Disclaimer: Not mine, as much as I wish it. A/N: Another SC movie idea. This is one of my favourite movies starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. For fun, as always. May only be a two-shot depending on how things go. Fluff warning! Reviews welcome! x
The Perfect Life
1.
Caroline sat on a plane to Nice, in France, with her parents, along with tickets intended for her and her long time boyfriend, Klaus, who had dumped her. Below, taking photographs of a speed boat on the harbour, Stefan Salvatore climbed into his red Porsche and looked at a parcel on the passenger seat. Caroline pulled her suitcase through the marbled floors of the hotel, standing with her mum, Liz as her dad, Bill Forbes, negotiated with the concierge. "No, I asked for two rooms with an adjoining door. My daughter is a single woman, alone, in a foreign city..." he said.
Caroline interjected. "Recently single! And I'm not always alone!" Bill handed her the room key. "Darling, you are going to find the perfect guy, one who doesn't have a dishonest bone in his body." She made a face. "I don't feel like discussing Klaus anymore," she whispered. Liz nodded. "You're right, he's dead to us." Liz smiled, trying to make Caroline feel better, but achieving the opposite result. They caught the lift to their rooms on the fourth floor, and her parents decided to get room service for dinner, leaving Caroline to explore Nice by herself, thank god!
Caroline stood in the lift, sucking on some mints and trying not to think about Klaus and all the turmoil of their on-again-off-again relationship, when a shirtless man entered, "Bonjour!" She knew some French but resumed sucking on mints, unable to articulate a word, distracted by his bare torso. His wetsuit hugged his hips, and he swung a snorkel-mask back and forth in-time with the lift's jingle. She smiled when he caught her gaze, and was glad to exit the lift, before she made a fool of herself.
She stole glances at him, paranoid he was following her. He smirked the fifth time she looked around and made a smart-arse comment, making her blush. "Amazing you look even more surprised every time you look back at me..." Caroline brushed her blond hair from her flushed face, demanding answers. "Are you following me?" Stefan pointed at the water. "Actually, I'm just going for a swim. I'm Stefan." She laughed like a nervous idiot. "Caroline," she said, trying to remember how to flirt.
"Do you want to get a drink with me tonight, Caroline?" Stefan asked, showing off his charming smile. She tried not to look too desperate. "Sure," she said. He pulled up his wet suit. "Cool, I'll see you at eight, in the foyer," Stefan grinned. Shit, she needed to find a dress pronto! She returned to her hotel where Bill had ordered drinks. "Sorry dad, I'm going shopping, new life, new wardrobe," she said, pushing away his ginger ale. "Do you mind picking up some saltines for your father?" Liz called from the bathroom. "Fine," Caroline sighed. "I might be a while."
The last thing she needed was her parents coming after her on her date with Stefan. After hours searching for the perfect dress, she found something blue in a small boutique, and returned to her room, locking the adjoining door. She left the tag on the dress so she could return it the next day, something she learnt from Elena Gilbert, then applied a small amount of make-up to hide the bags beneath her eyes, and arrived in the foyer, thinking over suitable things to talk about, which didn't include her break-up with her ex, or her parents.
Stefan arrived dressed in a grey suit with a blue tie, his brown hair all wind-swept. He kissed her cheek in greeting. They walked out onto the busy street. It was late afternoon and people were returning to the hotel after a long day relaxing by the sea. Tomorrow she might be one of them, she thought, clinging to Stefan's arm, and recalling Klaus. She couldn't rush into this relationship like she had with Klaus, she wanted to do things differently. She laughed inwardly. She was far too weird, maybe that's why Klaus broke up with her? Maybe it had nothing to do with moving in together and more to do with how she always fed the stray cats in her street? Stefan's voice shook her from her paranoia. "We're here," he said.
The cafe stood between another four on the promenade. Children played hopscotch nearby. She saw a speed boat crashing through the waves. "I've been here a few times for work, this is the best restaurant in Nice." He swiped some menus as a waitress came to read them the specials. "Welcome to Stella Marie's, tonight's special is butternut squash soup served with toasted parmesan croutons, and sage, or seafood fettuccini. Here is menu and the wine list, and I'll be back soon to take your order." The waitress gave Caroline a warm smile.
"Champagne?" Stefan asked, perusing the menu. Caroline had to wring her hands together to stop them from shaking. "Too bad, I hate champagne!" she blurted. Stefan looked disappointed. "That was a joke! I'm a dating robot sent here to observe your ways..." Shut up, you're ruining everything! Stefan stared at her, then the corners of his lips twitched. She sat on her hands, looking at the menu, and happened to look back at the promenade when a seagull screeched. Her eyes widened in horror. There were her parents, not having room service.
