Klaus/Caroline

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Pairing
Pairing: Klaus/Caroline
Alternative name(s): Klaroline
Gender category: het
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Canonical?: unrequited love on Klaus' part in canon
Prevalence: highly popular
Archives: none
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Klaus/Caroline is the pairing of Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes in the Vampire Diaries fandom.

Canon

Spoiler Warning: This article or section may contain spoilers. If this bothers you, proceed with caution.

In canon, their relationship is quite complex and could be described as a love/hate relationship (where Klaus is in love with Caroline and she is unsure over how she really feels about him).

The two first interacted in episode 3x05 The Reckoning, while Tyler Lockwood was transitioning into a hybrid but their first major interaction was during 3x11 Our Town, when Klaus used the sire bond to order Tyler to bite Caroline. Afterwards, he went to Caroline's house and asked her mother, Liz, to invite him in so that he could heal Caroline. When Klaus visited Caroline's bedroom, he showed her a softer, more empathetic side to his usually hostile and aggressive character.

During episode 3x14 Dangerous Liaisons, Klaus invites Caroline to his families’ ball, and expresses a romantic interest in her although she does not reciprocate those feelings, claiming she is spoken for by Tyler. Caroline speaks with Klaus and she tells him that let to Tyler free. They discuss and Caroline ends up leaving the ball. When she arrives home, she finds a drawing Klaus sketched for her where he thanks her for her honesty.

Later, Klaus expressed a romantic interest in Caroline, who, despite his charm, turned him down several times.

In 3x20 Do Not Go Gentle, Klaus asks Caroline to dance with him during the Decade Dance. At first she rejects him until Tyler agrees to it. While they danced, Klaus tells her he's leaving the next day. Caroline responds with anything but relief. He says he would invite her to go with him but he knows she's not ready yet. He tells her that he'll show her "what the world has to offer" if she shows up on his doorstep one day. Caroline just scoffs, hurting Klaus' feelings. Before Klaus leaves the dance, he promises Caroline that she'll soon be bored with her "small-town boy" and her "small-town life" and that it won't be enough for her. Caroline watches Klaus leave, with an unquestioned look on her face.

Despite his hurt feelings, Klaus does not hesitate to attempt to rescue Caroline from the newly turned Evil!Alaric in the episode 3x20 Before Sunset, ordering her when he finds her to go home so that she is safe.

In 3x22 The Departed, after Klaus is staked by Alaric, Caroline races to the Lockwood cellar, wanting to catch Tyler before she believes he will die. However Klaus (in Tyler's body) comes in and tells Caroline he was just with Bonnie. She then informs him that Klaus is dead. Klaus tell her that she's going to be fine. He tells her he (as Tyler) is a lost cause, but she's strong and has a beautiful future. They hug and share a kiss, although Caroline believes it is Tyler she is actually kissing. He fakes coughing, and tells her to leave. After she refuses, he transforms, and tells her to leave or he'll make her. She reluctantly leaves after he tells her to go.

In 4x01 Growing Pains, Caroline, who was supposed to be away from Mystic Falls but stuck around because she didn't know where to go without Tyler, gets captured by Pastor Young and the deputies. Klaus, who is still in Tyler's body, rescues her, and she is overjoyed and surprised when she sees that "Tyler" is alive. Caroline and Tyler/Klaus are later shown making out in the woods, right before Caroline discovers that the person she thought was Tyler is actually Klaus and slaps him. Later Caroline and Tyler/Klaus turn to Bonnie and ask her to put Tyler back in his body, which she does.

In 4x06 We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes, Caroline arrives at Tyler's house with a box of Tyler's things, interrupting a heated discussion between Tyler, Hayley and Klaus. While this is a fake display to legitimize a break-up between her and Tyler, Klaus believes it. Later at the Grille, the two have a quiet conversation over a drink while Caroline attempts to distract him so that Stefan can rescue Elena. By the end of the episode, Klaus has traded one of his prized hybrids for a date with Caroline.

