Hello sweet people who actually bother to read this little work of fiction :)

Phew, what a greeting. First of all, I want to thank everybody who reviews, favs or follows this story. It always makes my day to see somebody enjoying my stuff.

Next, I need to apologize to any potential readers from NYC. I've never been ther (I'm on a whole other continent) and only know basic stuff about the city. Like, I know that rent levels are insane and extra room is scarce. But since this is very much a fictional story, I decided to take some liberty with the realism of the apartment sizes and locations. I did some research but I'm not sure how accurate it is.

And lastly, I apologize in advance for eventual delays concerning the next update. The chapter's already in the works, but I'm trying to finish my freaking degree this semester, so I'm kinda slammed. Nevertheless, I'll do my best to update as soon as possible.

Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

When Klaus left her apartment in a hurry, Caroline could not help but feel terrible. Not only was she attracted to her foster daughter's brother, he was also in a relationship already. Now she had unintentionally coerced him into spending the night at her place. Even though it had been completely innocent, she could imagine how his girlfriend Cami must have felt like about it. Resolutely, Caroline decided to not invite Klaus over to anymore dinners or movie nights. He could come visit Rebekah whenever he liked and she would even offer him coffee but that was it. Contrary to some people she knew (cough Katherine cough) she did have qualms about hitting on taken men. Besides, it only reaffirmed her conviction that it was kind of unethical if she had a thing with protégée's brother.

The girl in question was unaware about her inner turmoil, scrolling through her phone and replying to messages. Her face lit up for the first time that morning after reading a new notification.

"Can meet April at that new boba tea shop in Manhattan today? She needs to tell me about her date with Jeremy."

Caroline nodded solemnly. "Sure, if you're back by dinner time and bring me one." She had no worries about letting her go out with April, a fifteen-year-old girl she had met in foster care. She had been to the apartment already and Caroline found her to be very polite and sweet, with a secret streak for mischief, no doubt. Klaus had confirmed her assessment, having known April for a while already and thinking her to be a good influence on Rebekah.

"You're awesome, thanks Care."

Rebekah's use of her nickname for the first time left her stunned enough to let her get up and go into her room without lifting a finger.

"Rebekah! Do the dishes or no boba for you!"

"So, you're telling me that the completely platonic hot older brother of your foster child, who you're not interested in at all, has a girlfriend? Is that bothering you?" Katherine asked with a wicked grin on her face before fishing a bottle of rosé out of her fridge. Since Rebekah had left to spend the day with April, Caroline had allowed herself to meet up with her own friends at Katherine's apartment and taking advantage of her huge balcony and the last few rays of summer sun of the year.

Bonnie grinned as well, accepting the rather full glass from the hostess. "Well, thank God you have no interest in him whatsoever."

Caroline grabbed her own overfilled glass and took a big gulp before answering. "I hate you both. I really don't know why I bother hanging out with you anymore."

"Because your brain would decay if your only company was Enzo." Bonnie answered deadpan and Katherine burst into laughter. Bonnie and Enzo had had a short-lived relationship after meeting and it had ended badly. Not badly enough that Caroline had to drop him as a friend, but badly enough that Bonnie could not help herself but take digs at him even after two years.

"Also, I have the best booze and nicest view of the city."

Caroline conceded. "That much is true."

"So, are you finally admitting that you have a thing for that mysterious brother of the little she-devil or do you need more of this." Katherine shook the bottle and Caroline frowned at her. "Could you please not call her that? You can't possibly judge her from one meeting."

"Katherine? Judging people too harshly? Get out of town!" Bonnie answered, sticking to her deadpan responses, making Caroline and Katherine huff.

"The woman who's constantly judging her twin sister for settling down with her high school sweetheart and kids in a small-town? You bet."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Can we please leave Elena and Stefan out of this? They invited me to come to Avery's fifth birthday party in two weeks and I still haven't found an excuse to skip it yet."

"How about you don't find an excuse and take up your cool aunt duties? The kids could use someone like you in their lives. God knows I would have loved to have an aunt in New York growing up to just get out of my boring town for a while." Caroline scolded gently.

Katherine shrugged and took a sip from her glass. That was as much yielding as one could expect from her and the girls did not press the matter further.

"So, what are you gonna do about the hot brother?"

Caroline sighed. She should have known better than to expect her friends to drop the subject. They had been weirdly persistent about her getting out in the dating world after Tyler, even though they were both single. According to Katherine, there was a huge difference between them. Caroline was a relationship girl in contrast to her, who liked to date casually. Bonnie was more like Caroline but had dissolved her engagement to her high school boyfriend a few years ago and was allowed to explore the dating pool according to Katherine. Bottom line was, they should really stop listening so much to what the devilish brunette had to say.

"Well, nothing. He can keep seeing Rebekah, but I won't insert myself into the situation anymore. Or maybe I should invite him and his girlfriend over for dinner?"

Bonnie shot her a skeptical look and Katherine filled her glass up again, even though it had not even been half empty yet.

"Yeah, fantastic idea. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to meet the hot, successful chick who's fostering her boyfriend's sister, whom he has to see regularly."

Caroline mulled it over. Not that she had been ecstatic at the thought of meeting Klaus' significant other, but Katherine made it sound even stupider. "Any other suggestions?"

"Yeah, either go minimal contact like you said or forget the other woman exists and get it on with the grumpy artist."

