Don't own, don't sue.
"Hello, gorgeous," Enzo greeted Caroline brightly early Thursday afternoon when she met him at her shop. "Did you take a cab all the way here?"
"No," she denied. "Nik came to with me and dropped me off; he's working at the new office today."
"Ah," Enzo nodded. "I assume that means he'll take you back to Mystic Falls later?"
"Yes," Caroline confirmed. "I'll meet him back at his new house at six."
"Good," he beamed. "I made some calls on your behalf to a few furniture stores around town and I think we can find what you're looking for to finish his kitchen."
"Oh, great," she smiled. "Shall we?"
"Let's," he agreed. "Oi, Will"! he called to his assistant manager. "I'm stepping out for the day, so you're in charge, mate."
Will appeared from the back. "You don't have to shout. Just get out of here."
Caroline followed Enzo outside to his truck and climbed into the passenger side before he could even offer to open her door for him.
"So, where are we going?" she wondered.
"I know a woman whose design aesthetic is more modern," he explained, pulling out onto the road. "Her name is Maggie and she's extremely talented."
She smirked. "And she's beautiful, too, isn't she?"
"What makes you say that?" he scoffed.
"The way your eyes light up when you just mention her name," she said knowingly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've got a thing for this Maggie, Enzo."
"She's got a boyfriend," he replied. "We're just friends."
"Oh, please," Caroline rolled her eyes. "Relationships have ended over lesser things."
"I'm not interested in wrecking her relationship," he murmured, heading towards Maggie's studio.
"Liar," Caroline teased. "It's fine. When we get there, I'll test the waters and figure it all out for you. I'm excellent at knowing when someone is interested in someone else."
"Yeah?" Enzo mused. "Just for others or for yourself, as well?"
"Just others," she answered softly. "I'm a bit dense when it comes to me, actually. Or, at least, I used to be."
"So how's your last year of college treating you?" Caroline asked as she and Klaus walked together through the festival. "Are you still considering law school?"
"It's in the back of my mind," he shrugged. "My parents want it for me more than I want it for myself."
"Why?" she wondered. "Kol says you're brilliant, but I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that."
He chuckled. "No, probably not. I don't know that I can do it, I suppose." Klaus had never openly admitted this to anyone, but something about Caroline told him he could trust her. "I want to practice civil law, but Mikeal says I'm not good enough for that. He says I should go into criminal law because I'm more likely to relate to my clients that way."
Caroline sighed. "Between you and me, your dad is an asshole."
"Between you and me, he isn't my biological father," he replied quietly. "When Elijah was just a boy, Mikael went on a four-month-long business trip to Hong Kong and my mother had a brief affair with an artist, Ansel. That's where I come from. When Mikael returned and learned of her infidelity, he knew it would make him look like a fool to admit that I was a bastard, so he raised me as his own publicly. Privately, he's never accepted me."
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's his loss, really."
"How can you say that?" Klaus wanted to know. "You hardly know me."
Caroline just shrugged. "I can tell. Now, come on. Kol has a turn in the dunking booth and I'd like to make him pay for hitting my car with a baseball last month."
Klaus simply followed after her, still trying to crack the surface of Caroline Forbes.
That night, after spending most of their "group date" together, Caroline let Klaus walk her home. They walked in mostly silence, just enjoying the last bit of summer, but when they reached the sidewalk just in front of her house, he reached for her hand.
"Thank you for today," he grinned.
"You're welcome," she said nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I had a nice time, too."
Without any warning, Klaus leaned in and kissed her. Caroline had to clutch arms to steady herself, but she was glad she did because he was an incredible kisser.
"Wow," she murmured when he pulled away. "That was—wow."
Klaus smiled and reached up to cup her cheek. "I agree. May I call you sometime? Or perhaps see you again when I'm in town next?"
"Yes!" she answered quickly. She cleared her throat. "I mean, sure."
"Excellent," he beamed, pressing another kiss to her soft lips. "Goodnight, Caroline."
"Goodnight, Nik," she whispered.
Caroline had just reached her front door when she turned back to him. "Hey, Nik?"
Klaus spun from his place down the sidewalk. "Yes?"
"Screw Mikael," she told him. "You study what you want to study. It's your life."
Klaus just nodded. "Perhaps you're right, love."
Once inside her house, Caroline pressed her back against the door and squealed happily.
"Care?" Liz called, emerging quickly from the kitchen. "Are you okay?"
"Better," Caroline sighed dreamily. "I'm in love."
Liz hurried over to look through the curtains to see Klaus walking down the street. "With Klaus Mikaelson? I'm not sure that's the best idea. He's almost finished with college and you're just barely 18."
"Doesn't matter," Caroline shook her head. "I'm going to marry Bekah's brother."
Liz just smirked and headed down the hall to her bedroom. "Good luck getting her to give her blessing to that."
