A/N: As always I like to start by thanking everyone who and especially those who took the time to review! I can't tell you how much it means to me - special hugs to the guest reviews I can't personally thank! Geez, am I sounding like a broken record or what? Also, how dated is that phrase?

This felt like a particularly long week - I don't know if it was the stormy weather or if it was my procrastination mood (though to be fair, that did result in some more original KC manips that you can find on my tumblr (tnapki) What can I say, creating manips is a weird stress buster for me.

I'm just going to assume that no one's complaining that my chapters are seeming to continue on the longer side. Okay then.

16

St. James Infirmary

"The baby kicked!" Freya said excitedly and before Klaus could react, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

A moment later there was another bump, bringing a warm smile to Klaus' face that mirrored Freya's.

"I don't think this will ever cease to amaze me," he admitted, fondly remembering the first time he had experienced that with Hayley while Hope was in her womb.

"Yeah…" Freya hummed happily with a crooked smile and leaned over, "Also, I found out the sex of the baby and Keelin didn't want to announce to anyone till it was born but I really had to tell someone, so…"

Klaus slightly tilted his head at her, gesturing for her to go on.

"It's a boy."

A genuine smile graced Klaus' tired face and he pulled Freya into a gentle sideways hug, careful not to put pressure on her baby bump. "Congratulations, sister."

"Thank you brother," she replied, getting up from his bedside and disposing of the torn pieces of Klaus' shirt into a trash can in the corner. "You know, before all this happened we had decided that if it is a boy we'd name him after you," she confessed, disappearing for a moment into Klaus' walk-in closet and reappearing with a fresh shirt in her hand.

"That's lovely," he said, remembering the vision that Mary-Alice had made him privy to while he was in the Ancestral Well.

That seemed like such a distant memory now, like a dream from long ago which he was slowly starting to forget.

Freya handed him the grey Henley and he took off the shirt he had on – or at least what remained of it anyway – to slip into the new one. "So tell me, Sister," Klaus asked, a sly smile on his face, "Changed your mind about the name now that I'm back?"

"Maybe I'll keep it if you behave yourself and not turn into a power-hungry megalomaniac," she said winking and the two siblings laughed together. Freya looked at Klaus thoughtfully. "If you're feeling better you should stretch your legs, take a walk around. The news of your return is already out so there's no reason you should be cooped up in here."

"Actually I wasn't planning on stepping out until I'd regained my full un-sired Hybrid form back but I suppose it doesn't matter if the general public is unaware of my…situation."

"You know some of the Crescent Pack came by this morning to check if the rumors about you were true. They kept pressing for proof and eventually we had to send them away. I didn't think you would have wanted them seeing you like this."

"Good decision," he agreed with a wry smile. "I'll step out later today, maybe a neutral spot like St. James Infirmary to begin with and maybe go on from there.

"Great, so when should I tell Caroline to meet you?" Klaus laughed lightly and looked as his sister pointedly.

"Freya, you seem pretty adamant about putting the two of us together…any particular reason why?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her. "Where's the Mikaelson brand of paranoia when it comes to people outside the family? I can almost say I took pride in that being something we had in common as siblings."

"Would you believe me if I said pregnancy has made me more trusting?" she joked with a smirk and Klaus shrugged. "I just think she would be a good influence on your humanity and that's important, especially now."

"Ah, and you think Caroline is fitting for this why exactly?" Klaus didn't need to be reminded that Caroline was one of the few people who managed to bring out a side to him that was unseen to most but he was curious as to why his sister – one who had never even seen him interact with Caroline – thought so.

Or maybe he just wanted to hear someone say out loud that there was still a reason for him to maintain the belief that Caroline hadn't completely moved on from him and that he still had a shot at 'however long it takes'.

"I told you, when I looked into your mind all those years ago; even with all the chaos in your mind her presence seemed to stand out in your head. It seems ridiculous that you won't give her a chance –"

"She is seeing someone you know."

"So I'm not asking you to shack up with her, I'm sure her friendship meant something to you."

His sister wasn't wrong there. Caroline hadn't been a physically present part of his life since he left Mystic Falls but her friendship was something that Klaus treasured over the years since.

The reason was simple enough. Caroline offered Klaus what he saw as a rare kind of friendship; one that was reliable, a trait he seldom attributed to people he came across in his long life. In fact, Caroline's fierce loyalty towards her friends was one of her many qualities he admired and had longed to become worthy of attaining all those years ago.

Over time they had reached a level of understanding in their friendship where conversations continued after long stretches of time apart like they had never been out of touch.

