AN: A lot of folks asked me if I would write a story that explains how Klaus and Caroline ended up a couple, so here we go. This takes place in the 'That looks on tempest' universe, and fills in the gaps between chapter 20 and the one-year-later epilogue.

If I have done my job right, you should not need to read 'That looks on tempests and is never shaken' in order to enjoy this story. But just in case . . . basically, this starts a few months after the events of the S3 finale. It is near the end of the school year, and the beginning of summer. Elena is a vampire with complications, Damon and Klaus are running against each other for mayor of Mystic Falls, and Stefan and Katherine are sort of together. It's less crazy than it sounds, trust me.

And honestly? None of those things actually matter very much to this story. We will move past them very quickly.

"Is it okay if I stop by?"

"What?"

Caroline shifted the phone to her other ear, as she changed lanes. "You know, stop by your house? You are at home, right?"

"Caroline?"

"Um, yeah."

"Why would you - but yes, it's fine, of course. I am at home."

" 'Kay, bye."

Caroline bit her lip, ans she pulled into Klaus's driveway. When she had suggested this to Damon, it had seemed like such a stellar idea. But now she was less sure.

She rolled down the window, and waved at one of Klaus's last two hybrids, who was doing some kind of landscaping in the front yard along the driveway. "Hey, Jason."

He just nodded and grunted at her. Charming guy. Of course, she would be grumpy too, if she was sired to Klaus and only had dumb Marissa, the other hybrid, as company. Caroline was so glad Tyler had managed to break the sire bond.

She checked her lipstick in the mirror after stopping the car by the front door. Despite what Damon had suggested, there was so not going to be any sexytimes with Klaus. Not on this mission, not on any mission, not ever. Well, not ever again.

Klaus had the door open before she had even exited her car. She walked up to him, not quite sure how she was going to approach him this time. Cheery and breezy? Stern and unforgiving? There were so many ways. She would just play it by ear.

"Hey, there," Caroline said when she reached the door.

Klaus said nothing, he just stood aside and let her enter. The heels of Caroline's new boots echoed on the marble of the entry hall.

Caroline didn't wait for him to show her to the side parlor, she walked ahead and then kicked off her boots before sitting down on the couch. She tucked one foot underneath her, and stretched out her leg and flexed the other foot.

"Sorry," she said, waving a hand in the air. "They were killing me. I bought them last week, so they should totally been broken in by now - but it's a stubborn kind of leather, I guess. And they are way too tight to wear with tights or socks or anything."

Klaus looked away from her bare foot, and cleared his throat. "By all means, Caroline. Make yourself at home."

"Speaking of, can I get a diet anything?"

Klaus called out, "Marissa?"

A blonde head poked around the corner of the doorway. "Yes, Klaus?"

Klaus sat down in a chair across from Caroline. "Please, fetch our guest a Diet Coke from the kitchen. No ice, with a straw. Preferably of the crazy variety. The kind that goes loop-the-loop."

Caroline looked at him in surprise, "Oh, you do pay attention."

Klaus merely nodded, and waved a hand at Marissa in dismissal.

"So, Caroline, to what do I owe this great pleasure? The last time we were in communication, I believe you called me 'creepy'. "

"Well, yeah. You called and wanted to go to prom with me. You are a zillion years old. That's creepy." Caroline shifted her weight on the couch. "That's like, the definition of creepy."

"I enjoy dancing with you, Caroline. You know that."

"Yep, I get it." She eyed him with some trepidation. "Okay, so why I am here . . . see, there's an issue that maybe you can help with."

"I am at your service. As always."

"Well, I don't know if you are going to say that after I explain. So you know how Katherine has always got some kind of side game going on, and she's all shifty and scheme-y?"

"Well aware of Katerina's less than admirable character traits."

"Right. So she left town yesterday, and she took Stefan with her. Which sucks and now we are all worried about him, because he's all lobotomized and nobody knows where they are."

Klaus opened his mouth and then paused, as Marissa came in with Caroline's drink. "Here you go, Caroline."

"Thanks," Caroline responded, taking the drink from her. "Did you do something different with your hair?"

Marissa touched her hair for a second. "Oh, just new highlights. You like?"