In 4x07 My Brother's Keeper, Caroline is at the Lockwood mansion helping to organize the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant when Klaus arrives to inquire about the date she promised him. Caroline is initially opposed to Klaus accompanying her to the pageant as her date, but she eventually relents. Despite her reluctance, Caroline enjoys her date with Klaus, sharing a bottle of champagne and laughing with him when he reads aloud her Mystic Falls application after they have a discussion about taking the cure. Later, Klaus admits to Caroline that there was one time when he thought about being human. He recalls a trek in the Andes where he encountered a hummingbird hovering in front of him. He noted the bird's heart beating rapidly and appreciated how hard the bird had to work in order to survive each day and how satisfying that must be.

During the events to bring down Klaus in 4x09 Come all Ye Faithful, Caroline and Klaus share a moment in front of his painting where Caroline notes that there is something ‘lonely’ about it.

In 4x13 Into the Wild, Tyler gloats and goads over the fact that Klaus is trapped and that he will soon be forcing Klaus to take the cure. When Caroline arrives in the Gilbert house surprised to find Tyler still there and Klaus still locked in the family room. Klaus greets Caroline unsurely which she responds to dismissively. Caroline then urges Tyler to come home to avoid stooping to Klaus' level. Tyler refuses, preferring to revel in Klaus' misery until he can kill him himself. Caroline compromises by suggesting Tyler gloats and multi-tasks by helping to clean Elena's house. They start by covering Kol's body and Klaus responds emotionally. Klaus reasons that now that his brother Kol is dead along with Tyler's mother, Carol that they are now even.

But Caroline, remembering Aunt Jenna was also among Klaus’ death toll, said she'd never help him and that he wasn't even worth the calories she burns talking to him. That's when Klaus impaled her with the other end of a lamp, pulled her to him, and bit her. “Now that was definitely worth the calories,” Klaus says after he drops her body on the floor with Tyler looking surprised.

Later, Caroline is shown panicking over what Klaus has done as Tyler helps her down onto the Gilbert's living room sofa, while Klaus stares away from the unfolding situation. Tyler tries to calm Caroline down by assuring her that he'll fix things. Tyler confronts Klaus, reminding him that Caroline will die if he doesn't give her his blood. Klaus seems sarcastically receptive, biting his wrist and extending it to Tyler. He asks Tyler to beg him to save her life. Tyler scoffs at Klaus' attempt to underscore how powerless he is compared to him. Tyler relents and begs Klaus to save Caroline. Klaus states that it would be pathetic of him to help since in a previous conversation Tyler revealed that once Klaus was forcibly given the cure, that he would kill him. Tyler responds by offering to be Klaus' slave again in exchange for healing Caroline. Klaus refuses and Tyler takes Caroline from the room, only to return her later when she states that if she is to die, Klaus will have to watch her.

Caroline asks how Klaus could do something like this to Tyler, to his mom, and to her. He responds dismissively, citing boredom as a reason. Caroline does not believe him. Klaus then suggests that his actions are motivated by the fact that he's pure evil. Caroline counters this explanation by concluding that Klaus does what he does, because he's hurt. This garners Klaus' attention. She continues by suggesting that since Klaus is capable of hurting there is a part of him that is human. Surprised by her words given all that he's done, he moves closer to her and wonders how Caroline could think that.

She confesses that she's seen his humanity; that she's found herself wishing she could forget all of his horrible actions. Klaus concludes presumptuously that she can't, faltering slightly as he seems to ask her if she could forget.

Caroline does not answer him directly. Instead, she points out that she knows that he is in love with her and that anyone capable of love is capable of being saved. Clearly affected by her words, Klaus ignores her claims by reducing her words to the product of a hallucination. With her death not far off, she concedes that she'll never know. At this point, her body appears to be succumbing more rapidly to Klaus' bite. Panicked, Klaus repeats her name a few times, but she is unresponsive. Conflicted, Klaus weighs his options before ultimately deciding to heal her. He props her up as he moves in behind her on the couch. He bites his wrist and offers it to her. She responds to his blood, holding his forearm and hand as she drinks, during which Klaus strokes her hair, looking upset at how close he let her come to death.

