Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Your encouragement is the reason I'm still writing this :)
Also, I'm so sorry about the wait (again). I was super sick for some time and once I got better I had a crapload of make up work to do for my classes, and I've also been lacking inspiration because [SPOILER] you-know-who's death on TVD recently just tore my heart to pieces and I didn't really feel up to writing happy Klaroline things for a while after that. I also keep doubting my writing and every time I tried to work on this story, I just gave up after a paragraph. But I'm back now and if you're still reading and reviewing (there aren't that many of you nowadays it seems like, probably thanks to my horrible updating schedule), I can't thank you enough!
As promised, there's a lot of Klaroline in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it :D
-xxx-
Caroline's birthday was everyone's favorite day of the year. That had been true ever since she claimed it to be so when she was ten. When she was younger, she would always look forward to the extravagant gifts her father gave her, like the brand new Dodge Charger she got for her sixteenth birthday for example. She supposed that he went out of his way to buy her gifts like that because he felt bad about leaving her and her mom and he hoped a new car would fill the void he left when he decided to skip out on them. Of course it never did, no matter how important he made her feel on her birthday.
This year, Caroline's birthday felt different somehow. Her morning was normal; Liz greeted her with a birthday cupcake—red velvet, her favorite—like she usually did, and told her that she'd be working late tonight. But when Caroline got to school, her locker was completely bare, which was weird because it was tradition that she, Elena, and Bonnie would decorate each other's lockers in balloons and cards on their birthdays. It wasn't a big deal if they decided to skip that this year, but for some reason she felt...well, disappointed.
"Hey, Caroline," Bonnie said, walking up to her.
Caroline forced a smile, shutting her locker and turning to face Bonnie. "Hi."
"Elena and I were thinking about maybe having a girls' night this weekend."
"This weekend?" she asked, incredulous. "Today doesn't seem like a better time?"
Bonnie's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Today? Why today?"
Caroline's heart sank. "Did you seriously forget?"
"Forget what? Caroline, are you okay?"
"I can't believe this."
"Care, what's going on?"
Caroline just shook her head, the famous Molly Ringwald line running through her head: "They fucking forgot my birthday."
"Nothing," she answered. "Absolutely nothing is happening today."
-xxx-
"If anyone were going to forget my birthday, it would be my mom. But even she remembered! Bonnie acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. My own best friends forget my freaking birthday," Caroline ranted as she paced back and forth in front of Mr. Mikaelson's desk.
She glanced over at him, but he was busy poring over paperwork.
She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Great. You're not even listening to me."
"I'm listening," he replied, setting his pen down and leaning back in his chair. "But I don't understand why you care so much about these people who obviously matter more to you than you do to them."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Ouch," she stated.
Klaus sighed and stood up, moving around the desk. "They're not worth your time." He placed his hands gently on either side of her face.
"But they're my best friends."
He was silent for a few moments. "Would it make you feel better if I took you out to dinner tonight?"
"We can't. Too many prying eyes."
"Not if the restaurant isn't in Mystic Falls."
Caroline's eyes lit up. "You mean we could go on a real date?"
He nodded. "We can even sit on the table to eat like in Sixteen Candles."
"You're not funny," she said, although she couldn't help but laugh.
He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. "I'll pick you up at seven."
-xxx-
Time flies when you're having fun, and throughout the day, Caroline most definitely was not having fun. She avoided Bonnie and Elena who still hadn't realized what today was. Seven o'clock couldn't come quickly enough.
Caroline's mother wasn't going to be home until late that night, which meant she wouldn't have to worry about her seeing Klaus when he showed up. She took her time getting ready, although she wasn't sure what to wear since she had absolutely no idea where they were going.
She searched through her closet for several minutes before getting frustrated and whipping out her phone.
Formal or casual?
His response was quick.
Formal.
So he was taking her to some kind of swanky, fine dining establishment, then.
She decided to wear her favorite blue dress with her best heels. Hopefully it wouldn't be too fancy. She only added some blush and lip gloss and perfected her golden curls to finish up.
