Caroline Forbes was a small town girl; she grew up in a place where everybody knew everybody, and where strangers were few and far between. The Mystic Falls community was tight-knit, built on a legacy of rich history that was oft-celebrated. But here was the problem: Caroline was sick of celebrating the past. In fact, she was boycotting the past. Towards the end of her senior year at high school, she found herself restless with the town. It was not to say that she hadn't flourished in Mystic Falls, rather far from it: Caroline was captain of the cheerleader team, an honour student, lead all the dance committees, the head of the recycling program, Miss Mystic Falls, and one of the most popular girls in the school. But small towns can be notoriously monotonous, and none more so than Mystic Falls-according to Caroline.

When the time came for university applications and SATs, Caroline saw an out, a chance to start anew outside of her tiny pocket of Virginia. Her extracurricular activities and community involvement were more than enough to earn her a spot at the University of Richmond. After a tearful goodbye to her old life, her mother, and her friends Elena and Bonnie, Caroline left Mystic Falls. Three years later she graduated with a GPA of 3.9, and a major in journalism. She had changed from a small town girl into a city woman.

For Caroline, university was an amazing experience—she met more people from different backgrounds in two days than she had in 18 years back home. She thrived in the fast-paced environment, loving the feeling of waking up excited for the unexpected. Each day was like a breath of fresh air. And there was no shortage of available, attractive men. The university years were a montage of romance and education, neatly separated. Caroline preferred things that way, organized into boxes and categorized alphabetically.

Life in Richmond was everything she had hoped it would be, but something was missing. Despite the constant rotation of men she had to date (because outside of Mystic Falls, there was no Elena to compete with) Caroline wasn't making any true connections. Her boyfriends quickly dissolved to just friends, and once or twice she found herself actually upset over the break up.

Lately, she felt as if she were watching her relationships from a distance, waving towards herself from safe on shore. Caroline wasn't letting herself fall. She stayed back, she didn't jump in, and she played it safe. It was infuriating to her lovers, she imagined; always having one foot out the door, never really committed.

On her 22nd birthday, Caroline swore to a year of no dating, setting it away to figure herself out—if only for the benefit of her future relationships. Three months into that year, Caroline was bored as hell.

"Could I get a medium white hot chocolate?" The dark-haired girl asked, holding out a black gift card.

Charlotte took the card and swiped it down the side of the monitor which beeped appropriately. "Your total is 4.67; you have 14.04 left on the card." She replied, handing it back. "What's your name?"

"Elena."

Charlotte smiled and scribbled the name on the side of the paper cup in black sharpie pen. She turned around and held the cup out. "White hot chocolate!"

Caroline snapped out of her mid-afternoon trance to take the cup from Charlotte's hand. Giving herself a shake, she adjusted the black visor on her head and set to work making the drink. It was like second nature for her, whipping the milk and adding the flavouring to perfection. She caught herself pursing her lips in concentration and laughed at her own intensity for brewing drinks.

In less than two minutes, she was done. A perfect white hot chocolate.

"Whipped cream?" Caroline asked without looking up.

"Oh, please." Elena replied, trying to disguise her voice and her smile.

Caroline squeezed the whipped cream trigger and created an alpine peak atop the cup, finally adding a touch of chocolate sauce. She set down the canister with a contented sigh. There was something so satisfying about creating a work of culinary art. It must be the perfectionist inside of her.

She turned the cup and set it down on the bar. "Order for...Elena?" Caroline looked up slowly, elated to discover her best friend standing right across from her, grinning widely.

Caroline squeaked and rushed around the counter to grab her friend in a tight hug. Elena was laughing excitedly as she returned the embrace. The last time she had seen her high school best friend was at her 22nd birthday party, almost three months ago.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked after releasing Elena, her bright blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, I was shopping in the city and I thought I might drop in and surprise my favourite barista! Lucky for me you were working today."

