A/N: Very sorry for the delay. The chapter turned out longer than I expected. It has not been beta'd, so please go easy on me.
"Mikaelson," he heard Marcel say from behind him to get his attention.
He turned his attention away from the entrance to Marcel who had a glass of beer in hand.
"Everyone's buzzing about your paintings and you're standing off in the corner looking at the door like a lost puppy dog," Marcel groaned. "You should be schmoozing with these rich bastards," he said in a quieter voice as they both scanned the room full of New York City aristocracy. "They have more money than they know what to do with and they want a piece of your work. We can't afford to blow this," Marcel said encouragingly. "What's going on?" he pushed.
He didn't need Marcel breathing down his neck. He knew he couldn't afford to sabotage this night. This was the break both he and Marcel had been waiting for. He had made somewhat of an effort to humour those whose money had went into sponsoring this event and whose money he had hoped to put in his pocket in exchange for his work, but he could no longer focus, too distracted by the silence of his phone and the absence of a particular blonde.
Marcel's query annoyed him and made him feel self conscious and embarrassed. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want Marcel to give him a hard time. Yet, being consumed by his own thoughts and anxieties was killing him.
"It's Caroline," he spoke up. "She hasn't texted me. I think she's upset with me," he revealed.
A small smirk played on Marcel's lips before he quickly brushed it aside, knowing his amusement was unappreciated.
"I'm sure she's on her way. She's probably just making you wait on purpose to get you back for whatever you did wrong," Marcel chuckled. "What did you do?" He asked curiously.
It annoyed him that Marcel automatically assumed that he had done something wrong.
He shrugged.
"Obviously something happened. You two seemed pretty happy earlier this afternoon," Marcel pointed out.
"We ran into Genevieve at the Zoo," he admitted.
Marcel gave him a confused look.
"We saw each other a couple of times before I left…before Elijah…" he paused as Marcel nodded knowingly.
"Oh! She was the sexy red head, the aspiring singer we met at that karaoke bar," Marcel recalled. "Please do not tell me you flirted with her in front of Caroline, Klaus," he shook his head disappointedly.
"That's the thing…I didn't flirt at all!" He denied. "We barely exchanged words. I don't understand why Caroline would be upset. She knows about my past. I literally said nothing of substance to Genevieve," he rambled hopelessly as he replayed the conversation over in his mind, searching for any clue that might explain why Caroline had been passive aggressively avoiding him since.
A light bulb seemed to go on in Marcel's mind. "Well maybe that's why she's upset," he concluded, which only served to confuse him more. "Maybe it's not so much what you said to Genevieve but what you didn't say. Women read into that shit."
He considered what Marcel had said and again, came up short of an explanation.
"Caroline knows about your past Klaus. Obviously she has accepted it or she wouldn't be with you, but man you need to make her feel secure. You need to make her feel like your past is your past and she is your future – if that's what you really want," Marcel explained.
His own light bulb went on as he continued to think about what had happened at the Zoo. He should have been the one to tell Genevieve about his relationship with Caroline. It shouldn't have been up to her to explain. As he recalled the bitter tone in Caroline's voice when she introduced herself to Genevieve, coupled with Marcel's words, he knew that Marcel was right.
"Do you love her?" Marcel asked him.
He swallowed hard anxiously as his mouth went dry. Marcel always had a way about hitting you with intense questions you were never fully prepared for.
Marcel hit his shoulder playfully. "Come on Mikaelson. Don't play shy. I see how you are with her," he concluded teasingly.
His face flushed red and his stomach tightened into knots.
"I do," he found himself confessing. He felt a weight fall off of his shoulders with his admission.
Marcel smirked and laughed happily. "Klaus Mikaelson is in love!" he said teasingly. "I never thought I would see the day," he grinned as he put his arm around his shoulders excitedly.
