Author's Note: First of all, I AM SO SO SORRY FOR THIS EXTENDED HIATUS! It has been a crazy semester for me coming out of the summer and jumping into classes, but this story has always been on the back of my mind, and I know where everything's going, it's just a matter of having time to put it down on paper. In a document. You know what I mean. I have a lot of work to get done this Thanksgiving break, but I promise to work on it bunches over Christmas! Woo-hoo! One whole month of relaxation!
Any who, here it is, the long awaited Mabekah date and Klaroline's... second date? Third date? Eh, I'm losing track, but more Klaroline fluffiness :)
Also, a SPOILERS note, if you haven't seen the movie Zombieland, I highly recommend that you do, trust me, I'm the least likely person to choose a zombie movie but it's so well written, the cast is great and it's just all around entertaining: funny and heartbreaking and kick-ass all wrapped up into one movie. But I describe one of the scenes towards the end of the movie, so if you're not a fan of spoilers, you can skip over those bits a little but it doesn't really give away the whole movie. I mean, Jesse Eisenberg is kind of upfront in the movie about wanting to "meet a girl to bring home to the folks" so the little detail I gave doesn't spoil the end in my opinion...
So! Without further ado...
CHAPTER NINE
Rebekah walked down the stairs just as she heard the doorbell ring, and she smiled when she looked down at her watch. 5:00 o'clock on the dot, just like he said, she thought to herself. She checked herself in the mirror in the foyer before opening the door and she smiled back at the smiling face that greeted her.
"Hello!" Matt said, the biggest smile on his face.
"Hi!" Rebekah replied, so excited just to see him.
"Wow... You look..." Matt said, his gaze trailing down to take in Rebekah's appearance. He didn't finish his sentence, so Rebekah took that to mean that she and Bonnie had done well picking out her outfit. To go with the black skinny jeans, they had found a cute black strapless bustier top with gold polka dots and a ruffled hem, and Bonnie had insist that she get a leather jacket when Rebekah admitted she didn't own one. It was all tied together with gold accents here and there with her jewelry. And Rebekah had to admit, she felt like a movie star after the VIP treatment she and Bonnie got at the spa that morning. She was done up from head to toe and felt like a brand new woman.
"Well thanks, you don't look so bad yourself..." she smiled, walking out and locking the door behind her. Matt was wearing a black t-shirt with the Killers logo printed multiple times in different colors on it and dark wash jeans and a black leather jacket. He was freshly showered and shaved and he smelled like a nice musky cologne.
"Aqua Di'Gio?" she asked.
"Hmm?" Matt was still gazing at her, but then he suddenly realized what she was saying and snapped out of it. "Oh! Yeah! Wait... How did you know that?"
"Told you, four brothers..." she laughed, and Matt joined in.
"Oh! Right! Haha you probably know every cologne there is for guys!"
"Pretty much..." Rebekah said, shrugging with a smile.
An hour later, they were sitting in a trendy little restaurant in Richmond's West End sipping drinks waiting for their appetizer to arrive.
"This dip better be as good as you say, Matt... I'm starving!"
"Have I ever let you down before?" he said, taking a sip of his whiskey on the rocks.
"You haven't known me long enough to let me down yet..."
"Point taken... Guess you're just gonna have to trust me then..." he said with a smile, leaning closer to her.
"Guess so..." Rebekah sighed, pretending to be worried, "...putting my trust in a total stranger... Most people would advise against it..."
"Well then here is to the first night of a great friendship..." Matt said holding up his glass to toast. Rebekah only smiled and held up her glass and clinked the rim to the rim of Matt's glass and both took a sip.
"Mmmm... Well if their food is as good as this drink, it'll be a good start to the friendship,"
"I told you, Mosaic has the best cocktails and food... It's one of my favorites in Richmond, I was debating between here and Galaxy... We should go there after the concert to get milkshakes..."
"Whatever you say... You're the captain of this cruise, I go where you go..." she smiled at Matt. Just as Matt was smiling back, an elderly woman that had been sitting two tables away from them suddenly stopped at their table as she walked past.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt," the woman started, "but I just had to say that you two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen..."
"Oh, we're not..." Matt started.
"He's not my..." Rebekah said at the same time as Matt.
"Oh! Oh I'm so sorry! I just assumed, an attractive couple like the two of you..."
"No, no, we're just friends..." Matt assured her.
"New friends at that..." Rebekah added with a smile.
"Well you're a very lucky man then," the woman said, patting Matt on the shoulder since he was sitting closest to her, "she is absolutely gorgeous! You better buy this young lady dinner!" Rebekah laughed uncomfortably and covered her face but Matt laughed wholeheartedly.
"Yes ma'am, I was planning on it..." he smiled.
"Good man..." she smiled and patted his shoulder again, "well, I'm sorry to interrupt your night, have a nice evening, you two..." she said as she walked away and waved goodbye.
"You as well... Goodnight..." they waved goodbye. They turned back to one another and laughed awkwardly. Rebekah thanked the universe for having the waiter bring their appetizer right at that moment.
"Well, it smells delicious..." Rebekah said, grabbing a pita chip.
"Just wait, trust me... You're gonna die..." Matt replied with a smirk. Rebekah dug into the warm gouda cheese dip topped with Parmesan and real crumbles of bacon and took a bite.
"Oh my god..." she groaned.
"So good you can feel your arteries clogging?" Matt smiled.
"Exactly... And I don't care which is not good at all..."
"Just drown your sorrows in another bite..." Matt grinned, gathering some dip on a pita chip for himself.
"Good call..." Rebekah said, grabbing another chip and digging into the dip again. She moaned again in delight and Matt laughed. Rebekah swallowed and laughed.
"What?! Fine, you were right! It was worth the wait!"
"No, no... it's not that..." he laughed, and he suddenly was leaning across the table and reached for her face. Rebekah froze, staring into Matt's eyes questioningly. Matt help her face with his hand.
"You've got a little cheese..." he said as he swiped some cheese from the corner of her bottom lip with his thumb. Rebekah's heart fluttered in her chest and she gasped a quick intake of breath. Matt pulled back his hand quickly and cleared his throat, realizing how forward his action was and becoming embarrassed.
