Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter!
CHAPTER 9
Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie walked into the bridal store. Caroline and Elena were searching for a dress for the Miss Mystic Pageant at the end of the month and Bonnie tagged along to give them her opinions on the dresses. They searched the racks and each picked out four dresses that they really liked. They headed to the dressing rooms and Bonnie took a seat on one of the couches in front of the mirrors.
Elena settled on a purple dress that had a small cluster of beadwork at the bust. Caroline decided on a red dress that had ropes of rhinestones on the inside of the straps and went around the bust to the waist. Both were happy with their purchase and decided that since it was still early that they would see if they could find some cocktail dresses for the Founders party that weekend.
"So who are you asking to be your escort? Bonnie asked Elena.
Elena sighed and searched through the rack of cocktail dresses. "I'm not sure yet."
"Just go with Stefan, you know that is who you are going to choose in the end." Caroline said as she pulled out a short black dress to examine it better.
Elena turned to Caroline. "What makes you say that?"
"Oh come on Elena. I mean I know you are attracted to Damon but let's be serious." Caroline paused. "Stefan is just better for you. Just look at all that Damon has done."
Elena shook her head. "Damon may make hasty decisions but he does them to protect the people he loves." Elena paused as Bonnie dropped her head remembering the still sore subject of her mom. "I don't really want to get into it right now." She paused again. "Who are you asking?" She asked Caroline.
"I really don't know. I don't really have anyone to ask."
"Well, I know someone who would probably go with you in a heartbeat." Bonnie said with a smile.
Caroline rolled her eyes and handed Bonnie a cute green dress. "Bonnie this would look great on you."
"Caroline, I am probably not even going to go."
"Why not? Asked Elena.
Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "My family isn't part of the founding families."
"So…the party is for the whole town." Caroline said. "You are going. And you are wearing this dress!"
The girls finished up; Bonnie bought the green dress, Caroline picked a purple one and Elena went with a navy blue dress.
The girls decided to get ready for the party together and then head over together since at this point in time they were all single and none of them had a date. Bonnie straightened her hair and wore it down. Caroline wore her hair curly and down; letting a few stray hairs fall out of it. Elena curled her hair and wore it half up half down. The three girls finished up their makeup and headed outside to Elena's car.
Elena drove them to the Lockwood house for the party. When they walked in it was already pretty crowded. The girls made their way to the bar and each ordered a soda.
"I forgot how horrible the music was last time before Stefan compelled the DJ to play something better." Elena said as she took a sip of her soda.
"Is that a request?" Elena turned around and saw Stefan standing behind her and Damon standing next to him. Both of course looked incredibly sexy.
Elena just laughed. "Yes, Stefan it is." Caroline jumped in to say; she wasn't about to listen to this awful music all night.
Stefan left to take care of the music and Caroline popped some of the nuts that sat on the bar into her mouth.
"May I have a dance?" Caroline heard a very familiar voice say. She turned around and saw Klaus standing behind her. He was wearing black dress pants, a grey collared shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and a black jacket.
"Sure." Caroline said as she sat her drink down and purposely didn't look back at her friends; she knew she would get disapproving glances from them.
Klaus led Caroline through a small crowd of people to the center of the dance floor. He took her in his arms and they slowly swayed to the music. "You look beautiful this evening." He loved how the deep purple dress looked against her milky white skin and blond hair.
"Thank you." She said as she broke eye contact with him briefly and looked down.
"So have you chosen your escort for the pageant? Rebekah tells me that rehearsals begin this coming week."
"Rebekah entered?" Caroline was a bit surprised that she entered but then again she had seemed to be trying to get the whole high school experience.
"Yes." He said with a small smile knowing that she evaded his question and probably would not back track to answer it. "She is actually extremely excited about the whole thing."
Now that Caroline knew Rebekah was entering she knew asking Matt to do her a huge favor and escort her was now out of the question since Rebekah had probably already asked him. She thought of maybe asking Stefan, if Elena finally made a decision and actually picked Damon that is. She knew Klaus was hinting at asking him to be her escort but she thought he might get the wrong idea if she asked him. She needed to have someone by the first dance rehearsal though and that was in four days.
After the song ended Klaus led Caroline to the small bar in the other room; it was less crowded since most people were in the other room dancing and mingling near the larger bar. "Would you like a drink, Sweetheart?" He asked.
"No, thank you."
"Bourbon." He said to the bartender. The bartender handed him his drink and Klaus placed a few dollars on the bar. Caroline was a little shocked that he didn't just compel the guy. "Would you like to walk a bit?" He asked turning towards Caroline.
"Sure." She paused. "There is a nice balcony up on the roof." She said pointing towards the stairs. Klaus nodded and let her lead him to the balcony. Caroline decided that she was going to ask Klaus to escort her to the pageant she just had to find the right words so he didn't just assume it was a date. They reached the balcony and Caroline walked right over to the edge and looked out to all the guests cars parked out front. "So I never answered your question from before." She said keeping her eyes forward to avoid his eyes.
