Title: the boys next door
Pairing: Caroline/Klaus; Slight Caroline/Kol; and some Caroline/Damon (if you squint)
Rating: M
Warnings: Language and Sexual Situations
Author's Note: To my reviewers: Thank you for your kind words and enthusiasm for this fic! They really help me when writing. Also, I got the inspiration (i.e. the template) for the fic's image from this Vampire Diaries pic on tumblr I caught a glimpse of today. I didn't want to do too much with the cover. Hope it's still good to look at.
To StefanxKlaus14: Thank you for your incredibly delightful review. At this point it's up in the air as to who Caroline ends up with. :)
To clrntlvr620: Thank you! I always figured Kol would be the type to take advantage of a bad situation, which was why I wanted him to be the one to come to the rescue. I wouldn't mind much either. ;)
To angelvboo: Haha thank you so much! That's amazing to hear and I am glad you liked the chapter. Who knows, maybe she'll end up with both…you'll just have to wait and see. ;)
She looks good swiss cheese put your head from the hose
A pistol's sneaking tease more than I can ignore
A quick lap round the track, man, she's keeping me active
She looks good
The girl's attractive
The Girl's Attractive, Diamond Nights
IV
It wasn't that she was in love with the man. No. She'd simply saw him in a whole new light. He was like those noble knights in fairytales marching in to rescue the damsel in distress. Not just the sex-crazed she'd originally pegged him to be. In fact, since they'd met she hadn't heard any of the noise that had kept her up at night. Now, what stirred her from her sleep were her dreams. Fantasies really…of her and Kol…she bolted out of bed in a cold sweat, heart pounding in her chest at the dream she'd had. It had only been a day since their kiss and already things were getting out of control.
Elena had called her after their night out, leaving a lengthy message on her machine about the turn of events; bombarding her with questions that she just wasn't ready to answer. Truthfully, she'd felt betrayed that Elena hadn't warned her about Tyler…she wasn't mad…just sick to her stomach at seeing the man again.
But Kol had eased her nerves, standing by her side the entire night. Tending to her as any good boyfriend would do…rubbing salt into the wound that her new relationship had seemed to cause the Lockwood. He was gentle and sweet.
And there in lied the problem. Now that she'd seen that side of him…she was starting to like him. He'd walked her to her flat door that night, planted a soft kiss on her cheek and was gone before she could formulate anything witty to say about his impeccable ability at playing a pretend boyfriend.
Caroline groaned, rolling out of bed and dragging her feet across the cold, hardwood floor to the bathroom. She had another meeting with the Mikaelsons' today. One she wasn't looking forward to. For obvious reasons. The prospect of being in a confined space with the only two men she'd kissed since Tyler was nerve wrecking in itself…but wondering whether or not Nik knew about the night she shared with his brother…now that was even more stressful. She didn't know how she was supposed to act around the two anymore...And on top of all of that, she still hadn't even booked the catering. Pearl was going to kill her if this event didn't go off without a hitch.
:}{}{}{}{:
"Please tell me you brought me the java juice oh great Caffeine fairy?" Lexi asked lamely, meeting the blond at the elevators.
Caroline startled, being pulled from her ever wandering thoughts on the matter of the Mikaelson brothers. A knowing look crossed her companion's face, brow rising in question before pulling her along into her unoccupied office before closing the door behind her.
"Spill." Lexi ordered, crossing her arms over her chest and studying her friend with interest. She could always tell when something was on her mind.
"I kissed Kol." Caroline blurted out, eliciting a gasp from the other blond before she corrected herself. "Or rather he kissed me."
"When did this happen? Was it good?" The Branson rattled off question after question, eyes lighting up with a new enthusiasm. She paused for a moment to catch her breath before a something occurred to her. "Wait…that's not what's bothering you…is it?"
Caroline shook her head, casting her eyes down at the floor as she thought back to the other night. "Tyler is back in town."
Lexi's mouth hung open in surprise at the news. She had never met the man, but after hearing what he'd done to Caroline…what he put her through…she wouldn't have minded running into him and giving him a piece of her mind. And a boot up the ass.
