Title: Want Vs Need
Author: Carly
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Klaus/Caroline
Rating/Warnings: T
Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.
Summary: When it comes to Klaus, the line between what Caroline wants and what she needs gets a little blurred.
Notes: Set during February 2013 - some S4 guest characters mentioned.

Noticing Caroline standing alone by the punch bowl, Rebekah glided over to her with a conceited sneer. "So?" she asked, folding her arms across her short rose-colored dress. "What do you think?"

Gulping down the last of her drink, Caroline slowly assessed the gym. "It looks… like we're trapped inside a giant uterus." She placed her cup on the table. "Next time go easy on the pink, hmm?"

"It's a Valentine's Day dance," said Rebekah through gritted teeth. "It's supposed to be pink. I'm assuming you could have done better?"

"Oh I know I could have. But someone decided to be a little bitch and get me kicked off the events committee." She plastered on a sweet smile. "You know how it is."

Rebekah matched her faux cheerfulness. "Careful, Caroline. You're starting to get an Elena complex." She leant in closer. "Not everything's about you in this town. No matter what my dear brother tries to proclaim," she added under her breath.

Scoffing, Caroline refilled her plastic cup and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "As thrilling as this conversation is, I have better people to talk to."

"Like who, your boyfriend? Oh wait, didn't he run off to the mountains with that old wolf pal of his?" Rebekah smirked at the tension forming in Caroline's shoulders. "They made such a sweet couple. Hayley, wasn't it?"

Caroline mentally counted to five before replying. "How about you just concentrate on keeping the dance running smoothly instead of sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong?" She pointed behind Rebekah. "Speaking of – it looks like Kelly's throwing up near the DJ. You'd better get on that." Caroline managed a smile as Rebekah grudgingly hurried off to find a teacher, cursing under her breath. "Don't get lost in a fallopian tube on your way there!"

"Fallopian tube?" said Matt's voice behind her.

"It's a girl thing," Caroline replied, turning around to face him.

"Well yeah, I got that much from Health class," he joked, pouring some punch.

"Another kind of girl thing… don't worry about it," she added, noting his confused expression. "How's your date?"

He nodded towards the DJ. "Currently looking after her sick friend."

"Fun times."

"Hey, at least it's not supernatural related for once." They smiled at one another. "But speaking of awkward segues…" he added hesitantly. "How are you holding up after the whole Tyler ordeal?"

Caroline flinched. "You mean the ordeal where my boyfriend decided to take a break from our already shaky relationship to go on another journey of self-discovery with a hot she-wolf?" She took a swig of her punch. "Yeah, I'm feeling awesome about it. Thanks for asking."

"I didn't mean it like that, Care. I just wanted to make sure you were OK." He shoved his free hand in his pocket. "It was a pretty douchey move on his behalf."

Sighing, Caroline toyed with the locket on her silver necklace. "I don't want to think about it anymore. It's all that's been on my mind since he left a week ago and I'm sick of it. I need to start concentrating on me for a change."

"That sounds like a good plan." Matt smiled and offered her the crook of his elbow. "Wanna dance to… what the hell is this anyway?" he said, throwing an accusatory glance to the gym speakers. "Is the DJ protesting after nearly being puked on?"

"No," grimaced Caroline, "I'm pretty sure that's Rebekah's 'daggered-delayed' idea of current music. Too bad it's not a decade dance, this 70s crap would've fit right in." She squeezed Matt's arm. "Besides, I think your date's looking for you anyway."

He waved at the brunette across the room before turning back to Caroline. "Are you sure you'll be alright? I can go find Elena or Bonnie or something if you…"

"I'm fine, seriously," she laughed. "Go bust some disco moves and have fun." Shooing Matt away, Caroline set down her empty cup once more and walked over to the bleachers where a few stragglers were sitting, hoping someone would come along and whisk them onto the dance floor – no matter how horrible the music selection was. Caroline was adjusting the strap on one of her red pumps when she felt someone sit down beside her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Caroline," a smooth voice rang out.

"Don't you mean 'Happy 15th of February'?" she retorted without looking up, knowing it was Klaus. "Yet another one of your sister's brilliant ideas not to hold the dance on the actual day."

"I take it you're not having a good time then?" Klaus replied with a hint of amusement.

"In a word, no." Finding no other reason to fiddle with her shoe, Caroline sat up straight and acknowledged him, her eyes flickering briefly over his body. The asshole definitely knew how to wear a suit and tie. "What are you even doing here anyway? Are you planning on gate crashing every dance this school holds?"

He smiled at her, unaffected by her tone. "Only the ones you attend, sweetheart."

"Real cute." She crossed her legs, and folded her arms for good measure. "Look, I don't really have time for your 'let's lay on the charming dimples and accent' thing, so why don't you just call it a night and go home?"

