A/N: My apologies for the delay. This chapter took me a while to write and both my beta and I lead busy lives.
I was so happy with the response to the last chapter. You all deserve a little Klaroline smut and fluff for everything I've put you through :D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.
Enjoy the next chapter...
She grumbled with annoyance upon hearing the doorbell ring. Figuring Klaus was still in bed and perfectly indecent, she finished up in the bathroom and hurried downstairs.
Glancing through the living room window to find out who was the cause of the interruption to their morning, her stomach dropped when she saw the familiar faces on the porch waiting for her to answer the door.
She rushed back upstairs.
"Shit shit shit," she muttered, storming back into her bedroom, causing Klaus to sit up abruptly.
"Who is it, love?" Klaus asked as she rummaged frantically through the dresser for something more appropriate to wear.
"It's CPS!" she exclaimed, struggling to secure her bra.
Klaus's eyes widened and he climbed out of bed quickly as she jumped into a pair of jeans.
"Do you want me to answer it?" he offered.
"Get Grayson up," she told him as she gathered her hair into a ponytail. "I will answer the door."
Klaus nodded and she rushed back out of the room and descended the stairs.
She secured the final button on her top just as she opened the door.
Both caseworkers were standing on the porch expectantly, clearly curious by her delay.
"Hi," she greeted them with a calm smile, trying to hide the fact that her heart was racing.
"Good morning, Ms. Forbes," the man she remembered as Peter said.
"You seem out of breath?" the woman she recalled as Sylvia said.
She shook her head.
"I was just cleaning up a little, and about to make some late breakfast," she said half-truthfully. "I didn't realize Klaus was upstairs with Grayson, so I had to run to the door," she explained.
They both nodded with understanding smiles.
"If you don't mind, we're here to conduct our second follow up visit with the three of you," Sylvia informed her.
"If this really is a bad time, we can always return on another day," Peter assured her.
"But that could delay your final court date to solidify permanent custody of Grayson," Sylvia added sternly.
Of course this was a bad time, she thought. When was there ever a good time to be interviewed and interrogated by people who were trained to mistrust and question everything you said and all of your intentions?
They weren't innocent in this drop by visit. They purposely choose random times and days to catch you off guard. That's the point. They didn't want you to be prepared for them.
If she was being completely honest with herself, she had nearly forgotten about these follow up meetings. She hadn't been expecting to see them at the door, though she wasn't really sure who she had been expecting in their place.
She was tempted to tell them to return another day, but she didn't want them to get suspicious. She also didn't want to have their court date pushed back any further. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner Grayson would be theirs and they wouldn't have to deal with these people breathing down their backs.
"No, now is fine," she told them. "Please come in," she urged, stepping aside.
As they entered her mind turned to everything that was out of place.
Looking over at the staircase, she noticed the baby gate off to the side and her heels at the bottom. She shivered briefly as she thought about her adventure with Klaus on the stairs the night before.
"It's gloomy weather out there today," Peter observed, snapping her out of her thoughts.
She nodded as they removed their shoes.
"At least the weather is warm," she said, trying to hold their attention so it wouldn't fall upon Grayson's things in the hall from daycare, or the mess of his toys in the living room.
"It's supposed to feel like summer all this week," he continued as Sylvia began making notes on her infamous clipboard already.
"Would you like something to drink while we wait for Klaus and Grayson? Coffee?" she suggested, glancing upstairs in hopes Klaus would appear with Grayson at any moment.
"Coffee sounds great," Sylvia replied, staring up from her notes.
She nodded and led them both into the kitchen.
Klaus might have cleaned up a little last night but the kitchen was still a mess by her standards. Dishes were in the sink, a few of Grayson's bottles littered the counter beside the mail and the flyers that had been piling up. That wasn't even counting the dining table which had become the landing spot for many of their things – her work, some of Klaus's art supplies, keys, a few more of Grayson's small toys, more mail, one of Klaus's jackets, and a bib belonging to Grayson.
She gritted her teeth at the sight, resisting the urge to burst into cleaning mode right then and there.
No matter how much she tried to stay on top of things, the mess always seemed to sneak up on her.
She headed for the coffeemaker, scowling when she remembered that they were out of coffee.
Turning hesitantly towards both caseworkers who seemed to be studying every detail of the room, she winced.
"So, I'm sorry, but we're out of coffee at the moment. I was supposed to pick some up, but it completely slipped my mind," she told them. "Can I get you something else? Tea? Juice? Water?" she offered.
Seemingly disappointed, they both shook their heads.
"Would you like to sit down?" she offered, nodding her head towards the cluttered dining table.
"No, that's okay, this interview shouldn't take too long," Peter told her.
That came as a relief to her, but she knew they could still ask plenty of invasive questions regardless of whether they had ten minutes or an hour.
"Klaus and Grayson should be down any minute. Klaus is just waking Grayson up from his morning nap," she explained.
They both nodded understandingly.
"How about you fill us in on how Grayson has been since we last met with you while we wait for them," Sylvia suggested.
"Well he's gotten a lot bigger – and heavier," she mused.
"How old is he now?" Peter inquired.
"Eight months going on nine," she informed them, knowing they were fully aware of how old he was; they were just testing her.
"What are his eating and sleeping habits like now?" Sylvia wondered.
"He eats a lot," she laughed. "He still has his bottles, but he loves his baby food now and is receptive to solids – mainly fruit," she explained. "He sleeps through the night most nights, but I think he's starting to grow out of his morning nap. He usually fights us on that," she continued.
'"And where does he usually sleep?" Sylvia asked.
"In his crib mostly, unless he's at daycare," she replied, leaning against the counter, trying to calm her nerves.
"Why do you feel it's important to have him in daycare?" Sylvia asked as Peter readied himself to take notes.
That clipboard and pen made her extremely anxious.
She chewed on her lip as she formulated an answer that would be so effortless in any other situation.
"Well part of it is so Klaus can focus on his painting. He can't really do that with the little guy around," she started.
"And what's the other part?" Peter probed.
"Elijah and Elena wanted him in daycare a few days a week, not only so Elena could continue working, but they wanted Grayson to socialize with other children and adults from a young age. They felt it would be beneficial to his development," she explained. "Klaus and I think the same...and the hospital daycare has been very generous in allowing him to continue to attend for free."
"Do you think Grayson likes daycare?" Sylvia asked as Peter scribbled down some more notes.
She shrugged.
"He seems to enjoy it, but obviously he can't tell me that definitively yet," she laughed, only to find the caseworker's staring at her blankly. "Klaus and I have a meeting with the facilitators next week to discuss how he's doing," she added quickly, hoping that would win them points.
Sylvia's eyebrows rose.
"Did they request that meeting?" she inquired.
"No, I did. I thought it would be a good idea. Klaus and I just want to ensure that he's doing okay since Elijah and Elena passed. You can't really tell if or how it will affect a child so young," she reasoned.
They both nodded.
"Do you have anything else to add about how he has been generally? Any other developments?" they queried.
She tried to think about all the things they had been experiencing with Grayson since their last visit.
"He can crawl now!" she recalled excitedly. "He's been crawling up a storm lately. Hence, the baby gates," she said, hoping they had noticed them when they had first entered the house. "We've also been continuing his swim lessons. He likes the water. He's all set to graduate from Starfish to Duck in four months," she bragged.
Peter began to write down a few more notes and she relaxed a little bit more in hopes that what he took from her information was positive.
"He's also babbling like crazy...he's got a few more teeth," she listed, trying to think of anything else she could say that would look favourably upon Grayson being in their care. "Overall, he's a pretty happy baby. The only time he really fusses is when he's tired or one of us is leaving," she concluded.
