Garota - Aw. Matt is not boring. He's, like you said, a comforting friend, always there for you. I won't argue with your POV on Forwood and the breakup, not because I agree, but because I don't want to get into any debates about that. :P Clearly, I do still ship Forwood. Now more than ever! Are you kidding? Having to write that breakup showed me just how deep into my heart that ship got. lol

Replica Velocity- I could never turn Tyler into a creep!

Agostina- lol Klaroline sex. Now that's going to be the next continuous request after breaking up my OTP.

KlausNCaroline- lol All the epic stops with that one line? Wow. I must be better at this than I thought. :) You're not mean. Not everyone can love Tyler the way I do. :)

Vero- Hahaha! I'm not going to kill you. (yet :P) And sorry, dear, but my Forwood obsession LIVES ON! I know, I know. I promise to read your fic when life allows me the time. Trust me, I definitely want to.

MissTerie- I knew you wouldn't be happy, but it's okay. And uh...it would definitely be predictable, only because the last line of the last chapter said she was going back there. So...uh...yeah.

Pixie - lol Was that even a review? Kidding! You know this one is for you, by the way. :P

Heyyy. I saw some new faces out there in Review world. *waves* Hi guys! Thanks for braving a few words and reading the story, even if you just found it! :)
As always I am eternally grateful. Y'know, like those little green alien guys in Toy Story are to Mr. Potato Head? "OOOOOOOOOOH!"
(Okay. Clearly I'm in a weird mood. Don't mind me. Just know I love you all as much as I always do, if not more.)


*Note: I'm back in school, starting tomorrow. Hoping that I'll still be able to keep this update in a timely manner, but just be forewarned in case I take a teensy bit longer. *

So, I'll just leave this here...


Chapter 29

Upon walking into the bar, Caroline nearly tripped over her own feet. There as Fate, playing games again, because sitting at the bar were two Originals, and one just so happened to be a hybrid. He sat beside his younger brother eerily reminding her of the last time she'd encountered them in the Grill. Thankfully, they hadn't noticed her yet. Should she leave? Avoid the whole awkward and infuriating confrontation? Her anger was bubbling just under the surface and the man to blame was just feet away. Freeing her anger at him seemed dangerous though. He was stronger, quicker. And this was a public place. She sighed, stowing away her emotions again. Holding her head high, she walked briskly toward them as if nothing were wrong. Game on.

"Well, isn't this familiar?' she joked as she got closer.

Klaus swiveled his stool, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her. "I only hope this isn't another distraction."

"Are you going to walk away again?" Kol asked, innocently, his own stool swiveling. "It was a lovely view."

"Actually, I could use a drink," she sighed, sitting beside Klaus. "Or five."

Klaus raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain, Kol mirroring behind him. She regarded them, dryly. Did she really want to give Klaus the satisfaction and tell him that Tyler just dumped her?

She signaled the bartender. "Can I get a double shot of tequila, please?"

Nope.


By the fourth double shot, Caroline was feeling the effects of the tequila. The contrast of the heat the alcohol had induced in her normally ice cold body was a interestingly trippy feeling. Moreso than the lightheadedness. And she was smiling from ear to ear now, for no apparent reason. But, hey. It beat sulking in the misery that was currently her life. Bonnie, Elena, Tyler? Who cared about them?

Even in the company of Klaus and Kol she was content. Though they'd exchanged some banter here and there, her eyes were mostly continuously scanning the bar for Matt. He was waiting tables and caught her eye a few times during the night. It was only when Kol introduced the notion of playing a game that she finally stopped looking for him. Bribing her with another drink, he'd managed to persuade her to partake in a game of "Marry, Sex, Kill" in which three choices of person – usually famous – were given and you'd choose which category they'd be allotted. It was a recipe for disaster, but in her clouded judgment, she conceded.

