Okay, so this chapter jumps around a bit because I'm trying to get back to present time, but you all requested various flashback stuff, so I'm going through it now. The next chapter will be flashbacks, and that should be it for those. Scenes are broken up by when they happened in time. I thought "Latch" was a good song for how Klaus uses it. As always, you're all lovely people and please continue letting me know what you think and what you would like to see. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.


"Why was I not informed of Caroline being hired?" Klaus asked Elijah as the brothers sat down to talk with Klaus' visiting agent, Aaron Silver.

"You didn't need to be," Elijah replied. "Rebekah needed help and Katerina said Caroline has an eye for clothing, and since she's on summer break from school, it made sense. I couldn't say no because she's my wife's best friend and Katerina misses her." He eyed his brother. "Does it upset you? You and Caroline seemed to get on quite well at the wedding."

"It's fine," Klaus shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. "Rebekah does need assistance, and I'd prefer it's someone we know."

There was a knock at the door then and Caroline stood before them.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Um, Mr. Silver is in the wardrobe room, arguing with Stefan."

"Oh, shit," Elijah muttered, jumping up to hurry to the wardrobe room.

Caroline watched in shock as the usually calm Elijah raced away.

"What's that about?" Caroline asked, suddenly realizing she was alone with Klaus for the first time since being hired. "Elijah never cusses."

"Aaron inappropriately hits on Rebekah all the time," Klaus explained. "He's actually happily married, but he knows it burns Stefan's ass, so he still does it."

"So things are going well with Stefan and Rebekah then?" Caroline asked.

"Yes," Klaus confirmed. "Katherine also said you were the first to suggest him as my guitarist and he's excellent, so thank you."

"You're welcome," she shrugged. "Kat said you needed a guitarist and Stefan hated being pre-med, so it made sense. I'm glad he's working out."

"Sit," Klaus suggested, gesturing to the chair Elijah had abandoned. "How have you been? It's good to see you."

"I'm doing well," she replied. "School is going well now that I've switched to public relations. I'm dramatic enough on my own without studying it."

He chuckled. "I think you'll be excellent at PR. I saw how you were at the wedding. You handled everything very well."

"Thanks," she murmured. "So how are you? Obviously good, seeing as you're on major tour already, but still."

"I'm all right," he shrugged. "Adjusting, I suppose. I didn't grow up wanting the spotlight, so it can be overwhelming at times. It's nice having my family surrounding me."

"They're your entire crew," she laughed. "Elijah is your manager, Kat is managing the tour, Rebekah does wardrobe, and Kol is your guitar tech."

"Stefan has also become a close friend, so my band are my best mates," he added. "Henrik is dying to join us, but he has to finish school first. He begs for a tutor to travel with him."

"I get that," Caroline shrugged. "All of his siblings are traveling together and working on your music and he feels left out. He's already the youngest by quite a bit."

"I know," Klaus sighed. "I just don't trust some random person coming along to tutor him. To me, Henrik will always be a boy I need to take care of. He's just twelve."

Caroline nodded. "I get that, too. But it is summer now, so maybe he could come for a little while?"

"We've discussed that," Klaus sighed. "Tour life is hardly the place for a twelve-year-old. I'd want a bodyguard specifically just for him."

"So get him one," Caroline suggested. "Just don't keep him away because you think this life is chaotic. He'll have you guys around to keep him in line."

Klaus nodded. "I'll talk to Elijah and Kol about it later. So, wardrobe?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "I love clothes and Kat was saying Rebekah was overwhelmed, so I jokingly offered to help out while I'm on summer break, and here I am."

"Well, I appreciate it," he assured her. "I like having as many familiar faces around as I can."

"I'm happy to help," she beamed, checking her watch. "And right now, that means I need to go find your sister."

"Sure," he nodded. "I'll see you later, Caroline."

"Bye, Nik," she replied as she left the room.


"Has anyone seen my phone?!" Klaus yelled as he walked around backstage two weeks later, tearing through everything. "It has my schedule and I can't find it."

Henrik looked up from his handheld gaming device. "I haven't."

"Did you check all your pockets?" Rebekah suggested. "That jacket has several."

