A/N Welcome back! Thank you to everyone for your kind words and enthusiasm for this story. It's been a fun one to write. I hope everything in this chapter makes sense. Thank you to Erica, Julie and Srishti for helping me sort it out. Let me know if you have any questions and please tell me what you think! (No concrit please.)
Chapter Two – To Have and to Hold
Some men really knew how to fuck. Caroline didn't leave Klaus' hotel until 1:00 AM. They'd had sex for hours and she was exhausted. Satisfied, but exhausted. She took the long way home, detouring through downtown Philadelphia as she thought everything over. There were a lot of things left to figure out, but a plan was slowly forming in her mind. By the time she drove her black BMW M850 past the gate of the upscale community outside the city where she and Stefan lived in the Salvatore mansion, she felt brighter about her future than she had in a long time.
Klaus Mikaelson was definitely not what she'd been expecting. Having been around so many dominant alpha males who saw her only as brainless arm candy, it was a shock to meet someone who saw her as anything but. He'd taken the time to talk to her… and listen to her answers. He'd asked about her hopes and dreams like he gave a damn, asked where she wanted to be in five years, what were her long-term goals. But it was what he hadn't asked that had impressed her the most. He hadn't asked where she liked to shop or what charities she supported or any of the other mundane questions she typically got from men, as if that was all she ever thought about. No, he wanted to know how her mind worked.
They were the same. Realizing it was rather… unsettling. Caroline had spent most of her life around people who didn't understand her. The closest female friend she'd ever had was Elena. And she'd killed her. Well, had her killed. It was a necessary evil. Elena knew when she began seeing Damon that he was already arranged and had been since infancy. That betrayal was enough to justify her death as far as Caroline was concerned. It was enough to kill her husband, too. She had no illusions growing up that she would have a fairy tale relationship with Prince Charming, but she'd always hoped they could at least form a mutually beneficial alliance. Damon made it clear when they married that she would only ever be a pretty girl there to make him look good.
Klaus definitely saw her as a pretty girl. But she was more than that. He told her how much he enjoyed her mind and admired how flawlessly she'd executed her plans. Caroline had always prided herself on being ten steps ahead of everyone around her, but then Klaus came along and showed her they were on the same page. He'd killed Giuseppe on the off chance she might want to marry him. He hadn't admitted to the murder, of course, but she hadn't admitted to killing Damon or Elena either. Maybe the day would come that they could trust each other enough to say the words. She hoped so.
Sighing, Caroline walked in the front door of the Salvatore mansion. As soon as she set her keys down on the table in the foyer, she was miserable again. Her brother-in-law had a light on in the living room and she could hear techno music somewhere in the background. Silently groaning, she resigned herself to having to deal with him tonight. She was hoping he'd be passed out drunk somewhere and she could avoid telling him about the arrangement until morning. Hearing his footsteps against the marble floors, she put on a warm smile. "Is that my favorite brother-in-law I hear?" she asked sweetly.
"Where were you?" Stefan asked as he emerged from the shadows, worry evident in his tone.
Caroline's upper lip curled as she tossed the black duffel bag to his feet, a triumphant gleam in her eye. "I got your shipment back. You're welcome."
The younger Salvatore's eyes widened. He ran to it, quickly unzipped it and began counting the solid white bricks of cocaine wrapped in cellophane. He released a hysterical laugh when he realized everything was accounted for. His eyes snapped up to meet hers, and for the first time, he noticed how she was dressed. Her blonde curls were completely disheveled and there were faint tracks of dried mascara trailing down from her eyes, all traces of her blood red lipstick long gone. "How did you get it back?" he asked warily, a chill running down his spine when he noticed several bite marks on what the dress exposed of her breasts.
The blonde widow flashed back to riding Klaus' cock as she screamed his name through one of her many orgasms and couldn't help a mischievous smile from playing about her still-puffy lips. "I made a deal with the devil."
Stefan's jaw dropped, eyes widening in disgust as he eyed her up and down. "You fucked Kol Mikaelson for this, didn't you?"
Caroline actually laughed out loud, a sound he'd not heard in a long time. "Why sleep with the prince when you can marry the king?" she asked as she flashed him her enormous new engagement ring. He just looked at her with his normal expression: blank with a hint of inebriated confusion. Sighing, she rolled her eyes as she realized she would have to spell it out for him. "I arranged to marry Klaus Mikaelson to save your ass. So, as I said, you're welcome."
Stefan blinked a few times; it was as if her words hadn't registered. She watched impatiently as he pieced together what she'd just said. He looked over at her with wide eyes and for a moment, she thought he might cry. "Care," he began softly, stepping toward her and putting a hand on her forearm, "y-you didn't have to do that…" When he caught sight of the massive diamond, his voice trailed off as he looked at her like a lost little boy separated from his mother in a grocery store.
The blonde internally groaned as she forced her most sympathetic smile in place, keeping her tone gentle. "Steffie, honey, how much blow have you had tonight?" she asked kindly, stroking his hand with hers.
The incompetent mob boss looked at her with a glassy expression. "Just half a ball, why?"
This asshole's fucking flying, she thought to herself miserably. Time to play the concerned big sister. Stefan had a habit of getting into his own supply. Judging by the twitches in his muscles, runny nose and dark circles under his eyes, she could tell he'd been awake for days… probably since he'd lost the shipment to Kol three nights ago. She'd been watching his patterns for years. The first night, he was the life of the party with the impulse control of a toddler. She avoided the second because that's when he'd fly off into a rage. He'd never dare yell at her, but he'd rant for hours about whatever he was blowing out of proportion that night. By the third, he was an emotional mess and was as likely to cry as laugh with nothing in between. Since his brother and father died, he was prone to the former.
Caroline smiled gently as she led him to the stairs. "Baby, I think we should get you some Xanax and then you can go to sleep. We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?" Stefan mindlessly followed her up to his room, sniffling and wiping his nose on his black t-shirt. She knew he was mumbling something along the lines of an apology, but she'd gotten very good at tuning him out over the years. She rifled through his underwear drawer until she found a bottle of pills labeled zolpidem tartrate 10mg. Taking out two, she held them out to him. "Here, these will make you feel better."