At first it was awkward as Klaus and Kol's knowledge of famous figures was a bit broader than Caroline's. Or rather, a bit dated. The thought of marrying or sleeping with Pablo Picasso or Mark Twain repulsed her, although she did admit that Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Edison were hot when they were young, giving Klaus a good laugh. Eventually they turned to the local residents for selections. It was Caroline's turn to give Klaus a setup.

"Hmm..." she pondered, feeling overly tipsy now. "Okay, I got it. Katherine...Elena..."

"Mm!" Kol quickly sat up, gulping the sip of whiskey he'd taken quickly. "Tatia. A complete set of Petrovas."

Klaus turned his head to glare at his brother. Kol raised his glass, hiding his pleased grin in his whiskey.

"Who's Tatia?" Caroline wondered.

"The originator of the Dopplegangers," Kol told her. Again, Klaus glared. "Sorry, Nik. Alcohol just seems to loosen my lips."

"I'd be happy to see to it that they stay shut," Klaus said through gritted teeth.

"Okay," Caroline consented, ignoring their bickering. "Katherine, Elena, and whoever Tatia is. Go."

"Remind me why we started playing this again?" Klaus said glumly, taking a swig of his bourbon.

"No sidetracking!"

His lips lifted in a half smile. "Well Katherine I would kill, no question. I don't particularly want to sleep with or marry Elena, however."

"I've one for you, Caroline," Kol deviated, his lips twisting into a devilish smirk. "Tyler Lockwood, the quarterback bus boy over there - "

"Matt?"

"Matt, yes." He nodded bitterly, then his evil smirk returned. "And, Nik."

Caroline was aghast. She glanced at Klaus and he raised his eyebrows innocently, his dimples appearing as he suppressed his satisfaction. She shook her head, averting her eyes. Damn. She should never have agreed to this game. Her emotions for all three choices were running buck wild, as it was. The game wasn't exactly making it easier to cope.

"You have to choose sometime, love," Klaus gently urged her. Though it seemed his tone was alluding to more than just the game.

She glowered. "I'm thinking."

Kol smirked, cocking his head to the side. "Is the point of the game not to make it as challenging as possible?"

Her eyes flicked up to his, glaringly, making his smile widen. "This isn't helping you get on my good side, you know."

His eyes gleamed, flirtatiously. "I'll take any side I can get on."

Klaus's face hardened and he glanced at Kol wearing a threatening glare. Kol's eyes narrowed, challengingly and he slowly let his gaze drift back to Caroline.

"Let's hear it, darling," Kol pressed, ignoring his brother's apparent anger..

"Well," she started. She would have to play it off, she quickly decided. This was gonna suck. "I would marry Tyler, of course."

"Clearly a given," Klaus mocked, his words tinged with rancor.

Caroline stared up at him, loving the way his eyes twinkled with a bit of disappointment and a whole lot of anticipation. She'd keep him in suspense forever if she could, just to always see that look in his eyes. She ducked her head focusing on her drink and hoping her face wasn't broadcasting her thoughts. Why was she answering this question? Sober Caroline would find a loophole. Alcohol. Always blame the alcohol.

"SleepwithKlausandkillMatt," she blurted as fast as she could.

Klaus blinked, the corners of his mouth turning up. "Didn't quite catch that," he lied.

Coyly, she turned her head so their eyes locked. "Sleep with Klaus, and kill Matt."

"Interesting choice," Klaus teased with a smile.

"It's a rhetorical game," Caroline reminded him, turning off her flirty gaze.

He leaned close, lowering his voice. "Doesn't have to be."

She couldn't decide if it was the sensuous way his accent made the words sound or the alcohol but suddenly her blood suddenly ran scolding hot. It tingled against the coldness of her skin. She swallowed, tossing her hair in an effort to maintain what cool she had left.

"So I guess I should go kill Matt then?"

"Jeeze, I hope not," a voice came from next to her.

