Hello lovelies !
I am loving our little community. Normally, when I write fanfiction, I tend to take my time and update like, once a month. But with you guys urging me on and telling me what you liked about the chapter is pushing me to write. I feel really happy writing this fic because I want to make you happy and warm.
There will, however, be more Forwood coming on (but don't worry, they will never upstage our babies Klaus and Caroline), and there will be some drama in the next chapter !
As usual, I hope you enjoy the chapter, don't hesitate to tell me what you like or don't like, and I don't know if we'll see each other before the 25th, but if we don't I want to wish each and every one of you happy holidays and I love you all.
Tyler and Caroline ended up hanging out on the banks of the East River, eating out of a container full of sesame chicken they had picked up at a Chinese restaurant as they passed by. Caroline couldn't stop laughing as Tyler did one stupid thing after another to amuse her, and her stomach hurt her so bad she had crossed her arms in front of it and beg him to stop. They watched the sun set on the river, sitting close to each other, hands touching slightly. And, when Tyler leaned in to kiss her, Caroline closed her eyes, and let herself be held in his arms. But, as much as wanted it to, her heart just wasn't in it. It beat, undisturbed, at the pace it always did. Tyler made her feel seen, and understood, yes, but he didn't shift her world one bit. The goosebumps on her arms only appeared because she was cold. And yet, she went along with it, with all of it, and kissed him back and held him close. She didn't know why she did it, maybe because it was nice to have someone with whom she could have an easy relationship, maybe because she wanted some affection. Probably because she needed distraction. She felt awful for using him this way, however. Completely hated it. Which is why she knew they couldn't last, at least not before she got Klaus out of her head and made space for Tyler. He didn't deserve to be second choice. But he felt so nice against her, and she let herself go a little bit longer.
He must have felt her tensing up a little, because when he pulled away from her lips, he told her a joke and she cracked up again. But he also told her how pretty she looked, and how glad he was that they were here, together. She smiled, rather stupidly, and put her head on his shoulder, intertwined her fingers with him. They stayed in that position for longer than Caroline would have thought possible, but he felt too warm and lovely against her, she didn't want to leave. Except that she had to. "Come on" she said, "I gotta go home. I have a firm to run all by myself tomorrow." They chuckled, and he got up first, holding out his hand for her, and he walked her back to her apartment with her hand still in his. They talked and talked and laughed some more, but, once the goodnight kiss exchanged and the boy gone, Caroline felt nothing. No longing, no sudden burst of giggles. She was just content, a smile pinned to her face. She came home to an empty loft, with all of Rebekah's stuff gone. She looked around to make sure Stefan wasn't hiding somewhere, and decided to shut down for the night. She quickly undressed, undid her hair and make-up, slid between her sheets, and fell asleep quickly.
At Mikaelson&Mikaelson, everything felt chaotic. From the moment her ass sat in her chair and her cup of coffee was put on her desk on that fateful Monday morning, Caroline was assailed by phone calls, people throwing paper in her face, junior and senior partners demanding to know what was going on and why her boss wouldn't show up for a week, clients with all sorts of requests, and more phone calls. Some were okay, and Caroline handled those with efficacy and professionalism, but some, some were just too much for her. And, between all the paperwork and the mail, Caroline felt like she was drowning. She had her own duties to perform, but, add part of the boss', and she felt like she needed two more hands and at least one extra head. She worked all day, and even part of the evening, to cover everything she had to do for the day, and to prepare for her next day. Her brain was locked on work mode, and she forgot about everything and everyone else, barely standing up or eating, too afraid to leave her desk to go pee. The only thing she had in her stomach when she left her desk was coffee and diet Pepsi. She didn't see Stefan, or Rebekah, or Tyler at all during those days, and even when Katherine would come up to say hi, she'd have to rush her away because she was too filled with her responsibilities. The clients who came to the the firm for advice were received and met, but Caroline barely could give them more than ten minutes, and her schedule quickly became a mess, what with all the new appointments she was making. Things were more complicated with the associates and the partners, but Caroline handled them with as much grace as she could muster, even in front of a twenty-six year old who trembled at the sight of her, and who couldn't speak to her. She tried, desperately, to find what he wanted from her, but in the end she had to send him back to where he came from empty handed. Even her desk, her tiny, organized, tidy desk, had become a war zone, with stacks of papers piling high, pens and highlighters and paper clips lying everywhere, and the phone that kept on ringing and ringing even when she cried for it not to.
