.
III
Caroline had to admit she may have been a little harsh on Klaus. Not only did he not show up the next day, but Alaric decided to start shooting episode two without wrapping episode one. There weren't many scenes left from the first one and it seemed like Klaus could be away for another couple of days.
Stefan handed them the script for the episode for them to start the reading, and Caroline didn't miss how the credit to the writing went to both Stefan and Klaus, the actor's name even coming before the writer's. Damon once again played Niklaus, and Caroline wished only for a moment that her director was her costar. Damon was professional and although his ego was bigger than the state of Louisiana, he was good in his job. He was harsh when he needed to be and maybe just a tad too perfectionist, but Caroline liked to be pushed. She knew demanding directors contributed to actors' growth and she wanted to go further with her career.
"Stef, step up as Klaus, please," Damon asked and his brother moved from his position to sit by Caroline's side, although it wasn't necessary.
They continued to read the script and after a couple of hours they finally finished it.
"How is he?" she asked Stefan once they were dismissed from the meeting to do customization and makeup.
"At the hospital," Stefan offered, knowing she meant Klaus.
"Is it that bad?" she asked, surprised his words.
"He has the flu and medicine poisoning," he explained, and she felt the world falling on her shoulders. She saw him taking the pills in front of her and she knew he was intoxicated. Instead of stopping him from doing something so stupid and dangerous, she just kept ranting on how she wouldn't allow him to destroy the series.
"I should have said something," she whispered more to herself than to him.
"It's not your fault, Caroline. Damon told me what you saw. Klaus can't let go of his pills, especially when he's sick. Unlike most think he isn't addicted to heroin, cocaine or crack. His main problem has always been the medicine he took and the alcohol induced lifestyle he isn't willing to give up on," Stefan offered warmly, but it wouldn't be that easy to brush off Caroline's guilt.
"But still I should have tried to stop him instead of yelling at him, he wasn't even sick to start with," she offered, and understood quickly there was nothing he could say that would make her change her mind. He knew well how guilt could torture someone.
"I know he can be a handful and it's only been a little over a week, but he has his heart in this project. He won't mess it up like he did with the last ones he worked on," he tried to reassure her, and seeing her biting her bottom lip he concluded he at least planted a seed of doubt in her judgment of Klaus.
"Damon seems to be convinced the same, but I could read through his words. He wants Klaus to be committed; he isn't so sure he actually is," she sighed.
"Klaus wrote almost everything in the script we just read. I only did the necessary changes to adapt it to a television script. Although we never planned in making this a movie or a series, this is more his project than anyone else's," he explained and for a moment Caroline wondered if Klaus was really the genius his friends painted him to be. She had to agree that she was impressed with some of their scenes together, but how much could talent cover recklessness?
"So Damon also said," she shrugged.
"Maybe you should have a little faith on us when it comes to Klaus," he offered, bringing a light smile to her.
"It's Klaus I have problems putting faith on," she shook her head, also smiling at him.
"Rebekah is coming to stay with him, as he's sick, I'll ask to consider staying longer," Stefan's demeanor quickly changed, becoming tense and looking ahead of him instead of her.
"Who is Rebekah?" she frowned more, because of his behavior than the unknown name.
"You've never heard of his sister before?" he asked with a small smirk.
"No, I only know his brother who is also a director."
"Rebekah is his younger sister, she's a model until she's known and respected enough in the business to become a designer," his smile warmed and Caroline raised one of her eyebrows.
"And do you think she's going to put her own career on hold to babysit her brother?" she asked curious. She thought Damon and Stefan weren't helping Klaus by enabling the bad behavior he presented, and it seemed they weren't the only ones to protect Klaus.
"I don't think a twenty-eight year old needs babysitting, not even Klaus," he answered smiling, knowing that was exactly what Rebekah would do.
It had been hard to call her the night before. He still couldn't say where they went wrong, but after sleeping together for many times throughout the years, they finally decided to move their relationship to the next level. It only lasted a few months, and every now and then they slept together again, but she always made sure to trace the line there. They wouldn't become more than sex buddies, and all the times he tried to understand why she was so adamant about it, she shut him out.
