Work Text:
Caroline absolutely hates it when mortals summon her. They do it with all the arrogance and vanity only humans can really display. And they usually do it with laughable levels of carelessness too. They act all high and mighty, ordering her to do this and that, to get rid of their enemy, or to extract vengeance against petty acts.
Their problem is that most of them don't know how to safely summon a hellhound, and Caroline can step out the circle they have her 'trapped' in whenever she so wishes.
Caroline finds it both ridiculous and unbelievably irritating. She normally ends up giving the summoner the same fate they expected she'd give their rivals.
Through the three centuries she's lived, Caroline can count on her hands the number of people who have managed to force her to obey their will.
This is not one of those times.
--
One second Caroline is just settling in on her sofa and the next she's materializing in an unknown living room, a white circle drawn on the floor surrounding her, and a man standing in front of her.
The man appears to be in his late forties, with short dark blond hair and cold, unforgiving blue eyes.
He seems almost startled by her appearance, though he tries to hide it. “Hellhound, I have a mission for you.”
Caroline raises an eyebrow. Cutting right to the chase, isn't he? The ring on the floor will do nothing to hold her, and Caroline is just itching to rip his throat out.
The man continues, unperturbed and seemingly unconcerned by her gesture. “I have a son, though I guess I can't call him that. It turns out the boy isn't even mine but that matters not. He's an aberration, a freak of nature. He killed a man the other night at a bar brawl, says he was defending his sister's honor. Do you know what happened the following week, when the full moon rose in the sky? He changed, grew fur and fangs and claws, nearly killed me – would have, hadn't I shot him. And even that did little to slow him.” The man shakes his head, a disgusted frown fixed on his face. “He deserves to burn! He's a beast, with no place or right to roam this earth. I can't kill him, wouldn't know how to do it even if I dared to try. But you can end him; you can drag him to the depths of hell, where he belongs!”
By the end of his little tirade, the man is red-faced and panting.
Caroline sighs. It's an interesting story, and it sure caught her attention. However, she suspects the man's anger and apparent disgust towards his son stem from a different cause.
“When did you discover he wasn't yours?”
The man's face reddens for a completely different reason this time. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Caroline shrugs. “Call it curiosity if you want to.”
“A month has not passed since it was confirmed, but I've had my suspicions for years. The boy is different from his siblings. Weaker. I knew it couldn't be my blood that was running through his pathetic veins.”
Caroline hums. “Well, then. What's this boy's name?”
“Niklaus Mikaelson,” the man spat.
She feels like laughing when the man takes her next question as an agreement to his request. “Where can I find him?”
--
Apparently, the man – whose name Caroline learned was Mikael – had cast the boy out after he turned.
Mikael knows for a fact that Niklaus hasn't left the village, but where exactly he's been living, the man isn't sure.
However, Caroline thinks it won't be hard to find him since everyone seems to know who is and what he did that night at the tavern.
She spends the day searching for him, and always misses him by minutes. Caroline finally finds Niklaus, long after the night falls, drinking at another bar.
She freezes at the entrance once she lays her eyes on him. Mikael kept referring to him as ‘boy’ and it was hard for Caroline not to imagine him as such, even with the knowledge that he was responsible for someone’s death. ‘Boy’ is not a word she’d ever use to describe Niklaus. There is nothing boyish about the man sitting at the counter.
The man has this roguish appearance that only works in his favor, making him look even more handsome. His hair is honey blond, and his blue eyes seem sweet and gentle if guarded.
He doesn’t even glance in her direction as she takes the seat next to him at the counter. She knows he’s acutely aware of her presence though.
He’s the first to break the silence, not turning to her and speaking the words into the air in front of himself. “A little bird told me a beautiful blonde was looking for me. I’m assuming that’d be you?” He throws a perfectly raised brow her way, and anyone else would be fooled by his nonchalant front.
Caroline smiles, extends her hand. “Caroline Forbes.”
He’s cautious as he takes her hand, the hesitation in his eyes not diminishing. “Klaus.”
She doesn’t think she masks her surprise fast enough. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Klaus’ smile is tight around the edges. “I bet you did. Only good things I hope.”
Caroline inclines her head. “Not really but I’m not one to believe in rumors.”
“You’re here to see if that’s all they are, then?”
The blonde’s smile sharpens. “Not exactly.” She motions the barman. “I’m here to enjoy myself and have a good time.”
He’s obviously taken aback by her words. His surprised laugh is beautiful. “Well, I’ll drink to that.”
They both drink to that but that’s not all they do. They talk, a lot. Caroline finds Klaus is surprisingly easy to speak to. He must come to the same conclusion, or maybe he just finds her strangely trusting – perhaps he simply feels the same pull that Caroline can’t deny feeling. He speaks of his little sister with protective eyes and a pride smile on his lips. And Caroline believes him when he swears he’d do anything for the younger girl.
The two of them stay until the wee hours of the morning when it’s time for the tavern to close.
They hover outside for a while, basking in each other’s company.
Finally, Caroline smiles. “I’ll see you around, Klaus.”
And, when she sees the touch of doubt in his eyes, she leans up and places a tender kiss on his cheek.
Klaus’ soft answering smile only serves as a further testament as to which Mikaelson truly deserves to be dragged to hell. There’s no doubt she’ll take care of it later.
“Yes, you most definitely will,” he answers after a pause. And it’s so playful and mischievous, somehow so Klaus, Caroline has to turn and walk the other way before she throws caution to the wind and does something she really shouldn’t.
Throwing one last smile over her shoulder, she finds him watching her still.
Yes, she thinks, silently agrees one more time, she would unquestionably be seeing him again.