A/N - Hello my lovely readers! I have a new story here for you! Another comedy to brighten up our little fandom!
Thank you to my Sister Wives (a-little-blonde-distraction, klarolineepiclove, hybridlovelies, livingdeadblondequeen, and approvesomuch). You girls are my inspiration!
I hope you all enjoy!
POP!
Tonight on Where Are They Now, we dive deep into the 90s and end at the early turn of the century.
"Hey girl. I've been thinking about you for awhile now. We had something special...and now you're gone...gone girl...and I just...I don't know what I'm gonna to do without you."
With their sultry voices and hot looks, The Originals came on the scene and rocked the Y generation.
"The truth is...I tried to stop thinking about you...but I can't.
I just can't, girl."
Four brothers, who had nothing in common but their love for music, came straight out of London, with a unique sound and a unique bond, like only brothers could have. Their self titled album, The Originals, sold over a million copies in just one week, and their international concerts sold out within minutes, fast tracking them to international stardom.
"I never had any intention of moving on
But you let me go
You let me go, go, go"
The oldest Mikaelson, Finn, swayed in the back and into our hearts with his deep, resonating vocals.
"Mmm, that's right…"
Elijah broke our hearts with his ballads. Singing to the tune of every girl's dreams…
"…what kind of man would I be
if I didn't try to find
my beauty beneath
this…facade"
The cute one, Kol, made the girls scream with his boyish charm, puppy dog eyes and naughty behavior…
"Mmmm…girl
you look like a tasty little thing"
And of course, we can never forget, the ultimate bad boy, Klaus. With his curly blonde locks, all black attire, and his iconic motorcycle, the girls flocked to him. He was the true heartbreaker of the group and the front man with a voice of gold…
"He was your first love, baby
Your first love
But I..oh I…
I intend to be your last"
In the next hour, we'll take a closer look at our favorite foursome. Finn, Elijah, Kol and bad boy, Klaus. We'll dive into their rollercoaster life of fame, their success, their tragedy and their heartbreaks...and of course, where are they now…
POP!
Klaus clicks off the television, not as interested in rehashing the past as he thought he would be. He knows where his brothers are now, and the tragedy of family life that has taken them over. Finn and Elijah are tucked away in their London homes with their wives and children. His wild and incompetent younger brother Kol, on the other hand, is enjoying the single life after his third failed marriage. When will he learn that just because they show him their boobs, doesn't mean he should marry them? Most of the documentary, was sure to be about Kol. It would highlight his grand achievements, his addiction to fame, and of course...marriage, I mean come on! Three ex-wives and the guy's only 28. How do you even do that?
He stands up and saunters over to his baby grand. He plays around with the ebony and ivory until he finds the right key that matches his mood (D minor should do it) and falls easily into a familiar chord progression.
And where is the elusive Klaus Mikaelson?
After years of enjoying the residual after life of fame, with plenty of wealth, plenty of time on his hands and plenty of women begging to come home with him, he settled in the city. He wouldn't say he became a hermit, but definitely hermit like. He stuck to what he knew, writing music, drinking and occasionally finding a warm body to share his bed at night. Some leftover fan that knows all the lyrics to their songs and had posters of them on her wall when she was in junior high or high school.
Unlike most 'bad boys' of the music industry, Klaus found the quiet life to be more enticing than finding some drug to get addicted to and some sad sob story of how his life fell apart because of it. He isn't as wealthy as he once was, the royalty checks keeping him afloat but getting paid for his music was definitely a thing of the past. After all the teen heartthrob hype wore off, it was hard for Klaus to be taken seriously amongst other musicians. It wasn't about the money, or even the fame, it was about him not wanting to lose touch with the one thing that made him the happiest. Music.
Alas, I suppose that is a sob story all its own. The bad boy, boy band member, tragically loses all credibility because he decided to spend his early twenties learning dance moves, singing sugary sweet pop music and posing for Tiger Beat magazine.
Klaus' fingers continue to dance along the keys, the tune taking shape and the melody forming as well. He never had a problem with writing the music, it was always the lyrics that gave him trouble. His brother Elijah was always the poet, breathing life into the music, no matter how cliché or trite the lyrics were. I mean, you're not going to win a Pulitzer or anything with lyrics like…
Oh baby, you got me
I think the words you're looking for are
Oh. Em. Gee
A knock at the door interrupts Klaus' musings and his song comes to a stop. He doesn't get many visitors and certainly not in the middle of the day. He shuffles toward the door and peers through the peep hole, where he sees a pair of brown eyes coupled with a brooding forehead and bushy eyebrows. Klaus rolls his eyes and unlocks the door, and swinging it open greets his younger brother, Kol.