"So you do think I'm charming?" he smirked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're really big on selective hearing, aren't you?"

"No, I hear everything," said Klaus. "Like about your pathetic little boyfriend going AWOL for instance."

"Don't act like this was firsthand news to you," she bitterly replied.

"It wasn't," he admitted. "But your take on the whole situation is." A lazy smile crossed his features. "I can help you to forget all about him. Just say the word."

"What? By compelling me?" she retorted. "No thanks."

"That's not what I meant," he said, inching closer to trace his fingers down her bare arm. "There are plenty of other ways to take your mind off things – as we know from experience," he murmured.

Swallowing hard, Caroline squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase the images of that fateful night a few months ago when she'd had yet another fight with Tyler about Hayley.

She'd decided to drown her sorrows at the Grill – where she'd found Klaus doing the same after an ego-bruising run-in with the vampire hunter, Connor. Caroline had ignored Klaus at first, but the more she kept replaying the 'moment' she'd stumbled upon between Tyler and Hayley (the were-slut) in her head, the angrier she got. And the angrier she got, the more tantalizing the dark, secluded corner near the restrooms became, beckoning her with impure thoughts about equally impure vampires. When Klaus finally sauntered over with a line about buying her a drink, Caroline surprised both of them by dragging him into the darkness and pushing him against the wall in a lust-induced haze. Hands had roamed everywhere: over her ass, through his hair, and his mouth was hot and wet against her neck where he…

Betrayed by the goose bumps rising up on her flesh, Caroline quickly snatched her arm away. "Don't flatter yourself. Drunken make-out sessions aren't exactly something to brag about." He just gave her another smug look, which only exasperated her further. "Can you just drop it? Please?"

"I will on one condition." Klaus held out his hand. "If you grant me a dance."

"Seriously?" she exclaimed. "What is it with you and dancing? Do you, like, spontaneously combust or something if you don't meet your waltz quota for the decade?"

"It's just a dance, Caroline. No need for dramatics."

She glared at him. "With you it's never that simple." Realizing he wasn't going to back down, Caroline limply grabbed onto his outstretched hand and stood up. "Let's get this over with."

Klaus slowly led her towards the middle of the gym where Caroline was grateful none of her friends were at this point. She didn't want to really deal with their 'what the hell are you doing with him' faces right now. Especially since they'd become more frequent recently. It's not like I intentionally seek him out all the time, thought Caroline, as Klaus rested one hand on her waist and laced his fingers through hers with the other. The guy's favorite game is 'hide and seek Caroline', what the hell do they want me to do? Never go outside again? And seriously, I've only gone to him of my own accord, like, two… or six times. Hardly anything for someone to get their panties in a bunch about. Klaus twirled her around in time with the music where she found Matt staring pointedly at her over his own dance partner's shoulder, eyebrows raised. Caroline winced and quickly looked away. OK, so panties are definitely bunching. Great.

"Care to share what's troubling your mind, love?" said Klaus, snapping her back to reality.

"Who says I'm troubled?" Caroline retorted, straightening her posture. "I mean aside from my current situation of course," she added with a saccharine smile.

He smiled back at her. "Well I'm assuming something's amiss considering I've complimented your outfit," he said, raking his eyes over her figure-hugging crimson dress, "and made another slight against the Lockwood boy, all without one of your trademark derisive scoffs I've grown to enjoy."

Catching herself before she did perform the predictable, Caroline looked him in the eyes. "I was just thinking about all the mayhem and destruction this school has seen at the hands of certain people," she lied. "A million pink paper hearts stuck to the walls can't exactly cover up the bad memories can they?"

Knowing she was purposefully baiting him, Klaus kept up their gaze. "No, they can't," he said, voice low. "But not all memories are bad, Caroline." Letting go of her hand, Klaus slid his fingers down the slope of her necklace until they came to rest on the small oval-shaped locket. "Some of them give us strength." He leant in closer to whisper in her ear. "And sometimes they remind us to never give up."

Absently lifting her hand to rest near his, Caroline felt a heady wave of nausea flooding through her body as memories of a bleak January evening floated to the forefront of her mind.

