„Elena's phone,—" After few short beeps the familiar voice made Caroline roll her eyes in annoyance. "—I can't get to the phone at the moment, so leave me a message after the beep."

"Elena, you're my best friend and I love you, but it sucks that the only conversation I get after weeks is with your answering machine!" Her voice rose with every word until she was practically shouting into the phone, making everyone in the tiny space of the coffee shop turn their heads to look at the girl sitting alone by the table. "And now everyone thinks that I'm a psychopath. Great. Thanks." This time she whispered into the phone after casting a charming smile at everyone who was still looking. "Look, I understand that you're having a romantic rendezvous with Damon in bed just like every other day of the past week, but I really need to talk to you. Something amazing—"

Another beep cut her sentence short; indicating that the limited time she had to share the excitement was not nearly enough. Caroline let out a long sigh and threw the phone back into her purse before emptying another tiny cup of espresso, making it the fifth one that morning. Never a big fan of coffee, she learned that it was perfect fuel for someone living in the madness of New York, so perfect that it was too difficult to resist getting all fueled up every day.

New York was great and she loved it – the people, the clubs, the shops, everything was so different from a gloomy setting of Mystic Falls and as soon as she got a chance to get out with her law school diploma in the bottom of her suitcase, Caroline didn't spent as much as a moment to hesitate. First few months were all about parties and holiday; Elena and Bonnie spent the first month with her, all sharing a tiny one-bedroom apartment that Caroline rented even though it wasn't much of an inconvenience as they didn't spend too much time there. But then Damon came back from his business trip to Italy and Jeremy was done with his exams thus both of her friends had to leave to go back to their sappy romance-filled lives that Caroline sometimes loathed. Loneliness made her think about Tyler, sometimes she spent hours staring at his name in her address book, tempted to call just for the sake of old good times, wishing to bring a pinch of that goodness back. However she was too proud – he left to start his top secret independent business with some college buddies she never met, no matter how much she begged him to stay.

And so it begun – caffeine laced lifestyle of a college graduate carrying thousands of resumes in her purse and attending tens of interviews per day. One might think that weeks of rejection would bring her spirits down, but she was Caroline Forbes – MissMysticFalls, head of prom committee, college valedictorian and fashion diva extraordinaire.

"Alright, Caroline, you can do this." She murmured to herself, tapping her fingers against a glass surface of the table impatiently. Whether it was anxiety or a side-effect of caffeine she didn't know, but both options seemed less and less glamorous after another five minutes flew by and the inevitable was coming. Caroline scored another job interview at a prestigious law firm right across the street of the coffee shop and only the sight of it through the window made the hair on the back of her neck stand in stress. It was exciting that her resume got their attention giving the reputation of the firm – it was established by two Mikaelson brothers – Klaus and Elijah – and it was crème de la crème in the law world.

Fighting an urge to dawn another cup of coffee she fished a couple of ten dollar bills out of her purse and slammed in on the table a bit louder than anticipated. She saw couple of people raising their heads from newspapers they were reading or laptops they were glued to just to look at the same crazy girl who just caused a scene with her cell phone, however it didn't matter as there was something more nerve-wrecking she had to look forward to. A bell by the door rang as she slipped outside, atmosphere filled with chatter and sirens coming from down the street. New York was just as hectic and random as Caroline herself was and maybe that was exactly the reason why she felt so comfortable living there. Despite her funds running low and her tiny apartment smelling like dust and old people, she was still trying to make the best out of the not-so-glamorous situation, trying to hold tight to her girly excitement.

She hurried across the packed street, maneuvering around cars in her high heels as if she was floating in the air – graciousness was yet another thing she had plenty off. Dressed in her business-like attire, blonde hair tidied in a bun she tried to look as respectable as she could, spicing her appearance with sky-high heels that gave a perfect edge to the boring looks. Stopping right in front of the building she looked at fancy carvings and columns decorating the exterior of the building more old-fashioned than the average structure in New York. Reputation of Mikaelsons was well-known – they were somewhat of aristocrats, filthy rich and old-fashioned; at least Elijah Mikaelson was, while his younger brother Klaus was better known for reckless behavior in public and ruthlessness in the court. Something told her that it was Elijah's idea to have the building so classy while Klaus, probably, was all about tinted glass, leather couches and an occasional whip every here and there.

She chuckled to herself about the idea and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before finally making her way to the front door and swinging them open just to step into an atmosphere so different from the outside. The foyer was filled with lawyers and clients running around with stacks of files in their hands and crazy look in their eyes. Phones were ringing and conversations filled the space with a cacophony that was somewhat exciting to Caroline just because she could almost see herself here – busy and just as crazy as the job description was.

"Caroline Forbes. I have a 10 o'clock meeting with Elijah Mikaelson." She sang in her most charming voice at a man sitting behind the reception table. He didn't even bother to look at her while checking his books and sliding a guest-pass across the marble surface.

"Forth floor, second door on the right." He mumbled and picked up the phone that was ringing insistently before she even managed to offer him a polite 'thank you'.

Well, people seemed busy, but probably that was the glamour of the successful business that was booming with clients and cases that seemed to be so inviting. She strutted towards the elevator, dismissing the idea to take the stairs just because her high heels were gorgeous but also almost deadly to walk in. The elevator was covered in carpets and packed with people, making it nearly impossible to squeeze in and still have her dignity. Most of the people left at the second floor and by the time she reached the fourth – it was only her and a young brunette who stepped out in a completely empty corridor faster than Caroline did and disappeared around the corner in what seemed like a second. Taking a deep breath she made her way towards the door that read "Elijah Mikaelson" in a fancy golden name plate. Caffeine buzz was still there and by the time she realized, Caroline was knocking on the door louder and faster than was acceptable while trying to impress someone by being classy and respectable.

