This was supposed to be a one-shot but it kind of exploded. This three-parter deals with Klaus and Caroline's friendship and how Klaus' feelings for Caroline evolve, leading to the events of ''Friends... and Something Else''.
The first part serves as an introduction.
This is unbeta'd.
Happy reading! :)
''Ow,'' she cried as her knees hit the hard dusty ground. The swing went back and forth. She looked up at the blonde boy who had just pushed her. ''Why did you do that?! Are you crazy?!'' She looked at her chapped knees. ''I'm bleeding!'' she said, disbelieving.
''You're not bleeding,'' he huffed, rolling his eyes, as he towered over her. ''And really, it's all your fault. You've been monopolizing this swing for an hour. It's my turn,'' he told her with a bored look, arms behind his back.
He was dressed in grey pants and a blue sweater and he talked and he looked like a grownup person. A little bit like Grandpa Forbes. But with hair.
She stood up, dusting herself off, and crossed her arms. She looked at him with a scowl. ''You are not very nice! And... you talk funny! And... you're dressed funny!'' she said, raising her chin, feeling rather proud of her comeback.
He looked at her haughtily and shook his head. ''What a silly girl. And what color is that dress? Murky green?''
''Oh!''' She looked at her pretty green dress, feeling offended; she had chosen this dress with her mother. And now, it was dirty and there was a tear at the bottom. Because of him. ''I'm not silly. You are silly,'' she replied back and she shoved him hard. He fell, landing on his back, and she looked at him gleefully. ''Ha!''
He sat up and narrowed his eyes. ''You're going to pay for that, stupid girl!''
''I'm not stupid, you are stupid!'' she shouted, pointing an angry finger at him.
He stood up and snarled and pushed her again. She fell on her bottom. ''Ow!''
The horrible, horrible boy.
She sniffled and tried her best not to cry in front of him. She wanted to be brave because she was a big girl. Not a baby.
She was not a baby.
''You're mean! And I hate you!'' she screamed at him.
The boy rolled his eyes. ''I don't care.''
She pushed her hair from her face angrily and stood up. ''Well, I don't care about stupid boys and you're a stupid boy!''
And then she felt them. Tears. They ran down her cheeks and something hot began to burn her from the inside. He was looking at her with an air of superiority and a smile that spelled victory.
She narrowed her eyes.
And something snapped.
''Aaahhhh,'' she ran toward him, screaming at the top of her lungs, and tackled him; they hit the ground together with a thud and rolled in the dirt. She was making a mess of herself but she did not care. She only cared about the stupid boy at that moment. She only cared about wiping out that stupid smile out of that stupid face.
She ended up on top of him. ''Stupid, stupid, stupid!'' she repeated, hitting everywhere she could.
She hit his cheek hard.
''Ouch!''
She smiled triumphantly. But her triumph was short lived. He grabbed her wrists, making her cry out, and pushed her out of him. She landed on her side, wincing. ''Ow.''
''Niklaus!'' a big voice said. She looked up and saw a man running toward the boy. ''Niklaus.'' Then, she saw her father. ''Caroline!''
''Daddy!'' She stood up and ran up to her father and he picked her in his arms. ''Daddy. He pushed me. Twice!'' Her face felt hot with her tears. She turned toward the boy, lips wobbling. ''You suck, you and your stupid name! You suck!'' she cried and she hid her face in her father's neck, holding him tightly.
''Now, now, Bear. That is not a very nice thing to say,'' her father told her gently.
''But he's mean. He pushed me!'' she hiccuped and looked at her father. ''I didn't do anything wrong and he pushed me!''
It was not fair. It was not fair!
And he did have a stupid name.
''Son, what has gotten into you?'' she heard Niklaus' father ask and she turned toward him.
The man looked nice. Not at all like his son.
''I wanted to get on the swing,'' Niklaus said in a small voice, looking down, not daring to look at his father.
''Then, why didn't you ask her to let you?'' he asked gently.
''She would have said no. I just know,'' he said, his hands in his pockets.
His father shook his head. ''Son –'' he began.
