A/N: Hello lovelies! Yeah, I'm finally back with some Klaroline (woohoo!) - and *drumroll* IT'S A MULTI CHAPTERED STORY! Yeah, I know! And it's already finfished and beta'd and everything so there should not be any delays with weekly updates! This is one of my beloved songfictions, hence I recommend to listen to

- Summer by Calvin Harris
- Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
- Boomerang by The Summer Set
- Lightning in a Bottle by The Summer Set

because I listened to those songs while writing this and those songs set the mood. I love them, so check them out! (here a link to the 8tracks playlist with four 'bonus tracks': /klarogasms/to-my-heartbeat-sound )

And a very big THANK YOU to my lovely Beta Reader Stephanie aka klarolinedrabbles!
I hope that you'll enjoy what I wrote and Happy Reading!

xxx

"I really don't want to go, Mom.", Caroline whined, her brow creased. Liz sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Please Caroline, do us all a favor and quit it. You'll spend a few weeks in London with your father.", the elder woman said, ending every discussion. Caroline pressed her lips into a thin line. Sometimes she hated her mother. Like right now, she ruined her whole summer by sending her to London. It's not that she disliked London, she simply disliked the fact that she would have to spend the whole time with her father with whom she didn't get along that well. And on top of that she would miss out all the fun her friends would have back here. "That's the worst thing you could do to me.", Caroline hissed, narrowing her eyes before she ran upstairs and locked herself in her room.

xxx

"I'll miss you so much.", Caroline said in between sobs while almost crushing Katherine's ribs with the tight embrace she trapped her best friend in. "I'll miss you too, Carebear.", the brunette whispered, she wouldn't cry. She had to stay strong for her friend or she would never get into the airplane. "Don't have too much fun without me." The blonde said, a sad laugh bubbling out. "We won't.", Katherine promised, smiling into her shoulder before they retreated to look at each other. "You look horrible.", the brunette said, a smile taking over her features at the stripes of smeared mascara over Caroline's cheeks. "You too.", the blonde replied, ruffling through the other girl's curls. They giggled before they let go. Caroline stroke her thumb underneath her eyes, hoping that she caught most of the black mess underneath them. "I love you!" she said, waving at her friends, the people the closest to her. Of course her mom wasn't among them, she had to work, it was an emergency, she said and asked Jenna if she would drive her daughter to the airport. She gave the blonde a peck on her cheek and vanished in her police car.
Caroline sighed as she turned her back towards the people she loved the most and went to get her ticket. After getting through security she walked towards her gate and, after a short wait, got into the plane and found her way to the first class where she slumped into her assigned seat. She slid out of her shoes, her luggage stowed underneath her seat, and asked a passing stewardess if she could have a blanket. The young woman smiled at her and promised her to be back in a minute. Caroline sighed. Her father insisted on booking her a first class ticket. It's not like she didn't appreciate his generosity, it was just that she preferred for him to visit her, which is one of the reasons they barely saw each other. The only times he talked her into visiting him in London was when he invited Katherine, which he wouldn't do anymore after the disaster two years ago.
The stewardess returned, handing her over the blanket and asking her if she'd like something to drink. Caroline shook her head no and spread the blanket over her curled up body, leaning her head against the window with the seat belt already on. She felt her eyelids closing as they took off.

"Caroline!" Her father said, smiling at her when she finally got into the airport building with her suitcases at her sides. "Hey Dad.", she said, giving him a small smile. He embraced her, stroking her back a few times, before he took her luggage and lead her towards the car. "What time is it?" The blonde asked, yawning even though she slept for the better part of the flight. "It's 6pm, sweetie." Her Dad replied, giving her a soft smile. She groaned, she was so jet-lagged. It was 10pm back in Mystic Falls.

