Saved By The Devil

Chapter 1

Only the audacious glow of the neon exit signs lit the darkened halls of the hospital wing he walked in. Night rendered the place quiet, allowing for the rhythmic pulses of the monitored human lives to chant an uneven melody against the starch non-living atmosphere around him.

Trailing his fingers along the walls to the side of him, the sound of his leather boots clapped against the pale linoleum. Where was Caroline? Not one word had they spoken, nor was she, or her friends aware of his presence in town, yet he'd been there, watching over her like a darkened angel from hell, and he loved it. She was.. fascinating. Even held up in bed, her hair tussled about her delicate features, he longed to touch her, to hold her…and he was there, the darkest of souls, lingering in the shadows of her door way.

Some day….

The sound of the side door opened, and thinking it the nurse, Klaus pressed his back to the outside wall from where he stood. The voice that followed, though, sent venom to his veins.

Katerina.

"I was hoping you could send the Salvatore Brothers a message for me," her vile, cool voice spoke. Everything in Klaus bristled with the want to rip off her limbs. What was she doing here?

"What message?" Caroline asked.

"Game on."

The squeak of the bedsprings, and ruffled sheets, moved Klaus into action. Before the first strangled shriek lifted from Caroline's throat, Klaus moved in a blur of speed.

"Klaus?" Katherine tried to gasp, as he lifted her by the chin, forcing her to drop the pillow she was suffocating Miss Forbes with. With the mere flex of his arm, he threw her across the room. Her limp body hit the wall, crashing to the floor, along with the monitor equipment, and an ugly pastel picture of a farm. In an instant, he was beside her again, lifting her by the throat with one hand.

"NO ONE…touches….Caroline." He grabbed the empty syringe sitting on the floor, and jammed it up into her neck. Katherine gasped, and garbled, stumbling back away from his hold. In a blink of speed, she was gone, and Klaus slowly turned his head to Caroline.

She wasn't moving. His beautiful, exquisite angel was dead.

Slowly, Klaus moved to the bed where she lay, and ran the back of his knuckles down her smooth, stilled cheek. "I won't let anything happen to you, ever again, Caroline."

With a start, a loud, painfully sounded breath screamed through Caroline's dead lungs, and her eyes shot wide. "Wha….what happened to me?" she asked in a tone so broken, it even twisted his own cold heart.

"Shh, shh, it's all right, love. I'm here. You're safe. You're a vampire now, and I'm going to help you. I'll always be here for you," he said, letting his knuckles brush away the tears on her damp cheek.

"A vampire? What? Who..who are you?" she asked, her body trembling.

"My name is Klaus, love…..and you need to drink." Leaning over he pulled up his sleeve, and extended it to her. "Do not be afraid," he said, moving her hair back behind her ear. "There's a whole new world out there waiting for you, and I am going to give it all to you."

"I…I don't understand." Her tiny voice shook with uncertainty, and then as if reason found its senses, her blood shot eyes went wide. "Katherine," she said, looking up at him for a fleeting moment, before she ignored his arm, and tried to scramble away. Her bare legs tangled in the starch hospital sheets, and the IV still inserted, ripped from her arm. With a high pitched cry of pain, she grabbed for her wrist, just before Klaus moved to catch her from falling off the mattress.

"Easy there, love. It's over, she's gone." Caroline continued to thrash, forcing him to hold her arms to keep her still. The sounds of feet moved from outside the doorway, and one of the hospital staff walked past. "Look at me," Klaus said, his voice firm, yet low. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." Slowly he let go of her wrist, tilting his head slightly to the side, as he placed one finger to her soft lips, realizing this was the first time he had ever truly touched her. He almost wanted to relish in it, pause the moment until every fine arch, and soft crease became a fixture in his memory, but despite his immortally, there wasn't time. She was going to die. "We don't want to make a scene, love. If the nurse comes in here, she will think you dead."

Klaus motioned her attention to the monitor equipment still connected to her other arm, and the line on the small machine read flat, and still.

