A/N 1: Hello all and welcome to a little multi-chapter fic I felt was necessary to write. I say "little" because I've got it clocked to around ten chapters between three thousand and five thousand words each and I'll mention "why" down at the bottom.

It's sweet and fluffy and AU/AH, so here's me crossing my fingers that you guys like that kind of stuff.

I hope you give it a chance and enjoy the first chapter! The next one shouldn't take too long to get out.

Ahem! Without further adieu, I give you the opening chapter of "Before the World Catches Up" and I'll meet you at the bottom with some more information!

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! This was written purely for fun. Please take it as such.

"Endless romantic stories,

You never could control me."

Far Too Young to Die | Panic! at the Disco

Chapter 1: So Little Time

Caroline Forbes hated wearing sunglasses. They stole her blue eyes, forced her to become just another faceless blonde. People looked straight past her when she wore them and, however narcissistic, she refused the idea of the human race not falling at her feet.

But New Orleans, Louisiana demanded that Caroline hide her eyes. The sun punched her sensitive pupils like a boxing kangaroo and despite her selfish pride, she walked down the busy street with her Kate Spade sunglasses blocking everyone from witnessing the beauty held in her stare. She supposed she'd have to count on her jean shorts and plain black top that maybe was a little too tight to make her look stunning.

She'd been in New Orleans for two weeks already, soaking up the culture and enjoying the blasting heat. Mystic Falls was home, sure, but sometimes she needed an escape. Caroline had been working her ass off lately to get the launch of The Mystic Times ready for action. Who could blame her for wanting some time away from Virginia?

Ever since she was in high school, Caroline had dreamed of starting her own paper and now, just three years out of university, she was finally there. She even had a team. A team! People who answered to her and asked her what she wanted in her coffee and inquired (she could use that word now) if she thought Dear AnnaBeth was better than Dear BethAnne for their advice column. They'd gone with "AnnaBeth" in the end.

Mystic Fall's population jittered with excitement, already waiting for the brand new newspaper. It was a small paper for a small town, but it meant that she'd accomplished something. Something no one expected she could, not even her own mother.

Take that, Elena! She thought mockingly. Elena Gilbert; the star, the queen, the purest form of perfection. Well, not anymore. Make way, because here comes Caroline Forbes.

Turning to the left, Caroline came across what she'd stepped outside her hotel to see: New Orlean's version of a strip mall.

Stores lined the cobblestone street. Independently owned boutiques stuffed with adorable clothes she'd never find anywhere else. Gorgeous antique shops stacked with vintage tables and lamps. Even a butcher was getting in on the action, a string of animal carcasses with red meat hanging outside the shop's window.

Tons of people bustled about with shopping bags and children attached to their hands. Women talked angrily into their phones while men watched them walk by with sly smiles on their faces. Caroline giggled at the blatant ogling. No one in Mystic Falls would stare so openly at a woman's swaying hips. Not unless they wanted a slap across the face.

With her wallet in hand, Caroline looked around to find the store she'd been dying to see. Part of the reason she'd come to New Orleans was because it supposedly had the best second-hand bookshop in the country and her newspaper was struggling with their book reviews, so she told her staff (her staff!) that she'd browse around the store to see if she could find anything worth reviewing.

And she never could turn down a bookshop. Especially an old, second-hand one. The smell of the worn pages got her high and feeling the weight of a first edition poetry book by a poet no one had ever heard about all but gave her an orgasm.

Wind blew her straightened hair around her face and she impatiently held it at bay while still searching for the shop. Sweat started dribbling down her back and she was seconds away from giving up and going into one of the boutiques when she caught sight of the large sign. Smiling like a fool, Caroline waltzed to the store front and paused, getting a good look of the interior before opening the door.

Inside, men and woman and children grazed their fingers along book spines, their stares concentrated. Some already had books under their arms and a few were sitting in chairs and large bean bags with books splayed in their laps or smack in front of their eyes. She looked up and watched as a toy train made its way above the heads of customers.

Perfection, she sighed to herself, cocking her head to the side and pushing her sunglasses up on her hair.

Squinting against the blaring sunbeams, Caroline took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for opening the door. After giving herself a fairly short pep talk, she grabbed the door handle and pulled. Then pulled again and again. It wouldn't budge.