Bonnie looked disapproving at Katherine and Caroline shook her head. "Minimal contact it is then."

A week after her conversation with the girls, she had been holding up her part of the equation perfectly. No dinner invitations, no casual run-ins with the brother. The problem was that Klaus had taken to texting her randomly and she had a hard time ignoring him. Not answering during the day could easily be explained by having a hectic work schedule (which was true) and in the evenings, Rebekah claimed most of her attention. She just hoped that he would take the hint and leave her alone as well. Being on friendly terms was alright for her, but she was not about to become his best buddy or something.

"Hello Cinderella. I'm so honored to have your undivided attention."

Caroline grimaced at Enzo and quickly put her phone away. "Sorry, hey. An iced caramel latte and white chocolate Frappuccino to go please. I'm going to the park with Rebekah to watch some band playing."

Enzo raised an amused eyebrow but went to work. Which only meant he was about to pester her about something and did not want to be interrupted by the blender. When he sat the drinks down at the counter and she swiped her card, he casually mentioned. "We haven't really gotten a chance to talk about your surly future love interest."

The blonde glared at him, quickly putting her wallet back into the bag. "Did you talk to Katherine again?"

"No, why? Does she think you'll bump uglies soon too?"

"First of all: nobody in the entire world ever uses that phrase. Ever. Second: I will most certainly not do anything with Klaus in the near or distant future."

Enzo chuckled at her outburst. "Are you sure? Because he did not seem to appreciate the fact that I'm close to you the other day. Or does he look at everybody as if he's going to flay them alive?"

"I'd say it probably was fifty percent him disliking everybody by default and fifty percent you being your obnoxious self, antagonizing everyone you meet."

Enzo put his hand over his heart dramatically. "Why dost thou wound me so callously, woman?"

She shook her head at his antics but grinned despite herself. "You're an idiot. And stop talking to Kat! You've already slept with one of my best friends, there's no need for you to bed the other as well."

"But having had sex with only two out of three is not as satisfying as completing the trifecta." He protested with an innocent look on his face, which might have fooled somebody who did not know him so well. Not that he was serious though; he and Katherine tended to flirt with each other, but they were far too similar to ever take it to the next level.

She threw one of the sugar packets at him before taking her drinks and walking out. "Asshole."

Another week passed with minimal contact between Klaus and Caroline, which was apparently enough for Rebekah to mention it. She was lounging on the couch, swiping through Netflix while Caroline was preparing a light dinner. They had had lunch at her favourite Italian restaurant and were both still stuffed from the pasta and dessert. That was when she casually dropped: "Hey, you haven't seen my brother in a while."

Caroline paused the tomato chopping momentarily but quickly continued, feigning nonchalance. "Really? Oh well, I've been busy. And it's not like I need to supervise your meetings or anything."

Rebekah pouted in her direction. "Duh. But I thought you were getting along well?"

Caroline looked up from the cutting board. "We are, no worries. Do you want ranch or vinegar dressing?"

Before Rebekah could answer, her phone buzzed in her hand and she picked up. "Hey Cami, what's up?"

She listened to the caller talking on the other end, while Caroline pretended to not be extremely curious. "Alright, I'll ask her. Bye."

The woman in question was still acting like she had not tried to listen to the conversation, topping off the two salad bowls with roasted almonds. "So, Cami asked if I wanted to stop by on the weekend. You know, hang out for a bit before school starts."

"At the bar?" Caroline frowned and Rebekah rolled her eyes with fond exasperation.

"Yes, she's trying to help me get a head start on becoming an alcoholic. Nooo, at her apartment of course. There's this cute coffee shop with a really hot barista a few blocks from her place. Not as great as the Armory and he's not as cute as Enzo, but I like going there."

Caroline smiled lightly despite the circumstances. "Sure, no problem. Just don't tell Enzo that you're cheating on his café."

The teen giggled and grabbed a soda from the fridge. "Hey, you wanna come too? Then you could meet Cami. I'm sure you two would get along great."

Well, they certainly did have a similar taste in guys. "That's sweet, but no thanks. I don't want to butt in your get-together and you see me all the time anyway."

The girl pouted again. "You sure? You could both make fun of Nik over coffee."

"Absolutely."

Since Camille's apartment was somewhere in Long Island City, Caroline decided to accompany Rebekah the following Saturday. There was no need for her 14-year-old protégée to go this far on her own and she had errands to run in the surrounding area anyway.

"Okay, that's it." She stopped in front of a red brick ten story building. "You sure you don't want to come?"

Caroline offered her a somewhat genuine smile. "Still sure. Have fun, I'll pick you up at eight." The teen rolled her eyes but nodded and Caroline watched her ring the bell and enter the house before she went on her way.

Much sooner than she had anticipated, she was done with her errands and checked her watch. It was only 6:30, too early to walk back to Camille's apartment. Maybe she should just sit down somewhere, get something to drink and answer some of her work mails. Since she did not notice any coffee shops in the immediate vicinity, she just walked into the next best bar. It was a bit seedy and not a place where she and her girls would hang out, but it did seem to be clean at least and their décor was kind of interesting as well. Since it was still early for a Saturday, not many tables were occupied and the bartender seemed to be bored.

"Hello. I'd like a glass of wine please. The dark-skinned bartender flashed a bright smile on his handsome features. "Of course, beautiful. But you couldn't have been any vaguer if you tried."