Another whimper came from Caroline's throat, and her lower lip trembled. "I…I'm dead?!" she squeaked out. "I'm dead… oh, my God. Oh, my God!" She started to tremble so hard, that Klaus had to hold her arm again.

"Look," he said, his gaze firm on hers, as if the mere connection would hold her. He placed her hand on his chest to feel for his own heartbeat. "I am the same." He paused, before letting go of her hand. "Now, before we go getting all hysterical again, you need to drink. If you don't, love, you will in fact, truly die… and we don't want that now, do we?"

Before she could respond, he pulled up his sleeve again, and ran his finger down his large blue vein, watching her curiously. Caroline's blood shot eyes burned dark, and black veins broke from under her eyes. A smile lifted from Klaus' features. "That's a good girl," he almost purred, just as the first signs of her teeth slipped down. His beautiful little angel. Dark adrenaline pooled a wicked dance in his pores. He wanted this. Her, and now he could have it all. He would, have it all.

He almost could thank Katerina for this.

Almost.

Caroline, despite the fiery burn breaking across her features, looked scared, hesitant, and her fingers came up to touch her teeth. "Shh," he cooed. "It's okay. Don't be afraid."

Shuffles sounded again in the hallway, and inwardly he damned the pathetic setting. It wouldn't be long before the staff noticed her monitors were off, and came looking to fix it. He needed to get her out of there, but if she didn't drink, she was going to die.

In a surge of speed, he ignored the pending scare to befall Miss Forbes, and let his own teeth slip down, his eyes burning gold. He bit down into his wrist, erupting the crimson life to the surface. Caroline gasped, the contradiction of horrors evident on her face; fear, and desire tangled in one. Surely the scent alone, though, would dominate her newly born senses, and time was of the essence.

"Drink," he demanded, no longer taking heed to soothing charms. He promised he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, and had intended to keep to his word, even if that meant herself.

"It's blood," she managed to get out, backing away along the bed sheets, even though she couldn't seem to look away.

"Of course it is, love. It's what you need. It's what we are. Drink, and live like you never have before, or die."

"I don't want to die."

"What is going on in here?" a voice bellowed from behind them. Klaus instantly retracted his vampiric features, moving in front of Caroline to hide her. "Visiting hours ended three hours ago. You can't be in here."

"I beg to differ, love," Klaus stated, lifting a brow. "I think you've come to the wrong room."

The woman's entire body huffed up, as if in shock of actually being talked back to. "I'm calling security."

She turned around, and in a blur of speed, Klaus moved from the edge of the hospital bed, and slammed the door on the poor, sad woman. "Security!" she tried to call out, when Klaus grabbed her by the chin, and the back of the head. With a quick twist, he snapped her neck, and watched her drop to the hard linoleum floor. His chest rose, and fell, his veins flooding with a darkened rush.

Caroline screamed, and despite the terror rising off her, he couldn't help the smirk teasing his lip. He was fear. ..and he loved it.

"You're a monster!" she cried, now out of bed, the wires, and things, completely torn off. Her hair, matted, fell about her face, accentuating the wild, crazy look in her eyes. It was adorable. "You're a murderer!"

"Well, yes," he stated truthfully, turning fully around. His vampire face had returned, but at that moment, he really didn't care. "I am the devil, love, and you," he paused, "are to be my queen."

"What?! You're insane. You.. you killed someone. I don't want anything from you!"

Frustrated annoyance licked up his veins, quelling the darkened beast hovering within him. His face retracted to normal, as he started toward her, the soft clap of his boots echoing on the tiles. "Now, love," he said, lowering his chin in earnest retort. "Don't be so dramatic. We are vampires. We no longer are bound to normal human norms. We… are gods."

"I don't want to be a god. I don't want any of this." Tears burned Caroline's eyes. "I just want to go home. I just want to wake up, and go to school tomorrow, and pretend none of this horrific nightmare ever happened. Just…. just stay away from me," she said, holding out her hands as if to stop him.