"Sorry," Matt said, blushing, "I uh, didn't think you wanted to wear cheese dip the rest of the night..."
"Well that's very considerate of you," Rebekah cleared her throat and smiled at him, "but I happen to think that cheese dip goes perfectly with this outfit..."
Matt laughed at her joke, "Well if you say so... All I can say is you look great, I lack the fashion knowledge to adequately compliment your outfit..."
"Good, Bonnie said that it was my duty as your arm candy tonight to look stellar, so mission accomplished I guess..." Rebekah smiled.
"I am so honored that you two gave me that much consideration... I'm the luckiest guy at the concert tonight with you as my... 'arm candy'?" he laughed, "God that even sounds like Bonnie..."
"I know right." Rebekah laughed, "When she first said it, I had no idea what she meant, we don't have that phrase in England, so she had to explain it to me!" The pair laughed and after that, the rest of their meal flowed smoothly and there wasn't one more awkward moment the whole time.
Soon before Rebekah knew it, they were downtown at the Coliseum waiting to file in the doors and get to their seats. Once they were past security, they were directed upstairs to where their seats were, and as they approached the staircase they passed a merchandise table.
"Ooooh, can we stop for a tick, Matt? I really want to get a shirt, I'm so jealous you've got one..."
"Sure, I actually think I'll get one myself... I got this one at the concert I went to years ago..." he said as they walked towards the table, "God, when was that... In Fairfax in 200...7? Jesus that makes me feel old!"
"Don't even get me started, a co-worker of mine brought her 14 year old daughter into work a couple weeks ago, she said that she and her friends were going to a decade dance and they were going as the Spice Girls... 'you know, from the 80's,'" Rebekah's voice changed as she imitated the ditzy young girl's voice.
"Seriously, jeez hasn't she heard of Google? I'm a guy but I know they weren't from the 80's," Matt laughed, "Oh god, I can remember Caroline, Bonnie and Vickie all dressing up and dancing around our living room and fighting because Bonnie and Vickie both wanted to be Ginger Spice and Bonnie protesting just because she's black doesn't mean she always had to be Scary Spice..."
Rebekah laughed, "I had the same problem with my friends... No one ever wanted to be Scary Spice..." They both laughed and were greeted by a guy wearing a Killers shirt, lanyard with a pass that said "Tour Personnel" and a visor with "Merchandise" stitched at the top.
"Hey, how's it going?" the Merchandise guy said in a friendly tone, smiling widely at Rebekah.
"Not too bad, and yourself?" she smiled back.
"Better now that you're here..." he smiled, and Rebekah chuckled, and after he glanced at Matt, continued, "...anyway, what can I interest you in?"
"I'd like a shirt, but I'm not sure which one!" she said.
"Well these two are our most popular..." the Merchandise guy indicated two different choices and Rebekah studied the two and turned to Matt.
"Which do you think?"
"I like either... but I would say that this one seems more you though..." Matt said, pointing to the dark grey shirt with the Sunray Heartburst and hot pink the Killers logo.
"You'd look great in either..." the Merchandise guy added, causing Claire to blush and laugh and Matt to glare at him. The guy caught Matt's eye and cleared his throat and looked away quickly, seemingly silenced.
"I'll take the Heartburst..." Rebekah nodded, happy with the shirt, and took out her wallet, "...and can I have a Medium please? I know I'll probably muck it up in the wash..."
"And I'd like a large of the Lone Ranger one..." Matt said, pointing to the wire grid wall behind the Merchandise table.
"You've got it!" the guy said, turning to dig through the corresponding boxes containing the shirts they selected. Rebekah took the opportunity to whisper to Matt with the Merch guy distracted.
"Well I must say, I've enjoyed how friendly everyone one in America is so far..."
"Yeah, well dressed like that, I'd be surprised if he wasn't friendly to you... and I do give him credit for being so confident with a guy at your side..."
"Jealous are we?" she giggled, and the guy turned back to them with each of their shirts.
"So is this together or separate?"
"Together!" Rebekah said quickly, already brandishing her credit card.
"What?! No!" Matt said almost as quickly as Rebekah had.
"I insist! You bought dinner... shirts are on me..." she said boldly, thrusting her card towards the Merch guy, smiling at him and batting her eyelashes to make sure he'd take her payment over Matt's.
"Sure thing..." he smiled, taking her card and going back to run the card through the portable credit machine.
"You don't have to do this, Bekah..."
"But I want to... you're the one taking me out for a night on the town, it's the least I can do to say thank you..."
"Hey, you're my arm candy, remember? That's enough for me..." he smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. They must have been pretty distracted gazing at each other because they suddenly realized that the guy was back in front of them and had to clear his throat to get their attention.
"Just... uh, sign the dotted line there..." the guy said, placing her card, the receipt slip and a pen down in front of Rebekah, his gaze flitting back and forth between the two.
"Thanks!" Rebekah said, taking her card and slipping it back in her cross body bag and taking up the pen to sign the paper. She finished and handed him the paper and pen with a smile.
"Thanks!"
"Thank you, you guys enjoy the show..." the guy answered, looking between the two, sounding considerably more platonic. Matt smirked triumphantly and Rebekah rolled her eyes at him.
"Feel better?"
"Absolutely..." he replied with a stupid smile. Rebekah smiled and rolled her eyes with a sigh.
"Men..."
The concert was fantastic and Rebekah and Matt were having a blast. They were positioned house left up at a 45 degree angle from the stage, and they had a great view of the stage and the projection screens hanging above the band on the left and right. Matt also got them aisle seats, which Rebekah loved; when she commented on it, they both agreed on how much they detested stepping over people in seating situations like concerts or movies.
Some songs they completely rocked out and Matt faked annoyance at not having "luscious locks" to head bang with like Rebekah; others they stood swaying their cellphones along with everyone else. "Runaways" began and Matt turned to Rebekah, his voice raising slightly to overcome the volume of the music.
"Hey, you want a beer?"
"Sure!" Rebekah answered, taking off her jacket to put in her seat and follow him.
"No no, you stay! I'll go get them!"
"No, Matt, it's fine, I'll come with you..."