During the day, she didn't have time to think about Klaus, nor about what he was doing, where he was, or with whom. All of which she was desperate to know, of course, but her mind was so filled with work that all her thoughts of him were pushed out. By the time she shut down the lights and got into bed, though, he was all that she had on her mind. She would lie awake in the dark picturing his life without her. She imagined him in a fancy house in the most chic district of London, with the most amazing-looking suit, drinking champagne, and charming the girls. Once or twice, she happened to try and visualize his life in London, but this time she would be there, too. He'd introduce her to posh, rich looking people, and she'd just stand there looking fabulous and talking them down of the high horse. She'd make him laugh, and he would have his arm around her waist, and they would simply be stunning, together. She knew it was bad to think of him this way, but she just couldn't help herself, and her heart swelled every time. She even dreamed of him, and, when she woke up, it'd took her a minute to wonder why he wasn't next to her, smiling at her, holding her close. Or why he wasn't here at all. She ached for him to be back. She missed him, all of him, and not because he could help her with her workload, no. She realized she missed him, because she wanted to be by his side. All the time. On those moments, she would close her eyes, count to ten, get up and get ready.
The first and second day were okay, as far as horrible days went. But by the time her third day rolled over, though, Caroline had had enough. She wanted out. She wanted one night of peace and quiet to fantasize about her boss instead of thinking about the Williamsons' court date tomorrow, or the extra paperwork she'd have to fill for a patent she hadn't had time to do yet, or anything work related. She was frustrated, and tired, and even a little angry. Why on earth did Klaus believe trusting her with this was a good idea ? She moaned as the phone rang one more goddamned time. "Mikaelson&Mikaelson, Klaus Mikaelson's office." she answered, with as much good will as she could muster. "Hi, I'm looking for your boss." the voice on the other end answered. A gruff, mannish voice that sounded snippy, even when rather polite. She already could tell this one was about to annoy the crap out of her, and she silently braced herself.
"I'm sorry, sir, but he is unavailable at the moment. He-" "Oh, come on sweetheart. Don't do this to me. I gotta talk to him." Caroline closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Don't yell at him, she told herself, don't give him the satisfaction. "Again, I'm sorry, but you just can't speak to him at the moment. He-" She heard a moan, and she was interrupted once more. "Listen, honey, this is important and I don't have time for this bullshit." Caroline gasped, in shock and indignation. "Because you think I have time for this ?" And, before he could cut her off one more time, she declared. "No, no, no, you listen to me, pal. I have a zillion things to do in the twenty minutes I have left before everyone goes to lunch, and I am tired, and I am starving, but no, I have to listen to you calling me degrading names like 'honey' or 'sweetheart' because you want to feel like you're the boss of me. Well, you're not. And, despite the fact that you're starting to piss me off real bad, I'm going to give you one last chance to apologize and listen after you ask a question. Okay ?" She was trying to keep from crying angry tears, frustrated tears, and she forced herself to breathe through her nose. "Wow, feisty." was all that came from the phone. She sighed. "Okay. I'm hanging up now." "Wait, wait, wait ! Don't !" Caroline rolled her eyes. "What ?" she snapped. "I'm sorry, okay ? Just put me through. It's important." "I can't !" she hissed. "I can't put you through to his office, because Klaus Mikaelson isn't here. I wish he were, I really do ; but he's not and we both have to accept that right now." She heard a soft moan. "Well, just tell him to call his little brother back, okay ? It's important." And, without further ado, he hung up on her. Caroline put down the phone and moaned, rubbing her temples. "I need a punching bag." she muttered. "Or a shot of tequila, or something."