"Yes, Bekah, I checked all my pockets," he sneered.

"Sorry," she grumbled.

"What's going on?" Caroline whispered as she approached the female Mikaelson.

"Nik has lost his phone," Rebekah explained. "It has his weekly schedule, and since Elijah is away, he doesn't know anything."

"Oh," Caroline said. "Hey, Nik?"

"What?" he snapped, turning to her. "I'm sorry. Yes?"

"Um, your phone is in your guitar case," Caroline told him. "I saw it lying around near the stage and didn't want anyone to screw with it, so I stuck it in there about an hour ago. I tried to find you, but you were rehearsing. And as for your schedule, you call Ryan Seacrest on Tuesday, have a photo shoot with GQ on Wednesday, and a performance for BBC Music on Friday."

Klaus stared at her. "How do you know all that?"

"Oh, well, I'm very organized," she shrugged, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "And when I hear something that seems important, I store it away in case someone else needs it later."

"Caroline, you are no longer required for Rebekah's services," he declared.

Her face fell. "What? Is it because I know your schedule? I wasn't trying to impose; I just rememb—,"

"I'd like you to work with me personally," he explained. "I'll get Bekah the help she needs, but I need someone who works at my side, keeping me in line and taking care of the day-to-day things that Elijah is too busy for. It would be a significant pay raise."

"What about school? I go back in just over a month," she reminded him.

"Oh, right," he remembered. "Well, it will be your summer job then. When you finish again next May, you'll return."

"So you're taking away my assistant to make her yours?" Rebekah demanded. "I don't think so."

Caroline frowned at Rebekah. "I love clothes, Bek, but this job isn't for me. Keeping track of various pairs of Tom Ford jeans just doesn't do it for me. I think I'm gonna take Nik up on his offer here."

"Oh, fine," Rebekah grumbled. "Josh said he has a friend named Davina who would be a good costume assistant."

"Caroline, come with me," Klaus requested. "Elijah left behind my travel paperwork and I've made a real mess of it."

"All right," she agreed. "See you later, Rebekah."

"Uh-huh," Rebekah murmured, already focused on sewing a pair of pants Marcel had ripped.

Klaus reached for Caroline's hand and pulled her down the long hallway of the arena he was performing in that night, trying not to think about the warmth that spread through his entire body at the softness of her skin.

"Your room is cleaner than I expected it to be," she noticed once inside. "Boys tend to be messy."

"I can be," he assured her. "You should see my studio back home in London. I suppose I just never quite have enough time around these places to do much."

"When will Elijah return?" Caroline wondered as she sat down to sort through his travel papers.

"Tomorrow," he explained. "I usually feel like he's babysitting me all the time and yet, when he's gone, I fall apart." He shot her a look. "Don't tell him I said that."

She made the motion of zipping her lips and throwing away the key. "Tell him what?"

He grinned. "Thank you for coming with me. I'll have to come up with an appropriate title; I don't like 'personal assistant' as you'll be so much more than that. It will get to the point where I can't function without having you next to me."

"So I'll basically be your right-hand," she joked.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Caroline Forbes, my right-hand. I like it. It sounds more important than assistant."

"How do you know that's what I'll be?" she wondered.

He eyed her. "I just do."


"Great show tonight," Caroline complimented Klaus as they made their way into his London home late Thursday night near the end of her first summer with his team. "Your best I've seen yet."

"Thank you," he murmured. "I like performing at home best. There's an energy in the air that's palpable."

"There was," she agreed, stifling a yawn.

"You're tired," he noticed. "I really appreciate everything, but you're welcome to return to the hotel if you'd like."

Caroline bit her lip. "I will soon, but this is technically my last day on the job, so I wanted to make sure everything was tied up."

Klaus, who'd been bending over his guitar case, shot up. "Last day?"

"I start my junior year on Monday," she reminded him. "I sort of have to be in Virginia for that."

"Right," he breathed. "But we've been working so much lately that I haven't even considered that summer was just about over and you'd leave."

"I'll be back in nine months," she pointed out.

"That's too long," he whispered.

