"Hey, Care, can you hand me those tongs?" Elena said over a week later.

I had some choice words with her when she had returned on Monday. The main ones were 'I thought you trusted me' and 'Control your husband.' Of course, Elena had a talent of making you quickly forgetting you were ever angry at her in the first place, which was made me momentarily more annoyed. We had moved on from that, but she was very curious about Klaus appearing after hours again. It took too much work to convince her nothing was going on.

I placed the tongs in her hand a little too forcefully, and she frowned at me. I couldn't help it. I was upset. It was November 18, which was my twenty-fifth birthday, and she hadn't said anything to me; not even a simple happy birthday. No one had. Stefan hadn't even called. Even my mother, the person who birthed me into this world, had already been gone when I had woken up this morning.

It wasn't as though I expected the world. I had been gone from Mystic Falls for almost six years at this point, but I had a Facebook like everyone else. It wasn't as though everyone had just not known. I just wanted a 'happy birthday, Caroline' or a 'have a great day, Caroline'. Was that really too much to ask?

"So any plans tonight?" Elena asked, putting the last of the pastries in a box. We were getting ready to close for the night, and it was just she and I in the bakery.

"No," I grumbled.

"Damon's leaving Ric in charge of the bar tonight, so we're going to have a date night, I think," she said, wiping her hand on a towel.

Seriously? It was my birthday, my BIRTHDAY, and she was talking about a date night with her husband. Typical.

The bell over the door tinkled, and I turned to yell that we were closed. Until I saw who it was, then I just frowned.

"Hola, party people," Kol said, hopping on the counter. He grinned.

"You know we're closed, Kol," Elena said, turning off lights in the display case.

"Indeed, I do, cookie girl," he said, "but I have come to ask dear Caroline if she fancies keeping me company tonight as I seem to be in a dry spell."

I almost smiled at the thought that Kol remembered my birthday, but then he had finished his sentence.

"No, thanks, Kol," I said. I would just go home and drown my Molly-Ringwald-like sorrows in merlot.

"Oh, come on, grumpy," Kol said. "I'll pay your bar tab." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Damn him.

"Fine," I said. "But we're not going to that shitty almost strip club by the interstate again."

"How can it be an almost strip club?" Elena asked.

"You don't want to know," I said. She shrugged.

"Fine, party pooper," Kol said. "Celeste's will wait until another night. We'll go somewhere in town. Finish your precious cleaning, and we'll go."

"Get off my counter, Kol," Elena warned, threatening him with a dirty rag.

Kol jumped off and held his hands up in surrender. My mind flashed to Klaus's identical action that night at my house, but I shook my head to try to get the vision out of my mind. Had he remembered my birthday? I had told him at that dinner, but I'm sure he hadn't. Why would he? I hadn't heard from him since the Saturday before last when he promised that he'd see me around.

It didn't take Elena and I very long to finish closing. With two people, it really does go much faster. Of course, we did have Kol sitting in a booth in a corner talking, so I'm sure that speeded us up just a tad.

After I watched Elena pull out of the back lot, I angrily clicked my seatbelt on.

"Well, someone's in a mood," Kol said, pulling out of the lot way too fast.

I didn't say anything, but crossed my arms to sulk.

"You're going to be fun tonight, aren't you?" he asked, flying down the street.

I could barely hear the bass of some rap much on the speakers, so I turned it up to shut him up.

"Alright then," he said. He relaxed into the seat and removed one of his hands from the wheel.

After a few minutes of driving, he whipped into the parking lot of The Hunter. I momentarily glared before I remembered Damon wasn't working tonight. That would mean I would only have to deal with Alaric and Rose, who were two of the only people who had passes to not know it was my birthday. As soon as Kol parked, I got out and slammed my door.

"Hey, don't take out your PMS on Shelia," he said, gently shutting his door to make a point. I rolled my eyes and lead the way to the bar.

As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted with a chorus of "SURPRISE!"

In front of me, the center of the bar was decorated with balloons, hats, and even had a banner hanging from the rafters that said 'Happy Birthday, Caroline," which was obviously Jeremy's handy work. Everyone—Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, Katherine, Matt, Jeremy, Damon, and even Rebekah—was standing with their arms out and smiles (well, Rebekah didn't, but I didn't count that).

