A/N: So, I hope everyone was as blissed out as I was last night. Although I wasn't completely happy with everything, I still can't get over the SMILES! Sexiest, best smiles ever. Thanks you Joseph and Candice, that was amazing.
Thank you also to my betas: Sci-Fi Christian and Emily. You ladies are awesome. Thank you also to all of you who have read, reviewed, followed and favourited this story. I am so flattered that you've liked it so far! As always, TVD does not belong to me, just the plot of this story.
Chapter 4
Caroline sat at her desk, cloistered away from prying eyes, counting down the minutes until the week was over. After a rough start on Monday, with the enigmatic intruder in the restoration room, Caroline had made every effort to turn her luck around through sheer force of will. She had brought in coffee for Anna on Tuesday morning, apologized for her uncharacteristically rude behavior, citing stress over the double auction as the cause of her slip up. She had then volunteered to help Anna with her art history paper, spending most of her Tuesday and Wednesday evenings editing a 20 page behemoth on tapestries in the middle ages. Anna had been extremely grateful, Caroline was an excellent paper writer, it had been her forte in grad school, but she was absolutely exhausted. Between the double auction preparations, paper editing, and nights plagued by dreams, nightmares and erotic fantasies alike, she felt as if she needed to sleep for a week.
Rubbing her eyes, hoping to stay awake and aware until the clock hit five, Caroline reminded herself she only had forty three minutes to go. Then she could go home, make some chamomile tea, eat cereal for supper, watch Friend's reruns, and go to bed by 8 o'clock.
A light knock interrupted her thoughts. Caroline sat up straight, hoping she looked less tired than she felt.
"Come in."
Seeing a man with brown hair and a perfectly tailored suit enter her office, Caroline quickly stood behind her desk.
"Mr. Mikaelson!" Caroline said, unable to disguise her surprise. Elijah Mikaelson seldom dropped by, she almost always met him in his spacious corner office, and he had never arrived unannounced before. "I'm sorry; did we have a meeting today?" She smiled quizzically, brows drawn, afraid that in her exhausted stupor she might have forgotten something as important as a meeting with her boss.
"No, no. Please sit down Miss James." Caroline slowly sat back down, watching as Elijah sat in a chair across from her, adjusting his tie as he leaned back. "I'm sorry to drop by unexpectedly; it wasn't my intention to catch you off guard." His brown eyes looked calm, yet serious. Caroline had always found it hard to get a read on what Elijah was thinking; he hid himself and his emotions very well, and today was no exception.
"No need to apologize, Mr. Mikaelson. I was just surprised."
"Of course." Caroline watched as he folded his hands in front of him, making himself comfortable. "I just wanted to commend you on your preparations for the auctions next weekend. You have kept things running very smoothly. I believe the party and the auction will be quite successful."
Although Caroline was extremely pleased to receive such positive feedback, she couldn't prevent her brows from furrowing slightly, as Monday's encounter crept into her mind.
"Unless there have been some complications of which I am not aware?" Elijah probed delicately, in response to Caroline's frown.
"Oh, no! I…no, everything is going very well. Right on schedule as you say." She fumbled. "I just…earlier this week, on Monday afternoon, there was a man in the restoration room…" Caroline felt unsure of how to continue without saying something insulting about the mysterious visitor, who could well be an important client.
"A man?" Caroline glanced back at Elijah, meeting his now more intense look.
"Yes. I was going to make sure things were moving along as planned in restoration, and there was a man I had never seen before looking at the Bacon paintings. I'm not sure who he was, he never gave me his name, but I informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he would have to leave the room." She said firmly, deciding to take the stance that the art was more important than the man in question. "It seems he was unaware of the new policy regarding visitors in the restoration room." Pausing momentarily, Caroline continued, determine to be as honest, but diplomatic. "He mentioned he might speak to you about our encounter. I think he was…disappointed. He seemed to have a deep appreciation for art."