"No way! You bought the shirts, I'm buying beers..." he insisted.
"Matt, you already bought me dinner, seriously I-"
"Nope, no way, your money may have been good at the merch table, but it's no good at the snack bar..."
Rebekah smiled at Matt's adorable stubbornness, "Thanks, Matt... Next drinks are on me though..."
"Deal... Any preference?"
"Nope, I'll drink whatever!"
"I'll be back... If I'm not back in 10, come find me so you can occupy me in line... I have the attention span of a two year old..." he said as he walked down the stairs to exit their section.
"Sounds more like a one year old if you ask me!" she called after him, and returned the face that Matt made at her comment.
The song finished and the band started "Somebody Told Me" and Rebekah whipped out her phone to shoot Matt a text.
Hurry up, loser! You're missing the good stuff! ;)
Rebekah smiled as her phone confirmed text had been delivered and she suddenly heard a voice beside her before her phone was even in her pocket.
"Hey gorgeous... Enjoying the concert?" a guy with shaggy blonde hair in a t-shirt, jeans and a zipper hoodie sidled up beside Rebekah in the spot where Matt would've been standing.
"Fine thanks..." she replied curtly, immediately getting bad vibes from him and not wanting to encourage banter.
"Oooh, I love a girl with an accent... Listen, me and my buddies were wondering why a sexy girl like you would go to a concert alone? Want some company?"
Buddies? Rebekah thought to herself and she looked past the guy and saw two similarly skeevy guys leering at her, who nodded like tools to acknowledge that they were associated with Goon #1. Of course there's more than one...
"You know as nice as that sounds, I think I'm okay here... Have a nice night..." Rebekah responded sardonically and turned back to watch the stage, attempting to give him the cold shoulder.
"C'mon babe," Goon #1 said, casually draping his arm around Rebekah's shoulders, "don't be like that..." Rebekah looked down at his arm before staring him down as icily as she could muster.
"Firstly, I'm not your 'babe'..." she said, shrugging his arm off her shoulder, "Secondly, I told you I have no interest in joining you, so kindly piss off..." she said, her tone strong.
"Mmmm I like a girl with a little bite to her..." he said suddenly burying his face in her hair and she was horrified as she realized he was trying to kiss her neck.
"Get off me!" she growled, shoving him as hard as she could, but he only latched on to her more.
"Is there a problem here?"
Rebekah knew that voice and had never felt more relieved in her life. She and Goon #1 looked up and over to see Matt standing in the aisle, a bottle of beer in each hand, with an intimidating look on his face.
"Who are you?" Goon #1 asked in a accusatory tone.
"I'm the ex-high school quarterback who can still bench press my weight and a half, and if you don't take your hands off of my girlfriend in the next 3 seconds, you will regret it, dude..."
Rebekah and the Goon both froze.
Did he just say 'girlfriend'?! Rebekah thought and she heard the Goon's sputtering response.
"Goldilocks never mentioned a boyfriend..." he said incredulously.
"Probably because she was trying to spare you from a world of embarrassment and the biggest ass-kicking of your entire life... in front of your friends..." Matt replied, gesturing with his head at Goon #2 and Goon #3 behind him. Both were ducking down in their seats and trying to be unnoticed, but still stealing furtive glances at the altercation.
Of course, you're okay with overpowering a girl but you're scared shitless of one guy... Bloody assholes... Rebekah thought darkly.
"Now if you would let her go, apologize to her, and slink back to join your spineless friends, I won't break you so bad that you beg `me to hand you over to security."
Goon #1 looked at Matt for only a second and knew he was serious and quickly let go of Rebekah and muttered his apology.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Matt said forcefully and loudly, and inclining his ear towards the guy as if he was attempting to hear him better.
"I'm sorry!" the guy said in a higher volume, looking up to make sure Rebekah heard him before scurrying out of the row and past Matt, muttering an apology to him as well and going to join his friends.
"Have a nice night!" Matt called after him before taking his place back beside Rebekah. "Sorry I took so long, hon, I think you'll be needing this..." he added loudly as he handed her the beer in his hand closest to her and used his newly free arm and draping it across Rebekah's shoulders and pulling her close.
"Girlfriend?" Rebekah said in a low voice, glancing over at the Goons who were alternating between muttering to each other and looking over at her and Matt.
"Sorry I left my stick for you to beat guys away with in the car..."
Rebekah laughed and added, "Damn 'Arm Candy' outfit!"
"No kidding! I leave you alone for 5 minutes and look what happens... You start getting hit on like a slab of meat in a butcher's shop..." Matt chuckled.
Rebekah laughed along with him but saw the trio glaring over at them from the center section.
"They're still watching us..." she murmured.
"Ignore them, but get closer to me, we've gotta sell ourselves as a real couple... I won't let them get to you, but three to one is not a fair fight..." he murmured back.
"Hey, I could dish out an ass-kicking too..." Rebekah whispered back as she wrapped her arm around Matt's waist.
Matt laughed, "I know you can..." and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Rebekah felt butterflies in her stomach as Matt's lips pulled away from her head, but she felt herself settle into resting into Matt's body and was amazed at how comfortably they fit together. She knew that Matt really saved her, because while she might have been able to fend off the one, if all three of those goons had tried to overwhelm her, they would have succeeded. And from glancing around them, she didn't see a single person acknowledging what had just happened to her; either from truly being engrossed in the concert or obviously not wanting to get involved.
Gratitude for Matt appearing as her own personal knight in shining armor spread through her, filling her with a comforting warmth. She gazed up at Matt, who was attempting to act normal, and had turned back to the concert and took a swig from his beer, and she leaned up and pressed a soft kiss firmly to his cheek. Matt gulped down the beer in surprise.
"Wha-what was that for?"
"For making me feel safe..." Rebekah smiled, before taking a sip from her own beer and placing her head on his shoulder. She smiled softly as she heard Matt take a deep breath and then clear his throat, obviously taken off guard by the kiss.
"Of course... I mean, that's what... friends are for..." he murmured. Rebekah only responded by nuzzling her head into Matt's shoulder more.