''I would have said yes!'' she cried. The boy – Niklaus – looked at her. ''I would have said yes,'' she argued again but her outrage had diminished somehow. Disappeared.
Almost.
She would have said yes if he had asked nicely. Because she was polite. And nice.
She would show him.
She turned toward her father. ''Daddy?'' Her father smiled. He nodded understandingly and let her down.
She walked to Niklaus and stopped in front of him. ''I'm sorry for monopolo-, monopolee-, ugh!'' She took a deep breath. ''I'm sorry,'' she told him sincerely.
But Niklaus did not say anything.
The stupid, rude boy!
''Son.'' Niklaus looked at his father and then back at her.
''I'm sorry for pushing you,'' he mumbled. He did not look very sorry to say the truth. But it was better than nothing.
Remember to always look on the bright side, Care bear.
''Apology accepted,'' she beamed. ''And I'm Caroline,'' she said, offering her hand.
He stood rigidly and looked at her offered hand with a look of distrust, hands still in his pockets. She continued to smile. ''What's your name?''
''You know my name,'' he told her softly and she felt bad for telling him that his name was stupid.
''Oh, I guess I forgot your name then,'' she said brightly.
''You're strange,'' he shook his head with a shy smile.
''You talk funny,'' she told him, shrugging, and she dropped her hand.
''No, you talk strangely,'' he argued but there was warmth in his eyes now. ''My name's Klaus.''
''Klaus,'' she said with wonder. She smiled again. ''I like it!'' she said with a nod.
~o~
He became Nik very quickly. But she stayed Caroline.
Annoying and silly Caroline.
A pain in the arse.
So stubborn.
And talkative.
And strange.
So strange.
But she could be funny too.
And she was smart.
And sometimes he thought she was sweet.
And loyal –
And strong –
And full of light –
And friendly –
A friend.
His friend Caroline.
~o~
They grew like veins in the earth and they took root in the seasons that passed. They were born in spring and they grew tall under the summer light. Grew strong under the autumn rain.
They grew. Grew beautiful and infinite.
There was no winter.
.
.
.
.
There was no end.
.
.
.
.
And then, there was loss.
.
.
.
.
.
Bitter endings.
But never them.
.
.
.
.
Never them.
.
.
.
.
Not for them.
~o~
She always laughed. Even when she was sad.
And she shone brightly. Brighter after the rain.
His rainbow friend.
~o~
He was born and raised in colors. Reds, yellows and blues. Oranges and greens. And purples, for he was a king. Black and white. And shades of grey in a loving absent father and a distant mother he aimed to please. So many nuances and stories mixing together and he was down to one.
He was blind to all but one.
One bitter and frigid color.
There was winter in his bones. He was a polished stone. Hard and cold. And glassy.
An icy wall.
Winter had slowly infused its numbness in him and he wondered if he would ever feel something other than this nothingness.
This apathy to the world.
Like a veil of white over his heart and eyes. Frozen rivers of white.
Whiteness that kept the beauty of the world from him.
That kept him away from everything.
Or was it him?
Was he born dead?
Sometimes, he feared that it would be everything he would ever feel.
The absence of everything.
An everlasting winter.
~o~
''You should have seen the look on Damon's face! Seriously. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. But the guy's Satan – and it's actually an insult to Satan –, he's terrible. Anyway. What was I saying? Oh! Katherine! God, the woman's ruthless –'' she stopped to catch her breath and to take another –
Oh! Her basket was empty.
She frowned and looked over at Nik's. Still full. Golden, shiny French fries begging to be eaten.
An untouched glory of salty goodness.
She looked at them longingly and bit her the side of her lower lip. Maybe he would not mind sharing.
''You're not hungry?'' she asked, hopeful, tearing her eyes away from the food. She shifted in her seat, stared at her best friend who was sitting opposite her and waited patiently for him to say something. Offer her something.
But the stupid boy was too busy not listening to her.
Seriously?
He was not even trying to pretend that he was! Here she was, trying to spend some quality time with him and the jerk was too busy working on... something.