"I have food." She jolted up and felt her heart swell up at the sight of Klaus, standing in the doorway, smiling down at her. "Oh, thank God." she exclaimed, and he chuckled. "I didn't think you'd be happy to see me. You look like I've been gone for years." He put down his briefcase and offered her a Kraft bag that smelt delicious. "I got you a BLT and some chips, fries, whatever you call them here. Thought you might be hungry." Caroline inhaled deeply, closed her eyes for a second to relish this odor, and this voice.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you're here." And she meant it, every word of it. When she opened her eyes and saw Klaus flash her a bright smile, she felt her stomach do a back-flip and her heart do the moonwalk. It took everything she had – and, in truth, there wasn't much left – not to get up and take him in her arms. He made his way back to his office, but, just before he passed the door, he looked back to Caroline and declared : "I missed you too, by the way." She tried very hard not to smile, and not to notice the warmth on her cheeks. She failed, though, at either one. "Shut up." was all that she could get out at that moment.
And with Klaus back, work quickly came back to normal. She gave him all the messages left for him during his absence, including his brother's – Klaus grunted when she mentioned him – and had him sign the paperwork she'd received. After getting him up to speed on everything, she had the luxury of enjoying twenty minutes of peace and quiet while she ate her BLT and her fries, and got herself some iced tea. When she came back, though, she found Klaus on the phone arguing with someone. She tried making herself as small as possible, but she could see and hear most of the discussion, since Klaus was half shouting some of them. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to hide beneath her desk and hug her knees until it stopped. Which is why, when the phone rang, she jumped on it as quickly as she could.
"Klaus Mikaelson's office, Caroline Forbes speaking." she said, almost scrambling the words. "Hey, gorgeous." Rebekah chimed. "Why are you eating your words ?" "Um," Caroline hesitated, looking in Klaus' office to see him rub his eyes with one hand, still on the phone. "well, I think my boss' ass is getting kicked." On the other end of the line, she heard giggles. "Let me guess, the mother." "I don't know", Caroline whispered, "I just got back from lunch." Rebekah groaned. "Ugh. Lucky you. I'm too busy for lunch today." "Aww. Are you too busy for some Stefan, too ?" Caroline chuckled when Rebekah exclaimed. "I'm never too busy for some Stefan. Please. I have priorities." The two girls laughed until Rebekah started up again. "Speaking of priorities, Tyler says he's not heard from you since Sunday." Caroline moaned. "I know. I have been so busy here that I haven't had any time for him. It sucks." "How was the hot date ?" "It was -" Caroline hesitated for a second. "It was nice, as far as dates go." "Nice ?" She heard the surprise in Rebekah's voice, and she quickly tried to reassure her. "He's a great guy, I liked him." "So you did not just make out with him because you were sad that your boss was leaving ?" Caroline scoffed. "We did not make out." "You so did." Rebekah giggled on the phone until Caroline admitted it. "Yeah, we totally did. He's a real good kisser. But how did you -" Caroline, blushing, looked round to see if anyone heard, and went as red as a tomato when she noticed Klaus in the door frame, absolutely livid. "I gotta go, Bekah. Talk to you later." she squeaked. She could see Klaus' nostrils flaring. "Are you back from lunch ?" he inquired, with a very low voice. "Yes." Caroline answered, with an ever lower voice. "Then I'd love it if you could refrain from making personal calls. Thank you."
He shut the door behind him, quietly, and went to sit at his desk. Caroline, completely mortified, went back to work as well. She didn't look up from her computer all afternoon, partly because she still had a lot of things to do, but also because she was too ashamed to look up to see how Klaus was doing. She was a little mad at him, too. He was clearly making personal calls as well, she didn't see why he could do it and she didn't. She understood he was the boss of her and that she had to obey, but it wasn't fair either way. She had endured three awful days, she could at least take five minutes on the phone. Couldn't she ? She said nothing, though, and when it was time for her to leave, she took her stuff and knocked softly on his door. "Come in." He didn't look up, his head between his hands, until Caroline spoke. "Hey." she told him. "Are you okay ?" "Yes, fine, thank you. Just tired. Are you leaving ?" He answered softly, to which she nodded in assessment. "Maybe you should too."