"Caroline especially," Klaus said as he entered the kitchen with Grayson glued to his hip.
"Hey mister!" she said enthusiastically to Grayson, who was reaching out for her the moment he saw her.
Klaus handed him to her before greeting both caseworkers.
Luckily Klaus had dressed him decently in a tiny pair of jeans and an orange plaid button up shirt. He looked adorable.
To her relief, Klaus had also dressed himself as well.
Grayson looked at both caseworkers warily as he clung to her shirt.
"Look," she pointed at them. "We have visitors. Can you say hi?" she asked him, lifting his hand to wave.
He buried his head in the crook of her neck shyly.
"Sometimes he's shy," she told both caseworkers.
"I think he might also be hungry," Klaus said. "Do you want some lunch, Gray?" he asked, prompting Grayson's head to rise and follow Klaus as he began to prepare him a bottle.
Peter took more notes.
"He seems very responsive to the both of you," Sylvia observed. "And you say he's been experiencing a bit of separation anxiety?" she inquired.
She hesitated.
"A little," she admitted. "He's started to get a little fussy when I drop him off at daycare, or when we've had to leave him with a sitter," she explained. "Is that bad?" she asked them, concerned about what they might think.
Peter shook his head.
"Not necessarily. Separation anxiety is something many babies Grayson's age experience when being separated from those they're closest to," he informed them.
Both she and Klaus exchanged relieved looks as he handed an eager Grayson his bottle.
"You said you have left Grayson with a babysitter previously? Could you tell us about that?" Sylvia asked.
She opened her mouth to give them some sort of acceptable answer, but Klaus jumped in before she could.
"We've only had to do it twice," Klaus assured them.
"Richard Lockwood – the Mayor of Mystic Falls – held a fundraiser for the hospital. I had helped Mrs. Lockwood plan it. It was an important event to Elijah and Elena as well," she said.
"Caroline also made dresses for some of the guests – including Mrs. Lockwood," Klaus added on her behalf.
She nodded modestly.
"And you attended the event together?" Sylvia asked.
She tensed immediately and avoided looking at Klaus's reaction.
"Klaus also attended," she told him, skirting around the issue of whether he had been her date or not. "The event was important to Elijah and Elena. Klaus wanted to be there. He also donated one of his paintings to the silent auction," she said.
The caseworkers seemed to accept the elaboration of the story. Technically it had not been a romantic date. They had gone as friends, she reasoned.
"Who did you select for a babysitter?" Peter asked, thankfully moving away from her and Klaus.
"April Young. She works for me. She's very trustworthy. She has experience babysitting children. She knows first aid," she said. "Grayson likes her."
More notes were jotted down and she exchanged a nervous look with Klaus.
"And do you mind telling us the reason for the second time?" Sylvia asked.
She stammered as she tried to answer in a way that wasn't suspicious.
"I had prearranged plans," Klaus interjected. "Caroline ended up having to work a bit late. We had to improvise at the last minute."
Both caseworkers nodded.
"Do you work late often?" Peter asked her.
Though they were meant to be objective officials, his tone was anything but impartial. His voice, accompanied by Sylvia's judgemental stare said it all.
"Sometimes," she said, "but it's that time of year...weddings, prom, Miss Mystic," she listed, preoccupying herself by bouncing Grayson in her arms a little.
"How much time do you spend with Grayson?" Sylvia asked her.
She gritted her teeth bitterly, not happy about where this conversation was going and what the caseworkers seemed to be implying about her.
"Caroline spends every morning with Grayson...and she's usually always home in the evening to have dinner with him and help me get him ready for bed," Klaus said, coming to her defence, "and if she's ever had to work later than that, she's either brought it home with her and worked on it after Grayson is in bed, or she's returned to the store then," he explained.
She nodded to confirm Klaus's statements.
"I try to spend as much time with Grayson as I can...quality time," she emphasized.
"What's quality time to you, Ms. Forbes?" Sylvia pressed.
They were really grilling her, she thought.
"We read stories, we cuddle, we play with all of his toys, we talk, I've been encouraging him to crawl and teaching him to stand, there's swimming lessons, and now that it's warmer we've been going for walks," she said, trying to hold back her defensive impulse.
"I'm sure Grayson enjoys that," Sylvia said plainly.
She couldn't believe that's all they had to say after barraging her with those very suggestive questions and their aggressive attitudes.
"What about you Mr. Mikaelson...how have your work commitments impacted your responsibility to Grayson?" Peter asked.
She scoffed under her breath at the insinuation that her workload had somehow negatively affected Grayson.
"They haven't really," he shrugged. "I've been working on a few paintings since arriving here, but I work on the days Grayson is at daycare, when he's sleeping, or when Caroline has him," he said.
"So is it fair to say that you spend more time with Grayson then, Mr. Mikaelson?" Sylvia asked, turning her questioning towards Klaus.
Her eyebrows furrowed. Sure, Klaus did spend more time with Grayson, but what did that matter? They were both putting in equal effort in different ways.
"Yes," Klaus answered begrudgingly, clearly just as annoyed and uncomfortable with the questions as she was. "I don't really see how this is relevant?" he asked bluntly.
She cringed a little, knowing his anger would not reflect well on them.
"We're just trying to get a feel for the dynamics," Peter said innocently.
"And we're just both trying to be here for Grayson," Klaus said sternly.
Taking advantage of the coverage of Grayson's face provided to hide behind, she shot Klaus a glare, urging him to back down.
Thinking she was playing a game with him, Grayson snickered with the bottle still in his mouth.
When she looked back at the caseworkers, they were staring back at her curiously.
"He's our priority," she affirmed, regaining her composure.
"You seem to have grown close over the past few months," Sylvia noted.
She nodded readily.
"Both Klaus and I care about Grayson very much," she told them.
"And what about you and Klaus?" Sylvia asked. "Do you care about one another?"
She tensed as her stomach did a quick somersault. She exchanged looks with Klaus, trying to hide the fact that she was panicking. Did they suspect something?
"I think that goes without saying," Klaus admitted as he pried his eyes away from her to acknowledge the caseworkers.
Her stomach fluttered again, picking up on the underlying meaning of Klaus's admission.
She held back the smile that was waiting to crack on her lips by focusing her attention on fixing Grayson's messy hair – that was one thing Klaus had neglected.
"So, you're relationship with one another has been good?" Peter questioned further.
"We get along well," she said quickly in hopes this would stop her from blushing.
"Better than I expected," Klaus chuckled casually.
Unable to contain it, she laughed too in agreement while the caseworkers eyed them studiously as though they sensed they were being kept in the dark about something.
She tried with little success to prevent her thoughts from drifting back to last night and this morning.
They were definitely getting along better than she expected, she thought.
Indeed, the caseworkers were being kept in the dark about their tryst, at least for now. Their relationship had gone through significant changes in the last twenty-four hours. They needed time to adjust and come up with a thought out explanation before they could tell the caseworkers – if at all. They would need to see what Stefan recommended.
"Have you given anymore thought to what your plans might be should you be granted permanent custody of Grayson? Do you think you would be able to work together to come to some sort of arrangement between yourselves?" Peter asked.
To be truthful, she had been so consumed by work, her feelings for Klaus, and caring for Grayson, what things would look like in less than four months had barely crossed her mind.
She would dwell over the possibility of them losing custody; she had nightmares about it, but she hadn't given much thought to the alternative.
Now that she and Klaus were involved in this very new thing with one another – whatever it was – this only seemed to complicate any answer she might have.
