MY FAVORITE MATCHMAKER

EPILOGUE

Caroline was ready. Oh yeah, she was ready and super exicted, and super nervous, but she was ready. She wouldn't leave anything to chance this time. And she wouldn't dare let anything get in her way. That is why she set her alarm clock on 8 o'clock, although her meeting wasn't until 10. It would give her plenty of time to get ready, to go through her files, and to get there in time, no, not in time. Sooner, at least a half hour sooner to show how devoted to her work she truly was. She will make a killer first impression even if it kills her. 7.15, 7.30, 7.31, 7.45. Aaaaaaaaa, she couldn't take it any longer. Her brain was just too fidgety to sleep. No worries. She'll just get up and do some last minute preparations. Fifteen minutes longer to make everything perfect. Hey, this was a good sign actually. See, and she thought bad luck followed her wherever she went. Well no, a new day, a new beginning. Everything would be perfect … Everything would be … Omg, no, no and nooo … This was not happening. She did not just have a giant zit in the middle of her forehead. Noooo … But there it was, standing there, mocking her, growing bigger by the second. What should she do? She knew she shouldn't touch it, not yet, because it would make it only worse. But she couldn't leave it like that; it looked like the fucking Himalaya. She had to do something …

So she squeezed it, and put three types of "beauty products" on it. You know one of those that cost a fortune and do shit? Yeah, that kind … After a half an hour of this she felt like she came back from war, with scars visible to anyone and everyone. But whatever … No, she wouldn't let that discourage her. She put on her pencil black shirt, her high heels that she hadn't worn in ages, (she was more of a comfort before torture kind a girl) and her lucky yellow shirt. It had to be lucky today, IT HAD TO BE. Then she struggled for yet another almost half an hour to put her stupid stupid curls into a business like bun. On days like these, she'd sell her kidney for straight hair.

"You'll have to sell your kidney honey if you don't get this job." that mean voice inside of her head said. But she pushed him away … She was all daisy and sunshine today. And her bun was finally made, so she pushed the papers into her bigger than life bag and was on her way. She still had plenty of time to get there at 10 o'clock sharp. She heard there wasn't a thing in the world he disliked more than people being late. But it was a good thing then she'd be on time, her old but very faithful Toyota will drive her there.

"Start driving you old useless piece of junk. Come oooon."

Caroline was trying to start the car but it wasn't collaborating today.

" I'm sorry … I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that. You know I love you, I'm just under a lot of stress lately, and I really need to make this work. So could you please be so kind and start working?" Caroline started to beg her car. Great, if there was anyone in the neighborhood he'd take one look at the crazy lady talking to her car and the ambulance would be here to take her to the loony bin. Hey, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing; at least she'd have a ride. Since apparently this piece of shit wouldn't be driving anywhere today.

"Don't panic Caroline, dooon't panic. Remember what your yoga instructor told you, you're in control of your life, just breathe. In and out."

She looked at her watch; there was still time to make it. It could all still work out. She just needed to call a taxi, and fast. Every minute mattered.

Fifteen minutes later a yellow car finally came, and she hopped in it with such a hurry she almost broke the heel on the only pair of high heels she owned.

" Michigan Avenue, 35th street, and please hurry. It's a matter of life and death."

She saw the taxi driver roll his eyes at her.

"Yes, I know you here it all the time, but it is true this time. Please, there'll be a nice tip there for you, if you just get me there before 10 o'clock."

Ok, so she was finally sitting in a vehicle, and she was on her way, she looked at her watch, twenty minutes to go … Oh God, her heart was pounding like crazy, they could make it, they could … She needed to do something to calm her nervous. What could she do? Oh yes, call the person that always calmed her nervous. Good idea.

"Come on, Bonnie … Pick up your damn phone girl."

"Hello?" she heard the familiar voice of her best friend.

"Oh thank God you picked up. I need you. Big time. I need you to tell me everything will be ok."