"Neither did I," he admitted, wondering how he could change so much in just a few short months. He supposed that change began slowly with the first time he and Caroline had crossed paths. "I have no idea how I'm going to get Caroline to forgive me," he sighed.
Sure, he and Caroline had their tense moments in the past, but what had happened today felt different. He felt nervous about how Caroline would react to anything he would have to say.
Marcel glanced around the room pensively, clearly trying to help him come up with a plan to put him back in Caroline's good books.
"You are going to tell her exactly what you told me later when you have some time alone," Marcel stated plainly. "But, for now, you are going to tell Caroline how sexy she looks in that black dress – or I will for you," he said, staring past him.
He followed Marcel's attention back towards the front entrance where he had originally been watching for Caroline to arrive.
His eyes widened as he looked across the room.
Caroline was all he could focus on.
Her long black dress hugged her body perfectly. It was sexy in a flirtatious sort of way, with a daring slit up the side and an exposed back. It was all accentuated by her golden hair pinned into a low bun to the side of her neck, her dark eye makeup, and glimmering earrings.
He couldn't take his eyes off her, and it seemed as if others at the venue couldn't either.
"I guess this is her version of payback," he concluded to Marcel, knowing he deserved every moment.
"Payback is definitely a bitch," Marcel chuckled, elbowing him in the side.
He scoffed as a small smirk played on his lips.
Just as he met Caroline's eyes, Bonnie was grabbing her arm discreetly, pulling her towards the bathrooms with Rebekah following closely behind.
"Uh oh," Marcel remarked.
"What?" he asked confusedly.
Marcel shook his head.
"Bathroom chats are never a good sign," Marcel informed him.
"Wow this place is fancy," Kol commented as they walked up the front stairs to the entranceway of the venue. "Thank god they have an open bar," he snorted as he walked ahead with Grayson in his arms and Bonnie and Rebekah on either side.
She stayed back on purpose. She felt nervous about the event. Part of it was anxiety for Klaus. She wanted this night to go well for him. Another part of her anxiety stemmed from the thought of seeing Klaus. She didn't want things to be awkward between them on this night, but she was feeling uneasy about their afternoon encounter with Klaus's former flame.
Noticing her walking behind, Bonnie and Rebekah slowed so she could catch up, obviously sensing that something was off.
"Those heels aren't bugging you already are they?" Rebekah questioned, referring to black high heels Rebekah had lent her, being as they were about the same shoe size.
She shook her head.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Bonnie asked.
Bonnie always knew when something was bothering her no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
"Mmmhmm," she nodded quickly, trying to reassure her as they walked through the main entrance and into the Rotunda, the main venue for the Gala where the art was displayed.
"You and my brother seemed off when you two got to Bonnie's earlier. What did he do?" Rebekah asked.
She couldn't help but chuckle softly despite how she felt. It was nice to know that Rebekah had her back even though Klaus was her brother.
"Everything's fine," she said, not wanting to get into any details as she began scanning the venue for Klaus.
Bonnie arched her eyebrow in disbelief.
She locked eyes with Klaus from across the room. He was standing with Marcel, dressed in a traditional black suit, white shirt and black tie. It was hard to deny to herself how handsome he looked. Before she could consider whether she would make the first move and approach him, she felt Bonnie tugging at her arm.
"Bathroom break, now," Bonnie said firmly, pulling her in the direction of the sign directing guests to the bathroom.
She looked back towards Kol who had Grayson.
"I guess I'll go find Niklaus," he said with a shrug.
"And the champagne!" Rebekah instructed him as she followed behind them.
In the bathroom, she gave Rebekah and Bonnie a brief summary of what had happened that afternoon during her and Klaus's encounter with Genevieve.
"My brother can be such an ass," Rebekah groaned disapprovingly. "Do you want me to talk to him? I'm sure I can talk some sense into him," she said confidently.
Her eyes widened as she shook her head.
"No! It's okay Rebekah. We'll figure it out," she reassured Rebekah.
Bonnie had a skeptical look on her face.