The rest of the concert went smoothly and after the concert was over, instead of going out to get milkshakes, Rebekah insisted on going back to Caroline's for sundaes since she discovered Caroline's secret stash of ice creams in the bottom of her freezer drawer and the candy and toppings buried in the back of the pantry. After an easy drive back to Mystic Falls, Matt and Rebekah were sitting and enjoying their desserts at the island in Caroline's kitchen, which was still covered in the evidence of their sundae blitz.
"I mean I knew Caroline was a closeted junk food junkie, but this takes addiction to a whole new level..." Matt laughed, taking another hearty bite of his gigantic sundae, composed of a mixture of birthday cake ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and a million different toppings.
"Yeah, I need to inventory what sweets I go through so I can replace them... I'd hate it if I got back home and Caroline had depleted my secret stash..." Rebekah added, taking another bite of her own sundae, made of cookies and cream ice cream, Reese's Pieces, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles.
"Oh really? What's in your secret stash at home?" Matt said, licking his spoon clean.
"Well I just ran out of my supply of peanut butter cups I had stocked up... I think I finished them all off that night Caroline contacted me about the house swap..." Rebekah thought, remembering how upset and distraught she'd been after hearing Damon and Elena's engagement, she had binged on her secret stash in the hopes of it making her feel better. She decided to not mention that bit to Matt and continued, "But my stash typically includes a Double Decker and a Galaxy Ripple..."
"They sound good... you wanna know what else is good... this combination of ice cream..." Matt bragged and Rebekah laughed. "...I'm serious! You know what a cookie cake is, right?"
"Yes, Bonnie and I split a piece when we went shopping the other day, when we were in the mall..."
"Well get a bit of cookie dough and a bit of the birthday cake ice cream, and I swear it'll blow your mind..." Matt said, digging out the ice cream from underneath the mountain of topping he had to offer Rebekah some of his sundae. Rebekah laughed and shook her head, but obligingly took a bit of each to the ice creams and hesitantly tasted them, giving Matt a look as she did. She gave the flavors a moment to intermingle, then gave him a surprised look.
"Oh my god... It really does taste like cookie cake..." she smiled.
"Crazy right? I got the hint from a customer who kept ordering half-cookie dough, half-birthday cake milkshakes when I worked at the Grille one summer..."
"Amazing... truly inspired..." Rebekah said, taking another helping.
"Hey hey! Don't boggard my sundae!" Matt said defensively, snatching away his bowl in fake horror. Rebekah giggled.
"Might I be able to trade some cookies and cream with Reese's pieces for another taste?" she said with a smile, offering up her bowl.
"Well... you've got me there... I'm a sucker for Oreos and peanut butter..." he smirked, offering her is bowl as he took a spoonful from hers.
"God, me too... The only time I've ever appreciated my brother Kol's womanizing was when he charmed the Oreos off some exchange student from the US in uni... She'd get care packages from home and Kol'd charm them from her before she could even offer them to her roommate!" The two laughed and shared stories from their lives as they enjoyed their ice cream creations.
Time flew by as they hung out and shared stories, and when Matt glanced down at his watch, he groaned.
"Aw man... it's 3 A.M... sorry to be a kill joy but I gotta go... I'm opening the Grille today and working the breakfast shift..."
"No no... I've kept you for far too long! Go! Sleep! Regain your energy!" Rebekah said, hopping off of her stool and shooing Matt towards the door.
"I mean I can help clean up if you like..." Matt started, glancing at the island that was covered in various ice cream tools and toppings.
"Oh no no no! I've got this, trust me, and you've already done enough for me tonight, I couldn't possibly ask you to play Cinderella, stuck here cleaning up after me..." Rebekah joked, and Matt laughed as he put on his jacket.
"So if I'm Cinderella, does that make you my Fairy Godmother?" he said with a grin and quirking his eyebrow.
"Matt, just a tip for you in the future: you will never get into a woman's good graces by discussing her age..."
"I said godmother, not grandmother..." he laughed and rolled his eyes and Rebekah laughed too.
"Good..." she laughed, opening the door for him and leaning against the edge of it.
"Well... this has been a great night, I had a really good time..." Matt said with a contented smile on his face.
"Me too..." Rebekah said, returning the smile. Before either one could think twice about it, Matt leaned in and kissed Rebekah's cheek, which she unconsciously returned and kissed his opposite cheek back. After Matt pulled away, Rebekah flushed a little, but took a deep breath.
"And you just had to break out the ice cream... I think I'm going to have to go up a notch in my belt..." Matt teased.
"Oh I'm sure you'll be fine... Aren't mens' metabolisms faster then womens'?"
"Oh yeah, I've heard that... well good for me then!"
"Shut up!" Rebekah laughed, punching Matt's shoulder softly.
"Well... good night then..." Matt said, leaning in again kissing Rebekah's cheek again, which Rebekah was more aware of and didn't respond as she did previously. Matt paused at her cheek, and as he was pulling away, let out an exasperated sigh.
"Okay... I'm sorry, for kissing you twice... and then lingering on the second kiss!" Matt said, retreating out the door.
"No problem," Rebekah couldn't help but laugh at Matt's sweet candor. They waved to each other, Rebekah stifling a giggle as Matt tripped and adorably tried to catch himself and once Rebekah had closed the door, she pressed her back to it and sighed.
"Oh god..." she sighed, and dug down into her pocket and pulled out her phone and opened a new text.
Bon, you'll never believe the night I just had...
Klaus was the first to wake up after the nap he and Caroline took after they got back from lunch at the Savoy Grille. There had been more than one round of sex in between lunch and him waking up, but Klaus stopped keeping track after the third time. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 5 o'clock then looked over at Caroline, who was asleep on her stomach, her one arm draped across his abdomen and one leg entangled with his. Her hair was adorably mussed from their tumbles and he leaned over slightly to tuck a messy lock behind her ear that had been covering the side of her face.
As he watched her sleep, he thought back to the earlier events in the day that had led to him being in bed with Caroline... yet again. He seldom opened up to his family and closest friends, much less a woman he got intimately involved with, but Caroline was different: somehow, he was more himself around her than he was with anyone else... and he hadn't felt like he could just be himself in... years... He blinked to shake the sad memory away and leaned in to kiss Caroline's cheek, breathing in her sweet, unique scent as he did. Caroline stirred slightly at Klaus's kiss but only murmured, still deep in sleep, and rolled over away from Klaus, settling on her side. Klaus hesitated for a second but then inched over and curled up beside Caroline, wrapping his arm around her waist and spooning with her. In her sleep, Caroline moved her head back and nuzzled it up underneath Klaus's chin, which made him grin.