"The logistics will be a challenge," Klaus acknowledged, "but we'll figure it out."
"We know Grayson will need something more permanent once he gets older, but we'll cross that bridge then," she said.
"We both want to be a part of Grayson's life as much as possible. We'll make it work," Klaus said hopefully.
They were going to have to make it work. They didn't have a choice.
"I couldn't help but notice that things look relatively the same around here as the last time we visited. Have you made any firm decisions regarding Elijah and Elena's affairs that were left to you?" Sylvia questioned.
She frowned slightly, discouraged by how badly this interview seemed to be going for them, yet again.
"We've spent time sorting through some of Elijah and Elena's possessions, but we haven't really gotten into the personal things yet. Klaus and I were actually discussing that this morning," she said, hoping the last part would win them points, even though it probably seemed like she was only saying it for that very reason.
"We have put the lake house that Elena and Elijah own up for rent for the summer until we decide whether it would be more advantageous to keep it or sell it for Grayson," Klaus said.
His addition granted her some relief as the caseworkers seemed to be pleased with that development.
"We're going up there next weekend to clean it up and clear out any personal items," Klaus added.
She glared at him. This was the first she was hearing of this weekend trip up to the lake house. She hoped he was only saying that to make them look good. She couldn't just drop her work commitments on short notice.
Klaus glared back, urging her to go along with his fabrication.
"Yeah, it definitely needs to be cleaned," she agreed. "Plus, it will be fun to take Grayson somewhere new."
"The weather is only supposed to get better," Peter informed them.
Sylvia seemed skeptical.
"Will that trip be difficult for you? Given the circumstances of Grayson's parents' accident? How are you coping with their loss since the last time we met with you?" Sylvia wondered.
She inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by the series of questions.
"It's been difficult at times," she confessed, knowing there wasn't a day she didn't think about Elijah and Elena. "But, I think living our lives as normally as possible has helped. Keeping busy...with work...and Grayson...he makes it easier," she said, swallowing the lump of emotion in her throat as she looked at Grayson staring back at her.
He looked like Elena today.
She smiled at him.
"It's something that will always be hard," Klaus spoke up, "but we have to move forward for Grayson."
Bottle now empty, Grayson suddenly seemed to sense that Klaus was talking about him and began to fuss in her arms.
Reaching for Klaus insistently, he dropped his bottle in the process, startling both of the caseworkers who were busily jotting down some more notes.
"Apparently he wants to see you," she mused, acquiescing to Grayson's persistent demand, and handing him to Klaus.
Her now heavy arms from holding onto Grayson for so long thanked Klaus for taking him.
"Yeah, now that he's done his bottle," he smirked, giving Grayson a playful little shake as he giggled up a storm.
She shrugged innocently at the caseworkers.
"He's getting his own little personality and preferences," she told them before reaching down for the discarded bottle.
They stood in the kitchen for another good fifteen minutes while the CPS caseworkers ran through a few more general questions that were a little less invasive, but no less annoying
"Well, we won't take up any more of your time. These drop-in visits are just to get a sense of how you and Grayson are doing generally, and to ensure you're learning and appreciating the responsibilities that come with raising a child. It's a full-time job," Peter reminded them. "Ultimately, we all just want to do what's best for Grayson...and usually birth parents are the best judges of that...but these visits are parts of the procedure, just to confirm."
She and Klaus nodded, trying not to seem too enthusiastic about their departure.
As both caseworkers started for the front door, she and Klaus followed along behind them exchanging relieved looks.
"Actually, do you think we could take a look around before we leave?" Sylvia asked, turning on her heel to face them.
They quickly straightened their expressions into fake smiles.
"It's part of what we have to do for each interview...to document the environment that Grayson is living in," Sylvia pressed. "I nearly forgot."
"Sure," she said meekly, internally horrified by this woman analyzing the house with a fine tooth comb, knowing it was a disaster.
They followed the caseworkers around the main floor of the house as they seemed to inspect every object – despite the fact that they had already done this once before.
She hated feeling like they were being judged for every little thing that was out of place or might have reflected poorly on them. It was invasive and made her feel uncomfortable.
When they got to the stairs, Peter took a moment to assess the baby gate, as Sylvia started upstairs, going into Grayson's room first.
At first, she didn't think anything of them taking a look around upstairs, until she remembered what a disaster her room was and the guest she had shared it with the night before.
She started to panic, wondering if she should dash to her room to hide any incriminating evidence, but she knew it would make her look even more suspicious.
When they reached Klaus's room, Sylvia seemed surprised by its overall neatness compared to last time. While there were a few stray clothes out along with his art supplies and a stack of his paintings leaning against the far wall it was a neat mess, and his bed was even made – but that was only because he had slept with her the previous night.
"Looks like you've been keeping busy with your art, Mr. Mikaelson," Sylvia observed, noting the canvas on the easel and the stack of paintings to the side – luckily the one facing them was of the waterfalls Mystic Falls had gotten its name from, and not a more incriminating piece like the one Klaus had donated to the auction. "You have a talent," she acknowledged.
"Thank you," Klaus said modestly as Grayson played with his necklaces.
She could tell he felt validated by the caseworker's compliment. Pleased that they knew he was not just some starving artist producing mediocre work that could barely make ends meet. Though he was not well known, there was a market for his work – even if it was based primarily upon commission for now.
"How is your smoking habit?" Sylvia asked Klaus, referring to the cigarettes the caseworkers had spotted in his room the last time. "You were trying to quit last time we were here?"
The caseworker's question surprised her, not expecting her to recall that. Though on second thought, they probably came prepped for the second meeting having memorized all their notes from their last unannounced visit.
"I had a bit of a slip up last weekend, but other than that I've stopped completely," Klaus answered truthfully.
Both caseworkers seemed pleased with this news, and she wanted to throw her arms around Klaus for potentially regaining them major points with the caseworkers.
"It's not an easy habit to break," Peter acknowledged.
Klaus nodded and she smiled widely, impressed with the unexpected positive turn their interview had taken.
That smile, however, was short lived when Sylvia turned for her room next.
Her anxiety came flooding back.
Sylvia pushed the door open and she held her breath.
The curtains were still drawn, the bed was a complete mess, and her clothes from last night were still on the floor...along with a pile of Klaus's.
Worst of all was the scent of sex still lingering in the air.
She cringed and pushed by both Sylvia and Peter hurriedly.
"Sorry," she said, frantically grabbing the clothes basket that was sitting on the desk chair and picking up their clothes. "I was in the middle of putting a load of laundry together," she stammered as she grabbed Klaus's pants. "Klaus hates laundry so I'm usually the one who does it," she said with a nervous laugh, attempting to explain why his clothes were on her bedroom floor.
The caseworkers didn't appear entirely convinced, Klaus seemed utterly discouraged, and Grayson was as happy as a clam amidst it all.
She envied him; he'd give anything to be Grayson right now.
When she noticed the caseworker's attention divert to something behind her and Klaus's expression drop further, she turned to investigate.
Her eyes widened in horror when she noticed the remaining condom package sitting on the far nightstand.
Instantly her cheeks flushed red and she had a strong urge to jump out the window.
Klaus looked equally mortified.
They were fucked, she concluded, literally and figuratively.
The expressions of both caseworkers narrowed.
"I...uh..." she was at a loss for words.
What did she say? How could she explain a condom wrapper at her bedside without it incriminating them?
"Perhaps you would like to elaborate further on the nature of your relationship with one another?" Sylvia asked sharply.
"Klaus and I...we..." she started.
"We slept together," Klaus confessed hurriedly, "last night."
