Work Text:
Send You The News
(Prompt: mini drabble prompt: Klaus & Caroline secretly write letters/emails to each other after 5x11. Title from "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" by Stars. Rated T.)
Damon walking into her dorm room, without knocking, was an annoyance Caroline has (unfortunately) gotten used to. She's even come to find the happy little sigh Elena let out every single time a tiny bit cute.
Just kidding, it was totally icky and she didn't bother to hide her rolling eyes. Not that either of the lovebirds ever noticed.
Caroline barely looks up from the section she's highlighting in her Biochem text as Damon starts yapping, though she grimaces at the soft squishy noises of PDA float over. Seriously, Damon had a whole gigantic house a reasonable drive away. Did they have to get touchy feely in the room Elena shared?
She tunes them out until she hears the word mail.
Then Caroline's out of her seat, leaving her ergonomic chair spinning, and across the room at full vampire speed. She manages to snatch the pile of letters from Damon's hand before he can think to attempt to hold them out of her reach.
A good thing because she might have tried to draw a little blood before she could consider the consequences. Namely, ruining the rug and having to endure Elena pouting long after Damon healed from his minor injuries.
Both Elena and Damon are staring at her with curious eyes though there's something Caroline doesn't like in Damon's icy blue eyes. Something that tells her she's not going to like whatever it is he decides to say next. She looks down and rifles through the letters quickly, hoping for a decent distraction.
One that'll give her a window to slip one of the envelopes addressed to her, the one made of heavy cream colored paper, into her back pocket without anyone noticing. Or commenting.
Really, it's the commenting that's always the problem. Damon never knows when to keep his mouth shut. Particularly about things that are none of his business. Recognizing the familiar chicken scratch on one of the letters she holds it up, "Ooh, look! Something from Jer. Weren't you just saying it had been awhile, Elena?"
Elena hesitates, and Caroline prods a little harder, blinking innocently as she wiggles the letter, "Hey, it must be a good sign that he's writing right? Maybe he just got busy and that's the reason for the radio silence? I'm sure he's totally over that stoner phase and not bowing to peer pressure to suck back absinthe and psychedelics in the name of creativity."
A brief flash of horror crosses Elena's face and Caroline feels a momentary pang of guilt as she hands over the letter. Elena tears into it right away and begins scanning it, settling back onto her bed.
The guilt doesn't last long, however. Damon's still watching her, head tipped to the side, eyes narrowed shrewdly. He's assessing her, looking for a weakness and Caroline straightens her shoulders and meets his eyes steadily, refusing to act like she's done anything wrong.
They're just letters, entirely harmless, and they are hers.
If Damon of all people has a problem with who she's writing to he can shove it.
He smirks, eyes the stack in her hand and Caroline tenses. His drawls out the question, easing forward the tiniest bit. "New pen pal, Barbie? Anyone we know?"
She tracks his movements warily, "I wouldn't say new."
It's an honest statement because she'd written to Klaus less than six weeks after he'd walked away from Mystic Falls. They've been corresponding regularly ever since. Caroline had kept it friendly, not mentioned the whole sex marathon thing. At the time Caroline hadn't really been willing to examine the reasons why she'd decided to open up the lines of communication. She'd been fine when Klaus had been in New Orleans, busy with adjusting to school at the supernatural weirdness Whitmore hid. But then he'd shown up, disarmingly easy to talk to as always, poking and prodding and messing with her carefully ordered life. She'd thought she should have been relieved to see the back of him once he'd left, to know that he wouldn't be popping back up to throw her routines and plans out of whack, but that hadn't happened.
Several sleepless nights later she'd been forced to admit that relief wasn't at all what she'd felt.
Eventually, she'd worked up the courage to send him a letter. He'd casually mentioned that his address in New Orleans, the one she'd sent his graduation invite to, remained the same. In case she ever needed anything, he'd murmured, after brushing one last kiss over her cheek before he'd sped away.
Damon's expression turns knowing, "Ah. So an old pen pal, then?"
"Old enough," Caroline bites out.
He opens his mouth, a light to his eyes that Caroline really doesn't like, but Elena lets out a small distressed groan. Mutters something about questionable tattoos. Caroline glances over to find her still pouring over Jeremy's letter and Damon instantly turns to see what the problem was.
Caroline made a mental note to buy the kid a drink next time he made it home for the holidays.
She sorts the rest of the mail quickly, tossing everything addressed to Bonnie and Elena on their respective beds before picking up her purse and stuffing Klaus' letter along with the rest of the envelopes bearing her name into it. She makes her way to the door. "I gotta meet my History group," she tells them.
A lie, that meet up isn't for another two hours. but Caroline's banking on the fact that Elena never pays that much attention to Caroline's schedule.
Elena waves absently and Caroline's just about to breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, she's not in the clear yet, "Your old friend planning on stopping by?" Damon calls out, just before she can escape. "It's almost summer break. Maybe he wants a distraction? To sample small town life?"
Caroline's smile is cold when she turns to face him, "I doubt it. But if he does I'll make sure to introduce you first thing. I'm sure he'll just love you."
Damon sobers, if only slightly, likely remembering just how big a fan of his Klaus isn't. "Maybe you should go to him, Barbie. Spread your wings."
Klaus has made a subtle suggestion or two along the same lines. Caroline would be lying if she'd claimed she hadn't considered it. "Maybe I will," she tells him, smile sweet and tone deceptively light. Elena's still lost in older sister fretting, no need to alarm her. "I've told him so much in my letters, but some things are just easier to say in person, you know? A girl just needs a hug after sharing all her deep, dark secrets."
Damon's smart enough to hear the subtle threat if the slight tremble of his hands is anything to go by. It doesn't hurt to give Damon a little taste of his own medicine, treat him to a little discomfort since he delights in doing the same to others. It's not a threat she ever really plans to make good on.
At least not while Elena's still ass backwards in love with the cretin.