"What a pleasant surprise," Klaus says dryly, confused on Kol's abrupt appearance at his door.
"I was in the neighborhood," Kol laughs and pushes past Klaus and into the living room.
"Just in the neighborhood from Los Angeles?"
"Well…" Kol shrugs and heads over to Klaus' liquor cabinet. "Can I pour you a drink?"
"It's the middle of the afternoon," Klaus shakes his head at Kol.
"I'm still on LA time."
"So then it's still morning for you…"
Kol doesn't seem fazed by Klaus' veiled criticism, and reaches for the scotch. Klaus would join him, but he's always been wary about drinking anytime with his little brother. "Kol, what are you doing in New York?"
"I'm here to see you, brother. It's been a long time." He heads to the couch, his drink in hand, and makes himself comfortable. He kicks his feet up onto the coffee table and leans back, stretching his arms out to the side. "So...how's New York this time of year?"
Klaus feels a twitch begin in his left eye at the sight of his brother invading his home. There's a reason why, when Kol decided LA was for him, Klaus knew NYC was his only acceptable option.
Location, location, location.
It's not that Klaus doesn't love his family. He does and always will, but after years of traveling together, working together, and not having room to breathe away from each other, the distance was needed. The only time he sees Finn and Elijah is when he goes home for holidays, and the only time Kol graces him with his presence is when he wants something.
Klaus stares a little longer at his prodigal brother before his eyes slide into narrow slits and he shakes his head. He's not just in the neighborhood.
"Kol, why are you really in New York, and don't bullshit me about wanting to see your big brother."
"What, I did just want to see-"
"Kol?!" Klaus interjects, his voice on the rise and his blood beginning to boil. What is it about Kol that makes him want to punch a wall?
"Okay, okay," Kol says and sits up from his seat. He leans forward and places his drink on the coffee table before resting his elbows on his knees. "So there's this thing…"
"Thing?"
"Yeah a thing…"
Klaus shifts from one foot to the other and folds his arms across his chest. "Go on," he tells Kol, but already has a good idea as to where this is going.
"Okay, so, don't say no right away but this girl from VH1 called me and they're doing this sort of...event, if you will."
"No," Klaus tells him and heads to the door to open and uninvite his guest.
"I said, hear me out, Klaus."
Klaus takes a deep breath and turns back around, against his better judgement , to listen to Kol.
"Now, I know you're enjoying your new life, holed up in this sad apartment, but we have to strike while the iron is hot."
"What are you talking about?"
Kol stands up, getting excited, and Klaus can't help but feel the buzz of energy radiating off of him. "So this girl says there's this thing in the works, where a bunch of past musicians are going to get together for a battle of the bands type thing."
Klaus perks up at this and actually begins paying attention to Kol's droning. He's come at Klaus and his brothers a million times before, desperately wanting them to be a part of this or a part of that, but nothing ever made Klaus want to come out from his comfy hermit shell. But this sounds promising, and perhaps there's a chance for him to showcase some of his new music. "I'm listening," he tells Kol and sits in the armchair across from him, giving him his full attention...for once.
Klaus almost laughs out loud at the enthusiasm that is splattered on Kol's face. He must be beside himself that Klaus has let him talk this long and has actually come to him with something he's interested in.
The last time Kol showed up unexpectedly, he drug Klaus to a nightclub for a quote/unquote interview, and when he says drug him...he means drugged by him and then taken to a nightclub in the heart of the city. A celebratory drink before they left, with a special magical potion hidden inside, and the last thing he remembered was stepping out of a cab and into the bright lights of the paparazzi. Luckily, the rest of the night was featured in the entertainment section of the New York Times the next day.
The Original Brothers, Not So Original
Below the title was a fantastic photo of Klaus, out of his mind and getting a lapdance by Lindsay Lohan and Kol with a pair of panties on his head (which Klaus can only imagine were Lindsay's) and shoving dollar bills into the hem of her skirt.
The morning after, waking up on the floor of his kitchen, seeing his brother sprawled out on his bed, and Lindsay passed out in the bathtub, he developed the tiny tick that is now only activated by the sight of his little brother…and Lindsay Lohan, but luckily he doesn't see much of her these days either.
The tick starts again but the memory subsides as he listens to Kol ramble on about this "great opportunity", and "this could be our shot", and "we could start over again".
"What's the catch?" Klaus asks, knowing that VH1 isn't just handing over a reboot to fame, and he isn't sure that's what he wants anyway, at least not in the way he had it before.
Kol opens his mouth to answer when another knock at the door interrupts. "Oh good, she's here."
