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An Unlike Match

Chapter III

On Thursday Caroline wasn't surprised to see Dr. Van der Woodsen and Mason together again. Actually, they arrived together at the hospital, flashing their always ever so present – and annoying – smiles. Caroline rolled her eyes, so much for being miserable, she thought. How could she ever begin to believe him when he said he was miserable without her just a month ago when they had broken up, if now he was rubbing his new hot girlfriend in everyone's face? At least with Rose he tried to act more collected, but probably at the sweet pediatricians' suggestion. Mason was showing his true colors. He had no consideration for anyone's feelings.

She tried to ignore the sting in her heart as she headed to the residents' locker room. She needed to find Klaus. She knew he was going to be on call tonight, while she wouldn't, and she had to let him know about her changing living arrangements as soon as possible. Finding a good place to live in New York wasn't easy, especially if you were a doctor, who had to preferably live near the hospital you worked at if you wanted to do anything else in your life in addition to driving to and from work. Also, Klaus didn't have a lot of money to pay rent – residency's wages were really low, especially in an expensive city like New York. That was something about Klaus that Caroline never understood.

His own brother owned half a million dollars in cars, used to live in a very luxurious bachelor pad in Manhattan, and he seemed to have no problem to lend it to Katherine while he lived in a very expensive flat by the corner of the Presbyterian. How could Elijah afford so many things and Klaus couldn't? Of course, Elijah was already an attending, while Klaus was a second year resident, but Katherine had also commented in the past that Elijah's state in England was breathtaking according to the pictures she saw at his apartment. She said it looked like a castle and later she talked about their link to the royal family. Caroline was sure Elijah wasn't the one who provided his family such fancy living places. He was an attending, but he was still only thirty-six. Even if he was now the chief of cardio-surgery in the most important hospital in New York, he was still new in the position and those things were prior to his promotion. They probably came from money, but then why did Klaus save money even for his lunch?

Caroline was thankful to find Klaus in his usual spot, at the back of the room, with his inseparable sketch book. Sometimes she wondered if he had a second career as an artist, or at least planned to have one once he was done with his residency. He seemed to draw every waking minute he wasn't working or eating, and she had seen him enter the house with canvases on numerous occasions.

"Klaus, we need to talk," she said with a serious tone, the only kind appropriate for the conversation they were about to have.

"Sure, sweetheart, what is it?" he answered gently, as he did most of time. He was very cold with the hospital staff, especially his interns, but he had always been a gentleman to the girls, at least until he slept with them and pretended they had never met from there on. But he had always been sweet to their gang.

"Would you mind if we talk in an on call room? I don't want anyone else to know about what I want to discuss. You know how gossip gets around here," she asked looking around them at the empty room. People walked around and could overhear, or someone could enter at any moment.

"I don't know how to speak girl, sweetheart. I don't understand you – women – so I may not be very useful," he flashed his dimples, and Caroline felt a sadness taking over. She was going to miss her friends. They became her family in the past twelve months.

They walked to the closest on call room and closed it behind them before she sat on the bed and sighed heavily.

"I'm leaving Klaus. I'll be talking to the Chief tomorrow and I'll ask him for a recommendation letter in hopes that I can enter Duke's residency program. The teachers really liked me there, and there's always my last name working in my favor. I hope to have everything settled in the next few weeks. I don't mind if you stay at the house for a while, but I may even put the house on the market. I'm just giving you a heads-up to give you enough time to find a new place to live," she explained, while she fiddled with the hem of her top.

Klaus was shocked. He didn't see that coming. He thought she didn't mean it when she said she should leave. He knew her breakup with Mason was hard, but he also knew Caroline was stronger than most gave her credit for. Of course she was supposed to have a limit, like anyone else. But were things really that difficult for her? Maybe none of their friends realized that all her strength had been used to survive hidden wives, mothers' death and a hell of a year as a first year intern. Maybe it had all finally run her out of energy.