She'd been walking home alone from the Grill (no surprises as to who Tyler was with), when a van suddenly screeched to a halt in front of her. Startled and slightly intoxicated, she was shot with multiple vervain darts as the hunter and his accomplice (his sister, Olivia) leapt out to confront her. Writhing on the ground, Caroline tried to lash out at the girl, feeling her fingers latch onto something intricate and metal. With an angry gasp, Olivia held Caroline's weakened form down while Connor reached for a stake. In an instant, however, Connor was bowled over by a blurry figure, which was all the incentive Caroline needed to regain some focus and fight against the vervain – and Olivia. Hearing a deafening roar, Caroline glanced over to see Klaus wildly clawing at his chest where Connor had managed to shoot him with something akin to vervain, only a hundred times more painful and actually effective on Originals. The mysterious serum was Klaus's kryptonite and the only thing keeping the hunter from meeting his death at the hands of the hybrid. Knowing this, Connor wiped the blood from his nose and yelled for his sister to get back in the van while they had an out. Olivia stared Caroline down with pure loathing before heeding her brother's calls and leaping back into the car as it sped away.

Shaking, Caroline struggled to sit up as Klaus fell to his knees beside her, the serum still wracking his body with pain. With intense focus, Klaus began to pull the vervain darts from Caroline's body, the methodical movement briefly taking his mind off whatever was swimming through his own veins. Trying not to cringe as he removed the last dart from her shoulder, Caroline realized she was gripping onto something in her right palm. Opening her hand she found a silver necklace with a locket – and on the locket was engraved the crest of the vampire hunters. Shuddering, Caroline went to throw it away but Klaus put his hand over hers to stop her. Wordlessly, he picked it up and undid the clasp, moving closer to put it around Caroline's neck.

"What the hell are you doing?" she cried, jerking her head back. "I don't want that thing anywhere near me. It's a symbol of pure evil."

"It's a symbol of defiance," Klaus countered, meeting her gaze. "They may believe they have the upper hand, Caroline, but by wearing this you'll show them you're not someone to be messed with."

"Or I'll just royally piss them off even more."

"Listen to me. Do you want to keep being their victim?"

"Of course I don't," she frowned.

He managed a small smile. "Then start fighting dirty, sweetheart. Let them know how strong-willed you really are."

Considering his words, Caroline slowly gathered the hair away from her neck and turned slightly to give him access. She stilled as Klaus looped the necklace around her, his fingers brushing against her skin as he fastened the clasp. Caroline let her hair down and turned back to face him, the necklace glinting in the moonlight. She noticed his jaw clenching, the aftereffects of the serum still coursing through him.

"What's your symbol then?" she asked quietly after a few moments silence. "What keeps you fighting?"

His eyes bore down upon her. "I think you already know."

Caroline felt Klaus's fingertips glide across her collarbone to where her own hand was resting, bringing her out of her reverie. She took a small step back and placed her hand carefully on his forearm, deciding it was a safer option for the moment. "Never give up, hey?" she said breezily. "I don't think some people in my life actually got that memo." Caroline felt a jolt in her stomach when Klaus let his hand fall away from the necklace to brush a strand of hair from her face.

"He was never going to be enough for you," said Klaus, stroking her cheek.

"And you are?" she challenged.

His thumb stopped. "That's for you to find out, sweetheart," he murmured, a hint of that cocksure grin turning up the corner of his mouth.

Staring into his eyes, Caroline's throat suddenly felt extremely dry. She'd been in this exact moment before, dancing with the devil, his mouth whispering sweet nothings and hovering so close to hers. Only now she wasn't turning her head away and ridiculing his nonsense, she was being lured in by his charm (yes, you bastard, I do find you charming) and something more. She stole a glance over his shoulder, noticing Rebekah venomously glaring at her, which gave Caroline a perverse thrill. But behind her was Matt, still wearing that surprised yet worn look, all, 'Come on, Care, what are you doing?' She suddenly felt incredibly small.

"I… I need to go," she stammered, pushing herself away from Klaus. "This isn't right."

"Caroline," said Klaus, reaching out for her arm. "Wait."

"I can't. This isn't…" she looked lost. "I just need to get out of here." Backing away, Caroline quickly disappeared into the crowd.

She fled down a vast, dimly lit corridor, barely remembering not to use her super speed just in case anyone was around. Her heels clicked in a fast rhythmic motion, like a tell-tale heartbeat. She just needed to get out of there, hop into her car and… "Ooomph!"

Caroline turned the corner and ran right into a broad chest.

… Hope that Klaus didn't go after her.

"Please, Klaus, I wasn't kidding," she said, pressing her hands against him to create space. "I have to leave."

"Why?" he said, placing his hands over hers. "Because this is wrong?" he added, drawing out the word in a teasing way.

"Of course it's wrong!" Caroline cried in exasperation. "This whole… God, I don't know… thing between me and you is wrong, but…" she clamped her mouth closed, wishing his eyes weren't lighting up in triumph the way they were right now.

"But…" he prompted.

She lifted her head defiantly. "But that's not really news, is it?"

He grinned, letting out a small chuckle. "We both know that's not where that sentence was headed, Caroline."

"No," she agreed, her mouth set in a firm line. "The alternative was much worse."