Grayson started to giggle as if he knew what Klaus was talking about, but neither caseworker looked pleased. She had no idea if it was because they had omitted to tell them the truth, or because they had slept together. She assumed it was probably a bit of both.
"That was the only time?" Sylvia inquired intrusively.
"Well... this morning..." Klaus admitted, giving her a clear idea of what he was referring to without actually saying it.
Her eyes widened in embarrassment in Klaus's direction.
"Last night was the first time," Klaus clarified
"Was it planned?" Sylvia asked.
Klaus shook his head.
"Not exactly," he said. "At least not last night specifically."
"What does that mean, Mr. Mikaelson?" she questioned further.
"We both acted on feelings we've had for one another for a long time," he explained.
"A long time?" Sylvia pressed.
"Since before Grayson was even born," he clarified further, making eye contact with her as he affirmed the extent of his feelings.
Both caseworkers looked at her to corroborate Klaus's story.
She nodded in silent confirmation.
"We didn't say anything because of how new this is for us. We didn't want to get ahead of ourselves," Klaus continued, attempting to do damage control. "This happened fast, and then you both showed up at the door for an interview."
"And why did you fail to mention your history during our last meeting?" Peter asked.
Klaus shrugged.
"I'm not going to lie to you, we didn't say anything because we didn't want that to affect our chances of obtaining permanent custody of Grayson," Klaus told them. "That's part of it. But, I don't think we had acknowledged that history to ourselves at that point either."
Notes were being taken frantically by both caseworkers and her mind started jumping to worst case scenarios. How would this impact their custody case? Would they take Grayson away from them?
"We appreciate your candidness, Mr. Mikaelson," Sylvia said, side-eyeing her, "as late as it is."
"We're sorry for not being forthcoming," he apologized. "I'm sure you can understand our motives and concerns."
"What's going to happen now?" she asked the caseworkers. "What does this mean for our custody arrangement? Are we going to lose Grayson?" she panicked.
Peter shook his head assuredly.
"This isn't a cause to revoke your temporary custody as it currently stands," he informed them, "but this incident will go into your case file for the judge to review when making her decision."
While she was relieved their temporary custody would continue, she was terrified about what it meant for their custody of him in the long term.
"The fact that you withheld information from us casts doubt on your overall credibility in these interviews and your personal integrity," Sylvia stated.
"But this incident is taken into consideration with all the other information in your file. It is not determinative," Peter added.
That did little to ease her mind and she could feel her emotions begin to swell in her chest and her throat.
"Is there anything else you would like to share with us before we leave?" Sylvia wondered, her eyes practically burning holes into hers.
"No," she said quietly.
"Okay, then," Peter said. "Thank you for your time. You should be expecting to see us again sometime in September, just prior to your final custody hearing."
She nodded.
"Thanks," Klaus said. "Grayson and I will see you out."
Klaus eyed her sympathetically as he turned with Grayson to follow the caseworkers downstairs.
Out of anxiety, she began collecting up the rest of her clothes and dumped them in the laundry basket as she waited for the caseworkers to leave; she might as well do a load of laundry, she thought, cursing the stupid excuse she had made up earlier regarding Klaus's clothes.
When the front door shut, she exhaled with partial relief; at least they were gone and their second interview was over.
She started to strip her bed of the mussed comforter and sheets when Klaus returned upstairs with Grayson.
"I don't think they're going to come back and take a black light to the sheets, love," Klaus chuckled.
She glared at him and his inability to seem so calm in jovial amidst a crisis like this.
"I figured I might as well do laundry since I already started collecting some while CPS was here," she said sarcastically, extending her hand towards where the basket now sat beside the bed.
"Yes, because I hate laundry so much, and you do all of it," he teased her.
In reality, he was the one who did laundry most often, not her.
She ignored his attempt to bait her.
Klaus laughed some more, as he set an antsy Grayson down on the rug and started to help her remove the fitted sheet.
His continued amusement over what she perceived as a serious situation annoyed her and was unbelievably frustrating. It was hard to remain serious when Klaus and his dimples found her so hilarious.
She scoffed.
"If you had just worn the clothes you were wearing last night, we probably wouldn't be in this mess right now," she said.
He smirked at her.
"Or maybe if you had been more amenable to a second round this morning?" he challenged, nodding towards the unused condom on the nightstand beside her.
"UGH!" she groaned, throwing the unused condom in the trash.
"That was the last one," he warned her.
"Good!" she retorted, glaring at him.
He erupted into more laughter, and this time it was too infectious to resist. A smile cracked on her lips first, and then she couldn't help but laugh too.
"This is really a disaster," she sighed, covering her face with her hands, returning quickly to her worried mind.
She heard Klaus round the bed before he pried her hands away.
"It is a disaster," he agreed, "but there is no point in dwelling on it, sweetheart. We can't do anything about it now," he said.
Her mind began to race.
"Maybe we should call Stefan? Maybe he knows better how this will impact our case?" she proposed, searching around the room with her eyes for her cell phone.
He held her hands firmly in his, discouraging her from moving.
"I think you need to slow down and relax for a second first," he said, his concern evident.
"There just has to be something we can do about this," she sighed.
"We've been doing it," Klaus shrugged, "we're doing it right now."
She arched a confused eyebrow at him.
"I will take this laundry downstairs since you always do it, and you're going to make us pancakes like you were going to, and then we're going to go through more of Elijah and Elena's things like we planned," he said. "We're going to do that, because that's how we prove to them that we're serious about this," he explained, "that we're serious about Grayson...and us," he added.
His words and reasoning eased her mind somewhat.
"Okay," she said in agreement.
He released her hands and brushed his lips against her forehead.
She smiled at his sweet gesture, still surprised by this other side of him that seemed to be making more frequent appearances.
"Looks like Grayson wants to help," he mused as he nodded his head to the side.
Grayson was on the floor amidst the laundry that had fallen out of the laundry basket he had managed to topple over.
They both broke out into laughter and she couldn't resist the urge to grab her phone and snap a picture.
After the laundry was finished, their (non-burnt) pancakes were eaten, she retreated upstairs to change Grayson's diaper.
Grayson did have a stinky diaper, but she was really using it as an excuse to delay the inevitable. She looked forward to changing his diaper because she didn't want to start going through the things in Elijah and Elena's bedroom.
She was dreading it but it had to be done.
Once Grayson was equipped with a fresh diaper, she entered the master bedroom cautiously.
"This is where mommy and daddy slept," she told Grayson as she pushed open the door.
He hadn't been in this room for a long time, and she doubted he even remembered, but talking to him like this made her feel better.
She was surprised to see Klaus already in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed with a photo album in hand.
"Do you still have this?" he asked her, pointing down to a photo.
Sitting down on the bed beside him with Grayson in her lap, she looked at the picture.
It was of her, Elena, and Bonnie, in their cheerleading uniforms after a competition they had won.
She scowled and shoved Klaus's shoulder.
"Pervert," she laughed.
"Come on," he whined playfully.
"I might still have it somewhere," she smirked, flipping to the next page of photos.
There were more pictures detailing their high school days.
"I think we can get rid of that one," Klaus grumbled, pointing at the one of her and Tyler at their Senior Prom.
She rolled her eyes before continuing to look at the photos, which seemed to end at high school and almost picked up right away with Elijah and Elena's photos.
"That was kind of a time jump," Klaus noted.
"Elena's parents and Jeremy died at the end of senior year," she reminded Klaus. "Elena really wasn't much for taking photos then."
"Oh...yeah," Klaus remembered. "That's when she and Elijah started to get closer."