I had jumped back at the exclamation of surprise and had bumped into Kol. I turned to look up at him, and he was smirking down at me.

"Like I'd ever be in a dry spell," he said with a wink.

I grinned so wide my face hurt. They'd remembered. They all actually remembered.

Kol wrapped his arm around my shoulders and lead me inside.

Elena rushed up to me. "I'm so sorry, Care," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "Stefan made us promise not to say anything about your birthday."

I hugged her back and said over her shoulder, "You guys remembered."

"Duh," Bonnie said, taking her turn to hug me.

"Pretty sure you've had the date ingrained in our heads since you were old enough to remember it," Katherine said.

I laughed. I was true. I had always loved birthdays, especially mine.

That's when I saw Stefan with a smile, and I ran to throw my arms around him.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear.

He wrapped his arms tightly around him. "Like I would ever forget your birthday."

I held him tighter. "You know what I mean," I said.

"You're welcome." He had one final squeeze and he let me go.

"Well, let's party!" I said.

Everyone cheered.

It turns out turning twenty-five wasn't so bad. Everyone gave me presents, and Damon let me have whatever I wanted from the bar. I was like high school all over again, and I was enjoying myself.

I was laughing at something Kol said when Rebekah came up to my side. I had a momentary scowl before I remembered it was my birthday, and Stefan wouldn't let her ruin it. I gave her a grin because I knew it would irritate her.

"Happy birthday," she said in a bored voice.

"Thanks," I said. Even Rebekah wouldn't bring me down today.

"Would it be alright for us to schedule a time to go select your dress for the wedding?" she asked. I noticed her tapping her foot, but I didn't think it was because she was being obnoxious. I think she was nervous.

"Just you and me?" I asked.

"I would have invited you to New York, but your dress will have to be different from the bridesmaids," she said. "I need to focus on one task at a time."

"Oh," I said. A shopping outing with Rebekah? Sounded slightly torturous to me.

"It shouldn't take long since I only have to worry about the dress looking good on you and not three others," she said, crossing her arms.

"Um, sure," I said. "I'm free most weekends as long as I can give Elena notice."

"Would December 14 work for you?" she asked.

"I guess."

She held her head up and nodded. "I'll pick you at 8 on the fourteenth then."

"Sounds good," I said.

As she walked away, I realized that was probably the most civilized conversation I had ever had with Rebekah.

"You and my sister becoming besties?" Kol asked, throwing his arm around my shoulders.

I looked at Rebekah talking to Stefan, and Stefan reaching out to hold her hand as she spoke.

"Never," I assured.

Kol snorted. "Speaking of you becoming best friends with my siblings," he said, "Nik gave me something to give to you."

"What?"

Kol grinned, sensing my shock. "Your second favorite Mikaelson couldn't make your party tonight, so he asked me to pass something along."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, dear Caroline, the thing is, you have to promise me that you won't like it more than the present I so carefully thought out for you," he said, kind of dancing around me.

I thought of the bottle of Petron tequila and Juicy sweat suit he had given me. They were both expensive and I liked them. However, they were not the most thoughtful gifts.

"Don't give me that look," he said. Apparently my face had slipped while I was thinking. "You know you're going to wear those track pants, and we're going to demolish that tequila."

I frowned.

"You have to promise, or I won't give it to you," he said, reaching into his jacket.

"Just give it to me, Kol," I said, holding out my hand.

"I don't know," he said, backing away from me a little bit. "I'm not sure you're quite ready for this."

"Kol," I said, reaching out. "Give it."

Kol gave me an innocent look and backed up. I followed him, and he took off.

"KOL!" I yelled, chasing him around the bar. "I didn't wear the correct shoes for this!"

"Mikaelson, if you break anything, I'll break you," Damon warned from his booth with Elena.

Kol made it around the edge of the bar, and I jumped on his back. He grabbed my waist to keep me from falling.

Something fell out of his jacket. A long jewelry box.

Kol let me slide down his back, finally sensing the game was over.

"That's not it, right?" I asked quietly.

Kol bent down to pick up the box. "Do I really look like a jewelry man to you?" He held out the box and waited for me to take it.

