"Good morning, neighbor."
Caroline had to refrain from rolling her eyes at the cocky Brit standing in front of his doorway in nothing but a pair of sweatpants though she had seen him in far less on more than one occasion.
"How was the jog?"
Before she got a chance to respond, she saw a model looking brunette appear behind him dressed in nothing but one of his t-shirts and wrapped her arms around his naked torso. Caroline raised her eyebrows, and let herself into her apartment.
"Why does he always have to stand out in the hallway half-naked almost every morning?" she complained as soon as she saw her new temporary roommate sitting at the table with her phone in one hand and a half-eaten bagel in the other.
"Your hot neighbor?" Katherine asked with a smirk.
"He is not hot," she protested.
"You may not like the guy but even you can't deny that he's hot," Katherine argued amusedly. "Don't worry, if the way he checks you out serves as any indication, he thinks you're hot too."
"When does he find time to check me out with all the women he's always busy parading around with?" Caroline snorted.
"Jealous?" Katherine asked, wagging her eyebrows.
"As if," she retorted with an eye roll, reaching out for the morning paper as she plopped herself down on one of the chairs.
As she skimmed through the front page, she groaned when she read about the upcoming gala the following night in Las Vegas and Lockwood's campaign announcement.
"I still can't believe I won't get to be there," she grumbled. "Do you know what getting an exclusive about this campaign could mean for me?"
"Not going on anymore coffee runs for your douchebag supervisor and getting actual stories?"
"Exactly!" she exclaimed.
"So then why don't you quit whining and figure out a way to go?"
Caroline turned to glare at her.
Hello! Didn't she think she was trying?
Katherine was right though. If she wanted a chance at this story, she needed to find a way into that gala.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to be at work in an hour, I will be using every available minute I have until then, to figure out a way to get in without a press pass," she answered over her shoulder.
"That's my girl," Katherine smirked into her coffee cup.
By the time Caroline was making her way up the stairs after another long day at work, she still wasn't any closer to figuring out a way in and she had all but given up. She let herself into her apartment and dragged her body over to the couch where she turned on the TV and flipped through the newspaper again, almost like she enjoyed the torture.
She was reading through the article on Lockwood and the gala when a certain name caught her attention.
Of course!
Why didn't she think of it before?
She all but jumped off the couch and threw her door open before running across the hall and knocking a bit louder than normal due to her sudden excitement.
A few moments that felt like minutes later, the door was opened to reveal her surprised-looking neighbor and she noted that he was fully dressed for a change.
"Caroline," her name rolled off his tongue like a gentle purr and she tried not to react. "What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you, love?"
"Um," she started, suddenly unsure of herself now that she was standing in front of him but deciding to hell with it.
What's the worst that can happen?
"I was wondering if you could do me this sort of really huge favor," she said with her winning Miss Mystic Falls smile.
"This sort of really huge favor?" he repeated amusedly with a smirk. "What is it that you need?"
She took in a deep breath.
Just do it Caroline.
"Can you get me into tomorrow's gala?" she asked quickly but in a steady voice.
She knew his family was going to be involved in Lockwood's campaign, particularly his father who was Lockwood's campaign manager.
He looked surprised by her request and for some reason, that prompted her to try and explain her situation and then waited for his response with bated breath.
"You come to me in your time of need-"
"Seriously?" she interrupted, irritation clear in her voice. "Ugh! Forget I asked."
She turned to walk away but he quickly tugged on her elbow to stop her.
"I was only joking, sweetheart," he quickly said, looking at her with an apologetic smile and she reluctantly stayed. "I can't get you a press pass," he continued. "My father is the one responsible for those press passes as he very carefully selects who from the press he wants to attend."
Caroline frowned at this.
"There's a reason why The Post wasn't invited," he said matter-of-factly.
"How did you know I work with The Post?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Probably the same way you knew my family is involved with Lockwood's campaign," he shrugged with an unabashed grin. "Should I be flattered that you looked me up?"
She tried to fight back the blush on her cheeks and narrowed her eyes at him.
"I happened to come across that information about your family through the paper," she replied a bit defensively even though she knew, and judging by the look he was giving her, he knew as well, that that was a total lie.
She may or may not have looked up the hot new neighbor when he first moved in. She wasn't a stalker okay? She was simply curious and hey, she wasn't in investigative journalism for no reason.