Caroline watched as Elijah absorbed her words. His brows had lowered slightly and he appeared to be slightly confused. But Caroline also thought, just for a moment, that the corner of his mouth had twitched, as if he was about to smile. Before Caroline could be sure, he spoke.
"I admire your determination to implement the new regulations, Caroline. I'm sorry if the encounter was troublesome for you. I believe I may know the man you saw. I will speak to him personally." His response was controlled, betraying none of the earlier hints of emotion Caroline had thought she'd seen.
Elijah stood carefully, readjusting his suit jacket as he walked to the door. He paused before leaving, turning back to her slowly.
"I also wanted to mention that we will be gathering all the staff for a meeting Monday morning. Please clear your schedule and gather all the staff in your department. We'll be meeting in the conference room at 9am." He said casually.
Before Caroline could respond, or ask any of the many questions that had popped into her head, 'A meeting about what? Why are you telling me now? Who else knows?', he slipped out the door.
Caroline sat at her desk frantically calling everyone in the restoration department to give them the heads up about the last minute schedule change. She couldn't control the worried thoughts and ridiculous theories about the Monday morning meeting running through her mind until her cell phone alarm pierced through the silence. Five o'clock. Almost time for sleep. Definitely time to head home and stop thinking about the week that was. Unfortunately, Caroline was now more than a little concerned about the week to come.
The elevator dinged cheerily, and Elijah strode out into the hallway, striding confidently toward the door of the Central Park penthouse. As he approached the door, his step hitched, as raised voices drifted down the hall.
"Are you insane? Why did you do that?"
Elijah couldn't make out the muffled reply, but he quickened his pace, determined to get to the penthouse as quickly as possible. Finding his spare keys, he opened the door and took in the scene before him. Kol was circling the couch, ranting pointedly at the man seated calmly upon it. Klaus was lounging comfortably, legs stretched out, sketchbook in his lap, pencil moving, seemingly oblivious to the lecture he was currently receiving.
"You just can't do that, Nik!" Kol yelled, flinging his hands skyward.
"Do what exactly?" Elijah interjected, watching both his brothers' turn to look at him, previously unaware of his arrival. "What has happened?" 'This time' he added silently.
Kol jumped at the chance to continue his tirade. "Him! He happened!"
Elijah turned his gaze form Kol, to Klaus, who was now drawing again, refusing to look up at his younger brother.
"Niklaus?" Elijah prompted.
"I simply came home." Klaus answered. "I'm really not sure what the issue is."
"Simply came home, my arse!" Kol protested. "I was entertaining a young lady-"
"Shagging her on the kitchen counter." Klaus corrected, head down, still consumed with his sketching.
"I was 'engaged' with a young lady." Kol continued, "He waltzed into the penthouse, and instead of politely leaving, he stood there, took his shirt off and scared the shit out of Britney!"
Elijah rubbed his fingers over his forehead, not sure how to respond to the juvenile dispute between his two remaining younger brothers.
"Britney hmm." Klaus said quietly. "I thought you were calling her Julie during your…engagement."
"Britney, Julie, what does it matter, Nik. She saw you come in, look us over and start stripping, and completely freaked out! I've never had a woman run away from me so fast! Women don't run away form me, I'm a sexual virtuoso!" Kol raved.
"My apologies, Kol." Klaus said, finally putting his sketchbook down and looking at his younger brother. "But I believe I have been quite clear about how I feel about you 'entertaining' while I am staying here. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get some peace and quite."
"Do you expect me to be celibate? Because it's impossible for you to think I'm going to go three months without getting some satisfaction-"
"Enough." Elijah said lowly. "Enough of this bickering! You are both grown men, and you will resolve this, without me." Elijah looked heatedly at both of his brothers, frustrated, but not exactly shocked, that they hadn't resolved their differences after all these years.
All of the Mikaelson clan had reacted different to Henrik's death. Klaus had retreated inwards, distancing himself from everyone in everyway possible, geographically, physically, and emotionally. He had spent years away from his family, with no word of his whereabouts. When he had shown up at the family home in London, five years after Henrik's death, he had been a shadow of the young man they had all known before he left. Kol had chosen the opposite route, throwing himself into life with even more zeal and recklessness than ever before. Elijah had not believed Kol could indulge in life anymore than he had been, but apparently it was possible to bed more women, visit more exotic locales, and try more adventurous, life threatening hobbies. Elijah had watched it all unfold before his very eyes over the last ten years.
