caroline as she saw his expression. Dancing away to a safe distance, she turned and, pointing at him, dissolved into laughter. "I'm kidding. Don't worry your little head, I was internally jumping with joy. I just didn't want you to know how happy that made me feel." She smiled one last time before she left the kitchen. His footsteps followed her to his living room, finding her as she tried to vacuum the room.

"I don't want you to do that anymore," he said, taking it away from her. Caroline tried to grab it, but he leaned forward, catching her hands in his warm grasp, speaking her name with a soft, musical inflection it had never had before. "Caroline, I don't want you to work for me."

"What? Did I do something?" she asked, her voice low. She tried to pull her hands away, but he would not allow it.

"You didn't."

"Why not?" She let her breath out slowly as she gave up the uneven struggle. "I suppose you are going to say my assistance isn't needed anymore?"

Klaus shook his head. With his thumbs, he massaged her palm with a movement curiously gentle and soothing. A smile moved over his face, lighting his eyes. "It is actually, just not this way. Let's do something now, Caroline." His dark gaze was fastened on her with a narrow look of interest.

"Like what?"

"Something simple. Like a walk. You need it after the days you've had."

Caroline wasn't about to turn the chance of being with Klaus. When she got her shoes and slipped into them, they left the house. As the afternoon advanced, it was growing hotter; it was already past the stage that could be called warm. They had walked for twenty minutes in silence, neither of them trying to start a conversation because the silence was better. The silence meant they didn't have to be talking to enjoy each other's company.

Another five minutes, they found themselves back home again, but Caroline announced her intention of spending the rest of the morning sunbathing. After being cooped up in a room, she wanted more than a fresh air. Klaus applauded the idea, falling in with it immediately and with every sign of good humor. Dressed in only her denim shorts and crop top, armed with sunglasses, sunscreen, her book, and her towel, Caroline settled on one of the chairs.

Klaus, in his black shirt and blue jeans she remembered vividly from the day before, positioned himself beside her. They sat unmoving, without speaking, soaking in the molten sunlight.

"When do you intend on using your sunscreen?" he questioned out of nowhere. Coming from him, it was an odd question.

Drugged with heat, it was a moment before she could bring herself to form an answer. "I don't think I need it."

"You will end up like a pink shrimp."

She stole a glance at him before closing her eye. "I promise I won't ask you to take me to the hospital." She had almost decided he had let the subject drop when she felt his hands on her face, smoothing across the bridge of her nose and the bones of her cheeks.

Her eyes flew open. She met his dark, smiling gaze as he leaned over her. Before she could speak, he said, "Sunscreen."

She could attend to the protection of her skin as he thought she should, or she could lie where she was and accept his ministrations. It was the treacherous urge to do the latter that made her take the tube of sunscreen from his hand. Satisfied, he lay back down, locking his hands behind his head as he watched her.

His appreciative gaze traveled over her curves. When she substituted the tanning lotion for the sunscreen, he followed her movements as she rubbed it over her arms and shoulders and along the length of her torso and legs.

"Would you like me to do your back?" he asked, his tone dulcet.

"I can manage," she answered with a smile. She did, too, though not without difficulty. Her chore completed, Caroline lay back down. The scent of her lotion hung in the still and humid air.

"You smell like….." he drawled with a thought. "..good enough to eat."

The tone of his voice seemed to vibrate through her. Keeping her voice casual with an effort, she said, "You are welcome to use some of my lotion, if you like."

"I don't think I need it," he answered, a silky note to his voice.

It crossed her mind to treat him as he had treated her, by applying a sample of the sunscreen. She was by no means sure that he would object, as she had, to being anointed with lotion, however. He might even enjoy it.

The quiet between them lengthened, disturbed only by the sound of moving cars. The sun bore down upon them, bringing a flush of heat to their skin, running like fever in their blood. And then from the man beside her came one soft-spoken word.

"Chicken." There was something in what he said, she had to admit, though she gave no sign that she had heard.

Sleep here tonight.

That was what he had said earlier and Caroline couldn't believe she agreed to it. It took her a couple of minutes thinking about his offer, and he only had to add please and the tone of his voice was enough to make her nod. She didn't know why she agreed to it.

Afterward, Caroline showered and shampooed her hair. Before she left the bathroom, she pulled on her shorts and top once more. She combed the tangles from her hair, then left it to dry naturally, only raking her fingers through it now and then to speed the process.

She wondered where Klaus was, and what he was doing. Though she could not hear him moving about, she was almost certain he was somewhere nearby. It didn't matter, of course. She would be glad of a few hours' respite from his constant presence, if he would allow it.

She threw herself down on the bed and picked up her book. By furious concentration, she was able to become involved in the story after a time. Slowly, as the effect of the sun and the warm water of her shower wore away, she began to grow cool. The air conditioning was certainly more than effective, for beyond the drapes at the window, the wearing heat of the afternoon could be sensed.

Rising from the bed, she turned the bedspread down, then lay back down, slipping her feet and lower legs beneath it. She picked up her book again, but her eyes felt grainy and raw from her sleepless night and the sun's glare this morning. She turned her book face down and let her lids fall, pressing them tightly closed.

A booming sound echoed over the house. Caroline opened her eyes. The light in the room was dim, bordering on darkness, and the air stale. From her stiffness, and the heaviness that clung to her mind, she thought she had been asleep for some time. Once more the thudding boom rolled over the roof above her. It was going to rain. Despite the time she had been asleep, she did not feel rested or refreshed in any way.

Shaking her head, she sat up and slid from the bed. She threw the spread up over the pillows and tucked it under them, then smoothed out the wrinkles. Pausing in the task, she stood listening, thinking she heard the rain already, but there was another sound. She thought it could be Klaus and having no intention of interrupting him, she went back to bed.