Stefan grabbed the nearest half-full bottle of beer off his dresser and swallowed them down without looking. "You don't have to marry Klaus, Care. We can cover the cost of the shipment. Take it back and tell him no."
Refraining from rolling her eyes was a struggle and the temptation to pop one of his actual Xanax was strong. "If we do that, nobody will do business with us anymore. We don't want that, right?"
"Well, no, but, Care, come on! He's not half the man Damon was."
He's twice the size Damon was. Caroline shook her head to clear away the naughty image of Klaus on top of her as she led Stefan by the hand to his unmade king-sized bed. It's like he's fucking five. "What's done is done. Come lay down."
Stefan shook his head, wiping his hands down his face. "No, Markos has been waiting on that bag for days. I need to call him and-"
"I'll do it. Markos loves me. I'll just tell him I lost track of time," she argued reasonably as she pushed lightly on his shoulders to get him to sit on the plush mattress. "He knows I'm in mourning. He won't be mad."
That's when he burst into tears. "If Dad was here, he'd kill me," he sobbed, pulling Caroline to him and crying on her belly. "He said we had to always take care of you. You can't marry a Mikaelson! Damon l-loved you! He'd be fur-fur-furious!" he wailed pitifully.
Damon wouldn't give a shit, she thought as she patted him on the back, waiting for the sleeping pills to kick in. He babbled on for a few minutes about how she couldn't marry Klaus and he'd find a way to fix it before she'd had enough. She pried his arms off her and pushed him back on the bed, laying down next to him and propping herself up on her shoulder. "It'll be okay," she promised in her best big-sister voice. "You just need to get some sleep and things will look better tomorrow. I'll take care of the shipment and make sure the next one is coming. You don't have to do anything now except get some sleep. When you wake up, I'll make you pancakes, okay?"
Stefan looked up at her from bloodshot eyes, lids drooping heavily. "The ones with the chocolate chips?" he asked with a sniffle.
The ones with the fucking cyanide. Caroline pulled the comforter up around him and pecked him on the forehead. "The ones with the chocolate chips. Promise. Go to sleep now, okay?" She tried to stand, but he pulled her down on top of him for a hug. Rolling her eyes, she returned it for as long as she could stand before firmly pulling his arms off her and taking a few steps toward the door. "I'm going to go get cleaned up, call Markos and then I'll come back and check on you. Goodnight, Stefan." She turned off the lights as he mumbled a goodnight, rolling over and falling asleep fully clothed.
The blonde widow's smile faded as soon as she closed the door and was replaced with a grimace, head slowly shaking side to side. How had her life come to this? Klaus was right; she was better than this. Damon had been a complete tool, but at least he was good at his job. He hadn't needed – or wanted – her to do anything except be his trophy wife… which was exactly why she'd killed him. Stefan was far easier to control. He loved her like a sister and looked up to her like a mother. It was a good thing his death was imminent because he wouldn't last a day without her there to wipe his nose and put him to bed.
Caroline made it to her room and closed the door behind her, sighing in relief. They would have to have a real conversation about her arrangement with Klaus once he sobered up, but he'd be easy enough to convince it was a good idea. Pulling out her phone, she made a quick call to Markos, leader of a group of dealers called The Travelers, and arranged to bring him the bag in an hour. The next thing she did was text her new fiance that she'd broken the news to her brother-in-law. She heard his reply come seconds later, but she was already on her way to the shower, eyes glued to the giant rock on her ring finger. She let scalding hot water wash off the remains of the day until her skin was pink and the last of Klaus' scent had run down the drain. Having sex with him had felt way too good; she couldn't afford to let herself get emotionally attached. He was a variable she hadn't been expecting and one she wasn't sure how to factor. She'd calculate the odds of his survival later. It was already 2:00 AM and all she wanted to do was fall into bed.
The deal with Markos took less than an hour. She made sure to wear a low-cut top and tight skirt before meeting him at the docks, smiling her beauty queen smile and apologizing profusely for the misunderstanding about when he wanted it. It was all her fault and Stefan made sure to tell her to say how sorry she was and would he please forgive her? The damn fool was so busy assuring her she wasn't in trouble that he didn't even bother counting the bricks of cocaine before handing over an equally large duffel bag full of cash. She thanked him profusely while she did count the money; only then did he remember that he was supposed to do the same. As she drove off, she wondered how in the hell the planet had survived so long with men in charge.
Caroline stripped down to her panties and threw on a camisole before crawling into bed, exhausted. Finally checking her texts, she discovered that her inbox was full of messages from people asking questions about her engagement. Klaus had apparently not been kidding when he said he'd put the word out quickly. "Good to know this one knows what he's doing," she muttered to herself. Maybe being married to him wouldn't be so bad if he actually planned on doing what he said he would. His was the only message she considered replying to, but she ultimately decided against it. Just as she was turning it off, a message came in that finally interested her. A wicked smirk curled her upper lip as she read a text from an unknown number.
Don't forget who your friends are, Mrs. Mikaelson. I'll see you soon.
Three Months Later
Man babies with hair gel addictions weren't worth their hero hair. Caroline rolled her eyes as she heard Stefan grumbling from behind as he followed her to the door, stomping his feet petulantly. "I don't see why you have to spend so much time getting to know him. You're only getting married. It's not like you have to talk to him."
The wedding was days away and the youngest Salvatore had been whining about it since the night she'd come home with his lost shipment. For a devil with the patience of a saint, hers was definitely waning. "He asked me to go to dinner and it's my job to do as he says." She turned to him and flashed him her best phony smile. "That's what good wives do, right?"
"Well duh," he replied with an eye roll, "but you don't haveto be his wife. You can still call it off."