Pushing past the ridiculous conflict between his brothers, Elijah continued. "I came over to speak to Niklaus, but perhaps we can all have dinner-"
"I'm not staying here, with you two stiffs." Kol scoffed. "Stay and talk to him if you like, I'm headed out to find new entertainment." He grinned devilishly.
"Be sure to remember her name this time." Klaus smirked, giving his younger brother one last look as he headed toward the door.
"Piss off." Kol grabbed his jacket, and slammed the door behind him, leaving Klaus and Elijah alone together.
"You shouldn't antagonize him." Elijah said, as he sat down in a leather chair near the couch.
"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Improving my relationship with Kol?" Klaus had his head bent, refusing to make eye contact with his brother, occupied once more with his sketches.
"No." Elijah said bluntly. He was under no illusions that he could seriously change Klaus' behavior or attitude in any way. "I see you're drawing again." Elijah said neutrally, knowing full well Klaus would not discuss his personal artwork.
Klaus closed his sketchbook and put it down with a sigh. "You have my attention, brother. Please get to the point of this impromptu visit."
"I spoke to one of my employees today, Caroline James." Elijah watched his brother's face as he spoke, but so no reaction. "She mentioned running into a man in the restoration room on Monday." Elijah waited for Klaus to fill in the details of what he was sure had been a meeting between Miss James and Klaus that afternoon.
"I did meet a Caroline in the restoration room. Blond hair, glasses, bossy attitude." Klaus said easily, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Why?"
"She said that you had implied you would be talking to me about the encounter. She seemed concerned. I have found Miss James to be an excellent employee thus far. I don't like to think of her being troubled about mysterious men wandering through the offices, especially since a simple introduction would have alleviated her worries." He explained.
"And we had agreed to keep my arrival in New York a secret until the grand reveal next week. I wasn't going to introduce myself and ruin our plans." Said Klaus, frowning at his brother. "As if she wouldn't have gone and told everybody." Klaus criticized.
"I believe if you had asked Miss James to keep your appearance a secret, she would have. She has always been very respectful of our family."
"Forgive me for not trusting the hot tempered Miss James." Klaus replied shortly.
Elijah frowned, having never found Miss James to be at all hot tempered. Klaus' description of their encounter did not sound at all like what he had been picturing in his head on the trip over to the penthouse. He had been greatly concerned that Miss James was sugar-coating her meeting with his brother, making it seem as if nothing much had happened, when in reality Klaus had likely insulted and intimidated her.
"What exactly happened with Miss James in the restoration room?" He asked, curious to better understand the encounter.
"I'm sure you've already heard to story from Caroline." Said Klaus, dismissing the question.
Elijah tilted his head to the side, observing his brother's slight scowl and his frequent use of Caroline's first name. "I would like to hear your account."
Klaus' eye darkened with irritation at Elijah's continued line of questioning. Although he had initially considered mentioning his unexpected rendezvous with Caroline to Elijah, he had decided he wanted to keep those intriguing little moments to himself. Despite keeping himself busy meeting Rebekah's demands, booking reservations at Michelin star
restaurants for dinner, and visiting every art museum and gallery in the city on his own, Klaus had found himself spending an inordinate amount of time sketching. And lately all he seemed to be able to draw was variations on the same blond haired, blue-eyed theme. He certainly couldn't explain his sudden, inescapable obsession with his brother's employee, and he didn't want anyone else to discover it either.
Deciding to humour Elijah, Klaus replied as vaguely as possible. "I was looking at a Bacon painting, she came in and informed me guests were not allowed in the restoration room, I protested. " Seeing Elijah's raised eyebrows, Klaus clarified. "Mildly, I protested with light verbal questioning only." He stressed. "We discussed our mutual admiration of Bacon's work, and then I left."