"Oh." Embarrassment swarmed her cheeks when she saw the 'PUSH' sign hanging above the handle. She shook her head with a humiliated smile and pushed the door in, hoping that no one else spotted her severe blonde moment.

Caroline gasped, the noise muffled by the door 'dinging' to announce her presence. No one moved their heads to watch her enter and for the first time she was glad; there was bound to be a stupid expression on her face anyway. Peeking through the glass did nothing to prepare the young journalist for what the store looked like when actually inside.

To her left an unlit fireplace melted into the brick wall with a few chairs situated next to it. An older couple grinned at her politely as she stepped further into the store. No wall was bare, books upon stacks of books absolutely everywhere. She was sure this place held every title known to man and then some.

A fancy carpet ruffled underfoot, wobbling her slightly until she got her feet on steady concrete. She walked a few more feet, stepping through a doorway and entering the larger part of the store. There was a woman behind the register with long blonde hair and a somewhat menacing smile playing at her lips as she scanned a customer's books. The customer's mouth was moving, but the blonde didn't appear to be listening.

Ignoring the cruelty of such an act, Caroline started looking through the stands of books, trying to find anything that looked good enough to review. Quickly, she spotted the 'Vampire' section. Warning herself against drooling, she practically skipped to the large shelf and immediately started running the titles through her mind. Most she'd read, but some she'd never heard of and written in languages she wasn't even sure were real languages.

She pulled out a particularly thick book entitled Under the Cover of Night and skimmed the inside cover, nodding her head and mouthing the words.

"Now this is a sight," an alluring voice sang. Caroline's ears perked and she snapped her head up, ignoring the pull in her neck. She frowned a mixture of confusion and irritation at the man standing in front of her with his eyebrows raised and a cheeky grin on his face. "A beautiful girl reading about vampires." Caroline detected the English accent straight away and the hint of a lisp. She ignored the flare in her belly at the word 'beautiful.'

He had dark blonde hair flopping above his forehead in untamed curls and a light smattering of stubble lining his square jaw. Her mind couldn't comprehend the colour of his eyes and she found herself narrowing her own eyes and leaning slightly forward to try to place a name on his tinted irises. His grin widened and dimples appeared. Caroline had to stop a moan midway out of her mouth.

"Can I help you? People usually have to pay money to stare at me this long." He said smugly. Caroline had a feeling he was teasing her and tore her gaze away from his eyes, looking instead at the rest of his body. He wore a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, the round neckline not quite encircling his throat. It reached just below the hips of his worn grey jeans and clung loosely to his stomach.

She didn't see the immediate outline of muscle, and then she blushed because why the hell was she staring at a stranger's stomach? Wasn't that a violation of something?

Yeah, manners. Learn some.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking back at the book in her hands. A swarm of butterflies started brushing their wings against her gut and she bit back the urge to run away from the man still standing in front of her.

He laughed sweetly. Even his laugh stuttered with a lisp. "It's no trouble, darling. I have a beautiful face, people can't help but stare."

"Gosh, you get a gold star for modesty." She raised an eyebrow and snapped the book shut, returning it to its space on the first try. She did a quiet fist bump and smiled to herself.

"You like vampires, then?" He asked, ignoring her little jab. Caroline nodded her head, definitely not trusting her voice when such a handsome boy was watching her every movement. "Of course. They've really blown up since all that Twilight business."

"Oh, vampires were my thing long before that shit came out." Cupping a hand over her mouth, she mentally chastised herself for using such a fowl word in a place of business. "I'm so sorry," she whispered through her fingers. "I need to learn to not swear so much. Bad habit."

"I have a younger brother who practically doesn't know any other words. And I'm certain I'm the one he learned it from." He was smiling at her still and she couldn't help but smile back. He just had that kind of face, the one that drew you in and then tied you up, holding you captive. "So, before Twilight?"

Nodding her head again, Caroline removed her hand. "Yeah, way before. There's this big conspiracy in my town revolving around vampires and their existence, so we've always had a gigantic section at the library dedicated solely to vampires. I've been reading about the bloodsuckers since I was eight."