The last thing she needed to hear from Bonnie was 'I told you so' which is what she was expecting.
"You need to talk to him later and tell him how today made you feel. He needs to start acknowledging to other people that you and Grayson are a part of his life now," Bonnie said wisely.
She didn't disagree.
They were taken away from their conversation by another woman entering the bathroom.
"For now, play hard to get and show him what he's missing," Bonnie smirked as she held the bathroom door open for her to step out.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she spotted Marcel, Kol, and Klaus standing near a cocktail table to the side of the room. Klaus was now holding Grayson, standing back from both Kol and Marcel.
She let Bonnie take the lead as she followed with Rebekah.
"Ladies," Marcel nodded towards the three of them as they approached.
"Guess you forgot to get us champagne," Rebekah scoffed at Kol, interrupting Marcel's greeting.
"Relax sister, a server is coming around," Kol countered.
"Damn Caroline, are you sure you're not part of the art on display tonight?" Marcel said cheekily, ignoring Kol and Rebekah's bickering.
She smirked and rolled her eyes, coming to expect Marcel's overt flirtations.
"You look very dapper yourself," she complimented Marcel, who was dressed in an all-black suit.
Marcel winked playfully before turning to Bonnie and shielding his eyes with his forearm.
"Wow! That rock Kol gave you is blinding," he joked.
Bonnie shook her head dismissively as a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"I definitely had to cover my eyes when I looked at my bank account after paying for it," Kol lamented.
"Happy wife, happy life, my man," Marcel commented to Kol.
"Words to live by," Bonnie nodded in agreement as Kol scowled.
She watched Marcel as he made eye contact with Rebekah.
Marcel extended his hand for Rebekah's as he kissed the back of her hand charmingly.
"You must be the fairer Mikaelson sibling, Rebekah," he grinned.
"What makes you so sure?" Rebekah questioned as she removed her hand from his embrace, seemingly intrigued and unimpressed by Marcel's bold personality all at once.
"One, process of elimination; two, your accent; and three, Klaus has told me you're quite the firecracker," Marcel revealed, garnering Klaus a glare from Rebekah.
Rebekah's eyebrow arched curiously with Marcel's answer.
"Well, that might be the first time my brother has been right about anything," Rebekah quipped.
She and Bonnie exchanged amused smirks with one another. Klaus grumbled under his breath while Kol snorted with laughter.
"And you must be Marcus, Nik's womanizing work partner who is fluent in cheesy pick-up lines," Rebekah added flatly.
Her eyes widened at Rebekah's sharp remark.
Marcel's expression went blank as he let out a quiet scoff. He shot Klaus a brief glance.
"My sister's words not mine," Klaus said defensively.
Marcel turned his attention back towards Rebekah.
"It's Marcel, actually," he pointed out, still seemingly stunned by Rebekah's ability to bite back.
Rebekah shrugged indifferently.
Before the conversation could go any further, a server stopped at their group with a variety of drinks on a tray.
Rebekah reached immediately for a champagne flute while Bonnie did the same. She opted for a glass of white wine. Marcel reached for a glass of beer, while Kol and Klaus took what appeared to be some sort of spirit in tumbler glasses.
She glanced at Klaus briefly, but they did not exchange words. She was hoping the glass of wine would give her some courage to finish the conversation Klaus had tried to start earlier.
In any case, he was preoccupied with Grayson who was tugging at his tie.
It had crossed her mind to take Grayson off his hands as this was Klaus' event and he should be networking with all the prominent people involved with the New York art scene who had come to see his work, but Marcel interrupted her thought before she could offer.
"How about that dance?" Marcel asked her, the sparkle in his eyes a little less brighter since Rebekah shot down his advances.
Partly out of pity for Marcel and partly out of a desire to forget about what had happened earlier with Klaus, she nodded with a small smile, readily taking his hand.