He watched the confusion play over Elijah's face, certain he had expected to hear something much more confrontational in nature. Klaus knew how his siblings, how everyone, thought of him: all silence and intimidation, followed by explosions of impulse and aggression. Though Klaus prided himself on his improved self control over the years, he could not deny that anger, and a need for control were the main motivators for his actions. Somehow, in those few minutes in the restoration room, Caroline had brought out of few of his other characteristics, those usually reserved only for his family, and even then seldom seen.
"And that was all?" Elijah spoke, breaking Klaus' thoughts.
"That was all." Klaus watched as Elijah leaned back in his chair carefully, trying to appear at ease, but failing to convince Klaus, who knew him far too well to be fooled. He watched as his brother adjusted his cufflinks, and fiddled with his watch, betraying his discomfort. Klaus was sure Elijah believed something had happened that neither he, nor Caroline, had mentioned, but he was not going to expand on his version of events.
"Dinner then?" Elijah asked.
Making the decision to try, Klaus nodded. "Just not another Michelin star restaurant. Rebekah has been demanding I escort her to all the best restaurants in the city this week. It's exhausting." He admitted.
"There's a little pub near my flat. They play football every night and have an excellent selection of imported ales and stouts." Elijah suggested.
"Quality alcohol would be much appreciated. Kol keeps hiding my scotch in retribution for my interrupting his busy social calendar. Let me grab my things." Klaus said, getting up from the couch and walking toward his bedroom, sketchbook in hand.
Hiding his art in his temporary accommodation, he took a few deep breaths before going back out to face his brother. He thought back to what Caroline had said about the man in the Bacon painting: "you can't help but want to reach out, take his hand, and lead him back into the light." He had watched her as she spoke, with her halo of golden hair falling gently over her shoulders. She was strong, self assured, and full of light. Maybe it was time he tried to escape from the dark.
"You have to choose! New Leo or old Leo. Come on Care, choose!"
Caroline giggled, watching as Katherine tried to poke her, but hit the cushion beside her instead, too drunk to control her limbs any longer. Girl's night had started at 6pm Saturday evening. They had managed to consume two pizzas, a container of ice cream, a bowl of popcorn, a bag of M&Ms, and three bottles of wine between them over the last five hours. While eating their own weight in junk food, they had watched two DiCaprio movies and then spent an hour online looking up episodes of Growing Pains when Katherine had insisted on seeing 'baby Leo'.
"I contest there is no bad version of Leo!" Caroline insisted, refusing to change her stance on the issue. "There is the boyish Leo from Romeo & Juliet and Titanic that I had posted on my wall, and the more mature Leo, who's a respected, Oscar nominated actor with a super model on his arm. He can do no wrong."
"Ah ha! See you like young Leo better, you had his face plastered on your wall!" Katherine jumped up on the couch, raising her hands in victory. "I win! Baby Leo is King of the World!" She shouted with glee.
"Oh my god! You are impossible!" Caroline laughed.
"That is why I win arguments all day and you look at pretty pictures." Katherine said, satisfied with her recent victory.
Caroline picked up her glass, and sipped more wine, thinking again how grateful she was that Katherine had come over, and finally helped her achieve something resembling relaxation. She watched as Katherine skipped clumsily to the kitchen to fill up her own wine glass in the kitchen.
"Oh!" Said Katherine suddenly. "What's the scoop! You haven't filled me in on the office gossip!" She leapt back over the couch, fourth bottle of wine in hand, and plopped herself beside Caroline. "Well?"
"To be honest Kat, I've been really enjoying not thinking about work -"
"So," Katherine's eyes narrowed. "Something of significance happened. Spill."
Caroline sighed, realizing Katherine wasn't going to let it go, but also quite touched to have a friend who cared to know about what was going on in her life. It had been some time since she'd had someone she could confide in, even if it was only sharing workplace gossip.
