-And the next chapter! Yes, it's a little late, so I made it a tad longer. Real life is being exceedingly long and tough at the moment with a brand new college that specializes in art. Somewhere I've wanted to go nearly all my life, so it's a big, major thing to me. I don't get too much time to write, but no worries! I will update this when I can. So for now, the other stories are on hold until this one is finished at least. I've not enough time to do any others at the moment.

Anyway, next chapter! Thank you so so much for the lovely reviews! I'll start the next one tonight, and it should be up soon enough! Enjoy x -


Klaus left that night, not wanting to stay in the house from hell any longer. He told no one. Just literally upped and left, even without Rebekah. But she was all too used to his antics and temper tantrums to be fussed, letting him go off on his own devices, planning to see him in his exquisite gallery soon enough.

So now he was back home in his quaint New York apartment, expensive earphones in his ears, blasting out 30 Seconds To Mars, singing along badly as he ironed, completely oblivious to someone sticking their key into the door, unlocking it and walking inside, shutting the door with a soft click afterwards.

Klaus never noticed his elder brother stood in the doorway, his arms folded, a laugh escaping him as he watched his brother iron in just his black boxers, earphones in and singing away to some rock song by the sound of it.

A prickle on the back of his neck made the younger brother turn around, jumping as he saw the figure there, swearing out as he almost dropped the iron, yanking his earphones out. "Fucking hell Elijah-! Couldn't you have just like tapped my shoulder or something?"

"And miss your, ah, imitation of a stripper ironing?" Elijah replied, amused. Klaus rolled his eyes, switching the iron off and setting his iPod down, picking up the shirt off the board and pulling it on along with some jeans, asking as he yanked the zipper up. "So why are you here? I doubt to watch my excellent dancing and singing."

"Oh yes, rather excellent (!)" Elijah laughed, shrugging off his coat and hanging it on the back of the black leather covered stool. "Actually, I came here regarding Mason Lockwood."

That got Klaus' attention, making his eyes widen, muttering. "Has he-?"

"He bought the lot."

Klaus paused, then laughed, shaking his head as he hugged his brother to him, yelling happily. "That's ten thousand dollars!"

Elijah chuckled, letting his brother go mad with happiness. For the past five months, a mad art lover by the name of Mason Lockwood had shown an interest in some paintings at Klaus' exhibition. It was promising stuff, expensive too. They'd been negotiating for far too long.

And he'd finally clinched the deal.

The younger brother let go now, running a hand through his hair, grin stretched to breaking point as he went. "Bloody hell. I never thought he would…" Klaus stared at his elder brother now, stood in his crisp dark suit, a little creased from the hugging. Elijah was the one who took care of the financial side of things in the business. Nothing more, nothing less. Took his percentage of the deal, never asked for any more, content with the arrangement.

At least he didn't know about the whole Katerina money shit. Klaus was thankful for that.

The less people knew the better.

"That open evening at the gallery, let's bump that up into a party. May 18th. Two days." Klaus grinned now, rubbing his hands together as he turned away. "A nice buffet on the side, some wine and champagne!"

"And umm… who to invite?" Elijah pressed now that his brothers excitement had finally started to die down, getting in response. "Just the important ones."

"I-"

"Gotta go out, see you later!"

Elijah rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, holding up his brothers key, making him turn around, shoelaces half done up, saying as they were tossed to him. "Ah. Thanks."

The elder brother just rolled his eyes again-

Some things never changed.


Caroline moaned quietly as her mobile buzzed next to her, feeling for it, snagging it before it fell off the side, answering it, muttering. "Ye-ah-?"

"Caroline?"

"That's my name." Caroline sighed sleepily, suddenly realizing just whose voice it was, waking up almost instantly as she went. "Klaus?"

"Shit, were you asleep?"

"Not anymore." She replied, turning over to look at her alarm clock- just gone half ten in the morning. Urgh. If it wasn't him, she would have yelled at them to piss off.

There was silence, then Klaus asked. "I have the day free now. I was wondering if… you wanted to grab that offer I made you."

"Dinner?"

"Or breakfast. I know a great waffle house if you… want."

Caroline paused, thinking about it; she was home in her New York apartment. Planning on spending the day in bed for once.

Not now it seemed.

"Sure. I'm free today. Can't hurt. What time?"

"Half an hour?"

"I'm a woman."