xxx

"What am I supposed to do?" Caroline asked herself. She lay on her bed in the bedroom which belonged to her ever since she's first been at her Dad's. Him and his partner Steven lived in this huge penthouse in the Middle of London. They even had their own staff. They had a chef, two maids and a gardener for the plants on the roof terrace. The blonde's been there for almost three days now, and she was bored out of her mind. She didn't have any friends in London and she already knew the city from the times she's been there before. Her and Katherine explored it several times, discovering new spots every time. But it wasn't fun to walk around the city alone. Or to go shopping alone. Or having a coffee in the TARDIS café (her surprisingly nerdy best friend adored) alone. The blonde smiled at the memory of the Doctor Who and Sherlock marathons they had just at the beginning of their vacation. She pushed herself towards the edge of the bed, letting her head hang down, the door in her line of sight. She propped her leg up on the other one and hummed the Doctor Who theme song when a knock resounded. "Come in.", the blonde said to the door, watching as it opened and Madeleine, one of the maids, came in.
"Your father will be back shortly." She announced, smiling at the young blonde. Caroline rose her head and rolled to lay on her stomach, focusing back on Madeleine. "Let me guess, he told you to subtly warn me so I would be ready to go out to eat at a fancy restaurant with him and Steven?" She wondered, a small smile tugging at her lips. Madeleine returned her smile, nodding in agreement. "Alright, I'll be in the shower." Caroline announced heaving herself off of her bed. Madeleine nodded, already about to close the door. "Oh and Maddy?" Caroline asked, waiting till her head was back in her line of sight. "Thank you." She said, smiling at the young woman. She returned her smile, fondness clearly visible in her light green eyes. "You're very welcome, Caroline." She replied, leaving the room and closing the door in the same motion.

"How's your pizza?" Her Dad asked just as she took another bite of it. Her Dad, Steven and her were in a fancy Italian restaurant. They ate food she couldn't even pronounce properly and instead of surprising herself with the random choice she would've made, she just settled for good old fashioned pizza. Steven was amused to no end by her choice and her father clearly didn't approve. After all, they were in a fancy restaurant with fancy food and fancy people. He wasn't pleased with her all in all this evening, if she was being honest. And if she was being completely honest, she wanted it that way.
After her little talk with Maddy she went into the shower and when she came back out there was a red summer dress which was beautiful and looked quite elegant on her bed. She assumed that her Dad bought it for her to wear. Caroline loved the dress, honestly she did, but she was kind of pissed because he forced her to leave her friends for two weeks and then he left her alone in the flat and she had nothing to do. So she decided not to wear it. Instead she chose one of her plainer summer dresses. It was of a light yellow with a blue ribbon around the waist she tied into a bow at her back. Along with that she wore baby blue High Heels, they had the same color as the ribbon, instead of flats her Dad wanted to see her in. She wore her hair open, only brushed and blow dried so it fell in soft waves and she knew her Dad would hate the fact that she looked like she was about to go out into a club or shopping.
After swallowing her bite of pizza she answered.
"It's good, really." She answered, a smile on her features. "Didn't you like the dress I bought you?" He asked, his brow slightly furrowed as he eyed up her outfit for what felt like the hundredth time this evening. "I do, but I already decided what to wear. And I don't have matching shoes.", Caroline replied, giving him an apologetic smile she didn't mean. Like at all. "Then we should probably go shopping to get you matching shoes.", Steven suggested, smiling at her. Caroline nodded because she just took another bite of her pizza. "I would love that." She said after swallowing. "How about tomorrow?", Steven asked, tilting his head at his step daughter. Kind of. They never really saw each other as step daughter and step-father, it was more of an uncle/niece relationship they had. And they got along very well, so there was nothing to complain about. Caroline nodded, smiling happily for the first time since she arrived in London.

