Beauty And The Beast // Klaroline AU

Chapter 12

Caroline's POV

It wasn't long before I was awoken again, this time by the sounds of soft whimpers coming from next to me. My eyes gently flutter open, peering to the body next to me.

Klaus lays, his face shiny from sweat and his body clearly overheated as quiet sobs rise from his mouth.

"Klaus?" I ask. No answer.

"Klaus, wake up," I shake him gently. Still nothing.

"D-don't!" he yells, his voice breaking. I frown, shaking him harder.

"Klaus!" I yell now, his eyes shooting open at this.

"W-what? Caroline?" he asks, confused about what had just happened.

"I think you were having a nightmare, you were screaming," I tell him and the long heavy sigh I get in return let's me know this is a regular thing for him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I sit up a bit, barely able to make out his features in the dimly lit area.

"No, I just... I get these nightmares every night. They're about my parents, when they were hunting us. They end up killing my siblings in the dream and everyone I love and then they just leave me to suffer by myself, all alone. It's normal at this point but tonight was a worse one...."

"I'm so sorry," I say, genuinely sorry for him. My hand finds his, gently rubbing my thumb along his knuckles to calm him down.

"It's okay. I'm used to them," he once again puts up a hard exterior, not allowing me to help him.

I sigh, "You can tell me if you're not okay you know."

"I know."

A moment of silence passes.

"Do you want some water?" I ask, attempting to make the situation better for him.

"No, I'm good. I just want to get some sleep," he informs me, laying back down. I stay sitting up, unsure of what to do to help him with his clearly uncomfortable state.

Almost impulsively, I try a trick my mother used to do to me when I couldn't sleep when I was young.

My hand cards it's way through his hair, gently pushing back the strands and running my nails along his scalp soothingly.

Klaus hums in approval.

"Mhm, that feels nice," he states sleepily, his eyes closing as I continue the motion.

I eventually stop after hearing his soft snores, smiling as I finally snuggle back into the blankets, closing my eyes as well and heading to sleep.

• • •

It takes force to bring myself to open my eyes, the warm and comforting bed begging for me to stay just a bit longer.

After feeling the cold spot next to me where Klaus once lay, I stand up, heading for the door. My head turns both directions of the hallway, only hearing the distant sound of pots and pans in the kitchen.

I make my way towards the noise, hoping to find Klaus to make sure he's okay after last night with his nightmares and bad habit of getting hammered.

"Good morning, Caroline!" Emily grins, a soft blush painting her cheeks as she gets breakfast ready.

It's only around eight in the morning when I check the clock on the microwave.

"Morning, Emily. Have you seen Klaus at all?"

"He ran off early this morning around six. He didn't tell me where he was going, just said he'd be back later in the evening. Why? Did something happen?" she worries nervously, and I shake my head with a small smile to calm the woman.