Caroline peeked out the front glass of the door, hoping to see Klaus' Porsche rolling up. She checked her watch and sighed; she still had two minutes left to deal with the bane of her existence. She put her hand on his forearm, rubbing his skin with her thumb soothingly. "Baby, half the city is coming to the wedding. It's too late to call things off now." He huffed; she gritted her teeth. "And you know this is a good move for business. We'll be allies and make more than our parents ever did. Don't you want to make your dad and Damon proud?"
"There's no way in hell Damon would be proud of you marrying a Mikaelson," he spat, pulling away. With how jealous he'd been acting, she'd begun to wonder which of the damn brothers she'd really married.
"Hey," Caroline said softly, cupping his cheek as he looked away petulantly, "you know how much he loved me," she lied, barely able to keep a straight face at that one. "He wouldn't want me to be alone forever, would he?"
"You're not alone. You still have me." When he finally looked at her, he looked so lost that she almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
The blonde widow pulled him into a hug, nuzzling her face against his toned chest and wrapping her arms around his lower back. "You'll always have me, Steffie," she lied easily, using the name she'd always called him as children – the one that never failed to sway him to her side.
Sighing, Stefan hugged her back and rested his cheek against the top of her golden curls. "Promise?"
Caroline pulled one arm away and held up her pinky, smiling up at him sweetly. "Until the day you die." Reluctantly, he returned her smile with a dopey one of his own and locked his pinky around hers, shaking them together. I swear to God, he'd believe in Santa if I told him to. Their saccharine moment was thankfully broken by a knock on the solid oak door.
Her future ex-brother-in-law's grumpy frown returned as she pulled away from their embrace and turned to open it. Caroline's fake smile was replaced with a softer one as she caught sight of her fiance. They'd spent at least half their evenings together and she'd even snuck a few overnights after dosing Stefan with zolpidem. She still wasn't sure she wanted to be his wife, but the sex was fantastic enough to convince her every time that it had its benefits. The long conversations about their future didn't hurt, either.
"Hello, love," Klaus greeted, dimples etched into his cheeks as his eyes roved over her tight designer jeans and low-cut red wraparound blouse. He leaned down, pecking her on the cheek before shifting his focus to the man pouting across the foyer. "Stefan, always a pleasure," he lied smoothly.
"Klaus," he grumbled, arms crossed defensively over his chest. The tension in the air was thick, but both Caroline and her fiance pretended it didn't exist. Once they were safely across the globe on their honeymoon, he'd no longer be their problem.
The blonde grabbed her sleek Fendi bag from a hook on the wall and smiled at him. "I'll be back by midnight, okay?" He grunted an acknowledgment, looking away. "There's beer in the fridge in the garage and I ordered your favorite pizza from The Abattoir. It'll be here at seven."
"Did you get cannolis?" he asked hopefully.
"I got two," she replied reassuringly. "But save dessert for last. I left a list of calls you need to return on the fridge. Do that before the food gets here so you don't forget. And remember to check your voice mail later on. Call me if you need anything." Before he could say anything else, she closed the front door. Turning to Klaus, the smile immediately fell off her face and was replaced with a grimace. "I swear to God, it's like I'm his fucking mother."
The mafia king chuckled at that, shaking his head as he opened the passenger side door of his sleek Turbo 911. Once she was in, he slid behind the wheel and smiled deviously, cerulean eyes twinkling with malice in the fading light. "Not for long." She smirked at that. "Where are we headed?"
"The docks," she replied, pulling out her phone and tapping out a few texts.
"I take it we'll finally be meeting your man?"
"We?"
"Elijah will be meeting us," he informed her casually as he pulled out of her gated community and headed for the highway. "Text him for me, would you, love?"
"Why is your brother coming?" she demanded accusatorially.
Klaus groaned, annoyed by the entire situation. "You know he doesn't approve of our arrangement. I thought a little goodwill on our part would help sway him to our side." It was true. Most of the Mikaelsons had been relatively welcoming, if a bit wary, but Elijah has been very vocal about his distrust of anyone affiliated with the Salvatores. He was also less than pleased with their legitimate business dealings. Since Bill died seven years before, things had gotten sloppier and sloppier. Once Stefan was out of the picture, he planned to liquidate nearly everything. As the best mathematician – and in Caroline's opinion, most boring – of the five surviving siblings, he handled all the family's various enterprises and laundered all the money from their cash businesses.
Two of their brothers, Finn and Henrik, had died years before in a gang shooting shortly after their mother died. It led to the extermination of a group known as the Mystic Wolves and established Klaus as the new head of the family. It had been such a bloodbath that it was the last time anyone made a move on the Mikaelsons. He'd gone on a rampage and painted the town red for days until there was nothing left. Their oldest sister, Freya, had barely been able to smooth things over with the various law enforcement officials and politicians she had in her pocket. After their loss, the five of them were closer than ever. While she didn't like it, Caroline could understand Elijah's concern. After all, she had killed her last husband in cold blood, not that she'd openly confessed it to anyone. Well, to one person.
"Alright, fine," she conceded, turning her head to face him. "Just remember that this meeting is a formality. I already have the specifics worked out."
"I take it you'll finally be sharing the details of your contingency plan this evening?" He phrased it as a question and kept his tone casual, but she could see the tightening of his jaw and grip on the steering wheel. He'd pressed her several times, but she'd been putting it off until her contact had finally called to make the necessary arrangements.
"Yep," she confirmed, popping the 'p' in a way that had his eyes darkening.
Klaus put a hand high on her thigh, squeezing it firmly. "How long do we have?" he asked, British accent husky with lust.
"Not long enough," Caroline replied with a sigh, a warmth tingling in her lower belly. "Later." Their eyes met as they smirked simultaneously. The chemistry they had was undeniable; she'd never felt anything like it. Half the time he made dinner reservations, they ended up canceling and in bed clawing at each other like wild animals. It could have just been the constant rush of endorphins, but she actually thought she might like him. She wasn't sure she trusted him – or even had the ability to trust – but he'd kept every promise he'd made thus far, never once going back on his word. He'd even taken her with him on a few business deals, introducing her to several of his associates to give her a sense of how liked things handled. He ruled the city with an iron fist.
