Author's Note: This is my very first fanfic! I've loved Klaroline for months, and they finally became canon! So I decided that in honor of that I should try to write a story… This takes place during 3x11 and is… for now… just a one shot. I'm thinking about making it a multi chapter story though! We'll see! Please review!

Disclamer: I don't own the vampire diaries.

Caroline closed her eyes in defeat as she accepted her death. She was dying, and her last bit of willingness to fight had disappeared. It was better this way, wasn't it? Better than being stuck in a filler year, better than being a bloodsucking monster for the rest of her life, better than having to watch her loved ones die as they aged while she never would.

Yes, to die would definitely be better.

She opened her eyes as she heard the familiar slam of her front door. She must have been hallucinating. The all-powerful hybrid was standing in her doorway, his arms dangled by his sides as he stared at her sadly. She shook the idea out of her head. She was not hallucinating. Her cure was standing in front of her.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked quietly, her throat constricting in fear.

"On your birthday?" His somber eyes stared into hers, appalled. "You really think that low of me?"

"Yes." Caroline replied, venom seeming through her voice as she stared at the man who had ruined her town and her life.

Klaus stepped towards her bed, saying nothing, his morose eyes still glued on hers. Slowly, he pulled back the blanket tucked around her revealing the festering bite. Caroline took a sharp breath with the sting of movement around her wound.

Klaus drew back his hand, sighing sadly. "That looks bad. My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damage. It's nothing personal."

Caroline could only stare at him, hatred shining through her eyes.

He reached out his hand again; bringing it to the charm bracelet Tyler gave her. His fingers gently flicked at one of the charms.

"I love birthdays." He said simply.

Caroline sniffed weakly. "Yeah. Aren't you like, a billion, or something?" she said as she glanced up at him, taking him in.

He chuckled. "You have to adjust your perception of time when you're a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you are no longer bound by trivial human conventions." She broke eye contact as she sadly glanced around her room. "You're free."

"No," she said weakly before returning her eyes to his, a hateful passion overcoming them. "I'm dying."

Klaus stared at her in a solemn wonder and slowly began to ease himself onto her bed. She found herself staring back, her breath caught in her throat as the gap between them shortened.

"And I could let you… die." He said softly, demanding her full attention as they stared at each other. "If that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I've thought about it myself, once or twice over the centuries, truth be told." His eyes began to glisten, as she realized that he was letting her see a part of him no one else has. His humanity. Klaus leaned towards her once more. As she looked at him in disbelief, tears began to fill her own eyes.

"But I'll let you in on a little secret." He continued, beginning to smile. "There's a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities, and art, and music." He brought his hand up to touch her bracelet once more. "Genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

Caroline stared into his green eyes, blinking rapidly as her own began to fill with tears. She looked at him, her eyes full of fear, but she was only partly afraid of him. After all she had done to convince herself that dying would be better, she was afraid to die.

"I don't want to die." She whimpered softly, looking at him with both fear and trust shining through her tears.

Klaus smiled for a moment in relief, as if for her to die would have been a great loss. He rolled up his sleeve, and leaned down to pick her weak head up with his other arm, supporting it against his chest as he brought his arm up to her mouth.

"There you go, sweetheart. Have at it." She glanced up at him once more before sinking her fangs into his wrist. He leaned his chin on the top of her head as he cradled the young vampire drinking his blood. "Happy birthday, Caroline." He whispered.

A few moments later, he slowly drew his wrist away from her soft lips. Caroline stayed where she was, leaning against his chest, inhaling his sweet, woodsy scent until she succumbed to her drowsiness, falling asleep softly.

Klaus glanced down at the sleeping girl, and slowly eased her back into her bed, pulling the sheets up around her shoulders. Caroline slept serenely, not woken by the movement. Klaus stood up, taking a small, black box tied with a white ribbon out of his pocket and laid it on her bedside table. He leaned down to the young vampire once more and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before vanishing from her bedroom.

Please review!

Thanks for reading!

-Amanda