Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter! I think you are really going to like this one, so I won't give a summary this time ;) Here is chapter 10: Take A Chance, Caroline.
***IMPORTANT NOTICE***
I will be changing my Pen Name within the next two days from Celeste Russo to Celeste 0261
It had been three weeks since the mistletoe incident, and between that time Caroline promptly left and moved back home. As much as Klaus wanted her, she was a confusing woman to work out. She said her reason for leaving was because she couldn't stay when she already had a home and because she 'needs some time to think straight'. Whatever the Hell she meant by that.
During work, Caroline would go to lengths to avoid Klaus and it drove him mad. He could even admit that it was easier to deal with her sarcasm and not having had anything to do with her at all compared to hooking up and then her pretending like he wasn't even there. Sometimes he was tempted to just pull her to the side and kiss her senseless just to remind her what it was like to be in each other's lives. When Christmas Eve came around, he knew that she couldn't ignore him anymore.
Alaric, Elijah and Lexi had decided to have a work function for all the team to gather together and celebrate the holiday season at the department. Caroline being Caroline, she could never deny an invitation to a function or an event, let alone let someone else take control of organising it. Caroline had instantly volunteered to organise the event, which didn't surprise Klaus at all. Klaus, however, was one that could never turn down an opportunity to have a few scotches with his mates. That, and he knew Caroline would be there.
Caroline searched through her wardrobe for an outfit to wear to the work function. She'd spent the past week busy organising it and the entire day setting everything up that she didn't have time to pick out what she was going to wear.
Now that she was back in her own house, it was much quieter. She had her own bed back, her privacy, her own house rules, but she couldn't deny that she missed Klaus' company, the smell of paint as she walked past his studio, the library where she would go to escape her stress from work, the two of them sitting down in the kitchen for coffee every morning. She wouldn't admit it out loud, though, and certainly not to Klaus. She felt bad about giving him the silent treatment over the past few weeks, and she absolutely hated being so cold towards him, but deep down she knew that if she stayed at his house any longer, she wouldn't have left.
She found a dress in her wardrobe and pulled it off the rack to hold it up in front of herself in the mirror. It was a short black skater dress. Around the waist of the dress was an intricate black lace, and the dress had a low cut neckline which showed a decent amount of cleavage. She contemplated whether to wear it or not, but settled for the latter, knowing that wearing the dress would just mean she was teasing Klaus, and even she couldn't do that to him.
She continued her search through her wardrobe until she found a navy cap-sleeved dress that hugged her body nicely. She put it on and looked in the mirror, frowning at her reflection. She had absolutely adored the dress when she first bought it, but she didn't feel the same love for it anymore. She turned her gaze towards her wardrobe and bit her lip before switching the dresses over and putting the black one on. She put on a pair of black heels that complemented the dress greatly and curled her hair, letting the waves hang around her shoulders loosely. She quickly put her makeup on as naturally as possible with the exception of eyeliner to make her eyes stand out, and headed out to the work function.
Klaus arrived at the department early, knowing Caroline would be one of the first few people there, and sure enough, he was right. She stepped into the foyer only five minutes after he had arrived and his jaw went slack at the sight of her. The black dress hugged her body in all the right places, showing off her long legs and her breasts, all the while still giving off an elegance that only she could pull off. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders in waves, framing her face beautifully. Her eyes landed on his, and he could see she was trying to make herself look away but was unable to. They stood there with their eyes locked on one another for several moments before he spoke.
"Hello, sweetheart." He said, trying yet again to get her to talk to him.
"Hi." She said softly before she started looking around, probably for someone to escape to so she didn't need to talk to him, he thought.
"Caroline, you can't keep ignoring me. We need to talk sooner or later."
"I don't want to do this right now, Klaus."
"Well we might as well get it over with now since there's nobody else here yet. It's going to happen eventually."
She turned to look back at him finally, but her eyes were sad. He could see what he thought was pain in them, as if it hurt just to look at him. That's how he felt lately when he looked at her.
"No." she said with a shake of her head.
"Yes, Caroline." he protested. "Why do you keep pushing me away? Tell me."