While Klaus was charismatic and a smooth talker, he also had a notoriously dangerous temper that wasn't hard to provoke. It kept most of his people in line, but she'd been privy to a few situations she actually considered fun. After one of his heroin distributors made the mistake of commenting on her body, he broke the idiot's nose and bloodied his shirt doing it. She'd ripped it off as soon as they were in the car and they'd eventually pulled over to fuck in the nearest alley and again when they got back to his mansion.
Good times.
Elijah was waiting for them when they arrived at the Port of Philadelphia, nose upturned at the smell wafting from the dock she'd specified. "Caroline," he greeted formally, posture stiff. Somebody really needs to remove the stick from this guy's ass, she thought to herself as she politely took his hand. "Lovely to see you again."
"Likewise," she replied sweetly, smile not meeting her eyes. She held his gaze with a fiery one of her own as they each waited for the other to look away.
Elijah was the first to break when Klaus stepped to her side and wrapped his arm possessively around her lower back, reminding his brother who was in charge. "I take it we'll be picking up your man to discuss the specifics of this contingency plan?" he asked with a slight sneer, clearly unhappy she'd waited until the last minute to involve them.
"Not quite, tightass," a voice came from the darkness beside a giant freighter. Three heads turned as a beautiful woman with long mahogany curls and perfect curves emerged from the shadows, a gun on the hip of her tight jeans. "What's up, slut?" she greeted Caroline with a smirk before pulling her in for a quick sideways hug.
Klaus and Elijah traded glances, both looking like they'd seen a ghost. She was a dead ringer for Elena Gilbert with only a few small differences they had to look closely to see. She was an inch or two taller, lips a touch rounder, nose a little bit straighter, breasts a little bit larger, and then there were her piercing chestnut eyes. They held none of the carefree innocence of the girl with a normal life raised by retired criminals exiled from the business. There was a coldness to her bladed smile that could only come from the harshest experiences life had to offer. They were intrigued, to say the least.
"And who might you be?" the financier asked, eyeing her distastefully even as his gaze lingered on her breasts. She was an absolute knockout and looked more like a runway model than the most deadly woman Caroline had ever known.
"Elijah, meet the contingency plan," the blonde answered, enjoying the way the two men's eyes widened at the realization that her hit man was, in fact, a woman.
"Call me Katherine," the assassin tossed in, also clearly enjoying their reactions while silently daring them with her eyes and posture to challenge her purpose for meeting them. "Katherine Pierce." The brothers stared at her slack jawed; the women traded amused glances. "Well, my ass just got off a ship from fucking London, so one of you better offer me a drink or things are going to get uglier than your shoes," she commented, staring down at Elijah's feet.
"I'll have you know these are Amedeo Testonis," he replied haughtily, aghast that anyone would dare insult his formal attire.
Kat looked at him pityingly, one hand on her hip, the other holding the strap of a duffel bag over her shoulder. "Those Oxfords are from last season."
Elijah's face perked up at that, tone indicating pleasant surprise. "You're familiar with Italian shoes?"
The assassin turned on her heel and kicked up her heel to flash him a pair of very stylish ankle booties. "Sergio Rossi."
Clearly impressed, he stepped forward and held out his arm. "Allow me to take your bag. I'm sure we can find a suitable restaurant to quench your thirst. We own several fine establishments to choose from."
"I got a P90 in here that'll slice that Versace right off your neck," she replied, nodding at his silk tie as she tightened her grip on her shoulder strap. "I'll carry it myself."
Elijah looked at her like he'd just fallen in love. "Bulgarian weapons and Italian fashion. You're a versatile woman, Katherine." Throwing a smirk Caroline's way, she took his arm and followed him to his BMW.
As soon as the door was closed, the blonde turned to her fiance. "Fifty bucks says they bang tonight."
Klaus shook his head, chuckling as he opened the door to his Porsche for her. "I'm not taking that, but I'll bet a thousand that he proposes before our wedding."
Caroline barked out a laugh at the prospect. If they only knew. "I'll take that and raise you a grand she has him dead by the end of the honeymoon."
The air between them shifted as the crime lord eyed her suspiciously, posture straightening the way it always did when his guard went up. "Who is she, Caroline? And why does she look exactly like the Gilbert girl?"
The corner of her lip turned up in a devious smile as she reveled in the knowledge that she held all the power. "Let's just say there's more to her than meets the eye." A low growl came from the back of his throat that would have scared anyone else; she just rolled her eyes. "I told you. She's the contingency plan."
"Going to need a bit more than that, sweetheart," he bit out, the epithet usually so warm coming out like a thinly veiled threat. Trust clearly wasn't something that came naturally to him, either.
Caroline shifted in her seat to face him as they pulled out of the parking lot and followed behind the elder Mikaelson. As she considered him, it occurred to her that she was either going to have to put some faith in him and reveal her secrets or risk starting their marriage out on a very sour note. She crossed her ankles and elegantly folded her hands in her lap, sighing. "It started before I was born. You were probably too young to have any idea what was going on, but the Gilbert family used to be heavily involved with the coke trade." His eyebrows briefly raised in surprise before he schooled his features back into a mask. "Everything was fine until Miranda got pregnant. I do not know what possessed him to do it, but Grayson made a move against Giuseppe."
"The pressures of a baby on the way can do a lot of things to a man," he commented, listening with interest. He was always interested in what she had to say.
"Oh, it wasn't just one baby. She was pregnant with two." His eyes snapped to hers, hand jerking on the wheel, and was met with a knowing smile and sparkling sapphire eyes that held all the secrets of heaven and hell. "Katherine is Elena's twin sister." She nodded at the clear shock on his face. "Yep. He told them to pick one to give up to assure they'd keep their hands clean. She's the only reason my dad talked that idiot Giuseppe into letting any of them live after the power grab."
"Why would he do that?"
Caroline smiled and for a moment, he could have sworn the temperature in the convertible dropped. "Because he wanted to leave me with more than money. My father was a man of opportunity and he saw one in her. He left me with someone ready to hate the Salvatores so much that she'd do anything to see them exterminated. Don't let appearances fool you. She was raised by associates bound to my family by more than a century's worth of history. John Pierce and his wife Isobel were part of the IRA back then. Kat could probably wire a car bomb before she could ride a bike."