"Well, thanks anyway," she said a bit sheepishly, fighting back her overwhelming disappointment that he wasn't able to help her either.
"Hold on a minute," he quickly interrupted. "I may not be able to get you a press pass but I do have a way of getting you inside."
She looked at him, raising her eyebrows as she waited for him to continue.
"You could attend the event with me," he said simply but the glint in his eye made a shiver run down her spine but she quickly tried to ignore it.
"As your plus one?"
"As my date," he corrected. "More specifically, as my girlfriend."
"Excuse me?" she replied louder than she intended, opening her mouth to speak when he once again interrupted.
"Calm down, love it would all be simply a little ruse for the night," he explained. "My sister and my mother-," he trailed off with what sounded like an exasperated sigh. "It would get my family off my back for one night and you would also be getting what you want."
"I don't want to pretend to be your girlfriend for the night," she retorted, rolling her eyes when he simply shrugged.
"No, but it would get you inside so you could get your story that could lead to your big break. Believe me sweetheart, I'm not jumping for joy at having to do this either," he replied stiffly. "But sometimes sacrifices must be made for the great good."
She rolled her eyes and looked up at him to find him waiting expectantly.
"Some would call this manipulation," she pointed out dryly.
"And others would call it us being mutually desperate," he countered. "I'm afraid I only get a plus one and other than that, I have no say in who gets inside. As I'm sure you're well aware, the political campaign is all my family's dealing not mine. I'll let you think about it."
She went back to her apartment, trying to make an extensive list of pros and cons.
Ugh! Why can't he just do this out of the goodness of his heart?
She snorted at the thought. Klaus didn't strike her as the type of person to do many favors without getting something in return.
It was almost two hours later when she found herself knocking on his door for the second time that evening.
"Fine," she said as soon as he opened the door, rolling her eyes a little at the shit-eating grin that appeared on his face and handed him a small stack of color-coded papers. "But if we're going to do this, we're going to need to make it believable meaning we have to know things about each other in case they ask so I've written down some stuff about me on those papers, the green are some of my hobbies etc. They're all labeled. The blank pages are for you to fill out and you can return them to me tomorrow so I can study them before we arrive. There will be absolutely no kissing or wandering of hands understood?"
She could tell he was doing his best to fight back a laugh but he simply nodded.
"Now, for flights-"
"Don't worry, love I've got it handled," he interrupted with that amused grin still in place. "Meet me downstairs in the lobby tomorrow at 9:45."
She looked at him almost reluctantly before nodding her head.
"Well I guess that settles that then," she said, glancing at him once more and trying not to react to the way he couldn't stop grinning like a kid who had Christmas come early.
Muttering a quick goodnight, she turned to leave back to her apartment when he heard him say all too jovially, "I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline."
He watched her walk back into her apartment before stepping back inside of his, unable to wipe that smile off his face.
Why was he so damn giddy?
He quickly shook his head, almost as if trying to shake the smile off his face before pulling out his phone and dialing a familiar number.
"Oh so he does know how to work a phone," came an irritated response from the other end making him grow slightly irritated as well.
"Hello to you as well little sister," he answered dryly.
"So what is it this time?" Rebekah asked. "What excuse will you be giving mother as to why you won't be attending tomorrow?"
He rolled his eyes and bit back an exasperated sigh.
"You can't keep avoiding all events that Elijah and-"
"I'm calling to say that I'll be there tomorrow," he interrupted, frustration evident in his tone.
Had he not been so annoyed, he might have laughed at the way she went silent for a few moments.
"You're coming?" she repeated disbelievingly. "But Finn said you had declined your invitation."
"Well there's been a change of plans," he responded.
"What kind of change?" she asked suspiciously, making him roll his eyes.
"The kind that involves me going from not being present tomorrow night to being present," he answered sardonically. "I just thought you and mother might want to know."
There was silence for a few more moments before she spoke again, her voice a lot kinder this time.
"Mother is sleeping now but I'll let her know tomorrow morning," she said. "She'll be happy to see you Nik."
He swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat but said nothing for a moment.
"You should probably warn father as well," he added with a humorless laugh. "We both know he won't be very happy with this news."
"He'll be too busy with the Lockwood's anyway," she replied dismissively. "I'll also let Finn know to add your name back on the list."
"Tell him to put down I'm bringing a guest as well," he said quickly, already dreading the questions he was no doubt about to get.
Sure enough-
"Who are you bringing?"