Caroline blushed, feeling like an idiot. "Ugh, sorry. I'm still not sure why I decided to sit down in a bar to pass time even though it's 77 degrees outside. Sauvignon Blanc please."

The amused bartender nodded and went to retrieve a bottle of white from the fridge. When he returned with the glass, he spoke up again. "Tell me about it. I'm just waiting for my buddy to take over the rest of his shift so I can meet my thesis advisor at Central Park."

Caroline raised an eyebrow surprised. "On a Saturday?"

The man sighed. "Unfortunately, she's in high demand, been out of town for the last month and this was the only time and place she offered. You simply don't say no to Dr. Branson."

The blonde smiled nicely at his personable demeanor and tried her wine. It was good – not too sweet but also not too dry. She did not feel like the guy was hitting on her; he just seemed to have a generally open and charming personality. That and his attractiveness most likely helped earn him enough tips form inebriated patrons. Katherine would be all over him in a heartbeat.

"So, what are you studying?"

"I'm about to finish up my master's in public administration at Columbia."

Caroline's face lit up. "Oh hey, a fellow lover of order from Columbia! I only did my undergraduate degree though."

The man grinned. "I was at Tulane for my undergraduate, but New Orleans was not that interesting for my future career choices in government. Hence the move to this insanely expensive city to save money for more school."

Caroline laughed and the two clinked their glasses. Before they could continue their conversation towards something more exciting than school, he spotted somebody behind Caroline. "There you are man. I was sure you had decided to take advantage of my generosity and make me do your whole shift."

"Marcel, that only happened one time. How can you still hold it against me?"

Of all the gin joints… Of course, she had to walk into the one bar in New York Klaus was working at. The universe must be extra amused at her expense today.

Naturally, he spotted her immediately and his eyes grew wide. "Caroline? What are you doing here? Did something happen to Rebekah?"

The other bartender, Marcel apparently, turned to look at her surprised and grinned even wider.

"You think I'd look for you at your workplace, which I didn't know the name or address of, if something had happened to Rebekah?" She asked teasingly and Marcel snorted a laugh.

The tension left Klaus' shoulders immediately and he smiled a little. "Well, that would be a bit ridiculous indeed. What are you doing here?"

Marcel shook his head at his friend and smiled at Caroline. "That's just Klaus' charming way of voicing being positively surprised about your unexpected visit."

She cracked a grin, which grew wider at the glare Klaus' sent his way. "I figured as much. I'm not exactly visiting, since – and I repeat – I didn't even know you worked here. Rebekah's just out with Camille and I had some time to kill before picking her up again."

"Ah yes, she mentioned that. Well, can I get you something to drink?"

Caroline lifted her still full wine glass and Marcel let out another amused laugh.

"As much as I would love to stay, I have to get to that meeting. Caroline, it was lovely to finally meet you. Klaus, don't be an idiot."

When he left, there was a moment of awkward pause – something Caroline hated with a passion. It always made her feel the need to fill the silence with nonsensical rambling, which made her seem chattier than she actually was.

"So…Did you start working at that insurance company yet?" She asked finally.

Klaus cleared his throat. "I start on Monday. Right on with Beks' new school year."

"Right. She's really excited about that."

He smiled a little. "Really?"

"Well, she's attending a school in a new district and there won't be any of the 'hapless bellends' from her old class there. I'd say she's excited enough about that."

Klaus chuckled, vividly imagining his sister using British insults for her former classmates. Even though his accent showed a bit from time to time, nobody would assume Rebekah to be originally from England. That did not stop her from using some colorful swear words occasionally.

"Well, maybe she'll stay out of trouble long enough to finally become a cheerleader. She wanted to try it in junior high but got into a fight with the head cheerleader during her audition."

Caroline grimaced. "Yeah, she told me about that. Don't worry about it though: as a former head cheerleader and state championship winner, I'll teach her to channel her frustration into her routine."

Klaus' smirk took on a devilish touch. "You were a cheerleader?"

Caroline nodded seriously. "And student council president, homecoming queen and Miss Mystic Falls. Yes, I'm one of those girls."

"An over-achiever?"

She smiled at that. "Not the word I would have used but yes, I'm that for sure. My mom told me I'd be dead by 40 if I kept up such a hectic lifestyle."

"Given that you have taken up the feat of fostering a teenager in addition to your stressful TV broadcast job, I would assume that your mother might have had a point."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "She would be thrilled to hear that."

Klaus smiled at her fond tone. "What does your mother do? Is she the mayor of your hometown or something comparably prestigious?"

The blonde laughed at his words. "Something similar. My mom's the town sheriff. She could never be the mayor though. Way too much unnecessary bureaucracy, fake chit-chat and fancy events. She hates that. Liz Forbes is not a girly girl."

The bartender was amused. "And your father? Did you get your ambitious side from him?"

Caroline's smile cracked a bit and he regretted putting his foot in his mouth. "Yes, kind of. My dad was a lawyer and always wanted me to be the best in everything I did. Our relationship was… rocky when he left my mom while I was in middle school. It did improve a bit right before I started college, but he died soon after."

Klaus' face fell. "I'm sorry, love. Losing a parent is a horrendous feeling, no matter the age."

He could see her hesitate for a moment. "What about your parents? I've tried to broach the topic gently with Rebekah, but she always stifles the conversation immediately. I didn't want to pry any further and upset her."