A true friendship of the immortal kind. Klaus sighed and shrugged at his sister.

"I'll call her," he said reaching out to grab his phone from underneath the discarded blood bag.

"Good," Freya said and turned to leave the room with a smug grin on her face, leaving Klaus to roll his eyes.

Caroline walked into her freshly cleaned hotel room and thought she had quite the productive first day.

Thanks to Freya's help she was able to pinpoint some prospective sources that could shed some new light on possible ways to keep both her daughters safe. She was pleasantly surprised that the very pregnant Mikaelson sister had agreed to come personally when she could have simply sent the information to her on the phone. As Hope's legal guardian, she had never really spent any time with Caroline apart from the brief conversations regarding Hope's progress at school at parent-teacher conferences. After today, Caroline found that she actually enjoyed Freya's company.

Not to mention there was a lot about Freya that reminded her of Klaus which may or may not have played some part in that.

Caroline had innocently asked Freya about him, intentionally skipping the part about the silly response-less text that still annoyingly weighed in on her mind.

I'm just worried, that's all, she had told herself. Freya told her that Klaus had been fast asleep when she left the house, crediting his deep slumber to a night spent repeatedly shifting between wolf and human. Caroline remembered feeling a sense of relief, not wanting to clarify in her head whether it was because she had learned that Klaus was fine or because sleep was a valid enough reason in her book for him not to answer her now seemingly unimportant text.

"Seriously?" Caroline said out loud to her empty room. She couldn't believe that one stupid text had her behaving like she was her old teenage self waiting by her phone to be asked out to the Prom.

Caroline laughed softly to herself. Her actual Prom seemed like a lifetime ago. She remembered how it had started out on a bad note owing to humanity-less Elena stealing her dress and how she had eventually ended up having the most perfect time after the surprise visit from Tyler later that night at his old house.

Now that she thought about it, the irony lay in the fact that Klaus was technically the one to thank for most of her happy memories from that night.

She had turned to the Great Evil Klaus Mikaelson to ask him to lend her a dress fit for a queen – she still doesn't know what she was thinking when she had decided to do so – to make up for Elena taking hers from the store and he had gracefully obliged her, making her feel like true royalty at the party.

And she wasn't an idiot. Tyler coming into town only happened because Klaus had allowed it to happen – she assumed for her benefit, which was probably his own twisted way of doing something nice for her.

Her suspicions had been confirmed when she heard Klaus' voice from outside the house, right after Tyler had stepped out to leave and shut the front door behind him.

She could never forget how terrified she had felt at the moment, fearing for Tyler's life. She considered storming out onto the front porch and pleading with Klaus but for some reason she didn't feel like she would have to.

For some reason, even after all the horrible things he had done, she believed she could actually trust Klaus not to do something so dreadful, something that he knew would hurt her so deeply.

As Caroline listened to Klaus' voice outside the door, a tiny part of her had even felt touched by the evidently painful restraint – for her sake, he had made that clear – shown by the Original Hybrid with regards to killing Tyler, a miracle considering he wasn't someone who was known for mercy and forgiveness.

Her trip down memory lane was interrupted by the sound of her ringtone. She glanced at the Caller ID and scoffed.

Think of the devil. She picked up on the second ring, ready to bombard him with the rules of phone etiquette.

"Finally awake, Klaus? I was starting to think we didn't have a texting sort of relationship."

"Hello love," He gave her his familiar greeting, her cold open into the conversation appearing to amuse him. "Truth be told, if I had any say in the matter our 'relationship' would be anything but textual," he drawled, stretching out the last word suggestively. "Although I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt a semblance of hope owing to your seeming interest in my sleep patterns." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Laying the innuendo on a little thick this evening, are we?" She heard Klaus chuckle on the other end.

"Actually I called to see if you're free to meet. Tonight."

"Oh."

"Don't worry love, it's not a date. I just want to talk." Caroline felt an unexplained pang in her gut when she heard him say that.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I'll be making my first official step out into the world after my return and I thought, who better to be by my side when doing so, convenient as it is that she happens to be in my city? Besides, drinks are much more enjoyable with the right company, wouldn't you agree?"

Caroline frowned. "So you want me to keep you…company? To talk? That's why you want me to come?"

"Well it doesn't hurt that my grand entrance will be intensified knowing that I'm walking in with the most beautiful woman in the room."

Caroline scoffed. "Right. You do realize you're talking about a room where you haven't even seen the other women to compare with."