Again he didn't know what to say or how to react. He started to look at Caroline differently from how he looked at other girls. Granted, he had only looked at her like the others for a short period of time. For a while he thought he was looking at her like the sister he didn't have anymore. But there were certain reactions in his body he had never had for Rebekah, and he was thankful for that. It was a really creepy way to look at things. He felt like he should take care of her before he lost her like he had lost Rebekah. Or whatever other lies he fed his brain to justify his feelings for Caroline.

When Klaus had nothing to say, Caroline realized he wasn't going to ask her to reconsider. It may seem childish and desperate, but she expected him to at least look sad or something. But the only thing he was offering was a frown.

"Please, don't tell this to anyone. I don't want to hear my name attached to another story, or hear how pathetic and weak I am for leaving," she asked, quietly, trying her best not to breakdown in front of him.

"They have nothing to do with your life, let them think what they want. You should do what's best for you. Are you sure this is what's best for you, sweetheart?" he asked, leading Caroline to show a small smile. At least he showed some concern about her happiness.

"No. But I need to stop the bleeding before it makes too much damage," she felt her lips trembling, while she looked to the ceiling, blinking her tears away.

He remembered the other night when she was just as broken in her bed. She was so fragile, so easily hurt. He felt his blood boiling as he closed his fits. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to punch Mason in the face repeatedly.

"Maybe you aren't supposed to stop the bleeding by yourself, love," he moved to where she was sitting and offered his chest, which she promptly accepted.

"I don't have anybody to do that Klaus. Bonnie is so distant these days, Katherine is broken, Mason is dating 'Scarlett Johansson', my mother is dead, my father hates me, and my sister is a stalker that, eventually, will also hate me," her voice was muffled against his shirt. She hated that she was this vulnerable, especially around him for the second time that week. But she felt like she had nothing left to keep up her façade. She felt like she had finally had enough.

"Anyway, let me know how long you'll need the house. We probably should talk about the details at home, but as you're not coming back for the weekend, try to find a spot to fit me in next week. I think some things should be decided before I leave. I don't want you to feel pressured though, take your time. And don't worry, I'm not going to change the rent, even if you're the only one living there," she explained, showing once again how kind she was. She had refused to raise the rent when Bonnie and Stefan left. It would be a considerable change for him, as he would pay for it alone, instead of the third part, but she assured him she didn't need the money, and she only charged what she felt was enough to cover the house's bills and taxes. She was a generous and kind soul and it only made him more enraged to see her so broken.

She let go of his body and seemed to turn to leave, but he reached for her arm, pulling her back on her sitting position by his side. He was now able to see her eyes. They looked like an ocean, glossed by the unshed tears. He felt something funny in his stomach while his heart bet faster. He didn't know why he felt that way, but he couldn't look away. It seemed that it was too much for her to endure, as she turned her face slightly, looking at the wall.

She was fighting against her heart. Her heart desperately wanted to stay in New York. For the first time in her life she felt like she belonged somewhere, that she had a family, that people actually cared about her. Katherine, Damon, Bonnie, Stefan and even Klaus were her family. They did their best to be there for her, but they had their own lives. If only Mason would move away she wouldn't be so inclined to leave. Couldn't he at least work in another hospital? He had always said he was respected a lot at the Sinai. Most of her problems would be solved if she didn't have to see him on a daily basis and work closely to him many times a week.

"Caroline," he whispered, but she didn't react. "Sweetheart," he offered as he slipped his fingers under her chin and carefully turned her face towards him again. She tried to avoid his eyes, in an attempt to prevent the tears from falling. Her emotions were so raw at the moment, she felt so small and alone. She knew the moment her eyes found another pair, even if it was a stranger, she would cry. But this wasn't a stranger. Klaus was a part of her family, even if he was the most distant, the one that didn't stay in the room when they were all hanging out. The one that never said a word about his past or family, or even the brother that they all worked with. But she couldn't resist not looking into his beautiful blue eyes, and the moment she did, the tears started falling quickly. She didn't say anything else or sob. Her body didn't shake, and her breathing didn't change. The tears just kept falling, as if they couldn't be stopped by anything in the world. They were rain drops in the middle of a storm, and completely impossible to wipe away.