"How heartwarming," he snorted dryly.
"Not really, no," the blonde widow corrected him darkly. "If you think she was raised with an ounce of affection, you're wrong. I know Mikael was a royal dick to you, but believe me when I tell you, that girl had it worse."
Klaus found that hard to believe. His step-father had been a ruthless man who hated him for being the product of his wife's affair and was never shy about letting him know he was nothing but an abomination. Esther used it to her advantage, doting on her middle child and preparing him for the day Mikael's usefulness ran its course. When the time came, Klaus was only too happy to pull the trigger. Only Freya mourned his loss, but even she couldn't ignore a lifetime of her brother's broken bones. He'd opened up about it to Caroline in bits and pieces and she could deduce the worst from all he hadn't said. It was hard to imagine a childhood worse than his, but curiosity kept him listening.
"So, you can imagine her surprise when she found out about the life she could have had."
A wicked smile curved the criminal king's upper lip. "I take it you and daddy dearest had something to do with that?"
Caroline smirked, reaching out to put her hand in his thigh, enjoying the way his breathing hitched at her touch. "You see, this is why I like you. So much more than a pretty face," she teased with a wink, causing him to chuckle. "You're right. When he got diagnosed with cancer, my dad left me with instructions to contact her in the event I ever needed to make a move against Damon after he was gone. The time came and I made the call. Flew overseas on a 'shopping trip'" she continued, making finger quotes, "to Belfast. I brought Elena with me and that was all the proof Kat needed that I was telling the truth."
"Keep your friends close…"
"And your enemies in the dark," she finished for him. "The Gilberts were fools for ever believing giving up one daughter as collateral for future good behavior would be enough to keep them safe. Nobody gets out of this business free and clear. But my dad was good at what he did and he sold it to everyone. The Gilberts were distraught but he left them with no alternative. Giuseppe was so disgusted with the whole affair that he didn't ask too many questions about where exactly the other baby was going. He wanted them all dead, of course, but not enough to doubt the assurances of his ever loyal right hand man." She snorted at that, shaking her head. "He should have known better, but he was an impulsive drunk too busy trying to hide hookers from his wife to notice something odd about my father offering mercy to an enemy for the only time ever."
"He was a fool," Klaus agreed, growing more impressed by the minute. "Something he clearly passed down to his sons."
"You got that right." Caroline's smile widened at that. "Damon did it to himself when he tried to bail on me. Really should have listened when Giuseppe said he'd kill him before seeing him marry a Gilbert. He thought he was in the clear when his dad died but I wasn't about to let that cheerleading bimbo get everything that was meant for me."
He darted his eyes to the side, eyes lingering on her breasts. Few things were a stronger aphrodisiac than a long con. "That's when you went to Belfast."
The blonde nodded. "Elena never made it back from Ireland. I wanted to wait until we were back in the states, but Kat wouldn't even consider it. She took one look at that picture of her twin and was out for blood. It was all I could do to keep her from going after Damon and Stefan immediately."
"How did you manage?" he asked curiously.
"I gave her my assurances that there would be no retaliation for her taking out Giuseppe's oldest friends."
"I thought you said he didn't know them," he observed shrewdly.
"He didn't." Caroline smiled wickedly at that. "Daddy kept his hands clean. Part of the deal he made with the Pierce's was that Kat never know where she came from. Given that she was raised as nothing more than an asset, it didn't make sense for them to tell her she wasn't theirs."
"I take it that lie did not end well for them."
"John and Isobel were dead before I made it back to Philly," she confirmed with a nod. "The deal was that I would take out Damon within a year's time and she would leave Stefan be for the time being. That came at a price, too, but I always knew the day would come that money wouldn't outweigh her lust for vengeance. We parted ways in Belfast, but I knew it wouldn't be too long before I heard from her again. When Grayson and Miranda had their car accident a few weeks later, I thought she might turn up but it wasn't until she heard that I was marrying you that she contacted me."
The mafia king was growing more impressed by the two women by the minute. Despite Damon's connection to Elena, he'd never suspected the Gilbert's crash was anything other than an unfortunate accident brought on by grief. If it was Katherine, she was damn good. "She was behind that as well?"
"No idea. Probably," she replied flippantly, as though murders that didn't directly affect her just weren't worth talking about. "There was enough liquor in his blood that he might have driven into a tree on his own. Didn't care enough to ask. Saved me the trouble in any case."
Klaus frowned. "Why would you have gone after them?" he asked curiously.
Caroline scoffed and gave him a pitying look. "Nobody betrays my father and lives to tell about it." His eyes met hers and she could see the pride in them. Family loyalty was everything to the Mikaelsons. "Fortunately, your name was enough to convince her it wasn't worth getting on my bad side by moving as quickly as she did with Elena, so she agreed to do everything on my terms."
Klaus smirked, arrogance painting his tone. "I told you Mikaelson is synonymous with power. Glad to see you already using it to your advantage." He squeezed her hand affectionately before pulling it away to downshift as they approached an Italian restaurant, Marcello's. "We can discuss the specifics with Elijah."
Caroline grabbed him by the elbow as he reached for the car door, her tone iron and a steel glint in her eyes. "That's all we discuss with him. Nobody ever knows what I just told you."
He smiled at her reassuringly and leaned over to peck her on the cheek. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Your secrets are safe with me." He said it so genuinely that she believed him. "Despite the lives we lead, my brother lives by a strict moral code. He doesn't approve of some of my more Machiavellian plans and he's already distrustful of you. Best not to give him reason to be beyond his dislike of the name Salvatore."
The blonde returned his smile and let go of him, her features softening. "You know, this marriage might actually work out."
