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VII


What was supposed to be the highlight of her week soon became a nightmare. Instead of helping her to be more at ease, Tyler's visit only stressed her out more. He was mad that she was yet to talk to Damon and Alaric about her potential absence and he was convinced she was just postponing it to make it impossible for her director and producer to release her for the weekend.

She tried to explain to him that they were already a little bit behind schedule and that she wasn't close to any of those people yet. She wanted to at least gain more of their trust before she started asking for favors, but Tyler didn't buy it. She ended up talking about him spending more time with his parents than his own wife and he ended up saying if she didn't put her career before her family – that shouldn't include only him but also his parents and sister – he wouldn't need to have to choose between her and his family.

But before he flew to Miami with Dean, she talked to Alaric and Damon who assured her it would be okay for her to miss that weekend and at least they sort of made up before he went away for two more weeks.

Throughout their entire relationship they went through weeks without seeing each other. When she wasn't shooting – which had been rare in the last three years – she traveled with him for his games. During the playoffs the coach didn't allow the wives and girlfriends to be with the boys, but the regular season was okay for her to stay at the hotel with him. they also planned a couple of vacations – in addition to their honeymoon in the nearly six years they had been together, but the latest had been the honeymoon itself and that was already one and a half year ago.

She didn't want to believe that just because they exchanged vows and signed a dotted line their relationship would change like so many of her friends predicted. It didn't make any sense. They had had a nearly perfect relationship and engagement, but things were getting strained in their marriage even before they reached the two-year milestone and Caroline wasn't happy about it at all.

She did her best to avoid getting into arguments with Tyler – who had a bad temper – but she was pretty stressed herself these days and she couldn't refrain from saying some things that had been bothering her for a while now. And to make matters worse, Hayley decided to go to Florida with the boys and Caroline knew the little snake well and was positive the brunette would try to poison her already upset husband against her. She really couldn't understand why her sister-in-law hated her so much, and it was yet another problem between Tyler and Caroline as the blond had stated more than a couple of times how his sister made it impossible for Caroline to feel welcomed in the family. And not to her surprise, Tyler had taken Hayley's side in all of them.

But it was Friday now and she had to get ready for work. Of course, Klaus had decided showing his true colors just that week as well. Caroline didn't know if it was because Rebekah was back in LA or because there was some sort of Murphy law she fell into, but when he arrived to work on Tuesday after lunch she nearly lost it. And then on Wednesday, when she had finally made up with Tyler, Klaus seemed to have forgotten to memorize his lines in his free time putting a damp in their schedule again. And he didn't even bother to offer any excuse. He never even apologized this time and she wondered if she should have kept being a bitch to him.


Klaus woke up from the hammering in his head. He remembered the previous night vaguely, but the redhead lying by his side helped him to remember a few more parts. The previous week had been harsh on him and his body had reached its limits.

He had taken the antibiotics like the doctor recommended and Rebekah made sure he didn't take one pill less or one pill more. But the illness took its toll on him. He had worked nearly fourteen hours every day since he was released from the hospital and when the weekend came around he had had enough. He was exhausted and frustrated and he felt like the walls were closing in. It had been only three weeks, but he felt like he had worked two months already. He was doing his best to resume his successful career and few things could motivate him more than adapting his own story to a miniseries in addition to working with Damon and Stefan again. But falling off the wagon had never been a conscious choice in the first place. Sort of.

He had been young and successful, an Oscar on his belt when he was barely twenty and the best directors and more powerful studios used to throw scripts on his feet. And of course, girls, booze, drugs and rock 'n roll came along. But it wasn't until he became twenty-two that things went downhill.

His youngest brother Henrik had come to visit him in LA and spend the weekend with him and Rebekah to celebrate his eighteenth birthday with his two older siblings. Elijah of course was too busy to join his teenager sibling celebrations, but the two blonds in the family made sure Henrik would have the time of his life.

Rebekah was already a successful model and Klaus was at his peak in Hollywood, so a lot of places and people were willing to overlook Henrik's age and the three of them consumed more alcohol than possible in two days. Klaus didn't have to work until the following week and Henrik decided to stay in America a few more days before heading back to UK and there was nothing Klaus wouldn't do to turn back in time and convince his brother to go back to their parents' house. Because if he had, Henrik wouldn't have died because of him.

