He watched as the blue wax morphed up and down the plastic cylinder. God, he was going to kill Elijah. Perhaps he would bash the tawdry lava lamp against his head. Yes. That would do nicely. Unfortunately, he would have to wait some time before he could make that dream a reality.

Klaus stood, accepting his living conditions, and made work of removing the items from the bed that did not belong to him. There were a pair of sunglasses, a couple of bracelets, and a small black book in the middle of the bed, all of which he immediately took to placing on the other bed.

Stefan's bed was decorated with a warm yellow blanket atop a darker set of sheets – not too shabby – and his area as a whole was clean enough for Klaus to assume he would be acceptable as a roommate.

As he lifted one of his suitcases onto the dark purple linens, he noticed another item tucked under the pillow. Slipping it out from under, his lips spread into a disbelieving smirk. Playboy Magazine. Granted, it was from a year prior, but the articles still stood in between the curled in pages. He knew this was something that his younger brother would immediately swipe and take into a corner room. The previous owner would surely have found some things in common with his brother if the magazine was anything to go by.

The bedroom door clicked open to Stefan, whose lips curved into a mocking smile at the sight.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

With a clearing of his throat, Klaus held the magazine behind his back, "Sorry?"

"Damon was very...hands on with that thing... Great articles, huh?"

The Salvatore boy strode across to his side of the room, fingering the few items placed onto his bed.

Klaus scoffed and held it out to his new roommate, "Well, it's no loss to me. Your brother can keep it."

"Ha! Yeah…no thanks. If Damon ever comes back, I doubt that'll be the first thing on his mind. You can throw it in the trash," Stefan nodded to a small grey cylinder in the corner of the room in between storing his brother's items into a bottom drawer.

"Right."

Klaus quickly threw the scandalous piece of journalism into the trashcan before returning to unpack his own belongings. He dropped each item of clothing into the drawers of what he could only describe as a 'makeshift' piece of furniture.

Stefan eyed the newcomer carefully as he sat onto his bed.

"Look, if we're gonna be 'roomies', there's a few rules—"

The Brit held up a hand to interrupt, "Firstly, I must request that you do not say 'roomie'; I don't intend to live out some…fraternity fantasy. Secondly, whatever your rules may be, I do not care quite frankly. I will stay out of your way and you can stay out of mine."

A slow nod was given in answer, and Stefan awkwardly looked away. The phrase 'what a douche' was firmly planted in his mind.

Klaus smirked, placing the rest of his clothing into the appropriate drawers. The alpha spot over the scarf wearer was secured.

"You like hockey?"

The newbie frowned initially, but a mirthful smile replaced it.

"Do you…comprehend words and choose to ignore them or do you just let them pass through your seemingly empty head?"

Stefan placed a hand on his hip along with a shrug.

"So, do you like hockey?"

Klaus scoffed in disbelief. He chose to ignore the overzealous man this time. That was until his mind drifted to a certain blonde that had caught his attention.

"Although…" his voice lifted devilishly, "What can you tell me about your friend Caroline?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed suddenly, "Tell you? Nothing. Tell others? A lot."

The man turned, raising a brow, "Is that so?"

"'Tis," Stefan replied dryly, "Unless you're ready to stop being a mega douche and start being roomies."

Klaus quietly chuckled as he slammed his suitcase shut, "Well then, 'roomie', it seems we are at a stalemate."

"You better not," the young blonde warned, a finger wagging at her friend. There was a slight whine in her voice as she continued, "I really want everyone to get along and have a nice dinner, okay?"

Katherine stood there near the phone, her fingers itching to wrap around the yellowing coiled cord.

"But…Pizza."

"Sit your butt down, Katerina Pierce."

The brunette could not help the scrunching of her nose due to hearing her name in full said by her close friend.

"It's like being at home again…Jesus…" she mumbled, semi-frustrated, while she made her way to slump into a tall chair at the table.

Caroline smirked in triumph, returning to stir the saucy concoction in the large green pot. She jiggled about the knob to turn the heat to a simmer, a huff at the ready as it proved as difficult as always.

"Smells delicious," a yawning Bonnie complimented as she tottered down the steep staircase into the opening of the dining area.

"Thanks, Bon. Did you get—"

"Pizza would'a been a treat though…" Katherine interjected.