"You're right." He got up, and got closer. "I have many things to do before I do, however." "I'm sure they're going to survive until morning." Caroline half smiled while he chuckled. "Are you trying to corrupt me ?" She faked indignation and exclaimed, with a grin on her lips : "Klaus Mikaelson ! I am a nice, country girl, how dare you." "You don't behave like a nice girl, going around flirting with people." She playfully hit his arm as he roared with laughter. "Shut up !" He raised his arms to his chest as she added : "I like our flirting." "Is this what we're doing ?" Caroline didn't know how to behave at that moment. She wanted to tell him that, yes, they were flirting, and that in fact, she wouldn't mind – at all – if they went further, but she also knew that they were on very thin ice. "Maybe we shouldn't." she answered, and he frowned slightly. "Why shouldn't we ?" "Well, you're my employer. I'm your employee. We should have boundaries. Shouldn't we ?" Caroline stared at him, waiting for him to say fuck it, fuck boundaries, but he did not. He stayed silent, staring at her too, his blue eyes darkening. She shivered, and cleared her throat. "I should go." "Hot date with the good kisser ?" "Don't be jealous, it's unbecoming." "Not really what I care about." Caroline blushed. "Just go home, okay ? Don't let me find you sleeping here tomorrow." As it became cleared he would not answer her – once again – she turned to leave. He soon called after her.
"Caroline ?" She turned back to look at him, feeling strangely sad. "I'm really sorry about this afternoon. I shouldn't have told you off. You've been nothing but professional, and I gave you a lot to do over the last few days, not to mention the responsibilities and the added pressure. You didn't deserve what I said." She smiled a little, decided not to leave him feeling sorry for her."Well, it would have helped if you weren't making personal phone calls either." They both smiled at each other, quiet for a while, before Caroline started to leave. At the last minute, though, as Klaus as about to sit back down, she stopped and inquired : "Why are you back so early ?" She looked back at him, and he met her gaze halfway. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, but decided against it, and simply smiled sweetly at her. "Good night, Caroline." She rolled her eyes and half saluted him. "Good night, sir."
On her way back home, she couldn't stop thinking about their conversation. She tried to read his emotions in his words or his posture, but she couldn't picture everything clearly, and she worried she might be over-analysing some things he had said. By the time she got to her door, she felt frustrated, a little angry, and a whole lot sad. "Is that Caroline Forbes ?" Stefan mocked her as she entered. She scoffed as she put her things away and took off her shoes. "How long has it been ?", he continued. "5, 6 years ?" "Ha, ha." She sat at the breakfast bar where he cooked dinner. It had only been a couple of days, but she had missed him, too. He either was asleep when she got home, or simply not here. "How are you, Forbes ? I haven't seen you since Sunday." "Ugh." She groaned. "I know. You would not believe how crazy it all was. I feel like I could have drowned under all that work. How about you ?" "Fine, you know. Last week of school is upon us, so a lot of papers to grade." She grinned mischievously. "So are we gonna talk about it ?" He put down the knife he was using to dice the onions, and he leaned towards her. "What ?" "Rebekah !" Caroline exclaimed as Stefan rubbed his hands in the dish towel he kept on his shoulder. "Are we gonna talk about your date ?" he asked. "There isn't much to say. He's cool, laid back." After a whole, she added : "We had fun, but I'm not sure it's going anywhere." "Why not ?" Stefan was frowning as he always did when they were speaking about Caroline's love life. "Because he doesn't make my heart skip a beat. He's nice and he's funny, but I'm just not into it." As they talked, she fiddled with her phone. She was stuck on Klaus' number, staring at it, as Stefan stared at her. "And you're into this Klaus guy ? He makes your heart tick ?" Caroline put her phone away and hid her face in her hands. "This is so bad, I can't believe I have a crush on my boss." She moaned as the intercom rang.
She was still in this position when Rebekah got in and laughed. "What's up, Caroline ?" Caroline rubbed her face and looked at her. "Hey. Didn't realize tonight was date night. Sorry, I'll get out of your hair." "No, come on. Stay with us." Rebekah went over to Stefan to give him a kiss, at which point Caroline chuckled. "And watch you two lovebirds make out all night ? I'll pass, but thanks." She stood up, gave a hug to Bekah, grabbed an apple and fled into her room. She let herself fall onto her bed, hid under a cushion, then proceeded to try to distract herself. She tried singing, reading, planning her outfit for the next day, but she always came back to her bed, either sitting on it willing herself not to touch her phone, or lying on it, pushing a pillow on her face to vent her frustration without the whole world knowing about it. She sighed, and groaned, and lifted the pillow to stare at her phone, still displaying Klaus' number. She hovered over it again and again, deciding not to make any kind of contact with him, then started to write a text before erasing it, and started the whole process all over again.