Or at least that was what Mikael and Esther made sure to convince him of. Elijah and Rebekah said many times it was an accident, not his fault at all, that a car collided with his own killing his brother instantly. But Klaus should have paid more attention instead of teasing his brother about the wild night they were about to start. Klaus was really distracted, but even if he wasn't there wouldn't be much he could have done to prevent the accident – that was entirely the other driver's fault – but nobody could convince Klaus otherwise.

And if his relationship with his parents – who wanted him to take over the business' family – wasn't restrained enough before the accident, after Henrik died it was just insult after insult from the Mikalesons patriarchs. And they made sure to hit where it hurt.

Klaus became deeply depressed, and as he had been severely hurt in the accident as well, he soon became addicted to the pain killers and the antidepressant pills his shrink prescribed. It didn't take even six months before he was completely lost in addiction, depression, guilt and carelessness. That was when he decided not caring about anyone would be the best solution. Love was a weakness and he already had two of those in Rebekah and Elijah, and in a lesser degree Stefan and Damon. He would make sure that list wouldn't have any other name added to it.

Even the passion for his job disappeared and he started being reckless about it. Nothing made sense anymore and nothing was worth his love and dedication… except his art.

It was around that same time that he started painting more often as an attempt of escape from the addiction. He had always loved painting and drawing, but his day job kept him busier than he would have liked – even if he wasn't committed about it anymore. The hours he should be at the studios weren't spent with him improving his art, but getting drugged, drunk and having as many girls as possible.

But now, almost six years later, he felt like he was killing his siblings little by little. Especially when he had been in coma for a couple of days the previous year. Elijah couldn't find the time to enjoy parenthood and Rebekah had said no to many job opportunities to take care of him. It was just a couple of months later when Stefan and Damon approached him about the project – even before there was a studio and a network behind it, and Klaus thought maybe that would be the last push he needed to finally take the right direction again. He felt like an idiot for thinking it would be that easy. Not even four weeks later the withdrawn was unbearable and he felt his body screaming for Ritalin and his flu medicine couldn't compare to Endodan. While he had taken the painkiller a couple of occasions since leaving rehab a few weeks prior, he was yet to surrender to Ritalin. He had been clean from the antidepressant for two months and that was really progress. But also a daily battle with his own body.

But his birthday was coming and he planned to really use the excuse to indulge in enormous amounts of alcohol and some other substances. Maybe ecstasy. That would be the perfect escape for him to persevere on his attempt of keeping himself clean. They did say in rehab that a weaker and less threatening addiction helped controlling a bigger one, which is why they allowed him to smoke while he was there and he even ingested little amounts of alcohol. Depriving the system from all the addictions at the same time didn't work.

And with the promise of a wild and reckless weekend, he left his bed – and the redhead – and went to start his day. He wouldn't even be that late that morning.


"Hello, love," Niklaus said as he entered the cellar where he kept Tatia locked.

"What do you want?" she asked annoyed by his presence. It was bad enough to be locked in vervained chains, but every time he came it became much worse.

"I can't let you desiccate, can I?" he asked showing a glass filled with blood.

"I'd rather if it meant I didn't have to see you again," she suggested looking away from him and the blood.

"I tried a lucky guess in your favorite type. Knowing you, I'm compelled to believe your favorite is B positive…" he ignored her words, approaching her until he was standing in front of her.

"So I must assume yours is A positive?" she asked sarcastically.

"And why would that be, sweetheart?"

"Because the only reasoning in my head would be that you like the opposite of everything I like," she asked as she watched him releasing one of her chains, without wearing any gloves, getting his hands burned by the vervain as well.

"Have at it, love," he offered her the glass once one of her hands was released completely.

She looked between the man she despised and the tempting object in his hand, and although she wanted nothing more than reject his offer, her entire body was craving for the blood. It'd been three days since he'd locked her there. Three days filled with despair and loneliness, tears and hate, pain and suffering both for her physical and emotional conditions.

Reluctantly, she reached for the big glass and closing her eyes she let the life enter her body again.