"Between you and me, this really isn't my type of dance," Marcel admitted, referring to the slow pop ballad that was playing. "But I don't think Klaus would appreciate my other moves," he smirked.
She laughed, knowing that Marcel was only being genuine and not trying to make her feel uncomfortable.
As they started to dance, she noticed Marcel was preoccupied, his eyes occasionally peering over to where Rebekah was standing. She couldn't fault Marcel for being distracted; Rebekah looked gorgeous in a form fitting strapless floral dress with her blonde hair loosely curled. None of the Mikaelsons were left shorthanded when it came to genetics, she thought to herself.
"Seems like your moves really aren't a hit with the Mikaelson's in general," she observed jokingly, referring to Rebekah as they began to dance.
"The Mikaelsons all take themselves too seriously," Marcel remarked.
She nodded, realizing Marcel had a good point. Elena had always bugged Elijah about the same thing.
"Rebekah is just a bit jaded. She hasn't had much luck when it comes to dating," she explained, trying to come to Rebekah's defence, nevertheless. "She has her guard up."
"It was just some innocent flirting to break the ice anyways. That's my M.O. I wasn't actually serious. Klaus would kill me if I went after his little sister," Marcel shrugged. "Hell no," he shook his head.
The mental image of Klaus's reaction made her laugh.
They both glanced over at Klaus who was now speaking to Rebekah away from Bonnie and Kol. Bonnie was holding Grayson.
Judging by Rebekah's unimpressed expression, she was worried Rebekah might be confronting him about what she had talked to Rebekah and Bonnie about in the bathroom.
"Maybe Rebekah will have better luck in talking some sense into him," Marcel noted
She gave Marcel a curious look, uncertain about what he was referring to.
"He mentioned that you had a run in with someone Klaus used to see," Marcel revealed.
"Genevieve," she clarified.
Marcel nodded.
"The relationship thing is a bit of a learning curve for Klaus. It's not something he has a lot of experience with," Marcel began. "So, I can't imagine that he handled the inevitable run in with a former fling well," he acknowledged.
She nodded in agreement.
"It doesn't help that he's not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve," Marcel added.
"He definitely isn't," she reaffirmed.
Marcel smirked softly, a bit amused by their shared discussion of Klaus's less flattering qualities. His expression quickly turned more serious as he looked directly at her.
"But, you should know, that you have absolutely nothing to worry about with him," he informed her. "He's changed since he's been in Mystic Falls with you and Grayson. He's changed for the better."
She found Marcel's words to be reassuring, but she still felt a bit uncertain.
"How can you be so sure?" she wondered.
"Well, he needs to man up a bit and talk to you about that himself, but, I can tell by the way that he is with you," Marcel explained. "He's just different from the guy I knew a few months ago…a good different," he added.
Marcel's words made her smile. They were the reassurance she had been looking for. He knew Klaus as well, if not better than his family, given the time they had spent together in New York. She trusted his observations.
"To be honest, I think he's been hung up on you ever since Elijah and Elena's wedding," he admitted, revealing that Klaus had told Marcel a little bit about their brief weekend fling.
She was somewhat surprised by Marcel's comment, though in hindsight, she suspected she had left just as much of an impact on Klaus as he had left on her. At the time, however, she wouldn't have guessed.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, as she was unsure how much of that weekend Klaus had shared with Marcel, she looked away from him.
"Hey, I'm not one to judge," Marcel reminded her, obviously sensing her discomfort.
As she was about to reply, she noticed Marcel's attention focused immediately past her.
- "Ahem," a familiar masculine voice interjected from behind her.
Startled, she glanced over her shoulder as Marcel slowed their pace.
Klaus was standing purposefully behind her, with his anxious hands tucked behind him.
"Mind if I cut in?" Klaus asked Marcel.
A friendly smile appeared on Marcel's face as he took a step back from her. "Not at all," he said, nodding toward her courteously.