"But that's just what you suggested," Caroline chuckled.
"He's sick, and she's going to take care of him. It won't harm anyone if she stays longer. She can really pester him about his… difficulties," he looked uncomfortable about what to say or not about Klaus. He was one of his best friends and he didn't want to expose his friend's life, but he knew he would need Caroline on board for them to make this work. If she started being a bitch to Klaus, things would only get more complicated, as Klaus couldn't resist a challenge.
"Are you close to her as well?" Caroline asked intrigued.
When he didn't answer, and sort of looked away, she realized she wasn't close to him and shouldn't ask that kind of question.
"Never mind, it's none of my business," she offered embarrassedly. She had already crossed a line with Damon the day before; she didn't need to cross yet another one with Stefan. Although the writer wasn't her boss, his brother was and she knew they were a package when it came to protecting Klaus.
"No problem. I'm close to the three of them. Elijah, Rebekah and Klaus," Stefan explained, although he left off the part of their relationship in the present and the past.
"Still, I shouldn't have asked," Caroline insisted, and he could say she was as stubborn as both Mikaelson's siblings. He could only imagine if Rebekah, Klaus and Caroline ever started an argument disagreeing with one another. It would have blood spilled before any of them gave in.
"It's no secret, so don't worry," he offered, before they started a comfortable silence as they walked towards the costumer's rooms.
"When is she arriving?" Caroline asked as they crossed the studio.
"She's probably already here. I called her last night after I took Klaus to his apartment," he checked the time on his watch. It was ten in the morning and he was positive Rebekah would already be at New Orleans, if not at the hospital already.
"I should probably apologize to him," Caroline said guiltily.
"Klaus doesn't hold grudges, Caroline, and he knows his reputation entitles people to think such things about him," he offered her an honest smile.
"Still. I was a bitch," embarrassment for her behavior once again took over, and she felt her cheeks burning slightly.
"He probably doesn't even remember it," Stefan shook his head. Klaus would hardly remember anything he did the past day. He was drunk and high on his painkillers.
"Well, it won't hurt if I say I'm sorry when I see him again," she offered almost cheerily. She really hoped he wouldn't remember much or anything from their previous conversation when she met him again.
"I know it seems like Damon and I are favoring him, and enabling his bad behavior, and maybe this is exactly what we're doing. But this is a friend of ours, someone we want to help and someone we know and understand. Whereas it may look like we're just protecting him, we're dealing with him in the way we know will work. Klaus doesn't react well to being scolded especially publicly. Just rest assured we're not enabling his bad behavior," he explained, sounding very serious and she knew just then Damon had indeed talked to Stefan before. It was probably why the green-eyed Salvatore made sure to talk to her for the first time since they started shooting. She should have held her anger back.
"I'm not saying you and Damon are enabling him, Stefan," she looked ashamed, knowing she was lying and positive Stefan could see through her, as his eyes squirmed a little bit on her, before he subtly cleared his throat and continued.
"Maybe not something that bad, but I can say you don't think we're handling this situation as we should. He's only been late one day and he's been sick, he didn't even mess up much," Stefan said, and that was his biggest mistake. Caroline was almost allowing herself to be easy on Klaus, but when he openly ignored Klaus' latest shenanigan she changed her mind.
"He was completely drunk yesterday, Stefan. I don't think being drunk is part of work's ethic," her demeanor completely changed and she sounded almost infuriated.
"I know, but Klaus is his biggest enemy. He got sick on the weekend and instead of going to the doctor, he just used alcohol as a way to get better," he tried to explain, but she had another thing coming.
"Don't you think that's stretching 'a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away'?" she quoted the air.
"He self destroys, which is why I think Rebekah could help him around," he answered tiredly. He knew it would be hard to convince anyone else to try to overlook Klaus' actions, but he had to at least try, especially with Caroline.