Caroline frowned disapprovingly at the interruption before completing her sentence once Katherine had batted her eyelashes innocently, "…Did you get a chance to finish your notes on chapter five?"

The tired girl groaned and propped herself onto the orange laminate counter, "I've just barely finished four. It…killed off all of my brain cells faster than you can say 'law student'."

She fiddled with a couple curls, "I'll hand the notes out at the study sesh next week. You?"

She laughed sympathetically, tilting her head towards Bonnie, "I wrote up six…and got a head start on my chapter for the book by West…"

"Of course you did."

A playful eye roll followed her words.

"Do you think you can stop making the rest of us look bad, Caroline?"

"Now, why would I want to stop doing that, Bon?"

She raised an eyebrow, a slightly devilish smile teasing her lips, "Besides, the more I do it, the more I piss off that airhead Hayley."

Katherine and Bonnie shared a joking gasp, directing their full attention to a shying Caroline.

"Miss Forbes…I love it when you talk dirty," Katherine feigned a swoon, "Insult people more, baby."

They laughed in unison, chattering away as Caroline poured the sauce into the pot of pasta and began stirring. The steam rose nicely, the scent wafting throughout the downstairs and slowly up through the house.

The steps of the stairs once again welcomed the contacting shoes. Stefan lazily took to his seat, legs swung wide as he leaned back. The second set of footsteps brought themselves in the opposite direction, choosing to land beside her.

"Smells absolutely inviting," his voice enveloped her ears with its warm tone.

Caroline shivered in surprise, "You were invited to eat, not to scare the crap out of me."

"My apologies."

He chuckled and took his place at the table with the rest of his new housemates.

Katherine was quick to eye him with disdain. She then smiled happily towards her friend.

"So, Stefan, I'm surprised you haven't found the nearest bridge to jump off of yet."

"Couldn't find my map of the city," Stefan retorted. He reached out a hand to the table but groaned at the empty air. Standing up lazily, he moved to swing open the refrigerator.

"Drinks, anybody?" he offered, gesturing to the assortment of bottles.

"Beer me," commanded Katherine.

Bonnie, too, raised a hand.

"I second that!"

A couple of finger guns were shot the girls' way before they were passed a bottle each.

"Klaus?"

"I'm more of a wine person, mate. I don't suppose you would have any?"

Caroline lifted her head a little, watching their interaction.

"Sorry," Stefan winced, "We have grape soda?"

"Grape…soda?"

"It's grape-alicious…?"

The blonde laughed softly as she dished out the pasta carefully plate by plate.

"I'll take a water, but thank you."

Klaus stood from his chair, passing Stefan who returned to his place with a can of soda.

"I'll get that for you. I'm having the same," Caroline spoke, her eyes meeting his.

With one eyebrow raised, Klaus nodded thankfully. He did not sit down, however. He took a couple plates of food and began serving them. She in turn raised an eyebrow, but soon proceeded to the faucet.

"Love the food; not sure about the waiter," Katherine muttered as her plate was set down in front of her.

"This looks wonderful, Caroline," Bonnie complimented, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Thanks, guys," the chef of the night said, setting down two glasses of water. She then intercepted Klaus' attempt to collect the rest of the plates.

"You don't have to do that."

"Why not? I'm not a guest. I'm a housemate. I should be pulling my own weight," he argued, his reply soft yet firm.

A quiet huff left her lips, her eyes wandering away.

"I'll give you a proposal: I take a plate for you and Stefan, and you can take my plate."

Her blue eyes took immediately to his. His persistence was almost charming. Regardless, she squinted in annoyance.

"Fine, I guess."

Her speech was breathy, lingering on the last syllable. She took grip of a plate and left him standing alone to serve the food.

Once sat, she smiled gratefully, but could not contain a smirk when he served the final plates.

"Food serving foreplay," Katherine whispered mischievously across the table.

Caroline frowned at her friend who then poked her tongue out with a wink. She picked up her fork, viewing them all with a bright expression as Klaus settled into his own seat.

"Dig in, guys."

The group began their meals, various noises of approval coming from each person in the group.

"So, Klaus, got any plans for the week? You'll probably wanna check the area out," Bonnie attempted conversation, her fork spinning in the pasta.