She pointed to a strip of photo booth pictures of Elena and Elijah, encouraging Grayson to look.
"Who's that in the picture?" she asked him. "Is that mommy and daddy?" she continued, knowing the people in the photographs were probably strangers to him now.
Grayson murmured, touching the plastic covering of the album indiscriminately with his fingers.
She laughed, wanting to keep this lighthearted lest she get too emotional.
"They look so happy," she observed, "and in love," she added, successfully reining in her emotions, smiling down at the photo of Elijah kissing Elena on the cheek.
"That's because they were," Klaus acknowledged.
When the album was finished, Klaus placed it with the others he had found. They were definitely going in the pile of things to keep. If Grayson didn't find them invaluable once he was older, she always would.
Once they ensured Grayson was occupied with a few of his toys from his room, they both approached the master closet.
Elena's clothing and shoe collections were overwhelming, and they were only rivaled by Elijah's suit collection.
They started with all the hospital scrubs first.
"We can donate these to the hospital, or maybe the medical school in Whitmore," she said. "I'm sure medical students could use them."
Klaus nodded as he ran his hand along Elijah's suits.
"What about all these?" he wondered.
"I'm sure one of the thrift stores here would take them – or maybe a neighbouring town," she suggested as she began to tally up just how many suits there were. "Unless you want them?"
"I never had a suit fetish like Elijah – besides, we aren't the same size," Klaus informed her as he began to examine Elijah's collection of ties.
She looked at Elena's shoes.
"Elena has bigger feet than me," she sighed, running her hands over the designer pairs she knew were Elena's most favourite. "They might fit, Bonnie."
They spent the next hour clearing out the closet, deciding all the clothing and shoes would be donated. She kept a few of Elena's things she remembered Elena best by – her favourite scarf, a designer purse she was too afraid to use because of how much it cost, a sweater that smelt like her, and some other things to give to Bonnie.
She saw Klaus remove two ties from the mountain of clothes they had compiled to sort through on the bed – one black and one grey.
"Grayson might need them when he's older," he shrugged nonchalantly, clearly trying to play down the sentimentality that went into his decision to keep two of the ties.
She smiled at his gesture, envisioning the day when Grayson would hopefully cherish simple things like suit ties as way to remember his father, and keep his father with him.
Stepping back inside the nearly empty closet, she stared pensively at the remaining item of clothing covered in plastic on Elena's side.
She took it down from where it was hanging and examined it through the sheer covering.
Klaus stopped behind her, noticing what she was looking at.
It was Elena's wedding dress.
"I don't know what to do with it," she admitted. "I'm sure there's a bride to be out there who would love to wear it..."
- "but you don't want to part with it," Klaus concluded.
She shook her head, laughing at how ridiculous it was.
"I know it's silly. I mean, why would I keep her wedding dress? What use would it serve? It's not like Grayson is going to wear it one day...probably," she chuckled, making a joke to stop her tears from coming. "It will just take up space..."
"Keep it," Klaus told her simply.
She gave him a curious look.
"You made it for her. It has sentimental value to you. It's not going to hurt anyone if you keep it – even if it just takes up space," he reasoned, trying to assuage her of her guilt for wanting to keep it.
She nodded. Feeling better, she hung the dress back up in the closet.
After the closet, they got to work on the ensuite, discarding all their bathroom products. They should have started here first; it was easier to discard used beauty and hygiene products than clothing. The only things she chose to keep were a bottle of Elijah's cologne and Elena's perfume, the smell of both filled her with warmth and sadness all at the same time.
They collected all the jewellery they found and put it all in Elena's large jewellery box. Many of the items were just costume jewellery, but others she knew were valuable – items from Elena's mother or gifts from Elijah. They placed the watches and rings Elijah owned there as well.
Klaus handed her a necklace similar to one he owned to be put in the box.
"He kept the necklace Henrik made for him. It should go in there," Klaus told her.
She took the simple necklace made of leather and beads and placed it in the box. All of it belonged to Grayson.
Setting the box down on the nightstand, she pushed the clothes back on the bed to clear a space for her to sit down. She watched Grayson play for a few minutes on the floor in front of her before pushing herself to continue.
Opening the nightstand drawer, she cringed at the sight of the box, but couldn't help but erupt into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Klaus wondered as he rounded the bed.
"They must be haunting us," she mused. "I think Elijah wanted you to have these," she chuckled, throwing the box of condoms in Klaus's direction.
Klaus scowled as he caught the box, but quickly broke into laughter as she had, realizing the irony.
"Elijah always did have my back," he smirked, inspecting the box. "Unfortunately, these are too small," he declared proudly.
She rolled her eyes with a scoff.
"Someone has delusions of grandeur," she laughed.
"I didn't hear you complaining earlier," he said smugly. "In fact, I heard quite the opposite."
Her cheeks reddened slightly.
"Is using your dead brother's condoms weird?" he wondered, eyeing the box suspiciously. "Why did they even use condoms anyways?" he wondered. "And why did Elijah need the 'value pack'?" Klaus joked amusedly. "I guess he always was a little over confident."
She shrugged with another laugh.
"Elena wasn't on the pill because she was breast feeding Grayson. They didn't want to chance it - not after how Grayson was conceived," she explained. "As for the 'value pack' you'd be surprised. The second Elena got the green light from her doctor she went out and bought a whole bag of condoms."
Klaus's face scrunched up in disgust as he threw the box on the bed.
"I really didn't need to know that," he groaned. "And I don't even want to know how you know," he said as he leaned down to pick up Grayson who had been tugging on his pant leg.
"Girls talk about these things," she told him.
"Right. How could I forget about your phone call with Bonnie this morning," he said mirthfully as he lifted Grayson over his head, much to Grayson's delight. "Girls are weird, Gray," he told him as Grayson smushed his palms against Klaus's face.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes dismissively, though internally revelling at the sight of Klaus and Grayson deepening their bond – even if it was over making fun of her.
"We should take a break now," she decided. "We managed to get a lot done."
"Now we just have the rest of the house to do...and the lake house," Klaus huffed as he held an amused Grayson in a football hold.
Klaus's mention of the lake house reminded her of what he had said to the caseworkers about them going their next weekend to clean it up.
"Speaking of the lake house, were you actually serious when you told the caseworkers we are going their next weekend?" she wondered.
"We have to go sometime soon. Chris already has renters lined up for it next month," he reminded her. "Plus...it might be nice to go up there for a weekend."
"I have a consultation next weekend and all this prep work for Miss Mystic Falls to start," she sighed, feeling the stress of her obligations begin to weigh on her shoulders.
"When was the last time you took a full weekend off?" Klaus asked her incredulously as he brought Grayson back up onto his hip.
She shrugged, assuming the last time she had a full weekend off it was probably the weekend Elijah and Elena had died.
"You could always take some work with you," he suggested, just as the phone in Elijah and Elena's bedroom sounded, startling them both.
"It's probably Bonnie or Rebekah," he guessed.
She examined the display on the phone.
"Speaking of work, it's the store," she said, instantly worried that something was wrong.
She stood up from the bed.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey Caroline, did you forget about the appointment you had today?" Camille's panicked voice asked her.
Her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't have any appointments scheduled today.
"Mrs. Lockwood's sister-in-law is here. She says she has a dress consultation with you today for her daughter...she won the silent auction prize."
"That's not until next Saturday," she said. "I remember writing it down in my planner."
"Well she and her daughter are here and they insist it happens today. They made the trip here from Washington," Camille said helplessly. "I wouldn't have called you if I could have handled this myself, but you're the designer," she continued apologetically. "What do you want me to tell them? We can try and make up a good excuse?" Camille proposed.