"From where are you calling me Care? Shouldn't you be at his office by now?"

" Oh Bon, you wouldn't believe what happened to me …" so she told her tragicomic story to her best friend, and she loved her so much for not bursting into laughter although she could sense she wanted to, so badly.

"Honey, I don't know what to say, these things can happen only to …"

"Me, yes I know. It's like I'm cursed or something. Bad luck just loooooves the shit out of me."

" No, don't say that. It will get better. You'll get there on time, and you'll get the job, just remember what I told you …"

"No white after labor day?"

"Caroline, be serious for a second. You have to be. He doesn't take shit from anyone. He has no sense of humor, and he doesn't like when anyone's wasting his time. He's a … "

" … a shark. Yes, I'm quite familiar with his nickname in the business circles, thank you very much, I'm just trying not to think about it or I'll shit my pants before I even meet him, pardon my expression."

"Just don't let him intimidate you, that's the main thing. Like you said, he's a shark, he can smell blood, and he can smell fear. He feeds on fear, so don't show him you're afraid of him."

" Stop. Just stop. I know you're trying to help me Bon, but I swear you're just making me more nervous. You're describing him like some kind of Loch Ness monster, he's a person right? He can't be that bad."

" Oh my full of light Caroline … Always looking for good in others …"

" And always getting burned, I know … I'll never learn. But I have decided to change; this is a new start for me. No more shitty jobs, and no more shitty men, I'm starting fresh … So I don't know if I properly thanked you, but thank you for setting up this interview for me. I know it wasn't easy …"

"It's fine, his sister was happy to help. Unlike him, she actually has a beating heart."

" Oh noooo!"

"What is it?"

"Ten more minutes to the interview and we hit a traffic jam. Bonnie, I'll call you later … Love you, bye…"

" Whyyyy is this happening to me? Can't you go around it? Somehow …" she gave the driver what she thought was her prettiest smile, but come to think of it maybe it was just her maniac smile, and prayed for his answer to be yes.

" Lady, are you insane? There is no way around it. We'll just have to wait for the jam to clear."

" I can't wait … I have to be in this job interview in 10 minutes …"

" Well, it sucks to be you." he said very helpfully. Asshole.

She started biting her nails. There had to be something she could do. Oh well, all or nothing … She threw two twenty dollar bills to the taxi driver and ran out of the taxi like a crazy person. The only thing she could do now was run … Run fast …

A WEEK BEFORE:

A gorgeous man in a suit walked into the "Le Perroquet" and heads did start to turn. Maybe it was the suit, or the way he walked, with utter and complete confidence, or maybe it was the dimples and the infamous smirk he always wore on his face, but somehow he couldn't go unnoticed. He always drew attention, one way or another. He could get away with murder some said, except, there was just one blonde beauty sitting at the table in the middle that never took any shit from him. She looked around, and she was mad. The lady didn't like to be kept waiting. She detested it actually … It was a streak that ran in the family apparently.

"You're bloody late Nik. You know I hate to sit here alone and feel like an idiot …"

"Retrieve those claws sister, I'm here now. And receive my humblest apologies. I was on the phone with Japan …" he came up to her and kissed her on the cheek before sitting down.

"I don't care if your were on the phone with the Pope himself. I don't like to be kept waiting." she said angrily, but then took a deep breath and calmed down.

"It's nice to see you Nik. I'm so glad you finally took some time in your schedule for your own flesh and blood. I've missed you, you know."

"I've missed you too Bekah. It's just been so hectic at the office lately, the stock market has gone bizarre and I had to be there to …"

"No, stop it. We're having a nice family lunch together. I don't want to hear another word about your job. And I swear to God, if just one of your gazillion mobile phones is turned on, I'll take it right now and throw it in the fish tank. And you bloody know I don't do empty threats."

He took out his mobile phone and put it on the table.

"Only one and it's turned off. See?" He didn't tell her about the pager in his right pocket.

They ordered and waited for their food in harmonic silence.