Thank you, Caroline... Thank you for just being you, for being the breath of fresh air I needed to turn over a new leaf... You mean more to me than you could ever know... You've reminded me of not only the man I was, but the man I wanted to be... he thought and pressed a kiss to the back of Caroline's head before drifting off to sleep again.
Caroline woke up two and a half hours later from the large growl of her stomach. As she got her bearings down, she remembered the last time she ate was almost five hours earlier.
I ate with Klaus... and then we came back here and... Caroline glanced down and realized she was naked and there was a hand gently holding onto her torso just over her belly button. She closed her eyes again, squeezing them tightly shut and cursed herself silently.
Seriously?! Good job, Caroline, really good job... making a one night stand a long term thing... just to end it in a week and a half...
Caroline turned her head to look at Klaus, and since her head had been tucked underneath his chin, Klaus adjusted in his sleep and brought his face down to her shoulder. Caroline bit her lip and chuckled at Klaus's stubble tickling her shoulder. She watched his face as he nuzzled her shoulder in his sleep, even placing a light kiss to it before settling back into a deep sleep.
She listened to his even breathing and thought back to how emotional he got at the Savoy Grille and found herself rubbing the back of Klaus's hand, still positioned on her abdomen, with her thumb. She felt a little bad that his honest divulgence at the restaurant was brought on by imbibing in a little too much alcohol, but then at the same time she couldn't help but feel like it was a bit cathartic for him in a way. Just as she began to ponder her afternoon with Klaus, Caroline's stomach gave another impressively loud rumble and she quickly scooted away from him, fearing that the loud noise would wake him.
Caroline tiptoed away from the bed, scooping up her robe on the way, figuring she'd just grab a snack to satiate her incorrigible stomach. After rummaging around the kitchen for a bit, she realized she had pretty much pigged out and ravaged her supplies the first night she got there and she'd eaten out every other time she needed food. Her stomach gave another obscenely loud rumble and she sighed exasperatedly. She glanced around and gathered up as many discarded items of clothing as she could and she trudged back up to the bedroom, but paused as she looked at Klaus. She smiled-he hadn't moved from the position she left him in, on his side as when they had been spooning when she woke up.
Without even hesitating, she dropped all of the clothes she'd gathered in her arms on the floor and picked up the nearest pillow and threw it at Klaus. It landed on his face and stayed put, but she heard him groggily wake up and watched the pillow stir.
"Wake up, Klaus, I'm starving!" Caroline announced unceremoniously, with a slight grin on her face.
Klaus murmured and grumbled, his words indecipherable, and moved to remove the pillow from the top of his head.
"I said I'm starving, and there's nothing here to eat, Klaus! It's dinner time, so get moving, you bump on a log!" she called, tossing him his jeans from the other side of the room and quickly slipping on a new bra and pair of panties.
"Have I entered a parallel universe? What have you done with the sweet and kind Caroline?" he muttered from underneath the pillow.
"Haha, very funny... now come on, you'll be getting hungry in a bit, I say we go into the village and go grocery shopping and get some stuff to cook and stay in tonight..."
"'We'? So am I to assume that means you're not tired of me yet?" he said with a sleepy smile, sitting up and moving to the other side of the bed to slip on his pants.
"Apparently not... every logical synapse in my head is telling me, 'What are you doing, Caroline? This is crazy...' but then my instincts just keep saying, 'You're having fun, keep having fun...' and you know what? I'm on vacation so I'll have as much fun as I very well please..." she said as she headed to the wardrobe and pulled out her favorite pair of comfy boyfriend jeans, a sweater and her studded loafers, and quickly slipped into her jeans.
"Well I guess I can't complain about being categorized as 'fun,' now can I?" Klaus replied with a chuckle, zipping up his jeans and crossing to Caroline. In one swift motion, he gently brushed back her hair away and planted a small kiss to the side of her neck. Caroline could still feel herself blushing, but she was glad that he never saw that, because after he kissed her neck, he kept walking and went to go retrieve his sweater from the pile which she had created when she dropped all the clothes onto the floor when she came back into the bedroom. She cleared her throat as she pulled the sweater on over her head.
"Well, I warn you, the repertoire of my cooking is basically limited to baking biscuits and apple pie, I never took to cooking very well..."
"That's alright, love... I'm sure I can fill in the gaps somewhere..." he said with a wink, as he pulled his sweater back on and sat on the bed to pull his boots on as well.
"Well, well... a foreign artist with an accent and a penchant for cooking... practically hit the lottery, didn't I?" Caroline teased, taking a seat in front of Rebekah's vanity mirror and taking out her dangly black earrings from that afternoon. She'd forgotten to take them out before falling asleep, and she replaced them with more comfortable pair of gold stud earrings that looked like buttons. She glanced down and saw her favorite necklace, a small gold round pendant with the rhinestone encrusted initial C on the front on a gold chain, which was a present from her father the first Christmas that he, his partner Stephen, Caroline and her mother spent together. That Christmas, Bill and Liz finally called a truce and let bygones be bygones for Caroline's sake, and the unconventional family spent the holidays together for the first time. Caroline smiled at the memory as she held the necklace in her hands.
Suddenly the necklace was out of her hands and she looked up in the mirror to see Klaus standing behind her, holding the necklace, ready to fasten it around her neck. Understanding what he was meaning to do, Caroline gathered her hair to the side silently and Klaus leaned down and brought the necklace around her head and fastened the clasp. Once the necklace was clasped, Caroline released her hair and settled her pendant down on her neck, and Klaus's hands lingered on the back of her neck and shoulders as he leaned down and whispered huskily.