He released a short sigh of relief when she allowed him to embrace her, taking her hand in his while his other wrapped around her waist and hers rested on his shoulder.
His breath was short because her silence and averted gaze told him that he was not quite out of her bad books yet.
"Marcel was right," he started.
This caught her attention briefly as her eyes floated past his curiously.
"You look breathtaking," he explained. "Everyone here should be looking at you."
A small smile formed on her lips, but she quickly brushed it aside.
He knew it was just a start. Caroline was not above simple compliments, but he knew she needed more than that from him. Marcel had merely echoed what he had already known deep down.
"There are a lot of people here all looking at your artwork," she observed, glancing around the room. "You should be proud."
He gave her an appreciative look, feeling undeserving of her praise, particularly after their disagreement. He felt guilty.
"I'm sorry," he said simply as he quickly tried to rehearse his explanation in his head to avoid making an incoherent fool out of himself.
Again, her attention was sparked and she glanced at him once more.
"I'm sorry for earlier," he continued. "You are my girlfriend. I should have introduced you to Genevieve as such right from the start."
Her facial features began to relax.
"Why didn't you?" she questioned, as he anticipated that she would.
He shrugged under her touch.
"This relationship thing is new for me. I'm learning how it's done. I'm a little self conscious. I'm almost afraid that I'll jynx it by acknowledging it…it's stupid, I know," he said, trying to explain himself to help Caroline understand where he was coming from.
She nodded.
"I thought maybe you might be leaving the door open with Genevieve in case things didn't work out between us…" she trailed off.
Caroline's suggestion surprised him.
"I never even considered that. Genevieve is in the past. That door is closed," he reassured her. "I want to be with you."
Her smile grew a bit bigger.
"I hope one day Grayson can just be 'ours' too without having to explain what happened," she stated. "I don't want Grayson to forget who his parents are, but it's difficult to explain every time someone asks."
He sighed, knowing what she meant.
"Grayson is ours," he said. "It's something else I'm afraid to jynx. I think it will be easier once we have it in writing."
While he knew the chances of them obtaining custody of Grayson on a permanent basis were good, he was still worried about the possibility of the Court denying their request. For that reason, he found himself holding back at times, not wanting to grow too attached to Grayson, even though he knew it was really too late to avoid that.
"I know," Caroline acknowledged. "He looks so cute with his little clip on bow tie," she observed, clearly changing the topic to something more positive.
He nodded with a smirk as he watched Grayson with Kol and Bonnie, dressed in a plaid button up shirt, bow tie, and black jeans.
"He looks like he's enjoying himself tonight," he pointed out, motioning his head towards Kol and Bonnie who were trying to keep Grayson entertained. Well, Kol was making immature faces and gestures much to Grayson's delight while Bonnie, who was holding Grayson, was looking away in embarrassment.
"It's been a long day for him. I'm hoping we can avoid a meltdown before Rebekah takes him back to your apartment," Caroline said anxiously. "I'm sure all the rich people here are already wondering why he's not at home with a nanny," she scoffed mockingly.
He laughed.
"Maybe if they like my work enough we can afford a nanny one day," he joked, enjoying that the air between them had lightened.
"I don't want to turn into these people," she said with a laugh.
"Well, maybe just an on-call babysitter?" he suggested.
She raised her eyebrows interestedly.
"I think I would prefer a personal chef," she grinned. "That would be nice."
"You already have one, don't you?" he teased.
Her eyes widened and she pushed his shoulder playfully.
"So mean," she said with a chuckle.
He grinned and shrugged innocently.
As they continued to dance, he noticed Caroline's attention was diverted behind him. She had an intrigued look on her face.
"What are you looking at?" he wondered.
She hesitated for a moment.
"Grayson might be here for a while," she concluded, motioning her head to the side as they turned.
Peering through groups of people and couples dancing, he spotted Marcel dancing with Rebekah. Marcel was sporting his usual grin and, to his surprise, Rebekah was laughing, though it appeared somewhat reluctant. He didn't know exactly how to react, but he knew he didn't like it.