"Nik," she warned. "We've talked about this. I'm not giving up school for this."

"No, I understand," Klaus nodded. "It's just, I've become so used to having you here." He laughed humorlessly. "You've become my best friend."

Caroline softened at his admission. "I know. Don't tell Katherine or Stefan, but you're mine, too."

"Can I persuade you to leave Saturday morning?" he asked suddenly. "I'll pay the exchange fee on your ticket. I just want one day with you without any work obligations."

"Okay," she nodded. "I think I can manage that. What are we going to do?"

"You'll have to wait and see," he smirked, already planning in his head. "If you'd like, you can sleep in my spare room tonight and I'll have Quinn bring your things over from the hotel. That way we can wrap stuff up and you won't be getting back so late."

"Sure," she yawned. "I did want to organize your studio."

"No!" he cried quickly. "Um, no need. I like it a particular way."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's suspicious."

"I promise," Klaus told her. "It's fine."

"Okay," she murmured, knowing she shouldn't believe him. "Well, then I don't know what you want me to do."

"Just hang out," he requested. "Let's watch a film. We've had so little time to just be lately. I've officially decided you're on hiatus until May now; no more work."

"Fine," she grumbled. "What are we watching?"

He smirked. "You know what."

She thought for a moment before frowning. "Oh, man. Fight Club?"

"Yes," Klaus confirmed, leading her to his bedroom. "We have to watch it in here; this is my only television."

"Why?" she complained, kicking off her shoes to crawl into his bed.

"I'm here so infrequently," he shrugged. "These days, it's mostly just to sleep, so I watch just a little television in here before bed."

Caroline got under the warm duvet and settled back onto a pillow. "This is a nice bed."

"I like it, as well," he agreed, lying down next to her.

Much to her surprise, Caroline liked the movie. It was smart and intriguing and starred two beautiful men. Klaus was smug throughout the entire thing, knowing she liked it.

"What?!" she cried at the end. "Edward Norton is Tyler Durden?! This movie just became a serious mind-fuck."

"That's what makes it so good," he argued, stifling a yawn himself now.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Just give me the remote so you can go to bed."

He did as told. "I've set my alarm for eight because I've got a full day for us before you abandon me on Saturday."

"Don't," she murmured. "You're making me feel bad for wanting an education."

"I'm sorry," he grumbled. "It's just, I don't take to people so quickly, but I already feel like I've known you my entire life." He rolled over to lie on his side to face her. "Do you promise you'll come back?"

She held up her left hand. "I pinky promise."

Klaus linked his right pinky with hers. "I'll hold you to it."

Caroline woke up before him in the morning, so she carefully slid out of bed and went in search of a bathroom, as he didn't have one connected to his bedroom.

The door closest to his bedroom door seemed the most reasonable, so she pushed it open and stopped in shock. Caroline had discovered Klaus' studio and it was a disaster zone. Paints and easels and brushes littered every open surface. Sketches stuck out of every nook and cranny. She so desperately wanted to go in and look around, but she thought back to his adamant refusal for her to clean it, so she reluctantly backed out and continued her search.

"Good morning," he greeted her an hour later, finding her downstairs in his kitchen, drinking coffee and reading the London Times. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"I was thinking we could just pick something up while we're out?" she suggested.

"All right," he agreed. "Well, Quinn text me to say your things are in the closet in the foyer, so why don't you get ready and I'll meet you back here in thirty minutes?"

"Okay," Caroline nodded. "I wanted to call Kat anyways."

Moments later, Katherine answered her phone. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I stayed at Nik's," Caroline explained. "I dropped him off last night and we fell asleep after watching Fight Club."

Katherine let that sink in. "You slept in his bed?"

"It was harmless," Caroline blushed. "He's wanted me to watch it, so we did."

"What time is your flight?" Katherine asked suddenly, checking her watch.

"Tomorrow now," Caroline replied. "He asked me to hang out today so he paid the exchange fee."

"Care," Katherine warned. "Don't get too close to him. He's technically your boss and you're going back to the States for nine months."

"I know that, Katherine," the blonde sighed. "I'd never breach my professionalism like that."

