Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. If I did, The Originals would never have happened, Kol would be alive and happily causing mayhem somewhere, and Klaus and Caroline would be travelling the world and sexing it up.

Don't own the lyrics to Fade into You or Change of Seasons.

"You want love, but you fear it. Your attentions been shifted. You summed up the feeling, with a simple dismissing."

She taps along to the beat of the song, scratching out a word here and adding another in further down as the band sings it from the top.

This one is going to sound great once it's fully recorded. The rhythm and the clapping at the start reminded her so much of summer. Once the guys had finished playing through the song she applauds them with a smile.

"Great work guys. It sounds awesome so far. Why don't you have a mess with the sound when you're back in London and send me a sample track before you cut the demo?" She asks politely.

The lead singer stands, grinning down at her. She'd had a lot of fun with these guys, an up and coming rock band that may very well rival Kol's band one day. Maybe in a couple more years when they'd built up their own sound and fan base.

"Agreed. And Caroline, darling you really have to consider coming across the pond to the UK. I'd be delighted to show you around London."

She throws her head back with laughter, pushing at him to get him out of her writing room. He'd been a constant flirt since the start of their session, and although they'd instantly bonded that was a whole can of worms that she didn't want to open.

"Alright Romeo get out of here. I'll consider your offer, but no promises." She says as a way of reply.

There. That was a nice enough, yet dismissive refusal. The likelihood of her going to London anytime soon was next to nothing. If people wanted to work with her they came to her, not the other way around.

Although there was that one memorable occasion when a super famous singer that she'd grown up listening to wanted to fly her out to where she and her husband were staying in St Louis. Yeah that had been pretty cool, but Enzo had still turned the singer down, stating that the same rules applied to everyone.

The artist in question hadn't even appeared insulted, instead had booked in a solid weeks worth of her writing time for when she was coming to New York in December.

She still had to pinch herself when shit like that happened.

The rest of the band files out after their erratic and flirtatious lead singer each of them offering her polite nods. The exception of course was the drummer, who instead tosses her a jaunty salute.

Enzo, who was entering just as the band was leaving, steps towards her and hands her a coffee. She takes it gratefully, resting her back against the wood of the now closed door with a tired exhale.

"Well I thought that seemed to go quite well." Enzo voices as he sips at his own coffee.

She rubs a hand tiredly over her face.

"It was mentally exhausting, but they do know how to write a good song." She allows somewhat grudgingly. Because it is true, they just wrote a killer tune together despite all the messing around. The band and the lead singer especially very much reminded her of a pre-rehab Kol.

She takes a swig of her latte before pushing away from the door and perching on one of the seats.

"How's Davina getting along?" She asks Enzo curiously, because she hadn't seen the younger girl for some time, the last time actually being the day she'd auditioned for Universal. It would at least be reassuring for her to know that the other girl is being treated okay at least.

"She's doing great." Enzo promises, assuaging her fears immediately. "We've cut some great demos and we're pulling together some material for a single. You were right; public interest in her is still substantial considering what happened. Maybe losing her previous deal will work in her favour this time." Enzo adds thoughtfully.

"And Cassidy?"

Enzo grins at her this time.

"The deal is all but finalised, we've just got to set a meeting to go through it with her lawyers. Thanks by the way, for sending both her and Davina my way. Don't be surprised if a bonus turns up in your account before the end of the year."

She waves him off immediately.

"As much as I do appreciate the sentiment, I'd appreciate it more if it went to someone else. Matt and Vicki have been doing some fantastic work lately." She hints as Enzo lets out a bark of laughter.

"Very well then, if you insist. Why do I get the feeling that I'm picking up all of your stray friends lately?"

"Hey they're talented strays." She says in mock defence as Enzo laughs.

Enzo's phone buzzes in his hand and he glances down at it.

"Oh the sushi is here. I'll get Annabelle to bring some in for you. Make sure you eat before Klaus gets here." He instructs a little bossily.

She's typing out a message on her phone, a California roll halfway to her mouth when Klaus decides to stroll into the writing room unannounced. She gapes at him, the California roll dropping into her take away box as she loses her grip with her chopsticks.

"You're early." She finally says as Klaus just gives her a look, unlatching his guitar case and taking out his instrument.

He sits down quite comfortably on one of the chairs, tuning it almost absentmindedly.

"Don't mind me." He finally replies. "Finish your lunch. We can start whenever you're ready."

She finishes typing out her message to Kol, who immediately responds with half a dozen different emoticons, kissy face and dancing lady included. She has no idea what the hell he's going on about, but it's Kol, and really she's just learnt to go with it at this point in time.

She pauses, taking stock of the situation. How does she even approach this? Does she bring up the kiss, the tension that even now crackles between them? Does she completely ignore the fact that anything happened? Does she refuse to acknowledge anything at all?