When the doorbell rang, her heart started fluttering like it usually did on a first date. Although it technically wasn't their first date, was it? There was the time when he took her home from the football game and kissed her in his car, and then there was the time when she had to take him home from the Grill because he was drunk off his ass, and then there were the times at school when they could be alone, like in the library or after class.
Actually, now that she thought about it, she got butterflies every time she saw him, like every time they were together was a first date. The thought made her smile, no matter how mushy it was.
When Caroline opened the door and saw him standing there in a suit, she broke out into a bright smile. God, he looked good in a tie.
"Good evening, love." He looked her up and down. "You look ravishing."
Heat flooded her cheeks as he took her hand and led her to the car.
"Where are we going?"
"An Italian restaurant in the next town over that Elijah recommended."
"Sounds fancy."
He glanced over at her and smirked. "It wins awards."
The next town over wasn't actually that far, which really wasn't surprising considering how small Mystic Falls was. They got to the restaurant sooner than she had expected.
"Wow," Caroline commented when they stepped inside. This place wasn't anything like the Grill. There were crystal chandeliers, tables covered in fancy white tablecloths, and although the lighting was dim, the flowers in the center of each table were still bright enough to catch her attention.
Klaus dropped Caroline's hand and approached the hostess. "Mikaelson, party of two."
The hostess smiled brightly. "Right this way."
She grabbed two menus and led them to a table in the back. "Your server will be right with you," she told them before walking away.
Caroline perused the menu, her jaw dropping when she saw the price. He really went out of his way to make her birthday dinner special.
"So Elijah's been here before?" she asked after a moment.
"He will occasionally come here with the firm," Klaus answered.
"I don't think I've officially met him yet."
"Yes, well that's not surprising. He spends most of his time working."
Caroline nodded in understanding. Her mother was the same way, which was why she was able to go to dinner tonight without worrying about her questioning where she was and who she was with. Imagine how awkward it would be if her mom caught her getting all dressed up to go to a fancy restaurant on a date with her teacher.
"Does Elijah...?" Caroline trailed off, knowing he would understand what she was asking.
"Yes," he answered. "He knows who you are and he knows that we're together."
"And he doesn't have a problem with it?"
"He has his reservations, of course, but he respects my decisions."
Caroline sighed. "That's more than I can say for Rebekah."
"Don't worry about her, she's just being a brat."
"No, she has every reason to be mad at me. I mean, if someone that I thought was my friend didn't think I was trustworthy enough to share that kind of information with, I'd be mad too." Caroline took a deep breath. "I think I should tell Elena and Bonnie."
She glanced up to gauge Klaus's reaction, but his expression was unreadable.
"Is that okay?" she asked, biting her lip.
"Do you really think that telling them is a good idea?"
"They're my best friends. We tell each other everything."
"Well, your so-called 'best friends' didn't even remember your birthday, or have you already forgotten that fact?" It came out more harshly than he probably intended.
Caroline was quiet, looking down at her lap and playing with the hem of her skirt.
Klaus sighed and leaned forward. "What I meant was, you don't owe them any favors. You don't have to tell them."
"I know."
They were silent for a few moments after that, neither of them wanting to say more on the topic. Before Caroline could change the subject, however, their server approached their table with a big (and obviously forced) smile plastered on her face.
"Hi, my name is Kim and I'll be your server this evening. Can I interest you in any of our fine wines?" She placed a small list of wines on the table.
"We'll take a bottle of Chardonnay," Klaus ordered for them.
"And what would you like to eat?"
He ordered something in Italian that sounded so alluring in his accent that Caroline didn't even care that she didn't understand what it meant. She wished that the language would just roll off her tongue like it seemed to for him, but when she ordered, she completely butchered the name, causing him to smirk at her like the smug bastard he is.
"Don't start," she warned after their server left. "I took French in school, not Italian."
His smirk grew wider and he held up his hands in defense. "I didn't say anything."