Klaus turned his head, hiding his grin, while she looked up dazedly to see Matt on the opposite side of the bar.

"Matt!" she blinked, trying to clear her blurring vision. "W...hat are you doing behind the bar?"

"Listening to you plot my death, apparently," he joked grimly. "No, I uh, sort of got promoted."

Her eyebrows raised, impressed. "Oh! Wow, congrats!"

"Thanks," he smiled, awkwardly. "You're not really gonna kill me, right?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's just some stupid game they made me play."

He flashed his boyish smile as he leaned over the bar, folding his hands. "A game, huh?"

"Marry, Sex, Kill?" she told him, letting out a hiccup.

His eyebrows rose in intrigue. "So who'd I lose out to?"

Caroline froze like a deer in headlights. Crap. How would he react to her choosing Klaus over him? But it was just a game! And...she was drunk! Kind of...

"Tyler Lockwood," Klaus answered before she could, again with that resentful tone. It was actually starting to sound kind of hot. No. Nope. That was just the alcohol talking.

"Aren't there three choices?" Matt asked, eyeing Klaus suspiciously.

She shot Klaus a warning glance but unfortunately it didn't quite reach Kol.

"My brother," he was all too happy to tell Matt, nodding his head toward Klaus.

Matt's eyebrows furrowed, and he let out a nervous laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"I don't kid," Kol remarked, repugnant.

Matt's eyes switched to the other Original. Klaus blinked, slowly raising his eyes to Matt's with a sickening smirk, eating up every bit of pain in his eyes.

"Matt, it's just a game," Caroline frowned, apologetically. "It has nothing to do with reality."

"Yeah." He nodded a few times, trying to lighten up. He finally plastered a smile to his face. "Yeah. I know that."

Caroline silently swore to find a way to get back at Kol for spilling the beans. Originals. They were always good for making things go from bad to worse.

"Hey listen," Matt was saying quietly, his attention back on her. "When you get a second, can we talk?"

"Only if you get me another Tequila Sunrise," she beamed, trying to appear as though the previous conversation never happened.

He laughed. "You sure? You look like you've had one too many, already."

"I haven't had enough," she argued. "My plan for tonight – get really really drunk."

"If you say so," he chuckled.

"I do. It's been a really sucky day."

Matt's smile withered around the edges. It made her own grin falter, slightly. Hmm. What did he know?

"One Tequila Sunrise, coming up," he said with a sigh.

"I like this one, Nik," Kol said, leaning back against the bar. "She's reckless."

Caroline glanced at him then to Klaus. He raised a questioning eyebrow, clearly having eavesdropped on the muted conversation between her and Matt. Brushing him off, she got up and went down to the far end of the bar where Matt was making her drink. She stood, leaning against the counter smiling.

"You wanted to talk?"

He looked up with a lopsided grin. "You really chose Klaus over me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Is that really what you wanted to talk about?"

"No," his smile faded. "Tyler called me."

Caroline glanced downward, falling into one of the stools. "Oh."

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

She glanced sideways at him, frowning. "Not really."

"I'm sorry, Care."

"Me too."

Acting on impulse, he rounded the bar and pulled her to him in a consoling hug. It surprised her at first but she eased into his arms, taking comfort.

"I screwed up, Matt," she said softly, her voice wavering.

He pulled back, caressing her face. "He screwed up, letting you go like that. Besides, he was a pathological cheater before you. He has no right to be pissed. And it's not like you kissed Klaus on purpose, right?"

She smiled at him, gratefully, and nodded while he got back behind the bar and continued making her drink. Not the first time, anyway... she thought glumly.

"So you gonna tell me why you're here with those guys?"

She laughed. "I'm not with them. They were here when I got here."

"Just be careful, Care." She frowned at the wood countertop. "Hey, look. I'm not trying to lecture you or judge you. I'm not Elena or Bonnie. I just don't want to see you mixed up with a bad crowd, you know? I still care about you, Caroline."