"A guest," he repeated dryly, smirking at the huff of irritation on the other end.
"Don't tell me you're bringing one of your trollops to-"
"Mind your tongue little sister," he snapped. "You will meet her tomorrow and you will give her the respect she deserves do I make myself clear?"
He heard her scoff, making him clench his jaw in frustration.
"I mean it Rebekah," he said through gritted teeth.
"So do we have a name for this guest of yours?"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Caroline," he replied, enjoying the way her name rolled off his tongue despite his current irritation. "Caroline Forbes."
The next morning, Caroline was up at sunrise, too anxious to try and sleep any longer. She kept debating with herself on whether she did the right thing by accepting or not and thought of backing out more than once.
Still, she found herself staring at her packed bags a mug of coffee in her hands while she half-listened to Katherine's relentless teasing.
"I can't believe your neighbor hustled a date out of you," she smirked. "He's smarter than I gave him credit for."
"He didn't hustle a date out of me."
"No, he just hustled a relationship," Katherine retorted with a laugh.
"A fake relationship and it's just for one night."
"Mmhhmm," Katherine laughed again. "Tale as old as time. You two will go away this weekend, barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly-"
"Okay, you are so not going to ruin one of my favorite Disney songs or movies for me!" she interrupted with a glare.
Katherine merely laughed and shrugged.
"Would it really be the end of the world if you two didn't end up hating each other by the end of all of this?"
Caroline turned to glare at her again.
"I don't hate him," she replied stiffly. "I just don't like him but I tend not to like cocky, pretentious assholes who think I'm soliciting sex when I show up with a welcome basket."
Katherine laughed again, remembering the story all too well.
Caroline rolled her eyes and looked down at the time.
"Okay, I better start heading down," she sighed. "You sure you're going to be okay all by yourself this weekend?"
"Yes mom, I'll be fine," Katherine replied with an eye roll. "Seriously, don't worry about me. I think you already have enough on your plate to worry about this weekend."
Caroline acknowledged her point with a grimace and a few minutes later, she walked into the lobby, surprised to see him already waiting there with a cup of coffee in each hand and she couldn't resist the urge to let her eyes wander over him, taking in his fitted grey Henley and dark jeans, the necklaces peeking out from underneath, screaming for her to twist her hands around them and pull him down-
Stop it! Stop it Caroline Forbes!
She quickly snapped her eyes up to his only to see he was taking her in as well and if that little smirk was any indicator, he liked what he saw too but she forced herself to remain impassive and fought down the butterflies –nope, not butterflies- that appeared in her stomach when she saw him finally look up at her with a wide dimpled grin, a soft twinkling in his eyes and if she didn't know any better, she would say he was genuinely happy to see her there.
"Good morning neighbor," he greeted, handing her a coffee cup and not losing his smile.
"Good morning," she answered meekly, taking a sip of the coffee and looking at him with raised eyebrows, silently asking how he knew that was her favorite kind.
It wasn't exactly a common order.
"Your notes," he answered her unspoken question, chuckling when her eyes widened in surprise.
She cringed internally as she remembered that she had written down she was a coffee fiend as a random fact about her.
"You seem surprised, love," he stated. "Did you not expect me to read them?"
"I don't really know what to expect," she shrugged. "So do you have your notes for me?"
He responded with a smirk that let her know she wouldn't like his answer.
"We have the whole day and a flight ahead of us," he started as he moved to get one of her bags. "I figured we could use that time to get to know one another."
He walked ahead of her to a waiting car she hadn't noticed before.
He turned around to see her ready to argue and protest so he quickly spoke up again.
"I'm not asking you to bare your soul to me nor am I asking for you to even like me," he said. "Just talk to me."
She responded with an incredulous look.
"Come on, get to know me," he continued almost pleadingly, noticing her resolve waver a tiny fraction and he quickly jumped on it. "I dare you."
She looked back up at him, taking in his smirk but beyond that, she could see the want, the need in his eyes.
"Fine," she finally replied.
She tried to ignore the way his face lit up with that dimpled smile again and she tried not to react when she felt his hand on her back as he led her to the car.
As the car pulled away from their building, Caroline sneaked a glance at the man sitting beside her.
It was true. She didn't know what to expect but one thing she did know. She was in for one hell of a weekend.
Thanks for reading! This is based off a drabble request I received and decided to split into 3 parts. Please feel free to share your questions or thoughts with me. :)