"I'm the real lucky sod here, love..." Caroline felt his warm breath graze her ear, and she shivered like the first night they met and when she looked up at his reflection in the mirror, his was already boring into hers with his strong gaze. She could feel the heat start to build in her face again, so to end the moment and put an end to his unrelenting and passionate gaze, Caroline breathed a noise somewhere between a sigh and a scoff and cast her eyes down, busying herself braiding her hair quickly into a fish tail braid. Klaus watched her face for a moment more, then straightened.
"You mock my words... Yours may have been light, but I'm not the one who proposed dinner and a night in, love..."
Caroline looked back up at Klaus and saw his defensive shield up, but more importantly what it was there to shield: worry and insecurity. She could feel herself soften and looked up at him as apologetically as she could.
"Speaking of dinner... what did you have in mind to cook?"
"Seriously, I don't understand why we can't just buy the pre-made sauce!"
"Taking a short cut and using marinara from a jar when I can make you delicious, homemade marinara would be a crime against humanity..." Klaus insisted as he gently took the jar of tomato sauce out of Caroline's hand and placed it back on the shelf.
"God, Klaus, if you keep this up, the only thing I'll be able to help make is the garlic bread... and I'll probably find some way to screw that up too..." Caroline whined as she continued to trudge down the aisle.
Klaus merely chuckled, "Bloody hell, Caroline... can't you ever just let anyone take care of you? If it makes you feel any better, you can bake a pie, sweetheart..."
Caroline didn't acknowledge him other than grumbling inaudibly, and fiddling with something on the shelf beside her. Klaus grinned and suddenly stopped pushing the cart and grabbed the lapel of Caroline's coat and pulled her towards him. Caroline looked up at him just in time for his lips to come crashing down on hers suddenly. He'd caught her completely by surprise, but she quickly melted into the kiss and pressed her hands to his chest, her finger tips slipping underneath his scarf and coming into contact with his skin where his neck met his chest. Klaus merely kept a grip on his fistful of her coat. He pulled away and his kiss left her breathless. Caroline took a deep breath and opened her eyes and looked up at him with heavy lidded eyes.
"What was that for?"
"Because I could..." he replied with a smirk, his hand cradling her face gently and swiping his thumb across her kiss swollen lips. Their spontaneous moment interrupted by the loud and agitated sound of a throat clearing, and they looked over and realized they were blocking the way of a little old woman and her cart.
"Pardon..." Klaus smirked, moving their cart to the side for the woman to pass. The woman gave him a resounding 'harumph' and pushed past them quickly. The pair turned back to each other and couldn't help but bursting out laughing.
"Come on, I'm starving, let's just buy the damn groceries already!" Caroline rolled her eyes with a smile and grabbed the front of the cart and pulled it, steering towards the front for a register, Klaus following behind, still chuckling. Before they knew it, they were outside, arms full of groceries, and almost ankle deep in snow.
"Damn... I knew I should've worn my boots..." Caroline muttered, shivering in the cold. Klaus looked over at her, seeing her tremble from the cold, the snow collecting on the tops of her feet, which were exposed in her loafers.
"Here..." Klaus said suddenly, taking the bags out of her hands.
"What are you doing?" she said, staring at him questioningly.
"I'm going to carry you on my back... you can hold some of the bags once you're up..." he said plainly, as if it were obvious.
"You're kidding, right?" Caroline chuckled. Klaus didn't answer, he only gave her a knowing look, like she should know better.
"You're actually serious..." she said with disbelief. Klaus simply smiled and turned his back slightly towards her and squatted, steeling his legs to be ready to take on her weight.
"Take a chance, Caroline..." Klaus said with a smile. Caroline remembered those same words he had said that morning, convincing her to go to lunch. It felt like ages ago, but familiar at the same time and she rolled her eyes with a smile, glancing away for a moment but then turned to him and quirked her eyebrow, took a deep breath, and in two steps hoisted herself onto his back. He scooched her further up his back then raised his arms, and Caroline took a few of the bags and quickly wrapped her arms around Klaus's neck to keep from sliding off.
"Don't worry, it's okay, you're safe..." Klaus assured her. Caroline couldn't help but pause a moment at his declaration, but she eventually relaxed and once she did, Klaus started walking back to where they'd parked Rebekah's car a few blocks down. They attracted so much attention they began greeting people they passed, and they piled into the car with their groceries laughing.
Two hours later, Klaus and Caroline were curled up on the sofa under some blankets with some rigatoni and homemade marinara sauce and wine and getting ready to watch The Notebook.
"Seriously, if you don't feel like watching a chick flick, we can watch something else..."
"Really, Caroline, I think I can stomach watching The Notebook for the 47th time..."
"47 times?!"
"Yeah but who's counting? Really, you and Rebekah have a lot in common, she loves romantic movies and since I'm usually the brother that caves into her caprice, I've had my fair share of chick flick nights..."
"Well I think that's very sweet..." Caroline insisted, curling up closer to Klaus, "But I won't hold it against you if you want to watch a more manly movie..."
"Really, give me more credit, Caroline..." Klaus chuckled.
"Okay, how about a compromise? Part romance, part ass-kicking and part comedy..." Caroline said, reaching for her stack of DVDs on the coffee table, "Zombieland..." Klaus couldn't help but chuckle.
"Whatever you say, sweetheart... You're much more the movie buff than I am, love..."
"I mean, you make me sound so uncultured... I've been to art museums!" Caroline teased, popping the DVD into the player in the cabinet below the TV. "On our field trip to Washington, D.C. in high school, I went to the National Gallery of Art AND the American Art Museum at the Smithsonian..."
"Oooh, very impressive..." Klaus smiled as Caroline cuddled back up next to him on the couch. He tucked the blanket back in around her and added, "What about the Louvre? Or the Prado? Or the Metropolitan in New York?"
Caroline sighed as she picked her plate of rigatoni and her wine glass back up and settled next to him. She pushed her pasta around her plate for a bit before reluctantly saying, "Okay, I have a confession to make.. I've... never really been anywhere..." Klaus raised his eyebrows as he took a sip from his wine glass.
"I'll take you."
Caroline nearly choked on her pasta and she looked back up at him. When she saw his gentle smile instead of a cheeky grin, she knew he was serious, and not knowing how else to react, she quickly scoffed with a grin and rolled her eyes.