"Maybe I can't tell you what you want to hear and I don't know how to make it better for you. All I know is that I'll be around. I know I'm not normally, that I spend all my time in my bedroom, but I could be there for you. I can't ease your pain and I can't make things right with your family or Mason. But I can take care of you because I'm your family as well. So when Bonnie, Katherine, Damon or Stefan can't help you, call me. I know I told you I won't help you again or put you in your bed when you've gotten sick from drinking" he spoke with a soft sincere smile coming onto his face "but I've done this before when I didn't know better. I'm a man, not a boy, and I know better. I'll be there for you if you need me Caroline. You're not alone, sweetheart," his eyes were locked on hers and for a moment she thought they glowed with unshed tears as well, but he had blinked a couple of times and his eyes were just like they always were, beautiful; but sad and empty. But at least they didn't seem as distant and lost as usual. They seemed to plead with her instead, begging her to believe the sincerity in his words.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and he wrapped his around her back and caressed her hair. She was quiet, small and fragile. She was soaking his scrub with her tears, but he wouldn't let her go. His feelings for her weren't clear, not even to himself, but he cared about her that much he was sure of. He cared about her in a way he hadn't about anyone in many years. He cared about her like she was indeed family, and that was a foreign feeling, or at least it had become in the last ten years. He suspected he felt for her something that went beyond the bond of family, but he wouldn't think of those things in that moment, if ever. All he could think of the currently was a way to protect her from the terrible world around her. He felt stronger while he held her in his arms. He felt like he could,maybe, be a good person someday. He felt something good coming from him when he took care of her. It made him think he could be a better man. A man he thought he would never be.

And as he held her Caroline felt like some weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She felt safe. She felt loved. She felt protected. She felt home.

Caroline and Klaus held each other for a few more minutes. He didn't want her to go and she didn't want to leave. Her tears hadn't stopped falling and he would do anything to fix it for her. She didn't expect Klaus to be this kind of man for her and even if she did, she'd never think that she'd feel the way she was feeling now. She had always felt safe when she was with Mason, but always there was always a tiny, tiny fear that he'd leave her again, or that she'd find out anything another secret he kept from her. In that moment with Klaus she felt just safe. No doubts or fears. She knew he was the Original Evil, and the one who had trashed his bedroom in a few occasions in the past months. Caroline thought she knew what to expect from him, but she was completely wrong about him. It wasn't like she expected him to hurt her, she just learned that Klaus was careless. He didn't care to love or to hurt anyone, he just cared about his own business, which seemed to be surgery and his art. And that had been okay. He was a good friend and he had helped her a few times in the past.

But nothing compared to the moment they were sharing. Caroline didn't want to move an inch away from him. His hard muscles around her body felt like a shelter. Her body fit perfectly between his strong arms and chest as if he was a mold to her body. His soft touch on her arm felt soothing, calming and comforting.

And without saying a word, the minutes just passed away. Her tears slowly decreased and had already stopped by then, but suddenly Caroline wanted to keep crying. She didn't want to stop the tears because the feeling of being in his arms was too good. She wasn't ready to stop this feeling. Mason had broken her further than she thought. She had never been a needy girl before, quite the opposite actually, as her walls were always up around her heart, but now she felt like she needed Klaus to just keep holding her.

His mind was in disarray. He couldn't stop thinking about what all of this meant. He couldn't understand his unstoppable need to help her, to hold her, to take care of her. He wasn't supposed to feel that way; he wasn't supposed to feel anything at all. But if he was being honest with himself he couldn't even pinpoint what he felt and that was frustrating, and above all, overwhelming. He felt compelled to keep holding her and to stop her from going to Raleigh or any other place that wasn't in his arms. In his wildest dreams he thought it was a way to make up for the hole Rebekah left in his heart, especially because they were family, and Caroline was like a sister. But what about those bloody butterflies? One didn't have butterflies embracing their sister or have erotic dreams about her. Definitely not!