"It's just been a really stressful week preparing for the two auctions. I'm really not sure what I was thinking suggesting we do contrasting 'Light and Dark' auctions. It's just made so much more work for me to do. And then to end the week, my boss, well the boss, came to see me unexpectedly. Apparently he's calling a full staff meeting first thing Monday morning."
"And he told you on Friday afternoon." Katherine queried.
"He did. Less than an hour before my shift was over. It was so weird! I've been obsessing about it all day, trying to figure out what is up with this sudden 'meeting'. It's freaking me out!" Caroline admitted.
"That is a douche move, Care. Dropping that on you right before you're leaving for the weekend! What a dick!" Katherine commiserated with her. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward, grabbing Caroline by the hand. "This is it!" She whispered.
"This is what?" Caroline asked puzzled.
"This is it! The mysterious Mikaelson! The security check that they won't give you any information about. This is it!" She exclaimed, squeezing Caroline's hand. "The boss man is going to drop the bomb on you guys! The mystery brother will finally reveal himself!"
"Oh good lord, I hope not." Caroline rolled her eyes. "I have enough on my plate at the moment."
"Is the rumour mill still churning about the mystery brother; what's his name…Nicholas?" Katherine sat back, grabbing her wine glass once more.
"Niklaus, his name is Niklaus." Caroline corrected.
"That family has to be the weirdest named bunch I've ever heard." Katherine observed, momentarily distracted from her goal of hearing the latest gossip.
"Well, they didn't have any control over that. But the rumour mill has been ridiculous!" Caroline said, getting back on topic. "It feels like no one talks about anything else. I've taken to eating in my office so I don't have to listen to Richard from accounting go on and on about a rumour from Italy, or Japan, or one of the other foreign branches, where Niklaus Mikaelson made someone disappear or ruined someone's life. You'd think the man was a mafia boss, it's absolutely insane!" Caroline proclaimed, finally voicing her pent up frustration about these unending, fabrications about the head of security. There was simply no way half of this stuff was true. "And now," she continued, the alcohol driving her to confess even more, "Leslie and Ashley, Elijah and Kol's personal assistants, can't stop talking about how he's some sort of walking Adonis! I am so sick of hearing about this man, that when I finally see him, I'll have to stop myself from punching him in the face!" Caroline could feel her face flaming, in anger and slight embarrassment, because thinking about handsome men made a certain full lipped, blue eyed stranger pop straight into her head.
"Oh Caroline, I hope you do!" Katherine snickered. "I'd pay to see you slap that smug British face!"
"Yeah, well he can get in line." Caroline proclaimed.
"Oooh. Who's first on the list then?" Katherine asked, filling Caroline's wine glass as she spoke.
"First, I'm taking out the jerk who invaded the restoration room on Monday and delighted in pushing my buttons, before I finally convinced him to leave the room. A room he never should have been in in the first place! It clearly says 'Staff Only', but that arrogant bastard was just standing there in his leather jacket like he owned the damn place!" Caroline ranted. "He ruined my week. Totally ruined it! Jerk." She pouted and then gulped back more wine.
"The whole week? How did he ruin the whole week?" Katherine asked, puzzled.
"Because he was gorgeous! Horrible, but gorgeous." Caroline vented. "He was like baby Leo sexy. He turned around, I saw his face, and I swear I almost melted into a puddle on the floor. But he was an absolute ass. A completely gorgeous asshole who understands art and has been haunting me all week." Caroline moaned in frustration.
"Pretty good sex dreams, hmmm?"
"Good doesn't even begin to describe it. Oh my god, Kat. Every night this week, that man has invaded my mind."
"Well, I hope he invaded more than just your mind." Katherine teased.
"Oh, shut up! I am sick of it! Sick of him! I hope I never see, or dream about him again! I am serious!" She said, watching the disbelief on Katherine's face. "I am drinking myself into a stupor with you, mostly because I'm hoping I won't dream about that jerk face when I pass out later!"
"You so need to get laid." Katherine declared confidently.
"No." Caroline shook her head emphatically. "Just, no."