"And still you don't see it as babysitting," she muttered under her breath, but he seemed to have heard her perfectly.
"Klaus is no baby, and it may seem to you that he's immature, but his problems go way deeper," he offered, not knowing if he should have said much, but Caroline had an opinion about it.
"Stefan, I don't think we should be talking about our coworker in the break. The message is clear. I overstepped my boundaries with Damon yesterday, and it was out of line. I'll make sure to apologize to him as well. I thank you for explaining to me what really happened," she offered as they reached the costumes' room.
"I just want you to give him a chance to prove you wrong," he stopped in front of her, his hands still in his pockets. Caroline was good at character judgment and she could easily see Stefan was a good guy. Kind, polite, warm, even soft. She wondered how much it clouded his assessment on his friend. Damon showed more doubts about his words, but Stefan seemed to believe them without any doubts or fear to be mistaken.
"It would help if he doesn't keep proving everyone right," she sighed tiredly.
"He won't blow it up, Caroline; I can assure you of that. See you around," he nodded curtly, before he walked away, leaving a still annoyed Caroline, but also conflicted about her reaction to him the previous day. Both Stefan and Damon made it clear that Klaus was probably a victim of the situation he was currently on, and that while one could blame him for starting, maybe it was beyond him to make it stop. Caroline Forbes was a force to be reckoned with, but she was also a passionate young woman who would probably have a second career fixing people around her. She wondered as she walked, if instead of judging Klaus, it wouldn't be more productive and better for both of them and for the rest of the crew if she tried to help him somehow.
"I suppose this is an improvement of the last thing I found in your bed," Rebekah announced as she entered her brother's hospital room.
"An IV doesn't seem to be an improvement for a human being, sister," he grimaced slightly. His head was still killing him and he was going to ask the doctor to give him another painkiller. He knew his system had too much medication at the moment and he needed to be rehydrated, but he had such little tolerance to pain.
"A lot of things are improvements to the women you bed, brother. An IV is just one of them," she offered sarcastically, pulling a chair and sitting by his side, while checking her phone.
"So I trust Stefan called you?"
"Yes, he did,"
"Well, I don't need a babysitter. I'm fine. Got the flu, drank too much, it didn't mix well with the painkillers, I got dehydrated," he explained, looking bored and rolling his eyes.
"Grow up and I won't keep coming to clean up your messes," she offered while composing a text message.
"As if you haven't been looking for the perfect excuse to stalk Stefan again," he smirked, taking her phone from her hands, and seeing that she was indeed texting the youngest Salvatore saying she was already at the hospital taking care of her 'pain of a brother'.
"I'm not a stalker, let alone to Stefan Salvatore," she said nearly jumping on him, collecting her phone back.
"The notches in your bedpost you have under his name say otherwise," he continued to rile her up.
"We've dated for three short months, Nik, I suppose sex was expected," she tried to dismiss him, putting her phone away after confirming the text was actually sent.
"And how about all the other times you slept with him ever since?"
"I can't believe Stefan talks about his sex life with the brother of the girl he's sleeping with," she protested, pushing the chair away from Klaus and before starting to compose yet another text.
Stop being a pervert who shares your sex life with the brother of the girl you're banging.
"He doesn't. I just bait him the way I just baited you, and somehow I'm never too off target when it comes to the two of you," he chuckled, and seeing the deadly stare she sent his way, he was positive Stefan received another text, not as nice as the first.
"You're changing subjects. I'm here to talk about you and your health, not Stefan and me," she put her phone away again.
"But your stalkerish-friends-with-benefits-without -friendship with Stefan is much more interesting than my condition, little sister,"
"What kind of brother talks openly about his sister's sex life?" she shook her head, but before Klaus could voice the word on the tip of his tongue, she held her hand, "Don't answer,"
He held both of his hands in the air as well, smirking, while she rolled her eyes, reaching for her phone that beeped showing she had a new message.
I never talk about my sex life with your brother. Period. Let alone when it involves his sister. Where did that idea come from?