"Fascinating," he sighed genuinely. "Do they actually believe in vampires then, the people in your town?" Caroline was affronted for a second, but she heard the curiosity in his words and stopped herself from defending Mystic Falls.

"Um, some people, I'm sure. They're not loud about it or anything, but there's got to be a few believers. I mean, they're probably crazy, but to each their own." She said, rolling her eyes.

"And do you believe in vampires?" He had begun staring too intently at her.

Caroline laughed and looked away from his prying eyes. "Do I? No. It'd be cool if they existed, though. I'd love to live in a world of vampires."

"Says the girl who's been reading vampire novels since she was eight," he chuckled. "Or was it just the romantic ones?"

"Ha. No," she said forcefully. "I read any vampire book I could get my hands on. And yeah, I know they're evil and stuff, but I still think it'd be cool."

"Did you dream of being a vampire when you were younger?" He asked, raising his eyebrows so that his forehead creased.

Caroline scoffed. "Who didn't?" She didn't include the part about still wishing she could be a vampire. That was too weird.

"Mm, I think I probably wanted to be a vampire myself when I was a child. London has a few underground societies based upon the belief in vampires. I desired to be a part of one," he admitted, the words adding a bashful glint to his ever-present grin.

"London, huh?" She'd always wanted to go to London. Caroline's best friend Bonnie went there for university and said it was the greatest place on earth. Why she came to Mystic Falls always confused Caroline, but she supposed Jeremy was kind of a homebody and Bonnie would always be in love with that kid. Better to be with him than without him. Even though he'd been dating Vicki Donovan for the better part of two years. Oh, Bonnie. I hope you find someone who actually likes you back, Caroline thought to herself.

"London," he confirmed with a small nod of his head. "Ever been?"

Sighing wistfully, Caroline bit her lip. "Nah. Mystic Falls is home. I could barely get myself here. I think I'd have a panic attack if I went across an entire ocean."

"No way," he exclaimed in a whisper. Caroline jerked her eyes to his, furrowing her brows in question. "Mystic Falls, Virginia? That's your 'small town?'" He asked using air quotes around "small town."

"What about it?" Caroline asked, immediately offended.

"I've always wanted to go there. The people there back in the 19th century were obsessed with vampires. They wrote millions of journals dedicated to finding them. You live there?" He sounded like he'd just discovered sliced bread.

"Uh, yeah."

"Amazing."

"It's home."

They were quiet for a moment, the man shaking his head in disbelief and Caroline looking over the books by her side.

"Sorry," he said suddenly. Caroline flitted her gaze to his. "I should probably introduce myself. The name's Klaus and you are currently standing in my place of business."

He owned this place? This was his store?

Klaus held out a long hand. Caroline smiled politely and took the spindly appendage. It was warm and sent a jolt up her arm. She shivered. "Caroline. It's nice to meet you, Klaus." She looked around them, "so, this is yours?"

He let go of her hand and she felt the immediate loss. "Caroline." He smiled wider. "And yes, shared with my siblings. There's a lot of us, so only a small portion is mine."

"Wow, that's cool," Caroline breathed, finding it hard to push away the urge to run a hand through his hair. She'd already caught herself looking at the tousled locks more than once.

"They let me control the vampire section, so I'm happy." He laughed, kicking the bookshelf beside them lightly. "The girl at the register in front is my younger sister. Hey, could I give you a book recommendation?"

"Yeah, of course." Caroline said a little too fast. "I mean," she started again, slower, "I would love that."

"Wonderful," he replied, his body already turned away from her and his hands reaching above his head to grab at a book. A patch of skin peaked under the hem of his shirt and she desperately tried to memorise the beauty of his pale back. The flesh disappeared when he rotated to face her and Caroline shook her head as if she'd been in some trance.

Put some ice on it, Caroline.

She smiled up at him, hoping her blush wasn't too noticeable.

"I'm sure you've read it before, but this is supposedly a first edition. The publication page got ripped out though, so we'll never know," he said mysteriously, raising his eyebrows for dramatic effect. He handed her a very old copy of Dracula.

"First edition?" Her eyebrows met her hairline and she started delicately flipping through the book, running her thumb across the yellow-tinged pages. Without thinking, she brought the hardback up to her nose and sniffed. Her eyes slid closed as her senses were overwhelmed by the scent of book.

