a/n :: hello, welcome! i'm not one hundred percent sure where this story came from – it kind of hit me in the middle of the night and begged me to write, as plot bunnies tend to do! please enjoy!

chapter one
dead end street

Caroline Forbes had taught herself along time ago that there were three levels to embarrassment: the first was slight, like tripping up on your way into class, or spilling toothpaste down your jumper. Then there was medium - dancing and singing too loudly when you're drunk, and not remembering anything the next day. And finally, there was complete and utter, one hundred percent mortification.

The one hundred percent mortification that Caroline had tried to avoid all her life, went something along the lines of sitting awkwardly on the edge of an overly-large sofa in front of three skeptical, slightly amused men and saying:

"I thought you were girls."

So, to say the least, Caroline's day so far had been completely, and absolutely dreadful; one mortifying embarrassment after another, piling up until Caroline wondered if she could bury herself in them and hide for the rest of her life.

Hermitage was looking like a pretty bright option now.

:-:

Waking, up she supposed, on quite literally on the wrong side of bed, had never really been an evangelical sign from the heavens of a glorious day to come. Neither had been eating cold eggs for breakfast, then regretting it horribly when Caroline had been sat in the departmental meeting, trying to stop the ominous sounds escaping from her stomach.

The meeting it's self had been a disaster; they had been discussing some kind of project she was meant to be embarking on. Except everyone in the journalistic section of Mystic Fall's Newspaper had failed to inform Caroline what the actual goddamned project was, so by the time lunch time came, Caroline was very near to hitting someone.

It was only at the lunch date, with Caroline's best - Bonnie - that she was reminded of the meeting with the house owners.

"I still don't understand why I can't keep the flat?" Caroline grumbled into her fries, dipping one aggressively in the pot of Ketchup. "It's a perfectly nice, affordable flat."

Bonnie sighed. "We've gone over this, Caroline! Tyler bought the flat, Tyler doesn't want you to have the flat. You try to buy it, he only offers a ridiculous price. Tyler-"

"-is a bastard," Caroline finished. "I get it. I just-"

"I know." Bonnie squeezed her friends hand. "Look, these people seem great: big house, just outside Mystic Falls! I'm sure you'll get on like a house of fire, Care."

"Fine, I know," Caroline slurped at the last dregs of her coffee. She knew it was a vile habit, but right now vile was the only thing which kept her from running to Tyler Lockwood's flat and telling him exactly where he could put his bloody flat; he could stuff his goddamned flat up his goddamned-

"Car-o-line?"

Bonnie's voice interrupted Caroline's musings, and she looked at her friend apologetically.

"You're the best, you know that, right?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I'm just your friend, it's what I do - look out for you."

"Yeah, but you're my married, working friend, with a kid who goes out of her way to try and make me happy."

"As I said," Bonnie grinned, standing up and shouldering her bag. "I'm your friend. Now, haven't you got an interview as a potential roomie to be attending?"

"Saying everything in a french accent, doesn't make you french, Bon!" Caroline threw one arm around her friend, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Say hello to Jeremy and the kid for me?"

Bonnie returned the kiss, and swept out of the Mystic Grill with a terribly accented Au Revoir.

Caroline smiled, slipping the cheque under her plate.

To say her day had gone even more downhill from there was an understatement.

A big, fat understatement sliding down a cliff face, at a one-hundred-and-eighty degree angle, with only a paper bag as a parachute.

:-:

She arrived at the house late, after getting ridiculously lost in the maze of a forest surrounding the Salvatore Boarding House. Her mom had told her that the house's history went way back, and had used to belong to one of Mystic Fall's Founding Families, the Salvatores.

The house was massive and held an odd air of mystery; an old Tudor style porch graced its front and Caroline couldn't help shivering as she stared up at the cobwebs draped across the rafters.

The advert for a new roommate had appeared on the side of Caroline's Facebook profile three days after Tyler had demanded she leave their shared flat. It had simply read: "Looking For A New House Mate" with an audio-post explaining the location and times for interviews.

It look three rings for anyone to come to the door, and when it was finally thrown open revealing a dark haired young man with a smirking face, and from there things had gone down hill. And now she didn't even have a freaking paper bag parachute.