She spent at least half an hour in this state, before grabbing her purse, a pair of flats and headed out the loft in haste. She half walked, half ran past her friend and her roommate talking in the main room without glancing at them, only shouting "I've got to go !" as she passed them. They looked at her come and go with amusement and surprise. Caroline put her shoes on in the lift and headed down to the nearest mall where she purchased a pillow and a comforter, both in white, and also some sheets and a pizza (pepperoni with extra cheese and green peppers, her favourite). She smiled all the way, really glad of her stupid gift idea, wondering why she was doing this. She couldn't believe herself either when she entered the firm's building and pushed the elevator button for her floor. What are you doing here ? she asked herself as she watched the numbers pass, one by one. What are you trying to accomplish ? She was really unsure of herself, and a little bit scared as the doors opened with a ping, but kind of excited, too. Really excited, actually. Happy excited. With a grin on her face.
She found Klaus still in his office, working, all the lights out except for his. By the look of things, the cleaning guy had been here, but still Klaus worked. If he had heard the noise of the elevator, he showed no signs of it, and looked absolutely exhausted when he looked up to see who was knocking on his door. She saw him chuckle and took that for a come in. She opened the door and exclaimed. "I knew I'd find you here." She closed the door behind her. "Have you eaten ?" He shook his head, still seated, still smiling like an idiot. "I brought pizza." she declared, putting the box down on the table next to his desk. Before she sat down, she extended her hand, shaking her other bag, causing him to get up and grab it. "And, because I'm awesome, I brought you this." She sat down at the table, and watched him look at her for a second first before he opened the bag and chuckled. "Sheets ? A pillow ? A comforter ?" "Yeah. So you can make a bed out of that couch. It doesn't look very comfortable, though. But at least it's better than your chair." she teased him. He shook his head, laughing softly, and looked back at her. "You're really something else." She laughed, happily. "Oh, I like this." She patted her hair as if she was knew she deserved every one of his compliments. "Continue." He sat down, opposite her, smirking. "I thought we weren't supposed to flirt." She dismissed the thought with one hand. "Nah, I'm over it." They both laughed for a second, enjoying each other's company. It wasn't too long, however, before Klaus added : "You're beautiful, you're strong. You're full of light."
His words knocked the wind out of her, and she blushed. Hard. She had to look away for a second, otherwise she was sure she would have lost it, and jumped on his bones. "Shut up and eat, you – you – doofus." Once again, her lame comeback provoked Klaus' hilarity. "Is that how you speak to your employer, miss Forbes ?" "It is if you're being a doofus." He shook his head, clearly revelling in her fluster, and she threw him a napkin trying to make him stop. They ate slowly, filling the silence with small talk and Caroline's summary of the last two days, until Klaus abruptly changed the topic. "So you have a boyfriend, huh ?" She smiled. "He's not my boyfriend." "Why not ?" "Because he – he's just not." "What's wrong with him ?" "He just doesn't make my heart go mental." "No, I meant what's wrong with him if he doesn't fight to be your boyfriend ?" "Oh." She looked down, clearing her throat. "Maybe he is, I don't know." "Do you want him to ?" "I don't know. I want – I want -" She was searching for words, trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation. "I didn't picture you for such a romantic." Klaus smirked, sarcasm dripping from his voice, and Caroline glared at him. "Right. And I suppose you're a puppy love type of guy." He put the pizza away, leaving it unfinished, and leaned closer to her. "Is that what you want ?" Caroline found it increasingly harder to breathe. "No." She felt light headed, as if all her force was leaving her, and it didn't help much that they were being so close. "That's not what I want." "What do you want, then, Caroline ?" "I want something else. Something more. I just want to be head over heels for someone, because that's just how love is." "I thought love, real love, was supposed to be easy." "Nothing good's ever easy, Klaus."