"No, I don't really care about that," Katherine assured her. "Elijah would, but not me. I'm concerned that you fall too easily and he'll break your heart."

Caroline frowned. "Would you stop? The tour is over so now you've got plenty of time to just be a wife. Go do that."

"Oh, that does sound nice," Katherine sighed as Elijah emerged from their master closet, dressed—as always—in an impeccable Dior suit. "Goodbye, Caroline."

Caroline ended the call and hurried to the guest bathroom to get dressed. After digging through her bags, she decided on a pair of denim cut-off shorts, a thin sea green sweater, and her favorite brown flats. She pulled her hair up into an artfully messy topknot and applied light makeup. With a deep breath, she walked back to the foyer and found Klaus waiting, dressing in simple jeans and a white Henley.

"Ready?" he smiled.

"Yep," she confirmed, grabbing her purse from the table before following him out the door. "No Quinn?" she realized, referring to his bodyguard.

"Not today," he denied. "I think we'll be okay without him. I just wanted to hang out."

She grinned. "Where to first?"

"Kensington Gardens," he reported.

"Ooh, maybe we'll see Prince William," she joked. "And his girlfriend. What's her name?"

"Catherine Middleton," Klaus recalled, "but I imagine they'd spend more time at Clarence House, where he lives. No one exciting lives at Kensington right now."

She pouted. "Boo. Well, what's at Kensington Gardens then?"

"You'll see," he murmured, leading her in the direction of the famed park.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair arrived and he guided her to his favorite spot in the park—the Peter Pan statue by George Frampton.

"Peter Pan, huh?" she mused. "I wish this surprised me, but of course you'd relate to the boy who didn't want to grow up."

He shook his head as he sat down on a bench nearby, waiting for her to sit beside him before he spoke. "I used to come here as a child when my father was in a bad mood. Mikael's bad moods usually meant I was going to be beaten."

Caroline felt her heart plummet. "Beaten?"

"I was his favorite punching bag," he admitted. "It's the only time he ever actually wanted me around."

"Why?" she breathed, reaching for his hand.

He cleared his throat. "Mikael Mikaelson wasn't my biological father. He adopted me upon my birth, but I am not his son. My mother had an affair with an artist she met in Paris while Mikael was away in Japan on a two-month-long business trip and I'm the product of that affair. She tried to keep it from Mikael, but once the date of my conception was figured out, he knew. His revenge was to accept me as his own publicly, but never let me forget I was an outsider privately." He tilted his head and pointed to a small scar just under his left ear. "This is from a broken tumbler he threw at me when I was eleven."

"Oh, my God," she whispered. "Nik, that's awful. I'm so sorry."

"It made me who I am," he shrugged. "But I used to run away from home after bouts with Mikael and I always ended up here. I envied Peter and the Lost Boys; they lived in Neverland with no parents."

"What about your mother?" she asked. "How could she let him treat you so poorly? It was her fault it all happened."

"She was terrified of him," Klaus told her. "Esther thrived on being important and having power, and being married to Mikael gave that to her. She knew if she defended me, he'd leave her, so she made her choice. Elijah tried to fight him off, but Mikael was too strong and I refused to allow my brother to take a beating for me." He sighed. "I was happy when he died. Henrik was just a small child, but I was so pleased he was gone. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No," Caroline denied. "He was a monster. You were all better off without him."

"I suppose," he sighed. "Henrik doesn't know about any of this. He was shielded from it before they died, and I made the executive decision to shield him as he's grown up. He doesn't need to know."

Caroline wasn't sure what to say, so she looked back to the statue. "My dad left my family for a man when I was twelve, and I hated him for it. I was a kid, so I didn't understand it all. All I knew was that my dad was abandoning us for a guy who sold houses. My outlet for my anger was to read. I lost myself in stories because they all seemed so much better than my life. I envied Kat and Elena because they had parents who were head over heels in love and always would be. Part of me is jealous of Katherine and Elijah now because I know they'll last."

"What about your father now?" Klaus wanted to know.