Perhaps the nurse had been a bit too much considering her state of being, but bygones couldn't be changed now. "I couldn't risk anything happening to you, Caroline. This is the only place time will matter for you. You need to drink. She," he motioned behind him to the dead nurse, "would have stopped that. I'm merely looking out for your well-being."

"Well …don't," she said with a sniff, a brave front rising across her. He admired that. A smile almost graced him again, but he kept his features skillfully placed as to not alarm her further. "I can do fine taking care of myself."

"Of course you can," Klaus said with a hint of bemusement. He couldn't help it. This little spark of bravery he adored.

Caroline froze, as if something dawned on her, and those gorgeous hues of hers, flicked up to his. "How do you know my name? Wait… how did you even know I was in here? Are you following me? Did you.. do this?!"

Her voice rose, and in a blink of an instant, he had his hand cupped about her mouth, holding her small, slender frame to his. His chest burned with the want of it, the feel of it, and he couldn't help but pet the smooth locks on the back of her hair. "Shh, love. They're going to hear you. You don't want me hurting anyone again, do you?" He couldn't help the tease in his voice. It was sort of amusing.

A small growl from her vampire self, rose from her throat, and she bit down onto his hand, freeing her mouth, and then smacked him in the chest. "That is not funny."

"It is a little bit."

Caroline ground her pretty little teeth with an infuriated huff. "I don't believe you. I can't believe this." She backed away, and started to pace. "I'm going home. Where're my clothes?" She turned to him, and pointed. "…and DON'T say you have them."

"I don't have them," he said with an 'I'm innocent' wave of his hands. This was absolutely adorable.

"Fine," she stated, arms out to her sides. "Who needs real clothes anyway? I don't even know who you are. This is insane." She shifted her hospital gown up further on her shoulders. With a mock-dignified huff, she started to walk past him to the door, when her legs wobbled, and gave out from under her. Klaus caught her in an instant, before she hit the floor, and her eyes rolled in her head. "…What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice a small piece of the strength it had been just a moment ago. "I…"

Her words dropped away, as her lids fell closed; her complexion drained, and pale.

"Caroline…," Klaus said, giving her a light shake, as he stared down at her limp form in his arms. "Caroline?" Goddammit, she needed to drink. The wound on his arm had already healed, and he quickly bit down, erupting the vein again, and placed it to her lips. "Drink, love," he said, his voice harsh now, even in his whispered tone. "Drink, goddammit."

Drips of his blood stained her chin, running from her closed lips, as if a gutter in a rainstorm. Slipping a finger along the crevasse between them, he pried the small edge of her lips open. With his free hand, he wiped the spilled blood from her chin with the tip of his finger, and placed it in her mouth. Slowly, he dragged the crimson life across her warm tongue, and he nearly groaned. His own veins darkened under his eyes, as he watched her pale features begin to mirror his own.

Her tongue slowly came to life, curling around his finger, sucking it. The pinch of her vampire teeth dug into his skin. He couldn't look away, even when he knew for sure she had drawn blood herself. Caroline's once lifeless hands came up, and gripped his extended arm; wanting, needing, and pulled him tight, as if an anchor to keep her afloat.

Klaus flicked his darkened eyes up, to catch Caroline's blackened hues staring back at him. A light moan escaped from somewhere within her, as he held her gaze with his own. Lips parted, he stared down at his beautiful creature, and then moved to cradle her up into his arms, re-extending his open wrist to her.

This time, without a forethought, Caroline slipped her teeth into his flesh, and everything in him burned. He webbed the fingers of his right hand up into her hair, as the ebb of his being moved from his veins into her own.

Mine.

"I'll go with you," she said, her voice soft, and raw as she broke away; her hands still clutching his arm. "I…I don't want to be alone. I don't understand any of this. I'm scared."

"Don't be, love," he almost cooed. The touch of smirk, rich with the gratification of darkened conquest, burned to live across his features, but he did everything he could to keep his masked composure. "I'll take care of you. I'm going to show you ...everything."