"Because I don't want to get hurt." She said and Klaus felt like he'd been slapped across the face. Did she honestly think he'd hurt her? But she knew he wouldn't. He had told her time and time again that he would never do that to her, let alone let anyone else hurt her.
"You know I'd never hurt you, Caroline. Why are you saying that now?"
"I don't know, okay? I just don't know. All I know is that if I let you in, I won't be able to handle it if you changed your mind, and I don't want to have to deal with that afterwards. I'm better off if I keep my guard up and don't let anyone in."
"I think otherwise, love. You're a complete mess and hanging on by a thread at the moment. What makes you think you won't be better off if you let yourself go and be happy?"
She studied him for a moment before answering. "I just do."
They heard the door open and turned to look in the direction of the entrance where Kol, Elijah and Katherine had just walked in from. Klaus wasn't surprised to see his older brother wearing a suit, and he sure wasn't surprised to see Katherine wearing the tightest item of clothing he had seen in all his years. Kol had opted for neat-casual just as Klaus himself had, not really feeling the need to dress up like the others.
"Wow, I can already feel the awkward in the air." Katherine said as she looked between the two of them. Elijah placed a hand on Katherine's lower back and Klaus raised a brow in question at the sight of it. Was something going on there?
"Now, now, Katerina. There's no need for unnecessary comments." Elijah said and led Katherine over to the staff room where the celebration would be held.
Kol stood there looking between both Klaus and Caroline with the biggest smirk on his face, Klaus wanted to hit him. He hated people knowing his business, and he sure as Hell hated it when people like Kol interfere with it, too.
Kol clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Caroline, that annoying smirk still on his face. "When you get bored of my brother here, you know where to find me." Kol said with a wink which only made Klaus ball his hands into fists angrily.
"I'd be leaving now if I were you, Kol." He said through gritted teeth. From the corners of his eyes Klaus saw Caroline pinch the bridge of her nose and shake her head. The smirk on Kol's face changed into a grin.
"And why would I leave when she's such a pretty little thing? I rather enjoy watching you get possessive over her when she wasn't even yours in the first place."
"If you want to see the light of day tomorrow, then I suggest you go. Now."
"Oh my God. Just stop it both of you!" Caroline said irritably. "This is a work function, which by the way, took a lot of effort to organise. Let's just enjoy it, okay? Now you," she pointed a finger at Kol, "need to stop trying to hit on me, because it's never going to get anywhere. And you," she turned towards Klaus, looking ready to fire an entire speech at him, but fell silent instead until she found her voice again, "You just need to let it go… to let me go."
Hearing her say those words felt like he'd been shot, and even though he was sure she would deny it, she looked how he felt – hurt. He was used to her denying it, but not to this extent where she'd constantly push him away. But he wasn't going to give up. He always got what he wanted in the end, no matter how long it took to get it.
"If you both would excuse me." She muttered and walked off to the staff room where the others had convened.
"Ouch Nik. That's got to hurt."
"Not necessarily, Kol." Klaus said rather calmly. "You see, I always get what I want in the end, and I know what I want."
Several hours into the night and several drinks later, the drama had been forgotten – or at least it hadn't been mentioned to Caroline. All of the guys had eventually given in to breaking out the cards again and playing a game of poker while the girls either drank, joined in, or both. Caroline sat at the table with them, watching as Katherine represented the girls in the poker game – even Elijah had dropped the ever-so-responsible façade and joined in on the game. Alaric even agreed on it, too. As each round finished, the amount of poker chips that Klaus had accumulated kept growing while everyone else's either stayed the same or was shrinking. A few more rounds later, Matt had given up.
"That's it. I can't continue. I'm dropping out, man."
"Already mate? We're just getting started."
Kol chuckled. "Already giving up, Donovan? You need to keep going. Don't give Nik a reason to brag."
Matt shook his head and picked up his beer. "Nah, man. I'm not losing another round to him. He manages to win every game every other day. I'm not giving him that satisfaction tonight."