He looked down at her and realized she didn't seem to be crying anymore. Which was good because he needed to leave, needed to run actually. He didn't feel like himself in his own skin as he held her, and the sooner he left, the easier it would be for him. But then he caught the faint smell coming from her soft hair and those thoughts were gone. He wanted nothing more than to continue breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. That was until his thoughts wondered again. All of this confusion was driving him crazy, and Klaus wasn't a good person when he didn't know how to handle his emotions. He knew she needed him and he wanted nothing more than to help her, but he needed to breathe.

As much as it was great to hold her in his arms he had to detach their bodies before he did or said something stupid. And against everything his body screamed at him, he started to loosen his grip on her, pushing away slowly. She realized what he was doing and quickly put a space between their bodies until they weren't touching at all. The feel of emptiness was almost immediate, but both ignored it for completely different reasons.

"Thank you, Klaus," she smiled, a broken, but also honest smile. He smiled back, instead of his usual smirk, but it was an unconscious reaction.

"I have to admit that was… unexpected. But then again, the people we expect the least from are the ones that give us more," she smiled hoping he wouldn't take the bad side of what she was saying. She was happy with his surprising actions and she never pushed, judged or complained about his usual detached behavior. She leaned closer again, but only so she could kiss his cheek gently, using her thumb to clear the almost invisible mark of her lipstick. It had been the first time he felt her touching him that way, and his body reacted immediately. He was starting to resent butterflies, even if he loved to include them in his more detailed landscapes paintings. It was a good thing she didn't move back to the comfort of his chest, otherwise she would have heard the crazy pace of his heart.

"I'll think about it," Caroline offered, as she walked towards the door.

He just nodded, and in a blink of eyes she was gone. Leaving a very confused man behind her.

What the hell had just happened, he questioned himself, with a deep frown showing on his face.

Caroline drove to her house thinking about the moment they just shared. She was happy, she was really happy. She finally had someone. Someone that would be there for her as a friend, and that wouldn't hurt her. Someone that had no reason to leave because he wasn't hers. She liked the safety of his arms and the protection of his embrace. She felt like all the pain was drained from her even if only for a mere few minutes. This was what she needed to stay in New York. It was easy. No feelings, no relationships, no betrayals and lies. They were friends

"Sex destroys everything," she muttered to herself as she entered her house. If she had had so many reasons before to never think of sleeping with Klaus, now she had a very good reason to stay clear from his bed. She needed someone to be there for her, and she would be there for him as well if he ever allowed her. He had always been a mystery, but she never found any reason to try to solve the puzzle that was Klaus Mikaelson. Yet now she would try. She could easily tell that he had been hurt before, there was no way his eyes had been that empty and lost since he was a child. She knew there was some sort of feud between him and Elijah, and although Katherine wouldn't help, she would find her own ways to figure out what happened.

She headed to her bedroom and for the first time in the last month she laid her head on the pillow to find no other feeling but relief. Relief that she wasn't alone after all, and that — maybe — things would finally start looking better for her. The past year had been difficult, challenging, heartbreaking with all the curves life threw her way, but it seemed now that the sun was going to be coming out from behind the clouds. But how she had any sort of feeling for Klaus – the cold Original Evil – with only a few hugs and some nice words, she didn't know.

Even though he would probably fail to keep his word, she came to the conclusion that she had never wanted to leave in the first place. She had just found herself alone with the walls closing in on her. Leaving New York, the city where she had been born and the one she loved, would be a truly great price she had been willing to pay to guarantee that she would be able to finish her residency. Her thoughts whirled in her mind until they became a distant buzzing and she found herself asleep, sooner rather than later. Sleep hadn't come this easy to her in months.

The next morning she woke up and felt like different. She wasn't lonely Caroline with the ruined life anymore. She wasn't running away. She was loved by her friends and Klaus' reassuring words echoed in her mind. A smile touched her face. She knew Bonnie, Stefan, Damon and Katherine would also be there for her as well eventually when their lives weren't as messed up as well. But it had been Klaus' words that had truly changed how she had been feeling and she wanted to show her gratitude. She knew he hated eating at the hospital – and she couldn't blame him – so she went through the cabinets until she found the thermo mug she was looking for, and filling it with the espresso from his expensive coffee machine (the one he had saved up for, for months) she headed earlier to the Presbyterian.