The man who had opened - Kol, was it? - had obviously thought she was some kind of oddly minded hooker because he had yelled, "NICHOLAS SPARKS, CHINESE TAKEOUT, HERE I COME", before Caroline had even managed to get a word in edgeways, let alone stepped through the door.

It had taken some explaining to say the least.

And so she had ended up, sitting awkwardly on the edge of an overly-large sofa in front of three skeptical, slightly amused men and saying:

"I thought you were girls."

If she had been feeling any less mortified, Caroline would have probably found the situation hilarious. Here she was, trying to find a place to live, and accusing three ratherattractive men, who happened to be potential roomies, of being girls. Their faces all held varying degrees of horror.

"I'm sorry?" The younger man with the sad-puppy face and the sculpted hair – Stefan – was the first to speak. "You what?"

Oh shit, Caroline thought miserably. The chances that the men would even agree to let her move in were growing smaller by the second.

"What, exactly, made you think that?" His brother, Damon raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I just–" Caroline stammered; she had gotten herself into a fine pickle. "–the voice in the audio post, it sounded feminine?"

Damon snorted into his glass of bourbon and raised it in amusement at his Stefan. "Nice going, brother."

Caroline blushed beetroot. Out of all of them, Stefan had seemed the most obliging and now she had just gone and insulted him. "I'm so sorry," she muttered into her lap.

Stefan shrugged amiably, before glaring at his brother. "It's fine."

"Well," Caroline made her way to stand up, grabbing her bag. "It was nice meeting you. You have a–"

"Wait! You're going already?" Kol raised an eyebrow.

"I–" Caroline paused, halfway off the sofa. "I didn't think you'd want me as a roommate, after–"

"I think Stefan can take a bit of humiliation." Damon laughed. "He's a big boy."

"Tell us about yourself," Stefan tried, ignoring his brother.

"I'm twenty four, journalist. I recently–" she paused, not knowing whether she should tell them about Tyler. "I just did somewhere to stay, really."

"I think we could deal with her," Kol commented. "She seems alright."

"Hello?" Caroline glared at him. "I am here?"

"Sorry, darling." The brunet winked at her. "What I meant to say was, I vote yes. Stefan, Damon?"

"Kol..." Stefan warned. "I think we need to discuss this a bit more–"

"Well, I vote yes," Damon commented, draining his drink. "We could use a bit of fresh meat in the house. What with you spending your life running after Rebekah the whole time, and Klaus still drowning his sorrows over Tatia. Come on, Stef!"

"I suppose–"

"Fabulous," Kol concluded for him. "When do you want to move in?"

"Kol," Stefan reprimanded. "Does the day after tomorrow work for you, Caroline?"

Caroline beamed, her embarrassment melting into relief. "It sounds brilliant."

:-:

"Okay," Bonnie said slowly. "In two days, you're going to move into a house with three random men who you've known for less than forty eight hours and live with them? What if they're axe wielding psychopaths!?

"It's four," Caroline corrected, turning down the road where her soon to be old flat was situated. "Stefan mentioned that Kol's brother Niklaus lodges with them. He wasn't there though. And don't be ridiculous, Bon. They seemed lovely."

"That's what they want you to think," Bonnie muttered darkly.

"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill," Caroline groaned. "Be happy that I'm finally getting over Tyler - isn't that what you wanted?"

"Well, you moving into a house with four random men wasn't exactly what I had planned, Caroline."

"Bonnie! Stop it - are you free tonight?"

"I should be - Jer is having the boys over so he could look after Sheila. What do you have in mind?"

"Drinks?" Caroline suggested. "In celebration of my new home with the axe murders?"

"Sounds like a plan."

:-:

There was a new sort of freshness in Caroline's heart as she locked up the flat and bounded down the stairs. She was finally starting again - off with the old and on with the new. She had begun packing up the remains of her things, ready to move into the Boarding House. Now she had girl time with Bonnie and was determined to change.

She was getting Tyler out of her life once and for all.

Walking into the Mystic Grill, she saw Bonnie at the bar, ready with two shot glasses and a bottle of bourbon. She shook her head in mock reproach as she approached her friend.

"You can't be getting drunk," she reprimanded. "You're married, remember?"

"Oh, shush," Bonnie hit her friend playfully. "It's a celebration, right?"

"Well, fill me up then," Caroline said, setting herself at the bar. "Haven't got all night."