Caroline made her way back to her side of the counter before she got in trouble. Elena climbed into one of the stools opposite her. She brought the cup to her lips and drank cautiously, then quickly.

"Care, this is so good! Have you found your calling?" Elena gushed.

Caroline snorted. "God, I hope not. It's my job; I don't have a passion for coffee." She raised an eyebrow. "We both know I'm destined for bigger and better things."

"Fame? Fortune? Immortality?" Elena counted off each achievement on her fingers.

"All of the above," Caroline chuckled. "It's so good to see you! Except, you know, I keep getting blinded by that rock. Put it away!" She shielded her eyes dramatically.

Elena laughed and folded her hands above her drink, admiring the diamond ring on her finger. "It is pretty damn shiny."

"Seriously. It's a hazard," Caroline sighed. "I'm so jealous."

Elena shook her head, her dark hair fanning around her. "C'mon, Care, you know it's going to happen soon. You just need to commit. What happened to Seth?"

"Seth had deep-rooted emotional issues. But such defined pecs." Caroline placed a hand over her heart.

"Very true. Well, what about that, uh, Brian! What about him?"

"Brian hated sushi. That's practically a felony."

"Steven?"

"Actually, I didn't tell you this, but he had a questionable mole on his back. Wait, listen! I got him to check it out and it was just a birthmark, thank God, but can you imagine? A ticking time bomb."

Elena snorted and almost blew white hot chocolate through her nose. Caroline handed her a napkin with a small smile.

"Caroline. I know you hear yourself. Stop making excuses. Just be open to it. You think I ever imagined Damon would be the one putting an antique ring on my finger?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Falling in love is so easy when you're Elena. Some of us actually have to work for it." Caroline shrugged.

"I don't think you're one of those people, Care. Just don't settle, okay? Find somebody who—"

"Challenges me, I know." As if she hadn't heard that advice from Elena a million times over since she got engaged. Having a fiancé was truly turning her best friend into a romantic zealot.

Elena nodded. Then her phone buzzed on the counter. She picked it up, and read the screen. Caroline could swear that Elena was melting from the inside out. Soon she'd be mopping her friend off the floor.

"Speak of the devil?"

"My favourite one. I gotta go meet him. I'll call you later, okay?" Elena reached out her hand and Caroline gave it a quick squeeze from behind the counter. They shared a look of understanding and then let go.

"Hey, give him a slap from me!" Caroline called as Elena pushed open the door, waving one hand flippantly in response.

Caroline put her elbows down on the counter and rubbed her hands over her face. Leave it to Elena to burrow into her head and shake up all her feelings. Maybe she was right, maybe Caroline was being fickle. Well, there was no maybe. She knew she was. She just didn't know how to stop.

"Caroline, did you hear me?"

Caroline straightened suddenly; whipping her head around so fast her ponytail smacked her in the face. Charlotte was holding out a cup impatiently. Apparently a few more customers had slipped in without Caroline noticing.

As she took the cup from her co-worker, her eyes glanced towards the face of the current customer. Her heart skipped a beat. Holy hell. He was gorgeous.

Tall, muscular under the thin fabric of his black Henley shirt, and exuding an air of confidence so strong it took her aback. His hair was light brown and curled slightly—the type of hair that you just knew was an awkward curly mess in middle school. He seemed to have graduated from that stage with great success however, probably due heavily to his piercing blue eyes—that were staring back at Caroline. Oh shit.

"Like what you see, love?" British. Of course. Caroline squeaked and turned away, her cheeks flushing pink. Charlotte's attempts to hide her laughter were weak.

She didn't even hear the order. God, how embarrassing. Caroline fiddled with the cup in her hands. She took a deep breath and looked back to them.

Mysterious guy's full, perfectly-structured lips were pulled into a smug smirk. He knew exactly what he was doing. Caroline steeled herself, and rolled her eyes. What a smug bastard.