"I'll take over for Matt." Caroline cut in and everyone turned to look at her. "What? I've played poker before. Besides, if anyone can kick Klaus' ass, it's me."
Caroline looked over at Klaus whose eyes had settled on her while everyone else in the room erupted into different reactions. Caroline bit her bottom lip, trying to keep herself from grinning but was unsuccessful. Caroline wasn't sure what it was – maybe the champagne – but she wasn't feeling so uneasy about facing Klaus anymore. Instead, she felt a need to prove that she was perfectly fine, that she could resist him as much as she wanted no matter what everyone else thought.
Klaus raised a brow at her and smirked. "Do you really want to do this, love?"
"Deal the cards, Mikaelson." She replied which earned a chuckle from Katherine.
"You're messing with the wrong Lieutenant, Klaus. She's got her game face on."
"Not to worry," Klaus said as he dragged the deck of cards across the table towards him, all the while eyeing off Caroline, "I like a challenge, but of course, Caroline here already knows that."
"Ooooohh there's always so much tension in the room when you two are together." Kol said with a grin and cracked open another beer, taking a swig. "This is going to be entertaining."
"Don't you mean sexual tension?" Katherine corrected. "These two just need to sleep together already and get it over with."
"Hey!" Caroline cut in. "We're right here."
Katherine smirked at her. "That's kind of the point."
Caroline rolled her eyes and looked back at Klaus. "Come on. Deal the cards."
Klaus dealt the cards between himself, Caroline, Tyler, Kol, Elijah, Katherine and Alaric, leaving both Lexi, Matt and Jeremy looking on. Caroline couldn't help but notice Tyler frowning at the table before picking up his hand of cards. She hoped it had nothing to do with her because she seriously didn't want to deal with it anymore. If someone brought it up, she was going to need another glass or two of champagne.
Caroline picked up her hand of cards and looked over them and she was glad to see that her hand wasn't that bad. She decided to swap two cards over and waited for the others. Once the rest of them had decided, Klaus dealt out the replacement cards. Once Caroline got a good look at her official hand of cards, she couldn't help but smirk.
Caroline looked around the table and saw that both Alaric and Tyler had folded their cards, choosing to not continue the round. Katherine was eyeing off everyone else during the round, obviously trying to work out some kind of strategy. Kol tossed five poker chips into the middle of the table as did Katherine and Elijah, but Klaus threw in ten. Caroline, feeling the need to prove a point, threw in fifteen and sat back with a smug smile on her face.
Klaus raised a brow at her. "Getting competitive, are you now, sweetheart?"
"I don't like anything but first place." She replied.
Klaus chuckled and took a swig of his scotch. "That's what I like about you."
Caroline rolled her eyes as Elijah folded and piked out of the round, Katherine and Kol shortly following suit. Klaus threw in another ten chips to the centre of the table before leaning forward towards Caroline.
"Choose wisely, love. I've been the reigning champion of this game for the past three years."
Caroline narrowed her eyes at him and tossed in another five chips to match his amount. "I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you."
"Well then, why don't we make this interesting?" Katherine cut in. They both turned to Katherine and waited for her to continue. "You two should make a bet. Each pick now what the loser has to do if you win."
"You do realise that if Klaus wins he is more than likely going to make her have sex with him, right?" Lexi pointed out and Kol clapped a hand on her back with a chuckle.
"I always knew you had a humorous side hidden behind work hours, Deputy."
"I'm not a robot, Kol. I do have emotions." Lexi said and finished off her wine.
"Anyway," Katherine said, interrupting Lexi and Kol's conversation. "Pick something now, and whoever loses – well, you know the rules."
Caroline bit her lip in thought as she tried to think of something for Klaus to do if – no, sorry, when – he lost, before finally coming up with an idea that she knew would hit a nerve.
"If you lose, you need to take your art out of your studio and hang all of your paintings, including here at the department."
She saw Klaus tense up and set his jaw. "I'm not doing that."
"What? Aren't confident enough to win the round?"
"I'm unbelievably confident about winning this round, love. It's just that you know why I don't put my art on display."
"Well then, you better not lose." She countered.