xxx

"We need shoes and an outfit for this ball thing you guys told me about.", Caroline listed off as her and Steven walked down the street towards the shopping paradise as she called it. "Exactly. And we better get you something stunning for the ball." Steven said, smirking down at her. She giggled while nudging him with her elbow.
After they got the shoes Steven got a call from her Dad. "Bill, I can't just … no but …", he listened intently, his brow furrowing. Caroline's expression went from irritated to disappointed. "Okay, I'll be right there.", Steven finally said with a sigh. "I love you too.", he added before he hung up, turning fully towards the small blonde looking up at him. She quickly covered her disappointment up, a small smile lighting up her face. "We have an emergency in the office and your Dad needs me there.", Steven explained, his expression apologetic. "I completely understand." She said, keeping the smile on. "Will you be alright by yourself?" He asked, laying his hands on her shoulders as she nodded. "Spend as much money as you want, if I get out soon I'll call you and catch up, okay?" He asked, pulling her into an embrace. "Alright." She replied lowly, not wanting her voice to break. "I'll see you later." Steven said when he retreated, pecking her brow.
"Till then." She agreed as he turned around and waved for a cab. Caroline blinked rapidly on the way to the next store, she really didn't need her make up to smudge right now. She would spend a lot of money on a lot of clothing and her Dad wouldn't be able to blame her because Steven allowed it. That was a good plan. She huffed as she stepped into the next store and instantly saw a purse that she liked. Well, here we go, she thought, a wicked smile on her face.

"Thank you Miss, have a nice day.", the cab driver said as he let her out in front of the building the apartment of her Dad was. "You too." She replied over her shoulder while rearranging the shopping bags as she looked for the keys in her purse. She seriously should have gotten her keys when she was sitting in the cab. After a lot of fumbling and cursing she finally slid the key into the lock, turning it and walking into the house. She instantly made her way towards the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. She punched in the security code and sighed in relief that she got it right. "I'm back!" Caroline shouted not sure if there was even someone in the flat to hear her.
"I thought you were shopping with Steven?" Maddy wondered, her eyes widened in surprise at the blonde being alone and at the amount of shopping bags she was able to carry. She shrugged. "Ditched me for work. My Dad called him in." She explained shrugging slightly as she walked towards her room. Maddy went ahead and opened the door for her, getting a thank you out of her. "Your father will be furious when he sees how much money you've spent." Madeleine mumbled, still staring at the bags the blonde disposed on her bed.
"Steven gave me green light." She shrugged as she slipped out of her shoes, sighing happily. She was still annoyed at her Dad for ruining the single nice day she was about to have with his work, but at least she got clothes. A lot of clothes. And she also bought some things for Katherine, Elena, Bonnie and Jenna. And as she already was busy shopping for her loved ones, she got her mom a necklace, Alaric a really old book on British history and then got Jeremy some boots. They were leather boots with studs – he was going to love them. "Oh, I got you something!" She suddenly remembered, smiling at the surprised expression of the maid. She looked out for the light pink bag and smiled when she saw it. She tugged it out of the chaos and smiled as she gave it to her. "You told me that your boyfriend's daughter grows so quickly and I saw those dresses and asked an employee what size should fit an eighteen month old girl and bought a few different sizes.", the blonde rambled. Madeleine pulled a few dresses out and broke into an adorable smile at the sight of them.
"You didn't have to-", she said but was interrupted by the blonde. "You're the only one who kept me company, Maddy. Just accept them." She said, giggling as the woman pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Caroline.", she said. "You're very welcome.", Caroline replied, happy that she could rejoice Maddy by buying her daughter to be clothes. Her and her boyfriend were about to marry and she would adopt the little girl. Caroline was really happy for her.