"Are you okay, Care?" The older blond asked gently, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder. She knew how hard Tyler's cheating had impacted her friend. Knew that she'd cried herself to sleep for the longest time when the two had been living under the same roof for a short period of time.
Caroline nodded her head with a sigh. "I am. I really am. But…if it wasn't for Kol, swooping in and saving me from that train wreck of a night I'm not sure if I would be."
"Oh, you and Kol hit it off then?" Lexi inquired with interest, raising her brows suggestively with a sly grin on her face. "Who's the better kisser? Kol or Nik?"
Caroline flushed, rolling her eyes at her friend at the ridiculous question, because really, they were grown women, not gossiping teenagers anymore. "No comment."
"Come on," The older blond exclaimed, throwing her hands to the sky— "The people want to know. It's your civic duty to women everywhere."
"Civic duty, huh?" Caroline chuckled. Sometimes she wondered about the woman. "I have to prepare for a meeting."
"Meeting? Would that happen to be with the Mikaelson brothers that also happen to be your sexy English neighbors?"
"Yes. That would be them." Caroline confirmed with a weary smile. "Why?"
"Oh, it's just; they've been waiting in your office for the last ten minutes." The Branson said with a sigh, devilish grin on her face. "I think Anna is doing her best to distract them."
The image of the last client she had Anna keep busy sent a chill down her spine. That had not been a happy camper.
"Things just keep getting better and better."
:}{}{}{}{:
"I'm sorry I'm late." She announced as she swept into her office, three sets of eyes turning to take in her apologetic expression.
"It's quite alright." The younger Mikaelson spoke up, sending her a warm smile, blue orbs following her movements. Watching the way her hips swayed as she made her way to her desk, setting down her bag before taking her seat.
"Thank you, Anna." The blond said curtly. Annabelle gave a halfhearted smile before retreating out of the room, leaving them alone. Caroline turned attention to the two men sitting before her, sliding into professional mode. "Now, I've managed to book the ballroom at the Bovey Cas—"
Nik cut her off before she could continue, scowl firmly in place. "You kissed Kol."
The blond was a bit taken aback. She hadn't known what to expect, but she didn't think either of them would bring it up as it wasn't a matter of business. She tilted her head, staring back at him through narrowed eyes as she leaned forward in her seat.
"He kissed me." She said with frankness. "Not that it is any of your business. Which is what I thought we were here to discuss."
"You kissed me back, sweetheart." Kol interjected, daring her to say otherwise. So what if she'd kissed him back? She was quickly growing to regret that decision.
"I can't believe we're having this discussion." Caroline blew out a breath, bringing her hand to her temple and rubbing the spot gently. "Yes I kissed Kol, Nik. I kissed you too. Your point?"
"You can't—you can't just toy with us, love." Niklaus grumbled, face akin to a kid who wasn't getting his way. He was hurt, she realized. She'd hurt the man in some way.
"Toy with you?" The blond inquired in shock, crossing her arms over her chest as the two nodded in unison. "You think I'm toying with you?"
""Well, quite frankly, yes, sweetheart." Kol spoke up this time. There was a level of uncertainty in his voice, unsure if he should continue or not. When he saw that she wasn't going to interrupt him just yet he added truthfully, "You kissed poor Nik here, who hasn't been able to get his mind off you since. And now it seems you've gone and worked your voodoo on me, too. It's really quite unfair."
Caroline scoffed, mind racing with all kinds of thoughts on how this situation was spiraling out of control and she'd only kissed them. This wasn't going to end pretty. She looked between the two brothers, catching their gaze for only a moment before averting her blue orbs onto some unimportant object on her desk.
"I did not mean for it to seem like I was…toying with either of you. That was not my intention." She said softly, so low the Mikaelsons' had to lean forward in their seats to catch her words. "I don't know why I even—okay, well I know why I kissed you. But I shouldn't have. You're clients…It's very unprofessional on my part…"
"Why?" Nik's sweet, accented voice interjected her semi-apology; wearing a look of interest. "Why did you kiss us?"