In 4x14 Down the Rabbit Hole, Caroline talks with Klaus for mercy for Tyler, Klaus refuses at first but Caroline convinces him. However, when Caroline goes to tell Tyler, Klaus tells Caroline that the mercy he extends to Tyler is not forever, only that he will give the younger hybrid a head start, disappointing Caroline. Later, Klaus walks out of Elena's house, informing Caroline that he assumes he is free because something had happened to Bonnie. He also said he'd never hurt Caroline, and that he'd shown kindness, forgiveness, and pity—for her.

In 4x17 Because the Night, Klaus asks to Caroline if knows where Tyler is to which she responds by informing Klaus that he's not with her and has surrendered the deed to his house to Matt Donovan. Klaus steps forward and points out that it was Tyler's intent to kill him and that it's unfair of Caroline to hate him for driving him away in response. Caroline disagrees, suggesting that she does hate him before telling him to go away. Despite this, the two work with Stefan to stop Silas’ plan and have an intense moment of sexual tension between them in Professor Shane’s office.

While searching for the site of the last massacre, the two have a debate about a statement Klaus had said in the office, about the allure of darkness. During this debate, Klaus asks her she has ever felt the attraction to someone who is capable of terrible things but cares only about her. Caroline, still upset about Tyler, responds negatively, hurting Klaus. Despite this, after Caroline inadvertently kills 12 witches to save Bonnie, Klaus buries all of the witches for her. The two have another altercation before Caroline runs off, leaving Klaus there to later be attacked by Silas.

In 4x18 American Gothic, after the attack from Silas with the white oak stake, Klaus calls Caroline for help, her being the only one he trusts in his vulnerable state. At first Caroline refuses, but is reminded that if he dies, Caroline and everyone she knows dies as well. After discussing the freedom of Tyler, Caroline ends up helping him. Later, when Caroline is going to go, Klaus thanked her for her help; she poked his chest when she told him if he needs anything else not to call her because she has a prom to plan. "Friends?" he asked, She asked if he was letting Tyler come back to town. He doesn't answer, at first but does mention that she might have noticed that he's not exactly scouring the earth for Tyler. She leaves then, smiling as she does.

In 4x19 Pictures of You, after Elena steals her prom dress, Caroline goes to Klaus for assistance. Although he is in a sour mood, her presence quickly breaks through it though she does not like him laughing at her expense. She then requests the use of one of families’ treasures, a dress to replace her stolen one, which he grants.

Tyler returns to Mystic Falls to see Caroline the day of prom at the Lockwood Mansion. Klaus appears as Tyler is leaving and he asks if it worth it seeing Caroline's smile but Tyler does not answer. Klaus warns Tyler that he has five seconds to leave before Klaus kills him, which he takes. After Tyler goes, Klaus look at the mansion with a regrettable look, knowing that Caroline is inside.

During 4x21 She’s Come Undone, Silas appears to Caroline in Klaus’ form, where he begs her to come to New Orleans, asking her what she is afraid of. She professes to be scared of him, and what she may feel towards him. When ‘Klaus’ makes a reference to something only Elena would have known, Caroline realizes that it is not really him but Silas manipulating her and tries to escape him.

In 4x23 Graduation, after Caroline leaves numerous voicemails for Klaus, asking his help to heal Damon, Klaus appears just in time to rescue Caroline, Stefan and Elena from the resurrected witches that Caroline sacrificed. After which Caroline and Klaus share a knowing smile. Later that evening, Klaus returns with Caroline and shows the invitation that she had sent for him, while stating he has a gift for her. He thought of giving a first-class ticket to New Orleans, but he decided that he would give her something he knows she will accept, Tyler's safe return to Mystic Falls. He tells her, "He's your first love, I intend to be your last, however long it takes" before kissing her on the cheek, leaving her stunned.

