The telephone rang breaking Klaus' concentration from the long strokes his hand was making across the half painted canvas. Since Elijah's return Klaus found it easier to paint again, it dulled the ache of Kol's loss. Klaus set the brush down on the easel and wiped his hands on the dirty terry cloth.
He peered down to notice that it wasn't Caroline was calling like he hoped but Rebekah. A shot of victory raced across his body. Klaus grabbed the phone.
"And how is my little spy doing today?" was his arrogant greeting.
"Oh shut up, Nik. I don't have time for your annoying games," Rebekah shot back.
Klaus could clearly hear her rummaging through some sort of material on the end and the distant giggles of other people further in the background.
Rebekah shifted the phone from one ear to the other the rustle of hands scratching in Klaus' ear. He let a low growl into the phone.
"Listen I haven't got much time, just don't be surprised if Caroline calls you any minute. Just let her into the house and pick out one of my dresses in the closest. I have no doubt she'll inform you of everything."
Klaus cocked an eyebrow, "Will she now?"
He could almost hear the roll of Rebekah's eyes as she huffed into the phone. "Don't be an idiot Nik, you-"
The shrill beeping in Klaus' ear indicated a call trying to beep in. Klaus pulled out the phone to see Caroline's name blaring across the screen. Smirking he put the phone back up to his ear, "It seems that's her right now."
"Fine." Rebekah snorted and clicked off without further explanation.
Klaus' smirk still wide across his face picked tapped on the new line. "Caroline, what can I do for you?"
"Are you home?" was the short clipped reply.
"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" he questioned.
"Oh trust me, I'll explain. I'm coming over. I'll be there in five minutes."
The line was dead before Klaus could respond. That twice in five minutes he had been hung up on, he tried to ignore the tick of irritation.
Five minutes, that meant he had to hurry. Blurring upstairs he grabbed the ivory gown out of the back of his closet, shucked off the dress bag, and flashed to Rebekah's old room. Stuffing the dress among the myriad of other ball gowns his little sister left it seemed it had always been there. Now he just had to ensure that Caroline picked the right one.
After Caroline helped him break Silas' control, the image of Caroline spinning around in another elegant dress of his choosing had been too much of a temptation. So when he and Rebekah were out a couple days later and he spotted the champagne and ivory dress from a window in a small boutique while Rebekah chatted on about trying to live like a human for day, he knew that he wanted Caroline to wear it.
If Caroline was going to delude herself by attending a useless school dance that meant nothing she was going to look like the queen she was meant to be. Assuming Rebekah didn't ruin it, Caroline would never know the dress had been from him. Why she needed a dress still he didn't know. It was unlike Caroline to leave something this important to her for the last minute.
"Klaus!" Caroline's voice rang out through the house.
Klaus blurred downstairs just as Caroline walked into his study. She spun around from his recently abandoned easel, her whole countenance blazing in the Forbes' fury. He leaned up against the doorframe and crossed his arms, the familiar sight of her wrath instantly amusing him.
"I'm going to kill her! I swear to-"
Caroline was pacing the room lost in her ranting. Klaus couldn't help the twinkle in his eye as she paced back and forth, blonde hair flying out violently with each abrupt turn of her body.
"I had everything planned, down to a tea. I mean this prom is going to be one of my best parties I have ever done. But could she be happy with that, no!" Caroline waved her hands about dramatically.
"No, she had to go and waltz off with my dress from the shop after I paid for it and everything. Seriously! Then I called her and all she had to say was that it matched her curls and her old dress would clash with her new hairdo."
He was really doing his best not to laugh at Caroline's antics but the way her body twisted and turned, face glowing in righteous anger all over a dress for a dance that she would eventually forget in the span of her long lifetime was just too much. A short snort of laughter fell from his mouth, the sound causing Caroline to stop mid-step and spin at him.
"Are you kidding me? You're laughing at me!" she shouted, "This is important Klaus! I can't go if I don't have a dress to wear."