Before Caroline could respond, her phone vibrated, indicating a new text. She pulled it from the pocket of her dress and rolled her eyes, seeing Rebekah's name.
R: What the hell? You two just disappeared and left me with Kol and Bonnie. I don't like either of them particularly much.
C: Sorry, B. We got caught up talking and then suddenly, we were on our way to my house. Nik should be home soon.
It took a moment for Rebekah to respond.
R: He just walked in and he looks like he's on cloud 9. What have you done to my brother, Caroline?
C: Goodnight, B.
R: No! Don't you dare ignore me right now.
R: Caroline?!
R: Damn you.
Caroline fell into bed that night and curled up with her pillow, a smile never leaving her face. Just as she was falling asleep, her phone went off again. With a sigh, she checked it, expecting to see Rebekah or maybe Kol's name pop up, but it was an unknown number instead. Upon reading, she knew it was Klaus.
K: Since I was an idiot who forgot to ask you for your number, I nicked it from Kol's phone. I hope you don't mind.
C: I don't. I should've remembered to subtly give it to you.
K: Well, it's not an issue anymore. I just wanted to say once more that I really enjoyed myself today, and I wasn't sure that was possible. It was all you.
Caroline swooned a bit before writing back.
C: Well, I'm happy to help. Mystic Falls really isn't so bad if you're with the right people.
K: It seems I was today. Thank you, Caroline. I'm heading back to New York in the morning, but I'll call you sometime this week.
C: Sounds good. Goodnight, Nik.
K: Sweet dreams, Caroline.
Caroline dropped her phone back onto her bedside table and sighed, knowing she'd spend the next couple hours analyzing every single thing from her day with Klaus. In her mind, it was totally worth the sleep deprivation.
"Caroline?" Enzo tried again.
"Huh?" she murmured, shaking the memories from her head. "What? I'm sorry."
"No worries," he chuckled. "I was just letting you know that we're here. You okay?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "Let's go."
Enzo led Caroline into the airy studio space and she was immediately impressed. With Klaus' kitchen, she still wanted to find the perfect butcher-block island and a small table and chairs for the breakfast nook. By the look of Maggie's work, Caroline knew she was in the right place.
"Hey, Enzo," a female voice called out, descending down a staircase at the back of the room.
"Maggie," he grinned. "This is Caroline Forbes, the woman I told you about. She's looking for a breakfast nook table and a butcher block."
"For yourself?" Maggie asked her.
"No," Caroline shook her head. "A house I'm decorating for an old friend."
Maggie nodded. "Got it. Well, I can do something custom if you want, or I have a few things I can show you now. Most of the pieces themselves are in my warehouse in Alexandria, but it can easily be delivered here. Where's the house?"
"It's a townhouse on Constitution," Caroline recited.
"Fancy," Maggie breathed. "Enzo, grab us a couple waters from the fridge, would you?"
"Sure," Enzo agreed, disappearing down a hallway.
"So how do you know Enzo?" Caroline asked as she followed Maggie to a small table in the corner.
"We went to design school together," Maggie explained. "You?"
"Oh, I just happened into his store when I first started decorating this house, and he's been helping me ever since," Caroline recalled.
"Flirting all the way, I'm sure," Maggie smirked.
"A little," Caroline confirmed, "but not seriously. I've learned it's just his personality to flirt. It would take a special girl to settle him down."
Maggie nodded. "That's for sure. What about you? Married?"
"Um, no," Caroline shook her head. "I was close once, but it got complicated."
"I'm sorry," Maggie apologized. "Love sucks, in my professional opinion."
Caroline's interest was piqued. "Bad breakup?"
"Two days ago," Maggie frowned. "But I don't want to bore you with all that. Let's look at tables."
"Okay," Caroline agreed, putting that little nugget of information to the back of her mind for the time being.
While Caroline worked on his house, Klaus worked in his new offices in the Federal Triangle.
"This place is swanky," Diane murmured as she walked into his spacious office. "A lot nicer than New Orleans."
"Yes," he said. "Have you contacted Davis Landers yet?"
"I did," she confirmed. "He said he'd send over a few candidates on Monday."
"Okay," he murmured. "Well, you can go for the day, Diane. We won't really start business until next Thursday or so. Spend time with your family. Go scare Kol."
"I do miss that little deviant," Diane shrugged. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Klaus told her. "I'm going to head over to the house now anyway. Caroline is to meet me there later."
Diane looked at him intently. "What are you doing, Klaus?"
He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"I know you said you wanted to give her time to adjust and gather her bearings, but it's been seven months now. You ended things with Camille, moved your life and your practice back home. What are you waiting for?" she demanded.
"Her," he whispered. "I messed up, Diane. I'm not going to push her to make any decisions right this second." He looked up at her and smiled. "But all she has to do is give me the word and I'll give her the world."
"Just don't wait forever," Diane advised. "She might say she doesn't want to be pressured, but I know Caroline, and she's just waiting for you to make your grand gesture."