Caroline tilted her head, and then took a sip through her straw. "Hmmm. I think you could go even lighter, honestly. Maybe something with less honey tones and more wheatstraw? But the good kind of wheatstraw, not the brassy kind?"

"Leave us, Marissa," Klaus said, sharply. Marissa nodded, and left the room.

Caroline shook her head. "You know, you could totally be nicer to them. They aren't your servants. And of course, even if they were your servants, you should still be so much nicer to them."

"I will take that under advisement. What did you mean by 'all lobotomized'?"

"Oh, right. Katherine had this witch do some kind of voodoo love spell to Stefan, so now he's like her boyfriend, but it's super creepy because he's so not himself at all. Just follows her around all 'I love you, Katherine, whatever you say, Katherine', and Damon had this plan to take her down and fix Stefan, but she got spooked and ran off with him. With Stefan, obviously, not with Damon. Damon would never run off with Katherine, he's still crazy in love with Elena."

Klaus stood, and paced in front of the fireplace. "I never gave her permission to leave town."

"She needs your permission?" At his look, she said "Oh, guess so. Well, then . . . can you get her to bring him back? Do you know how to reach her?"

"Of course I can reach her. She has the same kind of phone that my hybrids carry, so I can be in communication with her at all times. Under the terms of our truce, she is to maintain weekly contact - and she is supposed to be looking for the silver stake, not consorting with witches and running off with her ex."

"Yeah, well, does she know that?"

Klaus shot her another quelling glance.

Caroline shrugged. "Okay, sorry. Can you make her bring Stefan back, then?"

"I care nothing about Stefan Salvatore and his troubles. But I will certainly request that Katerina return to Mystic Falls. And I will demand an explanation from her."

Caroline snorted. "Sure, you don't care about Stefan. You just have like, the most epic bromance with him of all time."

Klaus responded, "It doesn't matter what you believe. That is all past. Stefan and his brother have brought me nothing but grief."

"You were friends," Caroline said softly. "You were friends and you cared about him, and I know you. You don't stop caring that easily."

Changing the subject abruptly, Klaus asked, "Does Damon know that you are here?"

"He didn't want me to come. He wants no favors from you."

"Well, my erstwhile opponent shows some sense."

"Oh please, you are hardly real opponents. Damon has this mayoral race wrapped up." Catching herself, Caroline backtracked, "I mean, that's what my mom says. Personally, I don't care anything about politics. So silly."

Klaus said, "Of course, you don't. It would be mad to think otherwise." The look on his face made Caroline wonder if he knew something. Had he figured out that Caroline was working secretly on Damon's campaign against him? They had been so careful and covert.

She took another sip from her drink, and then said, "Well, anyway. That's all I came for." She set her drink on the side table, and started to pull her boots back on. "Ouch."

"Allow me," Klaus said, coming over to her and kneeling in front of her. He took one of her bare feet in his hands, lightly stroking her instep before tugging the boot onto her foot and slowly pulling it up her leg.

Caroline couldn't help herself, she gave a little shiver. He reached for the other foot, but she pulled away from him, hurriedly shoving the boot on herself. With one finger, Klaus traced the outer seam of her jeans up her calf.

"Do you remember-" he began, looking up at her, but Caroline cut him off. "Don't."

"You don't like to recall the details of our night together?"

"Of course not," Caroline said with a huff. She stood up, and stepped back, trying to put some distance between them.

Klaus stood up as well, and stepped closer to her. "I do. I remember it all the time. The small motel with the green carpet, the way the Tennessee night felt like silk. You and me in that dark room, watching fireflies through the torn window screen. How I held you, and how you cried with happiness. I kissed your tears away, Caroline. I remember it all."

"Well, have fun with your pervy fantasies, then. I can't believe you would even bring that up. Ew."

" 'Ew' was not what you were saying at the time," Klaus said lightly, with a small smile. "Your exact words were 'I didn't know it could be like this' ."

"I was talking to Tyler! You were inside Tyler's body. I thought you were Tyler. I was saying that to him."

"But you weren't, not really. You would never have said that to him, because he could never have made you feel that way."

"Shut up. It was months ago. God, you just need to move on," Caroline said, heading towards the door. Klaus quickly blocked her way out.

"You came here freely, Caroline. You made the choice to come. Your excuse about Stefan aside, you chose to come and see me. You wanted to."