"Very well, sweetheart." He said and licked his lips before smirking at her. "If you lose, you need to give me a chance. To give us a chance. And it can't be half-hearted either. You need to put effort into it, too. Just like how you do with your job."
In that moment, not even all of the alcohol she had drunk could drown away the seriousness of the deal. She had to win this round.
"Okay." She finally said and held her cards tightly in her hands, hoping to however many Gods there were for her to win. She was confident in her hand of cards, but so was Klaus. She slowly laid down her hand of cards on the table as if she was laying down her life for someone else to determine her fate.
"Four of a kind. Queens." She said and felt a smirk tug at the corners of her lips.
Everyone's eyes were trained on the two of them, all the while Kol said a long 'Ooooohhh' just to emphasize the intensity of the moment. Klaus had on a poker face as he looked at her over his cards, and all it did was make her doubt herself. She turned her glass around nervously, waiting for the verdict.
Caroline saw Klaus give her the faintest smirk before setting down his cards.
A Royal Flush.
Her jaw went slack as everyone else around her either erupted into cheers or complaints – most of them cheers because they were waiting for something to finally happen between the two of them. Tyler didn't look too please and walked out of the room, Jeremy following after him. Katherine leaned across the table to the two of them grinning. "You two might as well leave now. We all know what happens next."
Caroline looked down at the table, feeling her face go red from a combination of embarrassment and nervousness. Klaus just glared at Katherine.
"My part of the bet wasn't for sex, Katerina. It was for her to finally give the possibility of her and I being together a chance."
Caroline looked up from the table to Klaus in that moment, his words surprising her. She found it so hard to grasp onto the idea that he actually wanted a relationship with her even though he had admitted it to her several weeks ago.
"I fancy you." He had said to her. "Is that so hard to believe?"
She still found it hard to believe even though she knew deep down that it was the truth, and even though she didn't think she would ever admit it out loud, she was starting to feel as happy as a child in a candy shop.
"I never thought I'd see the day that Klaus Mikaelson wanted to settle down and get serious with someone." Katherine said and it snapped Caroline out of her reverie. In that time everyone had gone back to talking and doing their own thing. Caroline stood up from her chair.
"Well I'm going to get another drink. Do either of you want anything?"
Katherine pointed a finger at Klaus. "He'll go with you to get a drink. I'm going to have a chat with Mr Morality." She said and headed off to go find Elijah.
"I believe that's Katerina's not so subtle way of saying we need to spend some time together alone."
"And I believe that is my cue to go get something strong to drink." Caroline said and Klaus stood up from the table to speak with her properly.
"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, which surprised her. He was usually the kind of guy that would just do things without your permission, but Caroline took this as him actually trying to get her to see that he wanted more than just a fling.
She pressed her lips together before letting a small smile appear on her face. "I don't see why not."
By this point Klaus wasn't too sure how many glasses of scotch he'd had, but he was sure that it was at least just over a bottle. Caroline? He wasn't too sure, though she did seem more approachable and bubbly. He finished his scotch as she finished the last of her champagne before she put it down and took hold of his hand, pulling him away from the drinks table.
"What are you doing?" he asked her with a brow raised.
"I think we should dance."
He chuckled at the idea of it. "And why is that, sweetheart?"
"Because there has been music playing all night and I haven't danced yet, neither have you, and practically everyone else is dancing, anyway." She said with a 'duh' expression. "And just because I want to."
He wanted to say no to her, but then he saw the pleading expression on her face and couldn't deny her of what she wanted. That, and he couldn't say no to her when she was in that dress she was wearing. "Alright, fine."
She grinned from ear to ear and he led her over to where everyone else was dancing. He lost track of how long they were there, dancing around with everyone else and him spinning her around while she laughed. What he did know though, was that even though he liked Caroline how she was before – stubbornness, sarcastic comments and all – this relaxed and care-free version of her made him want to be around Caroline even more.
"You're quite the dancer." He said after a while with a grin.
"Well, I've had training." She said knowingly. "I used to live here in Mystic Falls until I was nineteen. I left so I could get into the police force, then I obviously came back because I got transferred here. But when I was seventeen, I got crowned Miss Mystic Falls." She said proudly.
