A/N: Alright, a new fanfiction by me for fellow Klaroline fans! Give this story some time, I'm sorry the summary is so rubbish. Follows along some of the same plots, but not entirely, and will take a different direction. I hope you enjoy my portrayal of Caroline and Klaus. Read, review, you know the drill. Thanks!
Caroline Forbes strolled through her school's gymnasium checking that the decorations were all in place for the dance that would take place that night. Everything has to be perfect, she told herself. Her small town was welcoming some important business people, or at least, that's what her mother, the community's sheriff, had said to her.
Mystic Falls was known for a lot of things, mainly it's early history and the founding families that were still around, but it was not known for entertainment. A small group of investors were supposedly in town to speak to the mayor about knocking down a few abandoned homes and shops on the far corner of the city and putting up a strip mall.
Caroline loved shopping more than anyone at her high school, so she reasoned that this was more than a good idea. Though, the other members of her senior class disagreed.
She heard their voices carry thanks to the gym's excellent acoustics.
"I really don't understand why the Mayor wants our school to be hosting the welcoming party." She watched her friend Elena turn to her boyfriend Stefan who was dragging tables inside.
Elena and Stefan were the school's Golden Couple, Elena being Mystic Fall's sweetheart and Stefan being silent and kind. Caroline had been friends with Elena Gilbert since elementary school and had been one of her biggest supporters when Elena's parents drove off a bridge one night. Elena had been in the car with them, and unfortunately, was the sole survivor. She was eighteen though, so she had been charged with being her brother's guardian until he was also of adult age.
Stefan had started school about six months after the accident and the town finally had had something new to talk about. He and Elena clicked right away, her olive skin and silky brown hair paired well with his tall, muscular frame and pale, brooding face.
Caroline wouldn't admit it anymore, but she had hoped Stefan would have taken a liking to her instead of her good friend.
She was over it now, though, and wasn't afraid to boss them both around when needed.
"Stefan the smaller tables should be centered around the large circular one! You are going to make an embarrassment of our school in front of these investors." Caroline shouted at him, shaking her head and accidentally freeing her blonde, wavy hair from its loose bun.
"Care you need to calm down. Everything's going to be fine, it's not like anyone is actually going to take this meeting seriously, the Mayor included." Bonnie told her best friend.
Caroline grimaced at Bonnie but didn't need to remind her that she took all social events very seriously.
"Maybe it would be a good idea to have somewhere more exciting to go than the Mystic Grill, no offense Matt." She noted her ex-boyfriend's work place.
"None taken." He mumbled, filling up balloons with the helium tank that had been rented for the day. "You know Caroline, you may be able to talk us into a lot of things, including setting up for this dinner and dance, but I'm pretty sure the Mayor is never going to go through with letting corporations take over, even if you are dating her son."
"Matt! They wouldn't be taking over!" She argued with a smile on her face. Tyler was the only person she hadn't roped into helping her because she wanted to see his expression that evening.
She also couldn't wait to see what his mother, the Mayor, would think.
"Caroline, can we go home now, I really have to change and make sure Jeremy has something appropriate to wear." Elena whined from the corner.
"He can borrow something of mine if you'd like, I have plenty of suits." Stefan offered chivalrously.
Caroline rolled her eyes at them and waved them off, taking in her surroundings before she let them go.
Tables had been set up for dining and relaxing on one side while the other had been transformed into a ballroom dance floor. Blue and white balloons sat outside of the entrances, and rows of trees and shrubbery had been brought inside to block the view of bleachers.
For starting out with a bland gym, she thought it looked pretty great.
"Fine, you can all go. But be here on time, we don't want to embarrass ourselves after all of this work!"
A chorus of 'fine's and 'yes's sounded around her, and as fast as lightning, she was left alone.
She grabbed her bag and pulled her cell phone out checking for any messages. There had been two from Tyler but she deleted them, she really had to get home and get ready, whatever he needed to say he could say to her at the dance.
"Shoes, check. Dress, check. Hair supplies, check. Freshly showered, check." Caroline listed to herself as she studied her vanity and closet, pulling out what she needed.
A pink, silk robe hung off her shoulders as she blow-dried her hair and then curled it. She spent over an hour intricately pinning separate strands of hair to different parts of her scalp, creating the perfect up-do. Blonde sections of hair fell down and framed her face while she applied smoky eye makeup and pink lipstick.
She studied herself in the mirror and barely approved of the look before moving on to the dress. She had told everyone the theme of the dance was to be ballroom style, so she matched her gown to that. It was a deep blue strapless gown with a thin belt made out of silver sparkles, and the skirt was full and floor-length.
Stepping into her silver heels, she did a twirl in front of a full length mirror and sighed.
It was always like this for Caroline, she could spend hours getting ready, but the finished product was never to her liking. She wished she could be effortlessly perfect like Elena, or elegantly chic like Bonnie, but she always turned out to be just…Caroline. Even Matt and Tyler had only called her sexy, hot, and sometimes, pretty. She just wanted to be beautiful.
She gave a glance at the clock and figured her inner musings could continue another time, she had to leave soon and she would not be late.
Pulling up to the place she had spent days decorating with her friends, Caroline started to lose confidence. She didn't know why the Mayor insisted the school was the perfect place to hold the welcoming ball instead of her mansion, but she tried her best to make something out of it.
She sighed and stepped out of her mom's car, separating from the police woman almost immediately. Caroline loved her mother but they really didn't see eye to eye. Elizabeth Forbes had definitely passed down her strength and determination to her daughter, though, and because of that they usually clashed.