"I don't need to," he said softly and Caroline's breath caught. He really was bringing the charm tonight. She cleared her throat.

"Fine. When and where?"

"I'll pick you up at seven, sweetheart. We can go together."

"Erm, no. I think I'll just meet you straight there Klaus."

Klaus' eyes narrowed. "Worried about being alone with me too long Caroline? Or worried about me knowing where you live? Trust me the latter is but a phone call away –"

"First night of turning into a Hybrid and we're already feeling pretty cocky are we?" She shut her mouth as soon as the words came out. "Oh my god I walked right into that one."

Klaus laughed, 'Now who's using innuendo. I like where your mind is at, Caroline. Though it's fine talk coming from a girl who's dating a human safely tucked away in another city so she can feel free to be herself."

"I feel plenty free in my town, okay Smarty Pants?" she retorted, feeling her face burn when she heard Klaus let out a loud laugh at that remark.

"Oh Caroline, I've been called many things…"

"Mmm-hmm."

"But this.."

"Ugh!"

"…takes the cake."

"Are you going to tell me where we're meeting or not? Before I decide to change my mind about being available?"

"St. James Infirmary, it's a bar and jazz club in Algiers. At half past seven this evening. Dress code tonight is semi-formal."

"I'll dress however I want," she grumbled.

"I was only informing you, it's your choice what you want to do with the knowledge of it. I'll see you there, Caroline."

Caroline could've sworn she could hear his smug grin in his voice before she hung up. For a moment she questioned whether meeting him would be a good idea.

Nonsense, they were friends and friends hung out all the time right?

Then why was she feeling mildly anxious about what she should wear tonight?

Semi-formal dress code, my foot.

Klaus stood at the entrance of St. James Infirmary, one of the oldest establishments in the city and one that he felt closely attached to. The building still belonged to Marcel but it had provided a safe haven for his daughter at some point and that made it special to him. The fact that over time it had become a sort of neutral safe space for all supernatural creatures – after Elijah had convinced a coven to turn the building into a no-magic zone – made it an ideal place for him to swing by on his first day out in the open.

He noticed a few of the patrons giving him strange looks before entering the bar, whispering to each other – which really was pointless considering his supernatural hearing – and Klaus couldn't help feel a little smug.

He was dead, but he wasn't forgotten.

He decided to wait for Caroline before getting in; it was only quarter past seven and he figured he could make a quick phone call to Hope. He dialed her and she picked up almost immediately.

"Dad?"

"Hello, sweetheart. Hope I'm not interrupting anything, and by that I mean homework."

Hope laughed. "Well, I was practicing some spells we learned in class today…nothing major. How was your day? Did you get some rest after last night?"

"I'm fine, love. As a matter of fact, now that my secret's out in the open, I thought it's about time I got around to introducing myself back into society."

There was pause on the other end. "Wait, you're outside?"

"Why yes, I'm just heading into St. James Infirmary."

"But Dad you only just turned into a Hybrid, are you sure you're fine to go out? Shouldn't you be resting or something?"

"There's no need to worry, my littlest wolf. I'll be fine."

"I just don't want you getting into dangerous situations while you're still adjusting to being a Hybrid again, Dad."

"I was a Hybrid for a very long time, Hope. Trust me when I say it hardly requires adjusting to."

"You told me yourself, our enemies are out there and some of them may be lying in wait for a chance to get back at you –"

"Hope, sweetheart, relax. I don't want you to have to worry about me. Just focus on your schoolwork and I'll see you on the weekend, alright?"

Hope sighed. "Fine, Dad. Just don't get into weird fights with strangers and start beating them up or I don't know, kill anyone." Klaus laughed out loud.

"After creating that picture in your head, I'm quite convinced you'll be disappointed when I have no interesting story to tell you tomorrow; I'm only going for a drink or two."

Another pause, followed by a deep breath. "Alright, Dad. Drop me a text when you get home alright?"

"I may be relatively new to being a hands-on father but isn't that something I should be telling you?"

Hope laughed. "Probably…Have fun then, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, Hope," he said, hanging up and taking a quick glance at the time before dropping the phone into his pocket.

"You're early," Klaus heard Caroline's sweet voice behind him and had to prevent his jaw from dropping when he turned around and saw her.

She had a coat on but it had been left completely open, giving him a clear view of her light knee-length dress with a V-neck that beautifully gave her collar bones the attention they deserved. His newly acquired keen eyesight caught that her dress was actually a very light powder blue – which to the casual observer would have appeared white – and it was interspersed with floral patch designs.