"Well you would have had my vote, sweetheart. That's for sure."
In that moment Katherine came over and interrupted.
"Sorry to interrupt whatever romance is starting to blossom over here, but I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm trying this new thing called being polite and using manners. Apparently saying goodbye is part of that."
Klaus' expression contorted in confusion. "What kind of discussion were you and Elijah having? Has he managed to convert and train you to use common courtesy?"
Katherine shrugged. "Probably something along the lines of that. But he can say and do whatever he wants and I'll be all for it."
"Please, for the sake of many, don't talk to me about my brother like that."
"Whatever," Katherine said dismissively, waving it off. "Anyway, I'll see you both in a day or two. Have a good Christmas."
Klaus watched as Katherine hugged Caroline goodbye and walked off out of the department. Caroline looked around.
"Everyone's started to leave now. You know that when Katherine Pierce leaves a party, the party leaves, too."
Klaus nodded, looking around. "I think we should all start heading off, then."
"But I don't want it to end yet." She said and rested her hands on his chest. "Did you know that we've managed to go for six and a half hours without an awkward conversation tonight? That's a new record. I think we need to celebrate."
"And how do you suppose we do that?"
He watched as Caroline bit her lip in thought. He knew that she was thinking, but didn't know what about. He could tell she was debating with herself over something. After a few moments she reached up and pressed her lips to his ever so gently before pulling back after a moment.
"We could go back to my place or yours? Open up a bottle of champagne and have a few drinks?" she suggested.
"So is that our thing now? Champagne?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "We don't have a thing."
"We might after tonight with how we're going with this champagne." He pointed out and he couldn't help but love the smile that appeared on her face.
Once they'd arrived back at Klaus' place, Caroline had begun to sober up rather quickly, not that she cared. She knew she was likely to have a hangover tomorrow. Needless to say, she wanted that champagne A-SAP.
Klaus unlocked the front door and held it open for her as she walked inside. As much as he acted like an alpha male and was sometimes a pain to work with, he was still a gentleman. He led her into the kitchen and opened up the fridge. Caroline could see the thoughtful expression on his face as he looked over the bottles.
"I tend to not have many options when it comes to champagne since I'm more for scotch, love, but I do have a bottle of moscato here that I tend to save for Rebekah. She's a bit picky with her drinks, I always need to have one specifically for her when she visits." He said and she nodded an okay. He took the bottle out, opened it and poured her a glass, pouring himself a glass of scotch.
"Thank you." She said and took the glass from him, only to find herself staring down at her drink.
"Klaus," she said and he put his glass down to give her his full attention, "I'm sorry I've been so cold towards you the past few weeks. I was confused with what I wanted and with what I was telling myself I wanted. I know that's no excuse, but I just need you to know I really am sorry."
Klaus nodded, his eyes staying focussed on her. "I know, and I understand."
"Could you ever forgive me?" She asked with a hopeful expression. She could handle dead bodies and criminals easily, but she didn't know if she could handle it or not if he said no.
"It's kind of hard for me not to forgive you, Caroline."
She felt a sense of relief wash over her and she wrapped her arms around him, Klaus' arms instantly wrapping around her small waist hugging her body to his.
"Thank you." She said quietly before pulling away just enough to look at him. "Really, thank you. I don't know what I would have –"
His lips cut her off as they pressed against hers, and Caroline was stunned for a moment before her lips responded to his. Their lips moved slowly against each other before parting to allow the kiss to become more passionate. Caroline rested a hand on his chest as the other cupped the back of his neck, pulling his lips down to hers. She leaned back against the kitchen counter as it became more intense, their kisses becoming more urgent as the seconds went by. Klaus lifted her up by the waist and sat her down on the counter, Caroline accidently knocking the glasses over with her body. Caroline pulled back just enough so she could speak as she caught her breath.
"The glasses –"
"I'll clean it up later." He murmured in such a husky voice it drove her mad.
"Upstairs." She said before pressing her lips to his again. "Now."