"Coffee. Italian Roast. Black. Oh, and a vanilla bean smoothie, thanks." He said, his eyes never leaving Caroline. There was something almost predatory in the way he looked at her; the way his gaze flicked over her body, making her feel like her black apron was the only thing she was wearing.

Caroline tore herself away from him, leaving Charlotte to ring up his order. She grabbed a plastic cup and went to the blender. As she crushed the ice and milk together, she could feel mystery guy's eyes on her body. At this point it was almost creepy. He was cute, well, fine he was beautiful (those cheekbones were sharper than the blades in her blender) but the problem was he knew it. Caroline had met many men like that. Too many. And he used 'love' as a pet name. So cliché.

The coffee took less than a minute. She snapped the cap on and pushed both drinks forward across the counter. He was standing on the other side, predictably staring at her.

"Order for..." Caroline turned the coffee sideways to read the sharpie.

"Klaus," He finished, not reaching for his drinks. Instead, he leaned on the counter towards her, looking at her with an expression of honest curiosity.

"The vanilla smoothie is a great choice. I love vanilla," Caroline said suddenly, immediately regretting it. She was just trying to fill the silence. What did he care if she liked vanilla?

Klaus seemed amused. "Really, I'll have to remember that. It's not mine, though, it's for my sister." He flicked his head towards the door, where his car was presumably parked.

Adjusting the strap of her apron, Caroline gave him an awkward smile. "Better not keep her waiting, I guess." She replied. Ugh. She pressed her hands to her face nervously. What was it about this guy that had her so wound up?

"No, she can wait. That is some apron." Klaus said. His eyes trailed down her body again, and then snapped back up to her eyes. He knew he'd been caught looking, but from his expression, he wanted to be. Caroline's stomach fluttered. She had a sudden urge to crawl under the counter.

"Yeah, well, it's the uniform. Don't want to get my clothes covered in coffee and stuff, right?" She replied, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks. This Klaus was so intense.

"Oh, no not at all. Does your boyfriend know how you look in that?" He said in a lower tone, his voice gravelly. Caroline couldn't stop herself from watching his lips as he spoke; it was almost mesmerizing the way his Cupid's bow upper lip moved with every word.

"No, I mean I don't have a boyfriend." She sputtered, and Klaus smiled. The way she had been staring at his lips was clearly obvious.

"Ah, good to know," Klaus said, and picked up his drinks in each hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Caroline."

Caroline frowned, baffled. How did he know her name?

"Your nametag, love." Klaus chuckled, revealing the insultingly adorable dimples in his cheeks.

Carline covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh," she said through her fingers, "enjoy your coffee."

He gave her one last, long look before turning and walking out of the shop. Caroline watched him leave, strutting powerfully in his fitted denim pants. As soon as the door closed behind him, she relaxed onto a stool behind the counter. She felt suddenly drained.

Charlotte turned around and mouthed the words 'oh my GOD', and Caroline burst out laughing.

"Good God, is it even legal to be that sexy?" Charlotte said dramatically, fanning her neck with a flyer. "I'm having a hot flash at twenty-five years old."

Caroline took off her visor to smooth out her hair and rolled her eyes. "He's too self-aware. You know he knows he looks good."

"Yeah, and so do I! If I wasn't with Damien I'd be climbing that like a tree. Like you should be! He was sweet on you." Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"Please!" Caroline adjusted her visor higher on her forehead. "I would never fall for that 'suave Brit' bullshit. I'm too smart for that."

"Oh really? So that wasn't you drooling at him? That was somebody else?"

Caroline replied by throwing an empty paper cup at her co-worker. Charlotte shook her head and turned back to the register.

The shop wasn't busy at all, thankfully. Only an older man at the front and a teenage girl by the window overheard Charlotte's comments. Caroline took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. They were shaking. This 'no men' thing was killing her. An attractive guy pays the slightest attention to her and she needed a shock blanket. She scoffed and busied her hands with wiping down the counter. Stupid, sexy Klaus.