She arrived about an hour before she should, starting to look for him, but oddly enough he was nowhere to be found. She asked some nurses about him, but no one had seen him in the past couple of hours. It had been a quiet night and he had covered the first hours of the shift, leaving the last to the others residents.

Where is he? She asked herself. She wasn't sure if she should call him or not because he was probably sleeping. She finally gave up and decided to go to the residents' locker to get ready and wait for the appointed doctor of the day to let them know what their assignments were. She was walking through the hallway when she passed by the familiar room. Since she started her residency over a year ago that room had been occupied by the same man. It was a very, very, old man who didn't show many signs of life either. Although most of his time was spent asleep the time he was awake was spent in silence, as he wasn't able to speak anymore. He also had a nurse to assist him with his more basic needs such as hygiene and eating. His family didn't want to send him to a nursing house because he had flat-lined a few times in the past, but they never stopped by to visit him either. It was a sad ending and from time to time she used to have lunch there, because it was quiet, but also for him to know that there were people there, even if he only mumbled, turning on the bed during his sleep.

And in that morning, as she passed by his bedroom, she decided she would rather wait for her shift to start there, than in the locker room. It would probably be safer in the long run anyway. She so did not want her joyful morning to end by meeting or seeing Mason and his new hot doctor. She carefully opened the door, although an earthquake wouldn't wake up the old man, but when she entered the room she noticed someone else had the same idea. And it just happened to be the one she was looking for.

"Morning," she offered with a broad smile on her face. If that wasn't a sign that her luck was changing, she didn't know what would be. Things never coincidentally helped her, or went her way, like never.

"Sweetheart," Klaus acknowledged her. He went there to keep his thoughts away from her while he sketched. He had more freedom and privacy here, but it seemed like he couldn't escape her.

"I come baring gifts," she smiled, handing him the thermal mug.

"Thank you, love," he offered a genuine smile. He really needed his espresso fix.

"I was looking for you everywhere," she offered, taking a chair to sit by his side. She noticed that he closed his sketch book the moment she entered. She had always been curious about what his drawings were like, but he'd always been so secretive about it – as well as everything else in his life – and she didn't feel like asking to see, but her eyes showed her curiosity, as they remained focused on the notebook.

"I covered from midnight to three," he offered uncomfortably seeing how she was eying his sketch book. For a moment he thought she was going to grab it and open it to find her face looking back at her. It was the first drawing he had ever done of her, but it consumed him at all hours since he had come to the room at three in the morning. He tried to remember how she looked the day he entered her private bathroom. She was tired and broken, but she had looked absolutely breathtaking with her hair up in a messy bun with just a few strands framing her beautiful face. He had added the happy smile he remembered from even more remote times, when she was still with Mason. He tried to capture the light in her eyes, and that had been what he had spent the most time working at. But after hours of trying to do it he came to the obvious conclusion that her light couldn't be captured. It was something that belonged to her, the real Caroline Forbes, and no one else.

"So I heard," she said answered, not realizing his uneasiness as she kept her eyes in the sketch book.

"So?" he said, taking the book and putting it away in his bag along with his pencils and erasers.

"So I'm happy and it's all thanks to you," she offered in the cheery way that she had yet to show since she had come back from vacation. It had been one of the first things he had learned about her, but it had been MIA for the past few months.

"Really?" he smiled contently.

"Yes, you really helped me out yesterday. I guess all I needed was a good friend's shoulder… or chest. I also feel like I owe you an apology for not including you as I talked about my family of friends. To be honest, I've always thought you would never be so close to any of us," she voiced the one thing that had been slightly bothering her. She didn't want him to be hurt by her words but they needed to be said.

"Neither did I," he whispered, but still loud enough for her to hear.

She looked at his smile, and she could see it wasn't totally genuine, but she didn't care. She was on cheery mode, the one that was genuine, not the one she pretended to have. "I promise this time I won't screw up," she offered with a big smile.

"Don't remember a time you did, sweetheart," he offered, happy to see she was definitely better.