"What?" Klaus stands and follows his brother to the door. "She who?"
"You know, the producer girl that I was talking about...the one that called me."
Klaus vaguely remembers him mentioning a girl, but that's it. He grabs hold of Kol's shoulder before he can answer the door. "What the hell, Kol? You invited her here?" he says in a loud whisper. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking...that you'd have a harder time saying no if the idea came from someone else."
Klaus does tend to not take anything Kol says seriously, so to bring in reinforcements to help him with...whatever he's trying to do, is actually some smart thinking on his part. "Fine, let her in," Klaus tells him and releases his shoulder so he can answer the door. He walks away toward the bar, feeling like a midday drink isn't a bad idea afterall.
He hears the door open and Kol croon his greeting to the girl. "Well, hello Miss Forbes, and may I say you are much prettier than I was expecting."
Klaus rolls his eyes at Kol's obvious flirtations, as he reaches for the Jack Daniels, pulling it off the shelf, along with a glass.
"Thank you, Mr. Mikaelson," he hears Ms. Forbes say. "And you are exactly what I was expecting."
Klaus lets out a slight snort at the girl's small dig at Kol before turning around to greet her himself. When he turns to introduce himself, he's caught off guard by, not a girl, but the devastatingly beautiful woman before him.
If he were a lyricist he would be able to string together the perfect line to describe her. It would be moving and filled with passion, describing her succulant curves, long legs and angelic face. The blonde is wearing a fitted pink suit with a bright floral shirt underneath. Her legs are bare and elongated by her matching pink heels, and her hair is down in soft curls around her shoulders.
At a loss for words Klaus takes a sip of his drink and offers his hand. "Klaus...Klaus Mikaelson," he stutters out.
"Caroline Forbes."
"Ms. Forbes, if I had any inkling that my brother was inviting you over, I would've cleaned myself up a bit." He is still in the shirt and jeans he threw on after rolling out of bed this morning. Why shower when it's just another lazy day playing music and watching crappy telly?
"I think you're fine...I mean...I think you look great...I mean."
Klaus watches the pink in her cheeks darken as she closes her eyes and tries again. "There's no need to worry about appearances," she says. "And please, call me Caroline."
"It's nice to meet you, Caroline."
"You as well, Mr. Mikaelson."
"Klaus."
"Klaus," she repeats and then lets the tiniest of giggles slip from her lips. "I'm sorry," she tells him, "it's just I had posters of you on my wall and it's just a little surreal to be standing in front of you right now."
Klaus chuckles with her, actually amused by the little display before him. Typically he hates when women go all fangirl on him, but Caroline's embarrassment of the situation makes her more endearing than annoying.
"Which poster?"
"Hmm, what?" she asks, not understanding the question.
"Which poster did you have on your wall? The one of me leaning up against my motorcycle, or the one riding on my motorcycle? Or the one of me riding my motorcycle while sticking my tongue out at the camera?" He's making fun of himself, not her, and he hopes that she gets that.
She scrunches her face up, and closes her eyes, as if she's trying to hold back from telling him the truth. "All of them?" she says slowly and peeks an eye open to see his expression. He lets out a genuine laugh and she joins him, and he watches her discomfort melt away. Their eyes remain locked on each other, until another voice chimes in.
"What about me?" Kol asks. "Did you have any posters of me on your wall?"
"Oh, I'm sure I did," she says kindly, and obviously throwing him a bone so he doesn't feel left out. Seeing as she's in the entertainment industry, she's probably all too familiar with Kol's track record with the ladies.
"Shall we?" Klaus offers, sweeping his hand to the side and inviting her into the living room. With her back to them, Kol takes the opportunity to display his own interest in the blonde.
"Dibs," he tells Klaus.
"You're an idiot."
Kol takes a seat next to Caroline, making himself comfortable once again with his arms stretched out to the side. Caroline sets her briefcase down and begins to shuffle through it, and Klaus takes a seat in his armchair across the way. He looks over at Kol who points to his ring finger and, gesturing to Caroline with his head, mouths to Klaus, "Number four."
Klaus chuckles out loud, bringing Caroline's attention to him. He covers his mouth, and the blonde looks between the boys.
"Did I miss something?" she inquires.
"Nothing at all, love," he tells her and she smiles at him before diving back in and finding what she was searching for.
"Here we go." She slides a copy across the coffee table and proceeds, "So, I can assume that your brother filled you in on why I'm here?"
"He wasn't exactly clear, but I got the gist. It's a competition of sorts?"
"Of sorts."