He liked her in blue.

It was when Caroline cleared her throat that he realized he had been looking at her a little longer than what would be deemed normal. He adjusted his own jacket and shirt, simply smiling at her.

"What?" she asked a little timidly, tucking a lose strand of her short hair behind her ear.

"Nothing," was all that came out of Klaus. "You're stunning, love."

Caroline looked at him pointedly, an awkward smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Did you forget that I'm too smart to be seduced by you?" she asked, cheekily reminding him of the night he had first asked her to take a chance on him.

"Who said anything about seducing? I'm just making an observation."

Caroline scoffed, realizing there was no point debating with him. "Well then…thank you. You're not too bad yourself. Crimson suits you," she said, gesturing at the shirt that he had opted for, forgoing his usual choice of Henley. "I hope it wasn't a preventative measure in case you planned on spilling any blood tonight," she commented sardonically.

"How macabre, Caroline," Klaus smirked. "But if anyone could fret over someone's murder with the same intensity as the prospective laundry issues that came with it, I believe that would be you, sweetheart." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Klaus. Shall we?" she said, extending her elbow to him.

"Yes, we shall," Klaus said, happily taking her arm to loop around his and finally stepping into the bar.

"Everything okay?" Jake asked as he watched Hope put her phone in her pocket.

The two of them were standing on the balcony of the abandoned mill on the Salvatore property and in the silence that surrounded them, it had been a little hard not to overhear Hope's phone conversation.

"Dad's…outside, Hope said, frowning. "Like, walking around in the city. It's just weird and I'm just worried about him."

"Do I need to remind you how terrifying your father is? He's going to be fine." Hope shook her head.

"I don't know…it's just all so new and we hardly know anything about the magic that got him back. He's already transitioned into a Hybrid but how do we even know things will be the same as before? Even worse, what if all this is temporary and my Dad is just…here for now?"

"Whoa, whoa Hope." Jake's eyes widened at the anxious tone in her voice. He gently put his arms on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Listen to me, Hope. If your Dad said he's back then you've got to trust him. I mean, the guy is over a thousand years old," he added with a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess." Jake dropped his hands and they turned to look out into the woods from the balcony, standing in comfortable silence for a few moments before Jake finally spoke.

"You know when I said I'll give you a ride I was talking about your Boarding School, in case that wasn't obvious."

"Well, we are on school grounds so that's close enough," Hope shrugged.

"Does your boarding house even allow their residents to stay outside this late? Or is it that fancy schools have a different set of rules?"

Hope scoffed. "Hardly. Also I told you, I'm technically not even outside at this point."

"If you say so."

"In fact, if anyone is trespassing it's you. And Mr. Saltzman doesn't take kindly to intruders; he's going to go straight for his crossbow." Jake cleared his throat.

"You know what, I'm just going to go now…"

St. James was relatively crowded – Nola bars usually were that way every night, irrespective of what day of the week it was. Klaus walked in like he would any other night, the only difference this time being the beautiful vampire beside him.

"Would you like to sit at a table? Personally I'm partial to a particular spot at the bar which gives me the best vantage point, so to speak."

"Err, yeah. The bar's fine," said Caroline absently, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked around with a strange expression on her face. Klaus noticed but chose to let it be.

Luckily enough the seat that Klaus had been referring to was vacant, almost as if it had been indefinitely reserved for him. He had planned to compel whoever was in the adjacent seat to leave so he could make space for Caroline but ended up not needing to as a young man who was currently seated there took one look at Klaus and scrambled away in the direction of the exit. Klaus glanced at Caroline.

"They remember me. Fantastic," he smirked. She rolled her eyes.

They took off their jackets and got up on the bar chairs which were as comfortable as Klaus remembered. His only discomfort at this point was the very agreeable view of Caroline's crossed slender legs on the seat right next to him being a distraction for the rest of the night.

Not exactly the vantage point he was referring to earlier, but he couldn't really complain.

"Klaus Mikaelson?"

Klaus begrudgingly turned his eyes away from Caroline's ankles, glad she hadn't noticed while she was digging something out of her purse. He looked to see the bartender staring at him like she's seen a ghost – he couldn't blame her – and immediately recognized that face.

"Sylvia," Klaus flashed his trademark grin at her, dimples showing in all their glory. "You got older."

"And you stayed the same," Sylvia said plainly, narrowing her dark eyes at him. "Thought you were dead."

"I was. Didn't take. Thought you would have left by now," Klaus said simply, making Sylvia shake her head at him, here dangly earrings and locks of black hair from her ponytail swaying in unison.