"Also, just to be clear, I won't be sleeping with you. Everything is great until sex ruins it. That's when the crying comes or the hidden wives show up," she rushed to say and explain, "But not this time. I will learn from my mistakes. So we'll have this great friendship and we will be totally there for each other and everything will be just fine. No more boys or wives. No more blood family. No more drama and crying. No more tears," she concluded and he couldn't remember a time where she looked so beautiful, so radiant. Even if the little speech had seemed to come out of left field. Klaus fought to repress the smirk that strived forward.

"So what you're saying is that I'll be your friend but without the 'benefits' part? Sweetheart, you know I always get benefits. I'm all about the benefits in fact." he smirked, full force, finally feeling at ease around her again. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was just a very attractive woman that reminded him of Rebekah and that moved him to want to help her. She didn't have to be anything else. She was just a broken girl that reminded him of how broken his sister was before she was gone.

"If you insist, we can sleep together," she shrugged, but there was a bit of malice in her eyes. He was going to bite it.

"That's much better," he winked, sipping more of his still hot espresso.

"But we won't have sex. We'll only sleep, snooze, rest," she said giggling as she ran on, "It'll be in the movies, 'Best Friends 'til the Grave'. It'll be really corny, but guess what? Corny people are happy and I'm tired of being whiny and complaining Caroline. Katherine is right. I've been unbearable these last few months," she completed, sounding and looking excitedly.

"I'm not sure how helpful or benefiting that is, love. I said I would be there for you, but don't read too much into it. I still don't speak girl and I am definitely not Stefan. I don't buy tampons or brood, or read poetry," he smiled, joking, but also being honest about everything he had just said. Caroline rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"It's not like you've ever gone to the grocery story since you moved in, also, Stefan still buys tampons for Bonnie, I'm sure he can buy them for me as well.," she shrugged and a small laugh escaped at Stefan's actions, "We are not going to be a TV cliché, don't worry. We'll be much better," she giggled, showing her beautiful bright smile.

"We'll be whatever you want us to be, sweetheart," he smiled at her happiness. It was a beautiful sight that flattered her perfectly. He would definitely change a few things in the sketch he finished just minutes ago. His memory didn't make justice to the vision that was a happy Caroline.

"I better leave you to your secretive drawing," she said, but not before kissing his cheek once again and walking towards the door.

"And sweetheart?" he called. Caroline turned to look at him, "You may reevaluate our potential sleeping arrangements. I'm not known for resisting such beautiful women when they're willingly in my bed," he smirked, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ass," she said, her smile giving away her faked annoyance.

"I like Original Evil more," he winked, and she left, feeling better than she had in a long time.

They continued their light banter when Klaus entered the residents' locker room just a few minutes later. They were happily talking and her giggles could be heard from the halfway which took Mason's attention.

Katherine and Bonnie didn't understand most of Klaus and Caroline jokes. Their thoughts mirrored each other when they thought of the pair joking: they were nuts. Especially the British one. Klaus rarely spoke unless he needed too, but it seemed like Caroline's babbling was rubbing off on him.

As the minutes continued to pass by it wasn't long before Rose entered the room and gave them their assignments for the day. Katherine was with Elijah, and she didn't know if she should be thankful for having the best heart surgeon at the hospital as her teacher for the day, or if she should be miserable to spend yet another day pretending like she didn't love Elijah. Bonnie was with Dr. Salvatore, much to her annoyance. She had never had any interest in plastics, she thought it was a shallow job for a surgeon, but then she had actually met Dr. Damon Salvatore and it made the idea of plastics even worse. She couldn't understand how Stefan was the brother to someone as arrogant and despicable as Damon. Klaus was going to be working with Rose herself that day, and Caroline was under Mason's supervision. She couldn't believe it, her shoulder's dropped a bit with the news, but she quickly straightened them. She wasn't about to let this change her mood.

"Dr. Sawyer," Caroline called after Rose.

"Yes, Dr. Forbes," the older blond answered.

"Is Dr. Van der Woodsen still at the hospital?" Caroline asked, hoping that at least she would be spared from Mason working with someone else.