"So, how's that chap of yours? Still seeing him?"

" His name is Matt, and you know that. And yes, I'm still seeing him, I think I'm going to be seeing him for a long time, ok?"

The food came and they began to eat.

"Well, good for you. I'm actually thinking about settling down myself."

Suddenly Rebakah started coughing …

" Are you ok?" he asked worriedly.

She drank a sip of her wine, and her face color came back to normal.

" No, I'm not fine. I almost choked to death. You don't say something like that while I'm chewing a piece of stake Nik. Settling down? I didn't even know you were dating anyone. I thought you were married to your job, and just enjoyed casual, meaningless sex with willing women, as you said to Elijah once. "

"Well, I'm 33 years old. I was thinking maybe it's time to change that."

"So you are dating someone?"

"Not yet …"

"What? I don't get it." Rebekah looked a bit lost.

" Not yet … But I'm thinking of hiring one of those agencies to find me a match."

" What? No, I'm sorry … What? Tell me you're kidding. Those agencies are for desperate people, for old people, and for ugly people …" Rebekah said quietly, and Klaus couldn't help but laugh, his sister was so snobbish sometimes.

"Don't be so judgmental Bekah. Those agencies, especially the ones that have built a reputation for themselves, are a perfect way for busy people to meet their companions."

"But you're … You. Rich, successful, intelligent, and some women would even say handsome, with that boyish look and those annoying dimples …" Rebekah rolled her eyes.

" My point is … I know the effect you have on women … You don't have to pay somebody to find you a girlfriend."

" I don't have to. But I want to. It's easy, efficient and quick."

"My God, it's like you're talking about having your teeth cleaned, not finding the love of your life."

"Now, who said anything about love Bekah? I said I wanted a companion, hopefully a wife and maybe even a family in time … Love is overrated, and I don't have time for love."

"Oh Nik … I feel sorry for you. Do you have a calculator instead of a heart in there? A smartpohone? A bloody laptop?"

" You don't have to be sorry for me Bekah. I'm perfectly content with my life as it is. And with this brilliant idea I'll make it even better. I'll find myself a nice, smart, elegant and rational woman to stand by my side, and it will be perfect."

"Okay then. Good luck with that Nik."

" Oh, I don't need luck. Great men make their own luck sister. And that is exactly what I intend to do."

THE PRESENT:

Just a little bit further, just a few more steps … Caroline was trying to convince her legs to keep on running, while she felt a heart attack coming her way. As soon as she lands this job, she promised herself, she'll start working out, every day. Her legs where killing her, and she wanted to ditch her heels a while back but the thought of her bare feet touching the sidewalk made her stomach turn, she wasn't sixteen anymore. God, how much she longed to be sixteen again, everything looked so beautiful with sixteen. Thirties sucked, she was thirty for only two months, and she already wanted to yell at those crazy, delusional people who kept on saying the thirties were the best years of a woman's life. Not of her life … She didn't even dare to look at her watch, she just kept on running. Her skirt was probably ruined by now, her lucky shirt filled with her sweat stains, and her classy heels completely bruised. Not to mention her stupid hair … Goodbye business bun, hello can't be tamed curls. She probably looked like a hobo, but she didn't even have time to fix it, any of it. She just had to run … A few more steps Caroline … Come on, don't give up now, you're almost there … And she made it … After what felt like a New York marathon at least, she made it. She ran inside the building and went straight to his office. She finally dared to look at the watch, she was 7 minutes late, it was not 10 sharp, it was 10.07. But after what she had gone through there was no way she'd just turn around and walk away. She had done that too many times in her life, letting others take control, and look where it got her … No more …

"Hi, I'm here to see Niklaus Mikaelson." She tried with the smile again, trying to fix her hair a bit, but the secretary looked at her like she was garbage and it was garbage day at the office.

"Caroline Forbes? I have a ten o'clock appointment." she tried to say as confident as possible, not letting the mean lady intimidate her. But her face didn't move an inch … Was that Botox or her natural state, Caroline wondered.