"That's what I keep telling you," he replied lightly. For the first time, she believed him. They walked into the restaurant hand-in-hand and were immediately led to the private room in the back reserved for parties. It felt strange when he first started taking her hand when they started dating – if immediately planning an arranged wedding could be called dating – but she'd learned quickly that Klaus was very fond of touching her in any way possible and cared very little who knew it. True to form, when they reached the large booth in the back corner, he pulled her to his lap with a possessive arm around her waist.
As soon as they sat down, the engaged couple traded an amused glance at how closely Elijah and Kat were sitting, engaged heavily in a conversation about the latest fashions from Milan. He was a snob for formal attire – he wore suits so often that Caroline was convinced he even slept in them – and probably spent more time shopping than she did. It was the first time she'd ever seen him so thoroughly engaged talking to a woman. The closest he'd come was discussing money laundering with his little sister, Rebekah. Elijah didn't have a criminal enterprise of his own, too stuck in his hypocritical morals, so he settled for funneling the illegal funds his siblings brought in through legitimate businesses owned by their family. There was no world in which he would end up with an assassin like Kat with no morals, but that didn't mean she couldn't show him a good time while she was in town. Although, Caroline would put money on it that she'd con him out of a few thousands dollars in clothes and shoes before the night was over.
Once they were settled in with dinner a bottle of cabernet and another of sauvignon blanc, Kat turned to Caroline and asked casually, "So, how do you want to kill this fucker?" Elijah choked on his veal parmesan. "What?" she asked snidely as he coughed and sputtered. "Don't like talking murder around the suit?"
Elijah's hands were hardly free of blood, but his kills were always out of necessity in the heat of the moment. It was clear to Caroline that the only reason he invited himself along was his clear dislike of her. She inwardly smiled to herself, hoping once he realized how similar she really was to his brother that he'd never make a move against her. Finally composing himself after a few sips of cabernet, the stuffiest Mikaelson compulsively straightened his tie. "I've always felt discretion is the better part of valor."
"Do I look valiant to you?"
"You look like you belong on a runway," he replied smoothly, ever the politician of the family. She responded to his comment with a smirk and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Please do continue. This is your area of expertise."
Kat flicked her gaze up and down her dinner date in a way that had him straightening his cufflinks, eager for their meeting to end. Her lascivious intentions were clear, but she was always one to put business before pleasure. "Well, I'd prefer to strangle the life out of him, chop the body up into little pieces and feed them to the sharks," she bluntly stated, making his eyes widen at her candor. "But I think Barbie girl has her own ideas."
"Hey!" Caroline complained loudly. "I am not a Barbie."
"No, you're her murderous twin sister." They shared a smirk at the mention of a murdered twin. "So, what did you have in mind, murder Barbie?"
Deciding 'murder Barbie' was slightly less offensive – and probably fairly accurate – Caroline folded her hands on the table and spoke frankly. "It needs to look like an accident. I barely passed off that ferry boat story in Belfast." Elijah looked between the two curiously but chose not to ask. "I was thinking coke overdose. Everyone knows he can't keep his nose clean. Wouldn't be hard to believe."
Kat shrugged casually. "Not much fun but I guess that works. How long do I have to wait?"
"At least until we're on the honeymoon," Klaus interjected. "There will surely be an equivocal death investigation. It'll sell it better to the authorities if it happens when he's living on his own for the first time. Grief is a powerful motivator for self-destruction."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, make it look like it's my fault."
"It was your plan, sweetheart," he pointed out, one arm draped behind her shoulder, the tips of his fingers idly toying with one of her blonde curls. "We could always go with a car accident."
"No," Kat spat venomously. All eyes turned to her at the sudden anger in her tone. "I didn't get to be there for his brother. I want to watch the fucker die."
The air suddenly filled with awkward tension. Long moments of silence past as they each sipped their wine. Setting down his glass, Elijah cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the other three. "Forgive me for my curiosity. I can't help but notice this seems to be more than business for you."
Kat looked at him pityingly. "Obviously. Anything involving the Salvatores is personal."
He looked between the two women and gestured at his future sister-in-law. "I take it it hasn't escaped your notice that Caroline is a Salvatore."
"Only technically," Caroline interjected, nose upturned at the reminder. "I hate them as much as she does."
Kat's tone was cold even for her, eyes meeting her accomplice's as words Elijah didn't need to hear were silently spoken between them. "Not quite."
Rather certain he didn't want to know, Elijah continued in his best business voice, "Is her willingness to exterminate the bloodline satisfactory enough to end this here?"
The assassin flicked her gaze up and down the blonde appraisingly. "Caroline isn't a Salvatore. They can put all the diamonds on her finger they want but she'll never be one of them. She is the daughter of Bill Forbes." Her eyes met Elijah's. "Remember that."
They held each other's gaze for a long moment before he conceded defeat with a nod, curiosity sated. It occurred to him for the first time that his future sister-in-law was more competent than he'd given her credit for. Perhaps her affiliation with their rivals wasn't a reason for mistrust after all. "Well, it appears you two already have an understanding," he stated awkwardly. "Please continue."
Redirecting the conversation to the business at hand, Caroline turned to Kat. "I get wanting to see it. He's been a thorn in my side for decades. I won't lose any sleep over how it goes down as long as it's done before we get back. It'll be bad for business if it looks like I was involved even tangentially." She paused, thinking over the different options. "What if he drowned in the pool?" she mused thoughtfully.
Kat shook her head, mahogany curls swaying around her shoulders. "Harder to sell with coke. He on any downers?"
"Drinks like a fish and likes to pop zannies on his way down. Wouldn't be hard to get him drunk and slip him a few extra."
Kat scoffed, unsurprised. She'd done her research on the Salvatores; the more she learned, the more she hated them. "Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to interact with him a little bit. I just hope he doesn't try anything dirty," she said with a grimace, Caroline's nose upturning at that.
"Or notice that you look just like the Gilbert girl," Elijah added shrewdly.
The assassin waved her hand dismissively. "I've got that covered. I can make myself look like anybody. Throw on some costume makeup to change my nose and shape of my eyes, contacts, wig." She looked to Elijah and winked. "Not my first covert op."
"You are a woman of many talents," he replied with a smile, clearly impressed.