"Yes, S came for another procedure with Damon," Rose clarified and Caroline frowned. How could she use that stupid nickname to call her ex-husband's new girlfriend? Caroline was starting to think that Rose wasn't only sweet and kind, she was just plain stupid and probably somewhat emotionally retarded all things considered.

"S? Do you also know her?" Caroline tried to ask without showing how pathetic Rose sounded at the moment.

"I was married to her brother for eight years, Caroline, I think I more than know her." Rose frowned slightly, "Also, Damon has a rare soft spot for Serena, we used to hang out a lot when I was still dating Mason although she wasn't legally allowed to drink just then," the pediatrician completed with a smile remembering the many funny nights she had with Serena and Damon while Mason was away or simply not in the mood.

"Wait, wait— wait! S as in Serena his si-sister?" asked Caroline shocked.

"Oh, you'd never met Serena before? I thought she knew about you… you know when you… when Mason… I gotta go, Dr. Forbes, have a nice day," the attending doctor said before walking away awkwardly.

"Seriously? How much of an idiot can I be? I mean it was right under my nose… I can't believe I freaked out like a 12 year old," she said to herself. She was the pathetic, stupid and emotionally retarded one, not Rose. There were a lot of resemblances between Mason and Serena.

"Dr. Forbes," the familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I thought you would at least have the courtesy of introducing me your younger sister…" she practically growled as she turned on him. Okay, so he hadn't moved on as she had thought, but she still didn't mean that much to him if he didn't even think of introducing his sister to her.

"Excuse me?" he frowned confused.

"Your 'Scarlett Johansson' sister. How can you just… Ugh! Forget it Mason, I mean Dr. Lockwood," she said angrily.

"How am I supposed to know you want to meet my sister if you've been avoiding me for weeks?" he asked.

"Forget it. I'll go get my interns. We'll meet you at the nurse's station," she announced before leaving left a very confused and slightly irritated Mason behind her.

Caroline followed Mason while they did the rounds and pre-ops, before scrubbing in the surgeries he had scheduled for the day. She was in a much better mood than before. She realized that not only had she been hurting for something that wasn't what she thought, but that she could now like Serena without feeling completely pathetic. Wasn't it pathetic enough that she like, really, liked Rose.

"Serena and I are having lunch at the Grill do you want to come along?" he asked while he worked on the craniotomy they were performing together.

"Why would I have lunch with you and your sister, Dr. Lockwood?" she asked confused, trying not to look at the scrub nurses around them.

"I thought you would want to per our conversation this morning?" it was his turn to look confused.

"Just because I mentioned that I didn't know she was your sister? You're reading too much into this, Dr. Lockwood and I already met her. I had surgery with her and Dr. Salvatore yesterday," Caroline answered hoping that her words would make it clear to everyone around listening in that by 'morning conversation' Mason had meant the one he had with her at the hospital facilities, not one waking up by her side.

"So I've heard. S was impressed, by the way," he offered a smile she couldn't see because of his mask, but she could identify the light in his eyes that meant his lips were curving. It was creepy how well she knew someone she had been with for only a few months, but her relationship with Mason had been very intense.

"Well, I was the one impressed, she's very talented," Caroline commented.

"She's amazing," he said, and she could see the way his eyes now radiated a different kind of light. It was totally like Mason to be so proud of his baby sister. He had mentioned her a few times, but Caroline never thought it could be the beautiful girl with him, especially because her last name wasn't Lockwood. He had an even younger brother, who she knew was Tyler, because Mason mentioned him more often. Surprisingly enough Tyler wasn't a doctor, like every other person in the Lockwood family. He was a lawyer that worked downtown.

"Anyway, If you change your mind Alaric, Isobel and Damon will also join us," he insisted, and that was like the Mason she knew.

"Thanks for the invitation, Dr. Lockwood, but I already have plans for lunch," she answered politely, looking away to try and escape the disappointment she thought she would see. She wasn't wrong. When she looked at him some moments later to find that he was indeed disappointed, sad even.