Klaus takes the paper and begins to read. It's an outline of what to expect, starting with a list of past performers that he was all too familiar with. These individuals were his competition, he presumes, and formidable ones at that. He continues to read when the tone of the paper takes a drastic change. Klaus' eyes widen with surprise and his head snaps up at both Kol and Caroline.
Kol is grinning at him like an idiot, while Caroline waits patiently for him to finish and to answer any questions he may have.
"Is this for real?"
Caroline smiles warmly and nods her head, but when he doesn't respond warmly back she begins to shift uncomfortably before snapping her head toward Kol. "You did explain to him what this is all about, right?"
"I may have left out a few things, but that's what you're here for, sweetheart."
She sighs heavily and closes her eyes before looking back at Klaus. "I'm sorry about this. I was under the impression that you were on board."
"I'm on board with playing music. I'm on board with doing something respectable amongst other respectable artist but this...this is a joke!" Klaus stands up from his seat and begins to pace. "You know, it's bad enough that you people have to air those ridiculous 'Where are They Now' episodes, making people feel like their lives could be entirely wrapped up in what the media thinks about them...but this...this is a whole new low!"
"I'm not sure what you mean, it's just a bit of fun."
"Fun? You think housing celebrities together and putting them through ridiculous obstacle courses, and embarrassing challenges is fun?"
Caroline looks at Kol who is looking anywhere but at her before turning back to him. "And what's wrong with that? People like being reminded of who they loved back in the day. They like rooting for their favorite has beens."
Klaus' face becomes enraged against his better judgement. He can tell that she immediately regrets the words that just spilled from her mouth, but it's too late. Against all odds, he grits his teeth and clenches his jaw, holding back the angry words that are flittering at the tip of his tongue. "I think it's time for you to go."
Caroline stands up as well, grabbing her briefcase and straightening her skirt. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Mikaelson," all informality is out the window when she addresses him. "It's obvious that I've offended you and I'm very sorry." She takes a step forward and brushes past Klaus, who is now feeling slightly embarrassed himself about his outburst. He turns around to make peace, but Kol beats him to it.
"Caroline, don't go."
"It was very nice to meet you," she says curtly, "but it's apparent that your brother wants nothing to do with this."
"But I want this," he all but begs, and Klaus has a moment of guilt. He forgets how easy it was for Finn, Elijah and himself to fall back into normal society, but poor Kol. He was so young when the band parted, and ever since then he's wanted nothing more than to be in the spotlight again. But to Klaus, this is not the way to do it.
"I'm sorry, Kol," Caroline says and places a hand on his shoulder, "but they wanted at least two of you. However, here's my card. If for some reason he changes his mind, give me a call."
"Unlikely," Klaus hollers over to them.
Caroline tilts her head and gives Kol an I'm sorry smile, and with that, the blonde beauty disappears, leaving a disgruntled Kol and a fired up Klaus.
Kol spins on his heels to face him, fire in his eyes and showing his own Mikaelson temper. "She was going to be number four!" he screeches incoherently about Caroline, however Klaus knows it has nothing to do with her. "And you...you had to just fuck it all up, didn't you?" He continues to rant, calling him every name in the book and getting louder and louder with each insult. Klaus has to hold back a laugh, because Kol suddenly looks like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum at bedtime.
"I can't believe you would do this!"
But I don't wanna go to bed.
"She was handing us a jumpstart to our career on a silver fucking platter!"
But I'm not tiiiiired!
"You are such a fucking idiot?!"
I hate you, hate you, hate you!
Klaus finally chimes in, holding back a smirk and cutting Kol off. "This entire situation could've been avoided, Kol, if you would've just been honest with me from the beginning!"
"Then you would've just said no! And you know it!"
"Kol," he tries to interject, getting a little tired of watching Toddlers and Tiaras.
"You never would've listened to me! You never listen to me!"
Not fair! Not fair!
"...then you would've just ran back to your piano and your stupid, worthless, pathetic life and-"
Kol's verbal abuse comes to a quick end as Klaus' fist collides with his nose before another word is uttered. The younger sibling stumbles back, hitting the door, and sliding to the floor. Klaus has efficiently knocked him out, finally ending the temper tantrum of Kol Mikaelson.
"Night, night," Klaus says and pats his brother on the top of his head before heading back to his piano. He sits down, flexes his fingers over the keys and lands on a soothing D minor. "Shall we play you a lullaby, brother?"
POP!
POP!
POP!
Haha! Poor Kol!
So what did you think? Do I have a winner with this little fic? I certainly hope so! I'd love to hear your thoughts here or on Tumblr. You can find me at jomosfamilyjewels.
Your Reviews are the highlight of my day!
Until next time...
POP!