"Okay. An hour. I have your address, see you then."

The call ended and Caroline still had the phone to her ear, a smile creeping onto her lips, a quiet giggle escaping them as she finally lowered it, setting it back down on the side.

She lay there for a moment, then finally got to her feet, stretching as she walked over to the curtains, pulling them open, muttering to the morning haze hanging over New York. "Good morning world."

Caroline beamed, stripping out her pajamas and dashing into the shower, feeling truly excited for once.

The excitement only a man she'd been besotted with for years could bring.


At the allotted time, Caroline was stood in jeans and a normal t-shirt, nothing fancy. There was no point getting dressed all fancy for a pancake house. It felt nice to wear something usual, not deliberately revealing just for him.

It was the familiar rev of a motorbike that got her attention, looking around to see the bike slowing down to stop before her, the engine rumbling quietly, driver pushing up his visor, chuckling out. "I hope you like bikes?"

Caroline shook her head slowly, eyes widening. "I've never been on one."

Because I'd fall off at the first turn.

Klaus was silent, then turned around, snagging another helmet from behind him, tossing it to her. "Put that on, and sit behind me."

There was silence, and the young man cocked a brow, saying teasingly. "Don't you trust me? I swear I'm not as childish as I used to be."

Another silence and Caroline pulled it on, fixing the strap comfortably under her chin and swinging a leg to sit snugly behind him, hearing. "Now, hold tight onto my waist."

Caroline bit her lip as she gingerly took hold of his waist, hearing a tut, then hands taking hers, pushing them flat to his sides, making her grip tightly. "I don't bite." Klaus laughed lightly and Caroline nodded, still holding on a little, feeling awkward as she felt the muscles under his shirt, suddenly wishing she could get off. That this was too close for comfort.

All those years she wished she could hug him…

And now she just wanted to let go before she made a fool of herself.

But as soon as the engine revved loudly, she squealed in shock and surprise, grabbing him in a tight bear hug from behind, cheek pressed to his shoulder and eyes shut as they sped along, stomach lurching at the turns, Caroline thinking. "Oh my god. Oh my god… I'm gonna die-!"

The ride was quick, and when Klaus stopped, it took a moment or two for him to convince her to let go, chuckling out as she climbed off, standing there, pulling the helmet off her head to reveal wide eyes. "Not a motorbike girl?"

Caroline shook her head in silence and Klaus took the sleek helmet from her, placing it next to his own and locking it to the bike, nodding to the little waffle house that was before them, Caroline frowning lightly. "I never knew this was here."

"Not many do." Klaus told her, smiling secretly as he nodded for the young woman to go first, manners that she liked. Caroline nodded a little and walked ahead, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The place was a light beige, one wall a dark chocolate color, the counter matching, dark in contrast to the beige. A small number of matching booths littered the sides, only a young pair were sat in the corner, making out over their milkshake Caroline noticed.

She'd love to do that with him. Well, maybe once she stopped feeling sick from the ride here.

That thought was in and out of her mind before she could even think of it again, Klaus walking over to the counter, smiling at the pretty girl there as she faced him, placing her hands on the counter, flashing him a charming smile. "Well well Mr. Mikaelson. What brings you and…" her eyes trailed over Caroline. "your pretty lady to my humble place?"

Klaus smirked broadly at her, going teasingly. "Oh come now, Jules. Give me my usual and a stack for the girl with me." He looked to Caroline. "Syrup?"

She nodded in silence, and the woman gestured to the pair to head over to the nearest booth, Caroline taking a seat first, sat, still silent as Klaus took the seat opposite her.

"Oh hell, I didn't order you a drink." Klaus groaned, getting to his feet and closing his eyes, but Caroline shook her head, swiftly saying. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Sure?"

"Very. Thank you anyway." Caroline smiled weakly as Klaus sat back down, tapping his finger on the top of the table, silent before going, laughing quietly. "So… you're the one huh?"

Caroline blinked at that, making the man go. "The article? About my work?"

Another pause. Caroline noted it as well… so many pauses. So many awkward silences. Since when was she like this? She was bubbly, bright and talkative.

Talkative.

Not when she was faced with perfection in her eyes. The perfect man… the one she had always wanted.

God she was obsessed.

"Yes. That would be me." She laughed nervously, and Klaus chuckled, shaking his head. "Wow. Little Caroline Forbes truly has grown up now."