"What question would that be, Darling?" Klaus knew very well which question she was referring too but asked anyway.
"If I had asked anyone to escort me to the pageant." She paused but Klaus said nothing; he just waited for her to continue without getting his hopes too high. "Well, I really don't have anyone to ask." She started; she looked down at her hands and tried to think of what to say next. "I know we aren't exactly friends but…I would be willing to try…if you are. And…maybe we could start by going to the Miss Mystic Pageant…together." Caroline still hadn't looked over at him since they had come onto the balcony. She waited for his answer but he was quiet for a while. She finally looked over at him. "I mean you don't have too, I know for guys it is really not fun so I understand if you don't want to go through all that, we could…always start with something…you know smaller."
Klaus was more than shocked that she had just asked him what she just asked. It was unexpected and that was what caused him not to answer immediately. He reached his hand out and gently grabbed her chin with his thumb and index finger slowly turning it towards him. "I would love nothing more than to be your escort for the pageant." He paused. "I am sorry I didn't respond to you right away, Love. I was a little taken back by the question." He said with a small smirk.
"Well, I have seen a different side of you lately and…I am willing to try to be friends." She said quietly.
Klaus was more than pleased. He wanted so much more than friendship from this amazing woman but at least they were moving in the right direction. Caroline and Klaus headed back inside to the party. Caroline spotted Rebekah dancing with Matt; she of course looked gorgeous and she was wearing a pretty simple one shoulder black dress. Normally she would have been worried for Matt's safety but from what she has seen lately of Rebekah she just wants to fit in; she wants to have friends and enjoy life. Caroline honestly believed that she wouldn't harm Matt just like she knew Klaus wouldn't hurt her.
The next day was Sunday and Caroline was up early to meet the other Miss Mystic contestants at the school to go over the theme for this year's float. She hoped that Rebekah didn't decide to take this over too because as much as she understood Rebekah wanting to experience life this was Caroline's last year of school and she wanted to at least get to plan one thing this year.
Caroline walked into the almost empty cafeteria. Elena, Rebekah, Abby, and Sarah all sat at one of the tables in the corner of the room. Caroline walked over to them and placed her purse on the table.
"Hi guys." She said she was a little surprised that they didn't seem to have anything planned out and she immediately liked Rebekah a whole lot more. "So I was thinking about the theme and I think that last year's theme was a hit!" She paused. "This year I was thinking of doing a Fairy Tale theme." Caroline really hoped they all liked it.
"I love it." Rebekah said immediately. Caroline and Elena looked at her with a surprised face.
"Really?" Caroline asked.
"Yes, it is a great idea." She said with a smile.
The other girls agreed and loved the idea. Caroline smiled and it lasted the remainder of the meeting. "So, one last thing Mrs. Lockwood wants the names of everyone's escorts so I will be writing them down before you leave." Caroline pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote 'Caroline Forbes' then wrote 'Niklaus Mikaelson' beside it.
"You asked Klaus?" Elena asked in surprise and maybe a little anger. Caroline saw Rebekah smile out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes Elena." Caroline said. She wrote 'Elena Gilbert' then looked up at Elena. "And who is your escort?" She asked.
Elena was quiet for a few seconds. "I will let you know by the end of the day." She said quietly.
Caroline sighed. She wrote 'Rebekah Mikaelson'. "Rebekah?"
"Matt." She said simply.
Caroline wrote out 'Matt Donavon' then continued to ask the other two girls.
Caroline was outside heading to her car when she heard Rebekah behind her calling her name. Caroline stopped and turned around. "Yea." She said once Rebekah caught up to her.
"I have a favor to ask of you." She said. "I don't really have any friends and my brothers are no help at all. I bought a dress for the pageant the other day and I was wondering if you would want to come by…and maybe see if it works. I have never been in anything like this; I wasn't sure exactly what to look for in a dress." Caroline felt bad it was almost like Rebekah was an awkward thirteen year old boy asking out a girl for the first time. She was nervous and scared that Caroline would laugh in her face. But Caroline found it endearing; she liked to see her softer side.
"Sure. Is now alright with you?" Caroline asked.
Rebekah smiled and nodded. The two girls got into Caroline's car and she drove them to the Mikaelson Mansion. Once inside Rebekah led Caroline to her bedroom. Her room was amazing. She had a huge canopy bed with a pearl white comforter that looked like it was made from clouds. She had two huge dressers and a closet that were probably filled with clothes. On one side of her room she had a loveseat and built in bookshelves on each side.
Rebekah walked to her closet and pulled out a black bag. She hung it on the door and pulled down the zipper revealing a gorgeous deep blue evening gown. It had a sweetheart neckline and rhinestone along the top and some beginning at the thigh and going all the way down to the bottom of the dress. "It's gorgeous." I whispered as I took a few steps closer to Rebekah and the dress.