"I tried, didn't take," she quipped back at him. "So it's true then. You're back from the dead. Everyone's been talking but I figured they were rumors."

"Well, here I am in the flesh and I'll have my usual; that is, if you still remember."

"Oh you know very well I don't forget things," Sylvia said with a crooked smile, "Besides, you came here often enough so I couldn't forget your order even if I wanted to."

"Except let's make it two this time, one for me and one for this very special lady," he gestured at Caroline who just then looked up from her phone, having been checking her texts. She gave a polite smile to Sylvia and put her device back into her bag.

"You're familiar," Sylvia said, looking at Caroline and frowning.

Caroline smiled awkwardly. "I just have one of those faces, I guess."

Sylvia didn't look convinced but turned away to get their drinks. Klaus was sure something was up now.

"Is something the matter, Caroline?"

"Nothing, it's silly…"

"You know," Klaus started softly, turning in his chair to face her fully, "Sylvia wasn't exaggerating when she said she doesn't forget things." Caroline's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked at Klaus.

"She has a photographic memory," he explained. "It was one of the many aspects that made her a reliable source of people's whereabouts for when I needed it."

Caroline bit her lower lip as she took in this piece of information and Klaus could have sworn he felt the wolf inside him rumble at the sight of her unconscious action.

"Oh," was all she said.

"Yes," Klaus continued, "Which also means that when she said that you're a little familiar she was only being polite and respectful of your privacy in case that's something you wouldn't have wanted to share with your…company."

"That's nice of her," she said shortly, fiddling with a coaster on the counter just as Sylvia placed both their drinks in front of them. The witch flashed a small smile and walked away to cater to other customers.

Klaus raised his eyebrows. Caroline making small talk had over time been established as a tell for distracting him while her friends found ways to plot his downfall but her currently dodgy behavior led him to what he believed could be the only explanation. He leaned over closer to her.

"Have you been here before, Caroline?" he asked softly.

Her eyes immediately flashed to his, wide in surprise, "How did you –"

"I didn't. You just confirmed a theory I had. What's the matter? Because if you want to go somewhere else…"

"No, no, it's not a problem but yeah…" she looked at him with a small smile, "I have been here before."

It's when Klaus saw the smile on Caroline's face that he realized he had been reading her wrong.

Caroline wasn't being anxious, she was being nostalgic. And the memory was probably something that concerned him based on her hesitation in wanting to share the story with her.

"Klaus…" Caroline said softly, looking straight at him. "Do you remember the time I told you I came to New Orleans looking for you?"

Klaus let out a dry laugh. "Caroline, I doubt I'll ever forget about the one time you willingly came to me for help in my city and I wasn't able to be there for you."

Caroline laughed softly, inciting strange sensations in Klaus' undead heart. "Well," she started, "this is the very bar that I walked into all those years ago with my little ones in tow, asking about you."

Klaus' eyes widened in understanding. "Ah."

"And I'm pretty sure Sylvia here is the one who told me you'd been missing for three years and made me realize how stupid it was for me to expect you to just be there when I needed you without even calling you, checking up or anything –"

"Caroline. Caroline, stop," Klaus said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "You did the right thing, coming to me. I know I wasn't there at the time but I don't want you to ever have to think twice when it comes to asking me for help, do you understand?"

Caroline slowly nodded. "Yeah, I know," she said, giving him a soft smile that made Klaus melt.

"That being said…" Klaus slowly brought his hands down from Caroline's shoulder along her arms and took her soft palms in his, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Caroline. Honestly when you first told me about it, I was speechless; I just couldn't bear the fact that I'd finally gained enough of your trust for you to put your faith in me to help not just you but your children as well…and I just let you down."

"Seriously, Klaus? You were literally bound in chains and being held prisoner. If that isn't a good enough reason for being unavailable, I don't know what is." Caroline took a sip of her drink. "And I already told you that trusting you was never a problem," she said quietly.

Klaus smiled at her genuinely as he fondly remembered the sole part of an otherwise anxiety-filled night where Caroline in her own way admitted that he was someone she cared for much more than she had ever let on previously.

You weren't the villain of my story.

Klaus saw Caroline return his smile, with a twinkle in her eyes that said she was probably remembering the same thing he was. He noticed their hands were still intertwined, secretly elated that Caroline didn't seem to mind.

Caroline cleared her throat. "So…" she began, slowly pulling out of Klaus' hold – much to his chagrin – to take another sip of her drink. "Did you talk to Hope? Is she doing okay?"