"You okay?" A strangely familiar English accent interrupted her sniffing session and she yanked the book away, looking at the ground abashed.

"Uh, yeah," she said to the floor more than Klaus. "Just. . .it smells nice."

"I love the smell of books, don't worry. If I weren't constantly surrounded by them, I'm sure I'd do that as well."

"You'd make it look a lot more attractive, I bet." She flinched at her choice of words and held back the urge to smack herself with the book.

"You looked rather beautiful doing it," he chuckled smoothly, lifting a hand to run through his hair. Oh, how she wanted to be a glove upon that hand.

"Ha, thanks," she replied lamely.

"I can check you out, if you'd like. There's a register in the back no one uses." His thumb went over his shoulder.

"Check me out?" Caroline asked drunkenly. She flinched again. What is wrong with me!

"The book?"

"Right."

"Wonderful." Everything was 'wonderful' with him.

He started walking away and it took Caroline a few stupid moments to realise she should follow. She jogged, falling in step behind him and getting a good view of the back muscles moving underneath his shirt.

I bet he's got a sexy back. She thought with a raised eyebrow.

Oh, God, Caroline, stop it. Your obsession with backs is weird.

"Here we are," Klaus said, stopping suddenly.

Caroline, who was currently blinded by images of him wet and naked in a shower, ran right into him. Stumbling forward and flailing her hands out, her fingers latched on to the fabric of his shirt as she tried to hold herself up. Klaus jerked back a bit when Caroline pulled, turning slightly to grab her elbows and yank her to her feet.

"Whoa there, sweetheart. Let's try to not kill us today. There's a new episode of Top Gear on tonight and I'll be damned if I miss it." Caroline could tell by the twinkle in his gorgeous eyes that he was playing with her, but she still grimaced and twisted her head away.

"Sorry," she murmured, watching him move behind the register out of the corner of her eye and fighting the flush blaring in her cheeks. "I have two left feet sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" He quipped, holding his hands out for the book. She gave it to him, her body heating when the skin of his calloused hand met the smoothness of hers.

"Yeah. But only when it's absolutely necessary that I have perfect balance. Like when I walked down the aisle at both of my graduations." She cringed at the memories. It wasn't her fault, those stupid gowns tripped her up.

Klaus laughed empathetically, which Caroline didn't know was possible. "I did that once, tripped down the aisle."

Caroline started laughing with him, but then stopped. Her eyes immediately went to scan his left hand. There was no ring, but maybe he didn't wear it during business hours?

He must've seen her looking because he cleared his throat and grinned like he was a guard who'd caught her trying to escape prison. "I was best man at my brother's wedding and I fell flat on my face. Broke my nose, actually. Although, I didn't know that until after I got shitfaced at the reception to mask the pain. The doctor said it was a miracle it set back in its proper place."

She almost sighed out loud when she realised he wasn't married. His nose did look rather perfect, if she could say so herself. It went straight down, but she could see a small bump at the bridge.

"You've got a nice nose," she blurted.

Through squinted eyes, she saw his grin widen. If he wasn't careful, it'd split his face. "I'll take that compliment, thank you."

"Yeah, just get me my book," she muttered, running a hand down her tired jaw.

Klaus stared at the book and started pressing random keys on the register. "Your total is $250, Caroline."

Caroline paused and opened her mouth, saying slowly, "uh, no, I think you mean eight thousand."

"We've got two first editions. Besides, missing publication page. It could be ten years old for all we know," he said simply, like it was normal to have two first editions of one of the greatest books of all time.

"Let's say for the sake of argument this is one hundred percent a first edition. You'll be stuck with just one first edition if I take this. I've got a lot of money saved up. Dad's kinda rich. I don't wanna cheat you guys out of a proper sale." She insisted. Bill Forbes had a habit of giving his daughter too much cash for her birthday and Christmas. She'd been saving since her parents split up. Every pay check, every lost cent on the side of the road. She was not short of money.

"Caroline." She was in love with the way he said her name. Like it was sugar on his lips. "We're a second-hand bookstore, not an auction house. Just give me your credit card."

She moved her wallet back. "I can't just take it."

"Two hundred and fifty dollars is a lot of money. Especially for this store. Trust me, just take the deal. Please?"