Klaus sighed deeply before continuing. Caroline did not want to reopen old wounds, but she felt like she needed to know more about the Mikaelsons to be able to truly connect with Rebekah. The tired looking man in front of her finally took a deep breath and started talking.

"My mother was a very complicated woman. She was free-spirited and brilliant, but struggled a lot with mental health issues. She also did not have the best taste in men unfortunately. Rebekah was so young when our mother died, so she doesn't really know the lugubrious details about Esther Mikaelson's past. She was rather young when I was conceived; barely eighteen. And the man who contributed to my existence was already married with children and had a reputation to lose if an affair with a young artist came to light. My mother and I lived in England until I was fourteen and I never met the man. She used to tell me that he had died shortly after my birth. They kept seeing each other sporadically and Rebekah was conceived eventually. But apparently, that was the moment he decided that the risk of getting caught was too big. He wanted to pay my mother off so she would terminate the pregnancy, but she refused and moved us to the States. Mind you, she told me all of that on her death bed, otherwise I would have stayed in the dark about the whole matter."

After he had stopped, Caroline first had to digest his words. She had expected for them to have complicated family history but not something like this. Especially the fact that there was a possibility that Rebekah's father was still alive, not to mention the existence of possible other siblings was really mind-boggling. But would they even want to know of them? Who in their right mind would be happy to learn about their father's infidelity and offspring resulting from the affair?

"Does Rebekah know about this?" She finally asked.

He shook his head resolutely. "No, mother only told me. Beks still thinks our father's dead. As far as I'm concerned, he may very well be deceased already."

The blonde nodded, but she was reluctant about her next question. "Are you planning to tell her one day? I mean, she might be still a bit too young for it, but doesn't she deserve to know the truth?"

"What is there to know?" He asked, his tone much harsher than she had expected. But really, what exactly had she expected? Of course, he would not be too thrilled about her digging into their difficult family history.

"I'm just saying… your mother told you the truth about your father before she died because she felt like you had a right to know. Maybe you should consider doing the same for Rebekah someday?"

His face darkened even more. "With all due respect, Caroline: you don't know what you're talking about and frankly, it's none of your business anyway."

The woman in question's irritation rose. "On the contrary; I'm responsible for Rebekah now, so everything concerning her is my business."

Klaus snorted, took her glass and started cleaning up the counter. "You taking Rebekah in doesn't make you in any way qualified to judge what's best for her. I'm her family and you're just a stopover before I can get custody back. Don't elevate your role in her life to more than it is in the end."

She had heard enough. Without another world, Caroline took her bag and left the bar, not bothering to look back at the older Mikaelson.

Caroline was fuming. Who did that guy think he was? She had been doing everything she could to make Rebekah feel at home with her. She endured her bratty remarks and teenage mood swings and tried to help her acclimatize to her new living situation. She made sure that Klaus could visit her whenever he felt like it and did not want for the siblings to think they could not trust her. She had started caring for Rebekah and maybe a little bit for Klaus too and she was invested in their life and wanted what was best for them. And this is what she got for it? Being yelled at and basically told that her opinion on anything did not matter anyway? The audacity of that guy!

She was fuming the whole way to Camille's apartment building and some until she finally started considering his perspective. She arrived in front of the house and checked her watch; she still had nearly twenty minutes to spare before Rebekah expected her. Enough time to work through that fight and not let the girl notice anything. It was not her fault that her brother was a know-it-all and too proud to accept any help whatsoever. The young woman looked around but could not spot any cafés or other venues in her immediate vicinity, only some boutiques and other stores. She sighed and leaned against the wall.

Alright, fine, maybe she had been over the line. In the grand scheme of things, she had only known the Mikaelsons for a month now. And even though she tried to spend as much time as possible with Rebekah to bond with her, she still had a demanding job which took up most of her day. She had only learned bits and pieces about the girl's life and had just started to recognize her little quirks and mannerisms, remembering her favourite food, movies, bands and books. She knew even less about Klaus and his life, as demonstrated this evening. As pure as her intentions had been, she probably should not have offered her opinion on the whole "father"-subject so soon, especially because it had been obvious that he was not used to opening up about it so easily.

"Caroline, hey! How long have you been waiting here?"

The brooding woman looked up to find Rebekah and another blonde standing next to her, milkshakes in hand. She forced a smile on her face, hating to be interrupted in her thoughts.

"So this is Caroline. Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. The two Mikaelsons just can't shut up about you."

Camille stepped forward to offer her hand, which Caroline took. Klaus' girlfriend was beautiful; her kind, blue-green eyes examined Caroline curiously, but her smile was radiant and appeared genuine. She had a very calming presence and seemed somehow much more mature than herself. She suddenly felt very intimidated.

"Hi, nice to meet you too, Camille."

The other blonde waved her off. "Please, just call me Cami. Thank you for letting Rebekah visit me today, I haven't seen her in ages."

"And you're already sick of me again." The teen mumbled good-naturedly, sipping on her shake.

The older women laughed and Caroline answered. "No problem, you can see her whenever you like."

Cami nodded gratefully. "Thank you. They really got lucky with you. Hey, do you want to come up for a cup of coffee?"

Caroline cringed inwardly and ignored Rebekah's hopeful look. "Thank you for the offer, but we should head home. I have to work tomorrow and we need to get Rebekah's things in order before school starts on Monday. Maybe another time?"