"Elena! Hey!" Caroline called out, waving frantically to Elena who had just arrived with Stefan and Jeremy.
"You look great Care!" Her friend gushed.
"Thanks, you look amazing Elena! The green really brings out your skin tone!"
"Thanks!" Elena pulled Caroline in for a quick hug, both afraid to ruin their image.
"Let's go in, shall we?"
Nerves bubbled up in Caroline's stomach as she made her way into the dance. She had seen the Mayor's car upon arrival so she knew she was in here somewhere, and she was either going to approve or strongly disapprove.
They entered slowly, taking it all in. The lights had been dimmed to a deep blue, much like Caroline's dress, and projections of snowflakes danced on the walls representing the season that was about to end. Guests were greeted by men in suits, the freshman football team, holding trays of drinks and appetizers.
"Caroline, dear, there you are!" Mayor Lockwood took a big step to address her son's girlfriend.
"Uh, hi!" Caroline squeaked, nervously awaiting approval.
"This is so wonderful! You really pulled it off!"
"Thanks, it really wasn't that difficult." She acted nonchalant, but inside she let out a big breath of nerves.
"You'll have to meet the investors soon so we can tell them who set this all up for their arrival!"
"Of course, but if you'll excuse me, I just saw Bonnie arrive. Oh, what time will Tyler be here?"
"Didn't you hear?"
Caroline frowned and shook her head; maybe she should have checked her messages.
"He's not feeling very well; he got home really late last night and has been in bed all day."
Caroline tried to show a polite smile before excusing herself once more. She hadn't seen Tyler in days, what was he doing out so late? He knew how big this party was to her.
She walked up to Bonnie, her face lighting a little when she saw her friend stylishly dressed in a black, sleek number.
"Hey Bonnie, don't you look good!" She hugged her friend.
"You too Care. I love your hair!" Bonnie smiled.
"Doesn't anyone want to mention how good I look?" A voice called out from behind the girls.
Caroline's blood ran cold and she frowned.
"What is he doing here?" She asked Bonnie without turning around to look at the intruder. "I told Stefan he wasn't invited."
"I can still hear you Blondie."
"Then why are you still here?" She replied finally spinning around, coming face to face with Damon.
Stefan hurriedly approached, probably hearing her remarks to Bonnie.
Caroline pointed a finger at him.
"I told you to keep him away! I wanted one night to be normal and forget all of the crap this town's been through. One night to forget the hell he's put me through."
"Caroline, I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd come." Stefan told her earnestly, but she didn't hear the rest of his apologies.
She walked to the exit and took a seat on a bench outside.
Caroline tried so hard to forget the trouble she and all of her friends had been put through the past year. She tried so hard to forget all of the supernatural beings that were around her. But thanks to Damon's appearance all of the memories came right back to her.
She remembered being killed by Katherine, but thanks to Damon's blood in her, she had been turned into a vampire. She recalled her boyfriend Tyler trying to fight his werewolf curse, and she recalled having to save Elena multiple times, always about something different. What annoyed her most though, were the human memories she had been compelled to forget that came back to her when she was turned. All of those times she had been compelled by Damon to let him feed off of her, to sleep with him, for her to like it came rushing back and made her equally angry and upset.
She put her head in her hands and took a deep breath; she would simply have to ignore him.
"Are you alright, love?" She heard a charming British male voice and looked up.
The man was impeccably dressed in a proper tuxedo, even his shoes were shined. He had short, dirty blonde hair, with slight stubble on his chin. He was definitely attractive and she liked him even more for following the theme of the evening.
Tyler, tyler, tyler. She reminded herself of her boyfriend who had left her alone for the night.
She stood up politely. "I'm fine thanks. Caroline Forbes." She outstretched her hand to him expecting a formal handshake.
"Niklaus Mikaelson." He replied smoothly as he took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a light kiss on her knuckles. "But you may call me Klaus, Caroline."
The way he said her name made her swoon, almost. She was too busy repeating her boyfriend's name in her head like a mantra to give him her full attention.
"Are you going back to the dance?" He asked her and she realized she had been silently gawking at him. He smirked as if knowing her thoughts.
"Yes, yes I am." She turned abruptly to go back to the dance but the door she had entered through was the exit, and was locked from the outside.
She sighed and went to move around the other side of the building. Before reaching it, Klaus called out to her.
"Will you be needing blood before you go back? You looked exceptionally stressed out a moment ago."
She stopped before running at full vampire speed to where he was standing. She pressed him up roughly against the brick building.
"How did you know?" Caroline's true form appeared as her eyes went black, her veins protruding from them, and her fangs elongated. She hissed menacingly at him before he tapped her. At least, that was all he had to do to send her flying backwards.
She stumbled, but did not fall; her will to not dirty the dress kept her upright.
"It takes one to know one, sweetheart." He replied as his face mimicked hers.
She cowered back a little, but refused to back down completely. She was Caroline Forbes, and she was not afraid of anyone. Even if the man standing before her was the most menacing vampire she had ever seen.
She calmed down when he showed no means to advance on her and her face smoothed out.
"Why are you here?" Caroline asked strongly.
"You'll soon find out." He responded smugly and he was gone before she could ask him again.
She sighed and moved forward. Her right leg faltered and she almost fell to the ground once again, this time it was because her heel had snapped.
"This night just keeps getting better and better." She muttered to herself as she chucked both shoes in the grass and sat down against the building. There was no way she was going back in there.