"For who?" said Klaus. "For you? Or is this all about saving face in front of your pals?" He took a few steps closer to her, still holding onto her hands. "You make up the rules for your own life, love. What is it that you want?"

"It's not that simple. My friends are important to me," Caroline replied.

"Perhaps. But what happened to your vow to concentrate on yourself for a change? Or were they just empty words to delude yourself into feeling better?" He smiled as she yanked her hands away from his grasp. "Did I hit a nerve, sweetheart?"

Caroline scoffed, shaking her head. "Just stop pretending you actually give a shit about me, OK? It's getting as old as you." She stilled as the smile faded from his face.

"You know, it's funny," said Klaus, glancing at some decorations haphazardly stuck to the noticeboard. "Sometimes I like to think of life as one giant game of chess. I move place to place, conquering as I go. The power and control is enthralling."

"Because you like to win," she interrupted, folding her arms. "Yeah, I'm well aware of your M.O."

"That may be true for most things – but this is not a game to me, Caroline." He lowered his voice. "You are not a game to me. And I think, deep down, you're well aware of that fact." Confronted, Caroline went to turn her head away but Klaus gently held her chin and brought her focus back, looking into her eyes. "Let me ask you this one more time, sweetheart. What is it that you want?"

His intensity made her nervous – but the excited kind of nervous, like those few seconds at the summit of a rollercoaster before you're about to fall. "I'm still working out what I want," she replied honestly, seeing a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "What I need, however," she added, licking her lips. "Well, that's a whole other story." Just like their night at the Grill, Caroline surprised Klaus by grabbing him by the tie, shoving him up against the wall and pressing her mouth to his. Wasting no time, Klaus kissed her with matching fervour before spinning them around so that Caroline's back was pinned against the noticeboard. Crumpled paper hearts and school dance fliers scattered to the ground as they carelessly writhed against one another, their bodies operating on desire more so than syncopation.

Caroline's tongue danced across Klaus's, the rough stubble of his beard grazing her cheeks. She fisted her hands in his hair as he kept one of his own cupped around her head while the other skimmed down the curve of her waist until he found the hem of her dress. Caroline moaned softly, grazing her fingernails against Klaus's scalp, as he slid his hand under the fabric, stroking the taut flesh of her upper thigh.

"Still think this is wrong, sweetheart?" Klaus murmured into her mouth.

"Yes, I do," she replied boldly, but she knew he could feel the smile of her lips against his own, betraying her words.

Klaus traced the pad of his thumb over her lace panties, feeling Caroline keenly tremor against him. She trailed soft, lingering kisses down his jawline, invoking a pleasurable sense memory in Klaus of the last time he'd been this close to her. He swallowed roughly as she suckled at his neck, closing his eyes briefly before gently lifting up her head to capture her mouth with his own once more. Caroline ran her hands down his back as Klaus moulded their bodies even closer, but out of nowhere Caroline heard Bonnie and Matt's voices carry down the corridor from the entrance to the gym. Pausing, she hovered her lips a breath away from Klaus's as they listened to the end of the conversation.

"… Just need to know she's OK," said Matt's voice, tinted in concern. "She's still cut up about Tyler."

"I know," came Bonnie's voice. "We'll split up. You check the classrooms and I'll scope out the cafeteria."

"Shit," Caroline muttered, resting her head against the noticeboard.

Klaus smirked at her. "What's the matter, love? We were just getting to the good bit."

Swatting his roving hand away from her thigh, Caroline nudged him off her and smoothed down her hair. "I'm not about to get caught with your hand up my dress, thanks all the same."

"Who said your dress would still be on?" he replied with a smile, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm guessing red lace to go with the theme?" he said huskily, feeling the texture of her lingerie through the fabric of her dress. "Or maybe even a hint of black…"

Grabbing onto the lapels of his suit jacket, Caroline slowly leant in towards his mouth, turning her head at the last second so she was close to his ear. "You're just going to have to keep guessing." With a smirk she drew her head back.

Klaus acted bemused but his gaze was filled with unfulfilled desire. "Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmm." Caroline tilted her head. "Y'know, someone once gave me some advice that's come in handy today."

"And what advice would that be?"

"To play dirty." She smiled briefly before placing a hand on her necklace. "But," she added, looking into his eyes, "they also told me to never give up." With a slight hesitation, Caroline cupped his face to kiss him on the lips. "When I've figured out what I want. I'll let you know…" she whispered before disappearing from his sight.

End

Hope you enjoyed! And I know I have a TVD chapter fic that has been woefully neglected, but this idea just wouldn't quit until I typed it out. It's a one-shot for now, but I may write a follow-up later on if inspiration strikes. Also, is it October yet? Because I am craving some new scenes between these two like woah.