She did not know why she even bothered.
Seriously!
''Seriously? So, I'm going to be the one doing all the talking?'' she said and stole two of his French fries.
There was denying it, they made the best French fries of Chicago.
''It's never been a problem before. Seeing how much you love to talk,'' he said, without looking up. ''It's actually quite impressive, Caroline,'' he commented and she could see a faint smile forming on his lips. ''And, please, leave my chips alone.''
But –
''I'm hungry,'' she explained. Whined almost.
''And?'' he asked, unconcerned.
''Really, Nik?'' She attempted to take another fry but he stopped her with his hand, his grip on her wrist firm but never hurting. She huffed.
Selfish ass.
''You can be so selfish sometimes!'' she accused. He released her hand and shook his head, sighing.
''And you can be as bad as Bekah sometimes,'' he mocked her. Ugh!
She crossed her arms. ''Bully. Selfish, mean –'' she said under her breath.
''Says the girl who's eating my chips,'' he finally looked up.
''And still I'm sure I'm your favorite person!'' she chirped, uncaring, and stole some of his fries anyway.
''That's highly debatable, Caroline,'' he said with an amused smile.
Oh, please!
''Deny it all you want, you love me,'' she stated with a grin and he snorted. And the line stretched into a grin.
Ah! She knew it!
Oh, he liked to pretend that he did not. But she knew deep down. Plus, he did not object when she stole more of his chips. Or when she took the basket. All hers!
Hmm... Tastiness..
She shoved four fries in her mouth. ''Shis'z sho good.'' She did not chew, just wolfed down the salty delights, as if he would take them away from her at any moment.
When she felt like she was going to choke on her food, she took a gulp of her soda. The bubbly beverage hit her throat, scratching it deliciously, washing away the greasiness. ''Ah!'' She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and he grimaced.
''You're disgusting, Caroline.''
''When you say disgusting, you mean cute and disarming?'' she asked, with a tilt of her head and her best charming smile.
He shook his head. ''No, I mean disgusting,'' he said seriously, visibly immune to her charms.
Pff.
''Oh, well,'' she shrugged. ''So?''
''So?'' he repeated, his eyes glued to his tablet once again.
''You didn't come home last night,'' she said with a snigger.
''I stayed at the office,'' he looked at her and took a sip of his iced tea.
''Oh, that's how you call it,'' she said, smirking.
''How do you want me to call it, Caroline?'' he frowned.
''You know what I mean,'' she said with a knowing smile.
''No, I don't.''
She rolled her eyes.
''Please, Nik. Stop playing dumb. It's not a good look.''
''Caroline,'' he said tiredly. ''Please, stop with the nonsense. What are you trying to tell me? And failing atrociously, I might add.''
God!
''Sex! I'm talking about sex!'' she said, louder than she had intended. Her eyes widened and time stilled. Her little – or not so little – outburst had elicited the stares of a few patrons. An old lady, in particular, was looking at her intently, shaking her head. She shrunk in her seat under the disapproving glare and she heard him laugh.
The nerve!
''What did you say, sweetheart?'' he came closer and leaned forward. ''I'm not sure that whole lot heard you,'' he whispered. And he smiled his dimpled smile.
She felt the familiar sensation of her cheeks burning with shame and anger. Arrogant, pretentious –
''Go on. Mock me. Have your little fun,'' she mumbled, crossing her arms, looking at anything but him and his derisive stare.
''Now, now, sweetheart, no need to pout,'' he told her gently. ''It was just some harmless fun. Don't be mad.''
Pompous ass.
''Anyway,'' she said with a dismissive gesture. ''Who's the girl?''
''Will you stop, Caroline?'' he said, definitely annoyed. ''There is no girl. Only work.''
''Well, that's the problem! You've been living like a monk –''
''I have not!'' he objected, looking offended.
''Oh, please, Nik! The last time you got some –''
''Caroline,'' he warned, cutting her off once more. ''Will you stop? I mean it.''
But she worried about him!
He was all work and no play. He rarely ever went out for drinks with her. Or Stefan. Tonight was a rare exception. And even now he was half working.