Caroline looked back up at him, with a heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Matt."

"For what?"

"For not trying to tell me what to do."

"Hey. Technically you're an adult now, right? You can make your own choices." He slid her drink over to her, which somehow seemed to emphasize the point. "I gotta get back to work. Tables aren't gonna wait themselves."

"Hmm. Busboy, waiter, and now a bartender," she teased as he walked away backwards.

"I do a little bit of everything," he called out, grinning as he spun back around.

Glad to have at least one faithful person on her side, Caroline sipped her drink, amazed at how good he made it, and retreated back to her Original party.


Three more drinks and an hour later, Caroline was drunker than she intended to get. Her jacket was already lost somewhere behind the bar, she'd spilled a total of two and a half drinks, and if it weren't for Klaus, she would have fallen off her stool three separate times.

"I think perhaps we should get you home before you hurt yourself," Klaus suggested.

"Too late for thaaaaat," she sighed, grimly. She then proceeded to grab what was left of his bourbon and downed it.

He stared at her, taken aback. "Under normal circumstances, you'd pay for that."

"You know what I think?" she drawled. "I think you're all bark and no bite." She paused and suddenly burst into laughter. "Omigod! That's so funny! Because you're a hybrid and you totally do both!"

While she buckled over in hysterics, Klaus glanced at Kol who was clearly enjoying the Caroline show.

"I can't decide if I like sober Caroline or drunk Caroline better."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'm taking her home."

"Atta boy!" Kol responded cheerfully, clanking his glass against Klaus's now empty one.

Klaus picked her bag up from the adjacent stool and began to search it for her keys. Caroline's teary eyes widened and she snatched it from him, all traces of laughter faded.

"You can't just go into peoples' bags, you know," she scolded. "Invasion of privacy, much?"

With narrowed eyes, he smirked irritably and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close to him. She stumbled against his chest and he took hold of her free wrist, then plucked the keys from the bag she held. He tossed them to Kol and released her, ignoring the fiery look of allure in her eyes.

"Drop her car back to her house when you can, please, Kol?"

"Perhaps maybe I should come with," Kol smiled brightly, toying with the keys on his finger. His eyes flicked to Caroline. "Make sure Nik keeps his hands to himself?"

"She's drunk, Kol," Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to take advantage."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

After nearly stumbling, Caroline managed to turn and face Kol, her eyebrows scrunched.

"Youuuu," she wagged her finger at him. "Stay. More worried 'bout your hands than Hybrid Head Case here."

Kol laughed. "She's a delightful one, isn't she?"

"I'll meet you at home, Kol," Klaus nodded, ushering her out.

"Don't worry. I won't wait up," he called after them.

Klaus led her to his SUV, opening the passenger side door for her. She stopped, turning to face him again while still holding onto the top of the door. She circled her index finger in his face.

"Did you know you have a reaaally nice car?"

He grinned, amusedly. "I did. It's nicer once you actually get into it."

She raised her eyebrows and, accepting his challenge, clumsily got inside. He closed the door behind her and got into the driver's side.

"S'not that great in here," Caroline said once he started the ignition. "Just looks like a car."

"That would be because it is a car," he responded, pulling away from the curb.

She quieted a moment, then turned to him, her seatbelt twisting against her neck. "You're making fun of me."

"Just a little," he smiled.

She crossed her arms, pouting. "Jerk."

A short drive later, they'd reached Caroline's house. She nearly tripped three times down the walkway so he'd resorted to carrying her upstairs to her room to which she shouted several protests. Once inside, she'd quieted. The house was dark and silent which meant that Liz wasn't home – a far better thing, too. He helped Caroline get settled into her bed. She was still in her clothes and her hair was a frizzy mess but she hadn't taken notice. She was too busy staring at him, intrigued.

"Why are you being so nice when all I keep doing is brushing you off?"

"I wanted to be sure you got home safe and were taken care of."