Gritting her teeth in frustration, she realized she couldn't make up a lie to get herself out of the commitment even if she swore it was scheduled for next Saturday and not today. She was already off to a bad start with Mrs. Lockwood's sister-in-law as it was. She didn't want to exacerbate the situation.
"Apologize to them. Tell them I'm on my way," she said, before ending the call.
"Problem at the store?" Klaus questioned.
"Speaking of the consultation I had next weekend," she groaned. "It was scheduled for next Saturday with Mrs. Lockwood's sister-in-law. She won the dress consultation and wants to use it for her daughter's wedding dress. Apparently she thought it was this Saturday," she said, releasing a stressful exhale. "I have to go in this afternoon."
Klaus seemed disappointed, and she couldn't blame him. She was disappointed as well. She had wanted to spend the day with both him and Grayson
"I guess we'll have to go to the park another day," she frowned. "Or, you and Grayson can still go if you want."
"Nah, we'll go when you can come too. Grayson should go for a nap soon anyways," he pointed out.
"I'm sorry, little monkey," she apologized, kissing Grayson on the cheek.
Klaus eyed her expectantly.
"What about me?" he asked her with a pout.
She released a sardonic snort, leaning in to kiss his cheek, only to have him turn at the last second so she kissed his lips instead.
"I'm sorry," she said, both for her unexpected absence and the fact that she had neglected him over Grayson.
"I know you'll make it up to me later," he flirted.
Wanting to look as presentable and professional as possible, she threw on a green spring dress, worked her hair into a neater ponytail, and attempted a bit of makeup.
She said a quick goodbye to Klaus and Grayson as she ran out the door fumbling with her purse and keys in one hand and her oversized shoulder bag in the other that contained all of her current work.
When she arrived at the store, Susan Lockwood did not look impressed, and neither did her daughter Mara – the bride to be, and twin sister to Mason Lockwood.
Though related by name only, what little she knew of Susan from when she was with Tyler, Susan and Carol Lockwood possessed very similar personalities – neither liked to be kept waiting. They had to be put first and they valued punctuality and strict schedules.
She was the same way when it came to schedules. Unfortunately, Susan Lockwood had deviated from her schedule. Her planner clearly had this appointment booked for next weekend.
After apologizing profusely and offering a further incentive to them to proceed with the consultation, she got to work taking Mara's measurements and showing them some preliminary designs she had been working on in her sketchbook.
The dress had to be classic and modest, but captivating as well. Mara's father was a Congressman in Washington – largely how Tyler got his job there – and some very important people would be attending. She needed to be the centre of attention on that day.
She spent the next few hours with Susan and Mara as they mixed and matched her designs, urged her to sketch their improvised ideas, and poured over her material samples.
If their bickering amongst each other and increasingly complicated demands weren't enough, she had to endure their seemingly innocent breaks for small talk which when they weren't discussing Mara's fiancé and wedding plans, they were frequently mentioning the status of her relationship with Tyler.
They were constantly noting how cute they looked dancing together at the fundraiser. They spent more time badmouthing Hayley. They inquired into the fight between Tyler and Klaus, and after appearing to buy that it was simple the result of too much testosterone and alcohol, they returned to the topic of her and Tyler reuniting. They reminisced about when she and Tyler were together. Susan even suggested she attend Mara's wedding as Tyler's date. They carried on about the successful career Tyler was building for himself and his 'changed ways' that, from what Klaus had told her about what he had overheard really hadn't changed at all. The two of were worse than Carol Lockwood herself. Though, she wouldn't have been surprised if Carol had put them up to their encouragement in the first place.
Curiously, they never once mentioned Klaus – beyond his altercation with Tyler – and they never once mentioned Grayson or commented on the photographs she had of him in her office. It was if neither Klaus nor Grayson factored into their plans for her and Tyler.
She kept trying to change the subject back to the task of designing a wedding dress, but conversation always seemed to circle back to her relationship with Tyler – or lack thereof. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs in declaration that she and Tyler were over for good – that any hopes they had about them reuniting were useless.
She wanted to tell them that she and Klaus were together, but last night she and Klaus had decided to keep things between them quiet beyond their close friends. Although now that CPS was aware of them, she wasn't sure there was a point. Still, she bit her tongue, if only because she worried what it might mean for her business with the Lockwoods.
Preliminary decisions in regards to the design of the dress had not been reached until well after the store was due to close.
When she walked Susan and Mara to the door – with a confirmed and reconfirmed date for their next appointment – she was surprised to see Camille still there tidying up the displays.
She knew they had to talk about Klaus, but she was dreading the conversation nonetheless.
"Have a safe trip back to Washington," she told the ladies as they headed for their car.
She shut the front doors of the store quickly, locking them in relief, hoping neither of the women would have any last minute changes of heart regarding the dress.
With her back towards the door, she leaned against it, closing her eyes briefly and exhaling sharply.
"I'm so glad that's over," she groaned.
"The worst part is you just did all that work for free," Camille mused.
She winced.
"Yes, but it was only the consultation. The dress won't be free, and it certainly won't be cheap either – even with the incentive I offered them," she said. "Plus, they were talking about bridesmaids dresses too."
"Isn't this wedding in a few months?" Camille inquired. "You don't want to stretch yourself too thin," she advised.
Camille did have a point. Between Miss Mystic, prom dresses, and weddings, she did have a lot of work coming up.
"I can't pass up this great opportunity to showcase my work," she replied. "Apparently there are a lot of very prominent people who are going to be at this wedding...the President and the First Lady are invited!"
Camille's eyes widened.
"Really?" Camille said incredulously.
She nodded excitedly as she shut off some of the lights at the front of the store.
"Okay, you definitely don't want to pass this opportunity up then," Camille urged her more enthusiastically. "Looks like we're going to have a very busy summer on our hands."
"Looks like it," she agreed anxiously, thrilled about the work she had to do, but intimidated by it at the same time.
"You're going to make some badass dresses this season, boss," Camille encouraged her as they walked to the back.
She smiled appreciatively as she began to put away the samples she had pulled. Camille started to help her.
Her stomach was turning but she knew she had to bring the subject up. She knew it was both on their minds. How could it not be?
"I need to thank you," she said, "and apologize."
"This is my job," Camille shrugged humorously.
"Well I mean for this, for staying late, for handling Susan and Mara before I got here...but," she breathed. "I was mostly referring to Klaus."
Camille hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
"I shouldn't have kept our history from you. I shouldn't have lied to you about how I felt about him. I shouldn't have encouraged you to see him. I was trying to bury my feelings. I'm really sorry for putting you in the middle of that and hurting you. I feel horrible," she confessed covering her emotions on her face with her hands.
"You're sorry?" Camille asked. "If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I didn't mean to pursue Klaus to hurt you. If I had known about your past with him and your feelings, I never would have given him a second thought," Camille assured her as her emotions began to show as well.
"I know," she nodded.
"After I talked to Klaus last night, your feelings for each other became pretty obvious," Camille explained. "I don't want to come between that."
She smiled at how understanding Camille was being.
"I also need to thank you," she started, "for talking to Klaus last night," she said.
"You mean for talking some sense into him?" Camille laughed.
She nodded.
"So, I'm assuming you two talked?" Camille questioned, her eyebrow raised curiously in anticipation of the details.
"After he got over the fact I had been out with Damon," she sighed, scowling over that misstep of hers.
Camille looked surprised.