Work. It was truly all he did now. And he was alone, cut out of his family, with no one to love him.
Except for her.
Always her.
''Hey, I'm just saying! No need to get your pants in a twist!'' she said, throwing her hands in the air. He looked at her pointedly. ''Anyway, hum,'' she said more quietly, shifting in her seat, ''I'm not judging. Really, I'm not.''
Who was she to judge him when her love life was a bad case of ''I love you, I love you not''?
''I mean,'' she continued, playing with her straw, ''I'm not sure I even know how it works any–''
''Can you not?'' he cut her off, grimacing; he looked positively horrified.
''Oh, please, Nik!''
''I'm serious, Caroline,'' he said. He finished his tea, the ice chinking when he put down his glass.
''Prude,'' she smiled and leaned back.
He returned her smile, looking more relaxed that he had been in a long time. It had been too long. He was always so serious, so wary.
''You and Matt are having problems?'' he asked with uncharacteristic curiosity after a little bit.
She raised an eyebrow at his question; she was the one doing the hounding usually. ''We're not having problems. I'm pretty sure we're over,'' she answered.
''Now, how many times have I heard that?'' he asked pointedly.
True.
''Why can't things be simple?'' she sighed. ''If we keep it up, we're both going to end up alone.''
Well, at least they would have each other...
''I can see it already,'' she said with a motion of her hand. The one that was not in his basket. ''Both of us in a nursing home. Old and wrinkly,'' she tilted her head to the side, munching on his fries. ''But I'd still be cute,'' she added quickly. ''We'll sit side by side and play bingo. Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson, friends till the end. Always and forever,'' she nodded and beamed at him. ''Ha!''
He shook his head. ''Caroline, sweetheart, you're absolutely crazy.''
''The good kind of crazy though,'' she quipped.
''Is there really a good kind of crazy, dear Caroline?'' he asked, reaching for the basket, only to be slapped on the hand.
''Hands off, Mikaelson.'' He gaped at her, taken aback by her very sudden outburst. ''Seriously,'' she added, her voice low. ''You'd better leave these fries alone if you know what's best for you.''
''You forget that those are mine.''
''Technically, yes. But I'm hungrier,'' she said seriously.
She was hungry.
She was always hungry when she was stressed out. And she was stressed out. Out of her mind. So unbelievably stressed out that she could eat him too if she had to.
Not really.
It seemed to convince him; he pushed the basket toward her. Did not even argue. ''Have at it, sweetheart.''
The sweet boy.
''You know Mikaelson, you are – and will probably always be – my favorite boy.''
Words, he liked to say. Always diminishing the extent of her affection. But she meant them.
.
.
.
That scared her sometimes.
~o~
Sometimes beauty was ghostly. A whisper in the dark.
A prickling sensation on the skin.
Nik.
A voice.
Faint and familiar.
Nik.
Waking him to a new warmth.
~o~
He groaned, torn away from the comfort and oblivion of sleep. He felt her, pressed against his back. It was not that he minded. But it was so damn uncomfortable.
''Caroline,'' he grunted, trying to get her to move a little bit and give him more room.
She did not.
''Caroline.'' She shifted slightly but instead of rolling over to her side, she clung to him tighter, passing an arm around his waist. Trapping him on the edge of his bed.
He sighed and opened one eye. Totally peeved.
''Caroline!'' he said more forcefully, shaking her arm with his hand. ''Caroline!''
''What?'' she grunted in his back.
''Can you move a little bit?''
''Okay,'' she groaned sleepily, staying pressed against him.
He sighed, his annoyance growing.
''Caroline?!''
''Sorry,'' she mumbled and rolled on the other side, her warmth leaving him.
''Thank you,'' he whispered.
She did not reply. Had probably fallen back asleep.
And he found himself a bit lonely and cold on his side of the bed.
~o~
Spring came after an eternity. He certainly did not expect it to come so soon.
That was probably why he did not know what to make of the first ray of light that life threw at him.
Unexpected.
Puzzling.