Taking Care of the Other One XLIX
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To the Guest who asked about a sequel to Risky Business. There's really no story left to tell there, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters, products, anything.
"Do you think they're done yet?" Caroline asked Stefan.
Looking at his watch, he considered and shrugged, reaching for his glass.
The Mikaelsons were having dinner together, just Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah. Since she hadn't seen some of her friends in a while, Caroline organized a little get together with them at the same time. It was the school break between Christmas and New Years.
Looking around at the rag tag group, she smiled and took another drink. They'd been at it for hours. Stefan sat on her right and then in a circle there was Genevieve, Alaric visiting from Mystic Falls, and Jill. Genevieve and Jill smartly weren't trying to keep up, but all were feeling the effects of the alcohol.
Pulling out her phone, Caroline shushed the group who were already quiet to begin with. "Klaus, pumpkin, is dinner finished?"
"Elijah is folding his napkin as we speak."
"I'm glad you had time with them, but….can I come over now?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
Moving the phone away from her mouth, she looked at the table. "He said yes, everyone." Returning to the phone, "We're coming."
Klaus put down his phone with a sigh, apparently "they" were all coming and not just his fiancee.
"Are you sure it's ok, Caroline?" Jill asked, the least familiar with Klaus of the group, although she'd seen him a few times.
"Klaus would do anything for her," Alaric said wisely. "It will be our chance to liven things up, drink their alcohol, and skip out."
"It's true," Stefan agreed as he finished his bourbon.
Warning his siblings to the impending guests, Klaus sat in the living room to wait and within a half hour Caroline was leading Stefan, Alaric, Genevieve, and Jill inside.
Launching herself at Klaus with a bounce, Caroline pressed a smacking kiss to his lips and shimmied her shoulders in excitement. She wasn't completely drunk, but she'd had a few drinks. She was also in an excellent mood. Her school performance the day before had been a smashing success.
After taking off her coat when she jumped up, she hugged Rebekah and Elijah.
"Hello, Jill. Welcome," Klaus said as he greeted her. The rest of the guests were getting comfortable, all of them familiar with the house and residents.
"Thanks, Klaus. It's amazing. Thanks for letting us come over. We're not imposing, are you?"
"Of course not. Enjoy yourself. Can I get you a drink?"
She declined it, not wanting to get messy in the gorgeously elegant house.
Caroline came back around and Klaus moved on to say hello Genevieve and Alaric. Caroline wrapped her arm through Jill's and brought her over to Rebekah who was pouring herself a drink.
"Have you met Rebekah before? This is Klaus' sister also known as a huge troublemaker. She's also Stefan's girlfriend."
"She only says that because I try to stop her from making scenes with my brother," Rebekah said with a smile.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "She encourages my scenes, just not the ones with Klaus. This is my friend Jill. We work together at the after school program."
"It's nice to meet you," the pretty blonde said as she extended her hand. Jill could see the sparkle in Rebekah's eyes and smiled back. She liked this crowd.
They left Rebekah who joined Stefan.
"Are they all blonde and gorgeous?" Jill asked quietly.
"Nope. Gorgeous, yes. Blonde, no. Wait until you meet his brother. Be strong."
Caroline spotted him sitting down in a spare chair. He rose to greet them.
"Elijah. This is my friend Jill. She's a teacher I work with."
"Nice to meet you, Jill." Elijah said with his deep voice.
Jill was starstruck by the eldest Original, looking glamorous in his button down shirt and tailored pants, a casual look for him.
"You too," was all she could get out and Caroline jumped in.
"Elijah promised to help out with my next production."
"Good luck with that. The kids will do anything for Caroline. I'm sure it will be fun."
"I'm looking forward to it. If you'll excuse me," he said as he left for his bedroom.
Caroline took Jill into the kitchen to get some food.
"I know, right?" is all she had to say to Jill who was fanning herself.
"Are there more and are they single?" she laughed, flustered.
Caroline frowned. "Two brothers passed away that I met and another died as a child."
"That's terrible."
"I know," she said as she went through the cupboards. "Elijah also has a lady-friend let's call her. She's one of those women who can be a lot of fun, but you also have to watch your back around her."
"Gotcha," Jill sighed.
Caroline tore open a bag of potato chips, pouring them into a bowl which they brought out into the living room. Each got some drinks from Klaus, moving on to water at that point. As he sat, Rebekah sat between Caroline and Klaus on the couch to keep them apart.
"Are you trying to block me from my lover?"
"Caroline. Please don't call him that."
"She is my lover, Rebekah," Klaus said to get his sister going. Caroline blew him a kiss which had Rebekah groaning. She put her hands over her ears and Jill laughed.
Moving on, Caroline focused on Jill.
"Tell me about this mystery man of yours."
Rebekah leaned in, loving any sort of relationship drama or gossip.
"We've been on a few dates. They've gone really well. He's kind of a professional basketball player."