Klaus picked her up from the counter and carried her upstairs to his room, putting her down to open the door which was enough time for Caroline to grab the front of his shirt and pull him inside, kicking the door shut behind them. He pressed her up against the door before he started trailing kisses down her throat to her collar bone, making Caroline arch her back at the feeling of his lips on her skin. She found the hem of his shirt and pulled it off of him before he started pulling her dress off her body, leaving her in nothing but her heels and underclothes. Their lips crashed together again as she unbuckled his belt and pulled it from the loops of his jeans, undoing the buttons and zip. He lifted her up and took her over to his bed while she kicked off her shoes. As he lay her down on the bed and kissed her senseless, all she could think of was how she finally knew that this was what she wanted – to be with Klaus. To spend a lifetime with him, to go to places and see and do things with him that she had always wanted from a relationship that she'd never seemed to manage to find. She wanted to feel that rush of adrenaline that he allowed her to feel when she was with him, and to feel that reassuring sense of safety that he provided. To feel like she was needed and wanted by someone, like she was their oxygen that kept them going each and every day. As he made love to her throughout the night, she finally realised that's what he was to her, and that she was exactly that to him as well.
Klaus woke the next morning to find Caroline still asleep with her face buried in the crook of his neck, and the events of last night finally hit home. He smirked at the memory of it, but not a cocky smirk – one of content. He ran his fingers gently through her blonde curls, brushing the soft locks out of her face. He continued to comb his fingers through her hair but stopped when she stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she slowly woke up. She shifted so she could look up at him and a sleepy smile appeared on her face; one that he couldn't help but smile back to.
"Good morning."
"Yes, it is a good morning, isn't it?"
She laughed sleepily, still waking up. "Shut up. Don't start already." She said and rubbed her eyes. "How long have you been awake for?"
"About fifteen minutes."
She nodded but then her face changed as if something dawned on her then sat upright, hugging the sheets around her. "Crap, it's Christmas!"
She turned to look at him, shock completely written over her face, only to make him burst out laughing.
"What's so funny? It's Christmas and I haven't even gone out to buy anything to post to my mother back home."
"Relax." He said, pulling her to him to place a kiss on her lips. "You can go buy a present tomorrow when the shops are open and post it to your mother saying that the delivery was delayed or that you just got really busy with work, which is technically the truth."
She bit her lip and nodded. "Okay. Okay, I can do that."
He put a finger under her chin and lifted it to make her look at him. "There's no need to stress, sweetheart. Relax. Now, put some clothes on, I'm going to make some breakfast." He said and got up to go put his jeans on. "How do you feel about bacon and eggs?"
She smiled. "That sounds good to me. In fact, just the idea of you cooking sounds good. That's almost a Christmas present in itself." She teased.
He chuckled and did up his belt as she pulled her dress on over her head. "Don't get too cocky now, love. It's only ten in the morning after all. Besides, last night was an entire year's worth of presents in itself."
She picked up his shirt and tossed it at him. "Just go make the bacon and eggs, Klaus."
"Demanding already? That was quick."
She folded her arms. "As your Lieutenant, when I tell you to go make the bacon and eggs, you go and make the bacon and eggs."
He smirked and gave her a two finger salute. "I'm onto it, Lieutenant Forbes."
So Klaraholics, what did you think? ;) I've had all of the chapters of this fanfic mapped out for so long that I was dying each time I wrote a chapter because I knew I was getting closer to writing this one. However, with the sex scene, I decided to take a different approach compared to other writers. I didn't want the sex scene to be too detailed (because I know that some people do feel uncomfortable reading scenes like that. I know I sometimes do), but I didn't want it to be under-detailed either. I wanted a good balance, and I wanted the main focus of it to be a moment of realisation for Caroline to truly find out that Klaus was all she really wanted and needed. I wanted it to be passionate between the characters, but give her internal thoughts more of a romantic feel along with a sense of self discovery.
Anyway, let me know your thoughts on it in reviews, as I'm especially curious to see what you all thought about the style of writing I used for that scene especially (and the rest of the chapter, of course!). Happy reading!
Celeste xoxo