Klaus walked up to the passenger side of his truck and handed the smoothie through the open window to Rebekah, who gave him a suspicious look. Pushing her platinum hair back from her face, she took a sip of her drink, and then turned to Klaus as he got into the driver's seat.

"Did you get lost in there?" She said snidely.

Klaus gave her a withering look. He took a long drink of his coffee before putting it into the cup holder on the dashboard. It was surprisingly good, for some tiny little coffee house that wasn't even franchised. For a moment, he ignored his sister and thought about the girl he had met inside, Caroline. She was ravishing. Even with her golden hair up in a work-appropriate ponytail, she was practically glowing. Not to mention the constant flush of her cheeks as he had spoken to her, something that Klaus found very attractive. He smiled absently at the thought.

"Earth to Nik! What is with you today?" Rebekah snapped her fingers beside his head. He blinked a few times and then looked at Rebekah as if noticing her for the first time. He could almost see the gears turning in her head as she decoded his face.

"Oh god," she groaned. "You met a girl."

Klaus turned the keys in the engine and pulled out of his parking spot, driving with one arm. "None of your business," he replied after they had exited the parking lot.

"Did you order the same drink as her? Was it like, fate?" Rebekah snickered, watching her brother's expression turn from absent to annoyed.

"She actually made my coffee, if you must know." Klaus turned away to check his blind spot as he switched lanes.

Rebekah barked with laughter, earning a glare from Klaus. "So you met a girl at the shop you're planning to run out of business? I wonder how she'll take the news."

"An unfortunate coincidence," Klaus growled, "but the location is perfect."

He brought the car to a stop in the underground parking lot of his condo. Rebekah got out of the car, holding her empty cup delicately at her side. Klaus followed quietly, his lips pursed. They walked to the elevator in silence. Rebekah hit the button with the back of her hand and eyed her brother.

Nik was staring into the blank grey of the elevator doors. His fingers were rattling a nonsense beat on the side of his cup, a tick he had whenever he was deep in thought. Whatever he was thinking, she didn't like it. Especially if it involved that coffee girl. Nik was very intense; he didn't do things half-heartedly. He was an all-or-nothing man. And she didn't need her brother getting distracted from the tea house two weeks before it was supposed to open, all because of some half-wit girl who'd caught his attention.

Caroline was just finishing stacking the chairs on the tables when the bell over the door chimed. The November night air rushed into the store. "Oh, we're closed-Hey Alaric."

Her boss, the owner/manager of Saltzman's Brew, walked past her and behind the counter. He made his way to the baked goods at the front and grabbed a muffin. Caroline watched him out of the corner of her eye. After working with him for two years, she could always tell when he was upset. His hair was slightly ruffled and messy from its usual part. The sleeves of his black button-up were rolled and haphazardly shoved up his forearms. Caroline watched him practically devour the blueberry muffin in three bites.

"Hey Caroline," Alaric said after he'd swallowed. "Charlotte went home already?"

"Yeah, I don't mind sweeping up." Caroline replied, stacking the last chair. "What's up?"

Alaric sighed, leaning against the counter. Caroline went into the back to grab a broom and began to sweep the shop from back to front. She really didn't mind doing it; it was almost calming in its monotony.

"We're in trouble, Caroline," Alaric finally answered, running a hand through his hair.

"What do you mean?" She asked, as she swept around the legs of a table.

"You know the vacant building across the street, with the windows all boarded up? They put a notice on the door this morning: 'Mikaelson's Tea House is coming soon'." Alaric grumbled, picking up another muffin and unwrapping it.

Caroline tilted her head. "So? It's a tea place, big deal. We sell coffee."

"You don't understand. The Mikaelson's Tea House is like...the Superman of the brewed drinks market. They have like ten locations globally, so whenever they make a store anywhere, it`s a huge deal. Why the hell they chose Richmond, Virginia, is beyond me."

Caroline nodded. "So if they're Superman, we're..."