"I can take care of myself," she mumbled, stubbornly.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know."

"You know, you have this prime opportunity to do anything you want. So why don't you just do it?"

"Because, you are drunk, and, " he said, pulling the covers over her, "I am a gentleman."

"Uh-uh," she shook her head rapidly. Whoa. That didn't feel good. She forced her eyes closed, waiting for the wave of nausea to pass.

"Lie down," he instructed, gently trying to ease her against the pillows.

She pushed him back, forcing her way upright again, and huffed in frustration. "God. Stop being so nice, already. Where's the crazy, vicious Klaus that takes what he wants without remorse?"

"You don't want that to happen," he sternly assured her. "Besides, your boyfriend, I'm sure, would not approve."

"Not my boyfriend anymore," she muttered admittedly, falling hard against the pillows and glancing away from his curious face. Why had she even told him that?

"It'd be a lie to say I was sorry to hear that," he confessed.

"Well," she straightened up, putting on her most seductive smile. "That's why mm goin' to give you permission," she slurred. "It'sa one night only special."

He blinked slowly, trying to repress his grin but his dimples betrayed him. "I appreciate that, but I also know that you wouldn't appreciate it in the morning."

"Look. I'll even help you out," she muttered, pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it in his lap.

His eyes widened at the sight of her flesh. Containing his grin, he forced his eyes downward while holding her shirt out to her. "Put your shirt back on, love."

"No. It's too hot in here, anyway."

She snatched the shirt from him and tossed it across the room, emphasizing her refusal. He watched it fly and glanced back at her in astonishment. Keeping his eyes focused intently on her face, he began to raise the covers over her body.

"You are more drunk than I anticipated," he told her teasingly.

"They're just breasts, Klaus," she said, raising her arms so the covers fell.

Her hands fell against her tilted head so her arms were bent. Klaus's eyes unintentionally slipped downward. It was a dark plum bra with lace overlay and it was a push-up, giving her copious amounts of cleavage. His attention was redirected as she pulled her legs forward, climbing completely out of the covers, and began to stalk over to him on all fours.

"I know you want to," she purred, walking her two fingers up his thigh.

He grabbed her wrist, tearing it off his leg. His face had turned primal, Caroline's only inches from his.

"Don't," he growled, warningly.

She searched his eyes, wondering what thoughts were behind all that raw emotion. For a brief moment she felt sober and back in control. And then her eyes traveled down to his lips – parted and luscious and pink. And inviting. She met his eyes once more, her head swimming with intoxication.

"Kiss me," she whispered.

Without hesitation, he grabbed her face, kissing her hungrily. Her hands traveled up around his neck, pulling him into her. She drank in the taste of his lips, feeling as though it were a sweet and much needed release. Klaus forced her down into the bed, his hands skimming up the sides of her thighs, traveling beneath her skirt. Her hands slid up his back to dig her nails into his shoulders. He growled in pain, pressing his groin hard against hers, causing her to let out a small moan against his lips.

When her fingers started sliding under his shirt and forcing it upward, he pulled away, realizing what he was doing. Caroline stared eagerly up at him hovering over her on his knees.

"This is wrong," he told her.

"I know," she said, but her eyes showed no hint of caring.

Klaus's eyebrows twitched in confusion and his eyes slipped downward to her nearly bare chest rising and falling as she panted. Beautiful, in every which way. He would have loved nothing more than to ravage her right then and there, but knowing that she was drunk and would regret everything in the morning, he couldn't allow it. He forced himself to look back up at her.

"I'm sorry, love," he murmured. "But I can't take you this way." As he caught her gaze, he watched her pupils dilate as his own constricted. "When you awaken, you will not remember any of the events following our departure from the Grill. You had enough drinks that you blacked out. We parted ways at your door where I laid a mere kiss upon your hand and nothing more."

Caroline blinked, and when her eyes reopened, she was alone.