Caroline's arm arched back and suddenly Klaus realized she had thrown something at him. Neatly grabbing his hand out, Klaus caught Caroline's phone and flipped over in his hand. Caroline scoffed, throwing herself down into a vacant overstuffed chair.
Klaus tried to glare at her. If it had been anyone else who threw something at him, he would have snapped their neck already but Klaus found he was only half-heartedly upset. She was sitting in his usual chair; arms crossed her front like a spoiled child. The crease of her furrowed brow created lines across her forehead and her lips turned down in frown.
A slight tick of annoyance started to build up. He did not want her to come over and just vent whenever she felt like-that wasn't what he wanted. Klaus mulled over Caroline's words and throwing in Rebekah's vague explanation tried to piece together what happened.
"I can assume this has to do with Elena?" he finally asked, crossing the room back to his canvas.
Klaus picked up the brush and began painting again, trying to show a disinterested appearance. Why should Caroline's problems with Elena bother him? He was not Stefan who sat down and patted her hand whenever something didn't go her way.
"You think?" Caroline huffed out.
Klaus let out a side smile, keeping eyes on the brush in his hand. He waited patiently for Caroline to elaborate because she would, that's who she was. Though he wasn't Stefan, he wanted her to keep talking to him, but he'd never admit that out loud.
The room drifted into silence. The only sounds the scratch of his brush across the canvas and the ticking of the clock in the hall filling the void. After he heard the shuffle of Caroline's boots shifting from one position to another did he dare turn back round, curious as to why she hadn't spoken yet. He didn't expect Caroline to behind him watching him paint.
It startled him to realize he had been calm enough to not hear her movements across the floor. He did not like people that close without him knowing. Klaus glowered and she stepped back a foot with a heavy sigh.
"Elena stole my prom dress from the shop in Richmond. Prom is tomorrow and I have nothing to wear. Combine that with Bonnie's magic wigging out all over the place, no Tyler, and just the usual prom stress I'm a wreck. How am I supposed to show up with no dress?"
Klaus ignored the Tyler comment, the flare of anger at the mention of the younger boy instantaneous. He returned to his painting, aiming for the disinterested look once more.
"Why should that have anything to do with me?"
Caroline mumbled, "Nothing. I just needed someone to talk to and you were the only person I-"
Her words dropped off with a sharp squeak. Klaus caught out of the corner of his eye Caroline suddenly become intensely interested with a loose hem on her shirt.
"Rebekah called to inform me you would be in need of a dress." He told her with shrug of his shoulders after Caroline refused to say anything more.
Her head snapped up. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" she bit out.
Klaus shrugged. Caroline rolled her eyes. He hadn't said anything because it was much more enjoyable to have her talk to him. He wasn't concerned that it caused her a bit of discomfort; she was going to be walking away from the house with a dress far better than whatever one she had previously picked out.
Caroline's eyes narrowed to slits, "Wait, your sister was there, with Elena. She just stood by and let Elena walk off with my dress and then she felt bad so she called you? I don't believe this."
Klaus growled, blurring straight in front of Caroline. Caroline for her part didn't step back of flinch at him zooming into her personal space. He might be upset with his younger sister but she was still his sister. The air tensed with their anger.
"She's keeping Elena close. She was doing what she was told."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Yes, because stealing prom dresses is something you like going around and doing. What do you do, wear them when no one is looking?"
"She's tracking her movements."
Caroline's blanked for a second before turning into an exasperated frown. "That's why she moved in with her? To keep an eye on Elena? Klaus, you are taking this stalker thing to a whole new level."
"Don't be naive Caroline; it is nothing of the sort. Rebekah is ensuring that Elena forgets all about the cure because she doesn't want her to find it."
Caroline stared at him for moment, hands raised but suddenly stopping as her mouth hung open for a moment. Klaus watched as her as her mind worked through what he told her. The puzzle pieces fitting into shape with his cryptic words. He tried not to grin the moment her countenance lightened in clarity.