"Very, very many." Her tone was low and sultry as she caressed his thigh under the table.
Their heated glances were enough to convince the engaged couple it was time to call it a night. Klaus clapped his hands together to remind them he and his fiancee were still in the room. "So, we're all in agreement then." A blush rose up his brother's cheek as he straightened his tie again, finally pulling his eyes from the sassy brunette.
Caroline nodded, her tone business-like. "Yes, drowning it is. The wedding is in three days. Give it at least three or four after that before you make a move. He'll party hard for at least that long. It'll be more believable if it happens when he's crashing."
"Guess I have a week to kill." Kat turned to Elijah. "Know any good hotels?" she asked with a raised brow.
"We own one. I'd be happy to set it up, but it will likely take a couple of hours to clear a penthouse suite." He turned back to his brother and future sister-in-law. "Shall we retire to the mansion for a nightcap?"
Klaus and Caroline looked at each out of the corner of their eyes. "No, I should get back to man-baby. We came together; he can drive me home. You two go ahead." She rose from the corner booth and he was right behind her. Before they left, she turned to Kat one last time. "Assuming everything goes smoothly, I see no reason to meet again."
"Agreed," she replied with a nod of her head, not wanting to spend any longer in Philadelphia than necessary.
Klaus placed a hand on Caroline's lower back before politely tilting his head at the assassin. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." There was an evil glint in her eyes that gave even the criminal king chills. "See you never, murder Barbie." With a final smirk, the blonde took his hand as they left the other couple to whatever mischief they would get into before the week was over.
They were barely in the parking lot before Klaus had her pressed up against his car, mouth furiously attacking hers. Caught by surprise, it took her a moment to respond but after a moment, she was kissing him back. He ground against her, his erection prominent against her thigh. Chemistry was the biggest bullet point on her 'Good Reasons to Marry Klaus' list and as his hand found her breast over her blouse, she remembered why. The feeling of cold, hard metal against her back reminded her they were in a public parking lot. Chest heaving, she pulled back just long enough to huff, "Someone might see."
"Let them," he growled against her lips, pushing his tongue into her mouth. He moved down to her neck, muttering, "Hearing you talk like that…" Back to her mouth, his hips ground against her jeans. "Fuck, Caroline, you're positively wicked." She had to agree. The first time they'd had sex was after a conversation about their past kills and hope for a bloody future.
Murder was just their thing.
The blonde reached behind her, struggling to grip the handle of his Porsche. "We need to go someplace else. Hotel."
"Can't wait that long," he panted, heart racing in his chest. When she finally got the door open, he pushed her down with a hand to the top of her head. He practically galloped to the other side, ripping the driver's side door open with purpose. He was on top of her again in an instant, hand up her shirt as he sucked and nibbled her throat.
"Klaus…" she panted, "not… any… better."
"Don't care." He quickly tugged off her shirt, leaving her in a lacy black bra. Pulling the cup aside, he latched his lips to her nipple, making her moan.
It took everything in her not to just say fuck it, but Caroline managed to pull him away from her chest with a sharp tug to his curls. He would have pushed back but she was going for his belt. "You drive. Just find someplace dark. I got this." Before he could object, she tugged down his zipper and pulled out his dripping cock, her tongue darting out to catch a drop of salty liquid. She quickly took him to the back of her throat, reaching up to press the button for the ignition to get his attention when all he did was buck up his hips to get her to take more. "Drive!" she barked against his cock, finally springing him into action.
Driving a manual sports car with Caroline's head bobbing in his lap was a challenge, but the mafia boss managed. Eyes frantically scanning the streets as he drove around aimlessly for a few minutes, his sights set on a four-story parking garage. He raced to the third level in a corner opposite the elevator, the parking spot shrouded in shadows. Deciding that was good enough, he slammed the gear shift into park, killed the engine and threw his seat all the way back, her lips still wrapped around his cock as she furiously sucked up and down.
"Take off your pants," he growled, unclasping her bra so fast he nearly ripped it off in his haste to get her naked. She fumbled with her button and zipper but managed to pull them off, only removing her mouth from his cock long enough to throw off her shoes and climb on top of him.
"Not enough room," she mumbled against his mouth, prompting him to hit the button to lift the top off his convertible. "Better." She sat up briefly to pull off his olive drab Henley, throwing it on the floor with her discarded clothing. Her breasts pressed against his firm chest when she attacked him again, her tongue exploring the inside of his mouth. He reached between them to find her clit, checking to see if she was already wet. He smirked against her mouth, dragging his lips down her throat as he lined up his cock with her soaked entrance. They both moaned as she lowered her hips and took him completely inside her slick heat.
Klaus' Porsche was not the ideal location to have sex but he'd considered it an emergency that he needed to fuck his fiancee as fast as possible. With how starved she'd been for sex in recent years, it was never hard to convince her of anything. He gripped her ass with one hand pressed between her and the steering wheel, kneading his hand in her creamy flesh as she rode him hard and fast. He met her thrust for thrust, kissing until the air left their lungs. With a gasp, she pulled up and he took full advantage of her exposed chest. He took one pert nipple between his teeth and tugged, his other hand tweaking and pulling at the other. She reveled in the attention, throwing her head back as she arched her back to grant better access. His cock slid furiously in and out of her as she gripped him with her fleshy walls. Panting turned to moans as the sound of skin slapping against skin echoed around the mostly abandoned parking garage.
"Klaus… I'm close…" she huffed, thrusts becoming more erratic as she swirled her hips around. She was so focused on the growing coil in her lower belly that she missed the sound of sniggering from across the garage. An angry growl got her attention and her eyes snapped open to see a couple of college-aged kids watching them from across the asphalt. She barely had time to process what Klaus was doing before he had his gun out. He quickly fired off a shot in their general direction and they scattered like cockroaches. "Klaus!" she squealed, but he just pulled her closer with a strong arm against her lower back. "You can't just shoot at people!"