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "By the way, ordering alcohol for someone my age is technically against the law," she joked. "If this were Mystic Falls, I'd probably be a high school cautionary tale at the next town meeting." And not just for the underage drinking, she thought to herself.
"Luckily the high school part's nearly over, then," he said, his voice low. He meant it lightheartedly, but the way his blue eyes burned into hers intensely made her heart skip a beat.
Dinner grew less and less tense as their small argument from earlier was forgotten. The restaurant itself was great and the food was even better. And thankfully, he hadn't told the staff that it was her birthday, so she didn't have to suffer the embarrassment of having a random group of people gathered around her singing "Happy Birthday."
As they were leaving, Caroline smiled at the hostess that had seated them and politely told her, "Good night."
"Have a good night, Mrs. Mikaelson," she returned, remembering the name under which she had a reservation.
Caroline's cheeks turned crimson and she glanced up at Klaus whose expression was unfathomable.
The car ride back was mostly silent, at least until they had returned to Caroline's house.
"Thank you," she said, looking over at him.
He turned to her. "You're welcome. Happy birthday, sweetheart."
Caroline glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "My mom won't be home for three more hours, if you wanted to come inside..."
He gazed at her the way he had in the restaurant earlier, only this time instead of feeling her heart flutter, she felt a burning desire in her core, the electricity spreading from her fingertips to her toes.
She was the one that leaned in first, very gently touching her lips to his. Before she could even contemplate pulling away, one of his hands moved to the back of her head, tangling in her blonde curls as he brought her closer to him.
She responded just as enthusiastically, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck and letting him explore her mouth with his own, tilting her head to the side to allow him better access. When they finally did break apart for air, his soft lips moved down her jaw, her neck, and back up again. She sighed quietly while his hands slid down her sides and held onto her waist.
She'd always found it difficult to kiss someone in a sports car, but they were managing so far.
She pushed herself backwards until her back was against the window, and he moved over the center console until he was hovering over her. It wasn't exactly roomy or comfortable, but all that was forgotten when she felt his hands toying with the hem of her skirt, very slowly pushing it upwards while he captured her lips in his again.
Her skin felt as if it were on fire. Her legs were almost completely bare and his lips were traveling from her mouth down to her neck again.
"Wait," she gasped.
He stopped.
"We can't do this in a car."
"Then let's go inside," he suggested, leaning back slightly.
He separated himself from her and got out of the car, quickly coming around to her side to open the passenger door for her. He offered her his hand and she took it, following him to the front door of her house.
She fumbled with her key, her nerves making her hands shake slightly. Once she had the door open, she pulled him inside and kicked the door shut. She didn't even have time to turn the lights on before he had her pressed up against the wall, his lips pressed against hers and his hands on her waist. His kisses were more passionate this time, now that they had more room and didn't have to be as careful as when they were in the car. She pushed his jacket off and he tossed it to the side before he—
"SURPRISE!"
All the lights in her living room came on and they froze where they were.
"You didn't really think we could forget your birthday, did—" Elena began, but she stopped once she realized what she was looking at.
"Oh," Bonnie said quietly.
Klaus moved away from Caroline, and both Elena and Bonnie's eyes grew wide as they saw who it was that Caroline had been with.
Oh, my God, was the only coherent thought Caroline could form.
-xxx-
A/N: Awkward. Well, Caroline doesn't have to worry about telling them anymore, right?
High fives to anyone who recognized my little nod to Kim who was a werewolf earlier this season. I liked her for, like, five minutes when she sassed Tyler, so I added her in because why not?
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter :) Let me know what you think! Tell me your opinions, suggestions, theories, etc. in the review box below! Your feedback keeps me motivated, and your reviews inspire me to actually write instead of staring at a blank word document for three weeks like I did before I finally got this fic updated. (I'm really, truly sorry about that, by the way.)
As always, Thank you for reading!
-Morgan
Also, if you want to follow my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad blog, my tumblr URL is sexwithjomo