She stared between the two for a moment as silence filled the room, both waiting for some explanation. Her lip quivered slightly as she spoke. "I just feel this…attraction…to you both. I can't really explain it."
The two nodded in understanding, as if they knew exactly what she was referring to. There was a gleam in their blue orbs that she hadn't noticed before; a silent message, unspoken between the brothers.
"The question now is…who do you want?" Kol inquired, brow raised in inquiry.
Truth be told, she didn't know who she wanted. Or even what she wanted for that matter. Both were incredibly attractive with their smashing English accents…they were incredible kissers…there was just something special about them.
"I—I don't…" She paused, wondering if they should really be talking about this. Was she really ready to get involved with another man, let alone get in between brothers? "I need time."
Nik ducked his head down in thought. "If that's what you need we'll give it to you. Time to figure out whom it is you want, love."
Caroline was slightly confused by his words. He couldn't be suggesting what she presumed him to be suggesting. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious, sweetheart," Kol said smoothly. She found herself unable to look away from his intense stare, "You'll have to date us both. That way you'll know who it is you really want."
Her life just got a whole lot more complicated.
:}{}{}{}{:
"What did you say?" Bonnie inquired with fervent enthusiasm in her voice. This had to have been the most exciting thing to happen to her since jumping the pond to visit her and the brunette. Of course she had to tell someone, and she wasn't quite talking to Elena at the moment. It wasn't that she was still mad at the Gilbert anymore, more afraid as to who might answer her phone if she called.
"I didn't know what to say…" Caroline admitted, recalling the awkward silence that had filled her office after Kol had made the suggestion. She's been shocked into silence…until her brain went into autopilot. "And then out of nowhere I found myself actually agreeing to date both of them. I can't do this…That's crazy, right? "
Bonnie shrugged. "Well, not really if you think about it. I mean, Care, you haven't so much as kissed another guy since your breakup with Tyler, and then suddenly these two gorgeous guys move into the flat next door to you and just happen to be your newest clients. I think Grams would say this was fate."
"I'm pretty sure Grams would say finding an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels in the cupboard was fate too, but I don't think it'd be a smart idea to stare down the bottom of an empty bottle." The blond retorted jokingly. Was she really going to take the advice of a woman who was a know alcoholic?
"Really, Care. Think about it for a minute. You kissed them for a reason, didn't you? You were attracted to them. Something about them made you push past this barrier you've had around you since Tyler cheated." Bonnie stated more firmly, sounding like her usual logical self. "Maybe this is what you need. To help you finally get past Tyler and move on with your life."
Silence. It was hard to fight her friend's logic. Maybe she was right; just like Damon had been. She had avoided any form of a romantic connection with every man that crossed her path. But not with the Mikaelson brothers. No, something about them made her act differently. Maybe, what she truly needed was to stop holding back in life and finally start living again.
"You're absolutely right." The blond spoke up, with a new vigor in her voice. "I've been letting the past hold me back for too long…well, not anymore!"
"That's the spirit, Care." Bonnie grinned, standing from the blond's couch. "Now, who do you have a date with first?"
"Nik," Caroline said, remembering the very silent, but heated debate between the brothers to see who got to take the girl out first. She'd tuned out their bickering…lost in her own surprised thoughts at agreeing to such nonsense. "He's taking me out to dinner. Tonight."
Bonnie's grin grew, if it were possible at the news. "Oh, where is he taking you? And what are you going to wear?"
Fuck! In all the excitement she hadn't even thought about what she might wear. What did one wear on a first date? God, she was so bad at this whole newly dating thing. She shrugged in chagrin.
"Well, this just won't do." Bonnie chirped up, patting her friend's knee gently. "It looks like we're going to have to bring in the big guns."
She could not mean who she thought she meant. The blond shook her head, expression slipping quickly into a pleading one. "Please, tell me you don't mean—"
"Oh, yes. That's exactly who I'm referring to."
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