"Come in." A soft voice interrupted her silent cursing and she straightened her skirt before turning the handle and stepping into a bright spacious cabinet that took her breath away. However the room wasn't the thing that got her complete attention – it was the man sitting behind the desk with his gaze glued on her and a little smile curving corners of his mouth. If Caroline ever thought of a prince on the white horse while she was younger – he would've been a perfect impersonation of that fantasy. A well-tailored suit fit him perfectly and she honestly couldn't take her eyes of him when he stood up and made his way towards her.

"Caroline Forbs, I presume. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." His smooth voice laced with deep accent almost made her jump, however she managed to gather her most charming smile and extend her hand in greeting.

"Mister Mikaelson, thank you for this amazing opportunity. I can't start explaining just how thrilled I am about being here, and I can't even start imagining how my resume would be of interest to someone like you and —" She stopped there scolding herself for babbling. Way to go, Caroline, diminishing yourself will definitely get you this position. Not. She thought to herself before finally managing to let out a short fake laughter as if hoping it will erase everything she said. "—I'm sorry, I'm babbling."

"Please, call me Elijah." He finally answered, trying to fight a laughter that Caroline wasn't blaming him for. If she was someone in his position with a person talking nonsense – she would laugh too and then kick them out, but instead Elijah took her hand and brushed his lips against the back of it for just a fraction of a second. "Please, take a seat."

Caroline thanked the universe once he turned around just because a bright red blush settled on her cheeks and she didn't want to seem crazier than she already did. Somehow she managed to make her way to the chair graciously, even though a scenario of her tripping over her feet and hugging the floor was playing over and over in her head. Caroline took a seat and crossed her legs, trying her best to gather herself and fix the situation by being her charming irresistible self.

"So, Miss Forbes, tell me a little bit about yourself." Linking his fingers together Elijah locked his gaze on her, making her bite the tip of her tongue just so to stop another round of random babble that was forcing it's way out.

"Well," she finally started, taking a deep breath and trying to speak as slow and understandable as possible. "I graduated from University of Virginia three months ago and moved into New York with a dream of pursuing career in law." Even though her little story sounded respectable it was also dry and not at all Caroline-like, however it wasn't the time to be her goofy self when talking to someone who was about to decide whether her dream comes true or not.

"I have read your resume, so I am well aware of your education. I wanted you to talk about yourself." He accentuated the last word and suddenly Caroline felt like that terrible night of speed-dating she, Elena and Bonnie once attended to was repeating itself. Only that time it was meant to be a joke and now she was on display while her perfect plan to be subtle was about to crumble down.

"Do you know those little towns in a middle of nowhere, towns where nothing good or exciting ever happens and once asked to talk about yourself you're facing quite a task because you've spent years and years in a place where your best memories are the first beer you've drunk and a first boy you've kissed?" Caroline had to stop and take a deep breath because all words came out in a one long sentence that she couldn't stop no matter how much she wanted. "I came from a town like this; I was missMysticFalls, head of prom committee, a friend, a girlfriend and a daughter. I'm a lot of different things, however in the bigger picture they all merge into one and fade away because you want brighter colors and more defined lines."

Suddenly she stopped and bit her lower lip in regret because the monologue — no matter how long — meant nothing in particular. She loathed the silence that dawned on them and witnessed a small smirk tugging the corner of Elijah's lips that left her wandering whether it was mockery or whether he was crazy enough to find sense in her words. Her question left unanswered as after another moment he stood up and leaned on the table looking at her.

"It was a pleasure, Miss Forbes. Please wait for a callback on Monday"

That's it? She nodded and jumped up, almost dropping her purse on the ground however managing to catch it mid-air thus earning her couple of points for not looking like a complete klutz.

"I look forward to it." She murmured under her nose and hurried out of the room and into the same empty hallway. Well, the meeting was a total bust and she wanted to burst into tears the whole time she was riding the elevator. Instead of admiring the interior and people buzzing back and forth she loathed them all and cursed them in their head even if neither actually deserved it.

Only after reaching the lobby Caroline was able to pull herself together and take a deep breath that helped her get her head straight. Robust smell of coffee coming from a coffee stand was inviting and she gave in the second she spotted tens of bottles of syrups lined on the counter. Caroline ordered the biggest cup of coffee they had with double the dose of vanilla syrup and after steaming hot liquid was in her hand she started walking towards the exit at the same time digging in the purse for the cell phone because another session of voicemails was mandatory.

She found the tiny device in no more than few seconds, however it was more than enough to get her distracted and once she tilted her head it was far too late to stop the inevitable. Her tiny frame collapsed into someone else's, coffee was spilled all over hers and his clothes, burning her hand and fueling her snoozing rage that much more.

"Watch it!" She spat out at the man that seemed just as furious as she was, maybe even more.

"What the bloody hell?" Accent lacing his words was too strong not to notice and she felt all air being sucked out of her lungs as the realization hit her.

Expensive suit completely ruined and bloody murder coloring his gaze. She'd seen him in magazines, she'd secretly wanted to be as strong and witty as he was, yet there they were – standing in the middle of crowded lobby both smelling like vanilla with stains covering their clothes. But that wasn't the worst of it, the worst was the fact that Klaus Mikaelson had as big of a say who joins the firm as his brother and yet she managed to wash her tiny little hope away in steaming hot coffee.