Klaroline: Little Do You Know

Chapter 2- Let's Start Again

In an attempt to break the now uncomfortable silence in the room Caroline speaks up. "Tell me about him." Klaus turns to Caroline, surprised by her question. Does she really care? Prior to the events of today she had always been the most understanding of him in town, she actually believed he could be saved.

"Do you even care?" He asks harsher than intended.

"Yes..." A twinge of hurt flows through her, of course she cared.

"Kol and I have always had our differences. Even when we were human, we fought and fought it drove everyone crazy...but we still loved each other. The only reason I ever daggered him in the first place was because the thought of losing him was too much for me to handle. I couldn't, not after Henrik. Kol was always an arrogant arse and I couldn't stand him half the time but at the end of the day he was my brother. My own flesh and blood, I cared for him as deeply as he cared for me." Caroline nods at Klaus, a small smile playing at her lips. "Over the years we stuck together, for the most part at least. He would run off to god knows where doing god knows what, I hated it. I just wanted him safe, and not knowing was torture. When he returned I felt the weight lift off my shoulders. I get this feeling, this need to protect and ensure the safety of the ones I love. I'm sure you could imagine the relief I felt when he was home again and I knew he was safe." Caroline places her hand on Klaus' thigh and moves it in a soothing gesture. Caroline knows the pain of losing a family member. When her father died she was awash with guilt, she wished she had never become a vampire so her father would have stayed in Chicago with Stephan, he would be happy, healthy and very much alive.

"Tell me more." She says in the hopes that those happy memories will make Klaus feel better.

"Elijah was never fun, he has always been uptight and noble; irritating really. But Kol, he was the complete opposite. Once when he was fifteen, he bed a local girl and her father caught them. He chased Kol out of the house with a stick in the middle of the night, waking the entire settlement. Kol managed to sneak back into the house before anyone noticed he was the one her father was chasing, and he stumbles out the front door in his night clothes rubbing his eyes; pretending he'd just gotten up with the rest of the family. It was so dark that her father didn't get a look at Kol's face, all the men in our village including Kol went out to search for him." Klaus starts to laugh, so does Caroline. "He never ceased to amaze me, of course I never told him that." The room goes silent. "He thought I wanted him dead." Klaus' face saddens as he stares into his folded hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Before your friends killed my brother," Klaus begins, his voice struggling to stay even. "Kol thought I instructed the hunter to kill him. He was convinced I hated him and therefore I wanted him dead. I never wished him death Caroline, the daggers had come in handy but that was never death." Those tears that previously threatened to escape now fall freely down Klaus' face. Caroline pulls Klaus into a tight embrace, he stills; surprised at her act of kindness. He contemplates moving away or enjoying the scent of her golden curls and the soft touch of her hands on his back.

"I really am sorry for your loss Klaus. I know what it feels like to lose a family member." Klaus backs away slightly and looks into her eyes only to see the sadness etched deep inside.

"I'm sorry you lost your father Caroline. Was he a good man?"

"Was he a good man...? Well, I didn't spend enough time with him to really know him. But the man I knew, I loved." Caroline reaches behind Klaus and pulls one of the bottles of champagne from her bag. She pops the cork and takes a large swig of the bubbly liquid, if she was going to have this conversation with Klaus she was going to need something to help her out. "Would you like some?" She offers the bottle to Klaus.