Rebekah let out a small sigh of relief. "You really like it?" She asked.
"Very much." She said with a smile. "Do you want to see mine?"
"Sure." Caroline grabbed her cell phone out of her purse and showed Rebekah a picture Bonnie had taken at the store of her in the dress. "Stunning." Rebekah said."You will look beautiful in red."
"Thank you." Caroline said.
Klaus heard Caroline the minute she entered the house with Rebekah. He listened to the girls' conversation about their dresses and was relieved that Rebekah had found someone else to bother about what color she should wear or how she should do her hair. Klaus sat on his bed; his back against the headboard, one leg stretched in front of him the other bent with his foot tucked under the opposite leg. His sketch pad was on his lap and he was drawing Caroline from the Founder's party the night before.
The girls talked a bit longer about the pageant and about the other events coming up. "Nik is in his room if you wanted to say hello." Rebekah said as she zipped up the bag with her dress and hung it back in her closet.
"Oh." Caroline said. "Well…I don't want to bother him."
Rebekah laughed. "You could never be a bother to him." She paused. "His room is down the other end of the hall. Last door on your right." She said with a smile. Caroline smiled she guessed that Rebekah didn't know that she had already been in his room the night he saved her from Tyler's bite.
"I'll see you later." Caroline said as she walked to towards the door.
"Thank you." Rebekah said. Caroline nodded and left her room closing the door behind her.
Caroline walked towards the stair case and stopped before stepping down to the first step. She looked down the hall to where Rebekah told her Klaus' room was. She bit her bottom lip and thought for a minute. It was probably rude to not at least say hello so she stepped away from the stairs and headed down the hallway. She stopped in front of the last door on the right and knocked lightly with her right hand.
"Come in." He called from behind the door. Caroline opened the door and stepped inside closing the door behind her. "Hello, Sweetheart. What a nice surprise." He said with a genuine smile.
Caroline walked over to him. "Rebekah invited me over to see her dress. I just wanted to say hi, I don't want to bother you so I won't stay long."
"You are a lot of things, Love. But a bother is not one of them." He said as he continued work on his drawing.
"What are you drawing?" Caroline asked.
He lifted up his eyes and looked at her with a smile. "Come have a look."
Caroline took a few more steps towards him and looked at his sketch pad. She stared in awe of the beautifully drawn picture of her and the dress she wore the night before. Every detail including the stray hairs around her face was perfect. "Wow." Was all she managed to say.
"Does that mean you like it?
Caroline looked over at him and laughed. "Yea. It's gorgeous." Caroline stared at him for a few moments as his attention went back to his art. Here he was, Klaus, the original hybrid spending his Sunday morning drawing her; she liked this side of him very much.
Klaus moved his leg over a bit and placed his sketch pad next to him on his bed. "Have a seat." He said patting the edge of the bed by his leg.
Caroline thought about saying she had to leave but decided to sit and stay a bit longer. "May I see your other drawings?" She asked nodding towards the sketchpad he had set down.
"Of course." Klaus said. He picked up the sketch pad and handed it to her. Caroline tossed her purse on the floor and took the sketchbook from Klaus. He watched as she slowly turned each page and admired each of his drawings. He had never had someone want to look at his work before so this was a new experience for him.
Caroline looked at each drawing carefully, she loved the amount of detail in each picture. There were a few of his siblings, a few of different sceneries around town, and several of her. "There all beautiful." She whispered. She looked up at him and smiled as she handed him back his sketchbook. "So dance rehearsals for the pageant start on Wednesday." She said.
"Yes." He said with a small smile. "What time shall I pick you up?"
Caroline smiled at his gentleman nature. "Well it is right after school so I will already be there."
"Very well." He said. "I will meet you there than, what time?"
"We begin at three." She paused. "So, I should probably go." Caroline stood up slowly from his bed and bent down to grab her purse.
"Do you need a ride?" Klaus swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
"No, I have my car."
Alright, I will walk you out."
Klaus walked Caroline down the large staircase and then to the front door. "Thanks for letting me see some of your art." She said as they stood in front of his door.
"Of course, Sweetheart." He said as he made a bold move and cupped her face with his hand. He was pleased when she didn't flinch away; in fact he actually thought he felt her lean into his touch but he wasn't about to go assuming foolish things like that. He dropped his hand from her face. "Thank you for coming to say hello, I will see you later." Caroline smiled then opened the door and headed out to her car.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I really LOVE fancy dress shopping so if you are like me and are curious about the girls' dresses than check out my photo bucket page! Copy and paste the link… / I had a lot of fun picking them all out! Right now their cocktail dresses and pageant dresses are up the dresses for the parade will be up later on in the story.
Please review and let me know that you are still reading and if you are liking it! THANKS!