"Nik…"
"Please, Rebekah, spare me the lecture. I know it was stupid, I won't do it again," he answered curtly. He didn't want to have that conversation for the hundredth time. Especially not when his head was hurting so bad.
"Except this is the thousandth time you make me that promise," her demeanor changed, and she actually looked sad, making him feel even worse about it. The only down side of living the way he did was hurting Rebekah and Elijah in the process. He didn't want to make things more difficult for his siblings, but that was the only way he knew to cope with the constant memories and nightmares that continued to haunt him.
"It's stupid, I admit, but I want this project to be my best to date, I'm not going to mess it up," he offered honestly. He was willing to try his best to avoid the alternative universe he created to escape his reality. He was even considering therapy for real this time. Also Damon and Stefan were his friends, and he didn't want to give them any problems.
"It's great to know you're invested, Nik, but we both know sometimes you don't control yourself as much as you wish," she offered quietly.
"Which is why you're going to stay around for a while, isn't it?" he sighed.
"I'm just trying to help, Nik,"
"And I'm thankful for that, Bekah, but it's not necessary," he offered uncomfortably. He really hated that his sister had to put her life on hold to take care of him. Both Rebekah and Elijah spent way too much time trying to help him. He didn't deserve their help, especially when it was keeping them from things important to them. Elijah and Katherine just recently became parents again and Rebekah was trying really hard to be more than a pretty face in the fashion business. Still they both found time away from their family and dreams to come out in his help whenever he needed it. He just wished they would give up on him, but he was certain they wouldn't. Rebekah worked her way around of making the boys agree to the 'always and forever' motto, but somehow it became truth to the three siblings.
"Just a few days, I'll be back in LA by the end of next week," she suggested and he knew it was better to agree than engage in an argument with Rebekah. She was quite stubborn.
"Only if you promise not to go anywhere near Stefan's bed," he offered a broad – and cynical – smile to her.
"I wasn't planning to anyway," she shrugged, suddenly paying a lot of attention on her nails. She wasn't agreeing to be clear of the youngest Salvatore, just to stay clear of his bed…
"Or in any other bed. Just don't have sex with him," he completed smirking knowingly.
"Do you really expect me to stick around a moribund without any compensation?" she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Now who's making sex a business transaction?" he teased, and she actually looked around the bedroom to find something to throw at him, but there wasn't anything in the little furniture.
"Shut up,"
"Just don't mess it up, Bekah. We all know when Stefan sleeps with you he isn't in his right frame of mind, and I sort of need him to be on his best right now," the smile dropped from his face and she knew he was being serious. It wasn't her fault that Stefan never got over the end of their relationship. If he couldn't accept it, it wasn't her fault. She wouldn't pass the fun and crazy sex they had just because he was broody.
"You're a jerk," she said, taking her purse from the couch and turning to leave.
"Talking about cleaning up messes, can you get someone to clean the apartment? The vomit must smell really bad by now," he asked, barely holding back the laughter.
"I'm totally getting a hotel room," she said to herself, walking out of his bedroom.
"Thanks, little sister," he yelled at her retreating form, while his phone flashed with a new text.
He reached for it expecting it to be Rebekah bitching or maybe Stefan, but he was surprised when he read the message from the unknown sender.
I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. I think I jumped to conclusions yesterday. Get well soon, you're missed here. -Caroline.
AN.: sorry there's no KC in this chapter, but I just couldn't find a way to make it fit in and I also wanted to give Stebekak background and I really like Klebekah bond and Steroline friendship, so I'm sorry. The next few chapters will be heavy in the KC front, I promise.
I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter - although a lot of you abandoned me - and I want to offer a special thanks to Flora - who is always so amazing and wonderful. A flawless human being.
Next: Niklaus and Tatia meet for the first time, Klaus riles Caroline up, but she won't back down.
Have a nice weekend - and if someone here reads my other story, I'll need a few more days to update it as Erin is traveling.
Bárbara