The other blonde smiled warmly – how many females of that particular hair color did Klaus have in his life exactly? – and her reply was cordial. "Of course, consider this an open invitation. Alright, I'll let you go then. It was great meeting you, Caroline."

"You too, Cami."

She hugged Rebekah and waved them both goodbye as they made their way towards the subway.

Two days later, it was finally time for Rebekah to start high school. Caroline had gotten a lot of work done the day before so she would be able to head to the office later that day to see the teen off. She had gotten a great breakfast spread from Enzo, ironed Rebekah's clothes for the day and prepared a little packed lunch just in case she did not like the cafeteria food.

She woke the girl at 7 a.m. so she could get ready in time and be able to enjoy the breakfast before having to leave at 8.

Surprisingly, the process of making her get up had not been a struggle like every day since her arrival and Caroline chalked it up to Rebekah being excited about her first school day. Nearly half an hour later, the two were dressed and ready for the day, sitting at the dining table and enjoying Enzo's food and coffee. After some chit chat about the new school, Caroline got serious.

"You'll promise me to not get into any fights, right?"

The teen rolled her eyes and poured some more syrup on her pancakes. "I haven't met the people there yet so I can't promise anything."

"Rebekah."

"What? The teachers will soon enough know that I'm a foster child and only judge me by that. They'll label me as a problem child and it won't matter if I behave or not, it'll be all that matters to them."

Caroline was shocked by the girl's words, but also by the hurt tone of her voice. How had she not considered this at all? She was a horrible guardian.

"Hey, listen: I know that this must be frustrating and it sucks. But why don't you try to prove them wrong anyway? Let them think whatever they want, what matters is that you focus on school and work towards your future. You have too much potential to waste it."

She snorted. "Well, why break the family tradition? I'll just end up working at some dead-end job and the sooner I accept it, the better. I can't go to college anyway."

Caroline frowned. "Why not? You're smart and determined and can deal with hardships. You also don't have to go to college if you don't want to. You can try trade school or something similar, but I don't want you to give up before your life has even begun."

The teenager reached for her cup. "Must be nice to be so optimistic."

Caroline sighed. When had she become so bad with the whole compassion thing?

"Let's just get you through high school now. I'll try to give you a stable home for as long as you need it, and you try keeping your grades up."

The younger blonde groaned. "Oh great, the grades speech. What's next: don't drink and drive?"

The older women shrugged nonchalantly and pierced her fork into a vibrant red strawberry. "Well, considering the fact that you don't even have a license yet, that one can wait. But just think about this: if your GPA is too low, you can't participate in any extracurricular activities. Which means no cheerleading for you."
Rebekah opened her mouth for a retort but reconsidered and closed it again, frustratedly shoving another bite into her mouth. Caroline let out a little smile behind her coffee cup.

After she had seen Rebekah off, Caroline grabbed her phone and checked the time. She had to be at the office in three hours the latest. This meant she could potentially meet up with her girls. However, Katherine was out of town for a conference and she was not sure about Bonnie's shift plan that week. The young doctor was in her second year of her residency and free time was still scarce. Despite Katherine and Caroline's own, very hectic schedules they still managed to sneak in a free day every once in a while, whereas Bonnie was not as lucky all the time.

To Caroline's surprise, her friend picked up at the second ring and invited her over for a cup of tea. Since the medic functioned on coffee and adrenaline during her work hours, she tried to switch to more healthy alternatives on her off-days.

She arrived at Bonnie's small apartment a few minutes later, carrying a box of fresh blueberry muffins she had picked up from the Armory. The two young women lived in the same neighborhood, with Bonnie's flat being on the ground floor of a four-story-building. She had sacrificed some living space in order to have that tiny backyard she loved more than anything. Having been an outdoorsy type before starting medical school, Bonnie had had trouble adjusting to the big city life. The little garden was her safe haven and helped her relax after gruesome shifts at the hospital.

The radiant young doctor welcomed her friend at the door, sweatpants, tank top and unruly hair indicating that she had no intention of going anywhere further than her own living room that day.

"You're having a day off? Isn't that the first sign of the impending apocalypse?"

Bonnie smirked and led her inside. "That's rich, coming from you. When was the last time you've stepped into your office after 7 a.m.? And today doesn't count, I know it's Rebekah's first day of school."

"Touché." Caroline answered and sat down on Bonnie's comfy couch. She looked around the familiar living room and smiled. It was funny, how each of the girls' apartment reflected their personalities in a way. Katherine's was luxurious and elegant but a bit cold. Caroline's was pretty, spotless and color-coordinated, just like her neurotic self liked. And Bonnie's was cozy, colorful and filled with books and various knick-knacks she had collected over the years and during the semesters she had studied abroad.

The doctor approached her with a steaming cup and Caroline accepted it gratefully, taking in the lemongrass scent.

"So, how did the morning go? Was Rebekah excited?"

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, she was. I didn't even have trouble waking her up. I'm worried about her though."

Bonnie looked at her concerned. "What happened?"

The foster mother sighed and told her friend about Rebekah's surprising outburst during their breakfast and her own guilt.

"I had no idea, Bonnie. I guess I just never thought about her life so far in depth. Like, I understood that it was hard and that she was pushed from family to family, but I never considered how people treated her for being a foster child. That they maybe looked down on her, expected her to be a troublemaker. It's really no surprise that she used to get into fights and the like. I feel so awful."