The night flew by, almost as fast as the contents of the bourbon bottle disappeared. Finally the clock ticked to ten to midnight and Bonnie made her farewells.

"B-o-n-n-i-e," Caroline slurred. "Why do you have to go?"

Bonnie kissed her friends cheek. "I'm a married women, remember? Do you want to share a cab home?"

Caroline shook her head. "I'll stay for a while longer. See if my dress turns back into rags again."

Bonnie chuckled. "Stay safe, and tell me how the move in with the axe murders goes, okay?"

"Alright. Say hi to everyone."

Caroline watched her friend leave the pub, running a hand through her hair. In hindsight, she probably should have left with her friend. She had drunk far too much and she could feel the effects of the alcohol cruising through.

"Can I buy you a drink, love?"

Caroline started at the sound of a voice behind her. A deep, husky, English voice at that.

"Excuse me?" She turned awkwardly on her stool, to stare at the source of the sound.

The man on the bar stool down from her was staring at her intensely out of blue eyes, set off by his tanned face. Strings of beads led down to an open shirt.

Damn, he was hot.

"Drink? I'll buy you one?"

"I–" Caroline paused. She had probably consumed more alcohol than what was probably healthy but she hadn't had an attractive man offer her a drink in a long time. "Sure. I'll have what you're having."

The man smiled and waved at the barman who poured Caroline a glass of amber liquid. She sipped at it, studying the man from under hooded eyes. "I'm Caroline," she offered.

The man paused, nursing his drink.

"Nik."

There was something about his tone of voice which made Caroline wonder if he was telling her the whole truth but she banished it from her mind: she wasn't going to let silly prohibitions ruin her night.

"So," she began. "What brings you to Mystic Falls."

"I live here," Nik told her. "Yourself?"

"Same." Caroline shifted uncomfortably. Small talk had never been her good area.

The clock on the wall suddenly struck midnight and Caroline locked eyes with Nik. He winked at her.

"Well, we'd better get you out of here before my you turn into a pumpkin, love."

It was a bad idea. Caroline knew it was: a one night stand with a handsome stranger would make her feel better for a while but in the long run she knew she'd regret it.

Especially in a town as small as Mystic Falls. But there was something about this man - Nik's - eyes which made her stomach pool into a storm of butterflies, and the half smirk on his face, daring her to refuse his offer, made every inch of her body tingle like electric.

"Fine," she agreed.

The cab ride passed in a blur: the pair tumbled onto the seats and Nik told the cab driver his address. There was something oddly familiar about it but Caroline didn't stop to think for long. Nik's hands were suddenly everywhere: sliding down from her cheekbones, to her shoulders, to her chest, to the curve of her thighs.

His mouth was hot against hers, moving against it, his tongue asking for – demanding – entrance. Caroline obliged whimpering as his teeth grazed her bottom lip. Somewhere in the middle distance, she heard the cab driver muttering about young people and sex but she was too lost in Nik to notice.

The car pulled to a stop and reluctantly the pair drew away as Nik payed the fare. Caroline's body was on fire. There was a wanton ache in the pit of her stomach and her lips tasted like sweat, alcohol and lust.

Before she knew it, the cab had driven away away and Nik's arms were around her again. Their lips collided and Caroline grabbed the collar of his shirt, crushing him closer to her. His hands grabbed her ass, lifting her up until she could wrap her legs around him, pushing her core closer against his growing hardness.

The low dip of her back grazed against a tree but Caroline didn't stop; his hands were on her thighs, fingers creeping agonizingly slowly towards the hem of her dress, his mouth trailing streams of fire down her neck, biting at the soft skin there. God, this was–

Caroline's heart froze.

"Stop–" she demanded, pushing Nik away from her. "Stop. Right now."

Nik's hands slipping from her legs as Caroline slid down the tree, holding onto it on shaky legs. Her alcohol ridden mind had just noticed the house behind Nik. Something caught in her throat.

Big. Creepy. Tudor style porch.

"You–you live here?"

"Yes?" Nik stared at her in confusion. "Are you–"

Nik. Niklaus. Klaus.

How could she have been so stupid?

"Oh, shit," Caroline whispered as she stared up at the Salvatore Boarding House, her stomach churning with horror.

a/n :: well, if you stayed long enough to read this, i hope you enjoyed! updates will come soon

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