"You were close," he growled against her mouth as he bucked up into her, chasing away all rational thought from her head. He knew it was sure to draw the attention of the police but he was a man on a mission. Falling back into him, she went back to bouncing on top as his cock slid in and out of her at a rapid pace. He wound his fingers in her golden curls and tugged sharply, just the way she liked. His other hand snaked between their slick bodies to find her clit. He harshly rubbed up and down until she was keening against him. She felt a warmth begin to spread from the tips of her fingers to the bottom of her toes, walls convulsing around his shaft as an orgasm overtook her. She panted out his name as she came hard, body stilling as he pounded up into her until he found his own release and spilled his seed inside her and fell back against the seat, chest heaving.
Thoroughly sated, Caroline collapsed on top of him. He pecked her temple once before pushing her off him. "Hey!" she squealed indignantly when the bare flesh of her ass and back hit the luxurious leather of the passenger's seat.
"Need to go." He barely waited for the top to close on his convertible before he pulled out of the spot, tires squealing against the asphalt. She scrambled to pull up her jeans and wriggled into her top, foregoing her bra and panties in her haste to get dressed before someone saw. She realized why he was in such a hurry when they saw the faint glow of red, blue and white lights and heard sirens blaring in the distance just as he rounded the corner away from the garage.
Caroline secured her seatbelt into the buckle before slapping his shoulder. "I told you you can't just go shooting people!" she scolded, wagging a finger at him.
"I didn't shoot anyone; I merely shot at them," he corrected her with an arrogant smirk before offering up his best puppy-dog eyes. "You were close. It was an emergency." An amused smile spread across her face as she simply shook her head, silently agreeing with his completely unapologetic explanation. It wasn't that Klaus didn't know the rules and laws; he simply felt they didn't apply to him. He was the criminal king of Philadelphia and she was his queen. As far as he was concerned, he'd restrained himself by shooting at the ceiling.
"What can I say?" Klaus asked with a casual shrug as he drove around the dark streets with his shirt still off. He reached over to tuck a sweaty tendril behind her ear, her hair tousled from their emergency sex. "Your mind the most attractive part of you."
"You don't seem to mind the rest of me," she teased, lifting up her shirt to flash him her breasts, a few bite marks visible under the streetlights.
Klaus' eyes darkened as his gaze lingered on her chest; he felt his cock twitch again. "Keep that up and you'll never be home by midnight."
Caroline stole a peek at the digital clock and saw that it was only 9:30. The night was still young; it was way too early to say goodbye now. "Or, I could bring you home with me."
His eyebrows shot up and his hand jerked on the wheel in surprise. In the three months since he'd proposed, the closest he'd come to her bedroom was the front door. "Isn't Stefan home?" he asked incredulously.
Caroline smiled at him coquettishly. "That's easy enough to deal with. And besides, he'll be dead in a week or less."
A low growl emitted from the back of his throat, lust rushing through his veins. "With talk like that, how can I say no?" He dropped gears and floored it, making her scream and laugh as he sped them all the way back to the Salvatore mansion. He crashed his mouth to hers as soon as he parked in the driveway, pulling away only when they needed to breathe. "How do we do this?"
Looking in the mirror, she reapplied her lipstick and ran her fingers through her hair to tame her ruined curls. "Go park behind the garage and give me fifteen minutes. Meet me out back." She leaned over to peck him on the mouth, a mischievous smile playing about her lips. With a knowing smirk, he nodded his head, slapping her on the ass as she climbed out of his Porsche.
Stefan was snorting a line of coke off a mirror with a rolled up hundred dollar bill when she walked in the living room. Looking up in surprise, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand and peered up at her with bloodshot eyes. "Care, I thought you weren't coming home until later. Everything okay?"
The blonde walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, pecking the top of his hair. "You know I can't be away from my favorite brother-in-law too long," she replied sweetly. "Can I get you a beer?"
"Sure," he replied happily, too lit to realize she reeked of sex and never came home early for him. "You wanna watch Forensic Files with me?"
"Love to." She flashed him a smile as she made her way to the garage and grabbed a beer, waiting until he was looking away to sneak up the stairs to his bedroom. It amused her how much he loved that show but still hadn't figured out how his brother had really died. Fucking idiot, she thought to herself as she crushed up a sleeping pill and poured the powder in the glass bottle.
Given that he chugged the amber liquid as soon as she handed it over, it took Stefan all of ten minutes to start yawning. "Are you sleepy, baby?" she asked gently, rubbing his forearm as she sat on the arm of his recliner. "We can watch the rest another time if you want?"
Rubbing his eyes sleepily, the walking dead man nodded. "Can we watch it after breakfast?"
Caroline resisted the urge to groan. "You have to meet Cade at 10:00, remember?" He'd forget to breathe if I wasn't there to remind him to inhale.
"Oh yeah," he replied grumpily. "After that?"
"I have my dress fitting, but after that, okay?" His face darkened at the mention of her impending wedding, a low grumble emitting from the back of his throat. Seeing his imminent mood swing, she put on her best smile as she pulled him to his feet. "We can get cheese steaks for dinner and we'll watch it then."
"Ok," he agreed petulantly, dragging his feet as she pushed him toward the stairs. "But I want to watch two episodes."
"Anything for you, Steffie," she replied as he stalked up to his room. "Goodnight." She waited until she heard his door close before the smile fell off her face and was replaced with a disgusted grimace. Wiping her hands down her face to clear her thoughts, she reminded herself that in three days, she would say goodbye to him permanently. Never having to see Stefan again was the top bullet point on the 'Good Reasons to Marry Klaus' list. Remembering that he could fuck like a porn star was number two, she smirked as she welcomed him in the back door. They barely made it to the pool table in the den before his hands were in her pants again. Stefan's recliner in the living room was after that, and then she blew him on the kitchen table. They didn't stumble into her bedroom until she'd come on his tongue and hands three more times.
As they fucked on every surface in the Salvatore mansion, Caroline's sole regret about keeping Klaus there all night was that Stefan's bed was already taken.
A/N Please let me know what you think! I'll post the final chapter on Sunday. Thanks for reading!