"Little Caroline Forbes has." Caroline nodded, the young man grinning out, pausing as the pancakes and cutlery were placed before them, nodding his thanks and proceeding to tell the girl as she sliced a fraction of pancake off and pop it into her mouth.

"You always reminded me of a sparrow."

Caroline frowned lightly, hand raising the napkin to her lips, swallowing before she answered, voice more than curious. "Why a sparrow?"

Klaus waited until he'd had a few bites of his own pancake before answering, avoiding her eyes for a moment. "You were on the school council. You'd be flitting around, classroom to classroom, there and gone in the blink of an eye. Hard to catch when you wanted to be. The way you more or less flew around, it reminded me of a little bird. And since you were so small… I thought of you as a sparrow."

At Klaus' words, Caroline was silent. This was news to her- she'd never, ever heard of him ever referencing her as a little sparrow before. Or that he'd even noticed how much she ran around the place, sorting things out.

Seemed like he had by these words.

"Huh. No wonder I burned through so many shoes then." Caroline laughed now, using that to hide her blush at the thought he had a nickname for her.

Like… one he'd been using for years.

Klaus snorted in amusement, shoving some more pancake in before saying, voice a tad more serious. "So. It is you doing the article on my gallery?"

"L'hybride or Hybride-? I never get which one it is."

"Both of them really. I'm not that fussed." Klaus grinned, and Caroline frowned a little. "Isn't that French?"

A pause, and a nod, followed by. "It is. But I'd wait until tomorrow before we go into all that. After all… you are heading over to view my pieces. Write that article. You're not working right now."

"Oh I always have a pen and notepad on me, Mr. Mikaelson." Caroline told him, reaching to her pocket, but Klaus groaned, shaking his head. "Ah-ah, no work today Miss. Forbes. Your day off, my day off… let's wait until tomorrow love."

Caroline stopped her advance to her pocket and let her hand rest on the table, suddenly wondering something. "But I do have a question for now, Mr-"

"Caroline. We're friends. I don't see the need to use such formal language with each other. As long as you don't call me-"

"Niklaus." Caroline finished his sentence with a sweet smile, making him roll his eyes, letting her proceed with- "I don't remember you having such a British accent to your voice."

Klaus nodded, lounging back in his seat as he shrugged. "I spent all my runaway years in London. Guess the place grew on me even more so than I thought."

"Why didn't you just stay there if you loved it so much? Why come back?"

"Nope, no more work related questions." Klaus smirked, cocking his head. "All this about me, what about you?"

Caroline shrugged, finishing off the last bite of her pancake. "Not much there. Normal life, normal girl. I just got spotted by Miss. Pierce from the New York Times, offered a job in art and going to catwalk shows, taking photos, writing articles. It's hard at times with the deadlines, but fun."

The young man was silent now, thinking; if only she knew that she was going to lose her job because of him. He was conflicted. Klaus wanted that money more than ever, sick of the bitch and wanting her out of his life as soon as possible.

But then there was Caroline. The sweet little innocent sparrow that had just about managed to make her way in the world.

And he was going to destroy it.

Or not… he needed to think about this. This was his life. He couldn't let some old friend get in the way after he'd managed so nicely for years.

But, Caroline was the one to kickstart it. Make him get his backside in gear and put his mind to it… and here he was. Successful.

He couldn't do this to her.

He wouldn't.

But it now meant he had to tell Pierce Bitch that he'd grown a softer, more sentimental side. That was a total no-go. His reputation was at stake, and it was something he was rather fond of.

Ah he'd tackle it later. A week or so to go before he made his choice.

To steer the conversation from waters he didn't like, he asked the blonde. "Well… I have something to ask you Caroline."

"Yep?"

"Well, on Friday, I'm hosting a party of sorts at the gallery. It's in honor of this big sell I just made." He grinned like an excited little boy, then shrugged. "I thought it'd be a perfect opportunity for you doing this article to get involved. Well, to come. If you want." He shrugged, leaning back on his chair a little more. "The choice is yours sweetheart."

Caroline was taken aback, widening her eyes a little as she went, genuinely shocked and ecstatic that he'd want her there. "Really? Why?"

Klaus blinked. "Why not?"

At that, Caroline frowned. "What are you doing?"