Klaus, still adept at reading her mind and her thoughts apparently, answers her question for her.

"I should apologise, for accosting you in the elevator the other evening." He begins mildly, curling his fingers around the body of his guitar.

Her mind is running a mile a minute as she processes his words. Does this mean that he regrets it? That he wishes he'd never gone there?

"I don't regret it Caroline." Klaus continues conversationally. "Having you in my arms again felt amazing, but I do apologise for my actions."

"That's a slightly contradictory statement." She points out warily, not sure how he'd take to the criticism, or her response.

Klaus' smile is brilliant.

"Just so. Seriously, finish your lunch. We've only got five hours and I'd like to have at least a fully formed song so I can lay some music to it."

She picks at her California roll again, taking a bite out of it and chewing thoughtfully. Okay, this Klaus she can deal with, the intense, in the zone Klaus.

"Why are you here anyway? You've never expressed interest in writing with anyone else in the past."

Klaus just shrugs, strumming once on his guitar before waiting for the instrument to fall silent.

"I've been writing a little bit with other people lately and I guess I've realised just how much enjoyment there's to be had in it. And of course, you're the first person that I've ever taught how to song write."

She just gapes at him as her chopsticks pick around her takeaway box.

"You've been in the industry for this entire time and you've never taught anyone else how to song write?"

"Honestly, no one has ever asked." Klaus replies as he leans forward.

And that makes her a little sad, because anyone who is worth their money knows that Klaus is a serious talent in the industry. And although he did come off as a little aloof and stand offish before he met her, she knows deep down that he has a big heart, and that he genuinely enjoyed teaching her.

"Well then they're idiots, and they're missing out apparently. It was because of you that I got this kickass job you know."

"Actually sweetheart, I believe that was all down to Cassidy." He says with a teasing lilt to his tone.

"Yeah and it was because of you that I was even able to write the song in the first place. Give yourself some credit." She replies softly, finally discarding her takeaway box on the table and reaching for her own guitar.

Klaus moves to make room next to him as they share the couch, and she quickly tunes her own guitar under his impressed gaze before turning to him.

"Okay how about you brief me in? What have you got in mind and what do you want the end result to be?"

It turns out; the end result is an absolutely gorgeous love song. It's probably the closest that two people can come to fucking, without actually fucking, and she'll never admit it out loud but they do actually sound amazing together.

Klaus seems to think so to as she harmonises with him on the chorus. It's unlike anything she's ever heard him produce musically, but at the same time it makes sense if he wants to grow and develop and change as an artist.

They finish the chorus as Klaus scribbles down a few lines of chords, making sure that they match up with what they'd just played.

"That sounds fantastic." He says more to himself than her as she hides her own smile. Despite the heavy subject matter of the song, she'd actually found herself really enjoying herself writing with Klaus.

He wasn't pushy or opinionated like others, and he didn't let her write the whole thing and then change a line so he could get co writing credits like another artist had just the other week.

It was very much a give and take, collaborative process. Of course he had years on her in terms of experience and knowledge about what flowed and what words fit together well, but she knew that he was impressed with her ability to string together a sentence or a verse and immediately have it fit into the rhythm of whatever they were building together.

A part of her wonders why they didn't do this sooner, why she didn't just ask if this was something that he wanted to do with her.

"You should come back to L.A, record this with me." Klaus says absentmindedly as she lets out a surprised bark of laughter. "I'd love to put this on the next album."

His stunned look is enough to tell her that he wasn't actually joking.

"You're not being serious are you?" She asks incredulously, because she really just needs to clarify that Klaus isn't just kidding around like Kol would in this exact situation.

"Of course I am. You think I'd ask anyone else to record something that you wrote? It would be an insult to you as an artist."

As an artist. It was the first time that anyone had ever called her that.

"Newsflash Klaus, people do it all the time. It comes with the territory of being a songwriter."

Klaus looks frustrated as he rests his guitar in his lap.

"I don't know why you're so against this. You're a good singer. I saw a video of you and Cassidy singing together at the Bluebird Café. You could be something special if you just tried hard enough."

"I don't want to try 'hard enough'" She quips, fingers forming air quotes around the words. "I have more money than sense and I genuinely like what I do Klaus. Don't try and push me further."

"Maybe that's exactly what you need, because it's what you do isn't it? You just walk away when things get too hard." Klaus' voice has steadily risen over the past minute or so, and she'll be damned if she's going to let him drown her out.

"So we're having this conversation now are we?" She yells, getting to her feet as Klaus matches her stance. "Go on then. Tell me how I was weak and I walked away because things got hard and I didn't want to try with us. I dare you." She says viciously, poking him in the chest with one of her fingers.

"That's exactly what happened!" Klaus yells into her face, forcing her to take a step back. "You got distant and you stopped talking to me and you stopped trying. What did you want me to do, act like everything was okay? Like everything was normal?"