"Alaric is going to formally invite S to join the team. We did lose Dr. Sanz after he moved away. The new chief of residents will probably be appointed next week, but we still have a sixth residency open spot. I would love having Serena around again, she worked with me throughout her entire residency until I changed from the Sinai to the Presbyterian," he commented quietly, but before Caroline thought about what she was saying, the words were out of her mouth.

"Or maybe you should just go back to Sinai. Didn't you love it there? I bet they miss you too," she said in an even tone. It was just something she had thought a lot about lately. It would make her life much easier if he went back to where he came from, or anywhere particularly far away from her. She knew it was very selfish and even childish on her part, but she was tired of being in pain because of the man she still loved.

"I have a contract with this hospital and a commitment with Dr. Saltzman that I plan on fulfilling until the end, Dr. Forbes. I can't just move," he locked eyes with her quickly and his voice lowered for only her to hear, "Even if it hurts me to come to work every day," his admittance pulled at Caroline's heart. For a moment Caroline wanted to walk around the stretcher and embrace him. He had always been so open about their relationship at the hospital after everyone figured out they were together. He would drop sweet comments like that around the whole surgery team without feeling embarrassment for showing his emotions. It was in times like these that she missed him the most. He had been a great boyfriend, you know, except for the hidden wife thing.

"Also, she's here because of Damon. She plans on going into Plastics and he's the best in the field here in New York, and for S he even goes out of his way and actually acts like a teacher," Mason added, feeling like his previous comment wasn't respecting his rule to give her time and space.

"It's a miracle with so many Lockwoods in town you're the only one working in New York's biggest hospital, I bet your sister will only be the first among all the other millions of doctors you have in the family," Caroline offered and for a moment it was as if they were back together. They used to have those light conversation through surgery, forgetting there were any more people in the room.

"As long as mother doesn't decide to join, otherwise Serena would never step foot in here again. My mother won't rest her case until Serena gives her first grandchild," he smirked, just yesterday his sister was complaining about the intervention their mother had last weekend to convince Serena she should have some kids already.

"Or you," Caroline offered quietly, though she was laughing.

"Considering I just got divorced and Serena has been married for five years, I'm thankful I'm not my mother's first target anymore," his smirk didn't fade. That was one of the up sides of having divorced Rose. His mother would finally back off about the babies' thing.

"Seriously? She married during her residency?" she asked surprised. Residency was as demanding as jobs came, she couldn't imagine getting married during those years.

"Actually, in her last year during med-school. She and Ryan will celebrate their sixth anniversary next month," Mason shrugged. People in his family got married early, even if they chose demanding careers.

"Wow, but I have to say she looks really young. I wouldn't guess that she was already in her sixth year," Caroline said, honestly surprised.

"She's going to turn thirty in a few months,"

"She is young to be a sixth year resident," Caroline said. It meant Serena was barely two years older than her, but she was already four further into her residency than Caroline.

"S is a genius. We have always all been very proud of her," he said with a big grin that seemed to show through the mask.

"We're done here, team," he addressed everybody. "Another life saved," he clapped his hands and everybody followed suit as usual. Mason always took saving lives seriously and in his field he knew it was always a reason to celebrate when people with damage in their brains actually made it through the surgery. The statistics weren't on their side most times.

"Thanks for your assistance, Drs. Forbes and Burton," Mason acknowledged the resident and the intern, as he usually did.

"It's always a pleasure to work with you, Dr. Lockwood," Caroline offered before walking towards the sink to scrub off.

He watched her walking out with a sad smile. Mason still loved her badly and all he wanted was to find a way back to her heart. He knew he had hurt her a lot when he decided to give Rose and their marriage another run and today, for the first time since they had broken up, they had had a natural conversation. She didn't run away from him. She was just there like everyone else. Doing her job, having small conversation with him while they closed up their patient. He could see in her eyes that there was still love there, but its brightness was fading day by day and he had to figure out what to do to get her back before it was too late. Before she finally moved on from him.

AN: thanks to Erin for being my beta for this chapter, and all my reviewers. Please, make me happy and leave me a review.

xoxo

Barbara