"We're Clark Kent. Less. Compared to them...they have over 65 different kinds of tea. They have special merchandise. There are people who visit every store they put up! People love them. It's an old company too. Ugh." He put his hand across his eyes, but continued to eat his second muffin. His brow wrinkled in frustration. "Worst part of all is I really want to see inside their store. It's supposed to be incredible."

Caroline opened the front door and swept the pile of dirt outside onto the sidewalk. The night air snaked around her ankles and she shut the door quickly. Finally, she could finish her especially long day, which had been inundated with thoughts of a certain customer. Untying her apron from around the back proved to be too difficult for her. She walked back to Alaric and he untied the knot, holding his muffin in his mouth.

"There," he said when he finished. Caroline sighed, and pulled the garment off her head, knocking the visor off at the same time. She smoothed down the cream sweater she was wearing. It was so pretty, one of her favourites, it was almost a shame she had to wear it under her apron.

"Ric, we're going to be fine. Saltzman's Brew isn't Clark Kent. We're Batman, who, as everyone knows, is way cooler than Superman." She gave him a hopeful smile as she let her curls down.

"Doesn't help that they're English, either. All the Anglophiles are gonna be crowding it on opening day, trying to get a look at Klaus Mikaelson." Alaric dismissed Caroline's encouragement, clearly just looking to vent.

Caroline's head whipped around at the name. "His name is Klaus?"

"Yeah, one of the Mikaelson boys, supposedly a gorgeous, British playboy. God, I am going to stress-eat myself into a different weight class." Alaric balled up the muffin wrapper in his hand and tossed it towards the trash bin. It bounced off the side onto the floor. "That's an omen."

Caroline put her knuckle to her lips. She had never seen Klaus in Saltzman's Brew before, and she had been there almost every day for the last two years. Every other customer knew her by name from familiarity, but he had been new. He was so confident and at ease, something about him screamed posh, he had a perfect accent…it had to be. How many Klaus's could there possibly be in Richmond? It was no coincidence. The very same Klaus Mikaelson, apparent playboy, had been flirting with her just that afternoon. And getting a taste of the competition, more likely.

A swell of anger bloomed in her chest. "Oh my god, I know him." Caroline whispered, her eyes wide in shock.

"What?" Alaric frowned.

"He was in the shop today. At least, I think. How many British guys named Klaus are there in Richmond?" Caroline strode to the back and grabbed her trench coat off the hanger.

"You met him? He was here?" Alaric glanced around the shop quickly, as if he was afraid the tea mogul was hiding somewhere. "What was he like? Did he try the Italian Roast?"

"Yeah, he did actually," Caroline paused to think about him, the exact opposite of what she had been doing most of the night. Her cheeks heated when she remembered how he acted towards her. Probably not something she should tell Alaric, she decided.

"Good, good…that's the best cup in here. We'll get them yet." Alaric rubbed his chin. Caroline pulled on her coat and reached into the pocket, finding her iPhone safely inside. She had this irrational fear that one day when she put her hand there it would be gone. She checked the time: 10:45 pm. A good 12 hours of work. Her wallet would be pleased.

"Alright, I'm gonna head home, you good here?" Caroline asked, looking up from her phone. "Stop eating!"

Alaric's open mouth froze just inches from his third muffin. With a shameful look, he threw the offending treat into the trash. "You're right. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. See you Monday, Caroline."

Caroline waved and stepped outside into the brisk night air. She let out a sigh. That Klaus was sneaky, coming into their shop and playing around like he wasn't about to run them into the ground. This job was the only thing keeping Caroline from moving back with her parents, and she was fiercely loyal to Ric. But as the fall winds whipped a tornado of leaves across the street, Caroline shivered. Something was brewing, and it was big.

Author's Note: Wow so I haven't written a fic in ages...but I couldn't help myself. I love Klaus and Caroline! So yeah, this is the basically coffee shop AU with a twist. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, leave a review. Constructive criticism is incredibly helpful.

The rating is T for now...but it will go up to M, pinky promise. ;)