"Klaus, they're just dancing," Caroline cautioned, already sensing that he was unimpressed by what he saw. "At least they're getting along now," she reasoned, referring to their earlier heated encounter.
He grumbled under his breath as he tried to see it from Caroline's perspective. Marcel was one of his good friends and Rebekah was his baby sister. Besides making him feel awkward, Marcel was too old for her and Rebekah was too immature. Marcel was a free spirit and Rebekah was too impulsive. They had nothing in common, besides torturing him for amusement, he supposed.
"He's flirting with her," he said flatly, feeling unsettled.
Caroline rolled her eyes.
"Marcel flirts with everyone, Klaus. He flirts with me. He even danced with me first tonight!" she pointed out in Marcel's defence. "He's just trying to be nice so she doesn't feel like a fifth wheel here with Bonnie and Kol and us."
While Caroline might be right, he also knew what Marcel was like.
"Let's hope that's it," he responded.
Grayson managed to hold out for two hours at the event until becoming fussy.
He was in full on tears by the time she had gotten him to the bathroom to change his diaper in preparation for Rebekah to take him home for the night. With a clean diaper, he seemed happier, but that only lasted for a few moments before the tears and cries returned.
A few dirty looks from others in the bathroom as she tried to calm him down prompted her to make her exit. Not wanting to draw any more attention or interrupt Klaus, who appeared to be engaged in conversation with some attendees, she decided to take Grayson outside while she waited for Rebekah. She thought the cooler night air, city lights and sounds might distract him and calm him down.
Once outside, and with Grayson preoccupied by the change of scenery, she took the opportunity to text Rebekah and let her know where they were. She was still amazed at how well she had mastered the art of holding Grayson in one hand, with his bag over her shoulder, while texting with the other hand.
Rebekah emerged outside not long after.
"There you are," Rebekah commented in an excitable voice to grab Grayson's attention.
"Sorry, I think he's ready to leave," she sighed, peering down at a tired looking Grayson who was resting his head on her shoulder.
"You and me both little guy," Rebekah laughed as she held her arms out to take Grayson.
She smiled with relief when Grayson went to Rebekah without much resistance.
"Thank you so much for cutting your night short to take Grayson back to Klaus's apartment," she said politely to Rebekah, feeling guilty. "Are you sure it's okay?" she wondered.
Rebekah nodded readily and kissed Grayson's forehead.
"Of course! Thank you for letting me take him," Rebekah replied. "I don't get a lot of time with him. It's nice. Besides, now that it seems like you and my brother have cleared the air, I'm sure he would much rather have your company than mine," she smiled. "And I can only take so many of Marcel's cheesy pick up lines," she added with a scowl.
She smirked.
"He likes you," she teased Rebekah, who rolled her eyes in response and laughed sarcastically.
"Well, that's our cue to leave Grayson," Rebekah grinned. "Don't keep my brother out too late and keep the noise down when you come home," she lectured lightheartedly with a wink.
She leaned in to give Grayson a kiss on the cheek and stroke his soft hair.
"Everything you need should be at the apartment…text or call me if you need to," she urged Rebekah as they walked towards the street so Rebekah could hail a taxi.
"You worry too much," Rebekah shook her head. "Grayson and I will be fine. He's half asleep as it is," she reassured her, holding out her hand as a taxi approached.
While Rebekah climbed into the taxi, she waited at the curb before handing her Grayson's diaper bag. She then proceeded to hand the driver some cash for the fare so that Rebekah couldn't refuse.
"Bye bye Grayson. Be good for Auntie Bekah," she said to him before thanking Rebekah once more.
With that, the taxi merged back in line with street traffic and she watched it until it became camouflaged with the other cars before returning inside the venue.
Back inside, shad to reacquaint herself with the venue to search out Klaus, Kol, Bonnie, or Marcel.