"Wherever you want." Klaus continued, trying to catch her gaze which she kept glued to her plate of pasta, "Rome... Paris... Tokyo?" he added finally, at least hoping to gain a reaction out of her. Caroline didn't disappoint him and she eventually couldn't help but look up at him and laugh.
"Wow..." she laughed, but she wanted to deflect the serious conversation, "...do all your one night stands get to jet set with you across the globe?"
"Well technically, you're not a one night stand, Caroline, if you're getting down to brass tacks, you're a two night stand..." he said cheekily, which she rewarded him with a light punch on the shoulder, and he persisted, "...and once you're in Europe, love, the world is your oyster... I'd gladly take a little excursion to the south of France with you or to Spain for a couple of days with you..." he gently brushed her hair away from her neck, "I'd be in very good company..." he added as he leaned down to plant gentle kisses on her neck just above the collar of her sweater.
Caroline unconsciously tilted her head to give him better access, feeling intoxicated by the wine, the delicious smell of the food, his low, husky accented voice, the feel of his stubble grazing her skin gently. She felt her breathing getting heavy and cleared her throat to snap herself out of this daze, and quickly took a sip of wine. Klaus paused his ministrations to glance up at Caroline, and seeing her flushed, her cheeks a rosy pink, and seeing her stare at the TV screen obviously trying to keep composure, he leaned back and sank into the sofa.
"All in good time, love... all in good time..." he smirked, taking a bite of his pasta, putting his fork down and drawing lazy circles on her back while he chewed. Feeling his fingertips skating across her back through her sweater made Caroline smile, remembering how it felt after the first time he did it they made love; turning her back into his canvas and marking it as he would. It relaxed her and she slowly sank back next to him, quietly chewing on her pasta as the movie started.
Caroline and Klaus had been watching Zombieland for about an hour into the movie and into their second bottle of wine, even though Columbus and Wichita were still nursing their first.
"Now explain something to me," Klaus started, "how exactly does Mark Zuckerberg get Gwen Stacy? Even in a zombie apocalypse?"
"Because he's sweet!" Caroline squealed, pointing at the screen with some popcorn in her hand, which she promptly shoved into her mouth, and talked through the popcorn, "And I don't wanna blow the ending for you, but he proves himself and what girl can resist that?"
"Oh, so that's all it takes then, eh?" Klaus jabbed her side, making her jump and almost spill the bowl of popcorn, "the old 'knight-in-shining-armor' routine?"
"No!" Caroline laughed, "the old 'I-be-there-for-you-in-your-hour-of-need' routine..."
"Hmm... touché, love, touché..." he conceded, grabbing some popcorn from her and popping it in his mouth.
"Um, my first school dance, it was uh, Sadie Hawkins so... girls' choice..." Columbus muttered then took a swig from their shared bottle of wine on the TV.
"What nobody picked you?" Wichita asked honestly.
"It was girls' choice" he repeated, taking another swig.
"Those bitches!" she suddenly exclaimed.
"I know," he added, and Klaus and Caroline laughed.
"No, I will not stand for this..." Wichita huffed, rising up off of the chaise lounge she sat opposite Columbus, "you know what, on behalf of all the 8th grade girls, I would like to make it up to you..." she said, extending a hand. Columbus hesitated at her offer, and she added softly, "Relax, Scotty's old news..." He took her hand and the two started awkwardly slow dancing like they were in middle school on Rebekah's TV.
Klaus looked over at Caroline, who was staring at the screen with a glossed over expression and a slight smile playing on her lips. He immediately put down his wine glass and stood, extending a hand to her.
"Caroline?"
"Hmm?" Caroline said, still mesmerized by the TV, until she glanced over at Klaus, and seeing his outstretched hand raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"
"You've been saying that an awful lot tonight, love..." Klaus murmured, "...but by now you'd think you'd know the answer already..."
Caroline sighed and finally threw back the blanket that had been tucked around her lap put her wine glass down. She knew he'd be stubborn until he got his way, so there was no point in arguing. She stood and Klaus gently let her around the coffee table so that they had more space and were actually closer to the TV, making it easier to hear the lulling melody of "Two Of The Lucky Ones" by The Droge & Summers Blend that Columbus and Wichita were slowly swaying to. He took her left hand in his right and placed her right on his left shoulder before placing his left on her right hip.
"This is so corny..." Caroline rolled her eyes, looking away from Klaus, slightly embarrassed and completely taken off guard with this spur of the moment romantic act. Klaus suddenly spun her around, pulling her closer to his body.
"You say corny, I say sensitive and romantic..." Klaus jested, making Caroline chuckle. They danced for a few minutes in silence before Klaus spoke again.
"You're quite the dancer..." he commented.
"Well... I've had training... I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls..." Caroline said in a tone that demanded recognition for this achievement.
"I know..." Klaus said softly as he brought his hand clasping her left hand to rest casually over his heart. Caroline looked back at him in amazement. He was gazing at her so warmly, and she suddenly remembered seeing that same warm gaze when she told him about her years in high school as head cheerleader, editor of the school news paper and producer of the school TV show and... her 4 year consecutive title as Miss Mystic Falls. Normally Caroline was used to babbling to people and never expected them to remember every little thing she told them. She had learned long ago not to expect that much from people being such a loquacious person. But seeing the look on his face, Caroline knew he remembered each and every detail she told him that afternoon at lunch.
Caroline smiled back at him softly before leaning in and laying her head on his chest, her right hand folding up to rest on his chest below her head. They swayed for a few moments, Caroline resting her head on his chest with her eyes closed and Klaus resting his cheek on the top of her head. She suddenly felt him lifting her left hand off his chest and she opened her eyes to see him lifting it up to his face and placing a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. When she gasped, he gently opened up her hand with his fingers and kissed the palm of her hand. Caroline, breathing heavily and eyes fluttering, placed the palm he kissed to his cheek, rubbing her thumb back and forth over the light stubble on his face before reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him. It started out slow and easy but became more and more passionate, each with their hands all over the other, not able to get enough. When Klaus's hands ran down the back of her thighs, Caroline knew what he wanted and wrapped her legs around his waist as he took hold of her, never breaking away from her lips. She felt him start to move, hearing that they were walking away from the TV, she guessed where he was headed.