The young doctor nodded and thought about her friend's words. "Yeah, behavioral issues are very common in foster children. Growing up in an unstable environment and never having a certain home is bound to cause mental exhaustion. Rebekah seems well adjusted in general, which can probably partly be attributed to her brother being in her life, who's trying to care for her instead of being another cause for abandonment issues."

Caroline listened intently and sighed. "I guess it's good that I went with my first instinct to let him be in her life. I just hope I didn't screw it up the other day."

At Bonnie's questioning look, Caroline told her about the Mikaelson family history. Bonnie was trustworthy and discreet, she would never just blab about it to one of them. As somebody who was abandoned by her mother at a young age, she probably could also relate more to the siblings' situation than Caroline. As hard as Bill Forbes' departure in her life had been, her father still had always tried to keep in contact with her despite the cold shoulder she had shown to him.

"He shouldn't have lashed out on you, but I have to agree with him on that one. Rebekah's life is volatile enough without learning about her mother's past and possible other family members. Just imagine finding out your father had secret love children…would you want to develop a relationship with them? It would just be another disappointment for the girl."

Caroline pouted and took a sip of her tea. "I didn't mean he should tell her now. But doesn't she have a right to know later on?"

Bonnie smiled good-naturedly at her. "I'm sure he will tell her eventually. He just needs time to get his own life in order and offer his sister a secure home. But I'm glad that you're so worried about it. You really care for that girl."

The blonde nodded thoughtfully. Yes, she had grown to like the teenager. Despite Rebekah's smartass comments and arrogant attitude, she was clever and funny and secretly sweet. There was also a deep vulnerability in her that she only ever caught glimpses of, but she always felt the need to make her feel better. It did not hurt that she reminded Caroline of herself at that age, which helped her relate a bit more to the girl, even though her home life had been much more stable.

"You're doing good by her, Caroline. I admit that I was a bit worried at the beginning, but you've been great so far."

The woman in question grimaced. "Well, it honestly wasn't that challenging yet. We'll see how I'll hold up once she gets into a fight or brings a boy home."

Bonnie smiled and put her warm hand on Caroline's arm in a comforting gesture. "You'll manage. You're Caroline Freakin' Forbes, you can do anything."

She let out a small smile and thanked the heavens for having such a friend. "On a more gossip-y note, I met Klaus' girlfriend the other day."

Bonnie's eyes lit up in surprise and her smile got a cheeky hint. "Really. What's she like?"

"Honestly? Very pretty, super chill and seems totally sweet."

Her friend chuckled. "I feel like Katherine would tell you something along the lines of 'she can't possibly hold a candle to you' or 'sounds boring as fuck' but I think it's great that you'll be able to get along with her. It will be good for Rebekah."

Caroline nodded. "Yeah. But enough about me, what's going on in your life? Are you still seeing that surgeon?"

"Kai? God no. The more time I spent with him, the worse he seemed to become. Honestly, he might even be a high functioning psychopath."

Caroline laughed at her friend's words. Ever since she had dissolved her engagement to her fiancé Jeremy, Bonnie had not dated anybody longer than a couple of months. It did not really help that she barely ever left the hospital and could not really meet people outside of her work environment. Not that her own dating life was in any way better.

"Seriously, we don't need any men. We're successful, smart and independent women not bound by the repressive expectations a patriarchal society wants to enforce on us."

Bonnie laughed and playfully puffed Caroline's shoulder. "And I thought that gender equality class we took in high school would never pay off. Honestly though, my grams has been pestering me about finding a husband ever since I moved here. It's Iike all my achievements don't matter because I'm still unattached. I know she's from another generation, but it does get annoying."

"Understandable. But you know she's not serious about it, right? She constantly brags about you being a hot-shot doctor in New York, saving lives left and right. My mom always has to remind her that we're friends and she knows about your occupation."

The girls laughed and Bonnie added "Well, at least you don't have that problem with Liz."

Caroline nodded seriously. "She drops a hint about the horrors of marriage every once in a while."

"And what did she say about you fostering Rebekah?"

At her friend's guilty look, Bonnie gasped. "Caroline! You haven't told her?"

The blonde grimaced. "No, of course not. Can you imagine her reaction? My mom still doesn't think that I'm a grown-up, she would never believe me capable of taking care of a teenager."

"Okay, she might be a bit skeptic at the beginning, but she knows how responsible you are."

"Eh, I'll tell her if I need to. You know, in the off-chance that she decides to come visit sometime in the next three years or something."

Bonnie offered her a sympathetic look, but she was not about to whine about her strained relationship with her mother to the girl who was abandoned by her own as a child. She had improved her sense of tact since high school, thank you very much.

"Anyway, I should get going. Josh is going to flip out if I arrive earlier than announced and it's always fun to watch him scramble in panic."

Bonnie chuckled at the mention of Caroline's competent, but easily intimidated assistant.

"Hey, since you're probably going to fall into a coma as soon as I leave: do you want to come over for dinner later?"

"If I manage to get off the couch, sure."

Caroline's workday was hectic, as usual for a Monday. It did not help that she had taken the morning off despite working the day before and her executive producer kept pestering her about the smallest issues. Isobel was tough as nails and she had to be in such a position. However, she really could refrain from annoying Caroline with things she did perfectly anyway.