"Then, I, as your friend, will help you drink yourself into a dreamless stupor." Katherine said, hand on her heart. "We should watch another movie. Another Leo movie, surely this guy has nothing on Leo."
Caroline couldn't reply, partly because she was too drunk to even think of a Leonardo DiCaprio movie they hadn't watched, but also because she was pretty sure Katherine was wrong. The restoration room guy could give Leo a run for his money.
"I've got it! 'The Departed'! I have the DVD at my place!" Katherine cried, pleased with herself.
Caroline felt bile surge from her stomach up her throat and her blood run cold. She suddenly felt completely sober.
"No." She said softly, pushing her words past the lump in her throat. "I…no."
Caroline couldn't bring herself to look at Katherine. She studied her hands, watching them wring together, grasping each other so tightly it was painful. Suddenly a olive tinged hand inched it's way into her vision, lightly pulling her hands apart and holding her right palm gently.
"Caroline," Katherine spoke softly. "You can talk to me, if you want. Whatever it is your hiding, you don't have to keep it to yourself."
"I just…" Caroline began hesitantly. "I can't watch that movie." She said, thinking back to movie night years ago, cuddled into a firm male body. Creeping off the couch to make popcorn, walking back into the room, happy to make something for the man she loved. Only to have the popcorn thrown back at her, bowl bouncing off the side of her head, a low, growling voice criticizing her for burning a few kernels and ruining his snack.
"Caroline look at me." Katherine said calmly.
Caroline bit her lip and slowly lifted her gaze to meet the brown eyes beside her.
"I'm sorry, Kat." She said, not knowing what else to say.
"You have nothing to apologize for." Katherine interjected. "Listen, everybody has things they've done, mistakes they've made that they don't want the world to know about. I'm a pretty open book, and even I don't go around the law office talking about how I used to be strung out on drugs, crashing at friend's houses, and stealing money from my parents to get my next high. But you, you're my friend and I like to think that you like me, warts and all." She said sincerely.
Caroline sighed and squeezed Katherine's hand. "Of course I still like you. You're amazing. You could probably go into the office and tell everyone you used to be a junkie and they'd still think you'd hung the moon because you're such a legal wunderkind."
"That's right I am." Katherine smiled. "And I will still be your friend, no matter what might have happened. I am the friend who helps you bury the body and doesn't ask questions!" Katherine declared emphatically. "So you can tell me what you're running from. And don't bother denying that you're running, or hiding, from something. I know you are, even the first day I met you, I knew."
Thinking back to the day she'd moved into her apartment and she'd met Katherine, Caroline supposed she'd probably had acted quite strange. Jumping about a foot when Katherine had poked her head out and shouted down the hall to introduce herself, and then having to unlock three different locks before letting Katherine in later, when she had stopped by with 'welcome' coffee and a list of questions to get to know her new neighbour.
"That was his favourite movie. The man I'm…running from." Caroline said, hearing her own voice as if it belonged to someone else. "He used to watch it every weekend." She stopped, unable to voice anything else, lost in her own memories again. The sound of liquid hitting glass pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned toward Katherine and watched her pour two full glasses of wine.
"Well then," Said Katherine, passing a glass to Caroline and keeping the other for herself. "We can have a 'burning of the Departed party'. And I will never mention it again." Katherine raised her glass and clinked it against Caroline's.
"And to take my mind off it, we can watch that Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball parody video as many times as possible before we fall asleep?" Caroline asked smiling, determined to get past this flashback to her former life. If Caroline was good at anything, it was pushing herself doggedly forward, stubbornly refusing to let her past affect her present. Caroline had always been a fighter, trapped in the body of a former head cheerleader.
"Only if we can alternate with Jon Stewart's brilliant defense of New York pizza's superiority over Chicago deep dish pizza." Katherine insisted. "Deal?"
"Deal."
Thank you all for reading. My apologies for on direct Klaroline interaction this chapter, they will definitely run into each other next chapter. I plan to post a chapter every Friday, for those wondering how often I will be updating.
Please review! It is incredible motivating to hear how people are responding to the story.