"He's great," she smiled softly. "Stephen, his husband, is a really nice guy, and they adopted a little girl named Lily when I was sixteen. But it took me a long, long time to forgive him. When he left, my mom threw herself into her work and I felt abandoned. That relationship took a long time to rectify, too. No one's life is perfect, Nik. We just have to learn how to move on from the shit."

"You're right," he agreed, pleased she understood him so well. "I'm happy now, so I consider that a victory."

"You should," she beamed. "Despite Mikael, you're a major success. You should be proud."

They sat and talked on the bench for another hour before deciding to head out for brunch. For Klaus, it was the easiest thing in the world, to hang out with Caroline. She was brilliant and beautiful and everything he could ever want in a girl. He knew, however, that she was too focused on school to take a chance with him yet.

"Well, today was really nice," she admitted late that night when their big day was over.

"Um, will you come back to mine for just a bit?" he requested nervously. "I need to show you something before you leave."

"Sure," she agreed as they headed back towards his townhouse. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," he assured her.

They walked in silence to his place and by the time they arrived, Caroline was terrified. They'd had such a good day, having brunch and then seeing a concert at Hyde Park, and now everything was really tense.

"So, I have this new song and I want you to be the first person to hear it," Klaus explained, ushering her into his music room.

"Oh," she breathed, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders. "Cool."

He sat down at his piano and waited until Caroline was sitting on the couch before he started.

You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down

You, you enchant me even when you're not around

If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down

I'm latching on, babe, now I know what I have found

I feel we're close enough

Could I lock in your love?

I feel we're close enough

Could I lock in your love?

Now I've got you in my space

I won't let go of you

Got you shackled in my embrace

I'm latching on to you

I'm so en-captured, got me wrapped up in your touch

Feel so enamored, hold me tight within your clutch

How do you do it? You got me losing every breath

What did you give me to make my heart bleed out my chest?

I feel we're close enough

Could I lock in your love?

I feel we're close enough

Could I lock in your love?

Now I've got you in my space

I won't let go of you

Got you shackled in my embrace

I'm latching on to you

Now I've got you in my space

I won't let go of you

Got you shackled in my embrace

I'm latching on to you

I'm latching on to you

Caroline sat stunned, unsure of what to say. Despite him not saying anything of the sort, she knew it was about her. Or at least, she wanted it to be.

"Nik," she finally spoke quietly. "That song is beautiful."

"Well, I wanted it to match its subject," he muttered. "I'm glad you like it, sweetheart. I know that you only see this as a friendship and a work relationship, but I want it to be more than that."

She frowned. "It can't. I'm so sorry, because I would love for things to be different, but they aren't. Elijah told me when I switched jobs to work closely with you that it was a big risk, and he would be holding me to a higher standard. I can't make him regret that by kissing you right now, no matter how much I want to." She stood up and walked over to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for everything this summer; I'll see you in May. Goodbye, Nik."


Caroline was just coming back to her small off-campus apartment after her last final when her phone rang in the pocket of her tote bag.

"Hi, Mom," she answered a moment later. "What's up?"

"Don't be mad at me," Liz requested.

"Why would I?" Caroline wondered cautiously. "What did you do? Tell me now, so I'm not still mad when I leave for London on Sunday." She pulled her keys from her bag and stuck them into the door of her apartment.

"This could be a good thing, Caroline," Liz said before hanging up.

Caroline pushed back the door and froze in the threshold; Klaus was sitting on her couch.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed, setting her things down on her kitchen table.

Klaus stood. "I wanted to personally escort you to London, so I convinced your mother to lend me her spare key."

It had been nine months since they'd last seen each other. They'd sent Christmas gifts and he gave her a beautiful bracelet for her twenty-first birthday in March, but this was their first face-to-face meeting since he'd played "Latch" for her that night at his home.

"I know it's still unprofessional," he went on, stepping closer towards her, "but damn it, Caroline, I don't care. Elijah cannot do anything about your job; only I can. And you're the only girl I want next to me." He paused. "Unless, of course, you've met someone?"

"Nik," she scoffed. "How could I? You're kind of all I ever think about."

"Good," he smiled, closing the last few feet between them to pull her into his arms. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"Oh, all right," she murmured as he pressed his lips to hers.