"Wait, the only reason Rebekah would do that is if Elena knew where the cure was. But since I know Elena doesn't care about it that must mean Rebekah knows where the cure is…or somehow she got the real thing from Katherine after all."
Klaus cocked his head, clasping his hands behind his back. It truly was something else to watch her mind make connections when it took the others she called her friends much longer to draw connections, even Stefan. Caroline turned her head slightly.
"You have the cure don't you! Or at least know where it is? No wonder you have such a smug grin."
Klaus laughed outright at that.
"Perhaps," he answered ambiguously.
All woes forgotten about the dress, Caroline stepped closer, excitement written across her face. "What are you planning to do with it? Where is it?"
Klaus pursed his lips and Caroline fell silent with an annoyed huff.
"We both know how dangerous Silas is, even if the others do not realize to what extent. I cannot let him live."
Caroline stiffened at those words and Klaus could clearly see her remembering their last encounter with Silas. His own back winched in phantom pain. The memory of false splinters digging into him had been stronger than the whole of the fifty-two years he had suffered from the hunter's curse.
Klaus watched her deflate. "Come on, I'll take you to Rebekah's room. She said you may pick out one of her dresses. She has many for you to choose from."
Her somber frown disappeared and she bounded out of the seat and followed Klaus upstairs. Opening the door to Rebekah's room he gestured to the closet.
"All her dresses are in there. I'm certain you'll find one that appeals to you," he smiled.
Caroline nodded brightly before disappearing into the sea of dresses. Klaus turned back and returned to the study. Rebekah was a size bigger than Caroline; with the eleventh hour that they were in Caroline would be forced to take the dress he picked. There would be no time for adjustments to be made to any of the other dresses.
His lips turned up in a devil's grin more than pleased that his plan was working. Picking up his brush once more, he found his hand being drawn to the yellow hues on his pallet.
"Klaus?"
A soft voice broke him from painting the warm colors across the top of the almost finished painting.
Klaus turned; Caroline was standing in the entryway of the study. That was twice in one day that he had been lost in his work and he had not heard Caroline approach. Caroline had in her arms the ivory dress, the pearls and handcrafted beaded work could be seen midst the tulle and satin.
"Found a dress then?" he casually asked.
Caroline bit her lip and nodded her head. "Tell Rebekah thank-you. I tried on a bunch but this one kept calling to me."
Klaus nodded nonchalantly but his ego was soaring. "I'm certain no one will hold a candle to you."
That garnered an eye roll. "Whatever, I have to go. I need to make sure the food order is still on track."
"Alright, only on two conditions."
Caroline groaned, "What?"
"If Rebekah gets to give you something, then I might I allow myself to give you something as well?" he queried.
There was a faint pink blooming across her cheeks as Klaus waited for her answer. He felt himself so close to victory that he could almost taste it.
"No."
He should have expected that. His fist clenched in annoyance but he let it go after a minute of controlled breathing.
"Fine."
After all she was still going to be wearing his dress. For a brief moment he wished he could see her in it but he had no desire to attend the high school dance.
"What's your other request?" she impatiently asked.
"Code word?"
It was back to their little game. He wondered if he was the only one who was playing it. Each day their texts failed to answer the vital question but instead yielded more information about each of them to the other. He found himself purposefully stalling and he suspected she was too but he couldn't be certain, not with her.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Ask me after prom. I don't have time to think about that right now."
If it weren't for the twinkle in her eye, Klaus would have thought she was serious. He met her eyes in a heated gaze, the faint blush that dusted her cheeks darkening and spreading.
"Caroline you'll have to give me an answer eventually. You know better than anyone how dangerous Silas is."
He almost missed the coy smirk and flutter of her eyes, it created a strange pounding in his heart. Klaus stepped closer to her.
"Oh, I'll think of something."
He smiled, he liked their little game. Caroline was out the door without another word. It was only after she left that he realized he still had her phone in his pocket. It seemed he had a reason to visit Caroline sooner than she expected. Klaus grabbed his jacket and raced after her. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't return her phone?
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