She turns away from him, pressing the heels of her hands against her closed eyes angrily.

"What happened was entirely my fault okay? I get it. I fucked up and I screwed up and I lost you in the process. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"God Caroline you can have me. All you have to do is say the word." Klaus breathes as he steps into her personal space, cupping her face between his hands.

"Don't kiss me again." She murmurs into the space between them as Klaus looks confused for an instant.

She wraps her hands around his wrists and tugs gently, taking a step back and putting some distance between them.

"One day, you will understand why I did what I had to do. And hopefully you won't hate me too much." She says quietly as Klaus' brow furrows in confusion. "We've only got an hour left. Shall we play through the song again?"

She returns to her seat at the same time as Enzo comes bursting through the door, an alarmed expression on his face.

"Is everything okay? I could hear you yelling all the way from my office." He begins uncertainly, not sure if he's just intruded on an incredibly personal moment.

She shoots her boss a wearied smile.

"It's been a long day. Klaus and I were just having a disagreement over the song we've written together."

Enzo plants himself down on the opposite couch and gestures for them to continue.

"Is it finished? If so I'd love to hear it." He replies firmly, staring down Klaus who simply nods in agreement.

She knows Enzo well enough now to know that it was a direct command. It was why he never got pushed around in his own studio; despite the star power they had walking these corridors sometimes.

Enzo sits patiently as they play through the entire song without commenting. At the end he nods, turning to Klaus.

"Are you going to record this?" He asks bluntly.

Klaus looks slightly taken aback at being addressed so directly but nods as a way of reply.

"Good. You should make sure Caroline is there when you do. She's the one that takes the song from good to great."

"I agree completely." Klaus says immediately as she turns to Enzo.

"What? Enzo, no. Please don't make me do this." She begins in protest as Enzo holds up a hand for silence.

"Caroline, this will be amazing career progression for you. Cut the bullshit and see the opportunity for what it really is. I know you don't want to be a recording artist. I'm not going to try to turn you into something that you don't want to do. But this song…it's special."

She falls silent as Enzo turns to Klaus with a tired smile.

"I'll be in L.A next week and I'll bring Caroline with me. Call your people and make it happen."

"I know you're still angry at me." Enzo begins as the car pulls to a halt in front of French Quarter Records. She glares up at the building in front of her, jaw set stubbornly.

She hadn't wanted to come back to this city. She had no reason to come back to this fucking city.

When Klaus had called Enzo the next day to tell her that he had the studio booked for them, she'd gritted her teeth together and had stalked out of the room, taking an hour away from the building to gather her thoughts.

The more she thought about it, the more she saw the logic in Klaus' reasoning. It was a good song. It was one of those one in a million that only worked when two very talented parties came together with a unified goal in mind.

And she wasn't mad at Enzo really. She was pissed that he'd forced her hand, but he was a good boss, and a good man. And she knew very well that she couldn't be like this with him forever.

"I'm not mad at you." She says with a sigh. "I didn't appreciate you forcing my hand with this one. But I can see the reasoning behind why you did. It's always going to be the money isn't it?"

Enzo looks shocked at her assessment of the situation.

"Caroline, I can assure you now that money was the last thing I was thinking about when I asked Klaus to set this up." He replies, handing her out of the car and onto the pavement. The driver shuts the door behind them and swings out into the traffic, no doubt in search of a park until they're finished in the studio for the day.

"It was?" She asks confusedly, because she's seemingly got it all wrong.

"God Caroline, I'm not Marcel." Enzo bites out with a quick laugh. "You're my employee, and I care about you and your wellbeing. I want to see you do well. And when Klaus Mikaelson, the Klaus Mikaelson wants you to record a song with him, that's not something you turn down."

"I don't want to have to perform this in public with him." She drops her voice as they walk into the marbled foyer, crossing the open space to the bank of elevators.

"God is that what you're worried about? I've already talked to Klaus about it. Of course you don't have to perform it live. He has no intention of making it a single. He's already promised me. He's a good man you know."

She sighs, running a hand through her hair as the elevator ascends rapidly, floors blinking in the digital panel.

"Yeah don't I know it?"

They step out into a marbled lobby, and she's surprised to see Marcel himself waiting for them. He and Enzo step towards each other, and they do that thing where they each try to shake the other's hand and see who can crush the bones in each other's fingers the quickest.

Enzo seems to come out on top if the slight wince in Marcel's face is anything to go by.

"A pleasure to have you here Augustine. And you too Caroline. We're all very eager to see what you and Klaus have come up with."

His tone is just this side of too mocking, and it's something that Enzo picks up on as well as he frowns back at the other man in confusion. She shoots him a warning glance as they fall into step behind Marcel, allowing themselves to be led through the building.