"What?" Caroline screeched. "How tall is he?"
"He's only 6'2. He's one of the shorter players, but he's really sweet and kind. We went to high school together and now he's back in the city."
"That's so cute. Klaus loves basketball."
Klaus jumped in, "Actually I only tolerate it for you."
She waved him off and continued, "He won't wear one of the team shirts though. Did I tell you we got on the Kiss Cam at his first game?" Caroline laughed and told Jill the story. Rebekah added in her own memories as well.
"Who can I give love advice to?" Caroline yelled out to the room and Stefan just gave her a look.
"Jill is the only single person here, Caroline," he reminded her.
"Shoot," she said and Rebekah agreed. "Jill is doing fine, unfortunately."
"Who wants to play a game?" Caroline called out, but everyone held their breath and no one said a word. She sighed. "This isn't the last you've heard of me!" she announced. "In fact," she focused on the most vulnerable of the group to her games and Klaus saw this with pride. "Rebekah, truth or dare. Great, you picked truth. Do you want to play a game?"
Rebekah groaned, feeling weak. She loved playing the games, but no one else wanted to.
"Rebekah! No, don't give in," Stefan yelled from across the room. He walked towards them to block Caroline's look at Rebekah. He sat on her lap which amused Genevieve.
"You know you want to, Rebekah. Think of all the fun," Caroline taunted her.
"Fine! Truth! I want to play a game, but one quick one only. Please," she caved and it was Stefan's turn to groan as he got off her lap.
"Yes, one game works for me. What can we do that we haven't done?" She looked around for some inspiration.
"At our last family party, we played musical chairs and it was a lot of fun," Jill offered.
"Yes! Great idea. One round. Ok, let's move the furniture."
Caroline directed the furniture moving and they brought the dining room chairs into the open space. She found the iPod as well.
"Who wants to run the music?"
Stefan immediately jumped up and waved his hand.
"Anyone? Anyone at all?"
"Caroline. Seriously?"
She had to laugh. "Someone other than Stefan?"
No one else came forward so Stefan was in charge of the music. Caroline went over the rules of the game, mostly because she knew Genevieve, Rebekah, and Klaus might not have played before. Elijah stayed hidden and didn't come forward to play. She added a warning under her breath that they shouldn't use supernatural speed or strength. Jill still didn't know Caroline was anything other than what she appeared.
As usual, the only two who desperately wanted to win were Rebekah and Klaus.
Stefan was great as the music master, changing up the intervals between short and long. Alaric was the first one out, which he was very happy with. In the second round, Caroline ended up in Klaus' lap.
"He is my favorite chair," she tried, but no one was having it, especially Rebekah and Stefan.
Klaus was sticking to Rebekah's back just waiting to squeeze into her space, but in the next round Jill was forced out. Genevieve didn't stand a chance and it was down to the siblings.
They eyed each other around the chair and the tension built and built as Stefan let the music play and play. Both started to bark at him and he just kept it going, neither one wanting to be the one to lose concentration.
"Go Klaus!" Caroline cheered with an impromptu leg kick which had Alaric cracking up.
Finally, the music stopped. Rebekah and Klaus each got one butt cheek onto the chair and battled it out, with elbows being jabbed into one another. Klaus gave Rebekah a kiss on the cheek and she was so surprised by the move that he pushed her off the chair so she landed on her butt.
"How could you do that to me!" she yelled and slapped her palms on the ground. "Two out of three."
He quirked a brow at her and Caroline congratulated the winner with a kiss.
"I couldn't lose after that cheer from Caroline, Rebekah. I'm sorry, sister," he said when he stood up so he could console her, pulling her to her feet with a hug, which got another cheer from Caroline. He also agreed to play Monopoly with her after their next weekly dinner, which she was excellent at, always forcing him into bankruptcy. Elijah was the opponent she had to worry about with his fiscal conservatism, but beating them with her skill always gave her a thrill. They hadn't played in a while since it lasted such a long time, so she was ok with it.
Klaus moved on to join the guys and the ladies chatted. Jill was still looking for someone to set up with her cousin. Rebekah thought maybe Genevieve might know someone.
"We're really going to do this," Alaric crowed as they walked towards the kitchen.
"What are you two really going to do?" Klaus asked.
"Go streaking," Stefan said as he downed the last of his drink.
"Where?"
"Around your house," Alaric yelled.
"Fantastic," Klaus said dryly. He could honestly say that Alaric was always fun at a party, but he couldn't picture Stefan going along with this idea.
"Where's your brother? Do you think he'll join us? What about you?"
Klaus just shook his head. "Elijah isn't the streaking type. Evil vampires don't streak around their own house. It's considered passe, so I will skip this charming tradition."
Stefan ribbed him for a bit, but the three men gathered at the back door for the two to start their run.