"Yes I did," he replied, grabbing his own glass and taking a swig. "Hope is strong, I couldn't be more proud of the way she's handling things," he said with pride in his voice.

"Yeah, she is pretty mature for her age. Tragedy changes people in ways one couldn't imagine but she has been quite the champion."

"I'm sure she has you, the school and dare I say Alaric, to thank for some part in that," Klaus' eyes burned into Caroline's, evoking a soft gasp out of her.

"Well," Caroline said with a cheeky grin, "If she got her stubbornness from you, I'm sure she can power her way through this." Klaus looked at her teasing face and had to remind himself – not for the first time that evening – he had decided to let her live her life without him for now. He figured perhaps this was a good time to shift the topic.

"What about your girls?" Klaus asked, "Freya tells me you both had quite the fruitful day."

"About that, please thank her again for coming out herself, she really didn't have to," Caroline said genuinely, "That was super nice of her."

They spent some time after that just talking and catching up. Caroline told Klaus about what she had been doing all this while, traveling the world in search of answers regarding the dreaded Merge. Sylvia came every now and then to make sure their glasses never went empty and after a while they simply sat together in a relaxed silence.

"What about your sire bond?" Caroline asked suddenly, idly watching her glass as she swirled around the amber liquid in it. "I know it's only been a night but do you feel any different?"

"It is a work in progress," Klaus said softly, even though he's sure no one could eavesdrop over the noise from the crowd in the club, "There seem to be some technical difficulties though."

"What difficulties?"

"Nothing, just strange things happen…afterwards."

"What do you mean?"

Klaus sighed; he really didn't want to have this conversation with her; not now while they were enjoying such a pleasant evening.

"Apparently I try to hurt myself in my sleep…"

"What!?"

"In fact Freya has decided she's going to make sure someone stays on watch-duty while I sleep till this is figured out and for some strange reason, she thinks you might be a strong candidate."

"Me? What, I –"

"Don't worry, love," Klaus stated, raising his palm in finality, "I already made it clear to her that you're not to be bothered."

"No, that's not it. Of course, I want to help you. It's just…" Caroline hesitated, "I guess it just feels a little strange to be making plans that involve spending my nights with you when I have a boyfriend waiting back at home."

"Ah right, the human," Klaus grimacing dramatically, "Who is he again?"

"Wow, Klaus. You've been a Hybrid ten minutes and you're already frowning down upon humans."

"Not all humans, just this particular one," he said, shrugging. Caroline rolled her eyes and made a quick glance at her phone.

"I should get going," Caroline said, her tone apologetic, "I know it's still pretty early but there are a few leads I have to follow up on tomorrow and I wanted to get some research in before that."

"Really? Or is it just past your little boyfriend's bedtime? Getting late for some rejuvenating phone sex?"

Caroline scoffed, "Don't pout, Klaus. It's not cute." She grabbed her purse and hopped off her bar chair while Klaus tried not to get too distracted by the way her skirt swished around her shapely legs. He moved to join her when she stopped him.

"You don't have to leave just because I am, Klaus. It's your first day out, don't you need to like, socialize or something? You know, being the supernatural celebrity that you are?" This caused Klaus to burst into laughter while Caroline continued, "In fact, I'm surprised we didn't get approached by every other person that walked into the bar. They certainly seemed to be interested in talking about you anyway."

"I'm sure they're just doing some reconnaissance to confirm it is indeed me. Once they are confident enough I'm positive I'll be getting my fair share of best wishes…or death threats depending on who it is…and I'll deal with it then. Besides, it's probably best that I leave as well anyway. You have your research while I have some painful transformations and who knows what else to look forward to."

They'd just walked outside the door and Caroline's expression suddenly changed to one of worry like she suddenly remembered about Klaus' plight every night for the near future.

"Klaus, I want to help but really I'm sorry I can't…"

"Don't even think about it, sweetheart," Klaus said, smiling sweetly at her, "My sisters can handle it and moreover I've the strange feeling Rebecca might even enjoy watching me roll on the floor and call it karma for daggering her or something of the sort." Caroline couldn't help but burst into laughter at that and Klaus joined her in the light moment together when a voice interrupted them.

"Took you long enough to step out of the bar."

A/N: Oops, looks like I'm back to leaving those pesky cliffhangers again. What do you think is going to happen? What are your thoughts on this chapter?

Pardon any weird typos because I'm SUPER sleepy at the moment and please leave reviews, you guys know I love to hear from you. Cheers!