As she did so, she thankfully accepted a glass of wine from a server who was making their rounds.
She found Kol and Bonnie browsing some of the art displays, arm in arm, with drinks in their free hands. They looked like they were enjoying themselves together and she didn't want to interrupt. She smiled at how happy Bonnie seemed. She looked beautiful tonight, dressed in a spaghetti strapped burnt yellow dress that draped just above her knees with her long hair cascading down her back. Things were coming together for Bonnie, her career was moving forward and she finally had Kol with her.
As she searched the room for Klaus, she felt relieved that she and Klaus had been able to move forward from the afternoon. She hated tension. They obviously had more to talk about as their relationship progressed, but she was satisfied with where they had left things for now. What was most important to her was that Klaus was able to apologize to her – even if he had needed a nudge in the right direction from his siblings and Marcel.
Her eyes eventually caught sight of Klaus and Marcel together talking with an older couple. She hoped tonight would be a success for the two of them. If the comments she was able to overhear about their work were any indication, people were impressed. She herself was impressed by the work Klaus had chosen to display. She hadn't realized how versatile he really was when it came to painting. He dabbled in a little bit of everything – landscapes, portraiture, abstract. The town square of Mystic Falls was a featured piece, but her favourite was the painting he had done of Grayson looking upwards with a hint of curiosity and mischief in his eyes. She was thankful he hadn't put anything of her on display this time – while flattering, it made her extremely self-conscious.
She waited for a moment, not wanting to interrupt Klaus and Marcel. When she noticed Klaus and Marcel exchange business cards with the man, she decided to approach, believing their conversation to be at its end.
Marcel noticed her before Klaus did, who was too preoccupied exchanging concluding pleasantries with the couple. He encouraged her to come closer, motioning with his hand as he took a drink from his beer glass.
Noticing Marcel's hand gesture towards her, Klaus and the couple turned to look at her. Upon closer inspection, the couple appeared to be in their sixties or seventies. The woman had her silver white hair pinned up with a hair accessory embellished with gold and jewel accents. She wore a white floor length dress, which was modest in style, but not in expense, and enhanced by the contrast of her darker skin. Her ears were weighed down by diamond encrusted gold earrings. Not to be outdone, her husband was dressed in a light beige double breasted suit with a patterned cream coloured tie. He was sporting a fancy gold watch and thick gold wedding band. She didn't even want to think about how much their outfits cost.
Both the woman and man gave her a friendly smile – at least they seemed like kind people, she thought to herself.
"I hope I'm not interrupting?" she queried apologetically.
Klaus stepped aside to allow her to stand beside him and include her in the conversation.
She smiled to herself as she felt Klaus's forearm rest on the small of her back and his hand lightly on her hip. Whether he had been consciously aware of his action and the public place they were standing in was uncertain, but she was pleased nonetheless.
"Oh of course not," the woman beamed brightly, there was a bit of a European accent apparent in her voice but she couldn't place it. She sounded well travelled. "You must be his muse?" she questioned, nodding her head towards Klaus.
She laughed lightly and looked to Klaus for his answer.
"This is my girlfriend, Caroline Forbes," Klaus introduced.
She bit the inside of her cheek to stifle her pleased reaction to his introduction of her.
The woman nodded and smiled sweetly, as if she had received confirmation to her question.
"I'm Jean and this is my wife, Marie," the older man said to her, with an apparent French accent.
She shook both of their hands politely.
"Klaus was telling us that you're living in small town Virginia," Jean noted. "What do you do there for a living?" he wondered.
His question made her pause briefly. She suddenly felt self conscious about her work in speaking with a couple who likely had more money than they knew what to do with.
"I design and make dresses primarily. I have a shop. We sell other clothing items too," she explained, nervous to see their reaction.
Marie looked at her with intrigue.
"My niece fancies herself to be a fashion designer," she chuckled amusedly. "We visit with her when we're staying at our place here."