"Alright, Alaric, we'll strip as fast as we can and then run around the house. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds, right?" Alaric drunkenly nodded. "On your mark, get set, go."
Alaric stripped off and was gone within a second, but Stefan didn't move. He just cracked up and set his back against the door so Alaric couldn't get back in. He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever done. Klaus thought it was mild, but when Alaric started to pound on the door, complaining how cold it was outside, he did admit the idea had some juvenile merit.
Eventually Stefan let him back inside and they laughed together. They all heard the music start in the living room and stared at the sight that greeted them when they saw what happened.
With the space empty and music available, it was easy to figure out what happened. Each of their beautiful girlfriends plus Jill started a dance party in the middle of the Mikaelson living room. Their shoes were off. Hands were in the air and terrible singing was accompanying the music.
The guys got another drink and just watched the show, occasionally joking about the streaking and why Alaric was always getting naked at Klaus' houses in general.
"Caroline, stop dancing like that," Rebekah whined. She could dance herself, but not growing up in modern times, she didn't learn what Jill and Caroline did so easily. She could take comfort in Genevieve's dancing though. She tried to copy what she saw and was picking it up a little at a time.
"I can't help but be a sexy dancer. Your brother loves it," Caroline said with a wink at Jill.
Soon enough Rebekah was dancing like a pro and even Genevieve did a couple of moves that had the other women laughing with delight. None of the guys made an effort to join them though.
"You guys either have to dance with us or stop watching. It's creepy to just stare," Caroline complained with her hand on her hip.
Klaus jumped up before Stefan could stop him and put his arms around Caroline, gently swaying her side to side and she laughed. She twisted in his arms and pulled him onto their makeshift dance floor with him behind her and her arms on top of his around her waist.
He felt more comfortable with her in his arms in his own home so he was a good sport about it. He tried to dance to the song, making his fiancee, sister, and her friends laugh, but he really just moved from side to side. Alaric, who was no stranger to dancing, joined them as well, significantly more sober than he'd been before he was out in the chilly air. Stefan couldn't be cajoled and Rebekah ended up sitting in his lap.
"Hey, Caroline, I need to be getting home," Jill said as she pulled her off the floor and looked for her jacket and purse.
"Are you sure?" Caroline said as she handed the items over from the foyer closet.
"Yeah, it's late and I'm going shopping with my sister in the morning, but I had a lot of fun. We'll see if I can get tickets to a basketball and see if Klaus will wear a shirt to support my sorta-maybe boyfriend."
"Not likely, but seeing what he actually will agree to is always lot of fun," she said with a laugh.
Elijah came out from wherever he'd been.
"Can I bring you home, Jill? I'm heading out anyway."
"I'd appreciate it," she agreed with a grin. "Thanks again, Caroline. Goodnight, Klaus."
He nodded in the distance.
"Elijah, you're too lovely," Caroline said with a peck to his cheek, expecting he was going off to meet Katherine. "Goodnight guys."
"Hey Caroline," Genevieve said. "We're heading out too. Thanks for a great night," she said with a grin.
"You're going to walk, right? No drinking and driving."
"You got it. I think the cold air could do Alaric some good," she said with a conspiratorial wink. "Goodnight, Klaus."
"Goodnight, Genevieve, Alaric," Klaus called and Caroline passed out more hugs.
Rebekah saw them to the door and shut it with a sigh.
"That was actually a lot of fun," she agreed. She had a nice dinner with her brothers and then got to see some of her closest friends.
There was no more dancing going on, so Caroline shut off the music and pulled Klaus along until he sat on one of the moved couches. She sat on his lap and immediately yawned. His hand stroked her silky hair.
Klaus smiled at his sister and stood up with Caroline in his arms and she said goodbye to them over his shoulder as they made their way upstairs.
As he opened the door to their room, he put her down on the bed. She got undressed and he threw her pajamas to her which she took and put on. He got changed himself and he smiled at her in the bathroom when they were brushing their teeth together. He loved the simple day to day moments he spent with her, even when it was without words.
"I love you."
"I love you. Mmm, minty," she said after she kissed him. He pinched her butt on their way out and she yelped.
They climbed into bed together and she put her head on his chest. She often changed positions when she slept, usually ending up on her stomach, but she started on him. She yawned again.
"Did you have fun?" she asked him.
"I always have fun with you."
"What about everyone else? You didn't even get to make a speech."
"I'll save my speechmaking for another time. They were fun too," he agreed, thinking about Alaric running around the house naked. "We've accumulated some good friends."
She did the accumulating, but he appreciated having people around every once in a while. She glowed with company and he would admit having some guys to hang around who weren't involved in the supernatural war was good for him too. There was only so much Elijah could take.
She snuggled closer into his chest, eyes closed and on the verge of sleep.
"Goodnight, Klaus," she was able to get out with her last conscious thought.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," he said with a kiss to her forehead before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.