He didn't know what time it was. Klaus had been asleep in his study for less than an hour when the noise intruded, tearing him from a drugged sleep. He sat up, blurry-eyed, and stared around him in the darkness. It must have been a hell of a noise to have roused him—he'd taken more than enough to ensure that he'd sleep like the dead. Then he shoved a quick hand through his hair and crossed the room as he crept out of his study.

He froze where he was, just paces inside the night-darkened hall. The cold air felt thick with the sense of an unseen presence. Sure of it, he glanced about as he picked his way forward. He didn't feel or hear anything. Nothing moved.

Yet he was certain someone else was around. Carefully trying not to make any sound as well, Klaus scanned the deeper shadows as he hastened his footsteps. He spotted a dark shape slip around the corner, heading to Caroline's room. A ghostly figure began to materialize out of the shadows, clearly a man, for he was too big to be Caroline.

Klaus stared, his eyes narrowing. Whoever the man was, he wasn't up to any good. His protective instinct felt the throb of a heartbeat, stirring the air.

"Who's there?" he demanded sharply. "Stop!" He sprinted after the man who had turned and was running towards the exit. Furious, he kept running and before he could leave the house, Klaus grabbed his shoulder and hurled him back. The figure came into view.

He had never seen the man before.

"Who are you?" he hissed as he held him by the collar, pushing him against the wall. "Why are you here? Answer me!"

"I..I.." The man didn't bother to disguise the panic in his voice.

"What are you doing here?! Are you here for Caroline? Is that it?!" Klaus shouted. "Did my father sent you?" The man opened his mouth and closed it, confirming what Klaus believed.

"Are you going to kill me?" The man demanded hoarsely.

"Oh, most definitely," he responded. "That's never been in any question. But if you're asking me if I'm going to kill you now, I'm afraid not. Tell me, how did you find her?" His eyes narrowed.

When the man stayed quiet, he punched the wall near his face. "Answer me! The sooner you talk, the easier it gets for you."

"I..I followed her. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to grab her."

His heart took a punch from the man's response. But he wasn't going to lose his head right now. He pulled the man and shoved his fist right into his. Grabbing his collar again, he glared at him.

"I'm going to let you go," he said icily. "But you tell Mikael that he's not going to touch Caroline. She's mine, and no one gets to touch what's mine."

Her beautiful smile. Her melodic laugh. Her blue eyes that gets you hypnotized with one gaze.

Caroline Forbes was his, and his alone. It was the fire in her that set his heart ablaze. It was her light that brought him out of his darkness. It was her love that had changed him for the better.

And his father wanted to take away the only good thing in his life.

"Go. And if you come back here, I'd kill you myself. Leave now!" He pushed him, and the man tumbled down before he lifted himself up and ran out of the house.

Klaus released a heavy breath and leaned against the wall, lifting his hand to place it directly in his heart. He closed his eyes and counted one to ten.

Mikael.

His hand curled into a fist and his eyes darkened with rage that was flowing through his body before panic set in. If that man had succeeded, he would have lost her. He would have lost Caroline. Klaus knew his father, knew when his set his mind on something, he doesn't rest until he has it.

Now he wanted Caroline, and he was going to take her from him. He knew death was not what Mikael had on his mind. His goal was to blackmail him, to turn him into his own puppet. He knew Klaus would do anything to keep her safe...even if it meant going away from her again.

He would suffocate without her.

The panic he felt and the idea of losing her set him on the move again, rushing to his room. He grabbed a light bag and put some of his clothes and important things inside. He was rushing about the room, trying to get things done as quick as possible.

Taking his bag and wallet, he quickly went to the room Caroline was sleeping in. He walked inside and placed his bag down, kneeling down in front of her. He caressed her cheek lightly, trying to wake her up.

Her eyes slowly opened and when she set her gaze on him, her mouth formed into a smile. She brought her hand and placed it where his was.

"Hey," she muttered, sleepily.

He didn't smile back.

She lifted herself up when she spotted his worried face. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "We have to go, love."

"Go? Go where?"

He took hold of her hand and helped her get out of bed. She was surprised when he pulled her into his chest, burying his face in her neck. It took him a minute before he pulled back and she realized his eyes had gone red.

"Klaus," she whispered softly. "What's the matter?" She was scared because he looked worried, and when Klaus looked worried, it was bad.

"We have to go, Caroline. Pack your bags. Please, I'll explain later. We'll get your passport from your flat, and don't tell anyone about it."

She nodded and did as he asked. She quickly gathered her things and left the house with him. Klaus opened her door and she got in, putting on her seatbelt. He got inside and turned on the engine.

"What about Ellen?"

He glanced at her before hedrove out of the house, replying, "I left a note."

Judging from how fast he was driving, she felt like he wanted to get away so quickly. What was he running away from? When he packed in front of her apartment, she opened the door and was about to get out when he stopped her.

"Do it fast and quiet."

Leaving behind another set of friends was hard, but she knew that she couldn't say no to Klaus. She would go wherever he wanted her to go. She packed a light bag like him and grabbed her passport, quickly scribbling down a note to Valerie.

I had to go. I'll talk to you soon.

I'm sorry and I love you.

Love,

Caroline.

Klaus smiled at her when she got back inside the car. He watched her put on her belt, a smile still on his face.

"What?" she asked.

He didn't say anything.

"What?" she asked again. "Is there something on my face?"

He chuckled, his dimples showing. "I can't believe I'm whisking you away at night again. Is this going to be a habit?"

She laughed, remembering the time he had made her go with him on an adventure that wasn't planned. "It's a bit exciting," she admitted. "So tell me, what do you have in mind this time around?"

"Let's get married, Caroline."

TBC