"Right," he mumbled as she walked away from him.
After wrapping up with Maggie, Enzo drove Caroline to a small diner near his store so the pair could grab dinner before he dropped her off at Klaus' house.
"This place is cute," she noticed as they were seated.
"Yeah, I come here a couple times a week when I work late cause it's open twenty-fours hours," he said, sliding into the booth seat across from her. "Lucy and Marv, the couple who own it, are very sweet."
"Hi, honey," an elderly lady greeted Enzo as she approached to take orders. "Ooh, is this Maggie?"
"No, I'm Caroline," the blonde introduced herself.
"Lovely to meet you, dear," Lucy said. "What can I get ya?"
"I will have iced tea and a grilled cheese with fries," Caroline ordered.
"Uh, same," Enzo shrugged, "but I want onion rings." He waited until Lucy had walked away before turning back to Caroline. "So, the house is finished now, huh?"
"Almost," she corrected. "It's just his art studio that's left, but that's his thing. I just get to pick the couch."
"Why just the couch?" Enzo asked.
"Uh, the couch was always more for me, so Nik wouldn't know what to look for," she murmured. "While he would paint or sculpt or sketch, I would sit on the couch and read or study. We just liked spending time together, even if we weren't talking. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep on the couch while he worked. So now, I get to pick out the couch."
Enzo chuckled. "He's a clever bastard."
"What are you talking about?" she scoffed.
"Gorgeous, he's letting you pick that couch because it'll give you reason to use it," Enzo told her. "If you pick one you like enough, knowing he'll never use it, you will. That means he'll get to spend more time with you."
Caroline sighed. "Yeah, I figured that."
"And yet, you're going along with it," Enzo noticed. "Why?"
"Because I still like spending time with Nik," she admitted. "Is that so terrible?"
"No," he denied. "The question is, do you still love him?"
Caroline blew out a long breath. "I know I'm supposed to say 'no,' you know? That's what people expect, because he left while I was in a coma, but I do. Even though four years have gone by, and he's led an entirely different life in that time, I'm still in love with him. He's been so good about everything, and I know he feels so terrible for leaving, but I don't even care. He's here now and he's still Nik, and that's what matters to me."
"Then screw everyone else," Enzo shrugged. "It's your life, Caroline. If they all want you to be happy like you've said they do, and he makes you happy, be with him. Life is too short to waste time."
"You should take your own advice," she smirked. "Maggie and her boyfriend broke up two days ago, and she barely took her eyes off you all afternoon."
Enzo lit up at this information. "Really?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "You're a good guy, and despite your overly flirtatious personality, you deserve to be happy."
"You, too, gorgeous," he winked. "You, too."
Klaus was in the empty art studio of his house when Caroline found him an hour later. She'd been careful to take her shoes off in the foyer to be as quiet as possible, so she was able to sneak up on him.
"Lots of light, like you like," she finally spoke up.
He turned to her and smiled. "When did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago," she answered, stepping into the room. "I found a table and butcher block, so all that's left is this room." She walked over to the window. "I think the couch should go here, just below the window. When it's nice out, I like to lie in the sun like a cat."
Klaus chuckled. "Does that mean you'll be spending time on my couch again, Caroline?"
"If you'll still have me," she murmured shyly.
His breath caught in his throat. "What?"
Caroline reached for his hand. "I've tried to move on because everyone said I should. You left, so my mom and Bekah and Stefan, they all said I was supposed to let you go. And I really did try. I put as much as I could into my relationship with Tyler, but I knew from the start it wasn't going to work."
"Why?" he asked, wanting to hear her say it.
"He wasn't you," she told him. "I've been in love with you since I was barely eighteen years old, and not even a four-year coma can change that. So, if you'll still have me, I'm all in, Nik."
Without another word, he pulled her to him and kissed her with every ounce of passion in his body.
"Wow," she breathed once they pulled apart. "That was—wow."
"That sounds familiar," he chuckled, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you so much, Caroline."
"I love you, too," she whispered, closing her eyes to revel in the moment. "You make me happy, so screw everyone else."
Klaus just laughed and held her tightly in his arms, still unsure of exactly how to proceed.
"Shall we go, love?" he offered after a few moments.
"Yes," she decided. "Let's go."
Caroline took his hand and led him from the art studio, knowing it was a room she'd be spending much of her time in again very shortly.
It's been a while, I know. My school year is winding down, so things are a little hectic. Come June, I'll be free for the summer, but until then, updates will be few and far between. I'd really like to update "The Prince and the Pageant Queen" in the near-ish future, but I make no promises. If you're reading that one and would like to see something specific happen when Klaus goes home to Mystic Falls with Caroline, let me know. And as always, you're wonderful. Let me know what you think of this chapter now that Caroline and Klaus have given in to their feelings for each other again. Also, in case I've not said, I imagine Diane to be a little like Donna from Suits. She's a badass. Thanks!