I just kept looking at the box like it was going to explode. He wouldn't have gotten me jewelry. He couldn't have gotten me jewelry.

"It's not going to bite you, you know," Kol said, grabbing my hand and putting the box in it. He held my hand closed over it.

I swallowed and pulled the tiny card from beneath the ribbon. "From Klaus," was scribbled in an almost old world script. I slowly opened the box and gave an audible gasp.

Inside the box was the most beautiful bracelet I had ever seen. It was all diamonds, which I was sure were real, in what seemed to be shaped like oblong hearts. I was sure I had never held anything this expensive in my hands.

"Well, that's one way to get into your pants, isn't it, Barbie?" Damon said, looking over my shoulder at the bracelet. I realized I was holding the card in my hand so that he could read who it was from.

"Shut up," I said, not really hearing him.

He bought me a diamond bracelet. I tell him I can't date him, and he buys me a diamond bracelet. I basically blow him off, and he buys me a DIAMOND BRACELET. What the hell?! Did he think he could buy me? Did he think I was that shallow?

"Why do you look like you're going to kill someone?" Stefan asked, coming up behind me on the opposite side of Damon. "Who got you—oh."

I closed the box quickly and tried to hand it back to Kol. "Give it back to him," I said.

Kol held up his hands. "I don't think so," he said. "He said to give it to you. He specifically told me to make sure you accepted it."

"I don't accept it," I said, still trying to hand it to him. He actually moved away from me.

"You're going to have to tell him that," he said.

I glared at him.

"Holy shit," Katherine said, coming up behind Kol. "Who the hell got you jewelry?"

"No body!" I said a little too quickly.

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Someone's touchy."

"Klaus is trying to get in her pants," Damon explained.

"Really?" Katherine said.

"No, he's not," Stefan said. I think he said it because he didn't want to think about anyone getting into my pants.

"I'd probably let him in my pants for a diamond bracelet," Katherine said.

"Not really an accomplishment since he's already been," Kol said.

"Ha ha," Katherine said, smacking Kol in the back of the head.

"Pretty sure he didn't have to pay that much for it either," Damon added. Kol laughed.

Katherine scowled at both of them.

"All the more reason to give it back to him," I said, trying to give the box back to Kol. He moved away again.

"You're going to have to talk to him about that," Kol said.

"Why is everyone gathered over here?" Elena asked, coming to stand by he sister.

"Klaus got Care a bracelet to get in her pants," Katherine explained, pointing to the bracelet and me, respectfully.

"WILL EVERYONE STOP SAYING THAT!" I yelled.

Everyone looked at me a little shocked.

"He's not trying to get in my pants, and I wouldn't let him anyway," I said. "He gave me a bracelet, which might mean more to him than it does to me, so I'm trying to get Kol to give it back to him, okay?"

"Can I at least see it before you give it back?" Elena asked.

I sighed, but opened the box to let her see it.

"Holy crap!" she exclaimed. She ran her fingers over the diamonds. After she removed her hand, I slammed the box closed.

"You can't keep that," Elena said.

"Thank you!" I said. Finally, someone else besides me was making sense.

"Well, I'm not taking it back, and Rebekah can't either," Kol said. "If you don't want it, you're going to have to return it to my dear brother yourself."

That sounded almost less appealing than letting Klaus think he had bought me off.

"Or you could just give it to someone else to avoid that awkward exchange," Katherine suggested hopefully.

"Kat," Elena reprimanded. Katherine shrugged.

"I'll give it back to him tomorrow," I said.

"Why?" Kol asked.

"Because," I said. "I can't accept something like this."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because he'll obviously expect something from it," Elena said.

"Exactly," I asked.

"You don't know that," Katherine said.

"This doesn't even matter because I'm giving it back regardless of what it means because it was too expensive," I said. "No one else say anything about it."

Everyone just looked around at each other.

"Get me a drink, Damon," I said. "It's still my damn birthday, and I'm going to have a good damn time."

"Alright. You got it, Blondie."

A/N: So the famous Klaus bracelet has made its appearance, but Klaus didn't. How will this go considering what happened last chapter? You'll just have to wait. Thanks for reading! I always love reading reviews, so leave one if you want!