Her first reaction was towards the tone of Marie's voice – which suggested to her that her niece was not very good when it came to fashion – although fashion was highly subjective. Her second thought was if it would be rude of her to ask how many homes this woman and her husband owned.
"She's not that bad, Marie," Jean chimed in half-heartedly as Marie shrugged indifferently.
"Well, if we are ever travelling through Virginia, we will have to pay a visit to Mystic Falls, it sounds very quaint," Jean said. "It has certainly inspired you artistically," he concluded, looking at Klaus.
"Indeed," Marie agreed. "It was lovely to meet you," she said to the three of them. "Perhaps we will be in touch about some of your artwork. Our condo here could use your inspiration," she said as she exchanged eye contact with both Klaus and Marcel.
She smiled happily for Marcel and Klaus who needed to attract this type of business to sustain their passion as a way to earn a living, rather than just as a hobby. Given the nature of her work, she could relate completely – which is why she put up with Carol Lockwood.
As she allowed Klaus and Marcel to wrap up the conversation, her eyes began to wander the room once more. At first, she was admiring the architectural details of the building. Then, her eyes began to search for Bonnie and Kol once more.
Studying the groups of people in the room, suddenly she felt her breath get caught in her throat and her heart drop to her stomach when she thought she recognized two familiar faces standing at the perimeter of the room by the entrance, talking to a couple who had their back turned to her. She swore it was Esther and Mikael.
The distance made her uncertain, and so she stepped away from Klaus and Marcel to get closer. As she neared the couple she could hear Klaus call after her as she attempted to cut through the other guests to confirm her suspicions.
Before she could get closer, she found herself bumping into a bearded man causing her to spill some of her wine onto her dress and onto him.
"Oh my god!" she said with surprise, looking away in embarrassment. He probably thought she was intoxicated and the last thing she wanted was to make a scene.
"I'm so sorry!"the man apologized. "I didn't see you."
"No, it was my fault," she corrected him, peering down at the wet spot on her dress, thankful it was black to disguise any staining. "I wasn't paying attention," she explained, looking up to study the man's suit and the damage her distracted mind had caused.
It was then that she noticed the man she had bumped into was not dressed in a suit like everyone else, but dressed more casually – black pants and a dark plaid button up shirt. He stuck out from the rest of the attendees, but she hadn't seen him before.
"I couldn't help but overhear you speaking earlier," the man started. "Are you Caroline Forbes?" he inquired.
Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion. She was curious as to who this man was and what he wanted.
"Yes, why do you ask?" she replied.
It was then that her eyes fell upon the manila envelopes in his hand.
"Caroline? Are you alright?" Klaus interrupted, obviously having seen her crash into the man.
She nodded apprehensively, waiting for the man to explain himself.
"Are you Klaus Mikaelson?" the man asked Klaus.
"I am," Klaus answered, equally as confused as she was.
The man handed them the two envelopes and abruptly turned away, disappearing into the crowd and towards the main entrance.
At this point, her chest was heaving with anxiety. She tore open the envelope, removed the contents, and scanned the materials hurriedly, panicked almost. She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.
"What is it?" Klaus asked lowly, clearly picking up on her negative reaction.
She looked across the room towards where she had seen the familiar couple. While the passing of others in between made it difficult to catch a clear view, her suspicion was pretty well confirmed by the infamous scowl she had come to associate with Klaus's father. His cold eyes were staring directly at them. Klaus's mother, perhaps more cowardly, was no longer standing beside her husband as she had previously been.
Her grip tightened around the documents. She wanted nothing more than to tear them to shreds, but they were too thick.
"Caroline?" Klaus pressed, placing his hand on her arm.
Though Klaus knew whatever it was wasn't good, he was still oblivious. She winced at the thought of destroying the night he had worked so hard for. No doubt, the timing of the documents was entirely intentional, she thought.
"It's a court application – for custody of Grayson," she said regretfully.