"I—"

"Unfortunately, there's no crocket playing around here, 'ol chap."

Katherine smirked, swinging her clenched fist towards her other side jokingly.

He laughed dismissively, "Crocket… Ridiculous… I've not played that since I was in primary education."

Katherine's eyes only pierced him with disdain, yet Caroline found herself stifling a grin, which Klaus greatly appreciated.

"I'm actually not quite sure what I'll do. What would you suggest?" he asked with an eyebrow raised, placing his cutlery down.

The snarky brunette took a glance at Caroline, pausing for a moment as she thought. Caroline furrowed her brows, but with eyes wide, shook her head when she saw her friend grin intently.

"Well, we're going to a house party if you wanted to slum it for a nigh—"

"Invite only." Caroline said pressingly. Klaus' gaze flicked to her momentarily. Her jaw twitched nervously.

"Like they'll care," Katherine dismissed her before facing Klaus, "There'll be drinking, smoking, the usual."

"Something that is right up your alley, I suppose?"

She rolled her eyes at the man, "Yes – along with burning flags and hardcore sex."

Caroline released a gentle cough in surprise, "Katherine."

"You know, Klaus, I bet you're real excited to see all the courtroom action here, huh?" Katherine pressed a finger against her temple playfully, leaning her head to one side.

"Hardly."

"Right right – you're not a fan of Americans and law. Why was that again?"

The ever-present glint in Katherine's eyes intensified, the bait dangling from her hand.

Her target scoffed, "It's all about showboating here. Harvard's the only law school worth noticing and if you can't make it into Harvard then your skills are clearly poor."

Bonnie raised her head to reply but was beaten to the punch.

"That's a pretty asinine way of looking at it, don't you think? Harvard is pretty restrictive; that's why I couldn't get in," Caroline inquired, eyebrow raised expectantly.

Klaus' gaze shifted from engaging in word combat to insecurely listening to Caroline's interjecting criticism. Nonetheless, he shook his head in an effort to keep his composure.

"I'm sure you're intelligent, Caroline, but Harvard does have an incredibly high standard so that's probably why."

The blonde laughed with softness, but smiled bitterly as an amused Katherine watched from the side-lines.

"For your information, the reason I can't get into Harvard Law is because they're reluctant to accept women, so I'm stuck at Boston Law – Sorry, Bonnie – studying a degree to increase my 'poor skills'."

"No offence taken…I think," Bonnie muttered in confusion.

"Next time, you want to put your two cents in about my intelligence, maybe think about your audience," she said swiftly and returned to her food. The Brit's expression had dropped in her response, and he, too, returned to his food like a wounded dog.

"Okay…I take it back…this is much better than being back at home," Katherine piped up, grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. Bonnie simply slapped her forehead in embarrassment while Stefan chuckled into his dinner plate.

After many minutes of silence, it was only the sound of the front door being unlocked that offered the group peace. A man of medium height and a clean shaven jaw stepped in, receiving happy greetings from those who knew him among the table. Caroline, in particular, brought her focus to him with a bright smile and stood to welcome him.

"Tyler!"

"Hey, Care," he brought his hand around her waist.

"You said you'd finish early today," the blonde frowned, fingers pressed lightly against his chest.

Klaus' eyes unwillingly wandered to the couple. It must have been the man she had expected to see in the bathroom instead of him. Her fingers were awfully nimble in fiddling with the man's shirt, and her eyes were wide in expectation.

He quickly brought himself back to reality and to eating his food before his stare became noticeable.

"I know…but one of the girls called in sick," Tyler explained, taking one of Caroline's hands loosely and kissed her cheek.

"Gross," Katherine pulled her tongue out.

"Don't be such a child," Stefan berated her with a nudge.

Tyler laughed at his friends' reactions, pausing at an unfamiliar man at the table.

"Hey there…" he greeted with a slight squint of his eyes.

The stranger rose from his seat to introduce himself.

"Klaus Mikaelson."

"Klaus is our new roommate," Caroline smiled awkwardly, busying herself by collecting empty plates from the table as she felt Klaus' eyes on her for a long moment.

Tyler eyed his grin warily as Klaus made eye contact, "Nice to meet you, bro. I hope you're not as messy as the last guy."