She barely managed to get everything done in a reasonable time before heading home. Well, she would head home to welcome Rebekah and have dinner with her and Bonnie and then she would go back to work again for a couple of hours. Otherwise, Isobel might just fire her on the spot. She gave some last orders and instructions to Josh and Sophie, one of the marketing reps and quickly grabbed her things to jog to the elevator.

Caroline's car took her home in a surprisingly small amount of time for rush hour and she entered her apartment exhausted. For such a short workday, it had been quite the challenge. She found Rebekah sitting on the couch, TV on and eyes glued to her phone.

"Hey! How was your day?"

The teen looked up from the display and offered a tiny smile. "It was fine. What are you doing here? I thought you had to work late to make up for taking the morning off?"

"I do have to get back to work, but I thought we could have dinner together and you could tell me more about your day. I also invited Bonnie over."

Rebekah nodded and turned her attention back to the phone. "Sounds good. Can we have Thai?"

"Sure, Bonnie loves Thai food as well. I'll order and call her over; can you set the table?"

The teen groaned in annoyance but slid off the couch and made her way over to the kitchen, grabbing the necessary utensils.

"Hey, can Nik come over later? I want to know how his first day at that boring office went and since you're working late anyway…"

Caroline frowned instinctively at the mention of her brother. Neither of the two stubborn guardians had taken it upon themselves to apologize to each other for their disagreement at the bar the other day. Though, if he came over after or right around the time she left, she could at least avoid any awkward conversations or silence.

"Sure thing. Tell him to be here at around 8, then I won't feel so bad about leaving you alone."

Bonnie and Rebekah were talking animatedly about her day while Caroline was getting their drinks. She smiled at the scene. While Katherine and Rebekah had not taken that well to one another, the teenager seemed to like her other best friend very much. It did not surprise her tough; Katherine was a bit difficult to get used to and she and Rebekah had a similar attitude problem that was bound escalate during confrontation. Bonnie on the other hand was – despite being a kickass doctor and sharp as a whip – a very warm and confidable person and had a particular talent of dealing successfully with difficult personalities. Hence her being Caroline's first and only friend for a while in kindergarten, being able to more than tolerate Katherine and forming an easy bond with Rebekah.

"So basically, I'm stuck taking Spanish classes instead of French because the administration fucked up. Seriously, I had Spanish last year and I sucked. I told Jenna over and over again that I didn't want to go through this for another year and she promised she'd take care of it. And then they fucked it up again!" Rebekah sighed and picked at her noodles frustrated.

Bonnie smiled benevolently. "I'm sure Caroline can convince them to let you take French instead. She's very persuasive." She looked at her friend, who placed the drinks on the table and took her seat, nodding vigorously.

"I'm calling the school first thing in the morning. They won't know what hit them."

Rebekah's mood lifted at that declaration and she sat up straighter, finally digging into her meal.

"Oh, I completely forgot to tell you about this new attending we recently got at the hospital. Total prodigy in the neurology field, top of her class in Oxford and already published several highly acclaimed medical papers. I read them and I'm basically in love with her."

Caroline chuckled, always amused when Bonnie found a new hero to look up to. "Sounds pretty awesome. So, it might be neurology after all and not pediatrics?"

The young doctor contorted her face thoughtfully. "I don't know. Pediatrics is great and all, but neurology is so goddamn fascinating. It would be pretty great to dive into that field but it's so competitive and selective. Maybe I should ask Dr. Griffin if I can shadow her for a couple of days. You know, before the other vultures latch onto her and I don't get a chance."

The two blondes at the table giggled. "If there's anybody I would trust to operate on my brain, it's definitely you Dr. Bennett. Turn up your charm and wow that hot shot British doctor with your intelligence, then you'll be specializing in neurology in no time."

After Bonnie had said her goodbyes and the table was cleaned up, Caroline gathered her things to head back to work again.

"I don't understand how you can walk back to the office after eating so much. I just want to curl up on the couch and binge watch a show until it's time for bed." Rebekah yawned, confirming her statement by stretching out on Caroline's sofa, which looked extra inviting that evening.

"That's the price you pay for being successful, honey. Your brother should be here any minute now, so don't do anything stupid until he's here. I've memorized the alcoholic beverages and the fullness of the bottles, don't try to fool me."

Rebekah chuckled after sending a snap of herself to somebody, turning to look at Caroline amused. "Have you ever heard of the water in the vodka bottle trick?"

"Been there, done that. You get house party privilege at sixteen the earliest."

"So, what you're saying is that if I stay with you for the next two years, you'll buy alcohol for my parties?"

The foster parent eyed her tauntingly. "Nice try, but no. The fridge and snack cabinet is yours to roam through though if you want."

Rebekah whooped and Caroline shook her head, already putting her sleek, dusty pink coat on.

"Just behave and don't make me come back to cops at my door."

"Can't promise anything. But if it's any consolation to you: Nik is super boring and would never throw a party."

"Fantastic." Caroline shouldered her bag and opened the door and was faced with Klaus, his right hand raised to knock.

"Oh. Hello, Caroline. Your neighbor let me in."

His tone was casual but also somewhat tense. It did not seem as if he would apologize to her that evening. Fine, she had more important things to get to and would not beg for his forgiveness either.

"Mr. Harding, I bet. He'd probably let a known serial killer inside just to get rid of me."