Niklaus moved one of his hands towards her face and tugged away a strand of hair. He missed her straight waist-long hair, but the curled medium size haircut matched her perfectly.

She closed her eyes at his touch, but didn't do anything to stop it. She was exhausted and the lack of food only made her will weaker. There were two beasts she had to feed, and right now she was feeding her body instead of her hate for the man she loved. The only man she had ever loved and the only man she would ever love in her eternal life.

"Your rightful place is waiting for you, Tatia. You're my queen, my mate, my wife. You don't belong here and I hope you can get over our spat. It has been over 400 years,"

"423 years don't erase what you did, Klaus,"

He looked dejected at the way she said his name. She never called him Klaus. It was foreign coming from her lips.

"I'm a patient man, Tatia, I'll wait until you're ready to take your rightful place by my side. Have a nice day, love," he turned to leave, but before he reached the door to the cellar, Tatia ran by him.

But her plan was short lived as Klaus quickly reached her, pressing her back against his firm chest.

"You really thought it would be that easy?" he whispered on her ear, nearly amused.

"It was worth a shot. Maybe if you really loved me you would have let me leave," she challenged, with her eyes closed. It had been too long since she had seen him, let alone touch him, but her body seemed like an instrument in his perfect hands. He still made her answer in ways she didn't want to, there was nothing she could do to prevent how her body reacted to his. And the worst part was that she knew he was aware of everything she was feeling at the moment.

"You're my wife, Tatia, letting you go is against the vows I professed. I did promise to cherish and love you for the rest of my days,"

"That was when you were human, and had a heart. That was when you knew the meaning of love. That was when I was the most important person to you and you wouldn't kill the only family I had felt!" she answered angrily, fighting against his grip on her.

It did surprise her when he easily let her go, but instead of trying yet another failed attempt to leave, she simply walked back to the cell where she had been the past few days.

"My body may react to you, Niklaus, but that's all you'll get from me. The day you broke my heart, you destroyed it for good and even if I'm attracted to you, I don't love you anymore, for I have no heart. We're finally the same," she said as she fought against the vervain enchanted chains, "So unless you're here to claim me as your whore, you may as well leave,"

Klaus looked closely at his still estranged wife and for a millisecond pain flashed in his eyes. He had broken the only woman he had ever loved. He had destroyed her, just like he destroyed everything he touched. Covering his hurt with his pride, he simply closed the door behind him, and walked away.

When she felt like he was out of hearing range, she let out the sob she had bravely held until then. He may have broken her heart, into millions of piece that the wind blew away with every year away from him, but his presence was like vampire blood, healing every wound, tending every bruise, reliving every cell in her body. He was after all her heart.


"Cut," Damon called, before the PA's entered the set and helped Caroline out of the chains.

"It was amazing, Klaus," Stefan offered as his friend re-entered the cellar.

"Good, because I couldn't say those lines another time even if you tortured me," the actor complained, after all it was the eighth take to that scene alone.

"This is the most important scene of episode two. I needed it to make people cheer for Niklaus and Tatia," Damon justified as he watched the scene from another angle.

"I think this was your best performance so far, Caroline," the director offered as he watched the camera focused on Tatia.

"Thanks, Damon," she offered with a happy smile, standing by his side also watching the scene.

"I suppose my work here is done?" Klaus asked completely ignoring the screen the trio had their eyes on.

"Yes, Klaus, that's all for today. We'll resume tomorrow," Damon offered and he only nodded.

"Any plans for your birthday?" Stefan asked as the blue-eyed actor started to walk away.

"Yes, Zion 777 tomorrow night,"

"Thanks for the invitation," Damon replied sarcastically, watching now from the camera focused on Klaus.

"You're my boss, the last thing I want is to hang out with my annoying director out of the studio," he shrugged dismissively.

"And now I'm touched," Damon answered sarcastically.

"I suppose I'm also done here?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, Caroline, I see you tomorrow morning," Damon confirmed and she nodded, before she bid goodnight to the present crew and Stefan, and then turned to leave.

"You were really good tonight," she offered as she passed by Klaus, who was walking slowly as he typed a message on his cell phone.