"You're late." the Botox lady finally spoke.

"I know, but I had such a ruff morning … But I'm here now … It only been nine minutes …"

"Ten minutes was all the time Mr. Mikaelson had available in his schedule to see you." the mean lady said and Caroline could feel her gloating.

"I have one more minute then … It's all I need …" Caroline wasn't backing down, she needed this, she needed this so badly it hurt.

" Mrs. Forbes. There is nothing I can do, your meeting is over." she looked away, and went back to her computer; it was all the time she was willing to spend on the unwelcoming intruder.

So this was it … It was all for nothing … All the effort Bonnie had to pull to even get her this meeting, all the back luck she had since she woke up this morning. It was all for nothing … She felt like crying, she felt like sitting down in the middle of this posh lobby and bursting to tears like a four year old baby. But she took a deep breath, Caroline Forbes did not cry, she didn't cry when her fiancée of two years decided he was gay, she didn't cry when she had to quit her job as a party planner just because she couldn't stand seeing him every day, she didn't even cry when she had to move out of their apartment and into her grandmother's old house, so she sure as hell isn't going to cry just because some bitch with fake ass nails told her she couldn't see Mr. Mikaleson. She'll, she'll … She'll see him anyways.

With a sudden adrenaline rush she went towards the mahogany door set into the center of the back wall and turned the knob. She didn't see him, but she heard his voice, and the British accent he didn't lose although his family moved to the States 15 years ago, she remembered reading in his biography. Accents were beer goggles for some women, but after her last love flop Caroline wasn't so easily impressed anymore. She was so used to wearing her heart on her sleeve and having it crushed that it wasn't even funny anymore. Poor old lovesick Caroline … She had to remove herself from love as far as possible, which was kind of ironic since she was trying to make it as a matchmaker, but her life was one big, crazy irony.

"I know it's a gamble, but if you sign now we can get those benefits you said you wanted … It's your decision Alex, but …" he kept on talking, but he didn't turn around, I guess he didn't hear her come in. She had to do something about it. And like now. But what? Her sudden surge of confidence was slowly melting away. What was she thinking? What was she trying to do?

" Just don't let him intimidate you Caroline." Bonnie's words echoed in her head.

Ok, here goes nothing … She was just about to speak out, when the Botox lady rushed into the office.

" I am so sorry Mr. Mikaelson. She got past me …"

The shark stopped talking and turned slowly in his chair, and Caroline felt like she would faint. I know women say that, but Caroline really felt like she would fall like a tree in the woods. Maybe it was the lack of food, or the heat she felt in her legs from running in high heels, or maybe it was the man before her staring at her with those dangerous, blue eyes. She saw his picture, plenty pictures on the net … But they didn't prepare her for what was before her. Like a loony she was couldn't stop staring at his mouth. The firm set of his well-molded mouth proclaimed a low tolerance for fools, a passion for hard work that bordered on obsession, and something … No Caroline, don't even go there, she scolded herself, and could feel the blush coming out. Oh God … This was a nightmare … And she was yet to speak … But so was he actually … He just kept on staring at her, eying his helpless pray like the shark he was.

"Do you want me to call security?" the mean lady broke this weird spell that was going on between them.

He just smirked and said: "Don't worry about it Annabelle. I think I can handle her."

And that was that … Caroline Forbes was shark attacked …

I AM SUCH A CRAZY PERSON! I told myself I most definitely wouldn't start writing another Klaroline story, because I'm too busy with other things going on in my life ... And it wouldn't be fair because I couldn't update regularly even if I do continue this ... But this idea just came to me (based on another SEP novel) and I just couldn't stop ... I had to write it, at least the first chapter to see what you guys thought, and if you were interested in me continuing with this ... I have a good feeling about it, but I want to hear from you ... So, your honest opinion, what do you think? Did you like this chapter? Do you like the idea? Please review and let me know :).