Another pause, and Klaus shook his head, saying, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all this, Niklaus. Taking me out for waffles, being so nice to me… inviting me to this thing-? I bet the list is exclusive."

"And?"

Caroline scowled, leaning forwards. "It's not like you. Not the Niklaus Mikaelson I remember."

Klaus smirked and mimicked her movements, saying, faces close to each other. "I owe you."

That took her aback, shaking her head a little. "Excuse me-?"

He rolled his eyes, lounging back into his seat with a shrug. "I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for that night at Prom- your words, they did the trick."

"You told me this before."

Klaus sighed lightly, muttering. "So? It's the truth. I would have been still suck in Mystic Falls… I would have ended up going mad."

Caroline was silent, but after a moment whispered. "You're welcome."

He'd changed. Become… so much more adult. Grown up. More responsible.

It was… different. She liked it.

Klaus waited for a moment to pass before asking. "So… do you want to come?"

"With you?"

"Well, you need to keep tabs on me for your work, don't you?" Klaus chuckled, glancing up as their plates were taken away, handing the waitress a tip before adding. "I promise not to pick you up on a motorbike."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. "Oh I'll make my own way there. Never was good with timekeeping."

"So is that yes Miss. Forbes?"

"Yes it is Mr. Mikaelson."

Klaus actually grinned at that, nodding as he got to his feet, wiping his hands on the napkin. "Then I'll send you an invite. Find a nice dress to wear, yes?"

"Any specific color?"

He cocked his head a little, meeting her eyes. "Something that brings out your eyes." His lips twitched into a small smile before adding after realizing he'd been staring into her eyes for a tad too long. "I'll take you home now?"

The ride back was only a bit better than the one before. This time Caroline didn't need to hold him so hard, and as she got off, Klaus pushed his visor up and went. "I'll call you tomorrow Sparrow." He smiled mischievously and shoved it back down, leaving Caroline to watch him go, raising a hand in farewell, biting her lip a little.

He had become an intriguing young man that confused Caroline. He was successful. Powerful in the art community. Rude to others, she knew it. And yet, he was so kind to her.

Was it because he was still convinced he owed her?

The fool.

She didn't think he owed her anything. Didn't want him forcing his company on her because he felt like he needed to. She wanted him to spend time with her if he wanted to.

Caroline liked him. Alot. But things had changed. He had too. She had to take a step back… be more grown up like him.

Ah this was way too hard and confusing.


Inside, Caroline flopped onto the sofa, closing her eyes, groaning lightly as her phone buzzed, making her grope her pocket to retrieve it, answering it without looking at the I.D.

"Yeah?"

A bright voice on the other end went. "Caroline!" and at that, a smile twitched onto Carolines face. "Hey Elena. You sound chirpy."

"For good reason." Elena said, followed by a giggle. And that made Caroline arch a brow, going, shaking her head a little. "Did something good happen?"

"Um… I kinda… kissed Damon."

Caroline laughed now, sitting up, brushing the hair from her eyes. "No. Freaking. Way. Just… how-? In the space of a day?"

"He kinda uh… liked me for years. It was sudden. Did you say anything to him?"

"No. why?"

"I came out the Grill and he just grabbed my shoulders and kissed me. Like, I didn't even realize it was him for a start. Someone… must have told him."

"…Stefan?"

"I thought that too." Elena muttered, and Caroline knew she would be furrowing her brows in confusement, and then she added. "He read my diaries. He was the one that knew for sure. But, why would he do that for me?"

"People do strange things for the ones they care about." Caroline said softly, and Elena never answered that, taking a deep breath and going. "What about your end? How's things?"

"Good actually- I'm working with Klaus and he invited me to this dance at his art gallery. He took me for waffles this morning as well."

"Whoa-! Hold up there! He did what-?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think. He thinks… he owes me. For, you know, making him leave all those years ago." She sighed lightly, closing her eyes. "He doesn't see me in any other way I think."

"Then you should show him that you like him."

"Oh come on. Since when was I like that brave?"

A silence, and Elena just told her. "Life is about taking chances, Caroline. Take this one. You regretted not taking that one ten years ago… don't lose this one."

She ended the call and Caroline rolled her eyes, lying back down and resting her phone on her chest, groaning as she pulled the pillow over her face, thinking-

Elena was right. She couldn't let this chance get away.

Not again.

-Thank you for reading and please review!-