Klaus cracked a tiny smile, but Caroline's resolution did not drop because of it. No, they most certainly would not clear the air in passing with Rebekah within earshot. Especially not when she had to get to work urgently.

"Yeah, well, I have to head out now. There's some Thai food in the fridge if you're hungry and Rebekah's on the couch, not getting up from what I can tell. Don't let her go to bed too late, I should be home around midnight. Bye!"

She quickly walked down the steps of her building, not bothering to look back at the older Mikaelson still standing in her doorway. Once out on the street in the already crisp September night, she sighed relieved. The young woman wondered if she would ever be able to act normal around that guy or if there would always be a switching from feeling attracted to him and guilty about it or being annoyed at him for some reason or another.

She called her company car to pick her up and used the wait to buy some of Enzo's coffee for her colleagues. A little caffeine fix would make their job much easier and most of them much more pleasant, herself included. As she was standing at the register, she threw in a dozen donuts as well, calories be damned. It was just that kind of day.

The rest of the week passed rather smoothly. Rebekah was well-behaved and so happy about her switch to French class that she even attempted to make friends there. Cheerleading try-outs were still a few weeks away, but the two blondes had already talked about a potential routine and song choice, with Caroline giving Rebekah tips on how to improve her movements.

During her last inspection visit at the end of August, Jenna had remarked how well-adjusted Rebekah seemed to be to her new environment and praised Caroline for making her come to the weekly therapy sessions she had to attend at the youth center. They had also discussed the possibility of reducing Rebekah and Jenna's weekly meetings to only monthly ones once school started, to not overwhelm the girl with too many obligations in addition to school work and extracurricular activities.

It was Saturday afternoon and Caroline was in Queens on her way to pick her protégée up from therapy. She was a bit early and decided to wait at the coffee shop near the center for her teen to be finished. She was sitting at a corner table, enjoying the flavorful roast of the coffee when somebody approached her.

"Caroline? What coincidence!"

She looked up and found no other than Cami standing next to her table, to-go cup in hand and grinning widely.

The seated blonde smiled as well and stood up to greet her. "Cami, hi! Do you want to join me?" She asked and pointed at the other chair opposite hers. The woman checked her watch and then took the offer.

"Sure, I've still got some time before my appointment. What brings you to this neighborhood?" Cami asked, curiosity apparent in her features.

"I'm picking Rebekah up from her therapy session. I'm just a bit too punctual for my own good."

The other blonde laughed and nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned that." She paused and looked at her more seriously. "You're doing really good, you know that?"

Caroline blushed, not having expected for the casual conversation to go down a serious path so quickly.

"Oh well…I'm trying. I've never done this before and I worry about messing up Rebekah's life constantly." She said and shut up immediately. She had not intended to admit something like that to someone, who was basically a stranger to her.

Cami nodded understandingly, eyes warm. "I get that, but you have no idea how much it means to her to have such a stable and welcoming home. The last foster family which treated her really well was a long time ago and I think she still has not really recovered from that loss. Klaus always tried to be there for her, but it was never easy. I think you have no idea how utterly grateful they are for your kindness and impartiality."

Caroline sighed and shook her head. "I don't know, I might have fucked up on that last part recently."

Cami grinned amusedly. "Oh, Klaus told me about your little dispute. I totally get where you were coming from and agree with you. But he is insanely stubborn and proud, it's not easy to convince him of something, especially when it comes to Rebekah. But he'll do right by her in the end, don't worry. This includes apologizing to you."

The other blonde grimaced. "I don't know, I should probably apologize too. I did kind of overstep a boundary."

Cami thought her answer over and shook her head lightly. "I wouldn't necessarily say you did. Rebekah is in your care now and it's very indicative of your creditableness that you're taking her well-being to heart and are willing to argue with Klaus about it. You should probably just try to broach the topic from a more pragmatic angle the next time. Klaus is very sensitive when it comes to his mother and father and has a hard time opening up about it."

Caroline leaned back in her seat, sipping on her coffee thoughtfully. "Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a great therapist?"

Cami's lips formed a sad smile at that statement. "Well, that was the plan before my life derailed. I was working towards a psychology degree once."

Caroline's face fell, guilt nagging at her immediately. Why oh why did she always had to run her mouth like that? No wonder people used to call her insensitive.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry. I had no idea. You're just…very pleasant to talk to."

The other blonde's smile was more genuine this time and she waved her off. "Don't worry about it. It just wasn't meant to happen. I do like listening to my friends' problems and giving completely unprofessional advice with my unfinished degree though."

The women laughed and Caroline checked her watch. She had to leave soon.

"Klaus is really lucky to have you as his girlfriend."

Cami looked taken aback by her statement and Caroline wondered how she had screwed up this time. Maybe she should just stop assuming things about people.

"Thanks for the compliment, but Klaus and I aren't dating."

Caroline's eyes grew wide. "No?"

Cami laughed and shook her head. "I mean…we did, for a short while, but that was years ago, back in college. He's just my male best friend, whom I like to give unnecessary life advice occasionally and annoy regularly."

The other woman laughed, still completely stunned by that revelation. "Yeah, I have one of those too. Listen Cami, it was really nice meeting you again and thank you so much for listening. I have to pick up Rebekah now, but maybe we can get together another time instead of always running into each other by chance? You could join me and Rebekah for one of our movie nights sometime."

The bartender nodded, smiling nicely. "I'd love that. Goodbye, Caroline."