"Once you and Klaus left the store, I bumped into Damon on my way out. I was upset about your date, so naturally when Damon invited me up to my old apartment for something to eat, I accepted. Long story short, being there with him made me realize that it wasn't where I wanted to be, or who I wanted to be with, so I left. Klaus was already home when I got back," she told her.
"What did he say?" Camille wondered.
"He was angry – and jealous, I suppose – that I had been with Damon. I confronted him about it, and that's when he kissed me and admitted his feelings for me," she explained, recalling the raw emotional confession she had received from him. "He was convinced he was too late, until I reciprocated his feelings."
A huge grin began to form on Camille's lips.
"And I'm assuming that's where the talking stopped?" Camille wondered wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Pretty much," she admitted bashfully, her cheeks reddening.
Camille gushed happily as she hugged her unexpectedly.
"I'm so happy for you!" Camille said. "He really cares about you."
"Thank you," she smiled as they parted from the hug. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Klaus and I being together? I don't want to make you uncomfortable," she worried.
Camille shook her head.
"Caroline, Klaus and I went on one date. It's not like I was in love with the guy. And we spent most of the date talking about you and Grayson," she laughed. "I'm not heartbroken. I get it. I want you to be happy...and I'm glad I could sort of inadvertently make that happen for you both," she said sincerely.
She no longer felt the weight that had been on her shoulders since arriving at the store earlier.
"Thank you," she repeated, knowing she owed a lot to Camille. "You are not only an amazing employee, but a great friend, too."
"I know," Camille joked. "Now I think I deserve to hear all the steamy details!" she teased.
She was running horribly late by the time she finished her talk with Camille and had stopped by the grocery store to pick up the items – namely coffee – she had neglected to get the night before – plus the items Klaus had requested she get over an hour ago via text message presumably for dinner.
When she burst through the back door nearly breathless from rushing and the constant stress she had been subjected to this afternoon, she was surprised to see Grayson in his highchair with a bottle in hand and Klaus rummaging through the fridge.
Grayson's eyes seemed to light up when he saw her and he dropped his bottle to express his excitement in a series of babbles she couldn't understand.
"Hey monkey," she smiled, setting her work on the counter behind him and leaning down to give him a kiss on top of his head.
He smelt like baby soap and baby powder. Klaus must have bathed him.
She was happy to see him, and her heart swelled at his apparent happiness to see her.
When Klaus emerged from inside the fridge, she felt the same excitement and happiness to see him – feelings that had been steadily growing since they had lost Elijah and Elena and inadvertently ended up together for Grayson's sake. The difference about tonight, however, was that she could express how happy she was to see him.
However, she felt a bit of hesitation grip her. How did she express it exactly, now that they were together? How did she greet him now that they were together? Did she kiss him? Did she do nothing?
She had always greeted Tyler with a quick kiss and a hug – depending on how long it had been since they had seen each other last. She wasn't sure what Klaus expected or didn't expect.
"I know, I know, I'm late," she winced as she set her work and the groceries on the centre island. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Did you get my text?"
Klaus nodded.
"I had Grayson start some of his dinner without us," Klaus said, glancing towards Grayson who was sucking happily away on his bottle once more.
She nodded as guilt crept up on her as she recalled CPS's invasive questions about her work schedule.
"Carol's sister-in-law and niece are more picky and particular than she is," she informed Klaus. "Camille and I were there an hour after the store technically closed. Then Camille and I talked, and then I picked up the groceries," she sighed, reaching into the grocery bag and removing the vegetables and chicken Klaus requested curiously.
"Chicken stir-fry," Klaus answered her unasked question as he rounded the island to help her remove the items.
Her stomach growled at the thought. The only thing she had eaten today were the pancakes she had cooked earlier.
"So how did the consultation go? The talk with Camille?" Klaus wondered, relief crossing his features as he removed the jar of coffee from the bag.
"They're both kind of long stories," she huffed.
Klaus gave her a concerned look.
"Nothing really bad, but just long, and I'm starved and this dress is uncomfortable and my feet are killing me in these heels," she began. "So, how about you start dinner, I'll go change and then I'll help you...and we can talk about it over dinner?" she suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea," Klaus agreed as his stomach also began to grumble in complaint.
She laughed.
"You could have eaten without me," she told him.
He shrugged.
"I wanted to have dinner with you," he explained.
A small smile curved on her lips.
"I'll go change then," she said quickly, not wanting to make him wait any longer.
She turned for the hall but Klaus snagged her hand back before she could.
Pulling her into him as he fell back against the counter, he kissed her deeply, awakening another appetite inside of her that she had thought he sated earlier this morning.
She let her body rest against his, his thigh tortuously snug between hers with her chest pressed against his. His hands rested firmly on her hips while hers snaked around his neck to bring him closer as their lips exchanged silent words.
Self-control was apparently futile around him. Now that they had acknowledged their feelings, all she wanted to do was express them physically.
They reversed positions so that Klaus had her pinned against the counter, his hands wandering over her curves as hers tangled themselves in his hair.
Grayson's squeals and the sound of something hitting the floor startled them both. They broke the kiss to see Grayson staring over at them with intrigue. His small empty dish was turned over on the floor.
She blushed and Klaus laughed.
"What was that for?" she wondered, wiping Klaus's bottom lip with her thumb to rid him of her lip colour.
"I've wanted to do that ever since you left," he explained. "Actually, I've wanted to do that every time you've came home from work for a while now," he confessed.
She knew she was smiling uncontrollably, but she didn't care.
"Well I think I'm going to need another demonstration when Grayson isn't staring at us," she chuckled.
"Maybe we should skip dinner and put Grayson to bed now?" Klaus murmured suggestively as he traced his lips along her neck.
She shook her head with an amused grin.
"I think Grayson needs more to eat," she laughed. "And I need to eat. I need energy first," she said before kissing him lightly once more and squirming out of her confinement so she could go change.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," Klaus said enthusiastically to her as they ate the meal they had struggled to prepare together in between playful disagreements and flirty behaviour. "I feel like we should have opened a bottle of wine to celebrate," he said, giving a critical look to the glass of water in his hand.
She shrugged as she cut up a few tiny pieces of chicken and vegetables for Grayson to eat.
"It's just a wedding dress...and possibly a few bridesmaid dresses," she said modestly, "nothing I haven't done before."
"Yeah, but this is different. Think about the people who might see them," Klaus reminded her. "As much as I loathe the Lockwoods and their elitist bullshi..." Klaus paused on his last word as he noted Grayson in his highchair beside her, "attitudes and their equal minded friends...they do know a lot of important people who know important people. This could be a big opportunity for your work to be noticed," he acknowledged.
She knew he had a point, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.
"I just don't want to get ahead of myself," she said, handing Grayson the food. "It could amount to nothing."
"Or it could amount to something," Klaus countered, trying to get her to think positively.
"Well, whatever happens, this dress is an added boost to the store's profit margin, so it's worth it, even if it means an extremely busy summer," she sighed, the concerns CPS had expressed earlier about her hectic work schedule echoing in her mind.
Klaus hesitated briefly and she looked up at him worriedly.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you think you could spare next weekend from your extremely busy work schedule...seeing as you no longer have that consultation booked?" he wondered.
"Why?" she probed.
"I talked to Stefan," he told her.
She tensed.
"I told him about the CPS visit this morning...and about us," Klaus explained.
"What did he say?" she pressed, hating how he was keeping her in suspense.
"Well, he wasn't really surprised to hear about what happened with us, he and Meredith saw it coming, and he was already aware – to an extent – how I feel about you," Klaus revealed.
The fact that he had talked to Stefan previously made her curious, but she decided to let him continue on describing his phone conversation with Stefan.
