10

The birds were chirping and Caroline felt the warm sun on her arms and torso. She cuddled closer to somebody's warm chest, pulling the purple comforter forward slightly. She was prepared to go back to sleep when she realized something, she wasn't sharing a room with anyone else, let alone a bed.

She sat up slowly and saw Klaus's sleeping face staring back at her.

Caroline flushed. This was not happening. This had to be a horrible, horrible dream. How the hell had Klaus and her even gotten into the same room, let alone had sex. She grabbed a throw pillow and whacked Klaus in the face. "Pervert! Pepping Tom! Asshole!" with each word she knocked down the pillow a little faster on his face.

"Caroline!" he roared as he grabbed the pillow from her and ripped it in half. "What in bloody hell are you doing?"

"You crawled into my bed in the middle of the night!"

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "If a remember correctly and I'm pretty sure I do. Caroline, love you were all over me. I was simply returning the favor."

Caroline glared back at Klaus. "Was I drunk at the time? Because that is the only way I would sleep with you!"

Klaus masked the hurt on his face. "Why, yes I suppose you were quite intoxicated at the time, but that didn't seem to bother you."

Caroline took a deep breath. She could fix this, it had just been a stupid (regrettable night) nothing Caroline couldn't fix. She plastered a fake smile on her face. "Get out."

Klaus started putting on his jeans. "Are you sure, love? I would gladly go for another round."

A smile twitched on the curve of her lip. "Klaus, I'm warning you."

Klaus laughed. "I'm going, I'm going," he paused at the doorway. "If it's any consolation, you were great last night."

"Bye, Klaus." She slammed the door in his face, Caroline wrapped the blanket tighter around her body as she went back towards her bed. The side that he had been sleeping on was still warm.

She gently pressed her fingers on his side. She wanted to be angry, she really did. But in a way, it had been her mistake too. She shouldn't have gotten drunk in the first place.

She closed her eyes. Maybe she should just leave, God knew she didn't need to give any more reason for Klaus to chase her. But strangely she liked it here. She liked being with Stefan and Katherine and Rebekah weren't that bad, and even Klaus was turning out to be a decent person and where else could she go anyway?

Elena and Damon were living their own happy adventure and Bonnie was working now. Without wanting too, New Orleans was slowly becoming her home.

What if she left? The smile finally left Klaus when he entered his study. It was filled with antiqued French furniture and all of his paintings, some as early as the middle ages.

She won't leave, he told himself as he got a fresh piece of paper. But what if she did?

He grabbed a charcoal pencil and started tracing it against the paper, making the outline of a face. Within minutes the paper now showed the picture of a beautiful girl with long, blond curls. His Caroline.

He put down his pencil. Like it or not, he had always been a romantic at heart.

"Hey, stranger," Katherine peeked up behind Stefan and dropped a cinnamon pop tart in his lap along with a blood bag. "Breakfast is serve."

"Uh, thanks, but I already ate." Stefan dropped the blood bag on the counter.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're still on the bunny diet."

Stefan gave an impatient sighed. "It helps me, Katherine. Otherwise I end up ripping people's heads off."

She took a small bite on her pop tart. "Whatever."

"Not that I don't enjoy your company," he said sarcastically. "But don't you have someone else to bother?"

"Caroline and Klaus are shouting their heads off upstairs for an unknown reason and Elijah is at the supermarket getting me a couple of those microwave dinners since apparently, I'm not trusted in Klaus' kitchen anymore," she raised an eyebrow. "You and Rebekah, huh? Exes are always the best, just look at me and Elijah. Not that I'm too interested in your dating life, but I'm finally glad you got over Elena, that woman could suck the joy out of every relationship, not to mention she had you and Damon on her little leash. In some ways she was ten times worse that I was."

Stefan cleared his throat. "I rather not talk about Elena or Damon, Katherine."

Katherine nodded. "Sore spot, I get it. What I'm trying to say, is that you deserve to move on and be happy with someone else that isn't Elena. Someone that wants you to be happy. And Rebekah may be a bitch at times, but she isn't the worst person in the world. It's time to move on, Stefan."

Stefan smirked. "Happy to know that you still care."

Katherine smirked back. "I've always cared, Stefan. Contrary to the popular belief, life was meant to be enjoyed."

"Rebekah you're good at the lovey, dovey stuff right?"

Rebekah put down her eye shadow. "What in blasted hell are you talking about Katherine?"

Katherine looked over her shoulder to check that nobody was coming. When the coast was clear she grabbed Rebekah's make up bag and said impatiently. "Oh, let me do it, you're doing it wrong. I need your help, now close your eyes."

"Shocking." Rebekah did as she was told and Katherine started painting her eyelids a dark purple. "What do you want?"

"Well, tonight marks the day of when Elijah and I first reconcile in Pennsylvania, once I proposed we work together after I got the cure and our relationship really. . .blossomed, you know. Since before your bother wanted to use me as a blood bag. I wanted to do something special especially since he stood up to Klaus." She finished by adding eyeliner. "I want to do something nice, but not mushy. You know, sexy but not slutty. There all done."

Rebekah checked her reflection in the mirror impressed. "Wow, you're really good."

"Thanks. Now details?"

She paused for a second. "Well, my brother can have a stick up his ass half of the time, so you really want to surprise him. I may have a few ideas."

"Katherine, I just don't see the point on why I should wait outside my own room." Elijah said with a mix of frustration and curiosity.

"Our room now," she said. "Just be a little more patient . . . ok you can come in now."

Elijah opened the door and he was a little stun by the view. There were hundreds of black and red rose petals on the ground along with a dozens of white candles that smelled like vanilla. In the center on the bed Katherine had arranged the petals into a little heart that said 2011. The year that they had reunited as friends and lovers

She gave a nervous twirl showing off her new black lace nightgown. "You like? Your sister helped out, I know it's a bit corny, but she was convinced that you liked that stuff-"

Elijah interrupted her by kissing her and rummaging a hand through her brown curls. "You remembered?"

She nodded. "Of course I did. Did you?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I didn't want to make a big deal about it." He kissed her again.

"So I'm guessing, I did ok?"

Elijah started undoing the laces of her nightgown. "You were perfect, Katerina."

-End of Chapter Ten-

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