"I'm so, so, sorry, Caroline." Steven pleaded, sitting across from her on her queen sized wooden four-poster-bed. "It's alright, it's not like it was your fault you had to leave." She replied, giving him a lopsided smile. "Would you do me the honor of showing me what you bought?", he asked, giving her puppy dog eyes. She smiled, a small laugh escaping, and got off her bed.
"Of course, you can look for catwalk music while I change." She replied, motioning towards where her London Music collection stood next to the stereo. He nodded as she vanished into the bathroom. The next hour she modeled and he criticized her walk and her poses and after the third outfit he started to take pictures with the camera she got for one of the Christmas's she had spent with them. Just when she showed him the red shoes along with the red dress she was supposed to wear the evening before her Dad came in.
"What's going on in here?" He asked as he saw his partner taking photos of his daughter who just blew kisses towards the camera. "Caroline's modeling the stuff she bought." Steven explained, motioning for him to sit down next to him. Bill closed the door and cautiously did as he was asked. "You're really late Dad, there's only the outfit for tomorrow evening left." She chided before she did another pose for Steven to photograph. "I guess that's the only outfit which really matters." He said, causing her to huff. "I'll change, be ready for the grand finale." She joked, walking into the adjoining bathroom.
"How much did she buy?", Bill asked, a look of horror in his eyes. Steven smiled. "A lot, but I allowed it so don't you dare complain." He said, smiling at the groan his partner emitted.
"I wanna hear a drum roll!", Caroline screamed through the door, causing her father and Steven to do as she demanded. She dramatically swung open the door and strolled out into her bedroom, twirling when she stood in front of them. "You look beautiful, sweetheart." Steven said, a soft smile on his face. "Thank you.", she said, a light blush staining her pale cheeks. "You're stunning, Caroline.", Bill agreed, standing up. He walked towards her and embraced her softly before he let go to sit back down on the bed. "I came here to tell you that dinner's ready, actually.", Bill said, smiling at the two of them. "I'll just change then.", Caroline said. She was so hungry. She half ran, half walked into the bathroom with the dress's skirt ruffled up in her hands. Bill and Steven laughed as she closed the door to her bathroom, a smile gracing her features.

xxx

"I'm going out for a walk." Caroline told Patricia, the other maid they had. She was in her mid fourties and not nearly as friendly or open as Maddy was. And Caroline had to call her Mrs. Stetson, only her Dad and Steven were allowed to call her Patricia. They basically ignored each other, only interacting if necessary. "Please tell my Dad and Steven that I'll be back in time if they call or are early." She shouted over her shoulder into the empty hallway before the heavy wooden door fell shut behind her. She walked towards the elevator, deciding to take the staircase at the last moment, descending the staircase with her ear buds in her ears. She went through the music saved on her phone and settled for something light and upbeat. She could really use something motivating right now. Caroline sighed as she walked along the Thames. It was a rather unpopular part, a lot of bushes and stuff were along the way. And a lot of bushes meant a lot of insects and places for rapists and murderers to hide. But it was midday so the blonde didn't spend a second thought on the bad things which could hover behind the green. She hummed the tune she listened to at the moment and walked, trying to get her thoughts off what her friends were doing right now and what she was supposed to do for the next 8 days. She groaned in annoyance and looked up at the cloudy sky. The weather was so London it was annoying. She tightened the scarf Maddy gave her at her arrival (because she was so happy to see Caroline again after two years) and zipped up her wide black hoodie. Just as she averted her gaze from the sky she felt something against her foot. She lost balance and stretched out her arms, landing front first on the dusty pathway. She sighed, getting on her knees and looking up. She angrily dusted her hands off and searched them for scratches when she saw something light flickering to her left. Caroline whipped her head around, squinting at the movement. It just kept going. She stood back up and used her hand to brush the thin branches aside. She forced herself through the small slit, a few branches tangling in her blonde waves, and grunted when she was through the bush. On the other side of the wall of bushes was a quiet little place. Caroline walked a little bit before bushes cut off her way. The little place she discovered was like two little booths, separated by a few bushes which you could easily brush aside to get to the other booth. Kind of like an adjoining room. Caroline smiled and sat down, the grass making the ground more or less comfortable. She watched the Thames and the boats which passed by, enjoying the loneliness of the place. Her personal escape pod.