"As for what happened with CPS, he couldn't really give me much of an answer. He was at the airport heading to some conference in Chicago. He won't be back until Thursday and he'd just prefer to talk to both of us in person. So, I invited him and Meredith to the lake house next weekend. Stefan already offered to help us get the place ready. We need to clear it out soon, and you're going to be getting busy with work, so I thought next weekend was best. I thought it might be good to get away for the weekend with Grayson," he revealed.
She was a little caught off guard by Klaus's sudden plans. She liked to be in control and plan things. This possible change to her schedule was somewhat unsettling.
That said, there was a part of her that appreciated Klaus taking the initiative on this, and there was an even bigger part of her that longed for a weekend free from the store and their regular routine.
"We have that meeting with Grayson's daycare teachers next Friday afternoon," she reminded Klaus.
He nodded.
"I know. I thought we could leave after that?" he suggested. "It would give us a head start on getting things packed up. Stefan and Meredith can't come until Saturday."
She vacillated over the idea for a moment.
"Look, if next weekend isn't good, we can cancel. I told Stefan I had to talk to you about it for we made any firm plans," Klaus said. "But I know you want to help sort through things up there and we have to do it soon."
"I just hate putting the store on Camille and April to take care of," she admitted. "I'll need to talk to them first. I might have to put in a few late nights this week to give Camille a break to make up for it. Or maybe I'll close the store on Sunday."
Klaus seemed pleased with her response.
As much as she needed to focus on work, she also knew she needed to focus on Grayson and Klaus. This wasn't just a short trip of necessity to take care of the lake house; the three of them also needed this.
"Grayson and I also Skyped with Rebekah and Kol this afternoon," he revealed.
Her eyebrows raised in surprise, considering Klaus had ignored Rebekah's earlier call and the fact that he had a general aversion to communicating frequently with his siblings – particularly via Skype.
"Oh?" she asked curiously, knowing that both Kol and Rebekah would be well aware of the latest development in their relationship thanks to Bonnie.
"They insisted," Klaus added.
"Of course," she mused.
"They claimed they wanted to see Grayson, but all they really did was harass me about you," he groaned.
The way Klaus framed his siblings' curiosity concerned her.
"What did they say?" she asked hesitantly, worried what their reactions might have been, assuming the worst.
They had all been worried about what their history would mean for Grayson when they had first taken temporary custody of him. Naturally, she couldn't blame them for being concerned what a romantic relationship between them might mean for Grayson's future.
"They wished you good luck," Klaus laughed. "Apparently they think I'll be quite the challenge for you."
She rolled her eyes.
"Then they obviously don't know me very well," she retorted with a smirk. "They didn't say anything else?" she queried.
Klaus's eyebrow arched.
"They didn't say anything negative if that's what you're getting at," Klaus responded. "Kol and Rebekah had a wager on us getting together. Kol won betting under three months," he laughed. "So don't worry, love. I'd say they're supportive."
She smiled, breathing a small sigh of relief. Their positive reactions – along with Camille's - helped to offset the reaction they had received earlier from CPS, and she hoped they would offset the reactions from others who had yet to find out.
After dinner she took Grayson upstairs to change him into his pyjamas for the night
Returning downstairs, she and Grayson found Klaus lounging comfortably on the sofa in front of the television watching what appeared to be a black and white horror film.
She hated horror movies. They always unsettled her, even if she knew they were fiction.
Grayson reached out for Klaus as she sat down on the sofa beside him.
"Come here, Gray," Klaus encouraged, as she let Grayson climb onto Klaus's lap.
She watched as Grayson settled contentedly against Klaus with his thumb in his mouth.
"Do you think he should be watching this?" she wondered, referring to the movie and the fact that Grayson was transfixed by the glow of the television.
"He's not going to remember any of it," Klaus laughed. "Besides, I guarantee he'll be asleep in five minutes."
"His eyes are pretty heavy," she acknowledged. "I just don't want to be responsible for giving him nightmares," she worried.
Klaus smirked.
"Caroline Forbes, are you afraid of horror movies?" he wondered.
She shook her head.
"No!" she denied.
"That was utterly unconvincing," Klaus teased.
"Okay, so maybe they creep me out," she admitted.
"They're not real," he assured her.
"I know," she lamented.
"I can change the channel if you want," he offered amusedly.
"No, it's okay," she stated, not wanting to make a big deal out of her irrational fear. "But if I get nightmares, I'm blaming you," she accused.
Klaus laughed.
"I'll be sure to check under the bed for you tonight," he told her.
She bit her lip nervously as his comment raised her curiosity about their sleeping arrangements now that they were together.
"And will you stay with me again?" she inquired.
She could see a smile tugging on his lips at her question.
"If you want me to," he replied.
She nodded.
"Good," he stated, "because your bed is way more comfortable than the sofa bed in Elijah's office."
"So that's the real reason you stayed with me last night?" she joked.
"We both know that's a lie," he denied.
"So you just want my body?" she teased further.
He narrowed his gaze at her.
"We also both know that's also a lie, sweetheart," he emphasized.
"Good," she smiled, curling up closer to him on the couch, laughing quietly when she noticed Grayson's eyes closed and a bit of drool escaping onto Klaus's shirt.
She got Klaus's attention by pointing down at Grayson.
"He's asleep," she said with a quieter voice.
"Told you," Klaus said triumphantly. "Should we take him upstairs?"
"No, I think he's comfortable here," she decided, not wanting to disturb him for a bit lest they have to deal with a grumpy Grayson for waking him.
They sat there quietly for a few minutes, Klaus watching the movie, her distracting herself a little with the amusing sight of Grayson and the feeling of contentment she felt next to both him and Klaus – even if a woman about to be murdered was screaming on the television.
She liked this.
After noting how adorable Klaus and Grayson looked together and wishing she could sneak a picture, she let herself concentrate on Klaus's hand next to hers.
She thought about the way his hands could wield a paintbrush to create such beautiful art, and the way those same hands wielded her body the night before to create with her something akin to beautiful art – intimacy perhaps.
Without much forethought, she allowed the tips of her fingers to trace the palm of his hand lightly.
She could feel Klaus's body stiffen and his hand twitch, but she continued, and he let her.
"So, you never did tell me how your talk with Camille went?" Klaus inquired tentatively, clearly trying to distract himself from her gesture.
She looked up at him innocently.
"Surprisingly, it turned out to be the easiest part of going into work," she concluded. "I apologized and thanked her. She apologized to me – even though she really had nothing to apologize for. There were no hard feelings...we're still friends...and she's still my employee," she mused.
"That's good," Klaus noted.
Her fingertips circled his palm a few more times before she rested her palm against his as they sat there quietly.
"She says you really care about me," she smirked.
Klaus's hand closed around hers.
"Well, I suppose that's also not a lie," he said.
A/N: So, what do you think!? This was kind of a filler chapter, but I feel that it's important to show Caroline and Klaus adjusting to their new dynamic.
I know some of you were expecting the surprise visitor to be Mikael and Esther, Kol and Bonnie, Rebekah or even Marcel. I'm sorry to disappoint. I wanted to throw you off a little so you would be at least a little surprised. Don't worry though, the characters I just mentioned will be making appearances soon.
As for what's to come in the next couple of chapters: more smutty adventures in new places; a parent/teacher meeting; Klaus, Caroline, and Grayson and the outdoors, and someone will be receiving some very exciting news soon.
Stay tuned!
The next two weeks are going to be hell for me (final exams) and moving back home so please don't expect a new chapter until the end of April - early May.