Timeless

Chapter 28

Klaus had damn near kicked the door open once they got to Caroline's house. She could feel the rage that he was holding back rolling off of him as she clung to him. Only when she was on her second blood bag did she realize that he had somehow mysteriously obtained an invite from her mother. But the surprising part was that she wasn't surprised. The damn hybrid could manipulate or charm anyone into doing anything.

He had deposited her in her room and brought her the blood bags before disappearing again. He came back with the first aid kit her mother stored below the bathroom sink and sat down on the bed next to her, ordering her to move forward so that he could reach her back. Caroline didn't say anything as he slowly unzipped her dress and began cleaning the dried blood from her back. Even though she was emotionally and physically drained, she couldn't help the way her body responded to his touch. It was the first time he had touched her in weeks. Feeling his fingers dance across her skin was relieving in more ways that one.

How had he gone centuries?

But it wasn't like that was it? She remembered prank night and their conversation in the hospital parking lot and his cold dismissal of her.

It's all in the past.

"Thank you," she said because she needed to say something, "for not killing my dad."

Klaus chuckled behind her. "Don't mention it. It was more your mother's wish than mine."

"How did you find me?"

"Your friend Tyler realized you were missing. He thought you had left with me, but I told him that wasn't the case. Then you're mother got involved. She's quiet a good detective. We followed a few clues and now, here you are."

His explanation was vague. Unemotional. He seemed like he was trying hard to be as short as possible. He paused his care of her for a moment, brushing his hand across the bare skin of her shoulder. She tried hard not to breathe, not wanting to disturb the moment or cause him to pull away. His hand was shaking slightly against her arm. She hadn't noticed it before. God, she wished he would just wrap his arms around her.

"So you left?"

"I came back," he answered, shifting away and continuing his care of her wounds.

Why?

She wanted to ask, but she didn't.

They were quiet again for some time. Caroline drank the rest of her blood bag and Klaus finished cleaning her injuries, her body doing most of the work to heal itself. He stood up again and left to return the first aid kit to its place, throwing away the bloodied rags he'd used to clean her up. She took the opportunity to slip out of her stained and dirty clothes, into a clean pair of pajamas, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and let sleep help her forget everything for a while.

Just as she tugged her tank top over her head, she noticed Klaus standing behind her in the mirror, leaning against her doorframe staring. She wondered how long he had been standing there. Had he been watching her change?

"Kinda like old times," she attempted to joke, "me almost dying and stuff."

"Don't," he snapped.

"Come on it's a little funny."

"It's not as funny when you've experienced the real thing."

"Or when your own father is the one trying to kill you."

Klaus pushed away from the door and stepped toward her. "Oh I can relate to that one love."

That was right. Mikael, the destroyer, had turned out to be Klaus's father. He had told her all about their family history when he had taken over Klaus's home, while Klaus was still on his roaring rampage of revenge in Bulgaria. Caroline didn't know what was true and what was exaggerated, she had meant to ask Klaus about it one day, but the important part was that both of Klaus's parents hated him to their very cores. Weren't they a pair? She laughed at the similarities of the situations.