Klaus returned for one episode, 5x11 500 Years of Solitude. At first it seems that he has returned because of the impending death of Katerina Petrova but he never reaches the doppelganger’s death bed, instead seeks Caroline out. He tells her that he will never return to Mystic Falls again if she will give him her confession. Eventually Caroline admits that she covers their connection with hostility, implying that she does have feelings for him. Something that is validated when she initiates the first kiss between the two, which quickly becomes heated and the two become intimate.

Fandom

In the Vampire Diaries fandom, Klaus/Caroline is one of The Vampire Diaries' most popular het ships. The growing fandom is quite large, and well organized. They continue to trend often on sites such as Twitter and Tumblr, have Klaroweeks, and won have numerous polls despite their ship being on two different shows. They also have a fan run magazine where Klaroliners can go to enjoy many facets of their ship such as articles, fanfiction and videos. Fans shipping Klaroline have a reputation of being quite passionate, due to their very vocal support for their ship including several online journalists such as Evaline Horng, Kayti Burt, and Crystal Bell.

While not all, a small few of the fandom have had a tendency to express highly negative comments regarding characters and people they perceive to be obstacles standing in the way of Klaroline becoming canon again. To date, the hate has been directed at Hayley Marshall, show's executive producer and writer Julie Plec, Tyler Lockwood, as well as Klaus' potential love interest on The Originals, Camille O'Connell though most of the hate directed at the referenced characters is more due to poor development of the characters or inconsistencies of Klaus’ character when interacting with them than for shipping reasons.


That negativity of the vocal few has been the reason that a few fans have stated to be embarrassed to ship the pairing; some leaving the Klaroline fandom entirely (Or alternately leaving The Originals fandom due to hostility they are given for still shipping this pair); even if they still ship the pairing but the vast majority are very proud shippers of their favorite couple and their fandom as a whole. They claim the elephant and/or hummingbird as their mascot.

Klaroline fans seem to be divided in two camps; one camp is not watching 'The Originals' until the creators create better story lines with the possibility of a Caroline crossover like they were promised by the shows' creators many times, and the other camp that is content to keep watching with hope to still see their favorite pairing together while enjoying the show as it is.

Common Tropes & Themes

  • Time Travel - most popular use of that trope appears to be throwing Caroline back in time, often to a time when Klaus was still human
  • All Human AU - very popular trope in The Vampire Diaries fandom.
  • Established Relationship - fics where they are already a couple.
  • Fairytale fusions - a play on a fairytale Klaroline style (most popular one is, obviously Little Red Riding Hood)
  • Historical AU - sometimes mixed with timetravel trope. Fics set in a different decade or century. Most popular ones include Regency AU and Chicago during 1920s.
  • Futurefic - based on the premise that Klaus is waiting for Caroline, while she takes time to live a life away from Mystic Falls (sometimes even centuries in the future).
  • Blonde Distraction - it's a theme that, while not used as a trope in fanworks, is a very important theme in the relationship, as Caroline is often used in canon to distract Klaus while other characters are implementing a plan to either kill him or mess up his schemes.
  • Caroline Goes To New Orleans - this trope is Klaroline fandom's type of Fix-It fic, where at some point in time (either before the start of The Originals or during the first season) Caroline goes to visit Klaus (or is taken there by her friends). Fics with this trope often reference Caroline as The Queen of New Orleans (a response to Klaus' claim that he wants to be king).
  • Human Caroline - works where Klaus meets Casoline while she is still human, or in AUs where she never became a vampire
  • Pregnant!Caroline - works where human Caroline gets pregnant with Klaus, or a vampire Caroline due to magic/spell/curse becomes pregnant with Klaus' child. Often used with Time Travel fics.
  • Dark Caroline - Fics where Caroline has been turned by Klaus or where she turns off her humanity switch with Klaus either trying to get her back to normal, or he indulges her darker instincts
  • Caroline makes a deal with Klaus - when Caroline (or the gang) wants something from Klaus and Klaus only wants Caroline.
  • Caroline and Klaus travel the world - often visiting Rome, Paris and Tokyo (three cities Klaus mentioned in 3x11)
  • Klaus in Tyler's body - fics set before Klaus got his own body back, or where he has to possess Tyler's body for a long period of time.

Example Fanworks

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References

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