"Oh shit!" Caroline hid her upper torso beneath the table cloth, stressing. "Is everything ok?" Stefan joined her. "I like to live on the edge," she whispered, all the blood rushing to her head. How the hell would she explain this? "You see that man over there?" she began, taking a deep breath. "Well, he's been following me, and actually, he's a dangerous criminal..." Things went from bad to worse, simply because Caroline had the ability to say anything when nervous, anything at all, such as incriminating her father as a paedophile.
"No, it's fine, I've already got a restraining order out on him." Sorry dad, she thought. Stefan didn't seem convinced, but the waitress returned to take their orders. "So what do you do?" Caroline asked, hiding her face behind her champagne glass. "Consulting," Stefan answered, straightening up his knife and fork. She took a sip of her champagne. Their date went well after that, despite the awful start. She liked Stefan, and it seemed he liked her. They managed to discuss politics and interests well into the night.
She discovered the waitress' name was Rebekah. "You don't happen to have an ass of a brother named Klaus, do you?" Caroline rambled, intending it as a joke. "Yes, actually, although I call him Nik." Caroline's eyes widened. "Rebekah Mikaelson?" she gasped. Stefan watched Caroline drain what was left in her glass. Rebekah laughed. "Caroline Forbes? What a coincidence! I've heard so much about you!" Rebekah answered Stefan's confused look. "She used to date my brother, but we never got to meet since, well, Klaus and I had a falling out, and I've been travelling for three years."
Rebekah went to bring them another bottle of champagne to celebrate, whilst Caroline's head spun.
"Small world," Stefan mumbled. Caroline nodded, wondering whether Rebekah had any news of Klaus. "I'm really sorry, we all really liked you." Rebekah said, sitting in the spare chair and pouring more drinks. "I don't know much about his new girlfriend, just that they moved down to New Orleans, but enough about my brother, what about you? How have you been?" Caroline and Stefan were the last ones to leave the restaurant. Rebekah dragged them to one of her favourite night clubs where a random guy took an interest in Caroline.
"I really need to get back to my date," she muttered, trying to escape the man's wandering hands. Stefan arrived with shots, and Rebekah intervened, shoving the guy out of their dance circle. "Does this dress say prostitute?" Caroline picked at the material, slightly affronted. Rebekah grabbed her hand, dancing to some retro DJ music, whilst Stefan swallowed his shot. "Ignore him, and no, it doesn't," Rebekah sighed. "You look beautiful," she said.
Stefan was ready to leave after midnight, explaining he had an early day of work. "On a Saturday?" Caroline teased. "No rest for the wicked," Rebekah interjected, laughing and giving Caroline a hug and a kiss. "Enjoy the rest of your date, thanks for letting me crash it, and I hope we can do it again soon. It was nice to finally meet you." Caroline felt the same. Even if her relationship with Klaus was truly over, that didn't mean she had to break her friendships with his family, did it? Stefan helped her up a flight of stairs, listening to her rant about Klaus and his new girlfriend, as they returned to the hotel.
"I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be telling you all this, since we just met, but-" Caroline attempted to swipe her room-key but her vision skewed, and her hands shook from nerves. It had been a long time since she'd invited a guy into her room, and a stranger at that. Stefan held her hand steady. "I really need to pee." She threw her clutch onto her bed, tripping over her suitcase at the foot of her bed. "I'm fine!" Stefan switched on the lights, as she waged a war against her dress' zip which wouldn't give.
Stefan walked towards her, making her heart race. "Caroline, there's something I've been wanting to do all night..." Oh god, he was going to kiss her, and sure, she wanted to kiss him, but not right then, she needed to pee first. Stefan surprised her by ripping the tag off her dress. "It's been sticking out all night," he said, throwing it onto her bed. Caroline sighed. "Ok fine, you've got me. I only bought it today," she confessed. "I'm not spontaneous, I don't like living on the edge. I live a very quiet, normal life. I'm a planner. I plan things, sometimes months in advance. Like this holiday, and I never buy dresses this expensive."
Stefan smiled, apparently her freak-out didn't bother him. "I can't breathe, it's so tight! Stefan, I need you to unzip me, just break it!" He smirked, yanking the zip as hard as he could. He picked up a nearby towel, holding it up so she could undress behind it without being seen. "And whilst, I'm confessing...that guy with the moustache who I called a paedophile, yeah, I lied, he's my dad, and yes, you may as well know, I'm here on holiday with my parents, so I'm going to pee, and if you're still here, then good, and if not, then goodbye." She sat on the toilet massaging her temples, thinking she'd blown it, but she hadn't heard the door slam.