Caroline shook her head, and wouldn't look him in the eye. She said, "You can't keep doing this every time you are near me. Why are you even still here? There is no good reason to stay in Mystic Falls. You don't really want to be mayor of this stupid town. You keep talking to me about all of the beauty and art out there in the big, wide world - well, then why don't you just go?"

"You know why I stay, Caroline. You've always known why."

"Leaving now," Caroline said, putting he hands against his chest to move him aside. He was like a stone wall up against her. Klaus raised his hands to cover hers. He was stone, he was mossy green, he was warm, he was safe, he was not safe. "No, no, no," Caroline said, shaking her head. "It's like this every time."

In almost a whisper, Klaus said to her, "And yet you still come around. One excuse after another. To talk to Rebekah about planning prom, to borrow a dress from Marissa, to have me to sign a petition to save the whales, to ask me to bring Katerina back to Mystic Falls. You keep coming around here, Caroline." He pinned her with his gaze, and she swallowed hard.

Caroline shook her head again. "I don't want this. I don't."

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her - then he released her hands, and stepped back. "Very well. You are not ready yet, I understand. Well, there's the door, love. Drop by anytime, of course."

Caroline kept her head down, as she brushed past him in the doorway. She knew he was watching her through the open door as she got into her car, but she would not let herself look back at him.

When she drove away, it was an escape. It was both cowardly and brave at the same time, but at least she could breathe again. She wasn't going to go back there, she wasn't.

Her resolve lasted all of two weeks. She was there on his doorstep, the rain soaking through her maroon graduation gown, the wet tassel on her silly hat hanging in her eyes, less than an hour after the graduation ceremony had ended.

"Caroline," Klaus said, no inflection in his voice. No surprise, no judgement.

"Hey," she said, as she wiped a trail of mascara off her cheek. "I'm not crying. It's just the rain."

"Of course it is." Klaus stood aside, and she entered the foyer.

He held his hand out to her, and she took her bedraggled hat off and handed it to him. "The gown, too."

"Oh, sorry." She struggled to pull the gown off over her head, so Klaus did it for her. He laid the gown and hat over the railing of the stairs, where they dripped onto the marble floor.

"Someone might slip in that," Caroline said, indicating the rapidly growing puddle.

Klaus shrugged. "We're all vampires here. I don't believe it matters."

"True. So," Caroline began, and then stopped.

"You came by because?" Klaus said, in an encouraging tone.

"Oh, right. Because," Caroline took a deep breath. "Because you need to tell your sister to stop taking Tyler to that place. That club or whatever."

"Really? That is why you are here?" Klaus raised an eyebrow at her. "I assume you mean the one in Richmond."

"Right. That stupid place with all of those stupid girls who line up to have vampires bite them. 'Oh, it's so exciting! A real vampire! What pointy teeth you have!' Ugh. It's disgusting."

"Every decent sized town has one of those. That's a particularly good one, actually. I've recruited from there myself."

Caroline made a face at him. "You are not helping. It's a dumb place and the girls are all dumb."

"If you say so. You didn't come here to ask me to talk my sister, though."

"I didn't? I mean, I did."

"No. For one thing, you are more than capable of talking to Rebekah yourself. And for another thing, you know that I have no interest in what Tyler and Rebekah are up to."

Caroline turned her head away from him. "Are Marissa and Jason here?"

"No. I gave them permission to go to Matt Donovan's graduation party at the Salvatore Boarding House tonight."

"That was probably a mistake. Damon hates hybrids, you know that. He's just as likely to tear their hearts out as he is to let them into a party at his house."

"You are avoiding the topic at hand, Caroline. Why are you here?"

"I told you."

"No, you didn't," Klaus responded, gently. "But that is perfectly okay, love. You don't have to."

Abruptly, Caroline turned to him and said, "Can we go somewhere?"

Klaus hesitated, and then asked, "Upstairs, you mean?"

Caroline shook her head. "No. In your car. Can we just get into your car, and go? Somewhere? Anywhere?"

Klaus nodded slowly. "Absolutely, Caroline. Anywhere. You just tell me when to stop."

"Well, do we have to?"

"Do we have to what?"

"Stop," Caroline said, with a sigh. "I have the feeling that once we get going, we won't."