"He has a name," Stefan noted.

"No one cares," whispered Katherine, to which Stefan silently looked in dismay.

Klaus smirked, taking a moment to size Tyler up before nodding.

"I'm sure I can manage that."

"Oh— you're from 'across the pond'."

"Yes."

"Good luck then," Tyler laughed, abruptly moving to wrap his arms around the nearby girl, "Now, I'm taking the blonde and no one gets hurt."

Caroline almost squeaked, accepting the decision as she was pulled up the stairs, "Someone do the dishes, please."

"No," both Stefan and Katherine answered in unison.

"I'll do it," Bonnie sighed, finishing her last strings of pasta.

Klaus held an amused expression at the light tone in Caroline's reactions as he sat back into his seat. It seemed he was out of his depth with the girl.

Slow clapping was had from Katherine, "Smooth."

Unimpressed, Klaus leaned his elbows onto the table, "I take it that you enjoyed the tension?"

"Very much so, my good lad!"

Bonnie and Stefan cringed at the brunette's painful attempt at a British accent, while Katherine grinned with satisfaction at her performance. She took her plate to the sink to rinse, leaving it dripping wet on the side as she took more beer from the refrigerator.

"I'll be retreating to my room with a couple of beers now. Laters," she called as she threw a 'V' up with her free hand.

"My beer?" Stefan held his arms out in annoyance.

Bonnie placed a hand over his arm, "Don't. It's a lost cause."

Her breathless expression turned pleasurable as her head fell against the pillow beside his head. She had sorely needed the release after the long week studying. While they were not starting the academic semester for another month, it was important to get ahead of the readings no matter how one approached work.

She brushed a stray hair from her cheek, watching the dark-haired man next to her.

"So, what d'you think of Klaus?"

It was only a click or two before he had lit up his cigarette, the smoke puffing out as he spoke.

"New guy? Seems a little odd."

Caroline breathed out a laugh, fiddling with her hands.

"You just met him, Tyler."

Tyler's lips tugged out into a grin, cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"Look," he started, taking his cigarette between two fingers and facing the blonde, "I've got nothing against the dude, but I've heard the accent is very alluring to some."

"Some being...?"

"I mean, I don't know if it's scientifically accurate..."

He trailed off, his eyes wandering. She simply nodded with an innocent smile and rested her head on one fist.

"But I hear the most susceptible are pretty blondes that he can't stop staring at."

Caroline's expression dropped but quickly resumed its playfulness.

"He was not staring at me," she denied, slapping a hand against his tanned bare chest, which he immediately took hold of.

Removing the stick of tobacco from his mouth, Tyler pulled her close and smirked at her now pouting lips.

"The question is: what do you think of him, Care?"

With a light scoff, she replied, "I don't know. He's seems like a snob to me."

An eyebrow raise was had from him.

"Now who's making assumptions?"

Caroline tilted her head side to side, "You just met him. I've been around him enough to get an idea."

"You're not allowed to be jealous anyway, Ty," she reminded him, wriggling her hand away.

"And if we were exclusive, I would be?" he asked, staring at her naked frame with a teasing gaze.

The blonde sat up, fixing her mess of hair to one side, "If we were, but we're not."

"Could change," he hummed out his response, a smirk on display as he took a long drag of his cigarette.

Her pink lips pressed together, thoughts slowly gathering.

"I'm not the one who made the rules," she argued with a light tone, leaving the bed to slip her panties and an oversized shirt on, "You know those things are gonna kill you, right?"

"Not if I kill them first."

"That—"

Caroline stifled a laugh, his odd humour tickling her senses, and folded her arms, "Sure."

"You laugh now, but the moment cigarettes gain intelligence, they're coming for you."

A giggle escaped her lips, "Shut up. I'm gonna get some water. I'll be right back, and then we can snuggle, hm?"

"I'll probably fall asleep by then, babe," he told her with a dismayed smile, "Rain check on snuggles? Tomorrow?"

Tyler liked to tease the idea of them together and play their interactions out like they were a couple, but he did not want it really. He wanted the idea of it, and though she would not admit that she liked to do the same, that thought was still there.

She rolled her eyes but nodded, "Yeah. Goodnight, Ty."