Caroline returned to see Stefan facing her window, and jumped onto her mattress, arranging her towel, and making sure she showed a bit of cleavage, Elena always said more cleavage was best. "I feel like you're real, so I want to be real with you..." Stefan began. Caroline listened, propping her cheek against her hand. "I'm not in consulting. I kill people. I'm not a murderer, I'm a professional. I don't like what I do, but I like you." He turned around and saw Caroline asleep on her arm. "Awesome," he sighed. He wrote his number down and left it beside her. "Tomorrow I'm going to show you Nice, and hopefully, that will only be the beginning."
Stefan did meet Caroline tomorrow, in the lift, and she apologised profusely for falling asleep on him. They went out on another date, and then a third and fourth. They went to all the museé's, visited Sacré Coeur, climbed the Eiffel Tower and watched the sunset on the water in Cannes.
They went skinny dipping, ate in all the best restaurants, and shared their first kiss in front of the Arc de Triomphe. On her last day in Nice, they returned to Stella Marie's and shared a bottle of champagne with Rebekah, who gave them complimentary apricot soufflés drizzled in honey.
Stefan excused himself. "Just going to the men's, then I'll settle the bill," he said, leaving Caroline and Rebekah discussing the Parisian Markets. He bypassed the men's, since it was never his intention, he had one last thing to take care of before he left Nice.
"The rough guide to France? Really?" Stefan sat on a park bench beside an old man. Jonas Martin smiled, putting down his travel directory. "You've had your fun screwing Pollyanna for a week, now I need you to get back to work." Stefan frowned. "Her name is Caroline, and she's not like the others."
Jonas Martin rolled his eyes. "It's a crush. End it." Stefan shook his head. "I feel normal when I'm with her. She trusts me and I'm not willing to compromise that." He left his seat. "It's over," Stefan said.
"You are what you are, Stefan," Jonas Martin stated, trying to create doubt in his mind he could ever live a normal life. Stefan didn't care, he had found his match. Caroline Forbes was a good person, she was kind, a good friend, and she deserved his full attention. He went to relieve himself, staring at his reflection in the bathroom. This was real, tonight he would ask Caroline to marry him, and he hoped she'd say yes.
Liz Forbes sat with her feet up, waiting for the oven timer to go off. Caroline was in the kitchen, whisking the icing to her tequila and lime cupcakes. "Physical, Godlike perfection," Liz murmured. Caroline smirked, happy to find her mum had approved of her's and Stefan's engagement, it was just a matter of convincing her father. Caroline squeezed the lime juice into mixture, wincing when it found a paper cut.
"I hear you're jobless?" Bill asked Stefan, in their first formal get-together at Caroline's parents' house. "I hope to get a new job soon," Stefan said. Bill Forbes adjusted his grip on his golf club. "And you were in consulting?" he asked. Stefan nodded, finding the grilling intense, but he supposed, a necessary precaution by a concerned father. "And you promise, you'll never hurt her?" Bill pressed. "You have my word, Mr Forbes," Stefan said.
Stefan had tied a ribbon to Caroline's door, in their home town of Mystic Falls. He had a surprise for his wife of three years, a new office, organized the way she liked it, he hoped. "Hurry up, Stefan!" Caroline wrung her hands together, wearing his tie as a blind fold, as he opened the door, and guided her inside. He dropped the blindfold, waiting for her reaction. She stared at the multi-coloured desk folders, new stationary and furniture. "I love it!" she said, flinging herself into his arms, and giving him an appreciative kiss. "How did I get so lucky?" Stefan murmured.
"Charm and wit," Caroline whispered, laughing when they stumbled into the couch. "And, I've been dying to tell you, I've booked two plane tickets to Nice, I'm taking two weeks off at the end of the month..." she grinned, Nice had a special place in her heart. "I have everything I need, right here," Stefan said. "We could go to Stella Marie's and catch up with Rebekah, I wonder if she still goes clubbing?" Caroline paused, seeing Stefan hesitation. She propped herself up on her elbows. "Ok, what's going on with you?" He sighed. "I just... like it here. I like my job, I like this house, you..."
Caroline sighed, appreciating the feel of his hands in her hair. "Fine, I'll give them to Elena and Aaron," she sighed. "But please, can we just go away for a few days, even if it's just to Chicago or Atlanta, I need to escape my parents, and my job, and this house, with you." Stefan kissed her, and she pulled him on top of her, intending to continue their little session, just without their clothes. The doorbell rang, interrupting them, and Stefan answered the door, without his shirt.