Looking between Klaus and the book, she debated with herself, quickly forming a pro/con list in her head.

Pro: First edition, hello!

Con: You're taking it for less money than it's worth. Much, much less.

Pro: It's fucking Dracula!

Con: How would Stoker feel?

Pro: A really hot guy is obviously flirting with you and in an attempt to get in your good graces, he's offering you a fucking first edition of Dracula for a fraction of what it's worth.

Con: Yeah, I got nothing.

"Okay, fine," she relented, trying to sound flustered. She could see his teeth shining with his smile. "Oh, put that away. You're blinding me." It was supposed to come out like a reprimand, but she giggled through every word. His cheeks bunched under his eyes and he looked at her through happy slits.

"I like smiling," he commented. He grabbed her credit card with diligent hands that probably knew exactly what they were doing and swiped the piece of plastic money. He gave it right back, moving to punch more buttons.

"I can tell," she countered. Taking her card, she stuffed it into her wallet and opened her palm for the book. Klaus placed it gently in her grip with a smile still plastered to his face like his lips were permanently stuck in that position. She wondered if he smiled when he kissed.

"Maybe I'll see you around, Caroline," he said lightly, jutting his chin out a bit.

She shook her head. "Don't count on it." She was leaving tomorrow.

"I'm one of those people who automatically wants to do the opposite of what someone tells me to do. So, dear Caroline, I'll be dreaming." He winked and she very nearly died right then.

Caroline turned away from him regretfully, feeling his smile burning her back as she clomped off. She could see his sister behind the register, chewing a piece of gum and twisting her hair with a pencil as she waited for more customers. Caroline felt glad Klaus had gotten to her before she had to face his model-esque yet evil-looking sister.

When she reached the door frame leading to the lobby she looked over her shoulder. He was still behind the register, watching her intently with a crease just above his nose. She gave him a fleeting grin that just barely lifted the corners of her mouth and walked out the door, getting the direction right that time (thank God). Signalling her exist, the bell dinged; the noise almost broke her heart.

She walked out into the busy crowd, moving her sunglasses down over her eyes and not caring that no one could see their shining glory.

With only one book in her possession, she strode back to her hotel. It wasn't far from the bookshop and when she got back up to her single-bedded room, she sat on the mattress and immediately opened Dracula. Sure enough, the publication page had been ripped out.

Poor book.

She turned the page and blinked a few times, worried for a second her eyes had suffered permanent sun damage from the hundred watt smiles Klaus kept flashing her. Rubbing her fingers over her eyelids, she stared at the first page.

The sticky note was definitely there. And it definitely made her wish she wasn't leaving tomorrow morning to go back to Virginia.

She trailed a fingernail over the piece of paper. When had he gotten the chance to do it?

Written in handsome scrawl on a yellow sticky note, there was a short message and a phone number:

Caroline, I'd love to see you again.

Call me,

Klaus x

"Fixation or psychosis? Devoted to neurosis now."

A/N 2: Okay, let me explain why I'm writing this. My goal with this story is to try to relax myself and hopefully you as well. There's been a lot of nail-biting concerning our favourite vampire/hybrid pair, so here's some fluff and smut to ease your aching souls. There'll be no major conflict in this. It's unrealistic, kinda cute/lame, and happy. We all need a bit of happy. And yes, I know there's no smut yet, but the rating will change when we get to the third chapter. Be prepared! And avert your eyes if it's not to your liking.

The bookshop owned by the Mikaelson's is, in fact, a real place in Alnwick Station, Northumberland. It's called Barter's Books and if anyone lives near there and hasn't gone, I suggest going. You can head to the website and see pictures of the inside. And if anyone reading this works there, I'm sorry for stealing your shop. It's one of my favourite places to go, so I thought I'd just go for it. Consider it free advertisement.

The title for this I took from a Panic! at the Disco song ("Collar Full") from their newest album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die, (who else wants that tattooed on them now?), and each of the chapters will be little lines from that song. Chapters will begin and end with a little section from a Panic! song and I don't necessarily insist on listening to the songs, but if it makes you feel better, I'm all for people listening to music.

That was long and I apologise. Hope to see you all next time! Not that I can actually see you. . .

-LoveIsATemple