She's never been in here. It's nothing like Universal. It's stark, modern, and minimalist. Lacking somehow. It's missing that warm feeling that she gets when she curls up with a mug of tea beside a bank of windows looking out on Manhattan.

Klaus is already waiting for them in studio, and there's half a dozen people lined up behind the sound engineer's audio bench. A trio of musicians sit with instruments, ready to provide the backing instrumental.

It's Enzo that pushes her towards the audio booth gently, Klaus holding the door open for her as she steps over half a dozen wires.

"You okay?" Klaus asks softly as she places her lyric sheets onto the provided stand, staring with wide eyes at the microphone in front of her.

She nods as a way of reply, swallowing audibly.

She almost jumps out of her skin when Klaus takes her hand and squeezes it gently.

"Hey. It's alright. Just pretend like we're practicing in New York. Just ignore the rest of them and focus on me. I'll be right here." He promises, tapping his own microphone that's only a few inches from hers.

The producer leans forward.

"I'm ready whenever you guys are."

Klaus nods as a way of reply.

"We're fine to go."

She feels a little better about the fact that it's Klaus that kicks off the song.

"If you were the ocean, and I was the sun. If the day made me heavy and gravity won, if I was the red, and you were the blue. I could just fade into you."

She remembers to pause, to let the instrumental take over for a few moments as Klaus silently counts her in. She's grateful.

"If you were a window, and I was the rain. I'd pour myself out, and wash off the pain. I'd fall like a tear so your light could shine through, then I'd just fade into you."

It takes her a moment to realise that she and Klaus are still holding hands. She squeezes it firmly as he grins down at her in return.

"In your heart, in your head, in your arms, in your bed under your skin. Til there's no way to tell where you end, and where I begin."

And that right there was where the whole fucking without fucking came from, because anyone with a pair of eyes and a pair of ears could read between the lines when it came to this entire song.

She stumbles a few times on the second half of the song, and they have to stop and reset a few times. Klaus doesn't seem to mind, dropping her hand and giving her a high five for encouragement.

They hadn't quite gotten to the stage of eye fucking over the microphones yet, but there was plenty of hand holding, and if that was enough to piss Marcel off then she was willing to roll with it.

She chances a glance towards the recording booth. Marcel is standing with his arms crossed over his chest, stony faced. In stark contrast, Enzo waves wildly, giving her a big grin and a thumbs up for encouragement. The two men really couldn't have been more different from each other.

An hour later and another run through and they finally wrap the song, Klaus picking her up off the ground in an excited hug as the applause echoes around the studio.

"Great work guys. Caroline I can't believe this is your first time, you absolutely killed it. I'm going to have a mess around with it tomorrow and I'll let you know when it's fully edited."

She just beams back at the producer as Klaus leads her back towards the connecting door.

"Awesome work Caroline. You really came into your own there." Enzo says immediately, pulling her into a quick hug.

"Thanks. I'm glad you were here." She says softly, lowering her voice as the rest of the occupants of the room begin to filter out.

"I'll go and wait in the car while you finish up here." Enzo remarks knowingly, chancing a glance between her and Klaus, who's fiddling with one of the many knobs on the sound board.

Klaus waits until Enzo has left the room before speaking.

"Not bad for someone who doesn't want to be a recording artist." He says lightly as she rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Save it. You're never going to convince me otherwise." She replies firmly as he nods to himself.

"Okay then. Thankyou for coming out here to do this. I really do appreciate it." He continues, changing the subject quite abruptly.

There's a gentle tapping on the door before a dark haired woman slips through the door. Klaus looks surprised to see her, but hides it well.

"Sophie. How are you?" He asks politely, allowing the woman to press a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"I'm good. Look at you!" The woman exclaims. "It's nice to see you so happy. Is this the lovely Caroline then?"

"It is indeed." Klaus confirms with a quick wink. "Caroline, this is Sophie Gerard, Marcel's wife. What brings you to this part of the city?"

Like flipping a switch, Sophie's expression morphs from playful to serious.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you. Both of you." She amends her previous statement as Klaus turns to blink at her in surprise.

"About what?" He asks warily.

Sophie just smiles sadly.

"I need to talk to you about Marcel. And what he's done."

AN: Boom. Cliffhanger. I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last one of this story, since I'm only planning for another full length chapter and then an epilogue to wrap things up.

It seems I have a thing for writing stories that are 23 chapters long- Uneasy Lies had exactly the same count. Speaking of, the number of reviews on this story has passed the review count on Uneasy Lies. Basically you guys are sick.

So a little bit more angst this chapter. Things will get resolved next chapter, and Klaus will find out all about Marcel and his twisted little web of lies.

The song that Klaus and Caroline write together is called Fade Into You from Nashville, and it's gorgeous and heart breaking all at the same time.

First song up in the first paragraph is called Change of Seasons by Sweet Thing. It's one of my favourites

See you on the other side!