"'Night, Care. Shut the door tight."

The disappointed blonde stepped into the corridor, pausing at the threshold before pulling the door shut behind her.

"And that is why we're not exclusive," she muttered in irritation, hopping down the towering stairs.

The stairs creaked, with one particular board standing out as the loudest. She could beg and beg the landlord to fix the little imperfections of their run-down home, but it would neither be done nor be something she would want done; Caroline appreciated the squeaking boards and peeling paint a little too much for her roommates to handle.

Most of the lights were out as she made her way down. The lights from the downstairs were bouncing off the walls to give her some guidance. She made the final steps down into the kitchen area, taking notice of the male figure across the room in an arm chair.

"You're still up?" she asked, running the faucet to cool the water, and brought a glass down from a shelf.

"Night time is the best time to sketch," a deep, calm voice replied.

The blonde flinched, eyes wide and a hand on her chest as she faced him, "I thought you were Stefan."

"Unless he has turned into a British man, I would say no."

There was a moment of silence. She chose to continue with pouring herself a drink instead of acknowledging him.

"Had enough fun with your…? Well, I don't know what you would like to call him," he pondered, a brow raised in amusement.

"I don't think that's any of your business…"

With her glass of water, Caroline moved to meet him in the lounge, sitting on the armchair adjacent to his. He sighed in defeat, weighing up his options before speaking.

"Caroline, I would…like to apologise for my remarks earlier."

Klaus did not look up from his sketch, dragging his pencil along the page with ease. After only a moment of surprise, her lips spread into a grin as she watched him focus on swiftly pressing the pencil against the paper.

"Okay," she nodded, waiting for his face to lift and for his eyes to land on her before continuing, "Apologise away."

He froze but shortly shifted in his seat, "Right. I am…sorry that I judged you."

"For…?" she said, lingering on her word with enjoyment.

A small smile was placed on his face.

"For your education…and that I insulted your intelligence."

"Wow. I didn't even have to push for that last bit. Gold star," she complimented sarcastically, dropping her tone into a softer one in continuing, "Thank you."

He nodded slowly and resumed his sketching. Caroline slowly looked over him, catching only a glimpse of the work in his hands: a figure of a person.

"The Harvard Law student is secretly a master artist, huh?" she interrogated jokingly, leaning over slightly.

"It is scandalous, I am aware."

Klaus chuckled, turning his pad over, face-down, and grinned at the blonde.

He trailed his eyes down from her messy hair to her bare legs pulled up onto the armchair.

Caroline insecurely pulled the edges of her t-shirt down; her escapades were far from inconspicuous.

He avoided laughing at her efforts to cover up, instead, choosing to start a new topic.

"So, there's a party tomorrow, hm?"

"Uh," she smiled awkwardly, "Yeah…but I don't think it's your scene."

"You know what my scene is?" he teased.

"I mean…I can infer. Maybe it's not crocket, but you don't seem like the party hard type."

"And you are, Miss Forbes?"

Her eyelashes batted slowly as she enjoyed the way he addressed her.

"Sometimes."

"It might be nice to attend an American house party, though I'm not much for beer," he said with an unfortunate tone.

Caroline smiled sympathetically, but soon stood up to grab two glasses from the cupboards, placing them on the coffee table.

"What are you—"

Crouching near the fireplace, he watched her pull out a large block from the side. The fireplace looked dusty and of course, neglected by its lack of coal or kindling. From behind the block, she collected a bottle of red wine and settled the cover back in its place.

"So, I occasionally…like to drink wine. I might not be 'Harvard material', but I'm smart enough to know not to keep my alcohol in reach of the others," she informed him, cracking the cap open and pouring a sizeable amount into the empty glasses.

He smiled guiltily at her dig at him, sitting further onto the edge of his seat and placing his sketchpad behind his back.

"Grape soda doesn't really mimic the real thing," she laughed quietly, offering a glass which he immediately welcomed.

"Thank you, Caroline."

A/N: Wow. I've finally posted chapter two after...too many months. Let's not count! I just want to thank whoever has been asking me on tumblr about this update because I really appreciate knowing someone is interested! I hope this chapter was a fun read and soon enough (definitely soon haha there won't be another break for a while) I will publish the chapter 3 that I am very much excited for!