"You're going to miss the ending..." she gasped, breaking away from his mouth for a split second.
"Don't care..." Klaus muttered before Caroline had even finished, expertly and swiftly carrying her up the stairs to the bedroom. Once they were in the room, it became a flurry of ripping their clothes and each others clothes off as quickly as they could. Caroline, clad only in her bra and panties, took the upper hand when she was finally able to, pushing Klaus back onto the bed and straddling him. She kissed him fiercely until she began trailing kisses from his mouth down his chin and neck and across his chest, her hands everywhere her lips couldn't be. All Klaus could manage was groaning and moaning her name, but when her kisses kept on their descent down his body, he knew where she was going.
"Caroline, I..." he started, but suddenly a finger was pressed against his lips.
"Klaus... I want to... please... let me please you the way you please me..." Caroline said softly yet decidedly. Klaus gazed at this beautiful blonde angel before him with tousled hair kept messily in a braid, lips swollen, nay branded by his own, and heady, passion-filled eyes that no doubt mirrored his own. He hesitated before nodding slightly and submitting to her will, and she continued her journey, kissing down his chest, down each and every chiseled and defined abdominal muscle.
She reached the band of his boxers and slowly divested him of them before taking in all of his manhood. Caroline dragged her fingernails lightly up the insides of his thighs, eliciting a quick intake of breath from Klaus, before she confidently took hold of his shaft, going right in and taking the tip in her mouth. Klaus groaned and his head fell back against the bed and Caroline twisted her hand around the base of his shaft whilst she swirled her tongue around his head. She suddenly took more into her mouth and just as he was surprised at how much she was able to take when they first made love, he was surprised again. She took all of him, then slowly let him trail out of her mouth, her tongue languidly curving around the bottom of his penis and she released him with a pop, pumping her hand still along his shaft.
"Fuck, Caroline..." Klaus gasped, his head still resting on the bed, eyes closed.
Caroline just smiled proudly, "The funs only just getting started, hon..." She went back to work, taking all of him in her mouth, her head alternating between bobbing quickly and slowly taking it all in then letting it all go almost completely before taking it all in again, fondling his boys at the same time with her hand. Klaus couldn't help cradle her head as it went to town on his member, and hearing his moans and feeling him buck his hips to meet her mouth turned Caroline on beyond belief. She took her free hand and started touching herself, imagining that big hard cock she had teasing her entrance, and she soon began to moan just thinking about it. Klaus opened his eyes quickly hearing her moans and leaned up, resting on his elbows and the image of her pleasuring herself while her mouth was hot and wet and warm around his cock was just too much.
"Love I won't last if you keep that up..." he said, gently stopping her hand holding her face with both of his hands. Caroline looked up at him and seeing how he was nearly sated but still wanted her made her smiled. She ran her hand up and down his shaft to make him nice and lubricated before bringing herself up and impaling herself on him. The moan had scarcely left her throat before Klaus had spun her over, laying on top of her while she was on her back seemingly seated against him, with her legs laying against his chest and her feet dangling over his shoulders.
"Ohh, Klaus... mmm... I can feel you so deep..." she murmured, wiggling against him, and Klaus started driving into her steadily, their moans and sighs mingling in the air.
"Deeper, Klaus, mmm I want you so deep..." Caroline murmured, so Klaus took hold of her legs and folded them, bringing her knees up to her chest with her feet planted against his chest. They both moaned, bringing her legs up had made her tighter around his cock and let him go even deeper than he already had gone.
"Oh, yes... yesss... oh!" Caroline called out, and Klaus brought his hand down between them and found her little sensitive nub at the juncture at her thighs.
"Yes love... oh... yes... Caroline, cum for me darling... cum all over me..." Klaus ordered, still pounding into her relentlessly. Caroline quickly came undone and hearing his name on her lips and she tightened around him sent him spiraling over the edge, as he drove into her thrust by final thrust, groaning her name. He withdrew from her and laid beside her on his back.
"That was incredible... you are incredible..." Klaus gasped. Caroline nodded, her chest heaving with breaths like Klaus's.
"Yes... it was..." Klaus looked over at her, facing him and smiling but shivering slightly.
"Cold, love? Here, hang on a tick..." he said, swaddling her haphazardly in the comforter and hopping off the bed, still naked himself and kneeling down by the fireplace and placing logs in to start a fire.
"Well aren't you prompt?" Caroline giggled, curling up against the pillows and headboard, clutching the comforter to her breast.
"I'm nothing if not thorough..." Klaus said, looking over his shoulder at her with a smirk, and once he had stoked a decent and sustaining fire, came back to the bed, curling up underneath the comforter and taking her in his arms.
"Funny how much I missed your warm body against mine, even though it was only for a minute to start the fire..." Caroline remarked, wrapping her arms around him.
"Oh I couldn't get back to you soon enough... I don't know how your ex let you out of his sight, much less out of his bed..." Klaus responded, burying his face in her neck, inhaling her scent and lavishing kisses to the area. Caroline purred and threaded her fingers in his hair.
"After two days with you, I now know what I was missing and why Tyler said I was bad in bed... to cover up how lame he was! I'd much rather have you worshipping at my alter..."
Klaus laughed a hearty laugh and gathered her up in his arms, "A temple I'd gladly worship for as long as you let me..." he growled softly kissed her fiercely.
"Yeah, well I may be able to see some of this stinking country if I weren't here with you... I'd like to see us go three hours without screwing our brains out..."
"Oh really? Well, challenge accepted, love. Tomorrow I'm going to take you to see all the sites, every tourist trap and every monument and landmark we can reach..." he said with a smile.
"Sounds like a plan, Stan..." Caroline responded happily, pecking his lips before settling down, resting her head on his chest. They both fell silent, watching the first sleepily, and Caroline was fading away when he suddenly spoke.
"And maybe... just maybe I'll see how Zombieland ends..." Klaus said, jokingly. They both laughed and fell asleep in each others warm embrace to the sound of a crackling fire.
Author's Note: I hope you loved reading it as much as I had writing it! Thank you so much for all your positive feedback and pleadings for a new chapter! I read them all and take them all to heart so please R&R! :)