"Why do you sound surprised, love?" he looked up at her quickly, a grin plastered on his face.

"You're welcome," she answered sarcastically, resuming her faster walking.

"Caroline," he called a few moments, when she was already several steps ahead of him.

"I would love if you joined us to celebrate my birthday," he offered his best smile, and she had to admit he could get away with anything with those cute dimples and boyish grin.

"Nightclubs aren't really my scene, Klaus, but have fun,"

"Live a little, sweetheart, I dare you," he caught up with her, standing by her side.

"I'm tired and next week I'll miss the entire weekend because my husband's best friend is getting married in Florida,"

"The invitation stands if you change your mind," he smiled, before he walked away, and she sighed as she watched him, but before he was too far away, he stopped on his tracks.

He tilted his head just a little bit to the side, still not looking at her, "You were amazing tonight, Caroline," he offered, and she could see he was smiling, and for some reason her heartbeat picked up at his words in a way it hadn't when Damon said even more complimentary words about her work. She hated to admit it, but having her co-star approval for some stupid reason, seemed more important than her director. What was wrong with her?

As she walked towards her trailer, she tried to reason with herself, and the only conclusion she came to was that Klaus was more important for her and the project's success than Damon. His commitment actually. No matter how great Damon could be, how amazing all the actors could be, the miniseries still depended more on Klaus than anything else. Not only because he was the protagonist, but mainly because he had the power to jeopardize the entire project with his recklessness. The first weeks had their problems, but he had been sick, and he really overdid himself the previous week to recover some of their lost time. He overexerted his body – everybody saw it – and she was proud of him. If only Rebekah didn't have to go to LA…

And then just like in a cartoon, she felt like a lamp lighting up in her mind. Changing her paths, she walked outside the studio, towards the parking lot.

She looked around, looking for his flashy Lamborghini, relieved to find it still parked. He would have to change into his own clothes before he left, and although their trailers were just side by side, she decided to wait for him by his car instead of risking missing him.


It took him a while, but finally she saw the dark figure walking towards her.

"Changed your mind, love?" he smirked as he approached her.

"Actually I did," she offered him a sweet smile.

"Well, like I said, Zion 777. It's not that hard to find,"

"I'll be there,"

"I'll make sure you'll have a good time. Good night, Caroline," he unlocked his car, and she bit the inside of her cheek, thinking of how she should approach him.

The long minutes it took him to get ready to leave hadn't been enough for her to come up with an action plan. If she was right and Rebekah had been what kept him in line, maybe she could try and fill his sisters' shoes. Maybe instead of being on her usual bitchy mode when he was around, she should try being supportive? Maybe he needed just some confidence.

"Are you okay? I know last week had been really hard on you and I know this week hasn't been any easier. I can see the illness and the many hours had taken their toll on you," she offered with her sweet and soft tone, and for a moment he looked taken aback, but he soon recovered.

"Sweetheart… let's not make it harder for you than it already has to be," he smirked, but she didn't understand what he meant.

"Hm?" she asked confused.

"You can't fix me, Caroline, and there aren't many versions of me, only this one. I can't help myself, the sooner you accept it the easier things will be for you,"

"I'm not trying to fix you," she sounded almost offended, feeling stupid for thinking that showing any kindness towards him would actually make a difference. He was right. He couldn't help himself and she shouldn't try either.

"See you on Monday, Caroline," he offered before he opened the door and got inside his car.

She was fuming as she walked inside and she was already in her trailer when she thought back of his words. See you on Monday. Not only he knew she wouldn't show up on his birthday bash, but he was also informing her he wouldn't show up to work the following day. Infuriating man, she yelled in her head, as she slammed the door behind her.


AN: They're friends! Not here, in the show. I'm so happy. It's called progress people. And proper build up and development. They're this show OTP.

As for this story, if you can't say it already, I'm also headed to the friendship road before romance, though there's some flirting starting next chapter. There's Caroline basically sitting on his lap. outside the studio :P

I don't have a beta for this anymore, so forgive me for the many grammar mistakes made by this Brazilian girl.

And reviews are gifts. Don't be shy and give plenty of them ;)

Thanks a lot for those who reviewed last chapter.

Have a nice weekend

xx