"Hi Stefan! Did you get one of these flyers? There's a block party tonight, hope you can come!" Greta, one of their eccentric neighbours thrust a flyer into his face. "Thanks," Stefan said, taking the flyer, but thinking they'd be staying in, preferably in their bed, until morning. He engaged in a one-sided conversation, and after ten minutes finally shut the door, returning to see Caroline on the phone. "Ok, fine, I'll do it, but only if you give me a pay rise for the rest of the year. I'll see you at the airport," she said to the caller.
Caroline walked up to him, resting her head against his chest with a sigh. "Hold onto that thought," she whispered. "One of the marketing assistants is sick, and I have to fill in, apparently I'm the only one capable enough. I'm so sorry, I know it's your birthday weekend...I'm going to call mum and dad, so they can still take you out for dinner." Stefan shook his head. "No need, there's a block party tonight. I'll be fine, I can hang out with Vaughn," he said.
Caroline lowered her phone, looking suspicious. "I'll be fine," Stefan repeated, kissing her again. She sighed, resting her head against his. "I promise, the moment I get back we're having sex," Stefan raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?" She laughed when he kissed her again, making her knees weak. "Why don't you just catch a later flight?" She wrapped her arms around him, too busy returning his kisses to answer. He picked her up and carried her into their bedroom.
Stefan sat in the car with Bill, their relationship hadn't changed much since Stefan married Caroline. He owed Bill his thanks, for giving him a job as an architect and tipping them off on where to purchase a house in Mystic Falls, but there was always something below the surface which made Stefan not completely trust the man, he just didn't know what it was. Stefan's phone rang, and he picked it up, not recognising the number. They had been at the pub to celebrate Stefan's birthday, and Bill had gone, only to please his daughter, Stefan thought. "Hello?"
Stefan recognised the caller as soon as he heard his voice. "It's Annabel Hensler, meet me in room 114 at The Grill tomorrow, we have much to discuss." How had Jonas Martin tracked him down? It had been three years, three years living a normal life. There was no way in hell he was going to give that up. "Not going to happen, Annabel-" Stefan hung up his phone, a sinking feeling in his chest. "Did you just hang up on someone?" Bill parked his BMW in Stefan's driveway. The lights weren't on, and Stefan presumed Caroline had gone to catch her flight. He already missed her.
"No, I, uh, it was my old boss, asking if I wanted my old job back." Stefan climbed out of the car, checking his pockets for his house keys. "Did I leave them in the car?" Stefan murmured, whilst Bill rang the doorbell. "I'm not telepathic," came Bill's reply. Stefan rolled his eyes, ready for the night to be over with. "Fell out of my pocket," Stefan picked up his keys, and saw something sticking out of the letterbox. He pulled the junk mail from the letter box, knowing the longer he stalled, the more pissed off Bill would get, and hurried to open the door. Bill scratched his moustache, "After you."
Stefan stepped over the threshold, finding the house eerier than usual, and anxiously wondering whether Jonas had broken in to recruit him back to his old job. A floor board creaked, and then Bill turned on the lights. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEFAN!" He loosened his grip on his rolled up junk mail breathing a sigh of relief. Caroline had packed her suitcase, but had no plans to leave. She kissed him, causing the other guests to laugh and whistle. "Our meeting has been moved til tomorrow, I told them it was my husband's birthday, and I wouldn't come if I didn't get tonight off."
Stefan held onto her waist, looking around their lounge room and kitchen at all their friends and neighbours. "Thank you for getting him out of the house," Caroline said to Bill. Liz greeted Stefan, giving him a warm hug and a bottle of bourbon. "Thank you," Stefan took the bottle to the kitchen. "You're welcome," Liz smiled. Caroline called over her shoulder. "Ok everyone, time to get this party started! Vaughn turn the music up, mum and dad, make yourself comfortable, Greta, drinks!" Stefan went to the kitchen to put down the junk mail, and found a postcard from Jonas, reminding him of their meeting. He knew it would be worse if he ignored it. He slid the postcard inside his jacket pocket for safe keeping and returned to the dance floor, collecting Caroline's hand, and twirling her into his arms. He didn't regret meeting her. She had changed his life and made it better. Vaughn pulled Greta onto the dance floor, singing the lyrics to the song.
"You make my dreams come true, oh oh, oh oh, I've been waiting for you, girl, you make my dreams come true." Caroline laughed when Stefan caught her. Vaughn tried to do the same with Greta, but failed, tripping over the coffee table and face planting onto the carpet. Caroline giggled, and Stefan smiled, entwining his fingers with Caroline's, she seemed to appreciate the gesture. "I love you, Caroline," Stefan murmured. He intended to enjoy the rest of his night, before his past caught up to him. "I love you too," she said.
A/N: Please review, and point out any typos, thank you! Song featured: You Make My Dreams Come True by the Hall & Oates. I was listening to the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack as I wrote the ending to this chapter. x